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Naruto had never pondered this much about the phrase 'expect the unexpected' until this very moment.
Right in front of him was a man that looked like the ghost of his past self. Tarrlok was pale, dirty from toe to head, not really any bruises around his body. If it wasn't for the fact that Naruto loathed him, he would've felt some sort of sympathy for him. But no. He quickly reminded himself of all the foul things Tarrlok had done to Korra. Luring her into his task force, calling her a 'half-baked Avatar' and worse of all, abducting her. Maybe Korra could find a way to forgive him, but Naruto couldn't.
Tarrlok glared at the pair. "I don't suppose you're here to rescue me."
"Your suppositions are correct, councilman." Naruto spat with an equally hateful glare.
"We had no idea you were here. Are there any other prisoners on the island?" Korra asked as she ignored her boyfriend's behavior.
"No. I'm the only one."
"And what does exactly make you so special?" Naruto asked.
"... I am Amon's brother."
Both Korra and Naruto gasped at the revelation. Councilman Tarrlok was Amon's brother? The two opposite's forces that had been facing each other for so long were siblings? Finding Tarrlok here was unexpected enough, but this? This took the phrase 'expect the unexpected' to a whole different level. Naruto shivered at the idea of this information going public. There would certainly be chaos.
"Did you know this all along?" Naruto questioned.
"No. I realized only after he captured me."
"How did your brother ended up being Amon?" Korra couldn't help but ask. This day was getting even messier than what she anticipated. And she anticipated a LOT of things going down today.
Tarrlok stared at the ground, like the memories of his past ashamed him to the point that he couldn't even look at them in the eye. "It all began with my father, Yakone. With the help of his former gang, he escaped prison and underwent surgery to change his physical appearance. This way, no one could recognize him or link him with his criminal reputation. He assumed a new identity and settled down in the Northern Water Tribe. That's where he met my mother, a warm and caring woman that loved him. Before long, they started a family together. Amon was the first born with the name of Noatak, while I was born three years later. My brother Noatak was a good-natured boy, always looking out for me. Ahhh, those were the good old days... before my father discovered that we were waterbenders."
He made a pause before continuing. "Of course, we were excited at first with our new abilities. If anything, it made out brotherly bond even stronger than it already was. But our training brought a different side to my father. "
|Flashback|
An eight year-old Noatak was manipulating a considerable amount of water, changing its size and shape. Meanwhile, a five year-old Tarrlok was struggling to keep up with his brother. Even with less water, he had trouble performing the exercise his father had instructed them to practice. It was already dark and he was tired and hungry, but his father still wouldn't let them rest. Finally, Tarrlok kneeled and stopped bending the water because of the fatigue.
"Tarrlok!" a severe voice called from behind. "You better start shaping the water like I told you to do or you'll be here all night!"
"I'm trying, but-"
"But nothing! You are a disgrace. Your brother was never this sloppy!"
Noatak took a step forward. "Dad, he'll get it. He just needs time." he tried to reason.
"Don't you ever talk back to me, boy! Ever!"
|Flashback end|
"Even back then, my brother wanted everyone to be treated fairly and equally. When I was seven, our father took me and Noatak to a hunting trip far away from our home. He told us his true identity was Yakone, Republic City's most notorious crime boss. He was a bloodbender of rare skill."
|Flashback|
"Dad, what's bloodbending?" Tarrlok asked his father as he and his brother sat down next to the small bonfire to keep themselves warm on that particularly cold night.
"It's the most powerful and feared form of bending in the world," Yakone told his son. "It was declared illegal thanks to that coward Katara. Our family has the strongest line of bloodbenders in history. You boys have this power inside of you, and I will teach you how to master it."
After a moment of hesitation, Noatak spoke up. "What happened to your bloodbending?" he asked.
Yakone stood up. "The Avatar stole it from me. That is why I brought you here, to learn your destiny. I will make you two bloodbenders of the highest order, and when the time is right, you will reclaim Republic City, and you will destroy the Avatar. You must avenge me. That is your only purpose in life. That is what your destinies are."
|Flashback end|
"And with that, the good old days were gone forever. Every full moon, our father would take us on another 'hunting trip' were he secretly trained us in bloodbending. We kept the truth from our mother. Years went by, and our skills as bloodbenders had increased to the point of not needing a full moon to bend the blood of our targets. We practiced constantly, and I hated every minute of it. I had no stomach to manipulate helpless animals. My brother, however, had changed with his new power. In all honesty, he was a prodigy, mastering the most advanced bloodbending techniques of our father by the age of fourteen. But even when Noatak was my father's favorite, it wasn't any easier for him because he carried the weight of Yakone's expectations and demands on his shoulders."
Tarrlok let out a sigh. Naruto didn't want to admit it, but Tarrlok's story was starting to get him. But he couldn't help but feel as if something was off.
"My brother changed through the years, becoming cold and detached. Our father kept pushing us to extreme limits, and one day, he made us bloodbend each other in a duel."
|Flashback|
The two brothers were standing in front of each other, one looking calm and expressionless while the other looked nervous and scared.
"Noatak, go," Yakone said to his oldest son.
Noatak nodded, took a deep breath, and stared at Tarrlok for a second before his whole body became tense.
In an instant, Tarrlok's body started to feel an unbelievable amount of pain. It felt like having his inside strangled constantly with hands as cold as ice. His bones were twitchy like they were warning him they would snap at any minute now. His legs couldn't stand such painful torture, and so Tarrlok bent over and dropped into one knee. Then, his brother hardened his gaze, and Tarrlok's back began to stretch so much that he thought his brother was going to split him in half.
Yakone smirked as he looked at his older son. "Excellent. You can stop now."
Noatak did so and felt his body relax, letting go of the grip he had on Tarrlok, who fell to the ground shivering and sweaty.
"Tarrlok, your turn."
"No, I won't do it," Tarrlok said as he stood up.
"Bloodbend your brother, Tarrlok!"
"No! It felt awful, and I don't want to do that to anyone. I don't want to bloodbend ever again!"
Yakone took a step forward with gritted teeth. "You truly are a disgrace. You are nothing but a weakling. I'll show you wha-"
Suddenly, Yakone's body started to shake in pain. "Stay away from him." a voice warned.
It was Noatak. His own son and apprentice were using his bloodbending against him.
"How... dare... you... bloodbend... me?"
"What are you going to do about it?" Noatak said as he made his father bend over. "You're the only weakling here. You said that bloodbending is the most powerful thing in the world, but you're wrong. The Avatar is the most powerful thing in the world. He took your bending away. What can be more powerful than that?"
"I... made you... what you... are. You... are... mine!" Yakone yelled.
His older son glared at him. "We're your sons, not your tools of revenge," he said to Yakone before returning his gaze to Tarrlok. "Let's go. We can run away from him forever."
Tarrlok couldn't believe his ears. He simply couldn't. "Run away? But what about mom? We can't just leave her!"
Noatak gave his younger brother the same glare he gave to his father. "In the end, father was right about you. You really are a weakling."
With that said, Noatak pushed his father a couple of feet away before running away, never to return.
"Noatak, please wait! Don't go! Noatak!"
|Flashback end|
"My father and I searched for days, but we never found any sign of Noatak. We told my mother he got lost in the storm and perished. My mother was never the same with the loss of her son. My father stopped training me since, with Noatak gone, his hopes of revenge withered, and he passed away a few years later."
Korra looked at him with pity. "That's one of the saddest stories I've ever heard."
"Avatar Korra, I am truly sorry for all I've done to you. I thought I was better than my father, but his ghost still haunted me. I became a soldier of revenge, just like he wanted me to be, and so did my brother. The Revolution may be built on a lie, but I think Amon truly believes bending is the source of all evil in the world." Tarrlok said.
"How did you figure Amon was your brother?" Naruto asked.
"When he took my bending, the sensation was somehow familiar. I later recognized it as my brother's bloodbending grip."
Korra narrowed her eyes. "So, somehow, he uses his bloodbending to take people's bending away."
"I still don't understand how he does it," Naruto commented. "According to uncle Tenzin, only the Avatar is capable of doing that. I'm pretty sure bloodbending doesn't come with energy bending, as powerful as it may be."
"Neither do I know how he does it," Tarrlok said. "But then again, I've never faced a bender as strong as Noatak."
Even with this new information, Naruto still couldn't figure out a way to defeat the Equalist leader. Not only was he a bloodbender, which was something dangerous by itself, but he was probably the most powerful bloodbender out there. To bloodbend without a full moon was something worthy of a genius, a prodigy. Naruto chuckled to himself at the thought of how the Equalist supporters would feel when they found out their great leader and warrior of hope was actually an overpowered waterbender—not noticing a smirk on Tarrlok's face.
...
Wait a minute... That was it!
"Hey, maybe we don't have to defeat him. Instead, we could tell everyone about Amon's true identity and powers. If the Equalists were true to their cause, they would revolt against Amon, right? That should put him on the run and make him lose his supporters." Korra said, mentally patting herself for being such a genius.
"I don't think that will change anything; people are still suffering, and him ending up being a bender all along wouldn't change much, but if we show everyone his true identity, this would cause havoc inside the Equalist movement, and we might have a chance to talk things through without bloodshed," Naruto suggested, even Tarrlok was impressed with the kid's logic.
Korra's eyes lit up, and a wide grin made its way to her face. "Of course! If we tell everyone his little secret at the rally, we could take away his true power and end his revolution!" she exclaimed. Turning back to Tarrlok, she lowered he head. "I'm sorry."
Tarrlok merely nodded and looked away in shame, embarrassed to meet her gaze.
Naruto was fighting with himself. He couldn't forgive Tarrlok for his actions, but he no longer desired to take the revenge he once swore. Was it pity? Was it because Tenzin taught him the value of forgiveness? Was it because Korra felt pity for him? He had no idea, and honestly, he had more important things to worry about, like taking down Amon once and for all and making sure to get out alive, or Korra would never forgive him or herself, for that matter. That woman would be willing to go to the Spirit World and back if it meant kicking his bum for leaving her. The thought sent shivers down his spine, not that anyone noticed. He started to walk away, but Korra stopped him.
"We can't just leave him here."
"I will follow you. I don't have my bending anymore, but I can back up your story." Tarrlok said, looking up at Korra.
Naruto narrowed his eyes. This felt off. He couldn't tell if the man was lying, he was about to tell him No...
"Of course, that's a great idea." Korra agreed.
Pro-bending Arena, Rally
Naruto never would've thought he'd see a bigger Equalist-supporter crowd than the one he saw at the rally when Bolin was captured, but this took the cake. Without counting the Equalist troops and Mechatanks guarding the stadium, the place was absolutely infested of die-hard Amon fanatics. What made things even worse was that people were still going in, even when the place had no space left. Apparently, the Equalists had an open-door policy, wanting all of the people to come and hear the great leader.
The crowd erupted into cheers and shouts of admiration when Amon came out, making the usual entrance he always did before starting a speech, with lots of smoke and flashes of lights directed at him.
"Thank you for joining me on this historic occasion." he began to say as the crowd started to quiet down. "When I was a boy, a firebender struck down my entire family and left me scarred. That tragic event was the beginning of my quest to equalize the world."
"That's a lie, Amon!" Korra shouted from above before Amon could continue. Both Naruto and Korra took off their masks now that their cover was officially blown. Tarrlok was still keeping his mask and staying a few feet behind them.
"Or should we call you Noatak?"
The crowd was now shouting about lies, punishment, something about blasphemy, and similar things of the like to the couple. To his credit, Amon remained calm and gestured his followers to stay still. "Everyone calm down. We have nothing to fear from the Avatar. Let's see what she has to say."
"Amon has been lying to you all this time." the Avatar started to say out loud, gaining the attention of the people below her. "The Spirits didn't give him the power to take people's bending away. He uses bloodbending to do it. Amon is a waterbender!"
"Quite the amusing story you have there, Avatar. Sadly, it is nothing but a desperate attempt to change the inevitable. A pathetic excuse used as a last resort." Amon retorted nontachantly.
Korra ignored him and went on. "A firebender didn't kill your family. His father was Yakone (multiple gasps were heard), and his brother is none other than councilman Tarrlok (even more gasps)!"
Meanwhile, Naruto was pondering on one thing he had failed to take into account.
How were they supposed to prove that what they were saying was true? They had no evidence to back their claim whatsoever besides the word of an untrustworthy man. Sure, they knew the truth, but that was not going to do a fat lot of good, especially when they were facing thousands of Equalists fanatics AND the Equalist leader that was surrounded by his top-notch guards.
This is not good. There's something very wrong here.
"I suppose you at least have some evidence with you. You are not just saying such things without a way to prove it, now, aren't you?" Amon asked.
"How about I show you how fake my lie is," Amon said as he took off his hood and started to untie the back of his characteristic white mask. Everyone's eyes widened as they realized what he was doing. Was their leader, the great and mysterious Amon, finally going to reveal his face to the world? The mere thought was simply surreal. From the very beginning of the Equalist propaganda, Amon always had ALWAYS worn his trademark mask. It was quite basically the man's face. No one, not even his closest associates, had ever caught a glimpse of Amon's true face. The only thing that mask didn't cover were his icy, unforgiving eyes of him.
And now, the face of the mighty Amon was revealed.
"Look what that firebender did to me!" he proclaimed loudly, pointing at his face, which sported a bright red scar that started from the left side of his jawline and ended in his right temple. The scar covered almost all of his otherwise pale face. Witnessing this, the crowd went berserk and started to shout even louder than before, pointing at the Avatar and throwing insults at her like there was no tomorrow. It was pandemonium in the stadium.
Korra was starting to lose her composure. This was so not good. Tarrlok never mentioned his brother's scar. Could it be a fake? She really hoped it was because otherwise, she and Naruto were in big trouble. How were they supposed to back up the real story now?
Feeling the rising tension, Naruto spoke up, feeling a strange sense of inspiration rising from his spirit. "Just answer me this, Noatak. What do you really want? Where is this revolution of yours going? You preach complete equality like it is going to fix the world, but you are wrong. What we need is justice, not equality. Benders are different. That much is true. It's what we do with our powers that we have to fix, but taking everyone's bending away will not improve things. We have been given the responsibility of making the world a better place, with benders and non-benders coexisting in true peace. If you go on with this madness, you'll end up doing the exact opposite of what you want."
This seemed to quiet down the crowd to the point where Naruto's voice could be heard. The less extremist followers were whispering to one another, going over the airbender's statement. It did make sense, for the benders of the past had also done good deeds, especially the Avatar and its reincarnations. Firelord Sozin was the one who started the war that lasted for a hundred years, and it was Avatar Aang the one who ended it, starting a new era of peace. Benders started wars, and benders put them to an end.
"It is true that bending has been gravely misused for years, and non-benders are the ones who have had it the hardest." Naruto continued with his improvised speech as he now addressed the horde of Equalists followers. "We have done you wrong. On behalf of all of those who have hurt you in the past, I ask for your forgiveness. But I'm sure you have no interest in my apologies. What you want is a better life, a life without fear. Your leader is right about one thing: We can change this corrupted system. Let us fight for you. Let the Avatar fight for you. Have faith in her just like I do because I know she can lead the world into a new era of kindness and justice, just like all the previous Avatars have done before her."
If the crowd was not silent then, it sure was now. Korra found herself gaping at her boyfriend. She never would've thought Naruto was so good at addressing people just like that. What she didn't know was that Naruto was even more impressed with himself. Even though he was naturally open to others, Naruto didn't think of himself as the kind of person to give speeches to a number of people. It was different when he spoke to Korra in private, where they could be intimate and express their thoughts to one another.
Amon, who had already placed his mask on again, noticed how some of his followers were starting to hesitate, so he was quick to return the word. "Worry not, Airbender. For I will change this corrupted system. Starting with your precious family."
Naruto's eyes widened in shock as Tenzin, Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo appeared on the stage, hand-cuffed and with a piece of cloth in their mouths to prevent them from shouting.
"No... They got away. We saw them get away." Korra whispered
"Tonight, I will free the world from airbending forever."
"Let them go, you bastard!" Naruto shouted as his anger and ire quickly took over. The floor started creaking.
"You are more than welcome to come down here and try to save them." Amon taunted the couple before walking towards Jinora. "The Avatar needs a reminder of the power I possess. Maybe a little demonstration with the older girl will do. Or the woman you love." Amon said. A group of equalist brought Asami in front of everyone. Her hands tightened behind her back, and she had a bruised face.
"Let Her Go. She's Innocent. She's A Nonbender." Naruto shouted, his pupils turning red. Asami shook her head at him, desperately trying to tell him not to do anything.
Amon grinned, seeing that. "Ohh, but she fought against her own people. She betrayed her own father for you. She's a traitor." He announced, getting more shouts from the public to put Asami in jail.
Without a second thought, he propelled himself towards the stage using airbending, landing on the left corner. Korra caught up to him by using her firebending. As soon as Naruto and Korra touched the ground, they encountered a number of elite chi-blockers making their way to them, eager to put them down. Naruto found himself in a state of nothing but violence, blasting away his enemies as they came closer. The sight of Amon attempting to hurt Asami made him so mad that he reached a rage he never knew he had. All of his past frustrations, all of his saddest moments, and all of the times he had cried were all mixed into a single desire to protect his family, even if it meant stopping being human for a while.
Nobody touched Naruto's family without paying for it.
Korra was unnerved by Naruto's outburst but quickly regained composure. Focusing her chi into her fingers, Korra created a small yet powerful flame to melt the chains Tenzin and his family were handcuffed with. "Where are Pema and Rohan?" she asked once the piece of cloth was removed from Tenzin's mouth.
"In prison."
"And Beifong?"
"I don't know."
"Don't move, Naruto." Everyone turned to see Asami being held by Tarrlok, who was still wearing his mask, with a knife close to Asami's throat.
"Let Her Go." Naruto roared, red chakra spreading all around the arena. His chakra was familiar to everyone who had felt it before.
"He's the monster."
"He was the source of that evil power."
The many who recognized the feeling started shouting at Naruto.
No, I should calm down. I shouldn't allow myself to lose control, Naruto thought, trying to suppress his anger, knowing he couldn't rely on his hidden strength. He could easily hurt his own family if he did that.
"Naruto, calm down," Korra shouted desperately, knowing this could end badly before turning to Tarrlok.
"Tarrlok, don't do This!" She begged, knowing the pressure coming from Naruto was increasing by the second the wood started creaking and breaking.
"You thought you had options and time, Naruto. The truth is that you had none of that." Tarrlok announced before stabbing Asami in the back, blood pouring out, flying through the air.
Naruto's eyes widened, seeing Asami fall on the ground, blood leaking out of her wound. At that moment, every desire to suppress his anger disappeared, and everything went Red.