West City, Capsule Corporation
"Yamcha, you jerk! You big idiot! You've been gone for almost three years and didn't leave a single message! Do you even know what I've gone through these past three years?"
Bulma, heiress of Capsule Corp., was fuming. Her mood was absolutely foul.
The reason? Her boyfriend had vanished, obsessed with martial-arts training, for nearly three whole years. In all that time—not a single phone call, not even a single word or letter.
Ordinarily, if someone's boyfriend disappeared without a trace for three years, the relationship would have been over long ago—especially for someone like Bulma, a rich and beautiful young woman with status. Suitors lined up for her could wrap around the block.
Yet, though Bulma was furious at Yamcha's behavior, she hadn't broken up with him, nor had she found anyone new.
She'd simply vowed that when she finally saw him again, she'd make him pay.
Just then, a tremendous boom split the sky. A huge spacecraft wobbled as it descended, landing right in Capsule Corp.'s garden. Bulma, who had been sunbathing in an attempt to ease her bad mood, nearly jumped out of her chair in shock.
As the ship's door slowly opened, a tall, muscular, blond-haired, blue-eyed man stepped out.
If one had to describe him—he looked like a bearded version of the Fourth Hokage.
No—more precisely, a bearded, broader-shouldered, perfectly built version of the Fourth Hokage.
And the Fourth Hokage, even in the Naruto world, was one of the most handsome men around—so in the Dragon Ball world, this man's looks were near the very top.
"Yo, long time no see."
As soon as he disembarked, Naruto grinned at Bulma and greeted her warmly. Then, rubbing the back of his head, he patted the ship's hull a bit sheepishly.
"It hasn't been used in two years... seems like something's gone wrong with it."
Bulma blinked between Naruto and the somewhat familiar spaceship, uncertain.
"Uzumaki Naruto?"
Naruto nodded slightly. At once, Bulma's eyes lit up.
Wow… I didn't expect that kid from two years ago, that slightly awkward boy, to turn into such a handsome man. Hehe… I wonder if he has a girlfriend?
Sensing her thoughts, Naruto's mind immediately pictured Hinata.
It had been almost three years—he really missed her.
It was probably about time to go back.
Like Bulma waiting for Yamcha, Hinata too had waited patiently for him.
Then, remembering something, Naruto tapped the side of the spaceship and said,
"By the way, Bulma, there's something I need your help with. It's about the hundred-times gravity setting."
Bulma's expression turned knowing. "I knew it—one hundred times gravity is too much. Even twenty times is already—"
"Sorry, Bulma," Naruto interrupted gently, "I've already adapted to a hundred-times gravity. Do you think you could modify it to something stronger—maybe, say, three hundred times?"
"You're saying you've already adapted to one hundred times gravity?"
Bulma blinked several times, staring at him. If she weren't trying to maintain her ladylike composure, her jaw would have dropped.
After Naruto nodded, confirming it, she pressed her hand to her forehead. Was she dreaming?
He adapted to 100× gravity that easily? Is he even human?
Naruto smiled faintly. "Though part of my bloodline comes from the Ōtsutsuki clan, I'm still human at my core." Then he continued, "A three-hundred-times gravity chamber should be easy enough for the genius Miss Bulma, right?"
"Of course!" Bulma said, patting her chest proudly. Then she shifted topics.
"By the way, Naruto, what are you planning to do now? Do you have a place to stay? You can stay at my house—there's plenty of roo—wait, where are you going?"
"Gotta make some money."
With that, Naruto vanished from sight in an instant.
He dared not linger with Bulma any longer. Even though he knew she was only teasing, he didn't want any misunderstandings.
If Hinata ever found out he'd spent the night at another girl's house…
Well, an angry, black-aura Hinata was a terrifying sight indeed.
"Are all men such pigs?" Bulma muttered, hands on hips, pouting as she stared at the sky where Naruto had disappeared. "A gorgeous girl like me gets ignored—seriously!"
Although Bulma often swooned over good-looking guys, deep down she was quite loyal. What she'd said earlier had been genuine—her house really was big enough.
Training in the gravity chamber could wait. Right now, there was something more important—
getting a good meal.
Instant noodles and take-out every day… ugh, I'm sick of it, Naruto thought as his stomach growled. It was time for a proper feast.
Inside the seal space within him, Kurama and Kakarot both eagerly agreed. Whatever Naruto ate, they could manifest the same food inside the seal.
But lately, since Naruto had been living off cheap instant food, the same was true for them.
Even Kurama's favorite golden fried rice had stopped appearing, simply because Naruto hadn't eaten it in reality.
Both Kurama and Kakarot were suffering. Once you've tasted luxury, it's hard to go back.
So Naruto found a luxurious-looking restaurant.
An hour later, the place was in chaos—every staff member had been called to help carry dishes.
Two hours later, every edible thing in the restaurant had been wiped out.
Burp.
Naruto patted his still-flat stomach and looked at the mountain of empty plates. Satisfied, he got up. His appetite was now on par with a Saiyan's—
maybe even greater.
Inside the sealed space, all sorts of delicious foods reappeared.
Kurama swallowed a mouthful of fried rice with tears in his eyes. It had been so long since he'd tasted something so good.
As for Kakarot? He was already in full glutton mode, stuffing his mouth furiously as if afraid someone might take the food from him.
After eating his fill, Naruto finally had time to look around and observe how the Earth had changed.
In the two years he'd been away, for some reason, there were far fewer beast-people walking the streets. Only a few scattered ones remained.
Aside from the dog-headed King, the others had nearly vanished.
On the other hand, the number of powerful ki signatures on Earth had increased significantly. From north to south, east to west, strong auras could be felt everywhere. Clearly, Earth's warriors had been training hard.
If King Piccolo were to appear now, he'd likely get beaten down brutally.
"Now then," Naruto said to himself, "time to get some money."
He really did mean to earn cash. He planned to stay on Earth for quite some time, and money was essential.
Besides, the technology in the Dragon Ball world was incredible—many things here were worth collecting.
The sky darkened, and rain began to pour down in sheets. Yet even under the heavy rain, crowds of people lined up outside the arena — everyone eager to register for the upcoming World Martial Arts Tournament.
This time, the number of participants was even greater than at the 22nd Tournament.
"Long time no see, Launch," said a fashionable young woman with perfectly styled hair, smiling brightly at a pretty blue-haired girl standing nearby. "And you too, old turtle — been a while."
"Long time no see, Bulma. You're even prettier than before," Launch replied sincerely.
The "old turtle" — Master Roshi — frowned in irritation at the nickname. Adjusting his sunglasses, he muttered under his breath, "Now, now, I am your boyfriend's teacher, you know. You could show a little respect."
"Oh, you've got some nerve!" Bulma's voice rose sharply as she pointed at him, her anger practically sparking through the air. "Yamcha's my boyfriend, right? So where is he? Where did he go? You mean to tell me you don't know?"
"Didn't you two go to train at the Lookout together? Then how come you're the only one back here? Where is he now? Why didn't he come find me when he was done?"
Master Roshi rubbed his bald head awkwardly.
"Uh… well…"
He didn't know what to say.
That disciple of mine… seriously, Roshi thought helplessly. He's got such a beautiful girlfriend waiting for him, and he still runs off to train? Though, to be fair, her temper is a little…
His mind drifted back to centuries ago — to a girl he himself had once loved.
If only things had gone differently back then…
Gradually, the rain began to ease, and sunlight broke through the clouds.
Just then, a little girl passed by holding a balloon — only for the string to slip from her grasp. The balloon floated up, snagging on a nearby tree branch. The girl looked up helplessly, her eyes welling with tears.
Feeling sorry for her, Bulma tried to help. But even on tiptoe, she couldn't quite reach.
A large hand suddenly appeared and plucked the balloon down effortlessly. A young man, his head wrapped in a white cloth, handed it back to the girl with a gentle smile. Then he turned toward Bulma.
"Long time no see, Bulma."
Bulma blinked, stunned. "Your lips are so red… are you sick or something?"
Before she could say anything else, the young man turned toward Master Roshi.
"Grandpa Roshi, it's been a while."
Roshi stared at him, sensing the immense ki radiating from his body.
"Y-you… could it be… Goku?"
When the young man nodded, the group fell silent, eyes wide with shock.
The once-little boy they'd known had grown so tall, so quickly.
"Hey, Old Turtle," Bulma whispered to Roshi. "Didn't you go train with Goku? What's going on?"
"I… don't know either," Roshi admitted, just as confused. "When I left the Lookout a year ago, he was still small — exactly the same as before! How could he have grown this much in just a year?"
After looking Goku up and down again, Roshi could only mutter, "That's some transformation…"
"That's because Goku's a member of the Saiyan race — a warrior species from outer space," came a calm, unfamiliar voice. The group turned to see Naruto approaching, holding two cups of fruit juice. He handed one to Bulma with a friendly smile.
"Naruto?!" Roshi exclaimed, startled. "When did you get here?"
He adjusted his sunglasses, narrowing his eyes. I couldn't even sense his presence… his energy is far stronger than it was three years ago.
"I came with Bulma," Naruto said casually, sipping his drink. "We just finished signing up for the tournament."
Bulma nodded. "Yeah, he's telling the truth. We came together — he even bought a house right next to mine."
Naruto smiled wryly. It was true — to avoid any misunderstandings and to have a convenient training spot, he'd bought a villa beside Bulma's home.
But real estate in West City wasn't cheap — he'd spent nearly all his earnings on it.
"Wait—" Bulma suddenly blinked. "Did you just say that Goku isn't from Earth? A Saiyan? What's that — some kind of alien species?"
Naruto nodded. "The Saiyans are one of the most battle-hungry races in the entire universe. They look almost identical to humans, but there's one distinct difference — they have a tail. Saiyan children are usually sent to other planets at a young age."
He paused there, omitting a darker truth: that those children were sent to wipe out a planet's population and prepare it for sale to other buyers.
"Saiyans remain in childlike form for most of their early lives," Naruto continued, "some say to deceive their enemies. But when they approach adulthood, their bodies undergo a sudden transformation — they grow from a child's build to a full adult's physique in the span of about a month."
To ensure their power stays at its peak, Saiyans remain in their physical prime for decades — sometimes up to eighty years before showing signs of age.
"I remember now," Roshi said suddenly. "Goku's adoptive grandfather once told me how he found him — inside a strange, round object. That must have been a spaceship!"
He turned to Naruto. "But… how do you know all this?"
"You all know I left Earth three years ago," Naruto explained, taking another sip of juice. "I went to train in outer space."
Inside his sealed inner world, Kurama and Kakarot, lounging comfortably on their cushions, also took synchronized sips of juice.
Both Roshi and Launch were stunned that Naruto had actually traveled into space.
Goku, however, looked absolutely thrilled.
"While I was out there," Naruto continued, "I was attacked by a member of the Saiyan race — a lower-class warrior, he called himself. He looked exactly like Goku."
And indeed he had — the man named Turles looked like a darkened, corrupted version of Goku.
Stronger, crueler — a Goku of pure shadow.
In the original story, even Goku had needed to use tenfold Kaio-ken just to match Turles after the latter had eaten the Fruit of the Tree of Might.
"So that's it, huh?" Goku said at last, tilting his head, a bright smile spreading across his face. "So I'm an alien!"
Rather than being shocked or troubled, Goku accepted the revelation with the same carefree attitude as always. What mattered to him wasn't where he came from — but strength.
"Lower-class warrior, you said?" Goku asked, eyes lighting up. "Was he strong?"
Naruto smiled faintly. "Strong enough."
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