Chapter 69: Azula
Azula stood there, halfway into her lightning generating pose as she turned her head towards the railing of the ship, her golden eyes sharpened as she asked herself…. How did this person appear here without anyone knowing?
"Long black hair covering the right eye, fair skin, and considering where we are.... you must be the so-called Ghost" said the stoic Princess, not displaying even a single emotion in her eyes
"Oh, so you heard of me?" Madara asked with a smirk
"I've read about you. Debuted eight years ago, stealing from small Fire Nation camps, with many soldiers dying by your hands, and one year later… Besieged by a battalion of two hundred firebenders in the swamps near Gao Ling, you killed more than half and escaped alive, earned the title of Greedy Ghost first, then Red Eyed Ghost and many others… Labeled as the worst criminal of the Fire Nation until the news of the Avatar spread…" She said with an emotionless tone as if she was reciting a written document by memory alone. "You disappeared for many years to who knows where, then suddenly bought this land from the previous owner and now run a gambling resort with a net worth that makes nobles jealous."
"Impressive…" Said Madara while standing up from the railing and approaching the main deck.
"I thought the same… But looking at you right now… You don't seem like much" said Azula as she followed his steps towards the main deck, she knew this would be a showdown between both of them.
Looking to the sides, Madara could see that all the soldiers were being beaten by Iroh and Zuko easily, Azula would be their only challenge here.
With a snarky grin Madara answered the Fire Princess "You also look like a bitter disappointment to me…"
That managed to finally break Azula's mask by a smidge, as her left eye twitched slightly before she reigned her emotions and took her stance, in her eyes Madara in front of her was also a prodigy if the documents she saw had any truth in them, and today she will prove herself to be the superior one.
Seeing Madara with his nonchalant posture, she decided to strike first.
She punched a massive pillar of blue flames towards Madara, the heat was abnormal and even Zuko could see that she was giving her all here.
Madara kept his grin and simply leaned backwards in a near inhuman angle, letting the column of flames pass right over him, but he made sure to extend the tip of his kiseru towards the blue fire.
"Hmmmm, this does taste better…" Said Madara after recovering his stance and taking a puff "It's minty… with a touch of…. delusions of grandeur… not bad!"
Azula's frown grew, the anger slowly distorting her beautiful visage, as she started blasting fire from all her limbs non-stop, while Madara simply dodged every single one of them with an easygoing smirk, the Uchiha didn't even try to approach her during the whole fight.
Seeing the absurd acrobatic maneuvers that Madara was employing to dodge her fire, Azula couldn't help but frown even further, the corner of her mouth opened a little to display her clenched teeth.
"It seems that you only know how to dodge" Taunted the teen Princess while performing a fiery spinning kick aimed at Madara's torso, which he simply jumped over with ease;
"Nah, it's you that only knows how to miss…"
"Grr..." She doubled her output; she would hit this man and prove that she was the superior prodigy!
Zuko's mouth was gaping at what he was watching, his monstrous sister was fighting with all her might against his Teacher, to the point that even he himself wouldn't be able to endure the potency of those blue flames, but his Teacher… he… he was treating the monster Azula like a child…
Dodging another fire blast from Azula, Madara nodded;
"Good, adaptation… improvisation… but your weakness is not in your technique…"
"I have no weakness!" Shouted Azula while blasting fire with her two fists simultaneously; aiming towards the flanks of her enemy
Once she saw Madara crouching to dodge both blasts, she grinned. Lightning started dancing on her fingers as she quickly did circular movements with her hands "Let's see you dodge this!"
Pointing two fingers towards her foe, a mighty lightning bolt erupted, for a fraction of a second the world seemed to go black and white, and before one could blink a loud explosion engulfed Madara's location.
Watching from the sides, Zuko clenched his fist "..Teacher…" he mumbled, but a hand on his shoulder took his attention;
"Mr. Uchiha will be fine, we should escape while we have the chance, your Teacher is giving us a precious opportunity, let's not waste it" said the wise old General.
"… But…" he looked between the explosion and his uncle before frowning "Fine… but if he is hurt… we come back, Uncle"
"Of course." Said the smiling old General as he and his nephew sneakily jumped from the ship
Back at the deck of the ship, Azula grinned at the sight in front of her, the explosion that mixed both lightning and fire;
"As expected, you're not much," she said with a victorious grin.
"That was dangerous... huh…" Her golden eyes went wide as Madara's voice came from behind her, the bored tone of his voice irked her like no other.
Not taking any chances she lifted her foot to do a high kick with her firebending, her aim was for the kill with this kick… but the kick was easily blocked by Madara's own stretched leg, but what made her eye go wide was not Madara's sudden red eyes... no… It was the fact that… no fire came out!
She was a prodigy; she wouldn't commit such an amateurish mistake like forgetting to bend in a fight;
Clenching her teeth harder she went for another kick, spinning towards the other side, which Madara easily blocked with his knee… and once again… no fire…
"How?!" She couldn't help but ask, this should be impossible!
"Very presumptuous of you to think that Fire and Lightning are your allies when in my presence"
What followed was what looked like a synchronized dance of kicks from both sides, Azula was becoming more and more shocked, her current inability to bend fire aside, every move she did Madara would replicate perfectly, even fighting techniques that were exclusive to her and her family.
Kick meeting kick, Madara never once let go of his kiseru or moved his relaxed hand that was still hanging from his kimono, he was enjoying this.
"Come on… Stop trying to hit me and hit me…" he couldn't help but say with a healthy dose of snark.
Azula was starting to breathe harder…. It didn't matter how unexpected her strike was, Madara was always ready and mirrored her like he was her own shadow, which unnerved the teen girl.
Over ten minutes of pure martial combat already passed and Azula could feel her shins aching due to Madara's blocks. What annoyed her is that Madara never struck her… he only blocked and parried!
'How dare he take me lightly!'
Her own lapse of concentration worked against her as suddenly she felt the tip of his kiseru pressing against her neck, while Madara's voice once again echoed from behind her
"And you are dead, Girly…"
Beads of sweat covered Azula's forehead as she breathed haggardly, this was the most intense physical fight she ever had, and she used to train with her father!
"What are you?" She asked with a narrowed gaze at her opponent while reining in her emotions, although her trembling eyes couldn't be hidden.
"Madara Uchiha"
"That doesn't explain anything…"
"No, that explains everything."
As the teen girl kept staring at the man, he slowly distanced himself from her with an ever-present smirk on his lips. She couldn't help but say;
"As I thought, once a criminal... always a criminal; a traitor shielding traitors"
"I resent that, I never betrayed anyone… and it was you who struck first and let them run away while being completely focused on me"
Silence remained for a dozen or so seconds, she kept scanning the surroundings and noticed that Madara was right, Zuko and Iroh had long left. Then, Madara decided that he had enough;
"Well, that was an interesting impromptu lesson, good luck to you and your… ventures…" Said Madara while turning away, walking like he didn't even care about her trying to strike his back
"Lesson?" Azula raised her eyebrow, not understanding what he meant.
"Would you rather call it a defeat?" Madara asked without even turning back, but she could feel his grin growing wider.
Her fists clenched so hard that the skin on the back of her hands turned pale white, she wouldn't dignify him with an answer!
"You will answer for your crimes when I report you to the Fire Lord" She said with deep anger and frustration in her voice;
"Really?" Said Madara while turning his head towards the girl. "Then perhaps I SHOULD join the Avatar, huh?"
Her heart stopped for a fraction of a second right there, if that happened… things would go against her Lord Father's plans, and it would be her fault.
"What do you want?"
"You and your people keep away from my land and my business, and I will keep my distance from the tattooed kid"
"We have a deal" She said after much inner struggle, as this was the first time in her whole life that she had to compromise, she was not enjoying this;
Nodding sagely Madara then concluded "Now, I would be grateful if you told Daddy Dearest that it seems that many mercenaries and even Earth Kingdom nobles do not respect his rule, since they dared to attack this place not long ago, I already sent him a letter a while ago but it would be great if his favorite child could help my case"
She was about to retort when Madara interrupted her… again…
"I shall take my leave first, good luck with the repairs… they might take a while" he sarcastically spoke as he jumped on top of the railing and leaned backwards, simply falling from the boat.
Those words seemed to bring Azula back to the present situation, making her look towards her vessel and see flames consuming many parts of the deck and most had already spread towards the interior.
The few soldiers that were not knocked out were just watching her with incredulous eyes, she didn't like that one bit.
"Wake everyone up, I want the ship fixed by tonight, we have to return to the Fire Nation as soon as possible!"
"Y-Your Highness… what about the G-ghost?" Asked one scared soldier
"He will have his due…" Her eyes narrowed dangerously as both her fists and teeth clenched in frustration and even … unwillingness…
For the first time in her life Azula felt that she was just a regular person… the Monster was the one that completely demolished her with ease…
Looking towards her hands, and finally seeing the blue flame sparking on her palm she finally let out a sigh of relief, whatever Madara did that interrupted her bending… even if temporarily… truly scared her
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
KojiSan
KojiSan This chapter was tough to come up with, i thought several different scenarios of this encounter and in all of them i had one thing that i disliked...
i DONT WANT the fights to evolve into dragon ball, where the bigger number beats the small number, while that is true... i rather focus on skill, experience and techinique over Power Levels.
Don't get me wrong, Madara is a beast, he is the top dog, but i don't want all his fights to be "BRRR SUSANO'O!!" or "SUPER DUPER FIRE WAVE!"
I like more grounded fights, that display skill over pure power... of course not all fights will be skill based, but i really liked how this one ended up as.
I hope yall liked this chapter, i dont really like to spend a WHOLE CHAPTER in a fight, but this one was worth it in my opinion, specially because many things were happening during the fight... it was not a pointless dance...
Have a great day Yall! lets keep that number 1 shall we?!
Yeah... lets go my Sausage Army! lets take over!
Chapter 70: Plots
On the horizon, the second largest city in the Earth Kingdom could be seen. Built on top of a tall mountain peak, part of the Kolau Mountain Range in the southwestern Earth Kingdom, it rises high out of a deep chasm and was created by earthbenders several centuries ago.
Being considered the second most defensible city-fortress in the known world, it was shocking to see smoke coming out of several sectors of its area. Omashu now sports huge Fire Nation flags on each side of its walls.
Inside the city, the famous Omashu Delivery System now lays bare and empty, with no earthbender to work on the lifts and slides anymore, the city looks… bleak… bleak and broken, especially during the current night time, with the clouds fully covering the moonlight.
Walking through the deserted streets, surrounded by red armored guards carrying metal torches, a small group of three could be seen… well two and a half;
"There really is no fathoming the depths of my hatred for this place." Said a young female in a monotone voice, her long loose robes billowing with the little wind that managed to reach inside the city, her black hair and eyes only deepen her deadpan expression even more, as if she was always bored;
"Mai, your father was appointed governor. We're like royalty here. Be happy and enjoy it" said an older elegant woman wearing traditional Fire Nation red robes while carrying a baby in her arms, trying to make her daughter smile at least a little bit;
"Sure… and then he went back to his hobby that he got since he came back from that Resort last year…" replies the monotone young girl.
"Don't be mean to your father." Answered her mother, Michi, with a wry, forced smile. "He deserves his hobbies."
"Yes… it's not like it has gotten out of hand or anything…" said Mai with a dry sarcasm, not even showing a smidge of emotion
"He paid his debts and we earned good favor with the Fire Lord, now we are governors of New Ozai… don't be too harsh on him."
"It's still disturbing to see your forty-something-year-old father yelling to the world, declaring that a man more than half of his age is his lifelong rival…"
The older woman tripped a little bit, her smile getting more forced "Nothing wrong with a little competition, look where it led us! We rule this city now…"
"Sure… let's call an old man collecting anything related to a 'former criminal' and writing conspiracy theories about their origin and goals …. 'a little competition'…"
At this point, even the baby in Michi's arms started giggling;
"Be as it may, as long as he is responsible with money and not burning it in gambling… your father is entitled to do whatever he wants" concluded Michi with a tone of finality.
"He literally burns money with his new smoking habits… " Mai couldn't help but sigh "To think that our boringly normal family would be more exciting than our new 'hometown'… Nothing ever happens…"
At that moment, a loud noise could be heard from the stone ramps that lead to their location.
Looking up the entourage could see a large boulder exploding, and only a small kid in orange, with an orange hat and holding a staff staring at them from one of the layers above;
Pointing towards the badly disguised but still unbelievably effective Avatar, Michi shouted;
"The resistance!"
Mai finally let out a faint smile on her face, dashing towards the staff-wielding kid. Spreading her arms, many tiny arrows flew towards her target as she followed the perpetrators through the streets of Omashu.
As she reached the platform above, she could see the two guards that went ahead of her being tossed back to the ground level. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at their 'professionalism'
As the chase continued, she finally got face to face with the kid, but after tossing a hidden blade that hits the target's staff, her targets were suddenly swallowed by the earth, leaving her to sigh in disappointment and boredom again.
She could only slump her shoulders a bit and turn around, returning to her family
"Did you get hurt?" Asked a worried Michi
"No."
"We will get them next time, sweetie," said her mother with a gentle smile.
After a long walk the family of three finally reached the palace on the top of the highest point of the city, and as expected… the lord of the city wasn't there…
Mai and Michi could only sigh as they both go to one of the side doors, opening they see the messiest room ever, on the wall there were many articles connected one to the other with pins and strings,
A middle-aged man with grey and white disheveled hair, wearing messy yet luxurious Fire Nation robes with pointy shoulders, and nasty bags under his eyes could be seen writing something on a piece of paper, before putting it on top of a pile of already written papesr;
"Mai! Michi! I thought you were going out for a walk…" Asked the man with a look that screamed 'go to bed!'
"We've been out for three hours… dad…" Said Mai with no emotion behind her words.
"Tom-Tom is already in his crib dear…" said Michi with a badly hidden concerned face.
Staring at the two women in front of him, Ukano, the patriarch of the family, only nodded
"I see… I am almost done with my work here… It shouldn't take too long;"
"Dad… you said that last week…"
"Dear, you need some sleep…"
"No! What I need is the truth!" Shouts Ukano, slamming his hand on his messy desk;
Walking around the messy room, towards the panel on the wall, Mai couldn't help but raise an eyebrow "I think you are too much into …. This…. Dad…" she said with an uncertain yet still empty tone;
"THIS IS THE WORK OF THE PAST YEAR!" Shouted Ukano with pride, pointing to the messy wall
"The first sight of the Ghost… has way deeper meaning than the world thinks it does! If my theories are right-"
The patriarch was quickly interrupted by his frowning wife "That's it! You are going to bed!" said the angry woman while dragging her husband forcefully.
"Wait! There's so much more to uncover!"
"Tomorrow!"
"No! I need to know… what 'Uchiha' means!!!"
"GO TO BED!"
"THE WORLD NEEDS TO UNDERSTA-"
Sigh…
Mai could only rub her forehead with her fingers, staring at the pieces of paper spread across the wall. She couldn't help but shake her head at her father's…. obsession… about this whole thing, he had been writing theories about the Ghost for years, but ever since he went to the Uchiha Resort last year it evolved to a whole new level.
Her eyes stopped at one piece of information that her father gathered during the year; her fingers trembled a bit when she read it…
"…Zuko…"
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath she turned around and left the room, closing the door and locking it, no one could see her father's hobbies… it would be… incredibly embarrassing…
…
On the deck of a massive luxurious Fire Nation ship, a teen girl could be seen breathing harshly as she went through an incredibly intense training, even the soldiers surrounding her were shocked at what they were seeing;
"It's unwise to keep going."
"Your body needs to rest."
Li and Lo, the two elderly mummies that followed Azula during her travel towards the Uchiha Resort, expressed their worry;
"I need to get stronger, '' said the girl with a growing frown, before ignoring the two elders. She had been training during her whole trip back to the Fire Nation, and to her... It still felt like it wasn't enough!
The sisters could only shake their head, luckily one of the soldiers approached them from the side
"The Capital is in sight Your Highness; we shall be docking in thirty minutes"
Taking a long breath, Azula stopped her intense workout while grabbing a towel. "Noted, I shall retire to my quarters for a bath before we arrive, I don't want interruptions." Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the soldier, who gulped hard and nodded quickly.
After her bath, Azula could be seen back in her pristine armor, with her perfectly groomed hair and makeup, walking back to the deck towards her consultants, the two living-undead…
"When tracking your brother and uncle, traveling with the Royal Procession may no longer be an option." Said Li
"May no longer be wise." said Lo
""If you hope to keep the element of surprise."" Said both at the same time
"You're right. The Royal Procession is dead weight. If I want to catch my prey, I must be agile… nimble. I need a small, elite team. It's time to visit some old friends."
Even though she did her best to keep her aloofness, the fist she was holding behind her back clenched tightly.
'If I was strong… really strong… I wouldn't need anyone! Other people just drag me down!'
The beating that Madara gave her left scars deeper than anyone realized.
…
In a dark meeting room, where only six people could be seen sitting on comfortable zabutons, on a tatami floor, a man with long wild black hair turned towards one of the other five
"Did you do it?"
"Yes Mr. Uchiha, we infiltrated three agents on Princess Azula's ship. If our information is right, they just arrived at the Fire Nation Capital." Answered Nari, taking a pause before continuing "As per usual, none of the agents were aware of one another, each one of them infiltrated during different times of the day, Aka went last night, Ao went during the fight between you and Azula, and Kuro took advantage of their long repair time to take over someone else's identity."
The Oniwaban agents had code names of course.
"And their report? Any discrepancies?"
"None, all of them do contain different details, mostly due to their different positions within the ship, but the overall information is the same."
Nodding "Good, now we have a link to the capital, it's time to start phase two of our plan."
Standing up, Madara then pointed towards a huge map on the wall, more specifically the eastern side of the Earth Kingdom.
"The acquisition phase is over, from now on until the fall of the Fire Lord Ozai, we shall work on phase two… expansion…"
Turning his glowing red sharingan towards Nari, Lei, Kaliya, Gan and Kira, Madara grinned;
"I want ALL the eastern colonies under our rule within a year…"
""YES SIR!"" All of them said at the same time.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS
KojiSan
KojiSan
Oof, book 2 Earth is waaaaaaaaay different from Book 1 when it comes to writting x-x and i only realized that when i started writing about it....
Book 1 is more of a collection of self-contained stories, like the Earthbender Prisoners, the Angry Spirit, the Oracle, The Grand Divide, the Blue Spirit (zuko), Jet, Waterbending scroll..... each episode was a self contained story... with the only larger arc being the Northern Watertribe
Book 2 is waaaay different, everything is a longer Arc here... one episode is preparation for the next, that is also a preparation for the one after that... so its way harder to... make "cuts and edits", if you know what i mean?
I also wanted to add something in this chapter, to make the world more believable, like... Madara's presence has a 'Presence' in the lives of people, and great part of this chapter was dedicated to demonstrate that.. Madara does not live in a ixolated bubble... he affected people's lives... some more than others XD
I hope yall liked, i try my best to keep the "feel" of Avatar the Last Airbender with my writing, one thing that i hate is to change the "feeling" of the world... i hope i'm doing a great job ^_^
One more thing.. CHAPTER 70 BABY!!!!!!
Have a great day my loyal sausage soldiers, i am proud of my army, keeping the Sausage Empire strong at number one position! next objective... WORLD DOMINATION!
now... CHAAAAAAARGE!!!!!
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
14 Power
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