Welcome back everybody! I hope you enjoyed the previous chapter, introducing one of the main characters that needs a background in this world of Shingeki no Kyojin. This next chapter is officially Chapter 1 - Tears of the Fallen

Enjoy!


Then, said sixty metre wall was suddenly blasted apart. And all hell broke loose.

(A few minutes earlier)

On the bank of the river in the middle of Shiganshina, three little children sat side by side contemplating their thoughts. If one were to look, the group each had striking differences both in looks and personalities. Such a mismatched group was also very hard to miss.

The only female in the group sat to the right. Her soft features inherited from an Asian descent along with the dark eyes and even darker jet black hair that she inherited from her mother. Even though her father had seemed ordinary inside the walls, the girl and her mother were set aside into a small group known as the Orientals. Her face was set stoically, almost devoid of emotion to those that did not know her well enough to differentiate her moods. This girl was the most physically capable and talented one in the trio. An ever-present trait of hers was the red scarf that she refused to be without, ever since receiving it the previous year.

To the left of the group was a small, fragile looking child that was evidently smaller than the other two and was often mistaken as a girl. Yet, the logic and sheer intellect possessed by this boy was far greater than the other two combined and was the reason they always trusted his decisions. His large blue eyes practically shone with whatever emotion the little one decided to express and a large bob of platinum blond hair sat comfortably upon his head.

In the middle of the group was dark brunette with startling green eyes that were filled with a sea of determination, yet he also the most stubborn of the group that rushed into any situation head first regardless of whether or not he was capable of handling it. This bull-headed stubbornness was both incredibly risky yet admirable all the same.

These three were Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert and Eren Yeager. Right now however, none of them were smiling.

"Why were those three after you like that?" Eren growled angrily as he chucked a stone into the water. He was referring to an incident earlier where he and Mikasa had come rushing to Armin's aid after they had caught sight of three older boys practically pummeling their small friend.

The green eyed boy hated bullies. In a way they were like the titans outside the walls, terrifying the weak to keep them in place. Eren clenched the stone in his hand. Why did nobody else realize that all of humanity was just living like sheep inside a pen? Or like birds in a birdcage? Those bullies were no better, instead of uniting everyone for a common goal they were instead creating divisions among humans.

"Well, they were saying how they were content in sitting around within the walls when I told them that humanity had to go outside someday. That's when they hit me, calling me a heretic as well." Armin explained as he watched the water flowing in the river.

"What the hell!? They got angry just because you want to go outside!" Eren raged. That was another stupid notion that these people inside the walls possessed. Why would they want to stop going outside? Not only that, but they continually discouraged those who did? Eren really wished those boys hadn't run away, it would have been nice to teach them a lesson.

"Well, life's been very peaceful inside these walls for the past hundred years or so." Armin started to explain. "And people are very scared of letting 'them' in. That, and the King and the royal government declared any interest in the outside world as taboo long ago."

Eren scoffed. "That king is just a coward then."

At Eren's reply the blonde boy cupped a hand to his chin in thought. "Yes, you may be right… but is that the only reason?" he pondered out loud.

Eren grit his teeth again. "Why should he even care? It's our lives we risk so it's our own business."

At this Mikasa turned her head to face Eren and broke her silence. "I don't think so. You should just forget it. It's not happening."

Armin looked at Mikasa in confusion while the green eyed boy spun around to glare at her.

"Oh yeah Mikasa, why did you have to tell on me earlier!" Eren demanded. He wasn't angry, just irritated. Very irritated.

The black haired girl turned to face the river. "I never said I would cooperate in the first place."

The small blond then nudged his friend to try and divert his attention. "So Eren, how did it go?" He asked timidly.

Eren sighed as he dropped his head. "Well, they weren't exactly happy about it."

"I can imagine that." Armin replied.

Eren's head snapped up once again at the tone and looked at Armin with something akin to betrayal. "Oi, Are you against me too Armin!?"

Armin put up his arms in a gesture to calm down. "Well it's dangerous, but I understand what you are trying to do. But I'm really wondering why people believe that the walls will protect us forever if we stay within them. I mean, the walls haven't been broken in over a hundred years, but there's no guarantee that it won't happen today. But still…"

Armin was interrupted by a sudden yet powerful and resounding rumble that caused buildings everywhere to tremble. The loud sound had echoed every where loudly and shook the very ground they stood on.

The three bewildered children glanced at each other in surprise. "What was that?" Eren asked with wide eyes, seeking answers from his smarter companions. Eren never felt jealous of them, just that he needed them for a lot of things. This was one of them.

"Follow me, those people are pointing at something and we can't see what it is over these houses." Armin instructed as he took off towards the street.

Both Mikasa and Eren followed their friend unquestioningly as he led them towards the streets. They never doubted his reliability, hence why both were surprised when they saw him freeze upon reaching his destination.

"Armin what happened? What's… wrong…" Eren didn't need Armin to answer him. The massive hand that gripped the top of the wall was answer enough, followed by the most horrifying head that all of them would probably ever come across in their lives..

"N-no way." Eren stuttered as he stared at the sight. "T-that wall's sixty metres high! No titan should be that big!"

Just as the words were uttered, what wall there was in front of the Colossal Titan exploded inwards due to its brute force, showering the entirety of the Shiganshina district with oversized chunks of rock.

The shockwave alone completely demolished everything that happened to be within a few hundred metres from the point of impact, sending both houses and people flying sky high.

Still staring stupefied at the scene, Eren and Armin could do nothing other than watch. Always being the most alert of the three, Mikasa had already figured out the impending danger and proceeded to grab both boys by their shirt collars. She barely managed to haul them back into the alley to take cover, when a strong blast of air forcefully swept the other people off the street. The trio huddled together against the building in fear as deadly debris rained down mercilessly from the sky.

Once the chaos calmed down the three ten year olds ventured back out into the street to see a sight that was potentially even more terrifying than the giant head.

"H-he breached the wall! He let the titans in!" Armin yelled in horror as a wave of the most horribly disfigured creatures ever known to mankind began pouring in through the gaping hole in the wall. The small boy turned quickly as he prepared to run through to the back of Shiganshina, where the majority of the people were sure to be evacuating by now.

The blond had already broken into a run when he realized that his two friends weren't following him. Turning back, he noticed Eren staring off to a part of town that was relatively close to the wall with Mikasa looking at the green eyed boy questioningly. She obviously wasn't going anywhere without him.

"My house is over there. Mom, she's still in there." Eren said worriedly before rushing towards the wall.

Mikasa's eyes widened at the realization before taking off after Eren.

"Hey… guys…" Armin reached out a shaking hand after them, torn between his own safety and that of his friends. The blond then did what he always would do, choose the logical choice and escape with his life. He loved his friends, but they would make it back. He believed that much. However if he went with them, he might not make it back at all. He wasn't like them in that way. With that mindset Armin turned and rushed towards the ships.

Meanwhile Eren was rushing frantically towards his house, hoping for the best. Despite the fact that a large amount of debris had been kicked up, literally, he was hoping that his mother hadn't gotten hit and was on her way to the boats. She had to be!

Eren was running faster than he ever had before in his life and he barely noticed all the other houses and people that he passed, all crushed by some large rock. The green eyed boy tried to convince himself that his mother would be alright, once they turned the corner they would see their house like they always did, sitting tall and proud.

Behind him Mikasa was just as anxious as she charged after Eren. Unlike the green eyed boy however, she was more aware of the surrounding danger and was constantly keeping an eye out for any approaching titans. It wouldn't do if they were eaten or stepped on while on their way to Carla.

Eren was too focused on turning the corner that he didn't even notice the approaching golden blur until it had crashed into him. Both of them were sent tumbling to the ground from the force of the impact. The brown haired boy groaned in pain as he clutched his aching ribs, the violent roll on the ground had hurt a lot. Not only that, whatever had collided into him had been moving at quite a speed as well.

"Eren!" Mikasa cried out worriedly as she dropped down next to him to help him up.

"I'm fine Mikasa." Eren reassured her as he stood up shakily to see what had crashed into him.

It was another boy which Eren had seen from time to time around the orphanage that was near to their home. Eren recognized him immediately as the other boy's distinct features were unforgettable after all. "Naruto!" he called out.

"Eren?" the boy asked unsurely before his eyes widened and he turned towards the orphanage with a frightened visage. "The titans…" he whispered before he took off like a bullet towards the orphanage.

Looking after him Eren and Mikasa could see why he was in such a rush; half of the enormous five storey orphanage had been blown apart. But they couldn't understand why he would rush back there. All the children would have been evacuated by the caretakers by now. There was also the matter that the boy was incredibly fast, probably even more than double their top speed.

But they had no time to worry about such matters when their eyes caught sight of their own home next to the orphanage. The rock that seemed to have brutally taken out the orphanage building had practically flattened their house. But their eyes were riveted to the human body half buried under the collapsed building.

"Mom!" Eren yelled loudly as he rushed to her aid.

The fear that Eren felt now was greater than he had ever felt before. He may have no regard for his own safety but he simply couldn't trust other people to take care of themselves. And this was his mother, trapped under their house as titan upon titan came flooding in through the breach.

"Mikasa hurry and grab that side of the pillar! We have to lift this! Hurry!" Eren instructed desperately as he began to heave with all his might, Mikasa doing something similar.

The brown haired boy could feel the skin on his hands shredding under the strain he was putting on it, but the wooden pillar wouldn't even budge despite their efforts. "Come on, come on!" Eren yelled in exertion.

They paused in fear when a cacophony of inhuman roars sounded out from all around them and both children gazed up at the humongous heads that were visible above the rooftops of the other buildings.

"Mikasa, hurry!"

"I'm trying Eren!"

"The titans… they're in town aren't they?" Carla gasped in shocked realization. "Eren! Take Mikasa with you and run quick!" She ordered frantically.

"I want to run away already!" The green eyed boy admitted shamelessly. "But that's why you have to hurry up and come with us so we can go!" Eren cried out, tears already pouring down his face at the desperate situation.

"My legs have already been crushed beneath all this rubble, even if you got me out I can't run!" Carla argued back.

"Then I'll carry you!" Eren protested. "Mikasa hurry!"

Carla's head snapped to her son. "Eren! Why don't you ever listen to me!? You could at least obey my last wish!" She shouted in frustration. "Mikasa! Take Eren and run, please!" Carla pleaded desperately.

Mikasa on the other hand was absolutely torn; she didn't even know who to listen to anymore. She could understand what Eren was going through, but Carla was raising a very valid point.

Before any of them could reach a decision, they were silenced by slow and heavy footfalls that were drawing steadily nearer.

"No, no…" Carla whispered to herself in horror. "Mikasa take Eren and run now!"

Yet her words fell on deaf ears, for the children were too transfixed by the horrifying smile that occupied the approaching titan's face. It was one of the giants of the titan race, probably approaching fifteen metres in height.

"Help!" Eren yelled out beside all hope that someone would come to help them. He wasn't leaving without his mother. "Somebody please help us!" he yelled out again desperately as the smiling titan drew ever closer.


The very second the wall had been breached, Naruto had already been running. He didn't care about leaving Iruka behind, or Mizuki for that matter. He didn't even care if they found out his secret. This was a desperate time and with the wall breached it would take an idiot not to realize that the titans would start pouring in.

But he was no afraid. He wouldn't leave the old man alone. Hiruzen was far too important for him to lose. Yes, Hiruzen could use chakra like he could, and if he was any younger Naruto wouldn't even need to worry. But Hiruzen was already an old man who tired very easily and could hardly use anymore chakra due to his old age. Add that to the fact that Hiruzen had been training him earlier and that left one very exhausted and glaringly fragile old man, titan food to be exact. The orphanage was also far too close to the breach for his liking.

Naruto boosted chakra to his legs, unlike other training sessions he hadn't exhausted his chakra yet and still had plenty of it to use. He also didn't need to worry about anyone noticing his speed since the entire district stampeding in the opposite direction. Naruto debated whether taking to the rooftops would be a good idea but ultimately decided against it. It may have been faster but a child with his features jumping from rooftop to rooftop at breakneck speeds was bound to be remembered.

Using his honed reflexes Naruto shot through the crowd without so much as ruffling the clothes on anyone he passed. He had long since grown accustomed to dodging fast moving objects. For an old man Hiruzen sure threw rocks like they were bullets, even if the whiskered boy was sure that chakra had something to do with it. Speaking of the old man, the eleven year old was seriously hoping that Hiruzen hadn't been crushed by some of the debris he had seen flying earlier. Then again he shouldn't really be complaining about speed, he doubted anyone could beat the record time he was taking to dash through the streets of Shiganshina.

He was a little lost in thoughts again when he abruptly turned the last corner at full speed, using an arm to grip the wall and allowing his momentum to swing him around the corner and continue charging at high speed. It was only then that he noticed another obstacle a little too late and collided with it full force.

Whatever he hit was sent rolling away but at his speed, it was unavoidable that he was sent flying. His small body ended up smashing into one of the other buildings on the other side of the street. Luckily he still had had the presence of mind to coat his back with a thin layer of chakra to absorb most of the shock from the impact. He may have been seriously hurt otherwise.

The eleven year old then turned to notice what he had crashed into when it called out his name. Apparently it recognized him by name and not one of his detestable nicknames. That was new. Naruto raised an eyebrow as he stood, he could recognize that red scarf anywhere, it was the girl's signature. Said girl was tending to the fallen boy. So it was Mikasa then, and the boy he hit was, "Eren?" he asked unsurely.

He knew the Yeager boy of course, the son of the doctor that had practically healed the entirety of Shiganshina from something that had people dropping down deathly ill. For some reason only he and Hiruzen hadn't fallen ill, although Naruto had inkling as to why.

But Grisha Yeager was practically a hero within this district and Naruto had met Eren before. The brunette had assisted his father in curing the ill at the orphanage. Thus Naruto was a little worried that he had hurt the boy badly considering that Eren was clutching his ribs.

Then he suddenly remembered why he was running in the first place and turned his gaze back down the road to witness a partially destroyed orphanage. But he could also see the ominous heads of hungry titans slowly headed their way.

"The titans…"

Naruto couldn't keep his fear for the old man from showing on his face before he took off and headed straight towards the orphanage. He didn't care if the other two noticed his unnatural speed, the old man was his top priority and it was all he could think of as he rapidly closed the distance to the crushed orphanage.

He vaguely recognized the Yeager household as he passed it but he could worry about that later, the orphanage was practically falling in on itself even as he neared it and Hiruzen was probably still inside the crumbling building. Naruto was practically praying that the old man wasn't in the section of the orphanage that had been obliterated; there were enough bloodstains at what used to be the mess hall that morning and some of the bodies he passed were already unrecognizable.

"Old man!" Naruto cried out from the bottom of the stairs, rushing up them three at a time. The old man's room was on the fourth floor along with all the other caretakers and thankfully it was on the side of the orphanage not yet destroyed. But what if the old man hadn't been in his room? The whiskered boy refused to think that and instead gave silent thanks that everyone else at the orphanage seemed to have already evacuated. The place was clearly empty enough to reach that conclusion.

But did they take the old man with them? That was the million dollar question. One that was answered when his body slammed into another's on the third flight of stairs.

Naruto pushed his body of the others uttering a quick sorry when he realized just who he had collided into this time.

"Gramps you're alive!" The ten year old cried out loudly in surprise.

"The only thing that will end up killing these old bones of mine are you Naruto!" Hiruzen joked as the blond stood and lent a hand to help him up.

Naruto laughed sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. "Sorry old man."

Hiruzen then laughed before whacking Naruto on the head with his walking stick. "How many times have I told you not to call me that? Show some respect you little brat!"

Naruto was very relieved to see that the old man was still behaving like normal despite the circumstance, although Naruto could see the effort the man was making to simply go down the stairs. It worried him quite a bit considering the effort required to cross Shiganshina to the boats. Naruto then steeled his resolve; he would carry the old man if he had to.

"How are you holding up?" Naruto asked a little concerned.

Hiruzen gave a hearty laugh. "Just fine my boy!"

Both of them then froze when the sound of heavy footsteps slowly shook the unstable building, causing parts of the crumbling ceiling to cave in.

"I'll stay fine as long s this building doesn't collapse on us." Hiruzen joked as he searched around for an exit point, eyeing a certain hole in the side of the building. "Let's jump out that!" he suggested humorously to the gaping eleven year old.

"But we're almost four floors up!" Naruto protested.

Hiruzen waved him away. "Nonsense, we can apply chakra to soften our fall."

"But you haven't taught me that yet!"

"Well, no time to learn like the present!" Hiruzen joked as he grabbed Naruto and leapt out of the building. The eleven year old behind him screaming in slight panic and fun.

The whiskered boy barely managed to regain enough focus mid flight as they rapidly descended to the earth down below. The stone pavement had never looked so terrifying.

Okay, it was simple. Coat his legs in chakra. But how much chakra should he use? Too much and the ground would explode. Too little and he would break his legs. Oh well, better to be safe rather than sorry. And it wasn't like anyone would notice the hole in the pavement, what with the titans stomping all over the place.

Just as expected, the very second Naruto landed, the ground bulged for a slightly before deciding to give way to a small crater. Oh well, Naruto preferred the ground breaking rather than his legs at any point so nothing was lost.

Naruto didn't even see the walking stick before it connected with his head.

"Ouch! What was that for!?" Naruto demanded angrily as he held a hand to his head. That would surely form a bruise.

"You have no finesse at all." Hiruzen scolded lightly and pointed to the ground where he had landed, seemingly unaffected by the fall. Then he pointed at Naruto's crater. "Well done lad, you should get a job as a miner!" Hiruzen joked.

Any further conversation was abruptly halted as what was left of the orphanage finally gave way and collapsed in on itself. All the dust sent into the air then had both Naruto and Hiruzen coughing out their lungs.

"I think… I've had enough… smoke for the day…" Hiruzen coughed out.

Naruto wanted to curse at the old man so badly for making him laugh while coughing. That thing hurt. The eleven year old then realized his knees were shaking and stared at them quizzically. The impact with the ground hadn't hurt that much had it?

He was interrupted from inspecting his knees when Hiruzen tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Naruto, I think I found the reason our knees our shaking and it might be time to run." The old man advised in a near whisper.

Naruto obeyed and turned to see a sight that he would never forget. It may not be the largest he had seen so far since the one that caved in the wall was over four times as big, but this fifteen meter class was definitely more terrifying due to its proximity. He had seen the colossal titan from across Shiganshina but this one was barely a block away. Then there was that gruesome smile that was vividly etched on its face, taunting its victims before their death with its over sized rows of teeth. Its manic face was already splattered with blood, meaning it had already tasted human meat.

And it was hungry for more.

Naruto snatched Hiruzen's hand as he started running, already pumping chakra to his legs and arms, ready to bolt and carry the old man if he had to. He suddenly paused from his run when a desperate plea of help reached his ears.

"Help! Somebody please help us!"

Naturally the eleven year old could not avoid glancing to the side. His eyes widened when he caught sight of Eren and Mikasa crouched by the remains of what used to be their house.

The blond boy then focused in between the two and noticed that they were trying to lift a massive wooden pillar off of someone half buried under the house. Naruto instantly recognized Carla Yeager, Eren's mother, and he winced at the sight. That had to hurt. The whiskered boy glanced behind him and noticed the still grinning titan slowly making its way over to them. If it was going to keep coming at them at that sluggish pace they had some time.

Turning, he noticed that Hiruzen had also caught sight of the Yeager family's predicament and Naruto looked up hopefully, wondering what Hiruzen's decision would be.

"Let's go help them Naruto, they're never getting her out of there otherwise."

Without wasting anymore time, Naruto made his way over to Eren, crossing the street in seconds and prepared to leap over the rubble. He could probably lift that thing with Hiruzen's help. Naruto didn't need to look to know that Hiruzen was directly behind him.

Before they got there however a soldier hurtled past them, headed straight for the grinning titan. Carla apparently knew the man as she called out to him.

"Hannes! Take the kids and run!" they heard Carla call out.

"Don't think so poorly of me Carla!" Hannes replied as he bravely rushed past them. "It's time for me to repay my debt, and I shall do it by slaying this titan."

Naruto and Hiruzen both ignored him as the Garrison soldier shot past them. If that soldier could kill the titan then that was good, but if not then they at least had to get Carla out of there.

"Hey guys!" Naruto greeted as he crouched next to them.

"Naruto? What are you…" Eren started but didn't get to finish as Hiruzen dropped down next to blond boy.

"Move over kids, leave this to us." Hiruzen instructed with a commanding tone and for once, Eren felled complied to listen without asking anything. Nodding in satisfaction Hiruzen then turned to his charge.

"Naruto, take that side and help me lift on the count of three."

The whiskered boy nodded in affirmative, but before they could start they were startled by a loud voice.

"Naruto! Don't just bolt away like that! You could've given me a heart attack!" A very frantic Iruka scolded as he finally appeared next to them.

"Iruka stop blabbing and get ready to pull this old lady out on the count of three." Hiruzen interrupted.

Naruto tensed his muscles as he got into position and began to evenly distribute the chakra to all his limbs and back. They would need the extra power to lift.

At the count of three, four pairs of eyes widened as a small child and an old man effortlessly lifted the massive pillar. Carla, Eren, Mikasa and Iruka were all entranced by the show of strength.

"Iruka!" Hiruzen snapped.

"Sorry!" Iruka mumbled as he was brought back out of his daze and pulled out Carla from under the rubble. He tried to avoid looking at the mangled mess that her legs had become, should he risk throwing up.

"Mom!" Eren shouted in joy as he latched onto her. Behind them the pair of chakra users launched the pillar of wood at the approaching titan in an attempt to slow it down further. But the wood just snapped uselessly upon contact with the titan's body. The titan itself didn't even seem to register the pain as its vile grin had yet to falter. And it was already far too close to them being just a house away.

Hannes came rushing back in with an urgent look on his face. "I can't fight that! I'm sorry!" The soldier then looked to a struggling Iruka who was trying to carry Carla on his shoulders.

"Let me handle her," he said as he gently transferred Carla into his arms. "Now follow me, we have to run!"

With that said he took off with Mikasa and Eren following tightly at his heels, nothing keeping them back.

Iruka looked after them for a moment before he turned back to the pair behind him, only for a spear of fear to stab him through the heart. In the short while that his eyes had followed the fleeing group, that smiling titan had suddenly closed the distance between them in a burst of speed and was now gripping a struggling Hiruzen in its hand as Naruto backed away in fear.

The scar faced man then heard Carla scream from somewhere distantly behind him, no doubt viewing the same terrible scene that he was. Iruka however was dumbstruck even as Naruto appeared beside him and began to pull him away.

"Come on Iruka! We need to go! The old man's going to be okay!" Naruto yelled as he began using enhanced strength to drag the orphanage caretaker along with him.

Iruka reacted and wrenched his arm out of Naruto's grip. If Hiruzen was going to be eaten Iruka at least wanted someone to witness the death so that it would not be meaningless! The kind old man he respected at least deserved that!

What the caretaker's eyes caught next however, shocked him to the core.

"Doton: Oukina Isha Shougeki!" (Earth Release: Great Stone Impact) Hiruzen yelled some sort of gibberish to Iruka's ears. What language was that? And what was he doing with his hands?

He was answered a moment later when Hiruzen spat out an enormous rock from his mouth. The rock itself was on par in size with the titan's head and connected with resounding boom that destroyed the grinning titan's already disfigured face before beheading it completely. Then the smiling titan's wrecked head rammed itself through a nearby building, closely followed by the massive rock that Hiruzen had somehow spat out.

The force of the boulder also had the effect of outbalancing the gargantuan creature and sent it falling backwards towards the ground. Despite being beheaded however, it was obviously still alive as one of its arms started flailing wildly while the other one began crushing Hiruzen. The old man's face then contorted in pain and Iruka felt like crying out once again. The muscles on the titan's forearms bulged in effort as the menacing beast clenched its hand tightly, intending to crush the human within it.

Once again Iruka was surprised when all that remained crushed in the titan's immense grip was the powdery remains of crushed brickwork. Iruka didn't get to witness any more as he was then forced to shield his eyes and stand his ground. The smiling titan's body met the ground with punishing force, the blast of air and the shockwave itself both threatening to send him flying as the scar faced man faced the onslaught.

When he finally opened his eyes he witnessed Hiruzen seemingly walk right out of a human shaped hole in the sturdy wall of a nearby house. His eyes ran from Hiruzen back to the downed titan's hand in confusion. What was going on?

Meanwhile Naruto ran up to the man cheering loudly. "Way to go old man! That Doton jutsu (Earth technique) and the Kawarimi (Substitution) both showed that titan!"

Yet more words Iruka could not understand. Was this what Hiruzen was training Naruto in? The strange language and what looked like magic? What a secret indeed!"

Naruto's joy however was cut short when Hiruzen dropped to his knees and began coughing violently.

"Old man!" Naruto cried out as he dropped to his side.

"Naruto, I have to ask something of you. Please do not hate me for it." Hiruzen asked in between deep breaths.

"Anything old man! What should I do to help!?" Naruto asked hurriedly.

Hiruzen coughed again. "Accept this." The old man said mysteriously before moving at a speed that belied both his age and current condition. In that split second, the old man's hand had made its way to Naruto's forehead and slapped a square shaped piece of paper, with what looked like weird scribbles, onto Naruto's forehead.

Iruka didn't think that it was a good thing based on Naruto's reaction. The whiskered boy's eyes had widened considerably as he began testing something.

"My chakra… You sealed it off!" Naruto accused as tears came to the boy's cerulean eyes. "What are you planning!?"

Iruka had no idea what they were talking about but he was more concerned about the fallen titan. Its head had already partially formed back, steaming as it regenerated at an alarming rate. The manic grin it always seemed to wear had already been formed.

"I'm an old man already Naruto. And with all I've already done today I'm exhausted and I'm afraid I can't go much further." Hiruzen explained as he stood up to his full height once again. Naruto had never seen him look as old as he did now. "That means I can't run to the evacuation ships anymore, my time ends here Naruto and its time that you went on without me."

Tears were now flowing down the blond boy's whiskered cheeks as he gazed up at the old man in shock. "Is this your way of saying goodbye?" Naruto asked softly.

Hiruzen nodded slowly before walking forward to embrace the boy. "I'm sorry Naruto, but I'm tired now. I'm an old man and I've lived my life already, but you're still so young and full of life that you have yet to live. But of course, I still have a parting gift for you."

Naruto looked up expectantly as Hiruzen reached within his robes and pulled out what looked to be a scroll. "I have taught you the art of unsealing and resealing objects into scrolls already, right Naruto?" Hiruzen asked as he handed the boy the scroll. At the blond boy's nod Hiruzen continued. "Inside this sealing scroll is a multitude of other scrolls that all have importance in something that I would have liked to teach you myself. Practice them in private won't you? A shinobi will always have his secrets and should be shrouded in mystery, remember that."

"Deception is a shinobi's key to survival." Naruto recited from memory.

"Good." Hiruzen gave him a sad smile as he ruffled the whiskered boy's hair. "But I have to tell you now as well, find a purpose to live my boy. Find someone to protect. Because only when you protect something can you unleash your inner potential to the fullest. Now go live life to the fullest, I don't want to meet you in the afterlife anytime soon." Hiruzen joked.

Naruto stuffed the scroll within a pocket on his cargo shorts before looking up to the old man. "I promise to do just that gramps. And I never break my promises." Naruto's dark blue eyes shone with emotion as he said that.

"Don't forget to look underneath the underneath either. It is something you should learn to do, always." Hiruzen added after a little bit of thought.

"Sir." Iruka interrupted. "I can't help but notice that you intend to stay behind. What do you want me to do, sir?"

Hiruzen smiled. "Take care of this little rascal here for me won't you, and make sure to take him away from here quickly. That tag I placed on his forehead will last for a few hours and in that time he shouldn't manage to cause you any trouble."

Iruka bowed respectfully, turning back to the titan's now fully regenerated head. The grinning beast already had its large, greedy eyes settled on them as it struggled to stand.

"Go now!" Hiruzen ordered. "Exhausted as I am I should still be able to buy you both enough time to get away." The old man added. "Goodbye, Naruto. And know that I am happy to die, as long as you get to live."

"See you gramps." Naruto replied as he gave the old man one last hug, squeezing just a little for good measure.

Without further words, Iruka hoisted Naruto over his shoulder like a potato sack and took of running. The boy would probably stay put with his grandfather figure otherwise.

By now the grinning titan was already back on both of its feet, fully regenerated and was making its way towards Hiruzen.

With the way that Iruka was running, the scar faced man was thankfully free from the horrifying view. But with the way that Naruto was slung over his shoulder, the golden haired boy could only watch events as they played out, helpless in Iruka's arms without his chakra.

Hiruzen temporarily ignored the threat behind him to cup his hands to his mouth and shout out after Naruto. "From here on out, I give you a family name. I'm proud to have known you, Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto's eyes widened exponentially for joy at the statement. Below him however, Iruka was busy wondering why the family name was in front of the given name. He would never understand these two completely.

Hiruzen then turned around to face the grinning titan as soon as he gave Naruto his last parting gift. "Oh well buddy, it's just you and me here now." He addressed the titan in a resigned fashion as it grinned back.

The aging man then ran through a set of hand seals. "Katon: Goukakyou!" (Fire Release: Grand Fireball)

Naruto practically gave out a cheer when a massive torrent of searing hot flames spewed forth from Hiruzen's mouth, engulfing the smiling titan entirely from head to toe as it released a pained roar.

The whiskered boy's amazement died when Hiruzen finally collapsed to the ground coughing up even more blood. The steaming titan then angrily burst forth from the smoke, its charred flesh rapidly healing as the majestic fire died down.

'He's out of chakra!' Naruto realized immediately once he saw Hiruzen go down. That's why he decided to stay.

He watched in horror as the hideous grin of the titan seemed to grow in satisfaction as it plucked the old man from the ground like a lifeless doll. The pit that had formed in the golden haired boy's stomach seemed to deepen at the sight as the creature from nightmares raised one of the only people Naruto ever had in his life into its grotesque mouth that had opened to unnatural proportions.

"No…" Naruto whispered helplessly. "Stop it! NOOO!"

Just as the titan shoved Hiruzen into its mouth, Naruto shut his eyes tightly unashamed of the tears that were freely flowing.

He never saw the titan's powerful jaws snap shut. Therefore, he never saw the man he loved so much disappear in a puff of smoke.

Naruto only heard the confused titan's terrifying roar in what he assumed to be victory. Never did he even realize that he had misinterpreted its roar of confusion and frustration at losing its food.


"Hannes, put me down." Carla requested gently.

"What? But we're still in Shiganshina." Hannes asked confused. "And we're almost to the boats." The soldier added as he slowed. Even if he was against it, he complied anyway, out of respect for the woman's wishes.

Her request had also gathered the children's attention as they flocked to her worriedly.

"What's wrong mom?" Eren asked before he noticed something that had his mouth hanging agape. "Mom what's wrong!? You're really pale!"

Hannes halted suddenly. Looking around he decided to head to a nearby building before gently settling Carla down next to it. Thankfully the area around them was clear of both people and titans at the moment. The Garrison soldier however, could not help but notice the resigned looking smile on the woman's face as he set her down. He already didn't like where this was going. That smile was only worn by people who had accepted that they were going to die.

"Hannes! What happened? What's wrong with mom? We still need to go!" Eren urged as the man sighed and pointed at the boy's mother.

"I believe that she must explain it to you herself." Hannes replied as he gestured towards the resting woman before he took a step back to allow the family some space.

"Eren! Calm down, please." Carla pleaded weakly from her spot on the ground.

For once in his life, Eren complied without resistance as he crouched down next to his mother with Mikasa doing the same thing opposite him.

The woman then smiled at the sight as she reached up with her arms to grab both Mikasa's and Eren's heads to her chest. "I know you both know what's happening. Grisha was a doctor after all and he explained this enough. I've already lost enough blood from my legs and I feel my head hurting. We've also got no way to stop the blood, so getting me onto those boats is useless." She explained grimly as she hugged them tightly.

By now both children were sobbing into her chest as they wrapped their own arms around the dying woman. Eren wasn't resisting or arguing, stubborn as he was he wanted to at least have a good memory of his mother before she left his life. He didn't want her to go but there was nothing he could do for her now.

For Mikasa this was the second time that she was losing a mother. It wasn't peaceful either like the deaths old people had.

"This is goodbye children, but first I want you to promise me that you will take care of each other through anything that comes your way. Eren, watch over Mikasa and keep her safe and satisfied like any other gentleman. Mikasa, you make sure that my son's recklessness does not get him killed early alright?"

The two children nodded, needing to say nothing more. Relishing what warmth they could still obtain from their mother's dying body.

Carla's mind however was still churning. She had seen the old orphanage owner, Hiruzen, perform something absolutely amazing earlier against the titan. She had never seen anything like it before. She also knew how much time Hiruzen had spent with that strange orphan, Naruto. If Hiruzen had been capable of such feats then there was a small chance that Naruto was also capable of feats such as those. Naruto had also helped them earlier in their dire situation so she strongly believed that she could leave her children in his care. Hiruzen was also a friendly and responsible man, if any of those traits had been passed down to the child then he would make a great role model and protector.

If possible she hoped Hiruzen was well enough too, at least there would be a responsible adult. Hannes couldn't always be there for the children. If only she had some way to get into contact with the boy.

She didn't have to wait for long. After around half a minute of a comforting embrace with the two kids, she noticed the orphanage caretaker from earlier darting around a corner with what looked like a limp child slung over his shoulders. Hiruzen however, was nowhere in sight. Nobody needed to ask what had happened to the old man due to the sorrowful expression Naruto wore on his face.

Iruka slowed down as he approached the group, wondering why they had stopped. They should have made their way to the boats with Hannes there.

"Naruto? May I speak with you… for a moment?" Carla asked weakly, just as Iruka stopped near them.

The golden haired boy's head lifted slightly before he shifted off of Iruka's back and turned to face Eren's mother, wiping his tears off using his arm. He was startled a little when he took in her horrific state before sudden realization struck him. She was dying. Just like his old man had. He crouched down in front of her as she stared back up at him, taking in his face.

"Thank you."

The words uttered next from her mouth confused Naruto greatly, something which he voiced. "For what?"

Carla smiled at the oblivious boy again. She seemed to be smiling a lot recently despite the circumstances. "For going out of your way to help us and for giving me enough time to say a proper goodbye. Thank you, Naruto." She knew his name of course, the resident outcast at the orphanage. She had tried to approach him before a couple of times, but he had always been busy with the old man.

Naruto nodded grimly as he accepted the praise.

"But if you wouldn't mind considering a dying woman's last wishes, can I ask you one favour?"

The whiskered boy had no idea where she was going with this, but he listened anyway. He didn't have it in him to just turn away. He motioned for her to continue, pushing thoughts of Hiruzen to the back of his mind. He could mourn later.

Carla eyed him gratefully. "Can I ask you to take care of my children after I'm gone? To act as their big brother and keep them safe as well as care for them?"

Everyone was shocked at the bomb Carla had dropped and all eyes snapped to her. Naruto in particular had no idea what was going on. Of all the things he was expecting, this wasn't a part of it. He didn't think he was ready for such a responsibility.

"Why me? I mean I'm just another little kid like they are!" he protested loudly, clearly against the proposal.

"Because I think you would make a great brother to them if you were a part of our family." Carla reasoned, "And because I know that if you want to protect them, then you will do so with all your heart." Carla added in a tone that suggested she knew every bit of what she was talking about.

And Naruto knew that she did. Hiruzen's words came back to hit him full force. 'Find someone to protect.' Well in this case there was going to be more than one person but he didn't mind. The basic concept was still there anyway. He had always wished that he was adopted, even though he had Hiruzen with him it did get lonely every once in a while. It was too bad that the mother of this family was on the verge of death and could not officially adopt him, but it was a foster family all the same.

"I promise then mother, I will take care of my little brother and sister for as long as I can."

Carla then grabbed all three of the children in front of her with the last of their strength to grab all three children in one last hug. "Thank you all, for being part of this family. I love you all so much." She whispered as she hugged them tighter yet. "And someone please tell Grisha that I'm sorry I wasn't able to see him one last time and that I love him as well. Goodbye, Naruto, Mikasa, Eren…"

And just like that, the last bits of life left the dying woman as her arms went limp and her eyes closed. Naruto looked up and knew that the woman had at least died a peaceful death with her loved ones and smiled. Despite Hiruzen's situation, he was sure the old man had also died with a smile on his face at being able to protect him. But now he had to make sure that his two foster siblings made it onto those boats. It was part of his new responsibility.

"Come on now." Naruto said gently as he pried both children from Carla's body. "It would be useless if we didn't make it to the boats now with so many people dying on us." An image of Hiruzen flashed through his sight.

The green eyed boy and the black eyed girl both looked up into Naruto's reassuring cerulean blue orbs and decided to put their trust in him. Carla knew what she was doing, even if they didn't.

Naruto watched as they both accepted his hands and he pulled them to their feet. But then he looked at Carla's body questioningly, where they just going to leave it here? He didn't think Mikasa or Eren were following his train or thought on the matter. Then again he also didn't think that they would like to leave their mother's body here as titan food.

Iruka hoisted Mikasa under his arm and Eren over his shoulder. "This will get us there faster, these kids look spent already." Iruka explained. The two children he had lifted just hung limply in his arms, accepting the fact. "Just catch up Naruto." Iruka added before taking off once again towards the boats.

Naruto barely registered his own return nod as he pondered about the fate of Carla's body. Maybe he could dig a shallow grave? But with his chakra inaccessible to him he couldn't do that, the titans would get here before he could finish. There weren't any tools lying around either, what was he going to dig with? His bare hands?

In his focus he had forgotten about the soldier that had stayed behind to watch over him and thus the golden haired boy jumped when said man laid a hand on his shoulder. If Naruto hadn't recognized the man at the last instant, Hannes probably would have suffered a painful shot to the jaw by now.

Naruto scowled at himself. He really needed to work on being alert.

"I'll deal with the body. I'll bury her just outside Shiganshina so that these overgrown lumps of flesh don't get to her. Go ahead and get to the boats already and watch over those kids." Hannes offered as he bent down to pick up the still body.

"What about you?" Naruto asked curiously. Wasn't Hannes going to run with him?

The soldier laughed as he tapped the gear around his hips. "This here is the three dimensional manoeuvre gear lad." Hannes explained. "Watch."

That was the last thing Naruto heard before cables shot out of the strange mechanism and buried themselves high into a distant building. Naruto then watched in fascination as the cables retracted and Hannes launched into the air. That was a very useful tool.

A titan's loud roar from nearby reminded him of where he was currently and he took off running after Iruka. His chakra may have been sealed off but he was still fast for his age. His stomach then grumbled in protest and Naruto remembered that he still hadn't eaten for the day and snatched some still warm bread from a bakery stand as he ran. Nobody would really notice anyway and he was absolutely famished.


Eren was confused. He didn't fully have a grasp of what was going on anymore. The wall had fallen. The titans had returned. His family had already lost a member. It was all almost too much for him to take in. To think that just earlier this morning he had woken up to an ever so normal day. All it had taken to change everything was a single moment and even Eren could see the severe consequences.

Humanity was going to suffer. If a titan as big as that Colossus existed, who could say there were no more of that size? And what was stopping them from tearing down the other walls? Not that they were needed since this one Colossus alone was already capable of single-handedly smashing down every single wall it came across.

He looked around him on the boat that Iruka had managed to get both him and Mikasa on. It was in fact the very last boat of refugees and it was simply a miracle that they had all managed to fit in. Iruka had used his status from the orphanage and was barely able to get the three of them aboard. A mere ten seconds later the soldiers on the boat had pulled up the wooden platform needed to cross onto the wooden boat.

Mikasa was sitting silently beside him staring into space, no doubt thinking about their mother. Next to her sat an exhausted Iruka, Eren wasn't certain but he was sure that Iruka hadn't stopped running ever since they met the scar faced man earlier. He would have to thank him later. On his other side sat a terrified Armin, huddled next to his grandfather in fear. Eren couldn't blame his friend, the green eyed boy was terrified as well, that was for sure. Even Mikasa herself did not seem to be devoid of fear. Among them probably only Naruto and that old orphanage man hadn't seemed afraid.

Wait.

Eren glanced around him urgently, disturbing both Armin and Mikasa in the crowded boat that had already begun moving down the river. This was the final boat. If Naruto missed this…

"Where's Naruto?" Eren asked, panicking as he jumped to his feet. They had just gotten their big brother and they didn't want to lose him.

Mikasa shot upright as well, her eyes eagerly scanning the crowd of desperate people lining the banks of the river. This was the last boat and there was no more space. Yet there were those desperate enough to attempt to leap onboard, mostly failing and falling to the river below.

Armin had no idea what had gotten into the other two or who Naruto was but the small boy doubted he would be of much use to his best friends in this situation. The blond didn't even know what this Naruto looked like. So he settled for simply hugging his knees harder as he remained seated next to his grandfather.

Both foster siblings carefully filtered the crowd, trying to spot the unmistakable golden hair that the new addition to their family possessed. It was probably hopeless, they knew, but they weren't going to give up. Why would they? Iruka on the other hand didn't appear worried at all. The scar faced man did not even make the effort of standing up, even when Mikasa shot him a dark look.

The scar faced orphanage caretaker raised a questioning eyebrow at the glare of the little girl. "Don't worry yourself kids. That boy's going to get here somehow. And if he doesn't then I'm sure he'll just find a horse or something." He reassured them as best he could.

"How can you say that so calmly!" Eren demanded as he too shot the exhausted man a glare.

Iruka sighed. "I've known that kid for years now. Trust me, that fool is too stubborn to die here."

Eren was about to shout back when Mikasa interrupted as she pointed towards the crowd. "There he is!"

Sure enough, despite his short stature Naruto was easily visible. The golden haired boy was quickly making his way to the boat, darting in and out between human obstacles like they weren't there at all. Mikasa eyed her new brother appreciatively, wanting to praise that skill. And he was fast. She now understood why Eren had been clutching his ribs earlier if he had collided against that. Eren seemed to realize as well when he raised a hand to nurse his ribs. The pain hadn't fully receded yet.

They watched him carefully as he began running alongside the boat, unwavering focus on getting through the crowd.

"What's he doing?" Eren questioned. Even if the golden haired boy was capable of catching up to the boat, that didn't exactly mean he was safe.

"He's going to jump." Mikasa stated matter of factly.

Eren whirled at her in worry.

"What?" he yelled. "That's suicide!" The green eyed boy turned back to the bank to prove his point as dozens of older males attempted what Naruto was about to undergo, all of them missing the boat by a good metre or two.

But before anything else could happen, the boy they were both watching suddenly broke from the flow and leapt spectacularly, making it further than any before him as his hands grasped the edge of the boat's rails.


Naruto was cursing to himself. He should have just left Carla's body to Hannes instead of following the soldier around wanting to know where she was going to get buried despite the soldier's protests. In the end the whiskered boy gave up the chase and headed for the boats. Hannes was fast on his gear and without his chakra Naruto didn't stand a chance.

He was regretting that decision even more now that he could see the last boat leaving. He rapidly scanned the boat's occupants and was immensely relieved to already notice a bright red scarf among them. He really didn't want to break his promise to his mother, albeit a short-lived one. At least it saved him the time of searching through the crowd for them. That wouldn't have been efficient.

Always look for the most efficient way to accomplish a task. One way that produced the most results or consequences and the least risk with minimum effort.

Hiruzen's words rang in his head yet again as he began running. But now he had to get onto that boat that was already moving downstream towards wall rose. It was to be a tricky feat without his chakra, but still manageable. His body had been trained more than enough by Hiruzen already at this point and he was capable of making the jump, if only he had enough speed. He cast his eyes across the crowd frowning a little. Oh well, add a little more challenge to life. He began running straight, drowning out all the surrounding noise. They were only distractions. But just because he had drowned the noise out didn't mean that he wasn't alert to them. They were just subdued.

Naruto began taking all of Hiruzen's teachings to heart. They were incredibly useful in real life, it seemed. And there was so much more left to teach. The thought sent a pang through the eleven year old heart, the scroll in his pocket suddenly seemed to become so much heavier. His features then settled into grim determination. He would make sure learn them everything from that scroll all while protecting his brother and sister.

Judging the distance to the boat as he ran parallel to it, the whiskered boy estimated that he would make a leap when he was a little bit closer to the boat's halfway point. There was no use making a successful jump only to end up falling into the river behind the boat.

Always give a margin of error.

Naruto nodded before steadily gaining ground on the boat's speed while moving closer and closer to the bank all the while. Once Naruto hit his mark he found grip on the edge of the bank and leapt with all his might, making sure to use his entire body as a spring and not only his legs. Despite the failures of even grown men all around him, the whiskered boy's fingers made contact with the railing of the ship, his body slamming painfully against the wooden side. He should have anticipated that.

Now that he had purchase on the ship's railing, it was easy enough to haul himself up and over the wooden railing, catching sight of Eren and Mikasa's relieved smiles. Naruto then found himself frowning when his view of his siblings was suddenly blocked by a man that had leapt onto his feet, towering over Naruto with a vicious look in his eyes.

"There's no more space on this boat boy!" The large man declared before moving to shove Naruto back of board.

"Oi!" Eren yelled as he tried to make his way to his brother. Unfortunately, it was clear that he wouldn't get there in time, just like they hadn't got to his mother in time.

Naruto took notice of Eren's worry but didn't bother with it. Focus. The one thing Hiruzen was always trying to beat into him. And Naruto was sure that the large man intent on shoving him overboard took priority. It was too bad the man didn't know who he was messing with. Naruto didn't need his chakra to fight civilians. Even in such a short space of time Naruto had already managed to take in everything about the man's stance.

From Naruto's brief evaluation, everything about the larger man screamed overconfidence. And it was one of the things that no decent fighter should ever have. There was always someone stronger than you. What wise words indeed.

And the older man had made one crucial mistake. He had used his entire body to try and shove Naruto overboard, unaware of the unnecessary momentum he was generating. It was almost child's play for the golden haired boy; ducking successfully under the out stretched arms and snatching the larger man's shirt. The whiskered boy grinned before pulling hard to add to the man's momentum. The next thing the man knew, he was already tumbling overboard and well on his way to the water down below.

For the eleven year old it was refreshing to have a victory, taking in the man's shocked gasps as he fell over the railing. The sound of a loud splash was icing on the cake. There was no more hope for that man to get back onto the boat, let alone catch up to it. His life was forfeit the second he fell over the railing.

"Brother!" Another man, of similar build to the previous one, bellowed in outrage as he too shot to his feet. The new man swung a giant fist intent on punishing the small boy. "You're going to pay!"

Naruto sighed. Hiruzen had always warned him about telegraphing his next move to the enemy and he had never really understood that concept until just now. Was this how pitiful Hiruzen had seen him while training? He really hoped not. Naruto also wondered whether this man knew he was overstretching his punch similar to his brother.

The golden haired boy raised a hand to grab the larger man's punch and adjusted his stance to pull the grown man towards him while simultaneously sidestepping to effectively throw the man over the rail. Timing it just right, he outstretched a leg to trip the man over the railing after his brother, the second splash sounding just as satisfying as the first.

"Anyone else?" Naruto challenged, ignored by most on the boat out of their fear of the titans. But those that had witnessed the spectacle either bowed their heads or shuffled away from him.

The whiskered boy knew the dangers of such a challenge, but this way the threat would carry across and no one else would mess with him. Grunting in satisfaction he made his way towards his wide eyed foster siblings with a resigned looking Iruka. "Hey guys, how's it going?" He greeted as he approached them.

Eren seemed to forget for a moment where they were as he looked at Naruto with respect. "That was awesome! I didn't know you could do that!" the brown eyed boy whispered enthusiastically.

Naruto shrugged in response, yet the grin stayed on his whiskered face.

"I'm glad you're safe." Mikasa greeted from behind her scarf. She never was very good at expressing herself so it gave her some relief that Naruto nodded back. "But did you have to toss them off? They're likely to become titan food now."

The whiskered boy looked to be in thought for a moment. "They should have thought of that before they attacked me, and I think I like my safety more than I do theirs. Besides, those two would have just caused trouble within the next wall with attitudes like that. This world is a better place without them." Naruto explained.

A shinobi sought for the safety of themselves and those they protected, everyone else was either neutral or considered a threat. The blond boy was sincerely wondering why there were no other shinobi within the walls, but what if they managed to survive outside? Naruto banished those thoughts. He would worry about that when he was stronger.

Mikasa nodded in satisfaction, his reasoning was acceptable afterall.

"Naruto, Naruto, still causing trouble no matter where you go."

"What happened to you? Growing old?" Naruto teased when he spotted Iruka as the caretaker lay exhausted on the boat.

"I'm only twenty three brat, and don't make me laugh, it hurts." Iruka chuckled weakly, clutching his stomach. "You made me run to Shiganshina, through Shiganshina then back again while carrying kids. I'm human just so you know."

Naruto laughed as sat down next to his caretaker. "Yeah, well I am too, but you don't see me that tired!"

Iruka shot him a look. "You're not normal, in any way."

"Iruka, what laundry are you going to do now? I won that race?" The golden haired boy joked, changing the subject while he could. He didn't know how much his foster siblings had figured out yet and he would tell them when he felt they were ready.

It didn't take very long before Eren plopped himself down next to Naruto, happy to have an elder brother for once as Mikasa took her place in between the green eyed boy and Armin.

While the others conversed however, Armin was eyeing Naruto suspiciously. He did not know who Naruto was at this point and was a little hurt that Mikasa and Eren might be keeping something from him. Or maybe Eren just forgot to mention it and Mikasa hadn't bothered. But either way, he was wary of the new kid, not jealous like most other kids tended to be. Armin had seen the jump that Naruto had made onto the boat earlier and how easily he had dispatched the two grown men that had attacked him.

This was no normal boy. And Armin wasn't sure what his intentions were. Wildcards were an unknown. And any logical person feared the unknown for it could either bring aid or danger. There was also the fact that he was wished he knew more about the situation and whether he should treat Naruto as a valuable ally or try to find someway to separate his two friends from this variable.

"Armin, you're thinking too hard again." Mikasa said softly as she tapped him on the head.

"S-sorry Mikasa. It's just that I don't know what to think of…"

"It's okay Armin. It's good that you're suspicious. But I think that you should know, Carla adopted him just before she died." She let Armin's eyes widen disbelievingly for a moment.

"But first he and another old man had helped us get Carla out from under debris that Eren and I could not lift. Then they bought us enough time to run away and say a proper goodbye to Carla. Unfortunately the old man earlier died because of distracting a titan. Although he's not showing it, Naruto is grieving for him as we are for Carla. He promised her to protect us, so don't be afraid of him Armin."

The blond boy looked to the girl next to him then back at the newcomer. If that was true then he'd been afraid for nothing. Mikasa and Eren could benefit from his skills and abilities, but where would that leave him? He had always been protected by Mikasa and Eren and he didn't know where he would be without them. Would Naruto approve of him?

Both children's head snapped up when they heard Eren speaking.

"Oi Naruto, this over here is Armin just so you know. We protect him from others but he's smart as can be! He's like our little brother!"

Armin felt like he wanted to shrink in on himself as the older boy turned his gaze upon him. Those dark blue cerulean eyes of his searching, analyzing, judging. The whiskered boy's face was blank as he studied him and Armin found himself almost caving in under the intense pressure of the scrutiny.

Naruto studied the new boy carefully. He hadn't been around the other children long enough to know who this boy was but if he had heard correctly, Eren was indirectly asking Naruto to take care of Armin as well. He was unsure how he felt about it at the moment, but he understood once he set eyes on said boy. He was frail and terrified and was much smaller than all of them. He had promised to protect his new brother and sister and he couldn't really do that if they got hurt protecting this other boy. So he gave the boy a smile.

Eren sighed happily at the approval displayed on Naruto's face while Mikasa's face brightened up, even if it was barely noticeable. But Armin was the happiest of them all. Here was a person undoubtedly stronger than both Mikasa and Eren, strong enough that even stubborn Eren had acknowledged it. And that person had welcomed him and passed on approval, it was relief beyond his wildest dreams that he was still being noticed. That smile was both reassuring and invigorating. Armin would make sure not to let him down.

Iruka smiled as Naruto settled in. He had inkling as to why Carla had adopted Naruto, though unofficially. He was sure that she had seen Hiruzen fight, and she wanted her children safe. But Iruka wondered if she really was just being selfish, she had seemed a pleasant enough woman after all. Then again, his little friend had gotten himself a family now. He hadn't told Naruto yet, but the reason he was so kind to the boy was because he himself had been a lonely street orphan until Hiruzen had found him earlier on in his life, still setting up the new orphanage. Hiruzen had given him a home and as he grew, he grew to love that home as well. So he knew very well what Naruto felt, and he wanted to do his best to make sure Naruto was happy. He owed that much to Hiruzen.

"So Armin, what do you want to do for the future?" Naruto asked.

The question served two purposes. One to satisfy his curiosity and the other to get Armin's mind off the horrors that were happening to the district they had lived in until just recently. The golden haired boy didn't miss the way Armin's eyes lit up as the young boy launched himself into a very detailed lecture of the world outside the walls and what he dreamt to see. Naruto smiled understandably, what a dream indeed. It was incredibly dangerous though. The lands out there were titan infested and he wasn't sure if there still was any human life outside, if that was even remotely possible.

Naruto decided then and there that his training to master what was left to him was incredibly important. If Armin was going outside those walls then Eren and Mikasa were sure to follow. And wherever the trio went, he would go alongside them. He needed to make sure that they were safe out there.

"What about you Mikasa?" Naruto asked as he then turned to the girl with the red scarf.

He took in how her face seemed to sink deeper within the scarf. "I'll go wherever Eren goes."

Naruto should have figured as much by now. At least he wouldn't have to keep a constant watch over Eren. As always she was always straight to the point. There might also be some history here that he would need to update himself on.

He widened his eyes when he looked at Eren though. The brown haired boy's green eyes had narrowed dangerously even as he sat next to them.

"I'll train. Then I'm going to join the scouting legion to see the world outside the walls. But first are the titans!" Eren yelled as he stared into space, his eyes replaying the helplessness of his mother underneath the boulder. Eren knew he wasn't good at much, but if he was good at one thing then that was anger. It seemed to be able to push him past his limits and give him strength. And he was giving in to the rage.

"I swear I'm going to kill those titans! I'm going to kill every last one of them!" he shouted out to the heavens, letting his frustrations be known as he stood tall.

Naruto scoffed from where he sat. "No, you're not. Moron."

Eren's rage immediately found another target as the green eyed boy glared at the older one. "And why is that!?"

Naruto laughed. "Do you really think that Mikasa and I would let you go out there alone? You'd be dead after the first titan you meet at this rate. And if we're there with you, how the hell can you say you killed all the titans?" Naruto challenged with a smile as Eren sat back down sheepishly.

"Don't forget there's an entire scouting legion out there as well." Armin added cheekily.

"Alright alright!" Eren sighed as a smile worked its way onto his face.

"Guys, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly are the recon corps?" Naruto asked innocently after a minute. He hadn't really bothered with trying to learn anything else at the orphanage.

Armin and Mikasa turned to face him surprised but Eren's look of total blasphemy had Naruto feeling extremely stupid. Apparently he had asked a question that should have been common knowledge.

"Are you kidding? They're the bravest men and women in the kingdom! They're the only ones fighting for humanity's freedom by going outside the walls and slaying titans!" Eren spoke with such a passion that it was very similar to Armin's. Wow. This kid surely hated the titans. Naruto supposed that maybe he should too. But the old man probably would whack him on the head for thinking hateful thoughts.

"That's probably why Mikasa doesn't want you to go." Armin suggested. "It's dangerous."

Eren brushed it off. "I don't care. I'm joining the survey corps, scouting legion or whatever else you want to call them."

Naruto sighed. If Eren was half as stubborn as Naruto himself could be then that meant that his little brother was probably going to end up at the survey corps at some point. Then Mikasa would follow. Armin would follow. And he would tag along as well.

"I'm going to enlist once I'm thirteen." Eren announced excitedly. "Then after four years we can graduate and join the survey corps!"

Naruto was actually surprised. The little brother he had recently obtained was as reckless as they came. Long term planning already, that was something not often seen in a kid. But Eren had missed one crucial factor. They had to survive till thirteen while he himself would be fourteen, before being able to enlist. What were they going to do till then? Naruto guessed it would be up to him to take care of that since Mikasa would probably leave it to him anyway. Looking a little past the two Naruto caught sight of Armin once again and the two blonds shared a look.

That was much better and very relieving. Armin actually seemed much more useful to Naruto if their trains of thought had just traveled down similar lines. At least he could rely on one of the others to think wisely. Mikasa may be level headed and smart, but the girl was not wise enough to think through all possible solutions and scenarios. Eren would probably run off somewhere to get himself killed without these two.

Naruto then decided to finally rest for the day as the sun finally seemed to dip below the horizon. What a long and taxing day it had been. As it was, Iruka was already in a deep sleep.

Suddenly a guttural roar managed to make itself heard over the cannon fire and everyone on the stilled. The sound of cannons firing seemed to increase rapidly as cannons were hastily fired in the distance. From where they were, the children could already see the massive gate dropping shut.

"What is going on? Its chaos over there and some people are still behind the wall!" Eren pointed out, even as Armin and Naruto studied it.

Before they could reach a conclusion, the gate seemed to explode into a shower of stone as a massive behemoth skidded to a stop. One very armoured behemoth that had decimated the massive inner gate all on its own. It roared once again in triumph, celebrating its feat as those not on a boat lost all hope for survival.

"We haven't only lost Shiganshina." Armin stated as he dropped his head. "Wall Maria had fallen."

Naruto switched his gaze from the overwhelming truth uttered by the blond boy back to the armoured beast that had wrecked the gate and ensured havoc among humanity. He was forced to agree with Armin as a grim expression settled onto his face. The titans were free to slaughter anyone beyond wall rose now, humanity would be forced to fall back another wall altogether.

This was the day. The fateful day where humanity remembered that they lived in fear of the titans.


And we're done! Now we see how Naruto ties in with these events and his relationship with the Shiganshina trio. The cover picture for this story was also finished earlier today. Let me know what you think? Is it suitable?

See you next time! And don't forget to leave a review!