Uzumaki's Wrath
Chapter 14
Currently, Sokka was drawing. Why and what you may ask. Well, he was trying to make lost Appa posters so that they could find their big furry friend a lot sooner. However, his drawings were rather…..childish. He absolutely no artistic talent in drawing.
Next to him, Toph was lounging about, 'staring' at the ceiling. Kyuubi was next to her, sleeping in his fox form. Naruto was on the other side of her, sleeping out of boredom.
Aang and Katara were not there because they went out to find a copier so that they did not have to draw all the posters like Sokka was stupidly doing. Surprisingly, Jin knew someone and took them to her friend.
"Jin was right, we found the printer to make our posters!" Katara said when her, Jin, and Aang returned home with smiles on their faces. She then showed Sokka the poster that they had made. Let's just say it was waaaaay better than anything Sokka had.
"Hey, I thought designing the Lost Appa poster was my job." Sokka complained before he showed them his pictures. "I have been working all day on my Appa."
Katara looked about to ready to laugh while Aang said, "Sokka the arrow is on Appa's head!"
"This is his head!" Sokka defended himself.
"Why are feet coming out of it?" Katara asked when she took the picture away from him to get a better look.
"Those are his horns!" Sokka cried as he snatched the paper back before sighing, "I haven't seen him in a while, ok."
"It looks just like him to me!" Toph said. Naruto, who had woken up when the three got there, smiled.
"Thank you I worked really-" Sokka then realized that he was talking to a blind person. "Why do you find the need to do that?" Toph just smirked.
"Ha!" Kyuubi laughed, "because is funny!"
You do have to admit that is a bit funny." Jin replied as the small fix jump into her hair.
"Let's just stick with the professional version." Katara offered, which made Sokka rip up the one in his hands.
"Come on! Let's get busy!" Aang shouted excitedly as he handed them out to all his friends. Naruto just chuckled at the bald kid's enthusiasm, not that he could blame though. He also wanted to see the big fur ball.
The next moment, they saw Aang and Momo high in the air, dropping the fliers all over Ba Sing Se. "He sure is happy." Naruto said to himself with a smile as he did it the old fashioned way.
XXX
Iroh had just finished serving a few of high class looking men and was about to go refill his tea pot when they called out to him.
"So you're the genius behind this incredible brew!" one of the men said, obvious the richest one, as indicated by his jewelry and the two men flanking him. "The whole city is buzzing about you! I hope Pou pays you well."
"Good tea is its own reward." Iroh smiled.
"But, it doesn't have to be the only reward." The man said with a smirk. "How would you like to have your own tea shop?"
"M-my own tea shop!" Iroh stammered out in shock before he smiled. "This is a dream come true!"
"What's going on here?" a man said as he quickly got between them. He was rather weak looking. This man was Pou, Iroh's boss. "Are you trying to poach my tea maker!"
"Sorry pal, but that's business for you, am I right." The wealthy man replied.
"Mushi, if you stay, I'll make you Assistant Manager!" Pou said, hoping to get Iroh to stay and was getting desperate. "Wait! Senior Assistant Manager!"
"I'll provide you a new apartment in the Upper Ring. The Tea Shop is yours to do whatever you want. Complete creative freedom." The rich man said slyly.
"I even get to name the shop?" Iroh asked.
"Of course!" The man said and Pou tried one more time with some ridicules sounding title, but it failed. Iroh gave his old boss the tea pot and smiled to the rich man.
Iroh turned to Zuko, who was slowly serving tables, and said, "Did you hear Nephew? This man wants to give us our own tea shop in the Upper Ring of the city!"
"That's right young man. Your life is about to change for the better."
"I'll try to contain my joy." Zuko rasped out dryly as he put the tea tray on a table and walked out of the tea shop. I really don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Zuko thought as he leaned against the building. Then a few flier fell down from the sky. His eyes widened when he saw that it was Appa on the piece of paper.
Looking up, he didn't see anyone, but that didn't stop him from looking. In the Avatar was here, then he need to complete his mission. To get a better view, he climbed one of the buildings, but found no trace of the bald kid anywhere!
However, he found someone else. Naruto was also on the building looking at him with a serious expression. "Looking for someone?"
"Yes! "The avatar is here! My mission is to take him to my father to regain my honor." Zuko declared.
"Right, Ty Lee told me about your problem." Naruto said with a frown. "And I am sorry for what happened. But." The blond then turned so that his back was turned to him, showing Zuko the wording on his coat. "I maybe not hate you for being Fire Nation, but I will stop you if I must." With that, Naruto leapt of the roof and to the next building with ease before he disappeared in another leafy body flicker.
Zuko had a pale but shocked face. "N-naruto is the GOLDEN FOX!"
XXX
The group, after posting up the few fliers that Aang left, were currently back at the apartment. Sokka and Katara were playing some odd card game, Jin and Kyuubi were watcjing with some interest, Naruto was leaning against the wall in thought with a frown on his face and Toph as lounging on the floor, bouncing a rubber ball off the wall. She wanted to her blond boyfriend what was wrong, but before she could, Aang came barging in the room, breaking him out of it.
"I just finished delivering all the leaflets. Has anyone come in with news about Appa?" Aang asked.
"It has only been a day, just be patient." Katara replied.
Aang seemed down about that and sat down to watch the game. Naruto raised an eyebrow at that. "Did you really think someone, in just a few short hours, would suddenly appear at the door with the big guy?"
There was a knock at the door, making everyone blink. "Does that answer your question?' Kyuubi countered smugly, Naruto just sent him a glare.
"Wow, I guess patience really does pay off!" Aang said cheerfully, making the group roll their eyes. Aang quickly opened to the door to find someone they thought they would never see again. Their Joo Dee. Not the fake that had to deal with. "Joo Dee?"
"Hello Aang and Katara and Sokka and Toph and Naruto." She replied annoyingly like usual.
"What happened to you? Did the Dai Li through you in jail?" Sokka asked.
"What? Jail? Of course not." She said waving it off. The Dai Li are the protectors of our cultural heritage.
"But you disappeared at the Earth King's party." Toph pointed out.
"Oh I simply took a short vacation to Lake Laogai, to the country. It was quite relaxing." Joo Dee replied with her fake smile.
"Odd place to take a vacation." Naruto said with a frown. He had been there once, and no one ever was there when he was.
"Oh, it is a good place to relax." Joo Dee replied.
"But then they replaced you with some other woman who also said she was Joo Dee." Katara explained.
"What? I am Joo Dee." She replied with her fake smile once more. Something was not right.
Aang seemed to not care anymore and asked, "Why are you here?"
The woman pulled out one of their fliers and said, "Dropping fliers and putting up posters isn't permitted in the city. Not without proper clearance." She said, making Naruto groan in annoyance.
"But we can't wait around without getting permission for everything." Sokka stated.
"You are absolutely forbidden in putting up posters." Joo Dee said in her creepy way that ticked them off.
Aang glared at her and his face went red. "WE DON"T CARE ABOUT YOUR STUPID RULES AND WE ARE NOT ASKING PERMISSON! WE ARE FINDING APPA ON OUR OWN AND YOU CAN JUST STAY OUT OF OUR WAY!" He screamed at her, making the woman inch out of the house in fear before Aang slammed the door in her face.
"that might come back to bit us in the blubber." Sokka pointed out.
"Who cares!" Kyuubi cheered. "That was awesome!"
"I agree. Those rules were really getting to me and if Aang hadn't said anything, I would have." Naruto said with a smirk.
"I am with you on that!" Toph cheered while Katara smiled, thinking the same.
"I don't care!" Aang said, "From now on, we do whatever it takes to find Appa!"
"YEAH! Let's break some rules!" Toph cheered before she used her earth bending to blast a corner of the house apart.
"Oh this should be fun." Naruto said with a smile. He so loved to break rules because he hated this annoying city! He was better off in the country.
As they walked out to do their own search, they didn't notice the two Dai Li agents watching them.
XXX
"I am very disappointed in your work with the Avatar and his friends, Joo Dee.' Long Feng said as he stared down the woman. "I had hoped you would be able to control this situation.
"I am so sorry, but they don't trust me anymore. I don't think I can keep working like this." Joo Dee said, looking ready to cry.
"Joo Dee, the Earth King has invited you Lake Laogai." Long said with an echoing voice.
The woman's eyes dilated and she replied in a flat monotone, "I am honored to accept his invitation."
"Good." Long said with a smile and nod. "Now go await further orders." She bowed and left.
"If the Avatar keeps searching for his bison, it could upset the delicate balance we've worked so hard to achieve in this city. It could even cost us control of the Earth King." Long said loud to his soldiers by the door.
"Should we take care of them?" one of them asked.
"No, it is much too dangerous to confront him directly, especially with the Golden Fox and his odd friends around." Long said as he stared into the green fire in his fire place while holding a scroll. "Let's handle this….quietly."
XXX
Zuko calmly walked into his and his uncle's old apartment as calmly as he could. "So I was thinking about names for my new tea shop. How about the Jasmine Dragon! It's dramatic, poetic, has a nice ring to it."
Zuko ignored that and held out the flier he had in his clothes. "The Avatar is here in Ba Sing Se and he has lost his Bison. OH AND NARUTO IS THE FUCKING GOLDEN FOX!"
Iroh took the paper and sighed, "We have a chance for a new life here. If you start stirring up trouble, we could lose all the good things that are happening for us."
"Good things that are happening for you!" Zuko rounded on the old man. "Have you ever though that I want more from life than a nice apartment and a job serving tea!"
"There is nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity." Iroh said. "I suggest you think about what it is that you want from your life and why."
"I want my destiny."
"What that means is up to you." Iroh said as Zuko began to walk into his room. He then got another idea. "The Tea Wemal! No, that's stupid!"
"Uncle, you didn't seem surprised that Naruto was the Golden Fox." Zuko said quietly.
"Oh, I met him a few days ago. I was surprised at first and then I just accepted it. He is only doing what he thinks is right." Iroh commented.
"By killing off Fire Nation troops like it is nothing!"
Iroh sighed, "I guess you don't know the story of why he is like that." At Zuko's confused look, Iroh began the tale Naruto had told him.
XXX
The gang was once again putting up more posters and no one seemed to care that much. "We'll split up to cover more area. Toph I guess you should come with me and Naruto."
"Why? Because you don't think I can put up posters on my own?" Toph argued before she grabbed a paste brush from his hand along with a flier and put it on the wall. It was on backwards. At the eerily quiet response, she asked, "It's on upside down, isn't it? I'll just go with you two then."
Kyuubi smirked and as he and Jin walked away. "I don't know if I should be the one talking, but her pride does get the best of her sometimes."
"Well, I think it is cute." Jin replied with a smile.
XXX
Katara was putting up posters near a well when she heard a familiar voice. "Katara?" There, walking up to her in his freedom fighter armor, was Jet. "I think I can help you."
A glare made its way on to her face. She was still very angry him after what he tried to do with that village. So she bent the nearby water and sent in a crash wave towards the boy.
"Katara I changed!" He said hurriedly, very afraid.
"Tell to some other girl, Jet!" She growled as she sent ice at him.
He blocked them all with his Chinese hook swords and said, 'Katara, I don't want to fight you! I am here to help!" before he dropped his swords, however, he smirked as he reached for something in his pocket. Katara reacted by creating more ice to pin hi to a wall.
A few moments later, she heard her brother and her other friends. "Katara, what's wrong?" Her brother asked.
"Jet's back." She replied in annoyed tone. "We can't trust anything Jet says."
"But we don't even know why he is here." Sokka argued.
"I don't care why he is here, whatever the reason he is, it can't be good!" Katara shouted.
"I am here to help you find Appa!' Jet said as he revealed the thing he was grabbing at was his poster. He then saw Naruto in the group and his eyes widened.
"Katara, we have to give him a chance." Aang said, even though he did not like the boy, Jet did have a lead, which is more than what they had at the moment.
"I swear I have changed!" Jet said, "I was a troubled person and let my anger get out of control, but I don't even have the gang now! I put all that behind me."
Something is not right here. He told me that his anger drives him and that he couldn't get rid of it. So how did this even happen? Naruto thought with narrowed eyes. Did he run into the Dai Li….could they really be responsible for Jet's none anger?
"He's lying!" Katara shouted.
Toph walked past her and put a hand on the wall next to him, checking his vibrations. "He's not lying."
"How can you tell?" Sokka asked.
"I can feel his breathing and heartbeat. When people lie there's a physical reaction. He's telling the truth." Toph said.
"Katara, we don't have any leads." Aang pleaded with his friend. "If Jet says he can take us to Appa, we have to check it out."
The water tribe girl sighed. "Alright." She then glared and pointed at Jet. "But we are not letting you out of our sight." She then pointed again to prove her point.
"Don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on him." Naruto said as he pulled out the ice spikes pinning him to the wall.
Jet looked grateful before his face turned into one of curiosity as he stared at the blond. "So Naruto." He began as they started walking, catching everyone's attention, because they never said his name. "How did you end up with the Avatar of all people?"
Naruto chuckled, "Remember that girl I used to talk about?"
"Yeah."
"Well I found her traveling with the Avatar while also teaching him. So I decided to join and teach the kid some earth bending as well." Naruto replied.
Jet winced at that. "Man, I feel sorry for him then."
"Why?" Aang asked.
"Who do you think taught me how to use these swords?" Jet replied. That made the group widen their eyes. "Still, he is way better than me and he training was almost sadistic." That made Aang silently agree.
"Oh, want me to give you more training?" Naruto asked nonchalantly.
"NO!" Jet shouted in panic before he asked, "So who was your friend?"
"Me and I am now one of his girlfriends." Toph said.
It took a moment for the words to register in Jet's mind. "Girlfriends? As in more than one?"
"Yes," Naruto asked while scratching his nose. "Ty Lee, who is not here right now and Katara. Speaking of her, I told you that if you pissed of the wrong girl one day, that you would regret it."
"Got that right." Katara mumbled while Sokka chuckled at that.
"Yeah….I did mess up." Jet said with shame in his voice.
"Well, here is your chance to redeem yourself." Naruto said before Katara rounded on him.
"How did you even meet Jet?"
"Well I came across them one day and told them who I was. They were a small group of kids that wanted to play hero. I listen to what they had to say and declined their offer of joining their 'freedom fighter' because I say they did take it too far on occasion. However, I saw that their skills were lacking and taught them how to fight." Naruto said.
"Dang, must have been rough." Sokka said, 'I mean, he is teaching me how to use chakra and I agree he is pretty crazy."
"What was that?" Naruto asked with a menacing face.
"Nothing!" Sokka got out, scared out of his wits.
"Good boy." Naruto said, "Now Jet, lead us."
XXX
"This is the place I heard about." Jet said as they walked into a huge barn like place, but there was no Appa.
"There's nothing here." Aang replied as the others spread out.
"Something is not right about this." Naruto said with narrowed eyes. He had learned how to sense any type of energy and felt small traces of Appa….hell certain parts of the city had some residual energy of the big guy. He was here…recently.
"If this is a trap!" Katara threatened, getting ready to water bend from her water pouch.
"I told you I work nearby!" Jet defended himself. "Two guys were talking about this giant furry creature they had. I figured it must be Appa.
"He was here!" Toph said, making the others run over to the girl, who had a patch of his fur in her hands.
"We missed him." Aang said as he held the fur.
"Then I am not going crazy." Naruto replied. "I felt some of his energy here and around town. It would explain the giant foot print that Kyuubi and Momo found the other day." Aang heard about that, put didn't know how to interpret that. He was just happy his friends found some clues.
"They took that thing yesterday." An old man said as he swept the floor. "Shipped him out to some island." By this time, the whole gang was listening intently to the old man's words. The old guy seemed very tired to them. "About time. I am been cleaning up fur and various…leavings all day."
"What island? Where's Appa!" Aang asked excitedly.
"Forman said some rich royal type on Wale Tail Island bought him up. Guess for a zoo or such. Could be the meat would be good." That last statement made them shiver a bit.
"We have got to get to whale tail island!" Aang said before he put on a dead panned look. "Where's Whale Tail Island."
"Far. Very far." Sokka replied sadly as he looked at his map. He show them the spot on the map and said, "Here, it near the South Pole, almost all the way back home."
"Aang with will take us weeks just to get to the tip of the Earth Kingdom. And then we'll need to find a boat to get to the island." Katara explained.
"Not to mention we'll be going back through the desert for the quickest way there.' Naruto commented.
"I don't care!" Aang said, "We have a chance to find Appa, we have to try!"
"Sounds fine to me." Naruto said, ready to get the hell out of this city.
"Must be nice to go to an island." The old man said as he swept, clearly he was old and alone. "I haven't had a vacation for years!"
"Don't you have some more hair to clean up?" Katara asked rudely, annoyed by the man's ramblings.
The man sighed as he understood. "Shuffle on, I get ya. No more need for old sweepy."
"You're right Aang. Our first concern is to find Appa." Katara replied after the old man was gone. "We can come back when we have him."
"Alright, let's get moving." Sokka said.
"Wait, I'll come with you." Jet called after them
"We don't need your help." Katara spat.
"Why won't you trust me?" Jet asked before he left with the other boys.
"Gee, I wonder." Katara grumbled to herself.
"Was this guy your boyfriend or something?" Toph asked with a smirk.
"What! NO!"
"I can tell you're lying?" Toph said in a sing song voice. "But, it would seem that Naruto does not have any competition with him….which is fine with me!" Katara then ran to catch up with the others, making Toph snicker.
XXX
"We can take the train out to the wall, but then we'll have to walk." Sokka replied.
"Don't worry, on the way back, we'll be flying!" Aang said cheerfully.
"Right, if we are going to be walking the rest of the way, I suggest I call in my jinchiriki friends, for just in case." Naruto suggested, which man the group feel safer, however, Jet had no clue what he was talking about.
"We are finally leaving Ba Sing Se!" Toph cheered while throwing her arms up in the air. "Worst city ever!"
"I agree. Out there, we won't have rules!" Naruto cheered as he grabbed the girl and spun around with her, both of them laughing happily. Katara looked at them with a bit of jealousy….Naruto had not done that with her yet.
"JET!" a voice called out in shock. It was Smeller Bee, who was also shocked to see Naruto in the group as well.
Jet stopped in shock while Katara glared, "I thought you said you didn't have your gang anymore."
"I-I don't!" Jet said, too shocked to hug the girl back.
"I was so worried!" Smeller Bee exclaimed. "How did you get away from the Dai Li!"
"The Dai Li?" Katara shouted in fear and shock.
"That would explain a few things." Naruto mumbled under his breath, trying to figure this out.
"I don't know what she is talking about." Jet said, a bit confused.
"He got arrested by the Dai Li a couple of weeks ago." Smeller Bee explained. "We saw them drag him away!"
"Why would I be arrested? I have been living peacefully in the city!"
"This doesn't make any sense." Toph said as she felt the ground between them. 'They're both telling the truth."
"That's impossible!" Katara shouted.
"No it is not. Toph can't tell who is lying because they both thing they are telling the truth." Sokka replied. "Jet's been brain washed!"
"Or it is a form of hypnotism." Naruto offered with a frown. "I wouldn't put it past the Dai Li to do that."
"That's crazy! It can't be!" Jet shouted, getting freaked out. "Stay away from me!" He shouted as they all converged on him.
XXX
And there we go, another chapter out. One step closer in finding Appa! According to the polls, you all want Ty Lee to leave with Naruto and the gang at the end of the Earth book. I can work with that since Jin is coming too.
Review!