You guys ready for this? This is the next big story I'm working on and it will be my baby like Mist was. Get ready for it, because this is Avatar crossed with Naruto. Yeup, I'm amazing… LA.

Clashing Worlds

Chapter One

"Aang, I don't think," Katara started but flinched towards him as she finished the sentence. There was a loud buzzing started to resonate through the trees. "I don't think this is such a good idea…" she whispered, looking around in suspicion.

"Relax Katara! If anything was here that would hurt us, my instincts would let us know!" Sokka proudly crowed with a puffed chest and an ego the size of the Fire Nation.

"Yeah, says the boy who's 'instincts' got us led straight into a bog of man-eating insects." Toph scorned with a look.

"Shut up! I meant to do that so you could, uh, show off!" Sokka covered for himself, albeit a bit poorly.

"Whatever pin-head." She replied with a flick of her wrist.

Huffing angrily, Sokka made a point of stomping away from her as he tried to figure out where they were. Earlier that week the group had looked at a map of the Earth Nation in hopes of finding a quiet area to train for the summer before the comet arrived that was supposed to bring all doom on Earth. They had just wanted to find a reclusive area with almost no people so that Aang could find out if he could control that Avatar State, Toph could start working with bigger areas of Earth, Katara could try with large amounts of Water, and Sokka just wanted to train. Although, he had felt left out with all the bending, so his new goal was that of learning a new fighting style. One better and less Sokka-ish.

"Quiet you two, I think I heard something." Katara hushed her older brother.

"Katara, you're just being paranoid! Who would be out here, this deep in the fore-" before Sokka could finish his remark, he was struck and he fell; fully unconscious.

"SOKKA!" Katara screamed out but before she could move, she was struck.

Toph took her fighting position, steadying herself upon the ground, but was cut short as she too was struck out. "Guys!?" Aang started but the Avatar lastly was given a blow to the head and then saw blackness. Before everything went dark, he saw a bright white bird mask.

"Birdie?" He mumbled before succumbing to the darkness clouding his vision.

"Uuggh…." Sokka groaned as he opened his eyes. If felt like his entire head was on fire and then dunked into hot stew. Not a pleasant feeling at all.

"Where am I?" Sokka muttered to himself and looked about his new area.

He seemed to be in some sort of hospital because there were curtains and one other bed near him with the white intensity that hospitals and clinics are famous for. Trying to sit up, he immediately felt his body reject the movement and he was overcome with pain and vertigo.

"That wasn't a good idea." He hissed through clenched teeth and tried to peer out at the door through watery, squinted eyes.

"Oh! You're awake!" A female voice pierced through him, letting Sokka know that there was indeed someone else in the room.

"Yes, I am." Sokka agreed as he opened his eyes to look at who ever just announced themselves.

He was greeted with a huge head of bright pink hair and a red dress of sorts. She was wearing a strange metal and cloth head band as well. Her entire demeanor spoke of well controlled muscle and held back intensity.

"Who…Who are you?" Sokka was taken aback as he looked at the stranger in front of him. What natural person had pink hair? It was almost disturbing.

"I'm Sakura. I'll be your medi-nin while you're here okay? I just want to apologize for the ANBU that attacked you. They thought you were Sound but as we all now know, you're not." Sokka stared wide eyed at her. She had just said a lot of things that made no sense to the poor boy.

"Excuse me, you'll be my what? And who attacked us, thinking we were who?" Sokka could feel the monstrous headache of his start to get even bigger.

"Uhm, you're probably still confused from that blow to the head. I'll let you rest while I go check up on your friends alright? Remember! Don't move!" The 'Sakura' person said cheerfully and all but skipped out of the room.

Sokka went flax against the bed as he tried to ingest everything the young woman had said. 'I must've been hallucinating. She can't have been real!' As we all know, Sokka was about to find out how real pink haired young women named Sakura can be.

Sakura left the room with the strangely dressed stranger and frowned as she continued a much steadier pace down the hallway. He didn't seem to have any idea what she was talking about which meant he could have more serious brain damage. ANBU were supposed to inflict such injuries, but things could go very wrong if they had accidentally caught a group of normal villagers. No matter what land they were from, it could bode badly.

What was odd was that they were so deep in the Konoha forest. Only nin of a fairly high degree could get past all the dangers, thus the ANBU's thinking for them to be Sound nin. They hadn't even been armed with the simplest of kunai. Instead, one of them had a crude clubbing tool, and other just miscellaneous items. The bald one had a sort of glider that had accidentally been attacked and cut a bit when a member of the ANBU opened it by dropping it from a tree. It was the strangest predicament. One of the girls, the smaller one with black hair, resembled nobility from the way she was dressed but the rest seemed so out of place in the forest. No sunscreen, no bug spray, nothing.

Sakura sighed, this mystery had nothing to do with her, but that of the village elders. Although, she was still puzzled by it. She would talk to her friend Ino later about the whole thing. Shaking her head, she headed into the next room to talk to a poison victim.

Wincing, Sokka stood on wobbly legs. His head still hurt and he knew he wasn't supposed to get up but nothing seemed right! He had to explore, find Katara, Aang, and Toph! What if this was some elaborate Fire Nation trap to learn all of their secrets and weaknesses!? They were in danger! Sokka grunted as a shock of pain ran down the back of his skull to his spine where it spread like wild fire down his nerve endings.

"Dammit!" He cursed and took another step. He had to get to his sister!

"Whooa, take it easy there!" Came another voice, male this time.

Sokka looked up through eyes clouded in pain and almost laughed.

In front of him was a young man, maybe a little older than himself dressed to the toes in green spandex with arm bandages, a weird bowl cut, odd fish eyes, and the hugest, thickest eyebrows he'd ever seen.

"Who in blaze's 're YOU!?" Sokka choked out at the vision of green and youth in front of him.

"The name's Lee! And you shouldn't be moving like Sakura-san said. You could hurt yourself! Although, I admire the youthly spirit you have to continue your journey!" The young man, now named Lee, said accompanied by a thumbs up gesture.

"Youthly…spirit?" Sokka asked, curious to the sound of it.

"Yes! Youth is the wonder of life and the sparkle in one's eye!" Lee made a outrageous move, like that of his teacher who we'll meet later.

"Uh….huh. Well, I haven't a clue where I am, if you guys are Fire Nation, or if I'm even awake. So, could you move? You're blocking the door way where I'm going to fall and crawl up the hall." Sokka said fairly calmly for the situation he was in.

"I can't let you do that good sir, but I can tell you where we are! We're in the hospital of Konoha Village. You are most definitely awake and we are called the Fire Shadow Village. That or the village of the Dancing Leaves." Lee said with a more confused look crossing his face.

"The Fire Shadow? That's it. I have to get out of here. This place is probably crawling with Fire Benders and they've probably already discovered Aang! Lee! Can you tell me where my friends are? Are they alive? Where are they!?" Sokka shot rapid fire at the leaf nin.

"Whoa there! First, tell me your name and what exactly a 'Fire Bender' is as you put it. Is it a nin of some kind? A different type of rank where you come from?" Lee's face blossomed with the expression usually granted to him when he was learning. Which usually happened when he was listening to Gai-sensei.

"I'm not telling you my name because you're probably a Fire Bender and you're just trying to lure me into a state of complying with your demands!" Sokka spurned Lee's question.

"No, I'm honest! Youth is always honest and true!" Lee winked and grinned at the boy.

"Right and I'm a rat-monkey. Now let me out of here!" Sokka started to push past the green wonder, but was immediately stopped by the sight he saw across the hall.

"You wanna know what a Fire Bender is? THAT, is a Fire Bender!" Sokka pointed dramatically to the room across from his.

Inside, was the sleeping body of Zuko, the ex-Fire Nation Prince.

"Him? We found him starving to death in the Forest of Secrets where we found you! He's not one of the village. Actually, we were hoping you'd tell us who he was." Lee said with a look of confusion and curiosity.

"You don't know who he is? He's the Fire Nation Prince! That's a Fire Bender! His name's Zuko and he's evil!" Sokka spoke with hatred coating his tongue.

"Well, I'll have to take your word for that but I'm saying honestly here. We are not what you have called 'Fire Benders' so please relax and go sit back on your bed. You'll just injure yourself more!" Lee started to push Sokka to the white bed.

Sokka, feeling the muscles of the man bunch and curl beneath the strange spandex felt the power that he did not have so he acquiesced fairly easily. "Alright, but I want answers Lee, and I want them NOW." Sokka demanded as he arranged himself into the bed.

If they were indeed in the Fire Nation at this moment, he would already be dead or he would see signs like everything colored in red, god, or black.

"Agreed." Lee said happily and pulled up a chair from the medi-nin's desk to sit next to Sokka.

Iruka sniffed at his cup of tea and looked back to the man who had served it to him. He seemed nice enough and he didn't look like any sort of ninja he knew. Taking a sip of the brew, Iruka's face lit up happily and he took another gulp.

"This is delicious!" he nodded happily to the older male.

Iroh nodded happily as the young man acknowledged his tea making talents. Sipping at his own cup he pondered the place he was in. Walking from the violence induced sleep, Iroh had immediately tensed, thinking he had been captured and taken back to the Fire Nation when this young fellow had walked in and explained calmly that it had all been a mistake to attack him. Iroh had pleasantly agreed to not take any offense at the precautions that the village had to take. So, to help pay back his kindness, Iruka had decided to give the older man a tour of the village in a momentary lapse of village policy.

Iroh, recognizing such crucial rules being broken had offered to make a pot of tea for Iruka to calm his nerves. Naturally, the worried school teacher declined, not wanting Iroh to exhaust himself since had just been attacked by very high level ninja.

"And to think I almost never would have had the pleasure of your company had I not been attacked!" Iroh laughed heartily as Iruka spluttered for words of apology.

"No, no, think nothing of it! I could have handled myself had they not been right on top of my nephew and I! I am quite capable of handling myself!" Iroh patted his thighs as if getting rid of some remnant dust.

"You said so, but the village is still extremely sorry. You have said you are something called a 'Fire Bender' but I've never heard the term before. What does that mean exactly?" Iruka abruptly switched to teacher mode. He wanted to learn and observe this man.

Even if his aura didn't leak the deathly taint of the higher class nin that Iruka had come to know, he did know that something behind this man wasn't entirely normal. The chakra patterns around him didn't fit anything like what he'd ever seen before. He was sure that even the medi-nin had no idea what they were dealing with.

Normal human beings had chakra patterns that were mostly instinctual and ninja had the chakra patterns as far as the chakra-less Lee to the huge capabilities of Naruto with the nine-tailed fox chakra. The man before him at a pattern of chakra that centered around his feet, his hands, and his mouth. It never moved much over that but at times he could see deep conserves of the chakra roiling around in the stomach and lung region. It really was a sight to see.

His 'nephew', the scarred one had the same chakra patterns only more was centered around the lungs instead of the belly. A lot was also boiling dangerously at the hands and feet but not so much the mouth. It seemed that this boy had different strengths than the older man but they were very similar none-the-less.

Iruka had actually been so taken by the man's patterns he'd gone and observed the rest of the stranger's chakra's while Iroh had been asleep. The bald child with the blue marking on his head was almost identical to Naruto. A huge chakra covering his entire body. Different colors swirling and colliding with each other as well. Although, the colors sometimes made huge appearances and seemed to take over most or all of his body. The main colors had been blue, green, red, and grey. The girl with longer hair had blue chakra that was almost completely centered around her hands. At moments, it would swirl in her heart space or travel to her feet but no where else. The smaller girl had completely green chakra that emitted completely from her feet with sparse tendrils that connected to her hands. She had also seemed to be blind and had naturally made a use of chakra sight through her feet. An odd way to live when you could do the same with your eyes but to each his own. The other boy with the mo-hawk like hair had no chakra like Lee. He had also seemed to have the same tenacity as Lee. Iruka had almost sighed as he realized this because it was just like they were going to have another green-beast in Konoha if this odd group decided to stay a while. They were more than welcome to due to the misunderstanding that had taken place.

"A Fire Bender is a person that can shape flame to their will. It is a talent that 95 of my people have. Only the very few are born with out this talent." Iruka guessed that this was the chakra state that he was describing. It seemed to be a larger percentage with the 'Fire Bender's to have chakra-less humans.

"I can use fire and shape it to my will. It will come to me whenever I wish it and it helps me. Protects me. Comforts me even! It helps with making tea!" Iroh let his finger sparkle to life with a small flame that heated his personal cup of tea easily. Iroh let the flame die out and Iruka stared with unabashed joy.

The chakra system in the older man's body had flexed very subtly showing that the chakra had been used to come up with the flame. The odd things was that the man had made no hand signs, no words were used, and no scrolls either. He just made it appear as if it were perfectly natural for him. In a way, the 'Fire Bender' was more advanced than the jutsu of the ninja.

"Can you control other things than fire?" Iruka pondered, suddenly realizing that it was a great power that could be used against people.

"No, just fire. Hence, the name 'Fire Bender'. There are Earth Benders, Water Benders, Air Benders, and Fire Benders. Four elements to balance the Earth." Iroh started on his speech.

Iruka nodded. It only made sense to be the four elements to balance out the chakra handlings so that something did not over come another. It was like one of the demons, Shukaku, or Kyuubi. An over dosage of chakra turned to something else. Although, it seemed that instead of becoming evil and making it's own entity it leeched off a young human much the same as Kyuubi did now.

"There is also one who can control all four elements. One called The Avatar. He or She can control all those elements along with a huge power that I have not yet realized what it is." Iroh continued. Iruka surmised that the bald child was the Avatar. The swirling of the different colored chakras made it very clear.

"I will not get into it now, for it is a greatly long story but the Fire Benders are at war with the rest of the world. That is why we have made it to this forest in the Earth Nation to take up refuge. This is where you have found us!" Iroh finished, smiling.

"Indeed, I have heard something about a great and hostile take over but it has not really affected the village of Konoha because we are a secret place. Somewhere that only the royals of the outside people would know about." Iruka explained.

"I had also heard of secret clans of people while I was heir to the Fire Lord but I long ago cast of those thoughts as if they were just suspicious rumors. My apologies." Iroh exclaimed, bowing slightly .

"It's nothing. It's just so surprising that this all actually exists. Much of what you're talking about makes no sense to me and I wish to know so much more. I have so much to tell you as well." Iruka smiled at the man and took another sip of tea.

"Indeed, I cannot wait." Iroh laughed agreeably.

Zuko groaned and tried to open his eyes but decided against it when his entire head throbbed. The pain seemed to emit from the bottom of his skull near his neck but he couldn't be quite sure seeing as how it was as if his entire sensory functioning was being scrambled. The lights were too bright, the sounds were too loud, the smell of clinic was making him sick, the touch of the rough bed sheets made him itch, the taste in his mouth was horrid, and so on and so forth. Zuko lay there with his eyes squeezed tightly shut and he tried to think. He couldn't remember how he had gotten to wherever he was but he could remember what had happened last. The scarred male could remember that he had heard something in the tries and so he had shot fire at it to try and attack any enemy that was trying to sneak up on them.

Some thing or someone had squealed with surprise and a large shape had come tumbling from out of the tree. He had caught a quick glimpse of their face but all he could remember were two bright red swirls of color throughout the cheeks.

Then, everything had gone black and he woke with the steadily worsening headache. Zuko tried to open his eyes again but this time let them stream in agony as his enlarged pupils dilated to their normal size. Looking around without actually moving was difficult but Zuko managed to do it. He deduced that he was in some sort of care facility. The fact that he wasn't dead already or in a cell meant that they didn't know who he was or that they didn't care. It was probably the first but you never could really tell.

"Awake yet?" A soft voice called and Zuko winced as the sound grated on his ears.

"I see you are. Well, don't try to move. Not that you could if you wanted to, but none-the-less, it's probably better if you don't try." The name-less voice pointed out obviously.

Zuko closed his eyes in frustration. He couldn't even speak!

"My name's Shikamaru. I'm the one who attacked you, so….sorry about that." The male named Shikamaru apologized although it didn't seem very sincere.

Zuko blinked in surprise. Apologizing?

"Well, now that that's done." The voice stopped and listened to the quiet steps that seemed purposeful go to his bed side table.

The male leaned over and Zuko could see that it was a teenage near his own age. The other boy had a bored look on his face and an odd hairstyle that reminded him of some offhand fruit.

"Looks like you've seen your share of fights." Shikamaru said and raised an eyebrow in silent question at Zuko's scar. Zuko's eyes widened in surprise. No one had ever dared ask him about his scar. It was an unwritten rule of sorts. He was really in some sort of strange land.

"Shikamaru! Are you scaring the patients already?" An older voice scorned softly.

"No Kakashi-sensei. Just having a nice chat." The other replied with a roll of his eyes. It seemed that he didn't like this person very much whoever they were.

"Mm-hmm." The voice replied and suddenly the fruit-head was gone. In his place was a gray haired man with most of his face covered. The one eye that was visible blinked out at him and then closed in a sort of smiling gesture.

"Good morning." He greeted and Zuko just stared.

Where in the spirit's name WAS he!?

Gaara sat at his desk brooding quietly as he always did when something in the air disturbed him. Whether it was an oncoming sandstorm, enemy nin approaching, or even Shukaku getting restless, Gaara knew every coming like he was born with the knowledge. This, although, this was different.

Something stirred in the air that he had not yet tasted. A freshness that was altogether enticing and revolting. Something large and powerful had just made its way into the borders of Gaara's conscious world and it disturbed the Kazekage. Gaara let his fingers rest upon his jacket sleeves as an age old habit when he was thinking. Something was very near and very ready to strike out like a viper.

"Kazekage-sama?" A tentative voice called out through the door.

Gaara's chakra flickered in acknowledgment.

"We've just gotten word from the land to the north that they will be escorting persons to Konoha. They have requested to pass through here for shelter and necessities for the desert." The Suna-nin said as he opened the door and took a step inside.

"Their name?" Gaara asked for the name of the village.

"Unknown Sir. They sealed it with an odd gold marking like none I've ever seen." The other male said with confusion. He was used to every marking and seal another village could make but this new one from the north had him confused. It was gold plated but not so fancy as to make them normal royalty from the castles in the northern west.

"…" Gaara let his eyes slid shut in thought. A new predicament. He did not feel nor see the problem with this strange group asking for shelter. The more connections to people, the better to know the potential enemy or potential ally.

"They may come." Gaara said shortly and the Suna nin bowed on his way out to deliver a reply message.

Gaara stood and lifted the strap that was attached to his gourd with ease. Laying it gently onto his back, he began the trek to the outside world from deep underground where it was coolest. Today, he needed a walk in the storms of the unforgiving landscape.

Toph stood shakily. She couldn't see when her feet were high above the ground and so it was the perfect position for the enemy. A blind girl and taking away the only way she could see.

"Hnnngh." She moaned quietly as her head twanged in response to her movements. She had been surprised when the normal rumblings of a forest had suddenly turned heavy with strange feet and surprise attacks. She'd had no time to react before she was brutally knocked unconscious by someone in the air.

Someone she could have no hope in seeing.

"Any one there?" She grumbled angrily and took a better position on the ceramic floor. She could now tell that she was in a small room that was connected to a large hallway, which split off into many different rooms.

"Hey! Someone answer me!" She yelled out starting to get even more worked up.

Toph pouted angrily and then twisted her head viciously to the side as a vibration made it's way up the hallway. Obviously male from the stride and angry by the sounds of the cursing she could already hear.

"Hey! Stop!" Toph yelled out to the door.

"Do not speak!" the voice commanded her angrily and stomped in.

"I'll do whatever I want!" she blurted back. Surprised, she didn't think many people were brave enough to talk back to her.

"Who are you? Are you another member of the Hyuuga clan? Your eyes! They are different but they are still that of the Hyuuga!" The voice demanded angrily and Toph rocked back on her heels with even more surprise. Someone being so tactless as attacking her blindness head on and not so much as stuttering at her 'weakness'.

"Hyuuga?! What the spirits is that?!" She demanded angrily. Toph had no idea what this stranger was talking about but he seemed pretty set upon that idea.

"Do not play games with me! I am Hyuuga Neiji!" The male said, and stomped closer and surprised Toph again by grabbing her chin and bringing her face up close to his judging by the hot breath that she could now feel.

"You…you are blind!" The male said suddenly sounding very surprised and worried.

"Yeah, you dumbass! That's what I said!" She retorted acridly.

"O-Oh dear…" A female voice softly stuttered in the door way.

Toph whipped her head over to the sound and scowled.

"More people to make fun of the blind girl?" She grumbled angrily and she felt the other two tense.

What a nice welcome to a new neighborhood.