Revised as of 2/11/2024

After catching up with his long-lost mentor, surviving a brief encounter with the Axis Cult, and facing two new monsters he now despised, Naruto found himself standing at the entrance of a small village.

The Crimson Demon Village.

'I should have known… Ero-Senin did say he knew a mage that would probably go on dangerous quests with me.'

Naruto thought with a bitter smile on his face as he took in the scenery. He knew very little about the Home of the Crimson Magic, but from what Megumin had told him, he knew it was a town full of Arch Wizards. Thinking back, it was pretty obvious this was where Jiraiya was leading him to.

At the front of the entrance to the village stood a very realistic statue. It had the head and wings of an eagle, and the body of a lion.

Jiraiya followed the blonde's gaze and walked up to the statue.

"This is a griffon, which is one of the monsters from the quest you want to take on."

"It must be pretty strong if the Crimson Magic Clan keeps a statue of one at the front of their village."

Naruto said as he marveled at how life-like the statue was. Just looking at the monster made him grow excited.

"Actually, this poor sucker made the mistake of flying into the village and got petrified by one of the mages. They decided keep it here as a landmark where groups could meet up."

Jiraiya said while patting the griffon statue a few times.

"…Eh?"

Naruto gaped as his mentor walked past him. From what Luna had told him about griffons, they were one of the more powerful monsters out there. Which was part of the reason why the quest he wanted to take required him forming a party of experienced adventurers in the first place.

Megumin was the only Crimson Magic Clansman he knew, and the girl was a short-fused kid who could only use one spell a day. While that spell was super powerful, it was also very inefficient in battle.

But for someone to turn such a powerful beast into stone and casually decide to keep it as a reference point in the village… Were the Crimson Demons actually amazing people?

Naruto shook his head and followed Jiraiya into the village.

As they walked through the entrance, Naruto sensed an overwhelming magical presence. But it wasn't hard to tell where it was coming from as the people going about their day strolled by. He could sense a great amount of mana from each and every person that walked passed them. Even the children running around had an abnormal amount of mana in them.

As expected of a town of mages.

"It seems you're able to sense all the mana in the villagers. That's funny, since I don't remember you being a sensor type at all back then."

Jiraiya noted with a bemused expression.

"Of course! Learning how to sense mana was one of the first things I trained for when I got here!"

Naruto stated proudly, and Jiraiya seemed impressed. If that was enough to impress the older man, Naruto couldn't wait to see the look on Jiraiya's face when he showed him Sage Mode.

But the mana wasn't the only thing Naruto had noticed.

"Everyone here is kinda dressed like Megumin. Actually, they all kinda look like Megumin too."

Naruto said as he took in the appearance of all the mages they passed by.

Just like the little girl dubbed as "Explosion Girl" back in Axel, the mages here all had dark hair and red eyes while wearing a mixture of black and red clothing.

"Of course. Befitting of their name, the Crimson Magic Clansman love the colors black and red. So, they all wear those colors."

Jiraiya briefly explained.

Naruto hummed in response as they continued to walk past a couple homes, a café, and a blacksmith's shop before Jiraiya ultimately stopped in front of what looked to be a tailor's store.

"Is this where the mage is?"

Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow. Was the mage Jiraiya mentioned a tailor? Not that he really cared, so long as they could fight monsters. But a mage that worked as a tailor sounded kind of strange to him.

"No, we're here because we need to do something about that jacket of yours. Look at that thing, it looks like your old jumpsuit all those years ago. No student of the great Jiraiya-sama is going to run around in rags."

Jiraiya started spouting a bunch of nonsense about Naruto's worn out orange and black jacket.

"Hey, it's not that bad! My poor baby just needs a few more stitches…"

Naruto defended his precious orange attire with a frown. He was thinking about getting new clothes anyway, but something about Jiraiya's word choice ticked him off.

While he did agree that his old jacket had seen better days, it wasn't like it was falling apart or anything. When it was torn during combat while he was on a quest, Aqua had offered to stitch it up for him. She was surprisingly good at crafty tasks like that, and he would have taken her offer if she hadn't asked to such a ridiculous payment of a night's worth of booze and worshiping her three times a day.

What a joke.

It was a good thing Luna offered to help him stitch it up, and she did a good job too.

Unfortunately, good wasn't enough for Jiraiya if the man was telling him to get some new clothes.

"I'm not telling you to throw away your precious jacket, I'm just saying you need some new gear. This tailor is the best in the village, and that armor shop back there can make you some enchanted armor if you want."

In reality, it was the only tailor shop in the village. But that didn't matter.

"…Fine. I guess I can't meet this mage without looking my best."

Naruto admitted and walked into the shop, but Jiraiya didn't follow.

"Are you not coming in?"

"Nah, I don't get along with the shop's owner. Go on without me, I'll wait here."

Jiraiya said and gestured for Naruto to go inside by waving his hand.

Naruto cocked an eyebrow. Didn't he just say this place was the best in the village? Then why was he suggesting Naruto to get his new outfit here?

Deciding it was better not to ask, Naruto walked inside the tailor shop. There were various clothes, mostly black and red, on display on shelves and hangers. Naruto spotted two people standing by a counter, a man and a young girl. By the sharp look the man was giving him, Naruto assumed he was the shop owner and the girl was a customer.

Upon meeting his gaze, the girl quickly turned away and looked at the floor.

"I'll be with you in a moment, let me finish things up here."

The shop owner said upon noticing the newcomer.

"N-no! It's okay, I can wait! I still haven't decided if I want to buy this outfit yet anyway!"

The girl frantically said and walked away from the counter to browse the displays.

"Alright then. What can I help you with, outsider?"

The shop owner faced Naruto and asked with the same stern expression.

"Um… I was told this was best tailor shop in the village?"

Naruto asked while looking around the shop for anything in the color orange, and in the meantime, the man grinned and flicked his cape.

"Heh… Your source is correct! I am Chekera! Arch Mage who wields advanced magic and shop owner of the number one tailor shop in the Crimson Magic Clan!"

Yikes.

Naruto scratched his cheek awkwardly. Strange name aside, this middle-aged man just introduced himself in a similar manner to Megumin. Coupled with the questionably stylish hairdo and a white suit with an open chest that barely contained his pot-belly, it was a bizarre sight indeed.

Could this be a thing that all Crimson Magic Clansman did?

"That's great to hear... Do you happen to make things in orange?"

"I don't usually make clothes in such strange colors, but since I'm in a good mood I'll charge you the normal amount!"

Chekera said with a toothy grin.

"Th-thanks…"

Naruto muttered with a half-baked smile. Did this man just openly admit that he was going to rip him off?

"Now then, what kind of clothes were you thinking of? Any particular design? Style?"

Chekera asked as he grabbed a box from the floor and placed it on the counter, he then looked inside the box and grimaced before quickly closing it.

Naruto rubbed his chin in thought as he looked at the different styles of clothing in the shop. What kind of clothes should he get? There were some cloaks that reminded him of the sage cloak Ma and Pa had given him when he first mastered sage mode, or maybe he could ask for a custom design…

"When you think of something, just give me a holler. In the meantime, I have some demons I must dispose of."

The shop owner said and carried the box out the front door.

"Okay, thanks."

Naruto said absentmindedly as he continued to brainstorm.

'All the clothing here looks likes something a mage would wear… But maybe that would look cool on me? No, I wouldn't be able to move around freely in these robes…'

While Naruto was looking around the store, he noticed the girl who had been previously talking with the shop owner was stealing glances at him. When their eyes met, she fumbled with the wizard hat she was holding, nearly dropping it in the process, before placing it back on the rack.

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's antics. Perhaps she wasn't used to seeing outsiders? Everyone he had seen so far in the village had black hair, so he must really stand out here with his blonde locks.

"I-I'm sorry for staring! There's just a rumor about a famous noble that buys armor from our town, a-and I was wondering if it was maybe you…"

While Naruto was musing to himself, the girl must have walked over to him. He must not have noticed since the girl had been so quiet.

Like all the other villagers he had seen so far, she had crimson red eyes and black hair that dropped to her shoulders in twin pigtails on each side of her face. She wore black robes and matching cloak, along with a pink miniskirt. On her waist was a silver sword, which made Naruto fall under the impression that she was an adventurer.

"A noble? I'm not anyone special like that. What made you think so?"

Naruto asked and let out a laugh, causing the girl to look down at the floor again and fidget nervously.

"Y-you have blonde hair and blue eyes… Those tend to be the traits of a noble in this country. Ah, I'm s-s-sorry for making assumptions!"

The girl spouted and bowed deeply, prompting the blonde to wave his hands frantically in an attempt to calm her down.

"W-wait! It's fine, it's fine! It's nothing to apologize for!"

"R-right… Sorry."

"Like I said, you need to apologize..."

"Y-you're right, I understand… I'm sorry!"

Naruto sighed when the timid girl continued to bow repeatedly. She didn't understand at all.

"My name is Naruto, and I'm from Axel. What's your name?"

Naruto asked in attempt to change the subject. He half expected her to flick her cape and make a tremendous introduction, but the girl merely poked her fingers together nervously.

"M-my name is Yunyun… You're from the town of beginners? That's rather far from the Home of the Crimson Magic. What made you want to come here…? I-if you don't mind my pestering of course!"

Yunyun asked while flailing her hands around.

Naruto chuckled. This girl was weird, but at least she didn't do an over-the-top introduction like the shop owner did.

"I'm on a trip with my mentor to meet a mage here. I'm forming a party and I need a mage, ya know? But the old geezer said I needed new clothes, so here I am."

"Eh? Y-you're recruiting a mage for your party?"

Yunyun's eyes widened and looked as though she wanted to say something else, but her mouth just kept opening and closing without saying anything.

Naruto raised an eyebrow as he tried to make out what she was trying to say.

"This probably goes without saying, but are you an adventurer Yunyun?"

"Yes! I just saved up enough skill points to learn Advanced Magic and was about to head to the town of beginners today to look for a party of my own!"

Yunyun stated rather loudly, causing the blonde to jump from her unexpected surge of energy.

"I-is that so? I'll probably be here for another day or so, but maybe we'll see each other back in town sometime later?"

Naruto said and grinned a foxlike grin.

"Y-yes… perhaps."

Yunyun responded while biting her tongue in frustration.

'Shoot! I blew my chance to ask if I could join his party!'

Yunyun thought and hung her head dejectedly while Naruto wasn't looking. She had said that in hopes that he would invite her to join his party, but it backfired now he thought she had plans!

What plans!?

The last time she had gone to Axel to look for companions ended in a lonely trip back home!

Due to her being a Crimson Magic Clansman with a weird name, and her lack of social skills, no one wanted to form a party with her! Just remembering that experience made Yunyun want to curl up into a ball and cry…

'N-no, wait! I still have a chance! I just need to stretch the conversation a little longer!'

Yunyun thought to herself and steeled her resolve. Naruto seemed like a really nice person that didn't mind if a conversation was stalled. In other words, an ideal party member!

Heck, he didn't even make fun of her name! This ideal adventuring companion just so happened to be looking for a mage for his party, so she couldn't let this opportunity escape!

"Um… What kind of clothes were you thinking of getting?"

Yunyun finally mustered the courage to ask.

"Hm? Oh, I'm not really sure yet. I hold the Adventurer class, but I fight like an assassin. So I'd like something that won't restrain my movements."

Naruto explained and picked up a cape, wondering if it would look cool on him. But he quickly dismissed the idea of wearing one and placed it back down. Capes were impractical for ninjas. Although a black cloak might help him blend in with the shadows a little more...

"Eh? B-but didn't you ask the shopkeeper for orange clothes? Orange is a little…"

Yunyun said meekly, because wearing orange was the same as screaming your presence out to the enemy. It just wasn't a practical color to wear for any stealthy adventurer.

"Hey, don't tell me you're against orange too. I'll have you know I can be super stealthy even when I'm wearing this awesome color!"

Naruto said before crossing his arms and huffing. That did it, the black cloak idea was out!

'Oh no, I made him angry! He said he wanted to be stealthy while wearing a bright color like orange, so I couldn't help but retort! What was I thinking!?'

Yunyun's mind was now in a state of panic. She was blowing her chances of forming a party with this person with every sentence that came out of her mouth!

Suddenly, Naruto heard a pair of familiar voices arguing outside.

"Hey! What are you throwing those away for!?"

"Oh, you were here? Well, to answer your question, I'm throwing these away because no one bought those ill-colored things! They probably had a curse that kept customers away."

"C-cursed…!? But these vests are…"

Leaving the troubled Yunyun behind, Naruto peered out the front window and saw Jiraiya grabbing a box out of a large bin. On the side of the bin was a sign that read: Gateway to an Eldritch God's Stomach.

In other words, it was a trash can.

"I only made those things since you said they would definitely sell…"

Chekera said with a sigh before glaring at Jiraiya.

'Ah, so that's why the tailor shop owner doesn't like Ero-Senin...'

Naruto thought as he watched the scene in front of him. But his eyes widened when Jiraiya pulled something out of the box.

'That's…!'

"But these things are so cool! I understand the obsession you Crimson Demons have with red and black, but these vests were designed off the standard gear from my home country! You can't just throw them away…"

Jiraiya said as he stared at the standard Konoha flak jacket in his hands with a frown.

Someone suddenly grabbed the vest from the sage's grasp.

"If you're just going to throw them away, I'll take them."

Naruto said and propped the vest up to his chest to test the size, smiling when he found that it was a perfect fit.

"Naruto…"

Jiraiya said as the blonde put the flak jacket on. His original intent was to have Naruto come here and see the vests, but he didn't think the stupid shop owner would throw them away.

"Eh? You actually like those ugly things?"

Chekera asked with a surprised look on his face.

"Yeah, I do. So can I have them?"

Naruto asked, the familiar green vest covering his chest. It exactly like he remembered seeing them on all the chunin and jōnin back in Konoha, complete with all the pockets in the front and everything.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt if you took those cursed items off my hands… But only if you buy something from my shop! The law of equilibrium! Sounds fair, right?"

Chekera responded with a glint in his eyes, and Jiraiya scoffed.

"Deal!"

Naruto said and pulled the box out of the trash can. He then handed it to Jiraiya before following the satisfied owner back inside the shop.

Jiraiya looked inside the box and smiled fondly.

'I wonder if Naruto was ever able to retake the chunin exams…'

—Naruto ended up buying a pair of black pants and a matching black jacket from the shop. After changing into his new out fit and thanking the shop owner, Naruto and Jiraiya were back on the streets.

He never did see Yunyun again. When he had gone back into the shop, the strange girl was nowhere to be seen.

'Oh well, maybe I'll see her again in Axel. She did say she was going there to form a party.'

Naruto thought as he put his old jacket, along with the five extra flack jackets into a simple storage scroll and stashed it in his backpack.

"That looks good on you, kid. Makes you look more mature."

Jiraiya said, prompting the younger boy look at him flatly.

"Isn't that what you said when you bought me my last orange jacket?"

Naruto asked with a flat expression.

"Hahaha! I did say something like that, didn't I? But now you look more like your father. Although you definitely have your mother's face…"

Jiraiya let out a nostalgic sigh, and he was telling the truth when he said that. Naruto, with the dark clothes and flack jacket, was the splitting image of Minato when he first became a jōnin. The only real difference was the rounder face and whisker marks.

"Y-you really think so?"

Feeling strangely flustered, Naruto scratched at his whisker marks awkwardly. This was the first time anyone had ever said he looked like his parents. It gave him a strange feeling, like a mixture of pride and embarrassment.

"By the way, what did you do to make that shop keeper hate you so much?"

"What, that? He's just jealous of my self introductory skills… Oh, we're here."

Jiraiya said and stopped in front of a local fountain.

Naruto shook his head. It was obvious the older man was leaving out a few details, but he decided not to press.

Jiraiya then glanced at Naruto mischievously, as if he were about to show off something cool and inhaled deeply.

"Oh harbingers of death, the group whose forbidden name strikes fear into the Demon King's minions… Anti-Demon King Army Guerilla Unit, your master calls upon your power! Buzucoily-"

"Bless you."

"!"

Jiraiya faltered in his posture when Naruto interrupted his chant and almost fell back into the fountain.

"Wha-No! Shup up and let me finish!"

"O-okay…"

A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Naruto's face. He could have sworn Jiraiya had a slip of tongue there, but whatever.

A small crowd had begun to gather around them, and Naruto could hear them whispering amongst themselves. Some were mentioning Jiraiya's name while others were… Spitting?

"Ahem… Buzucoily! Come forth!"

Jiraiya, having seemingly given up on whatever speech he was trying to pull, shouted at the top of his lungs.

. . .

Naruto palmed his face, and even the crowd went dead silent.

"That was so stupid. What are you even doi-"

"OH!"

Naruto jumped when the crowd of Crimson Magic Clansman suddenly started cheering.

"Huh? What?"

A boy with black hair and red eyes suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of Jiraiya in a crouch, which further surprised the blonde ninja.

"I apologize for the delay, master. Unfortunately, the other members were not able to break free of their seals."

"Aw, is that so… Well, it can't be helped then! Buzucoily, this is Naruto. He's the kid I was telling you and the others about."

Jiraiya gestured to the still baffled Naruto.

The newly dubbed Buzucoily looked at Naruto with a raised eyebrow.

"This is your student? He doesn't look like much… Ah! But if he is a student of master Ero-Senin's, then he must powerful!"

Hey.

"Did he just call you 'master Ero-Senin'?"

Naruto asked Jiraiya with a twitching eyebrow, but the older sage adverted his gaze.

Buzucoily flipped his cape loudly.

"My name is Buzucoily! I hold the job of an Arch Wizard! I am a member of the Anti-Demon King Army Guerrilla Unit, and the man that will one day inherit the Crimson Magic Clan's number one shoe shop!"

Naruto felt a sense of Deja-vu as he watched the mage's flashy introduction. He had a feeling this wouldn't be last one he'd watch either.

"Hey, come on kid! Introduce yourself! I'm quite famous here, you know? So you better make it a good one!"

Jiraiya said and gave Naruto a pat on the back.

How irresponsible of this man to not only ignore Naruto's question, but then suddenly to put him on the spot to please an audience with an over-the-top introduction.

Naruto sighed, he was beginning to notice a trend with this village and its people. There was no use arguing. The entire crowd was watching him expectantly, so he might as well do it.

Putting his hands in his favorite seal, Naruto put on a feral grin.

"To unlock my full potential, I befriended the demon fox that that was sealed inside of me at birth. I am the world's number one unpredictable ninja, the man who will one day defeat the Demon King, Naruto Uzumaki! You better remember me, ya know!"

"OHHH!"

Their audience cheered even louder than after Jiraiya's speech, prompting Naruto to scratch his cheeks awkwardly. He was a little embarrassed, but his little introduction seemed to have satisfied the crowd enough.

"Not bad!"

"I don't know what a ninja is, but that introduction was strong!"

"Since the Demon King's Castle is right next to the village, I think we might see an amazing fight soon!"

Naruto's eyes widened when he heard something important in the crowd's comments.

'What do you mean you "befriended" me? I only decided to humor you in your idiotic quest to befriend the tailed beasts because you were in such a pitiful state.'

'Hey, friendship is still friendship. It doesn't matter how you become friends with someone, the fact still stands that we're friends.'

'…Hmph.'

Buzucoily flicked his cape again and pointed at the blonde ninja.

"That was a splendid introduction! As expected of Ero-Senin's prized pupil! You have my respect, outsider!"

"Ah, thanks… Ow!"

Naruto winced in pain when he felt a hard slap to his back.

"Wahaha! I knew you had it in you, kid! Now then, let's go find that mage I was talking about!"

Jiraiya said and dragged Naruto away from the waning crowd. Buzucoily dutifully followed them and ran up to Jiraiya's other side.

"By the way, master. Today's showing starts in about an hour."

Buzucoily said, and Jiraiya rubbed his hands together gleefully.

"Excellent! Naruto and I have some minor business to attend to, so could you come pick me up right before it starts?"

"Yes, master Ero-Senin. I will be off then."

Having received his final orders, Buzucoily waved at Naruto before he raised his staff and disappeared from their sight in the blink of an eye.

Naruto waved back as he stared at the void spot where the mage had just been. He had given up on the boy calling Jiraiya "master Ero-Senin", but the spell the guy just used was interesting.

"Was that a teleportation spell? Why can I still sense his presence?"

"Ah, it's not a teleport spell. Buzucoily's using an invisibility spell that refracts light in a certain perimeter. Which is one of the reasons why I changed classes to Arch Wizard."

Jiraiya whispered into Naruto's ear and kicked a pebble to the spot where Buzucoily was standing, and upon reaching the affected area, the pebble disappeared.

Naruto's eyes widened. Refracting light to become invisible? That sounded like a difficult spell to master.

…But then why was Buzucoily still following them while invisible?

Oh well, Naruto already had too many questions he wanted answers for at the moment. Like why Jiraiya was being treated as both a celebrity and a menace at the same time in this village, and when he was going to meet his new potential party member.

'Speaking of spells, I guess I should probably try out that Explosion magic soon.'

Naruto thought with a shrug. He already had the spell at his disposal, and it would be a true waste of skill points if he never used it.

"But anyways, let's go find that brat…"

Jiraiya said with a bitter smile and led the two through the village.

Naruto hoped this mage didn't also have a screw loose in their head.

Later...

"And so, the wise old hermit brought the hero to the Home of the Crimson Magic in search of a companion that was magically inclined."

"Um…"

"However, an unforeseen development had occurred. The hero had a fateful encounter behind the hermit's back. Hm… Yes, this will do."

"Ahem!"

Naruto coughed into his hand loudly, and the girl mumbling to herself remained unfazed as she continued writing something into a notepad.

This girl's name was Arue, an Arch Wizard with shoulder length black hair that ended in curls that resembled drills. She had the same crimson eyes as all the other Crimson Demons and wore black robes along with a pink skirt and black stockings that went up to her mid thighs. Covering her left eye was a similar looking eyepatch to the one that Megumin wore.

Speaking of Megumin, Arue happened to be the same age as her and the two even went to the same school. The Crimson Magic Clan had a school where the kids would train until they earned the required amount of skill points to learn Advanced Magic.

Right now, they were standing in front of the girl's house.

Arue looked up from her notebook and stared into Naruto's eyes with a neutral expression.

"So this is the pupil you mentioned in your stories, Jiraiya-sensei? Pui!"

"Don't say my name if you're just going to spit!"

Jiraiya complained when the girl spat on the ground.

"Stupid law…"

"Law?"

Naruto asked when he heard something interesting. Did this law have something to do with the girls in this village spitting all the time?

Arue nodded.

"There is a law in our village that dictates if the name 'Jiraiya' is heard by a female clansman, they must spit in disgust."

She explained before spitting on the ground, earning a growl from the owner of the name.

"Like I said, don't say my name if you're just going to follow that stupid law!"

"Why does such a stupid law even exist?"

Naruto asked and turned to his sensei, only to see the man advert his gaze. Suspicious...

"A-anyways! Let us get down to the reason why we came!"

Jiraiya stuttered and motioned to Arue, still feeling the blonde's suspicious gaze on the back of his head.

"Now then, Arue. Naruto is a beginner adventurer from the Town of Axel and is looking to form a strong party for a difficult quest."

"I already have a warrior who said he's willing to join, so if you join we'll only need to find one more member!"

Naruto added and put on his best grin.

Arue took one look at Naruto.

"I refuse."

"!?"

Naruto grimaced. He came here knowing there was a chance this mage might not want to join his party, but to be completely rejected without knowing the reason would leave a bad taste in his mouth.

"W-why?"

Arue placed a hand on her eyepatch, her visible eye glowing fiercely.

"While it may be true that I am an Arch Wizard, that is merely a side occupation. I intend to become an author, and Jiraiya-sensei's work, while not entirely what I strive to write, is a masterpiece in its own right. Therefore, I decided to fall under Jiraiya-sensei's tutelage to master my own style. Pui!"

"Quit saying my name if you're just going to spit, damn it! Also, I haven't even accepted you as my pupil! Don't go making decisions on your own!"

Jiraiya barked angrily, but Arue simply shook her head.

"It was already decided by the gods that you would guide me. I am merely doing what fate has intended. To deny your fate would be the same as running away. Is the great Jiraiya-sama a coward? Pui!"

"This little…!"

. . .

'Don't tell me…'

Naruto turned to Jiraiya, who seemed to be trying his best to avoid his gaze. This man was trying to get this girl off his back by pinning her on him, wasn't he?

"Well, I guess there's nothing I can do to persuade you into joining my party. Teach her well, oh great Jiraiya-sama!"

Naruto chirped and turned on his heel to leave, but he was quickly subdued by the older toad sage.

"W-wait! Arue, this kid's a really good source of material! Yeah, that's it! If you join this guy's party, you'll have an unlimited amount of source material for your writing! Even I found some writing material in the short time I was hanging around him these past few days!"

"Hang on, you just said something I can't ignore! What part of my life did you use as inspiration for your porn!?"

Naruto demanded and struggled to get out of Jiraiya's grasp, but the man quickly put him in a choke hold.

Arue's eyes flashed, and it reminded Naruto of when Megumin talked about using Explosion magic. Could it be that tidbit of information was compelling enough to her?

"Hm… Perhaps it would be best not to make a hasty decision. Having pulled an all-nighter writing last night, I have yet to eat anything today. I know a good café nearby."

"That's right! That's right-"

Jiraiya nodded eagerly and began to drag Naruto along to follow Arue when Buzucoily suddenly appeared.

"Master, today's showing will begin in five minutes."

"Oof!"

Naruto fell to the ground when Jiraiya's hold on him was suddenly dropped.

"Shoot! We're pretty far from that spot, but if we teleport now… Sorry kid, I'll leave convincing Arue to join to you! Take us there, Buzucoily-kun!"

"Yes, master!"

"Wait!"

Naruto dove after Jiraiya, but he was too late as Buzucoily finished his spell and the two disappeared in a flash of light.

"That stupid Ero-Senin…!"

Naruto clenched his fists as he picked himself off the ground before he ultimately sighed and turned to Arue, who was looking at him expectantly as if the scene that just occurred never happened.

'I guess I'll just go with her…'

He still needed a mage for his party, and if Arue wanted to join, regardless of the reason, then that was fine by him.

A/N: The Crimson Magic Clan is great…