CHAPTER 3: A NEW WORLD

(Disclaimer: Avatar The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon and Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own my OC's)

(PLEASE READ: THIS IS NOT A SEQUEL TO "SHUJINKO: THE FOURTH MEMBER", BUT A DIFFERENT STORY WITH SHUJINKO AS THE MAIN CHARACTER. THIS STORY WILL NOT HAVE ANY EFFECT WHATSOEVER IN "SHUJINKO SHIPPUDEN". I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A SEQUEL TO SHUJINKO'S ORIGINAL STORY)

Summary: One night, a stranger breaks into Shujinko's house and tries to steal one of the most mystical objects in the history of the Ozuma clan: The Eye of Kazemaru. When Shujinko tries to stop him, the two of them activate an ancient and forgotten power of the gem by accident, which sends them to another dimension where a certain bald-headed monk has to master the four elements in order to defeat the evil Fire Lord. What kind of impact will Shujinko's presence have in the Avatar universe? Who is this stranger and what does he want? Get ready for one wild space-time adventure

"What kind of map is this? Where the hell are we?"

Shujinko's question baffled Team Avatar. No one was able to answer him because none of them really knew what he was talking about. They thought Shujinko would calm down after getting his hands on a map, but instead, he looked angrier than before, almost scandalized. His reaction was irrational, incomprehensible, and completely perplexing.

Sokka was the first to respond. "What do you mean by that? You needed a map and we handed you one. Isn't that what you were asking for?"

"This map makes no sense. Fire Nation? Earth Kingdom? North Pole and South Pole? These places don't exist. Where are the Five Great Shinobi Nations?"

"The Five Great Shinobi Nations?" Aang repeated.

"Yes! The Five Great Shinobi Nations! The Land of Fire, the Land of Water, the Land of Lightning, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth! I don't see them anywhere on this map. Do you expect me to believe that we're not in any of them?"

"Shujinko, calm down," Katara said, raising her hands in an appeasing gesture. "We don't know what you're talking about, but I can assure you that the map and all the places shown there are real. We're in the Earth Kingdom right now. Those other countries… They just don't exist. They never have,"

Aang nodded in agreement. He had never heard of those places either, and he was a monk who came a hundred years from the past. If anyone should have any knowledge of the countries Shujinko mentioned, it would have to be him, yet he didn't.

Unable to hold back, Shujinko lowered his head and buried his face in his palms. He wasn't going to cry, but he just didn't know how much of this could he take. He felt like he was about to tear his hair out any given moment. He probably would've done that already had he been a normal person, but he was a shinobi, and a shinobi had to avoid giving in to despair no matter what. Even so, he was a step away from sending everything to hell and start acting violently.

Then, he remembered something. While the shinobi continent was huge, it wasn't the only continent known to man. There were other places in the world that remained vastly unexplored. Most sailors wouldn't dare travel to other continents due to the inherent dangers that came with the expedition, and shinobis were too busy dealing with their own affairs to set their eyes on foreign lands with no value to them. The shinobi continent was, for the most part, isolated from the rest of the world, which didn't really matter all that much given the number of nations inside the shinobi continent.

Naturally, Shujinko was clueless about the state of affairs in other continents. He wasn't even all that knowledgeable about what was happening inside his own continent. All Shujinko really cared about was his village and what was happening to other shinobi villages, as long as the events that took place there affected the Hidden Leaf. If he were indeed in another continent, which seemed to be the case, it would make sense for him to be unaware of practically everything that was going on around him. This, of course, led to another question.

How in the name of Kami did he end up in another freaking continent?

"Shujinko, is everything alright?" Katara asked worriedly. Shujinko had been sitting there in silence, still covering his face with his hands. When he looked up, there was nothing but confusion and anguish in his eyes. She could only guess what was going on inside his mind, but it was clear that he was troubled, so much that even Katara couldn't help but feel a bit sad for him.

"No, nothing's alright. I'm lost, I can't remember how I got here and I don't know what to do. Nothing is making sense," he replied.

A roar in the skies crashed Shujinko's train of thought and prevented him from sinking any deeper into the pool of misery he found himself in. He immediately jumped out of the way and pulled out two kunais, but he nearly dropped them when he saw a giant beast with two horns, white fur, six legs, and a huge tail land on the ground. He couldn't come up with a word that could describe how bizarre the creature was. Momo and the antlered cat were weird enough, but this thing was just…

"There you are, buddy. Took you long enough to get here," the Avatar said as he made approached the beast as he extended his open hand.

"Aang, what are you doing!? Get away from there!" Shujinko exclaimed all the way from he was standing. "That thing is gonna eat you alive!"

The giant beast turned its head, grumbling as it stared at Shujinko with two huge eyes. Shujinko lowered his knees, expecting the beast to charge at him, but much to his surprise, it did nothing. It just stared at him curiously, as if the gargantuan creature was able to understand his words.

"Relax, Appa's not going to hurt us. He's our friend," Aang explained, wary of the knives Shujinko was carrying. He understood that the lost traveler was shocked by Appa's appearance, although it did surprise him that instead of shouting or running away, Shujinko stood his ground and adopted a confrontational attitude, as if he was ready to attack Appa should anything happen. He wasn't scared of the Flying Bison like most Fire Nation soldiers were upon meeting him. "And Appa doesn't eat people. Isn't that right, Appa?"

The beast now known as Appa let out a small roar as if saying, "Correct". Shujinko didn't bother to hide his surprise as he gawked like a fool. "Wait a minute… that's Appa? That thing is your friend?"

This time, Appa growled at him, probably not very happy at being called a thing. Aang scratched his fur soothingly to appease its temper. "Calm down, buddy. Shujinko didn't mean to say that. He's just surprised, that's all," he said before giving Shujinko an amicable smile. "Don't worry about Appa, he's the friendliest Flying Bison you'll ever meet. Appa, this is Shujinko. He's gonna be traveling with us for a little while, so be nice to him, okay?"

Shujinko blinked. "I am?"

"He is?" Katara followed.

"No, he's not. We don't know anything about this guy. Showing him a map is one thing, but allowing him to join us is a whole different matter. For all we know, he's playing dumb with us and we can't take any risks," Sokka said with finality.

Aang frowned, sending a worried look to the boy from the Water Tribe. "But Sokka, we can't just leave him here. What if he's being sincere?"

"That's not our problem. We have to go to Gaoling and find you an Earthbending master as quickly as possible. We can't have anyone slowing us down,"

The Ozuma glared at Sokka. "It wasn't my problem either when that swordsman was about to cut you down, yet I still saved you. Did you forget about that?"

Sokka opened his mouth to retort, but he found himself unable to come up with a decent counterargument. While he was not a genius in every conceivable way, Sokka was no idiot either. If Shujinko hadn't stepped in at the last second, he would've been done for and he knew it. His pride was the only thing that got hurt in the process, but other than that, he came out of the fight just fine and he had to thank Shujinko for that.

He still didn't quite buy the whole "I don't know where I am" act. It was simply too ridiculous to believe. Nevertheless, that didn't change the fact that Shujinko did save him, and he didn't know enough about Shujinko to label him as a bad guy. "Fine. He can come with us, but only for the time being," Sokka said after a while.

Aang smiled again. "So what do you say, Shujinko? Do you need a ride?"

The golden-eyed boy measured his options. On one hand, he didn't know who these people were or why were they being chased by the Fire Nation. Traveling with them would automatically make him a target by association. Getting involved in foreign conflicts without being directly ordered by the Hokage to do so was a huge no-no, and the consequences of doing so could be dire for him.

On the other hand, he had no idea where he was. He couldn't stay in Gi Yuin Village, that much was clear. Without a map or a companion from these lands, he would almost certainly get lost… even more lost than what he already was. These people were offering him a place in their group and the means of traveling these distant lands, lands that he knew nothing about. That, and there was also the fact that traveling alone was quite depressing.

It became evident that joining Aang, Sokka, and Katara was his best option, at least in the short run. It's not like he was joining the band forever, just as long as he had nowhere to go. As soon as he found a path to return to the Hidden Leaf Village, he would bid them farewell and be on his way. "Alright, I guess I'm coming with you guys. Thanks,"

"No problem. Now hop on and let's go. I have a feeling we're gonna have to camp these next few days, so you better be prepared,"

"Wait a minute," Shujinko said as he saw Katara and Sokka climbing up on Appa and taking a seat on the large saddle. "Are you telling me that we're gonna fly? How can Appa even fly? He doesn't even have wings!"

"Hey, if soaring through the skies on the back of a giant flying bison is beneath you, you can always try walking," Sokka offered sarcastically as he found a comfortable position to sit down. Gulping, Shujinko slowly approached Appa. Then, imitating the Water Tribe siblings, he grabbed a hold of Appa's fur and climbed up until he was sitting on the saddle.

Aang, who was sitting on top of Appa's head, nodded with a smile. "Here we go. Appa, yip yip!"

The Sky Bison crouched for a moment before taking flight. Shujinko's grip on the saddle became tighter and tighter as they drew further from the ground. His eyes adopted the size of dinner plates as he saw just how far away they were from where they once stood. Before long, Gi Yuin Village became a barely recognizable spot among trees and hills, reminding Shujinko just how minuscule and tiny human beings truly were, regardless of where they came from.

Flying was… exhilarating, to say the least.

At first, Shujinko felt a bit of panic. The highest altitude Shujinko had ever experienced was when he stared down at the houses of his village all the way from the Hokage Monument. However, after a short while, Shujinko realized that flying was by far the coolest thing he had ever experienced. Feeling the wind hitting his face as Appa carried them on his back and seeing the clouds from so up close was something almost impossible to put into words. The Ozuma wondered how many people back home have had the privilege of soaring through the skies like he was doing right now. It made him feel like a hawk.

Shujinko was too busy sightseeing to notice the stares he was getting from Sokka and Katara behind his back. The oldest of the siblings wasn't exactly thrilled to have Shujinko around, if anything because he wasn't quick to trust people. Aang was about the cheeriest, goofiest kid Sokka had ever come across, and even then Sokka didn't outright accept him when they first met, although the fact that he discovered Aang and Appa frozen alive inside a huge block of ice probably had something to do with it. He needed to know more about the lost traveler before he made up his mind about him, but in the meantime, Shujinko was someone he was going to keep an eye on for safety measures.

Katara had mixed feelings about the new member of the group. He didn't look like a bad guy per se, but there was just so much about him that she didn't know. Unlike Sokka, Katara was more open to the idea of Shujinko joining them even if it was only temporary. He had certainly proved that he was able to look after himself in terms of combat, which would come in handy the next time they encountered Fire Nation troops. However, what intrigued Katara the most was Shujinko's personal background. She did share her brother's opinion that the golden-eyed boy's story was hard to believe, but she was more open to the idea of listening to Shujinko than Sokka was.

As for Aang, he was the one who was less troubled by Shujinko's presence. Being raised by monks had taught him to assume the best out of those around him until their actions proved his assumptions otherwise, and so far, Shujinko had yet to give them trouble of any kind. As a matter of fact, he still remembered how Shujinko stopped that archer using that metal star thingy. Aang felt the duty to return the favor by offering him a ride with Appa, and he was glad that the brown-haired boy had accepted his offer.

Regarding Shujinko's claims about not knowing where he was or what had happened to him, the Avatar found himself relating to him. He knew very well what it was like to wake up surrounded by strangers somewhere other than your home, for that was exactly what happened to him when Sokka and Katara found him back in the South Pole. Considering he was frozen for a hundred years, it would be quite hypocritical of Aang to dismiss Shujinko's words as plain nonsense without at least learning more about him.

"Aang, I think we're safe here. Why don't we land near that river and set camp for the rest of the day? We can keep traveling tomorrow," Katara suggested. They had been flying for over half an hour and neither of the Water Tribe siblings had uttered a word due to the uncertainty that Shujinko caused them. As for the golden-eyed boy, he was so fascinated by Appa's flight that he forgot all of his questions.

Aang looked over his shoulder. "Are you sure? We haven't been flying for that long. I know Appa can continue. Isn't that right, Appa?" he asked. The Sky Bison roared in agreement.

"I second Katara's idea," Sokka said. "We need to fish for our dinner, and fishing can take a while. Besides, I need to wash my socks every now and then,"

Katara raised an eyebrow. "Every now and then? Does every now and then means every couple of months to you? Because I can't remember the last time you washed any of your clothes, Sokka,"

"Hey, I'll have you know that questionable hygiene is a common trait amongst geniuses, along with a taste for meat and high levels of sarcasm. I guess you wouldn't know about it,"

"Genius or not, you shouldn't have your clothes smell when you're out in the open, Sokka," Shujinko said, not taking his eyes away from the clouds. "It's not a good idea to give the people you want to avoid a chance to find you,"

Sokka snorted. "Right, I'll try and keep that in mind. What do you know about camping anyways, new guy?"

The Ozuma was starting to get irritated by Sokka's attitude. For whatever reason, the boy with the ponytail disapproved of him, or at the very least he didn't trust him. Shujinko could understand that. However, there was a difference between not trusting someone and acting hostile towards someone, a difference Sokka had yet to recognize.

Not feeling like losing his temper, Shujinko answered nonchalantly. "What do I know about camping? Probably enough to give you advise. I've slept outdoors on more occasions than I can count, so I know what I'm talking about,"

Appa began to descend from the skies, much to Shujinko's disappointment. Flying turned out to be a one of a kind experience. Being able to jump incredibly far and high paled against the sensation that was soaring through the skies, and the Ozuma hoped their next ride on Appa would come soon. Eventually, Appa found a clearing near the river and landed swiftly, or at least as swiftly as a giant bison could.

The four travelers hopped off of Appa, and Shujinko immediately took in his surroundings. It wasn't a bad place to set camp, although he would've preferred to find a more secluded area. Of course, that wasn't going to happen since Appa was with them. The Sky Bison would require a space large enough to feel comfortable, and unless they happened to stumble across a cave or something, it would be pointless to try and find a place to hide such a big creature.

"Okay, here we are," Aang announced as he helped Katara and Sokka with their bags. "I guess we should start setting up our little camp before it gets dark,"

"How long have you guys been traveling together?" Shujinko asked.

The monk slightly scrunched his nose in deep thought. "I'm not sure, a couple of months now. I haven't really kept track of time,"

Shujinko nodded in understanding. "If that's the case, I suppose that you three have all established your roles by now, right?"

"Roles?"

"Yes, roles. You know, who's in charge of doing what. Splitting the chores is more efficient than doing all of them collectively, after all," Shujinko said as a matter of fact. It may have sounded obvious, but knowing who was supposed to perform which task was fundamental when setting up camp in the shinobi lands. After all his time learning from Kakashi, Shujinko became even more methodical than before and didn't like it when things were out of order or disorganized.

"Well, usually I'm the one who gathers wood for the fire and prepares our meals," Katara explained as she left her bag on the ground. "Meanwhile, Sokka goes out and brings all the food he can get his hands on and Aang stays here and raises our tents. It's been working pretty well for us since we started traveling,"

The Chunin nodded in understanding. "That's good, but which one of you scouts the perimeter in search of predators that may be nearby? And who's in charge of erasing your tracks so that no one follows you?"

Aang, Sokka, and Katara shared a confused look between themselves. "We… don't really do any of that stuff. We just camp and that's it," Aang said tentatively.

'How are these three still alive?' Shujinko thought, his eyes slightly narrowed. Even if there were no other ninjas in the land, skipping through the processes of searching the area for possible dangers and erasing one's tracks was irresponsible at best when taking into account that they were being chased by soldiers. It was a relief to know that the Fire Nation was incompetent when it came to tracking people down, otherwise, Aang and the siblings would've probably gotten themselves captured a long time ago. "Well, let's not waste any more time. Sokka and Katara can go do their respective tasks while I stay here with Aang and help him set up our camp,"

"You don't really think we're gonna let you stay with Aang where we can't see you, right?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow.

Instead of getting angry at Sokka's suspicion, Shujinko found himself feeling glad that the boy with the boomerang had some degree of skepticism. It was annoying, yes, but at least it proved that Sokka had a brain and that he was clever enough to avoid placing his trust in strangers right away. Being a shinobi, Shujinko could relate to that sense of perceptiveness. He was going to have to earn their trust first.

Shujinko smirked as he came up with an idea. "Actually, there's a way I can be with all of you at the same time. That way, you won't have to worry about me being up to something,"

This perked Sokka's curiosity. "There is? What way is that?"

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

POOF

POOF

Two identical copies of Shujinko appeared in a cloud of smoke at the same time.

The group reaction was quite amusing. Aang was so surprised that he dropped the sleeping bags he was carrying, gasping loud and clear. Katara let out a short shriek and covered her mouth using both her hands, absolutely shocked by what she had just witnessed. As for Sokka, he began to rub his eyes furiously as he sputtered incoherent phrases, which were still more coherent than the fact that the boy in front of him had literally just replicated himself as if it were nothing.

"There we go, this should help speed things up," Shujinko placed his hand on one of his clone's shoulder. "You go with Sokka and help him bring enough food for all of us," he said before placing his other hand on the shoulder of the second clone. "As for you, go with Katara and make sure there are no threats surrounding the area. Are we clear?"

"Understood. This won't take long,"

"You got it, boss,"

"Okay, this settles it. I have officially gone insane," Sokka declared as he saw one of the clones walking towards him. "Geniuses often lose their minds. It was bound to happen to me sooner or later,"

"H-H-How did you… How did you do that?" Katara asked, her eyes threatening to pop out of their places. She took a step back out of fear when one of Shujinko's clones got close to her, earning herself a curious stare from the doppelganger.

"Don't be afraid. They're shadow clones. I created them using Ninjutsu, an ability that is known only by us ninjas," Shujinko tried to explain. He could understand why they were so bewildered. Back home, even civilians who knew about ninjas and their "magical powers" would often be amazed by the incredible things they could do. Aang, Sokka, and Katara weren't even aware of the existence of ninjas up until now, so it was obvious that seeing him perform the Shadow Clone Jutsu would shock them.

"This is amazing!" Aang said in awe. The boy with the blue tattoos was the least freaked out by Shujinko's shadow clones, although he was just as impressed as the Water Tribe siblings were. "I didn't know this was possible. You can make clones of yourself, Shujinko! How did you do it? What's Ninjutsu? And what's a ninja?"

The Ozuma scratched his cheek as he thought of ways to explain to them who he was and what his abilities were. Describing Ninjutsu and everything it entailed wasn't extremely difficult, but it did take time, and since Aang, Sokka and Katara knew nothing about the Elemental Nations, he was going to have to bring up other relatable subjects such as how the Hidden Leaf Village worked and the history behind its foundation. "Explaining all of this is going to take a while, so let's make a deal. Once we set up camp and everyone has gathered, we can ask questions back and forth and clear this whole thing out. I have a few doubts of my own regarding you and this weird place,"

Katara and Sokka stared at each other in silence, unable to come up with an objection. Shujinko's clones were waiting for them with expectant looks on their faces, wondering what was taking them so long. Still unnerved by what had just happened, both siblings kept their words to themselves and silently followed the clones into the forest.

Shujinko stretched his neck before tossing a sleeping bag to Aang. "Alright, let's get this camp started,"

"… You know, even if I'm a clone, we can still have a conversation. We're gathering wood, not hunting,"

The words that came out of the clone's mouth took Katara by surprise. Unlike the clone, who had managed to get his hands on a decent amount of sticks and dried moss, Katara had barely gathered any, having spent most of her time glancing at Shujinko's doppelganger from behind. "

Yeah, well, I don't know about you, but from where I come from, people don't just… do whatever it is that Shujinko did back there," she replied before opening her leather pouch and refilling its content drawing water from a puddle through the use of her bending. "I still don't understand how any of this is possible,"

Clone Shujinko cocked an eyebrow. "I can say the same thing about you. I've never seen someone control water the way you do. It almost looks like magic,"

"It's not magic, it's Waterbending," Katara said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She then remembered how Shujinko allegedly came from a place so far away that it didn't even show on a map of the Four Nations, however crazy that seemed. "You've never heard of bending before?"

"Nope, although I can't say I've never seen anything like it. This Waterbending thing looks kind of similar to Water Release. That was why I thought you were a ninja when you first attacked me, because only ninjas have that sort of skills, along with many others,"

"… Oh," Katara muttered in a low tone, remembering how she tried to harm Shujinko back in Gi Yuin Village, all because of a misunderstanding. "I suppose I should apologize for that. It wasn't my intention. When you said you came from the Land of Fire, I was sure you were talking about the Fire Nation and things got out of hand. I'm sorry for what I did to you,"

Clone Shujinko grabbed a branch from a tree nearby and began to sway it back and forth until he pulled it out. "Do you believe me, then? That I'm not from this part of the world?" he asked before snapping the branch in two, throwing each half on the pile of sticks he had found so far.

The waterbender let out a sigh and sat on a fallen tree, looking quite conflicted with her thoughts. "I don't know. It's hard to believe that you come from such a distant place, and how you don't even remember how you got here. A part of me wants to think that you're lying, but I can't imagine a reason as to why would you lie about that. Besides, after watching what you're capable of doing, the idea that you're not from around here sounds less farfetched,"

There were hundreds of questions that remained unanswered. While Katara wasn't exactly a fervent believer of destiny, it was rather coincidental that Shujinko appeared right after the visions they experienced in the swamp. She had never seen someone fight they way Shujinko did back in Gi Yuin Village, jumping several feet into the air and moving faster than anyone Katara had ever laid her eyes own.

Words such as 'ninja', 'shinobi', and 'Ninjutsu' were also being mentioned. According to what the clone was saying, Shujinko was a ninja, although that didn't give her much information at all. Katara supposed it had to do something about Shujinko's less-than-common abilities, abilities that sparked quite a bit of intrigue within her. The only reason why Katara wasn't asking more about them was because they had agreed to set up camp first and leave the questions for later so that the brown-haired boy wouldn't have to repeat himself.

Then there was the fact that she was talking to a clone of the boy, which was just ludicrous.

Then again, ever since she and her brother had discovered Aang, the term 'ludicrous' had adopted a narrower meaning. Many would consider their adventures to be ludicrous, and yet they had happened. Who was to say this was going to be any different?

"In any case, I think we have enough wood. It's time to head back to the camp," Shujinko said as he picked up the necessary materials to start a fire. He then dumped half the sticks on Katara's laps, earning a questioning stare from the waterbender. "What? It wouldn't look good if you were the only one to return empty-handed,"

"… So you're an actual clone?"

"Yes,"

"And you can actually talk?"

"… Well, yeah,"

"Which means that I'm not insane and this is not some weird hallucination that I got from eating crab puffs?"

"I don't know what crab puffs are, Sokka, but I'm just as real as you are,"

"… No. I refuse to believe it. This nonsense has to be some kind of trick. I knew there was something off about those crab puffs. They must've had chopped mushrooms inside, the ones that mess with your head after you eat them. It's the only explanation,"

Clone Shujinko let out an exasperated sigh. Unlike Katara, who was doing her best to rationalize everything that was happening, Sokka was in denial. It was understandable, but at the same time, it was extremely obnoxious because of the way Sokka went about it. He would repeatedly ask questions, Clone Shujinko would answer them, and when the boy from the Water Tribe was about to give in, he would shake his head and reject the notion that this was happening. Had it not been for the fact that the will of shadow clones were intrinsically linked to the will of their caster, Clone Shujinko would've dispelled itself a long time ago.

"This is all just a dream, a vivid dream that's gone for way too long," Sokka assured himself. "When I wake up, I'll be flying on Appa's back with Aang and Katara, and I'll have learned my lesson: Never eat crab puffs ever aga- Ouch!" the boy with the boomerang yelped when Clone Shujinko punched his arm. "Hey, what was that for?"

"Did it hurt? Good. That means you're not dreaming," Clone Shujinko replied, having fed up with Sokka's rambling. "Look Sokka, I'm just as confused as you are. If I could, I would immediately go back to my village and leave you guys to your affairs, but I can't do that right now. We have to work together for the time being, and that includes finding food to fill our bellies. Well, I don't really have to eat since I'm a shadow clone, but I doubt the rest of you can say the same,"

The two of them soon found a river with plenty of game. Fishes would occasionally leap out of the water as they swam in shoals. Still muttering about 'stupid crab puffs' and whatnot, Sokka grabbed his fishing rod, applied some bait, and threw the bobber as far as he could. Dream or not, Sokka was hungry, and perhaps a big, juicy fish would help him clear his head.

While Sokka was fishing, Clone Shujinko searched the area for edible plants and herbs that could be used as a condiment for the main dish. Truth be told, there wasn't much of a purpose to what he was doing. He had no idea what herbs of this land were safe for consumption and what herbs weren't, but it was better than to sit there awkwardly and contribute nothing. Making oneself useful was a fundamental part of traveling in groups, regardless of where you were or what your next destination was.

After a while, Clone Shujinko came back to the spot where Sokka was fishing. He had already caught three small trouts and didn't seem to react to the shadow clone, who was carrying a basket full of herbs that were unknown to him. "Hey Sokka, could you tell me which of these plants we can use? They don't look like they're poisonous to me, but it's better to be safe than sorry,"

Sokka ignored the shadow clone and reeled the bobber back in as if nothing had happened.

If there was one thing that irritated Sokka to no end, it was being unable to make sense of something, or in this case, someone. The fellow who was currently standing behind his back made no sense. When they first saw Shujinko during their brief stay at Gi Yuin Village, Sokka knew there was something off about him, something that went beyond his strange clothes and the weird, nonexistent places that he spoke of. His instincts were, once again, proven right after the events that unfolded following the intervention of the Fire Nation soldiers.

Clone Shujinko frowned. "Hello, are you listening to me? I'm sorry to interrupt your fishing, but I kind of need your help here,"

With forced indifference, Sokka threw the hook back into the water, refusing to look over his shoulder.

Why? Why couldn't his life just be normal for longer than a month? Why did this kind of stuff always have to occur to him? Sokka believed he had won the 'things-that-could-only-happen-to-me' lottery back when he and his sister found the Avatar frozen alive inside an iceberg during a casual fishing trip. Then, all of a sudden, he found himself running away from the Fire Nation, venturing into the Spirit World, fighting with the Northern Water Tribe against an invasion, and dealing with the loss of Yue, his love interest, who went on to become the Moon Spirit. So yeah, it was safe to say that Sokka had quite an interesting life, probably more interesting than what he would've wanted anyway.

And now, right after experiencing visions of Yue back when he was at a magical swamp with Katara and Aang, a random stranger who was able to duplicate himself and perform gravity-defying acrobatics just had to join the group. Sure, why not? As if traveling with a twelve-year-old Avatar and the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe wasn't extravagant enough.

This time, Clone Shujinko huffed and turned around, having fed up with Sokka's attitude. "You know what? You can stay here and pretend that this isn't happening for all I care. I'm going back to the camp where I can talk to adults, not paranoid jerks like you,"

A paranoid jerk? He certainly was no paranoid. He was skeptical and cautious, which were different things. And hell, if he was indeed a paranoid, he had darn good reasons for being so after all he had gone through. As for being a jerk…

Clone Shujinko began to walk away, and Sokka felt a pang of guilt in his stomach. While it was true that what Shujinko had shown to be capable of so far was enough to overwhelm anyone's sense of reason and logic, it was also true that Shujinko hadn't done a single wrong to them. He didn't know him, and he didn't flat-out trust him either, but that didn't give Sokka the right to behave like a douchebag. Regardless of what his opinion on Shujinko was, there was no denying that he had been rude to him without a good excuse or motive, and Sokka knew he was better than that.

Swallowing his pride, Sokka pulled the bobber out of the water and stood up, leaving his fishing rod on the ground. "Wait," he called out, to which Shujinko stopped and stared back at him with a frown. Sokka took a deep breath before he began to speak. "Just hear me out for a second. I think we may have started off on the wrong foot…"

Clone Shujinko raised an eyebrow. "You don't say?" he asked sarcastically.

Sokka winced slightly, but didn't reply to that, as he knew he deserved it. "… And I admit I haven't been exactly friendly or open-minded towards you…"

"Good of you to notice,"

"… Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that… I apologize, okay? Seeing you do all that wacky stuff threw me off and I didn't know how to react, but I would like for us to start over if that's all right with you. My name is Sokka, son of Hakoda,"

Clone Shujinko's facial features softened. Despite only being a shadow clone, he wasn't a mindless entity completely deprived of human emotions. Quite the contrary, he was a sentient being, aware of other people's feelings. He had the same set of values as the original Shujinko, as well as his personality, meaning that he would do whatever Shujinko would've done in his position unless the caster of the jutsu ordered otherwise.

While Sokka might have acted with some hostility, Clone Shujinko understood where he was coming from. The boy from the Southern Water Tribe genuinely looked like he wanted to make amends. Clone Shujinko could at least appreciate the fact that Sokka had what it took to realize his own mistakes and apologize for them like a man, and to be fair, Sokka hadn't done anything that deserved a grudge from Shujinko's part. In the end, forgiving the guy and moving on was the obvious choice.

'Oh, what the hell,' Clone Shujinko thought before shaking hands with Sokka. "Shujinko Ozuma, son of… well, Daichi Ozuma," he added that last bit with some uncertainty. It wasn't common to say whose man's son you were when being introduced to someone, at least back in the Hidden Leaf Village.

Just like Katara, Sokka was surprised to know that Shujinko had a last name. Most if not all those who had a family last name were either nobility or considerably wealthy. Even members of families that were no longer relevant still upheld their last name as a way of honoring their ancestry and maintaining whatever remaining social status they had. Shujinko didn't look like he belonged to either of those categories, but Sokka decided not to call him out on that, at least for now.

"So, now that we have that out of the way, how about we start our new friendship by telling me which herbs can we use and which not?" Clone Shujinko asked as he lifted the basket off the ground.

"Herbs? What herbs? Those are just ordinary plants. You can't add them to a stew unless you want to get sick to the stomach," Sokka pointed out.

Clone Shujinko blinked once… twice… thrice… "You mean to tell me that I wasted more than half an hour wandering around and collecting useless plants?"

"… Well, yeah. Pretty much. I thought you said you were a camping expert?"

"Don't get cheeky with me, Sokka. One more joke and one of these plants might just find its way inside your bowl,"

After a minute of silence, both teens began to chuckle. Nothing like a bit of good-natured banter to start befriending the magical boy who came from Spirits knew where. Ah, the beauty and simplicity of being boys.

"Alright, I guess we're done here," Shujinko announced as he dusted his hands off. The tents had been raised properly, the perimeter had been secured, and with the help of Aang, they were able to find enough rocks to make a small and rudimentary fire pit that would suit their needs. Since he was in a foreign land, Shujinko wanted to avoid being careless and took every safety measure he could think of, going as far as hiding explosive tags beneath the dirt that would go off the moment he transmitted chakra into them. He did this while Aang wasn't paying attention, for he had neither the time nor the patience to explain how explosive tags worked. In any case, they were meant to be used as a distraction should a group of bandits or Fire Nation soldiers catch them off guard and attack them in the middle of the night.

Working with Aang turned out to be a lot easier than what Shujinko anticipated. The kid was a bit of a goofball and he sure was talkative, but he was also quite optimistic and he followed his instructions as long as Shujinko provided an explanation for them. The only thing about Aang that slightly bothered Shujinko was his insistence on asking questions regarding his abilities. It was completely understandable, but the Ozuma explained time and time again that he would have to wait until everyone had gathered before they could sit down and have a talk.

"Do you think Sokka and Katara are doing alright?" Aang asked as he scratched Appa's ear. "Shouldn't we go see if they're okay?"

"They're fine. I left them with my shadow clones, so I very much doubt anything will happen to them. Besides, if they were facing any kind of danger, I would've known by now," Shujinko replied. In the event that one of his shadow clones disappeared, their knowledge would transfer back to him, which was basically the same as raising a mental alarm.

"You would know? How?"

"For now, let's just say it's a neat little trick that I have. You can ask me about it later,"

Aang pouted. He was sick of hearing the same excuse over and over again. He couldn't wait until Katara and Sokka arrived so they could ask the thousand questions they had in store for him. As proven when he first attempted to learn Firebending under the guidance of Jeong Jeong, patience was a virtue Aang had yet to fully develop, although anyone in his position would be dying to know more about Shujinko.

A couple of minutes later, Sokka and Katara returned from their activities, followed closely by Shujinko's shadow clones. Katara and the shadow clone that joined her managed to bring enough sticks and branches to start a fire while Sokka carried a basket with a total of six trouts in it, two for each head. He didn't take Aang into account due to the fact that the bald kid was a vegetarian and refused to eat meat of any kind, and since they had bought enough monk-friendly food back in Gi Yuin Village, there was nothing to worry about.

After the shadow clones had started a fire, Shujinko proceeded to dispel them, gaining their memories and startling everyone around him yet again. Once the new memories had settled in, Shujinko was pleased with what his shadow clones managed to accomplish on his behalf. Katara was now more open to the idea of him belonging to a different part of the world and he was now in amicable terms with Sokka. After eight months of training under Kakashi's tutelage, Shujinko had grown accustomed to the after-effects of the Shadow Clone Jutsu and no longer suffered a headache every time his brain received the neurological discharge of information provided by the clones, although he made sure never to overstep his boundaries with that technique.

Shujinko then found himself at the receiving end of three very demanding stares. He stretched his back, took a deep breath, and prepared himself for the inevitable. "It'll probably take a while for the fire to heat up the cooking pot. I suppose there's enough time to answer some of your questions. Alright then, ask away,"

"How can you make clones of yourself?" Sokka asked first, that being the most obvious question that was going to get thrown to Shujinko.

Katara followed right after her brother. "What's a shinobi? And what's Ninjutsu?"

"How can you run so fast and jump so high?" Aang then asked.

"Why do you wear that thing around your forehead?

"What other cool tricks do you have?"

It was like a verbal bomb going off. The three of them asked so many questions in such rapid succession that, from Shujinko's perspective, they might as well be speaking gibberish. It got to the point where he lost his patience and was forced to raise his hands in an appeasing manner, finally stopping the merciless barrage of questions he was being subjected to. "Look, this isn't going to work if I can't understand half the things you're saying. It's probably better if I just explain who I am and where I come from. Hopefully, that will answer all of your doubts, and if not, please wait until I'm done. So, do I have your attention?"

Three affirmative nods were his answer. He gestured them to take a seat, and the four of them sat around the fire, enjoying the heat it provided.

"I suppose I should begin with who I am. As you already know, my name is Shujinko Ozuma, and I am a shinobi from the Hidden Leaf Village…"

"… Sho, le meh gesh thish straigh," Sokka said before gulping down a mouthful of grilled fish. He was the only one besides Shujinko who was eating with gusto. Aang and Katara had barely taken a bite from their food, having spent their time listening intently to what the brown-haired boy had to say. "You're a soldier who comes from a village called the 'Hidden Leaf' that resides in a place called the 'Land of Fire', but that it's different from the Fire Nation. In that village, soldiers like you are called 'ninja' and you are trained to use 'chakra' in order to perform 'Ninjutsu'. Is that it or did I miss some other wacky term?"

"That's an overly-simplified version, but essentially yes," Shujinko responded. It wasn't until dinner was ready that he realized just how hungry he was, having skipped breakfast and lunch. He wolfed down the first fish and ate the second more calmly. He was now enjoying a soup that contained vegetables and small pieces of bread.

After receiving a general rundown of the history of the Hidden Leaf Village and the role ninjas had in their society, the three teens were left with different opinions and drew their own conclusions. Sokka had this vision about the Hidden Leaf Village being a large tribe where mighty warriors such as the ones he inspired to become were born, raised and trained for the sake of their people. He had to admit that the idea of a militarized village, organized and efficient, had some appeal to it. It seemed like the kind of place he would fit in.

Katara didn't share her brother's enthusiasm. The idea of a village having to use young adolescents to do the work of grown-ups was upsetting, especially considering how dangerous some of that work was. She could understand doing tasks such as picking up trash and fixing someone's garden, but deliberately sending kids that were of her age or even younger to protect a merchant from bandits or outlaws was not only wrong, but terribly irresponsible as well. It was true that she had experienced her fair share of dangerous encounters with the Fire Nation ever since she chose to follow Aang, but she endured all of those dangers because she wanted to put an end to a vicious war that had destroyed countless lives, not because some village had ordered her to do it for the sake of making money.

Aang wasn't so sure how to feel about the shinobi world Shujinko belonged to. On one hand, it was nice to know that there wasn't an evil country such as the Fire Nation that had waged war for years in an attempt to conquer the rest of the world. Shinobi villages such as the so-called Hidden Leaf and its counterparts occupied a tiny space of land inside the country they were in, and none of those villages tried to rule the rest of their nation. They were instead autonomous and independent to a reasonable degree. On the other hand, from what Shujinko had said, the shinobi villages didn't seem to coexist in peace and harmony. They were constantly competing against one another, and the only thing that prevented them from starting a full-blown military conflict was a fragile armistice that could disappear at a moment's notice.

"In any case, I think I've earned the right to ask some questions of my own," Shujinko stated as he left his empty bowl on the ground. "For starters, I want to know about this war that's been going on and why is Aang being chased by the Fire Nation. If I remember correctly, you're the reason why those soldiers came to Gi Yuin Village in the first place,"

Aang and the Water Tribe siblings shared a look. It felt weird to explain something that was well known pretty much by everyone. Feeling like perhaps she was the best suited for the job, Katara spoke first. "A hundred years ago, the Fire Nation declared war against the three other nations of the world: The Earth Kingdom, the Northern and Southern Water Tribes, and the Air Nomads. Fire Lord Ozai, the man who rules the Fire Nation, won't stop until every inch of land becomes part of his domain, and he will confront anyone who tries to oppose him,"

The eyes of the Chunin widened considerably. A hundred years of uninterrupted war against the world? Shujinko couldn't fathom something like that ever happening in the shinobi continent. Not even the combined years of all three Shinobi World Wars came close to that number. If two shinobi villages were set to fight against one another, one of them would either arrange a peace treaty or become annihilated after a prolonged period of time, but it was simply impossible for a country to wage war for that long without eventually destroying itself.

"And what kind of threat does Aang represents to the Fire Lord? What has he done to make him angry?"

"It's not because of what I have or haven't done. It's because of who I am," Aang said with a sober attitude that didn't seem to belong to the cheerful twelve-year-old that he was. "I'm the Avatar, the living bridge between the Spirit World and the Human World, and the only person who can stop the Fire Lord from conquering it all. It has always been the duty of the Avatar to maintain peace and balance, which is why I have to defeat the Fire Nation before it's too late,"

"… Defeat the Fire Nation? But you're just a boy. What makes you think that you have to do that just because you're the Avatar? What does it even means being an Avatar?" Shujinko asked. He couldn't come up with a feasible reason as to why a kid would take it upon himself to end a war that has lasted for a century.

"The monks told me that the Avatar is an individual who is reincarnated throughout time in what is known as the Avatar Cycle. It's a bit confusing, but I share the same spirit as many people from the past, and they all had the same task of leading the world towards an era of peace. To do that, the Avatar has to master all four elements, being the only individual capable of doing so, and search for the answers that will put an end to whatever conflict that arises. That's why the Fire Lord is after me, because he knows I'm the only one who's powerful enough to ruin his evil plans,"

Once again, Shujinko's head started spinning. The idea of a spirit constantly reincarnating in the body of humans for the sake of keeping the world peaceful and balanced seemed to belong to an idealistic fairy tale more than anything. Back home, such a story would be met with extreme skepticism if not downright distrust by adults, even when taking into consideration the number of myths and legends that were still being told in the Land of Fire.

Not even the tale of Karura, the hawk spirit that merged with Kazemaru Ozuma, was this exaggerated. According to Shujinko's father, Karura decided to fuse herself with a human whom she had deemed worthy so that his descendants would uphold her legacy and remember her existence, and thus the Ozuma clan was born along with the Karura Tensei, their Kekkei Genkai. That story had always filled Shujinko with suspicion, especially because the Ozuma clan had been destroyed before he was born, and so he would never get the chance to speak with someone from his clan other than his father, who was raised as an outcast and married an outsider.

However, that legend couldn't compare itself to what Aang was telling him… and the worst thing about it was that, as far as Shujinko was concerned, Aang being truthful. How was he supposed to deny the existence of the Avatar after all he had witnessed so far? He was in a part of the world he didn't even know it existed until today, and he couldn't remember how he got there. Besides, the same way Aang and his friends had no reason to believe Shujinko was lying about his background, he had no reason to believe the bald kid with blue tattoos was lying to him about the Avatar Cycle.

"So the Fire Lord is after you because he fears you will be able to defeat him one day. I suppose that's why the three of you are traveling around the world, to avoid getting caught," Shujinko said, not really knowing what to make of his situation.

"That's correct, but that's not the only reason," Sokka replied. "Aang has to master the four elements before he can go up against the Fire Lord, and we don't have a whole lot of time on our hands. There's a comet on its way here, and when that comet arrives, it'll give firebenders an enormous power boost, which is exactly what they need to take over the world for good. We can't allow that to happen, so we have to end the war before the Fire Nation has a chance to strike. Aang already knows Airbending and Katara is teaching him Waterbending, but he hasn't learned Earthbending or Firebending yet. We're hoping to find an Earthbending teacher for him in the town of Gaoling,"

Out of all the things Shujinko wanted to avoid, having to deal with a foreign war was pretty high up the list. It wasn't necessarily out of fear, though he would be a fool not to fear war, but rather because he had no business being there. His loyalty as a shinobi belonged to the Hidden Leaf Village, and he had to return there as soon as possible.

"That's all very well and good. So what's next?" Shujinko asked.

Katara raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"You guys are fighting a war, and I wish you nothing but the best of luck, but I have to return to where I belong. My village is my home, and I can't abandon it. It doesn't matter how long it takes, I have to find a way to the Hidden Leaf Village,"

"Well, if it doesn't matter how long it takes…" Aang began to say. "… how about you join our group?"

The Ozuma blinked. "Come again?"

"Think about it. You have nowhere else to go in the meantime, and if you wander around on your own, you could easily get lost. But if you come with us, we could help you find your way back home as we travel. Besides, we saw what you are capable of when those soldiers appeared back in Gi Yuin Village. You were awesome! We could definitely use your help the next time we come across another group of soldiers from the Fire Nation. Katara, Sokka, what do you guys think?"

"I'm not sure, Aang. This all seems a bit rushed to me," Katara replied. She briefly examined Shujinko, the boy whom she originally mistook for a Fire Nation soldier. She didn't know whether if allowing him to come with them was the right choice or not. However, Katara couldn't deny that their encounter with Shujinko had a taste of fate to it, like they were meant to meet him for a reason. There was that, and there was also the fact that leaving behind a poor guy who didn't know his way home was too cruel for her gentle heart. "But if you believe this is a good idea, then I don't see why not,"

The stares of Aang and Katara fell on Sokka, the last member of the group. Rubbing his chin, he began to consider the pros and cons of adding Shujinko to the crew. Despite knowing practically nothing about, well, anything, Shujinko was still a valuable asset. He seemed like a skilled warrior (or shinobi, as Shujinko called it) who could handle himself, and his freaky Ninjutsu abilities made him pretty much unique. In the worst-case scenario, it was objectively better to have him on their team rather than against them, and besides, he would no longer be the only non-bender of the bunch. "Fine, he can join us as long as he remembers that I'm the leader here, so no goofing around,"

While this was going on, Momo appeared from behind and climbed up Shujinko's back. Once he was on top of his shoulder, Momo brushed his face against the Chunin's cheek as a sign of affection. The lemur hadn't forgotten how Shujinko had saved him from the Cat Deer earlier that day.

Aang chuckled at this. "See? Even Momo likes you. So, what do you say, Shujinko?"

The golden-eyed boy realized he really didn't have much of a choice. He had no idea how he was supposed to return to the Hidden Leaf Village, but he was confident he was going to find a way. After all, if he managed to arrive here somehow, then logically there had to be a route he could trace back. He didn't want to wander around this strange world alone and without a sense of direction. With these guys, he had a real chance, an actual possibility of returning home.

He was aware that getting involved in a war was going to be risky, to say the least. If he had to make an educated guess, this would count as an A-class mission, or maybe even an S-class one, but Shujinko was no stranger to the face of danger. He had risked his life before, and even came close to dying during his fight against Umanosuke, one of Orochimaru's henchmen. Shujinko highly doubted he would find an opponent of that caliber here, considering that he was the only shinobi alive roaming these foreign lands, although that remained to be seen.

With all of that in mind, Shujinko finally gave them his answer.

"Very well. You can count me in. Until I find a way to go back to my village, you can consider me your partner,"

Aaaaaaaaand that was chapter 3. Hope you all liked it.

So let me address something here: I'm fully aware there's not a whole lot of action in this chapter, if any. It was pretty much characters talking all the time. It's not very entertaining, but I believe it is essential for a story to have important dialogues that set up its context. As a reader, you already know how the world of Avatar works, but Shujinko comes from a completely different place, and he needs to know what is going on. Therefore, it would be out of character for him to accept what's going on without asking questions. It was probably a "boring" chapter, but in my opinion, it was a necessary chapter as well.

In any case, most of the context is already laid out for Shujinko. The next chapters will have more action and funnier moments, as well as more parallels between the Avatar world and the Naruto world. I'm mainly interested in displaying Shujinko's thoughts and reactions since he's the main protagonist (in a way, at least), but I also want to show how the characters from the Avatar world view Shujinko, as well as the moral and philosophical discussions that will arise due to Shujinko's presence, life experiences, and his general outlook on the world,

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Peace!