Heya, all.
You all, have my profound gratitude for your amazing support. Please keep it up.
For Poet (guest review) - No, It won't be a harem fic as this would be totally against the facts that I explained in second chapter… ya know Vegeta and single mate.
In fact, Vegeta won't be socialising much. The interactions would be limited. That's how Vegeta is. If you have any idea, please PM me.
Disclaimer:- I don't own Dragon Ball or related series and Naruto.
Edited - April 2020
--ooooo--
Creation and Destruction.
Both the concepts separate to each other yet alike - a paradox. Too many sayings are available across the cosmos to substantiate this. One goes, creation begins after destruction. Another goes, creation is the foundation of destruction - you, after all, need something to destroy.
All these are completely true facts, yet self contradictory, too. But one fact is concrete, both of these are of ultimate importance. Their prominence is such that both the activities cannot be left unsupervised.
Too much creation would lead to too many stakeholders in the universe. On the other hand, too much destruction would lead to nothing, at all. Therefore, supervision is necessary. But, by whom?
The answer is Gods or Kais. Kais – the divine beings born as tasked with either of the concepts and their supervision.
A Kai tasked with creation will not only create as required but also observe the creation for its necessary but controlled growth, and unhindered too.
On the other hand for destruction, the Kai tasked with it, would, obviously, effect it and supervise it. However, both the distinct beings and their responsibilities cannot be called as mutually exclusive. Because if they were, the one tasked for creation would create and the other would destroy leading to nothing.
As a matter of fact, the Kai for destruction is required, out of his other duties, to destroy for the sake of creation. In other words, destroy that is a danger to creation. Similarly, the Kai for creation would prevent the destruction as it's his inherent nature to do so.
But there are certain limits to that, otherwise, the Kai would try to prevent the destruction of any of his creation. The first and foremost is the wide gap of strength between both the Kais. The God of destruction is, simply, stronger than the Kai for creation.
The other restriction on a Kai of creation, is to act only as a last resort. Not even a simple guardian of a planet, is allowed to interfere in the matters pertaining to his planet.
However, they could choose proxies.
--ooooo--
In a realm accessible to very few beings, an unusual clock was hanging on the wall. The clock was twice the size of a normal one. It also had a visage consisting of eyes which were closed and a mouth also closed. It was displaying the time at 8am with two seconds left.
At 8am sharp, the clock rang but barely for a second when the eyes on the clock widened to comical proportions and a yellow shield appeared, covering it from the blast that struck a split second later. The source of the attack - Lord Beerus, the God of destruction who, currently, was sound asleep.
'Damn it…..how much more?' mused the clock... err… clock person gazing at the sleeping God.
After all, it were 10,000 years, since he got struck in this realm as a living wall clock. Though, he should have known better before talking back to the God of destruction. Elder Kai or not, in the end, he was simply another ordinary being if compared to the strongest being in the universe.
The only good thing was that his punishment would be over soon and the first thing he was going to do, would be pleading his case to Zeno-sama for restricting the leeway enjoyed by the Gods of destruction in exercising their powe... but he was forced to create another shield to protect him when another attack struck. It were five minutes past eight and an alarm was set here.
And every five minutes, till nine.
--ooooo--
As stated earlier, the Kais would only act as a last resort but could choose a proxy. And they had done it many times in the past by choosing from different races.
Now, all of the proxy warriors chosen in the past were too much awed by the fact that they were meeting and working for the Kais. Needless to say, the entire mission, from planning to finishing, was smooth.
But as a famous saying goes - There is a first time for everything and for the Kais, it was the first time they were facing a problem in choosing the proxy.
Reason, the proxy himself.
After all, the warrior chosen was from the proud race of Saiyans and it didn't help at all, when he was the Prince of the said race. The fact was substantiated from the current scenario playing on the lookout, where the ruler of the Cosmos was in argument with the said Prince.
The matter, a trivial one for the Kai, but for Vegeta, like his life was on line – His Hair.
"Touch a single hair on my head and the universe would be short of its only Supreme Kai."
"Vegeta, please understand. I am only asking it for the unhindered progress of the mission. Your hair could and would be a liability to this mission."
"I don't give a damn, Kai," The reply was as rude and blunt as the earlier ones.
Shin sighed heavily in exasperation for the nth time in fifteen minutes, since they began this conversation... no argument. He was trying to make his point through the head of the proud and stubborn Saiyan Prince, which was to crop his hair.
After all, Vegeta was assigned a mission in shinobi lands - a place where transformation or as they called it there, henge, was as constant as the fact that a fish can't die by drowning. And, he knew, sooner or later, Vegeta would have to make his presence known to the shinobi nations and when that happens, there wasn't a shred of doubt regarding the course of action the shinobi nations would take.
Unleash their shinobis on Vegeta's trail.
And, where multiple spy networks were active, it wouldn't be too difficult to gather something.
He knew Vegeta also knew this fact from the information he transferred to his mind and would definitely alternate between his Super Saiyan form and base form to stay incognito.
However, in case of Vegeta, it was only a change in hair colour as the shape remained the same. Therefore, he wanted to crop Vegeta's hair but the Prince wasn't ready to even listen let alone accept.
Having tried and failed, many times, he decided to change tactics and turned to Gohan with a pleading look, who seeing it, chuckled nervously but tried nonetheless.
"Come on Vegeta, it's only your hair and you know it very well why they could be a risk to the mission." The statement was full of blatant hope and pleading which though were mercilessly thrashed by the person referred to.
"YOU FOOL! How many times should I REPEAT that a full blooded Saiyan's hair ONLY grow for ONCE and even if you shave them, not a single hair will grow again or do you think Nappa staying bald was, as you people call it, a fashion?!"
"Wellll no... but... " began Gohan only to be interrupted by Vegeta, "then SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Gohan slumped in defeat while shooting an apologetic look towards the Kai.
Shin, seeing Gohan's effort in vain, only shook his head, frustration evident on his visage. He was about to pray for some miracle, when a feminine voice was heard.
"If you can't do it for them, then do it for me Vegeta. You know how much I want to see you in a different hairstyle."
So, the moment came, after all. It was, though he hated to term it as, a blessing that she was able to stay silent for fifteen minutes. But now he couldn't avoid it and he, already, knew the outcome but it didn't mean he wouldn't stall it for as long as he could.
"Stay out of this, Women. You already have Trunks as your plaything." He replied, carefully concealing his feelings and thoughts.
"But, I wanna see, you," The voice was a bit seductive but nothing the Prince of Saiyans could deal with.
"NO! and mind your own business."
But as usual, she wasn't going to, as not a second later, she was in his vision with that.. that cursed, blasted and wretched puppy eyes jutsu... wait a minute… jutsu?! Damn, he was beginning to think like those shinobis. But the shocking fact was, the cursed technique was, actually, working as it was becoming increasingly difficult to hold onto his will.
However, before he could further continue with his thoughts, Bulma's voice brought him out of them.
"Moreover, it isn't like that you will be getting a permanent haircut."
Now, Vegeta was really getting pissed for explaining the simple fact related to his hair and his heritage and the rage hidden in the shadows of his next words, was easily felt.
"Women, You.Should.Know... " he began but was interrupted by Bulma. "Shush Vegeta! of course, I know your hair once grown and blah blah blah. I wasn't talking about that, but your hair can be grown again."
Now one thing, he didn't like was someone interrupting him, no matter who it was. However, this time Bulma's words, instead of enticing his anger, confused him because on one hand, she was stating that she understood but on other, she was saying that bullshit again.
The expression of the others wasn't any different.
"You have lost your mind, women," Vegeta concluded the fact, believing years of messing with those machines had finally taken the toll. The others, though, didn't show it but the feeling was apparent from the looks they were giving her.
Bulma seeing their expressions, only shook her head. These were the warriors, in the hands of whom, the fate of the Cosmos lied. At the same time, though, she couldn't help but feel smug about her superior mind skills, and the smugness was dripping out of her next words.
"Duh! we have a wish granting dragon and if that's not enough, we have THE supreme God of CREATION standing beside us and I am sure, he could definitely grow back the hair on your head, right Shin?"
The effect was instant. Her listeners lost the ability to comprehend. They were looking at her in shock and awe. It couldn't be helped, after all, their argument which they had been going at for the last fifteen minutes, was solved by her in a matter of few seconds.
Though, it didn't take long for their shock and awe to turn into full scale embarrassment. Even Vegeta couldn't save himself as evident from his red cheeks.
But none was more, than the Supreme Kai.
After all, he was the creator and he couldn't remember his own task, no matter how trivial it was. He took few seconds and after masking his surprise and embarrassment and wanting to finish this quickly replied. "Of course. I can do it. So… you agree... right?"
The last words were addressed to Vegeta who, after running his mind for few seconds while gazing downwards, spoke after looking up. "Fine, I would do it, but Kai… you better hold to your word."
Shin noddes before waving his hand, Vegeta's hair cropping to a couple of inches. The Saiyan Prince's eye twitched and he growled. "Now open the damn portal."
The portal, as if waiting for someone to call it, opened behind Vegeta who only spared a glance over his right shoulder and then looked at all those present.
But, before he could say anything, Bulma threw herself at him, hugging him tightly while giving a small peck on his lips and Vegeta responded in kind while giving her a one arm hug.
After that he turned, anti clockwise, while giving firm nods to Piccolo and Dende. And when he was fully facing the portal, he looked from the corner of his left eye, and spoke in a calm voice. "Brat... look after them."
He saw the nod accompanied by the expression he had seen many times in the past. That expression of Son Goku which screamed confidence and assurance - a small smile with narrowed eyes.
Assured, the Prince of Saiyans took two steps and disappeared into the portal, having already established the fact that with Gohan here, he need not worry about the safety of his family.
Few farewells were exchanged and after that, Supreme Kai too left followed by Gohan and Bulma leaving the duo of Namekians on the lookout.
Piccolo didn't speak during the entire conversation. There was no reason. He had already done his work by contacting and asking Bulma to come to lookout. He knew with Vegeta involved, anything could happen and the only person who could make the stubborn Prince agree, was Bulma.
Therefore, he only replied to Vegeta's nod by one of his own.
Dende was, simply, not used to speaking in front of a Kai who was Supreme.
--ooooo--
Shinobi nations – the home to the humans living on this Earth. Of course, the total population wasn't Shinobis. In fact, Shinobis made only one third of the total.
The others were mostly civilians or to a lesser extent samurais.
But as they say the real names are those which represent the very nature of something or someone. And, in case of these nations, shinobis were the very essence. So, the name, widely spoken and accepted, was shinobi nations.
And Chakra was what powered the living beings on this planet and its diversity had led to the emergence of shinobi system - a system of trained assassins. However, this wasn't the real intention of the Sage of Six Paths – Hagoromo Otsutsuki.
When he gave the gift of Chakra to humanity, he intended to eradicate all injustice and inequality. He believed that Chakra would bring all onto a equal platform.
Rich or poor, powerful or weaker, everyone would be able to relate themselves to one another because they would be based on the same foundation.
The world definitely followed but not for long. The feud between the sons of Sage saw to that. After all, when even the legacy of the Sage didn't care to follow his ideals and beliefs, how could others?
Battles ensued. Clans were formed on the basis of the similarities. And, since the sons of the Sage and their descendants were the strongest, other clans were forced to take either side or get destroyed. Not even the mighty Hyuugas could control their own fate.
Feudal Lords capitalized the opportunities, they were being presented. They started utilising the services of these clans to gain absolute power by eradicating any opposition and seizing lands.
This system continued until Hashirama came.
The villages formed but had the contradicting effect. Obviously, when two of the strongest clans settled their feud and established a village, the remaining world became anxious. Other villages were established and Feudal lords were quick to support for their defence.
But, centuries of warfare and bloodshed couldn't end so easily. It was engraved too deeply in their minds and the losses suffered, still needed mitigation.
Mitigation – by slaying the responsible.
With this, began the race of proving which village was the best,in producing elite shinobis. The course taken was to complete more and more missions meaning the forfeiture of the lives of shinobis of other villages leading to the rise in tensions and conflicts. Wars were fought. Countless were slayed.
This was the real image of these villages beneath the peaceful ones shown in the maps.
Brutal and merciless.
--ooooo--
Towards the north east, to the village of Kumogakure in Land of Lightning, was a range of mountains. This rang marked the end of the mainland, from the direction of Land of Lightning, on which Shinobi lands were situated.
In these mountains, on one of the plateaus, a portal opened and the Prince of Saiyans stepped out, clad in an all black, sleeveless GI.
The Saiyan Prince crossed his arms and calmly inspected his surroundings. Now, from the information he had, he knew he was in the blue dragon mountain range - the largest and longest mountain range in entire world.
It was an isolated zone which was totally perfect as he wouldn't want anyone interrupting him during what he was going to do next.
Closing his eyes, he focused for a bit and then his senses expanded in form of an invisible sphere and slowly began enveloping anything that came into contact.
Sensing was one of the very-very few things he learned on Earth, which was useful.
For first few seconds, he felt nothing but the nature. It was, as he was used to, in Mt. Paozo, calming and soothing.
But then, he started sensing some energies in his mind. They were too weak to tell anything save that they belonged to civilians. So, he continued on his mental voyage.
And, a few seconds later, he registered a stronger energy. It was then, he got his first feel of Chakra.
It was, to say, a lot similar to KI. It wasn't surprising as KI was the foundation of Chakra after all. But other energies were also apparent.
There was Godly KI, per his hunch, it was the blank spots appearing mixed with KI in his mind. He couldn't feel it at all. Then there was death energy which was weird to feel. He remembered it, slightly, from his meeting with King Yamma when Frieza had killed him on Namek.
Death energy was foggy. He could feel there was some energy but, as if, there was a layer of fog covering it. But from the slight feel, he was able to make that it was the feeling of emptiness and dread. Not that, he was affected by it.
Then, there was another energy too. It had a mixed feel. One moment it was like KI and other, it was like death energy. Few times, he couldn't even comprehend it. He suspected it was magic as there were a few similarities to Namekian KI.
Then, there were a few other energies in the mixture which he couldn't even name at all.
But, overall, the Chakra of this location was giving the feel of lightning and storm as it was fluctuating wildly.
Sensing further, he felt the number of Chakra users increasing. No sooner had he felt that, he came across a congregation of Chakra users. A lot, were there. Civilians were totally overshadowed by Shinobis.
And, most of these energies were like lightning, storm and wind. It could only mean one thing, he had reached Kumogakure. And, from the distance, from him and the altitude, he was sure of that.
He moved further while feeling a lot of small groups of Chakra - smaller shinobi villages. A few seconds later, he felt another large group of Chakra users and from the distance as well as the feel of heat from the Chakra, he was sure it was Konoha in land of Fire.
He, deciding to move further, stopped when he felt another Shinobi settlement towards south east. Upon focusing on it, he made out that it was the village in land of waters - Kirigakure. The Chakra, here, had the feel of liquid or water.
As he was focusing on this village, his mind registered another energy. Though, it was based in a smaller shinobi settlement, meaning a smaller village but it was giving a weird and very strong vibe. It was, almost, like a bestial energy. He, definitely knew the feel of that from his oozaru transformation.
Deciding to check it later, he moved on.
Vegeta didn't know about the energy of Juubi. The reason is, Supreme Kai, alike most residents of this world, only knew about those facts which were widely recognised. And, the presence of Juubi's husk was not one of them. Its presence and purpose was effectively limited to very few people.
Sooner, Vegeta finished the sensing of the entire planet. After Land of waters, he had felt and made some key points about the lands of earth and wind. These points being, largest shinobi count was in land of earth which wasn't surprising as it had a lot of area to see to that.
Though, the land of wind was, more or less, equivalent to land of earth in size but it being a great desert, was a hindrance. He also sensed few other settlements, but they were insignificant to the bigger picture.
With this, he concluded his examination of the continent on which shinobi nations were based. But what about the other continent?
He had sensed that, too, and found, surprisingly, the presence of very few shinobis. In fact, they were rare. Of course, he knew that on this continent, non-shinobis were abundant.
Civilians and samurais, mostly, made up this land. This was the continent which was the home to a few smaller kingdoms. The most prominent of them was the Land of moons.
Though, these kingdoms were not as strong as shinobi lands, they were, more or less, on par, in terms of wealth, with Feudal lords of Great Five. It was the reason these kingdoms enjoyed the status quo.
Since, they were the second best source of income to the shinobis, the shinobis acted as a shield against the Feudal lords. Otherwise, the feudal lords would have seized these lands for themselves long ago.
It would be foolish for shinobis to rely solely on the daimyos as their income source, considering the world they lived in. Nobody, save a very few, was above treason.
Daimyos hired shinobis in their own lands to control the situations and for hiding their dirty laundry. These kingdoms, on the other hand, hired them for smooth going of diplomatic meetings as escorts or against bandits and mercenaries.
Setting his mind, he flew towards these kingdoms. The reason, his temporary stay.
The rarity of shinobis there was inducing this action. It would be a foolish act, if he establishes himself in the shinobi mainland - the hub of his mission. The shinobi mainland, though vast in size, was under deep scrutiny by the shinobis.
They were always looking for a new face either to recruit in their village or simply, end him. Though, they couldn't affect him, in any way, but he didn't want unnecessary attention.
And, when an important aspect of his mission was information gathering, it would be best to adopt the tactic of engage and retreat - scout the shinobi lands and then, analyse the information in peace, free from any hindrances in the other continent.
After all, he wasn't the old destructive Vegeta, anymore. He might not give a fuck about humanity but he wasn't going to go on a killing spree, either.
A couple of minutes later, due to flying at a leisurely pace, he reached the continent and after making a hemispherical detour above the continent, he resumed his flight over the shoreline, seeking a suitable place to stay.
A few seconds later, he was floating above the beach, observing a series of makeshift wooden huts. There were ten of them and the grayish brown, faded color of the wood was explaining the torture they had suffered from the moisture and rain.
However, the Saiyan Prince wasn't even thinking about that, rather, if the huts down there could serve to his need. He knew this area was very close to a big city, meaning if a new face like him pops up, nobody would care.
Quickly deciding, that he could stay here, he descended down in front of the hut at the extreme right. The reason, he had felt a civilian energy there.
Now, it was true that he considered humanity, no everyone save a very few, insignificant and waste of time but it didn't mean he would impose himself on anyone.
Well, his past self would have, but living with Bulma, Kakarot and others had definitely changed his standards.
So, steeling himself, he knocked on the door. A few moments later, an ordinary man in his late seventies or so appeared. The wrinkled face and white hair were definitely giving his age.
He yawned loudly, apparently, recently awakened, and fumbled with his glasses for a second or so before managing to put them on. And, then he scrunched his face towards him, looking for a while. "Who are you lad and what do you want?"
Vegeta's left eye, which had started to twitch due to the manners of this waste of time standing before him, calmed down when, at last, the damn geezer asked him something. He immediately replied. "My name… is Trunks and I wanted to use one of these huts for an interim stay."
Yes, he had decided to go with his son's name, when in base form. After all, his true name should get the honour, praise and folklores by these weaklings when he saved them.
And, it wasn't like that he could and would use anyone other's name. The human fighters of their so called group were simply humans, meaning not worthy of having their name associated with him. Kakarot and his brats were, well, idiots. So, only person whose name he could use comfortably, was his own legacy.
"Eh... so why are you asking me?"The voice had a nasal quality which was irritating as hell.
Holding his patience, which was growing thin so soon, he replied, his rage apparent from some words "YOU are living HERE, right," - a nod from the geezer - "So, YOU must KNOW WHO to ask and the price?"
"Ohhhh… to be able to put it like that, you are very intelligent lad," - Vegeta's eye twitch returned full force - "Ah... and yes, you are right, I remember now, I am the caretaker," - Vegeta's eyes flashed teal - "...and regarding the price, well it's freeee."
Vegeta's anger and irritation vanished, on hearing the last word. He had thought that the huts would be a source of living for the geezer. His confusion was apparent in his words, "Free?"
"Ohh yes, these huts were made by the previous lord of this province for the local fishermen or young lads like you who, ya know, come to sightseeing and all."
Alright. That was a rational reason although coming from the mouth of an irrational man.
"Fair enough. So, I want to use the hut at the extreme left. I believe there isn't any problem with that?"
"Huh… the one at the extreme left, you say…. hmmm, let me see it," With this the man leaned forward while moving his glasses close to and away from his eyes. He repeated this motion for few seconds which made Vegeta sure that something special was there about that hut. But, his thoughts were brutally thrashed by the old man's next words.
"Ah, you mean the one, grayish brown in color?"
Fierce winds flashed around them and Vegeta had to control his rage by digging his nails into his palms.
The old man, while, was blissfully unaware.
"You can definitely use that. There is no problem at all. In fact I will walk you there. God knows, how lonely it gets sometimes."
Vegeta was about to deny but stopped when he saw the bunch of keys, the damn geezer picked up, from behind his door. The action sealed the fate.
"Fine," Vegeta's reply was through gritted teeth.
They walked for some seconds in silence. Then, the old man spoke, "So, you are from the land of lightning, right?"
Now, Vegeta had a hunch why the old man was stating that, but he had to confirm it. "How do you know?"
"Weelll, you have these muscles and only place that produces them is land of lightning," The geezer replied with a knowing chuckle but the nasal feel made it irritating.
Right. Vegeta, though, already knew that. As most of these shinobis had a lean built but the ones in Land of Lightning were muscular. But, they were mostly buffed contrary to his toned ones.
"You are part true. I definitely originate from there but have spent most years on the Island of seven peaks. And, these muscles are common for the manual workers there."
The island of Seven Peaks was situated at an average distance from the Land of Lightning. It was famous for its seven mountains situated in a semicircle, but weren't very tall, meaning human settlements were situated there. And, since it was an isolated island, the manual work was in abundance meaning a touch of authenticity to Vegeta's physique.
Now, Vegeta's words definitely satisfied the old man's curiosity but his own was still there, with its head, raised. He wanted to know why the old man was living here all alone. Now, one thing should be made clear, that, the Great Prince of Saiyans wasn't going all melodramatic, he just wanted to see, out of curiosity, the depth of pain and grief apparent in the eyes of the old geezer.
"So, what are you doing here, all alone, old man? Don't you have something like a family or so?" He asked without glancing back at his follower.
He heard nothing for few steps, and then, there was a heavy sigh, followed by words, grief apparent.
"It all began during the samurai - shinobi war which paved the way to the first shinobi war. Clearly, both the factions were against each other for centuries. The major reason was Kenjutsu or sword arts. And, we surely know, wars have been fought for less. Shinobis have always considered swords as mere tools and used them for their dirty works while samurais consider them as sacred items."
"Simply, samurais didn't like the shinobi ideals. There had been countless arguments but only verbal, as during the warring clans era, shinobis were, more or less, equal in count to samurais. But after villages were established, shinobis prospered due to peacetimes among the clans."
"Samurais stayed, more or less, the same, as practices like Clan restoration were considered as vile among them. The final straw was that damned Senju Hashirama giving tailed beasts to the villages. With the power at their disposal and higher numbers, Kumo and Kiri attacked samurai settlements, as these both villages prefer sword arts more than others."
Samurais didn't stand a chance against tailed beasts, superior enemy count and underhanded tactics. The only place left, was Land of Iron, when the other three nations jumped into the fray, per their own reasons. Konoha believed that it was their fault for trusting the other villages with tailed beasts and wanted to rectify it. Iwa, was and is, a village of battlelusting idiots and Suna, from fear of Iwa."
"In the end, Konoha won and Land of Iron survived. I lost my father in the war, he was a samurai. Mother died due to shock and pain. You know, how that follows", he said with a sad chuckle. "Regarding my own family, well I managed to marry, somehow hehehe, but my wife died during childbirth along with the child and I loved her too much to start afresh. Years later, the lord of this province gave me the job of caretaker of this huts and here I am."
By the time, the old man finished, the duo had reached the last hut. The old geezer fumbled with the keys for few seconds and then managed to open the door. Vegeta stepped inside, after giving a simple nod to old man, who, after giving a half hearted wave, left clearly too distraught to say anything.
Vegeta, quickly retired to bed. The whole stepping, through the dimension portal had used a lot of his energy. He decided to scout the shinobi mainland tomorrow.
During this, he managed to ignore the small tingling sensation in his lower back.
--ooooo--
Please support and review.
Do post reviews...
This chapter was mainly Vegeta orienting himself, with the new world.