As Appa carried them away from the fortress, Aang looked back at Sokka, who was being treated by Katara.
-You were right, Sokka. The only way for me to master the Avatar State is to master the four elements. - Then he remembered something. "You said that if the general didn't agree with what I was about to say, you were going to do something, what exactly?"
"Weren't you paying attention, Aang?" "I actually did something," Sokka replied, trying to get in front of his sister.
- Do you mean a fight? - he asked, receiving a nod in response. "But it started before I went to talk to General Fong." How did the fight help?
"I knew what the general would say long before you went to talk to him, Aang," he said when Katara had finished.
- What do you mean?
Sokka took a breath and began to explain.
- After our first meeting with General Fong, I poked around a little and talked to the soldiers. It turned out that the general was a little hungry for glory. After I heard him say "Ultimate Weapon", I knew he was going to force you to agree to unlock the Avatar State by any means necessary.
"That still doesn't explain the fight," noted the Air Nomad.
- I was coming to this, Aang. I also learned that at the same time we arrived on Omashu, General Fong launched an attack on the new Fire Nation colony that was still being built. She had no protection except one person.
- It was Naruto, wasn't it? - Katara asked. She didn't know why, but it was the first name that came to her mind.
Sokka nodded.
"From what I could figure out, he apparently told the general to leave, and if he didn't, they would have to fight him." General Fong did not know who he was at the time, so he ordered the army to attack.
Both Aang and Katara were silent until Katara finally asked the question.
- How bad was it?
Sokka's face turned grim.
- Would you say that the army in the fortress was quite large? - They both nodded. "According to the soldiers I spoke to, the army is about a tenth of its original size.
"You mean..." Katara asked, completely shocked. "Are you saying that one man killed so many people?"
Sokka nodded.
- After he killed all these people, he stopped the battle and introduced himself to the general. After that, he told General Fong to leave again. This time he did just that. And after that he developed a hatred for everything related to Naruto, which unfortunately included me.
- This is all interesting. But what does this have to do with combat? - Aang demanded.
"I already understand, Aang," he replied. - After our conversation, I went to talk with some soldiers who believed that the general's plan would not work. After some time we came up with a plan. Some soldiers will start a fight with me in the yard for a fake reason. As the fight continued, we got louder and louder, swearing and insulting each other, until we attracted enough soldiers for the fight to become a real fight. Once that happens, we'll just wait until General Fong shows up with you in tow, Aang. After I made those comments about Naruto, he went berserk and we all know what happened after that.
Katara and Aang simply looked at Sokka as he scratched behind Akela's ear.
- So you were expecting the thrashing he gave you? - Aang asked.
"Yes, as soon as you saw me being beaten to a pulp, I knew that you would become enraged and enter the Avatar State, thereby proving my point that the Avatar State is a weapon," Sokka replied. What he didn't expect was that the beating would be so brutal. He underestimated Fong's hatred of the Paragons.
Aang and Katara said nothing as they thought about what Sokka had told them. Not only because of what he told them, but also because of what happened when Aang was in the Avatar State. How Sokka was able to completely stop Aang with just one word scared them.
(Location: Spa Resort)
Naruto watched as Azula showed the wanted poster for Iroh and Zuko to the crowd. When the crowd dispersed, he approached her.
- What are you thinking about? - he asked quietly.
"I'm not thinking about anything, I'm just annoyed," she snapped, trying not to look at him.
- You're annoyed with me, aren't you? - he asked the obvious question.
She looked at him.
-What were you thinking, letting them leave?
- I thought that if I let them go, you would have more time.
Her eyes narrowed.
- What are you talking about? - she asked, not understanding what he meant.
"If Zuko and Iroh are on the run, you'll have to pursue them." This will give you more time to find the answer.
- What are you talking about when you mean "answer"?
"Your answer to the question of whether family and friends are important to you," the blond explained.
For some reason she became worried.
- I... I don't have an answer.
"I didn't expect you to have an answer right away."
She turned back to the ship.
- I'm going to get some sleep.
- Okay, sleep well. "He was going to stay and make sure the crew was okay."
Azula walked up the steps, still trying to figure out how to respond.
"Somehow," she thought to herself, "it looks like I'll be deciding this issue for a long time."