A/N: Revised as of 3/19/2024
"W-what should I do…"
"This is getting pretty bad, isn't it…"
Inside a certain shop that was known for its faulty magic items, Naruto and Wiz stared at a paper full of red numbers.
Naruto looked at his teary-eyed friend and held back a sigh. Wiz had a good heart, but her business sense was even worse than his. Just the other day, the shopkeeper had been tricked into buying a batch of slimes thinking they were medical slimes.
Medical slimes were a rare subspecies of the gelatnous monster that had dissolved a certain amount of medical herbs, which resulted in a change of its properties. Just one drop was enough to heal a scrape, and a whole bottle could potentially save a life.
The batch Wiz had bought were regular slimes.
Had Naruto been there, he would have-
'No… Even if I was there, I don't know if I would have been able to tell the difference between a normal slime and a medical slime. It says they're both green in the monster book Luna-chan gave me.'
Naruto thought before sighing in defeat. There was nothing they could do about it now, so it was better to suck it up and move on.
"Alright! Time to come up with some ideas!"
"Eh? Ah, that's right! I promise to take responsibility for my actions!"
Wiz said sharply, her expression turning serious.
"Then, let's think of something the adventurers in this town could use on their adventures…"
Naruto rubbed his chin in thought when he felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned to see Yunyun looking at them shyly. He was so busy talking with Wiz about the red digits that he almost forgot that the younger girl was there.
"Um… I-I don't know if it's okay for me to make any suggestions, but…"
Yunyun mumbled while poking her fingers together.
"If you have any ideas, then we'd be happy to hear them Yunyun!"
Wiz said with an eager smile, causing Yunyun to beam.
"Y-yes! There's a monster called the Nido Rabbit, and its foot is said to double one's luck when equipped."
"That sounds really useful… Why doesn't every adventurer have one?"
Naruto asked because having more luck would help adventurers find more treasure, wouldn't it?
"The Nido Rabbit is a rare monster. Even during my times as an adventurer, I've only ever seen a few. But if we were able to get our hands on a Nido Rabbit's foot…"
Wiz explained before trailing off, and Naruto could have sworn he saw dollar signs in her eyes.
"Then it's settled! Yunyun and I will go and capture one of these Nido Rabbits for you, Wiz!"
Naruto declared before he started walking towards the door.
"Eh? But Nido Rabbits are very rare and dangerous monsters! Even if you somehow manage to find one, capturing it is a little…"
Wiz trailed off, but the shinobi casually waved her off.
"We'll be fine! I'm confident we'll be able to find one, and Yunyun has her Sleep spell! We'll be back before the sun goes down! Come on, Yunyun. Let's go find those other two."
"O-okay!"
With that said, Naruto and Yunyun left the magic shop to gather their other party members.
Wiz was still a little worried, but somehow, she felt like Naruto would succeed in his quest.
After all, he was wearing that magic item.
Adventurer's Guild…
After stopping by the Axis Cult church to pick up Cecily, who had promised the day before to stay there and not go to the Eris Church to cause trouble, Naruto entered the guild and walked up to the reception desks.
He entrusted Yunyun with the task of grabbing Dust, who was begging the waitresses for alcohol in the middle of the day.
"H-hey, Luna-chan!"
Naruto stuttered as he waved to the head receptionist, and mentally kicked himself for the slip of tongue.
He still didn't know what he did to make Luna so mad at him, and she was probably still upset because of the fact that he didn't know why. Sakura would make him figure it out for himself whevener he made her angry, which sometimes took days.
"Hello, Naruto-san. What can I do for you today?"
Luna asked with the same professional smile she gave the rest of the adventurers, confirming that she was in fact still upset.
But her smile seemed to be a little more natural than before, so Naruto was able to relax. If only a little…
"I was wondering where the best place to hunt Nido Rabbits was, and if I could also rent a cage?"
"Of course. The most recent Nido Rabbit sighting was just south of Hora Village, which is a few hours travel from here by carriage. As for the cage, the rental fee will be 10,000 Eris for the day. You will be responsible for any major damages."
Luna explained in her unchanging tone as she slid the paperwork over to the shinobi.
A few hours on carriage? It was almost noon, so by the time they would arrive at the village and found the beast after searching for a while, it would almost be night. Depending on how fast they found the Nido Rabbit, they might have to spend the night at that village.
But wait…
There was also the problem of convincing Dust and Cecily to come along, as they would surely expect some kind of reward in exchange for their help.
First, he would send a clone to tell Wiz their objective would take longer. In the meantime, he'll have to somehow convince Dust and Cecily… Wait, what if Kazuma wanted him to help them with a quest today!?
Naruto scratched his head irritably as he tried to come up with a solution.
Wiz needed help with the store, but he also promised to help Kazuma with the debts…
What should he do!?
Seeing Naruto's troubled state, Luna's professionalism faltered. It wasn't hard to guess what it was he was having trouble with.
Everyone in the guild knew that Naruto worked at the faulty magic store, and he was probably going to go look for a Nido Rabbit for its highly valued foot to help the shop.
But with the events that transpired yesterday with Kazuma's party, Luna also knew that Naruto promised to help pay off their debt.
She had grown to learn how stubborn Naruto was at keeping his promises, so he was probably having trouble deciding which person to help. Which promise took priority? It was definitely a tough situation to be in, one that she had a lot of experience in with her line of work.
Then there was also the trouble of keeping his party members satisfied…
Oh, to hell with her own stubbornness.
"Kazuma-san's party will not be coming today. It seems Megumin has already let off their Explosion magic today."
"Oh yeah, the town did rumble a little earlier didn't it?"
"Yes, and if you're going to Hora village, then I recommend you take on this goblin slaying quest."
"That's a good idea. If I take a quest, I can look for the Nido Rabbit and still have a way to reward those two. I'll be killing two birds with one stone…"
Naruto pondered aloud while looking at the request Luna had given him, then blinked when he realized Luna was talking to him normally again.
"J-just so you know, I'm still mad at you for before… But taking this quest would really help me since it's winter and the other adventurers still have money leftover…"
Luna adverted her gaze when Naruto smiled at her.
"Hehe… Of course! Thanks, Luna-chan! Oh, and I'm sorry about before!"
Naruto said and took off to regroup with his party.
"W-wait! Does that mean you understand-!"
Luna started, but her voice was lost in noisy shouts of the adventurers. Her face went red to her ears when she noticed her fellow guild employees snickering at her.
"Ah, I forgot to tell him about Mitsurugi-san…"
"Halt! Are you the adventurer who is called Naruto Uzumaki?"
"Yes, can I help you?"
Just as Naruto had managed to get his party onto the carriages, some weirdo stopped them as they were nearing the gates.
"Oh, thank the gods… I've been waiting here all morning. Anyways, my name is Mitsurugi Kyouya! I stand before you today in hopes that you will leave my Lady Aqua, and any other woman you've sunk your teeth into alone! If not, then I will fight for their honor, no, their freedom myself!"
Mitsurugi shouted and drew his large sword from its scabbard.
While this man was spouting out a bunch of nonsense, which Naruto didn't care about in the slightest, his attention was drawn the sword the guy was holding.
Naruto didn't have to be in Sage Mode to sense the amount of power oozing from the large blade, and this excited him.
Could it be, after fighting weak monster after weak monster, he finally found another being that could prove to be a challenge?
"Ah! It's the handsome young man with a magic sword! Have you come to rescue me from the clutches of this evil beast!? I haven't had a good night's rest in weeks!"
"!"
Cecily suddenly started spouting even more nonsense when she stuck her head outside of the carriage, and Naruto nearly fell out his seat.
"Ah! Boss, this is the guy that beat me up while you were off looking for a cute female mage to add to your harem!"
"!?"
Dust shouted from his side of the carriage, adding oil to the idiotic flames, and this time Naruto actually fell out.
"What are you two saying!? I'm not-"
"So, it's true! I didn't want to believe that a fellow adventurer would stoop so low as to blackmail women into doing such things… But as a strong believer of justice, I cannot leave this be!"
Mitsurugi declared, cutting Naruto off completely.
"Wow… I feel bad for those girls."
"I once saw that man walking around town with Kazuma the Brute."
"Me too! They had some other girls covered in slime!"
"Kick his ass, Mitsurugi-sama!"
Naruto stood up and dusted himself off. He could feel the scornful looks of all the woman who were within hearing range. But it didn't matter, since his reputation in this town already wasn't the best anyways.
That being said, this situation might prove useful… In more ways than one.
"N-Naruto-san isn't-!"
Yunyun tried to muster the courage the defend her friend, but she stopped when Naruto sent her a reassuring smile.
"Prepare yourself, enemy of woman!"
Just as the Sword Master was about to charge, Naruto put a hand up.
"Alright, it seems you have a bone to pick with me. Even though I don't understand how you came to that conclusion…"
Naruto started while mumbling the last part.
"What's this? Are you admitting defeat already? Then release the women you're holding hostage!"
Mitsurugi demanded, earning a flat look from the shinobi.
When did this turn into a hostage situation?
'Oh well, I can make this work.'
Naruto thought when a mischievous idea formed in his head.
"Ahem… So, it seems I've been caught red handed by the great… Mizurugu?"
"Mitsurugi! My name is Mitsurugi!"
Kyouya screamed in frustration.
Good, he was riled up. That made things easier…
"Ah, my bad. So then, Mitsurugi. You want me to let these lovely ladies go, but I don't. So why don't we make things interesting?"
Naruto asked while extending his hand as a friendly gesture.
"I'm listening…"
Mitsurugi responded and relaxed a little, but kept his sword on guard just in case. He didn't want to be caught of guard like the last time he issued a challenge to a fellow adventurer.
"There's only one way for this situation to end peacefully… Let's have an official match! There's no better way to truly understand someone than to fight them with all you've got!"
Naruto declared loud enough for the ever-growing crowd to hear.
Mitsurugi stared at Naruto with a keen eye for a few seconds, before he finally relaxed and sheathed his sword.
"Very well. I suppose it's the honorable thing to do to let your opponent prepare."
When the sword master said that, Naruto smirk internally. This was good… The news of their fight would spread.
"Three days! We'll hold our fight in front of the town gates in three days. Take that time to prepare, Misuzooki."
"It's Mitsurugi, and you best do the same. Until then, Naruto Uzumaki."
Mitsurugi said and walked past the shinobi to go to the adventurer's guild, but not before looking back one last time.
"I promise you, I will free Aqua-sama from your clutches."
"?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow at that remark. He thought he heard the guy mention Aqua's name earlier, but could it be that this guy was doing all this because of her?
No, that couldn't be right… There was no way someone would go to such lengths for that loudmouthed bratty priestess.
After all, Aqua was Aqua.
A few hours later, Dust and Cecily were sleeping side by side after being scolded by Naruto.
Yunyun stared at the blonde nervously as the carriage continued to bump along the trail.
Would it be alright for her to say something supportive? Or would it be better for her to not say anything at all?
Noticing the girl's stares, Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"Hm? Did you need something, Yunyun?"
"Ah…! W-why did you let those people believe in all those lies, Naruto-San?"
Yunyun asked, as she still didn't understand why the boy didn't refute anything that Mitsurugi person had said.
"Because, they wouldn't believe me even if I told them the truth. That's just the way it is."
Naruto responded with a shrug.
"I see… I wish there was something I could do…"
Yunyun mumbled while looking at her feet dejectedly.
"That's okay, Yunyun. All I gotta do is prove that I'm not a fiend through my actions! I'll prove to this town that Naruto Uzumaki is the name of a hero!"
Naruto declared while pounding his fist into his hand.
"As a Crimson Demon, Naruto-san sounded really cool just now… But I knew you were a good person all along! Those rumors are all lies! There's no way Naruto-san is a womanizer!"
Yunyun agreed with determined nod.
"That's right! Although it wouldn't be all that bad if it wasn't a lie…"
Naruto said while mumbling the last bit while smiling bitterly.
"I also know Naruto-san isn't a perverted beast that peaks on the women's bath either!"
Yunyun continued with a fierce expression on her face, causing the shinobi to balk.
"Eh? People are saying that?"
"O-or an underwear thief!"
"P-please, Yunyun… Anymore and I think I'm gonna cry!"
With Naruto's overwhelming speed and Yunyun's variety of spells, the two of them slayed the goblins within moments upon finding them. A Rookie Killer would normally show itself, which Dust had been dreading. But luckily for him, one never showed up.
The problem now was finding their true target…
"Man, if only quests were this easy with my other party! I feel invincible right now!"
Dust said while reaching out towards the sky as if to snatch the sun.
"You didn't do anything, Dust. The moment the goblins showed up and attacked, you ran and hid behind Naruto-san and I."
Yunyun retorted while sending the delinquent a flat expression.
"You know… For a weird Crimson Demon brat that's supposed to be shy, you sure are brutal when you talk to me… Did you fall for me or something? I'm flattered, but no means no."
"O-of course not! How did you even come to that conclusion!? Besides, why should I be nice to you when you call me a brat!?"
While the two continued to go at it, Naruto snickered to himself.
"Heh… Those two sure get along. Sort of reminds me of me and Sakura-chan…"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Naruto shivered. He actually just compared himself to Dust…
"Who is this Sakura-chan~? Your past lover?"
Cecily creeped up behind her fellow blonde and asked, a flash of curiosity in her eyes.
'Crap… I forgot Cecily was here.'
Naruto thought with a crooked smile as he tried to find a way to smooth things over. The last thing he needed right now was to give Cecily some dirt on him.
"Just an old friend of mine. Hey, Yunyun! Can you sense any monsters with your spell?"
While they were searching for Nido Rabbits, Yunyun offered to use one of her Advanced Magic spells that allowed her to sense nearby enemies. Similar to the Thief skill Sense Enemies, the Enemy Search spell allowed the user to search for nearby enemies as well as differentiate their threat levels.
"Nothing yet… O-oh! I can sense a strong enemy just across that stream-Ah! W-wait a second, Dust-san!"
Yunyun yelled when Dust suddenly took off running towards the water.
"Alright! Leave this to me, Boss! I'll make the Nido Rabbit submit to my might!"
Dust declared as he ran across the ankle-deep stream. If he could defeat the rare monster by himself, the others would have no choice but let him keep one of the rabbit's feet for himself! Then he'd be able to swindle a rich merchant for a fortune!
After crossing the river and coming to a stop near the bushes, Dust got on his hands and knees and crawled into the vegetation.
'Rabbit's foot! Rabbit's foot! Rabbit's food!'
Was all the boy could think as he carefully scanned the ground for a rabbit.
Then, he came to a stop when the bushes in front of him rustled slightly. Peeking his head out of the bush, he found a purple rabbit's foot and immediately pounced on it.
"Gotcha!"
Dust grabbed onto the foot and held on with all his might, and he was surprised when he felt just how soft and fluffy it was. He almost felt like he could fall asleep right then and there…
"Grrrr…"
"!"
Dust's eyes shot open and he looked up to see the very scary looking face of a Nido Rabbit glaring down at him.
Needless to say, the only thing cute about the horned creature was its fluffy feet…
'Ah… That's right… I should have known something was off when I could wrap my whole body around a rabbit's foot.'
Dust thought as sweat ran down his face.
"GROAAARRR!"
"WAHHHH! HELP ME BOOOSSS!"
Upon hearing Dust's screams, Naruto broke into a sprint and ran across the stream. Just as he cleared the water, Dust's form broke free of the vegetation.
Along with the Nido Rabbit, who pushed a nearby tree down to create a path for itself.
"Cecily, check if Dust has any injuries! Yunyun, let's go!"
"Yes!" x2
After giving his party their orders, Naruto pulled out a knife and engaged with the furious Nido Rabbit. It was pretty big, but it didn't give off the same dangerous aura as the Winter Shogun.
Oh well, money was money.
Plus, he had the fight with Mitsurugi to look forward to. That magic sword gave him high hopes for a good fight.
A/N: I'd like to try and ease the hate on Mitsurugi. Sure, he misunderstood Kazuma and unjustly challenged him. But he's just that type of character, the "righteous hero" type of Isekai protagonist.
Also, let's be fair. Kazuma brought his reputation upon himself. Especially with those hilariously grotesque hand gestures. XD
See you all in the next one!