Kabe no Shinobi

Chapter 15.5: Celebration

-o-

The Survey Corps headquarters buzzed with an energy that hadn't been felt in years. For the first time, it wasn't tension or dread that filled the air, but laughter and camaraderie. The long tables in the hall were packed, soldiers leaning into each other, sharing stories and clinking mugs as the flickering light of the hearth cast warm shadows across the room.

Naruto sat with Levi's squad, a rare sight among the tight-knit group. Petra, Oluo, Gunther, and Eld were mid-conversation, their mugs nearly empty, while Levi sat silently at the end of the table, sipping his tea.

"Not bad for a rookie," Gunther said, raising his mug in mock salute. "You and Captain Levi really pulled it off."

"You're lucky to be alive," Eld added with a wry smile, flushed from the drink. "Taking on the Armored Titan? What were you thinking?"

Naruto leaned back in his chair, holding his untouched mug in both hands. "I wasn't thinking at all," he admitted with a grin. "Just figured I'd punch him as hard as I could and see what happened."

Petra chuckled. "You're something else, Naruto. Honestly, you should be celebrating more—you've earned it."

Naruto glanced down at the mug in his hands, swirling the amber liquid thoughtfully. "Yeah, about that," he said. "I've never actually drunk before."

Oluo raised an eyebrow, leaning in like a predator catching the scent of blood. "You've never had a drink? Not once?"

"Never really interested me," Naruto replied with a shrug. "But tonight's different, right?"

Petra smirked. "You're in for an experience."

Naruto hesitated a moment longer before taking a tentative sip. The bitter taste hit his tongue immediately, and his face twisted in a grimace. He coughed, his reaction drawing laughter from the group. Petra patted him on the back, while Oluo nearly doubled over.

"That bad, huh?" Gunther teased, taking a swig of his own drink.

"You'll survive," Petra said with a grin. "Just don't try to drink like Oluo, or you'll regret it."

"Hey," Oluo protested feebly as the others chuckled.

Naruto laughed with them, and for a while he let himself enjoy their company, exchanging stories and light-hearted banter. But soon he stood and brushed off his jacket.

"You heading out already?" Petra asked.

"Just gonna' stretch my legs," Naruto replied, thought for a moment, and then added, "Maybe call it a night."

He turned toward the door, but before he could make it far, a familiar voice called out.

"Oi, Naruto! Come over here!"

Naruto turned to see Eren waving him over, surrounded by Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Sasha, Connie, Marco, Christa, and Ymir. They all looked up expectantly as Naruto hesitated.

"Come on," Eren insisted, a grin spreading across his face. "Don't tell me you're bailing already."

Naruto sighed, brushing a hand through his hair, and made his way over to their table. As soon as he sat down, Sasha slid a plate of food toward him.

"You need to eat!" she said cheerfully. "You just took down the Armored Titan! That's, like, titan-slaying royalty!"

Jean snorted, leaning back in his chair. "She's got a point. You've gotta tell us what happened. Eren's been hyping it up like you single-handedly saved the day."

"Because he did!" Eren interjected. His eyes were practically glowing. "You should've seen it. He and Captain Levi fought the Armored Titan and won!"

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, looking both embarrassed and exasperated. "Hah, it wasn't that big'a d-"

"Don't sell yourself short," Armin interrupted good-naturedly. He leant forward; his curiosity evident. "We've heard stories, but we want to hear it from you. What happened?"

Naruto glanced around the table, their eager faces urging him on. With a small nod, he relented.

"Well," Naruto began, "I saw it chasing Eren and the rest of Levi's squad. Erwin sprung the trap, but it didn't work out the way Erwin had hoped. Its armour blocked most of the hooks, and it managed to bulldoze through the few that stuck. It was gaining on them, so I decided to engage. Hit it with a punch to the face in my sage mode, and knocked him on his ass."

"So you really punched the armoured titan?!" Marco asked in disbelief. "That's crazy! I heard cannons didn't work on it!"

"What's a sage mode?" Connie whispered to Ymir.

Naruto chuckled. "I'm not surprised to be honest, punching that armour felt like hitting steel. But it worked. We got him stumbling, I kept crackin' his armour, and Levi went for the weak points—behind the knees, the armpits—places where it wasn't completely covered up."

Armin nodded. "That makes sense, if it had armour everywhere, it wouldn't be able to move. At the very least, some of the joints would have to be uncovered."

"Didn't he fight back?" Sasha asked, wide-eyed.

"Oh, he did," Naruto replied, "Kept transforming every time his body got too injured. He kept throwing branches and rocks, he even tore off limbs from his previous bodies and chucked them at us."

"Holy crap," Connie breathed, his fork hovering in mid-air.

"How'd you finally bring him down?" Ymir asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We didn't let up. Kept on going until it wore itself out. After a while, he just couldn't keep transforming anymore, and by the time we managed to cut him out of the body, he was almost unconscious."

Jean shook his head in disbelief. "It must've been a crazy fight. Personally, I'm glad I wasn't around. I'd be collateral for sure."

"That's not all," Eren said suddenly, his grin widening as he leaned forward. "Armin, Naruto's seen the ocean!"

Armin's jaw dropped, his eyes wide with amazement. "The ocean?" he breathed, his voice tinged with disbelief and wonder. "You've actually seen it?"

"What's an ocean?" Sasha asked, her brow furrowing. She glanced at Connie, who looked equally confused.

"It's a massive lake," Armin explained quickly. "Bigger than anything you can imagine. Endless water that stretches farther than the horizon. I read about it in a book when I was a kid. It's all saltwater, not freshwater, and it's filled with all kinds of strange creatures."

Jean raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "Sounds like something straight out of a fairy tale."

"It's not," Naruto said. "The ocean is real. It's hundreds of times larger than the walls. When you stand on the shore, all you can see is water—no walls, no mountains, just endless water."

"That's impossible," Connie said, shaking his head. "Something like that couldn't exist."

Naruto smirked slightly. "It does. And Armin's book wasn't lying. The ocean has thousands of different kinds of fish, from tiny ones the size of your thumb, to whales—which can grow bigger than normal titans. They're gentle, though."

"Bigger than Titans?" Marco said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Naruto nodded.

"That's... incredible," Armin said, his eyes shining. "I always knew it was real. I always believed it had to be."

Eren grinned at his friend's enthusiasm. "And now we have proof, someone who's actually been there," he said, looking back at Armin.

The others exchanged glances, their amazement palpable. But Ymir leaned back in her chair, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied Naruto. "So, how do you know all this?" she asked, her tone casual but tinged with suspicion. "The ocean, whales..."

Naruto looked down at the table, his expression unreadable for a moment. Then he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "My teacher," he began, his voice quieter but steady, "was a wanderer, always moving from one place to the next. I spent a few years traveling with him. We went to a lot of different places. Across deserts, over mountains, and along the coasts. He was curious about the world, and all the people in it. I saw a lot."

"Your teacher?" Christa asked, her voice soft.

Naruto nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah. He wasn't the kind of guy to stay in one place for long. He loved seeing new things, meeting new people. Massive perv, too." Naruto said with a grin.

"What was it like?" Armin asked eagerly. "Seeing it for the first time?"

Naruto leant back, looking up with a wistful smile as his thoughts drifted back. "It's hard to put into words. It's beautiful, but also overwhelming. The sound of the waves crashing, the smell of salt in the air—it's like standing at the edge of something vast. It makes you realize how small you are."

The table fell quiet again, the weight of his words settling over them.

"I don't know," Ymir said after a moment, her tone lighter but still laced with skepticism. "It all sounds a little too good to be true."

"Believe what you want," Naruto replied with a shrug. "But it's real. And one day, when you see it for yourselves, you'll understand."

Jean scoffed, though there was a hint of amusement in his tone. "Yeah, and I'll believe it when I see it."

"You'll see it," Eren said confidently, his fists clenched. "We'll all see it. One day, we'll break free from these walls, and we'll see the world for what it really is."

-o-

AN:

Hey folks, don't worry, this is just a small interlude chapter. Just an idea I had while writing that didn't fit in with the actual chapter. Chapter 16 is already finished. Parts of 17, too. I'll probably post chapter 16 in a few days, after I've checked for grammatical errors and such.

Been busy lately 'cause I got a new job. It's almost an hour by car, so when I get home, I'm dead tired. Mostly I only get to write during the weekends.

Hopefully, you enjoyed this chapter. If not, the next one is coming up soon.

-o-

~Zenix404~