Chapter 16: The Last Night of Peace
( — 0.0.0.0.0 — )
Naruto calmly walked away from Shiganshina, with Wall Maria visible in the distance.
He reached a tree, where he sat down while continuing to calmly eat his bread.
When he finished, the blond let out a satisfied sigh, as it had been a long time since he had eaten properly.
"Yeah... that was good," Naruto said, as he gazed at the beautiful scenery before him.
He didn't fully understand why, but whenever he was surrounded by landscapes like this, he felt at peace, as if these places brought him a sense of tranquility.
Then, remembering the Titans, he wondered how he would use his new powers this time.
"Now, Aetheria, how exactly do I use the new Titan powers?" Naruto asked curiously.
[The simple way to use the other Titan powers is to simply name them or think about them. Once you do, the system will register which Titan you wish to become, and you will transform into it.]
Naruto nodded at Aetheria's informative response and, curious about his powers, moved a little farther away.
He walked toward a somewhat open field and, once he was standing in the middle of it, lowered his gaze toward his hand. He thought for a moment about which of his new Titans he should transform into.
Since the Jaw Titan had been the first one he obtained from the roulette, it should be the first one he used.
However, before doing so, he stored his scarf and jacket with a thought, as he didn't want those clothes to disappear like the previous ones had.
"Jaw Titan."
Naruto spoke, as a faint golden lightning bolt flashed through his eyes before he bit into his hand.
A violent bolt of lightning struck the blond, engulfing him in its radiance as a storm of electrical discharges surrounded him, bathing the area in blinding light.
Moments later, when the energy began to dissipate, an imposing figure emerged from within the remains of the steam.
A Titan approximately five meters tall that, despite its size, retained an athletic and muscular build.
Its body was perfectly defined, with pale skin that contrasted with its savage appearance.
Its face was terrifying; a thick, long, and messy mane of blond hair sprouted from its head, falling wildly around it. Its eyes shone with a piercing blue, filled with inhuman ferocity.
Its face was dominated by a powerful armored jaw, resembling a natural mask covered in blade-sharp teeth.
Its hands were likewise protected by thick armor and ended in sharp claws that dug forcefully into the ground, while pointed, armored bones protruded from its elbows like weapons ready to tear apart any enemy.
The Titan's mouth opened slightly, releasing a small amount of steam as its gaze remained fixed ahead.
Inside the nape, Naruto remained motionless, controlling the gigantic body while experimenting with its movements.
Unlike his previous Titan, this form relied on all four limbs, giving it a more savage and predatory stance.
He tested it for a few moments, moving its limbs with some difficulty at first. However, after having previously used the Attack Titan, controlling this new transformation was not a real challenge for him.
Little by little, the Titan began to move forward, adapting to its new anatomy. And so, Naruto continued on his way in that monstrous form.
However, as he calmly moved forward, he noticed something in the distance: a group of three armed men walking along the road, each carrying a different weapon.
One carried an axe, while the other two each carried a knife.
Naruto raised an eyebrow, wondering where those men were headed.
After watching them for a moment, he shrugged.
Steam erupted from the Titan's neck before Naruto emerged from its nape.
"Well, let's see what these guys are up to," Naruto said calmly before beginning to follow them.
After a while, he watched as they reached a simple cabin, which piqued his curiosity even further.
Without making a sound, he remained hidden and observed. One of the men knocked on the door and, seconds later, it opened, revealing an ash-blond-haired man.
The man was about to speak to the strangers, but one of them suddenly stabbed him.
Naruto watched the scene curiously. Moments later, a dark-haired woman lunged at the man with the axe, only to receive a blow to the neck.
His curiosity growing even stronger, the blond decided to get closer.
He calmly approached until he was at a sufficient distance to observe the inside of the cabin without being discovered.
Meanwhile, the three men remained completely focused on their objective.
None of them imagined that, only a few meters away, a child was silently watching their every move.
Several minutes passed like this.
The silence of the forest once again took hold of the area until the cabin door opened.
The three men emerged from inside.
One of them carried a small black-haired girl over his shoulder, dressed in a light-colored, long-sleeved nightgown. She remained unconscious, her arms tied with ropes.
Naruto watched the scene from his hiding place, following the girl with his eyes.
Then, for the first time since he had awakened, a new interface appeared before his eyes as he looked at her.
[Name: Mikasa Ackerman]
[Age: 9 years old]
[Race: Human (Inactive Titan Hybrid)]
[Role in the Story: Deuteragonist]
[Universe: Attack on Titan]
[Mikasa was a girl who had just lost her parents at the hands of traffickers. After witnessing their murder, she fell into a deep state of shock. Every sense of security and innocence she had ever known disappeared, and without her parents, she could no longer find any reason to resist death.
And without her knowing it, deep within her remained the inactive bloodline of the Ackerman family.]
[Attributes: (Health: 840 / 840), (Strength: 5), (Vitality: 5), (Agility: 4), (Endurance: 5), (Intelligence: 7), (Wisdom: 6), (Luck: 50), (Charm: 6)]
[Abilities: (Observation - Novice), (Fast Learner - Apprentice), (Survival Instinct - Beginner), (Ackerman Bloodline - Inactive)]
[Weaknesses: (Combat Inexperience), (Great Innocence), (Dependence on Her Parents), (Unfamiliarity with the Outside World), (Inactive Ackerman Bloodline)]
[Main Parameter Toward Naruto: Love/Affection: 0%]
[Secondary Parameters Toward Naruto: (Fear: 0%), (Distrust: 0%), (Trust: 0%), (Hostility: 0%), (Respect: 0%), (Empathy: 0%), (Willingness to Follow Him: 0%), (Loyalty: 0%), (Dependence: 0%)]
Naruto stared at the screen curiously, wondering why that girl was the first person to make it appear.
Since he had awakened, he had seen many people, but nothing like this had ever happened.
When the interface disappeared, he began following the men.
"Aetheria," he said calmly. "Why did that information appear?"
After a few seconds, the artificial intelligence responded.
[The character "Mikasa Ackerman" possesses a high level of importance to the development of this world.]
Naruto blinked, not understanding those words, even though he had seen them.
"That thing about being a deuteragonist," he said. "What does that mean?"
[A deuteragonist is one of the main characters in a story. Their actions, decisions, and experiences, together with those of other characters, help move the plot forward.]
[If you wish to investigate, you may continue following those men and alter the story.]
Although he didn't understand why that term was important, he sensed that it had some value.
As he followed the men along the dirt road, he remembered another detail from the screen.
[Ackerman Bloodline - Inactive.]
"What could that be...?"
His curiosity continued to grow.
There were too many things about this world that he didn't know, and for some reason, that girl seemed to be connected to many of them.
Mikasa Ackerman.
That name became etched into his mind. Not because it seemed familiar, but because the system had displayed information about her.
He looked at her again.
At first glance, she simply appeared to be a small child. She showed no extraordinary strength or anything else that would make her seem special.
But the screen claimed otherwise.
"I guess I'll have to find out," Naruto said. "In that case, what should I do, Aetheria?"
Although he had already decided to intervene, he still didn't know the best way to do it.
[For the moment, it would be best to continue following them. It will be more convenient to act once they reach a secluded location.]
Naruto nodded at Aetheria's suggestion and continued following them.
Without anyone noticing, the small dark-haired girl's eyes moved slightly, as if she were trapped in a nightmare.
( --- 0.0.0.0.0 --- )
Silence enveloped a cabin hidden deep within the forest. The air was cold, but the warmth of the fireplace turned the place into a cozy refuge.
To Mikasa Ackerman, a nine-year-old girl, that place was her entire world.
There were no dangers outside; there were only her mother, her father, and those peaceful days that seemed to last forever.
Although her body remained unconscious, her mind clung to those memories, as if her heart refused to leave the last place where she had known happiness.
She remembered her mother by the window, delicately sewing as sunlight passed through the glass and illuminated her long black hair.
Her hands moved with hypnotic elegance, and every so often she would look up and give her a warm smile that drove away any fear.
"Come, Mikasa," Hana Ackerman said softly, calling her daughter. "I want to show you again."
The little girl approached with clumsy steps, trying to follow the movements of the needle. She always ended up tangling the thread or pricking her finger, drawing a soft laugh from her mother.
"You don't have to do it perfectly. Just keep trying."
Those words were accompanied by a gentle caress and Hana's sweet smile.
Kenji Ackerman was different. Tall, strong, and reserved, he spent his days chopping wood, repairing tools, or hunting. But whenever he returned home, he left his seriousness behind.
"Helping Mom again?" Kenji asked calmly, watching his wife and daughter.
Mikasa nodded proudly, holding a small piece of fabric covered in crooked stitches.
Kenji smiled and gently patted his daughter's head.
"You're getting better every day," he said proudly.
It was a simple compliment, but it meant a lot to her.
Nights were her favorite time. The three of them would gather around the table while the wind gently struck the wooden walls of the cabin.
Hana would talk about old family traditions, Kenji would listen in silence, and Mikasa would ask questions about everything that sparked her curiosity.
Those moments seemed eternal.
There was no fear or pain. There was only the warmth of home.
After dinner, her father would place one last log into the fireplace before extinguishing the lamps.
"Good night, Mikasa."
"Good night, Dad... Mom."
She would snuggle beneath the blankets, listening to the crackling of the fire. Outside, the rain struck the wooden roof, but even the storm seemed peaceful when she knew her parents were nearby.
That was her world.
Small.
Simple.
Perfect.
And deep within that dream, Mikasa smiled with an innocence that still knew nothing of the world's cruelty.
Without knowing it, those would be the final memories of the life she was about to lose.
( -- Time Skip -- )
The warm memory changed.
It was a quiet afternoon. Outside, the wind stirred the trees while the aroma of freshly prepared food filled the small cabin.
It was a day like any other.
Mikasa sat beside her parents around the wooden table. Her mother served the food with a peaceful smile, while her father cut a piece of bread.
"Eat before it gets cold," Hana said softly.
Mikasa nodded silently and picked up her utensils.
Then...
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Three sharp knocks echoed through the door.
All three of them looked up almost at the same time.
Her father frowned slightly.
"Did Dr. Yeager come this early?" Kenji asked, confused.
He knew the family doctor was coming that day, but he hadn't expected him to arrive so early.
Hana shook her head.
"I don't know."
Silence once again took hold of the room.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Kenji placed his utensils on the table and slowly stood up.
"Stay here."
Mikasa watched as he headed toward the entrance. His heavy boots echoed across the wooden floor until he stopped in front of the door.
He took hold of the handle and opened the door a few inches.
There was no time for words, introductions, or threats.
A hand emerged from the other side, holding a knife.
STAB!
The blade plunged into her father's abdomen with terrifying brutality.
His eyes widened. A gasp escaped his throat as blood stained his clothes.
"...Ah..." Kenji, with a wound in his stomach, staggered backward.
Before he could react, three men burst into the cabin.
Her father's body fell heavily onto the wooden floor, against the wall near the main entrance.
"No...!"
Her mother's scream shattered the silence.
Without thinking, Hana grabbed the knife from the table and rushed toward the man leading the group.
Desperately, she thrust the blade forward, but it merely grazed his clothes.
"You crazy bitch!"
The same man, fed up, raised the axe before bringing it down forcefully onto the woman's neck.
CRACK!
The blow was fatal.
As Hana fell, she turned toward Mikasa before collapsing onto the floor, never to rise again.
The knife slipped from her hand as a red stain spread beneath her body.
Everything happened too quickly.
Mikasa remained motionless. Her legs wouldn't respond, her hands trembled, and her eyes remained fixed on her parents' bodies.
She couldn't understand what she was seeing. She couldn't accept what had just happened.
The three men began arguing, blaming the one who had stabbed Hana for killing a pure Oriental.
Then, one of them slowly turned his head.
His eyes met Mikasa's, and she took a step back purely on instinct.
The man walked toward her until he stood directly in front of her. He stared at her for a few seconds.
"You'll be enough for now."
Mikasa tried to step backward once more.
She couldn't.
SMACK!
The slap struck her face with force.
The world spun. She lost her balance and fell to the floor.
The room became blurry. The men's voices slowly faded away. The last thing she saw was the motionless bodies of her parents lying on the floor of the cabin that, only minutes ago, had been her home.
After that...
Only darkness remained.
( — 0.0.0.0.0 — )