Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 54: Joy and curiosity

"Talking"

"Thinking"

"Bijū/spirit talking"

"Bijū/spirit thinking"

(Location: Konoha)

The three Genin waited outside the Hokage's office, wondering if they were in trouble. Tsukiko stood between Hiro and Arashi. She was still holding the Toad contract. The thing hadn't left her hands since they were told to go back to the Hokage building. "You think we're in trouble?" Arashi asked her.

She looked at him. "Why are you asking?"

"Well, your father is the one who told us to come here."

That was true but she couldn't help but think it was different. "No, I don't think that's the case."

"You sure?" he asked.

"No."

Hiro looked at him. "Perhaps we should wait until the Hokage arrives?" he suggested. There was no point worrying about what could happen to them.

But Tsukiko didn't stop there. "Do you think we failed the mission?" she asked them both.

"Tsukiko…"

"Come on, Hiro. You know you're thinking the same thing." They had all been thinking it since they were sent here.

Before he answered, her father and their sensei came walking into sight. Madara walked to the door and opened it. He went inside and they followed him inside. They stood before the desk and waited in silence. Their sensei didn't stand beside them. Instead she stood beside the Hokage. That just made them more nervous. What were they supposed to do? Do they say something?

"First off, let me be clear about something," Madara told them. "You are not in trouble for what happened with the thief." They all breathed in relief at that. "But it does the question of why you didn't contact the Police Force to help you apprehend him."

They looked at each other. "Uh, we didn't think of that," Arashi said. Now that it was said, he felt rather stupid. They should've thought of something like that. He looked at Hiro and Tsukiko. They were feeling stupid too.

Tsukiko had to defend themselves. "We were focused on catching the guy," she explained. "He had the scroll and was running. If we had stopped, he would've gotten away. And also, we had the thought that he was a part of the mission." If they had called in support, they could've failed.

"Tsukiko," said Rin, "That area of the building is restricted. He should not have been there. What makes you think that he was a part of the mission?"

Hiro took the lead here. Logic should help them, at least somewhat. "He could have been the unknown factor that we couldn't have planned for, designed to trip us up at the last moment," he explained.

But it sounded weak to all three of them. "Next time we're breaking into a place," Tsukiko thought to herself, "We need more time to plan the breaking."

"And you didn't think that something was wrong when you found the door unlocked?" Madara asked them.

"Actually, we did," answered Arashi. "But we also thought that we were being tossed a bone. We weren't quite sure what to think at that moment and considering the time limit we had, we didn't spend a lot of time thinking about it. And once we saw the cameras, we just figured it was the bone."

"How did he get past the cameras, anyway?" Tsukiko asked. "We had to get onto the walls and spray-paint them to black them out."

"Most likely he found the blind spots for them all and worked out a path through them," Rin told her students. "And honestly, I had expected the same from you three."

Now they felt embarrassed again. Tsukiko felt like she was going to end up losing the contract she held in her hands. "We had to think of time, Sensei," she told her. "We didn't know how long it would take. What is it you said, Arashi?" she asked, looking him. "You said it when the idea of spray-paint was brought up?"

"What's wrong with quick and sleazy?" he replied promptly.

She looked back at their sensei. "And that's what we did. We got through the hallway a lot faster than we originally thought."

"That you did," she said back. Her face mask moved and they saw her smile. "And I will admit that is probably an original way of doing it."

The proud smiles came onto their faces. "Thank you," said Arashi.

Tsukiko basked in the moment but then doubt filled her. She looked down at the scroll in her hands again. "Uh, did we fail the mission?" she asked her dad.

He looked at her for a long moment and she felt like he was going to say yes. He smiled and told her, "No, you completed the mission. Congratulations, Tsuki, you hold the contract for the Toads."

She breathed in relief. Her teammates looked at with approving grins. They were just as proud of her as she was in herself. "Don't get too excited," Rin-sensei said. "It's not over yet."

The Uchiha Genin looked at her with a suspicious look tinged with nervousness. "What do you mean?"

"You passed our test. You haven't passed the Toads' test."

"There's more?"

She grinned to herself. Sometimes this was just too fun. "There's always more, Tsukiko. Haven't you learned that by now?"

Arashi shared a look with Hiro. They knew what their sensei was doing. She was teasing Tsukiko. She did that to all of them. "Why does she do that?" Maybe it was something that happened when they got older.

Hiro chose to focus on something else. "What's going to happen to the thief?" he asked.

The mood sobered as the Hokage turned grim and their sensei got angry. "He will be questioned," said Madara. "I want to know how the hell he got past security and what he was going to do with that contract." Rin agreed with what he said, perhaps even more so. "But that doesn't concern you three. Tsukiko, try to summon the Toad Boss when you can. Once you get his approval, you'll be able to summon the Toads."

"Right, I'll go do that. Bye, Dad!" She turned and left through the door fast.

Her teammates were left standing there. They looked at the door and then at the adults. "We'll, uh, we'll follow her," Arashi said. "Make sure she doesn't do something drastically stupid."

"Yes," Hiro agreed, "We'll do that." They left almost as fast as Tsukiko did.

(Location: Earth Kingdom)

Team Avatar had ridden hard through the night. The only time they had stopped was when the jeep driver had to change. Korra didn't stop. The only time she did was when they took a break for breakfast. She fell asleep and ate while getting back on Naga. They couldn't stop for anything. They had to find Aiwei while the scent was fresh.

The hunt led them far out of Zaofu and practically into the desert. The amount of spirits they saw grew as they further in. "Huh," said Bolin, "I didn't expect to see them around."

Yue glanced out he was looking at. "The spirits go where they want to go," she told him. "Of course, they also end up usually being pains in the ass to any human they find in their spot."

He couldn't argue with that. By now they all had heard the story of how she threw the spirit out of her neighbor's apartment, repeatedly. "I'll take your word for it," he said.

"I should hope so."

Asami was at the wheel. She saw a village coming into sight. Naga wasn't stopping or deviating from the road. "Look sharp, guys," she told the others. "It looks like we're coming to a town."

If the villagers had anything to say about a large polar bear dog coming through the main street, sniffing the ground, they didn't say anything about it. When she came to a stop, Korra knew that they had something. "Aiwei has definitely been through here," She told the jeep. She turned back to Naga and patted her. "Nice tracking, girl."

Mako looked at the village. It didn't look like much, one of thousands of villages surrounding the Si Wong Desert. But that didn't mean there wasn't something that could be found there. "Let's ask around. Maybe someone's seen him."

"Where's the tavern?" Gāng asked as he carefully climbed out of the jeep. As soon as his feet touched ground, his stance became confident again.

Bolin came around the jeep looking at him. "Tavern?" he asked, confused.

The Earth Paragon looked back at him for a moment. "Right, I forgot. He's a city boy." And while Gāng was one too, he had spent enough time out in the country to be different. "The bar," he explained.

"Oh, right. Why didn't you just say that?"

He smiled, mostly to himself. "That's a lesson for another time."

They found the tavern easily enough since it was adjacent to the main square. It also helped that the majority of people were either going into it or were close to it. They stepped inside and the air gotten degrees cooler. They also attracted the eyes of the patrons. There was at least one visible weapon on them all. If there was any hidden, it was well hidden. Yue and Gāng took the lead giving the patrons the same looks they were getting.

Bolin had found something interested on the wall by the entrance. "Ohh look, they have a mover poster of me," he told his brother. "Must be big Nuktuk fans, yeah, I should go out and say hello…"

Mako grabbed him before he did something stupid. "No. Those are wanted posters," he told his brother, "and there's one for each of us, plus Gāng." He didn't know where they had gotten the pictures for the posters. He didn't remember getting one taken while Ba Sing Se. He looked more closely at Korra's poster. "'Wanted by Her Majesty, the Earth Queen, for crimes against the Kingdom,'" he read aloud. "I'm guessing this is because we took her Airbenders."

Korra had started getting frustrated when he started reading. "They weren't hers to keep!" she snapped. "I swear, if I see her pinchy little queen face again, I am going to…" She got a hard bop on the head before she went any further. She rubbed her head and looked up at Yue. "Why?" she asked her aunt-figure.

It was Asami who answered her. "Uhh, guys…" She looked at the tavern and the tavern looked back at them. Each of the men had an idea in their eyes and showed their weapons easily. "We should get out of here."

As they backed out of the tavern, Korra meant to give them all a silent threat. Yue stopped her. "Gāng will take care of it. Go."

Soon all that was left in the tavern was the Earth Paragon. "Gentlemen," he said in a clear voice. "I know what you're thinking. I would urge to reconsider but I know you are all mercenaries and bounty hunters. If a target shows up on your lap, it would be rather foolish to let it walk away. So instead, I'm going to give you a warning."

"A warning," said a rough man sitting at the bar with scorn, "You?"

He smiled and nodded. "Me. If anyone tries to go out the tavern, I'll kick them back in. They try a second time, I kill them."

"You look like you couldn't swat a fly. Why don't you open your eyes? Is the light too much for you?" he asked mockingly.

"There wouldn't be a point since I can't see the light."

"You can't…the fuck? You're blind and you think you can take us?"

His smile widened enough to be dangerous to a smart person. "I don't think I can take you. I can take you and make it look easy." He spread his arms wide, giving them an invitation. "You're welcome to try me."

The man at the bar took him up on that invitation. He stood up and drew his sword. He walked like he was going to the market and not to a fight. That proved to be his mistake. As he started to swing his sword, Gāng struck. His palm struck the man's stomach, making him crumple. His other hand found the sword arm and pulled it around the back, making the sword drop. One kick to the knee and the bounty hunter fell.

Everyone stared in shock as the blind man picked up the sword. "This is a piece of crap," he said instantly. He swung it at the wall hard and it shattered, the sound echoing through the tavern. "Have I made my point clear?"

"Y-yes," the hunter said through gritted teeth.

That wasn't the end of it. Gāng broke his arm, the bone snapping clean. "Just to make sure you understand," he said casually before kicking him back to the others. He lifted his head. "Anyone else want to try?" Nobody moved. "Good. And for the record, we were never here." He turned around and walked out.

(Location: Zaofu)

Natsumi held her Jiji's hand as they walked beside Lin. She looked at the older woman and saw how she was scowling. "Jiji, is she mad?" she asked Naruto.

He looked down at her and said, "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

She looked at Lin and opened her mouth. Lin spoke first, "I'm not mad, just frustrated."

"Oh, okay." There wasn't anything else she could say, could she?

Lin regarded the little girl. Any other kid would've kept pestering her with questions, not stopping until they were satisfied. Also, kids were a lot more loud and rambunctious than this. Natsumi was nothing but polite and quiet to her. Sozin had always told her that his daughter was a little troublemaker, usually with a smile on his lips. It made her wonder just what happened to her to make her change so much.

She had considered asking Naruto if he knew but always stopped before she did. For all she knew, doing that was a sure way to get herself hurt or killed. Naruto didn't like talking about what happened that night. It was very likely that he didn't want to talk about what might've or did happen to his granddaughter. If that was the case, she would respect that.

But that kind of respect didn't go to her sister. "Where's everyone?" she asked Suyin as she approached. "I've been waiting to leave for half an hour."

"And good morning to you, Lin," she replied. "Morning, Naruto, Natsumi."

Natsumi glared at her. "Don't call me that."

"Oh, I'm sorry. What should I call you?"

"Nat," she said.

She smiled at the little girl. "Very well, I'll do that." She looked back at Lin. "Now don't get mad, Korra's fine. I'm just waiting to hear if she'd tracked down Aiwei yet."

Lin was alarmed at those words. "What! You let Korra go?! I thought we were on the same page about this, and then you go and stab me in the back?"

"Oh, don't be so overdramatic. You can't control the Avatar's every move."

She marched past her. "I can try."

The adults watched her go. Naruto looked at Suyin. "I know you guys are on better terms, but do you have to rile her up?"

"It's a guilty pleasure of mine," she told him. "I can't help it."

"Try, please. We're in a bit of a worry here."

Her mood dampened at that. He was right. They were in a bit of a worry. "You're right."

"Thanks."

She looked down at his granddaughter. There was no doubt in her mind that he would be joining Korra in the hunt. She was the reason he hadn't left yet. "Are you going to take her with you?" she asked.

"No, of course not," he said instantly.

Natsumi looked up at him. He was going somewhere? "Is he going after Aunt P'Li?" she asked.

"I can keep her here for you."

He shook his head. "No, they found her and would've grabbed her because of Aiwei."

She frowned at the mention of him. "Aiwei let her in with Zaheer's group?"

"And he let in her would-be kidnappers."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you that."

She frowned even harder at the old man. That wasn't something she wanted to hear from him. "Can't or won't?"

"Can't," he said evenly. "I don't know all the answers, Su. Until I know enough, I'm keeping this to myself. All I know is something is going on here, something that is connected."

"To what?" she asked.

He answered, "Everything."

It could've sounded mysterious and ominous if she let it. She didn't. She gave him an eye roll. "You don't need to sound so cryptic, Naruto." He didn't say anything to that. She looked back down at Natsumi. "Where will she go?"

"To the Royal Palace, to live with my niece," he answered.

Natsumi felt like she had to say something. "Can't I go back to Ember Island?" she asked her Jiji. "I know people there. They wouldn't let me go without a fight."

"Who do you know there?"

"Nattie, Akane, Teja, Takumi, and Tarek," she answered.

"Nattie?" he repeated.

She realized that he probably wanted her actual name. "Natsuko," she told him. "She used to babysit me when I was little."

His eyes lit up with recognition. "Ah, I remember her. Doll's granddaughter," he said.

"So…can I stay with them?"

He didn't take that long to say, "Only for a little bit. I'm going to call your uncle and get him back to that island so he can keep an eye on you."

Suyin told him, "You know where the phone is." She didn't have to ask him that. He knew Zaofu almost as well as she did. She never knew how he did it.

"Of course I do. Excuse us, Su."

Natsumi was quiet as she walked beside him. She thought about her aunt. She saw her one way but it felt like everyone saw her differently. She wanted to ask Jiji what really happened between them but she didn't know if he would answer. "Jiji, can I ask you something?"

"You already did," he said.

She was confused. "No, I didn't."

"You did."

Now she was confused and annoyed. "No, I didn't," she said again, this time more forcefully.

He looked down at her and smiled warmly. "Never mind, Natsumi," he told her. "What's your question?"

"Are you really going to join Korra and go after Aiwei?"

"Yes."

"Does that mean you're going to go after Aunt P'Li?"

His smile faded. He took longer to say, "Yes."

"Are you going to fight her?" He didn't answer her. "Are you going to kill her?"

"…If I must." It was probably going to come to that. P'Li would certainly be eager for it.

She stopped in her tracks. It made him stop and look down at her. She looked back up at him with intense eyes. "Please don't."

"Don't what?" He knew what she was asking him. He wanted her to say the words.

"Don't kill Aunt P'Li."

"Natsumi, you don't know what she's done."

"I don't care about that. I care about you might be killing my aunt. Please don't." Her voice was breaking a little and she was doing her best to make sure it didn't crack further.

He looked around so he knew for sure that they were alone. He knelt down slowly so he wouldn't hurt his knees any more than he had to. Once they were eyelevel with each other, he asked one question. "Why?"

Natsumi thought about her answer. She had to mean it. And she did. This was her aunt they were talking about. "She took me to keep me safe. When I woke up and didn't know where I was, she told me that I was safe. She told me who she was and admitted there was a reason she was in that freezing prison. But she cared for me, made sure that I felt safe with them, and kept me protected. She acted like my aunt and I loved her for it. I felt like I had more family than I first thought. Please don't take that away from me."

He listened to her words, her pleading. She saw someone different from the P'Li he knew. "You know, perhaps she has changed in the couple of years," Kurama said from where he sat in the blonde's mind.

"Do you think that she had changed from the last time I had gone to see her?" he asked the fox.

"No. But to be fair, you didn't stick around long enough to see if she had changed. You were there for an hour, if that. Maybe the ice had cooled her temper and it flared up when you showed yourself."

As much as he didn't want to admit it, the fox might have a point. There were days when he thought of his family and he wished that P'Li had been a part of that still. She had always been a quiet kind of child, at first unsure about the people who had taken her in. But they gave her love and comfort and she grew. She became more outspoken and confident, and she didn't allow anyone to disrespect her new parents. If she had been there that night, would things be different? Would he have more than his grandchildren to love and cherish? Or would she have died too?

But all of that didn't matter to Natsumi. She didn't know how it hurt to feel betrayed by P'Li when she denounced them and walked out of their house. Nor did she know what it felt like to hear that the girl he had taken in and raised as a daughter had tried to kidnap the new Avatar. She only saw P'Li as her aunt, a woman who gave her comfort and security. Perhaps that was all that was needed.

"I'll do what I can," he told his granddaughter. "But I make no promises." There was still a chance that she would die in a fight.

Natsumi felt relieved to hear those words. "I'll take it," she told him. "I just hope she feels better now."

"Better that you're back with your grandfather and safe?"

There was that but she was thinking of something else. "She had been sick for the past couple of days. It's like whatever food she eats can't stay down."

"Funny," he thought to himself. "She looked quite fine when she was here."

"She was standing in the middle of a lava moat and using her Firebending to blast everything that tried to get close," the fox told him. "Not to mention the fact that you were more concerned about Natsumi's kidnappers than her. How the hell would you know if she looked fine?"

"Alright, no need to bash my head in with it," he replied. "I get it." He stood back up straight and took Natsumi by the hand again. He still had to make that phone call.

(Location: Konoha)

Arashi walked through the gates of the Hyūga compound with ease. The clansmen standing sentry knew who he was and let him in easily. He was walking through the courtyard when she heard a familiar voice say, "What are you doing here?"

He came to a stop but did not turn. "Don't freak out," he told himself. "You've done nothing wrong." He turned around and saw Hiro's mother and grandmother. "Hello, Lady Hinata, Lady Kazue."

Kazue Hyūga smiled at him. Hiro really did take after his mother. They had the same gentleness in their eyes and smiles. "There is no need to be so formal," she chided him lightly. "I've told you before, say Mrs. Kazue."

"And I would gladly do it, if it wasn't for the fact of the woman standing beside you." He and Hinata might've gotten off to a bad start (although in his defense, he wasn't the one who brought up his grandfather) but he already learned to be completely respectful to her.

Hinata fixed him with a steady eye. "What are you doing here?" she asked again.

It didn't sound like a threat but he didn't any more reassured. "I'm just here to see Hiro," he explained.

She didn't turn her head to look but her eyes did flicker around. "Where's Tsukiko?"

That he knew. "She went to go train and summon the Toad Boss."

"Right away?" said Kazue, surprised.

He nodded. "Yeah, right away," he told her.

"Isn't that dangerous, though?"

"The Toads will have no less from her," Hinata said. "If she can't cut it, she has no business holding the contract." She sighed and said to herself, "Silly, reckless girl." She said it with a certain fondness, almost tinged with nostalgia.

Arashi had a thought about that. "She must be thinking about Jiji." He didn't know why. His grandfather wasn't really that reckless. Perhaps there was something that he was missing. "Well, it was nice seeing you two," he told them both. "Is Hiro in his room?"

"No," the clan matriarch said. "He is training with his father. If you will wait here, I will send him to you when he is done."

"Alright, I'll hold." He walked over to the nearby tree and leaned against it. They walked off, leaving him there.

He only waited for twenty minutes before Hiro showed up. One sniff of the air around told him his teammate just came out of the shower. There was no other way one could achieve that slightly damp but clean smell. "Hey, Arashi, sorry for making you wait," Hiro told him.

"It's alright, I didn't wait long."

"Tsukiko with you?" he asked.

The dyed redhead shook his head. "No, she's off with the Toads."

"Oh, OK. What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you, privately."

He heard the tone in his teammate's voice. He thought it was serious. That meant it had to be. "Alright, let's go to my room."

They walked through the compound to where Hiro's family lived. His room was on the second floor. As Arashi walked in, the first thing he noticed were the walls. They were quite white, almost snow-like in their whiteness. The next thing he noticed was that the room was no bigger than his and was quite clean. "Guess that making you do your own chores paid off, huh?" he asked.

Hiro looked at his room, trying to figure what he was talking about. Then he remembered their punishment for failing to clean Rock Lee's house. "Guess so," he replied, going over to his desk and sitting down. The first time he had cleaned his room alone, he was exhausted. It had been harder work than he thought. Grandmother came by and saw the end result. She smiled slightly and told him he had done a good job. He felt proud of what he did and from then strove to meet that every time.

Arashi checked the door one last time before closing it. "No one can hear us here, can they?"

Hiro looked amused. "What? Are you kidding?"

"No."

Of course he wasn't kidding. It showed on his face. "Look, it's my room. No one should be listening in on us. Why?"

He walked away from the door and leaned against the wall opposite the window. He could see anyone coming from that direction. "I just want to make sure that the adults aren't going to be listening."

"Okay, Arashi, you're making nervous. What exactly is going through your head right now?"

He checked the door one more time and the window. "I think we should look into Tōitsu."

If it was any different kind of situation or group, Hiro might've laughed. But he just stared at his teammate. "You want the two of us to do what?"

"Not the two of us, the three of us."

"Have you asked Tsukiko about this?"

He shook his head. "No, she was out the door before I had a chance."

"And you think that she would've said yes? What makes you think that? Better yet, what makes you think that I would say yes?" His voice rose in pitch as he asked the questions.

Arashi looked at him with concern. "Hiro, relax, you look like you're about to panic."

"Of course I have a right to panic. Do you remember the last time we had a run in with that group?" He did and he was never going to forget that night.

Arashi frowned hard at him. "Of course I remember. Did you think I would forget?"

"If you didn't forget, why would you want to look them up?" It made no sense to him.

"Because we have to," he said.

The Hyūga frowned. "That's not a good reason."

The dyed redhead stopped and rethought what he was going to say. He had to base it on logic. That was what Hiro was doing now."Let's look at this logically, Hiro."

"Alright, go ahead."

"First, we find the kids that had been kidnapped from the Bending Countries on this side of the planet. They were brought over and trained to be slave soldiers by Tōitsu for Spirits only know what. Second, my sister, who had been missing for years until we found her, was discovered there. Third, our own sensei had been kidnapped by Tōitsu and treated like a slave by them. And fourth, a thief just now tried to break into the Hokage Building and steal the summoning contract for the Toads. Now you tell me why we shouldn't look them up?"

The Hyūga listened to all those points and realized with a grimace that he had a point. From what they've experienced, not only were they going to probably run into Tōitsu again, it was more than just their side of the planet. "You think they're worldwide, don't you?" he asked his teammate.

He nodded. "There's something going on here, something that we don't entirely know about. I think that's something that needs to change. Don't you?"

Hiro did think it had to be changed. He was only kidding himself before. They should look up Tōitsu. They were shinobi. They always try to be informed about their enemies. "What about Tsukiko?"

"Like I said before, she's busy with the Toads."

He frowned. That wasn't right. "You're going to leave her out of this?"

"No. We'll catch her up when she's done. But we can't afford to wait for her to be done so we can start researching." They might be a team but they also had to learn how to work independently of each other.

"Alright," said Hiro as he got out of his chair. "Where do we start?"

"Where else?" asked Arashi rhetorically. "We go to the library. They're bound to know something about what we need to know."

(Location: Earth Kingdom)

After the bad start in the first village, Korra led the others back on the hunt. They went down the road, hunting the scent. It would've looked like something impossible to do but she had faith that they would find Aiwei.

Her faith was rewarded when Naga suddenly turned off the road up a small slope. Once at the top, she crouched low to the ground, getting a better scent. Her tracking led to a boulder amongst a large cluster of rocks. "Naga found something," Korra told the others. She climbed down and bent the boulder to move aside. Once it was moved, she saw the jeep right there. Finally, they had something.

Naga waited for the reward she was due. When she didn't get it, she nudged her human with her head. "Oh…sorry, I forgot to bring treats," Korra apologized, "but, good girl." She tried giving her a head rub. It just gave her a smack of the tail in response as Naga padded away from her.

Yue watched it all happen and chuckled to herself. "And this is why you always bring treats," she told Korra after walking over to her. "You never know when you have to reward someone."

"I don't remember you having a pet."

She pretended to think about it. "Are we counting Tahno?"

"He's your apprentice, not your pet, Aunty Yue."

"Ah, good point. Well, I learned it from Bumi, who learned it from June. She always made sure to reward Nyla." She glanced over at the pouting polar bear dog and dug into her pocket. "Here." She gave Korra a big doggie treat.

She looked at the treat and then at her. "You had a treat in your pocket this entire time?"

"Like I said, always bring treats. Now go reward Naga." She joined the others while Korra tried to get back into Naga's good graces.

As soon as she got out of her jeep, Asami walked instantly over to the other one. She didn't have to look at it long before she knew what it was. "This must be Aiwei's jeep," she told the others. "He can't be far."

"No, he wouldn't be too far at all," Gāng said. "In fact, he's probably over there." He pointed out at the nearby town without even turning his head in its direction.

Mako had the map last in the jeep, so he knew where they were and what the town was. "Bolin and I will investigate the Misty Palms Oasis, and see if he's hold up there," he told the others.

"Yes!" Bolin said, folding his arms. "I love it when you talk like a cop." It made him feel pumped up.

Korra said instantly, "I'm coming too."

"No. You and Asami wait here in case he comes back. Besides, we don't want to call too much attention to ourselves."

He had a point, even if she didn't like it. "All right," she agreed.

He looked at the Paragons. He could probably tell them to stay put too, but they had age and experience on their side. They could easily ignore him. A compromised would have to be made. "Yue, could you stay with Asami and Korra, please?" he asked the Water Paragon.

She looked at him pointedly. "And why would I do that?"

"Oh, boy," he thought. She looked a little irritated at being called out like that.

Gāng elbowed her. "The man said please."

"Hm, good point," she admitted. "Alright, Mako, I'll stay."

"Uh, thanks. But I meant to say that Gāng would've stood out less than you down there." Her skin was too dark to pass off as one of the desert tribes.

She wasn't insulted by that. All she said was, "Also a good point."

Bolin suddenly got an idea and got excited. "Ooh, Mako, Mako, Mako! We should wear disguises and pretend we're going undercover! That way," he covered his face so only his eyes were seen, "no one will recognize us. Haha, police work is so exciting!"

"He's serious, isn't he?" Gāng asked.

Yue watched as the young Earthbender went back to the jeep. "Yep, he's serious."

Bolin grabbed the emergency bag in the back of the jeep. He pulled it open and found bright yellow raincoats and goggles. Without hesitation he threw on the raincoat and put on the googles, doing the same with Mako. As the two stood there, with the raincoat and googles on, Asami stifled a giggle. "It's not funny," she told herself. "Don't laugh, it's not funny." Well, it was a little funny.

"All right, now we need our undercover identities!" Bolin declared. "I'm an ex-United Forces operative named Ting-Ting. War was the only woman I ever loved, until Ivy came along and showed me what real love is. Tragically, she was taken from me by my archenemy Dr. Razor and—"

"Enough!" Mako snapped at his brother.

"Kid," said Gāng, "you might have a future as a storyteller but can we not focus on that right now? You're missing something critical."

"I am?" he asked, looking confused. He was sure that he had covered everything that needed to be covered.

"If we're going to be disguised, what am I going to wear?"

The light of recognition flicked on in his eyes. "Ohh, that. Don't worry, I got you covered!" He grabbed another raincoat and another set of goggles out of the bag. "Here you go."

"Thanks."

As soon as he had the disguise on, Mako started walking for the Oasis. "Let's just find Aiwei." The Paragon followed him without question.

Bolin ran to catch up with them. "But I haven't even told you guys your backstories."

"I'm a cop. I don't have a backstory."

"Oh! You're good at this."

"He is, isn't he?" said Gāng.

The girls watched them leave without saying a word. As soon as they were out of sight, Korra said, "This feel wrong."

Asami looked at her. She looked like she didn't want to be standing there. "What does?"

"Standing here, doing nothing. I feel like we should go after them, help out."

Yue shook her head. "You can't do that, kiddo. Mako had the right of it. You need to stay here and wait."

She knew that but it still wrong. "Auntie Yue, I'm the Avatar. I should be able to help, not just stand around and do nothing."

She looked the young girl right in the eyes. She was completely serious when she said, "And that is a lesson you have to learn: when to stand around and do nothing. It's a hard lesson, I know. But it's one you have to learn. Sometimes, things don't require the Avatar."

Now that, the Avatar couldn't believe. "Are you kidding?"

"Does it look I'm kidding?"

Korra didn't need to look long to say, "No."

Her seriousness softened a little. "Korra, this is a lesson that your predecessor never really learned. Whenever a situation started to rise, the first thing Aang would do is go over there and see if he could help."

"That doesn't sound too bad," said Asami. It sounded like something Korra would do herself.

"There were times that the situation was already under control and he wasn't needed. And Aang never seemed to get that. More often than not, the Paragons had to make him go away. June and Naruto had sometimes dragged him away by the ear."

Korra didn't hear a lot about the Paragons and Avatar Aang. But it seemed that whenever she did, it never painted Aang in a good light. "Now I know you're kidding."

"I'm not. Aang started getting the hint when he was older and would leave a lot easier then. But he would still come when he wasn't needed."

"Why would the Paragons try to drive him off?"

"Apparently, when he wasn't needed, he tended to make things worse. There's a reason Naruto's scale of stupidity tops off at Aang."

Both the girls looked at one another. "Scale of stupidity?" Asami asked. She didn't know about this. She also had a feeling that when she learned about it, it was going to change how she saw her sensei.

"Naruto has a scale that measures stupid things people have done that have managed to irritate him. It goes Dumb, Really Dumb, Completely Dumb, Absolutely Moronic, Utterly Imbecilic, and then What the hell has Aang done now? Varrick's little scheme with the civil war and kidnapping the president almost reached Aang's level."

And Asami got her company back along with Varrick's company because of that. Suddenly she had a lot more respect for her sensei. One look at Korra told her she did too, although it was mixed with a slight fear. She reached out and touched her shoulder. "Guess we'll just have to wait," she said.


Toph had told Gāng about how the Misty Palms Oasis had been a dump when she first visited it when her Team Avatar. With each step that he took, he could feel that the dump she had talked about had become a town that looked much more respectable. It was bigger, and cleaner, than what she had described. Through the earth he saw how the people took care of the places they lived and worked in.

Mako and Bolin walked through the door on both sides of the Paragon. They looked around, trying to take in everything without making it obvious that they were. The buildings had been made from sandstone and the way they were perfectly made told Mako they were created from Earthbending. But another thing he noticed was the amount of spirits in the city. The only place he had seen them as thick as here was in Republic City. He wondered why it was like that.

As he found the iceberg that was the town's main attraction, he saw a lot of spirits lounging on it. That was probably it. His attention found a man brushing spirits out with his broom. "Shoo! Human customers only," he declared.

"Rude," Gāng remarked. But he could understand what the man was trying to do. It did seem like the spirits were everywhere.

"Let's see if this guy knows anything," Mako said. He walked up to the man and asked, "Excuse me, sir? We're looking for a man about sixty, balding, wearing glasses in a long green robe."

"And he's got this weird piercing that goes from his nose to his ear," Bolin added. It was always important to remember stuff like that. "Freaks me out," he said. How he felt about something was also important.

"Yeah, sure," said the guy. "Sounds like a guy who came in last night. I told him I had the best drinks in the Earth Kingdom and he called me a liar."

"That's him!" Mako told him, "Any idea where he is now?"

"Nah, afraid not," he answered. "But he was right. My drinks are terrible." With a defeated slump in his shoulders, he walked right back into building.

The brothers shared a look. "Uh, okay?" said Bolin, "Do we comfort him or something?"

Gāng went for the building entrance. "You boys keep looking. I'll try his drinks and see if it's the truth." He was gone before they could stop him.


Korra watched the oasis from atop a boulder on the slope. She wanted to go in there but she was trying to learn how to stay put. It was very aggravating. And that wasn't the only thing on her mind. Asami looked up from searching the jeep. She saw her friend and saw how agitated she was. "Are you okay?" she asked.

The Avatar sighed in tired frustration. "I'm just frustrated. What does Zaheer want with me? What's his plan?" Amon and Unalaq had plans, plans that had involved to a degree that scared her. Whatever Zaheer wanted, it had to be something along those lines. She just didn't know how far along the lines that plan would be. It made her nervous.

She went back to searching the jeep and found something in the glove compartment. It was a piece of paper. "I don't know. But I think I found a clue."

Both Korra and Yue joined her beside the jeep. "What'd you find?" Yue asked.

She handed the note to Korra. "Xai Bau's Grove, sundown," she read. "This must be where and when Aiwei's going to meet Zaheer!"

Asami reached for the Earth Kingdom map, spreading it over the jeep's hood. "All right," she said, searching the map, "Xai Bau's Grove, where are you?" A small flock of spirits that resembled birds in only the barest sense flew around their heads. One of them landed on the map and cried away. "Go away!" she said, shooing them all away, "I'm trying to find something." But the more she looked at the map, the more she couldn't find this Xai Bau's Grove.

The brothers kept looking around for Aiwei but it didn't seem like they were having any luck. They kept checking every inn and tavern they found but had no luck. They kept looking either way. Bolin waited outside the latest tavern while Mako was inside asking questions. A spirit popped out of the urn next to him. It looked vaguely like an animal and had a dark bruising purple for a color.

He was still charmed by it. "Well, aren't you a cute little spir—" He reached for it and it bit his finger. "Ow! Hey!" He sucked his injured finger. It looked childish but he knew that it was a good way to get rid of some of the pain.

He looked across the bazaar and saw a rough-looking man looking back at him. It wasn't the look a stranger would give a stranger. It was the look of recognition. He tapped the woman next to him. She looked and got that same recognition. "Uh-oh," Bolin thought. Suddenly, they were in trouble.

Mako walked out of the tavern. "No luck here," he said.

His brother leaned in close. "I think there might be a couple bounty hunters over there who recognize me!"

He saw the people his brother was talking about. They were coming their way. "We've been made." He checked behind them. The street wasn't clogged up. "Let's lose 'em!"

With the skill that came from living on the street as long as they had, they turned and ran. The bounty hunters came after them but the distance was too great and they moved fast, ducking and weaving through the people that got in their way. For a moment, they felt that rush again, the kind of rush that one could only find on the street.

It left when Mako saw an alley they could hide in. They turned into it and dove behind a couple of boxes. They watched carefully for the bounty hunters. The man ran right past but the woman stopped to look. They froze, hoping she wouldn't find them. Their hope paid off when she kept on running.

"Okay, I think we're clear," Mako said. They came out of hiding and he looked at his brother. "We should head back to Korra before someone else recognizes us."

While he was talking, Bolin saw their target stroll down the street at the alley's other end. Before they were spotted, he grabbed Mako and dragged them into hiding again. "We could, or…we could follow Aiwei instead," he told his brother. He pointed at the street. "Look!"

They both peeked out the street. Sure enough, Mako saw Aiwei strolling down the street like nothing was wrong, even eating out of a takeout box. "All right," the cop said, putting the goggles back on, "Stay cool and follow my lead."

Bolin had no problems with that. "Ting-Ting always finds his man."

They followed him through the streets, keeping a good distance between them. It was a good thing that Aiwei never looked back. He must've thought he was safe. As soon as he walked up to a room at an inn and walked inside, Mako looked at his brother. "Keep an eye on him," he ordered, "I'll go get Korra and the others."

"I think Gāng is still at that first place we looked," Bolin said back. His brother nodded in acknowledgement and left.

(Location: Konoha)

"Arashi," said Hiro as he stared at the bookshelves, "If I said I wanted to use my family's influence to get rid of this place, would you stop me?"

His teammate looked up from the desk he had been sitting at. "Actually, I was about to ask you if you would stop me if I planned to burn this place to the ground." His frustration leaked through his voice and he didn't care to stop.

"So we're in agreement. This place must go?"

"It would be nice."

Even though they were talking about it, in their hearts they knew they would never do it. The Konoha Library was one of the oldest and biggest buildings in the village, having been here since the founding. It had five stories and a lot of books. To have it destroyed would set the village back a lot. Not to mention the fact that their sensei and the Hokage would kill them.

But it seemed that, for all the books in the place, there was almost nothing they could find about Tōitsu. They looked everywhere they could think of looking in the history books and the reports but it amounted to little. They had spent eight hours in the library, going through lunch, trying to find something. It was all rather fruitless.

Arashi finished the report he was reading and dropped it against the table loudly. If one of the librarians came to shush him, he would ignore it. At this point, he didn't care that much about being quiet. "This is useless," he groused. What was even more annoying was the fact that it had been his idea.

Hiro turned away from the shelves and came back to his own seat. "You're right," he agreed. "All we really know is their name, symbol, and that they had been active after the last war."

"So basically, everything we already know." He glared at the books that littered his desk. "There's got to be something that we haven't found, something that we could use."

"Do you have an idea?"

He shook his head and said, "No, not a one."

They stared at their desks for the longest moment. The only sound that filled their little area was the clock on the wall ticking. It didn't stop. "Maybe we should stop for the day," Hiro suggested.

Arashi looked again at the books, this time with a weariness that came from hours of working for nothing. "You're right." He got up from his chair and grabbed his jacket.

Hiro did the same on his side. He looked at the books they had gathered. "We should put these all back."

At that point, the dyed redhead couldn't care less if they were staying or being put back. He was tempted to leave them there so the librarians would have to do it. But his years of being made to clean his own mess stopped him. Even more, they made him say, "Yeah."

They spent twenty minutes putting everything back where they found it. It was more tiring since they had to up and down stairs (there were no elevators). By the time they were done, they were exhausted. "You know," Hiro said as they walked for the exit, "I just realized something."

"What?"

"We spent all today in that library, telling people where we were, and Tsukiko didn't show up once." He had spent the day half-expecting her to blow up over a book, only to remember that she wasn't there.

"Huh, guess you're right. Those Toads really must be working her." He wondered what it was she would be doing that had to earn their trust.

"Who's going to train her? Lord Jiraiya has long been dead and your grandfather—"

"Wouldn't leave the Bending Countries to try her," he finished.

"Actually I was going to say he wasn't technically the Toad Sage."

"Same thing," the dyed redhead said. "He's not coming here to train her."

"So, who's going to train her?"

"Who knows? Probably her grandmother, Jūgo-sensei, or the Toads," he said. He just knew that she wasn't going to be alone with the Toads and not learn about how to use them.

They came out the library and found their teammate waiting there on the steps almost impatiently. "Nice of you to finally show yourselves," she said irritably.

Hiro asked, "How long were you waiting?"

"Half hour," she told him, managing to sound more annoyed.

That made little sense to him. If she had been standing there that long, why didn't she go inside? The library wasn't closed. "Why did you wait out here?"

"Are you serious, Hiro? Do you know how big that place is?"

The Hyūga was insulted by that and it showed on his face. Of course he knew how big the library was. He had spent the day inside it. "Yeah, I do," he told her shortly.

She didn't care that he was insulted. "Then you know I would've wasted time going inside trying to find you."

"It doesn't hurt to try, does it?"

Tsukiko scowled at him. "Shove off."

"You look like crap, Iron Claw," Arashi said, looking her over.

Hiro looked at him, surprised that he had cut in like that. He realized what his teammate was doing. He was changing the topic of conversation so it wouldn't get any worse. A quick glance at the street showed him that people were starting to take notice. Nobody liked to see shinobi squabbling amongst themselves, even if they were only Genin.

He looked at Tsukiko. Arashi was right, she did look like crap. Her clothes were disheveled and there were a couple of tears too. Her legs looked like they wanted nothing better than to collapse and not get back up for another three hours. Her eyes were tired but they were determined too. She was probably carrying herself on nothing but willpower right now, likely with a hint of irritated anger.

She looked at Arashi. "Thank you ever so much for that stunning observation," she said dryly.

"Not a problem," he said blithely. They walked down the library steps and onto the street. The civilians ignored them now. "So what happened to you?"

"I was getting the Toads' respect."

Hiro said, "We can see that," dryly. "What were you doing, fighting them?"

"No, holding on for my life."

The boys didn't know what that meant. They looked at each other, trying to figure out what she was saying. They gave up quick. "Alright, what does that mean?"

"The challenge the Toad Boss gave me was that I had to stay on his back for the entire day."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Hiro said.

She snorted. "Yeah, if he had been standing still," she told him.

He looked at Arashi. The dyed redhead took the next question. "So he moved around."

"That's the understatement of the day. He didn't just move around. He hopped, jumped, leapt, and any other kind of word you want to use for going up into the air. You want to know many times the air pressure alone flattened me to his back and made me start sliding down?"

That question sounded like it was best left alone. "Uh, no, I'm good."

"What, chicken?"

Oh, he couldn't ignore that. She couldn't get uppity because she just survived a day with a single creature. He had to deal with several of them. "I'm sorry," he told her, "I seem to remember spending a day scurrying through tunnels trying to figure out how to get free, all the while making sure I didn't get poison and/or eaten by the snakes that were infested inside the tunnels. You spent the day on a toad's back. I think I win."

They were glaring at each other as they turned a corner. Hiro quietly rolled his eyes at the sight of them like that. "They should either kiss or fight already," he thought to himself. That's what they looked like to him. He wondered for a moment what would happen if he told them that. They would probably fight before they kissed.

"So you got his respect?" he asked Tsukiko, stopping them from going any further.

She smiled wanly but triumphantly. "I did. I probably made it worse by what I did but I earned his respect."

Arashi had a bad feeling about what she said. "What did you do?"

"I…I might've accidentally mentioned your grandfather's name to him."

He groaned. He knew it. He knew that something like that could've happened and it did. "How he'd take it?"

"I'm sure he made sure to lander harder than he had to because of it." She shuddered at the memory of it. She almost collapsed because of the shudder. "Can we not talk about it?"

"Sure."

Hiro agreed, "Fine by me."

She looked at them both. "So what were you two knuckleheads doing in the library?"

"Knucklehead?" he repeated. If there was anyone who was a knucklehead, it was her.

Arashi told her, "We've been trying to research Tōitsu." She almost tripped on a smooth street. "Whoa there," he said as he caught her, "You must be more tired than you thought."

"It's not that," she said with a frowning glare. "What are you thinking, looking that up?"

"What?"

"Given what we've been through with him, you want to look it up?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to explain this again. Let's just say that we need to look up what we can."

"Not that it did a whole lot of good for us," Hiro muttered to himself. All day and they came up with scraps.

"It had to be tried, Hiro."

"It got us nothing. What else do we do now?"

"I don't know. Maybe we can talk to Rin-sensei."

He scoffed. That was ridiculous. "She'd kick us out before we could finish the question."

Tsukiko was starting to feel how tired she was. "Guys, could we have this talk later? Like, after I've spent an hour marinating in the bath?" She wasn't usually one to lounge in the bath but now she knew that it would something she needed.

Hiro and Arashi looked at each other. They both saw how she was walking dead on her feet. Their argument and figuring out what to do next could wait. "Alright, we'll wait," said Arashi. "We should probably get you to that bath."

"Yes," she agreed with the idea, "you should."

(Location: Earth Kingdom)

Mako came back to the jeep outside the Oasis. Korra and Asami were pouring over a map. Yue was sitting in the jeep, appearing to resting her eyes. He had seen cops do the same thing so he knew that she was faking it. "We found Aiwei hiding in an inn," he announced.

Korra turned to look at him. "That's great!"

"We found something too," said Asami. She handed him the letter. "It looks like he's gonna meet Zaheer at sundown at a place called Xai Bau's Grove. But I can't find it anywhere on the map." She had been looking over the thing for a good ten minutes before he came back.

"Let's go bust down Aiwei's door and finally get some answers."

"Bad idea, short-stack," said Yue, her eyes still not open.

Mako said, "Yue's right. Once Aiwei knows we're onto him, we lose our advantage. I say we stake out his room and when he leaves for this meeting, we follow him."

Korra caught on. "And he'll lead us straight to Zaheer." Mako nodded. That was the plan.

Yue opened her eyes. "Alright, how are you going to stakeout his room?" she asked Mako. She was hoping that he actually had a plan in mind.

As it turned out, he did. "We rent out a room across from his and watch it."

It was a decent plan. She found a couple of things wrong with it, mainly with the amount of rooms he wanted. "Just a single room?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yes."

"You do see what's wrong with that, right?"

"I do, but we don't have the money or the tech to do what I would like."

He was right. They had left Zaofu without grabbing money or any kind of radio. They would have to make do. "Alright then," she said, climbing out of the jeep, "Lead on."


They took Naga into town instead of the jeep. Yue left their side to grab Gāng, leaving the three of them, four once they got back with Bolin, to go and talk to the innkeeper. "Good afternoon," Mako said to the innkeeper, a stern looking woman. "We'd like a room on the ground floor, across from 102, please."

"Forget it!" she said instantly. "Last time a bunch of teenagers came in here, they trashed the whole room."

He stepped back with a frown. "Okay, this is going to be a little tougher." Fortunately, he knew how to haggle and this looked like a haggling experience.

"We found you!" a man's voice said from behind.

They all turned around. Mako saw it was the man and woman from before. "Great, just what we need," he thought to himself. He readied a fireball while Korra bent daggers from the same nature. Bolin didn't lift any piece of the floor up but he stood ready, same as Asami.

The innkeeper was quick to shout, "Hey, no bending in here! Take it outside!"

But it didn't come to a fight. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," the guy said, throwing up his hands. "We're not here to fight you. We're here to meet Nuktuk!" A goofy smile appeared as he said that.

It took them all a moment to understand what he was saying and they ended up silently asking, "What?"

The woman walked up to Bolin, pulling out a rolled up paper. It unraveled to show itself as Nuktuk poster. "We're your biggest fans," she told Bolin. "Can you make it out to Lily and Macao?"

This was all a little weird, especially when the intense look on her face. But Bolin went with it." "Uh, I'd be happy to. Always love meeting my fans." She had a pen in her hand. He took it and started signing.

She got in close so she could watch as he sighed, pulling at her hair in excitement. Her eyes brightened for a moment and then she pulled out a plushy doll that looked just like him "I made this Nuktuk doll for you."

"Uh, it's…cute." She squeezed it happily at his words. He just kept his focus on the signing.

Asami looked at everything that had happened. "I'm not sure if I should find this funny or not," she thought to himself. It was probably best not to think of it as funny. Still, the urge to snigger was very large.

The innkeeper eased up when she learned about Bolin. "Why didn't you tell me your friend was a mover star?" she asked Mako. "I'd be happy to rent you any room in the inn."

"We'll just take the one across from 102," he told her.

"But that room is too small for the four of you!"

"Trust me, it'll be perfect."


They all got into the room and found it was a small room. They could barely fit everyone in and that was including Naga. "I'd just like to say, for the record, this room is definitely not perfect," Bolin declared. No one paid attention to him, except for the polar bear dog. He got smacked in the face by her tail again, making him exclaim, "Naga!" He wasn't sure if a polar bear dog could look guilty but it seemed like she was doing her best to look like that.

Korra and Mako were more concerned about why they were in the room instead of how small it was. They were waiting to see if Aiwei would show his face. He didn't disappoint. "There he is," Korra said when she saw him peeking out his own window. He looked around for a few seconds and then vanished behind them again.

Bolin started pacing where he could in the room. "I thought stakeouts were supposed to be exciting. This isn't. At all!" he complained. He wandered over to the nightstand. "Ooh, I wonder if there's any snacks in here." He didn't find any food, which was a disappointment, but he did find something else. "Hey, look! A Pai Sho board! Mako, you want to play?"

Mako didn't even look back at him. "Kind of busy here, bro."

Asami was bored too, even if she knew they were on a stakeout. "I'll play," she told Bolin.

"Oh, well, ugh, no offense but I learned street Pai Sho from Shady Shin, and I'm pretty good. So, wouldn't really be a fair game."

"So? I learned to play from my dad, the diabolical genius. I'll destroy you."

He grinned in amused excitement. "Well, looks we've got ourselves a Pai-Shodown." They wasted no time in setting up the board. "Ladies first," he told her.

They exchanged a couple of moves and then Asami stopped to consider the board. "This is where it starts," she thought to herself as she looked over the moves she could make and any moves that could from them.

Bolin saw her thinking and frowned a little. "Uh, I don't mean to rush you, but let's speed things up a bit."

She looked up at him. "Why? This game is all about slow, methodical strategy."

"No, it's not. This is a fast-paced, edge of your seat, game of chance! Don't think. Just go."

That wasn't like any kind of Pai Sho game she had ever played. "I don't know what Shady Shin taught you, but it wasn't the real Pai Sho."

"Oh really?" he asked. "I think Mr. Rulebook might disagree with you. He reached for the rulebook and opened it up. "The origins of Pai Sho date back over ten thousand years. It is a game of both strategy and chance." He stopped his reading because he was confused. "Wait, how can it be both?"

"Let me see that." She took the book and read the next part. "There have been countless variations of Pai Sho through the centuries and each culture has its own rules and variations of the game."

"That's no help at all. Korra," he said to his friend, "as the Avatar, you need to standardize these Pai Sho rules."

"Okay," she replied sarcastically, "I'll put that on my to-do list, right after bringing back the Air Nation and taking down the group that tried to kidnap me."

He recognized the sarcasm and didn't try to push it any further. "That's cool. Whenever you get to it," he told her.

Mako looked down at Korra. "Assuming we do find Zaheer, what then?" he asked.

"Then I make him talk."

"He was locked away for thirteen years, Korra, and never broke. I don't think a little Bending is going to intimidate this guy."

"You have a better idea?"

"Yeah, we spy on them. If Aiwei and Zaheer don't know they're being watched, they'll talk freely. Then we'll find out who they are and what they want." It wasn't the best plan, especially since he didn't know where Yue and Gāng were. But it was a good plan.

"That's just like Pai Sho!" exclaimed Bolin. He read from the book. "In order to defeat your opponent, you first have to know your opponent."

"Then I guess I know you pretty well," Asami declared, making the decisive move. "I win."

"What? Ugh. All right, you know what that was just a fluke. Best two out of three."

They kept playing and Asami kept winning. But in spite of that, Bolin wouldn't give up. His protests of loss and urges to keep playing were the only sounds anyone heard.

"Oh, come on! Best four out of seven."

"Eight out of fifteen."

"Seventeen out of thirty-three?"

By the time the sun started to set, Asami didn't wait for Bolin to offer another round. She would just set up the board and they would start again. She was actually glad for it. This was an excellent way to pass the time. Mako and Korra were still watching the other room. If they saw something, they would tell them. So all she could do was enjoy the game in front of her.

"Ha, ha!" crowed Bolin as he placed a tile in the leading position. "Looks like you're on the ropes this time," he told her smugly.

It was true. He was leading. "I can't believe it," she said, looking at the board. "You might actually win this one." That was nothing like he had played earlier. It was like he was getting smarter about the game with each round he played. Either that or he was getting to know her better.

Of course, that's when the universe decided to play a mean trick on Bolin, in the form of his fire ferret. Pabu had the Nuktuk doll in his teeth and gnawed at it. Feeling that Naga was finally taking up too much of the bed, the ferret jumped down to the ground, right on the board and thus scattering the tiles, and ran over to the corner.

Bolin stared at the board with shock. "No, Pabu! Why?" he asked with a crying whine, falling to the ground. His ferret didn't answer him, choosing to rip off the doll's head instead.

"Uh, sorry about that?" asked Asami, feeling like she had to apologize. "You want to go again?"

"What would be the point?" he asked in defeat.

Korra stared out the window with concern mixed with irritation. "It's almost sundown. Why hasn't Aiwei left yet?" she asked.

Asami stood up while Mako pulled his brother back to his feet. "Maybe he sneaked out when you weren't looking," she offered.

"No, I just saw him peeking out of his window fifteen minutes ago," Mako said, holding up a little book. "It's in my logbook."

Korra was done waiting. She turned for the door. "I'm going over there."

"Korra, wait! You're going to blow our element of surprise."

She ignored him and opened the door. Yue was standing there, blocking the way out. "You should really listen to the cop, short-stack," she said. "He does have a point."

She stopped short of running into the woman but it made her stumble a little. "What? Where have you been?" she demanded.

"Watching Aiwei's room, same as you," she said. "Now wait. Gāng is trying something."

"What?"

She pointed and they looked. The Earth Paragon was walking over to Aiwei's door dressed in a uniform and holding a bucket in one hand and a broom in another. "Uh, what's he wearing?" Bolin asked. "It looks like he's a janitor."

"That's the point," Yue told him. "It's supposed to be a disguise."

"Oh, I get it. Just like what Mako and I did earlier." He rubbed his shoulder against Mako's. "He must've been paying attention to us."

"Yeah, alright," he agreed, not even bothering to argue the point. Why would he when it wouldn't do anything?

Knock-Knock-Knock!

"Housekeeping!" called out Gāng. They all waited for a response. There wasn't one.

Knock-Knock-Knock!

"Housekeeping!" he called again. Still, there was no response.

Knock-Knock-Knock!

"Candy gram!" he called out.

"What's a candy gram?" Korra asked.

Asami wasn't certain but she felt like she had heard that word before. "I'm not sure," she said. "Anyone else know what it is?"

"I believe it is the latest fade in Ba Sing Se," Yue told her. "People send orders of candies to other people usually with a message over the telegram." She wasn't quite sure why it happened but then again, she always thought the nobles of Ba Sing Se were odd because they were bored.

Gāng didn't knock a fourth time. He walked away back to them. "You saw that," he said. "He didn't answer the door."

"What does it mean?" Mako asked.

Korra walked past them for the door. "It means I'm doing this." She kicked the door open with Airbending. "It's over, Aiwei!" she declared as she walked in. "Where's…?" Her righteous fury faded when she saw him sitting on the bed in a meditative position. "What?"

The others walked in behind her and saw the same thing she did. "That's a weird way to nap," Bolin commented. He just could not see how sleeping like that would be good for the man's back. He'd come out of it all stiff and whatnot.

"He's not sleeping," she told him. "He's meditating." Realization hit her then. "Wait! Asami, those spirits were trying to tell us something earlier. Xai Bau's Grove isn't on the map because it's not in the physical world! It's in the Spirit World! I'm going in after him." She got onto the bed and sat down across from Aiwei.

"We'll watch him in case he wakes up," said Mako. "Be careful!"

She nodded once before centering her breath. Clasping her hands together, she closed her eyes and began to focus. Her breathing slowed into a steady pace and she lost focus on the world around her. Within seconds she felt the subtle shift of energy. She opened her eyes and found herself in the Spirit World.

She looked around quickly. She looked like she was in some kind of grove, probably the very grove Aiwei was supposed to be in. She started walking, hoping to find him quick. Her luck came through when she crested a hill and saw the traitor waiting underneath a large tree. "Got you now," she thought in triumph.

But she stopped and hid when Zaheer appeared before Aiwei. He didn't look happy. "What happened back in Zaofu?" he demanded. "You told me we wouldn't have any problems getting the Avatar. Because of you, we've all been compromised."

Aiwei looked rather nervous. It made him look less dignified. "No, any evidence was destroyed when my library burned," he explained.

Zaheer walked closer to him. "Where is your physical body now?"

"At the Misty Palms Inn," he answered. "But there is no need to worry. I was not followed."

Korra couldn't help feeling a little bit smug about that. "The guy had no idea we were coming after him." Whether it was him underestimating them or overestimating himself, it meant the same thing: he didn't see them coming.

"You left a loose end."

"I assure you, no one knows anything about us."

"No, you are the loose end." He grabbed Aiwei fast with a tight grip.

Korra didn't know what was going to happen but it couldn't be good. She stepped out of hiding and shouted, "Zaheer!"

He looked back at her and surprise widened his eyes. But then he disappeared from sight. She was surprised and started looking around, trying to see where he could've gone. He reappeared in the same spot but less angry this time. "It seems Aiwei was mistaken," he remarked as he looked at her. "He was followed."

"That's right. We knew he'd lead us straight to you. Now, what did you do with him?" she asked.

"He'll be spending eternity in the Fog of Lost Souls, which just leaves the two of us." His confident smile made her uneasy. She kept her feet still and her eyes on him. She wouldn't be cowed by him.

(Location: Konoha)

True to her word, Tsukiko spent an hour in the bath. She was in there so long that her father had knocked on the door to make sure that she was still alive. She told him she was and went right back to relaxing. Her bath ended when her brother knocked on the door and told her he was going into her room. She got out of the bath quick and chased her little brother away from her room. She was glad her teammates had been downstairs. Otherwise they would've seen her running around in a towel.

Hiro was staying over a sleepover. Once they had dinner, the Genin retreated up to Tsukiko's room. She closed the door, locked it, and turned to face her teammates. "Alright," she said, "let's talk about the idiotic idea you guys had today."

Arashi was quick to defend their actions. "It wasn't stupid," he said, leaning against the wall.

She walked into the room and sat on the bed. Her feet folded underneath her legs on instincts. "You were looking up Tōitsu. After all we've been through because of them, you want to look them up?"

"Okay, first off, you're making it sound like we fought a war against them. We've only had a few encounters with them."

She scowled. "That's beside the point."

"It's completely the point. Secondly, it's because of what we've done that we tried looking them."

"Only to get nothing," Hiro said to himself.

The dyed redhead looked at him. "Can we worry about that later, Hiro?"

Tsukiko said, "How about we never worry about it again?"

"We have to worry about it, Iron Claw. If we don't worry about it and look them up now, if they come back, we're going to be unprepared."

It made sense. She could admit that. But she still thought it was a bad idea. "Why do you think we need to research them?"

He sighed. "And here we are again." Was he really going to have to explain this again? "Hiro, your turn," he said to the Hyūga standing by the window.

His teammate threw his hands up defensively. "Oh no, this is your hole. You get yourself out of it."

"You helped."

"After you convinced me," he retorted. He pointed at Tsukiko. "Now you have to convince her."

Arashi was annoyed but he raised a valid point anyways. They needed to convince Tsukiko. So he looked at her and said, "Let's look at this logically."

She snorted. "That's Hiro's thing, backwater boy. You can't use it."

"Of course I can. Logic doesn't have to be Hiro's thing alone." It would be stupid if it was just Hiro's thing.

The aforementioned Hiro coughed loudly. "Guys, stay focus. We're not talking about me and logic here," he told them.

Arashi looked at Tsukiko. "He's right."

She eyed him challengingly. "So convince me,"

"Alright, consider this. First, we find the kids that had been kidnapped from the Bending Countries on this side of the planet. They were brought over and trained to be slave soldiers by Tōitsu."

"We saved them and sent them back," she told him.

"Yes but why did it start in the first place? How did they get people over in the Bending Countries to begin with?" She didn't have an answer. He continued. "Second, my sister, who had been missing for years until we found her, was discovered there. Third, our own sensei had been kidnapped by Tōitsu and treated like a slave by them."

"And do you really think she wants to talk about that again?"

He knew that Rin-sensei would want to talk about it as much as he would want to talk about that night or when he was tortured. But even though he didn't want to talk about it, he knew that if it would help solve a problem, he would say what needed to be said. "If it helps us figure out who they are, I'm sure that she would help us. Now would you stop cutting me off?"

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, go on."

"Thanks. Finally, a thief tried to break into the Hokage Building and steal the summoning contract for the Toads yesterday. He had the seal of Tōitsu on him." He looked at her straight in the eyes. "Now you tell me why we shouldn't look them up?"

In spite of her interruptions, she had been listening to what he was saying. She might've begrudged him this, but he had a point, several of them. The logic was there, plain to see. What's more, they also point to something more. "You think this is bigger than the Elemental Countries?" she asked him.

"That's what I said," Hiro told her.

Arashi swept his eyes between them, turning his head slightly. "So, do you think I' wrong?" he asked Tsukiko.

She considered it for a moment, frowning in concentration. "No, I don't think you're wrong," she said. "Perhaps they are worldwide. But that doesn't mean we should go looking into them."

He couldn't believe she was saying that. "Are you kidding? If anything, it's more reason to look them up. Do you think our grandparents just went about their days and were surprised when the Akatsuki showed up? No, they made sure to do their research and apply it.

"This isn't the same thing, Naruto," Hiro told him,

"Actually, it is the same thing. We've got a group we barely know about operating in the shadows for purposes we don't know about, plus their level of strength is completely unknown to us. This is not something we can leave be."

Tsukiko looked at him in complete disbelief. "You think Tōitsu is going to be our Akatsuki?"

If anything, they already were their Akatsuki. "Yes, I do. That's why we can't just leave it be. We need to look up everything we can about the organization. Do we know their strengths? Do we know where they operate out of? Do we know their goals? For all we know, they could be after the Bijū just like the Akatsuki."

She looked at Hiro and he looked back. That was a disturbing thought and she knew how bad it had for their grandparents with the Akatsuki. They had been only ten people but they had been some of the dangerous shinobi of that time. But she saw a problem with his suggestion. "If they were, that means they'd be going after your grandfather. He's the last known Jinchūriki and he might know where the others are too."

Arashi had considered that but he wasn't too worried. His Jiji could take of himself. He had been doing that long before Arashi had been born and was still one of the deadliest men he knew. "I wouldn't be too worried about that," he said. "If that was true, Jiji would kick their asses without even trying."

"So we have nothing to worry about then?"

He frowned. "That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that we shouldn't just leave off Tōitsu like they're nothing. It's clear that they're not. We need to be able to know what they are and what they can do."

"And you want to talk to Rin-sensei about it," Hiro said for him.

"Yes."

"We're going to get our asses kicked if we do." That was a fact he knew.

"You so sure about that?" asked Arashi.

"Yes," said both his teammates.

Tsukiko couldn't believe that he wasn't seeing it. "Come on, backwater boy, think. I know it's a little hard for you but try."

He scowled at her. "I can think just fine."

She folded her arms and looked defiantly at him. "Then actually try to think. Do you really think that talking to Rin-sensei about her time spent as a slave is a good thing? Hiro's right. We'll be lucky to finish the question before we get our asses handed back to us after she carves them off."

Hiro paled at the image she painted. "I wouldn't say she would go that far," he said, protesting somewhat. They were her students after all. She had to like them at least a little.

She looked at him knowingly. "Can you say that with complete confidence?"

His mouth opened but no answer came out. She had a point. "I'd like to believe," he finally said. It sounded lame in his mouth.

She knew it was lame. "You'd like to believe?" she repeated, "Seriously?"

"We are her students."

"And this is her past we're talking about."

"Guys," said Arashi, making them both stop. "We have to ask her."

Tsukiko still thought it wasn't a good idea. "She's going to kick our asses."

"On that degree, we can agree," said Hiro.

She looked at him with a sour look. "Rhyme much?"

"No. That just came out." He moved away from that point. "When it comes time to get our asses kicked, I suggest that we throw Arashi at her first. That way, we have time to put a little distance between us."

"Good plan."

Arashi couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How about we talk to her first before we assume that she's going to kick our asses, huh?" he asked them both pointedly. "For all we know, she might not do that."

"Yeah right," replied both his teammates. It was clear they didn't believe his words for a single second.

Tsukiko sighed in exasperation. "Look, could we not talk about this please? It's the end of the day and I'm tired. Let's worry about this tomorrow and have some fun tonight, alright?"

The boys looked at each other. She was right. The sun had already set and they were tired from all the reading they had done. "Alright," Hiro agreed. "What do you want to do?"

"Movie?" suggested Arashi. "You guys still got a few I need to watch."

"Still?" he asked, surprised. "I would've thought you'd finished them by now."

He shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? It takes some time."

Tsukiko chuckled. "Are you out of the kiddie section yet?" It had been funny to watch him watching a movie that the twins would've gladly watched, being equally as fascinated.

He glowered at her. "You know that I have."

She hopped out of the bed. "Alright, you pick the movie, Hiro will set up the system, and I'll get the food ready."

Arashi nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a plan." Hiro was already going for the door.

(Location: Ember Island)

They somehow appeared in Uncle's house, Natsumi wasn't quite sure how that happened. All she knew was that one moment they were in Zaofu, the next they were back in Ember Island. The familiar heat rested on her skin and she welcomed it. She actually missed it. It was a weight that was not comfortable. "It's good to be back."

Jiji led her out of the house to the front porch. "Alright, where do we go from here?" he asked her.

She walked down the steps and to the beach. He followed her. She walked to town and was glad to see the red tiles on the roofs. She walked through the streets, pointing out the things she knew to her Jiji. He didn't say anything. He just listened to her with a smile on his face. He never thought he would have these kinds of moments with both his grandchildren again. It was something to be treasured.

Natsumi came to a stop in front of Natsuko's house. It was just like the other houses in the neighborhood but it was what was inside that counted. "This is it," she declared.

He walked up to the door and knocked on it briefly. The door opened and Natsuko appeared. "Yes?" she asked as she opened the door. A second later she realized who she was talking to. "Lord Naruto," she said, trying her best to keep the surprise under control. "This is an unexpected pleasure."

"Hello, Natsuko," he greeted her. "I believe you know my granddaughter."

She looked down and her eyes lit up. "Nat, you're back!"

Natsumi smiled at her. "Hey there, Nattie," she said.

She turned her head back into the house. "Hey guys, Nat's back." She looked back at her, concerned. "Where have you been? All anyone knew was that Lord Zuko had something to do and you went with him."

She opened her mouth but no words came out. She was suddenly stricken by the memory of the North Pole, running scared through the howling blizzard, trying to make sure that she didn't get caught by the men hunting her.

"Gaki," Kurama said to Naruto.

"I see it." His granddaughter was a step away from going into a bad memory. He placed his hand on her shoulder. It brought her out of it. "Something important came up for both Zuko and myself," he said to Natsuko. "Natsumi asked Zuko if she could come and it first seemed it would be simple enough to do so."

"It got complicated?" she asked. "Is everything alright?"

"Smart kid," he thought to himself. "Everything is fine," he assured her. "But things have gotten a little more complicated than we expected so we decided it was best to bring Natsumi back to the island."

Natsuko nodded in understanding but then frowned. "Wait, does that mean she'll be staying in that house all by herself? Sorry, that's not going to happen."

"Oh?"

She nodded determinedly. "Yes. Look, give me an hour to pack and let the others know and we'll stay with her."

Natsumi looked at her Jiji. "Is that's what's happening?" she asked him.

"No, of course not," he replied. "You're not going to be staying in Zuko's house."

Natsuko froze at those words. There was an implication in there that she didn't like or approve of. But she couldn't just come out and say it, not to Naruto Uzumaki. That was not only bad, it was dumb. She had to do it differently. "So where is she going to be staying?" she asked.

His granddaughter spoke before he did. "Can I stay here?" she asked him.

That was what he had wanted but she thought it was her idea. He might as well indulge her. "Hm?" he asked.

"Can I stay here?"

"Don't ask me, Natsumi. It's not my house."

She turned to look at Natsuko but the older girl spoke first. "Of course you can stay here. I would be more than happy to have you around."

"What about your parents?"

"I'll talk to them." She was sure that she could convince them that this would be okay.

"Then I guess it's settled." He paused and went still, like he was listening for something.

Seeing him like this made Natsuko nervous. "Uh, is everything alright, my lord?"

"Is your grandmother here?"

"Yes, she is." It was surprising how he knew that. She wondered how he knew that and almost dared to ask.

He spoke before she could. "Doll, do you mind coming out?"

A woman came around the house. She was an old woman but she walked without aid. She wore clothes that were old but well-tended to. She wore a blindfold over her eyes, yet she walked like she could see. "Hello, Naruto," she said with the utmost respect.

"Good to see you again," he told her.

"You too," she replied, smiling. He smiled too and they hugged each other.

Natsumi watched this all and made an assumption. "You guys know each other."

Her Jiji said, "We do, since she was a little kid. Doll here was an orphan that came under Azula's protection. When she grew up, she joined the military and got attached the 41st division."

"One of the proudest days in my life," Doll added.

She was just confused. "What's so important about the 41st division?" she asked.

Natsuko wasn't surprised. She didn't really know the history of the Fire Nation, especially during the Hundred Year War. "Nat that was the division Lord Zuko took command of in defense of Akawan. Since then, whenever he went into battle, he led that division. My grandmother rose in the ranks until she was assigned to protection detail of Lord Zuko."

Her grandmother laughed it off. "He always did complain about that detail. He still took us along."

"So you were a guard?" Natsumi asked. It sounded like that to her.

The adults looked amused. She didn't know why. "Yes, I was a guard," Doll told her. "And I was quite happy doing my job. I was offered a promotion many times but I refused because it would've meant I would stop protecting Zuko."

"He was always annoyed each time you refused his promotion too," Naruto added, reminiscing about the old times.

"That he was," she agreed. "Thank goodness he got over it."

Natsumi also remembered something else that had been said. "Nattie called you the Blind Dragon. She said that it meant you were one of the strongest and wisest Firebenders alive."

She looked at her granddaughter with a smile that managed to be both kind and teasing. "Natsuko, have you been singing praises again about me?"

"I only spoke the truth, Grandmother," she told her.

Natsumi asked, "How do you become a Dragon?"

"Through a lot of training, experience, and adventures," the old woman told her. "Perhaps you would like to hear some of my adventures?"

She nodded. "Sure, okay." She liked a good story.

Naruto would've loved to stay a bit longer, but time wasn't on his side. "I have to get going," he told them all. Natsumi tried not to look worried but it was clear that she was. He knelt down and looked her in the eyes. "Don't worry. Zuko and I are coming back."

"I know," she said. "Please remember your promise."

An uneasy weight filled his chest at that. "I will try." That was all he could promise her when it came to her aunt. He stood back up. "Doll, Natsuko, take care of my granddaughter."

"We will, Naruto," Doll assured him. "You don't have to worry about anything happening to her here."

"Thanks."

Natsumi watched her Jiji walk away until he was out of sight. She was worried, not because she might not see him again. She was worried that she wouldn't be able to see her aunt again. As she followed the two women into the house, she hoped he would be able to keep her alive.

(Location: Spirit World)

Korra kept watching Zaheer, waiting for him to make a move. As soon as he took a step, she shifted into a fighting stance. "Don't move, Zaheer," she ordered. "You're going to give me some answers."

He ignored her, sitting down before the tree. "There's no need for aggression. Neither of us has our bending, and I'm not going anywhere," he told her. I'll answer whatever questions you have. You deserve that much." She looked surprised. It was a little amusing. "What would you like to know?"

Her curiosity urged her to ask questions of him. "First off, who are you people, and why do you keep trying to take me?"

"We are part of a secret society, dedicated to restoring freedom to the world. We are the Red Lotus."

"Red Lotus?" she repeated. Are you related to the White Lotus?

"We are what the White Lotus was meant to be. But after the Hundred Year War, the White Lotus lost its true purpose. Its members came out of hiding and openly served the Avatar. They became nothing but glorified bodyguards who served corrupt nations. So a great man named Xai Bau broke from the White Lotus and began his own society."

"That's a great story, but it doesn't explain why you tried to take me when I was a kid."

"That was Unalaq's idea."

She wasn't surprised by the fact Unalaq had planned to kidnap her. Considered what he had planned to do to free Vaatu, planning to kidnap was something he could've done. What was surprising was the implication he was giving. "What? My uncle was part of the Red Lotus?"


P'Li actually missed Natsumi. Sitting around the campfire with Ming-Hua and Ghazan, she kept looking down by her side to see her sitting there. "You alright?" asked Ghazan across the cave.

"I'm fine."

"Today's breakfast would've said otherwise. I thought you were silently saying something about my cooking the way you ran for the nearest bush." If there was one thing he could take pride in other than his Bending, it was his cooking.

Zaheer was meditating at the back of the cave. He was supposed to be silent so when he said, "Avatar Korra. Misty Palms Inn. Find her," they listened.

P'Li looked to Ghazan and Ming-Hua. "You two go. I'll stay here and make sure Zaheer's body is safe." They nodded and for the cave mouth. She didn't move from her place.


"I met your uncle when I was a teenager," Zaheer explained to Korra, who had sat down too, "after we had both joined the Red Lotus. We learned about Raava and Vaatu, and how Avatar Wan foolishly severed them, disrupting the balance of the world forever."

She didn't like those words. She had seen Wan's life. "Avatar Wan wasn't foolish!" she told him. "He was trying to restore balance."

"He closed the portals, severing humans from spirits. Even you realize the error in his ways."

That might've been true. But she knew something that he didn't. Wan was trying to do what he thought was right at the time. "So all along, you and my uncle planned to use me to open the portals and release Vaatu? That's why you tried to take me when I was a kid?"

"Yes, and with members of the Red Lotus as your elemental masters, we could've taught you so much."

"It sounds like you were just trying to brainwash me so I'd do whatever you wanted.

"No, Korra," he told her. "All I wanted was to show the Avatar a better path for the world."


Mako kept watch at the window while the others waited in the room. The sun had set, leaving only the night. The hotel grounds were kept lit with a few scattered lights and from the pool. It was what allowed him to see two figures walking down the other side of the yard. He knew who they were. "Uh, I don't know how, but Water Arm Lady and Lava Guy found us," he announced.

That got the attention of everyone in there. Yue's reaction was different from the others. "Good," she said with a feral growl.

"How?" asked Asami, looking at Mako. They didn't leave a trail to be followed.

"I just said I don't know how!" He told her.

Bolin spun around on the bed, grabbing Korra by the shoulders. "Korra, come on!" he said, shaking her. "Wake up!" Her eyes stayed closed and she didn't wake up.

Things didn't look good to Asami. "What do we do?" she asked.

"I'll you want we do," Yue said, going for the door. "We fight."

Gāng got in her way. "Yue, stop and think," he told her.

"Get out of my way, Gāng. She's right outside." She got away from her in Republic City. That wasn't going to happen now.

He stayed in front of her, in front of the door. "They're here for Korra. She has to be protected from them."

"He's right," Mako agreed. He took Korra in his arms and placed her on Naga's saddle. He looked at Asami and said, "Get Korra out of here. Bolin, Gāng, Yue, and I will hold them off."

She nodded. "You got it." She mounted the saddle, wrapping her arms around Korra's sides to hold the reins.

He went over to the door and grabbed its handle. "You ready?" She nodded once. Now she was glad for the small lessons Korra gave her in riding Naga. The polar bear dog was ready to run despite having only woken up a few seconds ago. She must've understood the danger they were in.

He pulled the door open and Naga ran out the door. The darkness blinded Asami for a moment, her eyes used to the room's lights. It cleared soon enough and the first thing she saw was the would-be kidnappers. They saw her too, and the person she was holding. "The Avatar!" said Ming-Hua.

"Come on, Naga," she urged the polar bear dog. "We've got to move." Naga turned for the corner, running for the freedom that was beyond.

Ming-Hua bent her whips' ends into ice. She tried to fling them at the runners but something came charging at her. She turned and saw her sister throwing a punch. She caught the punch easily, yanking her close. "Really?" she asked her. "That's all you're going to do?"

Yue grinned and ducked. Where her head used to be flew a fireball. Ming-Hua bent her whip into a shield to block it. Yue kicked her in the knee and forced her back. Mako stayed behind her, offering support when he could.

Gāng attacked Ghazan while Bolin stayed back, ready to throw boulders. Ghazan caught the Paragon's kick with his own. "Hey kid," he greeted the blind man, forcing his leg down to the ground. "I heard about what happened to you in Ba Sing Se."

If he could, Gāng's eyes would've blazed in fury. "You shut up," he snarled. "You don't get to speak of something bad, not after what you did."

The excuse came out of his mouth before he could stop it. "It was an accident."

"Liar," he condemned. "I was there." He felt the earth shift and buckle beneath his feet. Bolin was bending it. He stepped out of the way, hoping the column would catch Ghazan off-guard. But there was no such luck. He took control of the column with ease and blasted it over with his Lavabending. It spread towards them, forcing them back.

Ming-Hua blasted her sister and Mako back. They landed together, facing the two rogue Benders. It was four against two but Mako felt like somehow the ground was even between them. If it was just him and Bolin, he didn't think that they would've been able to win. He still thought that.

Yue didn't care about it. "You're not getting away this time," she told her sister. Ming-Hua made a little flipping gesture with her tentacle. That was all she needed to start fighting again.


Korra could believe what the man was saying about Unalaq but there were still parts of it she found hard to believe. "If my uncle came up with a plan to abduct me when I was a kid, why wasn't he caught?" she asked.

"He wasn't with us that night," Zaheer told her, "and he covered up his involvement afterwards."

"So he betrayed you, just like he betrayed me."

"Yes. He allowed me and my friends to remain in prison while he pursued his own selfish goals. Unalaq becoming a Dark Avatar was never part of our mission."

That wasn't gladdening to hear for her. It gave her suspicions. "And what is your mission, exactly?"

"I want what you want: to restore balance to this world."

A little scoff came up out of her throat. "I don't think our ideas of balance are the same."

"Are you sure about that? You kept the spirit portals open. But why stop there? Bringing the spirits back should only be the beginning."

"What do you mean?"

"The idea of having nations and governments is as foolish as keeping the human and spirit realms separate. You've had to deal with a moronic president and a tyrannical queen. Don't you think the world would be better off if leaders like them were eliminated?"

Raiko and the Earth Queen came to her mind. But so did Tenzin, Suyin, and her own dad. "No," she said, thinking of them. "I mean, I don't really agree with what they've done, but taking out world leaders isn't the answer."

"It wasn't too long ago that the Airbenders were nearly all wiped out, thanks to the fanatics of the Avatar. That sent the Countries into a war that was only spurred on by the Fire Lord's desire for world dominance. True freedom can only be achieved when oppressive governments are torn down."

She saw what was wrong with that philosophy. Did he? "But that won't bring balance. It will throw the world into chaos."

He smiled, looking as pleased as a teacher hearing his student getting the right answer. "Exactly," he said. "The natural order is disorder. Do you know who once said, 'New growth cannot exist without first the destruction of the old'?"

"No."

"The wise Guru Laghima," he told her, "An Airbender." That wasn't an answer she had been expecting.

(Location: Ember Island)

As it turned out, Teja and Akane had been there at Natsuko's house but not the guys. Teja had hugged Natsumi so tight when she saw her, it was a wonder she could still breathe. They spent the rest of the day with Doll lounging around the living room, just talking about how the day and the week had gone.

Natsumi sat with her legs tucked close to her body. Akane was talking about joining the school's Pro-Bending team. "You'll clean their clocks in the try-outs," Teja told her. "I'm surprised that you haven't joined before."

"Tej, you really think they would've let a lower-grade student join the Pro-Bending team?" she asked. "It's the school's pride and joy."

"Hey, I take offense at that," Natsuko said with a little frown. The three of them were all sitting on the same couch, somehow managing to fit their legs in together without hurting someone and making it look natural.

"One of its pride and joys," she amended.

"I'll tell the swim team and drama group you said that."

Natsumi remembered Pro-bending from before. It had always been so exciting to go see it with the family. The lights, the sounds, and the fighting above all, it carved out a place of joy in her mind and heart. But now that she was older, she had a question. "Hey, you guys have heard about the new Airbenders popping up, right?" she asked them.

They all nodded. "We'd have to have our heads buried in the sand in if we didn't hear about it, Nat," Akane told her.

"Why do you ask, dear?" Doll asked.

"Well, what would happen if they want to join Pro-bending teams?"

They actually stopped and considered the idea, at least the girls did. She felt glad they didn't dismiss her outright. She noticed that Doll didn't look like she was thinking about it. She looked like she was waiting to see what came next. "I don't know," said Teja.

"I think they'd be accepted no problem," Akane decided.

Natsuko looked doubtful. "I don't think so, Akane," she told her friend, brushing her hair back. "I think there'd be some resistance to it."

She couldn't understand why she would say something like that. "How?" she asked her.

"Pro-bending's been around for some time. Everyone knows the rules, the teams, how the game is played. If someone tries to bring in something new, they're going to complain."

"Complain?" Natsumi asked her.

She nodded. "Yes, they're going to complain, Nat."

Akane protested, "They're not going to complain, Nattie. You're exaggerating."

"No, she might have a point," Teja said, thinking about it. She heard what Natsuko had said and could see the reasons behind them. She could only see what kind of problems would arise.

Natsuko saw the same problems. "People would protest the Airbenders joining the game, and refuse to watch matches in protest. There would be fights and arguments about letting them join or not. The entire business would probably lose a lot of money in the process."

"The more money they lose, the more panicked they get," Teja continued. "In the end, they'll probably not let the Airbenders play just so they can keep a stable rate of money."

"And that's just the business side of things."

Natsumi was puzzled. There was more to one side to this thing? She thought there was only the one. "There's more than that?" she asked them.

Both girls nodded. "There's also the players' side of things," Natsuko told her. "If Airbenders join Pro-bending, all of the teams would have to find one so they can keep playing. They will have to rework their teamwork and coordination. And there are the rules that would have to be written up for the Airbenders, telling them how they can play."

"Oh," she said. She couldn't even think of the rules the rest of the Benders had to contend. Coming up with new ones? It sounded like a taunting task to her. "So you think that they won't allow Airbender to play?"

All three girls looked at each other before looking at her. "I don't know how it's going to happen," Natsuko told her.

Doll said, "Girls, do you mind if I join this conversation?"

They all looked at her. Natsumi was the first to speak. "What took you so long to say anything?"

"Nat!" said a stunned Akane. She couldn't go around talking like that. It was going to get her into trouble.

But the old lady just laughed. "Don't worry, Akane dear. I'm not insulted." She turned her covered eyes to the youngest. "And to answer your question, Natsumi—"

"Don't call me that," she snapped instantly.

Doll didn't look like she was caught off-guard. "Why is that?" she asked her. "It is your name, isn't it?"

"Grandma," Natsuko said quickly, hoping to prevent any further misunderstandings, "She doesn't like hearing that name. She wants to be called Nat."

"I've heard her grandfather call her by her full name. She didn't tell him to stop."

How could Natsumi tell her Jiji not to call her that? He was Jiji. "He's allowed." So was Uncle but that was it. No one else, not even her own brother, could call her that. She eyed the blind woman, daring her to say her full name again. It was probably a little pointless but she didn't care.

But Doll didn't rise to the occasion. "Alright, dear," she said patiently and tenderly. "If you want to be called Nat, I'll call you Nat."

"Thanks." She saw how the others looked like they had dodged a fireball. "What's that all about? Did they think I was going to fight her or something?" That was ridiculous.

"In any case, Nat," she continued, "While Natsuko's and Teja's arguments are valid, they are also forgetting an important factor."

The girls looked at each other. They had forgotten something? That couldn't be right. They had covered the business side and the players' side of what could happen. They weren't taking those economical classes for nothing. "What did we miss?" asked Teja. "Was something on the business side?"

"No."

"The players?" said Natsuko.

"No, dear," her grandmother told her.

"What then?"

"Time, dear. What if the problems you were talking about have already been taken care of?"

Teja considered the idea. It would make sense, in a way. But how could someone have that kind of foresight in regards to the Airbenders? "Who came up with the solutions?" she finally asked her.

"Sokka, of course," Doll answered. "The man didn't do anything by halves when he thought of something."

The news was surprising to them all. "Sokka was the one who made rules about Pro-Bending Airbenders?" asked Natsuko.

"Of course he did," she told her granddaughter. "He knew Airbenders would return eventually. They would probably want to play too. So he wrote out their rules too." She paused and added with some amusement, "He probably didn't think it would happen so fast."

Natsumi didn't care about the time it took. She was fascinated by how Teja and Natsuko had discussed the problems, laying them out so they would be easy to understand. "How'd you guys do that?" she asked,

"Do what?" Natsuko asked back.

She gestured at them. "That all laying out the problems thing."

Teja understood. "Oh, that's just our lessons actually being put to use." She looked at Natsuko with a smug look. "I told you that taking those classes would be a good idea."

"Alright, don't rub it in," Natsuko grumbled. "You were right and I was wrong." Teja smiled in victory. She didn't say anything to that.

Akane was a little sympathetic to her friend but not by much. "You could've taken the classes I did, Nattie."

"I wasn't interested in taking that many classes in athletics, Akane," she replied. "It would've exhausted me to the point of death."

"I wouldn't go that far."

Natsumi listened with fascination. What they were talking about sounded so complex and intriguing. "How do I get classes like that?" she asked them.

They looked at her, their eyes speculative. "You would have to attend school, Nat," Teja told her.

"Okay," she said with no hesitation.

"Whoa there," Akane said. "Think about this, Nat. Most people would take the chance to not take school instead of taking it."

"Why would they do that?" They were learning things in school. That was something she needed to be a part of.

They looked at one another, having a silent conversation. This was something they had never seen before: someone who actually wanted to go to school. Most people complained about how boring it was or how annoying the homework was. They had been those people on occasion. She looked enthusiastic about it.

They considered telling her the truth. But she looked too enthusiastic. It would've been hard on her. "They think that it's a drag and boring," Akane explained.

"Then they're stupid."

"Say that after a month," she thought to herself. The kid would be singing a different tune. She would be sure of it.

Natsumi looked at them all. "School would teach me a lot of useful things," she told them all. "And it would give me a chance to make some new friends." While she was glad for the friends she with them right now, she also knew that she could have more friends if she tried. What better way to get more friends than going to school?

Natsuko smiled to herself. "She's got that much right." She had met most of her friends in school.

Doll listened and had a single question. "How much of an education do you have, Nat?"

She thought about it. She became embarrassed by the lack of education she had. Her embarrassment showed on her face. "Not much," she answered.

"We could see that," the girls thought amongst themselves. It was painfully obvious to see her embarrassment about it.

Doll asked another question. "What do you know?"

"Just some basic things," she said, "Some math, some writing." This was probably something that had been covered when she had been enslaved. They must've taught her. It just got wiped with everything else when Arashi brought her back. At least she hoped that was the case.

"I see." She looked to the others in the room, all lounging on the sofa. "Girls, do you think you could help her?"

They tried to straighten up (as much as they could with their legs tangled up so). "Help her?" repeated Teja.

"Yes, help her."

Akane asked her, "How?"

"Tutor her and prepare her for school. The new semester begins soon, am I correct?"

"Yeah," said Natsuko, "After the break."

She clapped her hands together, like she was sealing a deal. "Perfect, that'll give you time to make sure that she is up to date with her lessons so she can pass the entrance exam. You can get the boys to help you."

Natsumi looked at the three of them, hope shining in her eyes. "Could you really help me?" she asked them.

They tried hard to resist not looking her in the eyes. But they were just too hopeful and blue. Their resistance lasted half a minute. "Oh, alright, Nat," Natsuko said. "We'll help tutor you so you can get into school."

She smiled widely. "Thanks!"

"But be warned," Teja told her. "The entrance test is going to be hard. That means we will be just as hard on you too." She did her best to look foreboding. It was a little hard to do when she was tangled up with her best friends but she thought she made it work.

Naruto's granddaughter was undeterred. "Bring it on," she challenged them. "I'll learn everything you got and pass that test too."

Akane smiled. She had a tenacity that should be admired. "Alright then, Nat, you're on." She looked to the others. "We'll have to pick up materials from the school, talk to the teachers."

"And we'll have to tell Lord Zuko and Lord Naruto," Natsuko added.

"I can tell them," Natsumi said. "I'm sure they'll be happy to hear I'm in school."

They would be for her. A thought came to Natsuko. It made her feel both sorry for Natsumi but also interested to see what would happen. "Nat," she said, "You realize that if you go to school, you're going to be with Hema daily, right?"

She frowned slightly but it didn't shake her. "I'll handle her," she promised her friend. If she had to suffer Hema to go to school, she would suffer Hema. There was a small hope. Perhaps Hema wouldn't try to annoy her so much this time.

(Location: Misty Palms Oasis)

The fight wasn't going well for Team Avatar. Even though they had the superior numbers, it was clear the rogue Benders had them on the ropes. The fight shifted when they had turned their attentions from the Paragons to Mako and Bolin, ignoring the greater threat.

It was probably meant as an insult. For Yue, it worked. She went after her sister even angrier but Ming-Hua fended her off with one tentacle. The other pursued Mako relentlessly. No matter how many times he bent fire at it, it would come after him. Even when he took to the roofs, she followed him.

Yue was a second too slow in making the leap. That gave Ming-Hua sometime alone with the Firebender. He realized what that meant. "This was a bad idea," he thought, starting to retreat backwards, trying to get some distance from her.

She didn't let him, going after him with an intense look in her eyes. It was a scary look and made him think of an evil ghost. He shook himself out of that feeling. There wasn't any time for it. He tried bending fire at her but with both her tentacles being used, she could his fire away and attack him in two motions.

"Mako," shouted Yue from behind her sister. "Get clear!"

"That's easier said than done!" he protested.

"Just do it!" She was gaining ground on them. If given the chance, she would attack her sister.

The question was how he was going to get clear. His eyes found the roof ledge. If he got close to that, he could jump off easily. He started backing towards it, hoping that she wouldn't notice what it was he was doing. He kept bending the fire but his eyes stayed on target. It was just little more to the ledge.

A little bit more…there! He took a flying leap off the roof and landed on the ground that made him wince. He allowed himself a moment's grin. That was paid when the Waterbender leapt down to the ground beside him. "Stupid!" he chastised himself. "You don't lose focus in a fight!" That was the first thing he learned about a fight!

Bolin wasn't having much luck with his opponent either. No matter what he could do, the Lavabender could break through. "I can't beat this guy!" he shouted to his brother. "It's like I'm giving him ammo! Want to trade?"

"Bolin, focus!" shouted Gāng as he came up behind Ghazan. It was a stupid move but he was running out of moves in this situation. He jumped onto Ghazan's back and clamped his limbs into a lock around him.

Ghazan felt the weight land on his back but he didn't panic. Instead, he shifted his weight around, trying to throw him off. He also spoke to him. "You know, kid, this Bolin is a lot like me, don't you think? Perhaps we're the same."

Anger surged through Gāng at that implication. "He is nothing like you," he snarled.

The weight but he didn't react to him. "You so sure about that?" he asked. "A little push in the right…?"

"You stay away from him!" He squeezed as hard as he could, trying to bring him down.

But that was what Ghazan was waiting to happen. He slipped backwards to the ground, falling hard onto his back. His rider felt the impact first, didn't expect it. His grip slackened and Ghazan got free. He got back up and looked down at the dazed Paragon. "You should know better."

"Get away from him!" Bolin shouted, leaping at him with a large boulder. The boulder was thrown at Ghazan. He turned and met it, striking it with his fist. The boulder melted through the center, splitting in half. The core shot at Bolin. He yelped and ducked. He came back up and Ghazan was on him.

Yue reached her sister and tackled her to the ground. They rolled around, fighting to get on top. But despite being the tackler, Yue ended up getting pinned by her sister. "Okay, you've officially become annoying," Ming-Hua told her sister. She forced her hands together and cuffed them with ice. She tossed out into the pool. "Learn how to swim, okay?"

It wasn't the cold that got Yue when she hit the water. It was the fact the ice felt heavier in the water. It was like a weight, dragging her down to the bottom. She fought against it, kicking up to break the surface. She cleared the water with a gasp and in that same gasp, screamed, "You bitch!"

Ming-Hua ignored her for the Firebender. He ran to the wall while avoiding her strikes, ran up it, and leapt off in backflip. His hand curled up except for two fingers, holding a small, bright flame. He swung the arc down at her.

She realized what he was doing. He was trying to cut her tentacle off with fire. She let him. When he landed, she got him with the other tentacle, catching his hand and freezing it. At the same moment, she shoved him against a doorway and got in close. He saw her face, grinning in victory. Then she threw him at another door, knocking him out cold.

The sound of water splashing made her turn to the pool, thinking that Yue had gotten out. Instead, she saw it was the Earthbender, trying to swim out of the way of Ghazan's lava globs. Yue started swimming towards him, probably looking to help him. When they got close, Ming-Hua bent a glob of the pool water upwards and held it in the air.

The fight was over and they all knew it. "Go get the Avatar!" she told Ghazan. "I have them under control." He didn't ask if she was sure. They knew each other. So he took off while she bent her free tentacle two ways and grabbed both Mako's and Gāng's prone bodies. Bolin and Yue broke the water's surface to breath but they couldn't go anywhere. All they could do was look down at the Waterbender holding them captive. Yue did it with a glare.


Zaheer looked down at Korra. "You know, being locked away for so many years, I was beginning to lose hope." He stood up and his posture was brimming with confidence. "But when I awoke with Airbending, I knew I would be the one to destroy the old world and plant seeds for a new world to flourish."

She stood up as well. "Zaheer, please, as an Airbender, you could help make a positive difference in the world, instead of destroying it." What he wanted to do was just wrong.

"You're a very smart young woman, Korra. But you must realize that once change begins, it cannot be stopped, even by the Avatar."

Once he said that, she knew she didn't have a chance of convincing him. "Enough with your philosophical mumbo-jumbo!" she said. "I want to know one thing. If you do capture me, what are you going to do with me?"

"You'll have that answer soon enough. The Red Lotus should have you by now." He smirked in triumph as she was filled with horror. "See you in the physical world." With those words, he faded from sight.

She ran for him as he faded. "Zaheer!" she shouted. But it was too late. He was gone. She came to a stop and looked around, seeing if there were others who would come to attack. How could she be so stupid? She should've realized that an attack in the Physical World was possible. And they showed they could hold their own in a fight. She had to go back

She closed her eyes and willed herself back into her physical body. But when she did, her body alerted her that she was restrained against a board, her arms were impeded with a straightjacket, and her face was muzzled. She was enraged. "Zaheer, you tricked me! Let me go!" she shouted through the muzzle. She looked around and saw that she was in a small room. She also wasn't alone. Asami was beside her, hands chained to the wall behind her. "Asami, are you okay? Where's the rest of the Red Lotus?"

Asami was confused. "What's the Red Lotus?" she asked. "And Zaheer didn't capture us, the Earth Queen's forces did." She had fled the oasis only to get captured by an airship crew. It was almost depressing how easily they were captured. They had knocked her out before she could even try to fight.

"Where are we?"

"I'm not sure. Some camp by the desert. They're taking us back to Ba Sing Se." They both looked at the steel door at the end of the room. When it opened, they would be going back to a woman that hated them.

(Location: Konoha)

"I would like to say again, for the record, that this is a bad idea," said Tsukiko as they walked up to the Hatake Clan complex.

Arashi looked at her. "You've said that since last night. You've could've stayed behind."

"And leave you guys to do something stupid? What do you take me for?"

Hiro said, "A friend who stands by us."

She couldn't argue that. She would stand by them. "Well, let's get this show on the road."

They walked through the gate and approached the apartment buildings. This time, Arashi and Tsukiko were walking in with a little more information. They made sure to ask Tsukiko's parents about which apartment building their sensei was living in. They also made sure to ask which apartment number she was in. Still, they were stunned when they actually looked at the numbers listed at the door.

"Whoa, just whoa," said Arashi.

Tsukiko blinked her eyes but what she saw was still the same. She couldn't believe it. "I'm not seeing this, right?"

Hiro shook his head. "I see it too."

Arashi looked at all the names and numbers. "That's gotta be at least 300 names." There were probably more but he risked losing count.

"300 families live in this one building," Hiro said, looking up at the building. It certainly looked like it could that many families.

Tsukiko looked up too. "And this is just one building." She looked at the other four. Suddenly, they were a lot more imposing.

They all looked at the buildings. They stood like imposing towers, interconnected through more than steel and concrete. A single question rested on their minds. "Just how many were there in the Hatake clan?"

Arashi reached for Rin's number. "Let's just talk to sensei," he suggested. They agreed with the idea.

The button buzzed under his finger. "Yes?" Rin's voice said through the intercom. She sounded sleepy, like she just woke up.

"Sensei, it's us," he said.

"What do you need? We don't have training today."

"Can we come up? We want to…" His voice faltered as he realized just what he was going to be asking. He looked at his friends. They were still there, supporting him. "We want to ask about Tōitsu."

For a long moment, all they got was silence. It felt like they were going to be told no. "…Come on in," she said shortly, her voice losing its sleepiness. The door unlocked and they went in. They didn't know what would come next. But they were willing to see if she would talk.

(Location: Earth Kingdom)

Ghazan and Ming-Hua stood in front of Zaheer, holding their captives tight. Zaheer looked at them. He asked one question. "Where is she?"

Ghazan told him. "The Earth Queen's army snatched up the Avatar before I could.

They dropped Mako, Bolin, Gāng, and Yue to the ground. They were bound in rope and Yue had one gagging her in the mouth. "But we figured you could find a use for these two," Ming-Hua said.

Zaheer swept his gaze down on them. The brothers couldn't his gaze for long. There was no point with Gāng. Yue glared at him with anger. He didn't have the Avatar, but they would do. "Load them in the truck," he ordered. "We're taking a trip to Ba Sing Se."

End

Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

I didn't show Tsukiko's test with the Toads because what was the point of it? We all knew how it was going to go. All I had to do was make sure that she accidently mentioned Naruto's name and make it worse. As for the Toad Boss, you can take a guess to who it was.

I realized as I was writing this chapter that I needed to make sure I continued Natsumi's story. I started it with her being taken by P'Li but it can't end with her being rescued. Not when there's a lot more to be told.

And I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist with the candygram. If you know where it comes from, you know why.

I'll see you all next chapter!