Sup guys, how's it goin'? If you're reading this then I want you to know I've got a poncho, a nice one.
Anyways enjoy the story.
Chapter: 8
A Dai Li agent was walking the streets of Ba Sing Se's red light district. A figure clad in black wear and a blue oni mask runs by and purposely bumps into the Dai Li agent.
"Out of my way, skinny!" the Blue-Spirit yelled and ran. The agent prepares to use his rock glove, but pauses when the disguised man turns into an alley. The agent runs to the alley and sees a figure that appears to be him. He fires his rock gloves at the figure's chest and head, knocking off the stuffed figure's head and knocking it down. Dai Li agent looked confused and dropped his guard.
"Huh?" there is the whisper of a drawn blade behind him and the Blue-Spirit, captures him and places one of his swords to the agent's neck.
"If you don't want to end up like him, you'll do what I say." he said icily.
XxX~ ( The Next day - Back with Team Avatar - Naruto's house ) ~XxX
Team Avatar, Longshot, Smellerbee, and Naruto who were all surrounding a seated Jet.
"The Dai Li must have sent Jet to mislead us, and that janitor was part of their plot, too!" Katara theorised.
"I bet they have Appa here in the city. Maybe he's in the same place they took Jet! Where did they take you?" Aang asked.
"Nowhere! I- I don't know what you're talking about!" Jet stammered out nervously, sweat pouring down the side of his head.
"We need to find a way to jog his real memories." Aang said, a hand on his chin in a thinking posture. Sokka looked at his sister teasingly, wiggling his eyebrow.
"Maybe Katara should kiss him. That should bring something back!" he teased, for a split second Katara blushed before turning into a scowl.
"Maybe you should kiss him, Sokka!" Katara countered with crossed arms.
"Hey, just an idea!" he held his hands up in defense.
"A bad one." Aang muttered childishly, Sokka in turn scowled.
"Ooh, wait! I've got it!" Sokka plucks a straw from the couch, pokes it into Jet's mouth in trademark fashion and regards him thoughtfully.
"I don't think it's working." Jet said before he spits it out in Sokka's face. Toph came up with an idea.
"Try to think of something from your past that triggers your emotions." Toph said. Smellerbee thought of a memory.
"The Fire-Nation! Remember what they did to your family!" She said.
Naruto was off to the side watching, looking at Jet calculatingly, he saw something, something familiar. He noticed Jet wouldn't look directly at him, like he was holding himself back.
"Close your eyes. Picture it." Katara said, Jet did what he was told, while sweat beads started to form on his forehead. His eyes suddenly snap wide open and he sees images of himself at a younger age watching his town burning down and Colonel-Mongke looking back at him venomously.
Jet threw his head forward to escape from that horrible nightmare. "No! It's too painful!" Jet said, Katara had sympathy for Jet at this moment, she and Sokka too, lost their mother in a Fire-Nation raid on the Southern Watertribe
"Maybe this will help." she said and took water from her pouch and put it around his ears, using healing to clear his mind. Jet looks up from the floor and sees an image of Long Feng standing above a lake. Long Feng stares at Jet, and Jet sinks down under the lake into an underground room. He sees an image of a Dai Li agent shining a spinning light in his face.
"They took me to a headquarters under the water. Like a lake!" Jet told the group, Naruto's eyes widened at this statement.
"Why would the Dai Li want to take you to an underground lake?" Sokka asked.
"Because… it's a lake where they brainwash people who are paranoid about the war and the Fire-Nation." Naruto said, the group turned their heads to Naruto.
"How'd you know that?" Katara asked, perplexed that Naruto knew such information. Naruto sighed.
"In my life serving underneath the Earth-king, I was given a mission, a recon mission to spy on Long-Feng. I became a Dai Li agent, but I was led to Lake Laogai to see where my allegiance really lies." Naruto said, Jet stood up, knocking his seat over in the process.
"That's it! Lake Laogai." Jet exclaimed.
XxX~ ( In the Fire-Nation ) ~XxX
Menma was in the royal palace outside Azula's room, he was pacing back-and-forth with a nervous stride. He was contemplating if he should really do this; he started feeling bad about the other day when he just left their sleeping quarters without saying 'thank you' and showed his gratitude to Azula.
"Oh come on, how hard can it be? Just knock, and apologize to Azula and be on your way!" he said out loud in a frustrated tone.
Without him knowing Azula was listening in on her side of the door, giggling to herself, she found it laughable and kinda cute.
"Come on! Apologize, just say "I'm sorry Azul–" before he finished his apology Azula's door opened with Azula in a nightgown and her hair styled into a high pony-tail. Menma was a loss for words, he began sputtering incoherent words with a small blush on his face.
Azula smirked and struck a pose, and said. "If you keep staring I'll think you're trying to 'woo' me with those amber hues." she said suggestively. Menma's blush grew, his hair matching his face. Regaining his posture he lost his red complexion and held a confident face.
"Princess-Azula, I'm here to apologize for my rude awakening the other day. It was wrong, I'm sorry." Menma bowed and disappeared in flames.
"That was a bit anticlimactic, don't 'cha think?" Ty-Lee asked, walking out of her room across the hall. Mai came out of her room just after her and had the same bleak expression.
"I would agree, but he's not one for expressing his feelings out in the open." Azula said, Mai leaned on her door frame.
"Hmm, he sounds like me." Mai said with Ty-Lee nodding in agreement.
"Mai, I to–tally agree with you. Why did you never date him?" asked Ty-Lee. Mai yawned, not caring about the question that much.
"I guess I never saw him that way." Mai said.
"Ladies, a word for our next mission." Azula called, Mai and Ty-Lee left their rooms into Azula's.
Ty-Lee jumped on Azula's bed while Mai sat on a comfy chair. After Azula told her father about the failed mission to infiltrate Ba Sing Se he theorized that she could masquerade as the Kyoshi-Warriors that they captured.
"My Father and the war-generals devised a plan for us to infiltrate Ba Sing Se." Azula said, standing in front of a mirror, putting stuff on her face.
"What's the plan?" Ty-Lee asked excitedly, Azula turned around, wearing the kabuki makeup the Kyoshi-Warriors wore.
"We'll disguise ourselves as the Kyoshi-Warriors." she smirked, a glint of mischief coming to his eyes. Ty-Lee clapped enthusiastically, Mai just yawned.
"HAR-RAY!" Ty-Lee squealed.
"Yay." Mai bleakly said.
XxX~ ( Lake Laogai ) ~XxX
Naruto was leading Team Avatar and the Freedom-Fighters along the shore of Lake Laogai, he uses his earthbending to bring up a slab of rock with an entrance. He moves the rock lid out the way with the same technique.
They all look down at the tunnel and Momo flies away. They climb down the secret passage into the secret headquarters. Naruto checks to make sure the coast is clear and they walk down a long hallway.
"It's all starting to come back to me." Jet whispers but is still heard. Naruto and the group walk past a room where a member of the Dai Li was brainwashing a group of women.
"I'm Joo-Dee. Welcome to Ba Sing Se." the Dai Li agent said, the manipulated women robotically replied.
"I'm Joo-Dee. Welcome to Ba Sing Se." the Joo-Dee's said in unison.
"We're so lucky to have our walls to create order." the agent said.
"We're so lucky to have our walls to create order."
"I think there might be a cell big enough to hold Appa up ahead. I think it's through here!" Jet guessed, opening a passage to an empty room with a bunch of hanging chains attached to the ceiling. Naruto slipped into the ground, disappearing somewhat. They entered the room and the door closed suddenly behind them. Lights turn on, revealing the agents on the ceiling and Long-Feng standing at attention.
"Now that's something different." Sokka said. Long-Feng smirked when he saw the Avatar cornered.
"You have made yourselves enemies of the state. Take them into custody." he said and the Dai Li agents jump off the ceiling and surround them. Two agents fire rock gloves, but Toph breaks them up and sends the two agents flying through the air with rock pillars. Jet runs toward the agents and breaks two other gloves fired by agents with his swords, and trips another. A full battle ensues.
Aang deals with a pair of Dai Li agents. Sokka and Katara destroy two Dai Li gloves, but a second pair grabs them both. Toph saves them by creating a rock wall and she raises the ground up. Toph knocks away the four Dai Li agents that attacked her, but a glove captures her from behind and Jet swings by to free her. The agent fires his other rock glove, and Longshot fires an arrow, which destroys the glove. Jet jumps in front of Longshot to hold off more of their rock attacks Long-Feng escapes. Aang noticed him after knocking away two agents with airbending.
"Long-Feng is escaping!" Aang shouts, he and Jet gives chase. They head into another part of the headquarters with many pipes of all sizes sticking out of the walls, with some of them pouring out water, but are sealed in by Long-Feng.
"All right, Avatar, you've caused me enough problems. This is your last chance… if you want your bison back." he said with a grin.
"You do have Appa! Tell me where he is!" Aang yelled, swinging his staff with an air volley to come out.
Long-Feng sinks into the ground to evade the volley of air. "Agree to exit the city now, and I'll waive all charges against you and allow you to leave with your lost pet." Jet got into a fighting position.
"You're in no position to bargain!" Jet yelled, twirling his swords in rhythmic fashion.
"Am I not?" Long-Feng asked with a raised eyebrow and with a smirk.
"You're definitely not!" Aang pointed to Long-Feng to intimidate him.
"Jet, the Earth-king has invited you to Lake Laogai." Long-Feng said, his tone becoming hypnotic and setting off something in Jet. Close-up to his eye, his iris dilates.
"I am honored to accept his invitation." he turns to Aang and swings his sword, Aang dodges in time and flips backward, Jet comes running with an angry war cry. Out of nowhere a blur came out of the wall using earthbending and bumped into Long-Feng, knocking him away into the wall and continuing his descent to Jet.
The blur stopped Jet's double sword strike and stopped in front of him, his hood falling off his head, a head of blonde hair draping over his shoulders. The blonde kicked Jet in the chest, knocking him back quite a distance.
"Avatar, find your bison!" Naruto told Aang. Aang was a bit reluctant to listen seeing as Long-Feng is quite the threatening foe, with Jet on top of that, he wasn't so confident with Naruto being able to handle that.
"But what about you?" Aang asked, concerned. Naruto turned around and glared at Aang, before giving him a thumbs up.
"I'll be ok, Jet will be fine, we'll meet you outside." Aang nodded and ran to the entrance and blasted the wall.
"I see the king has made his move, sending you here, Naruto of the Fire-Nation." Long-Feng said, Naruto encased Long-Feng in earth and turned his attention to Jet.
"Jet, snap out of it!" Naruto shouted to the Freedom Fighter, Jet connected his swords and threw them in Naruto direction before running after them. Naruto caught them and Jet kicked the blonde in the chest and retrieved his swords.
"Remember who you are, you're an Outlaw." Naruto said; this set a cord off in Jet, he got a glimpse of an old memory.
XxX~ ( Flashback - 5 years ago ) ~XxX
Jet was walking next to a younger looking Naruto, he wore a plain seaweed green top with shoulder pads, his hook swords on his back. He wore black pants with grey shoes and knee pads.
Naruto had short blonde hair, just passing his eyes. He wore a black poncho with a hood built in, underneath he wore no shirt, he wore brown pants with grey wraps around his ankles and wrists.
"Naruto, where're we going?" Jet asked, cautious about the terrain they found themselves in.
They were in a forest, a forest with a lot of burnt trees surrounding a huge cave, there were some trees with leaves but that was some.
"I want you to meet some people." Naruto said, he opened the cave up with earthbending and Jet saw a few people.
"On guard!" a boy dressed in navy armor shouted to his comrades.
"Relax! It's me, I've brought a new recruit." Naruto sighed, running a hand in his hair.
"Sensei! It is an honor to be in your presence once more." the boy sagely said, Naruto sighed again.
"I was only gone for a month?" the blonde said.
"Again, it is an honor to be in your presence once more." the boy said again.
"Oh yeah! The boss is back in the house!" a buff man voiced happily, eating a rock for some apparent reason?
"What's up, boss. Who's the new meat?" another kid with black tied up hair with a red strip of hair falling over his forehead asked roughly.
"This is Jet, he's a skilled swordsman and will make a great adjustment to the team." Naruto said. "Jet, meet the Outlaws." Naruto greeted, he then pointed to the black/red haired boy. "That's Blaze, Blaze, meet Jet." Naruto introduced them. Blaze stalked up to Jet, studying him, noting that they were both the same height.
"Did you just say I'm stupid?!" Blaze asked, grabbing Jet by the collar, Jet responding in kind, he punched Blaze over.
"Get off, you jerk!" Blaze wiped his mouth.
"Ohhh, now you said I'm an unwanted child, is that it? Huh?!" Blaze asked angrily, kicking Jet's legs from under him.
They got up and personal but Naruto kneed Jet in the gut before grabbing Blaze's arm and whipping over his shoulder on top of a gasping Jet, leaving Blaze winded.
The big guy was laughing his butt off, finding it hilarious that the cockiest one was also the one that got thrown on his behind.
"Stop Blaze, both of you! We're partners for a similar cause. Now introductions are still in order." Naruto said, picking up Blaze and Jet easily and placing them roughly on the ground. "Now, meet!"
"Sup, my name's Blaze, I was from the Fire Nation but I left after my village was raided by my people." Blaze said with a snort, he shook Jet's hand.
'His hands are so rough and callus, these hands don't belong to someone who had a normal life.' Blaze and Jet thought the same thought.
"Hey, I'm Jet, your new recruit." Jet grinned, completely forgetting about their little squabble.
"Jet, that loud guy right there is Hound, Hound, Jet." Naruto pointed to a man in his early 20's with brown tied up hair and emerald eyes. He wore a poncho cloak with a built-in hood, and brown trousers under the cloak. He also has brownish-gray wraps around his wrists and calves. He is an excellent earthbender, he primarily uses a hammer in correlation with his earthbending.
"Sup, Bub." Hound said, chewing a rock. "Bla' hears things, even in a room by himself." Hound told Jet he did a silent 'oh'.
"And that guy who's wearing the armor is Susanoo." Naruto told Jet.
"It is good to meet you friend, I heard from Sensei that you are skilled with the sword, as am I. We should train." Susanoo grinned while bowing, Jet grabbed his forearm in an honorable shake.
Susanoo wore a kabuto helmet, and dō styled chest armor paired with shoulder guards, sleeves, a skirt, thigh protection, and shin guards, he also dawned two katana's, one strapped to his back and the other strapped to his waist. He had brown hair, chocolate skin with dark blue eyes. He also wore a black poncho with a built-in-hood.
"It's great to meet you. And you Hound." Jet said excitedly, Hound grinned, puffing on some earth in the shape of a stick with some brown stuff inside.
A/N: Jet is 12, Blaze is also 12 and same as Susanoo, I'd say Hound is 24 at most. Naruto is 14.
"Haha, the bug's got some spunk to him." Hound said with a proud laugh.
Blaze has creamy skin with jet-black hair, tied up in a topknot, he wears Fire Nation armor that fits his size swimmingly, he had on the same cloak as Susanoo, Hound, and Naruto. He may have left his home but he'll still embrace his culture.
"So how about it, you wanna join, Bub?" Hound asked Jet, who thought of it.
"Yeah, sure. It sounds like it'll be fun!" Jet had a black cloak thrown on him, from Blaze.
"We all wear matching cloaks or poncho's however the boss puts it." Blaze said, he coughed and flames shot out his mouth.
"Now listen, we're gonna be a team for a while, until we disband. But until then, me, Blaze, Hound, Susanoo, Jet are the Outlaws." Naruto said, everyone cheered.
XxX~ ( Flashback end ) ~XxX
While Jet was remembering this, Long-Feng broke out of his earth prison and stood in the same spot he arrived in.
"Do it! Do it now!" Long-Feng ordered, Jet fires a sword at Long-Feng, which misses. Long Feng counters with an uplifted rock to strike Jet down but Naruto stops it's descent and Jet rolled over his back and threw his other sword which Long-Feng jumped into a huge pipe.
"Thank you, Naruto. It's good to be back again." Jet hugged Naruto who hugged back slightly and pushed him off.
"None of that mushy crap." Naruto said. "Let's get out of here." Naruto said with a smile and Jet returned it.
XxX~ ( Scene break - Another part of Lake Laogai ) ~XxX
While all this was happening in another cell Appa was seen chained down to the floor when suddenly his door opened revealing the Blue-Spirit.
"Expecting someone else?" he asked Appa who growled heatedly.
The door opens and the Blue-Spirit gets into a fighting stance but lowers his guard when Iroh enters.
"Uncle?" the spirit said confusedly. Iroh stood there unfazed, stroking his beard.
"So, the Blue-Spirit. I wonder who could be behind that mask…" Iroh wondered calculatedly. The man under the mask sighs and takes off the mask revealing Prince-Zuko.
"What are you doing here?" Zuko asked, his uncle.
"I was just about to ask you the same thing. What do you plan to do now that you've found the Avatar's bison?" Iroh asked, Zuko had never really thought of that, he had just thought finding him would solve all the answers.
"Keep him locked in our new apartment? Should I go put on a pot of tea for him?" Iroh asked sarcastically but Zuko took it seriously.
"First I have to get it out of here." Zuko told Iroh who sighed frustratedly.
"And then what!? You never think these things through!" Iroh exclaimed angrily. He wanted Zuko to hear this, he needed to hear this. "This is exactly what happened when you captured the Avatar at the North-Pole! You had him, and then you had nowhere to go!" he yelled.
"I would have figured something out!" Zuko replied back, fully facing his uncle before turning back.
"No! If his friends hadn't found you, you would have frozen to death!" he yelled to his nephew.
"I know my own destiny, Uncle!" Zuko sneered heatedly, his fingers shooting sparks of electricity, due to his rage boiling.
"Is it your own destiny, or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you?" Iroh asked; Zuko thought of this, was he doing it for his father or himself?
"Stop it, Uncle! I have to do this!"
"I'm begging you, Prince Zuko! It's time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you, and what do you want?" Iroh asked in finality. Zuko screams loudly, throwing down his swords and Blue-Spirit mask down on the wet floors.
XxX~ ( Scene break end - Outside Lake Laogai ) ~XxX
They found an exit back to the beach. As they make their escape, several Dai Li agents jump out from behind them. "You think we can outrun them?" Sokka asked, speeding up his stride, his speed training showing its results as how he was running with Aang at similar speeds.
"I don't think it's gonna matter!" the bald bender said. Another group of Dai Li agents, plus Long Feng, stand in front of them. All the agents box them in, lifting up the ground on both sides. Dai Li agents stand on all three walls. Momo flies to Aang.
"What is it, Momo?" he asked the lemur. Momo flies to the sky, suddenly, Appa flies down with Naruto and the Freedom-Fighters on his back. Naruto had earth on his fingertips and used them as bullets and shot them at Long-Feng who jumped out of the way.
"Appa!" he yells happily, Appa smashes through the rock walls, smacking the Dai Li agents with his tail. Naruto jumps off Appa with the Freedom-Fighters and uses earthbending to knock other nearby agents off a cliff and into the lake. Jet confronts Long-Feng.
"Sup, Long-Bastard!" Jet sneered hatefully.
"I can handle you by myself." Long Feng charged at Jet, and went to kick him but Jet hooked his leg before spinning him and throwing him, skipping into the lake. Jet throws Long-Feng's shoe from his dual hook swords. The team cheers and they run toward Appa.
"Yeah! Appa!" Sokka yelled cheerfully. Aang happily cried.
"I missed you, buddy." Appa closes his eyes. A teary-eyed Katara somberly looks over Jet.
"Jet!" Katara called out, Jet looked away from his conversation with Naruto.
"Yeah, what's up?" Jet asked but was enveloped in a hug, Jet hugged her back with a happy expression. Katara pulls back before kissing his cheek.
"Thank you, you've really changed." she said with a blush on her cheeks. In the corner of his eyes Aang saw Naruto patting Appa softly.
"So, you're the flying bison." Naruto commented and got licked for his efforts. "It's good to meet you too, you big ugly beast." he smiled; he had always had a soft spot for animals of any kind.
"Naruto, thank you, thank you for helping us! For helping me!" Aang showed his gratitude.
"I didn't do it for you, but… you're welcome." Naruto accepted the thank you with stride. "Sokka!"
"Yes!" Sokka stood at attention.
"Toph!" Naruto called out for her attention.
"What?" She said lazily. He snapped his fingers and pointed in front of him.
"Front and center." They did so. "I'm not going to be teaching you guys anymore. Now that I've finished my mission as you escort, guide and I found your bison, I'll be returning to my regular duties as the "Fang of the Earth-king". I hope you can understand." Naruto said before walking off, Sokka and Toph hug him from behind, crushing him in the process.
"Thank you, Master-Naruto!" they both shouted in unison… feeling a bit left out, the team all gathered in a group hug.
XxX~ ( Back with Zuko and Iroh ) ~XxX
Zuko and Iroh emerge from the Dai Li headquarters. "You did the right thing, nephew." Zuko looks at his Blue-Spirit mask as Iroh rests a hand on its shoulder. "Leave it behind." Zuko walks to the edge and tosses the mask into the water, where it slowly sinks to the bottom of the lake.
The Blue-Spirit is the manifestation of Zuko's rage. He uses this persona to seek vengeance on someone who humiliates his uncle, he robbed and beat people up and stole their food. It's a multi-dimensional symbol, but it seems to align with Zuko's darker, desperate, almost obsessive nature.
The Blue-Spirit is what Ozai wanted, a fighting, killing machine. That's why turning away from that idea himself at first is marked by him throwing down the mask.
There were two meanings in Iroh's statement 'Leave it behind.' The first was leaving behind the symbolic gesture, leaving behind your emotional mask, leaving all the guilt, pain and anger. Then there is the other meaning, leave the physical form, let that mask sink to the lake, to be forgotten, the lake as in his heart, 'Let the negativity sink to the darkest depths of your heart, to be forgotten. Forever…'
Chapter: 8
WHOOOOO!
Now that– was a nice chapter, we're introduced to new characters (mine of course). I'm also thinking of this Outlaw team thing, i like it, it reminds me of Night Raid from Akame Ga Kill and Black Clover with the Black Bulls. I want to increase the number of members but I'm not sure I should go about doing that.
The Outlaws is going to be an Elemental team of benders and non-benders, a team that doesn't fight for any one nation, a team that fights for everyone. And that's where Jet's leadership comes into play, he follows Naruto's example with leading the Outlaws and integrates that with the Freedom-Fighters.
He wasn't all that mentioned but I'm going to write down Menma's attributes.
Menma's attributes:
Hand-to-hand combat: A skilled master, he uses precise strikes but also brute force.
Hunting: Unknown – (He hadn't shown any screen time as of late)
Weaponry: He is skilled with the sword and daggers but that's about it.
Bending ability: Fire = He is a firebending prodigy amongst the Fire-Nation.
IQ: 123 – (Not as smart as Naruto but he's smarter than most.)
Battle IQ: 189 – (He is on equal grounds when it comes to battle IQ with Naruto, but he doesn't use it as well as his brother.
Weaknesses: Unknown – (He hasn't shown any Earthly attachments to anyone or anything.)
Strengths: His strongest skill is the speed of which he can generate lightning, he is on par with Ozai in lightning generation speed.
P.M me if you have problems with this fanfic adaptation for Naruto being in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Word Count: 4,727
And make sure to leave a review. Your comments help me become a better writer, thank you!