33 No Time Left

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Chapter 34 (An Avatar, A Demon, and A Rat), Chapter 35 (A Demon Unleashed), Chapter 36 (Naruto vs Amon), Chapter 37 (Four Tails Beast), Chapter 38 (Naruto Uzumaki), Chapter 39 (Despair), and Chapter 40 (No Hope) are already available for Patrons.

'So the old mamma's boy got himself a new cub, huh?' Sozu asked as he was flying near Republic City's shores.

"Yeah, his name is Rohan. He actually looks a lot like Pema." Naruto responded. "Anyways, what I'm trying to explain here is that uncle Tenzin and his family went hiding from Amon and his henchmen. I already told you what would happen if Amon got his hands on them; airbending would disappear from this world. That's why we're retreating for now, so we can come up with a plan to fight back and hopefully end this stupid conflict."

'Just how in the Spirit World did we get caught in a war like this?'

Naruto sighed. "That, my dear old friend, is something I may not ever be able to answer."Five minutes later, both bird and rider were standing near the entrance of a sewer waiting for Naruto's friends to come. They were making small conversations about the recent events and what to do when the war between benders and non-benders came to an end. For Sozu, the whole thing was simple. Get out of the war alive and keep flying, eating, sleeping, and teasing Naruto like he always did. But for Naruto, the future was uncertain. For better or worse, things would never be the same for him, Asami, and Korra. He just hoped he and his two girlfriends could get a little peace in their lives without worrying about Amon anymore. More than ever now, Naruto desired tranquility, not only for him but for them, his friends, and his family as well. He did not want to spend the rest of their lives running away and fighting.

Looking at the water beneath him, Naruto saw something emerge. Out of the water, a certain Polar Bear Dog carrying four certain individuals came out.

"Wow, you guys really took your time getting here," Naruto commented with slight amusement as Korra and the rest of Team Avatar dismounted Naga.

"Yeah, we got a little side-tracked on our way." Korra said."Finding a specific sewer of Republic City while being under water is not exactly easy." Mako added.

"By the way, how many sewers are in Republic City?" Bolin asked the group.

Mako stared at his younger brother. "Bo, why does that matter?"

Bolin shrugged. "I'm just curious, that's all. Geez."

For a minute or so, Team Avatar watched how Air Temple Island kept being invaded by Equalists. The pitiful sight hurt all of them. For Naruto, it was like watching the home he grew up in and spent most of his life in being overwhelmed by strangers who were determined to put an end to his and his family's lifestyle. For Korra, the sight represented how close Amon was from his victory and how far he would go to get her and the airbenders. It was a battle between herself and Amon, and Amon was currently winning. For Mako and Bolin, the whole thing was like a Déjà vu. It was the third time they had to abandon their place to stay because of the Equalists. First, the Pro-bending Arena, then Asami's estate, and now the Air Temple. Was it much to ask for a place they could live in peace? And finally, Asami felt sick and completely guilty about what was happening. Her father, her own dear father, the person he admired the most, was behind this. Just a few months ago, she was proud of being Hiroshi Sato's daughter, and now she felt ashamed of bearing her last name. Now more than ever, Asami wondered if she would ever forgive her father for all the things he had done.

"We should get moving," Naruto said as the rest of them started walking toward the sewer's darkness.

Sozu, however, stayed still. 'I'm not going in there, brat.'

Naruto turned around. "What? Why not?"

'I hate tunnels and sewers. They are way too small and tight for my taste. I wouldn't be able to fly inside them and I'm not comfortable with walking like you humans do. You may not have a problem doing this, but I do. My word is final.'

"Oh come on! Can you just bear with us this one time?" Naruto asked with frustration.The rest of the crew was baffled by the scene, Asami and Korra being the two exceptions. It seemed to them that Naruto was arguing with his giant bird pet over something like some sort of lunatic. Was their friend suddenly going crazy? Mako decided to voice their doubts. "Huuuum, Asami... Why is Naruto talking to Sozu?"

"Long story, I'll explain later," Asami replied with little enthusiasm. She didn't feel like talking about Sozu and Naruto's bond that allowed them to have such a level of communication and understanding between one another.

Back with Naruto and Sozu, the pair argued for some time until Naruto gave in. "Fine. But if you're not coming with us, then where will you go? You can't come back to the island or you'll get caught."

'Ha! Like those weaklings could do a thing to me. But no, I'm not planning on going back to my nest just now. I'll just fly around until I find a place where I can have a nap, not too far away from you and not too close to those Equalists buffoons. For their sake.' Sozu replied as arrogant as ever.

"Hmpf, have it your way," Naruto said with a shrug. Suddenly, he frowned, and his eyes met Sozu's with intensity. "Sozu, be careful out there. If anything happens to you-"'Yeah yeah, whatever. Just make sure you don't get captured so I don't have to get out of my way to save your worthless rear. I'll take my leave now. Have a good one, suckers.' Sozu interrupted before parting away from Team Avatar.

Naruto sighed while rubbing his temples, thinking how much he wanted to strangle Sozu to death. His train of thought was interrupted when he saw Korra looking at the Air Temple Island with narrowed eyes. 'She's not used to retreat. And she's also feeling guilty for making Republic City wait while it's being attacked. I want to say something to her, but I can't think of anything. 'Mental sigh' damn it, I hate times like these.' "Come on Korra, we have to go now." Naruto said as the rest of the crew was already walking.

Korra nodded but didn't say anything. Soon, Team Avatar was walking through Republic City's sewers, not looking back.

Unknown to them, there was one thing on Sozu's mind as he was flying. 'You better be careful too, brat.'

Republic City

"It is a glorious day, my Equalists brothers and sisters. Amon has brought down the tyrannical bending government, declared bending illegal and has the Avatar on the run!" Hiroshi Sato proclaimed to the crowd gathered outside Republic City's Hall.

"Our great leader has a vision for the future. One day soon, bending will no longer exist and we shall live in a world where everyone is finally equal! The United Forces are on their way here in this precise moment to try and stop that dream from happening, but we will prevail!" the man finished his speech as the crowd cheered. Over the last hours, Equalists forces had taken control of the city by kidnapping the Council Members left and rounding up every individual suspected of being a bender. The most influential buildings, including the Pro-bending Arena and the City Hall, now sported big flags with the Equalist symbol and were being guarded with chi-blockers and Mechatanks. Even the statue of Avatar Aang was remodeled, wearing the same mask Amon had on its face.

While some people were overjoyed by the events, others were scared. What if the new Equalist government turned out to be just as bad, if not worse, than the previous one? The Equalists already proved to be relentless in their quest to purify the world from bending, and they wouldn't hesitate to use whatever method they thought necessary. It wasn't like every non-bender hated bending with their lives, like the Pro-bending fans, for example. Also, Amon was not on the hunt for benders only. Any non-bender who openly critiqued the new Equalist system would be considered as a bending sympathizer and, thus, an enemy of the government. Trials would most likely be non-existent from here on now.

Was this truly the vision Amon had for Republic City?

Was it really that good?

As the crowd continued to shout in approval, two chi-blockers stepped away from the group of people and slowly made their way to a secluded area of the park nearby. Once they both made sure no one was following them, one of the chi-blockers earthbended a big rock, moving it out of its place and revealing a large hole in the ground that led to the sewers. When the supposed Equalists landed, they took off their masks simultaneously.

"Can you believe this guy?" Korra rhetorically asked Mako as she bent the rock back to its place to cover the secret entrance. "'Amon has the Avatar on the run.' I'm not running from anyone! Let's go back there and knock some heads. They'll never know what hit them!"

Mako placed his hand on Korra's shoulder to stop her from doing anything brash. "Relax. General Iroh is coming with an entire fleet of battle ships and then Amon will be the one running."

"I hate this 'being patient' stuff." Korra muttered as she turned away.

'It's a good thing airbenders are supposed to be patient. Otherwise, I'm not sure if Naruto could put up with her when she gets angry.' Mako thought, slightly amused as he followed Korra back to their hideout.

Hideout

While Bolin was playing with Pabu, Asami and Naruto were sitting on top of some boxes nearby, making small talk.

"Anyways, there is something I've been meaning to ask you Naruto. Before we got into the sewers, you argued with Sozu about something. Care to explain that?" Bolin suddenly asked."Oh that? Yeah, me and Sozu can understand each other. He explained to me that Raven Eagles such as himself are able to communicate with other species once their bond is strong enough. I've been taking care of that giant bird ever since I was a little kid, so you can say we're pretty close in our own way." Naruto explained.

Bolin was visibly perplexed by the explanation. "Really? But I've never heard of such a thing.""Well, there are several factors that need to be taken into account." Naruto stated with a smile. "You see, Alpha Raven Eagles are supposed to be much more intelligent than the regular Raven Eagles. Their size is not the only thing they're different in. Also, Raven Eagles don't normally seek the company of us humans, but then again, I've been taking care of him since he was a little flying feather ball. Last but not least, Alpha Raven Eagles are almost extinct. The little information we have on them come from super old books written in a time when there were a lot more of them around. So yeah, don't be surprised if you've never heard of them."The Earth bender shook his head in amusement. "You're full of surprises aren't you?"Now it was Naruto's turn to ask. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's not every day you get to know one of the world's last airbenders who's also Asami's boyfriend and that casually happens to have an Alpha Raven Eagle for a mascot."Naruto chuckled. He did have a point, after all. "True. But for the record, Sozu is not my mascot. If anything, he's my friend."

Just then, Korra and Mako appeared. They were wearing the standard chi-blocker uniform but without the mask. Bolin saw them as well and was the first to pipe up. "Man, it took you guys forever to get here! What took you so long?" he asked as Pabu climbed up to his left shoulder."We were doing reconnaissance, Bo. We need as much information as we can get." the firebender explained to his younger brother.

"Did you find anything useful?" Naruto asked.

Before either of them could answer, their 'host' appeared from literally out of nowhere. The host of the underground hideout was none other than the hobo Korra met at the park on her very first day in Republic City. The man, Gao was his name, was a little too crazy for Naruto's taste, but he would put up with the hobo's antics if only as a way of thanking him for the hospitality."Welcome back! I hope you two have worked an appetite cuz' dinner is served!"

And so, Team Avatar gathered around a small fire where Gao was cooking what seemed to be some sort of soup with vegetables. Naruto had to admit that the soup looked yummy."Thank you so much for letting us stay here for the past few days." Korra said to Gao, who waved his hand dismissively as he passed another bowl.

"Ohhh, think nothing of it. My associates and I are not exactly fond of Amon's so called 'Equalists policies'. We have benders and non-benders living down here, and do ya' see us fighting? No, you don't. Because we've learn how to harmoniously co-exist." Gao replied as he hugged himself.

The Airbender of the group was surprised. The city under Republic City was way behind in some things but at the same time so much further ahead in others. It made him think about which one of the two cities was the most advanced.

"You sir, are a wise and noble hobo." Bolin said as he tasted the soup. "Mhhhhhhhhm, this is the best street soup I've ever had. Seriously!"

Gao enjoyed the praise quite a bit. "Oh, you flatter me. I made it with the leftovers I found in the finest dumpsters the city has to offer," he said with evident pride. Asami, who was having her first taste, turned green and proceeded to spit out all of the soup she had in her mouth. When nobody was looking at her, she took her bowl of soup and handed it to Pabu, who started eating the thing like it was no big deal.

Naruto found himself doing the very same thing. 'In times like this, ignorance is certainly a blessing.'

Later that night

Naruto slowly woke up from his sleep. He simply couldn't rest right now, not with everything that was going on. As he looked at his friends, he noticed that someone was missing.Korra.

'Where is that girl?' Naruto thought as he rubbed his head. Bolin, Asami, and Mako were still sleeping, but Korra and Naga where nowhere to be seen. Deciding to go looking for her, Naruto got up and washed his face with some clean water. He put on his boots and started walking aimlessly, still not used to the extension of the underground shelter.

Fortunately, Korra was not far ahead. Naruto found her leaning on Naga with an annoyed look on her face, obviously still awake and unable to sleep, just like him. Korra didn't seem to notice him, apparently too distracted by her thoughts. "You can't sleep either, huh?""Oh, hey there," Korra said, a little startled.

"Mind if I join you?" Naruto asked. Korra responded by moving to her right. Naruto took a sit next to her, studying her facial expressions to determine how she was feeling. She looked tired and frustrated out of her mind, though Naruto knew it was something to expect. "Korra, how are you feeling?" he knew it was kind of a dumb thing to ask, but he couldn't think of another conversation starter.

"I'm alright. It's just that I don't like being here when I could be outside fighting Amon. The whole city is going insane and I'm sitting here doing nothing." Korra replied."Korra, I'm not asking you about the war. I'm asking how are YOU feeling."Korra stared at him for a minute before letting out a reluctant sigh. "It's just so crazy. A few months ago I was in the South Pole practicing for my firebending test, and now I'm in the middle of an all-out war. I feel like everything is going too fast."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I know what you mean. A few months ago I was in the Air Temple watching my little cousins learn airbending, and now I'm in the same boat you're in." he said before smiling.

"I don't regret it." Naruto suddenly said. "Everything I've been involved, I don't regret it at all. You make my life more interesting. I'm sorry."

"Sorry? About what?" Korra asked in confusion.

"The day you said Asami's father was with the Equalist. I Didn't believe you despite knowing you my whole life. That's what I'm apologizing for, because I've put almost no faith in you when you needed it the most. I've been nothing but a lousy excuse of a friend."

"Naruto, don't you ever say that again. You had every right to be worried about me. And besides, I should've listened to you. If I had, I wouldn't have got myself abducted by Tarrlok. Not only that but you also rescued me back in the mountain, something I never even thanked you for. If anything, I'm the lousy friend."

Naruto chuckled. "Aren't we the lousy couple. So, do you forgive me?""Only if you forgive me as well." Korra responded with a smile.

"Deal." Naruto said before wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, I have a great idea."Korra cocked an eyebrow. "Do you now? And what great idea would that be?"

The airbender grinned. "Wait here." he said as he stood and started walking from where he came from, leaving a curious Avatar behind. A minute later, Naruto came back with a clean white sheet (or as clean as a sheet from an underground hideout located in the sewers can be) and took a seat next to Korra, covering themselves with the sheet.

"This was your great idea?" Korra asked, amused.In response, Naruto gave her a sly smirk. "Huh-huh, don't think that I have forgotten that day in the park when you and I cuddled while we were looking for Bolin. I swear, even back then you were still crazy about me."

To her credit, Korra only had a small blush staining her cheeks. "Look who's talking. I didn't saw you complaining." she said with a hint of embarrassment. Thankfully, now that they were a couple, things like that were far easier to discuss.

"Nope, you certainly didn't," Naruto said before wrapping an arm around her shoulders for a second time and pulling her close to him. Korra sighed and leaned against Naruto's chest. If she was honest with herself, she did miss the feeling of being intimate with her boyfriend, a feeling she couldn't afford in lately due to the recent events. She knew it was something she should get used to, but it wasn't that easy.

Korra was tough girl, or at least that's how she saw herself. But deep inside her heart, there was a little place where all of her insecurities were stored, insecurities that once in a while escaped. Naruto was her source of confidence and reassurance, always being there for her when she needed him. And when she was with him, any doubts she had would disappear. Not to mention, the sensation of being close to Naruto's muscled body with her head on his toned chest was more than enough for her to feel what she would call a combination of protection, comfort, and... lust?...What? She was seventeen, and she had a really hot boyfriend, for crying out loud! And so, she had the right to distract herself every once in a while with thoughts that Tenzin would classify as... inappropriate.

In any case, whatever guilt she felt quickly faded away when Naruto placed his fingers on her chin and kissed her fully on the lips. Korra closed her eyes and returned the kiss with equal eagerness.

Naruto broke the kiss and smiled at Korra. "My my, looks like I've kept you waiting for way too long." he said in a husky tone.

"Oh, just shup and get back here."

And so, the Avatar and the Airbender continued to kiss for what felt like an eternity. However, Korra suddenly pulled back from the kiss and stared at Naruto with a stern face.

"Promise me."

This caught Naruto off-guard. "Huh?"

"Promise me. Promise me that, no matter what happens, you will be careful. I don't care if something happens to me, but you will take care of yourself."

"Korra..."

"Promise me." Korra almost yelled. Heck, if it weren't because there were others sleeping nearby, she would've had.

"... I promise." Naruto said with a reluctant sigh. What choice did he have? He knew that the following hours, and probably days, would be dangerous. But at the same time, he knew how stubborn Korra was on this sort of thing. Her rational side would be put on hold until she heard what she wanted to. That was one of the things she didn't like so much about her, her unwillingness to hear reason or different opinions on something when she already had made up her mind. And Naruto knew better than to argue with women. His very own aunt Pema taught him that years ago.

Korra smiled. "Good." she said before going back to snuggle.Naruto closed his eyes in peace, yet, a small part of him told him that everything would change soon. The dream of the Republic City burning felt way too real.

Stop worrying yourself with nonsense dreams; soon, everything will be back to normal, Naruto thought.