Saviour Shinobi [Naruto x Aot crossover]

Chapter 11 - First Introductions (Part 1)

[Recap] As such, Sakura spoke up first with an idea similar to that of her teammates. In a hushed voice, barely audible to even her teammates, she began. Naruto and Sasuke had to lean in slightly to hear it, but once they had, they agreed without hesitation. It was a general and common idea, but it would be a great new addition to their current plan.

Trust no one. A common concept among those who thrived in secretive lifestyles; this included shinobi. Though simple, many found it to be quite useful when it needed to be; whether if it was for carrying out missions, retrieving information and even performing simple tasks. This was the suggestion Sakura instilled into her teammates minutes before.

: Sakura leaned forward, speaking in hushed tones, making Naruto and Sasuke lean forward slightly to hear her. "Despite the hospitality of the soldiers towards us, I still don't think they're trustworthy."

"Agreed."

"Hn."

The speculation was mutual – even Naruto in all his optimism was feeling a little unsure. Their resolve was weakened increasingly when they witnessed what they thought to be human trafficking.

It wasn't confirmed that what they had seen was human trafficking – after all, if it was, the soldiers probably wouldn't have taken them this way, but maybe there weren't any detours? What else could it be? Simple transportation didn't call for such a large number of people being condensed into a wagon. Their destination didn't even seem that far away from the town center from the distant conversing they picked up (not coming from the passing cart). Until further notice, team 7's assumptions would be deemed the truth until proven otherwise.

"As such," Sakura continued. "We should be on guard. No matter how kind they seem, we need concrete assurance before we can put our faith in them."

Thus, this was the mutual agreement team 7 made. "Trust no one."

The next matter at hand was the distant chattering they took notice to earlier. Now turning their attention to it, team 7 noticed the area they were heading into.

Focusing past the outlines of the leading soldiers, towards the secluded area, they saw a large desert scape with a large building towards the left, smaller buildings to the right, and a large, naturally shaped crater in the middle. The sheer size and the distance between the largest building and the smaller ones made them speculate that it was a training ground – in no way was it bigger than the ones in the Elemental Nations though. The training grounds back home were so vast that they could probably hold numerous houses and commercial buildings. This one paled in comparison.

What the training grounds in the Elemental Nations didn't have, however, was housing; unlike what the smaller buildings off to their right were assumed to be. They looked like the cabins that could be found at a bath houses or inns found along roads that were used when carrying out missions. The design could probably be written up to be due to the lack of development. All the houses in the town square looked to be the same as well. If that wasn't the case though, team 7 could possibly be residing there themselves; for the moment at least. That was if those in charge allowed them to be around others. They didn't exactly fit in.

It was Naruto's keen eyes that noticed them first. Despite looking head on into the area, the lack of luminescence made it difficult to make out distinct features – let alone the group of people filing into the largest building. Due to their range of heights, they could be about their age – their real age – and/or younger. From within the building, the dim, wavering light of torches could be seen through the window, as people could be seen sitting down for a meal, and on the outside walls, illuminating the remaining individuals on the porch. The few left on the porch watched a figure tiredly jogging around the edge of the area. As the cart got nearer to the area, Naruto could distinguish those on the porch as young boys and the figure as a girl about the same age as them.