Raditz's injuries were severe; the vacuum environment had dealt a devastating blow to his internal organs. Son Goku proposed giving him a Senzu Bean, but this was met with unanimous opposition from his companions. This guy looked incredibly fierce—what if they couldn't beat him after he recovered? Were they supposed to go find another alien deity who looked beautiful but was actually terrifyingly powerful?
The group stared at the tail wrapped around Raditz's waist. It was such a glaring object that pretending not to see it would be too fake.
Without a word, they cut the tail off first.
Raditz's plan to endure until nightfall, transform into a Great Ape, and turn the tables was shattered. With his last hope extinguished and no room left to resist, he answered whatever they asked.
He recounted everything about the Saiyans, the warrior race of the universe, about Kakarot, and about Planet Vegeta. Only at the end did he mention that he was Son Goku's biological brother.
"Our father was named Bardock, a lower-class warrior. Our mother was Gine, an ordinary Saiyan woman with no combat ability..."
Toward the end, Raditz let out a couple of cold laughs. "My companions have already heard my encounter on Earth through the scouter. Believe me, Prince Vegeta will definitely come to Earth to wash away the Saiyans' shame. Tell that woman to wash her neck and wait for death! She is absolutely no match for Prince Vegeta!"
Son Goku clenched his fist, his face filled with fighting spirit.
Krillin asked, "When will your companions arrive on Earth?"
"One year, at most."
Son Goku hated Raditz. Every word and deed of the man was so jarring in his eyes. At one point, he even felt a murderous impulse, wanting to rely on slaughter to shake off his terrible origins.
However, in the final moment, he chose to face himself squarely. His origins couldn't affect anything; which race he belonged to wasn't important. He was born on Earth, and he would die on Earth. In this life, he would forever be the Earthling warrior, Son Goku.
How to deal with Raditz became a major headache.
Ino and Kami pushed the responsibility back and forth.
"He's your prisoner, shouldn't you deal with him?"
"No, no. Using force rashly in your esteemed land was already very rude. There is a kind old man in our village named Shimura Danzo who always taught me that one must be civilized and reasonable in conduct, and never rely on brute force."
"...This Shimura Danzo must be a very wise old man."
"Yes, yes, I think so too."
If Son Goku killed him himself, that would be fine, but if an outsider killed his blood brother, that thorn would remain buried in his heart forever.
Kami and Ino were both passing the buck; neither wanted to take this hot potato.
In the end, both sides acted together. Kami sealed Raditz's spirit, keeping him in a drowsy state every day, while Ino sealed the energy pathways in his body. The methods were a bit unorthodox, but sealing eighty or ninety percent of his full strength was no problem.
As long as they stalled for this one year, by this time next year, let alone Son Goku, even Yamcha, after arduous training, would be able to go a few dozen rounds with Raditz in his prime.
Raditz became a minor interlude. The Z Fighters split up to search for the Dragon Balls. Son Goku thought Ino was an exceptional warrior, so he invited her to his home as a guest.
"Sure, I'll impose on you then."
...
Mount Paozu.
"Hahahaha—back then I held up a big broadsword and threatened those rich merchants to hand over all their money!"
Ino had little interest in Son Goku's wife, Chichi, or his four-year-old son, Son Gohan. She had planned to eat something and then rest, but unexpectedly, she saw Chichi's father, Son Goku's father-in-law, the Ox-King!
The two hit it off unexpectedly well!
The Ox-King, who had long since turned over a new leaf, spoke of his past robbing houses and plundering. Ino also spoke of the glorious scenes when the Yamanaka clan ancestors were bandits. Everyone felt they benefited greatly from the exchange.
"I opened this mountain, I planted this tree..." Blocking the road ahead with rocks and tree trunks, then a large group of bandits swarming up from behind! This tactic never failed.
Ino was also an expert at robbing rich merchants and monks. She was embarrassed to talk about it in the shinobi world, but who knew her here? Speaking of the past, she was beaming with delight, holding the rear leg bone of some unknown beast in her hand, gesturing as she spoke.
The Ox-King was four meters tall, with a full beard. His laughter was as loud as a bell, and he didn't look like a good person at all!
At this moment, he was also recounting his experiences of occupying Fire Mountain and ruling as a king.
The two ate and drank, the atmosphere extremely lively.
Chichi hurriedly locked her four-year-old son in the room, worried that their sinful words would affect the child's growth.
She angrily pulled Son Goku to the corner. "How could you invite this kind of bad egg into our home?"
Son Goku was still stuffing his face with meat, a bit nonchalant. He muttered in a low voice, "Bad egg? One of the bad eggs chatting so enthusiastically seems to be your dad..."
Seeming to see through his thoughts, Chichi grabbed a spatula. "That's not okay either! Nothing can affect Gohan's growth! Gohan needs to study and become a scholar useful to society!"
"Ino seems to be a guest of Uncle Kami?"
"I don't care what Kami! No means no!"
Ino heard the couple's argument. She only took ill-gotten gains and wouldn't deliberately take advantage of people. Son Goku's family lived in the mountains; how much money could they have? Treating her to a meal was really costing them a fortune.
She thought for a moment and said, "Chichi, your cooking skills are really good. Are you a chef?"
Chichi was somewhat dissatisfied, but she maintained basic politeness and didn't show attitude in front of a guest.
"I just cook often, it's nothing special."
Ino praised her profusely. "It's really good, better than my wife's cooking."
There was a lot of information in those words. Chichi subconsciously glanced at her husband. Son Goku remained oblivious, so she couldn't help but mutter to herself: What is the situation with this beautiful-looking alien? Are there no men where she comes from?
After diverting her thoughts slightly, Ino got to the main point. "The food and meat here are rich in energy. Can I take some back to eat? Hmm... I'll pay for it?"
Chichi looked at her with a face full of suspicion. Do you, an alien, have our Earth currency?
Ino indeed didn't have money from this side, but she had a large amount of gold, silver, and treasures.
The wealth of some daimyo, wealthy merchants, and temples had basically been robbed by "Obito," and even the Gold Exchange Stations had been looted twice. A large amount of gold and silver was hoarded in her hands. These things were hard to liquidate quickly, so using them to pay the bill now was perfect. Could the Daimyo of the Land of Fire chase her all the way to Earth?
"I don't know if you use gold as an equivalent here..." She took out a glittering golden Buddha statue.
Chichi snatched it over, examining it closely under the sunlight.
As the daughter of the Ox-King, she had also been a bandit back in the day... Her eye for value was very sharp.
Ino had used language comprehension on the Son family, so Chichi could read the golden characters on the Buddha statue.
Chichi asked, "What does 'Kakuzu Collection' mean? Is it a person's name?"
Ino waved her hand casually. "Ah? Ah, yes, yes, this Buddha statue is named Kakuzu."
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