7 Chapter 7: A Party is Formed(?)

'Darkness, huh? She kept looking at me like I was supposed to do something... What a weird person.'1

Naruto thought as he walked back towards the town with his hands behind his head. His first impression of Darkness was that she was a clumsy knight that couldn't swing a sword for her life. Although she seemed like a nice person and was very pretty...

'But I'm still concerned about that smile after all...'

The shinobi thought just as he heard a thumping noise, and he could see a toad hopping across the field a couple meters in front of him.

Naruto frowned. How could the people of this town want to kill such a harmless creature? He knew the giant toads in this world were completely different than the ones from his home, but couldn't they just move them without killing them?

Seeing the toads here reminded Naruto just how much he missed Gamakichi and the other toads back at Mount Myōboku.

'I wonder how they're all doing right now? Ma and Pa, the chief toad, Gamaken, Gama... Eh? What's with those clouds?'

Up in the sky, an ominous formation of dark clouds was beginning to swirl. Naruto started to feel a great collection of energy that he could only assume was mana off in the distance. Looking for the owner of the mana, Naruto saw a young girl wearing red clothes and a black cape with a matching black witch's hat. She seemed to be aiming...

...Right at the toad.+

Naruto's eyes widened when he realized the mage's intentions, but he was too late. The girl opened her mouth, and all hell broke loose.

"Explosion!"

*BOOM!*

A deafening sound roared, and the toad was consumed in a volume of fire.

The wind caused by the explosion swept Naruto off the ground and blew him back a few feet, but he grabbed onto the ground to keep himself from tumbling away.

Naruto squinted his eyes as he watched the combustion that was comparable to even a small Bijuu Bomb.

Finally, the wind died down, and Naruto was allowed to relax.

There was now an enormous crater just fifteen meters in front of him, the remains of the toad were nowhere to be seen.

Naruto blinked.

He blinked twice.

Until finally:

"OI! Just where the hell do you think you're aiming that spell, and why would you use such a powerful technique on a toad!? That was way past overkill!"

Naruto shouted angrily at the red clothed mage and started running towards her to exact revenge, only skidding to a stop when the girl suddenly collapsed.

"H-hey, are you okay?"

He asked and crouched down in front of the little girl who was lying face down on the floor.

"Yes... It was a long fought battle, but I used up all of my mana in that first and final attack. I see you were almost caught in the explosion... My apologies, I get very excited when using that spell."

"I-I see... No, I guess it's fine. But you should watch where you're firing that spell, you could kill someone with that much firepower."

"Heh... A sacrifice or two would be nothing more than a tribute to Megumin, who was likely a god of destruction in a past life!"

"Well, this 'sacrifice' is about to leave you to be toad food if you don't stop talking nonsense, oh great god of destruction."

Naruto said with a twitching eyebrow, then grabbed Megumin's staff and proceeded to lightly bop the girl on the head.

Megumin's head shuffled awkwardly in response, and Naruto assumed that was her nodding. At the same time, the blonde heard footsteps and a familiar voice shouting.+

"Megumin! We have two more toads left! Use your spell again on the farther one while Aqua is distracting the other one-Oh, Naruto? What are you doing here... Hey! What did you do to Megumin!?"

Kazuma shouted and rushed over to the now named Megumin's side.

At first glance, it looked like Naruto had just mugged a little girl by beating her with her own equipment.

"I didn't do anything! This kid almost hit me with that explosion!"

Naruto shouted back while pointing at the mage with the staff. If Kazuma was here, then that would mean this kid was likely a new member of his and Aqua's party.

"Who are you calling a kid? If my mana wasn't depleted, I would-"

Megumin said in a dark voice when Kazuma suddenly interrupted her.

"Wait, what do you mean your mana's depleted? You only used one spell! Don't tell me you're just as useless as Aqua..."

Speaking of Aqua, where was that girl?+

'Ah, Kazuma said Aqua was distracting one of the toads. Which probably means...'

Naruto thought and walked off to find the girl that was likely being eaten by a toad.

"How rude to assume I'm useless! Though it is regrettable, I can only use that spell once by using all my mana with leaves me too exhausted to move. But being paralyzed from the neck down after casting is a small price to pay for the ultimate power that is Explosion magic!"

Megumin's muffled voice said with her face still flat on the ground.

Kazuma's face paled. A mage that could only use her spell once a day? That spell couldn't even be used inside a cave or a building, much less a town. Such impractical magic... This mage sounded absolutely useless!

A thumping sound brought Kazuma out of his thoughts, and he saw one of the toads coming towards them.

"Oh no, the other toad is almost here! Naruto, help us out since you're here... Eh?"

Kazuma said when he noticed Naruto was nowhere to be found. Where did the only person that could fight go!?

"Ah, since I cannot move my body I will inevitably be consumed by that toad. I leave it to you to save m-"

Megumin said before she was consumed, her legs sticking out of the toad's mouth comically.

Kazuma gulped as he drew his sword. Why did this world keep throwing all these obstacles at him?

Wasn't he supposed to be the hero that would eventually slay the demon king?

Then why was he sent to a beginner town with no money, no weapon, and a goddess(lol) that was only useful for her useless party tricks?

Just as Naruto had thought, Aqua had been caught and almost swallowed by the giant toad. After smacking the toad and calming the crying girl, Kazuma had shown up with a slimy Megumin on his back.

While they were on their way to the bathhouses, Megumin and Kazuma had an argument. Naruto didn't quite hear what they were talking about, only managing to catch something about how Megumin was willing to do anything to be in their party, and then Kazuma eventually agreeing to let her join.

Now sitting inside the adventurer's guild, Naruto and Kazuma ordered some drinks while they waited for the girls.

"So, looks like you got yourself a troublesome new party member."

Naruto said to Kazuma, who had decided to order some beer. How old was this guy anyway? Kazuma didn't look that much younger than him, maybe a year? But that wasn't any of Naruto's business, so he let it go.

Kazuma placed his beer down and sighed.

"Troublesome is putting it lightly. That girl can only use one spell a day, and while that spell is incredibly strong, I don't see much use of it..."

Naruto laughed.

"But that spell was incredibly potent, I bet it could one-shot most of the monsters in this world-Dattebayo. I wonder how that kid was able to produce such an explosion."

"Again, who are you calling a kid?!Are you picking a fight with me?!"

Megumin, who had just entered the guild hall with Aqua, said and the two sat down on the other side of the table. Aqua immediately called a waitress and ordered some food.

"Ah, put this on Naruto's tab please."

Aqua said to the waitress, and Naruto loudly stood up.

"Hey, wait a second! Why am I treating when I just saved you!? Again! If anything, you should be treating me!"

Naruto shouted angrily, and Aqua shrugged nonchalantly.

"Think of it as a small price to pay for having the privilege of holding a goddess in your arms a second time. You should be thanking me since I decided not to tell the others where you accidentally touched-"

"Double order for the lady!"

Naruto quickly shouted to the waitress when Aqua started saying unnecessary words, and the blue-haired priest squealed in delight.

That girl... Even though she had been balling her eyes out crying and gripping onto his leg while thanking him. It's not his fault he touched her butt when he caught her!

Feeling the gazes of the other two people at the table, Naruto turned to Kazuma.

"B-by the way, where did you go after we dropped the girls off at the bathhouse? You said you had something to do, but you came back rather quickly..."

The blonde asked with suspicious eyes, and Kazuma averted his gaze.

"AH! You probably went back to kill that toad, didn't you! Th-then that means I unintentionally assisted in a murder!"

"Hey, let go! What do you mean by murder? Killing toads is our quest, why didn't you just let me kill it earlier?"+

While Naruto all but strangled Kazuma, Megumin raised an eyebrow.

"Why does it matter if a few giant toads are killed? They're eating the livestock of the farms and sometimes even people."

"But most importantly, the toad meat is delicious! By the way, Kazuma went back and killed the toad you knocked out the first time you saved me as well."

Aqua chimed in while taking a bite out of the fried toad meat in her hands.

"No! Don't say that!"

Naruto shouted and covered his ears to keep himself from hearing anymore. He knew the toads in this world were treated as monsters, but he couldn't bring himself to slay one himself. Just being a part of the killing of one filled him with guilt.

"I've been wondering for a while now, but who is this man? Is he also a part of this party?"

Megumin asked, and Naruto stopped yelling.

"He's not part of our party, but our invitation is still up on the board. Fair warning though, you might get covered in slime."

Kazuma said to Naruto, and the blonde scratched his cheek.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to form a party with you guys. After all, Luna-chan has been telling me to form a party for safety reasons since I first got here. Ah, but I'm not killing any toads."

Naruto said with a chuckle of his own, and Kazuma sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness... With Naruto in the party, now I won't have to worry about those people as much."

"Oi. Who are "those people" you are talking about? I'd really like to meet them."

Megumin asked with a dark expression, and Kazuma immediately turned to Aqua.

"So Aqua, no objections?"

Aqua gulped down the food she had been munching on and held her hand out.

"Not really, just let me see your adventurer's card. I'm curious as to what your job and stats are."

She said, and Naruto fished the card out of his pocket and handed it over before turning to Kazuma.

"Well, I'm not gonna lie... I don't know how I feel about joining your party. I have a feeling I'm gonna keep getting swindled of all my money. Not to mention that little girl with too much firepower. But eh, I'm sure we'll get along just fine-Dattebayo."

"What's this, are you picking a fight with me too? Don't think for a second that I'm afraid of fighting two boys at the same time, I'll take you both on."+

Megumin asked with a serious expression and cracked her knuckles.

'This kid sure has a lot of spunk...'

Naruto thought while laughing awkwardly.

'Kind of reminds me of a certain loudmouthed brat that had a short fuse. Still does...'

Kurama's voice added, and Naruto was about to give the fox a piece of his mind when Aqua suddenly looked up from the card and spoke.

"Rejected."

...

""Eh!?""

Naruto and Kazuma both shouted.+

"The invitation clearly states one must have an advanced job class if they wish to join. That's why I allowed Megumin to join, who is an Arch Wizard."

'Just what is that girl thinking? Is she still mad about Naruto rejecting her invitation last time?'

Kazuma thought with a twitching eyebrow.

"What's with you!? You were pretty much begging me to join your party this morning, what happened to that!?"

Naruto yelled and slammed his hands on the table to emphasize his frustration, but Aqua merely looked the other way.

"I changed my mind. My party doesn't need two useless adventurers."

"Useless!? I saved you from being eaten by giant toads! Twice! I can't believe you turned out to be this kind of person and to think I once thought you looked really cool when you purified that ghost... Give me my admiration back!"

Naruto said and reached his hand out expectedly, to which Aqua smacked away.

"Ah! Were you watching me at that time!? Are you that obsessed with me!? You said you were a ninja, but I didn't think you'd go as far as stalking me from the shadows!"

"Who's a stalker!?"+

Kazuma looked back and forth between the two screaming people. How did this happen?

"Jeez... Get a room you two..."

Megumin suddenly said with a sigh, then flinched when both Naruto and Aqua stopped and turned their attention towards her.

"Hah!? Who would share a room with this stalker!? For all I know, he'd probably steal my panties every night and giggle perversely while dancing around like an idiot!"

Aqua claimed while sending the ninja a scornful look.

"Like hell I would! What in the world gave you the idea that I would do something like that? Do you even wear panties? I can't even tell!"

Naruto said with the shake of his head, and Aqua gasped while placing her hands over her rear.

"He admits it! This man has probably taken the path of a pervert, he truly is a devil! Don't worry, I'll purify it now!"

"Who are you calling an it? And I told you before, I'm not a devil! ...Hey! stop trying to purify me!"

Naruto said and threw his empty cup at Aqua, who sidestepped the projectile with a snicker.

"How's that! I can sense a great deal of malice coming from you again, devil! Now, do you understand the power of a goddess?"

But the malice that Aqua was referring to was coming from none other than Kurama, who had just taken the full brunt of Aqua's consistent purification spells.+

'Kill this braindead woman! Or better yet, give me control over your body so that I may do it myself!'

'Calm down Kurama, I think normal people are starting to sense your presence as well!'

Naruto thought back in an attempt to calm the enraged tailed beast, but it was too late, and he could already hear the whispers floating around the guild.

"Hey, did she just say devil?"

"I always thought Naruto was just a delinquent that was working hard to impress Luna-Chan, but is he actually a devil?"

"No way..."

Naruto lowered his head, and his bangs covered his eyes as the rumors began to spread.

"Oi Aqua, aren't you taking this a little too far-"

Kazuma started but was cut off when Megumin pointed her staff at Naruto, her eyes glowing.

"I do sense demonic energy coming from this man, why is that? Explain yourself, or I may just cast explosion magic to destroy you right here and now!"+

She claimed, and some of the guild members began to panic. Megumin smirked triumphantly, clearly enjoying the chaos she had started.

"But didn't you say you could only cast Explosion once a day? You just used it earlier, right?"

Kazuma retorted which caused the panic to immediately die down, and Megumin began to sweat profoundly while keeping the same expression.

Naruto sighed. He was hoping to have kept the fact that he had Kurama a little longer, but he now realized it was pointless.

With the entire guild hall's attention on him, Naruto hopped up on a table and took a deep breath before putting on a confident grin.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I come from a faraway village of ninja! When I was a baby, the leader of my village sealed a nine-tailed fox demon inside me! But there's no need to worry because Kurama's my friend!"

Naruto shouted, causing many eyes to widen in surprise. He continued.

"I don't care if any of you believe me right now, because I'm gonna prove myself to this world! I'm going to be the one to defeat the demon king!"

This caused an uproar of chatting throughout the guild.+

Kazuma stared at the blonde with wide eyes. Right now, Naruto was acting just like a protagonist straight out of an anime or manga. This sparked a fire in the pit of Kazuma's stomach, he couldn't be outdone by a fellow 'player'!

Grinning widely from his handiwork, Naruto hopped down from the table and started walking towards the exit. He had some ramen to make.

But someone grabbed his jacket and Naruto looked down to see Megumin staring up at him with sparkling eyes.

"That declaration was inspiring! I, too, hope to defeat the demon king one day and mark my name in history! That is why I came to this town to form a party with people with the same goal!"1

'This kid may be a short-fused firecracker, but it seemed she has some decent goals.'

Naruto thought with a smile.

Kazuma sighed.

'Looks like Naruto's going to form a party with Megumin. I was hoping he would join us, but at least I only have to worry about one problem child agai-'

"Then that makes us rivals! Don't expect me to go easy on you just because you're a kid!"

"As the genius prodigy of the Crimson Magic Clan, I wouldn't have it any other way!"

"...Eh?"

Kazuma said when Naruto and Megumin suddenly announced that, and the ninja pointed at Aqua.+

"Aqua! Let's have a race to see who can beat the demon king first!"

Aqua puffed out her chest and laughed haughtily.

"Hah! As if a mere stalker would pose a threat to the great me! But, being the kind goddess that I am, I'll humor you. You're on!"

Naruto chuckled, then turned to leave the guild again to go buy ingredients for his ramen experiments.

As the guild hall began to shift back to its former state, Kazuma finally snapped out of his surprise and started panicking. At this rate, he was going to be stuck with these two problem children all by himself!

"A-Aqua, apologize quickly! Naruto's going to leave!"1

"Don't wanna. Naruto made his choice, not that I would have accepted him in the party anyway."

Aqua said while looking away with a 'hmph!', then went back to talking to Megumin.

'This girl...!'

Kazuma said while grinding his teeth.

A couple minutes after Naruto left, a tall, blonde-haired woman clad in armor walked up to their table.

"Is this the party that was said to have walked through town with girls covered in slime?"

"Y-yes?"+

Kazuma stuttered due to the sudden appearance of the beautiful knight. Did people really talk about their party? He hoped there weren't any bad rumors about him...

The woman then let out a ragged breath and gained a dangerous look in her eyes, a look that Kazuma did not like.

"My name is Darkness, and I wield the job of Crusader. Please let me join your party and use me as a meat shield against whatever caused that slime!"

Hearing this, Aqua and Megumin joined the conversation.

"Oh! We needed a vanguard in our party! Isn't this great, Kazuma!"

"Welcome to the party Darkness!"

...

"Naruto, wait for me! Don't leave me behind with these people!"

"""Ah!"""