Chapter 36
Iwa-kun trembled as he pulled three special kunai from his ninja pouch and handed them to Naruto with both hands.
Naruto took them without hesitation, then said: "Hand over the pouch too."
Iwa-kun didn't speak. He just obeyed.
Once Naruto had the pouch, he rummaged through it, eventually pulling out a small yellow book and handing it back: "I don't want this one. Take it back."
Good grief—this guy came to a competition carrying something like that? How lonely must he be~
At least Naruto returned the book. Otherwise, how would he survive these long nights?
Naruto hung the pouch on his own waist, then looked at the terrified Iwa-kun: "Got any money on you?"
"Uh…" Iwa-kun reached into his pocket and pulled out a few crumpled bills. "This is all I have…"
"Hm, kids from poor families grow up fast. Good job!" Naruto took the money without counting it and stuffed it into his own pocket.
"Anything else?" Naruto asked directly: "Something valuable~"
Under threat of death, Iwa-kun clutched the necklace around his neck. Tears welled in his eyes as he choked out: "This… this was a gift from my mom!"
Naruto frowned, looking troubled: "Yeah… this is your mom's keepsake… it's got sentimental value."
"So… when you get home, just ask your mom to give you another one exactly like it."
Naruto yanked the necklace off and held it up, examining it seriously: "Hm… probably worth about 1000 ryō at a gift shop."
He pocketed the necklace his mom had given him, then looked at Iwa-kun.
Iwa-kun's eyes were now bloodshot. He stared at Naruto as if ready to explode: "My mom… is already dead!"
Iwa-kun clenched his fists tightly, tears streaming down his face as he mentally tried to work up the courage to fight back.
Naruto scratched his head awkwardly and put the necklace back around Iwa-kun's neck: "Oh… that's rough. At least you still have something to remember her by…"
Iwa-kun felt the necklace return to his neck. Overwhelmed with relief, he burst into tears, crying like a child.
Naruto frowned: "Hey, stop crying for a second. Tell me—what techniques do you know?"
"Let me see if I need to learn any."
Iwa-kun stared blankly at Naruto: "Wh… what? You want my techniques too?!?!?!?"
Naruto nodded: "Like I said—kids from poor families grow up fast. Don't be so surprised, and don't waste my time."
Iwa-kun: "…"
…
Ten or so minutes later, Naruto finished forming hand seals. He slammed one hand toward the ground: "Earth Style—Earth Splitting Palm!"
BOOM~
A hundred-meter stretch of ground in front of Naruto suddenly trembled and cracked open… and that was it.
Naruto looked at Iwa-kun strangely: "That's all this technique does?"
Iwa-kun nodded numbly: "Yeah… that's it."
At the same time, Iwa-kun felt utterly crushed. The technique he'd worked so hard to learn—when used by Naruto—produced ten times the power…
Naruto waved his hand helplessly: "Alright, you can go now."
Iwa-kun looked at himself: nothing left except the clothes on his back, the necklace, and that one 18+ book. Even the techniques in his head had been taken by Naruto…
He couldn't help asking: "Is this… robbery?"
Naruto replied: "Yeah, pretty much. Go on now—don't stay here and lose your life too."
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