Chapter 1: The Will of Fire

Naruto was practically skipping his way home. It was his first day in Konoha's academy and he was placed in the highest half of his group, much to the chagrin of his teachers for some unknown reason. His blond hair moved with the wind as the child made its way home. He was an orphan so he had no real home, but the orphanage lady was kind enough to let him stay for so long. She was one of the few that didn't like Naruto, but then again, it was extremely hard to hate the blue-eyed, blonde ball of sunshine. Especially when he was so helpful in calming down the rest of the kids with his boasting tales. He could be considered a genius by some, if he wasn't hated that much. He was only 7 years old, but he could read very well. Of course, it kind of helped when few would help him learn, being forced to learn as much as he can on his own. However, little Naruto had another skill, previously hidden, his chakra. He was the first kid to unlock his chakra, 'Take that Sasuke-baka' thought the kid, displaying an immense potential too. Some, like that beautiful pink-haired girl Haruno Sakura, hadn't even managed to sense her own chakra yet, but the blonde was certain she would be ok, she was his crush after all.

And so the kid made its way home, greeting everyone along the way, trying to be as nice as possible, even knowing they didn't especially like him. He didn't know why though, so he didn't care about it all that much. Nah, he cared more about dinner and maybe some sweets, maybe he'd get a treat, being the first to unlock his chakra. Naruto made his way home, not noticing an ominous orange-red glow come from that direction, not until he was very, very close to it. Smelling the acrid scent of burning wood and hearing a cry for help, a child's cry for help, Naruto threw down his school bag and rushed home.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw, a man, outlined in black, surrounded by flames, flames he was spitting out towards the orphanage, his home, while people were still inside. Naruto's instincts to protect his friends took over and he rushed in. Coming inside, he tried to avoid as many flames as he could, getting to the scary man. In front of the man, he saw the orphanage lady, Haruna, standing in front of the scared children. Naruto didn't waste any time and body-slammed the man. Of course, he didn't do much to the adult, but it was enough to send him to the ground and distract him. Naruto stood up, scurrying away from the formerly-laughing man. He saw a look of such hate, madness and fury, he almost ran for it. Almost being the keyword. Remembering the tales of brave Samurai and heros and how they fought against all odds, Naruto swallowed his fear and turned to the caretaker.

"R-run! Take everyone and run! I'll hold him for a bit, RUN!"

The woman was, of course, apalled by the mere thought. "What are you talking about Naruto-kun? I'm not leaving you here!" Then... then she saw them... the child's eyes, filled with something she had only seen in one person, a person she knew was very important but for the sake of her, she couldn't remember who. However, she knew something; the child's mind was made up, he wouldn't take no for an answer.

Naruto gave the woman a foxy smirk. "Don't worry 'bout me! I'm a ninja, a future Hokage! There's no way a little flame like that will defeat me! Now go! Go and get help!"

Haruna gathered up the children and make a break for it, only looking back at Naruto once she was at the door. What she saw terrified her as much as it gave her hope. The flames... were not approaching the boy... They seemed to bow to him, as if in respect. Naruto's outline was overlayed by another man's outline, a man in a white trenchcoat with flames licking the bottom. Then Naruto turned his head to her and the woman gasped, they were the same. They were exactly the same. Naruto's face was exactly the same as that man's, almost like a clone of him. Only the whisker marks gave him a more sinister look, a sinister look that was quickly replaced by a mischievous smile, putting the woman at is. She knew, somehow, she knew that things would be ok. Naruto would protect them.

Behind Naruto's brave facade though, things weren't as calm. Oh no, the boy was scared, scratch that, he was absolutely terrified. However, he wouldn't give up, he couldn't, it was against his very nature. So when the man looked at him with these crazed, hateful eyes, Naruto gulped and crouched forward, ready to charge him again if he did those 'magic finger things' that ninja did to use their jutsu. The man tensed and made the handseals much faster than the kid was prepared for. The man called out his technique and blew out an absolutely huge ball of fire... straight at the boy.

Naruto stared in absent terror, before he remembered something, something he had learned only that day.

-Flashback, earlier that day, Academy-

"Alright everyone, who can tell me what chakra is for?" Questioned the new teacher, Iruka. Many hands came up with answers, but none of them were completely right. So, the teacher decided to answer it himself. "Chakra... is for everything. If you have enough and know how to use it, you can do anything. There are ninja that make fire out of chakra, others that control lighting, some are even rumoured to fly. So, here you are going to learn how to use your chakra. In time, you too will be able to do that, you will gain your own jutsu. With chakra, nothing is impossible" Of course, the man knew that not half of that was true, but the children believed him and he enjoyed the awed faces he got.

-Flashback End-

Naruto gathered all his courage. He could do anything with enough chakra right? Well, he sure as heck had enough, even Sandaime-no-jiji said he had immense reserves of the stuff. So, if he could do anything what prevented him from stopping some measly fire? Even if it was a huge ball of the stuff heading towards him.

The fire obstructed the man's view of the kid and he laughed maniacally. "Yes, YES! Beautiful, you're burning beautifully, SO BEAUTIFUL! Hahaha! Everything, everything burns! Hahaha! Burn, burn!"

Soon however, the technique ceased and the man was shocked. There, right in the middle of the area... stood Naruto, his clothes mostly burned, with a veritable tornado of blue chakra surrounding him, arms stretched to the side, as if protecting those behind him. Even in the depths of his madness, the man was stunned. It shouldn't be possible, to withstand such a technique with raw, uncontrolled chakra, the boy should have truly humongous reserves.

Naruto panted, it was harder than he thought, it didn't protect him completely either. However, he knew he didn't have to stay there for long, the masked men, ANBU Iruka-sensei had called them, would come soon. He would just have to last that long. The man breathed again and shot another fireball. Naruto wrapped his chakra around him and turned to the side, trying to avoid becomine completely scorched. The heat washed over him and Naruto bit a scream, he knew if he opened his mouth or drew a breath, it would be all over. So he withstood it, he took it and stayed standing. However, at the last second of the blast, it exploded, sending him sprawled on the ground. However, he was still alive.

The man gawked. It was impossible. "Why? Why don't you BURN? BURN DAMN YOU! BUUURN!"

Another burst of fire came at Naruto. The boy, even through the ordeal, couldn't help but marvel at the power of fire. It danced, beautifully from place to place, like a teardrop suspended in reverse, a joyful dance. Even though it hurt him, it also amazed him, not because it burned everything, but because it was simply... breathtaking. Without even realizing it, Naruto had just decided, fire was AWESOME. No, scratch that, ALL elemental jutsu were awesome. He wanted to learn them, master them, honor them and bond with them. The elements held so much power the boy would scarcely believe it, even if he realized his own thoughts.

Naruto painfully got up. He saw the man making his handseal thingies again. Only this time, he really felt the power building within. Fortunately, it took the man enough time for Naruto turn around and curl to a ball, trying to protect himself. When the fire came... it was beyond anything Naruto had experienced. Raw, searing agony coursed through Naruto's exposed back, scorching everything in its wake. The blast tore straight through Naruto's feeble chakra barrier, colliding with his flesh and almost drilling its way through. Naruto terrified, caught on fire. Only his terrified instinctive reaction of releasing a burst of chakra saved him, putting out the few flames on the boy.

Naruto lied in the heated floor defeated. He didn't have more chakra, he was burned, hungry, naked and he was hurting. He didn't cry though, oh no, he was a big boy and big boys don't cry, but he was sad. He was scared. Most of all, he wanted to be safe, be home, with Haruna-obaa-san hugging him and reading him a tail. Naruto's failing vision barely registered several shadowy shapes charging through the near-collapsed entrance of the orphanage before blackness, sweet, merciful blackness took him.

Several hours later, Naruto opened his eyes. The kid wondered if it was a nightmare, but the pure white ceiling told him otherwise. The scent of medicine tickled his nose and he sneezed. It was then he realized it wasn't a dream, as a sudden pain erupted on his back, where the man had blown a stream of fire. Naruto winced and blinked his eyes, trying to clear the haze. He turned to the side and saw he was on a hospital bed, with a table easily within reach. On it was a vase with several flowers and cards wishing him well.

Naruto's smile widened to a toothy grin when he saw some of his favourite candy on the desk. He sighed in pleasure when the sweet taste hit his taste buds. A few minutes later, Hokage-no-ji-chan, came in, followed by the orphanage lady and his friends. Naruto waved happily at them and tried to speak, making a mess of himself since he forgot to swallow first. The old man laughed at his childish behaviour, while Haruna giggled and hugged him tenderly, trying not to aggravate his back. His friends chuckled at his antics and high-fived him for the boys, while the girls gave him a kiss on the cheek, causing the poor blond to blush.

Sandaime took in a deep breath. "How are you feeling Naruto-kun?"

Naruto gave him a full-blown smile, blowing any doubts of the boy's stability away. "Good as new ji-chan! I told you that little fire wouldn't keep me down! Nothing can defeat me, the mighty future Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto-sama! Hahaha!" The boy laughed at everyone, only to wince and cry out in pain as the caretaker's fist bopped him over the head.

"That was stupid of you Naruto-kun! You could have died there! What were you thinking, taking all of that yourself! You are not even-"

Naruto looked at her seriously, shocking both her and the Hokage, both remembering the same look on that man's face. "I had to. Everyone... everyone's my friend! I won't let my nakama get hurt! No matter what! I'll protect them because... because that's my nindo! My ninja way! And I don't go back on my word!"

Sandaime felt a pang of pain in his heart, the words being so similar to those he had heard from both of them, that day when they decided they would fight and serve Konoha. He missed them, he missed both of them so much. But, he had the new generation, standing here, in front of him. And if Naruto was any sign, then the next generation would be a truly amazing one. Though, he still felt sad that they wouldn't be able to see it. Clearing his mind of the cobwebs, Sarutobi looked at the kid.

"Still, you should have dodged Naruto-kun, you didn't have to take it head on. You should have run along with everyone else."

Naruto looked at him and shook his head vigorously. "I couldn't do it ji-chan! That would put everyone in danger! I had to stop it. If I didn't, then it would hit those outside!"

Sarutobi once again sighed, seeing as the boy was as headstrong as his parents. "It was a wrong move Naruto-kun. You should have moved aside, you should have avoided these flames. It was wrong and it was foolish."

Naruto looked down, he really wanted to be praised, besides didn't he protect everyone? The old man looked at him and smiled however. "Although it was stupid, it was also a very brave thing to do Naruto-kun. To put your friends above your own safety, takes a lot of courage. You shouldn't worry about making wrong choices, everyone does. Just make sure to learn from them, alright? Besides, I think the time you will have to spend here, on that bed, will be punishment enough. The scar on your back will also remind you of it. You... really are a little hero aren't you?"

The boy cheered loudly. "Yatta! I'm a hero, I'm a hero!"

Naruto's spirits lightened up the atmosphere as the aged Kage left the room, giving Naruto time to spend with his friends. Haruna just watched from the sidelines, enjoying the interaction between her children, because she felt each and everyone of them was her child.

The boys were talking animatedly about how cool it was, while the girls were asking Naruto if he was scared. The boy then did something that impressed the woman very much. He admitted that he was scared.

"Well... yeah I was scared. I mean the whole place was on fire and he was a grown up... But, but you're all my friends. I couldnt' let him hurt you!"

The caretaker giggled as she saw the girls develop what would later be known as 'fangirlish squeal' at the boy's declaration. Heck, the begininngs of Naruto's fan club were already set. And once the story of the child hero got out... Well, at least the villagers would change their minds.

After some time, the group left Naruto to rest, with Haruna leaving a book for Naruto, a book about dragons and heroes, just like the ones he loved. Naruto thanked her profoundly, knowing he'd have something to do in all the time he'd have to spend in the hospital.

Haruna's prediction of the villagers changing their minds was proven correct. After knews of the orphanage being set on fire, many initially thought it was Naruto's fault. However, when they learned of what he had to endure to make everyone get to safety, their minds began to change. Some still thought it was the demon fox's influence, but that was quickly blown away, as there were many stories of how much Naruto had been burned to protect everyone. If it had been Kyubi, then the demon wouldn't have been hurt by the flames, they should know, they tried to burn the beast but it seemed to eat them up. If it had actually hurt Naruto... then that meant that he in fact wasn't the demon fox. He was... he was just another innocent boy, albeit one with a heavy burden on his shoulders. For the next week, many villagers slept restlessly, remembering the times they had been rude to the boy, remembering that not once, not once had the boy attacked, retaliated or been even in the slightest rude to them. Some of the ANBU were especially intrigued by the boy. Sure many of them would charge a burning building if it was a mission, but how many of them would do it just because someone else was inside? How many of them would have done it when they were children? Finally, how many of them would have risked getting burned alive to get some people out if they were a demon fox?

Some still remained unchanging in their opinion that Naruto was Kyubi, however, they were the vast minority. Even those that the child had pranked in the past reconsidered their meetings with the kid. They realized that not one of these pranks had resulted in injury or even monetary loss. No, each and every one of these pranks had happened only after they had been rude and rejected the boy. Naruto, without knowing it, had made his first step in changing the village for the better.

In his hospital room though, Naruto didn't know anything about that, except getting more and more 'get well' cards, from people he barely knew. However, he was happy just the same. When he wasn't reading his cards or eating candy, he was reading his books. He just loved fairy tales, adventures, legends, heroes and villains. He wanted to be like that too! But most of all, he fell in love with dragons. The mighty beasts, capable of withstanding any attack, breathing fire and were so strong they could tear down mountains! He absolutely loved them! He wanted to be one too! So, when Sarutobi visited Naruto some time later, he was surprised by the child's declaration.

"I don't want to be Hokage that much any more. I found another dream!"

Sandaime was stunned, what had changed? Had the child been corrupted, had anyone else told him of his burden? It was all blown away once he looked at the child's innocent blue eyes. "Oh, so what do you want to become then Naruto-kun?"

Naruto shook with determination and excitement before jumping on his bed, shaking his fist to the heavens. "I WANT TO BE A DRAGON!"

Sarutobi almost face-faulted. He caught himself in the last moment and instead chuckled good-naturedly at the child's antics. Inwards he blew a sigh of relief, the kid was a naive and childish as ever, as it should be. 'First it was ramen chef, then it was Hokage, now it's dragon? Ah well, it's a phase, it'll pass'.

Sarutobi would take many, many months and years to realize that in fact it wasn't a phase, it wouldn't pass and Naruto... Naruto had the potential to become the closest thing to a dragon a human could ever be. Even then though, he would chuckle, puff his pipe and claim that he always knew the kid was something else, he always knew. Too bad his belief in Naruto didn't help the kid pay for the stuff he destroyed when he went overboard. Which was pretty much... every time!

A/N: *Nervous laugh* Err... hehehe... sorry about this. I just have this plot bunny and I can't shake it out of my head. So, I thought, what the hell, let's DO THIS! If that's Lady Inspiration's desire, then this is what I shall do. Some of you may have noticed, others didn't. This is a Naruto/Fairy Tail crossover, with a small twist compared to the others. Welcome to my new fic and I hope you'll enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.

Also, this one will have a beta-tester most of the time, in the shape of my good friend Libra'sAngel27.

As always, read, review and send me your opinions. Flamers are appreciated because they are food for Naru-chan. So flame away and help him power up! On with the FLAMES OF YOUTH! *Get's promptly squashed by a 10ton weight thrown by Libra'sAngel* Ouch...

Anyway, hope you like this everyone. And no, I'm not giving up on ANY of my fics. They will all get updated as soon as my Lady get's cracking around in my head. Can't write without inspiration after all, at least nothing worth writing in the first place. See ya 'round!