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recentanimenews · 5 years

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Naruto Turns 20: How Its Worldbuilding Remains Unmatched

There's something effortless about Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto's worldbuilding. In fiction, you usually spend a bit of time in the beginning waiting for the pieces to come together, waiting for the hook, waiting for the "Oh, THAT'S what this thing is gonna be." And that's not some cutting critique, it's just how most narrative art works in general. But Naruto makes this process invisibly, almost deceitfully smooth. Twenty years after its debut in Weekly Shonen Jump, I'm still amazed by just how easy it is to get into Naruto.

Naruto was first published on September 21, 1999. Its author and artist, Kishimoto, had been trying to get several different stories started throughout the late 90s, but hadn't had much luck. This instilled within him a "fierce desire," an attribute that he'd openly lend to the character of Naruto himself. It would also be the attribute that would set Naruto apart from his action manga peers. Goku wants to be the strongest, but he's always been a kind of prodigal child. Luffy wants to be King of the Pirates, but he balances his insane amount of grit with a sense of aloof naivete. Naruto, though? Naruto reaaaaallly wants to be accepted and he reaaaalllllly wants to be Hokage.

There's something immediately identifiable about that, and it actually aids in the aforementioned worldbuilding. Because if you see yourself in the lead character, you don't have to make a major leap to accept the story that revolves around them. It becomes your journey, too. When the anime first premiered in America in 2005, I was in high school. And my classmates and friends that got into it were able to intensely relate to Naruto, as it was the perfect time for them to. In middle and high school, all you want is to have a place and "have it together" and be acknowledged for the strengths that you know you have. Strengths that many can't seem to see.

Kishimoto lets this tie into Naruto's backstory to create a main character that is both sympathetic and aspirational. With his parents long gone, Naruto is sort of forced to develop his personality from scratch. It's why he's so rough around the edges in the beginning, and probably plays into why he's had trouble adjusting to the duel role of father and Hokage in Boruto. Poor, orphaned Naruto has had to develop his own lessons to follow. Thus, the very general "I'm gonna be Hokage!" becomes a personal mission statement. It's purely him.

It doesn't hurt that the universe that Kishimoto built for Naruto seems so gently constructed, the Leaf Village coming off like a place that you were always destined to find. It's like The Shire in Middle Earth, as there's something uniquely comfortable about it when you first dive into the story. It's obviously a fantastical place full of fantastical people, but it's still familiar. You can see yourself walking its streets and hanging out with its residents and eating its delicious ramen. Obviously, the myths and themes and adventures of Naruto would only open up as the series progressed, but to a fan, reading Naruto can feel somewhat like coming home.

Kishimoto's strengths don't just lie in the locations and the lead character, though. The rest of his main cast, from Sasuke to Sakura to Rock Lee to Kakashi to Gaara to Hinata to even Orochimaru, rarely feel obtuse, as they all play off of eachother so well. They feel defined from the beginning, even if they haven't revealed their full hands when it comes to their personality traits and histories. And this is especially helpful when you see them in action.

Kishimoto obviously puts a lot of thought into "match ups," with the clashes and trials usually being based around what would be most interesting to see at what time. It's why the Chunin Exams are often placed alongside such classic tournaments like the Dark Tournament from Yu Yu Hakusho when ranking the best anime tournaments. It would be super easy to just say "Naruto fights Sasuke at the end of the tournament because they're both the lead characters and it's hype or whatever." But instead, as we see, Kishimoto lets battles like Hinata vs Neji and Rock Lee vs Gaara get the spotlight. When creating a rad anime battle, it's just as important to consider its timing in a character's arc as it is to consider which characters are actually dueling.

And finally, what is Naruto's place in 2019, aside from being a great show to rewatch? Well, you can see shades of the lead character in the current batch of young anime protagonists, ranging from Deku in My Hero Academia to Asta in Black Clover. And you can see how the "rivalry" between Kishimoto and One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda still influences the latter series to this day. But in the end, Naruto remains infinitely readable and watchable after twenty years because Kishimoto crafted a world that you want to experience, with a lead character that often reflects you. And it's hard to find better praise to give a story than that.

When did you first start reading/watching Naruto? What is your favorite character or story arc? Let us know in the comments!

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Daniel Dockery is a writer and editor for Crunchyroll. You should follow him on Twitter!

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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duhragonball · 6 years

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[FIC] The Third Wheel (1/1)

Universe 6 Disclaimer: This story features characters from Dragon Ball Super, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation. This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Universe 6 Continuity Note: This story is set a couple of weeks after the events of Dragon Ball Super Epiosde #131.

[8 April, Age 780. Parnassan III, Universe 6]

"As I was saying, it's a great pity that I wasn't able to demonstrate my ability at the tournament."

"Uh-huh," said Cabba.

The two of them ate a rather simple meal in a clearing just outside a dense rainforest. Cabba was a Saiyan, a humanoid life form possessed of amazing strength. His diminutive size and lean physique might have suggested otherwise, but in truth he was one of the strongest Saiyans on his homeworld of Sadala. Sitting across from him at the aluminum folding table they had set up was Dr. Rota. He was even smaller than Cabba, with bright red skin and pointed ears. The spectacles which rested upon his long snout look like a scholar, but the pair of long, tusks jutting out of his mouth implied a more savage nature. His simple black robe only added to the enigma of his appearance.

An outside observer might have thought these two beings had little in common, but the truth was that they had shared a very unique experience recently. Weeks ago, the almighty overseer of the multiverse, the Grand Zeno, held a Tournament of Power. Eight universes were commanded to bring a team of their greatest mortal warriors to the competition. Cabba and Rota were teammates in this tournament, representing their native universe, the sixth of twelve.

The outcome of the tournament was somewhat unsatisfying for the team. Per the tournament rules, Grand Zeno erased all of Universe 6 when all of their fighters were eliminated from the contest. However, the winning team received a wish granted by the all-powerful Super Dragon Balls, and presumably the wish was used to restore the erased universes. Cabba, Rota, and their companions all found themselves back in their own universe, unsure of whom they had to thank.

Cabba believed that the Seventh Universe had won the tournament. The Saiyans of Universe 7 were much stronger than those of Universe 6, and one of them, Vegeta, had taught Cabba how to transform himself into a Super Saiyan. Cabba had come to admire Vegeta as a mentor-figure, and while Vegeta seemed indifferent to this hero-worship, he wasn't entirely without sentiment. During the tournament, he confided to Cabba that his goal was to win the Tournament of Power and use the wish to restore the losing universes. Cabba couldn't be certain that Vegeta had been the one to make the wish, but it certainly seemed like he had gotten his way.

Still, despite their miraculous reprieve, Universe 6 had still lost the game. The team had fought hard, but they simply lacked the power to cope with their opponents. Dr. Rota was especially frustrated, since he was eliminated from the tournament by Vegeta before he had gotten a chance to show off his true abilities. This was what had brought the doctor to Parnassan III.

"After we were brought back from erasure, your fellow Saiyans expressed a desire to continue training," Rota went on. "This got me to thinking. Perhaps the gods will hold other tournaments in the future."

"Maybe," Cabba said. His dark eyes kept darting around, as if he were waiting for something to happen. Rota paid no attention. So great was Rota's love for his own voice that he cared little if anyone else heard him.

"Naturally, you three would want to catch up to your Universe 7 counterparts," Rota said. "That odd fellow, Son Goku, and Vegeta. I have a score to settle with him. Well, I don't mean to make it sound like a grudge. More of a friendly rivalry, if you will. Perhaps not exactly friendly. I'd like to humiliate him, if at all possible."

"Yeah," Cabba said.

"So I contacted the Sadala Defense Force to look you up, and they told me you were here. I must say, this is an ideal training spot you've chosen. No sapient life forms, plenty of open space, a wide variety of environments and climates to challenge both mind and body. Nothing but myself and three Super Saiyans. A fine place to hone my skills."

"Uh-huh," Cabba said.

By now, even Rota was running out of things to say, and he had begun to notice Cabba wasn't being very responsive. This, the doctor assumed, would have been the part where the Saiyan cheerfully invited him to spar for a while. At the very least, Rota expected Cabba to ask about his power, since no one had gotten to witness it at the tournament. Confused, Rota said nothing for a moment, and waited for Cabba to take some sort of initiative.

The silence was broken only by the sharp cry of a bird flying overhead.

"I'm, uh, a bit surprised to find you here with your starship," Rota said, pointing back at the pair of spacecraft parked twenty meters away. "I had located your ship from orbit, and touched down next to it, but I thought I would have to search high and low for you, Cabba. One would think you'd be anxious to take advantage of the training opportunity. To say nothing off the company of the females--"

"You saw them?!" Cabba said with a gasp. Suddenly, Rota now had his undivided attention.

"No, not since the tournament," Rota said. "I thought they'd be here with you. Are you all right, Cabba?"

He leaned back in his seat and groaned. "Doctor, I haven't been all right since the tournament was announced."

*******

[5 April, Age 780. Parnassan III, Universe 6]

The trip to the Parnassan system had been uneventful enough. As eager as Caulifla had been to train, the tournament had left her as exhausted as everyone else who had participated, and so they used the spaceflight to rest. Once they disembarked, however...

"High time we got started!" Caulifla said as she punched her left hand with her right fist.

She was a wild woman, even by Saiyan standards. Caulifla’s thick, black hair floated up from her scalp like dark flames. She was constantly moving, even if it was just to rock back and forth on her heels. She dressed very simply, eschewing the typical Saiyan fashions for a pink bandeau and purple sharovary pants.

"We should unpack our supplies first," Cabba said. "The sun will be setting soon, and--"

"What difference does that make?!" Caulifla snapped. "You and your precious Sadala Defense Force and their standard procedure. They don't apply out here!"

Cabba struggled not to roll his eyes. Caulifla was an outlaw on their home planet. She was also the strongest Saiyan in Universe 6 before Cabba learned the Super Saiyan form. When the Tournament of Power was announced, Cabba was only given forty hours to assemble a team. Caulifla probably wouldn't have been his first choice. Though her heart was in the right place--her gang only stole from the rich to feed the poor--she was still stubborn and obnoxious. It had been a pleasure to show off his Super Saiyan power to her, if only to humble her for a moment. Of course, once he taught her to transform herself, whatever strength advantage he held quickly evaporated.

"The regulations may not be enforced here," Cabba tried to explain, "but it's still a good idea. There's no point fumbling around in the dark when we--"

"Idiot!" Caulifla shouted. "We've got the whole planet to ourselves! And we're Super Saiyans now. When it gets dark, we can just fly to the other side of the planet, or-- fwoosh!-- turn our hair all glowy and become our own night lights!"

"I just don't see why we should waste our time with that," Cabba said nervously, "when we could simply--"

"Sis?"

Caulifla turned to find Kale stepping off the ramp. They weren't actually siblings, but the members of Caulifla's gang would use the terms "brother" or "sister" refer to those of higher rank. Aside from a sullen expression on Kale’s face, there wasn't much about to mark her as an outlaw. She was meek and timid, and deferred to Caulifla in almost every situation. In spite of this, Caulifla had taken Kale on as a student. Cabba hadn't understood why until the day he taught Caulifla how to become a Super Saiyan. While the two of them sparred, Kale became intensely jealous of their newfound friendship, and suddenly transformed all by herself. It was likely that Kale's Super Saiyan form was even stronger than Cabba's or Caulifla's, but she only learned to control it during the heat of the tournament, so there had never been an opportunity to test her power.

"What is it, Kale?" Caulifla asked. In an instant, all the harsh defiance in her voice melted away.

"Um, I think we should get things ready here first," Kale said. "I mean, we're a long way from home, and... and if anything happens to the ship, we'll be stranded..."

"Oh?" Caulifla said. "Well, if it it'll make you feel better, then fine. Come on, I'll give you a hand. Hurry up, Cabba. Don’t expect us to do all the work!"

With that, the two women went back into the ship, leaving Cabba to shake his head and wonder what he had gotten himself into.

*******

[8 April, Age 780. Parnassan III, Universe 6]

"I thought you three got along better than that," Rota asked.

"It's... complicated," Cabba said. "The Sadala Defense Force serves the Saiyan Crown. Caulifla's gang acts in open defiance of the king. Technically, we're enemies."

"I see," Rota said. "If not for the Tournament of Power, you would have been tasked with arresting them."

"Probably," Cabba said. Caulifla had always been too strong for the SDF to handle, so we've always given her a wide berth. She's not really hurting anyone, after all. A lot of my comrades sympathize with her cause. I know I do."

"But then you learned how to transform into a Super Saiyan," Rota said. "You would have been forced to choose between her or your sovereign. The stuff of romance novels."

"It's not like that!" Cabba insisted. He leaped out of his chair and pounded his fist on the table, and though he only used a mere fraction of his immense strength, it was still enough to warp the aluminum tabletop into something resembling an abstract sculpture.

"Easy, young man, easy," Rota said. "We're all friends here."

"Yes, we're all friends," Cabba said. "Just friends, all right?"

"Of course," Rota said. "I didn't meant to upset you."

Cabba sat down and put his hands over his face, then dragged his palms up into his short, spiky hair. "Sorry, doctor," he said after a long sigh. "It's just that I've been on edge about that lately."

"I don't understand," Rota said.

"When I showed Caulifla how to become a Super Saiyan, I was only trying to do the right thing for Universe 6, for Sadala. But once Caulifla transformed, I was surprised by how happy it made me. I didn't realize how alone I felt as the only Saiyan in our universe with that kind of power. I think she felt the same way, and that made Kale very angry."

Rota scratched the bottom of his snout and his eyes went wide. "Yes, I recall something similar playing out during the tournament when Caulifla fought Son Goku. He was showing her other applications of the Super Saiyan form, and I thought it was rather arrogant for him to give out free lessons in the middle of a battle royale, but it was working to our advantage."

"Were you just watching everyone else the whole time?" Cabba asked pointedly.

"I was scouting, young man," Rota replied. "Waiting for the right moment to strike. I didn't become Doctor Rota by acting hastily. If I had attacked Son Goku then and there, he wouldn't have taught Caulifla how to increase her power. As it was, Kale went wild, and attacked him instead."

"Exactly," Cabba said. "Kale is very jealous in that respect. And before you bring it up, I happen to know Son Goku is married. I met his wife."

"In that case the solution seems obvious," Rota said. "As long as you keep Caulifla at arm's length, Kale shouldn't mind at all."

"That's what I thought at first," Cabba said. "But it turns out Kale isn't the one I have to worry about."

*******

[6 April, Age 780. Parnassan III, Universe 6]

One of the side-effects of Kale's Super Saiyan power was that her size increased when she used it. Of the two modes she had discovered, the larger one was brutish and almost uncontrollable. The smaller one seemed more useful, but it still made Kale at least fifteen centimeters taller than her normal height, and the muscles in her limbs and torso were much larger. She almost looked like a completely different person. Even her face took on a determined, more focused expression, and the only sign of the original Kale was the lipstick she wore.

Currently, she and Cabba were thirty meters in the air, and she had him in a hammerlock. Cabba could tell she wasn't trying to apply pressure to the hold, but it still hurt, because the woman simply didn't know her own strength.

"I don't see the point of this," Kale asked. "It might be useful for arresting criminals, but what good does it do in a real fight?"

"Think about it," Cabba said. "If you managed to apply a hold like this on an opponent, you could set him up for an ally to finish him off."

"But why not just attack him myself?" Kale asked.

"Because you might not be strong enough for that," Cabba said. "Joint locks can.. ow!... neutralize an opponent's strength advantage. You and Caulifla did well against Son Goku, but it wasn't enough to just attack him together. You tried to overwhelm him, but what if one of you slipped behind him and managed to immobilize him."

"Wouldn't he just break the hold?" Kale asked.

"Maybe, but it would still be easier than trying to go toe-to-toe with him," Cabba explained. "Properly applied, a good hold can use your opponent's strength against him. But that's not the only reason to familiarize yourself with them. Could you power down, please?"

Kale released her grip and reverted to her normal, smaller self. Normally, she kept her hair in a ponytail, but the Super Saiyan transformation pulled the hair tie apart every time she used it. Now, her hair hung loose around her shoulders as she looked up expectantly at Cabba.

"You see, every hold has a counter-hold, a way to escape," Cabba explained. "I'm going to put a few holds on you and show you how to slip free, and you won't even need to transform to force your way out."

Kale seemed genuinely fascinated by this. "Okay!" she said. It was the first time Cabba had seen her smile at anyone besides Caulfila."

"Right, well, we'll start with an easy one," he said. Moving behind her, he slipped his arms under her shoulders to apply a full-nelson.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING UP THERE, CABBA!?"

Startled, he moved away from Kale and looked down to find Caulifla, dragging the remains of a dead animal behind her. In a split second she transformed into a Super Saiyan and launched herself into the air to confront him.

"Sis!" Kale said with a gasp.

"I was showing her some holds I learned in the Sadala Defe--!" Cabba tried to say.

"How dumb do you think I am, Cabba?!" Caulifla shouted. "We've been training all day, and as soon as I go off to find us some lunch, you suddenly decide to give special lessons to my protege!"

"It's not like that!" Cabba insisted. "I only suggested the holds because it was something Kale wasn't already familiar with--"

"Look, I respect you, Cabba!" Caulifla said. She jabbed her finger against the chestplate of his SDF uniform. "Half the time, I even like you. You'd make a pretty good addition to my gang. The three of us would be running Sadala inside of a week, if I had any interest in that sort of thing!"

Cabba wasn't sure how to respond to this, but fortunately for him Caulifla had no intention of letting him get a word in edgewise.

"I get it, Cabba," she continued. "Kale was attractive enough before she learned how to turn into a Super Saiyan. The guys in my gang can barely take their eyes off of her. They can't help it!"

Cabba glanced back at Kale, hoping for some sort of assistance. She was too busy blushing to come to his rescue.

"I've been training Kale for a while now, so I've dealt with this sort of thing before. It's not easy having a protege who happens to be the most desirable woman on Planet Sadala. Everyone always offering to help her up, or asking to spar with her while I'm not around. There's no shame in it, Cabba. It just means you've still got a pulse!"

"On... the entire planet?" Cabba asked.

"And now that she's a Super Saiyan, it's only going to get worse, I suppose," Caulifla said as she clicked her tongue. "The gang probably won't get anything done when we get back. They'll all be too busy watching her stretch in the morning, or sniffing at the breeze to catch a whiff of her scent."

"Caulifla, I promise you, I have no interest in Kale whatsoever!" Cabba said. He was desperate now to defuse this situation. For all he knew, Caulifla might suddenly transform into some even more dangerous Super Saiyan form than Kale's. Unfortunately, he was a bit too forceful in his denial.

"No... interest?" Caulifla said slowly. She glared at him, somehow looking even angrier than she had been before. "What are you saying? That there's something wrong with Kale?"

Cabba opened his mouth to answer, but he honestly had no idea what to say.

*******

[April 8, Age 780. Paranassan III, Universe 6.]

"Is Kale unattractive?" Dr. Rota asked. "Alien as you are to me, I really have no way of knowing myself. You Saiyans don't have much in the way of snout structure."

Cabba waved his hand nonchalantly. "She's all right, but I wouldn't go as far as Caulifla," he said. "They're both perfectly... Look, that isn't the point. At least half of the Sadala Defense Force are women. I'm a professional, and a proud Saiyan warrior, not some punk outlaw who loses control of himself whenever he sees a girl's triceps. I didn't come to this planet to try to seduce Kale into joining the SDF, or whatever else they think. I resent the implication."

"Then why did you even come to this place at all?" Rota asked. "It sounds like you won't be able to train with Caulifla without upsetting Kale, and you can't train with Kale without upsetting Caulifla."

"I didn't want to go," Cabba grumbled. "I knew it would be this way, but Caulifla insisted. She was afraid that if she and Kale left Sadala, then I might round up her gang while they were gone. And that's how the King sees it, too. He's worried about what those two might do if I were to leave Sadala to train on my own. He's pretty much ordered me to keep an eye on them. Not that I'd stand a chance against their combined power, but I'm the only Super Saiyan the king has. For now, I'm stuck with them."

"Then what are you going to do?" Rota asked. "Surely you don't mean to just sit here with your ship while they train. Unless... you don't mean to abandon them here?"

"Of course not," Cabba said. "That would be cowardly. Besides, I need to establish a rivalry with them in order to advance my own power. Like Vegeta has with Son Goku. Only it'll never work like this, not while they can't stop thinking about each other for more than five seconds."

"Then how--?"

"I'm not hiding out here for no reason, doctor," Cabba said. "I'm playing a hunch. I'm betting that without me around, they'll realize that I'm not the one who's distracted around here. Maybe then, I can clear the air with them and we can get down to training."

"I still don't follow you, young man," Dr. Rota said. "Still, if you're as bored as you look, you and I could spar while you wait for... whatever it is you're waiting for."

"I'm afraid not, doctor," Cabba said. "I don't want anything to disturb them until I'm sure. You're welcome to stick around after that, assuming Caulifla doesn't mind. For what it's worth, I think she was interested in seeing that power of yours."

His lips curled into a smile, exposing a bit more of his tusks. "A very perceptive young lady," he said. "Very well. As I said before, I'm content to bide my time and wait for the right moment, though your reasoning mystifies me, Cabba."

*******

Thousands of kilometers from Cabba, Rota, and the ships, Caulifla and Kale alighted in a savannah, having abandoned their search.

"The nerve of that guy!" Caulifla growled. "We've been looking for him for hours."

"M-maybe he went back to the ship?" Kale suggested.

"Nah!" Caulifla said. "He knows that'd be the first place we'd look. He challenged us to find him, so that must mean he's hidden himself pretty well. But enough is enough! We've got better things to do than chase him around!"

"We do?" Kale asked.

"Of course we do!" Caulifla said. "You want to get stronger, don't you? You want to become a Super Saiyan 3, don't you?"

"Oh, well I guess so..." Kale said sheepishly.

Caulifla slapped her hand onto Kale's back. "That's the spirit!" she said. "Let Cabba hide in the woods like a tool! I was hoping to spar with him, but if all he wants to do is flirt, then who needs him? I’ve got a perfect sparring partner with me right here!"

"You want to spar... with me?" Kale asked.

"You bet!" Caulifla said. "Let's get right to it! Finally, we can get some real work done!"

"Um, right!"

They moved about three meters apart from each other and raised their arms in a defensive posture.

"The nerve of that guy," Caulifla said. "Letting his hormones get the better of him like that! How'd someone like him ever become such a big shot in the Sadala Defense Force, anyway?"

Kale nodded. "He's just so unfocused!" she said.

"And yet he did so well in the Tournament of Power!" Caulifla said. "At least I think he did. We got split up a lot during that battle."

"M-maybe that's what's wrong," Kale suggested. "He does better on his own. Around girls, he can't think straight."

"Sheesh! What a lousy break! Cabba's the only other Super Saiyan in our universe! If he can't spar with us, he'll get rusty in no time!"

"I guess... I guess he'll just have to work it out on his own," Kale said.

"Yeah, either way, it's his problem, not ours. While he's taking cold showers, we'll be training as Super Saiyan 3!"

"Sis, do... do you think there's a Super Saiyan 4?" Kale asked.

Caulifla dropped her fighting stance and rubbed her fingers over her chin as she considered this possibility. At last she shrugged her shoulders. "Could be!" she said. "It's exciting to think about, huh? Well, we won't find out by talking about it, will we?"

"Right!"

She resumed her posture and they began to circle around one another.

"We never got a chance to really fight one-on-one as Super Saiyans," Caulifla said. "I bet we're pretty evenly matched now."

"You... you really think so?" Kale asked.

"Heh. You may have surpassed me, Kale. You lasted a little longer against Son Goku than I did."

"Surpassed?" Kale started to blush at the suggestion. "Oh... I can't imagine."

"I'm a little nervous, honestly," Caulifla said with a grin. "I don't want to make a mistake."

"Me too."

"Honestly, I can't really blame Cabba for getting distracted. You cut a mean figure when you're squaring off for a fight."

"Thanks!"

"He just couldn't keep a lid on his passions! If you got him in a hold, he'd probably be too thrilled to think about how to escape."

"Your eyes," Kale said.

"Huh?"

"When you're transformed. They're really pretty. I can see how it'd be hard for him not to stare."

For once, Caulifla was at a loss for words. Her eyes went wide, and then she blinked a few times before mumbling: "Uh... yeah, you too!"

They continued to circle around each other as they sought an opening. This went on for several minutes, until a gentle breeze passed over them, and Caulifla found herself downwind of her protege.

"Kale."

"Yes?"

"I can smell your lipstick from here," Caulifla said.

"Oh."

"No wonder Cabba got so worked up. We should have found a training ground with a stiffer breeze."

"I'm sorry. I should just stop putting it on for a while..."

"No! It looks good on you. And... I like the smell."

"Oh, Okay."

Caulifla laughed. "You might have confused Cabba with that sort of thing, but it'll take more than that to distract me, Kale."

Eventually, they moved around until Kale was downwind of Caulifla.

"I can smell your hair from here," Kale said. "But... it isn't bothering me at all."

"Good," Caulifla said. "Well, I guess you can come at me, Kale."

"I'm not sure I'm ready."

"Nah, I keep telling you not to overthink things! Just improvise!"

And so she did. In a split second, Kale charged at Caulifla and threw a punch with her left hand, which Caulifla caught in her right. They stood this way for a few seconds, Kale trying to push forward, and Caulfila trying to hold her back as they stared into each other's eyes. The scents they had noticed before were now all the more intense. They each held out their free hand with uncertainty, unsure what to do.

And in the next moment their standoff ended in an embrace, and they rolled to the ground as they exchanged a kiss.

They continued to improvise this way for some time.

********

"I wish you'd explain this hunch of yours," Dr. Rota said to Cabba. "I don't mind the waiting, but the mystery is very irksome."

"I'm not sure I can explain it, doctor," Cabba said. "Do you know anything about Saiyan mating practices?"

Rota shook his head. "Nothing at all, really."

Cabba shrugged. "That's okay," he said. "To be honest, we Saiyans don't really understand it either."

[THE END]

#fanfiction #caulifla #kale #caulikale #dragon ball super #dr rota #cabba #universe 6 #caulikaleweek2018 #caulikaleweek

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