Disclaimer: I don't own anything you see in this Crossover Work, not a damn thing. More information about what exactly I'll be involving in this fic at the end of this Chapter. With that said, read on and leave your thoughts at the end. Is it good or is it crap? That's up for you guys to decide, I can't make any of you voice your opinions; that's your job as the viewer/reviewer.

*Key*
"Talking"
Thinking
Faust Talking

The destiny of the Fire Nation fell to the Prodigal Child of the Fire Lord. At least, that is what Azula, Princess of the Fire Nation, was told. The young hellcat gladly accepted the role of being the Fire Nation's savior, to her, it was not just destiny that such an important role was handed to her; it was fate.

Zuko, son of Fire Lord Ozai and former Fire Lady, Ursa, was a consistent disappointment to the ways of the Fire Nation. Despite being firstborn, he was exactly the opposite of what a firstborn of a Fire Lord should be; he was always weak, and born with a fool's mind. His firebending in comparison to Azula's was abysmal at best, as a child Azula herself was a prodigy in such arts; learning to master the more intense concentration needed to control powerful azure flames.

And quickly reaching Zuko's level of shame was none other than Admiral Zhao, the lead of the Fire Nation's warships and current military conquests. Azula had met the admirable before, and to her perspective, he was a worthy and savage man; exactly what the Fire Nation needed in the times of the Avatar's return.

However, as of late he had failed to capture the Avatar on multiple times; even when the supposed Messiah was in arm's length. He had also been apparently outwitted by the Avatar on some occasions; and it didn't help lessen the blow when her father's spies had reported that the current Avatar was merely a child.

For his recent string of failures, Ozai had sent out his daughter, his pride and joy, the Fire Nation's prodigy, Princess Azula to assist Admiral Zhao on the upcoming date where a majority of the Fire Nation's fleet would assault the Northern Water Tribe as a whole. It was also rumored that the Avatar himself was headed in the same direction; so it would be considered a win-win situation if both the Northern Water Tribe could be conquered with the Avatar dead on the same day.

Zhao had recently contacted the Fire Lord practically pleading for one more chance to prove himself, but Ozai would have none of it; he told Zhao of Azula's impending arrival to his fleet in where she would assist in the assault. Whether or not Zhao took this as a blow to his own ego was yet to be seen, but personally Azula could care less. Whether the Admiral could or couldn't live up to his task was of no concern to her; she simply wished to have the Avatar's head on a pike, courtesy her own strength.

As for Zuko, his bending was pathetically average, if not underdeveloped from what Azula could comprehend. The Fire Nation's Princess was always willing to make the harder decisions people with soft hearts couldn't make to preserve the sanctity of her nation. Some people called the Fire Princesses' methods abominable, others called her mad; but to Azula, she simply thought of herself as 'incredibly efficient'; nothing more and nothing less.

The Avatar, the being looked up to as some sort of deity in the eyes of the common folk outside of the Fire Nation, had returned after more than a one hundred hiatus. To only a select few hopefuls, the return of such a figure was the sign that the supposed atrocities of Azula's people would be stopped. However to many, the return of the Avatar was nothing more than an extra burden for the world to carry; considering how the one who had been perceived as a God fled from his role so many years ago.

To Azula's nation, the Avatar was the epitome of true weakness. His very existence served as an affront to the Fire Nation and all of its beliefs, teachings and most importantly, rule. Azula had come to here that this new Avatar held the same bland concepts of those who came before him; that 'tyrants' and 'oppressors' of the people had to be brought down in order for there to be true 'peace.'

As she traveled further, Azula could only shake her head at such virtuous idealism. What is peace anyway? Does it even exist? What one person could see as peace could be heresy to another, and what another could see as violence could be seen as peace from another perspective. Therefore, there could never be such a thing as 'true' peace; only one's perception of what peace is.

The only way 'true' peace could exist is if every single person on Earth saw peace in the same way; and that in itself is a fool's dream. Such absolute coexistence and harmony is impossible, it is within the human nature to draw the blood of their neighbors; and as long as there are fools with their petty idealism in order to bring about 'peace', such a thing could not exist.

The only way to keep any sort of prosperity was with a cold, iron fist. Diplomacies and trust are trivial matters that only petty politicians concern themselves with, and such tactics could only work so far before someone starts to argue about who has more land because of what they're great grandfather did so many years ago or something along that garbage. If the people are ruled through absolute control, there is no chance for idealism, heresy, radicalism or any type of war.

They respect and fear those who rule over them too much to rebel, and as for those who would continue to struggle against for useless concerns like morality…they would have to crushed into dust to show the world that revolt against the peace of the people would not be tolerated, no matter the cost.

Azula's closest companions, the only two she considered 'friends' in any term; had decided to come along for the raid on the Northern Water Tribe; though one needed a bit more "persuasion" than the other did. The first of the two was an uppity girl named Ty Lee, a rather fetching beauty in clad pink with an incredibly flexible body.

Her flexibility was not her only weapon of choice on a battlefield, but the fact that she could block the chi of a bender in combat to prohibit them from using their talents was an immensely useful ability to have in search of the Avatar of all things. In terms of personality, Azula could only shrug, not in despair or anger, but in a bit of a sense of loss.

Calling Ty Lee an airhead would be a bit of an understatement, her rash, bubbly unpredictable behavior often put the Fire Nation's Princess on the spot to clean up after the acrobat's mess. Azula smirked trying to come up with a single word that could accurately describe Ty Lee…there were none. Nevertheless, though she would never admit to anyone, Azula did enjoy Ty Lee's company not only this mission; but as a friend in general.

Then there was Mai, and if there was a single person on the Earth who could have a personality exactly opposite to Ty Lee's, it was her. Even Azula herself could note that despite how Mai was a close friend, while Ty Lee was spastic, bubbly and joyful, Mai was uninterested, moody and actually quite depressing.

Mai, like Ty Lee, was a rather attractive young woman, something Azula admired and hated at the same time; as the prodigy child never looked at herself as beautiful or had people ogle her like Ty Lee. From what Azula had gathered, Mai had once shared a relationship with her cowardly brother Zuko; but where those emotions would be now were yet to be revealed.

Reports on the Avatar's location were shoddy at best, since the living deity was always on the move, apparently trying to master the elements of Water, Earth and Fire; since the last Air Nomad had only previously mastered his own element due to his act of cowardice. Azula on the other hand, was starting to grow rather impatient. She wanted to see this Avatar, and face him mortal combat. It was her destiny to strike the impertinent Messiah, to show him that even deities can be killed and how weak the idealism of the Avatar's truly is.

But as every second passed she knew he could keep getting farther and farther away. It was absolutely infuriating, every time a barely thrown together report reached her and 'revealed' the Avatar's location he was either somewhere else entirely, just passed through the said area, or had left there days ago.

"Azula….when are we going to get to the fleet? I'm starting to get bored." Ty Lee huffed, blowing some of her hazel hair out of her face. Rolling her eyes, Azula looked over to her uppity acrobat who truly did look uninterested in the constant travel. Not that she would blame her of course, it had been at three days since their initial departure; which was more a less a wild Saber-tooth Moose-Lion chase, due to the Avatar's consistent travel much like their own.

While Ty Lee pouted in boredom, Mai sighed audibly at the situation at hand. Sure, it was nice to get out of a castle filled with nothing but people who would give her anything she wanted without earning it and having her ass practically wiped by the nobles, she had to admit the trip was getting somewhat dull because of little to no action.

She hated her home and what it represented, and figured a trip to go hunt down the Avatar was as good of a reason to leave as ever. She didn't regret her decision to go chase after such a being, but she didn't want have to just sit down while being carried all the way to her destination either; to Mai it was too much like home.

Suddenly, the carriage came to a halt; nearly knocking Ty Lee off balance at the sudden stop. Azula's glance merely shifted to the motion ahead, a few scouts she had sent out farther in the distance for reconnaissance had apparently returned from their mission.

She looked at the Captain and examined his features, he and his men had obviously hurried back as fast as they could; given their heavy panting and vast amount of sweating. Another examination through even a fool's eyes that he had obviously found something unexpected, given away by his wide eyes and the flustered look on his face.

"This delay had better be important, Captain. I trust you coming bearing news about the Avatar?" Azula sneered, in which the grimacing officer could shake his head slowly at, which caused the prodigy child's sneer to turn into a menacing glare. "M-m-my Princess! W-we have not come r-relaying information on the Avatar, but my t-t-troops and I have found ruins of unknown origin northwest along this path!" The Captain exclaimed in fear, hoping that even minimal justification could somehow spare him from the wrath of the Fire Lord's daughter.

"You delay my expedition to hunt down the Avatar because of ruins? Relics of the past? I am not a historian Captain! Though I am interested into what you meant by 'unknown origin'; speak now or hold your tongue, it matters not to me." Azula practically growled, causing Ty Lee to giggle and a smirk to make its way across Mai's face; one thing the two friends of the Fire Nation Princess would agree on is that it was occasionally funny to see Azula scare the piss out of people. Swallowing a lump in his throat with utmost fear, the Captain cleared his throat to address his superior.

"Ahem…the constructs and design of this ruin are a complete enigma to me, your Highness. At first I thought the caverns could perhaps Kyoshi Warriors waiting to assault us; or perhaps the Avatar himself and his party could've set up base camp in there, but I was wrong. There are markings all over the walls; it's some kind of strange language apparently long abandoned, none of the symbols seem to match any common literacy of the Four Nations." The Captain exclaimed, earning an apparent interest from Azula as she haughtily cocked an eyebrow.

"Some of my men decided to stay behind to examine the walls and investigate deeper into the ruin, though I have some to confess your Highness. The ruin…it feels…off, somehow. I don't know how or why, but it's like the moment you step foot in there it's like something is watching you…and waiting like a predator in the darkness." The Captain shuddered, a rippling chill being dragged down his spine like a rusty dagger. For the lowly soldier, even talking about such a place after visiting it seemed to bring about some type of unknown presence that was undoubtedly listening. Azula stroked her chin lightly in curiosity, while being watched very carefully by her equally curious companions.

"Azula…?" Ty Lee questioned, wondering whether or not venturing into such a described area was truly wise; despite her own want to know what lurked in the shadows for better or for worse.

"We're going in, Captain, you have your orders." Azula stated, a concentrated look adorning her royal face. The Captain merely saluted and told the men to move out, and the armored carriage began moving at its infernal pace once more to the supposed abyss. As they began nearing their destination after at least ten minutes had past, Azula began to grow anxious for what she would discover.

If there is truly something within this ruin that can prove of use to me or the Fire Nation in itself, than I must seize it. The nature of what lies inside does not sound like a relic of the Avatar's however, then again that depends on whether or not the Captain was truly accurate. If there is indeed an ancient weapon that can assist my Kingdom in this bothersome war than that's fine by me, if not than I can just strip the Captain of his position for such a trivial excavation.

Azula's thoughts were her own, but she knew if there was something in these ruins that could help fight the Avatar her father would've wanted her to use it. Another sudden halt signaled that the group had arrived at their destination.

Hopping out of the tank, the female trio looked upon what did in fact appear to be ancient ruins of some sort. A few lonesome pillars of unknown agriculture barely stood five feet of the ground, looking ready to give way at the slightest touch. A few old houses were hardly visible among the rubble, with faded letters that were unrecognizable before initial decay.

A cave pressed against a wall to the north seemed to mark the entry point for the Captain's description; there was obviously no lack of subtlety to the entrance. It shouted the words dark and foreboding quite clearly; almost daring anyone to enter. Azula could not deny the presence she felt however; the Captain's words did not do it justice.

It was almost like some kind of force on invisible pressure, weighing down on you; its own sheer power suppressing you through some kind of malevolent, indomitable will. Gazing over at Mai and Ty Lee, the normally broody girl seemed to be on edge whilst the bubbly acrobat seemed generally frightened.

With an aggressive huff, Azula motioned for her followers to enter the cave. Departing from the tank, the trio of friends entered what they secretly felt was a bad omen, to a degree, even Azula felt so. She knew that if what the Captain said was true, the rest of his men would've already begun their progress into the mysterious darkness.

The torches began to illuminate the darkness, and the shadows slithered away from the light with haste; retreating farther down the seemingly endless hall. Azula had been glimpsing both left and right at the walls; they were indeed marked. She didn't recognize the language etched into the earth, many would've dismissed it as barbaric jargon. The letters didn't seem to match the language the world she knew would be familiar with; perhaps the age that possessed such writings had departed from the world long ago.

The walls themselves seemed to almost be slowly closing in around its visitors, threatening to squeeze the life out of them before they reached their destination. The markings on the wall seemed to move and twirl in the rhythm of some kind of bloody rhapsody under the command of a demonic maestro. Ty Lee pressed her body closer to Azula's, slightly shaking under the pressure she felt. Mai's eyes shooting off in every direction, looking for the slightest notion of movement hiding in the shadows; maybe it was just instinct to feel such emotions in the dark.

"All of you have no reason to be so foolishly tense; there is nothing in the dark that wasn't there before." Azula calmly stated, all the while her own eyes trying to scout through the ever retreating darkness. Ty Lee was practically on top of Azula now, holding her arm tightly as they continued on.

"Why doesn't that bring me any more comfort?" Mai whispered under her breath, confident that Azula heard her.

After what seemed like an eternity of walking, the Princess and her posse finally reached their destination. Azula came to a sudden halt, having Ty Lee nearly trip over her own two feet as a result. Mai and the Captain's forces stood next the child prodigy, gaping in awe at the sight before them.

The cave had truly brought them underground, as they stood at least fifty feet above where a rather large opening took shelter, while to their left was an ancient walkway down that would guarantee safe passage. The lights of torches were visible down below, illuminating the rest of the Captain's men.

As Azula's group formed a straight line to walk in an orderly fashion to walk down the long line of stairs, each one of them looked upon their surroundings in awe. The area that they know took refuge in was of no ordinary design; the odds of there being such a reclusive, spacious area underground seemed incredibly unlikely. If there was any doubt that the area was made from human origin, an enormous metal door bearing an ancient symbol of the unnamed language undermined such thoughts.

This is…incredible! A door of this size would only be built to conceal something massive…and potentially dangerous. This begs the question however, who would go to such lengths to conceal such a mystery? Perhaps the language on the walls told travelers of those ancient times of what they were approaching…or to stay away. Whatever is behind this door must be of great splendor if people were willing to go to such lengths to conceal it.

I can only fathom the amount of effort needed to make such an entrance, the metal looks incredibly durable yet ancient at the same time. There appears to be some rust here and there, but nothing detailing an actual structural weakness; which is very peculiar if the race that built died off so many years ago that the people of this time would not even recognize their language.

What lies beyond this door? Treasures? Riches? Wisdom? Ancient weapons? The keys to a greater power? Whatever it is, the Fire Nation will have it; it is our right to claim any powers necessary to secure the future of this world.

With those final thoughts, Azula readied herself as she descended from the final step needed to reach the bottom area; more than a glint of determination on her face. She approached the rest of the Captain's forces, while the commander of the reconnaissance team gathered all of his troops tenfold to access the situation. Ty Lee and Mai approached Azula, who was gazing up at the massive iron entrance, her index finger rubbing across her chin in wonder.

"Azula…? Are we going to…?" Ty Lee inquired carefully, not wanting to offend her closest friend. Turning her head nonchalantly, Azula merely nodded. Mai bared the same expression on her face that Ty Lee's expressed, uncertainty. "Are you sure Azula? The symbol on the door kind of seems to shout 'keep out'." Ty Lee timidly suggested, motioning quotations with her fingers towards the words 'keep' and 'out.'

Azula's golden eyes would not have any such suggestion though, as her eyebrows quickly slanted in a glare that demanded silence. Letting out a frightened squeak, Ty Lee quickly hid behind my, who merely sighed heavily at such familiar behavior.

"Your Highness...I've been studying the mark on the door while awaiting your arrival. It, just like everything else in this ruin, is completely unrecognizable with our modern language. A logical deduction is that the symbol indicates what's behind this door…but I have no idea what the symbol means since that mark doesn't match a single letter from our nation's vocabulary." The scout quickly exclaimed, a bead of sweat trailing down his neck that Azula would not punish him for his failure. Instead, Azula simply looked at the foreboding door, and started gathering her chi; much to everyone's shock.

"Your Highness! What are you doing!" The Captain yelled, fear dragging itself up his spine like a rusty, jagged dagger. Azula merely cocked her head with a nonchalant look and smirked.

"I'm breaking the door down, what does it look like I'm doing?" Azula half laughed, gathering her energy to blow down the immense frame. As energies of fire and lightning began to build up inside the Princess, a loud rumbling through everyone but Azula off balance.

Matsu. (Wait.)

Everyone looked around, unsure of what to make of the unknown voice. It sounded commanding, thunderous and almost regal to a degree; but there was something wrong about it. The voice itself didn't sound completely human, the vocals to its voice seemed to be distorted, and the single word it spoke was unrecognizable. Everyone quickly came to the assumption that whoever or whatever was speaking was using the language of those who came before them, and that language was long since dead.

Anata ga tokihanatou to shite iru mono o jitsugen suru ka? (Do you realize what you are about to unleash?)

"Who are you? I demand you show yourself!" Azula exclaimed, frustrated that the person or spirit who was willing to converse with her might not even understand what she's saying, and for the fact that she nor any one of her companions could understand the presence at all.

Kono yōkyū o shinai yō ni suru koto no nai tachiba ni aru. Anata wa watashi no kotoba ni mimi o katamukerudarou; Watashi wa anata dake ga mimi o katamukeru no ni jūbun'na kenmeina inoru. (You are in no position to make demands. You will listen to my words; I only pray you are wise enough to heed them.)

Watashi wa Fausuto, Shōshitsu shitamonono gādian. Nani kono doa o koete aru koto wa watashi-tachi no kuchiku-kandearu kanō-sei ga arimasu, Matawa watashi-tachi no kyūseishu. (I am Faust, Guardian of the Lost One. What lies beyond this door could be our Destroyer, or our Messiah.)

"We can't understand a thing you're saying!" Azula shouted, only for the voice to soar over hers; not hearing it or not caring.

Kare wa zutto mae ni hanarete mippū shita, Kare wa tōji, sekai o shippai shita, Kare wa kon, sekai ga hitsuyōna mono kamo shirenai. (He was sealed away long ago, he failed the world back then, he might be what the world needs now.)

Running her fingers through her hair aggravatingly, Azula's annoyance with the voice began to grow through each passing second. She couldn't understand a damn thing the mysterious being was saying, yet alone what it was trying to tell her; but she COULD understand one thing.

The commanding tone of the voice with how it appeared to be addressing her and her own subordinates, one thing was made perfectly clear; this longwinded speech seemed to be nothing more than some type of overblown lecture! A lecture! To the child prodigy of Fire Lord Ozai! To the Princess of the Fire Nation! Such demeaning tones cast upon her like she was a peasant, to Azula; the mere thought of it was sickening.

Whatever this person or thing was trying to tell her was completely hopeless; she couldn't understand the words it continued to spout and Azula wasn't even half sure that the being understood her, or even acknowledged that she couldn't understand the mysterious language to begin with.

"Would you please hurry the hell up! Your incessant babbling jargon is giving me a headache!" Azula yelled angrily, huffing in a state of building rage. The acrobat and the royal daughter as well as the Captain and his recon team still seemed to be on edge; and with good reason.

For Ty Lee and Mai, their best friend could've possibly just insulted a powerful spirit who could cast divine or infernal judgment upon them at any waking moment, for the Captain and his men, all of them were close to a having a panic attack that anyone would dare address a spirit in such a foul manner; even if the person who did so was royalty.

The voice seemed to hear Azula's words, as an ominous pause cast a powerful overtone of fear that overtook the spacious chamber. Azula's eyes widened, wondering if she got the attention of the entity…or just happened to seriously piss it off.

An almost thunderous creaking sound overtook the room, all eyes focusing on the door before them. The symbol on the door seemed to glow faintly, but then whatever light it held vanished in an instant. The entrance to the unknown was starting to open, the sound of ancient metal scraping against itself in order to make such a feat possible.

When the door had finally opened completely, the visibility of what was inside yielded no results; it was as dark and as foreboding as the rest of the cave. The darkness seemed to be calling out to Azula, wanting her…needing her to come forward.

Taking a deep breath, Azula summoned her azure flames to her hand in order to secure more light against the darkness. As the Princess moved forward, her friends and her subordinates followed cautiously. Sweat beads were dribbling down Mai's face, Ty Lee looked like she was going to pass out at any moment, and the Captain and his unit were about ready to fall back and abandon the operation entirely.

Azula half expected the enormous gate to close as soon as they entered the room, the cliché of many of novels pertaining to grim tales she had read back in the royal library of her wealthy home. Such a thing did not happen, but the air seemed to grow ever colder…until it seemed there was no air at all. The noises, the echoes of which all who entered had heard before, stopped.

Now there was only silence, and it boded grim for all those who entered. For a few moments, there was nothing but complete darkness. Azula's piercing golden eyes could not see through the blackness that surrounded her, nor could her friends do the same.

Suddenly, a blinding flash illuminated the middle section of the room; forcing Azula's party to cover their eyes to adjust to the sudden blinding light. While everyone's retinas cooled down from the sudden burst of light, a new sense almost instantly overwhelmed Azula's party, including the child prodigy herself. The light that had been projected began to show off what it had in store for the group, needless to say everyone's eyes widened, with an included gasp from Ty Lee.

The pillar of light that blinded everyone just seconds ago had apparently revealed what the massive gate what was trying to conceal; though much to Azula's surprise it wasn't what she was suspecting in the least.

Twenty five feet above them at least, suspended through chains piercing through his skin; appeared to be a young man in his early twenties. The method in which he was held seemed incredibly brutal, to which Azula smiled; maybe the world that came before hers was good for more than she thought.

The chains had pierced multiple sections of the man's body, including the ankles, elbows, hands, legs, kneecaps, collarbone, shoulder bones, chest, back and even each area in between each rib bone.

The man bore a strange outfit, a pair of worn out charcoal black sandals somehow still adorned to his feet, as a red flowing garment that acted as a lower cloak-like substance attached to his waist with torn grey pants stained with blood. His eyes remained closed, so one could only speculate at what the color once was.

Covering his forehead was some sort of metallic headband, which must have been made from some sort of light metal in order not to way him down; and just like all the other things she had seen from this ruin, a strange symbol was etched into the middle of the headband itself. Some kind of royal necklace was wrapped around his neck, a flat sliver slab of metal dangling from the black thread that held it in place.

Inside of the metal lay a small spherical gem of some sort, it gleamed beautifully in the light; the magnificence of the jewel portrayed itself in a rainbow-esque light. Such a fine piece of jewelry must've belonged to a high-ranking royal family of some sort; or perhaps it was an important relic to ancient Firebenders long past; either way, the mint condition of the artifact itself as well its miniscule size, opulence and color deemed it priceless.

His face itself carried a certain stern, yet sensible look to it. Though, the fact that the man before her was obviously dead derailed any sense of getting a feeling for a personality that had long since passed. A distinguishable trait on his face was a large, painful looking scar that tracked down from the top of his right eyebrow all the way down to his lower jaw; passing a section of his lips on the way.

The cut appeared to be abnormal, as if it was darkened somehow; in comparison it looked like a darker shade of red than the scar that bore itself on the face of her brother Zuko, of whom she had just recently had an encounter with. Finally, a rather odd feature gave the last distinctive touch noticeable. It almost looked like the man had whiskers of some sort, like the kind some sort of wild feral creature would have.

On one hand, anyone would notice that was incredibly well toned for his age. Muscles rippling from his legs, arms, forearms and pectorals; but not as ridiculous in comparison with the tales Azula had read about the Earth Kingdom's arena fighters.

A more than admirable six-pack made his body ever more impressive, while a strangely alluring tattoo complete with swirling designs made itself perfectly clear on his stomach; the strange symbols of the dead language swirling around the spirals themselves added to his mystique.

The only type of formal upper clothing he seemed to be wearing was an open, tattered black cloak that had seen some sort that had obviously seen its share of battle. The condition of the cloak, while scattered and flowing, had multiples rips within its seams and had suffered heavy damage from whatever battles it had went through. What could've been vibrantly colored flames reaching scattered through the bottom of the cloak were now nothing but shade of dimmed red; a shallow reflection of possible former glory.

His forearms up to the starting point of each finger were wrapped in a white bandage of some sort; a closer look would reveal they were stained red, evidently from blood. Whether or not the blood on his hands were the man's own or the blood of others was up for speculation.

To anyone of her world, Azula would note the one thing that would draw any eye noting passersby…his hair. It was of an unusual color, and even that was an understatement in comparison what she and her friends bore their eyes on now. His hair almost seemed to glow in the sun, spiky shining gold locks trenched from just his headband all the way down to his tailbone.

In the earlier strands of his golden mane were about three to five long strands of crimson red; adding even more flair to his composure. Amazingly, it seemed like the hair itself hadn't fallen out or even aged a bit since the day of whenever the lad was imprisoned…how was that possible?

Azula began to think about the corpse before her, it was admittedly impressive in physical appearance, but that alone was troubling. If the marks on the walls and on the door were so old that the none of the Fire Nation's scrolls could decipher them or even bring any familiarity of where they came from to the floor, how could this boy, who was most likely from the same time; be in such prime condition?

The symbols had to be at least centuries old or possibly even more so if none of the oldest Fire Nation texts and alphabet didn't recognize them; but by such a time nothing should've remained of a prisoner of war or of any type of prisoner for that matter. After a few moments of cupping their chins in wonder and in suspicion, someone finally decided to break the silence.

"Well…he's quite the looker isn't he?" Ty Lee invoked in a flirtatious manner, almost immediately earning blank stares from the entire group. Scratching the back of her head nervously, the pink acrobat desperately tried to think of an excuse to escape the awkward moment.

"Ya know…if he wasn't dead?" Ty Lee anxiously added, earning deep sighs from both Mai and Azula. A creeping feeling seethed out from the shadows once more; the presence of the spirit had returned once more. Azula could feel it, like claws tenderly rubbing themselves over her shoulders; she knew Mai and Ty Lee could sense it as well. Even the Captain and his men were well aware they were not alone...invisible eyes had traced their movements the moment they entered the ruin.

Sō... Anata wa kono iseki o kakusu tame ni imi sa reta mono o mite kimashita. Anata no me wa tandoku de kare no fōmu ni motozui mitsumete iru. Sen-nen ijō mae ni mi sa rete inai. (So…you have seen what this ruin was meant to conceal. Your eyes alone have gazed upon his form; which has not been seen for more than a millennium.)

"I grow tired of these games Spirit! Show yourself! If you are to provide my party with riddles of no use then you are of no use to me!" Azula proclaimed, very well fed up with the jargon that the ethereal being continued to spout. A short pause proved the Spirit in the least could understand Azula, and for that matter anyone who spoke the Basic Tongue.

Hijo ni yoku shite…Denka. (Very well then…your Highness.)

The dust and particles that made themselves present during the illumination of the mysterious youth seemed to be forging themselves as one. The swirling, spiraling motions of a barely visible celestial fusion were taking place. After a moment or two of nearly transparent particles and air forming around one another, a form lay in its place.

The Captain and his men were first to step back, many gasps and looks of petrifaction forming in their eyes. Azula merely glared at them for their cowardice, such acts were disgraceful to her Nation. Ty Lee and Mai seemed to on guard, sweat beads traced down the neck of the elegant acrobat.

Before them stood a Spirit of some sort, which according to myths and folklore Spirits could take any form they wanted…so whether or not what stood before them was the original body or a substitute that had yet to show it's inner holiness or demonic presence was debatable.

Floating high above the Fire Nation group and right next to the body of the youth was a barely visible ethereal cloak that shone just a tint of sliver. No legs or feet protruded from the bottom of the cloth, but pale blue anorexic arms hung dormant from the sleeves.

A hood wrapped over the head of its occupant, and when one looked to see the face of the heavenly being there was quite literally nothing occupying it. The hood was standing as if someone was wearing it, which was all too obvious due to the unnaturally colored arms, but no face of any sort was under the hood.

I am Faust…Guardian of the Lost One.

You have demanded for me to appear in a physical form…a bold request for a mere human. Nevertheless, your indomitability has assured that your group as made it this far…Azula.

Several eyes widened at the mention of Azula's name…for a Spirit to address anyone other than a Monk personally was quite unordinary. It was completely plausible that the Spirit had heard Azula's name while her friends and unit had spoken it whilst in the ruin…but it was still nothing to wave a finger at.

"So…you CAN speak the Basic Tongue after all. I was afraid I was communicating with a Spirit who held his lineage so far back in the past he became nothing but a rambling moron." Azula spat, earning the worried eyes of both her friends and soldiers.

Your vain attempts to insult me are pitiful, but I shall give you credit where credit is due. Your drive to discover the secrets of this place is what allowed you and your entire group to pass through the Genjutsu set through this ruin…an impressive feat. The one who cast the technique itself only allowed a person to pass through this cave if they were TRULY determined to find the danger of this place…no matter the cost.

Her eyes gazing upon the Spirit intently, Azula took a breath and readied herself to speak once more. "What is 'Genjutsu'? I've never heard of such a thing? Was it invented by my people and lost to the past? Or was it invented by the people whose tongue you speak?" Azula stated logically, trying to come to terms on what this Spirit was trying to prove.

You are correct to assume otherwise, Azula. Your people did not invent Genjutsu, the Ones Who Came Before did. They invented Genjutsu as an illusionary technique to confuse, startle or sometimes even kill their foes. The Genjutsu placed on this ruin only lets a person with a strong enough will pass through its corridors without being trapped in a never-ending maze…the fact that your willpower is so strong it managed to allow an entire group of people through is incredibly impressive…even to the Ones Who Came Before.

"Who are these people you continue to speak of? The Ones Who Came Before? Who were they? Where did they come from?" The Fire Nation Princess question, her curiosity now peaked at the thought of a race of people never even documented in the oldest Fire Nation records.

The Ones Who Came Before existed in an ancient time…more than one thousand years before your great-grandfather was even born. Their time was long and prosperous…until they were consumed by the worst traits of your species; but such a thing has always occurred in human history.

Greed…Lust…Power… Pride…Envy…Jealousy…Hatred…Anger…Wrath…all these traits doomed the Ones Who Came Before; and even the precursors of the Ones Who Came Before were destroyed by the very same characteristics.

They doomed themselves through treachery and deception, pride and hatred towards one another escalated to a point where even my spiritual brethren consider it blasphemous. They had peace for a time, and for a many a time in fact; but such prosperities only last so long.

Humans love to kill…it's as simple as that. It's almost a wanting for your species entirely…to strike down others simply because you have the power to…it's a disturbing, repetitive sequence of events.

History will always repeat itself because Man itself is simply a far too dangerous animal that never learns from its mistakes; your race has always been damned from the beginning it breathed its first.

Coursing her hand through her hair, Azula shook her head in nonchalance. "I didn't come here to speak about philosophy or about how people from more than a thousand years damned themselves again…I want to know the secrets of this place, and you WILL tell me."

Are you sure you don't wish to know of them? After all…they were your ancestors, foolish or not.

At this revelation, the entire group grew silent, even Azula. The thought of gaining information about ancestors so old that they weren't even charted in the oldest records was a goldmine of knowledge. Perhaps the Spirit could relay techniques and wisdom of the Old Times that could be invaluable while hunting down the Avatar.

"Very well then Spirit, proceed with your tale."

As you wish, I am glad that you did not just cast me off as a stray Spirit. My kind hardly ever shows a physical representation of our forms to mortals outside of the Spirit World…even you know that. It is done only when necessary or in a dire situation…my presence here is a bit of both.

The Ones Who Came Before were ancestors of ALL the Nations you lay claim to…Earth, Water, Fire and Air. But the time of your people, even hundreds of years back from this point has degraded the Nations of Before. There used to be so much more in existence than just the Elemental Nations…so much has been lost to time; and secrets by the handfuls may be perhaps forever lost to whatever future generations come.

Your Nation was strong even back in the Old Times…but it wasn't strong enough. Your Nation, and every other Nation, including those that weren't even Elemental Nations; were destroyed by a common foe. This person was not one of your 'Avatars' though, their order didn't even EXIST in the Old Times; though, perhaps if they did the odds could've been changed…but that within itself is debatable.

A man…one man…destroyed the entire world of the past; nothing over two feet high was left standing. He sought to rule it through absolute, utter control…but he accomplished no such thing; his arrogance to rule over everything among high sent the Earth into a downward spiral in which it would takes thousands of years to recover from.

Gazing over at the corpse of the man, Azula's eyes inquired a question that the Spirit already knew the answer to. Shaking his head sternly, the Spirit looked at the deceased youth.

I know what you're thinking…and no, the man you see before you is not the man I speak of. Quite the opposite in fact; he's the one who tried to save the world, not damn it.

Smirking in a grim fashion, Azula crossed her arms in a bit of pride. "I'm guessing he failed?" The Princess couldn't help but flaunt sarcasm at this point.

In a matter of speaking.

"Even now, you only speak in riddles?"

You'll have to forgive me about that, we Spirits are 'born' naturally cryptic...and we also have the ability to inherit sarcasm as well, your Highness.

The youth before you tried his damndest to save the world he knew…to save the world of the past. And, as I said before, in a matter of speaking, he did fail; but at the same time he may have well saved the entire world as well as everything and everyone who would come after his time.

Unfortunately, that triumph itself turned out to be more of a burden and a curse than a victory at all. Out of all people, he would know; and now he's the only one who DOES know. You can see as well as I can the marking on his stomach, but you know that is not a symbol of an Avatar; or anything remotely close to it.

"Than what is it, exactly? Don't be coy with me Spirit, I wish to know exactly what I'm dealing with here; though I doubt it could be much at all, considering I walked all this way to discover a corpse."

And even you can see that this body is in perfect condition…quite odd, is it not? That this flesh mound has not reduced to a rancid, decaying skeleton seems far beyond comprehension when over a millennia has passed.

I have kept the body in the condition it is has been since he was sealed here; it was my directive for being summoned here, after all. I have kept his body as stabilized as the day he was sealed here through the use of consistent Spiritual Revitalization, needless to say the process is…exhausting.

His body needs to be revitalized once every week, and we've been down here for over a thousand years. Even a Spirit can tire, but I can never die; so the relationship between is purely symbiotic.

I have watched over this body to make sure that when someone did finally come, they would be worthy of releasing him from his slumber.

"So then, I take it you know how to 'awaken' this man from his 'slumber.' I hope you realize that not I even I can bring back the dead; even less resurrect a person who's been gone for more than a thousand years. Speaking of which, you never did tell us what the name of this oh so important character is, did you?"

Clever girl, I never did tell you. If you want to know his name, than only he can tell you; I'll not derive him the pleasure of introducing himself after being in this state for so long. However, there IS a way to bring this one back; though I use that term loosely as he never truly 'died' at all. Azula, Princess of the Fire Nation…are you ready to unleash upon the world the Dawn of a New Age?

"I dare, Faust! I'm ready! I am ALWAYS ready!"

Brash and fiery…if I recall, he was a lot like that once too. You two may get along just fine…or you might end up trying to kill each other.

Smirking at the challenge that beckoned, Azula rain her hands through her hair for composure, cracked her knuckles and flashed a confident look at the faceless Spirit before her. Ty Lee and Mai could only wonder if inside the empty hood, Faust's true face was smiling in another dimension.

"What must I do?" The Princess asked, finally collected in her decision.

You must strike the symbol on his stomach with all your might; you must channel all your will, all your drive, into one attack and one attack only.

From what we Spirits understand, the strongest essence of fire that Those Of Today can grasp is a singular bolt of lightning; your form is limited, but it is understandable why you lack the knowledge of greater power. And now, you understand why your people are not as powerful as they could've potentially been; all because of hatred and greed.

I must warn you though, as it is my duty to do so. Doing this, as I have said, will forever change this world; NOTHING will ever be the same again.

Additionally, if you are successful in waking him; those not worthy of witnessing his rebirth will die…their deaths will only serve to grant him more strength.

There was an understandable pause in the group's movements, everything ceased to be for a moment. The Captain and his soldiers backed up ever so slowly, while Azula held her ground out of her pride that commanded it. Mai glanced at Ty Lee, who had neared her closer and closer, almost begging for any kind of reassurance that everything was going to be all right.

"Consider it done, Spirit. I shall play your game, and I even more so I shall prove that those of this Nation have not lost their ambition yet!" Azula declared proudly, slowly beginning to strike several poses necessary to enhance the flow of Chi from her body into her finger tips. An aura emerged from the pale darkness; azure sparks of sheer power and will coursed began to make themselves present through Azula's hands.

The men, whose job was to serve Azula till whatever end that may come, started to bolt towards the door. Even though the massive gate was clearly tightly closed shut, that didn't stop from beating it with their fists, trying to find alternate ways to open it and even striking the door with their weapons. Mai could only glare at their incompetence and cowardice, while Ty Lee stared in awe at the concentration of her friend's rhythms.

Azula had heard the footsteps that escalated to running toward the entrance; for the moment, she didn't care. Those who had pledged to serve the Fire Nation and only sought to run and hide when true danger showed itself were of no use to her; she would deal with them later, in the most severe manner possible.

The moment was near; Azula had practiced the art of conjuring lightning many times, it was something only the most elite Firebenders could master. To her own knowledge the only Firebenders she knew that even had the ability to use lightning in any matter were her treacherous uncle, her father, and herself.

Always she had been told by Lo and Li that her bending was 'almost perfect', with only one hair out of place. For Azula, it was one hair too many; for her, a single follicle that betrayed her stance was a failure. The bolt that needed to be cast here demanded absolute perfection, nothing less but everything more so than what it had been beforehand.

Readying herself one last time, Azula prepared to strike with all her might. The pleas of the Captain and his troopers she faintly heard, begging her to cease her actions.

Pathetic! They wish me to stop! After I have come this far to find something that could very well turn the tide of this war? Spirits never lie; it's not in their nature to do so! And for any living person to summon a spirit to play protector for over a millennium, that action in itself commands power that the people of this world no longer have!

If awakening this man truly brings about the Dawn of a New Age than it shall be nothing less than the royal blood of the Fire Nation who accomplished that feat!

Extending two of her fingers forward, an elegant yet powerful lightning bolt emerged from the tips of Azula's nails. The voltage traced it's in a serpentine fashion to the tattoo that marked itself ominously on the youth's stomach; for just a moment, time itself seemed to stop.

As expected, the boy's body convulsed after being struck with such a surge of energy. As a result the spasms that his body continued to endure forcefully opened his eyes; illuminated by an azure flash of light due to Azula's technique. After what seemed what like forever, but in reality only more than a few moments had passed, there was only silence.

Everyone had fallen deathly quiet, waiting for something of providence or damnation to occur, even Azula stood ready. She had tried to make sure her one attack was nothing less than perfect; but her admirable effort aside, one hair still stood out of place. Azula cursed herself in silence; her attack STILL hadn't been perfect! Even after all that concentration, all the preparation needed to deliver one absolute strike…wasted!

For a few seconds, nothing of any said mysticism declared by Faust happened in any manner. There was no resurrection of a long dead corpse, nor the rebirth of a God-like being who could challenge the Avatar; or who could perhaps overcome a hundred Avatars tenfold.

Before Azula could curse aloud at her botched attempt at resurrecting some sort of Devil God, a barely noticeable but foreboding rumble came forth. All eyes focused on the figure that dangled precariously high above them; the rumble began to creep from its barely audible whisper to a much more commanding tone.

The room began to shake as if an angry God had been awoken from its long slumber, and perhaps the entire ruin was feeling the fury that accompanied the earthquake before it. The guards and their Captain began banging on the door, their panic rising in a desperate bid for freedom…they would find none.

Partial segments of the roof of the large room began dislodging themselves, only to be shot down by Azula's flames if they neared her or the two she considered her friends. Not all could be shot down of course; pieces of ancient stone began to litter the floor in piles.

At this rate we'll be buried alive! If that damnable Spirit was lying to me then more the fool I!

Azula cursed her luck, and she promised to herself she would continue to do more-so if some ragtime, foolish venture such as this one would be the end of her life as well as her friends. Death however, decided to temporarily postpone its illustrious services to those in peril; a phenomenal mercy many are rarely given.

The tremors stopped, any and all movement ceased. The consistent rattling of the tormented prisoner's chains stopped; and all eyes once more fell upon him. A look of inquiry shot upon both Mai and Ty Lee's faces, in which an equally confused Azula could not provide them with an answer.

Azula cautiously took a few steps forward…wanting to get a closer look to see if anything about the supposed anti-Messiah was true. His eyes were once again closed, no longer held captive by Azula's lightning. The spasms that wracked his body had all but ceased, not even a hint of an occasional twitch here or there made itself prevalent…until the slightest movement made itself noticeable in his hands.

A twitch.

From both hands.

Azula stepped back slowly, knowing full well that her volt had indeed triggered something, in the least. With another twitch from his wrists, and his fingers slowly moving; the being before the decently sized began to awaken before their eyes.

His eyes opened suddenly, a large burst of an illuminating burst of pale red consumed them both. The glowing gaze seemed to be intently studying Azula's group with keen interest; and the eyes themselves seemed to widen a bit when they gazed upon the Fire Nation Princess herself. Then, they narrowed calmly, assessing the situation with apparent consideration.

The chains that had cruelly attached themselves into the boys' skin began to literally dissolve as the same pale red light that illuminated the man's eyes began to calmly disintegrate his constraints. He began to float in midair almost mystically, like the Spirit from before had done when it 'graced' Azula with its presence.

The grievous wounds that remained bloody and dry seemed to glow in crimson patches for a few moments, and then they all but disappeared. The flesh that was ripped open and putrid was now smooth and clear as any other normal persons; a lifetime of brutal injuries undone in an instant.

Crossing his arms in an "X" position slowly, Azula readied herself in case the mysterious youth were to initiate an attack of some sort. Though, if the Spirit's words were true than this man had more than enough power to annihilate her singlehandedly, tenfold. Azula herself was still hesitant to believe that the being before her was really some sort of Devil, Messiah or Demigod; but after coming so far to reach his worth must be in the least considerable.

Extending both his arms to his sides at a frightening speed, the symbols on his stomach began to glow a dark red. The tension was overbearing, the letters of the Dead Language didn't seem to exactly relay providence of any sort; if anything, damnation.

And that's exactly what would come to those less worthy…as Faust had foresaid.

Multiple thin beams of red light burst from the boy's stomach, tearing through the air before them; with an ever malicious intention to find their targets. Azula, Mai and Ty Lee at this point were already in their combat positions; ready to try and dodge the courses of light at any means necessary.

The shot forward towards the group at a frightening pace, as Azula and her friends tensed as the beams drew closer, they surprised to find that the lights made no effort to try to harm them.

The lights had already chosen their targets.

The rays pierced into the stomachs of all the soldiers that cowered beforehand, the Captain included. All of them were lifted into the air, screaming in horrendous agony. There appeared to be no physical damage of any kind done to them; yet the lights had still pierced them through and caused them horrible pain.

The lights began to grow brighter, and the screams only grew louder. Ty Lee had covered her ears and dropped to her knees, unused to such dark, intrusive violence. Azula and Mai's eyes began to widen as they realized the horrifying realization of what the beams were doing.

Azula's men were literally deteriorating before her eyes; as if time had suddenly decided to take all their remaining life all at once. Their bodies were aging at a dangerous rate, they began to shrivel, and bones of all sorts began to show immense visibility due to a lack of a healthy body and skin. Their hair began to literally evaporate; all their throats began to dry with the decrepit features of age. Their eyes began to lose their focus, growing ever dimmer as the youth was rapidly drained out of them.

Within a matter of moments, nearly all the flesh from Azula's men had vanished, and only crumbling corpses remained afloat. Mai covered her mouth in disgust, while Ty Lee cried tears of unimaginable horror and began to vomit out of uncontrollable fear.

When the demonic tendrils had apparently retrieved what they sought from the militia, they released their grips; sending the now skeletal bodies still draped with closing crashing to the floor. Instead of hearing the sickening sounds of bones breaking against the floor, there were only soft thuds instead; the marrows of each and every bone of every soldier had been absorbed, the impact of falling crushed what little bone marrow there was left to dust.

The lights retreated to their host, who now began to slowly descend towards the floor below him. The three girls turned their heads to the being that just upon his rebirth had killed over ten men, and in an incredibly horrifying way to boot. The balls of his feet were the first thing to reach the ground below him, and the rest of his body followed shortly.

A faint but immensely powerful presence could be felt as the youth's feet finally met the ground. The illumination that clouded his eyes had faded, revealing their true colors after so many years of blackness. As expected, the disfiguring scar that had bore itself on the man's face had rendered his vision in his right eye useless. A dull, pale green replace the vibrancy of what was once an azure blue; as evidenced by the color of his left eye.

The strange youth took a moment to come to terms with his awakening, blinking a few times and stretching out his tense muscles while surveying his surroundings. His vision halted when he saw Azula and her group, his one good eye squinted a bit to observe them, studying them almost. Azula herself refused to be intimidated by the released prisoner, no matter how powerful he was in the tales that the Spirit had woven for her and her team.

Her fierce glare accompanied by her piercing golden eyes would've made any man cower in fear or in the least stand down, but not this one. The boy seemed amused by her refusal to show any sign of weakness; instead of a sign of submission he merely smirked instead; revealing some of his teeth to be of unusual sharpness.

He didn't know how much had passed since being sealed, but to him, it didn't matter.

All that mattered now was that what stood in front of him was a challenge…a challenge of a new world on the horizon. He knew that just by the looks on their faces that his time, his world, had passed on long ago…and he still knew he was to blame for it.

But it didn't matter now…all that mattered to him now was NOT creating another Apocalypse.

What stood before him was chance to begin anew, in a world that he didn't know and in a world that most certainly didn't know him. This was a chance to make everything right, to make everything like it should've been in the first place.

And he'd be damned if he missed the opportunity to fix what he broke. Clearing his voice with a rusty cough emanating from a dusty windpipe, the youth looked upon the three young women in front of him.

Things were about to get interesting again, that was for certain; even though groggy and somewhat disoriented, he was sure he was still in his home country. And if that was still so, he'd have a lot of work to do.

Where would he start he wondered?

Which land would he restore first? Were his Paths still in check? What was the limit to the Impure World Resurrection Technique? How many people could he bring back? And what of his lovers? Could they be returned as well?

Restoring his rights of nobility granted upon him by the marriages that were supposed to occur, bringing back his friends and allies, ressurecting all of the lovely ladies whose hearts he captured, getting the current world to recognize the revival and sovereignty of said lands, restoring the Uzumaki Clan, checking to see if the Kyuubi no Yoko was still alive, seeing what the future was like, and most importantly, not bringing on the end of the world again.

With such an exhausting resume in front of him, Naruto could only shake his head in nonchalance; things for him especially were never easy, but that's what made it all the more fun in the end.

Taking a deep breath, and looking at three ladies in front of him, Naruto could only smirk.

…As far as he was concerned, a brand new era was about to begin, not only for himself, but for the entire world as well.

…Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto, Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko, The Second Yellow Flash, The Child of Prophecy, had finally returned.

And more importantly, this time he was ready.

This time he was prepared.

This time…things would be different.
_

Author's Note: Hope all of you enjoyed the beginning chapter of Returner: Echoes of a Legend; I know I did. It's going to be epic length, I can tell you all that much for certain, given that the first chapter is twenty five pages long and I need an additional twenty something pages to explain what the hell is going on/going to happen.

Also, Naruto was one busy son of a bitch before he got where he was sealed away, so he'll have a shitload of abilities and powers that attained after the Fourth Ninja World War.

But yeah, just because the Fourth Ninja World War ended doesn't mean Naruto's story did. In fact, it'll be revealed how Naruto spent his time after the FNWW and how many years he was active afterward before he was sealed away. It will also be told why he was sealed away and who decided to seal him away to begin with.

He'll get to tell everyone how he was bestowed with such amazing powers and weaponry; as it is only natural for plot convenience and to let the readers what the hell is going on how he attained this or that.

When it comes down to the Harem, I've thought about my choices carefully. Sure, granted, there's going to be quite a lot of females he'll have to contend with. But my point is that I'm not adding EVERY female from each series incorporate into the Harem itself; it would grow WAY out of proportion and would be incredibly difficult to manage. The way the Harem is now, I don't dare add another girl; people are probably going to hate me anyway for how large it is already.

The critics of a fan work usually give some pretty decent advice when they aren't being thirteen year-old whiny nitpicks (c'mon, we all someone whose like that), to me it's just better to hear your fans out then tune them out entirely.

Granted, what they have to say all the time may not be generally positive; but that's what balances the ego of a writer in particular. Give the writer to much praise, and he/she's an egotistical moron; give them too much hate, and he/she's a depressed puppy who most likely won't continue his/her project due to lack of motivation.

All this being said, it's time to lay some ground rules down for all those who intend to keep reading. If you don't like any of these rules, this fic probably isn't for you, so just calmly walk away, or, if you have to, state your opinion whether it's good or bad; to each his/her own.

1) As stated before, the Harem won't contain every female from each separate universe I include. Just because something is female doesn't mean Naruto has to bang it; Harem fics shouldn't work like that to begin with.

2) Some taboos will be introduced with the story, so if you hold your values at heart or are incredibly religious; you might want to move onto another tale. One of those taboos I can name off the top of my head is incest; I really can't label homosexuality as a taboo since I see that as being just as normal as a heterosexual relationship. There will also be Younger-Older Relationships, so be mindful of what you'll read in the future and try to keep an open mind.

3) I won't go overboard with the Crossovers and invite everything from Sonic the Hedgehog to Red Dead Redemption into the mix. No, I've already chosen what Crossovers I'm going to include and I don't intend to add any more than I already have planned; and I'm planning for each Crossover to "fit" well with each introduced Universe. The plot will be massive and complex yes, but it won't be all over the place. I have everything already planned out for each and every scenario after at least a month of intense research and though dedicated to placing detail to its precise location.

4) Naruto is going to be very, very, very, VERY powerful. I'd even say this is a Super Naruto story; HOWEVER, he will STILL have flaws and exploitable weaknesses. However powerful someone is, no matter even if they seem invincible, the point is that they are not. No one is ever TRULY invincible; ridiculously powerful and SEEMINGLY unstoppable, but every person has their own version of Kryptonite, their own Achilles Heel. Plus, I'm sure plenty of people know that if a person states they are a God or that they're invincible, we ALL know they're not. How many times has a person (usually the villain) say in an anime or in a videogame that they're invincible and there's no possible way you can defeat them when there is indeed a way to defeat them?

Hmm, let me think…
-Alduin, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
-Sigma, Megaman X Series
-Frieza and Cell, Dragonball Z
-Nearly every DBZ Movie Villain, Dragonball Z
-Orochimaru, Naruto
-Unicron, Transformers
-Darth Malak, Knights of the Old Republic
-Darth Sion, Knight of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
-Abadd, Panzer Dragoon Orta
-Master Li, Jade Empire
-Sovereign, Mass Effect
-Queen Beryl, Sailor Moon
-The Shredder, Ninja Turtles
-The Nightmare King, Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland
-Pablo, Alter Echo
-Malphas, Trapt
-Mephiles the Dark, Sonic the Hedgehog 2006
-Devimon and Myotismon, Digimon
-Andross, Star Fox
-Maurits and Schwartz, Tales of Legendia
-Darkseid, Superman: The Animated Series/Justice League
-Satan, Dante's Inferno
-Noir, La Pucelle: Tactics
-Shadoon, Brute Force
-The Drej, Titan AE
-Ivan Ooze, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers The Movie
-Frank Fontaine, Bioshock
-Freddy Krueger, Nightmare on Elm Street
-ExDeath, Final Fantasy V
-Sephiroth, Final Fantasy VII
-The Dark King, Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest
-Gongora, Lost Odyssey
-Main Villains of World of Warcraft, World of Warcraft
-Empera Seijin, Ultraman Mebius
-Ultraman Belial, Ultra Galaxy Legend: The Movie

…And so on and so forth, my point ultimately being that while Naruto might seem unstoppable, he isn't entirely invincible and has weaknesses/flaws/exploitations.

Here are the Crossovers that will be in this story, this list is final, and so suggestions for fictional universes to be included will not be taken.

Also remember this VERY vital detail; just because something is going to be included doesn't mean the "World" of that story will be introduced as well. Crossovers will still feature the characters (sometimes not all of them for convenience) and elements from said "World", but that doesn't mean the "World" within itself has to be introduced.

Some of the plotlines for some of these Crossovers will remain the same; but obviously the "World" for all to coexist in is going to be just one world as a whole. And other plotlines for some of the Crossovers are obviously going to need a bit of an overhaul, but I won't change any of them completely to the point where they're unrecognizable.

You viewers also might have noticed that Azula and her friends are sent out to help Admiral Zhao BEFORE the assault on the Northern Water Tribe; unlike in the canon where Azula is introduced in Season II after the death Zhao through Aang's Avatar State.

Since this fanfiction, obviously things can happen much differently than they originally had. With Naruto undoubtedly joining the fray, how will this affect the battle as a whole? The fates of certain characters as a whole will be changed by this incident; and yes, it's more or less obvious than Yue will be one of those characters. But don't let that fool you that everything's going to be Candy Cane Lane; sacrifices are going to be made and a lot more destruction/death will occur with Naruto around.

Naruto's Assorted Weaponry
-Tri-Pronged Kunai for "Flying Thunder God" Technique; Naruto can utilize the FTG Technique with the Onibacho as well.
-Kubikiribocho, the sword of Momochi Zabuza.
-Onibacho, the ancient blade of the Uzumaki Clan.
-Shichiseiken, the Seven Star Blade, the sword of the original Rikudo Sennin.
-Bashosen, the War Fan of the original Rikudo Sennin. _

I'll also try to keep tabs on Naruto using the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique; yes, he knows it in this fic, but he's not going to be bringing every single character from his world back to life. It would get too complicated that way, plus, the amount of Chakra needed to do so would most definitely kill him, as would the continued use of such a technique since it ended up killing Nagato due to Chakra exhaustion.

The Harem below contains all the girls who will be part of Naruto's harem, though just because someone is female in this fic doesn't mean Naruto will bang her.

Naruto has Paths of Pain, similar to how other fics give him this ability, however, instead of six, there are nine instead in relation to the Kyuubi being sealed inside Naruto. The three extra bodies are Fanmade and thus their names and abilities all reside from me. Their abilities will be explained in greater detail later on as the fic unfolds.

Naruto's Paths of Pain
Deva Path-Naruto Uzumaki
Asura Path-Han
Human Path-Utakata
Animal Path-Roshi
Preta Path-Kirabi
Naraka Path-Sabaku no Gaara
Brahma Path-Yugito Nii
Shiva Path-Yagura
Vishnu Path-Fu

Naruto's Harem
Kushina Uzumaki
Naruko Uzumaki
Mei Terumi
Tsunade Senju
Temari
Hinata
Hotaru
Shizuka
Hokuto
Karin
Toph
Smellerbee
Jin
June
Katara
Kya
Yue
Azula
Ursa
Ty Lee
Mai
On Ji

FINALLY, remember that not all of the pairings will happen at once. Each member of the Harem will be included over time and have to run its course to make it seem more realistic; otherwise it's just a clusterfuck of Naruto with of bunch rampant girls after him.

You may think the Harem is rather robust (I certainly think it is), but I've seen fics that try to pair Naruto up with every girl from his entire series run. I had to cut a few names here and there to make sure I got what I wanted without it being incredibly over the top. Not only that, but people from Naruto's World will have actually gotten together; who got together and how will be mentioned in the next Chapter. Just because Naruto gets one helluva Harem doesn't mean that everyone else from his time got left out high and dry.

Anyway, read and review, that's all I ask; I'll update the story as long as people tell me what they think of it. Criticize certain aspects if you feel the need to, I know it has some flaws here and there, but I'll get around to em.

You can give your honest opinion of the work, as I would ask nothing else of people other than to voice what they really think; I however politely request that you reviewers of this work go off on some mad tangent of how my work sucks and I should kill myself over it or something like that. To some it all up in one sentence, give me your honest opinion, but don't be an overanalyzing douche about it; simple enough trade-off, no?

Chapters II and III are already done, it's just a matter of you guys reviewing it all to give me motivation to put them up and continue the story.

Till next time!

-TheArkofAwesome.