Kabe no Shinobi
Chapter 3: Meeting the unknown.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Attack on Titan, or any of their characters.
Edit: June 25, 2020:
I thought about the storyline for a moment and how i wished for it to proceed forwards and decided to go with another route for the meeting between Naruto and the Survey Corps. I think a languge barrier will serve the story better in the long run, also making my plans for the next few chapters more authentic. Leave a review on what you think of it or send a PM. Hope you like it.
[Levi POV]
The past few days had been busy. Erwin had convinced Darius Zackly, the general of the three military branches, to allow another expedition beyond the walls. The final preparations for the expedition had been finished yesterday, and they'd be moving out in just a few moments.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he could clearly see Hange talking to Moblit, most likely explaining another of her wild theories about titans. Moblit seemed to be doing his best to keep up with her and failing miserably, judging by the utterly confused expression on his face.
Honestly, he couldn't fathom how that man was able to withstand her presence. Just the thought of having to put up with her antics every day sent a shiver down his spine. And the way she would start drooling at the mention of titans was simply disgusting.
Hange seemed to take notice of him and abandoning her previous, rather one-sided conversation, made her way towards him.
"Yo, Levi! How've you been! Ready for the expedition?"
He heaved a sigh. "Hange." He nodded in acknowledgement. "Good, and ready as can be."
"Aa, I can't wait to observe them, Levi. Maybe we'll even get to see some abnormal ones." As she started getting starry-eyed and salivating at the lips, rambling about the usual, he tuned her out and let his thoughts wander to the three years since the breach of wall Maria.
The walls that had kept humanity safe for a hundred years had fallen for the first time and titans had invaded the outermost circle of the walls. In the time that it had taken for the military to evacuate the people of Maria, the death toll had reached a staggering ten thousand.
In the aftermath, the military police had been stationed at refugee camps to keep the king's peace and distribute food amongst the people in need. On the other hand, a collaborative effort between the garrison and the survey corps had seen them organizing wide scale retrieval missions in order to recover as much food and other resources, as fast as possible before the titans were able to reach the other end of wall Maria.
However, even with the success of many retrieval operations, a food shortage was unavoidable. So, in the following year of 846, The Royal Government sent a multitude of refugees on a mission in the name of retaking wall Maria. 250,000 were sent, nearly a fifth of the population.
With only 200 survivors, the operation had been a complete massacre and on the bloodied battlefield, only the titans had remained standing.
Levi scoffed mentally. The Government could call it whatever they wanted, yet the fact remained that it had been a suicide mission. There was no way that simple civilians, unarmed and on foot, could ever hope to kill even one of those beasts. Though it had gone unspoken, the truth was there for everyone to see.
With grim resignation, they had marched off to their deaths. And although it wasn't much, their sacrifices did improve the food shortage situation for the rest of the population, even if just a little.
With a third of their territory lost and a fifth of the population devoured, humanity had yet again been reminded of what a cruel world they lived in.
The reality of their situation had dawned on them rapidly. The fear amongst the people had been palpable, and terrified of another catastrophe, the military branches had had the proverbial fire lit under their asses.
Better cannons were installed atop the walls. Deep trenches, enough to trap several titans had been dug around all the gates. The outdated evacuation plans had been revised after seeing how inefficient they had been when put into practice.
Moreover, at the recommendation of Dot Pixis, Chief Official of the Southern Territories, it had been decided to establish an emergency food bank in case of another breach and avoid another "mission to reclaim wall rose".
In addition, the age of recruitment for the military had been lowered from fifteen to twelve, in order to bolster the ranks and the number of recruits had reached an all-time high.
"Attention soldiers!"
Before he could dwell anymore on the past, the sound of Commander Erwin's piercing voice cut through the clearing, bringing him out of his musing. Erwin was dressed in the standard survey corps uniform, seated upon his white horse. Determination burned in his azure eyes, his gaze flickering over to where Levi was standing for a brief moment before addressing the soldiers in attendance.
"Today we proceed with the 36th expedition beyond the walls. I will now give a brief rundown of the operation." Concise and to the point as always, the steel in his voice had the soldiers listening intently.
"Today will mark the first operation since the breach, dedicated to setting up supply points in the lost territory of wall Maria. Our objective is the forest of giant trees located approximately 90 kilometres south from our starting point in Karanese district. The duration of this mission will be three-days. One day of riding towards the forest, one to set up the supply stations and let the horses rest, and one day to return."
Long term missions such as this were a rarity. In all his time as a scout, he'd only been on three of them. They were rarely organized because they came with too many risks. Much of the land outside the walls was uncharted, and very few "forests of giant trees" such as the ones inside the walls had been discovered. The ones found also located far in-between.
Nor did the survey corps have as many soldiers as they once used to. Too many expeditions came back with no real results and too high a casualty rate to inspire the people to join.
"You've all been informed as to your positions in the new long-range scouting formation as well as the workings of the new flare-signal system. It is vital that communication is upheld at all costs. Lapse in communication could result in the collapse of our formation. We will engage formation immediately upon exit and as we enclose on the forest, we will disengage the formation, at which point everyone will start moving inwards, towards the centre. If you have any questions, then you may address them to your squad leaders. We will depart in only a few minutes, so have everything in order… That will be all."
Giving the soldier ample time to digest the new influx of information, Levi watched as Erwin made his way towards him.
"Levi, is your squad ready?" He asked.
"Aa"
Unblinkingly Erwin continued. "Good, your squad will be spearheading this formation. Since those in the front are ahead of myself, they will most likely engage titans before being able to receive a response."
Meaning that his squad would be the one in the most danger. Encountering titans would be inevitable and survival would depend solely on their own skill. Still, he just nodded with his usual impassive look.
"Mike will be stationed with myself, as a contingency plan of sort. If titans manage to break our formation, he'll be able to relay it before they can get too far in."
"...and Hange?"
"She'll be riding in the rear-guard, guarding the supply carts and leading most of the recruits."
"I see." As expected of Erwin, everything had been planned meticulously. His piece said, Erwin turned and mounted his horse, riding his stallion to the gate.
Knowing Erwin was going to announce the start of the operation, he mounted his own horse, and rode it to where his own squad was waiting patiently.
"Thirty seconds until we open the gates!" One of the garrison gate guards announced, his words ceasing all chattering and making everyone snap to attention.
"With this, humanity will take its first step towards reclaiming wall Maria! Show me what you can do!" One of the veteran soldiers yelled and eliciting a collective cheer from the men.
"Opening the gate!"
The tell-tale sound of cogs turning, and chains being strained sounded throughout the streets. Slowly, the gate started rising, earth and grime peeling off the thick brick spikes that adorned the underside of the gate.
"ADVANCE!"
Erwin commanded.
"We will now begin the 36th expedition beyond the walls! Onward!"
[Hours later, closing in on the forest of giant trees]
It had been a gruelling day of hard riding. His legs and backside were sore, and his hands were chafed from gripping the reins. The flare signalling the disengagement of the formation had been spotted in the sky just a while ago, so his squad had slowed down to let the others catch up and regroup before entering the forest. At the moment, he rode in the front alongside Mike and Erwin.
He could see the faint outline of the forest in the distance, growing increasingly more visible as they trotted on.
*Sniff*
"Erwin, two titans, up ahead." Mike said, eyes narrowing.
Erwin nodded and after barely a second of thought, gave his response. "Levi, you and Mike dispatch of them." He drew one of his blades and in a shout, addressed the rest of the men. "We're soon to reach our destination! Upon entering the forest, start scouring for any titans that may linger nearby."
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers replied.
Levi nodded to Mike, increasing their pace to get ahead of the others. He could see the titans that Mike had mentioned at the foot of a big tree. Curiously enough, they were clawing at it as if trying to climb them and didn't seem to have noticed the survey corps yet.
Tch, those bastards better not be learning how to climb. They were difficult enough to deal as it was.
Finally taking notice of the incoming humans, the two titans turned around and promptly ran towards their targets, saliva dripping from gaping maws and limbs flailing in a mad dash to eat their prey.
"I'll take the big one." Mike intoned in his usual gruff voice and both hopped on top of their horses, balancing themselves with the practiced ease of veteran soldiers.
His cape fluttered in the wind and he unsheathed his blades. The metal was cool and when he pressed the handles of his 3D manoeuvre gear, he was met with the metallic whirring of his equipment. His hooks shot forwards, embedding themselves deeply into the shoulder of what looked to be a seven-meter titan.
The titan lifted its arm, ready to strike down on his form before he shot past its face and around the neck. With a grunt, he sunk his blades into the titans' flesh, cutting out its nape in what even Shadis would deem a prefect slash, and the titan collapsed to the ground steaming and throwing up a cloud of dust.
Another loud impact was heard, and he knew Mike was done with his as well.
He looked around to make sure there were no other dangers in the vicinity. One could never be too careful in this kind of environment.
Scanning his surroundings, his eyes landed on the forest. It's enormous trees seemingly piercing the sky.
Suddenly, he noticed something strange. On the branch of the tree where the titans had previously stood, he could see a- a figure. He squinted his eyes in concentration. It couldn't be a titan, it was too small for that. Nor would it be able to get that high up in the first place. When the dust cloud cleared a bit, the outline of the figure became more defined.
No, that was definitely no titan. It… it looked vaguely human, no scratch that, it was definitely a someone.
He froze when the implications of that statement hit and realization struck him like a bolt of lightning.
That was a human... outside the walls. In territory that humans had not inhabited for over three years.
A flicker of hope lit in the pit of his stomach.
What if that was someone not from within the walls? He knew the chances of such a thing being true was incredibly slim, yet he wished for it to be true. For that to be another survivor of humanity, for it to be proof that there existed humans outside the walls. That they were not the last of the human race.
It would mean that the Survey Corps had managed to fulfil one of its founding goals and the prospect seemed actually within their grasp for once.
But a more cynical part of his mind provided him with the more plausible options.
Could it be a survivor from the breach? No, that just wasn't possible. No civilian would be able to survive in a titan infested area without 3DMG. A soldier then? Maybe someone left behind on one of our previous missions? It was unlikely, but if they used their gas sparingly, then perhaps...
"Hm, oi, Levi, what are you doing? You can't freeze out here, its dang- "
*Sniff*
In the periphery of his vision he could see Mike adopt a confused expression, seemingly having smelled something odd and turning towards where Levi himself was looking.
He could hear the march of hoofbeats approach them and a voice speak- Erwin's voice.
"Levi, Mike, get on your horses! Now!"
He snapped awake from his frozen state and swivelled around to meet the commanders focused and slightly confused eyes.
"Erwin, look." He pointed ahead and Erwin's eyes followed to where he was pointing, and his eyes narrowed in concentration, trying to make out something, before widening in astonishment.
The figure crouched down. Maybe he was going to climb down? Yet not a second later, the person jumped down from his perch. He startled and his eyes widened. Was he fucking suicidal?! That's a fucking 30 metre drop!
He grit his teeth and his body twitched with the urge to make a attempt to help, but he knew there was nothing he could do, the distance between them was far too great.
No screams of agony or yells of anguish and suffering came, and he felt as if the world had truly turned on its head when the impossible happened and the person landed on the ground completely uninjured, and went on to make his way towards them.
They exchanged another set of shocked looks.
Just then, a titan appeared out of the woodwork, towering at a height of fourteen metres.
*Gasp*
"Holy shit, there's a person there!" one of the soldiers took notice of the anomaly ahead of them, which promptly made the others erupt into pandemonium.
"By the walls!"
"I-impossible…"
"O-oi, there's a titan chasing him. We need to help him!"
Before anyone could even move, the figure took a quick peek behind him, before crouching down and to everyone's bewilderment, leaping up to inhuman heights, and somehow sticking to the side of a fucking tree.
"what the fuck…" Levi muttered, eyes wide and jaw unhinged. The others no doubt mirroring his surprise.
Quick as a flash the person pushed off the tree, splintering the wood, and flew at the titan at speeds surpassing even the 3DMG.
Not a second later, the titan's nape exploded in a shower of blood and gore and it crashed to the ground, upturning the earth in its wake. It was brief, but he could've sworn he saw something blue, seeming almost ethereal, in the persons hand right before the titan fell…
The soldiers wore stunned looks, and at this point Levi couldn't fault them. He was pretty sure even his own face was the picture of bewilderment. He glanced at Erwin, only to see a disturbing grin on his face. He appeared to be lost in some kind of memory. [1]
The person, his visage identifiable as that of a male, was coming in close. "Oi, Erwin, what are your orders."
Erwin blinked and his demeanour was yet again that of the infallible survey corps commander. "Mike, get Hange and lead the soldiers into the forest, we've been standing around in the open for too long. Establish a perimeter afterwards. Levi, with me."
Mike took off hurriedly alongside the baffled soldiers and Levi rode with Erwin to meet the newcomer.
The first thing he took notice of was the fact that it wasn't a soldier, not even an adult. In front of him stood what he presumed to be a fifteen-year-old.
His clothes consisted of a dirtied black and orange jumpsuit. It was torn in multiple places, and from the gaps he could see that he had some kind of see-through chain vest underneath. His features were certainly memorable. The kid had hair a shade of blond he'd never witnessed before, looking almost golden when hit by rays of sunlight. His eyes were blue like the sky and reflected unbridled happiness, matched by an equally ecstatic grin.
Erwin was the first to speak.
"I am commander Erwin Smith of the scouting legion and this is corporal Levi Ackermann."
The youth blinked and his smile melted off.
"Are you by yourself? How did you come to be outside the walls?" Erwins' tone was demanding and serious, laced with a healthy amount of suspicion and apprehension.
The boy startled at the sudden questions. He opened his mouth to speak but hesitated before the words could leave his mouth.
"Oi, brat. He asked you a question. We don't have the time to be standing around in the open." Levi barked, a bit more harshly than was strictly necessary.
The kid tensed then and suddenly the image of a harmless teenage boy dissipated, something entirely different taking its place. Levi could see things that he'd overlooked in his first impression. Though he didn't look like much at first glance, the kid filled out his clothes surprisingly well for someone his age, evident by the fabric straining taut against his arms or legs whenever the kid moved ever so slightly.
The boy shifted slightly, almost imperceptible, but Levi noticed nonetheless. Although minor, his stance was now more guarded and poised to move at a moment's notice but disguised so the average person would mistake it for laxness. No- this wasn't some ordinary kid, his actions just moments ago made that abundantly clear. This even if not a soldier, was someone dangerous. Also, there were no signs of machinery or otherwise gear that could help him in his fights against titans. Meaning that all his earlier feats were purely natural ability. Just the thought of such raw power made him unnerved beyond measure.
Levi tensed and he knew Erwin must've observed the same as himself. He could feel his fingers twitch, ready to reach for a blade if necessary. The kid was awfully observant as well, judging by the way his eyes shifted to their manoeuvre gear every so often.
"…W-Wakarimasen"
.
.
.
"… Huh?" Levi stared at the boy, unable to believe the words that had come out of his mouth seconds earlier.
"Nani-o Itteru no ka wakaranai."
Levi's eyes widened and Erwin's eyebrows rose into his hairline. He couldn't understand a word of what the kid was saying. It just sounded like unintelligible gibberish.
That same fire from earlier re-lit inside him, now stronger than ever. That cemented the fact that this kid had to be from outside the walls. No such language or dialect existed within the walls. And abilities such as the kid had displayed in his earlier stunt with the titan had never been seen inside the walls either.
"Erwin." He spoke. "Do you understand what he's saying?"
"No, I've never heard anything even remotely close to it." The commander replied.
"What should we do?"
Erwin gaze bore into the teenager facing them. "We can discuss that in the safety of the forest."
He addressed the teen. "My name is Erwin." He said gesturing to himself and then pointed to the steaming titan and the forest. "Go to forest. It is safer."
The brat seemed to get the gist of it and his countenance regressed to a more laid-back state.
"Ā, wakarimashita, mori ni tsureteitte hoshīdesu yo ne?" The kid said bringing his fist down on his palm, face lighting up in what he assumed to be understanding.
"Do you think he understood that Erwin?"
"Let's hope." Erwin replied and motioned for the kid to follow.
The brat seemed to think on it for a second "Sokode aimashou, ne?" He then gestured to himself and them, before pointing to the forest and finally bringing his hands together in some weird gesture.
Thinking he was wording his doubts about understanding correctly, Levi sought to assure the kid. "Yes, brat, we're going to the forest. Now hurry, we haven't got all d-"
*POOF*
.
.
The place where the kid had previously stood exploded into a cloud of smoke, stunning both of them momentarily.
The sudden burst of smoke sending a shock of panic through their veins. They unsheathed their blades before anyone could as much as blink, awaiting whatever dangers might befall them.
"You little shit, what do you think you're doing?!" Levi exclaimed, blood roaring in his veins and heart beating a mile a minute. However, no reply came and slowly the smoke dissipated, leaving only two extremely rattled and on-edge soldiers.
They looked around in equal parts puzzlement and incredulity. "The fuck? Where'd he go?!"
[1]: Erwin being seemingly lost in a memory is referring to his and his fathers theory of there being people outside the walls. Its basically the same reaction he had when Hange and Connie told him about the possibility of titans having been human at some point.
AN:
Finally, after all this time, I have returned with a new chapter. Apologies for the long wait, but university just takes too much time out of the day for me to be able to write anything. However, now that summer break has come around, I'll do my best to upload as much as possible.
This story has reached over a 100 follows and favourites, and over 5000 views. Thank you to everyone for your support. To all the reviewers, thank you so much for your comments, reading the positive feedback makes writing this that much more worthwhile.
Again, thank you all and please favourite, follow, and leave a review.
~Zenix_404~