Author's Note: Holy smokes has it been a long time since I've written something for this story! I had a bit of writers block for a long time and actually finished this chapter months ago but I hesitated in posting it. I realize that there are probably plenty of plot holes I have yet to address so I promise that I will continue updating until it reaches a conclusive finale, even if it takes another year. Please feel free to leave comments, negative or positive, I'd really appreciate! Thanks for reading!

"Why is it always the same? They never learn anything so why even bother? These exercises are completely pointless. He'll never gain control," exclaimed Ren impatiently.

"Ren, relax. He's doing just fine," responded Midori.

"Indeed. I see promise," agreed Umi softly.

"It's so frustrating. I don't see why we can't just tell him already and get it over with," pouted Ren.

"Patience is a virtue my dear, one that you seem to be lacking. If things proceed too quickly we will ruin the chance to do as the old man wanted. Is that what you wish to do?" Katsumi asked with a quiet tone.

"Of course not!" Ren shouted exasperatedly. She sighed before continuing. "At least give me a deadline then, we have other things to worry about until then."

Everyone nodded in agreement. "A month?" Umi proposed.

"Fine with me," acknowledged Midori. Katsumi nodded in compliance.

"When will the twins come into play?" Added Ren, as the issue had been settled.

"Not until later. We have to approach this from the appropriate timeframe. If we introduce them too soon…" Midori trailed off.

"Fine, I guess we have our work ahead of us then Umi,"directed Ren towards her tall companion, to which Umi nodded in acceptance. With no time to waste the group dispersed in a cloud of smoke.

(End Dream)

I opened my eyes slowly to adjust to the pre-dawn light that filtered in through the windows. It would seem The Organization was planning something with only a month left and I was pretty sure it involved me. A month though? I had only safely been able to control the partial transformation in the last week to the four-tailed state. After that I was unable to control my actions and gave into Kurama's influence. How was I supposed to accomplish something only few, if any jinchuriki before me had been able to? I clenched my hands into fists in determination. I could do this I thought. I was halfway there. I could already feel my control strengthening every day.

I watched the sun rise as the darkness gave way to the brilliant hues of the morning sky. Getting up I stretched and made my bed before venturing downstairs for breakfast. I could hear voices arguing about something as I approached the kitchen. I hesitated, staying back in the shadows and listened.

"What are talking about? You think they would do this to us over something like that? It's absurd," stated Levi blandly.

"Think about it for a moment. I don't know how but these deaths have to be connected. They could use them to frame us if they really wanted to," stated Eld thoughtfully.

"But they need us, especially now! The possibility of regaining the wall is even greater than its ever been before. We finally have the means to succeed. Why would they disband us over this?" Asked Petra.

"I don't know, Erwin thought I should tell you. Things are getting worse then they've been in the past, I wouldn't doubt that they would. The only thing I'm certain of is the fact that this needs to be solved and fast," explained an oddly familiar voice. "I don't care if you have to use him to get it done. It should stop them if you do."

"Fine, we'll keep it in mind. You should go, it may seem suspicious if you're seen here," finished Levi.

"Very well," responded the voice. I could see a tall back emerge from the kitchen. He turned his head slightly in my direction. It was Nile. I made brief eye contact before he left, shutting the door behind him. There was a moment of silence before the breakfast preparations commenced. Chairs squeaked against the floor as they were pushed back. "I'll wake the brats. Who knows how well they've been maintaining their rooms?" Levi asked rhetorically before walking out of the room. I moved to retract my way back up the staircase a moment too slow. Levi met my eyes as I started to ascend the first step. My reflexes still weren't what they once were. His eyes issued a warning before he walked past me. A simple jerk of his head indicated that I was to follow him. Just great, in trouble again so soon.

Entering a deserted room he shut the door after I walked in. Turning towards me I was surprised to find an expression of insipid acceptance on his face. "Did you hear everything?"

Knowing there was no point in lying I nodded. "All except the beginning."

Levi nodded. "It would seem that more deaths have occurred in the city walls. The bodies were corrupted in the same manner as Mike's. The government in trying to pin the Survey Corps as the culprits."

I was stunned. Where was the logic behind that? Unless they thought a coup was forming to take away their power. I looked up at Levi, who knew their true intentions though. For all I knew this could have been planned all along and I was supposed to go along with it. What was their ultimate goal? "Why would they do that?" "It would seem they are afraid of someone usurping their power. The victims are all involved in either the military or the government.""What about Mike then? Why would the Scouting Legion murder one of their leaders? It doesn't make any sense."

"That's what we're trying to figure out. I need to know that we can trust you to do whatever is necessary," replied Levi, leaving the unspoken question hovering in the air between us.

"What do you mean?"

"Answer me," ordered the Lance Corporal.

"You can trust me."

"Good, now do as you're told and don't ask questions. You don't need to know everything just yet," Levi explained before he opened the door and motioned for me to go first. He then preceded to open the door of the first soldier's quarters. "Jaeger, why is there dirt on the floor," barked Levi as he made his inspection of Eren's and Armin's room. Grateful that I had thought to perfect the condition of my own room before leaving I descended the stairs for the second time that day.

Breakfast consisted of tea and porridge with loaves of bread as usual. Taking my spot I waited for the rest of the squad to sit. Breakfast was usually a quiet affair with today being no exception. Everyone blankly scooped up food, plopping piles of it on their plates before eating.

Once everyone finished Levi stood to address the room as a whole. "Today we'll be doing something different. Lately public officials have been disappearing. Mike's is not the only death to have occurred within the past few weeks. Today we'll be investigating on the off chance that we'll find something. Training will be postponed until this is solved. We'll head into the town square to inspect the scene surrounding the newest murder and go from there," Levi and his squad left, leaving the rest of us to follow them to the stables.

With horses saddled and primed we made our way through a wooded path and towards the barracks before deviating down a side route that led into town. Most of the residents looked up briefly before averting their gazes. Fear hovered in the air, leaving the horses trembling as they jerked against their reins to escape the omnipresent mood. We dismounted and tied down our mounts nearby.

The scene itself was as gruesome as the first. Blood splattered around the corpse as evidence from the force that had been used to server tendons from bone and skin from muscles. Traitor was written in blood, though it appeared smudged as if to indicate signs that the murderer had been rushed to write the grim message.

I used chakra to inspect the area as I did with Mike. I found nothing unusual in the energies surrounding the body. Natural energy had taken its course and I could feel the decay seep from every pore of the corpse. Closing off the connection I quickly examined the area for any bystanders, finding none I ran up the side of the closest building. An aerial view revealed that the area around the body was comparatively deserted. Beggars lined the nearby allies and observed from the shadows. Quickly getting an idea I ran back down and went back to my horse. I grabbed provisions from my saddlebag and entered the slim alleyway between two vacant buildings.

A withered women in rags leaned against the wall and watched with suspicion etched into the lines of her face. I offered her a small piece of bread. She looked back up into my eyes before quickly snatching and devouring the bread, revealing a voracious appetite. She looked back at my hand that held the rest of the loaf before speaking.

"Wha' do ya want?" she asked in a voice that creaked from disuse.

"I was just wondering if you saw anything suspicious last night in this area. Any information would be appreciated." I replied as sincerely as I could.

"What else 'ave ya got?"

I held out the last of the bread and a few small coins. She grabbed both. She checked each of the coins by biting into them before pocketing them in a grubby bag. She scarfed down the rest of the bread before answering my question. "All I know is that a group came 'ere last night. That man there," she pointed at the deceased soldier, "was all bound so tightly 'e could hardly take a breath. They kilt him fast and soon like you would a pig. All them stab wounds came after 'e was already dead."

"Did you see what they looked like?"

"It was dark, I can' really remember," she added looking back at my pocket. Fishing up a couple more coins I handed them over. She smiled revealing darkened teeth.

"It's comin' back now. They was wearing cloaks ta cover their faces. Very secretive like. There was three of 'em. Two were tall an' the other short. I did see blond 'air from the short one though when their hood fell off."

"Thanks for your time." I replied moving to escape the foul smell of her breath. She quickly reached out to grab my arm before I could move out of her range.

"Are ya sure there ain' anything else I can do fer a nice boy like you?" She asked with a wink.

I could feel my face turn red as a ferocious rush of blood flushed throughout the skin. "Ah, n-no that's…" I spluttered trying to come up with a comprehensible sentence.

"Leave the poor boy alone Gina, ain't nothing you could give him that'd be worth anything," called a voice deeper into the depth of the alleyway.

"You ain' no fun 'Enry, I was jus' havin' some fun wiv' 'im," She called over her shoulder as she scuttled away and into the darkness with a pucker on her face. She jostled the coins in her purse, clanking them together as she walked.

Henry fully emerged from the depths of the alley. He supported most of his weight on a crutch. His left leg was gone from the knee down. He scratched his head before addressing me.

"Sorry about that I swear we aren't' all that bad. She's a little addled in the brain." He held out a hand for me to shake. "I'm Henry."

"Naruto," I smiled and returned the shake. He had a surprisingly strong grip. He removed his hand and leaned back against the crutch. His clothes, though covered with filth from living on the streets, consisted of the standard military attire. Gruff stubble covered his chin but otherwise he seemed to still have the dignity of a respected figure.

"What's a boy like you doing down here?" He asked with a small tilt of his head.

"We're investigating a series of murders. I just thought one of you might have seen something," I replied.

"Well it's a good start. We're the eyes and ears of these here streets, not much gets past us. I haven't seen anything myself but I've heard plenty of rumors. These are dangerous times. Walls are falling and mysterious people coming every which way. Almost think I'd be better out there with the titans."

"Trust me, nobody is," I shuddered at the thought of living out there permanently. "Thanks for uh rescuing me."

"No problem. You better get back, the back alley ain't no place for a kid like you." I nodded and walked back towards the rest of the squad. I couldn't help but feel eyes aimed at the back of my head as I walked away. Looking back I couldn't see anyone but I still couldn't shake the feeling. Shaking my head I approached Mikasa, Eren and Armin.

"Did you guys find anything?" I asked as soon as I was in earshot.

"Nothing other than the obvious," replied Eren solemnly as he took another glimpse at the mutilated corpse.

"Well I had a little more success. It seems that there was a group of three people here last night. They had the man tied up and they killed him quickly. I don't know why but my source also reported that the knife wounds came after the fact. I'm not sure if she was to be completely trusted though." I deviated as I took another glance down the deserted alley.

"That should help narrow down the suspects. Did your source say anything about what they looked like?" asked Armin, eyebrows moving towards each other as he frowned. He looked towards the cobblestone in concentration, as if the answer lay between the cracks of mortar.

"Oh yeah, two of them were tall while the third was short with blond hair."

Armin's head shot up at the vague description, eyes lighting briefly.

"What is it?"

"I have a feeling I know who it is but I can't be sure," he answered in a rush. "I need to go check something," he shouted over his shoulder as he hurried off across the square.

"Does he usually do things like that?"

"Only when he's on to something. When we were kids he would sometimes do that. He usually just went to the library to check out some record or another," replied Eren with a grimace. I could only assume he enjoyed reading books as much as I did.

"We should follow him, he makes an easy target," replied Mikasa as she walked towards the direction Armin had been headed. She left Eren and I to exchange a quick glimpses at each other before we followed her lead.