Chapter 5 An Offer
The sun was falling below the horizon over the Fire Nation Capital, unlike most village or even large cities that shut down when night came the city didn't fall into darkness, instead thousands of street lights each light by the civil serves combined with indivualds homes lights made the cities glow. The glow wouldn't last long, citizens of the fire nation tended to go to bed with the setting sun and rise with the sun, soon those home lights would turn off as the people went to bed. There would be people still awake most members of the military keeping watch or factory workers building the machines of war around the cloak. Inside the palace the Princess of the Fire Nation sat across from the most danagures warrior in the world, the missing Leaf ninja Sasuke Uchiha.
"So you want to know about Zuko?" asked Azula as Sasuke crossed his arms and just glared at her for a moment.
"Yes." stated Sasuke as he played with a kunai, spinning the sharp metal around his finger at very high speed "And any information you have on the other members of his squad."
"Studying your enemy?" asked Azula as she traced her finger around the edge of her glass.
"Yes, there is an old saying that has rung true in every battle since the beginning of war, "know your enemy and know yourself and victory is never in question." stated Sasuke it was the first rule of any ninja "I know myself and what I can do but what are the skills of this Avatar and his team."
"I wouldn't call the Avatar's gang a squad, that would mean they have some sort of training in actual fighting which they don't." said Azula "They are a mixture of lower level fighters and peasants who have somehow managed to stay a step ahead of me."
"You understand what I mean." said Sasuke as Azula smiled like a cat playing with a caught mouse, only she knew that Sasuke wasn't helpless "So far I know that their team is made up of Two warriors types, a male in blue and a female, a blind girl with an earth type chakra, a girl had water type chakra, your brother is of course fire and the Avatar you said had access to all chakra types."
"Yes, let's start with the avatar." said Azula as she took a deep breath "He is over 100 years old."
"I don't see how that is possible unless you all age very slowly." said Sasuke as Azula laughed a bit.
"No, From what we have gathered from prisoners the two water tribe members found him frozen in the ice near the south pole, where they lived." said Azula "They freed him from his ice prison and brought him back into our world."
"I see, the ice persevered him." said Sasuke "The male blue warrior and the female water bender are brother and sister, I would say the sister is around two years younger than the brother."
"Yes." stated Azula as she tried to hide her amazement. "You could tell that by just a few looks?"
"They share similar features." explained Sasuke "Just like Zuko and you share similar features however he is two years older than you."
"I see." explained Azula
"Start with your information about the male first." ordered Sasuke as Azula grinned most people where afraid to stand up to her, not him.
"His name is Sokka and he is what passes as a warrior of the southern water tribe, he carries a boomerang and has been lately seen carrying a sword." said Azula as she picked up Sasuke sword, to her amazement Sasuke didn't grab it out of her hands. "However nothing compares to this blade and your abilities."
"Yes, now the girl, I can tell she is a water justu uses but what else?" asked Sasuke
"Her name is Katara and apart from her water bending skills she is the team healer and pretty much the mother figure of the group." explained Azula as she recalled the reports and what some of the spies have seen "Cooking cleaning and other weak women works."
"Not the work of a true warrior for any gender." stated Sasuke
"Correct you will never find me doing that." said Azula
"As you shouldn't you have a warrior's spirit." answered Sasuke as Azula gave a rare smile
"Her combat skill mostly involves either freezing her enemy or attacking them with median range water attacks." Stated Azula "Get in close and she is weak."
"Now the water tribe siblings are they protective of each other?" asked Sasuke
"Yes, the water tribe is known for a strong sense of family and clanship. The two of them show that trait very strongly." said Azula before she smiled "Are you thinking if you get one of them you will get the other to walk into a trap?"
"It is among many plans I am thinking about." said Sasuke as he leaned back in his chair, resting his feet on an extra chair, relaxing for a rare moment.
"I see, than may I recommend the water bender, Katara." said Azula "It is well known that the Avatar has a crush on her. If that fails go after the Earth nation warrior Suki, under interrogation it was revealed that she and Sokka have a thing."
"Love…." laughed Sasuke "Such a foolish emotion. If your patarner isn't able to stand on their own they are worthless."
"Agreed." said Azula "If you control something or someone a person loves or wants the most then you control the person."
"What about the Earth Bender as you call it?" asked Sasuke
"Toph, she is blind but it is unknown how she can see where her enemies are." said Azula
"I see." said Sasuke as he thought about the problem he wasn't Shikamaru when it came to planning but he wasn't dumb. "Does she always go bare feet?"
"What does her feet have to do have to do with anything?" asked Azula wondering where this was going.
"She may be seeing by the using the vibrations of ground movement." said Sasuke as Azula's eyes widened a bit.
"I don't think that is possible." said Azula as suddenly the sound of chirping birds filled the air as lightening danced around Sasuke.
"Until you saw it you didn't think someone could control lightening. I have seen reports about ninjas from the Earth Country doing that." said Sasuke as he let his chakra disappears and he returned to normal. "Now about your brother?"
"Yes, Zu…Zu." said Azula as she held up her glass, she moved it around a bit making the Tea sash around. "He was always weak, long ago he was banished for discrasiing our father in a war planning mission. The only way for him to return was to capture the Avatar which he always failed. He then betrayed the fire nation when we attacked the Northern water tribe capital however after that he earned his place back after helping us take the Earth Kingdom capital of Ba Sing Se. Now he has a since of the world needs to be balanced so he joined the Avatar."
"His fire bending skills?" asked Sasuke
"Limited." said Azula as one of her hands caught fire with blue flames "He can't even produce blue flames which is the sign of a true fire bending master."
"I see." said Sasuke
"Now what about this Madara Uchiha?" asked Azula
In the Hokage's office everyone turned and looked at the spot where Lord Fukasaku was looking at. There was nothing there, just empty space.
"What are you talking about?" asked Tsunade "No one is there."
"Just watch." said Fukasaku as he ran though hand signs "Frog mist justu."
With that a low level mist appeared around the floor of the Hokage's office, it stopped around their knees.
"What are you doing?" asked Sai
"It a justu that uncovers anything hidden." said Fukasaku as out of the mist an old man dressed in deep red robs and a long white beard appeared beside Kakashi. Instantly all the ninjas went on high alert as they pulled their weapons.
"I am surprised you were able to see me, you must be strong in Chi." stated the man in a kind gentle voice that sounded like it belonged to a grandfather.
"You are an avatar, are you not?" asked Fukasaku to the stranger.
"Yes, I am avatar Roku." said Roku to the elder toad.
"What is going on?" asked Tsunade
"I am from another world." explained Roku "I have come here to get some help."
"Another world?" asked Shizune
"Think of a web." explained Fukasaku "In the center of that web is the spirit world and the world of the dead, branching out of that center part is untold numbers of worlds each one linked to each other by hidden doorways. Like all summons I come from another nearby world, we are so close to each other that we can easily travel back and forth."
"You are correct." stated Roku
"So you are from another one of those worlds?" asked Sakura to the strange new comer.
"Yes, the world of the four elementally nations and the Avatar." said Roku
"Yes, I heard about that world." said Fukasaku
"How could you have heard about this world?" asked Kakashi
"From my sensei, he told me legends about the four nations each only able to bend one element and the avatar the master of all four elements." explained Fukasaku
"So why do you need help?" asked Sai
"Simple for over a hundred years the young avatar was frozen in ice and during his absents a war has been raging between the Fire nation and the other nations." stated Roku "Now the war is almost over and the fire nation will win."
"I am sorry Roku is it but we have our own problems to deal with." said Tsunade "We can't help you."
"I know and I would never come here unless this came up." explained Roku "A few days ago the young avatar who was training to win the war did battle with one Sasuke Uchiha."
With that everyone's eyes widened as even Naruto looked at the Avatar.
Back at the table Sasuke and Azula kept talking.
"I didn't even know who he was until my brother told me." explained Sasuke
"Who is Madara?" asked Azula
"It will be easier if I just show you." said Sasuke as he ran though hand signs. Suddenly Azula found herself standing in a street in a strange village.
"Where am I?" asked Azula
"This is Genjustu." Explained Sasuke as he appeared beside her "I am creating an illusion of what happened that night in the Leaf village."
Suddenly a little boy can running down the street carrying a bag. He had deep black hair which moved in the slight wind.
"I am so late." said the boy as he kept running until suddenly he stopped "Why are the lights off, it's too early for people to be asleep."
"You?" asked Azula as older Sasuke appeared beside her.
"When I was a weak idiotic kid." answered Sasuke as he followed his younger self around a bend in the street. That is when Azula saw a street full of dead bodies, most of them had black hair and dark eyes, they had some of the same weapons that she had seen Sasuke used in them, ninja stars, kunai and sword marks.
"Whoever did this was talented and strong." said Azula as she looked at the bodies, judging from the wounds they most of them hit in spots that would cause instant death "It would take a force of dozens of Fire Nation soldiers to do all this."
"I thought for the longest time it was done just by my brother but I learned that Madara Uchiha helped him by taking down the Police force." said Sasuke as the image changed to a crying little Sasuke running though the streets as an image of a man who looked a lot like Sasuke appeared, the only real difference was the marks under both his eyes.
"Why Itachi….why brother why did you kill mom and Dad and everyone else?" asked the crying little Sasuke
"I did it to test my power." stated Itachi in a cold tone.
"You did this just to test your power?" asked Sasuke as Itachi's red and black changed into something Azula had never seen before.
"Is that a different form of your Sharingan?" asked Azula but Sasuke didn't answer but the image of Itachi did.
"I now have the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan." stated Itachi "Only three members of our clan ever had this gift and you may be able to get it."
"What?" asked little Sasuke as he pulled a kunai out only to have the weapon shake in his hand.
"Foolish little brother, if you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me." stated Itachi "To get this ability you must grow in hate and power and kill your best friend."
With that Azula found herself back where she was, with a glass of Tea in her hands as if nothing had happened.
"I killed my brother and now it is time for his hidden ally to join him in cold death."
"So that is why you want to kill him, revenge." said Azula with a smile
"Yes, I have followed my brother advice and filled my heart with rage and hate and that has given me power." said Sasuke "And I killed him but before I could finish my final mission he sent me here."
"Why did your brother spare your life?" asked Azula
"To use me as a parts factory." explained Sasuke "His Sharingan was making him go blind, he wanted to replace his eyes with mine."
"You can replace a person's eyes?" asked Azula
"Our technology is beyond yours." said Sasuke as he pulled a simple flashlight out from his ninja pouch. Azula was amazed as light came from it but yet it had no flame. "It uses a chemical reaction to create power."
"Can I borrow this?" asked Azula
"Keep it." stated Sasuke knowing full well he had at least a dozen of those things stored up.
"Thank you." said Azula one of the few times she actually said those words however she knew this little item was bound for their top scientist.
"If your father should refuse the deal we made then I will kill him and anyone who gets in the way." stated Sasuke
"Don't worry about that Sasuke…my Father likes to take his time when he is dealing with someone like you but I am all but sure he will agree to your deal." said Azula
"Like me?" asked Sasuke
"Someone who is outside his control but equal if not greater in power it doesn't happen often, maybe the last time was when he was dealing with my grandfather when he was alive." said Azula "Give him time."
"He has until tomorrow at noon or else he will meet my wraith." said Sasuke as she stood up.
"Well I will let you get some rest because tomorrow we should be heading out to get the Avatar." said Azula as she slowly walked out of the room. Sasuke watching her movements very carefully as his 15 almost 16 year old male mind went somewhere it hardly went. "Night Sasuke Uchiha."
"Good night Princess Azula." said Sasuke as he stopped himself from adding the word "Chun" to the end of the year younger young woman who was walking out of the room.
Back in the Hokage's office everyone was looking at the Avatar.
"Sasuke Uchiha?" asked Naruto as he looked at the new comer "He is in your world?"
"Yes, in our world people can only bend one of the four element like earth, air, fire and water. The highly trained fighters might be able to bend lightening, ice or even metal but ninjas can do all that and more. A ninja in our world is far too powerful our benders can't deal with power." said Roku "He can do things we could only dream about and he could end the war with a Fire nation victory, that would throw the balance of our world so far out of scale that it would never return."
"He joined the evil side didn't he?" asked Sakura already knowing the most likely answer.
"Yes, the fire nation which started a world war over 100 years ago that is nearing it's end." said Roku "Only the current Avatar the master of all 4 element would have any chance of beating him."
"Sasuke is skilled mostly in fire and lightening justus." stated Sai "Someone who is a master of four elements should be able to stand their ground."
"Your attacks are stronger then ours." Explained Roku "Also the avatar is a12 year old kid and while he is skilled he can't stand up against that, he hasn't even fully mastered earth or fire yet."
"So Sasuke could kill him with ease." Stated Kakashi
"Yes, he is hunting down the Avatar Aang." said Roku
"And you want us to go to your world and bring him back here?" asked Tsunade
"Yes." said Roku "I was hoping the child Naruto may come and bring this Sasuke back to your world."
"This is a bad time we have the Akatsuki coming after Naruto and he needs to train in order to defeat him." explained Tsunade as she secretly wished this avatar fellow hadn't appeared, she didn't want to deal with Sasuke anymore.
"Not to mention the code Jiraiya left on my back." said Fukasaku as she showed a list of numbers on his back. "It holds the secret to defeating Pain the leader of the Akatsuki."
"Please forgive my ignorance but is this Akatsuki after Naruto because of the demon fox Kyuubi?" asked Roku
"How did you know that?" asked Sakura stunned that someone from another world could possibly know that secret.
"As Avatar one of my main reasonability is to be a link between the spirit world and the real world, as such I can sense the demon that Naruto holds imprisoned." said Roku "I also know things about the spirit world that you may not know."
"Like what?" asked Sai
"Like this." said Roku as he placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. Suddenly everything changed and everyone found themselves in a deep dark dang dungeon in knee high water. Before them stood a huge metal cage with a paper seal in front.
"Ah…so the runt brought visitors." said a voice as the everyone but Naruto and Roku's eyes widened as two giant red silted eyes appeared on the other side of the bars.
"The Kyuubi?" asked Sakura as a giant set of large sharp teeth appeared. She tried not to show her fear but it seemed that everyone was trying and failing to pull that off.
"It is nice to get a looks like the pink vixen you wanted to mate with before I kill her." Laughed the Kyuubi as Sakura's heart skipped at beat but not from the threat by the nine tailed demon.
"I should wonder how you got here but I don't really care, you all will make a good meal." Said Kyuubi as he looked at the group of humans and the sage toad however he stopped laughing when he saw the avatar. "You?"
"Yes, Spirit Kyuubi." said Roku "It has been a long time since we last talked."
"What are you doing here?" asked Kyuubi "You should be in your own world and leave me to torment this one."
"As should you, your underlings want you back." said Roku
"Underlings?" asked Sai
"The Kyuubi has an entire forest full of demon foxes in the spirit world but he is the only one of them who is capable of travel to other worlds." said Roku "As such they can't come here and get him."
"What do you want?" snapped the Kyuubi as the Avatar turned and looked at Naruto
"As payment for helping us bring this Sasuke back from our world, I will remove you of this demon." stated Roku as Naruto's eyes widened as his heart started racing at the idea of being free of the demon that had brought him so much pain.
"That would kill Naruto." said Sakura as she moved in front of Naruto in a way protecting him from possible harm.
"No, not if we go to the healing spirit the master of all healing arts, the Painted lady." explained Roku "She can heal any wound or sickness and should be able to remove the demon from him and keep him alive all at the same time."
"But what would stop the Kyuubi from coming back after us?" asked Tsunade
"Simple he would have to promise the Council of Spirits not to go after you and that he will leave the human worlds alone for all time." said Roku as the demon fox thrashed in his cage
"I will never agree to that!" growled the Kyuubi
"What is more important to you Kyuubi living forever inside the demon world and never get revenge or die inside Naruto when his life ends." said Roku "The choice is yours, a life of freedom in the spirit world or death in the human world, live or die?"
"Very well." growled the Kyuubi as he showed his teeth.
"It would stop the Akatsuki from getting the Kyuubi and completing whatever plan they have for it." stated Shizune
"Yes, but it is up to Naruto to decide what he wants to do." said Tsunade as they all looked at Naruto "It is his choice and none of us can force this on him."
"Can I have some time to think about it?" asked Naruto
"Of course." said Roku as they returned to the Hokage's office. "However I plead with you, the comet that will give the fire nation the power to end the war is just over two weeks away and Sasuke needs to be gone by then."
"Besides we need to work on the code from Jiraiya." said Fukasaku
"Yes." said Kakashi "We can't defeat Pain unless we know what Jiriaya found out."
"Yes, but you also must decide who will go with Naruto." said Roku as the ninjas looked at him "Only three live humans can go though the spirit world at one time, Naruto is one of those people and Sasuke is the other one when you bring him back, that leaves you with only one free spot."
"Can't we just send more people once the other get's though?" asked Sai
"No the gate linking worlds closes after each passage for 10 days." said Roku
"So whoever goes though will be on the other side for 10 days before they could even think about coming back?" asked Kakashi
"Yes." said Roku "However it will likely take longer to locate Sasuke, with the Fire Nation help he could be anywhere in the world."
"I'll go." said Sakura as they all looked at her "I promised Naruto that I would and Sasuke is my old teammate."
"Are you sure?" asked Shizune "Kakashi or Captain Yamato could go."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves it is up to Naruto if he wants to do this." said Tsunade
"Let me think on it and I'll tell you later." said Naruto as he turned and walked out the room to begin to process the huge changes that happened in just a few short minutes.
Well I hope you like this extra long chapter and the interactions between Sasuke and Azula and the deal offered to the Kyuubi. Now until next time I thank you all for reading. Thanks Wilkins75