Dragon Ball Roshi

Fanfan cried out in sorrow and rushed toward Taro when she saw the old father, now deceased, in his arms. Her eyes were red, and her tears fell like broken beads. She trembled as she reached out to touch the old face of Mutaito, her mouth opening but unable to produce a sound, as if she had gone mute. She was truly overwhelmed with grief.

"Fanfan... The master is gone." Taro said in a low, calm voice, standing still as he held Mutaito's lifeless body.

The one who merged with the original Mu Taro naturally inherited his feelings for Mutaito and Fanfan. Even in the previous ninja world, he wasn't a cold-blooded person with a heart of stone; otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up being killed by his own brother, dying alongside him.

Fanfan finally looked at Taro, her delicate face soaked with tears and her eyes red.

"Did the sealing... succeed? What happened to the demon king?" Tsuru, arriving a bit later than Kogane, approached and, seeing the unconscious Mutaito in Mu Taro's arms, immediately asked about the situation.

The battlefield had changed rapidly just moments ago. He and Fanfan had been far away and hadn't seen clearly what had happened.

"Yes, he's gone." Taro confirmed, nodding. He turned to look at the rice cooker on the ground and added. "Master sealed the demon king in that rice cooker with his secret technique. He can no longer come out to harm the world."

"Sealed in here? That's great, great..." Tsuru stared intently at the small rice cooker on the ground, murmuring to himself. It was good that the Great Demon King was gone, but at the cost of his master's life. Tsuru felt an emptiness in his heart, losing the sense of purpose he had gained from learning of Piccolo's defeat.

Although Tsuru was cruel and tyrannical, like Taro, he regarded his master Mutaito as a revered figure and held him in the highest esteem.

"Tsuru, the master used his own life to seal the demon king, so it's our responsibility to find a place to properly secure it." Taro explained his thoughts.

Tsuru, who seemed to still be in a daze, was startled for a moment when he heard Taro's words and immediately responded:

"Yes, you're right. - After a pause, he continued." Wouldn't it be easier to just sink it to the bottom of the sea? Who could possibly fish it up from there?

"Sink it into the sea? - Fanfan was startled." The sea is so deep, what if something unexpected happens...

Taro was surprised inside: "It seems that in the original story, Master Roshi and the others just sank the rice cooker to the bottom of the sea." He shook his head, agreeing with Fanfan's concern.

"No, that won't work. The pressure at the bottom of the sea is too great. If the rice cooker gets damaged, the demon king would break free and cause chaos again." Taro explained.

He thought to himself: "The rice cooker is probably infused with Mutaito's power, so it might not be affected by the pressure at the sea's depths. But if that were the case, it would be a plot hole. Since we're in such a real world now, discussing plot holes seems ridiculous—no, we can't take the risk. We need to find a safer method."

"So, where do you think we should hide it? Why not just leave it on our mountain?" Tsuru asked, somewhat annoyed. He had a bad temper and had always disliked Taro ever since they were young.

Fanfan, her eyes swollen from crying, was at a loss, a Daughter who had just lost her father, with no idea what to do next.

"I have some ideas, but before that, we need to bring Master's body back to the mountain and plan further." Taro said, recalling the time when he had been a lost child, taken in by Master Mutaito. He had an idea in mind.

Tsuru glanced at him skeptically.

"Trust me, I am your senior after all! Go, grab the rice cooker. Let's head to the front and find a grove, a suitable large tree, and make a coffin for Master. It's quite a distance from Mount Mutaito, so we must bury Master's body quickly."

Taro shook his head and sighed softly.

Tsuru, hearing Taro speak with such authority as a senior brother, snorted. However, since Taro's reasoning was reasonable, and with Master's body still warm, he didn't want to argue and decided to go ahead. He walked over and carefully picked up the rice cooker from the ground.

The moment he held it, he realized that despite its small appearance, the rice cooker was unusually heavy.

Realizing that it contained the terrifying demon king Piccolo, sealed with Master's unparalleled strength, Tsuru thought it made sense and wasn't surprised. Holding the rice cooker in his arms, he looked around at the desolate wasteland. There was no sign of life, just an empty, bleak landscape. Unable to help himself, he sighed deeply.

"Master gave his life to save the world, but in the end... only the three of us know of his deeds."

Fanfan, upon hearing this, became even more sorrowful, wiping away her tears without speaking as she looked at the old father in Taro's arms.

"Master was a legendary figure. He didn't need any fame. Besides, with the demon king gone, anyone with some ability would guess it was Master's doing. As for those who don't know... let them remain ignorant." Taro said, shaking his head. He cradled Master Mutaito's body in his arms and strode forward.

Tsuru patted Fanfan's shoulder, then followed Taro, still holding the heavy rice cooker.

---

In the Celestial Palace, two figures stood at the edge, gazing down at the human world.

The young, tall celestial in a white robe withdrew his gaze and murmured to himself.

"Is it really possible to foresee the future? Or here is just a mere mortal?" He frowned, troubled by something that didn't fit within his understanding. It was an unsettling feeling.

Standing quietly beside him was the dark figure of Popo, who spoke in a calm tone.

"Mr. Popo believes that the world is vast and full of mysteries. Throughout Earth's long history, countless extraordinary individuals and events have appeared. Even now, some ancient legacies still exist… For instance, in that desert tribe down there, hasn't someone inherited the title of Witch? God shouldn't worry too much. And besides, there is a time-travel device in the temple."

"That machine doesn't travel through 'time', it just..."

The god shook his head. There were some things he only learned after becoming a god. After pondering for a moment, he recalled the times when Master Mutaito had fought Piccolo twice. He had secretly intervened, influencing Mutaito to develop Mafuba. Although this had been because his own life was tied to Piccolo's, and he could not allow Piccolo to be killed so easily, his intervention was ultimately out of necessity…

Still, he felt guilty, unable to ease his conscience.

"Sigh." The god shook his head and sighed softly, deciding not to disturb Mutaito's disciple.

Whether he could foresee the future or whether his eyes had mutated… He would observe the man's words and actions before deciding. If he turned out to be a villain, the god of earth would not hesitate to erase him from the world. If not, then he would leave him be.

Besides, if the man could truly foresee the future, it might not be a bad thing for Earth after all.

"Let's go."

The god leaned on his staff and turned, leaving the circular edge of the temple. Mr. Popo followed him, and the two of them—one tall, one short—disappeared into the shadows, entering deeper into the palace.

---

The three of them stopped in a grove. Tsuru found a large tree, thick enough to be incapable tobe embraced by a single person. Gathering all his strength, he struck the tree with a powerful palm, and with a loud crack, it broke in half and fell to the ground. Then, Taro used his palm to form a blade, his whole body's energy gathering in one place. Swish, swish, swish—his hand-blade cut through the tree with the precision of a sword or axe, quickly splitting the trunk into six uneven wooden planks.

Taro and Tsuru were the only two disciples of Master Mutaito on the mountain who had received his true teachings. They had been practicing martial arts for over twenty years. Although they had not yet awakened their Ki, their physical skills were already exceptionally solid. Cutting trees into timber was a common task for them. Master Mutaito had once commented that with their solid foundation, once they learned Ki, they would progress rapidly, advancing by leaps and bounds.

Thus, before his final battle with Piccolo, Master Mutaito had passed down two unique techniques to these two disciples who had no Ki abilities: the Bankoku-Bukkiru-Shou and the Kikoho. With these techniques, Taro and Tsuru would certainly be able to master Ki more quickly.

Together, Taro, Tsuru and Fanfan used the split planks to craft a wooden coffin, respectfully placing Master Mutaito's body inside.

After traveling through the night for two days and nights, the three of them, carrying the coffin, finally returned to the gate of Mount Mutaito.