[Started on March 7, 2021]
[22:45 hours, Philippines]
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=== (Guest Review reply) ===
Reply to another review from Guest Reviewer "Soul":
Don't worry about it, man; take your time, and you're welcome!
=== (Game of Gods) ===
Pre-dawn on the day of the attack of Trost…
"Erwin, glad you could meet me."
"I trust Levi, and Levi trusts you."
"He's a brother to me. It's to be expected."
"Yes, well, he said you had something to discuss."
"Yes. It's about today and your mission outside the walls."
"You know about it?"
"Levi, me, brothers, remember?"
"I suppose that's as clear an answer from you as any. What of it?"
"Today. An attack will come today. Let my regiment handle it."
"An attack?"
"Titans."
"I see… And how do you know this?"
"Let's just say that I'm begging you to trust Levi and me."
"He knows?"
"No. But he will when it happens."
"And you?"
"You have your mission, Erwin. I have my own. We'll be working closely with the Garrison Regiment. I have troops stationed at each of the four districts."
"You're only one—"
"One man, yes. So is Levi. Trust me. Trust the Shadows."
"Fine. But I'm turning back if I deem it necessary."
"I'm counting on it."
=== Chapter Five: Battle of Trost District (I) ===
The Trost district, like all the other districts, is surrounded by two walls. One wall circumvents it, surrounds it. The other wall is the rear wall which is part of the main wall of Wall Rose.
BOOM!
This rear wall overlooking the Trost District is where one Naruto Uzumaki and one Satsuki Uchiha stand.
BOOM!
Naruto watches as the team manning the cannons are knocked away by a powerful gush of steam while the gate bellow is blown, or more precisely, kicked into debris that flattens houses, whilst crushing men, women, and children alike. More importantly, however, he watches as the team and the few others with them manage to stop their fall with two members being recruits of Shadow Legion basing on their black shirts.
"What I wouldn't give to have a byakugan right now," he mutters. "Satsuki, who are they?"
Satsuki pulls out a piece of folded paper and reads it. "Eren and his team…"
One recruit is knocked unconscious however prompting one of the newest Shadows to drop her hooks, run down the wall, and save him by using one hook to pierce through his leg and another to hold them up.
"… and Sasha—one of our newest recruits… along with Connie, from the looks of it." She says while holding a spyglass
"Where the fuck did that come from?"
Satsuki smirks as she keeps her spyglass. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she says with a wink. "It can't see through things, but it's sure handy when looking for things in the distance."
"Remind me to make a seal that can potentially copy the byakugan's powers to a spyglass, then," Naruto says while still looking at the kids hanging by their wires.
The blonde's brows raise in amusement as the other Shadow flings himself towards the Colossal Titan. "Eren, huh?" Naruto thinks to himself. "Satsuki, what's Shikamaru's status?"
POP! PWISH!
A black smoke canister flies into the sky trailing black smoke, courtesy of Satsuki.
In the distance behind Wall Rose, another black smoke trail rises.
"We'll have reinforcements later this afternoon. They're gearing up now," the Uchiha says while glancing at the rear.
Naruto takes a glance too and nods. "You wanna stay here and help the kids or go find Pixis?"
"Please," Satsuki scoffs as she stands and walks over to the edge. "You know how much of a handful they are." And with that, she leaps off down below. "And I trained them more than you did! Your turn now, honey!"
Naruto snorts in return. "Make sure you bring him some good booze!" He watches as Satsuki lands and mounts her horse before riding away. "And why do you have to call me honey?" He mumbles to himself.
Turning back around, Naruto's brow twitches.
"I missed what happened with that Big-old Titan! FUCK!" He takes in a breath. Calming himself, he pops his neck and smiles. "Well, screw it. Let's have some fun!" And with that, he jumps forward and into the fray.
=== (Game of Gods) ===
Sometime later, Satsuki Uchiha marches into a nobleman's manor surrounded by a lake just in time to see Commander Pixis getting stopped by the persistent nobleman begging the commander in charge of Trost District to stay and save him.
"What a fucking annoying and pitiful sight," Satsuki surmises. "Commander, Pixis," she calls out getting everyone's attention. "I suggest we make our way now. Commander Naruto is dealing with Trost District as we speak, and my reinforcements are on their way."
"Ohohoho," Pixis laughs, "Commander Satsuki. You'll be riding with us, then?"
The noble, however, chooses to interrupt. "Pixis—GUH!" only for his body to split in half.
"Oh my…" Pixis frowns at the sight. "And here I was just enjoying the chess game we had."
Satsuki, for her part, sends a glare to the now-cowering servants of the now-dead nobleman. "Don't worry. Our strategist and logistics expert said he was looking for a new opponent," she replies as she flicks some of the blood off her blade before wiping it with cloth and sheathing it.
"You Shadows truly are fearsome," Pixis comments. "But, if Commander Naruto is there, I suppose we cannot dillydally any longer," he smiles. He looks to his two assistants and with a sharp authoritative voice, commands, "We ride at full gallop! Move! Not unless you want to miss all the fun!"
Satsuki, for her part, pays attention to the servants. "I'll give you a chance to live. Work for us, or get lost and never speak of this again, or die."
"W-we'll work for you! Ma'am!"
"Good," Satsuki says in a tone that shows arrogance, but rightfully so. After all, "if you choose to betray us, trust me, we won't kill you, but we will make you suffer. You will watch your families burn, be fed their corpses, and your bones shattered with your tongues cut out and you will be left on the streets for dead. Are we clear?"
"Y-yes, ma'am."
"Good. Now, clean this place up."
The servants look to each other before looking back to question their orders… only to find no one there?
=== (Game of gods) ===
Mikasa Ackerman flies through the air and slices a Titan down just in time for it not to come crashing down on civilians still trying to evacuate—wait… "Still trying to evacuate?" Mikasa's mind questions as her eyes grow hollow and her features… darken at the situation. "Why…" she lets out, "why are you still here?"
Before anyone can answer, a cold, and very heavy feeling befalls all who are present.
"Satsuki and I trained you better than this, Mikasa."
All eyes, especially those of the now arriving Garrison Regiment, land on the man talking from a nearby rooftop.
A blonde man with blue eyes stares down at the plebs. He wears a black hooded cloak with his hood pulled down showing his cold stare in all its glory. "Oi."
"Y-yes!" one of the plebians answers.
"My student asked you a question."
"It-it's them!" The civilian points towards the big cart that not only blocks the gate but also looks to be near its breaking point with how heavy a load it's carrying.
"I see," the man says and his cold gaze goes to Mikasa. "Ackerman. Next time, do not hesitate."
"What—"
In an instant, Naruto appears before her and says, "You say you're strong." He motions for her to follow him as he walks towards the cart where a fat nobleman tries to stop him, if only barely. "You are, but," he pauses and sends a kick to the man's nuts with a very satisfying quench making all men and boys present subconsciously reach for their manhood. "When compared to me, you are too soft," he pauses again, this time walking past the now prone man and stopping in front of the cart. "When compared to me," he pulls his fist back, "you are too weak," and in an instant, upon contact with the cart, his fist blows the cart to smithereens.
All the noble's goons look at him in fear. No… even those who have nothing to do with the noble, look at him in fear.
"Are you all going to sit there or do you want to get out and away from the titans?" Naruto casually asks.
Not a moment later, the crowd rushes past him and towards relative safety.
"Com-commander Naruto," a skinny blonde man in the Garrison Regiment's uniform stutters out making all present Garrison members stare at the blonde in renewed awe, fear, and now whispers.
"Ian Dietrich," Naruto greets with a tilt of his head. "Rico is close by, then?"
"Y-yes, sir."
Naruto nods. "And that useless scaredy-ass-bitch, Kitz?"
"He-he's… trying to boost the morale of the men back in the garrison tower, sir."
The air almost freezes.
Almost.
"He's WHAT?!"
"HE-HE'S BACK IN THE GARRISON TOWER! SIR!"
Not a moment later, the ground Naruto stands on doesn't crack. Oh no. Noooo, no, no, no, no, no!
It shatters.
"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT THE MAN, WHO IS SO FUCKING EASY TO SCARE, IS THERE IN THE TOWER… TRYING TO WHAT?! BOOST THE MORALE OF THE MEN?! HE WILL DO NOTHING BUT DEMOLORIZE THE MEN THERE!"
"My apologies, Commander Naruto," Ian dares to speak, "but Commander Pixis was overruled in this selection."
"Satsuki!" Naruto looks to his side.
Only to see… no one…
"GOD FUCKING DAMMIT I FORGOT I SENT HER TO GET PIXIS!"
"S-sir?"
The blonde commander's head snaps forward and his eyes lock onto the tower in the distance.
"Mikasa!" Naruto commands.
On instinct alone, the girl in question salutes him as if she were back to being a trainee. "S-sir!"
"With me."
"Y-yes, sir!"
"Ian," Naruto says, but this time, his voice is much more level than his earlier outburst. "Get yourself and your men up those walls. I want canons up there yesterday. Wait for a Shadow Commander or an ANBU agent," he says while ignoring the widening eyes of Ian Dietrich at the mention of the word 'ANBU'. "Reinforcements will be coming soon," he finishes.
Ian, to his credit, answers professionally. "Understood, sir!" He then turns to those under his command and says, "Listen up! You may not know who he is, but I know you all know the names of the founders of the Shadow Regiment! Let me tell you now! Obey their orders until Commander Pixis arrives, and you will survive! Understood?!"
"Sir! Yes! Sir!"
As the rest of the Garrison regiment attached to Ian's elite team zoom off and onto the walls, Mikasa Ackerman stares at the man before her.
"Something on your mind, Ackerman?" Naruto asks as he begins walking. "Speak freely. You're no longer a Shadow Trainee. We can speak as equals now if you so wish."
"No, sir."
Naruto sighs. "This is why I didn't want to teach. You'll all end up calling me 'Sir'. Please, try and lessen it. We're just around the same age range."
"Understood s—"
Naruto sends a glare her way.
"Understood… Naruto."
"Good," Naruto smiles. If Mikasa never trained under him, his shifting mood would have definitely thrown her off. "Now, let's walk."
"Walk?"
"Yes. Rushing in won't change anything," the blonde explains. "And your friends, well, you only really had two, but you gained two more in the forms of Sasha and Annie. They'll all live. Trust me."
"B-but Armin didn't have you as a teacher!"
"No," Naruto agrees, "but his intelligence is what will help him to survive."
=== (Game of Gods) ===
In the forests within Wall Rose, tens of men, women, and young teens gear up in a uniform outside of those used by the regular Military.
They wear black toe-less high-cut sandal-like boots, with black cargo pants tucked into their boot's cuffs. On their torso is a gray armoured vest worn over black shirts and black sleeveless shirts which vary for each individual. On their forearms are gray forearm guards, and on the left shoulders of the men and right shoulders of the women is a red tattoo showing their affiliation. And lastly, on their faces are white porcelain masks in the shapes of animals that have different coloured patterns on each of them.
As for their visible weapons, they have a chokuto sheathed onto the back to their right shoulder and two more tanto sheathed into the back of their lower waist.
ANBU.
Handpicked by Naruto Uzumaki, Satsuki Uchiha, and also by the man in the background keeping the Shadow Regiment running, Shikamaru Nara, these men, women, and even a few teens, are members of the underworld criminal empires who were offered a better life and a chance for a better future.
While most ANBU agents are spies, the ones assembled in this place are the warriors and assassins of the organization.
"Kakashi," A voice calls out as the galloping of hooves greets their ears.
Not a second later, a man in uniform and with silver gravity-defying hair appears with a white dog mask over his face just before the horse and its rider. Instead of bucking its rider off, the horse simply circles the man while slowing to a trot.
"Satsuki," the man greets in return to his summons. "We saw the black smoke. I've sent riders to Hanabi and Sakura's teams. Neji and Tenten will meet us on the walls. We're also almost finished. Our new batch of cloaks just arrived."
"Good," Satsuki positions her horse to face back into the direction of Trost District. "How many have assembled?"
"Shikamaru is sending only eighty men," Kakashi replies.
"That's perfectly doable," Satsuki says before looking towards the soon-to-be darkening noon sky. "Mount up! Conserve your chakra! We have one hell of a battle waiting for us. Hyah!" Her horse gallops onward, and soon, into the fray.
=== (Next time) ===
"Chapter Six: Battle of Trost District (II)"
Please leave a review!
Reviews will be replied to. User reviews via PM, and Guest reviews via A/N like the last chapter.
[Finished on March 9, 2021]
[10:53 hours, Philippines]
[Proofread on March 9, 2021]
[11:23 hours, Philippines]
