What's up, people? Hope you guys are doing well! I'm still working on my other stories if you are wondering, but I've had the idea of a Naruto x ATLA crossover for a while, so, here it is! It's a bit of a different take on the whole approach and is aimed to be somewhat unique. While initially, the first chapter might cause some confusion, that's the point of the story eh?

Anyway, enjoy this chapter, and let me know how it goes! Also, FanFiction still hasn't fixed their stupid notification problem. Well, enjoy!

Death and destruction…all around her she heard the sounds of those dying on the field, the sounds of those still fighting. The orange blaze of the fire lit up the night sky an orange hue, plums of dark smoke billowing upwards.

"P-Please…" She muttered, gathering her strength as she coughed up blood, her focus divided between sustaining the golden chains attached to her body and the only person on her mind.

"P-Please…Minato…don't make Naruto into a Jinchūriki!" She shouted in anguish, knowing the fate that would await their son, their only child. She fell to her knees, tears in her eyes as they traveled down her cheeks. It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to start a family, welcome their son into the world, raise him, and watch him grow.

"I beg you…please…" She pleaded as she coughed more. How could such a happy do go so wrong so fast? She was giving birth a moment ago, and now she was trying to restrain an escaped Kyūbi! She gasped as a golden flash caught the periphery of her eye.

"Minato…" She smiled sadly, blood trailing out of her mouth and down her chin. The love of her life smiled back at her, holding their newborn son in his arms.

"Kushina…I…I'm sorry, but I cannot use another…" He responded somberly, his eyes swimming with sorrow.

"Don't Minato, please. Please don't put this burden on him. You know how he will be treated as a Jinchūriki. Just…just seal it back into me and spare him!" She begged, offering herself up to take the Kyūbi with her to her grave. But the man shook his head.

"I can't. He'll need his mother after this is over…" He responded, already having accepted his faith at the end of it all. He'd die, his son would become the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi, and he'd have his mother to raise him.

"They'll hate him…they'll shun him for what he will carry! Please…please don't do this…" She sobbed even harder, her heart breaking at the thought of their son being an orphan and a Jinchūriki. She had lost everything, her clan, her family, and now she was going to lose Minato. Naruto was the only thing she had left.

"I…I'm sorry, my love. Please forgive me for this." He closed his eyes tightly, holding back the tears as Kushina's eyes widened as she felt her eyes grow heavy and began to close as she lurched forward. Minato used his free hand and caught her from hitting the ground. He grimaced as the golden chains dissipated.

"I hope you forgive me for this, but…I have no choice…" He knew that he wasn't going to win any Father of the Year award or be called a great husband. But he needed her to survive, their son would need one of them and he'd rather have Kushina be that parent. He looked down at his son and smiled sadly, the blond infant was sleeping as if the Kyūbi wasn't on a rampage.

"Not a care in the world for you, huh?" He chuckled, but it was hollow. He didn't know his first day of holding his son would be his last…

"I'm sorry…Kushina…Naruto…" He let out a heartfelt apology, as his son opened his eyes…

Blue eyes slowly fluttered open, his blond bangs covering his eyes as they swayed because of the wind. He yawned as he sat up from his laid position, stretching his arms out as he heard satisfying pops reliving the stiffness.

"Ah…that felt good." He said to himself as he sat back down, his body swapping back and forth. He looked ahead as he saw land approaching, causing him to perk up. Finally, he can get off of his boat and do some exploring! Before he could do anything else, he closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly before bringing his hands up and clapping them twice before he sent a silent prayer.

"Watch over me…Kaa-Chan…" He spoke, hoping his mother would be watching over him. He stood up once more, a determined look on his face as he brought his right arm up and began to check the straps of his armor, ensuring they were tight and secure. The armor was light despite its look, consisting of scales that were layered for his shoulder guards, a single chest piece also consisting of layers, along with the armor around his legs and hips.

The main chest piece was a blood-red color while the shoulder guards and leg armor were more orange. On his hips was a single sword, the guard matching the main color of the armor and the sheath all black in color. A family heirloom that was supposedly passed down from generation to generation of the Uzumaki clan.

"Now then, let's see what this island has to offer!" He spoke to himself, his hair now fluttering in the wind more wildly. His mother had trained him well. She had trained him to fight. To survive. And he'd do her proud.

A Few Minutes Later:

As the boat contacted the sand of the beach, he vaulted over, his armor clicking and clanging sounding his arrival to anyone that would be at the beach, which was no one at the present. He took in a deep breath before he exhaled. He stood there for a moment, taking in everything. The sound of the waves, the shuffling of the trees and leaves, and the fresh air that nature provided. His mother always said that he had a green thumb and an affinity for nature.

"Let's go!" He shouted enthusiastically, his grin reaching to his ears as he began to march forward, watching to explore whatever he could before he made camp and decided on his next move. With his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, he began to head further into the island.

"Hmm, it's pretty warm here actually. However, the cool breeze from the ocean does make it nice." He observed as he marched forward. Despite his carefree attitude and curiosity, he had kept his guard. His hand on his sword and muscles tensed. It was natural for him to do so given his upbringing.

"What in the world is this?" He narrowed his eyes, the whiskers on his face scrunching up as well as he came upon a peculiar sight. It was a statue, an old statue of a lady with…fans? He raised an eyebrow as he approached the statue, looking up at it with curiosity. He had never seen such a statue, well, he had never seen a statue before at all.

"Was this lady important or something?" He questioned himself, tilting his head at it. He could see the faint makeup on the woman's face, but it was faded. The statue itself looked like it hadn't been maintained in a while. As he approached closer, his eyes narrowed as his hand tightened around the hilt of his sword before he drew it in a seamless motion, easily deflecting the incoming strike.

"If you want to take me on, you'll have to do better than that!" He shouted, a smile slowly forming on his face, he loved battle. A few more projectiles were thrown his way, but he effortlessly deflected them all, his sword shining under the sun. His attackers finally reviled themselves as a couple of female warriors jumped out of the bushes, their armor like that of the statue of the women, make-up, and all. And like the statue, they were wielding battle fans. He looked at the projectiles thrown at him before he knelt and picked one up.

"Hmmm, so, these things are made out of metal. Pretty handy." He commented as he opened and closed the fan in his hand before he sidestepped, dodging a strike from one of the female warriors. He closed the fan in his hand before twisting his body and striking the fan at the back of the female warrior's head, causing her to stumble onto the ground.

"Nice try." He praised the warrior as he flicked his wrist and sent the metal battle fan flying through the air toward the warriors. It was fast, faster than they could see, and the fan hit true, sending the one it struck stumbling back.

"Surrender, interloper or we will use deadly force!" One of them, the presumed leader of the squad, shouted at him, but he could only chuckle before he lowered his sword.

"Please, I encourage you to fight to your fullest! Give me a good battle!" He shouted, almost sounding like a crazed man, which caused some of the warriors to take a step back a bit at his display.

"Very well." The squad leader declared as she charged forward, the fan in her right hand open, as she used it as concealment to cover her attack. Despite her speed, the blond saw her coming from a mile away. Shifting the sword in his hand, he reversed it in hand, offering the blunt side of the sword. The fan contacted the sword, being effortlessly blocked. However, knowing that it would be blocked, she followed up with a second strike from the left.

"Too slow." He stated as he brought his arm up, using the armored forearm guards to block the strike without much effort.

"W-What the…" The female warrior stuttered out in surprise, the strength of the blond catching her off guard. The blond smirked as he tensed his muscles and applied pressure to the arm holding the sword before he threw the warrior back while yanking the fan from her hand. Seeing their squad lead being so easily defeated the rest of the warriors began to back up ever so slightly. The blond raised an eyebrow, sword in hand.

"Is there no one else?" He questioned, challenging them all to a fight if they dared, but none stepped forward, still in shock at seeing their best warrior so easily beaten in such a manner. The blond sighed as he brought the sword up to the palm of his hand before he slid it across it. Crimson blood seeped out of the fresh wound, covering the sword before he flicked the blood off of it and sheathed it. A sword was only to be sheathed after it had shed blood.

"Look, I mean you no harm. I just wanna explore the island for a few days and I'll be heading out after that." He reasoned. Despite wanting a good fight, he meant no harm.

"That's what they all say! You're just another Fire Bender here to scout!" The leader of the bunch stood back up and pointed her remaining fan at him accusingly, but the blond tilted his head.

"Fire Bender?" He questioned her as she narrowed her eyes, assuming her battle stance.

"Yes, Fire Bender! You're all the same! But we won't let you escape!" She declared as the blond looked at her in utter confusion.

"Uh…what's a Fire Bender?" He questioned her as utter silence covered the small opening as the female warriors looked at him like he was crazy.

"Do you take us for fools!?" One of them shouted as the blond winced slightly at the noise level.

"You don't have to shout lady. I can hear you loud and clear." He stated as he cleared his ear. The one who had shouted fumed at that.

"Who you calling lady?!" She shouted, offended at being called a lady! She wasn't old dammit! The blond raised his hands in a surrounding notion, not wanting hostilities to continue.

"Sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about. What's a Fire Bender?" He questioned them as the warriors scowled at it.

"Lies! You're a Fire Bender! Just cause you got some new type of fancy armor and sword doesn't hide that fact!" The leader of the group shouted at him, not believing him in a bit.

"No, I swear, I have no idea what a Fire Bender is!" He tried to reason with them as they kept their guard up, not wanting to believe him. Seeing that they didn't believe him, he sighed.

"Listen. My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I just left the only place I call home to travel the world. I have no idea what a Fire Bender is." The now-named Naruto reasoned with them as they slightly relaxed.

"How do we know that you not lying?" She questioned him as Naruto pointed at her.

"If I were lying, I wouldn't have used the blunt side of my sword to fight you. I could have easily beaten you using lethal force." He pointed out. The female warrior stood up and approached him, her eyes still narrowed as she pointed a finger at him and jabbed it into his chest plate.

"What's that supposed to mean?! Just cause you're a man you think you could have easily beaten me?!" She questioned, outraged that he would be implying such a thing, but Naruto shook his head.

"What?! I never said that! Stop jumping to conclusions! Besides, my mother was the strongest person I have ever known! I never stood a chance against her!" He rebutted, even more, outraged that she would think that he was implying that. He frowned before he took a step back.

"Listen, as I said, I'm just a traveler. While I love a good fight, I'm not looking for conflict. I just wanted to explore the island before I head out." Naruto explained once more, the female warrior not believing him completely.

"And you swear you're not a Fire Bender?" She questioned him as Naruto nodded.

"Still no idea what a Fire Bender is, but sure." He answered, causing her to cross her arms.

"You swear on Avatar Kyoshi's honor?" She questioned him again as he raised an eyebrow.

"Two questions; who's Kyoshi and what is an Avatar?" He questioned them, causing them to look at him like he was crazy.

And cut! Well, how is it? I hope you liked the initial pilot chapter! Leave reviews if you have questions and give me some ideas, etc. I haven't decided on things like pairings and all, but I am leaning strongly towards Naruto X Toph with maybe another. I wanted Naruto to emulate Toph, wanting to explore the world and you'll see why later on he wants to do so; it'll be similar to the reason Toph wants to but different at the same time.

As for why Naruto doesn't know what a Bender is or what Avatar is? Well, that's something you'll have to find out! See you all next time!