And here's fic number two, ladies and gentlemen! Hope you guys enjoy it. I know I enjoyed writing it with brown phantom's help. This would've been up a bit sooner, but my laptop charger's giving me trouble and I can't get a new one yet. Enjoy.
Titan's Fall
Chapter One: Beginning of Hell
When it comes to where humans came from and how they came to form the first civilizations, we can only guess. Though historians and archaeologists do give us clues. But there is one thing we do know, things weren't always like they are now. We can't say for certain when things changed, but we do know what happened when the old world ended and the world as we know it began.
The catalyst for the disaster was a monster, one we call, these days, the Jūbi. A ghoulish, ten-tailed fiend large enough that a grown man could easily fit his entire body inside a single nostril of the creature. The details of its origins are lost, but, before it was stopped it, destroyed countries on a daily basis and practically reshaped the landscape wherever it went. Nothing man had available at the time was able to stop it, yet it was in time defeated. How, you may ask? Not with an army, but with a single man.
There was a man named Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, who was the first man to have powers above that of any ordinary human. He was the first person to wield a new form of energy, what we now call chakra. We don't know how he did it, but with it he was able to rid the world of the Jūbi. But by then the damage was done.
Another thing to note is that Hagoromo, or as you may know him best, the Rikudō Sennin, didn't fight the Jūbi alone. Such a feat is simply impossible. He had a little help, from creatures called titans
"Wait, wait, wait! You're telling us that the titans were once helpful to people?"
The person who had been speaking the whole time was briefly annoyed at being interrupted, but didn't show it. He cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes, Kiba. That is exactly what I'm saying."
"But that makes no sense, Iruka-sensei!"
"It doesn't now, but it was true once." Iruka said. "Now, details of the origins of the titans have been lost to history, too, but they were around at the time and the Sennin had managed to get the titans to fight with him. But the problem is, after the fight was over, he lost any control he had over the titans and never regained it."
The students were all surprised at this. The titans... were beyond even the Sennin's control?
"While the Jūbi was indeed powerful, there was only one of it. But the titans were numerous, and multiplying. They were either immune or extremely resistant to powers over the elements, like our modern-day elemental ninjutsu, much harder to defeat, and it seemed like for every one that did fall, more were there to replace it. Eventually, the Sennin died, but the titans remained. Before he died, he shared chakra with others, so people could try to defeat them in his absence."
One student, a pink-haired girl, raised her hand. "Iruka-sensei?"
"Yes, Sakura?"
"If that's true, then why is it that titans still exist?"
Iruka's face darkened at this. "Because, chakra or no chakra... the titans are on a whole other level compared to us. The only things in existence that can guarantee victory against them are the bijū."
"But aren't the bijū just as dangerous as the titans?" A platinum blonde-haired girl asked
"In a way, Ino. But the bijū are the lesser of two evils in the sense that they still could be controlled. Not to mention, even when left alone, the bijū actually preferred to fight the titans over humans. Think about it like this, if you were a bijū, what would you consider to be a bigger threat? A bunch of small humans or a bunch of creatures as big as yourself and equally hard to kill?" Iruka replied.
Ino and the other students couldn't argue with that logic.
"Unfortunately, the bijū were in limited supply, and there are an unknown amount of titans. It seemed that we were doomed to an inevitable extinction, but, luckily, the bijū bought us time to build the cities we live in today. And, as you all know, we shinobi are the people who are taught to use chakra to fight the titans in the event they try to breach the walls or ambush those that travel outside the city."
Another student raised their hand. "What happened to the bijū?"
"The bijū were helpful to us, but not by choice. They were just fighting off the competition as it were, and, unlike the titans, they were intelligent and could do more than just swing their arms around." Iruka explained. "So they were considered a threat to handle first once the cities were set up. What happened was that some fūinjutsu masters had managed to create a way to seal the bijū away inside objects and people, creating shinobi that could use the bijū's powers for the good of mankind. These shinobi are called jinchūriki."
"Now, in the past, jinchūriki have been very important to defending our homes, but they weren't always treated well. Back when they were new and unfamiliar, the opinion of the masses was, in a word, hysterical. People feared that they would transform into the bijū or new titans, or that the bijū were in fact controlling them and would destroy the cities from the inside. It took generations and multiple jinchūriki over the ages to settle any fears that these people were worse than the monsters outside the walls. And, as you all know, we have the child of a jinchūriki, who is also a jinchūriki himself, in our class right now."
Iruka then looked to the person in question, only to see an empty desk he had previously overlooked. "Make that "he's supposed to be in our class right now." Where is Naruto?"
Scene change – With Naruto
"Nīsan, can we get some ice cream now?" A young girl asked.
"Not yet, it's too early for that. Wait until lunch." A blond boy, older by several years, told the girl.
"But that's too long! I want it now!" A second young girl whined.
"But, when it's lunchtime, it will be warmer out and the ice cream will taste better than." The boy told her.
This was the boy missing from class, the one named Naruto, and he was accompanied by his younger twin sisters Yuna and Senna. The girls pouted for a moment and wanted to argue. But, before they could, their big brother gave them a stern look. Not one that said that they'd get in trouble if they didn't listen, just one that asked them to be patient.
"What do we do until lunchtime?" Yuna asked. She looked a lot like her mother Kushina but was as blonde as Naruto was, her hair possessing a bit of a wave to it as it draped down her back. She wore a white shirt and red skirt.
"Tell me what you'd like to do first." Naruto said.
"I'd like to go swimming, but we'd have to go home first." Senna mentioned. Like her twin, she looked like her mother too, and had inherited her red hair, but had the same blue eyes Naruto got from their father. Her hair was straight, but tied back in a short ponytail, not unlike what Mitarashi Anko wore, and she wore a yellow shirt with purple pants.
"What about you, Yuna?" Naruto asked his blonde baby sister.
"Can we go to the arcade?" She asked.
"I don't think I have enough money for that." He told her, hating to disappoint the young girl.
She looked down, a bit disappointed. But Naruto smiled at her. "But I guess I could cut back on my next visit to Ichiraku's if it means having enough for us to go there."
"You mean you'll only have one bowl of ramen?" Senna asked.
Naruto laughed. "Just one? What are you, crazy?"
The girls had to giggle at that. They knew about their big brother's love of ramen and, in some ways, shared it.
"Is that what the both of you want?" He asked, not wanting to make them go if one of them didn't want to.
Senna smiled and nodded. "I'd enjoy it. Especially since we get to spend today with you, aniki. Outside of training, we don't get much time to spend with you."
"Well, it's because I can't always get out of the academy like today. When you two start going, try to avoid Iruka's classes, if you can. The guy's like the nicest teacher you'll ever find, but he is just sooo boring."
The girls tried and failed to contain their laughter at that part. Naruto smiled to see them laugh, but a growing shadow coming from behind him dampened the mood. And he could guess who it was.
"So, I'm boring am I?" The owner of the shadow asked, offended.
"If you ever listened to one of your own lectures, you'd agree with me." Naruto said, refusing to turn around and give Iruka the chance to intimidate him.
"Well, you better learn to live with boredom! Because you'll be hearing a lot more lectures from me in detention this week!"
Naruto pulled out a piece of paper. "I have a note. I assume you didn't get it, if you had to come look for me." He handed it to the scarred chūnin, still avoiding eye contact.
"Who's this, aniki?" Yuna asked.
"The boring man." He answered in a way he knew she'd understand.
The girls giggled and turned to face him. "Hi, boring man-sensei!"
Iruka practically face-faulted at the nickname that made Naruto laugh. To preserve his dignity, he ignored it and looked at the note Naruto gave him. His eyes widened at this. Apparently, on orders from the Hokage, his boss and his blond student's father, Naruto was excused from the lesson because Minato and Kushina themselves had already told it to Naruto before Kushina's... passing.
'This could be a hoax, but it does have Hokage-sama's handwriting and the seal of confirmation.' The teacher thought, wondering if he should test the validity of this.
As if reading his sensei's mind, Naruto looked directly at Iruka. "If you want, you can go ask my dad for yourself."
"Why didn't I see this earlier?" Iruka asked.
Naruto shrugged. "How should I know? It wasn't my job to give notice to the school."
Iruka gave Naruto a questioning look, but the girls stepped up as Senna spoke up in Naruto's defense. "Aniki 's a lot of things, but a liar's not one of them."
Iruka then relaxed. "Alright, Naruto, I'll let you have your little day off. But this will not happen again."
Naruto smiled. "Maybe, if you taught something worth learning, I wouldn't want it to happen again."
Iruka growled lightly and glared at Naruto. "I'd cut back on the wise cracks if I were you, Naruto! I could still give you detention for disrespecting a teacher!"
"Then tell me, sensei. Who's teaching the class now if you're here?" Naruto tested.
"Mizuki, why?" Iruka asked.
"Kind of hard to not disrespect you if you just up and leave in the middle of class like that. You're kind of asking for it." The blonde boy clarified.
Iruka opened his mouth for a moment before closing it. He realized that, as much as he hated to admit it, his blond student had a point. "This never happened, got it?"
Naruto smirked. "Good, because you can't give detention over something that never happened."
Iruka sighed and nodded, willing to let it slide if it meant maintaining some form of respect. "See you in class tomorrow, where I'm sure the material will be something you don't already know." He then left to return to his job.
"Well now that he's gone, let's go." Naruto told his sisters who eagerly nodded.
Scene change – At the Arcade
After the three kids had their fun, they left the arcade and went to a park to relax. Naruto had given them both the promised ice cream and they sat at a bench.
"Aniki , what's on the other side of that?" Yuna asked, pointing to the incredibly high wall that bordered their hometown.
"I'm not sure, never looked. But I hear outside is nothing but wilderness outside of a few settlements with walls like ours around them. There're some forests, mountains, fields, and a desert surrounding all sides of town."
"What's a desert?" Senna asked.
"Think of it as a really really big sandbox."
The girls looked excited about the idea of a really, really big sandbox. But Yuna was the one to speak up. "Can we go see it someday, aniki?"
He smiled. "Sure, someday, when you're older. Right, now only adults can go outside the walls. But, when I become one, I'll be sure to let you have a little trip with me to see what that wall is hiding."
The girls pouted for a moment at the "when you're older" part, but then smiled and each gave Naruto a one-armed hug when he told them that he'd let them go with him someday. Their big brother always knew just what to say to make them feel better.
"So tell me, how did you get away with skipping class? Can anyone do it or is it just another benefit of being the Hokage's kid?" Naruto's classmate Kiba asked as he walked up to the Uzumaki trio.
"Kiba? Is school out already?"
"Yeah, so how did you get out of it?"
"Simple, I was already taught it at home."
Kiba looked bothered. "You skip school by basically going to a different one? That's it?"
"What were you expecting? That I faked sick and set up a whole bunch of decoys to keep people from finding out, and even had my father call in sick for me but the principal thought it was really me until I called in on the second line making him panic?"
"No, but that would be funny to see." Kiba remarked, an amused grin on his face.
Naruto chuckled a bit. "True. But I actually learned it before... you know..."
"Oh yeah... that." Kiba said, knowing full well what he was talking about. It was something neither boy liked to really reminisce about.
"Anyway, after these two are done with their ice cream, we're going to go back home and go swimming a bit. You want to come?" Naruto offered.
Kiba grinned a bit. "Sounds good to me! Want me to get the others and meet you there?"
Naruto looked confused. "Like who?"
"Well, Shikamaru and Chōji, obviously." Kiba's grin turned into a sly smirk. "And maybe Hinata, too."
Naruto blushed slightly at that as Kiba brought up the girl he saved on... that day. "Shut it, Dog-Breath! I don't like her that way!"
Kiba's smirk grew. "Oh? Then why did I hear you call her the "prettiest girl in class" once when your sisters asked you to introduce them to her?"
Naruto shook his head a bit. "Maybe because, despite how shy she is, it's the truth."
"Well, do you have a problem with her joining?" Kiba tested.
"No, not at all. She's welcome, too." Naruto replied.
Kiba's smirk grew more. He liked teasing Naruto about that. Sure, he didn't fully trust her yet, but he enjoyed Naruto's reaction whenever he teased him about it.
"Then I'll tell them to get their swimsuits and head to your place! See ya later, pal!" He said as he left with a wave.
"Aniki, can we have some friends come, too?" Senna asked.
Naruto smiled down at Senna. "Sure thing, Sen-imouto."
Scene change – At the Uzumaki family residence
Within an hour, Naruto's backyard was filled with kids his own age and a few younger, all playing in or around the pool. Shikamaru claimed he was working on his tan, but Naruto knew the boy was just sleeping. Chōji was at the diving board, about to cannonball into the pool. Ino and Sakura, both of which Naruto didn't know how they got invited, were relaxing on some nearby pool chairs while casting gazes at a black-haired boy whose hair made his head resemble a headless chicken.
Kiba was kicking back in the water on an inflatable raft while his loyal, white ninken pup Akamaru was doggy-paddling in a circle around him. And last, but not least, Naruto was walking out with some snacks for himself and his sisters while hoping to introduce them again to Hinata, this time telling them something other than she was pretty. His sisters in question were involved in a splash fight with three other kids their own age, two boys with brown hair and one girl with orange them have fun. Seeing this, he decided to look for Hinata himself and chat himself.
Looking around, Naruto briefly spotted a flash of blue before it disappeared around a corner. Curious, he went to the corner, and saw Hinata pressed against the wall, as if hiding, and dressed normal, making her the only one not in a swimsuit.
"Hinata?" Naruto asked.
Hinata eeped and turned red. "H... hi, Naruto-kun."
"No need to hide from everyone, Hinata. You're as welcome here as anyone else." He told her. "If you don't want to be here, I won't be upset if you want to go home."
"It's not that. It's just... I..." She replied, but couldn't finish.
"Just what? What are you afraid of?" He asked.
Hinata blushed more. "I... I'm afraid of what everyone will think if they see me in a swimsuit..."
Naruto looked confused. "No one has said anything about Ino or Sakura. Why would they say anything about you?"
"I don't know, but I'm not as pretty as them." The white-eyed girl told the blonde boy.
"Even if that was true, which it isn't, this isn't a beauty pageant Hinata. This is just having fun. Who cares how you look while doing it? As long as you have a good time, that's the important thing."
Hinata blushed a bit at Naruto's slight praise, but nodded. "O-okay. I-I'll go get a swimsuit a-and be right back." Hinata then went home, but didn't look like she didn't intend to come back. Naruto was a bit upset to see her leave, but happy she'd come back and have fun.
'Well, Yuna and Senna will have to wait, then.'
"Hey, Naruto! Can we use that grill your dad has and grill up something?" Chōji asked.
"That's only for when tōsan's hosting parties. Besides, I don't know how to work it." Naruto told the perpetually hungry boy.
Chōji smiled. "Luckily, I do. When you come from a clan of people who love to eat and you yourself love to eat, you learn how to cook. We'd just need your dad's permission."
"Well, he's not here and I'm not giving it for him." Naruto said.
Shikamaru, who was lying down nearby and trying to sleep, sighed and looked up. "Why don't you just send a Kage Bunshin to ask him? We know you can use the jutsu, so just do it and get it over with." He then decided to lie back down and go to sleep.
"Not if only Chōji is hungry. If no one else is, then he has wait."
Shikamaru shrugged, his eyes still closed. "I could eat."
Kiba raised his hand. "Same here!" Akamaru barked in agreement with his master.
Ino and Sakura gave agreements of their own while the boy with black-colored hair shaped like a headless chicken grunted his own agreement.
"I, as well, would like nourishment." A stoic voice behind Naruto added.
The blonde boy almost jumped. "Shino? When did you get here?" He saw the Aburame heir, who was dressed as he always was. Like he had no intention of getting wet.
"I've been here this whole time. You haven't noticed me?" He asked, sounding a bit hurt.
"No. But, in my defense, this is the first time you've spoken to me all day." Naruto pointed out.
Shino acknowledged the point, but still seemed a bit down.
Naruto nonetheless made a single clone and sent it to his father. "While we wait, I might as well check to see if we have anything to cook in the first place." With that, he went inside.
Going straight to the kitchen, he started by checking the fridge. He didn't see anything they could use for a barbeque that was already thawed, but the freezer had enough frozen meat for it. 'Hope Chōji can work with that.'
Soon, a rush of information hit him. His clone had asked his father if it was alright for them to use the grill. The blond Hokage had given his consent, but only as long as they were careful and that he made sure that the twins stayed clear of it.
'Of course, like I'd let them get anywhere near something on fire.' He thought as he pulled out the frozen meat one by one. 'I hope one of them is willing to help me with the side dishes.'
Making a few clones, Naruto had them help him gather up the frozen meat and carry it back outside. "Here you go, Chōji! Do your thing! Anyone want to help me make the side stuff?"
Hinata, who had just returned with a swimsuit in hand behind her back while still in her normal clothes, offered her services. "I can bake something or help with simple things. I'm not much of a cook."
Naruto smiled at Hinata as he and his clones handed the meat off to Chōji. "I'd still appreciate the help anyway, Hinata."
"She's just being modest, Naruto. Let her help." Ino said, getting out of the pool and grabbing a towel. "I'll join, too, if it will help."
Naruto nodded and motioned for the two to follow him.
Once inside and dry, Ino put an apron over her swimsuit. "Alright, I've been to enough Akimichi dinners to know what Chōji's going to expect. We need some corn, salad, chips, fruit slices, and bread for appetizers, with a random dessert. You got all that?"
"Corn and desserts are in the freezer, fruits and veggies in the bottom drawers in the fridge, and I'll grab the chips and bread from the pantry." Naruto said, pointing to location as he informed Ino of the contents.
"What can I do?" Hinata asked quietly.
Ino smiled. "You said you can bake something, so let's bake."
Naruto contemplated for a minute. "I think we might have ingredients here that could be used to bake a cake or something."
"Then let's get started!" Ino stated happily.
Time skip- Dinner Time
After a lot of work, everyone was seated outside at a table and preparing to dine. Plus, there were a few Naruto clones arranging the food-covered plates in front of each guest.
"Shouldn't we wait for tōsan?" Yuna asked.
Naruto shook his head. "He said he's going to be late and will probably grab his own dinner on the way here."
"Chōji did a good job." Kiba said. "He even had something for Akamaru." The aforementioned white puppy was busy chewing on a leftover bone Chōji had taken out of a steak.
Naruto smiled a bit. "That's our Chōji! Loves to eat, but knows how to cater to others when he shares!"
"Though never try and take the last thing on the table. He'll rip it out of your mouth if he has to." Ino added.
"Hey, the last part is always the best!" The big-boned kid justified.
"Even if someone was already eating it?" Sakura asked, disgusted by the idea.
The big-boned boy just nodded, his resolve on getting the last bite always absolute.
"You're disgusting!" Sakura told him bluntly. "Have some self-restraint!"
The Naruto clones and several others at the table rolled their eyes. 'Like you're one to talk!' The pinkette was certainly not one to criticize others about restraining themselves, not with how she wore her heart on her sleeves.
"Well, let's get started!" Naruto said.
Everyone, soon started to eat. Right when they took their first bites, all of them except Chōji were surprised at the flavor of the meat. To put it simply... it was delicious.
"Great job on the grub, Chōji!" Kiba complimented.
"It is good." Shino added simply, allowing some of his beetles to have a portion, as chakra alone didn't provide them the nutrition they required.
Naruto swallowed the amount he'd just finished chewing. "It's awesome!"
Chōji smiled sheepishly, enjoying the praise on his cooking. Suddenly, there was a low rumble to be heard from the distance, making everyone freeze.
"What was that? Did a building fall down or something?" Sakura asked.
"There shouldn't be any demolition today." Shikamaru claimed.
Naruto felt a chill go up his spine. One he recognized. 'I've got a bad feeling about this...! It's just like that feeling I got on that day...'
There was another rumble, still low but greater than the one before. The water in the pool shook, implying there were tremors, and the birds in the trees flew off as if trying to escape.
"Maybe we should go inside." Senna suggested.
Naruto nodded and ushered his baby sisters into the house before the others. But, before they could enter, a louder rumble echoed.
"What the heck is that?" Kiba asked.
"Could it be a titan?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto narrowed his eyes and looked at Hinata. "Hinata!"
Hinata nodded. "O-on it!" She then made a few hand signs and activated her Byakugan. Afterwards, she focused her near three-hundred-and-sixty degree field of vision specifically on the nearest part of the wall surrounding the village. Right then, she could see something she had hoped to never see. "Oh no...! It's... it's... a titan! And... it's taller than the wall!"
Naruto and Sasuke's eyes both widened for a moment, but then they narrowed in loathing. "The Colossal...!"
"You know this one?" Sakura asked.
Naruto clenched his fist tightly as Sasuke glared at the ground. But Naruto was the one who spoke. "You guys remember the day the titans attacked years ago, the night my mom gave birth to Yuna and Senna?"
"Not too well. We were hiding that day." Ino answered.
"This is the same one, back for more!" Naruto specified.
"Back for more? Where's it been all this time?" Kiba asked.
"You wanna ask it?" Naruto asked back.
Chōji paled and shook his head. "W-wait a second, Naruto... I heard that, when the Kyūbi got free from your kāsan that day and attacked the titans, two new types of titans appeared! One towered over the others like they were little kids compared to it and the other had skin like armor! And both of them fought the Kyūbi to a draw! Is this huge one... this "Colossal Titan"... one of those two?!"
"Yep! And, according to Dad, this one was the easier to fight off! That armored one, he said that one was bad news just by itself!"
"Umm... everyone?" Hinata added. "This tall one isn't alone."
Naruto and Sasuke's glares turned darker. Sasuke ran up to the Hyuuga heiress, grabbed her by her arms, and shook. "Is the Armored Titan with it?! Tell me, damn it!"
Naruto grabbed Sasuke and pulled him away from Hinata. "Cool it, Sasuke! I know you've got something personal against the Armored Titan, but calm down and let Hinata tell us!"
The young Hyuuga took a moment to compose herself after being shaken. "No, nothing the same size as it. Just a bunch of small ones, mini-titans I think. I think there's at least a dozen of them."
"One large titan with a dozen small ones?" Shino asked.
"Relax, Shino. Everyone knows titans can't strategize. They're dumber than dirt." Kiba told the bug host.
"I've always found that claim questionable. People fear the titans, not only because they are so much larger and prey on us, but because they don't know anything about them. It is logical that many of our preconceived notions about them are wrong, including their intelligence."
Naruto nodded. "Plus, they regenerate unless you hit one weak-spot on the back on their necks. And didn't Iruka-sensei tell you guys in class about how they seem to have some kind of immunity or high-tolerance against elemental ninjutsu?"
Shikamaru sighed and nodded. "Yeah... he did. But that just makes the titans all the more troublesome."
A large crash was heard, startling all of them. Sakura looked even more frightened than the others. "What the hell was that?!"
Hinata's Byakugan eyes widened. "Another titan just managed to smash a large hole in the wall! It... it's skin is like armor, it's body is well-muscled, and it's chakra is on a different level compared to the others!"
At this, Sasuke snarled. "The Armored Titan!"
Sasuke then attempted to head towards were the crash came from. But, before he could make it more than a few steps, Naruto grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Stop right there, Sasuke! You go after that thing at your level and you'll just get yourself killed!"
Sasuke turned and glared at Naruto. "Let go of my arm, Naruto! That monster has to die! It's because of that titan that my kāsan is crippled and my otōsan is dead!"
Naruto shook his head. "No way! We may not exactly be friends, but you're crazy if you think I'll let you throw your life away over some vendetta when you're not ready to take it on! Besides... the day they attacked last time, we agreed we'd work together to bring the titans down, remember?! We can't do that if you're dead!"
"I'm not passing this opportunity up!" Sasuke insisted, only to get a fist to his face for it.
"Naruto! What did you do that for?!" Sakura asked angrily.
"Would you rather he run off to his death?" He asked back loudly. "Sasuke may be talented, but this is nothing like throwing a kunai at a piece of wood or being tested by a teacher who's pulling his moves! No titan is going to just stand there and let Sasuke kill it!"
Sasuke glared up at Naruto, but then all of Naruto's words hit home for him. As much as he hated to admit it... the blond had a point. Unlike the sensei, the Armored Titan wouldn't pull it's punches with him. And if it was able to cripple his mother and kill his father, two jōnin-level shinobi... then what chance would an academy student barely close to graduation have?
Sighing, Sasuke got up and dusted himself off. Then, grudgingly, he faced Naruto. "Naruto..."
Naruto looked to face him, his annoyance with Sasuke still obvious. Sighing again, Sasuke prepared himself for what he was about to admit. "...thanks... I... I lost my head for a minute there. I wasn't thinking clearly."
"No, you weren't. Now, let's go inside and wait this out."
Ino looked a bit nervous. "A-actually... any chance we could head to a shelter instead?"
"Why a shelter? Dad decided this place to be just as good and a lot more comfortable." Naruto claimed.
"But has it ever actually been tested against a titan?" The platinum blonde asked.
Naruto sighed. "Even though it has barrier seals set to activate by a pulse of chakra from whoever lives here, I can't argue with you there. We'd have no way of knowing whether those seals would hold out against an attack from a titan, much less an attack from the Colossal or the Armored."
"Then let's go there."
Naruto nodded. "Alright, but we have to hurry." He went inside to get his sisters and their friends to tell them the change of plans.
Scene change – Konoha streets, between Uzuma and Agni Districts
Out on the streets of Konoha, the group of students was heading to the shelters along with other frightened civilians, while overhead ninja raced to try and get the titan to go away. As they walked, Naruto looked to Hinata, Kiba, and Shino.
He focused on Hinata first. "Hinata, activate your Byakugan every five to ten minutes at least and warn us if you spot any titans! But make sure to conserve your chakra! We don't wanna get caught flat-footed!"
Hinata nodded. "O-okay!"
Naruto then turned his attention towards Kiba. "Kiba, you and Akamaru keep your noses and ears open and tell us if you smell blood or titans or even hear anything suspicious! As an Inuzuka and his ninken, you two have the sharpest senses of smell and hearing out of any of us!"
Kiba gave a slightly playful salute, a wolfish grin on his face. "You got it, boss!" Akamaru barked in agreement with his master.
Naruto then turned his attention to Shino. "Shino, have your kikaichū scout ahead for any signs of titans or crowds! The sooner we get to one of the shelters and do so unharmed, the better!"
Shino nodded his consent. "I had already thought ahead and sent some ahead of us towards the locations of the nearest shelters. I will let the rest of you know if or when one of them reports back to me."
"Good job. Now, Shikamaru, Ino, Chōji! Given your skills you should be on more immediate guard duty. If one of the trackers alert us, be ready and keep an eye out for incoming projectiles or people panicking and posing a threat to us before the titan can." Naruto added.
Shikamaru, Ino, and Chōji were wide-eyed, having not considered the possibility of a riot breaking out and endangering them. And with their skills, if something like that did happen, they could at least disarm the threat safely. "Will do, Naruto."
"What about the rest of us?" Sakura said, mildly impressed with how the blond was keeping them organized. She would have preferred if Sasuke was calling the shots, but that didn't mean Naruto wasn't doing a good job.
"You, Sakura, need to help us get to the shelter in the best way. You know the streets well enough and if, for some reason, we can't take one route, we're counting on you to find us another route. Sasuke, I need you to be ready to help either Sakura navigate, the other three defend if things are too tough, or help me keep the younger ones safe."
Sasuke himself was mildly impressed as well. Naruto may act like a bit of a dork sometimes... but he was showing surprising maturity, as well as strategic and leadership skills. For now, chalking it up to being a kage's son and a Nara's close friend, Sasuke nodded his consent. "Got it!"
"Then let's move, everyone!" Naruto said, getting everyone pumped up and head to the shelter faster.
"Stop!" Hinata yelled after they turned a corner, but not everyone did.
"Shikamaru, stop them!" Naruto ordered.
The Nara nodded and activated his shadow possession, trapping Sakura, Sasuke, Kiba, Shino, and an over-excited Konohamaru. Before, they could ask why, they saw a large piece of stone crash into a building ahead of them and topple the building on it's side, blocking their path.
"Oh my Kami! That would have crushed us if Shikamaru hadn't stopped us!" Kiba said, his heart pounding in his ears.
Naruto looked towards Hinata, then to Shikamaru. "Nice job, Hinata! You too, Shikamaru!"
Hinata blushed a bit, but smiled and nodded her thanks at Naruto's compliment. Shikamaru released the jutsu and nodded. "Thanks, Naruto. But where did that come from?"
Hinata frowned as she focused on the direction it came from. What she saw made her pale. "Th... the Colossal Titan is putting it's leg down. I... it kicked the wall... blowing a massive hole in it and sending rubble flying...! Th... that piece of stone was one of the bits of rubble that was loosed by the kick!"
Everyone was surprised to hear this. They'd all heard about how the Colossal Titan was one of the two titans to fight the Kyūbi to a draw when the titans last attacked four years ago... but they didn't think that it could be that powerful.
"The wall is breached? THE WALL IS BREACHED?!" Sakura yelled in terror, hoping to all deities that this wasn't the case.
"The good news is the Colossal Titan still can't get in." Hinata said, resulting in everyone breathing a sigh of relief. "But the bad news is the mini-titans can, and already are."
"TITANS ARE IN KONOHA?! WE NEED TO GET TO AMATERASU DISTRICT!" Sakura yelled, her pink hair practically standing on end now.
Naruto snapped his gaze towards Sakura. "Calm down, Sakura! Panicking's not going to get us anywhere!" Sakura flinched at that, her freak-out moment stopped for now. "Good! Now, what's the nearest turn we could take that would help us get around this toppled building without losing much time or taking any big risks?"
Sakura had to think about it for a moment. "There's another way if we go back and take another street that leads through my neighborhood. It will be longer, but I doubt there's rubble there now."
Naruto nodded. "Lead the way! Everyone else, remember your posts and keep your guard up! Now that the wall's breached again and the titans have an easier way to get in than the breach the Armored Titan made, this situation just got a lot more dangerous!" Naruto then turned to the younger kids. "And remember, you five... if something happens to us, run and look out for each other!"
Naruto then made some shadow clones to act as guards for the younger kids as well as scouts. Sakura had them backtrack back to the main street and followed it deeper into town and closer the the inner wall that divided Konoha into three sections, slowing down titans in events like this were they did breach walls. She took a different corner and everyone followed, and true to her prediction there was no rubble, but a lot of people ahead of them heading to safety too.
Naruto frowned a bit. "Do you know any shortcuts we can take on here that would help us avoid being mobbed if a titan comes this way."
Sakura pointed to an alleyway down the way, one that was almost unnoticeable. "That alley has a few turns in it, but it should take us past where that building from before came down and blocked our path."
"Let's give it a try. Worst case scenario, we just come back here." Naruto offered, and no one saw reason to object.
With that said, they all headed down the alley Sakura had pointed out. And, as they made the trip, not once did they let their guard down. They'd learned their lesson from when some of their group were almost flattened by a building knocked down by a piece of wall rubble loosed by a kick from the Colossal Titan. There was some rubble in the way, but, fortunately, there were clear ways around it, slowing them down but not forcing them to backtrack. Moving in single file, they went through, the trackers leading followed by the youngest in the group, and the guards going in last. After a bit, they ended up in Sakura's neighborhood itself, and the streets were this time bare.
"Kāsan ? Tōsan ?" She yelled out, wondering where her parents were.
Sakura was worried. It was too quiet. Had her parents already evacuated? Or had something else happened to them...?
"I'm sure they're fine, Sakura. They're probably already heading to the shelter." Ino reassured.
"Still, I want to check my house to be sure."
Naruto looked a bit apprehensive about that. "How about I send a clone to check for you? That way, we can keep moving. When it dispels and I get the memories, I'll tell you what it found out."
As they left, Naruto made more shadow clones and sent one to Sakura's house. He then sent the others to scout ahead. As they kept walking, the empty streets were slowly starting to unnerve him. Something didn't feel right about this situation. He didn't know what. All he knew for sure was that something was very wrong.
"Aniki, I'm scared." Yuna said nervously, clutching onto Naruto's pant leg.
"It'll be okay." He told her, doing his best to avoid showing he was uncomfortable too. To help calm her, he decided to gently run his hands through her hair. This always seemed to calm Yuna and Senna down.
"Where's tōchan?" Senna asked.
"Probably leading the fight against the monsters."
Both girls looked like they had seen ghosts. "Tōchan's fighting monsters right now? He's going to be okay, right? Tell me he's going to be okay, aniki!"
Naruto smiled down at them. "Of course he is! He's one of the five strongest people in this overgrown, walled-up city made up of a bunch of smaller villages, open plains, and settlements in the open plains that most of humanity's survivors call home! As long as he doesn't run into both the Colossal and Armored Titans at the same time, he'll cut down any titan that gets in his way!"
The two girls smiled, relieved and less worried. But the sound of something collapsing and people screaming made it disappear quickly. Terrified,they clung to their big brother tighter, making it harder for him to walk.
Naruto narrowed his eyes. But then he received some information, signaling that one of his scouting clones had dispelled. And what he saw didn't exactly spell good news for them, which made him turn in the direction the clone had gone in. "We're gonna have company soon, people! A three-meter class, at least!"
Hinata activated her Byakugan and turned her gaze towards the direction Naruto was looking in. "I-I see it!"
"Guards, get ready to slow it down if it gets close! Kiba, Shino, Sasuke, be ready to attack it once you see the face or back of the neck!" Naruto ordered.
Everyone nodded and got into position while Naruto pulled out a scroll from his bag. He then looked at Shikamaru. "Shikamaru, I'm gonna need your help coming up with a solid plan to bring this sucker down! But stay on your guard and remember your role in this formation! You're with Ino and Chōji on guard duty, but your also the best strategist among us!"
"Why? You've been doing a good job so far?" Shikamaru asked.
"And, to keep it that way, I'm going to need your help with a battle strategy when we need one!" The blonde boy answered.
Shikamaru sighed, but smirked. "Alright. And since you've never beaten me at shōgi ever since I was first introduced to it, I think I can handle helping you with our plan of attack."
"Why are you going to fight that thing? We should keep heading to the shelter!" Sakura countered.
Naruto directed his gaze at Sakura. "If that damn thing is a deviant type and has our scent, it'll be able to catch up to use before we can make it! Besides... there're no other turns to take ahead and it's close enough to us to be able to reach us before we could make it back to the alley. Basically, it's a "damned if we do, damned if we don't" situation."
Seeing his point, Sakura was tempted to run off on her own to get herself to safety. She was from a civilian family, after all. She hadn't been taught all her life to be brave in the face of danger. But she also knew that, if she did such a thing, she'd lose their friendship and respect forever.
"But what can I do other than keep running?" She asked.
Before Naruto could answer, Shikamaru, who had been in his thinking pose, opened his eyes. "Naruto... how good are you at fūinjutsu?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "By Uzumaki clan standards, I'm still just a beginner, but I'm pretty good for my age. I'm also a combat and capture class fūinjutsu user. I'm up to Paralysis Seals and Taser Tags."
"Please tell me you have some on you."
"Yeah, why?"
Shikamaru grinned. "Because... you're about to get up close and personal with something that wants to eat you."
Naruto looked confused for a moment. But then he seemed to catch what Shikamaru was saying. Once he did, he grinned back, put his scroll back in his pocket, and made some shadow clones.
Sakura, on the other hand, had no idea where the two of them were going with this. "What the hell are you two grinning about?! We're about to get eaten by a titan!"
"Do you have Exploding Tags on you, too, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked, searching for more info.
Naruto's grin seemed to get wider at that. "I'm an Uzumaki. Seals and destruction go together like ramen and broth when it comes to us."
Shikamaru started to look more confident at that. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
Scene change – Agni District, Main Road
It was not a pretty sight to behold. A beast that looked like a naked man devoid of genitals or buttocks, but was the size of an elephant, maybe even slightly taller, was walking down the streets of the city. It was doing so while chowing down on a person who hadn't been fast enough to escape it. This was a mini-titan, a dwarf version of the giants that roamed the lands beyond the walls, and it had only one thing on its blank mind, eat anyone it could grab.
It was a predator, plain and simple. Not unlike a dinosaur, it was powerful, but incredibly stupid. Too stupid to realize one important part of nature, that sometimes the prey fights back.
"Would you please just let us in on the plan already?!" Sakura shouted, tired of listening to the back and forth between the two.
Naruto and Shikamaru turned to face the others. Naruto was the first one to speak up." Alright everyone, listen closely. This is going to require accurate timing, faith in each other, and teamwork. We're gonna set a trap for this titan and take it out."
Hinata had her Byakugan activated. Once she saw the mini-titan, she made a hand signal towards several nearby dead-end alleys and a nearby rooftop.
"First, we'll have Hinata be keeping watch for the titan with Kiba and Akamaru keeping their noses and ears open for it. Whoever gets it's location first will signal Sasuke, who'll be on a nearby rooftop, waiting for it, and the rest of us."
Sasuke nodded at the Hyuuga heiress-apparent and pulled out two kunai, both of which had an Exploding Tag wrapped around the handle and another one attached to the metal ring. Kiba, Naruto, Shikamaru, Ino, and Chōji, all of whom were in the nearby alleys, nodded as well and got ready to complete their roles in the plan.
"Once it gets in close, Sasuke will get it's attention using his Gōkakyū no Jutsu."
Once the titan got in close enough, Sasuke went through several hand signs and fired a small fireball at it's head. The fireball exploded lightly on impact and the titan turned it's gaze up towards Sasuke.
"Once he has it's attention, he'll throw a kunai at each of it's eyes, each with two Exploding Tags attached."
Sasuke threw the kunai with pinpoint accuracy, managing to hit the mini-titan in the eyes. The hits weren't dead-center by any means, but they still hit directly on the eyeballs.
"Once the tags go off, it's eyes'll be destroyed. That'll leave it blind for at least a minute."
The tags attached to the kunai exploded, destroying the small titan's eyes. When it happened, the mini-titan roared in agony and grabbed it's empty eye sockets.
"Once it's blinded, Chōji will use his Baika no Jutsu to expand his body and perform his clan's Nikudan Sensha on it. He'll use the Nikudan Sensha to knock it over from behind."
As soon as it roared, the chubby boy made himself a whole lot chubbier and rolled to hit the mini-titan's ankles from behind. With the beast already off balance this hit was more than effective to make it collapse on its back.
"The titan most likely will fall on its back so it's one real weak spot won't be immediately available for us to target. But, while it's down, that's plenty of time for Shikamaru to trap its shadow, and hopefully make it roll to its stomach."
The Nara boy, hiding in the shade of the buildings, used the shade to strengthen his Kagemane no Jutsu and succeeded in snaring the massive beast. Problem was, it was too big for him to move so easily, trying to made his own body feel heavier.
"Given the size and Shikamaru's power right now, this might only hold it down a bit longer. Shino, send in some of your swarm to get to the titan's neck. Let see if they can at least do some damage that hurts it."
While Shikamaru struggled to move it, a swarm of beetles could be seen heading for under the titan.
This time, Shikamaru spoke up. "While we're doing that, Naruto's bunshin will attach some more explosive tags onto the titan's wrists and ankles and detonate them once the time is right."
Some Naruto clones swarmed out from other rooftops and landed on the ground. Once they did, they ran up to the downed and restrained titan and attached explosive tags all over it's wrists and ankles before backing up.
"Right when the Explosive Tags are attached, Hinata and Sakura will help the original Naruto put Paralysis Seals and Taser Tags all along spots on it's body that would be vital spots for a human. This'll help restrain it easier, slowing it down and making it easier for me to turn it over onto it's stomach."
The real Naruto went in with the two girls, who weren't moving as fast as he was. Sakura was terrified of being anywhere near this thing, her body fighting this plan, but she pressed on. Hinata was scared, too, but had faith that no one here would abandon her to occupy the titan while they saved themselves.
Once the reached the titan, they all began attaching Paralysis Seals and Taser Tags to the spots Shikamaru mentioned. They then activated them. Upon activation, the Paralysis Seals stop it's moments and the Taser Tags sent jolts of electricity through it's body. The three then got back as Shikamaru kept trying to get it to turn onto it's stomach. Eventually, Shikamaru managed to get it onto it's stomach and concentrated on holding it still as the Taser Tags stopped.
"Once it's on it's stomach and the Taser Tags stop, Ino will use her Shintenshin no Jutsu to take control of it's body by entering it's mind to help me keep it still for the final phase of the plan."
"I don't want to go inside that thing's head!" Ino complained.
"Would you rather go in its stomach? Because you might if this fails." Shikamaru told her.
'Here I go.' Ino told herself when the time came to take over the little behemoth's mind.
She made the proper hand sign and activated her Shintenshin no Jutsu. With this, her body slump over as she entered the mind of the mini-titan, taking control of it's body.
"If all this is pulled off properly, then the titan will be down and easy to kill. Everyone should back away, Shino's swarm included, and then I either activate the tags for a quick kill, or some of us with the best offensive moves jump in and try to hurt it while one of us goes for the neck." Naruto continued.
Shikamaru nodded. "I'm thinking that Kiba and Akamaru should go in with Gatsūga and rip out the kill-spot on the back of it's neck. Minimum risk and chakra expense. Once the two of them are halfway towards it, Ino has to release the jutsu to avoid being killed along with it. That's when Naruto's clones will set off the Explosive Tags, blowing off it's hands and feet and keeping it from fighting the paralysis seals and my Kagemane no Jutsu as easily in order to keep it from getting loose and escaping."
"Hey! I should be able to get in a killing blow, too!" Sasuke insisted.
Naruto shook his head. "No, Sasuke. Your best move wouldn't be fast enough even if it hit dead center. The Gōkakyū no Jutsu is meant to hurt first and the victim dies from the pain. Not to mention titans aren't hurt much by elemental jutsu, but physical jutsu like Kiba's do hurt them. Save your chakra in case another titan shows up."
Sasuke couldn't argue with most of that logic. "You have a point. As much as I hate to admit it, Inuzuka's jutsu is the best suited to deal the killing blow."
Kiba looked away from the downed titan and up towards Akamaru, pulling a couple of circular pills out from within his ninja tools pouch. "You ready, boy? We get only get one shot at this!" The dog nodded as best a dog can do, and ingested a pill with its fur turning red. Kiba did some hand signs to make his body better handle his clan's bestial taijutsu style, since he was still too young to do naturally, and Akamaru turned into a duplicate of the feral Kiba.
"Gatsūga!" The real Kiba roared as both pounced at the mini-titan, spinning in the air.
"Remember, Ino! Once you hear any attacks coming at you get out of the titan. If you can somehow make it confused as you leave that would be great." Naruto told his fellow blonde, who nodded.
Sensing her cue, the Yamanaka heiress departed the mind of the titan, which was a lot more bare than she had thought. 'It's like it has no sense of identity or thoughts of it's own, or even needs of its own. It's entire mind is just... blank. Like existing is the only thing it knows how to do.' She thought as she returned to her own body.
Right after Ino left the titan's body, the others could see it beginning to strain against the Paralysis Seals and Shikamaru's jutsu. That was when Naruto's shadow clones detonated the Exploding Tags on the titan's wrists and ankles. When they detonated, they blew off the titans hands and feet in a shower of steaming-hot gore. This loosed a scream of pain from the titan as Ino's eyes opened and she forced herself back to her feet.
At the same time as the blast, Kiba and Akamaru were drilling the heck out of the titan's neck, not quite decapitating it but breaking the spine if nothing else. The blast triggered an involuntarily spasm in the titan, which combined with the inertia generated by the explosions made the titan move despite the Paralysis Seals and Tasers Tags, and the two were forced off the creature.
"Did that get it? Is it dead?" Sakura asked.
The creature moved for only a second, but then fell still. Soon, steam began to pour off of it's body as it began to slowly decay. Shikamaru sighed and fell back against a wall before slowly sliding down it. "Looks like that's it."
"We... we did it...! We actually killed a titan...!" Hinata said, voicing what everyone was thinking.
"A small one, but even that's impressive for students yet to graduate." Shino commented.
Kiba pumped a fist in the air, a wolfish, victorious grin on his face. "Yahoooo! We kicked ass!" He then looked towards Shikamaru, and Naruto. "And it's all thanks to our master strategist Shikamaru and our fearless leader Naruto for the plan they came up with!"
Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Nah, Kiba! Me and Shikamaru can't take that much credit! After all, it was a team effort!"
"An effort that only existed because you took control of the situation! If you hadn't been there, I might have seriously just focused on saving myself in my panic!" Ino admitted. Sakura nodded, but didn't admit the same out loud.
Sasuke tilted his head in acknowledgment. "Not only that, Naruto, but you're the one who took charge and got us organized in a way that made the best use of our abilities when we started heading towards the shelters in the first place."
"Yeah! Without that, we would have just been attacking blindly, exhausting ourselves and only making it angrier until we collapsed and it ate us! Face it, man! Right now, we owe you our lives! All of us!" Kiba added.
Naruto blushed lightly and rubbed the back of his head. He got a lot of praise from his dad and Jiraiya during training, but he wasn't used to getting it from many people outside his family.
"Guys, while we have time, shouldn't we get back to the shelter?" Sakura asked.
Naruto nodded as some of his clones brought the younger kids back out of hiding, collecting himself. Back in his serious, "Commander-Mode", Naruto turned to face the others. "Right! Back in formation, people! Let's move on, just like we were before we encountered the titan!"
Everyone nodded and went back into the previous formation, with Sakura and the trackers leading them to the inner sanctum of the village. All felt nervous but at the same time reassured. They'd done the impossible. Together, they killed a titan and while still in the academy. But as they headed to safety, what each of them wondered was, when the time came, when they really needed it, would lightning strike twice?
To Be Continued...
And that's another new fic down. Next one might be up today if I get lucky enough. Shaka and peace-out, readahs!