"The old legend speaks of a mystical place called the Sacred Land of Korin. Long ago, it was the holy ground for all martial artists. At the Sacred Land's heart stands the Korin Tower, its peak reaching straight into the clouds. It is said that the Sage Korin, who has lived for nearly a thousand years, resides at the very top."
"Korin trains and guides any warrior who can successfully climb to the temple, and he recommends those with true potential to a great figure."
"This figure is Earth's Kami. He is the only being capable of directly confronting Piccolo."
"What we need to do now is securely find the Sacred Land of Korin, climb the tower to meet the Korin, earn his strict recognition, and then locate Kami."
Master Roshi spoke with a forced air of deep mystery. "Indeed."
Secretly, however, Master Roshi grumbled in his thoughts, 'That furry bastard can actually recommend people to Kami? Damn it, he never told me that.'
Naruto's gaze shifted directly to Master Roshi. "As for the hidden location of the Korin Tower... as it happens, we have someone right here who successfully climbed it. He must know this crucial information. Master Roshi, wouldn't you agree?"
Master Roshi replied smoothly, "That's right. But besides me, there's someone else here who also successfully climbed the sacred tower."
Master Roshi looked warmly toward Goku.
"To think there was actually another one." Naruto forced a convincing expression of pure surprise. "Then everything just got much simpler."
"Should we pack up and set out now?" Krillin suggested eagerly.
Naruto shook his head and looked at Goku, whose severe hunger had practically turned his eyes green. "Let's let Goku fill his stomach first."
After a massive, hearty meal, the group quickly regrouped with Bulma, Launch, and the others. Naruto solemnly handed the Four-Star Dragon Ball to Bulma, strictly asking her to craft a box capable of blocking its energy signal for safe storage. Then, the group headed swiftly toward the Sacred Land of Korin.
With two experienced guides and a party of true masters, they reached the legendary Sacred Land of Korin in practically no time.
At the green Sacred Land's center stood a massive stone pillar deeply carved with intricate patterns. Looking up from the wide base, there was no end in sight, it looked exactly as if it could punch straight through the sky.
"Who goes there?!" A childish voice rang out aggressively. A young boy with feathers in his dark hair and a sharp axe in hand emerged cautiously from the dense forest.
"It's Goku!" The boy's tense face instantly lit up with pure joy as he ran over.
This was Upa, of the proud Guardian Tribe of the Sacred Land of Korin, who had adventured bravely with Goku before.
Immediately after, a muscular man wearing an animal-tooth necklace stepped confidently out from behind a large tree.
"It really is Goku." His stern face brightened wonderfully at the sight.
This burly man was Bora, Upa's strong father and one of the few surviving warriors of the Guardian Tribe. According to the Dragon Ball canon, he was a skilled fighter with a power level hovering in the dozens.
The Guardian Tribe's traditional attire was visually identical to that of a Native American tribe.
"Are you all good friends of Goku?"
After they answered politely, Naruto's group was warmly received and comfortably entertained.
"Everyone, prepare to climb the tower." Naruto slapped the solid stone pillar. "Don't try any cheap tricks, only those who honestly climb the tower will receive true guidance from Korin."
"Then I'll gladly lead the way."
Naruto leaped powerfully, instantly covering a vast vertical distance before his feet locked firmly onto the pillar. He surged smoothly toward the summit with extreme speed.
"Let's go too!"
Tien, Krillin, Yamcha, Chiaotzu, and Master Roshi followed closely behind. Each used their own unique method of ascent, rapidly racing toward the distant top.
"No wonder they're Goku's friends." Standing in awe beneath the tower, Bora exclaimed as he watched the few of them quickly disappear from sight.
In his eager youth, Bora had bravely attempted the climb, but he ultimately failed. Had he somehow succeeded, he might have become a remarkable martial artist himself.
"Dad, will they make it?" Upa asked, looking up at his father.
"They definitely will," Bora said seriously. Although he lacked high-end strength, his sharp eye for talent remained intact.
Upa gazed enviously at the towering spire where the quick figures had fully vanished.
Bora crouched down and patted Upa's small shoulder. "Believe it, Upa, you'll absolutely be able to do this too someday."
"Yeah!" Upa nodded vigorously.
Half an hour rapidly passed. The summit remained entirely out of sight, but they had already reached an incredible height. Looking down, the massive buildings on the ground looked exactly like tiny ants.
Naruto, easily leading the pack, deliberately slowed his steady pace to politely wait for the others.
During his first difficult climb, Goku took a full day and night, twenty-four exhausting hours. On his second attempt, he finished in three.
The strenuous climb itself was part of the physical training.
For Goku, Tien, and Master Roshi, the rapid ascent required very little effort. For Krillin and Yamcha, it was thoroughly exhausting, their raw combat power at this point was lower than Kid Goku's had been during his very first climb.
Then there was Chiaotzu. He knew the Crane School's flight technique and possessed psychic powers. Although Naruto had firmly told them to climb using their own strength, he couldn't actively stop the subtle cheating.
This lazy tendency to use mental shortcuts to slack off was exactly why Chiaotzu, who initially had strength comparable to Krillin's, had gradually fallen severely behind the rest.
Around the forty-minute mark, Naruto finally spotted a flat, circular building above. With a swift leap, he stepped lightly inside.
This was the legendary summit of Korin Tower, Korin Temple.
Korin lived right here.
The quiet temple consisted of several floors. The first held a large pile of sundries, mostly cat-related necessities. Even as an ancient sage, Korin was a living creature who deeply needed to eat.
The second floor was the open platform frequently seen in the original story.
As Naruto quietly arrived, he saw a plump white cat gently swaying its round backside while grilling a fresh fish in the center of the temple.
Sensing Naruto's sudden presence, the white cat squinted lazily and turned around, a half-eaten fish still dangling from its mouth.
"Who goes there? Hmm?"
(A/N: A bit of trivia, Beerus was based on Akira Toriyama's pet cat Debo is well known. But how many people know that Korin was also modeled after his household cat? The two cats weren't from the same period and aren't actually the same breed. In a sense, Korin is actually Beerus's senpai. Korin has default closed eyes because Akira drew it while the cat was sleeping.)
"Rare, truly rare. I didn't expect someone to successfully climb the tower after just a few short years," Korin said. He casually slurped a fish into his mouth, then used a furry paw to pull out a perfectly clean skeleton.
"Delicious. Melts right in your mouth."
There it was: the legendary melt-in-your-mouth sulfuric acid stomach.
Sucking happily on his finger, Korin asked unhurriedly, "Did you come here to forcefully challenge the Divine Water?"
"I just finished eating my lunch. Vigorous exercise right after a meal isn't advisable. You'll have to wait until I've thoroughly rested, alright?"
Before Naruto could even speak, Korin quickly produced a small jar, plucked out a tiny green bean, and tossed it to him.
"By the way, you must be hungry. Eat this. It's called a Senzu Bean. Just one will keep you entirely full for ten days."
'I'd be an idiot to eat this now,' Naruto thought. Without a single word, he discreetly tucked away the lifesaving artifact.
Just as Korin lazily began to speak again, Goku and Tien smoothly reached the summit.
"Goku? Why are you back here again?" Korin asked with visible confusion, then looked over at Tien. "Another successful climber. What kind of strange day is today? Two climbers appearing directly one after another. This hasn't happened in three hundred years."
He circled Tien closely and sighed. "Your Ki is quite powerful."
At that exact moment, Master Roshi also reached the open top.
"Roshi? Why are you here too, you old geezer?" Korin looked even more deeply puzzled.
Master Roshi replied crossly, "You have absolutely no right to say that. In terms of true age, you're much older than I am. You're the old geezer."
Master Roshi was over three hundred and twenty years old, while Korin was at least eight hundred. He was easily more than twice Master Roshi's age.
"You didn't all come here just for the Divine Water, did you?"
Outside the secluded world, legend falsely claimed that Korin's Temple held a mystical treasure called the Divine Water. Drinking it supposedly multiplied one's raw power several times over, strictly provided one passed Korin's test.
But absolutely everyone who successfully passed the test knew the real truth: the Divine Water was simply plain tap water.
Naruto placed a finger to his lips. "Shh, please wait a brief moment, Korin. Let's wait for absolutely everyone to arrive before we talk."
"Hmm?" Korin narrowed his eyes further and looked straight down from the tower edge. "There are actually two more struggling challengers."
Korin could easily sense ki, though his range was decidedly limited.
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