A Shinobi of Paradis Chapter 17 (ODM Gear ) (Patreon)

The brilliant blue sky and feel the warm embrace of the sun's rays on his skin. Despite the daunting importance of the test that lay ahead, his spirits lifted, and a wave of cheerfulness washed over him. The feeling was akin to starting a new chapter in his life.

Sets of four wooden poles hold up pairs of cables. At each set, they form lines, having already been dressed in the combat harness.

Naruto stood near his siblings, with Armin nearby, both of whom were preparing to take the ODM test. As he observed Armin's demeanor, he noticed that he appeared uneasy, his body shifting restlessly as if he was trying to shake off the nerves coursing through him.

"Don't worry, Armin. This test will be easy." Naruto quickly reassured him, making the blonde nod in agreement, a smile forming on his face.

"He's right, Armin. Soon enough. This part of the training will be over, and we can train on how to kill Titans." Eren said with a bright smile.

"Doesn't your mother want you both to join the Garrison?" Armin questioned; from the two years he had spent living in Hannes's house with Eren and everyone else, it hadn't taken long for Armin to understand just how much Lady Carla was against Naruto and Eren joining the Survey Corps. At least once a month, the discussion would be brought up one way or another.

"Mother will understand." Naruto suddenly said, his eyes flickering at his brother before looking back at Armin. "She knows that we will join, and she knows together nothing will harm us," Naruto added, his blue eyes glittering against the sunlight; Eren was quick to agree with his little brother.

Eventually, it was Armin's turn, and despite how nervous he was a moment ago. He did quite well, quickly getting the hang of it. Then it was Mikasa. Neither Naruto nor Eren were surprised to see that she had no problems whatsoever keeping her balance; if Naruto didn't know her, then he would have thought that she had done this many times before and was already an expert, but Naruto quickly noticed a certain look on Eren's face. A look of slight jealousy.

"Eren, don't be like that." Naruto suddenly said in a hushed tone, making Eren escape his thoughts as he turned his head to look at Naruto.

"Like what?"

"You might try to fool anyone, but you can't fool me. I know you are jealous because Mikasa is doing things so easily," Naruto said with a knowing smile. Eren sighed, knowing he could keep many things hidden from Mikasa and Armin but not from Naruto. His little brother was always able to read him like an open book; when he had been younger, Eren was sure his brother could actually read his mind.

"Well, she is, you know everything comes easy to her." Eren was quick to say with a slightly higher voice, allowing his anger to slip into his words.

"Eren." Naruto suddenly called him, his voice firm and commanding but a bit scolding, too.

"I understand that you might feel that you are not good enough, but just how she's good at being a soldier. You, too, are good at something else. Trust me, I believe that soon you will see just how good you are at something that Mikasa isn't, and don't forget. Mikasa is one of us; when you see her succeed, you use that as a drive to keep moving forward and getting better. You understand, Eren." Naruto said, placing his hand on Eren's shoulder; his green eyes looked at Naruto, impressed.

"Sometimes I think you should have been a writer, Naruto. You are very good with words." Eren said with a smile; Naruto returned the smile, and soon, it was their turn to be lifted up.

Naruto walked up to the mechanism. The first guy steps up, and one of the trainers attaches his harness to the cables. Slowly, one of them hoists him up off the ground with a crank handle. The cadet begins to wobble as soon as his feet are off the ground, swaying in the air, slightly forward, slightly backward, his concentration evident. Just as Naruto thought he was doing good enough when the mechanism suddenly went totally wrong; before he could understand what was happening, Naruto was upside down, looking at everyone else, many of them openly laughing at them, pointing mocking fingers at them.

What the hell? What just happened? Why am I upside down? Naruto asked himself as he tried to force himself upwards, but the mechanism wasn't allowing him much movement; Naruto quickly noticed he wasn't the only one upside down. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Eren, too, was upside down, just like him.

"Yeager brothers! What is wrong with you two brats? You can't do Shit!" The Instructor shouted mockingly at them, causing more cadets to laugh openly at them. Naruto clenched his teeth in anger as he tried to stand up, the mechanism trying to keep him upside down.

"Look at the losers. And they were talking all big!!" One mocked them, quickly followed by others; Naruto clenched his teeth hard from anger.

Do not Mock my brother, you Bastards, Naruto thought with growing anger; as he used his strength to force himself into a normal position, his back and stomach muscles started burning from the growing pain, and the metallic wires started creaking loudly and shaking, everyone quickly noticed the way the entire mechanism started shaking as Naruto kept trying to move himself in a normal position.

Come On!! Naruto thought; as he was halfway there, he knew everyone was looking at him; he knew the power he was currently displaying wasn't exactly normal as the wires keeping him above the ground started creaking even more. Naruto was certain the wires would snap at any moment, but he refused to give up.

Suddenly with a new lift of strength, Naruto was in a normal position, his lips twitched upwards, ready to celebrate, only for the mechanism once again to keep from standing normally, suddenly the ground came towards him, his forehead slammed against the ground, loud enough that many gasped.

"Naruto!!"

Naruto heard Eren, Mikasa, and Armin calling out his name; he gripped his head in pain, his hand and head turned wet, a sharp pain on his forehead. Naruto knew he had screwed up; his head bleeding was bad news. Engulfed in a disorienting haze, his surroundings transformed into a blurry landscape, causing him to struggle in his attempts to discern the intricate details of his environment. Amidst the chaos, he could faintly recognize the persistent calls of his name from familiar voices, yet the words they uttered remained inscrutable to him. Unfortunately, their unrelenting volume only served to exacerbate his already throbbing headache, further entangling him in this distressing situation.

"Quiet!" Naruto suddenly shouted. The voices stopped as his vision slowly turned back to normal, only to see that the Instructor was right in front of him; his hand touched his injured forehead. Naruto wanted to say he was fine; his injuries always healed quickly.

"I'm fine, Instructor, just a bad headache," Naruto said, trying to make it clear that they didn't need to send him to the doctor or something. The Instructor didn't say anything and looked at his forehead from different angles; Naruto could see the concerned looks he was getting from Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. He looked down at his hands, only to see his right hand was red with blood, and soon he noticed the amount of fresh blood on the dirt.

Was I bleeding this much?! Naruto asked himself, knowing this would undoubtedly raise a few eyebrows; his forehead was no longer bleeding, but Naruto was certain someone would definitely be suspicious of him for healing so fast.

"It seems you are fine, but just to be sure. You need to see the doctor." Great, Naruto groaned as he rubbed his wound; by now, his forehead was mostly healed, and the only sign left that there had been a wound was the dried blood around his forehead and cheek.

Naruto stood up, using the nearby metal pole as support. Mikasa tried to help him stand up, but he quickly shook his head. Naruto walked towards the doctor, keeping his head low, feeling shame. I can't believe I couldn't do it. No. This is not over yet. We will have another chance tomorrow, Naruto thought, walking away, trying to ignore the pity looks he was getting. Followed by Eren, who looked concerned for him, but Naruto knew how angry he was.

Later

After the doctor checked on Naruto, he told him that his forehead was mostly healed and only told him not to move his head too much. Once they walked outside, Naruto excused himself to go to the toilet to heal his wound privately. Eren had been concerned and asked a couple of times if he was alright; Naruto had dismissed him, saying that he was fine and that all he needed was a few moments by himself to heal himself without anyone noticing.

Naruto returned with the wound mostly healed; all that was left was a tiny scar; he had cleaned the blood from his face. When asked why he left the scar, Naruto said that it would be suspicious if the scar disappeared on the same day he got injured.

Soon, they returned back to the common room. Naruto and Eren got looks from everyone, but the blonde ignored everyone, trying to figure out what he did wrong and how he failed. But Naruto noticed the way Annie glanced at him, at least twice. He wondered if she was perhaps concerned or maybe she just found it strange that his forehead was already healed.

After lunch, Naruto and Eren decided that they wanted to try again and not give up.

"Right, loose but balanced," nods Eren. "Let's give it a shot."

Slowly, Armin begins to winch Eren up. Just as Eren's feet leave the ground. Almost immediately, Eren leans too far forward, spinning toward the ground, but Naruto quickly gets a hold of him before he can smash his head against the ground like he did. Armin quickly lowers Eren down, and Mikasa rushes forward, practically tearing Eren out of the harness.

Eren grunts at failing again, while Naruto couldn't help but look at the mechanism suspiciously. I don't remember seeing anyone else being upside down like Eren and me; Naruto thought as he followed Mikasa behind.

Eren and Naruto walked inside, with the blonde trying to convince his big brother that they wouldn't fail. Armin and Mikasa head outside again. "What are we going to do?"

Armin sits down on the veranda and stares at the dirt. "I really don't know. They can't seem to stay balanced; they fall forwards as soon as they are on their own support. I can't understand it."

"Neither can I. At the least, they should be able to hold for a few moments. Especially Naruto, he's not one to try too hard."

"That could be it. Even so, it doesn't add up; greater concentration should improve their performance, not make it worse."

They both sit still for a few minutes, pondering the situation. "What do you think they will do if they gets sent off to the fields?" Mikasa asks eventually.

Armin bites his lip, "I really don't know. That worries me; Naruto still has a future as a doctor, but Eren is likely to do something desperate."

"You don't think he'd try going out there on his own, do you?"

"I honestly don't know. Eren's desperate for this, and he can't think of an alternative. He might do anything."

Later

That evening, Eren and Naruto are even more of a laughing stock since their accident. Asking other people for advice has yet to amount to anything. Eren's confidence the first week makes his failure today such fine comedy that no one even considers potentially bringing it to an end.

Eren's earlier frustration has changed to depression. "How the hell am I supposed to kill Titans if I can't even stand up straight?" He asks with growing anger at every word he says.

Mikasa puts her fingertips together and looks at him, "I think it might be time to let that dream die, Eren."

Oh, no, Naruto thought, knowing right away what Mikasa just said wasn't the right thing to say, and he was proven right when Eren turned to look at Mikasa, all the anger now directed towards her; Naruto was ready to pull Eren away if he tried something stupid.

"What are you saying? Do you think I should go work in the fields?"

"I'm saying that what you want right now doesn't matter. Whether or not you're fit to be a soldier isn't up to you."

Eren clenches his fist and stands up. "Like I care. I'm not about to let this opportunity slip away just because of some dumb balancing act." He walks away from the table and heads for the door. Armin hesitates for a few moments, then follows him.

Watching his big brother walk away, Naruto was tempted to follow him, but he quickly looked at his sister and the way she hid her face with her scarf. Naruto knew she only wanted what was the best for them, but he didn't want to admit failure. "Mikasa, I know where you are coming from, but do you really think Eren is one to work in the fields?" Mikasa didn't answer to him; they both knew the answer to that question.

"You know how he is, how he sees that living inside the walls just for the sake of living is living like a cattle. Eren would never just stand down and do nothing. You need to understand that Eren is not one to accept defeat."

"What about both of your lives then?" Mikasa suddenly snapped, taking Naruto by surprise, but her eyes went wide before looking away, using more of her scarf to hide her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell." Mikasa apologized right away, and from the way she moved, Naruto knew she was about to walk away when he placed his hand on her shoulder, turning her around, and surprising her with a sudden hug.

"Mikasa, you are my sister, despite our blood. You are my family. But you need to realize that Eren is not going to stand down. Even I know that. I wanted to become a doctor, but I will be there to help both Armin and Eren. Mikasa, you can't change his mind; what you can do is show him support, show him that you believe in him as I do. Trust me, it will help him more than you think." Naruto said softly as he rubbed the middle of her back, making her feel better. Mikasa hugged him back, her face resting on the crook of his neck before they pulled away.

A few tears rolled down her face, her eyes looking back at Naruto with gratitude. "Thank you, little brother," Mikasa said with a cheeky smile. Naruto couldn't help but chuckle. This was the first time Mikasa had called him 'Little Brother.'

"Everything for you, Mikasa," Naruto said. He couldn't help but find joy that he could help Mikasa in any way.

But Naruto quickly walked outside to check something now that Eren wasn't around. He wanted to check something on the mechanism.

Eren

"Guys, can you help me with the test? Can you give me any advice?" Eren said, almost desperately, looking at them; Marco had a thoughtful look as if trying to come up with something.

Jean dramatically cleared his throat before speaking with a very deep voice. "Look, Eren. Some are just not cut to become soldiers, like me." He said, puffing his chest before laughing.

Eren clenched his teeth and seemed ready to beat up Jean, but Jean wasn't done yet with his mocking. "Where is your little brother? From what I saw, you both are not fit to be soldiers; he's probably even worse than you, after all." Jean's words were interrupted when Eren got a hold of Jean's collar, glaring at him furiously, a glare that made him gulp.

"You can call me whatever you want, but don't you dare insult Naruto," Eren growled at Jean, ready to punch him; perhaps a broken nose would get the point across much better.

"Stop, Eren." Armin quickly tried to pull them apart, and the same went for Marco, who was trying to pull Jean away from Eren.

"Eren!" Everyone turned to see Naruto approaching them; his eyes briefly flickered at Jean before looking back at Eren.

"Eren, I think we should try again. I know what the problem was," Naruto said. Eren looked at him with confusion; his brother made it seem as if the problem wasn't their fault.

"What do you mean?" Armin was quick to ask, sounding intrigued, but Naruto simply motioned for both of them to follow him outside.

They walked outside toward the mechanism. Naruto helped him, but Armin didn't move the switch.

"Listen, once your feet leave the ground, move your right leg forward and your left backward, and spread your arms for extra balance," Naruto said seriously, looking directly at his green eyes. Eren nodded with determination as Armin flipped the switch. Naruto stood right next to Eren in case he lost control.

The moment his feet left the ground, Naruto saw Eren almost falling upside down once again, but he balanced himself, this time not falling.

"Come on, Eren, you can do it," Armin encouraged as Eren kept his balance, his body still moving around. He kept moving his legs to balance himself, but his body wasn't balancing properly.

After a minute of floating, Naruto gestured for Armin to lower him down. "Good job, Eren. This is more than enough for both of us to pass the test tomorrow." He said as Eren's face brightened up like a fire.

"That's not all though," Naruto was quick to add before grasping a small round device of the ODM Gear.

"This is broken. Mine and yours were broken Eren. That's why we couldn't balance." Naruto explained much to Eren and Armin's shock, but Eren's eyes quickly filled with rage.

"Those Bastards. The ODM Gear is the most important thing for a soldier, and they make such big mistakes." Eren ranted with anger before stomping on the ground; the way his hands clenched together, Naruto knew Eren was in the mood to punch someone.

"Eren, it's alright."

"No, it is not." Eren was quick to shout, turning to look at Naruto. "You got hurt because of it." He added with concern, pointing at his forehead; the scar was the only sign left from the wound. Naruto instinctively reached up, touching the scar.

"Well, better me than anyone else, Eren," Naruto murmured under his breath. His hands gripped the round metallic device angrily, his knuckles turning white.

This was definitely intentional, but why would someone do this, Naruto thought, knowing that out of all the cadets, no one ended up upside down like they did. So he knew for certain that someone had intentionally sabotaged the two of them. For a brief moment, Naruto had thought that perhaps Mikasa had done something, but he had dropped that thought right away.

He knew his sister wasn't pleased that they wanted to join the Survey Corps, but he knew for a fact that she would never try to sabotage them just so they could fail the military.

Tomorrow

The following day, every cadet had gathered to see whether or not Eren and Naruto would be able to keep balance or fall upside down and go to the fields.

Eren and Naruto felt their hearts beating in their throat; it was their time to step forward when Eren felt a nudge on his shoulder; he didn't need to turn around to know who had called him.

"Good Luck, both of you," Mikasa whispered, hoping her words would encourage him; Eren was genuinely surprised that she encouraged him. Naruto and Eren shared a brief look before walking up to the mechanism.

"Lift them up," Shadis ordered. The engine started lifting Eren and Naruto.

Eren felt his gear twitching again, wanting him to fall upside down yet again, but he would rather die than allow himself to fail.

No, Never, he thought, keeping his balance as best as he could, using his legs and arms to balance himself; he quickly noticed that Naruto was in the same position as him, both trying to keep balance; many cadets were confused, still not understanding why their gears were moving so much.

It went on for several seconds; not once did Eren and Naruto turn upside down. Keith narrowed his eyes, checking the watch on his wrist; after one minute of being able to keep their balance, Keith ordered his men to lower them.

"Sir?" Naruto questioned, confused, seeing the Instructor walk up to him before looking at his gear; it took only a few seconds before he spoke again with a much higher tone than usual.

"It seemed your gear was damaged," he spoke, holding Eren and Naruto's belts in his hand, his hands tightening around the strap, causing it to creak. Everyone was quite impressed to know that Eren and Naruto were able to balance himself even with a broken gear; Mikasa and Armin smiled happily to see Eren and Naruto wouldn't be going anywhere. Ymir let out a whistle while Krista was clapping.

"So the suicidal bastards didn't fail," Jean commented, slightly impressed, but he would never admit it even if it were a life-or-death situation.

Naruto smiled in satisfaction, but he wondered who was responsible for the broken gear. He knew it was intentional.

Jean was a possible candidate, but Naruto knew that was probably not the case. While Jean was a selfish asshole who wanted to join a group of 'soldiers' so he could sit on his ass all day and do nothing. Jean wasn't someone who would go out of his way to sabotage them.

After their little training ended, Armin asked Naruto why he didn't tell the Instructor right away about the damaged belt but kept it a secret until the Instructor found out on his own.

"They all mocked us yesterday, Armin. Today, they all saw we were able to keep balance despite the broken gear; if something had gone wrong, I would have told the Instructor right away about the broken gear." Naruto explained with a hushed tone; Armin nodded with a knowing smile.

"So you wanted them to respect the two of you?"

"Yes." Naruto reaffirmed right away before looking straight at Armin. "I promise you, Armin. The four of us. One day. We will reach the Ocean. Together." Naruto promised, placing his hand on his shoulder; Armin nodded determinedly.

Later

Samuel's voice boomed across the room as he raised his glass of water triumphantly, offering a toast to all those who had successfully passed the ODM test. The cheers of the others echoed his sentiment as they raised their own glasses in celebration. Eren, in particular, was beaming from ear to ear, his smile never faltering since the moment he had passed the test earlier that day. His victory was even sweeter because he had accomplished it with broken gear, earning the respect of many who had previously doubted his abilities.

Naruto raised his glass, smiling widely, happy that they had overcome the first challenge. But as he drank water, Naruto noticed once again something. Annie, again, sent him curious glances. Naruto wondered what he had done to get her attention. She didn't seem like someone who cared much, if at all.

His hand instinctively touched the scar on his forehead. Perhaps she's just curious why I healed so fast, Naruto thought as he enjoyed the rest of the night, not noticing the looks he got from two others.