A Shinobi of Paradis Chapter 20 (An Accident) (Patreon)

As the night grew darker and the moon reached its zenith, the boy's barrack was filled with the soft sound of cadets breathing as they all lay sleeping soundly in their bunks. Exhausted from the rigorous training they had endured throughout the day, the cadets had eagerly anticipated the blissful escape that sleep provided. With their muscles aching and their minds racing with memories of the day, they eagerly slipped beneath their blankets. In the peaceful sanctuary of slumber, they could finally let down their guard and allow their bodies to heal from the strains of the day. Still, the darkness of the night was the perfect time for the thieves and murderers to thrive.

As the moon cast a dim light on the wooden floor, someone took each step cautiously and precisely, ensuring that the floorboards would not betray him with a creak or groan.

The moon was shining brightly outside Naruto's window as he lay in his bed, deep in slumber. Suddenly, a hand abruptly closed his mouth, causing him to jolt awake in alarm. Without thinking, he grabbed the wrist of the person, closing his mouth and giving it a little twist, making the person groan in pain. His other hand quickly punched him in the throat, earning a gasp of pain; Naruto was ready to kick him in the neck when he noticed that it was Reiner.

Reiner's heart was racing with fear as he kept massaging his injured throat, causing beads of sweat to trickle down his face.

"R-Reiner, what the hell are you doing?" Naruto's quick reflexes had stopped him from kicking him in the throat, leaving Reiner shaken and grateful to be alive.

Naruto's blue eyes squinted as they attempted to adjust to the darkness around him, the only source of light coming from the faint moonlight that managed to seep through the window curtains. He quickly noticed that Reiner wasn't the only one awake in the room. To his surprise, Bertholdt, Armin, his big brother, Jean, Marco, and Connie were all up.

Reiner's heart was pounding in his chest as he carefully massaged his sore wrist and throat, which Naruto had twisted with such force that it was still throbbing with pain. "Damn, man," he muttered uneasily, looking up at Naruto with a mixture of fear and anger in his eyes. "Calm down a little. You almost killed me back there."

"Why did you wake me like that?" he questioned, his voice muffled with grogginess, a little annoyed, and he wasn't trying to hide it.

Standing by the bed, Connie looked sheepishly at him and shrugged his shoulders. "Reiner said it would be funny to wake you up like that," he explained, rubbing the top of his bald head. Naruto shook his head in disbelief, feeling a mix of anger and frustration.

"Why did you wake me up anyway?" he questioned Reiner.

Reiner, rubbing his wrist in pain, remained silent, leaving Marco to fill in the gaps of what had transpired. "Reiner said he heard a bear outside. He woke us up to investigate," Marco explained, his voice laced with a hint of concern.

The other cadets roused from their sleep nodded in agreement with what Marco had said, their eyes scanning the dark forest surrounding their training corps for any sign of danger. However, in disbelief, Jean rolled his eyes, muttering about Reiner's tendency to exaggerate.

"Say what now?" Naruto said with a tinge of annoyance, interrupting Marco mid-sentence. "There are no bears in these mountains. Hell, the largest animals you can find around here are deer and wild boars," he continued, his frustration building up. It was 2 am, and he had been woken up for no good reason.

"I was playing chess with Bertholdt when I heard him outside. We should do something about it." His eyes darted around the room, meeting the gaze of every cadet whom Reiner had awakened. Meanwhile, Naruto stretched out his arms, shaking off the remnants of drowsiness from his eyes, ready to join in on whatever action the idiots would decide to do.

"I'm with Naruto on this one," Jean began, "we should call the officers or instructor Shadis. Why should we bother with a bear in the woods?" His tone was laced with irritation. Despite his attempt to hide it, the early morning hour of 2 am seemed to be taking its toll on him, especially since he was not accustomed to waking up at such an ungodly hour.

Eren's voice was dripping with disdain as he spoke to Jean, "Of course, you say that. If it was for you, Jean, you would rather let the bear attack everyone rather than move your finger and help." Jean let out a loud groan in response, clearly annoyed by Eren's words. Marco and Armin quickly stepped in, separating them before they could come to blows. They knew that if Eren and Jean started fighting, their commotion would surely wake everyone else in the camp. Despite the intervention of their friends, Eren and Jean continued to glare at each other.

"We should do this now," Reiner said with a sense of urgency, trying to convince his friends to follow him and find the bear. Naruto, on the other hand, rolled his eyes in response as he put on his boots.

Naruto was tempted to say that both Mikasa and Annie were capable of killing the bear on their own, especially Annie; in the last six months, Naruto and Annie had fought hand-to-hand combat countless times, and all of them had ended up in a tie, he was sure that his speed was the only reason he was able to keep up with her, Annie was excellent in her fighting moves, he had also gotten better with his cooking, he had promised Sasha that he would cook something for her once he got good enough.

"Very well, Reiner," Naruto said, his voice calm. "If a big, scary bear attacks us, then we will use you as shield, and while he's busy pummelling you, we will attack him from behind." Reiner let out a dry laugh. "Very funny."

"But I swear, if it's not a bear, you owe me food for an entire week," he said firmly, making his demand clear. With a final glance at Reiner, he walked past him, his footsteps echoing through the room; the latter was about to nod in agreement when Jean spoke...

"Same here, food for an entire week!" before giving Naruto an enthusiastic fist bump. The two young cadets were eager to venture outside the boy's domain and into the vast forest to find the bear Reiner had been talking about. As they made their way through the wooden door, the crisp autumn air enveloped them, and the sound of rustling leaves under their feet filled the silence. The forest was dense with tall trees, their branches swaying in the gentle breeze.

Naruto and his companions trudged through the dense forest, their eyes scanning the surroundings for any hint of the elusive bear they had been tracking for some time. Naruto often touched the ground, using his senses to try and spot the bear from afar; if the bear was real, then he would make sure to call the Instructor, but so far, he couldn't feel any bear nearby besides small animals in the forest.

As they advanced deeper into the woods, the moon was covered by clouds, and the forest became cloaked in darkness. As Naruto trudged through the dense forest, the only sound that pierced the stillness of the night was the hooting of an owl perched high up in a tree.

As Connie trudged through the swampy terrain, his boots sinking deeper and deeper into the mire, he suddenly spoke up with frustration and disappointment, "We are wasting our time." With each step, the sticky mud seemed to suck at his boots, making it nearly impossible to move forward, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of hopelessness creeping in.

"Boldy is right," Naruto agreed, earning a 'hey' from Connie.

As Reiner led the group of cadets through the dense forest, the rustling of leaves beneath their feet and the chirping of birds above their heads was the only sound that could be heard. Suddenly, without warning, Reiner halted and raised his hand, signaling everyone behind him to stop walking.

"Did you hear that? The Bear is somewhere around here. Be cautious." He crouched down almost to the ground, his eyes scanning the area for any sign of danger, while the other cadets followed suit. The others nodded along, except Naruto and Jean, who rolled their eyes, almost not believing their ears.

What I am feeling is definitely not a bear, he thought but decided to keep quiet; he couldn't wait to see Reiner's face.

"Reiner, there are no bears here, man. I think you are being paranoid," As Naruto spoke, Reiner's eyes darted around nervously, scanning the surrounding area for any sign of movement. Despite his friend's reassurances, he couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Suddenly, a rustling sound broke the silence, and Reiner's heart leaped into his throat. He gestured frantically for Naruto to be quiet, and the two of them crouched low to the ground, moving stealthily towards the noise source, except Jean and Naruto, who were walking without a care in the world.

Reiner suddenly halted, causing his friends to pause behind him. Reiner's intense gaze locked onto something in the distance, lurking just beyond the bushes ahead. He motioned for everyone to stay quiet and signaled for them to follow his lead. He slowly reached for the knife, parting the bushes with his bare arm as he approached their formidable foe...

"... A Squirrel!" Armin said with a deadpan look, pointing at the poor creature. It froze for a moment, its beady eyes darting around before it scampered away from them in a flurry of fur. The group let out a collective groan, some even rolling their eyes at the false alarm, realizing that there was no bear in sight. However, Jean and Naruto were unsurprised; the blonde could hardly contain his laughter.

With a smirk he could barely contain, Jean spoke up and said, "Good thing you were so cautious, Reiner." Standing beside him, Naruto chuckled in agreement at their friend's expense.

"Quiet!" Reiner warned with annoyance. He couldn't believe that he had mistaken a mere squirrel for a bear and felt a bit embarrassed about it.

"He's right, Jean. Show some respect. That little squirrel could have been the death of us all," Naruto japed, nudging Jean's shoulder slightly and causing everyone in their group to erupt in laughter. Even Bertholdt, who was usually the quiet one of the bunch, couldn't keep himself from chuckling slightly. But Reiner groaned loudly and brushed the dirt off his pants. "I think we should head back to the boy's domain," he said. "I don't want to risk running into any more of those deadly squirrels."

"Well, Squirrel boy, it seems you owe us food," Naruto claimed as he looked at Reiner with a mischievous glint in his eye. Reiner let out a groan.

Jean couldn't help but laugh with him, and the two shared a high-five. Meanwhile, Bertholdt, trailing behind the group, was doing his best to stifle his laughter. The group continued to joke and laugh as they walked through the forest. For a moment, they could forget about their troubles and just enjoy each other's company, united by their shared sense of humor and camaraderie.

"We spent half an hour hunting for a squirrel," Connie said with a loud yawn, his eyes feeling heavy with sleep. He was exhausted and desperately wanted to crawl into his cozy bed and drift into a deep slumber.

However, as the group of cadets came out of the dense forest, they noticed the imposing figure of Shadis standing at the edge of the clearing, his arms crossed behind his back. The sight of their stern instructor waiting for their return made Connie's heart sink with dread. He knew that any hope of catching up on his much-needed sleep was now out of the question.

"We are Fucked," Naruto claimed, his voice quivering with terror. The others couldn't help but gulp slightly, their faces turning pale as they realized the severity of their situation. Shadis had noticed them and was making his way toward them with the nastiest glare they had ever received from him.

As they stood frozen in place, Connie suddenly spoke up in a panicked voice, "I don't want to die." Cold sweat rolled down his cheek, and he couldn't help but hide behind Armin as their instructor marched closer.

"Squirrel boy, if I die. I blame you for this," Naruto said with a tone filled with a hint of regret, glancing at Reiner behind his shoulder before looking forward at Shadis, taking a deep, preparing himself for all the upcoming shouting as he decided to walk in front of the group of the cadets.

Naruto stopped before him, feeling a knot of anxiety tightening in his chest as he met the older man's piercing gaze. Shadis glared at Naruto, his arms crossed over his chest, waiting for an explanation for this blatant disregard for the rules.

"Instructor Shadis, it's so good to see such a fine gentleman before us," Naruto's attempt at humor fell flat as he tried to break the somber mood of the occasion. Naruto's friends, on the other hand, were less than impressed with his antics. With widened eyes and facepalms, they silently wished for the ground to swallow them up.

"Cadet Naruto, might I know what has possessed you to be outside at such a late hour along with your friends?" Shadis questioned, his voice laced with an edge of suspicion. Naruto could feel the weight of the instructor's disapproving glare, his eyes flickering over the group of cadets standing behind him, who seemed almost to be using Naruto as a meat shield against the intimidating gaze of their superior.

Keith glared at Naruto almost the same as when Sasha ate a potato in the introduction.

"I heard a faint noise in the forest. I thought it could be a wild animal, so we walked outside and got lost a little in the forest," Naruto explained with a friendly smile. He knew he would take the blame but always loved helping people, so he decided to take all the blame; he knew his brother would disagree.

"Wait, what? But it was Rein-" Eren's words quieted down when Naruto gave him a look, a look to keep quiet for now.

"Well, good to see such a devoted cadet," Shadis praised, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Naruto couldn't help but feel a sense of unease wash over him. He knew Shadis was not one to give out compliments easily, and he had a sinking feeling that this was no exception.

"So I'm happy to tell you," he said, drawing out each word, "tomorrow you will spend the entire day in the kitchen." His tone was almost gleeful as he continued, "You'll be helping our head chef prepare his dishes." The thought of spending a day in the hot, bustling kitchen was enough to make anyone break out in a sweat, but Shadis seemed to delight in the discomfort it would bring. "But I have faith in you," he added, his grin widening even further. "I'm sure you won't mind it."

"Huh, that's not so bad," Naruto wondered aloud, but it took a few moments to understand that he had said that aloud in front of the instructor; his face had gone slightly red from anger. Naruto briefly wondered if the veins around his forehead would suddenly burst.

"Then, after the kitchen, you will clean all the bathrooms," Keith shouted right at Naruto's face before pulling back.

"I hate you, Instructor," Naruto said bluntly, the words dripping with venom as he glared daggers at the man standing before him. To their surprise, the instructor merely smirked in response, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"Good to know our feelings are mutual, Cadet Naruto," he quipped, earning a gasp from Naruto's friends. "Now Go To Boy's Domain," he ordered the cadets, his voice firm and commanding. Naruto's eyes wandered toward the half-moon in the sky as the cadets trudged toward the boy's domain. He felt a sense of calm wash over him, its silvery light casting shadows across the ground.

"Naruto, thanks for saving my skin, but why did you do that?" Reiner questioned, rubbing the back of his head while looking at Naruto with uncertainty as they all walked inside the boy's domain through the wooden door.

The blonde could see Eren giving him a hard look for taking the blame; it was one thing helping people but another taking the blame for someone else.

"Don't worry about it. But for saving your ass, you owe me half of your bread for a month." Naruto stated; Reiner gasped, his stomach growling at what he just heard.

"A Month," Reiner said, shaking, while Naruto wore an evil grin.

"Isn't that a bit too much?" Reiner asked hopefully, expecting his selfless blonde friend to change his mind. Naruto looked as if he was thinking deeply about something before answering.

"You are right. It's now, two months." Reiner's face paled even more while the others chuckled in amusement.

Tomorrow

"Don't get hurt, and try to avoid any sharp branches," Mikasa said to them strictly both before they started their ODM Training for the day. As usual, Eren told her she wasn't his mother, while Naruto simply nodded, knowing she was simply concerned for them.

The Dear Instructor told Naruto that he would clean the bathrooms after completing the day's training.

Unlike last time, this one wasn't a team training. Everyone was on their own and didn't need to cut through bags. Instead, they needed to pass through the forest using only ODM Gear, but it could be done only if they knew how to properly use the gas instead of using too much of it; those who tried to end the training in the first place would quickly realize they failed by trying to be as fast as possible, and not worrying about the gas.

This is wonderful, Naruto thought as he pulled the trigger; the grappling hook shot out from the box around his waist, hitting the tree nearby; with a burst of gas, he propelled himself forward; it felt like flying. Naruto always wished he could fly, and this was the closest he would ever get.

The only downside was that he couldn't feel anyone approaching; when he was on the ground, he could feel everything nearby because his feet touched the ground, but while in mid-air, he couldn't feel anything.

As he kept moving forward, he suddenly heard the sound of gas nearby, but it was faint, and he knew someone had passed by. The blonde paid them no attention, but he quickly noticed something. The grappling hook he shot previously wasn't slowing down his advance towards the tree in front of him.

"Shit!" Naruto quickly pulled the trigger, but his grappling hook didn't return back to him; he could do nothing to slow down his slam against the tree.

A scream escaped Naruto as he fell down on the ground. He clenched his teeth in pain as he rolled himself so his back was facing the ground; the pain increased even more, a sharp pain across his entire stomach. Naruto groaned as he opened his eyes; the sight made him gasp.

Blood. Too much Blood. This is not good; he thought as he quickly used his hand to add pressure to the wound on the stomach; the blood poured out, and the pain, Naruto felt like his teeth would break.

He knew he needed to use his ability before someone saw him when he heard people landing nearby. "Naruto!!" He looked up to see Sasha and Connie running towards him; both gasped at the sight of the blood all over his stomach.

"Oh my God! What should we do!! Naruto, can you hear me?" "What do you need? Can we help you? Are you going to Die? Please, don't die, Mikasa-" "Shut Up!!" Naruto shouted in anger at both of them; they both quickly fell silent, and another shot of pain shot through his entire body. A chuckle escaped his lips as he kept adding pressure to the wound.

"Connie, search in my pocket; you should find a small white bottle," Naruto instructed as he forced himself to the side.

"What for?"

"Just shut up and do it," Naruto ordered; the baldy quickly nodded as he walked up to him and pulled out a small white bottle.

"Now pour it onto a napkin and place it on top of my wound," Naruto instructed. Connie looked unsure but listened to him. As quickly as he added pressure with the napkin, he felt like his entire stomach burst into flames; Naruto let out a loud groan of pain, and the napkin quickly turned red with blood.

"What was that?"

"I-It helps to clean the wound." Naruto rasped as everything suddenly turned dark around him.

.

.

His eyes opened, and for a moment, he wondered if all had been a dream when he noticed his entire stomach was full of bandages. What happened? Did I do something wrong with my ODM Gear? He asked himself, feeling ashamed that he was still having trouble with ODM Gear. He could already imagine how worried Mikasa and Eren already were. At least his mother wouldn't know about this; otherwise, she would tell him he needed to quit the Training Corps.

The door opened, and instead of his siblings, a nurse walked inside; she seemed surprised when she saw him. "You are awake!" She said, completely off guard.

"Yes. Where am I?" Naruto asked while using his hand to heal himself under the blanket; thankfully, the nurse didn't notice what he was doing.

"You are in the medical room, don't worry, it seems your wound is already much better." The nurse answered softly as she checked his wound.

"What happened to me?"

"From the reports I have read, when you slammed into the tree, your body slammed into a broken branch that punctured your stomach. You are lucky to be alive." The nurse explained, much to his shock; now all the blood made sense to him as he kept checking him; once she was done, she walked outside. Naruto wondered how long he would need to wait for someone to answer him when the Instructor walked inside, his face grim, grimmer than usual as he closed the door.

Naruto knew something must have happened while he was unconscious. "Instructor, why are you here?" He doubted the man had come here to check on his health.

"Cadet Naruto. The Nurse told me that you are already stable, that's good news to hear, but I'm afraid I need to ask you a few questions." Naruto was puzzled as he pulled out a cardboard and sat down beside his bed.

"Tell me, did any of the cadets show some kind of hostility towards you?" Wait, what? Naruto was now confused; why was the instructor asking these questions?

"No. I don't think so." Naruto answered a little unsurely; he still didn't understand why he was being interrogated.

"What about hostility towards your siblings? Your sister and brother?"

"No, but Sir. What is going on? Where are they? Did something happen?" Naruto's voice cracked in the end with growing panic as he tried to stand up, but Shadis quickly placed his hand over his shoulder, stopping him.

"Cadet Naruto. I'm afraid during the training, someone cut the cable of your ODM Gear which resulted in your accident. We are already questioning everyone." Naruto's eyes widened at what he heard.

"What?"