Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor the Legend of Korra. This is strictly a work of fanfiction that's being written and published without any intention of making a profit.
Author's Notes
Warnings: AU, Older (19), Chakra-less, Bender, OOC-ish Naruto. Slightly altered history of the bending world. Potential rule-breaking regarding the methodology behind the four bending styles, the applications of the bending styles, and the functionality of anything related to the spiritual side of the Avatar universe.
A handful of other Naruto characters will make appearances throughout this story and just like Naruto himself, they will be AU versions of their canon equivalents. Chakra, for all intents and purposes, will not exist.
Naruto's heritage and personal history are not canon. While I'll be trying to keep his personality mostly in-line with his canon counterpart, expect some noteworthy differences here and there due to differences in their upbringing.
Naruto will be rather powerful throughout this story in comparison to the average individual in the bending world. While I don't think I'm turning him into a complete Gary Stu this go around, if you typically don't enjoy stories with main characters that are at least a touch on the overpowered side, this isn't likely to be something you'll find enjoyment in reading.
Pairings: Naruto/Korra. Asami, Bolin, Mako and a few others will all end up in a pairing of some sort eventually as well.
Credit where it's due: Several other fanfics that I have read have given me ideas and inspired me to write this. Foremost among them, and the two stories that I would feel downright sleazy about failing to credit in at least some small manner are Engineer4Ever's "The Tides Change Once More" and Takeshi1225's "Naruto the Airbender Extraordinaire."
You are not Alone: Airbender
Prologue
"Are we there yet?"
The question, typical for a child his age, came from a young, six year old Naruto current sitting between the legs of a tall man while the two of them soared through the sky on the head of a large Sky Bison. With a head of spiky, golden-blond hair and cerulean blue eyes, his traits contrasted rather harshly with the shaved head long goatee that Tenzin possessed. Despite that fact however, the two were clad quite similarly in traditional Air Nomad attire.
"Not just yet. I promise that we're almost there though – a few more minutes at most," Tenzin chortled, raising a hand and ruffling the boy's blond locks. "I'm actually a little surprised that you didn't ask me that sooner, truth be told."
"Why?"
"Most children your age just like to ask that question a lot during long trips."
"Why?"
Taking in a deep breath to keep himself calm even as Naruto began playing the 'why' game – his new favorite thing to do as of late – Tenzin slowly released it as his mind raced to come up with an answer that was both simple enough for a boy of six to understand and would ideally cease the train of questioning it before it truly began.
"They…just do," he finally answered after a few moments. "Even I used to do it when I was your age."
"…"
"…"
"…Why?"
Suppressing initial the urge to answer that question in a blunt and somewhat aggressive manner, Tenzin once again drew in a deep breath as his mind raced for alternative options that would allow him to escape the ceaseless 'why' loop.
"Well, I could answer you, but I think I'd much rather see that amazing Airbending technique you showed me yesterday."
"Really?!" Naruto asked excitedly. "You'll watch me do it again?!"
"Of course I will. Did you bring your marbles with you?"
"…No," the blond replied, his excitement dying down almost immediately as his head slumped downwards. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright. Here, you can use mine." Digging into one of his pockets, Tenzin slowly withdrew the items in question.
"I…I can use yours?"
Pausing only for a brief moment, Tenzin reached down and slid the marbles into the boy's palm, closing his small fist tightly around them afterwards.
"Yes, but I will let you do more than just that. You can keep them."
"Really?!" The small blond exclaimed, gazing upwards as if his birthday had come early. However, his brow furrowed in thought after a few moments had passed. "…But didn't you say that these were your daddy's?"
"Yes, I did." A small smile crossed the man's face. "But knowing my father as I did, I think he would want you to have them."
Slowly, the furrowed brow that had been creasing Naruto's forehead melted away until it was replaced by a beaming grin. Turning around in Tenzin's lap even with the marbles he had been gifted still held firmly in his small grip, he wrapped his arms as best as he could around the older man's torso and squeezed as hard as his young body would allow.
"Thank you!"
"You're welcome," the Master Airbender muttered softly, wrapping an arm around the child and squeezing gently. After the moment had passed and the all-too-familiar blue orbs were gazing up at him, he continued. "Now, how about you show me that trick again?"
"Oh! Right!" Naruto exclaimed before he turned around and held out his hands in front of him – his right being palm-up with the marbles within it while his left hovering several inches over the top of it. As his face scrunched up slightly in concentration, the marbles slowly rose up and began spinning in a slow, shaky circle. A few moments later, they quickly sped up and leveled out before picking up even more speed to the point that they were a mere blur to the human eye.
Despite the fact that he had seen and already had a rather emotional reaction to the scene yesterday when Naruto had first showed him, Tenzin nonetheless had to blink a few times to keep a few lingering tears at bay even as memories of when he had shown his father the very same thing flew threw his mind.
"Hehehe. It's so cool!"
"Yes, it sure is. I would even say that it's the coolest thing in the world."
Suddenly, the marbles came to a slow stop even as Naruto's eyes once again gazed straight up to find Tenzin's own.
"Why?"
Letting a slow chuckle escape him at the fact that he had walked right back into the loop he had been trying to escape from in the first place, Tenzin smiled ruefully.
"It's one of those things that you'll have to wait until you're a grown-up to understand."
"Whooooooa~! It's pretty!"
"Yes, it is rather pretty, isn't it?" Tenzin inquired, looking out from over the front of his Sky Bison even as it swept down to land on the large, stone platform within the White Lotus Compound in the Southern Water Tribe. Without any sort of preamble, the large, saddled creature touched down upon the solid surface with a loud thud.
"Are you going to be okay getting off of Oogi by yourself?"
"Yeah!"
"Are you sure? I do—"
"I'm not a baby! I'll be okay, just watch!" Naruto began before scooting himself out from between the man's lap, taking a few steps back to get a bit more room, and running off of the head of the bison. Seconds before he landed upon the stone, a sloppy-looking burst of air shooting out from the soles of his feet slowed his descent down enough that the impact to his body was as if he had jumped down a few stairs.
Letting out a breath of air that he didn't even realize he had been holding, Tenzin quickly pushed himself up and hopped off of the bison as well. Glancing around the area, his expression lit up in a smile as soon as he caught sight of a familiar grey-haired woman clad in a typical dark-blue coat; his smile only grew wider when he idly took note of the small, dark-skinned, brunette girl standing at her side. The girl in question was wearing a smaller version of the dark-blue coat with her hair pulled back into a small ponytail with two small bundles of hair trailing along either side of her face.
His reaction, noticeable as it was, paled horribly in comparison to the blond's.
"Gran Gran!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed loudly, spotting the woman in question before rushing over to her so quickly that he was almost a blur to the eye. Upon getting close enough to her for his liking, a quick burst of air from his feet launched him up to her chest-level where he clung onto her with a fierce hug.
"Oh my goodness," Katara grunted in effort as he impacted her chest, laughing mirthfully as she wrapped an arm around his back and squeezed. "You've gone and gotten bigger on me since I've last seen you."
"And he's still getting bigger every day, believe it or not," Tenzin chuckled as he approached the trio. "It's good to see you again, Mom."
"Yeah! I missed you too, Gran Gran!" The blond exclaimed again as he pulled his head back and shot the woman a wide grin.
"I missed you too, little one," Katara stated softly, patting him on his cheek. "And it's good to see you too, Tenzin," she graced her son with a soft smile as she gently pried the blond off of her body and put him down on his feet.
A moment of silence then passed with a quick, knowing look being exchanged between the two adults.
Suddenly turning, Katara reached a hand down behind the girl at her side and gave her a gentle push forward. Seeming to get the idea, the girl quickly stepped forward to stand in front of the renowned Waterbender. Likewise, Tenzin placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and directed him to stand directly in front of the girl.
"Be polite," he whispered, giving the young boy a pat on the back
"Huh?" Naruto asked, turning his head over his shoulder in confusion. However, even as the word left his lips, his eyes lit up in realization. "Oh! Right, sorry," he continued on before turning back around to face the girl in front of him.
"Hi! I'm Naruto Beifong!" The boy introduced himself with a wide grin as he reached a hand forward. "Nice to meet 'cha!"
"Um…hi," the girl offered a bit shyly in return. Never having actually talked much to anyone around her own age before, she turned back to Katara with a silent question in her eyes. Receiving a nod and a small, encouraging smile in return, she turned back around with far more confidence than she has possessed before and continued.
"I'm Korra," she introduced herself in return with a small smile of her own as she reached out and grabbed the slightly shorter blond's hand with her own. "It's nice to meet you too."
End
Post-Notes
Don't get your hopes up or your panties in a twist regarding Naruto's parentage based solely on this chapter. I've left certain things vague or otherwise unspoken for a reason.
This story will be different than my YanA: Earthbender story for numerous reasons, but there will be a fair amount of shared plot between the two. If a certain non-canon plot point sounds incredibly familiar, that's probably why.
I have Chapter 1 nearly ready to publish as well, so it should be up either on Friday or Saturday evening assuming that I remember to format and submit it; I'm still dealing with some personal issues and starting a new job in mid-May, so any updates after that will be even spottier than usual.