The Man Was Called Karot

Land of Fire.

Konoha Ninja Village, the Hatake Clan.

A baby's cry shattered the silence of the night.

Several years passed in the blink of an eye. A white-haired little boy wearing an orange martial arts uniform was training his body. "999." "1000." After completing a thousand sit-ups, he collapsed onto the floor.

"Big brother, I knew you'd be training again. The Ninja Academy starts tomorrow. I hope you'll go take the entrance exam."

Just then, the door suddenly swung open, and another little boy with white hair and a mask spoke.

"Kakashi, I've told you before that I don't like going to school. Places like the Ninja Academy are for little kids. Besides, I can't even mold Chakra, so what would I go there for?"

The boy who had just opened the door and spoken was none other than the future Konoha technician, Hatake Kakashi—a man who was strong against the strong and weak against the weak, and who kept one hand in his pocket while reading his little books: Hatake the 50/50.

The boy lying on the floor waved a hand at Kakashi without a care.

A trace of helplessness appeared in Kakashi's eyes. Aside from his huge appetite, hard training, and long hours of sleep, there was nothing wrong with his big brother. He just didn't like going to school. Whenever their father gave them a lesson, his brother could fall asleep without fail.

Kakashi had never once beaten his brother in any of their trials. They trained the same way, and Kakashi had even managed to mold Chakra, but he still failed every time. It often made him wonder if he had what it took to become a ninja.

"Father's going with us tomorrow. He told me to let you know not to be late, or he'll cut your food rations."

"Fine, fine, I get it, Kakashi. You're so annoying. Tell Father I'll be on time."

He didn't want to go, but going hungry was even worse. He knew Father wouldn't be making an empty threat. If he really stayed in bed tomorrow, Hatake Sakumo would follow through. He could only choose the lesser of two evils. My life is so hard.

Kakashi left. Hatake Karot lay flat on the tatami, his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.

"Time flies. I've already lived in this world for five years."

Karot had a secret he'd never told anyone: he'd been reincarnated in this world with his memories intact.

As for how he'd died, he didn't know. He only remembered opening his eyes to see a glass pod, with lots of children lying inside just like him, all with tails. There was also a baby beside him, wailing nonstop. A few days later, the crying baby's parents came to take him away.

A ding rang in his mind.

"Welcome, Host, to the Dragon Ball World! You've become a Saiyan. Go conquer the universe, young man!"

Before he could even gather his thoughts, another ding sounded.

"Disaster! The timeline is wrong. Planet Vegeta is being destroyed by Frieza. Initiating a second world jump."

He heard a boom. When he opened his eyes, he had arrived in this world, with a constantly crying Kakashi beside him.

He had become the older brother of Hatake the 50/50, and the eldest son of Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo—a person who had never existed before: Hatake Karot.

He had not only inherited Kakarot's terrifying talent but also come with a system. His birth had caused a sensation in Konoha: a little boy with a tail. If his father hadn't been Konoha's White Fang, they would have dissected him long ago.

Having a system didn't mean he could sit back and relax. The system needed Karot to support it, too. A year ago, when it had awakened, it began teaching Karot the Turtle School. That's right, teaching—not handing out points. The host had to train personally to learn every martial art. The system could show him the door, but practice was up to him. It gave him the training methods and drew up a plan; how much he mastered depended on his own ability. Thankfully, he had Kakarot's training talent. Otherwise, he'd have disgraced all transmigrators. Kakarot's talent had no limits.

And that wasn't even the worst part. Over the year since he began training, the system had taken ninety-nine percent of the Ki he gained from every session. It had the nerve to call it a system repair fee. (I blew myself up saving you—did you think that was free?) The more satisfying it felt to gain Ki through training, the more painful it was to have it taken away. Luckily, he had a Saiyan body; otherwise, he couldn't have handled it. After a year of training, beating Kakashi was no problem at all. That was one of the other joys of training.

Early the next morning, Karot was surprised to see his father home for breakfast. Supporting a Saiyan was simply too expensive. Konoha's White Fang also had a nickname in Konoha: "mission maniac." He took one mission after another, working without a break just to earn money for food. He'd taken so many missions that even the Head of the Anbu had been replaced. Maybe this was the butterfly effect. Karot wondered if his father would still be framed and driven to suicide.

"Let's eat." After Karot said it, plate after plate began piling up. Every time Hatake Sakumo saw this, his eyelid twitched. "Sigh, I'll have to take on a few more missions." He could only comfort himself with the thought that a hearty appetite was a blessing. Kakashi could only marvel at how much his brother ate.

Karot lay on the tatami, rubbing his round belly. "I'm full."

Seeing his son finish eating, Hatake Sakumo spoke up. "Karot, if you don't want to be a ninja, I won't force you. But as my son, it's dangerous to have no strength at all."

His eldest son had terrifying talent. When he began cultivating Ki from scratch, he astonished Hatake Sakumo with this entirely new kind of power. Sakumo couldn't guide him and had to let him train on his own. He didn't know how strong Karot was, which left him feeling helpless.

"Don't worry, Father. I want to be a ninja."

Being a ninja means earning money! You're not going to be able to afford feeding me as I get older and eat more, Father. Karot didn't dare say that aloud; he didn't want to hurt a father's loving heart.

"That's good. You have to study hard at school. Even if you can't mold Chakra, you can still become an excellent ninja."

Normally, the Ninja Academy wouldn't accept a child who couldn't mold Chakra, but it helped to have a good father. Konoha's White Fang's name carried a lot of weight in Konoha.

Hatake Sakumo believed it wouldn't be difficult for his eldest son to surpass him. After witnessing the power of Ki, he was convinced of it.

"And as the older brother, you have to look after your little brother at school."

"I'm more likely to be the one looking after him," Kakashi muttered from behind the mountain of plates.

Neither Sakumo nor Karot was ordinary. They heard every word Kakashi said.

But neither of them said anything. Sakumo thought Kakashi was right, and Karot thought Kakashi was right, too.

"Come on, let's go to the Ninja Academy. We don't want to be late."

"Yes, Father."

Karot and Kakashi spoke at the same time.

Kakashi hadn't yet been beaten down by the hardships of war. He was still a proud little boy, and he felt a strong need to compete with his older brother.

Though he wasn't as strong as his brother, he surpassed him in every other way.

That was what Kakashi thought. That was what he believed.