No one spoke for several awkward seconds after the man's grand pronouncement. He stood there with his arms raised, trying to look very majestic and powerful while Cana and Uru just stared at him. The self-proclaimed master – Sheru – began to tremble, flop sweat beading on his bald brow.

"He does look like a turtle," Uru said at last, and Cana smirked. She had to agree. With his bald, beardless head sticking out from his tropical shirt and the shell he wore, not to mention his shuffling walk, he did seem like some sort of human tortoise.

The old man smacked the butt of his staff against the sand. "Don't you girls know grandeur when you see it?" he asked. "People have come from all over the world seeking my strength and wisdom. I'm a legend!"

Cana shrugged. "I've never heard of you."

"Me neither," chirped Uru, raising a hand.

"I'm only one of the greatest martial arts instructors in the world, young ones," Sheru said, strident now. "The heir to the Turtle Style made famous by my predecessor, Master Roshi, and his greatest students, Krillin, Yamcha, and – of course – Son Goku."

The Saiyan girl perked up at that name, the Earthling designation of Kakarot. "Goku trained here?"

But Sheru huffed and turned away from her, seemingly offended by their indifference. "Isn't that what I just said?" he asked. "Maybe you understand who I am now? Perhaps you'll show me a bit of the respect I've earned, hm?" Cana rolled her eyes.

"But you just said it was your predecessor that -"

"Don't get hung up on the details!" Sheru shouted, turning and stamping his staff on the ground again.

It occurred to the Saiyan girl that the strange old man was almost certainly the owner of the Dragon Ball the radar had detected on this little island and that it would do no good to antagonize him, as fun as it might be. Besides, it he were telling the truth about being the successor to the teacher that had trained the legendary Kakarot, perhaps he was due some respect after all. So with an effort of will, Cana put her hands to her side and bowed low at the waist to the little man.

"I apologize, Master Sheru," she said. "I meant no disrespect." From the corner of her eye, she saw Uru glance at her, then duplicate her bow. Good girl, Cana thought.

"Hm, hm, hm..." the old hummed to himself. "It's good to see that you aren't completely without manners, girls. Maybe there's some hope for your generation yet."

Cana forced herself not to snarl at the condescending words. "We just haven't had the opportunity to learn from our wise elders," she said, rising from her bow.

Sheru snorted. "All right, girl, don't pour it on too thick. I accept your apology. And I hope you'll accept mine as well. When you live this far from civilization, you take your fun where you can find it." He lowered his head, and Cana could see the sparkle of the man's eyes behind the dark lenses of his shades. "But you and your Majin friend weren't quite as easy to impress as I had hoped."

"Maybe it's the outfit," Cana suggested, more at ease now that the Turtle Hermit's game had ended and they could talk like normal people. Uru giggled. A Saiyan, a Majin, and a crazed old man... "normal". Right.

The little man looked down at his tropical shirt and over his shoulder at the purple turtle shell he wore on his back. "Perhaps," he admitted. "But it's part of the Turtle Hermit lifestyle. Kind of a uniform, you might say."

"I'll take your word for it," the spiky-haired girl said dryly.

"I don't quite understand it myself," Sheru said with a smile. "Old Master Roshi was a strange fellow, but effective. Right up until the end of his very long life, he was still teaching. I was one of his last students. Following in my ancestor's footsteps."

Cana raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

The little man nodded. "That's right. Krillin trained on this very island with Son Goku – his best friend – generations back. He became one of the great heroes of this planet. Met his wife on those adventures. Founded the New Turtle School. Lived to a ripe old age." He waved a hand as if to push the past away. "But you two aren't here for a history lesson." He gestured with his staff to Cana's right. "Especially not her."

Looking to one side, Cana saw that Uru was asleep on her feet. Literally. Her head was nodding up and down in jerky motions as she dozed. The Saiyan's lips turned up at the sight of her young friend. "Well we've traveled a long way," she explained.

"Indeed you have, indeed you have," Sheru said. "Not many know that this island even exists or where it is. I'm mighty curious to know what brings two strange young women here at the same time."

This time, Cana was wise to the old man. "But you do," she said, calling him on his deception. She was rewarded with a tight smile. "You know why we're here. You may even know who I am. I'm guessing... a little bird told you. A crane maybe."

Sheru laughed loudly and Uru jumped to wakefulness at the sound. "Very good, young lady," the Turtle Hermit said. "Only the bird that told me isn't so little. He's a big, tough old thing. Makes me look like a spring chicken." He nodded his bald head. "Yes, I was told about you, Cana. About who and what you are. I was intrigued to say the least. Saiyans and Dragon Balls... there's a combination that hasn't been seen in a long time."

"So you have it then?" Cana asked, trying not to show her eagerness. "Can I have it?"

"Not so fast," the old man said, holding up a hand. That same hand reached inside his patterned shirt and pulled out the Dragon Ball, which hung from a chain around his neck.

A gasp slipped from Uru's mouth. "He has one of the shiny stones, too!" Cana said nothing, she narrowed her eyes and peered at the orb, counting the stars. One, two, three... four. The four-star ball.

"That's right," Sheru said. "I have the ball, but I'm not planning on handing it over to just anyone."

Cana couldn't even be annoyed. None of the Dragon Balls so far had been just handed to her without some kind of issue, and she hadn't expected this one to be any different. "What do you want us to do?" she asked.

"Old Tien sent you off on this little quest as training, right?" Master Sheru said.

"'Conditioning' was the word he used," Cana corrected him.

The old man smiled. "Right," he said. "Well he thinks of you as his student. It's my intention to steal you away from him." The Saiyan's jaw dropped. "I want you to let me train you. It's been a long time since I had a student, and I can't resist the chance to show you how much better the Turtle Style is over the Crane Style."

"I don't have that much time," Cana hedged. "I only have about two months left to gather the rest of the Dragon Balls."

"Give me one month," Sheru said confidently. "In one month I can get you into the best shape of your life and teach you a few new tricks, too."

Cana crossed her arms, looking up into the lightly clouded sky. She couldn't deny that part of her was tempted. The great Kakarot had been a student of the previous Turtle Hermit, and she wondered about these "tricks" the old man had mentioned. New martial arts skills? New techniques? But there was so little time. If she were to remain with the Turtle Hermit for a full month, that would leave her with only a little over four weeks to retrieve the remaining four Dragon Balls. She was left with the same dilemma she had faced when she had meant to leave Uru behind. Was finding the balls enough? Was she actually meant to obtain them?

A tug on her arm brought her out of her reverie. "Cana?" Uru asked, looking up at her. "What should we do?"

This wasn't just about the Dragon Balls, the Saiyan realized, this was about the real reason for the journey. The orange orbs were just a means to an end. This was about her conditioning. About her learning who she was and who she wanted to be.

Her red eyes fixed on the little old man, who stood there waiting patiently for her answer. There was a small smile on his face, as if he already knew what her answer would be. Maybe he did.

"Okay," Cana said. "One month. Teach me."

What the spiky-haired Saiyan had expected was something similar to the Crane School, with very structured and traditional forms of teaching and learning. Strikes, grapples, and counters, mixed with the usual array of calisthenics and strength training. Cana had watched Jesi go through such rituals day after day for nearly two full years and had a pretty good understanding of it. The Saiyan way of doing things was a bit more rough and tumble, a bit more "on-the-job" training then classroom work, but it was equally effective.

What she got instead from Master Sheru was a baffling array of odd jobs and activities. Cana's expectations were shattered right away when the old man had gone into his house to fetch a purple turtle shell similar to the one that he was wearing and insisted she put it on. It turned out to be heavy. A hundred pounds at least. This was strange, but the Saiyan at least understood the principle of it, having done a bit of gravity training when she was younger. The weighted shell was a crude alternative.

"Usually I start my students out slow," Sheru said as she strapped on the heavy carapace. "I don't give them the weight right away, but you're a bit advanced for this." He sniffed. "It'll still be easier for you than for most, but this is about getting you back in peak shape, and repetition is key." Uru couldn't help but giggle seeing her friend wearing the shell, and Cana grimaced, feeling self-conscious.

The Turtle Hermit packed his little house in a capsule and had Cana row the three of them to a nearby island, a larger one this time, and a populated one. By the time the old man had settled on a new spot to put the Kame House, it was nearing dinnertime. Both Cana and Uru's stomachs growled, but the Saiyan would not be eating yet. She waited for her new master, who was casting about for something on the ground, picking up small rocks and throwing them aside, seemingly looking for a specific stone.

At last he found one that suited him, a white stone the size of his closed fist. Producing a marker from his shorts pocket, he wrote the symbol for "Turtle" on it and showed it to the Saiyan girl. "Okay," he said. "Lesson one." He turned to the depths of the island that lay beyond his house and drew back his arm before throwing the white stone far inland. Sheru faced her again. "Find that rock and bring it back to me. Once you do, you can eat." He reached out with one hand. "If you have any food or anything that might help you, give it to me now."

Reluctantly, Cana reached into her pocket and withdrew the case of dyno-caps to give it to the old man. "You're going to feed Uru, right?" she asked.

"Of course, of course," Sheru said, nodding. "I wouldn't let the poor girl suffer for your failure."

The Saiyan bared her teeth. "Failure, huh?" she asked.

The old man was already turning away. "Oh, and no flying, of course," he said over his shoulder. "If you don't find it by midnight, you'll be getting no food tonight. Good luck."

"Bye, Cana!" Uru said, waving to her. "I'm sure you'll find that stone in no time." Cana grinned at her young friend and gave her a thumbs-up before turning and leaping away... a much lower leap than she was normally capable of thanks to the shell on her back.

She didn't hear the old man chuckling to himself as she left.

Seven hours went by.

Cana returned, hungry, sweaty, footsore, and angry after a fruitless evening of searching. The shell weighed her down, and the straps dug into her shoulders, adding to her discomfort. As frustrated as she was, she wasn't so thoughtless as to enter the house with a loud noise, though she very much wanted to slam the door and stomp through the little building.

With remarkable restraint, the Saiyan entered the house and closed the door as quiet as she could. Turning back into the house, she began to pick her way through the darkened building blindly. She only made it two steps before a small light turned on in the living room. It was a lamp on a small table next to the couch. Under the lamp, near the center of the dim circle of light it cast, was the white stone, the Turtle symbol clearly visible.

Cana's eyelid twitched, and she walked to the table and hefted the rock. Another light clicked on, but she didn't look up. She knew who was there. "You tricked me," she said, not shifting her gaze from the object she held.

"I did," Master Sheru admitted. "I actually picked up two stones. The one I threw was blank."

The spiky-haired girl looked up to see the old man seated in a comfortable looking chair, his feet up on an ottoman. He looked unconcerned in the face of her anger, still wearing his sunglasses even indoors and at night. "So I never even had a chance of finding the rock," Cana bit out. "That's hardly -"

"Hardly what?" Sheru interrupted, his voice quiet but harsh. "Hardly fair? Is that what you were expecting from my training? Is that how Saiyans do things? I find that difficult to believe."

That took the edge off of her anger, but it still simmered inside her. "I don't like no-win situations," she said after a moment.

"And what did you lose?" the Turtle Hermit asked. "Some food. Some sleep. There are worse things."

Cana chewed on her lip. The old man was right, she was acting childish, lashing out in a fit of pique. This was training, not a vacation. Even her journey thus far had been relatively easy, perhaps some harsher instruction was in order. She sighed. "You're right," she said, the admission coming hard. "Forgive me, Master Sheru."

He nodded an acknowledgment at her. "You have completed the first lesson," he said. "You've learned Turtle Hermit training isn't like other martial arts schools'. It's different, but practical. You'll find out more about that tomorrow. It's about more than the art of war, it's about the art of peace." The old man looked up at the ceiling. "Too many schools only teach the art of war as if all victories are won through strength. They're not. They're won through strategy. Strategy may be created during battle, but it's honed through peace. Do you understand?"

"I think so," Cana said. "Your training won't be focused on punching and kicking, on blocking and throwing, but on other things."

"Just so," Sheru said, nodding and rising from his chair. "There are other ways to become stronger. Your journey is one way. Turtle Hermit training will do the same thing, better and faster." He gestured to the stairs. "Your room is upstairs, at the end of the hall. Your Majin friend is already there sleeping." He made a face. "She ate enough for both of you."

Cana winced at the reminder that she hadn't had dinner. "Well I hope you have a big breakfast lined up for us," she said.

There was a snort of laughter from the old man. "I'll see what I can do," he said. "Now get some rest for tomorrow. You'll need it."

It was still dark when she awoke. Not dim like early morning, but black like night time. A rhythmic tapping brought her out of a deep slumber filled with dreams of food. It was too early for this. She felt like she had only just gotten to sleep.

"Come on, girl, up and at 'em," the old man said. Red eyes pried open to see the Turtle Hermit standing in the doorway, tapping his staff against the floor. "We've got to get an early start."

An inexpertly thrown pillow smacked against the wall near where the old man stood. "I wish you were kidding," Cana mumbled from Uru's left, on the other side of loft where she had slept. The Majin tried to pull herself to wakefulness, blinking sleep-sand from her eyes and struggling to sit up.

"Hey, Cana," the pink girl yawned, running the back of one hand across her face. "Did you find the stone?"

The Saiyan chuckled as she rolled out of bed. "Oh yeah," she said. "Turns out it was right under my nose the whole time."

Uru smiled at her companion. "I knew you'd do it," she said and yawned again.

"I'm sorry for waking you, young one," the old man said. "You can go back to bed. Cana and I are going to get some morning training in."

Another snort of laughter from Uru's left. "'Morning' he says," Cana muttered.

"Four thirty in the morning, to be precise," the Turtle Hermit clarified. "I let you sleep in a little since it's your first day." Cana groaned at this. "Here, put this on," he continued, ignoring her and tossing a bundle towards the Saiyan. "And come down quick."

The Majin swung her legs off of the small cot she had slept on. "Get one for me, too, old guy," she said. "I want to train with Cana."

"I wouldn't recommend it," the old man said. "This is the most difficult physical conditioning devised by man. Very few people can handle it."

"I've already been working with her," Uru said stubbornly. "I want to go with Cana." I won't be left behind, she thought.

Her spiky-haired friend gave her a look. "You sure about his, kiddo? I have a feeling that he's telling the truth. This isn't going to be easy, and it's not going to be fun. Still want to come?" Uru gave a vigorous nod. The Saiyan turned to the old man. "She learns quick," Cana said. "She recovers fast, too. Is there any harm in letting her try?"

The Turtle Hermit pushed out his chin. "I suppose not. I'll try and find a uniform her size." He turned and shuffled out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Uru watched Cana unroll the bundle she had been given, revealing an orange gi, the "turtle" symbol sewn into a white circle on one breast. The Saiyan clucked her tongue and shook her head. "Not really my color," she said. She held it up to her body and turned towards the Majin. "What do you think?"

"Not my color either," Uru said, making a face.