Chapter 50: Chapter-51
"Father…"
"Silence!" This was the first time Azula heard her father raise his voice at her. The flames surrounding the throne flickered ominously, but the trio of girls stood their ground, undaunted. "How did this happen?! Unacceptable!"
"I assure you, Father, I'm as surprised as you are," Azula maintained her composure, meeting her father's intense gaze.
"You're treading on dangerous ground, Azula. I know you kept that boy captive," the princess felt her composure waver under his scrutiny. "Do you have anything to say in your defense? Why didn't you dispose of him when you had the chance?"
"…" Ty Lee and Mai exchanged worried glances as Azula, who had been kneeling, slowly looked up, her expression calm.
"It's quite simple, Father. We're in the presence of someone who can rival the Avatar. He possesses strength, speed, technique, and power beyond anything we've seen before. Wouldn't it have been a waste to kill him?" Azula's smile never wavered and only grew as she saw her father's curiosity piqued.
"Go on…"
"From what I've gathered, two Kyoshi warriors influenced this attack. They manipulated Uzumaki Naruto into acting. Don't be mistaken, Father, that boy is naive, idealistic, like a blank canvas. His decisions can be molded, and I can be the one guiding his actions…" Her voice held unwavering confidence and a somewhat sinister undertone that sent shivers down her friends' spines. "All I need is time, Father, and I promise you Uzumaki Naruto will become a loyal servant of the Fire Nation. With him on our side, nothing, not even the Avatar, will thwart our goals."
After minutes of tense silence, the Fire Lord nodded.
"You've never disappointed me, Azula, and I don't believe you will now..." Azula stood tall, proud of her father's faith in her. As she turned to leave, he issued a chilling warning, "But should you fail, what I did to your brother Zuko will pale in comparison to what I will do to you."
"I won't fail, Father," Azula said with determination, her smile gone. She walked away, followed by her two companions. Once outside the room, she stopped.
"Azula?" Ty Lee reached out, concerned, and touched her friend's shoulder, but pulled back when she saw the darkness in Azula's gaze.
"Mai, go speak to Commander Yuwao and Weaponsmith Wong. I need every resource at our disposal. We have prey to hunt." Azula never failed in her objectives, and hunting down Uzumaki would be no different.
….
"You know, I don't want Aang to change who he is, but I can't help thinking that the longer this journey takes, the more problems we might encounter."
"…"
"Ero-sennin once told me that even in dire situations, I shouldn't shoulder all the responsibility, that sometimes I should simply savor the moment. I remember that phrase, 'Don't just focus on the destination, but enjoy the journey.' After all, who knows if we'll even make it to tomorrow."
"Ghhhhhhh."
"I guess I should take it easy, right? I think you're right, you're a good listener."
"What on earth are you doing?" The Kyubi was growing weary of eavesdropping on his jinchuriki's conversation with that creature called 'Appa.' "Do you realize you're talking to something that eats wood and sniffs other animals' behinds, right?"
"Hey! Don't say that. Appa's smart, aren't you, buddy?" Naruto grinned while watching the colossal beast respond with a low growl.
"I just see a good snack," the fox chuckled, contemplating how Appa might taste. It was quite a substantial size, enough for a hearty bite. Perhaps Appa was made of chakra and didn't need to eat, but the sensation of devouring something was quite appealing.
"You're not going to eat Appa," Naruto sighed as he continued to stroke the beast's fur, which remained still, clearly enjoying the contact. A few hours earlier, Aang, Katara, and Sokka had departed for a town in the Earth Kingdom called Omashu, leaving Naruto to look after Appa and Momo. He sensed that Aang was still somewhat down after their argument the previous day, so he decided to stay behind.
"And why are you talking to that thing anyway?" The fox was growing bored. After more than a decade of confinement, talking to the boy was one of the few things it could do besides sleep.
"Hey, don't talk about him like he's just a thing," Naruto growled playfully. He pulled an apple from his pocket and tossed it to Appa, who promptly devoured it. It was clear he'd need more than one apple, perhaps even a cartload. "He's an amazing creature that feels pain, joy, and sorrow, just like all of us. We all share those feelings, even you..." Naruto smiled, then found himself being nudged by Appa's massive tongue, a gesture of gratitude for the apple. "Maybe that's what makes us all alike... Don't you think?"
"…"
"…"
"Don't lump me in with you," the colossal beast growled with a hint of revulsion before closing his eyes, signaling that he'd had enough conversation for the day. "The meatbags are back; go pester them."
Before Naruto could inquire further, the connection between them was severed. A moment later, he watched Sokka and Katara return, accompanied by a contemplative Aang.
"How did it go?"
"It depends on your definition of nearly turning into glass art," Sokka replied wearily, leaning his head against Appa to catch his breath.
"It didn't go as planned, but it turned out okay," Katara simply smiled at the blonde, then sat down next to her brother to rest. She had to remove shards of glass from places she didn't want to name out loud.
The Uzumaki gave the two Water Tribe siblings a quizzical look.
"An old friend once told me to find someone who listens before taking action; it's the secret to earthbending." Bumi's riddle might have seemed strange to the nomad, but the message was clear: he couldn't abandon his people to teach Naruto earthbending, and staying here would only expose them to the entire Fire Nation army.
"Sounds like a plan," Naruto said with a shrug. He continued to think about his conversation with Appa, about not just focusing on the destination but enjoying the journey. "We passed through a town a while ago. How about we go check it out?" he asked awkwardly, looking at his traveling companions.
"Sure, we need to buy a few things," Sokka replied. In truth, he needed to go; he had to buy a new sleeping bag.
"But, Sokka, you don't have any money."
"Of course," Sokka said, slightly offended by his younger sister's comment. He pulled out his wallet and opened it. However, instead of money, a moth fluttered out of it. All three of them, Katara, Aang, and Naruto, stared at the scene with blank expressions before stifling their laughter as Sokka looked stunned.
"This isn't funny; it's sad," Naruto said, shrugging. He then opened his wallet, revealing only two silver coins. "Oh..."
"I have two shillings," Aang chimed in, producing the measly coins from his vest.
"This is bad," Katara observed as she checked her own pockets. She couldn't help but laugh at her older brother's misfortune. "Maybe we could find some work?" she suggested.
"Or we could steal from someone," Naruto casually suggested, willing to resort to theft if necessary. He had done it before becoming a genin, and he wouldn't hesitate to do it again.
"Stealing is wrong; we'll be poor but honest," Katara retorted, pinching Naruto's cheeks, which made him wince in pain.
"Wowowowow! Alright, alright!" Naruto rubbed his reddened cheek while looking at Katara's stern expression. She nodded in satisfaction.
"Well, I'm sure we can do something, like sell some of the things the Kyoshi girls gave us."
"Isn't it wrong to sell gifts?" Naruto raised an eyebrow, making Katara blush with embarrassment.
"Well... yes... Okay, we'll do it your way, but without stealing."
"Okay!" Naruto nodded with a grin. "Listen, this is a trick I once pulled with Ero-sennin. We had to do it to pay for damages to a women's bathhouse when he was spying."
"Were you spying on women's bathrooms?" Aang asked innocently, while Katara shot Naruto a disapproving look. Naruto ignored them and continued with his plan.
"If all goes well, we won't have to worry about money for a long time," Naruto said with a smile. He put his arms around Katara and Aang's shoulders, forming a circle with Sokka, who had been skeptical the whole time. "We'll call it Operation Flying Groundhog, and everyone has a role, so pay attention."
"I don't have much faith in your wizardry, boy."
"Hey, it's either this or working under the scorching sun, sowing seeds for a coin a day."
"What do I need to do?"
"Well, listen," they formed a circle, and as a united team, they huddled together to hear Naruto's plan.
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PAT REON I'D:- Alzero ]
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