CHAPTER 33: COLLAPSE (PART 3)
(Disclaimer: Avatar The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon and Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own my OCs)
(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 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
|Ba Sing Se|
A haggard-looking Iroh walked out of the kitchen with a bucket full of water and a ladle. Yawning, he made his way to the lounging room where his nephew was lying on the makeshift bed his uncle had put together on the floor, coughing and shivering beneath the blankets, as he had been doing for hours now. "I brought you some fresh water," the former general said, holding the ladle close to Zuko while helping him sit up.
Zuko snatched the ladle and chugged its content before tossing it aside unceremoniously. Not satisfied with that, he grabbed the bucket and drank as much water as he could, allowing some of it to spill down his sore throat and breaking into a coughing fit once he was done. "What's happening to me?"
"You have a fever, my nephew, and quite an intense one," Iroh replied, placing a hand on Zuko's chest and helping him lay back down. The warm, musky stench of sweat and body odor filled his nostrils, and the old man had to make an effort not to grimace. It was as if Zuko was being fried from within, and although he doubted his condition would get any worse, it still pained Iroh to see his nephew in the throes of sickness.
"Healer… Need a healer…" whispered the former heir to the throne, his voice raspy as though it'd been decades since he'd used it.
"My knowledge of medicine is nothing to boast about, but I don't think a healer will be able to help. This is no ordinary illness. Or rather, its root cause is not,"
"… Root cause?"
Iroh almost smirked. His nephew had never shared his enthusiasm for philosophy, describing it as "Nonsense that boring old men spout and bored old men buy into", and Iroh was willing to concede that the 'old men' part of his statement was true in most cases. Now that he was lying half-awake and burning with a fever, he had no choice but to listen to this old man spout some of that nonsense. "Body and mind not only reside within the same individual, but they're also deeply intertwined with one another. Men can't exist as such without both, for there is no mind without a body, and without a mind, what would we be if not animals? For this reason, the suffering of one reverberates on the other. In this case, your mind is suffering and your body answers with pain and sickness,"
"… Don't understand,"
"These past years you have constructed an image of yourself on the desperate need to capture the Avatar. You've followed him all over the world; you've studied his weaknesses and his strengths; you've honed your skills hoping to match his. All for the sole purpose of accomplishing what you wanted the most. Somewhere along the way, this goal of yours stopped being a goal and became your instinct. No, not just your instinct. I daresay it became your very identity.
"Last night, you willingly set the Sky Bison free. The 'old' Zuko would've gone through with your initial intentions of using the bison as bait without hesitation or remorse, and had things gone south, he would've waited for the next opportunity to present itself like a predator that lives only to hunt down its prey… But you did nothing of the sort. Instead, you stayed your hand and walked away, and in doing so, you went against yourself, or at least, your deep-rooted idea of who you are. This decision caused so much conflict in you that your mind is lashing out and your body is paying the price,"
Zuko looked wan from hearing such intriguing truths. "How long will… this, last?"
"I cannot say for sure, but have no fear. Sooner or later, your mind will come to terms with what you did, and when it does, the fever will have run its course. All you can do now is to stay under these blankets, stay hydrated, and sweat this out,"
"And then?"
No smirk threatened to twist Iroh's lips this time. Instead, he regarded his nephew with tired, yet soft eyes and smiled warmly. "And then, you will rise as a new man, the noble prince you were always meant to be,"
|Meanwhile, Northeastern Woodlands|
Many years ago, when Sokka's ninth birthday was approaching, Hakoda agreed to take his son on his first hunting trip. When the day arrived, the two of them ventured out into the vastness of the South Pole in all its lacking glory. As they marched early in the morning, the chief of the Southern Water Tribe made his young pup promise him one thing; to do whatever he was told right away and without so much as a grunt of protest. Anything short of that and Hakoda would hoist him over his shoulder and take him back to Wolf Cove where he would be served a severe reprimand along with a spanking. "You can be a boy anywhere and anytime else. But not here. Not when you go out hunting. Hunting is for men, not children. Never forget that,"
Far from disheartening him, Sokka was glad to be treated like a grownup and assured his father that he would be on his best, most obedient behavior. During the trip, Hakoda taught his son some of the most essential skills any hunter of their tribe worth his salt ought to know, such as how to recognize the footsteps of wild Buffalo Yaks and trace them, and how to set up a proper Frost Fox trap using scraps of meat as bait. They even witnessed a shiver of Tiger Sharks leaping in and out of the water while they were fishing. It was an incredible experience for Sokka, the best gift he could've asked for, and one he couldn't wait to tell his mother everything about.
Once the sun began to set, Hakoda decided it was time to head back home. In the South Pole, traveling by night was best avoided, especially when children were involved. Sokka couldn't hide his disappointment, but he kept true to his word and answered with a reluctant "Yes, Dad," as the two of them went to gather their belongings. He was done fastening the straps of his little leather rucksack when his old man suddenly let out a gasp, followed by a rigid whisper.
"Don't move, son. And don't make a sound," Confused, Sokka looked at Hakoda, whose gaze was fixated firmly on what was in front of them, and soon enough, so was his. The little boy sucked in a breath, but that was all the noise he made before his mouth fell agape, stunned by the sight of the creature that had come to them.
With four strong legs, two long wings, smoke-white feathers, and eyes sharper than a whale's tooth scimitar; the Owl Wolf was a dangerous and cunning predator like few others. They were carnivorous creatures that preyed upon smaller animals individually and attacked larger targets in groups. Usually, they wandered their hunting territories in packs of six or seven, though they were known to run off on their own from time to time, which made them no less of a threat to whoever came across one of them.
At that moment, the world stood still. The wind ceased, the cold left, and all that mattered.- All that existed, were those bright eyes that made Sokka's very soul go stiff.
Hundreds of terrifying thoughts bounced against the inner walls of his skull as the predator's gaze remained fixated on him, almost as if purposefully ignoring the presence of the older tribesman, who slowly placed himself in front of his son and stood with his spear at the ready. No howls were hooted. No shouts were uttered. No charges were attempted. There was only silence and stillness as men and beast waited for the other to make the inevitable first move… until the Owl Wolf, seemingly satisfying whatever sense of curiosity it had, turned around and took its leave, disappearing into the snow.
A quiet gasp escaped Sokka's lips upon feeling Hakoda's hand on his shoulder. "You did good, Sokka. You did real good," he heard him say, followed by other words of encouragement that he could not recall today, though he did recall falling flat on his rear as soon as he tried to walk. His father picked him up and carried him for the rest of the way home, however long it lasted.
Although Sokka would never again see one of them in the flesh, the Owl Wolf haunted his dreams for a good long while after that day. The fear he once felt for the beast was gone, yet the memory of said fear remained with Sokka like a faded stain that refused to be washed out, and whenever he focused, he could still envision the predator's eyes in his mind; the way they stared at him so coldly, so unflinchingly, deliberating what was to be done with him. Indeed, Sokka would never forget his encounter with the Owl Wolf, but why was he being reminded of that episode of his life so many years later?
Because he could tell that the same thing was happening to Shujinko right now, almost as if there was an Owl Wolf in the shack that only he could see. "Please… Please let me be wrong," he heard him mutter again.
"You know what, I'm just gonna say what everyone's thinking. We should put this whole thing on hold," His words jarred Shujinko back to the present, and the son of Hakoda quickly found himself on the receiving end of a scandalized glare, as if he had just uttered high treason. "Listen, we get it; you wanna find out what happened that night and how you ended up here, but that doesn't mean you have to get all the answers in one go. Besides, look at what this technique is doing to you. You look like you're a few seconds away from fainting. Just stop for now and take some time to-"
"Nothing is stopping. Nothing," the Ozuma said aggressively, though there was far more consternation to be noticed in his voice. "You don't get it. This isn't something that can wait… I can't wait,"
"Can't wait for what, exactly? What is it you're not telling us?"
Dismay twisted the facial features of the Chūnin as he lowered his head, his shimmering golden eyes bleak and lifeless. After a while, Shujinko lifted his gaze from the ground and studied the faces of those he had come to call friends and comrades, all of whom shared the same look in their eyes. They stared at him the way he would stare at a vagabond on the street whose head lacked a few screws. He wanted to feel insulted by their stares, to take them as a slight, but try as she might, he couldn't find it in himself to blame them.
His gaze then moved to Katara, who was clearly having second thoughts about her role in all of this, discomfort written plainly on her face. The waterbender had pledged to help him restore his memories via the Ice Shattering technique, yet the Chūnin was no fool; he knew Katara well enough to know that she wasn't above breaking her word if it meant keeping her loved ones away from harm, and what they were doing had the potential to cause irreparable damage to him.
"Even if they frighten me… Even if they break me, I will get my answers,"
"Let me have one more go at it," he blurted out. "Just one more,"
The unexpected proposition painted the faces of Team Avatar's members with utmost surprise, though none was more surprised than the one who proposed it. For an instant, the fear of losing his only means of discovering the truth overwhelmed the young ninja completely and the words left his mouth faster than he could write them in his head, almost like a reflex response. "¿One more and that's it? Then we're done?" a taken-aback Katara asked, wanting to make sure the Chūnin hadn't misspoken and that she hadn't misheard him.
Despite his calm exterior, it was all Shujinko could do not to walk over to the nearest wall and start banging his head against it. What had he done? How could he have allowed that split second of panic to take control of his tongue? After taking a deep breath, the Ozuma looked at the waterbender and answered with a slow nod as though his neck pain was causing him pain. The urge to take back what he had just said burned his insides, but he knew it would only serve to make him look more erratic and unstable, thus maybe convincing Katara to give up on him.
The night had been fraught with intrigue and uneasiness, and even though she had executed the Ice Shattering technique flawlessly so far, Katara wouldn't allow herself to forget the cost of failure. They had pushed their luck quite enough in her estimations. However, the truth seemed so close at hand that giving up now would be a waste, a folly. Shujinko had gone on without knowing peace for too long, and if he could find it tonight, was she in any position to deny him?
"One more, then," she conceded with shallow solemnity, and the golden-eyed boy remembered how to breathe once again. Taut as a bowstring, he thanked the waterbender with another nod of the head and gave her the closest thing to a smile he could muster before walking back to the chaise longue.
As he lay down on his earth-carved seat, the young shinobi glanced at his friends one last time. He wished he could say something to put them at ease, or at least share his fears with them, but he didn't have it in him to do either. How could he explain to them the fear of something that should be impossible, yet seemed so likely to be true? How could he acknowledge something when the very idea of it left him spitless with fear and witless with dread?
'If the hooded man is who I think he is…' he dared not finish the thought, his throat tighter than a clenched fist as Katara's water began to glow about his head.
The gross sensation returned, along with the muscle spasms and the shivers that covered his body like a swarm of insects. From the moment Katara gave him his first taste of the Ice Shattering technique, the Ozuma knew he could do nothing to fight the crude discomfort that overwhelmed him. Like a dog who has had all the fight whipped out of him, all he could do was close his eyes, lower his defenses, and let the sensation have its way with him until it was satisfied. It didn't last very long, but it was enough to make Shujinko feel disgusted in a way he couldn't quite put into words. The fragments of memory he received in exchange were compensation enough, but only just about.
However, seeing as this was his last shot, the Chūnin decided to attempt something different.
The sensation wanted access to his mind, but this time, Shujinko wasn't about to lie down helplessly and let the sensation trample all over him. Instead of letting it run its course, the golden-eyed boy threw himself at the unpleasantness and refused to let go of it, forcing it to force itself upon him. He dragged the sensation into the most intimate corners of his psyche, clinging to the disgusting feeling and pouring his soul into giving it a taste of its own harassing medicine. For the first time, the Ice Shattering technique resisted his approach and tried to push him away like two magnets repelling each other, but the Chūnin would have none of it and pressed even harder.
Suddenly, something inside his head snapped open. His conscience cracked like the surface of a frozen lake under too much weight and Shujinko found himself drowning under the depths of his memories.
000
"… Remarkable… Truly remarkable… To think that the blood of the Ozuma flows through your veins. I thought they had all been wiped out from the face of the earth. This is most unexpected," Shujinko gaped. The intruder's words sent a chill down his spine so fierce it felt like the tip of a dirk sliding down his back, and all warmth seemed to have left his father's study. How… How was it possible for this complete and utter stranger to know about his clan? "Tell me, who are your parents? Where do they hail from?"
"I'm the one who should be asking the questions," Shujinko replied, putting up as strong a front as he could in an attempt to hide his bewilderment. "Who are you? What the hell are you doing here?"
"I would rather remain anonymous if it's all the same to you. As for 'what am I doing here'…" The trespasser stared at the jewel in his hand with beady golden eyes. "This is the key that will allow me to achieve my destiny, the missing piece of my puzzle. You do not know the history of this gem, and you certainly cannot fathom its power. The time has come for it to stop gathering dust like a two-bit trinket and serve its rightful purpose,"
'History? Power? What in the world is he talking about? How does he even know about the Eye of Kazemaru?' Questions quickly began piling up inside the Chūnin's mind, but regardless, one thing was clear enough: This man was not to be taken lightly. He had managed to slip past security undetected and make it this far into the village without anyone raising the hue and cry. And now, he was standing before him, more curious than intimidated by the Ozuma's presence despite getting caught. Either he was extremely adept at hiding his emotions or he genuinely believed he had no reason to be concerned, which in turn gave Shujinko sufficient reason to be concerned.
For a moment, the golden-eyed boy considered the idea of running away instead of taking on this stranger by himself. He ignored how deadly an opponent the hooded man truly was, and if his strength matched his stealth, then facing him without backup could prove fatal. However, he soon discarded this notion once he realized it would most likely work in the intruder's favor. Were he to leave now, the hooded man would surely do the same, and if he was able to sneak into the Hidden Leaf Village this easily, sneaking out of it should prove no harder a challenge for him even with the disadvantage of a raised alarm.
Retreating was not a viable option, he reasoned. Whoever this guy was, he had to be stopped here and now. Whether he could or not remained to be seen, but the brown-haired teen was keen on neutralizing the intruder without killing him. He would see this thief delivered to the village's Intelligence Division and let the Torture and Interrogation Force take it from there. Nevertheless, Shujinko had a feeling he would not live to hear any answers at all unless he confronted the hooded man with lethal force from the get-go.
With this in mind, Shujinko unslung his backpack and let it slide down onto the floor before adopting an offensive stance, holding a kunai in a reverse grip while keeping his free hand close to his waist. "I don't know who you are or what your deal is, but you're not going anywhere with that," the Chūnin made a quick stabbing motion with the tip of his kunai pointing at the Eye of Kazemaru. "You should know I already sent word to the guards on patrol duty. The Police Force and the ANBU are already on their way,"
Whether he could tell he was bluffing or not, the hooded man was unfazed. "I made it this far without alerting them of my presence. I will be long gone by the time they get here,"
"Or dead because you wouldn't stand down,"
"Is that so? Make no mistake; I find bravado and arrogance far more palatable than meekness, but neither will be of any use to you against me, boy. If you have any sense, you will turn around and leave at once. Confront me, and you will not be breathing for much longer-"
POOF
As soon as the last word left the hooded man's lips, Shujinko deftly let a pellet drop from his fingers and quickly stomped on it, shrouding himself in a cloud of smoke. Seconds later, a kunai aimed at the intruder's head was thrown from inside the cloud. The hooded man used the same jewel he had stolen to block the knife, making a sharp clinking sound as it flew into the corner of the room. Before the smoke cleared, the young shinobi stepped out of the dissipating cloud with an unfolded Demon Wind Shuriken and hurled it at him.
Having predicted the attack, the hooded man ducked down and rolled forward before any of the large blades could slice him in half. The Demon Wind Shuriken hit the wall behind him with a loud clangor. As he got up, the hooded man caught sight of Shujinko coming at him kunai in hand. The Chūnin then took a few swings at him, aiming at his vital spots such as the heart, the neck, and the armpits while his opponent displayed the legerity of a panther as he weaved around him, evading the sharp steel at every turn.
Frustrated, Shujinko drew a second kunai and unleashed a flurry of slashes, which prompted the hooded man to take the offensive. A precise kick knocked one of the knives out of Shujinko's hand. Before he knew it, he was pinned to the ground with the hooded man on top of him. His efforts to break free yielded no results, and when he looked up, he saw death glistening in his adversary's eyes, an unmistakable portent of the harm that was to come.
"You should've heeded my warning when you had the chance," the hooded man said as he held the Eye of Kazemaru above his head, intending to bash Shujinko's skull open. "Now I have to make good on my word,"
POOF
The hooded man's gaze was drawn to the cloud of smoke that had suddenly burst into existence by the door. The backpack his opponent had previously left sitting on the floor was gone, and in its place stood a boy identical to the one whose throat he was clutching. This one, however, sported yellow pigmentation around and under his eyes that extended to his ears in the form of stripes, markings that signaled his inherited sagehood of the hawks.
The Ozuma's shadow clone took advantage of that split moment of inattention to slip a leg free and kick the Eye of Kazemaru from the hooded man's hand. The burglar let out a yelp as the jewel caromed across the floor well out of his reach. Before he could go after it, Shujinko's facsimile wrapped itself around the hooded man's body, forcing him into a clumsy clinch and making it as cumbersome as physically possible for him to move. Though limited in strength, his clone's interference had his foe in the exact position Shujinko wanted him to be in; close in proximity and slow to respond.
"Kazekiri!" The sound of sliced wind filled the study as his jutsu came to life, covering half his arm with silvery wind chakra that extended past his fingertips while tapering toward the end in the fashion of a blade. Cocking his arm back, the Chūnin broke into a quick dash before leaping across the room, his target unable to evade or counter his attack at such a short distance.
Just as Shujinko's technique was about to make contact with the hooded man, a sudden wave of light engulfed the room. Astonished, the Ozuma witnessed a bright fog swallowing everything around him like a sandstorm of pale gold. He tried to halt his charge, but his body no longer responded as it moved ostensibly in slow motion just a few inches above where the floor used to be, driven by momentum alone. The hooded man and his shadow clone, who were right there in front of him not three seconds ago, had also disappeared.
His first thought was that he was caught in a Genjutsu, but how could that be? The hooded man was being restrained by his shadow clone and he didn't see him try to weave any hand signs, not even one-handed ones. Had someone else cast the illusion? No, that wasn't it. If someone else had been in the room, he would've picked up their presence with the sensory abilities that Sage Mode granted him. What was this, then? A trap? A hallucination? Had he gone mad all of a sudden? What was happening?
The light grew brighter and brighter until it evolved into a burning white that fried his eyeballs. Panic overwhelmed the now sightless and unutterably confused the Chūnin, who could do nothing but scream in his mind as his strength waned and his wits abandoned him. He could feel his body growing lighter by the second until he became shapeless, abstract, a cloud of vapor with half a conscience.
A brief eternity later, the light vanished from the room, sweeping Shujinko away like dust in the wind.
000
…
…
…
The members of Team Avatar exchanged anxious glances amongst themselves as the most fragile of silences settled in. Despite having returned from his state of trance, Shujinko appeared to be lost in a world of his own, staring downwards with eyes full of intense nothingness. The memory that had long evaded the Chūnin was now freshly carved in his mind. He found himself lost in thought, recalling every single event that had transpired and re-examining every piece of information he had come across since that fateful night.
Finding the hooded man in his father's study and facing off against him.
Getting swallowed up by a bursting flash of light.
Waking up in a distant, unfamiliar land with no recollection of how he'd gotten there.
Nations he had no knowledge of, populated by people who had no concept of what a ninja was.
The presence of bizarre hybrid creatures whose physiology contradicted nature and evolution.
The shinobi continent missing from every map he laid eyes on.
A hundred-year war he had never heard of.
Bending.
Spirits.
The existence of an "Avatar".
...
"You must have either the memory or the wits of a fish to say that. Don't tell me you've forgotten how we both arrived here. I admit I underestimated you the first time, but I can assure you I won't make the same mistake twice..."
...
"... Before I leave, let me give one final piece of advice: The sooner you open your eyes, the sooner you'll realize what we're doing here and what our destinies have in store for us. I'll be eagerly awaiting for our next meeting,"
…
…
…
… Then, it hit him. It finally hit him. The answer had been staring at him right in the face all along. A conclusion. - No, not a conclusion, a mere conjecture he once deemed utterly preposterous suddenly became the most authentic of truths, the most irrefutable of facts, the most undeniable of realities.
This place, this foreign part of the world he had arrived at, was no part at all. It was more than that. It was so, so much more than that.
It was something else entirely.
"Come on, don't leave us hanging like this. How did it go? What did you remember this time?" the son of Hakoda asked impatiently. A queasy knot began to tie itself behind Sokka's ribs as his friend remained quiet. "Shujinko, is everything… okay?"
His voice was lost on the Ozuma, who got up from the chaise longue and shuffled past the boy from the Southern Water Tribe. A couple of clumsy strides took him across the shack, after which he placed his left hand and forearm against the wall to steady himself, feeling dizzy and cold all of a sudden. He gazed down and saw two blurry dots where his feet were supposed to be, and when he looked at the fingers of his hand, he couldn't properly tell them apart, almost as if he was seeing the world around him through lenses of thick frosted glass.
An oppressive force began to assault his body, getting ahold of his thorax and squeezing without mercy. Shujinko gasped once in an attempt to suck in some much-needed oxygen, but it wasn't enough. He gasped again, more forcefully this time. Then he gasped again, and again, and again, louder and louder until it was the only thing he could do. Beads of sweat dampened his forehead and trickled down his brow like melted ice. Panting relentlessly, the Ozuma dropped to one knee, feeling as though his chest was about to shatter inside him. In a fit of desperation, he began to claw at his left pectoral, wishing he could tear into it and rip his heart out just to stop the pain.
"Shujinko!" Aang exclaimed as he ran up to the golden-eyed boy with Sokka and Toph behind him. "W-What's happening? Are you alright?
"DON'T TOUCH ME!"
PWACK*
Without reason or provocation, Shujinko pivoted around and swung a wild side strike at the airbender, hitting him across the face with the back end of his closed fist. Katara, who'd been frozen with fear up until now, let out a horrified yell and went to aid the stunned Avatar as he groveled in pain on the ground. Meanwhile, the golden-eyed boy broke into a clumsy run in an attempt to escape the shack, but Toph and Sokka managed to apprehend the Chūnin only a few hasty strides in, grabbing one of his arms each and pulling him back.
"Calm down!" Sokka shouted as the struggle intensified, revealing more fear than assertiveness. Despite his wiry frame, healthy constitution, and taller stature, the son of Hakoda was still getting shoved around by the delirious Ozuma, who kept moving from side to side, pushing and swinging his arms as though wolves had sunk their fangs into them.
Toph had to dig her heels into the ground with Earthbending to restrain her friend. Regardless of her prodigious talent as a bender, the Blind Bandit's physique was at a disadvantage against Shujinko's, who was two years older than her and had the strength and legerity expected of a Chūnin his age. It wasn't long before the Chūnin yanked his arm back and broke away from her grip. The next thing that came out of Toph's mouth was an abrupt yelp as the Ozuma took hold of her jaw faster than she could react, his dirty fingernails scratching and digging into the skin of her cheeks.
Alarmed, the Blind Bandit tried to wrench Shujinko's wrist away before he could grab her by the throat, which she believed was his intention. Instead, Shujinko punished her with a kick to the right side of her ribcage, landing a crude liver shot. Pain coursed through Toph's soul as everything in her body shut down. Still holding her by the jaw, the Chūnin sent the girl tumbling backward, yet Toph was in such raw agony from the liver shot that she didn't even register the moment her back met the ground.
"Toph!" Sokka exclaimed, tearing his gaze off the brown-haired boy for an instant. The Ozuma took advantage of this momentary lapse of concentration and bull-rushed Hakoda's son against the wall. Not satisfied with that, he then proceeded to headbutt Sokka before shoving him aside, leaving his friend yelping on the floor as he covered his face with the palms of his hands, blood leaking through his gloved fingers.
As Aang and Katara went to assist their friends, Shujinko stabilized himself and tried to make a run for it, possessed by an irrational feeling of danger and desperation. The walls were closing in on him; the sky was crashing down on his head; the ground beneath his feet intended to swallow him whole.
BROOOOM
Aang's quick reflexes allowed him to raise a slab of earth from the ground, sealing the entryway seconds before the Ozuma could leave the shack. Shujinko tried to push his way through, yet his pathetic attempts failed as the barrier refused to give in. Distraught, he grabbed a kunai and started whittling away at the slab under the delusion that he'd be able to carve his way out. He persisted until his arm went limp with soreness and the weapon finally fell from his hand, its tip dull and its edges nicked.
The Chūnin huffed and puffed as the other members of Team Avatar huddled together behind him, maintaining as prudent a distance as they could afford. Blood trickled down from the cut just above Sokka's left eye, which was already starting to swell. Toph was back on her feet again, though the kick she got from Shujinko left her struggling to walk by herself, and for every painful groan she stifled, two escaped her mouth. Aang was sporting the beginning of a bruise in the corner of his mouth where the Ozuma's blow had landed. Katara was the only one who had not been harmed during the outburst, yet she was a long way from feeling remotely well.
The waterbender took a few shy steps toward the Chūnin as if testing her weight on the ground. The other members of Team Avatar followed her example without the slightest bit of enthusiasm, more wary than weary. "Shujinko, are you…?"
"Stay back…" Shujinko whimpered through his teeth, still facing the slab of earth that had thwarted his escape.
Katara ignored his words. Even after what had just happened, she still held hope that the Shujinko she knew and cared deeply for was still in there somewhere."… Don't be afraid. It's all over now. Everything will be-"
"I SAID STAY BACK!"
Delirious, Shujinko turned around and grabbed the weapon he had just dropped with his left hand, holding it with a reverse grip at face level with the palm of his right hand on the ring-like pommel. Team Avatar's ninja had turned into the very image of a cornered animal, frightened and dangerous and willing to bite whoever approached him with his metal fang of a kunai. Seeing their levelheaded and steadfast comrade in such a pitiful, primitive state was surreal to the other members of Team Avatar, who were no longer able to recognize the boy in front of them.
Before he could do anything, a series of internal pulsations shoved Shujinko to the ground. The Ozuma let go of his weapon and got into a quadruped stance with his forearms and knees before clamping his mouth shut with one hand, his cheeks puffing out with every retching noise that threatened to come out. In the end, his efforts proved fruitless and he barely managed to jerk his head back before he was overwhelmed by the pressure exerted by his abdominal muscles. Aang, Sokka, Toph, and Katara, had to witness their friend throw up what little food he had consumed these last days, followed by him breaking into a slimy, watery coughing fit that covered his mouth and chin with a mixture of saliva and gastric juices.
Once he emptied his stomach, Shujinko spat the foul taste out of his mouth, which resulted in a thick string of drool dangling flimsily from his jaw as he gasped for breath. Snot ran down his nose, encroaching upon his upper lip while tears stung his puffy bloodshot eyes. Without another word, the Chūnin slumped forward and fell face-first into the ground, his chest landing on the puddle of vomit. "Shujinko!" Katara cried out as the members of Team Avatar approached the Ozuma. Shujinko's eyes remained closed and his jaw remained loose as Katara turned his limp body to face upwards, only the faintest of breaths going in and out of his mouth. Several locks of his hair were stuck to his sweat-sodden face, which had grown cold and clammy. "Aang, go get the Spirit Water!"
The Avatar got on his feet, but a faint touch reached him before he could leave Katara's side. Upon looking down, he saw Shujinko's hand wrapped around his ankle, his grip no firmer than a toddler's. His twitching lips made Aang realize the Ozuma was trying to tell him something. Ignoring stench and filth, the airbender knelt and put his ear close to Shujinko's mouth, and the words he heard his friend utter before he passed out would be forever seared into Aang's memory.
"This world… not home…"
...
"Me here… not right..."
Aaaaand that was chapter 33. Hope you enjoyed it.
In the show, Iroh uses the word "metamorphosis" to explain to Zuko what's happening to him. You could say it's an accurate description, but I personally don't think such a scientific term meshes well with the story's setting or the character's vibe if that makes any sense. Therefore, I decided to take a somewhat different approach by adopting a more philosophical lens, which befits a man as wise as Iroh. I can only describe his stance on the matter as one that lies somewhere between body-mind dualism & body-mind monism.
Did you enjoy Sokka's little trip down memory lane? I know it must've felt a bit forced and/or unnecessary, but I swear I didn't know how else to tie the scenes together, plus I had fun doing it since I don't often write from Sokka's perspective. Frost Foxes are non-cannon creatures that I came up with. Owl Wolves are apparently cannon though. Just picture a white wolf with the head and wings of an owl.
So, there we have it. Our boy finally found out the truth about his situation, and it only took him 33 chapters. Shujinko suffering a full-blown panic attack is one of the scenes I've been itching to write since day one, so being able to finally do it was nothing short of a pleasure. I did some research on the matter to portray Shujinko's panic attack in a realistic-ish manner, though I won't deny some aspects were exaggerated for the sake of dramatization. In any case, I think anyone would freak out if they were struck by such a huge revelation, especially since the Avatar world is quite similar to the Naruto world in broad terms. Obviously, we can spot hundreds of not-insignificant differences between the two, but it's not as if Shujinko found himself on an alien planet straight out of Star War that would immediately make him go "This isn't my world, WTF am I?"
There's something I want to make clear for the sake of transparency: I changed most of the scene where Shujinko meets the hooded man for the first time back in chapter 1. This is because my earlier work wasn't nearly as good as it is today. The fight plays out differently while still reaching the same conclusion. I also added Shujinko's thoughts as he is being transported to the Avatar world.
I would like to end this author's note with a heads-up: After this upload, I might have to take a small break. Sadly, I've gone through a lot of stress these past few years and my mental health has been declining. The fact that I've made so little content this year is proof of that, and I can assure you it's not due to laziness or a lack of interest. I'd stare at my computer for hours a day trying to make some progress and get stuff done, but the words simply refused to come up on the screen. It was as if my creativity well had almost dried up and I was only able to produce scraps instead of the literary meals I used to whip up.
Writing FF has been a hobby of mine for years now and it's one of the few things I can confidently say I'm somewhat good at. I like creating characters and inserting them in my favorite stories, tweaking events here and there, and complementing the source material with my made-up lore. However, writing has also contributed to the reclusion and sedentarism that's been affecting me lately as it had me sitting by myself for hours, neglecting both sleep and social interaction just to write a few paragraphs in a Word document. Therefore, if I want to keep this hobby, I need to cut back on it and get myself in better mental shape. It's the right thing to do and I know it will be worth it.
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Peace!