In the heart of the dense rainforest, two groups faced off, both showing clear signs of wariness.
Intruders? What was this guy talking about?
Kazuma shot a serious look at the figure standing before him. His gut told him that he absolutely could not get into a fight with this guy. This kind of situation had never happened before, not even when he was up against the Demon Lord's generals. He always figured things would work out somehow.
But this felt different. A confrontation with the guy in front of him would likely be the end of him. Speaking of which, ever since he'd arrived in this place, his mind felt clearer and the world seemed much more serious?
Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness now also radiated an aura of normal people. Before, he'd never felt anything like that coming from them. What was going on?
Megumin, standing next to Kazuma, kept trying to sense the flow of magic energy in her body. But it was no use. She couldn't feel even a single drop of mana flowing through her veins.
What do I do? What do I do?! Her gaze shifted to Aqua standing beside her. Just like she suspected, Aqua seemed to be in the same boat. She had no access to her magic energy either.
Megumin then turned to the young man in front of them. This guy looked really strong. Did he do something to them? Was he the reason they couldn't use magic anymore?
Nagato let out a slow breath, then pointed a finger at Kazuma. "You, the guy in the white clothes with the green scarf. Where are you from?"
For now, he'd pretend he didn't know them. Kazuma would probably think he was another re-incarnator from Japan, since he was now speaking Japanese.
"My friends and I are from Axel, in the Kingdom of Belzerg. It's where the beginner adventurers hang out." Kazuma said, watching the other guy's reaction.
"Axel? The Kingdom of Belzerg? Don't screw with me." Nagato stared hard, anger flashing in his narrowing eyes. With his perfect chakra control, he turned his chakra into a shockwave.
Darkness planted her sword in the ground, bracing herself so she wouldn't be thrown off her feet by the powerful gust of wind.
"That's some pretty strong wind magic." Darkness said.
Her eyes darted to Kazuma, who was sprawled on the ground not far from where she stood. "Kazuma, what did you say that made him so angry?" she yelled, demanding an answer.
"Yeah, what did you say, Kazuma?" Megumin chimed in, sounding curious.
Kazuma got to his feet and answered Megumin and Darkness.
"I only answered what he asked," he said.
He glanced at the slight scrapes on his arms before turning his gaze back to the figure before him. What the hell was that power? He just narrowed his eyes, and bam, a shockwave. Isn't that too unfair? Why does this guy have all this power, while I'm stuck with this useless goddess?! And we were both re-incarnated!! He glanced at Aqua, standing nearby, with a look of disgust.
Aqua noticed Kazuma's cynical look. "Hey, stop giving me that NEET glare! This time I really don't know anything."
"Huh? Don't know anything? What are you talking about? Aren't you the one who sent him to this world with his cheat powers?" Kazuma shot back sharply.
Nagato, who had been watching them the whole time, smiled at their interaction. Yup, they were still the same as in the anime, though a little different.
"Hey you, answer my question properly!" he snapped, wanting to get their attention. He didn't understand a word of the conversation between Kazuma, Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness.
To him, they sounded like they were mumbling 'bisi bisi bisi,' not like any language he recognized.
If they were speaking English or French, he could at least understand them. Also, their dialect and intonation sounded like ancient European languages. If you've ever watched old language A.I. voice-over videos on YouTube, that's pretty much what they sounded like.
Aqua and Kazuma fell silent at the young man's shout.
"Kazuma, we should listen to what he has to say first. My gut says he's super dangerous," Aqua whispered, giving him a warning.
Hearing that whisper, Kazuma was slightly surprised. Since when has Aqua been able to say something that intelligent?
But Aqua was right. He should listen to what the guy had to say.
Taking a deep breath, Kazuma then said, "I don't know what you think is funny? What I said was the truth. That I'm Kazuma, and my party and I are from the Kingdom of Belzerg."
The situation was getting weirder. There was no way this guy wouldn't know about the Kingdom of Belzerg. Did he just arrive in this world? But if that was the case, why was he wearing a military uniform? Kazuma kept a close eye on the guy, trying to figure him out.
Nagato knew, of course, that Kazuma was being truthful. It was impossible for him to just say, "Oh, you're from the Kingdom of Belzerg." Because if he did, it would be hard to explain when Kazuma realized they were now in the shinobi world, not their world.
"I see, so you're still not being honest!" He would keep up the charade until Kazuma realized they weren't in the same world anymore.
Kazuma, Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness were startled when they heard that.
"Kazuma, explain it to him now! I can feel something dangerous in the way he's moving his hands!" Aqua shrieked, tugging on Kazuma's green cloak.
Kazuma's forehead was damp with sweat as he looked at the guy's hand gestures. This is bad, those moves… looks like he's about to use ninjutsu?! Damn it.
"H-hold on, just listen to me first," Kazuma said in a panicked voice, his face a mess of emotions.
Nagato stopped his hand seals and waited silently for Kazuma to explain.
"First, can you tell me why you called us intruders?" Kazuma asked. He wanted to know why they were considered intruders by this guy.
Did they stumble into some nobleman's residence or military facility? Looking at the guy's uniform, it did seem like a military area. But wait, wasn't that kind of uniform unusual for this era?
"Because you suddenly appeared in this forest, before I entered it. I already surveyed this 5000 square meter forest. There were no signs of any human life. But a few minutes ago, I felt your presence. So, which one of you can use space-time ninjutsu? Just so you know, not a single shinobi from Amegakure can use space-time ninjutsu." His eyes narrowed on the four of them.
Huh? What is he talking about? Shinobi? Space-time ninjutsu? I don't understand what he's saying. Isn't this a fantasy world of swords and magic? Why is he talking about that? Kazuma suddenly realized something.
I see, that's why he doesn't know about the Kingdom of Belzerg and the adventurer's town of Axel. Kazuma swallowed hard, then asked, just to make sure.
"I want to be sure, what year is it? And where is this?" Kazuma asked softly.
Nagato smiled inwardly. Finally, he realized that something was wrong.
"December 2nd, Year 80 of the Shinobi World Calendar. You're currently in the Erlania Kingdom, which was formerly called Amegakure," Nagato answered flatly, his face as cold as Pain Tendo's.
Kazuma and Aqua's throats went dry when they heard that.
"You two, why the long faces? What did he say?" Megumin asked after seeing Kazuma's and Aqua's unusual reactions.
"Yeah, what did he say Kazuma? Aqua?" Darkness chimed in.
That's why we can't use magic and skills! It's because we've been transported to another world! Kazuma shouted in his mind.
He looked back at the young man in front of them. So, was the guy standing in front of him Pain?
No, no, Kazuma shook his head. This guy didn't look like Pain. He studied the young man's face, trying to recognize him.
Red hair, pale skin, Rinnegan doujutsu eyes, a handsome face, about 175 cm tall. Kazuma's eyes widened with shock.
He finally knew who the guy was.
Nagato Uzumaki!!!
...
Revised Chapter 13
Hope you guys enjoy this chapter.