So I recently watched the live action Avatar show and I have to say, it's not that bad. It's by no means perfect but I enjoyed it enough and it got me rewatching the animated series, which somehow sparked me into writing again. I just hope life doesn't stifle this inspiration again but I guess we'll see.
The landscape of a once beautiful forest was now riddled with the scars of a vicious confrontation years in the making. Two young souls inhabited the scorched earth, standing opposite to one another, both facing forward and away.
Their positions perfectly symbolized where they stood in relation to one another in their views, and where they were in life; one stemming from nothing with just as much expected of him, and the other born into greatness, with it almost assumed and assured.
Both with childhood's so abruptly taken from them as a result of the ambitions of others.
With as many similarities as they shared, so too were their differences vast. The most prominent of which being their morals and ideals. Somewhere along the way their paths diverged, only to once more converge, this time in opposition.
"It didn't have to be this way, but you just wouldn't listen," Naruto expressed sorrowfully as he studied the damage inflicted to his trembling, bleeding hand. It was numb despite how he clenched it. His face twisted with mounting anguish and indignation, he released these feelings in a bellow. "Why couldn't you just fucking listen!"
"You might not think so, Naruto, but it was always going to end this way," Sasuke retorted with a bloody but genuine smile. "With one of us finally killing the other."
Naruto's head fell, his hair weighed down with blood and sweat, obscuring the despondency in his eyes.
It was then he realized that which everyone tried to tell him, that which he always tried so desperately to disprove and deny. Sasuke's loyalties lied only with himself and his ambition for vengeance had consumed him.
He was lost.
Sasuke's path to redemption led only one way now and Naruto had just led him to the end of it.
Sasuke fell to a knee, clutching the center of his chest with his remaining hand in a vain as the remnants of his heart further drained him of life with every beat. Despite this his smile turned into a smirk, eyes shut.
"You know, Naruto, I didn't think you'd ever actually do it. I was counting on it, actually."
"I always gave you a choice, and so many chances, but you just couldn't do the same for me?" Tears escaped his own clenched eyes. "I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. I couldn't — I couldn't let you hurt them."
Sasuke snorted at this, eliciting a series of sickly wet coughs. "I'd say you finally learned your lesson but you still haven't, Naruto. You're still the same fool you always were."
"What're you — "
Naruto turned sensing Sasuke's chakra spike just in time to find him glaring with bleeding heterochromatic eyes.
Before he could react, flames devoid of light consumed his vision.
"Sasuke!" Naruto could feel the all consuming flames begin to sear his chest first, the pain immediate and deep reaching; a feeling unlike any he'd ever experienced before.
"Planetary Devastation"
Kurama attempted to warn him of another incoming attack, but in his sheer panic, he didn't hear him, and it was far too late when he realized what was happening as reality itself began to warp around the sheer force of the ever mounting gravity that threatened to consume him.
All at once the might of Kurama's chakra exploded out of him. The increase in power saved him from being crushed and healed his body just as quickly as it was consumed by the flames, extending the excruciating pain of Sasuke's final act of betrayal and cowardice.
For the first time in a long time, Naruto felt Kurama vying for control of his actions, another betrayal in itself. This finished breaking what remained of his spirit, and overwhelmed by everything all at once, he relinquished himself as the world around him distorted before the darkness finally consumed him.
Katara laid in her sleeping roll, staring aimlessly up to the section of the night sky visible through the opening at the top of the tent she shared with her brother, illuminated vaguely by the waning fire between them. He was snoring, but not as loudly as he sometimes did, so she couldn't exactly blame him for her current restlessness as sleep continued to evade her.
No, like many nights before, it was her own thoughts keeping her awake, just as restless.
Katara could never admit just how discontent she was with her life, not when her father and the brave men of their tribe were so far away, fighting against the impossible. But it had been nearly two years since their departure, and though her anxiety surrounding his safety remained a constant, she'd learned to live with it.
She had no choice but to.
Yet, despite her best efforts to remain optimistic, there were times in which she'd become resigned to the very real possibility she'd never see her father again. After all, two years was a very long time with no correspondence, but they'd been made aware of this necessity before their departure, less they lead the Fire Nation back to their lands.
In the end, all Katara could do was hope for the best, but so to did she know to expect the absolute worse should it come to be. As was the reality of their world. And despite her brief lapses into demoralizing anxiety, she tried her absolute best to remain hopeful of the day when she would see her father again.
As she awaited his return, all she could do was what was best for their tribe.
This, unfortunately, amounted to little more than menial chores such as fishing with her brother, Sokka, as well as helping rear the children of their tribe. All rewarding in its own right, but undoubtedly mind numbing after so much time, especially considering the fact she was the Southern Water Tribe's last water bender.
That distinction, however, meant very little when there was no one to help her master her abilities. Her grandmother, Kanna, had taught her as much as she could, considering she herself was not a bender. Relying solely on what she'd gleamed from her time before the water-benders of their tribe were eradicated.
This amounted to little more than meditation techniques, which at the very least, allowed her to move water, proving she possessed the ability, but little else. Her progress had all but stagnated since the age of ten and they weren't exactly in any position to journey for a proper master.
With that, her learning had been put on indefinite hold in order to care for the tribe as a whole. It was a responsibility Katara didn't take lightly, but it wasn't one she was extraordinarily excited to be relegated to.
Not like Sokka, who wore his responsibility as the sole protector of the tribe like a badge of honor. That's not to say she thought any less of him for it. The opposite was true, in fact. She was incredibly proud of just how serious her otherwise aloof brother took this responsibility, even if she didn't exactly ever show it.
After all, he already boasted an overinflated sense of ego she wasn't exactly fond of, and she wasn't about to contribute in making it any larger.
Katara, meanwhile, would continue to do as was expected of her with a smile she allowed to fall away only when she was alone. Though only fourteen, she was reluctantly growing accustomed to the fact all she would ever be was just another girl of the Southern Water Tribe, likely to be wed off to whatever man could offer their tribe the most, be it from within or out.
They were in no position to be selective.
Katara wrapped a scarf around herself as it was colder than usual, and decided to take a late night walk in an effort to clear her mind of such dark thoughts, as she often did.
She was careful to tread quietly through the crunching snow, ascending the steps leading up to the wall of ice and snow to the walkway carved out within it. She could stray no further than this as the walls were the only thing protecting them from the predators that tended to stay away, but lurked around nevertheless.
She waved at the woman keeping watch in one of the corners, who simply waved back. Her name was Sonna, and though a woman of twenty four years in age, her sole responsibility was providing overwatch at night. Should the worse come to be, all she could do was alert her brother of any danger.
Katara never agreed with her tribe's customs regarding the responsibility of the women as being little more than wives and homemakers, but neither could she argue against it. Especially with just how close to the brink of nonexistence as they were.
"Can't sleep?" Sonna question was more of a statement.
"Sokka's snoring again," she offered the usual excuse with a sheepish shrug of her shoulders.
"Doesn't he always?" She chuckled. "But don't worry, I get it. I'll leave you to it."
"Thanks," Katara smiled at the woman, suspecting she knew all to well her brother wasn't the reason behind her restlessness.
The constellations were bright that cloudless night but her focus was, as always, on the full moon. She wondered then, as she just as often did, if her father was doing the same. While a childish notion, she also hoped something, anything, would happen to save her from what had become of her life in perpetuity.
"Like that'll ever happen," she whispered to herself, her breath visible briefly before it disappeared into the night in spindly wisps.
Katara was well aware the most likely change would come in the form of giant Fire Nation warships landing on their shores.
To wish for change was to wish for this, and that was downright selfish.
But that didn't stop her from dreaming of a world free of the ever looming threat of the Fire Nation. A world in which all four nations lived in harmony once more. A world in which her mother never died.
Katara continued to observe the moon for a time longer, lost within her own thoughts, until her eyes began growing heavy and her yawns grew closer together in frequency. She was just about to call it a night but something caught her attention
It was a void in the sky that presented itself as a suspicious absence of stars in the night. This was not altogether rare, much less concerning, if not for the fact she was certain the void was present in the same location a constellation loosely resembling a fish typically resided. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a dark mass in the very sky, but it was no cloud. Defying all rationale, it seemed to be perfectly spherical, seemingly absorbing all light around and behind it.
It also appeared to be expanding.
"Do you see that?" Katara asked aloud while also blinking long and hard, briefly considering what she was seeing may have been the beginnings of sleep deprivation. But she wasn't that tired and the object undoubtedly remained.
"See what?" Sonna joined her and looked in the direction she was pointing. "What is that?"
"So you see it too?" Katara didn't take her eyes off the object.
"I do," nervousness began to seep into her words. "But what is it?"
"I don't know."
Abruptly it began to shrink, but not before emitting a short but very bright flash powerful enough to momentarily bring day to night. Katara heard Sonna gasp at her side but she was briefly blinded and left disoriented.
When her vision returned, so too had the night sky, the same as it always was, constellations and all, with the exception of a figure.
It was the clear outline of a person and they were falling quickly.
Katara traced the figure as it descended in a stunned silence until it impacted a short distance away with a resounding crashed that cemented what she was seeing to be very much real.
"That was definitely a person! Stay here while I warn the others!" Sonna instructed as she began descending the wall, all while blowing on the tiger seal tusk multiple times over; their tribe's distress call.
Katara, however, had not taken heed to this. Acting before she could fully consider the implications of what exactly she had witnessed, or what she herself was doing, slid down the incline of the wall to begin running in the direction of the crash. She didn't have to go too far beyond the walls before finding herself upon a strange sight indeed.
It was a man. A young man, likely around Sokka's age, give or take, unmoving except for the weak rising and falling of his chest. The action itself was accompanied by a horrifying rasping sound she soon realized was his breathing.
He was alive.
Heedless and unaware of the few already gathering behind her, Katara ran the remaining distance to him, determined to help. That was until a familiar voice stopped her just beyond arms reach.
"Katara, wait!" Sokka called out to her. He was running towards her in a full sprint despite the thick snow beneath, dressed in his sleeping furs, wielding his favored dual bladed boomerang in one hand and a wavering torch in the other. "Who's that? And what do you think you're doing?"
"He needs our help!" Katara dropped into the snow at the young man's side, the light her brother provided illuminating his features.
His chest was bare and horribly marred, with the most prominent of which being the sizable scar near his heart. This drew her attention first, but then it was his brightly colored hair, stained with blood, yet still a similar shade of the setting sun above an angular face inflicted with even more scarring. Three lines spanned across his cheeks, almost purposely so given their symmetry.
What remained of his clothing was little more than orange tatters over what looked to be mesh armor of sorts, melted and distorted around his shoulders, a singed pair of pants matching in color, and a silver plate tied around his forehead displaying a symbol she couldn't recognize.
This, along with his fair skin, and the glaring fact he'd fallen from the sky, clearly eluded to the certitude that the young man was not of their lands.
"Who the hell is he and where did he come from? Sonna was spouting some nonsense about him falling from the sky?" Sokka was at her side, his boomerang held tightly in his hand, positioned and poised to strike should he need to.
"I don't know, and he did fall from the sky," Katara said, taking notice then of how the snow surrounding the young man began to melt, hissing and releasing steam. In fact, his entire body was emanating steam.
"He did what now?" Sokka sounded absolutely incredulous. "Hey wait, don't touch him, Katara!"
She pulled her hand back at once, but not because her brother told her to.
"He's hot!"
"Katara, is this really the time to be fawning over boys?" Sokka muttered.
"No, you idiot!" Despite the situation at hand, her cheeks immediately warmed in the idle acknowledgement he was indeed handsome. His face, twisted in a grimace, was pleasantly masculine, his shoulders broad, and his exposed muscles defined and pronounced. But that couldn't be the furthest from what she was referring to. "I mean he's literally hot to the touch, as in he's burning! Look, he's melting the snow around him."
"So he's a fire-bender?" Sokka whispered, eyes wide.
"Sokka, wait!"
The sharp end of his boomerang came within inches of her face.
She'd thrown herself over the young man just in time to save him from being struck.
"What're you doing, Katara? Get out of the way!" Sokka pulled his boomerang back, bouncing it on his shoulder impatiently. "You said it yourself, he's a freaking fire-bender! Why are you protecting him?"
"That's not what I said!" Katara barked. "That's just the conclusion you came to! Right now all we know is that he needs our help!"
"We don't even know who this guy is!" Sokka shouted back. "Putting aside the fact he apparently fell from the sky and now he's literally steaming, we don't know he's not a fire-bender, or what his intentions are!"
"Your brother is right."
"Gran-Gran?" Katara looked to find her grandmother, along with a majority of the tribe, the older women and the boys Sokka had been training to be the next generation of warriors, had since gathered.
Some of them wielded torches, others spears, along with other makeshift weaponry such as pans and filleting knives. They all appeared incredibly nervous at the arrival of the stranger and her brother's words weren't making the situation any better.
"His body heat alone continues to melt the snow around him," Kanna said as she stepped forward and free of the amassed crowd of frightened woman and children. "It would make sense to end his life now before he can do the same to us."
"Exactly! Now get out of the way, Katara!" Sokka ordered.
Katara remained steadfast, arms spread out to protect him from their prejudice.
"But Gran-Gran, that isn't right!" She could feel her eyes beginning to burn, unbelieving of the cruelty that was stemming from her grandmother of all people. "He's hurt and he needs our help! We can't just kill him!"
"Have you stopped to consider why he's in his current condition?" Kanna questioned somberly. "We know nothing of this boy, but all signs suggest he's a fire-bender, and that he's just endured combat. I am sorry, Katara, but we simply cannot risk the safety of our people for one boy."
"But — "
Sokka tossed his torch aside and advanced on her. "Get out of the way already!" He grabbed her by the shoulder and roughly shoved her out of his way, bringing his boomerang down on the stranger's head.
Or so he intended.
Katara, who'd shut her eyes out of instinct, opened them hearing the collective gasp from behind.
The young man's hand gripped the weapon, stopping it mere inches from impacting just above his heart. The metal groaned as it melded around his now bleeding hand.
"What the heck?" Sokka fell on his butt and began to backpedal with all the grace of an inebriated crustacean.
The young man sat up abruptly, tossing the boomerang aside, his eyes were frantic as he looked around him, his breathing fast in a clear display of panic.
The remnants of the Southern Water Tribe watched on with bated breath as the boy's vibrant blue eyes roamed them all. Their fear palpable as a tribe consisting of one young man, women, children, and the elderly; they were all very much aware there wasn't much they could do to defend themselves against a fire-bender.
He began to vocalize, speaking hoarsely in a language none could understand, or even recognize.
"Katara get away from him!" Sokka shouted at her and again, she didn't listen.
Katara slowly approached him, receiving his undivided attention at once. He didn't display any outward signs of aggression as she neared him, only confusion. When she was within arms reach, he held out his bleeding hand in her direction, halting her.
"It's okay," she offered kindly and with a smile. She slowly undid her scarf and kneeled at his side.
Working carefully, she wrapped it around his injured hand, observing his confusion as she tied it, he didn't so much as flinch as she anticipated when she tightened the scarf to secure it. After she finished, she placed her hands on her knees and smiled at him.
He stared back at her for a time before returning the gesture slightly, uttering a single word she chose to interpret as his appreciation.
"See everyone?" Katara turned to her frightened tribe with a smile. "He's friendly."
"It could be a trick," Sokka warned, still laid out in the snow, he was glaring daggers at the stranger. "He's outnumbered right now and is probably just biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment to attack."
"Surrounded by who? Women and children?" Katara countered.
Despite the situation, Sokka seemed offended by this. "Hey, and just what am I? And hey, he broke my boomerang!"
"Because you tried to hit him with it!" Katara snapped. "And you see, he didn't try fighting back! I think that more than proves I'm right!"
"Katara," Kanna spoke slowly and equally as carefully. "This proves nothing. Back away from him, now."
"But Gran-Gran I — "
"Now, Katara!" Kanna shouted.
She never shouted at her.
Katara looked back to the young man, who returned her attention intently, offering him a sorrowful smile before doing as she was told. All the while he watched her go with what almost resembled understanding in his pained eyes.
Once amongst the crowd, Katara watched him rise on uneven feet, grimacing in pain, the sole action seemed to have cost him much of his strength. This sorrowful display, of course, elicited even more panic from the tribe.
Sokka had since acquired a spear from one of the boys and took his own position before them all. Katara was grateful he didn't try and attack again, taking instead to waiting for the stranger to make the first move, be it out of fear or something else entirely, was difficult for her to discern.
To her surprise, the young man bit into his own thumb, deep enough to draw blood before moving his hands in a series of odd but undoubtedly purposeful configurations conducted so fast his hands were almost a blur. He concluded his display by slamming his right hand into the ground.
Her tribe, including Katara herself, flinched and waited with nervous anticipation for something to happen.
The same could be said for the young man.
He lifted his head, as if expecting something, but found nothing but a settling plume of powdered snow and a people on a blade's edge before him. He frowned, in parts out of confusion as well as frustration, uttering a single word that must have been a curse to match his expression.
Once more he moved his hands in the same series of configurations, much slower this time, allowing Katara to see how he moved his fingers in odd ways before slamming his hand down once more to the same result. He tried three more times with increasing frustration each time, cratering the very ground beneath him with such force upon his final attempt, Katara could feel the ground tremble beneath her own feet.
When the curtain of snow finally cleared, it revealed a young man who seemed to have come to a realization only he was privy to. Whatever the realization, it must have been a truly horrifying one as his frustration gave way to despair. His head fell, obscuring his face for all but a moment before he released these feelings in a roar so powerful it sent visible waves rippling along the snow, echoing for a time even after he ran out of breath.
He proceeded to fall to his knees, and then face first into the snow, unmoving.
"Uh, what just happened?" Sokka was the first to speak. "What was he doing?"
"I don't know, but what I do know is that he didn't try and attack us," Katara reiterated this to her grandmother. "See? He had plenty of chances to do something but he didn't."
"Oh he tried to do something, we just don't know what," Sokka argued.
"He's in a weakened state," Kanna observed the boy closely. "Whatever that display may have been, his very hands cratered the earth beneath him. It wasn't bending, but this and what he did to your brother's boomerang with his bare hand, proves he's undoubtedly powerful. We absolutely cannot allow him to remain near our tribe."
"Exactly!" Sokka agreed.
"Then what do you suggest we do now?" Katara shouted with tears of frustration now pooling in her eyes. "Are we supposed to kill him? Attack him as he lays there in the snow, defenseless and hurt? Just ruthlessly take his life?"
"And do you suggest we allow this man to grow to full strength so that he may pillage our tribe, taking what he wants, who he wants, how he wants it?" Kanna countered calmly but pointedly.
The implications of her words were absolutely horrifying, especially for the women, who flinched hearing this, some unfortunately, from experience.
"We… we don't know he'd do that!" Katara tried to argue, but with much less conviction at being presented with such a horrible scenario.
"But you don't know for certain he wouldn't, do you, Katara?" Kanna rebutted. "Are you so willing to stake the safety of our tribe for the life of one man?"
"I — " but Katara didn't have a response to that. What was worse yet, she was beginning to see reason in her grandmother's words, but neither could she find it in her heart to do what they were suggesting.
While she wasn't likely to be the one to carry out such a gruesome task, that would most likely befall her brother, inaction on her end was the same as being the one to take his life in her mind. No matter the risk, Katara simply couldn't settle that with herself.
"What if… what if I take him far away from here?" Katara suggested, unsure of herself even as she spoke. "That way if he… that way it'd only be me."
Kanna seemed taken aback hearing this.
"What are you even saying right now?" Sokka, meanwhile, was livid. "Did you not just hear what Gran-Gran said? You're a girl! Do you know what he could do to you? What he'll do to the rest of us when he's done using you? You can't exactly get him far enough away from the tribe he couldn't find us!"
Katara hugged herself, shivering once more at the vile implications.
"You're brother is right," Kanna said.
"See!"
"Gran-Gran, we can't just — "
"But so too are you, Katara," Kanna's words caused a wave of uncertainty across those gathered. "If we were to take this young man's life, and he proved to be an innocent soul, would we be any better than the Fire Nation? Indiscriminately destroying that which we fear?"
"Gran-Gran, you can't be serious right now?" Sokka ran to her. "We should just… just…"
"Kill him?" Kanna finished, looking her grandson directly in his eyes. "Would that be the honorable thing to do, Sokka? Is that what a proud warrior of our tribe would do? Take the life of a man who's unable to defend himself?"
This seemed to give Sokka pause and Katara hope.
"What, are you suggesting we wait until he recovers so that its fair? Yeah he's defenseless now but won't be for long!" Sokka argued, though the seeds of doubt had been sown. "What happens if he does turn out to be a fire-bender, or even just a bad guy? Sorry, but honor won't mean a damn thing when he's killed us all!"
"Perhaps," Kanna acknowledged. "But keep in mind he could also prove to be a powerful ally, should that not be the case."
"That's a pretty big if!" Sokka shouted.
Kanna didn't respond for a time, taking instead to observe the young man, and then her tribe. "What say you all?"
There were conflicting mutterings amongst the tribe comprised primarily of mothers. Some were vocal about what they should do, and that was to eliminate the potential threat. Among them, however, just as many were against hurting the young man. Amidst their discussions, his age played a factor in equal parts for action, and against it.
The consensus being he was young enough to be innocent, but not so young as to be unable to bring onto them a great harm.
"Listen, everyone!" Katara decided to speak up again and everyone was paying attention. "I know we're all scared. I know I am, at least, but I really don't believe he'll hurt us."
"How can you be so sure?" Sokka asked, but this time his question was presented genuinely, not out of anger, and it was mirrored by many.
"That's the thing, I can't be," Katara admitted reluctantly. "But I really do believe if he wanted to hurt us, then he would have done so when you first tried to attack him, or when I approached to bandage his hand. And yes, I know he could be biding his time, but can any of you honestly tell me you'd feel right just outright killing him?"
No one, not even Sokka, who was looking away now, seemed ready to volunteer for such a grim task.
In their uncertain silence, she moved to the strangers side once more and attempted to turn him over gently, finding this rather difficult to do because despite his size, he was incredibly heavy. When she finally succeeded in doing so, his head fell into her lap, where she allowed it to remain.
He remained unconscious but his expression was pained, in suffering, there were tears coming out of his clenched eyes, clear for all to see. She wiped them away but they persisted, and in them Katara found her voice.
"Believe me I know the risk we'll face in helping him, but I know we'd be doing the right thing. Just look at him, he's hurting," beginning with her grandmother, who was now smiling at her, Katara locked eyes with everyone in the crowd, finding some of them donning similar expressions. "Please, everyone, we have to help him. And we have to do it because I believe its the right thing to do, and I believe it's who we are."
Everyone fell silent into their own consideration, Sokka included, before a woman stepped forward. She was of middle age, walking forward with a smile and a small container of something in her hands. Everyone watched as she joined Katara's side, placing her free hand on her shoulder briefly before pressing a hand to the boy's cheek with affection in her eyes.
Some of the anguish on his face subsided, but much still remained.
"You know, he would have been the same age as my boy," she said as she moved some of his hair from out of his face, her trembling voice clearly heard in the silence.
She began to rub the ointment along the scarring on his chest with a tangible care.
Her name was Moku, the tribe's healer. Katara knew her husband and son had been amongst the casualties during the Fire Nation's final attack on their tribe; the same that had claimed the life of her own mother.
"And he's about the same age as my son," another woman separated from the crowd.
Her name was Mina. Her son was away with the rest of the men, fighting in place of his father, her husband, who had also died at the hands of the Fire Nation.
One by one, more women moved forward, joining Katara, some aiding where able, while others merely observed the young man.
"Then I believe we've come to a decision," Kanna announced as she too joined them.
"Thank you, Gran-Gran," Katara whispered.
"Do not thank me yet, Katara," she warned grimly as she regarded the boy. "The future is not yet written. We do not yet know of his intentions. As such, I will be leaving him in your care. What he does next, my granddaughter, will be a reflection of you, for better or for worse."
"I understand," Katara nodded.
And she did understand.
The decision and responsibility did not come lightly and it was yet another weight on her shoulders, because even now, she was unsure of whether or not she'd just doomed her tribe. What she was resolute in, however, was that she'd done the right thing.
Of this her heart assured her.
Naruto felt an invasive cold permeate his body, penetrating down to his very bones, making everything ache painfully and his movements stiff.
Movement, he realized, was restricted. He was stricken with momentary panic that persisted only until he opened his eyes to discover he was wrapped up to his head in a thick bedding that resembled a sleeping bag made up of a thick skin he couldn't identify, and a white fur lining. The room he was in was small and cylindrical, illuminated faintly by the smoldering fire at his bedside.
His disorientation was fleeting as everything came back to him all at once.
Sasuke's final betrayal resulting in Kurama's ultimate sacrifice.
His eyes began to burn.
Naruto mourned the absence of his friend, leaving him hollow yet riddled with even more guilt, but he stopped himself short of outright crying. He was not aware of what Kurama had done to save his life, but the fact he still lived was proof enough he'd succeeded at the cost of his own. To have mistaken his greatest act of kindness for an attempt at his life was a mistake Naruto didn't believe he'd ever forgive himself for making. But it was one he'd work to remedy by apologizing to him, face to face now that he was no longer caged within.
It was difficult to accept the fact it may take years. How many, he did not know, but he would see him again. This Naruto promised himself and Kurama.
But first, Naruto had to get back to Konoha. He didn't know what had transpired after he lost reason, but from what he little he could gather, the Planetary Devastation Sasuke employed, in conjunction to his cursed flames, had somehow sent him far from home. Though it didn't quite make sense as to why, this much was apparent considering the frigid climate. If he were to offer a guess, he was somewhere in the Land of snow.
At least that's what he hoped.
Naruto, amidst a growing list, regretted never having explored his sensory abilities. He could, at the very least, sense those who didn't actively try to suppress their chakra's presence if he concentrated. He'd done just that in his brief moment of consciousness, sensing only the girl who'd bandaged his hand within whatever the range of his awareness happened to be.
That in itself was not his only concerning realization.
With what remained of his spent reserves, Naruto attempted to summon a toad in hopes of employing a reverse summons back to Konoha, but his connection to them was now severed. There was no mistaking it as a flawed attempt because in Kurama's absence, control of his own chakra came to him as naturally as breathing. Why exactly he was no longer contracted with the toads, he had absolutely no inclination, and this only added to his worries and the severity of the situation.
Something was wrong; it was a feeling he couldn't shake.
Naruto heard a light set of footfalls crunching in the snow, growing louder in their approach. Despite being so evidently cared for, he prepared himself by running through a series of hand signs within his loose confines, taking a deep breath, he lined his lungs with wind nature infused chakra.
He stayed himself seeing the girl from the night before appear, poking her head in first, smiling tentatively upon finding he was awake.
He reabsorbed his chakra and released his bated breath through his nose in the form of a drawn out sigh, visible briefly in the cold. She fully entered the tent, her large blue eyes regarding him curiously.
She was certainly pretty, with dark chocolate hair tied into a large braid tossed over her right shoulder, along with twin strands framing her pleasant face tanned a beautiful shade of bronze.
Naruto could only contemplate as to what she was saying as she began to speak to him in a language he could not understand nor recognize. And though her language was foreign to him, that of her body was not. He recalled clearly how she so willingly tried to protect him from her own people's judgment.
A people consisting entirely of women, children, and a single boy.
This gave him pause and more cause for consideration.
There was not a single man in sight, and the fact she was the only one he could actively sense only added to the mystery of where he could have possibly ended up. Wherever that may have been must have surely been a ways from the Land of Fire as even in the Land of Snow, they spoke the same language.
Upon closer consideration, Naruto wasn't aware of any other language spoken in the entirety of the Elemental Nations outside of that belonging to Shinobi. Even then, it was still spoken plainly but coded in double meanings so as to exchange information covertly.
But then again, he couldn't exactly claim to have paid much attention to geography lessons during his time in the academy.
"I can't understand you," Naruto stated the obvious in a voice he almost didn't recognize. He was incredibly thirsty and every word spoken tore at his throat. "Do you know where Konoha is?"
The girl tilted her head to the right in an admittedly adorable gesture before speaking again.
"Konoha, ya'know, the Village Hidden in The Leaves, located in Fire Country?" Naruto tried again, repeating the name of his village thrice more, slowly and deliberately.
This time, she tilted her head to the left, and continued to speak to him.
Naruto sighed, finding none of her words sounded remotely familiar and judging by her sustained confusion, neither did his.
"Okay, what about the Land of Water, Earth, Snow, anything?"
There was no recognition in her eyes, even at the mention of the final land.
"Shit."
She continued speaking to him as she reached around behind herself to unhook a pouch that had been hanging over her shoulder. She mimicked drinking it before bringing it close to his face, repeating a single word he was certain meant water in her language.
"W-Water?" Naruto repeated slowly.
"Water!" The girl nodded with another smile as she brought it closer to his face, stopping to allow him to do the rest.
Naruto grimaced as he inclined his head to place his lips around what looked to be a hollowed tusk, finding immediate relief in what did turn out to be water. He drank greedily, ignoring the stinging in his throat until nothing remained.
"Thank you," Naruto allowed his head to fall back, feeling as if his scratchy eyes and chapped lips were already becoming hydrated.
The girl spoke to him some more, rather animatedly at that, and of course he understood none of it.
Naruto decided to try something he couldn't have done in his previous frantic state, closing his eyes, he calmed his mind and began to breathe deeply. He ignored the pain in his chest as he focused on drawing in chakra from the world around him, extending his sensing range further.
He abruptly opened his eyes, finding the girl's chakra signature was indeed the largest he could sense in as far as his awareness extended. The differences in the chakra she contained and that of the others in the immediate area was that of a Jounin and a civilian.
Only the girl's pool seemed to be no more than that of an academy student.
There was something else he was sensing, but it seemed to be just beyond the scope of his range. Though it could have been an illusion or even a sheer mistake because try as he might, he could not decide whether or not something was really there.
The girl gasped, no doubt having witnessed the change in his eyes, but he paid little mind to this as there was yet another difference which left Naruto dumbfounded. Her very presence visualized within his own mind's eye was somehow different than any he'd ever encountered before, in a way he couldn't exactly put to words, much less reason.
"Where am I?" Naruto muttered.
The girl poised her own undecipherable question, pointing to his face.
Naruto realized then he would make no progress in stagnation. Even though he was exhausted and in constant pain, he knew he had to get moving soon.
Even now his wounds were healing and his chakra growing, with his entering Sage Mode having seemed to accelerate both.
That, in itself, turned out to be another change, albeit a welcomed one.
In times before, utilizing Sage Mode had been exhausting, limiting him to only using the augmentation a total of three times before he had to recover. Now, he only felt more revitalized and as though his healing rate had also increased.
Naruto's thoughts were interrupted upon the girl's approach. She reached forward slowly to untie the bindings that held his sleeping bag shut. As soon as she did, he pulled his arms free, stretching them to find he was dressed in a fur lined long sleeved shirt. He pulled at it, finding a majority of his torso and arms to be bandaged.
He allowed her to reach for his hand, hearing her gasp in amazement when she removed the scarf she'd wrapped around it the night before. She exclaimed, moving his own hand to show him how he'd recovered.
"Yeah, I've always been a fast healer," Naruto said knowing full well she would not understand.
She removed her glove with her teeth, holding it there as she traced her soft thumb along the rough and calloused surface of his palm, her amazement growing at the physical confirmation his wound was indeed healed and gone.
The very same wound the boy had given him, if indirectly, despite being very much intentional.
Naruto acknowledged the fact they'd clothed, sheltered, attempted to heal, and now offered him water was proof enough his unexpected entrance must have startled them into action. Even now he was unrestrained with a girl who looked only a few years younger than he in age.
If their aim was to harm him, they would have done so when he was unconscious, defenseless, and exposed. Naruto knew he had the girl before him to thank for that, recalling how she literally placed herself between himself and those of her village.
All for a stranger.
"Thank you," Naruto decided a proper show of appreciation was in order, doing so with an accompanying bow.
She looked confused again, letting go of his hand rather quickly, muttering what could have potentially been an apology, as indicated by her tone.
"I really gotta go now," he said, sitting up to stand. In doing so he winced again. He was healing but he wasn't fully so yet.
She said something out of concern now, placing a gentle hand to his chest, likely urging him to remain in place. He returned the gesture by carefully moving her hand away with a placating smile of his own, though it didn't reach his eyes, he gestured to himself and then to the tent's entrance.
The girl was conflicted but eventually stood up and off to the side.
He thanked her again before coming to a stand, finding his pants and sandals at least remained in place, although he would be needing a new pair soon considering they were burned in certain inopportune places, exposing sections of his green boxers. Naruto had a spare change of clothes, but changing in front of a young girl was unlikely to ingratiate him with anyone.
Not that it would matter considering he would be leaving soon, but he would be sure to return one day to more properly offer his thanks for their eventual hospitality.
Stepping out of the tent into the frigid morning air, Naruto decided his current state of dress, barring his pants and sandals, were likely for the best. He found the boy from the night before near the entrance, clearly his assigned guard. Only he was seated on a chair sculpted from snow, snoring loudly and drooling with a spear that had since been discarded in his sleep.
He glanced at the girl who'd followed him out, receiving aa sheepish smile in response and an accompanying shrug of her shoulders.
A sudden shout pulled his attention from her to a young girl, likely no older than ten, who was pointing at him. It didn't take long for a mass of women and children to begin pouring out of similar tents in what appeared to be a small encampment erected in the very snow itself, protected by a wall of snow, ice, and wood.
The camp appeared very primitive in that there were no signs of electricity, running water, or any such amenities. Their clothing was also rather primitive and more immediately taken from nature itself in the form of processed animal skin and furs.
They were all still clearly weary of him, well, most of them.
Mother's pushed their young behind themselves to reign in their curiosity as they struggled to prevent them from trying to see him. Their cautious expressions were grimly familiar, and it only confirmed that which he'd already suspected.
They were alone.
There were no men present, only young boys and women of varying ages.
It was possible their men were simply out on a hunt, or perhaps they'd been sent out to partake in the Fourth Shinobi War. Though he couldn't recall having witnessing any forces resembling any of the present in attire, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility.
"Sokka!"
The spearhead was mere inches from his nose, drawing a gasp of fear from the women and children. The boy shouted something at him, a command clearly, inching the spear closer to him.
A cursory glance in the light of day revealed the boy's weak constitution. He had some training, of this there was no doubt, but nothing of the boy eluded to true discipline. His openings were many and his attack from the night before had been slow.
Even though he'd since relinquished his Sage Mode and he was far from being healed, the boy before him presented to him no real threat. But Naruto had no intention of provoking or instilling anymore fear into those who had saved him. Slowly, he raised his hands in a placating manner, keeping his expression even.
"Sokka!"
It must have been his name or their equivalent to the word 'stop' because the boy did just that, looking to the crowd. As did Naruto, though never once did he allow the weapon or the boy to leave his peripherals.
A woman, older than most and of clear importance stepped forward. Her status was evident in how everyone parted to allow her unobstructed access to the scene, most looking to her as if hanging on her every word.
The boy shouted something but was interrupted by the older woman, her words firm and resolute despite the language barrier. He recognized her from the night before, along with just how much the girl who ultimately helped save him argued with her.
Reluctantly, the boy pulled his spear back, but not his glare or suspicious demeanor. He clearly didn't trust him and Naruto couldn't exactly blame him as it appeared their protection fell solely on his shoulders.
What a sorry state they must have found themselves in for this to be the case.
"Thank you for helping me," Naruto stepped forward but made sure to keep enough distance from the gathered group. It would not reflect favorably on himself if he neared the most vulnerable of their people any further.
He punctuated his words with a respectful bow, hoping this at least they would understand.
The older woman studied him for a time before offering a smile, returning his gesture herself.
Their was an almost tangible wave of relief from all present.
Deciding there would be no better person to ask, Naruto kneeled, placing his hands upon his knees in what he hoped was a further disarming gesture. "Do you know about Konoha? Or any of the other Lands?" He repeated their names once more, repeating that of the Land of Snow multiple times.
Surely she of all people was likely to recognize the land he thought them to be.
The woman looked just as confused as the girl had, even their eyes creasing in much the same way. Speaking of the girl, she moved to stand at his side to address the woman herself, explaining something to her.
Despite the elder woman's previous gesture and demeanor, she tensed at their close proximity. Naruto observed this and opted to remain as still as possible.
The woman said something to the girl before turning to another woman, speaking to her briefly before waving her away. The woman rushed away and in the meantime, the elder motioned to another woman.
The girl at his side met the woman halfway to accept another water pouch along with something wrapped in a cloth. She returned to him, presenting them to him with another beautiful smile.
His final clash with Sasuke had changed Naruto in more ways than one.
He couldn't help but to silently chastise the girl for her naivety in being so kind and carefree around who amounted to nothing more than a stranger. Her people were right to be cautious of him.
It was something he was remised to admit he may have done in the past.
But not anymore.
He accepted their offerings with another thanks and bow, his newfound outlook trounced by his hunger and thirst.
He drank half of the water first, and then bit into what must have been dried meat that somehow tasted familiar and very different from that which he'd had before. Whatever it was tasted delicious as he washed it down with the remainder of the water. He supposed he was still a fool in his own right for having accepted that which could have very well been poisoned, thinking perhaps he might not have learned his lesson after all in believing their intentions towards him to be selfless.
The girl's were, at the very least.
The woman who'd departed earlier returned with a rolled up piece of paper that looked very much like a scroll. She handed it to the elder, who herself began to approach him.
Once more the girl moved to intercept, but the elder did not relinquish her hold of the scroll, instead crossing the remaining distance to join him. This was against what he perceived to be the advice of some of the women, the boy included, as she came to kneel before him.
Naruto met her eyes, finding them a similar but wizened shade of blue as the girl's own, who had since kneeled by his side once more, they must have been related.
The permanent creases of the woman's eyes, along with her composure eluding to a long life of experience, reminded him much of Sarutobi Hiruzen. She spoke as she unfurled what turned out to be a map, pointing to a small landmass located near the bottom of the other masses.
Naruto's stomach dropped as he studied the map, it's legend little more than scribbles, proving to be in a language he was certain he'd never before encountered. More important than even that, he couldn't recognize any of the lands on the map. What he was seeing in no ways resembled the Elemental Nations.
There were seven landmasses in total, more if he counted a few small clusters, but they didn't seem to have any lettering to identify them as something of importance. Even using his wildest imagination, Naruto couldn't make the map fit that which he remembered.
The woman once more pointed at the southern most land mass, and then motioned to all that surrounded them. Next, she pointed to him, and then to the map, clearly asking him where he was from.
"No, no, this has to be wrong," Naruto shook his head, with cracks beginning to appear in his composure. "This doesn't look like any map I've ever seen. Why is everything so spread out? Where's the Land of Fire? Where's…. Where's anything?"
That's when he recalled having a map of his own, just not the other contents within.
Naruto palmed his left forearm harshly, where he housed a seal only visible in use. It was a trick he picked up from Jiraiya, one employed by Shinobi deep in enemy territory where one could not afford to carry a heavy pack.
The sudden appearance of the scroll in a pop and small plume of smoke elicited further unrest from all around, with the exception of the woman, who only looked on in clear interest. He unfurled the scroll, pressing his hand at its center where another plume of smoke briefly obscured what was within.
When it finally cleared it did so to reveal two ration bars, a map, and three sharp kunai which glinted dangerously in the sun.
Naruto caught the spear intended for his neck with his left hand, never once breaking eye contact with the elder as he held up his right hand in a placating gesture, slowly indicating his own map.
The woman observed him closely, clearly seeing just how much the boy struggled to pull his spear away from Naruto's grasp's even going as far as placing his foot on his shoulder for leverage, only to fail to budge him so much as an inch.
She uttered what might have been his name again, sternly, motioning him away. It took the girl pulling him away to get the boy to finally relinquish his hold on the spear.
Naruto tossed it off to the side and allowed his hands to slowly return to their place atop his knees.
She finally reached for the scroll, unfurling it to reveal his map of the Elemental Nations. He pointed at himself and then to the Land of Fire, Konoha more specifically, repeating the name slowly as he pressed his finger to the map.
The woman studied it for a time, Naruto in turn doing the same, only his focus was on her eyes for any signs of recognition. Unfortunately, when she returned his stare, it was with a profound sadness that, without the need for words, told him all he needed to know.
He was much further form home than he could have ever possibly imagined.
This story will diverge somewhat from both Naruto and Avatar canon simply because it's been forever since I watched Naruto, despite this being my favorite genre of fanfics. As for the changes pertaining to the Avatar world, well no one enjoys a complete retelling of an established story, with Naruto just inserted within. Also, I'll be the first to admit I don't know every single detail pertaining the lore and i've only just started watching the show again.
At the end of the day this story is simply for fun and for mine and your enjoyment.
That being said, there will be some more mature elements to this story and Naruto's character will be slightly different in a way I hope comes across as realistic.
As for the pairings, that's kind of up in the air at this point. Don't know if I want to go the harem route or keep it a single pairing. Might go either way at this point, just going to have to see how it goes. I'll put the potential pairings as pairings in the tags until I can decide.
Hope you guys enjoyed. Until next time.