A/N: I'm afraid I have some bad news for you all. Remember my health woes from a way back? Well, I thought they were in the clear. Turns out they aren't. At all. My latest appointment with my doctor...didn't end well. Apparently, in addition to my heart condition, I might be needing open-heart surgery. Several, in fact. And if I don't get it...well, the result won't be pleasant. Taking them aside, the last one really messed me up, so I realized that my luck with this latest surgery just might run out.

So I just wanted to say...its been really nice, writing on this site. Authoring each of these stories, feeling the words flow through me and onto the screen, reading wonderful reviews, listening to the occassional critic-and bettering myself with each story. And to that effect, I've discovered that surgery will now be needed soon. Very soon. Sometime this month, or after Christmas. Yuuup, not looking forward to it. At all! But for now I'm still ticking, and as such, I wanted to get the next installment of this story out. And so...

...onto the latest chapter! I humbly hope you enjoy it! Sorry if its short! I worked reaaalllly hard on this despite my health!

"Well, this is...interesting...

~?

Kyoshi

At first, I couldn't believe it. Even now, the thought still leaves me reeling, sometimes. All the Airbenders. Gone. Elimated. Put the sword. Burned at the torch. You get the picture. At Aang's behest we'd gone to visit the Southern Air Temple, expecting to find...what, exactly? I didn't much seem the point at the time, but who was I to deny his request? We'd already escaped from the Fire Nation, drawing them away from Katara's family and tribe at the risk of our own skins; somehow along the way, Katara developed a desire to travel to the North Pole and master waterbending alongside Aang. And of course, Sokka decided to come as well. I, was just along for the ride; who was I to say where they could and could not go; in Aang's shoes, wouldn't I do the same? Would I not jump at the chance to see if all my old friends were still alive?

So away we went, their expectations high. Mine remained low.

What we found there was only...ruin. Old bones, battered armor, shredded garments and shattered skulls. Aang nearly lost himself. And who could blame him? My own rage for the Fire Nation grew tenfold that day. But what could I do? Even I can't bring back someone who's been dead for more than a century. I'd just be breathing life back into Gyatso's bones; without his flesh and organs, he wouldn't last more than a few seconds at the most, and that's being generous. It broke my heart to tell Aang this; that despite all my power, the monks were simply too fare gone.

I'll never forget that look of heartbreak on his face. Some Avatar of the Gods I am. Still, my heart goes out to these kids. Katara said that we're Aang's family now. Oddly enough, I find myself agreeing with her. And by the gods, if anyone tries to lay a hand on my family: I. Will. Break. Them. A simple task, considering we only had Zuzu to worry about at the time. Phe! That little flame was no threat, to myself or Aang. Truly, I had no fears when we arrived on the isle of Kioshi. Indeed, one could even say I had become complacent.

It never once occurred to me that someone else might join in the hunt for us...

"Soooo..."

Naruto stubbornly resisted the urge to open his eyes; refusing to turn his head and peer over a shoulder as Aang popped up behind him. Thank the gods Appa could fly himself! Instead of giving in to his own curiosity, he forced his mind to focus on the task at hand.

"Not now, Aang." he chided. "I'm trying to concentrate."

He was sitting in a meditative position and concentrating on his outstretched right hand. After a few seconds what look like blue Chi to Aang began to swirl around his palm. It began to compress in upon itself as more and more began form and swirl. Soon enough, floating a few inches above his palm was a blue spinning orb. He saw Naruto's eyes focus on the orb and it began to spin even faster and form four white blades spinning with the orb. As he watched the orb spin, the last airbender could've sworn he heard a low thrumming, like something was trying to cut the air itself.

'What in the world is that...?'

The orb continued to spin, growing larger and larger, encompassing his entire palm until Naruto let out a sigh and relaxed, letting the orb disappear. "Good," He said to himself. "I've stlll got it." It was then that he became aware of everyone's attention. Katara had paused in stitching Sokka's pants to gawp at him, her mouth forming a small, round O of disbelief. Sakka looked as though he'd been preparing another one of his infamous jokes, but the sight of the mini-rasenshuriken seemed to have stolen those words away. Finally, he looked at Aang, apparently confused by the boy's bowed head and lack of reaction.

"Is something the matter?"

"That...

"That?"

"THAT WAS SO COOL!"

The sheer force of boy's exultation nearly knocked the shinobi off the bison, thankfully he managed to right himself and levitate at the last instant. In matter of moments he rejoined them, alighting effortlessly upon the sadle once more, though looking no less pleased for the effort.

"Oi!" he cried! "Are you trying to knock me off Appa or something?!"

"You've gotta show me how to do that!" Aang would not be dissuaded so easily.

Naruto's expression turned somber.

"I can't." he replied. "And even if I could, I still wouldn't teach you."

"Awww, but why not?"

"This attack is meant to be used as a last resort and nothing more." the blond countered, eyes hidden beneath his roughened bangs. "If I were to unleash it on someone, say a Firebender for example, it would damage them so badly they'd never be able to Bend again. That, is a fate I would wish on no man or woman, no matter how vile." He cracked an uneasy grin, then, a vain attempt to lighten the mood. "Hey, why the long faces, guys? I may be a monster, but at least I'm on your side, ya know?" A somber silence followed those words broken only by the wind in their hair-or Aang's lack thereof-and the passing of the clouds over and under their heads. Finally, someone decided to break it.

"You're not a monster, Naruto."

Naruto looked up, startled to find Katara's hand on his own.

"Look Katara, I appreciate the sentiment, but lets be honest here. I killed those Firebenders back there, only sparing the prince on a whim. Hell, I enjoyed the killing! Do you hear me? It felt...good! If that doesn't make me a monster then I don't know what-

"You are not," she repeated firmly, "A monster! What's wrong with you?!" Naruto lips parted in reply, but her other hand clamped over his mouth before he could speak. "Why would you even think such a thing after all you've said and done for us?! Why, Aang is still alive, because of you! Our tribe wasn't destroyed by the Fire Nation because of you! Sokka and I are still standing here! Because! Of! You! If protecting those you care for makes you a monster, then I'm one too!" Something in those teary blue eyes of hers struck and forestalled him, preventing any arguement on his part from pressing the issue any further.

With that, Naruto relented.

"Alright alright!" He sighed, pushing a hand across her head. "By the Gods, girl, don't start bawling on me now...

"Um...are you two done fighting?"

Katara promptly flushed, pulled away, and went back to sowing Sokka's pants.

"We weren't fighting, Aang."

"Yeah," Sokka sighed good-naturedly. "Stop bugging her, airhead. You need to give girls space when they do their sowing."

"What does me being a girl have to do with sowing?" There was a dangerous glint in Katara's eye now, an accusatory tone that, for those who knew her, would cause them to duck for cover. Sokka made the foolish and nearly-fatal misake of pressing the issue.

"Simple." he replied, uncrossing his arms behind his head. "Girls are better at fixing pants than guys. And guys are better at hunting and fighting and stuff like that. Its just the natural order of things." Naruto and Aang simultaneously facepalmed; they recognized the verbal gaffe, but did Sokka? Nope! The young warrior of the water tribe realized his mistake far too late.

"All done with your pants!" His sister held up the half stitched article of clothing and flung it in his face. "And look what a great job I did!"

"Wait! I was just kidding! I can't wear these! Katara, please!"

"Relax Sokka, where we're going you won't need any pants!"

"We're here!"

"Elephant koi?"

Naruto watched with bemusement as his fellow Avatar rode the giant fish. It wasn't until something started to eat those massive koi that he began to worry. What if something happened to him? He wasn't exactly keen on saving the world by himself and if Aang died he wouldn't reincarnate for quite some time. Not to mention he'd be reborn in the water tribe and any chance of him learning Airbending would go out the window-gah! A small chuckle fled his lips, unbidden, as Aang sped away from the gigantic creature, running across the water's surface through sheer speed alone before slamming into Sokka seconds thereafter.

In the end, his efforts weren't even needed after all.

"What was that thing?" Katara wondered.

"I don't know."

Naruto already knew. "Probably an Unagi." He stepped back toward the shallows whilst Katara went to check on Aang and her now considerably battered brother. "They're native to these parts, after all."

"Well, Unagi or not, I'd rather not stick around." Sokka decided, dusting himself off. "Time to hit the rooooooo-what the heck?!"

Everything happened so swiftly.

One moment they were standing beneath the trees, listening to Sokka. The next, four shadows leapt from the branches and attacked them. In the time that it took Naruto to turn his head Sokka, Katara, even Aang and Momo, were all subdued, bound and blindfolded, thrown down to the sands at his feet. Naruto was spared only because he'd been standing near the beach. It gave him just enough time to realize their attackers weren't men as he'd first suspected, but women. No, not even that. Girls!

'Ohhhh, Sokka is gonna be so pissed when he wakes up...

Then the girls turned around to face Naruto. It was impossible to distinguish one from the other he realized; what with the white make-up that covered their faces entirely, those red and black accents around their eyes lending their visages an almost regal appearance beyond the metal headdress and armored battledress they wore. These strange female warriors looked at him for a long instance, before turning to face him as one, the combined movement causing their armored dresses to rustle, ever so slightly. It was...alluring in a way. To say anything less would belittle their strength.

Despite himself, the blond felt the beginnings of a small smile work its way across his whiskered visage.

"I...don't suppose we could sit down and talk about this over a cup of tea?"

Suddenly, and without warning, one of them attacked!

"Naive!"

Naruto simply swung his hand forward and punched with a fifth of his full strength; the sheer shockwave of the strike summoning forth a great gust, ripping her from her feet and hurtling her across the beach. He tsked softly as she skidded across the sands in a tangle of arms and legs; he'd forgotten just how fragile the people of this land could be.

"Can't we just discuss this like civilized folk?" he addressed the remaining three, hoping to refrain from further violence. It was not to be. They struck up their fans and moved to encircle him but slowly this time-wary of this sudden and unseen burst of power. Their painted faces betrayed very little, perhaps the slightest twinge of concern for their injured kin, but nothing more.

"Look, this is pointless." Naruto continued. "You're just going to end up on the ground like her."

"..."

When the fate of their ally did not dissuade the remaining three warriors, the Avatar of the Gods took it upon himself to strike respect into their proud hearts. Not with close combat of course; even he might find himself at a bit of a disadvantage when holding back and facing three warriors like this in their native land. So, the the knuckle headed ninja did what came best to him. He improvised. Four flicks of his fingers summoned forth a massive dragon of water, its golden eyes narrow and intent as it took stock of the four girls their fallen comrade having only just reclaimed her footing. Interesting. So these girls were capable of withstanding him at a feeble fifth of his strength?

One of the warriors saw fit to give voice to her awe. "What in the world...

"Suiryuu no Jutsu." (Water Dragon Jutsu) Naruto exhaled softly and abruptly loosed the tentative leash he'd kept upon his jutsu. With a roar that would've put the Unagi to shame, it lunged forwards! Two of the girls weren't swift enough to evade its watery maw; they found themself swept away by the roaring tide as the beast impacted upon the beach. Their bodies were wrenched angrily against the trees, twisted to join the prone forms of his three friends, coughing and sputtering as the wall of water receded.

Two down.

"Two to go." Resigning himself to battle, the blond beckoned the remaining huntresses forward. "Come on, girls. Lets get this over with." The pair exchanged a hesitant/tentative glance; clearly they weren't accustomed to fighting someone who could actually fight back, certainly not someone of his calibre. But they had their duty and he had his. As one they pounced, their fans little more than a golden blur. He toyed with them for that brief instant-not too shabby-amazed when one actually managed to scratch him with her fan, before a solid punch broke through his guard.

'Poof'

Both girls balked as their opponent exploded into smoke, leaving a harmless log in his wake. What manner of sorcery was this? Where was he? Were had he gone?

"Tsuki, where did he-

"I don't know, Kyou-beneath you!"

Her words ended in a frightened cry as a pair of hands burst through the sand, latching onto her friend's ankles. Before either of them could hope to react, their owner yanked down. Hard. Kyou loosed a startled cry-her eyes scrunching shut as she prepared to be buried...up to her neck? Those same eyes flew open, startled to find that while she had indeed been buried beneath the sands, it was only to her neck. It was a rather surreal experience, being unable to move anything above ner neck, forced to look up at her leader.

"Kyou!"

"I'm alright," the girl tried to shrug, but failed, "I think...

Three down.

"Of course she's alright." A familair voice chided. "Contrary to popular belief, I'm not trying to harm you."

Her companion whirled around as Naruto emerged from the earth beside them, covered in sand. Without so much as a glance in Tsuki's direction, he began to stride back toward his bound friends. He didn't have even a scratch on him, if anything, he looked amused by their efforts...

"Wait!"

Naruto stopped in his tracks, his face slowly appearing over his shoulder as he curiously regarded his once fallen opponent. A look of irritation crossed his single eye as it regarded the recovering warrior behind him, her painted face narrow in a rictus of confusion.

"Did you want something?"

"W-What did you do to her?!" she demanded to know. Naruto laughed and looked away again.

"Earth style." he admonished with a waggling finger. "Headhunter jutsu. She won't be moving for awhile-oh!" He gave an amused grunt as Tsuki seized him from behind, her arms wrapping around his shoulders in a full nelson and with surprising strength for someone of her size, wrenching him up off his feet. "You got me!" he laughed as he fell, toppling backwards to the sands. "Clever, girl. But." With a hiss, he opened his mouth and spat, expelling a vicious stream of fire in the same instant that his face would've hit the sands. A flash of recognition flickered through Tsuki's mind just then. He'd used air to send one of her friends flying, water to take down two more, earth to immobilize Kyou, and now...fire?! Could he really be-

"B-But that's impossible!"

"Not for me it isn't!" Naruto never let up in his barrage, not once. Each blast pushed him another inch up into the air and caused the temperature to spike.

This sudden expulsion of heat forced the Kyoshi Warrior to loosen her hold upon the shinobi or be burned-allowing him to wrench himself free and let loose a bonejarring strike of his own design. Tsuki lost all semblance of breath as an armored shin crunched into her equally armored stomach and the later yielded. The blow wasn't crippling but it did send her staggering away and give him time to rise. Time he gladly took. Naruto stood amidst the now-glassy sand, his body still shimmering with heat, his hair rippling in the steam created by his last attack. His entire body seemed to ripple with barely suppressed energy; it was like gazing into the sun's light overlong, stare at it, and you'd only be burned.

"Enough." he declared. "You've fought well, but that last blow's gonna to one helluva bruise; I know you're hurting right now, and I'd rather you not exacerbate the injury." Honestly, the girl expected her to fling herself at him in spite of her injuries and begin her offense anew. Imagine his surprise when Tsuki threw down her fans and fell to a knee.

"I knew it," she gasped, clucthing at her side. "You're...the Avatar!"

Crap! He'd been too focused again!

"Me? Why me?" he asked with surprise. "I'm nothing special...

"Don't lie!" Anger sharpened her tone. "You used fire, earth, water and air. No other bender can do that!"

"I suppose you wouldn't lissten to me if I told you I wasn't a bender...?"

Sincerity warmed her expression somewhat; so too did her misunderstanding. "Look, you don't have to be shy about it; I can understand if you'd want to keep it a secret."

"But I...you don't...I'm not..." Naruto groaned. "Oh for the love of...help me out here, Aang!"

"Mmmph!" The boy's words were muffled around his gag. Naruto sweatdropped. The situation was rapidly unravelling. If this continued, if Tsuki told the others in her village...everyone would think he was the Avatar! A horrible realization dawned on him, one he never wanted to experience again, not if he could avoid it.

"Umm...can I have a minute to untie my friends?"

Tsuki nodded.

Naruto swiftly did just that, unbidding Katara and the others in the blink of an eye.

"Strategy meeting!" he hissed! "Now!"

"What's wrong, Naruto?" Katara asked.

"They think I'm the Avatar, that's what!"

Sokka adopted a thoughtful expression. "And that's a problem?"

Naruto glared bloody red dagggers at him.

"Look, I've got an idea-

"I object!"

Sokka frowned. "You haven't even heard it yet, Naruto!"

"Oi, I know you! And I know this is a bad idea-

"Look, Naruto might not be a bender, but at this rate, everyone will think he is. Right?" At everyone's nod, he pressed forward. "Well, I say...let them." Naruto immediately opened his mouth to veto that but Sokka kept at it before the blond or Aang could get a word in edgewise. "Now wait just a minute, both of you. Hear me out. Right now, who is prince hothead hunting, Aang? You, or Naruto? Who does he think is the Avatar?"

Katara tilted her head; she hadn't considered that question until this very moment.

"Aang? Do you know the answer?"

...Naruto." the young avatar was beginning to see where this plan was going, and he didn't like it. Not one bit. Naruto was of the same mind. It felt like he was stealing the poor boy's thunder. That, just wasn't his style nor did he enjoying wresting the claim to fame away from another. For Sokka to ask such a thing of him-! No! He couldn't do it! It wasn't just his humility-he'd worked so hard to keep the Fire Nation from pestering him after his last death, and while he was already living a life on the run, he wasn't exactly keen on advertising his powers...

"I can't believe I'm saying this bu...Sokka has a point."

"Katara! You too?!"

"It would give Aang all the time in the world to focus on his bending." the waterbender persisted. "Besides, I've seen how much skill you have with the elements. Even though you're not a bender, you could still pass for the Avatar, easily! Why are you fighting us on this?"

"Because I don't want to do it!" Naruto argued. "And you're forgetting about Aang. How does he feel about all this?"

Three pairs of eyes focused upon the last Airbender.

"Well Aang, what do you think?" Sokka and Katara asked almost simultaneously. Naruto shook his head rapidly, a silent plea for him to say no.

Poor boy, he actually flinched.

"Does it realy matter?"

"Think of it this way." Sokka pointed out, "We know for a fact that Naruto can handle almost anything the Fire Nation throws at him. We all know you're strong Aang but if something happened to you, well, I don't know what whe'd do. The Avatar might be reborn, but there's only one you. Now that we have Naruto, we actually have an option." And while he is the Avatar, just think how much free time you'd have! It'd be even easier to master the elements!"

The Avatar seemed to consider this.

Naruto growled, deep and low in his throat. "Horrible idea! Terrible idea!"

"I think it's a winner." Sokka reaffirmed.

"Says the boy who was beaten by a girl!" Naruto hissed.

"That was a fluke!"

"Riiiiiiiight...

"Hey, do you want to save the world or not?"

"That's low...!"

Aang groaned.

"You guys, I have a bad feeling about this, but if it helps with my training...

"Lets do it."

Sokka turned to his sister. "I would like to state for the record that those words did not come out of my mouth."

Naruto was still muttering to himself when he stalked back to Tsuki. Every fiber of his being railed against this, but he could see the need for it. As much as he might loathe it...sometimes choices like this had be made, regardless of whether he liked them or not. With this in mind, he steeled himself to spreak.

"What was all that about?" she asked.

"Just a discussion of how long we intend to stay." the blonde lied. "Still, you'd best gather your elders. I have a message for them."

"And what might that be?" A delicate brow quirked in questioning.

"Tell them...

...that the Avatar has returned."

The word traveled like wildfire.

The Avatar had returned. And he was upon Kiyoshi. One would think it ironic that heresay could move so swiftly; but, it did. word of mouth passing from a young girl to that of a fisherman on the docks of Kiyoshi, from said fisherman to that of an Earth Kingdom trader, work, then a Fire Nation cook, until at long last, those words reached the ears of a certain prince. For a moment, said firebender could barely believe his luck. Here he had sat down to dinner, resolved to another sleepless night

"What?!" Zuko lurched up from the dinner table, the steaming salmon on his plate now forgotten. "The Avatar is on Kiyoshi Island?!" Foolish words, spoken in anger and haste. "Helmsman, change course at once!"

Unbeknownst to him, another became aware of that location as well...

(One week later)

Naruto grunted as he parried his opponent's blow, using the same leverage against her to negate the force of her throw. She struggled back, trying to use his own strength against him, but his stance proved simply too solid for her to breach. Likewise, she proved to fluid to grasp without serious effort on his part, effort he wasn't wiling to expend just yet. They stood there, a long moment, staring one another down, refusing to yield to give ground, to back down, to yield. Finally, at an unseen command, they broke apart.

"You're stance is getting better," the ex-shinobi found himself commending. "Tsuki."

"I wish you'd stop holding back." she sighed, straightening and closing her fan.

"Hey, if I did that, it wouldn't be any fun."

Was it just his imagination, or was that a flush beneath the facepaint?

He stood in a radically altered version of the Kiyoshi battledress, contoured to fit his male physique. Minus the white facepaint of course. Tradition or not-he simply refused to go through that again. It had been hilarious to see Sokka wearing it yesterday, the poor boy didn't have any skill with the needle, and as such, had been forced to wear something similair to what his sparring partner wore.

before an unseen

"Naruto, I-

"My Lord Avatar!"

Naruto looked up from his sparring session with Tsuki, momentarily discomiftted by that title. Sakka's plan was working well, everyone thought he was the Avatar. Not Aang. It made sense from a certain point, while he drew attention, the young airbender could learn all the bending he required without the undue attention of being hunted by the Fire Nation. That didn't mean he had to like it though. Far from it-he loathed this idea. The idea of taking credit for someone else had never sat well with him, having actual power had done little to temper that distaste. Nearly a full week had passed since their arrival in Kiyoshu; ironically, he had been the one to argue for their extended stay.

He didn't know if was Tsuki, or the something else, he simply felt...drawn here. But what was it? Tsuki was a nice girl after all he supposed, she'd warmed to him considerably during the last seven days and although he remained loathe to admit it, he did enjoy their spars, especially-stop! Stop stop stop! That way lay ruin! Shaking himself from those treacherous thoughts Naruto rose, wiped the sweat from his brow, and turned to face the messenger standing in the door.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Fire Nation troops have landed in Kyoshi!"

The blond nearly facepalmed at the news. So much for this peace and quiet.

"Not Zuko again...

"Zuko?" Tsuki asked as he slipped his armor on.

"He's just some pesky prince I beat in the South Pole." Naruto replied, donning his jacket. "Don't worry about it. In the meantime, I need you to get Aang and the others; we may need to bug out if things get heated in any case.

"But-

"Tsuki, I won't endanger your island any longer than I already have." A small pang twisted at his heart as he said this. In the lone week that they'd spent here, he'd actually felt normal. To leave that behind and voyage out into the unknown again...was strangely disheartening. "It was selfish of me to make everyone stay here this long; I've put you all in danger because of that."

"What, you don't think I can handle a few Fire Nation troops?" she challenged as he slipped on the last of his armor.

"No, I understand that you're a warrior...but firebenders are way out of your league."

"So you just don't trust me, then." A pained note entered her tone, her painted face seemed strangely sad somehow.

"Damnit warrior girl, why won't you listen-

Her hand closed around his wrist, holding him fast."

"Yes, I'm a warrior." she replied, her voice the barest whisper. Something soft touched his whiskered visage an instant later. But I'm also a girl." Naruto blinked, touching a hand to his cheek. Opened his mouth to speak, but it was already too late. Tsuki, she was gone, leaving him with his innermost thoughts. Where the hell had that come from?

Strange creatures, women. Truly...

He crossed the streets with swift strides, reaching the docks almost in no time at all. Oddly enough, he didn't encounter any Firebenders. That was odd in and of itself. The closer he came to the docks the more certain he became, they were waiting for him there. The barge didn't even lower its ramp until he was a few feet away. Nevertheless, he prepared himself for battle.

"Alright, prince hothead," he growled, flexing his fingers, "Are you ready for round two?"

"I'd call it round one."

"The hell-?"

Naruto was expecting Zuko to step off that ship and face him. Not a girl. Certainly not someone his age! Sheesh, first Tsuki and those Kyoshi Warriors and now this? Why did he seem to be facing the opposite sex as of late? Was fate messing with him or something? It must be. So he stood there and watched-wary as this newcomer surveyed her surroundings. There was something dangerous about her. He couldnt quite put his finger on it, perhaps it was her aura? Or maybe it was the eyes.

In any case Uzumaki Naruto, Avatar of the Gods, found himself just a touch uncomfortable.

"So, this is Kyoshi Island." the girl murmurred to herself as she disembarked. "It seems Father was right to plant that spy on Zuzu's ship after all. And now I've beaten him to the punch. How wonderful." She extended her slim shoulder in a shrug. "Honestly, what more could a girl ask for?"

Suddenly wary, Naruto edged a foot forward. This girl wasn't like the others he'd fought...

"Erm...you're not Zuko."

The girl saw him and smiled then; it was a soft, deadly, dangerous thing, that smile.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" she chuckled. "You mean to say you're the Avatar that I've heard so much about?" Her gaze roamed across his lightly-armored body with intrigue, a spark of interest shining in those dark orbs of hers. "You certainly are handsome, I'll give you that. But you should be humbled." A hand rose in a fierice flourish of blue flame. "You have the honor of addressing Azula, Princess of the Fire Nation! I do hope you've prepared yourself."

"For?"

"Why, for the fight of your life, of course." Azula said it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You didn't think I rushed here ahead of my brother just to have tea now, did you?"

Despite himself and all his power, Naruto actually blanched behind his guard.

"Ah, christ-

Then his vision swelled with azure fire.

A/N: Aaand there you have it! Naruto is unwilling pretending to be the Avatar in order to draw all the flak from Aang, but its going to become blatantly obvious that some will see through the ruse, given enough time and perserverance. He's not happy about it, but he's doing it. Cookie for you if you noticed the NarutoxTsuki bit in here. Alot is beginning to change-changing now that Naruto is believed to be the one and only Avatar; for starters, Azula's gunning for him right out of the gate! What else can possibly change! This update rate is killing me but I really wanted to get this out for all of ya'll before my impending surgeries just in case anything...happens...

Anywho, I worked extremely hard on this one, so I hope to hear what you think! Pairing is up in the air! YOU DECIDE! And on a final note, thank you to everyone offering emotional support in regard to my health woes. Its greatly appreciated!

So...in the immortal words of Atlas...

...Review, Would You Kindly? And of course, enjoy the preview!

(Preview)

Naruto's grin was practically earsplitting.

"Did someone say jailbreak?"

Hope you enjoyed! R&R! =D