Chapter 18 Uncharted Territory
Sleep was always hard to find for any water bender during the full moon it was even harder for when one is thinking about the lost of her entire sister tribe. She had spent most of the night trying to sleep it off but she just couldn't sleep, she stood up and started walking out into the warm night air. She had to admit she liked the ability to walk outside without having to worry about a freezing to death in a snow storm. Here the worst thing seemed to be the fact that they almost always seemed to have an afternoon shower that lasted maybe half an hour or so and then ended. She closed her eyes and just started walking her heart guided her to the beach. She walked into the cool water, stopping when the water came up to her knees. She felt relaxed as the water moved around her and the moon behind her. She raised her hands and started bending the water, not in any real technique she knew just in ways that helped her relax.
She didn't know how long she stood there as she wrestled with her thoughts about the fall of her sister tribe, the war but most of all Zuko. He had been so kind to her since he had joined their group, true they had a few fights but she had more fights with her brother. Then there was the time when lightening stuck and she landed on top of him her heart rate soared just thinking about that or yesterday when he held her up on the way back from the market. Of course there was Aang who was possibly her best friend and she had kissed him once but that was when she was sure they were both going to die even then it didn't feel that right. The feeling of sunlight on her face caused her to open her eyes. She had been bending the entire time as she lowered the water.
"Morning Katara." said a voice as she turned around to see Zuko standing on the beach only a few yards away from her.
"Were you spying on me?" asked Katara
"No…I rise with the sun and I came down to do some personal training and you were here." explained Zuko as Katara nodded her head
"How long have you been there?" asked Katara
"Not long but the fact you ask means you had to have been bending for a while." explained Zuko "Thinking about something, Aang told me you like the bend while you think."
"Thinking about the lost of my sister tribe." explained Katara "Since Pakku is in the Southern tribe now I only know a few people there but still it's my sister tribe."
"Water tribe member share a strong family bond." explained Zuko "Even for those who aren't in your tribe."
"Well I better get ready for when Aang gets up." Said Katara as she got out of the water and moved toward the beach house.
"You know I always been jealous of you." said Zuko as Katara stopped in her tracks
"I don't see why a prince would be jealous of a peasant." said Katara as neither one of them turned to face the other.
"You had something I lost." explained Zuko "You had a family that cared for you."
"Your Uncle cares for you." said Katara
"Yes, my Uncle and my mother were the only people who really cared for me." explained Zuko "You lost your mother like I did but you still had a brother, father, grandmother and the rest of your tribe to care for you before you even left the South Pole. You had friends I had soldiers that is why I envied you."
"Well you have friend's now." said Katara with a smile as she walked away.
It was also morning over the Northern water tribe as Princess Azula stepped onto the bridge of the fire nation air ship only to see a strip of land in the distance covered in green instead of white snow.
"I didn't give any orders for us to move." stated Azula as she prepared to throw someone out of the airship.
"Sorry Princess Azula the General ordered us not to wake you." said the pilot "We got orders from the Fire Lord to return to the Capital."
Azula took a breath she knew that even if they had woke her up they would have just been doing what they did. She wasn't fire Lord yet so she had to listen to her father's orders.
"Very well." stated Azula as she started moving off the bridge only to stop. "How are our supplies?"
"We will need to make a stop before we reach the Capital I was thinking the Dragon's mouth navy base." said the Capital
"Let's make it the Ember Island." stated Azula "There is a small military outpost there and the soldiers could use a short shore leave."
"I would agree with that whole heartily my Princess." said the Captain knowing that the men would love to spend time in the beach side bars.
"Then make your course to the Ember island." stated Azula "And make sure to inform my father about our plans to stop for a quick rest and resupply."
"Yes, Princess Azula." said the Captain
Meanwhile in a small earth Kingdom village the people were just waking up to their normal schedule, so far apart from a few patrols moving though no one had fought over a small village of less than a hundred people. The last battle to happen nearby the village was over a decade ago but people still remembered what happened to them.
As the people moved about their day a group of strange figures came walking down the dusty road, the eight of them walked into the village getting strange looks from everyone. Six of eight members of the group had strange orange hair and metal rods coming out of their faces. The seven's face was hidden behind a strange swirl pattern mask. The last member was a woman with deep blue hair and fair colored skin. They all had black robes with red clouds on them and they walked without fear.
"So Madara why did you decide to come along on this task." asked Konan "Someone should have stayed behind and watched over the Akatsuki busyness."
"Sasuke Uchiha is key to my plans." explained Madara "The only one who comes close to the importance of in my plans is the Kyuubi; I need to see this done personally."
"The three most senior members of the Akatsuki in another world isn't a great move." stated Konan
"You could have stayed Konan." stated Madara knowing that the only female member of the Akatsuki wouldn't leave Nagato known better as Pain.
"Can we help you?" asked a village elder as the Deva path of Pain turned his head
"Where Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, the Avatar or Princess Azula." stated Pain having learned of the soldiers that Sasuke was teamed up with a Princess Azula and Naruto was with the Avatar.
"I don't know who those first two people are and I don't know where the Avatar is but if you are looking for a member of the fire nation royal family head to the capital of the Fire Nation." explained the old man as he looked up into the strange eyes of the orange hair men. "It's to the south west across the sea."
"Very well." stated Pain as the group made a turn toward the south west
"But if you are thinking about going there I would turn around and go somewhere us." explained the old man "They are nothing but evil those Fire Nation scum."
"How so?" asked Konan as the old man's eyes began to water
"Ten years ago after taking over this village they kill dozens of innocent people and did unspeakable things to the women." Explained the old man as he looked toward one of the few kids running around unlike other kids this boy had golden eyes. "I try not to think how my only grandson was born."
"The People of this fire nation do not now what pain they caused to the rest of the world. They will learn." stated Pain as he looked in the direction of the fire nation capital "Thank you old man."
It was already past lunch and everyone had gone out to do their own thing. Katara was catching up on the sleep she had missed the night before, Zuko was busy walking around the perimeter of the beach house keeping an eye out for anyone coming. On the beach Sokka and Suki were being taught some basic defense stances that could help protect them from Sasuke by Sakura. Nearby in small rocky out cove Toph and Aang were working their Earth Bending among the large rocks.
"Now you have to be rock steady when it comes to this twinkly toes." stated Toph as she stood on top of a large mound of sea rocks. Aang was down below on a sandy part of the beach. Large almost vertical rocky cliffs surrounded them on three sides making the only way to enter the cove was from a small footpath which hugged the cliffs and the sea itself.
"I am ready." stated Aang
"Alright then." stated Toph as she held her hands out, one toward each of the cliffs on either side of her "Remember you can only Earth Bend."
"I am ready." repeated Aang
"Here it comes." Said Toph as she two giant boulders off the cliff side and threw it at her friend. Aang stood strong as he the two giant boulders flew toward him. He quickly checked to make sure his stance was solid then in one move he threw each boulder to the side with ease.
"I did it! I never moved boulders that big before." yelled Aang as he jumped for joy until he saw a third boulder flying toward him. Reacting out of instant he used is air bending to jump over the top of the flying piece of earth.
"I told you could only Earth bend." yelled Toph
"And you said you would only throw two boulders." stated Aang as Toph moved down stopping on top of a flat rock on the edge of the sandy part of the beach.
"Do you think the fire lord would tell you how he is going to fight you?" asked Toph as she crossed her arms.
"But still." stated Aang
"Sorry twinkle toes but you need to grow up, yes I lied but it was to make you better." explained Toph as she thought about how to get it though to Aang "Listen Aang what do you want to do with your life after we beat the Fire Nation."
Aang smiled as he recalled his dream future.
"Live a happy peaceful life with…." started Aang only to stop before he said her name.
"Go ahead I already know you love Katara." said Toph
"How?" asked Aang
"Your heart beat picks up whenever she is near." explained Toph
"Well we will live in a nice house in one of the Air temples." explained Aang before he blushed "And we will restart the air benders and live the rest of our lives in love and peace."
"You do realize that to get that future you want you have to first defeat the fire lord which likely means killing him." said Toph as Aang swallowed.
"Well I was planning to beat him and force him to surrender." said Aang
"That will not work, you will need to kill him." explained Toph
"I am an Air bending monk I can't harm a living creature no matter how much harm he has done to the world." explained Aang
"You are not just a monk you are the Avatar and your job is to bring balance to the world and to do that you need to destroy the thing throwing the world out of balance." explained Toph as Aang lowered his head.
Inside the beach house Fukasaku was nodding his head as he watched deep blue energy gather around Naruto. In the past few days Naruto had learned faster than he had ever thought possible. Somehow though the use of clones to help him learn five times faster than normal he had pasted his old teacher Jiraiya. Unlike Jiraiya who partly transformed into a toad when he used natural chakra however Naruto had reached a perfect balance with his only transformation being with orange marks around the eyes and deep orange eyes with rectangle pupils.
"Do you feel the natural energy of everything around you?" asked Fugaku as he looked at Naruto.
"Yes." answered Naruto as he sat with his eyes closed his breathing was slow and steady as he sat on a large rock stitching out of the sage oil. "However if I try to move I lose it."
"Yes that is the problem to becoming a sage." stated Fugaku "The problem is that when a person is gathering natural energy he or she can't move and natural energy burns fast."
"So I would run out of energy when I am fighting unless I stop moving in the middle of a fight?" asked Naruto
"Yes, to overcome this when you use the sage form in combat Ma and I will sit on top of your shoulders so that we can gather natural chakra for you." explained Fugaku
"That will not work." laughed Kyuubi inside of Naruto's head
"Why not?" asked Naruto
"Because my chakra is so much stronger than theirs and it will never accept their chakra within your body." explained the Kyuubi "The energy will be rejected."
"The Kyuubi says that you can't do that." said Naruto as Fukasaku eyes widened "He says his chakra will reject any thing natural energy you try to add."
"Do you trust the Kyuubi?" asked Fukasaku
"No…but he has no reason to lie about this." stated Naruto
"If that is the case then we have a problem." stated Fukasaku "Unless there is someone bonded to you feeding you natural chakra there is no way that I know of for you to gather natural energy while you move."
"But there is." stated Kyuubi inside Naruto's mind "Did you forget that I am already bonded to you."
"What are you talking about?" asked Naruto
"You have been learning how to gather chakra from the world around you but you haven't learned how to gather from within." explained Kyuubi
"What?" asked Naruto
"That stupid Minato Namikaze designed the seal so that in time about a quarter chakra would be absorbed into your natural body. It has created a secondary chakra system within your body." explained Kyuubi "When I get my freedom I don't believe I will get that back."
"So I will have demon chakra within me even when you're gone?" asked Naruto
"Yes, but If you master the ability to control that energy within the same way you control energy outside your body, there isn't a human that could stop you. The best part is that since the source is already within you don't have to become a sitting duck to use it" stated Kyuubi with a grin "Let me show you what power you could have if you master the ability to control that demon chakra."
Fukasaku's mind was racing as he tried to figure out a way to bond with Naruto so that he could feed natural chakra without being rejected by the Kyuubi's own chakra. While he was thinking he suddenly felt an energy spike as he turned to face Naruto however everything had changed, the blue natural chakra which had been flowing in at a steady rate was gone instead surrounding Naruto was a deep red chakra, the chakra flow rate was five times faster than even natural chakra.
"The Kyuubi is taking over!" thought Fukasaku until he noticed that the demon chakra wasn't taking over it was staying at the same level. So it wasn't a takeover it was something else but what. Suddenly the dark orange bands around Naruto's eyes turned a deep blood red. The demon chakra was still there but Naruto was still human, it was as if someone was keeping the demon chakra contained and controlled.
"Naruto?" asked Fukasaku as Naruto's eyes snapped open only to show that they had changed they were no longer orange with a rectangles pupils, they were a shade of dark blood red with a single slit.
"Basically it is time for me to teach you how to be a demon sage." answered the Kyuubi
I was going to wait until Friday to update but since I missed last friday I decided to update early. Well I hope you liked this chapter and the little thing I had at the end with the Kyuubi and the Sage. I would like to thank everyone who reviewed and I would ask that you keep reading. Thanks Wilkins75