Uzumaki Naruto clenched his fists, his azure eyes fixed on the wooden table before him as he gently placed a hand on it.
"Crack, crackle..."
A crisp snapping sound rang out.
Uzumaki Naruto broke off a corner of the wooden table with one hand.
Looking at the piece of table in his hand, Uzumaki Naruto smiled faintly.
Though it was only a rotten wooden table, being able to break it apart so easily showed just how much Uzumaki Naruto's strength had increased.
"This is really incredible..."
"Taijutsu Training is no less useful to me than a Kekkei Genkai..."
"If the effects are this good, then I'll buy another one!"
With thirteen thousand Ryo still on hand, Uzumaki Naruto indulged in the feeling of being rich.
Another month's worth of hellish training memories flooded into his mind.
This round of training was even more inhumane than the last.
Two thousand push-ups!
Two thousand sit-ups!
Two thousand pull-ups!
Fifty laps of madly sprinting around Konoha!
Uzumaki Naruto was about to continue shopping when he noticed the words on the shelf with surprise.
Exclusive Customer: Uzumaki Naruto
Assets: 3,230 Ryo
"The second Taijutsu Training cost me a full ten thousand Ryo?"
Uzumaki Naruto tapped his coins.
After counting them carefully,
he discovered that ten coins had vanished without a trace. Only three one-thousand-Ryo coins, two two-hundred-Ryo coins, and three ten-Ryo coins remained.
Uzumaki Naruto frowned and looked at the Taijutsu Mode on the shelf.
Taijutsu Mode: 50,000 Ryo
"The price increase is that huge? I need to find a way to make money..."
Uzumaki Naruto let out a breath.
On the street.
Uzumaki Naruto aimlessly surveyed his surroundings.
Weapon shop!
This shop was run by Tenten's family, and they had no intention of hiring anyone for now.
Barbecue restaurant!
This shop was run by Nakamura Denji. The meat he sold me last time was rotten.
Ichiraku Ramen!
Uncle Ichiraku treated me well, but unfortunately, they were not hiring either.
Bento shop!
The last time I came here to buy a bento, they had mixed quite a bit of dirt and ash into it.
Izakaya!
This shop...
Uzumaki Naruto had just stopped walking when an angry voice came from inside the izakaya.
"Damn Uzumaki Naruto!!!"
"What did you do to my son?"
A burly, obese middle-aged woman, fat as a sow, stormed out of the izakaya with a broom in hand.
Uzumaki Naruto froze for a moment.
The izakaya's proprietress—what did she want with him?
The middle-aged woman glared furiously at Uzumaki Naruto, pointed at the sniveling brat inside, and shouted, "Uzumaki Naruto, did you beat up my child?"
"Are you looking to die? My child has been crying ever since he came back from outside, and he's still crying now. Go apologize to my child immediately."
Uzumaki Naruto's expression returned to normal, though a trace of coldness appeared in his eyes.
"Oh, you're his mother."
"No!"
Uzumaki Naruto refused decisively and said flatly, "I won't apologize to him. He bullied Little Hinata, so I taught him a lesson."
The middle-aged woman flew into a rage and swung the broom at Uzumaki Naruto.
The villagers watching nearby looked interested and all turned their gazes toward them.
Seeing that Uzumaki Naruto was the one being beaten, the villagers were delighted and maliciously shouted:
"Teach that monster brat a lesson! He already dares to hit people—will he dare to kill people in the future!?"
"That's right, he needs a harsh lesson so he'll never dare lay a hand on anyone again."
"Letting him remain in Konoha is already a blessing. Yet he still dares to hit people. How ungrateful."
"Hmph, a monster like him would be better off dead..."
"..."
Uzumaki Naruto's eyes turned cold.
In the past, he could only obediently endure this beating, since he had no strength to resist an adult.
But now...
"Heh!"
Uzumaki Naruto sneered. His five fingers shot out like the wind and seized the end of the broom.
Smack!
The middle-aged woman froze. She tried to pull the broom back, but Uzumaki Naruto held it firmly.
"Damn brat, let go of it!!!"
The middle-aged woman cursed loudly, her voice extremely unpleasant.
The corner of Uzumaki Naruto's mouth curled into a subtle smile.
"Fine!"
Before the middle-aged woman could react, she suddenly felt the broom become light in her hands and fell hard onto the ground with a thud.
"Ahhh!!!"
The middle-aged woman sprang three feet into the air from the pain, clutching her backside as she glared at Uzumaki Naruto resentfully and cursed, "Damn monster, who told you to let go? Did you do that on purpose to get back at me?"
Uzumaki Naruto nearly laughed.
You hit me, and you won't even let me resist?
The middle-aged woman before him was not only fat as a sow, but her brain seemed stuffed full of fat too. She was nothing but a brainless shrew.
Uzumaki Naruto could not be bothered with her. A spark appeared at the tip of his right finger.
He flicked his finger.
The spark landed steadily in the izakaya's alcohol.
Uzumaki Naruto spoke softly:
Scorch Release: Blazing Fire!
The next second—
Boom!!!
The spark exploded. Nearly imperceptible flames ignited the alcohol, and fueled by the liquor, they devoured every corner of the izakaya like a fire dragon.
Before the middle-aged woman could recover, she felt a scorching heat surge from behind her.
When she looked back,
the fat on her face trembled, and her voice became shrill.
"Ah, help! Fire! Somebody come quick! All my money is inside! Somebody put out the fire..."
The pedestrians on the road descended into chaos.
Even though some people wanted to put out the fire and rushed over carrying buckets, there was nothing they could do against the flames consuming the izakaya.
They could only watch helplessly as the raging inferno devoured the entire izakaya, burning it until nothing remained but wreckage and ash.
The middle-aged woman dropped onto the ground and began wailing loudly like a tantrum-throwing child.
"It's all that damned monster's fault! If it weren't for him, how could my home have caught fire..."
"Help! It's all that damned monster's fault! If I hadn't gone to beat him, how could I have neglected my home..."
"Lord Hokage has to compensate me! All my money was inside, ahhh..."
Uzumaki Naruto smiled faintly, shoved his hands into his pockets, and left.
Repay kindness with kindness?
Heh!
Repay resentment with resentment!
After leaving the bustling main street,
Uzumaki Naruto arrived at a secluded street. He stopped beneath a certain shop and looked at its sign with some hesitation.
Paradise Bookstore
The latest Heavenly Heat Paradise editions have been restocked.
The name was perfectly normal, but the pink lights on the sign proved that this was definitely not an ordinary bookstore.
Still, quite a few people came and went.
Before you continue