Crossover Fan Fiction / Crossover With Non-anime Series Fan Fiction / Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ NAvatarUTO ❯ Aang's story ( Chapter 18 )

Katara, after unsuccessfully trying to dissuade her other teammates from participating, goes to talk to Aang. She finds him on the hokage monument meditating. Aang explains to Katara that he feels responsible for the ninja villages because they were formed in the hundred years he was gone. He needs to understand them so that he can fairly judge if they are a threat to world peace. The reason he is trying to relate to them is that he knows that if he can't, he will have to destroy them. Aang feels like a parent who in his absence let their child grow to possibly be evil. This chapter will show some of the strain he feels from being the avatar and having the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Katara's search for one of her teammates to discourage from taking the exam ended when she finnaly found Aang atop hokage mountain, meditating. The air was cool, and a slight breeze played with her hair. It was very peaceful up there, above the sounds of the town, but Katara couldn't help but notice the stiffness in Aang's posture and the crease between his brows. “What's wrong Aang?” She asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He shook his head. “Nothing. I'm just thinking. I can't figure these people out. In someways they seem like normal people, but in other ways they're totally different. They're intense.”

“Yeah, you're right about that…” Katara said after a pause.

Aang continued, “The kids here- they're forced to fight at such a young age. They're given unreasonable amounts of responsibility and treated like adults.”

“Isn't that kind of like what the monks did to you, Aang? They gave you the responsibilities of an avatar before you were ready.”

That's different. My responsibilities are towards peace, theirs are towards violence for the sake of their village. I know everyone has some goodness in them, but deep down I can't help but feel like what they're doing is wrong.

“Then why-?” Katara began,

Aang cut her off, “Because I need to know, Katara. I need to know if ninjas are bad for the world.”

“Aang, it's not your fault if there are bad people in the world.” Katara said, concern in her voice.

Aang sighed and looked at his hands folded in his lap. “I know, but it's my job to fix it.” Looking out over the village he said, “That's why it's so important that I figure out these people. If history took them down the wrong path, it is because I wasn't there to lead them. The ninja villages would never have existed if I hadn't run away from my responsibilities as avatar. They were created to cope with the chaos cause by my mistake. But now I'm back and I need to know if they do more harm than good.”