That Man Is Called Karot

Land of Fire.

Konoha, the Hatake household.

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

Years passed in the blink of an eye. A young boy with a mop of white hair, dressed in an orange martial arts uniform, was busy working out. "999," "1000." As soon as he hit the thousand mark, he collapsed onto the floor, completely spent.

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

Just then, the bedroom door slid open, and another young boy, also with white hair and wearing a mask, spoke up.

"Kakashi, I've told you before, I don't like school. The Ninja Academy is for little kids, and besides, I can't even condense Chakra, so what's the point of going?"

The person who had just opened the door and spoken was none other than the future Konoha technician, Hatake Kakashi—the man who fought the strong and the weak with equal intensity, the Hatake the 50/50 who spent his days reading erotica with one hand tucked in his pocket.

The boy sprawled on the floor waved a hand at Kakashi, completely indifferent.

Kakashi's eyes betrayed a hint of helplessness. Aside from his massive appetite, grueling training regimen, and tendency to sleep all day, his brother was perfect. It was just this refusal to go to school; every time their father tried to lecture them, his brother could fall into a perfect, deep sleep.

In every sparring match, Kakashi had never once beaten his brother. Despite undergoing the exact same training, Kakashi could condense Chakra while his brother failed every single time, which often made him doubt whether he had any talent for being a ninja at all.

"Father is coming with us tomorrow. He told me to warn you: don't be late, or he's cutting your food supply."

"Fine, fine, I get it. Kakashi, you're such a nag. Tell Father I'll be on time."

Though he didn't want to go, going hungry was even more painful. He knew his father wasn't just making idle threats; if he really tried to sleep in tomorrow, Hatake Sakumo would definitely follow through. He had no choice but to choose the lesser of two evils. My life is so hard.

After Kakashi left, Hatake Karot lay flat on the tatami mat, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling.

"Time flies. In the blink of an eye, I've already been living in this world for five years."

Karot held a secret he had never told a soul: he had been reincarnated into this world with his memories intact.

He didn't even know how he had died. He only remembered opening his eyes to see a glass pod, with many other children like him lying inside, all of them sporting tails. Beside him was a baby wailing at the top of its lungs. A few days later, that wailing child was taken away by its parents.

A "ding" sounded in his mind.

"Welcome, Host, to the Dragon Ball World. Become a Saiyan and conquer the universe, young man!"

Before he could even process his thoughts, another "ding" followed.

"Oh no, time point error. Planet Vegeta is being destroyed by Frieza. Initiating second world jump."

With a loud "boom," he opened his eyes to find himself in this world, with a crying Kakashi right beside him.

He had become the older brother of Hatake the 50/50, the eldest son of Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo—a person who shouldn't have existed: Hatake Karot.

He possessed not only Kakarot's terrifying talent but also a System. His birth had caused a stir in Konoha; a little boy born with a tail. If his father hadn't been Konoha's White Fang, he would have been sliced up for research long ago.

Although he had a System, it didn't mean he could just sit back and relax; the System required Karot to provide for it. Since the System awakened a year ago, it had started teaching him the Turtle School style—and no, you read that right, it was teaching, not just adding points. Every martial art required the host to train personally; the System just opened the door, and the rest was up to the individual. It gave him the training methods, set the schedule, and how much he mastered was entirely up to his own ability. Fortunately, he had Kakarot's talent, or he would have been a disgrace to all transmigrators. Kakarot's talent truly had no ceiling.

That wasn't even the worst part. Over the past year of training, the System would siphon off 99% of the Ki he gained from every session, calling it a "System Repair Fee." (The System would sneer, "My old man got blown up saving you, shouldn't you pay up?") The more satisfying the Ki gain from training, the more miserable he felt when it was drained. If it weren't for his Saiyan body, he wouldn't have been able to take it. After a year of training, beating Kakashi wasn't a problem, which had become one of the few joys of his training.

The next morning, Karot was surprised to see his father eating breakfast at home. After all, the cost of feeding a Saiyan was astronomical. Konoha's White Fang held the title of "Mission Maniac" in Konoha, taking on one mission after another without rest just to earn enough for milk money. He'd even had to change the Head of the Anbu just to get more missions; perhaps this was the butterfly effect. He wondered if his father would still suffer the framing that led to his suicide.

"I'm digging in." As soon as Karot spoke, the stack of plates began to grow higher and higher. Every time he saw this, Hatake Sakumo's eye would twitch. Sigh, I'll have to take on a few more missions. He could only comfort himself by thinking that a child with a healthy appetite was a blessing. Kakashi could only sigh, "He eats way too much."

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

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

He was helpless when it came to his eldest son. The boy's terrifying talent—starting from nothing and cultivating "Ki"—had shocked Hatake Sakumo. It was an entirely new power, and since he couldn't guide him, he had to let him train on his own. He had no idea what his son's true strength was, and it frustrated him.

"Don't worry, Father. I like being a ninja."

Being a ninja pays well! The older I get, the more I eat, and you won't be able to afford it, Father. Karot didn't dare say this out loud, fearing he would crush a father's loving heart.

"That's good. You must study hard at the Academy. Even if you can't condense Chakra, you can still be an excellent ninja."

Normally, the Ninja Academy wouldn't accept someone who couldn't condense Chakra, but who could argue with having a good father? The name of Konoha's White Fang still carried a lot of weight in the village.

Hatake Sakumo believed that his eldest son surpassing him wouldn't be difficult. After witnessing the energy known as "Ki," he was deeply convinced of it.

"And, as the older brother, you must look after your younger brother at school."

"I'm the one who'll be looking after him, more like," Kakashi muttered from behind his mountain of plates.

Neither Sakumo nor Karot were ordinary people; they heard every word Kakashi said.

However, neither of them said anything. Sakumo felt Kakashi was right, and Karot felt Kakashi was right, too.

"Let's go. We should head to the Ninja Academy; it won't be good if we're late."

"Yes, Father."

Karot and Kakashi spoke in unison.

At this point, Kakashi hadn't yet been hardened by the cruelty of war; he was still a prideful little boy with a strong competitive streak against his brother.

Although his strength wasn't on par with his brother's, he was convinced he crushed him in every other aspect.

That was what Kakashi thought in his heart, and that was what he believed.