The Senzu Beans Ripen

After returning to his residence, Kasso sought out Bardock that evening and told him what had happened at noon.

Kasso had assumed Bardock wouldn't believe that such miraculous beans existed. But when he told him, Bardock barely reacted. He just kept nodding, showing that he understood Kasso's plan and would arrange for people to guard the land.

After all, from Bardock's perspective, Kasso had already made it possible for the Saiyans to survive in the universe. What could be more incredible than that?

They were just a few beans that could instantly heal any injury!

As if Bardock had never seen anything in his life.

Bardock gave Kasso an exasperated look.

"The arrangements for our people are all taken care of. I'll start training tomorrow, too. Just make sure those Senzu sprouts are protected."

With that, Kasso left without looking back.

Watching Kasso walk away, Bardock folded his arms and rested his chin on one hand.

What would happen if he made that kid the Saiyans' leader?

Given Kasso's standing among the Saiyans, surely no one would object!

Bardock shook his head. Kasso was still too young. Maybe when he was a little older...

The valley was dotted with wooden houses, and a small river ran across its front.

Sunlight glinted across the water. Combined with the beautiful scenery, it made for a tranquil and pleasant place.

A short distance along the river stood a black building. Every so often, the sound of fists cutting through the air rang out from inside.

"Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight."

"Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine."

"Ten thousand."

A heavy, labored panting came from inside a Gravity Chamber.

A small figure threw punches with all his might, each swing stirring up a fierce gust of wind.

The sweat on his body dried, then soaked him again, over and over.

This was Kasso's third set of punching exercises. As the last punch brought the count to ten thousand, he collapsed onto the floor.

Thick veins stood out on his forehead, and his face twisted into a fierce grimace.

"Restore... gravity!"

Kasso's hoarse voice rang out. Under such intense training, his muscles had cramped up.

The Gravity Chamber gave a muffled hum, and the gravity setting instantly dropped from thirty-five times back to normal.

As the thirty-fivefold gravity disappeared, Kasso felt as if the mountain pressing down on him had vanished.

"Whew!"

Kasso lay on the floor, finally able to catch his breath.

Over the past month, he had gradually adapted to thirty-five times gravity, working his way up from twenty-five.

Training couldn't focus solely on "ki" or solely on the body. If you trained one and neglected the other, you were bound to have limited potential.

Vegeta was a good example. He spent all day doing high-intensity training in the Gravity Chamber, neglecting the cultivation of his "ki"—or, in other words, his "state of mind." His combat power was certainly high, but his mastery would always lag just a little behind Goku's.

Piccolo was proof of this, too. He wore Weighted Clothing and meditated often, giving equal attention to both. This kept his body in balance, which was why he had achieved so much. Otherwise, reaching this level with a Namekian's physique would be...

One word.

Hard!

Every day, Kasso drew up a training plan and paid strict attention to every movement, making sure every part of his body got a proper workout under gravity's pressure.

Besides training his body, Kasso also focused on cultivating his state of mind. He remembered Popo saying that after he and Ausbie finished training in the second stage, there was actually a third stage.

That was the State of Nothingness.

Kasso wondered what the State of Nothingness really was. But even after thinking about it for a long time, he couldn't figure it out.

Still, in Dragon Ball Super, Goku had entered the State of Nothingness and reached the realm of Ultra Instinct.

He didn't know whether the two were connected.

Kasso also remembered that Goku had trained under Popo when he was a child. Perhaps it was that training in the "State of Nothingness" that later allowed Goku to break through to Ultra Instinct.

But with Kasso's current strength and level of mastery, the State of Nothingness was still far beyond his reach.

Just then.

A voice suddenly sounded outside the Gravity Chamber.

"Lord Kasso, Lord Bardock would like you to come see him."

Kasso opened the door and saw a Saiyan standing outside.

The Saiyan was named Kaster. He was the captain of one of the eight squads Bardock had recently formed.

"Go on ahead. I'll be there in a bit." Kasso was drenched in sweat and felt absolutely miserable.

He decided to take a shower before going to see Bardock.

"Goodbye, Lord Kasso." Kaster quickly disappeared from the doorway.

Half an hour later.

After showering, Kasso arrived at Bardock's home.

"You little brat, what took you so long?" Bardock looked a little displeased.

He'd sent someone to fetch Kasso half an hour ago, and only now had he shown up.

"What's wrong?"

Kasso raised an eyebrow. "Is it urgent?"

From Bardock's expression, it seemed like there really was something urgent.

"The Senzu Beans have borne fruit." Bardock rolled his eyes and said irritably.

"What? The Senzu Beans have borne fruit?" Kasso was stunned.

They'd only planted them a month ago. He'd thought it would take at least six months for them to bear fruit, but they'd done it in just one.

"Uncle Bardock, grab my hand."

"Hm?"

Before Bardock could react, Kasso grabbed him and vanished from the spot. In the blink of an eye, they reappeared in the northern part of Planet Sadala.

Bardock looked at the familiar surroundings and opened his mouth. "That was fast!"

He glanced at Kasso, then shook his head.

Being this fast at such a young age wasn't good!

Kasso didn't notice Bardock's expression. He twisted his body and instantly appeared at the edge of the black soil.

The Saiyans stationed nearby noticed the two of them as well. "Lord Bardock, Lord Kasso, what brings you here?"

"We're just having a look. Carry on with your patrol." Bardock waved his hand.

Kasso said nothing. He just stared blankly at the Senzu sprouts.

The patch of black soil before them covered forty square meters, with roughly forty Senzu saplings growing in it. Over the past month, they had grown from bean sprouts into trees a meter tall.

Their stems were thick, and their leaves were lush. Fortunately, Kasso had only wanted to try growing Senzu Beans first and see how the first batch turned out before deciding how to plant the second.

He hadn't expected the spacing in the first batch to be just right.

Looking over, he saw two bright green beans hanging from each tree.

They were round and plump, and looked delicious.

The Senzu Beans in Kasso's Hoi-Poi Capsule looked a little different from the ones still growing on the trees, but he knew they simply hadn't been dried yet.

"Two for every one planted. Not bad!"

Each tree had produced only two beans, but that was within Kasso's expectations.

In the anime, Korin had said that Senzu Beans had an especially low yield. Later on, even an entire harvest amounted to only a few beans.

The tens of thousands of Senzu Beans Kasso had were all from Korin's centuries-old stock.