On Bulma's end, the numbers kept rising, they had already passed 5000.
"That's still not his limit?"
Watching the numbers climb, Bulma started thinking about upgrading the combat-power scouter when she had time. If the data ever exceeded the detection range, what would happen if the thing exploded?
In the end, Naruto's combat power settled at the number 7000.
Naruto's combat power was a staggering 7000 points.
At this, everyone except for Goku, who was as excited as ever, stood speechless with shock.
In truth, a combat power of 7000 still didn't represent everything Naruto had. He was, however, the full extent of the power that the Naruto before them could display.
Because the Naruto on the arena... was not the real body.
He was a Shadow Clone.
A Shadow Clone creating another Shadow Clone, that was the exclusive ability of Naruto's True Shadow Clone.
Naruto's real body isn't even at the Budokai Tenkaichi venue, it's in the Gravity Room in West City, grinding toward the goal of 200 times gravity.
Every warrior present who could sense ki was stunned by a combat power reaching 7000 points.
When nearly everyone else was stuck pecking at each other with just over a thousand points, Naruto's shadow clone with a combat power exceeding 7000 wasn't just a question of strong or not, it existed on an entirely different plane.
"His power is greater than King Piccolo's?" After sensing Naruto's overwhelming ki, even Wu and Devilman, utterly loyal and unshakably confident in Piccolo, spoke with sudden uncertainty.
"Hahaha!" Piccolo threw aside his previous cold demeanor and burst into loud laughter, jabbing a finger at Naruto repeatedly. "That's just like you."
"I thought you were only twice as strong as me. I never expected you'd keep this much power hidden."
"Then again, if I could surpass you in just two years, I'd be worried the days ahead would get boring."
The ones who felt it least were probably the spectators surrounding the arena. They only saw a spectacular match. Who was strong, who was weak, unless it was glaringly obvious, they couldn't really tell the difference, let alone grasp the true might of the Z Fighters in any meaningful way.
They were strong. And then what? Nothing.
Ignorance was sometimes a kind of bliss.
If they knew the true strength of the warriors on this stage, it would stir up plenty of needless panic. Everyone dreams of becoming Superman, but no one actually wants to live in a world where beings exist who could obliterate them with a single breath.
"Fuuh." After displaying his power, Naruto pulled his ki, so far beyond everyone else's, back down to 500 points. His voice rang in the warriors' minds again.
"If you think this kind of combat power is strong, you're dead wrong. In this universe, there are many beings with combat power exceeding ten thousand points."
*'What? There are even stronger beings out there?'* Krillin thought, panic edging into his mind.
Naruto raised one finger. "Ten thousand points is a dividing line."
*'Ten thousand points? My combat power hasn't even hit a thousand.'* Yamcha was visibly dejected.
In the universe, especially within its major powers, combat power roughly breaks down like this: a few hundred points is grunt level, generic soldiers, as many as you want, between one thousand and five thousand puts you at regular warrior status, which is where most of Frieza's direct subordinate army sits. According to the latest Broly movie lore, when the Frieza Force expanded later, even finding a soldier at one thousand points was difficult.
Five thousand to ten thousand is the elite warrior bracket, squad leader treatment. Back when the Saiyans were still around, their squad leaders were mostly at this level. Above ten thousand: super warrior. No matter where you go, those are rare.
Warriors of that caliber are scarce even across the entire Frieza Force. Zarbon and Dodoria, the two Frieza keeps at his side at all times, are at that level, his personal guard.
As for combat power exceeding a hundred million, that only shows up in mutants.
"I have high hopes for all of you. Train hard, and reaching ten thousand points is not out of the question."
"Your goals can't be limited to Earth, the solar system, or even this universe. Broaden your vision."
Naruto began talking about some of the powerful races in the universe.
"Here's a small goal to start with: try to surpass me."
Goku was already fired up, practically itching to go.
"Don't say it." Before Goku could speak, Piccolo cut him off. His face lit up with excitement. "I can't hold back any longer."
"Son Goku!"
Piccolo's gaze shifted to Goku, his eyes blazing with battle-lust.
"Come. Fight me."
"Let me defeat you first, then surpass you."
The first *you* meant Goku. The second *you* meant Naruto.
"The Great Demon King who rules the world?" Piccolo chuckled softly and shook his head. "If I'm going to be a Demon King, I'll be the Demon King who rules the entire universe."
*'Then you'll have to defeat the Galactic Real Estate Tycoon, Frieza, first.'*
But Goku and Piccolo were far too lost in each other's eyes as their fighting spirit ignited to hear this. Goku, who had been itching to go from the start, leapt onto the arena the moment he heard Piccolo's words.
The two of them launched into a fierce back-and-forth battle. In terms of raw combat power, Piccolo, with a whopping 1500 points, was definitely stronger. But Goku was no pushover, his combat experience far exceeded Piccolo's.
Piccolo had indeed inherited the former Demon King Piccolo's memories, but those things ultimately belonged to the elder. To this Piccolo, he was merely a spectator. He had seen it, knew it, but he wasn't the original.
Not only were their personalities worlds apart, but even their fighting styles were drastically different.
Still, a gap in combat power was ultimately insurmountable. Moreover, Piccolo's combat talent was not low. As a being born from the concentrated essence of the original, Piccolo was a top-tier combat-type Namekian. After taking a few hits, he quickly adapted to Goku's fighting style and grew rapidly through the ongoing fight.
Gradually, Goku could no longer suppress him.
"Goku, your speed is a major weakness." Piccolo drove a punch into Goku's face, knocking him back several steps, and looked at him with disappointment. "If this is all you've got, you'll never beat me."
"You're right. My speed right now can't match yours." Goku, straightforward as ever, admitted it outright. "Then give me a moment."
"What are you doing?" Piccolo looked reluctant but stopped his assault. "Don't tell me you're going to take a break and grab a box lunch or something."
"Hahaha, now that you mention it, I am kind of hungry." Goku rubbed the tip of his nose with his index finger. Then his expression turned serious. "Warm-up's officially over. Time to get serious."
With that, Goku started stripping his gear.
His gi, his vest, his shoes, his wrist guards, even his pants.
*Bam. Bam. Bam.* Each piece hit the ground with a dull, heavy thud.
"So you were wearing weighted clothing." Piccolo saw through it immediately, Goku had been hiding his true strength under the weights. "Your energy just shot up a notch."
The craters the items left on the arena floor made it clear: every piece carried serious heft.
On the scouter, Goku's combat power spiked from 1307 all the way to 1780. A jump of over 400 points.
Higher than Piccolo's 1500.
Now it was Piccolo's turn to be on the back foot. His speed could no longer keep up with Goku's movements.
"Use your full power." After another exchange, Goku disengaged and looked at Piccolo dead seriously. "Bring out everything you've got."
"You saw through me." Piccolo wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth where Goku's punch had landed. "Since you want to see it, fine. I'll show you."
With that, Piccolo began removing his own gear.
When he shed the cape from his shoulders and threw it to the ground, it produced the same kind of sound as Goku's clothes had, no, it was even heavier, if anything, than the weights Goku had been wearing.
"You're not the only one wearing weighted clothing." Piccolo looked at Goku and spoke with measured intensity.
At the same time, his combat power surged from 1500 to 1908, still edging out Goku by a hair.
The two clashed again.
In truth, their speeds were now nearly identical, but in raw power, Piccolo clearly had the upper hand.
After three months of extra training under Naruto's guidance, Piccolo had grown significantly stronger. Gradually, Goku began to fall behind, and the advantage started shifting in Piccolo's favor.
"Our King is going to win!" Devilman and Wu shouted together. Mummy stood off to the side, still waving his little flags.
While everyone's attention was focused on Piccolo and Goku, Mercenary Tao quietly suppressed his energy and slipped away from the group, heading toward the edge of the arena. Naruto noticed but did nothing to stop him.
*'You've got to put some pressure on Goku and the others.'*
Without pressure, the Z Fighters' rate of growth had dropped by a full level.
But having more power didn't guarantee victory. The Z Fighters' true strength often revealed itself only in battle.
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