Hello FanFiction! This is pain17ification posting the next chapter of "Mai's Teacher"!
Please note: pain17ification doesn't own Naruto or Avatar the Last AirBender
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"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Higher Being Speech"
'Higher Being Thoughts'
"Jutsu"
(Technique Translations)
Scene Shift
Chapter 12: EarthBending and Lost Knowledge
"Why are we here again?" came the annoyed voice of Mai as she and Naruto watched Sokka decide whether or not to buy a new bag.
"I'm wondering why myself, actually," was his reply as he leaned on the wall next to her. "You would think that they'd be more focused on finding an EarthBending Teacher for Aang…"
The Nara sighed as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Looks like we're the only mature members of our little group…"
"Yep…" he agreed as they watched Sokka finally decide on buying the bag.
The Gaang were staying in the town of Gaoling in search of much needed supplies for their journey. The town was also rumored to have one of the best EarthBending Academies in the Earth Kingdom. Hopefully Aang would find a suitable teacher to help him in the city.
While the Trio checked out the local academy, Naruto and Mai spent their time checking out the sights that the city itself had to offer. There weren't many things to do for entertainment, but they did overhear some teens talking about an underground fight club that hosted EarthBending Bouts for the pleasure of fans. Curious, the two made their way to what was known as Earth Rumble Six.
As they took their seats, Naruto spotted Katara and Sokka with Aang who was dressed in EarthBender Academy clothing, complete with a slightly armored hat.
The fights were quite boring in the opinions of Naruto and Mai. It was nothing more than men showing off their muscles and proving who was stronger. A man who called himself The Boulder had made his way from the lowest rank all the way to the title match against a person named The Blind Bandit.
It was surprising to many when the title holder was shown to be a young preteen girl who had milky green eyes, proving that her moniker was already half-right. Naruto however smirked at the sight and thought to himself, 'Looks like we have a winner. I wonder if Aang will notice right away.'
The Blind Bandit was able to get a reluctant Boulder to fight her when she put his 'manliness' to question. "Whenever you're ready, 'The Pebble'!" she taunted making him scowl in anger.
The man took a simple step and Naruto noticed the girl tense and shift into a stance known as the Reverse Mantis. As the Boulder made to take another step, the Blind Bandit simply kicked the earth beneath her and sent a line of upturned rock towards her opponent. The earth stopped just as the Boulder set his foot down and caused him to fall into a split, making many men in the stands unconsciously hold their 'little soldiers' in sympathy.
Naruto laughed at the sight while Mai smirked as the Blind Bandit used Bending to strike the Boulder's unprotected back and launch him out of the ring. When Xin Fu, the announcer and host of Earth Rumble Six asked for anyone in the stands to face the champion, Naruto didn't waste any time and disappeared in a burst of wind, making Mai sigh in amused irritation.
Naruto reappeared out of the ground, like an EarthBender would, and nodded to Xin Fu. The man nodded back and stepped out of the ring.
"Well, I must admit that I was impressed with your performance, Lady Champion," Naruto said while giving a bow to her. "I hope that you will grace me with a good fight?"
The champ smirked and replied, "We'll see if you can keep up, Mister Suck-Up." She then assumed her stance while Naruto pulled out a scroll and unsealed Gaara's gourd, making her look confused at the sudden extra weight on the ground. "What the heck is that thing?"
"Oh this? It's nothing too important. Just fight like you always do," he replied with a grin as the gourd's cork flew off and sand began to rise from the opening. The loose earth pooled around the blonde and slowly covered his entire half of the arena floor.
The Blind Bandit decided to start the bout by releasing a wave of earth towards the Uzumaki. As soon as it got close enough, the sand seemingly acted on its own and sent its own wave to meet hers. Rock met sand and the two waves of earth were left at a standstill. The champ looked shocked that the loose earth was able to hold off the solid earth, but Naruto slapped his palm on the sandy arena and muttered, "Ryūsa Bakuryū (Quicksand Waterfall Flow)," sending a large wave of sand towards his opponent.
The EarthBending preteen was floored by the power flowing from the man before her when he slapped his hand to the ground. Due to her blindness, she had developed a 'Seismic Sense' that allowed her to 'see' with a type of echolocation within the ground. This also allowed her to determine just how much strength someone put into their strides or actions. When she felt Naruto's strength, she was floored and distracted long enough for the sand to push her out of the ring.
The spectators in the audience, save for Mai, looked on in amazement and were left in a stunned silence. Naruto stepped down from the ring and approached the downed former champ and held a hand out to her. "That was a good fight. You're very skilled," he complimented to her.
She turned her blind gaze to his general direction and contemplated taking his offered hand. After a few seconds, she slowly took it and was helped to her feet. "Thanks; although, that was a pretty cheap trick with that sand of yours... I thought we were going to stick with the earth provided in the ring."
"I made no such promise to you. You merely assumed that I would fight that way. You have to keep an open mind in your battles, Lady Bandit, or else you will never move on to greater heights."
She nodded as Mai and the others approached. "Are they your friends?"
"Yes, and I believe that one of them could really benefit from your skills. He needs a teacher and you're the best person that has a chance to do so."
"Why not you? You're good at EarthBending, so why can't he learn from you?"
Naruto shook his head at that. "I wasn't using Bending. In fact, I can't use Bending at all."
That shocked the blind girl. "But then how did you fight with the sand like that?"
"If you agree to try and help my friend, then I'll tell you."
The girl turned her senses to the rest of the Gaang and focused on the boys. "Which one is he?"
Naruto chuckled as he replied, "The one with 'softer' steps."
Toph snorted in laughter at that and focused on Aang's seismic signature. The man before her was right; he did have soft steps. "Fine, I'll see what I can do with Twinkle Toes; but not now. I have things to do that will take me the rest of the day and night. Come back here tomorrow."
As she left, Naruto turned to the AirBender and grinned. "There you go. I found you the perfect teacher…Twinkle Toes," he said with a laugh. The boy's face went red in embarrassment while the others laughed at his expense.
Later That Evening
Naruto watched on with a blank face as he sat on a tree outside of the Beifong Estate. It turns out that the Blind Bandit's real name was Toph Beifong and she was the only child of the family. She was doted on and constantly taken care of due to her 'handicap' and Naruto could easily feel that she felt smothered by it all. Her emotional status also released feelings of irritation, loneliness, and some sadness.
'So this is why she wasn't going to start teaching Aang today. She has to keep up appearances with her parents and make them believe that she is perfectly fine. Of course, they would freak out if they found out that she was the Blind Bandit and a contender of Earth Rumble Six.'
He sighed tiredly and ran a hand through his hair stood up and stepped out of his perch. He approached the wall to the estate and walked right through it, appearing in the family's garden. He barely took another step before he sidestepped a spike of earth that sprouted from the ground near him.
"Calm down, Toph. It's just me; the guy you fought earlier," he called out to her.
Toph stepped out from her spot behind one of the garden trees and faced the blonde. She remained in her EarthBending stance and questioned, "How did you find me, and how do you know my name?"
"I merely followed you and watched you interact with your parents. I have to say, finding out that the girl who fought with fierce determination is actually a rich noble is not all that surprising."
"What do you mean by that?"
"What I mean is that I'm not all that surprised that you are living a double life. You keep up the act of a blind daughter who needs protection, but you also secretly fight for fun and entertainment. You're just a rebellious preteen who wants to prove that she can be independent."
Toph glared at him and retorted, "And what the hell do you know about me?"
"I know that you want to show that you are just fine doing things on your own to your parents. You want them to see that you don't need them to worry about you all the time. But I also know that you're scared of what their response and reaction will be when they find out, so you live two lives as a result."
"Shut up! You don't know me!"
"You're right; I don't know you… However, I know your type and I know that nothing will get better if you don't confront what it is that holds you back."
Her response was to fire a chunk of earth at him that passed through his body like he wasn't there. She kept firing and he just stood there and let the earth bypass him. It took nearly three minutes of nonstop earth shots before she started to pant in exhaustion. Naruto released his Kamui, slowly approached her and knelt beside her as she regained her breath.
Placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, he stated, "You can't hide who you truly are forever, Toph. Sooner or later, your parents will find out… But I guarantee that it will be much better off for you if you tell them. If they find out a different way, their reactions may be what truly keep you from becoming who you were meant to be; a great EarthBender that has the skill to overcome many others before her."
Toph couldn't help but smile at his praise. "Thanks… So, did you come just to tell me that?"
"No, I was actually just planning to observe some more but you found me with that sixth sense of yours."
"Yea… Even though I was born blind, I've never really had a problem 'seeing'. I 'see' with EarthBending; it's kinda like I'm seeing with my feet. I can see you…that tree…even those ants by your feet."
Naruto looked straight down and saw that there were indeed ants by his feet, though he needed his dojutsu to see them due to it being dark. "That's a really useful skill, and a great way for you to fight against your so-called handicap."
"Thanks… My parents don't understand though… To them, I'm just their 'helpless little girl'."
"Why don't you tell them how you really feel? I'm sure that they'll support you."
"Even if I did tell them and if they had no problems with it, things wouldn't change all that much… I mean, I'll still be here in this city with no chance to go out and experience the world for myself."
"Well, you could always come with us."
Her eyes widened in surprise. "Y-You'd really let me?"
The blonde smiled and replied, "I see no reason why we couldn't. Besides, if you're gonna be Aang's EarthBending teacher, then you'd need to be able to come with us so that he can learn on the go. We don't have the luxury of staying in one place for too long." He then leaped on the wall surrounding her home. "Think about it," he said before he faded away.
Afternoon (Three Days Later)
Naruto and Mai were resting in a nearby tree in a rocky valley while Aang was being drilled by Toph about EarthBending. It was actually quite a surprise to Toph that her parents were alright with her being an EarthBender; especially her overprotective father. Unknown to her, a clone of Naruto had spoken to them both concerning their daughter and used his Sharingan to show them just how skilled she was. Through the genjutsu showing what the dojutsu had seen from the past, Naruto showed them her fight in Earth Rumble Six and how easily she took down The Boulder.
While Toph's mother was incredibly pleased with her daughter and how well she could defend herself, her father wasn't as easily swayed. He made the blonde swear that, during her travels with him and the Avatar, that Toph would stay out of harm. The Uzumaki didn't even hesitate when he nodded in agreement.
So, the Gaang with Toph added in spent a couple of days getting to know one another better before Toph began Aang's training. Of course, Naruto and Mai weren't as forthcoming with describing themselves, and neither was Toph, but the Trio didn't seem to mind all that much.
Naruto chuckled as he saw Aang straining to move a rock. To the blonde, it looked like the bald monk was constipated and trying to release his "backed up load". He decided to take Mai to another part of the valley to resume her Rasengan training. She was halfway done with the second step: power. She just needed more practice before he had her move on to the final step: stability.
"Alright Mai, I want you to practice on the many boulders that this generous valley has to offer. You won't know you have the second step down until you can completely obliterate one in a single shot."
The Nara nodded before she began to have her chakra rotate in her hand and form a roughly shaped orb of energy. She then raced toward a random boulder and thrust the jutsu into it. The result was the rock breaking into two smaller pieces. She sighed at her failed attempt before she began to repeat the process while Naruto watched on with an analytic gaze.
This went on for nearly a full week with almost no progress until the final day. Mai had finally accomplished the second step the morning of the sixth day while Aang discovered the secret to EarthBending later that afternoon. Both of their teachers were pleased with their success, but both the Avatar and the Nara knew it would only get harder from then on.
Two Days Later
Aang sat in a cross legged position in an open plain with a small wooded flute in his hand. The others stood behind him while Toph felt dozens of small creature moving around in the tunnels beneath them.
"What's out here?" asked Sokka.
"A lot, actually," Toph stated. "There's dozens of-"
"Shh! I know you can sense them but don't ruin the surprise!" Aang said with excitement. "Just watch." He then played a few notes on the flute, causing some moles to pop their heads out of the holes they were in and cry out in the same tone as the one played by the AirBender. "I'm putting an orchestra together!"
"Orchestra, huh?" asked Sokka sarcastically. "Well, la-di-da…" The moles did his notes in a descending scale.
"What are we even doing here?" asked Naruto with his arms crossed. "Shouldn't we be focused on the task at hand?"
"Well, the 'task' right now is going on our mini-vacations," said Toph with a small grin.
"Yea, what's wrong with having a little fun during our downtime?" asked the WaterBender.
"Downtime? You really think we have time to relax?" questioned the Uzumaki with narrowed eyes. "We have a cataclysmic force reforming, a psychotic man seeking global domination, and the world's 'only hope' is wasting his time acting like a carefree child! If you aren't able to see the bigger threat here," he said before he turned and began walking away with Mai in tow, "then maybe I was wrong about you. Maybe the world can't rely on you after all."
"Aang will never have the strength or skill needed to do it…"
'It looks like she was right about him…' Naruto thought to himself as he recalled his daughter's words. 'It looks like I'll have to take matters into my own hands.'
"Hey, I never agreed to these 'mini-vacations'! I think we should stay focused on finding a way to get some better information on Ozai," Sokka stated.
Mai turned to her teacher/loved one and asked, "What about Yuki? Did she return to the Fire Nation?"
"No, she's actually making her way to the Earth Kingdom Capital. We need to see how they're reacting to this war," answered the blonde as he summoned Koyuki. He climbed on followed by the Nara before he turned to the others. "Think about what's truly important and realize that you need to grow up, Aang. The time to act like a child is over." The snowy owl then took to the sky and carried the two shinobi westward…to the Si Wong Desert and Wan-Shi-Tong's Library.
Library (Two Hours Later)
Naruto was reading through an old tome that had knowledge on various mixed elements and how to better use them in combat while Mai looked through one of Naruto's scrolls on Konoha's history. Wan wasn't necessarily upset with their return, but he didn't seem too enthused either.
"So, the Senju and Uchiha Clans just put aside their differences to make Konoha?" asked Mai skeptically.
"Hardly… They fought for years before Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha discussed a way to end the endless fighting. Madara told Hashirama to either kill Tobirama or himself to show he was willing to stop it all, and the man was about to comply and take his own life. However, before the Senju Leader fully went through with it, Madara stopped him and said that he saw all he needed to. Thus, the fighting stopped and Konoha was born, though many problems came after that."
"Wow… So, is that why you and Sasuke always fought; because you were descendants of those clans?"
"I suppose… Though to be honest, even if I wasn't a Senju descendant, I'd still oppose Sasuke. What he did, all the lives he took, the chaos he brought, and the people he betrayed…it was beyond forgiving."
Mai was silent for a while before she asked, "…If you had another chance, would you try to change him during your time as Genin?"
Naruto stopped short of turning another page and his eyes gained a far off look before he resumed his actions. "I would try… Though, remembering all that he did would make the decision very difficult to go through with. I'm not sure if I'd be able to contain my anger at him long enough to help him."
The girl nodded while Wan stepped into the room they were in. "I figured that you should know that the Avatar and three others are here in the Library."
Naruto raised a brow at that. "You actually allowed them to stay? What convinced you?"
"The Avatar has made me a promise that he will not abuse the knowledge of this Library. I already know he will, but I figured that this would be the one and only time he would receive my assistance. We Spirits help guide the Avatar, after all."
The two shinobi nodded in understanding before they left the room to find Aang. It took them a little while, but they finally found the Trio and some scholarly man fiddling with a large planetarium with a date dial in the center of the room.
"The sun is behind the moon; it's a Solar Eclipse!" Sokka exclaimed. "It's literally the 'darkest day' in Fire Nation history! Now I get it! Something awful happened to the Fire Nation that day. I don't know what, but I do know why; FireBenders lose their Bending during a Solar Eclipse!"
"That makes sense!" Katara agreed. "I mean, think of what the Lunar Eclipse at the North Pole did to the WaterBenders. This is huge…"
"We've got to get this information to the Earth King in Ba-Sing Sei. We'll alert him of our findings and then find out when the next eclipse will happen. The Fire Lord is going down!"
They all heard slow clapping and saw Naruto and Mai at the entrance to the room. "Nice work, you three… Now, you have some consequences to deal with."
"Consequences?" asked Aang before a large shadow appeared behind him.
"Mortals are so predictable, and such terrible liars," commented Wan as he stood before the group of six.
The four newcomers to the Library looked on in fear while Naruto stepped forward. "Wan, I know they broke their promise to you, but let me be the one who punishes them."
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Uzumaki. They have desecrated this sacred place with their thoughts of war and I will not stand for it," stated the owl before his neck elongated to that reminiscent of a serpent's and his head gained two spiked protrusions at the top. "I won't let you off so easily with that information, Avatar!"
The enraged Knowledge Spirit gave chase to the four while Naruto and Mai were left in the room. "Mai, I want you to begin checking future dates for when the next eclipse will happen."
She smirked and asked, "Use any advantage you can… Shinobi Rule #13, right?"
He smirked back. "I've taught you well, my apprentice."
Ten Minutes Later (Si Wong Desert)
Mai watched in annoyance as Aang got angry with Toph for letting Appa get captured. Seriously, the AirBender was starting to get on her last nerve and, based on her teacher's slight twitch of the eye, he was getting on Naruto's as well.
In anger, Aang suddenly took off on his glider into the desert in search of Appa's kidnappers, leaving the other five alone. Naruto sighed in frustration before he surrounded them all in an air dome. "C'mon… Mai and I know our way out of here and we need to let the kid be able to find us without any problems. Follow us, and stay in this dome if you don't want to burn up," he ordered before he and his student began to lead them through the desert.
It was going to be a long walk.
(End)
And that was chapter twelve! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and the future chapters to come! If you have any questions or concerns, PM me! I didn't update last week because I needed a break from this story. Sorry if it upset any of you.
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Now please: Review! Review! Review!
Current ages:
Naruto: (physical) 26; (actual) 5116
Mai: 17
Aang: (physical) 12; (actual) 112
Ozai: 45
Ursa: 42
Iroh: 64
Zuko: 18
Azula: 17
Ty Lee: 17
Lo and Li: 81
Katara: 16
Sokka: 17
Suki: 17
Toph: 12
Bumi: 112
Next Time: The Serpent's Pass and Ba-Sing Sei! Stay Tuned!
-pain17ification