"Don't overthink things. Just go with the flow. And besides, there's nothing you can do to stop a zombie outbreak anyway," Kevin Cross said, trying to comfort Saeko Busujima.
"You don't think I'm a monster?" Saeko's eyes dimmed slightly, her voice tinged with both fear and uncertainty.
"A monster? Not even close. You're a beautiful girl, Saeko. If anyone looks like a monster, it's probably Kumoko." Kevin smirked as he brought Kumoko into the conversation.
"Hey, hey, hey! That sounded an awful lot like an insult," Kumoko shot back. "Sure, I was reincarnated as a spider, but my heart, my soul, is still human. I'm still human, okay?"
"Well, Kumoko"
"What?"
"I haven't read your light novel, and I've only watched some of the anime, but I remember people saying that you weren't actually a human to begin with. Weren't you just a tiny spider in the classroom? Then the Administrator stuffed a bunch of human memories into your head, and that's why you think you're human. But in truth, you're just a spider."
"Wait, what? What did you just say? That I'm a spider? No way! That can't be! My memories are so clear I am Shiro Wakaba! I even remember things from my childhood. I remember the novels I've read, every little thing. And if I'm not Wakaba, then where is the real Wakaba? Who did she reincarnate into?"
"I'm not totally sure, but from what I heard, Wakaba Shiro is actually one of the gods in your world."
"Huh? You're kidding me. I'm a god? Wakaba's a god? That's absurd! Back on Earth, I was always isolated, bullied even. If she was a god, why didn't she fight back? Wait don't tell me the god is a masochist?"
"Maybe she got bored and wanted to spice things up? Who knows? Anyway, I heard a few more things about your world."
"Again with the 'I heard'?"
"Yeah. Something about how the gods in your world are either dead or missing, and the whole place is on the brink of collapse. So every now and then, the Demon Lord launches a war just to buy the world a bit more time."
"What the hell?! Did I mishear that? Or did you just say the Demon Lord is protecting the world?"
"Exactly. In your world, the Demon Lord is the one holding things together. Oh, and by the way the elves? They're actually the villains."
"The elves are the villains?"
"Yup. At least according to the version I heard. Demon Lord saves the world, elves try to destroy it."
"...That's hard to swallow. I mean, in fantasy worlds, aren't elves usually the good guys and the Demon Lord the bad guy?"
"Beats me what the author was thinking. Still, it's a pretty unique take."
"Unique, huh... Well, as long as the Demon Lord's holding the apocalypse at bay, I'll just focus on leveling up and getting stronger."
"We were supposed to be talking about your issues, but somehow this all turned into a discussion about Kumoko's world." Saeko looked at them both as the conversation died down.
"Sorry, sorry," Kevin said.
"But Saeko, I honestly don't think you've got a serious problem. So you've got a slightly unusual personality big deal. When I watched your anime, I thought your personality was awesome," Kumoko added, giving her a thumbs-up.
"...Of course you'd say that. Viewers never really understand what it's like to be the character. They can't feel what I feel," Saeko murmured. She was constantly burdened by her nature, while Kumoko seemed to find it "super cool."
"Saeko, your real issue isn't as complicated as it seems. You grew up in a modern society, so your thoughts and actions are constantly constrained by modern morality and laws. You had to hide your true self. But now you've got access to our chat group. You can travel to worlds like Naruto's, battle it out with real fighters. Who knows, you might just become the only true Sword Saint in the modern era. Actually, no you will become a Sword Saint," Kevin said with conviction.
"A Sword Saint? Traveling to different worlds to fight?" Saeko looked genuinely tempted.
"Exactly. So, Saeko, why don't you join my harem?"
Kevin extended the invitation with a grin. Back in the day, Saeko had been one of his anime crushes. Her popularity might have faded over time, but the impact she had left on Kevin never did.
"So all of this was just a lead-up to that?" Saeko covered her mouth, chuckling softly.
"Hey, this is my harem group. Of course I care about this kind of stuff. Right now, we've got five people in the group besides you and Kumoko, both Yi Lin and Izumi have already joined my harem."
"Yi Lin? Isn't she a nun?"
"Amitābha..." Yi Lin blushed and looked away, too shy to respond.
"And Kumoko's a literal spider," Kevin teased.
"So you're not even going to spare someone like me, huh?" Kumoko sighed dramatically.
"Of course not. I'm just waiting for you to turn human. And when you do hehehe..."
"That's terrifying! Yeah, definitely need to think twice before joining any harem," Kumoko said, inching away from Kevin.
"You can't escape, Kumoko. And Saeko-chan come on, join my harem."
"Can you not call me that? It sounds kind of... weird." Saeko blushed slightly. "As for what you're asking... let me think it over."
"Sure, no problem. You're in the group now anyway, so you're not going anywhere."
"..."
Kevin was actually looking forward to the future. He hoped more members would join the chat group.
It wasn't just about being a lecher who wanted more women. More than anything, Kevin simply wanted more friends. More companions to explore different worlds with. But of course, if a few more of them turned out to be potential lovers, well... he wouldn't exactly complain.
And yeah, he did enjoy spending time with women. In more intimate ways too. So, with nothing urgent going on, Kevin decided to @Izumi Uchiha and head over to the Naruto world again.
Not because any major plot point was unfolding he just missed her. Being apart for a day felt like being apart for three years. Emotionally, Izumi didn't give Kevin much, but physically? She had everything he needed. And right now, Kevin was completely addicted.
As he held her close, Kevin felt like the luckiest guy alive. Even though they came from different worlds, all he had to do was cross over, and Izumi would be there waiting for him.
"Alright, Kevin. I've got to go. I have a meeting scheduled with the Cloud Village," Izumi said, gently prying herself from his embrace.
"Cloud Village? What kind of meeting?" Kevin asked, caught off guard.
"You forgot? I told you I'm selling off Uchiha Sasuke's child. The buyer this time is the Cloud Village."
"You did mention that, but... wait, already? The baby's been born?"
"Of course not. But the woman is already pregnant. I'm just selling her instead. Saves me the trouble of dealing with a pregnant woman or a child. At least this way, they stay together. And with the Uchiha bloodline, the Cloud Village will definitely treat her well."
"That makes sense. But will they even believe you?"
"Doesn't matter if they do or not. It's not like they're paying a steep price. Plus, I'm giving them proof."
"Proof?"
"Yeah. I recorded everything. Every woman who had contact with Sasuke I have tapes for each one. That should be enough to convince them."
"You're... incredibly thorough," Kevin said, giving her a thumbs-up.
Izumi smiled, clearly proud of herself. This was her ultimate revenge against Uchiha Itachi. And she was hitting multiple targets at once punishing Itachi, tormenting his brother Sasuke, spreading Uchiha bloodlines across the shinobi world, and making Konoha seethe with regret and rage.
One move. So many results. Sometimes, Izumi felt like an absolute genius.
She and Kevin traveled with more than ten pregnant women to the meeting point arranged with the Cloud Village. To avoid slowing down, she had already prepared several carriages for the journey.
"Say, Izumi Itachi must know by now that Sasuke's missing. How did he react?" Kevin asked.
"Oh, he knows alright. And what's he doing? Running around like a headless chicken, trying to track me down. It's the only way he can save Sasuke. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he's already lost his mind," Izumi replied, her tone laced with mockery and deeply rooted hatred.
She could've confronted Itachi directly. With her current strength, she might even be able to kill him. But that would've been too merciful.
Letting Sasuke grow strong and kill Itachi? That would've given him what he wanted.
No. What Izumi was doing now this was true suffering. Taking the one person he loved most and turning him into nothing more than a breeding tool. And the kicker? She had it all on tape.
"If Itachi hadn't awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan already, this alone would've pushed him over the edge. Too bad he already has it," she muttered to herself.
"I honestly can't wait to see Itachi's face when he finds out what's happened to Sasuke. The moment he realizes his beloved brother has been used like a stud horse, and there are tapes oh, I wish I could make the whole world see them."
"Easy now. The longer he stays in the dark, the more anxious he'll get. Revealing things too early might take the sting out of it."
"True." Izumi nodded in agreement.
"What about the Akatsuki? Itachi's still one of their members. Have they come looking for you? Especially Zetsu? With all those White Zetsus, tracking you down should be easy, right?"
"The Akatsuki?" Izumi scoffed. "Don't worry. The shinobi world is huge. They won't find me anytime soon."
Still, she knew the risks. The Akatsuki were filled with high-level threats. Uchiha Obito's Kamui was nothing to scoff at, and Nagato wielding the Rinnegan once owned by Uchiha Madara was a whole other level.
Even with her Eternal Mangekyō, she wasn't confident she could take on Nagato's Rinnegan in a direct fight.
"I need to get stronger. Much stronger," Izumi thought to herself.
Her eyes shifted to Kevin. Her power had grown ever since she got involved with him. But even now, after giving herself to him fully, all she had awakened was the Eternal Mangekyō. So how could she draw even more power from Kevin?
Truly loving him? Surrendering completely heart, body, and soul?
Izumi knew that if she ever did fall for Kevin completely, her Sharingan might evolve into the Rinnegan. But emotions weren't something she could control. If she could've forced herself to love him, she would've done it already.
She sighed silently. Love. Such a complicated, unpredictable thing.
"What about Konoha? Any reaction from their side?" Kevin asked.
"Konoha?" Izumi let out a cold laugh.