Naruto, using his precise control over Ki, created a wall of pure energy between himself and Tambourine.
That was what Tambourine had slammed into — an invisible barrier of condensed Ki. Though it appeared to be no more than a thin layer of air, it could withstand enormous force. A demon warrior of Tambourine's level couldn't hope to break through it.
Naruto called it his Crystal Ki Wall.
"Raaah!"
Seeing that brute force was useless, Tambourine opened his mouth wide — and a glowing ball of energy shot forth, aimed straight at Naruto. Its power was enough to destroy the entire room.
It was one of the most common abilities in the Dragon Ball world —
The Mouth Beam.
But since Naruto's barrier was called the Crystal Wall, it naturally possessed some "crystal-like" properties. Instead of shattering, the wall absorbed the energy of Tambourine's blast — then reflected it right back at him.
Unable to dodge in time, Tambourine was hit full-on by his own attack.
A delicious, sizzling smell of roasted flesh filled the air. The demon staggered, smoke curling from his mouth, before collapsing to the floor in a heap.
"Up you go."
Naruto, not one to waste the advantage, brought his index and middle fingers together and lifted them slightly. A pattern of glowing runes appeared beneath Tambourine's feet — densely packed symbols that writhed like living things. They crawled up from his soles toward his hands, wrapping around his entire body.
Sealing Technique.
Naruto had already tested this before: ninjutsu, genjutsu, and fuinjutsu from the shinobi world all functioned perfectly here in the Dragon Ball world — and when powered by Ki, their strength was even amplified.
"Damn it! What did you do to me? Why can't I move my body!?"
As the runes spread across his skin, Tambourine's limbs froze completely.
When it came purely to destructive power, even ten Hokage combined couldn't match a single Dragon Ball warrior — but techniques from the shinobi world still had their uses. Illusions, hypnosis, sealing arts — each had their place.
"You talk too much."
Naruto raised a hand casually. "You can stay put for a while."
His cerulean eyes glowed faintly with threads of white light. Space twisted slightly — and Tambourine was drawn into it, vanishing without a trace.
It wasn't Kamui.
Nor Kaguya's Amenominaka.
Nor the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Just as Sasuke had used Naruto's Yang chakra to evolve his Sharingan into the Rinnegan, Naruto had used Sasuke's Yin chakra to reverse-engineer his own ability — and thus, he had created a small personal pocket dimension.
He called it his "Four-Dimensional Pocket."
"He actually beat him?"
Tien's three eyes widened in disbelief. The monster who had effortlessly crushed Son Goku had just been defeated — by this man, so easily?
"That guy's not as strong as you think," Naruto explained calmly. "Compared to you and Goku at full power, he's still far behind."
At that moment, Krillin and Yamcha helped each other back to their feet. Goku, still sitting on the floor, rubbed his stomach with a pained expression, looking weak and pale.
Every time Goku fought on an empty stomach, it ended the same way — poorly. Even Yamcha, when they first met, had beaten him half to death.
Seeing that all three of his students were alive and safe, Master Roshi finally exhaled in relief.
"You're right," Roshi said after a moment of thought. "Looking back, that creature's Ki was strong — but not insurmountable. I could tell he wasn't unbeatable."
One couldn't really blame Roshi for panicking at the name Piccolo Daimaō. The trauma from that era still haunted him deeply.
After all, even the legendary Mutaito — the man hailed as the "Unbeaten God of Martial Arts" — had fallen to the Demon King.
"Master Roshi," Tien said, "you mentioned Piccolo Daimaō earlier. If he's the one behind all this, you must know something about him, right?"
"That's right…" Roshi sighed and began recounting everything he knew — the sealed history from hundreds of years ago. When he finished, he muttered grimly, "I never thought he'd break free of the seal. It seems peace will no longer last on Earth."
"Judging from what that green-skinned monster said," Naruto interjected, "Piccolo Daimaō seems to have two objectives. I'm sure you've already realized that, haven't you, Master Roshi?"
"Ah? Uh—ah!" Roshi answered instinctively, nodding before he'd even processed the question.
Naruto smiled in admiration. "As expected of you, Master Roshi. Brilliant as always."
Wait, what? Roshi thought. Realized what exactly? I was too busy remembering the old days!
"Yes, exactly as Master Roshi said," Naruto continued smoothly. "The first goal of these so-called Demon Clan warriors is this."
He picked up the fallen Four-Star Dragon Ball, holding it up for everyone to see.
"What's that?" Tien asked, puzzled.
He had never gone on a Dragon Ball adventure himself — naturally, he didn't recognize it.
In fact, barely anyone on Earth truly knew the secret of the Dragon Balls.
"Dragon Balls?" Krillin's eyes widened in realization. "I get it now — they're trying to gather all seven and make a wish!"
"A wish? With that thing?" Tien asked, even more curious.
After a brief explanation from Krillin, Tien finally understood the secret of Shenron, the Eternal Dragon.
"A set of magical orbs that can grant any wish…" Tien murmured. "I can't believe something like that actually exists."
"So what do you think the Demon King wants to wish for once he gathers them all?" Krillin asked curiously.
"World domination, or some other evil scheme," Yamcha said grimly. "Either way, it won't be good."
"I think…" Naruto began, drawing everyone's attention, "he wants to restore his youth."
That answer made everyone turn toward him. Naruto continued:
"Nothing in existence can resist the erosion of time — not even a Demon King. Centuries have passed. Even though he was sealed, time still moved forward. If I were him, the first thing I'd do after breaking the seal would be to regain my youth."
"After all, after so many years, his power must have weakened compared to what it once was."
"Isn't that right, Master Roshi?"
Wait… is that what I think? Roshi thought to himself.
Out loud, he said, "Yes, that's right — that's exactly what I was thinking."
Was it, though?
Krillin and Yamcha exchanged skeptical looks. Only Chiaotzu and Tien — who didn't know Roshi's usual antics — looked at him with shining admiration.
Wait a second… if Naruto's right, and Piccolo Daimaō really has grown weaker over the centuries, then maybe there's still a chance for victory, Roshi thought. No wonder he's so desperate to gather the Dragon Balls — it's to restore his youth!
Having guessed the Demon King's true purpose, Roshi finally began to calm down. The panic in his heart eased, replaced by renewed determination.
He looked at Naruto. "So his first goal is to regain his youth. What about his second?"
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