CHAPTER 8: THE BLIND BANDIT (PART 3)
(Disclaimer: Avatar The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon and Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own my OC's)
(PLEASE READ: THIS IS NOT A SEQUEL TO "SHUJINKO: THE FOURTH MEMBER", BUT A DIFFERENT STORY WITH SHUJINKO AS THE MAIN CHARACTER. THIS STORY WILL NOT HAVE ANY EFFECT WHATSOEVER IN "SHUJINKO SHIPPUDEN". I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A SEQUEL TO SHUJINKO'S ORIGINAL STORY)
Summary: One night, a stranger breaks into Shujinko's house and tries to steal one of the most mystical objects in the history of the Ozuma clan: The Eye of Kazemaru. When Shujinko tries to stop him, the two of them activate an ancient and forgotten power of the gem by accident, which sends them to another dimension where a certain bald-headed monk has to master the four elements in order to defeat the evil Fire Lord. What kind of impact will Shujinko's presence have in the Avatar universe? Who is this stranger and what does he want? Get ready for one wild space-time adventure
"Even though I'm blind, I never had much of a problem when it comes to seeing," Toph said to Aang as she walked on the parapet of a small wooden bridge outside of her house, maintaining her balance with ease. "You could say I use Earthbending to see through my feet. Everything that directly or indirectly touches the ground sends vibrations, and thanks to Earthbending, my feet become ears that listen to those vibrations. That's how I can tell where everything is," And just to prove her point, Toph performed a summersault when she was about to reach the end of the parapet.
"Does that mean you can see just as well as I can?" Aang asked, fascinated by what he was hearing.
"That's right. In fact, I probably see a lot better than you, except that I see things in a different way. For example, I might not be able to see them, but I can feel the vibrations of the ants climbing up that tree over there, as well as the vibrations of that Meadow Vole running by. I listen to the earth, and the earth responds to me,"
Aang managed to catch sight of the Meadow Vole that Toph was pointing her finger at right before the rodent disappeared. He then turned around and smiled at the girl. "That's truly amazing, Toph. It's kinda' like your blindness became a blessing instead of a burden,"
To the monk's surprise, Toph lowered her head and frowned sadly at his words. "My parents don't think the same. To them, I'm nothing but a helpless blind girl who needs protection from everything and everyone. I know their intentions are good and that they care about me, but they won't let me be who I really am,"
And that was the worst part of it all. Toph wanted her parents to love her, but she wanted them to love her just for whom she was, whom she truly was. She was tired of acting, tired of pretending to be someone else, tired of impersonating the perfect doll that her parents wanted her to be. At the same time, Toph was afraid of losing her parents' love if they ever found out just how much their daughter was hiding behind their backs, because regardless of her amazing Earthbending skills and her bravado, she was still a young girl who had her own insecurities just like anyone else.
Aang grimaced slightly. While he understood what Toph was saying, he couldn't fully relate to her. Not once had he ever felt the need to hide his true personality from others, much less from people he personally knew. "Is that why you became The Blind Bandit? Because you wanted more freedom?"
"Yeah, pretty much,"
"Then why stay here where you're not happy? Haven't you ever considered going somewhere else?"
"Of course I have, more times than I can count. But it's not as easy as you think it is. And besides, where am I supposed to go?"
"… You could come with us," Aang offered. "You already know I need to learn Earthbending, and I know I have to learn it from you. If not for that, then think of everything you're missing out on. I've been traveling with Sokka and Katara for months now, and Shujinko joined us not too long ago. We get into some pretty wild situations every now and then, but you have no idea how much fun it has been, and you can be part of that fun too if you want,"
Toph let out a sigh. "Traveling around the world, with no parents telling you what to do, I would give everything to have that kind of life. I'm jealous of you guys,"
The wind blew a gentle breeze, playing with the leaves of the trees. A thin veil of clouds drifted away, revealing a full moon so bright it seemed to illuminate almost as much as the sun during the day. Aang stared at the sky in silence, wishing that Toph had functioning eyes just so that she could see what he was seeing right now. Her blindness might have been one of the reasons why Toph was such an outstanding earthbender, but no matter how good she was at Earthbending, she would never have the privilege of watching the moon and the surrounding stars during a night like this one.
"Was he telling the truth?"
Aang blinked in confusion. "Huhm, who are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about Shujinko, the guy who was with you when you first came here. He said he was lost and that he had no idea how to return to his village, wherever that is. Is he really that far away from his home?"
"Well, it certainly seems that way. Apparently, he comes from a very distant part of the world, where things are much, much different. Shujinko didn't know anything about bending or the war that's been going on. I know it sounds crazy, but after seeing what he can do, I think I have no other choice but to believe him. I've never met someone like Shujinko before,"
"... I see… And what do you mean when you say you've never met someone like him before?"
Scratching his cheek, Aang began to ponder how to describe Shujinko as accurate as possible, which soon proved to be a difficult task when he realized just how out of the ordinary the Chunin was. "I'm not sure where to start. He's… pragmatic, I suppose. Going back to his village is what matters the most to Shujinko, but he's willing to help us out, and so we're trying to help him out in return. He's very proactive, and he likes being in charge of the situation. According to him, he's a ninja. A ninja is… Well, it's kind of hard to explain, but he can do Ninjutsu, which is… Huhm, I guess it's similar to bending, but not really,"
Toph raised an eyebrow. "Well, that sure tells me a lot," she said, to which Aang chuckled awkwardly.
"I know. Shujinko can explain it way better than I can… But when I really think about it, his Ninjutsu is not what surprises me the most about him. Regardless of how different Shujinko is, he's still like us. He cares for us and does whatever he thinks it's best for the group, but because he was raised differently, it's easy to misunderstand his actions sometimes. There are a lot of things about Shujinko I still don't know, but what I do know is that I was destined to meet him, the same way I was destined to meet you. He's a good guy, and I trust him,"
Aang found himself slightly surprised by the words he himself had just spoken. Maybe it was because he hadn't bothered to formulate a general opinion of Shujinko up until this point, but now that he had, he was actually glad for the kind of person Shujinko turned out to be. Despite not knowing him the way he knew Sokka and Katara, Aang was beginning to understand who Shujinko was, and he admired him for how he was dealing with all of this. The level of maturity he displayed in the face of uncertainty was incredible, because Aang knew perfectly well how it felt to be so far away from the place you called home.
"Is that so?" Toph asked. "Well, he sounds like an interesting guy, I'll give him that. I wonder if-" Suddenly, the sounds of bells ringing caught the two teen's attention. They both turned around, and Aang saw a column of smoke coming from the other side of the garden, right behind the house. "What's going on? Why are they ringing the alarm bells for?"
"I think there's a fire going on!" Aang exclaimed. "It doesn't look too big, but it could be dangerous. We have to put it out before it spreads. Come on, let's go!"
"Wait! Something isn't right, Twinkletoes! We're being surround-!"
BAAAAAAAMMM
…
|Meanwhile|
"Someone better have a good explanation for this!" Shujinko shouted as he, Sokka, and several servants carried buckets filled with water and threw them at the burning tree, trying to keep the fire at bay while Katara returned from the pond.
Three minutes ago, Shujinko, Sokka, and Katara were in the guest room waiting for Aang and Toph to return, and out of nowhere, the bells from the alarm tower started ringing, causing quite a bit of hysteria inside the Beifong Estate. Shujinko immediately opened the window and saw smoke rising, only to find that a tree had somehow caught fire. He and Sokka immediately joined the guards and the servants and started filling buckets of water. Meanwhile, Katara went to the pond and was currently drawing as much water as she could.
Shujinko cursed to himself. He didn't have a single Water Release jutsu in his arsenal. His prowess in Elemental Ninjutsu focused almost primarily on Wind Release, and using Wind Release against a burning tree was a recipe for disaster right now. Throwing buckets of water at it was slowing down the spread of fire, but only barely, and there was no telling how disastrous the situation would become if the fire reached the house.
"How much longer, sis!?" Sokka shouted, using a water fountain to fill two buckets.
"I'm on it!" Katara replied as she entered the scene, performing circular motions with her arms and carrying a huge blob of water over her head. Once she was close enough, Katara thrusted her arms and sent the water over to the tree, quenching the flames until they disappeared completely.
Now that the danger had been neutralized, Katara let out a tired huff and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. The water of the pond was all the way in the other side of the Beifong Estate, and carrying that much water from one point to another had left her slightly exhausted. When she looked up, she saw that what was once a beautiful, growing tree was now little more than black wood that barely stood on its own, fragile and ugly. Even though they had managed to prevent a major catastrophe from occurring, it still saddened Katara to see something full of life and nature being nearly reduced to ashes.
"Phew, that was a close one," Sokka said as he sat on the ground. His arms were aching after filling and throwing buckets of water like a madman. "I think we've earned the right to stay another night as honored guests. That fire could've really done a number on this place,"
"What I want to know is who or what started this mess. Trees don't simply start burning out of nothing," Shujinko replied. Back in the Hidden Leaf Village, issues such as forest fires were taken very seriously, for something as simple as a misdirected Fire Style jutsu or even hot embers being blown by the wind could start a massive wildfire and cause untold damage to the forests surrounding the village. "By the way, where are Aang and Toph? They were on the other side of the garden, but it's impossible that they could've missed this,"
The Water tribe siblings shared a look of disbelief. Among so much chaos, they had completely forgotten about the Avatar and The Blind Bandit, who could've helped them put out the fire faster had they been there. Shujinko's eyes widened as an alarming possibility crossed his mind, and his reaction did not go unnoticed by Katara. "Shujinko, are you al-"
Shujinko did not allow Katara to finish and, before the astonished gaze of everyone around him, he turned around and started running to the other side of the garden. He was immediately followed by Katara, who was also beginning to suspect that something was wrong. "Hey, where are you going? Can't we just sit for a minute before… Oh, man, this sucks," Sokka complained. Nevertheless, he got up and began jogging after his sister.
When the Ozuma reached the other side of the garden, he saw that neither Toph nor Aang were there. However, his eyes caught sight of strange marks on the ground next to the wall, and he went there to investigate what had happened. Once he got there, Shujinko recognized signs of struggle in the form of disfigured lines of earth, as well as a hole on the ground. Someone had used Earthbending to get into the Beifong Estate, and his worst fears were confirmed when he saw a note pinned to the wall with an iron stake.
If you want to see your daughter again, bring 500 gold pieces to the Arena tonight.
Xin Fu and The Boulder
As Katara read the note left by Xin Fu and The Boulder, Shujinko was clenching his fists in anger. Those bastards were the ones who had caused the fire as a distraction, all for the sake of kidnapping Toph and demanding a ransom. The note did not mention Aang, but it was more than likely that he was being held captive as well. 'But I thought that no one knew of Toph's existence as a Beifong except for her parents. How were they able to find out about her?'
Meanwhile, Toph's parents were in complete and utter shock. It was like a nightmare coming true to them. Her mother Poppy was on her knees, balling her eyes out in despair while Lao was holding her hand, looking like he was seconds away from suffering a full-scale panic attack. Shujinko would've tried to comfort them, but right now, he was more focused on planning the next course of action. After all, he was a ninja, and these were the kind of situations ninjas were used to dealing with.
"This… This can't be happening…" Sokka choked as he placed both his hands on the sides of his head, shock and incredulity all too clear in his shaky voice… only for him to snatch the note away from her sisters' hands. "I HAVE THE BOULDER'S AUTOGRAPH!"
"Sokka, are you serious right now? Aang and Toph just got kidnapped and you care more about a stupid autograph?" Shujinko asked, a thick vein growing on his temple. He couldn't believe how someone older than him could display such idiocy at a time like this. Sweet Kami, not even Naruto, who was a dunderhead in many ways, would act so buffoonish upon knowing that one of his friends had been captured.
"Hey! I'll have you know, I've wanted an autograph from The Boulder ever since I first saw him! Stop raining on my parade, will you?"
Katara was unable to deal with his brother's antics any longer and didn't hesitate to seize the note from Sokka, turning it into a paper ball and tossing it over her shoulder, causing Sokka to shriek in horror as he went after it. "We can't waste any more time. Let's go to the Arena straight away,"
Shujinko nodded in agreement before facing Toph's father. "Mr. Beifong, do you have the money these guys are asking in exchange?"
"Of course I do!" Lao replied hysterically. He then turned around and ordered one of his servants to call Master Yu and tell him his help was needed for an unbelievably important emergency. Meanwhile, Sokka was kneeling on all fours, desperately trying to restore his treasure to its former glory by carefully stretching out the piece of paper in his hands. Once Lao had left to gather the money stored inside his chambers, Poppy sniffled and raised her trembling voice. "… Toph… My sweet, innocent baby…" she hiccupped. "She has no idea what's going on. Oh, she must be feeling so terrified, so desperate and frightened…"
|Earth Rumble Arena|
"I SWEAR, ONCE I GET OUT OF THIS THING, I WILL KICK YOUR BUTTS SO HARD YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO SIT AGAIN!" Toph hollered at the very top of her lungs, her face contorted with fury. She was grabbing the metal bars of her cage so hard that her knuckles had turned white and her fingers were threatening to snap.
Aang could only cover his ears and hope that Toph's explosive voice wouldn't cause irreparable damage to them. They were both locked up inside a rectangular cage made out of metal, which heavily restricted their movements. Their respective cages were connected to a chain attached to the top of the Arena, leaving them stranded in the middle of the air. This made it impossible for Toph to use Earthbending in order to escape given how she couldn't connect with the earth from such a distance. It was that helplessness that was driving The Blind Bandit insane, and the only way she could vent some of her frustration was by shouting threats.
"Keep it quiet. You're not getting out of there until I have my money," Xin Fu replied, standing in the Arena with a stern look on his face. "This will teach you what happens when you try to cheat Xin Fu,"
"Mr. Fu, I think there's a bit of a misunderstanding going on. We have never cheated you, nor do we have a reason to do so," Aang said in an attempt to reason with the man.
"Misunderstanding? Ha! That's a good joke, but not good enough to save you, and it won't save The Blind Bandit either. This is what she gets for being a dirty little schemer," Xin Fu couldn't help but smirk upon seeing the look on the teens' faces. "Oh, yes, you thought I wouldn't notice. You and your friend Lee thought you could execute your farce without suffering any consequences, but no one takes Xin Fu for a fool and gets away with it,"
For the first time since she got captured, Toph lowered her voice, although her tone was still hostile. "What do you mean?"
The Boulder, who was standing next to Xin Fu with his bulky arms crossed, was the one who responded. "The Boulder was watching the fight from up close. That boy Lee did not deliver the final blow. His hand did not make contact with The Blind Bandit at the last moment, and yet The Blind Bandit was still thrown out of the ring. It was all a performance by you two!"
"Indeed, and I won't tolerate any such performances in my Arena. You disappoint me, Blind Bandit, or should I call you Beifong instead?" Xin Fu asked. When he heard no answer, he continued to speak. "You must be wondering how I discovered your secret. I know this Arena like the palm of my hand, including all its hidden tunnels. You're quite the talented earthbender, but you're also careless. Ever since you first showed your face here, I noticed that you were getting in and out of the Arena using the same inside path as always, which you can open and close thanks to your Earthbending. And what is the nearest location once outside the entrance of the tunnel? Why it just so happens to be the Beifong Estate. Quite convenient for you, I imagine,"
Toph gritted her teeth. She never would've expected Xin Fu to discover her method, but that chump had proven to be a lot more shrewd and observant than what she gave him credit for. The hidden tunnel Xin Fu was talking about was a passage inside the cave that gave people from the outside direct access into the lower grounds of the Arena. The overall distance between the Beifong Estate and the entrance of said passage was more or less short, and since Toph wanted to avoid being spotted by the crowds, using the secret tunnel was the best and only alternative she had.
"I never bothered to fully investigate your true identity, Blind Bandit. So what if the Beifong family had a daughter no one else knew about? I was making good money thanks to you, that's all I cared about. But after you took that dive during your last match against Rock Lee or whatever his stupid nickname is, I was forced to look into you. I will never forgive or forget anyone who dares to make a mockery of my tournament," Right after Xin Fu said those words, the sounds of footsteps were heard coming from the entrance. Xin Fu turned around and saw two adults and a bunch of teens, including Rock Lee, who was holding a heavy bag in his hand.
Before they had arrived at the Arena, Shujinko made it very clear to them that he would be the one who would hand over the money to the captors. When Lao had asked why him instead of Master Yu, Shujinko said that he had 'a certain amount of experience on the matter' and that he wanted to make sure both Aang and Top were safe before the money was given to them. His arguments weren't enough to convince neither Lao nor Master Yu, but once the golden-eyed boy seized the bag of gold, he refused to let anyone else carry it.
"I see you received my message. Did you bring all the gold?"
"Yes mister, we brought the gold. Now release my daughter, please," Lao begged. Shujinko, however, remained in his spot, causing Lao to glare at him. "Go on, what are you waiting for? Give him the money now, boy,"
"Not so fast. I want to make sure of a couple of things first," was Shujinko's reply. The Chunin focused his gaze on Aang and Toph, who were imprisoned inside two metal cages that were lifted off the ground. The cages were supported by a chain mechanism attached to the top of the Arena, but he was unable to tell where the lever was. 'I need to stall them for a bit. If negotiations turn south, we might have to fight our way out of here,' Shujinko thought. "Aang, Toph, are you guys alright?" he asked out loud.
"I'm okay!" Aang answered, but Toph remained silent.
Shujinko nodded. "Good. Now listen up, Xin Fu. There's no need for the authorities to know about this, and we can make this transaction work without resorting to violence, so here's what's going to happen. You'll release our friends, and once the two of them reach our side, then we'll hand over the money,"
The reactions that Shujinko's words caused were as diverse as they were predictable. Both Xin Fu and The Boulder let out a hoarse laugh while the Water Tribe siblings stared at Shujinko in mild shock. Master Yu's jaw had dropped, but it was Lao Beifong who was feeling the most appalled. The man started to pull his own hair in a fit of desperation, for he couldn't conceive how the boy had the audacity to bargain with those ruffians when his daughter's safety was on the line. Such was his disbelief that he couldn't even find the words to articulate a sentence, and so he started spewing a bunch of gibberish.
"Do you truly think that you're in a position to negotiate?" Xin Fu asked once the laughter had died down, although a mocking smirk was still adorning his face. "Give me one good reason why should I listen to you instead of ending this meeting right here and now,"
The Ozuma narrowed his eyes and put on his best poker face. "Instead of just one reason, I'll go ahead and give you two. The first reason is that you're not getting this money if you don't meet our conditions. The second reason is that, in the event that you finish this meeting before it's over, Mr. Beifong here will put a bounty on you. Trust me, this money right here will be worthless compared to the reward Mr. Beifong will offer. Each and every single bounty hunter inside and outside the Earth Kingdom will know your name and your face. A guy like you must be aware of how driven people are when they're promised a bag full of gold. How driven do you think they'll become once they're promised a chamber full of gold?"
This time, those who were present in the Arena reacted with complete silence. The smirk on Xin Fu's face evaporated and was promptly replaced with his everyday stoical face. Lao Beifong, who was freaking out a minute ago, was now simply dumbfounded by Shujinko's words. They never discussed any of this on their way to the Arena, and he was so fixated on getting his daughter back that he didn't even consider placing demands on the table out of fear of angering Toph's captors. As for Katara and Sokka, they couldn't say they knew what was going on exactly, but they decided it was better to keep their mouths closed for the time being and see where this was heading to.
Of course, nothing that Shujinko had just said was true. It was all just a big bluff. He had no idea whether if the Beifong family was wealthy enough to offer a chamber full of gold as a reward or not, and if they were, Lao Beifong definitely didn't have the courage to stand up to Xin Fu and make these sort of threats right now, empty or otherwise. The Chunin understood that Lao was worried about her daughter and that he just wanted her back home, and while he sympathized with the man, it was a fact that Lao lacked the emotional control and the backbone required to deal with this situation appropriately, at least from the perspective of a shinobi.
That was the reason why Shujinko hadn't revealed his intentions of negotiating with Xin Fu on their way to the Arena, because if he had, Lao would've opposed his plan and would've caused a scene if Shujinko tried to go through with it regardless. It wasn't a very good strategy, but the Ozuma hoped that keeping Lao and everyone else in the dark up until this moment would prevent them from blabbering in front of Xin Fu and make themselves look weak.
Shinobi negotiation rule number one: Never look like you're in a weak or desperate position, even if you are.
"It looks like you didn't come here with only one card in your hand. How very interesting," Xin Fu mused out loud. "I suppose this was all part of your scheme, Lao Beifong. You presented yourself before me as a scared father who just wanted his daughter to return to safety, but then this brat jumps in and starts making your demands on your behalf. Unnecessarily theatrical, but astute nonetheless,"
"That's right! Bet you didn't see this coming, did ya'?" Sokka said all of a sudden. Without being told of the plan beforehand, Sokka had realized what Shujinko was trying to do and decided to act the part. "This was our plan all along. Right, Katara?"
"Huh?" Katara didn't quite get the message until Sokka gently nudged her ribs with his elbow. "I-I mean, of course. The plan, yeah…"
Despite addressing Lao Beifong as the one who had come up with this, Xin Fu could smell the fear coming from that weakling, and both his facial expression and his body gestures were indicating Xin Fu that The Blind Bandit's father was just as confused as he was scared. Unlike Rock Lee, who was looking at him with a stone-cold expression and showing much, much more fortitude and confidence. It gave the impression that he was the one behind the idea of turning him into a wanted man should he deny their requests, and that he was using the wealth of the Beifong family as a way of giving substance to his threats. The boy wasn't crumbling under the pressure and was maintaining a cool head so far, which was odd considering his young age.
"Very well, then. I'll play your little game. We will release the first prisoner, and then you will hand over the money immediately after. Only then will the second be released," Xin Fu said.
Shujinko's frown deepened. This wasn't exactly how he wanted the exchange to proceed, but he supposed it was an improvement. Besides, there was the risk of Xin Fu calling out his bluff if he delayed the negotiations too much, and with that in mind, Shujinko nodded in agreement. "Fine. Let's do this,"
Xin Fu then instructed The Boulder to let Toph go. The Boulder nodded and left the stage, and after a short while, Toph's cage was lowered and consequentially opened. The Blind Bandit landed on the ground and made her way to her father, who almost immediately pulled her into a hug. "Oh, my sweet, sweet girl. I finally have you back with me. Don't worry, we'll head back home immediately. There's no need to be afraid any longer,"
Toph didn't reply, but her jaws tightened in immense frustration. Afraid, her? Never, not by the likes of Xin Fu and his goons. Had it been up to her, Toph would've broken out of her cage, single-handedly mop the floor with those bozos and return to her house with Aang. And yet here she was, walking out of a fight while her hand was held by a father who, despite loving her daughter, didn't know her or understood her in the slightest. It was all so unfair, so unlike her. Only the presence of Lao was preventing her from acting like the real Toph right now… and that was exactly the problem.
"We gave you The Blind Bandit," Xin Fu said out loud. "Now give us the money if you want your other friend back,"
After making sure the knot was tight enough, Shujinko threw the bag of money at Xin Fu's feet, who picked it up and opened it. His eyes shone with greed, and a malicious smile crept over his face in a way that reminded Shujinko of Gato, the ruthless businessman who deliberately made life almost impossible to the people in the Land of Waves. He didn't like the look on his face, so Shujinko decided to speed things up before Xin Fu had the opportunity to put the deal at risk. "There, all the money you asked is in that bag. Now release Aang so that we can call this a day and move on,"
"Actually, there's been a slight change of plans. Your friend here will be staying with us for a while, and you're not gonna convince me otherwise," Xin Fu replied.
"What!? Hey, you can't be serious about this! We had a deal!" Sokka protested.
Katara followed right after. "We already gave you the money! Why would you want to keep Aang?"
In response, Xin Fu grabbed a wanted poster with the picture of Aang in it and held it in front of them. "It has come to my attention that your friend is none other than the Avatar in the flesh. These 500 gold pieces that I'm holding will be a drop in the bucket compared to what we'll get from the Fire Nation if we turn him over. You've tried to fool me once again, this time by hiding the Avatar's identity, but Xin Fu will never be fooled by a bunch of kids,"
'Damn it, this is bad,' Shujinko raged inside his mind. This changed everything. He didn't know how much the Fire Nation offered in exchange for their number one enemy, but it sure had to be a lot more gold than what the Beifong family had inside their chests, and there was no way Xin Fu was going to let an opportunity like this slip away. Greedy bastards such as him rarely listened to reason, but Shujinko decided to make one last attempt before he had to resort to violence. "Think about what you're doing, Xin Fu. If you try to escape the Earth Kingdom with Aang as a hostage, Mr. Beifong will still send bounty hunters after you. There's no way you can reach the Fire Nation before they track you down and bring you here in chains,"
"I think I'll take my chances," Xin Fu replied without missing a beat. He then started shaking the bag with the 500 gold pieces in it, making a jingling sound. "And besides, this money right here will make our plan of escape that much easier to follow. Now get out of my ring and never come back,"
It was officially a done deal. Under no circumstance was Shujinko going to allow that jackass to escape with Aang, even if it meant breaking a couple of bones in Xin Fu's body. The Chunin started walking towards Xin Fu, but then, the ground began to tremble. Several individuals appeared, either by jumping into the ring from the stands or popping out of the ground like gophers, and they all stood behind the muscular earthbender. Shujinko quickly recognized them, as they were the fighters that had participated in the Earth Rumble tournament from yesterday. 'So these guys are working together, huh?'
"I'd be careful if I were you, Rock Lee. You might have defeated The Blind Bandit, but you can't hope to beat all of us at the same time,"
"We'll just have to see about that, you pinhead," Shujinko taunted. But while he looked confident and ready on the surface, his mind was assessing the situation at an accelerated pace, and he didn't like where this confrontation was going.
Not being able to fight using all of his abilities was a real handicap. If he wanted to, he could use Ninjutsu to take them down with ease, but doing so would most likely create huge problems for him and the group. People here were unaware of the existence of ninjas, and if stories began to spread about a teenager who could do all sorts of impossible feats such as cloning himself and manipulate the wind, it would draw far too much attention on both him and the rest of the group. Shujinko could only use Taijutsu against them, and even then he had to be careful not to fight at full strength.
'This is going to be complicated. I don't want to use lethal force on any of them, but if they might leave me no other option…'
"Toph, we need your help!" Katara cried out as she saw Lao and her daughter heading to the exit. "We know what you're capable of, you don't have to hide it any longer!"
Lao turned around, a scandalized expression on his face. "How can you even think about asking my daughter for help!? Unlike you troublemakers, she's blind! She's blind and fragile and sensible and-!"
But then, much to Lao's shock, Toph rejected his hand and started walking away from him. "That's enough. I may be blind, but I'm not any of the other things you just said about me," Toph said with a tone of voice Lao had never heard his daughter use. She was fed up with all the acting and the deception she constantly had to resort to. It was time to show the world who Toph really was once and for all, and she was going to start by showing it to her father.
When she finally made it to the center of the ring, Shujinko gave her a somewhat amusing stare. "How nice of you to join me. I was wondering if I was going to have to take care of these guys by myself,"
"And let you have all the fun? Keep dreaming," Toph replied as she cracked her knuckles. "You might want to sit this one out. Things are about to get real dusty over here if you catch my drift,"
The Chunin smirked. "I think I do, but don't worry about me. I have a few tricks up my sleeve,"
BAAM
The sound of Xin Fu stomping his foot on the ground caught their attention. The man was glaring intensely at them, clearly having run out of patience. "This is your last warning. Get out of my sight this very moment, you pair of scoundrels,"
The Blind Bandit responded by spitting on the ground rather loudly, making her father cringe in disgust. "Are you chumps done talking? Because I'm itching to beat the snot out of all of you, and I don't know if I can wait any longer,"
Those words were enough to trigger a stampede of earthbenders coming directly towards them. Shujinko and Toph both got into a fighting stance, waiting for them to get closer. For a shinobi such as Shujinko, it was almost laughable how impulsive and quick-tempered these people were. Instead of attempting anything that resembled a strategy, those earthbenders were going to charge at them and simply throw rocks around until everything inside the Arena was demolished. Only Xin Fu had been smart enough to take a step back and wait until the end of the fight before he made his move.
Toph slowly began to raise her arms, and once her opponents had gotten close enough, she ducked down and smacked the ground with her open palms, completely shattering the surface of the ring and raising a huge, dense cloud of dirt from the earth's fissures. Her captors were sweep off their feet, and once they got back up, they found themselves unable to see anything but soil and dust.
'So this is what she meant, huh?' Shujinko thought as Toph entered the cloud she had created. It was quite ingenious, honestly. By doing this, Toph had effectively blinded the fighters, leaving them vulnerable to her attacks. Since Toph was blind herself, the thick dust would be anything but an issue for her. That girl didn't rely on her eyes to see.
But what about Shujinko? The cloud of dust was affecting his eyesight just as much as it affected the others', and it wasn't like he had the Hyuuga's Byakugan. If he decided to fight regardless, he ran the risk of hurting Toph by accident.
'I guess there's no other choice,' Shujinko took a deep breath and clasped his palms together. Then, for the first time since he had arrived to this exotic and astonishing new part of the world, Shujinko closed his eyes and called forth the power of nature. 'Karura Tensei,'
The physical changes that came with activating his Kekkei Genkai occurred almost immediately. Golden pigmentation started to appear on his face, surrounding his eyes and becoming linear marks that extended to his ears. His black pupils grew twice in size, and his golden irises covered all of his eyes' sclerae, giving his optical organs an uncanny resemblance to those of a hawk. The Chunin opened his eyes once again, now transformed into a Sage.
Without wasting any more time, he joined Toph and the two of them walked together amidst the heavy dust. The Karura Tensei, the Kekkei Genkai of the Ozuma clan, heightened Shujinko's senses to a different level, allowing him to perceive everything around him in a way he normally wouldn't be able to. His reflexes received a significant boost as well, which enabled him to react with great precision and speed. It didn't matter now whether he could see his enemies or not, because with the Karura Tensei, he could feel them.
However, as Shujinko sensed the energy of everyone in the Arena, he noticed something strange. Instead of an internal mass of chakra, these benders had a weird sort of energy flowing inside of them, one that Shujinko couldn't quite understand. He recalled how Aang once told him how chi was the source of a bender's power, the energy that allowed them to manipulate the element they had an affinity for. The Chunin had to assume this chi thing was the energy he was feeling right now, but he didn't have enough time to compare it to his own chakra as one of his opponents began to move closer to where he and Toph were.
The individual in question happened to be none other than the guy from the Fire Nation, who was actually an earthbender disguised as a Fire Nation citizen. He was walking across the ring searching for a way out, unaware of the teens' presence behind his back. When he turned around, he saw the two of them waiting for him in a fighting stance, and he immediately threw a heavy rock at Toph.
The blind girl smirked, expecting such amateurish reaction. Once the rock was about to reach her, she stopped it cold in its tracks, performed a complete spin and threw the rock back at the fake Fire Nation citizen, hitting his generous belly. The man stumbled back, holding his stomach in pain and out of breath. The last thing he saw before he was knocked out of the ring was the sole of Shujinko's boot, who leaped forward and delivered a kick directly at his face, stunning him and leaving him unconscious on the cold ground.
'One down, only six more to go,' Shujinko thought as he focused on dealing with his next opponent. The cloud of dust was starting to dissipate, meaning that their cover wasn't going to last for much longer. He needed to move and quickly.
While all of this was happening, Sokka had sneaked off and was currently trying his hardest to pull the lever that would lower Aang's cage, but the darn thing simply wouldn't budge despite his efforts. The Boulder had made it look easy, although the fact that he was a mountain of muscles probably had something to do with it. Sokka gritted his teeth and mustered all of his strength. After a while, he felt the lever slowly beginning to move. Katara, who was waiting for Sokka to pull the lever, remained hidden close to where the cage was going to land.
Still inside the cloud, The Gecko was avidly checking his surroundings, staring left and right in search for either of the two kids. The earthbender with the green mask was standing on all fours just like the creature he was nicknamed after. A pebble thrown to his face made him turn his head around, spotting The Blind Bandit in the process. Without thinking twice about it, The Gecko jumped in his place while simultaneously throwing two balls of solid earth at her.
Toph effortlessly caught the projectiles and tossed them away. Before The Gecko could return to the ground after his jump, Toph stomped her heel and a column of earth rose from the ring, hitting The Gecko right in the stomach and leaving him hanging from the tip of the column. Then, after swinging her arm in a circular motion, Toph performed an uppercut that broke the earth column in two, sending the upper half along with The Gecko high into the air. Amusingly enough, the fake Fire Nation guy was just starting to wake up after being knocked unconscious, only to get knocked out again when his fellow earthbender landed on top of him.
As for Shujinko, he was dealing with The Gopher, an earthbender with a particular fighting style. Unlike the rest of the earthbenders, The Gopher went for a more indirect approach by burrowing underground and popping out of the surface to attack people from their blind spot. Not a bad tactic, but unfortunately for The Gopher, it was utterly useless against Shujinko. Not only was the Chunin able to tell exactly where The Gopher was thanks to the Karura Tensei, but his shinobi reflexes also surpassed those of any bender, with or without Sage Mode. None of the rocks The Gopher was throwing at him would ever touch Shujinko.
The earthbender realized this, and so he went underground once again. But instead of coming out to throw another rock, he decided he would catch the ninja by surprise and pop out immediately behind him. That way, he would be able to restrain him in a matter of seconds. The Gopher moved around the underground a bit before emerging with his arms wide open, ready to make an earth statue out of Shujinko… except that Shujinko was nowhere to be seen.
After looking both left and right, The Gopher lifted his gaze just in time to see Shujinko descending from above.
BAAM
Aided by gravity, Shujinko punished The Gopher by driving his fist into his face as soon as he landed on the ground. The Ozuma had felt his enemy's position below the ground at all times and it didn't take him much to predict his next attack. He punched The Gopher so hard it nearly made the earthbender sunk back into his hole, but it certainly had been enough to leave him out for the count.
"Gotcha!" Sokka exclaimed as he was finally able to pull the lever, lowering Aang's cage until it reached the ground.
"Good work, Sokka!" Aang thanked him as Katara immediately jumped into the ring to free the Avatar out of his confinement.
Sokka sat on the ground and rested his back against the wall, his tongue sticking out as he panted. "Sis… I'm leaving the rest to you…" Sokka managed to say, feeling like his arms were on fire after pulling that damn thing.
Katara bent a blob of water out of her pouch and used it to freeze the padlock both inside and out, making it brittle and rusty. She then summoned all of her strength and started to remove the frozen water out of the cage, including the padlock inside. The frozen water started to crack, and after a short while, it was shattered open, breaking the padlock in the process.
Katara opened the door and Aang jumped out of the cage, assuming a traditional Airbending stance as he landed. However, the waterbender placed a hand on the Avatar's shoulder and shook her head, indicating Aang there was no need for him to intervene in the fight. The cloud of dust Toph had raised finally faded away, and with the exception of Xin Fu, the only opponents who were still standing were The Boulder and The Hippo.
Keyword here being standing, because Headhunter, another earthbender who had assisted in capturing Toph, was swinging on a rope at great speed, intending to take them out from behind. Shujinko turned around and started running towards the Headhunter's direction, and once he was close enough, he jumped and used a kunai to cut the rope, causing the earthbender to fall out of control. The Headhunter was about to crash into Toph, but she merely waved her arm and made a closed fist, raising a wall for The Headhunter to crash face-first into instead.
"That is enough!" The Boulder shouted in ager. "The Boulder will not be humiliated by children!" The Hippo supported his fellow earthbender by letting out a roar and pounding his chest.
"You deal with The Boulder, Toph. I'll take care of that giant cow," Shujinko said as he placed his kunai back inside its holster.
"Cow?" Toph repeated. "Don't you mean Hippo Cow?"
"… Yeah, sure, that's what I meant," Shujinko replied as a thick drop of sweat rolled down his cheek. Honestly, were there any normal creatures in this weird place?
Before the Ozuma could dwell any further about the lack of ordinary animals in this part of the world, The Hippo charged at him, wielding in his hands a heavy object roughly shaped as a coin. Despite being slow and clumsy, The Hippo was swinging that thing in a way that would seriously injure Shujinko if he got struck by it. The golden-eyed teen got behind The Hippo and began punching him in the back with all his strength, but his attacks barely seemed to have an effect as The Hippo turned around and continued the fight as if nothing had happened.
'I can't take this guy down using regular Taijutsu, that's for certain,' Shujinko thought after jumping away from his adversary. 'His body is too dense to feel my attacks. In that case, I'll have to use other methods,'
The Hippo charged again, swinging the large object around and growling like a deranged baboon. During one instance, he raised his weapon above his head and Shujinko took the opportunity to dive between The Hippo's legs before he could crush him. Then, he jumped onto The Hippo's back and began to pull his ears as hard as he could from behind. This caused the massive earthbender to shout in pain, walking aimlessly as he tried to get Shujinko off of his back.
Once the two of them were close to the edge of the ring, Shujinko leaned over and slapped The Hippo's ears both at the same time. The Hippo let out a howl and dropped his weapon, unable to handle the pain his eardrums were experiencing. Now that his enemy was stunned, the Chunin ran towards him and jumped, making sure his feet landed together on the back of The Hippo's neck. The brute was so disoriented that Shujinko's weight was enough to trip him over, and so The Hippo stumbled his way out of the ring with his ears still ringing.
As for The Boulder, he was left groveling miserably on the ground after trying to get his revenge on Toph after their last encounter together. The Boulder had raised a giant rock over his head, but before he could throw it, Toph shot a much smaller rock at one of his knee caps with almost lethal precision, hitting the bone inside and forcing The Boulder to stand on one knee. Once his stance had been wrecked, The Boulder started to lose control, and Toph finished him off by squashing him with the same rock above his head.
Xin Fu couldn't believe what he had just seen. In only a few minutes, two kids had managed to defeat six seasoned earthbenders, and he was next in line.
Shujinko deactivated his Kekkei Genkai. All that fighting and moving around had provided enough cover for the changes in his face, but now that Xin Fu was the only clown that was left, Shujinko ran the risk of being seen in Sage Mode state by his friends, and he would rather have that conversation when the time was right, not straight after dealing with kidnappers.
The Chunin and the blind girl stood next to each other as they got ready to fight Xin Fu, who had a chill running down his spine for the first time in many years. Out of the corner in his eye, he spotted Toph's father sitting next to Master Yu. The guy was biting his nails in panic, terrified of the thought of her daughter getting hurt. Had he not seen the fight up until this point? What would it take him to realize his daughter, despite being blind, was an excellent earthbender?
Shujinko thought about it for a while, and he decided it was time for Lao to open his eyes and see who Toph really was. "Hey Toph, I think my wrist is jammed. Take care of this guy for me, will you?" Shujinko asked as he began to walk away, heading towards Aang, Sokka, and Katara.
His request caused Toph to widen her eyes. Her seismic sense had picked up Shujinko's lie almost immediately, so why was Shujinko lying when there was nothing wrong with him? He didn't seem to be tired after drilling through all those earthbenders, and he certainly had the skills to take care of Xin Fu by himself.
Then, it all became clear to Toph, and she had to press her lips in order to suppress the growing grin on her face, transforming it into a smirk. "About time you asked," Toph replied cockily, but with a tone of voice that expressed gratitude. Shujinko was giving her the chance to show her father what she was capable of by letting her fight her own battles, and that simple gesture meant more to Toph than anything else in the world right now. "Let's get it on, then. It's payback time,"
Xin Fu forced himself to calm down. With that other boy throwing in the towel, half the danger was gone, but going up against none other than The Blind Bandit was still a hard challenge. He already had the money in his power and the logical thing to do would be to escape while he could. However, Xin Fu was, first and foremost, a man of pride and ego, and he would never forgive himself if he ran away from a fight against a child, no matter what the circumstances were.
"You insolent girl, I will teach you what happens to those who mess with Xin Fu!" Xin Fu shouted as he began his attack, raising chunks of rocks from the ground and kicking them at Toph. The Blind Bandit replied by raising a wall of earth that withstood the pounding, and as soon as the last rock had been blocked, Toph split the wall in two and sent one half at Xin Fu.
The muscular earthbender dived to the right and buried part of his hand into the ground, throwing a heavy rock directed at his opponent's face. Lao Beifong lost what little sense of control he had left and stood up to shout, but before his voice left his mouth, Toph performed a full spin at the last second, allowing the projectile to crash into the wall instead of into her head. Then, she punched the other half of the wall and threw it at Xin Fu, who had no time to move out of the way after his attack. The man was struck so hard his body bounced twice before getting thrown out of the ring, unconscious and thoroughly beaten.
"I don't believe my own eyes," Master Yu said in awe while the teens gathered around Toph to congratulate her on her victory. "Your daughter is amazing, Mr. Beifong. She's easily the most talented earthbender I've ever seen in my life,"
Lao Beifong merely stared at his daughter like she was a stranger, a stranger who had been living under his roof all of her life. He felt a deep sense of sadness as he watched Toph getting praised by the Avatar and his friends, because after what had just taken place, there was no doubt that those four kids knew Toph better than the girl's very own father did.
|Beifong residence|
"Mom, Dad, I'm sorry for hiding the truth about me for so long," Toph began to say as she stood in front of her parents, speaking to them with more honesty than she had ever done so before. Shujinko and the others were there as well, hoping that their presence would encourage her. "I know it's probably hard for you to see me like this, but the truth is, this is who I've always been. I can't keep pretending to be someone I'm not,"
"… To think that our daughter would deceive us like this," Lao said with a heavy voice. "All of this time, we were trying to protect you, and yet you still made a fool out of me and your mother,"
"I know that, and I know you were just trying to protect me. But Dad, you weren't just doing that. I may have kept my life secret from you, but you were keeping me secret from the whole world as if I didn't exist. You're my parents and you mean a lot to me, but I can't live my life the way you'd like me to, and I'm tired of all the lies. Being an earthbender is the best that has happened to me. I love Earthbending, and I'm really, really good at it. It may not be important to you, but it is important to me, more than you can imagine,"
It was hard not to feel sorry for Toph. Despite being born into utmost wealth and privilege, she had been denied the opportunity to be normal by the very same people who cared for her the most. Shujinko understood that Toph's parents wanted nothing but the best for her, or at least what they thought was best for her, but by doing so they failed to realize something that everyone, especially ninjas such as himself, needed to know about life. The world was a place full of danger, and no amount of denial would ever change that inescapable fact.
Back in his village, everyone knew that. Ninjas were raised not only to recognize danger, but also to expect it even during the calmest of times and in the most serene of places. The moment a shinobi felt completely safe was the moment a shinobi left itself wide open for the rest of the world to strike, and sometimes, one strike was all it took for the mightiest of men to fall, never to get back up again. It was as exaggerated as it was truthful, which was why Shujinko profoundly disagreed with the way Lao and Poppy treated their daughter. If parents refused to teach their children about the dangers the real world had to offer, how were those children supposed to recognize them?
"That's why I want to go outside and start something new. I'm twelve-years-old and I've never had a single friend or people who understand me. I need to do this… And now that you know who your daughter really is, I hope it doesn't change the way you two feel about me,"
"Of course it doesn't change the way we feel about you, sweetie," Poppy said.
Lao nodded his head. "Indeed. If anything, this has made me realize something, something very important,"
"It has?" Toph asked in surprise. She hadn't expected her parents to understand her point of view so quickly. It made Toph think that maybe this whole thing could've been avoided if she had just been honest to them from the beginning, and that perhaps her parents were more comprehensive than what she gave them credit for. "And what is it?"
"… That I've been far too permissive with you. From now on, you will be cared for and guarded twenty-four hours a day with no exception. I'm sorry Toph, but you've left me no other choice,"
Unlike the Avatar and the Water Tribe siblings, who had looks of surprise and disappointment on their faces, Shujinko didn't bother to conceal or dissimulate his glare. Were Toph's parents really this obsessed with her? Weren't they seeing the kind of harm they were inflicting on her? Not wanting your only daughter to join the Avatar and leave the house for months was something the Chunin could understand, but what Lao and Poppy Beifong wanted for Toph was simply absurd. They were making her a prisoner in her own home.
"W-What? But Dad, I-"
"No buts, sweetie. We are doing this for your own good,"
Lao stood up and frowned at Aang. "Please escort the Avatar and his friends out. They are no longer welcome here after all the problems they have caused,"
A couple of guards approached Shujinko and his group of friends, gesturing them to start walking. However, the Ozuma refused to leave the room without giving Lao and Poppy a piece of his mind. "You know what? I used to think that you two were like this because you genuinely cared for Toph and how she felt, but now I can see how mistaken I was. You don't care about the way Toph feels, you just want to control her life even if it makes her miserable,"
Poppy Beifong gasped in shock and placed a hand over her mouth. As for Lao, he tightened his fists and gave Shujinko a scandalized look. "Such insolence! You dare put our feelings towards Toph into question?" he demanded to know.
"I'm not putting anything into question except for your parenting job. I may not know much about the subject, but I do know that children are supposed to trust their parents, and seeing how Toph never told you what she really did and who she really was before, I can tell she doesn't trust either of you. You should be ashamed of yourselves,"
"Enough! I will not hear any more of this! Guards, escort them at once!"
One of the guards grabbed Shujinko's shoulder so that the Chunin would start moving, but Shujinko slapped his hand away and walked out of the room on his own. The attitude displayed by Toph's parents had left a bad taste in his mouth, and he felt pity for their daughter for having to deal with them. Even if their intentions were good, the way Lao and Poppy went about it was so wrong and misguided that they were actively hurting Toph, restricting her movements and taking away the already minuscule amount of freedom she had left.
However, and as much as it bothered Shujinko, they had no other option but to leave the Beifong family alone and start looking for another Earthbending teacher somewhere else. Toph's parents had run out of patience and would never agree to let their daughter travel around the world, especially now that Shujinko had offended them by telling them the truth.
As they walked out of the room, Aang looked over his shoulder and glanced at Toph one last time. "I'm sorry, Toph. I wish things were different," he said, anguish written all over his face. It hurt to know that she wouldn't be joining them, not only because he wouldn't have the opportunity to learn Earthbending from the best, but also because Toph would be forced to stay put in a place where she wasn't happy.
"I'm sorry too. Goodbye, Aang," Toph replied, her voice cracking. She was angry, but most of all, she was sad. The opportunity she'd been waiting for all her life was walking out of the room and she was powerless to do anything about it. Instead of exploring the world with a group of people who accepted her for who she really was, she was going to be stuck with her parents, parents that claimed to love her despite refusing to understand her, and whose obsession with her safety did nothing but make Toph feel suffocated.
A lonely tear dribbled down her cheek.
000
|Outside the Beifong residence|
As Shujinko and Sokka were saddling Appa and getting their bags ready, they kept stealing glances at Aang, who was staring silently at the Beifong residence all the way from the top of a cliff, a melancholic expression on his face.
The fact that Toph wouldn't be joining them had left the Avatar feeling both dejected and confused. It was true that he hadn't gotten to know Toph all that much during the little time they spent together, but even so, he couldn't help but feel an odd sense of belonging between her and them. She would've been a great addition to the group, not just because of her Earthbending abilities, but also because the five of them would make a great team of friends together. The personalities of Katara, Sokka, Shujinko, and his own were all different from one another, yet there was still chemistry between all of them, and he was sure Toph wouldn't have been an exception.
The reason he was confused was because he couldn't understand what his vision from the swamp meant anymore. If Toph wasn't supposed to be his Earthbending teacher, then who was it? If Shujinko, who had also been part of his vision, had ended up becoming part of the gang, why not Toph as well? Bumi's advice about finding a teacher who waited and listened, the vision he experienced in the swamp, his meeting with Toph, it all added up… except that in the end, it didn't, and Aang simply couldn't figure out why.
"Don't worry Aang, we'll find you another teacher," Katara tried to cheer him up. "There are plenty of talented earthbenders here in the Earth Kingdom,"
"Not like her, there isn't," was Aang's reply. Katara could only grimace, knowing that it would take some time for Aang to get over it.
"Hey guys, Appa's ready. We should get going now," Shujinko said out loud. He was well aware of Aang's sad mood and he was sorry for him, but their time in Gaoling was over and staying here wouldn't do them any good. Not being able to have Toph with them was a disappointment for sure, and Shujinko never got the chance to know her better, but they had to move on as quickly as possible if they were to find Aang another teacher.
Aang let out a heavy sigh and finally turned around. He seriously doubted he would ever find another earthbender such as Toph. With sunken shoulders, the Avatar walked to where Appa was and sat on top of the Flying Bison's head, grabbing the reins. He was waiting for Katara to get on the saddle when Shujinko, for some reason, stood up and jumped down from Appa. "Shujinko, what's wrong?"
"Someone's coming," Shujinko replied with a frown, opening his back pouch and grabbing a couple of shurikens in each hand. His eyes had caught sight of slight movement near the bushes below, and the sound of footsteps and heavy breathing was increasing, to which the Ozuma tensed his muscles and got ready to throw his weapons. "Who's there? Show yourself,"
Much to their surprise, Toph appeared out of the bushes, running as fast as her legs would allow her. She was wearing the same green and yellow outfit that she wore the night when they first met her, and she was carrying a small bag with the few possessions that were important to the blind girl. Shujinko lowered his shurikens and placed them back inside his pouch before staring at Toph with wide eyes.
"Toph, is that you?"
"The one and only," Toph replied cheekily despite being out of breath.
"But what are you doing here, Toph?" Aang asked in bewilderment. "Didn't your parents say that-"
"I managed to change their minds before it was too late," the earthbender cut him off. "They finally understood that I have to follow my own path, and they allowed me to travel with you guys,"
Shujinko furrowed his brow once again. After seeing what kind of parents Lao and Poppy were, the chances of them suddenly being fine with Toph leaving her home were less than none. It was painfully evident that Toph had escaped against her parents' wishes, but there was no reason to call her out on it. After all, she wanted to join them on her own free will and they needed her to teach Aang Earthbending, so it didn't really matter whether she was lying or not.
"In that case, we better get out of here before your parents regret changing their opinion," Sokka said.
"You're probably right, but before we go, there's something I need to do," Toph then took a couple of steps forward and extended her hand to Shujinko. "I never got to congratulate you for beating me at the tournament. It was a good fight,"
The golden-eyed boy raised an eyebrow, a little surprised by her sudden maturity. He hadn't seen this side of Toph before. In any case, he wasn't about to reject the earthbender's goodwill gesture and went to shake her hand. "That it was. You nearly got me against the rop-"
BAAM
Before the two of them could shake hands, and with no warning whatsoever, Toph stomped her foot on the ground and Shujinko was sent flying several feet away, crashing into Appa and his soft fur. The Chunin fell to his knees before the astonished gaze of those who were present. "What the heck was that for?" Shujinko demanded to know once he got up, only for Toph to smirk at him.
"That was payback for what you did to me the other night. I still have no idea what kind of trick you pulled on me, but I know it wasn't legal. Anyways, now that we're even, how about we hit the road already? Tomorrow is Aang's first Earthbending lesson and we're gonna start early in the morning, so you better be prepared Twinkle Toes,"
Aang's face would split in half if his grin got any wider. "I'm so glad you got to join us. You're gonna be an amazing teacher, I know you will,"
"Of course I will. I'm the greatest earthbender in the world, remember? And Shujinko, if you're done rubbing your knees like an old man, I suggest that you climb up on Appa so that we can finally leave this place once and for all,"
And so, a new member was added to the group. The Blind Bandit, Toph Beifong, was now part of Team Avatar.
Aaaaand that was chapter 8. Hope you all liked it.
As you might have noticed, I added a few things that weren't seen or explained in the episode. For example, how did Xin Fu know Toph was The Blind Bandit? In the show, he simply goes and captures Toph despite the fact that no one in Gaoling was aware that the Beifong family had a daughter. I wanted to come up with an explanation for that, and I think the explanation I included in this chapter at least makes some sense.
I'd love to hear your thoughts regarding the fight scene. I want to make it clear that Shujinko could've taken care of all the fighters on his own, but he has to exercise restraint in order to keep most of his abilities secret. Don't forget that shinobis are soldiers trained to kill their enemies, and while Shujinko is indeed a shinobi, he's not going to try and kill anyone unless he has no choice.
Also, the Karura Tensei has finally appeared in this story. For those of you that don't know what it is, it's Shujinko's Kekkei Genkai, which allows him to enter Hawk Sage Mode in a matter of seconds. Before you start calling Shujinko OP for being able to enter Sage Mode just like that, please read his original story so that you become aware of its limitations and what Shujinko can do with it.
Speaking of which, I made it so that Shujinko can feel chi while he's in Sage Mode. I know chakra and chi are technically two different energies, but they're still kind of similar if you ask me. Shujinko is able to feel chi as foreign energy, but he doesn't understand it the way he understands chakra. I'll go into further detail about this in the next chapters.
Don't forget to Review, Favorite & Follow
Peace!