Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; it is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. The Legend of Korra is owned by Nickelodeon. I own nothing. I am just a humble fan.

Author's Note: hello everyone, we are back with chapter three. I hope you all enjoy it and review. We are going to build up the relationship between Naruto and Korra and things in Republic City will heat up. Without further ado, let us begin.

Chapter Two - The Growing Bond

A sigh was heard from Avatar Korra, currently glancing out the window towards the shoreline back to Republic City. Her mind was still somewhat reeling from all that had taken place over the course of her arrival. It'd certainly been a lively first day…though not without a few speed bumps.

"Korra, I know you can hear me. Look at me when I'm speaking to you please."

Case in point, this one right here.

The Water Tribe teen turned her gaze to the fuming fifty year old Air Nomad, currently giving her the most judgemental gaze he could muster. Not far behind, several White Lotus members were keeping watch, making sure she didn't try anything funny, though it was more to keep an eye on her than anything.

Tenzin was angrily rubbing his forehead, trying to fight off an impending headache. The newest individual to carry the mantle and title of the Avatar proved to be quite a handful. Korra's first impression in Republic City was not the greatest and he was still somewhat dealing with the fallout.

Though her skill with the elements was impressive, the child lacked complete situational awareness and humility. The Triads were becoming quite the nuisance and Korra's way of handling them was not the best way.

And now there was a fairly staggering amount of property damage and an angry police force to placate.

He had spent hours at the police station assuring Chief Beifong that this incident would never happen again. Thankfully Korra had decided to surrender herself peacefully once the Police arrived, which helped her case somewhat and was enough to make Lin give her a slight slap on the wrist for the moment.

Honestly, Tenzin was legitimately proud of Korra's surprisingly mature decision to own up to her mistake and avoid further destruction. However, her decision to disobey his wishes to postpone their training for some time still left him irritated.

Korra however had been quick to point out that she'd seemingly had no choice. She had to learn Airbending and Tenzin was literally the only person on the planet who could teach her. And Tenzin knew arguing with her wouldn't resolve anything, her choice to come to the City proved that much. And despite the trouble it would no doubt bring, he had to admit it was an easier situation to deal with her coming to train here than him having to relocate to the South Pole. So with few options but to indulge her desires, if only somewhat.

"Well, Korra, you have managed to make your very first appearance in Republic City a memorable one indeed. Your brash choice of actions have not only led to property damage… but also led to you being arrested and almost going to prison. You have no idea what I had to do to get you released." He rubbed his forehead furiously, "I'm dangling off Lin's hit list of tolerable people already."

He expected a snarky comment or petulant retort about her having no choice, instead, Korra surprisingly looked almost apologetic.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that Tenzin. I was so focused on helping stop those thugs I didn't really consider the aftermath. I'm not sorry that I did it but…yeah, I could have handled it better." Again to Tenzin's surprise Korra actually bowed in apology to the Airbending Master. "I'll make up for it…and I'll pay back the damages I caused too if I need to."

Tenzin looked utterly floored, the White Lotus members behind him sharing similar sentiments.

"I don't think I ever would have gotten a response like that back in the South Pole? Did something happen since I left?"

Deciding to shelf that question for the moment, Tenzin let off a cough to regain some focus and shift the conversation. "Yes…well, the damage was extensive but luckily it will be covered by the city, though the Council certainly wasn't thrilled when I gave them the bill."

Even now he could still hear the anger from the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom representatives.

Still, Tenzin merely sighed as he knew getting angry would not help Korra, and the cost wasn't that serious. Luckily a local organization helped with the clean up, which significantly reduced the overall cost of repairs.

"Still, I hope you'll remember to be more careful next time. We can't cover the costs every time you cause trouble in the city."

Korra nodded, showing a little smile in return. "I do Tenzin, trust me." He saw the contrition in her expression and decided to do just that, nodding happily with her mature response to the situation, "So, now that that's all settled….about my Airbending training."

The young Avatar's smile turned into her usual grin, and Tenzin could practically feel the anticipation coming off of her. Honestly, he was a little excited himself, being able to instruct another in the ways of Airbending. And hopefully not have to bend to his students' whims now that he had one he didn't have to change the diapers of as a baby.

"Right, we'll start first thing in the morning. Naturally I have some Airbending robes prepared for you and I expect to see you early for your first lesson. I trust you'll be ready."

Korra practically jumped and pumped her fists in excitement. "Oh yeah, finally going to learn Airbending! Watch out Republic City, starting tomorrow, Avatar Korra's gonna be an Airbender!"

Her excitement was expected, though her confidence bordered on hubris. Seemed she expected to pick it up as easily as she had the other elements.

Tenzin couldn't help but smile internally. Learning Airbending was going to be a nice wake-up call for Korra.

XXXXXX

The next day, Tenzin and his children led Korra behind the Air Temple for her first lesson in airbending.

Now clad in the orange and yellow airbender robes, Korra had looked at the center of the area and found a large circle with several wooden panels attached upward.

"What's that weird contraption?" Korra asked, trying to figure out what exactly she was looking at.

"It is a time honored tradition used to teach the most basic fundamentals of airbending." Tenzin, in full on instructor mode, spoke calmly and with reverence to the ancient tool before them. "Jinora, would you care to explain please?"

Jinoara nodded and approached the gates. "The goal is to get from one side of the gates to the other without touching them."

"Sounds easy enough." Korra smirked confidently, figuring this would be synch, only to slowly worry at the smirk both Tenzin and Ikki had on their faces.

"Jinora forgot to mention you have to do it while the gates are spinning."

Tenzin was quick to demonstrate that, sending a powerful blast through the gates, sending the spinning at a rapid speed. The sight made Korra's confidence drop considerably as Tenzin picked up a leaf and allowed it to flow into the circle of spinning gates.

Surprisingly, the small plant was easily guided past each gate as Tenzin explained the idea being to follow the flow of the gates, before asking Jinora to demonstrate.

The young airbender walked forward and maneuvered herself through the gaps and openings flawlessly, exiting the center safely. Korra had to admit, she was impressed. And Tenzin seized this opening to speak about airbending in a way that she could understand.

"Airbending is all about spiral movements. When you meet resistance, you must be able to switch direction at a moment's notice."

On the other side, Jinora launched a blast of air into the panels as they started moving again.

Korra eyed the gates, burying whatever concerns she might've had with her usual bravado. "Alright, let's do this."

Without hesitation she charged at full speed towards the gates while the others watched, already dreading the results

In mere moments the sounds of wood meeting skin, various cries of pain and finally anguished groans echoed across the Air Temple.

XXXXXX

"Thanks for your patronage and have a nice day." Naruto waved at his latest customer while putting some of the money in his register. Business had been steady, and he'd heard a fair amount along the streets about the Avatar's antics the previous day.

Naturally what was spoken was mixed. Some, namely the civilians in the area, were grateful for the assistance, while others, in particular members of the police force, were less than thrilled by her showing.

The day had eventually ended with Korra announcing her presence to Republic City and intent to help out the citizens, which in turn had raised concerns amongst his followers, which naturally he did his best to placate.

Deciding to distract himself he leaned over and turned on a nearby radio to the news section.

"Breaking News, local members of the Triple Threat Triad involved in yesterday's scuffle with Republic City's newest resident, Avatar Korra, were able to make bail and were released earlier this morning. Many citizens were outraged by this decision and have voiced their concerns. The Republic City Council has yet to offer a response and many question this continued inaction."

Almost immediately Naruto clicked the radio off and had to struggle to contain his rage, his bandaged left hand tightening to where he could hear the skin start to crack, though that turned out to be the pair of chopsticks he'd been holding.

Quickly he tried his best to take a few calming breaths, yet he knew that wouldn't be enough. "Once again the Justice System fails to punish the guilty."

Naruto's eyes drifted to his cloth covered hand and a familiar tingling started to run up his left limb. "Looks like we won't have a shortage of volunteers for the demonstration in a few days."

Tabling that train of thought for the moment, he quickly turned his attention to cleaning bowls. Yet as he did, Naruto's mind drifted back to his encounter with Korra, still unsure how concerned he should be about her.

"She at least seems somewhat open minded. Though, I can't exactly allow myself to let my guard down. Especially given that the Revelation is coming up soon."

As his mind drifted, the sound of something slapping against the front counter of his cart, caused him to drop the bowl he was washing and almost jolt up.

"What the heck?" Walking around his cart, he was prepared to give an earful to whoever was potentially damaging his cart only to look perplexed at who exactly it was.

"Korra?"

Yes, the Avatar had once again graced his cart with her presence….though graced in name only. The young Water Tribe girl currently had her face planted firmly on the cart's counter, arms hanging at her side, almost making the young noodle seller wonder if she was even conscious. Her faithful companion Naga sitting just behind looking at her master curiously.

Naruto himself wasn't sure what to make of it and slowly approached. "Uh, Korra? No response. He leaned over on his toe and gently nudged her to get a response, "Korra, you okay over there?"

The only answer he got was a light moan from the Avatar, who refused to move her head from the countertop, leaving Naruto unsure what to do.

"Um…would you like to see the specials today?"

Another moan was her response, though with a slightly lighter pitch indicating at yes.

With a shrug, Naruto walked back to behind the counter and grabbed a menu, before trying to hand it to Korra, only for her to still not respond.

Letting off a huff and blowing some of his hair out of his eyes, Naruto placed the menu near Korra's head, then reached over, grabbing the scruff of the collar of her shirt and gently lifted her up, just a few inches off the counter. Korra seemed to not mind, keeping her neck straight as he did.

With a push, he slid the menu under before lowering her back down, now making it so her eyes were seeing the text instead of the wood.

"Oh hey, I didn't know you had Arctic Hen."

"By the Spirits, she speaks. It's a miracle." Naruto spoke with a dramatic flair and gesture, as Korra finally lifted her head up, allowing blue eyes to meet blue once more.

"Haha, very funny." Korra spoke, almost sounding defeated and mildly annoyed.

"Hey, I'm not the one who decided to communicate in mumbles until food was involved…and I'm guessing you already know what you wanted this time around."

His snark got a small smirk from Korra as she nodded and Naruto went around back and started mixing ingredients, while Korra placed her crossed arms on the counter and topped her chin on them.

"So, what's got the Avatar all sulky today? Did they talk your ear off yesterday?" Naruto's tone was kept playful, not wanting to potentially sour her mood further as Korra huffed into her arms.

"No. I mean yeah - got a serious chewing out from the Chief of Police and Tenzin."

"Oof, you met with Lin Beifong? I guess Old Lady Ironside wasn't in a friendly mood?"

The nickname got Korra to chuckle again as she nodded. "Yup, gave me the third degree and everything. Though Tenzin managed to smooth things over and is letting me stay here in Republic City. Even started my Airbending training today."

From behind the counter, Naruto's eyebrows raised and his curiosity peaked. "Oh really? That's cool." A moment of total silence passed between them, and Naruto recognized it was an invitation to ask the question, "And…how'd it go?"

Another loud slap was her response, causing Naruto to look through the serving window and see Korra's forehead now resting on her arms.

"I'm gonna take that as not great."

Rather than moan, the Avatar shifted her head slightly up and down, which was almost funny, but also kind of depressing the more he looked at it. Pulling his face back and adding some noodles to the boiling water, he gave Korra a moment before making his next respond.

"So, you wanna talk about it, or are you just gonna sulk until your food's here?"

Korra's head shifted up to allow her eyes and nose to be free, lightly glaring at the blond behind the wall. Naruto didn't even flinch and simply smirked.

"Hey, glare all you want. I told you I'd be honest, and you are honestly just sulking right now."

The young Avatar huffed in annoyance, but didn't dispute him and just listened to the sounds of the city for a moment. "My first day of Airbending training and I couldn't even get through the stupid gates. I must've looked like a total idiot."

"Gates?" Again Naruto poked his head out of the window, while casually adding bits of meat and vegetables to the mixture.

"Yeah, Tenzin had me running through a bunch of spinning gates. Something about being like the leaf." Korra winced as she recalled her performance. "And all I learned is how painful it is to get smacked over and over again by a bunch of spinning wooden doors."

"Pfft."

At the odd sound Korra looked up, and her expression went from depressed to royally peeved at the sight of Naruto, currently struggling to hold down what looked like a massive laugh. "It's not funny."

He didn't agree, as he finally let loose a loud belly laugh, while Korra simply sat in her seat, red-faced and embarrassed as he laughed for a solid few seconds. Korra in turn leveled a mean glare at him.

"Are you done?"

Naruto took a breath and nodded. "Yeah, sorry about that. But come on, I mean you gotta admit it's a pretty funny visual." His mind still pictured it as he added all the ingredients to a bowl and finally handed it to Korra along with a pair of chopsticks.

With an angry twitch, Korra broke the sticks and practically stabbed them into the bowl, before quickly slurping up the noodles.

"You should pace yourself. The food's not gonna run away."

Korra didn't answer initially, still huffing a bit, making Naruto reconsider his approach.

"Okay, look I'm not gonna laugh anymore, promise." Opening the window somewhat, Naruto leaned forward and placed his elbows on the counter. "I don't see what the big deal is, I mean did you really expect to nail it on the first try?"

Korra slowed her eating, but still didn't respond, making Naruto raise an eyebrow. "Wait, seriously? You actually thought you'd just figure it out from the start?"

The Avatar paused before she shrugged. "I mean, kind of." Her eyes focused on her reflection in the bowl, stirring one of the sticks around inside of it. "That's how it was with the other elements. I mean I wasn't a master from birth or anything, but I always had at least a bit of a handle on how they worked. I was throwing water, producing fire, and kicking up earth since as long as I could remember. I didn't see any reason why Air would be any different."

Naruto felt genuinely stunned by this little revelation. After their first meeting he saw that Korra was pretty reckless and a fair bit sheltered, but given her upbringing he expected that. Now however, it seemed in addition to those things, the Avatar also had of all things a superiority complex.

That or she just didn't quite grasp the concept of genuine hard work.

Opting to try and keep things playful he just smirked and lightly poked Korra in the arm. "Hey, come on. Lighten up a little. So Airbending is a little more difficult to nail down, big deal. It's not like you're in a rush or anything right?"

Korra didn't smile this time, still looking uneasy and unsure of herself. "But I'm the Avatar, I'm supposed to master all four elements and I can't even get through some gates or make a light breeze. Literally! One of the other students makes it look like a fart coming out his back and I can't even do that!

"What are you talking about? Of course you can make a breeze." Korra looked confused, only for her expression to turn flat when Naruto started to blow air from his mouth, making a nearby napkin rise up a little. "See, I'm sure even you can do that much right? And as for the backside, we're all doing a little bit Airbending if you think about it, huh?"

Korra's face remained like stone, leaving Naruto to sweat a little bit.

"Okay, guess humor isn't gonna help and the last thing I want is to piss her off, so new plan."

"Alright Korra, listen." Naruto's tone became more serious as he looked Korra in the eye. "Tell me something, is the world in danger right now?"

"Uh, I don't think so." Korra now looked confused as to where Naruto was going with this.

"Is there some kind of massive war or dangerous spirit threatening mankind?"

"I really hope there isn't."

Naruto's expression then turned from serious to more peaceful. "Then stop worrying so much about it. Avatar Aang had to speed through the Elements in order to stop the Fire Lord and end the 100 Years War. You don't have any looming threat that demands you master the four elements as quickly as possible. So you shouldn't panic if you don't immediately figure out Airbending, the world isn't going to literally end if it takes you more than a week to get it down."

For a moment Naruto's words seemed to resonate with Korra and even perk her up a bit. Though internally his thoughts betrayed his words.

"At least, I hope there isn't a looming threat. But that'll depend heavily on you Korra. And where you and I stand." His eyes glanced at his own reflection in Korra's bowl and his eyes glowed a faint reddish color again, reminding him of his own mission.

"I get what you're saying Naruto, but I'm not sure." Korra still sulked, though a little less than before. "The whole reason I came here was to learn Airbending and I don't know how I'm supposed to figure this out."

Putting those darker thoughts aside for a moment, Naruto's mind quickly formed an idea. "Perhaps if she gets her mind off Airbending for a while, it might help. And I think I know how to use that for both our benefits."

Seeing her bowl was mostly empty, Naruto grabbed it and pulled it in to clean it.

"Hey, I wasn't done yet."

Naruto ignored her and poured the remaining contents in the sink and quickly cleaned the bowl before putting things away.

"What, did I ruin the mood with my sulking?" Korra spoke with a frown and a hint of hurt at the sight of Naruto quickly shutting down his cart. However, the noodle vendor quickly appeared from behind with a smile.

"On the contrary, I quite enjoy your company Korra. Rather, I think I have something that can take your mind off this whole Airbending thing."

Folding up his counter and bringing down a slide to cover it, he quickly moved to the back of the cart to start pushing it, with Korra looking a bit confused.

"And what is that exactly?"

-Transition-

"Uh, Naruto, where exactly are we?"

Korra was currently standing outside of a rather large two story green brick building in a quieter part of Republic City, Naga to her left while Naruto and his cart were to the right. The blonde noodle vendor currently with a beaming smile as he gestured to the building.

"Korra, welcome to the Jang Hui Sanctuary."

Gesturing her to follow, he slowly pushed his cart forward. The building itself had a small wall surrounding it, with a grass covered yard and some benches, occupied by various individuals and even children.

Many of them were either talking, laughing or playing, seemingly happy enough. Though Korra noted at a glance some crucial details. Many of the people's clothing were ragged, dirty, with visible tears in some of them. Similarly, several people were unshaven, with unkempt hair and even a little dirt present.

"Who are all these people?" Korra felt a sense of melancholy looking at them, as Naruto adopted a sad smile as he parked his cart and started to open it up.

"These are the less fortunate people of Republic City Korra. People who either don't have a home or simply don't have the money to hold onto one."

The young Avatar looked like she'd been dunked in ice, looking upon the many people with new eyes. "But, I thought Republic City was supposed to be a sort of well-off utopia?"

"A utopia." Naruto spoke the words with a hollow edge as he finished unpacking his cart. "For many people it is, but for some, life isn't so fortunate I'm afraid."

Korra looked around stunned. Sure she'd heard about the poverty line before, but seeing it was another thing entirely. True enough the people looked to be in good spirits, but between their worn clothes, and in some cases visible malnourishment, it was mostly a facade for appearance sake.

These people didn't have homes to go to. In the South Pole, some homes were larger than others but no one was ever homeless. They couldn't take the risk in a tundra. But here, in the center point of the modern world, some people seemed to slip through the cracks.

Naruto, having set up his cart and starting to draw eyes, approached Korra, who looked to him for answers. "I don't get it, how are these people poor in the first place? Everything I ever heard about Republic City said it was this amazing place where everyone has the chance at a good life."

Naruto let off a slightly bitter chuckle at her question. "To answer that question Korra, look around. Other than the people being poor, notice anything similar about them?"

Again Korra looked around yet couldn't find a connection. They were of various ages, seemingly from different nations. Really there wasn't anything obvious, the only thing she did notice was a surprising lack of….bending.

"They're all Non-benders." She spoke almost with a whisper as Naruto nodded, which only left Korra more confused. "But, I don't understand. Why is them not being able to bend so important?"

Naruto was prepared to answer, but held his tongue when he noticed someone else approaching.

"Very few people understand I'm afraid, though most simply chose to ignore it. Less hassle I suppose."

Korra's neck snapped to the voice next to Naruto and found a middle aged man with short black hair, and a long mustache that extended past his chin. He was clad in a simple green suit jacket, with a white undershirt, light green tie, gray pants and shoes. Perhaps most striking were the glasses with green lenses adorning his face.

Despite his somewhat shocking interruption, he offered the Avatar a smile and a light bow. "Apologizes for the intrusion, but I thought it polite to welcome the Avatar to my humble facility."

Korra, being a bit on the spot, returned the bow, looking a little sheepish. "Guess, I was thinking a little out loud huh?"

Naruto chuckled as he shook the man's hand. "Korra, I'd like you to meet Liu Zhujiao, he's the owner and founder of this place, and a good friend of mine."

Liu then offered his hand to the Avatar. "It's truly a pleasure, Avatar Korra." Korra quickly took the offered hand and shook it, trying to maintain some level of her normal confidence despite the unfamiliar environment.

"Same Mr. Zhujiao." Korra's smile slowly dropped as her gaze returned to the people, which Liu naturally picked up on.

"You were wondering why there were so many Non-benders here? It's sadly an unfortunate reality of the time we live in."

"What do you mean?"

Naruto was the one to answer. "Korra, remember your little run in with the police. Did you notice how pretty much all of them were Metalbenders?"

Korra didn't answer, looking a little embarrassed at how she'd missed that detail due to being more worried about the earful she'd get from Tenzin.

"Well, after the Hundred Years War ended, benders weren't constrained to their respective nations anymore. Couple that with the various developments like metalbending and electricity as a primary source of power along with the nations sharing technologies, bending suddenly became even more valuable as a skill set."

Liu nodded in his assessment. "Many prominent jobs within Republic City are almost exclusively operated by benders. The police force is almost entirely metalbenders, same with the fire department and waterbenders. Construction is handled by earthbenders and power plants tend to hire mostly firebenders."

Both men looked upon things with a somber air as Korra struggled to process things. "But, that can't be true for everything, right? I mean bending can do a lot but benders can't do everything."

"Yes, and there are some Non-benders who've made names for themselves, but they are the exception, not the rule. Many Non-benders do try to make the most by starting their own businesses…only for groups like the Triads to come along and ruin that."

Korra's mind recalled the previous encounter and Naruto's mention of how that area was mainly populated by Non-benders.

"It's tragically a vicious cycle of sorts, most high paying positions favor benders and when non-benders attempt to make their own businesses, bending criminals use their own abilities to exploit and in some cases ruin them." Liu spoke with a hint of bitterness to it, though he quickly shook it off and tried to regain his more chipper mood. "Of course, that's exactly why I created this place, to give these people a place to stay, food to eat and perhaps even help them get back on their feet."

The older man then patted Naruto on the shoulder who smirked a little. "It also helps when we have people like Naruto here willing to lend a hand from time to time."

"You help out here, Naruto?" Korra looked at the blonde with awe and new found respect, to which he nodded.

"Yup, I come by every couple of days to give as many people as I can food from my cart." Naruto jerked his thumb back to the cart, revealing an already forming line at the front of it. "A lot of people really enjoy my noodles and I'm happy to lend a hand where it's needed."

The blonde's smile seemed to beam brighter than before and it seemed to wash away the more depressing atmosphere of the place, perking up Korra quite a bit. More so when a couple of children ran over to the young man.

"Naruto, you're back!"

"How've you been, we missed you."

"Do you still have those Hippo Cow noodles from last week? They were really good."

The small crowd started to form around the blonde, who happily responded to each comment with a smile, while Korra and Liu simply watched on.

"He's certainly popular." Korra chuckled at the sight of one of the children climbing on his shoulder.

"Naruto's always had that way with people. It's a gift I suppose." Liu spoke with a hint of reverence as he eyed the Avatar curiously.

Whatever he was thinking however was halted when Naruto approached. "So Korra, mind lending me a hand?"

The Avatar, now on the spot, with wide eyes, uttered the only thing she could. "Huh?"

Naruto gently grabbed her wrist and led her over to the back of his cart before handing her an apron. "With the cooking I mean. Got a big crowd and need some help. Plus I figured this would help you get your mind off the whole Airbending thing."

Korra was somewhat on autopilot, eyeing the apron for a moment before putting it in on, though struggling to find an answer. "But, I mean...I don't-"

She stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Relax, I'm not gonna make you do anything too complicated. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it." Naruto put on his own apron and prepared to start. "Now, if you could just start boiling some water for me, I'll get the noodles ready."

"Actually Naruto, could I borrow you for a moment."

Both teens looked at Liu confused, Naruto though quickly shifted a bit to annoyed. "Uh, Liu, kind of in the middle of something here."

Liu however, didn't budge. "I'm aware, but it's urgent. It's concerning the delivery you and I discussed next week."

Naruto's eyes stayed still, recognizing the hidden meaning and groaning a little. "Fine, but only a minute. Don't wanna leave Korra all high and dry after all."

He turned to the now panicking Avatar, as the crowd around the cart grew a little. "Uh, Naruto, maybe this isn't a good idea."

"It's just boiling water Korra. And I'll be back in a minute, promise."

Korra, with many eyes now on her, adopting her more confident face, nodded and got to work as Naruto and Liu walked closer to the building, out of earshot of the group.

Once they were out of view, Naruto's smile dropped and his face hardened. "Liu, what's this about?"

"Is this wise, Sir? Bringing the Avatar here of all places?" Liu's tone was more serious as his eyes drift back to the Avatar, manning the stove, though looking a little out of sorts. "She's quite possibly the biggest threat to our entire organization."

"Or she could be our greatest ally." Naruto spoke firmly as he leaned against the wall, staring out at Republic City. "Once the Revelation takes place, we'll be in the public eye and that means we'll be at odds with some powerful people within the city. When that happens, you know they'll try to sick Korra on us like some kind of attack dog."

Naruto's hands clenched lightly at the idea. "I've only known her for a short time, but I can tell she's a good person. A little stubborn and bullheaded maybe, but someone who'd be willing to hear us out and even stand on our behalf, if we open her eyes to the truth."

Liu seemed to agree with the sentiment though only slightly. "Having the Avatar on our side would be a boon to our group, but it's a risky gamble. She's already connected to members of the Council and by her very nature is more connected to benders than to us."

"And that's why I brought her here. So she can see things from our perspective, to look beyond what she's been told and see the struggle first hand. You heard what she said, Liu. She thinks benders can't do everything either, and was heartbroken by what she saw here."

Naruto pushed off the wall and looked his second in command in the eye. "You've trusted me this far Liu, please just have faith in me."

A soft chuckle was the response from the man. "Even now you can still sway me." The older man nodded. "Very well Sir, I'll trust your judgment for now…though I think you might've miscalculated in letting her help with the cooking."

Confused, Naruto looked over his subordinate's shoulder ... .to see a visibly irritated Korra preparing to use fire bending to heat up the water she'd been asked to boil.

"Wahhhh, KORRA NO! DON'T DO THAT, STOP THE FIRE!" Naruto immediately ran over practically tackling the Avatar before she could potentially set his cart on fire.

"THAT WAS MORE THAN A MINUTE!"

"I DIDN'T THINK YOU'D TRY TO BURN EVERYTHING!"

"I'M NOT A COOK! I TRIED TO WARN YOU!"

"IT WAS JUST BOILING WATER!"

"I WAS GONNA DO THAT!"

The visual caused many of the people watching to laugh and point at the duo, with Naruto getting quite animated with Korra..

It was an amusing sight for Liu, being reminded that the man he chose to follow was still a teenager.

- Transition -

"I said I was sorry." Korra grumbled as she was washing a large stack of dirty bowls, while Naruto was serving the last of his ingredients to a customer.

"And I told you I wasn't angry." Naruto dropped his professional smile and closed the window to his cart. "Luckily I managed to stop you before you decided to speed up the cooking process and give everyone here a nice bonfire to look at. So no big deal."

Despite the usual ribbing from the teen, Korra could hear the slight hint of an edge to it, half expecting him to follow it up with some kind of stern lecture for almost destroying his cart.

"I just thought I could, you know, move things along faster. All those people were hungry and it didn't seem right to make them wait."

Naruto sighed at Korra's logic, as in theory it wasn't a bad idea. Problem was the amount of risk factors involved and Korra herself admitted she'd never actually tried using her bending in such a way, but figured it was worth a shot.

It got him wondering if Avatar Aang ever tried doing something like that when he was kid.

"You can't rush through everything Korra. Some things take time and patience."

Korra grit her teeth at his words, angrily scrubbing harder to remove more of the filth on the bowls. "Now you're sounding just like Tenzin."

"Feels kind of like some people would be flattered to be compared to the only Airbending Master alive."

His attempt at a deflection only made Korra slam the bowl into the sink, splashing water everywhere.

"Okay, not the time for jokes." Naruto frowned a little, not expecting such a reaction from Korra, who was now staring at her own reflection in the water of the sink.

"Look, I'm sorry, but being patient and waiting things out, that's never really clicked with me."

Korra's mind drifted back to her past in the Southern Water Tribe. Whenever she'd wanted to do something, she'd always tackled it head on, whether it was bending, combat training, or even just basic things, she'd always rushed in, confident she could figure it out.

"Up to this point, I've had to adopt every other form of life you can imagine. I've been told to be flexible like water, to stand my ground like the earth or to charge forward like fire. That stuff I can do. That stuff I've been good at. Being patient was never something I needed to do, could afford to do and things just seemed to work out fine." She looked down at the dirty sink, reaching in and pulling out the bowl she'd just dunked, "And now finding out there's more stuff I'll never get unless I'm patient? It just…ugh, it sucks."

Again Naruto found himself seeing another side to Korra and he felt a great swell of pity form inside of him. Each of the different mindsets were taken from the various Bending disciplines she'd learned and had helped shape who she was as a person, with little room for anything else.

"The more I talk with Korra, the more it becomes clear that the Avatar really has defined everything she is. Has any part of her life not been centered around her position?"

Deciding to table that thought for the moment, Naruto opted to focus on the matter at hand. "Hey, I get it. If it isn't broke, why fix it? But, patience is something everyone needs from time to time regardless of who they are. And yeah it's annoying to figure out, but it's pretty valuable too. And I'm sure you'll appreciate it once you get the hang of it."

Naruto's tone was more gentle compared to before and his accepting smile seemed to at least somewhat relieve some of the tension Korra had been feeling. Certainly beat the heck out of being sternly lectured about it for the 20th time today.

"Look, I'm not saying you have to develop the patience of a monk or something right away. And yeah, dropping you off behind the counter might have been a bit too fast on my part - even though it was just boiling water."

Korra immediately frowned at the jab, causing Naruto to casually hold his hands up in defense.

"Just learn to take things slower is all." Naruto's smile turned into his normal beaming grin. "Who knows, you might end up liking it…assuming you get that temper of yours under control."

"Oh, I've got a temper now, huh?" Korra quickly waterbent some of the soapy water from the sink directly into Naruto's face, causing his naturally spiky hair to go limp and him to get brand new soap beard for his trouble.

The sight caused several of the people around to laugh and even Korra was chuckling at the sight. Naruto himself even smiled a bit as well despite having literal soap in his mouth.

"Yeah, okay, I walked into that. You win this round, Korra." Naruto quickly grabbed a towel and wiped his face clean, while Korra did a little fist pump at her victory over her new friend. "Glad to see you're in a better mood though. Seems like you managed to get your mind off this morning I take it?"

Korra's smile shifted to a blank expression for a moment before giving a casual, if relaxed shrug. "Yeah, fire-starting aside, I do feel alot better…though." Her eyes shifted to the various residents of the shelter. "Now I feel like I should be doing more. I mean the whole point of being the Avatar is to help people, right?"

Her moment of introspection was halted when she felt some water splash into her own face. "WHAT THE HECK!"

"You were starting to get all mopey again."

Once Korra was able to open her eyes, she found a towel waiting for her, Naruto looking at her with a sympathetic glance. "Being here, doing something as simple as giving these people food and making them smile, that's helping. No one is expecting you to fix all their problems in a day. Like I said before, it takes time, and stressing out over everything isn't helping anyone. And you shouldn't let your duties rule your life completely."

His words seemed to strike a cord with the Avatar, at least somewhat. "Guess I never really thought about it like that." Korra took the towel and dried herself off as Naruto smirked.

"Hey, admitting something is the first step towards fixing it. Might be a good idea to find stuff to do outside of Avatar stuff, you know?"

Korra actually perked up at the idea, looking almost a little giddy at something. "Now that you mention it. I really wanted to check out some Pro-Bending matches. Heard about them all the time in the South Pole…but Tenzin isn't exactly fond it. Says it's a perversion of the noble art of Bending."

The Avatar's attempt at Tenzin's stuffy voice made Naruto cackle a little. "Yeah that sounds about right. And Pro-bending wouldn't be a bad thing to try. Heck, I'm pretty confident you'd do well yourself."

His compliment made Korra's face light up a little. "You think so?"

"I believe your little encounter with those Triad goons say you've got the skills."

Korra's smile seemed to brighten at the praise, though her attention shifted when she looked up at the sky, more specifically the setting sun.

"Crap, it's getting late. Last thing I need today is Tenzin getting on my case about being out too late."

The sound of a chuckle earned its source a glare from Korra as she whistled Naga over to her.

Hopping onto the saddle, as well as earning a few gasps and awes from some of the children she looked down at Naruto. "I'll see you around Naruto, I'll make sure to stop by your stand the next time I'm free."

Naruto waved happily at her. "I'll make sure to have a nice hot bowl ready for you, along with maybe continuing our cooking lessons."

Despite the jab, Korra actually seemed a little excited at the idea. "I'll hold you to that. Later."

With a pull of the reins, Korra led her partner back towards Air Temple Island, leaving Naruto standing there, watching her retreating back as Liu walked over to him.

"She is certainly different from what I expected, but are you sure we can sway her to our side, Sir?"

Naruto didn't look away from the still visible Avatar, mind processing everything that had happened during the day and what it meant for the future.

"I hope we can."

-Transition-

Night had settled in Republic City, most of the streets were empty save for the night owls and people visiting local taverns.

Naturally Naruto's cart was still open, many of the more shady types tended to come out this time of the day and naturally it was a perfect time to gather information.

Though business was pretty slow tonight, with Naruto's cart basically empty, and him debating closing up for the night.

"Still need to go over everything with Liu and the other members. Also need to find a new promoter for our group and get Big Mouth off the rotation."

His musings were interrupted by the sound of someone faceplanting on his countertop, forcing him to look outside.

"Korra…is that you again?"

Looking through the window, he didn't find the ponytailed head of the Avatar on his counter, instead it was a young man with short black hair currently using his counter as a headrest. More curiously was a small orange and black furred creature sitting not too far away from said individual.

Naruto's blue eyes widened as he recognized the individual and his little companion.

"Hey, Bolin, nice to see you again."

The young teen actually raised his arm up and waved at the noodle shop owner. "Hi Naruto, good to see you too…I'll take the usual please."

Naruto actually whistled a little as his new customer had managed to say all of that without ever moving his head from the counter.

Pulling his head back, he got to work cooking, while of course, not allowing things to remain quiet.

"So, mind explaining why you're using my counter for a pillow or are we just gonna ignore it?"

Bolin managed to lift his head up, placing his chin on the wood instead of his face, defeat etched into his face. "The Fire Ferrets are finished."

"Wait, what?" Naruto paused his cooking in surprise. "What do you mean finished? You've been talking about participating in the Pro-Bending Championship Tournament for months. So much so several of my other customers have started complaining."

He frowned at the Earthbender, "I've been looking forward to the new season thanks to you."

"Well, they won't have to listen to me for much longer." Bolin's head returned to the counter, though on the left side of his head so atleast he could speak coherently. "Hasook quit today and now we don't have enough guys for a full team."

Naruto frowned a little, knowing exactly who Bolin was talking about.

His team, the Fire Ferrets, were regulars at his cart and he'd become quite familiar with all three of them. Bolin was a nice enough guy, jolly, optimistic and passionate about Pro-Bending, while his brother Mako was a bit more serious and calm, but again not a bad guy even if he did occasionally act like he had a stick up his ass.

Hasook however, the group's resident Waterbender, was well…kind of a dick. Everytime they showed up at the cart he'd regularly butt heads with Mako and oftentimes he'd need to step in to keep a fight from breaking out. The guy also had quite an ego on him and seemed to be unable to admit to his own shortcomings, so no surprise he'd eventually call it quits.

However, Naruto's own face slowly curved into a grin as an idea started to form as he peered through the window again.

"Say, Bolin," The downtrodden Fire Ferret looked up at him with misty eyes,"I think I might have a solution to your problem."

XXXXXX

And there goes the end of the chapter. Was pleased with some of the responses from early viewers and hope more will continue to show this story some love, planning to add a cover page at some point and hope maybe someday this will be on TV Tropes. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this.

Fun Fact: Lieutenant's name has a deeper meaning. Zhujiao means Bishop in Mandarian, which is a nod to how his voice actor in Korra is Lance Hendreickson aka Bishop from Aliens. Thought that would be a fun little nod is all.

Also quick response to a Guest reviewer, no there will be no Threesome pairing, it's strictly Naruto x Korra and I'm not changing my stance on that. Sorry, but there are plenty of stories that do that already.

Anyway, look forward to the next chapter. Agurra Out.