CHAPTER 19: HOPE
(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
"Normally, I would speak against stealing from other people. This food doesn't belong to any of us," Iroh said in a disapproving, almost reproachful tone of voice… which quickly changed after Zuko handed him a slice of fresh fruit pie. "Oh, but these dishes are some of my favorites! I suppose a bit of hypocrisy can be tasty every once in a while, especially when shared in good company,"
"I wouldn't worry too much about it. There were enough rations in that kitchen to feed a small army. We could've gotten a lot more if those guards weren't around," Jet replied, splitting a loaf of bread and offering one half of it to an elderly refugee and his grandson, who bowed their heads and expressed their gratitude before walking away. Jet then looked at Zuko and the two swordsmen locked gazes. "In any case, we did a good job tonight, all of us. I gotta admit I had my doubts about you at first, but you handled yourself pretty well. I'm glad I asked you to help us out,"
"… Thanks," was all Zuko said before he lowered his eyes. He didn't know why, but having people thank him always left Zuko feeling strange. Not in a bad way, but strange nevertheless.
Maybe it was because it didn't happen very often. After all, it wasn't as if the banished prince of the Fire Nation had a habit of going around doing kind deeds for the sake of it. He was no Good Samaritan and Zuko had no intention of becoming one. As a matter of fact, it was the promise of a decent meal that had motivated him to ransack the captain's pantry along with Jet, not the opportunity to ease others' hunger. Regardless, Zuko got what he wanted and managed to make some refugees happy while he was at it, which in turn made him feel… well, not content, but moderately satisfied with himself, and that was good enough for the firebender.
After finishing his fruit pie, Iroh stared at the teenager that was sitting next to him. "So, your name is Smellerbee, correct?" he asked. "I must say, that is a rather unusual name for a young man. Not so long ago, I met another boy whose name was also quite peculiar to me. It seems that I'm out of touch with this particular trend,"
To Iroh's surprise, his comment made the crease between Smellerbee's brows grow more pronounced in a clear sign of anger. "For your information, I'm a girl, not a boy,"
"O-Oh, really? That explains everything! Smellerbee is a lovely name for a lovely gal! It suits you quite well!" Despite his attempts to fix his screwup, nothing of what the Dragon of the West said stopped Smellerbee from standing up and leaving with her fists clenched. Longshot remained silent as he too got on his feet before going after her, which made Iroh grimace. "That came out wrong, didn't it?"
"If it makes you feel any better, you're not the first to make that mistake. It's a touchy subject for Smellerbee, but I'm sure she'll let it go as long as you don't mention it again," Jet said. Smellerbee was important to him, both as a friend and as a fellow member of the Freedom Fighters. Even so, it was undeniable that Smellerbee could easily pass for a boy, so Jet didn't blame Iroh for his blunder. "Anyways, from what I heard, people in Ba Sing Se eat like this every night. I can't wait to get there and see it for myself,"
Iroh stroke his beard, recovering from the embarrassing scene he had unintentionally perpetrated. "Well, I'm not sure how true that is, but I can guarantee you that Ba Sing Se is a beautiful place. The wall that surrounds the city is a sight to behold,"
"So you've been there before, huh?"
"Indeed, but that was a long time ago… and I was a different man back then,"
Although it wasn't all that easy to notice, the leader of the Freedom Fighters sensed the tone of regret behind Iroh's words and caught him breaking eye contact as he uttered them. Jet wasn't a genius, but he didn't need to be one in order to understand what this meant: The old man in front of him had a past, one which he didn't look back upon with pride or dignity. Jet could certainly relate to that, and seeing as he was in the presence of someone who would understand him, he decided there was no harm in confessing some fragments about his own life.
"I know how it feels. To be honest, mine isn't the most honorable past either. I've done a lot of things that I'm now ashamed of. I don't think I'll ever be able to right all of my wrongs, but I can stop committing the same mistakes as before, or at least I want to try. That's the reason why I'm going to Ba Sing Se, to find the second chance I've been looking for,"
"That is very noble of you. It takes a special kind of strength to recognize one's own faults and change for the better. If you ask me, every man is capable of turning his life around if he commits to it," Iroh then sent a discrete glance at his nephew, whose eyes were narrowed as he listened to him. "I think that second chances are worth believing in,"
|The Serpent's Pass, two days later|
"Aang, I need to have a word with you,"
The Avatar, who was sitting on the edge of a cliff close to the camp, looked over his shoulder to see Shujinko staring at him from behind. It was early in the morning, yet the sky was grey enough to fool anyone into thinking it was an autumnal evening, with only a few rays of sunlight peeking shyly through the clouds. The current weather seemed to match Aang's mood, for the young monk didn't look like he was in high spirits himself. "About what?" Aang asked indifferently, facing away from him.
Instead of answering, the Chunin walked forward until he was standing inches away from the edge. "May I?" Shujinko asked back. Aang did nothing at first, but after a short while, he let out a sigh and scooted over, giving Shujinko enough room to sit down next to him. The Ozuma did so, keeping a respectful distance as to not invade Aang's personal space. "Katara is making broth for breakfast. You should have some before we leave. Wouldn't be right to let it go to waste,"
"I already had breakfast, but you're not here to talk about Katara's broth, are you?"
"As a matter of fact, I am not. I'm here to talk about… Umnh, actually, I'm not sure," Shujinko confessed, his voice trailing off.
An awkward silence surrounded them as the Ozuma rested his elbows on his knees, thinking what the hell he was trying to accomplish by starting a conversation the way he had done just now. He wasn't even sure if he had a point to make or if he was simply talking without thinking, but what he did know is that he needed to get something off his chest. It was impossible to tell when would Shujinko have another chance to speak with the airbender in private, and although he would've wished for their chat to take place under more optimal circumstances, this instance right here was likely the best opportunity he was gonna get.
"I'm probably gonna sound like a fool for stating the obvious, but things are rough right now, very rough. It's been hard on all of us. Azula, the hooded man, those sandbenders, it almost feels like a bad joke or something,"
"This is nothing new. We've dealt with these sorts of problems way before you showed up," Aang replied as he grabbed a pebble and tossed it into the lake. "You weren't there when Admiral Zhao was chasing after me, when the city of Omashu was taken over by the Fire Nation, or when the Northern Water Tribe was under attack. It's always been like this, and it won't change until the war is over,"
Shujinko frowned. He didn't know anything about Admiral Zhao, the city of Omashu, or the attack on the Northern Water Tribe. Then again, he couldn't blame himself for his lack of knowledge in regards to the historical events that had happened in a part of the world previously unknown to him, just like he couldn't blame the rest of Team Avatar for not knowing anything related to the Five Great Shinobi Nations. The fact that these two parts of the world were so ridiculously disconnected from one another was still as baffling as ever, but Shujinko didn't want to get into that right now, for doing so would lead nowhere.
"Right. As I was saying, it's no secret that we've had a rocky run. They say that when the going gets tough, the tough get going, and you're a tough guy, Aang. Not in a bad way, but like… For someone your age, you're… I'm not making a lot of sense here, am I?"
"… Not really,"
"Yeah, I thought so. This isn't going the way I had planned. What I'm trying to tell you is… that I do understand how hard it can be to lose a friend, to have someone you care about leave without you being able to do anything about it. You might not want to hear this, especially coming from me, but I know you're still not over what happened to Appa, and there's nothing wrong with that,"
Out of the corner of his eye, Shujinko saw as the Avatar stiffened his jaw and turned his face away from him, clearly disgruntled by the mention of his Sky Bison companion. "How many times do I have to say this? I don't want to talk about Appa. He's not here, and unless we make it to Ba Sing Se, we won't see him ever again. Until we find him, I can't let anything distract me, no matter how I feel. Besides, what do you care? Appa doesn't come from your village and neither do I. We're not your comrades, so why do you concern yourself with us?"
'Aang can really be a jerk whenever he's brooding,' the Chunin thought as he took a deep breath in through his nostrils and exhaled slowly, mitigating the sparks of annoyance flaring up inside of him.
As a general rule, Shujinko didn't have a lot of patience dealing with people who gave him attitude, much less so when he was trying to extend an olive branch. Part of him thought that he was wasting his time, but if anything were to happen to them on their way to Ba Sing Se, the Ozuma feared he'd regret walking out of this conversation now, and he didn't want to add more weight onto his already overloaded emotional baggage. Seeing as his words wouldn't get the Avatar to soften up, he decided to go all-in by making use of one of his personal belongings of his as a last resort.
"It's funny you should say that. We've had chats, discussions, and arguments in regards to plenty of things, but I don't recall ever talking to you about my comrades, let alone showing them to you," Shujinko began to say. His right hand went into one of his pockets, and when he took it out, he retrieved a small photograph which he then offered to Aang. "The other day, I found this while I was going through my stuff. I had it in my diary along with the rest, but it must've gotten unglued at some point, probably due to all the running around we've done,"
Instinctively, the airbender's eyes widened, observing with reluctant interest the rectangular object that Shujinko was holding between his index and middle fingers. Despite the animosity developed between them since Wan Shi Tong's Library, Aang was and always had been a boy with an overgrown sense of curiosity, which he often struggled to control. Slowly but surely, the Avatar stuck his hand out and took the picture, bringing it close to his face to examine every little detail.
Just like Katara, Aang was positively shocked by the image quality of the photograph, having never held one before. Once he got over his initial astonishment, he stared intently at the ninjas in the picture. He recognized Shujinko straight away, but the four individuals he was with were a complete mystery to the young monk. The Ozuma was alongside three other kids of his same age with a grown man standing right behind them. From their physical appearance to the emotions conveyed by their facial expressions, all five of them looked completely different from one another, which immediately caught Aang's eye.
One of the boys in the picture had… yellow hair? And whisker marks on his cheeks? That couldn't be right. He had to be wearing make-up and a wig or something like that. And what was up with that bright orange jumpsuit he had on? Whoever this guy was, his fashion style was odd, to say the least. The only female in the group was a girl who wore a red dress with short sleeves. She wasn't ugly or anything, but the Avatar was thoroughly distracted by the fact that her hair was pink. Pink. There was no way that was natural. It had to be dyed, but why would a girl want to dye her hair the color of cherry blossoms?
The third friend of Shujinko looked completely normal. No bizarre hair color, no extravagant clothes, no nothing. His fair skin, his raven-dark hair, and his overall aesthetic features made him a rather handsome boy, one who surely got a lot of female attention wherever he went. Even so, Aang couldn't help but notice the cold expression on his face, as if he was angry or annoyed for some reason. Finally, the adult standing behind them had spiky, silver hair oriented to his left side and had at least one eye. That was all the airbender could gather from looking at the picture, as the man's left eye and ear were covered by his headband and he wore a mask that concealed the lower half of his face.
A diverse crew of eccentric-looking people, if Aang ever saw one.
"Are these your...?"
"Those three used to be classmates of mine when we were in the Academy. Their names are Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha. We graduated together and ended up becoming a team. The man with the silver hair is Kakashi Hatake, our sensei. This picture was taken shortly after our Genin squad was officially recognized as Team 7,"
Aang remained quiet as he listened to Shujinko, and for a brief instant, he forgot all about his strained relationship with him, as if their altercation following Appa's capture had never taken place. Even though it sounded silly, Aang often failed to remember that behind his incredible powers and everything that being a ninja entailed, Shujinko was still a normal person, a boy with his own story just like anyone else. The young Avatar was intrigued by the photograph not only because he'd never seen one before, but because it allowed him to catch a glimpse of Shujinko's past, to have an idea of what his life used to be.
"I shared a lot of moments with them. Sometimes it was boring, sometimes it was pretty dangerous, but I always enjoyed being with my teammates, no matter what we were doing. It was almost like having a second family. We worked together, we learned together, and most importantly, we stuck together. I bet you can relate to that,"
"… I can," Aang admitted, thinking back on the many hardships he had overcome thanks to the unyielding support of Katara and Sokka.
He couldn't imagine where he'd be today if it weren't for the Water Tribe siblings, who left their home and embarked on the most dangerous of quests not only to put an end to the war, but also to protect him from the clutches of the Fire Nation. Regardless of the difficulties that came along the road, they'd always been there for the boy whom they once found frozen in the iceberg, and that was precisely what made them so precious to him. As he held Shujinko's photograph, Aang could now see that the Chunin sitting next to him had that same special bond of companionship with other people, discovering yet another similitude between the two of them.
"You said you understand how hard it can be to lose a friend. What exactly do you mean by that? How did it happen?" Before he provided any answers, Shujinko extended his hand and gestured the Avatar to return the picture. Aang complied, and once his team's photograph was back inside his pocket, the Ozuma let out a sigh and finally addressed the airbender's questions.
"Months ago, one of my comrades decided to abandon our village and go rogue. On top of that, he joined one of the worst criminals of the shinobi world, a twisted maniac who betrayed and almost destroyed the Hidden Leaf. Some of his former classmates, myself included, were sent to stop him before he crossed the border. We did everything we could, we nearly died trying to bring our comrade back, but in the end, he was able to escape and the mission was a failure. Even to this day, no one knows where he is,"
"He abandoned your village?" Aang repeated. "Why did he do that? I mean, what about the people he left behind, like his friends and his family? Didn't they matter to him?"
"It's difficult to explain. From what I remember, he was always a loner. Even to this day, I'm still not sure whether if he ever considered me as a friend, even though I personally did saw him as such. At the very least, we were brothers in arms. As for his family, he doesn't have any," Shujinko said. For some reason, he felt the need to do something as he explained all of this, so he drew a kunai and began to inspect the edges of the blade, trying to act casual while doing so. "This guy suffered a terrible tragedy when he was a kid, and because of that, he grew bitter and detached. He was also a very talented ninja, so he had an ego as well. That being said, he wasn't a bad person, and I know he cared about those around him to some extent. It just wasn't easy to get along with him,"
And there he was again, talking about Sasuke Uchiha to someone who had nothing to do with the shinobi world. At least this time it was with Aang, who had some understanding of ninjas after months of traveling with Shujinko. For Aang's own good, the Ozuma was being purposefully vague about some aspects in regards to his former teammate's past. Knowing how much the airbender was against violence and murder, Aang would almost certainly be horrified to learn that the 'terrible tragedy Sasuke had suffered was the loss of his entire family in one night, a carnage that had been carried out by his older brother no less.
Even by shinobi standards, what Itachi had done was a heinous act of brutality that only a true monster would commit. The mere thought of doing the same to his family was enough to make Shujinko feel sick, so he doubted a pure soul such as Aang would be able to stomach it. Besides, he didn't want the conversation to revolve around the Uchiha Massacre, which the Chunin feared would happen if he told the young monk about it.
"What you have to understand about us ninjas is that regardless of where we come from, we must always stay loyal to our village. Unless you were permitted to do so, abandoning your village is a crime, and it's also a stain that can never be removed. My friend was aware of this and did it all the same. He wasn't following orders or being tricked, he left on his own free will, knowing what the consequences of his decision were,"
"But he must've had a motive, right?" Aang asked with fervor. "I can't imagine someone choosing to leave behind his home and the people he grew up with without a reason,"
Unbeknownst to the Ozuma, Aang's question didn't stem from a place of curiosity, but rather from personal experience. He could perfectly remember his last days in the Southern Air temple when it was announced to everyone that he was the Avatar, as well as how drastically said discovery impacted his life. Likewise, the confusion and fear he felt upon learning that he was to be sent to the Eastern Air Temple to complete his training, away from Monk Gyatso and his friends, was a memory he could not escape from.
That confusion and fear led Aang to leave the only home he knew, not out of spite or as an act of rebellion, but because he was unable to understand what was going on anymore. Looking back on it, Aang knew he could've handled things better. His reaction had been reckless, but it was due to the fact that his whole world had been flipped upside down, and he certainly hadn't anticipated what would happen to him and the rest of the Air Nomads after his escape.
"He certainly had a motive. More than that, he had a goal, a goal he wanted to accomplish more than anything else. I won't go into much detail on that since it ain't worth it, but I can assure you his goal isn't noble or altruistic. It involves the death of someone from his past, and while I understand why he wants that person dead, he turned his back on those closest to him as if we were nuisances. I've come to terms with it, but the truth is… what he did hurt me a lot, and it still does,"
Hurt… That was the price to pay for having comrades, for carrying them in his heart and mind, for letting them be important to him.
At no point had Sasuke ever been his best friend, yet at the same time, Shujinko had never needed Sasuke to be his best friend. They used to be fellow members of Team 7, and that on its own had been sufficient for the golden-eyed boy to acknowledge him, to care about the Uchiha as a shinobi and as an individual. The respect they held for each other, the dangers they faced together, the obstacles they overcame working as a team. That was what their relationship was about, yet Sasuke still decided to toss all of that away.
That bastard.
Shujinko believed he had exposed enough of his feelings, which he had to admit felt liberating, but he didn't want to pour his heart out either. After all, this wasn't about him, even if he was the one who made it that way, albeit unintentionally. "Anyways, that's enough reminiscing out of me. Let's get going, shall we? According to Suki, we should make it to Ba Sing Se before nightfall, and I don't want to stay another second on this rocky passage," the Chunin said as he got on his feet and stepped away from the edge, but before ending the conversation, Shujinko decided to give the airbender a few words of encouragement for good measure. "I think you'll find Appa. Do you know why? Because wherever he is right now, I'm sure he's looking for you too. That's what true friends do,"
000
|Some hours later|
While the members of Team Avatar kept moving forward, motivated by the idea of finally reaching the other side, the Ozuma had his brow furrowed with concern. He wondered if the rest of the group had noticed it as well or if he was the only one who had realized it, but regardless, he was growing increasingly apprehensive the closer they got to the capital of the Earth Kingdom. 'Something… Something is missing here. It's not adding up,'
It had taken them a little over three days to make it this far, and crossing the Serpent's Pass had been anything but a walk in the park, especially for Ying, whose advanced pregnancy was taking a toll on her. She hadn't sustained any injuries nor fallen ill, but she was worn out by the journey at this point, which couldn't be healthy for a woman who might give birth at any moment. Than and Gaita were taking care of her as best they could with what little resources they had, but they were tired as well as hungry since Ying had to eat most of their food in order to keep her strength.
However, leaving that aside, the Serpent's Pass wasn't the hellish place Shujinko had expected it to be. Ying had warned them that only the truly desperate took this route, and while it certainly had its dangers, most of them could be avoided by staying alert and watching one's steps. Both lakes remained calm day and night, there weren't any beasts or predators around, and the geographical structure of the Serpent's Pass was basically a straightforward path, making it very difficult to get lost. Honestly, it seemed as though even an inexperienced traveler could make it across the Serpent's Pass as long as he was careful and didn't do anything stupid.
This could only mean one thing: Either the Serpent's Pass was undeserving of its fame, or they had yet to find out that which made it so deadly.
After a long while, Shujinko and the rest of Team Avatar came across what could be the answer to that. A single gap of water that connected the East and West Lakes lied ahead, placing a distance of roughly one hundred yards between them and the rest of the road.
"… Well, this sure does complicate things," Suki stated. This was the first real obstacle they had encountered, and Shujinko could now see why people were afraid of the Serpent's Pass. If you weren't a skilled swimmer, there was a good chance you could end up drowning in an attempt to cross a gap of that size. Naturally, this wasn't an issue for a ninja who had mastered the water-walking exercise, and if need be, the Ozuma could make several trips back and forth and take each member of the group to the other side, carrying them in his arms or on his back.
The problem, however, was Than and, to a greater extent, his wife. Through no fault of her own, Ying was by far the most vulnerable person out of all of them due to her delicate physical condition. No matter which way they tried to cut across the gap of water, they would have to do it at a slow pace so that nothing bad happened to her or to her unborn child. This was a game of shōgi and Ying was the king, the one whose safety determined the movements of all the other pieces on the board.
"I have an idea," Katara piped up. "With this much water, I should be able to freeze some of it and make a bridge of ice using Waterbending. Pakku taught me how to do it. We just need to tread carefully,"
"Ice? You mean that thing from the North and South Pole that's supposed to be super cold and slippery? Nope, I'm not stepping on that and you can't convince me otherwise," Toph declared as she walked past them. "Besides, there's a better option. Twinkletoes, get over here and lend me a hand. It's time to put what you've learned from me to the test,"
The pair of benders stood next to each other and adopted the same Earthbending stance, bending their knees and stretching their arms out, one fist pointing upwards and the other one downwards. Working in conjunction, Toph and Aang began to elevate the earth from the ground beneath the water, raising one block with every step they took. They mirrored each other's moves with great timing, although Toph was able to raise the earth faster and with more precision than Aang.
Once enough headway was made, the rest of Team Avatar followed them from behind, stepping on the mucky bridge that was being built. Katara decided to help out by using her bending abilities to remove as much water from the earth as she could, drying up the terrain and making it safer for everyone to tread on. "You know, come to think of it, even though we're in the Serpent's Pass, I don't think I've ever seen an actual serpent in my life," Sokka said out of the blue. "I wonder how they look like,"
"If they're anything like the ones back in my home, it's best to just avoid them altogether," Shujinko replied. "I've never been bitten by a snake, and I hope that doesn't change anytime soon,"
Suki raised an eyebrow, slightly confused by what the Chunin said. "A snake? Are you talking about a Weasel Snake or a Prickle Snake?"
"I'm talking about slithering, tongue-sticking, scale-covered, fang-bearing snakes. They're creepy and repulsive creatures. Ironically, where I'm from, some people believe that white snakes represent good fortune and rebirth. I think it's a load of bull, but then again, that's what most superstitions are at the end of the day,"
"Have you ever come across one of those, Shujinko?" Katara asked.
|Flashback, The Forest of Death|
"Khu khu khu, what an outstanding performance. You really are crafty young boys,"
…
"My name is Orochimaru. I've had my eye on you for quite some time, Sasuke-kun. You possess that which I desire so strongly: the Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha. That Sharingan of yours, although not fully developed, shows great potential,"
…
"… As for what I want, I believe an exchange would be the appropriate term. Sasuke-kun, you need power, do you not? The power necessary to carry out your vengeance against Itachi for what he did to your clan. I can provide that. Yes, more power than you could ever hope to obtain on your own, but only if you give me something in return,"
…
"Now, before I leave, I will let you get a taste of what I have to offer. Call it a parting gift,"
|End of flashback|
"… Yeah, I have," the Ozuma responded, thinking about the Chunin Exams all those months ago. It was wild how what had started off with a written exam ended with a full-scale invasion in which one of the legendary Sannin and the Jinchūriki of the One Tail were involved. Such was the shinobi life, he supposed. "My team and I were making our way through a forest when a hideous white snake appeared out of nowhere. One of my teammates got bit as we fought it off. He survived, but he was never the same after that. It messed him up bad,"
Sokka winced at that. "For real? Geez, that must've been painful. Luckily for us, there are no such creatures around these parts, so we've got nothing to worr-"
"What was that?" Everyone stopped walking and turned around to see Gaita with a puzzled expression on her face, pointing a finger at the distant waters in front of her. "I-I could've sworn there was something over there. I don't know what it was, but it looked like it was coming our way,"
Instinctively, the members of Team Avatar gathered around to try and spot what Gaita had supposedly seen. A minute or so passed without them noticing anything that might warrant a speck of concern, as not even Shujinko was able to detect any sort of threat with the sharp eyesight he had forged over months of training. "I don't know what you're talking about. All I can see is water," her brother said before frowning at her. "Is this some kind of joke, Gaita? Because if so, it's not funny in the slightest,"
"I'm telling the truth!" Gaita assured him. "I saw something moving in the water. It could've been a Manatee Whale or a-
SPLAAAAAAAASHHHH
Like the explosion of a bomb detonated underwater, something emerged from the depths of the East and West Lakes, rising skywards with the suddenness of a thunderbolt. The unexpected burst of movement near them caught everyone off guard, including Shujinko, who nearly fell on his back. His first reaction was to crouch down and cover his face as water rained on them, and when he finally opened his eyes, the sight that greeted Shujinko left him stupefied with shock.
A snake of leviathanic proportions was standing before them with its jaws spread wide open, exposing several rows of shark-like teeth, each of them bigger than a kunai. Its body was covered in teal scales, which were separated from one another by thin purple veins in a net-like pattern. The prehensile tongue of the creature tapered towards its end and wiggled like the tentacle of an octopus. Meanwhile, its dark pupils resembled a pair of edgeless crosses, adorning its orange, gaping eyes. Its size, the way it had snuck up on them, and the blood-curdling screams it released gave the beast the appearance of a nightmarish being, a titanic freak of nature.
"… W-What is that thing!?" Katara yelled.
"Probably the reason why they call this place the Serpent's Pass!" Sokka replied before grabbing Suki's shoulders, shaking them in desperation. "Suki, you live near the Unagi! How do you scare a giant sea creature away?"
"Why are you asking me for? I'm a Kyoshi Warrior, not an animal expert!"
After letting out another piercing screech, the Serpent launched forward, intending to devour all of them at once. Aang quickly swung his staff, releasing a potent current of air that smacked the aquatic creature right in the face and halted its lunge. Angered by this, the Serpent set its eyes on the airbender, who then unfolded his staff and turned it into a glider. "I'll distract him! Get everyone to the other side!" he ordered before taking flight, swerving through the air as the Serpent went after him.
"As capable as he is, Aang's gonna need our help," Shujinko said. Killing such a gigantic beast would be quite a difficult task to accomplish, but all they really needed to do was to divert its attention away from Than's family long enough for them to cross the second half of the water gap. "Toph, keep working on the bridge. Katara, you're coming with me. Sokka, Suki, you two are the last line of defense. Do whatever you must to keep everyone safe,"
"Understood," Sokka replied confidently, taking out his weapons and moving closer to Than, Ying, and Gaita. A few seconds later, Shujinko was sprinting through the lake closely followed by Katara, who was riding a narrow plank made of ice and using Waterbending to slide across the water. As he watched them go, Sokka blinked all of a sudden as he realized something. "Wait a second, if that thing comes for us, how are we supposed to fend it off?" he asked Suki, whose response was a confused shrug of her shoulders. "Crap. Toph, if you wanna live to see Ba Sing Se, you better finish this bridge as soon as possible!"
Toph raised another block of earth from underneath the lake. "Have you considered that maybe I won't see Ba Sing Se at all whether we get there or not?"
"… You know what I meant! Please, just hurry up!"
Meanwhile, as the Chunin closed in on his target, he was trying to come up with ways to either subdue the Serpent or force it to retreat. None of his jutsus packed enough of a punch to harm a creature that big. The Kazekiri could probably tear into the Serpent's flesh, but he would have to get extremely close to even attempt that. Besides, an attack like that would only be effective if he went for vital spots such as the eyes or the tongue, which would almost inevitably result in him getting minced between those giant razor-sharp teeth. No, Ninjutsu wasn't a viable option.
Shujinko focused his gaze on the Avatar, who was still being chased by the Serpent. That glider allowed him to fly around with incredible maneuverability, but it didn't look as though Aang was capable of gliding and defending himself at the same time as he couldn't get the Serpent to back off. If for any reason Aang slowed down, he might end up as that abominable creature's appetizer. 'Looks like bending won't be enough either,' the Ozuma thought. 'That only leaves us with… Yeah, I guess it's worth a shot,' "Katara!"
The waterbender heard Shujinko calling out her name and took a brief detour in order for the Chunin to catch up to her. "What is it?"
"Listen carefully, there's something I want you to do," Shujinko said as he got on the wave Katara was riding. "Tell Aang that as soon as I give the signal, he has to pick me up and carry me. Until then, keep stalling the monster. Buy me as much time as you can, and once I'm ready, go back to the others right away. It doesn't matter how you do it as long as you deliver this message. Got it?"
"… Alright, but whatever your plan is, it better work. What's the signal going to be?"
"Trust me, you'll hear it when it happens!" Having made his instructions clear, the golden-eyed boy leaped out of the wave and remained standing on water. He took off his backpack and put it back on facing forward before opening it, retrieving the items he was going to need for their daring escape. 'Damn it, this would be much easier if I could sit down. Okay Shujinko, time to put your crafting skills to good use,'
|Meanwhile, in Ba Sing Se|
Those two were firebenders.
They had to be, or at least the fat old man with the beard was. Jet had all but seen it with his own eyes!
This realization had dawned on him at one of the capital's checkpoints. All ferry passengers were required to show their tickets and passports before they were granted access to the city, a standard measure that no one could object to. The procedure itself didn't take a lot of time, but after that, refugees were sorted into groups and obligated to wait indefinitely until the guards decided to let them in. This rule was implemented to avoid the gathering of crowds near the entrances of the Lower Ring.
Jet took this opportunity to talk to Lee in private. The Freedom Fighters were aspiring to rebuild themselves after their failed attempt to get rid of the Fire Nation soldiers stationed in Gaipan. Despite barely knowing him, Jet had invited Lee to join them, for he was convinced that Lee was a resourceful guy with enough skills to contribute. To his surprise and disappointment, the scarred swordsman turned him down and stated that his uncle was the only person he was willing to stick with. It was a bummer, but Jet respected his decision and didn't inquire any further… That's when it happened.
After declining the invitation, Lee turned around and went back to his uncle, who was enjoying himself a cup of tea that he had bought just a moment ago. Said beverage was hot enough to let out steam, yet when Mushi took his first sip, the leader of the Freedom Fighters heard him complain loud and clear about how he had "tasted ice shards less gelid than this". In a span of a few seconds, Mushi had somehow managed to get his hands on a new cup despite not leaving his seat and without being approached by the vendor who sold it to him.
Therefore, either Mushi was able to perform miracles or a bit of discreet Firebending had taken care of the problem.
In Jet's mind, there was no doubt that both "Mushi" and his nephew "Lee" were from the Fire Nation. It was the only logical answer, which inevitably led to more questions. What were they doing In Ba Sing Se? Was this part of a strategy to attack the capital of the Earth Kingdom?
That could be it. Maybe those two were spies deployed by the Fire Nation to infiltrate enemy territory. No one would suspect a pair of refugees out of the hundreds that poured into the city. After the surrender of Omashu, Ba Sing Se had become the last great Earth Kingdom stronghold, so it only made sense that the Fire Nation's next move would be to seize control of the capital. Lee and Mushi were probably undercover agents who had been given the task to feed information back to the Fire Lord so that his generals could start developing strategies. They could be using stolen or forged passports as far as Jet knew.
He had confided these suspicions to his fellow Freedom Fighters. Smellerbee argued that he was being paranoid and that going back to how he used to act wouldn't end well for any of them. Jet responded that he was not, in fact, returning to his old ways. After all, he could've confronted them the moment he made the connection, but he refrained himself. His intentions were to gather sufficient evidence, alert the proper authorities and let them handle the matter, just like any law-abiding citizen would. Even after explaining all of this to her, Smellerbee still thought that getting involved was a bad idea.
But Jet had already made up his mind and he was going to go through with it whether they disagreed with him or not. It wasn't just for himself; the entire capital of the Earth Kingdom was currently in danger. Jet simply wanted to do what was right and he was even willing to play by the rules in order to do so. Besides, being here in Ba Sing Se only made him feel more determined, for this place was the second chance he'd been desperately searching for.
The Fire Nation had already taken his home away from him once.
Jet would be damned if he was gonna let it happen twice.
|Back to the East and West Lakes|
'Aaaand… done! Okay, even if I don't kill him, he's definitely going to feel this one… But whatever happens, I can't afford to miss,'
After adjusting his backpack, the golden-eyed teen lifted his gaze to check how Aang and Katara were faring against the Serpent. To his surprise, the two benders had come up with a clever tactic to restrict the movements of the colossal animal. In an excellent display of skill and coordination, the Avatar and the girl from the Southern Water Tribe managed to form a maelstrom with the Serpent trapped inside, spinning around at great speed. Despite its size and ferocity, the Serpent was unable to break free and kept on rotating until-
BAAM
In an attempt to escape, the dizzy Serpent stretched its body out. As a consequence, the giant sea creature crashed sideways into the rocky slopes of the passage. The impact was so hard that Shujinko couldn't help but wince a little, although in all honesty, what he was planning on doing would arguably inflict even more pain upon the beast. 'This is my chance,' he thought as he threw one of his two tools, a kunai with an explosive tag attached to it, into the sky. He didn't like having to let go of his limited weaponry, even a single kunai, but the current circumstances merited the loss.
BOOM
The explosive tag attached to the kunai went off loud and clear, earning the attention of the two benders. Shujinko supposed a bang like that had to be enough of a cue for them to catch, but he still waved his arms around to get their attention just in case.
'Katara better have told Aang about my plan. Otherwise, this whole thing will have been for nothing,' "Now's the time! Katara, retreat! Aang, you get over here!"
Whether they heard him or not, both of them still did as Shujinko had just instructed. Katara left the area in the same fashion she'd approached it, bending the water around her into waves and riding them atop a plank of ice. As for Aang, the boy had already taken flight and was making his way towards the Chunin. 'Good job, Katara. I knew I could count on you,' Shujinko thought, but before delivering any praises in person, the golden-eyed boy had to take care of the Serpent… which had just recovered from the blow to its head and had its eyes set on Aang, ready to give chase once again. "Crap! Aang, you better hurry up, and whatever you do, don't look back!"
"I'm coming!" Aang yelled. Despite the wind whistling past his ears as he flew, the airbender managed to hear the sound of something imposing moving fast through the water, which prompted Aang to hasten his pace. "Shujinko, stick your hand out! Shujinko raised his left hand while trotting backwards, gripping the second weapon he had put together in his right hand as tightly as he could. A few seconds later, Aang reached him and the Ozuma was swept off his feet, grabbing the Avatar's forearm as the two boys narrowly avoided the closing maws of the Serpent persecuting them.
Even though it had been his idea, the Chunin had to admit that he wasn't quite prepared for the experience that was gliding in these conditions. Riding on Appa, while not exactly risk-free, was far more stable and secure than clinging onto Aang as the Avatar did his thing, especially since the effects of air resistance were making his legs quiver like jelly. It was an uncomfortable feeling, to say the least, but as long as his right hand remained steady, he was confident he could pull off this particular stunt.
After all the trouble they had caused, the Serpent had no intention of letting its two pesky preys go anywhere but into its mouth, and so it charged at them once again. Aang, whose arm was growing sore from having to carry Shujinko's weight, had begun to lose speed and tried to make up for it by gaining altitude. Shujinko was made aware of this while he was adjusting his aim. "Aang, we have to stay close to the water!" Shujinko shouted, hoping that the Avatar could understand his words amidst all the noise.
"But why!? He's gaining on us!"
"I know, but the higher you go up, the easier it is for me to miss! I only have one shot, so I better make it count!"
Clenching his teeth, Aang lowered his trajectory per Shujinko's request and mustered all of his vigor to keep both of them just above the water. He had no idea what the Chunin had in store this time, and unless he acted quickly, they would soon crash and become the Serpent's next lunch. Aang could feel the tendons of his left arm protesting him after carrying Shujinko's weight for so long, but the adrenaline and the fear of dying were helping the Avatar ignore the pain and keep going, no matter what injuries his body sustained afterward.
Finally, the Serpent went for the kill and lunged at them with its maw wide open, releasing a musty stench of fish and seaweeds. 'NOW!' "If you're so hungry, go ahead and eat this!" Shujinko exclaimed as he threw a kunai at it, to which he had attached several fire tags using wire string. The incendiary weapon got lost somewhere past the Serpent's teeth, and as soon as he saw the kunai had gone in, Shujinko raised his index and middle finger, triggering all of the tags simultaneously.
FCH FCH FCH FCH FCH
The tags reacted to Shujinko's chakra and spread flames all around them. The maritime beast let out the unholiest of howls and bolted upwards, driven mad by the excruciating pain of having fire burst between its tongue and palate. Due to being surrounded in water, saliva, and other bodily fluids, the small blaze couldn't grow into something bigger and lost size rapidly, but the torture it had brought forth was far beyond anything a creature, tiny or huge, meek or fierce, could possibly endure. Delirious and agonizing, the Serpent lost all interest in the two boys and returned to the depths of the lakes, extinguishing the flames at once.
Shujinko watched the scene unfold from afar, his hand still latched onto Aang's forearm as the airbender used his remaining strength to reach firm land without dropping the Ozuma midway through. 'Sometimes, I don't know how these insane plans even occur to me,' the golden-eyed boy thought, sweating profusely. 'Kakashi-sensei, forget about Naruto. I think I might be the most reckless out of your students after all,'
000
|Later on|
"I must say, after what just happened, I think I fear the Unagi monster even more than I used to," Suki commented, rubbing a piece of wet cloth against her face. Most of her traditional Kyoshi Warrior make-up was left in ruins after the chaotic encounter with the Serpent, so there wasn't much reason to keep what was left. "How often do you guys have to deal with these sorts of incidents? They're not daily occurrences, are they?"
Toph waved her hand dismissingly. "Trust me, you get used to it. These last few days were way too peaceful, so something like this was bound to happen to us at some point,"
"All I know is that I'll never set foot in that place ever again. That Serpent is probably the most terrifying creature I've seen so far, and we've crossed paths with our fair share of scary monsters and creepy spirits," Sokka said. "Well, at least that nightmare is over. Now it's nothing but smooth sailing to Ba Sing Se. Look! I can see the walls of the city from here. Just a little longer and we'll be talking to the Earth King about the-"
"G-Gaaah-ahgh!"
Everyone turned around to see Ying's face twisted in a grimace of pain as her knees began to shake, placing her hands on her belly. Her skin went pale and she started taking short breaths while Than and Gaita held her, both of them looking extremely concerned. "Ying, are you alright? What's happening?" Shujinko asked as he stepped forward, only to see a strange liquid traveling down her legs, forming a puddle between her feet. 'Is… Is she wetting herself?' the Chunin thought, feeling a mixture of confusion, disgust, and embarrassment all at once.
"M-My water… broke…" Ying said amidst gasps. Despite not knowing what she was talking about, Shujinko guessed it couldn't be good news, but that wasn't enough to prepare him for what was next. "… The baby… is coming!"
Upon hearing those words, Shujinko froze in his spot with a look of utter disbelief on his face, almost as if Ying had done something awful in front of everyone. The other members of Team Avatar reacted similarly, too astounded to do anything other than remaining silent while Ying kept grunting and whimpering. It took them about a minute to assimilate what was going on, and once they did, Sokka was unable to keep quiet any longer and started to panic, which in all honesty, Shujinko himself came close to doing.
"W-What? You mean now? But we still haven't reached Ba Sing Se! You can't give birth here like we're in a nursery! Try holding it in or something!"
"Sokka, that's not how it works," Katara replied, showing much more composure than any of the boys of the group. "Let me take care of this. Gran-Gran taught me a lot about the process of delivering babies back home, so I have experience on the matter,"
"THIS ISN'T THE SAME AS AN ARTIC SEAL, KATARA! WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A REAL… LIVING… HUMAN… THING!"
"It's called a baby, and for your information, I helped to deliver plenty of those as well," the waterbender corrected her brother before tossing him her leather pouch. "This is what we're going to do. Sokka, bring us water from the lake. Aang, get us all the rags you can find. Shujinko, lend me a kunai, preferably one you haven't used yet. Toph, I need you to make an earth tent with plenty of room. You and Suki will assist me throughout the labor. Than, Gaita, you don't have to do anything, but you should stay with Ying in case she needs you,"
000
|Six hours later|
"… Uhh, shouldn't one of us go there and see if they need a hand or something?"
Aang's suggestion was met with the incredulous stares of Shujinko and Sokka. While Katara, Toph, and Suki were inside the tent, working tirelessly to deliver Ying's baby with the few resources available to them, the boys were doing their best too… by removing themselves from the situation as much as possible. The Chunin, the Avatar, and the son of Hakoda had found a boulder to sit on a couple of meters away from the tent, far enough to keep some distance, but close enough to get involved should the necessity arrive.
"Nah, it'll be fine. Katara knows what she's doing. It's best to let the girls handle… you know, women stuff," Sokka said awkwardly. "Besides, even if we went there and offered to help, it's not like we'd be able to do much anyway. Isn't that right, Shujinko?"
"Yeah, I agree. We'd just be getting in the way. If they need us, they'll let us know, but until then, we should allow Katara to do her job in peace," the Ozuma responded. Although his answer and the logic behind it made sense, Shujinko had another motive, one that he was too ashamed to admit.
For some reason, the thought of entering the tent and watching whatever was going on in there made Shujinko feel extremely uncomfortable and queasy, scared even. To him, the body of a woman was something akin to a mystery. He knew the female anatomy differed from his, that much was obvious, and even though he had a natural amount of interest towards it, it most certainly did not extend to seeing a baby come out of someone. The fact that he could hear Katara yelling "Breathe!" and "Push!" after Ying had been screaming for hours did nothing but discourage him even further.
Come to think of it, it was a tad bit ironic. Shujinko was willing to participate in a war and fight anyone on the opposing side, take on the hooded man all by himself, slay Buzzard Wasps without flinching, and even get a creature such as the Serpent to back off through incredibly dangerous maneuvers. But to watch as a woman gave birth? No sir, he possessed neither the stones nor the stomach for that. Up until this point, it had never dawned on the Chunin that, in a certain way, he felt more comfortable risking his life than witnessing the beginning of one.
After a while, Ying's screams came to a sudden end, followed by the sound of a nursling crying. Shujinko, Aang, and Sokka instantly shared a look of surprise, and although they all felt tempted to leave the boulder right away and check if everything had gone over well, Sokka said they should wait there until his sister or someone else told them it was fine. The Ozuma and the airbender assented to it, and a few minutes later, they saw Katara walking out of the tent with a tired, but triumphant smile on her face.
"You guys better come see this!"
The three of them made their way to the tent. Upon entering, Shujinko saw Ying lying on the ground, her lower body covered beneath a wrinkled blanket. She was wearing a white, loose-fitting chemise and she looked thoroughly fatigued, with her disheveled hair and tears rolling down her rosy cheeks, but smiling all the same as she held a small bundle swathed in a brown shawl. With childlike curiosity, Shujinko approached the mother to take a closer look, ignoring the bloodied rags that were by her side.
Even though he already knew what it was, the Ozuma was still amazed by the baby that Ying had in her arms. The newborn child had a thin mop of dark brown hair, with reddish and purplish skin that had never been touched by sunlight before. The eyes were squeezed shut hard and the mouth revealed a tongue so small it could've easily belonged to a kitten. It reminded Shujinko of Nanami when their mother took her home for the first time a few days after she was conceived; tiny, whiny, and completely unaware of the world around her.
"… It's so… squishy-looking," was the only adjective Sokka managed to come up with to describe the infant. "Boy or girl?"
"She's a girl, a healthy and beautiful girl," Katara said, gazing at the adorable cherub wrapping her minuscule fingers around Gaita's pinkie. "Congratulations. I know getting this far wasn't easy, but you made it through as a family, and now your family just got a little bit bigger. You should be proud,"
Overwhelmed with joy, Than's eyes began to well up in silence, thinking back on all the hardships and sacrifices that he and his family had to put up with just to make this moment happen. "If it weren't for you, this wouldn't have been possible. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you all. I'll never forget everything you did for us," he said as he wiped the tears away with the palms of his hands. "We owe you a debt of gratitude I don't think we can ever repay,"
"My husband is right," Ying said, her voice raspy and weak after hours of shouting in pain. Than grabbed her hand and kissed it, though his eyes remained firmly fixated on the baby, almost as if he was hypnotized by the beauty and innocence of his daughter. "Than, my dear, do you remember our agreement? We said we'd wait until our child was born before giving her a name. Looks like we can't postpone it any longer,"
"That's true. It's bad luck to keep a newborn unnamed for too long. What should we call her, then?"
"I'm not sure, but what I do know is that I want her name to mean something, to be just as special as she is to us," For the first time since he stepped into the tent, Shujinko saw Ying looking away from her baby before addressing the members of Team Avatar. "I'm afraid my husband and I are short on ideas. Maybe you could help us one last time? After all, it's only thanks to you that our daughter is here today, so you've done more than enough to get a say on this,"
At first, Aang's countenance remained calm, but before he knew it, the corners of his mouth stretched into a smile. He was unable to resist it, just as he was unable to resist the gleeful tears that invaded his eyes. It wasn't the sight of two parents holding their newborn child for the very first time or the fact that they were asking them to pick their daughter's name as a token of appreciation that got to him. It was everything, everything that had led up to this point, and how he had been part of the process.
These people had no food, no shelter, no money, no valuables, and no means to turn their life around. They had nothing… but it was their nothing, and that alone made it special to them. Being dirt poor didn't make them any less of a family. In fact, it seemed to bring them closer than ever as they only had each other, and having each other was all they needed. They weren't fazed by the commotion they had recently experienced or by the difficulties lying in wait because, at the end of the day, being surrounded by loved ones gave them strength and they would figure out the rest along the way.
Just like with Aang and Team Avatar.
"No, I'm the one who's thankful," Aang said, getting slightly choked up. "I've been going through a really hard time lately and I wasn't sure of what to do. I thought I had no reason to be optimistic, not until I had Appa by my side once again, but seeing you like this… has made me realize light can still be found in the darkest places,"
Gaita smiled. "Of course, that's what hope is all about,"
"Well, if what you want is a name that means something special…" Shujinko began to say while placing his hands against the back of his head, fearing that he might come off as corny and overly sentimental. "… how about Nozomi? It's a name given to girls, and from where I come, it means 'hope',"
"Nozomi…" Ying pondered about it for a minute before finally giving her verdict with a lovely smile. "… I think it suits her perfectly. What do you say, Than?"
"I couldn't agree more. Our daughter has given us all the hope in the world, and I have no doubt she will continue to do so. Well then, Nozomi it is," Than replied, taking the baby off her mother's arms and holding her delicately. "Did you hear that, Nozomi? You have a name of your own, a very special name. How do you like it?" In response, Nozomi scrunched up her angelical facial features and started to cry. "Ooh, shush now, I'm sure you'll grow fond of it one day,"
Aaaaaaaand that was chapter 19. Hope you all liked it.
(Warning: Extensive author's note ahead)
In case you're wondering what took me so long to upload, it mostly had to do with the Serpent's fight scene, which was hard to describe (and expand upon) even with the support of the episode. I have to take my time with these things if I want to make them look good, or at least as good as they are in the cartoon show.
A subject I'd like to touch upon is this chapter's timeline compared to the original timeline. In the show, they make it look as though Team Avatar reaches Ba Sing Se basically the same day that Zuko and Iroh do, even though these two were traveling on a ferry while Team Avatar was going on foot and resting in-between. This never made sense to me, so I decided to slightly alter the timeline for the sake of consistency. In this story, Zuko and Iroh reached Ba Sing Se a few days before Team Avatar, which doesn't really change any future events that I can think of, so there's no need to worry about that.
In my opinion, the conversation between Aang and Shujinko was something that needed to happen. To make this clear, Shujinko HASN'T forgiven Sasuke for abandoning their village. He misses Sasuke and he understands why he left, but that's not the same as forgiving him and waiting for his return with open arms as if nothing had happened. The point of the conversation is that Shujinko knows what it's like to lose a friend just as Aang has lost his, and he wants Aang to be made aware of that to show him he can relate to what he's going through right now. It's not an apology per se, but rather an olive branch that Shujinko extended so that they can start mending their relationship.
Yes, I know the circumstances surrounding Sasuke's departure and Appa's capture are vastly different from one another, which is why Shujinko omitted important aspects of his loss when describing it to Aang. Had Shujinko told Aang the unfiltered truth about Sasuke, the chapter would've been unnecessarily lengthier than it already is, but most importantly, it would've been harder for Aang to relate to him. Basically, he revealed to Aang only what he needed to know at that particular moment.
On a side note, the picture that Shujinko showed Aang is the classic picture of Team 7 in their Genin days. I felt the need to include Aang's thoughts upon seeing what Shujinko's teammates/sensei looked like. When you consider the common physical attributes of the people of the Four Nations, it would be pretty weird for one of them to see someone who has blond/pink/silver hair, as such genetic traits don't exist there.
Instead of having Team Avatar cross the water gap submarine style, I thought it would be overall better if Toph and Aang tried to cross it by building an earth bridge together piece by piece using the ground beneath the water. It's a lot safer that way and Aang gets to use Earthbending, you know, the bending art he's supposed to be focusing on right now. The underwater scene in the episode definitely looks cooler, but this scene makes more sense to me, so that's what I went with.
I tried my best to illustrate just how huge the Serpent is. According to the sources I found, the Serpent is a hundred-foot-long creature (about the size of an Antarctic blue whale), and it appeared to be even bigger in the show. I hope I made a good job with the fight scene and the way it concluded here, because as you all know, I like to incorporate my own spins and twists whenever I can.
Lastly, I thought the scene where Ying gives birth had to be more realistic. For obvious and understandable reasons, the scene had to be toned down considerably in the show. Now, I'm not saying the scene here is a completely accurate representation of what would happen in a real-life scenario, but at least I was able to add some components of authenticity to it. Also, shinobi or not, seeing the actual birth of a baby is something any 14-year-old would want to avoid, so don't blame Shujinko lol.
Oh, and don't get me started on how corny it was to literally name the baby Hope. Sorry, that ain't happening here. At least Nozomi is a name you could feasibly hear in the Avatar world and it still means "hope" in Japanese, so that made it a much more suitable option in my eyes. Yeah yeah, I know that hope is the episode's theme and all, but Than and Ying really let it go to their heads.
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Peace!