Three more days quickly passed. Goku and his group arrived in the Land of Water. Perhaps it was fate's arrangement, but on this very day, snowflakes as thick as goose feathers began to fall. Left with no choice, they checked into an inn.
By the next morning, a thick layer of snow had blanketed the ground. The freezing weather had kept most people indoors, yet Goku brought Alice and the others to a stone bridge in the village to build snowmen.
Time passed, and finally, under Goku's expectant gaze, a small, solitary figure appeared in his vision. The figure slowly approached the stone bridge but stopped upon noticing Goku's group not far away. A trace of envy flashed in their eyes before they shook their head, walked onto the bridge, and sat down.
"At last! I've been waiting for so long!" Goku smiled. He had asked around for information to find this place, all for the sake of this small, lonely figure—Haku of the Yuki Clan.
Feeling the soft and delicate aura radiating from Haku, Goku nodded in satisfaction. "She didn't disappoint me after all! Haku is a girl! If such a beautiful person had turned out to be a guy, that would've been a real tragedy."
"Alice, Karin, go invite that kid on the bridge to play with us," Goku said, looking at the two little girls who were still excitedly building their snowman.
The two girls lifted their heads and, upon seeing Haku sitting on the bridge, looking sad. They nodded and ran toward the bridge.
"Got it, Goku-nii!"
Watching the three little girls whispering together at the bridgehead before returning hand-in-hand, Goku couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.
"Goku-nii, come quick! Let me introduce you to our new friend—Haku!" Alice excitedly pulled Haku over and began the introductions. "Haku, this is Goku-nii. He's the best, best, best big brother in the world! He's also the strongest person ever! This is Saeko-neesan… and this is…"
Seeing Haku happily playing with the girls, Goku smiled warmly. "With this, I've changed Haku's fate, haven't I?"
A cold voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Kid, that one is a tool I had my eyes on. If you take her away, that would be quite the problem for me."
Goku turned his head toward the voice, unsurprised.
"So, you've finally come, Zabuza Momochi."
---
"Saeko, this guy's your opponent," Goku said. Since it was already confirmed that the man was an enemy, he had no reason to waste words.
Saeko, who had been helping Alice and the others build snowmen, immediately brightened up. "An enemy? How do you want me to handle him?"
"Kill." Goku's response was a single word. With a wave of his hand, a katana flew toward Saeko. She effortlessly caught the sword and walked up to Zabuza.
"If you're an enemy, then please make your move."
The other girls had stopped their activities and gathered around Goku to cheer for Saeko.
"You sent a woman to fight me? You'll regret your foolish decision," Zabuza scoffed. Though his tone was filled with disdain, his expression was serious—Saeko's demeanor alone told him she was no ordinary opponent.
"Don't underestimate me just because I'm a woman. That kind of thinking could cost you your life." Saeko unsheathed her sword and lunged forward, eager for battle. It had been too long since she had last fought, and she was itching for a good fight.
Zabuza let out a cold snort, pulled the massive sword from his back, and swung it in a horizontal slash. Saeko leaped into the air, her katana thrusting directly at Zabuza's face. The move was an instinctive headshot technique she had honed while slaying zombies.
Zabuza sneered in his heart. He thought she might be strong, but she's just a rookie. Does she not realize that in mid-air, she can't dodge?
The thought barely passed before Zabuza swung his massive blade at her. "Let's see how you dodge this!" A victorious smirk crept onto his face—only for it to vanish in an instant.
Saeko, without any external support, twisted her body mid-air, effortlessly avoiding what Zabuza had assumed was an unavoidable strike. Her speed then suddenly surged as she closed the distance between them. With a swift slash, she aimed to sever the arm holding his sword.
Forced to react, Zabuza released his grip on his weapon and quickly produced a kunai with his left hand, barely deflecting Saeko's attack. He leaped backward, putting distance between them. Staring at her, he frowned deeply.
"I underestimated you… You can fly?"
"I'm capable of more than just flying." Saeko's katana was suddenly enveloped in a brilliant blue chakra. "Now, I'm getting serious. Try not to disappoint me."
She swung her sword, sending a wave of energy slashing toward Zabuza.
"Tch… Seems like I was the one being underestimated." Zabuza swiftly formed hand seals.
"Water Release: Hiding in Mist Jutsu!"
A thick fog instantly enveloped the area, shrouding everything in dense mist. Zabuza's figure disappeared into the haze.
"Ugh! It's so foggy! I can't see anything!" Alice pouted, annoyed.
The other girls, however, all turned in the same direction, their lips curving into knowing smiles.
"Pathetic trick. You think hiding your presence will keep you safe?" Saeko scoffed. She vanished into the mist.
Moments later—
"AHHH!!"
A pained scream echoed through the fog. Zabuza staggered backward, a fresh wound slashed across his chest.
"You… You can still find me? Are you a sensor-type ninja?" Zabuza gasped, disbelief written all over his face.
"I'm no ninja. I'm a swordswoman." Saeko's voice was filled with disappointment. "Everyone has a life force, an aura. No matter how thick the mist, your presence shines like a beacon in the night. Stop with these cheap tricks and fight me head-on."
Zabuza was frozen in indecision. His Hidden Mist technique had always been his greatest weapon—if it was useless here, things were bad.
"I need to retreat. This isn't worth dying over," he thought grimly, glancing at Goku's group in the distance. They were watching leisurely, as if this battle was mere entertainment.
If one of them is this strong, what about the rest?
He made his decision. Quickly forming hand seals, he launched a final attack.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
A massive water dragon surged toward Saeko.
Unfortunately, it was meaningless.
Saeko hovered mid-air, completely avoiding the attack. "Ninjutsu, huh? Fine. I'll play along."
Shequickly formed hand seals of her own. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A powerful gust of wind blasted outward, completely dispersing the mist.
"Yay! The mist is gone! Now we can watch again!" Alice cheered excitedly. But the moment she saw Zabuza fleeing, she shouted, "Saeko-neesan! He's running away! Go after him!"
"Hmph! As if he can escape. Goku already gave the kill order."
Saeko's figure blurred as she darted after Zabuza, slashing waves of chakra-infused sword energy at him.
Realizing escape was impossible, Zabuza's face twisted in anger. "Damn it… If I can't run, I'll fight to the death!"
Saeko simply smiled. "Good. Then come at me with everything you have."
A smirk flickered across Zabuza's face before he suddenly lunged at Saeko, throwing a shuriken straight at her.
"Good! Come at me!" Saeko exclaimed. She thrust her sword forward, but just as their weapons were about to clash, she suddenly shifted her stance. Using her Bukūjutsu (Flight Technique), she performed an incredible mid-air spin, her sword dancing fluidly like a butterfly weaving through a flower field.
Her rapid strikes left no room for counterattack, forcing Zabuza onto the defensive. He retreated continuously, fresh sword wounds appearing across his body.
However, despite the injuries, Zabuza remained unfazed. His sharp gaze locked onto Saeko's sword. He held back from attacking, focusing entirely on defense—her swordsmanship was too fast, too precise. He had to find a single moment of weakness to counterattack.
Then, the opening came.
Saeko suddenly thrust her sword straight toward his heart. Zabuza's eyes gleamed with opportunity. With a slight sidestep, he reached out—attempting to grab Saeko's sword barehanded.
Saeko sneered inwardly. Trying to catch her sword with his hand? Is he giving up on his fingers?
With a flick of her wrist, her blade shimmered, slicing cleanly through Zabuza's extended wrist.
But before she could celebrate, Zabuza's form suddenly liquefied—splattering onto the ground like a puddle of water.
"A Water Clone?! When did he—?" Saeko's expression changed in shock.
Just as she instinctively moved to retreat, a pair of hands shot up from the ground, grabbing her ankles tightly.
Without hesitation, she plunged her sword into the earth. The hands immediately dissolved into water and seeped away.
"Another Water Clone!" Saeko felt an ominous premonition. Without delay, she activated her Bukūjutsu, soaring into the sky.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"
From the nearby river, Zabuza's real body emerged, his hands already forming the finishing seals for his technique.
The water churned violently before surging into the air like a towering tidal wave, crashing down toward Saeko with unstoppable force.
She had barely lifted off the ground, but the water wall had already reached a height of several dozen feet, completely enclosing her. Evading was no longer an option.
"You think this will defeat me?" Saeko's voice rang out confidently.
Gripping her sword tightly with both hands, she thrust forward. A golden energy wave erupted from the blade, carving a half-meter-wide path through the raging torrent.
Without hesitation, Saeko shot through the opening at lightning speed.
On the other side, Zabuza had just completed his jutsu when—
Schlink!
Saeko's sword pierced straight through his chest.
"H-How… is this… possible?"
Zabuza's expression froze in disbelief as he collapsed.
From the moment he had chosen to flee, he had carefully set up a flawless trap—using himself as bait, luring Saeko into carelessness, and switching places with a Water Clone at the right moment. Everything had gone exactly as planned.
But he had miscalculated one thing.
His ultimate technique, the Great Waterfall Jutsu, had failed.
He never expected that Saeko could simply cut through the water and use her flight ability to close the distance instantly.
One mistake. One wrong move. And now… everything is over…
As the life faded from his eyes, Zabuza finally understood the bitter truth of the battlefield.
"Wow! Saeko-neesan won! Saeko-neesan, you're amazing!" Alice cheered, running up to hug her.
"You've improved quite a lot," the other girls also praised her.
Saeko, however, turned toward Goku, waiting for his reaction.
Goku nodded. "Not bad. But this is getting boring. The power level in this world is just too low. There are no worthy opponents. Let's head back. We can always visit again later."
"We're leaving already?" Saeko and the others exchanged glances before nodding in agreement. "That's fine. This world is interesting, but it's too cruel. We don't really like it that much."
"What do you mean, 'this world'? What do you mean, 'leaving'?"
Mikoto and Kushina looked confused. Even Karin and Haku were puzzled.
Saeko smiled and explained, "Actually, we aren't from this world. We come from a different dimension, and Goku has the ability to travel freely between them…"
Not long after, once everyone understood the truth, Goku spoke up.
"Alright, now that everything's settled, it's time. Everyone, enter the World Ring. We're heading back."
"But… what about Naruto?" Kushina hesitated, reluctant to leave.
Mikoto also seemed torn about parting with her two sons.
Goku reassured them. "Relax. It's not like we won't be back."
After some comforting words, he stored everyone inside the World Ring.
Then, he raised his hand, summoning a swirling portal of rainbow-colored energy—the Dimensional Gate.
Without hesitation, he stepped through.
The portal closed behind him.
---
On a desolate planet, within a dark, lonely room, a man sat in silence.
His fists were clenched tightly, veins bulging as his entire body trembled with suppressed rage. His breathing was heavy, and a terrifyingly violent aura emanated from him, as if a wild beast was on the verge of breaking free.
"Ka… Ka… Ka… rott…"
The man kept muttering the same name under his breath.
His energy flared wildly, his eyes brimming with pure hatred.
"Ka… karott!!"
Suddenly, he roared toward the sky, his power exploding outward in a storm.
His body radiated a terrifying pressure with green aura around him.
He had transformed—into a Super Saiyan.
This man…
Was none other than the legendary Super Saiyan—Broly!