CHAPTER 24: BIG CITY LIFE
(Disclaimer: Avatar The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon and Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own my OC's)
(PLEASE READ: THIS IS NOT A SEQUEL TO "SHUJINKO: THE FOURTH MEMBER", BUT A DIFFERENT STORY WITH SHUJINKO AS THE MAIN CHARACTER. THIS STORY WILL NOT HAVE ANY EFFECT WHATSOEVER ON "SHUJINKO SHIPPUDEN". I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A SEQUEL TO SHUJINKO'S ORIGINAL STORY)
Summary: One night, a stranger breaks into Shujinko's house and tries to steal one of the most mystical objects in the history of the Ozuma clan: The Eye of Kazemaru. When Shujinko tries to stop him, the two of them activate an ancient and forgotten power of the gem by accident, which sends them to another dimension where a certain bald-headed monk has to master the four elements in order to defeat the evil Fire Lord. What kind of impact will Shujinko's presence have in the Avatar universe? Who is this stranger and what does he want? Get ready for one wild space-time adventure
Despite the fact that there were far more pressing issues that required his attention, Shujinko couldn't deny that he was enjoying the tour around the city, for he had never been in a place like Ba Sing Se before. It was so ridiculously big that it dwarfed every single shinobi village in existence, to the point where it might as well be its own little country inside a bigger one.
Joo Dee explained to them the organization of the Earth Kingdom's capital. According to her, Ba Sing Se was divided into several districts that constituted a total of three "rings": The Lower, Middle, and Upper Ring. The residents of these places were separated according to their social and economic status. The Lower Ring was where the majority of the population of Ba Sing Se resided and was mostly inhabited by refugees, though there were also merchants, artisans, and craftsmen. Joo Dee referred to the Lower Ring in almost elegant terms by calling it the "home of the working class" and the "backbone of Ba Sing Se's labor force", though Shujinko leaned towards Toph's less embellished description of the place: "The poor side of town".
The Middle Ring was considerably less dense than its predecessor and was focused on industrialization and trade. Unlike the Lower Ring, the infrastructure and economy of the Middle Ring were more stable and in better conditions, demonstrated by the overall lack of slums and the lifestyle of the average resident. It was more or less the kind of environment that the Ozuma household came from back in the Hidden Leaf village, which was what he felt the most comfortable with: Nothing fancy, yet nothing to sneeze at by most people's standards.
"Finally, we have entered the Upper Ring," Joo Dee announced as the monorail entered a zone vastly more affluent and ritzy than the previous two. "This is where the most important citizens of the capital live, such as our government officials and high-ranking army officers. It is also home to many wealthy families. Is that not wonderful?"
"I can't really say I like the way things work around here," Aang admitted, looking rather uncomfortable. "This sort of division is what the monks used to preach against. Walls are supposed to keep people safe, not separate them from each other,"
Joo Dee nodded in apparent agreement. "That is very true. The purpose of walls is to maintain order. Without order, there is no safety, and without safety, anarchy emerges. Ba Sing Se has many walls, which is why it is such a fantastic place,"
"Actually, that's not what I me-"
"And if you look over there, you will see the Joy Gardens," Joo Dee cut him off, pointing her finger at a majestic field where yellow and green leaves grew from the trees. "The late King Mihon commissioned the construction of this place a few months after his coronation. Since its opening, it has been one of the most popular attractions of this city, so you might want to visit the Joy Gardens at least once while you are here. I promise that its beauty will not disappoint you,"
Although the Joy Gardens were certainly pretty even from a distance, what caught Shujinko's attention was something else. "The late King Mihon, you said?" he asked, adopting a tone of ambiguous surprise in hopes of getting more information rather than coming across as oblivious.
One of the benefits of living in a village that wasn't even a century old was that it was fairly easy to learn most if not everything that there was to know about the place. Although he tended to forget the dates, the Chūnin had a quite decent grasp on the major historical events that involved the Hidden Leaf Village, such as its foundation at the hands of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, or its participation in the Second and Third Great Ninja War. As for the village's leaders, it wasn't exactly hard to keep track of all five of them when you looked at their faces carved into the stone of the Hokage Monument almost every day of the week.
However, in regard to this part of the world, Shujinko was about as ignorant as they came. The fact that he didn't even know the name of the current Earth King was proof of that. Granted, he had learned an awful lot traveling around with Team Avatar, but the majority of that knowledge was limited to what had happened since his arrival and a few events prior to it. That was why the Ozuma had to phrase his comments and his questions very carefully so as to not sound suspiciously ignorant by accident.
"Correct. He was a wonderful king, and his Excellency, King Kuei, is every bit as wonderful as his father was. It is thanks to his leadership that Ba Sing Se continues to prosper as it always has,"
000
|Golden Dream District|
It wasn't until late in the evening that the unrequested, yet fairly educational welcome tour came to an end as the members of Team Avatar were brought to the 96th district of the city, otherwise known as the Golden Dream District.
As soon as the stagecoach entered the gated community, it became evident to Shujinko why this place had been given such an ostentatious name. While not made of gold, the elegance and purity of the district were staggering enough to make it look like something out of a dream. Back home, the Ozuma had visited some of the upper-class neighborhoods of his village only on a few occasions since there really wasn't a whole lot that he could do there other than observe, and although those neighborhoods were fancy in their own right, this district put all of them to shame. 'I feel like I'm being charged money just for breathing the air around here,'
"Because of its proximity to the Royal Palace, the Golden Dream District is where government officials and their families take up residence," Joo Dee informed them. "As honorary guests of the kingdom, you will be provided one of the vacant guesthouses for the duration of your stay, as well as a variety of accommodations, including food and transport. Should you require any other form of service, do not hesitate to let me know. I will be delighted to assist you,"
Sokka rubbed his fingers against his chin, frowning deeply. "I'm not gonna lie, a nice house and free food sounds neat, but what about a meeting with the Earth King? That would be a huge assistance,"
"Do not worry. Whatever it is that you wish to tell the Earth King, I will personally take care of the necessary arrangements to make it happen. In the meantime, be patient and enjoy everything that the finest city in the world has to offer,"
"I have a question, Joo Dee," Shujinko said. "What's up with those ominous-looking guys with the black tunics and the hats? I've seen a bunch of them ever since we entered the Upper Ring. Are they guards or something?"
Once again, Joo Dee's smile didn't fail to give him the creeps. "Ah, yes, those men are agents of the Dai Li, the cultural authority of Ba Sing Se. They are the guardians of all our traditions, entrusted with the task of protecting this city against any semblance of insurrection and disorder. Nothing escapes their ever-vigilant eyes. Bear in mind that the duties they perform are both vital and demanding, so please do not try to seek them out or interact with them if it can be helped,"
Shujinko nodded in understanding and looked out the window of the stagecoach, pretending to be interested in the architectural design of the district's houses. It was possible that he was under a misconception caused by Joo Dee's phrasing, but the fact that this city had a "cultural authority" as well as "guardians of traditions" seemed rather excessive, if not downright dictatorial. He saw no issue with the existence of a special military unit designed to protect the capital of a kingdom, sort of like its own version of Anbu Black Ops. However, as far as he was aware, members of Anbu took part in incredibly dangerous missions where the safety of the village was compromised, not its culture or tradition.
Besides, and in spite of not being a just comparison, the Dai Li had nothing on the Anbu Black Ops. He had repeatedly caught sight of these oh-so-secretive agents lurking in alleyways and balconies on their way over here. It didn't seem like they were really trying to hide all that earnestly, for they had also been spotted by Aang, Sokka, and Katara, albeit less frequently. Meanwhile, it wouldn't be easy for Shujinko to detect the presence of someone from Anbu if the two of them were in the same room together.
Soon after, the stagecoach reached its destination, stopping in the middle of a street where the houses on both sides were identical. The driver got off his seat and opened the doors for Joo Dee and Team Avatar as if they were royalty, allowing them to step out of the vehicle. Shujinko was the last to exit the stagecoach, his legs a little numb after spending so much time sitting. The numbness abandoned his body, however, as it was pushed aside by the feeling of intrigue that the Ozuma experienced the moment he laid eyes on what was now his place of residence for the time being.
A finely laid path of rocks led to a tiled porch, one that was supported by stone pillars that wrapped around a single-story house. The entrance of the house consisted of a wide rectangular door preceded by a circular opening at the center of the front wall that reminded the Chūnin of the moon gates that were placed in some of the parks and gardens within the Hidden Leaf Village. Lining the perimeter of the house and its porch was a trimmed, evenly spaced line of shrubbery, and like any other residence inside the Upper Ring, it had yellow roof tiles that symbolized the proper wealth and status of whoever owned the building. A mailbox in the yard with the number "217" printed across the side served to identify the residence in particular.
Sokka let out a low whistle. "So this is our place? Not bad, not bad at all,"
"Naturally, as guests of honor, assigning you a house in the Golden Dream District was the least we could do for you," Joo Dee replied before snapping her fingers twice in quick succession. The members of Team Avatar were then approached by the stagecoach driver, who opened a velvet-covered box that contained five copies of the house's key and gave one to each of them. "I imagine you must be tired after your journey, so why don't you go inside and make yourselves at home? Supper will be delivered here soon, and if you look into your wardrobes, you shall find fresh new nightwear at your disposal,"
"Joo Dee, we really appreciate all of this, but are you absolutely sure we can't go talk to the Earth King right now?" Aang insisted. "It took us a lot of work to get here, and we did it just so that we could share with him what we've discovered about the war with the Fire Nation. I don't mean to sound repetitive, but the information we have isn't just important, it's super-duper important,"
"Also, call us braggers if you want, but we did save his city from destruction this very day," Shujinko pointed out. "Even if the king is busy or tired, granting us an audience as a reward surely isn't too much to ask,"
The waterbender of the group also contributed to the petition by adding an argument of her own. "We simply want him to spare a couple of minutes of his time so that we can relay to him information that, in the end, highly concerns him as well,"
"Your desire to meet the Earth King is one I wholeheartedly understand. We all wish to be in the magnificent presence of His Highness and be witnesses to his sublimity, but be that as it may, formalities are to be respected and procedures are to be followed, especially when it comes to matters intended to be brought to our king's attention. For now, sleep soundly knowing that you have the gratitude of this splendid city, and remember: Here we are safe. Here we are free,"
000
|Later at midnight|
Sitting on the wooden railing of the back porch with his back against the far left column, Shujinko was enjoying the soothing silence of the night by himself, accompanied only by the moon and its delicate light while affable breezes paid him a visit every now and then, leaving just as courteously as they came.
After experiencing the pleasure of eating to his heart's content, a truly infrequent opportunity for him nowadays, the Ozuma should've dozed off the moment he laid on his bed. With everything that had taken place since dawn, he had more than earned the right to sleep through the night like a hibernating bear, but for some reason, his mind refused to surrender to slumber, obligating the Chūnin to remain awake against his will. 'Funny how that works,' Shujinko thought. 'I've slept outdoors plenty of times before, and now that I'm staying at a nice house with a warm and soft bed, I can't seem to take a nap. I am ridiculous,'
Instead of forcing himself into catching some shuteye, which almost never worked, the golden-eyed boy preferred to stay inactive and wait patiently for tiredness to overcome him. Sometimes, he would stare at the sky and start counting the stars in it over and over again, repeating the process until his consciousness eventually decided to turn itself off. In order to make the exercise more engaging, he often gave each star a name and tried to remember them all: Daichi, Masumi, Nanami, Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, Masao, Rock Lee, Shikamaru, Tenten, Hinata, Kiba, Chōji, Shino, Neji, Ino… And recently, a few other names had been added to the list: Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph…
"Can't get any sleep either, huh?"
Shujinko looked to the right and saw Sokka leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed in front of his chest, his warrior's wolf tail untied. Unlike him, Sokka wasn't wearing a night robe or any sleepwear whatsoever, feeling completely at ease in his underwear and sleeveless shirt despite the night being chilly. After all, he was from the Water Tribe, having spent almost his entire life dealing with the freezing temperature of the South Pole from the day he was born.
"Yeah, I guess my body is still alert in case another drill or sea serpent shows up. What about you?"
"Well, I personally am too afraid to close my eyes and wake up in a dream with that creepy Joo Dee lady smiling at me," The two teenagers shared a light chuckle as Sokka approached the wooden railing and rested his elbows on it, placing himself between Shujinko and the column next to his right. "Then again, when I think about it, a lot of the stuff my sister and I have experienced ever since we left our tribe could've been dreams just as easily had we not gone through them ourselves in the real world. Life for us at home wasn't remotely as crazy as it is today,"
"Trust me Sokka, my life in the Hidden Leaf Village isn't one I'd describe as dull or boring, but things don't get out of hand nearly as often as they do here. You and I have probably put up with more mayhem than some people ever get to deal with, and knowing our luck, there's more of it yet to come,"
"Now that, I don't doubt for a second…" All of a sudden, the lighthearted smile on Sokka's face disappeared, followed by his facial features softening with sadness so quickly that Shujinko almost failed to notice it. "… You must think about it a lot, don't you? Your village, I mean,"
Caught off guard by the question and the tone it was asked in, the Chūnin blinked twice before slowly looking away from the son of Hakoda, feeling the frosty hand of sadness gently tugging at his heartstrings. "… No, I don't, or at least I try not to. Nothing good comes out of it anyway; it just makes everything harder, harder than it already is. There's no point in… in hurting myself like that for no reason, you know?"
"I can't say I get exactly what it feels like to be in your shoes, but I do know how hard memories can hit," Sokka replied, also looking away. "Sorry for bringing it up. I didn't want my apology to come out of nowhere,"
"Your apology?" Shujinko repeated, slightly furrowing his brow. "What do you mean?"
"I've been thinking about it for some time, mostly while we were traveling across the Serpent's Path. At first, I wasn't sure if I was better off keeping my mouth shut or not, but then, after Ying had her baby, you were approached by Aang and he apologized to you in front of everybody. When I saw that, I realized I had no right to avoid doing the same, especially now that I can do it in private," Sokka then took a breath and exhaled, a deep, prolonged sigh, still refusing to meet the Ozuma's confounded gaze. "Shujinko, I… Well, more precisely we, haven't treated you well,"
"Sokka, that's-"
"No, please, don't interrupt me now or I might mess this up. Now then, do you remember when we were in that room with the planetary calendar at the library?" the son of Hakoda asked, to which Shujinko nodded affirmatively. "Before we were discovered by Wan Shi Tong, we were talking about the solar eclipse and how we were going to use it to end the war. It was as if we had found the solution to all of our problems, or at least that's how I felt … Then, you asked us to help you,"
…
"This place has books from all over the world. It's the greatest source of information there is, so it's gotta have something about the shinobi continent and how to get there. I'm not leaving until I find what I'm looking for… You guys promised to help me on this, remember? Well, now's the perfect opportunity to do so,"
…
"So you're not going to help me. Why? Am I not your friend? Is it too inconvenient for you?"
…
"Let me get this straight. We all know we will probably never set foot here again. This might be my best chance to find a way to return to my village, but you still think delivering this information to the Earth King is more important than that, to the point where you can't even lend me a hand for a few hours at the most. Is that what you're telling me?"
…
"Back then, I said that we'd make it up to you once we got to Ba Sing Se, and even though I made that promise on the spur of the moment, I truly meant every word of it. Then we were caught by Wan Shi Tong, the library began to sink, and after making it out of there by the skin of our teeth, we learned that some sandbenders had captured Appa. The entire day was one crazy thing after another,"
"That it was, but I don't see where you're going with this, Sokka,"
The boy from the Southern Water Tribe let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "The thing is, against all odds, we made it to Ba Sing Se. Today, we're in the capital of the Earth Kingdom as guests of honor, staying at a nice house and being treated like royalty. Aside from not having Appa with us and not meeting the Earth King yet, everything else seems to be fine, like we don't have anything else to worry about other than those two things I just mentioned… but that's not true. We have another problem, one that we haven't even tried to solve so far,"
"I don't get it. What problem would that be?"
"Isn't it obvious? You're still lost, Shujinko. Despite telling you that we'd do whatever we could to help you find your way home, despite promising you as much, we haven't done anything about it. Only now that we're in Ba Sing Se have I started giving the matter some thought, and if I'm being perfectly honest, I… I have no idea how to fulfill that promise. The Si Wong Desert, the Serpent's Pass, the Fire Nation drill, none of them are excuses I can hide behind because, even if we hadn't had to deal with any of them on our way here, I'm pretty sure you and I would still be having this exact same conversation,"
Sokka would be lying if he said he hadn't grown fond of the golden-eyed boy or that he hadn't become a genuine, real friend of his by now, just as he had befriended Aang, Katara, and Toph. Over time, and in spite of the many differences that still remained between them as well as a few hiccups here and there, Shujinko had managed to earn the appreciation of every member of the group. In fact, Sokka not only respected the Chūnin, but even admired him in certain aspects. The guy was incredibly versatile and reliable, shrewd, willing to take one for the team without needing to be asked to, and whatever problem they were in, he was ready to use either words or his fists to solve it.
On account of everything he had done for Team Avatar, as well as for being a good person overall, Sokka sincerely hoped that Shujinko would soon return to his village safely… just not too soon.
Aang was the Avatar, a good one at that in Sokka's opinion, but as acknowledged by the airbender himself, he still had a lot to learn. Being the Avatar didn't change the fact that Aang was a cheerful young monk whose pacifistic beliefs were deeply ingrained within him, and as much as Sokka liked Aang as a person, there were instances in which his virtues and qualities didn't translate into the most efficient of solutions. This wasn't something the son of Hakoda judged him for. If anything, after all this time, Sokka had seen firsthand how difficult it could be for someone who was against violence to have to face the cruel challenges begotten by a century-old conflict, a responsibility that was thrust upon him.
That was why the Ozuma's addition to the group had constituted a radical game-changer: Whereas Aang excelled at making peace, Shujinko excelled at neutralizing threats. The things he could accomplish with Ninjutsu were amazing on their own, but more importantly, he had the training and the mentality of a soldier. If Shujinko weren't around, Team Avatar would still stand a chance against Fire Lord Ozai and his army. With him on their side, however, they felt almost unstoppable, for they knew there probably wasn't a single person in the Fire Nation, bender or otherwise, that could take on the Chūnin and win. Aside from his combat skills and his magic-like abilities, he possessed other traits that also added to his worth, such as being shrewd and observant, and capable of thinking both outside the box and on his feet.
While it wouldn't amount to a catastrophe, Shujinko leaving Team Avatar all of a sudden would be a huge loss for them. Sokka was well aware of this and so was everybody else. Therefore, even though he was supposed to help him find his way back home, Sokka pushed this to the back of his mind at some point and avoided giving it much thought, focusing on how they were going to defeat the Fire Nation instead. He kept telling himself that this was only temporary, that he would of course help Shujinko as soon as the right opportunity presented itself, but that was all he ever really did.
It wasn't until they found Wan Shi Tong's Library that Sokka began to see the ugly truth.
…
"… The truth is that you're nothing but a phony. You go around telling people how they can trust in you and how you're willing to support them and be their friend, but you don't actually mean any of it. In all the time I've known you, not once have I seen you help anyone but yourself…."
…
"How would you like to be in my position? How would you like it if everything you've ever known disappeared all of a sudden, and no matter what you do, nothing gets you closer to your home? Do you think it's easy feeling like that all of the time? Do you!? Answer me!"
…
Shujinko's words to Aang during the heated argument they had that day stuck with the boy from the Southern Water Tribe, though he wasn't aware that they had until Team Avatar finally made it out of the Si Wong Desert. From then on, Sokka recalled the Ozuma's words and thought about them more frequently every day, and he eventually came to understand why: Because what Shujinko had said to Aang could be applied to him just as easily.
He never meant for it to happen, but Sokka had started to view Shujinko as less of a friend and more of a useful asset, a convenient resource, a means to an end. Maybe his attempts would've proven unsuccessful, but he hadn't even tried to help him. Once he realized this, Sokka felt rotten with shame, and his remorse would've remained unrevealed had it not been for the example of humility given by Aang when he apologized to Shujinko following the birth of Nozomi. Whatever else, he could come clean and admit his lack of commitment, even if this earned him the Chūnin's animosity. Anything was better than to keep deluding himself.
"What I'm trying to say is that all of us feel guilty for not being able to help you the way you deserve. You've done a lot more for us than we have done for you, and yet you still continue to support us. That makes you an incredible guy in my book and I know everyone else thinks the same of you. Seriously, thank you for everything, Shujinko,"
…
…
…
"You know Sokka, there's something about being this far away from home for which I'm grateful of," Shujinko said after a while.
"Really? What would that be?"
"For the first time in my entire life, I've made friends who aren't from my village," confessed the Chūnin. "Where I'm from, making friends with people outside of one's nation is rare enough on its own. For ninjas of two different villages to befriend each other is even more unlikely to happen, bordering on impossible. If you guys were from my part of the world, I don't think I would've bothered to get to know you better and maybe mistaken you for an enemy or a threat. That's just the way things are in the shinobi continent. But here, I almost never have to worry about something like that. It's a feeling I hadn't experienced before, and now that I have, it… Well, it makes me feel both lucky to be here and jealous of this place at the same time,"
In the shinobi world, those who donned the headband of their village often were many things at once: Soldiers, fighters, spies, assassins, bodyguards, healers, information gatherers, trackers, thieves, and just about anything they were required to be. They were quick to smell a lie and even quicker to tell one of their own if deemed necessary. Always cautious and vigilant, distrustful of others' intentions, ready to impersonate another individual and erase any evidence of whatever action they committed. To them, the success of their mission was the only greater good they strived to achieve, willing to put their lives at risk or endanger others for the sake of accomplishing their objective.
Aang, Sokka, Toph, and Katara, were almost the complete opposite of all of that. They made their goals known and their motivations clear, having joined a crusade instead of being assigned a mission. They were honest, straightforward, and sucked at telling lies for the most part. Going out of their way to help others in need was not something they shied away from even at their own expense, whereas ninjas wouldn't allow themselves to get mixed up in external affairs that had nothing to do with them. Their actions were guided by their conscience and their desire to do what was right, unlike a shinobi, who was expected to dutifully follow orders and remain unconcerned about anything else.
He would always belong in the Hidden Leaf Village, but no matter how strong his yearning for his home was, Shujinko had to admit that taking part on something that would change this part of the world for the best was inspiring, more inspiring than participating on a mission.
"… Do ninjas ever get a break from work?"
"A break as in, do we get to go on vacations? Not really, or at least not usually. Being a ninja is a full-time job for the most part. When I'm not on a mission, I still have to train and keep myself busy with other things. Why do you ask?"
Sokka rubbed the back of his neck in slight embarrassment. "I was thinking that once the war is over and if… I mean, after you find your way back to your village, maybe you could come to visit us from time to time. Only if you want to, obviously, and I totally understand if you're fed up being here, where everything is different from what you're used to, but if you're not, then… I'd be nice to see you again, I guess,"
"… Yeah, I'd like that," Shujinko replied with a soft smile. "And if I can't return here for whatever reason, maybe you guys could pay me a visit every once in a while. I'd have to speak with the leader of my village, Lady Tsunade, and convince her to let all of you stay. If she approves it, I'll show you around and introduce you to some of the people there, including my friends. You'd probably lose to him, but still, a meat-eating contest between you and Chōji would be awesome to see,"
"The way I see it, the opportunity to eat all the meat my stomach can handle is a victory on its own, though if your buddy Chōji wants to make a competition out of it, I'm confident I can teach him a lesson," Sokka said before taking a deep breath, moving his elbows away from the wooden railing and standing up straight. "Well, I'm hitting the hay now. This was really, really nice and all, but I don't think I can keep my eyes open for another minute. What about you?"
"I'll be inside in a few minutes. I wanna enjoy the fresh air a bit longer before heading to bed,"
The son of Hakoda shrugged his shoulders. "Suit yourself. Have a good night, Shujinko. I'm glad we talked,"
"Sleep well, Sokka,"
Once he heard the door closing, Shujinko resumed his sky-gazing, admiring the moon and the many shimmering stars that surrounded it. Inevitably, his thoughts soon turned to his village, but he also began to reflect upon his journey so far; the places he had been to, the things he had learned, and the people he had met. From all of this, the golden-eyed boy concluded that despite his suffering, what Toph had told him while they were keeping watch that night at the Serpent's Pass was completely true.
He really couldn't have run into a better bunch of misfits.
000
|The next day|
After traveling across the Si Wong Desert and making their way through the Serpent's Pass, enduring the lack of shelter with little to no supplies at their disposal, and having to save Ba Sing Se from the clutches of the Fire Nation as soon as they arrived at the city, the members of Team Avatar were finally able to enjoy some well-deserved rest and sleep soundly through the night. They were so tired that by the time they had all awake, it was already early in the afternoon and long past breakfast hour.
That wasn't a problem since they decided to make up for it by having a hefty lunch, saturating their bellies with a vast array of food that was delivered to their door by a small group of couriers. Steam buns, moon peach cakes, spicy pickled kelp, Bull Pork steak, sōmen noodles, and other such delicacies were wolfed down by the hungry pack of traveling teenagers. Shujinko, Sokka, and Toph devoured the dishes like there was no tomorrow, while Aang and Katara, who were usually mindful of their diet, also ended up eating a lot more than they normally did. Momo had his fill too, stuffing his mouth with almonds and berries. After their little banquet was over, the scraps that remained were barely enough to feed a mouse.
In classic Toph fashion, the earthbender let out a burp and sprawled comfortably on the floor, sighing with satisfaction as she rubbed her inflated tummy. "That's just what I needed. I feel like I could fall asleep again right here,"
"You know Toph, even if it's just us, it wouldn't kill you to show some manners at the table," Katara commented, pouring herself a cup of fresh water from a ceramic jug after Aang was done using it.
"Meh, why bother? Manners are overrated, and technically speaking, we're not even eating at a table,"
Sokka chuckled. "She's got you there, sis,"
"Since we're on the subject of table manners and food and whatnot, is there a reason why you never eat any sort of meat, Aang?" Shujinko asked the monk sitting in front of him. "Is it because you don't like the taste?"
"Well, I can't really say I like or dislike the taste of something I've never tried before," Aang replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Air Nomads believe that all life is sacred, which extends to animals. That's why I don't eat anything that was once alive,"
"Isn't that a little excessive? I mean, I can understand choosing not to hunt down an animal out of respect for its life, but if we're talking about a piece of flesh that's already been cooked, I don't see how eating it would be disrespectful towards that animal if you're not the one who did the hunting. Also, imagine you were starving to death and meat was the only food available to you at that moment. What happens then?"
The Avatar laughed awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. "I guess that would place me in a pretty complicated situation, now wouldn't it?"
Sokka, who happened to be sitting next to Aang, wrapped an arm around his shoulders and tapped the airbender's chest in a friendly way. "Me personally, I fully support you being a vegetarian, buddy. It means I get to eat more of what I love,"
"To be clear, I'm not criticizing your people's beliefs or diet. I just don't get that bit in particular," the Chūnin said. "You are allowed to eat anything else though, right? Like, I don't know, ice cream or whatever,"
…
"… Ice cream?"
"As in, ice that's been turned into cream?"
"How do you even make cream out of ice?"
"And why would anyone want to eat something like that?"
Just as the Ozuma was about to tell his friends what ice cream was (a position he'd never thought he would ever be in no matter where he was, period), he was interrupted by someone knocking on their door. "I'll get it, but don't start explaining what that 'ice cream' thing is without me. It sounds like fascinating stuff and I don't wanna miss any of it," Sokka said as he got up and headed for the door, seriously wondering what sort of genius from Shujinko's homeland came up with a way to transform boring cold ice into a delicious sauce that could be added to dishes. 'If I could somehow get my hands on that recipe…' Rapt in his own thoughts, the son of Hakoda turned the doorknob and- "D-Aaah!"
"Good evening, my esteemed guests," Joo Dee said with her unblinking stare and overstretched smile, seemingly oblivious to the reaction Sokka just had. "I hope that the food was to your liking. Are you satisfied or would you like some more?"
"N-no thanks, we're good. Why are you here?"
"To see how you were doing, of course. It is my responsibility to make sure you are not left unattended,"
Shaking off the uncomfortable feeling propagated by Joo Dee's mere presence, the Avatar stood up from his cushy floor pillow and approached the entrance with Momo hanging from his shoulders, cowering behind him. "What about meeting the Earth King? Any progress with that?"
"Oh, there has indeed been progress. You will be glad to know that your request for an audience with his Excellency is already being reviewed and assessed by the city's Court of Public Petitions. I submitted the application myself last night so that our select ministers working there would have no doubt about its relevance. Now all that is left is for the Court to give an official answer, of which you shall be informed at the earliest opportunity,"
Shujinko was surprised to hear this, as was everyone else in the room. Not only had Joo Dee listened to them, but she had also done something about it? No one was going to admit it out loud with Joo Dee being present there, but it seemed that the members of Team Avatar had collectively underestimated her efficiency as a host, or more precisely, her ability to function as a socially cognizant individual. Perhaps this was a case of judging a book by its cover and there was more to Joo Dee than just her eerie smile and unsettling mannerisms.
"Those are good news," the Chūnin said once he cleared his throat, adjusting his demeanor after hours of relaxation and indulgence. "So when can we expect to hear back from the court? Tomorrow? Somewhere around the end of the week?"
Joo Dee let out a chuckle, though it was more like the soft cackling of a hen. "No need for such hastiness. With some luck, the Court of Public Petitions should reach a verdict in about a month or so,"
"Wait a minute, what?" Katara said, flabbergasted. "Are you telling us it'll be a month before an appointment with the king gets scheduled?"
"Six to eight weeks, to be exact. Much more quickly than usual,"
And just like that, Team Avatar's optimism went up in smoke, subsequently replaced by a heavy dose of disbelief. Shujinko blinked three times in a row, a personal telltale sign of how confused he was at this very moment. "Joo Dee, with all due respect, is this some kind of joke?" he asked while staring incredulously at her. "Just yesterday, a drill from the Fire Nation almost destroyed this city. Us being there to intervene is the only reason that didn't come to pass, and yet we're supposed to wait up to eight weeks before the Earth King finally deigns himself to speak with us? How is that even remotely justifiable?"
"Joo Dee, please excuse us one moment," Without waiting for a response, Sokka shut the main doors right in front of Joo Dee's face and proceeded to close the few windows that were open. After making sure the house was completely locked, he and Aang joined their friends back in the living room, where they would hopefully be able to talk without being heard by the lady outside. "Guys, this is unacceptable. We can't let eight weeks go by without having talked to King Kuei,"
"You got that right. I don't want to be in this city any longer than is absolutely necessary. The amount of rules this place has is suffocating," Toph said, frowning as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "And what's up with 'His Excellency' anyway? We were the ones who prevented the Fire Nation from turning his precious capital into a wasteland full of rubble and debris, yet he's acting like he's doing us a favor by letting us stay here. He hasn't even thanked us for what we did. Talk about unappreciative,"
"Whether the Earth King is unappreciative or not, this goes beyond that," the Ozuma argued. "Even if he doesn't want anything to do with us, he should at least be interested in what we've got to say, more so when his city got attacked less than twenty-four hours ago. I don't know much about monarchies and stuff, but aren't kings supposed to look after their kingdoms in times of war?"
"Well, with the way things are, we should consider the idea of skipping over the formalities and go straight to the Earth King," Katara suggested. "I'm not sure how we could pull it off and the king might take offense to an unannounced visit, but he might let it slide once we tell him about the eclipse. What do you think, Aang?"
The airbender gave Momo one last pet before letting go of him. "To be honest, I don't have a definitive answer for this problem, not yet anyways. What I do know is that we didn't come here just to meet up with the Earth King. For now, I say we postpone this discussion and focus on finding Appa. At least one person in this city should be able to tell us where he's being kept. We could start by asking the people of the Lower and Middle Ring if they've seen anything or heard any rumors recently,"
"That's fine and all, but what about Joo Dee?" Toph pointed out.
"What about her?"
"Ba Sing Se is a huge city, which means we have a lot of ground to cover. If Joo Dee insists on tagging along, which we all know she will, she'll be a complete burden that will only slow us down, and her weird attitude is bound to scare off any locals we approach. I'm telling you, until we come up with a way to cut that lady lose, we won't be able to get anything done,"
The Blind Bandit did raise a valid point. Seeing as Ba Sing Se was roughly the size of a tiny country, getting information on Appa's possible whereabouts promised to be no easy task. With the number of hurdles they were facing, the last thing they needed was a slightly deranged chaperone to follow them around. While he contemplated what could be done, Shujinko walked over to one of the windows and opened it just enough to take a peek outside, exercising sufficient discretion so as to not be noticed by Joo Dee. Their host hadn't moved a single step thus far, waiting for them outside like an obedient dog expecting its owner. A little further behind her was the stagecoach and the driver that had taken her to the house.
After a while, the golden-eyed teen closed the window without making a single sound and walked away from it. "I think I might be able to buy you a bit of independence. Even though you'll have to go ask about Appa without me, if it'll spare you of Joo Dee's company, then it's worth it,"
His words elicited stares of intrigue among his friends. "You're gonna convince Joo Dee to leave us alone? How?" Sokka inquired.
"I doubt any of us can convince a woman like her to do anything, but let's see what she does once I put her on the spot. If she agrees, I'll try to keep her busy for as long as I can. Once I'm back, you guys can fill me in on whatever I missed while I was gone; just remember that you only have a couple of hours of freedom, so be sure to make the most of them,"
Having said that, Shujinko approached the main door where he had left his boots the night before. One thing he had noticed about the people from this part of the world was that they almost never took off their footwear, not even inside their own place of residence. Soiling the floor they walked on didn't seem to bother them in the slightest. Different place, different customs he supposed. Toph was the only exception to this due to the simple fact that she didn't even have shoes and vehemently refused to wear them, which didn't help at all given that her feet were just as dirty (if not more) as the boots or sandals of the next guy.
Once he had his boots on, the Chūnin opened the door and looked at their host, whose unnerving smile remained firmly in its place. Shujinko didn't let the awkwardness get to him and proceeded to catch the other members of Team Avatar completely off-guard by bowing before Joo Dee. "Joo Dee, I'm sorry for how I reacted a moment ago. It was disrespectful and uncalled for,"
"Oh, everything is fine; I have taken no offense whatsoever,"
"In that case, could you help me with something?" Shujinko asked while raising his head. "As you can see, traveling around so extensively has taken a toll on my clothes. Since I don't have anything else to wear, I'd like to go shopping for a new outfit and send this one to the laundry. I obviously don't know my way around here yet, so if it's not too much to ask, could we visit a couple of stores together? If I were to go on my own, I'd surely end up lost somewhere,"
Joo Dee clasped her hands together. "What a wonderful idea! When it comes to fashion, the most splendid establishments can be found in the High Commerce District here in the Upper Ring. I would be delighted to take all of you there. Shall we leave at once?"
"Sure, just let me grab some cash first,"
"You are honorary guests of this city. As such, your expenses are covered by the Crown, so there is no need for you to spend your own money on something as trivial as a new outfit, especially since you are clearly in need of one,"
"Really? Huh, how generous of the Crown. Alright then, let's hit the road," Shujinko said as he walked down the entrance steps and headed to the stagecoach, expecting Joo Dee to follow him, but instead, she stayed right where she was. By the time he reached the other side of the front yard, Team Avatar's host had yet to move a muscle, prompting the Chūnin to turn around. "Huuhm, Joo Dee, I kinda need you to come with me. You're supposed to guide me around and keep me from getting lost, remember?"
"H-Hang on…" To Team Avatar's surprise, Joo Dee dropped her smile and exhibited her first display of actual human emotion. She looked perplexed, confused for no apparent motive, having even stuttered a little bit. It wasn't a loss of composure, but by Joo Dee's standards, it was quite an overreaction. "What about your friends? Don't they wish to come as well?"
"Nah, they're sitting this one out. I asked them if they wanted to go with me, but they said they were still tired and that they'd rather rest some more, so it'll be just the two of us this time. That's not a problem, is it?" the golden-eyed boy asked in a casual tone of voice that perfectly matched his unbothered facial expression, when in reality, he was deeply interested in Joo Dee's sudden change in attitude and was trying to deduce what could it be that had triggered it.
For whatever reason, the fact that the other members of Team Avatar wouldn't be joining them seemed to worry Joo Dee, made worse by her previous eagerness and disposition. She couldn't backtrack now without making herself appear irrational (not that her usual self was an accurate example of a normal person's behavior), especially given that Shujinko's request was perfectly reasonable and simple. It was as if Joo Dee had the task of keeping an eye on all of them at all times, exceeding the common obligations that a host was beholden to.
"… No, it is no problem at all. Let us be in our way," Though still visibly uncomfortable, Joo Dee did her best to smile like she always did and walked away from Team Avatar's house. Shujinko waited until her back was turned before giving his friends a wink of complicity, one that was met with smiles and thumbs up on their part. They could now start looking for Appa unimpeded by Joo Dee. As soon as he got in the stagecoach, the smirk on the Chūnin's face disappeared and his mood sunk low, for he knew what was to come.
Shopping for fancy clothes was already boring enough on its own, but with Joo Dee keeping him company, it was bound to be torture.
|Pao Family Tea Shop|
"I'll have the oolong tea with a pinch of ginger,"
"What's the specialty of the house?"
"Oh my, I don't know what to pick from the menu. What would you recommend me?"
"Whoever prepared this tea deserves a raise,"
"Young man, please be a darling and bring this old lady another cup,"
"That guy over there, the one who took our order a while ago, should I ask him if he's single or not?"
With so much activity going on at the Pao Family Tea Shop, which had miraculously garnered a ton of popularity in just a few days, no one noticed the presence of the bum sitting outside the business establishment. All the better as far as Jet was concerned since he didn't want to expose himself by accident. Worse even, his efforts would be in vain if either 'Lee' or 'Mushi' were to recognize him.
Hiding his appearance by posing as a petty panhandler was the safest choice given the number of beggars that populated the Lower Ring. His disguise was simple, for he only had to wear a hooded poncho that he bought from a flea market down the street and convince Longshot to lend him his straw hat, which his archer friend reluctantly agreed to. Instead of sporting the hat, Jet concealed his face by wearing the poncho's hood up and had the hat placed upside down in front of him like a mendicant waiting for strangers to drop a few coins into it. The likelihood of running across someone from the Lower Ring who'd willingly give out any amount of money away was slim at best, but that was of no importance to Jet, who was more interested in acquiring information than in benefiting from charity.
So far, his undercover investigation was proving to be a lot harder than he had expected. Having personally interacted with the pair of imposters prior to discovering their true nationality made it much more complicated for Jet to get dirt on them, for now, he couldn't get too close to them without arousing suspicion, meaning that stalking was his only option. When he tried to talk Longshot and Smellerbee into helping him, they made their stance on the matter clear as crystal: As his friends, they weren't going to stop him, but they also weren't going to encourage his behavior by getting themselves involved. From their perspective, Jet was acting rather unhinged, becoming increasingly obsessed with proving something that wasn't true.
Jet had forced himself to come to terms with their refusal. After everything they had gone through together, he wasn't about to cut those two loose and kick them out of his life just like that, no matter how annoying it was to be seen as a madman by the only friends he had left.
However, that was nothing compared to the sheer frustration that came from having to do all of this in a way other than his.
After the disbandment of the Freedom Fighters and prior to coming to Ba Sing Se, Jet had sworn an oath to himself. No longer would he seek out trouble or instigate pointless conflict, and he would only take direct action as a last resort. For someone whose life had been shaped by taking action, this was a difficult vow to uphold, but with time, self-reflection, and his friends to guide him, Jet had become better at keeping his hostile tendencies in check. Besides, he wasn't living in the woods anymore. He was now in a city, the capital of the Earth Kingdom no less, with laws to obey and rules to abide by. Even Jet, reckless as he could be, realized that this wasn't a place where the actions of his past self would be tolerated, which gave him all the more reason to correct his conduct.
But regardless of how committed he was to turning over a new leaf, his old instincts, forged by struggle and survival, remained very much intact. It was thanks to them that Jet had managed to stay alive for as long as he had in a world where both violence and flames got spread in abundance. Now, his instincts were alerting him of the threat that those two Wolfbats in Koala Sheep's clothing posed, begging the young rebel to grab his hook swords and confront them before it was too late.
Not long ago, Jet wouldn't have thought twice about doing just that, consequences be damned. He was trying to appease that inner impulse by doing whatever he could to unmask those scumbags without breaking his own promise in the process… It simply wasn't working. Mushi and Lee had managed to blend in with the Earth Kingdom population far too well. Jet himself wouldn't suspect of their ties to the Fire Nation had he not seen the old man heating up his tea by mere chance. If that wasn't enough, the tea shop's growing clientele kept them occupied most of the time, reducing the likelihood of them dropping their façade by accident.
Jet didn't know what his next step should be or if he was even on the right track. What he knew and feared was this: Unless that pair of impostors got exposed soon, his old habits would inevitably return, and they would return stronger and bolder than ever.
"Excuse me, good sir,"
Lost in his train of thought, he finally noticed the presence of a man standing before him, holding a cup of tea between his hands. Jet raised his gaze slightly, most of his head still covered by the hood of his poncho, followed by his heart lurching painfully into a beating frenzy. Without having to look at the man's face, Jet recognized who he was by the sound of his voice and his robust gut.
"I saw you were out here all alone and thought maybe I could brighten up your day a little. Would you like some tea?" Overwhelmed by panic, Jet grabbed Longshot's hat and ran away quicker than a bolt of lightning, leaving a confused Iroh behind. "Hey mister, where are you going?... Poor man, he must've thought I was going to charge him,"
|Golden Dream District, House 217|
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
"Anyone home?"
Toph and Sokka were lounging in the living room when they heard the voice of Shujinko coming from outside. "Yup, we're all here," Sokka responded in a loud, yet also lazy voice, followed by the sound of a door opening and then closing. The distance they had traveled on their first day of searching for Appa had left the members of Team Avatar with sore legs and tingling feet, which was why Sokka, who was lying on one of the floor pillows of the house, took his sweet time getting his heels off the wall before turning around. "So, how was it? Did you have fun in your little shopp- Whoa!"
"What is it?" Katara asked as she and Aang stepped out of their respective rooms. "Did something happe-… Oh, wow,"
"Double wow," Aang said in awe, his eyes just as wide as the waterbender's.
Toph let out a groan. "Jeez, enough with the 'Whoas' and the 'Wows' already. Can someone tell me what's going on?"
A good-natured silence reigned supreme in the living room as the Avatar and the Water Tribe siblings stared in wonder at the shinobi of the team, who looked almost unrecognizable after returning from his outing to the High Commerce District. He was now wearing an elegant silk robe of pear green color and gold trimmings, as well as a pair of black, loose-fitting pants of the same material, its sleeves tucked inside a pair of black, mid-length boots made from cloth. An olive green sash was neatly tied around his waist, which went well with the lighter shade of his robe.
Not only had his attire changed completely, but his hairdo as well. Shujinko's hair, which used to be disheveled and unconstrained, was now smooth and well-groomed, tied into a round bun at the crown of his head. An ornamented ring kept the bun in its place. In short, the Ozuma's physical appearance underwent a drastic transformation from ruggedly tough survivor to posh young aristocrat, a dapper adolescent of the highest social status. The glaring disparity between what he looked like now and what the members of Team Avatar knew him was shocking and comical in equal measure.
"Before any of you cracks a joke or makes a comment, let's get one thing straight here: I'm not wearing this because I like to, I'm wearing this because I have to," Shujinko began to say, though his furrowed brow and stern tone weren't enough to hide the shame that was visible on his face. "All the places I went to with Joo Dee sold nothing but stupidly refined garments and this was the least lame outfit I was able to find. Had I chosen nothing to buy at all, Joo Dee might've grown suspicious of me. Also, this is the Upper Ring, the wealthiest sector of Ba Sing Se, so it would've made no sense to wear clothes that-"
The golden-eyed boy suddenly stopped explaining himself on account of a brief snigger that escaped from Aang's lips, which was heard by the rest of Team Avatar. This started a chain reaction which evolved into Shujinko getting laughed at by everyone in the room, including Toph, who got the gist of what was happening once the Chūnin began to talk. To his credit, Shujinko didn't shout at them to stop laughing and tried to keep his temper right until the end, though he honestly felt humiliated.
"Are you done? You sure you don't wanna keep going?"
"Sorry about that, Shujinko. We didn't mean to laugh," Aang apologized, smiling sheepishly at the brown-haired boy. "It's just that you didn't have to explain yourself at all. We all get why you're dressed like that,"
"See? This is why we shouldn't stay here too long," Toph said with a mocking grin. "This city has turned our tough and fierce ninja into a human doll. Any one of us could be next,"
Childish as it could be, being compared to a human doll didn't sit well with Shujinko, whose frown deepened as his face acquired a slightly brighter shade of red. Having noticed this, Katara thought it was time for her to intervene. "Hey, don't make fun of Shujinko. It's perfectly fine if he wants to dress like the people of Ba Sing Se," the waterbender said before she approached the Ozuma and started touching one of the sleeves of his robe up and down, admiring the softness of the silk and the pristine quality of its texture. "These clothes are really nice, and you look good in them too. I bet a lot of girls around here would find you handsome,"
Far from making him feel better, Katara's compliment had the opposite effect, resulting in the brown-haired boy snatching his sleeve away. "I could care less whether somebody finds me handsome or ugly. This is about keeping a low profile and nothing else," he nearly snapped, frustrated by how little he was being taken seriously. "And why is everyone so fixated on discussing my outfit anyway? Don't forget, I had to put up with that weirdo of Joo Dee for hours so that you all could start looking for Appa without her meddling, so you better tell me you've made some headway on that front,"
The room suddenly fell silent and the atmosphere became less jovial as an exchange of glances ensued among the other members of Team Avatar. Even Shujinko, who was not in the best mood ever, picked up on this, making him wonder if his response and his tone were what had brought about this change of ambiance. Had his words to them really been so harsh? Could it be that he had overreacted a little bit? He doubted that was the case. It wasn't as if he had insulted them, yelled at them, or said anything that was out of line.
Just as the Ozuma was about to ask what was wrong, Sokka called for attention by clearing his throat. "… Yeah, about that, you're not gonna believe what we found out,"
Aaaaaaaaand that was chapter 24. Hope you all liked it.
(Warning: Ridiculously long author's note ahead)
Well, there you have it. After several action-filled chapters, I wanted this one to be more relaxed and focused on the characters, especially since they have just been formally introduced to Ba Sing Se.
Fun fact: I did my research and the Upper Ring house that Team Avatar stayed at is indeed house number 217 of Ba Sing Se's 96th district, though I decided to give it a name and came up with 'Golden Dream District'. Also, the High Commerce District and the Joy Gardens are entirely non-canonical places of my own creation, just like Ba Sing Se's Court of Public Petitions as an institution.
I'd like to make a brief commentary on what's stated about the Hidden Leaf Village near the beginning of the chapter. Canon-wise, there's no definitive answer as to how many years it's been since the foundation of the Hidden Leaf Village, but what I gathered from looking at the timeline and the ages of the characters, the time gap between the foundation of the village and the Shippūden era shouldn't exceed the 100-year mark. Not really relevant, but still an interesting observation.
What are your thoughts on the scene between Shujinko and Sokka? What inspired me to include it is the fact that up to this point, Sokka is the character whom Shujinko has interacted with the least on a personal. They exchange dialogues fairly regularly and have been together during important moments of the story, but they've never had a one-on-one, heart-to-heart, bro-to-bro talk. Therefore, I felt obligated to make this happen in order to show that these two do have a friendship outside of their crazy daily occurrences.
Just to make this clear, Sokka IS NOT some lying douchebag who manipulated Shujinko by promising to help him find a way home and then took advantage of his abilities, even though a shadow of that is kinda what happened.
Context is supremely relevant here: Sokka grew up in a place and a culture of warriors, so naturally, he is very much interested in the traits/skills/abilities/etc that a shinobi, in this case, Shujinko, would display. More importantly, He's on a quest to defeat the mighty Fire Nation and his only companions are a few (admittedly kickass) teenagers that are younger than him, one of them being the main target of the Fire Nation. This exposes them to sky-high levels of danger, having to face enemies such as a physically/emotionally scarred firebender who's obsessed with getting his honor back, his deadly psychopath of a sister, spirits, and a whole other bunch of crazy stuff. Oh, and they also have to succeed before time runs out and Sozin's Comet arrives… So yeah, this mission that they're on isn't precisely stress-free.
Then, this otherworldly dude with otherworldly abilities shows up and joins them, giving Team Avatar fantastic advantages that literally no other participant in the war (save the hooded man) has. With him, the people who used to give them so much trouble (Zuko, Azula, etc) now hesitate to go after them. Taking all of this into consideration, can you really blame Sokka for not wanting to lose an asset like that? If you were in his shoes, would you not want Shujinko to stick around for as long as possible, especially now that the solar eclipse is right around the corner?
In my opinion, Sokka developing some understandable, yet still "selfish" motivations on a subconscious level in regards to Shujinko's presence seems reasonably realistic to me. It's not like he would go out of his way to interfere with Shujinko's search (as in, he would not willingly hide important information from Shujinko or secretly try to thwart his efforts), he just hasn't gone out of his way to help him return to his village, which was addressed during their scene together in this chapter. When Sokka realized all of this, he felt pretty crappy and eventually opened up to Shujinko about it, since he knew he deserved honesty.
Sorry for the ridiculously long explanation, I just don't want readers to think that I'm misrepresenting Sokka or bashing his character in any way, shape, or form. Let's move on, shall we?
By the end of this chapter, Shujinko acquired some Upper Ring drip lol. It's worth reminding that Shujinko's ninja clothes are very different from what one would normally find in an Earth Kingdom city, let alone in the Upper Ring, so while they are a lot more efficient for practical purposes, they would certainly make Shujinko stick out like a sore thumb among the citizens of the Upper Ring. Therefore, Shujinko sporting a more elegant attire makes more sense than him wearing his ninja clothes if he wants to keep as much attention away from him as possible.
I spent hours trying to find the precise names for the clothes he now wears, but I just couldn't, so if you want to have a solid idea of what his new outfit looks like, simply google 'old Shujinko mk' (yes, Shujinko's name comes directly from the main character of the 'Mortal Kombat: Deception' videogame in case you didn't know lol) and look at the first images that pop up, though be sure to mentally replace the golden/beige color of the robes with the green ones I mentioned.
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Peace!