Chapter 5: Conviction

"R&R huh? Who are they?"

After he and Krillin split up, some soldier that had a R&R logo showed up to take his four-star Dragon Ball.

Knocking him unconscious with ease of course, the man dropped a compass looking thing. The Saiyan took a moment to examine it and found that his own Dragon Ball was shown on the hunk of technology. That meant it was some kind of Dragon Ball detector, or more like a radar thingy. He had no clue that there were even more Dragon Balls other than his own, but they seemed valuable. Following the radar to the next closest Dragon Ball across a plethora of mountains, it led him to his current location...

Goku's eyes immediately locked onto a small tepee perfectly set up directly in front of the base of some tower, with two completely different people sitting close to it.

One was an incredibly tall, shirtless and muscular (Native American) appearing man and the other a much shorter, less muscular, and lighter-skinned boy who appeared to be no older than five… maybe six years old. Realizing that they had visitors, the much older and bigger man approached Goku, a spear held firmly in his hand as a form of protection.

"I am Bora, the Village Chief of the Karinga Tribe. This… is my son, Upa. We, along with the rest of our people, look over and protect these sacred lands of the legendary Korin. We have come here to investigate the matter of dozens of strange men foraging these sacred forests." Bora simply explained to the young Saiyan.

Although he didn't seem quite like the others who had arrived on these lands hours earlier… it was still his job as the Chief of his Village to look over the lands on which his people had lived and worked on for ages. He had to at the least find out what this kids business was with his land before he forced them to leave.

"What business is it that brings you to these sacred lands, young traveler?" The bulky Karingan protectively questioned the Saiyan, his arm out to stop the child to his side from going forward.

"I dunno where this place is, I just came to look for a Dragon Ball," Goku confidently answered, taking a step to meet the Native American warrior face-to-face. He was much shorter than the man, his eyes coming to meet the middle of Bora's bulky torso. "It's on a radar some guy I beat up dropped sir. I guess you've seen some of those bad guys too?"

"I have. You are actually the third human to have come and search these sacred lands in the past week. The first two groups were villainous… large groups of extremely evil men carrying small explosives and automatic firearms of some kind," Bora exclaimed, explaining the long week he had gone through to the preteen.

"Those men were searching for an artifact that I just so happened to find near an erupting volcano a few days ago, going so far as to threaten the lives of all of my people in return for this…" The Karingan chief continued, showing off the five-star Dragon Ball to Goku.

"Whoa… those men sound like they were up to no good," Goku gulped, picturing the idea of armies of gunmen surrounding him and threatening to kill all that he had grown to love. "I guess you managed to beat them all?"

"Yes, their bullets were not quite as strong as they had thought… judging by how I was left completely unaffected by them. As you can see from that large pile of corpses, there isn't enough of them left to be a threat to anyone," Bora sternly replied, shifting the traveler's attention to a pile of bloodied human skeletons, which appeared to have been completely scalped of their skin before being stacked and pierced by a giant spear.

"As the defender of this hallow ground I will do whatever is necessary to protect this place and my family," his face impassive and it would have been threatening if it weren't for the fact that Goku could sense that he was beyond Bora's power.

"Again, who are those guys..." Goku thought out loud, walking around the clearing. At least then, they would know who exactly they were dealing with in this supposed battle for the Dragon Balls.

Then something clicked which interrupted his thoughts, as the Saiyans ebony irises caught sight of some sort of object lying in the very bush he was looking at, an object appearing to be a military helmet of some sort. That insignia, the same crimson red symbol he saw earlier that shaped itself into the form of some type of bow, hoisting two completely white, capital R's on the inside of said symbol. The Red...something.

"Red Ribbon Army! I've heard of them from my master."

"I don't think they're that strong!" Goku remarked, confident in his abilities. However, he wasn't proficient at sensing ki yet, so maybe there was someone nearby plenty stronger than he was.

"They may not be all that powerful to you and I… but they have plenty of complex, destructive technology that can be used to murder hundreds in the blink of an eye, as well as a large army of tens of thousands of men at their disposal. For all we know, their technology could also have been upgraded to the point in which they could hurt either of us." Bora briefly explained his concerns, summing up the manners of why the Red Ribbon Army was such a dreaded organization in the first place. "But I won't cower in the face of the enemy, I must protect the people of this village!"

"Well yeah, I've heard rumors they had tech almost on par with Capsule Corp. Wonder why they feel the need to go after the Dragon Balls," Goku commented in thought, before turning to the Karingan chief and gesturing to the structure nearby. "Now that we've gotten that over with…what's that really tall tower behind you?"

"People come here to train under the great Master Korin," Bora started, answering Goku's question. "Legends have stated that if one ever has the strength and endurance to climb to the very top of this tower here, Korin Tower, you will meet Korin himself. It's said that Korin will give you the mystical Sacred Water, which is said to boost one's strength incredibly after just a single sip of this liquid. Many have tried to complete this impossible task and most have easily failed, giving up climbing the incredibly long path to the top. However, rumors have it that only Muten Roshi himself has ever reached the top of Korin Tower and taken a drink of its legendary drink."

"So Roshi-Sensei was the only one to do it?!" Goku spoke, his traditional grin painted upon his face after receiving a nod, "Well I'm gonna do it too."

-Three Days Following-

Three days managed to both come and go quite quickly, without much incident, ever since Goku had accidentally ventured to the Sacred Land of Korin.

Instead of attempting to climb the tower, Goku stayed down with the Village, helping them out . Each day, a small fleet of around four or five soldiers sent to retrieve the Dragon Balls by the Red Ribbon Army would arrive to the scene where their comrades had never returned from, hoping to take out all the inhabitants of the place, including the Saiyan that was Goku, the muscular Bora, and the child Upa.

However, their fate was sealed when Goku, Bora, and Upa had stepped up, easily taking all of them out. Even with the threat looming, Upa and Bora had still decided to retain their normal lives, coming to and from their tepee throughout the day to check on their fellow Karingans, who happened to be inhabitants of the nearby forest village that Bora and Upa knew as their home. The Saiyan had actually been enjoying his time in the wilderness, being reminded of his childhood days alongside Grandpa Gohan in the forest areas of Mount Paozu.

He happened to spend most of the day either training as ferociously as he could or sparring with Bora whenever he had not been eating or even giving Upa tips on combat from time to time.

After an hour-long hunting session, Goku slowly returned from the large forest, hoisting the freezing body of a lifeless deer. Following a few yards behind the Saiyan were Bora and Upa, each carrying their own quarry, Bora's being a pair of red furred foxes, their lifeless bodies dripping a bit of blood as he went on, and Upa's hunt blessing him with a small rabbit that he could officially say he took down himself. Goku had a strong love for the outdoors and didn't mind the hunting, he enjoyed it actually.

It seemed to be smooth sailing...for now.

The peaceful day that Goku was currently enjoying just had to be interrupted with the thundering sound of an incredibly large piece of a chiseled, stone pillar crashing down to the ground, the force emitting from it causing the pillar to thrust into the dirt at an unreal speed. Goku's eyes never left the scene of the crime as he stared at the man whom had been seemingly racing through the sky on the discarded pillar.

In the Saiyan's line of vision was an incredibly skinny, yet still quite tall man who appeared to be in his fifties. His physical appearance consisted of a pair of small, beady eyes, a long pointed nose, and a thin pencil mustache. He had greasy, black hair tied back in a braided ponytail and wore a pink colored chang pao, the kanji upon the front of it baring the word Kill.

And the phrase dubbed 'KILL YOU' was etched upon the back. His eyes glared daggers at the Saiyan, the look of dedication and viciousness making Goku a bit wary.

The unknown man slowly stepped off of his form of transportation, completely ignoring the Saiyan that was curiously gazing at him, electing to advance towards Bora and Upa's tepee instead. Bora, feeling a bit uneasy over the mysterious man that had approached his home, walked outside of the tepee, meeting the elder face-to-face.

"What business is it that you have here?" The village chief harshly questioned the man, his spear gripped tightly in his hands. Judging by the kanji inscribed upon his clothing, whoever this man was, he seemed to be extremely bad news and Bora was not about to allow any harm come to either his village, his guest, and especially not his own son.

He'd be damned if that happened.

"I am a hit-man," The man plainly answered, his hands patiently crossed in front of his chest.

"A hit-man you say?" Bora repeated to the hired assassin, his grip on the bladed weapon in his hand becoming that much firmer. "Well whoever you are, I suggest that you go back to wherever it is that you came from… your kind isn't welcomed here at all." The Karingan grumbled, the suggestion being more of a threat than your average, friendly suggestion.

This guy had to have been hired by the Red Ribbon Army to finally come and take the Dragon Ball away because nothing else really happened in the life of his Karinga Tribe, until the fateful encounter he had finding the Dragon Ball. If he had known about the amount of harm he was placing his tribe and people in when he decided to take the mystical orb…he would have thrown the object aside, knowing that such beauty was not worth the lives of his family.

"I won't be staying long," The man sharply responded, his voice staying incredibly stern and emotionless. After all, once he had finally finished his mission quickly and efficiently, he would easily be off… on his way to receiving the millions of Ryo that awaited him at the mansion of his employer.

"The Red Ribbon Army has sent me here to tie up their loose ends and take the Dragon Ball that you just so happen to have in your possession…and please, call me Tao… Mercenary Tao."

"What's so special about the Dragon Ball anyways?!" Goku cut in, a trail of sweat coming down the side of his head, "Why is it so important to you guys?"

"I guess you haven't heard yet, but if you gather all seven of em', you'll be granted any wish you desire," Tao answered, not even looking at the brat, "Now stay out of this...or I'll kill you too."

"There's no way in hell I'm going to let you lay a finger on this Dragon Ball!" Bora fiercely growled, spreading his legs as he placed himself in a fighting stance. "If your plan was to just take it…I'm afraid that it is no longer an option. You're going to have to get through me first!"

"Oh… how funny. Did you actually believe that I was merely going to just kindly ask for you to fork it over?" The mercenary hysterically questioned. It was not his job to be kind, he was a hit-man, trained to be ruthless and know nothing but killing to gain money, like the infamous rogue-ninja Kakuzu. Once this threat was finished and the Dragon Balls were secured, he would be sitting on a huge amount of Ryo. Then, before he would leave the area, he could deal with that brat who was glaring at him, just for a bit of fun before his work would be completed.

And maybe his whole tribe to shit on Bora's grave.

"It seems that you have the wrong idea over that my dear friend. I don't intend on asking any questions. I am plainly going to effortlessly retrieve this Dragon Ball from the lifeless remains of your body. Should take two minutes at most."

Without saying another word, Mercenary Tao shot forward, launching a foot firmly into Bora's gut. Seeing a bit of saliva coughed up on the mere impact of the blow, the employed killer mercilessly followed up his attack with a vicious right-handed hook to the Korin natives face. The sheer amount of force invested into the strike was much more than enough needed to send Bora soaring through the sky, a number of yards away from the tepee he previously stood directly in front of. The slender assassin that was Tao let out a single burst of snickering, slowly and calmly walking towards the fallen warrior, Bora.

Seeing this, Goku immediately hopped out of his seated spot upon a tall boulder, positioning himself into a Kame stance behind Mercenary Tao.

"Back off," The Saiyan growled, hoping to gain the mercenary's attention with his sudden outburst. "You're not gonna kill anyone as long as I'm here!" The Saiyan added, a bit of spite and anger mixed into his voice.

There was no way that he was going to allow this random man who was employed by the same Red Ribbon Army that had been harassing himself and Bora's village out of nowhere and plainly put an end to the muscular village chief's life. While he could feel that Bora didn't possess the power to best the mercenary on his own and he didn't either, together they would have a decent chance.

"N-No," Bora managed to let out, coughing up a bit of blood as he slowly pulled himself back upon his feet. While the blow had charged him with an excellent display of both speed and strength, he could not allow Goku to take on Tao when it was his land that they were in. The mercenary had come for him so that meant he was obligated to protecting these lands against the likes of Tao.

"Now w-wait a minute Goku. If he's come here for me… I cannot allow you to fight my battles for me. It is my obligation to protect these sacred lands from anyone and anything like him. He will have to deal with me before I fork over this Dragon Ball." The man bellowed, pointing his spear.

"One does not deal with pathetic insects," Mercenary Tao interjected, a smirk beginning to shine upon his face as the battle grew nearer. He was a trained killer, having been through years…decades of training to get where he was. There was no way that he was going to allow a target to gain the upperhand in battle, something that had never occurred before in is entire, extremely extensive career. "One simply steps on them, crushing them under his boots."

"Bora," Goku slowly stated, meeting the large man's glare with his own coal black eyes. "You can't win all by yourself. But working together, maybe we can! So please, let me help you kick this guy's ass." The Saiyan pleaded, wanting to get in a riveting fight with this Tao guy and save Bora's life.

"I'm still obliged to at least try to take this threat on," Bora proudly growled, his eyes turning to dangerously glare at the mercenary that stood before him. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure that this mysterious mercenary knew that if he ventured to these scared lands with an evil purpose, there was bound to be some type of harsh consequences, even if it just so happened to be death itself.

"It is my duty to protect these lands, so this is my fight and mines alone…even if it is death that awaits me!"

The father of Upa charged towards the incoming assassin, wildly slashing his sharpened spear at the trained slayer of innocents. Unfazed by the sight of the oncoming blade slashing his way, Mercenary Tao did nothing more than merely lean slightly to his right, watching as the spear slashed only inches away from his ear. At the absolute last second the hired killer reached his arm out to the side, grasping hold of the mighty titan's spear. Establishing a firm grip upon the bladed weapon, Tao used but a fraction of his strength, using only his left hand to lift both Bora and his spear at least three feet off of the ground. Aiming his thin finger so close to Bora's chest that the digit grazed exactly where his heart lied, the mercenary let out a single statement.

"Dodon-Pa!"

Tao snickered, a smirk painted upon his face. Soon he would be on his way back to the headquarters belonging to Commander Red of the Red Ribbon Army, where his five million Ryo was awaiting him. Then, it would be on to his next target and next million Ryo… but in the meantime, he would finish this Bora off and then deal with the little runt that was his son, then the adolescent brat, and finally the rest of his tribe.

An incredibly thin, yellow coated beam of blazing energy shot from the murderer's fingertip, traveling but a inch until it pierced its way straight through Bora's foreskin, painfully entering the man's bulky chest. A large, disgusting glob of blood immediately shot out of the Native American's mouth in the form of a cough as the devastating ray of ki fiercely followed its path directly through his blood pumping heart, packed with more than enough force necessary to send Bora flying into the base of Korin Tower, a jet of blood soaring from the wound he had just sustained.

Goku watched in shock and horror as the helpless, heavily damaged body of Bora shot through the air thanks to the merciless mercenary that was Tao.

The Saiyan could not even move a muscle… could not check on Bora as he knew it was too late… the amount of blood he was losing was unreal. Even if he had not died on impact with the fierce beam of energy, he would most certainly die from the large amount of blood that was escaping his body… pints, or even quarts, with each passing second. A last second gush of blood spiraled out of the large, gory hole in the center of the middle-aged Human's muscular chest as Bora's lifeless body struck the ground one final time, positioned strictly upon the base of Korin Tower, a bit of the tower being able to be seen through the bloodied wound.

Goku's focus then returned to Mercenary Tao, who appeared to showcase a wicked, everlasting smirk upon his face as he held the spear high above his head.

"Oh what is that… want your spear back?"

The assassin then used all of his strength to hurl the polished javelin towards his target, its original wielder, Bora. Traveling at a speed that rivaled that of a military jet's, the spear charged towards the fallen body of Bora vigorously, a devastating, stomach-turning squishing sound being heard as the bladed side of the weapon impaled the already dead Bora directly between his eyes.

"There it is," Tao maniacally laughed as a new-found river of blood slowly oozed and leaked from the Karinga Village chief's newly received hole in his forehead.

Goku's eyes closed shut as the Saiyan witnessed the death of his recently befriended comrade, the gruesome scene never leaving his mind and replaying.

To his sides, the Saiyan's fist clenched shut, his fingers digging into the palm of his hand in anger, blood beginning to drip from the clench. He could have possibly prevented this death if only he was facing off against Tao with Bora. Goku's blood began to violently and infuriatingly course through his veins as his anger spiked past its limits… realizing what had just happened once more. He was going to make sure this assassin paid for what had just happened… he was going to suffer for this one way or another. No matter how long it took, he would get what's coming to him, and he'd make sure of it. HE would make sure that Bora's death won't go to waste, that Tao get's utterly decimated for his cruelty.

Rage began flowing into the young Saiyan as his body glowed with invisible ki.

"F-F-Father… NO!" Upa viciously let out, his anger revealing itself as he forced out an incredibly loud scream, his head slamming into the lifeless corpse of his father's in guiltiness and disappointment as his hands dug into the grassy field that was his father's final resting place. Turning to his father's killer, the son of Bora angrily pointed a finger at the man, managing to say between gritted teeth and an ocean of tears, "You! You killed my father!" The boy spat out, his eyes glued shut in a thick layer of waterworks.

"It's okay, don't worry one bit," Tao lightly chuckled, raising a finger, aimed directly where the five year-old comforted the lifeless body of Bora. "Fine, although I did not plan on doing this when I agreed to the job… I'll be sure to reunite the both of you in the afterlife in just a few seconds." The mercenary stated as a familiar yellow light began to cloak his index finger.

"I don't think so, you bastard," Goku harshly growled, all of a sudden appearing just inches in front of the deadly, hired assassin. Before Tao could even realize what had happened, his Dodon-Pa had faded from his finger, the Saiyan before him squeezing his hand with nearly all of the strength that he possessed. Goku's eyes looked down as he heard the cries of Upa ringing through his ears… he knew just how Upa was feeling, knowing exactly how hard it was to have lost a paternal figure, having had to deal with the situation in his life already.

"This ends now!"

"And pray tell, how're you gonna stop me?" Tao asked, taunting the Saiyan.

"I just will!" Goku angrily replied. The Saiyan then caught Tao off guard with a sucker punch to the face infused with ki, creating a miniature shock-wave. He turned to face Upa, who continued to sulk over Bora's sudden death, "Upa, get outta here, I don't need you getting in harms way as well."

Upa then turned to race for shelter behind the rigid structure that was Korin Tower. Halfway through the run, Upa turned to face Goku…a frown planted upon his face as his fist remained clenched to his side. "Goku… please, make him suffer for Dad." The boy stoically exclaimed before he ran off.

"Pathetic child," Tao spat out, his expression blank. "I should thank you… I'm positive my employer is sure to give me an extra million Ryo after I take your life…along with the whole tribes as well!"

"No, you won't," was the simple response.

"I can do as I please… what makes you think otherwise child?" The mercenary spitefully questioned, slowly pushing himself off of the ground. He would make this child pay for all of the trouble that he had put him through. Then, he would have a bit of fun by stripping away the lives of the tribes as well. "Do you know just who you are disrespectfully speaking to? Most people would be cowering in fears… begging for the life that would then be effortlessly stripped from them!"

"I don't really care about who you are!" Goku snapped to the mercenary. He knew all that he wanted to know and that was far too much already. "The only thing that I'm positive of is that you're going down!"

Tao moved like lightening charging at Goku. His fist found itself in the young Saiyan's gut doubling the boy over quickly. Tao didn't let up from there. He sent an elbow into Goku's face, sending the boy flying back into a few trees.

'Wow', Goku thought. 'That guy is really fast. I could barely see him move.'

A few seconds later Goku picked himself up off the ground and wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth. "Damnit," the young Saiyan said. "You're obviously stronger than me, but I'm not finished yet."

"You have no idea how outclassed you are," Tao said. "But keep on trying, the inevitable will still occur regardless."

"I'm not afraid of you," Goku said as he charged at Tao throwing a flurry of kicks and punches at the assassin. Tao blocked or dodged every one of them and started throwing some kicks and punches of his own. Goku tried to dodge the blows but was unsuccessful. It was all the young Saiyan could do to block most of the blows to minimize the amount of damage done.

'How's he so strong?' Goku thought as he continued to block punches still clearly on the defensive. 'I can't keep up with him.'

Tao's fist moved like lightning, hitting Goku in the shoulder sending the boy staggering back. Goku recovered quickly enough and sent a punch at Tao, connecting to the man's chin. Tao flinched a little from the blow and continued to send attacks at the young Saiyan, connecting on ninety percent of them.

"Now it's time to finish you off," Tao said elbowing Goku away from him. The Saiyan rolled over on the ground, tumbling before shooting back up, a slight white aura of ki surrounding him. He spread his legs, then cupped his hands to his right side, accumulating cerulean ki.

"Take this!" Goku shouted, charging the wave in his mind, "KAMEHAMEHAAAAAA!"

This caught the mercenary off guard and forced him to block, covering his body with an x-formed block. The wave enveloped Tao's whole body, and when the aftermath cleared up, the mercenary was seen with his clothes just messed up and his body somewhat charred.

Unfortunately, he was still in prime condition.

"Is that all?" The assassin asked, enraged at his clothing.

Judging by Goku's reaction, he knew he had put everything he had into the wave. Speaking of the preteen, he trudged back inch by inch, afraid. He had put everything he had into that blast and the best he could manage was his clothes being messed up? He knew he was most likely going to die there and now, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Survive this, Dodon-Pa!" He shouted, sending the narrow beam of yellow energy at Goku. The beam hit him full on, enlarging upon contact and driving him back like a missile, moving at a high velocity, knocking the wind out of him. The Saiyan was sent flying until he hit the base of the tower, falling to the ground, presumably dead.

The Dragon Ball that he was looking for conveniently rolled towards him from the Saiyan's unconscious form, and the Mercenary picked it up.

"Whew, I need some new clothes," Tao stated, brushing himself off. "I'll kill the tribe first though, really quickly..."

And he did as told, with Upa hiding out of sight from Tao. He continued to cry in silence as his whole tribe was massacred by the hit-man known as Mercenary Tao. He found himself lucky however, as Tao had seemingly forgotten about him, allowing the child to stay alive.

"I guess my work here is done, now onto millions of Ryo." The assassin mused, picking up his pointed log and leaving the same exact way he came, leaving Upa to mourn the fall of Goku as well as his whole tribe, starting with his father.

-Thirty Minutes Later-

Son Goku awoke to the sight of Upa placing dirt upon him with a shovel. Seeing this, he shot up and shrugged off the dirt, scuffing himself off. He turned to see Upa's solemn expression brighten up just slightly, but the sour mood was never broken.

"Goku...you're alive?" Upa stated in an emotionless fashion, asking the obvious question. "How?"

"I guess I got lucky, his ray hit the Dragon Ball that I had over my heart," Goku exclaimed with a solemn mood. "But I couldn't stop him from taking Bora's life… I should've joined the fight before it happened."

The Saiyan sighed, mentally kicking himself in the rear end. If he had just joined the fight, ignoring Bora's command… maybe then, Tao would have been defeated before any lives could be taken away, then, Bora would still be here, fully alive and healthy. However, the man was a true warrior and wanted to go out in such a way, which the Saiyan had to respect. Such an action would have been crueler than death for him, but there was no choice for Goku regardless.

"He took the Dragon Ball you had by the way," Upa stated, wanting no more trouble after today, "But he didn't take ours."

"Give it to me," Goku said with resolve, not taking no for an answer.

Hearing the seriousness in his companions voice, he tossed it to him. The Saiyan caught it and had a grim grin on his face, looking towards the tower three-hundred feet in front of him.

"Upa… I'll search for the other Dragon Balls with this radar and wish your Tribe back to life as soon as I get the chance," Goku calmly explained, hoping to comfort the little warrior even if its only slightly. "And I'll take down Tao and his whole evil army along the way, so nothing like this ever happens again. It's a promise that I'll make a reality, I swear on it."

"Once I climb this tower and get stronger, of course!" Goku exclaimed, cheering himself up a bit.

One day, Upa would have his father and whole tribe back. They said the Dragon could grant any wish you want, so that must include revival, right?

"Father… one day I will be reunited with you," Upa said low enough only for him to hear, a tear forming in his eyes. "And then, I'll be there to help you if anything else comes our way." He turned to Goku, and looked at him pleadingly, "Can you give me tips on how to fight and use ki?"

"Yeah sure," Goku replied, going into a Kame taijutsu stance. "This is the stance of the turtle," He began. For the next two hours, Goku went through the basic katas that his own master had shown him for half a decade, even writing down a training regimen on a blank sheet of paper each day of the week that Upa could follow.

Eventually though, the Saiyan knew he had to climb the tower, and that's exactly what he did. After feeling like he did a halfway decent job thus far, he told Upa to be careful. And then he charged towards the tower, the momentum causing him to run on it for a few seconds at full speed.

-Thirteen Hours Later-

Goku groaned as he continued to climb the tower. He'd been climbing for thirteen hours and had to admit he was thoroughly exhausted. He didn't know how much farther he had to go. Looking up he saw what looked like the tower expanding outward. Was that the top of it? With renewed motivation and determination, he moved on with a refreshed vigor.

In just eight minutes, he reached a small ladder and he climbed up into a small room. He had finally reached the top after struggling to even go strong for seven hours. As soon as he got into the room, he collapsed to the ground, aching and drowsy. It had to be the most daunting task he ever did in one day, but he knew it was over. So with relief, he pushed himself off the ground and stretched, liquid pouring all over his body.

He then looked around but didn't see anyone or anything noteworthy. Walking over to a small stair case, he walked up to the next level where he saw a small cat-like creature holding a staff.

"Well hello there," the cat said. "Are you seeking the Sacred Water to become stronger?"

"Yes," Goku said blankly. "Bad stuff has been happening an-"

"I know," the cat replied. "I can read minds. I am Master Korin in case you hadn't figured that out yet."

"So," Goku retorted, a little surprised that he could read minds. "Where's the Sacred Water so I can get outta here?"

"It's right here," Korin said holding up a pitcher of water on the end of his staff. "All you have to do is take it from me."

The Saiyan smirked, charging at the cat and reaching for the sacred water, figuring it to be very easy. However, Korin had moved out of the way so quickly that the Saiyan boy couldn't get the bottle and tumbled on the floor behind him.

"Try again," Korin stated, smiling in order to rile the Saiyan up. And it worked, as Goku turned on his focused expression, now knowing it wouldn't be a cake walk.

"Yes sir," The Saiyan replied, charging up his ki and darting once more, only to be evaded again. "I'll keep trying till I get it, no matter how long it takes!"

-Two Days Later-

"You have to anticipate my movements," Korin said. "You can't just react to what I do."

Goku closed his eyes, clearing his mind and focusing on the task at hand. He then launched himself at Korin once again, feeling assured that he could finally get the water. The cat moved to dodge, but the person darting for him was an Afterimage, confusing the cat. The real Goku appeared behind him and shoved the cat in the back, sending Korin sprawling forward.

The bottle then flew out of Korin's hands and into Goku's waiting hands. "Is that it?" The Saiyan said sarcastically as he opened the jug of water and started to gulp it down, feeling plenty of thirst and hunger alleviate.

"Very good," Korin said. "Your dear old Master took three years to get the sacred water. Two days is an incredible new record, but it's to be expected since you're far and away more powerful than he was at the time he came all the way up here."

"While I do feel a good deal stronger," Goku started. "It wasn't all that it was hyped up to be when I heard it from Bora."

"Well it shouldn't be, you were just drinking plain ole tap water," Korin revealed.

"Tap water?" Goku said surprised, then a little pissed. "I did all this just for some tap water?"

"Yes," Korin said. "There is nothing special in the water. You broke through your limit from the acts of having to climb the tower and getting the water from me in the first place Climbing the tower has increased your endurance, stamina, and strength whilst getting the water from me has increased your speed, acceleration and focus."

"Also," Korin added, "I have something for you that I have a feeling will make you much stronger in the long run. Especially with all the training and battles you plan on having, let's just say it's a ticket to gaining strength after physical trauma."

"What is it?!" Goku asked, sounding cheerful once again.

"They are called Senzu beans," Korin said tossing a bean to the young Saiyan. "If you eat them your energy will be restored instantly and you will be healed of all injuries instantly. Also, they make you feel full for up to three days, meaning you don't have to consume food."

"That sounds very useful," Goku said. 'With those I could train even harder without worrying about recovery, awesome.'

"They do take a good amount of time to grow though," Korin said. "So use them sparingly. I can give you ten of them right now but it may take me sometime to grow more, ranges from a month to six months."

"Thanks a bunch," Goku responded, eating the bean that Korin had given him and taking the other nine in a little brown pouch. "Whoa!" The Saiyan exclaimed after eating the bean, "I really do feel plenty stronger than before now!"

He turned around and placed his hand to his head, saluting his serpentine master. "Thanks Korin, I'll see ya when I return for more." Goku called out midst the wind, his hair blowing wildly as he catapulted down from the living area with a somersault.

Free falling from the sky for a minute, he slowed himself down using his ki before he impacted the ground, making him land with a solid 'thud'. He looked around and found Upa doing the exercises he had written on his list of things to do.

Smiling proudly, the Saiyan walked over, ready to depart.

"Hey Upa," The Saiyan said, getting the little boy's attention. "I gotta leave now, but remember my promise. I'll get the Dragon Balls and try to wish back your whole tribe. If the Dragon says he can't, then I'm sorry and we'll have to move on, okay?"

Upa looked up at him, and faintly smiled as well, "It's okay, I'll live. No one's gonna attack me again, and I need to protect these lands during my father's absence."

"You're right, but never stop training, cause ya never know," Goku stated, and then he ruffled the boy's hair. "I'll be gone for quite a while, but I'll see you again, so stay out of trouble for me. I'll give those Red Ribbon bastards what's coming to em'. Until then, be safe," he finished off, placing on his large backpack, and getting into a traditional sprinting stance.

And just like that, he left in a blur, leaving behind a long-lasting Afterimage with his newfound speed alone.