A/N: Happy New Year everyone!

Just wanted to give a little announcement before we started. I am going to start posting this story on Wattpad!

A little backstory: I let someone post this story on Wattpad a couple years ago before my "disappearance" and upon visiting their profile in recent times, I noticed that they weren't giving credit where credit is due… So! I decided that I would take the reigns and start posting on Wattpad myself.

Just to clarify, I will continue posting new chapters here for those who prefer this website. But I would appreciate any and all that support me on Wattpad as well!

As an incentive, I will note that Wattpad allows authors to post pictures alongside their chapters. Call me a nerd, but I have been messing with AI art and created some rather humorous pictures that represent some notable scenes in the story… Fun stuff. Lol

Anyways, that is all. Enjoy the chapter!

"Who's that?"

Naruto wondered aloud as he made his way back to Jerry who was patiently floating in the lake, waiting for its master.

"WHAAAAT IIIISSSS THAAAAT!?"

Joe shouted as he ushered Zard towards the lake.

Megumin yelped and braced herself to sink like a stone, but to everyone's surprise, the lizard hopped onto the water and continued its stride on the lake's surface.

"Lizard Runners can run on water? That's good to know."

Naruto mused and patted Jerry on the head to ease the toad's nerves from the sudden approach of another monster.

As soon as they were close enough, Joe sprung into the air and landed on top of the giant toad with his arms spread.

Zard circled around the amphibian and ran back to land, with Megumin staring at Jerry with saucer-like eyes. Even partially submerged, the toad was impossibly large compared to the last time she'd seen him.

"Is this a giant toad!? I've never seen one in real life before! Its skin is so smooth!"

Joe cooed while essentially making a snowflake out of the thin layer of slime on Jerry's back.

"Finally! Someone who appreciates Jerry's greatness! You got good taste, kid!"

Naruto exclaimed and hopped onto the back of his companion to join the eccentric newcomer.

But it was strange. He felt Jerry's apprehension completely disappear the moment the kid had landed on the toad. While Jerry was a lot tamer than most giant toads, Naruto was surprised at how calm Jerry was with the stranger.

Was that a Beast Tamer skill at work?

"Wait, I got distracted again! What was that thing you used to make the Octopus Boxer disappear like that!?"

Joe suddenly jumped to his feet and pointed at Naruto's shinobi pouch.

"Oh, this? It's called a Scroll Ball. It's a magic item that lets the user carry monsters around with ease. Like this."

Naruto explained and pulled out Jerry's signature orange Scroll Ball and dropped it onto the beast.

To Joe's amazement, the giant toad was sucked into the magic item which caused them to fall into the lake.

"That's aweso-Gurgle~!"

The Beast Tamer cheered as he plunged into the water.

"Oops…"

Naruto sheepishly muttered and pulled the kid out of the water, opting to carry him piggyback-style. He couldn't help but smile at the boy's enthusiasm.

Zard, who had successfully dropped Megumin off near Aqua and Darkness, ran back into the water.

"My name's Naruto, the Unpredictable Ninja of Axel. What's your name, kid?"

Naruto asked as he started making his way towards the land.

"I don't know what a ninja is, but I'm Joe. The number two Beast Tamer of Nuzloft, but soon to be number one after tomorrow's tournament. Oh, and this is Zard."

Joe declared while gesturing to himself confidently then stuck his arm out, to which the Lizard Runner grabbed with its teeth as it passed by and proceeded to yank the boy off of the older boy's back.

Startled, Naruto whirled around and watched as Zard tossed the kid up into the air and onto its back. As the pair passed by him again, the younger boy grinned as he revealed the armor under his sleeve.

'This kid's got skills.'

Naruto thought with a smirk and broke into a sprint to catch up to them.

'I didn't think about it before, but that guy's been standing on the water… Now he's running!'

Joe's eyes widened as the shinobi managed to catch up to them with ease.

"C'mon, Zard! We won't lose when it comes to speed!"

The Beast Tamer declared and urged his companion forward, and the lizard let out a hissing sound before picking up the pace.

But to Joe's further surprise, Naruto pulled out another Scroll Ball from his pouch and threw it forward.

Out came a maroon colored Lizard Runner with orange frills, and it hit the water running.

Naruto then jumped onto its back, catching the magic device before it fell into the water and pocketing it.

"Let's go, Pyra!"

Naruto shouted and pointed towards the land, and the Princess Runner let out a vicious hiss but seemed to understand his command as it picked up speed.

Joe nearly fell off Zard, and even the Lizard Runner seemed to be caught off guard by the Princess Runner's appearance. But they quickly regained their composure and even seemed invigorated by the surprise challenge.

"A Princess Runner!? You are unpredictable, Naruto! But we still won't lose!"

Joe shouted, with Zard hissing with newfound determination to outpace the female..

"Huh!? Is that the Princess Runner from before!?"

Kazuma, who had just arrived, gawked at the sight in front of him.

"Who cares about that, Kazuma! Naruto cheated! I don't know how he did it, but Jerry is just too big! It's a fully grown Giant Toad! No, I think it's even bigger than the ones we've faced!"

"Kazuma! Don't let that man fool you for a second, okay? I don't actually care about that smelly toad at all, okay!?"

Megumin and Aqua complained as they shook the boy back and forth, although the latter's complaints weren't making any sense to him.

"Heh… Heheh…"

Kazuma chuckled to himself as reality sunk in on him. It was no use getting mad at the shinobi.

Even if they had successfully assassinated the Princess Runner, the quest only had a three day deadline when he accepted it.

That was four days ago.

Their only hope now was Joe and the Scroll Ball sales-

Wait, that's right! They could let Joe use the Scroll Ball to advertise during the tournament tomorrow!

"Come on, Joe! We're rooting for you!"

Kazuma suddenly started cheering, startling the mage.

"Oh, so that's how we can get back at that man… As expected, Kazuma! Only you would think to cheer for a stranger over your friend for revenge! Go Joe! You can win!"

Megumin complimented her party leader before she joined in cheering herself.

'Those little…'

Naruto thought with a twitching eyebrow and matching crooked smile, but he'd get back at them later. He had a race to win!

The Lizard Runners were neck-in-neck as they closed in on the lake's shore, with one passing the other which prompted the other party to go faster.

Darkness, eager to take part in the action, stood at the lake's edge with her arms extended.

"Oh, Darkness wants to be there to determine the winner! I'll use my Goddess Vision to see who slaps her hand first!"

Aqua declared and flipped her hair over her shoulder before she hyper focused on the Crusader.

'That girl… I knew she wanted to get trampled!'

Kazuma thought, seeing through the knight's motives. He moved to tackle her out of the way as Naruto and Joe showed no signs of changing course.

But he was too late as the Lizard Runners made it to land at the exact same time. Thankfully, they split off at the last second and narrowly avoided the Crusader.

Darkness, although spared from the trampling, was splashed by a wave of water that had been following the speedy riders.

"...Hey. Are you satisfied now? You nearly gave me a heart attack, you know."

Kazuma asked as he walked up to the shivering noble, who had a massive blush on her face.

"T-that was… Exhilarating, Kazuma! I wonder if Naruto will use me as a training partner for that Princess Runner. Or a punching bag for his new Octopus Boxer. Oh! Maybe he'll use me as a target for Jerry to practice aiming his big, slimy tongue? *Huff*! *Huff*! The possibilities are endless!"

Were the blasphemous words that came out of Darkness's mouth.

Kazuma wanted to ask what an Octopus Boxer was, but all he could do was sigh. There was just no helping this woman.

After slowing down, Naruto circled back with his Princess Runner before hopping off.

"Pretty good for our first run together, huh Pyra? Woah!"

Naruto said and rubbed the lizard's neck, but he was surprised when she roughly nuzzled her head under his arm.

"That race was awesome! I think we tied, though."

Joe exclaimed as he and Zard made their way over to the group.

"Yeah, you and Zard are really fast! We should have a rematch some time. Maybe on that track around the village?"

Naruto suggested, and the Beast Tamer eagerly nodded to accept the challenge.

"That girl sure is attached to you, Naruto. Let me pet her-Ah! Hey!"

Aqua strolled over to Naruto and Pyra and reached out to touch the lizard, but quickly reeled her hand back when the Princess Runner snapped at her and hissed.

"I guess she doesn't like you, Aqua. Hahaha!"

Naruto claimed and scratched Princess under the chin, causing Aqua to fume.

"Why!? A graceful girl like that should resonate with a gracious goddess such as myself, rather than a stalker ninja!"

The blunette further complained and made a move towards Naruto, but Pyra's head whipped towards the goddess and it growled defensively. Aqua squeaked and quickly hid behind Darkness.

"This is just a theory, but… Naruto did outpace the Lizard Runners back then. Maybe she recognizes him as her king?"

Megumin suggested with a shrug.

Naruto nodded his head in agreement. After catching Princess Runner and blowing the others up in his competition with Megumin, he had secretly read some of the information on Lizard Runners in the monster encyclopedia Luna had given him.

"Hang on. You two were with him, right? How did you not notice him capture the Princess Runner?"

Kazuma asked, but he felt like he already knew the answer.

"I was too focused on blowing up the Kiterunners with my Explosion magic, so I didn't see anything else."

"I was too focused on being manhandled and used as human bait… Ah, that was a wonderful experience too."

Megumin and Darkness responded with sheepish/blissful expressions.

"Hey, why is that lady saying it was wonderful to be manhandled? That sounds painful."

Joe tapped on Kazuma's shoulder and asked while pointing at Darkness.

"Ah, you should just ignore that one. She was dropped on her head a couple times on our way here, so she says strange things that don't make sense."

Kazuma explained in a hushed tone, and Joe nodded his head in understanding.

"We have a couple fanatics like that in the village too. Some of them say things like 'There are no laws against the monsters, chief!' and my dad gets really mad at them for some reason."

Joe responded with a shrug.

Kazuma's face paled, but made no comment.

"Megumin, you idiot!" x2

Naruto and Aqua scolded the Crimson Demon, who was currently doing her best to avoid their heated glares.

Kazuma decided to fill the team in on their new "predicament", courtesy of their party's mage, as well as introduce Joe to the remaining members.

"Aqua, you're not any better. You're lucky Naruto was able to bail you out of your stupid idea."

Kazuma stated flatly, causing the goddess to crumple to the floor in shock. But she was quick to recover and glared at her party leader with teary eyes.

"Why are you so mean to me!? I wasn't even the one who brought debt to our party this time! In fact, I was trying to help us earn even more with that Octopus Boxer!"

Aqua wailed before running off to the lake's edge to mope.

"Oh yeah, speaking of the Octopus Brawler. That's what I was coming to the lake for. I heard it was keeping people from crossing the water to get to the mountain, so I was going to see why it was in a frenzy. But I guess Naruto beat me to the punch. Hahaha!"

Joe explained with a hearty laugh, one that the others found themselves joining.

But now it was time to get down to business.

Kazuma grabbed a storage scroll from his bag and summoned a handful of Scroll Balls to present to the Beast Tamer.

"Alright Joe, as Naruto showed you earlier, these are Scroll Balls. Our party traveled all the way here to sell our stock to you Beast Tamers. I know you're already helping us out a lot by vouching for us in your tournament tomorrow, but how would you like to be the first Beast Tamer to use this magic item? We'll give you some for free, and you can advertise their usefulness in your battles."

Kazuma pitched to the younger boy who was currently ogling at the color orbs with curiosity and amazement.

"I accept! Such a powerful item… You could take a powerful monster anywhere. Anywhere… Oh! This could be the solution my father was looking for!"

Joe suddenly grew even more excited and pointed towards the mountain across the lake.

"On the mountain, there's a cave that my father has banned anyone who hasn't become a Conqueror from entering. There are horribly powerful monsters inside, and because the entrance is so narrow, only human-sized beasts can get inside. But the cavern itself is massive… With these Scroll Balls, I could bring Zard inside."

Joe beamed with determination as he looked up at Zard, but the beast seemed to be more interested in Naruto's ninja pouch that contained the Princess Runner.

"What's inside that cave!? Is it a false god that has been sealed away!? Or a cursed object from a forgotten time!?"

Megumin demanded, her eyes flashing a brilliant crimson to reflect her excitement.

"You don't have to answer her ridiculous questions. But this whole area is already riddled with powerful monsters. What makes that cave so dangerous?"

Kazuma further inquired. It was a little unnerving that people who faced such powerful beasts on a daily basis would consider anywhere forbidden.

"Actually, Megumin is half right. My father hasn't told us all of the details, but I overheard him and my mom talking about encountering a monster with god-like powers guarding a seal from a lost civilization. The next day, they announced that the cave was forbidden."

Joe revealed with a cryptic tone to his voice, making sure to look each of the listeners in the eyes.

"Wait… Seriously?"

Kazuma incredulously asked while Megumin visibly shook with excitement.

"Alright, that does it! I'm going to enter that tournament and win so I can fight that powerful monster!"

Naruto suddenly announced, and all eyes fell on the smirking shinobi. But when no one responded, he blinked and looked around.

"What? Did I say something weird?"

"Naruto… you do realize that the tournament starts tomorrow, right? Joe just said that. Also, we need him to win or we'll owe that scammer a debt that we can't afford."

Kazuma responded flatly.

"You would have to catch and train five monsters in order to qualify."

Megumin added, causing the ninja to deflate.

"Actually, Naruto already has three qualifying monsters! The Nuzloft challenge states that a Tamer must capture the first monster they encounter in a region with a starting beast of their choice. Ah, and you have to give them endearing nicknames too."

The young Beast Tamer explained while looking at the shinobi knowingly.

Naruto's eyes widened in realization.

"Oh! That means Princess and Octy-Boxy qualify!"

. . .

'Octy-Boxy…?'

Kazuma questioned with a raised eyebrow. He couldn't tell whose naming sense was worse, Naruto's or Megumin's. But it only took one look at the sword strapped to his belt to decide.

"You seem to have a knack for beast taming, Naruto. That's why I want you to enter the tournament too! Go catch three more monsters so we can battle in the finals!"

Joe declared with a look of confidence, one that Naruto returned in full.

"I guess that makes us rivals then, Joe. I accept the Nuzloft challenge!"

Naruto responded and raised his hand for a fist bump.

Joe pressed his fist against Naruto's, and a new rivalry was formed!

'I was wondering when we were gonna meet the hot-blooded rival... I guess that was Naruto.'

Kazuma thought while smiling wryly to himself.

But wait... Wouldn't that make him the unlikable third with self-esteem issues?

No no no. He wasn't a Beast Tamer, so of course not.

...Right?

While Kazuma was beginning to question his life choices, Naruto turned on his heel and pointed towards the nearest forest.

"Alright guys! Let's go catch some mon-"

"Absolutely not." x3

Kazuma, Megumin, and Aqua interjected while making an "X" with their arms.

"What? Why?"

Naruto complained with a frown.

"Hmm… I don't know? Maybe the fact that I'm covered in bug guts, we've been traveling non-stop all day, we just acquired a bunch of debt, and I'M COVERED IN BUG GUTS!"

Kazuma listed off the obvious reasons, with Megumin and Aqua nodding their heads after each note while making a noticeable effort to keep their distance from their party leader.

They were dirty and tired. It was time to bathe and sleep.

Besides, while they weren't doubting Naruto's abilities, it was true that they needed Joe to win the tournament so they would be cleared of Mr. Leek's charges.

"Oh yeah, you guys are probably tired. We have an inn with a great bath. I'll show you the way!"

Joe offered and hopped onto Zard's back, with the others sighing in relief.

"Fine! I'll go catch some monsters by myself! I'll find the strongest ones and become the Conqueror!"

Naruto shouted as the majority of the group began to follow Joe back into the village. It's not like he was expecting them to come with, they were probably tired like Joe had said. It just would have been nice to have some company is all.

Letting out a huff, the shinobi turned to see that Darkness had stayed behind. The Crusader had a look of confidence on her face.

"A bath sounds nice, but I'll go with you, Naruto. Strong as you are, it's dangerous to solo-hunt. Besides, I'm also eager to see what kind of high-level monsters are lurking out in these forests at night."

Darkness said and looked out into the distance with that very eagerness in her eyes.

"Huh… I guess you can be reliable during times like this, Darkness. I underestimated you."

Naruto commended his ally with a smirk, causing the Crusader to scratch her cheek sheepishly.

"Y-you think I'm reliable? Well… Shucks..."

Darkness stuttered while twirling her hair and kicking a pebble on the ground.

…Was Darkness weak to compliments?

'Duly noted.'

Naruto thought, making a mental note to himself for future reference. He never would have thought given her "tendencies".

"So, where should we go first?"

Darkness asked, pulling the shinobi out of his thoughts.

"Uhhh… That way!"

Naruto declared and pointed towards the west. He didn't want to admit that he forgot what all of the forests were called, but he was sure Darkness wouldn't care which direction they'd go as long as there were powerful monsters.

Hang on. Wasn't Darkness an ideal party member? Sturdy, so he mostly wouldn't need to worry about her during combat, and eager to venture off into the unknown to face powerful monsters without question like they were right now.

'Why haven't I been going on quests with her more often?'

'Because that woman is a hopeless masochist.'

Kurama chimed in, but Naruto simply shrugged.

Putting aside Darkness's weird quirk, they got along quite well. Even if her motives were sometimes twisted, she was a good friend who supported her comrades, which was something he could respect.

"You know what, Darkness? You're a pretty understandable person."

Naruto suddenly said as they made their way towards the west forest, and the Crusader balked.

"T-thank you? Are you okay? This isn't some sort of prank, is it? Normally this is when you and Kazuma flip the conversation and harass me. Not that I mind that sort of play."

Darkness stuttered while stealing glances at the amused ninja.

"Would you prefer that I tease you instead, Lalatina?"

Naruto opted to tease the knight in the end, and it was a devastating blow as Darkness's face turned bright red.

"No! I very much prefer compliments or sexual harassment over this sort of teasing! Also, I told you not to call me by that name!"

Darkness shouted in frustration, but her reaction only caused the shinobi to laugh even harder.

Naruto wiped a stray tear from his eye as they entered the west forest.

"I wonder what the first monster we encounter will be like… I hope it's something powerful! Ah, too bad you don't have that rare monster charm."

Darkness wondered aloud with a sigh, then turned to shinobi when he snickered.

"Hehe… Who said that was my only charm?"

Naruto responded slyly while holding up a familiar looking necklace.

The two gave each other a thumbs up, both having the same thought.

This was going to be fun.

"This is nice…"

Kazuma sighed in relief as he relaxed into the rather large bath. Being freed of the bug guts and other unspeakable things, along with being separated from his troublemaking party members who were in the female bathhouse, he was finally able to wind down… Is what Kazuma wanted to think.

"Zard! Leave those Horned-Rabbits alone! I'll feed you when we go home!"

Joe barked while pulling on the Lizard Runner's tail. Zard hissed, but relented and backed away from the group of rabbit monsters and their owner.

At the edge of the bath, a Fire Salamander was sticking its tail into the water which was causing a low sizzling sound as steam rose to the air.

"Hey, I remember you! You did a number on my Bro-Bro that last time! Let's settle things right here and now!"

"You're on! Let's go, Speckles!"

Two monster tamers on the other side of the bathhouse were shouting at each other, and suddenly commanded their monsters to fight. Bro-Bro, a tough looking Brorilla with a large scar on its torso, pounded its chest before pouncing on a shadowy figure in the water.

Bath water splashed on his face, but Kazuma's expression remained the same. Even as a large blade-like object lifted out of the water right next to him, and a water serpent that was easily half the size of the large bath rose out of the water with the Brorilla clobbering its head.

"Oh~! Speckles has gotten bigger, huh Zard? I wonder if we'll be able to beat them again… Aww, you know I'm just kidding! You'd wipe the floor with that juvenile Sword Serpent!"

Joe said some rather alarming things with a jovial expression on his face as he poured some hot water on his reptile companion.

Juvenile? Who in their right mind named a horrifying creature of the deep like that such a cute sounding name?

Also-

'WHY ARE THERE SO MANY MONSTERS IN HERE!?'

Kazuma screamed in his mind. But he didn't dare to make a sound, because a Silver Wolf was currently licking water droplets from his cheek.

"Hey, Quicksilver! Stop licking that poor fellow, you're scaring him! Hahaha!"

The apparent owner to the Silver Wolf chortled, prompting the hound to get up and trot over to its master.

Kazuma should have known it would be like this. After all, this was a town of Beast Tamers who were obsessed with monsters.

"Quicksilver's fur looks silky smooth, Darran! We should battle again sometime!"

Joe complimented while grinning confidently.

"We won't lose to you and Zard this time!"

The man boasted while patting his Silver Wolf on the side.

"You sure know a lot of people… But I guess it makes sense with you being the chief's son."

Kazuma commented, deciding to try his best to ignore the ongoing death battle in the bath.

"I've actually battled everyone in the village, save for some folks who only keep monsters for pets. That's why I can't wait to battle Naruto and Jerry tomorrow!"

Joe responded and looked up at the night sky. It was an open bathhouse to compensate for the large monsters that were allowed inside.

If it weren't for the seemingly rabid beasts tearing each other apart a few yards away, Kazuma would have thought the scenery was breathtaking.

"Noooo! Bro-Broooo!"

The Brorilla's owner shrieked as his monster was slashed across the chest and tossed outside of the bathhouse through the open roof.

A bead of sweat rolled down Kazuma's cheek as he watched the owner scurry out of the bathhouse. On one hand, this place was as fantasy as it could get. What with all of the fantastical creatures running around. But on the other hand…

"Monsters are kinda terrifying…"

The adventurer found himself saying out loud, earning an amused expression from Joe.

"I can see how people might be scared of monsters. I was scared of them too when I was really little. But they're the best once you get to know them! You have the Adventurer class, don't you Kazuma? If you want, I can teach you a few Beast Tamer skills to help you get started? As thanks for giving me all those… Scroll Balls."

Joe offered, looking around to make sure no one else was listening before adding the last bit.

Kazuma pondered on the thought of becoming a true Beast Tamer.

'I guess it's unreasonable to think that I could become a legendary Beast Tamer in one night. I'm no legendary hero or prodigy.'

Kazuma thought, a certain self-proclaimed ninja with a "cheat" coming to mind. Speaking of that guy, Naruto was able to tame not just Jerry, but that Princess Runner too. All without Beast Taming skills.

. . .

"No thank you."

"I-I see…"

Yes, it would be best to save what little skill points he had for other things.

This was not fun.

"Why did it have to be a Zombie Maker!?"

Naruto barked as he made another attempt to plunge his kunai into the cackling wraith, but his weapon and even his arm harmlessly fazed through the creature.

The Zombie Maker proceeded to swipe at the ninja, its stubby hands extending into sharp claws. That was new.

Naruto effortlessly evaded the strike and jumped back towards Darkness.

The sun had set and the two found themselves in a misty grove that was clearly haunted: The Ghastly Grove.

"Spirit type monsters are immune to physical attacks. To damage them, we need purification spells or other holy magic. Too bad Aqua didn't come with us…"

Darkness muttered regretfully as she too swung her greatsword at another vengeful spirit, but the powerful swing, despite meeting its target for once, failed to do any damage.

"Aren't Crusader's supposed to be holy knights? Don't you have some sort of offensive ability that could help us!?"

Naruto asked, already knowing the answer.

"...I used all of my skill points to upgrade my defenses."

The knight responded and proceeded to avert her gaze with a blush.

"Argh! I hate ghosts!"

Naruto barked and formed a Rasengan in his right hand, but ultimately let the spiraling skill dissipate. His Jutsu counted as magic in this world, but none of them classified as "holy" and did no damage to spirits.

The only thing he had was Explosion magic, and potentially Sage Mode. But both were overkill for a monster he was trying to capture.

So, pulling out a Scroll Ball, Naruto chucked it at the Zombie Maker who was charging towards them while chuckling menacingly. But the ghost simply moved to the side, avoiding the orb.

Naruto cursed under his breath. They needed to distract it. He didn't have a lot of Scroll Balls, so he needed to use them wisely.

"Darkness, try and distract it. I'll try to catch it from behind."

Naruto said as he formulated a plan, and took off as his partner nodded.

The Zombie Maker turned to chase after the shinobi, but Darkness clanged her gauntlet to her breastplate.

"Come after me, spirit!"

Darkness shouted and activated her Decoy skill, which successfully drew the ghost's attention back to her. It charged, sharpened claws raised, but the Crusader blocked the strike with her broadsword. Sparks flew at the contact, and Darkness struggled to keep the powerful spirit back.

"Ugh… This vengeful spirit will soon overpower me… What are your regrets, you beast!? Will you take out your pent-up desires that you couldn't fulfill during your life on me!?"

Darkness demanded through gritted teeth, but this seemed to confuse the wraith as it gained a troubled look on its surprisingly expressive face.

"Nice distraction, Darkness! For once, your weird fetish came in handy!"

Naruto said and took aim with the Scroll Ball he had just recovered.

Both Darkness and the Zombie Maker turned to face the shinobi with embarrassed/surprised expressions just as the magic item made contact with the ghost's form.

The sealing jutsu wrapped itself around the frightened creature before successfully absorbing it into the capsule and fell to the ground.

"Got it! Take that, you stupid gho-"

Naruto started mocking his captive, but his celebration was short-lived when the Scroll Ball suddenly exploded.

The Zombie Maker, now free, shrieked in anger and charged right at Naruto with a vengeance.

"Naruto, look out!"

Darkness warned and tried to reactivate her Decoy skill, but she would make it in time.

Eyes shadowed by his bangs, Naruto drew in a deep breath. Letting out a sigh, the shinobi opened his now crimson irises that stopped the Zombie Maker in its tracks.

"Kneel."

A deep, ragged voice that did not belong to Naruto came out of the boy's mouth.

Quivering in fear, the ghost did as instructed and bowed to the overwhelming entity.

'This presence…! The Demon Fox!'

Darkness thought with wide eyes, recognizing the voice and vile aura that was now resonating from the boy.

Naruto(Kurama) then casually tossed another Scroll Ball onto the Zombie Maker, and this time it stayed put.

"I can't believe you made me partake in this childish sport… Hm?"

Kurama complained when the tailed beast noticed Darkness. Specifically, how the knight was currently kneeling on the ground and looking up at the fox with fierce determination along with a hint of eagerness and excitement.

"A-a-are you going to continue where you left off, demon!? Just so you know, I won't be fazed by simple verbal lashings! Go on! I'm ready!"

Darkness exclaimed while glaring at the nine-tailed fox defiantly.

What was that girl saying such tough sounding lines while prostrating like that?

"..."

Without responding, Kurama simply stared at the woman before relinquishing control back to its host.

Eyes snapping back to their normal blue, Naruto's expression shifted from indifference to pitiful.

"Kurama says tormenting you would be boring."

"!"

While Darkness recovered from the fox's dismissal, Naruto picked up the Scroll Ball that now contained his fourth monster and grinned.

Only two more to go!

A/N: Will Naruto catch the rest of his team before the night ends? What do you think he should catch?

Ah, if you haven't noticed already, I changed up my profile on this website and added a "Status" to Shinobi's Take that I will be diligently updating so you all don't have to worry about me disappearing again. Lol

Another incentive to Wattpad is that there are "Conversation" posts that I can make on my profile which I will also be utilizing to keep my precious readers updated. ;)

Spirit out!