Planet Namek was more than ten times the size of Earth, yet it looked like a desolate world.
In truth, Namek had once been even more beautiful than Earth. In ancient times, the Namekians had possessed extremely advanced technology, but excessive industrial development led to severe pollution. The destruction of their carbon dioxide protective layer exposed the planet to deadly cosmic radiation, turning Namek into a dying world. Most of the Namekian race was wiped out; only a handful survived—some by clinging to life on the ruined planet, others by escaping into space.
Now, the entire planet's Namekian population numbered barely over a hundred.
The moment Naruto arrived, he immediately sensed multiple strong presences—some even stronger than his own. After converting his spacecraft back into capsule form and hiding it, he flew toward the source of the strongest energy signatures.
The Namekians tending to their green crops seemed to notice him too. One by one, they stopped what they were doing and looked up at the sky where Naruto was descending.
The ability to sense energy was almost standard for every adult Namekian.
Even the non-combatant types among them possessed power levels far beyond that of ordinary humans.
Just imagine: a race with highly advanced technology and the innate ability to fuse and grow stronger through assimilation—if Namek had never suffered disaster, then just the fusion of all combat-type Namekians alone would have created a being of unimaginable power.
"An alien?" one plump, round-faced Namekian asked as he looked at Naruto, who was slowly descending from the sky. "It's been many years since anyone from another world has come here."
Though Namek was vast, its resources were long exhausted from overdevelopment. Not even the mighty Frieza Force had any interest in it—too barren, no profitable minerals, and the native warriors were strong enough to make conquest unprofitable.
A planet with no value—written off as cosmic waste.
Had Frieza not overheard Vegeta speaking of the Dragon Balls, he might never have come to Namek at all.
"Hello, friend from Namek," Naruto greeted as he landed softly, flashing a bright, sunny smile. "I'm from Earth."
The chubby Namekian returned the smile warmly. "Welcome, friend from Earth."
In unfamiliar lands, the best way to show goodwill is a smile—because smiles are contagious.
Naruto's smile carried no malice, and that alone put them at ease.
After a short exchange, Naruto learned that the Namekian's name was Siru (OC), the elder of the nearby village.
Naruto introduced himself as a traveler journeying through the stars. He explained that he'd originally set out for Planet Yardrat to learn their mysterious techniques, but accidentally landed on Namek instead.
Hearing this, Elder Siru became even more welcoming. He invited Naruto to stay, though their hospitality was quite unique—the only thing they offered was water.
Namekians didn't eat food. Water alone sustained them. So naturally, when they entertained guests, they offered… water.
Well, Naruto thought, the water tasted sweet and pure—just not filling.
The Namekians were indeed as gentle and kind as the legends described.
Of course, part of their friendliness came from the fact that Naruto's energy didn't feel evil to them. Had it been otherwise, their reception would've been very different.
The elder standing before Naruto might have looked ordinary, but his power level was around 1,200—on Earth, that would make him an unrivaled superhuman.
Even Goku or Piccolo in their early days couldn't have stood against him. Compared to his might, King Piccolo's mere 280 power level was nothing at all.
After drinking his fill of the offered water, Naruto asked politely, "Would it be alright if I trained here for a while?"
"Of course," Elder Siru replied readily, then patted the arm of a tall, muscular Namekian beside him. "This is Puru (OC), the strongest warrior in our village. If you wish to train, he can help you. He would make an excellent sparring partner."
On Namek, people disliked fighting, so most villages had only a few combat-type warriors—some only one.
This village, for instance, had just one: Puru.
The average combat-type Namekian had a power level around 3,000, but Puru's was closer to 4,000—making him one of the stronger warriors on the planet.
Naruto smiled politely at him. "Then I'll be in your care, Mr. Puru."
"The honor is mine," Puru replied coolly, with that stoic tone typical of Piccolo's kind.
Thus began Naruto's training.
By day, he sparred with Puru. By night, he trained further inside a gravity chamber. His daily life consisted entirely of training and more training—and his strength grew rapidly.
After all, there's no faster way to improve than by battling strong opponents.
Namekians were born with an instinctive command of ki, able to conceal or manipulate their energy freely, but when it came to actual combat technique, they lagged far behind Earth's martial artists—pitifully so, in fact.
Despite Puru's higher power level, he struggled against Naruto in actual battle.
It was just like when Krillin and Gohan first arrived on Namek: their power levels barely 1,500, yet they managed to outmaneuver Dodoria—whose power exceeded 20,000—and even rescued Dende before escaping unscathed.
Meanwhile, three Namekian warriors with power levels over 3,000 each were effortlessly slaughtered by Dodoria.
The truth was simple: Namekians lacked combat experience.
They didn't like fighting, and they weren't good at it.
And so, several months passed.
Thanks to the stockpile of food Naruto had brought from Earth—and the occasional fish or small animal he caught—he managed to avoid starving. Otherwise, on a diet of just water, he'd have been a walking skeleton.
By now, Naruto had adapted to 20 times Earth's gravity.
But far out in space, a uniquely shaped spaceship was slowly approaching Namek.
"Lord Turles, we've detected energy signatures from a nearby planet," one of the aliens aboard reported after typing rapidly on his console. "According to the readings, the planet supports life."
"Send out a probe," came a cold, commanding voice from the shadows. "If the planet's purity is suitable for planting, we'll make landfall."
"Yes, Lord Turles."
A small probe detached from the ship and shot toward Namek.
Several hours later, it transmitted its findings.
"Lord Turles, according to analysis, this planet is suitable for planting the Tree of Might."
The Tree of Might—an extraordinary plant that absorbed the life energy of entire planets to grow. Its fruit, known as the Sacred Fruit, was said to grant divine power.
Just a single bite could increase one's combat strength immensely.
"Oh?" Turles' expression darkened with interest. "How many fruits can it produce?"
"Estimated yield: at least ten."
Across the universe, very few planets could sustain the Tree of Might. Most produced only one or two fruits, and the increase in strength varied wildly—some by mere hundreds of power units, others by thousands.
It was said that the finest fruit could boost power by hundreds of thousands—but such fruit existed only in legend.
Even Turles himself, after consuming countless fruits, had never encountered one so potent. The strongest he'd eaten only boosted his strength by two thousand.
"Excellent," Turles said coolly, swirling the red wine in his glass before drinking it down in one motion. "Prepare to land."
"Yes, my lord."
As the ship began its descent, both Naruto and Puru suddenly stopped their sparring. They looked up at the sky, sensing the same thing.
"There's a massive, evil energy approaching," Puru said grimly.
"Frieza's army? No… they shouldn't arrive for another six years," Naruto muttered to himself. "Could they have learned about the Dragon Balls early?"
Unfortunately, the ship was heading straight for the area near their village.
"Elder Siru, take the children and hide," Naruto instructed. "A fierce battle is coming."
After ensuring the villagers' safety, he and Puru flew toward the landing site.
"This planet looks pretty barren," remarked a red-skinned, muscular alien as he stepped off the ship with his companions. "Aside from a few small animals, there's not much life here. Are we sure it can grow the Tree of Might?"
"The computer confirmed it," replied a short, squat alien. "If the readings say it can, then it can."
"I just hope Lord Turles leaves us a few scraps after he eats the fruit," another alien said, grinning wickedly. "Even a leftover bite would make us stronger."
The skeleton-faced alien snorted. "If the tree bears fewer than ten fruits, forget it—you'll get nothing."
"Let's just get it planted," the red-skinned one said.
Together, they blasted a massive crater into the ground and dropped a single seed into it.
Moments later, thick roots began bursting from the pit, followed by a small sprout that grew at an astonishing rate—within moments, it had become a towering tree stretching into the sky.
"Ha ha ha! Look at it grow!" the red-skinned alien laughed. "I've seen that speed before—this one's a jackpot! We're in luck, boys."
"The faster it grows, the more fruit it'll bear—maybe a hundred this time!"
But as the great tree expanded, the surrounding vegetation withered at terrifying speed. Rivers dried up, animals collapsed lifelessly—the planet's life force was being devoured.
A plundering parasite of a plant.
"The plants are crying," Puru said, his voice trembling with anger. "That tree is stealing their life! We must destroy it!"
"Not so fast, green boy," sneered the red-skinned alien, stepping in front of him. "We can't let you do that."
"Move," Puru warned. "Or I'll defeat you along with that monster tree."
"Hear that?" the red-skinned alien laughed to his comrades. "The little green guy thinks he can beat me!"
Though far weaker than Turles, he was still a formidable warrior by galactic standards.
"Just to be safe, let's check their power levels first," said the skeleton-faced one.
The short alien pressed the button on his scouter—similar to the one Naruto carried.
Beep-beep-beep!
"Power level: 1,000," he reported.
1,000—a standard reading for Frieza's basic soldiers. Not impressive, but not weak either.
Hearing that, the aliens relaxed and burst into mocking laughter.
"Ha ha ha! That's it? I thought they might actually be strong! Just a couple of low-level trash!"
"No, wait," the short one corrected. "That 1,000 belongs to the green guy. The other one's barely 500."
"Trash all the same," the red-skinned alien said with a smirk. "We've got nothing to worry about. Our power levels are all around 3,000."
Naruto's gaze hardened. These fools put far too much faith in their scouters. It was going to cost them dearly.
The Tree of Might… there was no mistaking it—this had to be Turles' movie timeline.
Except, Naruto thought, these minions seemed even weaker than the ones from the film.
"Let's go," he said flatly.
He and Puru launched forward simultaneously.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
Naruto's kick slammed into the red-skinned alien's stomach. The moment they made contact, Naruto's energy surged.
"Impossible… my power level is three thousand! You're just a five-hundred-point weakling—!" the alien gasped, eyes wide in disbelief. Before he could finish, his body went limp and he collapsed, unconscious.
One strike. Instant knockout.
And as a seasoned ninja, Naruto knew better than to leave an enemy breathing. He flicked his hand, sending a ki blast straight into the fallen alien's chest.
The explosion consumed him completely—leaving nothing behind, not even ash.
Please drop some power stones support me at my
PS: Access the complete/finished chapters/series at Patreon: NanamiTL