"Mm..."
"It's really delicious..."
Uzumaki Naruto finished the entire lunchbox, let out a relieved breath, and leaned against the tree with his belly stuffed full.
"Delicious. Just as expected of Little Hinata—everything she makes is especially tasty. It even has Little Hinata's flavor."
Little Hinata's face reddened even more. Lowering her head and fiddling with her fingers, she said softly, "Then I'll make more tomorrow. Naruto-kun, you have to eat more, or you'll get hungry."
Uzumaki Naruto's eyelid twitched slightly. More tomorrow?
Staring at the three-tiered lunchbox, Uzumaki Naruto felt his scalp tingle. But he truly did not want to disappoint Little Hinata, so he forced himself to agree.
"Alright. I'll properly savor the delicious food Little Hinata brings."
A happy smile appeared on Little Hinata's face, and she nodded vigorously.
"Okay, then, Naruto-kun, I'll head home first. See you at school tomorrow. I'll make lots of delicious food for you."
Uzumaki Naruto smiled and nodded, watching Little Hinata leave.
Once Little Hinata disappeared from view, Uzumaki Naruto could not help but laugh. He rubbed his round, swollen belly.
"I ate too much. Little Hinata really has quite an appetite. No wonder she'll become such a big eater in the future. It really won't be easy to support Little Hinata."
"I need to make money. Otherwise, I won't even be able to support my wife."
Uzumaki Naruto pulled himself together, clenched his fist, and closed his azure eyes. A black display case appeared in his mind.
Kekkei Genkai—Shikotsumyaku Shikotsumyaku: The ability to freely manipulate the bones throughout one's body for defense or attack. Bone-forming cells, bone-resorbing cells, calcium concentration, and more can all be manipulated without restriction, allowing bones to be generated, broken down, or kept hardened. Discounted price: 30,000 ryo -------------- Kekkei Genkai: Crystal Release Crystal Release: Can instantly crystallize any substance other than chakra, giving it the hardness of steel. Its weakness is infrasound. Discounted price: 30,000 ryo -------------- Kekkei Genkai: Adamantine Chains Adamantine Chains: A unique ability of the Uzumaki Clan. When used, multiple chakra chains extend from the user's back. They can serve as powerful attack weapons, create barriers, and seal tailed beasts. Discounted price: 30,000 ryo -------------- Kekkei Genkai: Scorch Release Scorch Release: A Scorch Release ninjutsu created by combining Wind Release chakra and Fire Release chakra. It can instantly evaporate the water inside an opponent's body and is extremely powerful. Discounted price: 30,000 ryo --------------
"I really want to buy all of these Kekkei Genkai..."
Unfortunately.
Only four Kekkei Genkai in the display case were discounted. All the rest were being sold at their original prices.
For example, the Sharingan, Byakugan, Wood Release...
They all started at five hundred million.
Kekkei Genkai such as the Rinnegan and Tenseigan were even more expensive, costing several billion apiece.
Uzumaki Naruto took out his frog wallet. Looking at its bulging belly, he gently stroked it.
"Thirty thousand ryo. I saved for three years. Every last coin was scraped out from between my teeth..."
Letting out a breath, Uzumaki Naruto's expression returned to calm as he said,
"Purchase Kekkei Genkai: Scorch Release!"
The instant his words fell, the flame representing Scorch Release in the display case gradually turned gray, signifying that Uzumaki Naruto had purchased this Kekkei Genkai.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Suddenly!!!
Uzumaki Naruto felt a burst of heat in his abdomen, as though a blazing flame were burning within him, threatening to burn his body to ashes.
The process lasted about half a minute.
Half a minute later.
Uzumaki Naruto stared blankly at the flames rising from his hand.
"This is... Scorch Release!?"
The flames in his hand were like two suns, raging within them and radiating scorching heat, like the corpse-burning flames of a crematorium.
Under the scorching flames, the air temperature soared past one hundred degrees. The leaves overhead turned yellow, as though they were about to ignite.
"Finally... I have some strength..."
A faint smile appeared on Uzumaki Naruto's face.
He had been transported to this world for six years. He had grown up in an environment full of malice, where everyone deliberately targeted him.
Even after entering the Ninja Academy, he had been unable to come into contact with advanced ninjutsu.
Even in the future, when the other rookies had mastered their clans' secret techniques or ninjutsu, he would only have the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu at his disposal.
But now... he finally had a little power to protect himself.
Uzumaki Naruto cautiously moved the flames in his hand closer to the tree.
"Whoosh!!!"
The towering tree, so wide that four or five people could not wrap their arms around it, instantly caught fire. Scalding flames crawled up its trunk like fiery serpents.
The trunk, branches, and leaves were all engulfed in flames in an instant, blazing fiercely.
"Not bad!"
Uzumaki Naruto smiled. With such terrifying heat, it was no wonder it could instantly roast someone into a dried corpse.
Before long.
Several villagers rushed over. Seeing the raging flames, they hurriedly tried to put them out with buckets of water.
It took nearly a hundred buckets of water just to barely extinguish the tree's branches. Even then, the inside of the trunk was still burning fiercely.
"This is incredible. Such a huge fire started instantly... Did the tree spontaneously combust?"
Leaving Hokage Rock.
Uzumaki Naruto walked along the streets toward the Forest of Death.
Every villager he encountered glanced sideways at Uzumaki Naruto with disgust in their eyes, whispering among themselves.
"Why is this monster here?"
"How disgusting. Look, he even has whiskers on his face..."
"Exactly. Why is he out on the streets when there's nothing to do? Just looking at him makes me sick..."
"Stay away from him. Don't pay attention to him. This brat is a fox demon. It would be best if he died soon..."
"..."
Uzumaki Naruto remained calm, his hands in his pockets as he completely ignored the voices around him.
He had been in this world for six years now. What happened today was something he had experienced every single day before.
He had long grown accustomed to living amid malicious words.
Right now, he had no strength and could only let them freely insult and bully him.
But once he had enough strength.
Every last one of these people would pay. He would return the humiliation he had suffered a hundredfold.
Before you continue