[Recap] As the door closed behind them and the male cadet, they heard the low voice of the woman, "ist, sie vor allen, die nicht in diesem Lager sind, geheim zu halten [Transl. ist, sie vor allen, die nicht in diesem Lager sind, geheim zu halten: is to keep this a secret from everyone not in this camp]."
You can't miss what you've never had; therefore in his upbringing, Naruto did not miss getting attention. He did long for it however. He was no longer an attention seeker anymore though. As he grew up, and earned the respect and recognition from those around him, he no longer felt a need for going out of his way to draw gazes. He, instead, took pleasure in doing good deeds for others without expecting anything in return. In doing this, he developed strong, long lasting bonds that he treasured. He no longer had to prove himself either; everyone, that he knew, had complete faith in him.
Besides, if he really craved attention all he'd have to do was look inside himself. It sounded cheesy, but it was meant quite literally. Peering into himself, he'd find his bijū, the Kyūbi no yōko, as well as his new additions, bijūs one through eight. He was never truly lonely (though he did wish it hadn't taken the first 12 years of his life to realize it).
Anyway, the main point was that Naruto was not an attention seeker.
Which was why the first introduction to their peers, was not the ideal debut that he was hoping for. They didn't get the courtesy of an actual interaction, however the moment they walked through the door, he and his teammates were met with a room full of numerous people sitting down for a meal. Although he had spotted them walking into this particular building, it somehow hadn't occurred to him that all the attention would be on them the moment the door opened. It was almost amusing how quickly they shut up – that was usually Sasuke's strong suit; he was probably best at it (coming only second to Naruto when he was serious), but this time their peers had a hand in it. Nobody said a word, but nobody had to. Curious glances were already being exchanged before they could even take a few steps.
Letting the awkward ambience marinate for a few seconds, the distinct features of everyone was clearly distinguishable. Those in front of Naruto didn't look like seasoned soldiers, such as the ones that had recently come in contact with; albeit some fighters in the Elemental Nations didn't look like seasoned fighters either. These people seemed too... mild to be fighters though – trainees perhaps? Then again, they didn't look like much at all, except for a select few. Maybe they were just orphans or something. That wouldn't explain the large crater meters away though – a play yard? There was no use dwelling on it. He'd be sure to attempt to find out information once they arrived at wherever they were supposed to be going.
Before they knew it, the attention that team 7 gained was quickly diverted back to the previous conversations they were having and their meals. While they tried to make it seem like they didn't care much, it was clear they were ultimately still the focus of the room. Naruto and Sakura honestly couldn't blame them. They not only looked like foreigners, but their brightly colored hair was almost another light source, sans Sasuke's. Not to mention they looked like they just came back from war (which they did, but they obviously didn't know that). Sasuke on the other hand thought that if they were going to check them out, they should at least be subtle about it. Naruto and Sakura could somewhat interpret what he was thinking by the irritated look on his face.
Once again, their attention was diverted to a snap that rang from behind team 7.
Turning around team 7 was met with the male soldier snapping his fingers to gain the attention of everyone in the room. The soldier behind them brushed past Naruto and began down the aisle of people with heavy footsteps. All eyes were now on him, and they began exchanging hushed whispers – of recognition? He stopped in the middle of the room and cleared his throat before he spoke in a commanding voice. "Kadetten, hört zu [Transl. Kadetten, hört zu: Cadets, listen up]," He paused to make sure everyone's attention was on him. Then, the door creaked open once again, this time permitting access to the female soldier and the kids that were outside. Noticing that they presumably interrupted something important, they quickly scampered to the few empty spaces on the benches with untouched meals in front of them. The female soldier kept her position behind Naruto and his teammates and the male soldier begun once again.
"Ich sage das nur einmal. Dies ist eine Anfrage von Commander Erwin selbst. Es ist von höchster Sicherheit [Transl. Ich sage das nur einmal. Dies ist eine Anfrage von Commander Erwin selbst. Es ist von höchster Sicherheit: I'm only going to say this once. This is a request from Commander Erwin himself. It is of top security.]" Soft gasps were heard across the room no doubt questioning what would be so important that the commander himself would request it and send his best scouts to voice it.
However, team 7 was completely lost. They partly figured out that they were probably speaking about him and his teammates, but to what extent, they knew not. Naruto slightly leaned to his right, "do you know what he's saying?" He neither spoke directly to Sakura or Sasuke, but it was Sasuke who responded. "Does it look like I know what she's saying," Sasuke replied, turning to his left, a deadpanned expression formed on his face.
"It was a rhetorical question," Naruto mumbled, rolling his eyes. "I'm pretty sure that's not what a rhetorical question is, Naruto," Sakura whispered to him before turning her attention back to the soldier speaking.
"Die Kinder, die du vor dir siehst, sind heimlich hier. Ihr Aufenthaltsort sollte vorerst geheim bleiben. Außerhalb dieses Lagers soll niemand darüber sprechen – schon gar nicht von der Militärpolizei. Verstehen [Transl. Die Kinder, die du vor dir siehst, sind heimlich hier. Ihr Aufenthaltsort sollte vorerst geheim bleiben. Außerhalb dieses Lagers soll niemand darüber sprechen – schon gar nicht von der Militärpolizei. Verstehen: The children you see before you are here in secret. They're whereabouts should stay undisclosed for now. No one is to speak about them outside of this camp ground – especially not by the military police. Understand]?" "Jawohl Kapitän Levi [Transl. Jawohl Kapitän Levi: Yes Captain Levi]," echoed across the room, gazes back on the newly introduced kids – or what appeared to be children. Naruto wondered how they'd react if they found out they were 16 and 17 years olds. Hopefully they'd find out later than sooner, if not never.
The soldier, presumably Levi, gave Team 7 a pointed look and turned back around, heading deeper into the building. The female soldier, still behind them, nudged them forward. Taking this as a sign to trudge ahead, they ignored the stares they were getting and began the short stroll to the back rooms.
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It wasn't until the three new kids and Captain Levi and Hange vanished towards the back of the cabin and they heard the doors to the back rooms click shut, that there was an uproar – a quiet one at that. Surely it wasn't unusual to bring in new cadets; Eren was sure they would be bringing in more almost every week with determined eyes and solid resolves (although many of them would return in the wagon with those very same resolves broken, like today). It was their first day though, so he wasn't entirely sure if they would bring in more. However, it was unusual to bring in children that looked like they were kissed by death. In terms of health, they could only guess how they were still on their feet; but their clothes could have made the damage look more severe than it was, due to them being drenched in blood from head to toe.
To make matters more complex, those kids definitely weren't from here. The only way they could truly describe them as were 'foreigners.' They were no doubt from another village, maybe not even the same walls. The smartest of the bunch deduced that they could possibly be victims of titan attacks like many of them had been two years ago. That would certainly explain their horrid appearances. However, news of a new titan attack would surely make its way there by now. They would have went ahead and sent a messenger on horse to notify surrounding villages while other fought the titans off. Since no news was heard, that couldn't be the case.
Everyone debated over a nice repeat of what they always had – bread and soup (or what they imagined to be soup) – of what could have happened to the kids. Many came to the same concept that if they were, in fact, victims of a new titan attack, they would be devoured or crushed. Instead, countless cuts and wounds littered their bodies, some shallow and some severe; they varied. There was no way they have accumulated such wounds from man eating beasts.
More debating ensued, with some arguments, but ultimately, they all circled back around to why Commander Erwin himself deemed it of upmost importance to keep them a secret.
"Maybe they're in a witness protection program." A voice rang out, accompanied by others in response.
"That doesn't seem likely. The scouts typically don't take care of those under witness protection; the military police do. And Captain Levi said not to say a word to them."
"That's right! Under that logic, they're probably criminals!"
"Oh come on. Why would the scouts be housing criminals?"
"I don't know, but I've been hearing around that the scouts shouldn't be trusted."
"Wait, I've been hearing that too. You could be on to something."
All the resentment and hostility towards the scouts made Eren's blood boil. He found what they were currently doing was a little dodgy, but he was sure they had their reasons. It would do anyone good if they continued to distrust them. He also didn't want their reputation to be tarnished; especially when he would be in that same regiment.
"Can we not worry about that right now," Eren's cut through the debate, succeeding in temporarily silencing it as all the attention was turned to him. "I'd rather find out where those kids came from and why they looked like that."
"Uhh, okay. Well, the colossal titan hasn't made an appearance in two years. Maybe it's behind it." It was certainly suspicious how the colossal and armored titan hadn't been spotted in years. There had to be some ulterior motive; there was no reason for them to destroy the outer wall and vanish.
"Wait a minute. You really think it could be behind it?"
"That's not possible. Word would have spread by now."
"Well, only a few of us were at Shiganshina two years ago, so we can't really speak for-"
"I was there." All eyes turned to Eren once again. Exclamations of disbelief along with clattering of spoons meeting bowls were heard around the room. It was slightly funny to him how amazed they were by his statement; surely they knew not everyone came from the same place, right? A circle formed around Eren who continued to eat his meal.
"Seriously?"
"How big was it?"
"Tall enough to look right over the wall," Eren responded, tone bored while he shoveled more 'soup' into his mouth. Those that knew him watched from outside the circle, as he retold the events as if he had no care in the world. He recounted size, its appearance and details about the armored titan as well with a blank expression. It wasn't until someone asked about how titans were really like that a sliver of emotion slipped through his carefully crafted mask.
An expression of fear formed on his face; he let his spoon fall into his bowl as he was reminded of the memory of his mother being eaten. He clapped his hand over his mouth, while everyone simply stared; gaining concerned looks. They hadn't meant to push him to relive his encountered. Surely it was traumatizing. What they didn't expect was him to cool his features, recovering from his initial reaction and go on a rant about how once he got the hang of the 3d maneuver gear, he'd be sure to exterminate all titans. It didn't seem like a lie either, that's what put many of them off. Except for Jean as it seemed, as he began picking a fight with him.
Thankfully, it hadn't resulted in violence and they made up and separated, being notified it was time for bed by the bell. The excitement died down, and everyone retreated to their designated cabins; some faster than others. And for a while, all memory of the kids were put away, instead being replaced by the fogging of exhausted minds. It was only the first day and they were tuckered out. The next day would surely be brutal.
2,200 Words
Hey guys, sorry for the late chapter. I felt like everything I wrote didn't meet my expectations and I didn't want to disappoint you guys. I rather had quality over quantity so I rewrote and edited a few times until I got something I was happy with. However, I'm still sorry for the long wait. I hope you guys enjoyed it regardless.
Just so you guys no what to expect for next time, the next chapter will probably be two weeks from now but, it could be earlier.
Also, when you read the upcoming chapters, just remember that although today (in the story) is like first day for the training of the cadets, it not going to take like two years. With fan fic logic, let's just say they only need a few months of training to go into whatever regiment they want.
Please leave you feedback and/or requests to make the story better. Until next time!