25This is the last full chapter that he had worked on. After this it's just a small portion of the story and it'll be all me from there. I don't own DB or Naruto Please support both. This fic is brought to you a twenty-three year old Christian.
Ch. 4 The Preliminaries
Krillin was incredibly nervous as he stepped into the ring. His first match was against one of the biggest bullies from the Orin Temple. He really wished he hadn't opened his big mouth earlier. Everything was about to go wrong!
"Well, if it isn't our favorite punching bag! Looks like a good warm-up!" Krillin gulped at the tone.
"Don't let him get to you, Krillin!" Goku shouted.
Naruto pumped his fist. "Yeah! Kick his head in!"
'I can do this! He can't hit any harder than Goku and I won't be swarmed by Kage Bunshin.'
The referee explained the rules. The matches would last a three minutes. The winner would be determined by knock out, ring out or points. There was no weapons and killing was expressly forbidden.
"Now, the first preliminary match of the Tenka'ichi Budōkai begins!"
Krillin's tormenter sprang forward. The short Turtle Student stared dumbly for a moment. Gao had always been so fast. Now, he seemed to be barely moving. Krillin jumped over the punch and kicked Gao into the crowd.
"Winner, Krillin!" The referee shouted.
Goku and Naruto ran over. "Great work Krillin!"
"Thanks you two. Man, Master Roshi would have chewed us out if we were so sloppy."
Naruto pounded fists with Krillin. "Yeah! I mean, Iruka-sensei would have hit me with an eraser for such horrible skills! Aren't you glad you left that place?"
"Heck yeah! Thanks for your support you two." Krillin bowed.
The friends parted ways for a time. Naruto was in Bracket 3. Goku was in Bracket 4. Goku was the first up in bracket four. The fights were highly disappointing for the Turtle School students. Matches lasted for the majority of the day. Naruto and Goku blew through their matches. Krillin and Yamcha also lacked any serious competition.
The Turtle School disciples reunited at the entrance to the arena.
"Man, that was disappointing!" Naruto yelled in frustration.
Goku shrugged. "Well, we are the strongest fighters here. I don't think we'll get an exciting fight until the finals."
Krillin was about to speak up when he noticed something. It was the reporter from the road several months ago. "Guys, that reporter is coming. Let me do all the talking."
"Why should we?" Naruto challenged.
"Because I'm the only one with tact and manners."
Goku cocked his head to the side. "What's tact? Is it food?"
Naruto scrunched his face up. "Another point to Krillin."
Krillin nodded quickly as the petite reported hauled her camera man towards the young fighters. "Here's what you can say: your name and that you can't wait to fight in the finals. Got it?"
Goku and Naruto barely nodded when the reporter reached them. "Master Roshi's Students! May I speak with you?"
"Sure!" All three said as one.
"Thank you! Last time we spoke, I never got your names…"
Krillin bowed politely. "I am Krillin."
"I'm Goku!" The boy with the tail waved.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto and one of us is going to win this tournament! Believe it!"
The reporter smiled. "So, what do you think of the competition?
Krillin nudged Goku before he could say anything. "The Competition has been great. We're looking forward to fighting in the finals."
"Good luck." The Reporter nodded and the camera panned away from the boys. Krillin pulled his comrades off to the side. "Let's get some food and find a place for the night."
Naruto smiled. "We can always camp out! I mean, that was part of the ninja training got back in Konoha."
"I'm glad you remember some of it, Naruto." An older voice filtered through the murmur of the crowd.
Naruto smiled. "Old Man Hokage! What are you doing here? Did you see my fights?"
The Hokage nodded. "I am here to negotiate with the Kingdom. This is a New World Naruto. And yes, I did see some of your fights. I also saw your fellow students fight. They did an exceptional job."
The three boys beamed. "We're going to win this tournament!" Goku shouted.
The Sandaime smiled. "You three are exceptional fighters. However, there are many powerful warriors here. In fact, one of my former students, Jiraiya of the Sannin is fighting in the Tenka'ichi Budōkai."
Krillin bowed politely. "We are all confident in our skills. Regardless of whether or not we win, we'll fight our hardest."
Naruto slapped Krillin on the back. "Krillin's right, Old Man! We won't ever give up!"
The Hokage smiled. "I am glad to hear that Naruto. I'm sure you three are tired and hungry. Good night." He turned to leave but stopped. "Naruto, I look forward to speaking with you after the tournament."
Naruto nodded and ran off after his best friends. The Hokage sighed. It was sad that Naruto found the acceptance he deserved so far away from Konoha.
…
'Jackie Chun' sat away from the crowd and giggled at the 'Make Out Paradise' book. He coasted through the opening rounds. The disguised Master Roshi was bored from his own fights, but thrilled at how well his three students had done.
Suddenly, he felt a presence approaching. "You can stop testing me now."
"The good news is you pass." A large man wearing a red vest over ninja robes and a mesh undershirt emerged from the shadows.
Master Roshi put up the book. "I was just getting to the best part."
"Yeah, page seventy-six. I would know; I wrote it."
Roshi's eyes lit up. "You might become one of my favorite people." The light disappeared and his features hardened. "If you tell me what you want."
"I want to get a measure of the man training my Godson."
The Turtle Hermit chuckled. "Naruto, I assume. He's a handful. You know who I am. Who are you?"
"That he is. The name is Jiraiya, by the way." Jiraiya appeared to be standing casually, but Roshi easily recognized that the man could go on the offensive or defensive with almost no effort.
"It seems we have many questions of each other. I have one that you will answer. What is sealed within Naruto?"
Jiraiya's face hardened just like Roshi's. "You noticed, eh?"
"I did. Now tell me." Jiraiya smiled back.
"Brave man." He thought for a moment. "Naruto is the container for a Demon. It is the only way to prevent its return. It won't get out."
Roshi nodded. "I saw the seal and it is beyond anything I've ever seen. I trust whoever made it. Why Naruto?"
"His father couldn't ask another family to make a sacrifice of that magnitude if he wasn't willing to himself. His father sacrificed himself to seal the demon away."
The Turtle Hermit sighed and stared into the distance. "My master sacrificed himself in a similar situation."
"I'd like to thank you for keeping an eye on the gaki." The Toad Sage said earnestly.
"Autograph?"
Jiraiya laughed. "That I can do."
…
Doctor Gero followed his new 'master' through the expansive laboratory complex. The jaded scientist found himself admiring the quality of the equipment.
"Tell me, Gero. What is the primary objective of your former employers?"
The cyberneticist appraised a sheet of data. "They seek to dominate the world through the use of a collection of mystical artifacts known as the Dragonballs."
Orochimaru turned around. "What makes the Red Ribbon Army believe these artifacts can help them in their ambitions?"
"The Dragonballs have the power to grant the one who recovers all seven a single wish."
"What?" Orochimaru's eyes danced with evil anticipation.
"It is as I said, Orochimaru-sama. The Eternal Dragon will grant your heart's desire if you recover all seven."
Orochimaru erupted in rapturous laughter. "True immortality! An eternal body!"
"Indeed, that is correct. As a token of our new alliance, I can tell you the location of three of the Dragonballs."
The Snake Sannin trembled with anticipation. "Tell me! I will grant you anything you want!"
"I would like to study the nature of Chakra. My latest project is bio-mechanical units. If they could make use of ninjutsu, they would be formidable."
Orochimaru saw visions of armies of unfeeling and completely loyal warriors enforcing his eternal will on the world. "You will have access to any information you require! Doctor Gero, you will build me an army!"
…
The students of the Turtle Hermit sat in their hotel room and discovered that sleep was impossible. All of them were still full of adrenaline and anticipation for the finals.
"You know, I'm kinda disappointed in the competition so far." Krillin said as he juggled some empty water bottles.
Naruto was doing back flips on the unoccupied bed. "I guess, but hey, we're that awesome. Did you really expect anyone to be able to hang with us until the finals?"
"Yeah! I mean, I didn't see many people I'd say were really strong." Goku added as he flipped happily through the menu. The boys had discovered that the hotel was letting the tournament's finalist order whatever they wanted free of charge. Krillin had already written down his order. He was still a bit shocked that Naruto's order was 'two of every type of Ramen they have'. "Hey Krillin, I know what I want!"
"Alright, let me have it." Krillin grabbed a full sized piece of paper. Goku listed off practically everything on the menu. The socially capable member of the group called in the order.
Naruto ceased his childish antics. "I have to admit, something is bothering me about the finals."
"What are you talking about Naruto?" Goku asked as he rifled through a bag for something to snack on.
"They haven't announced the matches yet. We're going into this blind." Krillin found himself echoing Naruto's concerned expression.
"Yeah, I don't like that either." Krillin suddenly snapped his fingers. "The news!"
He turned on the TV to one of the twenty-four hour news channels. A reporter announced they would be talking about the tournament at the top of the hour. The food arrived a few minutes before the report. It was delivered by a practical army of waiters and waitresses. One of them shot the boys a disbelieving look. The disbelief became horror as Goku tore into an entire roast duck. Goku finished the water fowl before the last plate of food had been set down.
"And now for a report on the Tenka'ichi Budōkai!" The TV announcer's voice caught the boy's attention and they started paying attention to report. Goku and Naruto cheered when they showed Krillin knocking Gao through a wall. There were other clips of some fights. Naruto loudly exclaimed that he 'looked awesome' when a clip of him clocking a former quarter finalist was played. Goku was so absorbed in his plate of ribs that he missed the tape of him throwing a hapless opponent form the ring with his tail.
"The fighting was intense, but more importantly it has helped foster cooperation and understanding in the wake of the Great Change. Here are the finalists for the tournament! Young Krillin will fight Bacterian. Ganji of Hoshigakure will fight Redd the Ripper. Otokaze will fight the infamous Bandit Yamcha of the Desert. Next, Jackie Chun will battle Ebisu of Konoha…"
"Eh, what's the closet perv doing here?" Naruto asked as he slurped down some ramen. He was quickly shushed by Krillin.
"Another one of the young Turtle School fighters, Uzumaki Naruto will fight the alluring Ranfan."
Goku loudly swallowed an entire plate of pasta. "The what?" Krillin simply groaned.
"Next, the 'Legendary' Jiraiya will battle Pintar, an up and coming fighter! The next match will be Hugh de Villa against Daiki of Iwa! And the final match of the opening round is Son Goku versus Giran the Dragon!"
"This is great! I'm fighting a Dragon!" Goku waved a turkey leg around like a baton.
Krillin leaned back in his chair. "You do realize that he's probably one of the strongest opponents we're going to run into right?"
"I'm sorry Krillin, but I don't think they'll let us trade matches." Goku said glumly.
The former monk face palmed, but couldn't help but smile. He wouldn't trade Goku and Naruto's friendship for all the prize money at this tournament!
This is where I leave this chapter. I will not lengthen it because I want to keep it true to the original writer. I'm glad you guys like it so much. Please continue reading. And please review as well. May God bless you. Don't know if you believe in Him or not, I'm exercising my free speech, so don't get mad at me.
One more thing. I now have a facebook page. Just look for Jewlbunny on the search, and you'll find me. I'm using my profile image from this site. Hope you all enjoy it.