After Ozai ascended to the throne, he immediately began suppressing Iroh's influence within the military.
He forced the generals to choose sides, promoted his loyalists, and struck hard at those who still supported Iroh.
As for the particularly stubborn ones, Ozai could only help them "sacrifice for the nation."
Just as Zuko had overheard in the meeting hall, those soldiers were sent out as human bait.
With such blatant oppression, people naturally refused to sit quietly, and a rebel army was born.
Former Admiral Zheng, another respected Firebending master of the Fire Nation, was now among its ranks.
After its formation, the rebel army grew—not just Iroh's old supporters, but many citizens angered by Ozai's methods joined as well.
Scattered across the Fire Nation, they weren't a massive force, but they were troublesome.
And now, Ozai had assigned Kahn—who was publicly known as Iroh's disciple—to deal with this rebel army directly tied to Iroh.
The intention was obvious.
Ozai wanted to use this mission to force conflict between Kahn and Iroh's faction, binding Kahn irreversibly to his side.
Call him cunning or call him shrewd, the fact remained: Ozai was far harder to deal with than expected.
Before Kahn could even plan his next move, Ozai had already thrown him into a major dilemma.
So now the question was: How to break the deadlock?
Kahn's first instinct was to consult Iroh, but he quickly remembered he still couldn't enter the Spirit World—meaning he had no way to contact him.
And then he realized something uncomfortable.
He had relied on Iroh far too much.
Now and in the future, Iroh couldn't always provide help. It was better to abandon that mindset early.
Steeling himself, Kahn began analyzing the situation more carefully—and found it wasn't hopeless.
This mission was assigned to both him and Azula. Ozai likely wanted Azula to gain experience while also monitoring Kahn, killing two birds with one stone.
And that was exactly where Kahn saw his opening.
No matter how sharp Ozai's mind was, he could never imagine that his most trusted daughter had long deviated from his carefully carved path—and now stood on the complete opposite side.
You thought I was the one who got turned?
Wrong. It was Azula.
As long as Azula stood with him and cooperated, he had plenty of room to maneuver.
Thinking this through, Kahn set off immediately to find Azula.
"You want my help? Is it for you or for Iroh?" Azula leaned lazily back on her lounge chair, her tone playful.
"Maybe offer me a condition or two. Who knows, I might be interested."
She wouldn't refuse Kahn outright. But if this was about helping Iroh, then the price needed to be discussed.
If it were anyone else, she wouldn't even bother listening.
Kahn knew her personality well. He came prepared.
"You said before that you want to become Fire Lord. I think this incident is a perfect beginning."
Azula narrowed her eyes but didn't interrupt.
"If that's your goal," Kahn continued, "then obviously, you need a force of your own."
"You mean Iroh's men? You think they'll follow me? Are you dreaming?" Azula scoffed, half amused, half dismissive.
"Why not?" Kahn spoke seriously.
"The enemy of my enemy is friend. You and they both have the same enemy right now—Ozai. That alone makes cooperation possible."
"Besides…" Kahn chuckled.
"You know my relationship with Uncle Iroh. His people are my people. And my people can be your people. If you really want the throne in the future, I'll absolutely support you. Alright?"
Sorry, Zuko—current survival > future political correctness.
Azula clicked her tongue.
"Is there even another option besides supporting me? That hardly counts as a real condition."
But her tone had clearly softened.
"Fine. Remember what you said."
She folded her arms, "So—how do you want me to help?"
With Azula aligned, most of Kahn's plan was already in motion. But there was still one more thing to check.
Kahn smiled.
"Not decided yet. There might be… other surprises."
The next morning, Kahn arrived early at the marketplace.
Blending in with the bustling crowd, he wandered through the stalls while absently fiddling with a lotus tile.
His goal was simple: find the mysterious organization Iroh had once told him about.
The problem?
Iroh never explained how to contact them.
He only told Kahn that if he faced difficulty, he should stroll around the marketplace, and something "unexpected" might happen.
Whatever that meant.
He had no expectations—he didn't even know the name of the organization. But trying his luck wouldn't hurt. If he actually found help, even better.
The Fire Nation's capital was lively and prosperous.
The market was packed with goods from across the Fire Nation and even other nations—rare spices, fine silks, pottery, tools, scrolls.
Even if he found nothing, the trip was relaxing.
Every time he passed a teahouse, Kahn paused, observing the people inside playing games.
These were places Iroh often visited, so chances were good something might be hidden there.
"Is the young master here to play a game?"
As Kahn passed another teahouse, a waiter suddenly called out to him.
He was thin, ordinary in appearance, and warm in demeanor—exactly like an average talkative teahouse waiter.
Kahn instinctively shook his head.
"No, I don't play games."
The waiter smiled.
"Then why carry a Pai Sho tile, young master? If you don't know the game but are curious, come in, order some tea, and I can teach you the basics."
Kahn glanced at the waiter… then at the lotus tile.
"…Alright."
The waiter led him inside, served tea, and began explaining the rules of Pai Sho.
Kahn tried to listen but quickly found himself growing sleepy.
Maybe he just wasn't meant for board games—none of this looked interesting so far.
After a while, another waiter came over and whispered that a private room had just opened.
The message was subtle.
Kahn immediately understood.
Finally.
His spirits lifted at once.
"Of course. Lead the way."
...
Author's Note:
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