58Yo this is Kishi, and this is my first story on the new account. What I'll basically be doing here is taking stories from my old account which I've lost the password and email to and making them better. This is the first remake going up mainly because a quick re-watch of ATLA has brought a burning desire to finish this story. Anyway, enjoy the introductory paragraph.
The Fire Nation had not waged war against the world by mere chance. Years of conflict had honed the country into a model war time economy. Everyone played a part, from the artisans who spread propaganda to the smiths who made weapons to the engineers who were always looking for the next great military innovation. Everyone played a part, but those who were seen as most revered for their parts in the war were the soldiers. Trained warriors from a young age, Fire Nation soldiers were the weapons that Fire Lord Sozin had used to cut a swathe through the tapestry of unity woven long ago.
In the years shortly after the war, the Fire Nation had sought to vastly multiply the amount of soldiers they could put on the front lines. As such, they began to offer a sort of head start program. Children as young as 10 would be sent to a large military outpost just outside the fire nation capital city, where they would be worked into the ground and turned into elite soldiers by the time they were 17 years of age.
The problem with such a program was that everybody wanted their child to be in it, from nobles with troubled youth to slum rats trying to give their sons and daughters a better life. As such, the program instituted regular trial by combat in order to weed out the weaker links. Students would be pulled out of their barracks in the middle of the night, dragged out of a classroom in the middle of instruction, even yanked from the mess hall and tossed in the courtyard, often with other recruits that were ranged from ready to graduate to fresh newbs and told to fight as though it was to the death. They would then be expected to fight until they were the last man standing. It wasn't uncommon for casualties to occur throughout the process.
There were days, however, when fights were scheduled rather than random. This was one such day.
"Uncle, why are we here," a 13 year old Zuko asked his grey haired uncle, Iroh.
"Shut up dum dum, they're about to start." Azula rebuked from the other side of the Dragon of the West. Her sharp amber eyes were tuned closely on the field below them. It was a large square clearing with dusty floors, with a moat-like ditch surrounding it on all sides, with a small bridge for combatants to walk across. Around the fighting floor there were rows upon rows of seats for spectators, a good portion of which were filled. There was one seat set apart from the rest, however, that being the seat for the Fire Lord himself, which was really a large ornate skybox positioned over the entry ramp. The view was said to be legendary, having only been experienced by 3 men since the start of the war.
"Azula, show your older brother some kindness," the girl rolled her eyes at her tea loving uncle, blowing a very unprincess like raspberry as she huffed and crossed her arms, focusing on the commotion on the ground below. "Zuko, today we are watching some of the soldiers in training of the Sozin Special Initiative Project in one of they're high risk spars. This is how they decide who gets to continue on in the program."
Below them, 4 boys of varying height walked onto the fighting floor. They varied in height from a head taller than Zuko to just shorter than Azula.
The first was the tallest, wearing his brown hair in a ponytail and easily the oldest if the height and size difference was to be believed.
The next was the shortest, but made up for it with a healthy amount of pudge that he obviously hadn't a chance to work off yet, and judging by the way he glanced around nervously, he was probably the most freshly recruited.
The third was of average height and build, and looked to probably be around 14, with short close cropped hair. He didn't look anxious like the pudgy one, but he did seem to need to calm his nerves a little if the way he breathed in and breathed out aggressively.
The last was the one who caught Azula's eyes the most. He was of average height, probably about as tall as Zuko give or take an inch. He had bright blonde hair that shined in the sun and sat in a spiky mess upon his head. On top of his hair being rather unusual, he had eyes bright red in color, like rubies. To top off his strange look, three marks upon each cheek, like whiskers, marred his visage. But it wasn't his rather different appearance that caught Azula's keen eyes. It was the swagger with which he walked onto the battlefield. Each step calm, a smirk on his face, head held high. Whether he was cocky or confident would be determined late, but all Azula knew was that he had no doubt that he would come out on top of the upcoming battle royal.
The boys each stood in stance at a different corner of the platform, all garbed in a pair of baggy black pants with standard issue curved toe boots they're tops were bare, exposing toned (mostly) flesh to the world as they all stood in stance prepared to fight.
A signal came from the proctor, a stout man who was probably some low ranking admiral assigned the task of conditioning the children for war, and the fighting began. The largest boy, positioned in what would be the north west corner of the arena, instantly punched out to quick fire balls at the blonde hair boy, who weaved around them, and made moves to step toward the clearly older teen, only to be cut off by a stream of fire that was bent at him by the teen with short hair. The chubby one use this distraction to jump up and fire a wave at the blond who dispersed it by bending a targeted stream of fire through the middle of the wave. The three boys had clearly drawn the battle lines, and it was a three on one.
"How is this fair?"Zuko cried in outrage, wondering how the blond could be expected to overcome such odds.
"Don't count him out yet Zuko, it's not over until he concedes defeat," Iroh reminded him.
"Well unless those three are pathetic there is no way he gets out of this,"Azula said, crossing her arms, but still watching intently.
The smirk that had once existed on the blonds face came back full force,"You three cowards are banding together eh? All the same to me."
The boy with the shaved head shuffled forward,"You can't beat all of us Na-"
He was cut off when the blond suddenly surged forward, bending a targeted blast at the boy who shuffled forward, catching him right as he took a step and almost eliminating all chance he had to escape. The fire he bent was a dazzling shade of yellow, golden almost, that slammed into the boy and sent him backward into the wall clean opposite of the ditch, where he hit his head and fell down unconscious.
The chubby one turned his head momentarily, sending his fallen comrade a shocked look, which allowed the blond to close the distance between them and throw a fire coated uppercut that caught the boy in the chin, before hitting him with a harsh kick to the side that sent him flying towards his still standing counter part,who caught him, preventing him from being sent out of bounds, but unfortunately put himself in a compromising position by sliding back onto his heels. He quickly shoved his large comrade off to the right and rolled to the left, saving them both froma flame covered heel drop that would have surely broken something. He then turned, snarling at having missed his target, and threw himself upon his fat once-classmate-turned-enemy.
"Dear Agni, look at the way he fights!"
"He's a savage!"
"I heard he's already killed somebody in training."
"He hasn't lost yet has he?"
"Just what is he?!"
Azula wasn't paying much attention to the whispers or cheers that came from the crowed as the blonde proceeded to pick the other two boys apart in both hand to hand and fire bending. It was mesmerizing. The way he threw every punch and kick with intent on grievous bodily harm. The way his golden flames seemed to enshroud him as he fought, caressing him like a lover, accepting him into their fold like an old friend.
It was a sight to behold.
"Ugh." The oldest teen of the bunch, the one who had surely been the favorite to win not even 10 minutes ago, crashed to the ground unconscious.
The blond looked upon his freshly defeated foe, and released a snarling roar, tilting his head back and allowing a golden pillar of flame to the sky. He then turned towards the sky box that housed the Fire Lord, and dropped to one knee, placing a fist on the ground.
"Uncle," Azula called, still entranced,"who IS he?"
"That boy is a standout recruit, just 2 years into the program. His name is-"
The proctor stood by his charge, ignoring those who had lost and would be kicked from the program,"Your winner of today's examination, Naruto!"
3 years later found an older Azula, garbed in her armor with her hair in a top knot, being lead through the fortress that held the Souzin Special Initiative Project, accompanied by Mai and Ty Lee. Their guide, the admiral in charge, had been more than willing to show them around, hoping to gain some favor in the eyes of the Fire Lord's daughter, and by extension, with the Fire Lord.
"Princess, this concludes our tour, is there anything you were specifically hoping to see?" The admiral bowed to the daughter of his head of state.
"I was hoping to see some of the soldiers in training, but we seem to have gone everywhere they aren't,"Azula said pointedly, narrowing her eyes at the admiral.
The man clammed up, stammering,"B-but of course princess. This is just usually the time used for weight training, you see."
Azula smirked lightly at the man's nervousness,"That's quite fine, I'm sure they won't mind a few visitors."
"Of course, of course, right this way."
They were lead into a large room with torches lining the wall, the air heavy with sweat as about a hundred or so shirtless recruits engaged in various exercises using weights of various sizes.
"Oh my," a light blush adorned Ty Lee's face as she watched the boys working through the motions.
"Yes, this is the two hour block during which they can lift and -"
"Admiral, I'm looking for someone specifically, his name is Naruto I believe?" The admiral stiffened mid sentence at the princess' interruption.
"Na-Na-Naruto?"
"Yes."The princess side eyed the admiral to judge his reaction,"That won't be a problem, will it?"
"N-No, not at all, follow me." The walked between the rows, generally ignored by the boys as the went through they're exercises. Mai took out a fan to wave in front of her noses, the stench of sweat and the heat of the room slowly beginning to get to her. Ty Lee on the other hand stretched her arms high above her head, hoping her blossoming (or blossomed) bosom would gain some attention, only to find that no one was swayed.
The admiral brought them to the back wall of the room, where a blond haired boy, probably about as tall as Zuko, did pull-ups with a weight secured to him by the waist. As he pulled himself up, his back muscles rippled.
"Cadet Naruto, you have visitors."
The boy paused, his chin above the bar, and looked over his shoulder, allowing one ruby gem to be seen over the tensed flesh.
He dropped to the ground, untying the weight from his waist and turning around, revealing the rest of a chiseled, although not overly bulky, physique.
"Woooow," an amaze gasp escaped Ty Lee as she drunk in his form while Mai looked away, feeling as if she had seen enough sweaty men to last her a lifetime.
Azula's focus, however, was his eyes, the minute he had turned his eyes had traveled their forms, quickly assessing them, before locking on her eyes.
"Princess," he bowed,"what do I owe this esteemed honor?"
"I've seen you fight before. Once, years ago. I was impressed."
Naruto gave a cheeky grin, "I aim to please, princess."
"What do you say to an… early graduation?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow at that, but let his brow lower and gave a devilish smile to the princess,"Early graduation? Sign me up."
First chapter in the books, hope it's enough to keep some of yall coming back. If yall have any constructive feed back for me let me know.
Kishi out.
