Kabe no Shinobi
Chapter 4: The Special Operations Squad
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto, Attack on Titan, or any of their characters.
[14.09.2020 - Edit: Fixed some grammar mistakes."
[Naruto POV]
He was standing atop the roof of a small house, gazing out at the vast plains of this unknown place. It was an amazing sight to behold. Lush grass as far as the eye could see dominated the field, illuminated in red fire by the waning light of the sun as it dipped towards the western horizon.
The light warmth of the setting sun enveloped him, a gentle breeze ruffled his hair and he closed his eyes briefly, breathing in a lungful of fresh air.
Suddenly a wave of memories washed over him, disturbing his moment peace.
A legion of mounted soldiers. Titan bodies hitting the ground. A tall blond man, most likely the leader, and a short raven-haired man. An agreement to meet in the forest of massive trees.
Feeling conflicted, he ticked off what he knew. On the one hand, he'd finally found the people that he'd been looking for these past days and it had filled him with relief. However, that fleeting sense of relief had been washed away like a leaf in the wind the moment they'd opened their mouths.
What was that aggressive sounding language that they had spoken? With all those 'sch' sounds, it had kind of sounded like the static noise you'd get from faulty communication devices. He hadn't been able to gleam a single word from his brief conversation with the two, except that the blond, tall one was named 'Eruwin', while the short, grumpy looking one was 'Revi'.
In all his time traveling with Jiraya, he'd never heard any language remotely like it. Actually, now that he thought about it, he'd never even heard of anyone speaking any other language besides the common tongue.
He felt his heart steadily sinking into his stomach as a worrying thought struck him. What if I'm not IN the elemental nations?
The world outside of the elemental nations remained a mystery. No one had ever found anything besides endless ocean. If there were other continents besides the elemental nations, then it wasn't too farfetched to assume that they'd speak a different language.
But that didn't explain the absence of chakra. He hadn't detected any chakra from those people, not even the most miniscule amount- how could that be?! It made no sense. It was a fundamental fact of the world that all living, breathing, creatures had both spiritual and physical energy that together made chakra, though only individuals trained in the arts could harvest it.
And secondly, how did one end up on the other side of the world without even realizing?
Could this be the work of some space-time ninjutsu?
He knew that Kakashi had a space-time jutsu related to his Mangekyo Sharingan that allowed him to transport things to another dimens-
He's thought process came to an abrupt halt.
No.
A pit formed in his stomach.
No, no, no. It couldn't be, could it?
.
.
Could this be some alternate dimension? Another world entirely?
Those odd giants and the people without chakra, and the sudden decrease of nature energy. Much of what he'd seen would make sense if it were so.
He shook his head vehemently. He needed to focus on what was right ahead of him.
He'd already found people and they would be waiting for him in the forest. He'd meet up with them and find a way home. Who knows, perhaps they had someone who spoke his tongue?
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he let his mind drift to other matters. Such as the soldiers themselves.
He'd studied them intently during their short interaction. Their uniforms consisted of white pants and shirts, with brown leather boots and a jacket worn underneath a green-hooded cloak. They had no visible armour to protect against blades or projectiles. Not that it would help them against titans of course, seeing as they could make you a human sized bloody smear on the ground with their bare hands. No, they valued mobility over anything else, which is why their clothes were light and didn't restrict any movement, and those leather belt straps bound to their bodies were probably meant to make their clothes catch as little of the wind as possible during flight.
Considering the thin layer of dust and grime covering their uniforms, they must've riding for a while. Perhaps a day? Maybe two? More if they were able to find places to rest the horses without endangering themselves.
Then there was their strange equipment to consider. Two metal containers fastened to each hip that allowed them to shoot grapple hooks into surfaces, then reel them in somehow. All controlled by peculiar detachable sword hilts.
The most curious thing by far though, had been their reactions when seeing him.
By the looks of astonishment and disbelieving murmuring, he'd assume they hadn't expected to find him, or anyone for that matter. Probably since the area was teeming with titans. He didn't think it warranted such looks of gobsmacked bafflement though, one would've thought they'd never seen a human in their life before.
Popping his neck, he turned to look back towards the forest peeking just over the horizon. It was frustrating, he'd run all the way out here, just to turn and head straight back.
What a drag.
Leaping off the rooftop, he landed on the wood and rock littered ground just off the house. There were other houses too, all wrecked to some degree. It was a mess, to put it lightly. From the outside it didn't look like much more than a shed, perhaps it had once been enough to shelter a man and his small family, but now it laid in ruin. A portion of the front wall collapsed inwards, likely caused by a titan.
Careful not to tread on any wayward shards of glass sticking up from the ground, he set out in a chakra enhanced sprint through the grassy plains and towards the forest.
The grass rose to his shins and flattened in waves with each gust of wind, only to spring up again as fresh as a bunch of flowers right after. It reminded him of the uniform green of the meadows back home that almost looked combed.
Overhead, a congregation of clouds lit up the blue, each of them sensing the presence of the sun, filtering through brilliant sunshine that caressed him in its warm embrace.
He ran with the wind, feet light and silent except for the light crunching of grass underfoot, until at last, he reached the forest.
There it stood proudly, in all its primitive, oak-brown grandeur. Knotted arms rising ever upwards trying to touch the clouds, almost as thick as a man is tall.
At first it had reminded him of the forest of death in Konoha, but with each passing second, he came to see how little they resembled each other. Yes, the trees were enormous, but that was about where the resemblance ended.
Where the forest of death was a haunting sight that could instil fear in the hearts of anyone who ventured into it, this one was a haven of life and serenity. The forest of death was a macabre place, drab and grey, while this one bloomed with colours. Wild basil grew freely on the clumpy, mossy mattress of the floor. The simpering wind carrying its fragrance. It was spirit refreshing to smell the mulchy mix of the forest's perfume, the scent fresh and organic.
He spotted a turquoise-blue stream that wound its way merrily through the forest, splashing and burbling as it swerved. It jumped for joy over time worn rocks, sparkling like diamonds blessed with inner fire when the sun hit it just right. He'd heard it said once that the streams and rivers were the arteries of the forest, but this stream seemed to have a liquid soul of its own.
He leaped up to one of the branches, landing softly as to not disturb the peaceful silence and looked for any signs of soldiers nearby. He saw none, but that wasn't strange considering the sheer size of the forest, it would take a considerable number of soldiers to cover this entire area.
And was it even wise to approach them so casually?
Perhaps a more subtle approach would be wiser. Gather some information before he revealed himself. They could be hostiles for all he knew, they were soldiers after all.
Silently he leapt upwards from branch to branch until he reached the canopy, and blending with the shadows, started looking for soldiers.
[POV SWAP]
Eld sighed exasperatedly. "Give it a rest, Oluo."
"What? It's true, isn't it? They expect us to find a single person in this huge ass forest. You could hide a titan here and no one would be the wiser!"
"Oh, hush you. Stop whining like a baby and get back to searching." Petra scolded. "-And stop being so noisy, we don't want to alert any titans that might be nearby."
"Besides," Gunther added. "- it's not just some random farmer or civilian we're searching for. The commander said that this might be someone from outside the walls. Someone who can shed light on whether or not there are any other civilizations out there."
"… I still don't believe what they say about him. Jumping from 40 meters high and sustaining no injury? Taking down titans with his bare hands? Yeah right, I'll believe that when pigs start to fly."
"So, you're calling Commander Erwin and Corporal Levi liars then, hm?" Eld said with a smirk.
Instead of replying, Oluo looked up through the uniformly green canopy and into the endlessly blue sky. "Also, if the guy spoke a foreign language, how do we even know he understood to come back here."
Suddenly something darted overhead, disappearing so quickly it made him wonder if he was imagining things.
"Hey, did you guys see that too?" He asked the others, pointing upwards.
"Huh? See what? Did you see something?"
"I didn't see anything."
"Something just flew by overhead, like a shadow, I swear."
Petra mounted her horse, moving ahead of the others. "It was probably just some bird or a squirrel."
"No, it wasn't that, I- Argh! "He jostled his horse to follow, but the horse buckled, making him bite his tongue and cutting him off mid-sentence.
Sighing at his antics, the others followed after Petra.
[Naruto POV]
He released the breath he'd been holding in. That had been a close one. That constipated looking guy had almost found him out. To be honest, he'd never been too skilled at infiltration and information gathering. He was loud and obnoxious, and clumsy at times, according to his friends at least. But being disciple to an expert at the stuff had helped him a lot.
He winced when 'Oruo', let out a strangled scream of pain.
Only a few minutes into searching and he'd stumbled across the four of them riding some distance away. They were searching for something, most likely him, and it had occurred to him to just go up and say hi, but where was the fun in that?
Besides, Kakashi had always told him to think before acting and it didn't take a genius to know that waltzing into a foreign military encampment wasn't a bright idea. So, he'd decided to spy on them, gather some intel and evaluate his next course of action afterwards.
His investigation until now hadn't yielded any vital information, the language barrier making it difficult to learn anything of significance.
Firstly, they were a tight bunch, the atmosphere between them was relaxed and they seemed to be chatting pretty amicably.
'Gunta' was the quiet one, he rarely spoke unless someone asked for his input, and seemed to be a pretty chill person all around. He was of average height with slicked back black hair and a bulbous nose.
The tall and blond one, named 'Eldo', was the appointed leader of their group. He rode ahead, directing the group to their next location, and the others appeared to look to him for orders.
'Oruo' was the complainer. With a permanent frown marring his face that made him look like an old man and hair like a dying plant.
The last one was a petite girl by the name of 'Petora'. Pretty, short, kind-looking, and with auburn hair.
That about summed up what he'd been able to gather so far.
He scowled. Stupid language-barrier.
No, this wouldn't do. Coming to a quick decision, he smirked mischievously.
[POV SWAP]
*snap*
There it was again! Oluo checked his surroundings for the hundredth time.
"Oluo, listen man, there's no one behind us, there's no one following us. Stop being so paranoid man, it's putting the rest of us on edge." Eld said.
"Tch, whatever." Oluo retorted. He couldn't help it. Every once in a while, he'd hear a twig snap or a bush rustle. Sometimes he even thought he heard footsteps, only to whip his head around and find absolutely nothing there. It was driving him fucking nuts!
The others thought he was being paranoid of course, but it didn't matter, he would show them soon enough. If this was that four-eyed freak Hange's idea of a prank, she had another thing coming.
Subtly gripping his 3DMG handles, he readied himself.
Any moment now…
.
.
*Rustle*
He sprang into action. Leaping off his horse and shooting his cables into the closest tree to the bush where the sound had emanated from, he propelled himself forward in the blink of an eye.
"AHA!" He yelled triumphantly jumping around the bush to find… a squirrel.
His grin fell.
"Oluo! What happened?!"
"You alright?! did you spot a titan?!"
The others were at his side in a flash. Their faces steeled with grim determination, they eyed their surroundings warily, expecting to have to fight for their lives at any moment.
"Oluo! What in the name of Wall Maria-!" Petra poked her head over his shoulder to see what he was glaring at.
An icy chill racked his spine, something hit him over the head, and suddenly his face was getting acquainted with the mud.
Petra glared down at him; fists firmly planted on her hips. "Are you crazy?! We thought a titan was coming to attack us, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"
His mud smeared face rose from the ground to peer up at her. "Petra, listen-"
"No, I don't wanna hear it, Oluo."
Eld sheathed his blades with a frustrated sigh and Gunther stared at him thoroughly unimpressed.
"Come on guys, let's get back to looking." Eld said and they stalked off.
Gritting his teeth, he glared at the squirrel. "You little bastard, if you don't stop following me I'll choke the life out of you, you hear me?" He hissed in a whisper, making sure the others couldn't hear him.
Hands steady, he rose from the mud wiping away all the dirt from his clothes. But just as he turned around to go after the others, he was met by- by blue eyes and blond hair, upside down.
.
.
"Bo!"
"HAAAAAAA!"
The sudden hysterical scream had made a bolt of dread and fear shoot down their guts. That had definitely been Oluo, no doubt about it. So, they'd rushed back in breakneck speeds, abandoning their horses and no thought spared for excessive gas usage.
The sight that'd greeted them upon arriving had not been what they'd expected, at all.
Instead of finding Oluo fighting for his life against a titan, or even worse, already dead. What had welcomed them was Oluo, still covered in mud, face furiously red as he shook their apparent target by the collar while the blond was laughing his ass off.
"Oluo, what happened! Wait… Is that our target?"
His words were drowned by Oluo's own enraged yells. "YOU LITTLE SHIT, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, HUH?!"
For a second they just watched, then looked to each other equal parts confused and relieved, and unhorsed to approach the two.
"Hey, calm down Oluo, calm down. We need the guy whole man."
With some difficulty Eld and Gunther were able to separate the two before Oluo could cause any harm.
"What happened Oluo, why did you scream, and how come he's here all of a sudden?" Petra asked.
"I- I got up to follow you guys, and when I turn around, this guy's suddenly right in my face! Upside down!"
Eld raised an eyebrow, eyeing the newcomer apprehensively. "So, he scared you?"
"No! He- he just caught me by surprise, that's all!" Oluo defended, slightly red-faced.
The blond guy made an impersonation of Oluo's girlish scream, then went on chuckling while wiping away a mirthful tear from the corner of his eye.
Oluo went stiff as a board, tick mark on his forehead and veins throbbing. His fingers were twitching madly, and his teeth ground so hard Eld was afraid he'd shatter them with pure pressure.
Petra eyed the blond curiously. He didn't look any older than she was, perhaps even a year or two younger, but no more than that surely. His orange and black outfit was a sore sight for eyes, discoloured by dried mud and grime. His eyes were as blue as the sky and hair a mess of golden spikes held up by a headband with a metal piece engraved with a strange symbol… and were those whiskers on his cheeks?
Gunther glanced at Eld. "This is mission accomplished, then?"
"Yeah, I'll fire off the acoustic round."
The shot was fired into the air, a sound almost loud enough to rival cannon fire echoing throughout the forest. All wildlife that may have remained close by fled at that point and the birds flew away in frantic droves.
Naruto's chuckle cut off abruptly and his eyes whipped to the gun held in Eld's hand. His entire demeanour changed in the blink of an eye and his poise went from relaxed and cheerful to guarded and careful, almost making her question if his earlier display of good humour had been real at all. His eyes darted from Eld to Gunther, to Oluo and to herself, and with a start she realized they were all still holding their blades, probably making him anxious.
She sheathed her blades hurriedly and gestured at him placatingly. "It's alright, we don't mean you any harm. See? There's no need to be afraid."
The others also seemed to notice their own weapons and followed her lead, sheathing theirs as well.
"Uhm, I'm guessing you're this 'Naruto' that Erwin told us about. He said to bring you to him if we found you. Please, follow us." Eld said, beckoning for Naruto to follow.
The stranger eyed them all for a second before bobbing his head.
"Hai, ore no namae-wa Naruto desu. Erwin ni au koto ni natte imasu."
[POV SWAP]
*BANG*
"Erwin."
"- I know… It seems like we'll be meeting our guest soon."
AN:
So, I'm back with another chapter. It's slightly longer than the previous ones and I enjoyed writing it a great deal.
At the time of this update, Kabe no Shinobi has reached over 200 followers and 260 favorites, which is amazing. Thank you all for the support and the positive feedback. It's always fun to read what others think of my work and I appreciate it a lot.
Some of you guys requested a translation for the Japanese dialogues, so I'll be adding those from now on.
~Zenix404~
Translation:
Hai, ore no namae-wa Naruto desu. Yeah, my name's Naruto.
Erwin ni au koto natte imasu. I'm supposed to meet Erwin.