Although Trunks acted hesitant on the surface, he was thrilled inside.
An alliance would benefit him in every possible way.
From everything Hit had said, it didn't sound like an act.
And after everything that had happened so far, Trunks already knew that the butterfly effect caused by his time travel had thrown everything into chaos.
This Tournament of Power was full of unexpected twists.
The fact that Zamasu had entered the tournament alone was proof enough that things weren't as simple as they seemed.
On top of that, there were the arenas even Hit couldn't observe.
Those were almost certainly hiding the biggest threats.
And Hit had even promised to teach him his unique ability.
No matter how he looked at it, this deal was all upside.
Still, Trunks couldn't let himself look too eager.
"That all sounds good, but are you really sure the people from your universe will listen to you? Tell me honestly... does Champa know about this plan?"
Hit fell silent for a moment.
"...To be honest, no. I never discussed it with Lord Champa."
"Universe 6 and Universe 7's Gods of Destruction are mortal enemies. An alliance between the two universes would never be approved."
"But I can guarantee that I'll support you in every way I can. And there's one more person who will follow your orders completely."
That immediately caught Trunks' attention. "Who?"
"The one who helped me come up with this plan," Hit said. "The prince of Universe 6's Saiyans... Sarada."
Trunks looked surprised. "...Never heard of him."
As far as he remembered, the Saiyans of Universe 6 consisted of Cabba, Kale, Caulifla, and King Sadala.
King Sadala himself had only ever been mentioned by Cabba in the original timeline. His appearance and strength had never been shown.
As for a prince named Sarada... Trunks had never heard that name before.
"That's normal," Hit said calmly. "You'll meet him soon enough."
He looked at Trunks. "So? Have you made your decision?"
At this point, there wasn't much reason left to refuse.
Trunks nodded. "Alright. We have a deal."
His gaze then shifted toward the frozen man in black standing in the distance.
Hit followed his line of sight. "I understand what you're thinking," he said calmly.
A question mark practically appeared over Trunks' head. "My thinking?"
Hit's eyes turned cold again, the emotionless aura of a professional assassin returning. "Since we're allies now... we should deal with him first. Let's eliminate the outsider before I teach you my techniques."
That wasn't what Trunks had meant at all.
He had only wanted to take advantage of the man's frozen state to finally see what he looked like beneath those black clothes.
Instead, Hit had completely misunderstood him.
"Hold on," Trunks said. "That's your idea, not mine. We'll eliminate him eventually, sure. But before that, I want to see what he actually looks like."
"And now that we're allies... shouldn't you unfreeze my subordinate first?"
He pointed toward Super Perfect Cell standing motionless behind him.
Hit merely chuckled. "Heh. If you can move freely inside my Space Prison... then you should also be able to release him yourself."
Trunks wasn't entirely convinced. Still, since Hit sounded so certain, he decided to give it a try.
He walked over to Super Perfect Cell, placed a hand on his head, and closed his eyes.
A strange light spread from his palm, glowing particles drifting down like falling snow.
Super Perfect Cell's frozen pupils trembled ever so slightly.
"Boss! What just happened?" Super Perfect Cell's familiar voice rang out, carrying a hint of urgency.
His eyes darted around in confusion. The battlefield was in ruins, with signs of fierce combat everywhere.
His gaze finally landed on the unfamiliar Hit... and the motionless man in black lying on the ground.
The moment he saw the man's miserable state, Super Perfect Cell's competitive spirit flared. "Hmph! This guy gave me plenty of trouble earlier. Let's see how cocky he is now!"
He flexed his arm, muscles bulging, and marched toward the man in black with his fist raised.
Trunks quickly stepped in front of him. "Wait. Don't rush it."
"First I want to see what he actually looks like and confirm whether my guess was right. I need to know if he's really the result of Zamasu stealing someone's body."
His tone was calm and cautious. In a situation this complicated, one reckless move could have unexpected consequences.
Super Perfect Cell reluctantly stopped, though he kept glaring at the unconscious man, looking ready to pounce the moment Trunks gave the order.
Trunks walked over and crouched beside the man in black. Slowly, he reached out and pulled back the hood.
The black veil covering the man's face slipped away as well, revealing his appearance.
It was a completely unfamiliar face.
Trunks studied it carefully. Now he was certain, this wasn't someone Zamasu had possessed.
Just as he had suspected from the beginning, this man wasn't from Universe 10. So the man in black hadn't been lying before.
As Trunks examined him more closely, he noticed another useful detail. Judging by his face, the young man was around the same age as Trunks himself.
There was still a youthful confidence and determination in his features. It matched the way he spoke, energetic, hot-blooded, and fearless.
A talented young fighter with immense strength. Someone like that acting arrogant and saying outrageous things wasn't unusual at all.
Trunks continued searching his body for clues until his eyes stopped at the man's waist. Beneath the black clothing, something thick was wrapped around it.
After taking a closer look, Trunks' eyes widened.
A tail. It was a Saiyan's tail.
"So he's a Saiyan... Hit! Come over here!" Trunks immediately called out.
Hit flashed over in an instant, moving like a ghost. "What is it?"
Trunks pointed at the unconscious man. "Is this guy one of Universe 6's Saiyans?"
Hit looked him over before shaking his head. "I don't know. I'm only close with Sarada. I don't know the other Saiyans very well."
"If we want to be certain, we'll have to meet up with Sarada."
Super Perfect Cell, who had been listening nearby, was just as surprised. "Oh? So this guy's actually a Saiyan." He scratched his head. "Didn't see that coming."
Then he looked at Trunks. "Boss, why don't we just wake him up and make him tell us which universe he's from?"
Trunks shook his head. "This guy is dangerous. Didn't you notice? When he fought you, he kept getting stronger as the battle went on. And that was without even transforming into a Super Saiyan."
"If we don't deal with him now, and he recovers... he could become a much bigger problem. I'd rather not take that risk."
"We eliminate him first."
His decision was firm.
Without another word, Trunks bent down, preparing to throw the man in black off the arena and remove the threat once and for all.
At that very moment...
The black-clad Saiyan's eyelids twitched.
(End Of This Chapter)
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