Naruto's true body wasn't even present at the World Martial Arts Tournament grounds.
He was far away—in the Gravity Chamber of West City—training under two hundred times normal gravity.
Shock.
Everyone capable of sensing ki was frozen in disbelief at what they'd just witnessed.
A clone with a power level of 7,000.
At a time when most fighters barely reached a thousand, Naruto's shadow clone wasn't just strong—it existed on an entirely different plane of power.
It was like witnessing a god descend to Earth.
Even the actual Guardian of Earth, the Kami, was stunned.
"His power… it's greater than our king's?"
Even the ever-loyal Rai wu and the demon warrior, who had unshakable faith in Piccolo, could not hide their unease as they sensed Naruto's ki.
"Hahaha!"
To their surprise, Piccolo suddenly broke into hearty laughter, completely shedding his usual cold composure. He pointed at Naruto several times in excitement.
"As expected of you! Truly as expected!"
"I thought your strength was only about double mine, but you've been hiding this much power all along!"
He grinned, his tone sharp yet amused.
"Then again… if I could surpass you in only two years, I'd be worried that life would become too boring."
Among the crowd, however, most spectators were simply thrilled by the spectacle. They couldn't tell who was truly stronger or weaker—everything just looked flashy and exciting to them.
They're strong, they thought.
And then what?
Nothing more.
Ignorance, sometimes, really was bliss.
If ordinary people knew the true extent of the fighters' powers, panic would follow.
After all, everyone dreamed of being superhuman—but no one wanted to live in a world where a single breath could annihilate them.
After his display, Naruto exhaled softly and withdrew his overwhelming aura, suppressing his ki back down to about 500.
His calm voice echoed in the minds of the fighters around him:
"If you think this level of power is enough to be considered strong, you're gravely mistaken.
In this universe, there are many beings whose power levels exceed 10,000."
"W-what?! There are beings even stronger than this?" Krillin thought, visibly shaken.
Naruto raised one finger.
"A power level of ten thousand is a dividing line—a true threshold."
Ten thousand? Yamcha's face fell. My power level doesn't even reach one thousand.
Naruto continued explaining, his tone measured, almost like a teacher lecturing a class:
"Across the universe, especially among the major powers, battle strength can roughly be divided like this:
Fighters with a few hundred in power are grunts—disposable foot soldiers.
Those between one and five thousand are standard soldiers—the typical level for Frieza's regular army. (According to the Broly movie, by the later years, even finding a soldier with a thousand power level was rare.)
Between five and ten thousand lie the elite warriors, often small-unit commanders.
Back when the Saiyans still served in Frieza's forces, their squad leaders were generally at this tier.
And beyond ten thousand… are the super warriors—rarities even within the entire Frieza Force.
Frieza's personal guards, Zarbon and Dodoria, were among them."
Naruto's tone grew quiet.
"As for those with battle power in the hundreds of millions… those only appear among mutants and anomalies."
Then he smiled slightly.
"I have faith in your potential. With enough training, there's no reason you can't reach ten thousand yourselves."
"Don't let your ambitions stay bound to Earth—or even this solar system.
Set your sights far beyond… beyond this universe itself."
Naruto began to tell them about the mighty races that existed across the cosmos.
When he finished, he said lightly:
"For now, set a small goal: try to surpass me."
Goku's eyes were already sparkling with excitement.
"Enough talk!"
Before Goku could respond, Piccolo suddenly cut in, eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
"I can't hold back anymore."
"Son Goku!"
Piccolo turned toward him, his expression fierce.
"Come. Fight me."
"Let me defeat you first—then I'll surpass him."
The first "you" referred to Goku.
The second—to Naruto.
"The Demon King who rules the world?" Piccolo chuckled darkly and shook his head.
"No… I'll become the Demon King who rules the entire universe."
Then you'd better beat Frieza first, Naruto thought to himself with amusement.
Unable to resist, Goku leapt onto the arena.
The two immediately launched into a fierce exchange of blows.
In raw power, Piccolo held the advantage—his 1,500 far exceeded Goku's.
But Goku had something else: battle experience.
Piccolo might have inherited King Piccolo's memories, but those weren't truly his.
He had seen them, understood them—but they were not born of his own hands.
Their personalities, their fighting styles, were entirely different.
Still, Piccolo's combat instinct was extraordinary. As King Piccolo's essence reborn, he was a pure fighting-type Namekian. After taking a few hits, he quickly adapted to Goku's rhythm, his power and awareness growing mid-battle.
Before long, Goku found himself being pushed back.
"Son Goku, your speed is your greatest flaw."
Piccolo landed a solid punch to Goku's face, sending him skidding backward.
"If that's all you've got, you can't win."
"You're right," Goku admitted frankly. "My speed's not enough… right now."
He raised a finger. "Give me a second."
Piccolo frowned, pausing reluctantly. "You're not about to say you need a lunch break, are you?"
"Hahaha, now that you mention it, I am a little hungry."
Goku grinned, wiping his nose with one finger. His eyes suddenly sharpened.
"But warm-ups are over. Time to get serious."
Then—to everyone's surprise—he began stripping off layers of clothing.
His gi, undershirt, boots, wristbands, even his pants—
thud, thud, thud—each piece hit the ground with a heavy sound.
Piccolo narrowed his eyes. "So that's it. Weighted clothing."
Goku's ki instantly surged upward.
The deep dents each garment left on the stage floor showed just how heavy they'd been.
On Bulma's scouter, Goku's power level climbed from 1,307 to 1,780—an increase of over four hundred points, surpassing Piccolo's 1,500.
Now the tables had turned.
Piccolo could no longer keep up with Goku's speed.
"Use your full power," Goku called out after another fierce exchange. "Show me everything you've got!"
Piccolo smirked and wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth. "You noticed, huh? Fine then—you asked for it."
He too began removing his weighted cloak and turban.
When they hit the floor, the sound was even heavier than Goku's gear.
"You're not the only one wearing weights," Piccolo said seriously.
His power level spiked from 1,500 to 1,908, once again surpassing Goku's.
The two clashed once more, evenly matched in speed but with Piccolo's raw power slightly superior.
Under Naruto's guidance for three extra months of training, Piccolo had grown even stronger.
Gradually, Goku began to lose ground.
"Our king is winning!" shouted Leiwu and the demon warrior in unison.
The mummy man waved his small flags excitedly beside them.
Meanwhile, Tao Pai Pai, taking advantage of everyone's distraction, lowered his energy and tried to slip quietly out of the arena. Naruto, who noticed, didn't stop him.
He needed Goku and the others to feel pressure.
Without it, their growth would stagnate.
But raw power didn't guarantee victory. In the Dragon Ball world, actual combat strength could fluctuate dramatically.
The fight raged from daylight until dusk, the sun sinking low on the horizon.
Finally—
Piccolo let his guard down for just an instant, and Goku seized the chance.
A Kamehameha—unleashed at full power.
The energy wave's output spiked past 2,000.
But at the same moment, Piccolo fired back a Masenko, a beam of 1,900 power.
Both attacks hit home.
Both fighters fell to the ground almost simultaneously.
"Too bad, Son Goku," Piccolo muttered, forcing himself to stand. "In the end… I'm still the stronger one."
Goku tried to move but couldn't.
By tournament rules, Piccolo was declared the winner.
The announcer then asked when the final match should be held—tomorrow morning, perhaps?
Piccolo didn't even hesitate.
"I forfeit."
He had no interest in a fight he knew he couldn't win.
Better to wait—until the day he could.
"Teacher," he said, looking toward Naruto, "right now I'm no match for you. But I won't stay that way forever.
Give me time—and I'll challenge you again."
Then his gaze turned to Goku.
"You too, Son Goku. That was the most satisfying fight I've had yet.
Next time, make it even better."
He smiled faintly. "But don't expect me to be careless again."
"Until next time… human."
"Wait."
Just as Piccolo turned to leave, Mr. Shen—the one known as the Crane Hermit—stepped forward.
"Do you know who I really am?"
The real Shen lay unconscious nearby. From his body rose a shimmering spirit—
which condensed into a familiar old man.
The Kami of Earth.
"So it was you," Piccolo said, his expression mocking rather than afraid. "What's this? You think I'm weak right now and want to kill me?"
Even as he spoke, he was assessing the situation. Rai wu and the demon warrior were injured; if a fight broke out now with the Z Fighters involved, the outcome was uncertain—
especially if Naruto didn't interfere.
"I can't kill you," Kami admitted calmly, shaking his head. "So I'll use this instead."
He pulled a small urn from his robes, sealed with a paper talisman covered in kanji.
Piccolo's eyes narrowed.
"The Evil Containment Wave, huh?"
"You intend to seal me away?"
"That's right," Kami said quietly. "You're too dangerous. You must be contained."
He took a step forward—
—but before he could continue, a swirl of black smoke flooded the stage.
When it cleared, a tall, elegant man in ornate robes stood beside Piccolo.
"My lord," the newcomer said, kneeling on one knee. "Forgive me for arriving late."
It was Ashura (OC), a demon of the Dark Realm.
Goku had once encountered him while traveling the world before the 22nd Tournament—a terrifying foe who had nearly defeated him when Goku's power level was only 180.
If Goku hadn't exploited Ashura's weakness to sunlight and countered with a desperate Kamehameha, he would have died that day.
Now, Ashura stood as one of Piccolo's three strongest generals.
Because sunlight caused him real, physical harm, he only appeared after sundown—just like now.
"No matter," Piccolo said with a faint smile. "You've come at the perfect time."
He turned back to Kami, eyes gleaming with challenge.
"Well, old man? Looks like the odds are in my favor."
Now, alongside Piccolo stood the elite demon warrior, Rai wu, the Mummy Man, and the Dark Realm's Ashura.
Together, they represented the most powerful evil force Earth had ever seen.
"Those who walk the right path gain allies; those who stray stand alone."
Naruto had taught Piccolo that since childhood—and so, Piccolo had gathered followers, each one among the strongest on Earth.
The title Great Demon King suited him perfectly.
"Naruto," Kami turned toward him. "You're the only one who can help me."
But Naruto only shook his head.
"For the world to move forward, it needs more than just light. Darkness is just as necessary."
"Even if you sealed Piccolo away, another one would soon rise to take his place—a second, a third.
Evil never truly disappears, just as good never does.
That's the balance of the world—the balance of humankind."
Kami fell silent.
He knew Naruto was deflecting the request with reasoned words—but there was nothing he could say to refute it.
Naruto continued:
"Besides… wouldn't it be a waste to seal away such a powerful opponent?
I'm sure Goku agrees."
"Yeah, I do," Goku said, smiling despite his exhaustion. "Piccolo's an incredible fighter. I want to face him again—and next time, I won't lose."
Kami sighed softly. It was the perfect excuse to step down.
He stared at Piccolo for a long time before finally speaking:
"Very well.
The future of this world will belong to you young martial artists.
I'll leave its protection in your hands."
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