Dragon Ball Human

At the edge of the eastern desert, Yamiru encountered the three members of the Crane School. From there, he was taken in the opposite direction of his intended goal—west, then north, and south—passing through roughly forty cities, towns, and villages along the way. As for how many targets Tao Pai Pai had assassinated during this journey, Yamiru had no way of knowing.

Whenever Tao Pai Pai went out "on business," Shen would remain at the inns they stopped at, ostensibly to rest but actually to keep an eye on Yamiru. After all, with the young Tien Shinhan being no match for the so-called "Turtle School disciple", Yamiru had the ability to defeat him and escape.

On the other hand, Tien Shinhan's skills had secretly amazed Yamiru.

If his memory was correct, Tien Shinhan was around the same age as Bulma—perhaps only a few months older at most. Yet, his physique was so robust that he could easily snap the neck of a peer like Bulma. Ordinary adult Earth men were no match for him. This strange boy with three eyes clearly had extraordinary talent.

Having spent time with Bulma and regularly sparring with Tien Shinhan these days, Yamiru was certain of this fact.

Of course, while his physical development couldn't compare, when it came to intellect, Bulma's knowledge at their age could easily outclass both Tien Shinhan and Yamiru combined.

Yamiru couldn't deny being envious of Tien Shinhan.

Here he was, a man in his twenties, reincarnated into an enhanced and compact body. He'd even had the rare chance to train intensively for days with a lost alien warrior. Yet, despite all that, he could barely hold his own against a three- or four-year-old Tien Shinhan. It was a humbling experience for him.

In this kind of environment, after more than a month, Yamiru followed the three Crane School members to a small port city along the southwestern coast.

Tao Pai Pai had left the group just before entering the city.

At the time, he kicked down a tree by the roadside, splitting it into a cylindrical log three or four meters long. After glancing up at a certain point in the sky and mentally calculating the distance, he muttered, "Hmm, about 32 kilometers. Brother, you go prepare the boat. I'll kill someone and be back by evening."

With that, he hefted the massive log, let out a mighty roar, and hurled it skyward. He then leapt after it, landing atop the speeding log and disappearing into the horizon within moments.

Tien Shinhan was stunned.

Yamiru couldn't help but take a second look. Beyond the sense of déjà vu from witnessing a scene straight out of an anime, he was reminded of the time when a mysterious old man had slapped him from South City, propelling him across the vast ocean to this continent… That had been over a year ago.

"You don't seem too surprised," Shen remarked with interest. Even Tien Shinhan, who had never seen such a flashy mode of travel from Tao Pai Pai, was dumbfounded. Yet Yamiru remained nonchalant.

Having long since been tempered by the antics of the Crane brothers, Yamiru responded calmly, "You guys can fly, right? And shoot white lasers from your fingers. Compared to that, tossing a tree isn't exactly shocking."

"Are you serious?" Tien Shinhan corrected Yamiru's perspective. "Tao Pai Pai's method of travel... The real challenge lies in mastering the force control!" The three-eyed boy wiped cold sweat from his forehead and muttered, "Tao Pai Pai's skills are terrifying. No wonder he seems to dislike the Bukujutsu."

To Tien Shinhan and Shen, even though it was a signature technique of their school, the Bukujutsu was merely a method for hovering in the air.

The "dance" character in its name, with its flamboyant connotation, reflected Shen's disdain for the technique.

Shen's original intention had been to develop a ki-based martial art for free flight. However, when the Bukujutsu was finalized, he realized that sustaining actual flight consumed more ki than even the Dodon Ray! Worse still, the energy drain was continuous, and the faster or more agile one's movements in the air, the greater the cost.

Thus, Shen came to view it as a flashy but impractical technique. It might serve as an unexpected move to catch opponents off guard, but little more. The name's inclusion of "dance" was a jab at its perceived frivolity.

Of course, this reflected the limits of Shen's understanding.

He couldn't foresee that in the not-so-distant future, the strength of martial artists would swell to unimaginable levels. What he considered an energy-draining novelty would eventually become a common means of travel. The first to make practical use of the Bukujutsu for true flight? None other than Son Goku, upon his return from the Lookout.

Yamiru remained lost in thought even as Shen led him and Tien Shinhan to their lodging in the coastal port city.

"I wonder what the difference is between the flying technique that Piccolo mocked Goku as being superior to the 'half-baked Bukujutsu'. What's the difference between them? And ki... What kind of power is it, really? Flying..." Yamiru mused idly as he lay on his bed in the small room.

Shen was absent, reportedly off gathering information about ships heading out to sea. This left Tien Shinhan alone to keep watch over Yamiru, a responsibility that made him visibly uneasy.

He couldn't understand why his master seemed so at ease leaving Yamiru unsupervised. Had Shen become indifferent to whether Yamiru stayed or escaped?

Balancing on one leg in the center of the room, Tien Shinhan raised the other straight upward with the sole of his foot pointed to the ceiling. He dared not exhaust himself too much, knowing full well he couldn't match Yamiru in a fight. If he drained too much of his energy on routine training, he might not even have the strength to hold Yamiru off long enough for his master to return.

Yamiru, on the other hand, hadn't exercised at all that day. He seemed utterly bored, lying motionless on the bed and staring blankly at nothing.

"Is he conserving his energy, planning to escape once I'm too tired to stop him?" Tien Shinhan speculated as he maintained his vertical split, eyes closed to hone his willpower. Occasionally, his third eye glanced at Yamiru's inert figure, but he thought to himself, "Even if escaping might be better for you, I won't let it happen."

Just then, Yamiru's golden eyes turned toward him. Tien Shinhan's third eye hurriedly averted its gaze, but his vertical split remained steady.

Through the enhanced vision of his fiery golden eyes, Yamiru observed the ki silhouette just beyond the walls. It belonged to Shen, who hadn't strayed far. Despite appearances, the old turtle hadn't truly left. In fact, Shen might have been watching them the entire time, waiting for Yamiru to make a break for it.

"How boring," Yamiru muttered, throwing his arms out and collapsing back onto the bed. "But seriously, how exactly am I supposed to escape? I can't just wait a decade for that old turtle to blast Shen into oblivion with a Kamehameha, can I? And even if I could, surviving under Shen and Tao Pai Pai's watch until then is a big question mark…"

Tien Shinhan's third eye discreetly observed Yamiru again. "Is he really not planning to escape? It seems like he's already resigned himself to Master and Uncle's control…"

As dusk fell and both Yamiru and Tien Shinhan's stomachs growled with hunger, Shen returned, pushing the door open.

The setting sun glinted off his sunglasses, reflecting the meditative Tien Shinhan and the listless golden-eyed boy. Stroking his handlebar mustache, Shen smirked. "Head to the port. It's time to board the ship. Tao Pai Pai should be back soon."

"Yes, Master," Tien Shinhan responded.

Yamiru said nothing. He wondered briefly if Shen was planning to head to Papaya Island's Martial Temple to investigate Yamiru's tournament records from over a year ago, or if this was just another trip south for Tao Pai Pai to handle an assassination. Before he could figure it out, the three of them had already arrived at the port. On the deck of a small passenger ship, tourists were boarding one after another.

"Boom!"

A gray streak of lightning cut through the distant sky, striking the waters near the shore. Moments later, Tao Pai Pai burst through the surface and leapt onto the dock where Shen and the others waited. Squeezing water from his clothes with an annoyed expression, he grumbled, "Ridiculous! The distance was off by that much, hmph!"

Tourists nearby, having witnessed the scene, simultaneously froze with expressions of disbelief.

But Tao Pai Pai paid no attention to their reactions. He calmly followed Shen and the others onto the ship, the rest of the passengers quickly stepping aside to give them space.

---

Night fell as the ship cut through the waves. The sea stretched like a vast, rippling black swamp.

On the deck, many people were enjoying the breeze and chatting.

"Hey, did it just get colder? Is the wind picking up?" A tourist shivered, pulling their coat tighter before retreating to the brightly lit cabin with their companions.

Inside, a small party had been organized. The wind howled outside, but the interior remained warm and lively.

None of this interested Yamiru, nor could he have participated even if he wanted to. Sharing a dimly lit room with Shen, Yamiru lay in his bed, unsure whether the old man across from him was asleep or just pretending. With no movement from Shen and unable to risk using his enhanced vision to check, Yamiru found himself growing increasingly bored.

---

"Splash… splash…"

The waves rose and fell, lapping against the sand where Yamiru lay unconscious. The chill startled him awake, and he struggled to open his eyes. Disoriented, he thought hazily, "What's going on? This feels… familiar. Could it be—did that mysterious old man just throw me across the sea again?"