A/N: Fun fact… Each of the KonoSuba light novels averages about 50,000 words each, which means as of this chapter, A Shinobi's Take on this Wonderful World has the equivalent to about three volumes in terms of length~

Ah. But I guess this also means I'm falling behind KonoSuba's canon timeline.

. . .

Queue the Destroyer!

"Emergency! Destroyer Alert! Destroyer Alert! All adventurers please come straight to the guild at once! I repeat…"

Just as the crowd surrounding Naruto was beginning to disperse, Luna's voice echoed across town through the guild's magic speakers.

All hell broke loose.

People started panicking and running in all different directions, children were crying, some poor fellow was pushed into a food stand.

"Destroyer? What's a Destroyer?"

Naruto asked, and a random adventurer stopped next to him.

"The Destroyer is the Destroyer! It's coming to this town to kill us all, and the town's ace was just knocked out cold! We're doomed!"

"…Huh?"

Naruto looked over at Kazuma, but the boy seemed to be just as confused as he was. His next action was to turn to Aqua for a possible answer, but she seemed to be avoiding his gaze for some reason. Weird…

"Anyways, let's just head to the adventurer's guild and ask Luna-chan."

"Oh… So that's the Destroyer."

Naruto said as he peered into a magic item that somehow allowed him vision of the walking fortress from a bird's eye view. But that vision was abruptly cutoff by a flash of light.

Luna had explained that the Destroyer was created by an ancient civilization and that it went rampant, leaving nothing left of its creators.

The royal army once tried an assault on the walking fortress, but found that they couldn't even attack it due to a magical barrier that protected it from outside forces. It was then considered to be a natural disaster, one that encouraged immediate evacuation if it was headed toward your location.

"This really is a problem… Why didn't you tell me about such a powerful target sooner, Luna-chan!? I would have taken the quest to destroy that thing in a heartbeat!"

Naruto shouted at the troubled receptionist and slammed his hands on the table that everyone was gathered around.

"That's what your mad about, you fight-crazy psycho!?"

Kazuma retorted when a man suddenly walked passed him to the center table, one that he, and many others recognized instantly.

"Now, now… Let's not lose our heads here people."

Jiraiya said in a calm manner while raising his hands passively to maintain order in the room.

"Ero-Senin!"

Naruto exclaimed upon seeing his master appear seemingly out of nowhere.

"That was a nice fight, kid. But we'll talk about that some other time. We have to come up with a plan to destroy the Destroyer. Fortress or not, it should still have weaknesses. Right, receptionist-san?"

The old sage stated before turning towards Luna. But despite his seriousness, his eyes were glued on the guild lady's "assets".

"…It brings great relief that such a widely-known adventurer has come to our aid. But unfortunately, we are still at a disadvantage. Without having a means of taking down the Destroyer's barrier, it won't matter how many "Ero-Senins" appear."

Luna explained while saying the last bit rather coldly. She didn't mean to be a buzz kill, but the reality of the situation still stood. Jiraiya was known as a powerful adventurer, but Destroyer's barrier was strong enough to repel even the strongest of spells which included Explosion magic.

A wave of murmurs began to spread throughout the guild.

"Even with Ero-Senin…?"

"I guess the Destroyer is still the Destroyer..."

"Should we run for it?"

Kazuma looked at the adventurers as they whispered amongst themselves. It was obvious that a majority of them didn't want to be here, and who would blame them? They were up against a walking fortress that left nothing but ashes in its trail!

But what could they do in a situation like this? Excluding Naruto who had a "cheat" from the gods, most of the people present wouldn't stand a chance. That's considering they'd be able to break through the barrier in the first place.

Wait... Barrier?

"Aqua! You can break spells, can't you? Do you think you'd be able to bring down the Destroyer's barrier?"

Kazuma quickly asked Aqua who was… Plucking petals from a dandelion?

"Huh? Barrier? Sure, sure! Leave it to me… Hehehe…"

The water goddess chirped before she happily went back to plucking while giggling to herself.

…Creepy.

But with the barrier situation out of the way, all that was left was firepower!

"Megumin, Naruto! You two are going to have another Explosion match today!"

"A-an Explosion match? Using the Destroyer as out target!? K-K-Kazuma! I d-don't know if…"

Megumin suddenly started stuttering while looking down at the ground.

"Huh? Why are you of all people acting so out of character all of a sudden? This is a chance of a lifetime to prove just how great your precious Explosion magic is. That is, unless you've been nothing but talk this whole time?"

Kazuma questioned with a haughty shrug, and the little girl seemed to have taken the bait as her eyes flashed bright red.

"My name is Megumin! My calling is that of an Arch Wizard, wielder of the ultimate magic that is Explosion! Destroyer? Hah! Even the gods will tremble at the might of my power!"

Megumin declared while flipping her cape dramatically, earning a roar of cheers from the guild.

"There's our Explosion Girl!"

"Yeah, she destroyed that mountain, remember?"

"The Mobile Fortress Destroyer will be nothing compared to that firepower!"

The guildmembers chatted amongst themselves, prompting the Crimson Demon to falter in her stance.

"M-mountain... Yeah..."

Megumin mumbled, her enthusiasm becoming lackluster. But her flipflop went unnoticed.

'That Kazuma brat's not bad… He sure knows how to rile someone up.'

Jiraiya thought with a cunning grin as he stared at Kazuma. Maybe he was too quick to reject the kid as his pupil after all.

Megumin snapped out of her stupor and turned to her Explosion rival.

"Come, Naruto! Let us show these mortals the power of our-"

"No way. I'm gonna take on the Destroyer by myself."

Naruto casually interjected Megumin, causing the Crimson Mage to fall flat on her face.

"That's what I like to hear, Boss!"

Dust shouted his approval and sent his fellow blonde a thumbs up. He'd follow that man wherever he went! At a reasonably safe distance, of course.

Megumin struggled to stand and fell to her hands and knees. She then sent a death glare at the shinobi who dared to once again trample all over her pride.

"…Why? Why must you always ruin my cool speeches!?"

Ignoring the ranting mage, Naruto turned to the crowd and was about to declare that they could leave it all to him when Jiraiya suddenly pulled him to the side.

"I know what you're trying to do kid, but for your own sake, drop it!"

Jiraiya hissed into the younger boy's ear.

"Huh? But why? If I defeat the Destroyer with Kurama, then I'll become the savior of the town! I'll be doing just like you suggested by making myself well known as a hero."

"Maybe… But are you sure the fox would cooperate?"

Jiraiya wasn't doubting his student when Naruto said he had befriended the tailed beast. The kid had a way of changing people. It was just… Hard to believe the Nine Tailed Fox would ever become friendly, especially when he had nearly lost his life trying to reseal a small fraction of its power.

"Of course! I'm sure the he'll be happy to hear that we'll be able to go all out for once! Right, Kurama?"

But when the tailed beast didn't respond, a cold sweat trailed down Naruto's back as thought occurred to him.

The seal… He forgot to undo the seal from back then.

With a shaky hand, Naruto reached at his stomach and twisted.

'H-hey buddy… Wanna help me fight the-'

'Kill yourself.'

Kurama simply said before forcefully cutting their mental link.

. . .

"You're on, Megumin! I won't lose this time!"

The adventurers of Axel now stood at the front gates of the town. They were all staring off into the distance, waiting as the trail of smoke hidden behind the mountains drew ever closer.

Darkness stood a good way in front of the small army, both hands rested on her sword that was firmly planted into the ground.

At that moment, the female knight gave off the very picture of what an ideal knight would look like. At least, in the eyes of a random stranger.

"I hate to admit it, but you look kind of cool right now…"

"But we all know what's really going on in that head of yours."

Despite hearing the rude assumptions from the two boys that were now standing behind her, Darkness's expression remained neutral.

"I suspected you would think that, given my… Tastes. But that is not the case right now. I am responsible for this town and its people, and I will give my body and soul to protect both."

Darkness firmly stated without even looking back.

Kazuma looked at Naruto with a raised eyebrow, and the shinobi shrugged in response to the silent question.

"Is this the part where you start deluding the situation in favor of those tastes of yours?"

"Yeah, I could see her saying something about there being a torture room in the Destroyer or something and that she would bear all the responsibility and dive straight inside."

"!"

This managed to cause a minor fault in Darkness's face.

"…I see. So that's how you two view me. I guess I have no choice but to reveal the truth then."

Darkness looked up at the sky with a longing smile before turning to face the duo.

"My real name is Dustiness Ford Lalatina of the noble household of Dustiness. My family is the shield of the kingdom, and in turn, its people."

"!" x2

Naruto and Kazuma's eyes widened at the sudden revelation.

Darkness was a rich girl!? No, it all made sense now! Only a noble would lack as much common sense as this woman!

Aqua, as hard as it was to believe, was a goddess. So that was the reason why she lacked common sense in real situations. Megumin was from a clan of chuunibyou who lived to steal the spotlight.

Darkness was neither of those, so all that was left was a rich girl! It made perfect sense!

"But wait… If you're from a noble family, then why are you so weird?"

Naruto suddenly asked, and Kazuma nearly choked on his spit.

What was this idiot asking during such a touchy moment!?

"…"

When Kazuma saw Darkness shutter slightly, he resisted the urge to smack the clueless teen upside the head. He felt so bad he almost wanted to cry.

"P-please don't tell the others…"

Darkness silently pleaded, and it seemed Naruto finally understood the weight of the situation.

"O-oh… Sure thing."

Naruto replied with a short nod.

With that settled, Darkness sighed in relief. She knew she would be able to trust these two with her secret.

"As a knight, protecting the people of this town is my duty and honor. I apologize for being such a selfish party member…"

"It's fine. Just make sure to fall back if the frontline becomes too much for you."

Kazuma responded, earning an appreciative nod from his party member. The boy then turned around to get back to his position, but not before bumping into Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto understood what Kazuma was trying to say and nodded.

"Um… Sorry about earlier Darkness-Er, Lalatina."

"I-it's fine! Just don't call me that!"

Darkness barked with a red face, causing Naruto to raise his hands apologetically.

The two stood there in silence, both staring at the mountains. The Destroyer would soon be upon them.

"Good luck… Lala-chan."

"You little-"

Poof!

Darkness lashed out when Naruto referred to her in such a ridiculous manner, but the shinobi's form burst into smoke before she could get her hands on him.

"…"

Now standing by herself once again, Dustiness Ford Lalatina looked off into the distance with a face redder than a Crimson Demon's fashion sense.

"Wiz-san! Wiz-san!"

Yunyun shouted as she slammed on the door to the back room in Wiz's magic shop. After Naruto had won the fight, Wiz suddenly disappeared. Yunyun went to the magic store to search for her and found that Wiz had locked herself in the back of the shop.

The Destroyer was attacking, so Yunyun wanted to help the others fight. But she was also worried about Wiz… The shopkeeper had such a sad expression on her face, one that Yunyun was all too familiar with.

'Wiz-san… Why did you look so lonely back then?'

Naruto had won the fight, so it should have been a joyful moment. So what could have made the shopkeeper make such a lonely expression?

'Wait… Naruto-san and Mitsurugi-san were talking about something at the end.'

The young mage picked through her brain and thought back to the end of the fight.

Promise me that… You'll make Aqua-sama happy…

Yunyun's eyes widened. This was just like one of the romance stories she once read!

A woman falls in love with a man who is in love with another woman. The woman is forced to watch the man fight for another woman, and even helps her beloved in his love conquest. It was a story about unrequited love, and a very sad one at that because the main heroine ends up scarifying herself to protect her rival in love.

"I don't want Wiz-san to die!"

"Huh?"

Yunyun blinked when she heard a gasp and looked up to find a surprised Wiz standing in front of her. The shopkeeper must have come out at some point during her internal struggle.

"Wiz-san, you came out!"

"Of course I did! The Destroyer is attacking, so we have to help everyone right?"

Wiz said the obvious thing as she rushed around the store and started collecting various items that she thought would help.

Yunyun stood there, slack jawed, confused as to why the shopkeeper was acting so normal. Well, as normal as one would look while rushing to fight the Destroyer.

"…B-but what about your loneliness? The unrequited love? Y-you're not planning on sacrificing yourself for Aqua-san, are you!?"

"Eh? What are you talking about, Yunyun? By the way, I could have sworn I locked the shop's door when I got here…"

When Wiz started asking suspicious questions, Yunyun started sweating and decided brush things over by grabbing the older woman's hand and flying out the door.

"L-l-let's go help the others!"

"Alright everyone, here it comes! Get into position!"

Kazuma shouted from his post with Aqua, which was one of two towers on the sides of the front gate. He chose this spot not only to ensure his own safety, but also because it would make it easier to coordinate the adventurers. It was also the best place for Megumin and Naruto to fire off their Explosion magic.

The Destroyer was now in full view and headed straight for the Town of Beginners. The massive construction held the appearance of a giant metal spider, as it had eight mechanical legs moving up and down and just as many eyes in the front that glowed a menacing red.

It was an intimidating sight to behold, but they had they had a plan. They had a chance!

"You ready, guys!"

Kazuma shouted over to Naruto, who was standing on top of the other tower with Megumin.

"Yeah! Let's blow this thing to smithereens!"

Naruto gave his friend a thumbs up before looking at Aqua and shouted again.

"Take that barrier out, will you Aqua? I'm counting on you!"

"O-of course I will! Just who do you think I am!?"

Aqua shouted back and looked away in a huff, but then she started trembling.

"He's counting on me… Guhehe…"

As Aqua started giggling to herself in a creepy fashion, Kazuma couldn't help but take a few steps away from the girl who was breaking character.

At the front of the adventurers, Jiraiya was watching the interactions between Naruto and his new friends. It was very interesting, to say the least. Naruto really was proving to be the best source for research for his novel.

"Alright then… Let's test this Destroyer's barrier."

Jiraiya mumbled to himself before he pulled out a throwing knife with a paper bomb attached to it.

The surrounding adventurers watched the sage in anticipation and followed the strangely knife when he suddenly threw it in the direction of the Destroyer.

Their target was still a good distance away, so the adventurers didn't expect the projectile to get very far. But they were surprised when the knife quickly disappeared from their point of view at an alarming speed.

Boom!

The paper bomb detonated upon hitting what seemed to be an invisible wall, but it didn't seem to make any noticeable effects.

'Like I thought… Let's hope that troublesome girl can take that barrier down.'

Jiraiya thought while rubbing his chin as the adventurers around him cheered. If only he could summon the toads… No, even with the toad's help he still wasn't sure if they would be able to bypass that magical barrier.

"Naruto! What the heck was that!? Did that perverted old fart just use Explosion magic!?"

Megumin demanded as she looked over the tower wall on her tiptoes, and almost looked as though she would fall.

"Don't lean over the wall like that, it's dangerous."

Naruto scolded as he pulled the mage away from the edge, earning a hearty pout from the girl.

"But to answer your question, Ero-Senin used a paper bomb. It's a seal that we ninja attach to our weapons when we need more firepower and don't want to waste energy on ninjutsu."

Naruto explained as he brandished a knife and attached one of his own paper bombs.

"Heh… I guess you could call it a mini-Explos-Hey! What are you-"

Boom!

Megumin snatched the weapon out of Naruto's hand and chucked it over the side of the wall as hard as she could. Since her throwing arm was nowhere near as strong as Jiraiya's, the dagger landed not farther than fifty feet in front of the crowd of adventurers.

"Hey! Watch where you're aiming that Explosion magic!"

"Are you trying to kill us, huh!?"

"S-sorry!"

As the rowdy men started cussing them out, Naruto tried to his best to apologize in Megumin's stead.

"It is like Explosion magic… That's cheating!"

Megumin shouted and grabbed onto Naruto's ninja pouch to find the rest of the treacherous papers.

"H-hey, what're you doing!? Stop!"

"I'm confiscating those papers to dispose of them! Their very existence is heresy in the sacred eyes of Explosion magic!"

As Naruto and Megumin rolled around the top of their tower, Kazuma watched with a twitching eye.

"What are those two doing? Whatever… Hey, Aqua. The Destroyer's almost here. You can take out the barrier at this range, right?"

Kazuma asked while pinching the bridge of his nose. But when the goddess failed to answer he turned to find the girl laying flat on her back, red-faced and steam coming out of her ears.

…Well that wasn't good.

A/N: Uh oh… Looks like Aqua isn't going to be able to take out the barrier this time around~

By the way, I'm issuing a challenge to anyone who would like to do a Reading of this story. If you're interested, let me know~

See you in the next one!

Spirit Out!