Guru Pasak, the greatest and only living master of spiritbending, was soone General Iroh had briefly studied under in his youth, making him, in a sense, half a disciple.
According to Iroh, this guru was lighthearted, gentle, and open-minded, and if Kahn wanted to pursue spiritbending further, he could seek him out as a teacher.
Ever since the Fire Nation wiped out the Air Nomads, the Air Temples had beco forbidden places, shunned by the world, most of them now reduced to silent, abandoned ruins.
Yet Guru Pasak, because of old ties to the Air Nomads and a desire to avoid the chaos of the world, had secluded himself within the Eastern Air Temple and never left.
If Kahn wished, he could go there and try to find him.
Kahn was slightly startled upon hearing this and instinctively began to wonder about the man's age.
If he had known the Air Nomads in his youth, wouldn't that make him well over a hundred years old by now?
Spirits above… what kind of lifespan was that?
"Of course, that's assuming he's willing to et you."
"If he chooses to remain hidden, you could search your entire life and never catch even a glimpse of him."
Iroh let out a soft chuckle, clearly amused.
At that level of mastery, even without leaving his sanctuary, he could perceive every corner of the world, sense all living things, and commune with the spirits themselves.
If he wished, nothing beneath the heavens could escape his awareness.
A mind like that… was it even human anymore?
Kahn felt a chill crawl up his spine as the image ford in his mind—an invisible presence watching from everywhere at once.
For a fleeting mont, he felt as though he had been walking through the world completely exposed, stripped of all secrets.
And the worst part was—
He truly did have a secret.
A massive one.
He didn't know what would happen if it were ever discovered, but if there was any way to keep it buried, he absolutely would.
Yet that man was his only path to learning spiritbending.
Kahn's expression grew conflicted.
Iroh noticed imdiately and seed to guess part of his hesitation, smiling faintly as he said,
"Soone who has reached that level of enlightennt would not pry into others without reason."
"Otherwise, he would not have chosen such isolation in the first place."
Kahn nodded, though the tension in his expression didn't ease.
He had never liked placing his fate in soone else's hands.
Still carrying that unease, the two eventually ended their long-awaited eting and agreed on a ti to et again.
In truth, Kahn wasn't in a rush when it ca to spiritbending.
Aside from that, he still had to deepen his firebending, continue learning lightning generation from Azula, and refine his mastery of lightning redirection.
There was still ti.
Ti enough to think it through carefully.
Of course… it would be even better if he could sohow develop a technique to shield his mind or seal away his thoughts entirely.
Kahn allowed himself to drift into that fantasy.
Since returning to the capital after his last mission, Kahn found himself idle once again.
Fire Lord Ozai didn't seem eager to put him to use, which struck him as unusual.
Though, thinking about it, there might be another reason—Azula had resud her lessons.
Kahn had already completed his formal education and graduated, but Azula, not yet twelve, still had hers to finish.
She had barely rested after returning before being dragged back into her studies.
As for why Kahn wasn't assigned separate duties, it likely had to do with his position.
He was Azula's subordinate, not Ozai's.
While the Fire Lord certainly had the authority to command him, taking his daughter's personal subordinate for his own use might have seed beneath him.
Perhaps that was why Kahn had been left alone for now.
Weekend.
After a training session, Kahn and Azula dropped onto the ground, resting as they chatted.
Azula, looking utterly fed up, began venting about her recent suffering.
Back when Zuko was still around, their different learning speeds ant the tutors had to divide their attention.
Azula learned quickly, Zuko struggled.
So the tutors would often dismiss Azula early and spend the remaining ti drilling Zuko.
That was why, in the past, Azula always seed to have free ti, while Zuko was constantly buried in lessons.
Poor Zuko.
What a miserable existence.
Kahn tilted his head and asked,
"If it's that troubleso, why not just hire more tutors?"
"You think just anyone is qualified to teach us?"
Azula scoffed, her tone carrying a hint of pride.
"The instructors for each subject are the finest minds in the Fire Nation."
"And since they're the finest, there's only one for each field."
Alright… that was impressive.
Still, there was a saying—skill in scholarship has no clear first, but in combat, only one can stand at the top.
Kahn couldn't help but wonder how these so-called "finest" were actually chosen.
Azula's answer was blunt.
"Simple."
"The more loyal soone is to Father, the more 'outstanding' they beco."
Ah.
That… explained quite a bit.
Kahn found himself at a loss for words.
Technically, there was nothing wrong with that logic.
Even so, anyone considered for such a position had to be at least highly capable, so the difference probably didn't matter much in practice.
Besides, whether the tutors were truly exceptional didn't matter to Azula.
What mattered was—
Her golden days were gone.
With Zuko gone, she was now subjected to full, one-on-one instruction.
There was no more slacking off.
If she learned slower, the lessons slowed.
If she learned faster, they accelerated.
Every mont was squeezed dry, every second accounted for, not a single breath wasted.
And ever since her recent exploits had spread across the Fire Nation, her tutors had beco even more relentless.
Azula threw her hands up in frustration.
"This is torture!"
No matter how ruthless or brilliant she was, being trapped day after day with a group of droning scholars was enough to make her head spin.
"I can't believe I actually miss Great-Grandfather."
"Spirits, just end already."
"Those old fossils are worse than my attendants."
"They hover, they nag—if I had my way, I'd burn them all to ashes in one go!"
Seeing Azula so disheveled and irritated was a rare sight, almost entertaining.
Instead of offering comfort, Kahn laughed outright and teased,
"What bad intentions could your tutors possibly have?"
"They just want to educate you properly."
"Pfft!"
Azula spat to the side, her expression darkening.
"They're nothing but flattering lapdogs."
"If they're so eager to teach, why don't I send them to so remote village to lecture peasants for the rest of their lives?"
Though spoken in anger, the sharpness of her understanding made Kahn glance at her with renewed interest.
As the conversation drifted, Kahn suddenly brought up Ozai.
"What's the Fire Lord been up to lately?"
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