'Kid Goku?' Naruto thought, his mind racing as he threw every ounce of his strength into his legs. If he was a single step slower, he knew he'd be smelling roasted fox.
"Stop!" he yelled.
Hearing the shout, the little boy with a tail paused, his fist unclenched. He turned to Naruto with a curious look. "Huh? Someone else is here? Who are you?"
The tension drained from Naruto's body in a rush. The punch hadn't landed.
But while the boy had stopped, Kurama was far from finished. The Nine-Tails was furious at being beaten so soundly by a child who had appeared out of nowhere. "I'll eat you!" he roared, swiping at the boy with two enormous claws.
"Kurama, stop!" Naruto shouted urgently, 'Is he trying to get himself killed?!'
The moment he'd laid eyes on the boy, Naruto knew exactly who he was. It was Son Goku, in his younger years. The real question was, from what timeline?
Goku just grinned. He easily dodged Kurama's attack and settled into a stance that was familiar to Naruto, the opening pose of the Turtle School.
"You two, stop fighting!" Naruto pleaded, scrambling for a way to intervene. "Don't be reckless Kurama!"
The power levels in Dragon Ball-verse were on a completely different scale. Naruto had no way to gauge how this boy's strength translated to the ninja world. What if Goku decided to use a Kamehameha? Kurama would be nothing but a soul waiting to be reborn.
Naruto felt something erupt from his back. Two flashes of black light shot out, and thick chains wrapped themselves around both Kurama and Goku, binding them securely.
'Whoa, are these the Adamantine Sealing Chains?'
Naruto stared blankly at the dark chains extending from his own body. In his desperation, he must have subconsciously tapped into his clan's unique ability. The technique was a powerful weapon, but it was even better at suppressing Tailed Beasts than the Sharingan.
'Wait,' he thought, a new wave of confusion washing over him. 'Aren't Mom's chains supposed to be golden? Why are mine black?'
Once bound, Kurama immediately settled down. He was all too familiar with this technique, Kushina used to tie him up and whip him for fun. Goku, on the other hand, struggled with all his might, but the chains held firm.
'Could this be the Goku who is training with Master Roshi?' Naruto wondered. He took a closer look and noticed the orange gi the boy was wearing. 'No, he must be at least from the World Martial Arts Tournament timeline.'
"Wait, please calm down," Naruto said, running over to Goku. A Goku from that time should have been between twelve and fifteen, and yet he was half a head shorter than Naruto was now. "I can let you go, but you have to promise not to fight the big fox anymore."
Seeing that Naruto meant no harm, Goku nodded. "As long as he doesn't attack me, I won't fight him."
Naruto turned to the Nine-Tails. "Kurama, I'll release you too, but you have to promise not to attack him either. Deal?"
Kurama huffed, turning his massive head away. "Hmph. For your sake, I'll let it go."
'Such a tsundere,' Naruto thought with a faint smile.
"Good," he said, relieved that they had agreed to a truce. He retracted the Adamantine Sealing Chains, feeling them slide back into his body.
"Wow, that was interesting!" Goku said, finally free. He looked at Naruto with wide, curious eyes. "What was that just now?"
"Adamantine Sealing Chains," Naruto said with a shrug, trying to sound casual. "Just a little trick." A full explanation would be lost on him anyway.
"My name is Son Goku."
"Uzumaki Naruto."
After the brief introductions, Naruto got straight to the point. "Um, Goku, Do you know how you got here?"
"I don't know." Goku frowned, folding his arms in thought. "Where is this place? Is it part of Korin's trial?"
"Korin?" Naruto's heart skipped a beat. 'The Mercenary Tao saga?'
Goku tried to explain. "He's a cat. A really strong one."
"I don't know him," Naruto lied. 'But I know of him.'
"Here, sit on this," he offered, materializing a cushion out of thin air and handing it to Goku. He made another for himself and sat down.
Goku's eyes lit up. "That's so cool." But instead of sitting, he walked a full circle around Naruto, studying him intently. "Are you a boy or a girl?"
Before Naruto could react, Goku reached out and patted him between the legs.
"I'm a boy!" Naruto yelped, grabbing the kid's hand.
"Oh, so you are."
Naruto just stared at him. 'I really want to punch him...' He remembered Kid Goku's old habit of checking people's gender, the same habit that somehow won him the hand of the Ox-King's daughter.
"You really can't remember anything at all?" Naruto pressed, hoping for a clearer answer.
Goku frowned, concentrating. He felt a bulge in his gi and reached inside, pulling out a simple, beige-colored cup.
"I remember now!" he exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. His gaze sharpened, and a staggering aura erupted from his body. "I drank the Ultra Divine Water that Korin gave me." His voice grew deadly serious. "I have to avenge Master Roshi and Krillin!"
Naruto could almost see the phantom of a roaring Great Ape behind him. So this was the Goku from the King Piccolo saga. No wonder his Ki felt so powerful. 'Wait, that's not right,' Naruto realized. 'Goku stopped the crotch-patting thing by the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament. And I remember only Krillin dying. Maybe he's from Alternate Universe.'
As Naruto tried to sort out the timeline, Kurama felt his eyelids twitch under the pressure of Goku's aura. 'What is with this kid?' the fox thought. 'How can he be this strong?' He gave a mental thumbs-up to Naruto for stopping the fight. It really would have cost him his life.
Naruto's attention, however, was fixed on the cup in Goku's hand. He could see a tiny drop of clear liquid glistening at the bottom. His own hand trembled slightly as he pointed. "That thing... can you give it to me?"
"This? It's just the cup for the Ultra Divine Water," Goku said with his usual generosity, handing it over without a second thought. "If you want it, you can have it."
Naruto took it, his heart pounding. He stared at the minuscule residue inside. 'Is this real? Is he real?' Holding the cup, he knew with absolute certainty that both it and Goku were as real as the Nine-Tails sealed inside him.
The Ultra Divine Water. Aside from the Supreme Kai's ritual or the Grand Elder's blessing, it was a tool for unlocking a person's hidden potential. But it came with a massive risk. According to Korin, fourteen powerful warriors had tried to drink it throughout history. Only Goku had survived. The rest had died. It was a potent poison, if it didn't kill you, it made you stronger. Even Yajirobe had been in agony from a single drop.
Still, it was an absolute treasure.
Taking out a scroll, Naruto carefully sealed the cup with drop of Ultra Divine Water away. Even if he couldn't use it now, he knew he would in the future.
===============
Dear Readers and Fans,
For those eager to dive into next chapters earlier before others, I invite you to join us on Patreon. By becoming our Patron, you not only gain access to exclusive advanced chapters but also help us continue this endeavour and expand it further.
https://www.pat reon.com/8Ashes8
(no space)
You can read upto 7 Chapters in advance.