Kabe no Shinobi
Chapter 6: The World the Boy Saw
Naruto slipped silently through the alleys of the city, avoiding any attention. As he'd predicted, the people lived inside the walls and titans were kept outside. Now that he'd found civilization at last, Naruto had decided to ditch the soldiers and start gathering information about the world in general. The clone he'd left behind had dispelled once they'd stopped for good, alerting him on what place to avoid.
His sudden disappearance would no doubt raise the alarm, which was unfortunate, but unavoidable. His actions would paint him in a negative light and most likely make the government suspicious. From their point of view, he was an outsider that'd used them as a means to infiltrate their home.
And yet, following a foreign military straight into their base without any prior knowledge of their intent, ability, technology or numbers, was a gamble Naruto was unwilling to take.
The one thing that worked in his favor however and made taking the risk of making the government his enemy worth it, was his ability to use the henge. If they didn't have Chakra, it was only logical to assume that they had no means of identifying him if he were to disguise himself. Meaning he could explore without fretting about being recognized.
He'd roamed the streets for a short while just to get an impression of what the average person looked like. Most were either brown haired or blonde, with either blue or brown eyes. It felt kind of bizarre seeing so many of them here. He was so used to being one of the only fair-haired haired and blue-eyed people in Konoha. Still, he needed to modify his appearance, he'd noticed the subtle looks citizens had given him when he'd wandered the streets.
Naruto ran a hand through his golden, gravity-defying spiky hair.
He stood out too much, especially his whisker marks. He glanced down at his clothes, lamenting their current state. As much as it pained him, they would have to go as well. His bright orange and black jumpsuit was a dead giveaway.
Making sure he was alone, Naruto made the Dog, Boar and Ram hand seals. He removed his whiskers, colored his hair and eyes brown, and lightened the color of his skin to a shade more reminiscent of an Uchiha.
Naruto walked over to one of the nearby windows and eyed his new appearance. It would do. For now, at least.
He strolled lazily down the streets of 'Karanesu', observing his surroundings keenly. People walked past minding their own business, stall-owners called out to bypassing civilians in their strange language, and children played without a care in the world.
And yet behind the facade of normality, there was a slight tension hanging in the air. An underlying note of fear permeated the streets. He could feel it. The way people looked at the walls every so often. Thinking. Wondering. He'd felt it before when he'd been just a child, in Konoha. Of course, he'd been the source of all those feelings back then, though he hadn't known why.
It was laughably easy, Naruto thought to himself, wandering the streets with a henge, knowing they wouldn't be able to identify him.
He had to catch himself sometimes though. A civilian would cast a glance his way and he'd start getting the idea that people were onto him, only to realize it was pure coincidence that their eyes had met.
He let his eyes roam over the streets and the houses that lined its length, drawing some conclusions. The architecture was reminiscent of that in Fire country, if of poorer quality. Perhaps one of those farming villages in the countryside he'd been to on occasional C-rank missions. Team seven came to mind instantly, and he felt his mouth quirk up into a fond smile. He could almost see it. Kakashi reading that perverted book of his while lazing about, silently observing his team. Sasuke, with his ever-present scowl, tugging at weeds. Himself, switching between complaining at Kakashi-sensei and trading jibes with Sasuke, and Sakura scolding him for insulting her precious Sasuke-kun. His smile grew. He missed those times.
There weren't any electrical posts, nor wires hanging up above. So, they probably didn't have any electricity. Not in this region at least. That put them well behind the elemental nations in terms of technological advancement. He had to assume that if they didn't have electricity, then ovens, lights, water heating, communication devices and so much else wouldn't be present either.
Did that mean they lit fires at home to cook food and heat water? And light torches to go out at night?
He hadn't really considered it before, but now that he thought about it, electricity was such a big part of the people's daily lives back in the elemental nations. Such a stark contrast made him feel completely alien and drove home the fact that he didn't belong here.
Absently pondering the nature of this new world, Naruto's stroll came to an abrupt halt when he noticed a small group of guys chatting near one of the food stalls.
They wore uniforms nearly identical to those he'd seen outside the walls, except for the hooded cloaks and metal containers. Also, he noted that the insignia emblazoned on their backs was different.
Two roses over a shield, huh. Strange.
Was it some other military order? Like the Konoha Military Police Force, maybe?
Just as he was about to walk away, he noticed another person approaching. Recognition dawned on Naruto instantly, and he felt a sudden surge of panic.
Gunta?!
What was he doing here? Were they onto him? This fast?
His heart pounded just little a little faster at the thought.
He watched as 'Gunta' approached the group of soldiers, talked for a bit, before they shook their heads. Gunta let out an audible sigh and went on his way.
He knew from his clone's memories that the 'winged soldiers' had stopped some ten odd leagues southwest from his current location.
How could they have known to search here of all places?
It could be pure luck, or just that this was the only place they could reasonably search with what little manpower they had.
Well, whatever the case, he needed to get out of here.
With the winged soldiers snooping around he wouldn't be able to do what he needed to without getting on their radar.
If he were to try to communicate with someone in a language people didn't recognize, they would get curious and start spreading rumors. If said soldiers were to hear those, they'd immediately know he was in the area, and doubtlessly do whatever they could to make sure he couldn't escape.
Of course, he would escape whatever they tried, but the less attention he attracted, the better. He didn't want to have to be on an endless run from one place to the next.
Until he learned their language, he would lay low.
Resolute, Naruto walked towards the inner gate, intent on staking out the place.
So long as they didn't ask any questions, he could slip by unnoticed.
As he approached however, he saw guards posted near the gates, not normal ones either, but those with wings instead of roses. They didn't do much, except watch those who passed through and ask questions. Not that he could understand.
Craning his neck, he checked the top of the walls for any openings, and to his annoyance, there were soldiers there too.
[Erwin POV]
Erwin linked his hands together on the table, mulling over their current predicament.
They'd reached the survey corps HQ not long ago. It had been a hectic few hour to be sure. The foreigner had vanished again, to his dismay. Scouts were sent out to search for him, but hadn't turned up with any results as of yet.
Next to him, Mike peered out of the windows, silent as always, while Levi and Hange were seated across from himself.
"Erwin, have there been any clues as to his whereabouts?" Hange asked.
"Nothing." Erwin replied, and Levi scowled. "We should've tied the brat up."
"I don't imagine we'll be including him in our reports?" Hange questioned.
"No, our failure to bring him back and subsequently allowing him entrance into the walls will surely be seen as endangering the populace. If we were to report it, the consequences would be… unpleasant."
Hange peered down on the maps Erwin was staring at. "Where do you think he could be?"
"With the speed he displayed on our way back, he could be anywhere." Levi put in.
"That is true. I've sent men to Karanese and the nearest villages outside the district. We don't have the manpower to spread out more, and if we were to, the MPs would surely get suspicious and start their own investigation."
Levi nodded and Hange hummed thoughtfully.
[Naruto POV]
The sun set and the shadows grew longer, until night fell at last.
The common folk had gone home, except for the occasional drunkard or beggar.
When he was sure no one could see him, he used the henge again, veiling his body within a cloak of Chakra. From another's perspective, it would appear as though he had vanished completely.
[Wall guard POV]
"Man, it's getting late." He yawned. "Oi, Lynne. How long do you reckon we have to be up here?"
Lynne sighed. "I don't know, until the commander sends for us, I guess."
Henning rubbed his eyes tiredly. Staying awake was becoming more difficult with each passing hour. The stress from being out on an expedition had taken its toll. Add to that an entire day of riding and the exhaustion was becoming too much to bear. He just wanted a full meal and a nice, soft bed right now.
"Say, why are we up here to begin with?" He asked, hoping some small talk would stop him from falling asleep. "Do they really believe the guy could get all the way up here without 3D maneuver gear? It's 50 meters up here."
Lynne took a swig from her waterskin, then poured some on her hand to wash her face. She wore a contemplative expression, while peeling away some of the wet locks of hair stuck to her face.
"You wouldn't have seen it, would you, you were in the rear guard after all... But I saw him take out a titan with his bare hands, Henning."
Seeing the doubtful look on his face, she continued. "I know it sounds far-fetched, ridiculous even, but I saw it. And I also saw him jump like ten meters into the air and stick to the side of a tree like a spider to a wall... If he can do all that, then I doubt scaling this wall is gonna be much of an issue."
He didn't respond to that, silently going over her words.
"He-" He halted mid-sentence when suddenly the lights from the flames flickered and for a moment it was just a shade darker. He blinked, and it was back to normal, and he had to wonder if it was just his mind playing tricks on him.
"Henning?" Lynne glanced at him sideways. She appeared to be oblivious to whatever it was that he'd seen.
"... I saw him in the forest, he was just a kid. Looked about the same age as my little brother."
Lynne hummed. "How is he by the way, your little brother. I remember you telling me he went to work at a farm."
He smiled. "Yeah, he's alright."
"He dropped out?" Lynne asked, voice soft.
"... Yeah, he wrote to me, telling me he didn't feel cut out to be a soldier. And to be honest, I'm glad, I'm sure he would've picked the survey corps if he'd graduated. He used to talk about defeating the titans and becoming heroes when we were kids."
Henning smiled fondly at the memory, and he heard Lynne chuckled quietly.
[Naruto POV]
The henge could be an exceptionally useful jutsu, despite its E-rank status. Hence, why it was one of the three jutsu required to pass the academy.
It made it possible to disguise oneself as another person, an animal, a plant, or even an inanimate object.
A genjutsu not too different from the normal bunshin, where one used Chakra to weave an illusion around one's body. Which came in handy during infiltration and information gathering.
However, it had many glaring weaknesses. One being the fact that any physical contact would give away the disguise. That was if they didn't sense the use of Chakra first.
If you were skilled enough to avoid physical contact and being sensed. One had only to look at the ground, to realize the shadow didn't match the illusion.
That was precisely why transforming into an inanimate object or basically anything that wasn't a human being, was a bad idea.
However, minor changes like dyeing your hair, changing eye color, and altering skin tone was still very much useful and easily managed. You'd have to be a darn good sensor as well, to notice the microscopic amount of Chakra needed to make those alterations.
All those weaknesses had been rendered null and void in this new world, with the exception of physical contact.
Yet, Naruto had learned a more useful way of applying this jutsu.
Jiraya, in a moment of genius, driven by his ever-present wish of being able to peep at women in the hot springs undetected, had developed an improved version of the henge.
One which used Chakra to refract light around an object in a myriad of different angles, creating 'dead spots' that hid the object from others view. It bends light like a glass of water does when a spoon or straw inside it looks bent.
It didn't require much, but potent Chakra to use, and of the top of his head Naruto could only name a couple of people capable of using it; the Jinchūriki were a given, Jiraya, Kisame, and perhaps Akimichi Choza too.
Still, it had its own weaknesses, being that it was even easier for sensors to detect and it still couldn't refract all light. If one were to focus enough, they would be able to make out the slight distortion it created in space.
His musings ended as he touched down on the ground, on the other side of the wall.
There was a smaller city on this side of the wall, and the next wall could be seen far, far in the distance, barely discernible over the curving horizon.
[A few days later] [Shopkeeper POV]
*knock*
*knock*
Jurgen startled awake, almost falling off his chair. Belatedly he realized he'd fallen asleep while reading the newspaper. He leaned back to look into the store and saw a teen by the counter.
"I'll be right there, just one moment." He called out.
He cursed not for the first time, when in his hurry to stand up, his backpain reared its ugly head. Damned old age.
"Hello there, young man. What can I do for you?" he greeted with a pleasant smile, as he walked up behind the counter.
The teen didn't respond, only pushed a book forward.
Awkwardly, Jurgen took it and inspected it with some bemusement. It was a children's picture book, one outlining the alphabet, teaching the most elementary things about their language.
"You want this book?" he asked curiously.
In response the kid pointed at his ears, then made an x with his fingers.
Jurgen winced sympathetically, but before he could say anything, the teen dropped a few copper coins and a pair of silver on the desk.
He grabbed one of the silver coins. In truth the book cost a bit less, but all the coppers combined didn't amount to half the books price. Besides, these were desperate times.
He handed the book over with a small smile, which the boy returned before retreating to the streets.
[Naruto POV]
Naruto let his eyes roam over the pages of his newly acquired book. The alphabet was simplistic to say the least, just a few connected lines, nothing like the complex writing used back in the elemental nations.
To his surprise, he recognized some of the letters. A, B, C, D, E and S. They were the same characters used in the ranking system back home!
It had never occurred to him how different those particular letters had been from the normal alphabet.
Did this mean that his people had been in contact with the walled people at some point? Or was it mere coincidence?
Deciding not to dwell on it too long, he made a shadow clone and set it to the task of writing down translations next to the pictures on the pages.
He had no idea how to pronounce the words, but memorizing the characters needed to spell the words would be a major step forward.
Pre-prepared cards, each with a word shown in the correct order, would go a long way in helping him settle into this society. Especially with his 'I-am-deaf' act.
Still, he would have to learn at some point. The question was, how?
He heaved a sigh.
It physically pained him to have to say this, but he would most likely have to find a school somewhere, and spy on their lessons.
Iruka would have a laughing fit if he ever found out.
[Two months later, Stohess]
"Eight, apple."
The lady at the counter giggled at his childish pronunciation and Naruto flushed. It was embarrassing to have to talk like a child despite being almost a man grown. They probably thought he was dim-witted or something.
The woman handed him his product, and he handed her the money, mumbling a quick 'Danke Schön' before departing.
He'd made some progress in his learning, but there was only so much one could learn through books, and it had gotten tedious very quickly.
Naruto had never been the bookish type to begin with. He learnt best by doing, and the best way to learn how to speak was by conversing with others.
And so, he'd dropped the 'deaf' act and started talking to people.
Spying on lessons at the local school had been helpful as well. It had taught him how to pronounce each letter and string together some short sentences, as well as some new things about this society and its history in general.
He was glad to note that the numeric system remained the same, at least.
As he walked down the busy streets, he recounted some facts.
Firstly, titans ate humans, and it had been that way for a long time apparently. A hundred years even. However, it was only recently that the outer wall had been breached. As a result, lots of people had died and those who didn't, had fled into the next Wall.
There were three walls in total, named Sina, Rose, and Maria.
There were also three military branches. The military police, garrison regiment, and the survey corps. Each with a different purpose.
The military police maintain peace and order within the walls, kind of like the Konoha Military Police Force, and acts as the personal guard to this place's version of a Daimyo.
The garrison regiment, maintain and guard the wall.
And lastly, the survey corps goes on expeditions outside the walls.
That about summed up most of it. It wasn't much, but it was progress at least, no matter how minor.
He passed through the gate to wall Rose and headed towards the refugee camp situated a short way ahead.
After a while of sleeping out in the open, he'd been discovered by a garrison member and promptly directed to the nearest one, explaining that it offered housing and meals for a short period.
It was nice to have a roof over his head and semi-filling meals.
He'd been approached by some of the people working there a few days ago, telling him they had found a place for him to work down south on a farm.
[Approximately half a year before the Trost Breach]
"Christa."
.
.
"Christa, give it up."
Ymir's muffled voice reached Christa, but she refused to listen. She could do this. She had to.
"Listen to me."
"NO!"
Ymir watched her small frame tugging at Daz's unmoving body, slogging through snow that reached their shins.
"Daz already had one foot in the grave. It's his own fault for doing this training to boost his score without knowing how much his body can take. He's just not cut out to be a soldier. If you keep crawling to the foot of the mountain at this rate, he'll probably be a goner by then, and we'd be lucky not to be."
She stopped and looked around for good measure, making sure they weren't going in circles, before turning back to Christa.
"Which means there are only two outcomes. Leave Daz here and save ourselves, or all three of us die... Which will it be?"
Christa stopped, giving Ymir's point a second of consideration before steeling herself.
"You forgot one." Christa said, azure eyes focused on the road ahead. "The one where I'll be able to reach our base at the foot of the mountain... With Daz. You can go ahead of us and get back safe. How about that?"
Christa turned, flashing a confident smile. "There's no trouble in it for you. We'll make it back for sure. So, go ahead of us." She faced ahead, gripping the rope tightly, and trotted onward. She didn't make it far, however. Only a couple of steps and she slipped, exhausted even if she didn't want to admit it. Still, she resolved herself to keep going, before standing and trying again.
Ymir eyed her stoically, then heaved a sigh. She removed the scarf around her face to make sure Christa could hear her. The weather wasn't letting up, and the raging winds and downpour of snow made conversation near impossible.
"Say, why haven't you asked me to help at all? You know what I think? I think... that you have no intention of saving Daz."
Christa froze in her tracks, words striking too close to home for comfort. Slowly, Ymir walked up beside her, leaning in to whisper in her ear.
"You don't care. You've resigned yourself to death already... You're hoping to die here, aren't you?"
Christa felt her heart start beating faster as she processed those words, and Ymir leaned even closer, face almost mocking.
"How could you? I thought you were a good girl. You've got to at least make it look like you're trying to save his life. If you want people to remember you as a hero who died trying to save someone else, don't drag him down with you... That's what a bad girl would do."
"Y-you're wrong! I didn't... That's not... I..." Her voice trailed off, almost trembling.
"it's you, isn't it?" Ymir asked, standing straight again. "The mistress's daughter who had people after your life."
Chista's eyes widened, and she looked up to meet Ymir eyes. "How did you...?"
"I see... so it was you after all. I happened to overhear a conversation at the church, back when I snuck around borrowing things to stay alive... What a sob story it was. An illegitimate child can't succeed a noble, so they wanted her dead to end all the fuss once and for all. But they'd look aside if she changed her name and lived a humble life... In the end, I heard the girl was forced to join the cadet corps."
There was a pause.
"Don't worry. I haven't told anyone. I don't plan to either."
Christa let out a shaky breath. "Then... Did you join the Cadet Corps just to find me? If that's the case... Why?"
Ymir looked away, refusing to meet her gaze. "Who knows. Maybe because we're similar."
"What? You and me... Have similar backgrounds?"
"... Well, more or less."
"that's the reason you became a soldier?"
"Could be. I don't really know... No, it's not."
.
.
"You wanted... To become friends with me?"
Ymir turned away, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "Huh? You've got to be kidding me. You and I don't even compare... We both got a second chance at life. But I'm not the one who took on a fake name. If I abandon my name and reject who I am, they win. I'm going to keep the name I have and make the best of my life. That's the one and only way I can get my revenge."
Ymir had an intense look in her eyes. "So, how do you explain yourself? Are you going to commit suicide and make everyone who ruined your life happy? Why is your desire to kill aimed at yourself? If you're so eager, use that passion to change your own fate!"
"I... I can't... even now... There's no way for all three of us to make it out of this alive."
"There is."
"Huh?"
Ymir made her way through the snow to the edge of the cliff and Christa followed dragging an unconscious Daz behind her.
"I can see the base straight down from here. We drop Daz off this cliff."
"What?"
"Hopefully, he survives the fall, and hopefully someone down there finds him. Sure, it might be a long shot, but... That's his only real chance. Unless some miracle happens, he'll be an icicle long before you drag him down."
"But... He'll die for sure if he falls!" Christa protested and Ymir gritted her teeth, annoyed. She stalked back to the smaller girl, picking her up.
"Hey, Ymir! Quit it!"
"Shut up!"
"Ymir! Put me down!"
"I'll do it myself! So just-!"
"Um, excuse me!"
They both froze at the sudden voice from behind and turned to look to where it had come from. Christa still perched on Ymir's should.
"Are you guys lost?"
Only a short distance away stood a person, male by the sound of it. Clad in a thick fur coat.
Naruto marched through the thick layer of snow, carrying a pile of wood on the small contraption on his back.
The winds blew with a vengeance, frosty gusts almost like whips on what little of his face wasn't covered by his scarf.
He would've preferred not to be out here today, but it couldn't be helped. The farm was short on wood, and it was too cold to tough it out.
Seeing as firewood was essential for people around here, especially during the winter, Naruto had offered to go gather some.
The elderly couple who owned the farm had protested, of course. Told him to stay until it calmed down outside, but he doubted it would. This weather hadn't let up for the past few days.
Spotting something off in the distance, Naruto narrowed his eyes.
It was faint, but there was a soft light, far off in a small, open area beyond the forest.
Other people perhaps?
Curious, he made his way towards the source.
Soon, he could see two figures near the edge of a cliff. They wore fur cloaks with an insignia emblazoned on the backs. Two swords crossed over a shield. So, cadets then. What were they doing out here?
He inched closer, careful not to reveal himself.
"-no way for all three of us to make it out of this alive."
"There is."
Girls, by the sound of it. Damn, now he kind of felt like a pervert. Damn you, Ero-sennin.
Wait, did she say three?
Then he noticed the sledge and it clicked. They were carrying someone with them. A teammate perhaps?
"I can see the base straight down from here. We drop Daz off this cliff."
Naruto gaped.
"What?" the other, smaller girl questioned, sounding as shocked as he felt.
"Hopefully, he survives the fall, and hopefully someone down there finds him. Sure, it might be a long shot, but... That's his only real chance. Unless some miracle happens, he'll be an icicle long before you drag him down."
"But... He'll die for sure if he falls!" The smaller one protested, before the other went and picked her up.
Oh boy, he'd better step in before things got completely out of hand.
"Hey, Ymir! Quit it!"
"Shut up!"
"Ymir! Put me down!"
"I'll do it myself! So just-!"
"Uh, excuse me!" Naruto called out and they both froze mid-step.
Naruto sweat dropped, he would've laughed at the comical sight if it hadn't been for the fact that this 'Ymir' girl had so casually offered to throw their 'baggage' off a cliff.
"Uh, you guys lost?"
They seemed shocked for a second, before the blonde one wrestled herself out of Ymir's grip. She hurried over and stopped right in front of him, panting slightly.
"Y-yes, we are! Did the instructors send you?" she asked, eyes hopeful.
Now that she was close, Naruto could make out her facial features. Her hair was the shade of gold and she had big blue eyes, small nose, and pouty lips.
She was staring at him so intently, that he found himself rubbing the back of his head in mild embarrassment.
"No, I-... I'm not with the cadets."
"Oh." She looked downcast at that.
"Why are you out here, then?" the other girl asked, crossing her arms.
Naruto turned a bit to show his backpack. "Gathering wood actually. I work at a farm nearby."
"In this weather?" Ymir questioned with a raised eyebrow, to which he replied with a shrug.
"We're actually supposed to get all the way down there, you wouldn't know a way down close by?" Christa pointed down to the small encampment at the foot of the hill, then she cast a glance behind her at the guy shivering on the sledge. "Our teammate, he's freezing to death, we need to hurry"
Naruto thought about it for a second. "Well, there's a way down, it's steep though. People usually avoid it during winter since it's easy to lose your footing. Wouldn't want any nasty accidents out here."
Relieved, she nodded.
"Alright, come on." Naruto beckoned as he started off.
"Wait, you're coming too? Why not just tell us where to go?" Ymir asked.
"You're lost in a forest, it's the middle of the night, there's a snowstorm going on, and you're dragging an injured person." Naruto deadpanned. "I don't think it'd be a wise idea to let you wander off with some vague directions."
"… fair enough."
They waited until Chirsta came back dragging Daz, it was obvious that she was struggling with the weight and Naruto offered to take him off her hands.
"Are you sure? Won't it be heavy for you too?"
Naruto just smiled genially. "Don't worry 'bout it."
"Thank you, I'm Chista by the way. And this is Ymir."
"Niels Fuchs, nice to meet you."
He barely registered the weight as he walked. The chakra circulating in his body made it a piece of cake, really. The fact that it also helped keep some of the cold at bay was an added bonus.
"So, military training, is it?" Naruto questioned, not liking the awkward silence.
"Yeah. An optional one, though." Chirsta clarified. "Graduation is only a couple of months away. It's for those who want extra points."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Extra points? In the military?"
Ymir returned the disbelief. "You don't know?"
When Naruto didn't show any sign of comprehension, she continued. "Well, there's this ranking system in the cadet corps. Only the top ten are allowed to join the Military Police on the day of selection. And getting into the Military Police guarantees you a spot in wall Sina."
Naruto bobbed his head.
"It's pretty common knowledge, you know. You been living under a rock or something?"
Naruto chuckled. "Or something, I'd say."
When he didn't elaborate, Ymir shrugged and let the matter drop.
Twenty or so minutes later, they finally arrived at the destination. And true to Naruto's words, it was a steep hillside, some snow crusted rocks sticking out at odd angles.
"Here we are." Naruto gestured down.
"How do we get the sledge down there though?" Chista wondered out loud.
"I think it'd be wise to just let the sled slide down, while I carry your friend over there." Naruto said, then he moved to brush off the snow gathering on Daz's body and lifted him over his shoulder in a soldier carry.
"You know, you're being awfully helpful for some guy we just met a couple of minutes ago. Should I be worried?" Ymir drawled, eying him sidelong.
"Yeah, well, that's just me I guess."
They let the sledge slide down to the foot of the hill, where it lay haphazardly after toppling over. The descent was a slow process, the two girls tracing his tracks to avoid stepping on unstable footing. Fortunately, they made it down in one piece.
"From here on, you'll have to get back on your own I'm afraid. Would see you all the way, but I've got some people waiting on me. Wouldn't do to let them freeze to death." Naruto chuckled.
Chirsta shook her head. "You've done plenty, thank you." She smiled gratefully.
Ymir nodded as well. "Thanks."
They said their farewells and parted ways. Naruto back up the hill, while Christa and Ymir made for the encampment.
[With the rest of the Cadets]
Eren fastened his backpack. "It's better if you guys don't come along. Like our instructors said, you'll only end up becoming more victims."
"I'm going so that doesn't happen." Mikasa replied.
"I'm not leaving Christa and the others." Armin added. When Eren turned to reply, he saw two others by the door.
"Hey. What do you think you're doing?" Reiner's voice was unmistakable. He stood with Bertholdt by his side. Both decked in full winter gear.
"Don't try to stop—"
"You're gonna need a lot more gear than that." Bertholdt interjected before Eren could finish.
"If you go by yourselves, you'll be in the same pickle as Christa."
"In a search, its better with more eyes."
"You guys… Thanks. To be honest, we could use you." Eren smiled.
"Hey." Another voice piped up. It was Connie, and with him, Sasha and Marco. "We're coming too."
Marco waved a hand. "The weather's steadily improving. I think we'll be fine."
"-And I brought extra rations!"
Eren felt a smile tugging at his lips. He nodded, and they all moved as one. They didn't get far however, for as soon as they stepped foot out the door, they spied Christa and Ymir stalking towards the hut, dragging something behind them.
"Wha—Christa? Ymir?!" They cried out, making the two in question look up.
"You're back!" Sasha cheered.
"Huh, yeah. Just arrived, actually. Mind helping us with this dead weight?" Ymir pointed down at Daz.
Not long after, they all sat inside by the fire, having checked in with the instructors.
"So, what happened? What held you for so long?" Armin asked curiously.
Christa sipped at the mug of warm tea. "We fell behind the rest of you, and the snow made it hard to track the way back."
"And then there was Daz as well." Ymir added.
Reiner crossed his arms where he leant by the doorframe. "How'd you get back then?"
"We had help."
"Help?"
"Yeah. Met some guy named Niels. Showed us a shortcut down the cliff."
Connie balked. "Wait, there was someone else out in this weather?"
"Yeah." Christa answered. "He works at a farm nearby. They needed wood for a fire."
Bertholdt spoke up. "You got lucky then. Don't think Daz would've lasted much longer."
The two hummed in agreement and the rest of the night was spent chatting by the fire, comparing times, and making jokes.
AN:
Hello everyone, I'm back at last.
Apologies for the long wait. University has been taking up a lot of my time, so it has been hard to get any writing done. If it's any consolation, this chapter was significantly longer than the previous ones.
This chapter introduced Naruto to some central characters, namely Ymir and Christa. He's finally able to converse with others, which means he will no doubt be interacting with people a lot more.
Some might find his sudden ability to converse with others strange, however, keep in mind that he has been practicing with clones. A single clone every day, doubles his rate of learning. Considering he used more than one, and his learning curve in this chapter spans over approximately half a year, it stands to reason that he would learn how to speak German pretty quickly.
The story in itself has reached over 600 follows and 450 favourites. Which is amazing. Never thought this story would be so popular.
Thank you to everyone who favourited and followed. It means a lot. Comments are also appreciated. To be honest, the comments are my favourite part of writing. Actually, reading other people's reactions and honest thoughts about the story, is something I enjoy greatly. So please, leave a comment.
(To those wondering if I'll be updating my GoT fic. The answer is yes, yes, I have. I've begun writing it, but it takes a lot of time, since each chapter is so long.)
Thanks for reading :)
~Zenix404~