Is putting a Saiyan into the Naruto franchise kinda Mary Sue? Yes. Do I care? Not really. I'm not the first person who's done this, after all. Seems like it could be a fun time. I'm not going to jump straight into the main series though. I plan on building up quite a bit of backstory first, and this is where this story is going to fit in. I didn't want to do the whole flashback thing, so this will include several of the flashbacks, just in a more chronological story order. Then when the main series does start, probably in a separate story, I won't have to waste time with them.
Anyway, one more thing I wanted to point out before we get started, is that this is an OC story that will eventually be replacing Tenten. So, I apologize to any Tenten fans out there, but this story probably won't be for you. I just feel like she's the worst character in the franchise and so therefore, the most easily replaceable. Which, let's be honest, is the best way to put an OC into this show and still have it make sense.
So, obviously, this is still technically going to be a crossover, but as I'm sure you've guessed by now, is going to feature basically only in the Naruto universe. We'll see what I ultimately end up doing as time passes, but for now, please enjoy what I have so far!
The battle was bloody; the price paid was high, and the cost of lives – steep. Yet it was finally over. The demon Nine-Tailed fox was finally defeated, and its Chakra, trapped within a helpless infant. The Leaf village was saved from any further harm, and the ninja who had survived were all grateful for the sacrifices of those who did not. However, despite this, there were a few of those to whom the grateful attitude did not extend.
Smoke blotted out what little moonlight was present that night, causing the surrounding village to be cast in an extra dark shadow. Down among the wreckage was a lone figure, wandering aimlessly through the aftermath of the battle. They had tried to stop him. They told him that even though the fox was defeated, it was still too dangerous to be outside. But he didn't listen. He didn't care how dangerous it was, as he ripped away from their grasping arms. Iruka was determined to find his parents!
Now as he was searching, he still couldn't believe what he had heard. He didn't want to believe it. Even though the entire special forces group was said to be slain, he still clung to the faintest hope that maybe his parents were still alive out there, somewhere. Maybe they were too tired to return just yet, or hurt and needed his help. Either way, he couldn't just sit around waiting anymore. It was the idleness that was killing him – the overwhelming sense of uselessness!
As Iruka climbed out of a ravine and onto a pile of what used to be a building, a shocking sight met his gaze and he peered out over the landscape. Bodies littered the ground in a horrific display of carnage. It was something that he would never be able to un-see no matter how hard he tried, something that would haunt the darkest recesses of his soul.
Iruka fell to his knees as he buried his head in his hands and wept bitterly, hiding the awful sight. He just couldn't bring himself to go searching through the bodies for his parents. It was too horrible! He hated himself for his cowardice, he hated the village for sending his parents on this suicide mission, and most of all he hated that demon fox!
Iruka didn't know how long he lay there amidst the ruins of the building. He couldn't move forward, he didn't want to go back, so he just wanted it all to end – right then and there. At least then he could join his parents wherever they went, and he wouldn't have to endure on alone.
It was a bright flash of light in the night sky that finally brought Iruka out of his state of shock. He sat up and followed it with his eyes. As he watched, he became aware that the light was coming closer and getting brighter. Then without warning, the light plummeted all the way down to the earth with an ear shattering smash!
Seconds later, a wave of dirt blasted Iruka so hard he had to flip over and shield his eyes for fear that he would get pummeled to death. When it all settled again, Iruka stood and brushed himself off as he looked around. The sky was as black as it had been a minute before, and the only evidence that something had disturbed the peaceful night was the fresh coating of earth on everything around him.
He couldn't see where the thing had crashed, but no more than a mile or so off, he could detect a faint glow coming through the trees. Curiosity eventually got the better of him, and forgetting his misery for the moment, he ventured off to find out what had fallen from the sky.
After wandering through the forest a little ways he had to stop short, or else he would have fallen into a giant crater that was made where the thing had impacted the ground. Tree debris was scattered all along the edges of it, leaving the crater open and empty of all but dirt. Iruka stared in awe at the massive hole. It was practically the size of a lake, and in the center sat a small, white orb.
Iruka quickly scooted down the edge of the crater and stopped just short of the round, white object. It was bigger up close. In fact, Iruka was sure he could fit inside it. He started walking around it, studying it, when he stopped short at what looked like a red bump on one side of the metal sphere. It was a bit bigger than his head, and appeared to be made of transparent glass.
Cautiously he inched closer to it to see if he could peer inside. Before he worked up the nerve to get close enough, however, the orb started making weird noises, like machinery grinding. Iruka jumped back startled, and a little unnerved. He watched as what seemed to be a door of some kind separate itself from the metallic ball and move out and down, allowing him to look inside.
Light poured out from the orb onto the dark ground. There was another sphere sitting on a strange looking chair inside the white ball. The bottom half of this one was a pale yellow while the top portion was clear glass. Suddenly Iruka could hear a soft voice coming from inside the contraption.
"Awaken Ryoko," the voice said. It was a kind, motherly voice. "It is time for you to fulfill your mission. You must protect the world that you have discovered. Learn to live in peace with the inhabitants of this planet, so that it may not suffer the same fate as our world. And always remember, that you take my love with you wherever you go." The voice then faded away into the night.
Iruka stared in awe. He wasn't really sure what to do. It didn't appear that there was anything alive in the white ball, but the voice had to be talking to someone. Someone named 'Ryoko'. He crept closer again to see into the smaller sphere inside.
As he was moving, he noticed a tiny hand rise up from the smaller orb and sink back down into it. Emboldened, he stepped up onto the platform the door had made and peered into it. Lying curled up inside the smaller sphere was the most beautiful baby that Iruka had ever seen! Not that he'd spent a lot of time around babies, he realized, but she still looked very pretty in his opinion.
He decided that this must be Ryoko, and the voice he had heard was a recording of her mother. She had sounded caring and kind, something very bad must have happened to cause her to send her baby away.
The little girl looked up at him curiously from her cushion in the small glass dome. Iruka couldn't help but smile at the innocent face. He popped open the sphere with a button on the front, and reached his hands down to pick up the baby. She lifted her arms in response, as if saying she was okay with him holding her.
As he scooped her up, he quickly discovered that her hair was longer than her body. It was straight, full, and black as the night sky. He was amazed! He didn't know babies could have so much hair.
Suddenly, he felt something odd dangling down from her back. He turned her around and what he found left him feeling completely bewildered. This baby had a tail! It was thick and dark brown, and it was growing out of her back at the bottom of her spine like an animal.
Iruka flipped her back around to study her. She was clearly not human, even though she looked it. He decided with the way she had appeared, and based on the message from her mother, that she must be from another planet. He peered up at the sky, full of bright stars now that the smoke had dissipated some. She was from somewhere – out there.
Iruka cradled the baby carefully against him as he slowly made his way home. He didn't know if it was right to have taken her, but as far as he could tell, she was alone and needed someone to care for her. She wasn't exactly protesting about going with him, either. He couldn't help but grin as she gurgled happily, clutching tightly to his shirt. Now that Iruka knew he wasn't going to have to spend the night alone in his house, it seemed bearable to go back to the village.
Something told Iruka that he shouldn't let anyone know about this baby. So, when he arrived back in the village, he was careful to be sure that no one saw him. He crept from shadow to shadow, attempting to be as quiet as possible. He was thankful for the cover of night, and also the fact that everyone who was still out was too busy to pay much attention to him.
Somehow sensing his intentions, the baby was as quiet as a mouse. She kept glancing around wide eyed at her new surroundings, but didn't utter so much as a peep. Luckily he made it back to his house without incident.
Only after he had safely locked the door behind him, did Iruka relax and turn on the lights. He gazed around sadly at the empty house, feeling the loneliness deep inside his heart. Ryoko peered around the room as well before looking up at Iruka expectantly. He noticed and returned the gaze.
"Well baby Ryoko, how do you like your new home?" he asked her as if he expected her to answer. "You don't have to worry. I'm going to do my best to take good care of you."
A low rumble emanated from Ryoko's stomach. They both looked down at it and Iruka laughed.
"Well, I guess you're hungry." He thought for a moment. "Uh, what do babies eat? Milk, right?" Ryoko cocked her head at him. "Right, I'm going to go see if we have any. Uh, wait right here."
He set Ryoko down on the carpet and darted to the kitchen.
There was a fresh bottle of milk in the icebox. He pulled it out and set it near the sink. Now he needed to find a bottle. He was pretty sure his parents had kept some around from the days when he was a baby. He moved into the hall where there was a hatch in the floor that led to underground storage. He opened it and climbed down.
In a box he found a lot of old baby stuff. He pulled out a bottle and brought it back up. He then rinsed it and filled it up with milk and brought it to Ryoko.
He found her right on the floor where he left her. She was busy playing with her tail, but stopped when he walked in. Iruka plopped on the floor next to her and handed her the bottle. Ryoko tried the milk, but then made a face and pushed it back towards him. Iruka stared at the bottle looking confused.
"What's the matter? Don't you like it?" Ryoko's reply was to sit there looking grumpy.
He tested the milk. It tasted fine to him, but then he realized something. The milk was ice cold. Of course – that was it. Babies liked their milk warm. Iruka sighed and went back to the kitchen.
About half an hour later he finally came back with the bottle. His fingers were red from getting burned, and he looked tired and frustrated.
"Okay, I think the milk is at the right temperature," he said as he knelt down beside the baby.
Before he could hand her the bottle, Iruka noticed that something was amiss. The carpet around the baby was darker than the rest of the floor.
"Oh no," he moaned. He felt the floor. Yep, it was definitely wet.
Iruka gingerly moved the baby out of the puddle. Why hadn't he thought of diapers? This baby thing wasn't turning out exactly like he thought, so far. Now what was he supposed to do? Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Ryoko motioning towards the bottle. He handed it to her and she immediately popped in into her mouth, drinking greedily.
When she finished, she laid back down looking content and began playing with her tail again. Well, he supposed the next step was to clean up the mess. He soaked up the puddle with rags, and gave Ryoko a bath in the sink.
After the baby was dry and in a fresh cloth Iruka wrapped around her, he plopped down on his bed feeling exhausted. Ryoko sat on the floor in front of him. She yawned and looked sleepily up at him.
"I know just how you feel, Ryoko. I guess it's time for bed," he said wearily.
Out the window, the first rays of dawn were beginning to shine over the horizon. Iruka realized that he hadn't eaten anything in a while himself, but at this point he was too tired to care. He picked up the baby and laid her on his bed on the side against the wall. He didn't want her falling off in her sleep. He then climbed in beside her and pulled the blankets up over both of them. Ryoko was instantly asleep.
Iruka suddenly had an odd sense of peace wash over him. Laying there with the baby made him feel – almost whole again. He thought that even though taking care of a baby was a lot of work, that things were going to turn out alright. He smiled at her one last time before drifting off to sleep.
Don't worry, future chapters will be longer. This just seemed like a good place to end things for now. Thanks for reading!