A Shinobi's Take on this Wonderful World

Leaving the Town of Beginners?

"Hey, did you hear? Apparently, that Naruto guy is leaving town."

"Seriously? Must be searching for a challenge. He didn't really seem like a beginner adventurer."

"Right? It's no wonder he doesn't talk to anyone other than Luna-san and the waitresses."

Naruto frowned as he heard such things as he sat in the corner of the adventurer's guild.

People were always the same, judging someone before they even got to know them.

But it didn't matter since he would be leaving the next morning anyway.

Naruto drank the last of his favorite neroid juice and stood up. He really needed to learn how to make that stuff.

'Well, I better go tell Wiz I'm leaving tomorrow.'

The clumsy shop keeper was the only person Naruto could really consider a friend in this town, and he had been visiting the shop every day since meeting her.

Luna had been kind to him, but even Naruto could tell she had mostly been using him to get rid of all the quests the other adventurers didn't want to do. Not that he blamed her. Some quests just needed to get done, and it seemed the adventurers in this town were pretty cozy.

Naruto had yet to see Kazuma or the Arch Priest that had saved him the other night, but he decided that it was probably for the best. If he kept making friends in this town, then it would only make it harder for him to leave.

Naruto was brought to this world to defeat the demon king, and he wouldn't be able to do so from the town that was farthest away from the goal.

Taking one last look at the guild hall he had grown accustomed to this past week, Naruto was hit by a wave of emotions. Despite him being alone the entire time, this place sure felt homey.

"What's the matter, guy? Luna-san shot you down again? Hahahaha!"

An adventurer taunted at an attempt to get a rise out of the shinobi, and he and his party members bellowed with laughter.

Maybe this place wasn't so homey after all.

Ignoring the cackling adventurers, Naruto looked around the guild with a lonely expression before placing some Eris on the table and walking towards the exit.

"I'm off."

"Welcom-Oh, Naruto-san!"

Wiz chirped and cheerfully waved to the familiar blonde who had just entered her store. It was still early in the morning, and she was just opening the shop for the day.

"Hey, Wiz. Whatcha got there?"

Naruto asked as he took a seat at the table in the middle of the room.

"Ah, this... I-it's nothing! I was just about to send a letter to a friend!"

Wiz stuttered and flipped the paper over, straining a smile.

Growing suspicious, Naruto stood back up and walked towards the girl who had instantly responded with such a blatant lie.

"Heh~? Who might this 'friend' be? I thought Wiz said she didn't have any friends outside of town?"

"Naruto-san, that's too mean! It's true that I said that, but hearing it from someone else is... Huh-Wai-No! Don't read the letter!"

—After reading the contents of the note, Naruto looked down at Wiz who was fidgeting nervously.

"Wiz... Is the shop not doing well?"

"...I've been dealing with red digits this month. That last shipment didn't do as well as I thought it would for some reason."