Naruto - Republic City's Batman Chapter 2 (Patreon)

Chapter 2 : Sifu Naruto

Naruto had always loved engineering. When he was a kid, he spent a lot of time building toys for his siblings, like a carousel with puppet airbenders flying around a reproduction of the southern Air temple. He even upgraded her mom’s motorcycle when the old thing was about to end up in the scrapyard.

But those were nothing compared to the kind of task Bruce had in store for him, Naruto often ended up covered in sludge after working for hours on the first Batman’s vehicle. That was by far his greatest trial since he became the old man’s apprentice.

Said old man came to see him when Naruto was trying to replace the car/tank’s engine with a more recent and powerful one.

“I know for sure that our new Avatar will be arriving in town tomorrow morning." Bruce said in an emotionless voice. "I want you to welcome her and spend some time with her."

Naruto widened his eyes.

“I thought she was to stay at the South Pole until her training was complete."

Bruce merely shook his head.

"The situation in town is getting more and more complicated with new gangs taking advantage of the fall of the old ones. Councilman Tenzin cannot afford to stay at the South Pole to teach the Avatar. And since he refused to take her with her, she’s coming on her own. Which is a good thing."

Naruto crossed his arms covered in sludge.
"Is it now?"

"Republic City desperately needs hope, the presence of the Avatar in the city can only be a good thing for public moral. Moreover, it is important that you get to know her. For if you ever had to appear in broad daylight, you will need allies in your mission. That’s why it would be better for you to know what kind of person you will be dealing with. The more you know about her, the better. The important thing is to make sure she doesn't get in your way.

Naruto nodded.

"You can count on me. But since we're at it, I have a request for you."

"I’m listening."

“You know me, you know that I am aware of the risks and the importance of remaining in the shadows. However, there might be a situation that’ll require me to act immediately, -and I emphasize on the might-" .

Bruce got impatient.

"What are you trying to tell me?"

Naruto took a deep breath.

“I would like to keep the gear from now on. If I ever have to intervene in an urgent situation, it would be better if I always had the possibility to put a new face on.

Bruce Wayne did something Naruto had never seen him do before, he took his time before he formulated his answer. And in doing so, he examined his protege from head to toe.

Since he had discovered his secret, he had never disappointed him. He passed all the tests he had been subjected to and has been patient and careful since the beginning of his mission. Bruce knew the young man well enough to know that he would not get carried away by the ardor of youth, or a too high level of adrenaline. However, he was reluctant to give him his full trust in his abilities, even though he had made tremendous progress since he became Batman.

"An exceptional situation requires an exceptional measure." The old man finally conceded. "But I warn you, if you ever make the slightest mistake or if you reveal yourself without it being REALLY necessary..."

"I'll be fired." the Beifong finished. "I’m fine with that."

" Good, now you’ve wasted enough time, get back to work!"

(-)(-)(-)

The next morning, Naruto arrived at the harbor a little before nine o’clock wearing the elegant black and blue clothes he wore when he was at work at Wayne enterprises. There, he found a bench that seemed to be a good and comfortable observation post in order to watch the arriving boats, as well as the passengers they carried.

The Airbender started meditating in order to pass time and let the wind blow on his face and refresh his mind. After almost an hour, he heard a ship arrive at a deck near him, and saw that said ship was emblazoned with the Future Industries logo.

He watched intently as the dockworkers began to unload the smaller cargoes and paid particular attention to the few passengers who disembarked. He smiled a little when he saw how eager those passagers were to settle in the largest metropolis in the world after Ba Sing Se. A few more eventless moments passed, before a huge polar bear dog suddenly emerged from a shed. The young Beifong widened his eyes when he saw the animal, even more when he noticed the female rider that casually waved to the workers while thanking them for clandestinely transporting them. Then she sped off through the streets.

Although Naruto was amazed by the girl's original stage entrance, he immediately realized what kind of damages such a creature could make in a city filled with Sato-mobiles and began to run after her as fast as he could using airbending. His unusual speed allowed him to catch up with the animal, but he rolled exasperated eyes when he saw the cars veered off the street and heard the complaints from the drivers that the young avatar was leaving behind her.

"That girl is a catastrophe." he thought without slowing his pace.

He came out onto a main commercial street, and saw the wagging tail of the mount protrude from the tarp of a skewer stand.

"Finally." he sighed as he approached the entrance.

Then he was surprised to hear the shopkeeper's cry of anger, he accelerated the pace, and finally managed to stand next to the young woman.

"Hello." he said politely. "Is there a problem?"

The young avatar almost let out a small yelp when she noticed his presence without feeling him approach.

But the shopkeeper prevented her from complaining about his sudden entrance.

"That ill-mannered kid expected me to feed her for free!" She scolded while pointing at the Avatar with a skewer. "She thinks I’m her mother!"

Korra was so mad to hear that she failed to notice the arrow on the blond’s forehead, or the fact that he was blond.

"Oh don’t worry about that." She replied in a snarl. "My mother is a lot nicer than you!"

"Let's calm down, please. » Naruto said diplomatically while raising his hands to call for a ceasefire.

He turned to the saleswoman.

"How much does she owe you?"

His interlocutor glared at him.

"You shouldn't interest yourself in that kind of girl, young man, she'll only get you in trouble."

The Avatar glared at her while her cheeks were burning in red, but Naruto just smiled politely at her.

"Thank you for worrying, I appreciate it, but it isn’t necessary. So… how much?"

The fortysomething year old woman sighed.

"Twenty yuan."

"Could you please add three skewers of vegetables for me? I didn't have time to get breakfast this morning."

“Twenty-five then."

Once the transaction was completed, Naruto handed his share to the young woman who gave him an embarrassed smile.

"You didn't have to do that."

"Actually, I did."

Korra frowned a little, and finally took the time to look at her "savior."

That’s when she noticed his unusual blond hair, and the blue arrow tattooed on his forehead. It didn’t take long for her to connect the dots. A dumbfounded expression appeared on her face and she rudely pointed a finger at him.

"Wait a minute… Are you… Naruto?"

The blond Airbender gave her his best goofy smile and a thumb up.

"Believe it." he laughed when he saw Korra’s expression and blush. "I guess Gran-Gran told you about me?"

Korra nodded shyly, her Master Katara had informed her about her first grandson, but she failed to mention how gorgeous said grandson was.

However, they were interrupted when Naga started to whine a little. Naruto noticed that the polar bear dog’s nose was pointed at his bag filled with food.

The young Airbender smiled at the animal, and pulled a handful of skewers that he ended to the animal. Naga was so pleased to finally fill her large belly that she almost took his hand off while doing so.

Naruto needed her a second time when he realized how fast the southern beast ate her meat, and his second handful disappeared almost as fast as the first one.

"I’ll be damned." He mumbled when the animal gently spat what was left of the skewers in his hand.
He airbended the rubbish in an air ball and tossed it in a bin nearby. Then he pulled his own breakfast out of the bag and shared it with Korra. The Avatar was as grateful as she was embarrassed. She barely knew his name, but he was already so helpful and nice. As she ate, she wished she could repay him immediately.

"Thank you very much… really. I’m Korra by the way."

"It’s a pleasure to meet you." The Airbender smiled.
Naga barked happily at him and started to friendly lick the face of her benefactor under Korra’s amused laugh.

"And that’s Naga." The water tribe girl introduced her best friend.

Naruto wasn’t really bothered by the animal’s gesture, if anything, he welcomed it.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you too." He said between two licks.
When Naga was done, Korra had the delicacy to remove her friend’s saliva from the blond’s face with waterbending.

"By the way, I saw the little chaos you left behind you when you arrived." He informed her with a sterner voice.

Korra froze in embarrassment and started to stutter.

"I… uh… I’m sorry…"

Naruto was quick to reassure her.

"It’s okay, you didn’t cause any damage, but could you please refrain yourself from ridding Naga at full speed until you’ve learned the Traffic Laws? There are millions of people that are living in this city. In order ensure a proper cohabitation with every citizen, you need to follow the same rules as everyone."

Now Korra was truly embarrassed. She had barely arrived at Republic City, had barely met Naruto who ended up being as helpful and nice as his Gran-Gran described, and she was already getting a lecture from him as if she was some child. She couldn’t find it in her heart to be mad at him, he was absolutely right.

"Okay." She conceded. "I’m sorry."

"Don’t be, it’s already behind us." Naruto said with his big goofy smile. "Now that it’s out of the way, how about I give you a tour of the city?

A small smile reappeared on Korra’s face, she nodded energetically.

(-)(-)(-)

The two teenagers spent the rest of the morning, and a good part of the afternoon, walking the streets of Republic City. Naruto proved to be an excellent tour guide, and actually took the time to inform the Avatar of the various problems a metropolis as large as this one could have. Crime and poverty being the most important. To say that the young woman had been shocked would be an understatement, her vision of the perfect society built by her predecessor was beginning to fracture. And a lump formed in her stomach as she began to realize the workload that awaited her. Nevertheless Naruto found a way to make him smile again, by highlighting the various advantages and advancements that the city had brought compared to other nations. The cohabitation between benders and non-benders from all over the world was a very good exemple, for that itself was an authentic utopia that had become a reality, and an excellent way of proving to everyone that harmony and balance between all people were much easier to achieve by working together. Something Avatar Aang had been desperate to prove to everyone. Korra listened very carefully to every explanation, advice, and joke her guide had to offer, mesmerized by his knowledge and the sincere passion that emanated from his every word. Well, that and his beautiful, perfectly trimmed face, his unruly golden hair and his pretty sapphire blue eyes.

The park was a breath of fresh air compared to the huge stone dwellings, the two young people sat down on a bench to take the time to enjoy the rays of the Sun and rest their legs, Naga laid under the shadow of a large tree.

Naruto smiled at his new acquaintance.

"I hope you enjoyed the tour."

"Oh yes!" Korra replied too quickly before lowering her head. "Although I admit that I am a little disappointed… I mean… in the Southern water tribe, money is not as important as it is here. We're all doing our part and sharing as much as we can, while in town..."

“Excuse me.” a dirty man with waste clothes interrupted her. "Mr. Beifong? Sorry to bother you, but wouldn't you happen to have a few Yuan for a poor vagabond?"

Naruto smiled at the man and pulled a bill of a hundred out of his pocket to hand it to the vagabond."

"Thank you for your generosity!" He exclaimed while greedily grabbing the money before running away.

There was an awkward moment of silence, before Korra spoke again.

“I imagine it was one of the vagabond you told me about.

Arthur responded by nodding sadly.

"I've always believed that everyone in this city was living it up." The Avatar whispered disappointed, "I don't understand why all this money seems necessary..."

"How many people live in the Southern Water Tribe?" Naruto suddenly asked.

A little taken aback by his question, the young woman took a moment to reflect.

"About two thousands I’d say ... Why?

"This city is home to more than five million people." He reminded her. "No economic system is perfect, the South Pole is based on mutual aid, and it works because you are few in number. But here things are very different, in order to be able to house and feed so many people, it is necessary to put in place a system that puts the production lines forward, thus forcing people to quickly find a place within society. Which will allow them to live while contributing to the prosperity of the city. Money earned through labor is kind of… a proof of your contribution, and the reward for your hard work. Republic City is only sixty years old, and it is already the second most populated city in the world behind Ba Sing Se. Where, believe me, things are MUCH worse than here. It's not perfect, and it never will be. This vagabond and all the others are proof to that, maybe they had bad luck, or he was the victim of his own unfortunate life decisions. And the least I can do is help him. Like others have helped me in the past.

Once again, Korra was very grateful to have Naruto with her, he wasn’t only good company, but he was also very enlightening and answered all of her questions without mocking her lack of knowledge or her naivety. That’s when something the vagabond had said hit her.

"Wait a minute… Why did he call you Mister Beifong?"

Naruto frowned lightly at her question.

"It’s my name." He said casually.

Korra’s eyes nearly popped out her sockets.

"What?! I thought you were Tenzin’s son! How could you be a Beifong?!"

It didn’t take a genius to understand what was the issue here, though, Naruto had wished she’d be a bit less loud.

"Aunt Pema is not my mother. He clarified. Although, I can imagine why you wouldn’t have been informed of… Well my family’s situation. This is a bit private and I’d rather not talk about it if you don’t mind."

Korra almost groaned, once again, she managed to embarrass herself in front of Naruto and more than likely made him uncomfortable.

Fortunately, her new friend didn’t seem to mind and quickly changed the subject.

"Let’s talk about something else." He said. "I suppose you came to the city to learn air bending with my dad. What do you know about air bending so far?"

If he thought he could change her mood with this question, he quickly realized he made a mistake.

Korra actually looked sad and embarrassed.

"Nothing." She admitted. "I just don’t get it. I’ve been able to bend the other three elements since I was a kid. But Airbending never came naturally to me."

Naruto gently padded her shoulder.

"It’s okay." he reassured her. "Air is the element of freedom and I know you’ve been locked away in the South Pole for most of your life. Now that you… uh… well… ran away. It should be easier."

Korra blushed in embarrassment. Did Naruto have to put it like that?

"Anyway." The blond clasped his hands. "How about I give you your very first lesson in airbending?"

The Avatar’s eyes immediately widen in excitement.

"You would do that?"

"I’m a master Airbender." He reminded her while pointing at the arrow on his forehead. "Of course I can."

Korra stood up in an instant and cracked her knuckles.

"Let’s do this." She said with a confident grin.
To her surprise though, Naruto simply crossed his arms and shown a peaceful demeanor.

"Before you actually try to airbend, you must understand air itself." He explained with a calm tone. "Remember; this is not an element that you bend to your will. The air is free, you must become one with it if you want it to listen to you. You cannot submit it."

When he saw the young woman’s dumbfounded expression he felt the need to elaborate.

"When you earthbend, you force the rock to submit to your will, don’t you?"

"Yeah." she replied hesitantly.

"When you firebend, you create fire with your own energy and direct it."

"Yeah."

"And when you waterbend, you guide the pulls and pushes of the water."

"Yes." Korra said, she was getting impatient.

"Well, with air it’s completely different. As I’ve said before, Air is free. So you cannot force yourself to airbend. You must understand this element before you actually try anything. Have you ever wondered why almost every Airbender in history was either a guru or a monk?"

The Avatar took a minute to think about it, realized her improvised sifu was right, and shook her head.
"It’s because your ability to Airbend depends a lot on your state of mind. The monks of old used to detach themselves from the World in order to reach illumination and true freedom. There were no longer concerned by humanity or its problems. They ate, they drank, they meditated and they taught the new generation without giving much thoughts, if any, to the rest of the world."

Naruto quickly nuanced his words when he saw Korra widening her eyes.

"I’m not saying that’s what you have to do, I’m telling you this to make you understand why you haven’t been able to airbed yet. Especially now."

Korra cocked her head to the side.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
Naruto gave her a knowing smile.

"You have a lot of things on your mind, don’t you?"

The Avatar opened her mouth to answer, but closed it without uttering a single word. He was right, she was thinking about a million of things at the same time.

Naruto spoke again.

"Normally, an Airbender meditates regularly to clear his mind from his troubles and reacquire the inner peace that allows him to connect with its element. But I don’t think you’re the meditating type, am I wrong?"

"No." Korra replied while refraining herself from showing too much disdain towards meditation.

Naruto simply nodded in understanding, he never stopped smiling.

"That’s okay, we will use a different way to clear your mind."

Naruto stood up, and motioned for his pupil to face the gentle breeze that came from the west, which she did.

"All right, let your hair down."

But instead of doing what she was told, Korra frowned.

"Why?" She asked a bit defensively.

"It’ll be easier to feel the wind that way."

The Avatar did as she was told, even though she wasn’t totally convinced.

"Now what?"

"Close your eyes, and feel the air, and by feeling the air, I mean feel it with every pore of your skin. You must listen to it and feel its movements."

Korra did so, but she wasn’t used to stay in place like that. And once again she started to get impatient.

Naruto saw that and said with a gentle tone:

"Focus on my voice, listen to my breath."

He breathed a bit loudly to allow Korra to follow his rhythm. Then, he spoke with the most gentle voice the water tribe girl had ever heard.

"Remember, you have nothing to worry about. You have no obligation, no time limit, no rule. It’s just you and the air. Relax. Let the wind wash away your worries and empty your mind."

Korra let out a relieved sigh when she heard him. She wasn’t sure if it was the wind itself that was washing her worries away, or if it was the albino’s voice.

He kept talking:

"Remember, the air is your ally, everything around you causes movement in the air, even I am doing so by simply talking. As I’ve said before, the air is your ally, the foreign movements you feel from its currents could be warnings for an imminent danger, or simply the messenger of a good news, like the smell of a friend. Now, I want you to use your nose to breath and locate Naga through the air currents."

As she kept following her sifu’s instructions, Korra became more and more fascinated by this new experience. She never truly realized how the wind and the air itself could be so interesting. It took her a bit of time, but she was able to pinpoint her best friend, not with the polar bear-dog’s smell, but with the silent shift of her breath.

"She stopped napping." Korra suddenly said. "She… She’s standing right next to you… isn’t she?"

Naruto smiled when he heard his student’s correct answer.

"She is." He confirmed. "Now tell me every bit of information you can acquire through the air."

The Avatar relaxed herself once more through her breathing and focused again. Despite the fact that she had just discovered her ability, she was determined to get a better grasp at "understanding" air as Naruto had said. She managed to approximatively locate a bird in a tree nearby, a spider-fly that flew past her head, and…

She suddenly felt a brutal shift in the air coming from the East. Her newly acquired sense urged her to move, and she stooped instantly without hesitate. She opened her eyes to look around her and heard Naruto.

"Well done." He congratulated. "You dodged my little surprise attack."

"Wait, what?! You attacked me?!"

Naruto proceeded to create a tiny little airball between his thumb and index and threw it away with a flip.

"I’d hardly call that an attack." He said with a mocking smile. "But you dodged it nonetheless. That was well done for a first lesson."

Even though Korra was a bit upset by his little trick, deep down she was very glad to have passed her first airbending test.

"Now what?" She asked, eager to continue.

But an unpleasant shrill voice interrupted Naruto before he had the opportunity to answer.

“Are you tired of living under the tyranny of benders?! Then join the Equalists!“

What is that ? Korra gurgled while covering her ears.

A short man was screaming through a megaphone as he stood atop a small table to make up for his small stature. "For too long, the bending elite of this city have forced non benders to live as lower-class citizens. Join Amon, and together we will tear down the bending establishment." The protestor was standing in front of a large poster of a man wearing dark clothes and a white mask.

Korra’s first reaction to this speech was the frustration to have been interrupted during her airbending lesson, but then she grew angry and confused by the protestor’s words and quickly approached him before Naruto could stop her. "What are you talking about? Bending is the coolest thing in the world," she declared.

"Oh yeah?“ the protestor shot back. "Let me guess. You're a bender."

His arrogant tone and overdramatic performance rubbed Naruto the wrong way, Korra was about to throw herself into a trap.

"Yeah, I am," the young woman confirmed.

"Then I bet you'd just love to knock me off this platform with some waterbending, huh?" he asked, trying to goad her into attacking.

“Don’t answer that.“ Naruto ordered her as he put the back of his hand in front of her face in order to prevent her from doing something stupid.

Korra threw him a furious look but he ignored her to turn back to the protestor and cross his arms.

“Would you care to enlighten me about this so called ‘bending elite’?“

But instead of doing so the protestor pointed a finger at him and screamed through his megaphone:

“Look at him! That’s Naruto Beifong! Do you see now? He is the perfect product of the bending elite! He isn’t even eighteen and is already a billionaire thanks to the fact that he is the descendant of benders like Avatar Aang and Toph Beifong! He eats like a king while our children will have to work day and night to make him richer…!“

Naruto didn’t allow him to continu spilling his lies, he captured the megaphone in an air sphere and pulled it in his hand.

“Sir, screaming lies in a megaphone won’t turn them into truths.“ He politely informed him. “ First of all, I’m not a billionaire. I work for one and he is a non-bender. Did you hear that? I actually work for Bruce Wayne, a non-bender. Now, would you care to enlighten me about your so called ‘bending  elite’? Explain to everyone how it works, since I, the descendant of three legendary benders, work for a non-bender.“

Despite his apparent calm demeanor. Naruto was actually internally furious against this person that dared judge him and drew him as a spoiled brat.

“You’re just the exception that confirms the rule!“ The protestor yelled as strong as he could.

Now Naruto has had enough.

“Since you cannot provide a single argument to back up your lies, allow me to educate you.“

He turned to the crowd and bowed with respect in order to greet them. Korra actually widened her eyes and was now very curious to hear him.

“My fellow-citizens, the United Republic of Nations is as Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko built it; a free state that allow every person, every person, to express their opinion freely and publicly. However, I urge you all not to fall into the trap of discrimination, despising someone for their difference is what Fire Lord Sozin did when he started the Hundred years war, it simply goes against the ideals of harmony and peaceful coexistence that this country was founded on, and as citizens of this nation, we simply cannot stand for that.“

The protestor quickly realized that he was loosing the crowd and tried to speak, but no air came out of his lungs for a few seconds, and when it did, he felt the need to cough.

“Now this man here pretends that non-benders have unequal rights compared to benders and that some kind of ‘bending elite’ rules over the society. And quite frankly that is the most stupid thing I have ever heard in my life. He seems to forget that the three largest companies in our country are held by non-benders, non-benders that employ countless of benders. There is no ‘bending elite’ and there never will be one.“

A woman in her thirties raised a hand from the crowd, Naruto saw her and acknowledged her presence with a nod.

“Yes miss?“

“What about the inequalities in individual labour?“ she asked.

Other people from the crowd nodded in agreement with the point she was raising, so did Naruto.

“You are not wrong, but you’re not exactly right either.“ he explained. “Those inequalities don’t just stop at bending, for physical labour, a tall man will always be chosen at the detriment of smaller men or women. But at the same time, there are inequalities among benders and that’s normal, you don’t hire a water bender to work in a power plant or a firebender to maintain the running water.“

Since he saw some people in the crowd sighed in frustration, he decided to offer them a more hopeful speech.

“You all seem to be forgetting one thing.“ He said. “It is true that thanks to firebenders, we have electricity, but remember that the one that designed the first power plant was a non-bender, the same goes for the building created by the earthbenders or the sewer system maintained by the waterbenders.“

He paused for a second before looking at the buildings beyond the park.

“There is no such thing as ‘equality’, everyone is different, and it is thanks to those differences that a city such as Republic City could be built. It is not ‘equality’ that we should achieve, it is ‘harmony’, and the best way to do that is through education, ours, and our children’s. To discriminate is to commit the same mistakes as our ancestors, and if we were to go down this road, we could easily start another war in which our children might be fighting. That is why I urge you to never chose the path of violence, for it will only lead to disaster.“

With his piece said, Naruto bowed one more time to thank them for their attention, and Korra’s eyebrows rose when she saw the citizens bow in return. She had to admit, Naruto was very good with people, he had this aura around him that inspired trust.

The albino threw the megaphone back to the furious protestor and motioned for Korra to follow him while the crow begun to disperse.

“Why did you stop me from replying?“ She asked with curiosity rather than anger as she previously felt.

“Because you would have threatened him and fell into his trap.“ Naruto explained after making sure no one was listening to them. “No one knows who you are yet, but soon enough everyone will, and either you want it or not, you’re a public personality. Therefore, all of your actions will be interpreted and have political meaning and consequences.“

Korra couldn’t even begin to believe what she was hearing, so she frowned and wisely asked :

“What?“

Naruto scratched his chin, he didn’t want to overwhelm the Avatar with pressure. She needed to have a clear mind without too much stress if she were to master airbending. So he tried to sugarcoat this a bit :

“If you had threatened that imbecile, he could have gone to the press about this, and tomorrow morning the headline would have been: ‘Is our new Avatar a thug?’“

Korra was flabbergasted by this, her jaw hit the ground.

“Wait! Wait! Wait! You’re saying I can’t even defend myself if someone insults me?“

“That guy hadn’t insulted you, he merely expressed an opinion, then he provoked you and you were about to threaten him. Had you done so, you’d have given his opinion credit since you’d have ‘used your bending to oppress him’.“

Once again Korra opened her mouth, but quickly closed it and facepalmed.

“Spirits…“ she mumbled. “You’re telling me I almost pulled a Kyoshi?“

Naruto actually laughed when she said that, he was glad she knew about the Camellia-Peony war, that made his job easier.

“No, it wasn’t THAT bad.“ he assured. “But that could have still gone wrong. And since I was next to you, I would have been caught in the storm.“

The young waterbender let out a groan. She really couldn’t believe it.

“You just gotta be careful when you’re in public.“ Naruto reassured her. “Take your time to answer when someone provokes you or asks you a question. Do not attack anyone unless you’ve been attacked first and don’t forget why you’re here.“

Korred tilted her head to the side.

“What do you mean?“

You’re here to learn airbending, not to jump head first into any political maelström. For now, just focus on your training, and if you’re invited to some kind of gala or be asked to give a speech or an interview, I’ll be here to help you.“

The blond was fairly certain that his mentor would give him enough time to watch over the Avatar during galas, he might actually attend if he is in a good mood.

Korra let out a long and content sigh.

“Thanks.“ She mumbled sincerely.

But Naruto could tell that she wanted to say more.

“What’s on your mind?“ He asked as they left through the park’s gate with Naga behind them.

Korra scratched the back of her neck, realized that her hair were still loose, and reattach them.

The spiky blond was a tiny bit disappointed to see that.

“Sorry.“ She apologized out of nowhere. “When I arrived in town I…“

“You had your head filled with dreams and expected to accomplish your ‘destiny’, whatever that meant.“ Naruto finished for her while giving her a comforting smile. “That’s okay.“ He added when he saw Korra’s face contorted by embarrassment and a bit of shame. “I used to think the same thing, I still do actually.“

The water tribe girl raised her eyebrows in surprise, what did he mean by that?
Since she had met him, Korra had felt like the most naive and clumsiest girl in the world. It was like she had been living in a childish dream and Naruto brought her back to reality. She just couldn’t help but wonder what kind of trouble she would be in if her new friend hadn’t come to find her. He even reassured her about airbending and gave her her very first lesson! Yet, he was saying that her behavior… was okay? She didn’t get it.

“Don’t feel so down because you didn’t know things that were never taught to you.“ He said while giving her his goofy smile. “And don’t gloom because you’re not ready yet. Grandpa Aang wasn’t ready and he never did anything on his own for years.“

The comparison with her predecessor actually reassured her. She smiled back at him.

“Thanks Naruto, you’re really helpful.“

“I’m here for that.“ He answered with a smile.