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Chapter 4

"We're finally here!" Korra grinned widely, her eyes doing their best to soak in the sight of Republic City in its entirety. Pumping her hands into the air, she jumped about for a bit in a silly fashion, laughing happily at her situation. "I'm finally in Republic City!"

Naruto smiled at her excitement; it reminded him a lot of how Konohamaru would also get super excited and restless whenever he taught him a new technique. Though, from what she had said, this was the first time she would be stepping out of her comfort zone in all her years; not only was she excited about visiting the place she had always dreamed of going to, but she was also riding on that feeling of freedom she was only just experiencing.

He pursed his lips, keeping his eyes trained upon her happy form. 'Unfortunately for her, this trip will be much more daunting than she has realized. Even if I exclude Vaatu from the equation, there is still the matter of that Amon character and the Equalist organization to consider.'

He felt Hagoromo stir within him, the comforting presence of the Elder Sage unmistakable. "You are right, though I feel you should put a bit more faith in young Korra. Her inexperience is indeed a problem, one that must be rectified immediately, but she has you, Tenzin and the members of the White Lotus to depend on. So long as you support her as much as you teach her, I am confident that she will become a fine Avatar."

Naruto didn't reply, grabbing as much of their luggage as he could. After a bit of juggling, he managed to pick up the three largest bags of the bunch and turned to Korra, who was busy gawking at the streets of Republic City. "Um, hello? Your stuff is still here." He called out.

Jerking out of her sight-seeing, Korra quickly stepped up and lifted the remaining bags that she hadn't managed to fit on Naga. Speaking of her companion, the polar bear-dog hybrid stood patiently at the docks, sniffing the air periodically yet remaining at her position. Whistling to Naga, Korra gestured to their position and Naga began to walk towards them. "So, how are we getting to Air Temple Island? Are we going by boat or something?" She asked, slinging one of the bags over her shoulder.

Naruto nodded, the action highlighting the unusual colour of his hair. "Yeah, that's how other people usually arrive at our place. Tenzin has too much on his plate to start teaching a new generation of Airbenders, and my bending style revolves around combat and high-speed movement. As such, the only possible ways to enter our home is by boat or flying vehicle."

"Wait, you mean there are actually machines that can fly?" Korra gave him a disbelieving look, too struck by the absurdity of such a concept. Machines flying? When they were made of heavy metal, and were of better use on the ground? "That sounds like a bad rumor or something."

Whatever Naruto was about to say was cut off by the warm and wet sensation that he felt on his arm. Glancing down at the limb, he found himself staring at Naga as she licked his hand once again. Rubbing her head briefly, he returned to his little conversation. "Trust me, there are such things. Future Industries, a large business company owned by a family friend, uses state-of-the-art-technology to make airships for the Police Force to use on their patrols." Catching sight of one in the distance, he smirked and pointed it out. "See that? That's one of them right now."

Korra's jaw dropped as she watched the huge flying vehicle drift further away towards the city. She had heard that many wondrous and strange things existed in the world, heck she had even dreamed of searching them out one day, but never had she thought of seeing something that large and heavy staying afloat in the air before.

Feeling a touch on her shoulder, she blushed lightly as she was greeted with Naruto's sly smile. For some reason, at that moment, he looked…dare she say it...very striking. "Come on, let's go grab a taxi and head home." He said. Gesturing to the streets, he began to make his way in a particular direction.

Shaking her head, Korra glanced down at Naga. "Come on girl, let's go."

Tenzin sighed deeply as he sipped his cup of tea, specially imported from the Fire Nation. He was resting in the confines of his study, a room where only Pema and Naruto bothered to venture when they needed him for something. Here, he could relax and unwind from the stress of the day, his only companions being his thoughts.

As he sunk back into the soft 'comfort' chair Naruto had given him on his fortieth birthday, his thoughts went to a subject he found himself visiting much more than he should: his eldest son.

Naruto had certainly turned out to be a unique kind of individual. Whilst he was respectful and had a much more open mindset most children had, his fascination with combat, which bordered on obsession at times, was something Tenzin had mixed feelings about. Even as a child, Naruto ignored the various toys and trinkets he and Pema had bought for him, seemingly more interested in learning Airbending than playing with toys like other children.

He had initially been against teaching Naruto anything higher than the basic movements that characterized their bending style, which had garnered some dissent by Pema, surprisingly. She felt that Naruto's interest in fighting, while something she didn't really understand, was what made him special and she trusted Tenzin to teach him what was appropriate for someone of his age.

However, after watching Naruto replicate a fairly complex skill at the age of five, Tenzin's opinion on the issue slowly began to change. He still refused to teach Naruto beyond what he believed was suitable for his level, but he did become more open about the intricacies of the art and even went so far as to engage in a little debate on possible new applications of Airbending.

He frowned thoughtfully as he recalled the day Naruto had spontaneously challenged him to a fight. It had been…eye-opening.

Tenzin stared disbelievingly at the six year-old Naruto, his pen suspended in midair and letter slipping out of his hands to the floor. He paid no mind to that; his mind was focusing on only one thing, the words that had come out of his eldest child. "I'm sorry, what did you just say?" He asked, still hoping that his ears had been playing tricks on him.

The small child just smirked, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest arrogantly. "You heard me, Dad. I'm gonna show you just how awesome I really am, by beating you in a fight! So come on, let's go!" He then dropped into a fighting stance, a rarely seen serious look on his face.

Had Tenzin not been in shock, he might've found the display to be cute. As it was, all his confused mind could respond was a blunt, "What?"

Naruto pouted, waving his hands frantically. "Come on! You always say that you're an Airbending Master, so it's not like I'm actually going to hurt you. We could totally have a good fight, and I'd get to show you how strong I've become."

Tenzin blinked at his son's words, a small part of his mind mentioning that it was more likely him who would be worrying about hurting Naruto, not the other way round. Massaging his forehead, he sucked in a deep breath. "Naruto, you know that I do not approve of you taking on a task that is far beyond your abilities. As it is right now, if I were to accept this 'challenge', I'm not sure if you will be able to walk away without any injuries." He hoped Naruto would accept his reasoning and maybe continue practicing his exercises.

Naruto frowned. "But didn't you say that we can't become great in life if there are no challenges to overcome?" Catching the wince his father made, he hurried to strike while the iron was hot. "Besides, isn't training all about pushing yourself to the limits and perfecting what you have been taught? How will I know how good I am if I only practice on the air?"

Tenzin groaned.

"What's going on here?" Both father and son turned to see Pema walking towards them with an easy smile, carrying a small little girl who was watching her surroundings with wide eyes. Pema's eyes twinkled as Naruto immediately turned to her with a cute pout.

"Mom, Dad won't help me practice my bending! He doesn't want to be my partner because he thinks I'm not good enough!"

Tenzin sharply turned to Naruto, "Hold on a minute, young man. You challenged me to a spar, and I am not comfortable with the idea. You raised some good points, I'll admit, but I don't think this is a good way of determining your current skill." He whipped about towards Pema, his eyes practically begging her to help him out. "Pema, surely can see where I'm coming from."

She looked down at her scowling son, who was still hugging her legs. It was times like this that she wondered why her boy was so eager to fight. "Naruto, sweetie, I think your Dad has a point about this. Maybe when you're a little older, then maybe he'll be more open to the idea." She set Jinora, who was staring at Naruto like he was an interesting toy, down on the floor and knelt down to look him in the eye. "I know it's not what you want, but you're going to have to wait for a while."

Naruto scowled for a moment, before nodding. "Yes Mom." He brightened, smiling angelically once again. "But can I just show Dad this one move I've been working on?"

Tenzin shook himself out of his recollection, setting his cup down on the desk. He remembered all too well that particular technique Naruto had developed…and how it had strained their relationship.

He frowned. Even now, despite his pride in Naruto's skill, he still did not agree with what Naruto had said that day. He had seen what had happened to those with prodigious skills, and he was determined to not let his son fall down that path many others did. Especially now, with Korra coming in to learn Airbending from him.

His thoughts took a different turn as he pondered how he would teach her. Unlike Naruto, she hadn't even managed to bend the gentlest of breezes despite her age and it seemed unlikely that just a few weeks of training would somehow allow her to tap into her inner talent. Also, from his limited interactions with her, it seemed like she had the same problem his father had with Earthbending; her personality was more attuned to that of Firebending, an odd feature given that she was a Waterbender by birth.

He supposed he could get around this problem she was having, though it meant he might have to be much more strict than usual, but there was still the problem of her spiritual connection. After pondering the situation, he decided to just focus on teaching her Airbending first then later focus on the spiritual matters.

Nodding his head, Tenzin finally allowed his eyes to close. Might as well get as much sleep as he could before Korra arrived.

"Wow…this is so awesome." Korra breathed, her head turning left and right at odd angles to get a better view of the renowned Republic City. They were both riding on Naga across the streets, since they couldn't find a cab large enough to transport both them and the polar bear-dog. Naruto had been apologetic about overlooking that detail, but she had readily waved his apology off, saying that anyone would've made the same mistake.

Naruto nodded in agreement, though he was careful to avoid moving too much. His perch on Naga was precarious enough already, but the clincher was that he was uncomfortably close to Korra; apparently, Korra had forgotten to grab a bigger saddle for Naga, something he couldn't fault her for considering they hadn't planned any trips that would require Naga to take them on together.

Still, it was a tad awkward sitting with very little distance between his crotch and Korra's bum. Even though he was able to keep his mind off it to engage in a conversation with her, there was always that feeling of intimate contact at the back of his mind.

It was definitely going to make for some interesting dreams, that's for sure.

"Yeah, it's pretty exciting, isn't it? However, we should probably head to Air Temple Island as soon as possible." Glancing back at Yue Bay, Naruto raised his voice. "Hey, Korra…do you think you could guide Naga back to the port whilst I take care of something real quick?"

She turned to face him, confusion evident on her face. "Really? I thought we'd be going together…"

Naruto blanched. She looked almost pouty, which was making her cuteness rise exponentially. "You could let her come with you. Keeping her in the dark about Republic City will only make it difficult in the long run." He mentally groaned at Hagoromo's words, but he couldn't deny the point he had.

Still, he had been planning on doing this quietly, without any hassle with Lin. 'I can tell that today is just not my day…' Turning to Korra, who had slowed Naga down to a complete stop, he rubbed his head. "Okay, forget what I said just now. I was hoping to deal with something by myself, but it would be best if you were also involved."

Without explaining anything else, Naruto slid off Naga and dropped to the ground. Glancing back to Korra, he gestured for her to follow him. When she began pulling on Naga's reins, he shook his head and jerked it to a shop opposite them. Taking a quick glance at what he was pointing out, Korra's eyes narrowed.

Three men were gathered sinisterly around an elderly man, who had a noticeably terrified expression on his face. Stealing a glance around the street, Korra scrunched her brows in confusion as everyone else she saw was just minding their own business.

Turning back to Naruto, she blinked as he started moving towards the men. Somehow, even without doing anything, he seemed a lot more…dangerous than before. She was sure that the hair on her neck was standing on end. Slipping off Naga as well, Korra quickly jogged to match his long strides.

"When I say go, I want you to take out the firebender first," He whispered. "If he has even the smallest chance, he'd take it to try and damage the old man's store. You knock him out before that happens, and I'll handle the other two. Got it?"

"Right." She whispered back, feeling the good old rush of adrenaline flooding her being. She was slightly disappointed that he hadn't allowed her to take on all of them, since she was very confident in her own skills, but he was her senior so she didn't mind it too badly.

That didn't mean she would listen to him all the time.

Gearing himself for the upcoming meeting with Lin, Naruto plastered a cocky smirk on his face. By now, they were just behind the trio so he decided to get over with it. "Wow, here I was thinking that the Triple Triad was at least somewhat threatening." His words caught everyone's attention, and the men turned about to see him and Korra come to a stop. "Then I see three members who need to gang up to take on an elder man…just to be sure, you guys aren't the strongest members, are you?"

The middle man, who was wearing an elaborate blue suit and hat, glared at him for the insult. "Real funny, Sky Dragon. In fact, it was so funny that I almost forgot the jerking your mom gave me last night."

The man on the left, an earthbender given his clothing, chuckled at his partner's words. "Yeah, like his old woman's dried cunt would ever-"

His sentence was violently cut off when a wind-coated fist buried itself in his gut, sinking into his flesh like it was quicksand. His brain was overloaded with pain, one so mind-blowing and overwhelming that he promptly sank to his knees, hacking and coughing up blood and other fluids.

"Korra, go time!"

The firebender didn't know what hit him; a second ago, the girl had been silent and still, now she was a blur of motion that defied logic. Lashing out with a rising kick, brilliant orange flames shot out of her feet and sent him flying into the sky, his mind reeling from the blow. He had been too slow in bringing his guard up, and paid dearly for that.

Just as he was about to crash into the nearest item, namely the shop, a huge barrier of solid rock rose into the air. He was unaware of this, though his mind certainly noticed the additional pain as his body crashed into the hard barricade. Before he could fall down to the ground, the rocks flowed together and encased him in a blanket of sorts, restricting any movement he could make. Falling to the ground in a heap, his head banged against the hard earth surface and he went into blissful unconsciousness.

Wiping her hands, Korra smirked at the downed bender and turned to watch Naruto smash his fist against the suit-wearing bender's head. The man staggered in a daze, pain dulling his senses and coordination, only to suffer from a brutal left uppercut that sent him rising into the air. Korra whistled as Naruto then clasped his hands together, a perfectly circular barrier of wind forming around the waterbender.

Naruto glanced at the earthbender, who was staggering to his feet. Focusing chakra to his left eye, he watched as a shadow form of himself appeared behind the rising earthbender. The shadow grinned darkly, something that made Naruto wonder what he would do.

The earthbender immediately screamed his pain to the world, clutching his crotch as he fell to the ground once again.

Naruto sweat-dropped. 'Perhaps using the Limbo technique was a bit too much…'

A cloaked figure sat atop the monument of Avatar Aang, smoking peacefully whilst he stared at the city before him. His darkened eyes dropped to the Air Temple Island, a place he had frequented several times in his youth.

Crushing the cigarette in his hands, ignoring the smell of burning flesh, he slowly rose to his feet. "I suppose it's time to see that blond bastard again. Tch, he's probably even more annoying than ever before." Standing up to his full height, he rolled his shoulder as he released the illusion on his form.

Two wings made of light stretched out, connected to his back. With one last look at Republic City, he dove off the monument.

A/N: I couldn't resist not uploading this right now, so the next two chapters will be included in the mass update in July.

More detail on Naruto's unique bending style will be brought up in subsequent chapters, though I can say that it is based almost entirely around blinding speed. The new character I introduced? Has a reason for his strange features and his appearance.

Is there any fanfiction for Seitokai Yakuindomo? I've watched all episodes and am eager to see what kind of fics are out there about this anime. Uomi is my favorite character, followed by Shino and Takatoshi.

Read and review,

MaelstromBankai.