Hey everyone, hope you all are ready for the next chapter, enjoy!

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Normal pov

The usual bustle of the city was absent, replaced by the faint rustle of leaves in the night breeze and the occasional distant bark of a stray dog. Sakura and Iroh moved swiftly through the labyrinth of alleys, their steps muffled on the cobblestones. Despite their speed, Sakura's thoughts lingered on the palace, on Zuko standing defiantly before Azula, and on the peril he now faced alone.

"I can’t believe he stayed behind, that idiot! He’s stubborn, reckless-"

"And brave."

Iroh interjected gently, his voice steady despite the strain of their flight, he then glanced at her with a calmness that belied the tension of their situation, he knows how she feels, what she's feeling right now, but he spoke with a calm voice as they slowed down before stopping. Sakura clenched her fists, the tension in her body her jerky and stiff after what Iroh said.

"Zuko made his choice to protect us. We must honor that, and find a way to help him."

"But how? Azula has the Dai Li wrapped around her finger, she's basically now in control of Ba Sing Se, who knows what she did to the King!"

"We must start by finding those who share our cause."

Iroh lightly rested both his hands on Sakura's shoulder, his touch was steady, a grounding presence against the storm of her thoughts. Sakura had taken a deep breath to calm her down, and waited for Iroh to speak.

"The Avatar and his friends, as well as your sister Toph, are here in the city. We will have to track them down and get them to help us to stand a better chance to rescue Zuko."

The mention of Toph brought a flicker of hope to Sakura's heart, it has been so long since she last had seen her baby sister, and had had been missing her a lot. Heck she even misses Toph's trash talks and jokes she used to make her smile and laugh.

"Toph... it had been awhile since I last seen her, she is the reason why I came here in Ba Sing Se anyway."

"Sakura? Mr. Kakashi? What are you doing out here?"

Both of them tensee up abruptly, turning toward the source of the familiar voice. From the dim light of a lantern emerged Jet, his expression having a blend of confusion and concern. He stepped closer, his dark eyes scanning them critically as he saw the way they looked, messy.

"You two look like you've been through a fight. What's going on? And where's Lee?"

Sakura tensed, the question cutting deeper than she expected. She exchanged a glance with Iroh, as if asking permission, who gave her a slight nod, silently urging her to speak. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to Jet, her heart pounding as she carefully measured her voice.

"Jet, it's a long story, but go got to trust me what I am about to day, believe me we were planning on telling you the truth."

".... The truth? That sounds ominous. Spill it, Sakura."

"Okay, well, you know that they are Fire Nation and fire benders, but..."

Jet raised an eyebrow, his arms crossing over his chest as he stared at Sakura, curious what she was going on about, and why she looked so tensed and uneasy. Taking another deep, Sakura kept her voice steady, despite the tightness in her chest, and spoke again.

"Lee and Uncle Kakashi... those are not their real names, they are actually called Zuko, the Crown Prince, and Iroh, the Dragon of the West, also the general of the fire nation."

For a moment, the world seemed to stand still. Jet's expression had shown pure shock, but his jaw tightened as he tried to process at her words. His hands curled into fists at his sides, and his gaze bore into Sakura like a blade.

"So you're telling me, that Lee and Kakashi- no no, Zuko and Iroh are not only just ordinary firebenders, they are royalty!? And you decided to tell me this now!?"

"I know this looks and sounds bad, but they are not like rest of the Fire Nation. They have changed their ways and even trying to make things right, heck they try to live a peaceful life here in Ba Sing Se. Don't forget, Zuko saved your life back at Lake Laogai, he risked his own safety to protect you. Does that sound like something any other Fire Nation would do?"

Jet opened his mouth to argue but hesitated, his brow furrowing as her words sank in. It was true, he owed Zuko his life after encountering Long Fang, the mastermind who was behind everthing. Slowly, he let out a breath, his stance relaxing slightly.

"Fine fine, I get your point, a good and valid point. So tell me, what's going on, and where's Zuko?"

"He stayed behind at the palace, facing his sister, Azula, and the rest of the Dai Li alone. We need to find help if we're going to save him."

"That sounds like a big and troublesome problem, we'll need all the help we can get."

"Precisely. That is why we must locate the Avatar and his friends. They are our best hope."

Jet frowned at the mention of Aang and the rest of the gang, last time he saw them, he broked their trust, and lied to them, and in the end, they ruined his plan, which he was grateful of later. They had left him frozen against a tree for who knows how long, before his freedom fighters found him and with deficulty had tried to free him from that icy prison. Letting our a defeated sigh, he nodded reluctantly and spoke.

"Alright. I know a few places where they might be hiding. But just to make things quicker, we should kidnap a Dai Li agent and forced him to speak, heck we might even force him to tell what the Fire Nation Princess is planning. Let's move."

As they followed Jet through the darkened streets, Sakura's thoughts raced. Zuko's face lingered in her mind, his determined expression etched into her memory. She clenched her fists, silently vowing to bring him back no matter what it took. As they made their way through Ba Sing Se, they had encountered a Dai Li, which Iroh had quickly taken care of and took him with them after forcing him to tell them where the Avatar and his friends were staying. After their location was revealed, they went to a nondescript building tucked away in a quiet corner of the city. Iroh stood in front on the door, and knocked, while Sakura was next to him, waiting, and Jet was standing by the Dai Li who was tied up and gagged. Just the the door opened, and saw it was Toph who had a happy expression on her face.

"Glad to see you are okay. And Sakura what a surprise! Never thought I will ever see you again, especially in Ba Sing Se!"

"We need your help."

Behind her, Sokka and Aang appeared, and they had looked completely horrified at the sight of Iroh, and shocked to see Sakura with him. Ignoring their shocked expression, Sakura had brought Toph into a hug, embracing her little sister to show how much she had missed her. Just then Aang pointed a accusing finger at them and began to yell.

"You two know each other!?"

"Yeah, I met him once after a knocked him down, and he gave me tea and great advice."

"Hey hold on, Sakura what are you doing with him!? He's Fire Nation!"

"Yeah so? I already knew about it, I've been traveling with him and Zuko for months. And yes I know the whole story of how they chased you from South Pole to North Pole and trying to capture you."

Iroh gave a awkward smile while he rubbed at the back of his head, but then had asked politely if they could come in, but after they went inside, Sakura had began to speak.

"The Fire Nation Princess is here in the city."

"W-wait Azula is here!?"

"So that explains it then, Katara is in danger and was taken by Azula!"

"She had captured my nephew as well."

Aang had an expression on his face, he didn't look so happy at the mention of Zuko, Sakura couldn't really blame him,  they guy had been through so much to avoid him. But Sakura knew that if Anng and the others can give Zuko a chance, they will see that he is actually a good person. Letting out a sigh, Aang spoke.

"Okay, we have to form a team, and find a way to save Katara and Zuko."

"Hang on, you lost me there with Zuko!"

Sokka had pressed a finger on Aang's chest as he had an unhappy expression on his face, and Sakura couldn't help it but glare at him. She placed both hands on her hips and she spoke, and what she had said made Sokka and Aang blinked in surprise, while Toph raised a confused eyebrow.

"Do you have a problem saving Zuko, Sokka?"

"H-huh? Of course I have a problem with that! He is the bad guy! Ugh why are you even defending him!?"

"Because it just so happens that Zuko is important to me, he's my boyfriend."

After hearing that, Aang and Sokka gaped at her in shock and disbelief, and Toph made a "oohhhh~" sound, but she had smirked as well, finding this drama juicy. Sakura grinned at the expression they were making, and Iroh was only chucklng a bit. Sokka had quickly recovered and yell is shock.

"Wait wait what!? You're dating Zuko!? Are you insane!?"

"My my, my big sister made a move of the Fire Nation Prince? You go girl! Or maybe it was the other way around~?"

"Please don't take it to heart of my newphew, I assure you that there is some goodness inside of him."

"Why don't you come back when it's outside of him okay?"

"Sokka, don't push it."

"What, I am being honest."

Sakura sighed and rubbed her temples, she clearly doesn't have the engery or patience for this, so she just motioned everyone out of the building after Iroh said that they brought someone who can help. But much to Sokka and Aang's shock, the saw Jet there, his arms crossed as he only stare.

“What the hell is he doing here!?”

Sokka’s voice exploded in the silence, his arm shooting out to point accusingly at Jet. His face was a mix of outrage and disbelief, his boomerang half-raised as if he might throw it on instinct.

“Do you guys even know what he did?”

Aang’s expression mirrored Sokka’s, his usually calm demeanor cracking under the shock of seeing Jet once again. He looked between Jet and the tied-up Dai Li agent, struggling to piece together the situation.“Sokka’s right. Jet’s done some pretty questionable things. Why is he here?”

Sakura felt her patience snap, and her eye twitched as she stepped forward, clearly exasperated. She crossed her arms and fixed him with a glare that could bend steel, and she had snapped at them, clearly in a bad mood.

“Yes, I know what he did! He tried to destroy a whole village filled with innocent people by flooding the valley, all because he wanted to drive out the Fire Nation. Believe me, I’ve heard this before, and it’s getting old.”

Sokka opened his mouth to argue, but Sakura raised a hand, silencing him, especially the icy glare she was giving, a look that had promised if they yell, or argue, or any other of the sorts that sets Sakura off, they would get hit.

“He told me everything himself. Jet also helped us rescue Appa from Lake Laogai. He fought alongside us against Long Feng and the Dai Li. And for the record, Zuko and Iroh helped us too.”

That revelation hit the group like a rockslide. Aang and Sokka exchanged shocked looks, their anger momentarily forgotten. Aang’s wide eyes reflected his disbelief, and he took a hesitant step forward.

“Wait… Zuko and Iroh helped you save Appa as well!? W-why would they do that?"

“Because they’re not the monsters you think they are. They’re trying to make things right. Jet saw that firsthand, he he was saved by Zuko before Long Fang could even cause him real damage, and now Jet is doing the same.”

Toph let out a low whistle, her lips quirking into an impressed smirk as she listen to everything. She placed both hands on her hip as she spoke.

“Well, I gotta say, I didn’t see that coming. This sure is a twist.”

Sokka let out a frustrated groan as he put his boomerang away, clearly not liking where everything is going. This was all too much for him to handle, but he guess he doesn't have a choice in the matter.

“If what you’re saying is true… I guess I’ll let it slide for now, it's not like there is a choice here anyway.”

Jet raised an eyebrow but said nothing, his face unreadable, the tension in the group lingered for a moment longer before Sakura let out a sigh and turned her attention to the bound Dai Li agent.

“Alright, let’s get to the part where you tell us everything we need to know.”

Sakura was now crouching down to meet the man’s terrified gaze, the agent made a muffled sound of protest, his head shaking vigorously. Iroh knelt beside Sakura, his calm and collected demeanor a sharp contrast to her fiery impatience. With a gentle yet firm hand, he removed the gag, allowing the agent to speak. The man gasped for air, his voice trembling as he stammered.

“Please, I—I don’t want any trouble. I’ll tell you whatever you want. Just don’t hurt me!”

“Good choice, now start talking. What’s Azula planning?”

The agent swallowed hard at Sakura as her tone laced with both menace and reassurance, and his eyes were darting nervously between the group. He had no choice, and so shallowed his pride and spoke

“She’s... she’s planning to seize over control of Ba Sing Se. With the Dai Li under her command, she wants to overthrow the Earth King and make the city a stronghold for the Fire Nation.”

Iroh’s expression darkened, as well as Sakura, though they remained composed. Sokka and Aang had exchange horrified expression while Toph only narrowed her eyes.

“And how does she intend to achieve this?”

“She’s already gained the trust of Long Feng, he is helping her consolidate power within the Dai Li. Together, they’ve been working to eliminate any threats to their plan. If she succeeds, the city will fall without a single battle.”

Sokka than pointed his weapon towards him, his eyes glaring at him as he demanded to know where they were keeping Katara, and Sakura also added Zuko in. The Dai Li quickly answered that they were holding them deep underground of the palace. So that's where they are heading now, their next destination: Underground of the Ba Sing She's Palace.

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And done, hope you all had enjoyed the next chapter!