A/N: Sorry about the long wait. Just wanted to say that if anybody has been keeping up with the manga recently, that some of the latest revelations have completely shattered the foundation this story was being built up upon. I literally left all thoughts of this story alone for a while, wondering how it was even possible for me to finish what I have started. Then around a month ago I said to hell with the new revelations and started writing. Many Naruto fanfics only followed the beginning of the series then branched off into wonderful new possibilities. Hopefully this story will be similar. If it is possible to incorporate the latest parts of the manga later on then I will think about it, but I will cross that bridge when I get there and carry on the story I started. Here's the first half of the next chapter that might have gotten a little too long.
Enjoy!
Naruto stopped and took in the scenery around him as he put his hands on his hips and inhaled deeply. The smell and feel of open air was incredibly refreshing for the fourteen year old compared to his regular underground adventures. I really need to get out more. He thought as he gazed around at the large mud pit that all the recruits had been brought to. To put it simply it was an incredibly large hole in the ground that led Naruto to wonder how on earth they found the time and resources to achieve such a thing. It wasn't even a plausible safe haven from titans. If Wall Rose fell, which hopefully it never would, then it was not entirely impossible that some titans would somehow fall over the edges to feast on the trainees that waited below.
But that wasn't important. What was important was that Naruto had finally gotten into the training camp along with all his other siblings since Mikasa, Eren and Armin had all finally grown old enough to join along with him. They were one step closer to their dream. Naruto had promised them, all three of his siblings, that they would see what lay outside the walls. It didn't matter how they got to see it, whether it was just the four of them or if they would go along with the Survey Corps. Naruto had promised, and he never broke his promises.
Unfortunately, Eren had a secondary objective as well: kill as many titans as possible while exploring. It seemed that Carla's death had a negative effect on the boy in that regard. Naruto couldn't express how thankful he was that Mikasa and Armin were only excited about the exploring part. The golden haired boy would much rather avoid titans while exploring as much as possible. But it wouldn't hurt if they brought down a few titans here and there to make it easier for everyone else. As far as the fourteen year old was concerned, only three titans mattered. The massive behemoth that tore down the wall, the armoured brute that smashed through the gate of Shiganshina, and the smiling monstrosity that had eaten Hiruzen. Naruto clenched his fist at the reminder. Those titans were the ones he was training to kill. He wouldn't hold back should he ever see them again.
But the golden haired boy knew that it would take some time before he would be able to go head to head with those inhuman beasts. He still had a lot to learn. Another thing Naruto had told Eren was the condition that they would only leave the walls was only if all three of his siblings were capable of killing or at least avoiding titans. Not a minute before that, no matter how powerful Naruto would be at that point in time. Naruto knew he couldn't keep them safe in such a hostile environment if they weren't at least capable of taking care of themselves and he would never forgive himself either if something happened to them.
It's a good thing that we were finally accepted in here. Naruto mused as he looked around once more. If they hadn't been accepted this time then they would have been delayed for another year in their plans and the fourteen year old didn't fancy that idea very much.
Naruto found himself quite surprised by the amount of recruits milling around and began pondering why they all joined. The place was simply massive and yet it was filled with a surprisingly large amount of people. One would think that there would be a lot more soldiers if people were this enthusiastic about entering training.
"We're here, Naruto. We're finally here."
The golden haired boy turned to his little brother before he patted him on the head affectionately. Joining the training was a fundamental step forward in Eren's life. "You got that right Eren. How does it feel to finally start? Excited much?"
The golden haired boy smiled as a large grin lit up Eren's face.
"Yeah, of course!" Eren replied eagerly before a thoughtful expression took its place.
That look doesn't suit him.
"Will we still be able to train though?"
Why was I expecting that? Naruto sighed. His brother was addicted to training and the golden haired boy was no longer sure if Eren did it to learn or if it was just for fun. Oh well, let's answer that question.
Naruto lashed out suddenly with a punch and was pleased when his brother reflexively ducked. He nodded in approval. "Certainly Eren. We'll find time. I can't have my little brother going lax now can I?"
The green eyed boy scoffed as he crossed his arms. "As if I'm going to slack."
"You're slacking right now, arrogant potato sack." Naruto pointed out as he grabbed his brother in a headlock and began ruffling his hair. He loved teasing his little brother and it was sort of a running tradition between them to always try to catch the other off guard. As it was, Eren still had a long way to go.
"Guys, maybe we should calm down a little?" Armin suggested timidly as he appeared between the two larger boys. "We're attracting a lot of attention."
The golden haired boy considered the request briefly. It made a lot of sense, especially coming from Armin, yet he couldn't help but feel a little bit of disappointment. Despite how much he had managed to teach Armin in the past years, the boy refused to gain even an ounce of confidence in his tiny body. Heck, the little guy had knocked out a neighbourhood bully a few weeks back! He sighed once again as he draped an arm over his youngest sibling's shoulder.
"Listen here Armin. What have I told you about your 'little' confidence issue?"
The whiskered boy almost burst out laughing as the small blond twiddled his thumbs uncertainly before looking at him with wide and terrified eyes. "Um, to work on it?"
"So what's wrong? There are a lot of new people here to get to know. Why don't you introduce yourself?" Naruto suggested. Armin was the smartest of the trio by far, but the boy usually ceased contributing once the planning started to turn into something practical.
"I'm not like you or Eren, Naruto. You guys are naturally confident. I think I was born to be a recluse. Nature's way of balancing itself out." Armin admitted grudgingly. "It makes sense when you think about it."
And it did in some sort of twisted way. But Naruto wasn't going to let Armin know that. To lighten the mood he scoffed. Armin looked up in surprise.
"Don't lump me in the same category as that idiot. There's confident and then there's stupid. Eren's as stupid as you can get." Naruto stated arrogantly as he pointed a thumb back at the brunette.
"Hey! I'm not stupid!"
Eren's indignant shout had Armin giggling beside a laughing Naruto. The golden haired boy glanced down at the giggling child beneath him. Armin was so vulnerable compared to the other his other siblings that Naruto felt a little overprotective of the small blond. But he was serious about wanting Armin to raise his confidence. He began eyeing all the people close by to try and judge which would be good friends for Armin, friends that would also take care of the small blond in his place. A sharp poke in his side however, prevented him from any further examination of potential candidates.
"I know what you're doing Naruto. And I think we should discuss this somewhere else." Eren whispered in his elder brother's ear. Huh, he's observant when he needs to be.
He carried on searching for a moment before pointing to two boys that were laughing together. Well, they would do for now. Beware the silent types, they tend to hide things. Then again Naruto hid a lot of things yet he could still be loud. At least they're laughing together. "There Armin, those two look friendly. Go over and say hello."
"But I-" Armin tried to protest.
Naruto shushed him by putting a finger to his lips and looking Armin straight in the eye despite their height difference. "Training. Confidence. Go." When Armin looked at him unsurely the fourteen year old gave his little brother a soft nudge in the direction of the laughing boys.
Naruto smiled gently as the smaller blond swallowed nervously before going on his way.
The two brothers then stood side by side with crossed arms as they watched their little brother go. Eren elbowed his elder brother once he was sure Armin was out of earshot. "You know you can't choose friends for Armin right?" Eren whispered.
Naruto shrugged as he kept his eyes on the small blond. He knew about that fact of course, but it wouldn't stop him from trying, that was for sure. His eyes narrowed even further as Armin neared the two boys who had quietened upon Armin's approach. He grunted once in acknowledgement to Eren. He may not know a lot about friends, but he was incredibly observant when it came to anything negative or hostile.
"Yeah, but I can try Eren. You don't know what it's like in the Underworld, you literally can't trust anyone. You can get into good partnerships though, if you know how to look for them.
"Oh yeah about that, can you try to stop coming back with ripped clothes and blood? I know you heal quickly but Mikasa's going to kill you if she finds out you go into the Underworld, especially alone. It's also surprising how many times you keep replacing your clothes. I'm not okay with you going down there either but I can't really stop you."
Naruto looked sadly at his brother. "Ah well, I already told you there are a lot of people that need help down there didn't I? And like I said please don't tell Mikasa. Either she has a heart attack from worry, kills me for risking my life, or maybe adds both you and Armin to the list as well for knowing but not informing her."
Eren shivered. "I get that." A thought suddenly struck Eren. "Or maybe she's going to cry and beg you to stop going?"
Both boys shared a look before bursting out laughing. Mikasa didn't do crying.
The thought of a crying Mikasa sobered Naruto up a little though. "Hopefully she doesn't. I probably wouldn't be able to take it."
Eren blinked.
Naruto looked insulted. "I have a weak heart you know!"
Eren snorted in laughter. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen. If the others in the Underworld found out that the Underworld's Ba-"
He was stopped by a hand to his mouth. "Eren Eren, don't say my title out in the open. There are ears everywhere." Naruto chided as he whispered in the green eyed boy's ear.
Eren nodded and looked a little regretful at his mistake.
"So, are you planning on telling Mikasa anytime soon before she finds out?" Eren asked a little awkwardly in an effort to change the subject.
The golden haired boy entered a thoughtful pose for a moment. "Maybe after we get settled down in training here. I still need to try and fix my schedule for the next few weeks." Naruto blinked. "Speaking of which, where is Mikasa?"
It was Eren's turn to shrug. "She's usually glued to you. If need her I just look for golden hair. You're not hard to find when you're not hiding." Naruto grinned, his brother was as straightforward as ever.
Naruto shrugged again. "Didn't notice that."
Eren's green eyed gaze settled on Naruto's blankly as the brunette raised an eyebrow. "You? Not noticing something? Who are you and what have you done with my brother!?" The thirteen year old demanded.
Naruto laughed as he grabbed his little brother into another headlock and messed up his hair. "Come on, enough of this." Naruto let his little brother as they turned to watch where Armin had set off. In truth he had noticed Mikasa's closeness to him but he didn't question it. Among the siblings they were admittedly the closest and he figured it was just a sister thing, wasn't it? Ah well, he didn't have too much experience with family in that sense so it probably didn't matter too much.
Naruto looked back up to check up on Armin and released Eren from his hold as he spotted something he didn't really like.
"Hey, what happened?" Eren was obviously a little confused next to him but Naruto decided to ignore him for now.
"Oi, answer me."
Naruto ignored his brown haired brother for a moment, the golden haired boy was more concerned with the Armin's new companions. One of them was apparently very welcoming, that blinding smile was a dead giveaway. The other boy however, was scowling and radiated an arrogance that Naruto found slightly irritating even though he'd met others even more full of themselves. Unless the other boy had spent three years in the Underworld and lived to tell the tale then Naruto saw no reason for a boy his age to have that kind of arrogance. It rubbed him the wrong way. Furthermore the scowling boy had been laughing a minute ago, what was with the sudden negative vibe? What could Armin, of all possible people, do that could sour someone's mood. Maybe if it was Eren, the brute had an understandable lack of friendship skills due to his violent nature, but this was Armin.
"Eren, go check on what's happening over there." Naruto ordered calmly even as he stared at the scene. He could hear what was being said and it was not endearing the red haired brat any more than previously. From the corner of his eye Naruto noticed Eren start moving in on the group. Satisfied that he wouldn't have to interfere for now, the golden haired boy returned to listening in.
"What's with all the girls that go around here? You all practically fall head over heels every single time you see me. Get lost you stuttering fangirl." The red haired boy snarled before he crossed his arms and turned to walk away.
Naruto raised an eyebrow. You're not that good looking. Wait, fangirl?
The red haired boy's companion gaped in shock at Armin's hurt expression before turning suddenly and grabbing his friend's shoulder. "Jean. I don't think that was very nice."
Aha, so you're name's Jean. Good to know.
Jean shrugged the hand off as he continued to walk away. "Stay out of it Marco, this loser isn't worth our time."
Naruto frowned. The urge to retaliate against the other boy was steadily growing as his protective side took in the hurt on Armin's face. He contained it however as losing his cool was unbecoming of a skilled shinobi. The moment that you lost your temper one of two things could happen, either you became much more deadly with the extra force and viciousness granted to you, or you went berserk and your mind would become too clouded to think properly. And since shinobi were meant to be masters of deceit and built to outsmart each other, losing the ability to think straight almost always proved fatal.
Eren was not on the same wavelength as him however, the green eyed boy charged towards the group with fury lighting his face. That was one thing about his little brother that Naruto both admired and hated. Even after all their lessons in controlling emotions, if any of Eren's family was in danger the boy instantly gave way to anger. At least Eren could still think straight while in a rage, the anger just gave him more power to use. Emotionally powered bull. The golden haired boy chuckled to himself for a moment before he sighed as he made his way over to them. Better to act peacemaker. He didn't want the other boy to get beaten up too badly now did he? Okay, maybe he did but that was beside the point.
He winced a little as he watched Eren's fist smash into Jean's unsuspecting jaw. If there was one thing about Eren that Naruto could praise, it was that Eren hit incredibly hard. It rang true when Jean dropped to the ground in a daze.
Naruto decided to hurry a little before someone seriously got hurt. He doubted Eren would, the kid was a juggernaut. Seriously, what twelve year old in their right mind would accept the training he had put Eren through? Mikasa's training aimed to make her impossible to hit while she struck with deadly precision. Armin's training consisted of the opponent never being able to lay a hand on him. Eren, well, the green eyed boy was made to sure he could dish out more damage than he absorbed. And that was saying something because curiosity got the better of Naruto one day and he had tried to find Eren's limit. Mikasa and Armin had been horrified at Eren's condition at the end of the day and Naruto couldn't really say he blamed them. His little brother looked like he had been stepped on by a titan, and then jumped upon by said titan for good measure.
After two more powerful blows collided into Jean, Naruto finally decided to intervene. Normal thirteen year olds should not be subject to such abuse. Eren was the only exception to that rule. All it took was the promise of killing titans to motivate the green eyed boy. If Naruto didn't know better it could be called a borderline obsession.
Eren managed to land one last hit before Naruto finally separated the two and he sighed again. Hopefully they didn't get in too much trouble for fighting on their first day. To make it worse, they hadn't even been fully accepted into the ranks yet and they were already fighting. So much for comrades.
Eren felt something tighten in his chest as Armin's hurt face came into view. It was different from when seeing Naruto coming home injured. In a way he knew that Naruto generally recovered quickly enough and Mikasa was smart enough to completely avoid danger. But Armin had none of their qualities. Whereas he, Mikasa and Naruto each had their own way of coping with danger, Armin had brains. Eren understood the incredible use of brains, but there was a reason for a skull. The brains had to be protected as they were incredibly vulnerable otherwise.
Anger swelled up as he felt all his muscles tighten in anticipation. Dispose of the threat. Before he even registered what he was doing, the green eyed boy found himself rapidly closing the distance with the newest person on his very short list of hated people, so short that it was limited to one person. As the distance between the two of them shortened, Eren began running through all the available options that he had. Back exposed. Injure the spine. Too much damage. Tackle to ground. Risk of breaking ribs. Too much damage. Punch to face. It seemed like an oddly satisfying thought. Now Eren's problem was how to get the red haired boy to face him. Well, that was easy.
"Who the hell do you think you are!?" Eren bellowed suddenly. Naruto wouldn't approve of him being so noisy, but the green eyed boy found it absolutely invigorating to yell. It was like he was somehow able to channel a lot more energy when he made noise.
The shout served its purpose as the red haired boy's head turned in surprise.
Eren couldn't keep the slight grin from forming as his fist slammed into the other boy's face. That had to have been the most satisfying cracking sound the thirteen year old had ever heard in his life. He briefly wondered what it would feel like to punch a titan like that. Eren mentally scoffed. There was no way anyone could possibly punch a titan, right. Even he wasn't that suicidal. The green eyed boy then curiously watched as the red haired boy dropped to the ground with a bewildered look on his face. It was silly and hilarious at the same time.
"Wait! Calm down please! We can talk about this!" The red haired boy's freckled companion pleaded.
Eren ignored the voice of the other boy pleading at his side. It wasn't his concern. He was here to punish the red haired boy who dared to hurt Armin. That didn't mean that he wasn't watching the other boy from the corner of his eyes, Naruto would beat him with a stick if he did that. Where did his brother get the idea for that cursed stick anyway? It was both brutally effective and painful all at the same time.
"Eren!"
The thirteen year old blinked then and reacted to the small voice of Armin. Wondering what his little brother could possibly want at the moment. Couldn't Armin see that he was busy punching someone? It hit him a few seconds later that Armin was once again opposed to violence, even if it was in his own defense. Those few seconds almost caused Eren to miss the other boy finally recovering from his earlier blow and jumping to his feet.
"I should be asking you that!" The boy yelled as he leapt at Eren with his fists swinging.
The green eyed boy immediately spotted so many flaws in his opponent's fighting style, or stance, if it could even be called that. This boy didn't know how to fight. Eren wouldn't call himself an expert, but he considered himself experienced enough to be able to judge other people's fighting capabilities. The red haired boy's foot placement didn't match with what his arms were doing for one thing. Furthermore there was no tension in his legs for quick or powerful movements. His punching was also detrimental to his shoulders and back, leaving them open while overstretching them. He also tended to block his vision with every punch he tried to land...
Eren decided to stop analysing his opponent right there. The inexperienced fool wasn't worth his time; it was only child's play to dodge the randomly swinging arms. After a few more glaring openings, Eren decided that the red haired boy was literally asking to get hit. Being the good hearted fellow he was, Eren happily obliged. A few well aimed punches of his own made sure to open up a few cuts on the other boy's face as well as bust up his nose. Let's see you keep that nose up in the air now that it's broken.
"Okay, that's enough." Eren heard his brother command as he felt a hand close around the back of his neck. When did Naruto arrive? Sneaky boy. The green eyed boy watched amusedly as the red haired boy was lifted in a similar fashion to him in Naruto's other arm. His elder brother held them apart in the air as the two boy's glared at each other.
"Now, let's restart this and get to know each other peacefully shall we?"
There is just no way that someone can fake not being angry at anyone else like this. Seriously, his brother was acting like some random passer by that had decided to stop a fight. Oh well, he would listen to Naruto.
Just as he decided to stop fighting however, Eren felt spit land in his face and looked straight at the smirking boy hanging in front of him. He did not just- The green eyed boy retaliated with a quick jab that caused the other boy's lip to burst. "Take that!" Eren shouted vindictively.
"Idiots." Eren heard his brother sigh.
The green eyed boy barely registered what his brother said before his forehead connected harshly with the other boy's and the lights in front of him flashed suddenly to accompany the spike of pain that came from the impact. Eren blinked rapidly trying to clear his vision even as his elder brother started speaking once again. Screw this. Eren swore as he clutched his head in pain. At least that idiot got hurt as well.
"Will you two stop now? Unless of course you would like to deal with me." Naruto suggested further.
Like hell I'll do that.
Eren went limp in Naruto's hold instantly. Training with his elder brother was hell in itself, the thirteen year old didn't want to make it any worse. The phantom pain tingled across his body, reaffirming his decision. He didn't hate the other boy enough to warrant a beating.
Eren stuck his tongue out at Jean when he noticed the other boy copying him and also hanging limp in Naruto's grip. It seemed as if the other boy had finally realized that they were both being held aloft by a single person. It said a lot about Naruto's strength.
"Excellent." And just like that Eren found himself dropped unceremoniously onto the ground while Naruto dusted his hands against each other. Jerk.
"Now both of you stand up and properly introduce yourselves." Naruto ordered as he stood over the both of them. "I'm sure our mother taught you better manners than that, Eren." The green eyed boy felt his cheeks heat up on the ground in embarrassment as his golden haired brother tutted with mock disappointment.
Eren had almost always been the oldest child in the family, which is why he jumped at the opportunity to have an older brother. It definitely had its perks and Eren felt like he had never been closer to anyone in his life. Grisha was far to busy, Carla was overbearing and Mikasa was not exactly similar enough to him that they enjoyed their time together. This was why even though the disappointment was obviously faked, it didn't help matters any as Eren wanted to make Naruto proud of him. It was one other goal he now had besides exploring outside the walls and killing titans. He still hated those lumbering giants of flesh, but a proud smile from his elder brother simply made his day. The green eyed boy could find no other person to idolize more.
"Fine." The brown haired boy grumbled as he stood and dusted himself off from the brief exchange. He had only gotten hurt anyway when Naruto had stepped in, otherwise he would be completely untouched. The thirteen year old then reluctantly held out his hand. "Eren Yeager, nice to meet you." He barely ground out, the end coming off almost as a growl. He couldn't help it, usually strangers never spoke again after trading fists.
Naruto smacked him on the back of the head for good measure. "At least have the courtesy to pretend to be nice." His elder brother admonished. Eren rolled his eyes in response.
"Jean Kirstein." The other boy that lay on the ground spat as he glared at Eren. The brown haired boy noticed immediately that if not for Naruto's cerulean eyes watching them intently then Jean wouldn't have even bothered with returning Eren's greeting.
"Now what's your problem with me!?" Jean demanded angrily once the introductions were out of the way.
And here goes the loudmouth. Eren sighed heavily.
Eren didn't really see why Jean was still so angry. The fight was over. Sure, Eren's face didn't have a burst lip, Eren didn't have a bleeding nose, a bruising face, or all of those little cuts- Eren blinked. Okay, maybe Eren couldn't really blame the red haired boy for being so angry. If he looked at it from the red haired boy's perspective then Eren guessed that he really had come out of nowhere. But that didn't mean that Jean was innocent. Far from it in fact.
"What's your problem with Armin?" Eren shot back as he felt his earlier anger returning. Armin's frightened face was still clearly engraved into his mind.
Jean scoffed. "What, she's your sister?"
"Yes, she is." Eren replied without missing a beat. "And you were making her cry." It wasn't precisely the truth but Eren didn't care. Armin was more of a sister figure than Mikasa was anyway, she acted like his mother even when she clearly wasn't.
Jean looked momentarily caught off guard at the revelation. Eren had a hunch that the red haired boy had just meant what he said sarcastically. Then again who would have guessed that Armin and he were related? The big, green eyed, brown haired, violent brute was the timid little blond's brother? Eren himself would find it hard to believe as well. I wonder what would go through his head if he saw Mikasa and I called her my sister as well.
"Yeah, about that, I'm interested as well in what you said that made my sister cry."
Eren turned to the side only now remembering that Naruto was there as well. Apparently Naruto had caught onto what he was doing and had decided to play on with it. His brother truly was observant. Furthermore Naruto had his arms crossed in an intimidating gesture as the golden haired boy towered over Jean.
Jean looked even more confused and slightly afraid at this point as his brain absorbed all the new information. The red haired boy unconsciously backed away from threatening visage of Naruto. Due to this it took a few more seconds before the question registered and a scowl settled back on his face.
"Um, I'm not-" Armin started, but immediately quieted once it was clear that no one was listening.
"Yeah? Well tell your sister to back off. I have enough girls screaming and following me around like creepy stalkers back from my district. Then when I get here to try and catch a break with other male soldiers I get mobbed again. That sister of yours is the sixteenth in the last thirty minutes." Jean said sourly. "What's worse is that they are all so annoying! I know I look great but this is ridiculous!"
Eren shared a look with Naruto before the two of them burst out laughing. "Yeah, you look great man! I can see why girls go after you!"
"No thanks to you!" Jean spat. "Talk about horrible upbringing. You've got a fangirl, a brawler and an idiot with a big head."
Eren found himself frowning as he felt the surrounding temperature start to drop. It was almost like a gut instinct he had and his first warning was the hair on his body starting to stand on end, the sinking feeling in his stomach wasn't helping any either. The green eyed boy knew only one person capable of inciting such a feeling within him. Eren turned to see his elder brother's golden hair hiding his cerulean blue eyes while the whiskered boy's fists were tightly clenched.
Eren wasn't the only one to notice. Apparently most sounds in the surrounding area seemed to have dimmed and Marco and Armin were fidgeting in fear, even if they were unaware why.
"U-um... Jean..." Marco started, "I think you might want to stop..."
"Shut up Marco, they should hear this." Jean snapped, foolishly forgetting who he was addressing. He didn't notice the impending threat hanging by a thread and blundered on. "Your parents must have been terrible role models don't you think? If you ended up this way then I hate to think how you must have been raised by those stupid..."
Eren's jaw dropped in mixture of horror and rage at what he had just heard. He wondered why Jean had suddenly stopped when he finally noticed that his golden haired brother was not where he was a second ago. Instead Naruto had somehow seemed to just appear next to Jean. Even as they stood side by side, Naruto's body was clearly far more powerful than the red haired boy. Despite his bravado, Eren just couldn't shake off the terrifying presence his brother exuded at the moment. But the worst part was when Naruto spoke. The chilling voice of his elder brother froze all the other boys into place as Jean blanched, finally realizing his mistake.
"Stop talking." Naruto ordered, slowly enough that every word was heard clearly. The voice in itself wasn't the same. It didn't carry the same light and reassuring tone it always had. Instead, it came out as a harsh whisper that carried deadly promise. "Our parents are dead. I never knew mine, Armin's parents disappeared without a trace, Eren's were killed by titans while our sister's parents were murdered. And the old man who raised me, he was far from stupid. He is the only person I know who ran head first towards a titan so we could all get away. The next time you insult any of them, I will throw you over Wall Rose. Am I clear?" Not once did the tone in Naruto's voice change, it came out like a breeze. Provided, it was a very unwelcome and hostile breeze, but it was still a breeze.
With the deadly warning released Naruto finally looked up before turning his head to Jean and the red haired boy felt all the blood drain from his body. Eren felt goose bumps rise on his skin at Naruto's cold gaze. It was like a Panda suddenly gaining the presence of a snake, and the warmth of Naruto's eyes had all but disappeared into a frozen gaze that was incredibly out of place on his elder brother's face.
Before anything else could happen Eren quickly punched his elder brother on the shoulder. "Oi, I think he gets it. Snap out of it."
It was like flipping a switch. The terrifying atmosphere evaporated suddenly and all the normal noise resumed suddenly with no one else seeming to realize what had just happened. Eren saw Naruto blink once and then everything was back to normal. Eren felt a slightly empty feeling in his stomach though, as if his body was ready for a flight response even if there was no longer any danger. Then Eren suddenly realized what had happened, Naruto had been angry, but not enraged enough to waste his power on Jean. That didn't make the warning any less sincere, however.
"Um, you can leave him alone now Naruto." Armin's small voice seemed almost angelic compared to Naruto.
The eldest of the siblings blinked and looked questioningly at the frightened boy next to him as if he wondered how the boy had ended up there before the golden haired boy nodded and stepped away from the boy as if nothing had just transpired. Eren briefly considered that maybe his brother had two or more conflicting personalities.
"You okay Armin?" Naruto asked as he made his way over.
Eren bit back the urge to laugh as Armin nodded and finally chuckled as the small boy beamed when Naruto ruffled Armin's hair. Attention seeker.
"Hello, um, I'm Marco." An unsure voice interrupted slowly.
Eren turned towards the frightened looking boy and sighed heavily. So much for setting a good first impression. He wasn't sure how normal people would respond to a stranger appearing out of nowhere and then beating the light out of their friends. The brunette was sure he would either be angry, or frightened if it had been Naruto in the red haired boy's place. The last thing Eren was expecting was for them to be friendly. One of them anyway. He quickly amended
"Sorry about that Marco. I'm Eren by the way. Things... may have gotten a little out of hand." Eren admitted sheepishly. "It's still his fault though." The green eyed boy added as a stubborn afterthought.
"Eren..." Eren turned to see Naruto scolding him and he mock scowled.
"Oh come on he did!" Eren wanted to hit himself for sounding like a whining kid before he pointed an accusing finger back at Naruto. "And don't look at me like that! I hit him yes, but you broke him!"
Both boys turned to the still shocked Jean who currently wore a stupefied expression on his face. "Fair enough."
Eren laughed at his elder brother's blunt admission and the two shared a high five. The green eyed boy seriously wondered what his life would be like without Naruto. It would probably be an empty existence where he would single mindedly kill titans. Eren shivered. That kind of stupidity would get him killed early.
"But I still think we should start over again." Naruto added. "This was a horrible way to introduce ourselves."
"Huh?" Eren hadn't been paying much attention and answered as best he could.
Naruto sighed. "You really need to work on being observant Eren."
"Alright alright I get it. I'm trying."
Apparently satisfied Naruto turned back to the freckled boy. "Naruto Uzumaki." The golden haired boy pointed a finger at Eren. "These are my younger brothers, Eren Yeager and Armin Arlert."
Eren chuckled at Marco's apparently confused state. "Yeah, people usually say we look nothing alike. Spiky golden hair, smooth blond hair and messy brown hair. Come to think of it we also have a black haired sister."
Marco looked even more confused. "I understand already that none of you may be related, but I thought Armin was also your sister?"
Eren and Naruto shared a look. "Well that's still up for debate."
"Hey!" Arm shouted out looking positively scandalized. "I'm a boy!"
Eren shot a feral grin at the smaller boy. "Are you sure? You sure sound like a girl."
Armin either hadn't caught on that he was being teased because Eren was sure the small blond wouldn't be glaring at him in such a way if he had. If you could call it a glare, the green eyed boy could easily relate Armin's indignant face to a fluffy rabbit.
"Well I'll have you know I am absolutely certain that I am in possession of a pen-"
Naruto muffled whatever was going to be said next by placing a hand over Armin's mouth. "Okay little guy, calm down now. I'm sure only Eren would be stupid enough to realize that you're clearly male." Naruto joked as Armin calmed down.
"You got that right." the small blond replied after pulling off his elder brother's hands.
Eren shot Naruto a betrayed look, before it morphed into a mock scowl when Naruto winked at him over Armin's head. The green eyed boy should have known that Naruto would pull such a stunt. Shinobi and their deceptions. Now he had to go say sorry to Armin and look like the bad guy. He was so getting back at the golden haired boy for this.
Turning back to Marco, Eren decided to invite Marco over since it wouldn't hurt anyone and the freckled boy definitely seemed lonely - especially since they had probably stuck Jean into a statue-like state for the foreseeable future. "Don't worry about him." Eren said when Marco glanced back at the still form of the red haired boy. "He'll come around sooner or later and look for you."
With that argument Marco shrugged and fell into step next to the green haired boy as they followed Naruto and Armin.
"Where are we going? We're only supposed to be in this field aren't we?"
The green eyed boy laughed. "Ah, we seem to have lost our sister somewhere in this crowd. It's not something to worry about usually since she's usually stuck keeping me out of trouble or literally stuck to Naruto. Which is why we are slightly concerned about her current whereabouts."
"Hmm, what's her name then?" Marco asked curiously.
Eren couldn't help feeling at ease around Marco. The freckled boy's bubbly personality was contagious and Eren didn't feel the need to be on guard. The green eyed boy also had a feeling that Marco couldn't lie to save his life. "Mikasa Ackerman."
Just as Eren answered a rock found itself painfully bouncing off his forehead with the golden haired culprit laughing ahead of them.
"Constant vigilance!" Naruto shouted.
"Oh shut up!" Eren shot back as he rubbed his head, feeling a little vengeful Eren snatched up the same rock and threw it straight at an unsuspecting Naruto's back. That would show him. Eren was terribly disappointed however when Naruto merely reached behind him and plucked it out of the air without looking. As if that wasn't enough his elder brother threw it back fast enough to connect precisely where the pebble had hit previously, doubling or even tripling the pain as Eren clutched his throbbing head in pain.
"So, she's black haired then? She should be easy to find." Marco interrupted with a smile. "There aren't too many black haired people here."
Eren nodded in agreement, barely taking in that Marco hadn't even batted an eye at the rock exchange. Apparently Marco was already growing accustomed to their antics. That was quick. "Not just any black, it stands out as it is pitch black, just like you can spot Naruto's golden hair among all these other blonds."
"Ah, I see. Then is that her?"
Eren turned to face where Marco was pointing and he almost felt his brain short circuit. Everyone was already equipped with the training camp uniform but the pitch black hair that Marco had pointed out was undeniable. The only problem was that Mikasa's long and smooth hair was now incredibly short and spiky up back. It didn't help that Eren was behind her so he could see her pale neck. The hair itself was so fundamentally different but Eren knew no one else with hair as black as Mikasa's. Was this why she went missing? To cut her hair like that? In all fairness it closely resembled a duck's butt from Eren's angle.
Remembering Marco's unanswered question Eren turned to the freckled boy with his mouth slightly agape. "I... Guess?" He answered unsurely. "Follow me, let's ask her about that haircut before Naruto and Armin see it." The green eyed boy almost ordered as he jogged towards his sister.
Eren didn't need to look behind him to know that Marco was following without hesitation. I think I can see how his friendship with Jean worked. But the thirteen year old turned back to a much more important matter. He didn't mind Mikasa's hair short, but this was ridiculous. And what's she doing just standing there?
"Hey Mikasa!" Eren called out as he neared his sister. He frowned when she didn't answer. Mikasa never ignored him, unless she was considerably angered. But he hadn't done anything to warrant that, as far as he knew anyway. Then again Eren's judgement regarding his sister wasn't reliable and didn't really count for much. They hit heads more often than not. "Mikasa!" Eren shouted once more as he pulled up right next to her. She hadn't even turned to face him yet.
Eren placed a hand on her shoulder, ready to force her to face him. "Oi Mikasa, why aren't-"
In that moment as the person whirled around, Eren noticed one crucial fact that he shouldn't have missed. Naruto would kill him for not noticing such a glaringly obvious fact. Whoever this person was, there was no signature red scarf around the person's neck.
Another thing that Eren noticed as he hastily pulled away from the incoming fist, was that this person was most certainly not female. The green eyed boy barely managed to pull his hand away from the shoulder before it was almost twisted off as a follow up to the earlier punch. The other male was fast. If not for Eren's extensive training, he was sure that he would have gotten hit.
Thankfully the other boy stopped his assault as he glared at Eren. "What do you want?"
Eren carefully eyed the other boy who was also seemed older than him. From what he could gather the boy knew how to fight, it was easily seen in his stance. Other than that it was clear it wasn't Mikasa yet the resemblance was definitely there. The older male's face was more on the feminine side. But what captured Eren's attention were the deep, pitch black eyes that glared back at him. Only Mikasa had those eyes. Was it possible this was a relative of Mikasa? If he was a relative then how closely were they related? Eren found that he didn't really want to know.
"Our apologies, we thought you were someone else." Marco cut in from the side, diffusing the tension a little once again.
"Hn."
"I thought you were my sister." Eren clarified cautiously. He wouldn't relax until the other boy did, he was not a fool any longer.
"Do I look like a girl to you?"
Eren wisely decided not to answer that particular question. He does look feminine though.
"Hn. If we are done here then we can I go?"
"That we can." Eren grunted back. He wasn't going to ease up until the other boy did, and it was obvious that the older boy was eyeing him the same way.
Their eyes met and locked onto each other, both daring the other to make the first move. Pitch black met flaming green and Eren was strangely reminded of what it was like to argue with an irate Mikasa.
The stand off continued for a good half a minute before something caught the older boy's eye. Eren glanced to the side and caught sight of what distracted the older male and blinked. As if from some form of hidden signal both of them suddenly ignored each other in favour of running towards another fight that was already underway. Eren once again felt a need to defend a sibling as Mikasa had somehow roped herself into an intense fight with another girl. How had she managed that on the first day? Mikasa wasn't the type to get into fights, heck she hardly showed what she was feeling most of the time. And now she was in a fight? And not just any fight, fists were flying. To make it worse the black haired Mikasa look a like he had been about to fight was also heading towards them, whether to break up the commotion or join in was yet to be seen. If the older boy running alongside him was on his way to help Mikasa's opponent then he and Eren would end up against each other after all. Where was Naruto when you needed him?
Behind the two boys Marco scratched his head, wondering what had just happened. Shrugging to himself he followed the path of the other two boys, there was one intense catfight going on and any teenage male wouldn't want to miss it. Except for Jean, but the red haired boy was probably standing stock still so he didn't count. Both Eren and the other boy looked like they were joining the fight but that didn't matter much either, a catfight was a catfight.
Mikasa cursed to herself as she carefully weaved through the crowd of bodies swarming around her. It had only been a small lapse in her concentration and then all three of her brothers had disappeared. For the first time in the last few years not one of them was in her sights. It would have been perfectly reasonable if Armin went missing, the shy and timid boy was small enough and quiet enough to hide in plain sight. But Eren was a different matter, she could bet that the brown haired boy was involved in a fight of some sort at least, it was in his nature.
She smiled inwardly as her thoughts strayed once again to Naruto. After all the time they had spent together they had become surprisingly close to one another, even going so far as to have their own inside jokes which even Armin and Eren weren't aware off. She knew him well enough to know that he was hiding something from her but try as she might Mikasa couldn't for the life of her figure it out. She'd tried following him once and was extremely disappointed to discover that she had only been following a clone that had been guarding her. She only hoped whatever Naruto was doing wasn't something dangerous, her heart had almost stopped once or twice when he had been experimenting with Fuinjutsu (Sealing Techniques) and the paper he had been drawing on suddenly exploded, violently. It was only thanks to his quick reflexes that Naruto was still with them. She had forbidden him to experiment further unless she understood exactly what he was doing so that she could prevent any possibly fatal mistakes. For someone so smart, Mikasa's golden haired brother could easily overlook some very obvious aspects of his work.
It also worked the other way around. Naruto knew almost everything about her and at times it was like he even knew what made her tick. He knew when she was angry, when she was happy, when she wanted something and when she didn't. He could read her like an open book sometimes and it was embarrassing to say the least. It was quite a feat when you considered that Mikasa's facial expressions hardly changed on a regular basis. Naruto understood why and didn't mind it. At that thought Mikasa frowned. She had known Naruto for less time than Eren yet the green eyed boy acted as if he hardly knew Mikasa at all. Yes, he would protect her as his sister but that was it. It was almost like he had gotten used to Mikasa around and agreeing with him that she doubted he could tell when she was against him. It was almost like she was simply an emotionless possession of his. And that hurt. Mikasa could take part of the blame for that since she did come across emotionless, but even Armin went out of his way to make time with her.
With Naruto however, he could tell what was on her mind even before she did. It didn't help that she was so much closer to him than Eren. Ever since Naruto arrived both she and Eren had gravitated away from each other but both somehow ended up drawn to Naruto so she couldn't blame their golden haired brother. She wouldn't give away his company for the world. All those little things Naruto did that were unnoticeable to others meant so much to her and gave her a light feeling in her chest that almost always forced her to smile, no matter how small that smile was. It was an unexplainable feeling, she didn't even notice she was smiling until her elder brother would flash her a successful grin.
In the past two years Mikasa had taken to sitting down with Naruto as he studied Fuinjutsu as a way to spend more time with him. In her defense, it was a very interesting subject. It wasn't just a ploy to spend more time with him. Okay, maybe just a little bit. She found the concept simply fascinating, even if she couldn't actively contribute due to lack of chakra. Her inability to use chakra didn't hinder her on the other hand, she could still format and analyze or create new seals that Naruto could use or to simply check his work. It was up to Naruto however to apply the chakra. So far their house was under enough protections that Naruto felt comfortable enough to leave his siblings unattended. Even under titan attack.
Furthermore was the new language that seemed compulsory within the multitude of scrolls Hiruzen had gifted Naruto. It was intriguing, especially since it came natural to Mikasa and the words simply slid off both her tongue and Naruto's. Yet another thing they could relate too. At the moment all four of them understood enough of the language to communicate flawlessly with each other. The finer parts of the language however were lost on Eren, especially the written part of it. Mikasa wondered whether it was too difficult for him or if Eren simply didn't care. Armin on the other hand had practically dissected the language in on itself with all that he could gather from Hiruzen's lessons.
Mikasa's dark eyes darted around the training field once again, searching for any sign of her elder brother. Among her brothers he was the easiest to spot and would probably be somewhere near Eren. A flash of gold suddenly caught her eye and Mikasa swerved towards it. Who else had spiky golden hair? As far as she knew, only Naruto did. She quickly enclosed the distance between them and caught the person in an embrace from behind. It was a habit she had developed in the past year and Naruto didn't seem to mind whenever she did. He just laughed it off and Mikasa would breathe in his scent through his back as his body shook. All that was needed now was for him to turn around and ask where she'd been in his slowly deepening voice, just one other thing that only she noticed.
Whoever the person was however, it most definitely wasn't Naruto. Last Mikasa looked, her elder brother had been male. The recipient of her hug didn't look too happy about it either.
"What do you want?" The girl snapped as she spun around to glare at Mikasa.
Mikasa blinked as she took a small step back. "Sorry, I thought you were someone else."
"Yeah? Who?" the girl barked. "You can't just go hugging everyone you see!"
Mikasa studied the older girl closely for a moment assessing her threat level. It was an honest mistake. Really this was the very first time that following golden hair had proven to be ineffective. Now that she looked closer the older girl's golden hair was done up into a style resembling four pigtails. Normally Mikasa would just carry on apologizing until she was forgiven. She simply didn't know how to socialize properly but she didn't care. She spent most of her time with her brothers and all of them were already used to her attitude. But Mikasa didn't like the venom in the other girl's tone. It was unwarranted and seemed overdone, like the other girl was over reacting. It stirred something within the black haired girl that she couldn't quite place. Deciding to ignore it however, Mikasa schooled her features back into her usual stoic appearance.
"My brother." Mikasa replied calmly. "I thought you were my brother."
The taller girl scoffed as she eyed Mikasa's raven black hair. Siblings didn't just have hair colours on opposite ends of the spectrum. "Tch. So now your brother has spiky golden hair as well."
Mikasa's dead expression didn't shift in the slightest. "Yes, as a matter of fact he does."
"So what are you? Little girl wants her big bad brother to keep her company? You must be all alone here then." The golden haired girl sneered back, trying to a rise from Mikasa as she placed a hand on her hip. "Ever think that he may not want you pestering him? Or maybe it's because you can't handle being all alone in this big world, can you little girl." The older girl added in a haughty tone.
Mikasa showed no outward reaction to the other girl's taunt except for the clenching of her fists. It was a subtle thing that she doubted the other girl noticed. She didn't care about the insult at her, but the other girl had sown some doubt in her head. Was she pestering Naruto? Did her elder brother not want to spend time with her? The thought had her feeling cold and she found she did not want to know the answer. She would not be able to take it if Naruto really felt that way around her. Her elder brother hadn't yet shown anything to prove that he thought of her as a nuisance. But then again, hadn't Naruto explained that shinobi were trained to deceive? What if he was annoyed by her presence but only refused to show it? The thought was so disheartening that Mikasa forced herself to crush it. She didn't want to believe for a moment longer that Naruto saw her the way Eren did, as an unwanted guest along for the ride.
"It is none of your business. Nice meeting you." With that Mikasa made to leave but what the girl said next froze Mikasa in her tracks.
"Oh, just so you know, it might be better if you just ditch your brother."
"What?" Mikasa asked coldly, the underlying threat to shut up clear as day as she turned back to face the older girl who now had her arms crossed with a smirk on her face.
The older girl didn't seem to understand the tone as she mistook it as genuine interest. "Brothers are all useless and dangerous. You're better off without them. They never really care about you and only use you for their own interests. Try it, leave the idiots alone for a month and when you come back they would never have noticed your absence, let alone care for you anymore. They're worthless like that. You're better off on your own. Trust me on this."
"I don't believe you." Mikasa stated as calmly as she could, her mouth was by now hidden behind her red scarf, effectively masking how her jaw was tightly shut.
"Excuse me?" The golden haired girl gave her a disbelieving look.
"I said I don't believe you." Mikasa repeated in the exact same monotone as earlier, but it was getting much harder to keep up her normally stoic facade. "My brothers aren't what you say they are."
The older girl scoffed. "So what are they like then? Kind, loving heroes who spend time making their sister happy? Sorry if I find that hard to picture." The sarcasm rolled off the girl in waves. "All brothers are the same."
Mikasa gained a lot of insight into the older girl at that moment. The older girl had her own brothers and Mikasa was sure that they were very different from her own. Especially since the older girl didn't think very highly of brothers in general. The idea then popped into Mikasa's head at how to get even with the other girl. She gave a small smile that Mikasa was sure told the older girl everything was true.
Mikasa relished it when the smile dropped from the golden haired girl's face in disbelief. Not letting it up, Mikasa pressed on her advantage.
"My brothers aren't like yours. They're perfect just the way they are. They care about me and I can tell you now that they will always come to help me, not that they need to. But it's the thought that counts."
The air seemed to still around the two girls as they locked eyes. The tides had turned and they both knew it. But the other girl wasn't about to give up.
"Then they are still playing you. How can you be sure they even care about you? One of my brothers couldn't care less about me and the other tried to kill me more than once! My friend's brother even killed their entire family! How can you say you're brothers are any better!?" The golden haired girl demanded angrily.
Mikasa then did something she never thought she would ever do, she smirked. "Well I can understand why you're brothers treat you that way, just looking at you, I don't blame them. Who could stand such an uptight bitch as a sister?"
The slap rang out loud and clear as Mikasa's head snapped to the side. Mikasa hadn't expected that. She momentarily stayed in that position as she slowly turned to face the now enraged golden haired girl. Mikasa hadn't even seen the girl move, indicating she was fast. The black haired girl didn't want to get to retaliate as much as possible, less their verbal confrontation escalate out of control.
"Take that back you little bitch. I don't know what the hell you do to your brothers, whoring yourself out to them or what, but I doubt they'll interfere if I shove your mouth full of dirt." The older girl then grinned maliciously. "Then maybe I can seduce them, after all they're probably just after a pretty fac-"
Screw the consequences. The raven haired girl saw red. The thought of any of her brothers doing anything with this girl was akin to blasphemy in Mikasa's eyes and so she cut off the other girl's tirade with a well placed punch strong enough for the older girl to stumble backwards from the force of the blow. Who slapped anyway? Unless you were slapping an explosive tag on someone's face, slapping in itself was not as effective as a punch. Slapping a tag then leaping backwards as their head exploded looked much cooler though. But seriously, if you wanted to really hurt someone then why waste time with slapping.
Mikasa then ducked suddenly in surprise as the older girl returned with blindingly fast strikes. They were simple enough to avoid but the speed and skill the other girl displayed in that short period of time put Mikasa on guard. The girl had nothing on Naruto, but was still moving on par with Mikasa herself. And that called for some cause for concern. Was someone teaching her as well? How far along was she trained? Mikasa however chose to put those questions on hold as the other girl was not leaving any openings and Mikasa was forced on the defensive. Not for long however, as Mikasa decided to be a little rougher stopped giving ground, starting to match the other girl blow for blow. She was not losing this fight against some cheap and petty girl.
Despite herself, Mikasa had to admit that the other girl was good. The black haired girl may not have mastered her style yet, but she had been confident enough that she could avoid most huts. Until now, some of the girl's punches were getting through her guard and grazing her cheeks. But Mikasa was giving as good as she got, barely managing to scrape the other girl's skin but it was a start.
She would never admit it, but she was enjoying this fight. Despite the tension between her and the other girl she was happy to have such an even fight. Armin, enough said. Eren, his style varied from hers and she was still far above him in fighting capability. They were even in raw strength, which was strange since they were both stronger than average, but Mikasa regularly held back against him because she was afraid of him getting angry or frustrated with her. It tended to happen every single time she proved herself more talented or skilled than him at something, which tended to happen a lot. And Naruto simply outclassed her in fighting. Her elder brother only fought enough to make her push herself but it was obvious he held back a lot when they sparred, which was why such a fight was a refreshing take for once in a while.
The other girl's style was also interesting to say the least. Mikasa wasn't going all out yet, preferring to break down the way the other girl fought. Mikasa noticed that the other girl relied more on her upper body to fight and was more coordinated in doing so, using turning or sweeping movements to attack. From this Mikasa could tell the other girl was used to wielding a long weapon that didn't require the opponent to get close. What weapon in particular, Mikasa couldn't tell at this point but it told her she had the advantage. Mikasa had many more options at close range, being able to jab, hook or uppercut at any opportunity making the most of the situation. Another advantage the black haired girl had was the ability to use her feet to kick. The other girl's style forced her to remain grounded, hardly moving from her starting position at all. That was bad for the other girl and very good for Mikasa. After all her training Mikasa was already incredibly fast on her feet and certain actions came naturally to her as she reacted on instinct.
Despite her advantages however, the older girl seemed to have more experience and was simply good enough to neutralize Mikasa's advantages. That and the other girl was also strong enough that Mikasa's hits weren't fazing her, yet. Mikasa grinned as she decided to end it. Naruto always said to never play with your opponent, seek to end the fight as quickly as possible without becoming careless. The black haired girl planned on doing just that.
After swatting away a few more punches Mikasa let lose a straight punch at the other girl's face with all of her current strength. If this didn't knock the other girl out then nothing would. Unfortunately Mikasa had underestimated the other girl's speed and instead of the girl's head Mikasa's fist came into contact with hastily raised forearm. It didn't change much anyway. The older girl flinched under the obviously painful strike and collapsed backwards into the dirt cradling her injured arm.
Before Mikasa could turn away or gloat on her victory she suddenly found her own arm being grasped tightly in a very powerful grip that caused Mikasa to wince. The image of a large imposing man grabbing her mother's arms suddenly flashed through her vision and Mikasa froze suddenly. No. Mikasa felt herself reliving the brutal memory of her parent's murder in vivid detail as she lost track of her surroundings. She barely registered being thrown to the ground as she once again watched the knife plunge into her mother, expecting something similar to happen to her.
"How dare you touch my sister! Let go of her!"
The familiar shout of outrage snapped Mikasa out of her daze as she finally realized that she had been thrown aside like trash. Mikasa dismissed the thought immediately as she witnessed Eren leap ferociously onto the raven haired boy that had gripped her arm.
Mikasa's stomach churned as a chill swept through her while she watched Eren launch himself at the other boy. She had a bad feeling about it that she couldn't shake off. Mikasa wanted to warn Eren not to get into a fight with this stranger, but she couldn't bring herself to stand. She watched helplessly as the black haired boy ducked forwards to let Eren's fist soar over his head. He was just about to punch the back of Eren's head when he was met by a lovely surprise.
Even if Eren's back had been left unprotected, due to his right fist sailing over its target, Eren wasn't such a simple brawler anymore. He continued the spin and Mikasa loved the look of momentary shock that appeared on the black haired boy's face as Eren's left fist back handed him on the cheek. The moment was short lived however as the black haired boy then went on to prove just how far he outclassed Eren.
Mikasa watched in shock as the black haired boy moved his head just enough to dodge her brother's frenzied strikes before retaliating with his own much more powerful hits. Mikasa didn't know whether to be proud that Eren was simply shrugging off those blows, as if they didn't hurt at all, or get worried at the fact that Eren was getting hit. Mikasa noticed that she wasn't the only one confused as the black haired boy was clearly wondering why Eren was still standing.
The black haired girl's eyes then widened substantially as she read the stranger's movements. He wants to end the fight! Mikasa watched helplessly as the black haired boy pulled back and raised his leg, readying for a kick to Eren's chest. Eren is going to walk right into that kick!
Eren didn't disappoint however as he caught the foot before sweeping his leg to try and trip the other boy. Unfortunately the black haired boy had already predicted this move, and even with his foot in Eren's grip, the black haired boy leapt up into the air and spun before landing his other foot in Eren's face.
Mikasa watched in horror as Eren was slammed headfirst down into the ground with the victorious boy smirking down at him. As further insult, he picked Eren up and tossed him towards Mikasa. Now able to stand Mikasa walked a little unsteadily towards her unconscious brother, ignoring the pained snickering of the golden haired girl.
"See, I told you he was useless, didn't I?" The older girl mocked.
After making sure that Eren was only knocked unconscious Mikasa glared at the golden haired girl as if she could be killed by looks alone. If only.
The older girl then turned to the black haired boy. "Thanks for the save, Sasuke."
"Hn, you obviously couldn't care for yourself. Could you Temari?" The black haired boy scoffed as he crossed his arms, adopting a slightly brooding air around him.
Mikasa couldn't believe her ears. Their names were of Japanese descent! The same language all four siblings were now learning! Was it a coincidence that they were all incredibly good fighters? Were they like Naruto? If so, Mikasa didn't know whether to be wary of them or friendly. Then Naruto's words entered her head. Shinobi seldom trust each other. Mikasa made her decision then, she would relay that information to Naruto and her brother would deal with it.
That was when she felt it. The air had chilled suddenly and Mikasa could find no reason why. Her hair was standing on end from the feeling and wasn't anything close to pleasant.
"Eren! Mikasa!" A small voice cried out as an equally tiny body crouched between her and her brown haired brother worriedly. "Are you guys alright?"
Mikasa gave an almost imperceptible nod to Armin. She was recovering already and would be ready to avenge Eren, cursing her momentary weakness. If she hadn't been caught off guard then Eren wouldn't have gotten hurt. This is all my fault. Mikasa looked back at her brown haired brother as a wave of disappointment coursed through her. After all the hits Eren had sustained in the brief skirmish, it was a miracle he wasn't even bruising.
Mikasa's head snapped up. Armin… Eren… If they're both here then where is Naruto?
Looking up the black haired girl realized that she wasn't the only one who had noticed the silent atmosphere that had mysteriously settled around them. Although the hundreds of other recruits didn't notice, in the immediate vicinity there was a chilling presence. Mikasa took some quiet satisfaction from the fact that the now identified Sasuke and Temari were looking around in alarm. And they had good reason to do so.
For the very next second without any warning whatsoever, Temari was shoved backwards in a way eerily similar to the way Mikasa had been treated. The black haired girl couldn't help feeling vindicated. It served the older girl just right. The only thing that struck out as strange had been the fact that there had been no noise when it happened. The silence was unnerving until everyone noticed what exactly had sent Temari rolling, the golden haired boy that Mikasa was now absolutely certain to be her elder brother. There was something different this time, his cerulean blue eyes. Instead of the calming and cheerful blue that Mikasa had grown to love so much, they had turned into vengeful orbs of ice that chilled Mikasa to the bone. It was a great relief when the dark haired girl realized they weren't trained on her. That look was almost completely foreign on her elder brother's face and Mikasa prayed he would never look at her that way. In the back of her head Mikasa heard the older girl's earlier words, despite what she had said, Mikasa couldn't completely erase her doubts.
From her point of view, Mikasa watched as the raven haired boy's face morphed into one of surprise at the sudden appearance of Naruto. Then, Naruto struck. Unlike Eren, Naruto gave no warning whatsoever. He was completely silent as he commenced his assault.
Sasuke managed to recover from his shock quickly as Naruto came in with blinding punches that each looked like they could crush the other boy's skull. To the other boy's credit he managed to evade and block with speed just shy of Naruto's. Yet unlike with Eren, where the stranger fought with a casual air even against Eren's rage, he was seriously trying to evade Naruto without any chance to counter attack.
Mikasa loved the way both boys just seemed to glide around each other. They were so graceful it put her to shame. It would have been a beautiful dance had it not been for the murder in Naruto's eyes and the confusion in Sasuke's. He clearly hadn't been expecting such an opponent. Another thing Mikasa noticed was how their footfalls and hits produced hardly any sound even as they moved with deadly intent. She doubted many others could appreciate the skill required to do so.
After around a minute, though it felt like far longer while the two boys fought, the fight finally came to a close as Naruto suddenly let loose a move that was completely foreign to his current fighting style. Mikasa watched as instead of the usual wide punch, Naruto's right arm shot straight underneath the other boy's guard to catch him by the throat. Talk about unpredictable. There was only a second as Sasuke was suspended helplessly in the air before Naruto mercilessly slammed the raven haired boy into the ground with a sickening impact.
Just before Naruto could further pound the now helpless boy underneath him, her elder brother's hand was caught by a much taller man that grasped Naruto's hand tightly.
Mikasa idly wondered how Naruto could have not noticed such a large man approaching. Then she realized that her elder brother probably had noticed the tall, bald man. There was no way he couldn't have. Therefore Naruto had played the part of being unaware to give the impression that he was not always aware of his surroundings. Always make your enemy underestimate you. It was the best way to build your opponent's confidence to be exploited later on.
"So you know how to fight?"
The deep baritone voice of the man pulled Mikasa out of her thoughts as everyone around the field quieted at the authority that emanated from the man. Mikasa found this taller man very intimidating, even as he simply glared at the two boys he had just interrupted. The black haired girl blinked when she realized that Naruto didn't seem in the least bit intimidated. In fact, her brother was grinning back at the towering man.
"Not really sir!" Naruto answered cheerily, "We were just practicing our hand to hand fighting skills! I'm really excited to finally get started! It's my dream to finally become a soldier! Then people can finally acknowledge me, sir!"
Mikasa grit her teeth. This was Naruto's idiot persona, incredibly annoying but undoubtedly effective. The black haired girl just had trouble reconciling both images of Naruto in her head, the solid presence in her life and the idiot. The stupid, bumbling, retarded fool that eased people's general opinion of him. It served its purpose quite well, placing people in a false sense of security, so that when the figurative snake struck it would be a nasty surprise. After all, who would expect such a kid to be a threat? Now if only it wasn't so annoying. Oh wait, that's its purpose.
"You haven't even been formally introduced and you want to start fighting already?" Shadis asked disbelievingly. "You do know that we will be facing titans, not humans?"
Naruto's childish grin never wavered. "Yes sir! Nothing will get in my way! I'll be the best soldier that I can be! Believe it!"
Mikasa resisted the urge to face palm. Patience. I just need patience. She thought to herself.
"And when I'm the strongest I'll kick all of your asses! It would feel nice to be a boss!"
Apparently a lot more patience than she thought possible. Naruto had guts to say that to the man's face without even knowing exactly who he was. Looking around however to search for a distraction, she caught sight of a disbelieving Temari looking at the prone form of an irate Sasuke, who still lay underneath Naruto, and Mikasa couldn't help the grin that formed on her face.
When Temari turned to face her Mikasa didn't bother trying to hide the victorious grin that was painfully visible to the other girl. "That's my useless brother." Having your words thrown back at you was one of the most humiliating things ever to possible come from an enemy. Mikasa knew this personally and therefore enjoyed the deepening scowl on Temari's face. Serves her right.
A small groan at her feet caught Mikasa's attention and she sighed as Eren finally came around. At least he was still functional. She was worried he had been kicked a little too hard this time.
"Ow, what happened?" Eren asked groggily as he sat up.
Mikasa thought for a moment and briefly considered how to say it without offending Eren much. "You got knocked out."
"What!? Where is he!?" The green eyed boy demanded as he shot up. The raven haired girl wondered why the phrase had sounded a lot simpler in her head while restraining Eren from picking another fight.
"It's fine Eren, Naruto beat him. You missed the fight."
Mikasa let out a small smile at the cute pout that appeared on Eren's face. She thought it was cute anyway, it looked better than whenever he would scowl at her.
"Yeah!" Eren cheered. "I bet Naruto sure kicked his ass!"
"Everybody line up!" The order had everyone snapping to attention as they hastily formed the lines they thought that the large man wanted. It turned out Mikasa had missed something, and she wasn't sure what, but the fact that Shadis seemed even grumpier than before was not lost on her. Maybe even he couldn't stand the stupid grin on Naruto's face either. She wouldn't blame him. Either way, they had been ordered to get into line so Mikasa would listen to orders.
The raven haired girl noticed Eren straighten the most and settle back with a grim expression on his face. If people thought Mikasa was emotionless then Eren had only three to choose from: happy, angry or somewhere in between. Something she had commented once to Naruto who wouldn't stop laughing afterwards.
"You are now all officially members of Training Unit 104! Unfortunately for you brats, I, Keith Shadis, will be in charge! I'm not here to give you a warm welcome! All of you now are just merely livestock waiting to be eaten by titans! No, you're even worse than livestock!" Keith bellowed out in front of the trainees that all stood to attention. The bald man's very posture demanded that they listen to every word he had to speak without any question. Shadis began walking through the lines as he spoke before kicking a boy back into line.
"I said a line boy! Don't you know what a line is? I'll give you a hint, it's something straight!" Shadis bellowed at the boy who cowered before him. Shadis showed his disapproval by spitting on the ground. "Stupid recruits, get your heads out of the ground or I will." Mikasa heard him mutter under his breath.
Moving on Mikasa noticed Shadis punch a recruit in the stomach. It wasn't a hard blow by any means yet the recruit still reacted badly as the air was knocked out of him. "Tummy in you idiot. I don't want to see this type of shitty thing in my camp. What the hell are you? Some rich fool? Stand properly! No slouching!" The bald instructor then promptly ignored the boy's whimpering.
Shadis then grabbed the next recruits chin and shoved it the other way. "Eyes front! Did I tell you to look around!?"
A small chuckle escaped one of the girls in the back and Shadis promptly picked up a rock and threw it at her head. The girl fell to the dirt writhing in pain and clutching her head as Shadis marched up to her. "Something funny miss giggles? Because I fail to see something there is to laugh at, unless of course if it is at yourself you pitiful wreck. You're better off mopping floors not fighting titans. You aren't even a worthy snack!"
Mikasa felt more than saw the nostalgia appear on Naruto's face and wondered what was going on in her golden haired brother's head. She was sure it was something that the instructor was doing. Mikasa turned her head slightly to catch sight of the instructor smacking another recruit upside the head. What was Naruto thinking, all she could see was a very strict, old man keen to punish… Mikasa stopped. That was it, she remembered how Naruto would talk about Hiruzen with that faraway look. The old man was strict as well if she remembered correctly, and Shadis probably reminded her elder brother of the grandfather he lost.
"I still can't believe that for the next four years I'm supposed to train you little shits! I'll need teach you how to fight titans! When you face a titan in four years, will you still be just food? Or will you be a slightly more useful piece of shit that will protect these walls? Or maybe a mighty champion of mankind to slay the titans? The choice lies in your hands, because right now I feel more inclined to kick all of you pests out of my camp!" Shadis continued undeterred, his intimidating expression never once wavering in the slightest.
The raven haired girl tuned out the commander for a minute to observe all the other faces lined up like she was. Her other two siblings however, didn't seem to be too happy even though they finally managed to join the training corps. Grim expressions were set on their faces, especially Eren's. Then again, they didn't get to face titans yet and still had to train so maybe they wouldn't be too happy about that. Mikasa didn't mind training though, it helped her forget and there was that little bonus of spending time with Naruto.
Mikasa had to admit, though her expression didn't show it, that she was excited. She would finally get to try that Three Dimensional Maneuvering gear. They were very hard to come by and she loved the grace at which some flew with the gear. It must be so nice to feel the wind in your face and hair. Mikasa also wanted to experience moving at a speed that somewhat resembled her elder brother when he really ran somewhere. Unless he carried her, she was slow and she didn't like being a burden, maybe he wouldn't like her anymore if she became a burden.
The thirteen year old then noticed that Shadis had disappeared from up front and so she glanced around looking for the bald instructor. Naruto was also probably the only other recruit looking around as much as she was. At least he was being also being discreet about it.
Mikasa then spotted the instructor towering over Armin and blinked. What was going on? Did Armin violate a rule already? How did she miss that?
"You kid, who the hell are you?" Shadis demanded. Mikasa wasn't so sure anymore whether the instructor was decidedly angry or just messing with them.
"A-armin Arlert sir! F-from Shiganshina sir!" The small blond whimpered under the larger man's shadow, afraid to look Shadis in the eye.
"Is that so? Well that's a name for a retard! Who called you that? You're parents?"
"It was my grandfather sir!" Armin said bravely, suddenly discovering that he could talk if he spoke to the instructor's chest. Mikasa found that funny enough while also musing about Armin's shyness. From what she understood females were supposed to be the shy ones. Then again she hardly was with any other female company.
"Hmmm, why are you here Arlert?" Shadis softened his tone a little as he asked that question.
Armin squared his shoulders as he answered and Mikasa felt a little bit of pride for his younger brother. "I'm here to contribute to humanity's victory sir!"
Shadis then seemed to grow bigger in front of everyone. "How very admirable boy. You should make excellent dessert for the titans."
Mikasa almost face faulted at that. What was the bald man doing? His words were incredibly demoralizing to all the cadets. It's like he's trying to tell them that their past lives and intentions are all useless- oh… Mikasa got it now. The girl then felt like applauding the instructor for what he was doing.
All the cadets who had not joined for the right reason were being put through this experience as some sort of test or a rite of passage so that they could be properly trained as blank slates. Armin was only thinking about helping a cause, not training to keep himself alive.
Mikasa found himself grinning as many of the other recruits were made fools of by the oppressive instructor. At least she was getting to know their names. The thirteen year old was a little put off by some of their reasoning however, none of them seemed to know why they were really here.
Mikasa also found herself particularly annoyed by some of them. That Kirstein boy was only after safety and luxury in between the walls. The way he had said it so smugly struck a nerve within her, she was thankful that Shadis had head butted the boy or she would have gone to teach the boy a lesson herself. Well, maybe ask Eren to do it. She didn't miss Eren glaring at the boy from the corner of his eyes, she wondered what that was about.
That was before Mikasa caught Jean sneaking a fearful glance at Eren and Naruto while her brothers grinned back maliciously. Oh just great, what had they been up to while she was busy arguing with four tails?
At least that Marco boy seemed to want to join the military police for proper reasons. If only there were more righteous people like him in this world. Hopefully he wouldn't crack under the pressure.
Mikasa's eyes continued following the stern man's path and took notice that he seemed to be leaving certain people out of his wrath. There seemed to be a trend however, since all the ones he left out were from the outer regions. Such as Eren and Naruto. Armin didn't directly see the horror that the titans wrought up close. Mikasa figured that Shadis could probably tell from their faces that they fought for the right reasons. The raven haired girl's eyes roamed over the ones Shadis left out until her eyes settled on a short girl with platinum blonde hair and cold, ice blue eyes. She seemed familiar to Mikasa for some reason though she couldn't put her finger on it. She didn't like the weird feeling in her stomach as she looked at the other girl though, Mikasa didn't feel like trusting this particular girl anytime soon.
Mikasa's eyes then darted to the shaved boy being held up by his head. It was a sight that nearly had her elder brother laughing. Thankfully Naruto restrained himself. But she had to wonder what the bald boy had done to warrant such treatment. Shadis hadn't really carried anyone yet.
"Listen you bald mutt. This was one of the first things you were taught, that salute means you are offering your heart to the king. Now is your heart on your right side of your body you bald moron! If this is…" Shadis suddenly stopped, his booming voice quieted immediately as a look of blasphemy crossed his features. The ensuing silence had everyone on edge. The silence was oppressing, in a way even more than when the instructor had been shouting.
Then everyone heard it, the slow and steady crunching of a mouth chewing food. All eyes turned towards the sound to see a brown haired girl determinedly downing a potato.
Shadis dropped the boy he had been holding unceremoniously onto the ground. He marched steadily onto the girl as everyone waited with bated breath. The girl didn't even seem to be paying any sort of attention to her surroundings since she didn't seem to notice that everyone's eyes were on her.
"Hey you. What the hell are you doing?" Shadis asked calmly. It made him all the more frightening, like the calm before the storm.
The girl heard him, but obviously didn't know she was being addressed as she even made a show of looking around for the unfortunate soul that had been called upon. She took another munch out of the potato as she looked.
"You! I'm talking to you!" Shadis roared as he suddenly appeared in front of the girl. "Who the fuck are you!"
The girl took the time to swallow in front of the instructor before saluting and introducing herself. "Sasha Blouse from Dauper sir!"
The instructor did not make a single move as his menacing glare alone pinned down the unfortunate girl before him. "Sasha Blouse." He tested the name as it rolled across his tongue. "What's that you're holding in your right hand?"
"A steamed potato sir!"
The enthusiastic way in which she had said it almost made Mikasa cringe. The tone of her answer was like a teacher speaking to a toddler. This girl was going to get it. Mikasa also hated how she couldn't be sure whether the girl was being serious or joking around.
"I came across it in the kitchen so I picked it up!"
Shadis blinked. "So you stole it?" he said disbelievingly. "And why? Why are you eating a potato right now?"
"I wanted to eat it while it was still warm so I decided that it was now or never, sir."
"No… I don't get it. Why are you eating a potato?"
"Are you asking why people eat potatoes in general sir?" Sasha asked innocently as she tilted her head to the side.
Mikasa swore he could see the instructor's eye twitch for a second. The raven haired girl couldn't really blame the man, every single trainee was looking at Sasha in shock or surprise at the blatant disrespect.
The girl thought for a moment before splitting the potato into two. "Take a half for yourself sir. Then maybe you will understand why we eat potatoes!" She said with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.
Mikasa lowered her face into the familiar comfort of her red scarf even as she saw Eren and Naruto's jaws drop open. Even she could not believe the sheer audacity of the girl and Mikasa had to wonder if she was doing it on purpose.
The instructor's eyes darkened considerably as he placed the potato half inside his jacket pocket. "Trainee Sasha Blouse! You will run laps around this field until you drop! Is that punishment clear?!" Shadis bellowed out, causing Mikasa to wince.
Sasha frowned for a moment before saluting and smiling again. "Yes sir!"
Mikasa watched as Shadis paused for a moment. The instructor realized that Sasha was okay with this punishment. A sadistic smile worked its way onto the instructor's face. "And you shall have no dinner tonight or breakfast tomorrow morning!" his grin only widened when Sasha shrieked in horror. "Now get on running or you shall have no dinner tomorrow as well!"
The girl shot off and started sprinting around the field immediately. Her face had been priceless.
"What are all of you looking at? Face the front!?"
Everyone snapped to attention when they heard the hostility in the instructor's voice. "Anyone else want join miss Blouse?"
Shadis grinned at the lack of response. "Good! Because I don't care if potato girl drops in the field and stays the night there! I don't care if any of you do!"
Mikasa had a very good feeling that the nickname 'Potato Girl' was going to stick.
During the rest of the commander's ranting, Naruto had kept his ears open and heard quite a few names that interested him. Especially finally learning the names of the boy and girl he had caught picking on Mikasa and Eren. Uchiha Sasuke and Sabaku no Temari. Those names were from the same origin as his and that was something that surprised him. He wondered if they were shinobi as well since you didn't just find a child as well versed in fighting as Sasuke. Children didn't reach that far without some form of instruction. Within one of Hiruzen's scrolls it had said that there were some shinobi clans that had Kekkai Genkai, bloodline limits exclusive to that clan. Unfortunately Hiruzen had not gone far enough to name said clans or warn him about their unique abilities. It would have definitely been helpful at the moment.
The golden haired girl's name itself 'Temari of the Desert', meant 'Perfection of the Desert' and implied she knew what a desert was in the first place. Naruto had only seen such a thing in forbidden books described as a sea of sand. Naruto wasn't sure about the importance of Uchiha Sasuke's name, but it sounded pretty important and one should never discount another's name. Never. His own name, Uzumaki Naruto, given by Hiruzen meant 'Spiralling Maelstrom'.
But that was not as important compared to the fact that they knew how to fight.
It was strange to see the both Mikasa and Eren lose a fight against other children around their age. Contrary to what others thought, he had seen the confrontation even before it started and had waited it out to see how Mikasa would deal with it. He couldn't hear what the discussion was about from the distance he had been but it had been a surprise for Mikasa to hug the other girl. That scene had been funny in its own way until both girls suddenly bared their fangs.
During the actual fight, Naruto had been watching proud of his sister's development. She was getting faster and stronger in her hits and the golden haired boy really wanted to fight like Mikasa. That poker face was very disconcerting on an opponent. Then again taunting them and grinning as you fought was another psychological technique that did wonders for Naruto. Oh well, everyone had their own style.
What unsettled Naruto was the way that Mikasa's victory had been snatched from right under her nose. Naruto had seen how negatively Mikasa had reacted to Sasuke's actions and he would have stepped in immediately had Eren not interfered. Mikasa did not normally show what she was feeling, so to see her face scrunched up meant that she was very emotionally hurt. He was already on his way to comfort his sister while he simultaneously watched Eren get humiliated. He would have stopped to comfort Mikasa first, but seeing your little brother get kicked in the face took precedence in the situation. That was when he finally had stepped in. Admittedly he wasn't going all out, only stretching the limits of a very fast teenage boy. But the other boy managed to keep up and that was what had Naruto wondering for the whole day.
There was also the small fact that the two newest people on his 'watch out for' list were in the same group as the others that also had a Japanese heritage to their names. Nara Shikamaru, Iwa no Kurotsuchi, Nii Samui and Yuki Haku were not names you were supposed to find within the walls. Naruto had then decided to keep an eye on all of them for a while and observe. If they were a threat then they would just have to disappear into the night. The fourteen year old was good at that.
Since then he had studied the owners curiously and made a note to talk to them later. For now he would watch. They had said they came from Wall Maria near Shiganshina but there was one flaw in that, none of his siblings had ever seen or heard of these particular kids before. In a district as small as Shiganshina that was almost impossible. They also hadn't revealed any information regarding their parents or guardians either which was a safe way to hide if you didn't know anyone from a particular place you claimed were from. That and everyone would automatically assume you were an orphan if you hailed from Shiganshina and no longer had someone looking after you. Smart move, except Naruto didn't buy it. He wasn't sure where they were really from but if they were really as he suspected then it wasn't entirely improbable that they lived outside the border of Wall Maria. The question was what they were doing inside a training camp instead of accomplishing whatever it is they had planned. The golden haired boy doubted they would find any sort of valuable information within the camp and if they planned to stay for the next four years then they were going to be incredibly disappointed.
Naruto had spoken with Armin briefly about the topic and the Naruto was pleased to know that Armin had also caught onto the names. Both blonds kept their conversation in Japanese, a language in which Armin, Mikasa and Eren had all become fluent in alongside Naruto. Once again both boys had followed the same line of thought and focused on their main questions. Did they also speak Japanese? Were they hostile? Did they come from a similar background as Naruto?
All three of Naruto's siblings had a general idea about Naruto's background and about some of his abilities. But among them only Armin knew every bit of what his brother was truly capable off and about Naruto's Underworld visits. Naruto had sometimes needed more than one opinion on certain topics and Armin certainly had a good amount of insight. But the only way for Armin to be most effective was to know everything about Naruto and his abilities in their entirety.
Eren wasn't worried about anything regarding Naruto as long as the more skilled brother taught the green eyed boy how to fight. Meanwhile, Naruto didn't want to worry Mikasa any more than he had to. The poor girl would probably throw a fit if she found out what he had been doing.
Naruto eyed them again from his spot on the balcony, he had set himself the task of an observer. In the scroll Hiruzen had left him, he was warned to always analyse any potential opponent. And with their name set, Naruto had an inkling that they may have been raised with a similar shinobi background as him and he did not yet know whether or not they were hostile. Being cautious in the Underworld had kept him alive.
The Uchiha and the Nara were the only two males of the strange group. Both had the same raven black hair that Mikasa did. Sasuke's pose suggested some arrogance but the way he moved suggested skill. He moved with the grace of a fighter, something that few could effectively hide. They could downplay it, but they could never completely erase it. Naruto himself suffered from that same problem. Shikamaru was a different matter. Despite the lazy demeanour, Naruto had already caught the boy's sharp gaze and analytical eyes roaming around, much like Naruto's own eyes. Those were the eyes of a thinker, and they were definitely more dangerous than a straight up fighter no matter how skilled. Pitting Eren against Armin had led to some interesting results since Eren had ended up with sand in his eyes and Armin had apparently bent the rules and found that keeping Eren away with a stick was effective.
Yuki Haku and Iwa no Kurotsuchi were different in a way. Haku was timid and polite, being gentle enough and so harmless looking that Naruto wasn't sure whether she should even be in the army. Heck, she looked so fragile that she would cry if someone laughed at her. But then again looks good be deceiving, if he looked at it from a different angle then Haku would make a perfect assassin. Her traits were all suited for it. Her gentle face and behaviour could easily remove all suspicion from her being leading people to let down their guard. Kurotsuchi on the other hand was similar to Eren in many ways. Loud, reckless and seemed to love getting into fights. Both also had the same raven black hair as his little sister.
The last two stood out more. Temari was harsh and brutal, that much was obvious. She had already beaten down two of the other male recruits that had tried to ask her out. Naruto had frowned at their behaviour, this was a training camp to fight titans and those guys wanted to try and get a girlfriend? But what got Naruto interested was her hair, it had been styled up into a set of four pigtails. That was something that you didn't see everyday. The shade of her hair was also a lighter gold than his was. Nobody may have noticed it, but Naruto was certain that golden hair was extremely rare within the walls. Could they possibly be related? The last girl, Samui, seemed to be extremely irritable unless left alone. But the golden haired boy took more notice of her very pale skin and yet again blond hair. This shade close enough to be considered platinum blond, but Naruto was sure that her shade of hair was far closer to white instead of yellow.
He was interrupted from his careful observations when the giant bell up in the watchtower rang loudly, signalling dinner time in the mess hall before everyone returned to their respective cabins.
Naruto sighed as he stretched his legs a little before standing. Hopefully spending his first evening and first night at this camp wouldn't be as tiring as his first day.
And thus begins the training camp arc.
Once again sorry for being late! See you next time and don't forget to leave a review!
