Yall gave me the dick about not being descriptive enough in the last two chapters so I tried to focus more on word choice and actually describing what was happening in this one. Lemme know if y'all like it or if you could use more going forward.
"How have you enjoyed your stay in Ba Sing Se Naruto?"
It was a simple question, but it was in actuality a thinly guised trap, and even without seeing the princess' face, Naruto knew it.
They walked side by side, Azula in her Earth Kingdom clothing which was comprised of a dark green shirt almost black shirt with tan sleeves and a tan color that was tied at the waist, under which she wore tan pants tucked into black boots, while Naruto wore the brow tunic he had been wearing as a tea maker Iroh and Zuko.
'I suppose our truce is over now that I'm back with Azula, huh?' Naruto thought to himself, making sure to keep looking to the path ahead and keep an even pace.
"It's been bearable I guess, but it certainly could've been worse." Naruto went for the most neutral answer possible. The question had been a simple bait by Azula to test where his loyalties lie at that point in time. If he had spoken too positively of his experience living among traitors in hostile territory, he'd give breath to the notion that his loyalty to the crown had been shaken by time abroad.
Of course, if he spoke too negatively the contingent of Dai Li agents walking behind them would probably be a little miffed, not something you want from what was probably the most formidable fighting force within the walls of Ba Sing Se, and one of the most powerful organizations operating in the shadows in all the world.
"Oh? Surely spending so much time drinking tea with Uncle and Zuzu would be a welcome change of pace."
Naruto looked at the princess out of the corner of his eyes, and saw that she was already side eying him to gauge his reaction.
Naruto gave a light chuckle,"Nah, it was kind of boring if anything." Naruto closed his eyes, crossing his arms behind his head as he continued to walk,"I walk a warrior's path princess, the path of a predator. Leave tedium and mediocrity for the prey."
"Hmm, interesting you should say that Naruto. You seemed to have no problem living among prey. Tell me, did you not get hungry?" 'Full of word play today, isn't she?'
Naruto opened his eyes, seeing that they were approaching a small building, a visitor's house for important guests of the Earth King he had been told,"I'm always hungry princess. What you have to realize is, much like you,"turning his head to lock eyes with the girl momentarily, Naruto smirked,"I'm just waiting for prey that's worth my time. After all, what are cricket ants and gopher mice to a tigerdillo?"
"Very well said, just remember," the duo stood on the doorstep of the house now, face to face. Azula stepped forward, jabbing two fingers into Naruto's chest and glaring up into his eyes,"There's always something more dangerous out there. Be careful when you're hunting."
Naruto smirked, stepping forward and invading the princess' bubble of authority, standing tall over the girl as the stood essentially chest to chest,"Oh, I'm counting on it."
Azula would swear up and down until the day she died that she didn't blush, and she was sure it wasn't strong enough for Naruto to see it. What she did do, however, was lightly slap him across the face hard enough to turn his head.
She proceeded to say nothing else, walking through the front door, calling out,"Don't daly Naruto, today is going to be my greatest triumph and I refuse to have it ruined by your foolishness."
Naruto rubbed his cheek as he watched Azula enter the house. A smirk came to his face as he watched the minute sway in her hips,'Ooo, I like.'
"Wait wait wait, you guys know each other?" Aang pointed at Toph, then Iroh, then back to Toph, trying to wrap his head around a situation that made their meeting plausible.
"Yeah, remember that time we all had that big fight when the train thing was chasing us? I met him in the woods, and he gave me some pretty good advice. After I knocked him down that is, sorry about that by the way!"
"It's no problem,"Iroh smiled good naturedly, before becoming serious,"May I come in?"
Toph nodded, and Iroh entered, accepting the weary looks he was receiving from Aang and Sokka and hoping it wouldn't be too hard to get their help."Princess Azula is here in Ba Sing Se."
"She must have Katara!" Aang realized.
"She has captured my nephew as well."
"Then we'll work together to fight Azula, and save Katara and Zuko."
"Hold up wait a minute wait a minute,"Sokka stepped up from the back of the group, pushing past Toph and Aang with his hands up,"you lost me at saving Zuko. No offense, but maybe we should just leave Zuko and Azula to figure that out for themselves once we get Katara out of there."
"I know how you must feel about my nephew,"Iroh began his plea,"but believe me when I say there is good inside of him."
"Uh huh,"Sokka crossed his arms,"maybe talk to us when the good is on the outside of him to?"
"Sokka, Katara is in trouble. All of Ba Sing Se is in trouble. We have to let it go and do what's right." Aang tried to convince his friend.
"Twinkle Toes is right Sokka, kinda don't have a choice here."
Sokka slapped his forehead, sighing,"I have a horrible feeling about this. How are we gonna even find out where they are? You remember how long it took us to find Appa, and in the end we only found him because Jet showed up!"
"Actually," Iroh interjected helpfully as he walked towards the front door,"I have someone who can help with that." There, tied up on their front porch and looking absolutely terrified was a Dai Li agent.
The minute Iroh lowered his gag, the man started singing like a bird,"Azula and Long Feng are plotting a coup. They're going to overthrow the Earth King."
"My sister," Sokka pulled out his machete and began pointing it at the man with a look that promised pain if answers weren't released,"where is my sister?"
"And my nephew?" Iroh added.
"They're being held in the crystal catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se. deep beneath the palace."
The newly formed foursome of Iroh, Sokka, Toph, and Aang turned on their heels to head off and find their friends/relatives, leaving the poor Dai Li agent bound on the porch with no one to help him.
"Why did they throw you in here?" An irate Katara questioned Zuko, who was facing away from her in a kneeling position. What Katara didn't realize as she questioned him was that he was still trying to shake the cobwebs off from being chucked head first into the crystal lit room.
"Oh wait, lemme guess,"Katara began to pace around again, gesturing wildly,"it's a trap, so that when Aang shows up to help me, you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches."
Zuko looked over his shoulder at the still raging girl, and finding he really had nothing to say, turned back away from her. For a brief moment he marveled at the beauty of the crystals that surrounded him. 'Maybe if Mai was here.'
Katara's voice broke Zuko out of his forlorn musings,"You're a terrible person you know that? Always chasing us around, hunting the Avatar, trying to capture the worlds last hope for peace! But what do you care,"as she glared at Zuko's back, Katara's words oozed venom, as if she was trying to remove him from existence by sheer will and anger alone,"You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood."
Zuko turned his head slightly, his scarred side visible to the girl,"You don't know what you're talking about."
"I don't? I don't?! How dare you? You have no idea what this war has put me through. Me, personally!" Katara turned away, crouching to the ground and hugging her knees to her chest as she felt for her necklace, the last piece of home she had left,"The Fire Nation took my mother away from me."
Zuko chuckled wryly, and for a second Katara was prepared to go on another tirade, but his almost tired voice broke her from her musings,"You think I liked chasing you? That it was fun for me? Just a hobby, something to do out of sport? The war took your mother, I'm sorry to hear that. But look at the price I paid."
Zuko turned, making sure the girl got a good look at his face,"My father did this to me right before he banished me. My sister wants to kill me to be the sole heir to the throne. I have no friends, I'm probably never going to see Uncle again. I-" It was only at this point Zuko realized that he was yelling with tears streaming down his face. His voice became quiet, almost a whisper, like paper rubbing together,"You lost your mother… I'm sorry, I know what it's like… because that's something we have in common."
"Well what do you know. I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't feeling it myself, but there is a whole city down there! Unfortunately, it's deep. Like, super deep." Toph made a few gestures, breaking apart the laid stone to reveal a softer more raw earthen texture beneath.
The foursome of Sokka, Toph, Aang, and Iroh stood just before the main steps to the Earth King's palace, having just arrived on Appa.
As the sun beat down on them and the flames of combat loomed in the distance, Sokka brought a hand to his chin in contemplative fashion,"We should split up. Aang, you go with Iroh to look for Katara and the angry jerk, no offense," he off handedly apologized to Iroh, who merely shrugged,"while me and Toph go warn the Earth King about Azula's coup."
A few minutes later found Aang and Iroh tunneling down through the earth, following the angle Toph had pointed them in, with Aang doing the necessary earth bending and Iroh lighting the way with a small flame he held in the palm of his hand.
Aang cleared a good distance ahead of them, and the duo continued to descend in silence.
"So, uh,"Aang scratched the back of his head somewhat timidly,"Toph says you give pretty good advice- and great tea!"
Iroh smiled the way only those bearing great wisdom could, his ego sufficiently stroked,"The key to both is proper aging. What's on your mind?"
Aang paused his train of thought to bend some more of the earth impeding their progress towards their goal out of the way, before continuing,"Well, I met this Guru who was supposed to help me master the Avatar State, which comes with great power. But to do it, I'd have to let go of someone I love, and I just couldn't."
"Perfection and power are overrated. I think you were very wise to choose happiness and love."
"But what happens if we can't save everyone and beat Azula? Without the Avatar State, am I powerful enough?" Aang looked down as they walked, deeply ingrained in questioning his own ability.
"I couldn't tell you the answer, mainly because I don't know it,"Iroh spoke frankly."Life is often like this dark tunnel. You can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep going…" Iroh paused as Aang cleared away the last bit of rock, revealing their destination.
It was a massive cavern, with a large gushing waterfall along the back wall that fed into a series of trenches. Structures that appeared to be old houses or buildings made entirely of stone lined the sides, and every where was covered in glowing green crystals which entirely removed the necessity of Iroh's flame, prompting him to let it go out as he finished his statement,"you will find yourself in a better place."
On the surface, Sokka and Toph had just finished climbing their way to the top of the stairs.
"Look, there's General How!" Sokka pointed the man out. Before they continued walking towards him, Sokka sensed something was off, and he forcibly dragged Toph behind a pillar to hide.
How walked amongst the massive expanse of pillars that made up the entryway to the palace, purpose in his stride. He was unprepared for the metal cuffs of the Dai Li being slapped on his wrist from both sides.
As an agent approached him from the front, How cried out in frustration,"What is the meaning of this."
"You have been placed under house arrest," was the monotone reply he received in response.
"Toph, the coup is happening right now, we have to tell the Earth King," Sokka whispered to Toph Toph and Sokka ran towards the throne room, the five generals who made up the Council of the Five were picked off one by one by Dai Li agents,
Sokka and Toph burst into the throne room, glad to see two Kyoshi Warriors already there. Sokka couldn't quite make out who they were though, but he was relieved none the less,"Oh thank goodness, we're just in time!"
The Earth King looked confused,"Just in time? Just in time for what?"
One of the warriors turned to Sokka, flipping toward him in a manner Sokka was sure he was familiar with."Yeah, what are you just in time for,"she leaned in closer to him,"cutie?"
Sokka rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly,"Actually, I'm kind of involved with Suki-"
He was cut off when the earth beneath the Kyoshi Warrior rocketed up, sending her flying into the air courtesy of Toph. She managed to recover in air in a manner one can only master through years of practice.
"Sokka, these aren't the real Kyoshi Warriors!" Both the Earth King and Sokka gasped at Toph's revelation.
Mai, who had been quiet this whole time, sat up from her seated position,"Sorry to disappoint you."
The weapons expert quickly launched three stiletto knives at Toph, who raised a jagged section of the floor to block them, before sending the makeshift shield flying towards Mai with a jumped over the projectile with relative ease, but upon landing was sent flying back into the air when the ground she stood on became a pillar.
Meanwhile, Sokka was doing a sort of strange dance with Ty Lee, avoiding her strikes as well as possible lest he get his chi blocked.
"Ooo, it looks like we're dancing together,"Ty Lee gave a small cutesy laugh.
"This fight,"a new voice declared, gathering the attention of everyone in the throne room,"is over."
Looking up at the throne, Toph and Sokka instantly put their hands up in the universal sign for surrender. The reason was simple: Azula sat on the throne, her feet propped up on the Earth King's back, while Naruto stood next to her, a downright evil smirk on his face and a golden fireball in his hand aimed at the Earth King's head.
Naruto's clothing had changed from that of a tea maker to that of a soldier that was slightly out of dress. He wore black pants tucked into black and dark green boots, with a tan gi like shirt on his upper half with the sleeves had been torn off (though if the blackened edges were to be believed, they had been burned off).
Toph and Sokka were quickly neutralized via chi block by Ty Lee, and Momo, who had been going largely unnoticed in the proceedings up to that point, was captured by a newly arrived Dai Li agent.
"Get them out of my sight."
Dai Li agents quickly began to lead/drag Toph, Sokka, and the Earth King away. Azula gave a small smile, before turning her attention to the new problem entering the throne room. Flanked by Dai Li agents was Long Feng, who had a smile on his face equivalent to that of a child who had just stolen a cookie from the cookie jar.
"Now comes the part where I double-cross you. Dai Li, arrest the Fire Nation princess." Long Feng called out… only to become confused when his men didn't follow his orders."I said, arrest her." Long Feng pointed at Azula, who just continued to sit on the throne, an amused expression on her face. "What's wrong with you?"
"It's because they haven't made up their minds." Azula explained. "They're merely waiting to see how this is gonna end."
"What are you talking about?"
"I can see your whole history in your eyes. You were born with nothing, so you had to scratch, claw, and convey to get to where your way to power. But true power, the divine right to rule… it's something you're born with."
As she spoke, Naruto felt himself becoming entranced by her words. The atmosphere was electric, and her words were like honey to a fly. 'I could die for this woman.'
Azula continued,"The fact is, they don't know which one of us is going to be sitting on this throne in a few moments. But you're down there, and I'm already moved in." Azula shrugged,"Face it Long Feng, only one of us is fit to rule. You know, and I know. And now, they all know. Well?"
Long Feng felt it in that moment, a chasm opening up inside him that took with it his sense of self, just as this monster, this abomination, this goddess sitting on the throne before him had taken everything he had ever worked for. He dropped to his knees and bowed low, forehead to the ground. "You've beaten me at my own game."
"Don't flatter yourself, you were never even a player. Naruto?"
Naruto shook his head lightly to escape the trance he had been put under,"Yes princess?"
"Take Long Feng somewhere and… dispose of him."
Naruto nodded, the duty of an executioner adding no weight to his shoulders,"By your command."
"I'm sorry I yelled at you before." Zuko glanced out of the corner of his eyes at the water tribe girl, who had her hand clasped behind her back and was looking down at her feet.
He turned away from her,"It doesn't matter."
"It's just that…, for so long now, whenever I'd imagine the face of the enemy, I'd imagine yours."
Zuko turned away, and Katara could sense the mood becoming further dampened by her poor word choice,"My face huh?"
"No that's not what I meant."
"It's fine. Y'know, I used to think this scar marked me, the mark of the banished prince, the failure, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny,"he reached up, pawing lightly at the once pale now permanently reddened skin around his left eye," even if I'll never be free of this mark."
"Maybe you can be free of it?"
"Huh?" Zuko turned to face Katara.
"I have healing abilities."
"It's a scar, it can't be healed."
"Not usually, but,"Katara pulled a small crystalline flask from the inside of dress,"this is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I've been saving it for something important." She stepped forward,"I don't know if it would work, but…"
She reached up, touching Zuko's cheek as he closed his eyes, preparing to heal the scar that was the bane of his existence for so long,until a deep rumbling followed by a loud series of crashes put them both on high alert.
The wall adjacent to them was blown apart, and from the whole came Aang and Iroh.
"Aang!" Katara turned her back on Zuko and rushed forward, wrapping her arms around the air nomad, who gladly accepted the hug. Immediately, he glared at Zuko over her shoulder. Zuko looked more confused than anything, but he returned the glare as his uncle hugged him none the less.
"Aang, I knew you'd come!" Katara embraced Aang again.
"Uncle, I don't understand." Zuko turned to Iroh for an explanation,"Why are you with the Avatar?"
"Saving you're butt, that's why." Zuko turned to attack Aang at his flippant reply, but was stopped by a hand on his chest from Iroh.
"Zuko, it's time we had a talk,"Iroh waved Aang and Katara off,"You go help you're other friends, we'll be fine."
Aang nodded, and headed out the tunnel they had come out of back into the main catacombs, with Katara following, though she did look a bit reluctant as she looked back towards Zuko.
"Why Uncle?"Zuko questioned quietly.
"You are not the man you used to be Zuko, you are stronger, wiser, and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good."
Zuko looked down, deep in contemplative thought, but was startled out of said contemplation when a line of crystal was bent up from the floor, quickly entrapping Iroh.
Zuko got into a fighting stance as Azula, preceded by a duo of Dai Li agents, slid into the cave.
"I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle," Azula stepped forward, hands behind her back,"but Zuko, Prince Zuko. You're a lot of things, but you're not a traitor," she raised an eye brow inquisitively, but her eyes held nothing but accusation,"are you?"
"Release him immediately!"
"It's not too late for you Zuko,"Azula ignored her brother's command,"You can still redeem yourself."
"The kind of redemption she offers is not for you." Iroh tried to advise from the confines of his crystal prison.
"Why don't you let him decide Uncle?" Azula returned her attention to her brother,"I need you, Zuko. I've plotted out every moment of this day, this glorious day in Fire Nation history, but the only way we win is if we do this together. At the end of this day, you'll have your honor back. You'll have Father's love. You can have everything you want."
"Zuko,"Iroh spoke calmly, knowing that Zuko's fate hung in the balance,"I'm begging you. Look into your heart and do what's right."
"You are free to choose,"Azula raised her right hand. The Dai Li bent themselves back out the tunnel through which they came, while Naruto followed Azula as they made their way out of the room to follow the Avatar.
Aang and Katara were doing there absolute best to make a run for it.
"We need to find Sokka and Toph!" Katara called over to Aang.
Just then, the roar of an approaching flame behind them caused them to break their stride in favor of not being roasted alive. Aang and Katara turned, with Aang raising a quick earthen ledge from the ground and using it to block the flaming blue attack, though the force of it impacting with the stone still pushed them back.
Looking beyond the now destroyed shield, Aang and Katara we greeted to the sight of Azula, fingertips still smoking, eyes narrowed as she focused in on her targets.
Katara charged forward, using her bending to bring down a large gout of water on Azula, who used a well timed burst of flame to reduce most if not all of the water into steam, breaking off the line of sight Katara and Aang had on her.
This allowed her the element of surprise as she sprinted up an adjacent crystal formation, taking two pot shots at the Team Avatar duo who used a small wave of water to neutralize the flame.
Realizing Azula had landed on a large stone pillar, Aang switched tactics, quickly breaking apart the stone beneath the Fire Princess' feet, causing her to have to jump off in order to avoid being caught in the falling debris, landing her directly in between Aang and Katara.
'Shit.' Azula cursed in her mind, though she stayed calm, looking between her two foes and waiting for the right opportunity to make a move.
Just as Aang was about to attack, a massive meteoric fire ball smashed into the ground between him and Azula. The smoke cleared quickly, revealing Zuko, having abandoned his tea making tunic for his gi-like under shirt, approaching in attacking stance.
He glared at Azula, who met his gaze with more questions in her eyes than actual anger, before he quickly switched his focus to Aang, immediately aiming a fire ball at his mid section which Aang protected himself from by bending circulating wind around his person and jumping backwards.
Azula smirked, seeing that her brother had been swayed to her side, turned her attention to Katara as Zuko began to, almost manically, shoot flame after flame at Aang.
"See any Dai Li agents nearby?"
Sokka pressed his face against the bars of the cell door currently imprisoning him, Toph, and the Earth King, who seemed to have fallen into a light state of depression."Nope, all clear."
Toph cracked her knuckles, placing her hands on the metal door, before then scrunching the metal in a similar fashion to the way the average person would scrunch up a piece of paper.
Toph went sprinting down the corridor as Sokka grabbed the Earth King's arm, dragging the man out of the cell with a cry of,"Let's go!"
"I'm not going anywhere without Bosco!"
To say Aang and Zuko were fighting savagely would be to say that a lion turtle is big: true, but definitely an understatement.
Zuko continued launching fireballs at Aang, who danced around them, gathering wind around himself before shooting what was essentially a physical after image at the fire nation prince, knocking him off his feet.
Aang tried to press his advantage, jumping up and attempting to come down on Zuko with a downward gust of wind, which Zuko avoided by rolling to his right. Zuko shot a stream of fire at Aang from the ground, forcing him to jump away, giving Zuko time to kip up to his feet.
Seeing Aang jumping along the stalactites, Zuko attempted to knock him off with a few small flames, but was unsuccessful. Eventually, Aang landed on a crystal outcropping. Zuko, seeing him staying relatively stagnant in his movement, gathered himself before releasing a massive outburst of fire.
Aang attempted to bend the crystal to block the incoming attack, and while he was able to save himself from the brunt of the attack, he was still blown back by the sheer concussive force of the explosion.
On the ground, Zuko created two giant whips of fire, which he began to swing at Aang with intent of extreme bodily harm, while Aang himself found himself hoping from rock to crystal to rock in order to avoid getting torched.
Aang continued dodging, even as Zuko essentially cut a stalactite he was using to stand on. This gave Aang an idea, and as he hopped to the next stalactite, he cut through it with his earth bending. As it fell, Aang fell with it, and using some air bending to propel himself downward, he drove the impromptu stake into the ground, causing the earth to rumble sending Zuko flying back first into a crystal formation, stunning him. Unfortunately, Aang had miscalculated the damage the attack would do to himself, and found himself struggling to get out from all the rubble he himself had created.
Azula wasn't faring much better in her fight against Katara. Katara had covered her body in water from the stream, and was using the liquid to form tentacle like appendages on the ends of her arms. As Azula tried to bend a fireball at Katara, Katara lashed out with a tendril, quenching the fire ball and then wrapping the water tentacle around Azula's arm. Azula tried to lash out with the opposing leg, but that was caught in Katara's other tentacle.
Katara prepared to lift Azula off the ground, but Zuko, recovering from his daze and seeing his sister in danger, quickly used a crescent shaped blade of fire to cut through Katara's tentacles, saving Azula.
Azula nodded to her brother, sensing a shift in targets, and turned her attention to Aang, who was just begin to drag himself out of his crater.
Zuko and Katara began to duel, with Zuko shooting fire at Katara and Katara using her water tentacles to deflect.
"I thought you had changed!"Katara yelled at the scarred prince as she and Zuko clashed using whips of fire and water respectively.
"I have changed,"Zuko replied resolutely.
Azula stared down a slightly nervous Aang, who quickly shook his head and steeled his nerve. Seeing this, Azula took up a stance similar to a runner, with her arms pointed directly behind her, and began to bend fire from her hands and feet, rocketing forward toward Aang, who used nearby crystal to create a protective suit. Sticking his arms out infront of him, he bent himself forward, assuming incorrectly that they'd meet in a headlong crash.
What actually happened was Azula suddenly stopping her moment and pivoting, bending the flames she had gathered behind her with murderous intent, sending it crashing into Aang, knocking him clean out of his crystal suit and through the wall of one of the abandoned stone buildings some 30 yards behind him.
In the main throne room, Ty Lee was trying to entertain herself by teaching Bosco circus tricks while Mai sat on the stairs to the throne, bored beyond belief.
"Come on, it's easy! You just walk on your front paws instead of your back ones, like this, see?" Ty Lee began walking on her hands, only for the ground to swallow her hands up to her wrist. When her legs fell forward to catch her, they too were in cased, much to Bosco's joy.
Toph made herself known, flanked by Sokka and the Earth King,"That is a nice trick."
Toph prepared an earthen block to crush Mai, who just waved her hand dismissively,"Just take the bear."
The Earth King ran forward, hugging his lifelong companion,"Bosco!"
Katara found herself being double teamed by Zuko and Azula. Everytime she would defend an attack from one, the other one would attack at her opening. Eventually, after she warded off a few waves of the duo's onslaught, Azula managed to sneak in a wave of fire that hit her in the mid section and sent her flying back into a nearby crystal, knocking her hair out of it's braid and sending her vision spinning as she tried to recover.
Before the Fire Nation duo could press their advantage, however, they heard a deep rumbling behind them. Turning, both Azula and Zuko's eyes went wide as a very pissed off Aang came exploding from the house he had been trapped underneath. Landing on the ground and shattering the earth around him, Aang willed the earth beneath him to swell and carry him forward, charging the two teens that had been hunting him and his friends around the world.
Just before he could reach them, however, a massive golden fire ball slammed into the earth he was currently riding, sending him flying off with enough force that he dug a tench in the ground upon his landing.
Groaning, he stood to his feet. Standing behind Zuko and Azula were now at least thirty Dai Li agents, and in front of them, crouched with a hand on the ground an a small golden flame glistening in one hand, was Naruto, who was smiling at Aang with a predatory grin as he stood up, a similar fireball forming in his other hand.
Looking over to Katara, Aang saw that her situation was just as bad, as she stood in the middle of a water octopus trying to ward off Dai Li agents who surrounded her on all sides.
'There's just too many,' Aang thought, hope slowly leaving him.
"The only way, is to let her go."
'I'm sorry Katara.' Aang dropped into a meditative stance, bending a crystal tent of sorts around himself to protect him.
Naruto slowly began to walk forward. As the crystal lit up from the inside, Naruto zoned in. The sounds of fighting from where the Dai Li were attempting to nab Katara disappeared, Azula and Zuko disappeared. As the crystal tent shattered and exploded outwards, and Aang rose out of the tent, nothing mattered but this fight.
"Why do you do it old man?"
Ko raised an eyebrow at his charge as they sat across from each other,"What do you mean?"
This was going to be the last meal they ate together before Naruto went off to the SSIP compound, and so Ko had decided that they would eat in the backyard, overlooking the training field. It was a simple yard really, though it was large. Half of it was set up with various training dummies and targets, as well as some basic weights and weaponry. The other half was much more simple. Grass grew under feet, and in the corner of the yard there was a small pond for turtle ducks.
Naruto and his master sat at a small table that had been set up for evenings like this when Ko decided to eat outside of his house on a whim.
"Why do we train? Why do we fight? What's the point of it all?"
Ko stroked his beard, closing his eyes as he thought. After a moment, he spoke,"To ask why we fight is to ask why leaves fall. It's just in our nature."
Looking to Naruto, he saw the boy looking confused. He sighed,"Naruto, close your eyes for me. I want you to imagine yourself wearing a chefs uniform."
Naruto did as he was told, but his face soured. He had imagined himself, but it didn't look like him. "Now try one of the bureaucrats."
Again, Naruto found himself staring at a version of himself that wasn't quite him. Ko called out a whole host of jobs from the lowliest fisherman to a high priest of Agni, and yet Naruto couldn't resonate with any of them.
"Now, imagine yourself on the battle field, sweat dripping from your brow, your muscles aching and sore, a war cry on your lips." Naruto imagined it. He could smell the air, feel the heat of battle, taste the salt of sweat on his lips. His knuckles ached from close range fighting, his legs tired from hours of movement, his heart beat heavy in his chest. He felt fear, anger, and above all, exhilaration.
"I can see it in your smile that you feel it, the thrill of battle, the bloodlust, the need to test your mettle against another in mortal combat. Naruto," Ko met his pupils gaze," people like us cannot simply exist in mediocrity. It would kill us. People like us need to fight. It's who we are."
"I got it old man."
'So this is it, huh?' Naruto breathed in, and breathed out, unchaining his blood lust in preparation for the coming battle. The atmosphere became heavy as Naruto's body heat rose, giving him a sort of oppressive aura. His clothing began to smolder as Aang's glowing white eyes focused on him. Naruto exhaled a small burst of fire as he began to step forward, fully prepared to meet the Avatar in the perfected Avatar state in single combat.
Then, at the apex of his rise, the Avatar was struck by lightning.
Naruto watched, almost in shock, as the light left Aang's eyes as he fell to the floor. He didn't hear Katara's scream, nor did he do anything to impede her journey to catch Aang as he fell from the sky towards the cavern floor below.
Naruto did, however, sense Zuko to his right and Azula to his left as the stalked the now downed Aang and Katara, who looked up in fear as the duo approached.
Suddenly, their approach was cut off by a flame bent between them and their target by Iroh, who jumped down from an elevated ledge and took up a defensive stance in front of Aang and Katara.
"You've got to get out of here, I'll hold them off as long as I can." Iroh instructed Katara, who wasted no time in using the water around her to wisk Aang and herself up and away.
Naruto, finally out of his daze, turned his attention to Iroh, who had managed to deflect an attack from both Azula and Zuko as well as a good portion of the Dai Li agents. His eyes narrowed as he snarled,"Traitor."
Iroh seemed to acknowledge Naruto as a larger threat, as he turned his focus to him. Naruto made a move to step forward, but he was stopped by a hand on his chest from Azula.
"Uncle is going to stand down now that the Avatar has escaped, isn't that right?"
As if to answer her question, Iroh breathed out, relaxing and get out of stance, allowing the Dai Li to trap him. For a moment, he met Zuko's questioning gaze, before looking away.
Later that evening Azula lounged on the Earth King's throne, with Zuko standing to her left, his posture suggesting he was unsure about something, and Naruto off to her right, sitting on the floor with one leg up and the other out straight, a look of pondering on his face.
"We've done it, Zuko."Azula spoke to her brother,"It's taken over a hundred years, but the Fire Nation has finally conquered Ba Sing Se."
"I betrayed Uncle."
Azula turned her head to look at her brother,"No, Zuko. He betrayed you."
Seeing that Zuko still looked to have doubts, Azula stood from her seat on the throne,"Zuko, when you return home, father will welcome you as a war hero."
Naruto zoned out at this point, just thinking to himself.'She really did it, she conquered Ba Sing Se.' His eyes found Azula's back as she continued talking to Zuko,'Terrifying and inspirational at the same time, it's amazing really.' He began to stare back out at nothing again,'With Ba Sing Se fallen, and the Avatar either dead or indisposed, all that's left is to continue the conquest.'
"Naruto."
Naruto looked up to wear Azula was standing above him. She had her arms crossed and was looking down at him as though she was waiting for something.
Naruto stood, stretching lightly,"Yes, princess?"
"We have just conquered Ba Sing Se, the supposedly impenetrable city that has been a bane to the Fire Nation's existence for the last hundred years, and you have the nerve to sit there and look forlorn?"
Naruto rolled his eyes and responded sarcastically,"Yeah yeah, congratulations."
Azula drew her hand back to hit the boy, and Naruto raised his hands in mock surrender,"Alright alright jeez, no need to get in a twist. Suppose I should be happy for more than one reason then."
Azula raised an eyebrow,"What's the other reason? The death of the Avatar?"
"No," Naruto reached into an inner fold of his shirt, pulling out a blue oni face mask. He presented it to Azula with a smile that only someone criminally insane could pull off,"didn't I tell you? I killed the Blue Spirit!"
Not gonna lie looking back I might need to edit and reupload that last chapter it was so bare bones its kinda disgusting to look at. Here ya go though, be sure to comment or PM me any feedback. If you have a vision for how the story goes that coincides with mine I can probably work it in, but from here on out Naruto is gonna be taking a much more active roll in proceedings. Timeline and events are still going to be similar if not identical to cannon (this is more of a Naruto insert story than it is a Naruto fucks shit up story), but I wanna get alot more of Naruto's dialogue in there. I'm also trying to keep Naruto's personality consistent through it all, which is becoming a struggle as I gotta make him look decently intelligent but he still has to have those stupid moments or else he isn't really Naruto, just an OC. Lot more flashbacks and explanation of how he's getting these memories from OG Naruto in the future too!
JOIN MY FUCKING DISCORD SERVER LINK IN BIO
Kishi out