"...The Demon Clan?"
Master Roshi stood frozen in place. His thoughts drifted back hundreds of years—to those dark days when an unstoppable demon lord once called himself a member of the Demon Clan.
His eyes fell upon the talisman lying on the floor—the one marked with that all-too-familiar character: "魔 (Demon)."
Staring at the green-skinned creature who called himself Tambourine, Roshi forced out a few trembling words:
"...Piccolo Daimaō?"
Meanwhile, five thousand kilometers away, high above the earth, a massive airship drifted slowly through the clouds.
At its center sat a tall, green-skinned being—over two meters in height—with two antennae sprouting from his forehead. Though aged and frail in appearance, an overwhelming aura of power pulsed from his body.
This was none other than Piccolo Daimaō, the very name that had just left Roshi's lips. The creature wreaking havoc at the World Martial Arts Tournament—Tambourine—was one of his personal Demon Clan warriors.
Beside the Great Demon King stood three trembling figures: a man, a woman, and a dog. Their hands were clasped nervously, their faces full of sycophantic smiles.
They were the self-proclaimed Pilaf Gang, the ones responsible for releasing Piccolo Daimaō from his centuries-long imprisonment.
Piccolo's throat convulsed suddenly. From his mouth he spat out a large, mucus-covered egg that landed on the floor with a wet sound.
Moments later, the shell cracked open—revealing a green, dinosaur-like monster.
The Demon Beast Warrior — Cymbal.
"Cymbal, my child," Piccolo Daimaō said in a gravelly voice, "the task of gathering the Dragon Balls is yours."
Cymbal nodded silently, spread his wings, and flew off into the clouds.
"Hahahaha! Old man, it looks like you really do know your stuff," Tambourine laughed loudly upon hearing Roshi's words. "I didn't expect anyone after all these years to still remember us!"
"After centuries, we have returned."
"Since you know who we are," he said, shaking the talisman marked with the '魔' character, "then you should also know what this symbol means."
"Be good and accept your fate—I'll make sure you die painlessly."
At that, Roshi's expression turned grim.
"So… someone's opened the Rice Cooker!?"
"Impossible! That thing was sealed for hundreds of years—how could that monster still be alive!?"
"You dare insult the Great Demon King!" Tambourine's laughter vanished. His aura shifted sharply, murderous intent surging forth. "You'll be the first to die!"
In the next instant, Tambourine moved—his body blurring into a green whirlwind as he lunged straight at Master Roshi, claws extended to tear him apart.
"Not so fast!"
Krillin and Yamcha immediately jumped in front of Roshi, blocking the attack.
Tambourine, the first warrior birthed by the old Piccolo Daimaō, possessed terrifying power—far beyond ordinary humans.
Among Earth's fighters, he was a top-tier existence. His combat power was at least on par with the assassin Tao Pai Pai, the Crane Hermit's younger brother—around 150 by the scouter's measure.
By contrast, Krillin and Yamcha's power levels at this point were both below that—roughly 110 or so.
In the original timeline, it was by Tambourine's hands that Krillin met his silent end.
Even with Yamcha at his side, the outcome was the same—within a few moves, both were defeated with ease.
"Let me handle this!" shouted Goku, clenching his fists and charging forward.
"Interesting," Tambourine sneered. After trading a few blows, both fighters leapt back to reassess each other.
During his fight with Tien, Goku had already used up a great deal of his strength. Though he had recovered somewhat, he still wasn't at full power.
"A martial artist like you," Tambourine grinned, "is worth killing."
His aura exploded once again—his full 150 power level flaring outward.
"Five seconds. That's all I'll need to kill you."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he vanished, attacking Goku at blinding speed.
But that "unrivaled" speed had already been seen through.
Just as Tambourine was about to savor the thrill of tearing into Goku's flesh, his claws passed right through him—striking only empty air.
No physical resistance.
Afterimage Technique!
"What—!?" Tambourine's eyes widened in shock. Goku took the opening and darted in close, driving a fist toward the demon's abdomen.
Here, the gap between the two became clear—
—But then, just before the punch landed, a strange sound erupted from Goku's stomach.
A loud, thunderous growl.
Instantly, his limbs went weak.
"Ugh… now of all times…?"
The power in his punch dropped by nearly ninety percent.
That familiar weakness—his inability to fight properly when hungry—had plagued Goku throughout his childhood. It wouldn't disappear until he reached adulthood at eighteen.
No one knew whether this trait was common to all Saiyans, unique to Goku himself, or simply a quirk of low-class warriors like him.
As expected, Tambourine easily caught the weakened punch.
"Ha! You scared me for a second," he chuckled, tightening his grip around Goku's fist before lifting him into the air. "So this is all the power you've got?"
"Die!"
He slammed his own fist into Goku's stomach, then flung him aside like a piece of trash.
To Tambourine, that blow should have been fatal.
But given Goku's resilience, even a direct hit—followed by a close-range energy blast—wouldn't have been enough to kill him.
"Goku!" Roshi shouted in both fury and fear. One by one, his three disciples had fallen to the servants of the Great Demon King.
After centuries, the monster was as terrifying as ever.
"Damn it…" Tien clenched his fists, assuming the Crane School stance as he stared warily at Tambourine. If someone as strong as Goku had been defeated, his own chances weren't good.
At this point, teaming up with Master Roshi was their only hope.
He called over his shoulder: "Chiaotzu, stay behind me!"
The other martial artists—those who hadn't yet fled—took one look at Yamcha and Krillin's unconscious forms and promptly ran for their lives.
"What are you all so afraid of?"
While Roshi froze at the mention of Piccolo Daimaō and Tien hesitated, intimidated by Tambourine's aura, a calm voice finally broke the silence.
Naruto spoke.
"This guy's pretty strong," he said evenly, "just right for some sparring practice."
He turned his back on Tambourine and addressed the others. "You all don't mind, do you?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the fallen body of King Chappa.
There are Dragon Balls, after all, he thought. Even if someone dies, they can just be brought back.
"How dare you ignore me!" Tambourine roared, his fury boiling over.
Before Roshi or Tien could react, the demon lunged at Naruto, claws aimed straight for his back—
"DUANG~~~!"
The sound was sharp and painful, as though his skull had struck solid steel.
Tambourine reeled backward, clutching his head, eyes dazed. It was as if an invisible wall separated him from Naruto.
A dull ache throbbed through the air.
"It's nothing more than a simple Ki barrier," Naruto's calm voice reached his ears.
"Surely, Tambourine-san… you're not saying you can't even break through that, are you?"
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