-Author's Note-

I apologise for being away for so long. The last time I updated was nearly a year ago.

I want to quickly explain why I haven't really done anything. For the past few years, life has been difficult. My mum passed away nearly two years ago and now, only a month ago, my dad passed. It was difficult as I had to sacrifice a part of my life to help care for them but it didn't even matter in the end. Now, due to certain circumstances, I have lost the house and will be forced to move soon. So I am job hunting to try and find something full time to help support myself and my cat and dog.

As horrible as this probably sounds, a burden was lifted. I love my parents very much and I will miss them for the rest of my life, but now I have been given a chance to focus on my own life. Honestly, there isn't much that go wrong anymore. After my Dad passed, I was a little lost until I watched Avatar and came across something that Iroh said. "Never give in to despair. In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength." That quote hit me deeply and allowed me to accept everything that had happened. It made me realise that I am not alone as I have family and friends that can help me if I let them. And I hope that I can help you all in some way to.

So I say this in hopes that those who are struggling will find this. If anyone is struggling in life in any way, then please do not hesitate to talk. I know how difficult it is to find someone to talk to. I do not want my family or friends to worry and its odd to think of going to see someone about it, however, I have found that talking about my problems does lift the weight off my shoulders, even if its a little bit. So, please talk to me if you are struggling or desperate to talk to someone. I will never share your problems and I will only reply if you wish me to, that way you can just type your worries to see if it helps.

Now on to my stories. I do not want anyone to worry, I am still working on them all. I will freely admit I am struggling but that is due to the fact I am not a very good writer. Two Lost Witches and their Ninja is a story that I actually don't know what I'm doing with but will do what I can with it. If anyone wishes to try their hand at it, feel free and please let me know. Broken is nearly done, I am just real bad at fight scenes so they take a lot of time.

This chapter might feel a little slow as there isn't much action in it. It is mostly just explaining some back story, sorry. Next chapter will go back to Naruto. usually I try and aim for a minimum of 5000 words but I felt I should do better for this chapter.

If you see any mistakes then please let me know and I will fix them. Any questions then please feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer. Please also leave a review if you can, the more the better.

Word Count (without Author's Note): 6500


-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


Kushina looked out towards the water with narrowed eyes, finding it eerily quiet. Right now they were North of Ember Island and were going to reach the island by nightfall, so a few more hours from now. The boat was moving well enough after the random turtle squid attack yesterday but it was in desperate need of repairs and Captain Hăidào was definitely going to need to find more crew members after losing almost half his men in the strange attack.

Her mission was a success at least. She had managed to break into the infamous Boiling Rock Prison and had gotten her old friend out successfully. And she only had to kill maybe a dozen guards to do this, so in her opinion she did a good job. Shŭ was sleeping below deck, having wasted no time in eating food that was a thousand times more delicious than what was in the prison. Kushina reminded herself that, when the two were safe and on Ember Island, she needed to ask him questions about how he got captured and what happened all those years ago.

'And I want my sword back,' she thought while glancing back at the Captain at the boats helm who was looking back at her. The bastard had taken her sword as a form of payment after threatening to not be there for her to escape the prison with Shŭ. He spent most of his time in his quarters or he kept an eye on it so Kushina had no way of getting her sword back just yet. She planned on taking it back though, there was no way she was just going to let some bastard take it. It had been in her family for generations and it will stay in her family by going to Naruto if it is the last thing she does.

The Captain continued looking at Kushina and he grinned, making her skin crawl. And it wasn't just him. The rest of the crew had also been looking at her funny and whispering amongst themselves. It didn't sit right with her but she knew she just had to bear with them for a few more hours.

'Then again, I could just jump overboard and use my bending to get to Ember Island with Shŭ holding on. It wouldn't be the first time we did something like that,' Kushina thought and was sorely tempted.

"Are you alright?" Shŭ asked as he came up to stand next to Kushina, his face paler than she had last seen him. "You look like you'd rather be anywhere else than here."

"And you look like you're going to throw up again," Kushina chuckled, seeing that he was pale due to his sea-sickness. Shŭ was usually fine on a ship for an hour or two but, if he was on one for a long time then his sea-sickness kicks in.

Shŭ wanted to respond but his face took on a shade of green, so he leaned over the edge of the ship. After a few moments, nothing happened so he groaned and leaned back. "I miss land," he groaned. "Once we dock, the first thing I'm going to find is an actual bed so that I can get some sleep." After spending five years imprisoned with beds almost as hard as the metal the prison was made of. And in the ship he had been sleeping on a hammock along with the other crew members. It was more comfortable than the prison beds but he'd rather have the real thing.

Nodding, Kushina understood Shŭ's desire and thought about what she wanted to do when they reached Ember Island. "Once we're back I need to make sure my son hasn't wrecked the house or destroyed an entire island."

"Right, I forgot you had a son," Shŭ said, remembering the little child that Kushina always had with her, making sure the little one never left her side. "What was his name again?"

"Naruto," Kushina replied with a proud look. "He's nine now but he'll be turning ten next month. I swear, that boy will be the death of me. He's always full of energy and climbing to the top of places. And he always causes trouble just to have a laugh."

Shŭ gave his own laugh hearing this. "Sounds exactly like you from what I remember. You were always messing with people when you got bored." Kushina had the decency to blush as she did indeed remember how she acted years ago. Shŭ then gave Kushina a look that surprised her as he looked serious. "You wanted to know what happened five years ago and how I survived, right?"

"Please tell me," Kushina said, pleading with Shŭ to know the truth. She couldn't be bothered to wait until they docked. Now as as good a time as any.

Sitting with his back against the railing, Shŭ looked towards the sky as he began to tell Kushina what he remembered. "I thought back to that day over and over, trying to figure it all out in my head. After years of fighting back against the Fire Nation, our resistance was starting to grow smaller. Members were leaving cause they were tired from, what they called, the endless fight. We needed a way to inspire everyone to keep going so Minato thought it would be best to attack something, to show that there were still people willing to fight back."

"I remember that, I also remember that we never would have thought up that plan without your intel," Kushina said, recalling that day. "You told us of the factories in North Chung-Ling City. That it was where they were building and repairing most of their ships and where they were forging their weapons and armour."

"Yeah, it took me weeks of working with the Fire Nation to be placed in one of those factories. Almost got caught passing information a couple of times," Shŭ continued explaining. "I even told Minato about a large shipment of blasting jelly that had been delivered the week before. That's where he got the idea to destroy the factories, to halt their productions even if it was for a little while. When everything was ready Minato and I, along with several others, all went to North Chung-Ling. Getting in was easy cause the Fire Nation never thought to keep an eye on the water, especially in their own country. We swam our way to the factories and found the blasting jelly."

"From there you managed to place barrels in certain areas and ignited them all when you ran," Kushina said. She was there when the plan had been made and even helped device some of it. She would have gone with them but she had to stay behind and protect the rest of the resistance as well as little Naruto. "I remember that it had worked. You all managed to destroy the factories and you all got away without any casualties or without anyone noticing."

Snorting, Shŭ shook his head. "Yeah, that's what we thought as well. But they managed to track us down. I still don't know if it's because they saw us or if we accidently left tracks, but they followed us all the way back to home camp."

Kushina remembered that part clearly. She had been sleeping when the screams had started. When she took a look outside her tent, everything was on fire and a company of Fire Nation soldiers were attacking. She would have helped fight them but Minato had told her to take Naruto and run. She remembered looking back and seeing the man she loved taking a fatal blow so that she could escape with their son. And she could also remember returning a week later and finding his body along with everyone else. "Why did they send you to the Boiling Rock?" Kushina then asked after a few moments to collect herself, "I saw them execute everyone they captured."

"That's because they somehow managed to figure out that I was the spy in their factories," Shŭ said with a grimace. "And they kept me alive for information, torturing me for an entire year before throwing me in that shithole they call a prison."

"They tortured you?" She shouldn't have been surprised.

"Yeah. Fire under the soles of my feet, not giving me any food or water for days at a time, beating me within an inch of my life. You know, that sort of thing," Shŭ explained casually, like he was talking about the weather. He then chuckled. "They even used their fire bending to heat up a knife and carve into my back to make sure I don't die, or not quickly at least. Hurt real bad and left a nasty scar."

Kushina saw her friend roll his shoulder but didn't make any comments. Shŭ had been through a lot clearly. "Anyone would have broken under those methods," she eventually said in concern. She honestly wouldn't have blamed him for saying something throughout all of that.

Shŭ looked at his friend before looking away again. "... I lasted a month before giving them the first name, Junyi. They told me that they found him hiding out in Jang Hui and had him drowned there. I didn't make it another week until I gave up more names."

"How many names did you say?"

"Including the first, four in total," Shŭ admitted, "And I'll never forget them. Junyi, Gao Ting, Sedna, and Ayano. It's my fault that they're old dead."

Kushina could hear the shame in Shŭ's voice and her heart went out towards her old friend. But a name that Shŭ said made her pause. 'Sedna? Why do I know that name?' she wondered and was about to ask until she saw Hăidào's men all running around the ship. "What's going on?" she asked.

"There's a Fire Nation ship sailing directly for us and it'll reach us soon," a voice said, making Kushina and Shŭ turn to see Hăidào walking towards them. "News of your prison escapade has reached the main land so they are sending out search parties to find the escaped prisoner." Hăidào then stared at Kushina with a smile that unnerved her. "And to also find the one that had broken the prisoner out."

Giving the captain a hard look, Kushina stood in front of him and glared. "Remember our deal. You have already been paid to get us back to Ember Island, now hold up your end of the bargain or I will be taking my sword back."

Hăidào kept his smug look and even gave Kushina a small chuckle, clearly finding threat funny. "Do not worry. Follow me and I will hide you both until the Fire Nation is gone." He began to leave, forcing Kushina and Shŭ to follow into the ship and down a small set of stairs. They walked through the crews sleeping area which had numerous hammocks hanging around and a few of the crew resting. As they walked past, the crew members leered and whistled at Kushina who glared back in disgust. At the end of the crews resting area, they entered a small room filled with barrels of black powder. "Here we are," Hăidào said as he moved a barrel out of the way.

"Here?" Shŭ questioned, "But they'll find us if they search the ship."

Instead of giving a retort, Hăidào reached for the wooden wall and moved a hidden latch before sliding it open to reveal a secret room with chests of treasure and bags of gold and silver coins. Just by looking at it, Kushina could tell it was a fortune that people would kill for. And probably have, knowing this crew. "You both will hide here for now and stay quiet. Don't need soldiers hearing you both talking and sharing stories," Hăidào said as he started putting the bags of money in a few chests before locking them. "Don't even try to take my money. I know exactly what's here." He went to leave but stopped and smirked at Kushina. "Oh, and your blade isn't in this room. I keep that in my quarters."

The wall shut behind Hăidào, leaving Kushina and Shŭ alone in the small dark room. "I don't like this," Kushina muttered, hating that she was locked in this room on a ship of people that she would love to kill.


In the middle of the West Sea, an Empire-class battleship sailed through the water. The ship was large, about twice the size of a standard cruiser, and had over a thousand crew members on board. On the bridge of the ship, a soldier held a pair of binoculars and stared directly at the smaller ship in the distance. "I can see the crew of that boat all running around," the soldier said with a chuckle.

"They know we're approaching so they're trying to hide whatever contraband they have," another soldier said, having seen this happen dozens of times by now. "Hey, what were you saying before? Something about a kid?"

The soldier with the binoculars took a moment to think before realising. "Oh right, yeah! Remember when I told you that my older brother captains his own ship but he mostly just ferry's people around?" Seeing the other guy nod at him, the soldier continued. "I still say he was drinking on the job again but he claims that, on his last job, there was a kid that was climbing down the side of ship."

"A kid? On the outside of a ship?" the soldier repeated incredulously, "Either your brother is lying or he really was drinking on the job again."

The two shared a laugh, not hearing the door to the bridge open or the heavy footsteps of an officer approaching. "Is something amusing?" the officer asked, his tone showing he was not happy.

Hearing the voice, the two soldiers stopped laughing and spun around. As soon as they saw who it was, the two stood up straight and then bowed their heads low. "Captain Zhao!" they greeted, making sure to keep their heads down a little longer. "W-We apologise, sir! We weren't expecting to see you here on our ship!"

"Is that the ship from the message?" Zhao asked, dismissing the soldiers excuse. He barely even looked at them as he snatched the binoculars out of the soldiers hand to have a look for himself.

"Y-yes sir!" one of the soldiers said before reaching for a piece of paper. "According to the intel we received by messenger hawk, that is the ship with the criminal who broke the prisoner out." Zhao said nothing as lowered the binoculars and smiled. He could only imagine the reward and the praise he will receive for capturing the escaped convict and the one who accomplished such a feat. "Should I go tell the Admiral, sir?"

"NO!" Zhao snapped, spinning around. He nearly smiled at seeing the look of fear the two soldiers had but held a frown instead. "I shall go let the Admiral know. You both just stay here and keep an eye on that boat, understood?"

"Yes sir!"

Zhao didn't say anything else as he walked away, leaving the two on the bridge as he made his way towards the admirals quarters. 'Now this is a vessel fit for a ruler,' he thought, admiring the ship he was on. His own was just a standard cruiser that anyone of his ranking would have. And he wanted a ship of this magnificence for himself but it would take years to have the right rank to have something like this. Thankfully, if he played his cards right, then maybe what will happen today can help speed up that process. Now at the Admirals quarters, Zhao readied himself and opened the door. "Admiral," he greeted making sure there was respect in his voice even he didn't have any.

The Admiral was sitting in the middle of his large room, kneeling at his table while reading reports. The room itself was dark with the only source of light being the few candles sitting at the table. Even though the room was dark, Zhao could see the Admiral clearly. He was wearing the standard uniform and he had his white hair tied up into top-knot. "How many times must I tell you to not barge into rooms, Zhao," Jeong Jeong said, his gruff voice echoing throughout the room.

"I apologise," Zhao said, obviously not meaning it. "You should know that we are approaching the target and we'll make contact in a few minutes. If you will allow me, then I can apprehend the escaped convict and as well as the one that broke him out of prison."

If Zhao was paying attention, then he would have seen the candles flicker for a moment while he was making his suggestion. "No" Jeong Jeong said as he carefully put down the paper he had been reading. "You will stay on this ship while I handle the escaped prisoner and whoever harbours him." The candles on the table flickered again. "You are angry."

"You would have me stay here on this ship while you handle the criminal?!" Zhao said through gritted teeth, his fists clenched. "You have no right to do this! I am a Captain!"

"And I am an Admiral," Jeong Jeong calmy said as he stood. The flames on the candles exploding into small pillars of fire to show he was anything but calm. Zhao couldn't help but flinch at the display of power, a reminder that he was still outclassed. "I do not have to give you a reason for my decisions. If I order you to stay on this ship, you will stay on this ship. Do you understand?"

Scowling, Zhao looked his former teacher in the eyes and glared. "I understand, Sir," he said, venom clear in his voice as he left the room. He even slammed the door shut to show his anger.

Jeong Jeong left his room a moment later, walking to the deck of his ship while his mind wandered. Many years ago, he was once Zhao's firebending teacher and he was, at first, a good student. No matter the exercise or test, Zhao would master them and then asked for more. He always needed to know everything about firebending and Jeong Jeong knew that his obsession was dangerous. He just never stopped it when he could have.

As he walked onto the deck of his ship, Jeong Jeong nodded to the soldiers that bowed to greet him. The ship they were approaching was getting closer by the second and they will be able to board soon. He just hoped that this will not go badly. Feeling a pair of eyes on him, Jeong Jeong turned and looked up towards the bridge. Even at this distance, he could tell that Zhao was staring at him with anger and hate.


Standing next to the hidden sliding door, Kushina kept her ear against it and tried to carefully listen for any noise. She could hear the sounds of the crew running around above her on the deck and some shouting. Glancing back at Shŭ, she could see her old friend was opening another chest to see what was inside. Just like the others he had opened it was full of coins from different nations. Just one of these chests would allow anyone to live comfortably for several years and Hăidào had a dozen of them all filled to the brim. Wiping the sweat off her brow, Kushina scowled as she could barely hear anything. There were no windows or secret exits so the only way in or out was the sliding wall.

'We're so close to freedom,' Kushina thought, praying that nothing goes wrong.

She had worked hard to get her old friend out of that forsaken prison and she was not going to let him go back. Not without a fight at least. Whilst her mind ran through several scenarios of what might happen in the next few minutes, Kushina took another glance at her friend and noticed something odd. He didn't look worried, at all. He was completely calm as he inspected the coins in another chest. That was strange because he had always been a worrier, always a nervous guy expecting things to happen.

Her eyes still on her friend, Kushina watched him reach for another chest that was on the top shelf. He reached up, his top riding up a little but enough for Kushina to see his lower back. 'There's nothing there!' she thought, alarms going off in her head as she easily recalled him saying that the Fire Nation had tortured him and carved up his back. 'Did he lie about what happened? Why would he? It doesn't make sense!'

"You know," Shŭ quietly spoke, getting Kushina's attention. He still has his back to her so he didn't notice her staring. "I never had a chance to say sorry."

Kushina kept her eyes on Shŭ, not knowing what to think at the moment. "What for?" she quietly asked.

"Minato. He was a great guy and a good friend," Shŭ said with a sad sigh. "I was there when he died. He fought bravely but there was just too many of them and they executed him."

If Shŭ was looking at Kushina, he would see her eyes glaring at him. 'He wasn't there!' she thought. She saw Minato get hit in the stomach with a spear, how he continued fighting until they held him down and how he screamed for her to run before he was stabbed in the heart. Shŭ was no where near when that happened. That's when things started falling into place within Kushina's mind. What Shŭ said about his time in prison didn't match with what he wrote in that message that found her. That name that Shŭ had said earlier, Sedna, was a earth bender that went with Shŭ on a mission, only for him to come back alone saying they were attacked. That was a month before their camp was overrun so he that name was useless. Then there was how the Fire Nation knew where their camp was. Their camp never stayed in one spot for more than a week, and they always made sure to cover their tracks when they returned. The only way for the Fire Nation to find them, was if someone told them. And Shŭ was nowhere to be seen when the attack happened.

"Kushina?" Shŭ said, looking back and flinching at the hard look she was giving him.

"It was you," she muttered darkly, her fists clenching enough for her nails to dig into her palms and draw blood. "You brought them to our camp."

His eyes widened and he gave Kushina a surprised look. "What are you talking abou-"

He was cut off as Kushina opened the waterskin she had on her and had her hand float above it. "You have no marks on your back," she growled out, "You were the one that lead the Fire Nation to our camp!"

Shŭ's mouth fell open, having not expected any of this. He took a step toward Kushina and flinched when she drew water to her hands, a silent warning if he took another step forward. Slowly, he raised his hands and kept a feared look on his face. "Kushina," he said, his eyes darting between her, her hands, and the only exit. "Listen. You're not thinking straight. You've barely had any sleep since you freed me."

"Shut up," Kushina warned.

Taking a risk, Shŭ inched a little towards Kushina but she saw his movement. Quickly whipping her hands, her water flew from her hands and caught Shŭ's. He slammed into the wall behind him, ice encasing his limb to it. A chest and several bags of treasure fell the ground. Scowling at the intense cold, Shŭ struggled a little to pull his arm free before sighing. "You always did have a temper," he said before taking a deep breath.

Kushina watched and saw Shŭ's trapped limb glow a little. The ice cracked and then exploded as Shŭ used his firebending to free himself. He then used the freed hand to punch a ball of flame to his now former friend. Kushina easily sidestepped the attack, bending the shattered ice on the ground to water. She then used the water to wrap around Shŭ's leg, pulling it out from under him and causing Shŭ to fall back. Pinning him down, Kushina approached and placed a foot at his throat. She then bent all the water she had into a single large icicle and aimed it at his head.

"Before I kill you," Kushina said, pushing her foot down more onto Shŭ's throat, watching as he began to turn blue from lack of oxygen. "I just want to know why. Why did you betrayed everyone? Minato and I trusted you! You were one of us! So tell me why!"

Shŭ would have used his firebending but with the spike of ice barely an inch from his face, he thought better of it. Kushina eased her foot off a little, allowing Shŭ to breath and talk. After taking several gulps of air, Shŭ panted and glared at Kushina. "You want to know why? It was because I hated every one of you. I deserved better than to sleep in the dirt with you freaks. The Fire Nation promised me power and status, and I took it. I knew you were still alive when some prisoners mentioned seeing a woman with red hair. So I devised a plan with the Warden to bring you here."

"So that's why you betrayed us?" Kushina hissed, "Because you thought you were better than us?"

"You are all nothing but a plague on the Fire Nation that needed to be eradicated," Shŭ said with a sneer.

With a roar, Kushina readied her spike of ice but, before she could use it to kill Shŭ, the sliding wall exploded into flame. The force of the blast knocked Kushina away and the ice spike fell with her to the side. Hitting the wall, Kushina slammed her head and her vision went blurry. Coughing, she looked up and glared as she saw Fire Nation soldiers aiming at her. 'Shit!' Kushina swore in her mind as her vision corrected itself but there was now a pounding in her head, 'There are too many of them! I won't be able to get past!'

Shŭ stood and rubbed his neck as he grinned at her. "Don't kill her," he said to the soldiers, "I want to present her to the Fire Lord alive." Glaring at him, Kushina spat at his feet but Shŭ paid it no mind. Two soldiers approached her and placed metal cuffs behind her back. These cuffs covered her entire hands and kept her from bending as easily. The soldiers also snatched her waterskins and threw them aside.

They dragged her out of the hidden room, pushing her forward and onto the deck of the ship. One of the soldiers gave her a hard shove, causing Kushina to stumble and fall to her knees. Snarling, Kushina lifted her head and glared at the soldiers and her glare hardened with hate as she saw the pirates standing to the side with grins on their faces. A few of them openly laughed and pointed at her. "I'll kill you all!" she roared at them, only for Shŭ to kick her in the stomach.

As she coughed and sputtered, Shŭ knelt down and spoke, "I know you hate these guys but they aren't so bad, really. Especially when you tell them that a certain person was wanted by the Fire Nation and that they would pay handsomely for the persons capture." The pirates cave a loud cheer at this, always happy to get paid.

"Quiet!" a loud deep voice shouted, quieting everyone. Admiral Jeong Jeong stopped in front of Kushina and looked down at her. "So you're still alive after all this time," he spoke, his voice rough and not showing any emotion.

"Jeong Jeong," Kushina growled through gritted teeth, recognising the man standing before her. She then noticed his uniform and the massive ship. "They finally promoted your sorry ass to Admiral? If Minato was alive then he'd owe me a gold coin."

Jeong Jeong gave a small 'hmm' as a response. He looked at the soldiers and gave them their orders. "Take the prisoner to the brig. Make sure there are no liquids near her." The soldiers saluted the Admiral before pulling Kushina to her feet and pushing her towards the ship. Once Kushina was gone, Jeong Jeong then looked towards Shŭ. "You are the one that orchestrated all this?"

Shŭ stepped forward and also bowed to Jeong Jeong, but the Admiral could easily see how it was not out of respect. "Yes, Admiral," Shŭ answered, "It was my plan that brought the rebel here. I am Shŭ, a soldier to our great nation and I work closely with the Warden in the Boiling Rock."

'Warden Lee, an incompetent man' Jeong Jeong thought with a frown, having met the Warden several times. The Warden would rather feast and drink instead of doing his job, leaving it for his subordinates. "Do not waste my time and tell me what it is you want," Jeong Jeong demanded to know. No one ever does anything without wanting something in return. And while only a few words have been said, Jeong Jeong already knew the kind of man Shŭ was.

Looking at the Admiral with surprise, Shŭ thought best to just answer the man. "The Boiling Rock. While it is practically inescapable, the prisoners there never stop fighting and attempting escape. The Warden does nothing and the guards are slacking. If you give me the position of Warden, then I shall make the Boiling Rock feared across the lands, more so than it already is. No prisoner shall ever make an attempt to escape again."

Jeong Jeong stared at Shŭ for a few moments, unnerving the man. "I do not have the power to make you Warden," the Admiral said and he continued speaking before Shŭ could interrupt him. "However, I shall have one of my men send a message and tell them of this accomplishment. If they see fit, they you shall have the prison."

Even though he wasn't given what he wanted, Shŭ was still grateful for the chance. "Thank you, Admiral Jeong Jeong. Your kind words will never be forgotten," he said, giving the man another bow.

"I'm sure," Jeong Jeong muttered before turning to Hăidào, who stayed quiet. The Admiral then signalled for a soldier on his ship to approach carrying a large chest. "The bounty for the rebel," he said to Hăidào, who almost looked like he was drooling at the sight of the large wooden chest.

"Why, yes of course!" Hăidào bellowed happily as soon as the chest opened to reveal hundreds of gold coins. The chest alone was enough for someone to live comfortably for the rest of their life. "This is more than enough! But... what are you doing?!" He was horrified to see the soldiers only take out enough to fill a small bag and toss it to him before taking the chest away. "Why?! Why are you taking away my money?!"

"Because you are pirates," Jeong Jeong explained. "You and your men are all wanted for numerous thefts and burglaries across the nation. I should just arrest you all right here but because you helped in apprehending a dangerous criminal, I will instead take ninety-five percent of the bounty and have you leave the Fire Nation."

Hăidào's eyes narrowed and he placed a hand on his sword. His men all then drew their weapons, ready for a fight. "You're banishing us? ME?!" he shouted in anger.

Jeong Jeong didn't move but every soldier near him took a stance and prepared their firebending. "Either leave or die," the Admiral said calmly, clearly not bothered at what was happening. As if to show Hăidào wasn't a threat, Jeong Jeong then left the ship for his own, with Shŭ following. Hăidào snarled and wanted nothing more than to kill all the soldiers in front of him but knew that he and his crew were outnumbered and would be slaughtered.

"I will not forget this," Hăidào warned, not caring who and who didn't hear him. The soldiers then left Hăidào's ship, allowing the pirates to sail away with threats of death being screamed from them.


With her hands still cuffed behind her back, Kushina was thrown into an iron cell. Scrambling to her feet, Kushina shouted as she charged at the guard that threw her but they shut the door quickly. Kicking the cell door a few times, Kushina just kept shouting about what she would do if she got her hands on them. Her cell was completely baren except for a dirty sheet for a bed and a bucket for certain needs.

"You're a feisty one, aren't you?"

Snapping her head to the cell door, Kushina saw a man she didn't recognise. "Who the fuck are you?"

"Captain Zhao, the Admiral's best student," Zhao introduced, with Kushina scoffing. "And I already know who you are, Kushina Uzumaki. You have been a thorn in the Fire Nations side for many years now."

Kushina would have been surprised that the enemy knew her name but now knew that Shŭ had been working for the Fire Nation this entire time, giving them names and intel. "If you take these cuffs off, then I'll show you how much of a thorn I really am," she said, knowing they would never do that.

Smirking, Zhao gave the woman a small chuckle. He didn't view her as a threat and believed that he could handle her. "As fun as that sounds, I have to decline. I wouldn't want to hurt that pretty face of yours too much." If it weren't for the cuffs, Kushina would have ripped the mans organs out by now. "I'm going to give you a choice and you have until we reach the Capital to answer before it is too late."

"And what choice is that?" Kushina asked, already betting that it's either answer the question or face execution.

"We already know that a few of your comrades are still out in the world somewhere," Zhao began, "That man Shŭ gave us a lot of information but he only knows so much. I'm willing to bet that you know the answer though. Tell me the names and locations of your friends. If you don't give us any answers when we reach land, the Fire Lord will MAKE you answer and have you killed."

'Even if I did answer, I'm still dead,' Kushina thought but kept quiet. 'I need to find a way out of these cuffs and then I can escape.'

Zhao liked to think that he was a patient man. But seeing the woman keep silent angered him. Creating flames in his hand, he threw it at Kushina's feet and shouted, "Tell me!"

"Enough!" Jeong Jeong said as he entered the brig, the guards saluting him as he walked past. "You are not to harm the prisoner."

"She is withholding information that could threaten the nation!" Zhao argued throwing another fireball, which sailed past Kushina's head. To her credit, she didn't flinch and that enraged Zhao more as he created another ball of flame.

Jeong Jeong moved quickly, bending the flame to dissipate and pushing Zhao away. "If you disobey a direct order like that again, then your rank will not be the only thing you lose. Now leave us," Jeong Jeong threatened. Zhao snarled and stormed away. The guards at the door also saw how their Admiral looked at them and knew he wished to be left alone. Once the door was closed, Jeong Jeong gave another sigh. "I apologise for his behaviour."

"You've changed," Kushina noted. "The Jeong Jeong from before would never have let someone like Zhao talk to them like that. He'll you'd always be the one burning prisoners to get results. What happened?"

'She is right,' Jeong Jeong thought, having noticed this himself. "I am tired," he said after a moment. "I use to believe that this war meant peace for the world, that we were bringing order. I watched my students fight and die for a nation that forgets about that. I have seen innocent men, women, and children slaughtered by the senseless violence for a war that has been raging for too long. I had hoped that rising through the military, I might change something, but a drop in the ocean cannot change the current."

"That... Minato used to say that," Kushina whispered, shocked to hear something her late husband had said.

Nodding, Jeong Jeong continued, "I have fought against that man numerous times. Even with my bending, he was truly a worthy opponent that I could not help but respect. He did not fight for revenge or fight just for the sake of it, he always fought for those around him. The last time we crossed paths, we didn't fight. We talked over a game of Pai Sho and he gave me this."

Watching, Kushina saw Jeong Jeong pull out a small object from his robes. Showing it to her, she could see that it was a Pai Sho tile. "That's Minato's white lotus tile," she said, easily recognising it. "He always kept that with him. Why would he give it to you?"

"He told me that he could see the turmoil within me," Jeong Jeong said, looking at the tile. "When he gave me this, he said that I may be able to find truth in this world if I just open my eyes." Putting away the tile, Jeong Jeong then showed Kushina another object. "Your husband opened my eyes to my part in this war. If I was there, then perhaps I could have helped him in his final moments. So, instead, I hope I can help you now."

In his hand was a key and he tossed it to her so that she could use it when she thought the time was right.


-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


-Author's Note-

I hope this chapter was still good. I honestly won't blame anyone that thinks it is boring or disappointing.

Hopefully it was a nice surprise to bring Jeong Jeong and Zhao into it. I did my best to make sure it matched up with the canon show as in, Jeong Jeong is still an Admiral and Zhao is a lower rank than he is in the show. Tried to keep them behaving the same as the show as well.

I don't know how much anyone can trust Google Translate but that is what I use to come up with some names here or there. Shŭ is one of those names with Chinese (simplified). It should translate to rat which kind of gave away what kind of person Shŭ is. You also should be able to guess who Shŭ is as well as Hăidào, whose name should translate to pirate.
Again, don't fully trust Google Translate.

Let me know what you all think.