Chapter 17: God Bless this Wonderful Wedding?

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Ah, Aqua-Sama! You have given me a naïve, handsome guy to pursue just as I was looking for another excuse to go to Axel Town... I will not let him escape! -?

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After a day and a half's worth of travel by carriage, Naruto found himself standing on a bridge in the middle of a canyon. On the other side of the bridge-

"Woah! This place is amazing! Who knew there would be an oasis in the middle of this desert!"

-was the city of hot springs, Alcanretia.

Naruto leaned over the bridge as he marveled the beautiful city with saucer-like eyes.

'Keh...I don't like this place. Let's destroy it.'

Kurama suddenly said, and Naruto almost fell off the bridge.

'Come now, Kurama... we can't suddenly destroy a city we just visited, can we?'

Naruto thought with a sweatdrop. But for some reason, he couldn't help but feel like he was forgetting something. Something important...

"What are you doing, Naruto?"

Jiraiya asked after paying the carriage driver for their trip.

"Ah, sorry. Kurama just said he doesn't like this place..."

Naruto responded sheepishly, and the older toad sage shivered at the mentioning of the nine-tailed fox.

"I-I see..."

Jiraiya had been a little more than surprised when Naruto told him that he still had Kurama sealed inside of him, and even more so when Naruto mentioned that they were now friends. It was to be expected, since Jiraiya had almost died when they loosened the seal during their training trip.

"So, the mage is in this city? If they're in a place like this, are they a water mage or something?"

"Nope. We're not even half-way to our destination. I just wanted to pay a friend of mine a visit before we continued any further."

Jiraiya said as the two began to walk across the long bridge towards the city.

"Eh... Then I guess I'll explore the city a bit. Who knows when I'll come back here."

Naruto said with a disinterested look in his eye. Knowing his sensei, his 'friend' was probably just another pervert who he exchanged ero-mags with.

"I thought you'd say that, so let me warn you..."

Jiraiya said as the two stopped at the end of the bridge, just outside of the town's main plaza. It was rather busy too, with people walking around, browsing at the various food stands. Someone was even standing in front of the fountain in the middle of the plaza handing out flyers.

"Alcanretia, the city famous for its rich hot springs. It is also the Axis Cult's home base."

"The Axis Cult?"

Naruto looked at thee fountain in the middle of the plaza and found that in the middle of the water, stood a statue of a figure that resembled a certain loudmouthed Arch Priest he knew.

'Ah, so that's what I was forgetting...'

While Naruto was doing his research on Aqua and the Axis Cultist, he had learned that Alcanretia was indeed the Cult's infamous headquarters. It just had nothing to do with his prank, so he'd forgotten.

"Home base, or not. This place probably isn't that bad, right?"

Naruto said while shaking his head. The Axis Cult had a lot of rumors surrounding it, some being that they were dangerous people, but Naruto dismissed them as exaggerations. After all, Aqua may be a little annoying at times, but she wasn't a bad person.

"..."

Not hearing a response, Naruto turned to find that Jiraiya was no longer standing next to him. In fact, he couldn't see the old pervert anywhere. Which was weird because Naruto could still sense the man's presence... Was he hiding somewhere close by?

"But why did he-"

"Hello there, traveler!"

Naruto jumped when a loud voice suddenly shouted right next to him. He turned to find the man that had been handing out flyers was grinning at him with an ear-splitting smile.

"Welcome to Alcanretia! The city where the great goddess, Aqua-Sama, blessed us with the world's richest hot springs! Isn't that amazing? Doesn't such an amazing fact make you want to join the Axis Cult?"

"I'm not interested in joining a cult, sorry."

"Ah, well if that's the case, please take this flyer in case you change your mind!"

The cheerful man said and placed a piece of paper into the blonde's hands.

The jinchuuriki took one look at the paper and saw that it was a contract of sorts, most likely the form you turned in to the Axis Cult to join.

"No no no... Like I said, I'm not interested so you can this back-"

Naruto tried to hand the paper back to the man, but the Axis Cultist pushed his hands back.

"No no no! I insist!"+

"But I'm just going to throw it away later..."

"That's okay! Just knowing that you looked at this hand out letter gives me hope that you'll make the right decision to join!"

Naruto sweatdropped at the man's impressive strength to keep the flyer in his hands.

'W-what's up with this guy...?'

After eventually giving up and taking the flyer, Naruto began to explore the busy streets of the hot spring city.

Or rather, he tried to.

It hadn't even been a full minute when Naruto was approached by another Axis Cultist handing out flyers.

"Greetings! How would you like to join the greatest cult in the world? I'm talking about the Axis Cult of course!"

"I already have a flyer, thanks..."

It seemed that wasn't enough to satisfy the cultist, and so Naruto was forced to hold onto another registration form.

'Even though I already had one... These people sure don't like to take no for an answer.'

Naruto thought as he stared at the two registration flyers in his hands. He'd feel bad if he just threw them away, but he had a feeling he was going to be receiving more flyers by the time he met back up with Jiraiya.

"Ah~! Someone! Anyone! Help me~!"

Hearing a woman cry for help, Naruto immediately dropped the flyers and jumped to the rooftops to search.

The woman wasn't too far from his location, so Naruto was able to find her rather easily. She seemed to be a priest, if the blue nun attire where to go by, and she was laying on the ground just outside of an alleyway as if she had just crawled out. A man dressed in black robes was towering over her with an evil look on his face.

For some reason, the people nearby were either ignoring the scene or just up and walked away. What was wrong with those people!?

Landing between the two with a soft thud, Naruto kneeled next to the female and looked for any signs of injury while keeping the male in his peripheral vision.

"Are you alright, miss? What happened?"

The woman seemed to have been surprised by the blonde's sudden appearance from the sky, but quickly shook away the shock and looked up at Naruto with teary eyes.

"That evil Eris Cultist stole my purse and said if I wanted it back, I had to pay for it with my voluptuous body!"

If it weren't for the fact that this was a serious situation, Naruto would have blushed. The girl rather beautiful, with long flowing blonde hair and wide blue eyes staring up at him hopefully. Naruto glared at the accused Eris Cultist, which sent shivers down the man's spine.

"If you don't want to get your ass kicked for making this girl cry, I'd suggest you leave what you stole and get the hell out of here."

"H-h-heh! Y-you seem pretty strong, boy! Looks like I have no choice but to retreat for now!"

The man sputtered before he turned around and escaped into the alley.

"Ah, wait! Return the purse you stole first!"

Naruto shouted at the fleeting robber, but it was too late. The man was gone.

"Don't worry, I'll go get your purse back and-"

Naruto was about to give chase when he felt a light tug on his pants.

"N-no... Can you please stay here with me?"

The priestess asked meekly with her head low. She seemed to be rather shaken up by the whole experience, so all Naruto could do was nod and wait for her to calm down.

They were the only two people in the street. All the other people had left, leaving the area empty. You would think someone would have called for the police by now.

After a couple minutes, Naruto looked down at the girl who was still holding onto his pants.

"Hey, are you okay now?"

*Gurgle!*

Naruto couldn't see the woman's face but judging by how red her ears were, he assumed she must have been very embarrassed. Naruto scratched his cheeks awkwardly. It was obvious she was hungry, and since the thief was now long gone with her purse...

"Um... I was thinking about getting a bite to eat just now. Would you like to join me? Seeing as you just lost your purse, it'll be my treat-"+

"R-really!? You don't mind!? Oh, to think I would meet such a kind and handsome boy that would save me in my time of need, and then treat me... I truly feel blessed! I thank you, Aqua-Sama!"

The blonde woman shot up and said with tears in her eyes as she prayed to the sky, prompting the ninja to take a step back.

'Geh! 'Aqua-Sama'!? Then that means...!'

Naruto thought with sweat trailing down his face when the girl grabbed his arm and led him down the street.+

"Then, let us be off! I know of the perfect place for our first date!"

"Wait a second, were you really just robbed? Why are you happy so suddenly? Or rather, when did this become a date!?"

Naruto asked, but his questions were happily ignored by the cheerful priestess.

"By the way, my name is Cecily! I'm a devote priestess of the Axis cult! What is the name of my hero~?"3

Cecily asked with a charming smile, and Naruto couldn't help but flustered. This girl really was pretty... But were all the Axis Cultists really like this? It seemed he underestimated the cult that followed Aqua, and now he would suffer.

"Naruto..."

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"Ah~! To think you would take me to the most romantic restaurant in Alcanretia! Are you trying to seduce me? Don't lie, or you might succeed!"

Cecily chirped after taking a sip from a glass of wine. A very expensive glass of wine.

'That's because you brought me here!'

Naruto thought with a twitching eyebrow.

They were sitting at a table inside a fancy restaurant, and music that was fit the setting was being played by a group of well-dressed men. Streams of water that seemed to ignore the laws of gravity flowed above them along the ceiling, and Naruto assumed it was some sort of magical decoration.

But with his tattered jacket and pants, Naruto had no idea why they even let him in. He stuck out like a sore thumb in such an extravagant place, and even then, no one so much as batted an eye when he walked in. He was beginning to wonder if Cecily was actually an amazing person.

"Just drinking this stuff is giving me my extra lives back! I've been eating nothing but todoroki slime for the past three days. Ah, but don't tell anyone I said that! Todoroki slime is illegal for some reason!"

"..."

Was she toying with him? Was this part a plot to get him to join the Axis Cult? All Naruto wanted to do was explore the city, but after only meeting three people he already wanted to go home.

"I have to meet up with my sensei at the bridge pretty soon, so..."

"Oh? Would you rather sign the recruitment form now?"

Cecily asked innocently, placing an Axis Cult recruitment flyer onto the table.

'This girl doesn't waste any time! But this is bad... Cecily seems to give off a stronger signal than the other Axis Cultists I've met!'

Naruto thought as he looked around for any means of escape, only to gulp when he found that the entrance to the restaurant was being blocked by a security guard.

"Come now, don't be shy! The Axis Cult could use a strong devotee such as yourself!"

Cecily said as she pushed the flyer towards the opposite end of the table.

"N-no, I don't want to join! Why do you people keep asking when I say no!?"

"But aren't you a kind person that wastes no time to help others? Or, could it be...! Don't tell me you only helped me because you were after my voluptuous body too!?"

What nonsense was this priestess saying?

"No, I wasn't after your body! I'm not that kind of man! I would go after a girl's heart first!"

Naruto spouted out in embarrassment while pointing at Cecily.

"E-eh? What is this, a confession? Oh my... I wasn't mentally prepared for this! But I must admit it was love at first sight for me too! So, I say yes to your proposal! Please take care of me in sickness and in health! Oh, and you'll have to convert to the Axis Cult too~!"

Cecily said and clasped her rosy cheeks, and the people inside the restaurant began to clap and cheer.

Naruto's arm dropped to his side, his ears turning red in frustration.

"How did you go from that to marriage... No, I'm done with this place. Here's some money for the wine."

Naruto said in a monotone voice and placed the appropriate amount of Eris on the table, which was more than half of the contents of his wallet. He then turned around and started walking towards the exit. He a lot of shuffling behind him, but Naruto just kept walking without turning back. He would fight anyone that tried to get in his way.

But just as Naruto neared the unintimidated security guard, the sound of music could be heard behind him.

Daring to turn around, Naruto's eyes nearly flew out of their sockets when he saw that the restaurant had been split to make a single walkway. At the end of the walkway stood Cecily, dressed in a beautiful white dress holding a flower bouquet. Whirling back towards the exit, Naruto saw that the security guard was now smiling while holding a book in his hands much like a pastor at a wedding.

'They were all in on this!? That's why they let me into this fancy restaurant! I gotta get the hell out of here!'

Naruto looked around for an alternative exit. He didn't want to hurt anyone if he could help it, but if push comes to shove-

"Hear comes the bride~! All dressed in white~! Oh, Aqua-Sama! Thank you for blessing me with a handsome young man to take care of me, and feed me tasty todoroki slime while he says 'Ah'!"

Cecily said while looking up at the stain-glass windows on the ceiling that had a design of a woman with blue hair, and Naruto could only guess who that person was.

'Like hell I'm gonna do that!'

Naruto thought when an idea came to him. It would be a long shot, but Cecily was already half-way down the aisle and he didn't want to find out what would happen if she made it to his end.

"Look, that person is an Eris cultist who plans to crash the wedding!"

Naruto shouted and pointed to a random person to his left, and said person didn't even have time to squeak when the pastor/security guard tackled him.

Taking advantage of the temporary distraction, Naruto ran out of the doors to his freedom.

After a couple seconds of running as fast as his legs could carry him, Naruto slowed to a walking pace.

"That was a close one... Just a second longer and I would have been forced to marry that crazy girl. Are all Axis Cultists really like that?"

Naruto said with a sigh. But at least it was all over now, and Jiraiya was probably done with his business by now and the bridge in front of the city where his sensei was likely waiting for him was nearby.

"You will not escape me that easily!"

"!?"

Against all odds, Naruto saw Cecily running down the street in her white dress.

"How in the world did you catch up to me in that dress!?"

Naruto shouted in disbelief. He ran away from the restaurant as fast as he could, and even jumped over a few buildings! Could it be this Cecily person really was an amazing person!?

"You said you were meeting at the bridge, I came right here! I know this city like the back of my hand! The fact that you almost beat me is quite impressive, Naruto-San! As expected of my future husband!"

Cecily boasted with pride.

"Who might your future husband be!? I don't mean to be rude, but I don't want anything to do with you OR your cult!"

Naruto retorted, mentally cursing his slip of the tongue.

'Kurama! Let's get out of here!'

'Agreed. I'm sick of this place. It's like it's filled with thousands of that annoying false goddess. Shame we can't just blow this damn place to smithereens.'

With that thought, Naruto's body flickered out of Cecily's vision in a yellow flash.

"Eh? Was that teleport magic? No... Perhaps he was just that fast."

Cecily said as she slowly came to a stop at a nearby bench and sat down. Her feet were killing her.

"Though our paths may differ now, Naruto-San... In the name of Aqua-Sama, I will not let you escape!"

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Jiraiya stood at the beginning of the bridge, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for Naruto. One moment he was staring at the weirdly shaped statue of Aqua, and the next he was being dragged across the bridge.

"Wh-what the hell are you doi-Gublurgh!"

Jiraiya began to say with swirling eyes, but the alcohol that he had shared with his friend was not agreeing with his stomach about the flashy movement.+

"Sorry Ero-Senin, but we have to leave now! I was being chased by a-Ew! Hey, wait a second! Why are you getting sick!? Are you drunk!?"

Naruto panicked when Jiraiya began empty his stomach as he was dragged along before going limp. Jiraiya's unconscious form hung like a ragdoll as Naruto made it across the rather long bridge within seconds.

Naruto decided that the next time he saw Aqua, he was gonna smack her for having such strange followers.

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A/N: There you have it! Naruto's brief visit to Alcanretia! I wonder if he'll ever want to go back...