The Lookout
Kami stood at the edge, gazing down at the human world.
"..." His face was serious, yet tinged with a hint of surprise and shock, as if he had witnessed something inconceivable.
The feeling that energy wave gave him...
It was enough to kill Piccolo! It was enough to kill him too!
Why was this happening? Kamo didn't feel that when Taro released that energy wave, his Ki had exceeded any limits. In fact, the strength of his own Ki and the strength of the energy wave he released... were vastly different!
About three times the strength.
His energy wave could actually unleash his power with three times the force? Was this still martial arts from the human world?
Kamo was astonished here, but what he didn't know was... Taro's Muken wasn't just about releasing a stronger energy wave. It was a technique, like the KaioKen, that didn't overstrain the body but could exponentially increase the user's power.
"What exactly are you capable of... Taro... or rather, what kind of future have you seen..." Kami muttered to himself, then turned and left the edge.
---
On the beach, master and disciple walked side by side toward the small cabin. Aragon asked, surprised and confused.
"Muken? Master, what is this Muken?"
"Simply put, the Muken is a technique that allows the user to unleash greater power..." Taro paused for a moment and then answered. "Well, calling it a technique isn't exactly right, maybe it should be called something like 'The Ultimate state of mind!"
Aragon: "..." This made even less sense!
Taro smiled, noticing the increasingly bewildered expression on Aragon's face, and said.
"Let me put it this way, suppose you're sparring with an ordinary person who has never practiced martial arts."
Aragon laughed:
"Master, that's not a fair match."
"Now, suppose both of your physical strengths are completely the same, then Aragon, who do you think would win?"
"Of course I'll win!" Aragon said confidently, looking at his master with some confusion. Even though his physical strength was less than an ordinary person's, he still didn't think he could lose to someone who had never practiced martial arts, right?
Taro then asked.
"Why do you think you'll win?"
"Because I've trained with you, Master!" Aragon said, but upon seeing his master's expression seemed dissatisfied, he had to think a bit more. After a moment of thought, Aragon suddenly understood.
He said thoughtfully.
"It's because I've practiced martial arts that I know how to use the least amount of force to strike... the most powerful punch! Also, I know better than an ordinary person how to maximize my physical strength and avoid unnecessary waste..."
"Taro patted Aragon's head, feeling a bit pleased. A smart disciple is always easy to teach, he said." Exactly. The Ki inside you is like your physical strength, and my Muken is like the superior technique and experience that us martial artists have compared to ordinary people. Once you understand the Muken, you'll be able to use the smallest amount of Ki to unleash the greatest power.
"I see! Master, the Muken is so amazing, can you teach me?" Aragon's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Of course I can teach you, but..." Taro said. "Whether or not you can learn it is up to you."
Taro wasn't sure if someone without the Mangekyou Sharingan could master the Muken; he didn't have much confidence in that.
"I'll definitely learn it!" Aragon said confidently. Ever since he started learning martial arts from Taro, things had been going smoothly, and he could quickly grasp anything his master taught him.
"Let's hope so."
Taro waved his hand, not expressing much optimism, nor saying he wasn't optimistic.
Soon, the two of them arrived back at the cabin where they were staying.
"We're back!" Fanfan had already prepared the meal. At that moment, a cheerful voice rang out from the sky:
"Oh, it's time to eat!" In a flash, the Flying Nimbus descended from the sky and landed beside Taro and the others.
The little girl, Yumeko, was spinning her eyes around and muttering.
"If the Flying Nimbus shakes me again, I won't take you out to play next time..."
"Clearly, it's the Flying Nimbus that took you out to play!" Aragon found it amusing as he watched. Yumeko was clearly a little dizzy from flying in the sky on the Nimbus and was holding onto the cloud, swaying around.
He knew that the Flying Nimbus, which Master had given to Yumeko, was incredibly magical, almost like a living thing. With Master's instructions, there was no way the Nimbus would let her fall from the sky.
As he thought about it, Aragon remembered the last time he tried to ride the Nimbus and ended up falling straight off. He had been laughed at by Yumeko for a long time afterward.
"Why couldn't I sit on it?" Aragon sighed, feeling frustrated for a long time.
Seeing the little girl's cute, clumsy appearance on the Nimbus, Taro and his wife exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh.
That evening, after they had gotten their daughter to sleep, Fanfan turned to Taro and asked.
"Are we leaving soon?" Taro nodded, reached out, and embraced his wife. "Yes, there's no reason to stay any longer."
Fanfan playfully swatted him and said,
"You said that, but you had our daughter stay here by the seaside for so long! Aren't you worried she'll get bored?"
Taro apologized.
"Yes, yes, I didn't think it through." After a moment of thought, he added." Let's leave tomorrow. We'll find a bigger city and open a dojo there. We can settle down and live peacefully.
"Don't talk nonsense! Are you old?"
Fanfan swatted him again.
"I'm over forty, that's old enough." Taro replied.
Fanfan suddenly fell silent. Taro realized his careless words and felt a pang of regret. Why did he say that? Just as he was feeling uneasy, he suddenly felt a hand gently touch his face. Fanfan leaned in, gazing at him with affection, and softly said.
"You don't look over forty at all. You look like a young man in his twenties! But I'm already getting old... I will get old..."
Taro opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his lips were sealed.
He felt something soft and warm brush against his face. Taro froze, then sighed softly to himself.
————
Seven days later.
In one of the largest cities in the east, "Sayuan City," in a rather inconspicuous part of the street, a small shop had suddenly changed its sign to read Muten dojo at some unknown time.