'Where is that girl… She didn't go the other way, did she?'
Kazuma thought as he walked around the perimeter of the arena. He was nearing the end where an entrance to the waiting room was located, and where Naruto was likely waiting.
He had chosen to go in the opposite direction Aqua tried to go when he initially stopped her, thinking she would go this way in an attempt to throw him off. But there was still no sight of her-
'Ah.'
Kazuma activated his Lurk skill upon hearing a familiar voice on the other side of the door that had been left open. Peeking inside the opening, he saw Aqua standing by herself in front of a pair of doors.
'They probably have separate rooms for the contenders. We did see them exiting in two different places…. Is she deciding which one to enter?'
As if to answer the boy's thoughts, Aqua grumbled.
"Ugh… Why did they have to make this place so confusing? I don't want to walk into a room with some random stranger!"
The Arch Priest complained while looking back and forth between her options.
"Guess I'll go in this one-"
"Hold on a second!"
Seeing as she was clearly about to walk into a stranger's room, Kazuma deactivated his Lurk and flung the entrance open.
"Wahhh! Kazuma!? How did you know I was here!?"
Aqua shrieked and nearly dropped her bag. She fumbled with it in her hands a few times, but somehow managed to regain her hold.
"Hah! Did you really think you could outsmart the person that's been with you the longest in this world? Come on, we're going back to our seats before you cause any trouble!"
Kazuma boasted before walking up to the girl and grabbing her arm.
"Noooo! I can't go back before giving these fish to Jerry! It's really important, Kazuma!"
Aqua whined and dropped to the floor like a wet noodle.
Honestly… It was like dealing with a toddler with this one.
"It's really that important to you, huh?"
Kazuma asked with a raised eyebrow, and when the girl looked up with teary eyes and nodded he let out a sigh.
The world really didn't need another Eddie, but seeing Aqua's face made it hard for the boy to say no…
Is what anyone without a backbone would say!
"Come on, Naruto doesn't want your stupid fish! He made his feelings crystal clear!"
"I knew you were a heartless scumbag, Kazuma you jerk! Trash! To think I was going to keep the fact that you keep a drawing of a girl that suspiciously looks like Naruto under your mattress a secret!"
"W-w-w-what!? I knew you went snooping in my room! That really was my emergency fund you spent on our carriage ride, wasn't it!?"
Aqua paused in their struggle and averted her gaze, causing Kazuma's temper to rise to a whole new level.
"You biiiitch!"
"Wahhhh!"
SLAM!
The two jolted when the door slammed open, and a ferocious looking man glared down at them.
"Be silent."
"Y-yes, sorry…" x2
Kazuma and Aqua ceased their fighting and bowed in an apologetic fashion.
Roaric eyed the bag in Aqua's possession and grunted. He was about to close the door again when he suddenly paused and looked at Kazuma.
"You're the boy who made that magic item the chief's brat showed off just now."
The beast man said, causing Kazuma to stiffen.
"Ah, you must have me mistaken for someone else-"
"The one whose party member blew up Leek's Onion Ducks."
Roaric interjected, his eyes narrowing.
Kazuma's face paled. Was this one of those bad ending events where the main character bumped into the final villain before they were intended to?
Was he about to die again?
At this point, Aqua had hidden quite comfortably behind her party leader. The girl shivered under the gaze of the giant of a man.
Roaric's hand came forth, and the two squeezed their eyes shut in preparation for the end.
'...Eh?'
Kazuma thought when the strike never came, and he opened his eyes to see the demi-human's hand was outstretched in front of him expectantly.
"Give me some of those orbs."
Roaric demanded while beckoning with his fingers.
Kazuma let go of a breath he didn't know he had been holding. So it was just a misunderstanding! The guy just wanted some Scroll Balls? More free advertisement? Sounded good to him!
"Six monsters, right? For six Scroll Balls, that'll be twenty-thousand Eris."
Aqua said and held out her own hand expectantly.
Kazuma's jaw to drop.
'You idiot! He was going to let us live!'
He thought and resisted the urge to strangle the goddess who was demanding compensation from their to-be killer.
But to his surprise, Roaric opened his backpack and pulled out a bag of coins before dropping it into the girl's hand.
"Thank you~!"
Aqua chirped, sent Kazuma a smirk, then skipped over to the other door with her two bags swinging back and forth.
Grumbling to himself, Kazuma reached into his pocket and pulled out a small storage scroll. He had left his bag with the bulk of his merchandise at the inn, but he made sure to keep at least a dozen of the things on hand just in case.
In a plume of smoke, six Scroll Balls appeared on the fabric.
Roaric slid the orbs into his massive hand then moved to close his door again, but not before glancing back at Kazuma one last time.
"Leek has ordered me to crush Joe, but I intend on crushing that hero candidate first. I presume he's using these magic items too?"
"Ah, yes…"
Kazuma confirmed with a nod, and Roaric grunted before turning away and closing the door.
…Did he just make a mistake? The guy mentioned something about crushing a hero candidate, which clearly meant Naruto. Not to mention, that was the man that was fighting in their enemy's stead.
'No, wait! I can worry about that later! I need to stop Aqua!'
Kazuma thought and rushed to the other waiting room, although it seemed Aqua was already inside. But something stopped him from bursting into the room, and his hand lingered over the nob. He could hear voices coming from inside, but he still didn't move. What was he hesitating for?
Hang on… Was this his guilty conscious's doing? What did he feel guilty for!?
'Ah, I think Aqua's coming back to the door…'
Kazuma thought and pressed his ear against the door when he heard footsteps.
Earlier…
Naruto, who was back to meditating, couldn't get Roaric's words out of his head. What the man said was really bothering him…
"Nooooooo!"
Someone screamed outside the waiting room, disturbing Naruto's already busy mind.
Wait, he knew that obnoxiously screechy voice.
Naruto opened his eyes and stood up. Just what was that girl doing here? Didn't Kazuma say he would keep a close watch on his problem children?
Walking up to the side entrance to his waiting room, Naruto opened the door to find a very happy looking Aqua smiling up at him. This caused the shinobi to crack a smile. The girl was still wearing her replacement maid's outfit, which made her expression all the more amusing.
It really was funny how much Aqua enjoyed wearing that outfit.
"What are you doing here, Aqua? Shouldn't you be watching Joe's match with the others?"
"Is that anyway to treat the kind me who came all this way to wish you and Jerry good luck?"
It seemed Aqua had been expecting a different kind of welcome as her demeanor turned sour as she walked past the blonde and into the waiting room.
"Aww, you really are worried about Jerry! But don't worry, he leveled up a lot last night!"
Naruto teased as he followed the girl inside, closing the door behind him.
"N-no, I just know that you would be devastated if something happened to that smelly toad! If it were up to me, I'd banish all of those things to the mountains and away from civilization!"
Aqua ranted with her arms tucked under her chest in a huff.
"Yeah, yeah… Toads are bad and smelly. So is that all you came here to say? It sounds like Joe's battle just ended, so I need to get ready to go out there."
Naruto rolled his eyes and asked, and this seemed to trouble the goddess. Not that he was looking at her more clearly, she seemed to be holding a couple pouches in her hands… Was that fish he smelled?
"H-here! These are for Jerry, for good luck! Feed them to him before he fights, okay? Be grateful, you hear?"
Aqua said and forced the bag into the boy's hands.
"Oh, thank you. I'm sure Jerry will love these."
Naruto responded with a genuinely surprised expression, but he was happy nonetheless.
Aqua really was being stubborn about her feelings towards Jerry. What did Kazuma call that kind of person? A tsundere?
But the shinobi knew better than to tease her about that right now, seeing as Aqua's ears were burning bright red. So he opted to return to his meditative position and shut his eyes.
"A-anyways, Kazuma's already mad that I left my seat, so I'm gonna head back before that NEET blows a fuse."
Aqua said and strutted back to the door and grabbed the handle, but she paused. Kazuma's words echoed in her head.
"Hey… If you win-"
The audience was in an uproar, and Kazuma presumed Joe's match had just ended.
But also-
'If you win? If you win, then what? The crowd was too loud, I didn't hear what she said!'
The boy thought while shaking an angry fist in the air.
That does it, he was putting an end to this nonsense right here and now-
"Wah!"
The door opened, which caused Kazuma to lose his balance and stumble forward.
Jumping to his feet, Kazuma's eyes darted back and forth as he scanned for any suspicious activities.
But all he saw was a blushing Aqua, and… A very happy looking Naruto? Why was he happy? Just what did that girl tell him that caused for such a cheeky grin? Suspicious…
"Hey, Kazuma! Did you come to wish me and Jerry good luck too?"
Naruto waved to his friend with his free hand, the other holding onto the
Suspicious!
"What did Aqua-"
"Ah! It seems it's time for Naruto's match! Come now, Kazuma~! Let us return to our seats so we can properly cheer him on!"
"Wait! Hey-"
"Don't lose, Naruto!"
Aqua continuously spoke over Kazuma as she dragged the boy through the door while waving to the shinobi.
Slam!
Now alone again, Naruto chuckled to himself. That was certainly a strange turn of events.
'Even I didn't see that coming.'
Kurama said flatly, but didn't comment any further.
'But one thing's for sure…'
Naruto thought as he made his way over to the flaps that led to the arena.
'I sure as hell ain't gonna lose!'
"Looks like the cleanup crew is finished doing their thing! Let's get our next two contenders out on the field!"
Ryozo announced and gestured towards the openings where the Beast Tamers would be coming from.
A man appeared from the left tunnel, and he greeted the cheering crowd with a wave of his gloved hands. With messy brown hair and a stubbled chin, the man looked to be in his late twenties.
He wore a tan shirt and dark brown pants. A dark red cape fell to about his mid back, to which he flicked as he raised his right arm.
Snap!
At the sound of his fingers clicking, three monsters flew out of the tunnel and out into the air.
Red, blue, and yellow, the people cried out in surprise and wonder when the aviators passed over them.
"Our first contender is Calvin! Looks like he'll be using his three Wyverns! Spitfire, Coco, and Zaptrap! What beautiful creatures… Powerful too! Let's see who they'll be facing off against."
Ryozo commented as the tri-colored wyverns passed by the demon he was perched on. He then directed the crowd's attention over to the second opening.
It was then Naruto emerged from the flaps, and he had to shield his eyes from the magical lights shining down from above.
This atmosphere really took him back to the Chunin Exams.
But unlike that last tournament, he was going to see this through to the end with no interruptions!
"Calvin's competition is an outsider, one Naruto Uzumaki! Rumored hero-candidate of Axel, slayer of the Mobile Fortress Destroyer AND a Demon King Army General! But nothing that states they have any beast taming experience... Let's see if this accomplished adventurer also has the means to take on our Nuzloft Challenge!"
The chief announced with a sly grin on his face.
The audience then hushed down and started murmuring amongst themselves. Some clapped in support of the adventurer, while others turned skeptical.
"Oh dear… You're not doing what I think you're doing, are you?"
Aomidori asked in a hushed tone so the magical device wouldn't pick up her voice. But her husband didn't say anything and continued to grin.
'Seems like they're making you the underdog.'
Kurama chortled at the turn of events.
'So it seems. But it's not something I'm unfamiliar with.'
Naruto responded with a grin of his own.
They wanted an underdog story? Well, they were about to get one hell of show!
"Howdy, Naruto. Looks like today's your unlucky day."
Calvin greeted with a head nod as he stalked forward on the field.
"That so?"
Naruto absentmindedly asked as he opened his bag and fished inside.
"Indeed. Round these parts, tamin' is everything. They call me 'Calvin the Wyvern Master', and I've been training these babies tirelessly for the last year. While they lack the raw physical power of their dragon cousins, they make up for it in speed."
The Beast Tamer continued while admiring his monsters that were currently circling above them.
"Then you better hope your Wyverns are fast enough to outrun this-"
Naruto said mischievously when he found what he was looking for.
"Is that… Yes, it is! Naruto just pulled out a Scroll Ball! I was beginning to wonder where his monsters were, but to think we'll be able to see the miraculous magic item at work so soon!"
Ryozo exclaimed when Naruto pulled out an orange Scroll Ball from his bag.
Excitement began to grow within the crowd once more as the shinobi raised his arm, anticipating what kind of monster the newbie would send out.
But whatever expectations they had were blown out of the water when Naruto threw the orange orb.
"Heh… It doesn't matter to me if yer usin' those fancy magic items. Let's go, Coco."
Calvin said and snapped his fingers, his confident grin ever present on his face as the blue Wyvern dove in with a hiss.
That is, until the Scroll Ball hit the ground and popped open, and large strands of sealing poured out as a large burnt orange reptilian burst forth and landed on the grass with a thud. The ground cracked from the sheer weight of the creature.
Calvin's face paled
"Let's go, Sasuke!"
Naruto shouted with a grin brimming with excitement, and the lizard opened its massive jaws and roared.
Its eyes began to glow bright yellow-
"What is that!?"
Kazuma shouted over the cheers of the crowd upon seeing Naruto's first monster.
The beast stood over ten meters tall, and it was twice as long. With striking yellow eyes, massive teeth, and eight limbs armed with sharp claws, the giant of a lizard was a terrifying sight.
Also, Sasuke? Another weird name choice by the shinobi…
"Get your Status Specs! Status Specs over here! Just ten-thousand Eris a piece! They'll last ya for an hour!"
A man holding a tray full of what looked like sunglasses shouted as he walked at the foot of the seats. A vendor?
It reminded Kazuma of those people that sold popcorn or candy during baseball games.
This tournament would be akin to a sporting event… But what were those weirdly shaped sunglasses?
"Hey, Kazuma. You should probably buy a pair. Looks like Naruto caught a Basilisk."
Megumin leaned over and spoke directly into his ear so he could hear her.
Ah, so that was a Basilisk. A legendary reptile that could petrify anything with a single glance. Naruto caught that kind of creature overnight? On a first encounter, no less.
Just what kind of ridiculous luck did that guy have?
"Oh, it's eyes are starting to glow. You better hurry."
Megumin noted and put on a pair of the specs.
When did that girl buy a pair!? Or rather-
"Hey, mister! Gimmie pair before-"
Kazuma whipped out a wad of cash and shouted, but there was a sudden flash and his vision blacked out.
"Coco!"
Calvin cried out when he opened his eyes again to find his prized Ice Wyvern petrified and plummeting to the ground.
The beast landed on the ground with a thud, but immediately smashed into bits and pieces by the Basilisk's tail.
Cursing under his breath, Calvin laid out his options. He hadn't seen that coming at all. A rookie? With a Basilisk?
But each and every monster was registered and approved by the chief himself, so this brat couldn't have cheated.
What did they call people like that?
"Golden Rookie… Heh! Not bad, kid! Ya pulled a fast one on me. But don't expect the same trick to work twice! Let's go, Spitfire!"
Calvin roared and snapped his fingers again, and this time the red Wyvern began its descent.
"Here comes the next one, Sasuke!"
Naruto exclaimed and thrust his arm forward.
Sasuke narrowed its gaze on the incoming threat, and its eyes glowed a dark shade of green.
Calvin's eyes widened when he realized what his opponent was up to.
"Maneuver, Spitfire!"
The man shouted, and the red Wyvern narrowly evaded the two beams of lights that shot out of the Basilisk's eyes like laser pointers.
The streams of green left a trail of stone as
Well…
Kazuma gasped as he broke free of his petrification. The last thing he recalled was a bright light, then there was only darkness.
No, not the sleeping bimbo to his right, complete, utter, cold, blackness! He didn't feel the need to breathe, and honestly didn't feel much of anything… but it was suffocating!
'Scary! Petrification was scary!'
Kazuma thought with teary eyes as he hugged his form. But his fear instantly turned into rage when he saw the concerned looks of his party members, who seemed to have been completely unaffected by the petrification.
"Why do you have a pair of those specs, and why didn't you get a pair for me!? Also, why weren't you affected Aqua!?"
Kazuma barked at his party members, but they remained unfazed by his rage.
"Joe gave me a pair this morning before the matches started."
Megumin said with a shrug.
"Is that how you thank the person that cured your status effect? What an ungrateful NEET! But for your information, my hagoromo protects me from all status effects."
Aqua boasted while stroking the misty pink cloth wrapped around her that seemed to defy gravity.
'Oh yeah, she mentioned something like that didn't she? Well if that's the case-'
Kazuma thought and lunged for the hagoromo.
"Lemme use that thing! Being petrified was traumatizing!"
"Nooo! Let go! Only one person can use it at a time!"
"I'll let you keep the profit you kept earlier, so go buy a pair of specs from that vendor!"
"No way! I don't want your HikiNEET stench all over my divine relic!"
"How rude!"
While the two scrapped over the hagoromo, Megumin tuned them out and turned back to watch the battle. Things were starting to heat up.
"Ah."
There was a green beam of light shooting out of the Basilisk's eyes, and it was heading their way.
Before the mage could even speak, the beams passed over their bodies in a flash.
Those who had been wearing the Status Specs remained unchanged, but those who had opted to close their eyes instead of purchasing the glasses panicked as the parts of their bodies that had been touched by the light slowly turned into stone.
Megumin looked back at her party members to find that both had been petrified, frozen with comical expressions on their faces.
Even Darkness, although she had been asleep, had been turned to stone.
Letting out a sigh, the Crimson Demon ultimately turned back to watch the battle. There were a couple priests running around the audience curing people, likely hired for such events. She'd just let them cure her party members.
"Don't let him out of your sight, Sasuke!"
Naruto commanded as the Wyvern continued to evade his monster's direct gaze. It would fly over their heads, cut through the trees, all while trying to get behind them to attack.
It was fast, but Sasuke managed to maintain its petrified vision.
'It won't last much longer though… Eventually, he's gonna have to let his eyes cool off.'
Naruto thought and tried to come up with a follow up plan. He needed to get the enemy to think they got the upper hand somehow so they would come in close…
The Basilisk hissed and closed its eyes, cutting off the streams of glowing green light.
"Hah! Looks like the thing tuckered itself out! Light em up, Spitfire!"
Calvin triumphantly said before ordering his monster to attack, and the Wyvern burst out of a nearby tree and let loose a torrent of fire.
Sasuke hissed as the flames engulfed the greenery around it.
'Shoot, I can't see now!'
Naruto mentally cursed when his vision became obscured by the flames and smoke, but he remained calm. He could still feel his bond with the Basilisk, indicating the monster was alright.
Beast Bond.
One of the skills Joe had taught him that morning before the tournament had begun, and Naruto was super grateful to the kid right now.
It was a skill that allowed a person and a beast to form a magical bond with one another. A bond so powerful, the tamer and monster shared each other's senses to an extent.
So long as a monster you were bonded with remained alive, you would be able to feel its presence.
One could only bond with so many monsters at one time though, and could only increase that number through leveling the skill over time.
A beginner was only able to bond with three monsters. Thankfully, Naruto already had good control over Jerry, Princess, and Spook(Thanks, Kurama!). So he was able to officially make a bond with his other three monsters for the tournament.
Unfortunately, the Beast Bond wouldn't help him all that much in this situation. Knowing his monster was still alive was helpful, but he needed to be able to see the battle in order to give the best directions.
So, Naruto closed his eyes and tapped into the second skill Joe had taught him.
Beast Vision.
It allowed the user to see through the eyes of a monster they are bonded with.
Naruto had been especially excited to learn about this skill, as he could already picture sharing the vision of a flying beast or a smaller beast that could fit through tiny crevices. The possibilities for recon were endless!
But in this situation, Naruto would be able to see exactly what was going on behind that wall of fire.
When his vision connected, he was met with the sight of the Wyvern flying right for his face.
The shinobi yelped and subconsciously ducked, and it seemed the feeling passed through to Sasuke as the Basilisk ducked as well.
That was close! The enemy seemed to be going for the eyes, and it was obvious why. Without its vision, Sasuke would be a sitting duck just waiting to be roasted.
Too bad for them!
Seeing through the Basilisk's eyes, Naruto shouted out a quick flurry of commands.
Beast Bond burning strong, Sasuke leaned back as Spitfire swooped in a second time before latching its jaws into its wings.
The Wyvern hissed in pain before it was violently shaken back and forth, flames spraying out in all different directions in any attempt to get free.
Sasuke then slammed Spitfire onto the ash-covered dirt and stomped on its chest, earning a loud crunching sound as a result of the poor creature's bones caving in.
Flames erupted from the Fire Wyvern's mouth as it collapsed and let out its last breath.
"Spitfire! D-damn it… I thought this guy was a noobie!?"
Calvin shouted in disbelief. He had intentionally covered the field in flames to cut off his opponent's vision, but those reactions… That was undoubtedly the usage of Beast Vision.
With a flick of its mighty tail, Sasuke doused the remaining flames to reveal a smirking Naruto.
Two down, one to go.
That was the clear message the blonde was sending the Beast Tamer, which prompted Calvin to take a subconscious step back.
"W-what an unbelievable display of the bond between man and beast! If I didn't know any better, I would have thought Naruto was an elite Beast Tamer! As expected of a hero-candidate!"
Ryozo was nearly frothing at the mouth at what he had just witnessed. It was almost straight out of his favorite show back in his youth… Minus the blood and gore of course.
Aomidori chuckled at her husband's enthusiasm. But she had to admit, the outsider was showing a lot more skill than she had expected.
"H-heh… Hah! Hahaha!"
Calvin stuttered before he let out a full on fit of laughter.
"Yer good, Naruto of Axel! But now you face the storm itself! Let's go, Thunder!"
The Beast Tamer shouted and snapped his fingers for the final time.
A loud crackling sound emanated from the yellow Wyvern as it aimed itself towards the Basilisk.
Thunder let out a screeching sound before a bolt of lightning shot out of its mouth.
Sasuke wasn't given any opportunity to dodge as the electricity hit it dead on. Its massive bulk shuddered from the impact, its scales steaming from the shock. The Basilisk stomped on the dirt and roared defiantly as the Wyvern passed overhead.
'That lightning is way too fast for Sasuke to dodge… Even if we can react to it, it's too bulky to get out of the way.'
Naruto thought with a frown.
His Basilisk could probably take a few more of those thunderbolts, but he was hoping to finish this battle without any casualties. He was going to need all of his monsters for his next match…
Another barrage of lightning attacks rained down Sasuke, and the Basilisk nearly slipped on the ashes as it tried to move out of the way.
An idea suddenly formed in Naruto's head, and the shinobi grinned mischievously.
That could work…
'Looks like he has a plan… Well that's too bad for them! We won't give 'em a chance!'
Calvin thought and commanded his Lighting Wyvern to continue to shower them with electricity.
Thunder fired off a couple more lightning bolts as it circled back, the strikes hitting the larger reptile and its surroundings.
But a few of the bolts hit the ashes, causing the dust and debris to kick up into the air. This action was furthered by Sasuke when it whipped its tail, creating a massive smoke cloud in the middle of the arena.
"Think you can hide!? Hah! We'll just keep firin' down from above! Give 'em hell, Thunder!"
Calvin taunted and ushered his beast to continue its onslaught. All he needed to do was take out this brat's Basilisk, the rest of his monsters were probably chumps!
As the lightning bolts struck through the ash cloud, sounds of pained screeching could be heard.
"Time to wrap this up, Thunder! Get ready to give it yer all!"
The Wyvern tamer commanded, and the flying reptilian hovered above the dispersing smoke.
But to Calvin, and the audience's surprise, the ash cloud dissipated to reveal an empty field.
"What!? Where did it-"
The very earth seemed to erupt as Sasuke burst from the ground and lunged into the air.
It seemed Thunder was just as surprised as its master as the Wyvern reacted far too late, and it screeched in agony as the Basilisk's fangs latched onto its torso.
The two reptiles came crashing down to the field, causing another plume of smoke to erupt. Lightning and other flashes of light illuminated the dust cloud, revealing still images of the monster's silhouettes to the audience.
Not even Beast Vision could help Calvin in this moment, so he was left to pray that his beast would come out victorious.
The flashes came to a stop, and the ash settled back to the ground to divulge one Sasuke gripping the petrified, and severed, head of Thunder in its jaws.
Crunch!
Calvin's eye twitched as he watched the skull of his final beast turn into a fine powder, his bond with the once majestic creature having long since severed.
"I-I… Have lost…"
The man said and fell to his knees, the exhaustion from the battle finally taking its toll on his mental fortitude.
The crowd erupted into a mass of cheers.
"Unbelievable! What a crafty trick, folks! Using the ash as a means of covering the massive Basilisk's burrowing, then coming back up for a final sneak attack! We have a second clean sweep in our tournament!"
Ryozo, who had crawled to the edge of the demon's hand to get the best view he could, shouted in disbelief as he recapped what had just transpired.
"The winner is Naruto Uzumaki."
Aomidori announced for her hyperventilating husband with a shake of her head. Honestly, she really didn't mind co-hosting. But that man of her was so passionate about these battles, it made her question what he loved more. Her, or battling?
Back down at the ground, Naruto walked up to Sasuke and gave the great Basilisk a pat on one of its tree trunk sized legs.
"Good job, buddy! You did awesome!"
Naruto commended his beast, earning a low growl from the reptile. The orange lizard didn't show as much affection as his other monsters did, but he supposed that made the name he chose even more appropriate.
Tapping the monster with the Scroll Ball, Sasuke's form was enwrapped in the magic item's seals before it was completely absorbed into the ball.
The shinobi then walked over to his fallen opponent.
"Hey, your Wyverns were really powerful! I'm sure any other one of my monsters would have really struggled against them."
Naruto said and offered his hand to the man.
Calvin looked up, his expression a mixture of suspicion and a bit of anger. But eventually, the Beast Tamer sighed and accepted the offered hand.
"Yer a strange man, Naruto Uzumaki… But that was some battle. Ya got yerself a mighty fine beast there. You better not lose."
He said and offered a crooked smile, one that Naruto returned with a cheeky grin of his own.
"You bet!"
–Back in one of the waiting rooms, Roaric sat in a chair with his eyes closed.
"The winner is Naruto Uzumaki."
He heard the chief's wife announce, which was followed by an uproar of cheering.
So the brat won, and they were cheering for him… Must have been quite the show.
What a joke.
Roaric opened his eyes and stared at the magic item in his palm. A Scroll Ball.
He was a traditional man, and valued the chief's foundational customs that he had introduced above all else.
But he was no fool.
With the addition of a magic item that could store even the largest of beasts inside of it, the very foundations of Beast Taming would no doubt change.
So he would adapt to the change, and fight tooth and claw to put himself back at the top. To put an end to these ridiculous "shows".
"Roaric."
A sleazy sounding voice called out to the demi-human from the other side of the room.
Leek.
"I see you got your hands on some Scroll Balls… Good. I want you to use that monster in your next bout."
The man said before he left without waiting for a response. There was no talking back to Leek. Not when he was in a position of power.
Power… If only he'd had more power back then.
A/N: Thus concludes our 80th chapter… I would like to thank you all for reading and supporting this silly fic of mine over the years. Even in my absence, there was still a lot of love for this story which was ultimately the driving factor of my passion's reinstatement.
Since then, we got to meet Vanir, Naruto grew out of his simp ways and apologized to Yunyun, Kazuma's party finally got a taste of the food of the gods, Naruto and Aqua had a kid(lol), and I finally got to write out my Scroll Ball idea! I thought about the Scroll ball, and a lot of this current arc back in 2019! Isn't that crazy? What else… Ah, Deidara! That explosive terrorist is gonna be fun to write in future chapters. I always wanted to write fun interactions between him and Megumin for obvious reasons.
Anyways, I just felt like 80 chapters was a big milestone and was feeling a little sentimental.
How about we do a little popularity poll to celebrate? Haven't done one of those in forever! The poll question will beeeee… "Who are your top three favorite characters in A Shinobi's Take on this Wonderful World?"!
I'm voting for Aqua. :V
See you all in the next one!
Spirit out.