"Don't jump without a purpose. In the air, you can't dodge."
Yamcha flew upward, launching a kick at Naruto. Naruto deflected it easily and countered with a brutal punch to Yamcha's side that nearly knocked the wind out of him.
"I was saving this surprise for Goku," Yamcha panted. He steadied his breathing, shifting into a classic Ki gathering stance.
"Kamehameha!"
A wave of blue Ki erupted from Yamcha's palms.
"Good momentum, but unfortunately," Naruto shook his head. "Relying on a technique you haven't fully learned because you're desperate is a poor choice."
Naruto didn't dodge the incoming wave. He didn't even flinch. He simply stood his ground.
"Watch out!" the crowd screamed.
Even the two strongest fighters, Goku and Tien, couldn't afford to be that careless.
*Boom!*
The Ki wave slammed into Naruto. The resulting blast forced the spectators to squint against the rushing wind. When the smoke cleared, Naruto stood completely unharmed. Not a single thread of his clothing was torn.
"An attack like that only raises a bit of dust." Naruto wiped his nose, his tone infuriatingly relaxed. He looked as if he were seconds away from calling Yamcha's effort trash.
In an instant, Naruto vanished. He reappeared directly in front of his opponent.
He flicked his left hand gently. "Here, have a breeze."
An invisible wall of air slammed into Yamcha, hurling him clean out of the arena. The defeat mirrored his loss in the previous Martial Arts Tournament exactly.
"So strong..." The remaining competitors recoiled, stunned by the display of power.
"Announcer, did I win?" Naruto called out to the dazed man.
"C-C-Congratulations! Contestant Naruto advances!" The announcer finally remembered his job, pushing his sunglasses up his nose.
Back in the competitors waiting room, Naruto greeted Master Roshi warmly. "Don't worry, I didn't hit Yamcha too hard. Hopefully, this match helps him break those bad habits."
Krillin gave Master Roshi a deeply skeptical look, his expression screaming, 'Still claiming he isn't your secret disciple?'
Master Roshi felt a headache coming on. Naruto really wasn't his student.
"Next match: Krillin versus Chiaotzu. Would both contestants please make their way to the arena?"
At the call of his name, Krillin hurried out.
Naruto watched Krillin leave, then turned to Master Roshi. "Your two disciples, Yamcha and Krillin, both possess formidable strength. There aren't many people in the world stronger than them. They hardly lag behind the Crane Hermit's disciple, Chiaotzu."
Master Roshi's interest was piqued. "Oh? So you think they can't match Tien?"
"There is still a gap," Naruto nodded. He added meaningfully, "Master Roshi, you hold Tien in high regard, don't you? Otherwise, with your strength, you wouldn't have conceded voluntarily. If you two truly fought, the outcome would be a toss-up."
"You saw through my disguise," Master Roshi admitted candidly.
"Your disguise is good," Naruto explained, "but while a person can change their appearance, their Ki remains the same."
"I see. Your knowledge in that area runs deep." Master Roshi nodded, offering genuine praise.
Naruto respected the old man. He knew not to be fooled by Master Roshi's initial impression or his reputation as a lecher. The man earned the title of Martial Arts Grandmaster. The fact that Son Goku eventually became the strongest in the universe was inextricably linked to these early teachings.
Master Roshi cared deeply for his disciples. To prevent them from becoming complacent, he disguised himself just to spar with them. When he saw martial artists straying, he corrected them and guided them back to the right course. Faced with the Demon King Piccolo, he would step forward without hesitation, willing to sacrifice his life to pass the flame of hope to the next generation.
The battle between Chiaotzu and Krillin was about to begin. Their strength was similar, but Chiaotzu possessed an extra edge: Psychic Powers. Logically, this should have given him an enormous advantage. However, while Krillin lacked that ability, his mind was far more nimble.
Krillin's "Elementary School Level Addition and Subtraction" broke right through Chiaotzu's defense. He seized the opportunity to kick him out of the arena, claiming victory.
"Well done, Krillin!" Goku praised.
This kid's academic foundation hadn't been much higher than Chiaotzu's back then. If Master Roshi hadn't put in tremendous effort to teach him, the two of them would have been a pair of absolute disasters in the math department.
"Hehe!" Krillin flashed Goku a peace sign, pleased to have defeated Chiaotzu without expending much energy.
"Next match, Tien Shinhan versus Son Goku."
First, both fighters had a power level of 180. In terms of raw combat power, they were identical.
Second were their martial arts styles. The Turtle School and Crane School were both extremely formidable. Even though the Crane School's founder had crooked morals, the school itself was not weak. After all, both originated from the same root.
Finally, there was blood lineage. Goku was a Saiyan from Planet Vegeta, a born warrior race. But Tien was not human either, he was an orphan of the Three-Eyed race from the Three-Eyed Planet. From any angle, Goku and Tien were perfectly matched.
The two erupted into fierce combat immediately.
They traded blows, matching punch for punch and kick for kick. After several intense exchanges, both had taken damage.
Following a brief round of probing, the true contest began. This time, both unleashed their real skills.
To say it was a clash of titans would be an understatement.
As the fight progressed, a mutual respect blossomed between them.
However, during one rapid exchange, Goku faltered mid-air. Tien seized the opening and unleashed a flurry of strikes directly at his face.
Under Master Shen's orders, Chiaotzu had used his Psychic Powers on Goku.
'Kill him, Tien!' Master Shen communicated through telepathy. Seeing Tien hesitate, Master Shen emphasized, 'This is your master's command. Do you dare defy my will?'
After intense inner turmoil, Tien spoke slowly. 'I want to defeat my opponent using my own strength. I don't want to be a killer. I want to be a martial artist.'
'Has that old turtle corrupted your mind? To actually want to become someone like that.' Tien's words stirred bitter memories. Master Shen pointed at Master Roshi and cursed, "Look at that old turtle's pathetic, down-on-his-luck state. Even if he is the God of Martial Arts, so what?"
"Martial artists have no future!"
"What do you mean by that, Baldy? Where am I living in poverty?" Master Roshi flew into a rage.
Master Shen ignored him, continuing to press Tien with his telepathy. "Tien, kill that punk right now. Otherwise, I'll disown you."
"Have you forgotten who raised you and made you who you are?"
"I'll have to kill you personally, you traitor."
"Using underhanded methods to win, do you think your disciple would be happy about that?" Naruto appeared beside Master Shen. He broke Chiaotzu's psychic hold with one hand and pressed down heavily on Master Shen's shoulder.
"What's it to you?" Master Shen answered without hesitation. He tried to shake off Naruto's hand and failed. "Whatever the methods, who cares? As long as you win the match, isn't that enough?"
"You're a martial artist too. You should know how important a warrior's dignity is," Naruto said seriously. "Once, you fought alongside Master Roshi against the Demon King."
"By rights, I should address you as a Hero as well."
Master Roshi had once mentioned that he and Master Shen joined forces to fight King Piccolo, who had tried to dominate the world.
Looking at it from that perspective, Master Shen hadn't always been a scoundrel.
"I don't need some useless title like 'hero'."
When Master Shen failed to break free, he threw a furious punch, only for Naruto to catch it effortlessly. Master Shen screamed, "Martial artists? Only idiots bother with that."
The eyes behind his sunglasses locked with Naruto's blue gaze.
Master Shen suddenly froze, as if lost in memory, and began murmuring to himself.
"Hundreds of years ago, that terrifying Demon King descended upon the world, slaughtering martial artists everywhere. The fellow disciples at the Martial Arts ran the moment they heard the news. In the end, only I and the cowardliest of them all, the Old Turtle, remained."
Through Master Shen's quiet narration, a chapter of history that had slept for centuries finally unfolded.
It was the darkest period for Earth's martial artists.
The arrival of an unparalleled Demon King who dominated the world.
"In the end, we went through untold hardships to defeat those monsters. Master Mutaito sacrificed himself to seal the Demon King, and the Old Turtle sank it to the bottom of the sea."
"Driven by the belief that I would make the Martial Arts flourish, I set out to travel the world."
"But do you know what? After only a single year, no one in this world remembered Master Mutaito. No one remembered what he did."
"Except for me and the Old Turtle, no one remembered him."
"From that day onward, I understood. 'For the people,' 'for world peace', it was all garbage."
"The only correct way to live is for yourself!"
"What kind of garbage martial artist, if you're going to do something, just do, " Master Shen suddenly shuddered, his eyes clearing. "Damn it, what did you do to me?"
It was genjutsu. Naruto used a guiding jutsu that forced the target to speak their true feelings.
Naruto wasn't particularly skilled at this. Holding the technique for this long was an achievement in itself.
However, Naruto had mastered Yang Release. Using a few simple Yin Release genjutsu was easy.
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