67 Road to Earth Kingdom

"Wait, so this is what you all travel in?!" Asked Sokka, a slight tone of depression could be noticed in his voice as he stared at the contents inside the airship, which was docked in a spacious location known as Qana Square within the heart of the capital.

Inside the airship were the most luxurious things that Team Avatar had ever seen! And they were friends of King Bumi AND Chief Arnook, so that tells how fancy this thing is!

Yeah, the boy had a harsh moment a few minutes ago, but he bounced back up. 'Well, there's plenty of women in the world, I will find someone eventually… It's not like Katara has found her husband already...'

"Fufufu, I didn't expect the Avatar and his companions to be so young…" Said Nari, rubbing Aang's bald head while Lei was busy securing the large barrel of Spirit Water inside the ship.

"Hey, we are not kids, okay?" Said Katara with a trembling eyebrow. She was pissed! Ever since this group arrived, they had been treated like kids, and she would much rather they be treated the way they were before!

"Meh, that's how it works, little lady," said Kaliya as she walked inside the airship while eating a Sea Jerky kebab. Such a nostalgic taste made her happy.

"We are not kids!" Shouted Katara.

"Well, tell that to our Avatar over there" Said Sokka, sarcastically, while pointing towards Aang with his thumb. The poor Avatar boy was melting because of Nari's headpats like a lazy tiger seal.

"Urgh!" Katara made angry noises and walked out of the airship, frustrated.

Then a loud clap could be heard, making the remaining members of Team Avatar turn towards the doorway of the airship;

"Alright kids, time to get out… We are leaving," said Madara with a smirk, having heard everything. Honestly, he felt surprisingly happy over how pissy Katara was being with the whole "kid" thing, he always found her rather annoying until the final season.

"Yes Sir!" Sokka did a military salute while pulling Aang away from Nari's side, though the bald kid was like a koala octopus not wanting to leave!

"They are good kids, aren't they?" Asked Nari with a motherly tone.

Chuckling, Madara only said "They do have their moments..."

…

Time slowly passed as the Siege of the Northern Water Tribe came to a close. Madara left the North Pole the day after, and went back to his resort to manage things there. He had a talk with the spirits afterwards and was taught the most optimal way to use the Spirit Water, but sadly… his mental state wasn't nearly good enough to try it right now. He needed time to unwind. Time to relax and heal all the negativity inside of him due to the attack they suffered that day at the Uchiha Resort.

On the shores of what looked like a pink forest, there was a small yet luxurious hut, housing several workers who could be seen doing their job, which was taking care of their two newest arrivals.

"This is what I've been missing! Who knew that… Floating on a piece of driftwood for three weeks with no food or water, and sea vultures waiting to pluck out your liver, could make one so tense?" Said Iroh with a beaming, optimistic smile, before looking towards a clearly unhappy Zuko as he walked towards him, so that they could both sit on the ground they missed so much.

"What is bothering you today, Prince Zuko? … ah… I see.. " the old man's tone became a bit grave. "It's the anniversary, isn't it?"

In a brooding tone, the young Prince nodded and answered "Three years ago… Today… I was banished and I lost it all…" he looked up towards the sky "I want it back, and to be honest Uncle… I don't care much about the Avatar right now. But I want my honor and my throne… I want my father to not think that I am… worthless…" concluded Zuko with a regretful look towards the horizon.

"I'm sure he doesn't. Why would he banish you if he didn't care?" Said Iroh, trying his best to help his beloved nephew.

Unfortunately… His words made Zuko get up and walk away, making Iroh grimace as he turned to one of the massagers "Ugh… that came out wrong, didn't it?" 

As Zuko walked outside the massage hut, he could only sigh.

They arrived not long ago, but he refused to let his presence be known to Madara; he stood at the outskirts of the Resort, not wanting to show himself.

But he knew… Madara was aware…

"Within his lands… nothing can be hidden from Madara's Red Eyes"

It became a saying after years of people trying to infiltrate this place were met with swift ends, to never be heard of or seen again… and ever since… Whatever happened a month ago… the security of this place doubled, no! Tripled!

He could see men walking around in unique dark colored robes, each wearing a colorful navy blue and white 'haori' on top, carrying curved sheathed swords known as katanas.

'…The Shinsengumi…' Zuko knew of them, he heard rumors.

Now that Winter was ending, many patrons finally returned here for a new round of gambling and relaxation, but Zuko, who had been here before… felt watched… all the time.

Looking at the performers on the street, the food vendors, and the 'Geisha' that walked with glamorous and exotic kimonos and delicately painted faces, sometimes playing with paper fans while others sometimes played instruments called shamisen… Zuko couldn't figure out who was an agent, and who was simply a worker…

Zuko wasn't wrong to feel that way, ever since Madara returned, he decided to put together a real powerhouse to protect the resort. The former Beifong Guards became the first generation of the resort's police force, or the Shinsengumi.

While the former Kyoshi Warriors started training new girls in several deadly arts including espionage and performances. The Geisha on the streets were a mere branch of the true shadow that protected these lands.

Many of the food vendors, the massagers, the artists, painters, sculptors, builders, and even some of the day-to-day 'clients' that walked around the resort for their seasonal enjoyment were all part of the deadliest group of assassins.

The Oniwaban.

Zuko didn't know about that organization, but he felt that someone was always watching. As he should, after training with Madara for so long. The teen just couldn't put his finger on who was the watcher.

'It's like Teacher's lands have a culture of their own… Completely outside of the Four Nations…' the banished prince couldn't help but feel proud of his own Teacher 'It must be related to his family…'

He stopped by the shores of the Su Oku River, watching the high buildings of the main resort from a distance as his thoughts led him somewhere else…

"Family… huh…" Mumbled the Prince as he kept staring at nothing in specific.

….

"Almost perfect."

"One hair out of place."

Said two elderly female voices as the vestiges of a well-executed lightning generation movement could still be seen on the deck of a luxurious Fire Nation Royal Ship;

On the deck, a young woman could be seen, wearing Imperial Armor similar to Zuko's. Her dark hair was in a tightly-pulled bun with bangs falling on both sides of her face.

Although incredibly similar to Zuko, both in appearance and apparel, her armor and Zuko's had a keen difference, while Zuko's was black with red trimmings, this girl's armor was black with gold, a symbol of her Royal Status.

Her pupils contracted at the elders' comments in the background as her amber-yellow eyes sharpened;

"Almost isn't good enough!"

The girl gritted her teeth and went back through the same motions again and again, as more and more lightning sounds echoed through the northern seas.

…

In a dimly lit makeshift temple within an Earth Kingdom fortress, a tall thin man with an incredibly sharp goatee, who was wearing blue robes and had an equally incredibly annoying voice, draped a bald tattooed boy in a Water Tribe cloak, an Earth Kingdom hat with leaves coming out from the top, part of a Fire Nation outfit and what appeared to be a belt.

"You are wearing a ceremonial piece of clothing from each of the bending Nations. Now I will join the four elements in one!..."

As he said 'Water' he poured a jug of water into a fancy bowl, then came 'Earth' and he poured dirt, then 'Fire' and the man took a nearby torch and threw it in. 'Air' he releases an air gust from a wooden contraption.

"Four Elements together as one!" The man, or how the people in the fortress called him, the 'Oracle', raised the bowl and flung the contents at Aang.

The poor Avatar could only clean his eyes with his fingers with an annoyed expression "This is just mud!"

"So… Do you … Feel anything?" The Oracle asked quizzically.

Raising a finger and catching everyone's interest… Aang then sneezed loudly, causing the mud to fly everywhere, coating the General of the fortress, Fong, and everyone else.

The General could only rub the mud from his face "We have to find a way…"

….

Within a brightly lit room, with elegant chandeliers and luxurious furniture, most in the colors of black and red, a group of four could be seen sitting around a green table while putting down ceramic tiles with different symbols on them, each person with their own side;

"Hmm… I think… this is…" an old voice started low before increasing in excitement as he declares "Tsumo! Isn't it?"

Sounds of resignation from the other three could be heard;

"Hey, Old Iroh, are you sure you never played this before?" Said an annoyed young man with wild long hair, wearing his traditional black and red kimono, sporting a fan sigil on the back of his red haori.

"How could I? You came up with this game, didn't you?" the old man could only laugh. "But I like this way more than that roulette game…" he concluded with a frown.

One of the other men at the table couldn't help but snicker "Of course… You lost everything there…" 

"That's not nice, Jackie… We need to incentivize our visitors to keep playing the games… Not throw their losses in their faces" said the first young man.

"Oh! I see, well Mr. Iroh, I think you should try again... Who knows, maybe your luck in Mahjong will carry to other games…"

The old man could only sigh "Young people these days have no shame, trying to extort money from an old man without a single coin to his name…"

The one woman playing the game with the three men could only chuckle "fufufu, by the way Mr. Iroh, have you already told Zuko that you have been coming here on a daily basis?"

The old man scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile "Well... I did say to him that I would go out to procure some things… He was so concerned with trying not to be noticed by you that he only asked me to not show myself…"

"And yet… you did exactly that…" Said Madara with his classic Saitama face;

"You can't blame an old man for wanting to enjoy what is left of his time in this world… can you?" asked Iroh with a pitiful expression.

'Shameless' Both Madara and Lei thought at the same time.

"Well... the game is over, so I think it's better for me to go back to my nephew before he decides to blow something up, he has been rather irritated recently…" Said the old General as he stood up.

"You can go ahead," said Nari as she started to gather the pieces of the game, putting them back in the box. "I will clean everything here"

As the three men agreed and left, Nari kept humming with a smile on her face. She was rather happy to see their place safer, she was even made the head of their secret spy force… and she was doing an absurdly good job at that!

But if one looked at the tiles on her side of the table, they would've noticed that she could've won the game at any point, but didn't… What is life without some mischievousness, right?

'Madara and Lei always look so funny when Iroh wins anything… how can I bring myself to stop it from happening?'

"Fufufu"