The Rough Rhinos: Part One

Azula and Naruto ran on top of the roofs with incredible agility, hopping from rooftop to rooftop. They somersaulted high above the air and landed smoothly onto the ground below. The citizens walking stared at the sudden emergence of the two kids with confusion on their faces. Azula and Naruto ignored their confused stares and blended in with the moving crowd.

"I think we lost them," Naruto said.

He looked around him with vigilance for any signs of Suki and Tenten. Fortunately, he didn't find a single hint of those two girls anywhere amongst the crowd and breathed out a sigh of relief.

"You think or you know?" Azula asked.

Like Naruto, she readied herself in case of a sudden ambush. Being prepared for anything was a mindset that was deeply ingrained in her brain ever since she began her early trainings.

"I'm positive that I think I know," Naruto cheekily replied.

Azula simply rolled her eyes at him; she was getting real tired of his cheeky attitude. Just ahead, he noticed a girl in a green dress constantly shaking a bell in hand outside of a building. The girl had a cute, round face with jet-black hair tied into a ponytail.

"All our clothes are twenty-five percent off!" She yelled out to draw the attention of the passing crowd. "Hurry and purchase our beautiful clothes before they go off sale!"

Naruto turned to look at Azula and nudged her in the ribs, "How about it, princess?"

Azula glanced at the shop with a bit of disdain. The shop looked like horse dung compared to the high-end designer stores back in the fire nation. But, the sale seemed enticing to Azula, and her disgusting brown rags had got to go.

"Well, this fashion outlet seems to be on the rough side, but it will do," Azula replied in her usual pompous manner.

Naruto chuckled to himself, "Seems like the fair lady only have tastes for high-end clothes."

"I was once royalty, so of course I will have a bit of dignity in my tastes," Azula crossed her arms.

Naruto inwardly sighed. Even after her betrayal towards the Fire Nation, Azula still flaunted her noble flair to the rest of the world. Naruto realized that a haughty royal princess like her doesn't exactly change in one day; it was going to take some time for her to mellow down.

Naruto held her hand and pulled Azula towards the shop, "Let's just buy some clothes here and get out."

As Azula and Naruto approached the girl, she gave them a dazzling smile.

"Welcome!" The girl quickly bowed. "My name is Soo-jin, how can I help you today?"

"Meili and I here need some better clothes on our backs," Naruto replied.

Soo-jin stared at Azula with a judgmental look. She winced at the cuts and holes on Azula's pitiful attire with disgust. Questionable thoughts and confusion ran through Soo-jin's mind.

'Honestly, how can a pretty girl like her dress like this?' Soo-jin thought to herself.

"I could tell," Soo-jin said to Naruto. "No offense, but your girlfriend looks like a bum in... THAT." She motioned her finger across Azula's frame to emphasize her point.

Azula's eyes twitched, "Care to repeat that one more time?"

Soo-jin ignored her and pulled out a long strand of rope from her dress. She rushed towards Azula and used the thin rope to measure her body size.

"What are you-!" Azula was suddenly interrupted and dragged into the store.

"Come on, girl, I know a perfect set of clothes for you," Soo-jin pushed her inside with a bit more force.

Naruto snickered to himself as he followed the two girls inside. He was going to have an absolute blast watching Azula suffer. Might as well have a bit of fun while he have the chance.

*****

"Ugh. No money, tired, and still starving," Tenten sat down on a nearby bench, resting her lethargic frame as she faced towards the evening sky. Its been hours since she'd eaten, and Tenten was feeling a bit cranky. Flashbacks played in her mind like a movie on replay with her fight against Azula.

"Ooh, that skank is so going to pay for that cheapshot," Tenten rubbed her chest where Azula had kicked. It still hurt a bit, but her pride as a warrior hurt even more.

"Oh, don't worry, we'll find him for sure," Suki sat down besides Tenten. "Blonde hair shouldn't be too hard to find."

Suddenly, the crowd of people quickly parted from the middle of the street as five Komodo rhinos slowly made their way through. Above the Komodo rhinos sat five rugged-looking men as they gazed menacingly at the onlooking crowd. One of them stopped and raised a picture up that potrayed a drawing of Azula and Naruto.

"I am Mongke, and we are the elite warriors of the Fire Lord called The Rough Rhinos!" Mongke shouted towards the crowds. "We are here to find these two traitorous scum of the Fire Nation!"

Kahchi, a fellow member with a balding head and a large brown beard, pulled a stack of parchment papers and threw them into the crowd. Hundreds of papers swayed against the wind and into the hands of the people. Suki and Tenten caught the floating papers and read it.

"T-that's the guy who robbed us!" Suki cried out in shock.

Tenten's eyes focused on the description, "They're real names are Azula and Naruto. Take a look at this, Suki!"

Tenten pointed at the inscription under Azula's drawing, "This chick was actually a princess!"

Suki and Tenten looked at each other with looks of shock. They had assume those two were simply homeless bums. But, it made so much more sense to them how Azula and Naruto had such impressive combat capabilities.

"The Fire Lord is offering a large sum of gold for any information on these traitors so be sure to tell us!" With that being said, the Rough Rhinos left the area and walked deeper into the streets of Yu Dao.

Talks quickly erupted amongst the crowd. Some eager ones roared with excitement while hugging the large bounty close to their chest.

"Can you believe that! The princess betrayed her own father!"

"One thousand gold! That's enough to last me a lifetime!"

"I could buy as much booze as I want with all that gold."

"Anybody who dares to steal my bounty will receive a personal beating from me!"

"Shut the fuck up!"

Suki felt uncomfortable with the increasingly rowdy crowd, and she tapped on Tenten's shoulders, "Hey, let's get out of here."

*****

Soo-jin and Azula faced the mirrors as they gawk in awe at her new attire. Azula was dressed in a lose, green dress that was split open right through the middle which showed off her black pants cuffed up to her shins. Underneath her split dress was a short, yellow shirt that complemented the overall green of her attire.

A brown leather belt tightened the lose dress around her belly and accentuated her curves. Azula's hair resembled a bit like her mother's with a half top knot while the rest of it flowed down to her shoulders in waves. A golden headpiece tied her top knot together and highlighted her noble flair.

"How do you like your new look?" Soo-jin asked.

"I have to say," Azula slowly spun around in front of the mirror. "This attire fits me quite nicely."

Soo-jin squealed with glee, "I'd knew you would like it!"

Naruto sat by the window side in boredom. This was not what he was expecting. He was looking forward to Azula's moaning and complaining like a child with tantrums, but she was actually enjoying herself, much to Naruto's surprise. He had already donned on his set of clothes an hour ago, wearing simple green clothing with a hoodie to hide his blonde hair.

"Can we go already?" Naruto groaned.

Soo-jin giggled, "Seems like your boyfriend is getting a little impatient, Meili."

"That simpleton of mine is always like that," Azula replied. "But, I guess it's time to take my leave."

"Aww, already?" Soo-jin pouted. "I had a blast with you, Meili."

"It has been a pleasure, Soo-jin," Azula said before she walked towards Naruto, "Alright, Foxy, let's go."

Naruto paid Soo-jin for her services and left the store with Azula.

"Goodbye and thank you for coming!" Soo-jin waved them off with a bright smile.

"Wanna call it a day and find an inn to stay at?" Naruto asked.

"I am feeling a bit fati-" Azula and Naruto suddenly collided with two other people before them.

"Ow!" Naruto rubbed his head in pain and looked at the person he crashed into.

"It's you!" Suki pointed at Naruto.

"Ah, crap..." Naruto groaned to himself.

Naruto felt as if Agni was playing a sick joke on him. Why was his luck so bad that he had actually crash into them this time? He could already feel their piercing glare boring into him. If looks could kill, Naruto would be dead a hundred times over

"Long time no see..." Naruto awkwardly rubbed his neck.

"Yeah and look who just went window shopping," Suki glanced at his new attire. "You really are unbelievable."

"Look, I know what I did was wrong, but please hear me out."

"Like what?" Suki crossed her arms, "Running from Fire Nation soldiers, Kuro? Or should I say: Naruto."

Naruto's eyes widened with shock. If Suki suddenly knew about his name and their predicament, then that would mean....

Suki stood up and brushed the dirt off of herself, "A group of warriors called the Rough Rhinos were hunting for you guys; we just saw them not too long ago."

"So the goons of my father has finally arrived," Azula narrowed her eyes.

Tenten gasped, "So, you really are the princess of the Fire Nation."

"There's no point in hiding it anymore," Azula shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah, there's no point in running as well."

A gang of Komodo Rhinos suddenly appeared behind the four of them with auras of killing intent. They pulled out various weapons from their backs and played with them in a threatening manner. The leader, Mongke, gazed down at the four kids with a sneer as he slowly approached them.

"Men, capture all of these fools."