Out on the dewy morning coast, a lone figure cloaked in black with red clouds stood over beach hidden out of sight from the villagers. The man known as Itachi stood perfectly still as the sun rose to greet the new day. As a perfect analogy to his relationship with his partner, a new figure emerged from the waves, interrupting the tranquility of the setting. As he stepped out of the waves, his body morphed back into its more human form and his sword reemerged on his back.
"I found those pirates and sank a couple of their ships. Just like you predicted, they're sending a vanguard fleet to come and sack the town early." Kisame reported.
"Good. They should run into a fisherman or two out to make the first catch of the day. With any luck they will bring word back to the village that the pirates are attacking early. This will cause Jiraiya to send Gohan out to preemptively defend the town. Creating openings for us to capture Naruto and the 9 Tailed Fox." Itachi stated emotionlessly, as he turned to walk back to the village.
"What about the Ki user though? He could still come back." Kisame pointed out.
"Leave him to me. Should things go according to plan. We should have both the jinchuriki and the Ki user as our captives before nightfall." Itachi stated as he disappeared into the forest.
The next morning, Videl once again woke up in Gohan's arms. His strong, yet, gentle arms. One was underneath her and around her belly while the other was...
'Oh god... His arm is on my boobs...' Videl blushed.
First he was grabbing her "marshmallow ass," now his arm was wrapped around her bosom. The thought of that happening to her twice in one week, not to mention the fact that he was being so protective over her and the comforting he gave her when she told him about her darkest hour, her heart melted that deep down, he really actually liked her the same way she did.
'Screw it... I'm going to enjoy this...' Videl smiled as she basked in being held by the strongest man she could ever hope to meet.
The night before had ended with the two of them showering separately, even though Videl was both proud and a little disappointed that Gohan didn't join her, it was the second night that they have slept together. It was also the second time Videl had woken up in his arms that were wrapped tightly around her. There was no mistaking it anymore.
Videl Satan was in love.
That was the only way to describe it, as much as she didn't want to admit it, she had extremely strong feelings for this man. Oh, if only her father could see her right now, he would flip shit.
'And it was him to say that I couldn't date anyone who wasn't as strong as him, so Gohan is completely fine since he outclasses my father by leaps and bounds.' Videl thought happily.
Videl snuggled closer to the Adonis of a man that slept beneath her. Really, what more could she possibly ask for in a guy? He was strong, handsome, kind, humble, smart (maybe not socially, but that just made him funny in a cute/endearing way). Videl's only regret was that it took her this long to realize it, but what could she do? It was how the dice fell.
'I just hope he feels the same way about me.' Videl thought.
Gohan stirred awake from Videl's thoughts as he heard bits and pieces of it. "What did you say?" Gohan yawned.
Videl's eyes went wide. He couldn't have heard her, could he?
"I didn't say anything."
"Oh... Must have dreamed it..." Gohan shrugged.
Then Gohan noticed that she was in his arms once again, only this time, one of his arms were wrapped around her chest, smushing her rather modest breasts. "Oh my god!" Gohan said as he quickly removed his arm. "I'm so sorry..."
"Oh no, its fine. It's one thing if it's your arm. It's not like you were fondling them like you were my ass, marshmallow boy." Videl teased.
"Ha ha... Yuk it up..." Gohan said sarcastically.
Knock knock knock.
"Oy lovebirds, get up!" Jirayia called to them. There was one day left before the Red Eagle invasion and he wouldn't allow them to waste a minute of it.
"Yea yea, we hear ya..." Videl groaned as she removed herself from Gohan.
"I told you, its-"
"Forget about that for now." Videl said as she bent over backwards to crack her still sore back. "Oh! Damn, that hurts..." Videl groaned.
"You okay?" Gohan asked with concern.
"Yea... Just toss me one of those beans." Videl said as she started her morning stretches in nothing but her panties and her sports bra. She didn't care that Gohan saw her like that, or anyone else for that matter. Her lady parts were covered and that's all she cared about.
Gohan rummaged through his bag and produced two magic beans. He popped one in his mouth and handed the other to Videl. Instantly the two of them felt like they had just woken up from a 10-day stress-free vacation.
"Is it just me, or have you gotten stronger?" Gohan asked.
"Me?" Videl asked as she looked down at her own figure. Her muscles did seem a little more defined and she definitely felt lighter. "I don't know, maybe it's all of Naruto's ninja training? He really worked my ass off yesterday."
"Maybe..." Gohan shrugged, but in reality, he was having very different thoughts. 'She couldn't be... Could she?'
"Come on. We need to get ready." Videl sighed. The thought of 12 more hours of throwing kunai at Naruto's Shadow Clones did not appeal to her at all.
"Alright... But I think we both need new clothes." Gohan commented as he laid his eyes upon both his and Videl's dirty clothes on the floor.
"Normally I'd agree with you, but I think we have more important matters to deal with." Videl said as she picked up her least sweaty shirt and threw it on. She'd worry about cleanliness after the pirate armada wasn't threatening the townsfolk.
"Well, I was thinking I could grab a couple of my Gi's out of my clothing chest I have." Gohan suggested as he took out a capsule.
"That's a nice suggestion, but I doubt you have anything in my size." Videl said as she picked up the shorts she had on when they arrived here.
Knock knock knock.
"Guys, Pervy Sage told me to get you. He said if you don't get up soon you'll have to start training without breakfast." Naruto called.
"We're up and we're getting ready!" Videl called.
Videl fed her legs through her shorts and pulled them up, hiding her white and pink panties from Gohan's sight. She put on her purple socks and then put on her boots while Gohan was putting on a fresh Gi. She made her way out of the door to meet Naruto who was waiting for them. "Have some patience why don't ya." Videl grumbled.
"Same clothes?" Naruto asked.
"It's all I've got since Gohan doesn't have anything that fits me." Videl sighed.
Naruto glanced up and down at Videl and had an idea. "I think you might be around my size if you want a spare outfit." Naruto offered.
"Thanks, but no. They'll just get messed up from training anyway." Videl wved off.
"Whatever. Let's hurry it up." Naruto said dismissively.
"Alright... As far as food, we both just had a senzu bean." Videl commented as she walked with Naruto.
"Good, that means we can move right to your training." Naruto smirked.
"Oh joy..." Videl groaned. Normally she wouldn't mind training, but this kind was the hardest she had ever had.
"Don't worry. I was told by Pervy Sage to focus on teaching you how to make explosive tags this morning. He figures if worse comes to worse, you'll be able to re-arm yourself and get away." Naruto reassured her as they made it to the top of the stairs.
"How do I do that?" Videl asked.
"With a little brush work." Naruto said as he produced an ink brush out of nowhere.
"Oh... I was never too good with calligraphy." Videl said hesitantly.
"Neither was I, but you'll get it." Naruto reassured her.
"Alright... Oh before that. Gohan was going to do a Ki demonstration for a couple of guys we ran into last night."
That gave Naruto pause. "A couple of guys? I thought we were keeping Gohan's Ki powers a secret?"
"We bumped into them last night and they said they were searching out a high energy from the other day. There was a tall one that seemed really strange, but nice. The shorter one was also nice, but their choice of outfits left a lot to be desired."
"Ugh, doesn't matter right now. We need to train." Naruto insisted.
"Alright. I figured you'd like to know since one of them wore a headband like yours."
"They were Leaf ninjas?" Naruto asked with a hint of excitement in his voice.
"One of them was. The other one had a different kind of headband." Videl said.
"Ugh, doesn't matter right now. We need to train." Naruto insisted. He pulled Videl down the stairs and out the door without another word.
Right as they made their way outside though, a young fisherman came sprinting past them and burst through the bar door.
"THE PIRATES ARE COMING!" He shrieked.
"What?!" Videl exclaimed. Her reaction matched everyone still left in the bar. One by one the customers looked up from their "five o'clock somewhere beers."
"Are you absolutely sure?" Videl asked seriously.
The scared boy, maybe two years her senior looked over and nodded frantically. "I saw it with my own eyes. Two dozen ships, all flying the blood red eagle colors. I swear it on me mum."
"Shit." Videl cursed as she ran back up the stairs to fetch Gohan.
Naruto meanwhile ran to his master's side. "Pervy Sage!"
"I heard. Listen Naruto, you need to complete Videl's training." Jiraiya said quickly.
"What? But the Pirates-
"Are not showing their entire hand, and neither should we."
Videl flung open the door to their bedroom with a frightened look on her face. "Gohan! The pirates have arrived early!"
"What?!" Gohan exclaimed as he finished making sure his senzu beans were properly attached to his belt. "Dammit... Let's go!" Gohan said as he and Videl dashed down stairs.
By the time they made it down the stairs Jiraiya was already there to greet them.
"Gohan, two dozen pirate ships were spotted east of here. I figure you can handle it. Videl, you'll stay here and train with Naruto."
"Right." Gohan said as he searched out with his senses for the pirates. They weren't hard to find. "Got them. About 2 miles away."
"Get after them. I'll follow behind you as soon as I can." Jirayia stated.
"Right." Gohan said as he dashed out the door and took to the sky at full speed, creating a sonic boom as he flew away.
"Damn that's fast..." Naruto gasped.
"Yea..." Videl said dreamily.
"Ahem..." Jiraiya said to get Videl's attention.
"Oh... sorry. Anyway, let's get started." Videl said sheepishly.
"Right, back to the training grounds." Naruto ordered as he led Videl deep into the woods. Running past the bar where Oda was rounding up bar patrons to put spears in hands. Naruto and Videl knew at a glance that the villagers could only muster a meager defense if only one pirate ship landed. Against an armada they would have no chance. The four of them would need to stop the pirates at the harbor or not at all. With that in mind, Videl sprinted faster through the woods, actually overtaking Naruto.
He looked on in surprise. 'Since when can she run so fast?' He thought before pouring on his own speed to catch up to her.
They soon arrived at their clearing where Naruto had set up several dozen targets for Videl to practice on. Some were nailed to tree trunks, some of them swinging from tree branches, and others were hidden behind rocks to give that extra challenge.
"So I take it we're doing target practice." Videl assumed.
Naruto tossed Videl a handful of kunai knives. "Let's see how you do."
Videl fumbled with the blades a bit but made sure she had all of them. "These are primitive to what I'm used to."
Naruto cocked an eyebrow. "And what exactly are you used to?"
".45 Cal, 9mm, glock semiautomatic, AR-15, and then my fists." Video listed off.
"...and those are...?"
"Oh...I take it you don't have firearms here then." Video guessed.
"Um, we have jutsus that set your arms on fire." Naruto guessed.
Video deadpanned. "I meant guns..."
"Oh guns...you mean those things like fireworks? I think we have a few of them used at this one prison. Blood Prison. Other than that you might find a few being used by pirates and thieves." Naruto said.
"I've got a few on me." Video said as she bent down and pulled out a short nose 357 revolver that was in her sock. "I use this one in case of an emergency."
"Oh cool." Naruto said in awe. He had never seen a gun up close before.
"I hardly ever use it and it's not loaded." She said as she handed it to Naruto to look at.
"Cool." Naruto said as he tried to pull the trigger.
BANG!
THE gun went off while facing sideways and hitting the target on one of the trees.
Video gasped. "I could've sworn that wasn't loaded..."
"Whew, that was exciting." Naruto exclaimed.
"Let me see it for a sec." Videl said, carefully taking the gun from Naruto. She popped open the chamber and saw the empty casing in the firing housing, but it was the only one. "There was only one in there... but I could've sworn I emptied it." Videl mused.
"Well I guess you can never be too careful." Naruto mused as he created a dozen Shadow Clones.
"No, you can't." Video agreed as she closed the chamber and by put it back in her sock. "So, I'm supposed to hit the targets with these knives, right?"
"Actually, I was thinking that we could speed things up. I want you to chase down my clones and hit them with your kunai." Naruto said casually.
"What? Won't that hurt you?" Videl asked with concern.
Naruto just laughed. "No, it won't hurt me at all."
"Well, okay...if you say so..." Videl said a little nervously.
The clones all jeered at her, trying to get a rise out of her so that she would get angry and attack them. They blew raspberries, spanked the behinds, and mocked her sharpshooting skills.
That got on Videl's nerves and her eyes flashed from blue to teal for a brief moment, which made Naruto pause after seeing that.
'She got some kind of kekkie genkai?' He wondered as Videl threw a kunai directly into the forehead of one of the faraway clones, earning shocked looks from all his brothers, then back at her.
"Who's next..." Videl growled with a feral look on her face, the likes Naruto had never seen before as her eyes flashed again.
The clones all dashed away in different directions.
Videl gave chase to the nearest clone and was hot on his heels, with a swift motion, she fired her knife at the clone, striking it in the back of the head.
The clone fell forward and poofed out of existence, leaving behind the kunai that Videl had thrown.
She picked it up as she ran and went after the next, taking down every one she came across and picking up her Kunai as she did so.
'Damn...she hasn't even had any formal training and she's easily Chunin level.' Naruto thought.
'This is actually kind of fun.' Videl thought as she struck another clone right in the shoulders, it too dissipated.
She continued her onslaught until only 2 clones remained, yet she still had energy to spare, like she wasn't even tired.
The two clones then decided to fight back. They leapt right into Videl's face and started attacking her from both sides with hand to hand combat.
Thanks to Videl's mixed martial arts training, she was able to put up a really good fight, blocking and dodging most of the attacks the clones threw at her.
'She has been trained before, right? She has to.' Naruto thought. He observed her footwork and saw her correct her stance mid battle. 'Definitely taught.'
She then found an opening on one of the clones and slashed her kunai across his chest, causing him to disappear.
It was now one on one and Videl had the momentum.
Using her momentum, she sweep-kicked the last clones legs out from under him, causing him to fall, where Videl swiftly drove her kunai into his chest, dispelling him quickly.
'Damn...she's good.' Naruto thought.
Videl stood up and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Whew...that was fun."
"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Naruto asked in awe.
"Self-taught by studying fights with former champion martial artists mostly." Video replied.
"Awesome, are martial artists like the ninjas of your world?" Naruto asked.
Videl frowned. "We don't have ninjas in our world anymore."
"What? Why not?"
"Over time with new technological advances, they weren't needed anymore, so they just kinda faded away."
"W-what?" Naruto asked sadly.
"I often asked myself that as well. We study their culture, but that was the gist of it. I'm certain there was so much more we could learn from them..."
"Well I've never much for history, but I can't imagine a world without ninjas." Naruto admitted.
"Yeah..." Videl said in a somber tone. "Well, what else do I need to do?"
"Can you mold Chakra?" Naruto asked.
"No, but Gohan was going to teach me how to use Ki." Videl replied.
"Well I'm no expert to teach you. If only Sakura-chan were here..." He said to himself.
"Who? Sakura?" Videl asked.
Naruto looked up. "Huh? What?"
"You said the name 'Sakura.' She a girlfriend of yours or something?" Videl asked with curiosity.
That's when Naruto's cheeks grew ruby red with embarrassment.
"Whaaa...no no no no..." He quickly replied. "Sakura is just a friend. My teammate." He corrected.
Videl smirked. She knew that response from anywhere. Her women's intuition was going off like crazy. "Uh huh...sure she is..."
"Sh-she is! Really. I don't even...well...I mean I..." Naruto stammered.
Videl sighed. "Listen, I wasn't born yesterday. It's evident that you like this girl, us women can see it a mile away. Did you even ask her out yet?"
Naruto sighed. "Yes...several times..."
"Several..." Videl breathed out, then she understood. "She likes someone else, doesn't she?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Our teammate Sasuke. My best friend."
"Hoo boy..." Videl sighed as she sat down on the grass. "Let me tell you a little something about women...their feelings about guys are fickle, they change like the wind over time. After a while, she'll probably get over him and look for someone better." Videl explained.
"There is no one better than him." Naruto responded.
"Don't be so sure. If this Sasuke is what I think he is, he's probably just some handsome face and this is probably just a childhood crush. Crushes don't usually last long and I speak from experience believe it or not. Girls want a man who will treat them right, not muscles and a handsome face. That would just be a bonus."
"Yet you like Gohan."
"Huh? No, not like that." Videl replied.
"Oh come on. I see how close you two are."
Videl sighed. "The reason why we're so close is that we've both lived shitty lives. We lean on each other for emotional support, as good friends. Besides, he's too much of a nice guy for me. Don't get me wrong, I like nice guys, but he's waaay too nice, almost to a fault."
"Huh, he reminds me of another friend of mine. Rock Lee." Naruto said.
"I don't really know who that is. But my point is, she'll come around. Give her a chance to figure out what she wants and who knows? She might just surprise you." Videl smiled.
Naruto gave a small smile back. "Thanks Videl. That means a lot."
Videl stood up and patted him on the shoulder. "Anything for a friend."
"You bet." Naruto grinned.
"So is that it? I mean, I'm sure Gohan is fairing with the pirates easily, but we should lend him a hand if we're all finished here."
"Yeah, I just gotta teach you..." Naruto paused when he thought that he heard something. He looked past Videl and saw to his horror a black figure he had only remembered from his nightmares.
"Get back Videl!" Naruto shouted as he pushed Videl behind him.
"What? Whats wrong?" Video asked.
"It's HIM..." Naruto darkly stated.
"Him?" Videl asked before looking at the figure that was now in view. She instantly recognized him from the other day. "Wait a minute, I remember you. You're Itachi, right? Why are you out here?" Videl asked kindly.
"You know him?!" Naruto exclaimed, suddenly wary of her being behind him.
"Yeah. Gohan and I bumped into him and his buddy at the inn the other night. What's the problem? He seems nice."
'Son of a bitch!' Naruto thought as he kept his eyes low. Careful not to meet Itachi in the eyes, otherwise he could trap Naruto in a nightmare genjutsu that not even the most skilled ninja could break free from.
"Just run back to the tavern. Get Pervy Sage and Gohan. I'll try to delay him." Naruto said as he made his signature cross sign.
"What are you..." She said as her eyes glanced towards Itachi.
In a flash she saw nothing but red, followed by a negative world where all light was dark and all darkness was light.
"Nothing personal, but I need you out if the way for a bit." Itachi spoke in a booming voice, coming from everywhere and nowhere.
Back in the real world, Videl slumped over against Naruto, her body limp and her mind unconscious.
"What did you do to her..." Naruto growled.
"I merely knocked her out so she would stay out of the way, nothing more." Itachi replied.
"You bastard. Don't think that I'm going to go down so easily. I'm not the same kid you fought three years ago." Naruto said as he created two dozen Shadow Clones.
"Calm yourself. She is not a part of our fight and is therefore an innocent bystander. I don't hurt innocent bystanders. Now, if you would be so kind as to take her somewhere safe as neither one of us wants her hurt."
"Don't tell me what to do!" Naruto snapped as two of his clones picked up Videl and fled to safety. "But thank you..."
Itachi nodded as he spread his stance.
"Now, show me how much you have improved." He said as the Naruto clones leapt towards the Leaf rogue.
Back over with Gohan and Jiraiya, the two of them were tearing shit up with the pirates.
As Jiraiya was fighting against a bunch of pirates that were giving him issues, Gohan was plowing through then like a bulldozer through a brick wall.
"Needle Lion's Mane Jutsu!" Jiraiya shouted as his hair grew larger than him and swept across the deck of one of the larger pirate ships, sending the entire crew overboard with their skin cut into by a million pins.
The men screamed as they toppled over.
"Ha ha! Tell all your friends, this is why you don't mess with the great and gallant JiraiYAAAAAHHH!" Jiraiya cried as Gohan accidentally fired a massive Ki blast into the bow of the ship in order to sink it.
"Sorry!" Gohan yelled from his position.
"Damn kids. No respect for their elders." Jiraiya muttered.
"Tell me about it." One of the older pirates said, his body stuck inside the wall leading into the captain's quarters.
"Thank you." Jiraiya replied.
As Gohan finished with half a dozen ships, a dozen more took their place.
"They just keep coming." Gohan said when he landed next to Jiraiya.
"I think that I might have to pull out my own big guns." Jiraiya said as he chomped on his thumb hard enough to draw blood.
"Summoning a toad?" Gohan asked
"It's my shtick." Jiraiya said.
Jiraiya slammed down his palms and a massive seal spread out across the poop deck before exploding into smoke. As soon as it cleared, Gohan found himself standing on the head of the largest toad he had ever seen. Complete with a short sword the size of a train, a tobacco pipe the size of a tree, and a dark blue jacket on its back with the symbol for Chief Toad written in kanji.
"Woah! Awesome!" Gohan exclaimed in awe.
"Eh? Jiraiya! Did you put another weird kid on my head!?" The Toad spoke with a booming voice.
"Sorry." Gohan said as he floated off the toad's head and in front of him. "I didn't mean to upset you." Gohan bowed respectfully.
"Eh? What the Hell? Is this kid a Ki user?"
"Yes he is, but it's a long story. Anyway, we have a fleet of pirates terrorizing this town. Feel like cleaning up?"
"Well seeing as you interrupted my Shogi game right before I was about to lose, you caught me in a good mood." Gamabunta smirked.
"Good to hear." Jiraiya smirked before turning to Gohan. "You got anything else in your arsenal that can scare these guys away?"
"...yes...but you might want to find cover." Gohan informed seriously.
"In the middle of the ocean?" Jiraiya asked.
"Then just stay back. Seas are about to get rough." Gohan said before blasting away to meet the fleet.
stopped just before the fleet. "Leave now or suffer!" Gohan yelled in a booming voice for all of them to hear.
"Fuck you!" One of the pirates shouted back as a few of his buddies mooned Gohan.
"Your funeral." Gohan said before channeling his energy, sparks arcing around his body.
"His power is skyrocketing. What is this kid doing?" Gamabunta asked.
"I don't really know for sure. This kid is still a mystery to me." Jiraiya responded before a shockwave erupted from Gohan.
"HAAAAAAAA!" Gohan shouted as a golden aura appeared. He grunted as his power continuously rose to new heights, his eyes turning completely teal and his hair flickering from black to gold a few times before going solid golden blond.
"UuuhAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" A large golden sphere of energy erupted from within him, bathing the entire area in a bright golden light.
The light eventually settled and everyone's eyes were now on Gohan. He was wreathed in an aura that looked like golden flames, his hair was completely golden blond and his eyes were teal. But the most noticeable change, was the shear output of his power.
Even 3 miles away, Naruto had to stop his fight with Itachi to look over at the direction from which the energy spike was coming from.
Itachi felt it too. He looked on in awe as a golden light shined brightly in the sky, even in broad daylight.
'Impressive. I'll have to wrap this up quickly. I can't risk trying to fight that one. Especially not head on.' Itachi thought. His Sharingan quickly darted towards Naruto who was lunging at him with a massive Rasengan.
'Grand Fireball jutsu!' Itachi thought as he sent a massive fireball larger than the man himself towards Naruto as Itachi leapt out of harm's way. Naruto had no choice in midair but to have his Rasengan break apart the fireball as the flames nipped at his heels.
There was no time to rest as Naruto was soon deflecting 8 expertly thrown shuriken with his kunai. Itachi was never one to give his opponents an inch, yet Naruto wasn't just any opponent.
Back with Gohan and Jiraiya, the old sage and the huge Toad could only look on in awe at the unreal sight of Gohan's transformation.
"I had no idea he had this much power..." Jiraiya said in awe.
"He's going to shake up the world. Maybe even more than that appreciate of yours." Gamabunta mused.
"He is leagues above Naruto in that form. Whatever this kid really is, he has enough power to actually destroy our world a hundred times over."
"Might be safer to take him out then."
"No... the boy may have extraordinary powers, but his heart is pure and so are his intentions. If his stories check out when we get back to the Leaf, then this kid is a hero."
"Heh, heroes..." Gamabunta scoffed.
Meanwhile, the pirates weren't sure what to think. This was something none of them had ever seen before and even fewer knew of the tales of Ki users.
"What the hell are you bildrats doing!? Fire the cannons at the bastard!" The captain shouted.
"Cannons?" Gohan raised an eyebrow. "What are they going to do?"
One of the ships fired a shot aimed directly at Gohan. As the cannon ball left the cannon, it quickly made its way to its target, only to be caught my Gohan with a single hand.
"...this was supposed to do something?" He asked in general.
"H-he caught it..." One of the pirates gasped in awe.
"You whoreson! Roll over die like the rest of them!" The captain shouted.
Gohan took the cannon ball and threw it back at the ship, 100 times faster than when it was fired at him, piercing straight through the ship like it was made of paper.
"W-what the hell is this kid?" The captain said shakily. Never before had he seen power like this.
"Keep firing! Keep firing or we're all dead!" The captain shouted.
Gohan was getting bored with their antics, so he flew down and met the captain face to face.
"End this foolishness now and leave. there is no sense in wasting your lives against one man who could wipe you out with a breath." Gohan reasoned.
The captain reached for his sword and slashed at Gohan with all his might. The blade bounced off Gohan like he was made of solid steel and reverberated down the pirate's arm.
"I've got my pride, damn it!" The captain shouted as he pulled out his flintlock pistol and shot it point blank at Gohan's face.
The musket ball bounced off his forehead like it was just a rubber ball and Gohan sighed. He grabbed onto the pistol and wrenched it from the pirate's hands and then crushed it into dust.
"I will say this again; leave this place and never return." Gohan warned.
All around Gohan, the pirates looked on in fear. How could any one man be so strong. Not even ninjas were that tough. Maybe they really should just surrender.
The Captain looked around as his men began dropping their weapons. His rage grew.
"Grrrrr, COWARDS! THE LOT OF YOU!" The Captain bellowed. He then dropped into a stance and did something nobody expected. He started flashing through hand signs before stopping at the sign of the rat.
"You're a ninja, boss?!" One of the pirates exclaimed.
"Yeah that's right, I'm a ninja! And I'd rather blow his whole vessel sky high with everyone on it before I surrender to this landlubber!" The Captain exclaimed.
"Gohan, watch out! That's a Deadman jutsu!" Jiraiya shouted.
"A what?" Gohan asked in confusion.
"A Deadman jutsu. My guess is that this rogue ninja wired a crap ton of explosive tags to this ship which that jutsu activates. If he let's go of the hand sign even the slightest bit, the whole ship explodes." Jiraiya explained, making every pirate in earshot turn white as a sheet.
Gohan turned to face the pirate captain. "You would seriously waste your life and the lives of your crew in a futile attempt to kill me?"
"I'd die with honor as befits a warlord of the sea! I was going to unite this country under my banner! Finally end the decades of in-fighting from those damn shinobi! What my own village of the Mist could never do! But then you had to go and trample over my dreams and the dreams of my men!"
"Everyone deserves to live their own way of life. Just because you don't agree with how they live their lives, doesn't give you an excuse to kill innocent people." Gohan glared.
"Shut up! What do you know about our lives here!? You damn outsider!" The Captain shouted as he began to loosen his fingers. The crewmen all pleaded for him not to do it.
"No!" Gohan shouted. Thinking quickly, he grabbed a hold of the man's hands and held onto them with an iron grip so he wouldn't release the jutsu. "Get off this ship! All of you!"
The crew all scrambled like rats off of the ship. Some diving off inti the water, trying desperately to swim to safety, while others ran around screaming and praying to their gods. All the while the Captain was singing. "YO-HO, YO-HO, A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR- BOOM!
The ship exploded into a million pieces of flaming splinters, leaving Gohan sunk underneath the waves, his hands grasping at a man that was no longer there.
'He really did it...' Gohan thought as he let the current drift him for a bit. He offered himself a moment of silence for the man. Crazy bastard or not, he was one more soul that the half Saiyan couldn't save.
Gohan reoriented himself and swam towards the surface. He was soon 10 feet, then 5 feet, then 10 feet-what?
As fast as Gohan swam, the surface never seemed to come any closer, it was like he was stuck in place a mere few feet from the surface and sweet, precious oxygen.
'What the hell is going on? I can't I get up there?' Gohan thought. He looked around and saw nothing at first, but upon closer inspection, he saw something forming in front of him.
Some kind of figure, looked like it had fins. It got closer and closer and Gohan looked back and saw the ocean's surface getting farther and farther away.
'So, he's the one keeping me here.' Gohan thought.
Gohan fired a Ki blast at the fish-man who quickly barrel rolled out of the way before he swam past Gohan faster than the Super Saiyan could react. Gohan flinched as his mysterious new opponent slashed at his chest with its teeth and cut through his skin. The figure then swam away to safety before Gohan could counter attack.
'What the hell is he...' Gohan thought as he clutched his chest. Then he came up with an idea after analyzing the situation. 'He's fast in water and he can dodge a normal Ki blast. So, I need to use one he can't dodge.'
Gohan put two fingers to his forehead and charged up his Ki to that point until the tips of his fingers where sparking.
'Thank you Mr. Piccolo.' Gohan thought before pointing his fingers out to the man and fired a super-fast spiraling beam of death. This time, the attack hit is mark, piercing the man just to the left of his heart.
"Gah!" Kisame shouted as he clutched his chest wound, his blood seeping into the sea water surrounding him, but he would not yield.
'Wait a minute.' Gohan was finally able to recognize the man. 'Kisame? Why are you attacking me?' Gohan thought to him.
'You can read minds? Intriguing...' Kisame smirked. 'Look kid, it wasn't anything personal, I'm just following orders.'
Gohan scowled. 'Are you behind the pirate attacks?'
'Nope. Just a happy coincidence.' Kisame smirked.
'So why do this? What have I done to you?'
'I just said it wasn't personal. Just following orders.' Kisame said as he flashed through his hand signs.
'Five Hungry Sharks jutsu!'
Gohan was now more alert than ever. He learned the hard way in the past to never trust someone you've just met, so he was still a little cautious about him after meeting him. Now it seemed his precautions were just. He quickly put up his guard as 5 sharks made their way towards him. Then he had an idea.
Channeling his Ki a certain way, he threw out an electrical charge that zapped Kisame and his sharks.
Gohan's attack gave him some backlash, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle thanks to the level he was at. Kisame and his sharks on the other hand, was a different story.
The sharks dissipated and so did Kisame into a cloud of bubbles.
'Gotta love water clones.' Kisame thought as he managed to land a hit from behind.
"YOW!" Kisame yelled out in pain as he drew back his hand, his fingers bent in directions they shouldn't be.
'I would advise against trying that again.' Gohan thought to Kisame.
'I cut you before! What happened?' Kisame cursed.
'You caught me off guard the first time. Now it won't be so easy.'
In the time it took for Kisame to blink an eye, his face was met with a rock-hard punch that nearly knocked him out.
'Kid hits like a damn freight train...' Kisame growled. He might have bit off more than he could chew.
'Yea, I've been told that.' Gohan said nonchalantly.
Gohan turned around to face the shark man. 'Perhaps you should give up.'
Kisame was taken aback. 'Give up? Why would I do that? You're trapped here!'
Gohan shook his head. 'Only because I'm at half my max power.'
'You lie...' Kisame growled.
'Look, you broke your hand when you punched me, I rendered your jutsu useless, I pierced your chest with one of my attacks and the most you could do was scratch me, while my guard was down. Plus, to top it off, my transformation has one more level to it. That means I can break out of your trap at any moment.'
'You sure like to brag, don't you punk?' Kisame thought.
'Then tell me I'm wrong. I'm trying to spare you from getting hurt more. The choice is yours. Leave now with what you have, or you'll be limping home.'
'You've got a lot of nerve asking me to surrender. I might be a rogue ninja, but we Mist ninja have our pride of never surrendering. Even in the face of death. So either fight me all out or watch as I make you regret underestimating me.' Kisame stated.
Gohan sighed. 'As you wish...' He thought before powering up again, this time he was throwing out so much energy that the water started boiling.
'Interesting power you've got there. Mind if I have a sample?' Kisame thought as he once again appeared behind the Saiyan with his sword raised.
Gohan had seen this trick one too many times and easily dodged his swing, yet Kisame was still smirking. Gohan realized why when he felt his energy being drained from him. As if all the energy he had cast out into the water was instantly absorbed.
Gohan's power dropped so much that he lost his Super Saiyan form.
'W-what did you do...?' Gohan thought.
'I used my sword to absorb your power. I must say, you have a very unique energy. You're not a chakra user are you?' Kisame smirked.
'No... I use Ki...'
'Wait...what...?' Kisame heard about how Ki users have nearly limitless energy. Now he wasn't sure if he could actually beat this kid and was confirmed when his power surged again.
'I'm not playing around anymore.' Gohan instantly flashed back into a Super Saiyan, blowing Kisame back.
Then he pushed further.
"RRRAAAAAAAHHHH!" Gohan's energy exploded, blowing the water around him into the air, creating a crater in the water that exposed the seabed below.
'Looks like I've done all I came here to do.' Kisame thought to himself as he took this opportunity to disappear into the ocean.
Gohan, now a fully powered Super Saiyan, looked like a golden sun demigod to the mere mortals from their pirate ships. Most were so scared that they turned their ships around to flee, but not all of them.
Many saw this as a perfect all or nothing opportunity and focused their fire on the town.
Screams of fear and pain rang out with each cannon ball that struck the town, piercing the Demi Sayians ears to the point where he was so enraged, he wasn't going to spare anyone.
Naruto and Itachi looked over from their battle again. Seeing the extremely gentle Gohan effortlessly destroy an armada of ships like some vengeful hand of God was definitely not something Naruto saw every day.
He rained down Ki blast after Ki blast in a machine gun like fashion, sparing no pirate or stow-away rat as he did so.
"Unreal..." Naruto breathed out.
'Seems that was all the time that Kisame could buy for me. Incredible, Gohan is even more impressive than the legends of Ki users speak of.' Itachi thought.
Deep within the depths of Naruto's body, the Nine Tails saw Gohan's power through his captor's eyes.
"I have never seen such power before...to think, someone who has the power to out match even my own. It seems surreal..." Kyuubi said to himself.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya and Gamabunta could only watch in a mixture of awe and horror.
"Well I'm feeling useless." Gamabunta thought aloud.
"Hey, at least you got to see a show." Jiraiya replied.
"Hmmm..." Gamabunta croaked. He hated being summoned without a purpose. One too many times Jiraiya had used him to show off and now he was supposed to play spectator?
"I wonder...I wonder if he was the one I was meant to train..." Jiraiya mused to himself.
"Not that old farts prophecy again..." Gamabunta groaned. "You'd think that you'd have a little for faith in your own student first."
"Oh, it's nothing. Just thinking out loud is all. This kid would've surpassed me years ago."
"He's surpassing you now."
"Yes, I know. At first I didn't believe him when he said he's part alien. Now after seeing what he can do..."
"What? What does that have to do with anything?"
"A lot. According to him, his race is known to possess amazing feats of strength and power. Far beyond the capacities of humans."
"I see..." Gamabunta exhaled a drag from his massive pipe, creating an actual cloud of smoke.
Once all the ships we're destroyed, the reality of the situation finally hit Gohan when his rage subsided. He looked on in horror at the devastation he created because of his rage.
"Oh God...what have I done..." Gohan breathed out shakily.
"You just saved this entire country from one more civil war down the line!" Jiraiya shouted up at him. "That's what you've done!"
"I... I killed...so many people..." Gohan said in horror, his hands trembling as he powered down from super Saiyan 2.
'So powerful, and yet so pure of heart.' Jiraiya thought.
Gohan slowly floated down to the docks where he immediately collapsed to his knees and broke down. He never liked killing, even if it was for the right reasons. The only one he killed was Cell, but he cherished all life. The fact he slaughtered thousands, even to save an entire country, was more than he could bare.
Jiraiya didn't say a word. He just walked up next to Gohan and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
He could feel the boy shaking in horror of what he just accomplished. It wasn't every day you came across a kindhearted warrior.
"I... I feel sick..." Gohan chocked out.
"Here, drink this." Jiraiya said as he offered him a flask.
"I don't drink..." Gohan said quietly.
"It's not alcohol." Jiraiya replied.
Gohan hooded and took the flask. He slammed down whatever was in it and he seemed to feel a little better.
"Feeling better?" Jiraiya asked.
"A little...what was that?"
"Ma's special bug juice. Great for calming nerves." Jiraiya replied.
"Bug juice, huh?" Gohan said as he sat down and sighed. "Tastes like my mom's centipede eel stew."
"Well as my master always said, 'nothing lifts the spirits like genuine home cooking.'"
"Yeah...just like my Grampa says, even though he sucks at cooking."
"Same with my grandpa, the old pervert." Jiraiya chuckled.
"Just like you, huh?" Gohan joked.
"Hey, I'm nothing like that old skirt chaser. For you see. I am..." Jiraiya leapt back to better strike a pose. "A Super Pervert!"
Gohan just chuckled and shook his head. "Thanks though. I needed that."
"Anytime kid. Now come on, we need to find Naruto and Videl." Jiraiya stated urgently.
"Right." Gohan agreed, his focus now turned to his friends. He tuned his senses and found Naruto, but he could feel his energy depleting fast.
"Naruto is in trouble, I can't sense Videl."
"Shit, I was afraid of that. He's probably fighting Itachi."
Now Gohan felt even more betrayed. "Then grab on. I'll get us there faster."
Jiraiya nodded as he hopped aboard Gohan's back.
"Hang on." Gohan warned. He felt Jiraiya's grip tighten and then blasted off towards Naruto.
As they flew across the sky, Gohan couldn't help but notice a highly concentrated red energy disc flying towards them.
"The Hell is that?" Gohan asked.
"DODGE IT!" Jiraiya cried as the disc sailed closer and closer.
Gohan quickly veered away from the disc and it flew past him.
"What was that?" Gohan asked.
"If I'm right, it was Itachi." Jiraiya said as he scanned the treetops, looking for the source of the attack.
"There!" He points at a small hole in the tree line with sheared leaves.
Gohan nodded and swiftly changed directions to head towards the course of his attacker.
They landed inside the forest and Jiraiya wasted no time calling out to their attacker.
"I know you're here, Itachi. Show yourself!"
Gohan stood with his guard up, his senses on full alert.
A figure dressed in a black and red cloak stepped out from behind a nearby tree, his eyes swirling with a terrifying red.
"Itachi Uchiha." Jiraiya growled.
"Gohan. Go find Naruto and Videl and run." Jiraiya ordered.
"I should help you." Gohan insisted.
"No. This one is completely out of your league. He can't be beat with brute force." Jiraiya warned.
Gohan was hesitant, but nodded. "Alright. Take one of these in case you need it." Gohan said as he reached into his pouch and tossed him a bean.
"Um...thank you." Jiraiya said as he pocketed the bean in his back pocket.
'It's a senzu bean. It fully restores your health and energy when you're low.' Gohan said mentally.
'That sounds damned useful. Thanks.'
Gohan nodded and flew off to find Naruto.
The two legendary titans from the Leaf stood opposite each other. One a traitor to his village and the other a champion.
"So Itachi, are things going according to plan?" Jiraiya said darkly.
"Yes, I would say so." Itachi replied.
Back with Gohan...
Gohan spotted Naruto fighting off... 'Itachi? but...oh wait, clone.' Gohan thought before skidding to a halt next to Naruto.
"Pirates are taken care of." Gohan informed with hurt evident in his tone. "Where's Videl?"
"Gohan? What are you-LOOK OUT!" Naruto cried as he pushed Gohan and himself out of the way of a massive fireball that Itachi had sent their way.
The two ducked and rolled behind a tree as Naruto sent a few Shadow Clones to keep Itachi occupied.
"She's knocked out. Itachi used his genjutsu on her and she's been lying unconscious in a field not too far from here." Naruto quickly explained.
Gohan snarled a bit, but nodded. "At least she's safe."
"Yeah, I got Shadow Clones looking after her. Now where is Pervy Sage?" Naruto asked.
"Um...fighting Itachi."
"Is he using a Shadow Clone?"
"I assume."
"Damn, then it's a trick. This bastard Itachi wanted to separate us from Pervy Sage and it worked. I'm gonna need your help to take him down." Naruto said as he readied a kunai.
Gohan nodded and put two fingers to his forehead and charged up Ki.
"Wait, Gohan." Naruto said.
"What?"
"Whatever you do, don't look into his eyes. That how he traps you in his genjutsu. You do that and you'll be completely at his mercy." Naruto warned.
"Got it." Gohan replied before continuing to charge his attack. "You go at him first to distract him and I'll take him down with this."
"Alright, good plan. Just make sure that I'm out of the way before you fire it." Naruto said.
"Right."
With that, Naruto flashed stepped out of cover and made a bee line for the rogue ninja. The two of them clashed, kunai to kunai as they exchanged blows.
Gohan continued to charge up until the tips of his fingers started sparking. 'I'm ready.' Gohan thought to Naruto.
Naruto ducked underneath Itachi's next slash and kept his frame low.
'NOW!' He thought.
Gohan swung around the tree and fired his spiraling beam of death directly at Itatchi, the beam hit its mark, piercing Itachi in the abdomen.
Itachi then burst into a murder of crows.
"Dammit!" Gohan cursed.
The crows all flew towards Gohan and collided in front of him, transforming in Itachi who stepped right into Gohan's personal space in an attempt to get him to look Itachi in the eyes.
Gohan tried to look away, but he couldn't do it without glancing at Itachi's eyes.
He froze.
He blinked and when he opened his eyes again, Itachi was gone. Gohan looked left and right until finally he spotted Itachi 10 feet away, just standing there mocking him.
Gohan glared at Itachi. "Why are you doing this..."
"I need to capture Naruto for my organization's ultimate goal." Itachi replied.
"Why? What are you trying to accomplish?"
"What am I trying to accomplish, or what is my organization trying to accomplish?" Itachi asked.
"Your organization. What is their goal? What does Naruto have to do with this? Who are they?"
"The Akatsuki, depending on who you ask, are either a radical terrorist group of rogue ninjas or a band of heroes fighting for those who cannot. Their mission is to take control of wars and thereby create peace. To do this, they need to acquire special individuals known as jinchuriki. People such as Naruto." Itachi explained.
"A jinchuriki? What's that?"
"A living vessel that holds great Chakra demons known as Tailed Beasts inside them. The Akatsuki wishes to acquire these demons to be used as weapons to propel Akatsuki's interests forward."
Now Gohan's glare intensified. "So, you plan to achieve peace by putting fear and pain into those who are innocent. I cannot allow that."
"It is what is necessary. As is killing Naruto to extract the beast within him."
"No, it's not." Gohan said sternly. "This is not the way to peace, but to further war and bloodshed. By helping others with diplomacy, kindness, love and compassion will you obtain peace.
"You are naive." Itachi stated. "The world is not so simple that peace can be achieved through simple kindness. Force of arms is necessary."
"You're right, I am ignorant when it comes to this world. I arrived here less than a week ago from another universe, but the concept of peace is still the same, no matter where you go. My world obtained peace through the same means, this one can too."
"I envy your world for being so simple. Yet here in ours, blood must be spilt to achieve peace. The blood of thousands if needed be."
"Those are just the words of a tyrant, whose idea of peace is to rule with an iron fist. A dictatorship...by doing that, you crush the hope and spirit of those you'd kill." Gohan flashed into his super Saiyan form. "And I will not allow that. My father's legacy will not allow me to let such a thing happen. The legacy of a hero."
Gohan flared his energy to his max, powering up to his second form. "Like my father before me, I am an ally of good! And a nightmare to the likes of you!"
'You don't know what I am...' Itachi thought to himself as Gohan charged at him.
Thinking as he charged, he fired a Ki blast at Itachi's feet, creating a dust cloud in from of him.
"Gohan, what the hell are you doing?" Itachi asked.
He was met with Gohan's large fist that connected with his nose, sending him skidding across the ground like a skipping stone on water.
Gohan blasted off to give chase, quickly catching up with Itachi. He caught the rouge ninja by his leg and slammed him through a large tree, snapping it in two. Then he followed up with a barage of Ki blasts to finish what he started.
Itachi rolled with the throw and was about to dash out of the way of the Ki blasts. He desperately threw his own barrage of kunai at Gohan to try to slow him down.
Gohan stopped his barrage and deflected the Kunai with just a finger. He phased out of sight, reappearing behind Itachi and dealt a devastating blast to his back.
Itachi then exploded into smoke as another Itachi popped his head out from behind the bushes.
"Are you crazy!?" He bellowed.
"I should ask you that! You are not taking Naruto as a weapon!"
"You really are cracked! Snap out of it!" Itachi shouted.
"I'm cracked?! I'm not the one who wants to enslave the world! You say the Akatsuki wants to bring peace by using Jinchuriki as weapons, and you say I'm cracked?! This foolishness ends now, Itachi!"
"Itachi!? I'm-" Itachi shouted before Gohan shot Ki blast after Ki blast at him.
"I'M NARUTO!" Itachi shouted.
Gohan stopped and raised an eyebrow. He shook his head, no doubt another trick. "Do you really expect me to believe that? You look nothing like him."
"What?! I look like... Are you high or just under a genjutsu?!" Itachi yelled.
"I never touch drugs..." Gohan growled.
"You are under genjutsu. Freaking duh! I am such an idiot sometimes! Hold on!" Itachi called out as he made a bee line for Gohan with his arm outstretched.
'Wait a minute...those are Naruto's mannerisms...' Gohan thought as the form of Itach drew closer.
Gohan was conflicted. It looked like Itachi, sounded like Itachi, but didn't act like him. So he reached out with his senses to sense his energy. He could sense Itachi, but he wasn't in front of him. He sensed like… Naruto!
Itachi then touched Gohan's chest and sent a pulse of chakra through his body and in a flash a bruised and beaten Naruto stood in the place of Itachi.
"Oh...shit..." Gohan gasped out. "Naruto, I'm so sorry."
Naruto gasped as he tried to catch his breath.
"Sweet Sage man... I thought you we're going to kill me..." Naruto breathed out before coughing up blood and falling over.
"Shit, hang on." Gohan said as he dug out a senzu bean. He kneeled down and lifted Naruto's head gently. "Here, eat this."
Naruto looked at the pale green bean and turned up his nose. "I don't like beans..."
"Just eat it." Gohan said firmly.
Naruto obliged, imaging that it was the last bean in red bean soup and swallowed it whole.
Instantly, he felt an enormous surge of energy course through his body. He also felt his wounds heal instantly as all pain left him.
"Holy shit, I feel like I have had the best bowl of ramen and the best night of sleep ever." Naruto said.
Gohan smiled as he powered down. "Senzu bean. Best form of healing you'll ever find."
"I'll believe it, but we still have to deal with Itachi." Naruto reminded him as they both turned their attention back at the tall, dark, Akatsuki member.
"So what do we do?" Gohan asked.
"I don't know..." Naruto admitted. The two of them were backed against a wall. Every attack they had, Itachi could counter. They would need a miracle, a new strategy, they would need...
"Sasuke..." Itachi said emotionlessly at a figure standing behind the older rogue ninja. The two warriors looked harder and noticed the dark haired youth standing behind Itachi with his eyes burning red with hate.
"Itachi..." Sasuke growled, his voice was quiet, yet his emotions were crystal clear. Naruto had to do a double take. There, standing before him was the man that had haunted his dreams with fear and regret. The subject of his Promise of a Lifetime. His teammate, best friend, eternal rival, and brother.
"Sasuke..." Naruto whispered, his entire world dropping below his feet for an instant.
Author's Note from Panda: Hope you all enjoyed that chapter. The fourth and final chapter in this prequel will come out the same day as chapter 26 of Legacy of Heroes. All shall be revealed then.
Stay tuned.