A Shinobi's Take on this Wonderful World

Goddess of the Maelstrom

"Umm... Wiz? I don't know about this magic item."

Naruto voiced his concerns as he stared at a small orb sitting on a display table.

"I think this magic item will be very popular with the couples in town! Aren't you a little curious how your children might look?"

Wiz exclaimed enthusiastically, so much so that Naruto had to lean back as the girl leaned closer with each word.

He was happy to see his friend so excited about her merchandise, but this item was a little...

When held by two people, the orb would draw upon the mama and memories of both then take the form of a person that blended the looks and personalities of the donors.

Essentially, it created a "what-if" child between two people in the form of a magical construct. Hence why the magic item was called a "Trial Child".

To Naruto, it seemed kinda weird, but seeing the look of excitement on Wiz's face made him feel a little optimistic about the item. Although, he wondered what Yunyun and Vanir would think about it.

But the Crimson Demon went home to her village to visit family, and the suspicious masked man said he'd be out of the shop for the day.

Just then, the shop's entrance opened and a group of familiar faces stepped inside.

"Yo!"

Kazuma casually greeted, and he was followed by Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness.

"Welcome everyone! Oh, I'll go brew some tea!"

Wiz greeted their guests before disappearing into the back room.

"We were just heading out for a quest, but Aqua wanted to say hi to Wiz before we left."

Kazuma said and threw a thumb towards his party member, who gaped at him.

"I-I only wanted to come for snacks! That Lich makes decent tea for an undead... W-what are you looking at, you bra thief?"

Aqua stuttered in her words as Naruto grinned at her.

"Thanks for giving Wiz a chance, Aqua. I'm sure she appreciates your company."

Naruto said as Wiz came back and placed a couple shabby glass cups onto the table, then disappeared into the back once more to retrieve the spouting kettle.

Aqua simply huffed and sat down at the table expectantly.

The goddess had been stopping by more frequently to hangout, but mostly when Naruto wasn't around for some reason. He wondered why Aqua was being so shy about it. Then again, that girl had a lot of pride when she wasn't begging for something so the ninja wrote it off as a bratty goddess thing.

"What kind of quest are you guys taking today?"

Naruto asked, and Kazuma was about to answer when Megumin stepped forward and crossed her arms in a dramatic fashion.

"We're going on a treacherous quest to save a beachside village that is on the verge of famine, night raiders pillaging left and right, and a curse that claims the souls of those who try to leave!"

The mage revealed in a raised but eerie voice, her visible eye glowing fiercely.

"Ignore that last part, but there's a remote village by the beach that's short on supplies because a group of monsters have been stealing things at night."

Kazuma explained while tugging on the back of Megumin's shirt, causing the girl to lose her balance.

"Harmless things really, but the villagers don't have any means of keeping them out so they're hiring a group of adventurers to scare them off. But I heard there are powerful monsters in that area called Brorillas... I wonder if we'll face some."