Chapter 2: A Survivor

Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin or Naruto

Previously: Naruto fools around with a powerful stone that transports him to a new world. Tsunade states Naruto and Kurama will be stuck there until it recharges and brings them back.

"W-What did you just say?" Petra asked, stunned. She stared at the boy, unable to believe the words that had come out of his mouth seconds earlier. The other members of Squad Levi joined her.

Eld looked incredulously at Naruto. "Is that a kid?"

"Where did he come from?" Oluo asked.

Gunther frowned, searching around. "Did he sneak out here in one of our wagons?"

Before she could reply, they heard a Titan fall and looked to see their captain approaching. Levi mounted his horse and led his squad back to the rest of the Scouts, following Erwin's orders to retreat. "How the hell did this brat get out here?" Levi asked, glancing at the boy riding with Petra.

"Captain, I don't think he's—"

"Kimi wa totemo kūruda ne!" Naruto grinned, pointing at Levi. "He's so cool! Did you see how he killed that monster?"

Kurama didn't reply. He was more interested in studying their stunned expressions, eyes wide and mouths falling open. They don't see him as a threat. For now. From their actions, getting the boy away from the monster and protecting him, they likely saw him as a harmless child they had to keep safe.

"Whoa! What did he just say?!"

"What kind of language was that?!"

"He has to be from outside the Walls!"

"This has to be the greatest discovery in our history!"

"We can—"

"That's enough," Levi ordered, barely keeping the dumbfounded expression off his own face, mind racing. "Keep quiet about this until I get a chance to talk to Erwin. Anyone asks, he's some dumb kid who hid in one of the supply wagons and accidentally came outside with us. We have a more pressing situation at hand to deal with first. Petra, make sure he doesn't talk."

"They look serious, Kurama. Do you think they're suspicious?"

"They think you're a kid, one who can't understand them at that. So they don't need to be careful with their words and their body language. I think it's something else that's bothering them. Else they'd look at you if you were the one they were discussing."

"So it's true then, Captain Levi, Trost really was breached?" Eld asked worriedly.

"Something's going on in Trost. And now this." Levi glanced at the boy. Thinking quickly, he said, "Put him with the injured soldiers, Petra, and escort him back to HQ. If the civilians see him and buy our story, we'll get blamed for being careless and accidentally bringing a kid into Titan territory."

"Yes, sir," Petra said. If the situation had been different, she would have felt the need to protest at being left out of the battle, especially considering the dire situation. But this boy can change everything. Her gaze shifted down at the kid sitting before her, clutching her tightly, watching his environment in fascination. He's not scared at all. Regardless if they knew about Titans, anyone, especially children, would be frightened after encountering one. Yet the little boy was more curious than scared. Maybe he felt safe now and his childish curiosity had taken over.

Where are we going? Naruto observed the redhead. She brought him to a cart with groaning, bloodied men and women. Some of them were missing their arms and some their legs. One or two were bandaged, luckily surviving with only broken bones. "Does she plan to hide me with them?"

"Guess they don't want you to be seen. If they're putting you with the injured people you're being taken away from the battlefield."

"This feels so wrong. Like I'm running away from a fight."

"It's okay, sweetie." Petra helped Naruto into the cart. "Lie him down," she told a man with a broken arm. "He snuck out with us and we don't want the civilians making a fuss."

Naruto opened his mouth but Petra shook her head, placing a finger over her lips. He understood the gesture and kept quiet, letting the man gently push his shoulder. Guess they want me to lie down and stay out of sight. He didn't know how long he lay there. Naruto couldn't push away the images of the humans being eaten, making him feel guilty and cowardly for not staying and fighting.

His eyes grew wide when they passed through the gate. It was brief but he had caught sight of the Wall. "It's huge!" He'd seen it before from a distance but up close was something else.

"It's gotta be big enough to keep those things out," Kurama said. Which begged the question: "How did they break through the other one?"

The building structure was the same on this side of the Wall. Naruto wondered where they were going. If they had stayed near the monsters and one of them had attacked, at least then he would have had a legitimate excuse to fight them.

"You better keep your abilities hidden," Kurama reminded, sensing his host's thoughts.

"Yeah, I know. You've already explained it."

"And," the fox stressed, "because we don't know how they're going to react to a snot-nosed brat with the power to wipe out their armies without breaking a sweat."

"You don't really think they'll try to kill me for that, do you?"

"If they can't manipulate you, then yes. Humans don't like it when others have an advantage over them. You're practically a god here."

Fat lot of good my power does me. When I can't even use it to help people in need. Naruto thought bitterly.

Petra dismounted from her horse and held out her hands, helping Naruto get down from the cart. "We're here," she said, taking his hand and leading him away.

Naruto's eyes were still on the injured soldiers. "Pay attention," the Kyūbi snapped. "You lose focus and the jutsu releases!"

"Right. Sorry." The images of the physically and mentally broken soldiers continued to haunt Naruto. He couldn't help it, feeling distraught at their suffering. "You really think I should just sit back and wait for the stone to recharge and just go home?"

Kurama knew Naruto would continue to wear him down until he agreed. It just wasn't in the boy's nature not to help those who needed it. "If you're found out—"

"I know, I know, they might try to kill me."

"Or they'll declare you a god and commit atrocities in your name."

"What? That's ridiculous!" Naruto almost rolled his eyes.

"Do not underestimate the depravity of human nature. I've seen it many times before. Greedy humans using someone, often times a child with a powerful name or position, to fulfill their own agenda. You would be their excuse."

"That's stupid!"

"They will certainly fear your powers and think how easy it will be for you to subjugate them if you wanted. You are literally a one-man army. They will never be able to stop you."

"I'll tell them I only want to help them!" Naruto insisted.

"And you plan to accomplish that how exactly?"

The jinchūriki cursed the language barrier.

"As I said before," Kurama continued, "it's not our world. It's not our place to create dramatic shifts. What if you are completely opposed to how they do things here? How do you think people will feel about that? Think about Pain. Nagato was practically a god, too. Just because he believed he was saving the world didn't mean his path was the right one."

"It's not the same."

"Of course not. I know your intentions are sincere and selfless. But it's something you have to take into consideration. What about when it's time to go home? They can't learn to depend on you. And believe you me, they're gonna want you to fix everything for them." The Kyūbi knew his host wore his good heart on his sleeve. Someone was bound to try and take advantage, tricking him by appealing to his conscience. And Naruto, being Naruto, would jump at the chance to do what he was told if he thought he was helping defenseless people.

Naruto's shoulders slumped. "I can't sit by and do nothing, either."

"I thought you might feel that way," Kurama sighed. It would eat away at his host to sit on the sidelines twiddling his thumbs while people died needlessly. Which was why he had been thinking about a compromise. "You can't handle all their problems for them. But I think the job of the people who found you is to take back the land they lost."

Naruto nodded. Based on their skills and the supplies they were carrying, it was well-reasoned.

"The rest of the humans are safe behind this Wall. They don't need your protection. They have their own way of life and history so don't go sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. It's none of your damn business. You can't interfere here—just like you can't interfere in another Hidden Village's business back home and they can't dictate how the Leaf Village is run. But, when the warriors leave to reclaim their lands, you can sneak with them and try to prevent as many people from getting killed as you can."

The solemn mood disappeared and Naruto's happy-go-lucky nature back full force. "Alright! I can do that!" Naruto said, thrilled and relieved to have a chance to save people. "A true ninja acts from the shadows!"

Kurama wondered how long it would be before the jinchūriki blew his cover. It was a matter of when not if since it was Naruto Uzumaki. "In the meantime, observe everything and learn as much as you can."

"Sounds like a plan!"

Sakura lifted her arms and stretched, walking down the steps of the hospital. Pulling the red hair tie, she let her hair down, running her fingers through it. Her stomach growled and she patted it. Almost there, she thought. Civilians and ninja alike walked through the bustling streets with delicious scents wafting through the air.

She arrived at Team Kakashi's favorite dango place to find her two teammates already enjoying the treat with some tea. Sakura smiled brightly, noticing a third plate and a cup of tea waiting. "Hey, guys," she greeted Sai and Sasuke, sitting across from them. "Thanks for ordering for me!" Happily, she took a bite of the dango. "It was a long shift."

Sai blatantly watched her gobble down the food. "If you are that hungry we can go somewhere with food of more sustenance."

"No, it's fine." She waved her hand. "I've been thinking about dango all day. So, where's Naruto?"

Sasuke exchanged a look with Sai. "You don't know?"

"I was on a double shift." Sakura shrugged. "Did he get a mission? He's been bored out of his mind and begging Lady Tsunade for a solo mission in the village." With the threat of Akatsuki more eminent than ever, Naruto wasn't allowed to set one foot outside the village without a proper escort, much to the jinchūriki's chagrin.

"We were called into the Hokage's office this morning," Sai began telling her. "Lady Tsunade tasked Naruto with delivering a powerful artifact to a man outside the village who knew about those kinds of relics. Naruto was almost there when he used the power of the stone and it transported him to another world."

"What?" Sakura demanded, gaping. Fear rushed through her veins along with worry for her teammate and friend.

"Lady Tsunade said it'll recharge and he can use it again to come back," Sasuke said. "She's not sure how long it'll take but he should be fine."

"As long as Naruto doesn't lose it, that is," Sai added.

Relief replaced fear and Sakura sighed. It quickly transformed into anger. "That idiot! What was he thinking?!" Sakura slammed her fist on the table. Sai and Sasuke immediately jumped away as the sturdy table broke into two and splinters flew. "I'm sorry," Sakura apologized quickly as she winced. "I'm just exhausted and now this." She rubbed her head.

"We understand," Sasuke said, still not quite used to her monstrous strength. "But this is Naruto we're talking about. He'll be okay. No matter how dire the situation, he always pulls through."

"Yeah," she said, smiling, "he is stubborn like that. That's our Naruto."

The owner came over, her face beet red in anger. She was practically steaming from the ears.

Sai pointed at Sasuke. "He'll pay for it."

First that little boy and now this brat. Levi wondered what the hell was happening with the world. He glanced at the massive boulder in concealed awe. He couldn't believe it. The hole was sealed. Trost was saved. Levi could almost see the gears spinning behind Erwin's eyes, staring at the unconscious teenager in the cart his squad was escorting.

Orders had come through that Eren was to be taken straight to the cells under the military courthouse in Mitras. There were soldiers everywhere, within earshot, and Levi had yet to get a moment alone with the commander. He noticed the wary but excited expressions on the faces of the Scouts and the Garrisons. Levi could only imagine their reactions when they found out about the blond foreign kid.

Once they reached the capital, hours passed with Mike and Hange handling the Survey Corps' post-expedition business while Levi and Erwin dealt with the officials regarding a meeting with Eren once the boy regained consciousness.

Finally, Levi thought when it was just him and the commander. He opened his mouth but the door flew open seconds after it closed and Hange stepped in.

"Are you two going to wait in the basement for Eren to wake up?" Hange sighed wistfully. " I wish I could come along."

"Is that for me?" Erwin asked, nodding to her hands.

"It is." She handed him the papers. "I just need your approval."

Fuck this. Levi thought. "Erwin, I need to talk to you about something important. I don't know if we'll get this much privacy again so Four-Eyes might as well know now."

"Can it hold? I have to meet Chief Zackly soon."

"It's as important—if not more so—than the situation with Yeager."

That grabbed their attention.

Hange's curiosity was peaked. "What could be more important than a human turning into a Titan?"

"The kid my squad found. Speaking a language we don't understand. He might have come from outside the Walls."

Their eyes widened and their jaws fell open in shock.

"You look like a pair of fish." Levi snorted. "Close your mouths."

"Are you serious?" Hange was stunned. "Holy crap..."

"You said kid?" Erwin asked.

"He looked maybe seven or eight-years-old," Levi explained. "He was being chased by a Titan when we found him." The two were silent, stunned speechless. He could almost feel the shock rolling off of them.

Erwin's voice was full of amazement. "A boy from outside the Walls."

"I wasn't sure what to do with him so I had Petra take him away and keep him hidden."

"I can't believe it," Hange said, continuing to gape.

Erwin, too, was having a hard time wrapping his head around it. He tried to keep his emotions under control—surprise, awe, excitement, disbelief—and formulate the words. "And he's with one of your subordinates, you said?"

"Yeah," Levi replied with a nod. "I had her take him to your office. How do you wanna deal with this?"

This day just became a lot whole more interesting. Erwin's mind raced. How would the people react to that? How would the Royal Government? Even knowledge of the outside world was forbidden. What would happen when a person, a child, was discovered? A child... Erwin turned to Levi. He badly wanted to go meet the kid in person but he could not leave Eren alone, either. "Are you absolutely positive he's not from here?"

"Well, he speaks a different language." Levi crossed his arms. "What else do you need? Everyone behind the Walls only knows one tongue. Where did he learn the language he speaks? Who taught him?"

"There used to be people of different cultures before the Titans attacked. He could be the descendent of one such group and he was secretly taught their language," Hange suggested. "Except they would have taught him our language, too. So this boy really might be from outside the Walls."

"Have him take a look at a map to point out his home," the commander said. "See if it's anywhere on there. Although I don't believe it will be."

"So we should keep him hidden still?" Levi asked.

Erwin paused, his expression calculating. "No. The best protection we can provide him is to reveal his identity for everyone to know."

"Like it is with Eren," Hange put in. "They can't make the boy quietly disappear. It'd cause an uproar. This kid your squad found is the symbol of humanity's existence beyond the Walls. Solid, undeniable evidence that we're not the last humans to exist. And he's a child. If the Royal Government dared harm him the people would not take that well, even the ones who normally oppose our cause."

"How did he survive out there?" Erwin wondered. "Did he possibly have an adult with him? His parents, perhaps?"

"That's the strange thing." Levi's brow furrowed in thought. "It's possible he was separated from his family. They wouldn't have let him run off on his own in such dangerous territory. Unless they were distracted—maybe under attack from Titans—or most likely, they're dead. But the boy was happy and didn't look concerned." Regardless of the language barrier, Levi had a feeling if the boy had thrown a tantrum, wanting his mother and father, they would have figured it out.

"Maybe he was still in shock. He could be crying for his parents right now," Hange said with a shrug.

"Should I have my team start spreading rumors, Erwin?"

"Do it. In fact, tell the other squad leaders and as many trustworthy people as you can so we can reach more people faster. That way your squad will also be in less danger. It would be an easy thing for anyone to misunderstand and reach the 'wrong' conclusion. So if for whatever reason it is proven that the child is from somewhere inside the Walls, there will be too many people talking at that point for the Royal Government to punish them all. It will be more convenient to explain it away as an honest mistake." Two of the squad leaders, Erwin knew, had connections so once the newspapers were out, there would be no going back. No way for the government to make this disappear, Erwin thought, mind going to his father.

"Are you sure?" Hange asked Erwin. "It's a gamble. Especially now when the Military Police wants custody of Eren."

"There's no other choice. I've already talked to Pixis and he will back us if necessary. I am confident we can convince Chief Zackly to give us custody of Eren Yeager. But—wait, what is the child's name?"

"I don't know," Levi replied. "Didn't have a chance to find out."

"Go and find out as much as you can," Erwin commanded. "I'll let the chief know of the situation and ask him for his opinion on how to proceed." There was no reason for the boy to be in the care of the Survey Corps. The Military Police had the best claim to him. Titans were Corps' territory which meant it would be easy to prove the best place for the Titan-human Eren was under Levi and his squad. But the foreigner, he's a kid.

"The Corps is no place for a child," Hange said, having the same thoughts. "The closest jurisdiction he falls under is the Military Police. If not them, then he will likely be placed as a ward to a noble family." She frowned thoughtfully. "We can't keep him secret." He didn't speak their language and couldn't understand anything they would say. And he's only seven or eight. He's gonna slip up and someone will overhear. Their secret would be out then and they'd be in trouble.

"We can't teach him, either," Levi pointed out. "There's no way. We'll have to either keep him hidden all his life, which is out of the question. Or if he was with people and they find us, we'll be fucked because we kept him a secret. Neither of those options is really an option." He scowled, feeling a headache coming.

Erwin sighed, stressed as well. He could not think of another way to handle the situation. "I have to got meet the chief or I'll be late."

"What will you tell him?" Hange asked.

"A lie," Erwin responded bluntly. "I'll tell him Levi received a message the boy his squad found broke out of his shock from being chased by a Titan, and he finally spoke. He wasn't, as we originally thought, someone from inside the Walls who had snuck into a supply wagon and come outside with us. But, in fact, he was from outside the Walls. Several people overheard the boy and rumors have already spread that we found a survivor from outside the Walls. That's what I'll tell Zackly."

When Levi entered Erwin's office, his squad stood to greet him. "Captain," Eld said quietly.

Levi's eyes fell to the boy asleep on the couch with a cloak covering his curled up body. They moved away from him, standing across the room. "What did you find out?" Levi asked.

"He said his name was Naruto," Petra answered and he stared at her in question. "I pointed to myself and said my name and he did the same," she explained. "He's eight-years-old."

"And?"

"That's about it. His stomach growled, loudly," Petra said with a smile. "So I gave him food and he went to sleep. He's a little boy and he must have been tired. We thought we'd let him take a nap while we waited for you to come back. Poor thing must have been exhausted from running around and hiding from Titans for who knows how long and the trauma of it all."

"What did Commander Erwin say?" Oluo asked him.

Levi explained the instructions and sent them off. "Petra," he called out, stopping her from leaving. "You only need to let Hange's squad know of the situation and come back."

"Yes, sir," she said, leaving looking curious.

After they left, he neared the sleeping child. Levi wasn't good with children and didn't want to intimidate Naruto. He wasn't sure if Petra was either but he figured she would probably fare better than him. From a child's perspective, her innocent face and sweet demeanor would be more comforting than any of the men. Hopefully, the boy wouldn't be frightened of her. And Levi really did not want to deal with a scared and hysterical kid, crying and screaming.

Levi crouched by the sofa when he heard Naruto mumble something in his sleep. His brow quirked, trying to understand.

"...ra...men..."

Ra-men? What is that? Levi wondered. He kept quiet, straining his ears, but Naruto said no more. Standing up, he walked over to Erwin's desk and pulled out a map from one of the drawers. He continued to ponder this "ramen" as he waited.

Please Review~