Little Goku

Over the next few days.

Uchiha Hikari kept a low profile, humbly asking Minato Namikaze for advice in the chat group every day.

Minato Namikaze, meanwhile, fully embraced the role of a teacher. He guided her with all his heart and tailored a chakra control training plan specifically for her.

As Konoha's Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze was not as strong overall as the First Hokage, nor was he as knowledgeable as Sarutobi Hiruzen. But he was still among the very best elites in the shinobi world. His perspective, experience, and combat knowledge were far beyond anything Uchiha Hikari—a "weapon" buried underground at the age of twelve—could compare to. Every idea and suggestion he offered benefited her immensely.

Through these back-and-forth exchanges.

The exhaustion in Uchiha Hikari's body gradually faded, and her scrapes mostly healed.

After repeatedly assuring Bulma that there was nothing wrong with her body, the two finally began their long-planned journey to search for the Dragon Balls.

That morning.

Outside Bulma's house.

Boom!

With a burst of smoke, the Capsule Corp capsule Bulma had tossed out transformed into a car parked by the roadside.

"Hmm..."

Uchiha Hikari's expression was much the same as Little Goku's when he had first met Bulma.

Even with her Sharingan active the entire time, she could not figure out how such a huge car had been packed into a capsule the size of a thumb. The Naruto world's sealing scrolls had similar functions, but they relied on the principles of summoning techniques and were extremely expensive. Usually, only elite Jonin could afford them. Yet Capsule Corp capsules in the Dragon Ball World were cheap enough to be mass-produced...

Uchiha Hikari simply could not understand it.

"Get in, Hikari!"

At Bulma's urging, Uchiha Hikari could only shake her head, open the passenger-side door, and climb in.

"Hold on tight, Hikari! We're taking off!"

Bulma stomped on the accelerator, and the car shot forward.

Before Uchiha Hikari had arrived, Bulma had already found one Two-Star Ball in the storage room at her house.

The remaining six Dragon Balls were scattered all over the world.

Following the Dragon Ball Radar, the two first headed north. After searching through a valley for most of the day, they found the second Five-Star Ball.

Next came the Four-Star Ball on Mount Paozu.

Thanks to Uchiha Hikari's spoilers, Bulma talked Little Goku into getting in the car and joining the Dragon Ball hunt in just a few words.

Still, while they were on the road, Bulma had her doubts.

"Hikari, this country bumpkin of a kid is the Goku you said defeated the Demon King?"

"Yeah. Hard to tell, right?"

While Bulma studied Little Goku through the rearview mirror.

Uchiha Hikari was also observing him in secret.

At this point in time, Little Goku really did look rather rustic and knew very little about the world. Even while sitting in the car, he was still making a racket... If she had not known the original plot of Dragon Ball, it would have been hard to connect him with the future Super Saiyan who would become the strongest in the universe.

Come to think of it...

If I wished on Shenron to become a Saiyan, would it work?

Uchiha Hikari considered it seriously for a while, then finally shook her head and dismissed the idea.

Saiyans had an incredibly high growth ceiling.

But the problem was that not every Saiyan had the potential of Goku and Vegeta.

Before Planet Vegeta was destroyed, the vast majority of Saiyans had battle powers of only around a thousand. Even Raditz, Little Goku's biological older brother, only had a battle power of thirteen hundred, which already made him an elite among Saiyans. So unless she could gain potential comparable to Little Goku's family while becoming a Saiyan, the wish would not mean much.

Besides...

Whether Earth Shenron could alter one's bloodline, and whether Saiyan and Uchiha Clan bloodlines could even be compatible, were both unknowns.

For the time being, Uchiha Hikari did not want to give up her Mangekyo Eye Technique.

Still...

Although she did not intend to become a Saiyan for now, Uchiha Hikari had some other ideas about Saiyan genes.

"Goku, are you hungry? How about your big sisters treat you to some meat tonight?" Uchiha Hikari asked, seemingly casually.

"Sure, sure!"

The moment he heard there would be food, Little Goku in the back seat immediately perked up.

"But there's one condition."

Smiling sweetly, Uchiha Hikari held up a gesture indicating "just a little." "I need to collect a little of your Blood Sample... I mean, I'll poke you with a needle and draw a little blood. It won't hurt, and it'll be over quickly."

"?"

Bulma turned her head in confusion and glanced at Uchiha Hikari. But Hikari merely pressed her lips together in a smile, with no intention of explaining.

Back at Bulma's house, Uchiha Hikari had only told Bulma a few key points from the story before Piccolo Daimaō appeared. She had not mentioned the Saiyans. Now, she planned to ask Dr. Brief to study Little Goku's blood after they returned and see whether it contained anything different from an Earthling's.

—Since Dr. Gero had been able to use Saiyan genes to develop androids and Cell, there was no reason Dr. Brief, another top scientist in the Dragon Ball World, would be unable to discover anything.

Even if he found nothing, it would be fine, because Uchiha Hikari had a backup candidate.

A certain snake-like man from the Naruto world would probably be very interested in this kind of blood sample.

If it was that man... he might really be able to research something from it.

That night.

Uchiha Hikari caught two wild boars in the forest and treated Little Goku and Bulma to a hearty meal.

—The natural environment in the Dragon Ball World seemed a little more primitive than that of the Naruto world, and wild animals were generally much larger. But they were still just dim-witted beasts. Even without using her Sharingan, Uchiha Hikari was solidly Jonin-level, and she had brought plenty of ninja tools with her. Taking down a few wild boars was no problem.

She skinned them, removed the gaminess, roasted them with the Great Fireball Technique, then sprinkled on the seasonings Bulma had brought. The kids next door would have been drooling.

After eating and drinking their fill, Uchiha Hikari invited Little Goku to spar.

How should she put it...

Without using ninjutsu or genjutsu, and relying solely on taijutsu, Uchiha Hikari could easily toy with Little Goku.

But defeating him completely was not easy.

Little Goku was simply too tough. His resistance to damage far surpassed that of ordinary Earthlings. As long as she did not strike his vital points, Uchiha Hikari's punches and kicks only caused him superficial pain. Yet if one of Little Goku's charged blows landed squarely on her, even if she blocked it with both arms beforehand, it would still hurt for quite a while.

Yeah...

After all, this was a child with a battle power of ten who could flip over a small car.

In terms of strength and physical toughness alone, even ordinary Jonin were probably no match for him.