Summary: Having a good friend could make the difference if you succeed in a challenge or you fail. Korra never had someone she could really call her friend… at least her age. Everything changed when she met her first friend. He was something special and even when she met others on the way, this person would help her on her way to being a fully-fledged avatar. Maybe even rescue her in her darkest times.
"Speech."
'Think.'
Flashback/Past events
Korra was currently riding Naga through the park. She had just escaped a guard because she had caught fish for herself and Naga. How was she supposed to know that fishing was forbidden in this park? That was just an outrage.
"So, how do we get to the Air Temple now?" she said to no one in particular. She looked around and wondered where she was. Next to her was a beautiful fountain and around the square, were several trees and shrubs. Some visitors to the park looked at her strangely because she was guessing on an animal.
She stopped when she heard a loud noise and then a very loud voice. "AREN'T YOU TIRED OF THE BENDERS' TYRANNY? THEN JOIN THE EQUALISTS!" The speaker was currently on a wooden platform and directly behind him was a poster showing the head of a person. The person was wearing a mask and a gray cap, so you couldn't see anything of his real appearance.
Korra stood right in front of the crowd of people who had gathered in front of the speaker. She wanted to say something but stopped. The speaker was about to continue speaking, when suddenly he became silent and frightened. Everyone could see that in the speaker's face. He looked past Korra, so she looked over her shoulder.
On the other side of the well stood a young man about her age. He had spiky blond hair. He also had blue eyes that reminded you of the ocean and 6 whisker marks on his cheeks. He was currently wearing gray pants that end in black boots. On his upper body you could see a gray shirt with a high, turned-up collar and a V-neck. In the V-neck you could see a necklace with a green crystal as a pendant. In addition, the shirt had no sleeves, so you could see his muscular arms. At the end, a brown belt could be seen around his trousers. On his right arm was a strange tattoo.
Korra had to say one thing. This guy was definitely attractive. That much she could say for sure. The guy walked around the fountain and towards the crowd. His face was relaxed, with his eyes looking slightly serious. His eyebrows were slightly bent, but otherwise he looked quite normal in Korra's view. She wondered why the speaker was so afraid of this guy.
After only a few moments, the guy stood in front of the crowd and looked at the speaker. The speaker swallowed and trembled all over. "I'd recommend you pack your things and get out of the park," the guy said.
The speaker just nodded quickly and walked off the podium. He was never going to mess with this guy! He had dealt with this guy before and there he could see what this guy could do.
The guy turned around and just walked away. The crowd looked after the guy and then at the speaker. No one knew exactly what to make of it. Most of them left after a few moments, and very soon the speaker was gone as well.
Korra had followed the guy with Naga for a bit. She was curious who this guy was. He was good-looking and didn't seem to have such a crazy view as this speaker. They were out of the park very soon and were now walking down a side street. She knew she still had to go to the Air Temple, but she wanted to find out more about this guy.
The guy was talking to 2 older people and when a loud noise came out, he was looking down the street. She did the same, because the sound sounded familiar to her. A red Sato Mobile pulled up and stopped in front of a store selling gramophones. The golden front of the red vehicle gleamed in the bright sun.
3 men got out and walked towards the store. One of the men had a hat, the other wore a scarf and the last one had very short hair. They resembled a monk if you take a closer look at the hairstyle.
"Mr. Chong, I really hope that you have my money handy," said the man in the hat while grinning. "Otherwise, I can no longer guarantee the safety of your store." He looked to the side and looked at the man with the scarf. The man with the scarf created a red flame above his hand and grinned as well.
Mr. Chong, a little anxious, looked at the fire and sweated all over his body. "I'm sorry, but it's not going so well at the moment," Mr. Tschong said. He held out the Gramophone to the 3 men and said, "Take a Gramophone."
The answer was very clear. The man in the scarf lifted his leg and kicked the Gramophone to the ground, causing it to burst into flames when his foot touched the device.
Mr. Chong stumbled and fell on his butt. He looked at the three guys and got more scared. "Unfortunately, my friend is not a music lover. Give me the money, otherwise..." said the man in the hat.
The guy from the park walked in front of Mr. Chong: "Anything else?" His blue eyes were bent and somewhat filled with anger. "Didn't I teach you three guys a lesson just 2 months ago?"
"Naruto!" Mr. Chong said in a relieved voice. His body stopped shaking when he saw his savior. Naruto was known to everyone in this quarter of the city. Every now and then, he took on this gang of crooks to protect others.
Korra got off Naga, she wouldn't just watch and do nothing with such bastards. As she dismounted, she could hear the name: 'So his name is Naruto,' Korra thought to herself.
"What do you want, Naruto? This is none of your business, so get out of here," said the man with the hat. He was clearly angry that Naruto was once again interfering in the affairs of the Tripple Threat Triad.
"That you even have the courage to talk to me like that. Very impressive," Naruto said. His lips formed into a slight grin as he looked at the three of them with amusement.
"Go to hell!" said the man with the scarf. He thrust his fist forward and unleashed a small stream of fire. Naruto stomped his right foot on the ground once, causing a stone the size of a soccer ball to come loose from the road. The stone rose to the exact height where the jet of fire was, and when the fire hit the rock, it dissipated. Naruto spun around once on his own axis and did a spin kick. When the foot touched the stone in front of Naruto, the stone shot off and attacked the man with the hat.
The man bent water from his cloak and tried to create a shield of ice in front of him, but it was too late. The stone hit him in the middle of the face and caused him to be thrown against the red car and with stars in front of his face, he fell unconscious.
His two comrades just looked at their leader in disbelief and then back at Naruto. Naruto had taken advantage of the moment when the two looked away and got closer to them. The two men were slightly frightened.
Naruto was now right in front of the two of them and stomped on the ground once, raising his right fist explosively. The earth beneath the man with the short hair rose abruptly and threw the man into the air. The man slammed into 2 shop signs before landing on a stand.
The man with the scarf looked after his comrades and that was his mistake. Naruto popped up from behind the man and hit his neck with a swipe of the edge of his hand. The man's head made a brief forward motion, his eyes widening before closing and he fell to the ground. Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the guy. He just shook his head and walked over to Mr. Chong.
Korra had been watching the whole spectacle and couldn't quite believe it at first. Naruto had finished off those 3 bastards in just a minute. Of course, she wouldn't have had a problem with that, after all, she could bend every element of these bastards, but Naruto couldn't do that. She was impressed when she was honest.
"Here, for the destroyed Gramophone." Naruto gave Mr. Chong several yuan and smiled at him.
"I can't accept that, Naruto, after all, you protected my shop. You've already done enough," Mr. Tschong said. He wanted to give the yuan back to Naruto, but Naruto just shook his head. "I could have intervened sooner and prevented the destruction of the music device. Besides, I have enough yuan, you know that, Mr. Chong," Naruto said with a smile.
Mr. Chong sighed and smiled slightly. He bowed to one of the few benders who stood up for people like Mr. Chong in this giant city. "Then I will accept this yuan with great gratitude."
Naruto nodded and heard a few footsteps behind him. "Hey," said a female voice. Naruto looked over his shoulder and could see a girl about his age. She was clearly from one of the water tribes, the slightly darker skin and these clothes fit a member of the water tribes. The large polar bear dog next to her only reinforces this fact. There were only such polar bear dogs at the South Pole and that's why Naruto could already guess where the person came from.
"That was pretty impressive how you made short work of those 3 guys," Korra said with a smile.
"Thank you for the compliment. Are you new here? I've never seen anyone from the Southern Water Tribe here with a polar bear dog," Naruto said. He looked at Naga and Naga took a few steps towards Naruto and sniffed something at him.
Naruto raised his hand and stroked Naga's muzzle and in gratitude he felt a full broad side of Naga's tongue. Naruto was even lifted slightly off the ground. Naruto had one eye closed and held both arms up a little.
He coughed once, "I think your polar bear dog likes me." Naruto said with a smile. Korra couldn't help but laugh. Mr. Chong was back in his shop and left, didn't notice any of it.
"Sorry for Naga's behavior. It's not often that Naga likes someone right away," Korra said, waving her arms. Naruto could feel the moisture disappear from his face. He opened his other eye again and sighed a little in relief.
"Thank you for that," Naruto said, and before anything else could happen, the two heard a noise. They both turned to the street and heard a Sato mobile. The three guys from the Tripple Threat Triad somehow regained consciousness and tried to get away with the vehicle.
"Oh no, you're staying here!" Naruto ran after the vehicle and jumped up after a few steps. He landed in a slightly lower position and then made an upward movement with his arms.
Out of nowhere, a wall of stones appeared in front of the vehicle and therefore the vehicle crashed into the wall and stopped. At that moment you could hear the sirens of the police. Naruto looked up and walked back to Korra. "Wow, are those metal benders?" Korra asked.
Naruto nodded, "Yes, they are. This is the police of Republica, they keep order in the streets of this city," Naruto explained. "Before I forget, my name is Naruto."
Korra looked at Naruto and smiled "I'm glad Naruto, my name is Korra." Korra said. Before anything else could be said, several policemen jumped out of the airship and landed on the ground a short time later. They used metal bending to land safely to the ground with their metal wires.
When all the policemen arrived on the ground, all the metal wires were pulled back in. One of the policemen went to Naruto and Korra, while the others took care of the three guys from the triad.
"Naruto, as always, a pleasure to see you," said the policeman. Naruto bowed slightly, "The joy is all mine, sir," Naruto said.
Naruto was known to the police, and in a good way. He helped many of the residents and had helped the police several times.
"Could you please tell me exactly what happened here?" the policeman asked. Naruto nodded and began to tell how he was talking to the two older people first and then these guys from the triad appeared. Naruto then explained how the fight went and what damage was caused. 2 shop signs were slightly damaged, and the road was earth bent by Naruto.
"You know the procedure, Naruto, I'm sorry," the policeman said. He didn't want to do it, but he needed to take Naruto to the police station. Naruto had only helped the people, but there was a lot of damage in the process.
Naruto nodded, "Of course, no cause. I knew what my actions would mean," Naruto said. He turned to Korra, "I have to go to the police station and make another statement there. It was nice to meet you, Korra."
"What? Why? You only helped the old man!" said Korra incredulously. She couldn't believe that Naruto was also being taken with them. After all, he had only helped the old man! If he hadn't done anything, she would have interfered.
"Calm down, Korra. Look at the road," Naruto said, pointing to the road. Korra looked at the road, and Naruto continued to explain. "I've damaged a few parts of the road with my earth bending and that's why no one can drive through here with a Sato mobile for the time being. It all costs money and time to renew this road and that's why I have to go with them."
Korra looked back at Naruto and crossed her arms under her chest. "It's still not right. You were just helping someone," Korra said.
"I will see you again next time," Naruto said before voluntarily going along with the policeman. Korra looked after Naruto and waved after him.
"Naga, we need to go to the Air Temple," Korra said. She climbed on top of her best friend, and together they made their way to the Air Temple where Tenzin lived. He was on the city council. She's sure he'll be able to get Naruto out of the clutches of the police.
Naruto was currently sitting on a metal chair. He had already sat here a few times and that's why he had already gotten used to this hard chair. There were metal walls around him, like most of the walls in this large building. The police station was mainly frequented by metal benders, so it's no wonder that almost everything here was made of metal.
Naruto was waiting for someone to discuss some things with him, as he had done so many times before. Naruto, as always, would simply pay for the damage and then he would be able to leave. It's just a procedure that had to be done. That's how order was maintained in this city and that's important. Naruto didn't mind either. After all, he had enough yuan in his back and that's why a few damages were not a problem.
One of the walls opened, revealing police chief Lin Beifong. She was the daughter of Toph Beifong, who founded this police department and was also the first female metal bender. Naruto stood up and bowed slightly.
"Boss Beifong, as always, it's my honor," Naruto said. Lin Beifong nodded, and she greeted him politely in appreciation. "Hello Naruto. Let's get it over with, there are still real criminals I need to question."
Naruto nodded and sat back down in the chair. Lin sat across the table and placed a file in front of Naruto's nose. Naruto opened the file and next got a pen shoved in front of his nose. Naruto took the pen and signed the document that was in the file. With this document, Naruto admits to being the cause of all the damage. It also stated how much Naruto had to pay for the damage caused. He had a week to pay for the damages, otherwise he would be sent to a cell.
Naruto closed the file again and pushed it back to Lin. He then pushed the pen over and waited for a moment. Lin picked up the pen again and opened it. She looked at the signature and when she was sure that Naruto had signed with his correct signature, she closed the file again.
Lin stood up and made a movement with her arm. The wall opened again, "You can go. You have one week to pay for the damages," said Lin Beifong. Naruto bowed slightly and then walked after Lin.
When Naruto was in the lobby of the police station, 2 well-known people were just entering the huge building. They were Korra and Tenzin. Tenzin was the last air bending master and the son of Avatar Aang. He also had a family of his own with a wonderful wife and 3 children. All of his children had also become air benders, although his wife was a non-bender.
Naruto raised an eyebrow when he saw Tenzin here. "Councilor Tenzin, what are you doing here? Do you want to see Chef Beifong?" Naruto asked. He was really excited about what was coming next.
Tenzin bows slightly to Naruto. "It's good to see you, Naruto. I see you're fine," Tenzin said. "I'm actually here to talk to Lin. Have you sorted everything out yet?"
Korra looked at Tenzin, then at Naruto, and right back at Tenzin. She was completely confused. How did the two know each other and why was Naruto out again? The police took him away and they thought that Naruto would be locked up.
"I did. I was just about to leave and then take a stroll around the city," Naruto said.
"I see. Why don't you come back again, my kids miss you a bit," Tenzin said. Naruto bowed slightly, "I'll definitely visit again very soon," Naruto said.
Tenzin nodded and saw Lin out of the corner of his eye. "That sounds good. We'll see each other again next time," Tenzin said. He walked past Naruto to Lin.
"Naruto?" asked Korra.
Naruto looked at Korra, "Hey Korra. I didn't think we'd see each other again so soon," Naruto said with a smile. "Come on, let's go outside. It's not the best place to talk here."
Korra nodded and went after Naruto. Both were standing in front of the police building and now had a little more space to talk quietly.
"How do you know Tenzin?" Korra asked. She desperately wanted to know.
"Besides the fact that he's a council member? I trained under him for a while. living on the island," Naruto explained.
"What? Why did you train as an earth ender under an air bending master?" Korra asked, confused. 'Can he bend air, too?' Korra thought to herself, slightly shocked. She couldn't imagine it at all.
Naruto laughed a little. Korra's eyes twitched, "What? Why are you laughing?" Korra asked menacingly. She had leaned forward a little and looked at him a little annoyed.
Naruto raised both of his arms, "Relax, everything is fine." Naruto calmed down a bit and then shook his head. He reached into his pocket and held a small stone in his hand as he pulled his hand out of his pocket.
"Watch." Naruto formed a fist, crushing the small stone in his hand. The stone became finer and shortly afterwards there was a pile of sand in Naruto's hand. Naruto opened his fist, revealing the pile of sand. The sand began to lift and began to turn into a tornado, which even caused a slight breeze. Korra took a good look at the small sand tornado and was impressed.
"I've been trying to figure out how to do that with my earth bending. Tenzin taught me a lot about air bending, and with that knowledge, I was able to bend sand as you see it above the palm of my hand," Naruto explained.
The sand tornado dissipated and immediately afterwards the sand flew away. Naruto looked after the sand, "I didn't want to be just a simple earth bender. I wanted to be able to do more than just move stones. In the meantime, I have achieved this goal."
"Wow!" said Korra. She had never seen anyone bend sand before, and certainly not in this way. It was really very similar to air bending. Naruto had even created a slight breeze with that little sand tornado from earlier. In the end, Naruto had bent the air in a roundabout way.
"Why are you here with Tenzin and how do you know him, Korra?" asked Naruto. He knew that Korra had only recently arrived in town, and Naruto had never seen anyone from the Southern Water Tribe near Tenzin.
Korra grinned and put both hands on her hips. She stuck her chest out a little, "I'm the Avatar and I'm learning air bending from Tenzin!" Korra said proudly. She's always wanted to be the Avatar and she's proud to be the Avatar.
Naruto looked at her in surprise, "Wow, I didn't expect that." Naruto said. "No wonder why Tenzin was away for 2 days the other day."
"What else can you do?" Korra asked curiously. If she's lucky, she could learn a lot from Naruto! He seems to be able to bend more than just regular earth, unlike most earth benders.
Naruto looked to the side and just smiled. He remained silent and said nothing. Korra looked at him strangely and frowned. "Why don't you say anything?" asks Korra, irritated.
"A bender never reveals all his tricks, Korra," Naruto said. He looks at Korra out of the corner of his eye: "I'll keep one or two tricks to myself for now."
Korra huffed, crossing her arms under her chest. She looked offended to the side, "Well, if you mean," Korra said annoyed.
Naruto had to cope with the laughter because he was close to it. 'Very strong head,' Naruto thought to himself. "Okay, watch out, when I get to the island, I can show you how to tame the sand like that," Naruto said.
Korra seemed to have changed. She jumped for joy and had a big grin on her lips. Naruto smiled at the reaction. 'A strong personality, indeed,' Naruto thought to himself.
Naruto looked up at the sky and could already see the sun setting. This could be seen well in the sunset. "Oh damn, I still have to go shopping!" said Naruto. He looked at Korra.
"See you!" said Naruto and ran away. Korra wanted to say something else, so she even held out her arm. She lowered her arm and head at the same time. She had finally met someone her age and now he's gone. She's looking forward to seeing Tenzin and all the members of the White Lotus. She sighed and walked to the entrance of the police building, where Tenzin was already standing.
Naruto came back to town today. He was out of town and had done a few things and was secretly training on a special thing. He was finally able to perfect it, and now he's not afraid to use it.
He's standing on the side of the road, reading a newspaper. He's been away for a few days and a lot had happened these days. 'So, Korra is now a professional bender and a member of the Fire Ferrets,' Naruto thought to himself.
He turned another page and was able to read something about the Equalists again. In the last few days, they had become very active. They first attacked the Tripple Threat Triad and kidnapped its leader. It looked like the leader of the Equalists could take the bending powers away from a bender. 'That's not good,' Naruto thought to himself. He could only imagine how some people must feel now.
'Many will be afraid that they will also be kidnapped, and this can create an even greater gap between the bender and the non- bender. Now benders are afraid of losing their powers, and they will bully non-benders more than they already did,' Naruto thought to himself.
He sighed and folded the paper. He wanted to go back to Mr. Chong and see if everything was okay with him. He just hoped the Triad didn't pay the old man another visit. Otherwise, he would pay the gang a house visit today. That much was clear.
However, he first had to go to the other side of the city. He could see a tram on the other side. You could take the tram all over the city. This particular Sato Mobil had space for 20 passengers and a driver. The vehicle stopped at several stops and either lets people on or off the vehicle. It was convenient if you wanted to get to a place quickly.
He stowed the newspaper in his back pocket and ran lightly. He had to hurry a bit because the tram would leave soon, and Naruto didn't have much time left. By the time he walked past a stationary car, it was already too late. He was so focused on the tram that he didn't see the scooter driver. He was in the middle of the road and at that moment he was hit by a scooter and as a result he flew away a bit and landed on the hard ground on his side.
His body twitched as he felt the impact of the scooter and then the landing on the hard road. "Ah, damn." Naruto said, holding his shoulder slightly. He let go of her and turned her a little. She had been a bit deaf for a short time, but it's okay again.
"Oh no, I'm sorry! I didn't see you," said the driver of the scooter. Naruto was looking straight at his shoulder and couldn't see the woman because of it. "I was running after a Sato mobile, don't blame yourself," Naruto said.
He looked at the woman and at that moment the woman took off her helmet. Naruto had seen a lot before, but not yet such a beautiful woman. She had long black hair and green eyes. She wore red lipstick, which made her lips stand out well. The woman crouched down and held Naruto's arm.
"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" the woman asked, worried and a little nervous. She helped Naruto up, "I'm really stupid sometimes."
Naruto smiled slightly, "Don't worry, it's all right. I've already taken hard hits. This accident is not a cause," Naruto said, patting himself.
"Wait a minute, I recognize you. Your name is Naruto Uzumaki, isn't it?" the woman asked. She had leaned forward a little and was pointing her finger at Naruto.
"Yes, I'm Naruto. How do you know me? I'm not exactly a celebrity in this city," Naruto said.
Asami put her hand in front of her head and blushed a little. "That's really embarrassing," the woman said with a nervous smile. "You are very well known to my father's friends," the woman explained.
She held out her hand to him, "My name is Asami," she said with a charming smile. Naruto smiled back and shook her hand. When they both let go of each other's hand, Asami looked down at the ground for a moment and then back at Naruto.
"Is there any way I can make up for this?" Asami asked. She glanced to the side for a moment and seemed to be thinking about something. "Hmm..." She thought for a moment and came up with an idea.
She smiled again, "Can I invite you to dinner? OK! So tomorrow night at 8 o'clock at Kwong's." Asami said and after that she turned around and went to her scooter.
Naruto blinked a few times, "Huh? Kwong's? Okay, sounds good," Naruto said with a smile.
Asami sat on her scooter and put her helmet back on. She smiled at Naruto, "So it's settled?" Asami asked. Naruto nodded, "I'd love to. See you tomorrow night," Naruto said with a smile.
Asami smiled and then drove off on her scooter. She waved to him again as she drove away.
'Wow, what a twist,' Naruto thought to himself. He never thought he'd get such a date with a pretty woman. There's no way he's going to complain, so he made his way to Mr. Chong. The day was still long enough for him to just walk to the other side of town.
He didn't have any other plans today and he's on cloud 7 right now. He smiled all the way and chatted with a few acquaintances along the way. 'Today was a good day,' Naruto thought to himself.
He arrived at the store sometime later and saw Mr. Chong. "Mr. Chong!" said Naruto, raising his hand. He waved lightly at him as he walked towards the nice old man.
"Oh, Naruto, my boy," Mr. Chong said. He was glad to see Naruto.
"How are you, Chong-san, have those bastards reappeared?" asked Naruto, slightly worried. Naruto hoped not, otherwise he would go to the HQ of the Tripple Threat Triad. That's for sure.
"No, no. Everything is well Naruto. Since you defeated these guys, no one has come to my shop and blackmailed me. I'm so grateful to you for that," Mr. Chong said. "You really are the only bender we non-benders can rely on."
Naruto laughed slightly, "But Mr. Chong, the police are still there. They're all benders, too," Naruto said.
"That may be true, but of the normal residents, you're the only bender I'd trust with my life. You've helped everyone on this street before," Mr. Chong said.
"I'm always happy to help. How's the business?" Naruto asked.
"It's much better since these bastards don't show up here anymore. I've made more sales than ever before, and I owe it all to you, Naruto!" said Mr. Chong.
2 hours later, Naruto leaves the old man with a happy smile. He was satisfied that Mr. Chong wasn't visited again by the Triad and that he made good sales. It was always a bit dangerous in this part of the city because of the criminal gangs. The Triad was just one gang of many. A few were bigger and others were not that big.
'Should I go to my apartment, or should I visit the air temple? I promised Tenzin that I would visit him at one point.' It wasn't rare that he slept there and this way he could see the kids again. He smiled and with a new goal in mind, he walked towards the docks where a ship could bring him to the island from the air benders.
(A/N I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! We will see each other in the next chapter, have fun and take care folks!
You are all special in your own way, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Life can be hard sometimes and we all have tough times in our regular lives. Stay strong and push through, after the rain follows the sun!)