7 Chapter 7: Past

"I'm sure you already know this but, I'm not from Konoha." Asuno starts "I'm not from any of the elemental nations, well none of the ones around Konoha that's is.

Bringing out a map of the world she shows him where they are in Konoha. He's seen this map and others like it before, after finding out his mother was a fire bender he searched all the maps he could find to try and look for the fire nation but they all only went so far.

"The Shinobi nations have never traveled the world, not really. That's why all the maps stop here," she says pointing to mountain ranges on both sides of the maps. Nodding his head in affirmation letting his mother know he is still listening. 'Those are mountains?! I thought that was just a weird paper border since that was where the map ends!' Irano angrily questions himself internally while externally he looks calm and asks his parents. "The Shinobi nations are basically inside a giant bowl?"

"Something like that. The second Hokage funded an expedition well before the Second Great War. The closest wall is about 2,000 miles west of the Wind Country and about 500 miles off the coast of Wind Country the waters get treacherous, the closer to the wall the worse it gets they only made it about 1,200 miles before their ship took too much damage and had to return. After the war and the second Hokage demise everyone just kinda forgot about it."

"well, beyond those towering mountains is my home. Similar to here my homeland is comprised of elemental nations, only four though instead of the five great nations and many smaller ones." Bringing out another map he can see this one is much bigger, She then rolls it out showing him the map he's been hoping to see for the last four years.

"The Air Nomads are a monastic order of men and women who practice the discipline of airbending and the pacifistic ethics of their theocratic society. Nomadic by nature they travel between temples found at each corner of the world, found atop mountain ranges and under cliffs, in the northern Earth Kingdom and on three remote islands, all of which were hard for outsiders to reach." She says with a look of hate anger and regret

"The Water Tribe is a collective term for the nation of people who practice the art of water bending, its citizens primarily inhabit the northern and southernmost regions of the globe, near both poles, with a smaller community of them occupying the Foggy Swamp of the Earth kingdom. The people of the Water Tribe are generally peaceful and strive to live in harmony with nature and the other nations of the world. Living in the harsh conditions of the poles and the swamp has made the people of the Water Tribes resilient to hardship and respectful of the world around them." She says this time with a slight smile.

"The Earth Kingdom is the largest and most populated sovereignty in the world and encompasses much of the eastern hemisphere. One of the most diverse kingdoms, divided into quasi-autonomous regions with their own ethnicities, cultures, governments, and laws. Originally one of the most powerful empires It is home to most earthbenders the people are proud and strong. How I would have loved to see the kingdom in its prime." She says longingly.

"The Fire Nation an absolute monarchy led by the Fire Lord and home to most fire benders, is located along the planet's equator in the western hemisphere and is composed of several islands. The Fire Nation is the second-largest nation in terms of area, following the Earth Kingdom, while its economy is the most powerful in the world leading the rest in terms of technology and industry this in turn allows them to build a great military." She stops with a sort of lost look in her eyes as if not wanting to speak on this anymore, but she continues anyway. 

"Their confidence in their own greatness and competition for resources with the other nations led to a rise in xenophobic sentiment, a decline in spirituality, and the beginning of imperialist ambitions. This development ultimately contributed to the imperialistic Hundred-Year War. The end of peace in our time. Fire Lord Sozin struck a powerful blow to the other three nations, the Air Nomads were hit the hardest." She stopped for a second clenching her fist, even Nawaki looked down wondering how one could wipe out a group of pacifists without any remorse.

"None survived the attack. 65 years later I was born to Fire lord Azulon and Fire Lady Ilah youngest of three, as third born and a woman I was destined to be pawned off by my father to in some way help with this war he had inherited from his father. 19 years after I was born my father called on me, he told me I was to be married off to a new member of his council, to foster a deeper sense of loyalty in him and for me to "keep him in line" as he said then he sent me away. That was the first time he had ever spoken to me and it was to tell me he was giving me to someone I had never met." She was growing angrier with every word, her clenched palms glowing red hot.

Nawaki seeing this laid a hand on her shoulder in support, this seemed to calm her down if only a little bit. "I didn't want to be a part of his plans so I wanted to leave, I didn't know where to go or how to get there, and in the back of my mind I knew he would find me wherever I went." Calming down more now in remembrance of someone she lightly smiles. "So I went to the only person I could truly trust, My eldest brother Iroh, I even named you after him. I asked him for help and he agreed without hesitation. It took him a few months to come up with something but when he did it was sudden. He came to me in the dead of night telling me that I needed to leave now "There is no time to lose" he said. So on the first day of year 84 A.G. I disappeared on a boat emblazoned with a white lotus heading for the great mountain range."

"The waters on the elemental nation side of the mountain are steady, unlike the shinobi nation's side. But for one day in the year, the waters on the shinobi nation's side calms like its sister sea. When we made it to the mountains they sent me through a passage carved into the cliff face telling me there are others waiting on the other side and to go quickly. reaching the other side I found a boat with a similar white lotus on its bow. They took me to a beautiful place a land known as Tsukigakure the first stop on our way to Konoha where they said I would fit in the most. A few months later I met your father, and a year and a half after that you were born." She stops for the final time looking at Irano with concerned eyes.

Looking at his mother he speaks up "Wow that is a lot to take in, my great grandfather is a genocidal maniac and my grand father is an asshole who wanted to use you as a pawn. But one thing... you never really told me why being able to use all of these elements is problematic."

-----AN-----

Did anybody guess Mommy was a princess? LMK