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One Month Later:
Within Wall Maria, Northern Urban Area.
"Section Chief Naruto, Section Commander Hange said that she no longer needs test subjects on her side, so there's no need to capture Titans alive anymore—except for Intelligent Titans, of course."
A Survey Corps member, with an admiring gaze, spoke to Naruto, who was standing on the back of a fifteen-meter-class Titan.
Due to his outstanding merits, Naruto had been exceptionally promoted to Section Chief by Erwin Smith.
The merits Naruto earned in this Wall Maria Reclamation Operation would naturally not be limited to just a promotion to Section Chief.
It was just that the reclamation operation wasn't over yet, and the true merits hadn't been calculated, so for now, he was temporarily "stuck" as a Section Chief.
Oh, and the squad Naruto was in was called the "Anti-Titan Annihilation Squad," and currently, he was the only member.
What? You asked about logistics?
Currently, the entire Survey Corps served as Naruto's logistics.
It's no exaggeration to say that if it weren't for the 'logistics' being so stretched, Naruto would only need three days to clear all the Titans within Wall Maria.
Of course, this couldn't be blamed on Erwin Smith and the others; after all, slaying Titans was simple for Naruto, but when it came to rebuilding the defenses within Wall Maria, he couldn't help. Compared to clearing Titans, rebuilding was the work that truly required a lot of time.
Especially repairing the breach in the wall destroyed by the Colossal Titan—a month had passed, and it still hadn't been fully repaired.
"Is that so?"
Upon hearing the soldier's words, Naruto severed the neck of the Titan beneath his feet with a single cut, then smiled and said, "Then your work will be much easier from now on."
---
Over the past month:
Naruto had led the Survey Corps in successively recapturing three-quarters of the area within Wall Maria.
The area he was currently in was the last urban area yet to be reclaimed—and yes, after that Titan was dealt with, it was now cleared as well.
For Naruto, the workload of slaying Titans versus dismembering and capturing them alive was almost the same.
But for others, it was different.
Even cleaning up the Titans dismembered by Naruto carried a certain risk, and many people were bitten by Titans while handling the fragments.
Not to mention they also had to transport the Titans back into the city; if one of them managed to break free inside, it could lead to a very serious accident.
Now that there was no longer a need to capture Titans alive, it was undoubtedly a huge relief for everyone in the Survey Corps.
---
"I'll leave this to you. I'm heading back first."
After Naruto dealt with the last Titan, he instructed the soldiers beside him and then headed to the Survey Corps' temporary base in the area.
Erwin Smith, who was handling official business, saw Naruto enter, immediately put down his work, and looked at him.
"Is there something you need me for?"
Erwin Smith could sense that Naruto didn't seem to like him very much, so he generally wouldn't come to him unless there was something important.
"I want to ask—now that Wall Maria has been reclaimed, when can I go outside the walls to have a look?" Naruto said.
"Not yet."
Erwin Smith shook his head with a serious expression.
"Although the Titans within Wall Maria have been completely cleared, the crisis has not been resolved. At least, the Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan that destroyed the wall have not yet appeared."
"Although we still don't know why they destroyed Wall Maria back then, they must have had a reason for doing so. Now that Wall Maria has been reclaimed by us, I believe that if they have any reason not to want this layer of the wall to remain in human hands, they will definitely act again."
As he spoke, Erwin Smith looked at Naruto earnestly and said in a deep voice:
"And that's when you will truly be able to play your part."
---
"Colossal Titan and Armored Titan?"
Naruto's eyes flickered slightly upon hearing Erwin Smith's words, and he suddenly asked:
"Commander Erwin, have you already obtained information about those two Titans?"
Naruto could sense that although the commander of the Survey Corps trusted him greatly in terms of tactics, he always held back information regarding actual operations.
Naruto had long suspected that Erwin possessed information about the Intelligent Titans.
More importantly, Naruto had completely lost interest in ordinary Titans; he now only wanted to find those so-called Intelligent Titans to determine whether they were transformed humans or something else entirely.
Erwin Smith listened to Naruto's question, remained silent for a moment, and then said:
"I do know some things, but they are all just conjectures and haven't been confirmed. If you want to hear them, I can tell you."
Naruto's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this. He sat directly opposite him and said:
"Tell me."
---
Erwin Smith glanced at Naruto, silently organized his thoughts for a moment, and then began:
"Regarding these matters, it's a bit complex, and I need to start with my father."
"My father was a teacher, and because he taught history, he had always been researching the history of the world inside the walls."
"Through his research, he discovered many inconsistencies and contradictions in the history books published by the royal government, leading him to an astonishing conclusion: the memories of humans inside the walls might have been altered by someone using some unknown means, and the true history had been concealed."
"And all of this information pointed in one direction—the Titans, or rather, the Intelligent Titans."
---
"Memories altered?"
Naruto's expression changed slightly after hearing Erwin Smith's words.
"You think a certain Intelligent Titan with special abilities altered the memories of humans inside the walls? But why would they do that?"
"I don't know."
Erwin Smith shook his head, then added:
"But according to my speculation, the Titan who altered human memories within the walls may not bear ill will toward those living here. In fact, keeping us inside the walls might even be a form of protection—and this leads to two new possibilities."
At this point, Erwin Smith raised two fingers toward Naruto and continued:
"First—if my father's and my speculations are correct, and there truly exists a Titan within the walls capable of altering human memories, then it is highly likely that it and the Titan that destroyed Wall Maria a year ago belong to two different factions, and may even be in opposition."
"Second—if the first speculation is true, then it means that beyond the walls where we live… there are other humans."
---
"And the reason I joined the Survey Corps, and worked my way up to the position of Commander…"
Erwin Smith looked directly at Naruto, his voice steady and resolute.
"…is precisely to verify my father's and my own conjectures—"
"—and to uncover the truth of this world."