Chapter-112

Two weeks later

"Where is Naruto?" On the other side of the forest, the Avatar team was in their makeshift camp. It was already getting dark, and this worried the teenagers who had not seen the group's shinobi all day. Lately, he had been very distant from them, only appearing early in the morning and then at dusk, always exhausted after eating and falling asleep like a log.

"Exploring and learning spells, I don't know." Sokka, focused on fishing in the river, wasn't concerned about the golden-haired boy. "Besides, do I have to worry about someone who is obviously 100 times stronger and faster than me? It's like worrying about Momo eating Appa; it doesn't make sense."

The two animals looked at each other for a moment, and the flying monkey flew to the safety of the monk's neck when the bison gave him a dirty look.

"Do you think we should go look for him?" Katara knew the boy was ridiculously strong, but he was still a child, at least to her.

"I think so, yes." Coming down from the rock where he was meditating, Aang thought that maybe it was time to go look for him. "I don't think he's far away."

"You don't have to go out looking for him." The teenagers turned to look at a serious Toph, who had her hands resting on the ground and tilted her head in the direction of the forest undergrowth. "He's here."

"To prepare a surprise party for you, it wouldn't make sense, Toph."

Everyone's gaze was directed to where that voice came from, and they were cold when they saw the blood covering the body of the ninja boy, who slowly walked towards them and dropped heavily on a log.

"Are you OK?!"

Team Avatar became upset, thinking they were being attacked, and that the sorcerer had to confront them.

"I think... the training got out of hand." Naruto slowly took out the kunai stuck in his back; he had to improve the defense in his rear.

"Training?" Katara felt her stomach churn at the unpleasant sound of the meat. As the shinobi continued to remove those things from his body, letting them fall, and as soon as they hit the ground, they disappeared in a burst of smoke.

"You're a damn crazy person." Toph could feel the boy's heart beating like crazy, making the blood come out faster from his wounds, which, to her confusion, were still closing at a much faster pace than normal.

"What kind of training?" Sokka had noticed, like the blind bandit, that the boy's wounds were closing and healing. He was already doubting that this boy was even human.

With a growl, Naruto stood up and moved his neck until it cracked. Walking slowly, he went to the bag of the older brother of the North Pole tribe.

"Shoot whenever you want, Sokka."

"Ok." The teenager didn't think twice and already had the barrel of the gun pointed at his friend's head.

"And then they ask why men live less?! Give me that!"

Katara had to take the weapon away from him to avoid seeing something stupid, which could turn into a tragedy.

"What? He asked me."

"If Sokka doesn't shoot, can I?"

Toph just needed to take the gun and aim where the shinobi was. She was curious about what it felt like to shoot that thing that Sokka seems to love so much.

He even gave it a name.

'Betsy.'

If you asked her, that seemed like a name for an old woman, but she wouldn't judge now. It was time to take a firearm and shoot her friend in the face.

"Do you really expect us to shoot you?" Needless to say, Aang, like Katara, refused to do something like that.

"Actually, yes."

"Well, no," the 'mother figure' of the group held onto the gun tightly, refusing to hit anyone. "This thing is diabolical; it only hurts people, and I refuse to see how they will shoot a loved one. I say enough is enough."

*Bang*

In her inattention to his speech, Katara accidentally pressed the trigger of the gun, which, to her panic, was pointed at Naruto, who fell flat due to the bullet that went straight to his head.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Katara… You killed Naruto!"

Everyone burst into panic as they saw the blood drain from the blonde's head, who was motionless on the ground.

"I…I…I…I didn't want to do it!" Katara felt her heart reach her throat; she had shot an innocent child.

"I'll go dig a grave." Apparently, Toph was taking it too well since, with one stomp, she already made a hole one meter by two and four meters deep for the deceased.

"I didn't want to kill him!" Katara burst into tears as she knelt before his body and hugged it to his chest.

"Calm down sister... no one here saw anything."

"I'm blind, I literally can never see."

"Are you really just going to get rid of the body?" Aang asked in disbelief at the coldness of Sokka and Toph, who were already placing flowers on a makeshift wooden cross.

"Of course not, we threw him in the well, and nothing happened."

"I'm sorry, Naruto!"

In a river of tears, literally.

Katara cradled the boy's body with her chest, while she gave him soft kisses on his face, all to show her affection for the boy she respected and loved so much.

"You were so young! So innocent! Such an idiot!"

"So amazing…"

"Yes! He was someone incredible and wonderful!"

"It was so cute."

"Yes! He was such a beautiful child! With a face carved by the angels themselves and..."

Katara stopped crying when she realized that someone other than her was talking. She was also feeling a warm pink breath between her breasts; looking down, she saw a smiling Naruto against her chest, holding between his fingers the bullet that had supposedly hit him in the head.

"I didn't know you loved me so much; you can continue speaking well of me." With a cheeky smile, the boy rested his face against the girl's chest.

Wisely, Sokka, Aang, and Toph backed away upon seeing the waterbender's red eyes.

….

Iroh was always a morning person. Before the sun appeared on the horizon, he was already awake, preparing a delicious tea to see the beautiful dawn of a new day.

Sitting on the porch of the old house, the dragon of the west smiled softly as he saw a silent Azula sleeping on the ground near him. The girl had already slept for almost 10 hours, perhaps it was the first time in years that she could sleep with peace.

"Uncle."

But there was someone who had gotten up before everyone. Zuko stood before his uncle carrying a backpack and with his trusty swords on his belt. The teenager's gaze was hard and rigid.

"Prince Zuko."

Iroh didn't have to ask questions; he knew what his nephew would do, and he didn't have to stop him. He would never stop him from making his own decisions; he could only support them and advise him.

"I have to go, find my own way..."

"I understand."

"Now you have someone who needs your wisdom and tea more than I do," the prince murmured to look at his younger brother for a few seconds, who was still sleeping, ignoring everything that was happening now.

"She also needs her older brother; there is nothing better than family support."

"..."

"You know, that Azula has nothing to do with her mother's disappearance, right?" Rarely did Iroh address his nephew with as much seriousness as he did now.

"Don't know."

"She was only 5 at the time; do you really think a girl at that age would wish her own mother dead?"

"She was never just a girl, and you know it."

"..." With a sigh, Iroh shook his head. Yes, Azula as a child seemed like a very intelligent, unfriendly sociopath, who always had whatever she wanted, no matter how questionable her methods were.

But he still believed she had redemption, seeing her crying on his shoulder last night only made him regret not having been there for her at a younger age even more.

Iroh no longer saw the calculating, cold, and threatening warrior that Azula once was.

He only saw a girl who was very tired, confused, and angry with everyone.

Not only would he accompany her, he would do everything in his power so that this girl could straighten her path and have a happy life.

It was what Ursa would have wanted.

"Even if you don't believe it, Prince Zuko, we can all achieve redemption... we just have to take the first step, admit that we are wrong and look for a change, it's a shame for me... to know that you haven't taken it yet."

"..." Zuko didn't say anything; he just turned to leave; he needed to be alone and think.

As for Iroh, he sighed tiredly; life was becoming too complicated for an old man like him.

Sipping your cup of tea, you enjoy the wonderful view of the sun rising between the mountains, in a beautiful sunrise.

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PAT REON I'D:- Alzero ]