Chapter 30 – Before the Departure
Earth, Kame Island.
With a single teleportation jump, Tachibana Kyūjō emerged from the vastness of outer space and arrived directly at this place.
By the shoreline, Master Roshi was lying leisurely on a beach chair, fully immersed in reading a rather indecent magazine. However, the moment he noticed Kyūjō suddenly appearing beside him, he jolted in shock and sprang to his feet!
"Who are you!?" Master Roshi demanded warily.
He stared intently at the young man before him, because he couldn't sense even the slightest trace of Ki coming from his body.
It should be known that even ordinary people naturally emit a faint aura of Ki, no matter how weak it may be. It was impossible for it to be completely nonexistent.
The only reasonable explanation was—
This young man was a True Expert, someone who had reached a state of perfection, capable of concealing all of his Ki without letting even a single wisp leak out!
"Master Roshi, it's been a long time! It's me—Kyūjō… Tachibana Kyūjō! Don't you remember me?" Kyūjō said as he slightly lowered his head. He then picked up the yellow magazine that had fallen onto the sand and handed it back to Master Roshi.
"Uh… uh…" Tachibana's reaction made Master Roshi's old face flush red with embarrassment.
He quickly took the magazine back, then immediately put on a serious expression and said, "So it's you, Kyūjō! Of course I remember. Didn't Bulma say you had already left Earth?"
Kyūjō nodded lightly. "That's right. I just came back."
Before Master Roshi could ask anything else, Kyūjō spoke first. "Master Roshi, have you taken on any new disciples over the past two years?"
Master Roshi waved his hand dismissively as he replied,
"Tachibana, you don't need to call me Master anymore. The Breathing Technique you taught me back then was far more valuable than anything I could have ever taught you. Even though I'm much older, we're more than worthy of being considered equals—as friends. As for disciples, there have indeed been a few new ones over these past two years."
Hearing that, Kyūjō immediately understood. He was clearly referring to Son Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha.
After chatting for a little while longer, Tachibana used Instant Transmission and vanished toward the headquarters of Capsule Corporation in West City.
Unfortunately, young Bulma wasn't home. After sitting in the living room for a short while, Kyūjō took his leave and departed.
— — —
His next destination—Korin Tower.
Kyūjō took out various kinds of delicious fish from all corners of the galaxy that he had collected over the years and handed them over to Korin the Cat. However, he didn't ask for any Senzu Beans in return.
He still had plenty of Senzu Beans left from his previous exchanges with Korin.
It was better to save the remaining Senzu Beans for Son Goku and the others to use later on.
Before leaving, Kyūjō even warned Korin about someone nicknamed the "Masked Man"—someone who would casually treat Senzu Beans like snacks!
That boy ate Senzu Beans the way other people ate potato chips.
Kyūjō also left a special message with Korin, asking him to look after Son Goku, who would definitely come here one day.
Otherwise, with the sky-high prices Korin was currently charging, Goku might not even be able to trade for a single Senzu Bean!
Before leaving Korin Tower, Kyūjō also waved toward Kami and Mr. Popo, who were standing atop the Lookout above.
After that, Kyūjō immediately began tracking Son Goku's Ki on Earth.
And in the very instant he detected Goku's location, Kyūjō vanished into the sky.
— — —
Deep within a stretch of untouched wilderness, Bulma—now eighteen years old and fully grown into a young woman—was exploring together with her closest friend and personal bodyguard, Son Goku. The two of them were clearly searching for something.
Bulma hugged her backpack while counting the five Dragon Balls they had already collected. A sweet smile spread across her face as she murmured to herself,
"Five Dragon Balls already… there should definitely be one more in this forest. With Goku helping me, we'll find it within the next two days for sure. That means just one left after this… and I'll finally be able to make my wish!"
However, Goku puffed out his cheeks and spoke with a hint of frustration.
"Bulma…"
"Registration for the World Martial Arts Tournament has already started. I can only help you search for Dragon Balls for three more days. If we still don't find it by then, I'll have to leave. After the tournament's over, I'll help you search again."
"I know, I know! Goku, hurry up… it looks like the Dragon Ball is over there!" Bulma said while glancing at the Dragon Radar in her hand, then immediately sprinted forward.
But at that moment, a young man with a well-built physique, handsome features, and black hair curving upward suddenly appeared in front of them—holding a Four-Star Dragon Ball in his hand.
"Bulma, are you looking for this?" Kyūjō asked, extending the Dragon Ball toward her.
Seeing the young man before her—someone who felt both incredibly familiar and strangely distant—Bulma froze on the spot.
And in the very next second…
Her eyes reddened, tears spilling down her cheeks. She completely ignored the Dragon Ball and leapt straight into his arms.
"Hu… hu… hu…"
"Kyūjō, why did you only come back now? Do you have any idea how much I missed you?"
Kyūjō looked rather awkward. He scratched his head, gently patted the girl's shoulder, and let out a quiet sigh.
Situations like this truly left him at a loss for what to do…
Fortunately, Bulma quickly regained her composure. After crying for a short while, her flushed face turned away as she hurriedly pulled herself out of his embrace.
Seeing this, Tachibana quickly changed the subject and turned toward Goku.
"Goku, do you want to know where you come from?"
"Who are you? Where I come from?" Goku stared at the unfamiliar man with a confused expression.
"I'm Tachibana Kyūjō. Just like you, I also have a tail! We're Saiyans—a warrior race from outer space. You had a tail when you were little too… I was the one who cut it off."
As he spoke, Kyūjō manipulated his tail, bringing it forward into view.
Without giving Goku any time to ask further questions, Kyūjō immediately went on to explain everything—about the Saiyan race, and how Planet Vegeta was destroyed—telling the entire story in detail to both Goku and Bulma.
— — —
"Goku, do your best. You grew up on Earth, so I believe you've already come to see this place as your home. But the enemies Earth will face in the future… will far exceed your imagination."
"Keep getting stronger. Only with strength can you protect the things you want to protect."
After conveying everything he wanted to say, Tachibana Kyūjō personally designed a Special Breathing Method system specifically for Goku.
By using this Breathing Technique during martial arts training, Goku's ability to absorb Ki would increase dramatically.
If he continued training his body with this method over many years, his physical strength would also rise sharply.
At the very least, the Goku of this world wouldn't suffer from that mysterious heart disease like in the original history.
At Goku's own request, before parting ways, Kyūjō also had a friendly spar with him.
But calling it a fight didn't really feel right—it was more like a one-sided training session from Kyūjō to Goku.
Despite being young and still unpolished, Goku already displayed an innate battle instinct.
His ability to comprehend techniques was astonishing—especially when Kyūjō guided him in technique and Ki control.
From this perspective alone, Goku's talent could already be described as terrifying. His body might have been born with a low power level, but his spirit and clarity of mind were impossible to suppress.
After spending half a day with Goku, Kyūjō invited Bulma to continue searching for the final Dragon Ball.
They eventually found it three days later, at the spine of the Earth—the Himalayan Mountains.
In truth, those three days could have been shortened. But Kyūjō could sense that Bulma wanted to spend more time with him, so he gave in and accompanied her on a longer search.
After all, once he left Earth this time, even he didn't know when—or if—he would be able to return.
If before he had still been within Universe 7, then this time, he would be stepping into another universe entirely.
At the mountain peak, they arranged the seven Dragon Balls and called out to the sky together:
"Come forth, Shenron!"
As their voices echoed, dark clouds immediately filled the sky, lightning crashing and flashing violently…
A massive green dragon, hundreds of meters long, emerged and coiled through the heavens, looming amidst the thick clouds.
"State your wish, humans of Earth!"
"No matter what you desire, I can—"
But before Shenron could finish his opening line, his voice abruptly cut off. His sharp eyes locked onto Tachibana Kyūjō—more precisely, onto the earring on his left ear!
"L… L… L… Lord God of Destruction?!"
"Do you have any commands, Lord God of Destruction? Is there anything I may do for you, my lord?"
Kyūjō simply waved his hand and pointed toward Bulma beside him.
"Shenron, you will grant her wish."
Hearing this, Shenron immediately bowed deeply, his voice filled with utmost respect.
"Understood, Lord God of Destruction. The wish of the beautiful lady at your side… what may I do to fulfill it?"
Kyūjō turned to look at Bulma.
Facing the colossal dragon in the sky and the man standing beside her, Bulma took two deep breaths, then stepped forward and shouted loudly:
"I want Kyūjō-onii-chan to love only me! Forever!!"
Tachibana: …
Shenron: …
An oppressive silence instantly filled the air.
Even the cold wind atop the Himalayas felt sharper that day—a day Bulma would remember for the rest of her life.
After a long silence, Shenron—whose time of existence was nearly up—slowly spoke in a low voice from the sky.
"I'm very sorry… if by 'Kyūjō-onii-chan' you mean the man standing beside you… then I cannot grant that wish."
Bulma, standing at the edge of the cliff, fell silent for a moment. Then she turned toward Kyūjō, smiled, and said:
"Haha, I was just joking! Shenron… my real wish is actually this—I want to stay young and beautiful forever!"
"No matter how old I become, I want my appearance to remain exactly as it is now. Shenron, can you grant that?"
Shenron let out a slow breath and answered without hesitation:
"Of course, beautiful lady. That is very easy to accomplish."
As soon as he said that, Shenron's body burst forth with a dazzling light!
The radiance enveloped Bulma's body—and from that moment on, her appearance was permanently locked at the age of eighteen.
"Your wish has been fulfilled, beautiful lady. Lord God of Destruction… if there are no further commands, this humble dragon shall take his leave."
Kyūjō nodded slightly, his expression complicated and unreadable.
In the next instant, Shenron vanished along with the seven Dragon Balls, disappearing from that place.
— — —
Three days later, after visiting all the friends he had ever known on Earth one last time, Tachibana Kyūjō finally prepared to depart.
His destination this time was a remote planet in a distant corner of the galaxy.
There, he could sense a Saiyan aura—more precisely, the aura of the Saiyan Prince, Vegeta.
Kyūjō had never met Vegeta face to face. However, since they had lived on the same planet during childhood, he could still recognize that aura thanks to his Infinity Perception System.
At this moment, Vegeta was on that planet in a rather miserable state—assigned by Frieza to carry out a mission on this savage world together with two Saiyan followers.
Their mission was to subdue a pack of Silver Moon Direwolves.
This planet had no intelligent species, but it was filled with extremely dangerous beasts.
And the most feared among them were the giant silver-furred wolves whose strength was terrifying.
Their bodies could reach several meters in height and nearly ten meters in length.
Their fur was as hard as steel—even small energy cannons from spacecraft couldn't pierce it.
Not only that—they could unleash long-range energy waves directly from their mouths.
On average, a single Silver Moon Direwolf had a power level close to 1,000, while the Alpha—the Wolf King—possessed a power level exceeding 15,000, even higher than Vegeta's current strength.
What made things even worse was that they lived in packs, numbering nearly two hundred in total.
If this were merely about selling the planet for real estate, Vegeta wouldn't have needed to bother.
But the Silver Moon Direwolf held extremely high economic value throughout the galaxy—wealthy nobles regarded owning one as a symbol of status.
The price of a single silver wolf could surpass that of an ordinary planet.
— — —
If Vegeta couldn't transform into an Ozaru (Great Ape) to increase his power tenfold, he would truly be helpless against the pack.
Unfortunately, he was the only one who could transform without losing his sanity.
If his subordinates transformed as well, they would slaughter the entire pack, causing the mission to fail completely.
Thus, in order to complete the task Frieza had assigned him, Vegeta had to repeatedly transform into an Ozaru and slowly capture the wolves one by one.
— — —
Tachibana Kyūjō stood at a distance, silently observing them for a while.
Then he slowly shook his head.
"Fellow Saiyans… and you're living such miserable lives…"
"Should I help you?"
Kyūjō's lips curved into a faint smile, his gaze turning serious.
"So… should I just deal with Frieza now?"
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