Under Yuujin's watchful gaze, the Turtle Hermit picked up a stone from the ground and wrote the word "Turtle" on it with a pen.
Gathering all his strength, the Turtle Hermit threw the stone out.
Though he appeared to be a frail old man, the Turtle Hermit's strength was extraordinary. The small stone flew like a meteor, piercing through the clouds and disappearing from sight.
"Kid, if you can retrieve the stone I just threw within three days, I will teach you the martial arts of the Turtle School."
Clapping his hands, the Turtle Hermit said.
"Finding the stone, huh..."
Yuujin recalled that in the original story, the Turtle Hermit tested Goku and Krillin in a similar way. But that time, he had only thrown the stone into the forest near a small island, so it wasn't too difficult to find with a little effort. This time, however, the Turtle Hermit had thrown the stone so far that it was uncertain whether it had landed in the sea or in a forest along the shore. Finding it seemed as hard as finding a needle in a haystack.
Nevertheless, Yuujin wasn't about to give up!
"I understand."
"Master, please take care of Goku during these next few days. I promise I will find the stone within three days."
Whether or not this young man could retrieve the stone in the given time, the composure he showed was impressive. The Turtle Hermit nodded in approval.
"Go ahead and find the stone. I'll take good care of this little girl for you."
After instructing the young girl, Goku, to stay put and behave, and telling her that he would return in a couple of days, Yuujin jumped into the sea without any hesitation.
"Oh my, what a strong-willed young man," said the Turtle Hermit.
"Can he really find the stone? I'm quite curious."
"Ohohoho..."
After leaving Turtle Hermit Island, Yuujin swam across the strait and returned to the shore.
Based on the angle, direction, and force with which the Turtle Hermit had thrown the stone, Yuujin calculated that it should have landed in this area.
If it had fallen into the forest along the shore, that would be fine. But if it had fallen into the sea, that would be a real headache.
"Let's hope it didn't fall into the sea..."
Sighing, Yuujin began searching the forest.
Soon enough, three days passed...
"Hey, little girl, don't pull my beard!"
"Ouch, ouch, ouch..."
After a struggle, the Turtle Hermit finally pried the little girl Goku off his beard.
"Yiya yiya..."
Seeming to find it amusing, Goku reached out to grab again, but the startled Turtle Hermit quickly dodged.
If this mischievous little girl kept pulling, his beautiful beard would soon be plucked clean.
"Turtle Hermit, you should be gentler with children."
"Me, be gentler? She's the one who should be gentler with me!"
"This little girl is so full of energy! If this keeps up, I feel like my life is going to be shortened."
"Does it really matter? You've lived for hundreds of years already. Maybe it's time for you to go."
"You damn sea turtle, what nonsense are you talking about? I haven't lived enough yet! I'm going to live much longer than you!"
"...."
While the Turtle Hermit and the sea turtle bickered, Goku crawled under the fridge and pulled out a watermelon from inside. She started munching on it with great enthusiasm.
The Turtle Hermit and the sea turtle exchanged helpless glances.
The Turtle Hermit wasn't wrong. This little girl was just too energetic. She spent her time either pulling the Turtle Hermit's beard or playing with the sea turtle's shell, never resting for a moment.
If that weren't enough, her appetite was enormous. Despite her small size, she ate more than the Turtle Hermit and the sea turtle combined at each meal. If this kept up, their food supply would soon be devoured by her alone.
"Master, I'm back."
Yuujin's voice suddenly rang out from outside, and the Turtle Hermit quickly opened the door.
"Kid, you've finally returned!"
Seeing the Turtle Hermit so excited, Yuujin was a bit surprised. But when he saw Goku nearby, he immediately understood.
"Goku, come here."
"Yiya yiya!"
Upon seeing Yuujin, Goku's face lit up with joy, and she quickly crawled over to cling to him.
"Master, thank you for taking care of her these past few days."
"Ah, no trouble at all..."
The Turtle Hermit politely waved it off, though in his heart he was thinking, "Please, just take this little girl away already!"
"Kid, did you find the stone? If you didn't, I won't accept you as my disciple."
The Turtle Hermit then turned to the matter at hand.
"Mission accomplished."
With a faint smile, Yuujin pulled out the stone engraved with the word "Turtle" and handed it to the Turtle Hermit.
After searching tirelessly for three days and nights, Yuujin had finally found it in a thicket.
Taking the stone, the Turtle Hermit examined it carefully, then nodded in approval.
"Yes, this is indeed the stone I threw. It seems you've put in a lot of effort to find it, and you're also fated to join my Turtle School."
"Kid, your name is Yuujin, right? Since you've found the stone, from now on, you are my disciple."
Hearing the Turtle Hermit's words, Yuujin couldn't help but beam with joy.
"Thank you, Master!"
However, recalling something, Yuujin cautiously asked, "Master, are you really accepting me as your disciple without any other tests? You don't need me to find pretty girls or, um, girls' panties?"
"You brat, do you want to be kicked out of my school already?!"
"As martial artists, how could we entertain such perverse thoughts? That's absolutely forbidden, absolutely!"
The Turtle Hermit smacked Yuujin on the head with his staff in anger.
Dazed, Yuujin couldn't believe what he had just heard.
Wasn't the Turtle Hermit supposed to be a lecher? In the original story, didn't he tell Goku and Krillin to find pretty girls so he could look at their panties? How could he now be so righteous and indignant about it?
This doesn't make sense. Did I meet a fake Turtle Hermit?
Though still confused, Yuujin didn't want to risk being expelled after finally passing the Turtle Hermit's test. He quickly expressed his sincere remorse, assuring that he had no improper intentions whatsoever.
Well, even if he did, that would be for the future. What's the point of talking about conquering Earth, the universe, or building a massive harem without first gaining the necessary strength?
"Hmm, I'll forgive you this time, but don't let it happen again."
"Take a good rest today. Starting tomorrow, I will officially begin your training."
"Oh, and keep an eye on this little girl. Don't let her pull my beard again."
"Yes, Master!"
To be continued...
Author Notes: The Turtle Hermit was likely still pure-hearted in his younger days, as evidenced by his ability to ride the Flying Nimbus. The original story never explained exactly when he became a pervert, but there is a scene in Dragon Ball where Goku and Bulma return a sea turtle, and the Turtle Hermit asks to see Bulma's panties in exchange for a Dragon Ball. Even the sea turtle was shocked. So, it's possible that the Turtle Hermit became a lecher the year the sea turtle got lost, or perhaps he had always been secretly perverse, but that year he gave up pretending. Considering the current timeline, we'll portray the Turtle Hermit as still in his covert-pervert phase.