A Saiyan's Journey

Don't underestimate the Turtle School's martial arts just because it's one of the earlier fighting styles in Dragon Ball. Its techniques are incredibly valuable.

Not only has the Turtle School's Kamehameha endured through the later parts of the story, but in Dragon Ball Super, Master Roshi's skills also shined brightly during the Tournament of Power.

Although some readers criticized the scene of Master Roshi matching Jiren, attributing it to a "power level inconsistency," Zuke certainly doesn't mind—after all, he's the one benefitting from the Turtle School's techniques!

Bang!

Several punches landed on Nail's body, leaving purple bruises on his green skin where his blood vessels had ruptured, showing Zuke's strikes were effective.

Of course, these injuries weren't a major issue for Nail.

For one, they were sparring and wouldn't go all out, so their attacks were somewhat restrained. Secondly, as a Namekian, Nail had regenerative abilities, though healing would consume some of his stamina.

"I'm honestly surprised—is the Turtle School this powerful?"

Nail, already feeling himself slipping, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, spilled from a punch Zuke had just delivered. He realized that Zuke's skills had advanced, likely thanks to his wish to Shenron.

The Turtle School techniques from Earth had allowed Zuke to integrate and refine his combat style, giving his moves a touch of mastery. Although Zuke's skills still weren't as refined as Nail's, with the Blackbird assisting, he almost had Nail entirely on the defensive.

"I'll put Blackbird away now. Let's continue."

Zuke knew that constantly relying on Blackbird would prevent him from fully developing his own strength. He withdrew Blackbird, preparing to spar with Nail purely with his own body.

In actual combat, he would never hold Blackbird back, but since they were training, he wanted to focus on the most efficient approach.

"So that invisible creature's called Blackbird? Strange name."

Nail chuckled softly. Usually expressionless with Zuke, he showed a hint of excitement. As the only warrior-type Namekian left on Namek, he had an inherent desire for battle, which Zuke was gradually awakening.

Initially, he didn't care much for Zuke, but now, he was starting to see him as a decent guy.

For men who love combat, friendship can be that simple.

"Alright, let's keep going. Show me how far this Turtle School can take you."

…

Boom!

A powerful kick hit Zuke square in the chest, causing his blood to surge. However, he didn't block it intentionally.

"What!?"

Nail, who had just smiled from landing the kick, suddenly looked alarmed.

Zuke's hands clamped tightly around the leg that had just hit him, and with a strong twist, he threw Nail off balance, slamming him to the ground.

Without hesitation, Zuke charged forward, landing a powerful knee into Nail's back.

Nail coughed up blood, gritted his teeth, and jabbed his elbow backward, forcing Zuke off him. He then rolled over, swinging his leg in a sweeping kick toward Zuke.

For ordinary fighters, it would be hard to keep up with their movements, but for warriors who could sense "ki," tracking was no issue.

Zuke spread his left hand, gathering his ki to block Nail's sweeping kick while raising his right hand.

"Rock-Paper-Scissors—!"

With his index and middle fingers extended in a V-shape, he aimed straight for Nail's eyes.

"Scissors!"

"Aaaargh—!"

The fierce battle came to an abrupt halt as Nail cried out like a cartoon character in pain, his hands instinctively covering his eyes.

"You…!"

"Sorry, sorry! It was reflex…"

Zuke realized his cheap move, awkwardly scratching his head and quickly stepping back from Nail.

He hadn't intended to use such a low blow; it had come out purely as a reflex from his Turtle School training.

This "Rock-Paper-Scissors" technique—where scissors could even target the opponent's eyes—was part of the Turtle School's moveset, originally passed down from Master Roshi to Gohan and then from Gohan to Goku.

—Of course, that Gohan was Goku's grandfather.

Though somewhat of a joke move, in critical moments, it could be surprisingly effective.

Seeing Nail rubbing his eyes intensely, Zuke scratched his head and smiled.

"Want to keep going?"

"No, that's enough. Your techniques are too bizarre; there's no telling what you'll pull out next."

Nail rubbed his eyes a while longer until the pain subsided, then looked at Zuke with a mix of resignation and exasperation.

"Besides, your skills have already improved significantly. Continuing this sparring won't do much."

Though they had only sparred briefly, the Turtle School's techniques had blended into Zuke's fighting style, greatly enhancing his skills. Even without Blackbird, he was now nearly evenly matched with Nail.

With Blackbird added in, Nail would likely be defeated soon.

Knowing this, Nail felt there was no point in continuing. His ability to help Zuke had reached its limit.

"Is that so? Alright."

Zuke nodded. His current strength was indeed on par with Nail's, even slightly above.

This put his power level above 40,000—an exact number wasn't necessary, but that estimate sufficed.

With this in mind, Zuke opened the system interface.

[Current World: Dragon Ball]

[Main Quest: Defeat Frieza at 100% Power]

[Player Zuke's Power Synchronization: 8%]

[Please continue advancing the main quest to unlock further power synchronization.]

Since making his wish on Namek, Zuke's synchronization rate had increased to 8%.

It didn't seem like much, but considering what Zuke had already gained, this 8% was astonishing.

As it stood, Zuke's power level was over 3,200 in the real world, and he also possessed a weakened version of immortality and the Turtle School's martial arts skills.

Just the thought made Zuke want to laugh out loud.

To be continued…

Hoi Ningen, FBI is after you after going through your search history. Hand over your Power Stones to me so I can bribe them for you winks.

Advance 50 chapters are up on my Patreon.

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