Saviour Shinobi [Naruto x Aot crossover]

Chapter 12 - First Impressions (Part 2)

[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.