48 Chapter-49

The ship arrived on the coast and swiftly lowered a ramp, revealing Zuko leading a group of twenty soldiers. They all disembarked the ramp and reached the beach. "Look for him," was the simple order from the prince, who spotted a small town in the distance. With a weak smile, he started walking toward his destination.

Zuko fired a large flare of fire that deflected some metallic stars thrown at him.

"Wow, you're good." A silhouette emerged from among the trees, causing the soldiers to be on guard.

"So, you are the famous orange flash, Uzumaki Naruto?" The soldiers stepped back as the prince walked through them to face the blonde, who only raised an eyebrow at the marked teenager.

"You know my name, but I don't know yours. Are you...?" Naruto had a feeling he had crossed paths with this boy before.

"I am Prince Zuko, son of Fire Lord Ozai and heir to the throne."

"Okay, Zuko, I understand." Smiling, the blonde remained unfazed by the firebender's furious look.

"What insolence! I thought the great warrior who brought down the walls of Bǎolěi was more than just a brat dressed as an orange jester. You're no big deal."

"Well, you don't look like much of a prince either." Tension thickened between them, and a battle seemed imminent.

"Where is the Avatar?" Losing patience, weak flames flickered from the prince's hands, eager to incinerate his opponent.

"Oh, come on. You hurt my feelings. Am I not enough for you?" Naruto had to jump to avoid a fireball aimed at his face.

"Don't make fun of me. You may be the most wanted man in the world, but I don't care. Only the capture of the Avatar will restore my honor. Someone like you will never understand." The prince growled, ready to engage the blonde in combat.

"Refuse fame, gold, and who knows what else to kill me, but you just want your honor back?" Naruto shrugged his shoulders and glanced behind him. After a few seconds, he sighed, "Listen, I'm not in the mood to fight. Just leave, and we can avoid a battle that neither of us wants to have."

"I'm not your friend." Zuko raised his right hand, commanding his soldiers, who charged with a war cry against the ninja.

The prince barely reacted when one of his men flew to his side, crashing against the ship. The shinobi dodged each attack from the soldiers as if it were a game, demonstrating his strength with every blow, denting their armor and incapacitating them. With a final sigh, Naruto kicked his last opponent in the stomach, making him fall at the prince's feet.

"I underestimated you, but it won't be that easy with me." Zuko assumed his combat pose, not allowing himself to be intimidated by the boy. Instead, he felt intrigued.

"We'll see."

Without further ado, Naruto and Zuko launched themselves at each other.

...

Sokka, followed by Suki, guided Appa to one of the beaches, hoping to be seen by the ship. Maybe if they were seen, the ship would follow them. "Come on, friend, we're close." Riding the great animal, the boy finally felt relief when he saw the ship arrive at the beach. He hurried over to his sister, who was holding Aang. "What happened to him?" They helped the waterbender lift the monk onto the bison.

"He almost drowned trying to ride that thing in the sea." Sokka patted his forehead in frustration, but there was no time to dwell on that.

"I left you some extra food and water in case you need it," said the warrior, pointing to an extra bag on the seat that the large animal was carrying. "You can keep the suit." She smiled when she saw the teenager's embarrassed blush, as he was still wearing the dress.

"Thank you for everything," a grateful Sokka helped his sister up and then himself. "I hope we see each other again."

"If things continue like this, perhaps it's time for the Kyoshi warriors to join this war. We will surely see each other again soon." Smiling, the girl bid farewell as the large bison took off from the ground to fly north. "Good luck..."

...

Naruto moved his head to the side as a flare of flame lightly singed the hood of his jacket.

Zuko recoiled when a pink fist struck him in the face, but it wasn't just pink, and that was enough for his helmet to fly into the air. Before he could prevent another blow, he received an elbow in the center of his stomach.

"ahhgg!" Spitting saliva, the prince fell to his knees, clutching his stomach. It felt as if a log had hit him. Even with his armor, that blow left him breathless and motionless. "That look..." Zuko hated the look the boy was giving him, another prodigy who could... humiliate him like this. Clenching his teeth in fury, the image of Azula came to his mind.

Naruto was about to deliver the decisive blow to end the fight, but he grunted when the prince unexpectedly swung his legs, causing a large flare of fire that almost burned the shinobi's face.

"Shit!" Amidst the flames, Zuko's fist crashed into his opponent's face, forcing him to retreat. Naruto retreated as flames erupted from the firebender's footsteps.

With a scream of fury, Zuko moved his two arms and, with all the strength he could muster, launched a large flame that easily reached a 15-meter diameter, consuming the blonde who was engulfed in the fire.

"*Ahhh* *ahhhh*" Breathing heavily, the prince took a deep breath and exhaled, just as his uncle had advised him so many times. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and watched as his opponent was consumed by the fire. "..."

"You're good. Few can fight me."

Zuko turned around and threw a right punch, but his fist was caught in the air by a serious Naruto. He twisted the firebender's wrist, making him scream in pain, and without giving him time to think, he grabbed him by the arm and raised him to slam him against the floor.

"It's over." The blonde walked away from his opponent when he saw that he would no longer get up. He sighed and relaxed. Zuko closed his eyes, fearing that the boy's foot was going to crush his head, but with a roar, he realized that the foot had landed just next to his head. "Go away and don't come back... because the next time I won't be so nice to you," Naruto warned as he took a step back.

"Impressive young combat." Naruto almost jumped in shock when he heard a voice nearby. It belonged to an old man with a gray beard and hair, wearing old Fire Nation armor. "Apparently, the rumors were not just rumors. To avoid bending any element, you have good tricks."

The old man's calm demeanor and smile made Naruto cautious.

"He's not like the others." Something told him that facing the old man wouldn't be an easy battle. "I don't want to fight you; I just need to know that you'll leave this place alone."

"Ohhh." Smiling even more, Iroh rubbed his beard thoughtfully, looking curiously at the boy. "Well, I have to say that our objective is only the Avatar. If he's not here, we have no reason to be here, don't you think so, Prince Zuko?"

"Ahg..." The firebender just grunted in pain.

"Well then, I hope you can reach us." Taking a big leap, the shinobi rose several meters, just in time for the flying bison to pass beneath him and carry him away from the firebenders. They could only watch as the large animal disappeared into the distance.

"Interesting." Shrugging his shoulders, the old master turned around to return to the ship.

"Uncle..." Zuko began but stopped when he saw that his nephew was still on the ground. "Help me get back to the ship... I can't move." He grunted in pain as he failed to stand up. Iroh laughed and went for help, getting the soldiers and his nephew onto the ship to continue their search for the Avatar.

[ Reader's I have already uploaded till Chapter 72 on my PAT REON and I hope you reader's support me there so I could continue the work and stay motivated.

PAT REON I'D:- Alzero ]