(Trost - A few years later)

Armin blinked once at the colossal head that had suddenly appeared before him in a blast of yellow lightning.

"What the fuck?" he blurted out before a wave of heat and steam blasted them off the wall, even as a massive hand then obliterated their entire arsenal of cannons in one swipe. Luckily he still had the presence of mind to shoot out his cables and attach himself to the wall as he paused to regain his senses. Off to the side he was vaguely aware of some of his comrades catching those who had been less fortunate. He winced as one of Sasha's cables pierced through someone's calf, but it was still a better fate than hitting the ground from the top of the wall.

"Everyone, prepare for battle!" Eren yelled as he went flying towards the top of the wall.

"That idiot," Armin muttered under his breath as he reluctantly followed his brother. Now that he was slightly more aware, he realized that the colossal titan had for some reason chosen now to reappear. The nagging question in his head however, was where did it even come from? How did something so massive manage to sneak up on them? They had been standing on top of the wall, above the gate itself even. That sort of vantage point should have enabled them to see a titan of that size from miles away. Yet it had somehow appeared out of thin air, no rumbling footsteps or footprints to even indicate its approach. Come to think of it, even back in Shiganshina, why hadn't the colossal titan just smashed the wall in its entirety and carried on moving forward? This made no sense.

Armin pushed those thoughts away for a later time as he arrived at the top of the wall, only to see both Eren and Sasuke flitting through the air, looking more like mosquitoes as they worked their way to the massive head's nape. It didn't matter how this thing got here if they managed to kill it. There was a possibility it was the only one of its kind. Displaying the fruits of their training, both boys positioned themselves on either side of the enormous titan and with dizzying maneuvers both spun towards its nape. Despite the animosity they held for one another, their synchronization was flawless. If they managed to damage the one metre long and four inches wide weak spot they would win.

Just as they reached their target however there was a massive burst of boiling steam that blinded Armin and scalded both boys who had been mere metres away from its nape. The boiling vapor shrouded the area for a few moments until a strong gust of wind cleared the smoke. There was a sudden vacancy that left all of them reeling.

Instead of a sixty metre titan made of muscle, in its place was a sixty metre skeleton.

Sasuke and Eren landed on either side of Armin as they too stared at the colossal skeleton in confusion. The hulking corpse gave a shuddering groan as it fell backwards, unable to remain upright without any muscle to support it. The skeleton hit the ground with a thunderous impact, shattering many of its bones.

"Did you get the nape?" Armin asked dumbly.

"I didn't see anything after the steam," Eren admitted as they both turned to Sasuke.

"Hn."

Armin understood Sasuke well enough by now to assume that the Uchiha was just as clueless as they were.

"It couldn't have been that easy," Eren muttered in a mixture of both slight annoyance and disbelief.

"Easy or not, that son of a bitch already busted the gate!" Connie cursed.

"All cadets report to HQ!" Armin ordered. "The Garrison will take over primary defense and try to seal the gate!"

"Why should we take orders from you?" Sasuke asked bluntly.

Next to the blond, Eren bristled and shoved Sasuke backwards. "Watch it duckface. Even if Armin didn't order it, you know protocol so get your ass moving! Same goes to the rest of you!" Eren bellowed as he leapt of the wall in direction of HQ.

Armin had to give it to Eren, he had become something of a leader in the past few years and many of the cadets trusted him. Of course they were usually Armin's ideas but Eren had a way of pouring his emotions into his commands and infecting people. He had grown considerably and while he was still rash and headstrong for the most part, he had outgrown some of his more stubborn traits. Then again it was also probably because of the responsibility of his newfound ability.

Armin felt a delicate hand on his shoulder and turned to face Haku, one of his closest friends. Apparently he hadn't been the only one to notice how Sasuke had grit his teeth before following orders.

"You go as well, keep an eye on Sasuke for me will you?" Armin said.

Haku nodded dutifully and flew off after the rest of the cadets. Armin trusted her by now, but despite that, he was also fully aware now that they were not from within the walls. It was thanks to his own ability, which Eren had unlocked for him. Ever since that day when they had almost died during training, Armin had gained the ability to read minds. He had to mold his chakra to do it, and apparently it was unique to him since Naruto wasn't able to imitate it. He hadn't actively used it against the other shinobi as they may have been aware of someone probing their minds, but from grazing their surface thoughts Armin was sure that they weren't a direct threat. Haku was the most genuine in her caring nature and because of that they had grown close during their training years.

Neither Armin nor Naruto could figure out what the shinobi could possibly be doing within the walls, but as long as they remained friendly and not hostile they agreed not to act on this knowledge. Sasuke was the only one they continuously kept tabs on, but somehow or other Shikamaru always had the Uchiha under control so they never had to worry all that much.

Armin discreetly unsealed a scroll from his pouch and he wrote a brief message onto it before he channeled the little chakra he was able to wield. The scroll disappeared in a puff of smoke afterwards. The message was brief, but it should get its point across. Of all the times for the titans to attack, why when Naruto was not here? He then looked back over the wall at the smoking skeleton and narrowed his eyes at it. Had it come all this way just to burst open the gate then die? He wasn't aware of what happened after the first wall, but Armin didn't remember the colossal titan having ever entered Shiganshina either. Was there more than one of them? Were they really this easy to kill?

He took to sky a moment later, he could figure this out at a later time. For now he had to participate in the evacuation of this city as well.


(Underworld)

Naruto blinked at the puff of smoke in front of his face and caught the scroll out of reflex. He ignored the awed looks of the children he had been playing with in the Underground Shelter and read the note. Armin wouldn't have sent something unless it was important. His eyes widened after reading the contents and he swore loudly.

"Not in front of the kids!" Isabel rebuked immediately and Naruto had the grace to look sheepish as he got scolded. He was thankful he had managed to save his friends all those years ago when they had almost been eaten as scouts for the survey corps. He hadn't been able to get in touch with Levi and the midget hadn't ever visited again so Naruto assumed that the man thought Isabel and Farlan had died. He would have to remedy that sometime but Naruto found himself too busy lately.

"Sorry, but an emergency has come up," Naruto apologized, "Not here however so we are all still safe. But I really must go so, um, yeah. Titan. Big titan."

"Yeah get out of here and be useful then!" Farlan joked as he limped towards the kids on crutches.

"Go be a hero again Baku-sama!" The kids cheered loudly.

"Settle down children, I believe it is time for class." Iruka called out, "Baku-sama will be back later."

"Thanks kiddos," Naruto laughed as they whined about class.

Without any other warning he disappeared from their field of view instantly, running full speed towards Trost. The note had been brief, but the urgency was properly delivered as expected of Armin.

Trost under siege.

There was only one enemy of humanity as a whole that Naruto was currently aware of which could only mean that the titans had made their move. If the titans had indeed attacked Trost then Naruto had to assume that the colossal had already smashed the outer gate and that meant that his siblings would have to participate in the upcoming battle. Naruto grit his teeth even as he crossed the landscape at unbelievable speed. If anything happened to his siblings he was going to rain hell, secrecy of his abilities be damned. The world could burn as far as he cared, but his family was off limits.


Haku wanted to protect Armin. She wanted to blame someone for her slip up but she didn't know who to blame. Shikamaru had warned her about this. She herself had known this. But she was a healer by nature. She despised killing. She knew it was necessary sometimes, but she would prefer if others did it. She was naturally empathetic to those around her, and especially after the years they had spent training together she had built a kinship with her comrades in the 104th.

Shikamaru had advised against it, that despite the people of the walls not being their enemies they would not be staying here long term. She couldn't help it however.

And then there was Armin. The shy and fragile boy just begged to be protected and Haku would have coddled him if he didn't have Naruto, Mikasa, and Eren already doing so. Added to that was he was genuinely interested in learning more about her passion in healing. He was dutiful and smart, and he didn't chatter endlessly either. His temperament complimented hers, and she could forget they were here for a reason. Even Armin's logical thinking, while it was on par with Shikamaru, lacked the ruthlessness of her leader.

They should have expected this situation in the first place, considering what had happened at Shiganshina. But Haku had to admit she probably had been hoping it would never happen. It felt like she had been living in a dream for the past few years and she had k=just been rudely awakened back into reality.

"These titans are after something within the walls," Shikamaru stated seriously. "There is no other reason for them to be this troublesome otherwise. And why through the cities? Why not just smash through the walls? Or climb over them?"

His voice drew Haku's attention back to the emergency meeting that their team of shinobi was having.

"It might be the same power we are after," Temari suggested, "though with their fire power why wait five years?"

"Maybe that's how long it took to make another colossal titan?" Samui pondered.

Shikamaru had his eyes closed, deep in thought as he wondered what course of action they should take. Haku really hoped he didn't order her away from Armin. She would dare to disobey him if he ordered something that far against her wishes.

"Haku, Uchiha. The both of you saw this titan. What did you notice?" Shikamaru asked.

"Hn," Sasuke snorted. "Smoke."

"Oh cheer up and be serious you bastard!" Kurotsuchi growled as her pink eyes narrowed in annoyance. "This is kinda important!"

Haku idly noted that Eren's animosity of Sasuke had somehow bled into his training partner. In the same way that Haku and Armin spent their spare time in each other's company, so did Eren and the pink eyed girl. Although to be fair, no one really got along with the brooding Uchiha. There was just something dark and foreboding in the atmosphere that surrounded him.

"What a drag," Shikamaru grumbled and directed a pointed look at Haku, "Do elaborate. I don't speak Uchiha unfortunately." The shadow user pointedly ignored Sasuke's bristling at the insult.

"Eren and Sasuke attacked its nape, captain. I am unaware whether or not they made contact but the titan's skeleton remained afterwards, so I assume they managed to kill it somehow. Armin doesn't know what happened either," Haku dutifully reported.

"I'm assuming Sasuke didn't kill it or he would have bragged about it by now," Kurotsuchi said, "Which means Eren beat you to it didn't he?" She poked the Uchiha.

"Stop annoying him before it blows up," Temari warned with a laugh. "Though I do agree, a civilian beat you to the kill, hotshot?"

"Assuming there's more than one colossal titan, there may be more than one armored titan as well. They may possibly have an army. This is bad. What do they want in here? It isn't food because neither the colossal nor the armored even eat as far as we know. So are they here for the same thing we are? But no, the titans we are up against are different from these ones. So is this a different group of titans? Either way if they are looking for the same power we are looking for then we have competition. I have no idea what their plan is by breaking down the walls but if that is somehow serving their purpose we must oppose it. If there is more than one of these special type titans they may be outside the walls," Shikamaru thought out loud for the benefit of his team.

He turned to the rest of them, "For now our cover still takes priority. We can still use this opportunity to get promoted into the inner walls and access information. But we must also do what we can so that only this city is lost and not the whole wall. If Wall Rose falls then security may not even let anyone else fall back by another wall. What a drag." Shikamaru paused and gazed upwards and Haku wondered if he was thinking or just enjoying the view of the clouds.

"Samui, Kurotsuchi. I assign you both outside the walls. Search for any special type titan and eliminate them. Use your abilities as long as you remain unseen from the wall. If possible stem the flow of the titans headed towards the breach as well to make the job on the soldiers here easier. Just keep an eye out for the Survey Corps, they left yesterday and may be returning anytime so ensure they don't see you either. You may return once you hear the bells signaling the evacuation here is finished. " Shikamaru ordered further.

With their orders the duo nodded grimly and flickered away unseen.

"Temari, you will aid in the rear guard for the evacuation. Help ensure it goes smoothly. This may also help you secure your promotion into the inner walls," Shimakaru ordered before he turned to an expectant Haku and a distant Sasuke.

"I can't trust the Uchiha not to lose control in clearing out titans, nor can I risk him dealing with people. Therefore I have to assign him to the vanguard so he can get his taste of bloodshed and not cause trouble. Haku, watch over this one. I'll assign you to the vanguard as well, keep your friends alive. But do not reveal your powers however, am I clear?" He asked.

Haku gave a relieved nod, thankful for the thoughtfulness of her captain. At her response, Shikamaru disappeared to follow Kurotsuchi and Samui in their mission.

"Sasuke?" Haku called out as she went to find Armin.

She ignored his grunt of affirmation in favour of locating the small blond. She found him attempting to ease down yet another fight between Eren and Mikasa. Haku honestly didn't understand why they didn't get along. She was of the opinion that it was Eren's fault. Mikasa just wanted to protect him. Haku admired her for that, because she believed that to be truly strong you had to have something you wanted to give your life to protect. They had spoken about their dreams once, and they had come to an understanding that they had people they wanted to protect. Mikasa had even joked that she could focus more energy on Eren if she wasn't as worried about Armin.

It was probably why Mikasa was as strong as she was, scary enough to make even her team wary. On that note it was probably also why Naruto himself scared them so much. He didn't have chakra as far as they knew, but he was definitely skilled enough to kill them. Even able to control ice like she did didn't make her feel safe. Their ninjutsu didn't count for much if someone snuck up on them and slit their throats for instance.

Samui, having spied on Naruto, had witnessed Naruto killing a few of their fellow trainees because they had threatened his family. She had even followed him to the underworld once and had witnessed his brutality. Naruto's stance was clear, his family came first. Thankfully they were safe as long as they were close friends of his siblings. To be fair the only ones who didn't get along were Temari and Sasuke, for obvious reasons.

"Mikasa just leave me alone!" Eren yelled.

Haku winced. Eren really was insensitive to be yelling something like that. It was strange how he remained as stubborn as he was despite having siblings not as volatile and hotheaded as he was, at least outwardly. But still, what was he saying? Haku pitied Mikasa at that moment. She looked like she had been shot by a rifle at the words coming from Eren.

"I don't need you mothering me! I'm strong enough to take care of myself! You don't behave like a proper person! Ever since that day it's like you actually died! Do you even live for yourself anymore? I can take care of myself damn it! In case you have forgotten, it was me who saved you that day! Not the other way around! If I tell you to die now will you do it? Are you that much of a slave to me? If-"

Eren was rudely interrupted as a fist slammed into his jaw.

"That's enough asshole," Jean ordered as he shook his fist in pain. "You don't get to tell me I'm gonna survive today and make it to the Military Police tomorrow, then turn around and treat Mikasa like this! I dare you to say that to her with Naruto here!"

Haku was also wondering where Naruto was. In a situation as dire as this, it seemed strange that he would not be ensuring his siblings were safe. He was fiercely overprotective. Eren also never snapped at Mikasa in his presence.

"He's near the breach fighting titans," Armin said as he gave his own disapproving look towards Eren. "They couldn't force him to shepherd civilians when he said he was the best at killing titans. He also said something along the lines of the more he killed the less everyone else would have to."

It was believable to those who knew Naruto, but Haku was also aware that Naruto had not been on the wall with them. She ignored that however and put what she hoped was a comforting hand on Mikasa's shoulder. "He's just nervous Mikasa. He doesn't know what he is saying, but he is grateful for you even if he doesn't know how to express it."

"I'm used to it," Mikasa whispered barely audibly. That did not reassure Haku at all. She couldn't be going into battle like this, inhuman or not. If she lost the will to protect, she would no longer be as strong.

"Ackerman! Sabaku! The elite are to be part of the rear guard! The rest of you rendezvous under the vanguard position!"

The raven haired girl silently followed after their commanding officer without even a glance behind her.

"Mikasa!" Haku called out against her better judgment. She couldn't leave the situation like this. "Hurry up with your task. I will try and protect them until you arrive!" Haku hoped that she could remind Mikasa of their purposes.

Mikasa paused in her walk and gave an almost unnoticeable but grateful smile before she nodded and went on her way.

"Alright! You heard the man! Let's go kill titans!" Eren yelled excitedly, suddenly battle ready and in stark contrast to his former attitude. It had the desired effect of firing up their comrades.

"Want to bet I kill more than you?" Mina teased.

"Nah, that's gonna be me!" Thomas declared. "I lagged behind you guys in training but this is the real thing!"

Haku found herself almost physically holding Jean back from punching Eren again. It said a lot about how obnoxious Eren's behavior was that someone like Jean was taking offense. Haku noticed that she seemed to have a habit of playing peacemaker. "Naruto hits a lot harder than you Jean," Haku said, "All you have to do is tell him."

"Maybe I will," Jean grumbled. "Daz! Stop cowering over there! We've got work to do!"

Haku watched them go before joining her own squad with Armin. She shared a look with the intelligent blonde and they nodded to each other. "Will you react the same way if I say I'll protect you?" Haku asked teasingly.

"I am very much aware of my abilities. Or lack thereof," Armin replied. "And I guess I can trust you with that, considering how they want to have a competition in killing titans instead of keeping each other alive."

"I don't understand how Eren can lead them like that and yet say such a harsh thing to Mikasa," Haku said.

Armin frowned as he replied, "It's a little complicated. They have to sort this out later though."

With the whirring of their mobility gear, the cadets flew off towards the breach, most of them eager for battle. None of them however, noticed the murderous glint in Sasuke's eyes.


"Mina watch out!" a cadet shouted as a titan grabbed at her cables, causing her to crash into the street.

Haku watched helplessly as the cadet then tried to defend the girl but was snatched up instead and placed into the titan's mouth. Haku's fingers twitched, knowing that she had the power to help them but was under orders not to use them. The moment of hesitation cost her however and the titan's jaws closed with a sickening snap, tearing the body in half. Haku clenched her fist as she tried to drown out his screams, knowing that if she hadn't hesitated she could have used her mobility gear to slice the titan's nape.

Her eyes widened when the seven metre began to reach for a petrified Mina and Haku wasted no more time as she swooped downwards and sliced off its arm. She caught Mina out of the air and brought them to a rooftop a little distance away from the majority of the fighting.

Off to the side she noticed Eren bouncing from titan to titan screaming in a rage, desperate to keep as many of their squad alive as he could. He already had multiple titan corpses steaming below him, but they had lost just as many cadets. People they had trained with for the past few years, had already met horrible fates. Haku ignored the battle for a moment and squashed her feeling of helplessness to focus on the girl in front of her.

"Mina! Fall back!" Haku yelled at the petrified girl. Mina however still had a look of horror pasted on her face at witnessing one of her comrades getting eaten alive. Haku didn't have the time to babysit her however and slapped the girl harshly.

"Mina, get away from here! Please." Haku pleaded when Mina's eyes refocused. Haku let out a breath of relief when Mina nodded shakily and began to fly off in the other direction from all the fighting. At least her life wouldn't be wasted. Haku then noticed Thomas and a few other cadets retreating as well under orders from Eren as he realized that they were outmatched. Both he and Armin were covering the retreat, planning on retreating last as they were the most capable of the group.

The titans had advanced far further than they had anticipated. The vanguard had been completely annihilated and they had been ambushed by a group of abnormal titans. Haku barely managed to slice off the hand of the titan that had grabbed yet another cadet out of the air and a quick inspection showed that girl was no longer in any shape to fight but thankfully uninjured so Haku sent her on her way after Mina.

Haku couldn't help but blame herself however. She had been too slow to save some of them. Despite their training this was still their first time facing actual titans and they were suffering badly. The consequences for being unable to adapt were fatal.

She couldn't afford to let her guard down. She didn't need anyone else to die while she was around.

Haku shot a pair of icicle needles into the jaw of another titan so that it was unable to close its mouth and pulled out Hanz, forcing him to retreat with Hannah. The ice user was no longer taking care to hide her movements, aware that in the chaos her abilities were unlikely to be noticed. The lives of her fellow trainees took precedence. Orders be damned they didn't have to die here! She froze the knee joint of an abnormal titan about to leap towards Armin and swooped down low to sever the tendons to make it believable before she destroyed its nape.

Thankfully Eren was fully capable of taking care of himself, having already dispatched another four titans with relative ease. As usual his anger was benefitting his combat abilities and due to Naruto's harsh training, Eren remained fully aware of his surroundings. Haku was more worried about Armin however, as he wasn't as proficient with the gear.

The small boy hadn't been moving too much however and had mostly been stationary near Eren's position, helping to direct his brother's movements by calling out who was in danger and where. He had yet to move from where he had landed on the roof of a three storey building. Haku grimaced. From a squad of over twenty five now there were only four of them who remained in battle. At least she could now focus on keeping Armin alive since Eren and Sasuke could look after themselves, even as they got swarmed by more and more titans. If the situation took a turn for the worse and Eren could no longer manage his killing spree, Haku had already resolved herself to reveal her ice powers if it meant keeping them alive. Even if she didn't quite like him, Eren was still Armin's brother.

And Haku would give her life to protect Armin.

She no longer cared about a village that had raised her like tool, to be used and then discarded. She no longer cared about a village that prided itself in bloodshed and discriminated against her. She no longer cared about villages that would go to war over petty reasons and cause meaningless loss of valuable life. But for someone who dreamed of seeing the desert? The ocean? For someone who dreamed to see the outside of the walls? Haku wanted Armin to realize that dream. She had no dream of her own before now, but because of that his dream had become hers. She wanted to be with him and see the wonder in his eyes as they saw the world outside. His eyes simply shone every time he shared his dream with her, and she could only wonder how much more they could shine if he saw them in person.

She could protect them. Her village may hunt her, but she no longer cared. There were titans outside, but they weren't everywhere. Armin and his siblings would see the outside world and she would help them. This was no longer about the mission her village entrusted her with. Let Shikamaru accomplish it without her if needed.

Haku jolted when she felt her surroundings distort slightly. Eren and the titans were still moving, but Haku also noticed that despite the wind all the dust had stopped moving. It wasn't natural. Genjutsu? Someone was casting an illusion! She turned towards Armin and her eyes widened as she saw a small titan leap up from behind him and slap him towards another roof where he lay unconscious. She would have jumped to Armin immediately if the four metre that had slapped him hadn't suddenly leapt towards Eren with its mouth gaping wide while the unsuspecting boy was occupied aiming for the nape of a fifteen metre. Didn't he see it!?

"Eren!" She yelled out desperately even as she instinctively reached for her chakra and forcefully disrupted the flow to dispel whatever illusion had been cast on her. She prepared to fire a massive icicle of ice to intercept the four metre titan when she hesitated and momentarily withheld casting her ninjutsu. That wasn't a four metre titan, instead the image was replaced by that of Sasuke.

She regretted her inaction however when she witnessed Sasuke mercilessly use his swords to severe Eren's leg, under the illusion that it had been a titan to bite it off. With the sudden loss of a limb and control, Eren crash landed painfully across the roof top. He uprooted multiple roof tiles with the force of his landing before he came to a painful stop.

"Eren!" Sasuke yelled as he dove towards the boy in false alarm. The smirk he sported wasn't lost on Haku however. For the first time in her life Haku felt anger at another being as the fire burned into her chest almost like a physical pain. Sasuke had found an opportunity to dispose of Eren and had wasted no time in taking advantage of it. That explained why Eren hadn't sensed him. It was probable that Eren had been under an illusion as well. Sasuke had thought he could deceive her in the process as well, and it was insulting to say the least.

She wasn't about to just let him finish the job though. Before the Uchiha could even close his distance to Eren he was bombarded by a multitude of ice needles, some of them hitting important areas and inhibiting movement. Her teammate wasn't an amateur however and his eyes blazed into the red of the sharingan. It was because of this that he managed to avoid her needles that she had aimed at areas that would have completely immobilized him otherwise. Haku despised that particular trait about the Uchiha and their predictive, slow motion sight.

"I'm going to help Eren," Sasuke said slowly, "Didn't you see? He just got bitten by a titan!"

"I'm not stupid Uchiha," Haku replied and kept her gaze firmly on the threat greater even than the titans around them. "I saw through your genjutsu."

The false worry disappeared from the Uchiha's face, replaced by a more familiar condescending smirk when he realized he had been discovered.

"I wasn't expecting this. I thought I had been more subtle," Sasuke admitted, "But are you sure you want to stop me? Do you really believe you are capable of it?" he sneered.

Haku knew she didn't stand much of a chance. He was the most powerful person on their team and they were all aware of it. Even Shikamaru only managed to restrain the Uchiha because Sasuke wasn't aware of what countermeasures the shadow user had in place for him. He also wasn't stupid enough to needlessly test them.

Shikamaru wasn't here now however. It was just the two of them. There were no other witnesses either. This had been a bad call by the shadow user. He hadn't taken into account Sasuke's hatred of Eren. Haku didn't have much of a choice however. If Sasuke was fully intent on killing Eren then Haku knew there was little she could do to stop him. She could buy time however. She didn't know what she was buying time for but she had to try. Anything was better than having no time at all.

Unfortunately there really was little she could do aside from stare defiantly back at the Uchiha. He was stronger and faster than her. His sharingan eyes were trained on her, meaning he would know the instant she made any move at all. Not to mention he was also much closer to Eren and Armin's position than she was.

"How about a little trade," Sasuke offered suddenly as he deactivated his sharingan. Haku blinked at the sudden change in demeanor but nodded, willing to hear him out since it would help to buy time.

"I don't really hate the cowardly wretch as much as I do this one," he said as he pointed at Eren, "So leave Jeager to me and take your pet away before he gets eaten."

Haku considered the proposal for a moment. Despite it being more logical in the sense that less people overall would be injured and she could ensure her safety alongside Armin's. Sasuke knew how precious Armin was to her, and the ruthless man was manipulating her with that information.

Eren was precious to Armin however, and that meant the green eyed boy was precious to Haku as well. Even if she did get Armin away, what was going to stop Sasuke from killing Armin anyways? But more importantly, Haku doubted Armin would forgive her if he found out. She didn't have to tell him of course, but she doubted she could hold that in her conscience. Haku steeled her resolve and didn't bother to answer the question. Instead she took advantage of his deactivated eyes and began to create ice mirrors under both Eren and Armin while being careful not to alert the Uchiha. Without his eyes active he wouldn't know that she was channeling chakra.

As a healer she also did not neglect to freeze Eren's injury to stem the blood flow. Even if she got them out of this situation there was still a large risk that Eren would die of blood loss otherwise. She also froze and retrieved Eren's leg as she was certain she would be able to reattach it. Despite her misgivings, Sasuke was an excellent swordsman and the cut had been clean and straight through.

Sasuke scowled at Haku when the next thing he noticed after his offer was his target's sudden disappearance. She didn't mind however, instead focusing on his hands for his next move. She hadn't been able to teleport Armin and Eren as far enough as she would have liked, but they were out of Sasuke's immediate vicinity and that was more than enough for now. The biggest challenge now was for her to get away from him and rendezvous with the people she had been trying to save.

"I see you've made your choice," Sasuke said. "You wish to defy me Haku? Someone as weak as you should know not to defy those stronger than yourself," Sasuke mocked.

"You are not strong Uchiha-san," Haku replied back. "When someone has something truly precious to them that they want to protect, that is when they can truly become strong. You have nothing precious to you except your desire for vengeance."

"That is what you say in your delusion," Sasuke replied with a shrug. "But the fact remains that you are weak, no matter what you say otherwise. Strength is for those hungry for it and those who strive for it. Some are naturally strong, others have to attain it. Some do both. Strength is when there is nothing to hold you back, nothing limiting what you can or can't do. Power is only for those willing to sacrifice everything to obtain more and more of it. My brother was able to do so, and my clan was weak. That is how the world works. Those with power are free. I will avenge my clan, and for that I need power. The only way to achieve this is to get rid of everything that will hold me back, be it people or emotions. When I am the strongest there is, I will be free from anyone's expectations. You are weaker than me, why else would you be afraid?"

"And yet our Kage die for their villages. I do not believe you can call them weak," Haku replied. To think she would be having philosophical debate with the Uchiha of all people, especially in a life or death situation.

"They died. They were slaves to something else, slaves because they were not strong enough, slaves because they had something to protect. They were weak. But my brother was strong enough to slaughter my entire clan in broad daylight. The strongest clan in my village and the rest of our forces were helpless to stop that massacre. Then he just walked out as if nothing had happened, looking for a greater challenge. Do you know why he did it? To test the limits of his ability! Compare those Haku! Who is strong? The ones who died, or the one who lived?"

Haku didn't like the sound of that. He had a point about some of the monsters from their world wielding terrifying power. But Haku also believed he was wrong. The First Hokage fell to four armies so that his village would remain safe, the third Raikage fell to ten thousand soldiers to save his army from annihilation. They were truly strong because of what they were willing protect. Their fundamental motivation wouldn't break as easily under overwhelming odds.

It was true, the Sasuke was vastly powerful already. But if he was willing to go to any lengths to increase power then he was seriously messed up in the head. She didn't believe he was responsible enough to be handling that much power. It was eerily similar to those who wished for world domination, or to become gods. He didn't directly say it, but being free from any restrictions also implied there was just nobody to stop him.

Haku's blood chilled as she had a sudden haunting realization. What if he hadn't attacked the rest of the group yet because he was lying in wait like a viper? What if he was waiting for them to accomplish their mission, only to snatch the power for himself? What if he was just using them to find it for him? He didn't seem to care about the elemental nations either, but for reasons different to Haku. He actually didn't seem to care about much other than acquiring power now that she thought about it. She had to wonder if Shikamaru already considered this terrifying possibility because if he hadn't, they were in serious danger. Their group was not powerful enough to stop Sasuke. Maybe they could request additional forces from the villages?

She found it suspicious however, that throughout the years Sasuke hadn't already moved to kill Naruto if he was this willing to kill Eren. Sasuke's hatred for Naruto dwarfed his hatred of Eren so much, it made Eren seem like he was a mere annoyance. So why hadn't he made a move? Maybe they had already fought? Was Naruto that strong? Could Naruto actually help them? Haku dismissed these thoughts however. They wouldn't help her now.

"What will you do after you kill your brother?" Haku asked, suddenly curious what he would do with such power if he did manage to obtain it.

"Then I will be free to do as I wish. I will only know once I kill him, because for now I am a slave to my purpose of killing him. Once I am strong enough, I will be free to pursue anything I want!" Sasuke declared loudly and with a smirk.

"What meaning will your life have then?" Haku asked. "If killing him is your only purpose then once you achieve it there will be nothing and no one to stand alongside you. Aren't you afraid to be merely alive, without a purpose? Don't our lives only have meaning through the eyes of others?"

Haku noted his slight pause at her question and wondered if there was still hope for this person. It did mean he was thinking about it.

"If that is how it is, what do I do if the owners of those eyes are all dead?" he asked.

His answer hit Haku almost like a slap. Maybe he had been normal once, before his brother massacred his clan. She could partially understand his desire for vengeance as in a way he was still trying to protect the memory of his clan. She worried however that his quest for power had begun to blind him from his original purpose. She actually had to carefully think about her reply. "Forge new connections. Didn't you want to rebuild your clan? You would have to find someone eventually." Haku replied after some thought.

"I am no longer that weak to attach the meaning of my life to someone else's opinion. I did that with my father and clan, but not anymore. If I am to rebuild my clan it has to be someone strong, someone who is also free. But enough of this. Let us see then, who is truly strong between us Haku, I will not use my eyes. I do not need them for the likes of you." He declared condescendingly.

Haku barely managed to dodge the knife he threw at her and she hastily formed a shield of ice to receive the punch Sasuke threw at her from point blank range an instant later. The ice shattered under the force of the blow and his succeeding punch tore through the wall of a building, but by then Haku had already distanced herself from the raven haired boy.

It didn't matter for much however when he appeared before her again in the blink of the eye and Haku ducked under a kick that could have possibly taken her head off. The wind from the force of it knocked her hair loose from the pony tail it had been in. She darted nimbly to the side but was forced to dodge another knife thrown at her midsection.

She turned back to face her opponent and realized she couldn't dodge the next punch that was headed for her face. She quickly raised an arm and summoned ice spikes onto it. If he was still going to hit her she was going to use his own strength against him and let him impale himself. Unfortunately she wasn't able to anticipate how quickly he could react as he swapped his target at the last second and instead his fist collided with her stomach.

Haku froze the ground she stood on and coated her stomach with a few layers of rock hard ice that all shattered upon impact. The punch still hurt tremendously and sent her sliding backwards but at least she didn't have a hole through her body just yet. By sliding backwards on her ice it had allowed her to redirect much of the force that she had been hit with and Sasuke had been unwilling to step onto the ice for a follow up attack, recognizing the danger if he had done so.

Haku grimaced and coughed violently. Just that single hit already had her winded. She was breathing heavily with the adrenaline coursing through her veins. She was not only at a disadvantage in close range combat, but she also wasn't meant for long drawn out fights. She was unlike the monster in front of her. She was an assassin. Someone who struck without the target even knowing she was there. To think he was this strong and he wasn't even using chakra to enhance his movements yet.

Haku took advantage in the momentary reprieve from the battle and she allowed shock and fear to show on her facial features as she stared at a point directly behind her opponent.

"Itachi!?" She cried out.

If Sasuke's sharingan had been activated he would have been able to read her facial expression enough to know it had been a blatant lie. He apparently couldn't help himself however and spun around, lightning blazing in his hands to confront his hated brother.

Before he could come to his senses Haku smiled and summoned her chakra. "Makyou Hyoshou!" she yelled.

Mirrors of demonic ice crystals sprouted out of thin air and surrounded the Uchiha in a dome like sphere structure of demonic ice mirrors which she reinforced with as much chakra as she could spare. It was almost air tight. The ice glistened in the sunlight. Even if she couldn't beat him here, she just had to delay long enough for Shikamaru to come back and deliver her information. More importantly this fight gave Eren and Armin more chances for survival.

She entered her mirrors and gazed at the boy trapped within. This was her domain. She could freely move from mirror to mirror near instantaneously and practically be present in every mirror simultaneously with her speed and launch ice attacks from any angle. Her dome even extended underground on the off chance he would try to escape from there. She exited the mirrors on the outside and smiled. He was trapped there. Her ice was near unbreakable when she put this much chakra into it. It was her ultimate technique, and he couldn't melt it. Haku could probably leave him here for a while and focus on healing Eren, then she would wait for her captain to ask how to proceed.

She paused however with a nagging thought. What happened when he broke free? Or when he was eventually freed because she had run out of chakra to sustain the structure? What would stop him from finishing off Eren? Would he even stop at just Eren? This was the one time she was able to trap him in her demonic ice mirrors due to both a bluff and his arrogance. Haku would never get a chance like this again. She could kill him now if she wanted to. No. She had to kill him now and stop thinking about their mission. He was a danger to those precious to her. She steeled her resolve. She despised killing, but she also understood that there were times when it was necessary. She could explain this to Shikamaru later and he would probably understand. Even if he didn't however, she was still more afraid of the Uchiha than she was of her captain. Shikamaru wouldn't attack her precious people, and even if he did she was sure Kurotsuchi would defend them as well.

"Kirigakure no jutsu," She intoned as she returned to her demonic mirrors and summoned a thick mist within the dome. It would dull all of the Uchiha's senses. Even if he used the sharingan now he would be unable to follow her movements within the mirrors. It even impeded his ability to see her chakra and predict her moves because the mist she had summoned was saturated with her chakra. He would simply see a sea of her chakra. Haku poured almost all of her energy into the mirrors and the mist to hinder the Uchiha as much as possible in preparation for her assault. He was going to die here.

"Fire style: Goukakyuu no jutsu!" The Uchiha yelled, breathing out a massive fireball that scorched the very ground he stood on and charred it black.

"Your fire cannot melt my ice," Haku stated confidently. Her ice didn't merely turn into water, it was true ice. It would remain ice no matter the heat it was exposed to. The Uchiha's efforts only served to hinder his own vision even more as the black smoke it produced from burning the ground added to her mist, slowly suffocating him. This was her chance.

The ice user poured everything into her next attack, launching countless needles of ice from every angle simultaneously, with speed and durability to fly straight through the Uchiha's body. She mixed in massive constructs of ice, for the purpose of focusing his attention on them and not on the smaller more, dangerous needles she was aiming at his vital organs. She kept up the relentless onslaught for as long as she had chakra remaining. He had to die.

She reached her limit after a few minutes of constant barrage and Haku was forced to stop. Simply retaining her dome was now hurting her body. Chakra was formed through spiritual and physical energy combined, and she had just used up her physical reserves. She had to be sure however. She dispelled the mist so that she could see clearly and her eyes widened when the mist cleared and in the middle of her dome stood a disheveled but definitely alive Uchiha. His Sharingan was ablaze and his hands had been coated lightning chakra. He looked a little worse for wear with a few nicks in his clothing but his injuries were all superficial ones. After all that she hadn't even been able to injure him.

"I underestimated you," He admitted before he let out a pained cough. Haku noticed that some of her needles had indeed gotten through, but was unsure if she had hit anything vital. Sasuke had probably realized after the first few injuries that he would have died if he hadn't used his eyes.

Haku was at her limit however. No matter how much she wanted to kill him, she had to retreat. She couldn't keep him trapped for far longer and she had to use what little time she had left to get Eren and Armin away from Trost and hide them. She had bought as much time as she possibly could. Sasuke was likely to kill her if she spent any longer here.

Before Haku could teleport herself to an ice mirror closer to Eren and Armin she could only widen her eyes as Sasuke leapt towards the mirror she was in and grabbed her by the throat, shattering he ice dome in the process. She had been careless. Without the mist and without chakra she hadn't been moving through her mirrors and Sasuke had immediately capitalized on it.

She grunted in pain as she was slammed through a wall into a building and all she could do was bring her hands to her throat when Sasuke lifted her up, depriving her of air.

"Hn, I don't want you trying anything funny." The Uchiha said before he plunged a knife into her shoulder. Haku would have screamed in pain if her throat hadn't been caught in a vice like grip. Tears of pain leaked out of her eyes as one of her arms dropped and hung uselessly at her side.

"Can't form hand seals now can you?" The Uchiha sneered. "Not that it would have mattered since you are almost out of chakra anyways, aren't you? Hn, that probably would have worked on almost anyone else, but I am an Uchiha. I will not die to someone as weak as you."

Haku could only apologize to Armin in her head that she couldn't protect them anymore and she could only pray that she had bought them enough time. It was enough for her however, that she could at least have been of some use in the end. If he had died before her and she had kept on living, Haku couldn't imagine what it would feel like being in that living hell. To be alive, and yet have no purpose. For her to go on living, but without anyone precious to protect. Armin's eyes and smile as he talked about the outside world flashed in her mind and Haku smiled. This wasn't so bad.

"I could kill you now," Sasuke said as he interrupted her thoughts, "Hn. And it would actually be fair since you almost killed me. But unfortunately for you I have better idea."

He dropped her, but in her state Haku could only gasp in air and cough violently before he grabbed her by her remaining arm and forced her to look in a certain direction. Haku's eyes widened in horror and she immediately struggled for freedom at the scene before her. Sasuke grunted in annoyance and forced Haku to her knees then kneeled on the back of her legs before he grabbed her chin and forced her to behold the horrifying situation unfolding a mere few buildings away from their position.

"You are strong because you have something to protect I believe you said earlier?" Sasuke asked maliciously, "Are you strong now Haku, now that you can't protect them?"

Haku could do nothing as she helplessly watched Armin almost get swallowed by a titan, only for Eren to grab his brother out of the titan's throat. This was a nightmare for Haku. It couldn't end like this. She needed them to live! She could accept her fate if it allowed them to live, but they were not dying before her!

With the last of her energy she had one last trick up her sleeve. Sasuke had disabled one arm because he thought it would prevent her from manifesting ice. He of all people should have known that she didn't need both hands to activate her bloodline abilities. Even when he did finally notice her molding chakra he was too late to stop her. Haku formed an ice clone of hers behind him which grabbed the Uchiha in a vice like grip. She and the clone then substituted themselves with one another as a basic shinobi skill, the kawarimi. With it Haku freed herself from his grip and left him grappling onto her ice clone instead. With another hand sign it detonated violently, launching the Uchiha away from the force of the blast and littered with spikes of ice that pierced straight through him.

She didn't know if it was enough to kill him but she didn't have enough time to check and ensure. She leapt onto the roofs without her gear and began sprinting desperately towards Armin and Eren.

"Eren!" She heard Armin scream as Eren futilely tried to keep the fifteen metre from shutting its mouth. Haku held out her remaining hand and large chunk of ice manifested itself in the titan's jaw, preventing it from shutting its mouth. Luckily the green eyed boy still had to sense to get himself out of the titan's mouth while he could, ignoring his surprise at the sudden appearance of ice.

Once Eren was finally free both he and Armin stared stupidly at the ice that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere before Haku appeared in front of them.

"Haku you're injured as well!" Armin exclaimed in worry as he noticed the knife still embedded in her shoulder and the bruises around her throat. She knew he was aware they weren't injuries obtained from battling titans.

"We have to get out of here! I'm not sure if I killed him, but Sasuke will kill you both if the titans don't!" Haku shouted urgently before she began to cough violently and dropped to her knees.

She noticed Armin's face harden and Haku wondered if it was either because of her state or the danger of both titans and Sasuke that she had revealed. Or it could be her sudden admittance of using cahakra and being a shinobi as well, therefore an outsider. She could only hope she hadn't shattered his trust in her, but he was still alive and that was what mattered.

"Can you still run without your gear?" Armin asked. Haku nodded slowly in response. She was starting to feel sleepy for some reason.

"I will carry Eren. The bells are ringing so we must have bought enough time already. I suspect Mikasa will already be heading here so we must move towards the rear gate. If Sasuke is still alive he will not make a move against Mikasa since he suspects her to be a shinobi as well. And that is not entirely untrue. I do not know if we can still trust you, Haku, but since you have saved us from the titan and also Sasuke I will give you the benefit of the doubt for now. I notice you are probably also the reason Eren hasn't bled to death and why we have his leg but we can worry about that later. It is Naruto who will decide. And he will deal with all of you accordingly." Armin stated.

Haku flinched at the mistrust in Armin's eyes but it was warranted. It didn't belong on his face however. She wanted to see the dreamy, childish expression he had whenever he talked about the outside world with her. But at least they were still alive, that was her only consolation.

"Is Kurotsuchi also…" Eren asked as he tried to stand on his lone leg and climb onto Armin's back.

Haku picked up his frozen limb and nodded as she began to run alongside them, vigilant should Sasuke suddenly appear even if she couldn't do much to fight him off anymore. "We all are," she admitted, seeing no reason to hide it since she was pretty sure Armin had pieced everything together by now.

"Eren!"

Haku never thought she would feel as relieved as she did to hear Mikasa's voice. Her team had been suspicious of Mikasa, and as far as they were concerned she could beat them in a physical battle. That included when they were using chakra. Therefore her threat level was on par with Naruto's. Haku and the others were unsure if the siblings could also use ninjutsu. At least in this situation even if Mikasa did kill her, Armin would be safe. She idly noted that Temari was a little behind Mikasa, shooting her a worried glance as well.

"How dare you!?" Mikasa roared as she dashed towards Haku with her blades raised.

Haku had been ready for this. She knew that Mikasa was reacting instinctively. She had been prepared to just shut her eyes and accept her fate, but that didn't stop the sudden fear that struck Haku when she met the furious woman's eyes. The blood red of the sharingan that blazed in Mikasa's eyes were unmistakable. It was too much like a similar pair she had fought against not too long ago. In her current state Haku was no longer able to fight at all and she doubted Temari could stop Mikasa before the raven haired girl had her revenge. This made no sense, but now that she thought about it maybe it did. They had always suspected Mikasa to be a shinobi but another Uchiha? Unless this was somehow Itachi in disguise as supposedly the only other Uchiha alive they had no way to explain this. But then again why would Itachi be within the walls, and why as a girl!?

"Mikasa! Stop!" Armin shouted as he let Eren down onto the ground.

Miraculously Mikasa froze and skidded to a stop directly in front of Haku. The ice user could tell every fibre in Mikasa's body was screaming at her to kill, however. They were lucky she listened to Armin, even if Mikasa didn't understand why he had told her to stop just yet.

"Why?" Mikasa asked coldly, not taking her eyes off the pair in front of her. Off to the side Haku noticed that Temari had frozen in place as well. She was being careful not to make any sudden moves, especially when a sharingan was facing the two of them. Then again it was also probably because the Mikasa and Temari had never seen eye to eye and Mikasa suddenly had a very good excuse to kill them both.

"She's holding Eren's leg." Mikasa stated plainly.

"Haku saved Eren and I from titans and Sasuke. She even got injured for it. You should be thanking her," Armin explained.

"Is this true?" Mikasa asked seriously, and Haku felt a chill run down her spine as she looked Mikasa in the eye despite the habit they had developed of never looking into a sharingan.

"We have the same purpose in becoming strong Mikasa," Haku replied honestly. She knew Mikasa wanted nothing more than to protect her siblings, and in that sense their goals both aligned. She was relieved when Mikasa's eyes softened in understanding.

"Very well. I apologize," Mikasa intoned. Haku knew her well enough that Mikasa was being genuine and nodded back gratefully. They were technically friends, but Haku understood how fiercely protective Mikasa could become.

"I understand," Haku said.

"Can you reattach that?" Mikasa then asked and pointed to what Haku was holding.

"My chakra is depleted," Haku replied honestly with a frown, "But I do believe I can reattach it. The cut is clean and I have frozen it so the nerve endings shouldn't have died just yet. Eren won't be able to use that leg for a while, and it may never go back to what it used to be."

Haku was genuinely wondering why Eren didn't seem to be fretting too much about the possibility that he may have a permanent disability. She hadn't expected it from someone as bloodthirsty and headstrong as he was.

"I take it Temari can share her chakra with you and you can heal it with medical jutsu can you not?" Mikasa suggested. "I am not forcing you, but it will be very difficult to get Eren out of here while he is like that."

"Why would I do that?" Temari said harshly. "As if I would willingly leave myself defenseless!"

Mikasa raised her sword at Temari this time and the blonde haired girl stopped her protest at the threatening gesture. "The only reason you are alive is because you were with me in the rear guard. I will not give chakra to Haku and leave my back to you when your teammate is still around and the reason for all of this. I trust Haku, she has proven herself. But you, you could still be his side."

"And if I don't?" Temari challenged with all the bravado she could muster against a girl she hated.

"I will kill you," Mikasa shrugged carelessly, "Right here, right now. Who can stop me? I take it the Uchiha was injured by Haku as well. If he shows up I'll kill him. As far as I am concerned I should just kill all of you. Except for Haku."

Haku noted the widening in Eren's eyes but kept her silence, just as Armin and Eren did.

Temari grit her teeth and looked ready to accept the challenge before Haku placed a hand on her teammate's shoulders. "They don't have to be our enemies Temari. Remember Shikamaru's orders." Haku felt a little guilty for referring to their orders since she herself had blatantly disregarded them earlier when she used her own abilities but this would help her attend to Eren sooner rather than later. Haku had also noticed Temari's hands twitching, reaching for a gigantic war fan that wasn't quite there. Temari wasn't weak without it by any means, but fighting Mikasa with one of them needlessly dying wasn't going to help anybody.

"And Mikasa won't do anything to you," Haku added. "At least until Eren is healed."

"That's reassuring," Temari snorted. She didn't like it but reluctantly conceded that she didn't have much of a choice in the matter anyways unless she wanted to risk a fight with someone whose threat level they couldn't determine. But if she was an Uchiha on par with Sasuke, that automatically meant that they couldn't handle her. She reluctantly swallowed her pride and began sharing her chakra reserves with Haku.

"And just so you know I'm not on that duck haired bastard's side," Temari grunted at Mikasa.

"He's not on our side Temari," Haku said as she nodded gratefully for the shared chakra. She felt her depleted reserves replenish with soothing warmth and the ache in her body subsided a little. "He isn't with us."

"You mean he isn't with you and them?" Temari asked in annoyance as she gestured towards Eren and Armin. "Because I'm not really on that side either. We had a mission Haku! Did you forget what we came here for? And Shikamaru's orders?" Temari whispered harshly.

"And will you stop staring at me!" Temari growled at Mikasa. "Look around us for Sasuke or something! I already told you I'm not with him!"

Mikasa didn't budge, but instead narrowed her eyes further.

"He's on his own side," Haku clarified loudly as she tried to pacify both volatile women. "He's not with anyone but himself." Thankfully both women seemed to agree with her assessment and Mikasa began to scan their surroundings while Temari focused on sharing some of her chakra with Haku. The ice user was aware of Temari's feelings regarding how close she had gotten to the group and had even spoken to Haku regarding her loyalties a few times. Unlike Haku, Temari was trying to prove something in her village and this mission meant the world to her.

After a while Haku felt that she had recovered enough to begin to heal Eren and with a nod at Mikasa to ask permission she moved to Eren's side. Mikasa remained silent and Haku understood that she was allowed to move towards Eren, but Mikasa then pointed a sword when Temari made to move.

"No, you stay there."

Haku ignored the incident trusting that Temari wouldn't do anything rash and knelt down next to Eren and unfroze both his leg and the point of injury. She had been prepared for the blood to resume flowing before she began the healing process and had already placed the leg next to where it should have been. She was surprised however when her hand met Eren's skin. It was hot to the touch around the injury. It was hot enough that it almost burned her and it was steaming visibly. She could actually see the muscles knitting themselves together and twitching.

"What is this?" She asked in disbelief. This wasn't something a normal civilian had.

"Eren heals really fast for some reason," Armin answered. "Injuries that should take months to heal, heal within minutes. We do not know why yet but he has never had an injury this extreme. I am curious whether or not his leg would grow back on its own but we do not have the time for that and I doubt Mikasa would approve of such an experiment."

Haku narrowed her eyes slightly but nodded and her hands glowed green as she began to speed up the muscle recovery process. Even for her this should have taken hours with the proper equipment but somehow Eren's limb was reattached and fully functional within a minute. Within a matter of moments Eren was moving around as if he had never lost his leg in the first place. It still didn't make sense to Haku. The only similar thing she had seen was when they injured a titan. Was Eren a titan? Were the siblings all titans? Maybe they were small titans? They weren't stupid however, and they were too small to be called titans. So what was this?

Haku was startled out of her thoughts when a hand found itself on her shoulder. When she turned to see the owner she saw Armin's face close to hers, looking at her with a worried expression. Despite herself Haku blushed.

"Did Sasuke do this to you?" Armin asked as he pointed to her injuries. Her left arm was still hanging limply and she hadn't yet taken out the knife Sasuke had buried as she wasn't sure if she had the energy to freeze it before hand.

Haku nodded and held onto the handle of the knife and closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself for the pain once she pulled it out. She opened her eyes again when she felt Armin's hand close over her own and a soothing coolness began pouring itself into her wound. She opened her eyes again to see Armin's hand glowing a hazy green as he numbed both the pain in her shoulder and began to heal it. She hadn't even felt him pull out the knife.

"Armin you can…"

"Shh," Armin said and put a finger to her lips. "I don't see why we have to keep it secret anymore since both of us now know that the other use chakra. I don't like seeing you hurt Haku, and you also have internal bleeding," Armin informed her with a frown as he moved his free hand to her belly. Armin then wrapped his arms protectively around her when he finished his diagnostics. He was still able to conduct his healing in this position even if it wasn't ideal, but he also sensed that she needed something more in that moment.

"I did my best, but he was just too strong," Haku mumbled as her emotions finally got the better of her. She was tired, both mentally and physically from the events of the day. But here in his arms, she finally felt like it was safe to relax. He wasn't the strongest person out there, in fact he was arguably the weakest and easiest to pick off, but she relaxed in his presence. She didn't know when, but he was taller than her now, quite unlike when they had first met. She replayed the recent fight with Sasuke in her head, realizing just how lucky she had been the entire time.

Haku sighed and buried her head into his chest as the last of her injuries faded away and she felt her pride in Armin bloom. He had learned this from her. Of course not directly, but he was smart enough to have picked it up on his own from their time spent together.

"You were really lucky back there you know?" She heard Armin's voice, smiling at the bass that was emitting itself from her proximity to his chest and she sneakily breathed in his scent.

"I know," she replied.

"Am I really that precious to you now Haku, that you risked everything?" Armin asked. The flustered girl nodded into his chest and returned the hug he was giving her now that her arm could move again.

"For what it's worth, you are precious to me too Haku," Armin admitted. Haku couldn't stop the warmth that burst in her chest at that statement and hugged him tighter. If she had any doubts remaining regarding her actions they evaporated immediately.

"To think you would debate with him though," Armin laughed. "We can talk about that later though, for now we should probably work on a way of getting out of here."

Haku then realized something. She hadn't told him any of that. She was going to tell him eventually of course, but she hadn't told him any of the events that had transpired so far. And she hadn't been saying a word either. How was he replying to her thoughts?

Haku opened her eyes and gazed into Armin's light blue eyes questioningly with a frown. She was met with a reassuring smile.

"Took you long enough to realize this conversation was going on in your head," Armin teased and Haku was surprised further when his lips hadn't moved. She glanced sideways and while Temari was shooting her a suspicious glance, Mikasa and Eren gave understanding looks.

"You can read my mind?" Haku asked in her head, suddenly feeling very vulnerable and afraid. But it did explain how he knew what had happened He probably knew all of their secrets already. Shikamaru was going to kill her. Even if she trusted Armin, it felt like her privacy had been violated on a different level. If she wasn't safe in her head where could she be safe?

"Relax Haku. I'm not too skilled with this ability to do it without getting noticed. I can browse surface thoughts however, which is why I trusted your motivations this entire time. But now, and I think it's because you do trust me, I've been let in. Your mind isn't rejecting my presence in it. I saw flashes of your village and vaguely understand why you are here now, we can discuss it later. And Shikamaru won't touch you. I won't let him." Armin declared protectively.

"So you can freely read thoughts huh?" Haku asked dumbly, still coming to terms with it. It reminded her vaguely of a clan ability from Shikamaru's village whose name she forgot.

"Nah, I can also control your body now if I wanted to by the way." Armin admitted.

Haku suddenly had a very perverted thought and squashed it just as quickly as it had come but by then Armin was already blushing a bright red.

"W-was that-"

"You did not see that."

"U-understood."

"Armin I hate to interrupt, but what exactly do we do now?" Eren asked.

Haku pouted at the interruption and was flicked on her cheek with a finger as they simultaneously turned to look at the green haired boy. "We're still in the middle of a warzone," Armin reminded her inside her head.

"Yeah okay don't do that," Eren said as he looked mildly disturbed by their simultaneous movement.

"Do what?" Both Haku and Armin asked in sync.

Eren gave them a blank look. "Now you're just doing that on purpose," he said. Eren grunted when the pair both shrugged their shoulders. "Yeah okay I get that, but back on topic what do we do about everyone that's gathering around us?"

Haku glanced around and noticed that indeed many of the cadets had begun to converge on their position before they sat with glum looks adorning their faces. Due to them staying in one place for as long as they had the others had somehow thought that this was a rendezvous location. Haku couldn't blame them however, there was some sort of reassurance in numbers among familiar faces. That and partially because Mikasa and Eren were both present as some of the top graduates.

"This sucks," Jean muttered as he and Marco landed on the roof alongside them. The red haired boy raised an eyebrow at how close Haku and Armin were standing but ignored it and instead looked to Armin seriously. "Most of us here are almost entirely out of gas and we don't have enough to scale the wall," he reported.

"And we can't refill our tanks either," Marco added glumly as he used his blades to point at the headquarters of the garrison. Haku grimaced as well, seeing that the place had massive titans crawling all over the exterior, and she assumed that many of the smaller titans had already broken inside. Either the supply teams had been eaten or had chosen to barricade themselves within the building instead of supplying gas.

"We can't just wait here though!" Connie shouted. "If we needlessly waste our gas just to stay away from titans here then we are really screwed once we lose our mobility!"

"Yeah, but if we do make a straight run for the command building and attempt to retake it with what little gas we do have left many of us will die." Eren pointed out.

"And if we stay here we will die eventually anyways! So we should at least try!" Connie argued back.

"I hate it that both of you idiots are making sense," Jean said with a grimace. "But yeah that's what it looks like at the moment Armin. So what do we do?"

"I say we just go for it," Temari said plainly. "There are bound to be casualties anyways but at least some will survive in the end."

"Not everyone is willing to risk their life on a blind charge Temari," Marco said, voicing Haku's thoughts on the matter.

"And not everyone is as gifted as you are with the gear," Eren said with some heat in his voice. Haku agreed, but also with Eren's hidden inference that the reason Temari was so confident was because she wasn't in any real threat from these mindless titans in the first place.

"We don't have any sort of flares to signal that we are still here since we are cadets, so our seniors that are already behind or on top of the wall are unaware of our situation. They probably assume we are dead and won't needlessly send people to their deaths. So we are on our own," Armin thought out loud.

"So we can choose to make a last charge and hope many of us make it to the supply building, but what then? Can we even fight off the titans that have made it inside without our gear? It is too risky with no assurance we will even make it out alive. We can't just stay here and wait for our deaths however."

"So what if we somehow get their attention?" Eren said simply. "That's the main issue right? They don't know we are here and won't send back up needlessly but if we somehow let them know then they can bring us all gas right?"

"That's actually a plan I like enough I could kiss you," Jean complimented in his own way and Eren shot him a disgusted look.

"I don't swing that way horseface, and even if I did I would choose Marco over you!" Eren yelled with a scowl.

"I didn't mean it that way bird brain!" Jean shouted back as he others shook their heads at the antics of the two. There was no real heat behind it as it had been before, but old habits died hard.

"But how do we get their attention Armin?" Mikasa asked.

"What if we just had someone tell them?" Haku suggested.

"We don't have enough gas to reach the wall, much less climb it." Jean muttered once again.

"Unless some of the others sacrifice their gas so a few can reach the walls and inform them about the situation," Armin said as he looked to their faces for their thoughts.

"Oi Armin, that's going to leave some people completely defenseless," Jean protested immediately.

"How is it going to be any different if we all run out of gas and remain stuck here?" Connie pointed out.

"It's a good plan, but people won't be that willing to just give up our most valuable resource at the moment," Marco replied, "So unless we can come up with a better plan we may actually be stuck here."

"What if the majority sacrifice all their gas then?" Armin added to his earlier plan with a hand under his chin as he remained in thought. Haku had noticed that Armin struck this pose similar to Shikamaru whenever deep in thought, though unlike her captain Armin had his eyes wide open.

Connie's ridiculous expression said what was on most of their minds. "What kind of plan is that! Do you want us all to die?"

"Will you guys just shut up for a moment and let him finish!" Eren snapped with authority. All protests died at the aggressiveness in his voice. "Trust Armin at least, unless any of you have other ideas." He grunted.

"Thank you Eren," Armin mumbled as he looked back at them. "Yes, they won't give us their remaining gas without a plan. But my idea is this. Jean, Marco, you both are some of the most efficient with the mobility gear and our comrades know this. They will trust the both of you to at least reach the wall and let our superiors know our predicament. The rest of their gas will be given to Ymir, Christa, Temari, Eren and Mikasa. Aside from Marco and Jean all of them are amongst the best in our batch and they will remain here full of gas to defend those who will be vulnerable. In this way the ones who give up their gas will remain safe and trust the ones defending them as well as the pair sent to gather help."

"That would actually minimize casualties," Connie admitted and he let out a loud groan as he detached his gas tanks and reluctantly handed them over to Eren. "I don't like it, but this actually seems it might work. So don't let me get eaten Eren."

"Why do both Jean and I have to go?" Marco asked. "Wouldn't it be safer for everyone here if one of us stayed to fight as well?"

Haku noticed Jean stiffen at the proposal and realized that while he was no longer the same Jean at the start of their training, he wasn't as ready to give up his life for others just yet.

"No. You both must go. We cannot discount any accidents. If anything happens to one of you at least the message will still get through. We cannot be sure if they would rather choose to abandon us. They may even silence you so that they don't have to risk their lives to save ours. Therefore both of you must go to protect each other as well in that scenario." Armin explained.

"You don't trust our superiors Armin?" Jean asked disbelievingly, "Even if they are what we are putting our hope in now?"

Armin's cold gaze froze Jean in place. "No I don't. You shouldn't either."

"How do we tell the rest of them though?" Connie asked. "I mean this is asking a lot from them and they are pretty demoralized. If they don't trust us enough with this plan we will all die."

"Leave it to me," Eren grinned as he stood tall and turned to face the crowd.

Haku gave Armin a questioning look, wondering if it was a good idea to let Eren talk. He gave her a reassuring smile and she heard his voice in her head telling her to just watch.

"Oiii all of you!" Eren bellowed out at the top of his voice, managing to gather the attention of all the cadets around them, numbering around two hundred in total. "What's with those faces! Do you really want to become titan food that much!?"

Jean put his head in his hands. "We're going to die," he muttered. Marco couldn't help but look worriedly at Eren either. That wasn't how you inspired people.

"Do you not realize the situation we are in!?" Another cadet yelled back. "Not all of us are as suicidal as you!"

"I understand our situation very well!" Eren replied with a glare that silenced the cadet. "But Armin has a plan! If you want to survive I suggest you listen! This is Armin! Has he ever let us down before?"

Haku's eyes widened as she noticed the light returning to the cadets eyes through Eren's words. She had to admit he had a certain charisma that many of them lacked. Even as Eren explained the plan to them many of the cadets began to look to one another, wondering what they should do. There was still doubt however, which of course was unavoidable. But none of them were directly opposed to it, realizing it was a good chance to survive.

"How do we know you aren't just gathering our gas then escaping over the wall yourselves after you take it from us!" One cadet accused, and mutterings and grumbles of agreement arose amongst them.

"By any means you can take our place and fight these titans yourself!" Eren yelled back at him immediately. It doesn't have to be us! But tell me now who here can get to the wall faster than Jean and Marco!"

No one answered as Eren continued yelling at them.

"Do we have anyone else here willing to take the responsibility of protecting our comrades!? To fight titans!? Step up now and let us know if you are willing to give your life for the others! Stand up now and let everyone decide if they can rely on that person!"

Once again all the recruits glanced at each other, none of them eager to fight titans or accept the responsibility of handling the fate of the others on their hands. Seeing how unsure their comrades were to take up the role discouraged them even further. They would not give their gas to someone unsure about their role. If the people with the gas got eaten then it would leave the others to become a buffet for the titans.

"As for me! I can assure you, I can kill these titans! I want to kill them! I want to eradicate them all! Every last one! I am one of the best in our batch! Mikasa is the best in our batch! Temari, Christa and Ymir are amongst the top fifteen! Even if you don't trust us not to leave you, trust us that we will kill enough titans that you don't have to fear them! And do you think Christa will let any of you get eaten? Do you think Ymir will let Christa get hurt protecting you! Give us your gas! Entrust your hopes to us and we will get you out of this situation alive! Every last one of you!"

Eren was interrupted by an abnormal thirteen metre that launched itself at him from the ground. Without flinching Erene grunted and snatched Armin's blades before he leapt over its gaping maw and tore a deep gash in its nape that sent it crashing to the ground below.

"I'm talking here you son of a bitch!" Eren shouted at the titan as he used his sleeve to wipe off its steaming blood from his face. He then turned to the other open mouthed cadets with a serious look on his face, the intensity in his green eyed gaze erasing all semblance of doubt in them.

"Now, who wants to live?" Eren asked seriously.

Haku had to admit that it would be difficult not to have faith in Eren after his displayed his abilities and determination the way he did. Armin then wasted no time in organizing the recruits to fill Jean's and Marco's tanks before he sent the two of them off to continue their task. In a few minutes the defenders of the groups had their tanks refilled, just in time for a wave of titans that had begun to converge on their location due to the large amount of people present on the rooftops drawing them to the area like moths to a flame.

The defenders however were resolute. On the eastern side Mikasa blurred from point to point gracefully and smoothly like the shadow of a bird, titan's falling left and right in the silence. To the west of their position Eren rampaged, lacking the grace Mikasa displayed but his yells of defiance and the brutality he displayed from titan to titan had most of the cadets captivated. Mikasa only went from nape to nape, yet Eren was mercilessly slicing and hacking away at any part that neared him. To the north Temari was a mix of both Eren's brutality and Mikasa's efficiency while Ymir and Christa worked in tandem at the south, their teamwork flawless.

In only a few moments that felt like years for the helpless cadets, Jean and Marco had returned with garrison reinforcements all carrying spare gas tanks. It took a few return supply trips to successfully refill all the cadet's tanks but eventually only Armin, Haku, and the defenders remained. Armin had filled their superiors in on the knowledge that the headquarters still had people trapped within the building and their superiors had headed for the place to offer what assistance they could.

The group of seven had chosen to rest from their tasks were resting and gathering their breath before their trip to the wall. They were in no real danger anyways.

"I should kill you all for putting Christa in danger," Ymir grumbled.

"But I wanted to help!" Christa protested as Ymir rolled her eyes.

"And I love that about you but you shouldn't be so eager to throw your life away," Ymir reprimanded.

"My friends were in danger," Christa said finally with a glare. Ymir just grinned and patted her on the head much to the smaller blonde's annoyance.

On the other side Temari and Eren couldn't help annoying each other either.

"Had your fun Eren?" Temari asked sarcastically.

Eren either chose to ignore it or didn't notice her sarcasm as he replied, "Yeah. Finally having the power to stand up to the titans is refreshing. I think I have the highest titan kill count at the moment too!"

"You sure it isn't Mikasa?" Temari argued back and pointed to the numerous corpses from where Mikasa had been defending.

"Nah, I killed more counting those in vanguard. I killed eighteen there, if I add these that's like fifty two now. What about you Mikasa?" He asked.

Haku felt Mikasa tense and realized that the girl hadn't recovered from Eren's hurtful words earlier that morning, even if Eren seemed to have forgotten about the incident.

"I killed three in the rear guard. My current total is forty eight," she replied simply.

"Take that Temari! I killed more!" Eren boasted.

"Tsk, that's only because Mikasa and I weren't on the frontlines." Despite herself Haku laughed when Temari almost cut off the tongue Eren had stuck out in response only for Temari to halt at a glare from Mikasa.

Their banter was forced to a stop however when a sudden sickening, oppressive presence appeared. The group all dropped to their knees and Eren was unable to stop the vomit that expelled itself from his gut. Armin swore as he wet his pants from the fear.

"W-what is this!?" Eren asked as he struggled to even raise his head to look his siblings in the eye.

Haku didn't understand it either. The closest thing she could relate it to was killing intent, a massive amount of overwhelming hatred and power. It wasn't even directed at them and yet it crippled them with the potency of the hatred emanating from whatever source it was from. It was unnatural. Haku had been under killing intent before, it was unavoidable in their line of work, but she had never been affecting her this much before. The sense of hopelessness, helplessness and despair it struck within them was overpowering and crippling. It paralyzed them. Haku had never felt this much fear in her life before. It made life seem suddenly meaningless.

Even the mindless titans with no common sense or rational thinking were affected by the presence and just like a frightened herd of cattle, began to stampede back out towards the breached gate and away from whatever was causing this vile killing intent. Was this the power that their villages had sent them to find? Was this the power to defeat the titans? Even if it was, Haku didn't want anything to do with it. It was malevolent. Even a glance at Temari showed that she was faring no better, but had arrived at the same conclusion. They doubted Shikamaru hadn't felt this no matter where he was.

They were shocked further when something akin to a meteor crashed in front of them, tearing up the ground from the force. When the smoke cleared all of them recognized the injured body of the armoured titan, missing an arm and with its armour heavily damaged. It struggled to its feet before it then began to sprint towards the gate as well in obvious fear of whatever had just managed to toss it around like a rag doll.

The malevolent presence suddenly intensified greatly as its source neared their location, presumably searching for where it had just thrown the armoured titan.

The group could no longer even move due to their proximity to the presence, but all their eyes widened when they recognized the person surrounded by a red shroud of boiling red chakra. His glowing red eyes with slit pupils were a new addition, but his whiskers and unmistakable golden spiky hair confirmed his identity. His features were more ragged, messy and animalistic but there was no mistaking who he was.

"Naruto!" Eren called out to their big brother.

Blood red eyes turned to face the group and their eyes widened in fear when recognition didn't enter his merciless eyes and instead there was a low growl before the whiskered boy bent over as if to pounce.

"Is it just me, or does he look like he wants to eat us?" Ymir asked worriedly.

"Move!" Mikasa yelled as Haku complied and grabbed Armin and leapt off the roof with Temari. Ymir grabbed Christa similarly and Mikasa barely managed to haul a confused Eren and dive off the roof with him when the building they had been standing on exploded under the force of Naruto leaping straight through it.

"Everyone get back!" Haku heard Armin shout, even as she tried to ignore her shaking knees. They had almost died. Even if this was Naruto, he didn't seem to be thinking straight. Why would he attack his siblings?

"He isn't himself at the moment!"

Haku didn't need to be told twice. It had already taken everything out of her just to be able to get them out of harm's way. From the way his siblings were reacting this was new to them as well.

"Naruto it's me!" Mikasa pleaded as she moved towards the golden haired boy.

"Mikasa don't!" Armin ordered but to no avail. He couldn't order her around when it came to Naruto.

With another deafening roar Naruto lunged at Mikasa. Her heart fell when she saw there was nothing other than murder present in those demonic, red eyes.


Hello folks, it's been a while. I just want to say that some recent reviews have really inspired me to continue this so yeah, keep them coming haha. Shameless I know but it's true, reviews really do help us get writing.

I plan on updating every two weeks from now onwards. If I am late feel free to pester me about it too haha.

But yeah, stay safe during these times folks and until next time!