It was still seven or eight years before the start of the Dragon Ball Z storyline — if he made the most of his time, there might still be a chance. Otherwise, not to mention the Z Fighters of Earth — even Naruto himself had no confidence he could catch up to the first tier.
After all, in the later stages, the power gap wasn't tenfold — it was hundreds or even thousands of times greater.
Fortunately, this world's "Ki" granted an incredible boost — both in raw power and in cultivation efficiency.
"I lost!"
After saying that, Krillin collapsed onto the ground, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for air.
Krillin had lost — and he was utterly convinced of his defeat.
From beginning to end, Naruto had only defended. No matter what moves Krillin used, Naruto met them calmly, countering every strike without ever launching an attack of his own. Only after the match did he patiently point out Krillin's weaknesses and areas for improvement, one by one.
Rather than a battle, it felt more like a live teaching session. Krillin learned a great deal through this fight, and in his heart, his respect for Naruto grew immensely.
"Congratulations to contestant Uzumaki Naruto for his victory! He advances to the final round!"
With the host's announcement, thunderous applause erupted from the audience. They had thoroughly enjoyed the match — especially Krillin's varied techniques and tricky maneuvers, which drew cheers and excitement from the crowd.
At the same time, the final matchup was now decided:
Final Round — Tien Shinhan vs. Uzumaki Naruto
"This isn't fair! Why was he so brutal when he fought me?" Yamcha muttered in complaint from the audience as soon as the host declared the results.
"If I hadn't been, you'd never have realized it — and you'd just keep doing meaningless things," came Naruto's calm reply as he stepped down from the arena. Despite Yamcha's whispering, Naruto had clearly heard every word.
"Flashy techniques aren't bad," Naruto continued, "and I'm not saying you shouldn't use them. But as a martial artist, you can't become obsessed with things that only look good on the surface."
In the original story, both Master Roshi and Kami had warned Yamcha about this very issue — but he had always treated their words as wind in his ears. If he could break that habit, his strength would rise by at least one level.
At the very least, he wouldn't have been completely left behind.
"Next time we fight, I'll make you eat your words," Yamcha said, scratching his nose awkwardly. Though he'd grumbled, he knew full well that Naruto was trying to help him — he was just too stubborn to admit it out loud.
Through just two matches — and by demonstrating his mastery of the Turtle School's martial arts — Naruto quickly earned the trust of Yamcha and the others. After only a few conversations, they were already getting along.
Among martial artists, friendship is often simple — sometimes all it takes is a good fight.
Tien and Goku were like that.
Piccolo and Goku, too.
"Are both contestants ready?" The host came running over in a hurry. "Tien Shinhan, do you need more time to rest?"
Naruto glanced up at the sky. The sun was setting — it seemed the World Martial Arts Tournament intended to hold the final match while the crowd's excitement was still high.
"I've recovered most of my energy. I can fight," Tien said, nodding. In truth, his earlier battle with Goku had nearly drained him completely, and he'd only regained a portion of his stamina.
"Host," Naruto asked, "are you planning to hold the tournament finals at night?"
"I know it's never been done before," the host said with a troubled expression, reading from a letter in his hand. "But according to the organizer's instructions, they want to finish the tournament today."
The identity of the person who sponsored the World Martial Arts Tournament had always been something of a mystery to Dragon Ball fans. Officially, it was said to be a rich martial arts enthusiast — though his true identity was never revealed.
At least, that was the early setup. Later on, it was basically tied to Mr. Satan (Hercule).
"I see…" Naruto said, raising his hands helplessly. "Well, I've got some bad news — tonight's match probably won't happen."
"Oh? You mean it's postponed till tomorrow?"
"No," Naruto replied flatly. "I mean the final is going to be canceled."
The moment he finished speaking, a shrill scream pierced the air, echoing across the entire arena.
"Murder!"
"The smell of blood?!"
Everyone capable of sensing Ki immediately reacted. Whether they had advanced to the top eight or not, all the martial artists sprang to their feet and rushed toward the source of the scream.
Following the sound of chaotic footsteps, the group quickly arrived at the scene — the competitors' locker room.
The door stood wide open. Inside, a green-skinned, winged creature stood with blood-covered hands. In the corner, a female staff member sat trembling, her body limp with terror.
Beside her lay a corpse in a pool of blood.
The victim — the so-called master of the Eight-Hand Fist — was King Chappa.
"At first, I just planned to come quietly and leave quietly," the green creature said with a mocking grin, baring a mouthful of sharp teeth. "But then this old man saw me and tried to lecture me about stealing."
"Hahahaha! Tell me, isn't that ridiculous? How could someone of the Demon Clan possibly steal?"
"I was merely taking what's mine."
In the monster's hand gleamed an orange sphere, marked with several small stars — a Dragon Ball.
"Because of his insolent words, I killed him."
As he spoke, his eyes swept over the crowd. The killing intent in his gaze and the sheer force of his aura froze nearly everyone in place — even experienced fighters like Krillin and Yamcha were rooted to the spot in terror.
Only Master Roshi, Tien, Naruto, and Goku managed to withstand his overwhelming presence.
Tien cautiously stepped forward to check on King Chappa's condition, only to shake his head regretfully.
One strike — straight through the heart. He had been dead for a while already.
The attacker was no ordinary opponent.
"You're a bad guy," Goku said, his eyes narrowing. "And you've taken Grandpa's Four-Star Ball."
"Hahahaha! You can tell just by looking, can't you? Of course I'm a bad guy!" the green monster sneered, then scanned the gathered fighters. "So, you're all martial artists, huh?"
"Today must be my lucky day. Not only did I find a Dragon Ball, I even ran into a bunch of skilled fighters."
His bloodthirsty gaze darted among them as he reached behind his back, pulling out a stack of talisman-like papers, each marked with the character "魔" — Demon. He plucked out a handful — more than ten — and said coldly:
"Let's do this all at once. Saves me the trouble of hunting you down one by one."
With a flick of his wrist, the talismans scattered across the room.
Then, as if remembering something, he jabbed a clawed thumb at his own chest.
"Oh, right. The name's Tambourine
rine — elite warrior of the Demon Clan. When you get to Hell, don't forget to tell King Yemma who sent you there."
Please drop some power stones support me at my
PS: Access the complete/finished chapters/series at Patreon: NanamiTL