"This was exactly what I was afraid of. These so-called martial artists... each one is eager to prove their strength, highly capable, yet unwilling to be restrained. If we're not careful, any one of them could become a ticking time bomb, threatening social stability!" The king switched off the live broadcast of the latest World Martial Arts Tournament champion's interview and spoke to his chief minister.
The minister chuckled. "But from the looks of it now, the internal reward and punishment mechanisms of the Martial Association seem quite well-structured... If they want access to the 'secret techniques' and 'ultimate moves' they long for, they must follow the rules set by Muten Roshi. As long as Muten Roshi is overseeing things, the disastrous scenarios you worry about will never come to pass."
"Even if they do, it would be over in an instant—Taro would eliminate the threat immediately." The king laughed as well but soon grew serious again. Tapping his fingers on the solid wood desk, he mused, "That being said, not all martial artists are willing to join the Martial Association, even with Planet Company and Taro backing it... There's one thing that puzzles me—this association offers such great benefits, including monetary rewards and even martial arts manuals. But how does it sustain itself financially? Even with Planet Company's resources, it seems impossible..."
"Financial sustainability? My dear king..." The minister's smile faded as he looked at the king seriously. "Are you truly asking that question? Do you think someone like Muten Roshi needs to worry about such things?" He spoke meaningfully, "The universe is vast and boundless..."
The king was momentarily stunned, and once again, he recalled the overwhelming explosion that had consumed everything in sight. Faced with such power—capable of obliterating all—his previous concerns suddenly felt utterly trivial. He sighed in realization. "Indeed... the universe is vast... its resources are infinite..."
---
Year 677.
At just nineteen years old, Son Gohan won the World Martial Arts Tournament championship for the second time in a row. As the direct disciple of Muten Roshi, he officially took over the Muten School Dojo, becoming its master. For six years, he remained at the dojo, mentoring hundreds of apprentices. His reputation as a young martial arts grandmaster grew rapidly. During this time, he also secured his third consecutive championship title at the World Martial Arts Tournament.
---
Year 684.
Son Gohan became the second chairman of the Earth Martial Artists' Exchange Association—the first chairman had been Taro, though Tam had acted as his proxy. This year, Son Gohan formally took over the position from Tam.
---
Year 688.
Planet Company, in collaboration with several major gaming companies, launched the world's first neural-linked massive online game, Ninja Era. It was reportedly adapted from an old book series called The Uchiha's Sinners.
---
Year 692.
Planet Company underwent a massive restructuring and rebranded itself as "Virtual Earth Network Corporation". According to insiders, the company was preparing to release a personal virtual reality connection device. Leaks also suggested that "Virtual Earth Network" would become the company's new core business. Furthermore, reports indicated that a deep collaboration between "Virtual Earth Network" and the Martial Association was in the works...
---
Year 699.
On Muten Island, Hathaway lay gravely ill, bedridden for a long time. For dozens of days, Taro had remained by her side, unmoving, without eating a single grain of food. Hathaway had reached the remarkable age of one hundred and eleven, but now, her vitality was fading—her life force was at its end. Despite Taro's relentless efforts to cleanse her body with pure ki, it was all in vain.
In these final moments, Taro did not summon Tam, Son Gohan, or anyone else to the island. The only ones present were himself and the immortal phoenix that had accompanied him for a century, softly wailing at his side.
"A... Ah..." Hathaway lay on the bed, her face pale and frail. She gazed at Taro, her bloodless lips trembling as she tried to speak. Her voice was barely a whisper, so faint that even Taro had to lean in to hear her.
"A... Ah, Taro... let me call you that, just this once... I know... your appearance now... is just magic... Ha... Ha... I... I still..." A thin mist clouded her dry eyes as the light in them began to dim. Struggling to speak, she continued in a weak, broken voice, "I... still want to see... your real face... one last time..."
Taro, who had been sitting motionless at her bedside, trembled slightly. His usually expressionless, aged face—lined with wrinkles just like Hathaway's—seemed to loosen for the first time.
In the last remnants of light in Hathaway's eyes, she saw Taro's face rapidly grow younger. The wrinkles vanished, his once-white hair turned black in an instant, and before her stood a man with long, flowing black hair, his face youthful—perhaps not even reaching middle age.
"Good... that's good... Why do you bother... You're such... such a fool..." Hathaway seemed to want to lift her hand to touch his face, but her strength failed her, and her hand slowly fell. However, before it could fully drop, an invisible force gently lifted it again, bringing it to Taro's waiting palm.
Taro reached out, taking her frail, branch-like hand as he always did. He closed his eyes, then slowly, gently shut them completely.
And then—he suddenly opened them again!
---
Taro lay in his bedroom, staring silently at the ceiling, which shimmered like a starry sky. After a long moment, he turned his head to glance at the woman sleeping beside him.
She had just celebrated her eightieth birthday a few days ago, yet she still looked as youthful as the day they had first met.
"What did I just dream about?" Taro gazed at her, watching her sleeping expression—the slight smile, the way her lips occasionally pressed together. A flood of emotions filled his heart, as flashes of both past and present ran through his mind.
He turned slightly and gently embraced Hathaway before getting out of bed. "You think I never wanted to walk this path with you forever? You think I changed my appearance just to watch you grow old and die? Why do you keep everything bottled up inside? You know I'm not as smart as you... Such a fool..."
It was the dead of night.
"You're not as detached as you think..." Taro walked to the wall, where Jarvis detected his presence and adjusted it to reveal the outside view. The world beyond was shrouded in darkness, silent and still.
Taro looked at his own reflection on the transparent wall—the expressionless man staring back at him—and muttered softly, "...A stubborn old fool, pretending to be above it all."
A prophetic dream...
He gazed at the misty, dreamlike moonlight outside, repeating those three words in his mind.