[Started on January 25, 2021]

[11:02 hours, Philippines]


Replies to USER reviews have been sent via Private Message (PM).

Reply to the only guest reviewer (so far): Thank you very much! I tried my best to come with something different from many others as I always look to see if I can come up with original ideas. Thankfully, this is as original as fanfiction allows writers to make. My thanks for your other points, too! As for the twin thing, well, I just needed something to trigger a divine intervention scenario. It is a "Game of Gods" after all.


=== (Game of Gods) ===

"Father," a blonde-haired man mutters from inside a cell. "Please… watch over my son." His clothes are tattered and dirty, his face is bruised and bleeding. "Do not let these monsters win." In front of him lies his wife, a crimson-haired woman. Her body is bruised, naked, and now… cold as the warmness of life is no more. "Let my son…"

"Minato Namikaze! Get up! Your sentencing is now!"

"Let him live."

"Oi! What's wrong with him? Is he mumbling?"

"Let him be retribution."

"No idea. His wife was a good fuck though."

"Save our people, Naruto."

"Dude, I think you broke him."

"Take back what is rightfully ours."

"I broke his wife, that's for sure! HAHAHAAHAHA!"

"Win this Game of Gods."


=== (Chapter Two: Cadets) ===

A hawk circles the sky and it cries as the nine-o-clock sun beats down on the newly assembled recruits.

"Attention!" A man strides forward on a raised wooden platform. "The 104th Cadet Corps Class entrance ceremony will now begin!" He is then flanked by a blonde-haired man and a black-haired woman. "You have the misfortune of having me, Keith Shadis, as your commandant!" His hollow eyes scan the field of assembled recruits. "Beside me are also your two special commandants! Naruto Uzumaki, and Satsuki Uchiha!"

The pair of commandants mentioned grin as they too eye the recruits.

"We do not welcome you warmly!" Keith continues. "In your current state, you are nothing but Titan feed! Livestock! LESS than livestock!"

Naruto and Satsuki drop to ground level as they continue to eye their recruits, their grins sending shivers up the recruits' spines.

"Over the next three years, we will be training you useless shits and teach you how to fight Titans! Then! When that is done! Will you still be fodder?! Will you live as an honourable barrier to protect the king?!"

Naruto holds in his amused snort as he locks eyes with a random recruit who fidgets at his stare.

"Or! Will you be a glorious soldier for humanity that drives the Titans out?!" Keith then looks down at the first row of recruits and shouts, "It's up to you to decide!"

"Yes, I'll be the one…" a boy with brown hair thinks after hearing those words. "I will drive out every last Titan!"

SMACK! A male recruit doubles over after Satsuki sends a punch to his gut. "Pay attention, cadet!"

The commotion grabs the attention of everyone present. Unfortunately for the recruit, that means that it also grabs the attention of one Naruto Uzumaki.

"Explain yourself, Satsuki," the blonde commands

"Little bastard thought he could take a glance at my chest," she replies as if it was the most mundane thing in the world.

Naruto nods in understanding before looking at Keith who, too, nods. "Then let us proceed," the blonde says to his childhood friend.

Satsuki's nod is all he needs.

"Recruits! Attention!"

"SIR!"

"I will give you one tip to survive today! Eyes front! No flinching! Do NOT meet our gaze! And reply with "Sir, yes, sir" when you are asked a yes or no question! Understood?!"

"SIR! YES! SIR!"

Keith Shadis, the permanently attached commandant to the 104th training corps, nods his head in thanks to the blonde before he walks over to the first row and begins his… "interview" (intimidation) with the recruits. Done via scaring them with his hollowed-look and shouting. Lots of shouting.

While the indoctrination is taking place, Naruto and Satsuki head back up to the raised wooden platform and whisper amongst themselves.

"So, was he really staring at your chest?"

"Hey; medium is premium. That and I caught his eyes."

"Good," Naruto fails to hide his smile which just so happens to be the moment Keith interrogates a random recruit. "at least you're not a complete ass."

"Oh please," the Uchiha rolls her eyes. "As if you don't enjoy my sass."

"I said ass, but both are true too."

"Pervert."

They then hear Keith command, "First row! About-face!"

"So, anyway," the Uzumaki starts, "who did you spot while we were in Keith's office?"

"Later. I don't want to be pointing making them question us."

Nodding in understanding, Naruto changes his question. "Okay then. How many did you see?"

"Second row! About-face!"

Satsuki does her best not to sigh in disappointment. "Honestly? Not much. In fact, I can personally pick five. And that's already stretching it."

"Damn," Naruto muses a frown. "That's pretty low."

Keith begins to interrogate a boy by the name of Armin Arlert.

"Tell me about it. Very few even have the look to serve as Scouts. How much more as Shadows?" Satsuki then crosses her arms as she and Naruto continue their conversation while still looking at the trainees. She and Naruto give small amused smirks as Keith practically twists the boy while commanding the third row to about-face in full synchronization.

Off to the side, two men of different ages walk down the dirt road.

"Look at them," the older of the two, a man wearing glasses, and whose hair seems to be white with age, speaks. "You went through the same thing when you were a cadet, didn't you?"

The younger man, who has what can be described as dirty-blonde hair, replies with a pained smile, "This takes me back." He then notices Keith shouting towards a girl with black pigtails hanging on the front. "What's all that intimidation for?"

"It's a rite of passage," the older man smiles. "Through the use of self-denial, we revert to a blank slate, then mould them into proper soldiers." He continues as Keith continues his intimidation. "This is necessary."

"Fourth row, about-face!"

The younger man's eyebrows raise in curiosity as he voices his thoughts. "There are some that he's not talking to."

"It's unnecessary for those who have been through their rite of passage," the older man explains. "They most likely witnessed the hell that took place two years ago." He looks at those Keith ignores and says, "They have a different look on their face." He looks forward and says with a satisfied tone, "Well then, let's go—"

"Hey wait," the younger man says making the older man pause. "Who are they?"

It is here that the older man's eyes widen at seeing the duo atop the raised platform still talking amongst themselves. A duo of a man and woman, both in brown military cloaks, but instead of the white shirt and white pants, they wear all-black.

His answer comes as a whisper. "The Shadow Regiment."

A whisper that the younger man is completely clueless about. "Sir?"

"I'm sure you've heard about a new branch established in the military two months ago," the old man says with a frown as he watches the woman gives a nod to the boy. "They are the ones who founded it."

The boy walks down from the platform as Keith Shadis stares at a girl eating a potato.

"Let's go. It's better if you remain ignorant of their existence."

"Sir?"

"Leave the matter be." He glances as the blonde commander places a hand on Keith's shoulder. "You can do your own digging. I've said enough."

The two men leave, both are unaware of a certain woman's gaze following them ever so subtly from her perch atop the raised platform. Said woman returns her gaze towards her partner in command who talks very calmly to the potato girl

"So, Sasha Braus," Naruto says with his gentle smile. "Did you enjoy the potato?"

"Yes…" she swallows her spit. "Sir, yes, sir!" Meanwhile, her thoughts are too jumbled as she notices his smile. His ever so gentle smile.

"Good," Naruto says and nods towards Keith who sighs and nods back. "Now," he turns back to face her. "Run twenty laps around this entire camp, and add one for each lap you slow down."

"Sir?"

At this, Naruto's face hardens. "Did I stutter, recruit?"

"N-No, sir!"

"Then move it!"

Sasha bolts from her spot to begin her laps. She will try, and she will fail, to keep the number at twenty.

"Listen up!" Naruto calls out to the rest of the cadets. "Until you graduate, or until you leave, I am NOT your friend! You will either learn to love me, or you will despise me!" He begins to walk around as the main commandant backs away letting him speak his piece. "I don't care! If you think I'm treating you unfairly, look around! This is the military! Not Hero school! Do as you're told, obey the rules, and don't piss me off! Do that, and I will treat you like a human being." He pauses his stride in front of a girl with long black hair and a red scarf around her neck. "No exceptions!" He moves on. "Sasha! I said run! Not jog! Add two laps!"

The rest of the recruits flinch as Sasha's reply of "sir, yes, sir" reaches them.

"Did you all just flinch?!"

"Sir! Yes! Sir!"

"Honesty! Good!" Naruto nods ignoring the few choosing not to answer. "All of you! Join Sasha with fifteen laps after Commander Keith is done with you! Are we clear?!"

"Sir! Yes! Sir!"

"Good! If you lied, I'd make you do forty!"

A few recruits' eyes widen in horror, but this time Naruto pays no heed.

Instead, Keith Shadis continues his interrogation as Naruto walks over to a boy with faded blonde hair who stands a head or so taller than him. He looks him over once… before just leaving. The taller boy, for one, shivers at how casually Naruto decided to just walk away. His eyes widen as Naruto walks over to an even taller man with black hair.

Yet it is no different than the last and the blonde walks away.

Both boys' eyes widen as Naruto approaches a girl with blonde hair, around his height, if only slightly shorter than him, and slightly taller than Satsuki. An act Satsuki notices from atop her perch.

Nodding, Naruto commands, "Name."

"Annie Leonhart, Sir."

"Up front, stand at attention facing your brothers and sisters. Move." Whether or not Annie is confused is unknown as her face shows no change what-so-ever while Naruto does not even wait for her to move as he makes his way to another person.

A short boy with brown hair.

Like the last, Naruto commands, "Name."

"Eren Yaeger, Sir."

"Up front. Beside Annie, move."

Eren does as told for the simple reason of not incurring any more punishments even though he is as confused as he is obsessed with killing titans.

Naruto repeats the process twice more. Unfortunately, both times yield the same outcome as the first two. This time, however, his third time after Eren Yaeger, he stops in front of the girl with long black hair and a red scarf. "Name," he commands.

"Mikasa Ackerman, Sir."

"Up front, beside Eren."

The girl does as she is instructed; and whether or not she is confused is unknown, for like Annie before her, she shows no signs of confusion on her face.

Naruto moves a few more rounds as Keith finishes with the last row. The blonde sighs in disappointment and then glances at Shadis with a nod before he heads to the front.

"Alright! You remember Naruto's instructions! Fifteen laps! For each lap you slow down! Add one more! Move!"

The recruits begin their run as Naruto now stands before the three recruits he called to the front. "Do you know why I called you here?"

"Sir, no, sir!" The three teens chorus.

"It's because out of everyone who flinched," Naruto explains with a grin as he looks each of them in the eye, "you three didn't." He shrugs a small 'meh' before continuing. "There are other reasons, of course." This time, Satsuki walks over to stand beside him. "But those reasons shall remain private. In the meanwhile, go join the laps. In the military, unless you're a one-man army, teamwork is the key to victory. Remember that. Now, same rules, slow down one lap, add one more. Later this evening, meet me and Satsuki at the entrance of the camp. Any questions?"

The three recruits remain silent.

"Recruits! I asked you a question! Any questions?!"

"Sir! No! Sir!"

"Good! Now move! Move! Move!"

The three of them quickly join their fellow recruits before Naruto decides to change their punishments to something harsher.

"Naruto, we still have time," Satsuki says with a pat on the blonde's shoulder. "There's the training camp where Neji is stationed. Or, if you want, we can check in on Tenten. She said she's working on some new weapons that she says you might enjoy. And I'm personally curious about them too."

Naruto hums, but he smiles as Keith Shadis steps up to them. "I take it, you would have done things differently, Mister Shadis?"

"To be fair, Sir Uzumaki," Keith says with that iconic hollow look, "this was… the first time I've ever encountered someone like Sasha Braus."

"Ha!" Naruto grins. "I suppose that is fair."

Sighing, Keith continues, "I take it you'll be heading elsewhere now?"

"Quite so. It was fun." Naruto waves as he walks away and instead of finishing his thoughts, Satsuki does it for him and says, "Unfortunately, as a young military branch, we have much to do if we wish to become independent from the Scouts," she explains. "And so, Naruto and I must get to work immediately." She bows a slight incline as thanks to the man before she and Naruto head off.

=== (Game of Gods) ===

The evening sun begins to set as one Sasha Braus still continues her laps. Beside her are a few other girls and boys who also choose to continue. In the distance, a cart packed full of recruits makes its way out of the camp.

"Are those the drop-outs?" One Connie Springer asks as he rubs and stretches his leg muscles to help them relax.

"Yeah," one Reiner Braun nods as he stretches the leg muscles of one Eren Yaeger. "apparently they didn't think that the first day would be spent running laps around the whole training ground as a simple punishment for a simple flinch." His mind then adds, "Neither did we. Damn special commandant."

"I don't really care so long as it helps me kill Titans," Eren says with a glare making everyone look around him give him looks of concern. However, before anyone around him can voice their thoughts, a new voice cuts in.

"Eren," comes the voice of Mikasa Ackerman. "It's time. Annie's already on her way."

"Well," Eren gets up and grins. "I guess it's better to be early or on time than to have him dish out punishments again."

And so, the two teens make their way to the entrance of the training camp leaving confused faces behind. They catch up with Annie on the way up the dirt road, and upon arrival…

They see no one.

"Boo."

The now three teens freeze.

If this were any other situation, Eren would have jumped and looked comical while doing it… but this is not any other situation.

No, the three teens freeze in place as they each feel a chill run down their spines. A heavy pressure weighs each of them down making it hard for them to even breathe. The cool night air does little to help. Just as it is hard for them to swallow with blades resting on their throats.

"Huh," Naruto's voice comes from behind. "Looks like Satsuki was right. You guys are weak." And like just that, the pressure lifts, and the blades to their throats vanishes.

"W-What was… that?"

Naruto blinks. "That's surprising," he muses as he eyes the blonde girl. To think that Annie Leonhart of all people is the first to voice the question? Ha! "Intriguing." The blonde male smiles at his fellow blonde and chooses to answer. "That depends on who you ask." He chooses this moment to step between two of the three recruits to stand before them, still with his brown military coat. "Some call it "KI" which is short for "Killer Intent" which is the term others use…" he pauses and turns to face the three with his smile still present. "If you ask me, I call both those terms fictitious bullshit."

"B-But," Eren starts, eyes wide as he still feels the sharpness of the blade resting on his throat. A fact that helps him voice his memory. "We saw… blades to our throats…"

"And it just vanished," Mikasa completes, and while the stutter is absent in her unlike the other two, her tone is still hollow as if coming back from being introduced to Death's door.

The special commandant nods at this. "And you're wondering "where did it go", or "is it even real"… am I right?"

Replying by instinct, the three manage to stutter a chorus. "S-sir! Ye-yes! Sir!"

"The answer is fairly simple. It was an illusion."

"What?" Eren manages to utter. "Wait, so… what was that… thing that you did?"

Naruto beams. "Oh, that? Instead of needlessly calling it misguided names like KI or Killer Intent, we call it what it is," yet he explains no more.

Almost as if he dares them to ask.

Mikasa does not disappoint. "What… what do you call it?"

"Pressure."

And like that, its effects come back three-fold forcing the three recruits to their knees. This time there is no sword. This time, they see each of their shoulders and each other's backs holding up anvils.

And just like that, it vanishes as quickly as it comes.

While three recruits now sweat profusely, their breathing ragged, and their bodies… too tired to stand.

"Now, then," Naruto speaks bringing their attention back to him. "The reason I called you here is simple." He bends a knee and asks, "Do you want to know how to use it?" he locks eyes with his fellow blonde whose eyes show fear. "Do you want the power to succeed in missions?" He locks eyes with the boy whose face shows hesitation. "Do you wish to kill Titans like child's play?" He locks eyes with the scarf-wearing girl whose eyes shine with awe. "Do you wish to protect your loved ones?" And then he stands. "If you are," he helps each of them up with a smirk. "Are you willing to play the Game of Gods?"

=== (Game of Gods) ===

"So that's it?" Satsuki says with a huff and crosses her arms under her chests. "You put on a show, and then just let them go?"

Naruto gives her a sheepish smile. "Hey, they're kids, and they're sweating. They need a bath—"

"Because of your pressure," Satsuki accuses.

Her reply is an eye-roll from the blonde followed by, "Please, as if you would do it differently—"

"I would—"

"How?"

"By not threatening them, for one."

Naruto hums. A fair point… but, "That's a rather moot point now, don't ya think, miss 'I'll just watch from the trees'?"

"Whatever," the Uchiha says before walking away. "Come on, Uzumaki. Ino says she some new theories on the Titans. Hanji thinks they're an interesting thing, and both of them will debrief us with Erwin and Levi."

"Ha! Now, look at who's acting like they're older!"

"I am old—"

"OLD!" SMACK! "Ooooowww…" Naruto rubs his now bruised cheek and pouts. "That hurt—"

"I know."

"Spank me, mommy."

Satsuki freezes. Her face glows red in the dark night, and she turns to Naruto with one thought on her mind. A thought that she also voices out loud. "I guess I can see why Sakura always hits you…"

Naruto's eyes widen. "Eh?" And as if knowing his earlier words unleashed an untamed beast… he makes a dash for safety.

"LISTEN HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

"HA! SAYS THE SHORTER—WHOAH! HEY! NO FIREBALLS!"

"I'LL SHOW YOU NO FIREBALLS!"

"SATSUKI! THE FOREST! THE FOREST! THE—OI! NO LIGHTNING! THAT'S CHEATING! NO CHAKRA!"

And so, one woman can be seen chasing a boy throughout the city, while the boy in question laughs it all away, the tension of playing the "strict military leader" vanishing completely showing the boy for what he really is—a boy forced to mature faster he should due to the times.

Well, mature as much as possible while retaining some child-like behaviours, at least.


=== (Next Time: Chapter Three: Shadow Regiment; Training) ===


Just a reminder and IMPORTANT Author's Note:

Character ages have been adjusted and we won't be following the manga. This next sentence is both for you and me so that I don't forget: My first idea for the next chapter was to be the battle for Shingashina District, but I decided to move it to another chapter.

Also, none of you asked this yet, but I'll say it now. Yes, Naruto and Naruto-verse characters can use chakra BECAUSE of this "Game of Gods". I'll explain why in future chapters.

As for pairings?

Whatever feels natural to me when I write. Harem? If it feels natural, sure. Cheating? If it feels natural. Rape? If it feels natural. Controversial? Definitely. But there would not be as many good stories as there are now if writers just stuck with what society finds acceptable. Anything, and everything, is on the table. Yes, even one-sided relationships, open relationships, fluctuating relationships, and whatever.

This is NOT a romantic project. This is a project that I found to be original enough to give it a try.

That said, I hope you enjoyed and will continue to enjoy this work of mine.

Cheers!


[Finished on January 29, 2021]

[01:04 hours, Philippines]


PS: Currently working on a Discord Channel for anyone interested. I still can't get it right so you'll have to wait for a while. Still, it's in the works.


[Proofread on January 29, 2021]

[11:40 hours, Philippines]