Dragon Ball Roshi-Chapter 163 - : Indifference and Love

Hathaway was fully aware of the kind of person her husband was.

A man who had lived for over a hundred years, practically a deity in human form. But it wasn't just his longevity that was astonishing. At nearly two hundred years old, he still looked like a young man in his late twenties or early thirties. To put it bluntly, he was a monster — an old monster.

Visit freewebnoveℓ.com for the best novel reading exp𝒆rience.

But this was the path Hathaway had chosen. She was a rational person, always clear-headed about her decisions. From the very beginning, she had followed her heart.

She also understood what kind of person she was: ordinary.

Life itself is inherently a mix of possibilities. It might be extraordinary, or it might be mundane. But when the journey ends, what remains is satisfaction or regret, depending on one's choices. Hathaway wanted to believe — and she did believe — that she would feel fulfilled, without regrets, because she had always acted in accordance with her heart. No matter the outcome, she wouldn't look back with remorse.

Hathaway knew that she was likely just a fleeting presence in her husband's long life.

This man... how should one describe him? Ever since she was three years old, Hathaway had been observing the look in his eyes, hidden behind paintings or texts. It was a gaze imbued with a coldness and detachment he might not even be aware of, yet paradoxically tinged with a compassion for all living things.

These conflicting emotions were like black-and-white and colorful paints spilled together, blending into something that disrupted Hathaway's childhood, stayed with her as she grew up, and culminated in a wish at seventeen — to see the person behind those eyes. By the time she turned twenty, she was completely captivated.

After listening to her husband's life story, Hathaway became even more certain of what she had always seen in his gaze. Since childhood, she had a gift for discerning the good or bad intentions of others at a glance. But never before had she looked into someone's eyes like Taro's, where it felt as though she could see straight into his soul.

What she saw was a heart full of wounds, scars, and scabs. And more than that, there seemed to be an intangible ghost that occasionally emerged, tearing open those scabs, stepping on the wounds, and laughing maniacally at the pus and blood. Laughing and crying all at once.

"Someone capable of killing their loved ones and closest friends with their own hands could never be normal. Whether it was an active choice or not, the moment they acted, they were already broken. "

This was written in The Uchiha Sinners 6, in a Chapter recounting Uchiha Itachi's past.

When Hathaway first read that line, she was struck by the certainty that the author wasn't just describing the fictional Itachi. They were expressing their own emotions. Behind those words, Hathaway could once again see that gaze, where coldness and pain intertwined.

---

This was why Hathaway refused to stay behind.

The duration of this training was unknown. There was a very real possibility that she could grow old and die before Taro emerged. If she stayed on Earth, she wouldn't even know whether he had returned. She couldn't contact the Kai or the Grand Kai, nor did she have the ability to travel from Earth to the Otherworld or to the Grand Kai's planet.

The thought unsettled Hathaway deeply. She had to be on the Grand Kai's planet — to wait there until Taro returned.

Taro watched in silence as Hathaway moved equipment out of their home: a wide-screen monitor and a composite computer tower about half the size of a refrigerator. Taro used telekinesis to help lift it. Given Hathaway's capabilities, the computer's size was intentional — it contained a miniature energy conversion device inside.

A one-way device that converts ki into electrical energy.

Considering that Dr. Gero was capable of creating Androids 17 and 18, complete with infinite energy cores, it wasn't surprising that Hathaway — armed with Taro's assistance and data — managed to develop such a device. When Hathaway first moved to the island, she discovered there was no electricity, which frustrated her immensely. She ended up dragging Taro to West City for two months. After building the device, they returned to the island.

Taro sighed. "If you stay on the Grand Kai's planet alone... how will you handle meals?"

"I'll figure it out," Hathaway replied calmly, gazing into his eyes. "Don't try to convince me otherwise. You know as well as I do — after all these years of marriage..."

"Alright, alright, I get it." Taro embraced his wife. Hathaway was tall, and his chin barely reached her earlobe. He bent slightly and lightly kissed the delicate, porcelain-like curve of her ear. In a low voice, he murmured once more, "I understand."

Hathaway wrapped her arms tightly around him in return.

A minute later, with their equipment in tow, they vanished from Earth.

---

The Corridor of Time

Taro arrived at the Grand Kai's planet, where the Grand Kai was waiting patiently outside a room at the end of the corridor. The moment Taro appeared, the Grand Kai turned his gaze toward him.

"Apologies for being late," Taro said.

The Grand Kai chuckled, stroking his thick white beard. His sunglasses glinted for a moment, oddly enough, in the dim corridor light. "Heh... I'll make sure someone delivers mortal food regularly. Don't worry about that."

Taro was momentarily taken aback before realizing the Grand Kai must have known about Hathaway's decision to stay. Gratitude welled up within him, and he bowed slightly. "Taro... thanks the Grand Kai for his kindness."

The Grand Kai waved it off. "No need for all that formal nonsense. Just get in there." He pointed to the half-open door on the wall beside him. "Whether you succeed or fail depends on this. I may not have mentioned it before, but mortals can only enter the Supreme Kai's training chamber once in their lifetime. Even I don't know what's inside or what you'll encounter. If the Supreme Kai left anything behind before vanishing, it's beyond my knowledge."

His tone grew serious as he looked Taro in the eye. "I have high hopes for you. You've got the potential... so make the most of this opportunity."

Taro stood silently as countless images flashed through his mind: years of arduous training in the Dragon Ball world, the black-and-white manga depictions of Son Goku, Krillin, and the others. Finally, his gaze steadied, and he nodded firmly. "I'll take this seriously."

With that, he stepped forward, crossing the threshold into the chamber and vanishing into its soft white glow.

---

The North Kai observed Hathaway on the Grand Kai's planet, busy connecting the fully charged energy core to her monitor and mainframe. She plugged in a portable storage device and resumed her work. Shaking his head slightly, the North Kai recalled a conversation he'd had with Taro through telepathic communication:

"Lord Kai, I have a favor to ask..."

"Speak, though you always have something up your sleeve!"

"In the coming days, I'll be entering the training area prepared by the Grand Kai. The duration is uncertain..."

"And if, during that time, my wife — Hathaway — reaches the end of her natural lifespan before I return... I'd like to ask you to bring her spirit here."

"That's a simple matter. Even restoring her form wouldn't be too hard. But why not just use the Dragon Balls to wish for her immortality?"

"Wishing for something like that wouldn't end well."

"True... wishing for immortality out of personal desire often leads to misfortune. Funny enough, it seems even the Namekians have never wished for something so extreme!"

"No... actually, they may have wished for it once, and as a result... Namek came perilously close to destruction." (Taro left unspoken: So their planet ultimately couldn't escape its fate of ruin. )

"Fair enough. Still, isn't this just training? Does it really have to be this dramatic? Though, I suppose being cautious never hurts. Ha! You care for her deeply, don't you?"

"...Lord Kai, I'm counting on you."