Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Last Airbender.
Bodyguard of Azula
Chapter 47: Going Away and Returning
"Talking"
"Thinking"
"Bijū/spirit talking"
"Bijū/spirit thinking"
(Location: Ba Sing Se)
Naruto walked into the Jasmine Dragon, tired. Luckily, most of Team Avatar was still in the meeting with the Earth King and the colony leaders. "Kami, that was exhausting," he said as he all but collapsed into a chair at a table.
"What's the matter? You went on a walk," Jiraiya said from the next table.
"Somehow, the Fangirls have found out where I am. As far as I can tell, they are now migrating towards Ba Sing Se."
"Ooh, my sympathies," he replied, wincing. He knew how bad that could be for the blonde, having gone through something similar when he was younger.
"Looks like I'll either need to hide or get out of the city before the rest of them get here," the Fire Paragon said, mostly to himself. That would be something he would not look forward to.
"Well, there is always the agreement we have."
He frowned when he heard those words. "Hey, we agreed that only came into effect when the work here was done." And the work was certainly not done. There was still a lot of things to do.
"It's been a month, gaki," Jiraiya told him. "You've helped tremendously with laying the foundations for this new country, but now the others have taken the lead. If there was ever a time to go, it would be now."
"And how do you expect me to tell them that? Just leave a note on the table that they'll find the next morning?" He knew full well that Azula would hunt him down if he tried to do something like that.
"You're not listening, Naruto. I didn't say you couldn't tell them."
"Look, can we talk about something else, please?" He was exhausted and didn't want to have this conversation like this.
"Alright then, let's talk about your book."
"What about it?" He had given his book to the old shinobi so he could look over what he was writing and see what he was doing wrong.
"The way you write, it's stiff."
"What do you mean?"
"You write like everyone has to be directed in what they're doing," the Toad Sage explained. "You don't need to do that. Try writing more loosely. Don't write about everything single thing they do. Only write the actions that seem important or necessary. More importantly, when writing a novel, you're showing the reader the sequence of events through descriptions, not telling the reader upright said sequence of events."
He paid attention. Jiraiya might've been a Super Pervert, but he was a successful writer. "I see. Is there anything else?"
"Well, you need to do a better job on fleshing out your characters. They are a little one-sided. Try to do some research to help with that."
"What do you mean, research?"
"Study people, use a characteristic from one person and then another characteristic from a second person and put them in the character you think needs. Like the shape of the hair from one woman and the color of hair from another."
"You know, it figures you'd use women as an example."
Jiraiya glared at him. "We can always have a spar. Are you feeling up to it?"
"Not without backup I'm not," he replied instantly. He had learned that lesson fast during that month.
"We can always get you backup."
"And we both know that the only two who can help me fight you are in a summit right now."
"I think we can make an exception."
"If the two of you are going to spar, please do it outside of my shop," Iroh called from the kitchen. "I don't want to renovate this early in its life." They both decided to not tempt the Dragon of the West.
The door to the teashop opened. "We're back!" Aang called out as he and the rest of the team walked in.
"So, we heard," Naruto replied, looking back at them. "How did the summit go?"
"Pretty well, actually," Sokka said as he sat down next to the blonde. "That was smart of you to bring in people from the colonies, Naruto."
"Well, we are discussing their colonies," he said with a shrug. "It's only fair they get a voice."
"But why didn't you join the summit?" Katara asked him. He had brought in the colonists and that was it.
"You guys have it under control. You really don't need me anymore."
"Don't sound like that, Naruto," Zuko told him. "You're making it sound like we're getting rid of you once you've outlived your usefulness."
"Look, all I had given was the idea and where the borders should've been. The rest of you guys, as well as the Earth King and the colony leaders, can take care of it."
"So, what will you do?"
Again, he shrugged. "Probably finish my book."
"That'll take some time." Jiraiya remarked.
"How would you know that?" Toph asked him.
"I am an author, and his writing still needs a little work. Actually, it needs a lot of work."
"Alright, alright, I get it," Naruto told him. "I'll work on the thing." He was planning on doing it anyway, not just leave it alone because he didn't like it anymore.
"Good to know."
Azula's eyes narrowed. Something was not being said. "What's going on, Naruto?" she asked.
He looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"You're hiding something from us." She challenged him with her eyes to say otherwise.
"…You know, there are days when I really hate the fact that you're quick on the draw," he said after a moment of silence.
She pounced on his admission. "Is this another one of your secrets?"
"No, it was more like a deal."
"What happened?" Sokka asked.
"You guys remember I told you that when we had just gotten into Konoha, Jiraiya and I made a deal?" They nodded. "Well, there was a little more to it…"
(Flashback)
"How would you like the chance to kill Orochimaru?" Jiraiya asked Naruto.
He lifted his head up and looked him straight in the eye. "Keep talking."
"It's very straight forward," the Toad Sage explained. "The Chūnin Exams are going to start in a few days, and we have leaked information that you'll be joining. Orochimaru has probably sent in a team under false allegiances. If you join, your first task will be to identify this team. Once that happens, events will occur to make sure only your team and they reach the final Exam. Once that is secured, on the day of the Final Exam, you will defeat them in a humiliating and possibly embarrassing way, forcing Orochimaru to show himself so he can fix his damaged ego. And then, you'll kill him."
Sounded simple enough, barring the execution part. But there had to be more to it. "And what do I get out of this?" the blonde asked.
"Once Orochimaru is dead, you and your group will be provided with a means of escape back to the Bending Countries. I will join your group so I can assist with the coming of Sozin's Comet and the aftermath."
"…What's the catch?"
"Why do you think there's a catch?" Jiraiya asked back.
"There's always a catch."
He chuckled with a proud smile. "You catch on quick, don't ya, gaki?"
"What's the catch?"
He turned serious again. "Once you're sure that the aftermath of the war is safely dealt with, you will be required to come back to Konoha and help us deal with the Akatsuki."
"…That's fair enough. Very well, we have a deal."
(End Flashback)
"So that's what has to happen," Naruto finished.
The looks they gave him felt longer in the silence. "…When do you have to leave?" Azula asked.
"He has the limit of one year," Jiraiya told her. "After that, he will have to go back whether the aftermath has been settled or not."
"But since it's been more or less settled, right now would probably be the best time for me to go back," Naruto added.
"Then I'll go with you," Sokka declared out of nowhere. Akela nodded in agreement.
"What? Sokka, what are you saying?" Katara asked her brother, staring at him in shock. She wasn't the only one who that look.
"Look, he's right. The entire thing with the colonies is well on its way. Most of the people working on this listen to the Earth King, Zuko, or Aang now."
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Sokka," Aang said. "People will still listen to you."
"Not really, I'm still not good at this kind of thing," he said in small protest. "Plus, people have a hard time taking me seriously."
"No, they don't."
"Yes, they do. I'm just a kid who helped you defeat the Phoenix King. If I was an adult, it might be different, but it's not. Besides, we Paragons gotta stick together, right?" he said with a goofy grin. Naruto nodded once in thanks at him.
"If that's true, then I'm coming too," Suki declared. "There's no way I'm letting the two of you go alone."
"We'll all go," Aang said.
"No," Naruto said, cutting off anyone who was about to agree with him. "You're staying here, along with Zuko and Katara."
"What?"
"Just because everything is going well, does not mean you can leave. You and Zuko are two of the figureheads on this. If you leave, people will think you've abandoned the entire plan."
"But that's what they may think if you guys leave too."
He shook his head. "No, they won't. When people hear or think of this plan, they think of you, Zuko, the Earth King, or the colony leaders."
"Then why would Katara stay?"
"Firstly: she'll help you prevent the fan club from turning into Fangirls." Everyone shuddered at the thought as it was something they didn't want. "Secondly: She and Toph will make sure you don't do anything stupid."
"Don't you have any trust in me?" Aang asked with a small look of hurt.
"Very little," he answered bluntly. "It'd be better if you didn't keep trying to do something stupid every five minutes."
"I am not that bad!" the Avatar protested.
"So you admit to doing stupid things?"
As he tried to protest again, Toph interrupted. "Don't worry about him, Naruto. Katara and I will keep an eye on him," she told the blonde.
"Good to know."
"So, when we do leave?" Azula asked, looking at her boyfriend.
"I beg your pardon?" he asked back, looking at her.
"Do you really think that I will let you go alone? I'm going, no arguments."
He looked at her and smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Are you sure about this, Azula?" Zuko asked her. "What about Mai and Ty Lee?"
"Ty Lee is still figuring out what a Kyoshi warrior is all about," she replied. "And Mai would rather be at your side then mine nowadays."
"You don't need to worry, Zuko," Naruto told him. "I'll keep her safe."
"You'd better. Otherwise, you will not enjoy the outcome."
"Great, now I've been threatened by your mother and your brother," he told Azula with an exasperated sigh.
"What can I say? They care."
"I've noticed." Everyone laughed at that. It gave them a sense of normalcy that they felt wasn't around. Ever since the war was over, they didn't go back to the old things, but instead broke new ground. They didn't know what normal felt like, except in these few moments.
"Alright people, that's enough," Jiraiya said. "I'm sure everyone has eaten already, so let's all go to bed. Tomorrow, we will leave for Konoha."
"So soon?" asked Katara.
"Sooner is better than later when it comes to this kind of thing," he told her. He knew from experience.
They could see his point. Aang's group said goodbye and left to go back to their house. Zuko, Iroh, and Jiraiya stayed up a little longer, playing Pai Sho. Azula would join in every few games but was mostly content to watch. Naruto sat against the window, looking over what he had written so far and making changes to it.
Eventually, they went to bed as well. While Zuko, Jiraiya, and Iroh went to their own rooms, Naruto and Azula shared a bed. They had been doing that since after the Comet. They hadn't gone any further than that, partly because Naruto refused to take it further.
"We have plenty of time," he told her. "We don't need to rush it." It was also because they didn't want to wake up the next morning and have Jiraiya grill them for details.
As they lay in the bed, Azula tried to go to sleep, but she just couldn't. "What's on your mind, Azula?" Naruto asked, noticing that she hadn't fallen asleep.
"…It's possible we'll die once when we go there, isn't it?" she asked.
"It's been possible that we'll die ever since we got involved in the war," he replied. He didn't want to think about the number of times the Shinigami almost had him every time he went into combat.
"I know that, but it seemed to be something that never bothered me. I always thought I was unbeatable, but after what happened in Kouzan and Ba Sing Se, I started to doubt that. If we're going there to fight against people those two men from Kouzan, we might die."
"Yeah, we might die."
"How can you be so casual about it?" she asked, rolling over on top of him. Their legs intertwined as they looked into the other's eyes.
"I'm not casual about it, I'm scared," he told her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I've been scared every time I have gone into a fight or a battlefield. There was always the chance that I might've died on one of those fields and that terrified me. But I knew that if I let my terror take control, I would end up dead."
"What are you saying?"
"If you feel afraid, accept that fact. Don't deny it. If you're scared that you might die fighting against the Akatsuki, don't let it consume you. Turn it into incentive to win."
"I'm not afraid of dying, Naruto." She lowered her head until she rested her forehead against his. "I'm scared of losing you."
"And I'm scared of you dying," he replied. "I guess that's further incentive for me to win."
She didn't reply. She just kissed him. It wasn't a hot or hungry kiss. It was a soft and tender one. He returned it. The two of them just enjoyed the moment. Her hands trailed downwards. He grabbed them when they tried to go past his waist. "No," he told her.
"You keep saying that and yet, I don't think he's completely complaining," she told him, moving her leg slightly and making him hiss in controlled frustration.
"Of course, he's not completely complaining," he growled slightly at her. "I have a completely naked girl in my bed. Even if I don't do anything, it's enough to get him half-awake."
"If you took off those shorts, I wouldn't be the only naked person in this bed," she said teasingly.
"I said no, Azula."
She gave an annoyed huff. "Why are you like this? I'd thought you would've jumped at the chance to have…this." She gestured at her body. She knew what she had, and she knew he knew as well. What she didn't understand was why he didn't try to have her already.
"We don't have to do it right away. Personally, I would like to take you on a couple of dates that don't end in disaster before we go there." The night of Zuko's coronation, he had taken her out on another date. It had gone well, until a Fangirl had spotted them. Within five minutes, every single Fangirl of his had converged on the restaurant. They ended up fleeing from the rooftops, with her hanging onto his back (which she considered a perk).
She laughed. "I guess you have a point." She lowered her head onto his chest. "Goodnight Naruto," she said, listening to his heartbeat in contentment.
"Goodnight Azula," he said back, wrapping one hand around the small of her back and the back of her head.
The next morning, Aang and the others had come back to the Jasmine Dragon. There, they all had a feast of a breakfast. Jokes were tossed around and a lot of laughing was happening. To the outsider, it looked like a happy breakfast for a group of friends. But those at the table knew differently. They knew it was possibly their last time of seeing each other, so they wanted to make it a good memory.
Once they were all done, they walked outside of the teashop. Everyone who was leaving had packed beforehand. Now family members were hugging each other goodbye.
"You take care, Sokka," Katara told him as she hugged him tightly.
"That I can do, Katara, providing I can be allowed to breathe," he replied.
"Oh, right. Sorry." She let go of him, albeit reluctantly. She was scared and nervous, as there was a good chance that she would never see her brother again.
"Don't worry," he told her, somehow seeing her fear. "We'll will be back."
"I'll see you around, Fire Lord Zuko," Azula told her brother, a slight teasing tone on the last three words. They were standing in their own little group, just slightly away from the others.
"I'll hold you to that promise," he replied, before turning his attention to her boyfriend, who was standing nearby. "Naruto…"
The blonde cut him off there. "I know, I know. Torture, pain, and suffering will occur if I let anything happen to her. No need worry, Zuko. It won't happen."
"Good. Because if it did…"
"I know. You'll make me regret it, etc. etc."
"Are we ready?" Jiraiya asked as he stood apart from them, the seal tag out and in his hand.
"As ready we'll be, I guess," Sokka said as he, Suki, Akela, Naruto, and Azula joined him.
"Well then, let's get—"
"Hold on," Toph interrupted him, getting everyone's attention. "We've got something coming straight towards us, something strong and fast."
"Where's it coming from?" Aang asked as they stood ready to defend themselves.
"It's coming down that street." She pointed off to the side. Within a few seconds, a familiar creature came out of the corner and barreled down the street.
"It's a Snuffly-Wuffly!" Naruto declared as the creature stopped in front of them, skidding the last few inches.
"No, that's a shirshu," Azula replied.
"Same difference."
"Naruto, stop insulting my Nyla," the shirshu's passenger told him, sounding vaguely annoyed with what he said.
"Hey, you're the one who called him that, June," he replied, looking up at the familiar bounty hunter.
"What are you doing here, June?" Zuko asked her, surprised to see her.
"I got into Ba Sing Se two days ago," she answered, hopping down from Nyla. "Last night, I was told to come here."
"You were told to come here? You?" asked Sokka. "Who tells you what to do?"
"You should know who."
"No, I don't." They didn't have anyone in common, as far as he knew.
"June, are you saying you've never actually told them who you were?" Naruto asked her, surprised.
"I was too busy trying to take him down," she said, looking straight at Aang. Whatever was in her voice or on her face, it disappeared when she looked at him.
"Um…why are you staring at me like that?" he asked nervously. She didn't answer.
"You're still holding that grudge?" Naruto asked her, having seen that expression before in one of their talks.
"Yes, I am."
"Why didn't you do anything about it the last time you met him?"
"I was being professional. Now I am not."
The silence that hung around them seemed to conflict with the sounds of the city all around them. "Is there anything I can say that'll make you stop before you do something?" he asked her.
"No."
He sighed. "Go ahead."
Before Aang or anyone else could ask what the two of them were talking about, she walked up to the Avatar and slapped him across the face with one hand, then slugged him with the other. As he fell to the ground, everyone else (except for Naruto and Jiraiya) took fighting stances.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Katara demanded, water at the ready.
"I gave him what he deserved," she replied calmly. She was still angry, but she also felt a bit better now.
"I didn't do anything to you!" Aang protested as he stood shakily back up. He had not been expecting that one-two combo.
"It's not what you did to me, but to my people."
"What? I didn't do anything to your people."
She didn't want to hear that. He wasn't going to get off that easily. "You abandoned them when you ran away!" she shouted, her anger fueling the shout.
"June, stop and start from the beginning. You're confusing most of the people here," Naruto told her as he stepped in between her and Aang. "Do you want me to do the introductions?" he asked, seeing that she wouldn't be polite now (or at least her version of polite).
"If you'd please," she said with a controlled effort.
He turned to the others. "Guys, this is June, one of the best bounty hunters on this side of the planet, and also the Paragon of the Air Nomads." To prove his statement, she wordlessly pulled out a Paragon Medallion. The ancient elemental symbols clear to see by all.
Everyone else there was stunned beyond belief. "You're…one of us?" Suki asked as she looked at the bounty hunter.
"I thought it'd be obvious, considering I'm holding one of these," she replied, jiggling the Medallion.
"But…but the Air Nomads were wiped out!" Aang protested. "Everyone died."
"Not everyone. My grandfather was the youngest of the Paragons at that time, barely an adult. When the attacks came, he and his newly wedded wife fled to the Earth Kingdom. They stayed there in hiding for the rest of their lives. They had a daughter, my mother, who married my father when she was older. She died giving birth to me and my father took me to live with my grandparents. When it came to choosing his student, my grandfather broke one of the original laws of the Paragons and trained me. For the first eight years of my life, I was trained as a Paragon, before my father came back and took me with him."
"Wait, what law?" Sokka asked.
"The first law: Take only the student who holds your country in their hearts," Naruto said, reciting the laws. "The second law: Never take your own blood to learn what you offer."
"…Could you translate that please?" It made no sense to him.
"The second law means that you can't take a member of your own family as your student. June's grandfather broke that rule by training June. I guess Sifu made an exception that one time."
"He realized the situation that my grandfather was in," June admitted.
"What does the first rule mean?" Suki asked.
"According to Sifu, our recent predecessors had interpreted it as only take a student from your own country," Naruto answered.
"But doesn't that mean you're breaking that rule?"
He shook his head. "I never really had a teacher until I met June and she explained it to me. Also, Sifu had told me that the law meant that a person who had the best spirit of a country was the best choice to be a Paragon. For example, a person who the most willful and had the most drive would've been the best choice to be the Paragon of the Fire Nation."
"Which describes you perfectly," Azula remarked.
"Indeed, it does." Iroh agreed from where he stood at the entrance. "In fact, each of you best embodied what your country stands for. You have encountered many different things and have always adapted to them," he told Sokka. "You are just one of many cultures in the Earth Kingdom and yet, you have never given it up," he told Suki. "And you have traveled the four countries, finding peace and freedom in what you do," he finished with June.
"Yeah, that's about right," she replied before turning to face Naruto. "So why exactly am I going with you?"
"Didn't Sifu tell you to?" he asked back.
"He did, but I want a better reason than a spirit telling me I have too." She folded her arms and waited.
A thought struck him. "Well, the people we're going up against are high-ranking criminals that have big bounties on their heads."
"Go on."
"So, if we bring them in, dead or alive depends on the criminal, you'll get the bounty," he explained. "With the amount of money you'd get, you'd be set for life."
That sounded good enough to her. "Alright then, I'm in."
"Is that all it took to convince you? The chance to cash in on bounties?" asked Katara, completely stunned by what she had just watched.
"I told you guys before, she's a businesswoman," Naruto replied. He turned to June with a stern warning. "The high-ranking criminals with huge bounties might also be strong enough to kill you, so be careful when you're engaging them as well."
"Okay, now that we have one more person and animal joining us, let's go," Jiraiya announced pointedly.
"Aren't you supposed to be the patient one?" Sokka asked him as the group leaving gathered around him.
"I am being patient," he replied. "Being impatient for me is knocking the people going unconscious and then leaving."
June scoffed. "Like you could do that, old man," she told him.
"Actually, he could," Sokka replied.
"Uh-huh, sure he can." It was obvious that she didn't believe the Tribesman.
"June, where we're going, this 'old man' as you've called him, is a legend," Naruto told her. "There's no doubt in my mind that he could beat both you and your shirshu with ease. A little more respect wouldn't hurt."
"If you say so, but until I see it, I won't believe it," she said with a shrug.
"I'll take that. Now let's get a move on," Jiraiya told her. "Naruto, make room for the shirshu."
"Why do I have to move for him?"
"I said so. Now do it."
"Fine, I'm doing it." He stepped over to the side and looked at Nyla. "Well, come on," he told the shirshu. It hissed at him as it padded up next to him. "Yeah, well I'm not a fan of the arrangements either."
"If the two of you are done, we're leaving now." The Toad Sage slapped the seal tag onto the ground.
The kanji on the tag glowed and as the others watched on, the group surrounding Jiraiya were engulfed in smoke. When the smoke cleared, they were gone.
(Location: Konoha)
Tsunade was working in her office, looking over some of the paperwork on her desk. "Kami, I need a distraction right," she thought.
That was when the door to her office opened and Jiraiya walked in, along with Naruto, Azula, Suki, Sokka, and a girl she didn't recognize. "We're back," Jiraiya announced.
"So you are. Good timing," she told them before double-checking the number of people in front of her. "Where are the others?"
"There are certain events going on that prevent them from joining us," Naruto stated. "We're all you have."
"Who is she?" she asked, pointing at June.
"She's one of us." He pulled put his Medallion to emphasize his point. "She's also a bounty hunter, so she here for the cash."
"I see. Now then—"
"We have a few conditions," he interrupted her.
She was willing to listen. "Let's hear them."
"First: we are our own team. There'll be no breaking us up to work with other teams. Second: We answer only to you or the Fucking Sadist here." He pointed to Jiraiya. "Anybody else tries to order us to do something without either of your authorization, we will not do it. Third: we are here to deal with the Akatsuki and only the Akatsuki. You give us any missions that aren't related to them, we're gone."
She shared a brief look with her former teammate before looking back at the rest of them. "I have no problems with those conditions. Are there any else?"
"Just one: I am not living in that building," Naruto stated.
"Excuse me?"
"You know damn well what I'm talking about. You're planning to put me back in that building with the rest of the Konoha Eleven. It's not happening, got it?"
"And where you live if not there?" she asked him. "Right now, very few places will allow you to live there, even if you killed Orochimaru."
He scoffed. "Why am I not surprised?" The village was still the same even after he had killed that snake bastard.
"There is always his parents' house," Jiraiya suggested. "It just needs a good cleaning and he'll be fine."
"If it'll help, Suki and I can take his apartment," Sokka offered.
"Ino and Hinata showed me Naruto's place once," Suki told the Hokage. "It looks big enough for two people."
"Also, Akela can stay down in the common area." Akela nodded in agreement.
"Fine, you two and the wolf can live there," Tsunade said with a small amount of annoyance. She looked over at June. "What about her?"
"I'll just find a tavern or a bar," the bounty hunter replied with a shrug.
"Actually, try camping, June," Naruto told her. "Unless we're told otherwise, you need to stay sober."
"You know I rarely drink, Naruto."
"All the same, please camp. Nyla would probably enjoy the wild and the new scents."
"…Did you suggest I do something nice to my shirshu?" she asked him after a few moments of silence.
"Would you rather I go to the window and shout insults down at him?" he asked. "I can do that."
"No, I'm just…surprised."
"Hey, I might think that your shirshu is one ugly creature and I know the two of us don't get along, but that's about it."
"If the two of you are done…?" Tsunade asked pointedly. "I'll give you the day to settle in. Tomorrow, your team begins. Now scram."
"You heard her, people," Jiraiya said as they started to leave the room.
"Naruto, wait." He turned back around when he heard the Hokage's voice and immediately grabbed the bag flying at him.
"What is that?" Azula asked as she looked at the bag. It would've probably been heavy for a civilian, but Naruto held it like it was nothing.
"It's a portion of the bounty on Orochimaru."
"Where's the rest?" Naruto asked as he opened the bag and quickly looked over the contents.
"I've got it, as well as the key to your parents' house," Jiraiya told him as he reached into his vest and pulled out a key. "Here, I figured you wouldn't want to live in the apartments." He tossed the key at him.
He caught it effortlessly. "Thanks." He examined the key and saw the small piece of paper attached to it. "What's this?" he asked as he looked at it.
"It's the address of your parents' house."
He gave the key one last look before putting it away. "Just needs a good cleaning, is that it?"
"Yes."
He turned to look at Tsunade. "Lady Hokage, my team and I will see you tomorrow." He turned back around and walked out of the room; the others followed him.
The two Sannin remained quiet as the door closed. "Well, that went well," Jiraiya noted.
"If you think so," Tsunade replied.
"I know so. He didn't object when I told him we were coming to see you and he didn't hurry the meeting along. I'd like to think those are good signs."
"And we both know he's here only to do a job," she reminded him. Once that job was done, it was very likely they wouldn't see Naruto again.
"But we can also hope that he'll warm up to the others. You were planning on sending them on missions with the other teams, right?"
"Of course, I was."
"What's their first mission?" She handed him a scroll. He opened it and looked over the contents. "This will be interesting."
They walked down the street, passing other people as they did. June rode atop Nyla, which made a little easier to get as people were stepping out of the way of the strange creature. "Do you have any idea of where you're going?" she asked Naruto.
"Yeah, I do. I've gone past this address every time I went to the Academy when I was younger," he told her.
"You, in the Academy they have?" Azula asked with a small laugh. "I'm sorry, but I can't see you in there. You must've been bored out of your mind."
"I was," he admitted. "But I had also failed three times before finally becoming a shinobi."
"How fascinating," June drily remarked. "Can we move on to more important things?"
"Like what? Where will we be living?" Sokka asked sarcastically. "I'd thought we figure all that out."
"Of course, we did. You and your girlfriend are staying at his old place while he and his girlfriend are going to be living at his parents' place and meanwhile, I'll be camping out in the woods."
"That sounds just about right," Azula commented.
"That reminds me," Naruto said before facing Sokka and Suki. "If the two of you are going to do the bedroom tango, do it loud enough so it keeps the others up. It'll annoy the heck of them." Plus, any complains about that would keep him entertained. The others just stared at him in shock. "What? Is something wrong?" he asked with an innocent expression.
"How can you just say something like that out loud?" Sokka demanded quietly, trying to make sure no one else in the street heard them.
"It's easy, you just say it. What's the problem anyway? We all know that you're going to do it."
Both of them blushed hard. "Well…we weren't going to announce it to the whole street!"
"And I didn't either. I asked you two to do something in a normal tone of voice."
"Don't even try, you two," Azula said before either Suki or Sokka could speak. "You're not going to win this one." Reluctantly, they conceded the point.
"Ice cream, ice cream, I got ice cream!" a little girl chanted happily as she ran through the street, getting their attention.
"Sweetie, please slow down!" the girl's mother told her as she walked behind her. "You'll run into someone." And as if to prove her right, the little girl ran into someone and spilled her ice cream.
But she didn't just into anyone.
No, she ran right into Naruto, spilling her ice cream onto his half-skirt.
The entire street went silent as they watched. If it had been back in the days when he was a little kid, the people around him would've pounced and beaten him to a bloody pulp. But now, they were afraid that if they tried that now, he would probably kill them.
Naruto stood in silence as he looked down at the melting ice cream, his face neutral. "Well, this is a predicament," the Kyūbi commented. He agreed. One wrong move and they would have a mob coming after them.
"My ice cream," the little girl said, still holding the cone. "I saved up all my allowance for that. And now it's…gone." Tears began to well up in her eyes, threatening to drop.
"Hmm, that was very odd," Naruto said aloud. "It seems that my clothes have spontaneously grown an appetite." The girl just looked up at him in confusion. "You mean to tell me you didn't see my clothes try to reach out and eat the ice cream?" He looked around, pretending to make sure they were alone before kneeling down and whispering in her ear. "I think the clothes are trying to grow and munity against us. You might want to be careful the next time you have food. They might want it for themselves."
She giggled at his words. "You're weird."
"Was that not in the category of funny? I could've sworn it was when I left this place." The girl laughed. "So, tell me, what kind of ice cream did my clothes try to eat?"
The smile she had on vanished. "It was three scoops."
"That's all? Three scoops?" He turned to look at her mother, who was watching in silence. "Madam, I am disappointed in you. The young lady deserves at least five scoops of ice cream!"
"But I can't have any more. I used up all my allowance," the girl protested slightly. Tears were already beginning to form in her eyes as she looked at her cone.
"Then I will do you one better." He took the bag off his shoulder and put it on the ground. He opened it and pulled out some cash. "Here's twenty ryō," he told her as he handed her the bill. "Go buy yourself a sundae."
"You…you mean it?" she asked, the tears drying up almost instantly.
"Of course,I do," he said with a smile as he stood up. "My clothes tried to eat your last one, so it's only fitting that I pay for the next one and make it bigger."
"Thanks mister!" she cheered with a big smile.
"Not a problem. You go and enjoy the sundae."
She nodded and ran back to her mother, waving the bill in the air. "Mommy, mommy, did you see what the nice man gave me?"
"Yes honey, I did." She looked up at him. "Thank you."
He shrugged. "It was nothing. Let's go, guys." He walked away. The others followed.
"That was very decent of you, Naruto," Suki said with approval. Anyone else would've probably just told the kid to watch where she was walking and then left. But he didn't.
"It was the right thing to do."
"If anything, it should swing some people's opinion about you," Azula told him. It never hurt to make people have a good opinion of you.
"That doesn't matter," he told her. "We are here to do a job, not change what people think of me."
"Must you be so serious?" Sokka asked him.
"The sooner we're done with the job, the quicker we can go home."
He was about to argue the point but decided against it. "I guess we should split up and get settled into where we're living," he stated when they came to a crossroad.
"We'll be fine. I'm sure the others kept the place clean," Suki assured him.
"And I have to find a place to camp for the night. How fun," June remarked sarcastically.
"There's a good spot just outside the hot springs, if you're interested," Naruto offered.
She perked up. "Hot springs? Where?"
He pointed southward. "If memory serves, it's just down that way. Nyla should be able to smell it."
"Alright, I'm gone. Here's all your cleaning stuff." She pulled the bags holding the cleaning supplies and dropped them on the ground. She urged Nyla on and the shirshu took off.
"Try not to hit the pedestrians!" he called out after her. He wasn't sure if she had heard him or not.
The others just watched as their teammate speed away. "What was that all about?" Azula asked the blonde, looking back at him.
"June is a connoisseur of hot springs," he explained as he picked up the bags. There's not a hot spring in the Earth Kingdom that she doesn't know about."
"Do you two want us help you clean up the house?" Suki asked.
"Do either of you actually like cleaning up?"
"I know I don't. But I'll do it if it's necessary," Sokka told him. It was called being helpful to your friends, something everyone from the Water Tribes knew.
"If you don't want do, then don't. It's more for him," Azula said, pointing at Naruto.
"Wait, you enjoy cleaning?" he asked the blonde.
"I like to think of it as a form of meditation. It's kinda soothing, if you begin to enjoy it." It helped him take his mind of things that bothered him.
"You're weird," the Tribesman declared.
"We've already established that. The two of you had better get going. Odds are the others are waiting to surprise me with a party."
"You love disappointing them, don't you?" Suki asked. His grin was answer enough. "Then we better get through the entire disappointing part. We'll see you guys tomorrow." Both she and Sokka walked off, Akela trailing behind them.
They stood briefly in silence as they watched the three disappear into the crowd. "You ready to go?" Azula asked Naruto.
"I might as well be." They walked in a different direction then the others.
It didn't take them long to find the place. Azula had to double-check the address before she was sure they had it right. "Why would they have the house up in a tree?" she asked as she looked up at the house sitting at the top of the tree. She didn't know how they did it, but she was wondering why, not how at the moment.
Naruto shrugged. "They wanted privacy?"
"They would've been better off living in the forest." There was a lot more privacy there.
"Well, it's our place now." He walked up the stairs and she followed. He dropped the bags and pulled out the key. The door unlocked easily enough and opened just as well, letting them see the first view of the inside part of the house.
The place looked…dusty, very dusty. They could see clumps of dust gathering in the corners. "It's probably a good thing we got a lot of cleaning supplies," he commented.
Azula couldn't take her eyes off the clumps. Were they growing in front of her? "I don't think we have enough cleaning supplies."
"Sure we do. We just need to apply a good amount of elbow grease."
"And how exactly are we going to do that?"
He crossed his fingers into a handseal. "Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A vast cloud of smoke consumed them. When it cleared, the surrounding tree branches were covered in Naruto clones.
She looked around at all the clones. "Ah, that's how."
"Alright guys, we've got a house that needs a very good cleaning," Naruto told his clones. "Let's get to it!"
"YES SIR!" the clones chorused before charging into the house. It soon became very nosy as they tried to eliminate every single speck of dust in the house. If someone were to pass by, it would've sounded like a war was going on.
As they watched what was going on from outside, Naruto turned to Azula. "Are you going to help, or are you going to stay out here?"
"Are you sure I'm not going to get crushed in there?" she asked back.
He gave her a look. "Azula, they're me. Why would we try and crush our girlfriend?"
"I didn't say anything about try."
"Come on, you'll be fine." He took her by the hand and led her inside. True to form, the clones didn't try to crush her. They tried to be careful around her. That was a little difficult, considering the fact they were essentially purging the house, but they did their best.
One thing that did surprise Azula was the furniture. "I didn't think this stuff would last this long," Azula remarked as she looked at one of the newly cleaned couches. Now that it was free of dust and other whatnot, the couch showed off its dark blue coloring.
"Say what you will about the lifestyle, but shinobi build to last. Have you've seen the village?" the original Naruto asked as he directed the clones, standing amongst them like a composer directing music.
"No need to sound like a smartass."
"Just telling the truth, that's all/" He turned to one of the clones. "How are those deadbolt lock coming?"
"We'll have them installed on the bathroom door within a half-hour," the clone answered before walking away.
"Why are you installing deadbolt locks on the bathroom door?" Azula asked the original.
"SoI can feel safe as I take a bath or a shower. Or, at the very least, so I can have a few seconds to jump out of the window. Please remember, if a Fangirl can't break a lock open, they'll break the door open." He had a few experiences with that and he didn't want to have them again.
"Naruto, you don't have any Fangirls here," she reminded him with a pointed expression. "They're all over in the Bending Countries."
"It never hurts to be safe," he replied. "Besides, you would not believe how fast a Fangirl club can be created around here and how long it lasts."
Her eyebrow rose with a question. "Are you speaking from experience?"
"Oh Kami no. I just knew someone who did have a club."
"Hey, boss," one of the clones called out. "We're moving the baby stuff out of that one room. You got any idea about what we should do with it?"
"Just put it all in a scroll, I'll see if I can find someone who'll buy it."
"Alright, by the way, we found a safe in that room as well."
"I'll take a look at it later." The clone nodded and walked away, mostly to do as he was instructed.
"Baby stuff?" repeated Azula.
"Yeah, odds are that would've been my room, if things had gone differently," he replied quietly, looking at where that clone was going.
"Are you okay?"
"Of course, I am. I'm not a baby, so I don't need that stuff."
"If you're sure, I won't press it." She didn't exactly have a stellar family life, so she couldn't argue with him about it.
The day continued as they waged war on the dirty house. Clones would leave to throw things away or to buy new things with the money they had. By the time the sun began to set, they were done. The house looked like it was freshly built (minus all the smells that went with a new house). Once he was sure everything was done, Naruto began to dismiss the clone in groups.
"Well, we're finally done," he declared as the last group disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "That was exhausting."
"How would you know?" Azula asked from where she sat on the dark blue couch. "You didn't do any of the work. You just ordered your clones around."
"They might do the work, but I get the memories of what they did, and that includes the amount of energy they put into it." He collapsed onto another of the couches.
"Are you going to be alright?"
"Just give me a minute." It had been really tiring work his clones did and he was getting all of their fatigue.
She looked around the house they had just cleaned. It looked completely different from how it looked when it was abandoned. It looked like someone could actually live in it. "We're going to be living here," she said simply.
"Yeah, pretty much," he remarked as he relaxed and let the fatigue fade away. It was a thankfully quick process, one that he had been through many times before.
"It's odd, but it kinda feels like this is our house, like we could live here for a long time."
"We've only been in here a day," he commented.
"Don't you think this could be a house for us?"
He looked at her. "Azula, for me, home is where you are."
She scoffed but with a smile. "You are such a flirt."
"Only with you," he replied with a grin.
She stood up from the couch and walked over to the kitchen. "I'll see if I can make us some food, would you like to help?"
"I'm sure you can make us something simple. You were banned from the kitchen after you tried something complicated and decided to rush it."
She scowled at him. "How many times am I going to have to apologize for that?"
"I don't know. You'll have to ask the head chief when we get back." He slowly stood up from the couch. "Do you know where the clones put the pots and whatnot?"
"Yes, I was paying attention," she told him with mock exasperation. "The pots are to my left, the pans are to my right, and the other stuff is in the shelf above."
"Good to know."
"Why don't you take a walk around the village, Naruto?" She suggested.
He looked straight at her with a flat face. "Why would you even suggest something like that?"
"Well, you are going to be here while we do this job. You might as well get used to the place."
The flat face disappeared. "And leave you all alone by yourself? What kind of boyfriend would I be if I did that?" he asked with a half-playful smile.
"I am quite capable of handling myself, or have you forgotten?"
"No, trust me, I remember," He had helped train her after all.
"I'm glad that you do."
"You know, you're right. I should probably take a walk around Konoha. Actually, I think I have just the place in mind to go."
"And where would that be?"
"It's just a spot I used to go to, I know a couple of people there." He walked over to the door and opened it. "You're sure you'll be fine." he asked, taking a look back at her.
"Yes, now go already. Or do I have to make you go?" she said in a mock threatening voice.
He gave a brief laugh. "Alright, alright, I'm going. I'll see you in a bit, Azula." He closed the door behind him.
"Hopefully, you won't do anything stupid," she muttered as she worked around the kitchen.
He walked quietly through the crowds. The setting sun had caused the sky to turn orange. It was a nice shade of the color, but it was just one of those things he absently noticed. Another he absently noticed that he was walking against the flow of the crowd. Most of the people were heading inward to the village, to their homes or their favorite places to spend time with their friends.
But he wasn't heading inward like the rest of them. He was heading outward, to the outskirts of the village. When he finally got clear of the crowd, he made his way to the gate. "Hey guys," he said absently to the shinobi on guard-duty, leaving before they could even say anything to him. He made his way to a tree and then walked up it before leaping through the trees. "It's been a while. I'd thought this be a little more difficult," he thought as he flew between the branches.
"It's muscle memory, kit," the Kyūbi told him. "You're taking it slow and it's coming back to you, that's all there is to it."
He focused on running through the trees. Finally, he had reached his destination. He leapt out of the trees and back onto the ground. "It's been a long time since I've been here," he commented as he looked around Training Ground Three.
"That it has gaki. That it has," the fox agreed, albeit with a little sarcasm.
"Don't even start, Kyūbi," he warned the Bijū. He then walked over to the Memorial Stone and looked at the names in silence. After a few minutes, he lifted his gaze away from the names carved onto the stone. "You know, if you're going to spy on me, the least you can do, is to not be blatantly obvious about it," he said loudly.
Silence followed for a brief minute. Then people landed behind him. About four of them.
He turned to face them. "Well, I'd like to say this is a surprise," he said. "But all of us here know it's not. If anything, I'd say it was inevitable." He shrugged his shoulders, letting his arms fall freely, keeping one of them near his shuriken holster. "So, what in the name of Kami do the four of you want?"
He didn't know who the fourth person was, but he knew the other three all too well and that made whoever the fourth person was irrelevant.
It was his old team. Team Kakashi.
End
Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you have sent me.
Yes, I've split up Team Avatar. If I tried to bring everyone over, I would've stretched the story so thin trying to cover everyone, it wouldn't have been funny. Besides, the canon storyline for The Last Airbender was pretty heavy on the Benders. So let's give the Nonbenders a chance to shine here.
I also have another good reason for separating the group. It's only been a month or so since the end of the War. Despite what you may think, political changes and similar stuff cannot be taken care of within a month. Plus, they also have the creation of the fifth country to work on.
June is the Paragon of the Air Nomads. For those of you who guessed it, congrats. Why would I go through all of the trouble of creating an OC for the spot when I can just use a character that was barely seen in the canon and add some depth to her? It's more fun that way. Plus, writing the interaction between Naruto and Nyla is highly entertaining.
I'm well aware of the fact I ripped off the ice cream scene from One Piece. I always liked that part and I wanted to use it somehow.
For those of you who are going to complain that I didn't make the house where Minato and Kushina lived a mansion, I will point that house is the exact house they were living in in Road to Ninja. Personally, I'd like to think that the writers and artists who came up with that just to annoy any writer that had them living in a mansion. Just because Minato was the Hokage, does not mean he automatically lived in a mansion. And don't try to use Kushina for your defense. Just because she was from the Uzumaki clan doesn't mean she lived in a mansion as well.
And now finally, the thing you all have been hounding me for: the meeting between Naruto and Team Kakashi. But as I said before, that is a required solo act. So if you think I'm being an evil bastard by doing this to you, you would be correct!
I'll see you all next chapter!