"I assume you know who I am, then?" Iroh asked with an amused smile and Toji sighed as he nodded, wiping his butterfly sword and dagger clean before frowning as he saw the slight chip on his dadao blade.
'Looks like fighting against that big guy did more damage to the weapon than to me.'
"Yeah, it's kind of hard to not know who the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation is."
"Hahaha~ I suppose that is quite true." Iroh nodded with a chuckle and Toji narrowed his eyes at the easygoing demeanour of the man.
Don't get him wrong. He could see how carefully the man was analysing him and with how many dead people he had to his name, Toji knew the older guy was most definitely not going to take him lightly.
"So, do you stalk everything that interests you or am I just that special?"
"A bit of both, I believe. It's rare that one finds a warrior as capable as you at your age and rare fighters catch the eye of many, especially those who understand power."
"Save the recruitment speech for someone who cares. I don't belong to a single organization, especially those that have wronged me in the past. Damn, broken." Toji muttered as he tossed one of Fern's broken gourds to the side while Iroh raised an eyebrow.
"Recruit you? Not in the slightest, young warrior. I merely came to see if the rumours were true. To see the lone bounty hunter barely ten years old who was cutting through one of the biggest headaches for the Fire Nation like fire through dried grass."
"And now? We gonna talk about tea and destiny or do you have something else planned?" Toji asked as he shifted his weight slightly, noting Iroh standing still and smiling before he responded.
"Tea and destiny do sound like preferable topic, but no. As of now, I have no interest in stopping you…but I do have a proposition if you're willing to listen."
"That depends. What's in it for me?"
"How does Kangana's head sound?" Toji just turned as Liu hopped down from the trees, carrying a small sack at his side that he threw at Toji's feet with a smirk.
The bag had blood trickling from its underside and Toji kept an eye on both of them while picking up the bag. Opening it slightly, he raised an eyebrow at the horrified look on the face of the woman's head in the sack and looked back at the duo.
"So, you and Mosi are going through with the deal, then?"
"No, Mosi is currently being executed by a battalion of Fire Nation soldiers along with his crew to make sure they don't escape and create another Crimson Sails Armada." Iroh answered and Toji looked at them with a frown.
"Just who the hell are you?"
"You did not tell him?"
"I was still undercover." Liu spoke with a smile and Toji's frown deepened as Iroh nodded before turning to Toji.
"This is Lu Ten, my second-in-command and my son. He was sent undercover to find the headquarters of the Crimson Sails Armada and help us end their tyranny for good, but I am glad to see that his mission did not have to go on for long."
"So am I. Having to commit atrocities while in their crew was not good for the soul." Lu Ten said as he took out a gourd of water and splashed it onto his face, a look of realization appearing in Toji's eyes as make-up was washed off to reveal the older facial structure of the man.
"Huh, you were a double-agent all this time? Not bad. So, what's this proposition you wanted to talk about and how much am I getting paid?"
"Is Kangana's head not enough?" Iroh asked with an amused smile, chuckling as Toji snorted while clipping the bag to his side.
"I was already going to kill her so she doesn't count."
"Very well. What about 400 gold coins, double the value of her head?"
"I thought her bounty was 120 gold coins? When did it double?" Toji asked before turning to Lu Ten as he nodded.
"It was before she and her men attacked one of the cruisers that were sent with crucial information and important treasures, which is also why they were on this island as they needed to recover from the battle."
"I see. Well, we've got a price. I expect 200 upfront and another 200 after the job."
"That sounds reasonable." Iroh said with a nod and Toji grinned as he crossed his arms and gestured for them to continue.
"Come on, then. What's the job?"
"We need you to 'take care' of a few targets for us to make sure our invasion goes smoothly."
" 'Take care' as in kidnap or 'take care' as in make sure they sleep peacefully in the afterlife?"
"The latter." Iroh spoke and Toji hummed before giving a slow nod as he leaned against the tree besides him.
"Sounds doable. Who are the targets?"
"These are the targets we need you to take care of. We do not care how you do it as long as you make sure that it cannot be connected back to the Fire Nation." Iroh spoke as Lu Ten reached into his jacket and pulled out a page.
Toji just frowned as he took the page from Lu Ten, reading it through before blinking and reading it once again to make sure he was reading it right.
Long Feng, Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se
The Council of Five, which consists of General How, General Sung, General Yiwen, General Khieu and General Duanmu
King Bumi, Ruler of Omashu
"400 gold is not enough for this." Toji answered as he looked up at the father-son duo, to which Lu Ten just gave his father a knowing look while Iroh smiled.
"I figured it would not be. What would you say is a fair price?"
"At least 800 gold is enough for Council of Five so I can still do that. The Grand Secretariat on the other hand is the second most protected person in Ba Sing Se after the Earth King, which means it's going to be most likely 800 to even 1200 for him. King Bumi on the other hand is a no-go."
"No?" Iroh asked and Toji just raised an eyebrow while shaking his head as he folded the page up.
"No. I'm good, I admit that, but going up against the strongest earthbender of the current era is a death wish. Even with my best plans, I have read fabled takes of earthbenders being able to feel the movements of the earth around them so I do not want to take that risk."
"Very well. 2000 gold, then, for the Council of Five and for the Grand Secretariat." Iroh spoke and Toji grinned as Lu Ten just picked out a heavy bag of gold coins and tossed it at him.
"You guys just carry around gold like this?"
"We do, indeed."
"I might get used to this. Alright then. I'm going with you guys."
"Do you not have the means to leave the island?" Iroh asked and Toji just rolled his eyes while looking to him with a smirk.
"No, you guys are already heading to Ba Sing Se so I might as well catch a lift with you to the mainland and cash in the head before I get to Ba Sing Se." Toji answered with a shrug as he held the bag of coins over his shoulders.
Iroh just looked at the young boy before nodding as he began walking towards the beach, Toji and Lu Ten following after him as the youngest whistled a happy tune.
"Oh, wait. Before we go, we need to make a quick stop."
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"So, why are we standing on the beach?" Iroh asked while scanning the forest line in front of them, Lu Ten giving his father a shrug before they turned to Toji as he grinned.
The boy didn't say anything as he lifted his fingers and gave a sharp whistle that echoed across the beach, a few rat-pigeons flying up from the forest treetops before rumbling began to draw near.
It was just seconds before Iroh was surprised by the sight of a sturdy komodo rhino charging towards him, but as Toji walked forward with a grin and the beast slid to a stop in front of the boy, he just smiled as he saw the rhino poking the boy with his horn.
"Hey, despite how sturdy I am, that still hurts." Toji spoke with a smirk as Iron poked at his arm before rolling his eyes as the beast snorted and looked at the others.
"You have a komodo rhino?"
"Took him along with my former dadao from the Fire Nation sergeant that killed my parents."
"Ah, is that the wrong the Fire Nation have done to you in the past?" Iroh asked, humming as Toji nodded while patting and scratching Iron's side.
"Yep. Anyway, thanks for giving me a lift and letting me get Kangana's sword."
"The jian is a difficult blade to master so it would be better as a weapon for someone not of the Fire Nation army." Lu Ten answered with a shrug and Toji smirked as he placed a hand on the hilt of the sword on his back.
It would be a bit of a weird position for most to place the blade, but after his years of using the Inventory Curse to unsheathe his weapons, he was used to sheathing weapons from his shoulder.
"Yeah, at least I got a weapon now to use whenever I can't just take out my target. Anyway, back to my job. Do you need confirmation of the kills?"
"A souvenir from each would do or if possible, bring their heads to the outskirts." Iroh spoke and Toji frowned before nodding.
"Sounds doable. It's going to take a while to get to them, though."
"Infiltrating Ba Sing Se is no simple matter. Even the Dai Li are hidden in the shadows of the walls that protect the city."
"Yeah, I figured, which is why I'm not going in loud." Toji answered as he hopped onto Iron in one smooth motion, the beast letting out a snort as Iroh raised an eyebrow.
"You have a plan already?"
"Yep. Since you guys already paid me for Kangana's bounty, I'm heading to the eastern section of the Outer Wall."
"That is also the most protected section of the Outer Wall." Lu Ten said with a frown and Toji smirked as he nodded.
"It is until your invasion starts. Then, most of the security is shifting to fend off your attack, which will give me time to sneak into the Lower Ring. Then, it's going to be a couple of weeks, but I'd have your first head by then."
"So young and you already have the mind of a tactician." Iroh spoke with a smile, chuckling as Toji rolled his eyes while rubbing Iron's ears.
"I have the paranoia of someone who doesn't want to die before he's rich."
"Still a good mentality to have. Our camps will be stationed along the northern edge of Lake Laogai. When you are done, come find us there."
"Got it." Toji nodded as he kicked softly at Iron's side, making the beast huff as he began walking towards the dense treeline.
"Also, one more thing." Toji began as he continued to look forward while taking his crossbow off and shooting to the side, Iroh frowning slightly as the bolt stabbed deeply into the tree besides the head of the terrified spy he had ordered to follow Toji.
"Put another tail on me and I'll send him back in pieces. Iron, speed up." The beast rumbled as it charged into the treeline, knocking down tree after tree in his path as Toji grinned.
After all, today was a good day.
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"Damn, this thing is a lot bigger in person." Toji muttered as he stared at the massive Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se that stretched six hundred feet up into the air, marvelling at just how huge the structure was.
Seated on his vantage point a few miles away from the city, Iron crouched low besides him and barely making a sound despite his side while the boy turned his attention from the wall to the skirmishes happening at its base.
Fire burned and rocks flew everywhere as the Fire Nation had finally begun their siege and just like he had predicted, his superhuman eyesight had barely been able to make out the hundreds of troops rushing in from the other sectors coming to reinforce it.
"Alright, Iron. Stay hidden here. Operation Stowaway again, but this time, keep near the other komodo rhinos in the Fire Nation's group if you feel it's better. I'll come find you when I'm done." Toji muttered, patting the rhino's flank and smiling as he bumped him before taking a deep breath.
With his first step, the ground was kept undisturbed as he moved like a shadow, racing across the landscape with a blistering pace as the sounds of explosions and the dust formed from it kept him from view.
It did not take him long before he found himself right besides the wall, taking a deep breath to calm down while staring up at the wall in front of him.
'Now, comes the hard part.' Toji thought with a frown as he took out the gear he had bought for this job, putting on the beige cloak he had bought from a sandbender as well as the climbing spikes and hooks he had bought.
Putting them on, Toji took a few deep breaths as he took a few steps back, hopping on the balls of his feet before rushing at the wall as fast as he could.
With a grunt, he crouched lowly before leaping upwards and stabbing the first spike into the wall, keeping a tight grip on the spike to steady himself.
Once he was ready, Toji pushed off the wall and let his body hang down before heaving himself upwards, pulling out another spike with his free hand stabbing it deep into the wall.
'That was…twelve feet with the initial jump and then another four feet with that heave. If I stay consistent by clearing four to six feet with each jump, it's about one hundred jumps or a little over it to clear the wall.' Toji thought with a sigh before shaking his head, looking up while readying the next spike as he yanked himself upwards.
'Who thought scaling this was a good idea? Oh, right. I did.' Toji groaned as he yanked himself up once again, pulling out a fourth spike and stabbing it deep before his eyes widened as he heard rocks crumbling.
Quickly pulling out a fifth spike and boosting himself to the side while stabbing it into the wall, he watched as the fourth spike slowly fell down before looking up at the hundreds of feet he still has to cover.
"…I swear I hate myself." Toji muttered before shaking his head as he continued his journey.
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By the time Toji had made it to the final few feet, the crescent moon was shining in the sky as Toji hung from the edge of the walls, waiting a few seconds for any noise before pulling himself over the wall.
Hopping silently onto the top of the wall and stealthily hiding behind a storage crate, he crouched low with his ears perked as he hard two guards chatting softly to each other.
'Damn, they are really that lazy.' Toji thought with a frown as he rushed over to the inner ledge, grabbing another spike and stabbing it into the wall before taking a deep breath and slowly beginning his drop down.
'Infiltration to the Outer Wall: Successful. Now, time to get this mission started.'
A/N: Like I said, this is where I turn the canon on its head. Iroh ordering the death of others is a bit out of character, but I'm trying to capture that wartime mentality of his before Lu Ten's death and everything else that happened after Ba Sing Se.
Also, Toji is now on a manhunt to take out his first big targets and make a name for himself. However, will he succeed or will die? We'll have to find out.
Next chapter: Let the Hunt Begin.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next chapter...
Ba-Bye~!