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

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Higher Being Speech"

'Higher Being Thoughts'

"Jutsu"

(Technique Translations)

Scene Shift

Chapter 17: Spiritual Enlightenment

"Let us begin your Spiritual Journey, Naruto," Pathik stated as he sat cross-legged across the blonde and his student who were seated similarly. "We begin with the Earth Chakra, located at the base of the spine. It deals with Survival, but is blocked by Fear." Naruto nodded as he closed his eyes and evened out his breathing. "Lay out all of your fear, Naruto. Let your greatest come into the light for you to see."

In Naruto's mind, he saw many things that his heart feared including being killed by Obito, having his hatred take over him, and his parents rejecting him. However, the biggest fear came into view; Mai and his daughter dead in pools of their own blood…with the Juubi standing right behind them in all its glory.

Outside of his mind, Mai and Pathik saw him tense and tighten his closed eyes while his clenched fists drew blood. "Naruto, what you are seeing is not real. It is merely your fear trying to keep you rooted. Let your courage survive and drive away your fear."

Back in Naruto's mind, he stared at the Juubi who roared in primal fury. Still glaring at the beast, Naruto stepped up to his dead family and placed his hands on their heads. "I won't let this be your future…" he murmured as the vision faded and he opened his eyes to Pathik and Mai.

"Well done, Naruto. You've opened your Earth Chakra," Pathik congratulated before he stood up. "Now, follow me to the underground waterfall. That is where we will begin your next Chakra." The blonde and his student followed while Pathik kept talking/ "You should know, Master Sage, that since you have begun this journey…your inner chakra is currently lost to you."

The Uzumaki stopped walking in pure shock. "What?"

Pathik nodded slowly. "Your chakra is a blend of physical and spiritual energies. Since you are trying to open your Spiritual Blocks, the spiritual side of your chakra has stopped flowing. You will get it back when you finish, but until then…you have none to call upon."

Still shocked, Naruto slowly resumed following Pathik while Mai was growing more worried for her loved one. It didn't take long to reach the waterfall and Pathik took his seat on the island in front of it with Naruto seated next to him.

"The second Chakra is your Water Chakra, located in the sacrum. It deals with Pleasure, but is blocked by Guilt. Lay all of your guilt before you…"

Naruto once again entered a meditative trance and visions of him leaving both Konoha and the restored Uzu entered his mind. His closed eyes formed a frown on the outside. "I…left them… Both of my homes… I deserted them when they needed me most." A vision of Gaara and many other Sunagakure citizens were then seen. "I wasn't there for Gaara and his people… I let them down…"

Mai was surprised at how this spiritual journey was taking its toll on Naruto. She had never seen him so openly expressive before, and she wasn't sure whether or not to be happy or depressed; happy that he was opening up, or sad that he was letting out all of the negative aspects of his life.

Pathik closed his eyes sadly and placed a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder. "I know how guilt can weigh a person down, but it can be less burdening if you forgive yourself. These things happened; it's unfortunate, but we cannot change it. You must learn to forgive and let go of your guilt. Learn from it so that you may prevent another incident like that from happening."

Naruto took in a deep breath and exhaled as his guilt seemed to wash away and the disappointed faces of the people he failed turned into looks of forgiveness and content.

"Very good, Naruto. Your Water Chakra is now open. Now, we move back up to the outside. The next Chakra will take place as the sun rises."

Naruto nodded and the two shinobi followed after the guru. Aang, who was in the area thinking over his final Chakra, decided to follow. He may not have appreciated Naruto belittling him and the other Avatars before him, but he had a feeling that watching Naruto go through the Seven Chakras would help him in his decision.

Fire Nation War Council

Ozai sat in his throne overlooking his many generals and other ranking officials. A table-sized map of the world was centered between all of them as they discussed ways to end the war.

Many men suggested trying to break through Ba-Sing Sei once again, but they were shot down by other officials stating it was a lost cause after the drill's failure. Ozai perked up as one general made a suggestion.

"Perhaps if we used out special project, Ba-Sing Sei could still be obtainable."

This got murmurs throughout the room; some of agreement and others of confusion due to being out of the loop in regards to the special project.

Ozai cleared his throat, gaining immediate attention, and stood up. He stepped onto the map and spoke, "The project is still in its testing phase. However, our engineers believe that they have made a breakthrough in regards to completing it. However, there is another pressing matter to think about; Uzumaki and his student." Quiet murmurs filled the room as Ozai continued. "We have to figure out a way to prevent him from hindering our actions. He is practically a god among men, but he must have a weakness."

"And what do you propose this weakness is, Sire?"

Ozai grinned darkly and said two words.

"His student…"

Eastern Air Temple

Mai tensed slightly and looked to the horizon with her eyes narrowed. Naruto stepped up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You alright?"

She shook her head unsurely. "I don't know… I can't help but get this feeling that something is going to happen…and soon."

Naruto looked to the horizon she was gazing towards and narrowed his own eyes. Whatever happens, we'll get through it Mai." She nodded and the two approached Pathik who was waiting patiently for them.

Once Naruto was ready, the guru said, "The third Chakra is the Fire Chakra, located in the stomach. It deals with Willpower, and is blocked by Shame. Tell me: what are you most ashamed of, Naruto."

Naruto looked through his memories for his most shameful moments, but only one truly came to mind. "I failed to stop my lost friend from falling into darkness… Sasuke wouldn't listen to me, and I failed to bring him home. It was the first promise I ever failed to fulfill."

Mai listened to him with a look of sadness as he mentioned the man who tried many times to kill him. The bond they had must have been strong for Naruto to still be feeling ashamed over it.

Aang also listened with a sad face. He knew Naruto was cynical, and very blunt with how the world acts. However, he had no idea what the Uzumaki had been through, or how his past easily justified his feelings toward the world.

Pathik smiled sadly at his newest Spirit Traveler. "Broken promises are always hard to get through; especially if it was you who broke them. However, think over your life, Naruto. Your will to save him never faltered until the truth was thrust upon you. Your Willpower is already very strong. Not to mention keeping the will to live after being forced to live alone in a world filled with chaos while you were its only peacekeeper. You opened this Chakra a long time ago, but never got the chance to experience it until now."

Naruto smiled gratefully to the guru and nodded. "Yea… I never gave up on him until I finally realized that he was too far gone. I also resolved myself to be the one to bring an end to his darkness while protecting my own people. Thank you, Pathik."

The guru waved a dismissive hand with a smile as he led the group to an area with many statues of various Air Monks. When Naruto seated himself and motioned that he was ready, Pathik looked to the sunrise-colored sky and smiled. "The fourth Chakra is the Air Chakra, located in the heart. It deals with Love, but is blocked by Grief. What do you grieve about, Naruto?"

Naruto closed his eyes and found himself sitting on top of the Hokage Monument of Konoha. The village held no buildings and was filled with many trees that reached to the skies. On top of each tree was a different person, ranging from old friends, to surrogate family members, and finally to his parents, godparents, and Gaara on the five highest trees. He smiled at the sight of them looking to him with warm gazes, but his smile fell into a look of grief as the people faded into nothingness, leaving nothing more than empty treetops.

Outside of his mind, Naruto had tears flowing down his closed eyes while his teeth were gritted and his fists were clenched. "Your grief is indeed great," Pathik said with a regretful tone. This Chakra was always the hardest for people to get through due to having to remember all of the people that they had lost. "However, Love is a form of energy. The people you lost…their Love has not left this world. It is still inside of your heart…and reformed…"

In Naruto's mind, the wind picked up around the forested village and two people appeared in a small gust right next to him. Grief filled blue eyes fell upon a pair yellow eyes and a blue-yellow pair.

Mai smiled lovingly to him as his daughter looked to him with happiness and love. They slowly approached him and hugged him at the same time, bringing a smile to his tearful face as he returned the embrace.

Back outside of his mind, Naruto smiled as the tears from his eyes changed from grief to happiness. As he wiped them, Pathik smiled and said, "Very good… You have opened your Air Chakra."

Naruto nodded and turned to Mai, who looked to him in slight worry before she smiled. He approached her and pulled her into a warm embrace before his lips met hers. Her eyes widened in surprise before she quickly began returning the kiss and wrapped her arms around him.

When they separated, he looked to her with a caring smile and stated, "I know I never said this to you, but…I love you, Mai."

Her eyes grew teary as she hugged him and buried her face into his chest. "I love you too," she whispered.

Aang couldn't help but smile at the scene while Pathik chuckled warmly. "Well, shall we move on to the next Chakra?"

Hera

"So, what are your plans now?" asked Ursa to her two children, Iroh, and Ty Lee.

"Right now, we're waiting for Naruto to finish with whatever he and Mai are doing," Zuko answered.

Azula sighed and leaned her chair against the wall behind her. "Which we have no idea when that will be…" she grumbled, making Ursa chuckle good naturedly. Azula gained a small smile at that. Seeing her mother again – seeing her look at her with eyes full of love and not of demand, hate, or fear – was the happiest she had felt in such a long time. She was glad that she took up Naruto on his offer.

Flashback

She was seated in Naruto's Kamui Realm, thinking over his offer. The only memories she had of her mother – that she could recall – were of her fussing over Zuko and leaving her with her friends. It made her jealous of Zuko for having all of Ursa's attention while the only parental figure she could always rely on was her father.

However, now that she thought about it, her father never talked to her like a daughter. He treated her like any other of his subjects; demanding respect, giving little attention, and only showing interest when it either intrigued him or he saw some gain in it.

Was everything she believed to be good in life a lie? She wasn't sure, but her memories sure as hell didn't dissuade that line of thought.

She sighed before she looked up to the dark void that made up the realm's "sky" and called out, "Uzumaki, I've made my decision!"

It didn't take too long for the blonde to appear in a temporal swirl with his arms crossed and a neutral look on his whiskered face. "And your decision is…?"

She took a breath before nodding. "I'll join you, if only to finally be able to get answers and try to find my mother."

The Uzumaki smiled to her as his red eye looked intently at her. "I promise that you won't regret this, Azula."

The next thing she knew, she was in a fancy room inside a house in Ba-Sing Sei with Naruto and Mai next to her. Azula turned to them and actually gave Mai a real smile. "It's good to see you again, Mai."

The Nara descendant nodded and gave a small smile back. "Glad to have you back, Azula."

End Flashback

'You were right, Uzumaki; I don't regret this at all,' thought the Fire Princess as she and her mother finally had a chance to bond after so long.

Eastern Air Temple

"The fifth Chakra is the Sound Chakra, located in the throat. It deals with Truth, but is blocked by Lies; the ones we tell ourselves. What have you led yourself to believe, Naruto?" Pathik asked as the group sat in a small garden with a pond between the guru and the sage.

Naruto searched his mind for what he fooled himself into believing and frowned. "I always thought that people could change, if given the chance… I thought that every person could escape their own grief… But I was wrong. Sasuke, Obito, and even Madara… All three of them were beyond saving. Sasuke couldn't get over how his people were betrayed, Obito wouldn't let go of the idea of 'peace under subjugation', and Madara just wanted to watch the world burn…"

"Sometimes…the truth is much harder to accept than the lies we tell ourselves. But, we cannot lie to ourselves forever. Sooner or later, we have to open our eyes to the cold reality that is the real world and wake up from the dream world we wish to live in. You have done so by admitting that you can't save or change everyone and have successfully opened your Sound Chakra. Well done, Naruto."

The blonde nodded in thanks as he and the other two followed Pathik to the Avatar Sanctuary of the Air Temple. Seated amongst the many statues of past Avatars, Naruto couldn't help but feel impressed at the aura of the room. It had a sense of pride and accomplishment, but also had an undertone of shame or regret; the last two representing the Avatars that believed they had failed the world.

"The sixth Chakra in the Spiritual Chain is the Light Chakra, located in the forehead. It deals with Insight, but Illusion blinds us from it. The greatest Illusion of this world… What do you believe it is, Naruto?"

Naruto raised a brow at the question before he went over the actions of the world in the past. The people fought for their respective 'homes' or 'pride', but they all failed to realize one thing.

"We live separately, but in actuality we are all one great nation," answered the blonde, making Pathik nod with a smile.

"Correct. We live as though divided, but we are in fact one and the same. Even the separated elements are an illusion. We take pride in our respective 'natural' element, but people fail to see that all elements in the world are our natural element."

"I get it…" Naruto said before he chuckled. "I'm living it now with the five elements flowing through me for my personal use."

Pathik nodded again and declared, "That is six Chakras down. Now, for your seventh and final one. I want you and Aang to meet me on the roof when the stars are out. That is the best time for this Chakra."

Both Sage and Avatar nodded as they all waited for the day to end. Aang spent this time meditating over whether or not to accept letting go of Katara or not.

As for Naruto and Mai?

The Nara descendant – with a blush that nearly matched Hinata's – asked the man she loved to share a most sacred act with her; making love. At first, Naruto was apprehensive sense he didn't want Mai to believe that she had to go through with the idea right away. But, she told him that she truly wanted to be with him, fully and completely. She wanted to become one with him and show him how much he meant to her. The time they had together would never be forgotten by them (1).

By the time it was night, the group of four were seated on the rooftop underneath the starry sky. Mai was practically glowing and couldn't stop blushing when she looked to the man she gave her most sacred possession to. Naruto felt happier than he had in a long time and couldn't help but smile at the memory of his time with Mai. While Aang was lost on what their expressions meant, Pathik knew and was happy for the new couple.

"Before we begin," he said before he turned to the Avatar, "have you reached your decision, Aang?"

The young monk sighed as he thought over the choice before him. It hurt – it really did – but he nodded and declared, "I'll do whatever it takes." He then entered a meditative pose and concentrated on his inner spiritual energy. To Aang, it felt like hours, but the others only waited for about five minutes before Aang's tattoos shone a bright white along with his eyes and Pathik smiled at him.

When the light died down, the guru stated, "You did well, Aang. Your Seven Chakras are now open and the Avatar State is yours to call upon at will. Congratulations." The monk nodded with a smile before he moved to sit away from Naruto so that the blonde could be the main focus. "Alright Naruto, are you ready?" At his nod, Pathik stated, "The final Chakra is the Thought Chakra, located on the crown of the head. It deals with Pure Cosmic Energy, but your Earthly Attachments keep you from achieving it. Think of what ties you to this world, Naruto."

The blonde didn't have to concentrate long for this one. It was obvious that Mai was his attachment, but then the fact that she was his spiritual block came and smacked him in the face.

"I have to let her go, don't I?" he asked the guru, who nodded with a serious face.

"Yes, you do. She keeps you rooted here, and the only way to enlighten your spirit is to let her go."

Naruto looked to the woman he had just shared a wonderful moment with and she looked him dead in the eye. Crystal blue met piercing amber as the two conveyed a silent message to one another. It wasn't until Mai actually smiled to him that he figured it out.

"I get it… She holds me here physically, but that doesn't mean that I won't see her again," Naruto said in realization, which made Pathik smile at the Uzumaki finding out the answer.

"That is correct. We may lose our loved ones physically, but the ones who love us never really leave us. You have discovered the answer, Naruto. Now, you just need to let the Pure Cosmic Energy flow through you."

Naruto nodded and entered his mind by focusing on his seventh Chakra. He found himself standing on a winding trail of pure purple energy with a silhouette of himself holding a swirling mass of power in its hand; much like how he holds a Rasengan. He stepped into the energy and let it fill him completely, refilling the feeling of his chakra flowing through his body. Suddenly, the energy began to move towards his natural eye as two wisps of bright blue energy appeared.

The wisps formed into his late parents who both smiled to him proudly. "Naruto," they spoke simultaneously, "we give to you," the energy began to enter his blue eye, "our Will of Fire!"

Their energy mixed with the energy entering his eye and Naruto felt it surge inside of him. Power unlike anything he had felt before filled him and his mind was engulfed in a flash of light.

On the outside, Naruto's chakra surged and swirled around him, whipping up the wind and slowly cracking the rooftop he sat on top of. The others used their arms to shield their eyes as they saw the chakra slowly converge into a single strand and go into his left eye. As soon as it was fully engulfed into the eye, a burst of pure force pushed out and nearly knocked them all away had they not braced themselves for it.

Finally, the Uzumaki opened his eyes and Mai gasped at the sight of a Sharingan in the right eye while the left held an eye that was a pale purple with concentric black rings that seemed to ripple around the single dot-like pupil.

Pathik smiled at the sight and merely murmured, "It is done…"

(End)

1~ I still don't know if the Anti-Lemon rule is in effect. So, I'll leave it like this until I know for sure! When I do know, I'll fix it! ^_^

And that was chapter seventeen! I hope that I did well with the Spiritual Chakra Journery! I also hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter and the future chapters to come! If you have any questions or concerns, PM me!

Now please: Review! Review! Review!

Next Time: The approaching Eclipse has plans being made! What are these plans?! Stay Tuned!

Oh by the way, I have a poll up, so please vote! It involves a possible future story! Thanks guys!

-pain17ification