AN: Man it's been sooo long since I've uploaded anything! Good news, I'm almost finished with high school. One more month and I graduate (about damn time).
But enough about that, I'm back with yet another addition to my NLC series but this time this story won't reside in the Naruto-world. This story will be set in the Avatar world hence the name of the story. I began watching the third season of Legend of Korra while I was jotting down what I want to do with P.O.A.L V2 when this idea hit me. When I shared this with my one of my buddies he was all for it and complemented the idea and tweaked it. So here I am sharing it with you guys. I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did when writing it. Also, for those who are wondering about P.O.A.L V2, don't worry, I'm just rephrasing the plot so it can meet the end I imagined for it. In order for that to happen I needed to take out a part of chapter two and redo the ending because of how rushed it was so there's that.
Now this story will be different from your typical Naruto/Korra Crossover. Most try to imitate Engineer's "Tides Change Once More" and most of them are good, but I want to go with a different approach instead of following the Korra storyline and make the mistake of just inserting Naruto into the plot. I know you guys are getting tired of looking at this, so without further ado…
"Normal voice"
'Thinking voice'
"Spirit/Ancestors voice"
Spirit/Ancestors ancient tongue
Disclaimer: Kami no Doujutsu does not have any claim over Naruto and TLA: Legend of Korra whatsoever, except for the jutsu/bending styles and characters of his creativity. Viewers' discretion is advised, thank you.
◊Act 1: Genesis of a Tree◊
Chapter 1: Enter Naruto Namikaze Pt. 1
The Four Nations…
The nations that hold strong today and house the many benders and non-benders alike in the era of peace. These nations represent the four key elements of life. Earth, Fire, Air, and Water. The Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, the Air Temples and last but certainly not least, the Northern and Southern Water Tribes. But before these harmonized nations existed…
There was nothing but a defiled continent and a war like none other.
A war that lasted longer than the 100 Years War sprung on by Fire Lord Sozin and most certainly a war that began before the era of bending. It was a war between non-benders and spirits. Back then, humans didn't understand the importance and value of their spiritual connections. And due to the ever progression of civilization and man-made appliances needed to survive, humankind disregarded the old ways forgetting their past kinship with the supernatural beings moving further and further away from the spirits that once protected them while indulging in the act of disparaging.
The spirits themselves longed for the humans acceptance. The feeling of being neglected and labelled worthless beings bellow cattle opened a world of foreign emotions to them, changing peace and loving spirits to those who distance themselves and lived far away from humans, staying neutral to the situation. But most discovered hatred and anger, not understanding the human's reasoning. These spirits gathered forming deadly unions—declaring war on the humans. They even fought against their spirit brethren that refused to betray the ties that was once made between the humans and spirits protecting them as best as they could.
However, no one could stop them. They came upon them like a plague and altered the humans' way of life. The sheer numbers and force of the spirits left the human communities destroyed with no food or shelter and worst of all, they broke apart families leaving nothing behind in their wake but chaos.
Yet there was a small glimmer of hope for the human race and her name was Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
Kaguya was a princess from an unknown land which was hidden from the rest of the world. During all the chaos happening around the rest of the world, she left her home to travel and find a new place where she could settle down. But she was horrified by the sight that was bestowed upon her. She witnessed the aftermath of the spirit's anger. She was heartbroken by people betraying each other over their bonds which led them to confine themselves in fear and mistrust. Kids (not older than seven years old) stealing and scavenging for another meal. The things she saw kindled a new flame inside of her.
She wanted to stop this monstrosity.
She wanted to bring forth a new age and era of peace and prosperity between humans and spirits, yet the questioned still stood…
How?
Then it dawned on her when she accidentally fell into an abandoned temple. The temple held the old teachings and documented history on the spirits. But one piece of information about a particular being led her to her answer.
The Shinju.
The Shinju was the center of all things spiritual and nurtured the world. An omnipresent being. In a sense it was a god that governed over the world. In the ancient ruins located at the farthest corner of the continent away from the chaos, she discovered knowledge of the God Tree and what rested on its branch; a fruit. From what she read, the fruit would bloom every one thousand years and was rumored that it held tremendous and forbidden powers. Powers that could tip the scale in good and evil, order and chaos, purity and corruption. The type of powers that no one on the earthly world should possess.
This was exactly what she needed. She figured that if she ate of the fruit that belonged to such a powerful being, then she would gain abilities like none other - abilities that would allow her to fix the world and bring forth a new age of prosperity between the humans and the spirits.
And she did.
After rummaging and journeying far and long she found it. And ironically, it was literally in the center of the continent. Specifically in a holy forest which was humorously disclosed and secluded from all the disaster around it. The first thing she noticed while heading to the tree was that there were no signs of spiritual life near the terrain landscape near it and what added on to the bizarre phenomenon was the animals. The animals she saw were like none other. Instead of the cross-genetically mutated species she were used to seeing, there in the strange land where the ancestral animals only said to existed long ago like: Frogs, Bears, Eagles, Wolves, Lions, etc. They roamed the land living peacefully and freely, something she wished to share with the rest of the world.
However she couldn't just walk to it. No, there were some risks with her plan. The problem she faced was not getting caught and maimed by the animals. She made damn sure she didn't get caught by any of them and continued on her path to the fruit, climbing up the contorted being littered with various vines and other things growing off the tree. That is until she had finally reached for her prize.
Standing on a thick branch that supported her weight, she stretched out her arms full length, barely touching the forbidden fruit and plucked it from the tree and examined the enormous fruit that sat in the palm of her hand. The fruit was a luscious pale white and had sweet compelling scent which she couldn't resist. It had the irregular shape of a rose but was the smoothest thing she ever touched. She took a moment to admire the fruit for the last time before it graced her lips and took her first bite. Immediately she tasted the sweet sensational flavor of the fruit.
It was like none other.
She quickly consumed the fruit in a matter of a few minutes and with the last bite, she felt every fiber of her being surge with untold power. That power wrapped around her, warped her body, and changed its structure completely. Twin horns grew from the side of her head, veins bulged around her milky white eyes. Undergoing a transformation. However, while this was occurring a fierce battle was taking place far away from where she was between the spirits and the humans.
Scarred Terrain…
In a large wasteland devoid of natural life and left with nothing but a scarred landscape were two opposing masses fighting each other in a life or death war that detailed the future of the current world. Countless spirits and humans died fighting for what they believed. But both sides were exhausted. Effortlessly battling for hours.
"Silence you spirits!" He yelled gaining both the attention of everyone around them. "You have caused nothing but trouble for me and my brethren around the lands. Now you must pay for the thousands of families you've ruined!" The many men that were behind him lifted their weapons and cried out in unison to the motivating speech their courageous leader gave.
This man was Moyabun of the North. Like the many men that accompanied him, he too lost loved ones to the cursed spirits. In particularly… his wife and daughter.
"Do you think you can defy us you petty human? For many millenniums we longed to live with you humans. To explore the world. To simply live with you. When it was made possible for us to travel into this plane by the great spirit Vaatu, we were ecstatic and our dream turned into reality. Your ancestors were far more noble than you disgraceful offspring! It's a shame we didn't listen to Vaatu when he warned us many centuries ago about you humans. We should've killed off those weak ancestors of yours and taken over this land for ourselves!" The men in front of the spirit readied themselves at the insult and bore looks of anger and rage.
"How dare you speak ill of our heritage!" One soldier protested.
"We will rid the world of you, you slimy scum!" Another one yelled, sparking many more soldiers to shout against the spirit that talked down on their people.
Moyabun held his current position and adopted a cold-hardy scowl. He reached for his waist that held a sheathed sword and pulled it out, pointing it at his enemy.
"Enough words spirit. We didn't come here to quarrel in words; we came here to battle with swords! Men ready your weapons!" With their general's orders made, his men readied themselves and with a battle cry, they rushed at the spirits in overwhelming numbers.
Appearing through an endless black dimensional rift, Kaguya raised her arms at both sides and immediately after doing so, pillars of earth rose up blocking the armies from reaching each other. And she didn't just stop there.
She summoned more of the new-found energy inside of her. Her chest swelled up as more and more air went into her lungs before she spewed out an enormous gust of wind that overcame the two armies.
The startled men didn't know what to do. This woman came out of nowhere separating the two forces of nature from destroying each other and then once again stopped both sides from advancing and somehow commanded the earth to do her bidding. Not only that but she lifted her hands above her head and stared at the sky.
The sky darkened and converged from a dark blue to completely a mixture of gray and purple with the sudden appearance of cumulonimbus clouds which were non-existent mere seconds before.
Everyone present to witness her might tensed. They didn't know what she would do to them. Rain drops descended and those droplets poured faster and soon purified the burnt, lifeless-land. The rain drenched the spirits and humans. At first, both sides were awestruck by the soothing wet substance, on the other hand the armies completely missed the rising waters that enveloped the ground they stood on and it cost some of them.
The leaders of both opposite parties noticed the growing threat and yelled at their soldiers. "Men regain yourselves! Do not let this cursed rain corrupt your minds!"
"You foolish spirits! Are you going to tell me that a mere human has the ability to sprinkle you in some water to beat you? Break free from this spell!" The cry of their generals broke the soldiers free but it was little too late.
The sea that Kaguya conjured up washed away spirits and humans alike dwindling the sizes of the two armies greatly. While the miniature sea swept the humans and spirits away, incapacitating them, it wasn't vast enough to do harm. She made sure of that.
Kaguya now had the full attention of everyone. Both Moyabun and the dark spirit leader knew that ignoring such a powerful person would prove to be fatal if provoked in the wrong manner. Kaguya was between the two like a wall, tall and firm. Not showing any signs of wavering. The human commander was tense and on guard. He didn't know who this woman was or if he should trust her at all. The spirits on the other hand hissed and growled at the new figure that dared to oppose them. The leader of their kind was a slim hazy-purple spirit in the form of an Ittan-momen with centric designs that coiled around its body outlining what seemed to be its ribs. The most interesting feature about this particular spirit is that it had no eyes, mouth, or anything indicating that it was breathing (not that spirits needed to breathe). Kaguya continued to examine this spirit and all the other spirits behind it and narrowed her creamy-milk eyes.
'This spirit in front of me… it must be one of the ancient spirits the elder monks spoke of in the old scrolls. If what they wrote about these spirits are true, then I have to defeat them by any means necessary.' She looked over to leader of the human army and then back at the spirits who were conversing in their own language.
This human girl is different from the others.
Who cares I say we destroy them now.
But can't you feel her aura?
Who is she?
"I've never seen a woman like her in the homelands."
"Will she help us against the spirits?"
"What if she's on their side?"
It doesn't matter who she is we must kill her like the rest. The dark spirits continued in this manner for another twenty-five seconds before the human commander had enough of their irritable babbling.
Moyabun was the first to address her. "Woman! Why do you stop this long awaited battle? Me and my warriors have long since trained for this day and must fight for our lands. We must fight against these… these beasts that have killed our daughters, sons, mothers, and fathers. Can't you understand? Haven't you lost anyone to these terrors?" He asked.
His men gathered around him standing firm against the rushing stream. The spirits regained their composure and shot daggers and growls at the young princess. The princess herself looked down upon Moyabun with a passive expression.
"To answer your question. No, I haven't lost anyone to the spirits. However, I understand where you are coming from. The spirits have decimated these sacred lands that once nurtured life and I can't stand that one bit." Many soldiers shouted joyously at this statement.
"But," The soldiers halted their cheering and glanced coldly at the back side of her hand.
"I also feel the spirits sorrow. Because of us, we crumpled over the spirits dream to live with us. We ignored them, and that led to their rage and anger against us. We have shamed ourselves and have also made a mockery of what our ancestors did centuries ago." Her words struck a chord in many humans and spirits.
Some of the humans looked down in shame while others were in deep thought. With the spirits, Many of them snapped back into their right minds, free of the dark influence and felt something they haven't felt in a long time.
Acceptance.
Yet some ignored her and began moving towards the great wall that she stood high on attempting to end her; however, the princess anticipated their movements. She called forth her godly powers to release massive winds from her lips that gushed beneath her feet creating a powerful downdraft. Her overbearing wind technique came down upon her enemies and repelled the spirits. She then followed by using the few trees and what left of what she assumed was a forest and restrained them only to struggle to hold her control as they continued to break free and struggle.
While she fought for dominance, the soldiers behind the narrow wall saw this as their window of opportunity and took this moment to march around the wall, beginning their assault on the spirits to finally end them once and for all. Moyabun's men charged and let loose a vicious battle cry.
"What are you doing!" Kaguya shouted. "Stop your men at once and leave, I'm doing the best I can to restrain the spirits from attacking you as best as I can but I can't do this forever!"
"Which is why my men must attack now! 1st, 2nd, and 3rd division, flank the enemy and surround them. 4th, 5th, and 6th squadron follow me. We'll finally avenge our dead loved ones!" Moyabun's forces roared and charged at the spirits with their spears, swords, and daggers at the spirits.
"No, I won't let this happen." Kaguya whispered to herself.
After softening the surface of the upper wall, she catapulted herself into the air floating for only a mere five seconds to maneuver her body in the direction of the two armies. She weaved her hands in front her to shift the wind to increase her speed and came down upon them like a meteor.
Both sides halted their movements and shielded their eyes from the massive dust that shot up into their eyes. The cloud dispersed as quickly as it came and both sides saw the woman that stopped them in their tracks. Men from Moyabun's group snarled at her for interrupting them, same thing could be said for the spirits if their wild roars and growling were anything to go by.
"This is my last warning to both sides. Don't do this, I don't want to hurt any of you. Just go home and stop fighting." Kaguya pleaded, however her words fell on deaf ears.
"What home?" Moyabun yelled. "Most of us don't have a place to call home anymore or people to call family. For that very reason we won't stand down!"
Kaguya's eyes dimmed at those words before her demeanor did a 180° spin. Her eyes narrowed, clenching her fists with furrowed brows.
"If this is what you wish then so be it." Her voice was cold and low. She realized that the men in front of her couldn't be persuaded and that not even the fear of their own death would stop them. It was up to her now to end the fighting once and for all.
Dropping down into a stance, the princess prepared herself for the waves of soldiers and spirits heading straight at her. She used the water she created to form a vortex around herself and shot tendrils at each side, pushing back soldiers and containing the many spirits while cleansing them.
Moyabun clenched his hand increasing his grip on his sword. He just didn't understand how one person could possess so much power. What made it more frustrating was that this woman went against everything he was fighting for. She was stopping him from avenging the deaths of his wife and his four year old daughter. His anger rose to new heights as he glared dangerously at Kaguya. He raised his sword above his head before he shouted at his men.
"Soldiers of the 5th and 6th squadron ready the explosive and torch arrows. Fire all of them at the enemy."
"But commander, what about the woman? She'll be caught in the crossfire, she could die." A soldier protested.
Moyabun spun around and faced the man that spoke out against him. "What's your name soldier?"
The soldier gulped under his commander's gaze. "M-my name is Fuji Ojumi, captain of the 6th unit sir!"
Moyabun eyed the young man in front of him. Fuji couldn't have been older than 22. He sighed before staring dead into Fuji's eyes. "Tell me Fuji, do you have family?"
"Y-yes sir. A father and a little brother."
"Good, family is important and nothing is more stronger than a bond that a son has with his father and a brother looking after his younger kin. And I assume that's why you're fighting here against the spirits." He paused and pointed his sword at Kaguya who was bending the tendrils of water to slap and force back his soldiers.
"That woman is preventing us from freeing ourselves from those savage beasts who threaten your father, your brother, and the rest of humanity who can't defend themselves. Do I make myself clear Fuji?"
Fuji looked at Moyabun and then back at Kaguya. It didn't take him long to figure out who was more important, his family… or a woman who stood between the beings that destroyed most of his home. His eyes hardened with confidence which made Moyabun smirk. "Yes sir!"
"Excellent, your father and brother would be proud to see you Fuji. Now ready your squad soldier!" Moyabun turned to the rest of his soldiers who were picking themselves back up as the other units gathered their explosive arrows and readied their bows. "Men of the first four squadrons fall back! 5th and 6th squads ready yourselves on my order."
"Yes sir!"
Kaguya saw the men retreating and saw this as an act of them taking head to her plea and sighed in relief as she turned her full attention to the spirits. She called forth the rest of the energy she had left and forced the spirits into a corner, summoning as many appendages of water she could to disengage them while putting her power into the water to calm and tame the spirits.
After the relentless struggle, she bended the water around the ancient beings forming a giant sphere. The dark energy enveloping the spirits began to separate from them and fade away leaving nothing but exhausted and tired spirits.
"It's over." She sighed lowering her arms. She began to walk towards the sphere to negotiate peace terms with the spirits, but a faint distorted sound heading towards her way alarmed her and forced her to move her head to the side. The speeding object missed and punctured the water prison causing a small leak. She look at the object, discovering that it was an arrow and turned her body in the direction of the shooter. With narrowed eyes she saw Moyabun's archers, with raised bows, pinpointed to shoot at her and the spirits.
Moyabun's arm sliced the very air with his arm, pointing straight at her. "Fire!"
The princess stood exhausted. She had next to no energy left to fight and wanted to just rest but she knew that she couldn't. She successfully contained and calmed the spirits but now she had to deal with the hundreds of arrows that flew towards her. The arrows rained upon her and the spirits. However, Kaguya fought with the remaining strength left in her. In a low stance with her right palm in front of her, she began to dance around and deflected what she could by matching the speeds of the arrows. And she was doing good too… Until one arrow flew straight by her and fizzled.
Time slowed for a short second. The princess turned her head, looking at the explosive arrow—trying to move away but―
*Boom*
Kaguya was sent soaring. She yelped as her body landed a few feet away. Her body throbbed in pain. She could feel the burns she received begin to heal but she didn't have the power to move at all. She lifted her head up as much as she could and saw Moyabun advancing.
'I… I can't stop now. I have to stop this war. But… I have no more power. I need more power. Shinju… please hear me, I need your power now!' She pleaded desperately in her mind, hoping that in some way the tree would hear her.
Holy Forest…
In the holy forest where Kaguya traveled far and wide and gained her powers, the Shinju began to shift and move unnaturally, causing the very earth that held it captive to rumble and break. The inhabiting animals fled away from the sudden disturbance and from the overwhelming pressure they felt. The tree sunk into the ground moving at rapid speeds.
At the Scarred Terrain…
Moyabun's men marched forward with weapons at hand ready for any sudden movement from the struggling princess. The leader himself slowly walked towards her, each step louder than the last one until he was only a few inches from her. He bended down on one his knees, his eyes meeting hers.
"You fought a mighty battle, with those powers of yours…" He paused in mid-sentence, thinking back to the intense battle that occurred less than a few minutes ago. "But here you are, lying face down. An inevitable fate for one such as you to go up against my army. My men who have battled those monsters and now we have won!" He shouted eliciting a roar from the men. He turned back to the incapacitated princess with his long sword, preparing to end the threat that she posed to his cause.
"You at least deserve an honorable death but before you meet your end, tell me your name."
Kaguya gazed at the men with an emotionless expression which never faltered as she spoke. "My name is Kaguya Otsutsuki. Princess of the Otsutsuki Clan."
Some of the men in Moyabun's army exchanged confused glances. None of them had ever heard of her let alone the Otsutsuki Clan.
"Hmm, Kaguya Otsutsuki." Moyabun gazed at her with a hint of sadness before lifting his sword. "Men, remember Kaguya Otsutsuki. Remember her as an opposer to human cause. Remember her death as a symbol to a new era!" All of Moyabun's army roared in excitement. He brought his sword down with the intent of killing her but was sadly mistaken.
Moyabun and his army lost their balance as the entire world shook around them, as if it was all about to end. But that wasn't even the worst part. The worst came when roots shot out of the ground and into the air swinging wildey. Many soldiers screamed as they were hit by the sentient limbs while trying to fend of the godly being.
"What the hell?!" Moyabun shouted. "Men fall back immediately!" He ordered desperately trying to hold on to what little command he had over his troops.
His attempt to rally his men failed with the increasing number of limbs breaking free from the earth below. He weaved and sliced through many of the limbs that attacked him with his extraordinary agility and strength. It was nothing for him to keep up, yet he knew that the same couldn't be said for his soldiers though. While he was confident in their skills against the spirits and other human armies, this was something none of them could've prepared for.
Kaguya could feel her energy being restored with just the Shinju being near her. 'It heard my message. But this isn't exactly what I wanted. If i let it continue, it'll not only kill the humans but the spirits as well.' Kaguya placed both of her palms on the ground and focused on the source of the roots below the surface. 'Shinju if you can here me. Come to me. Give me all of your power!' She commanded unleashing her presence across the entire warzone. The soldiers stood tense as an overwhelming presence repeatedly washed over them making many of them drop down to one knee.
Moyabun, with the exception of a few of his soldiers, struggled to keep standing while the other tried to catch their breath.
'This is insane.' He looked towards Kaguya who was standing proud. Sweat drizzled down his forehead as he could only watch as the roots that previously attacked him and his men swirled around the powerful princess. The roots grew as the earth shook as more of the Shinju rose out of the ground. The tree stood in all its might, several thousand feet in the air. The Shinju began to moan as its body shifted around the princess, forming a new being entirely. Standing in Kaguya's and the tree's place was a brown muscular humanoid being with multiple spikes protruding from its head and down its back. Its lone—red eye with a design Moyabun has never seen in all his life, looked down on the entire human army. Behind it were ten tails swaying in multiple directions.
'Did she… become that thing?' Moyabun moved into a stance, albeit slowly, readying his sword with narrowed eyes.
He glared at Kaguya's new form with defiance and hate for her. "I won't go down without a fight. I'll keep getting back up and will keep fighting on til my very last breath!" He yelled. He rushed the colossal titan with the few hundred men that remained. Kaguya closed her eyes and swung one of her tails at the soldiers who defied her might in a last ditch effort.
Kaguya, in her human form, walked around the deserted wasteland littered with unconscious men. With each step she took the ground beneath her came to life and mended itself together, removing proof of the damage the final battle the humans had with the spirits. She freed the calmed spirits, sending them away before sending the humans back to their base via her transportation technique, Yomotsu Hirasaka.
The princess came up with an idea towards her way of peace. While she knew it wouldn't last, she believed that many years later someone would rise up and find a new path to protect everyone. She used her new visual abilities to see far into the distance many miles away. Her ability was so strong and powerful that she was able to see across the continent and across the ocean that made up the planet. She just couldn't help but smirk at the powers the fruit gave her. She imagined the possibilities and different wondrous things she could do. However now wasn't the time to bask in the many thoughts that escaped her, now was the time to separate the two species and stop the fighting. So first things first in her plan towards peace.
Separate the humans and spirits.
It was a simple step by step phase that she conjured. While avoiding the lands that the remaining humans inhabited, she used her power to bring forth life to the charred grounds that signified the many battle the humans had with their counterparts. Forests sprouted and brought back the animals of that time to set forth the right order of nature. Then with careful planning she went back to the center of the world and divided the tree into four creatures called lion turtles with each possessing the ability to grant humans an element: fire, water, wind, and earth. She structured them in a way that their backs could support human life.
The next step… proved more challenging. She tried reaching out to her human brothers and sisters but after the fight where she revealed herself, they became weary of her and made her an outcast. Because of this she made a decision to initiate something she thought necessary to protect her kind. She figured out another ability of hers was illusions, or Genjutsu and her eye had a special genjutsu called Mugen Tsukuyomi, Infinite Moon Reader.
Her genjutsu spread over the moon, reflecting the image of her Samsara eye and in turn into the eyes of every living being on earth. That meaning animals, spirits, and humans. The princess forced each race to move into the lands she wanted them to live in. She gathered the humans and because of the four different cultures that the humans lived by, she separated them into four separate civilizations then moved the lion turtles into different locations with the purpose of keeping the diverse cultures from clashing and more wars spurring. Even then she had to deal with the spirits. Just placing the humans in a new home wouldn't change anything as long as the spirits held their hatred and resentment they'd only search and destroy everything in their path until all humans were eradicated from the face of existence.
Therefore she implemented her will into the minds of the spirits and made them forget the plan to eradicate the human race. She knew well that the animosity between the two races won't be completely erased, however, this plan dealt with the major conflicts.
When everything was said and done, Kaguya marveled in her accomplishments and with time, she change emotionally and mentally. She began to dwell on her power and all the possibilities and things she could do because... she could. If she wanted to, she could rule the lands with a firm grip and make the spirits and humans bow to her. Just the thought, tempted her to act on "What I could do". The power flowing inside her slowly corrupted her and tried to break free and completely change who she was. And it almost did; however thankfully, her will was just as strong and firm. She didn't let the power she took as her own warp her into something she didn't want to be.
Not at all.
She sacrificed and secluded herself in a realm even farther than the spirit world, and the only proof the world had of her existence was the forgotten empty husk that was once the Shinju and even the Shinju faded away into the spirit world after five-hundred years of her departure.
Five-thousand years later Raava, the ancient spirit of Order and Light, merged with a young man named Wan to defeat her counterpart Vaatu, the spirit of Chaos and Darkness – forging the first avatar and signifying the Era of Raava, the Age of the Avatar. After Wan's death, many reincarnations of him lived and continued after the previous avatar's life and protected the balance established by Wan and kept the nations in order with guidance of the previous avatar's spirit.
Republic City (135 A.G.)
Republic City, a city built by Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko, was the center of different cultures and the first city among many cities and even nations to live in harmony both benders and non-benders alike. However the city was still relatively new, just a newborn baby compared to the centuries old nations surrounding it world-wide. And new cities were bound to have problems. Problems that the 50 year old Aang had to solve… which, led him to the current council meeting with the United Republic Council and several uprising industry owners and wealthy politics who helped support the rapidly declining economy of Republic city. It was 7 years after the Terror of Bloodbending incident where the ruthless crime-boss, Yakone, was defeated by the fully-realized Avatar and was gone for good and it did well to decrease the crime rate.
Nevertheless, the aftermath of Yakone's doing left the economy at its weakest. The crime-boss had used his influence and connections to threaten and blackmail many company owners and had dried them of their revenue using the fear of his mastery over Bloodbending and had did so expertly and slowly, biding his time by slowly sucking the life out of Republic City which any parasitical being would for the benefit of its own not having the conscience to consider the morality of its doings.
The people in the room chattered indistinctly concerning the current issues and the fate of the city if nothing wasn't changed. This continued for about a good five minutes until the Chief of Police voiced her irritation with the mass gathered around her.
"Quiet down everyone!" Toph shouted, gaining the attention of everyone present and silencing all who held a conversation with the peers around them. "This isn't the time for senseless arguing." She finished.
One of the politicians sneered at her in distaste. "Senseless arguing? What would you know Chief Beifong. While you stay cooped up in your office and play public defender, the rest of us have been trying to recuperate from the mess that the crime-boss Yakone created under your city Chief."
Toph glared at the man and abruptly stood from her seat. "Come again?" She asked with venom, giving her voice an edge with a hidden meaning of if you know what's best for you, you'd be wise not to challenge me.
She would have continued from just standing but was stopped as soon as a hand grabbed her shoulders causing her to relax as soon as she felt an all-too familiar presence.
"Settle down everyone, there's no need for us to be fighting against each other. It wouldn't do anyone well if the leaders and future industries of Republic City were un-united with each other." The man said walking to the seat next to Toph.
"Avatar Aang!" A few shouted in surprised.
Everyone in the meeting hall stood upon his arrival. He raised his hand, signaling everyone to seat. At this point of his life he had gotten used to people overly respecting him. At first it made him uncomfortable and he'd tried to get people to address him with less formality but he failed and accepted his fate.
With everyone seated he continued speaking, having the floor all to himself. "I called this meeting today because I wanted to establish a plan to fix everything in our current economy. With how things are faring in Republic City, it's possible that it won't last." He paused letting his words sink into the many people. When no-one spoke he proceeded to talk. "But I know with the smartest minds present here we can solve this issue and rekindle Republic City."
"About time you showed up Aang, if I had to listen to these two bicker any longer, I would've lost it with the rest of the council members here."
Aang looked at the dark-skinned man who spoke and he smirked at him. "Well I'm pretty sure you could've settled the matter all by yourself councilman Sokka. I think you were being lazy in the matter."
Sokka shrugged with a livid expression. "That's not my job Avatar Aang. My job is to advise and submit plans to further improve the economy not settle disputes between councilmembers. That's your job. Besides, if I said anything to Toph, she'd retaliate by shoving me against the wall via Earthbending… like the last time." He stated begrudgingly, muttering the last part under his breath while instinctively rubbing the upper right corner of his chest.
"Hmph, you're still mad about that Sokka?"
"Of course I am! You slammed me into the wall. Not only did I have to get Katara to fix my back but I had to pay for the expenses to fix the wall and get rid of my imprint. I was in bed for a week."
Toph shooed him off with a dismissing wave, not really caring at all. "Ahh, go cry to someone who cares."
All the councilmembers laughed heartily at the comical scene between both Toph and Sokka. Aang himself chuckled and grinned at his closest friends. Seeing the two act the way they were despite their age reminded him of the good times back when they were kids during the Hundred Year War Era. Back then things were difficult. All the responsibility and hopes focused on him to beat Ozai and end everything with the added stress of mastering the elements, becoming a fully realized avatar, and the sorrow of being the last Air Nomad. However, after Sokka and Katara freed him from the iceberg, his life changed and he discovered friendship and ultimately love.
He cleared his throat gaining the attention of the entire room. "Jokes aside, let's start this meeting and resolve these issues. The quicker we finish, the quicker we can get home to our families." He said picturing Katara and his children: Boomi, Kya, and Tenzin.
"Back to what councilman Gakudo was saying. Our economy hasn't been the same after Yakone's reign of terror and quite frankly it won't survive unless we conjure up a strategy and plan to fix this situation and rebuild our city together."
"Well, we need to figure out what to do about the crime rates." Sokka said in a candid tone while rubbing his chin.
"I thought that taking out Yakone would get rid of the other criminals under his gang." A councilman mumbled out loud.
Another one shook his head. "Yakone was a big time crime boss who held control over all the gangs and criminals in the entire city. With the city being as big as it is, it'd be difficult for him to regulate information and other things without having bosses within his gang in different areas in the city. With the help of Chief Beifong's reports from the time after the incarceration of Yakone, I have devised a plan that will not only lower the crime rate but also boost the economy and make it stronger than it's ever been." He said.
"And who might you be?" A councilwoman asked.
"Oh! I'm sorry for not introducing myself, this is my first time here meeting with the council. My name is Minato Namikaze." Many people gasped at hearing the blonde's name.
Minato Namikaze was a hero in his own right being prominent for his success by singlehandedly defeating an entire battalion of mercenary benders who threatened the lives of an entire city between the western borders of the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation, by using a unique ability that only a few have actually heard of and even fewer who have come to master this technique. His technique was forged around two major components.
The Chakras and Chi.
Growing up in a village that had a tradition of practicing the arts left by the Air nomads in the Eastern Air Temple, Minato was taught the principles of releasing the seven chakra points and becoming free of all earthly attachments. After a few years of continuous practicing he was able to successfully open 3 of the seven chakras at will. The first being the root chakra which allows one to amplify the amount of Chi in one's body and focus it primarily on the muscles and bones. The second was the stomach chakra. The stomach chakra allows one to purify themselves of all fear and to be filled with courage to overcome all obstacles. The third and final chakra he was able to master was the Third Eye. Once opened, this chakra allows one's mind to be free and to be able to see clearer than they ever were before, allowing them to draw accurate conclusions with only a few moments of observing a situation. One of those observations was the constant flow of energy inside himself. That energy was the second component of his technique.
Chi.
Chi was something every living thing had inside of them and allowed everything with life to be connected. It's also universal between benders and non-benders alike, meaning that anyone could access it from the very source located in the stomach. Yet, there was still untold possibilities and uses for Chi. And Minato was among the very few who realized this hidden truth. He realized that Chi could not only be used to manipulate the surrounding elements around a person, but also be used to empower themselves with untold energy which could not only bring out their full potential, but to go beyond that point. With just Chi alone, he was able to enhance his agility to the point where no-one could even see him move from the spot he stood - becoming the fastest man alive. However, when he put these two very powerful aspects together, he became a living legend that spread throughout the Earth Kingdom. With his power increased tenfold - his unyielding courage to fight against the enemies that stood in his way of maintaining peace of others, and insight of everything around him, he was capable of taking down hundreds of foes in a span of a few seconds, saving an entire city from destruction.
Unfortunately, it's been years since that events and rumors grew with the absence of this legend that suddenly vanished after his greatest feat. Some called him a spirit sent to save those who couldn't fight, while others exaggerated his capabilities and claimed that he had the power to rival Avatar Aang himself. None of these things could be proven, so people were left to their fantasies and bewilderment and eventual, the tales withered and became nothing but a bedtime story to tell children but here he was, Minato Namikaze, a member of Republic City's council.
Minato cleared his throat to gain the attention of the council once more. "My plan is to utilize the police force under Chief Beifong by having them weed out the locations of these generals and decapitate the head of our problem." Murmurs began throughout the chambers with council members in light discussion.
Sokka, with peaked interest, spoke out towards the blonde. "This plan seems reasonable and sounds good when presented at face value, yet, the problem that exists now is to how do we first identify these crime bosses and how do we catch them?" Sokka asked.
Minato sat in his chair with a genuine smile. "That's the tricky part. We'll need to get someone on the inside of their operations and secretly collect as much information as we can. Then we might be able to figure out the identities of the crime bosses and from there onwards."
While Sokka nodded, absorbing in Minato's words, Toph decided to intervene. "From what I've heard so far of this plan of yours, cracking down on these bosses won't be easy at all. Gathering the information by using my men is no easy task. And even if we do, how can you ensure that once we find out their identities, they won't be on to my department and flee?"
"Well," Minato sighed in an unpleasant way, "That's where I've come to a stump at. I don't know what these bosses are like, and from how they've been able to handle the gangs show that they're not dumb. But I'm confident that our special investigation and infiltration task force will get the job done and once we do that we'd need to act immediately and-"
"Set up a sting operation and lock these crime lords away. That way the crime rate will decrease exponentially." Sokka added excitedly.
"Exactly! Then once we fix the crime, we can move on to improving our economy and making Republic City a center for each of the Four Nations." Minato finished followed by a round of applause from the other counselors.
Aang and Sokka nodded their heads at him in approval while Toph had a light smile on her face. Soon after the city bell rung, signaling that it was midnight and the end of the meeting. Aang stood with the other members following after him. "That's the end of today's meeting. I know that there's a lot more things we need to do before times get better, but we now have a foundation to build off of. I wish the best to each and everyone of you. Meeting adjourned!"
With that, the council members left the chambers returning to their daily lives. Minato himself was gathering his papers while in thought. He couldn't wait to get home to tell his wife, Kushina, and his son, Naruto, of the great news. In all honesty he was nervous, he had spent months conjuring up this plan to lift Republic City out of its economic crisis and he feared that the council wouldn't accept it at all. Now knowing that his plans were accepted and was being put into work, that fear lifted off his chest. As he was exiting the chambers entering into city hall, Avatar Aang, Police Chief Toph, and Head Advisor Sokka greeted him on his way out.
"Councilman Namikaze." Sokka signaled. "Nice work out there today." He stretched his hand out to Minato for a handshake which Minato gladly accepted.
"Thank you Councilman Sokka. I've been developing that plan for months now and I didn't know how the council would take it but I'm very happy with the results. Hopefully we can work together and improve the plan and execute it perfectly."
Aang nodded sagely as the councilors exited city hall. "Yes. I believe that this plan will change the future of Republic City and make it a safer place for future generations. Which is why we came to you this fine night. We are all heading out to have dinner to further discuss plans for the city and we thought it be best to have you with to gain your opinion and ideas. I know this really good restaurant called Ts'ung Grand Plaza. The owner, Ji Ts'ung, makes this stuff called Vegan beef made out of soy and other man-made ingredients; No animals involved." Aang finished happily.
Toph sighed. "You really can be a little inconsiderate Twinkle Toes. He might not be able to come Aang."
Aang scratched the back of his head catching his mistake. "Do you have to keep calling me that Toph? I'm forty-seven now."
'Well… a hundred and forty-seven to be exact.' He thought to himself.
"I've been calling you that since we met all those years ago and I'm not stopping now."
Sooka interrupted their conversation with a forced smile. "What councilman Aang meant to say was that if you have plans for tonight then we understand
Surprise filled Minato's face. He wasn't expecting to gain an invitation to dinner with the founders of Republic City, let alone the heroes who ended the Hundred Years War at the ages of sixteen. "No problem at all. I-I'd be more than welcomed to accompany you to dinner as long as I can bring my wife and son."
"Absolutely! You're more than welcome to bring them along. The restaurant is off of Wenhua Road. Meet us there at 8:45 p.m."
"Will do."
Namikaze Residence (135 A.G.)
"Kushina! Naruto! I'm home!" Minato yelled cheerfully as he walked into his house. His house wasn't anything extravagant. It was medium in size, had four bedrooms, one for him and his wife Kushina, one for Naruto, and two guest rooms with an average sized kitchen, and a big living room. Kushina was in the kitchen cooking dinner.
"Welcome home Minato, how was the meeting?" She asked as she turned around and hugged him.
Minato's smile transformed into a grin. "It went better than expected. The council accepted my plan and we're working together to improve it so that we can save Republic City."
Kushina kissed Minato. "Honey that's amazing!"
"Hehe." He kissed his wife back before chuckling. "That's not even the best part hun."
Kushina shot Minato a puzzled expression. "What do you mean?"
"Well, after the meeting Avatar Aang, Chief Beifong, and Councilmember Sokka invited us to dinner at Tsu'ung Grand Plaza."
"A-are you serious?" Kushina asked in pure shock. Her eyes narrowed before she grabbed her frying pan and raised it at Minato. "You're not lying to me are you?" She spoke in a sweet tone.
"N-no! I'm not lying! They really did invite us out to a restaurant and we need to meet them there in… twenty minutes."
Kushina chirped happily eliciting a laugh from Minato. "I can't believe Avatar Aang, Toph, and Sokka invited us to dinner, dattebane!" Just as she finished talking she immediately covered her mouth. Minato laughed harder and watched as blood flushed to her cheeks in embarrassment.
Kushina frowned at the blonde haired councilman and punched him in his arm, getting a yelp from the man. "Not one word about that, especially to Naruto."
"Fine, fine. Not one word from me about your slip up."
"Good. I'm going to go get dressed. Go tell Naruto the good news."
Naruto's Room (135 A.G.)
Naruto U. Namikaze: 18 years old, intelligent, smart blonde born to Minato and Kushina Namikaze, and popular with the girls in his class as a heartthrob; however, he didn't care about any of that stuff though. Status or lineage, it never really mattered to him. He was just glad and thankful for being born to his wonderful parents. If you had to compare him to his parents, he was more like his mother than anything else despite his composed attitude in public. At home and around his friends, he was goofy, energetic, and had a bit of a reputation as a prankster among them. Yet his personality took a full 180° when it came to academics and studying. As it stood right now, he was the top of his class right besides Tenzin and Lin Beifong.
His position among his class is rather unique. Out of his entire class, he was among the few students who couldn't bend an element, which made passing his class a hell of a lot harder for him especially if he planned on being the best out of all of them. This meant that he had to train more than anyone else and be able to fight benders without an element to call his own.
Naruto found himself at a standstill multiple times during his training. It was no problem going one-on-one against a bender but against multiple benders was another story. He found it frustrating not being able to face against multiple opponents given the feat his father accomplished on his own as a non-bender. Naruto felt that he had to live up to his father's name.
Even now, Naruto was pondering on how to improve his combat ability skills against a plethora of enemies when three knocks sounded throughout his room. He lifted his head and turned towards his door. "Come in."
Minato came inside his son's room with a warm smile. "Hey bud, how's your homework coming along?"
"It's progressing… just a little challenging."
"What is it that you have to do?"
"We have to study different fighting stances and define how they're supposed to be used."
Minato stood over his son's shoulder and glanced at the homework. Immediately he frowned seeing that it was over Waterbending fight stances. Minato understood his son's condition of not being able to bend a single element at all. He knew how his son felt because he grew up the same way but those were two different generations and environments. While he was able to accept it and discover something that made up for it, Naruto didn't have anything yet. And though Naruto tried to hide it, Minato knew that his son felt frustrated. Because of his victories and accomplishments, the Namikaze name was known throughout the Four Great Nations and Naruto had to live up to that. Minato also figured that this was why Naruto had become distant towards him, always focused on his studies and training lately. It left him feeling deflated. He missed how energetic his blonde-lookalike was.
"Seems tough, but I know you can do it."
"Yeah I guess." Naruto sighed.
Minato shook his head and grasped his son's shoulder. "No I mean it Naruto. I believe that you can finish this and pass at the top of the class. You are my and Kushina's son after all." He reassured.
Naruto sprouted a grin. "Thanks dad."
"No problem son." Minato began walking towards the door before halting suddenly. "Oh! I almost forgot to tell you!"
"Tell me what?" Naruto asked confused.
"The good news. We got invited to eat dinner with Avatar Aang, Chief Beifong and Councilman Toph."
"Wait… really?"
"Really." Minato laughed.
Naruto stared at his dad questionably. "This isn't some kind of payback prank is it? Because if it is, you can definitely do better than this dad."
Minato sighed in defeat. "Why is it that you and Kushina try to accuse me of lying all the time and think I'm trying to pull a prank?"
Naruto folded his arms and smirked. "Maybe it has something to do with the incident with Uncle Jiraiya where you and he—"
Within a split second, Minato covered Naruto's mouth with his hand while sweating profusely. "We do not speak of that incident." Minato shuddered as he thought back to that incident.
'Which reminds me, I still have to smack Jiraiya across the head a couple of times for that.'
Naruto removed his father's hand from his mouth. "Fine, I believe you."
"Awesome, then go ahead and put on your best—"
"But, I can't go." Naruto interrupted. "I really have to finish this assignment. It's bad enough that I'm at a disadvantage against the other students but I just want to push myself harder and get ahead of the rest of the class."
Minato' smile degenerated at the sudden rejection from his fellow blonde. He was sad and disappointed that Naruto didn't want to go.
"Are you sure? These are the heroes of the Hundred Years War."
"I'm sure dad. I hear about them everyday from Tenzin and Lin. Honestly, I get sick of it sometimes." He chuckled.
Minato laughed at his son. "Okay. Well me and your mom are going, we'll probably be out until midnight."
"Sure thing dad; have fun!" After his dad left his room Naruto dropped his smile and sighed. "That's dad for ya. Now back to this homework…" He stared at his desk for a moment before hopping out of his chair. "Better yet, I'm due for a shower."
Ts'ung Grand Plaza 12:00 AM (135 A.G.)
"So me, Toph, Katara, and Aang had just arrived at the Fire Nation hiding at a cave and we took some clothes to blend in with the civilians eliminating the need to hide."
"Basically hiding in plain site." Minato added.
"Exactly." Sokka paused taking a bite of his fried lemur-fish before continuing on. "But this one right here," He pointed at Aang, "almost jeopardized our cover."
"No way. Avatar Aang almost jeopardized it? I heard that you were the goofball of the team." Kushina stated bluntly causing Aang and Toph to laugh.
Sokka deadpanned at the jab at him and sighed. "Yeah yeah, laugh it up you two." He turned back to Minato and Kushina who looked back in forth between the Gaang members. "Anyway, back to the story. So all of us are walking into town trying to blend in and discover how the citizens of the Fire Nation live, their customs, etc. While we're walking and gathering information, our "almighty leader" starts greeting civilians with these outdated Fire Nation names. And when I mean outdated, I mean outdated. He was shouting 'Flamie-O' and 'Hotman' to random people, drawing a lot of unnecessary attention to us."
"Hey, in my defense, those were the popular thing to say back in my day as a kid." Aang defended.
"Yeah, your day being a hundred and thirty-something years ago." Sokka chuckled. "But that's not even the worst part. The worst part is when he gets caught and mistaken as a truant student. So Aang ends up getting put into one of the Fire Nation's schools."
Minato directed his attention to Aang who shook his head in defeat. "It's true. But again, in my defense, I did pull off being a Fire Nation student, if I do say so myself." He said thinking the last part to himself. everyone laughed in were immersed in their stories of old times and memories.
The young councilman reached for his drink wanting to quench his thirst but hesitated to touch the glass cup feeling uncertain. He shook his head and smiled as Sokka began recalling the events of his time in the Boiling Rock prison. As Minato touched the rim of his glass, the glass cracked halting to the middle of his wine glass. 'What the… I could've swore that I felt something.' Minato shifted his head staring off in the distance as the feeling of dread and uncertainty washed over him.
"to…" The unfocused Blonde squinted his eyes as he heard a faint voice.
"Minato!"
"Huh?" He returned his gaze back to the company he was dining with and was greeted with concerned expressions. His wife rested her hand on his shoulder.
"Minato are you alright?"
"Yeah, why?"
"You were out of it for about a minute."
The Blonde sat for a few seconds before grinning at his wife and fellow councilmembers. "I was just thinking about the plans for the operation. It's been on my mind ever since I began plotting down the specifics."
Kushina sighed before scolding her husband. "You really do worry me sometimes Minato. If not for me and Naruto looking out for you, who knows how you'd be."
Minato chuckled nervously, gaining light hearted laughs from the Gaang.
"Now," Sokka pronounced, "back to the story."
Minato smiled and laughed with everyone else and grabbed his glass of wine. As he took a sip he took a final glance at the glass thinking to himself.
'I'm pretty sure it wasn't anything. Just a bad feeling.'
Namikaze Residence 11:45 PM (135 A.G.)
"Ahh, nothing beats a long hot shower. Hehe, I'd like to think that it'd help me with my Waterbending stances for class." The blonde teen walked into his room getting dressed. "Well… that's what I'd like to think anyway. Doesn't mean that it will." After getting dressed, the young teen flopped on his bed, releasing a heavy sigh. He buried his hands in his face.
"..lp!" Naruto shifted his head to his window as a faint sound made its way to his ears.
'What the…' He focused his attention to his ears.
"Help!"
The blonde hopped out of his bed and walked towards his window to see an altercation happening down the street from his house. An old man was backing away from a group of four men―no four firebenders with flames dancing off their fists, advancing towards the man with the intent to harm, or worse… kill.
"This time you're going to learn to follow orders."
Naruto's eyes narrowed and blitzed out of his room, rushing down the hallway to the stairs where he slid down the ramp. 'Shit. From what I saw, that was down on Renmin Road. Gotta make it there in time.'
Renmin Road 11:47 PM (135 A.G.)
"N-no, please!" The old man cried out.
The leader of the group walked closer to the man. "Nah, you're not getting away from us this time. Because of you, my brother got locked up by those metalbending bastards and I lost my standings with the Agni Kai Triad. All you had to do was keep your mouth shut, but I guess you can't even do that. You are going to pay tenfold for that old man and this time you won't have any second chances." He said as the flame in his hand grew in size and thrashed, waiting to be released.
The old man, backed up against a wall, closed his eyes as tears flowed down to his cheeks preparing for the worst to come.
*Thump*
"Oww!" The leader yelped before him and his group turned around to see that before his feet was a small metal ball. They traced the ball back to the source and was met with a young blonde teen. "And who the fuck are you?!"
"No one important. Just someone walking by a couple of deadbeat thugs who think they can do whatever they want." Naruto answered. "You know," he scratched behind his left ear in an annoyed fashion, "I never understood your kind."
The leader of the thugs narrowed his eyes with the flame in his hand flaring wildly in response with its master's emotions. "Our kind?"
Naruto slowly walked towards them lazily while never dropping his guard. "Yeah your kind, and by that I mean you gang members and thugs. What I never understood is why. Why can't you just work like other people and call it a day, huh? I mean, there are so many things you guys could do with your abilities but..." Naruto gritted his teeth as he recalled his struggle trying to keep up with benders for majority of his life and living up to the image his father made. "But you just miss-use it for crappy reasons!" He shouted.
The four thugs glanced at each other before looking back at Naruto with blank expressions. Three of them began laughing while the leader glared at Naruto. "You must have something wrong with you kid if you think that's how the world works."
"Well, no. I don't believe that the world is all sunshine and rainbows. The Hundred Years War is living proof of that. But I do believe in change. The world is changing, and changing fast. Look at this city." To prove his point Naruto motioned towards the buildings surrounding him and the firebenders.
"A hundred years ago this city would've never been a possibility. Everyone in this city would've no doubt be in some unstable village scrapping for food for the day or fighting day-in-day-out. Yet five people made it a reality. Do you get where I'm coming from?"
The leader grunted in annoyance. "I don't give a monkey-fish's ass about this city's history or the heroes of the Hundred Years War legacy. What I care about is now. And now, I'm going to burn you till there isn't anything left but a pile of ash."
Naruto shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "Meh, can't say I tried." Naruto rolled the sleeves of his arm up to his forearms. "In all honesty, our little conversation was just a means for me to buy some time for the old man to sneak away and alert the police of your recent endeavors." He admitted with a sly smirk and watched in amusement as the thugs looked frantically for the old man they were preparing to beat the crap out of but realized that while they were listening to him talk, the old man snuck away and bailed on them.
The leader snapped his head back towards the blonde growling in anger. His crew members slid into their stances in accordance to their leader's sudden movements. Naruto himself dropped into his own stance.
"There's no running away kid, you're going to die tonight!" With a thrust of his fist, flames rushed towards his target with the intent of burning everything. His crew members followed seconds after him turning his stream of fire into a wave of inferno.
Naruto acted in seconds of the leader's initial movements to incapacitate him by falling forward onto his stomach, barely avoiding death. He immediately rolled over to the side near the side of the apartment complexes and sprung back up followed by a burst of speed as he ran towards them. The firebending thugs couldn't react in time as the blonde was upon them and knocked out the first thug in proximity. The other two canceled their stream of flames to counter the blonde's punches with their posterior forearms. They then proceeded to push Naruto back causing him to grunt as he struggled to hold his position. While this was going on the leader watched in amusement and mild curiosity as to how Naruto would handle fighting two benders at once.
Naruto gritted his teeth as the benders slowly pushed him back into the wall and winced as he felt the heat rolling off their arms and never ceasing to increase in temperature.
"Heh," One of them laughed, "looks like it's over for you, you little brat."
"Yeah, there's no way you can beat the two of us at once kid."
Naruto smiled, albeit weakly as he was getting pushed into a corner by each passing second. "I don't know if I'd say that I'm over for. If anything, I'd say that you two are done for."
The two firebenders glanced at each other with confused looks. What in the hell could this blonde could be talking about? Clearly he was being overpowered by two fierce firebending thugs.
"What the hell are you—" Before the firebenders could even react, Naruto stopped resisting and crouched beneath the benders causing them to fall forward because of their weight. As they were falling, Naruto slammed the palms of his hands into their stomach and pushed with full force.
"G-gahh!" Both benders fell on their rears in agonizing pain.
"That's what I'm talking about." Naruto said, dusting the char off of his clothes. He looked at the downed thugs in disdain before shifting his gaze at the leader of the fourman group of firebenders.
"Heh, not bad for a kid. Even though they are complete idiots who can't do things right, I'll still give you credit for taking them down without bending. However," The firebender slid into a stance as Naruto watched the flames on the man's fists shrink — scratch that, shrink wasn't the right word for what he saw. The flames, by no means, dwindled, no, it sharpened. It refined itself as if honing in on a single target. "Those simple strategies aren't going to work on me."
"We'll see." Naruto said, watching as his opponent circled him. His eyes tunneled in on his movements and gestures before relaxing his muscles.
"Grragh!" The firebender yelled before skipping forward and unleashing blades of fire at Naruto, following with a reverse roundhouse kick. Naruto barely sidestepped out of the way of each of the blades, feeling the intense heat from the flames and managed to back-flip at the last second, escaping the fiery kick but wasn't able to dodge the next kick that followed after.
The leader followed up on his roundhouse kick with a flying back kick, forcing Naruto several meters back. Naruto's back connected with the cold concrete of the sidewalk of Renmin Road.
"Ghaa!" Naruto winced. He pushed himself back up only to be knocked back down by the leader. The blonde shouted in pain but forced himself through it and rolled out the way of a fireball. He kept rolling himself before flipping off of the sidewalk. He staggered on his feet, feeling winded. Naruto looked down at his jacket and examined the hole in it. He patted off the singes on it. The kick that connected did more than just force him down. It had also burned through his jacket and his shirt. His stomach was fully exposed and slightly burned.
"Tch. This was my favorite jacket too." He said while tossing his black jacket. He also removed his shirt too.
"Heh, still trying to fight kid? I respect that, but I think it's about time to end this now. Right boys?" Just as soon as he spoke, the other firebenders came out of the alley. Together with their leader they surrounded Naruto who smiled in defeat. "Any last words kid?"
"I'm not going down without a fight, best believe me on that." He declared. The other three firebenders rushed him as he smirked. He side kicked the nearest one out of his way and didn't hold back. His kick sent the goon into a wall knocked out cold but he didn't stop there. Naruto spun on his heel and slammed the other two back with a butterfly kick. He closed his eyes as he felt an enormous heat rushing at him and was blinded by a bright flash of red, orange, and yellow.
'Looks like this is it for me.' He waited for the pain to hit him and to be sent to spirit world.
He waited…
And waited… But he felt nothing.
'Huh?' He thought. Naruto opened his eyes and was in awe as he wasn't at Renmin Road anymore, as a matter of fact, he wasn't in Republic City anymore. He was in an unknown forest like none other. He walked around and could instantly tell that he wasn't in his home world anymore.
The Spirit World
"The Spirit World… but different. It's nothing like Tenzin described to me from the stories Avatar Aang told him."
And he was right, this wasn't the spirit world that Aang had traveled to. It wasn't the same plane that he had traveled to per say.
When Aang had ventured into the spirit world, he had only reached only the thinnest plane, the closest plane to the human world and had ventured into the plane above that one. Any higher planes were uncharted territory for Aang, for everyone.
Naruto was in one of the deepest planes of the Spirit World which housed the oldest and most prehistoric spirits known since the dawn of time.
"I wonder where exactly in the Spirit World I'm at." He mumbled as he walked and touched the many spirit trees. The tree moved at his touch, which amazed him even more. The tree eventually moved back to its original position. "Amazing."
The deceased teen spotted a deer the size of a four story building grazing throughout the forest with similar sized kin. He tiptoed forward before he froze in midstep when he stepped on a twig alerting the giant spirit dwellers. Most of the older deer left along with younger generation besides the one he initially saw. All it did was stare at him in a frozen gaze, lost in a false time.
When the teen decided to take a few steps forward, the deer didn't move at all, just looking at him, examining him curiously. He took it as a sign of good fortune and continued until he was under the shadow of its three sets of glowing antlers. It tilted its head to the side to his sudden halt.
He inched, little by little, with his hand raised. "Hey there, spirit deer-thing. I don't want to hurt you, I just want to let you know that I'm friendly." His voice was barely above that of a whisper and waited for it to move.
"Elk."
Naruto looked around as he heard a soft spoken but booming voice throughout the entire area. "Huh? Who's there?" He turned around defensively with his hand behind his back towards the spirit in a protective manner. "Show yourself!"
"Hehe, you humans are weird. I'm behind you."
Naruto gulped as he slowly returned to his original position and was nearly frightened by the closeness of the spirit's muzzle. Its mouth alone was three times the size of his head. "Holy spirits! You can… talk."
"Hehe, you are also humorous creatures as well. Fascinating."
'It's like it's never seen a human being before.' Naruto thought.
"Have you never seen a human spirit before spirit-elk?" Naruto questioned.
The elk shook its head in a dejected manner. "Sadly not. No human spirit has ever made their way this far into the spirit world and I'd like it if you called me by my name Mahatma."
Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Sorry, that was probably offensive. My name is Naruto, Naruto Namikaze. But what you said earlier… about there not being any humans that have traveled to the spirit world, that can't be right. Avatar Aang traveled into the Spirit World many times and has met many spirits like yourself. He even met the Mother of Faces."
The elk's ears flickered up in interest at the mentioning of the Mother of Faces. All spirits knew of her, no matter what plane you lived in. So when Naruto spoke of her the spirit was definitely surprised. "This Avatar that you speak of. Is he the rumored bridge between the Spirit World and the Human World?"
"Yeah he is. But he isn't the first one, there's been many before him."
"Hmm. Unfortunately he hasn't traveled to this plane. He may have gone through the first and maybe even the second plane, but definitely not this one. Yet he certainly is an interesting fellow to have met Mother of Faces. "
"You keep talking about planes. What are they?"
"Planes are a level or realm of existence."
Naruto pondered for a couple of minutes, while Mahatma blinked in confusion.
Humans aren't very bright... or is it just Naruto?
"Oh!" Naruto shouted in delight. "Like a layer right? Or floors but on a global scale."
I think it's safe to say that it's just Naruto. Mahatma sighed hopelessly. "Precisely."
Naruto nodded. "Okay I think I understand so far. That leads me to my next question. What plane is this one."
"The tenth and deepest realm of the Spirit World."
"And I just so happen to be the lucky human who gets to be here first." Naruto muttered. He kicked the grass, if he could even call it that, in mild frustration. From what the spirit told him, his situation was nothing short of unique and complicated.
'Now I'm stuck here in a part of the spirit world that no one from back home has any inclining of whatsoever. I don't even know if I can live here peacefully if this guy is anything to go off of with how huge he is. For all I know, I'm a rare cuisine waiting to be tried. Grr, screw it all!' He shouted mentally to himself.
"Well…" The spirit hummed while chewing on some herbs, interrupting Naruto's train of thoughts. "now that I think about it. Long ago when I was still a young calf, the old elders used to speak about a woman with great power who ventured through this plane."
"Wait, are you serious? Is there some way she could still be here?! Please tell me that there is." Naruto pleaded. If there was even a small chance that there was another human living here, even if it was a myth, he'd take it.
The elk spirit's face visibly scrunched in hard thought before speaking solemnly. "That…I don't know. It's been some time since I've heard that. And from the way the other elders were talking, it was like they were regarding this woman as a ghost." The spirit began laughing at his joke. Spirits speaking of someone in the spirit world as a ghost or non-existent being given their situation, was irony at it's greatest for the elk. Naruto only chuckled weakly.
"Sigh… Well, there goes that lead." Naruto rubbed his temples in dissatisfaction.
"If it makes you feel any better, there might be a place she might be living at."
Shen Chi Pass
If Naruto was sure of anything, it'd be that time didn't exist at all. Since his meeting with Mahatma, he traveled endlessly across the spirit plane to get to the Shen Chi Pass. Since reaching the bridge, he gave up on how long it took him to get the bridge. Time didn't flow at all in the Spirit World, so walking from one destination felt like an eternity until reached.
He did have numerous run ins with multiple spirits along the way and to say the least, they weren't all that friendly like Mahatma. Once he did reach the bridge he noticed two things: regarding time it felt like it only took him a couple of minutes even though he knew different and that there were no signs of any spirits trailing him.
But the bridge…the bridge was a lead to the possible location of the mysterious woman. The only problem was that the location was desolate. No spirit dared to pass into the land of the the Great Spirit Daidarabotchi.
From Mahatma, he learned that this spirit, Daidarabotchi, had quarantined off the land on the other side of the Shen Chi Pass for itself. Apparently, there was a war between many spirits and the Daidarabotchi. The mass of spirits wanted to accompany the land and live there but had failed to with the massive spirit's presence over the land itself. The leader of these spirits was some spirit named Shen Chi and commanded the front against the Daidarabotchi.
They didn't stand a chance.
To put it simply, they were annihilated. The remaining spirits that weren't vaporized into spiritual essence fled with Shen Chi staying to protect the fleeing. Shen Chi was powerful enough to push the monster of a spirit back into its territory. The story goes to say that the essence of Shen Chi formed the pass that warned spirits not to venture through. However, many who dared and lived have stated that before it showed up, there was a silhouette of a woman.
Naruto stepped on the bridge and heard it groan. He grabbed the rail and felt something enter his body once he made contact. Naruto shook off the uncomfortable feeling. It felt like a presence had entered. He continued his walk across the bridge easily making it across to no spirit's land.
He paused and took a quick glimpse back. Flashes of an intense battle flooded his memories and saw a flaming spirit charging at the approaching shadow that swallowed the land with each violent shake. Naruto saw the spirit look his way before uttering silent words.
Naruto smiled weakly at the bridge. 'Thanks for the warning, but I don't need it.' With that thought, he resumed his journey.
No Spirit's Land
Naruto treaded down a steep hill carefully avoiding the jagged rocks that stuck out proudly, unless he wanted to trip and tumble down. He figured he'd go down the less painful and steady route. Naruto failed to notice, was the very ground rising in a steady, rhythmic fashion. Almost as if it was breathing. Sweat started escaping from the pores of his skin as he was suddenly overcome with fatigue.
"What…what the hell is with this pressure that I'm feeling?" He muttered. He looked around and searched for a spot to rest at but to no avail, he found none before just giving in to his exhaustion and fell flat on his back. "This is insane." He stated, lying on his back for what felt like hours. "I wish I could just stay here and rest." Naruto slowly drifted and let sleep encompass him in the eternal realm of blissful dreams, visions, and nightmares.
As soon as he closed his eyes he opened them to find himself standing in a different world all entirely.
Where the hell am I? Am I dreaming? He glanced down to find himself in a wide open space which he guessed was what used to be a meadow filled with life but was destroyed and he also came to the conclusion that the two masses against each other were the cause.
What intrigued him was that it was an army of humans versus an army of spirits.
"Silence you spirits!" Naruto snapped his head in the direction of the source. He was a well-built man in armor like nothing Naruto had seen. His coal-colored hair was well kept in a long ponytail. He wore a sturdy gold-plated armor which glimmered as sun rays broke through the gloomy barrier which was the cloudy sky and landed on him.
Naruto grimaced once he saw the expression on the human commander's stony face. He could tell by looking at his eyes that the man had lost many things throughout his life. He didn't know how he could tell, he just…he just felt it. He just knew.
Naruto could tell that the events taking place were way before any era he had ever read about. None of the history books spoke of a time where humans and spirits openly fought against each other in a war. He studied both armies and glanced drifted as the two leaders argued and witnessed them battle.
And then…she appeared.
He witnessed her appear through some dimensional void and floated towards the battle to get a better look at her while she single handedly stopped the armies from fighting.
"Whoa…a-amazing! She, she must be the ones the elder elk-spirits were talking about. With those power... I don't think you can even call her human." He noted slipping into his world of thoughts.
It wasn't until a giant roar which cause the entire world to convulse did he break from his thought. If he was alive, he more and likely would've felt his heart skip multiple beats as his breath hitched. Shivers were rolling down his astral body continuously like a ripple in a pond as a familiar pressure washed over him.
"This pressure, I felt it when I was walking down that hill." He glanced up at the beast that decimated the human forces while protecting the trapped and dazed spirits. He slowly floated away from the monster while watching it closely. His eyes trailed up to its lone single red, ominous and weird eye.
Its gazed followed his and met his. The two looked at each other, beast and human-spirit, before the whole dream faded and Naruto found himself at another place.
"Wait, this is the bridge." He whispered. He watched as the flaming spirit battled the same colossal spirit that he saw from the previous dream. "What the hell is…"
"Go!" He heard the flaming spirit say looking in his direction while holding up a barrier that was barely holding its own against the punches of the monstrous spirit. Naruto turned his head to see several spirits behind him, dead-frightened.
One of the spirits stepped in front of the others, it was a four-eyed rabbit-bear with long white wings. Naruto also noted that one of its wings were singed and missing feathers. From what Naruto could tell, it was only a fraction less scared than the others it was standing by. "Shen Chi, please come back with us! If we leave here now and pass the cliff it'll leave us alone. If we—" The feminine spirit was silenced once she saw Shen Chi's smiling face. She gasped and clenched her eyes shut as he shook his head.
"I can't do that. After all the comrades that we lost to that impostor…I can't just leave now. Take everyone Yuu. I'll buy enough time for you to escape."
Naruto clenched his eyes shut as Shen Chi's friends cried in protest, but Shen Chi didn't care. He gathered the remaining strength he had and pushed Daidarabotchi back. The force of his might created a shock-wave which forced Naruto to shield himself as a strong gust of wind blew him and the spirits behind him away.
'He's this powerful?' Naruto thought. He dropped his arms and saw Shen Chi fading away. He tilted his head behind him and smiled. Naruto mimicked Shen's movements.
The spirits that were present behind him were long gone now. The only evidence of them being there was the trail of dust and a faint sound of wings flapping, growing faint with each passing second.
Naruto turned his head back to its original position to see that the former leader of a massive spirit legion had faded into red spirit essence. Now he found himself alone with the again saw himself having a staring contest with the spirit which appeared in both of his visions of the past. He didn't dare to move. Instead, he clutched his hands and formed fists. No sound was made between the two, yet there was an indefinite understanding between the spirits.
It wasn't until Naruto spoke that the silence was interrupted. "You brought me here, right? You're showing me these visions."
The Daidarabotchi didn't move.
The world around Naruto began to ripple and disperse.
"!" Naruto's eyes snapped open as an unbearable pressure smashed against his very being. It was ten times the amount of pressure he was feeling when he first arrived at his resting place. A large groan shook the very foundation that the blonde spirit laid on as he struggled to get up. After managing to get on his feet he looked in the direction of the gigantic spirit that he was fated to cross with.
"Finally… we meet." Sweat drizzled down the side of his face and landed on the side of his foot.
From a few miles away, Daidarabotchi stood over besides a mountain zoomed in on it's target, Naruto Namikaze. It roared and sped up its pace. Naruto smirked weakly before slowly walking. "Don't know what I can do against you but… I've never backed down from a fight before. So why start now." He softly spoke. Not that the behemoth could hear him.
However, unbeknownst to Naruto, the Daidarabotchi wasn't the only one there with him. A woman, with long white hair levitating high above Naruto, was watching things unfold.
"Naruto Namikaze… I hope you past the test."
END
AN: Whoo! I recently got done with this chapter and came to the conclusion that I had to split it into two parts. I'm pretty sure you guys wouldn't want a 20K+ chapter. That's way too much for a first chapter. So I did a little editing and finalized the two parts. I don't know when I'll upload the second part, that's up to you guys and how much feedback I get from you, the readers.
As I said before, I've been revising POAL V2 and I have some original story ideas that I've been working on. I probably won't upload those on here, maybe I will. I'll put up a poll sometime soon for you guys to choose. Anyway, I'm signing off. Ja Ne!