A Shinobi's Take on this Wonderful World

A New Item Recipe for this NEET

"Waahhhh! Get it away! Get it away!"

Aqua screamed as she ran for dear life, leaving a trail of dust and tears. Following behind her was a harmless baby toad that hopped on the ground.

Naruto and Kazuma, along with their respective party members, were on their way back to town from a trial run quest to retrieve some baby ice slimes and snow sprites before the winter season officially ended.

Kazuma had designed a miniature fridge that housed a caged ice-type monster to keep food and ingredients cool during the hot summer days, but he wanted to test how compatible each monster would be combined with his product.

"How do you keep doing that? You're not carrying a bag large enough to hide all of those toads."

Kazuma asked Naruto, who was laughing at Aqua's fleeting figure in the short distance.

"Oh, that? Just a simple Storage Scroll. See?"

Naruto replied and pulled out a small scroll from one of his vest pockets, and after opening the paper and revealing the strange markings on the inside, a small plume of smoke was released and a small orange toad hopped down the ground.

"Convenient! Teach me!"

Kazuma's eyes bulged upon seeing how the scroll worked. The possibilities with such a useful skill were endless! At the very least, no more lugging around heavy backpacks.

No... There was something more here. Kazuma could feel it. Naruto had just summoned a live monster from that scroll, which meant that Sealing skill wasn't limited to simple supplies. It would certainly explain how Naruto had snuck a fully grown Giant Toad into town unnoticed.

"What's so crazy about summoning a little guy like this, Kazuma? If you want a familiar, I can teach you how to summon one."

Megumin asked while crouching down next to the baby toad and poking it with her staff.

"Ah! Be nice to him, Megumin! It's just a baby!"

Yunyun exclaimed while pointing at her rival who picked up the amphibian.

"A creature like this will soon grow into a ferocious beast that feasts on human flesh and makes people smell like unspeakable things... We might as well take it out now."

"!?" x2

Yunyun, and now Naruto, stared at Megumin with alarmed expressions.

"Th-that's cruel! Even for Megumin!"

"Put Jerry down!"

. . .

All eyes turned on Naruto who averted his gaze. They all knew the shinobi had a soft spot for toads, what with his absolute refusal to take part in giant toad extermination quests, as well as his refusal to eat fried toad legs at the guild.

But naming one was a little...

Darkness also came to the toad's defense.

"Why don't we keep it as a pet! Then, when it grows bigger we can-"

"We are not keeping this child for one of your weird fantasies, Darkness."

The noblewoman started but was interrupted by Megumin, causing the Crusader to avert her gaze as well.

"We'll just leave it here then! So no one has to get hurt!"

Yunyun said and reached out her hand towards Megumin, and her rival's eyes turned on her.

"Oh? Since you seem to care about this child so much, how about we duel for it! As the number one mage of Axel and the Crimson Demons, I, Megumin, challenge you for the keepsake of this baby toad!"