Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or The Legend of Korra.

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Beta: Chaos-PSD.

Book Four

Balance

Chapter IV

Enemy At The Gates.

After three years, Kuvira has united The former Earth Kingdom States under her new Earth Empire banner. But one holdout remains: Zaofu. During that same time, Asami rebuilt the company her father created and helped redesign the city's infrastructure. And most recently, the airbender kids and Naruto found the Avatar. Korra rid herself of the residual poison in her body and is ready to return to action.

Zaofu.

"We have an emergency."

Suyin riding on a train in the tunnels heard a guard speak through the speakers. "I'll contact President Raiko," Baatar said walking to her and his sons as they stopped to see airships, tanks, and mecha's coming towards the city. "He'll send the united forces."

"Call whomever you want, but they'll never make it in time. Kuvira's already here, and she brought her entire army."

On Kuvira's train, Baatar Jr. expresses his excitement over finally uniting the Earth Empire. Kuvira tempers him, however, reminding him that securing his hometown will not be like every other city. Baatar Jr. bitterly denounces Zaofu as his hometown and declares his readiness to conquer the city by force.

Kuvira shoots down the idea of a hostile takeover, explaining that, with the eyes of the world on them, they will need to find a diplomatic solution. She intends to entrust Bolin with that task, reasoning that Suyin trusts him and will listen to what he has to say.

Korra's Group.

"Are you sure we should be going to Zaofu?"

Jinora asked as they flew on Pepper. "Dad wanted us to bring you back to Republic City."

"If Kuvira's heading to Zaofu, so am I. She needs to know that the Avatar is back. The world needs to know."

"Whoo-hoo! Avatar fight! This is going to be awesome!"

Korra smiled as Meelo yelled. "Meelo, there's not gonna be a fight. She was a captain in Su's guard. I think she can be reasoned with."

"What? No fight?" Meelo blinked at that. "Why did we go through all that trouble to save you if you're not going to beat someone up?"

"I got a reason," Naruto muttered beside his wife. "But there are kids present." He smiled as she elbowed him.

Kuvira's Train.

Varrick looked at a Mover camera and blinked as it started filming. "Zhu Li, is this thing on?"

"We're rolling, sir."

"OK." Varrick leaned up from that and continued. "I'm Varrick of Varrick Industries International, and this is Spirit Vine Experiment 3-02." He smiled and took a step back to reveal the train's walls were lined with spirit vines in tubes. "Hand me the thing." Zhu Li walked up with a lab coat and goggles on holding one before giving it to him.

He struggles at the weight before he waddles over to the machine behind him and places the tube in the machine as Zhu Li checks an electrical connection in the wiring on the floor. "In this stasis capsule is a preserved spirit vine sample Weighing approximately two Zhu Li's." Zhu Li casts a glance at the camera as Varrick walks to the right side of the machine and pulls a lever.

As he walks back toward the camera, the machine begins to hum, and the vine in the capsule is enveloped by electric pulses of purplish power. "I have postulated that these spirit vines Are a form of pure energy that's unstable in what we call 'Typical Earth Conditions.' This machine should transfer the energy from the vine into a battery using electrical currents, reverse magnetic polarity, and a little-known phenomenon I call the Varri-Effect!"

Varrick moves to observe his machine. The vine crackles with energy, a high-pitched hum permeating the room, then a separate glass tube above it begins glowing with the same purplish light. "It's working. It's registering five Varricks of power…" He trails as the glow brightens. "Now seven Varricks!"

As soon as the words leave his mouth, the power conduit leading to the glowing battery overloads, and bolts of energy begin to arc along its surface as Varrick stares at it, dumbstruck. The energy dial suddenly shoots to the top of the scale; the light bulbs on the side of the machine shatter as alarms sound. "Whoa! What is this? What's going on?"

The hum of the machine rises in pitch, and a sudden arc of energy flares from the machine, knocking Zhu Li against the wall with a cry. Varrick dives away from the machine as the camera falls onto its side Varrick yells, climbing toward the camera. "Zhu Li shut it down! There are too many Varricks!"

Zhu Li runs to the machine and pulls the lever down only for nothing to happen as the energy grows before shooting out the back of the car destroying it. The vehicle bounced as the energy stopped and Zhu Li slid out before grabbing the floor. "Sir…"

Varrick ran to grab her and started to pull her up. "You're too heavy. You know, you could stand to lose a few Zhu Li's.

"I think you're just weak, sir. Pull harder." Varrick yelled as he pulled up, having them fall back in the car with her on top of him. Varrick, you saved me."

"Of course I saved you. I can't clean this place up by myself. Grab a broom."

They stood as Kuvira and Baatar Jr ran in. "What happened? Were we attacked?"

"No, we were spirit-vined, but don't worry. I'm putting the kibosh on this project." Varrick said before Kuvira narrowed her eyes.

"No, you're not. Do you realize what we can do with this kind of power?"

"Yes, I do. And that's why we've got to put an end to it. What if it fell into the wrong hands?"

"Since when does that matter to you?" Baatar asked, crossing his arms as Varrick started turning everything off.

"I know. It's not like me, right? Usually, I look at a project like this, and all I think is, 'Wow, I can make a ton of money off this.' But recently, I've been having these strange feelings inside. It's like I'm… Concerned with others. And there's this nagging voice in my head constantly telling me what's right from wrong." Varrick said as Zhu Li walked up.

"I believe that voice is your conscience, sir."

"Well, I'm the other voice in your head, and I'm telling you, you will continue this project." Kuvira said, hands behind her back."

"Sorry, no. I just really got to stand my ground on this one-" He stopped as Kuvira metalbends the metal on his suit and floated him to the outside. "Whoa!"

"Now there's a voice in my head telling me to drop you on the tracks. Should I listen?"

"No, no. Head voices are liars. What do head voices know? I'll work on the project. Please don't drop me."

She pulled him into the train and dropped him on his ass.

Republic City.

Asami visits her father in prison. Surprised to see her there, he sits down at her table, across from his daughter. Asami, who has a small stack of unopened letters in front of her, slides them over to Hiroshi, clarifying she is only there to return them, and tells him to stop trying to contact her in any way. As she stands to leave, Hiroshi begs her to listen to him one final time, after which he will never contact her again.

Asami sits down again but does not look at him, and Hiroshi says that he cannot forgive himself for all his horrible actions and does not expect Asami to do so either. He recognizes that he tore their family apart and destroyed their good name but notes that she is the only thing that makes him smile as he retrospects on a life of regret.

He tells her he is proud of her and that she is the greatest thing he ever created. As tears roll down her face, she silently stands and leaves.

Kuvira's Train.

Bolin is wondering why he was brought before Kuvira and Baatar Jr. The former tells him they want him to be a part of their inner circle. Bolin is ecstatic about the news but, reeling in his enthusiasm asks what it means exactly. Kuvira explains that it means he has proven his worth and asks him to persuade Suyin to join the Earth Empire.

As Bolin assures them he can do it, Kuvira bends the armored plates on the car's windows open, revealing to him the army massed in the valley. When Bolin inquires as to whether a show of force will send the wrong message, Kuvira counters by saying that the army is meant to project strength, while he is there to present peace.

When they enter Suyin's office, the Beifong clan with Opal is waiting for them, and not one of them is pleased to see Kuvira, Baatar Jr., and Bolin. By contrast, the latter is happy to see his girlfriend, but she spurns him angrily, saying that he has chosen his side. Bolin's attempts to ease the palpable tension by claiming that there should be no sides fall short and Suyin turns her attention to Kuvira, stating that she will not give up Zaofu, regardless of the army outside her walls.

Kuvira tries to convince her the army is not here to threaten her but rather to show her what she and Baatar Jr. have accomplished. Addressing their son, Suyin states that everything he has done with the Earth Empire goes against what she and Baatar Sr. tried to teach him, and Baatar Sr. adds that he belongs in Zaofu.

Much to his father's shock, however, Baatar Jr. expresses bitterness at the thought of returning to live in Baatar's shadow. Suyin claims that Kuvira has brainwashed him, but Kuvira laughs this away, saying that she set Baatar Jr. free so he could accomplish more than he ever would have if he had stayed with his parents.

In an attempt to break the tension, Bolin urges everyone to let go of their painful past and focus on the future, which he describes to be bright; he regales them with his experience regarding a town he visited a month prior, which lacked any luxuries but now had access to cars, running water, and a magnet train due to the intervention of the Earth Empire troops.

Opal angrily interjects that, while the people may be happy with their liberators initially, they are forced into slave labor the moment the bulk of the army moves on, and those who dissent are sent to prison camps. Bolin counters that her assertion is wrong, expressing full confidence in the ability of Kuvira and her army to make the Earth Empire a better place.

Suyin ignores his claim, further berating Kuvira for trying to use Bolin to convince them to surrender. Infuriated, she orders Kuvira to leave, reiterating that Zaofu would never accept her as their leader. Deeply displeased by the refusal, Kuvira issues an ultimatum, much to Bolin's shock: Suyin has twenty-four hours to willingly join the Earth Empire or the city will be taken by force.

Just outside the city, Meelo looked through a telescope. "I see it. Zaofu. We made it. And a bunch of other people are here too."

"Oh, no. I hope we're not too late." Korra said, seeing the army.

They landed at Suyin's house and walked in. "Korra?" Su said before walking up to hug the Avatar. "I can't believe it. Where have you been? You disappeared. Everyone was so worried."

"I'll tell you the whole story later. Right now, I want to help you stop Kuvira. What can I do?"

Inside Kuvira's tent at the army camp, Bolin asks Kuvira if she was bluffing about attacking Zaofu, to which she responds that alternate methods must sometimes be used to convince the uncooperative. Cowed yet suspicious, Bolin asks how many times these other ways have been used, only for Kuvira to deflect the inquiry.

He nonetheless presses the issues, asking what happens to all the towns and villages after they leave, as he realizes that he has never gone back to ever check on them. Kuvira asserts that those people are her loyal subjects, contributing to the Empire however she sees fit. She adds that, as a member of the inner circle, he will need to accept some hard truths, causing him to doubt his aptitude to be part of that circle.

When he suggests they leave Zaofu alone, which will successfully end their campaign as the rest of the Earth Empire has already been effectively reunited, Kuvira angrily advances on him, questioning his loyalty and even considering sending him to a reeducation camp. Panicking, Bolin quickly reaffirms his loyalty, though his panicked salute fails to impress Kuvira.

Back at the courtyard, Naruto and Korra walked with Su who explained that when she was asked to be the temporary leader of the Earth Kingdom she refused as she didn't want to impose her ideals on the people. Only for Kuvira to try and get her to take the offer. When saying no, Kuvira left and started stabilizing Ba Sing Se, getting the leaders to appoint her instead.

Meanwhile, Varrick is in a state of panic, having been locked into the research car of Kuvira's train, in contrast with the calm, collected Zhu Li, who is preparing tea for him. Bolin opens a hatch in the roof of the car, whispering to get Varrick's attention. Varrick momentarily believes the voices in his head have returned, but Zhu Li points to the hatch, leading Varrick to realize it is Bolin speaking to him from the ceiling.

Bolin drops into the car, and the men grab each other by the shoulders, both exclaiming that Kuvira has gone mad. Varrick informs Bolin about her forcing him to build a super-weapon by threatening his life, and Bolin tells Varrick that she threatened him too, as well as Zaofu and the villages they annexed. The two quickly conclude that deserting the army is their only option, and they escape through the open hatch.

The next morning Naruto and Korra are walking to Kuvira's ten by Baatar Jr. "We have an unexpected guest. The Avatar's are here to see you."

"Korra, Naruto, it's such an honor to see you again." Kuvira walked up to the three of them. "The last I heard, Korra, you were still healing in the South Pole."

"Well, I'm feeling much better now," Korra replied as Kuvira nodded.

"That's wonderful news."

"I'm here to ask you to back down. Please, take your army and leave."

"I think we both know that's not going to happen," Kuvira said defiantly.

"I can't let you take Zaofu." Korra narrowed her eyes at that.

"Look, I was tasked with bringing stability to the Earth Kingdom. Zaofu is the last holdout. Why should I treat it differently than any other state?"

"You were also asked to give that up," Naruto said, crossing his arms, showing he had his braces on. "What you're doing isn't right."

"I understand you're just trying to do Su a favor, but you can't come to me as I'm on the verge of reuniting my nation and tell me to stop. The world was descending into chaos while you were gone. To fix it, I had to make some tough decisions."

"I know what that's like." Korra sighed. I've had plenty of people mad at me about decisions I've made."

"Exactly. Korra, if you want to help, go back to Su and try to talk some sense into her. Let's call a temporary truce. I won't make any moves until you talk to her and get back to me."

"Maybe that will be for the best."

Naruto internally sighed at that as a shadow moved behind him, They then left before Naruto spoke. "Played you like a damn fiddle."

"A what?"

"String instrument from my world… It's a saying meaning she got you to do something for her that you probably wouldn't do normally. She's hoping you can talk Su into giving the city or she gets more time to prepare for a takeover."

Suddenly Kurama jumped on him, having Naruto pull him off by the scruff of his neck. "What are you doing here?"

"Check the places where Kuvira 'Liberated'… They're now slave labor places."

Naruto put him back on his shoulder as he looked at Korra. "Let's tell Su."

Over at the camp, Baatar Jr. walks up to Varrick's car and asks the guards posted outside if they have seen Bolin. They inform him the lavabender came to see Varrick, but they sent him away. Becoming suspicious, Baatar Jr. orders them to open the door. Inside, they find an empty car and an open ceiling hatch waiting for them, at which point Baatar Jr. declares that they have some fugitives to catch.

Outside the camp but not far from it, Bolin, Varrick, and Zhu Li, each having commandeered a mecha suit, are making their way uphill. Overlooking the army camped in the valley, Bolin stops and suggests going up and around the mountains to sneak into Zaofu from the rear. Noting the metal city is doomed, Varrick announces his intention to escape to Republic City to warn them about Kuvira's spirit-vine super-weapon.

While Bolin ponders their best option, he is suddenly zapped by a bolt of electricity from Baatar Jr.'s mecha suit, who, along with the two other guards, has caught up with the runaways. Varrick panics, but Zhu Li comes to his defense and holds off the other two suits quite ably while Bolin takes on Baatar Jr.

The lavabender is quickly forced to abandon his suit moments before Baatar Jr. lands a crippling blow, destroying the machine. Still, he continues the fight with his earthbending and manages to gain the upper hand by toppling a tree atop Baatar Jr.'s suit. Meanwhile, in an attempt to help out, Varrick has engaged the electric weapon of his suit but accidentally knocks down Zhu Li.

Without her protection, one of the soldiers manages to ensnare his suit, forcing him to flee on foot. He climbs up a hill, chased by one of the suits, but manages to reach the top safely since Zhu Li comes to his aid. She struggles to hold off her two opponents, but the odds are tipped in their favor when Bolin creates a gully of lava, which melts the guards' suits and allows Bolin to trap the escaping pilots with his earthbending.

Their victory is short-lived, however, as Baatar Jr. emerges atop the cliff and forces them to surrender by dangling a captured Varrick over the edge by his head. The businessman promptly blames Zhu Li for his predicament, enraging his assistant.

Republic City.

A distraught Asami is sitting on a bench at Avatar Korra Park. However, her mood brightens as she spots a father playing Pai Sho with his daughter.

Later in the Republic City Prison, Hiroshi is escorted to Asami's table. When he sits down at the table with her, surprised to see her again, she tells him she initially intended to visit him to tell him personally that she never wanted to have anything to do with him again; she wanted to hurt him as badly as he hurt her.

When she saw him, she admits that she felt sadness rather than the expected anger, for he had tainted their past and destroyed their future together. Hiroshi apologizes and desires to make amends, and Asami tells him that, despite not knowing if she will ever succeed, she should try to forgive him.

She pulls a small Pai Sho board from her bag and asks Hiroshi to play a game with her, as they had in the past. Hiroshi smiles, saying that nothing would make him happier.

Kuvira's Camp.

Back in the army camp, a handcuffed Bolin, Varrick, and Zhu Li are brought before an enraged Kuvira "Don't torture us." Bolin raised his hands at that.

"Send these three away on the next train. Bolin and Zhu Li will be going to the reeducation camp For our most severe dissenters. And you will continue to work on the spirit energy project Under close, armed supervision. I want it weaponized immediately." Kuvira said, directing the last part at Varrick.

"Please, have mercy on me." Zhu Li knelt at that. Don't send me away. Take me back."

"Why would I?" Kuvira asked, turning.

"Because my only mistake was being loyal to the wrong person. I was blindly devoted to Varrick, And I looked past all the times he ridiculed me Or ordered me around or made me clean his disgusting feet, Because I thought he possessed the most brilliant mind In the world, but when I met you, I realized I was wrong. Compared to you, Varrick's a fool."

"Hey, come on. I'm right here."

"I believe in everything you've done, and I believe in your vision. I want to devote my life to you. I pledge my allegiance to you, great Uniter."

"You two could learn something from her. Rise, Zhu Li. I'll give you another chance."

Zhu Li stood as Varrick came over. "Think about what you're doing. We're partners. We have history."

"I did everything you ever asked of me, and you never appreciated it. Guards, do the thing."

"No, not the thing. Zhu Li." Varrick pleaded as he and Bolin were taken away.

Up At Su's, Naruto and Korra ran into the yard and saw Baatar. "Where's Su? I have to talk to her." Korra asked as she stopped in front of him.

"She's not here. She took Wing and Wei. They're going to sneak into Kuvira's camp and put an end to this."

"No." Korra said, eyes wide.

To Be Continued.

A/N: Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: Chaos-PSD.

Remember to vote if you haven't!

Nothing else to say.

Talk To You Later,

Lone Wolf Out.🐺