Kabe no Shinobi
Chapter 12: Life in the Survey Corps, Part 2
[Dislaimer: I do not own Naruto, AoT, or any of the characters.]
[Funeral for fallen soldiers, Marco POV.]
Death itself was not difficult to comprehend; the sight before him was.
The funeral pyre crackled, burning slowly away at the wood, paper, and bodies of the fallen. The red and orange flames climbed higher and higher, reaching towards the sky, and lighting up the dark of night. He listened to the sizzling and the occasional splintering of bone, watching as embers popped from time to time.
They stood silent; heads bowed in respect for their deceased comrades. Some weeping for lost friends.
Thomas, Mina, Franz, Mileus, Hanna.
He couldn't even make out which were their bones anymore. They were charred and blackened, mixed with ash and soot.
Beside him, Jean clenched his fists, face pinched with conflicting emotions. He'd been that way ever since the breach.
Connie sat not far away, hands on his head and tears streaming down his face. Bertolt knelt beside him placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
He turned his head to see Ymir, Daz, Samuel, Christa, Armin, Mikasa, Sasha, Reiner, and Annie. All solemn, and quiet, but alive and breathing. He felt a selfish sort of relief and thanked whatever gods above that his friends lived to see another day.
[Next day, choosing ceremony]
The cadets from the southern 104th cadet corps stood congregated in the courtyard where the choosing ceremony would take place. Murmurs filled the tense air; each seeking to soothe their nerves and distract their minds.
Marco stood with his friends, all except for Eren, leaning on the clean brick wall in silence, everyone lost in their thoughts. In just a moment they'd be choosing which branch of the military to join.
Having ranked amongst the top ten of his class, he had the privilege of being able to join the Military Police and serving directly under the King inside wall Sina. Same went for most of his friends.
"Hey, Marco…"
He snapped out of his thoughts, turning to see Jean facing him. For the first time since the breach, Jean seemed relaxed. As if some great burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
"Have you decided what branch to join?" Jean asked.
Marco looked down, eyes fixed on the cobble pavement, "I…" He hesitated. Why though? Hadn't he left his home, his family, joined the military, and endured all these hardships, all for the sake of joining the Military Police? Why now, only a single step away from the goal he'd strived for the past three years, did the thought suddenly make him uneasy. He felt his stomach churn, a feeling of dread and guilt twisting his gut into knots. "I'm not sure."
From the corner of his eyes, he saw Jean's fists clench. But then he exhaled, and the tension left. He looked up to meet his friends' eyes.
"I'm joining the Survey corps."
Before them stood Erwin Smith. A tall and imposing figure, illuminated by the light of the flickering torches.
"I am Erwin Smith, Commander of the Survey Corps." He began, voice loud and clear. "Today, you will be choosing which of the military branches to join. I'm here now to persuade you to join our ranks. During the battle for Trost, you experienced what the average excursion beyond the walls is like.|"
Memories of the battle floated to the top of Marco's mind.
Brave men and women, some of which had been his friends, crushed by the hands of the titans, like nothing more than insignificant insects. The feeling of being utterly useless as he watched his comrades get slain one after the other. And the that gaping pit of hopelessness that had nearly devoured them all back on those rooftops before that stranger, Naruto, had appeared.
The hundreds of corpses that had littered the streets in the aftermath, the overwhelming stench of rotting flesh and dried blood.
"You know now how terrifying the titans can be, and how limited your own power is. We lost many during the breach and suffered a heavy blow. However, this battle has brought humanity a newfound hope in the form of Eren Yeager and Naruto Uzumaki. Utilizing their abilities, not only did we stop the titan's advance, but we have also discovered a way to discern their true nature."
The trainees gasped.
"C-could it really be true?"
"Are we that close already…"
The cadets murmured between themselves, some with hope in their eyes. Marco could hear the desperation in their whispers. They yearned for good news after the crushing defeat they'd suffered.
It sounds too good to be true. Marco thought numbly, mind still awhirl with images of the breach. He searched out his friends. Reiner was listening raptly, gaze serious. Bertholdt next to him seemed stunned by the commander's proclamation.
Jean appeared similarly shocked, but there was also a hint of relief in his eyes. Perhaps his decision to join the survey corps no longer seemed like mere suicide.
Marco didn't share that feeling. Knowing the truth behind the titan's existence would certainly be a step in the right direction, but how would they go about sealing the holes in wall Maria and Shiganshina. Unless there were more enormous boulders lying conveniently close to the gates…
"Where do they come from? Why do they eat humans? We believe the answers to these questions lie Shiganshina. Answers that could help end this century of titan rule. Which means our goal remains unchanged; to retake the lands we lost. In due time, we will launch an operation to reclaim those lands."
Shiganshina? That's Eren's home… What could there be in Shiganshina that could reveal the origin of titans? No. Eren could turn into a titan. Even if Shiganshina didn't hold all the answers about titans, there could very well be something that could explain his strange ability at least. Even then, why reveal this information? Marco wondered watching as Erwin's gaze swept over the gathered crowd. Everyone knew the government guarded such knowledge closely as to avoid uproar amongst the populace. What did the commander stand to gain from making this public?
While Erwin talked, two of his soldiers held up a map of the known world. "These past four years our efforts went towards establishing a route to wall Maria by setting up supply points capable of sustaining a large army. That route is now lost to us due to the sealing of Trost." He said, pointing out a section of the map that had been highlighted in red. "In those four years, nearly seventy percent of the Survey Corps members lost their lives."
"Those of you who join us will participate in the excursion planned a month from now. I will not lie. The mortality rate for new recruits on their first expedition is roughly fifty percent. But those of you who survive, will go on to become superior soldiers with a high survival rate."
Marco gulped. Fifty percent. That all but guaranteed that they'd lose half their friends if they joined. And only a month from now. Only a month, and they'd have to face that carnage again. Worse even, since they would be in open terrain, far from the safety of the walls.
"Knowing this, ask yourselves, am I willing to sacrifice my heart for humanity?"
A pause.
"That is all. Those of you who wish to join another branch are dismissed."
Marco watched as backs were turned to the stage. In their faces Marco could see guilt and fear. Others glanced about frantically, searching out their friends, unsure of their own decisions. They left too.
But amidst the waves of fleeing trainees, Marco could see his friends. Standing their ground, like firm rocks parting a flowing stream.
At once, it was as if everyone and everything melted away. Leaving only his friends. He imagined they wore the green hooded cloaks of the Survey Corps, the white-and-blue wings of freedom emblazoned proudly on their backs as they were bathed in sunlight.
He made his decision.
[With Naruto and the special operations squad the next morning.]
The special operations squad sat gathered at one of the tables in the mess hall eating breakfast.
"Morning." Naruto greeted as he joined them with his own plate of food. Nothing special, just some beans and potatoes, along with a loaf of bread. A little less food than what he was used to back home, but he'd had worse. It was a certainly a step-up from those dry field-rations they ate on long-term missions. Besides, soldiers got three decent meals a day. The civilian population here had it much rougher.
Most of them returned the greeting, while Levi and Gunther acknowledged him with nods.
"So, you asked me to be up early." Naruto began, taking a bite out of his steamed potato. "What for?"
"You'll be joining our training sessions from time to time." Levi replied. "The expedition is in a month. We need to bring you and Eren up to speed on formations, tactics, protocols, and the like."
Naruto just nodded. Training sounded nice. His eyes flickered to Eren who seemed to be almost vibrating with excitement. Probably thrilled at the prospect of training with veteran scouts.
After the meal, they headed straight for the nearby forest. Though nowhere near as big as the ones in forest of giant trees, these were still large enough to train using 3D manoeuvre gear.
Apparently, Levi woke up way earlier than most to train, which meant Eld usually lead their team training sessions. The captain had mostly just come along to observe and take stock of the two new additions to their squad.
"Alright, we'll begin warming up with some stretching and jogging." Eld addressed them, though it seemed mostly aimed at Naruto and Eren. They stood gathered in a half circle before him. "Just do what I'm doing."
Eren nodded seriously. Back straight and posture a little tense. A little nervous maybe. This is it. I'm training with the best of the best. Masters at killing titans. He resolved himself to follow their every instruction without complain. If this training would make him even the slightest bit better at killing titans, he'd do it no matter how difficult it got. And be grateful for it, too.
Naruto took the canteen from Gunther thankfully and gulped down some fresh water. The sun shone bright overhead, and the fresh, cool water was a nice respite from the summer heat.
"Next up is sparring. Nothing too serious. We don't want any injuries." Eld said. "Naruto, Eren, you two pair up."
The rest of the squad didn't seem to need to be told anything. They paired up and moved over a bit for proper space, and promptly went at it.
"Are there any rules or anything?" Eren asked Eld. In the cadet core, their sparring was usually set up so that it would mimic some kind of realistic scenario. Like fighting an armed civilian, where the soldier had to disarm and detain them.
Eld shook his head. "No rules. But nothing too serious either. Like I said, we don't want any injuries. Goal is to make your partner tap out." He pointed over at Petra and Gunther. "Just watch them 'till their done with their bout."
Gunther had the upper hand in their spar, capitalizing on his height, weight, and reach advantage. Trying to grab hold of a leg here or an arm there so as to make it a wrestling contest where he could quickly subdue her.
Petra was obviously the quicker one. She used her smaller frame and height to dance out of reach. Whenever he would move in for a tackle, she would lash out with a kick. A good idea. She wouldn't be able to trade with Gunther blow-for-blow, but she could definitely close the gap in physical strength with well-placed kicks.
Eren winced when Petra caught Gunther with a particularly nasty kick to the ribs and was reminded of those few times he'd sparred with Annie. A proper kick hurt like hell no matter how much bigger you were than your opponent. He and Reiner could attest to that.
In the end, Gunther caught her by the wrist and was able to yank her down to the ground, where he caught her in an arm-lock and ended the fight.
"There you have it." Eld said. "Now you two."
Naruto and Eren faced each other. Eren took his stance, eyeing Naruto warily. He knew Naruto was stronger. Faster. But Eren had no intention of giving up without a fight. He would fight to win. Like he always had.
"Whenever you're ready." Eld added.
Seeing as Naruto was just standing there with his arms down, Eren decided to take advantage and made the first move. He closed the gap quickly, reaching out an arm to grab onto Naruto's shirt, but caught thin air as his opponent leaned back casually.
Grass crunched beneath his boots as he burst into motion. He made another grab for his clothes, and when that failed, aimed a quick jab at the face. His arm extended like a whip, loose fingers snapping taut right before impact.
Naruto jerked out of the way with practiced ease.
From the corner of his eyes he could see Eld and Oluo were going at it, while Petra and Gunther watched silently from the side. Levi too, was observing their bout with interest.
Eren followed up with a right hook, and right before it hit Naruto's face, it was deflected. Shoved out of the way by a lightning quick back hand to Eren's forearm.
Shocked but undeterred he threw out his left, but it too was deflected easily enough when Naruto moved outside his punch and pushed Eren forward by his elbow, making him stumble clumsily.
He turned around quickly, eyeing Naruto with some disbelief. What the hell… He wasn't the best fighter, sure. But he was no slouch either. He'd been ranked 5th among the cadets in hand-to-hand. Only beaten by Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, and Mikasa. And even they had had to try to put him down. This guy… he was just playing with him.
Eren took a deep breath and charged yet again. As he neared, his arms came up to guard from any counter blows. Naruto leapt back from his first swipe, batted aside the second, and slid under a hook.
Eren's eyebrows furrowed deeper with every dodged punch. His jaw clenching a little tighter with every redirected blow. Growing frustrated with his lack of success, he let his agitation get the better of him and, almost desperately, bull-rushed Naruto.
He realized his mistake too late. It was as if time had slowed down, for in the split second in which his back foot came off the ground, Naruto was moving. Those golden spikes of hair were nothing more than a blur in the corner of his eye, disappearing so rapidly he had to wonder if Naruto had been there at all.
His arm was twisted painfully behind his back, Naruto's grip like an iron vice. And a swift kick to the back of his knee made him buckle and fall to the ground.
A brief struggle ensued, where Eren tried to wriggle free of Naruto's hold, but to no avail. "Shit, yield." Eren grunted and his arm was released.
"You alright?" Naruto asked, extending a hand.
Eren eyed him for a moment. He didn't have that pitying look on his face, like Reiner sometimes did after beating him. Nor did his voice sound mocking, like Jean's always did.
He took the hand and stood, rubbing his wrist where Naruto had held him with his iron like grip. "Damn, you kicked my ass. You're crazy fast Naruto."
Gunther and Petra approached them. "That was impressive." Petra complimented.
Gunther nodded. "You've clearly had training in hand-to-hand."
"Thanks. And yeah, they teach it in the Academy back home."
Eren raised an eyebrow. "Academy? That like a school or something?"
"Yeah, it's where they teach kids how to be shinobi. Fighting, how to use weapons, rules and protocols." Thinking for a moment Naruto added, "Boring stuff like math and history too."
"So it's your home's version of the cadet corps?"
"Pretty much."
Once Eld reappeared with his manoeuvre gear in tow, he got to explaining how it worked. "You've never used one of these, right Naruto?"
"Nope."
"It's called the 'Three-Dimensional Manoeuvre Gear', or 3DMG for short. There are a couple of parts you need to be aware of. The major components of this device are the handgrips, grapple-hooks, the iron wire propeller box that can hold plug-in blades, and the gas canisters." He said, pointing to each of the parts as he talked.
"The gas canisters feed gas into this box and using the handgrips you can release the gas to both shoot out cables and reel them in again. The grapple-hooks on the end of the cable can expand and withdraw using a piston mechanism that's controlled with the handgrips. The handgrips also double as blade handles." He clicked in one of the blades just for show. "Got all of that?"
"…"
Eld sweat-dropped. "Well. I guess you don't really need to know how it works in detail. Seeing as you can jump up trees and run really fast. Actually, I think the gear would be more of a hindrance to you…" Eld trailed off, realizing he who he was talking to.
Naruto bobbed his head in agreement. "It'll just weigh me down."
Eld nodded. "Well, the important thing is that you know the weaknesses of the 3DMG. So you know how to look out for our comrades when we're out in the field."
"Running out of gas is the obvious one. There aren't many accessible resupply points outside wall Rose. Most of our expeditions since wall Maria was lost were spent setting up a supply chain down towards the first breach. Clearing a route so that we could one day mount a mission to seal the breach and reclaim lost territory. But Trost is sealed for good now. And getting approval for building lifts is gonna take a long time."
"Approval?" Naruto questioned.
Gunther was the first to answer. "All decisions regarding the walls have to go through court. Since they're the only real defence humanity has against the titans."
"How would building lifts on top of the wall endanger humanity?"
"It's just how the laws are. But it isn't the military that's the problem. The military branches wouldn't see much of a problem with it –"
"It's those damn wall cultists who're the problem." Oluo growled. "They go nuts frothing at the mouth if you so much as think about somehow 'desecrating' the walls."
Naruto had seen a few of them around. Mostly preaching out in the streets. But he'd ignored them for the most part. "Does the church of the walls really have that much influence that it can oppose the military?" Actually, he did remember one being at his and Eren's trial. And Oluo's description wasn't too far off based on what he'd seen that day.
"They have the king's ear. And the church of the walls is wealthy too. They have hands in a lot of pockets. Even if they can't stop it outright, they'll make sure to delay the construction for as long as possible." Petra explained.
"Back to the matter at hand." Eld continued pointedly. "Like I said there aren't any resupply points on the route were taking this expedition. And the area between wall Maria and Rose are mostly open fields. So soldiers have to be really careful with their gas out there."
"How long does it usually last? The gas, I mean."
"Hard to say. A couple of minutes at least if you pumped it full force non-stop. The trick is to use it sparingly. Usually the tiniest bit of gas each time you swing from one place to the next. You just have to let inertia do most of the work. That said, it all depends on the situations you find yourself in. A fight with a titan can vary a lot. And abnormal ones are entirely unpredictable. But if you look here," He pointed at the small pressure gauge at the top of the gas cylinder. "-you can see how much you have left. If it goes down to zero, that means it's empty."
"The other major weakness are the cables. If a titan grabs hold of them, it's pretty much over for you. A single yank by a titan would probably send a soldier crashing into a wall or the ground and leave them injured. At that point they're easy pickings. It happens a lot when fighting titans in the open. Since there's nothing but the titan itself to use your gear on. Soldiers who find themselves in that kind of scenario are advised to stay on horseback until they reach more favourable terrain, if at all possible."
"Other than that, there's the chance that the 3DMG malfunctions. We do carry some extra gear and gas with us in wagons, but you'd have to cross the entire formation to reach 'em."
"Now that you know the basics of the manoeuvre gear, let's get to formations. Eren, you're the centre piece of our formation. The special operation squad's main objective is to keep you safe. You're not to engage enemies."
Eren had expected something to this effect. Even if it was frustrating. The reason why he'd been allowed into the survey corps was partly because they were the only ones capable of killing him, but also because they could make the most use of his titan form. But he wasn't allowed to transform into a titan, so he couldn't train to master that form. And now they were telling him he couldn't fight even in human form.
Hadn't Erwin said that he would prove himself an ally of humanity during the upcoming expedition? How was he supposed to do that if he wasn't allowed to fight titans? Why was he even included in the mission to begin with? If anything, it seemed like he'd be more of a burden to humanity out there. His eyes flicked over to the only other new squad member. Was he a member of the special operations squad, too? No one had actually said it outright. But he had kind of assumed so since Naruto was going to be training with them. "And Naruto?"
"I can protect myself." Naruto objected immediately before they could get any ideas. Tsunade had tried that. Kept him back while making others go out on dangerous missions involving the Akatsuki. Some had died to protect him. And in the end, he'd had to face his enemies anyway. He wasn't about to let that repeat itself here. "Besides, if there was something that could threaten me, how would you protect me?" He winced as the words left his mouth. That had come off worse than he'd intended. "Not to be rude or cocky or anything. But, well, it's just-"
Oluo reddened, visibly ticked off. "Listen, greenhorn." He cut in. "I know you can do your magic mumbo-jumbo. But we're veterans. I'll have you know I have the most solo kills in-"
"Erwin hasn't decided what role Naruto will be playing in the excursion." Levi, who'd been fine with quietly observing until now, interjected. Levi's dull grey eyes met Naruto's own. "He's probably still in his office, trying to come up with the best way to utilize your unique skillset."
[Back at HQ, evening.][Naruto POV.]
Naruto sighed as he stood outside the stables, watching appreciatively as the sun set over the horizon, illuminating the faraway skies in shades of red and orange. The last rays of light warmed his skin as he closed his eyes and took in the fresh air.
The others had returned from their patrol not long ago. Apparently to give Eren an idea of how it was outside the walls.
His ears picked up the sound of approaching soldiers, and soon enough two score were walking past the courtyard.
"Ah- That's…" Eren's surprised voice burst out and Naruto opened his eyes turning to look at what – or rather who, had caught the guy's attention. "Sir, could I go talk to my friend?" Eren asked Oluo, a slightly pleading tone to his words.
Naruto's eyes veered over to the soldiers that had passed, and true enough, saw both Armin and Mikasa walking at the back of the group.
Oluo lowered the cup of whatever he was drinking with a look of mild exasperation. "Just get going."
Eren called out to his friends wasting no time. "Hey! Armin! Mikasa!"
The two turned suddenly, and seeing Eren, ran up to him.
Eren grinned. "Damn, it's feels like forever since we last saw each other!"
Naruto observed the reunion fondly. Seeing them catch up reminded him of his days in team 7, back before Sasuke had left. He could almost see it. Mikasa was kind of like Sasuke. Top of the class and excelling at everything, according to what little Eren had told him of her. They were both quiet as well. Though where Sasuke had been cold, Mikasa was just silent, seemingly content to let others do the talking.
Armin too, was like Sakura in some ways. Smart and always trying to keep things peaceful. But shy where Sakura was violent.
His eyes landed on Eren. And I guess we're alike too, somewhat. At least in their circumstances. Except that outburst in the courtroom, Eren seemed pretty calm. Always doing exactly as his superiors said. Never complaining.
Seeing them like this, so content in each other's company, Naruto couldn't quite help the jealousness that welled up in his chest. The sight of them briefly overlapped by his own squad back during their Genin days.
It isn't fair. A part of him whispered somewhere deep inside. Bitter that he was stranded in this foreign land. Away from everything he loved and had fought for all his life. Konoha. His friends.
No, I can't think like that. He reminded himself, exhaling through his nose. This was just the way it was. He'd simply have to find a way home somehow. Thinking like that never did anyone any good.
Mikasa had a worried look on her face now as she grabbed Eren's hand. "Eren, they didn't do anything bad to you, right? Like inspecting every inch of your body, or psychological torture?"
Naruto sweat-dropped. Sounds a bit extreme.
Actually… Did Hange's infinite questions qualify as psychological torture?
Eren looked confused. "Huh? No way."
Levi chose that moment to exit the stables, holding the reins of his horse in one hand.
Mikasa's face darkened. "That midget went too far… I'll make him pay for it one day."
Naruto snorted, barely holding in a laugh, and elbowed Levi jokingly. "I think she means you, Levi."
Levi, who'd appeared completely unfazed at Mikasa's threat, looked mildly annoyed at Naruto's prodding. "… Don't touch me." Was all Naruto got before the man walked off, horse plodding after him.
Now it was Eren's turn to look worried. "You don't mean Captain Levi, do you?"
"Hey, Eren." "It's been a long time, Eren!"
Naruto watched as others approached the trio. Faces Naruto recognized from the invasion, even if their names eluded him.
Eren was completely shocked. "Everyone's here? Does that mean you guys joined the survey corps?"
"Is there any other reason we'd be here?" Connie replied with a smile, hands behind his head.
Eren met the eyes of a short girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. "Even Annie joined…" He murmured, looking amazed.
"Hey, Eren!"
Eren's head swivelled to the side to see Marco and Jean approaching as well. "No way… Jean? And Marco, too? But I thought you both wanted to be in the MP's?!"
"Looks like your stupidity's contagious." Jean replied, though for once, they didn't start bickering.
Marco shook his head, amused. "I thought about where I could do the most good. And I decided this was the place."
Eren smiled. He looked around. "Reiner and Bertholdt?"
"Joined the MP's." Jean answered succinctly.
"Oh." Was all he could say. He felt a bit let down at that. Out of all the people, he'd thought Reiner the most likely to join the Survey corps, besides Armin and Mikasa. He didn't get to stew on it though, as someone placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Ah, Naruto."
"Yo." Naruto greeted, the other hand in his pocket and a friendly smile playing on his lips.
"It's you!" Connie yelped, pointing right at Naruto's face.
"You're that guy from the invasion!" Sasha shouted, similarly wide-eyed.
The others were less animated but no less shocked to see him.
Naruto pushed Connie's hand away good-naturedly. "Yeah. It's me. Nice to see ya'll made it out of that mess alright. "
"W-we have you to thank for that." Armin answered, watching him carefully.
"Don't mention it."
"Pretty sure we'd be in a titan's belly right now if you hadn't come along and helped us to HQ." Jean added.
"I don't think we've met." The shortest of them said. "I'm Krista, nice to meet you."
Naruto acknowledged her with a nod. His eyes lingered on her for a moment. I feel like I've seen her somewhere before. "Naruto." He gave her his own name. It was only polite. "Could you tell me the rest of your names again? Met a lot of new people these last couple a' days."
"I'm Connie."
"Sasha!"
"Marco. And this is Jean."
"Ah, and this is Annie." Sasha introduced the other blonde-haired girl of their group.
Naruto nodded to each in turn as Armin spoke up. "We were actually heading over to the mess hall. Want to come?" Armin suggested, eyes passing between Eren and Naruto.
Eren turned to check with Oluo. But the guy was nowhere to be seen. The rest of the squad had gone inside apparently.
"Sounds good to me." Naruto agreed.
"Yeah, let's go." Eren added.
[Mess hall.]
"-and how did you jump so high? Can you fly?"
"How fast can you run? And why's your hair up like that?"
Connie and Sasha rattled out questions one after another, giving Naruto no time to answer. Though he grabbed a lock of his spiky hair at that last one. "My hair?"
"Sasha, that's rude. There's nothing wrong with your hair Naruto, I think it looks nice."
Naruto blinked, "Uh, t-thanks." Taking the compliment for what it was and trying to play it cool.
Sasha smirked and hid a mischievous smile behind her hand. "Hmm… You sure work fast Christa."
Connie shook his head in disappointment. "What would Ymir say."
"Wha-? Stop it. It's not like that." She protested, ears turning pink.
"Huh, what's that?" Another voice spoke up. "Someone trying to steal away my precious Christa?" Naruto turned to see a tall girl with dark brown hair tied back approach their table.
"Not you too, Ymir." Christa protested and Naruto watched the byplay with amusement. She seated herself next to Christa and slung an arm around the smaller girl's shoulders.
The feeling only grew as he saw them side by side. I feel like I've met them before. Or seen them at least. Even their names sound familiar. Though he couldn't place exactly how he knew them.
"So you guys are part of the Survey corps now, right?" Naruto asked instead.
Connie stood up and did a half-spin, showing off his new cape, Survey Corps emblem emblazoned proudly on the back. "Damn right."
"Yep." Christa chirped. "We're the newest recruits."
"No one else?" Eren asked, looking slightly disappointed, but not surprised. Glad that his friends had joined. But if they were the only ones…
"There were a few others among the group we were walking with earlier as well." Mikasa supplied.
"Not a lot." Naruto commented. "You guys must be pretty strong to get in then."
Jean snorted. "The survey corps takes whatever it can get."
Eren grit his teeth and Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"Any graduate can pick between Survey Corps and Garrison Regiment. Most choose to join the Garrison. The MP's is reserved for those who graduated in the top 10." Marco answered his unasked question.
"Doesn't the Military Police just enforce the law inside Sina?" Naruto asked, confused. Why would they need the ten strongest people just to make sure people didn't commit petty crimes?
"They guard the King, too. But generally, yes, they enforce the law inside Sina." Armin corrected.
"Wouldn't it make more sense to have your strongest fighters in the Survey Corps fighting titans? Since they're more likely to survive." At least that's what it had been like back home. You'd hone your skills, train hard and become stronger, and in turn be eligible for more dangerous missions that rewarded higher pay.
"That's what I said." Eren agreed vehemently.
Jean rolled his eyes at that.
"That would be the best way to utilize your troops. But graduates are allowed to choose which branch they want to join. The survey corps has a high mortality rate, which is why most prefer to stay away from it. But if everyone got to join the MP's, there'd be a disproportionately large number of soldiers within the inner walls, compared to the outer ones. Which is why they restrict it to the top ten." Armin explained. "Seen from another perspective; Making the MP's exclusive to the top ten motivates a lot of the trainees to work harder. And as a result you have soldiers of a higher calibre. So even if the top ten choose to join the MP's. You'd still have well-trained trainees signing up for the other branches."
"Also, even if the top ten have the opportunity to join the MP's, it doesn't necessarily mean they will. If none of the top ten were to join, that wouldn't open up slots for the next best…"
Naruto kept nodding during the explanation. He couldn't say he agreed with it entirely. Why train to become the strongest, polish your skills, only to hide away and let them rust. The idea was foreign to him. Still, Armin did raise a valid point. They just do things differently here, I guess.
Naruto turned to Eren and had to smother a laugh at the betrayed look he was giving Armin. He supposed it was a blow to have his own best friend pick apart his opinion. Like Sakura and Sasuke always did to him.
"You never answered, Eren. What have you been doing here since the trial?" Mikasa questioned.
"Hm? Ah, we've been settling into the castle the past few days. Cleaning mostly. Had our first training session today with Captain Levi and the Special Operations Squad, too." Eren looked visibly proud at that last part.
"Really, what sort of training?" Christa inquired.
"Mostly physical training. Gunther promised to show me some tricks on the manoeuvre gear later."
Naruto smirked. "Don't forget the sparring."
Eren winced. "Don't remind me."
Jean perked up. "This I gotta' hear."
"I totally kicked his ass. Couldn't land a punch."
"It's not like anyone else could, either." Eren grumbled. True enough, the outcome had been the same for Oluo and Gunther. Neither of which had fared much better than Eren.
"Heh! So the usual, then." Jean laughed.
"And what's that supposed to mean, huh, horse-face?!"
"Who're you callin' horse-face, ya' suicidal bastard?!"
Armin sighed and Naruto burst into laughter.
AN:
Yo, I'm back.
Firstly, big thanks to RaikiriWizard for beta-reading this chapter. Dude had lots of insightful feedback on the chapter and the story in general.
So, this chapter took longer than expected. Sorry for the long wait. I'm doing my master's degree in renewable energy and so Uni takes up most of my time. Hopefully you won't have to wait as long for the next chapter.
Also, I've published a new story! It's called Naruto's Odyssey. Been working on it for over a year now. Just trying to create a unique story that doesn't follow cannon at all. I've made changes to almost everything when it comes to canon story. Basically started from scratch, since Kaguya's time, and made a completely new timeline.
Two chapters out as of now. I hope you go over and check it out. Would really appreciate some feedback on it.
I have another big announcement as well. I've created a discord server!
I really enjoy talking anime, manga, fanfics, other stories like Lord of The Rings or Harry Potter. Anything really. So feel free to pop in and say hi.
I'll also be posting scenes for upcoming chapters to my fics there for anyone that's interested in beta-reading.
Server link: discord .gg / MGzs7GXDAD
(If the link doesn't appear in the chapter, check out my profile. It'll be there too. Had some issues with adding the discord link last time I posted a chapter. Just remember to remove spaces.)
As always, thank you for the support and feedback. And leave a review, either here or in the discord channel if ya want.
~Zenix404~
Q&A:
Damedream: Thank you.
asagi uchiha: Thanks.
ThR1992: Thanks man. My thesis was about designing and creating a prototype for a mobile battery powered device that would pick up frequencies, check for anything out of place, sort the data, and send it to a server to be stored in a database.
As for Naruto's last moments back home. It's going to be staying secret for a while. I mostly just have Naruto focusing on the here and now. But it's gonna come up in due time.
W.I.T.C.H.-and-Naruto-Gurl: Of course he would. Even if shadow clones were Naruto's only jutsu. It would still be a complete game changer in the AoT world.
Slayer of the Abyss: Well he is from a different world. Their two planets are not the same. So that would technically make him an alien, I think. And yeah, they're both human, but not the same type of human. Like those homo-sapiens and other-sapient species back in the day.
Problemchild667: Sorry, but once a month would be nearly impossible for me. I'll try my best to update more often. You could join our discord server though. We could discuss the story there, and you'd have access to whatever scenes I posted for beta-reading there.
MoonKnight030: Thanks, and I definitely agree with you on the character development aspect of the story. One of the main reasons I started this story was because I wanted to write Naruto's interactions with the AoT characters.
Saif Omar: Soon my friend. I have not forgotten the Oiroke no Jutsu, trust me. And I'm glad you enjoy this fic so much.
Mr. KR-18: Hange and Naruto's interactions are one of the most exciting to write. Her being a scientist, I can include kinda-explanations about chakra and stuff.
Noahbadoah: I don't really have to do much. The characters are already there. Every character in AoT feels so alive and unique compared to most other anime. Same goes for Naruto.
Laxard: Like I've said before, the clones by themselves are a huge game changer. Even without the rasengan. Just being able to relay information like that. And have disposable bodies that can act as decoys for the main force is exactly what Erwin needs.
IxKitsune: Thank you!
Vtorx: It's just in Naruto's nature to want to help people even if he doesn't stand to gain much from it himself. And yeah, horses aren't really of much use to shinobi. Anything a horse can carry, they can seal in scrolls. And shinobi are faster than horses anyway.
et-reader97: Lots of mind-blowing in the upcoming chapters. He's gonna do a lot of that once he gets around to training with Jean, Connie, Sasha, and the rest.
Pinumbit: Not sure if I'll even do a romance. And if I do. It'll be something very small, in the background, just some sweet moments.
RainbowLightning101.1: Sexy jutsu is definitely on the menu. As for if Eren will turn into the villain. Possibly. But the same villain as in canon? How? I doubt Eren would get far if he ever tried to pull that mass-genocide shit with Naruto around haha.
saritasingh61130: Thanks, glad you like it!
biob1: I don't know about that. The rasengan never really busts anyone's head open in canon. And titans have enhanced skin that can't be cut with normal knives and swords.
rose16exol: Well, here you go buddy. And I'll see about posting it on other sites.
Solo otro usuario: You'll just have to wait and see my friend.
MattKennedy: I'll check up on that. Might be I've made an error there.
2n2kas:
You make good points. It's like you say: chakra exhaustion just wasn't a thing towards the end. The war lasted 2 entire days. Where Naruto was constantly on the move, constantly fighting. 48 hours no rest. Made thousands of clones, spammed thousands of rasengans, big ball rasengans, rasen shurikens, tailed-beast bombs. Shared his chakra with around 25000 shinobi. I'm just saying I thought it was ridiculous. Even with Kurama at his side.
And wasn't even just him. Kakashi was there fighting for two days straight as well. In the beginning of the series, he had chakra exhaustion just from fighting Zabuza for half an hour. And needed days to recover. Meanwhile, here he is, spamming chidori's and raikiris like nobody's business. They might say 'I don't have any more chakra left' and leave, but then they come back 5 minutes later as if they've rested for a month and go back to spamming jutsu again.
Makimass: Well it's a fanfic. And I wrote the reason why Naruto didn't make more shadow clones. It's just the version of shadow clones that I prefer.
BookWorm1540: It's an idea. But I have introduced that there is nature chakra in the AoT world. It's just that people haven't evolved to use it. Since people in Naruto only got to having chakra after Kaguya ate the fruit. No fruit in AoT, so no chakra people.
Story stats:
Views: 222,872
Favorites: 1,311
Followers: 1,614
Communities: 7
Reviews: 502
Word count (this chapter, and not including AN/Q&A): 5899
(31st of January, 2023)