In the days that followed, Little Piccolo began training under Naruto.
Naruto's teaching style was similar to Kakarot's—practical, hands-on, and rooted in actual combat.
Each session left Little Piccolo utterly exhausted, yet his power grew at a staggering pace—so fast it could be said he was "a new person every day."
Truly, this was proof of the Namekians' extraordinary potential.
In less than ten days, he had reached a level of strength that an ordinary Earthling could never hope to achieve in a lifetime.
Of course, Naruto didn't just train him in fighting. In his spare time, he also taught Little Piccolo some basic knowledge about living in human society—things like money, and the law.
Training wasn't only about building physical strength.
Broadening one's horizons and cultivating one's mind were just as essential.
Focusing solely on power, Naruto said, was like a cultivator who trains only in magic but ignores spiritual enlightenment—putting the cart before the horse.
Fortunately, Earth in the Dragon Ball world was full of all kinds of bizarre beings: beast-men, werewolves, vampires, invisible people, even demons. With so many non-human and half-human creatures around, ordinary people were long past being surprised.
Little Piccolo's green skin didn't stand out too much.
As long as he covered his head, people might just think he looked a bit pale.
After all, he had a nose and eyes—far more normal than some Earthlings who had three eyes or no nose at all.
And since Piccolo (his father) had never regained his youth and gone on a rampage as in the original story—no world conquest, no televised destruction of cities—hardly anyone on Earth even knew what he looked like.
So Naruto traveling with Little Piccolo didn't draw much attention.
After a few visits to the city, though, Little Piccolo declared that he disliked its dirty, suffocating air.
He preferred the clean breeze of forests and highlands.
That was understandable—Namekians were more like plants than animals.
They didn't need food; only water.
They could absorb sunlight directly, converting light energy into the nourishment their bodies required—a kind of photosynthesis.
"Stay right here and don't move," Naruto said one day. "I'll go buy you some oranges."
"Mm!" Little Piccolo nodded hard.
He could survive on sunlight and water alone, but if he could enjoy good food, why not?
He didn't like meat—fruits were his favorite, especially oranges.
Just thinking of those sweet oranges made his mouth water.
But then, as a family of three walked past, his attention was drawn to them.
"Papa, I got a hundred on my test! I want that one!" the little boy shouted, tugging at his father's sleeve and pointing at a nearby shop.
They were selling something that looked like fluffy clouds. Little Piccolo knew what it was—cotton candy.
Sickeningly sweet.
He didn't like it at all.
"Alright, alright, I'll get you one," the father said, laughing as he took out his wallet and bought it.
The boy grabbed the cotton candy and took a huge bite—chomp!
His mouth was instantly full of sugar crystals, and a third of the treat vanished in an instant.
"You're spoiling him again," the mother said with a mock scolding tone, then turned to the boy. "Eat too much and you'll get cavities."
Though her words were sharp, her eyes were full of warmth and tenderness as she looked at her husband and son.
"What's wrong with that? My son got a perfect score! As expected of my boy!" the father laughed proudly, lifting his son onto his shoulders so he could ride on his neck.
Watching the family walk away, Little Piccolo lowered his head slightly. A faint trace of envy flickered in his eyes—but it vanished just as quickly.
In a voice only he could hear, he murmured,
"So… that's what a family is?"
He didn't really know what "family" meant, or what it felt like—he'd never had one.
He didn't know what a mother was, either. Namekians reproduced asexually, by laying eggs.
His father, Piccolo, had never shown him anything like paternal love.
The only things he ever taught were conquer the world, conquer the world, and conquer the world again.
As if conquering the world mattered more than him.
He didn't understand love.
He didn't understand family.
But then again—even Piccolo didn't.
At that moment, he felt a sudden weight on his head.
Something—not too heavy—landed on top of him, followed by the sweet, citrus scent of oranges.
"What are you standing there for, spacing out?" Naruto said, shaking the bag in his hand before lifting it from the boy's head.
Then, from the bag of oranges, Naruto pulled out an ice pop.
It was the kind with two sticks fused together—a fruity flavor, the kind Naruto liked best.
With a small twist, he broke it cleanly in half. One piece he put in his own mouth, the other he handed to Little Piccolo.
"Here, eat."
"Hmph. Don't think you can win me over that easily," Little Piccolo said disdainfully, but his hands betrayed him—he snatched the ice pop and eagerly began to suck on it.
Slurp, slurp, slurp.
"Sweet?" Naruto asked with a grin.
"Sweet," Little Piccolo replied reflexively.
Then, realizing what he'd said, he gave a small annoyed huff and went silent again, the only sound the soft slurp, slurp of melting ice.
Maybe this… is what a family feels like.
Three months passed—not long, but not short either.
In the blink of an eye, the appointed time had arrived.
All feasts must end, and soon it was time for parting.
At first, Little Piccolo had counted the days until he could be free of Naruto.
Later, he found himself counting how many days remained until they had to part.
"The three-month term is up," Naruto said, smiling his familiar smile. "It's time to say goodbye."
In that time, Little Piccolo had grown from looking like a child of three or four to one of about seven or eight.
"You're leaving?" he asked, a flicker of reluctance passing through his eyes before he turned away.
But he didn't ask Naruto to stay—because he was Piccolo.
"Go on, go," he said gruffly. "I've already learned everything you had to teach me. There's nothing left for you to show me."
"Just wait. At the next World Martial Arts Tournament, I'll give all of you a real surprise."
"I, Piccolo, will be the strongest in the world."
Naruto chuckled softly. "I'll be watching."
As he was about to take off using the Sky-Dance Technique, Little Piccolo suddenly called out,
"Hey—what's the point of all this? Teaching the son of a Demon King?"
Naruto didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he took one last orange from the bag and placed it in the boy's hand.
"There's no real meaning to life," he said gently. "But only by living can you discover interesting things."
"Just like how you found oranges…"
"…and I found you."
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