The next World Martial Arts Tournament was only days away. What mattered now was finding a proper meal. No matter how good Tataka tasted, anyone would crack after eating nothing but that and instant food every day. Naruto's stomach had been screaming for real food for ages.
Inside the sealing space, Adult Goku and Kurama threw their hands up in enthusiastic agreement. Only what Naruto ate could manifest within the seal. Because Naruto had lived on junk, the sealing space was filled with nothing but trash. Even Kurama's favourite dishes had vanished because Naruto hadn't eaten it in so long.
This made life miserable for Adult Goku and Kurama. They had grown accustomed to rich feasts, going without simply wouldn't do.
Naruto eventually found a high-end restaurant.
One hour later, the restaurant was in chaos. Every single staff member had been called in to handle the dishes.
Two hours later, every edible ingredient in the building was gone.
*Burp.*
Naruto patted his still-flat stomach and gazed at the mountain of empty plates. He stood up satisfied, feeling his appetite could go toe-to-toe with a Saiyan's.
Maybe it was even stronger.
At that moment, a variety of delicious foods manifested inside the sealing space.
Kurama swallowed a bite of fried rice with tears in his eyes. Finally. He hadn't had anything this good in forever.
Adult Goku had already entered full food-grabbing mode, stuffing his face nonstop as if someone might snatch the meal away.
Once full, Naruto finally took time to observe how Earth had changed.
Two years had passed. For some reason, beast-type humans were far fewer on the streets, only scattered here and there. Aside from the King and his ever-present dog head, the other beast-type humans had practically vanished.
However, Earth's powerful auras had multiplied. Strong presences radiated from all directions. The Z Fighters had clearly been training hard, pushing Earth's overall strength up several tiers.
If Demon King Piccolo appeared now, he'd be in for a brutal beatdown.
"Time to make some money."
Naruto was serious about earning cash. He planned to stay on Earth for a long time, and money was a necessity. Besides, the technology in the Dragon Ball-verse was far more spectacular than in the ninja world, there was plenty worth collecting.
Heavy rain poured from the sky as though the heavens had cracked open. Even the downpour couldn't stop the steady stream of contestants arriving to register.
The World Martial Arts Tournament venue was packed with applicants, far more than the 22nd Edition.
"Hey, long time no see, Launch." A fashionable city girl greeted a striking blue-haired girl warmly, then added as an afterthought, "And you too, Old Turtle."
"Bulma, you're only getting more beautiful," Launch said sincerely.
At "Old Turtle," Master Roshi grumbled, clearly dissatisfied, "I'm your boyfriend's teacher, you know. Show some respect."
"Oh really?!" Bulma immediately raised her voice, pointing at Master Roshi as she launched into a tirade. Even through the rain, her fury was palpable. "Yamcha is my boyfriend? Then where did he go?"
"You both went to train at Kami's place. Why did you come back alone? Where is he? Why didn't he come find me after training ended?"
Master Roshi had trained at the Lookout for two years before leaving. He was already several centuries old, well past the age for competing with others.
"Well..." Master Roshi clicked his tongue, at a loss for words.
'Yamcha's got a beautiful girlfriend at home and doesn't even bother to see her, preferring to go off and train. Though this girl does have quite the temper.'
'If it were me...'
Master Roshi's thoughts drifted back several hundred years. Back then, he too had a girl he liked. Unfortunately...
The rain gradually let up, and the heavens began to clear.
A little girl walked past the group. The balloon in her hand suddenly flew away, catching on a nearby tree branch. She was on the verge of tears.
The kind-hearted Bulma tried to help her, but she was too short to reach.
A large hand suddenly grabbed the balloon. A young man with white cloth wrapped around his head handed the balloon back to the girl and greeted Bulma warmly. "Hey, Bulma."
"Your lips, what's wrong with them? They're so red. Are you sick?"
Before the stunned Bulma could respond, the young man turned to Master Roshi.
"Master Roshi, it's been so long since we met."
Master Roshi looked at him, sensing the aura emanating from his body. "Are you Goku?"
Goku affirmed, and the two exchanged glances. Both saw shock in the other's eyes.
Kid Goku had grown so tall.
"Old Turtle, weren't you training with Goku?" Bulma whispered.
Master Roshi looked confused. "Don't ask me. When I left a year ago, he was still the same height." He looked Goku up and down. "It's only been a year. This change is too dramatic."
"Because Goku belongs to the Saiyan race from outer space, his growth pattern is different from Earthlings." An unfamiliar voice cut in. Naruto walked over slowly, holding two cups of juice. He handed one to Bulma.
"Naruto? When did you get here?" Master Roshi started. He gazed deeply at Naruto from behind his sunglasses.
'His Ki... I didn't sense him at all. He's gotten even stronger since three years ago.'
"I came with Bulma. I just finished signing up." Bulma nodded. "He really did come with me. He bought a house next to mine."
To make training more convenient and avoid misunderstandings, Naruto had bought a villa next to Bulma's house. Housing prices in West City were sky-high, most of the money Naruto had gathered went toward the property.
"Wait... you just said Goku isn't an Earthling?" Bulma caught the key point. "What's a Saiyan? A race from outer space?"
"Saiyans are the most battle-hungry race in the universe. They look almost identical to Earthlings, with only one difference, a tail. Saiyan children are dispatched to different planets during their infancy," Naruto explained, though he omitted the part where they were sent to slaughter the local population before selling the globe.
"Saiyans maintain a childlike appearance throughout most of their growth to deceive enemies. When they reach adulthood, their bodies develop quickly within a single month, transforming from a child directly into an adult."
To ensure their physical stats remained at their peak, a Saiyan's prime lasted a long time. Significant changes often didn't occur until after age eighty.
"I remember now," Master Roshi suddenly said. "I heard Goku's grandpa mention it. He found Goku inside a strange spherical object. That must have been an alien spacecraft."
"Naruto, how do you know all this?"
"You all know I left Earth three years ago to train in other planets," Naruto explained, sipping his juice. Meanwhile, inside the sealing space, Adult Goku and Kurama lay on their respective mats, contentedly sipping their own drinks.
Master Roshi and Launch were shocked that Naruto had ventured into space. Kid Goku's eyes lit up at the mention of universal training.
"By chance, I encountered an attack from a Saiyan. That person called himself a low-class warrior. He looked exactly like Goku."
It was obvious. Turles was simply a Evil version of Goku.
He was effectively a darkened version ten times stronger. In the movie, Goku had to activate the ten-times Kaioken just to match Turles after he had eaten the first Fruit of the Tree of Might.
"Is that so? So I'm an alien," the easygoing Goku simply remarked. He accepted the premise easily. What he cared about more was,"So low-class warrior? Is that guy strong?"
Naruto nodded. "He's incredibly strong, invincible is more like it. If he came to Earth, no one could stop him."
Not just Turles, even his subordinates would be unbeatable on Earth. A power level of 3,000 was nothing to sneeze at.
"He's that impressive?" Goku's face lit up. The battle-hungry genes in his Saiyan blood made him itch for a strong opponent.
Goku leaned in. "So how did you beat him, Naruto?"
"I only managed it with help from my friends on Namek."
Naruto gave a brief account of the Tree of Might incident. When he mentioned the strength of the Namekian Warriors, Goku sighed in amazement. "There are so many powerful beings in the universe. I really want to go a few rounds with them."
Goku sighed again when he heard how Turles had crushed Puru without breaking a sweat.
"Low-class Saiyans are that strong!"
After hearing Naruto's story, with a few parts modified, Goku's blood boiled. He wished he had been the one fighting Turles.
Naruto hadn't actually fought seriously, spending most of his time strategizing, but his retelling still sounded thrilling.
"Don't worry. There aren't many Saiyans left, but there will be plenty of chances down the road." Naruto patted Goku's shoulder, his words laced with hidden meaning.
As long as the general plot remained intact, Raditz, Nappa, and Vegeta would eventually face Goku.
'Saiyans left...' Bulma caught the detail immediately. Seeing that Naruto had no intention of explaining, she assumed it wasn't important and let it drop.
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