New To The Big City

Being led around the Northern Water Tribe capital city known as Agna Qel'a, Genji got to familiarize himself with most of the buildings. He even found where the women and young girls are learning how to heal.

'Truly a patriarchal society' he thought to himself. The women had all been taught by their mothers and instructors, but they still didn't know how to properly treat injuries with their waterbending skills.

Men couldn't even try to learn these skills or they would be looked down upon by other people of the Northern Water Tribe..

Heading to the small house that Arnook, the Northern Water Tribe Chief, had given him. Genji made sure Pakku, or anyone else, was keeping an eye on him before entering his temporary home.

He opened the door and went inside. The room was dimly lit so he could barely see anything.

The only furniture in the room was a large bed and a small table.

There was a single window facing the back of the house, allowing some light into the room. It was just enough to see what was going on outside.

Genji walked over to the bed and sat down. He started to get ready for bed, taking off his clothes.

Since he had traveled all the way to the Capital City of the Northern Water Tribe without any proper clothes, Genji had learnt the skill, Cold Resistance.

It was still low in level, but it helped him feel much better.

Once he removed his clothes, Genji picked up the clothes that were prepared for him. He put them on and headed towards the door.

He opened the door and stepped outside.

The sun was just starting to set and Genji could feel the temperature in the surroundings slowly getting colder.

Genji walked around a little, with his walking stick, trying to familiarize himself with other areas that Pakku didn't take him to.

Whenever Genji walked into an area where he wasn't allowed, Generally around the area of the palace, Genji was turned away. Luckily, they didn't suspect him or anything because he was 'blind'.

Walking around a bit more, Genji entered an area where it seemed like there weren't too many guards, probably on a guard shift. Entering the area, Genji felt like it was pretty quiet here and even filled with more women than other areas.

'Do they have women separated too? Or is this a special area...'

He sensed a few guards patrolling the area, but they were too far away to do anything about him.

Then he heard a voice behind him.

"Ah, excuse me, who are you?"

Genji turned around and sensed a young woman standing behind him. He furrowed his eyebrows and sensed that she felt a little weird.

Her energy was completely different compared to that of benders and non-benders.

'Is it Yue?' Genji asked himself as he felt Yue's energy.

He knew that Yue was born dead at birth and was brought back to life with the help of a spirit. When she was brought back to life however, her hair had changed into a white color.

"I'm Genji. I'm... new to the city?"

"Ah, I see."

She spoke with a slightly awkward expression.

This was the first time that Genji had met someone like this.

Her energy seemed very interesting. It's still the same energy as a bender, but it's all in disarray. Like if the chi pathways in her body were all messed up.

Similar to a non-benders body, the chi pathways weren't connected to any of the chakra points for bending. But beyond that, there are many pathways that are also in disarray.

'Is it what caused her death?'

Genji had the knowledge he obtained from both his Acupuncture and Physician skills. Coupled with his Hyper Sense skill, Genji was able to see the chi pathway within her body.

Just like any story with a type of mystical energy in it, the energy within the body must be traveling in a uniform motion or it could cause death if one's not careful.

Yue must have been born with a pathway that was disrupted and caused her to be born extremely sick and on the verge of death. Luckily, the Moon Spirit had saved her life and granted her some of it's spiritual powers to let her live.

But that's all it did, it only let her live. It didn't fix her pathways, nor did it grant her any bending abilities.

'It's possible only the Lion Turtles can do that,' thought Genji as he remembered the last few episodes of ATLA (Avatar: The Last Airbender) where the Lion Turtle had bestowed upon Aang how to bend the very energy, Chi.

To bend the energy within someone, something Aang used to take away the bending of various bending villains.

Whether Genji manages to learn this skill in the future or not will be all dependent on luck. The Lion Turtle might be able to see through the nature of someone, with Genji's nature, it might even try to steer clear from him.

'If it's the Lion Turtle, then I'll just have to fight it,' thought Genji as he sensed the young woman.

She seemed to be looking at him curiously.

"And what might be your name Miss...?"

Genji asked.

"I'm... Y-Yue!" said Yue with a flushed face as she outstretched her hand for a greeting.

Feeling awkward, she looked Genji in the face and remembered that he was wearing a cloth over his eyes.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know you were blind...." she said apologetically. 'Is this the man that appeared today from outside the Northern Water Tribe?'

Genji chuckled and shook his hands, "It's alright, really."

'Yue... A princess held back by the customs of the Northern Water Tribe. If she gains the ability to waterbend and I help her reign over the Northern Water Tribe... what would happen?'

Genji's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden voice coming from the darkness.

"What are you doing here?"

A man appeared before them.

He was an old man with two whiskers and a small bush of hair underneath his lips. He wore blue clothing and had his hands behind his back like if he were some kind of master.

There was no doubt that this was Pakku.

'Looks like he finally found me,' thought Genji with a smirk.

He sensed Pakku earlier, but he needed to make some conversation with Yue to make sure she remembers him in the future. Now, with their meeting checked off, Genji could talk with her more conveniently in the future.

"I was just walking around when I ran into this kind young woman, Yue," said Genji as he turned to Pakku.

Pakku gave Genji a deep look for a second before turning his gaze over to Yue and talking to her in a kind voice, "Princess Yue, your father is looking for you."

"Father? What does he want with me?"

Pakku's eyebrows creased a little and he said, "The chief believes it's time for you to return to the palace and to go to sleep."

"Sleep? Why?"

"Because you're still young and you need to rest after being exposed to the cold air for so long. It's best to give up now while you still have plenty of time to grow older."

Yue eventually conceded and turned to look at Genji with a smile, not like he could see it.

"I have to go. I will see you another day," said Yue as she walked away and headed straight to the palace.

Genji on the other hand was mentally smirking at Pakku. It was obvious that Pakku tried to use Yue's status to keep him away from her. He was only lucky enough that Yue liked talking to him, allowing him to be able to meet her once more.

"So that's the princess? She's amazing..." quietly commented Genji, audible enough for Pakku to hear what Genji said.

"..."

Pakku narrowed his eyes and sent Genji away before thinking to himself.

'The princess? She should just stay in the palace and wait until she's married off to a capable man.'

Shaking his head, Pakku also left.

Once again, Genji was left alone as he headed back to his small house.

***

Yue was running towards the palace, looking at all the young men training their waterbending in the distance.

A sort of pang of sadness hit her and she couldn't help herself but feel a tiny bit envious, but she hid it well behind a calm face and a gentle smile.

She can't even waterbend. Yue didn't even mind if all she could do was to heal.

Envious of all these people around her who seem special, Yue awaited the day that there might be something only she can do. Something to prove that she is also special.

Thinking back about the young blind man earlier, Yue even felt a little envious of him.

'Even a blind person can waterbend! Yet I can't do anything... I can't even be a proper leader because it's not meant for women... If only I wasn't born a woman...'

***

Genji was watching Yue run towards the palace.

'Such a weird young woman, to think that she could act so well,' thought Genji.

With his high level in the Acting skill, Genji knew that Yue was also acting. Not everything about her was a lie however.

'Does she yearn to escape this place? Or does she yearn to change the views of people in the Northern Water Tribe so that they also allow women to do other stuff? Let's find out tomorrow...'

Yue wasn't the type to think stuff like this too often, but something in her had been ignited when she saw the blind young man.

When she first saw him, it was when he was being taken to the palace to meet with her father because Genji had been found in the waters and therefore was also suspicious.

Curious as to what was going to happen to the blind young man, Yue followed closely behind before hiding behind a door to listen to what was happening inside the palace hall.

That's when she found out that Genji is a waterbender, and it shocked her to the core.

Of course she also heard that he was blinded but it shocked her that he still waterbends despite that fact. Not only that, but he's a martial artist, a doctor, and even a master in pole arts.

It was at that point that she began to think about her position and how she hasn't accomplished much in the entire time she has been alive. Worst of all, she couldn't do anything because she was a woman.

***

Genji was watching Yue run towards the palace.

'Such a weird young woman, to think that she could act so well,' thought Genji.

With his high level in the Acting skill, Genji knew that Yue was also acting. Not everything about her was a lie however.

'Does she yearn to escape this place? Or does she yearn to change the views of people in the Northern Water Tribe so that they also allow women to do other stuff? Let's find out tomorrow...'

***

Getting up the next day in the morning with another point in Spirit, Genji put on the clothes he was given. The only thing he didn't wear was the coat it came with in order to level up his cold resistance skill.

Exiting his room, he found Pakku waiting for him outside.

"Let's go. I have children I need to train," said Pakku in a cold tone.

Genji smiled and didn't say anything as he followed behind Pakku without raising much of a fuss. Before, or rather two-three weeks ago, Genji probably would have said something snarky. However, at times like these, the benefits of having a system are finally showing off.

With the calm mind skill, Genji is able to regulate his emotions.

'Literally the best thing I could have,' thought Genji as he smiled and followed behind Pakku. 'But it's also important not to be ridiculed...'

...

It wasn't long before Genji and Pakku were standing before a group of 13-16 year old children.

It was weird for Genji because he wasn't that much older compared to these children, but it also made him feel a bit prideful.

'This system is so nice!'

"Okay, today, we will begin our routine movements. Remember, the basics of waterbending is to let your body move in a gentle flow."

The kids nodded their heads while some of them looked excited, others seemed indifferent, and one kid just kept staring blankly ahead.

'He doesn't look interested enough. He should pay more attention since this isn't an ordinary lesson,' thought Genji. 'Not many have the chance to be taught by a 'wise' person like Pakku. Although his personality is bad, his skill is real.'

A couple of seconds later and everyone had moved into positions and they were all beginning to move and practice. Genji on the other hand was just looking at everyone through his Hyper Sense.

Minutes into the practice, Genji was already feeling bored.