I want to start off this chapter with something I realized I haven't mentioned before now: Chen would have absolutely won if he hadn't taken Puffy Potstickers off his menu.

Let me explain. When Chen took those off his menu, he made one customer very upset: Dareth. Yes, this is another reason why Dareth is such an important ally to me and someone I have a ton of respect for. Dareth not getting his Puffy Potstickers meant that he went after the noodle trucks to try to talk to Chen to get them put back on. In doing so, he found Nya with her DBX disguised as one and forced her to take him along. If Dareth hadn't been on that island, then a lot of things wouldn't have been able to happen.

First, Dareth was the one that disguised Nya and created her entire kabuki outfit. If she hadn't had that disguise, she wouldn't have been able to get the spell. We weren't able to get up there ourselves since Clouse was guarding it. If we made a move, we'd get caught and be turned into snake food most likely. Now, I know that I also said that Nya was caught. However, it was around the time that Dareth accidently alerted the entire island to his presence by singing. That sounds like a really dumb thing to do, but it actually worked out. Like I said before, most of Chen's guards were now out in the jungle looking for him. When Nya got caught, she only had to fight past Clouse. Without the heat on her, she was able to get to her stored Samurai X gear and go on the run.

Now, us being in the jungle was actually a massive blessing, when I look back on it. If Nya hadn't been out there, Chen might have just continued the tournament. Even if Jay hadn't broken his leg, Chen would have likely forced one of us to go up against each other again. We would have battled more in his tournament and whittled down our numbers even more. Even if that hadn't happened, we would likely have gotten taken out in some other way. Being in the jungle let everyone see Chen's real nature without us having to convince them again. Chen gave us the best possible way to form our alliance right then and there.

And even on top of all of that, Dareth being there was what made Zane and Cole rethink their plan and build the Roto Jet instead. If they hadn't done that, as odd as it was being built underground still, Clouse's giant snake -which I still don't know where he got it from- would have eaten my father. Even after Dareth was caught, he was still helping us.

Dareth being there was what got us to the point we were able to get our powers back in the first place. Even if Chen got his followers turned into snakes anyways, we were all able to be united. Chen lost the entire war the second that he took Puffy Potstickers off the menu. It's the strangest reason ever for someone to lose a war, but I still want to give Dareth another massive shout out here. Don't let anybody tell you that he isn't just as important as any of the rest of us.

I wanted to get that out of the way, before I decided to talk about the war. Dad told me that it's always good to talk about something good before you talk about something bad. And what happened next… wasn't good at all. It's the reason that he isn't here to tell me these words of wisdom himself.

It's the reason that my dad isn't here anymore.

….

Sometimes I wish I could just let Ninjago fall.

….

It was that day, that made me think maybe Morro had a point.

When I think about that day… I can't help it. I get angry. I get angry that I was the one that had to sacrifice something to win that battle. I get angry that the only way we figured out how to win that battle, was to sacrifice the one thing that I held closest to my heart. I had to sacrifice the one person… the one father that I was given as a reward for my efforts. I beat the ultimate incarnation of darkness, and for my sacrifice in having to overcome my fear of killing my dad, I was given the father I always wanted. And then Chen took it away.

Nobody else had to sacrifice anything to save Ninjago that day. Last time, I had to give up Zane. I had to watch Zane go and die for me because I wasn't strong enough. I'd worked hard to get stronger. I'd grown to become the ninja that Ninjago wanted me to be. And all that time, all while I was working hard, I had my dad by my side. I had the one person I wanted the most with me. And he wasn't like Wu, just telling me vague nonsense and letting me figure it out. He was with me every single step of that island. He was right there, fighting alongside me. He kept me safe as he possibly could, and told me everyday how much he loved me.

He loved me, and I loved him. And I had to banish him. I had to send the one father that loved me and wanted the most for me, off to the Cursed Realm.

It doesn't matter that I got to see him again when Morro stranded me there in the battle at Stiix. It doesn't matter that I got a chance to know that he didn't have any regrets. It doesn't matter. Because he was gone. He was out of my life. He wasn't there anymore. I couldn't wake up anymore and think that I could go and see him and ask him if everything was okay. I couldn't have a Sensei that would work to teach me everything he knew and make me a better man. I couldn't go and see the father that I'd given up everything for just to pat me on the head and tell me that I was doing good. I had to give it up. For Ninjago.

...Why me? Why am I the one that has to do that? Why was it that I have to make the sacrifice to make sure I stopped Chen? Why did destiny decide to give me something I needed more than anything else at that moment after I'd just beaten the Overlord, just to rip it away? Why do I have to blindly follow destiny, when it feels like everything that I like, everything I care about, just gets ripped away from me? Why do I have to put Ninjago's safety ahead of myself, when I have to get rid of everything that I care about to do that!

It isn't just him. It isn't him at all. Harumi did it too. The one girl that I actually felt like I could have something with was playing me the entire time. She stabbed me in the back and twisted the wound. And just to make sure that I feel it each and everyday, she made sure to bring my dad back. She ripped out every single piece of him that I loved and brought back the monster that I always worried he was before he climbed out of that rubble. She brought back that… that thing, and tried to taint the memory I had of my dad.

Emperor Garmadon is not my father. I may call him my dad, but that's only because I have to. I don't have another way to refer to him. I just don't. That man threw a picture of me and my actual father, the one that went with me to Chen's Island, on the ground. He stomped over that picture. And even then, when he decided to try to help us at the last minute, he still abandoned me. I haven't seen him ever since those Oni were beaten back. I don't get to have a father in my life. Not even one that tries to kill me.

I don't get it. I just don't get it. Morro was able to go and defy his own destiny. He decided to come back out of spite. Why don't I get to decide something like that? Not something evil like that, but why don't I get to keep my father? Why does every other boy in Ninjago get to be raised by loving parents that don't abandon them and leave for years of your life and drop them off at a school to be evil just to satisfy their desire to live up to their day? Why didn't I get to have more than a few months with my father? Why? Why? WHY?!

When my dad told me what happened, I couldn't even process it. I didn't want to even think about it. I didn't care that my dad was a snake. There was still so much he could have taught me! He could have still shown me more things I needed to know. Who was going to teach me? Wu? Ever since we defeated the Oni, all he's done is be grumpy and angry and act like we're just below his standards. My mother? She still disappears for months. The only family that was willing to be there to teach me and love me at the same time, to be willing to learn how to train me, was my father. The one man that taught me things I needed to know about myself, and he's gone now. Because I had to give him up.

Why does Chen get to be the one that took this from me? This man that I never even met before and had no powers, no influence other than his own mind and stupid wealth, he somehow got on an island he was supposed to be exiled on, why did he get to rip away the most from me? Forget the Overlord, forget the Golden Master, forget all of them! Not even Harumi got to take away that much from me. She took my heart, but that was it. Chen took my heart, and my family. He took away the one thing I never got to have!

Jay gets to go home and talk to his dad. He even gets pep talks for him sometimes. Kai and Nya got to find their parents, even if they just vanished after we met them! Even Zane got to meet with his father and gets to keep a crystal clear collection of every memory that he has with him. And even then, he gets to have Pixal. He gets to have someone that's made for him, and the two get to be happy. I don't get that. I have to be satisfied with being 'good' and putting 'the good of Ninjago' ahead of myself. I have to stand up as this, this paragon, and never let it show how much I hate how much this stupid plcae takes away from me!

And it isn't like Ninjago has done that much for me! You know what happens when we go into the city? People act like we don't save it1 They're so quick to just say that, that they're… that someone else saved it! They barely even remember Chen! The only reason that I ever get to have any sort of public recognition lately is because that revived monster beat the crap out of me in front of everyone. Most of the time, we don't even have income. We just make money where we can. We have to work jobs, even if this entire place wouldn't exist unless we kept putting ourselves out there to save them! And even then, they're ungrateful, they don't care how much I lost, they don't care that I, as the Green Ninja, have to live each and everyday with a hole in my heart because I got rid of the one person that I needed in my life most.

I wish I could just let this place go. I wish I could have just walked up to Chen and joined him. Negotiated that everyone else get to go free if I did that. I've thought about it, the idea of if I'd just given up that day. If I had just let myself stop being that Green Ninja Chen mocked me as. If I could have saved my father, if I could have just gotten to keep him. I wonder if I could just be like Morro and say that I don't care anymore, and just get what I want. I wonder if I can just forget that this entire place exists, and move on. Let this entire island burn. If I can just hold onto one thing, one little good thing in my life, maybe then I can just forget destiny and just go and finally, finally be happy.

...But I won't do that. I won't do that. Even if I wake up everyday and feel that my father is gone again, even if I know that one day, I'm going to keep defending Ninjago. I'm going to keep being the Green Ninja. I've come too far to try to change destiny. I've come too far in this to try to turn around. Everyone thinks about getting out just do what they want. I do it a bit more than maybe I should. But I won't let those thoughts get the better of me, because of people like Chen and Morro. Looking at them, I can see dark reflections of what I could become. If I just cared about power, I could become someone like Chen and just take power for myself. If I let myself get bitter about everything, I could end up not caring who I hurt like Morro.

Destiny took something from me again. First, it took away the family that I wanted the most for years. It forced on me a mother that wasn't there to tell me she cared about me and an Uncle that pushed me to murder my father because 'destiny' said I had to. When I put aside myself, when I stopped thinking about what I wanted and thought about what Ninjago needed, I was rewarded by being given the father that I needed the most. Sensei Garmadon was always there for me. Then, he was gone, again.

I know, that was probably a lot to take in. I know that in writing this Autobiography, you all think you're going to hear the heroic tales of the Green Ninja and how he valiantly saved Ninjago. A lot of you probably weren't expecting me to say that I have thought about just giving up on Ninjago before. But like I said in the prologue, I'm not some perfect savior that everyone wants me to be. I try to be, but at the end of the day, I'm just a normal person that was given powers because of destiny. I work to save Ninjago because I have to. I'm the only one that can stand up and do it. And because that's what's right, I'll do it again. Even if it means that I lose everything again.

And speaking of doing what's right, I should get back to where I was in the story. Chen's army swept over Ninjago like as torm. We didn't really get a chance to fight back. We were all so scattered, and almost all of us couldn't make our dragons out of fear. I had to take the truck that I had taken from Chen just to get back. It was a humiliating ride back. On the way, I ran into Neuro, who said that he would send a message to me to get to everyone else since Chen took control of all our comms. I guess that was why I couldn't get to Nya. Thankfully, we got to everyone and we regrouped.

Just in the few hours that it took us all to get there, Chen had taken almost all of eastern Ninjago. It was true when they said that an Anacondrai was the ultimate warrior. We were out of options. We had to rethink our strategy. Without anywhere clear cut to fight, we realized that Chen was heading inland now. If we could cut him off before he got to the heart of Ninjago, we could win. To that end, we decided to pick the Corridor of Elders to make our stand. Chen had to pass through that area in his most direct route, and he wouldn't be expecting us that early. We just had to go and make our stand.

The thing was, in the time it took me to get there, Chen had done his damage. My dad hadn't gotten the chance to make good on the promise we made in the jungle to tell Misako. He'd tried to, but gotten stopped. Chen decided to move in and fake making a truce just to drop that bombshell about the letter. While we were at our lowest point, he moved in and snapped the bond between Wu and my dad. Chen wanted to break all the bonds we had. I at least thank my mom for not piling that onto my dad at the time. At least she knew when to have her priorities in order.

A few of you reading this may have been there. It's hard to describe the battle. I wasn't focusing much on it at the time. We all went around Ninjago and recruited almost anyone that was willing to help us. We had a sizable number of people, and lowered our sizes from 1 to 62.4 (thanks Zane) down to 1 to 20. It was a lot better, but we were still in a bad spot. We made our stand, and waited. We didn't have to wait that long until Chen's massive army was coming right towards us, swords raised and ready to kill us all.

I made a line in the sand, literally. We couldn't let them get past that line. That was where the corridor was the narrowest, and we had a chance of winning. Chen saw us and got angry, and threw his entire army at us. He didn't need a strategy, he knew his warriors were strong enough. And to be fair, they were. Just that first wave hitting us nearly broke through us, but we held firm. Everyone fought as hard as they could. The entire place was kicking up dust, so we had to just focus on the snake in front of us. At first, we managed to push them back.

Chen, however, was angry. He sent them right back at us, then took to the skies. We didn't have any aerial support yet until Shade and Nya came in to help us. Chen literally blasted the corridor open just to let his snakes through. While we were able to hold the line, we didn't have the manpower to do it for the new gaps. The battle wasn't even ten minutes in, and now Chen had completely taken it from us.

The situation was turning hopeless fast. I wish I could say more about the battle, but it was just so fast and violent, I didn't process much of it until I heard someone screaming at me. Pythor came in riding on a rat with the book of spells. I have to commend him for literally racing across Ninjago to do that. While I still hate his guts for all he's pulled, he does have a sense of pride, and the fact that the Anacondrai were moving in on his tribe was enough to make him help us.

I helped get Pythor up to the Bounty overhead. When we got to the top, that was when Pythor showed me the spell. We could summon the spirits of the old Anacondrai Generals my dad had banished to the Cursed Realm, in exchange for my dad taking their place. Pythor insisted they would be appalled at this 'mockery' to their race and curse Chen and his army away for trying to imitate them. I… have already talked about how angry I was at the time. My dad was the one that demanded that we use the spell, and I leapt off the Bounty to go and take out my anger. I didn't want to be there when my dad was giving himself up.

However, as I was tearing through the army, I felt all those memories about the time together we shared. I realized as I was blasting through snake after snake that, I needed to be there. Wu was the one that was made to read the spell. It wasn't a good idea for him to be te one to send him off. I realized that I meant the most to him, more than his brother or his wife. I was the one that he cared enough about to defy the literal embodiment of evil and the venom inside of him to try to raise me, even if it meant leaving me. And I had to be the one to do it.

So I did. I took the book from Wu and told my dad I would do it. Each word on that page felt like I was coughing up vile. My dad was trapped in a portal, and every word was making it open wider. I didn't want to read it. I hated it. I still refuse to remember even a single word of that spell. But I did. I read each, and every word. I gave up my father. I cursed him and banished him to bring back the generals that we thought could end that war. And… he said it.

"I had yearned to create the world in my image, I never realized I already had in you."

…

…

…

Sorry. I needed, needed a second there. I'm sure, Zane will edit this out after I get done.

Thank you, dad.

Thank you, for everything.

Thank you for doing everything you could to save me. Thank you for literally defying evil itself to rescue me. Thank you for being there for me when I needed you, as both my Sensei, and my father. Thank you for… for loving me.

Thank you for never giving up on me. Even when I felt like I had given up on myself.

And… I finished the spell. I sent my dad right into the Cursed Realm. With a big burst of green energy, the spirits of the generals came ould. Just like Pythor said, they immediately moved and began to curse everyone that was an Anacondrai, dragging them into the Cursed Realm. Skylar thankfully had turned back by then. And General Arcturus personally thanked me for my service, and for helping out finally right the wrongs that had caused the first war. He… thanked me for that.

As soon as that portal closed, it was over. I… I felt it. I felt that emptiness inside of me. I realized what I'd just done. The battle was won, but I'd lost something again. This time, it wasn't like the pain of losing Zane though. I'd done this myself, at my father's blessing. It was a dull ache inside me, that I couldn't get rid of. I felt sick, and wanted to go and lay down. I couldn't, since I had to be there to help the others as the battlefield quieted down.

In the honor of my father, we carved Sensei Garmadon into the corridor to remind everyone of his sacrifice. To ensure that we didn't have something like this happen again, we burned the book of spells that Clouse had. We honored my father's memory that night. The ache never went away the entire time. I couldn't stop thinking about him, or about the things that we had all given up to be able to reach that victory. I'd saved Ninjago, and that made me happy. But I had also lost my father, even if everyone felt for me.

That was when Kai offered Skylar a place on our team. I mentioned before how she decided to instead run the noodle shop. I'm still not entirely sure why, since Skylar was the one with arguably the most power out of anyone. But for some reason, she decided that was her destiny. I had to respect it, since obviously it was her life to live. I wonder what it would be like to have her on the team, but I understand her choice. She wanted to help right the wrongs of her father. I'm… still not sure why she and Kai never got together. Even I could see they were both into each other, but decided not to. I guess that's her choice, and I won't question it.

After that batte, I felt like I had finally ended the battles I needed to fight. This was the first battle we'd fought not connected to some destiny, something that had happened before… anything like that. I had overcome what felt like the last bit of my past I hadn't yet hit. I'd gotten all the questions I had answered. I was the Green Ninja. I know it wasn't final, and perhaps it never will be. But I felt like maybe, just maybe, I could try to move on… even without him.

For those months I didn't have my father with me, I didn't dream. I couldn't bring myself to. I couldn't sleep well either. I'd just keep seeing his face when I banished him, and hearing his last words to me in my head. They made me smile, but they stung too. I didn't want to be hurt like that again. That ache, wouldn't go away. That pain inside me refused to subside. It took far too long for me to heal from it, and it was there for a long while to come.

It was that very pain that let Morro inside my head. When my dad had me open the portal, we hadn't seen Morro slip out. A brand new plan was put into motion, and none of us knew what was going to happen next. I especially knew nothing about what Morro was about to use that pain that wouldn't go away for.

I was about to learn what it was like to be taken out of the picture completely. It was about time… for Possession.

"Lloyd…?" Cole asked nervously, "Are… you done there?"

Lloyd looked around the room. The area around where his hands were pointed was smoking. There were charred pieces of where he'd clearly gone and blasted his power out while he was speaking. Cole himself was still sitting calmly, but looked ready to bolt up at any moment. Lloyd realized he was crying again. He quickly reached up and cleaned his face, taking in a deep breath. His breath stuttered as he did, and he didn't even realize the lump he had in his throat until he had. And once he felt it, he realized that he had been crying and yelling loudly enough to hurt his throat.

"Y-Yeah… yeah, I'm okay, Cole," Lloyd sniffed, rubbing his cheeks to make sure he got it all up, "I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get so into it."

"I was kinda afraid you were about to blast a hole in the wall," Cole chuckled nervously, "You… really, feel that upset about your dad?"

"Well… yeah," Lloyd sighed, "I, did try to warn you. Ever since this whole thing with Harumi and the Oni and… all that stuff, I can't stop thinking about it. I was worried about getting to this point. There are a lot of points that I tend to get angry and… these were where it gets the worst."

"Well… it's okay, you know?" Cole offered, gently leaning forward to put his hand on Lloyd's arm, "You've grown past it. I know it isn't much coming from me, but-"

"Cole," Lloyd cut him off, "Anything any of you say means a lot to me."

"...It, it's going to be okay," Cole sighed, "We all learn how to get past things. We all have to do some painful things sometimes, to get what we want. And, well… I don't know what it's like to get rid of my dad, but I know what it's like to be angry and apart from him for a long time. I can't really say that we're comparable, but… I get it, you know?"

"I do know," Lloyd smiled gently, "And… that's why I wanted you to be the one to do this part of my book with me."

"Not because I wouldn't say anything?" Cole joked nervously.

"Well, that," Lloyd sighed, "And, I know that you wouldn't judge me for being honest with myself."

"I… oh," Cole blinked, realizing what Lloyd was saying, "I'm… well, of course I wouldn't. I prefer that all of you guys be yourselves rather than it. And… well, you need to be sure you can be true to who you are."

"That's a little strange coming from you," Lloyd chuckled, "But yeah, I know what you mean. I'm glad. Thank you for doing this with me, Cole."

"Honestly… thank you, Lloyd," Cole leaned in, "I… get what you mean by saying you wanted to share this with us. I feel like I get you a little more now. I'm really glad you let me do this."

"I'll ask you to do this again when we do the whole Day of the Departed thing," Lloyd quickly added, "But, yeah. Thanks, I really appreciate it."

"Hey, I'm the one that's thanking you!" Cole protested, "So… uhm, you wanna go do the weights next?"

"Heck yeah," Lloyd stood up, "Let's do this!"

The two ninja made their way out of the room, deciding to leave explanations for later. As they walked, Lloyd looked at Cole. he really did feel like he'd gotten a bit closer to him now. Perhaps he'd get to feel this way after doing this with all of his team?

"By the way," Cole asked, "Who are you thinking of doing that next bit with, since you, you know, said you'd do them all with others?"

"Well…" Lloyd started, then was cut off.

"Heeeyyy, what's up my dudes?" Kai called out as he stepped in the hallway, "I was just working on pumping iron. Gotta keep the fiya going strong!"

Lloyd gave Kai a look, then he gave Cole a grin, "...I had to let him in on this at some point."

Author's Note:

Hello all my Autobiography of a Legend readers. I wanted to confirm that, indeed, I am going on hiatus for the time being.

While I have been writing in other stories that I plan to post eventually, writing the Season 5 chapters for this story has stumped me. It's a struggle in my head between how much I take from canon and how much I'm willing to add. I've always wanted this to be canon adjacent, sort of a look back of previous events and contextualizing them as the series has gone on. I've attempted to plan the chapters out, but each time I run into an issue of how much to put in. That being said, I am still actively working on them, even if they are still in the planning phase.

As usual, I would like to ask anyone that has started reading this fic, but hasn't checked out Enter the Ninjaverse, to please do so! If you enjoy anything having to do with AUs or action heavy fics, I would like to ask you give the first chapter a read! I also would like to like to ask you to check out my one-shot of Skylar in Number One Crime: Copyright Infringement. For those of you that wondered how Skylar reacted to the Mechanic using one of her father's trucks… have fun!

Otherwise, thank you all for reading this long, and I'll do my best to keep you all updated as time goes on! Thank you all again! Ninja-GO!