'I look forward to it.'
As Piccolo left, a voice rang out in his mind. He paused for a heartbeat before departing, the corners of his mouth curving upward.
"Never thought Demon King Piccolo's kid would actually show up here," Krillin said, stumbling over his words.
Yamcha chimed in. "What terrifying ki. One glance at him and my whole body trembled. I felt nothing but fear."
"Compared to the Demon King from three years ago, this one is even more terrifying, and more dangerous."
"If it were Demon King Piccolo, I'd still dare to step forward and fight. But facing him, I can't even summon the will to battle."
"Did you forget Master Roshi's teachings?" Tien said, his voice heavy. "Remember not to surrender before the battle begins. Even though I sense the terror of this opponent, I'll still go all out if I encounter him."
"He's mine to handle," Goku said with full confidence.
Goku's confidence infected Krillin and the others. Their spirits, shaken by Piccolo's appearance, gradually steadied. It was as if they could already see Goku defeating him.
But in truth, despite his outward confidence, if you asked Goku how much of a chance he actually had, he would say it was fifty-fifty.
*Beep Beep Beep*
Bulma's Scouter sounded again.
Thinking Piccolo had returned, Krillin immediately dropped into a vigilant stance and scanned his surroundings, afraid Piccolo might jump out from somewhere to give them a surprise.
"Turtle School trash and... Crane School traitors. Long time no see." A voice dripping with mockery rang out. A red-crowned crane bowler hat, unique to the Crane School, entered their field of vision.
Master Crane stepped into view, a man wrapped completely in a cloak beside him.
"You again, you big stupid crane? Wasn't the last beating enough for you?"
"Bald turtle, shut your mouth," Master Crane fired back instantly, his expression blank. "That last business was an accident. You Turtle School people played dirty and ambushed me. I let my guard down and didn't dodge, that was the only reason I fell for your tricks."
Master Roshi and Master Crane faced off once again. In truth, except for Master Roshi, Tien, and Chiaotzu, none of the Turtle School disciples took him seriously.
Master Roshi, however, had been staring intently at the cloaked man since he appeared, his muscles tensed tight. Naruto could sense that Master Roshi was in a state of high alert.
Even when Piccolo appeared, he hadn't been this tense.
"Master, I..." Tien lowered his head, speechless. Master Crane was the person he least wanted to face.
No matter what, Master Crane was his master, the person who had taught and raised him since childhood. Tien and Chiaotzu were orphans, in their eyes, he was the equivalent of a parent.
Setting aside his character, he actually treated his disciples quite well.
And as for the Crane School, there were really only two disciples total: Tien and Chiaotzu.
"This time I won't fall for your tricks, because I've found a helper strong enough to wipe out all you Turtle School scumbags. Clean your necks, you bald turtle. You, your disciples, and those two traitors had better get ready."
The cloaked man beside Master Crane let out a harsh laugh.
The voice sounded extremely familiar to Tien.
"Co... could it be..." An image flashed through his mind. He had guessed the man's identity. A bead of sweat rolled down Tien's temple as he muttered in a whisper, "Didn't he die?"
Only Chiaotzu, standing beside him, heard. He looked at Tien with worry. "Tien..."
"We'll make you understand what happens when you cross me."
Master Crane said viciously, "Stinky turtle, traitors, you better wise up."
After hurling those harsh words, Master Crane left without looking back, taking the cloaked man with him.
With his back turned, Master Crane harbored intense resentment.
'I am no longer the man I was three years ago!'
'Three years. I stayed in that village for three whole years. Do you have any idea how I lived? Just wait. I will make those bastards from the Turtle School and those two traitors pay in blood!'
'Hehehe.' Master Crane let out the same cackle as the cloaked man.
'I'll let you all taste what it feels like to have poop stuck all over your bodies, hehehe.'
When Master Crane arrived, Bulma's scouter displayed a number: '666'. As for the man beside him, the scouter couldn't display his combat power at all.
Bulma assumed the device was malfunctioning.
*Beep Beep Beep*
The scouter rang again. This time, the subject was a middle-aged man with a long upper lip and a small mustache.
The number displayed was 220.
'What an impressive guy.' The combat power made Bulma look at the unremarkable, funny-looking man with newfound respect.
Before Bulma could finish marveling, there was a *splat*. The man stepped on his own right foot with his left and fell flat on his. The crowd burst into laughter at the comedic display.
Bulma covered her forehead. 'The machine must be broken. There's no way he could trip like that.'
The broadcast urging contestants to register sounded. Remembering they hadn't signed in at the Martial Arts Arena, the crowd hurried off.
--**--**
The preliminaries for the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament officially began.
The number of participants had nearly doubled since the previous edition.
"Master Roshi, are you planning to participate this time?" Tien asked quietly before leaving.
Master Roshi shook his head. "There's no need. From now on, the world belongs to you young people. My old bones can't keep pace with you anymore."
"Then... I'll do my best."
After a moment of contemplation, Master Roshi added a warning. "By the way, Tien, be careful of your master. I feel that Stupid Crane has hidden a vast amount of power."
"Mm!" Tien nodded, his expression grave.
It was the same familiar preliminary venue and the same random-draw group format.
However, the preliminary round no longer used the traditional top-eight advancement format. Instead, it adopted a top-sixteen system.
"Mr. Uzumaki, Mr. Uzumaki! You're here."
The moment Naruto stepped into the arena and received his number, a staff member in a yellow robe waved and jogged over.
"P-please follow me. We have prepared a VIP box for you so you can watch the matches comfortably."
Naruto had played his hand. He had provided a massive amount of funding for the tournament and orchestrated the change from a top-eight to a top-sixteen system. He had even invested in a TV station to livestream the entire event.
Naruto planned to spark a trend of Earthlings revering martial arts.
He didn't want Ki Blasts and Flight to become nothing but legends a decade or two from now.
To ensure this, he raised the prize money from 500,000 zeni to 30 million. Rewards were no longer just for first place, second, third, fourth, and everyone down to eighth place would claim a prize.
That was why the 23rd Martial Arts Tournament drew so many participants. Even if they couldn't win, competing for the top eight was worth it. The eighth-place prize was enough for an ordinary person to live a prosperous life.
"Can contestants rest in the VIP box?" Naruto asked. "My preliminary match is about to start."
"You... you're signing up to compete?" The staff member froze. He never expected the World Martial Arts Tournament's top investor to enter the fray.
If he got injured, would he stop investing? His superiors had explicitly ordered him to treat this big shot with the utmost care.
"I-we..." The staff member stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.
"Go back," Naruto told him. "I was at least the runner-up last tournament. Well... maybe the champion?"
Because Tambourine had disrupted the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament midway and forcibly ended the finals, no true champion had been crowned.
Given Naruto's firm stance, the staff member couldn't stop him. He could only watch nervously as Naruto's match began.
Naruto's opponent was a giant, standing at least three meters tall. A physique like that, built like a bear, wasn't common on Earth, but it wasn't rare. The muscles looked imposing, but the combat power was disappointing.
Naruto flicked a single finger against the giant's forehead. The man collapsed instantly, unconscious.
"Incredible!" The staff member stood frozen for a moment, then shouted in amazement.
Nearby, the other Z Fighters members finished their matches. Goku rendered his opponent unconscious with a hand-blade strike to the neck. Krillin pushed his opponent down. Yamcha used a kick. Only Piccolo mirrored Naruto's approach with a single finger flick.
Beyond the Z Fighters, many talented fighters had entered the tournament.
For instance, in Block F.
When a distinctive, spiky-haired figure stepped onto the arena floor, gasps rippled through the crowd.
"King Chappa! It's King Chappa of the Eight-Arm Fist! The Eight-Arm Fist has returned!"
The man entering from the left was Chappa. He had been killed by Tambourine three years ago after being defeated by Goku, but the Dragon Balls had brought him back.
He had trained relentlessly over the last three years. He was no longer the man he once was. Convinced he could defeat the Goku of those days, he had entered the tournament once again.
Chappa's gaze locked onto Goku, who was fighting in Block A. "Son Goku! This time, I'll wash away my shame!"
"I will personally reclaim the honor that belongs to King Chappa."
"I will prove to everyone that I am the strongest in the world."
For a martial artist, nothing was more humiliating than being defeated head-on in a manner that seemed playful.
However, his opponent had no intention of letting him have his way.
===============
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