"Tsk, this is way too cliché. Getting sent to another world because you get hit by some semi-truck or whatever. I was just going home after a totally ordinary shift, so how did I end up in this kind of situation...?"
In a so-called "primitive" forest, where trees grew thick and lush and the branches wove together overhead, a boy who looked at most eleven or twelve squatted by a small campfire. His black hair stood straight up, he hugged his knees with both arms, poked at the fire with a branch, and muttered to himself under his breath.
"Did my tragic orphan-protagonist constitution finally kick in or something? Damn it, it's not like I volunteered. Come on, I literally just bought a premium membership for that XX site, and I was waiting to get home so I could sit in front of my computer and really take off. Do you have any idea how important that is to an all-night-shift pilot who is starving in every possible sense?!"
He let out a long sigh at the sky, then pushed himself up from the ground with his hands on his knees.
Having read N-number of webnovels, he knew full well that no amount of complaining would change anything now. What he needed most at this moment was to figure out what kind of world he had landed in, then think of a way to survive in it. That was the real priority.
"Still, as much as I say that, unless something really weird is going on, this should be that world, right..."
He turned his head and looked at the tail behind him that was swaying left and right nonstop. In that instant, a pressure as heavy as a thousand catties slammed down onto his shoulders.
'There's no way I'm wrong. I've turned into a Saiyan. Even though this body is still my kid self after a check, this monkey tail is absolutely a Saiyan trademark!'
"No, no, no!! The Dragon Ball world is insanely dangerous, okay! Things like the cosmic emperor Frieza, or Android Cell, that whole lineup is straight-up nightmare fuel!"
He clutched his head in despair and dropped to his knees. He had watched Dragon Ball more times than he could count, and precisely because of that, if he had a choice, he would never have picked this world to transmigrate into.
"This won't do. This world is way too dangerous. If I don't want to die, I have to train, and I mean really train."
Now that he had become a Saiyan, his body was several times stronger than it had been before he crossed over. That newfound strength let him flip to his feet from the ground in a single smooth motion.
"Right, I'm a Saiyan now. Even if I can't compare to Kakarot or Vegeta, as long as I work hard enough, becoming a Super Saiyan should still be possible, right?"
Murmuring these words to comfort himself, the boy walked slowly to a massive tree that would take four grown men to encircle with their arms. He awkwardly settled his feet apart and dropped into a horse stance.
'Before I really start training, I should at least test my current strength first. An eleven or twelve-year-old Saiyan who isn't on Planet Vegeta... what, am I some low-class warrior who got exiled?'
He exhaled, clearing the stray thoughts from his mind, then stretched his arms out. He pressed his elbows together, bent his ten fingers like a flower bud, and slowly drew his hands back to his waist.
"Haah, Ka~me~ha~me~~"
Reciting the sort of line only a chunni would shout, the boy suddenly felt a strange power stirring in his lower abdomen, moving restlessly through his body.
'I can feel it! With the me right now, I might actually be able to fire a wave!'
Confidence filled his chest. The very next second, he thrust both palms forward without the slightest hesitation.
"Haa!!"
"Pff~~"
A burst of hot gas sprayed out from somewhere just below the base of his tail, carrying a stench so unbearable that the boy froze where he stood, completely petrified.
'That energy I felt... so it was just a fart...'
"F**k you!!"
He finally snapped, slamming his fist furiously into the tree trunk. The tremendous force made the branches shudder violently, and countless birds exploded out of the canopy, flapping away in a panic.
The boy collapsed onto the ground in despair, then threw his head back and screamed at the sky.
"Help!! I can't live in this world! I... want... to go... home!!"
...
Outside the forest, a bald little old man was holding the latest issue of Weekly Sorcerer. His face was bright red as he read, occasionally letting out creepy little "hehe" laughs.
Suddenly his ears twitched. He lifted his head and looked toward a part of the forest where flocks of birds had just taken off, frowning in confusion.
"Strange, was someone just shouting for help?"
Uncertain, the short old man rose onto his toes and peered seriously in the direction the sound had come from.
No more cries followed, but thanks to his sharp eyes he still caught sight of wisps of pale blue smoke drifting up above the forest, the kind that only came from burning flames.
"There really is someone there. In that case, I can't just ignore it. I have to go take a look."
The moment there was even a chance that some traveler's life might be in danger, the old man completely dropped his lecherous act from a moment ago. He hurriedly pumped his short legs and dashed into the forest.
He might have been small, but in just a few breaths, the old man had crossed close to a thousand meters and was already rushing toward the source of the noise.
"Thump!"
Just as he got close, a dull impact reached his ears, the sound of something heavy colliding with something else.
Curious, he pushed aside the grass in front of him, and in the next second a small, fair-skinned, handsome boy came into view.
"Damn it! I can't even fire a single blast, what kind of Saiyan am I supposed to be?!"
The boy's grief-stricken roar carried straight into the old man's ears, leaving him completely bewildered.
He had no idea what this brat was going on about, but looking at the scene around them, it did not seem like anything truly life-threatening had just happened.
'Could he be lost? A kid this small wandering alone in a jungle this full of hidden dangers really is in serious trouble. No matter what, I should get him out of here first.'
With that thought, the old man immediately arranged what he thought was a kind, benevolent expression on his face and walked out of the bushes.
Rustle, rustle.
"Holy crap, what's that?!"
The heightened senses that came with Saiyan blood let the boy clearly catch the sound of grass rubbing together.
He had not forgotten that he was in the middle of a jungle. He spun around at once, body tense, eyes locked on the direction the sound was coming from. In his mind he was already picturing all kinds of savage, ferocious beasts lunging out at him.
Yet what finally appeared in his line of sight was not some terrifying alien monster, but a short old man with a kindly smile plastered across his face.
"Don't be nervous, young man. I am just an ordinary old grandpa who happened to hear some noise and thought you might need help."
That was what he said out loud, but in his heart the old man was already silently praising him.
'Not bad, that alertness is pretty sharp. If he also knows a bit of magic, he would make a decent mage in training.'
They had only just met, and already the old man's "kid-picking-up" passive skill was starting to glow bright red.
As for the boy, once he saw that the newcomer was not some terrifying alien monster, but just an old man who looked like he had one foot in the grave, he secretly let out a small sigh of relief.
Of course, he did not dare look down on the other party. In a Dragon Ball world full of lurking threats, there were plenty of old men like Master Roshi, who looked ancient and frail on the outside but were absolute monsters when it came to fighting power.
It was just that, for some reason, he kept feeling like he had seen this old guy's face somewhere before.
All of a sudden, his eyes went round with shock. His hand trembled as he pointed at the old man, and he stammered out,
"Y-you, you you you..."
Seeing that expression and that posture, the old man puffed out his chest proudly.
"So you recognized me. I didn't expect my image to have sunk so deeply into people's hearts that even a child this young would know who I am. That's right, I am..."
"You're the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen!!!"
"I am not! Who is that supposed to be?! You've got the wrong person completely, okay!!!"