The Last Woodbender Chapter 41 (A Tear of Joy and Sorrow) (Patreon)

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Aang sat cross-legged; he could feel the soft ground below his feet. Momo, who sat comfortably on his shoulder, jumped down, giving him some space.

As Aang closed his eyes, he allowed himself to be enveloped by a serene tranquility, like a gentle breeze caressing his skin. With each deep breath, he felt the world's weight slipping away, the burdens melting off him like wax under a warm sun. The cacophony of noise faded into oblivion, leaving behind a profound stillness that wrapped around him like a comforting blanket. As he finally opened his eyes, a sight materialized before him: Roku, whose entire being emanated a radiant blue glow.

Avatar Roku's aged voice resounded with wisdom and warmth, breaking the room's silence. "Aang, it's good to see you again." But Aang didn't share the same enthusiasm that he usually had. At this moment, he felt like a cornered animal, and Roku seemed to notice that.

"Tell me what is bothering you, Aang. You know we are all here to help you at any time you want." Roku said with a welcoming smile as the figures of the past Avatars appeared around them, all of them sitting in the same position as Aang. He noticed Kuruk was missing, but he ignored that for now.

Aang explained what happened between him, Long Feng, and the Dai Li. Naruto had warned him time and time again not to trust Long Feng, and they all had walked into a mouse trap, except this trap was the size of Ba Sing Se.

Aang explained that the King was just a spirit working with Long Feng to fool the population and that he had no idea where the real King was or if he was even alive, to begin with; after Aang told Roku everything, the Old Avatar seemed very disturbed.

"I don't know what to do, Roku. I'm trying to stick to my beliefs, but every time I do, people get hurt. Those people at the North Pole, if...if I had allowed Naruto to kill General Zhao...then..." Aang found it difficult to finish what he wanted to say, but ever since Naruto told him about the civilians and soldiers that died in the North, his words had stuck in his head and kept repeating like a bell. He wanted to forget what he said, but every time he tried to, they appeared before him in his dreams, asking why they were dead and why their families left alive were suffering and grieving.

'Was it worth it, Avatar? Tell me, was my life worth more than your beliefs? ' The woman without a face shook Aang. He wanted to close his eyes and run as she shook him by his shoulder.

"Tell Me, Avatar Aang. Why is my Daughter Alone? She is an orphan now. Tell Me, were Your Beliefs Worth More Than Me and My Daughter?" '

Aang had woken up screaming, feeling cold and sweaty.

Aang had no real answer to that; those people were dead and would still be alive if General Zhao had been taken care of when he attacked them when they were training with Jeong Jeong.

"Then...perhaps they would still be alive..." Aang's words trailed off as he covered his eyes with his hands, his head slumped down in shame.

Roku frowned deeply at the sight and the words he was hearing. He knew what War could do to people. He knew even the most gentle soul could turn into a killer if pushed too far. Kyoshi was an example of that. Roku wasn't there to see it, but Kuruk and Yangchen had told him that Kyoshi wasn't always the type of person to be 'Violence first, Questions second.'

Roku wished he could shield Aang from all of it; he wished he could have killed Sozin to end this War before it even started, but he did nothing. Instead, he let things play out, and thousands of innocent lives were snuffed out, burning in flames, during the Comet one hundred years ago, not counting the countless people that died after the Comet and during the last one hundred years.

"Aang, you can't blame yourself for what happened in the North Pole, it wasn't your fault." Aang seemed ready to protest, but Roku continued before he could say anything.

"Aang, you didn't know what would happen; you can't blame yourself for things that are outside of your control. Those ships would have attacked The North Pole anyway, even if Admiral Zhao hadn't been the one to lead the attack, then I'm sure the Fire Nation would have sent someone else to fill that role right away. Those people's deaths are not your fault, and you blaming yourself will not bring them back; nothing can ever bring them back; you have to understand that, Aang." His words made Aang look up at him with relief and gratitude.

"What am I supposed to do then? So far, my pacifist ways are not working. Is violence the only way to truly fix everything? Can Long Feng not be stopped in any other way." Aang asked desperately, with a tiny bit of hope in his eyes as he looked up at Roku.

"Aang, people like Long Feng will do everything they can to keep that power in their hands for as long as possible. If he acknowledges that there's a war going on outside, then he will be forced to fight back and potentially lose everything he has if the Earth Kingdom loses, but at the same time, he might believe that this way of living, living a lie, is better than dying. His way of doing things is not the right way, but perhaps he sees himself as the protector of Ba Sing Se; as long as people inside believe that lie, then they will all live safely inside, but that lie is a lie. No lie can ever stay hidden forever. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon, the Fire Nation will attack once again, and this time, they might succeed, and the lying will be for nothing. It will be over, but Long Feng would rather kept living that lie then face the harsh truth of Reality. My advice to you Aang is to remember all the people that depend on you. I spared Sozin, and a war started because of my mistake. During our lives, there will come a time when you must choose. You have to sacrifice something so the others will have a better chance, life is full of sacrifices, Aang. Remember that." Roku's voice faded away as his body disappeared into nothingness.

Aang took a deep breath. He remembered running from his home a hundred years ago when he was frozen in the Iceberg. So many times, he wished he could have gone back and changed things. Sometimes, he even wished that Naruto was the Avatar, but No. He was the Avatar, and it was his duty. His responsibility.

It didn't take long, and Kyoshi appeared in front of him. He expected her to scold him; after all, he was the Avatar. He should have been the one to fight the Dark Spirit, not Naruto. But as he looked up, Kyoshi looked at him with disappointment. He felt as if a knot was on his stomach. At this moment, he would much rather have her berate him than look at him that way.

"Go Ahead, Yell at me. I know is my fault." Aang fumed, his hands going through his bald head, but the only answer he received was silence.

Why is she not yelling at me? Please yell at me; I know I deserve it. Aang almost begged but kept quiet. He knew she was watching him. The silence felt uncomfortable; he felt like he was walking on eggshells.

"Go Ahead. I know you're ANGRY WITH ME!" Aang screamed some more, waving his hands around and looking up at Kyoshi, who remained silent. Aang looked down, slamming his hands on the ground. Finally, the silence was broken.

"Aang, do you know who Yun was?" Aang lifted his head up to look at her.

"Yun was a good friend of mine back in the day. The people who took care of us believed that Yun was the Avatar. Not me, since he had a few traits that Kuruk had, and he was the best Earth Bender during my time, but to me, Yun wasn't just a good earthbender. For a time, I-" Her face went a little pink in her cheeks as if she remembered a pleasant memory.

"I had feelings for him. One time, we almost kissed while playing around with fire lilies. I regretted not telling him the truth for a long time, especially after what happened." Kyoshi's voice emitted a weak sob from deep within her throat, but her eyes still remained stoic. Aang didn't know what to say; all he could think was his own personal feelings for Katara.

"What happened?"

"Many things went wrong. After I was discovered to be the actual Avatar, Jianzhu..." Aang almost crawled away in fear. Kyoshi was always stoic and rarely showed emotions, but at this moment, there was so much Rage in her eyes. Aang felt like he was staring at the devil himself.

"Jianzhu." She spat the name with venom; Aang knew better than to ask who he was and what he had done to make her angry just by mentioning him. "He attacked us, and Yun was left in the spirit world. There, he met Father Glowworm, and everything went wrong after that. Yun returned to the human world but wasn't the same anymore. He wanted us to pay for lying to him for so many years. He stabbed Rangi, and he had me on my knees. I knew he was gone, and in that moment, I knew I had to make a choice." Aang had fallen silent as Kyoshi's eyes turned red.

"I acted as if I was accepting him as if I was still his friend, but when I touched his chest, I froze his lungs, and he died in my arms. On that day, I made the choice, and I sacrificed my friend for the safety of everyone else. Aang, you will have to make that choice, too. I hope you make the right call." Kyoshi's voice drifted away as her body disappeared, just like Roku's.

Naruto

As he gazed around himself, he realized he was standing in the middle of his old village, back on Kyoshi Island. His family's houses weren't there.

"You must be Naruto." He quickly turned around. In front of him stood a man taller and wider than him, holding a spear with his right hand, wearing a polar bear coat fur and a harsh face with a trim beard across his chin and jawline.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked, feeling as if he should know him somehow.

"I'm Avatar Kuruk." Naruto wasn't sure what to say. He could understand why Kyoshi talked with him—after all, she was his family, even if she lived centuries before he was born—but he didn't understand why Avatar Kuruk was here.

He knew little about him since even the books covering the Avatars, like Kyoshi, Yangchen, and Szeto, often ignored that Kuruk existed. Those who had information about him said that he was an irresponsible Avatar who spent his life drinking and having fun but ignored his duties. He lost his wife because he neglected his duties.

"Avatar Kuruk, is an honor to meet you, but if you don't mind me asking, why are you here? Where is Kyoshi?" Naruto asked respectfully, bowing his head towards him the same way he always did with Kyoshi.

"Kyoshi is busy with Aang, Naruto, and I wanted to talk to you about what you did to Jiǎ De." Naruto furrowed his brow, looking at Kuruk suspiciously.

"Why does it matter to you? That bastard used my mother's face. I would have killed him all over again if I had the chance." Naruto stumped the ground as he said it, making it clear that he didn't regret it one bit.

"I'm not here to talk you out of it. I can't really control your body, and you are a grown man, you can do what you think is right, but I believe it's my duty to let you know the dangerous game you are playing right now. I want you to understand the consequences, and after you hear what I have to say, you're free to do whatever you want."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked; as he looked around, he could remember killing the dark Spirit, but he didn't remember anything beyond that; he remembered his friends calling out his name, but he didn't remember much else; as he looked around the forest, he wondered how he even got in this place, he hasn't been in the Kyoshi Island since he joined the Avatar, and Ba Sing Se was way too far even for Appa to fly all the way over here, it would take weeks even for a flying bison to fly from Ba Sing Se to Kyoshi Island.

"The first time slaying a dark spirit causes problems with your memories, but once you wake up, you should remember. But the missing memories are the least of your problems, young Naruto. Slaying Dark Spirit will damage your soul and vitality, as we speak right now, your real body is almost shutting down, you made a mistake slaying the Face Keeper." Naruto's eyes widened, and he remembered Kyoshi warning him that killing Dark Spirits was too costly, but he never thought that it would be so dangerous that he could die from killing one single Spirit.

"How do you know all that? Did you kill any Dark Spirits in your time?" Naruto questioned, his voice quivering as he spoke. Kuruk's face darkened, and a frown enveloped his face. He seemed to have just remembered something unpleasant.

"My whole life was spent hunting down and slaying Dark Spirits. That's why I didn't help much with the human conflicts. My hands were full dealing with Dark Spirits. I needed to slay as many as I could," Kuruk confessed with a hardened gaze. Naruto stared at him in shock. He. He had killed one single Spirit, and his body was already close to dying, yet Kuruk somehow managed to fight them his whole life.

"Wait, if you fought them and killed so many of them, how come I'm in such a serious condition after killing a single one?"

"It depends on how strong the Dark Spirit is; the more powerful they are, the more effect they will have on you if you manage to slay them, but most importantly. I was the Avatar. My soul is different, I could handle the pain, I could handle my Spirit and vitality being damaged, but you are not the Avatar. You are just a human, Naruto. You might be a Woodbender, and have...strange abilities, like your black flames, but in the end. You are normal, and the price for you is much more higher than it was for me." Naruto's expression shattered upon hearing that.

If he was already one foot in the grave after killing one single Spirit, he knew he should probably not try to hunt down the other Dark Spirit, who was making portals from the Spirit World to the Human World and was even more powerful than the Face Keeper.

Naruto looked away, biting his lower lip hard enough that he started bleeding; he felt weak. He felt hopeless. "Why did the Face Keeper have my mother's face? What did he do to her?" Naruto questioned what he had wanted to know since the moment he saw that filthy Spirit use that face.

"I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that, all I can say is that the Face Keeper feeds on remorse, regrets. Negative emotions. He usually is more like a ghost that wanders around and tries to feed on people's dispair. I saw what happened through Aang's eyes, and I'm still not sure why he decided to work with the Dai Li. I saw him only once and he escaped the moment he saw me, as for your mom. I think while she was alive, somehow she met the Face Keeper, and she was...not in the best mental condition Naruto. I don't have an answer to that, I died centuries ago, but the Face Keeper is now dead, every face he might have had in his collection, they all are free. But you still will pay the price of killing a Dark Spirit." Naruto looked down at his hands; he wondered what might have caused his mother to feel that way, why she was gone, why everyone was gone.

What happened to all of them? He didn't know the answer to that. They were all together, living on Kyoshi Island, away from the War, and awaiting the return of the Avatar, but one night, it all changed.

Naruto remembered only the screams and waves of red power floating around the entire village. He remembered waking up the following day at Suki's house; she had told him that everyone back at the Village was gone, their bodies were nowhere to be found, and all the houses were destroyed, but there was never a single droplet of blood anywhere.

It was as if they all had disappeared in a puff of smoke; since that day, Naruto had moved in with the others in the main village where the Kyoshi warriors lived, and Suki had slowly become his best friend throughout the years. Naruto always wanted to know why his family just disappeared one night. What happened during that night was still a mystery to him. He had read Hashirama's books that he got from the Great Library, but the books never mentioned anything about what happened to his family; they only talked about the Spirit of the Forest that had granted Hashirama the ability to Woodbend.

"Kuruk, how come there were so many dark spirits during your time?" Naruto asked curiously. Kuruk's face changed. There was something strange. Was it anger? He wasn't sure. Was it Rage?

"That's not important to you, Naruto. But I'm warning you not to try to kill another one. You will survive this one, but the damage has just started. If you want my advice, don't try to pursue more spirits. Aang is the Avatar, not you. Let him deal with them if it comes to that." Kuruk said gravely, making it clear to him that fighting the Dark Spirits was a death sentence.

"Aang won't be enough, he has a soft heart and he will hesitate killing them. That hesitation will cost his life."

"And if you fight them, it will cost yours," Kuruk added coldly, sending shivers down Naruto's spine. He couldn't remember ever looking at someone as menacing as Kuruk. Even Kyoshi wasn't like him, perhaps because she never tried to be menacing towards him.

"The Face Keeper mentioned a name when I was chasing after him...yes...it was Father Glowworm. He's the one responsible for opening the portals, isn't he?" Naruto questioned, but it was clear from his voice that he had already figured out the identity of one of the most powerful and oldest spirits. Kuruk saw no reason to lie, and he wasn't one to tell lies, so he merely nodded his head, reaffirming what Naruto already knew.

"Whatever took away my parents. He must be responsible, or at least know what happened to them. If he is resposible. I will bring justice."

"What you are speaking of is not justice; it's Revenge, Naruto, and you know what they say about Revenge. Be ready to dig two graves." Naruto looked away from him. He remembered Kyoshi's words and warning, but was he supposed to do nothing?

"Naruto, you are still young. Because of my fights, I died by the time I was thirty-three. Revenge will take everything from your life and give nothing back. Naruto, my advice to you is to not seek out Father Glowworm. You are not strong enough to defeat him, even if you were. You will die even if you are victorious in the end. You will destroy the hearts of those close to you." Kuruk said, his voice drifting away, leaving Naruto by himself, who looked around the place where his village once stood.

Naruto sank to his knees, looking down at a puddle of water. His face looked back at him from the water, and an expression of helplessness engulfed it.

"You are not alone, Naruto." He looked up, and in front of him stood a strange woman he had never seen before. At second glance, he realized, from the green glow around her clothes, blue skin, and strange long robes that seemed to be moving on their own, that her eyes were closed, but her face was looking down at him.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Gaia, the Spirit of Nature."

*

*

Aang sighed heavily. He didn't know how long he had been outside, but it was long enough that small animals had gathered around him, seemingly no longer afraid of him by the time he was done speaking about his past lives.

"Let's head back, Momo," Aang said with a weary voice as he turned on his heels, ready to walk back inside; perhaps Naruto was already awake.

The thought of him being awake made Aang smile. He remembered what Yangchen told him to do. While he still didn't fully agree with their opinions, he knew he needed to change a few things, and one of the first things he needed to do was apologize to Naruto for distrusting him.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of someone running. He quickly pulled out his staff, ready to defend himself. As he approached closer, he wondered if the Dai Li had already found their location. Behind the house was a small hut, and he could see someone kneeling down behind the hut.

Aang was ready to call them out and tell them not to try anything when he recognized the clothes. "Toph?!" Aang called out, confused, as he quickly made her way over to her, fearing that she might be hurt.

"I'm fine, Aang. Just wait a moment." Toph quickly said with a little difficulty, her voice coming out muffled as if her mouth was filled with something. As he got closer, he could already see what was happening as she stood up on her feet, using a leaf from the ground to clean whatever was left around her mouth and lips.

"Toph, what is wrong?" Aang asked concerned. Looking at the small puddle of puke near Toph's feet, he suddenly heard her sniffle. Her back was turned against him as if she was ashamed.

"Toph." This time, Aang slowly started approaching her, and she let out another sniffle.

"I didn't want to do it, Aang. I-I just got so angry, they-they harmed Naruto, and when I heard the sound of the rock hitting his head, the sound of his screams. I got ANGRY. Angry for hurting him, he never wanted any of this Aang, but they still wanted to hurt him even more than he was already hurt, and I-I k-killed them." Toph said with a look of realization; horror filled her face, fully realizing what she had done. She had killed people, and suddenly she puked once again, but this time to a much lesser degree, but the feeling of sickness wasn't going away. She wondered how Naruto managed it.

Aang didn't know what to say. He had been so preoccupied with everything that it had completely slipped his mind that Toph killed perhaps twenty Dai Li agents with her spike attack, but he didn't know why. He usually tried to find reasons why she shouldn't have done what she did, but right now, he was thinking of all the reasons why she was forced to do what she did and that killing them wasn't her fault.

No, no, killing is still killing; she shouldn't have done that, Aang thought in growing panic, trying to remind himself. All life was sacred; Gyatso had taught him that lesson.

And look where that mindset got you. You are hiding once again. Are you sure the world will be saved with pacifism? You know the answer yourself; you don't want to admit it, another voice said to Aang. He wasn't sure anymore which one he was supposed to listen to, but he could see how Toph felt about killing those people. He knew she didn't do it because she wanted to; it was self-defense.

Not knowing what to say, he placed his hand on her shoulder. Her body tensed up for a moment but slowly relaxed. "Toph. I still think that all life is sacred, but you did what you had to do for Naruto. I don't blame you," Aang confessed, struggling to say the words. He knew right away that she was caught off guard by his words, and he couldn't blame her.

"You don't? How come? You were so angry with Naruto," she asked bewilderedly as she turned to face him.

"I still am, but...since the ambush. I Have been thinking about everything-" Aang looked around them, his eyes finding the inner wall in the distance. "This whole War. I'm just not sure anymore how it will all end. I still believe that all life is sacred, but... this War... I'm not sure anymore if I can save the world without resorting to extreme violence." Aang confessed to her. Toph had never heard Aang sound so vulnerable as he slumped down his head, his eyes looking at the tattoos on his arms, before reaching up and touching the one on his forehead.

"Aang, despite what has happened these last few weeks, I still believe in you. I still think you can save the world and stop the fire nation. This War will change all of us; it is inevitable. I'm scared, too, of what this War will do to us, but Naruto is ready to face the War head-on. As long as he is near me, I know I Won't have to be afraid of anything." Toph said, with a smile on her face. She admitted that she needed someone else for the first time since they started their journey. Toph hated sounding vulnerable, but being with the group had taught her that there was nothing wrong with needing help.

Aang smiled back but quickly winced in pain when she punched his shoulder. "What was that for?"

"Don't tell anyone I said that, Got it Twinkle Toes." Toph demanded.

"Yes, Ma'am." Aang quickly said obediently. As Toph walked up to a nearby river to clean her mouth several times until she fully got rid of the bad taste in her mouth, she heard him approaching her but paid no mind until he talked.

"Toph, do you regret what you did?"

"No," Toph replied without a single moment of hesitation. Aang's face didn't change; he had already expected that answer from her.

"I will do it again, Aang. This group, you, Sokka, Katara, Momo, Appa, and especially Naruto. I would do it. All Over Again." Toph added sincerely. Aang remained silent. He could only hope there would be no need to go that Far Ever Again.

Suddenly, the woman of the house walked outside. "Your friend has woken up."

*

*

"Naruto, are you okay, man?" Sokka asked, concerned, as he helped him drink tea until Katara walked into the room and used her waterbending to help him drink the tea.

Naruto clearly had seen better days; his face had turned as pale as snow, a few strands of his blonde hair had lost their color, white like snow, and his blue eyes seemed exhausted and the pain. Naruto tried really hard not to scream. It felt like a trail of fire on his entire body; he felt as if he was boiling alive; the only good sign in all of this was that the pain stopped occasionally. He needed something to numb the pain.

"Never better," Naruto said with a raspy voice as he breathed heavily. Sokka didn't seem convinced, and he couldn't blame him. Naruto was ready to tell a joke, to tell him that he looked as if he was seeing a ghost, but the words got stuck in his throat when... Sokka got blurry, turning into two Sokkas, as did everything else, including Katara. The lights of the candles seemed to be drifting away from him; he squinted his eyes, and things seemed to be floating in the air.

But just as quickly, his eyesight turned back to normal. Naruto could feel his heart racing so loud that he wondered how the others couldn't hear it.

What was that? Did-did my eyes get damaged somehow?! Naruto wondered as he looked down at his hand. It looked just fine, but the small lines that ran across the palm appeared blurry.

"Naruto!!" He looked up just in time for someone to throw themselves at him like an arrow. His back hit the wall, but he quickly recognized her black hair and familiar clothes.

"Toph!" Naruto said, a little taken aback as she hugged him tightly, her arms around him as if afraid that he would disappear. He could almost hear her muffled sobs as she buried her face onto his chest.

"I'm sorry for making you upset," Naruto said with a little wince; his body felt the pain as Toph pulled away from him before punching him roughly on the shoulder. Naruto winced in pain again as Toph looked irritated with him.

"That's for scaring me," Toph shouted with a huff. Before Naruto could apologize again, he saw Aang almost hiding behind the doorway.

"Aang. What are you doing there?" He quickly walked out when he heard Sokka calling him and approached the blonde. Naruto could see shame in his eyes as he strode towards him, his eyes not fully meeting his.

"Naruto. I'm sorry. You told me that I shouldn't trust Long Feng, you told me we needed to do something about Ba Sing Se living a lie, but I didn't. I was so angry that you were doing things differently than me that I completely forgot why we even came here. As the Avatar. I want to apologise. Will you forgive me?" Aang said sincerely, only now meeting Naruto's eyes. He could see the shame Aang was feeling.

Naruto never expected this from Aang, but he was glad he seemed to have a clearer head now. Naruto tried to move, but the pain quickly reminded him why he felt like shit right now, so with a sigh, he leaned his back against the wall, the pain easing a little from the coldness of the wall.

"Apology accepted, Aang. Perhaps I was too harsh on you too, but despite everything. I never stopped thinking of you as a friend." Naruto said with a smile that Aang returned right away.

The airhead quickly hugged Naruto in gratitude, and Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Momo joined them. Appa, who was outside, let out a roar of happiness, knowing Naruto was awake, but as they hugged, Naruto felt his heart racing once again. The flickering flames on the candles suddenly seemed much darker, and the corridor beyond the door now seemed like an empty pit of darkness, but thankfully, it quickly turned back to normal. It's nothing; it will get better, Naruto thought dismissively.

As they all pulled away, Naruto felt better, but the pain was still there; he knew he needed to take something strong to dull the pain, and he wondered if Katara could help him or maybe alcohol could help him.

As the others walked away, Toph suddenly walked closer to him and cleared her throat; Naruto turned to look at her, and for the first time since she joined their little group. Her face was flushed red. "Toph, are you okay?"

Toph opened her mouth to say something but quickly closed it before opening it again. Eventually, she took a deep breath before saying. "Fuck this." Before lunging forward.

Naruto was completely caught off guard when her lips met his. For a moment, he was sure he was dreaming, but he soon realized that he actually wasn't. Only now could he register how soft and warm her lips felt. But before he could kiss her back, she quickly pulled back, her face red like a tomato, her head looking downwards.

"Did you just kiss, Naruto?" Sokka asked, flabbergasted; Aang didn't seem as surprised, while Katara, who was wearing a proud smile, quickly flickered her brother's head with her index finger.

"Hey!"

"Shut up, Sokka."

"Toph." Naruto called her name softly, trying to reach out to her, but Toph turned on her heels, ready to run outside. When Naruto grabbed her by the shoulder before she could run anywhere, she struggled against his grip.

"I was hoping to be the first to do that, but it seems you beat me to it." Naruto's words made Toph stop struggling and instead relax against him as she turned around to face him, her eyes 'looking' at him. Her hand cupped his cheek, and he reached up and gently grabbed her hand softly, his other hand around her face, before bringing her closer to him, closing the gap.

Naruto felt a rush of warmth on his body; he had never thought he could be as happy as he was right now. Toph would have smiled widely if she hadn't been busy kissing him; she couldn't help but feel so much joy. She giggled; she never giggled, but she was doing that right now as they pulled away from one another, her lips tingling, her face had never felt warmer, and her hands touched his face despite the fact that she couldn't see. She knew what he looked like. He was handsome. He was perfect.

"Toph, will you be my girlfriend?" Toph giggled, giving a small peck on the lips.

"Yes." Katara, Sokka, and Aang cheered while Momo flew happily around them. Appa let out a roar outside.

"You are so beautiful, Toph." Toph could feel his heartbeat. As they kissed again, she knew he was sincere.

Naruto and Toph are finally together, but what did Gaia discuss with Naruto? What's up with Naruto's blurry eyesight? How will the Gang deal with Dai Li and Long Feng? Most importantly, where is Azula?

I like reading your comments, let me know what you think about the Chapter.