Prince Naruto of The Fire Nation - Chapter 4 : Kurama (Patreon)

Chapter 4 : Kurama

Naruto’s life had become dull.

It was a realization that dawned on him while he was doing his morning meditation. The first step of a monotonous routine that turned each of his day into the exact same day.

He knew he was being a bit unfair, after all, he would never consider his time training, talking or playing with his sister as ‘dull’ or ‘boring’, he always cherished every second of those moments. Perhaps, ‘dull’ wasn’t the exact word to describe how he felt. A harsher and crueler one came to his mind : ‘useless’.
Naruto had mastered each and every scroll of fire bending ever invented, he had even come up with his own style, but this style was limited for it was yet to be tested on a battlefield or against a lethal opponent.

He was the Crowned Prince, the Blessed Prince, a symbol for his people, yet… he was just born this way, born luckier than anyone, he never accomplished anything. He even failed to keep his promise to his mother.

Naruto fists clenched when he thought about the Agni Kai between his father and his brother, and an untamable hatred flashed inside his heart. The blond knew he hated his father, and would probably hate him all his life, however, Ozai was his father, his Fire Lord, and Naruto was no kinslayer, nor was he ready to rule should he take the crown for himself. But even if he were, why would his people follow him ? He was raised in the richest family in the world, he never grew cold or hungry, he always had the finest clothes and the finest food delivered to him, and everyone he has ever met with a few exceptions, has bent over backwards to please him. Yet, he was not pleased. The reports brought to a recent war meeting had shown that the recently established colonies were still filled with rebels, and were under constant attacks from regiments of EarthBenders that came from Omashu. Many generals were pessimistic regarding the ability to stabilize the riots that kept happening in newly conquered lands. Others though, simply dismissed the idea to send reinforcements to the recent colonies and were actually pushing to launch a massive attack on Omashu itself, a city that had resisted the Fire Nation army for a hundred years.

Naruto greeted his teeth, he was still a green boy who knew nothing about war, yet even he could see how foolish the old generals were.

Naruto picked up a bucket of water, and poured it on his head in order to refresh his burning eagerness. His decision was made, he wasn’t going to linger here for the rest of his life and let the soldiers that believed in his power die an early death because of his inaction. It was time to show the Earth Kingdom what the future Fire Lord was made of.

« Took you long enough. »

Naruto’s eyes widened in horror, he stood up in a blink and frenetically looked around him to find the source of this dark cavernous voice.

Said voice through a thunderous laugh that echoed in his skull like a roar in a cave. Naruto was so startled that he almost lost his footing, however, now that he identified that whatever this was was coming from inside his very own head, it didn’t take him long to put two and two together.

« Are you… are you perchance, the spirit that blessed me? » He thought.

« Bless you ?! Ah ! Is that truly how you see it, boy ? »

Naruto’s eyebrows shot up and he felt his heart being crushed, was he a fraud ? Had he unconsciously deceived his people ?

He slapped both his cheeks to stay focused, right now, he needed answers, not self-pity.

« If you’ve been observing me this whole time, it means you probably know my name, may I ask for yours ? »

He heard no answer in the next ten seconds, and for a moment, he feared that he had grown insane and that this voice had been nothing more than his own imagination. However, the spirit eased his worries and spoke again :

« I have lived for tens of thousands of years, and lended a freckle of my power to twelve humans in total, yet, you are the very first who ever asked for my name. »

Naruto had a hard time believing that, why wouldn’t they want to know the name of the spirit that has literally lived in their head ?

Said spirit must have read his thoughts, for he answered :

« They called me ‘Kyubi no Yoko’ or ‘Kyubi’ for short. »

The Crown Prince couldn’t believe his hears, he held back a snort of amusement.

« They just called you ‘Nine-tailes’ ?! That’s the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard ! Did you call them ‘One-tail’ in response ? »

A moment of silence passed, before ‘Kyubi’’s thunderous laugh echoed once again inside Naruto’s skull.

« I should have though about that ! » He admitted. « That would have pissed my brother off better than any insult ! Fuck ! I really should have thought about that. »

Naruto didn’t have the time to answer nor to complain about the loud voice that threatened to deafen him, in a blink he was transported from the training grounds of the Palace to a plain greener than anything he had ever seen. But before he could realize were he was or what had happened to him, he looked in awe at the gigantic nine-tailed fox that was standing in front of him.

« Hello again, kid, and welcome to the Spirit World. »

Naruto’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, he looked around him to observe the magical scenery filled with creatures both flying and crawling that he couldn’t even describe. This was a dream come true to the young man.

Yet, before he could say anything, the Spirit that lended him his power spoke again:

« To answer your question, my name is Kurama. The oldest of the tailed spirits. »

Strangely enough, Naruto could tell that ‘Kurama’ was relieved to have shared his name with him, the blond smiled in response.

‘Well, it really is a pleasure to meet you Kurama. I have so many questions for you that I don’t even know were to start.’

Once again, the Spirit laughed.

« I get it kiddo, you’re wondering why I’ve lended you a part of my power. »

Naruto simply nodded in response, and he actually sat on the grass while he was looking at the giant fox. This was strange to him, this spirit should have terrified him to the very core of his bones, yet, despite the fact that he had barely met him, he felt like he had known him his entire life. It was like welcoming a new member of his family with open arms.

« The truth is not as poetic as your grandfather made it sound, kid. »Kurama said in a shrug. « The truth is… I was bored. »

Naruto frowned, he felt a razor sharp blade cut through his heart.

« You offered me the most powerful firebending that has ever been seen in hundreds of years simply because you were bored ? How did you expect me to entertain you ? »

Naruto’s feelings weren’t lost on Kurama, after all, he was an empath. Yet, despite the fact that he knew Naruto well for he had observed him his whole life, he was still surprised when the Crown prince kept a curt tone and refrain himself from insulting him.

« Well… » he said while scratching his ear. « I just wanted to mess with Raava. Since her precious little balance in the human world was threatened, I thought I’d lend a part of my power to the next Fire Lord to prevent her Avatar from continuing her era. »

Naruto briefly acknowledged the fact that he was given the power to fight the Avatar -for it was something everyone figured out if he were to reappear-, and focused on the unfamiliar name spoken by the giant fox.

« Raava, who’s Raava ? »

« The Spirit of Light and Peace. » Kurama yawned, as if bored by her mere existence.

« A stupid entity that created a stupid concept of balance in order to prevent conflicts from emerging. -It never worked though.- She decided on her own that spirits and humans weren’t meant to live together and decided herself to separate our worlds. »

The slightly bitter tone that slithered through the spirit’s fangs didn’t go unnoticed by Naruto. The Crown Prince of the Fire Nation was trying as hard as he could, to not let confusion take over his mind.

« I thought you just wanted to be entertained. » He remarked. « But it sounds to me like you had some kind of interest when you gave me your power. »

Kurama rose an eyebrow, but didn’t answer.

Naruto grew frustrated, but controlled himself.

« Kurama ? » he asked politely. « Could you please tell me what you expect of me ? Since I was born, people have been telling me that I’ve been blessed to ensure the Victory of the Fire Nation. But… This is your power, and apart from battling the Avatar for a philosophical and spiritual different, I fail to see what I should do with it. »

This time, it was Kurama’s eyes that widened slightly, and he frowned. What a strange human he had in front of him.

« Why are you asking me what to do with this power ? »

« Because it’s yours. » Naruto answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. « And… Well… if Raava has an ideal to build a legacy upon through the Avatar, I… uh… I supposed you have something similar ? I can’t just stop the Avatar without offering an alternative to Raava’s plan, defeating the Avatar is not enough, Raava must be proved wrong if you truly believe that she is. Otherwise the Avatar’s demise will simply turn him into a martyr and I’ll be the bad guy in the story.»

Kurama looked so intensely at the blond that the latter almost cut eye contact out of discomfort. But he maintained his composure, and he did it again when the giant spirit lay down on the ground to rest his lower jaw on his paws, though it costed him an extra-effort.

« You really are a strange kid. » The fox said with a contemplative tone. « I never thought that far to be honest. Every time I’ve lended a freckle of my power to a human being in the last ten thousand years, he or she always used it to serve its own little interests. I just made sure it would annoy Raava in the process. »
He huffed and puffed a sigh. Naruto was slightly amused by the strength of the breath of the spirit that was casually talking to him.

« And did they always get along with your plan ? » he asked. « Or did they betray you ? »

Kurama loudly snorted.

« Had they used my power to help Raava, I would have taken it back from them. -I actually did with two of them- I barely talked to any of them, I just chose them at their birth when I was sure that circumstances would push them to oppose the Avatar. Out of twelve, you’re the first I’ve ever had a casual conversation with. »

This took Naruto by surprise.

« Why ? »

Kurama sighed again before he answered.

« You asked for my name, no human has ever done that before. When I first contacted you I just wanted to mess with you because I was fucking bored and you were finally about to do something interesting. But you intrigued me… So I brought you here to get a proper mesure of you. »

A heavy silence followed this statement, both spirit and human looked at each other with uncertainty, until Naruto asked :

« So… where do we go from here ? »

Kurama shrugged.

« I don’t know kid, it’s my power but it’s your life. Frankly, I never thought about ‘proving’ Raava wrong. And I don’t like humans in general to put it mildly. I just find their conflicts entertaining. »

« The conflicts are supposed to make us evolve, not stagnate the way the Avatar has done since he has existed. » Naruto gritted between his teeth. « What is the point of living if we keep being the exact same creatures, with the exact same beliefs and behaviours every generation ? Why should we keep ourselves apart instead of working together to become better ? »

« Don’t ask me, kid, I don’t care about humanity. »

« But I do. » Naruto claimed. « And I refuse to submit myself to the ideal that makes us little more than cattle imprisoned in a pen. We must move forward… We must be able to find a way to live in harmony without having to separate ourselves. »

At this, Kurama let out a thunderous laugh that through Naruto on the ground.

« And what the hell do you know about your own kind, boy ?! You’ve been living in a palace your whole life, you know nothing of humans and their greed ! You’re just an ignorant boy who believes himself to be Wan-Shi-Tong equal ! Who’s to say your ‘solution’ isn’t just the seed of the same mistakes that human beings have displayed for so long? »

Naruto didn’t get back up immediately, he just lay on the grass looking at the sky of the Spirit World. Then he slapped himself for his stupid words, under Kurama’s surprised look.

« You’re right. » the Crown Prince sighed as he stared emotionlessly at the sky. « I know nothing, I’ve done nothing, and I haven’t learned nearly enough to even pretend to prove a spirit as old as Raava that she is wrong. »

Kurama’s eyebrows rose in surprise once again.

« Did you just admit you were an ignorant wailing little brat ? »

Naruto snorted.

« Yeah… I guess… » he grumbled before lifting his upper body with his elbows. « What’s so surprising about that ? »
« I’ve never met a human who admitted his flaws and ignorance so easily, let alone one as young as you. »

To this, Naruto groaned loudly and threw his head back to the grass.

« I don’t know wether that’s a good thing for me or a terrible thing for mankind. »

The fox chuckled.

« I’d say it’s a good thing. You’re different from what I’m used to. »

A small smile appeared on the blond’s whiskered face.

« Thanks Kurama. »

« Don’t sweat it kid, I can’t have you grow insane after one conversation with me, truth be told, I’m really curious. »

That rose Naruto’s spirit.

« Maybe you can change things. » Kurama continued developing his thoughts.  « Maybe you can,’t. But I know you will try, and I’m curious to see you try. »

« Well. » The Crown Prince said while getting up and dusting himself. « Since we’re speaking truths; I’d hate to disappoint you. »

« Then go ahead and change the world, kiddo. » The Giant fox laughed before he saw Naruto giving him a fist-bump, he rose an eyebrow.

« What are you doing ? »

Now Naruto looked sheepish.

« Well… I wanted to give you a handshake. » he admitted. « But considering our hands’ difference of size… I thought a fist-bump would do. »

Kurama contemplated the tiny fist of the human he’d ‘blessed’. Naruto surprised him in more ways than one, but his politeness and familiarity towards the spirit is what truly astonished said spirit. The other humans had either thrown themselves on their knees, try to bargain with him for more power, hells, one of them even tried to steal the tailed spirit power for himself.
All Naruto had asked was advice and clarity. He might have the immeasurable ambition of a normal human being, but he was pondered and measured, and he had treated him like an old friend. Normally, the spirit would have denigrated this familiarity, but Naruto’s joyful aura appeased him in a strange way. He really liked that kit full of energy and good intentions, and what was even stranger was the fact that he wanted that kid to succeed. Not just to prove Raava wrong, but simply because he enjoyed the kid’s company. He had never enjoyed a human’s company in more than a hundred thousand years of living.

« Please don’t leave me hanging. » Naruto almost begged in an embarrassed tone as his fist was still raised.

Kurama laughed again and finally gave him his fist bump back.

Naruto smiled, but then started to scratch his head in discomfort.

« So… uh… How do I go back ? »

The Fox chuckled at his behaviour and armed a flick.

« You don’t, I am sending you back. »

Naruto didn’t even have time to protest, as he was thrown back by the most powerful hit he had ever taken in his life.

(-)(-)(-)

When Naruto reopened his eyes, he felt like his entire face had been smashed by a rock. He barely acknowledged the fact that he was back in the training ground and started massaging his face to reduce his pain and get his senses back.

The Crown Prince mumbled in his beard :

« Jerk… »

« I heard that. »

This time, the blond didn’t jump in fear at this sudden intrusion of his skull.

« Oh yeah ? Good, then perhaps you will explain to me how you’re capable of dragging me to the Spirit World without injuring me, and yet why you had to smash my face like pastry dough to send me back ? »

« … »

« … »

« Because it was amusing. » Kurama simply answered with a shrug.

Naruto threw his arms in the air.

« So spirits are bullies, good to know. »

« Kid, you’re literally an insect compared to me. Your life will last a blink compared to mine, you’re as tiny as an ant, and you’re as frail as paper. My power alone could destroy your whole world, you know.»

Naruto felt crunched by the Fox’s established superiority, yet, he wasn’t about to let Kurama’s bullying slide like that.

« Thank you for confirming that you’re a jerk. »

The Spirit clicked his tongue in annoyance.

« Keep talking to me like that, and I’ll give my power to your sister instead of you. »

Naruto scoffed.

« My sister would make you miserable in a matter of seconds with words alone. Don’t even try to deny it, you might have the power to destroy the world, but Azula is… a vicious female. »

He swore he had heard Kurama shudder at the uncomfortable thought.

« Don’t you have a family dinner to attend or something ? Well go there, instead of complaining how badly the Spirit that granted you his power flicked you in the face. »

Naruto ended up dropping the matter despite his annoyance, he checked the hour with the sundial and realized that he had meditated for hours, this was confirmed when he heard his stomach growl because he had skipped lunch.

The Crown Prince scratched his chin in order to drown his hunger with his thoughts. It wasn’t hard to do so, with the amount of information he had acquired, he still needed to figure out what to do, with his life, Kurama’s power, his position and the Future of his Nation. But most importantly, Kurama all but confirmed that the Avatar was still alive. Which brought even more questions than answers. But Naruto shook those out of his head for the moment, the Avatar was Zuko’s purpose, not his, and he had faith in his brother despite what everyone thought of him.

He left the training ground and went to bath and dress accordingly for tonight’s war council, he had a plan to propose, and a battlefield to meet.

(-)(-)(-)

When the Fire Lord and his military council saw Naruto enter the chamber and apologize for his tardiness, the flames around the throne rose due to the anger of the one sitting it. Naruto got on his knees and begged his father for forgiveness, he dutifully informed him that he had a very good to explain his late arrival, one that he could only share with royal ears alone. This intrigued Ozai enough to sooth his anger and invite him to sit by his side.

Once the prince was settled, his father motioned for his generals to continue, and as the blond had suspected they were discussing the potential siege of Omashu.

« As I was saying. » Old General Shù coughed. « It doesn’t matter how many soldiers we send to reinforce our newest colonies. King Bumi of Omashu will simply send more men in retaliation to rally the people of the Earth Kingdom into rebellion. The best course of action is to crush the resistance’s very core; Omashu itself. It is the only way to pacify the land and be done with that so called ‘Mad Genius’. »

Another General, General Lee, raised his hand to ask the Fire Lord for the right to speak, which was granted to him.

« I must speak against this plan, General Shù. We do not have nearly enough man power to launch a massive offensive at a city as well defended as Omashu. And another failure to invade this city would have the exact opposite on the rebels, and we would surely loose our harshly acquired colonies. »

« Then what do you propose, General Lee ? » General Shù taunted in response. « The way things are going, we will loose those colonies anyway, and the men stationed there will either be killed or captured. Either we make a decision today, or we loose everything anyway, at least I’m proposing a plan. You haven’t proposed anything since your appointment to this council. »

Ozai frowned and stoped Lee’s rebuttal with a motion of his hand, Shù had been an excellent General when he served under Fire Lord Azulon, but it appears that old age had dulled his mind, for his plan was foolish.

However, it appeared that his disappointment in his council would be prevented by his eldest son, as Naruto rose his hand to ask for the right to speak.
The Fire Lord was still angry at him for his tardiness at tonight’s council, yet, if his heir were to provide him a valid excuse and a good plan, he was willing to forgive his lack of manners.

«First of all… » Naruto started after his father allowed him to speak. « An offensive on Omashu would be foolish, even if we were to obtain victory, we would face the same problem on a larger scale; we wouldn’t be able to hold the city and our colonies with so little numbers. Targeting Omashu, regardless of the outcome, would end up in catastrophe. »

General Shù gritted his teeth but begrudgingly accepted his Prince’s opinion with a nod.

« However, these new colonies must be pacified in order for our supply units and reinforcement regiments to establish a safe and large perimeter to potentially conquer Omashu in the future. General Shù is not wrong when he said that reinforcement won’t make a difference. As long as the rebels believe they have a chance to repel our forces, they’ll keep doing so regardless of the consequences. This belief, this hope, must be our target. They must understand that submission is their only alternative. Which is why, I will go personally and pacify this land myself. »

All eyebrows in the room shot up and eyes widened. Only Ozai was able to retain his composure. For he knew his heir wasn’t naive nor was he stupid.
The other generals didn’t seem to share his knowledge or confidence in his son.

« My prince… » General Okalo started. « I-I I don’t mean any disrespect… »

« But you’re wondering how I’ll be able to reach the western coast of the Earth Kingdom in time or how I’ll pacify the land by myself. » Naruto finished with a smile. « I can understand why you would doubt me, Generals. After all, despite all the great tales about my look and my ‘blessing’, I’m but a boy of sixteen who never got out of his country. I must sound like an arrogant brat, yet I assure you, that is not who your prince is. And my confidence in my abilities does not come from my bending alone. »

Naruto turned to his father and bowed his head with respect.

« With your blessing, my Lord, I will reach the western coast of the Earth Kingdom in a matter of hours, pacify the land, and prepare our colonies for the arrival of the supply units and reinforcement regiments, then, and still with you blessing, I will stay on the front lines and contribute to the war effort to the best of my abilities. »

Where the other generals widened their eyes in astonishment, Ozai merely raised an eyebrow.

« You realize that if you fail, I will have no choice but to banish you for the disgrace you will become ? »

Naruto wasn’t worried in the slightest.

« Failure was never an option my Lord, it has never been since I was born. The tale of my colorings has regaled this generation of soldiers for seventeen years. It’s time to put a face on that tale, and to reward our men for their patience. »

« So poetic. »

Naruto almost winced.

« Don’t do that again, If I lose my composure in front of my father he will never allow me to go to the frontlines. »

Kurama snorted, but didn’t add anything, Ozai took a very long look at his son, then he finally spoke up :

« You will depart on the morrow. And inform us of your success as soon as possible, or you will never set foot in our country for the rest of your life. »

Naruto bowed respectfully.
« Thank you for this opportunity, my lord, I shall not disappoint you. »

It was time for the tale of the Blessed Prince to become a Legend.