This so-called Servant of Kami was actually far more deeply powerful than Kami himself.
Mr. Popo's official power level was 1030. Both Piccolo's 260 and Kami's 220 fell severely below this massive number. In fact, no one throughout the rest of Dragon Ball ever exceeded this exact figure, it was entirely comparable to a Frieza grunt from Dragon Ball Z.
In the anime version's later Majin Buu arc, Mr. Popo even smoothly blocked direct attacks from Goten and Trunks in their standard Super Saiyan forms.
"So you are the brave martial artists planning to actively train at Kami's Lookout? Excellent." Mr. Popo carefully examined the group and nodded slowly. "Indeed, rare talents rarely seen once in a century."
"You actually know about that?" Krillin exclaimed in surprise.
"Kami told me," Mr. Popo replied highly proudly. "Kami knows all things."
Mr. Popo then asked seriously, "Do you have the proof from Korin?"
"Is this the bell?" Tien smoothly pulled out the tiny token given by Korin, which Naruto had smoothly entrusted to him earlier.
Mr. Popo nodded slowly and took the bell from Tien's outstretched hand. "Good. You may now deeply undergo my test."
Master Roshi blinked repeatedly. "What exactly do you mean?"
Mr. Popo gently patted his chest. "Defeat me, and you shall meet Kami you heavily seek."
"Which of you would like to actively challenge me first?"
"You may also wildly come at me all together."
"Of course, if you fail, please return directly home."
"Then let me go completely first." Yamcha stepped forward boldly and quickly assumed the classic stance for his Wolf Fang Fist. "I'm the weakest among us. Let me quickly test this guy's limits for you. And of course, it would definitely be better if I actually won."
*Thud*
Yamcha didn't even catch a glimpse of Mr. Popo throwing a punch before he was violently knocked down in a single fluid move.
"So strong!"
The shocked group finally truly reacted. This highly ordinary-looking man actually possessed such completely overwhelming power.
"Let me rapidly try next." Krillin bravely stepped forward.
"Kamehameha!"
Krillin was far smarter, immediately opening with a massive energy wave to safely probe the enemy's true capabilities.
"Ahh!"
The deeply powerful energy attack was entirely swallowed by Mr. Popo in one single gulp.
*Burp.*
Krillin was instantly defeated as well.
Chiaotzu, Tien, Son Goku, even Master Roshi rapidly fell completely one after another. Like effortlessly beating up toddlers, absolutely everyone except Naruto was completely knocked down in a single casual blow.
"Your power is too weak. Korin actually mistakenly let you safely come up here. Test failed, please go completely back."
Mr. Popo then turned slowly to Naruto. "You're the last one. Will you give it a try? Or will you safely go back directly?"
Mr. Popo genuinely couldn't actively sense any particularly powerful aura from Naruto. He assumed Naruto was simply tagging heavily along for the ride.
Yamcha asked, "We came here to train. How are we supposed to do that if we can't even meet Kami?"
Krillin added on, "Are we just going to let Demon King Piccolo run wild in the lower world? Let us meet Kami."
Before Naruto could answer, the others began to protest.
Mr. Popo remained firm. "Rules are rules. To meet Kami, you must defeat me. If you cannot, the challenge is a failure. These rules have existed for millennia's."
A being with combat power exceeding 1000 guarded this place. It would be absurd if anyone from the early Dragon Ball timeline could simply pass.
Master Roshi, who rarely joined such arguments, spoke up. "But isn't protecting the world Kami's duty? With your abilities, dealing with Piccolo should be easy. Why let him run free?"
"I cannot leave Kami's side," Mr. Popo explained, "and Kami has his own difficulties."
While it sounded harsh, Mr. Popo's sole duty was to guard Kami. Whatever happened in the lower world was not his concern.
"Since you won't deal with Piccolo, then teach those who will."
"Your way of doing things is simply abetting evil," Tien said angrily.
As the argument dragged on, Naruto pointed to himself. "Um, how about I give it a try?"
"If I pass, does that mean they all pass too?"
"This may sound rude, but you cannot defeat me," Mr. Popo said seriously. "If you don't want to get hurt, please go back."
Naruto shrugged. "How do you know unless you try?"
"Very well. Since you insist, come at me." Unable to dissuade Naruto, Mr. Popo stepped forward.
Naruto transformed into a golden flash, instantly appearing before Mr. Popo.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
Naruto didn't use Turtle School martial arts this time. Instead, he chose the Strong Fist from Konoha-style Taijutsu.
His movements were swift, but Mr. Popo only considered them decent. Just as he had done against the others, Mr. Popo extended his right hand to catch Naruto's leg.
The moment his palm touched Naruto's leg, he sensed something was wrong. The force was far greater than he imagined, much greater. Mr. Popo tried to react, but it was too late.
The instant Naruto made contact, he spiked his attack power.
If someone had a scouter, they would have seen Naruto's power surge from 160 to 1100.
It was just enough to surpass Mr. Popo without completely overwhelming him.
*Bam*
With a single strike, Naruto kicked Mr. Popo flying.
"That's... incredible," Krillin and Yamcha exclaimed.
Tien sighed. "Is this Naruto's true strength?"
They knew Naruto was strong, but they never imagined him this powerful. Mr. Popo, whom several of them combined couldn't even scratch, had been sent flying with one blow.
Goku said excitedly, "He's that strong?!"
Of everyone present, Goku was the happiest. He had been dreaming of fighting strong people.
The Saiyan bloodline was no joke, that fighting spirit was relentless.
"Mr. Popo, sensing Ki isn't something only you can do." After landing his hit, Naruto didn't press the advantage. He stood in place and waited.
"I see. You can do that too?" Mr. Popo performed a kip-up and stood. "You were suppressing your Ki, which made me think your strength was similar to theirs. In reality, you are the strongest among them."
"It seems I'll have to get serious."
As Mr. Popo spoke, he vanished, charging toward Naruto at extreme speed. Every movement remained within Naruto's perception, just as Naruto's every move was visible to Mr. Popo.
This is how martial artists who can sense ki fight, I can sense your movements, and you can sense mine.
"This time, it's Uchiha Style Taijutsu!"
Naruto switched styles, shifting from Konoha-style Strong Fist to Uchiha Style Taijutsu.
After spending so much time with the Uchiha Clan, Naruto was more familiar with their ninjutsu, taijutsu, and secret techniques than some actual clan members.
He unleashed a fluid sequence of techniques against Mr. Popo. Compared to Strong Fist, this style traded raw power for grace. It felt less like a fight and more like a butterfly drifting through a garden, every movement filled with beauty.
That was the defining characteristic of Uchiha Style Taijutsu.
Perhaps it was the novelty of the opponent, but Mr. Popo found himself beaten back step after step.
Unlike the martial arts styles of the Dragon Ball-verse, the taijutsu of the Ninja World was designed for killing. While the techniques lacked elegance, every strike targeted vital points to inflict maximum damage at minimum cost.
Naruto could train normally under ten times gravity. His combat power was naturally higher than Mr. Popo's.
Had he not just arrived in the Dragon Ball-verse, Naruto would bet that with this world's abundant Ki and Natural Energy, he could double his strength within a few months.
"Amazing..." Krillin and Yamcha watched, eyes barely keeping up, reduced to cheering in awe like complete beginners.
"Alright, enough. Stop there."
Just as Naruto prepared to take down Mr. Popo, a voice rang out, heavy with authority.
"You've passed the test."
At the entrance to the grand building at the Lookout's center, a figure in dark green walked forward.
"Young man."
'So that's the Kami of Earth?' Master Roshi thought, barely containing his excitement. His life had been full of extraordinary experiences. But he had never met Earth's Kami.
This was a god residing at the very pinnacle of the world.
An elderly man with green skin, leaning on a cane, slowly walked out. He wore a white robe with a large character for "Kami" on his chest.
Master Roshi's eyes went wide. His old face was full of shock as he pointed at the Kami and shouted: "Demon King Piccolo?!"
That face, though centuries had changed it, was unmistakable. Even if it were burned to ashes, Master Roshi would recognize it.
Master Roshi's word was credible.
What was happening? Was Demon King Piccolo actually Earth's Kami?
The martial artists stiffened. They had not expected to walk straight into the enemy's base.
The group instantly shifted into combat stances, watching the Kami and Mr. Popo with wary eyes.
The Kami spoke calmly. "There's no need to be tense. I'm not him."
"Didn't Korin tell you when you arrived?"
Unlike the malicious Piccolo, Kami's expression was stern, but his ki felt gentle. Seeing the group watching him warily, Kami didn't grow angry, he simply shook his head. "That lazy cat," he sighed.
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