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"Where did he go?" Naruto's voice echoed across the now-empty space where the Colossal Titan had stood just moments before. His blond hair was slick with sweat, and his hands still gripped his blades so tightly his knuckles had turned white.
Eren landed beside him with a thud, his expression a mixture of rage and disbelief. "How does something that big just vanish? It doesn't make any sense!"
Naruto surveyed the damage—cannons torn from their mounts, debris scattered across the wall top, and beyond it, a gaping hole in the outer gate of Trost District. A sickening feeling of déjà vu washed over him. It was happening again, just like Shiganshina five years ago.
"Brother, we need to regroup with the others." Naruto placed a steady hand on Eren's shoulder, even as his eyes darted about, searching for signs of their friends. "The Garrison will be setting up a defense perimeter, and we need to—"
"CADETS!" The booming voice of Captain Woermann cut through the air as he landed nearby, his face contorted with panic barely masked by authority. "What are you doing standing around? Get back to headquarters immediately! All able-bodied soldiers are being mobilized!"
Below them, the city had erupted into chaos. The warning bells rang relentlessly, their urgent clanging mixing with screams of terror as civilians poured into the streets. Naruto could see mothers clutching children, elderly being helped along, possessions abandoned in the rush to reach the inner gate.
"Sir, we need to assist with the evacuation!" Naruto stepped forward.
"You'll follow orders, Cadet Yeager!" Woermann snapped, though his wide eyes betrayed his fear. "The vanguard is being assembled to slow the Titans while civilians retreat. Middle guard will support and relay communications. Rearguard will protect the evacuation directly."
"Yeager! Both of you!" Woermann was shouting again. "Get to headquarters! NOW!"
"Yes, sir!" they responded in unison, firing their ODM hooks and launching themselves from the wall.
As they soared between buildings, Naruto spotted a familiar black-haired figure expertly maneuvering through the air ahead of them.
"Mikasa!" he called out, adjusting his trajectory to intercept her. She turned mid-air, her normally stoic expression briefly revealing relief.
"Naruto, Eren," she acknowledged as they converged. "I was looking for you both."
"Have you seen Armin?" Eren asked, his eyes scanning the rooftops.
"He's already at headquarters," Mikasa replied. "But there's no sign of—"
"Annie," Naruto finished her sentence, unable to mask the worry in his voice. "Or Ymir and Krista." His gaze swept across the chaos below, searching for a glimpse of blonde hair among the scrambling cadets and civilians.
Mikasa's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of Annie's name first, but she didn't comment. "We should get to headquarters. That's where everyone is gathering."
They traversed the city, the skills honed over three years of training now put to real use. As they approached headquarters, they could see the frantic activity—officers shouting orders, cadets rushing to equip gas canisters and blades, medical personnel preparing field stations.
Inside, the atmosphere was electric with fear. Naruto immediately spotted Armin standing against a wall, his face pale but composed. Before he could reach his friend, Commander Kitts Woermann's voice thundered through the hall.
"ATTENTION! We are implementing the Trost Defense Plan! Vanguard squads will deploy immediately to slow the Titan advance! Middle guard will establish supply lines and communications! Rearguard will coordinate civilian evacuation!"
The commander's eyes swept over the room, his gaze hard but slightly unfocused, betraying his own terror. "Remember your training! Remember your duty! For humanity!"
As cadets began to move toward their assigned positions, Naruto finally caught sight of a familiar petite blonde figure standing apart from the others.
"Annie!" he called out, making his way through the crowd. She turned, her ice-blue eyes widening momentarily before settling back into their usual detached expression.
"Naruto," she acknowledged.
"Are you alright?" He reached for her hand.
"I'm fine," she replied, her eyes darting briefly to something—or someone—behind him. "We should get to our squads."
Naruto followed her gaze and noticed Reiner and Bertholdt standing near the exit, both watching them with unreadable expressions.
Before he could respond, a soldier burst through the main doors, his face ashen. "TITANS! They're coming through the breach! At least twenty... no, more! They're already in the city!"
The room fell silent for a heartbeat before erupting into a flurry of movement and voices. Through a nearby window, Naruto could see them—towering, misshapen figures lumbering between buildings, their grotesque smiles visible even from this distance.
He turned back to speak to Annie, but she had already vanished into the crowd.
.
.
In the shadow of an abandoned storage building, three figures huddled close, their voices barely above whispers despite the cacophony of panic that filled the city around them.
"How many got through?" Annie asked, her blue eyes sharp as she scanned the nearby rooftops for any observers.
Reiner's broad shoulders tensed. "Enough. Maybe thirty already, with more coming. It's working exactly as planned."
"As planned?" Bertholdt's voice cracked slightly, sweat beading on his forehead despite the cool air. "I killed people. I saw them—crushed under the debris when I kicked the gate."
"Stay focused," Reiner hissed, placing a firm hand on Bertholdt's shoulder. "We've come too far to falter now. The mission comes first—always." He turned his attention to Annie, his gaze hardening. "We need to split up. We'll be assigned to different squads, but we maintain the plan. The chaos will help us locate the Founding Titan, and once we do—"
"And if we don't?" Annie interrupted, her usually impassive face showing a flicker of something—doubt, perhaps, or reluctance.
Reiner's eyes narrowed. "Then we escalate as planned. We break through Wall Rose next."
"More deaths," Bertholdt murmured, his tall frame seeming to shrink in on itself. "More like Shiganshina."
"They're not our people," Reiner's voice had taken on a strange, distant quality. "Remember why we're here. Remember all these people are devils...Devils!"
Annie turned away, her gaze drifting toward the city center where cadets were gathering on rooftops. Somewhere out there was Naruto, preparing to fight the very catastrophe she had helped create.
"Annie." Reiner's voice pulled her back. "You've been... different lately."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Her tone was ice, her posture instantly defensive.
"You know exactly what it means," Reiner stepped closer, lowering his voice further. "I've seen how you look at him. The Yeager boy."
"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied flatly, though her heart beat faster at the mention of Naruto.
"Don't insult my intelligence," Reiner growled. "Three years we've been here, infiltrating them, living among them. It was always a risk that we might... form attachments. But you've crossed a line."
"You don't know anything about lines," Annie shot back, a rare flash of emotion coloring her words. "Don't pretend you haven't formed your own attachments, Soldier."
Something dark and conflicted passed across Reiner's features at the word 'soldier,' as if she'd struck a nerve.
"Whatever I've done, I've never forgotten who I am or why we're here," he recovered, his voice steadying. "Can you say the same?"
Bertholdt glanced nervously between them, the tension palpable. "Please, this isn't helping. We need to stay united."
Annie's cold gaze held Reiner's for a moment longer before she looked away. "The mission continues as planned. I know my role."
"Good," Reiner nodded, his expression softening slightly. "Because once this starts, there's no turning back. Not for any of us."
A distant scream drew their attention. From their vantage point, they could see a Titan—a ten-meter class with disproportionately long arms—grab a fleeing civilian from the street below.
"We should go," Bertholdt whispered, his face pale. "We'll be expected to help with the defense."
Reiner nodded. "Remember, we're soldiers today. Blend in, fight just enough to maintain cover, but preserve your strength. We don't know when we'll need to transform."
As they prepared to depart, Bertholdt hesitated, then turned to Annie. "Are you... will you be alright?"
Annie's expression revealed nothing as she checked her ODM gear one last time. "It doesn't matter if I am or not. This is what we came here to do."
But as they separated, using their ODM gear to head in different directions, Annie's mind filled with images of Naruto—his warm smile, his dream of becoming a doctor, the future he'd described with such hope. A house for them both. A family.
A future that now, because of what she had done, would likely never exist.
She had already lost him, even if he didn't know it yet. And soon, when the truth came out—as it inevitably would—he would hate her with the same passion with which he'd loved her.
As she soared between buildings, heading toward her assigned position, Annie Leonhart allowed herself one moment of genuine emotion—a single tear that was quickly whipped away by the rush of wind against her face.
.
.
The Trost District headquarters had transformed into a tempest of chaos. Cadets rushed in every direction, their footsteps creating a thunderous symphony against the stone floors. The urgent clanking of ODM gear being checked and double-checked punctuated frantic conversations.
Naruto stood amidst the storm, his blue eyes scanning the crowd for familiar faces. The Colossal Titan's sudden appearance had shattered the celebratory atmosphere from the previous night. Just hours ago, they had been drinking, laughing, dreaming of futures that now seemed desperately uncertain.
"All cadets, assemble immediately!" Captain Woermann's voice cut through the noise. The man's face was contorted in barely contained panic, sweat beading on his forehead despite the cool morning air.
Naruto found his place in line alongside other top graduates. His father's glasses hung from his shirt. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Annie taking position several cadets away, her face an unreadable mask.
Captain Woermann paced before them, his eyes wild. "The situation is dire! The Colossal Titan has breached the outer gate. Titans are entering Trost as we speak." His voice cracked slightly. "Your job is to defend the citizens until evacuation is complete. After that, you will retreat to the inner gate. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir!" The unified response echoed through the courtyard.
Captain Kitz Woermann turned to a senior officer beside him, a man with a calmer demeanor whose eyes betrayed years of experience. "Commander, please assign the squads."
The Commander stepped forward, a clipboard in hand. "Due to the emergency nature of this situation, we'll be organizing based on your training rankings and aptitudes." His voice was steady, a contrast to Woermann's near-hysteria. "Top graduates will lead smaller units to maximize our effectiveness across the district."
The Commander began calling names, and squads formed one by one. Naruto waited, his heart pounding with each name called.
"Yeager, Naruto!"
Naruto stepped forward, chin held high despite the anxiety churning in his stomach.
"You'll lead Squad 34, eastern quadrant. With you: Leonhart, Braun, Hoover, and Bott."
Naruto's eyes widened slightly. Annie, Reiner, Bertholdt, and Marco—a powerful team on paper, but the dynamics would be... complicated.
As Naruto moved to the side where his assigned squad was gathering, he noticed Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt exchanging glances. Reiner gave a nearly imperceptible nod to Bertholdt, whose face had gone pale. Annie's eyes remained cold, betraying nothing, but her jaw tightened just slightly.
Marco approached Naruto first, his freckled face determined despite the fear evident in his eyes. "I'll follow your lead, Naruto. We trained for this."
Naruto clapped a hand on Marco's shoulder. "We'll protect each other out there. That's what soldiers do."
Reiner joined them, his imposing presence drawing attention from nearby cadets. "Well, well. Looks like we're with the second-best in our class." His smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Should be interesting."
Bertholdt hovered near Reiner, towering over them all yet somehow seeming smaller. Sweat beaded visibly on his forehead. "Y-yeah. Good to be with you, Naruto."
Annie approached last, her steps measured. She stood slightly apart from the group, arms crossed.
As the Commander continued assigning teams, Annie shifted closer to Naruto. Without looking at him directly, she spoke in a voice only he could hear. "Naruto."
He turned slightly toward her, careful not to draw attention. "Yeah?"
"Be careful today." Her voice was low, urgent. "These Titans... they're unpredictable."
"I will. You too, Annie."
She opened her mouth as if to say something more, then closed it, stepping back to her position a few feet away.
Across the courtyard, raised voices drew Naruto's attention. Eren and Jean were facing off, their heated discussion cutting through the organized chaos.
"I need to check on my brother," Naruto muttered to Marco, who nodded understandingly.
As Naruto approached, he could hear Jean's bitter tone. "Still planning to kill all the Titans, Yeager? Well, here's your chance. I'm sure you were dreaming of this happening on the first day."
To Naruto's surprise, Eren didn't take the bait. Instead, his green eyes were intense but focused as he gripped Jean's shoulder firmly.
"Jean, listen to me," Eren said, his voice low and serious. "You're good with the ODM gear—better than most of us. Use that today. Survive. Join the Military Police tomorrow."
Jean stared back, clearly caught off guard by Eren's response. "What's this? The suicidal bastard giving survival advice?"
"Just don't die stupidly," Eren replied, releasing his grip. "Not everyone needs to be a hero today."
Jean's expression shifted from surprise to resolution. "I don't plan on dying at all." He straightened his jacket and walked away, joining his assigned squad.
As Jean departed, Mikasa appeared at Eren's side, her dark eyes immediately assessing the situation. Armin wasn't far behind, his blond hair disheveled as if he'd been running.
"Naruto!" Armin exclaimed, relief washing over his features. "Have you been assigned a team?"
Naruto nodded. "Squad 34. Eastern quadrant with Annie, Reiner, Bertholdt, and Marco." He glanced at Eren. "You?"
"Middle guard with Armin and others," Eren answered, adjusting his gear straps. "Mikasa's with the elite rear guard."
Naruto frowned. "They're separating you?"
Mikasa's expression darkened. "I requested to be with Eren. They refused."
"Because you're one of our best!" Eren interjected, frustration evident in his voice. "Mikasa, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not your baby brother anymore!"
"You're both my brothers," she said quietly, looking between Eren and Naruto. "And both of you rush into danger without thinking."
Naruto placed his hands on Eren and Mikasa's shoulders, drawing them closer together with Armin. The four of them formed a tight circle, a family within the chaos.
"Listen to me," Naruto said, his voice steady despite the fear he felt. "We survive today. All of us. No heroics, no stupid sacrifices." His blue eyes locked with Eren's green ones. "Eren, Mom will literally kill you if you die out here, you know that, right?"
A reluctant smile tugged at Eren's lips. "She'd find a way."
"Armin," Naruto continued, "use that brain of yours. If something doesn't feel right, speak up. Your instincts are sharper than you give yourself credit for."
Armin nodded, taking a deep breath to steady himself.
"Mikasa," Naruto squeezed her shoulder, "you're worth a hundred regular soldiers, but even you have limits. Don't push yourself too far trying to protect everyone."
Nearby cadets had fallen silent, many of them now listening to Naruto's words. His voice carried across the courtyard as more turned to listen.
"The Titans took our home once," Naruto continued, his voice growing stronger. "They took our father. But they didn't take our spirit." He stood taller, speaking now not just to his siblings but to all who could hear him. "Today, we fight not just for ourselves, but for each other. For our friends who trained beside us. For our families waiting for us to come home."
Captain Woermann, who had been giving his own address to another group—full of doom and barely veiled terror—fell silent as cadets turned away from him to listen to Naruto.
"We've trained three years for this moment," Naruto's clear voice rang out. "We know what to do. We know how to move, how to fight, how to survive. Trust your training. Trust your instincts." He paused, looking around at the faces watching him. "Most importantly, trust each other. No one fights alone today."
A cadet from another squad called out, "What about the Colossal Titan? It appeared out of nowhere and vanished the same way!"
Naruto nodded gravely. "The Colossal Titan is gone for now. We focus on what's in front of us—protecting civilians and each other." His voice took on an edge of steel. "One day, we'll take back what's ours. Today, we hold the line."
A ripple of determination spread through the gathered cadets. Even some of the veterans nodded appreciatively at the young graduate's words.
Marco stepped forward to stand beside Naruto. "Squad 34! Time to move out."
Naruto looked one last time at Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. "I'll see you all when this is over. At sunset. Don't be late."
Eren clasped his brother's arm. "We'll be there."
As Naruto turned to join his squad, Captain Woermann's face had turned an interesting shade of purple, clearly infuriated that a mere cadet had commandeered his troops' attention.
Annie waited at the edge of the courtyard with Reiner and Bertholdt. Her eyes followed Naruto as he approached, and for just a moment, something like pride flickered across her usually impassive features.
"Nice speech," she said quietly as he reached them. "Now let's see if it keeps people alive."
Reiner clapped Naruto on the back, perhaps a bit harder than necessary. "Well said, Captain Yeager. Ready to lead us into the jaws of death?"
"No one's dying today if I can help it," Naruto replied firmly, checking his blade handles one last time. "Let's move out."
As Squad 34 departed for the eastern quadrant, the rest of the courtyard erupted into controlled motion, squads heading to their assigned positions with renewed purpose. The battle for Trost had begun.
The eastern quadrant of Trost District was eerily quiet as Squad 34 maneuvered through the narrow streets. The usual bustle of merchants and children had been replaced by scattered belongings—evidence of the hasty evacuation. Shoes abandoned in the middle of the road. A child's doll face-down in a puddle.
Naruto led from the front, his blue eyes scanning rooftops and alleyways for movement. The weight of command pressed on his shoulders like an invisible hand. Four lives—five including his own—now depended on his decisions.
"No Titans in this sector yet," Marco observed, perched on a chimney with his blades at the ready.
"They'll come," Reiner replied grimly, checking his gas levels. "The breach was on the other side, but they'll spread throughout the district. It's just a matter of time."
From her position on an adjacent roof, Annie's eyes remained fixed on the southern approach. "We need to move closer to the civilian evacuation route," she said, her voice calm despite the tension evident in her rigid posture. "That's where they'll need protection."
Naruto nodded. "Annie's right. Marco, take point. Bertholdt, rear guard. Reiner and Annie, flanks. I'll coordinate from the center. Keep communication clear and concise."
As they moved deeper into the district, the distant sounds of screams and the distinctive thundering footfalls of Titans grew louder.
They crested a rooftop overlooking a main thoroughfare and froze. Below them, three Titans shambled toward the evacuation route where civilians were still fleeing toward the inner gate. Two were standard 7-meter class, but the third—a grotesque 15-meter with an unnaturally wide mouth—posed the greatest threat.
Marco's breath caught in his throat. His training had prepared him for the sight of Titans, but nothing could truly ready someone for their first real encounter. The textbook illustrations failed to capture the unsettling way their skin stretched over misshapen bone structures, the vacant yet somehow hungry gleam in their eyes, the horrible parody of humanity in their features.
"Marco." Naruto's firm voice snapped him back to the present. "You good?"
Marco swallowed hard and nodded, gripping his blade handles tighter. "Yes. I'm ready."
Naruto assessed the situation with a tactical eye. "Civilians are bottlenecked at that intersection. Those Titans will reach them in less than a minute if we don't intervene." He turned to his squad. "Here's the plan: We need to draw them away from the evacuation route."
"A direct attack?" Bertholdt asked.
"No," Naruto replied. "We distract, not engage. Titans are drawn to concentrations of humans. If we can pull them toward us and away from the crowd, the civilians can escape."
Reiner cocked an eyebrow. "And how do we avoid becoming Titan food ourselves?"
Naruto pointed to a church bell tower standing about 300 meters to the east. "We lead them there. That tower is tall enough that they can't reach us easily, but close enough to the evacuation route to make a difference."
"We'll need bait," Annie stated flatly.
"I'll do it," Naruto said without hesitation. "I'm the fastest with the ODM gear. I can outmaneuver them."
Annie's eyes narrowed slightly. "No. We should work in pairs. One to distract, one to cover."
"She's right," Reiner interjected. "That's basic training protocol."
Naruto conceded with a nod. "Alright. Annie and I will bait the 15-meter. Reiner and Bertholdt, you take the two smaller ones. Marco, provide overwatch from the higher rooftops—if anyone gets in trouble, you're our rescue."
Marco saluted. "Understood."
"Remember," Naruto added, "our priority is distraction, not kills. We draw them away, then regroup at the bell tower."
With practiced efficiency, the squad split into their assigned roles. Marco ascended to a church spire, while the others prepared to engage.
Naruto and Annie launched into action first, swinging low over the street to catch the attention of the 15-meter Titan. Annie fired her hooks into a building directly in the Titan's line of sight, intentionally making herself visible.
"Hey, ugly!" Naruto shouted, slicing a shallow cut across the back of the Titan's hand as he passed. "Over here!"
The creature's head swiveled toward them with unnerving speed, its grotesque smile widening as it changed direction, massive feet crushing abandoned market stalls as it pursued them.
"It's working," Annie called, her usually stoic demeanor giving way to focused intensity as she executed a perfect mid-air spin to avoid the Titan's grasping hand.
Nearby, Reiner and Bertholdt worked to distract the smaller Titans. Reiner's aggressive style contrasted with Bertholdt's more calculated movements. Bertholdt swung in long, graceful arcs, drawing a 7-meter Titan's attention before Reiner swooped in from behind, slicing at its ankles to slow its pursuit without killing it.
"They're good," Naruto muttered, impressed by the duo's teamwork.
Annie glanced back as she maneuvered between buildings. "They've trained together a long time," she replied simply.
The plan was working. All three Titans now followed the soldiers, their backs to the evacuation route. Civilians streamed toward the inner gate, their pace quickening as the immediate threat diminished.
As they approached the bell tower, Naruto noticed Annie consistently positioning herself between him and the pursuing Titan.
"Annie, I'm fine—focus on yourself!" he called as she narrowly avoided a swipe from the Titan's massive fingers.
She didn't respond, but her next series of maneuvers put her directly in the creature's path once again, drawing its attention fully to her.
The 15-meter Titan lunged unexpectedly, its mouth gaping wide as it attempted to snatch Annie mid-flight. Naruto's heart lurched as he saw Annie's ODM cable snap taut at an awkward angle, throwing off her trajectory.
"Annie!" he shouted, immediately altering his course to intercept.
Annie twisted in mid-air, firing her second hook into the bell tower steeple and narrowly avoiding the Titan's teeth. She landed hard on the tower's ledge, momentarily off-balance.
The Titan reached for her, its enormous hand closing the distance with alarming speed.
Naruto was there in an instant, grabbing Annie and pulling her deeper into the bell tower's archway, beyond the Titan's reach. They tumbled together onto the wooden platform inside, breathing hard.
"That was too close," he gasped, still holding her shoulders.
Annie looked at him, an unreadable expression crossing her face before she composed herself. "I would have made it," she said, but there was no bite in her words.
Below them, the three Titans now surrounded the tower, clawing ineffectually at the stone structure, their attention fully diverted from the evacuation route. From his vantage point, Marco gave the all-clear signal—the civilians were passing safely.
Reiner and Bertholdt swung into the bell tower moments later, landing with practiced ease.
"That worked better than expected," Reiner commented, a gleam of something like respect in his eyes as he nodded to Naruto. "Good plan, Captain."
Bertholdt nodded agreement, wiping sweat from his brow. "The evacuation route is clear for now."
Marco joined them last, his face flushed with adrenaline. "Naruto, that was amazing! The civilians are almost through to the inner gate." His eyes were wide with a mixture of fear and exhilaration. "We actually did it—we distracted Titans and survived!"
Naruto allowed himself a small smile before refocusing. "We've bought some time, but our mission isn't over. Once the civilians are clear, we move to the next sector." He moved to the tower's opening to assess the situation below. "These Titans will lose interest once they realize they can't reach us."
"What's our next move?" she asked quietly.
Naruto studied the district layout, noting the positions of other squads visible in the distance. "We'll head west, support the teams near the market district." He checked his gas levels. "Everyone resupply from the emergency canisters stored here. We'll need full tanks."
As Reiner and Bertholdt moved to locate the supply crates, Naruto noticed something strange in their demeanor—a silent communication passing between them, a tension that seemed out of place even in the current crisis.
Before he could dwell on it, Annie spoke in a voice only he could hear. "Your leadership style... it's what makes you different from other soldiers." There was an odd note in her voice, almost like regret. "You think about saving lives first, not just killing Titans."
Naruto met her gaze, struck by the unusual sentiment coming from normally stoic Annie. "Isn't that what this is all about? Protecting people?"
She looked away, toward the distant wall. "Yes," she said after a pause. "I suppose it is."
The Titans began slamming their enormous bodies against the buildings, causing the structures to shudder alarmingly. Chunks of masonry rained down, making their perch increasingly unstable.
"They're trying to bring the buildings down," Reiner realized, his voice tight with tension. "They're herding us."
Annie's gaze swept to Naruto, their eyes locking in silent communication. Her expression remained impassive, but her eyes carried a clear message: Use your power. Now.
Naruto hesitated for a fraction of a second. His abilities were a closely guarded secret—revealed only to those closest to him. But with lives hanging in the balance and their escape routes blocked...
"Everyone, get to the rooftops!" Naruto ordered, jumping down to the alley.
"What are you doing?" Marco called, alarmed.
"Buying us time!!"
The massive creature lurched forward, its grotesque face split in a mindless grin as it extended a hand toward what it perceived as easy prey. The other two Titans continued to slam against the buildings, which began to creak ominously.
Naruto planted his feet firmly on the cobblestones, closed his eyes for a brief moment, and concentrated. He could feel it—the energy flowing through his body, connecting him to the earth beneath the paved streets.
"What the hell is he doing?" Reiner muttered, watching from above with narrowed eyes.
Annie remained silent, her body tense as she prepared to intervene if necessary.
The 15-meter Titan was less than ten meters away when Naruto's eyes snapped open. He slammed his palm against the ground, and the effect was immediate and devastating.
The cobblestones erupted as massive roots burst through the street, shooting upward with incredible speed. They twisted and intertwined, forming a dense wooden barrier that caught the 15-meter Titan mid-stride. More roots speared through the air toward the 7-meter Titan at the other end of the alley, wrapping around its legs and torso like serpents, halting its advance.
"What in the walls—" Marco gasped, his face a mask of shock and disbelief.
Bertholdt's eyes widened, but notably, he didn't appear as surprised as he should have been. Reiner's expression shifted from shock to calculation in mere seconds.
The buildings continued to shake as the 10-meter Titan relentlessly battered the weakening structure. Cracks spiderwebbed across the walls, and the rooftop where Marco stood began to sag precariously.
"Don't just stand there!" Annie's sharp voice cut through their stupor. "Kill the Titans while they're restrained!"
Her words galvanized the squad into action. Annie herself launched toward the 7-meter Titan, her blades glinting in the sunlight as she executed a perfect spinning attack. Her steel bit deep into the nape, and the creature collapsed, already beginning to steam.
Reiner moved with surprising agility for his size, targeting the 10-meter Titan that continued to damage the buildings. His attack was powerful but precise, severing the creature's nape in a single decisive strike.
"Naruto!" Marco called in warning as the wooden barrier began to splinter under the 15-meter Titan's relentless pressure.
The massive Titan broke through, sending wooden shards flying in all directions. It reached for Naruto, who stood his ground, visibly straining as he summoned more roots to slow the creature's advance. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his breathing becoming labored with each passing second.
"He is getting tired," Annie murmured, preparing to assist.
Before she could move, Naruto unleashed a final surge of power. Roots as thick as tree trunks erupted from the ground directly beneath the Titan, impaling its body in multiple places and lifting it partially off the ground. The creature thrashed helplessly, its movements growing weaker as the wooden spears pierced deeper.
Taking advantage of the Titan's immobility, Naruto fired his ODM hooks into its shoulder, propelling himself upward in a tight spiral. His blades flashed once, and then he was past the creature, landing on a nearby windowsill as the Titan's body went limp, steam already rising from its wounds.
For a moment, silence reigned in the alley. Marco's mouth hung open in shock. Bertholdt and Reiner exchanged another meaningful glance.
"We need to move," Naruto said, his voice strained as he rejoined them on the remaining stable portion of the rooftop. "This area isn't secure."
"Not until you explain what the hell that was," Reiner demanded, stepping directly into Naruto's path. His normally friendly demeanor had hardened into something more confrontational. "Since when can soldiers grow trees from nothing?"
Naruto met Reiner's gaze steadily. "Since when do we have time for a biology lesson in the middle of a Titan attack?"
"That wasn't normal, Naruto," Marco interjected, his expression a mixture of confusion and concern rather than accusation. "How did you—"
"I've always been able to do it," Naruto cut him off, scanning the rooftops for signs of more Titans. "It's something I was born with. That's all I know."
"That's not possible," Bertholdt said quietly, speaking up for the first time. "Humans can't—"
"Apparently they can," Annie interrupted coolly. "And right now, it just saved our lives. We can discuss impossibilities when we're not in immediate danger of being eaten."
Reiner's eyes narrowed as he studied Annie. "You knew about this."
It wasn't a question. Annie didn't deny it, her impassive gaze betraying nothing.
"Look," Naruto said, stepping between them, "I'll tell you everything later. Right now, we have a wounded soldier who needs medical attention and a mission to complete." He gestured toward the injured man who was watching their exchange with increasing anxiety. "What matters more—my weird ability or saving lives?"
The tension hung in the air for several heartbeats before Reiner's shoulders relaxed slightly. "Fine. But this conversation isn't over."
"Agreed," Naruto nodded, relieved at the temporary reprieve. "Let's get to the emergency medical station near the inner gate. Our friend here needs help, and I could use a moment to recover."
Marco moved to support the wounded soldier, still casting bewildered glances at Naruto.
Reiner called from the edge of the roof. "We're clear for now, but I hear fighting to the north. We should move while we can."
Naruto nodded, pushing aside his fatigue and the questions swirling in his mind. The battle for Trost was far from over, and his secret was no longer his own. Whatever consequences that brought would have to wait.
As Squad 34 moved across the rooftops toward the emergency medical station, Naruto couldn't help but notice how Reiner and Bertholdt kept exchanging glances, their expressions unreadable. Marco still looked stunned, occasionally staring at Naruto as if seeing him for the first time.
Only Annie remained unchanged, her face a cool mask of indifference.
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