A/N: Not much to say here, except sorry for the wait. Anyways, I appreciate your patience as always. Reviews and feedback are always a help as well. Edit: Apologies for any confusion. I made the mistake of accidentally uploading the wrong chapter. Had to reupload anew.

Big thanks to Kenchi Narukami as Beta reader.

Written by: Fanfiction's must unreliable yet loveable author.

Starring: Anime's perfect idiot. The best Avatar, you gotta deal with it. A bunch of hot chicks. The Bending Brothers. A sultry genius. A cute monk girl. And plenty of asshole villains gunning for our, or at least my, favorite Avatar.

Owned by: a Bunch of overpaid tools. The true villain of the Narutoverse and hater of Fanfiction.

Chapter one: Pilot.

"WHY THE HELL ARE THEY CHASING ME?" Shouted the form of Korra as she snapped the reins in her hands, urging her partner Naga to run even faster. She had only just gotten off the boat and had already encountered an Anti-bending mob, was chased out of a local park, beat up some extortionists and now she was being chased by the police. Just what in the hell was wrong with this crazy city?!

All of a sudden, she heard Naga yelp in surprise and the Avatar found herself flying through the air. For a split second she saw that the steel cables the Metal Bending Police used had caught Naga's legs, hence why she had been launched upwards. She hit the ground hard and then found herself wrapped in the cables as well. One officer stating callously "You're under arrest."

"Hey! What gives? I didn't do anything wrong! Those thugs were clearly harassing and threatening that shopkeeper! Where the hell were you guys when they needed you?" She shouted angrily, struggling in her bonds to try and shake them loose, now wishing that she could metal bend and perhaps snap them off.

The officers ignored her protests and were preparing to drag her and Naga away to the police HQ… until they were interrupted by a loud honking sound from an approaching vehicle. The police squinted their eyes a bit and then they quickly widened in shock and fear. One of the younger officers muttered "Oi… doesn't that car belong to..?" He was quickly shushed by one of the senior officers that stood at attention and saluted the oncoming car, his fellow police doing the same.

When the vehicle came to a halt, the door opened revealing a woman with dark black hair and a pair of distinctive crimson eyes that seemed to be glaring daggers at the police. "Gentlemen." She greeted curtly as she approached, her heels clicking against the ground. Korra noticed the officers were now sweating bullets, was this woman their boss or something?

"Ms. Kurenai! We weren't expecting your presence here. Is there something we can assist you with?" The senior officer spoke in a Professional tone, but he seemed to be rapidly shrinking beneath her harsh gaze.

"Are you incompetent? Stupid? Or did your parents drop you on your head as an infant?" The woman called Kurenai asked in a scathing tone, her words seemingly piercing through the policeman like a lance.

The cop stammered a bit, his words caught in his throat as she verbally assaulted him "You and your officers were warned to keep an eye out for Triad members shaking down and extorting local businesses, you were given the names and face sketches of prominent triad members, and yet, you have arrested the Avatar who seemed ready and willing to do more than you and your men, however sloppy her approach was."

Korra wanted to say something, but cut herself off when she remembered that she did Indeed smash up the shop during the scuffle against the triad members, so… yeah, it was indeed sloppy on her part. "The damages will be taken care of by the boss. Now kindly release her, Boss Naruto wants a word with her immediately." The crimson eyed woman spoke.

The metal benders slumped slightly in defeat and submissively obeyed her as the cables loosened around Korra and Naga's forms. The raven haired woman then made a 'follow me' gesture and opened the car door for the Avatar. Growing curious and feeling a bit obligated to hear them out since they had potentially bailed her from prison, she got in the car with Naga ready to follow behind once they got moving.

When she entered and took a seat, Kurenai followed close behind. Sitting in the driver's seat was a woman with pink and brown hair wearing a bowler hat, she turned towards the Avatar revealing a pair of eyes that were two different colors, pink and brown, then gave a wink as she returned her attention to the road and drove at medium and steady pace to allow Naga to easily follow along.

There was one other passenger that was reading a local newspaper, from behind it she heard a masculine voice speak "I see you had a run-in with the MBPF, short for Metal Bending Police Force. First thing you should know about them, they don't like getting upstaged by potential vigilantes taking the laws into their own hands."

Before she could respond, the stranger folded the newspaper in half revealing his face, he was a handsome young man with distinctive golden hair that was quite extremely uncommon amidst the Bending nations, his sapphire blue eyes reminded her greatly of the sea before a storm… and those whisker-like birthmarkings added some feral features to his already handsome face. "Naruto Uzumaki, esquire. Boss of the Crimson Kitsune Yakuza. At your service." He greeted her with a warm smile.

Korra stiffened up a bit at the mentioning of the term 'Yakuza', and judging from the reactions of the police… he must have quite the reputation. "So you're another criminal?" She asked bluntly, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. In response, the whisker marked man gave an easy smile that was rather striking… but she noticed that his eyes told a different story. Almost like he was sizing her up.

"Please don't confuse my Yakuza with the local triads. It's a bit insulting, though I can understand the confusion. I'm a businessman, and at times I have my people patrol neighborhoods under my protection to pick up the slack of the police force. Chief Beifong runs a tight ship, but even she can't help it when her hands are tied or when certain criminal elements slip through the cracks. Hence why it is a necessary evil for people like me to perform… certain public services." He spoke in a smooth voice, almost as if he had rehearsed that little speech a dozen times over. It kind of reminded Korra of a politician doing a PR stunt.

"Right. And you just bailed me out of the goodness of your own heart?" She asked warily, she may not be familiar with how things worked in Republic city, she did know that it was a sadly rare occurrence when someone did something without an ulterior motive.

"Would you actually believe me if I said yes? I too was once arrested for a stupid reason. Mind you, this was before I even considered becoming a Yakuza boss." He responded in a casual manner, and for a split second… Korra could have sworn that when he blinked, his eyes had flashed crimson. And from his tone, he seemed to be telling the truth… or at the very least she had no reason to disbelieve him.

"From my understanding, you're a new arrival in Republic city. Most likely, you're currently ignorant of the current political climate. Am I right?" He asked as he turned his attention back to his newspaper, an almost knowing smile on his face.

"Yeah. Though I got a small taste of it… which left a very bitter impression. What's the deal with those anti-bending protests?" She asked as she crossed her arms with a small huff, hoping to get a better idea on what was wrong with this city.

"Those protests are a product of the Equalist movement. In recent months, an organization has begun claiming that Non-benders are treated as little more than second class citizens and that Benders abuse their abilities. As you so witnessed earlier with those thugs, there's some merit to these claims. However, quite naively and disturbingly, their leader Amon claims the only way for there to be peace, is for the bending arts to be erased, and thus everyone will become equal. Hence the name 'Equalist'." The blonde explained as if he were giving a history lecture.

"But that's just crazy! With or without bending, people will always find ways to hurt or trample over one another for their own gain. And how in the Spirit realm is he going to pull this off? A genocide?" She asked incredulously, her question earning a small chuckle from the whiskered man while Kurenai opened a briefcase in her lap and presented a small box to him. He opened it with a click revealing an array of different colored lollipops and picked a red one up between his fingers.

"Now that's the million yuan question, isn't it? How does Amon plan to put an end to Bending? Doesn't seem to have any real logic does it? Then again, many people can only operate on 'logic' that only they can understand, but seems alien to others." Naruto spoke, as though he was extremely familiar with this concept himself as he put the lollipop into his mouth.

"I'm afraid I never got your name." He spoke as he looked up at the Avatar, his sapphire eyes seemingly staring into her own. She pursed her lips for a moment and then replied "Korra. I am Avatar Korra." When she gave her name, the Yakuza boss gave a small 'hmm' sound, a crooked grin forming on his face.

"Korra. Korra. Koooooorraaaaa." He muttered repeatedly, as though he were speaking her name aloud and enjoyed the sound of it. "Lovely name. If you're here in Republic city, that means one of two things. You got wind that the city is trapped in a downward spiral and have decided to begin your duties as the Avatar. Two, you're here to learn the art of Air-bending from old man Tenzin. That about right?" He asked her, prompting her to nod twice in confirmation.

This guy was definitely pretty sharp. "We'll drop you off near Air Temple Island. I trust you'll be able to make your own way from there. I hope, Avatar Korra, that we can be good friends. I once lost my home because of certain power hungry individuals in the past, I'll be damned before I let it happen again. I think we'd make a great team." He spoke with a smirk, the lollipop stick jutting out of his mouth poking upwards.

He then gestured towards Kurenai who reached into her briefcase and pulled out a business card, scribbled something on the back and passed it to the Avatar. Korra inspected the card and found that it was a card for some kind of casino, and on the back was a telephone number. "If you ever require my assistance, feel free to call me. I look forward to seeing you again soon." He spoke, and as if on cue, their vehicle had come to a stop.

Korra glanced out her window and saw Air Temple island in plain view. And her partner Naga could easily make the swim after getting her second wind.. "Um… sure… thanks again. For everything." She muttered in a distracted manner, unsure of what to make of the young Yakuza. Was he really a friend? Or did he have some other motivation?

"If you want to discuss our partnership in the future, perhaps we can do it over dinner, or at a Pro-Bending match?" He asked in a friendly manner. At the mentioning of Pro-bending, Korra bit her lip slightly in anticipation since she had always wanted to see a match in person here in Republic city. Though once again, she had to be wary of accepting gifts from someone like a Yakuza since they likely had strings attached.

She scoffed and tried to put on her best saucy grin and asked in a teasing tone "What, like on a date or something?" She hoped to get some kind of reaction from him, hoping that she had thrown him off a bit, but instead he didn't even seem fazed in the slightest.

"You said 'date', not me. Though if you want to consider it as such, I certainly won't argue going on a date with a beautiful specimen such as yourself." He replied smoothly, his words earning a blush on her face. During her training with the White Lotus, she never had much interaction with the outside world, to be honest, she had felt somewhat sheltered. She never had any real chances for a date with someone… and no one had ever called her beautiful before.

"I'll.. I'll think about it." She muttered in a half distracted manner as she exited the vehicle with a sigh, her longtime companion Naga padding up to her and nuzzling her with her large snout.

"You do that Korra. And by the way… I think your ponytail is cute." He spoke in a flirtatious manner, but before she could utter a response his vehicle was already driving away. The blonde Yakuza smirked to himself after evaluating the Avatar. She seemed headstrong, good natured, and often acted before thinking… it actually reminded him of himself before he matured quite a lot.

Korra stood in stunned silence as she watched the car drive away, wondering what was going through that guy's head. She sighed to herself and decided to shelve that little mystery for a later time. Now that Air Temple Island was in plain view, all that was required was a swim across the bay. She'd give Naga a few minutes to rest before they made the trip.

Meanwhile. Air temple island.

Tenzin sighed tiredly as he sat in his private office while thoughtfully stroking his beard. A large part of him wishing that he could ask his father for guidance. Although it was likely that even Avatar Aang may be at a loss on what to do in this situation.

Republic city was a lifelong dream of Aangs. A place where people of all walks of life could live in relative peace, regardless of their origin or their Element of Bending. But now it was stagnating and exposed to corruption. Triads now had a run of the slums and low income areas. The Council meetings seemed to be going in a roundabout fashion with talking about ongoing problems instead of offering solutions.

And now there was this Equalist movement stirring the pot and adding fuel to the fire. No one would openly admit it, but as Chief Beifong once told him recently, that Republic city was now a blasting jelly keg waiting to blow. And all it would take is for someone to do something stupid to light the match.

If there was ever a time that an Avatar was needed since the Hundred year War, this was certainly it. Although Tenzin was extremely reluctant to bring Korra into the fray… he may not have a choice in the matter. Still, he didn't want to do something rash and bring in an unprepared Avatar who may end up being overwhelmed by the politics and intricacies of Republic city.

For the time being, he would have to do his best to keep the peace. And thanks to the unusual, unorthodox but successful alliance between Chief Beifong and Boss Naruto, law and order was being maintained for the most part. While Lin was extremely disgruntled at the thought of working with a potential criminal, she couldn't argue that the information he provided on certain criminal elements had helped her police arrest a large number of crooks and clean up the streets.

Although in spite of his assistance, Lin still promised that if she ever caught Naruto performing a criminal act, she wouldn't hesitate to have him and his cohorts tossed into jail. Though for now, she had no true grounds to arrest him. In Lin's own words, one of the worst kinds of criminals are the type that pass off as good samaritans.

His musing was interrupted by a knock at the door prompting him to say "Come in. Come in." at that, the door to his office opened revealing his eldest daughter Jinora who had a bright smile on her face, though her eyes seemed to be slightly nervous since she couldn't keep eye contact with him at the moment.

"Hey Dad… guess who decided to drop in on us?" She asked him while scratching the back of her head. Tenzin had to suppress a disgusted groan, half expecting Councilman Tarrlok to appear to try and convince him to see things his way and take aggressive actions against the Equalists… instead Korra appeared with a nervous smile and gave a small wave to the monk.

"Korra! Wha… how… What are you doing here? You can't be here! How did you even get here?" he blubbered in surprise. Of all the people that could have stepped into his office… the Avatar was the absolute last person he could have expected. On the other hand, Korra was nothing if not tenacious. So maybe he shouldn't be THAT surprised.

"I uhh, stowed on a ship." Korra replied bluntly, giving a soft chuckle as she nervously twirled her ponytail between her fingers. Tenzin deadpanned at that and then sighed as he asked "Please tell me you at least stayed out of trouble."

The Female Avatar couldn't bring herself to lie to him and began to explain her numerous misadventures in Republic City, all the while both Father and daughter Air nomads listened intently and their jaws dropped to the floor when she told of her brush with the long arm of the law and one of the most powerful figures in Republic city. Naruto Uzumaki himself. Though she omitted out the more flirty bits.

"You mean to say you actually met with Boss Naruto? What did he want with you?" Tenzin asked warily, to which Korra shrugged her shoulders.

"Not sure. It kinda felt like he was evaluating me or something. He said something about wanting to talk about a partnership." She replied honestly since that was her best guess. For the time being, she still wasn't so sure about his motivations, but then he didn't really ask her for anything other than a potential alliance.

Tenzin stroked his beard thoughtfully and spoke "I'll be frank with you Korra. Boss Naruto is equally feared and respected in all corners of Republic city. On the surface he appears to be a legit businessman and philanthropist, but most obviously he has deep connections to the criminal underground however, there is no evidence proving any wrongdoing. Admittedly, both myself and Chief Beifong have an uneasy alliance with him to keep the peace and maintain order.

I suppose when he caught wind of your arrival, he decided to get a read on you and see if you could be a potential ally. There is very little that happens in this city he doesn't know about, and I know for sure he doesn't like unknown elements in his city. If I were you, I'd be extremely careful when dealing with him."

Korra crossed her arms and muttered "I'll keep all that in mind. We also talked a bit about Amon and the Equalists. Now I really do need to stay and start my Air-bending training." She spoke at the end in a tone of determination. Tenzin wanted to protest and send her back to the South pole, but reluctantly stopped himself as he remembered his earlier musings that Republic city needed the Avatar. While Korra was quick to pick a fight, she might be the key to overturning the situation with the Equalists.

While he hoped that violence could be avoided… there was always some villain that wouldn't just make civil war a possibility, but an inevitability. And if that were the case, they would need all the help they could get. "Very well. I don't like this… but we may definitely need you in the not-so-distant future. Your training starts tomorrow."

At that, Korra broke out into a brief cheer but then stopped herself, cleared her throat and gave an appreciative bow. "Come on Korra. I'll show you to your room." Jinora spoke and guided the Avatar out of Tenzin's office. The monk himself frowned a bit and sat back in his chair tiredly, knowing that things would be getting much more lively with Korra's presence. Although more worryingly is that Naruto made personal contact with the Avatar.

Korra was still young, highly impressionable, and still had no idea what she was dealing with. Naruto, while a man of his word, was still a morally ambiguous figure that was likely involved in less-than-ethical dealings. And it was likely he had his own plans for Korra now that she had arrived. The best he could do is keep an eye on things and try to protect her from potential corruption from the Yakuza boss.

On a less dreadful note, Tenzin was a bit concerned how Korra would handle her training. According to the White Lotus, she almost exclusively focused on the physical aspects of bending and had little to no experience with the spiritual side. Then again, in many ways she was almost the complete opposite of his late father Aang so he supposed it was only nature. Aang himself hit a major stumbling block during his Earth Bending training for example. For now, he would perhaps have to attempt a trial and error method to figure out what would work best for Korra.

The next day.

Trial and Error indeed. Tenzin winced as the sounds of Korra's form thudding against… what was it Meelo called them? 'The spinning planks of pain' or something of the like. An apt nickname since Korra seemed to be covered in bruises and had landed on her rear after being ejected from the training grounds.

The point of the exercise was to flow like a leaf in the wind and carry yourself through to the other side… though Korra doesn't seem to have gotten the flowing part down. Tenzin stroked his beard as he tried to think of a way to advise Korra on how to handle this particular exercise but was currently drawing blanks.

The sounds of Korra's form slamming against the gates could be heard again, followed by another thump as she was forced out of the area, quite humorously the sounds of chirping birds could be heard as Korra stumbled about in a daze before falling flat onto the ground.

"Rough day?" Spoke a somewhat mocking voice that could only belong to a single person. Turning on his heel, the Air Nomad turned and saw the form of Naruto Uzumaki himself, accompanied by his ever present yet silent bodyguard Neo Politan, and Lin Beifong. The Chief herself having her hands clasped behind her back as she glanced down at the semi-conscious Avatar, obviously fighting back a smirk of amusement.

"Boss Naruto. Chief Beifong. Something you need to discuss? It must be quite important if the both of you came here personally." Tenzin noted, feeling that a phone call would have been sufficient… though depending on the sensitivity of the topic, it was probably best if this was done in person.

"It is important. Didn't want to risk the phone lines being tapped. Tarrlok has been pushing for all phone lines to be bugged, supposedly to monitor potential Equalist activity." Naruto spoke matter of factly. Prompting Lin to nod in confirmation at his statement. While she was a Law enforcement agent first and foremost, and was a staunch supporter for law and order, she found invading the personal privacy of potential innocents to be a step too far. She also wouldn't put it past him to use it as a means to spy on his political enemies just as well.

Instead of answering the monk directly the blonde turned towards the Avatar and spoke to her "Korra. Wonderful to see you again. Apologies if I'm interrupting your training." The Avatar moaned an unintelligible response that almost sounded like some kind of greeting and slowly rose up from the ground while dusting her training clothes.

"Already trying to cozy up to the Avatar? Did you strong arm my men just to get into her good graces?" Lin questioned as though she were conducting an interrogation. Her steely gaze seemingly trying to pierce through the blonde, while in the background Neo made a silent giggle.

Before Lin could further attempt to instigate the Yakuza boss Tenzin piped in in an attempt to mediate between the two "Can we please save our petty grievances until after the city isn't ready to implode on itself?

"I agree with Old Man Tenzin" Naruto said, as Tenzin groaned, "Could you please stop with that name? I AM NOT OLD!" His exclamation was punctuated with a burst of air, he then took a deep breath to calm himself knowing that such outbursts were unseemly, especially for a Master Air-Bender.

"At any rate, my people have confirmed that the Equalists are getting ready for something big. They have set up numerous underground training areas to teach their recruits Chi-Blocking, and word has it that the big man himself, Amon is planning to go after the Triad Bosses." Naruto spoke as he pulled out a small case and snapped it open, revealing a set of lollipops and put a green colored one into his mouth as the others contemplated his words.

"So what if Amon's targeting some crime bosses, wouldn't that make it easier on the Chief here?" Korra asked while jabbing a thumb in Lin's direction, her question making the blonde haired man to chuckle.

Lin for her part spoke up "Perhaps. But there's the potential risk of innocent bystanders getting caught in the crossfire. And the last thing this city needs now is a massive gang war spilling into the streets."

"Lin makes a valid point, but misses the much larger picture. If Amon succeeds in taking down the triad bosses, there is no doubt he'll gain massive support from the triad's victims, and in their eyes Amon will be a big hero." Naruto pointed out, making the others gulp slightly at the implications since the Equalists already had a large following… and if his words were correct, said following could double or even triple almost overnight for Amon if he succeeded.

"There's also this." Naruto continued, and from seemingly pulled a briefcase out of thin air, making Tenzin's children who were loitering in the background wonder if he was some kind of magician. The Yakuza boss then snapped open the briefcase and revealed some type of gauntlet that was inside. "Don't be fooled by its seemingly innocent appearance. One of my top people took a great personal risk in swiping this prototype for me. It's designed to produce an electric shock through the palm area. What do you think that tells you?" Naruto questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Whoa. If Amon gives those out to his people, then every Equalist with or without training in Chi-blocking will have a fistful of lightning in their hands." Korra spoke as she connected the dots.

"That about sums it up. This thing's only a prototype, so it only carries enough charge to stun. Most likely the upgraded iteration will be capable of killing. Chief Beifong? You might want to tell your officers to line their officers with rubber insulation to better protect themselves. Also My spies have also confirmed that Amon is going to have these mass-produced." Naruto explained as he closed the briefcase up and then handed it over to Lin so she could have it analyzed at her HQ. She readily agreed at his assessment, knowing that the steel armor her officers wore would become a liability against those gauntlets since metal can conduct electricity.

"By all accounts, the Equalists are becoming Amon's own personal army. And who would have the means of making so many of those gauntlets?" Tenzin asked, becoming increasingly worried at these revelations.

"Top two candidates would likely be Cabbage Corp or Sato's Future Industries. My money's on the latter. Don't forget that Mr. Sato himself lost his wife to a Fire-Bender years ago." Naruto pointed out, making both Lin and Tenzin nod in understanding. Korra who was still new to Republic city had some difficulty keeping up, though she more or less got the gist of it all.

"That would indeed be a strong motive for him to join the Equalists, but doesn't qualify as hard proof." Lin muttered with a small sneer.

"Let me worry about that. On another note, I'll have my people try and figure out Amon's background." Naruto replied as he stroked his cheek with a lone finger.

"And that helps how?" Korra asked skeptically, believing it would be easier to kick that Amon guys ass and get it over with.

"When someone like Amon hides behind a mask all the time, it means he's either protecting something near and dear to him. Or he has a skeleton in his closet. Best of my knowledge, no one has ever seen him without his mask. It's likely he is afraid that someone may be able to identify him, and thus expose any potential Weaknesses or dirty secrets. And beyond all doubt, Amon is an alias. If he is exposed as a fraud, the entire Equalist movement will collapse in almost an instant." Naruto explained with a grin.

"That would certainly make things easier. Assuming he is indeed a fake. See what you can learn." Tenzin requested earning a nod of agreement from the blonde. With all of that in the open and out of the way, their meeting was adjourned and Lin left towards the docks to take a boat back to the mainland and return to the MBPF HQ.

Once she was out of ear-shot Naruto rolled the lollipop in his mouth for a moment and spoke "Now that our official business has concluded, you mind if I stick around and observe the Avatar's training?" At his request Tenzin quirked up a suspicious eyebrow, finding it quite strange for the Yakuza boss to take such a keen interest in Korra so quickly. What was his game?

"And why would you be so interested in watching her train?" The Monk asked, while Korra narrowed her eyes a bit as she observed the blonde. At the moment, he was still sporting a charming grin, but his eyes held a certain glint of emotion in them she couldn't put a name to… was it nostalgia? Or mischievous?

"My reasons are my own. But simply put, I know how it feels to hit a major stumbling block. Only in my case, I never got the proper help. More importantly, Korra here will be an integral part of the future, Republic city's future. And since Republic city is my home, I want to ensure its future and hers are well tended to." Naruto answered in a sincere tone. From what both the monk and Avatar could tell… he didn't seem to be lying. And they had no reason to believe otherwise at the moment.

Not wanting to offend the Yakuza boss, and maintain good relations with him, Tenzin decided to grant the seemingly harmless request. "Very well then. Korra, get ready to go again." At the Monk's words, the water bender groaned as she turned towards the training area and marched towards it as Jinora nodded towards her and used her air-bending to create a gust of wind, causing the gates to rapidly spin.

"Allow me to explain once more, and for Boss Naruto's benefit. The goal here is to make it through the gates without touching them. You must flow in the wind like the leaf... " Tenzin continued to explain while Korra half-heartedly listened to him, largely because she felt distracted by something… and she had a feeling she knew what it was. Even without turning around, she felt Naruto's gaze staring at her back, making her tense up a bit.

She nervously bit her lip as she tried to shake off the alien feeling on her back, then came the yell of 'Go' from Tenzin, prompting Korra to yelp a bit as she charged headlong into the gates… and was then knocked around like a pinball inside. She tried her best to avoid the gate, but she couldn't seem to find any openings whatsoever and a few moments later she was tossed out again by the planks of pain.

Naruto observed her shoddy performance then mockingly 'tsked' a few times. "I think I see what the problem here is. It is partly the fault of both master and student. Tenzin, you are used to teaching your children the arts of Air-bending which came completely natural to them that is not the case with Korra. You need a different approach with her. And you Korra, you're clearly overthinking this exercise and you're not exactly taking Tenzin's lessons to heart either."

At that, the Avatar gave the whiskered man a deadpan look and asked "What exactly am I overthinking here? I just have to get through to the other side without getting smacked around."

At that, Naruto raised up a finger and wagged it from side to side as he approached the side of the training area then spoke "Tenzin? Could you or one of your children start the gates again?" At his question, the bearded monk raised an eyebrow, wondering what the Yakuza boss was trying to prove. Did he really think he could succeed at this without any martial training in the basic fundamentals of Air-Bending? Then again… it would be mildly amusing to see him get smacked around a bit and perhaps bruise his already large ego.

The Master of Air-bending sent a strong gust of wind, causing the gates to rapidly spin once again. Naruto stuffed his hands into the pockets of his trench-coat and casually stepped inside, carefully and deliberately stepping forward or spinning in a small circle to avoid colliding with the gates, and in but a few short seconds, he had reached the other side without so much as breaking a sweat.

Both Korra and the Air-benders stared in amazement at the blonde as his loyal follower Neo hopped on over to him and then opened her umbrella, keeping it over his head to give him some shade from the sun as he sauntered over towards the ponytailed Avatar with a triumphant grin. "Okay. How the hell did you do that? Is there some kind of special trick I'm missing here?" Korra asked as she glanced between the Yakuza and those damned gates.

"Not so much a trick. More of a mindset. I can help you overcome them, if you ask me nicely." The whisker marked Boss spoke as he crossed his arms, his bodyguard making a silent giggle as she gave a tiny wink.

"Please. Please teach me how." Korra almost begged, wanting more than anything to master Air-bending and becoming a fully realized Avatar. At that, Naruto held out an open palm towards Neo, she then placed a long strip of fabric in his hand and he approached the Avatar with it.

"First off, don't trust your eyes to guide you through. They can misdirect and confuse you. Second, don't think about it, just roll with it. Your body will take care of the rest. Listen to it and focus on your natural instincts." Naruto explained as he tied the fabric around Korra's head, effectively blindfolding her.

"Umm… I'm not so sure about this now." Korra muttered nervously, how in the hell was she supposed to make it through while blindfolded? She had trouble enough when she was able to see. Just what was Naruto thinking?

Naruto nodded towards the Air-benders, prompting both Jinora and Tenzin to nod back as they restarted the gates once again. "You ready Korra?" Naruto asked as he slowly pushed her towards the gates, he could feel her stiffening up as she felt the breeze coming off the planks as she got closer to them. She tried to protest but was roughly pushed forward as Naruto yelled "Don't think! Just act!"

Korra stumbled forward and felt a familiar impact against her body, knocking her to the side, then another which forced her back, and then another which pushed her forward. Suddenly, she felt the hairs on her neck standing on end as she felt the wind caused by the gates as they spun about. She pivoted to the side and narrowly avoided being struck, then she spun around and managed to slip through another set of gates.

Tenzin watched in surprise as he observed the Avatar awkwardly stumble her way through the gates, but it seemed like she was now making progress. After a few more seconds, Korra managed to stumble through to the other side, and then lifted up her blindfold enough to see with one eye.

"How did you know that would work?" She asked the Yakuza boss, who chuckled a bit and replied back "I had some experience with similar training devices. And I had a strong feeling that you, like myself, are the kind of person that learns best by personal experience. The blindfold trick forces you to rely on your other senses to 'feel' your way through. Now… try again."

The Avatar nodded and took a deep breath, now feeling more confident that she could make it through. She felt the breeze against her skin and began to calmly navigate her way through, her movements much akin to a dance as she moved through with the practiced grace of a Water-Bender. And then she stopped as she felt the presence of someone in front of her and lifted her blindfold, allowing her to see the form of both a pleased and proud Tenzin.

"Very well done Avatar Korra. A much more promising start. And well done to you as well Boss Naruto. You clearly have a knack for training… erm… I don't suppose I can ask you to assist from time to time? Clearly your fresh perspective is a great boon to Korra's training." The monk asked as he gestured towards the Avatar who was now giving a grateful smile to the blonde.

"It would be my pleasure. I'll be seeing you guys later. Korra? Don't hesitate to hit me up for anything. I mean it. I want us to be good friends." Naruto spoke warmly and then sent a wink towards her, making her blush a bit as the Yakuza boss and his bodyguard departed towards the docks. While she was glad to have received some much needed help, she was also wondering why he kept emphasizing a desire to be friends with her. He also mentioned repeatedly that they had a lot in common. Was that part of the reason why?

She supposed that she would have to wait till later… She wanted to keep on training until she finally succeeded in Air-bending, and so far, she had only made the first step.

Later that day. Pro-Bending arena.

Naruto smiled to himself as he sat in his own private box, apparently the arena owner was most accommodating when he learned that he was a regular patron. One thing that nobody mentioned about Pro-bending was that tickets and seats were always in demand, most especially during the championship season, making the sport highly profitable. Not to mention it wasn't uncommon for certain patrons to take bets on winning teams.

The gambling portion of Pro-bending wasn't exactly legal, but at the same time, there weren't any specific laws forbidding it. And as far as gambling went, he had the market cornered. And a number of the triads hated him for it. The blonde observed the Fire Ferrets, a rookie team that was quickly climbing up the ranks and had become a crowd favorite.

Rumor had it that they had a strong chance for a spot in the championship if they continued their winning streak. As the match went on, the Yakuza boss could easily see that the Bending Brothers, Mako and Bolin had good chemistry and worked quite well together as expected. But the weak link of their team seemed to be their Water-Bender, Hasook, who seemed to be playing with the skill of a drunken platypus-bear… which was further evidenced when he got knocked off the arena and into the water below. If the Brothers were smart, they'd either help get Hasook's act together or boot him off the team in favor of someone more skilled and more compatible.

"Enjoying the match, boss?" Spoke a familiar feminine voice behind the whiskered man who slowly nodded, not even bothering to turn in her direction since he knew full well who it was. If it were anyone uninvited… well, Neo, who is currently hidden in a dark corner, wouldn't have allowed them to so much as knock on the door.

"I am indeed. But more importantly, I am reassigning you to investigate Future Industries. I have a strong suspicion that Mr. Sato is directly involved with the Equalists, he may even be a part of Amon's inner circle. However, our more… moral allies require proof before making a move. You must find this proof for me. No matter the cost." Naruto spoke in a business-like tone, his subordinate chuckling in a haughty manner.

"No worries. You can rely on me. I am a 'problem solver' after all, and there's nothing I love more than conquering a challenge. Anything else I can do for you?" She asked, placing a soft hand on his shoulder.

He drummed his fingers lazily against the arm of his chair and smirked a bit before speaking "There is one other errand you can take care of at a later time. I'll inform you of the details later." His subordinate nodded in understanding and left as silently as she arrived. The blonde laced his fingers together as he sighed, and then let out a small growl as he began rubbing his forearm a bit.

"Yes. I know. Yes. Yes. No. Now's not the time. Too soon. We have to wait." He muttered quietly to himself, though his loyal guard Neo still heard him and sidled up to him. Soothingly stroking his arm in an attempt to ease his pain.

"..?" She asked out of concern, hoping that she could do something to aid him. "No. I'm fine Neo. We chose this. And we must accept the consequences, come what may." He spoke reassuringly. Neo tipped her bowler hat to him in acceptance and then vanished back into the shadows, leaving her master to his own devices.

Meanwhile. Air Temple Island.

After a few more rounds at the training area, Tenzin decided it was best that they unwind and meditate until it was time for dinner. Korra had immense difficulty concentrating, each time she tried to clear her mind as Tenzin instructed… her thoughts would drift to the idea of a Pro-bending match and Naruto's offer to take her to one. It was a childhood dream of hers to see one, she had heard the matches over the radio, and the arena was literally a boat ride away. So close, yet so far.

Tenzin promised her that her lessons would soon make sense and click, but… for some reason she felt like something was missing. Like there was some important piece that was out of place. She wasn't sure how to describe it exactly. She clenched her eyes closed tight, trying to concentrate… and then she heard a voice speak her name.

"You say something Tenzin?" She asked as she opened her eyes, and her teacher opened his own and replied "No. I didn't." He looked at her oddly for a moment as she scratched her head then shrugged and resumed her attempt at meditation. All of a sudden, she heard the same voice again. Calling her by name.

"I… I can hear a voice. Calling out to me." She spoke, prompting the monk and his children to look at her curiously since they didn't hear anything… then it clicked. "Korra, it is likely a Spirit is trying to reach out to you. Concentrate on the voice, it is likely trying to tell you something." Tenzin instructed her, prompting the Avatar to nod.

She tried her best to lock onto the voice and hear its words, but it grew fainter and fainter until at last it fell silent once more. "Crap. I lost it." She growled out in mild frustration.

"A shame. But not a complete loss. It is possible your connection to your spiritual side may be deepening little by little. The fact that a Spirit called out to you is proof of this." Tenzin spoke, earning a thoughtful look from the Avatar.

"I guess so. Still, I wish I knew what it wanted. It almost sounded like it might be in pain." She muttered as she tapped her chin thoughtfully. A large part of herself feeling both angry and disappointed for not being able to communicate with the Spirit, if there was one thing she hated aside from failure… it was being unable to help those who need it. With that said, they returned towards their meditation in hopes that she'd be able to connect with the spirit, but she was only met with silence.

This went on for a few more minutes until at last Korra almost wanted to give up, and in a final attempt spoke aloud "Okay spirit. If you can hear me, what is it you want? How can I help you?" At first she received no response and then a lone image that wasn't of her own making entered in her mind.

Showing a younger Naruto standing beneath a waterfall and staring down at a corpse of a black haired boy around his age with a massive hole blown into his chest region with statues of two men she didn't recognize standing over them. Naruto gripped the lifeless body's hair and then quickly used some kind of bladed weapon to cut the black haired boy's scalp off, and then he let out a guttural rage filled cry to the skies.. The grisly sight churned her stomach, and just like that, it had ended. "I have something!" She shouted, causing the Air-benders to jump in their seats at Korra's sudden outburst.

"What? Did you find out what the Spirit wanted?" Jinora asked in curiosity, while Tenzin listened intently.

"The Spirit sent me an image… of Naruto. I'm not sure what it means. But it almost seemed like some kind of warning." She explained, earning some confused looks from the Air-benders, mostly from Tenzin and his eldest child. After a brief explanation of what she saw, though she left out the more grisly details for the children's sake.

Tenzin wasn't exactly sure what to do with this information, he doubted any court would accept visions as evidence for a murder trial. Plus they couldn't exactly act with only a piece of the story. There has to be more to this. Much more. But the only person that could tell them anything was Naruto himself, and there was no guarantee he would tell them the whole truth. The monk muttered that he needed to think on what Korra had told him and departed with his children, a concerned Jinora looking over her shoulder towards the Avatar.

The young Water-Bender looked out towards the city and pondered over her brief encounters with Naruto. He didn't seem like a murderer, or at the very least, someone who wouldn't kill without good reason. But who was he really? What was he hiding? What was his agenda? And why did he kill that boy in the vision? She knew that she would have to confront him on this. And when she did, she'd be ready for him. She reached into her pocket and found the business card that she had received earlier… if she was going to teach him a lesson, it would be on her terms.

Even without Air-bending she was still a capable combatant. And if Naruto was truly rotten to the core, she would personally beat the snot out of him and drag him into the spotlight and expose him for what he really was. As the Avatar, it was her duty to preserve the balance of the world and act in the greater good. But when this crossed her mind… she couldn't help but wonder what sacrifices she would have to make along the way.

Things were going to get ugly, and fast. This she knew for certain. The rest? Well… she only hoped that whatever gods existed in the heavens were feeling kind. And for Naruto's sake… he had better have a good explanation for himself.

End chapter one.