"...Hey. Is that the Demon King Army General?"
Kazuma asked, his expression unreadable.
"Yes, I believe so."
Megumin replied with a similar demeanor.
"Ah… He's using her like a weapon now. How nice…"
Darkness noted in with a hint of longingness in her tone, earning the attention of both of her peers. But before they could comment on their party member's quirk, the area around them suddenly became very hot.
Turning towards the source, the group found that the chief of the Crimson Demon was creating an extra large fireball.
"Oho! I see a rather large pile of minions! Best flee, boy! Inferno!"
Hiropon shouted and hurled the flaming orb towards the battlefield. Or more specifically, toward Kurama who was currently wreaking havoc on the Demon King's Army.
"Hm?"
Kurama grunted when he noticed the spell flying towards him. The fox then looked down at the dazed General for a second before smirking.
She seemed sturdy enough.
"Wha… What are you… Hurp! W-what are you planning?"
Sylvia struggled to get the words out, the contents of her stomach threatening to come out from the thrashing she'd just gone through.
The Tailed Beast response was to heft the Chimera off the ground once more, swing her a couple times, before slugging the incoming mass of flames with her body like a makeshift bat.
Wham!
The Inferno was redirected to the back of what was left of the Demon King's Army. The spell exploded in a flashy display of dancing flames, burning the minions at the epicenter to crisp and launching the rest towards the possessed shinobi.
Tossing the now broken and charred tool to the side, Kurama generated a pair of red chakra limbs and grinded them together as if to sharpen the pointed ends like knives.
"E-eeeek!"
The Imps squealed as the demon stalked towards them like a predator toying with its prey.
The following actions were too much for Kazuma to watch, but he was paralyzed with fear and couldn't tear his eyes away from the massacre.
"Wahahaha! To think that I, Hiropon, chief of the Crimson Demons, would be defeated in such a fashion! The dark gods have clearly plotted against me this day!"
Hiropon exclaimed with hearty laughter while clapping the shinobi on the back.
They were currently walking back towards the village, with Naruto having been declared the victor by a whopping seven to three point ratio.
The redirection of the Inferno had essentially made it Naruto's attack, so all of the kills populated on the blonde's adventurer's card.
The second trial was now concluded.
"One more trial to go! Isn't that great, Yunyun?"
Naruto asked his party member with a grin.
"Y-yes… Wonderful…"
Yunyun stuttered while failing to meet the blonde's eyes. Leaving aside the obvious war crimes that the nine-tailed fox had just committed, she was too busy with her thoughts to give a proper response.
What was the third trial going to be? What would be expected of them if Naruto won?
These were questions that she did not have the mental capacity for right now.
"So much blood… Not even the Nuzloft Tournament was that gruesome…"
Kazuma muttered as he and his party members walked a short distance behind.
"I'm still surprised Megumin didn't try to do anything to steal the spotlight."
Darkness said while sending a teasing smile to the little girl.
"Right? With so many enemies, I was half expecting her to charge straight into battle and shout something super embarrassing at the worst possible moment like she usually does."
Aqua added, earning a nod from the Crusader.
"I-is that how you two view me!? Even I have the courtesy to stand down when there's a competition going on! Really! Don't look at me like that! We're still outside of the village, and I'm feeling very pent up after watching that battle! I'll use my magic right here and now if you don't wipe those pitiful expressions off your mugs!"
Megumin barked when her party members sent her doubtful looks, causing the two to scurry on ahead to avoid the mage's wrath.
"I am curious though, you seem to know what's going on here. Is this really a tradition for your clansmen? Yunyun looked quite troubled earlier, and you seemed to bail her out of something. What was that about?"
Kazuma asked the girl now that they were alone.
"Heh… Long story short, Naruto thinks I'm the daughter of the chief. There was a misunderstanding when he learned about the law against that man, and Yunyun was too worked up to tell him the truth. Honestly, that girl is just hopeless."
Megumin said while shaking her head in amusement.
'Ah, that explains a lot.'
Kazuma thought with a bead of sweat trailing down his cheek.
"But wait, that still doesn't explain the trial. Why does it seem like the chief thinks Naruto is pursuing Yunyun as a suitor? Did those two have that sort of development behind my back?"
"Oh, that? I don't know. The chief must have misunderstood something and is acting like an overprotective father. Heh… Yunyun's face was hilarious."
Megumin simply replied with a dark chuckle escaping her lips, causing the boy to falter in his footsteps.
So this was all just a misunderstanding? Is it because of the rumors that used to plague him and Naruto? Weren't they long past those?
'The chief said something about a prophecy earlier… I wonder what that was about?'
Kazuma thought, but decided he'd look into it later. They didn't seem to be in immediate danger anymore, and Naruto could deal with the misunderstanding with Yunyun. After all, he'd kill to be in that kind of situation with such a cute mage.
"Wait, so these ladies really aren't your concubines?"
Hiropon asked with a surprised look on his face, and Naruto quickly waved his hand dismissively.
"All lies. Darkness is way too weird, and Aqua's just my maid."
"Hey!" x2
Darkness and Aqua both fumed, but they were ignored.
"I see… It seems I may have let my parental instincts take over. You have my apologies for jumping to conclusions, Naruto."
Hiropon said and lowered his head.
"It's fine, really! I'm honestly used to these dumb rumors. I'm just surprised they reached all the way out here."
Naruto replied while tapping his chin in thought.
Jiraiya? No… His mentor wouldn't say anything that would damage his pupil's reputation.
Intentionally, that is.
'...I wonder if she has anything to do with this?'
Naruto thought, a certain inspiring author coming to mind. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to assume Jiraiya gave that mage a bit of information to get her out of his hair.
After all, that man was apparently using him as material for his novels.
Yunyun was beginning to panic. Normally, she would be elated that her family and friend were getting along. But weren't her father and Naruto getting along a little too well?
Her father trying to fend off suitors was one thing, but what was she going to do if he actually approved of Naruto!?
She turned around to look at Megumin for help, but quickly found that her rival had a dark smirk on her face.
'She's reveling in all of this! I should have known!'
Yunyun thought with teary eyes, her father and Naruto now laughing over a shared experience while fighting a certain monster.
"So, what's the third trial going to be?"
Naruto asked while wiping a stray tear from his eye.
"Eager to seal the deal, are we? But don't be too eager or I'll have to smite you! Ahahaha!"
Hiropon replied with another bout of laughter and punched the shinobi's shoulder with a little more force than was needed.
"R-right…"
Naruto stuttered while rubbing his shoulder, and Hiropon cleared his throat.
"Ahem… Brace yourself, young man, for your next and final trial is none other than the Compatibility Test hosted by the number one divination shop in-"
"Oh, that? Yunyun and I already took it. We scored ninety-five percent. You can ask the fortune teller lady if you need to."
Naruto interrupted with a casual shrug, causing the surprised man to falter in his footsteps.
. . .
"I want a grandson first!"
"EH!?"
That Night…
Seeing as the "trials" were essentially over, Kazuma's party decided that they wanted to stay in the village for a couple days to recoup before their eventual journey back to Axel. Being in a town full of powerful mages, they wouldn't need to worry about monsters.
Plus, there was a lot to explore and Megumin was eager to be their guide.
"What a wonderful battle that must have been! It's a shame the Mobile Fortress Destroyer never made its way towards our village… And to think a Demon King Army General decided to make a beginner dungeon his home! Surely, these tales will go down in history!"
"I don't know about that, but they were certainly some great fights! Just like the battle with the Demon King's Army today! Let me know when they attack again, will ya? I want to fight an army while dodging spells from all of the villagers next time! Hahahaha!"
Hiropon and Naruto were currently red-faced drunk.
They had just finished dinner, and were now conversing over glass after glass of Neroid which was apparently the chief's favorite drink as well.
The chief's home was a simple two story house that was surrounded by a brick wall. Inside, it was very well kept. Clean stone floors, wooden furniture, and various trophies of monsters and other animals lined the walls.
Yunyun, who was sitting at the other end of the long dining table, shakily picked up her juice, only to put it back down when she realized she wasn't thirsty. This action repeated a couple times as she watched Naruto and her father exchange story after story.
"You know what? I've changed my mind about you, kid! I can't think of anyone better to take my daughter! Make sure to keep her safe, you hear?"
"Of course! I would lay my life down to protect her!"
"Well said! Hahaha! Look at her, she's so happy she can't even look at us!"
This wasn't good…
This was NOT good!
Naruto was her dear friend... But just how dense could someone be!?
His declarations made her feel really happy that someone would go so far for her. But this was starting to get out of hand.
At this rate, Yunyun felt that this misunderstanding was going to lead all the way up to the altar!
What was Naruto going to think when he finally realized what was going on? Would he be disgusted? After all, what was she doing to clear the air? Absolutely nothing!
Why did Megumin decline her offer to have dinner with them… At least Naruto was too drunk to ask unnecessary questions now.
"Would you like to see some of Yunyun's old drawings? She used to have so many friends when she was little…"
Hiropon suddenly asked and pulled out a stack of papers seemingly out of nowhere.
"Of course! Aww! Look at that… Elephant man?"
Naruto cooed as he looked at the many childish drawings of what looked like a little girl and strangely shaped people with animalistic features. Some were straight up monsters and even plants.
"Yes, they were all imaginary. That child has always been so talented, the other children were too intimidated to play with her! Hahahaha!"
"T-that's…"
Hiropon wiped a tear from his eye and even Naruto was beginning to get teary-eyed, but for a different reason.
The sound of a chair being forcefully moved earned the attention of both men, and they turned to the source of the noise in confusion.
"I-I-I'm going out to get some air!"
Yunyun stammered and stormed out the front door.
Naruto and Hiropon exchanged looks.
"...Ah! You have to see the letters Yunyun sent me! She's said a lot of interesting things about you-"
Slam!
"Give me those letters!"
Yunyun roared and pounced on her drunken father.
After securing the letters and sealing them in a secret spot, Yunyun now sat on the front porch with her head resting on her knees.
Winter was nearly over, so there was only a slight chill in the evening breeze. It was actually quite nice.
"What should I do…"
"I'll tell you what you should do, but only if you feed me first."
Yunyun's eyes snapped open and she looked up to see Megumin standing in front of her wearing pink pajamas.
"Megumin!? What are you doing here? Also, why are you in your pajamas?"
Yunyun asked and quickly stood to her feet.
"My mom thought it was a good idea to let Kazuma sleep in the same room as me for some reason. Anyways, it's cold out here. Let's talk inside."
Megumin said and let herself into the house.
–After fixing a plate for her guest, Yunyun sat next to Megumin at the dinner table.
It seemed her father was giving Naruto a tour of the house, as she could hear their loud voices echoing across the halls.
"Sho? Whensh sha wedging?"
"Don't talk with your mouth full! Also, there's not going to be a wedding!"
Yunyun hissed, her cheeks flaring up.
"Gulp! Okay, mom. Anyways, what's this prophecy the chief was talking about? I got a little distracted because of the hilarious face Yunyun was making, but Kazuma brought it up when he… Woke me up earlier."
Megumin said and averted her gaze when Yunyun became suspicious.
"I'm going to pretend you didn't just openly admit to enjoying my torment because Megumin just said something I can't ignore! What did Kazuma-san do!? Did he…! Did you two…!?"
The timid mage asked while hiding her face behind her hands, her eyes peeking through her fingers.
Megumin finished the last bite of her meal and sighed, her hands happily going to her stomach.
"Already!? I thought Megumin was just blowing hot air when you said you and Kazuma-san had that kind of relationship! To think you two really…!"
Yunyun blurted out, her eyes darting between Megumin's face and her abdomen.
"What are you… Wha-! N-n-n-no! You're wrong! I mean, he did promise to take responsibility, but-"
"I can't believe the underdeveloped Megumin is going to be a mother before me!"
Yunyun shouted while holding her head as if the very idea of Megumin being with child brought her actual pain.
"You just crossed a line! We're here to talk about YOUR misunderstanding, not cause another one about me!"
Megumin barked and pounced on her delusional self-proclaimed rival. The chair was knocked over as the two proceeded to wrestle on the floor.
"Oh, Yunyun…"
The girls ceased their squabbling when they heard an emotional voice from the other side of the room.
Hiropon, his eyes full of tears, had fallen to his hands and knees while looking at his daughter with more joy than she had ever seen on his face.
"I overheard you talking… Has it already happened? Am I going to be a grandpapa!?"
This caused a massive reaction from the younger mages.
"No! It's Megumin!"
"H-hey! Just because you're done for, doesn't mean you have to drag me down with you!"
Yunyun and Megumin shouted at each other and continued their brawl, all while Hiropon was not-so silently weeping to himself in the corner of the room.
"Natsuyuno… Ah! But what if it's a girl!? Yuritori!?"
"Go to sleep, father! You're drunk!"
Yunyun barked after getting the upper hand when Megumin started getting sick from having just eaten a full course meal.
–It took some time, but Yunyun eventually managed to convince her rambunctious father to go to bed. She also had to convince Megumin that her father would probably forget everything in the morning due to the amount of alcohol he'd consumed.
'I'm exhausted…'
Yunyun thought as she dragged her feet towards her room with Megumin in tow. Was she planning on sleeping in her room? Not that she minded. In light of all of the craziness that happened today, it would be fun to have a sleepover.
Walking up to her room, she twisted the door open-
"...Hey, Megumin? Is this what your mother did to you?"
Yunyun asked upon looking inside, her expression blank.
"...Yes. Only I was asleep when my mother locked that shameless man inside. I had to escape out the window."
Megumin replied, her eyes void of all emotion.
"Y-you have my condolences…"
Yunyun muttered, but vowed to ask for every detail.
Grand…
Child…
Faint whispers echoed throughout the halls of the house, causing a powerful shiver to run up Yunyun's spine.
She turned around and saw her father at the other end of the hall. He was pointing a glowing finger towards them, his eyes flashing a brilliant crimson. A whisper projecting spell?
Yunyun's face turned bright red, half from embarrassment, the other from sheer anger.
"Go to bed! Light of Saber!"
"Wah!"
Hiropon made an impossible movement by bending backwards to avoid the light attack that cut a nearby wall mount to shreds before scuffling back into his room and closing the door.
Yunyun then marched down to his door and pointed with her own finger.
"Lock!"
She said and the door clicked. She would let him out in the morning… If she felt like it.
"So? What are we going to do about him?"
Megumin asked as her rival returned, and the two looked at the shinobi that was currently sound asleep on Yunyun's bed.
Yunyun sighed and entered her room. Naruto had apparently tossed his vest and other adventuring gear all over the floor, to which she gathered up and placed in a neat pile by the side of the bed. It would be bad if he forgot something here…
"We can sleep in the guest bedroom… I don't want to distur-Wah!?"
Yunyun yelped when Naruto suddenly pulled her onto the bed and held her in a bear hug.
"Look out… Yunyun… I'll protect you…"
Naruto mumbled before going back to snoring.
Was he dreaming about her!? Or rather-
Face beet red, Yunyun looked to Megumin for help. But of course, her rival had a smug expression on her face.
"The guest bedroom is on the other side of the hall, right? I'll help myself… have fun~!"
"W-wait! I'm sorry about what I said earlier! Don't leave me! M-Megumin!"
Despite the girl's desperate pleas, Megumin backed out of the room and closed the door.
Yunyun swore to the God of Destruction that she would get back at Megumin for this!
'W-what should I do…?'
She thought as Naruto nuzzled her cheek with his own. As embarrassing as this was, he looked rather comfortable… It would be a shame to wake him up.
"U-umm… Naruto-san? Are you awake?"
Yunyun whispered, and the shinobi stirred.
"Mmm… Yunyun…?"
Oh! Did that wake him up!?
"Mmm… Stay back… I'll fight that army…"
Nope. Still dreaming.
'You even protect me in your dreams…'
Yunyun thought and found herself watching the blonde sleep as her embarrassment died down. His breathing had become normal again, and his muscles were relaxing bit by bit.
'He looks so cute while sleeping…'
The mage noted, but quickly dismissed the intrusive thought.
Just a little more and she'd be able to wiggle out of his grip… How did it end up like this?
Yunyun sighed.
"Today has been a complete mess… While I don't entirely blame you, Naruto-san, you could learn to be a little more attentive. I don't know why my father got so worked up over the prophecy, and he won't let me read it for some reason. But how did you mistake all of his talk of suitors and fighting for my hand as anything other than marriage? Honestly…"
What was she saying? He was asleep. He couldn't hear a word she was saying.
"Although… If I ever do end up with someone in the future, I hope they're as kind as you, Naruto-san. You're the first person to ever genuinely call me a friend, and I've been having so much fun being in your party. I want to go on so many more quests with you… and maybe Cecily-san and even Dust again."
Actually, scratch that. Dust would just complain about her age and call her a brat again. The nerve. She was fourteen now!
"I noticed you're a lot more familiar with Megumin's party as of late… Part of me is happy that you seem to be having so much fun with them, but another part of me feels lonely. I guess deep down, I fear that you would be happier being in their party than with me."
Yunyun didn't know what was coming over her, but it felt good to get all of this off her chest.
"Oh, speaking of being more attentive. You really ought to pay more attention to Wiz! She's really lonely when you don't visit… I want to support you two! So make sure you do something to make it up to her when we get back! Like, t-t-taking her out on a date!"
Ah! She really said it! Hopefully Wiz wouldn't get upset with her for saying that!
"Who am I kidding… Naruto-san is out cold. Of course he isn't going to hear any of this."
Yunyun said with a giggle, but she was startled when Naruto suddenly released his hold on her and rolled over.
Heart now racing again, Yunyun quickly stood up and stared at the blonde's back.
…She didn't raise a flag and he was actually awake that entire time, right?
Right?
To Yunyun's relief, Naruto reached out with his hand and scratched his back before going back to snoring softly.
Letting go of a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, Yunyun tiptoed over to her dresser, grabbed some clothes, then proceeded to quietly sneak out of the room.
Making her way to the guest bedroom, she quickly changed into her yellow pajamas and slipped into the bed next to Megumin who seemed to be sleeping.
'I really hope this nonsense doesn't continue tomorrow, but at least today is finally over…'
Yunyun thought as she closed her eyes, the stress of the day's events suddenly hitting her like a brick.
"...heh."
"!?"
The Next Morning…
'Kurama?'
'Hm?'
'Is there a reason why you didn't wake me up BEFORE YUNYUN STARTED TALKING ABOUT ALL OF THAT EMBARRASSING STUFF!?'
Naruto shouted into his mind, a massive blush on his face.
'What a strange way of thanking me for eliminating the alcohol in your system. You're welcome, by the way.'
Kurama replied with an amused huff.
Naruto was beyond embarrassed, he had to fight the urge to up and run away from the village.
He had barely gotten any sleep, but the moment he woke up, he found a note on the bed that said Yunyun was going out to visit a friend. Hiropon was also nowhere to be found, so Naruto simply got dressed and went out into the village in search of Kazuma's party.
But did he even want to find them right now? Naruto felt like he needed some time to process everything that was apparently going on this entire time.
After all, Hiropon was actually Yunyun's father and not Megumin's. Which made sense now since Megumin was nowhere to be seen for dinner at the chief's house.
But more importantly-
'The chief thought I was fighting to MARRY Yunyun!?'
To think he said all of those things yesterday… And that whole time they thought he was…
What the hell did that prophecy say!?
Naruto was going to find out, and he knew just who to interrogate-
"H-hello? You're the pupil of Ero-Senin, right?"
"The potential Hero Candidate that's visiting the village, Naruto-san?"
"Hahn~?"
"Eep!"
Naruto, in the midst of his thoughts, was confronted by a pair of girls that had walked up to him. It seemed he frightened them somehow.
"Ah, sorry… I didn't get very good sleep last night."
"N-no, that's okay."
"It's our fault for sneaking up on you!"
The two Crimson Demons quickly said and bowed apologetically, earning a sheepish smile from the shinobi.
They seemed friendly enough, but he was stressed for time. He needed to find that girl, get her to tell him just what the hell was going on with this so-called prophecy, and then find Yunyun and beg for forgiveness.
"Did you two need something?"
"N-not necessarily, but we just wanted to ask you some questions. By the way, my name is Funifura! Arch Wizard in training at the academy!"
The now named Funifura declared and struck a dramatic pose befitting that of her people. Her hair was tied up in twin pigtails.
"My name is Dodonko! I, too, hold the calling of an Arch Wizard in training!"
The other girl, now dubbed as Dodonko, made a similar introduction and crossed her body with Funifura's with practiced ease. Her long dark hair was held together by a red bow in the back of her head.
They both sported the trademark crimson eyes of the clan, and wore what Naruto assumed was the academy's uniform which consisted of a pink collared shirt, a red striped tie, and a pink skirt that went to their mid-thighs. The black jackets that were tied to their waists flapped in the wind as they made their dramatic postures.
"I-I see…"
Naruto said while scratching at his whisker marks.
Wait, these were Yunyun's old classmates. He needed to make a good first impression!
"As you know, my name is Naruto Uzumaki! Former ninja of the Village Hidden in the Leaves! Master of countless ninjutsu that strikes fear into the Demon King's Army!"
Naruto formally introduced himself in a fashion that would have made Jiraiya, and by extension the Crimson Demons proud.
"As expected of Naruto-san!"
"Yes! Quite befitting of the one who was said to have soloed the Mobile Destroyer!"
The two mages marveled at the blonde with stars in their eyes.
"So tell me… What do two academy students want with this Hero Candidate?"
Naruto asked while trying his best to hide his growing blush. While it was easy to match the energy of the Crimson Demons, it was still kinda embarrassing. But if they enjoyed this kind of thing, then who was he to complain?
"Is it true that you and Yunyun have that kind of relationship?"
"Yeah, we want to know if all of that from yesterday was true or just an act!"
They asked, causing the shinobi's smile to crack.
'I guess the entire village was present when it all happened…'
It's only natural some of them would be curious about the details, especially if they were close to Yunyun like her old classmates.
Naruto decided to take this opportunity to clear the air before these two started spreading more rumors that could potentially tarnish his poor party member's reputation.
"Actually, Yunyun and I are-"
"It can't be true, right? After all, it's Yunyun we're talking about!"
Funifura spoke up just as Naruto was about to explain the truth, her attitude turning a little more haughty.
"That's right. There's no way the socially awkward Yunyun could bewitch a man before us, let alone a Hero Candidate like Naruto-san!"
Dodonko added with a carefree wave of her hand.
Naruto's eyebrow twitched, a memory coming back to him. He remembered Yunyun talking about a pair of "acquaintances" she had back when she was in the academy, and how they used to go out for lunch all of the time. It just so happened to be Yunyun's treat each and every time.
It was definitely these two girls that Yunyun had been referring to.
Something about their attitude towards his party member that was too nice for her own good triggered something within the shinobi.
"Are you two suggesting that you could replace Yunyun?"
Naruto asked, a charming smile growing on his lips.
"W-well, we don't mean to brag but… We almost have enough skill points for Advanced Magic."
"T-that's right… If Naruto-san needs a couple of mages for his party, then perhaps in a couple of weeks…"
Dodonko trailed off when Naruto repositioned himself so that he was backing them against the wall to the building they were standing next to.
"I must say… You've peaked my interest. But I'll have you know, being in the adventuring party of a Hero Candidate is tough."
Naruto started and placed his hands on the wall next to their faces, successfully trapping them in place as he leaned forward until his face was inches away from them.
"I expect a lot out of my party members… Both during and outside of quests. Yunyun has to push herself to the point of exhaustion, and barely ever gets a break. In fact, I sometimes take Megumin out for a scenic walk when Yunyun has to sleep in, and our activities always leave her without the ability to stand…"
The shinobi continued and gave them a once over, his grin turning feral when he saw that their legs were starting to shake.
"If you think you can handle that, then come to the Town of Beginners when you learn Advanced Magic. I look forward to taking you both on a test ride."
Naruto finished with a wink, then pushed himself off of the wall and set off towards his next destination.
Funifura and Dodonko sank to the ground, the reality of the interaction they just had settling in their heads. They then shared a look before looking at Naruto's retreating form with massive blushes on their faces.
'Older boys are intense…!'
A/N: Justice for Yunyun! Although his actions may have backfired a little…
Anyways, Naruto meets up with Arue for the first time in quite some time in the next chapter!
Spirit Out!