Chapter Five:

I stepped into Genji and Fai's classroom. "Okay class, copy us," Fai said. "Swing your arm like this and get them right above the hip."

"Yes excellent, block with your bare hand." he then added. "Then you get them with the glove."

"Uh it's the Avatar?" Genji noted.

"Arata, nice to see you." Fai said. "There's someone who's been asking about you, a businessman."

"Really great to know." I said. "Is he a friend?"

"Kind of, more like a friend or a friend." Fai stated. "We met during the rebellion."

"Hey Fai..." Genji asked.

"It's okay," he walked up to the training dummy. "I will continue to demonstrate."

"So did he express interest in working with me?" I asked.

Fai smacked the dummy behind the ear. "Quite a lot." he ducked down and smacked it again below the arm.

"Well I can't be interrupting you guys." I said. "Anyway, my class is pretty soon."

I walked down the hall and soon heard the loud thumping of Tetsu's earthbending class. I stepped in and saw him posing in front of a large brick. "You have to feel for it." he said. "Feel each little piece of it."

He pulled back his clenched fist. "Once you do, it all comes apart easily."

He swung it fist and the brick and it crumbled into dust. The class followed up, and various bricks fell apart. "Some of you need work, but I think you're getting the right idea."

"Now let me show you all something." he took a huge block and lifted it over his head. "Witness the might of the Bei Fongs."

He dropped the block on his head and it cracked in half. The broken pieces crumbled into dust. He then looked over to me. "Oh it's the Avatar." he remarked. "Thanks for visiting."

"Sure, how's the class going?"

"Great." he looked towards them. "The Avatar has visited us."

"C'mon I'm just your boss."

"Show them the true might of the Avatar!" he declared.

I backed off a bit and raised my hands "C'mon man, they've trained with me plenty." I said. "They were in my general bending course before your specialized classes."

Tetsu lifted up a huge block. "I know you can do it."

"Are you sure about this?" I said. You have a class to teach."

"Here's your next lesson!" he barked out. "Protect yourself from any debris."

The students moved to the walls, clearing out the room. Tetsu hurled the block towards me. I pulled back my arm and watched as it sailed towards me. As it drew near I focused bending into my fist and swung.

My fist hit the block and it exploded around me. "C'mon!'' he declared and he threw another block. I punched it again and it broke open. Tetsu stepped towards me. I swung my arms and pieces of rock came at him,

He raised up his arms and the rocks crumbled as they hit his hands. He came within striking distance and swung at me. I lifted up my hands and caught his gauntleted fist. He swung his other hand so I let go and ducked down.

I swung at Tetsu, slugging him in the ribs. Quickly Tetsu formed the pieces of rock together and formed a large block. He swung it down and I raised my hands up. I caught it mid swing and we pushed and shoved at it.

As we pushed at the block, it began to crack and crumble. I was pushed back and he charged at me, still holding the block. I dodged away and let him charge past me. He turned and faced me. "Show me the true power of the Avatar!" he called out.

"You got it." I replied.

I reached over to a student's water bottle and pulled it toward me with airbending. With my bending I yanked off the top and threw the water towards Tetsu. While he was briefly off guards I threw gusts at his block and sent clouds of dust towards his face.

I lunged towards Tetsu and slugged his block, breaking it up into pieces. With a shove, I threw the pieces of rock towards him. Tetsu lifted up his arms to protect himself; he was forced backwards.

I took a deep breath and let out a blast of flame. Tetsu jumped back. "Okay I surrender."

"You weren't ready to fight the Avatar?" I asked.

"I guess I should have expected that," he replied. He looked at his class. "Next time I will show you counter moves for firebending."

I checked my watch, "okay time for my class" I announced. "See you guys."

I felt the man's lifeless body on the ground. It brought me right back to the death of my friend Moku. The old man approached me. "Is this really who I think it is?"

"Yes," I snarled. "Don't kill him, I want to."

I stepped towards the assassin and we began to circle. The old man stepped away, facing off against the soldiers. I felt at the ground, and stabbed into it hard. A trio of rock waves crawled quickly towards the assassin.

With a mere wave of the hand, he casually dismissed them. This only aggravated me more, but I could not lash out quite yet. I felt his stance and quickly lifted up a rock wall. A spray of nails came right at me.

I swung my staff repeatedly, sending large chunks of rock towards the assassin. As he batted them down, I charged at him. I swung my staff at his head, and he ducked down and jabbed towards me.

The jab came short and I swung at him again, keeping him beyond arm's length. I jabbed the ground, digging a hole underneath the assassin, but he quickly stepped out. As he came at me, I stepped backwards and swung at him again.

When the pole struck his head, it bent around it. I kicked him and struck him between the legs. A normal man would cry, but Iron Assassins know pain like no one else. He continued towards me, swinging with his claws.

As I moved away, he instead lifted up chunks of earth and hurled them at me. I straightened out my staff and batted down the pieces of earth. The assassin, undeferred by the projectiles, still got closer.

I swung my staff again, and felt at the ground beneath him. I pulled him down to his ankles, and struck him on the head. Being focused on the earth below him, made the staff hit full force.

More pieces of rock, along with nails came at me. I jumped backwards and then swung my staff, putting up a wall. I swung a few more times, keeping it strong as the assassin pelted me.

When the assassin broke through the wall, I dumped it on his head, but he broke up the earth before it hit him. I took a deep breath. "You know, I didn't know if you really wanted to do this."

I of course got to reply, only pieces of rock. "I wondered if you were forced into this life, like Tsume tried to do to me."

I swung my staff, sending pieces of rock back. "But I see that you are continuing this life." I jabbed at the wall, sending down more chunks. "You choose to be a merciless killer."

"I am capable of mercy, but not for you." I said. "I will hunt down and kill all of you. Is that what you want?"

The assassin finally spoke. "Yes." was his blunt reply.

I heard something come at me, and quickly ducked down. A whip of water came over my head. I swung my staff behind me, and a column knocked out one of the soldiers. As more closed in on me, I stabbed the staff and the ground cracked around me.

The assassin raised a large boulder, but suddenly moved it to the side. A blast of fire came at it and it exploded. The old man came at the assassin, sending blasts of flame. With each step he threw a punch and a blast of flame followed up.

The corned assassin began to turtle, lifting up a wall that shook with each blast. I got ready to break down the wall, but the water tribe soldiers closed in on me. I sent a blast of dust to them, and stepped into the thick cloud.

Feeling footsteps I swung my staff and hit the nearest soldier in the head, and then another in the ribs. I lifted up a rock and a few icicles embedded into it. Quickly I sent it to the soldier.

I turned back to the assassin, who was still hunkered down, taking the old man's fire blasts. I moved in and swung my staff, cracking through the barrier. Pieces of rocks came flying at me, and I lifted up my hand to deflect them.

More of them lifted up, but the old man came closer, keeping the pressure up. I lunged closer to the assassin, and I batted down a large piece of rock. I swung the staff towards his head, and when he ducked I swung it back at his ribs.

He jabbed at me, but I blocked his strike, then went for an overhead swing that hit the top of his head. I rock floated up, but I shoved the assassin down, and it fell with him. The assassin crawled away, but the old man and I cornered him.

He stood up and lunged towards me, and I sharpened the end of my staff. I lowered it down, bracing it against the ground. The assassin raised his claws. "You die..."

I tripped him and he fell onto the staff, and the point went into his head. "Now." I replied with a snarl.

I looked around at the town, it was ruined. The houses were torn down, and the people sat in the streets. I walked down the street to find a cowering soldier. He was one of the few that did not run away. "Heal them." I snarled at him.

"But..."

"You'd better get to it." the old man added.

He stumbled over to a wounded man and wrapped water around his thigh. The old man stood over them, keeping his eyes on the soldier. I walked another soldier to a woman, and he placed water over her ribs.

The woman laid down in relief, as the soldier healed her. I pointed my staff at his head, not trusting him at all. I felt the old man standing over the soldier, his body language seemed as tense as mine.

The woman let out a deep breath. I felt for other people on the ground, seeing who was hurt. "Does he look better?" I called out to the old man.

Noboru and Pasang stood back and watched as one of the Air Nomads showed off various pieces of Nomad clothing. "They are treating them as costumes." he snarled to Pasang.

"Just stay cool," he replied. "I don't want to be here either, but making an appearance will help things go smoothly."

And of course Naoki's annoying little daughter was in the middle of it. She was giggling as she watched the Air Nomads show of the cultural artifacts. Such disrespect disgusted Noboru.

"She held a wooden staff. "This is a glider staff." she announced. "You airbend into the wings and it helps you fly."

"Cool, can we try it?" a student called out.

"Yeah it sounds cool."

Kaze laughed. "You aren't ready yet." she held it out. "But this one has a special feature, hold out your hands."

The closest student opened up there hands and Kaze pulled a lever. A slot opened up and nuts came out. They lifted them up to his face, and Kaze moved on to other students who joined him. Noboru fumed at such a display and Pasang looked at him with concern.

"What is that?" he demanded.

"It's like Aang glider." Pasang replied. "That snack compartment."

"It's a desecration of our history." Noboru growled.

"Well that already happened." Pasang noted.

"And people have the nerve to call the people of the Fire Nation heroes." Noboru spat.

"Let's just give you a breath of air." Pasang guided Noboru out.

The two walked out of the classroom, down the hall, and out a back door. "I brought you here so we can talk." Pasang stated. "It was a good excuse to get us to Republic City."

A couple of Triad members appeared. "There were problems down south." one of them said.

"What's happening?" Noburo replied.

"Nao and his army are having trouble." the other Triad said. "A couple of troublemakers."

"Two people?" Pasang noted.

"Needless to say our benefactor has lost patience with him."

Noburo gestured to Pasang. "He told me about the spirit you guys are working for."

"Do you think he is ready?"

Pasang nodded. "Now is the time."

The Triads produced water in there hands. They aimed it towards a spot on the ground and swirled it. It began to glow and a humming noise emitted. The hum grew louder and higher until it became a piercing shriek.

A web came out and grabbed Noboru. "Noboru of the Air Nomads." came a voice.

"Who are you?"

"I am the Matriarch." she stated. "The mother of many offspring."

"So what do you want?" Noboru replied. "And how does this involve me?"

"The power of the Avatar." she replied.