The Last Woodbender Chapter 39 (The City of Lies) (Patreon)

"Do you remember back when we visited Jeong Jeong? General Zhao was there too. I had the opportunity to end him, to kill him, but you told me to let him go, you had the opportunity to kill him, but an Airbender doesn't kill. The same Zhao led the conquest against the North Pole, how many Waterbender warriors and innocent died that day. Their ships threw stones with their catapults, I watched as many families were crushed by the rocks. Those people wouldn't have died if you had just allowed me to kill Zhao. You say you don't kill people, but your pacifist decision led to those people dying."

Upon hearing his words, Katara gasped; she quickly placed her hand on Aang's shoulder, hoping to calm him down. Sokka quickly got in between them, using his hands to move them away from each other, while Toph tapped the ground several times, ready to stop both of them from fighting.

Naruto looked conflicted. He hadn't wanted to bring that up, but Aang needed to realize that his pacifist way had already caused the deaths of people, even if that hadn't been his intention.

Naruto watched as Aang's eyes widened, filling up with tears, but before he could say anything to make the situation somehow better, Aang's eyes glowed, as did his tattoo. "Aang, Wait!!!"

The explosion was heard miles away as a burst of Wind Wave obliterated the house.

Naruto soared through the sky, his body hurtling with tremendous velocity until it abruptly collided with the sturdy wall of the nearest house. A sharp surge of pain coursed through his veins, causing him to instinctively wince. Ignoring the agonizing throbs reverberating throughout his body, Naruto swiftly regained his footing, summoning an unwavering resolve that propelled him back onto his feet. Meanwhile, as the dust cloud surrounding Aang dissipated with a mighty gust of wind, Naruto's piercing eyes and intricate tattoos emitted an ethereal glow that cast an otherworldly aura around him; Naruto knew he was in the Avatar State, and unlike before, he was the target this time.

"Aang, Stop!!" Sokka and Katara shouted as they ran out of the house, trying to get closer, but the deadly wind resonating from Aang made it impossible to get closer; many people walked outside to see what the commotion was, but the moment they saw him, all of them started running away.

Shit! Naruto cursed as he narrowly evaded Aang's powerful wind wave emanating from a single commanding gesture. The force of the attack was so immense that it shook the ground beneath them. Naruto had no respite, for in the blink of an eye, more wind waves surged toward him. He managed to evade the first two waves, but his speed faltered when confronted with the third. The pain that coursed through his body was excruciating, causing him to grimace and clench his teeth tightly as the wind blew around his body. As blood trickled from the wound on his shoulder, he became acutely aware that the once gentle wind had sharp edges.

Kyoshi, can you calm him down? Naruto thought as Aang ran towards him, still in the Avatar State; every step he took caused the ground to break like glass, and he blew out wind, quickly engulfing Naruto. Aang swung his staff down, causing Naruto to smash against the ground, creating a dirt cloud with small debris flying around before falling down.

Naruto's whole body screamed in pain; his legs felt sore and burning as he stood up, back on his feet, taking a fighting stance. If Aang wanted to fight so badly, then Naruto would give him a fight.

I'm sorry, Kyoshi, but I have to protect myself, Naruto thought, knowing he was breaking his promise to her. With a resounding crash, his hands collided with the earth, and towering trees erupted from the ground, their branches reaching toward the heavens with an almost primal urgency. Meanwhile, Aang responded by summoning a mighty tornado beneath him, elevating his body from the earth. As he ascended higher and higher, the winds swirling around him intensified, forming an invisible shield of relentless gusts. The approaching trees, drawn towards Aang like moths to a flame, met a swift and untimely demise, shattered into countless fragments upon venturing too close to the Avatar's mesmerizing power.

Well, this is not looking good, Naruto thought; as he jumped away, Aang kept throwing bursts of wind at Naruto, each one hitting the ground like a projectile; the ground bursted and cracked from the sheer strength of the wind waves. He tried to grow more trees when the ground suddenly turned liquid, his feet sunk down, and the ground turned back to solid. Naruto tried to move as Aang approached him menacingly, still floating in the air with a small tornado below his feet.

"You think yourself strong, but look at you now. You think of yourself as the one in charge, but you seem to have forgotten who the one in charge is. The Avatar is always stronger than you could ever hope to be. Your strength made you think you are above Consequence, but now you see, you are no different and will pay for your crimes." Aang's voice echoed as if all the Avatars of the past were speaking at the same time through him.

Is that so? Naruto thought as an enormous hand made of wood erupted forcefully from the earth's depths. The sight of this colossal appendage caught Aang completely off guard, leaving him defenseless as he was slapped away. Hurtling through the air, his body collided with a nearby house, causing it to crumble and collapse, threatening to bury him beneath the weight of the debris. However, he quickly emerged unscathed.

Aang saw a beast-like Creature made of wood burst from the ground; adorned around its neck was a long-neck wooden dragon. This humanoid entity, resembling an ancient oni with its imposing stature and captivating countenance, seemed imbued with a lifelike essence despite its wooden composition. Naruto stood atop the Creature's towering head, a mere ant compared to the twenty-meter-tall wood creature.

"Aang, stop this; we are allies, not enemies," Naruto shouted. Ignoring his words, Aang defiantly brushed aside the clamor as his nimble fingers danced through the air. He weaved an intricate tapestry of earth, sculpting a colossal golem that emerged from the ground, its towering form stretching twenty meters. Two ethereal orbs hovered gracefully upon its broad shoulders. One sphere shimmered with the fluidity of water, while the other was made of fast-moving wind.

"Then why didn't you listen to me? I told you to stop killing, but you didn't listen because of your ego and arrogance. You thought you were above Us. But you will soon realize that no one is Above the Avatar." Aang shouted with his echo-like voice. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he prepared to use every bit of strength he had in his arsenal; perhaps he needed to use his black flame, but as he prepared to use his Wooden Dragon, his feet and Aang's feet were suddenly covered in rocks before Naruto and Aang could break them.

"Aang, Stop!" Katara shouted from behind Aang as she kept trying to get close to him, but the wind kept her away. Toph stomped the ground, causing both the wooden and rock golem to sink down to their knees.

Her voice caused Aang's eyes and tattoos to stop glowing. Naruto watched in silence as Katara was finally able to hug him from behind; this caused the two water and air spheres to lose their forms. The air dispelled while the water dropped down like a wave on the street below.

"Naruto." He turned around to face her as she used a column under her feet to reach the same height as him; he sighed as her hand grasped his; looking at the ground, he said nothing; perhaps their little fight was over, but Naruto knew their 'Friendship' would only get worse if nothing changed, Aang was dead set on his way of looking at things.

Naruto wasn't sure if anything could change his mind, and at this point, he wasn't sure if Aang could truly save the world anymore. Perhaps he could, but he either needed to swallow the hard pill, or they might as well surrender right away.

Naruto grasped Toph's hand back and slammed his left hand on the wooden golem; it quickly started sinking into the ground. Naruto jumped down as the head sunk down, and now all left were the multiple cracks around the land.

Naruto looked at Aang, who was getting a talk from Katara and Sokka, before being led inside; he quickly used his earth bending to fix the roof and the destroyed walls. He looked around and saw the people returning to their homes while giving both Aang and Naruto wary eyes. They were afraid of them.

Why weren't the Dai Li here? Naruto wondered as he looked across the street, and despite all the commission they had caused, there wasn't a single Dai Li agent nearby.

"Are you alright?" Toph's voice made him escape his thoughts now that the adrenaline was slowly fading away, only now he felt the pain in his sore arms and legs; he was sure he had broken a bone or two.

"I will be fine," Naruto said gratefully before facing Toph. "Thank you for stopping us. Aang might be a moron, but I still see him as an ally. The world still needs him." Naruto added with a sweet smile; the earth bender girl nodded, but she was taken by surprise when his arms went around her, enveloping her in a big, warm hug, much to her embarrassment; her face turned red, but that didn't stop her from hugging him back.

"Plant boy, what are you doing?" Toph couldn't help but tease; her face had turned red from embarrassment, especially when Naruto chuckled. Toph couldn't understand what was happening to her and why her face burned like flames, but she knew one thing: she liked how he hugged her.

"Hugging my favorite girl." Naruto teased; this made Toph stiff for a brief moment; suddenly, her heart felt like it would burst from her chest as both pulled away. Naruto was about to say something when Toph kissed his cheek before looking away with a growing blush on her cheeks.

"You know, I'm starting to like you more and more." Naruto teased. She turned bright red, but he quickly returned the favor by punching her shoulder slightly!

"Ouch! What was that for?" Toph moaned in annoyance as she rubbed her shoulder.

"That's how I show affection." Naruto teased with a wide grin; Toph smiled back, grasping his hand, and their fingers intervened as they both walked back to the house.

"I'm proud of you, my boy is already becoming a man."

"Kyoshi, where were you?" Naruto quickly recognized the voice in his head.

"Aang used the Avatar State. When the Avatar State is used, I cannot talk with you." Kyoshi explained, sounding mildly annoyed.

"I see, so I take it you already know what happened."

"Yes. When the current Avatar is using the Avatar State, then in that moment, all Avatars are in a way, looking through the current Avatar's eyes. So I saw everything. I tried to tell him to stop, but a voice in the head can only do so much." Kyoshi explained, with Naruto nodding along.

"Kyoshi, what should I do if he gets angry with me again? I might be a good bender, but the Avatar State will always be more powerful." Naruto questioned, knowing from her words that upon using the Avatar State, the Avatar uses all the strength and knowledge of all the past Avatars.

Naruto didn't know exactly how many Avatars had been so far, but he knew they were more than enough to overpower him. No matter how much stronger someone got, it's perhaps impossible for someone to defeat an Avatar when they were using the Avatar State.

"I'm afraid there isn't much I can do. I can try to take over his body when he gets angry again, but that—isn't something we are really supposed to do. And taking over his body when he's angry can only work for a little while longer. The more powerful an Avatar is and the stronger their will is, the chances of a previous Avatar taking over for a short moment lessen." Kyoshi explained as Naruto walked inside the house.

"I see. Well, I hope Aang finds his sense, otherwise we are hardly a group anymore, and a group that breaks from the inside is not one that can defeat the Fire Nation." Naruto thought as he ended his little talk with Kyoshi to focus on more pressing matters.

Toph stomped the ground, causing the wall to fix itself; now, the house was as it was before the incident. Naruto looked at Aang, who looked back at him with a hard gaze; the blonde was surprised to see that kind of gaze on someone like Aang. He was always peaceful in nature, but to see him look at him with suppressed anger. Naruto wasn't sure if that was bad or good; this could be a learning experience in a way. Aang was the one who attacked first, something he had never done before; perhaps Aang would slowly break the barrier around him.

"Naruto. About what happened— I want us to return back to how it was used to be. To be friends again. The only way for us to defeat the Fire Nation is to be together as a group, to be in one mind, and not fighting with each other." Aang started with a sad smile.

"You're right about that, but Aang, the way I see it. Our ideals crash, and you are uncomfortable with how I do things. I understand why you refuse to kill and do the necessary things. You are the last Airbender, so you fear that allowing yourself to slip means that you're no longer one, and you, most of all, want to hold what the Air Nomads taught you, what Monk Gyatso taught you." Naruto's words made Aang stiff, his old mentor, the man he respected the most; his face fell, and he didn't notice Naruto walking up to him.

"But you must realize one thing before it's too late. The World is more important than whatever belief you have. The Fire Nation will use that against you. Everyone who is an enemy will try to use that against you. I watched my family die one by one. The Woodbenders are gone, and this world has bled for a century. If we fail, then I'm not sure there will be much of a world left for the next Avatar; you must remember that." Naruto said his part before walking past him; Aang looked deep in his thoughts before looking back at the woodbender.

"I understand, but violence is not always the answer, Naruto. You think that because it's War, then violence is the way to solve every problem in our way. That's not true; some things can be fixed with just the right words. As for Violence has its uses, but it must always be the last option, not the first one." Naruto sighed; he knew Aang wouldn't change his mind; he just hoped his lack of actions wouldn't cause serious consequences.

"Very well, Aang. You are the Avatar after all, but you should know I'm doing all of this for the good of the people, and I will keep doing so, no matter what I have to do to achieve Victory." With that said Naruto walked back into his room.

A black flame engulfed his hand as soon as he closed the door; Naruto looked at it. I need to get stronger, much stronger, he thought as he started practicing with it; as he was doing so, his thoughts returned to his little conversation with Azula when Aang first started learning how to Earthbend.

' "Why should I believe a word you say? Zuko said how you are very good at lying. It's as easy as breathing. You would have lied about the name if Zuko wasn't around. You love lying and controlling everyone. Your friends, too." His words caused the Fire Princess to stiffen briefly and lose her composure, but she quickly masked that with a smile.

"Zuzu talks a lot, but rarely ever says anything. He is my brother, but he's easily influenced. If I told him right now that killing the Avatar would give him his honor back, you will see just how fast his colors change." Azula answered with a triumphant grin as her fingers played with a long strand of her black hair.

"On that, we agree, but this isn't about him. I might not know you well, but I know you love control. Tell me, what kind of threat did you give your so-called 'friends' to ensure they came with you?" His words seemed to have touched a nerve; the smile disappeared, and a frown engulfed her face like a dark cloud before a bright sun.

"I was there when you told us that you didn't want to exchange a King for a toddler; you did that for two reasons because Bumi is a very powerful Earth Bender, and having him be free wouldn't be a good idea. And second, that kid was Mai's little brother, so you were testing her loyalty. Tell me what would have been, perhaps a similar scar to that of Zuko, or maybe kill her for the Fire Nation." "Enough!" Azula almost shouted in a sudden burst of anger. At that moment, she lost all control as a blue fireball formed in her hand. She glared viciously at Naruto, but the blonde wasn't afraid; his trees were already in position underneath her. Ready to tear her into little pieces.

Naruto expected her to attack, but instead, she regained her composure, the smile returned to her face, and the blue fireball disappeared from her hand; the blonde had to admit that she was very beautiful when she wasn't trying to kill him.

"I knew there was something special about you. I must be honest. You are the first one I have met that I would call an equal to me." Her words intrigued him; he wondered where she was trying to go with this.

"An Equal you say? What about your Lord Father, I have never met the man, but I heard he's the most powerful Fire Bender, even stronger than Iroh, the Dragon of the West." Naruto questioned as he sat down on top of a tree stump. Azula smiled sweetly; she seemed relaxed despite being in the presence of someone she thought was as strong as her.

"All my father has is his age and experience. I won't deny that he's more powerful than me; even me and Zuzu together can't defeat him, but give it a decade, and then I will be stronger than him." Azula boasted, puffing out her chest as she did; she fluttered her eyelashes.

Naruto wondered if someone like her was really trying to seduce him; while he would be a liar if he said that Azula wasn't a beauty, someone like her would cut your throat while making love.

"Maybe, but I still don't know why you are here, if you are here for fun, then nothing stops me from capturing you, or maybe I should squeeze your body like I did with those fools in the tanks."

"That would be quite a sight, but it would be a shame if the better sibling was killed. But I'm here to offer you a deal." Azula said as she passed the small river, getting to his side of the river. Naruto stood up, ready to fight if he needed to.

"What kind of deal?" '

Later

"How do we prepare to enter the King's Party?" Katara questioned. It had been two hours since the fight, and they all had silently agreed not to bring it up and act as if it never happened. Perhaps it could help both Aang and Naruto grow their bond back. Katara wasn't certain anymore, but she hoped their group could return to how it was before all this mess started.

Katara didn't fully agree with Naruto's way of doing things, but unlike Aang, who saw it as something that shouldn't be done no matter what, Katara thought that if it meant increasing the chances of winning the war, then perhaps it should be considered at least. Karara wasn't sure where she stood yet.

She and Sokka had a brief private conversation after the fight was over.

' "Katara, I hate to be that guy, but I kinda see where Naruto is coming from and why he is different from Aang."

"What do you mean?"

Sokka let out a weary sigh as he kept cleaning the boomerang. "Look, Aang is my friend, but the difference between Naruto and Aang is that Aang woke up after the world already went to shit; sure, he saw what his absence had caused, and I know he's trying to change things, but is different for Naruto who has been alive for fifteen years, and knows how much the world is suffering, different from us too. Aang hasn't seen that yet, and I think that's the problem. I hope he never has to see it, but if you ask me. In War, we don't have the luxury of second chances; we do what is right in the long run. War steals everyone's innocence, some more than others. What is left are men and women who have seen hell. No change can come without sacrifice. If we hope to complete this war, we should consider everyone else. What our Victory will mean for them. That's what I think; whenever I attack a Fire Nation Soldier, I don't think of my anger, but I think of you, Katara."

"Me?"

"Yes, you, our father, Aang, Naruto, Toph, Momo, Appa, our home, and everyone else we have met on this journey. You are all very important to me. I think of all of you; that's why I keep fighting. Despite my words, Aang needs to realize that the world doesn't care about his beliefs. I hope I'm wrong; I hope he's right because if he truly makes a mistake and something bad happens. Then I'm not sure what Aang can turn into." '

Katara had thought deeply and wasn't sure yet where she stood. Now, they were preparing for the party in King's Palace; Zuko and Iroh had come to their home ten minutes ago. If they noticed that the house and the roads were a little broken, then they did not comment on it.

"So, how do we prepare to enter the King's Party?" Naruto asked from his position.

"Well the palace will be packed. We can sneak in with the crowd," Katara said with enthusiasm.

"Won't work," Toph said, lying down with Naruto; Katara had noticed the way they were with one another.

"Why not?"

"Well, no offense to you simple country folk, but a high society crowd will pick out a mile away. You don't have the proper manners." Toph said as Naruto's hand was playing with her hair.

"Excuse me?" Katara said with her hands on her hips. "I've got no manners? You're not exactly lady fancy fingers."

"I think what she's trying to say is that when you are amongst high-ranking people and royalty, you are expected to act with manners. My mother taught me manners when I was four years old." Iroh defended Toph, who was eating a piece of biscuit.

Toph burps loudly. "Exactly. I learned proper Earth Kingdom society manners and chose to leave them. You never learned anything and, frankly, it's a little too late."

"Same here. I might be from Kyoshi island, but Suki made sure to teach me everything she knew, including manners and all that boring stuff." Naruto added before giving Toph a high five.

"Ah-ha, but you two learned it," Sokka jumping up from the floor. "You could teach us."

"Yeah, I can master the four elements, how hard could mannerism be?" Aang said, approaching Sokka. "Greetings Mister Sokka of the Water Tribe."

"Greetings Avatar Aang." Sokka said in return. He and Aang bow towards each other, only to bump their heads together a little too hard. They grimace in pain while rubbing their heads.

"Alright, let's get to work," Katara said.

Toph nodded, standing and leading Katara out of the room. Naruto set out a table, placing a handful of dishes on it, then showed Aang and Sokka how to carry more objects than their hands could hold without dropping anything, even without a tray or cart. After the two had gotten good at clearing tables, he had them start practicing doing it while also carrying around trays of snacks or drinks. Then, once they got good enough, he began to teach them to do it while he was messing with their loads to see if they could adapt. Aang handled it better than Sokka, but both did at least decently.

"Good," Naruto said. "Now remember, the most important thing is to never be underfoot, never be in the way, and never draw attention to yourselves. If you're having a conversation with someone, even another servant, you're doing your job wrong. If anyone has to walk around you, you messed up."

"Stay out of the way, do the job well, got it," Sokka nodded.

Just then, the door off to the side opened, revealing Toph and Katara, both wearing elegant dresses with their makeup and hair done and with open fans in front of their faces.

"Wow, you look beautiful," Aang said, blushing, only for Sokka to flick him.

Katara opened her mouth to speak, but Toph held her fan in front of Katara's mouth.

"Don't talk to the commoners Katara," Toph said strictly.

"Toph, you look beautiful." Naruto said genuinely, something the earthbender girl knew right away, and despite all the makeup they had on, everyone could see a deep blush on her cheeks.

"Smuchi Smuchi, someone's in Lo- AHHHH!" Sokka was stopped mid-sentence when Toph stumped the ground, causing him to be sent flying across the room. He rubbed his back in annoyance while Zuko looked at them with a raised eyebrow.

"What will you two do?" Aang questioned Iroh and Zuko.

"We will be around. We can try to gather information. Because of my mark. I don't think is a good idea to show my face. I might get recognised." Zuko answered, with his uncle nodding along.

"Well, don't cause any problems. I will go and find something to wear." Naruto told everyone before leaving.

He didn't have to go far. Within three minutes, he had slipped into the government official's house across the street and found something that fit him. Then, he was out again before the man knew he was there. Naruto quickly changed before he, Toph, and Katara all left for the party. They got in line, but when they got to the gate, the guard refused to let them in, even when Toph showed her Beifong seal.

"Look, the Pangs and the Yung Sun Hongs are waiting in there for us," Toph said irritably. "I'm going to have to tell them who didn't let me in."

"Step out of line please," the guard said.

Toph glared at him, but the three of them stepped out of line to avoid a scene. As they did, a carriage rolled up, and a man in a black robe with his black hair in a long braid stepped out and walked past several guards, who bowed. Katara rushed forward with Toph, but Naruto stopped, letting them go. He didn't like the man, but after a short discussion, the man walked the two of them into the party. Naruto sighed, turning and heading back to the line. A few moments later, he quietly slowed to a stop behind the man as Katara was introducing herself and Toph under aliases. He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the man.

"Now where is your family? I'd love to meet them."

"Um, I don't see them right now, but I'm sure we'll find them soon," Katara said. "Thanks for all your help."

The two turned, walking away from him, and Naruto sighed; he walked towards a spot before using his woodbending to sneak inside. He walked to the crowd, slipping through it for a bit before meeting up with Toph and Katara.

"How did you get inside?"

"Through the gate," Naruto answered casually; Toph knew he was lying through his teeth but decided not to bring that up.

Katara nodded just as the guy they had walked in with stepped out of the crowd.

"Don't worry," he said. "As your escort, it would be dishonorable of me to abandon you without first finding your family. And who might this young man be?"

"Friend of the family," Naruto said with a friendly smile. "Thank you for looking after them. I can handle it from here."

"Nonsense," the man said. "I'm Long Feng. I'd love to meet your family."

Long Feng! So this is their leader, Naruto thought, remembering the name the agent had told him; it seemed both Toph and Katara remembered the name right away.

"We really appreciate it, but there's no need for that." Katara said with a smile as she grasped Toph's hand, ready to walk away.

"I didn't mean to scare you. Have a Good Night." He said with courtesy before walking away. Naruto eyed him suspiciously; he quickly noticed ten Dai Li agents nearby. He doubted talking to the King would be as easy as they thought.

They spotted Aang and Sokka, both dressed as busboys and standing near the middle of the room, looking around. Toph headed over to them, and Naruto and Katara followed.

"Another crab puff please," Toph said.

"You found us!" Aang smiled.

"I'd know your footsteps anywhere Twinkle Toes," Toph said, taking a crab puff.

"Thanks for letting us in," Sokka said.

"Sorry, the guy escorting us won't let us out of his sight," Katara said as she and Naruto reached them.

"What guy?" Sokka asked.

"Long Feng," Naruto said, not bothering to look around. "Head of the Dai Li."

"Oh great," Sokka sighed. "Just what we need."

"What are you doing here!?" Joo Dee asked, hurrying toward them out of the crowd.

"We felt like visiting the party," Naruto shrugged, trying to act clueless.

"No, you must leave immediately or we will all be in terrible trouble," Joo Dee said, moving to push Sokka, who blocked her with his tray.

Naruto grabbed Aang by the front of his shirt and pulled him out from behind Sokka.

"You don't understand, you must go," Joo Dee said, pushing Sokka harder, making him stumble, missing Aang only because Naruto had seen it coming.

Naruto caught Joo Dee by the wrist, and she stopped, looking at him worriedly. "Listen to me very carefully, Joo Dee. We are not leaving. If you make a scene, you'll be in trouble. Long Feng already knows we're here, which is likely why you're here. We're going to talk to the King. You're going to stay out of our way. Which would be worse, a bunch of children talking to someone they aren't supposed to, or a handler making a huge scene and ruining the party?"

Joo Dee remained silent for a moment before sighing. "Very well. But I'm begging you, please do not speak with the King."

Just then, the King was carried into the room on a palanquin, being set at the front of the room. However, something was off. A moment later, Naruto realized what, when a pair of stone hands connected to nothing wrapped around his mouth and his abdomen, yanking him backward to a Dai Li agent, who then quickly dragged him to the library before releasing him. Toph, Katara, Sokka, and Momo were all present as well, and a moment later, Aang joined them similarly. Naruto sighed, turning to Long Feng, who was off to the left, sitting in front of a golden fireplace with a green fire in it.

"Greetings, Avatar; it is an honor to meet you," Long Feng said with a friendly voice. "I am Long Feng, Grand Secretariat to the King, and head of the Dai Li. I'm glad you could join me."

"Was it an option?" Naruto asked as he glared at him. "And I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that wasn't really the king, either."

"Indeed," Long Feng said. "You're very astute."

"Thank you," Naruto said flatly. "But we need to talk to the Earth King regarding information that could defeat the Fire Nation."

"The king has no time for day-to-day political squabbles or the minutia of the military," Long Feng said.

"So, he doesn't even know about the War?"

"The King is well informed about the War. I would be a poor servant if I didn't inform him, he knows what's outside. The War and everything, but he has decided the better plan is to stay inside. His father tried to fight the Fire Nation, which resulted in his death. Our King doesn't want to meet the same fate as him, so he has decided that living here is better than fighting a losing war." Long Feng informed them, his hands hidden behind his robes.

"But I'm the Avatar. I can win this War. With my help and my friend's help, we have a chance to win." Aang shouted while pointing at all of them around him, looking at the man who smiled almost triumphantly. Naruto narrowed his eyes; something was off about all this.

"Very well. I will lead you to the King. You can talk with him, but I'm not promising anything." The man said before clapping; the doors opened, revealing four Dai Li agents.

"Lead them to the King." Long Feng ordered before clapping once again.

Why is he clapping so often? Naruto asked himself, finding it off; the agents were silent and simply nodded without uttering a single word as if they were mere puppets.

They followed them behind without saying anything. Soon, they reached an elevator that quickly took them to the highest floor. The door opened, revealing a long corridor that ended in a big double door. Six other Dai Li agents joined them as they were led through the corridor. Naruto narrowed his eyes suspiciously; he leaned close to Toph and Aang.

"Something's off, be on your guards," Naruto warned them. Toph nodded right away, while Aang looked uncertain and seemed ready to say something when they reached a double door made of gold. The guards opened it, revealing a great room.

The sheer luxury enveloped them as they entered the room, a testament to its regal nature. Every pristine detail whispered of the room's undeniable affiliation with royalty, leaving no doubt that it was indeed the King's inner sanctum. Positioned behind a desk, a figure awaited their arrival, his regal aura unmistakable. Everyone in the group couldn't help but assume that this man was the King; Naruto quickly noticed his pet bear wasn't in the room.

The King was wearing Earth Royalty Clothes, his eyes were blank, and his crown was hiding his forehead entirely, but Naruto quickly noticed something extremely off with him. What the hell, why does he feel like...his eyes widened, realizing what was going on and why the room had twenty Dai Lin agents now.

Naruto always could tell when someone near him was a bender, just as Hashirama had been able to when he first met Avatar Kyoshi a long time ago.

"I didn't know I was having visitors. Who are these kids?" The King questioned with irritation.

"Your grace. I'm the Avatar. I need to speak with you about the War." Aang shouted as he stepped forward; the staff on his right hand and the agents around the room stepped forward with their hands raised, warning him not to get closer.

"I know who you are, Avatar, and I don't want to hear about it. You are free to leave." The King said dismissively, much to the shock of everyone except Naruto, who kept tapping the floor with the tip of his toe.

"What, but we truly have a chance. We were at the Library, we found out there will be an eclipse. A Dark Day for the Fire Nation, they won't be able to bend. We can strike, if we gather all our forces with the Water Tribes. It will be enough to crush them." Sokka shouted with anger, his voice increasing with each word he said.

"He's right, your grace-" "Silence." The King shouted, slamming his fist on the table near him, causing everyone to flinch. Naruto almost growled in fury as the King stood up, looking at the city beyond his castle through the square window.

"Do you know for how long I have tried to keep the peace here? People need to understand that as long as they are here. They are safe. They are Alive. I keep all of them alive, and now people like you come to my city and try to ruin everything I have built." The King said with anger before ordering his agents to get them outside.

"Who send the Dai Li agents?" Aang suddenly questioned; the King turned to look at him with narrowed eyes.

"Avatar Aang-" "I'm not going to ask again. Your agents tried kill Us in our Sleep. Who sent them." Aang demanded as his eyes and Tattoos glowed for a brief moment.

"I did. Dai Li Agents. The Avatar is no longer welcome here. I want him and his friends out of Ba Sing Se." The moment he said those words, all the agents threw fist stones towards them, but Toph quickly slammed her feet on the ground, causing a wall of stone to grow from the ground; all the projectiles slammed against the wall.

Naruto slammed both hands on the floor, causing trees to burst from the floor. All twenty agents were quickly captured as the trees wrapped themselves around them, breaking many of their bones; the blonde was ready to kill them, to snap their necks; he just needed to close his fists, and they all were done for.

"Do Not Kill Them." Aang shouted, pointing his staff at him; the woodbender sighed heavily before reluctantly agreeing, and his attention quickly turned towards the 'Earth King.'

"What are you doing? I have a thousand guards in the city. You are fools if you think you can truly escape." The King shouted angrily, but Naruto quickly pushed his arm forward, causing a tree branch to capture him; his crown fell down, revealing a red circle on his forehead.

"He's not the King; he's a Dark Spirit who can use the faces and voices of others. Jiǎ De." Naruto revealed as his entire hand was engulfed in black flames; Aang gasped as the King's face changed.

But before Naruto could do the finishing blow, the dark spirit opened his mouth, unleashing a bone-chilling shriek reverberating through the vast hall, sending tremors cascading along the walls and the ceiling above. The sheer force of his vocal prowess made the castle seem to shudder, causing hairline cracks to spiderweb across the once-sturdy structure. The windows exploded into a dazzling spectacle of shattered glass, scattering thousands of glittering fragments throughout the air.

Naruto fell to his knees, and a scorching sensation engulfed his ears, making him wince at the unbearable agony. A trickle of warm blood escaped from the tortured appendages, staining his fingertips. Naruto summoned the strength to pry open his weary eyes; he caught sight of the dark spirit ready to escape.

"You are not going Anywhere!" Naruto sprang to his full height with a furious roar, his eyes blazing with determination. His ears were screaming in pain, but he ignored everything as he ran towards the dark spirit, tackling it. The sheer momentum sent them hurtling through the nearest window, shattering the glass as they burst into the void beyond. For a suspended moment, they plummeted through the abyss, the wind howling in their ears. Down, down they descended as the cityscape unfolded beneath them, a sprawling tapestry of lights and life. Three hundred meters seemed an eternity as they approached the ground.

Shit! Naruto thought neither his hands nor legs were making contact with the ground, so he couldn't grow trees, and his fire bending was way too weak to fly to safety. Suddenly, he felt someone grab him by the shoulder; he looked up to see Aang carrying him toward the ground while using his glider to fly.

"Thank you, Aang." Naruto said as Aang let go of him once he was close enough to the ground.

"I need to get the others here, be careful," Aang shouted as he flew towards the top floor of the castle. Naruto quickly turned his attention towards a house in particular. The roof had a hole in it; before he could take a single step, the house burst as the Dark Spirit revealed himself fully. He looked like a giant yellow worm with red limbs with dark pointy ends coming out of its body, limbs with sharp ends that seemed like spikes growing out of him.

"You Human. You will curse the day, you decide to fight me!" Jiǎ De shouted before throwing a barrage of spikes towards Naruto.

Naruto quickly slammed his feet on the ground; a large wooden dragon enveloped him like a cocoon, protecting him from the spikes.

"Wood Golem." A hand burst from the ground, quickly followed by a wood golem. His fist aimed at the dark spirit, but he easily dodged it before wrapping himself around the stretched arm like a snake; Naruto's eyes widened as the wood started decaying quickly.

He jumped down as the entire golem fell down, completely decayed. The dark spirit rushed towards Naruto with a wide open jaw. The woodbender sunk himself down underground. Suddenly, a wooden spike grew from the ground, stabbing through the dark spirit's body, who let out a loud shriek of pain; the wooden spike started decomposing right away. Jiǎ De quickly pulled himself free and tried to run away.

Suddenly, a wall of stone formed in front of him; he looked at six Dai Li agents throwing rocks at him, trying to stop him.

Jiǎ De quickly threw more spikes, stabbing through the agents, who let out screams of anguish, their bodies decomposing immediately.

"Father Glowworm, Open The Gate." Jiǎ De shouted as he dodged a Blackfire blast from Naruto, who was running towards him.

"You used my mother's face. I will Never Forgive You." Naruto shouted in fury as Jiǎ De rushed towards him. The Woodbender slammed his hands on the ground, and suddenly, a hundred Trees burst from the ground everywhere, rushing towards Jiǎ De, quickly wrapping themselves around his body. They all started decaying, but a hundred trees would give Naruto enough time.

NARUTO. STOP DO NOT KILL A DARK SPIRIT. KURUK DIED BECAUSE OF THIS

Naruto heard Kyoshi well enough, but this Creature had done something to his mother to be able to use her voice and face. He would never forgive that. This Creature would not live another day.

"Burn in Hell!" Naruto shouted as he threw a burst of black flame; the fire spread everywhere around the trees and around Jiǎ De, who quickly screamed in pure agony, causing several houses nearby to break down. Suddenly, he started shrinking, and shrinking, until he was smaller than Naruto. Slowly, his entire body burned to ashes.

Naruto breathed heavily, a smile forming on his lips; this dark spirit was dead. That's all that matters.

"Naruto. You did it!" He turned to see Toph and everyone else. She quickly ran towards him, but just as she was about to hug him. Naruto stiffened, and his entire body stopped on its track.

PAIN

Naruto's world came crashing down as he crumpled to his knees, the searing agony coursing through every fiber of his being as if his very essence had ignited into an inferno of torment. With each pulsating wave of pain, his senses were overwhelmed, his mind consumed by the relentless grip of suffering. Desperately, he clutched his head, his fingers digging into his scalp as if in an attempt to physically contain the anguish that reverberated through his entire being. Slowly, the weight of his anguish became too much to bear, and he collapsed.

"Naruto. Are you alright?!" He heard them ask him as Katara quickly used her water to try and heal him, but the pain only grew; it felt like his organs were being burned inside him.

"Where does it hurt?"

"EVERYWHERE!!" Naruto screamed as he started coughing blood. He tried to hold it together, but he couldn't, the pain. It was Too Much. His breathing labored as darkness engulfed everything.