Splash!

A bucket of cold water was tossed over Deidara's head, causing the man to wake up in a coughing fit and shivering.

"*Cough!*Cough!* Huh…? Ah, looks like I was captured."

Deidara deduced as he took in his surroundings, which seemed to be a dark and closed off room. A bunker? He was bound to a chair and could feel that all of his clay had been stripped from his form.

Well, almost all of it. The fools failed to find the storage seals that he kept under his fingernails.

The last thing he remembered was briefly scrapping with the Kyuubi before everything went black. An icy cold black.

Looking into the eyes of his captors, which consisted of the nine-tailed brat, Kazuma, and the Crimson Demon girl, Deidara smirked in remembrance.

"Haha! What amazing art, Crimson brat! Knocked me right out of the sky! What was your name again?"

"My name is Megumin! Be sure to remember that name, he who walks down the same difficult path as I."

Megumin fired off without missing a beat. Her eyepatch was back in place, drawing all focus to her visible orb that was glowing fiercely.

"Finally… Someone who gets it. This path is a difficult one indeed. Everywhere we go, our art is ridiculed. Those fools! They fear what they cannot comprehend!"

Deidara stated, with the Crimson Demon nodding her head sympathetically.

Naruto stepped forward, not wanting those two to resonate anymore than they already had.

"Hard path my ass. You leveled an entire city. You're lucky there were only minor injuries this time around. If you'd hurt another one of my friends…"

The shinobi snarled and his eyes began to glow a blood red that would have made any Crimson Demon proud.

Naruto seemed to have some bad history with this nutjob, so Kazuma cautiously stepped in between them.

"Luckily no one was killed in the end, besides my dignity…. Anyways, it's a shame the Axis Cult headquarters was destroyed, but I assume Megumin knew everyone had been evacuated, right?"

Kazuma asked and he and Naruto turned to Megumin, who averted her gaze.

"Y-yes… Of course I knew before detonating my sure-kill magic."

The little girl stuttered while failing to meet their eyes.

…She did know that the building was evacuated. Right?

Right?

"So what happens now? You know I'm a Demon King Army General, and you're clearly adventurers working for the Kingdom of Belzerg. Turn me in for the reward? Or kill me first for revenge?"

Deidara asked all while smirking at the jinchuriki maliciously.

Naruto knew the guy was just trying to rile him up, and he was frustrated with himself because it was working. Taking in a deep breath, Naruto walked up to Deidara and placed his hand on the back of the chair while grinning ferally.

"We're gonna turn you into the authorities… But first we're going to ask you some questions about the Demon King."

Naruto responded, but the ex-Akatsuki member seemed unfazed by the implications of torture and even had the audacity to yawn in the whiskered teen's face.

This struck a nerve in the former Leaf shinobi, but thankfully Kazuma interjected again before Naruto lost his temper.

"You said something about the Demon King wanting to destroy this city and its inhabitants. But I remember Wiz telling us that the Demon King swore not to kill civilians during the war in exchange for her part in upholding the barrier around his castle. Is he turning his back on their deal?"

Kazuma asked, snapping his friend out of his angry stupor at the mentioning of Wiz.

Deidara pondered for a moment as if debating on whether he should tell them anything, but eventually shrugged in his restraints and spoke.

"The Demon King has been organizing his troops more aggressively, and is planning a few big attacks in the near future. No, he does not want to break his promise with that woman. But this city holds an accumulation of powerful Priests and an Arch Priest, so when he heard of the strange change in behavior of the cultists, he sent me to destroy the city with my art without killing anyone. After destroying the cult's headquarters-"

"The distraught members would scatter."

Kazuma finished while nodding his head in understanding. After all, any reasonable person would leave their home if an explosion-obsessed maniac started dropping bombs in the area.

In the end, the Demon King would keep his contract with Wiz by eradicating the Axis Cult without killing them.

…Hang on. What did that make of Axel's inhabitants who were beginning to call Megumin's Explosion magic a daily phenomenon?

While Kazuma was beginning to doubt the sanity of the townsfolk of his home, Naruto's face had paled. Did that mean… The attack had been his fault? He'd indirectly reformed the Axis Cult because of a dumb prank, which made the Demon King less afraid of them and ultimately led to him sending Deidara here.

But wait. Something was still missing.

How would the Demon King know about the changes occurring in Alcanretia? After all, the changes must have only happened recently since even Aqua didn't know about them until Cecily sent that letter.

"How did the Demon King know?"

Naruto demanded, a sinking feeling growing in his gut.

Kazuma and Megumin had come to the same conclusion. The Demon King must have an inside source; a mole. But who in their right mind would turn their back on humanity? Even if this was the Axis Cult they were talking about, the Demon King was an actual threat.

"Now why would I go and tell you that? Besides, I have a feeling you have much bigger problems than me right now."

Deidara mused while leaning back in his chair, giving them nothing.

Naruto was about to unleash his wrath on the trash sitting in front of him when the door to their little hideout burst open.

"Naruto-san! Kazuma-san! There's trouble!"

Wiz shouted with a panicked expression, earning the attention of everyone in the room.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Deidara dropped the clay figure in his hand behind his back and made a hand sign.

Naruto was too late to notice and a small explosion went off, forcing him to shield his eyes from the wood splinters that flew everywhere as a result.

The room was instantly filled with smoke, obscuring everyone's senses.

"Wha-!"

Kazuma gasped and pulled Megumin to the side in an attempt to give Naruto the space he needed to stop Deidara from escaping.

"Let's do this again sometime, Megumin of the Crimson Demons! My man Kazuma can rate whose art is superior!"

Deidara's voice came out from different directions within the room.

"The only art Kazuma's gonna judge is my foot going up your-"

"Kyah!"

Naruto was cut off by Wiz's scream, which caused a surge of panic in the boy's gut.

Rushing out the door, the jinchuriki was quick to spot the former Akatsuki member taking to the night sky on his clay-bird with Wiz as his hostage in its "tail feathers".

Cursing under his breath that he'd missed some clay, Naruto hopped on top of a nearby rooftop to give chase.

Deidara was NOT getting away with his friend this time!

"Deidara!"

Naruto roared as he leapt from roof to roof. He just needed to get a little closer and he'd use Kurama's chakra to-

"Ah!"

To Naruto's surprise, Deidara dropped Wiz and she began to plummet through the night towards the ground. He rushed to the edge of the building and dove towards her, extending his arms and bracing himself for the impact.

Bodies collided, and Naruto quickly pulled Wiz into an embrace just before they crashed onto the ground. His body took the brunt of the impact as they tumbled to a stop. The shinobi quickly pulled himself up and looked over the woman for any signs of injuries.

"Wiz! Are you okay!? Are you hurt anywhere!?"

Naruto asked while helping the girl to her feet.

"Y-yes… Thank you Naruto-san, but… You do realize that I'm a Lich, right? I'm immune to physical damage…"

Wiz stuttered, clearly flustered from what had just transpired.

"But you still feel pain, right? How could I let you take a fall like that?"

Naruto responded almost scoldingly, prompting the shopkeeper to avert her gaze.

"If my heart was still beating, it'd be throbbing right now…"

Wiz muttered while clutching a hand to her chest.

"I bet… That must have been a scary fall."

Naruto agreed with a nod, prompting a bead of sweat to fall down the side of Wiz's face. The shinobi then looked up into the dark sky and clenched his fists. Deidara was gone and it'd be really hard to track him at night. He could go Sage Mode to sense the man, but Wiz seemed urgent just now so unfortunately Deidara was just going to have to wait.

"So what happened, Wiz? Did something else happen?"

He asked, and his friend's eyes shot open.

"O-oh yeah! The people are rioting! Aqua-sama is trying to calm them down, but they're angry at her too for some reason…"

Wiz explained, her panicked expression returning full-force.

Naruto held back groan. So that's where Aqua and Cecily ran off to earlier. He hadn't thought much of it since Darkness and Wiz promised to go with them, but it seemed they'd gotten into even more trouble.

'Sigh… It's just one thing after another today. I really hope at least one hot spring survived the attack.'

Naruto thought while pinching the bridge of his nose, but the twinging guilt in his chest urged him forward. It was his fault the city had been destroyed, so he had to do what he could to help Aqua and her followers.

'Orrr… We can just skip town and you can get back to your original objective. As amusing as this city's change has been, that reminder of "home" has left me in a sour mood.'

Kurama suggested, prompting Naruto to smile wryly in agreement.

How did this trip go from a business trip, to a vacation getaway, to an Axis Cult RE-reformation, then finally to a terrorist attack from the Akatsuki? Now he was going to help Aqua stop a riot from said Cult?

"Naruto, Wiz! Did the General escape?"

Kazuma asked as he and Megumin finally caught up.

"Yeah, but we can worry about him later. Aqua's in trouble."

Naruto responded and ushered the others to follow him. He could faintly hear the sounds of people shouting in the direction of the plaza by the city's entrance.

"Again? Give me my vacation back…"

Kazuma complained as Wiz quickly followed after the blonde. Megumin placed her party leader, which felt nice after everything he'd been through.

The stress of going into debt again, bitter feelings of jealousness, being in a helpless situation with a Demon King Army General, and now this. It was nice to have the support of his party-

"By the way, Kazuma. What do you rate my Explosion magic from earlier? I heard you were rating that General's explosions and I have to stay ahead!"

The one who was dubbed as "Explosion Girl" eagerly asked, completely shattering the adventurer's mood.

And so, Kazuma gave her an honest response-

"Zero."

"WHY!?"

"It's your fault!"

"Our beautiful city…"

"Now I can't say that cute word anymore!"

These were some of the shouts that the group could comprehend from the angry mob that surrounded the fountain at the center of the plaza.

At the center of it all was Aqua, of course, and the girl was trying her best to calm the people down. Darkness and Cecily stood in front of her defensively.

"Huh!? What do you mean it's my fault!? I saved you all from a lifetime of nonsense and lies! You should be praising me!"

Aqua barked back from her spot in front of the now broken statue of her.

'That's her calming them down?'

Naruto thought to himself as he watched the goddess bicker with her followers.

But it wasn't hard to tell what they were angry about. The woman impersonating as "Aqua" promised destruction if something happened to her, and Aqua brutally assaulted her. Now their city was in shambles, and the people who had witnessed the impersonator shenanigans spread the word that their new practices were lies like wildfire.

"Hey, what's all this about a 'fake Aqua' showing up and explosives?"

Kazuma suddenly asked with narrowed eyes, causing the shinobi to stiffen and turn around looking sheepish.

"I maaay have potentially but totally unintentionally poured some oil before Deidara lit up the city…?"

Naruto responded while tapping his fingers together and failing to meet his friend's eyes.

"Naruto… You're supposed to look out for these problem children, not join them."

Kazuma responded flatly. He was irked, but ultimately unsurprised at the outcome of events. This was just his life in this wonderful world. Surrounded by colorful people that caused problem after problem.

"Hey, I sure hope you're not including me in that statement, Kazuma."

Megumin muttered darkly while poking the boy's back with her staff.

"Sorry… I know."

Naruto apologized while scratching at his whisker marks awkwardly. He honestly wasn't sure what to do now. Bringing back the fake Aqua a third time would be redundant, Deidara was gone so they couldn't even blame it all on him.

Seeing the troubled look on the shinobi's face, Kazuma rubbed his head and let out a frustrated grunt.

"Ahhh! Alright, I'll do something about this mess! It was my problem child at the root of it all anyway."

Kazuma grumbled, ignoring the coy look Megumin was now giving him.

"Eh? I appreciate the help, but what are you going to do?"

Naruto asked as his fellow adventurer started fighting his way through the crowd.

"Just watch! This is how a pro does it!"

Though he said that, Kazuma wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do either. But first he needed to talk to Aqua and give her a piece of his mind.

As they watched the boy disappear into the masses, Wiz turned to Naruto and tilted her head.

"So… What's going on?"

"Ah, that's right… You were unconscious until just awhile ago. It's a long story…"

Naruto said with a sigh before he started filling Wiz in on the situation.

"Aqua! Get your Cult in order!"

Kazuma shouted upon breaking free of the crowd, prompting Aqua to turn to him and scowl.

Is that any look to give the person that's about to bail you out? Honestly.

"It's not my fault! They're angry and confused! These children are lost, but they're not hearing my teachings!"

Aqua shouted over the jeers of the crowd with teary eyes.

"K-K-Kazuma! I don't like the beastly looks this crowd is giving me! I don't know if I could handle these angry men all at once! But don't worry! In the event they want to finally release their pent up frustrations, just throw me to the wolves so you and Aqua can escape!"

Darkness, who was standing firmly in front of the mob of citizens, declared with a nervous but equally eager expression on her face.

"Ah… If only this were a crowd of angry lolis… I would gladly sacrifice my body to such a fate."

Cecily chimed in before letting out a longing sigh.

'Those two are hopeless, but what Aqua said gave me an idea!'

Kazuma thought as he hopped up on the side of the fountain next to Aqua.

If he understood this correctly, these people were confused because their newly reformed religion was just shattered into pieces.

So the answer was simple! They just needed to remind the cultists of the original teachings.

"Aqua, get ready to preach whatever teachings your strange cult used to practice. I'm gonna get you an opening!"

"S-strange!?"

As Aqua berated him about insulting her sect, Kazuma looked for Naruto and the others in the back of the crowd where he'd left them. Spotting the guy's messy blonde hair, Kazuma waved his arms to get his attention.

'Shut! Them! Up!'

Kazuma thought while making wide gestures as if to project his intentions directly into the shinobi's mind. Upon noticing, Naruto appeared to understand as his eyes flashed red. The feral looking shinobi raised a thumb into the air as if to signal that he was ready, to which Kazuma returned.

"Get ready Aqua…"

"Get ready for what, you shitty NEE-"

"SILENCE!"

A booming voice echoed across the desecrated city, which caused everyone, Aqua included, to go completely silent. Not a single noise could be heard afterwards, as even the crying babies had ceased their whining.

All eyes turned to Naruto whose eyes reverted back to their usual ocean blue, and the jinchuriki simply pointed at Aqua to which the crowd obediently followed.

Suddenly on the spot, Aqua grew flustered. It seemed the shout had startled her too.

"Well? What's so great about the Axis Cult?"

Kazuma asked, giving the girl a nudge before stepping down from the fountain to give her the floor.

"The Axis Cult…"

Aqua began and turned to look at the broken statue with a frown.

"The Axis Cult is full of good people… Things went wrong today, but it's not your fault! It's society's fault! So let go of those false teachings and remember the true scripture! Society wants you to suppress yourself, but who knows what tomorrow will bring! So enjoy yourself in the moment and don't think about the void of tomorrow!"

Aqua shouted at the top of her lungs.

'Those are the Axis Cult teachings…? I remember Aqua spouting nonsense like that from time to time, but I didn't think those were actual doctrines…'

Kazuma thought with a bead of sweat rolling down his cheek. If the Sect originally followed such carefree guidelines, were they going to be okay bringing that kind of people back?

He'd been going along with this in the spur of the moment, but was he actually making a grave mistake? Naruto used to be terrified of this city, right?

Face growing pale, Kazuma turned back to face Aqua who was spouting doctrine after doctrine.

"When you feel lost and you have to make a choice, no matter what path you decide to take, you will definitely regret it later! Therefore, choose something that makes you happiest right now! For as long as there is love, and no crime, the goddess will accept all! That is the Axis Cult that I know and love!"

Aqua finished before putting her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

The crowd remained silent for a long moment, and tears began to weld up in the goddess's eyes.

Was she too late? Were their perspectives so skewed by the deception that there was no going back?

Kazuma frowned. He felt bad for Aqua, but the world was probably better off without the crazed fanatics of the former Axis Cult running around. He reached out to pat her on the back when someone finally broke the silence.

"My parents wanted me to become a doctor… But what makes me truly happy is street performing."

A man in a dusty suit revealed as another man stepped forward. Then another, and another, until people started revealing their inner desires left and right.

"I want to meet a beautiful Onee-san that will dote on me!"

"Why can't men buy women's underwear without being judged!? That's gender inequality!"

"The old method of recruitment was better! The cult has been kind of boring nowadays!"

As more Axis Cultists stepped forward, the non-members gained troubled expressions and started backing away. Amongst these people was Kazuma, who was now regretting involving himself in these matters.

"That does it! I'm going to leave my wife and food stand behind to pursue my life's dream of getting a harem of women from every race! Who needs this recipe of heresy!?"

A familiar looking man declared and tore a piece of paper in his hands to pieces.

"Meat kabob guy! NO!"

Kazuma cried out before turning on his heel and running. There went the last good thing he had left in this city. His vacation was ruined. Now they were going to have to leave and continue their ridiculous adventurer.

'This is… For the best.'

Naruto thought as he fought the mixed feelings in his gut. On one hand, he was happy to see Aqua happy. On the other hand…

"All together now!"

Aqua chimed, and a group of Axis Cultists started dancing in the fountain.

"""Eris pads her chest! Eris pads her chest! Eris pads her chest!"""

They chanted in unison, kicking water into the air without a care in the world. With the destroyed city in the background, it really was a sight to behold.

In the end, Aqua had been right that the Axis Cultists were holding themselves back. Already, the Sect was looking much brighter than they'd been just minutes ago.

"Brothers! Sisters! I am FREE!"

An older man with gray hair who wore a blue bishop's attire suddenly appeared atop some rubble.

"""Lord Zesta!"""

Some of the nearby cultists pointed at the man in recognition, and the now named Zesta scoped around and gasped.

"Goodness me! I was pleasantly surprised when the guards let me out of my cell, but to think this is what has become of our beloved city! This is what happens when you lock away your Arch Priest! Honestly… What would you lot do without me?"

The old man chortled while shaking his head in amusement. His eyes then widened upon seeing Naruto, and he leapt from the rubble with a surprising amount of lithe for one his age and hit the ground running.

Naruto dropped into a fighting stance and even fought the urge to run. But to his relief, the older man simply skidded to a stop in front of him with starry eyes.

"Ooooohhhhh! That unruly blonde hair! Those whisker marks! The strange headband! Surely, you are Naruto Uzumaki!? My brother in arms Jiraiya-dono has told me numerous stories about you!"

Zesta roared, and the shinobi had to put a hand up to keep the excited man back.

"Seems you have a fan."

Megumin teased from her spot behind the teen. When did she hide behind him? Was she hiding from this old man?

Not knowing what to make of this complete stranger that was apparently the head priest of the Axis Cult, Naruto rubbed the back of his head and nodded. But he grew skeptical.

"Nice to meet you… But what kind of stories did Jiraiya tell you?"

Naruto asked with suspicion in his narrowed eyes.

"Why, your ultimate technique of course! Goodness me… If I had a sure-kill ability like that, why, not even the Demon King himself could stop me!"

Zesta declared and pumped a fist in the air, prompting Megumin to come out of her hiding spot.

"Are you talking about Explosion magic!? Naruto learned that from me, of course!"

"A wild loli has appeared! Oh, it's Megumin-san. Welcome back. But no, the sure-kill technique that I am referring to is this man's ability to transform into a naked woman!"

Zesta blurted out, causing the shinobi in question to fall flat on his face.

Leaving aside the fact that Zesta and Megumin seemed to know each other, what in the world was this old man spouting out of nowhere!?

"Yes, that's right! Naruto Uzumaki is a man who has transcended gender itself! Truly a blessing from the goddess Aqua-sama! The sky's the limit with such an overpowered ability!"

The Arch Priest continued with steam coming out of his nostrils, earning the attention of more and more people. Some were scornful(Eris Sect), and others were surprised and filled with wonder(Axis Sect).

"Don't just-sh-shut up you perverted old geezer!"

Naruto stuttered and put a hand over the man's mouth, only to reel his hand back when Zesta's breathing became erratic.

"If you're going to gag me, transform into a woman with a voluptuous figure like that woman behind you! Although, I wouldn't mind if you transformed into Megumin-san either. Such a tenderly ripe age… Ah! But I've yet to be dominated by a young man either! Oh, Aqua-sama… Which route should this old man take? Bless me with your guidance!"

Zesta rambled on, causing Naruto, Wiz, and Megumin to step back a good few feet back.

"Naruto-san… I'd really like to interrogate you about that ability, but can I freeze that man first?"

Wiz asked with a stone cold expression befitting that of the "Ice Witch".

"I would also like to interrogate you, but can you and Wiz transfer me some mana so I can blow him up?"

Megumin asked, her expression matching Wiz's save for her eyes glowing brightly.

"Don't listen to his nonsense. Wiz will freeze him, I'll throw him into orbit, and Megumin can blow him up. Even if he somehow survives the Explosion, he'll be hurled into space."

Naruto responded and cracked his knuckles.

But before they had a chance to pounce on their greatest threat to date, Cecily appeared and tackled Zesta into a bearhug.

"Zesta-sama! You're alive! I thought the authorities were going to take advantage of all of the confusion and finish you off for sure!"

"Hahaha! It's gonna take a lot more than rat poison in my meals to finish me off!"

Zesta responded with some rather disturbing information when Cecily suddenly leaned up and whispered something into Zesta's ear.

"I'll forgive you for withholding such valuable information from me in commemoration of your release, but Naruto is my man. So back off."

. . .

"My apologies. I seem to have a lot of pent up emotions from my prison time. We have much to rebuild in our city, but I hope you will all at least stay the night. I passed by a few inns that survived the attack. With my authority, you should have no problems enjoying your stay."

Zesta apologized with a bow, presenting a more formal demeanor.

Just what did Cecily say to the man to cause such a change?

"Do any of them have a hot spring in tact? I could really use a bath…"

Naruto asked, looking himself over and seeing all the dust nearly covering him from head to toe.

"Yes, of course."

Zesta responded, and Naruto let out a huge sigh of relief.

Finally… He could relax.

"I can't believe my vacation can still be salvaged…"

Kazuma whimpered after everyone had regrouped at the inn Zesta found for them. They now stood in front of the bathhouse that was connected to the building.

Like most of the city, the inn was slightly damaged. But it was mostly intact with minimal burn damage. Being a city of water certainly had its advantages against fires.

After showing them the way, Zesta and Cecily had run off claiming that they had duties to the re-reformed Axis Cult. Aqua originally wanted to go with them, but the two cultists insisted that she enjoy the bath.

"I cannot wait to jump in… I feel like today's events have taken years off my life."

Naruto agreed while stretching his limbs.

Both boys were already in their bathrobes and raring to go, but Kazuma's party was skeptical.

"How do we know you won't go peeping the moment we go inside?"

Aqua voiced their concerns, with the other two nodding their heads in agreement.

The sun would be rising in a couple of hours, so everyone was exhausted and just wanted to bathe and go to sleep. The girls originally demanded that the boys wait, but Naruto and Kazuma refused and would not back down. In the end, they agreed to just go at the same time, but go in the separate gendered baths.

"Trust me when I say this Aqua, I am so tired that even if I was interested in any of your bodies, which I'm not, I am probably going to pass out the moment I hit the water. You three have nothing to worry about."

Naruto said with an expression that was so flat, not even Aqua could find a way to argue that he could be lying.

"You're saying you're not even slightly interested in our bodies? Three beautiful women, and Wiz, relaxing in the hot spring just next door… Did you hit your head? Come here, I'll heal you."

Aqua asked while inspecting the shinobi's head for wounds, much to the boy's annoyance. But he was too tired to slap her hand away.

"Naruto doesn't need women. After all, he's transcended gender with his ultimate ability."

Megumin commented snarky, earning a very confused expression from Darkness and a scornful one from Naruto.

"Don't tell me… Naruto saw Kazuma's naked body earlier and has awakened!?"

Darkness exclaimed, earning strange looks from the group.

"Don't bring that up… I'm going to enjoy the last few hours of my vacation. Anyways, I'm getting to the bath now. With or without you all."

Kazuma complained, but he was done dealing with the nonsense of his party members and opened the doors to the bathhouse.

"Ah."

Kazuma slid the door open to find that both the men's and women's bath had caved in, but the mixed bath was in pristine condition.

"Hoho~ Looks like Kazuma-san has to go back to the inn and wait. Unless you'd like to prove to us all right here and now that you changed jobs to that of a pervert?"

Aqua snidely asked while smirking at her party's leader, whose eyes were hidden behind the shadow of his bangs.

"Heh… Heheh… Hahahahaha!"

Kazuma let out a soft chuckle, then it turned into full-blown laughter which caused Aqua to step back in fear.

"Kazuma finally snapped!"

Aqua screamed and hid behind Darkness in fear of the cackling teen's concerning behavior.

"Is that all!? I was expecting the final hurdle to be something more than this! Fear being labeled a pervert, you say!? Hah! Call me a pervert all you want! I'm getting in that bath!"

Kazuma barked and broke into a sprint towards the bath, causing Aqua to let out a noise of disbelief.

"Oh no you don't! I already declared that bath as the women's bath! Wait Kazuma! Darkness, Megumin! Let's slap a blindfold on that hikiNEET!"

Aqua told her party members and dashed inside after Kazuma.

"Hey, you two! You shouldn't go running in the bathhouse like that! Ah…"

Darkness scolded the two and began to follow after them, but Aqua tripped on a bucket that had rolled onto the pathway and fell flat on her face.

"Children…"

Megumin sighed, but ultimately entered the bathhouse. But not before handing Naruto a piece of cloth and sending him a pointed look that said "If you want in, wear this".

"Yeah yeah…"

Naruto said and accepted the cloth. He was about to step inside when Wiz grabbed onto his sleeve.

"Umm… Naruto-san?"

Wiz asked with a kind of nervousness he only ever saw when she was about to ask for a favor.

"What's up Wiz? Something wrong?"

Naruto responded and stifled a yawn. Man, he was exhausted. He was definitely going to pass out in the water. Hopefully one of them would drag him out before he drowned.

"No… Since we're going to be in the mixed bath together and all, I was just wondering if I could perhaps wash your back? As thanks for saving me today?"

The Lich asked while looking down at the floor in embarrassment.

"...Eh?"

Naruto went slack jawed. He thought he was over being sidewinded by women, his mental fortitude was stronger than it ever has been. But lo behold, here was another curveball. Was he just naturally weak to this sort of thing?

"I know you said not to thank you for that, but I've been wanting to do something to thank you for everything that you've done for me these past few months… Is that a no?"

Wiz asked with a mixture of hope and embarrassment in her eyes.

'No… Don't look at me with such pitiful eyes… Ugh…'

Naruto thought and bit his lip. How unfair. How could he say no to the girl when she made such a face? He had resolved himself to never let a woman push him around… But somehow, Naruto felt that it would be okay if it was Wiz who got her way. Only Wiz though.

'Pushover…'

Kurama grunted in amusement, but its host couldn't refute because it was true.

"O-okay…"

Naruto finally said while rubbing his arm nervously, and Wiz's eyes brightened excitedly. It'd be fine. He was going to be wearing the blindfold, and the others would be too distracted relaxing in the bath to notice anything.

Needless to say, they definitely noticed. Naruto would be the center of the group's teasing for days to come, and the target of Kazuma's jealousy.

A/N: Life is fun when it's not driving you crazy. So go out and enjoy the things you love the most.

Like watching Godzilla Minus One because it was Fan. Tucking. Fastic.

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed the conclusion of the Alcanretia side quest.

Goodbye, City of Mizuru~!