Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Last Airbender.
Bodyguard of Azula
Chapter 10: Restoration and Information
"Talking"
"Thinking"
"Bijū/spirit talking"
"Bijū/spirit thinking"
(Location: Konoha)
In the Hokage's office, Tsunade was looking over the latest report from the Bending Countries. She had just reached the point where the Earth Kingdom forces led by Colonel Qing had reached the bridge when shouts were coming from the hallway, shouts that were accompanied with the sounds of a small struggle. "Wait, you can't go in there!" Someone shouted before the office doors burst open.
Tsunade put the report down and stared at the intruder with a calm expression. "Is there something I can help you with, Jōnin Uchiha?" She asked the shinobi standing before her.
Sasuke stood in the doorway with an angry look on his face. "Why didn't you tell us?" He demanded, his voice all but snarling.
"What didn't I tell you?"
Pulling out a kunai, he launched himself at the Hokage. He might have actually struck her had a pair of arms not grabbed him and pulled him back. "Sasuke, for Kami's sake, calm down!" Sakura told her teammate as she held him back.
"Don't try to be the calm one here, Sakura!" He told her as he struggled to get out of her grip. "You're just as mad as I am about this!" She still wouldn't let him go, her grip was like iron.
"Well, it doesn't exactly help us if you try to murder the Hokage, Sasuke." A silver-haired, face masked shinobi said as he walked into the office.
"What is the meaning of this, Kakashi?" Tsunade asked the silver-haired man.
Sakura managed to calm Sasuke down as the fourth member of the team, a very pale (which is putting it lightly), black haired and black eyed teenager boy, came in. Kakashi cleared his throat as they stood before her. "Lady Hokage." He began. "Why were we not informed about the mission regarding Naruto?"
"The mission does not have Naruto as priority one." She answered. "It's protection detail. Anything that has to do with Naruto is a secondary objective."
"That still doesn't explain why you didn't tell us about the mission, Lady Tsunade." Sakura told her master, trying to stay respectful. But she was having a bit of difficulty with it. When news of Naruto surfaced, they were usually the first to know.
"I'm sure the Hokage will tell us if you let her talk, Ugly." The pale member told her with a fake smile.
She turned on him with a fist raised and an angry look on her face. "Don't start with me, Sai!" She yelled at him. She would punch him through a wall if he kept up with that.
"Sakura, stand down!" Tsunade barked out. She put her fist down but still gave Sai the angry look. "As I said," The Hokage continued. "The priority is the protection detail and given your history with Naruto, you are not suited for this mission."
Sasuke slammed his fist onto the table. "Naruto is our teammate! We have the right to go after him more than any other team!" He told her.
She just looked at him in silence. While the rest of Konoha Eleven put their efforts into looking for Naruto, it was Team 7 who put the most effort into it. When they were able, they did everything they could in looking for him. They went after the vaguest of rumors looking for their former teammate. But sometimes their drive got them into trouble. She had gotten multiple reports of them breaking into places they didn't have business in or assaulting people that spoke ill of Naruto. "It is for that reason you are not on the mission." She told him. "We both know that you would abandon the person you would protect in heartbeat if it gave you the chance to go after Naruto."
"Lady Hokage, with all due respect, Naruto is our teammate." Kakashi spoke. He would've continued, but she cut him off.
"Don't give me that excuse, Kakashi!" She snapped at him. "You don't think I haven't read the reports about your team's hunts for Naruto? About how your team has illegally broken into places just because you heard a vague rumor that he might be there? Or about how your team sent a person to a hospital's ICU because they insulted him? You have used that excuse one too many times!" She gave them all a hard look. "Until I am certain that you won't go chasing after rumors, you and your team are confined to the village. Now leave."
"Lady Tsunade—" Sakura began to protest.
Her teacher cut her off. "I said leave!" The four members bowed and turned to leave before Tsunade stopped them again. "Wait." She said. "Who was it that told you? Only Teams Kurenai, Guy, and Asuma knew about this mission."
"…Konohamaru." Sakura finally said. They left the office after that. The sounds of their footsteps and walked past other people came in from the open door.
"Shizune!" yelled out Tsunade after a few minutes of silence. "Get Team Ebisu in here now!"
(Location: Team Kakashi)
"Kami take that woman!" Sasuke swore as he and the rest of his team walked down one of Konoha's streets. The other people in the street could feel the tension and anger he was giving off and gave the team a wide berth.
"Watch it, Sasuke." Sakura warned her teammate. "That 'woman' is my teacher and your Hokage." While she was just as angry, she was still protective of her sensei.
"You know, Sakura, you're making it sound like she was your only teacher." Kakashi told her with an eye smile. "I'm hurt." She knew that he was playing, but she smiled apologetically anyway. "And Sasuke, as much as I dislike it myself it, the Hokage confined us for good reason." He said to his other student, his tone turning serious.
Sasuke stopped and tried to reign in his anger. "I know." He said after a minute. "I just hate the fact that we're stuck here when we know where Naruto is but we can't go after him."
Sakura put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Trust me, Sasuke. We all feel that way." She told him.
"Well I for one do not." Sai spoke up. "Why exactly should we care about someone who decided to up and abandon the village as well as this team? For all we know, he could have left to gain more power and turn on the village. It's not exactly correct for this team to worry about a traitor and possible danger—" Whatever he was going to say next was interrupted when Sakura punched him hard, sending him flying down the street.
As the people on the street scattered, a slightly dazed Sai was grabbed by the shirt and brought to look at Sakura's and Sasuke's angry faces. "Let's get one thing straight here, Sai. You are not a part of Team Kakashi. You are here only to ensure we can operate at full capacity. The fourth member of Team Kakashi is Naruto Uzumaki." Sakura told him. "The next time I hear you disrespecting Naruto like that, I'll hit you so hard your head will fly off."
"Not if I kill him first." Sasuke said, his hand reaching for the chokutō at his waist.
Sai gave another fake smile. "I'll keep those words in mind, considering you're Konoha no Sakura Hō-ō (Konoha's Cherry Blossom Phoenix)." He told Sakura. "And you're the Kurojishi no Sharingan (Black Lion of the Sharingan)." He told Sasuke.
"That's enough!" Kakashi barked out. "Sasuke, Sakura, let him go." They both did as they were told, letting him fall back down to the ground with the sound of him hitting the dirt echoing through an empty street. "Since we're confined to the village, I recommend we all calm down." He looked at Sai. "Go report back to Danzō, I'd advise you only rejoin us once everyone has calm down."
Sai simply got up, nodded and walked away. "I'm going to go train." Sasuke said. He started to walk in the direction of the training grounds. He wanted to hit something.
"Need a sparring partner?" Sakura asked as she caught up with him. He gave a slight smile and nodded his head. They walked off together to blow off some steam. People started to fill up the street once they had realized that the danger was now over, the relief on their faces were obvious to all.
Kakashi watched as his two students disappeared around a corner. They had changed from being an avenger and a Fangirl. "It's still amazing to see them be like that nowadays." He thought to himself. "But they aren't children anymore." He mentally sighed. "I guess we can thank Naruto for that."
After learning what had happen to Naruto during his life and the pain it caused him, Sasuke realized that he had lost a good friend because of what happened. The Curse Mark had influenced him too much. So he went to Jiraiya and asked him to remove it. Knowing that Orochimaru's handiwork with seals was a little crude at best (and sloppy at worst), he was able to remove the Curse Mark without any trouble. But Sasuke knew that wasn't the only problem, he had figured out that it only amplified both his superiority and his inferiority complexes. Surprising the Civilian council, the Shinobi council, and Tsunade, he volunteered to take a leave of absence from the shinobi ranks to take therapy sessions.
After sessions with Ino's father, Inoichi Yamanaka, the two complexes had diminished almost to the point where they were non-existent. Once the sessions were over, Sasuke rejoined the shinobi ranks and proceeded to put his nose to the grindstone. He tried to refrain himself from using the Sharingan as he trained under Kakashi, only using it when it was called for. But even then, he was greatly improving. He learned everything Kakashi had to teach him and also asked Guy if he could help him with his Taijutsu (which sent Guy off into a speech of how youthful Sasuke was). He even learned Kenjutsu in order to diversify his skills.
All of this helped him immensely in his missions. People in Konoha started to call him "the second coming of Itachi." Surprisingly enough, he didn't hate the title but neither was he proud of it. When it came time for the next Chūnin Exams, both he and Sakura went to Kumo to take it, with both of them making it to the third stage. When Kumo does the Chūnin Exams, by the third stage you are given a choice. A person can fight the opponent that supposed to fight against them or they can make a request to fight someone else. When Sasuke made it to the final round, he asked if he could fight someone else. Intrigued, the Raikage asked who it was he wanted to fight. He stunned the entire stadium by saying "Your brother, Killer Bee."
Before the Raikage could even say no, his brother was already in the stadium fields. Sasuke asked that it would only be a Taijutsu and Kenjutsu match, wanting to see where he was weak. Once the match had begun, Sasuke soon had to use his Sharingan just to keep up the Bee's movements and speed, but it still wasn't enough. After ten minutes, the match ended in Killer Bee's favor, with the Uchiha thoroughly beat. When both the Raikage and Tsunade asked for his opinion about the fight, Bee simply said "He lasted that long against the best. If it were me, I'd give him the vest." Sasuke was indeed given the rank of Chūnin.
His rise to Jōnin rank came about a year later. Jiraiya had passed information about Orochimaru's location to the village. Tsunade created a group to take out her ex-teammate and upon hearing about it, Sasuke volunteered for it. The plan was simple. They were to wait for night to fall, sneak into the base and kill Orochimaru while also collecting information. Sasuke and Anko Mitarashi were delegated to information hunting while the others were to kill the Snake Sage. Despite both having a bone to pick with Orochimaru, neither of them complained about what they were assigned to do, they just accepted it.
They broke into the base and separated. Both teams were to stay in contact with each other via wireless radio. Both Anko and Sasuke soon discovered that the base was a gold mine of information. They had even found the Snake Summoning Scroll as well as information on current members of the Akatsuki. While they stashed the information they found away, they heard the sound of battle coming from the wireless. They quickly made their way to the sounds of battle.
They soon found where the fight was being fought and discovered that the team that were sent to kill Orochimaru were now in the process of fighting and getting killed by him. Later, they learned that one member of the group got cocky and announced their presence to the Snake Sage. Seeing the damage that was being done, Sasuke told Anko to help the others that were still alive fend off Orochimaru while he got the wounded out. Once that was accomplished, he had the others pull out as he set off the explosive notes that both he and Anko had put up both outside the base and inside as a precaution. He knew that it would take more than that to kill Orochimaru. He only used it as a distraction so that they could get away safely.
Once they had arrived back at the village and reported in, the Shinobi council decided to give Sasuke the rank of Jōnin, while the new Civilian council encouraged him to become the Second Snake Sage. Surprised by their offers, he asked why he was given it when he had only been a Chūnin for a year. "Because they said so and so do I. Get over it." Tsunade told him with abrupt gruffness. While he did thank her and the Shinobi council for the promotion, he declined becoming the Second Snake Sage. He reason was that he was never Orochimaru's student.
Sakura had also changed over the years. After becoming Tsunade's apprentice, her nose was put to the grindstone as well (one might even say it was shoved into the grindstone). Whatever traces of being Sasuke's Fangirl were left, Tsunade pretty much killed them. Sakura was put through a rigorous form of training but in the end it benefitted her greatly. She now saw Sasuke as a friend and had even apologized for how she acted towards him when they were younger. Nowadays, she helped him run away and hide from his Fangirls (except when he's in the hot springs or bathhouse, he was on his own there). She also became a Chūnin at the same Chūnin Exams Sasuke did.
Under Tsunade's tutelage, Sakura became proficient in Medical Ninjutsu. Some people claimed that it was like she was resurrecting patients and giving them new life. That, combined with the Taijutsu lessons Tsunade gave her, her fiery temper (of which many a poor fool has been on the receiving end of), and her looks, earned her the title of Konoha no Sakura Hō-ō (Konoha's Cherry Blossom Phoenix).
Sasuke received his nickname from a surprising place: his brother. One of the pieces of information that Orochimaru had was a supposed location of Naruto. Team Kakashi quickly made their way to said location. They split up to cover more ground and see if they could find anything. As Sasuke made his way through a building, he discovered that they weren't the only ones looking for Naruto.
(Flashback)
"Hello Sasuke." Itachi said as the two brothers faced each other in an abandoned warehouse.
"Get out of my way, Itachi." Sasuke told him. "I don't have time to deal with you." He walked past him to get to the door on the other side, surprising his brother a little.
"Are you here for Naruto?" The single question Itachi asked made the younger Uchiha stop in his tracks. "So you are here for him. It seems we are looking for the same thing. Perhaps we should combine our efforts?" The last question was laced with both irony and sarcasm.
"YOU STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" He roared at his brother, whipping back around to face him, Sharingan blazing. "You touch him and I'll gut you!"
Itachi actually flinched and took a step back at the intensive glare his brother was giving him. But he recovered. "So you would rather fight me not for what I did, but for what I might do?" He asked with quiet surprise in his voice.
"Killing you won't bring back our clan. But it will definitely stop you from finding Naruto!" He growl as he slowly reached for a kunai. The silence between the two brothers filled the warehouse. Had it been any other situation, anybody who was in there as well would've felt awkward.
"Fighting to protect your friends rather than to avenge your family?" Itachi was silent for a couple of seconds and then smiled. "It seems that you have grown, Sasuke. You may still be foolish but you are not the same foolish little brother I remember."
"How am I still foolish?" He demanded. He felt like he had matured since that night and even more so since the last time he has seen his brother. But to hear him say that he was still foolish made him feel like nothing had changed at all.
"Have you considered the possibility that Naruto doesn't want you to find him?"
"He came after me, so I will do the same for him." He replied with confidence, remembering how Naruto chased after him when he had tried to leave. "I was such an idiot." He mentally berated himself. And now, he was trying to make up for his idiocy.
"And what if he doesn't want to come back?" Itachi asked, curious to see how his brother would answer. This was a new and different Sasuke he saw, he was wondering how much he changed.
"He'll come back." He said with determination. "I know he will."
His brother scoffed. "Still foolish," He muttered. "It seems you haven't changed as much as I had though." He began to walk away before stopping again in front of the rear door. "I hear that the villagers call you my second coming."
"The villagers will say what they want. It does not matter to me." Shinobi who listened to how people talked about them usually got a swelled ego. He didn't want or need that.
"But one should always try to have a name they can call theirs. So I, Itachi Uchiha, hereby name you the Kurojishi no Sharingan (Black Lion of the Sharingan). Let the countries know you as such." He declared with both formality and authority before he continued walking out of the building.
Sasuke just watched as his brother left. "Thank you…aniki." He whispered before leaving through the other door. Itachi may have his enemy nowadays, but he was still his brother. And he had always wanted Itachi to praise him. Giving him his own nickname was his own way of praising him.
Itachi stood outside the building, his ears having caught what Sasuke had whispered. "You're welcome, otouto." He continued to walk away, trying to find Kisame so they could continue their own search for Naruto.
(End Flashback)
Naruto wasn't there of course, so all they could do was to go back to the village. But once what had happened between Sasuke and Itachi became public knowledge, people started to call him the Kurojishi no Sharingan.
Kakashi sighed as he started to walk away. "I just hope that Guy, Asuma, or Kurenai can bring him back. The little gaki is missed around here." He thought to himself as he disappeared into the crowds.
(Location: Tank-train)
"Alright, I'm off." Naruto told them as they stood outside the tank-train, which it itself stood on the edges of a forest. It had been a week since the events of Kouzan. It was early in the morning and they started moving yet. Mostly because Naruto had to leave due to annual thing he had to do.
"Are you sure you can't hold this off?" Ty Lee asked. She looked at her friend with concern shining in her eyes.
He gave her a look. "Ty Lee, if you ever meet this guy, you would do well to be punctual. Otherwise, you're likely to end up dead." He told her. "Besides, you three need to get back to Yu Dao soon. War Minister Qin's time limit on loaning the tank-train is almost up."
"Well, we'll see you around." Mai told him, acting like she was bored out of the world. But in her own way, she too was concerned for him.
"Goodbye to you too, Mai," He replied in a deadpan voice, although he knew she was concerned for him. He turned to Azula, who looked a little sad. He never did like leaving her. She may have had her two closest (if only) friends with her and he knew that she could hold her own in a fight, but it still made him a little worried. But he knew that if he didn't try to keep this appointment, there was a very good chance of ending up as food. "Don't worry your royal head, princess. I'll be back before you know it." He said with a cheerful voice that they both knew was a fake one.
She lost the sad look, scoffing at her bodyguard. "Who said I was worried?" She asked, trying to sound like she had been offended.
He grinned. "You need to stop worrying, kit." The Kyūbi told him. "She's got Ty Lee and Mai. She'll be fine."
"You're right." He silently replied. "Now don't go doing anything stupid." He told her, faint concern showing in the sentence.
She heard it, but fought to keep her face calm and not to show any other emotions. "Did you forget who you're talking to?"
"Right, sorry." He looked at Ty Lee and Mai. "Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid, okay?" He asked, this time with obvious humor instead of concern.
They both nodded, making Ty Lee giggle and Mai chuckle, making Azula lose the fight to stay calm and became angry. "Naruto, you—" She began but he was already gone. They could hear his laughter on the wind. "I swear there are days when I hate him so much."
"Of course you do." Mai said, like she was stating the obvious. But both she and Ty Lee knew she was lying when she said things like that.
(Location: Aang's group)
Aang sat on the ground with a flute in hand. In front of him were several holes in the ground. "What's out here?" Sokka asked. He wasn't seeing much.
Toph knelt down and placed her hand on the ground, feeling the earth through her hand. "A lot actually, there's hundreds of little—" She started to say.
"Shh!" Aang interrupted her. "I know you can see underground but don't ruin the surprise. Just watch." He blew a note on the flute and a groundhog appeared out of a nearby hole and repeated the same note. "Yeah!" He said while laughing. He blew a different note and a different groundhog popped up and repeated the same note. "I'm putting an orchestra together."
"Orchestra huh?" asked Sokka. "Well la dee dah." Three groundhogs popped out of their holes and repeated the same notes. Momo tried going after one of them but missed, his head popping up from another hole. Aang kept playing the flute and with the groundhogs until Sokka plugged the other end of the flute with his finger. "This is great and all but don't we have more important things to worry about?" He asked. "We should be making plans."
"We did make plans." Toph reminded him. "We're all picking mini-vacations." They had been though a lot lately, so they decided to do something like in order to relax.
"There's no time for vacations." He told her with complete seriousness. They had made that decision while he had been sleeping.
"I'm learning the elements as fast as I can." Aang protested. "I practice hard every day with Toph and Katara. I've been training my arrow off!"
"Yeah, what's wrong with having a little fun in our downtime?" Katara asked her brother.
"This side of the world has been in a war for the past century." Asuma told her from where he and his team stood off to the side. "If you're a part of it, you don't have any downtime." Team Asuma had taken over protection duty after the massacre at Kouzan. Everyone had agreed that it was time for a change in the guard.
"He's right." Sokka said. "But even if you do master all of the elements, then what? It's not like we have a map of the Fire Nation. Should we just head west until we reach the Fire Lord's house? 'Knock, knock. Hello, Fire Lord, anybody home?' I don't think so! We need some intelligence if we're going to win this war." He explained urgently.
Aang blew a note and a groundhog appeared under Sokka's legs. It would have repeated the note had it not seen Akela and the beginnings of the Doomsday smile. It just went back down the hole. "Alright, we'll finish our vacations and then we'll look for Sokka's 'intelligence'." Katara said with a slight mocking tone on the word 'intelligence', making Aang chuckle. Both Shikamaru and Asuma looked at the two with slight disapproval. They both knew that trying to find intelligence could be the key to turning the fight into their favor.
After he was done, Aang grabbed the map and opened it up. "Your turn, Katara," He said. "Where would you like to go on your mini-vacation?"
She looked at the map. "How about the Misty Palms Oasis? That sounds refreshing." She suggested, pointing to its location. It looked interesting on the map, so she was interested to see what it looked like in real life.
"Oh yeah, I've been there. It's a pristine natural ice spring. And I don't usually use the word 'pristine'. It's one of the nature's wonders." He explained to her.
"Well, let's go already." Sokka told them impatiently. "The sooner we're done with these 'mini-vacations', the sooner we can get back to the more important things." He walked back towards Appa, climbing aboard.
"What's wrong with him?" Aang asked Katara.
"I don't know, he been like that ever since Kouzan." She answered honestly. After the massacre, Sokka had been acting a little more serious. He still made sarcastic comments and made jokes, but they knew that something inside of him had changed.
"It's his way of coping with the massacre." Asuma answered them, walking up to them while everyone else was getting back on Appa.
"Coping?" Aang asked.
"Yes, coping. You guys are coping in different ways. You, Katara, and Toph are coping by delaying getting back to what you're supposed to do. He's coping by wanting to get the war over with, so he's hurrying you all along." He explained, having seen people go through this kind of thing before.
"Will he be alright?" Katara asked. Despite what had happened between them, Sokka was still her brother. She would worry about him, even when he got paranoid about something and turned out to be wrong.
"Just give him some time. That's you can do at this point." He told them before walked away towards his team and leaving them to think over his words.
Everyone got on Appa and flew in the direction of the Misty Palms Oasis. However, once they got there, it definitely was not what they were expecting. "Must've changed ownership since I was here," Aang told the group, chuckling nervously before they walked in. The ice spring shown on the map was big but in real life, it looked like a small, steaming clump of ice. The fact they saw a dog licking it didn't help either. They walked to what looked like a cantina when a clothed covered man hocked one at Sokka's feet. But before he could do anything, Katara grabbed him and pulled him into the cantina.
They entered the cantina and saw it was just a watering hole, with people both drinking and sleeping. Their attention was drawn to the bar, where the bartender was creating a drink with fruits and handing out said drink using nothing but his swords. "I'm getting one." Chōji stated, looking intently at the bar.
"You had lunch an hour ago." Ino told her teammate.
"It's hot out there, Ino. I'm thirsty." He replied.
"I don't see a problem having one of those fruity beverages while we plan our strategy." Sokka agreed. The two of them went over to the bartender to order drinks. As that happened, Aang accidently ran into a person who had a drink, thus spilling it all over his clothes.
"No worries." Aang assured the man. "I clean up easy." He bent the air around him to dry his clothes.
The man gasped in surprise. "You're a living relic!" He said with excitement.
"Thanks." The Airbender replied. "I try."
"An Air Nomad, right in front of me." The man mused to himself. Then he realized that said Air Nomad wasn't alone "Professor Zei, head of anthropology at Ba Sing Se University." He introduced himself before grabbing Aang's arm. "Tell me, which of the Air Temples do you hail from?"
"The Southern Temple," He answered.
"Oh, splendid!" exclaimed the professor as he measured the boy's head. "Tell me, what was the primary agricultural product of your people?"
"Uh…are fruit pies an agricultural product?" The Air Nomad asked back, feeling like he was in a test. He had only been a kid before he ran away. He didn't really know anything about agricultural products.
But the professor was pleased nonetheless "Oh, truly fascinating. That is one for the journal!" He said to himself before pulling out said journal and writing an entry.
"So, professor," Sokka began as he and the others joined the two with drinks in hand. "You're obviously a well-traveled guy. Do you have a more current map? Ours seem to be a little dated."
"Certainly," Zei agreed. He rolled out his map on a table for Sokka to look at.
"What, no Fire Nation?" He asked after looking at it and seeing that it was of the local area. "Doesn't anyone have a good map of that place?" Honestly, it was beginning to look like it was impossible to find such a map.
Ignoring her brother, Katara looked at the map herself. "You've made a lot of trips into the desert." She noted.
"All in vain, I'm afraid." Zei told her. "I've found lost civilizations all over the Earth Kingdom but I haven't found the crown jewel: Wan Shi Tong's Library."
"You've spent years walking through the desert to find some guy's library?" Toph asked in disbelief from the chair she sat in.
"This library is more valuable than gold, little lady. It is said to contain a vast collection of knowledge. And knowledge…is priceless."
"Hm…sounds like good times." She replied, sarcasm evident in her voice.
"Oh, it is." He said, ignoring the sarcasm. "According to legend, it was built by the great knowledge spirit, Wan Shi Tong, with the help of his foxy knowledge seekers."
"Just for clarification" Shikamaru asked. "When you say foxy knowledge seekers, do you actually mean that they're foxes or they're attractive women?" It's best to find these things out early, so they could avoid a misunderstanding later.
"Personally, I hope it is attractive women." Sokka said.
"Or they could just look like foxes." Katara told her brother, admonishing him.
"You're both right, handsome little creatures." Zei said before pulling out a scroll with a building design of the library on it and placing it on the table, over the map. "Wan Shi Tong and his knowledge seekers collected books from all over the world and put them on display for mankind to read, so that we might better ourselves." He explained.
"If this place has books from all over the world, do you think they've got info on the Fire Nation? A map, maybe?" Sokka asked, hope evident in his voice.
"I wouldn't know. But if such a thing exists, it's in Wan Shi Tong's Library."
"Okay then." He looked at everyone else. "Then my vacation time will be spent at the library. If you have any complaints, I don't wanna hear them." He told them, keeping short and to the point.
"It's troublesome, but it's also the first useful vacation we've had since you guys decided to go on a brake." Shikamaru said, throwing a look at Aang and Katara. They weren't quite sure if he was insulting them or not.
"Uh, hey, what about me?" asked Toph. "When do I get to pick?"
"You gotta work here a little longer before you can qualify for vacation time." Sokka told her. She just slammed the drink in her hands onto the table, showing them that she was annoyed by his words.
"Of course there's the matter of finding it." Zei admitted. "I've made several trips into the Si Wong Desert and almost died each time. I'm afraid that desert impossible to cross." He noted with a disappointed tone in his voice.
Sokka and Aang shared a look and had the same idea. "Professor, would you like to see our sky bison?" Sokka asked him.
"You actually have a sky bison?!" Zei asked them, both surprised and joyful. Before anyone could answer, they all heard loud barking coming from outside the cantina.
"That's Akela!" The Tribesman exclaimed, running out of the cantina. Everyone else followed quickly on his tail. They ran out of the cantina and outside the Oasis's walls, where they had left the animals. Akela stood in front of Appa, growling and barking at a group of cloth covered people. Appa was growling as well.
"Sandbenders, shoo! Away from the bison and the wolf!" ordered Zei as the group reached them. They did as they were told, boarding their sand-sailor and sailing away into the desert.
(Location: Naruto)
He entered the place via the usual way. "Honestly," He muttered to himself, walking down the side of the wall. "The least he can do is let me know where the back door is. That way I don't have to do this every time. Is he still a little miffed about the fact I found the Airbending scrolls and read them without his permission?" He knew he shouldn't have read them, but it was too good a chance to pass up at the time. He was lucky enough not to end as food. He landed on solid ground and looked around. "Where is he?" He asked aloud before shrugging his shoulders. "Whatever, I'm just here to do what I promise to do." He walked away, already knowing where to go.
"So, how much do you want to bet that you're going to find one of his traps this trip?" The Kyūbi asked from within.
"Are you kidding?" He asked back. "That's not a bet, that's a guarantee."
(Location: Aboard Appa)
Appa flew on into the desert with the heat of the desert sun above them. The professor sat on his head along with Aang. "Tell me, sky bison. Are you the last of your breed?" Zei asked him. He only grunted in response. 'Oh, delightful, I only wish I spoke his tongue. Oh, the stories this beast could tell." He said. Momo hopped over to where he sat and began chattering. "Shush, chatty monkey!" He told the lemur.
Aang looked at the scroll with the building design. "Wow, shouldn't be too hard to find a place like this out here." He said confidently. They should be able to see it from a distance if it was as big as the scroll told them.
But they flew on, seeing nothing. "Does this place even exist?" Toph groaned after feeling the heat of the sun for a good amount of time.
"Some say it doesn't." Zei told her cheerfully.
"…Shouldn't you have mentioned that before?" She asked him grumpily.
They kept flying on. All was silent until Toph shouted out. "There it is!" She pointed out to the desert. Everyone looked at where she was pointing and saw nothing. They all looked at her. "That's what it will sound like when one of you spots it." She told them before waving her hand in front of her face with a mocking smile on her face.
"So, Professor Zei," Chōji said, trying to kill time by asking the man some questions. "What is it exactly that you want to look for in the Library?"
"I just want to find it and read what it has to offer! But if I wanted to actually find something…?" Zei drifted off into thought. "I guess I would try to find what Professor Uzumaki was looking for."
That got Team Asuma's attention right away. "What did you say the professor's name was?" Asuma asked. He wanted to be sure he had heard right.
"Professor Uzumaki, he was the previous head of anthropology." The professor repeated. "Why do you ask?"
"The Uzumaki clan was destroyed during the last Shinobi World War. The survivors were scattered. We had never thought that one ended up here." Asuma looked at the professor, curiosity showing on his face. "Is he still alive?"
"Unfortunately, I don't know." Zei told them. "He retired and then disappeared into the Si Wong desert, looking for the very library we are." He thought something over. "When was this last Shinobi World War?" He asked Asuma.
"About sixteen years ago."
He frowned once he heard those words. "I don't think Professor Uzumaki came here because of his clan's destruction."
"What makes you say that?" The Konoha shinobi asked him.
"Because he was the head of the anthropology department for over fifty years," Zei told them. "He retired ten years ago."
"Did you know him well?" Chōji asked. It sounded like he did.
"I was his student and helper." He answered with pride. "In fact, he often told me about his home country."
"Why did he want to find the library?" Ino asked him, curious to know. The only Uzumaki she had known was Naruto, and she never remembered him as the scholarly type. The idea of an Uzumaki professor sounded almost alien to her.
"Professor Uzumaki was convinced that somehow the history of the Bending Countries and the history of the Elemental Countries were connected." He explained. "He believed that the beginning of the Avatar also had something to do with the history of the Shinobi, to be specific, the person who started the Shinobi Era. If I remember correctly, he called this particular person the Sage of the Six Paths."
"That's the guy who started the Shinobi Era alright." Shikamaru said, lifting his head up from where he lay in the saddle. "At least, that's according to the troublesome legends." He let his fall back down so he could look at the sky, hoping to see if there were any clouds.
"Professor Uzumaki hunted everywhere for evidence to support his hypothesis but he could only find scraps of information, which led him to believe that the answers he was looking for were in Wan Shi Tong's Library. However, the university would not allow him to go look for it, so he retired."
'Why would he think the answers would be in the Library?" Sokka asked him.
"According to the information he gathered, the Library holds tomes and scrolls that speak of the era the First Paragons lived in as well as the history dealing with the beginning of the Avatar."
Sokka looked down at the Paragon Medallion hanging from his neck. "Are you sure?" He asked the professor. He knew very little of the Paragons' past, so he was curious to know what had happened.
"I don't know. That's why I want to find the Library."
They flew on for a few more minutes. The heat kept beating down on them, making them start to sweat. "It shouldn't be this hard to spot a giant, ornate building from the air." Katara said as she and Sokka looked over the side of the saddle.
Sokka looked through his telescope to look through the desert and saw something. "Down there." He called out, getting everyone's attention. "What's that?" He pointed down at the object.
Aang landed Appa in front of what appeared to be a tower buried in the sand. "Forget it." Katara said as she held the scroll of the Library designs. "It's obviously not what we're looking for. The building in this drawing is enormous."
They all then saw something shine on nearby dune. On the top of said dune was a canine-like animal with a scroll in its mouth. "What kind of animal is that?" Sokka asked as they watched it head towards the tower and then run up the tower wall before disappearing through a window.
"I think that was one of the knowledge seekers!" Zei said in excitement.
"I don't know about that, but I know I saw a fox." Chōji said.
"We must be close to the Library!" The professor announced with enthusiasm.
Sokka looked at the drawing. "No, this is the Library. Look!" He pointed to the tower buried in the sand and then to the tower on the top of the building in the drawing. They were one and the same. "It's completely buried."
Realization dawned on Zei's face. "The Library is buried!? My life's ambition is full of sand!" He fell to the ground and then his attitude did a complete 180. "Well, time to start excavating!" He said cheerfully before grabbing a small trowel and digging up the sand. The others looked at him in disbelief. He was going to need more than a trowel to get through that much sand.
Toph walked up to the tower wall and placed a hand on it, feeling the entire structure. "Actually that won't be necessary. The inside seems to be completely intact. And it's huge."
"The fox went through a window up there." Asuma said, pointing upwards at the window.
"I say we climb up there and give it a look." Sokka suggested
Toph folded her arms. "I say you guys go ahead without me." She told them.
"You got something against libraries?" Katara asked her.
"I've held books before and I've gotta tell you, they don't exactly do it for me."
"Oh right, sorry." She awkwardly replied, once again remembering that Toph was blind.
"Let me know if they have something you can listen to." That would be something interesting for her.
Asuma had borrowed Sokka's boomerang and tied rope to it. He threw it at the window and made sure it wouldn't shake loose. He began to climb up with Zei and Katara behind him while his Team brought up the rear. Aang and Sokka however, were with Appa and Akela. "Don't worry buddy." Aang told his sky bison. "I'm not making you go underground ever again. You can stay out here with Toph."
"That's goes for you too, Akela." Sokka told the wolf. "And remember, if Toph tries to do anything stupid, aim for the hair."
Akela nodded in answer, ignoring Toph's protest. The two of them left, leaving a blind Earthbending master with a sky bison and a white wolf. "What's up?" That was the first question she asked the two of them.
Everyone else was climbing down the rope into the library, the sound of feet scraping against the stone tower echoed out into the desert. When they got past the insides of the tower, and felt the cool air wash over them, they saw the entire Library. "Oh, it's so breathtaking!" Zei stated as they all hung onto the rope. "The spirits spared no expense in designing this place. Look at those beautiful buttresses." The last sentence sent Sokka, Katara, and Aang into fits of giggles. "What's funny?" The professor asked them.
"Nothing," Aang told him. "We just like architecture."
"As do I," The professor said, missing the point.
"Whatever, will you people hurry it up?" Ino said higher up on the rope. She didn't want to be hanging on the thing all day long.
Soon enough, they all got off the rope and onto a bridge in the middle of the hallway. "My word!" began Zei. "The exquisite mosaic handiwork of this tile-rendered avian symbol…" He trailed off when he realized that everyone was given him a weird look. "…Nice…owl," He finished off lamely.
Suddenly hearing movement coming from behind them, everyone ran towards the end of the bridge and behind columns. The noise of movement got louder, Aang snuck a peek at who was making the noise and saw that it was a very big owl standing in the middle of the bridge looking at the rope. Its head then turned to look around the Library and did an almost 360 turn to look at where they were hiding. "I know you're back there." It said aloud, its voice alone sent shivers down their spines, even the shinobi.
Aang ducked his head back behind the column. Zei decided to be the brave one and walked back onto the bridge. "Hello! I'm Professor Zei, head of anthropology at Ba Sing Se University." He introduced himself before bowing to the owl, trying to sound friendly.
"You should leave the way you came, unless you want to become a stuffed head of anthropology." The owl bluntly stated as he looked over at a column. Zei followed his gaze and stuffed animal headson the column. He rubbed his neck unconsciously. The notion of having his head stuffed was not an appealing one.
Everyone else emerged from where they were hiding. "Are you the spirit who brought this Library to the Physical World?" Sokka asked cautiously. He got the feeling that this was a spirit much like Koh. You had to be very careful and tread lightly.
"Indeed." The owl answered. "I am Wan Shi Tong, he who knows ten thousands things, and you are obviously humans, which, by the way, are no longer permitted in my study." His head kept swerving between Sokka and Zei, who stood in the front of the group.
"What do you have against humans?" Aang asked. He didn't see anything wrong with them (then again, he was a human, so he was a little biased).
"Humans only bother learning things to get the edge on other humans. Like that Firebender who came to this place a few years ago, looking to destroy his enemy." He leaned in closer to Sokka. "So, who are you trying to destroy?" He asked, a subtle dangerous tone entering his voice.
Sokka thought quickly, trying to think up a convincing lie. "Not to destroy, but to understand." He finally said. "Please let him buy it, please." He silently prayed.
The owl just stared at him. "…If you're going to lie to all-knowing spirit being, you should at least put some effort into it." He told the Water Paragon, the last bit with slight exasperation.
"I'm not lying." Sokka protested. "I'm here with the Avatar; he's the bridge between our worlds. He'll vouch for me." He grabbed Aang and put him in front of the owl.
"Uh…yeah, I'll vouch." Aang told the spirit, a little uncertain. "We will not abuse the knowledge in your library good spirit. You have my word." He promised the owl, bowing his head with everyone else following his example.
"Hm…very well," Wan Shi Tong answered. "I'll let you peruse my vast collection, on one condition. To prove your worth as scholars, you have to contribute some worthwhile knowledge."
Zei stepped up to the bat first. He knelt and held out a book. "Please accept this tome as a donation to your library." He said.
"First edition, very nice," The spirit said as he took the book with his wing.
Zei back away and let Katara step up. "I have an authentic Waterbending scroll." She offered, showing said scroll.
"Ohh, these illustrations are quite stylish." He took the scroll.
Aang thought about what he was to give. "Oh, I know!" He reached into his shirt and pulled out the wanted poster of him.
"I suppose that counts."
Asuma stepped forward. "Wasn't really expecting this, but my father did teach me to be prepared." He reached into his vest and pulled out a book. "Here you are." He offered the book to the owl.
"The History of the Land of Fire, that is acceptable." He took the book without any argument.
Ino was next. "I have a book on flower gardening." She offered.
"A bit unnecessary here in the desert, but interesting all the same. Perhaps some of the methods in your book will useful when I tend to my garden." He took the book, leaving the others to wonder where he could hide a garden in a library that was underground.
Chōji moved forward. "I have a book about the recipes my clan has created." He said, holding the book in his hands.
"A cookbook is knowledgeable." He agreed, taking the book out of the Akimichi's hands.
Shikamaru walked forward. "I think I've got the right thing here." He said.
"Useful ways to use your frying pan in your house and on your husband by Yoshino Nara," Wan Shi Tong read the title of the book with a small amount of confusion in his voice.
"My mom wrote it for the wives of the Nara clan, troublesome woman." He muttered. "It sold well, so there's no danger of me losing this thing."
"Sounds intriguing all the same," The owl told him before taking the book.
Sokka was the only one left. "I don't really have anything to give you, great spirit. But can I offer you a deal?"
"What is it you have to offer?" He asked, sounding a little interested.
"When I am old and wish to write about my life, I will come back and give the original copy to you once it is done." That was the only thing he had to go with. He just hoped that it was accepted.
The spirit stared at him with unblinking eyes. "Very few have ever tried to make me an offer before, and I have rarely accepted." He stated. "But I find the terms acceptable. I will expect your memoirs to be given to me when it's done. Enjoy the library." He told the entire group.
"Great Wan Shi Tong, may I ask you something?" Zei asked the owl, stepping two steps forward.
"What is it?" He asked, vaguely annoyed.
"Ten years ago, my predecessor disappeared looking for your Library." He began.
"Ah yes, there was a fellow who found my Library around that time. He was close to death when he found it." The owl said.
"Did he manage to find what he was looking for?" He certainly hoped that was the case.
"Yes, although he took ill afterwards and died soon after. I had him buried in the basement and had what he was looking for moved to a different part of the library. Is that all?"
"Yes, thank you." He bowed his head in thanks.
Suddenly the Library shook and they all heard a faint boom. Then they heard someone yelling. "DAMN IT, WAN SHI TONG! HOW MANY PLACES DO YOU HAVE HERE THAT ARE FLOODED!? HOW DID THEY GET FLOODED IN THE FIRST PLACE?! YOU LIVE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT! ALSO, WHY IS IT THAT YOU HAVE SO MANY AREAS THAT BOOBY-TRAPPED?! HERE I'M TRYING TO DO WHAT I PROMISED AND I KEEP GETTING ALMOST KILLED IN THE PROCESS! I NEED TO BE PAID FOR THIS, YOU HEAR ME!? I SHOULD GET PAID!"
The voice was somewhat faint but they could still what the person was saying. "If you'll excuse me," The owl said. "I need to take care of this." He flew off the bridge and into the depths of the Library, the sound of his wings flapping in the air echoing beneath them.
Ino looked over the edge of the bridge. "Do you think we should ask what that was all about?" She asked the group.
Shikamaru shook his head. "It's too troublesome to do so." He told her. But something was bugging him. That loud voice sounded a little familiar.
(Location: Naruto)
"You know, there are days where I think your boss is an idiot." He told a nearby fox as he stared at the problem in front of them. It was a door that, if opened, would flood the room with water. Naruto had managed to close the door before the entire room went underwater, but there were still puddles on the floor and his pants were still soaked.
"And you also know that I would kill you for making such an insult." Wan Shi Tong answered as he appeared in the room.
"Well, you can't kill me. I'm the one who's restoring your library, in case you forgot." He looked back at the problem. "Just how many traps do you have rigged in this library? This is the fifth one I've encountered on this trip alone."
The owl thought it over. "I believe that so far, you have only encountered 2.5% of the traps in my library." He answered with a shrug.
Naruto just stared at the giant bird. "You are one paranoid owl, you know that, right?"
"I can and will defend my library by any means." The paranoid owl defended his choices and actions.
He sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to get anywhere with that. "Whatever. Just get rid of this trap so I can get on with my job."
The spirit walked up to the door and just waved a wing over it. "It is safe now." He announced before walking away.
"Why do I have a hard time believing him?" He asked the fox, who just cocked its head and blinked. "Why did I even bother asking you?" He asked before he opened the door again. Thankfully, no water came flying out to hit him in the face. "Well, on with the work."
(Location: outside the Library)
Toph sat in the sand with Appa and Akela. "So, you like…flying?" was the question she asked the sky bison after a period of silence. He just scratched his ear. "Of course, I'm more comfortable on the ground, where I can see." She said. "Well…I don't see the way you do. I feel the vibrations in the ground with my feet." She grabbed a handful of sand and let fall from her hand. "But the sand is loose and shifty, it makes everything look fuzzy." Appa gave a big yawn and Akela gave her a look. "Not that there anything with wrong with fuzzy!" She quickly told them.
(Location: Aang's group)
Everyone was looking through the bookshelves while a nearby fox put a book back into the shelf where it came from. "Hey, look at these weird lion turtles things." Aang said, holding a picture of the creatures for everyone to look at.
Sokka took a look at the picture. They were weird, but he wasn't surprised "I've seen weirder." He stated. He walked away, browsing through the many different books.
"Aang," Katara called out. "Did you know in a past life you were left handed?" She asked as she walked over to him with a book in her hands.
"I always knew I was special." He replied with a big grin.
"Well, you are the Avatar after all." Shikamaru drawled. He was very special.
"Be nice, Shikamaru." Ino told her teammate.
Sokka kept walking around, looking at books and scrolls. If what they had interested him, he took it and put it in his bag. He then came upon a glass container that held a burnt piece of paper with writing on it. "The darkest day in Fire Nation history," He read. "It's got a date at the top but it doesn't say anything else." He said to himself. Looking around to see if anyone was watching him, he pulled out his machete to pry open the glass and took the piece of paper out. Sheathing the machete and rolling up the piece of the paper, he began to walk away when the others showed up.
"Sokka, where are you going?" Aang asked him as he began to run off. Whenever the Tribesman started running, something was up.
"I wanna know what to the Fire Nation on their darkest day." He told them, holding up the scroll. "This could be promising." He ran through the Library with the others right behind him, racing past aisle after aisle of ancient books. "The information on the Fire Nation should be right up in here." He said as he came to a door with the symbol for fire above it. The door was close and when he tried to open it, it wouldn't open. "It's barred from the other side!" He said.
"There's a note right here." Katara said, pointing to a piece of paper on the wall next to the door. Asuma took it and read aloud to the group. It said:
To whom it may concern.
Due to an idiot's notion that no one should know about his nation's weaknesses, he burned all the information on the Fire Nation. Therefore this section of the Library is closed for restoration.
Thank you for understanding.
Naruto, Paragon of the Fire Nation.
P.S. If you're wondering how long it's going to take for it to be completely restored, I honestly don't know.
"Naruto's been here!?" Chōji asked in surprise. It was beginning to look like everywhere they went, the blonde had been there too (even when they weren't looking for him).
"That's not important right now." Sokka told him, staring at the barred door. "I need to know what happened on the darkest day." He muttered to himself. It could be the key to turning the war in their favor. Hearing an animal whimper, they all turned around and saw one of the knowledge seekers standing on its hind legs. "Hello, little weird fox guy." Sokka greeted him uncertainly.
The fox got back on all fours, turned around and pointed. "Seems it's trying to assist you," Zei noted.
"Um…sure," He told the fox. "I guess I'll follow you." The fox took off and led them through the Library, their footsteps echoing in the air. It finally stopped at a large golden design on the wall. The fox went through a small hole next to the design and disappeared. The inner part of the design began to roll to the side, revealing that it was a door. On the other side of the door was the fox.
They walked into the room, which looked like someone had painted a surrounding landscape on the walls as well as the sky. In the middle of the room stood a pedestal with four different sets of dials and a lever. The fox walked up to the lever and pushed on it. The sky turned into the night sky, showing all the stars as well as the path of the moon. "This room is a true marvel. A mechanical wonder!" stated Zei. "It's a planetarium that shows the heavens moving!"
"Cool!" Chōji exclaimed as he watched the thing work. He had never seen something like this before.
"Uh, this is beautiful, but how is it helpful?" Sokka asked as the night disappeared and the sky reappeared.
"Maybe these dials represents dates and times." Katara suggested as she looked at the pedestal. It looked like it to her. "Sokka, try entering that date from that parchment you took." She ordered her brother.
"Shh, Katara," He shushed her. "Not in front of the fox, he's with the owl." The fox dropped its tail and ears, looking like he did something wrong.
Looking at the date on the parchment, Sokka approached the dials and set the date. When he was done, he went over to the lever and pushed on it. The room started up again, turning day into night. "Wow, I gotta hand it to you, Sokka. You pick the best mini-vacation for sure." Aang told him.
Night turned back into day but then day immediately darkened. "Hey wait, what happened to the sun?" Katara asked.
Aang scowled. "Great, you must have broken it." He said.
"Have a little more trust, Aang." Asuma told him. It never hurt to have a little more trust in your friends.
Sokka looked at the planetarium. "It's not broken." He said, realizing what it was showing them. "The sun is behind the moon. It's a solar eclipse! It's literally the darkest day in Fire Nation history." He grabbed Aang by the shoulders. "Now I get it! Something awful happened on that day. I don't know what, but I do know why. Firebenders lose their bending during a solar eclipse!" He let go of Aang, who grunted in pain. "Sorry."
"That makes sense." Katara agreed. "I mean, think of what the lunar eclipse at the North Pole did to the Waterbenders. This is huge."
The fox walked up to Sokka and stood on its hinds legs in a begging position. "Fine, you earned it." Sokka acknowledged, taking a treat out of his bag and tossing to the fox. "We've gotta get this information to the Earth King in Ba Sing Se." He told everyone. "We'll wait for the next eclipse. Then we'll invade the Fire Nation when they're totally helpless. The Fire Lord is going down!" Before his mood could reach the others, a large shadow loomed over him.
"Mortals are so predictable…and such terrible liars." Wan Shi Tong said as he stood before them. "You betrayed my trust! From the beginning, you intended to misuse this knowledge for evil purposes!"
"You don't understand!" Sokka protested. "If anyone's evil, it'sthe Fire Nation. We need this information!" They had to end the war.
"You think you're the first person to think their war was justified!?" The owl demanded in an angry voice. "Countless others before you have come here, seeking weapons or weaknesses or battle strategies!"
"We had no choice." Aang told him. "Please, we're just desperate to protect the ones we love."
"And now, I'm going to protect what I love." The spirit stated. He started to flaphis wings, creating larges gusts of wind. The Library began to rumble as his wings flapped.
"What are you doing!?" The Air Nomad asked, worry and panic seeping into his voice.
"I'm taking my knowledge back. No one will ever abuse it again!" He declared assand began to fall from the ceiling.
"He's sinking the building!" Katara exclaimed, realizing what he was doing. "We gotta get out of here!"
"I'm afraid I can't allow that." The owl changed into an almost dragon-like figure. "You already know too much." But before he could do anything to them, he was hit by what could be described as a brown, spiky boulder.
"Nikudan Hari Sensha (SpikedHuman Bullet Tank)!" Chōji called out as he sent Wan Shi Tong to the ground. The owl shook his head, trying to get out of his daze.
"Let's move, people!" Asuma ordered the group. Everyone ran out of the planetarium with Wan Shi Tong on their heels. They kept focus on what was in front of them because, quite frankly, no one wanted to look back.
(Location: Naruto)
Naruto felt the Library start to rumble. "Now what's going on?" He grumbled. He looked up from where he was working and saw that all the foxes had disappeared. He then noticed that sand was falling from the ceiling and onto the floor. "What's with the sand?" He thought. "The owl said that this place was airtight. So how is…" His train of thought stopped as he realized what that meant. "He isn't." He said in disbelief.
"He is." The Kyūbi said as he watched the sand come down.
"I'm going to kill that owl!" The blonde yelled as he ran out of the room to look for Wan Shi Tong.
(Location: outside the Library)
The three of them sat together so that they could get some shade. Appa had put his tail against the tower and when he felt it began to move down, he tried to warn Toph by growling at her. Akela also realized the danger and started barking. "I already told you two, I don't wanna snuggle." She told him as she sat on Appa's leg. When Appa rose up to walk away, she lost her support and fell to the ground. Getting back up, she faced the Library's tower and felt the vibrations. "Library sinking. Library sinking!" She realized. She ran towards the tower and shoved her hands into it, trying to use her Earthbending to stop it. However, she was impeded as the sand beneath her didn't give a good grip. Letting go of the tower, she bent the sand beneath her feet into rough form of earth. She took hold of the tower again to stop from sinking.
(Location: Aang's group)
They ran through the Library, trying to escape the angry knowledge spirit that was chasing them. In the process of chasing, the owl broke many of the shelves, destroying many of the books. As they tried to get across the bridge, Zei turned to face their pursuer. "Great knowledge spirit, I beg you, do not destroy your vast collection of priceless tomes!" He said to Wan Shi Tong, who was having none of it.
Seeing that he was about to attacked, Aang bent the air to pull Zei back towards them, making him drop the books he had in his hands. He bent the air towards Wan Shi Tong, sending him off the bridge and into the depth of the Library. "We gotta get back to the surface!" He told everyone as he led them away from the bridge. They had to get out of there if they wanted to live.
Sokka stayed where he was and looked back across the bridge. "Sokka, let's go!" Katara called out to him.
"But we still don't know when the next eclipse is going to happen!" He protested.
"Don't be stupid! We'll find out later!"
"There's not going to be a later, Katara!" Ino told her. If the Library sank into the desert, they would not be able to find it again. And if they were stuck inside when it sank, they would not live long.
"She's right." The Tribesman agreed with her. "If we leave this place, we'll never get the information. Aang, Shikamaru come with me to the planetarium, I need cover." The two quickly walked over to him. "Katara, get everyone out of here!" He ordered.
"But—" She was interrupted when Wan Shi Tong made his appearance again, smashing through the bookcases.
"GO!" He yelled.
"Hurry, Sokka!" She told him as she ran off with the owl behind her. Sokka, Aang and Shikamaru ran back across the bridge. As he was being chased, Zei leapt into an aisle to avoid the owl and then noticed a book that piqued his interest.
(Location: outside the Library)
As Toph tried to hold the tower up, there was a noise coming in from behind them. Both Appa and Akela turned to face the noise. Akela took a sniff in the wind and began to growl. "What is it now?" Toph asked them.
It turned out to be the Sandbenders coming back for Appa. One of them bent a gust of sand at Appa, obscuring him. "Who's there!?" demanded Toph. The sand-sailors began to encircle Appa. Akela joined his larger friend in the fray.
(Location: Sokka's group)
The three of them ran back into the planetarium. "Why are we doing this?" Aang asked as they entered the room.
"Because if this calendar can tell us about eclipses in the past, then maybe it'll project when the next one will be," Sokka explained as he approached the pedestal.
"You can't possibly check every single date." He objected. They didn't have the time for that!
"I don't have to. We just need to check every date before Sozin's Comet arrives. Because after that…well, try not to think about that." The Tribesman told him.
"You better start working then." Shikamaru said. "We don't know when that owl is going to show up." For all they knew, he was right beyond the corner.
Sokka and Aang began to work while Shikamaru covered the door. It took some time, as each date they tried wasn't the right one. Both the sun and the moon kept missing each other or not even coming close to one another. "C'mon, eclipse." Aang said as he pushed the lever on the latest date they tried.
The planetarium started up and then soon darkened. "That's it, the solar eclipse!" Sokka stated with glee as he looked at the moon covering the sun. "It's just a few months away." He quickly wrote down the date. "Got it, now let's get to Ba Sing Se!" They ran out of the planetarium, trying to get back to the others before they became owl food.
(Location: outside the Library)
The Sandbenders surrounded Appa and threw ropes with weights tied at the ends over him. They proceeded to try and pull him down but he resisted. Akela tried to help by attacking the Sandbenders and making them lose their grip on the rope, but he could only attack one at a time and they kept getting back up. Appa sent them flying by jerking around and flapping his tail. It sent a few Sandbenders flying but not all of them.
Toph heard the sounds of the struggle. "Don't make me put this down!" She threatened. She let go of the tower and bent a stream of sand at them. But because she couldn't really see through the sand, her attack flew harmlessly by.
"Put a muzzle on him!" Someone ordered. A rope was thrown over Appa's mouth but he snapped it off. Ropes were then thrown at his horns. He tried to fly away but the Sandbenders threw ropes at his legs and pulled him down to the ground. A sand-sailor pulled up next to them and they tied Appa to it.
Akela was still attacking the Sandbenders and going after the ropes that held Appa. "Somebody take care of that damn dog!" Toph heard another voice called out. She heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh and Akela yelping.
"Stupid cur, just lay there and die!" The first voice said as she heard the sound of a blade being drawn and cutting through flesh. The sand-sailors flew off with Appa in tow.
"No!" Toph cried. "Stop sinking!" She let go of the tower and bent streams of sand in random directions but the Sandbenders were already gone and she still had to hold the Library in place. "I'm sorry, Appa." She said to herself but then realized something. "Akela? Akela, are you there?" She called out. She heard the pained whimpering's of him getting closer but she couldn't make sure where he was. She had to focus on holding the Library up so the others could escape.
(Location: Katara's group)
They kept on running from Wan Shi Tong. "Split up!" She ordered the others. They scattered, but the owl stayed on her. Making a quick turn, she disappeared from his sight and hid at the end of a bookshelf, holding Momo. She tried to stay quiet, but her panting sounded like it filled the entire library, at least to her.
The knowledge spirit searched for her among the bookshelves. "At least I'll have one specimen to add to my collection." He announced as he noticed Momo's tail hanging out from behind a bookshelf. He made a lunge for them, but they were already moving. He went after them, now taking more care to avoid the shelves.
They made their way back to the bridge, joining up again with Asuma, Ino and Chōji. They ran out to the bridge but Wan Shi Tong was right behind them. Katara stopped and turned to face him, assuming a Waterbending stance. "Your Waterbending won't do you much good here." The owl told her as he loomed over her. "I've studied Northern Water style, Southern Water style, even Foggy Swamp style."
Suddenly, from above them, Aang flew over with Sokka hanging on. Sokka let go, fell towards Wan Shi Tong and hit him hard with a book, knocking him unconscious. "That's called Sokka style." He told the unconscious owl. "Learn it!" Aang and Shikamaru rejoined them. Everyone started to climb up the rope but Sokka realized that not everyone was on the rope. He spotted the missing person over by a bookshelf. "Wait! Professor, let's go!" He called out, getting his attention.
"I'm not leaving!" Zei answered as he sat on the ground, surrounded by books. "I can't. I spent too long trying to find this place. There's not another collection of knowledge like this on earth. I could spend an eternity in here." He looked content.
It was at this point that Wan Shi Tong woke back up. But before he could do anything, a loud voice called out. "HEY!" The voice yelled out, stopping everyone from moving. They all turned to see an angry Naruto standing on the other end of the bridge. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE BIJŪ ARE YOU DOING YOU STUPID OWL!?"
"I thought I knew that voice sounded familiar!" Shikamaru realized as he looked at the blonde. "It was Naruto!"
"I'm sinking my library." The spirit replied simply.
"Stop being an idiot!" He yelled. "We had a deal! I bring you books from the Fire Nation to restore your library and you don't try to kill me, or turn me into a meal. And the last time I checked, sinking the Library while I'm still in it qualifies as killing me! I thought spirits stuck to the deals they made."
"Yes, that's true." He said, sounded offended at the mere idea.
Sokka saw an opportunity at the owl's words. "If you try to kill us or sink the Library that means you tried to back out of our deal first as well." He shouted down at him.
Wan Shi Tong huffed. "A spirit always sticks to the deals they make." He said to them both.
"Then stop sinking the Library!" Naruto told him.
"And let us go as well!" Sokka called out.
The spirit almost seemed conflicted until he took a sigh of defeat and turned back into an owl. "Very well, I will hold to the deals I've made." He flapped his wings again and the Library stop rumbling and the sand stop pouring down from the ceiling. He looked at the people on the rope. "It would be wise for you to leave now." They scurried up the rope when they heard the command. They soon hopped out the window and disappeared from.
Wan Shi Tong walked back into the Library's depth. "Um…what about me?" asked Zei as he stood up from where he sat, looking unsure.
Naruto walked over to him and stuck out a hand. "Congratulations." He said. "You've just became a resident of Wan Shi Tong's Library and his helper. That means whenever I'm in, you help me restore the Library."
Zei took the hand and shook it. "I'm glad to be of assistance." He said with one of the biggest grins Naruto had ever seen.
"So long as you make yourself useful, I guess." He said as he walked away. Zei followed him, almost like a lost puppy.
(Location: outside the Library)
When the Library stopped shaking, Toph finally let go of it. She stumbled to the ground. She heard the others land on the ground behind her. She just sat down and bowed her head. "We got it!" Sokka told his sister. "There's a solar eclipse coming!" They gave each other a hug. "The Fire Nation is in trouble now!"
"That is good news."" Asuma agreed. "We should notify the other teams and Lady Hokage as well." If they did that, she could send more shinobi to help aid in whatever plan Sokka was thinking of.
"All's well with the world right now." Shikamaru said drily.
Aang looked around but couldn't see his sky bison. He walked over to Toph. "Where's Appa?" He asked. Toph simply shook her head. The action made tears well up in his eyes. One dropped down his cheek.
That was when Sokka noticed something. "Hey, where's Akela?" He asked. He heard a whimper of pain coming from his left. "Akela?" He called as he turned and saw the wolf lying on his side in the sand, blood coming out of his stomach. He wasn't breathing either. "AKELA!" He ran over to the wolf and picked him up, trying to stop the bleeding. "SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING!" He yelled at them.
Ino ran over. "Don't worry, Sokka." She reassured him. "I'm trained as a healer and I've helped Kiba's clan heal their animals. Just hold him steady." Her hands glowed green and she placed them over the wound. "It's not deep, he just lost some blood." She frowned. "It looks someone kicked him in the side though. I think a few ribs might be cracked but I can fix them."
Sokka stared at Akela with worry and anger in his eyes. "Whoever did this better hope they don't meet me." He growled. They would be in for a very painful lesson in manners.
Everyone just stood there, as oncoming sandstorm approached them.
End
Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.
Yes, I know I stopped the Library from sinking and I didn't kill off Zei. How else was Naruto supposed to get out of there? Even he dies from that amount of sand crushing down on him.
Odds are that there are a few of you out there who wanted Akela to be taken captive with Appa but I figured that this was more appropriate. It will give him something to do in the next chapter.
Another Uzumaki will be mentioned, but not for a while.
For those of you who want Team Kakashi to go to the Bending Countries, sorry, that's not going to happen. They are staying in Konoha and we won't see them for quite some time.
I'll see you all next chapter!