Kabe no Shinobi

Chapter 13: Life in the Survey Corps, Part 3

Breathe in… Breathe out…

Naruto's meditation was a solitary reprieve by the lake, away from the bustling Survey Corps headquarters. He needed this solitude after the constant curiosity his presence invoked among the Corps members. While awing the survey corps was fun for the most part, there were times he just wanted to be alone.

The forest was vibrant, filled with tall trees and lush greenery, and humming with life all around him. The sun shone down through the canopy, dappling the forest floor in patches of golden light. The air was cool and fresh, carrying with it the soft scent of pine needles and wildflowers. Birds chirped in the distance, their trills music to his ears.

In contrast, the lake was calm, water still and unmoving, but crystal clear, reflecting the sky like a mirror. This place, though no match for Mount Myōboku, brought him a semblance of peace.

His tranquility, however, was short-lived – the faint rustling of leaves and twigs being stepped on told him someone was approaching. Closer and closer until he could discern the distinct footfalls of two people.

Perhaps they would just walk by without noticing him?

"Oh look, it's Naruto."

"Hey, you're right."

Or not.

…

Be still…

…

One with nature…

…

~Poke~

…

Feel the energy…

…

"What do you think he's doing?"

"No clue."

…

~Poke, poke~

…

Brea- ~Poke~

…

"Maybe he's dead?"

…

~Po-

Naruto's hand shot up, fingers wrapping around the stick with a firm grip and yanking it out of Connie's surprised grasp. "Would you stop that already?!"

"Oh, so he isn't dead." Connie said, grinning.

"I'm- I was meditating." Naruto said, trying to keep his tone even as he sat up.

Sasha raised an eyebrow. "Meditating? What's that?" she asked.

Naruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "It's a way of clearing your mind," he explained.

Connie scratched his head. "Sounds boring. Why don't you come with us instead? We're going to explore the grounds."

He gave the offer some thought, "Nah, I'll pass." He'd already seen most of it.

Naruto walked down the moss-veiled trail that snaked through the careworn forest, tasting another of the wild berries he'd picked along the way. Soon the trees parted, revealing the new Survey Corps headquarters—a grand castle made of rough-hewn stone and iron. Outside, soldiers hurried to and fro, gear clanking at their sides.

As he approached, he felt the weight of curious stares, mutterings, and poorly hidden glances. He'd learned to ignore them, focusing instead on the task at hand. A soldier with hints of gray in his hair approached him. He was perhaps in his late thirties with stern features and a stubbly beard "You there… Uh, Naruto, right?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Commander Erwin would like to see you in his office."

Naruto nodded.

Erwin's office was dimly lit, the fires of the oil lamps casting long shadows across the room. The creak of the wooden door announced Naruto's arrival as he entered without hesitation, his footsteps echoing in the quiet space. The scent of aged paper and ink filled the air. Soft light spilled from well-placed lamps, casting a warm glow on the room's contents.

Neatly arranged shelves lined the walls, filled to the brim with books, journals, and countless documents. A large wooden desk commanded the center of the room, polished to reflect the soft glow of candlelight.

Erwin, sitting behind his desk, looked up from his work, a subtle lift of his eyebrows showing his surprise at Naruto's unannounced entrance. The corners of his lips curled up as he greeted him with a respectful nod, the gesture reflecting his composed demeanor.

"Naruto."

"What's up?"

With a fluid grace, Erwin rose from his seat, his fingers brushing over the surface of the crates that lined the room. His hand moved decisively toward a particular crate, deftly retrieving a roll of parchment that seemed to call out to him. His movements were deliberate yet unhurried as he unfurled it on the table, the way his fingers worked the parchment betraying a familiarity that came from years of handling such documents.

Naruto's curiosity got the better of him, and he couldn't help but close the distance between himself and the table. His eyes widened as he realized the contents of the scroll before him were a map, a visual representation of the world outside the walls he'd been confined to for so long.

However, Naruto's initial excitement gave way to a sinking feeling of disappointment as he got a good look at it. The expanse of the world depicted on it was far from comprehensive. The map showed a limited view of the outside world, with large blank spaces and only fragments of information. It was far from what Naruto had hoped for after waiting for so long.

The emotions played across Naruto's face like shifting shadows, his brows furrowing slightly and his lips tightening. It was a small, almost imperceptible reaction, but Erwin caught it.

"Is this it?" Naruto's voice, tinged with frustration, betrayed his inner turmoil. His words hung in the air, tasting bitter on his tongue, hands involuntarily balling into fists at his sides.

Erwin observed Naruto's reaction closely, his gaze steady, expression calm and sympathetic, but body tense. He could see how the longing to be reunited with those close to him weighed heavily on the boy.

"I understand your frustration, Naruto," Erwin said calmly. "These maps might not offer all the answers you're seeking, but they mark a starting point. We're consistently gathering new information, exploring the unknown, and gradually piecing together a bigger picture."

Naruto's gaze met Erwin's, a mix of emotions swirling within his eyes. He may have come to terms with the passage of time and the uncertainty of his situation. But the thought of home…

Naruto sighed in resignation. He knew deep down that expecting the maps to hold all the answers had been unrealistic. That human life outside the walls had been extinguished and that they knew nothing of the world beyond their borders was a fact of life for these people. Only he'd thought the military, or survey corps at least, knew more than they let on.

His hands spread out on the surface of the table, eyes fixed on the map, scrutinizing every line and detail as if seeking answers within the ink and parchment. There were trails on the map dotted in red ink, which Naruto assumed were to show the Survey Corps movements. They spread out like the branches of a tree from the outer gates of the districts. Of course, they had to start their ranging's from one of those four points.

Naruto shook his head. "Is this really all the information you have about the outside world?"

Erwin nodded. "These maps represent the sacrifice of those who ventured beyond the walls, the lives given to uncover the unknown."

"But you've had these walls for over a century," Naruto persisted, his voice tinged with a spark of incredulity. His hand hovered over a point that marked the furthest the survey corps had ventured. "And this can't be more than a couple days ride out from wall Maria."

"The survey corps was only established about 50 years ago. And the maneuvering gear created shortly before my time." Erwin answered succinctly. "Furthermore, having lost wall Maria has left the survey corps unable to range beyond the walls until we reclaim our lands."

Naruto grimaced. Without maneuvering gear, they were basically sitting ducks. He'd seen firsthand at Trost how much of a threat the Titans posed to them. He could scarcely imagine how much worse things would have been without 3DMG.

Erwin looked like he was in his late twenties. So, the scouts had only been capable of proper scouting for the last 35 or so years. The lack of details on the map made more sense now, at least. Still, something didn't add up here. Naruto raised an eyebrow. "And there are no records of the outside world from before the Survey Corps?" he asked, voice laced with no small amount of skepticism.

"Initially, the military only had one branch. The military police. Whose duty it was to maintain order and enforce the law within the walls. Going outside was forbidden. People were content for a time. But no one had seen a titan for decades. And people started suspecting the government of attempting to imprison the populace by making up stories of monsters beyond the wall. Soon there were riots in the streets. And to pacify the people, the government decided to establish the scout and garrison regiments."

"And before the walls? Nothing?"

There was a pregnant pause, Erwin's gaze holding Naruto's with a sense of curiosity.

"History tells us that all books and documents before our time were lost as humanity fled from the titans to the walls."

Naruto was starting to get annoyed. He knew that Erwin knew what he was talking about. Why was he dancing around it?

"No, but someone had to know something! It's only a hundred years ago. It's just a few decades more than a normal person lives. Hell, gramps was over seventy when he died! Some of the kids or grandkids of those who first came here should still be alive. Didn't their parents tell them any stories? Those who came here had to have known what their own lives were like before they came here. What country they were from, which city they lived in, or… at least something!"

Erwin was silent for a moment. Holding Naruto's gaze. A small quirk of his lips hinted at the mysteries he, too, pondered. "I have often wondered about that myself." He circled the table and took a seat, his demeanor contemplative, resting his sight on the map. "You're right in questioning this. Given the scope of human history, there should be records, stories, remnants of the world before our confinement within the walls. But if such records exist, they remain beyond public access." He met Naruto's eyes again, an intense light shining in his eyes. "Curious, isn't it? As if time began anew a hundred years ago."

Naruto blinked and his eyes narrowed. "You're saying the government might be hiding something? Why would they keep that kind of information from everyone?"

"There exist laws that forbid civilians from harboring any books or documents that pertain to the outside world not approved by the government." Erwin noticed the frown of incomprehension on Naruto's face. "Meant to dissuade any notions of venturing outside, and by doing so, unintentionally inviting the titans in. Though that law in itself is contradictory, no? If all knowledge of the lands before the walls were lost, why the need to regulate books that tell of the outside world? Surely there could not be anything there that the government or the people aren't already aware of?"

Naruto's brows furrowed and he nodded, but there was still something bugging him. "Okay, but why haven't they told you? Or the survey corps for that matter? You're the commander of one of their three military branches. It's your job to explore the outside world."

Hange paced eagerly back and forth, her eyes practically shimmering with a mix of excitement and anticipation. Each step she took seemed to reverberate with the electric energy coursing through her. Opposite her, Levi, ever the embodiment of stoicism, leaned casually against a towering oak tree. His arms were folded with an air of indifference, his expression a mask of unreadable calm.

Pausing in her pacing, Hange glanced at Levi, a glimmer of uncertainty in her eyes. "Do you think he forgot?" she inquired, her voice betraying a hint of worry.

Levi opened his mouth to respond, but before words could escape his lips, a figure seemingly materialized from the very air itself. He stood there, suddenly present, right beside Levi. The abruptness of the appearance jolted them both, their attention snapping to the newcomer as if pulled by an invisible force.

A vibrant "Yo!" resonated from Naruto. His face was a canvas of innocence, but his eyes danced with contagious amusement.

Levi's façade of unshakeable composure wavered for a fleeting moment, his eyes narrowing at the unexpected intrusion. On the other side, Hange's reaction was akin to a child discovering a long-lost treasure, a burst of unrestrained joy almost propelling her forward.

"Naruto!" Hange exclaimed, surging ahead with an impulsiveness that only she could muster. "Alright, let's get things started—"

Naruto's brows raised in an arch as he interrupted, his tone casually inquisitive, "Just the three of us?"

Hange, notebook already in hand, responded with a nod. "Most of the others are tied up getting the fresh recruits up to snuff."

"And Erwin?"

"He's caught up in a meeting.", Levi's reply was brisk and to the point, to which Naruto just nodded.

His attention shifted back to Hange. "So, what'd you want to do?"

Hange's excitement practically radiated off her as she flipped open her notebook, the pages rustling in her hands. "I re-read the reports from Trost yesterday, they mentioned you using some kind of invisible cannon technique to blast titans off their feet! Show me please!"

Naruto scratched his head. An invisible cannon, huh? It was actually a rather fitting description for his great breakthrough.

He moved a few steps away from them and assumed a stance, his hands forming a series of intricate seals.

Aaand, big breath!

Hange gasped as his chest seemingly expanded like that of a frog, air rushing in through his mouth, lifting leaves and twigs off the ground.

The chakra in his gut flowed up and up, until it reached the back of his mouth and coalesced into a spinning loop of condensed chakra air pressure. Spinning faster and faster, until he couldn't keep his breath anymore.

In one swift motion, his body snapped forward, and he fired it off, a focused torrent of wind barrelling through the forest. The first few trees in its path toppled over, the next now stood at an odd angle, lopsided, with roots unearthed. Their branches stripped of leaves.

Hange's eyes were wide with amazement, and Levi's stern countenance revealed a rare show of surprise.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Hange burst out gaping at the destruction.

"That," Naruto grinned, "was a wind style ninjutsu called the great breakthrough."

"Wind style ninjutsu?"

Naruto nodded. "Yep, one of five main elements that you can manipulate with chakra. The others are fire, water, earth, and lightning."

Hange was speechless. Levi blinked. "You can… control them?"

"Well, control isn't exactly the word I'd use. I know a couple of wind jutsu, and a few water jutsu. I even know an earth jutsu. But that's a long ways from 'controlling' them. I can't just wave my hand and make the earth do whatever I want, if that's what you're thinking." Naruto clarified. "I can use my chakra to do that attack, and a couple of other very specific things. But mastering an element takes years and years of training." The closest he'd seen to mastery of that degree was Gaara and his use of sand. But that had something to do with the one-tailed beast if he remembered correctly. No, wait. He used it even after they extracted it, didn't he? Maybe it was a bloodline limit? He pondered it for a moment before shrugging.

Hange's scribbling intensified. "Controlling the very elements… it's like having nature at your command."

Naruto's gaze shifted to Hange. "Water style is a bit harder. Unless you've got massive amounts of chakra, or a really strong affinity, you need a water source nearby." He pointed to a nearby stream, and with a series of hand signs, water surged from it, like a liquid snake slithering through the air. Naruto directed it to crash against a rock, sending a spray of water in all directions.

Hange's grin was practically ear-to-ear as she watched.

AN:

Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. Here's another chapter. Uni took most of my time. Done with my master's now, so I've had some time to write. I've updated most of the other stories as well. Among them is a Naruto fic called 'Naruto's odyssey'. It's a world-building fic. If any of you have read and enjoyed THW or Shinobi: Team 7, I think you'll like it. I've spent the last year hammering out the story, and I'm pretty happy with how the first couple of chapters have turned out.

Next chapter is likely going to be the beginning of the canon expedition. I'll try to not make you wait too long.

Hope you enjoyed!

~Zenix404~

Q&A:

Silverwingzz: Perhaps, but I've never seen it shred anyone. Usually it just propels them far away while they spin around like crazy. And I'm pretty sure that the blades the survey corps use are called "ultra-hard" steel for a reason. Because normal steel blades are almost entirely useless against titan skin. Like when Sasha tried to hack that titans head off with her axe. The titan was maybe 2 meters tall, its neck nearly the same size as a normal human's neck. She swung that axe with all her might and didn't even get halfway through.

Bakevich: If I didn't limit Naruto's strength, there'd be no story. Let's say Naruto can use sage mode, clones, and rasengan, but not any of the nine-tails powers. This is how the story would go: Naruto arrives in AOT world, sees the titans eating humans and proceeds to make 1000 clones, spreads them in all directions, clearing all titans outside the walls within 30 minutes of arriving in the AoT world. He crushes Reiner into dust with 100 big ball rasengan, then does the same to the colossal titan when Bertholdt tries to help him. Annie for fear of being killed rushes back to Marley to be with her father. The people of the walls hail Naruto as a hero. When his clones pop after killing the last of the titans that are closest to the sea, Naruto realizes they're on an island. He goes across and finds humans. Doesn't take him more than a day to realize the entire world hates Eldians. Naruto, good guy that he is, singlehandedly takes down all the Marley elites and throws them in a cell and replaces them with people he approves of. And even if the world still hates Eldians, there's nothing they can do because Naruto can conquer the world within a month. Story over. Not much of a story, is it?

rudinboyver20: Thank you, I'm glad you like it. And I wish you good health as well.

AlexGodz: Of course Naruto has a massive chakra reserves. But It's one of the things that hindered the original Naruto story if you ask me. There are so many jutsu, so many elements, ninja arts he could've learned. But, because Kishimoto gave him massive reserves, all he had to do was spam clones and use rasengan to defeat his opponents. I've just reduced his chakra reserves and altered the way shadow clones work, so that Naruto can be a bit more versatile as a Ninja. And so that the Naruto doesn't end the story in one week.

KnightKingThe1st: Yep. A lot of people seem to be complaining about the story being too close to the original. Might be that I didn't make it clear enough, but this is the point where the story diverges. With Annie in the survey corps and Reiner and them in the MP's, it's gonna impact the story a lot.

Mr. KR-18: Thanks man. Annie being in the Survey Corps instead of Reiner and Bertholdt will certain mean an alteration in the plot.

AppleGrowth: Well he was certainly portrayed as being very stealthy in canon Naruto when he evaded the shinobi during his many pranks. But the just ignored it later in the show in favor of big, loud, eye-catching jutsu battles. I think any ninja should be at least somewhat competent in being stealthy.

MM995: No, I think hand-to-hand combat was the one field Annie didn't hold back. I think Eren even had a flashback about her during their titan fight where he says that when no matter how uninterested she tried to look, he could see how much pride she had in her fighting skills during their combat classes.

Yatelo106: Might be some minor background romance later on, but it'll never be the focus of this story.

Masterx01: It is precisely because the transformation jutsu makes no sense as a physical transformation that I changed it into a genjutsu. For example, let's say Naruto transforms into a chair. How does he hear, see, or feel anything? He doesn't have flesh or blood, he is wood now, isn't he? And if he's physically a chair, how does he even comprehend the passage of time? What if someone breaks the chair while he's transformed? What happens when he tries to revert back to human, does he have no legs anymore? And if he is a chair, can he even think? How can he attempt to revert into human at all? Is Naruto a chair or is there just a shell around him made of wood in the structure of a chair? How are his limbs squeezed into the structure? If Naruto can still feel and hear and see when transformed into inanimate objects, what did he feel when he was a shuriken? Was Sasuke's hand inside Naruto's mouth when he threw him? Wouldn't a better use of the transformation jutsu be to transforming your arms into blades when fighting someone hand-to-hand? Or transform into birds to make travel easier? Too many questions man.

zx20000006: I might have not been clear enough, but Naruto doesn't recall exactly how he came to be here or exactly what he was doing before he arrived. And since when does Naruto ever ignore people in need of saving. All he ever does is convince Kakashi and his teammates that they need to stay and save whoever needs saving.

candrariski155: Thanks man, I'm glad you like the story. And no, I won't be abandoning it. I might be away for long periods of time, but I haven't considered abandoning any of the stories I've written.

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Date: 26/07/2024