Ultimate Ninja? Ultimate Avatar? It's An Epic Battle!

The Chuunin Exams are here again, only this year there are some new contenders; an earthbender, a waterbender, a bald kid with strange tattoos, a sarcastic warrior, and what appears to be a six legged cross between a beaver and a bison. Oh, and there's Momo, too, but he doesn't really do anything. Can theses strangers survive in the harsh and unforgiving ninja world? And what happens when Azula turns her covetous eye on Konoha? Pre-Shippuden. AU.

Avatar Characters: Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Appa, Momo, Zuko, Azula, Mei, Tai Li, Iroh

Naruto Characters: Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Rock Lee, Ten Ten, Gaara, Shikamaru, Temari, Kakashi

..........................................

Aang yawned and stretched as he sat up from his bed of warm sky bison fur, blinking away last night's dreams for morning's sun. He glanced up at Appa and rubbed the great beast's fur affectionately, which was rewarded with a satisfied grunt and lick.

"Hey, buddy,"said Aang with a laugh. "Sleep okay?"

Appa blinked his clear black eyes and grunted again, which Aang understood to mean "yes." Momo, Aang's flying lemur, popped his head curiously over Appa's shoulder and squeaked rapidly, which probably passed as a morning greeting.

"Hey, Momo! You sleep okay, too?"

Momo chittered excitedly, jumping down onto the boy's shoulder.

"Morning, Aang."

He turned, seeing Katara already busy preparing breakfast, which was yet another helping of overcooked rice and dried fish. As much as Aang sometimes longed for the steamed vegetables that the monks had regularly eaten, he was at least grateful that Katara wasn't making those sour sea berries or whatever they were that people from the Water Tribe seemed to like so much.

Katara offered him a cheerful smile, which made his heart skip a beat the way it did whenever she looked at him. Sokka, unsurprisingly, was still asleep, gangly limbs sprawled out underneath a blue blanket that had somehow managed to twist itself around his legs. Occasionally he could be heard muttering something along the lines of "Mmmm...Suki...." Toph too, was still off in dreamland, the dirty soles of her feet sticking out from her stone tent. Her dreams were quite different than Sokka's romantic escapades. Hers involved Katara and a large boulder, and things going squish.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, thanks,"said Aang as he got up to help Katara. "How about you?"

"Fine. The rice is almost done. Can you get the fish out and then go see if sleepyhead over there wants to join us?" She nodded in Sokka's general direction with a roll of her eyes in mock exasperation at her brother's tendency to oversleep in spite of the schedules he liked to make.

"I'll do it," came a voice from the stone tent. A quick stomp sent the rocks crumbling, revealing Toph, who knuckled her eyes with one hand while she stretched out her other arm.

"Morning, Toph,"said Katara as she took the fish Aang handed her and laid them out on small stones over the fire to cook.

"Morning, Sugar Queen. Is Twinkle Toes awake yet?"

"Yep,"said Aang, noting with some amusement the way Katara frowned slightly at being called "Sugar Queen" again. Toph was in the habit of giving people nicknames whether they liked them or not; "Twinkle Toes" and "Sugar Queen" were probably going to be around for a while.

She nodded at Aang and shuffled over to Sokka's prone form, feet questing about for something to kick. A miffed "ow!" told Katara and Aang she'd found her target.

"What was that for?"cried Sokka, jerking up into a sitting position to nurse his shoulder.

"Sorry," said Toph, although the laughter in her voice implied just the opposite. "You were just too easy."

"I get no respect around here! I hunt our food, plan our schedules, set up the campsite, and this is the thanks I get? A kick in the shoulder?"

"Oh, quit whining! I didn't even kick you that hard!"

"Let see what the bruise has to say about that!"

"Oh, yeah,"sighed Katara, watching the squabble the way someone would watch a slap fight between three year olds, "This is gonna be going on all day. Sokka, get over here and eat!"

"But Toph kicked me!"

"Just get over here already!"

Grumbling under his breath, Sokka untangled himself from the blanket and scooted towards the fire, shooting Toph the mother of all death glares, which of course, went totally unnoticed by her.

"So, Aang,"said Katara, changing the subject and ignoring her brother as completely as only siblings could. "Do you want to practice more waterbending forms? Or do you want to practice with Toph?"

Aang tapped the ends of his chopsticks against his lips as he mulled the question over. Then he brightened as he remembered something, reaching out to grab his knapsack and ferreted through it until he found what he was looking for.

"Here!"he exclaimed, holding up a piece of parchment and grinning gleefully. Sokka and Katara peered curiously at what appeared to be a flyer advertising something in loud brushstrokes.

"Well, what is it?"asked Toph. "Why'd everyone stop talking?"

"Let's see that..."Katara plucked the paper from Aang's hands and read aloud. "The Village of Konoha is hosting the annual Chuunin Exams this week. Come show us what your village is made of. Must be at least twelve years of age and a graduating genin from an accredited academy to apply."

"What's a 'genin'?" said Toph, wrinkling her nose at the strange word.

"I'm not sure..."Katara replied hesitantly, studying the kanji with a puzzled frown.

"Aang, what on earth does this have to do with our mission?"Sokka questioned skeptically, eyeing the little avatar with a distrustfulness one usually reserves when they think they're being sold something they have no intention of using. "You're not a 'ge-nan', or whatever--"

"Genin," corrected Katara.

"Whatever! The point is, you're not a 'genin'--" here he glared at his sister, who only smiled sweetly and began scooping out rice-- "and you're not from an academy, so you can't even apply for...whatever this exam thing is."

"Yes, I can," Aang said with undeterred certainty. "Don't you understand what this means? This could be the perfect opportunity for me to get all the practice I need!"

When this was met with silence and a stare of even deeper suspicion, he explained: "Look, I've been studying waterbending and earthbending, but I need to get a lot stronger. Maybe this Chuunin Exam can help! I'd actually be fighting real opponents instead of practice dummies!"

Sokka wasn't buying it. "I don't know. The flyer said you have to be a genin, but how can you even pretend to be one when you don't even know what it is? And it says you have to be from an academy, which means they'll want papers. And let's not forget we're trying to keep a low profile. If we enter, it'll make it easier for someone from the Fire Nation to spot us."

Toph snorted derisively. "Like that's really worked so far. The Fire Nation seems to find us no matter what we do."

"Toph has a point,"Katara conceded. "But Aang, it's like Sokka said. How would you even enter?"

"It's okay. I have it all figured out,"said the boy brightly, his grey eyes sparkling with anticipation. "A long time ago, there were tribes of people called 'ninja' who were hired by noblemen to spy on and assassinate their rivals. They developed elemental techniques called 'jutsu' and used them in their battles. There are, or were, Five Great Ninja Nations: Fire, Sand, Lightning, Water, and Rock, and the all had a leader called a 'kage'. Every year they had a tournament hosted by one of the nations to see who would bring their village the most honor and who would advance to the rank of chuunin. See, ninja have three ranks; genin, chuunin, and jounin. They have to take tests and complete missions in order to reach the next rank. So, you see, if they have elemental fighters like us, I could really learn a lot. Maybe you all could too!"

There was a long, stunned silence in the wake of this revelation about a people and countries no one had ever heard of up to this point.

"Aang," said Katara slowly, concern in her blue eyes. "Are you sure you're getting enough sleep?"

"I think you just made all that up," said Toph, crossing her arms and sneering. "There's no such thing as ninja."

"I did not!" Aang retorted defensively. "Master Giatso taught me all about them! There were even a few who came to the temple to meditate!"

Sokka, ever the realist and always ready to kill an idea by pointing out its inherent flaws promptly put this ability to use.

"Problem,"he said, holding up a finger to silence Toph, who was looking ready to say something nasty. "You said "were." Those ninja were probably wiped out by the Fire Nation when you were inside that iceberg. If they were around before, they might not be now."

"Well, they have to be if they're advertising in the Earth Kingdom!" Aang protested, thrusting the poster under Sokka's nose as if doing so would make the older boy more ready to believe him if he just held the paper really, really close.

Reluctantly, Sokka took the poster and carefully examined the kanji on it. It didn't appear to be from any of the countries he knew of, and after a few moments, he had to admit to himself that the brushstrokes were in a style he'd never seen before. There was an official looking red seal stamped on the lower right hand corner, bearing an odd swirl design with a triangle sticking out of it.

"Hmmm,"he murmured thoughtfully, rubbing at the back of his neck as he tried to make sense of it. "You know...Aang might be right. I don't think I've ever seen kanji written like this. Have you, Katara?"

His sister inched closer so she could look over his shoulder.

"I don't think so. But I don't really know about stuff like that. You really think that whole story about ninja is true?"

"It is!"

"I guess it could be," Sokka said, the tone of his voice dancing around acceptance as he continued to squint at the paper. "Aang, where do these ninja live?"

Aang's expression promptly melted from defensive petulance to eager brightness. He sat up, squaring his little shoulders as he prepared to impart more obscure information.

"Pretty far. I think they live on the other side of the world."

"The other side of the world?"

"Oh, come on!" cried Toph as she threw her arms up in irritation. As much as she liked to have her fun, even she had a limit of how far she was willing to push a joke. "There's nothing on the other side of the world! It's just a big ocean! If this is some kind of prank, it's not funny."

"It's not! I already told you, I wouldn't joke about something like this."

"Hang on! Everyone just settle down a minute!" Katara cut in, sweeping her arms out in a definitive and much practiced "cease and desist" motion.

"I for one, am willing to believe Aang," she continued when the others had properly quieted, ignoring Toph's roll of the eyes as she said this. "I don't think he'd go to all this trouble just for a joke."

Aang grinned. He could always count on Katara to side with him.

"Besides, we all know how bad his calligraphy is."

"Hey!"

"I think if we enter this exam, we could all benefit on polishing up our fighting skills for when we eventually have to face the Fire Lord. If it takes flying across the ocean to do it, I don't care. And who knows? There may be other people who can earthbend, Toph. I would love to learn some more water techniques myself. And Sokka can learn a new fighting style."

Sokka threw her a nasty scowl. It was the type of raised-eyebrow, pursed-lipped scowl that said "What are you implying?"

"What's wrong with my fighting style?"

The others looked away in embarrassment, not bothering to offer an answer. If it had been nighttime, there would have been an orchestra of crickets composing a lovely serenade to the awkward stillness between them.

"Er..."muttered Aang helpfully.

"All right, all right!" sighed Sokka, the corners of his mouth turning down as he shrugged casually. "I get it. Never mind Sokka. He's just the funny man. He's just the guy who can't bend. Oh, but he does have a pretty boomerang. Watch him twirl it."

"Um...that's not what I meant...." Katara stammered with a blush. Her fingers twiddled in her lap as she struggled to spin the conversation into something positive. "Just because you can't bend doesn't mean you're not impor---"

"Katara, what exactly is it about sarcasm that you don't get?"

***************************

"Princess Azula."

The young girl raised her dark eyes disinterestedly at the messenger as he kowtowed before her, offering up a scroll. Her father, the Fire Lord, was off on a military inspection and had left the day to day operations to her in the meantime. She was seated languidly on the dais usually occupied by Ozai, surrounded by a wall of cool blue flames. (Well, as long as she was sitting on the throne, the fire may as well be her color.)

"What is it?"she drawled in a voice more suited to something that stalks the savanna grasslands waiting for something young and weak to wobble by. She tapped an impatient and exquisitely manicured fingernail on her knee. What was is this time? A minor uprising in the Earth Kingdom colonies? A request for increased funding at the Royal Academy? So boring. So beneath her. Didn't her father have secretaries and aides to do that petty errand running?

"A message has come from the Fire Country's Hidden Village."

Azula sat up and leaned forward, her interest instantly piqued. Her father had mentioned the ninja nations only in passing; no one had seen or heard from them in over fifty years. Most people these days had never even heard the word "ninja". To suddenly receive a message from one of the secretive and mysterious countries across the ocean provided a much more engaging diversion than, well, raising taxes. She herself didn't know exactly how many countries existed. She had only heard of the Fire Country, which had once held a very close relationship with the Fire Nation back even before Sozin's time.

"Konoha?" she asked, her eyes acquiring a glint that was entirely too predatory for a fourteen year old. "Well, what are you waiting for? Read it!"

The messenger again kowtowed, and Azula was pleased to see the little shiver that quaked its way down his arms. And he was right to be afraid, lest he waste her time.

"The Hokage of the Village of Konoha sends its greetings to the Fire Lord of the Fire Nation. It has been fifty years since our great nations have exchanged words, a length of time we are all too sorry for. Our lands have been broken by war, which has made it difficult, if not impossible for communication with the outside world. It has only been in the last twelve years that our nation has rebuilt itself and achieved stability. To celebrate the advent of peace and to honor the lives of those who defended our village, we are reviving the our traditional Chuunin Exams, and would like to extend our invitation to our most esteemed sister nation. We will commence the opening ceremonies in seven days. If, however, you are unable to attend---"

"Wonderful,"Azula interrupted, waving her hand dismissively. "Seven days, you say?"

"Y-yes, Princess."

A devilish smile played over her rouged lips as she mused over the letter. A visit to an unknown land could prove not only interesting, but provide an opportunity for a very important alliance. One Fire Nation was quite efficient to subjugate the rest of the world, but two combined Fire Nations would be nigh unstoppable. Ozai, in a carefully worded letter, would certainly understand. And he would be proud of his daughter's efforts to strengthen his kingdom.

"Send a letter to Konoha. Tell them the Fire Nation gladly accepts their invitation. And fetch me Mei and Tai Li. I'm sure they'd love a trip abroad, don't you?"

"It will be done as you say, Princess."

******************

"Absolutely not."

"Come on, Zuko..."

"No."

"It'll be good for you."

"I said no."

Zuko, banished prince of the Fire Nation and his uncle, Iroh, were standing in front of a sign post, looking at the aforementioned advertisement nailed to the wood. Iroh, ever aware of his nephew's need to socialize and feel normal every now and again, had immediately spotted the poster with a thoughtful "hmph." He hadn't heard anything about Konoha since his boyhood days from stories told to him by his father, Azulon. He'd assumed that the ninja had vanished, possibly wiped out by Azulon, but apparently not. These Chuunin Exams were a chance to see theses reclusive and mysterious clans up close, which he had always secretly wanted to do. Imagine the knowledge and wisdom they would have! Techniques even he didn't know!

It would also be a chance to flee the Earth Kingdom and evade detection from Ozai on the other side of the world. He and Zuko would truly be able to start over again and lead a quiet, unassuming life without worrying that someone would recognize them. And Zuko would find a master to guide his unfocused energy and he would grow into a strong man. And he could finally open that tea shop he'd been dreaming of for last ten years.

Zuko, on the other hand, had quite the opposite reaction to his uncle's suggestion. What point was there in traveling to an unknown continent when he had his destiny to fulfill? There was an avatar running around out there that needed capturing, and he had a throne that needed getting back, not to mention a snarky sister that needed to be put in her place. How could he possibly restore his honor participating in some ridiculous exam? What was he supposed to say to his father when he finally returned home? "Er...gee, Dad. Sorry about not getting you that avatar you wanted. I was uh....out becoming a Chuunin or something...."

Hell no.

But Iroh, being the patient man he was, had expected this. He knew the only way to convince Zuko to cross the ocean would be by his sense of honor.

"Prince Zuko, think of it this way,"he said slowly. "It's only for a a few days. You could use a rest, ease your mind. Besides, it would be a chance to make some friends, maybe even find a master."

"I don't need friends or a master,"Zuko growled petulantly. "What I need is to keep going until I capture the Avatar. There is no easing my mind."

"All right then,"Iroh said with a nonchalant shrug, shifting tactics to appear uninterested. "Let's keep going. We shouldn't bother passing up an opportunity to learn techniques that Azula doesn't know about. No, not at all. We--"

"Wait," Zuko interrupted, interest creeping into his otherwise surly expression. "What did you say about Azula?"

"Well, from what I remember from my father, ninja are elemental warriors who have spent centuries developing their art,"Iroh explained, stroking his beard and studying his nephew's reaction through the corners of his eyes, dropping his words like a tasty morsel dangling on a string. "Who knows what they can do? Their ways have been lost for nearly a century."

"They can bend?"

A sly smile crept its way across his uncles lips.

"Something like that."

He could see the wheels turning in Zuko's mind, the frown on his face disappearing as his features became more curious. He was just about to bite; Iroh knew he'd always been jealous of Azula's prodigious skills, and that if he could ever find a way to one up her, he'd take it without thinking.

"What techniques are these, Uncle? I know you know."

"Some are the same as ours; fire, earth, air and water, but there are others....eye techniques to hypnotize your enemy, paralysis, shadow clones..."

Zuko's eyes got a hungry look to them, growing wider at the sound of these exotic and powerful abilities. He imagined returning triumphantly home, avatar in hand, and promptly using his new techniques to freeze Azula to the ground so she could only watch in humiliation as he succeeded in something she had not.

"All right,"he said grudgingly, not wanting to appear too eager. "Let's find these ninja."

Iroh smiled.

"Let's make for the nearest port. We have seven days to get there."

*****************

AN: Soooo.....how was it? Apologies if I didn't quite get a handle on everyone's characters. I've never written for Avatar or Naruto before, so please be kind with feedback. This isn't really meant to be anything too serious, anyhow. Just a crazy little idea I wanted to put down on paper.