"Didn't Korin tell you anything before you came?"
Unlike the sinister and malevolent Demon King Piccolo, the God of Earth—though serious—radiated a far gentler aura. Seeing that everyone was still wary of him, he didn't grow angry. Instead, he merely shook his head with a helpless smile and muttered, "That lazy cat…"
At that very moment, in Korin's Tower, the white cat sage sneezed while roasting a fish.
"Hm… I feel like I forgot something…" he murmured.
"Can't remember… must not be important, meow."
And with that, he happily went back to his grilled fish.
"Long ago… Piccolo and I were one and the same."
As the God of Earth began to speak, he revealed a secret buried for hundreds of years.
God and Piccolo had once been a single being. Upon learning of the existence of the Heavenly Temple, that person had come to seek the title of God. Coincidentally, the previous God was nearing the end of his life. Yet, when he looked into the heart of the would-be successor, he saw a trace of evil—so he refused to pass on the title.
Thus, that person split himself in two.
The good half became the new God of Earth.
The evil half became the Demon King Piccolo.
It sounded a lot like something out of The Legend of the Evil Sword Immortal—both Piccolo and the Evil Sword Immortal were incarnations of their host's dark side, and both were far stronger than their original selves.
According to the lore, Piccolo's power level was around 260–280, while God's was only a meager 220.
And yet, that "mere 220" God had once easily defeated Goku, who had slain the Demon King.
"God and demon were once one…"
After hearing his story, everyone finally understood the connection between the two—and why they looked so much alike.
"Since you've passed the test," said God, "then stay here and train."
As for the others, he didn't say it outright, but his meaning was clear enough—
one fighter capable of defeating Piccolo would be sufficient.
But Naruto wasn't about to let that slide.
He'd gone through all the trouble of bringing the Dragon Ball warriors here for training; if only one of them got to stay, then all his efforts would have been in vain!
"Come on, God," Naruto said with a grin. "Teaching one is teaching, teaching two is still teaching—so what's the harm in teaching a whole group?"
He gestured to the gathered warriors.
"These are Earth's finest martial artists. We've all come here to prepare for that dangerous monster Piccolo. So let's all train together."
And before God could refuse, Naruto leaned in and whispered by his ear,
"You like observing the mortal world, don't you? Then you must've noticed there's… something different about me."
God's favorite pastime was indeed watching the world below. Perhaps it was his divine nature, but even beings as elusive as Cell couldn't escape his perception—Naruto certainly didn't think himself stronger than that.
So it was only natural that God would have sensed something about him, though perhaps not everything.
"I won't be staying here forever," Naruto added. "Sooner or later, I'll leave. So…"
Whether true or not didn't matter—saying it was what counted.
"Teach them well. Maybe one day, the Earth's future will depend on them."
He paused, then said meaningfully,
"Besides, Piccolo's emergence—and the suffering of Earth's people—isn't entirely unrelated to you, is it?
You should take responsibility… and teach them.
You wouldn't want to see the world destroyed, right?"
Under Naruto's relentless persuasion, God could only sigh and nod.
"…Very well."
One Month Later
Within the temple, Goku and Mr. Popo were engaged in fierce combat.
Where before Goku could barely last a few exchanges against Popo, he now managed to hold his own.
As expected of the God of Earth—within just one month, the Dragon Ball warriors' strength had soared. With Popo as their sparring partner, their power levels had skyrocketed.
Of course, part of that came from their own prodigious talent.
In the original timeline, with just one year of training under God before Vegeta's arrival, warriors like Krillin—whose power had been barely 177–250—had reached levels of 1700–2000.
Though this wasn't quite as exaggerated, the results were still astonishing.
Among them, Goku showed the most improvement—his power level had risen by at least 100 points. Next came Tien, then Yamcha, Krillin, and Master Roshi.
Goku's rapid progress was thanks not only to God's guidance but also to Naruto—who had snuck back to Karin's Tower to "borrow" a few Senzu Beans.
Beat Goku half to death, feed him a bean, and watch his strength soar—it was enough to make Naruto drool with envy.
"Excellent… truly excellent," God said, watching Goku spar with Popo. "A remarkable student indeed."
Then his gaze swept over the others.
"To think they could grow this much in only a month—their foundations are far sturdier than I expected."
"How about it, God?" Naruto stood beside him, arms crossed, not participating in the training. "The warriors I handpicked aren't bad, right?"
God nodded approvingly.
"With these young martial artists, Piccolo will hardly be able to stir up any more trouble."
But the one who had grown most in this month wasn't Goku—it was Naruto.
Though Goku's combat power had skyrocketed, Naruto's progress was far more profound.
A month may not seem long, yet with his innate affinity for ki, Naruto had learned an incredible amount from God.
He even picked up techniques from Roshi and Tien in his spare time.
Back in the world of shinobi, where natural energy was scarce, it had only taken him a few days to perceive the flow of ki.
Here, surrounded by masters, his comprehension advanced at an astonishing rate.
Many of the questions Kakarot couldn't answer were now clear to him, thanks to God and Roshi's teachings.
God turned toward Naruto with a trace of regret.
"You truly don't wish to inherit my position? Think about it once more."
It was the tenth time he had asked in a month.
After witnessing Naruto's talent firsthand, God had wanted him to succeed him as the new God of Earth.
"No," Naruto replied, shaking his head. "My ambitions lie elsewhere. I seek to reach even higher realms."
He really wasn't suited for the role of God.
God sighed. "Your strength has already far surpassed my own. At this point, there is nothing more I can teach you."
"What will you do next? With your power, you've become an invincible being in this world."
Naruto blinked. "…Please don't go around setting up deadly flags like that."
"You're already invincible."
That was one of the most dangerous lines you could say—it ranked right up there with "After this, I'll retire and get married."
No one who said it ever lived long afterward.
"Actually, God," Naruto said with a grin, "there's still one more thing you can teach me."
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