Naruto/Danmachi Crossover Idea

Baked Divinity

Part 4

"Wow! Back again?" Naruto said from behind the counter of Uzumaki Bakery, a tray of freshly-made chocolate-coated doughnuts being placed inside the glass cabinet with a pair of metal tongs, "This is the fourth time this week you've visited."

Closing the door behind him was a young man, perhaps a few years older than himself, though you could hardly tell by the hooded shirt he wore, covering most of his upper half. His hood was up, though small amounts of dark hair stuck out from the sides and sunglasses covering the centre of his face. His hands were in his pockets, throwing a look over his shoulder as if to ensure no one was following him. He wasn't very tall either. He was more than a head shorter than the blonde.

"Have you got my usual?" The gruff voice asked. He sounded like he didn't want to be there.

"You're in luck, they happen to be the next batch I was about to bring out." The blonde replied, putting the last of the doughnuts in the cabinet, "You sure you don't want to try anything else? You always buy the same thing. Not that there's anything wrong with that."

"No!" His tone held an edge to it. Again, Naruto caught him looking over his shoulder. Was this guy being followed? Or was he just overly paranoid?

The blonde held up his hand, "Fair enough. Just give me a moment to get them from the back." Naruto took the empty tray with him as he disappeared into the back, leaving the hooded young man alone in the front of the store. He wasn't sure what the guy's problem was, but he'd been visiting Uuzmaki Bakery since the start of the week and had been back nearly every day since. Any time he tried to make conversation with the guy, the dark-haired male immediately shut him down. After the second day with no luck, Naruto ceased trying. The guy didn't want to be sociable, so he wouldn't try and force it. The guy wasn't a people person.

He only kept the guy waiting two minutes before coming back out with a tray full of baked goods. In this case, it was full of vanilla cupcakes with vanilla icing swirled around the top with tiny salted caramel cubes sprinkled over the top. Admittedly, they weren't overly complicated to make. This guy, however, was salivating at the mouth on the first day he stopped by. It was almost as if the guy was in a trance.

He was more composed when Naruto reappeared, but Naruto could still gt a sense of the desire that was rolling off the guy when his eyes landed on them.

"Fresh out of the oven. If you look close enough, you can see the icing melting into the cupcake. In turn, the salted caramel cubes melt into the icing, giving it a real burst of flavour." Naruto smiled, "Then again, I don't need to tell you that."

A growl came from the man, "Just sell me the cupcakes."

"You want the whole lot again?" Naruto gave the guy a look, "You know, I don't think it's very healthy to be continuously eating this many in one go.

"Don't tell me what to do!" One hand came out of his pocket, and a small bag of valis was thrown Naruto's way, who snatched it out of the air as he put the tray down, "Just package them up and I'll be out of here. I'd like to be gone before the rest of your customers arrive."

Naruto shrugged. The guy sure had some temper issues, "You got it, champ."

"Don't call me that!" The guy replied, though, was annoyed when the blonde ignored him and started boxing the up for him. He watched Naruto as he boxed all two dozen cupcakes into the cardboard box when something in the cabinet caught his eye. Giving Naruto one last glance, he leaned in and stared at a set of multi-coloured biscuit-looking pastries. There were ones that were pink, green, brown, white, red and even a few blue ones.

While they didn't appeal to him, in the back of his mind, there was someone he knew who loved having the little multi-coloured pastries as a treat after her meals.

"Hey, blondie!" He pointed to the pastries inside the cabinet, "How much for all of these?"

"The macaroons?" Naruto asked, halfway through filling the box, "I didn't take you for someone who enjoyed macaroons."

"They're not for me! I know someone who likes them." He replied, 'Not to mention it will put me in her good graces.'

"Alright, how many would you like?" Naruto asked, grabbing a smaller box big enough to house the multi-coloured biscuits and placing it on the counter. Instead of using the tongs, he slipped on a glove, masterfully done given he only had one hand.

"All of them. I'll take all of them."

Naruto looked up at him from the corner of his eyes as he delicately picked them up and placed them in the box, styled in the shape of a small pyramid, "That's going to cost you more." The dark-haired young man didn't say anything. Instead, threw another small bag of valis, "I didn't even tell you how much the macaroons will be."

"It doesn't matter. There's enough in there to cover the cost." He replied, "Unless you doubt me."

Naruto made a face, "You're not the most sociable person around, are you." It wasn't a question but rather a statement. He didn't get a response, only a glare as he went about boxing them out. By the time the macaroons and the cupcakes were boxed and sealed, they disappeared from the counter and ended up in the arms of the man. Before the blonde baker could say anything, he left the bakery with silent steps, the only sound he made being the door opening and closing, "What a strange guy."

"Strange, but dangerous." Within the seal, one ruby eye belonging to Kurama partially opened, having listened to the brief conversation, "Apart from Gods and Goddesses that visit, he might be the strongest person we've met. Even stronger than those twin amazons."

"Yeah, I figured as much." Naruto leaned on the counter, propping himself up with his elbow, "I wonder who's his Familia. Tiona and her sister are Level 5 adventurers, but if this guy is stronger, he must be Level 6? I think the Loki Familia have a couple of Level 6's," He tapped his cheek, "I think the other was the Freya Familia, right?"

"Hell, if I know." Kurama replied, who closed his eye, "You'd kick his ass if he tried anything. At least, as long as you haven't grown too soft in these peaceful years."

"Soft? I can still kick your ass if I need to!" All he got from Kurama was a snort, with the nine-tailed bijuu returning to his slumber as the blonde mentally shook his fist at the orange furball. It wouldn't be long before his next customer arrived and quickly disappeared into the back to fill the now-empty spots in the cabinet. He'd needed a few clones to whip up a batch of something. Maybe more cupcakes since his last fresh batch were all gone.

'Hmm, maybe strawberry frosting?'

"So good." A low voice muttered as a figure sat against the window with his back resting against the wall. An open box sat to his right with multiple cake wrappers lying idly on the floor around him, though no crumbs were visible, having been licked clean. A hoodie sat crumbled on a nearby bed along with a pair of sunglasses, "I hate that I love these so much, but it's hard to care."

A long black-furred tail reached into the box and grabbed another cupcake, dropping it in his awaiting hand as he threw away another wrapped licked clean.

Allen Fromel hated the fact a delicious treat had such power over him. Ever since he was a little boy, vanilla had been his favourite flavour. It all stemmed from his youth when his mother would make delicious treats infused with vanilla in the early mornings, tempting him awake with the rich and sweet smell. Walking into the kitchen as a young boy, he'd awaken to watch his mother finishing off the cakes by topping them with icing, giving him a smile that was cemented in his mind and heart. It was one of his earliest memories. One he kept close to the chest.

Now, his entire life and being was meant for one thing and that was to protect and serve his Goddess. The leader of his Familia who'd taken him in as a young teenager and aided him in growing into the fierce and renowned warrior that eliminated monsters without a second glance. Everything he could hope to be was because of her.

Looking towards the table in the corner of the room, the box housing the macaroons sat undisturbed as he awaited the deity's return. He wasn't sure where she'd disappeared to. No doubt she was up to some kind of mischief around the Orario. Where she went, his Captain was following in secret. For one as large as he was, he could be awfully silent when he wanted to be, which annoyed him to no end.

The hairs on the back of his neck rose.

In the blink of an eye, he was on his feet with the box in hand, storming down the hallway until he reached the large doors of his deity's Quarters. Whenever she was near and returning home, the hairs on his body would stand on end. It was as if an invisible force was signalling her return. It wasn't long before other members of his Familia arrived, taking the knee and awaiting the presence of their divine leader. Next to him was the two elf mages, Hedin and Hogni, while the Gulliver brothers were opposite them.

"What's in the box, Fromel?" Hogni muttered. He could feel the dark eyes of the dark elf peering at him. Damn elves. They thought they were so superior to everyone else. Just because Hogni was former royalty in the community of dark elves, that didn't mean shit to him.

"None of your fucking business."

"No need to be testy," The dark elf replied. One hand made to touch the box, only for his hand to get knocked away as the Vice-Captain of the Familia glared at him with hatred.

"Try that again, I'll cut your hand off and have it force fed to you." Allen shot back.

"It must be special? A gift for our Goddess?"

Allen didn't say anything else as the clack of heels reached their ears. Everyone lowered their heads as the familiar presence of the Goddess, Freya, appeared around the corner. A cloak was covering her body, leaving only her head uncovered. Her silver-haired fell to the middle of her back, swaying from side to side as she moved, mesmerising everyone watching. Behind her, as expected, the mountain-like form of Ottar followed three steps behind, his ferocious-looking sword on full display to everyone as he passed. The strongest adventurer in Orario said little, merely keeping his eyes glued to Freya's figure as she approached her quarters.

"Gentleman," Her soft voice said to them, her pace notably slower as she greeted them, "I hope you've all had a productive day." A murmur of agreement filled the air, voices mixed with love and wonder as each tried to convey the feelings they shared for their divine leader. No one questioned where Freya had disappeared too. They knew better than to overstep their boundaries when it came to the Goddess of Love's personal time.

Allen's hand clutched the box tighter and the minuscule movement of his hand was enough to catch the attention of Freya. The silver-haired goddess stopped a meter away from him, her silver eyes glancing down at her vice-captain.

"What do you have there, Allen?"

"A gift for you, Lady Freya." He held up the box of pastries towards the divine entity, a mortal offering up a present to the immortal being. A moment later, he felt the box leave his hands. A jolt of electricity ran through his body as the tip of her finger grazed against his wrist. He tried not to grin as he watched Freya throw the lid open and peer inside, her eyes wandering over the multicoloured sweet treats neatly piled within.

"Macaroons?" Her smile widened ever-so-slightly, "My favourites. How thoughtful of you, Allen." One hand reached out and Allen felt his body still as her hand cupped him beneath the chin. Her thumb gently stroked the side of his face affectionately, "Where did you buy them? They look a little bigger than the normal ones I get. They smell sweeter too."

"From a bakery that started up not too long ago in Orario, on the edge of the West and North-Western districts," Allen replied, caring very little about the looks he was getting from the other members of his familia. All he cared about was the attention Freya was giving him, "It's called the Uzumaki Bakery. I heard people from other familia's talking about it."

Her hand stilled and her eyes momentarily widened.

"U-Uzumaki Bakery, you say." Her expression turned softer and Allen felt his expression drop as her hand disappeared from his chin and plucked one of the macaroons from the box and into her mouth. The look of delight that washed over her face could paint a picture that would sell for millions of valis. Allen would forever treasure the expression, knowing it was his actions that caused it. Smugness could be detected from him and didn't bother to look at the other members of his familia. He knew they'd be jealous. Even Ottar wouldn't be immune from such feelings.

Her hand returned to the top of his head and his body felt ready to melt as she gently stroked his cat ears. The spine-tingling feeling was enough that he had to dig down deep not to roll his eyes in their pleasure.

"Thank you, Allen. What a kind child you are." She whispered. She stood there for a few moments longer before her hand left Allen and the goddess disappeared behind the set of doors, a loud thoom sound ringing out as they closed behind her. The rest of the day, the Vice-Captain of the Freya familia walked around with a smug grin on his face, ignoring the jealous looks he was getting from his fellow adventurers.

Uzumaki Bakery

"So, he came home all caked in blood? Is he okay?" Naruto asked, handing a wrapped box over to a patiently waiting client. Hestia was beside him, a tray of fresh doughnuts with pink icing and multicoloured sprinkles being delicately placed into the glass cabinet by a metal tong, "He didn't get blood all over the rug did he? I only got that the other week and blood is a pain in the butt to get out of fabric."

"My only familiar member comes home in the early hours of the morning caked in his own blood and you're worried about the rug?" Hestia replied, placing the last doughnut in the cabinet and frowning unhappily at the tall blonde. Naruto shrugged, serving to make the frown deepen, "Mouuuu, you big bully!"

"Hey! It's not like I'm not worried about the guy, but that rug was expensive." It cost him a fair amount of valis and he doubted the vendor would take returns, "How is he?"

"He's fine, though, he gave me such a fright." Hestia wiped her brow, "I used the first aid kit we have at home and patched him up as best as I could. The falna in his body should do the rest. He's tucked away in bed, resting for the day." The only member of her familia had given her quite the scare when he stumbled up to their home. From the state he was in, it was a miracle he was still standing. Cuts were covering most of his body with patches of blood numerous from head to toe. She wasn't able to get an answer from him, his consciousness finally giving up the moment he fell into her arms. She'd be sure to question him when he woke up. She didn't enjoy seeing Bell come home in such a state.

Though, a part of her had to wonder. His stats worried her a little, not that she'd ever say anything to the white-haired teen. She hadn't said anything to Bell, nor Naruto, but her white-haired Adventurer had gained a skill and it worried her.

Liaris Freese, otherwise known, as Fast Growth. How in the world did Bell gain such a skill in such a short time? What happened inside the Dungeon that could have caused an undocumented skill to appear? It couldn't have been the encounter with the Minotaur on the Fifth floor, could it?

"He has been going to the Dungeon a lot in the last week." Naruto mused, serving another customer as he took a paper bag and started filling it with lemon bars, "Is it okay for him to be going all on his own? Isn't there anyone he can group up with until your Familia get more members?"

Hestia shook her head as she patted away crumbs from her apron, "It's not practised often. Most tend to avoid such group ups due to raised tensions between groups that lead to in-fighting. Typically, when Familia's do group up, it with Familia's they have contracts with." Hestia clicked her finger, "I remember Hephaistos telling me that some of her children occasionally go on treks into the Dungeon with the Loki Familia since they create the bulk of the weaponry they use. I guess if you have contracts or a similar relationship between two Familia's, then it's possible."

"Can't some of your divine friends help?"

"I've already mooched off Hephaistos too much, so I can't ask her. Take's kids are still finding their feet and Miach's down to his last child and she doesn't venture into the Dungeon." Hestia sighed as he scratched the back of her head, "I'll figure something out. Whatever I can do to help Bell, I'll do it."

"Well, you can help me by fetching the next tray from the back."

Hestia gave a salute, "Yes, Boss!"

"I might even let you leave early to check on Bell."

Suffice to say, Hestia went into overdrive and turned into a model employee. Afterwards, when there was only an hour left in the blondes workday, the door jingled and a familiar face appeared.

"Naruto!" The familiar voice of his favourite amazon rang out through the bakery, nearly tearing the door off its hinges as she appeared. An expression of delight was on Tiona's face, "I'm back!" He was quick to notice she wasn't alone and spotted her older twin waltzing in behind her, an air of mature confidence around her compared to her sister's childish excitement. Being dragged by the arm against her will was someone he didn't recognise, though, was quick to notice the woman was a member of the elf community. Long emerald hair tied in a low ponytail and similar coloured eyes, she exuded regality and confidence, despite being dragged by the arm by Tiona. She wore an expression of defeat. Naruto had to guess this happened often and the older woman had grown used to such actions.

Smiling, Naruto waved from behind the counter, "Welcome back. I'm glad to see you back in one piece." He replied. Walking out, he was mildly surprised when Tiona let the elf go and wrapped him up in a gentle hug, feeling her slender arms wrap around his middle. It was a surprise but by no means unwelcome, "How was your adventure heading down to the Lower Levels of the Dungeon? Did everything go as planned?"

"Ehhh," Tiona made a noise and shrugged her shoulders as they broke apart, "For the most part it went okay. We ran into a few hiccups and had to turn back, but we managed to get all the way down to Floor Fifty-Eight!" A pout appeared on her face, "Then these stupid giant bugs appeared and melted all our weapons! I mean, what the hell!?"

"Bugs?" Naruto tilted his head, "How big were they?"

"Like, the size of a building! It made cutting them with weapons really hard cause they melted moments later. We ended up having to leave after we fended them off. The damage had been done." Tiona deflated and kicked an imaginary stone, "Next time, I'm gonna make them regret melting my beloved Urga."

"Your Urga got destroyed?" His hand came up and patted her on the shoulder, "My condolences."

"Thanks. She's resting easy now. She made me proud."

Naruto nodded, "Well, I'm glad you made it back in one piece." He looked at Tione, the elder twin watching his exchange with her sister, "It's nice to see you again, Tione."

"Same to you," She replied, "Thanks again for those cinnamon cookies. They were amazing and went down well with the other girls of our Familia." She motioned to the beautiful elf watching the interaction in silence, "Even Riveria helped herself to a handful and she's a very picky eater."

A sigh escaped the older woman mouth, "Please refrain from talking about my eating habits, Tione." The elder Hiryute sister shrugged as she and Tiona leaned forward and observe the goodies displayed in the glass cabinet, not paying attention to Riveria turning her attention to the blonde, "As Tione stated, thank you for the gift. It's nice to put a face to the person Tiona continuously spoke so highly about."

Naruto tilted his head, "You talked about me with your Familia?"

Tiona turned her head and enthusiastically nodded, "Of course. You make the best goodies in all of Orario! I can't keep that secret all to myself! It would be shameful of me." Her sister snorted, and muttered something beneath her breath, though the younger amazon didn't hear her, "But that's why I'm here. It's been weeks since those cookies ran dry and I need my fix."

"I wouldn't mind picking up a few for myself," Tione added. She had hoped to bring the Captain with them, but the older adventurer somehow escaped her grasp and disappeared for the afternoon. She'd tried to hunt him down until eventually giving up. Though, that didn't stop her and Tiona from grabbing Riveria. The emerald-haired elf had been intending to spend a few hours reading peacefully in her room, before finding each arm with an amazon looped around it.

Naruto turned to Riveria, who merely sighed and shrugged, "I was dragged his against my will, but I see no reason why I can't peruse your selection."

"Naruto! Bag me up some doughnuts. The ones with the pink sprinkles. I want six of them on the double!" Tiona voiced out, tapping on the glass cabinet. Her hand got swatted away by her sister, who told her not to be so rough, otherwise, she might break the glass and ruin the baked goods inside.

Naruto peered over, "The ones with the strawberry jam filling?"

"They've got strawberry jam inside!? That's even better!"

Beside her, Tione merely shook her head, "How are we even related." Her attention turned to a batch in the corner of the cabinet, "What are these? They look good."

Naruto leaned in to see where she was pointing, "Ah. Those are mini rhubarb and strawberry pies. Both of the core ingredients were freshly picked just yesterday by the Demeter Familia." Demeter Familia provided the best fruit and vegetables throughout Orario and went for a fair price, "They've been pretty popular with customers today." There was only five left inside the cabinet and continuously needed a fresh batch every so often throughout the day.

"What's on top?"

"Just some cream. Adds a little more texture to it."

Tione nodded. She thought it over for a moment before asking, "Can I take all five? I wouldn't mind having them with some tea."

"Sure. I'll set up a box for you. Let me know if anything else takes your attention." He put together a cardboard box and carefully moved the mini pies inside, careful not to break any pieces off.

"You drink tea?" Tiona quipped, looking at her sister and bringing her pinkie fingers up to her mouth, "My! How fancy of you."

"What? You don't think I like tea?" Tione mock glared at her sister, "I don't drink it often, but that doesn't mean I don't like it." The twins, despite being close, had separate rooms. It was only natural given they were seventeen and each wanted their own space. If they still roomed together, the Familia would likely be repairing the walls and the ceilings.

A gentle hum came from the oldest member of the Loki Familia, her eyes peering through the glass. One hand was sat on the cabinet with perfectly manicured nails tapping against the glass. She didn't appear aware of the bickering between the twins. Her mind was elsewhere as she perused the baked goods being offered. As soon as she returned home, her plan was to disappear back into her room where her much-awaiting reading time was waiting for her. Some tea would be most welcome, but so did the idea of some sweet treats to accompany them.

"Anything taking your interest?" Naruto asked, looking over the counter as he readily complied with the ever-growing list of the twin's demands. He hoped the box's held, otherwise they may overflow with pastries.

Riveria briefly looked at him, "They all look ideal and presentable. I can see you've put in a lot of care and work when making them." She trailed along with the cabinet before her gaze rested on a cake in the corner of the cabinet, "What's this one? A coffee cake?" It was beautiful to look at. It was baked in the shape of a lotus flower with dark patches covering all sides with icing sprinkled across the top. It was the size of a small plate and was a lovely dark brown-orange colour.

Naruto nodded, "That's right. It's a blueberry and cream coffee cake."

"Freshly made today?"

"That's right."

Riveria hummed to herself again before giving a slight nod to the blonde baker, "I'll take it."

"Alright. I'll wrap it up for you. It'll be 250 valis."

"A reasonable price." The emerald-haired elf replied and tucked her hand into the small pouch she kept on her, sitting behind the first layer of her robes. Pulling out the necessary coin, she couldn't stop herself from observing the blonde as he worked, "For a man with one arm, it's impressive to see you're not impaired by the loss of your limb. You work fast and efficiently."

Naruto looked up from the task at hand and smiled kindly, "That's kind of you to say. It was an adjustment at first but put in enough hard work and dedication, I find you can overcome most obstacles. That's how I choose to look at things."

"How did you lose it?"

The blonde went to speak, but was beaten to the punch by Tiona, who put her left arm in the air, "Oh! I know! I know!" She declared, "He lost it fighting his best friend, who was trying to stage a world revolution and take over the world!"

A single eyebrow rose on the face of the elf, who looked to the more mature Hiryute twin for an answer. All she got back was a shrug and motioned to her sister.

"Uhuh," Riveria said, not believing the story for a moment. Deciding not to dwell on the answer since she didn't know anything about the young man, other than what Tiona had told her, she handed the valis over to Naruto and watched him place the currency into the till. With the orange ribbon tied around the box, she took hold of it with a satisfied expression on her face. Yes, the cake would go very well with her late afternoon tea.

"Hey, Naruto, what are you doing in three days?" Tiona asked, leaning on the counter with her elbows as the blonde stored her purchases away.

"In three days?" The blonde thought about it before saying, "I'll probably be here, I guess." He finished wrapping the box and looked at her, "Why? What do you have in mind?"

"Monsterphilia, of course!"

Naruto tilted his head, "What's that? I can't say I've heard of that before."

"It's a festival! There will be all kinds of stalls and games to play throughout the city and at the Colosseum, the Ganesh Familia will have demonstrations on how Adventurers fight Monsters. They'll bring some of the monsters from the Upper Levels to the surface and have them fight!" The younger twin explained, "I mean. it's kinda boring if you're us," She motioned to her sister and Riveria, "Since we fight the monsters on the Lower Levels, but you've never been in the Dungeon."

The blonde scratched his chin, "Is it a good idea to bring monsters to the surface?" Naruto questioned. That didn't sound very safe.

"The Ganesh Familia take all the necessary precautions. In the many years Monsterphilia has been active, a monster has never managed to escape its confines." Riveria announced, turning around and heading for the door with her box firmly in her grip, "Thank you for your service. I'll be sure to stop by again in the future."

Naruto waved from behind the counter, "Thanks for visiting."

As the emerald-haired elf disappeared, Tione followed after her. She said her goodbyes before mumbling something about sharing her treats with the captain as soon as she returned home. Her sister could only shake her head as she looked back at Naruto.

"Well? How about it?" She stood on her toes, head tilted to one side and smiling like a goofball. The blonde shinobi had to admit, she looked kinda cute.

There was no harm in it. An extra day off would be a welcome break. No doubt, Hestia would be grateful and would try and latch onto Bell for the day.

He shrugged, "Sure. Sounds like fun."

It was the answer Tiona was hoping to hear as the girl let out a loud cheer and punched the air.

"We're going to have such a good time! You'll get to meet Ais ad Lefiya too! I'm going to drag them along with us!"

The blonde just went with her enthusiasm, "That sounds nice. I look forward to meeting them." He scratched the back of his neck, "Where should we meet?"

Tiona stopped her cheering and adopted a thoughtful pose. Rubbing her chin, it took a moment before deciding, "Why don't you come by the Loki Familia Headquarters?"

Naruto tilted his head, "Is that allowed?"

"Of course, Silly. We have guests all the time." She leaned forward, one hand covering the side of her mouth and whispered, "Just don't try to find out any of our secrets! Or flirt with Ais. Goddess Loki won't like that."

He looked a little perplexed but nodded nonetheless, "Okay. I can do that. I mean," He tapped his chin, "I don't even know who Ais is."

"Perfect. In that case, I'll see you for Monsterphilia! Come by at noon!" With that, Tiona hung around a few more minutes before skipping out the door, leaving Naruto behind as she started daydreaming about their upcoming day together.

Thanks for reading everyone.

Please let me know what you thought and stay safe.