The spherical spacecraft rolled back along the conveyor track, with the two aliens casually following along, keeping an eye on it. Judging by their relaxed posture, occasional jokes, and the disdainful glances they cast at some of the other pods in the room, it was clear that they neither took their job seriously nor thought much of the Saiyans.
So, when they saw a black-haired Saiyan in battle armor approaching from the front, both of them stopped in their tracks, exchanged glances, and frowned in confusion.
"Who are you? Do you have authorization to be here?"
Clearly, not everyone in the facility recognized Burely.
Taro, however, paid them no mind.
He walked toward them with a calm expression, but his gaze remained fixed on the spherical spacecraft being brought in from outside. With his current level of spiritual perception and his terrifyingly precise control over ki, he could distinguish the energy signature of the tiny infant inside the pod with absolute accuracy…
And sure enough, its power level was exactly "2", just as Jarvis had reported.
As he walked, he casually dispelled the transformation magic on himself.
With each step, his appearance shifted. The Freeza Force's battle armor morphed into his original black cloth tunic, pants, and shoes. The pod steadily approached, now only ten meters away. With another step, his body structure adjusted—his height, originally around 170 cm, grew closer to 180 cm. Beneath his loose yet well-fitted clothing, his body remained perfectly proportioned, flexible, and coordinated.
With a final step forward, his transformation completed. His jet-black hair turned silver-white, growing to a medium length and cascading freely down his back.
His face, though youthful, bore the maturity and depth of someone who had lived for over a century.
A faint breath escaped his lips.
As he passed by the two aliens—who had initially been on guard, then bewildered, and finally blankly staring—his presence alone was enough to snuff out their lives.
The subtle disturbance in the air as he moved past them sent the two into a daze. With two dull thuds, they collapsed backward, eyes wide open yet utterly lifeless.
For weaklings who weren't even true warriors, Taro didn't need to lift a finger. A single glance was enough to end them.
Stepping past their corpses…
Tap.
With a mere gesture, Taro pointed toward the spherical spacecraft. An invisible force surged forth, halting the pod in place.
The conveyor track beneath it screeched, metal grinding against metal, but it failed to move the pod even a fraction.
The spacecraft lifted off the track, hovering in midair.
Through its dark-tinted, transparent window, the vague silhouette of a plump baby with a head that somewhat resembled a crab could be seen.
A tiny child, peacefully sleeping, utterly unaware that in mere moments, his fate had already undergone multiple drastic shifts.
Taro stared through the window for several breaths, then finally, in a whisper, he said:
"Hello, Son Goku."
---
Two hundred years.
Taro had waited for this moment for over two centuries.
Perhaps this was simply the stubbornness of a transmigrant. He had already let go of many of his past fixations—such as clinging to the so-called "original storyline." But this… this one thing, this one person—this "hero," this "great martial artist," this "idol" he had admired since childhood, through his youth, and even into adulthood—this, he could not let go.
And if he couldn't let go, then he would simply pick it up again.
Taro was not someone who clung to obsession. The things he had let go of, he truly left behind. But for the things he still held on to, he wouldn't force himself to relinquish them. Instead, he would simply follow his heart.
If he was fated to be fixated on Son Goku, then so be it.
And truthfully, Son Goku was a man worthy of such devotion, wasn't he?
Looking across the entire Dragon Ball universe…
If there was one person whom Taro genuinely respected and admired from the bottom of his heart—whether in his first life as an ordinary Earthling named Wu Tian, his second life as the fallen Uchiha Taro, or his current existence as the martial sage pursuing the divine path—there was only ever one answer.
That person was none other than Son Goku!
Son Goku!
Son Goku!
What a pure being he was—utterly sincere and honest in his ways, fearless and ever-progressing in martial arts, nurturing and stepping aside for the next generation, yet always willing to sacrifice himself in times of crisis. Even in the face of catastrophe, he remained unshaken, his heart unwavering no matter how the world crumbled around him. He held onto an eternal desire—to grow stronger, to challenge worthy opponents.
When he lived deep in Mount Paozu, he was carefree, innocent, unburdened by the world.
When he first ventured out, he remained just as pure—unlike the scheming young girl Bulma, all he sought were stronger warriors to fight and thrilling adventures to experience.
As a child, he willingly bore the future of the entire Earth on his shoulders. When his master and fellow disciples fell, he carried on alone. Pushed to the brink of despair, he drank the poisoned water—perhaps the very cause of the viral heart disease that would one day claim him—just to summon enough strength to defeat the Demon King.
As a young man, for the sake of all humankind, he severed ties with his own race. Without hesitation, he sacrificed himself, perishing alongside the very enemy who should have been his own blood brother. And even in death… he smiled.
Why?
Was it merely because he had saved Earth?
Perhaps not.
Perhaps it was also because, in that final moment, he had discovered something—there were beings far, far stronger than himself, even stronger than the prince of demons.
Martial arts. Combat.
These things… were simply too exhilarating.
Isn't that right, Son Goku?
That's why, even knowing it was a near-suicidal mission, you still charged toward Namek without hesitation, didn't you?
Because that planet was where the strongest opponent in the universe awaited.
How could you not go?
"Son Goku…" Taro gazed at the infant through the pod's window, his expression shifting multiple times before he finally let out a quiet sigh.
"…Kakarot."
Then, with the spherical spacecraft hovering beside him, he started walking in the direction the two aliens had come from.
At the same time, with a mere thought, his psychic energy infiltrated the spacecraft's control system, unlocking its hatch from the inside.
Hiss!
A rush of air escaped as the pod door opened, fully revealing Kakarot's small, curled-up, naked body.
Exactly as Taro had envisioned him.
"Jarvis," Taro narrowed his eyes as he walked, speaking in a calm voice, "how do I modify the spacecraft's destination?"
As he advanced, a vast open platform came into view. Looking up, he recognized the domed ceiling—something he had seen earlier from outside.
Right now, it was sealed shut, blocking any view of the sky beyond.