Krillin and Yamcha were characters Naruto had truly liked in his previous life. Beside them, there were the Z Fighters like Piccolo and Tien. It was a shame that in the later stages of Dragon Ball, these characters became background filler, barely getting cameos.
Dragon Ball was a wonderful world. The early stages, with adventures filled with surprises and unknowns, had deeply fascinated Naruto back then.
Looking back at the later stages, if Tien and the others hadn't given up due to the sheer power gap and had continued training hard, catching up to the Saiyans wasn't impossible.
Tien using the Tri-Beam to suppress Cell's Second Form proved they still possessed great potential. That was something even a standard Super Saiyan could not do.
In the world-famous fan comic, Dragon Ball Multiverse, there was a universe without Saiyans where Yamcha, Tien, and Krillin successfully dealt with Frieza, Android, and Majin Buu events.
Who said Earthlings were useless?
Naruto wanted to train them in advance to see if they could keep pace with the highest tier of fighters.
The Dragon Ball-verse shouldn't only revolve around Saiyans, and it certainly shouldn't only feature Super Saiyans.
The timeline had shifted eight years ahead of when the story of Dragon Ball Z began. If he seized this window, there was still a fighting chance. Otherwise, not only would the Z Fighters on Earth be left in the dust, Naruto lacked the confidence to catch up to the top tier himself.
In the later periods, the gap wasn't merely tenfold, it was hundreds or even thousands of times more extreme.
Fortunately, this world genuinely boosted Ki, and the physical enhancements to training were equally real.
"I give up!" Krillin collapsed onto the tiles, his chest heaving as he gasped for air.
Krillin had lost, and he was completely convinced of the outcome.
Naruto had remained strictly on the defensive from start to finish. No matter what techniques Krillin threw at him, Naruto simply countered each move without any intention of attacking first. Only at the end did he point out Krillin's weaknesses and areas for improvement.
It was less a fight and more a live demonstration. Krillin learned a great deal from the exchange, and his admiration for Naruto grew immense.
"Congratulations to contestant Naruto Uzumaki on his victory! He advances to the Finals!"
The announcer's declaration sparked enthusiastic applause from the packed stands. The audience had thoroughly enjoyed the match, especially as Krillin deployed every trick in his arsenal with flashy maneuvers that kept them cheering loudly.
The final matchup was firmly set.
Finals: Tien Shinhan versus Naruto Uzumaki.
"That's not fair. Why was he so brutal with me?" Yamcha grumbled quietly below the stage the moment the announcer finished speaking.
"If I hadn't done that, you never would have understood. You would have kept doing those meaningless things." Naruto's sharp ears caught the muttering as he walked down the arena steps.
"Glamorous techniques aren't necessarily bad, and I'm not telling you to avoid them entirely. But as a martial artist, you can't be fixated on things that are merely surface-level."
In the original story, both Master Roshi and Kami had strictly warned Yamcha about this flaw. The man always let the advice go in one ear and out the other. If he could break this bad habit, his strength would improve by at least one full level.
At the very least, he wouldn't have been completely eliminated from relevance so early.
"The next time we face off, I'll definitely surprise you." Yamcha awkwardly rubbed his nose, his complaints exposed. Despite his grumbling, he wasn't so oblivious that he couldn't see Naruto was actively helping him, he was just stubborn.
Between the two matches and his apparent mastery of Turtle School Martial Arts, Naruto quickly earned the trust of Yamcha and Krillin. Within a few short exchanges, they were already getting along smoothly.
Friendships between martial artists were often that simple, you fought once, and mutual respect came naturally.
It had been exactly that way for Tien and Goku, and eventually for Piccolo and Goku.
"Are both contestants ready?" the announcer asked, rushing over to them. "Tien, do you need more rest?"
Naruto looked at the sky. Dusk was steadily approaching. The Tenkaichi Budokai organizers intended to start the final match while the crowd's atmosphere was still heated.
"I've recovered enough stamina. Fighting shouldn't be a problem," Tien nodded. In truth, the earlier battle with Goku had exhausted nearly all his energy reserves. He had only just recovered most of his breath.
"Announcer, are you planning to hold the Tenkaichi Budokai finals at night?"
"I know there's no precedent for this," the announcer said, looking troubled at the formal letter in his hands. "But according to the organizers strict requirements, they intend to finish the competition today."
The true identity of the Tenkaichi Budokai's host remained a mystery to many Dragon Ball fans. The official setting described an eccentric, wealthy martial arts enthusiast, but the identity was always kept a tight secret.
"Is that so." Naruto spread his hands calmly.
"There's some bad news! tonight's match probably can't be held."
"Is that so? Moved to tomorrow?" Naruto asked in confusion.
"No, the finals are cancelled."
A shrill scream pierced through the quiet venue.
"Murder!"
"Is that the smell of blood?" Every Budokai qualifier was a seasoned master martial artist. At the sound of the scream, regardless of whether they had made the top eight, they stood immediately and rushed toward the noise.
Chaotic footsteps filled the air as the contestants reached the source, the competitors' locker room.
The door stood wide open. Inside stood a green humanoid monster with wings, its clawed hands covered in fresh blood. A female staff member slumped in the corner, entirely paralyzed with fear.
Beside her lay a body, dark blood pooling across the floor tiles. It was the self-proclaimed Master of the Eight-Arm Fist, King Chappa.
"I planned to come in quietly and leave silently, but this old man bumped into me. He actually tried to put me in my place for 'stealing'."
The green monster bared rows of sharp teeth in a wide grin, mocking the gathered fighters.
"Hahaha! As a member of the Demon Clan, how could I possibly steal? Tell me, isn't that ridiculous?"
"I'm simply taking it."
In the monster's bloody hand rested a bright orange sphere decorated with crimson stars.
"Because of his inappropriate remarks, I killed him."
The creature shifted its gaze to the crowd. Its murderous eyes and heavy aura froze the martial artists, including Krillin and Yamcha, right where they stood.
"Do you think I did the right thing?"
Only Master Roshi, Tien, Naruto, and Goku remained unaffected by the killing intent.
Tien stepped forward to check Chappa. Finding the man had been dead for some time, he shook his head in quiet regret.
One brutal strike through the heart, dead on the spot.
The opponent was a highly skilled killer.
"You're a bad guy." Goku's gaze grew sharp. "And you took Grandpa's Four-Star Dragon Ball."
"Hahahaha! Just looking at me should tell you that, right? Of course I'm a bad guy." The monster mocked Goku, then looked around at the tense group. "Are you all martial artists?"
"Today is truly my lucky day. Not only did I find a Dragon Ball, but I ran into so many martial artists at once."
"All of you," Its murderous gaze swept across the room. It pulled a thick stack of papers marked with the Demon Symbol from behind its back and casually drew out over a dozen of them.
"Attack together. It'll save me the trouble of hunting you down one by one."
With a flick of his wrist, the Demon Symbol papers scattered across the bloodstained locker room.
As if just remembering something, the creature pointed to itself with a sharp-nailed thumb. "Oh right, my name is Tambourine. I'm the Demon Clan's most elite warrior. When you die, don't forget to tell King Yemma in Hell exactly who killed you."
"Demon Clan."
Master Roshi stood there in a daze, his scattered thoughts drifting back hundreds of years to that dark day when an invincible Demon King claimed to be part of the Demon Clan. He looked down at the pale piece of paper on the ground. "This familiar 'Demon' mark..."
He looked at the green monster calling himself Tambourine and forced out a few heavy words. "Demon King Piccolo?"
Five thousand kilometers away, a massive airship drifted silently through the sky. In the center sat a green-skinned monster over two meters tall, strange tentacles growing from his head. Though the alien looked ancient, a terrifying amount of energy surged within that frail-looking body.
This was the Demon King Piccolo that Master Roshi had mentioned. Tambourine, from the World Martial Arts Tournament, was his newly spawned Demon Clan warrior.
Beside the Demon King stood a man, a woman, and an anthropomorphic dog. They rubbed their hands together, wearing eager, sycophantic smiles. These three, the Pilaf Gang, were the ones who had mistakenly released King Piccolo.
With a wet gurgle in his throat, King Piccolo violently vomited out a large egg covered in thick, viscous liquid.
A green monster resembling a winged dinosaur quickly broke from the shell.
Demon Beast Warrior, Cymbal.
"Cymbal, my child, I entrust the collection of the Dragon Balls to you."
Cymbal nodded grimly, flapped his leathery wings, and departed from the spaceship.
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