'I'm pretty sure it was over here…'

Naruto thought as he walked through the village in search of the Divination shop. Hands in his pockets, he took in the peaceful scenery of people waking about or having casual conversations.

"Rise! Rise and quell the demons that have arisen in my customers! For I, Chakamiya, the number one baker of the Crimson Demons, commands it!"

Or at least casual in the Crimson Demon sense.

Naruto peeked into the noisy shop to find a man shouting at an oven.

"Ugh…! I feel the demons within me are fighting for control! I seek sustenance to fuel my quest for purification. Do you dare offer me your creations, or shall I seek the sacred sustenance elsewhere?"

A customer who was standing on the other side of the counter held his stomach and winced as if they were experiencing excruciating pain.

"Fear not, seeker of peace. I present to you the Bread of the Ancients, forged in the fires of inspiration and seasoned with the wisdom of the ages!"

Chakamiya greeted(?) the customer, then proceeded to pull something out of the oven and place it on the counter.

"Very well, baker of the unknown. I shall partake of your offering and judge its worthiness against the trials of my journey."

The customer said and placed some Eris on the counter next to the "offering", to which the baker readily accepted.

"May it grant you strength, traveler, as you tread the path of destiny. And remember, should you require further sustenance, this humble bakery shall forever be your sanctuary."

But… It was just bread in the end. The Crimson Demons really were eccentric.

After searching a few different shops and witnessing similar interactions, Naruto spotted a familiar looking girl with dark hair that ended in drill-shaped tips. She was jotting something into a notebook while walking towards what looked like a café.

'Oh, there she is!'

As Naruto started towards his target, the girl suddenly stopped in her footsteps.

"Fufu… I didn't think you would find me so soon, hero-san. How did you know I would be here?"

Turning around to face the shinobi, Arue placed a hand over her patched eye and chuckled darkly.

"Oh, I was actually looking for the Divination shop since I don't know where you live. I figured the fortune teller lady would be able to help me find you. Anyways, can we talk?"

Naruto replied with a shrug as he stepped up to the girl, and she remained in her stance for a brief second before closing her visible eye and grinning.

"I see… Very well. But I am feeling rather peckish, and the café is having a sale for couples in light of yesterday's events. Shall we catch up there for old time's sake? I'm sure you've had quite a lot of adventures since our last encounter and I would love to hear about them."

Arue suggested and started walking towards the shop's entrance.

"Oh, sure-wait. What did you just say?"

Naruto looked at the café with a fearful look growing on his face.

On the business's door was a large sign that said:

"Chief Gives His Blessing to Daughter And Suitor! Couples Eat Half-off! Today Only!"

Inside, there were various couples sitting at each stall and laughing as they ate together.

Naruto's face paled. They worked fast!

But wait, if he was caught having lunch with Arue at such a place… This wasn't going to cause another misunderstanding, was it?

Steeling his nerves, Naruto followed after the Crimson Demon who had just opened the café's door. He would be in and out, keeping the conversation brisk.

"-and so we ventured into the Forbidden Cave! We had to figure out a troubling puzzle right off the bat and dodge a bunch of traps, but we eventually made it to the center of the cavern and found some old notes left by an ancient scientist. Then we-WAIT THIS IS WRONG!"

Naruto shouted, stopping mid-sentence while gripping his hair in frustration.

How did the conversation go from him asking about the prophecy, to him telling Arue about their journey here!? She asked him to start while she ate her lunch, and he just got a little carried away…

Naruto leveled his eyes on the girl sitting across from him. He forgot this one was tricky… He needed to be careful.

Seemingly unfazed by the shinobi's sudden outburst, Arue looked up from her notebook and tilted her head.

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean 'what's wrong'!? I don't even know what's going on! Why does the chief think I want to marry Yunyun!? What is the prophecy he was talking about!? Why am I still yelling!?"

Naruto shouted and quickly sat down when he noticed all eyes were now on him. His ears turned bright red as he desperately averted his gaze.

Well, THAT certainly wouldn't help the misunderstanding.

Arue tapped her chin in thought before she closed her book and placed it down on the table. After taking a sip of her tea, she spoke.

"It started shortly after your initial visit to the Home of the Crimson Magic. I collaborated with Sokketo, and with our combined power, we had a powerful vision. A great evil… destruction… and sacrifice…"

She started, and Naruto looked up as her ominous tone drew him in.

"Many lives were lost… But there was still hope. A boy, whose lineage consisted of that of the chief's daughter and the player of Axel came to be. With their combined essence burning within him, the boy would lead the charge against the great evil and humanity would prevail!"

Arue finished, her enthusiasm growing with each word. She seemed very proud of herself.

Naruto's face became neutral as the two sat in silence for a minute.

"Hey, Arue?"

"Hm?"

"Is the prophecy some story you came up with?"

"Indeed."

Arue replied and took another sip of her tea.

Seconds of silence went by as Naruto stared off into space.

All of this. The misunderstanding with the chief, everyone in the village now thinking he was romantically pursuing Yunyun, and all of the embarrassment that came with it all which included the events from last night…

Poor Yunyun.

How was she going to react when she found out the truth?

He needed to find her and apologize for all of this nonsense.

But first-

"Does Ero-senin know about this?"

"This project has been kept a secret from Ero-sensei. He did not approve of it, unfortunately…"

Arue admitted while looking at her notebook with a sad smile.

Naruto was taken aback at this revelation. Didn't Jiraiya originally try to pawn this girl off to him with the pitch that she could use him as living inspiration?

"Wow… I'm surprised Ero-senin actually-"

"He said he was already using a few aspects of your life that paralleled the prophecy for a secret project of his own. Something about a collaboration with some great beauties in Axel."

Arue added with a hint of frustration in her tone, causing the shinobi to fall silent again.

"Fufufu… That man probably fears the prophecy because I implemented quite a compelling scene that involves the hero's parents. I don't mean to brag, but I would even dare to say it rivals that of Icha Icha Paradise."

The girl continued while waving her quill in amusement.

Naruto took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He was calm, and collected. Leaving Ero-sensei aside for now, he looked at the girl sitting in front of him.

"Please don't use me and my party member as inspiration for your aspiring porn. Also, where is the prophecy right now?"

Luckily, Yunyun didn't seem to have read the entire thing. But it would be troubling if she got her hands on the "prophecy" for numerous reasons. She would instantly figure out the truth and probably die from embarrassment.

"Oh? Do you wish to read the prophecy for yourself? Very well. But in exchange, I would implore that you provide feedback. The only ones who have officially read it so far are Sokketo and the chief, who have both given positive responses. Yunyun has only seemed to have read the beginning, which is quite a disappointment. But no matter. I believe the chief currently has the prophecy, and I saw him and Yunyun enter the Divination shop on my way here. Perhaps to confirm your compatibility test? Ah…"

Arue said when Naruto suddenly slammed some money on the table and rushed out the door.

'I get the feeling that this is leading up to something interesting… Perhaps I should follow him.'

With that thought, Arue finished the rest of her tea before getting up and walking out the door herself.

"Where should we go first?"

Darkness asked as she and the rest of her party ventured down the dirt paths of the Crimson Demon Village.

She was currently wearing her "office lady" outfit as they had just dropped her armor off at the town's blacksmith. It was still heavily damaged from their initial trek through the Grubby Grove.

"Seeing as my most gracious master has abandoned me for a minx, I just want to go sightseeing. Kazutrash? Megumin?"

Aqua replied, who in spite of her complaints was still wearing her blue maid's outfit.

"There is a café nearby that sells decent sweets. It'll be Scumzuma's treat, of course."

Megumin said while gesturing to her party leader.

"Are we still using those horrible names? I already said I was sorry."

Kazuma complained while rubbing his temples. Megumin had told the others about his "night raid", and they have been treating him as such ever since.

Even though he was a perfectly healthy growing boy, and anyone who had been in his position would have done the same.

But when the three girls looked at him coldly, he instantly flipped on his attitude.

"…Let's go to that café. My treat, of course."

There was no room for argument. He was clearly in the wrong, and he would admit it. A couple treats were a small price to pay for their silence.

Darkness suddenly noticed a flash of blonde hair across the street. In a village of mages who all shared similar physical attributes, the owner stood out quite easily.

"Oh, is that Naruto? Should we invite him too?"

"Absolutely not. That man doesn't deserve free sweets."

Aqua said with a huff.

"Hey, just so you know, I'm only treating Megumin. Don't think I've forgotten about my emergency savings. But where's Naruto running off to in such a hurry?"

Kazuma stated, causing the goddess to avert her gaze.

"His eyes are dead set on the Divination shop at the end of the street… Perhaps he is seeking to learn the truth behind the prophecy from Sokketto, the number one fortune teller in the village. Not that I should be saying this next to a criminal, but she is also said to be the most beautiful woman of the Crimson Demons."

Megumin said as she watched the shinobi run by with suspicious eyes. She was curious about the prophecy as well, but… The demons inside her stomach demanded free sweets.

"Hey, I didn't end up doing anything! Also, you tricked me into saying those things! Cut me some slack and stop treating me like a criminal!"

Kazuma barked when the entrance to the Divination shop flung open and a girl burst out.

"Ah."

Naruto and Yunyun said the moment they laid eyes on each other.

'Oh? Are we about to witness another major development?'

Kazuma thought, glad that the heat would finally get taken off of him for the time being. But it also irked him that Naruto was the only one getting moments like these, while he seemed to be on the backburner while being labeled a menace.

"Y-Yunyun, I-"

"Naruto-san, let me go first!"

Yunyun interjected the shinobi in a surprising bout of willfulness. She looked serious, but also very nervous at the same time. Like she was confident about what she was about to say, but also extremely embarrassed.

'Oh no… She read the prophecy.'

Naruto thought, his face turning pale.

This was it. His party was about to officially dissolve, down to its final member.

First Dust, who quit because he couldn't handle the back to back questing. Naruto was beginning to think he had been too desperate for a challenge back then.

Then Cecily, who made her untimely return back to Alcanretia… Yeah.

Now he was going to lose Yunyun, after all of his efforts at making up for his mistakes. But it seemed they weren't enough, as he had put the poor girl through so much embarrassment.

At her own home, even.

Taking in a deep breath, Naruto exhaled and leveled his gaze on his friend.

"Okay, Yunyun. I'm ready."

"D-don't say you're ready like that or I might get cold feet! Wait, do you actually know what I'm about to say!?"

Yunyun yelled, eyes glowing brilliantly as her face threatened to match its crimson hue. But she quickly shook her head and forced herself to calm down.

'What's gotten into Yunyun? Did those two actually have a strange development last night?'

Megumin thought as she watched her rival regain her composure. No, knowing that girl who had absolutely zero social skills and confidence talking to boys, there was no way anything like that actually happen-

"I want to have Naruto-san's baby!"

Yunyun shouted at the top of her lungs, causing all nearby conversations to come to a standstill.

"...Eh?"

A strange noise came out of Naruto's throat.

"Eh?"

Kazuma and his party members all said in unison.

'Ho… So that's how it is.'

Arue thought as she stood across the street and scribbled furiously into her notebook.

"Y-Yunyun? I don't know if I heard you right… But you just say something incredible, ya know?"

Naruto stuttered as he struggled to grasp what had just happened. He felt like his brain was shutting down, or in denial at the very least. Because there was no way that just happened.

"Yunyun! Do you have any idea what you just asked!? Did your father cast a suspicious spell on you!? I knew we should have used that frying pan to cast Forgetful Magic on him…"

Megumin stormed up to the duo and asked before muttering some dangerous words.

"I-I know exactly what I'm asking for! Also, There's no such thing as Forgetful Magic!"

Yunyun stuttered while fending off the shorter girl who had started shaking her. What was Megumin even doing here anyway?

No, that didn't matter. She had more important things to worry about. The fate of her people rested on her shoulders!

"N-Naruto-san!"

"Y-y-yes!?"

Naruto stammered when Yunyun stared into his eyes with her crimson orbs. But when she didn't say anything, he realized she must have been waiting for his response.

"O-oh, well… I'm flattered, but-"

"Precisely! What are you trying to do, getting in between our happy family?"

Aqua cut in, suddenly at Naruto's side.

Yunyun seemed taken aback from the accusation, and she looked between Naruto and Aqua with wide eyes.

Kazuma blinked when he realized Aqua had followed after Megumin. He'd been too distracted by the surprising turn of events.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, but soon realized where the disconnection was. Yunyun had left the day before Eddy's "creation", so of course she didn't know what Aqua was referring to.

"A lot has happened since you left…"

"That's right! This man and I have a beautiful child, although she's in heaven right now… But that doesn't change the fact that you're trying to get in the way of our happy family! You homewrecking minx!"

Aqua spat, and this was the final straw as Yunyun's mind essentially collapsed in on itself.

Just what happened while she was in the Crimson Demon Village?

Naruto and Aqua had a child, but now it was in heaven? She didn't know whether to feel surprised, sad, or upset that those two had crossed the line. She was still rooting for Wiz, but with the prophecy…

The prophecy!

"I don't really understand what has transpired between you two, but we can discuss that matter later! Naruto-san, I read the prophecy and for the sake of the village… No, for the sake of the world! Naruto-san and I need to have a baby!"

Yunyun declared and raised the packet of papers into the air in front of the now decent sized gathering.

'Yup. She thinks the prophecy is real.'

Naruto thought, and all of his panic was washed away by a wave of instant relief. Well, most of it.

Because while that was one surprise problem down, he still had to confront the other obvious one.

"About the prophecy... It's just a story idea that Arue wrote."

The shinobi revealed with a sheepish smile on his face, earning a confused look from Aqua.

"What."

Yunyun's expression froze.

A cold sweat broke down the blonde's back, but he continued. No use stopping now. It was high time to clear the air.

"Y-yeah… I just had a conversation with her. She used us and Ero-senin's books as inspiration."

Naruto finished while rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

There was a moment of silence while Yunyun processed what had just been revealed.

"Oh, I get it now. It's all just porn. Thank goodness… But you shouldn't read stuff like that at your age, it'll poison your mind like Kazuma. Anyways, I'll let you both off the hook for now. Come on guys, let's go to the café now!"

Aqua, who couldn't read the mood to save a life, scolded Naruto and Yunyun before skipping back to her party.

"Heh… Heheh… So it was all just make believe…"

Yunyun's eyes were beginning to swirl as she looked at the manuscript in her hands. It had been so obvious, how did she not notice? Arue's name was even written as the "author" on the front page.

"Indeed. But it is quite detailed, is it not? So detailed that it has moved your heart to the point of belief. I think I may just publish-AH! PLEASE DON'T TEAR IT!"

Arue, who had walked up to the group, broke character as Yunyun tore the prophecy to shreds.

"Hey, look! Look! It's a shrine! Naruto, let's go see what's inside!"

"Sure…"

As Aqua dragged Naruto towards the shrine, Kazuma turned to Megumin and Darkness.

"Hey, do you think it's alright to leave things like this? Yunyun ran off after tearing that wonderful manuscript to pieces and now Naruto is in a depression. I wonder if he wanted to read it too."

Kazuma noted wistfully. If this Arue person was an aspiring author that learned from Ero-senin, then that "prophecy" was probably quite good.

"No one wants to read those depraved novels."

Megumin commented, causing Darkness's ears to perk up.

"Y-you're reading novels like that, Kazuma? No wonder your behavior is so deplorable. I-I will have to confiscate those novels when we return."

The Crusader said in a harsh tone, but the blush on her face and eager look in her eyes betrayed her.

"If you want to borrow one of my copies of Icha Icha Paradise, then I wouldn't mind. I purchased three extra copies of each volume for that very purpose."

Kazuma offered with a casual shrug, causing the knight's eyes to widen.

"T-three? I knew you were obsessed with that thing's writing, but I didn't think you were this far gone… Darkness, I'll burn those copies so you're not tempted by the evils sealed within."

Megumin said as they too entered the shrine, and they were greeted by the sight of a small figure that stood on the center of a well kept pedestal.

"Anyways, this shrine was built in remembrance to a traveler our ancestors saved. As thanks, the traveler gifted the village with his most valuable possession. We don't know who this revered goddess is or what she stands for, but the traveler said good things will happen if we pray to it."

Megumin forcefully changed the subject before Kazuma could complain, earning the attention of her party members.

Kazuma looked at the statue flatly. No matter how he looked at it, that "revered goddess" was just a figurine of a cat-girl wearing a bathing suit. That traveler was probably Japanese.

"I don't like how this figurine is being treated on the same level as me, an actual goddess. Hey, Naruto. Transform into this cat-girl and do bad things around the village to ruin her reputation."

"Sure…"

Naruto replied in a lazy tone and put his hands together, but he was stopped by Megumin who pounced on him at the last second.

"Stop! This is one of my village's sacred tourist attractions! Don't mess with their perspective!"

–After successfully saving her clan's sacred shrine, Megumin led the group to another tourist attraction.

"This is a sacred sword that is said to grant immense power to the one who is able to pull it out."

Megumin said while gesturing towards a sword that was encased in a large stone slab.

"Oh! Can I try?"

Kazuma asked, elated at the aspect of such a cliché fantasy trope. This could be his chance at becoming the hero he was meant to be!

"Sure, but you'll have to apply for an attempt and pay the challenge fee to the old blacksmith first."

Megumin replied while pointing towards the blacksmith's shop that was nearby.

Darkness had gone to check on her armor since the blacksmith had promised to finish repairing it by noon, which was a rather amazing promise given the damages. Kazuma had half a mind to go see for himself how the Crimson Demon's number one blacksmith worked.

He was the only blacksmith in the village though.

"Challenge fee? Sounds like a scam…"

Kazuma noted, his excitement dying down. Well there goes that.

"Hey, Naruto… Go use your brute strength to pull the sword out! You're a hero candidate or something now, right? Maybe the sword will choose you and we can sell it!"

Aqua whispered so Megumin couldn't hear her, and the shinobi simply nodded and walked over to the sword.

"The blacksmith made this sword to attract tourists and cast a spell on it so only the ten thousandth person can-HEY! What are you doing, Naruto!? I-it's bending!? It's bending!"

–After getting an earful from the blacksmith, the group was now resting at a fountain.

It was a fountain called the "Wishing Fountain", and Megumin was currently going into its history.

Apparently, if you threw weapons or coins into the water, there was a chance you could summon the power of a Goddess.

Naruto sighed, the sounds of the group conversing fading out from his hearing.

He was worried about Yunyun, but even he knew she needed space right now. That had been quite an embarrassing moment.

At that moment, Aqua's head popped out of the water.

"Psst!"

When Naruto didn't show any signs of hearing her, Aqua pouted and proceeded to cup her hands together and squeeze.

A small trickle of water splashed up and hit Naruto on the cheek.

Letting out another sigh, Naruto turned to face the goddess and raised an eyebrow. Just what was this girl doing getting her maid uniform all wet like that?

"Naruto, look! There's a bunch of coins in here! Help me collect them all before Megumin notices and gets mad again!"

Aqua whispered and offered the blonde a couple coins.

Looking at the wet coins in his hands, Naruto turned back to look at Megumin who was currently still explaining the "legend" of the Wishing Fountain. Although, judging from Kazuma's reaction, it sounded like the legend was nothing more than a ploy from the blacksmith to get some free metals.

A mischievous grin formed on the shinobi's face.

"Alright, Aqua. I'm in! You keep collecting coins, I'll distract the others."

"Oh! You're surprisingly agreeable today, Naruto!"

With that said, Aqua dove back into the water as Naruto walked over to the others.

"Hey, Megumin. Do you know if that petrified Griffin is still alive? If we purify its status effect, would I be able to fight it?"

Naruto asked while gesturing toward the statue at the front of the village.

"What? That's an actual Griffin!? There's children playing on it like it's some kind of playground…"

Kazuma gulped, memories of the powerful Griffin Roaric had used in the Nuzloft Tournament still fresh in his mind. Such a terrifying monster, and the Crimson Demons were using it as a landmark?

How scary…

"Naruto, have you not learned your lesson from earlier? Are you that starved for a fight that you would destroy one of my clan's historical figures? Didn't you just defeat an army yesterday? As someone who was likely a Goddess of Destruction in a past life, I empathize with you. But that should have sated your appetite for at least a day."

Megumin replied while shaking her head.

"Oh yeah, speaking of. With that General I defeated yesterday, that makes us tied for high target bounties. I finally caught up!"

Naruto said with a cheeky grin, causing the Crimson Demon to blink in realization.

The one thing she had over that troublesome ninja, besides Explosion magic of course, and now they were tied!?

"I-I didn't see you finish her off, so it didn't happen!"

Megumin crossed her arms and turned away in a huff.

"Hah? What do you mean it didn't happen? She burned to a crisp right in front of me!"

Naruto barked, but the little girl wasn't having any of it.

This girl…!

"The Demon King Army General should appear on your adventurer's card, Naruto. You can check there. Beldia showed on Aqua's."

Darkness, who had been admiring her newly fixed armor under the shade of a tree until now, made a thoughtful suggestion.

"Oh! Good idea, Darkness!"

Naruto chimed and pulled out his card, causing Megumin to panic as she rushed over to the boy to watch.

"Imp… Imp.. Troll… Imp… Huh? That's weird. I'm only seeing minions. I wonder if the chief ended up getting the kill in the end."

Naruto scratched his cheek after finding nothing.

"No, the chief would have been bragging about how he defeated a General all night. Which means she's still alive and I'm still in the lead!"

Megumin deduced and puffed out her chest proudly.

"As much as I enjoy having one over Naruto, isn't this kind of bad? With the Demon King Army General still out there, they could be plotting another attack!"

Kazuma's face grew pale. This wasn't going to lead to another event, was it? He was tired… Why couldn't they just go home?

"Don't worry, Kazuma. The Demon King's Army attacks our village all of the time, remember? Even if they brought two Demon King Army Generals, it still wouldn't be enough!"

Megumin boasted, clearly on a winner's high.

Because why would she otherwise try and raise such a terrifying flag? Did she want him to die of a heart attack? Was she still mad over last night?

"Megumin, please. I'll buy you all the sweets you want from that café. Just stop saying things like that."

"I don't really understand why you're so worried, but I won't deny free food."

Megumin gave her party leader a thumbs up.

Naruto grumbled to himself before reaching out into his mind.

'Did you know we didn't finish off that General?'

'Oh, that was actually a General? All of those enemies were fodder in my eyes, so I wasn't paying attention.'

Kurama responded, prompting the shinobi to sigh in defeat.

Oh well, he'd just have to hunt that General down later or something.

Looking back towards the fountain, Naruto saw Aqua silently climbing out with the bag of loot. She gave him a thumbs up, so he nodded before turning back towards the group.

"Well, shall we move onto the next spot?"

"Yes, but are you sure? You didn't seem to be enjoying yourself until recently."

Megumin asked and tilted her head.

"Oh yeah, you probably explored this place when you recruited Yunyun. You must be bored."

Darkness added as she placed her armor into its bag and slung it over her shoulder. Given how dense the metal was, it was a rather impressive feat of strength.

"Yeah, well… I only stayed one day and left after recruiting Yunyun, so I didn't really explore much cause it was kinda lonely being by myself. But it's fun walking around with you guys! Sorry, I was just a little in my head earlier..."

Naruto apologized with a sheepish smile, causing the two to blink at the genuine response.

"W-well, if that's the case, then prepare yourself to be blown away by my tour!"

Megumin declared and marched towards their next destination.

"Should I expect an Explosion at the end?"

Naruto asked, causing the little girl to trip on her footsteps. The two proceeded to go back and forth about the etiquettes of magic.

Kazuma was about to follow when he noticed Darkness's expression. She was smiling, but not in her usual "Weirdness" way.

Which was weird.

"Dare I ask what strange thoughts are floating around in that head of yours? Come to think of it, you haven't made any weird statements today. Are you feeling alright?"

"I-I'm not having any strange thoughts! Also, is that how you really see me!? I'm not some mindless animal with nothing but dirty thoughts!"

Darkness barked in response, but ultimately let it go and sighed.

"I was just thinking it's been fun traveling with Naruto."

She said and the two watched as Naruto grabbed Megumin's hat and ran off with it, causing the mage to chase after him in a fit.

Kazuma hummed in agreement. Naruto was a short fused individual who had overpowered skills, not to mention his seemingly insatiable thirst for battle. He could also be very mischievous and pranked them every now and then, which was funny so long as you weren't on the receiving end.

But Naruto was always genuine, and helped them out whenever he could. He was a true ally and friend to their party.

Also, he made a mean bowl of ramen.

"You know… Aqua and I were thinking of inviting Naruto to move in to the mansion. I was gonna bring it up to you and Megumin when we got home, but-"

"What!? That's a wonderful idea!"

Darkness exclaimed, and Kazuma had to take a step back from the girl's sudden closeness to his face.

"Naruto is having money troubles, right? We can offer him a lower price than the inns! Ah… Living under the same roof with two uncultured boys… I won't have a moment's rest! Facing Kazuma's consistent leering in the mornings as I walk to the bathroom in my nightgown, and the constant risk of another night raid from Naruto in the evening! Guh… You fiends! When are we going to ask!?"

The Crusader flip-flopped in emotions, going from nervous to excited before shoving her now eager face back into Kazuma's.

"I-I-I don't leer! Also, another night raid!? I knew something happened between you two! Naruto said you were hiding something in your room… What is it!?"

Kazuma barked after taking another step back from the delusional woman, who gasped.

"H-he promised not to tell anyone about that…! I'll kill him before he shares!"

Darkness shouted and stalked after the shinobi to strangle him, with Kazuma trailing after her while demanding answers.

"D-damn him…"

Deep in the forest outside of the Crimson Demon Village, a crippled figure was currently dragging themselves on the ground.

Their once fine dress was in tatters, but it didn't matter as their skin was so burnt it might as well have been made of charcoal.

"Damn that Hero Candidate… Naruto Uzumaki!"

Sylvia hissed through clenched teeth as she clawed at the grass to pull herself forward. Her legs were broken beyond repair, and the rest of her minions had been torn to bits and pieces or reduced to ashes. She only managed to find a single decently working arm to absorb by rolling onto it.

But it was a bad mix with her body. With each action, she could feel the unstable connection weakening.

Even her voluptuous lumps had fallen off while she dragged herself on the rough terrain.

But that was the least of her problems.

It had all been a game to them.

"Damn that adventurer… and the Crimson Demons too!"

She wanted revenge-no, she NEEDED it! To avenge her fallen soldiers who had revered her as their leader.

Just then, Sylvia heard some rustling in the bushes nearby. A monster? It was about time.

"Hm? What's that?"

"A corpse?"

"It smells like cooked meat!"

A group of pig-like beings walked onto the path a few feet in front of her.

Orcs, from the look of it. Uncivilized creatures, but Sylvia held a sort of kinship with them as a Chimera due to their mixed genetics.

'This could work…'

Sylvia thought with a wicked smile growing on her charred features.

"I want first nibbles-GAH!"

One of the orcs reached down to grab her, and so Sylvia flicked her larger arm out as hard as she could. Upon contact, the orc was sent flying into, and through a nearby tree.

This resulted in the arm separating from her body, but that was fine. She wouldn't be needing it to move anymore.

"What's this!?"

"Alive!"

"And STRONG!"

That seemed to have gotten their attention.

Now on her back, Silvia imagined the face of her target.

Albeit a bit rough, the hero candidate had a handsome face.

"A man!"

"I call first dibs!"

"No, me!"

Even as the orcs pounced on her, Sylvia continued to fantasize about the whiskered boy.

It was at that moment, a new feeling caught fire deep within Sylvia. It was unlike anything she'd ever felt before.

Striking blonde hair, gorgeous blue eyes… and STRONG.

'Naruto Uzumaki… I'll make him mine!'

A/N: It seems Naruto is going to be facing his most dangerous opponent yet. Godspeed.

On a tamer note, Aqua and Kazuma recruit Darkness to their cause! They didn't even need to convince her with ramen. :p

Also, poor Yunyun… Again. Will she ever catch a break?

Let me know what you guys thought~!

Spirit out!