IMPORTANT:

First of all, this work is a tribute to the work of Masashi Kishimoto and especially Akira Toriyama. I was already planning it and had some stuff written down, but with the passing of Akira Toriyama, I decided to work a bit harder to get the first chapter released. Much thanks to him for giving us such an amazing series. He will be missed.

Secondly, on my other story (A Rogue Story), I mentioned that the writer has more control over the outcome of a fight than one may think, even when one character appears weaker than another. I then said that I would soon be releasing a story with the initials NZ that showed this point. As you can see, this is that story, and I do plan on showing exactly what I mean. Hopefully, my writing will speak for itself.

Thirdly, as I said, if you follow/favorite me, you will get updates about random uploads of stories like this one. If you only follow/favorite a specific story, you will only get updates for that story. I mentioned this at the end of the same chapter in A Rogue Story as a heads up because I knew I would be releasing this soon. To those who listened, enjoy this early access to the prologue of a crossover of two of our most beloved series, Dragon Ball Z and Naruto.

Now, with all that out of the way, I present this work to you. I do hope you'll enjoy it. :)

NOTE: This is also being posted on Ao3.

NARUTO Z!

*.* Visitors From Far Away .*.*

In the sky-blue space of nowhere sparked a tiny bolt of green, then, like some whirl of multi-dimensional energy, came a flurry of similar bolts all around, the band of them building into a ball of teal green lighting. Finally, the bolt seemed to stabilize, falling into a pulsing swirl of flowing teal.

First came a silence that let one hear the wind, then a warbling like something from another world. In the bright portal of teal green, two shadowy figures started to appear, one with pointy straight ears, the other with a circular object circling his neck. Then, emerging from the portal with a final warble, the two beings floated freely in the open air, their colored garb and skin clashing against the bright blue of the open, cloudless sky.

One of them had purple skin and a cat-like appearance, his garb oddly full of ancient Egyptian jewelry with the only exception being his bright blue sweatpants. The other had strangely light blue skin that made him look similar to the sky all around. His garb was a strange uniform with burgundy as its base, random accents of yellow, white, and orange scattered on some sort of black cloak. He also had a staff that matched his uniform, the black orb at the top of it oddly attached to it by nothing at all and encircled by a halo that was attached just the same.

They floated for only a few seconds before the warbling sound returned in a violent crescendo, the portal returning to its unstable lightning-clad form and then disappearing in a violent crackle.

The both of them glanced back at the portal as it vanished, then the cat man turned to the one with the staff, a light frowning sneer in place. "Well, there goes that," he said drably. "And let it be noted that if we aren't able to get back home, this was your idea, Whis."

"Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho," Whis laughed. "Don't be so dramatic, my lord."

"Yeah, yeah. It's all drama til we get stuck in this horrid dimension and they have our funerals back home."

"Hm... You really think they'd do that? I, mean, they would know we weren't dead, just stuck over here."

"Ha," Beerus scoffed. "You really think that'll matter? I can see Champa now. 'Ha! My dumb brother, Beerus, got himself trapped in another dimension! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!'"

Whis let out a series of chuckles and replied, "Well I'm sure someone would miss us. Those on earth for sure, and Goku and Vegeta most of all."

"Pfft!" Beerus scoffed. "Those fools would just be sad they didn't get to train with us anymore."

"Ehmhm," Whis chuckled. "You're probably right."

"Anyway," Beerus continued. "What did you say the appeal of this forest-looking world of junk was?"

"Just some people with combat potential."

"Hm," Beerus mused. "I don't sense anyone with such potential on this planet. Are they gods of some sort?"

"Not exactly, though perhaps they'd be considered so among their kind."

"If they're not gods, and I can't sense them from here, how could they possibly pose a challenge?"

"Well, for one, humans here run on a different type of energy than we do. We use ki; they use something called chakra."

"Chakra?" Beerus questioned, one finger scratching his cheek. "Sounds like a dinner plate."

"Not exactly," Whis said, smiling a bit. "It's a form of energy that has far less potential for power generation than our ki, but is much more versatile in nature."

"Hm, is that a fact?"

"Mhm. I thought the more versatile nature would be effective in helping Goku and Vegeta learn to think outside the box. The fighters here are also very crafty – another trait I wish our Saiyan friends would start to pick up on."

"What is it with you and training those Saiyans?!" Beerus snapped.

"Oh, ho, ho, ho," Whis laughed, eyes closed, hand poshly in front of his mouth. "I just want to draw out their max potential is all."

"I'm sure..." Beerus said, eyeing him from the side. "Anyway," he continued, glancing back down to the forest-filled terrain below. "Let's get this over with. I didn't eat before we decided to take this little dimension-hopping trip to nowhere and I don't feel like going hours on an empty stomach."

Whis smiled, then pulled his staff close and peered into the orb floating at the top. "According to the orb, Konoha is only a small distance from here, and it's right about...that way," he finished, looking forward in one direction.

"Hm..." Beerus mused. "Well, let's get a move on then."

"Agreed," Whis said, and with that, the two started floating forward at a mild pace.

"Do you know if they have good food in this Konoha place?" Beerus asked suddenly.

"I'm not sure."

"This better not be one of those planets with tasteless menus!" he barked. "It'll probably take everything in me not to destroy it if that's the case!"

"I'm sure we'll find something that suits your appetites, my lord."

"We better..."

...

After flying over a forest that seemed it would not end and watching a bundle of greens that never changed, the two finally saw in the distance a speck of beige growing.

"Ah," Whis said. "It would seem we are arriving."

"Hm," Beerus mused. "Looks like some sort of wall. It's encircling the village."

"Yes, it appears you are correct, no doubt a defensive measure to protect their home."

The forest lasted for only a moment longer, and then they slowed down, stopping above the dirt path that led into the village ahead, the huge village gates with their well-sized hiragana only a small distance away. As they did, they could sense the change in atmosphere – the sound of rushing wind replaced by the bustle of markets inside, the smell of natural open-air shifting to a more unnatural, occupied scent.

Looking down to the open gate and the small wooden booths set off to the side, Beerus tilted his head slightly towards Whis. "What is this?"

"It appears they have some sort of system in place to prevent easy access."

"Hm," Beerus mused. "I guess we should go through it to be courteous, shouldn't we..."

"Most likely."

...

A silent plat, plat, sounded as their feet touched the earth, the dusty path sending up small puffs of dirt as they did. Walking forward quite proudly, Beerus arrived at the first booth. Whis raised an eyebrow and smirked, watching as he did.

"Ahem!" he said, slamming his hand down on the wooden platform with much more force than necessary.

The man behind the booth startled, a toothpick that had been dangling in his mouth nearly falling to the floor as he jumped to attention.

"You there!" Beerus said, standing tall with his eyes closed, hands on his hips. "Entrance to the village for Lord Beerus!"

"Uhhh..." The man seemed to stall for a minute, taking in their general appearance. Finally, he continued, "Village and business please," he said, bending over to pick up some things that had fallen off the desk due to Beerus' violent slam.

"Village?!" Beerus exclaimed. "Well," he said, eyes closed and off to the side. "I have no village." One finger shot up at his side. "But I am here on very important business."

"Uhm, well, if you don't have a village, we can't just give you easy access. You could be an enemy-nin for all we know."

"An enemy?!" Beerus barked. "Would an enemy walk right up to your doorstep and ask to come in?"

"We've seen stranger things."

Before the blood vessel on Beerus' forehead exploded, Whis stepped forward. "You all don't have a policy for visitors?" he asked kindly.

"Uh, yeah. It's gonna take some time though. First, we've gotta get your names, then we gotta find out where you're from, then we've gotta find out what you're doing in our village, then the Hokage's gotta approve you, then-"

"Whis," Beerus sighed.

"Of course, my lord," Whis said, lifting his staff less than an inch off the ground and hitting it down on the floor again. Immediately, each of the guards on either side of the gate started glowing a teal green, their eyes collectively widening as they drew to a still.

"What?" one of them struggled to say. "I can't move."

"Neither can I."

"Don't worry," Beerus said, grinning as he looked back at them. "It usually wears off after a few minutes. Let's go, Whis."

"Of course, my lord."

The two proceeded to walk forward gingerly through the gates, mumbled protests of their action coming from the frozen guards.

...

"This place is very different from the planet we met the Saiyans on," Beerus commented, his yellow eyes taking in the old-style buildings and dusty dirt path as they walked at a mild pace.

"Yes," Whis agreed. "Much less modern and far more rustic."

Squinting at Whis from the side, he added, "Kinda makes it hard to believe what you're saying about their power levels..."

Chuckling with an eye-closed smile, Whis answered, "Don't judge a book by its cover, my lord. And need I remind you that you didn't think Goku looked like much either."

"He wasn't. Without a transformation, he was much too weak to defeat someone like Frieza."

"Still, he did surprise you."

"Maybe, but he was still completely outmatched, even in his legendary Super Saiyan 3."

"Yes, but it was a good show."

"Life is more than shows, Whis. I hope this stinking village actually has a fighter worth coming here for."

"Hmhmhm," he laughed. "I guess we'll find out."

Just then, they spotted a man in green tights squinting at them some distance ahead. For some odd reason, he was jogging in place and had a similarly dressed boy right beside him doing the same.

"What's his deal?" Beerus asked.

Whis' eyebrows did something funny as he replied. "I think we'll soon find out."

"Lee!" the man in green cried out suddenly. "Let's gooo investigate!"

The two of them turned right after, their awkward jog now moving in the Beerus and Whis' direction.

"Talk about your not-so-average loudmouth," Beerus whispered to the side.

"Hey there!" the man in green said as they arrived. "You all look like the spitting image of youth!"

"Funny," Beerus grinned. "I'm actually in my millions."

"HA!" Might Guy laughed. "Gotta love a good sense of humor. Say, you all look like some very peculiar folks. Mind if I ask where you're from?"

"Another universe," Beerus grinned.

"Hahaha," he laughed. "Nice try. Though I have to admit it would explain the purple and blue skin thing."

"Hm," Whis hummed lightly.

"I suspect they are some kind of alien," Lee whispered to the man.

Leaning down and whispering low, the man in green said, "Alien? Like Kaguya?"

"The heck's a Kaguya?" Beerus asked.

Squinting suspiciously, the man in green answered, "You have very good ears my purple cat-looking friend."

"Thanks. As I'm sure you can tell, they're not just for show."

"How far can they hear?" Lee asked.

"No getting sidetracked Lee!" the man in green chastised. "Remember, we're on a mission!"

"Oh, r-r-right. Yes, Guy-sensei!"

"Oh?" Beerus said. "What mission?"

"Reconnaissance!"

"Reconnaissance, eh? And what are your findings?"

"Hm," he said, suddenly stopping his in-place jog and leaning only inches away from Beerus' face. "I'm not sure yet. But it's the job of any good Konoha ninja to perceive threats and deal with them appropriately, so I'm making sure you're nothing but a friendly visitor."

Beerus' grin grew. "Trust me, if I wanted to be a threat, there would be nothing you could do about it."

"Hm," Guy hummed, voice suddenly much less chipper and much more grave. "Is that a fact?"

"Oh, yes," Beerus grinned. "That is a fact."

"Leaving all of that aside," Whis said, stepping forward. "We're not looking for a fight, at least not yet. For now we would be content with some good food."

"Yes, my light blue friend is correct. We're currently bordering on famished and the first step in lowering our threat level would be getting us something decent to eat. We can be very cranky when we're hungry."

Still squinting at him suspiciously, Guy leaned in only the slightest bit closer.

"Losing my patience," Beerus commented with a smile.

After a few more long seconds, Guy straightened up. "Alright, my cat friend. Food it is."

"May I suggest Ichiraku Ramen," Lee chimed in.

"Ichiraku Ramen?" Guy said. "You're starting to sound like Naruto. But very well! Ichiraku Ramen it is. Follow me my cat-looking friend and light blue dude! You're in for a treat!"

-l-l-l-

Lord Beerus and Whis have braved the current and traveled through dimensions in search of a fighter worthy of their marks. But what's this?! Lord Beerus and Whis have run into the eccentric Guy-sensei and his prodigy student Lee! But trouble has already started at the village gate, and the village guards won't stay frozen forever. Yet our friends from so far away are headed to Ichiraku's, and we all know who likes eating there.

Will this trip across dimensions prove to be in vain? Will Whis freezing the village guards start trouble before a fight even begins? Will Lee's culinary selection satisfy our visitor's lingering appetites? Will Beerus decide he wants to be a threat after all?! And who will our friends run into at Ichiraku Ramen?! Find out next time on...Naruto Z!

Author's Note:

😂😂😂 I couldn't resist. Now come on y'all...PLEEEEEASE be sure to review. I really want to know what y'all think on this one. It's right up my alley, to be honest, and I personally think I'm gonna have a lot of fun. Yeah, lots of fun. 😂 See y'all in the next one.