Two months later
Mount Crane, Crane School Dojo.
Two boys of similar height were sparring.
One of them was very handsome, with long, flowing hair—this was Yamcha. His opponent had a decent appearance as well, but his gloomy expression made him seem less appealing. He was completely bald with a shiny scalp, and most notably, he had a third eye on his forehead.
This bald boy had three eyes.
Since ancient times, bald heads have been extraordinary. The strength of this three-eyed bald boy was equally remarkable, matching Yamcha's evenly and displaying extremely fierce techniques.
Their movements were incredibly fast. To the average person, only faint afterimages were visible. The constant sound of collisions in the air highlighted the intensity of their battle.
Every time a clash occurred, the figures of the two boys could be briefly seen.
Master Crane sat calmly to the side. Beside him stood a short child, who occasionally sipped tea and offered critiques of the fight.
"Lift your left hand a bit higher, lower your right leg slightly. Punch harder with the right fist, and reserve some force when striking with the left." These were the kinds of pointers he gave.
With his sharp eyesight, he could easily track both fighters.
Their techniques were exclusive hand-to-hand combat styles from the Crane School. Though they were just basic punches and kicks, they had been honed to a level that regular martial artists on Earth could only dream of reaching in a lifetime.
In the Dragon Ball world, having a legacy or not made a massive difference.
Just like how, during the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, the beastman with thirty levels of martial arts was toyed with by the undercover Master Shen's disciple, Cheng Long.
The bald boy made a slight mistake, and Yamcha seized the opportunity—he struck fiercely at the boy's chest. The bald boy quickly tried to block, but the long-haired Yamcha turned his palm into a fist and landed a solid punch on the boy's face, sending him flying.
"Tien Shinhan!" The little kid beside Master Crane screamed as the bald boy was injured, ignoring the fact that Master Crane was right next to him.
This little boy had a bizarre appearance. He wore a black skullcap, a blue-green robe emblazoned with the Crane School emblem, and had unnaturally red blush marks on both cheeks. His face looked like it was covered in thick makeup, pale and ghostly.
He looked like a paper figure displayed in a traditional funeral goods shop.
With his big, unfocused eyes, encountering him at night would be terrifying.
"This isn't enough to hurt me. Don't worry, Chiaotzu." The boy called Tien Shinhan wiped the spot where he had been hit, his expression growing darker.
Chiaotzu and Tien Shinhan were the only two officially accepted disciples of Master Crane.
One had to admit, having a great master versus learning on your own made a huge difference. In just two short months, they had progressed more than Yamcha had in over a year of solo training.
Even the constant stream of martial arts challengers at the Fire Mountain branch of the Red Ribbon Army didn't push Yamcha's progress as much as Master Crane's simple guidance.
He was truly one of the top martial arts masters in the world.
Even though Master Crane appears as a villain in Dragon Ball and is criticized by Master Roshi as having gone astray, his actual martial arts level is very high—second only to Master Roshi. After all, both the Crane and Turtle Schools originated from Master Mutaito, and essentially, there is no real difference between them.
Tien Shinhan lightly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a flash of murderous intent in his eyes.
Suddenly, his entire body trembled. Every muscle began to vibrate. Both sides of his back bulged out, and two more arms gradually formed.
Just like Machamp from Pokémon—four arms in total.
"Four Witches Technique!"
This was currently the most powerful technique from the Crane School that Tien Shinhan had mastered.
He was getting serious now.
The addition of two extra arms didn't just enhance his attacks—it greatly increased his overall combat ability. Combined with the insight from his third eye, it was as if an extra person was fighting alongside him. Yamcha began to feel immense pressure.
Seeing he had the upper hand, Tien Shinhan's attacks grew even more ruthless. Though this was supposed to be just a friendly spar, his blows now targeted Yamcha's vital points.
At this stage, Tien Shinhan was still emulating Mercenary Tao, aspiring to become an assassin. Aside from Chiaotzu, he didn't care whether others lived or died—he truly wasn't a good person.
Of course, Yamcha, who had joined the Red Ribbon Army, didn't consider himself a good guy either.
Even though Tien Shinhan's four arms made his fierce attacks even stronger, his opponent was Yamcha.
Having traveled through multiple worlds, trained under Korin, and now receiving guidance from Master Crane, Yamcha wouldn't lose his composure just because his opponent had two extra arms.
He handled Tien Shinhan's attacks with ease. Importantly, he wasn't even using any special abilities like telekinesis. Since this was a martial arts spar, he fought strictly as a martial artist.
Most crucially, he hadn't even used his Wolf Fang Fist or Water flowing breaking Rock techniques.
He was using only the pure martial arts of the Crane School—albeit Yamcha's own personalized version.
If Tien Shinhan's strength was in being sinister and ruthless, then Yamcha's strength was in being pure, fast, precise, and lethal.
Tien Shinhan was forced to retreat step by step. Though he knew what Yamcha intended to do, he simply couldn't block it. His arms, cheeks, and chest began to bleed despite his full effort to defend.
Even though they were both thirteen years old, Tien Shinhan was still a bit too green compared to Yamcha.
"That's enough for today," Master Crane suddenly called out just as the outcome was about to be decided.
"Not bad, Yamcha. You've improved quickly." He praised Yamcha first. Even through his glasses, Yamcha could feel the satisfaction in his teacher's eyes.
"With your current level, you are now qualified to learn the secret technique of the Crane School."
"Go focus on your training. If you have any questions, come ask me."
After praising Yamcha and instructing him to continue his training, he turned to a disappointed Tien Shinhan:
"Tien Shinhan, I'm very disappointed in you. You're too impatient."
"I've told you—if you want to be an assassin, especially an excellent one, you must always remain absolutely calm."
"Being too eager for quick results will only hinder your progress."
"You've fought Yamcha over ten times and haven't won once. Don't you understand why?"
"You're still too early. Go back and continue training in Crane School martial arts for a while."
"And you, Chiaotzu—"
"…"
By then, Yamcha had already left the Crane School dojo. With Master Crane's approval, he could finally begin learning the secret technique unique to the early Crane School in Dragon Ball—
The Flying Technique (Bukujutsu)!
(End of Chapter)