Five hundred years before Genjo Sanzo's journey west, a golden-eyed child later named Goku is dragged into Heaven and placed under the reluctant care of the minor god Konzen Douji. Goku grows up alongside the soldier-gods Tenpou Gensui and Kenren Taishou, forming a found family that draws the attention of the troubled war-prince Nataku, even as political factions in Heaven look for ways to use the three men for their own ends. Kazuya Minekura's prequel manga follows their friendship as Heaven's politics close in around them, laying the groundwork for the Saiyuki story to come.