These Hard Times

Summary: When Rin Nohara dies in one world, her soul shifts and passes on into another. From there on, she starts an adventure that allows her to grow into her full potential and she discovers what it truly means to be a Nohara, growing into her full strength.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Katekyo Hitman Reborn, and Shingeki no Kyojin, Full Metal Alchemist, or anything mentioned in this fic. Nothing belongs to me. It's a series of X-overs as trials for Rin. The next story will take place strictly in Naruto.

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Chapter 4: 2nd Mission

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"You did well," Aurora praised as her daughter reappeared in front of her. "Yuni will live her life as she promised, marrying a fine man and having children of her own while leading her family and maintaining a close alliance with the Vongola. Now, you need to complete your next mission. This mission will be more difficult than the last. You will need all the skill that you have."

"W-what is it?" Rin winced as she felt her numb arm bump against her side. Every nerve in her body was tingling, sensitive from the strain of having her chakra so depleted. She hissed lowly in pain as a gentle hand pressed against her forehead, the numb feeling slowly leaving along with the pain as her chakra began to restore itself once more.

"There, that should restore your chakra reserves," Aurora lowered her hand with a frown. "You'll need all your chakra for this mission, including Isobu's, if he allows you to use it. This world is horrible. Large, man-eating creatures called Titans roam through the land, killing everything. However, there is a group of military to fight them, to protect the people. You will appear in a large forest where a team of these Scouts are trying to fight a female titan. She is actually a female human in the body of a titan, able to change forms at will. She's after a young boy named Eren Jaeger, green eyes and brown hair, who has the same ability."

"Am I allowed to save them?" Rin asked carefully, straightening her back as she took the position of a reporting shinobi. Her emotions in regard to the mission were swept away as she adopted an apathetic expression, waiting patiently for her mother to answer.

"You are allowed to save as many lives as you possibly can," Aurora smiled sadly at her daughter, whose tensed shoulders relaxed a tad. "Just help these people. Help them survive. You're going to need this to slice the backs of their necks." Aurora handed over a set of swords, the blades simple but sharp and durable.

"Yes ma'am," Rin nodded, her brown eyes hardening in determination as she took them from her mother, gripping them firmly. Casting a glance down at the bottle hanging from her necklace, the light purple mist swirling around inside, she drew in a deep breath, steeling her nerves. This was a mission that she needed to complete. For Kakashi, for Minato-sensei, for Kushina-sensei, for Obito, and for the people suffering. She was a medic Nin; saving people was what she did.

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As she landed easily on the large, thick branch of a tree, Rin scanned the forest around her with sharp brown eyes before crouching and pushing off, quickly jumping from tree to tree. Her ears picked up the loud sound of footsteps pounding against the earth and she followed it, keeping out of sight. The female titan came into view, just ahead of her on the path, and Rin examined her thoroughly, locking up her emotions as she concentrated. The female titan was running after four people, flying through the air on metal wires.

Rin watched, easily keeping pace alongside them unseen, as the three attacked the titan, the fourth going ahead. The three of them managed to blind her and the titan paused, leaning against a tree as her arms reached behind her and covered her neck. Rin paused where she landed a few feet away, watching critically as the three charged the titan, slashing and cutting it in various spots. Her arms fell as she lost control of her shoulder muscles and the three fighters took advantage of it. As the nearest man began to fly closer, the titan's eyes flashed open and her head snapped around like a viper as she moved to bite the man.

Flashing a series of hand signs at lightning speed, Rin disappeared before flickering into existence in front of the man, grabbing onto his cloak as she threw them both backwards, narrowly dodging the Titan's blunt teeth. There was a loud snapping sound as the Titan's jaws clamped closed on the air where they had just been. Narrowing her eyes, Rin landed on another branch a bit away, releasing the guy that she had saved. The man stared up at her with wide eyes, trembling.

"W-Who are you?"

"I'll explain later," Rin stated, glaring at the titan as she turned her massive head to look at the kunoichi, one of her damaged eyes already healing. "Right now, we need to go. Now."

"R-Right,'' he nodded firmly, using his wires to shoot into the air, joining his squad. Making a sign, Rin placed a light genjutsu over her scent and appearance, blending into her surroundings. The squad ignored her, already arguing about the titan's fast healing rate as they flew through the trees, the titan racing after them.

"Petra! Get out of there!"

The woman stared up at the titan as she gained on the human, her amber eyes wide with horror and terror. Acting quickly, Rin appeared beside her, wrapping an arm around the woman as she kicked off the tree, avoiding the titan's foot as it slammed into the wood, aimed at them. The kunoichi shot up into the air, feeling her hair fly around her head as she held onto the woman tightly, feeling her trembling against her. Feeling her instincts blare, Rin turned to see the titan's hand reaching for them, getting closer by the second.

Chakra began to gather in her leg as Rin narrowed her eyes in a glare, feeling her protectiveness over the woman in her arms rise. As the Titan moved to grab them, she snapped out with her leg, conducting a graceful twirl as she did so, a move that Kakashi himself had taught her once before. Her leg, enforced with chakra, slammed against the titan's fingers, causing a loud crunching sound to ring through the air as her fingers broke form the force of the kick, allowing Rin more time to get away.

The Titan paused and stared at Rin with considering blue eyes, evaluating her. Judging her chances of winning to be low in the light of her unexpected abilities, the titan turned and began to run, fleeing through the forest away from the squad. The other two men dropped down around their teammate and Rin, who gently set her down, turning to the rest of the squad.

"Are any of you hurt?" she asked, concerned.

"N-No, I don't think so," the stunned woman shook her head slowly, blinking, as her teammates pulled her to her feet, steadying her. "Thank you, for saving me."

"It wasn't a problem really," Rin smiled at the three, glancing down at her necklace. The purple inside the bottle had gained two colors, one gold and the other a bright, soothing blue, indicating that she had completed two missions so far. "Saving people is what I do, really. Goodbye." With a wave, Rin grinned widely as she heard the three of them shout in alarm and shock when she was pulled away from that world, disappearing.