Disclaimer:- I don't own Dragon Ball and related series and Naruto.
--oooooo--
"W-what is t-this?" The Khamseen commander muttered in shock, fear and slight awe as he witnessed what was definitely the harbinger of their destruction.
Beside him, Gaara could only silently share the dreadful thoughts of Rao as the yellow colossal wave of energy suddenly appeared out of thin air, it's aim towards the village leaving no qualms about the consequences.
Though, before he could even think to reflect on the phenomenon, the wave suddenly recoiled as if hitting something before spreading out horizontally, the curvature along its width making it appear as a tsunami wave.
A visible immense shockwave followed, hurling them both apart from each other, the major ingredient of the shockwave being sand burying the duo in itself.
A couple of seconds later and slightly groaning, the Kazekage pulled himself out of the sand, and Rao being the first person in his sight, caught his attention, concern and dread immediately filling his mind for the well being of the Khamseen commander.
However, as if reading his thoughts, Khamseen commander shook the sand off his face before looking towards him and giving a thumbs up. However, the man made no further efforts to move.
I guess that was the last of his reserves. Though, I am not any better myself.
Despite the fact that he no longer had the Ichibi, Gaara still had more chakra than anyone else in the village, something he knew was helping him in the situation in hand. However, that wasn't the case with others.
Glancing around, he saw a better part of the shinobis unconscious and those who were not, simply lying there not moving at all.
At least there are no casualties. Gaara mused, silently thanking the newcomer for saving them before looking towards the skies only to have his eyes again widen, the yellow wave dispersing into wisps of energy giving birth to relief.
However, at the same time, there was anxiety also as the attack could have been meant for Kaga too, and if it were, Kaga being able to nullify it was frightening.
The newcomer was their last hope, and if he were also defeated… the image of that red colored death ball flashed in his mind, but at that moment something changed causing his attention to divert.
Eyes narrowed, Gaara looked around as something in the air shifted around him and that came as a shock as even he could feel it. B-but that's not possible. Sensor shinobis were rare not only in Suna but the entire world, and he sure wasn't one of them.
A violent tremor followed, sprawling his upper body once again on the sandy ground which was immediately followed by a massive sandstorm, violent winds displacing a massive amount of sand, effectively blocking the sun.
It was then something akin to lightning pierced his mind causing a sharp pain to shoot through his brain, his hands grabbing the head on instinct. And, then for a second, he actually felt the raw power before his body suddenly defied gravity only to become a victim to the onslaught of violent winds.
Gaara collided with something and felt his body getting plastered onto what was apparently a wall of some structure, the lack of rocky surface ruling out the possibility of mushroom rock.
For minutes, suspended in the air along the wall of some structure, he could only close his eyes and bear the brunt of the sandstorm which was making it impossible to even blink. Then suddenly, there was calm and Gaara immediately fell down.
Silently thanking the sand for cushioning his fall, the Kazekage tried to move but immediately clenched his teeth as sharp pain rushed through his back. That collision with the wall...
As he lay there, unable to move, his mind drifted over to the well being of his comrades, concern and dread flooding his being as the gravity of the situation made itself known.
The surge of that raw power was so strong that it had even stimulated the tenketsu points in his brain causing even a non-sensor shinobi like him to feel the power. The fate of those who could actually sense couldn't even be imagined. I hope they were unconscious at that time.
Then there was that raw power. It was…
"You're the leader of this village? Pathetic."
The words stopping his thought process, Gaara quickly shifted his gaze only to have his visage morph into that of sheer surprise and shock.
Standing or rather, floating before him was the golden haired newcomer; his short but spiky golden hair slightly waving without any breeze, his garbs torn here and there and a stern expression present on his face.
"Wh-who are… ?" Gaara halted when the newcomer threw something on his chest. Glancing down, he blinked in confusion seeing a little green bean resting calmly on his chest.
"I am Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans," Vegeta replied in answer to the incomplete question. "Now eat this brat. Talking to a half-dead is annoying."
However, Gaara didn't make any effort to comply which quickly caused Vegeta's irritation to skyrocket. Clenching his fists, the Saiyan Prince was about to blow up but halted as a slightly suspicious look appeared on the redhead's face.
Truly, Paranoia is the mother of all shinobis. Realization dawning that the brat wouldn't just eat anything given to him by a total stranger no matter the fact that how this stranger could wipe his pathetic excuse of life with a mere flick, Vegeta pulled another bean from the pocket of his pants before eating it.
The result was instantaneous, his body bulging for a second, Vegeta immediately felt afresh. Wounds closed as flesh mended itself, Ki quickly surpassing the previous levels as zenkai boost added to the restored reserves.
Witnessing the bizarre phenomenon, Gaara's eyes nearly popped out of his sockets. H-how?! It shouldn't be possible! Though, understanding that Vegeta didn't mean any harm, he decided to proceed.
Slowly, lifting his hand while ignoring the pain, Gaara picked the bean and glanced at it for a moment before breaking it in two. Whatever this bean is, it must be studied. He popped half of the bean in his mouth while pocketing the other half.
Immediately, Gaara felt as he was alive once again, his chakra levels rejuvenating as if he hadn't even spent a single drop. The burning sensation all over his body fully disappearing, surprise covered his face as he witnessed the small cuts and scrapes on his hands mending on their own.
The sharp pain in his back due to the collision also vanished and what was even more weird that he suddenly felt as if he had stuffed himself with all the food available in the village and wouldn't need to eat for days. Is this a… genjutsu?
"Now, we talk," Vegeta's command caused Gaara to cut his musings and shift his gaze to him before he stood up while paying total attention to Vegeta. "Brat, I'll only say it once so listen carefully," Gaara found himself nodding, as if his body was obeying to the words of this newcomer. "If you want to grow old, then stay out of this battle."
The Kazekage blinked, confusion appearing on his face as this wasn't what he had expected. However, confusion soon morphed into surprise and slight shock as Vegeta began levitating. He's leaving?!
"And, pass this message to the other kages also," A clear white aura flashed around Vegeta, and Gaara suddenly knew if he didn't stop this stranger, he wouldn't know what happened in the battle let alone the history of these strangers.
"I am afraid I can't do that."
Vegeta halted mid-air, his aura disappearing, and turned around, a glare already present on his face. "What?"
Gaara barely kept his face straight, the venom dripping from the single word causing his instincts to go haywire. "You… said you are a prince, would you have done the same if it were your people?"
Vegeta's glare shifted into a frown and taking this a sign that his words were not going unheard, Gaara continued. "I know you and Kaga are beyond anything this world has ever seen, but I can't just sit back and witness as the planet's fate is decided by two strangers. This," Gaara glanced towards the village. "is our village; when I took the oath as Kazekage, I vowed to protect it and the people in it with my life. So did every other Kage."
If I have to die to protect my precious people then so be it… dattebayo!
A determined look appeared on Kazekage's face. "So did every single shinobi… It's true, so far, we have fought against each other, but now we have a common enemy. I am sure, united, we'll definitely manage something."
Yeah, more weakness. Though, Vegeta could understand where the brat was coming from. His life under Frieza was vastly similar; living under constant fear of his life yet strongly seeking for that bastard's death. Kaga was similar to Frieza, and these shinobis to many races who had tried to defy Frieza's tyranny. "I don't care what you do, but stay out of my battle."
Gaara nodded, already knowing that they couldn't even watch the duo's battle let alone take part in it. "So, the battle isn't finished which means Kaga is alive…"
"Not for long," Vegeta cut in, not wanting the brat to jump to conclusions. "That God reject was a coward; next time, it'll be his death."
"But how did he end up here? And your arrival today; this can't be a coincidence," A curious expression appearing on Vegeta's face, Gaara continued after a moment. "I realise both of you are not natives and have a connection… so who really are you? And where are you from?
He really expects me to tell him all this? Vegeta scoffed. "It doesn't matter. Just make sure you and the others stay out of the battle."
Gaara frowned, Vegeta unwilling to share the information was not going to work. "It isn't that simple," Annoyance flashed on Vegeta's face and Gaara quickly raised his hand as a placating gesture. "I don't know how much you know about this world, but it won't be easy to convince other Kages when I don't even know the necessary details."
Gaara glanced around, taking in the sandy surroundings of his village. "Suna is considered the weakest village, and I am the youngest Kage; others won't just take my word for it," He looked back at Vegeta, a slight expectant look apparent on his face.
Damn! The brat is right. During his three weeks of stay in this world, Vegeta had seen a lot of things and the one that stuck out the most was the shinobi nations' craving for power. The minor villages wanted to be in the group of majors who, on the other hand, wanted to be the supremo of this world.
Sighing in irritation, Vegeta crossed his arms. "Both of us are from a parallel dimension. Kaga belongs to a group of divine beings known as Kais who presides over the cosmos, but being born due to evil energy, he was refused his position. He fought with the other Kais, got defeated and ended up getting sealed here."
Gaara listened with apt attention as Vegeta continued. "The usage of chakra by shinobis for years became the key to his freedom; breaking the seal and releasing him," Gaara nodded somberly. "Regarding me, I already told you. I come from a warrior race and Kais tasked me to defeat Kaga."
The Kazekage waited for a couple of moments but when Vegeta didn't continue, he mentally sighed. I guess that's it. He wanted to know more about Kaga, Vegeta and his race, their dimension but he knew he won't be getting any more information.
Gaara again nodded. "And how to contact you in the future?"
"Why the hell would you want to do that?" Vegeta all but snarled.
Ignoring once again, the harsh tone and angry face, Gaara met his gaze. "Kaga is still alive; he might come to finish what he started and we are not strong enough. Then there are… other Kages."
Vegeta narrowed his eyes. He could understand whole Kaga coming back for revenge and all that but the Kages? What did they have to do with this? "What about them?"
"This whole battle will soon reach every other nation, and my message will only work to bring the Kages together for a Kage summit. In fact, they will attend it just to derogate me and my village," Gaara could easily imagine the whole scenario. "I won't be listened to, and what you seek will be ignored."
The Kazekage knew what he was saying was a bit extravagant. It will take some convincing but the things would surely work. Konoha will also side with us. However, Vegeta's presence would only help the likes of Raikage and Tsuchikage understand the gravity of the situation better.
Vegeta pondered over Gaara's words for some seconds, thinking about the course of action. He knows and the others will too, but if they end up getting involved… well, their funeral. There is no way I am going to the gathering of a bunch of weak leaders. "Brat… "
"You're demoted to the rank of chunin, effective immediately."
Taking cover in the clouds which were only a few meters above the ground due to Kumo's location on a mountain, Vegeta watched as the Raikage, standing in the hospital room, announced his decision.
The blue clad, bed sentenced shinobi's face morphed into despair. "B-but Raikaga-sama, they outnumbered us, we didn't have a chance."
The Raikage blurred directly before the shinobi causing him to flinch. Looking down at him, he pointed towards himself. "I was taking more difficult missions when I was half of your age and now I stand before you as the strongest person on the planet so don't give me that excuse."
Vegeta halted mid-speech, Kumo's Kage's claim to be the 'strongest' once again causing his instincts to flare, a strong urge to pound the Raikage and show him the might of the strongest, appeared in his mind. Hmmm… it might be interesting. "Alright, I will come to the summit."
Confusion appeared on Gaara's visage, Vegeta's response not being the suitable answer to his question. Though I am glad he agreed. "But how will you know of the summit is? And if Kaga appears again?"
"That God reject won't be coming anytime soon, and for the summit," Vegeta smirked. "I have my ways." Not wasting any further moment, Vegeta flew up and then suddenly, he was gone, only a slight gust of wind announcing his departure.
Gaara looked at the skies for some seconds before shifting his attention towards the village. Some buildings were damaged but overall, there was nothing that couldn't be fixed with a couple of jutsus.
Focusing on his chakra and moulding it, he directed it to the sand around, two clones immediately formed before him. Gaara gazed at the one on the left. "You go to the bunkers and inform that the battle is over, and call for the medics to look after the injured."
The clone nodded before disappearing with a sand shunshin. The Kazekage shifted his gaze towards the other one. "Inform the clans about the battle and summon the clan heads for a meeting in ten minutes."
Gaara watched as this clone too disappeared in a shunshin. Knowing that it won't be long before the medics arrive, the bunkers for the civilians and reserve shinobis being closer than the clan compounds, he too disappeared in a shunshin.
Appearing on the Kazekage tower, it only took a second to spot the bodies of Temari and Kankuro, the duo lying near the school building. Reaching them, he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw their chests rising and falling alternately.
A glance around revealed the same condition with other shinobis, alleviating his worries. You all did good. Just hold on for some time, medics are arriving. Sparing another glance, Gaara left with a shunshin.
--oooooo--
The room had a mixed ambiance; grimness was there but it was dwarfed by the relief and curiosity.
"Before we begin," Mochizuki Chiyome voiced thus beginning the council meeting. "What were the casualties, Kazekage-sama?" Concern and worry were evident from her face and words.
"I am afraid I can't say anything, Mochizuki-hime," Gaara muttered solemnly. "Though Kaga didn't kill anyone, the over usage of chakra rendered most of the shinobis unconscious. The medics must be checking over them now."
The Mochizuki matriarch nodded meekly. "It was a good decision to keep the medics off the front lines," Medics being rare in Suna were kept off the front lines, something Senjo clan head had come up with and Gaara couldn't see any way to disagree.
Nodding in agreement, the Kazekage took in the visages of the people in front of him. "I hope you all are fine."
"We are, Kazekage-sama, we all are," Ishikawa Goemon replied, a strane glint in his eyes. "In fact, the only thing that seems to suffer… are your clothes."
Gaara immediately realised what Ishikawa clan head was pointing at, his views also reflected on the faces of others. Pulling out the green bean from his pocket, he placed it on the table. "This bean is the reason Goemon-san; just eating one half of it, completely healed me. I saved this another half for research purposes."
"A wise move," Sanjo praised Gaara. "Such a thing can be revolutionary for our world, but how it came in your possession?"
"The one who saved us gave it to me," Seeing their confused as well as curious visages, Gaara continued. "Kaga's attack would have completely destroyed the village if not for Vegeta – our saviour."
"Could you elaborate?" Ebisu asked, leaning slightly forward.
"Pardon my interruption," Mochizuki Chiyome picked up the bean, the head medic of Suna bringing the bean close to her eyes. "But what exactly did this bean do, Kazekage-sama?"
"Apart from fully restoring my chakra reserves, healed all the internal and external injuries in an instant."
Eyes widening in amazement, Chiyome nodded. "Then it must be studied. I would like to personally research on it."
"Very well," Gaara nodded, knowing that the Mochizuki clan's matriarch was the most suited for the job; being the grand niece of Chiyo-sama definitely had its perks.
The Kazekage breathed in and out. "Now about the battle," In unison, five heads nodded. "The battle with Kaga was completely one sided; nothing worked on him. Our strongest jutsus – combination, hijutsus and kinjutsu included – didn't put even a scratch on his garbs."
The faces of the council members grew serious and grim as Gaara continued. "Jiraiya-sama, even in his sage mode, wasn't able to make any difference while Kaga took all the attacks head-on, before unleashing an energy ball the size of the Kage tower on the village. The only reason we survived is due to Vegeta."
"How strong were they?!" Kotaro Fuma exclaimed, sheer awe and surprise oozing out of his words. "To possess such power…"
The expressions on the faces of others were quite similar. Gaara continued after a moment. "Strong enough to affect the nature itself; I am sure you all felt frequent shockwaves, even weightlessness to total lack of gravity," A chorus of nods was his answer. "They were the ones responsible for that."
The understanding that what kind of situation they were dealing with, slowly seeped into the minds of council members, their faces and body language becoming grave and tense.
"Hmmm…" Ishikawa Goemon broke the silence a couple of minutes later , bringing the attention of others towards him. "Could you describe their battle?"
The Kazekage shook his head. "Their speed was beyond the perception of eyes and other senses." As if already knowing that, the Ishikawa clan head nodded. "The only indicators of their battle were violent tremors and later, Vegeta's word."
"About that," Ebisu carried on. "What else did he say, Kazekage-sama?"
"Nothing much," Gaara replied, sighing. "Mostly, he insisted us to stay out of the battle, further, he told me about their origins; Kaga is really a divine being but was sealed in our world due to his evil ways, and Vegeta belongs to a warrior race called Saiyans with both of them coming from a parallel dimension."
"A parallel dimension?!" The Senji clan head exclaimed, surprise evident in his tone. "To believe a whole world could thrive in a dimension…" he trailed off but understanding dawned on their visages.
Fuinjutsu was based on dimensions and all that; storage seals, space-time jutsus and a couple sealing jutsus for Bijus employed the concept of dimensions but that was on a very small scale.
A whole dimension full of life was totally anew. Who knows what else is there? Gaara mused, knowing the only person who could answer the question wasn't willing. "Also, he asked me to inform the other villages not to interfere."
"He's arrogant…"
"Or really confident," Genji countered the claim of Kotaro who nodded in acceptance after a moment.
"But do we really have to?" The others shifted their attention towards Chiyome who was looking at the table. As if on cue she gazed up. "Suna has always been looked down on by the other villages; they consider us weak and inefficient. Even now, the others will mark this failure as our incompetency," She paused for a second. "I believe we should leave them to their fate."
A couple of moments passed in silence as everyone pondered over Mochizuki clan heads's words before Ishikawa Goemon sighed out loud. "While that is true, and I don't fault you for that thinking, but if there is a sliver of a chance that the shinobi nations can ally, I will definitely take it. I have already seen enough bloodshed in my life."
For the first time, the others witnessed the war veteran's face without any facade, his old face full of guilt and misery; the toll of the years of battles blatant on his face.
"Chiyo and I used to believe that everything done for Suna is just and fair. Kazekage-sama, you," Ebisu solemnly looked at Gaara. "... and the previous jinchuurikis are the products of that radical thinking. However, after seeing that blond kid willing to go far to any length to save you, and later Chiyo's sacrifice for your revival made me introspect myself."
"Now, I can only say one thing," Ebisu sighed. "We were wrong… If this whole ordeal with Kaga can reshape the ideals and beliefs of the shinobi system, I wholeheartedly agree to it."
"But what are the chances that the others would even agree in the first place?"
"Considering the threat, Kotaro-san," Gaara replied. "I am sure it won't be too difficult. Sure, the others will take some convincing, but it should work in the end. Besides, Konoha will also support our decision."
"Kiri also," The Senji clan head added, the others directing curious gazes at him. "Though, the Mizukage is an unknown factor; nobody having met her, but I am sure she would like to avoid any more bloodshed considering the ten years civil war they have been through."
The others nodded in accord to the points made by Genji and Gaara. "It's final then," the clan heads and Ebisu focusing on Gaara, he announced. "Suna will call the sixth Gokage summit for the first time."
--oooooo--
"... seals are all accounted for, Hokage-sama. Just a couple of them above the Hokage mountain required some tweaking which has been done."
Tsunade nodded. Kakashi's report on seals in the village was as she expected, the fixing of the seals being the first course of work to be done after her inauguration were bound to be functioning.
"What about the bunkers?"
"They are also… "
POOF!
Tsunade and Kakashi immediately looked at the smoke out of which stepped out Jiraiya and he was… grinning?
That was quick. The library in Mt. Myobokuzan was one of the ancient and biggest; for Jiraiya to be able to find something so quick was really startling. But he practically grew up there. "What is it Jiraiya? Did you find some…" Halting, she caught the scroll tossed at her before looking quizzically at the Toad Sage.
Jiraiya simply pointed at the scroll. Giving him another glance, Tsunade barely looked at the scroll before opening it, a frantic expression appearing on her face seeing the Kazekage's official seal on the scroll.
"The boss of the weasel clan delivered it," Tsunade ignored Jiraiya's words and began reading the message. Eyes widening second by second, a shocked yet relieved expression emerged on her face.
A couple seconds later, face still showing sheer amazement, she passed the scroll to Kakashi who already had his dojutsu unveiled. A single glance later, the son of the white fang was supporting similar expression as Tsunade.
"This is a lot to take in," Tsunade spoke after a few seconds, relief dripping from her wordwords. "I am glad though, Suna survived and that's what matters in the end."
"What about this Vegeta guy?" Kakashi's lazy attitude returning indicated he too was relieved by the unexpected turn of the things.
"Both he and Kaga are unknown factors; we'll have to attend the Kage summit to know about them," Tsunade looked at Jiraiya. "You'll be accompanying me to the summit," The toad sage nodded, knowing his experience would be valuable.
The Slug Princess shifted her gaze on Kakashi. "Meanwhile, you'll be the acting hokage."
"Wh-what?!" Kakashi incoherently exclaimed but Tsunade ignored him. "Anbu!" An eagle masked shinobi immediately kneeled before her. "Summon the council, and Jiraiya," The toad sage cocked an eyebrow at Tsunade, face amused and hand still messing Kakashi's hair. "You're with me."
--oooooo--
"Hmmm… " Tobi mused audibly, his hand resting on his chin. Such power… how can we deal with this? Zetsu was one of the best trackers in the world, the plant-like creature was able to record even the fastest of the fights, yet, in this battle, the creature couldn't even see the fight.
And, now the Kazekage was calling a Gokage summit. It…
"Zetsu," Pain's commanding voice immediately cut off the musings of Tobi before he, Konan and the half black and half white creature looked at the Rinnegan wielder. "Inform the others to resume the mission."
Is he aiming at the Juubi? Understanding Nagato was one of the most difficult things in the world; most of the time the Uzumaki spoke in riddles, but over the years he had gotten a firm grasp over it besides Konan of course. "You believe Juubi is our solution, Pain?"
"Indeed. His power is an unknown element; Apart from myths and tales, nobody knows what Juubi was capable of."
Tobi found himself nodding. The tales about the progenitor of chakra were mostly incoherent whispers in the wind; nobody knew the depth of the creatures abilities. Even the Uchiha stone tablet just spoke about the process to create the Juubi and that the being held immense power.
Konan also nodded. "With the villages preparing for Kage summit, the focus will be shifted from the jinchuurikis."
"There is no change in the teams," Pain gazed out of the window in the tower, rain increasing as if on cue. "I want Nibi, Sanbi and Yonbi captured by the end of this month. Meanwhile, Gobi and Rokubi… will know Pain." Thunder flashed, ominously highlighting the figure of Pain.
--oooooo--
"So… the battle is concluded," Urashiki remarked, crossing his hands behind his head. "We still do nothing?"
His gaze fixed at the skies, Jigen calmly nodded. "As you have witnessed, their prowess is beyond our perception, and this Saiyan is tasked by the Kais; he must be something special. Moreover, Isshiki-sama doesn't require a new vessel for another fifteen years meaning we still have five years in our hands."
"... Alright," Urashiki shrugged. "I will keep a check on the things," Not waiting for a reply, his rinnegan flashed, opening a portal behind him into which he disappeared.
--oooooo--
Please support and review. Sorry for the delay, I honestly didn't know what to write. Hehe.