Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Legend of Korra. This is purely a piece of fiction that is being made without profit.

Author's Notes

(Please take the time to read these before starting to avoid possible frustration.)

Warnings: Firebender/Chakra-less/Strong/Intelligent/Older (20)/Politically Savvy/Mature/OOC Naruto. Many of you will also undoubtedly view him as quite Gary Stu-ish, though it is not my ultimate intention to make him invincible by any means. A handful of other characters from the Naruto-verse will also be mentioned or seen, but none of them (save one notable exception) will have significant impact on the story. Older Jinora (+2 years). Relatively heavy canon story-line and several cliche plot points.

Also, my track record of updating and continuing stories is quite horrid. Continue reading and/or becoming invested in the story at your own risk!

Pairings: The final pairing will have Naruto coupled with Asami, Korra, and eventually Jinora. However, it's worth noting that both Asami and Korra will go through their 'Mako phase' first. Mako will, ultimately, likely end up paired with no one. Side pairing of Bolin/Opal.

Naruto Uzumaki: The Dragon of the East

Chapter 1: The South Pole

(Sourthern Water Tribe Compound, just after dawn.)

"So, are you excited?" An elderly female asked with mirth as she turned her gaze to the left.

"Hell yeah!" A teenage girl exclaimed enthusiastically. "All I have to do is beat this cocky big shot's butt and then I'm finally done with Firebending!"

Said teenager had darkened skin that was a distinct trademark of being a member of the Water Tribe along with piercing blue eyes. She had brunette hair that was pulled back into a pony tail and a bundle of hair funneled through a blue sleeve framing either side of her face.

She was currently clad in thick fur armor that had a special coating of red leather atop it along her chest and arms – the pieces being held in place with numerous leather straps. The chest piece protested both her front and back, and it extended several inches down her thighs. The helmet currently tucked under her arm seemed to be an additional piece to the armor set as well.

Below said armor, one could make out the start of a light-blue top underneath her chest piece, a pair loose-fitting, dark-blue pants and a pair of furred leather boots – said gear looking much more Water Tribe-ish than what rested over it.

"I mean...yes, Master Katara," she rephrased with a fake cough after her initial outburst.

The elderly men and women that stood next to her merely sweat dropped at her reaction so early in the morning, but wrote it off as the teen merely being excited. However, one man in traditional Fire Nation robes took the opportunity to respond.

"I assure you, Avatar Korra, that this is not some 'cocky big shot,' as you've so eloquently stated. I trained him in the basics personally when he was younger, and he was later personally tutored by Lord Zuko."

The man who had spoken was, of course, Korra's Firebending instructor for the past two years. The others standing next to him were none other than some of the highest members of the White Lotus as well as Katara – each of them clad in their traditional White Lotus attire.

"Oh whatever," Korra huffed in response. "He just sounds like some big shot noble from the Fire Nation."

"I think you would do well to keep your mind open to the possibilities, Korra," Katara chastised softly from the side with a smile still etched onto her wrinkled face at the line her deceased husband quoted rather frequently. "I've actually heard a lot about this boy myself."

"Really?" The Avatar responded curiously with a raised brow as she turned to her Waterbending instructor.

"Oh yes," the elderly woman responded with a nod. "Zuko tends to drone on about him quite a bit when he finds time to write to me. Even Tenzin had mentioned the boy quite a bit in the last two years or so in his letters since the boy moved to Republic City from the Fire Nation…or actually moved back, I believe. I must say, from how they describe him, I'm a bit excited to finally meet him myself. I highly doubt he'll be like the other royals you've had to meet with already."

"You do remember the title he has obtained, do you not, Korra?" The elderly Firebending instructor asked with a raised brow as the teenager processed the knowledge Katara had given her.

"Yeah, the Dragon of the East or something like that, right?" Korra asked with a slightly nervous grin as she resisted the urge to scratch the back of her head. She wasn't exactly the best at committing titles bestowed upon most people to memory, after all.

"The Dragon of the East," the elderly man repeated as is to confirm her answer with a nod of his head. "However, as you are undoubtedly aware, the Fire Nation has long since abandoned the practice of hunting dragons. So, tell me, how do you think one gets such a highly-coveted title nowadays?" He finished with a glance over to Korra as he raised an eyebrow.

"I…have no idea," she finally admitted somewhat sheepishly after a momentary silence. "I figured he probably just got it for being a member of the Royal Family or being related to Iroh."

"No, even members of the Royal Family do not get to claim the title of Dragon without just cause," the elderly man stated with a slightly disappointed shake of his head. "Besides, even if that were the case, it's highly unlikely that Lord Naruto of all people would be shown any nepotism in that regard. While he is considered to be a member of the Royal Family unofficially, he is not related to them by legitimate blood ties. That is a merely a common misconception."

"Really?" Korra asked with curiosity evident in her tone. "…Alright, so how'd he get it?"

ROOOOOAR

The sound, of course, caused everyone to glance up into the area of the sky where it had come from immediately. Coming from the northwest, just now visible over the high walls around the compound, came a black form on the horizon that was slowly growing larger. Though most of the finer details couldn't be seen from the distance, the distinct shape of large wings flapping up and down were certainly visible already.

"No. Freaking. Way!" Korra stated with emphasis upon each word. "Is that…?"

"Lord Naruto, the Dragon of the East," the elderly Firebending instructor asked with a soft chuckle at the absolutely perfect timing. "Why yes, that would be him."

"Hehehe, awesome job boy," said man stated from the back of the large, black, Eastern-style dragon he was currently riding atop of while he scratched a spot along the creature's head – causing it to hum slightly in response after its roar. "There's no way they didn't hear that."

The main scales and wing webbing of the majestic creature were black as one might expect, but the curved horns, the spikes and slight webbing in between said spikes down its body, the frill of hair around its face, and at the tip of its tail were also black. Its underbelly, including the underside of its lower-jaw, and its two tendrils were a dark gray color that seemed to compliment the black scales that composed most of its body quite nicely. The creature's talons were a pristine white along with its teeth. Finally, finishing off its appearance, were the two sky-blue eyes that peered towards the compound it was flying towards.

Wrapped around the base of the dragon's head, seeing as it wouldn't fit well anywhere else due to the 'spikes' that ran along its spine, was a medium-sized saddle that held the creature's rider. It wasn't anything dedicated to looking formal judging by the lack of any designs on the leather, but merely a riding saddle that provided some measure of comfort for the rider if he needed to sit so that his body wouldn't be rubbed raw against the hard scales.

Resting upon said saddle, near the hard leather that made a make-shift ledge of sorts around its edges, was a sizable bag tied to the leather firmly with thick string. Then, of course, sitting at the front of the saddle was Naruto.

He was a man who seemed like he would be roughly six-foot-two when standing upright. His hair seemed to be a rare shade of golden blond, especially since blond hair was already a rarity within the world to begin with. Coupled with that was the fact that his hair possessed such an unnatural level of spikiness that it seemed to defy the laws of gravity – something that would draw in a great deal of attention.

Unlike most men in the Fire Nation, Naruto kept his hair short and without any sort of ceremonial knot in the back. His bangs mostly hovered just above his brow, though two long at the edges of his hairline traveled down to his cheeks – effectively framing his face as a result. His eyes seemed to be a piercing cerulean blue, only a shade or two darker than the dragon's own. However, while his hair and eyes were certainly striking features about him, the most eye-catching would likely be the 3 whisker marks he possessed on either of his cheeks.

Aside from that, the blond was clad in clothing that many people of the older generation would recognize as a slightly modified version of the outfit that Zuko wore in his prime when he was traveling informally.

He wore what seemed to be a form-fitting, long-sleeved black shirt as his first layer on his torso as evidenced by the layer of fine black cloth functioned as a second skin over the visible areas of his arm – detailing the toned muscle of his biceps. Atop that was a sleek piece of leather Fire Nation chest armor that also provided basic shoulder-guards. Said armor, though only visible at the shoulders and collar due to another layer of clothing that rested atop parts of it, was crimson with black trim. Finally, atop the armor, he wore a crimson, sleeveless kimono-style shirt that had a lengthened back with black trim along the edges of chest. The front portion of it ended at his waist, but the back continued down far enough that it would reach his calves.

Traveling downwards from there, he wore leather arm-guards that seemed to match the coloration of his exposed shoulder pads perfectly. They covered from just below his elbow down to his wrist. From there, a pair of black, fingerless gloves made out of the same fine material as his black shirt could be seen covering his hands.

Traveling down from there, the next notable piece of armor would be his rather large belt – a fitted piece of dark-colored metal that rested upon his hips. In the center of said belt was the insignia of the Fire Nation in highly-polished gold. Partially secured underneath the Fire Nation insignia were two pouches – one effectively held at each of the blond's hips with the other strap for each secured under the back of his belt. Underneath the pouch on his left hip was a thin black sheath and the bandage-wrapped hilt for a Jian with a small, golden pommel.

Attached to the belt was also a rather elegant piece of cloth that fell to his knees. The centerpiece fell between his legs and was crimson in the center with black trim to match the coloration rest of his armor. Two smaller pieces of similarly colored cloth then framed the piece with small flame patterns on the side closest to the centerpiece. This cloth, while mostly worn for appearance's sake, also served to ensure that the elongated back of his kimono didn't swing completely in front of him to impede his movement in any significant way.

Beneath that, he wore a pair of loose black pants without any sort of decoration, though they were mostly hidden from view by the cloth that hung from his belt as well as his greaves. Said greaves, going with the theme already made, were primarily crimson with black trim within the center and at the ankles.

Finally, finishing his ensemble was a simple pair of black shoes, though they were without the curved tips that most people from the Fire Nation seemed to wear.

(AN: If you have a hard time getting a mental image of his appearance as I've described it, just search for "Adult Zuko" on a search engine, mentally swap the colors around, switch the faces/hair, make the shirt tighter, replace the swords with a single Jian, and it will give you a general idea.)

"Land us nice and easy boy," Naruto stated as he shifted forward a bit and pat the dragon behind the head again while they drew closer to the compound they were expected to land within. "No need to go scaring anyone here."

Yipp

Letting out a sigh, the blond returned to his normal sitting position and glanced towards the small ball of fur on his lap: a small fox kit that had been at his side as long as he could remember. It was weird enough that it was a creature rarely ever seen of within their world. Weirder still was the fact that it hadn't grown an inch since that day despite having been fed quite well. However, the weirdest fact about the creature by far would have to be the 9 distinct tails that swished behind it as well as its oddly human-like front 'paws.'

The fox possessed orange fur save for the black markings that traced around its eyes and led up into its inner-ears. If anyone were to look close enough, they would also see that the creature possessed crimson-colored irises with a black slit for a pupil – an ominous sight if ever there was one.

All things considered, it was a very unique creature. Naruto had even gotten countless offers to buy the fox to likely try to breed him or treat him as a prized possession just as he had for the creature he was currently riding upon. However, the two creatures were as much a piece of his identity as a piece of his body was, and he wouldn't part with either of them if someone were to offer the world to him on a silver platter.

"Quiet you," Naruto stated as he playfully ran a clothed hand over the creature's head. "No yipping this early in the morning."

He, of course, received a playful nip on his fingers in response.

"Oi, no biting Kurama," the teen stated again as he repeated the previous motion with a bit more vigor – earning a slight growl from the fox before it tried to bite the blond's hand again only to miss.

"Hah, too slow," the Fire Nation man stated before blowing a soft raspberry. However, he stopped his teasing as his current method of transportation began to slowly descend. As the blond grew closer and closer to the ground, he directed his gaze to the figures on a large platform who were likely waiting for him to land.

'Hmm, I suppose the one in red must be Korra,' Naruto thought as he could make out their vague appearances from how close he had gotten. Slowly, a grin crept across his face until it was full-blown and showed off his pristine teeth. 'This should certainly be fun.'

Slowly, the dragon continued its descent until it made its landing. As it did, it became evident that its body was so large that it spanned a good three-fourths of the length of elevated stone platform it landed upon.

"Okay, show time," the blond stated as he stood up upon the saddle after coming to a stop. Having picked up Kurama from his lap before moving, he raised his arms and deposited the fox kit directly upon his scalp. Though an odd place to hold an animal, Naruto knew all too well by now that it was a place the creature liked to claim as his perch.

With well-practiced grace, he hopped off of the saddle even as the group of individuals moved a bit to greet him where he had landed. However, he paid them no mind for the time being and moved to the face of the dragon that had carried him so far instead. Coming around to face it directly, he met its eyes and placed a hand under its jaw and scratched the scales beneath, eliciting another small hum.

"Thanks Iroh, we're probably going to be here for at least a day or two, so rest up while you can," he stated as he raised the clothed hand that had scratched his lower jaw and placed it upon his snout. "I'll see if the White Lotus will bring you something to eat a little later, alright?"

The dragon, now dubbed Iroh, merely exhaled and gave a small nod of his head – showing that he could seemingly understand the blond.

"Great, now behave yourself, alright? I don't want to get grief about a charred White Lotus member later."

A warm gust of air that was more forceful than necessary was shot out of Iroh's nostrils in response, showing his slight annoyance to that last remark.

"Oh come on, I wouldn't be me if I didn't pick on you at least little bit buddy," Naruto stated with a chuckle as he pat his snout and walked away to the group that had been waiting for him for a few moments now. As he did so, he swung his gaze across the people present despite it being so early in the morning.

'Three older folks dressed in formal White Lotus robes…I have absolutely no idea who they are,' he thought as he swung his gaze to the next person. 'Ah, that's probably Katara,' he continued as he spotted an elderly woman in traditional Water Tribe clothing. 'Then Avatar Korra, obviously,' he continued as his gaze lingered on her appearance for a bit longer than necessary before shifting to the last person in the line.

"Master Lee!"* Naruto suddenly exclaimed as he walked forward, missing the slightly wide-eyed Korra who was drinking in his appearance along with the others who had never seen him before. Without anything further, Naruto opened his arms and embraced the slightly shorter man in a fierce hug as he moved closer, surprising everyone present even further. "It's so good to see you again," the teen finally stated as he relinquished his hold on the man and took a few steps back.

"As it is you, Lord Naruto," the man stated with a bow.

"No, no, no," Naruto stated as he reached a hand forward to the man's bowed forehead and pushed him back up to his standing position. "No 'Lord' stuff and no bowing. You know that I hate those sorts of things, especially from you of all people."

"I see that the past few years haven't changed you very much…Councilman Naruto," the elderly man stated with a faint smirk upon his lips at seeing the blond's eye twitch in response to his altered but no-less-accurate title. "Regardless, thank you for making the trip here. I apologize for pulling you away from your yearly visit with Zuko."

"Bah, it isn't a big deal," the blond stated with a rather infectious chuckle. "Besides, there's someone here I've always wanted to meet anyway."

At this, Korra stood a bit straighter and prepared to greet him properly, but found herself genuinely surprised when he walked directly past her and stood in front of her Waterbending Master.

'Huh…this guy's definitely different,' she thought with a slightly furrowed brow as memories of nearly every royal she had met previously immediately sucking up to her came to mind. So far, not only did Naruto appear to be experienced fighter unlike the others based on clothing choices and muscles that were coating his arms based on the bulges against the form-fitting shirt around his arms, but he seemed kind and surprisingly informal as well. 'He definitely looks much better than the others as well,' her mind continued as she shivered at remembering a good deal of pompous and rather ugly nobles who had visited blatantly flirting with her ever since she had turned fifteen.

"You must be Katara," Naruto stated warmly towards the elderly woman, blissfully unaware of Korra's current thoughts. He then inclined his hips downwards slightly in a bow towards the woman as a show of respect. "It is an honor to finally meet you. I've heard a great deal about you and your adventures."

"Please, after what you said a moment ago, there's no need for formalities here," Katara stated in a soft tone with a smile stretching upon her wrinkled face. "I've heard a great deal about you as well though Naruto, or should I call you the Prank King of the Royal Palace?"

At this, the blond froze momentarily before smiling nervously and scratching the back of his head nervously with his hands brushing against Kurama's tails.

"Zuko wrote about that of all things? Man, I miss those days," he stated with a chuckle as he remembered pulling said pranks on some of the more pompous nobles that would be in the palace on a nearly daily basis.

"Yes, he likes to ramble on about you quite a bit in his letters," Katara stated with a laugh from her throat. "My son did too, for that matter, though I am already beginning to see why that is the case."

"Tenzin? You would think he'd write about his own kids before taking the time to mention little old me," Naruto responded with another chuckle as he reached up a hand and scratched the fox atop his head behind the ear after feeling the creature claw his scalp a bit.

"Oh he does," the elderly Water Tribe woman responded with a grin that grew just a bit more. "He usually happens to mention you when he's talking about the others, Meelo in particular."

"Ah, well what can I say?" the blond responded with a shrug of his shoulders. "I always wanted a little sibling, we've come to see each other as such, and we brothers gotta stick together," he finished with a small smile.

"Well, I'm glad my grandchildren have such a good role model to look up to," she responded as her smile grew just a bit wider. "But we can talk about Tenzin and the others later. Korra here has been looking forward to this for quite some time," she stated with a gesture towards her left.

"Well I certainly can't say I haven't been doing the same," Naruto stated with a chuckle as he turned his gaze to the teenager in question – letting his piercing blue eyes gaze meet hers for the first time. "It's an honor to meet you as well, Avatar Korra," he greeted as he held out his hand towards her.

Shaking her head a bit to get out of her momentary stupor after staring at the blond's facial features, said woman extended her hand and gripped his in a firm handshake. Though she didn't let it show on her face, she found herself surprised immediately at the warmth his hand exuded.

"Likewise, Lord Naruto," she responded cordially with a friendly smile on her face.

"Uuuuugh, please don't be like Lee and use the stupid title," Naruto stated somewhat childishly after taking his hand back and running it down his face in an exasperated fashion. "I'm not Lord Naruto, I'm not Councilman Naruto. I'm just Naruto! I hate all my freaking titles," he finished with a grumble.

"Alright then," Korra responded after a moment with a grin as she started to get a proper feel of his personality. "I won't use your title if you don't use mine," she offered in compromise. Though she was certainly accustomed to people calling her by said title since it had been with her for nearly her entire life, she didn't particularly like to hear it used when it wasn't necessary.

"Heh, fair enough," the blond stated after a moment with a small nod of acknowledgement towards her. "I'm guessing based on your gear that you're ready for our little spar then?"

"Yes!" The Avatar stated eagerly as she moved her helmet from under her arm to over her head – taking only a moment to adjust her hair so that her ponytail was securely slipped through the hole in the back of it. "I wanna get to Airbending already, so let's do this!"

"Korra, Lord Naruto has likely had a long flight to arrive here so early at our request. Perhaps you should allow him to have breakfast first?" One of the White Lotus men stated with an inquisitive glance towards the blond.

'Well, he sounds like a barrel of laughs…just what I wanted to deal with today,' the blond thought with an inward sigh at hearing his title used once again despite his small outburst just a few moments ago.

"Hmmm…nah, it's alright," Naruto stated after silently chuckling at the distraught face the dark-skinned teenager had for a moment at the thought of prolonging her test further. "I had a small snack on the way here. Plus, like I said, I'm nearly as excited for this as Korra here is."

Suddenly, Korra's distraught look turned into one of elation for a brief moment before she schooled it down to one of relative neutrality again. She did still, however, shoot the blond an incredibly thankful smile.

"Very well then," the man acquiesced with a nod as he turned towards the elderly Firebending Master. "Shall we head down to the sparring area?"

"Yes," Lee responded somewhat mirthfully as he tore his gaze away from the two teenagers. "Let's move into the pavilion. Naruto, I presume you don't need our usual safety equipment?"

"Hm? Oh, nah," the blonde stated with a dismissive wave of his hand as he turned towards the man. "This stuff's all made out of Fire Silk or our usual leather," he stated as he pulled along his sleeve and then smacked one of his arm-guards. This, of course, merely meant that his attire was nearly impervious to fire – at least when it was anything short of prolonged exposure to incredibly intense flames. The leather was common within the Fire Nation as it was used for their standard-issue armor, but the silk was a rare and valuable material that only the wealthy could hope to be able to afford an entire outfit of.

Giving a nod, Lee merely turned and walked down the stairs of the raised stone portion of the compound towards a slightly elevated arena beneath it with a wooden pavilion for spectators to watch. The rest of the group quickly followed after him with Naruto and Korra bringing up the rear – the latter glancing over towards the former occasionally out of the corner of her eyes.

'I can tell he has some serious muscle under his clothes,' Korra thought as she eyed the black silk clinging around his toned biceps. 'He's probably pretty strong, so I'll have to be careful about letting him get too close. He doesn't look overly-bulky either, so he probably isn't too slow. I'm probably still better at hand-to-hand, but I should definitely be careful.'

Naruto, meanwhile, was thinking about a few tactics of his own.

'From what Tenzin told me before, she's going to be rather aggressive. I should probably try to get her flustered if I can so she makes mistakes,' he thought with a smirk at remembering how he had been susceptible to the same thing in the past. 'She's probably all formal bending to boot, so I probably won't have to worry about her dodging as skillfully as Pro-Benders do. Fast and constant strikes will definitely be a nightmare for her to dodge while trying to throw out any sort of offense.'

Their thoughts only ceased as they walked down the pavilion that the elders stopped upon and took separate sides on platform that had a giant, detailed image of the White Lotus symbol upon it.

"The rules are as follows: Firebending and hand-to-hand combat only. Avoid any intentional blows to the face. You will stop immediately if your opponent concedes, they are knocked out of the ring, or I order you to do so. Do you both understand and accept the rules as I have described them?"

"Yes," the two teens chorused, having both heard the exact same guidelines countless times in the past.

"Very well, you may begin when you're ready," Lee stated as silence then reigned in the compound for a few moments. As it was still early, many members of the White Lotus that lived in the compound were still asleep, so it was really just them for the time being.

"Alright buddy, time to get down," Naruto finally stated as he reached up and took the fox kit off of his head before placing him on the ground. After a moment, Kurama yipped before running off towards the pavilion.

"You know, I have to admit that I'm surprised," the blond continued with a glance to his opponent as he returned to his previous position and stretched out a few muscles. "Younger women usually go nuts when they see Kurama before trying to hug him to death."

"Heh, I'm not exactly your average woman," Korra shot back with a smirk. "Did you expect me to squeal over how cute he was or something?" She continued, blatantly ignoring the fact that she had resisted the urge to do exactly what he mentioned only due to her eagerness for the upcoming match.

"Yes, actually," Naruto admitted with a chuckle as he shook his arms to continue warming up his muscles. "I guess you're just a special snowflake," he continued with a wide grin. "Get it…because we're in the South Pole?"

"Oh dear spirits," Katara suddenly stated from the sidelines despite her smile as she placed a wrinkled palm on her forehead as memories of her brother's…unique sense of humor came to the forefront of her mind.

"…That was such a bad joke," Korra stated after with a shake of her head despite the smile that grew on her face at the bad play on words. "Come on, let's fight already."

"Oh fine," the blond stated with a sigh as he cracked his neck and slowly slipped into a traditional Firebending stance. "You're no fun."

"I'm plenty of fun," the Avatar defended as she slipped into a stance of her own. "Here, let me show you!"

Suddenly, she swung her fists forward in a flurry of punches – each one causing a small fireball to head towards her target. However, to her chagrin, Naruto had merely held his position and hit each fireball with the open palm of one of his hands. Upon contact, the fireball would appear to have hit successfully, but it would merely expand in a brief burst of flame before fizzling out.

"I've sparred Elite Firebenders of the Fire Nation more times than I could hope to count, Korra," he stated upon noticing her staring at him with a small amount of surprise. "Oftentimes now, I spar more than five of them at once. You're going to have to do a bit more than simply throwing a bunch of fire at me if you want to land a solid hit."

The teenage girl's shocked expression then turned into a somewhat wicked-looking grin as she stared upon the blond in front of her.

'Looks like I finally have someone that can keep up a little,' she thought as she remembered the time she sparred numerous other past students of her Firebending Master. 'Fine, time to get serious!'

Suddenly, Korra began sprinting forward. After a moment, she jumped into the air as she performed a front flip while she extended her right leg. The result was a sizable wave of fire that shot towards the blond.

'Impressive power, but you made far too obvious that this was going to be your move,' the blond thought with a silent chuckle. He responded by extending his hands forward and pressing the tips of his fingers together. The wedge-like shape that his hands made was then pointed towards the wave of flame that came over his body. This effectively split the wave in half around him.

"That's a bit better," he stated calmly as the fire seemingly had no visible effect on his body other than a small amount of steam that rolled off of his clothes. "It was far too predictable with how you threw your entire body into the move though."

At this, Korra's eyebrow ticked at the critique she was receiving. After all, despite acknowledging that her opponent was probably quite skilled, he had yet to prove himself to be better or even throw any bending towards her in retaliation.

"Fine," she stated in a slightly annoyed tone upon noticing that she was rather close to him. "Then let me show you something even better!" At the end of her statement, a stream of flame shot forth from her mouth, just sizable enough to be able to reach him.

'Much better!' Naruto thought excitedly as he took in a deep breath and his eyes widened marginally. Feeling a familiar burning sensation rising from his lungs and moving into his throat, he opened his jaw and released the built up flame in a style similar to what Korra had just done. However, there was two substantial differences between the two.

First of all, the quantity of fire he exhaled was far greater than Korra had done a moment beforehand.

Secondly, and what caught much more attention than the sheer amount of fire, was the fact that his flames were blue - a blue so light in color that it could easily be mistaken for white in some places.

Even as Korra quickly threw herself to the ground spryly on all fours and lowered herself as much as possible, the wave of blue flames overrode her own puny quantity in comparison and raced over the top of her.

"Beautiful as they ever were…" Lee muttered as his eyes wandered over the flames that his old student had created.

"He wields blue fire?!" One of the White Lotus guards whispered harshly as he turned towards the elderly Firebending Master. "Why didn't you warn us about this?"

"I didn't feel that it was something that you needed to be warned about in advance," he stated calmly as he looked towards the others. "I was obviously correct in my assessment, since Katara was undoubtedly aware of this as well."

"It's true," she admitted as she stared at the blue flames that were just now fizzling out. "Zuko wrote to me a lot back then about how he discovered a boy who wielded blue fire like Azula did. However, while blue flames burn more intensely than their counterparts, I'm convinced that Naruto wouldn't harm Korra intentionally in any way. There is no need to be concerned."

"But the Avatar's safety is at risk here," the other man whispered. "This could be too dangerous for her to handle."

"It is the duty of the Avatar to overcome any obstacle they may face," Lee stated firmly as he gazed at the other two men and the White Lotus woman who had yet to make her opinion known. "Dealing with a friendly spar when the opponent wields blue fire could very well be the least of her problems in the future. We have the best healer in the world here in case Korra is hurt in any way. This will also be a good learning experience for her since she has rarely found any obstacles she struggles to overcome. I must insist that this be allowed to continue."

"…I'm inclined to agree with Master Lee and Master Katara," the final, female member of the White Lotus group stated after a lengthy pause. "The young man doesn't strike me as the type of person to intentionally hurt her short of what a spar permits, and this will likely be a good learning experience as Master Lee has stated. While it is our duty to protect the Avatar, we must not coddle her either. We have permitted other less trustworthy nobles to visit and spar with her for this purpose, and I do not believe that this should be an exception."

The two men of the White Lotus looked a bit disgruntled at the idea of the match continuing, but turned their eyes back to the battle regardless of that fact.

Korra, still in shock at what she had seen, merely turned her gaze up to the blond in front of her after the flames seemed to fizzle out and the intense heat that had been traveling above her died out.

'Blue fire,' the Avatar thought in momentary awe. 'That was way too close,' she continued as she distinctly felt sweat drop down her neck despite being in the South Pole.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Naruto exclaimed happily as he interrupted the teen's thoughts, his voice not sounding the least bit altered despite the flames he had just spewed from his throat. "Unpredictable, powerful, and rather quick to boot – nicely done! You've definitely turned the heat up a notch."

An eerie silence then reigned over the clearing, the only sound being a fleshy slap from one of the elders in the pavilion that face-palmed.

"Get it, because we're Firebending?" The blond finally elaborated with a laugh. "Man, I'm on fire today!"

Another fleshy slap from the pavilion echoed over the clearing, though the sound of Katara letting out a small laugh could also be heard.

"…You are really bad at making jokes," the Water Tribe girl responded seriously as she cautiously stood and reassumed her stance.

"Hey, my sense of humor is awesome!" Naruto defended vehemently before he shook his head with a sigh and slipped into a basic stance again. "That aside, I guess we should be back to it."

Nodding, Korra took in a calming breath through her nose as she shut her eyes momentarily before opening them again – revealing a slightly calmer and more collected look than what she had possessed beforehand.

Suddenly, however, the blond smiled and changed his formal-looking stance into something akin to a boxing stance as he bounced on the balls of his feet. After a moment, he swung out a quick jab with each hand, sending a small blast blue fire towards the Avatar's chest.

Though the speed at which her opponent had sent the fireballs towards her was quicker than initially expected, Korra quickly countered merely pushing herself to the right to avoid them. They had been too fast to give her a chance to counter with any Firebending of her own, so it was her instinctive reaction to merely dodge instead.

However, even as her eyes locked onto Naruto once again, he was in the middle of another set of brief swings that sent flames towards her – two more quick jabs and a slim wave of flame that was created by kicking his foot up and bringing it back down.

Korra let out a slightly audible growl as she dodged once again, pushing herself back a bit as she did so to give her some space to counter his quick moves if she needed to. As she did, she extended her right foot and swung it in a semi-circle along the platform floor, sending a horizontal wave of flame towards the blond's feet.

Having seen what was coming, Naruto merely hopped over said flames and performed a spinning kick while in mid-air – the motion of which sent another wave of flame towards the Avatar's chest.

Letting her brow furrow, Korra retaliated by quickly shoving both of her fists forward – shooting another large wave of fire towards the blond that overwhelmed the small wave he had sent and continued forward to where he would land.

However, to her chagrin, the moment the blond's feet even so much as grazed the ground, he spun his body out of the way of her blast of flame. Even this proved to be a motion that wasn't completely wasted, as when he spun back to face her his fist shot out and threw a sizable blast of blue flame towards her that was quickly followed with several more.

'This is fucking ridiculous,' the Water Tribe teenager thought in a moment of frustration as she continued to dodge and counter the blasts for several minutes afterwards in a never-ending string of back-and-forth. 'He isn't actually giving me a chance to go completely on the attack. He just dodges my bending like it's nothing. The only way I'm going to actually have a chance to hit him is to get in close again and try to beat him there.'

'Hmm, looks like she might finally be thinking of a plan,' the blond thought in the meantime as he let a smirk rest on his face as he thoughtlessly threw his flames around like a Pro-Bender would. He was leaving out the more complicated maneuvers he knew for the time being, merely interested in pushing the teen into showing what she knew rather than trying to win the spar. 'Well then, let's see what you've thought of to beat me, Korra."

Suddenly, amidst the dodging she had done previously, Korra used her arms to block some of the small bursts of flames he had thrown – her armor steaming a fair amount after protecting her from the flames. With an audible grunt, she jumped into the air and unleashed two kicks of flame towards the blond.

Without a thought, of course, Naruto swirled out of the way of them just as he had done several others before noting that she was now running towards him with a rather intense expression on her face. Opening his hand, he spun around completely and unleashed a small torrent of his blue flames from his palm towards her.

Korra, however, merely charged through them after putting her hands in a wedge-shape and moving forward. After emerging with nearly her entire body now having steam rolling off of it, she continued forward with a rather predictable haymaker from her right arm.

Smirking a bit wider at the show of aggression, the blond merely ducked and let the blow pass over his head. However, as she and took in a deep breath and attempted to draw her arms back in what was obviously supposed to be a powerful Firebending maneuver, he quickly extended his arms and locked up her hands with his own before she could actually go through with it from point-blank range.

"You're rather reckless, you know that?" Naruto questioned with a bit of strain in his voice as the two quickly found themselves engaged in a brief test of raw strength while pushing against one another. "Throwing a lot of fire at that range would've backlashed and hit you too."

"Why…does…everyone say…that I lack…restraint!?" Korra grunted from between her teeth in momentary shock as she exerted her full effort to overpower the blond in front of her with raw strength. From up close, the sweat running down her brow was quite evident to anyone who would bother to look.

"Because you risk hurting yourself…just to win a spar," the blond responded while letting out a grunt of effort. After a moment, his smirk from before returned even as the exertion on his body was still evident by how his brow furrowed slightly. "Still, I can respect that!" He stated loudly as he pushed forward a bit harder, slowly pushing the Avatar back as she tried to push against him even harder.

Suddenly, while still pushing heavily against her blond opponent, Korra found Naruto's hands ripped out of her own. Immediately afterwards, she felt herself stumbling forward as the heavy resistance that she had been pushing against suddenly vanished. Even as her eyes widened and she stumbled slightly from being put off-balance, the blond quickly bent down and swept at her legs, causing her to face-plant onto the ground beneath her with a solid thud.

"That's enough," came the call from Master Lee who was still in the pavilion. "Naruto is the winner."

'I can't believe this,' the teenager on the ground thought as she kept her head facing the ground beneath her. 'He beat me with such a simple trick! What in the Hell Korra, you're better than this!' she continued as she lifted her neck up a bit only to allow her helmeted face to fall again and impact the ground a few times.

"You should think about incorporating your Waterbending movements into how you evade until you learn a bit of Airbending," a voice offered from the side – prompting her to turn her head enough to see the blond who was now squatting next to her. "You'd save a lot of otherwise wasted movement that way. Aside from that and being too aggressive for your own good, you're quite skilled. It was a good spar," he finished with a warm smile towards her.

"Thanks," Korra responded after a few moments before giving a small sigh. "I guess I can work on it since it'll be a while before I work on Airbending," she continued before she pushed herself up to her feet.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked as he stood upright with her and his head cocked slightly to the side. "Fire should've been the last element you mastered before Air, right?"

"Yeah, but Master Lee said that I'd have to beat you before I mastered Firebending," the young Avatar responded somewhat dejectedly. "I didn't actually expect you to be so much better than the other guys he had me fight before."

"Ah, I see he's still a fan of that old trick of his," Naruto responded with a chuckle. Upon noting his fellow teen's questioning look, he decided to elaborate as they walked back towards the pavilion where the elders were waiting. "He once told me that I'd have to beat ten Elite Firebenders at once before he would say that I mastered Firebending."

"T-ten Elite Firebenders?!" Korra asked in momentary shock, knowing that people belonging to that particular group had exceptional mastery of Firebending aside from a select few others such as the Fire Lord. She could probably take two or three at once with strictly her own Firebending skills, but the idea of taking on ten at once seemed absolutely crazy even for her.

"Mmhmm. He apparently always sets some stupidly difficult task before he will say you're a master, though many others would still say you've earned the title." Naruto stated as he clapped her shoulder and turned to the elders they had walked towards. "Isn't that right, Master Lee?"

Said man, to his credit, managed to keep a straight face for several moments before a small upturn at the edges ruined his image.

"I suppose that's true, Master Naruto," he responded with a slightly larger smile as Korra turned towards the blond with a dropped jaw.

"You…you actually beat ten Elite Firebenders at once?!"

"Yes, yes I did," the blond chirped with a reminiscent smile as he squatted down to pick up Kurama from the pavilion floor. "I don't ever intend to do something like it again if I can help it, but it was a good challenge at the time." As he finished, he moved the fox up to his scalp where he spun around a few times before laying down over his spiky locks once more.

"To answer the question I have a hunch that you'll undoubtedly ask me," he continued after a moment as he turned towards Lee. "The sole fact that she can use Dragon's Breath** should tell you all that you need to know. I think she's more than ready to move on. The only large problems I saw was that she seemed overly aggressive, or lacked restraint as it were, and needed to incorporate the other elements into her movements. These are things that would likely be best taught while she learns Airbending.

"Are you so certain she is ready to move on? She didn't appear to do so well during the spar," Lee asked somewhat sadistically as he found himself thoroughly enjoying the sight of various emotions flickering across Korra's face.

"Oh please, you know as well as I do that if it would have been nearly anyone else in that ring instead of me that Korra would have likely won easily. She is ready to move on and master the rest of Firebending on her own time," Naruto claimed as reached a hand up and scratched the fox behind one of its ears absent-mindedly.

"So…" Korra asked eagerly from the side, her body language allowing anyone to spot the obvious enthusiasm from a mile away.

"I believe that she is ready," Katara stated softly from the side as she looked at the two teenagers in front of her. "If there is anyone who can teach her what she needs to learn, especially about the spiritual side of being the Avatar which she still needs to learn, it's Tenzin."

"I suppose I believe she is ready as well," Lee stated with a small smile tugging at his lips. "I have known fantastic Firebenders that would have been blasted out of the ring in moments against Naruto even with him holding back a fair amount. To have managed to fight against him for a few minutes, even if it was mostly just dodging and countering, is certainly commendable."

"I believe we're inclined to agree after that display," the most outspoken of the White Lotus members stated after glancing at his comrades. "Very well then. It is time to begin your Airbending training, Korra."

"YES! FINALLY!" Korra shouted while jumping up into the air. After she landed and noted the deadpan expressions that were directed at her, however, she 'gracefully' schooled her expression and let out a fake cough into her hand.

"I mean, thank you all for believing in me," she stated with a traditional bow before slowly turning with a wide grin and running to a different part of the compound – her day having been made with the news of finally being trained in the one element she had yet to even access properly.

"Well," Naruto began as he watched the teenager run off with a smile on his face, "she was certainly just as lively as everyone told me she would be."

"Yes," Lee stated with a chuckle soft chuckle now that his student had left the area. "'Lively' is certainly a good word to describe her most of the time."

"That's certainly true," Katara stated from off to the side with a somewhat wistful smile on her lips as she stared at the blond. "Then again, I imagine you could relate to that rather well."

"Ah…haha, maybe a little," Naruto admitted somewhat sheepishly as he scratched his cheek and averted his gaze off to the side. He kept it there for a few moments before he gave a long sigh and redirected his gaze back towards the woman.

"Fitting descriptions of my personal life aside, however, I have some business I need to get out of the way with Chief Tonraq while I'm here. If it isn't too much trouble, might I be able to have an audience with him before we move onto more pleasant topics of conversation?"

Upon seeing his quick shift in seriousness, the elders, sans Lee, let their eyebrows raise a few inches upon their faces as they stared at the teen.

"…Zuko certainly wasn't exaggerating when he said you were a lot like Sokka; making terrible jokes one moment, and diving head-first into politics the next," Katara commented with a small smile tugging at her lips again at the comparison of the two.

In response, the blond's lips twitched upwards into a small smile of his own.

"It is an honor to be compared to one of my personal heroes," he stated with a slight bow as he struggled rather obviously in keeping his facial expression relatively neutral.

"At least he isn't around to hear you say something like that," the aged Waterbending Master stated with a soft laugh. "He would've let that go to his head and ego rather quickly. However, I suppose I shouldn't delay you any longer with my rambling. Come, I'll escort you to see Tonraq myself."

(Several Minutes Later)

"So, is this your first time in the South Pole?" Katara's aged voice questioned softly as she walked along the sculpted path to Tonraq's hut alongside the blond Firebender.

"Ah, it is indeed," he responded with a curt nod. "I've always wondered about what it was like here, but I never had a good opportunity to visit before now."

"Really? I would have presumed Zuko would make that a priority for you to get out and experience the world a bit before becoming the Councilman in Republic City."

"I brought up the very same thing around two years ago before I moved, actually," Naruto responded with a chuckle. "Though I was eager to go back there to see my friends again, I thought I'd need more experience before becoming a politician for the entire country. In response though, he and Fire Lord Izumi made me sit down to drink tea with them and tried to explain that it would be more efficient if I studied under their current Councilwoman for a few months instead of traveling the world. In hindsight though, they seemed to say that in as round-a-bout manner as possible."

"Ah, so they Iroh'd you then?"

"Yes, I suppose they did," the blond stated in return with another chuckle. "Zuko was…is rather fond of using that particular method to try to teach some big lesson to me, and it seems his daughter picked up the habit as well. It was only when Lady Mai*** sat me down and explained it that I learned it was also his Uncle's favorite way of teaching him."

"Oh, it truly was from what I understand," the Waterbending Master said softly with a wide smile on her face. "Iroh and Aang would sit and chat for hours…on what few occasions they had free time together, that is."

"Yes, from what I've heard of both of them, it seemed like the two would get along famously."

"Oh my, yes. In fact, though many people don't know this, I think Aang got along better with Iroh more than even Sokka, Toph, or Zuko. They were always so like-minded, especially when it came to the problems of the world."

"That isn't so surprising, all things considered," the blond stated thoughtfully. "Zuko did always say that Aang wasn't his favorite amongst your group even if they did get along famously…"

"…Oh?" Katara asked with a raised eyebrow as she turned her gaze towards the teen. "Who was it then?"

"I wonder…" Naruto responded while turning to meet her gaze with a sly smile on his lips.

A few moments passed where their gazes lingered on one another before Katara let out a laugh from deep within her belly as they approached their intended destination.

"Oh yes, I can certainly see why Zuko and Tenzin praise you as a Councilman. You give me just enough to bait me in to the conversation and then leave me wanting more. Quite skillful, young man. Quite skillful indeed."

"Ah, perhaps I'm not quite as skilled as you praise if you caught me so easily," the blond offered in return.

"When you get to be my age, it's a bit easier to pick up on such things," the aged woman responded kindly. "For one so young, I can tell that you hold incredible potential."

"YESYESYESYESYESYES!" A voice rung out from the igloo the two bending masters were approaching. The voice, while partially muffled, was distinctly female and could belong to none other than the Avatar herself.

"Well…someone's excited."

"Korra has always been particularly excitable about anything relating to Airbending. Seeing as she tapped into the other three elements incredibly easily, I'm sure you could understand why that is."

Before the blond had time to respond, a Water Tribe woman standing a bit over five feet tall came out of the front of the igloo with her eyes closed while lightly rubbing her temples. After a few moments, she opened her eyes only for her face to light up in surprise at the sight in front of her.

"Katara!" She greeted warmly as she quickly walked forward and embraced the elderly woman in a hug. After pulling away, she shot her gaze to Naruto for a moment before returning it to the Waterbending Master. "Not that I mind, but what are you doing all the way out here?"

"It's good to see you too, Senna," Katara greeted kindly. "This," she began with a wave towards him, "is Councilman Naruto from Republic City. I'm sure Korra has no doubt filled you in on what happened earlier?"

"Ah, yes, she's…celebrating," the woman stated with a soft smile as echoes of Korra's muffled voice came from inside the hut. "You'll have to forgive my daughter, she can be a bit…rough in her spars from what I understand."

"It's quite alright ma'am, I've dealt with far worse in my time," the blond responded with a soft smile of his own.

Yipp

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting to you," Naruto stated with a slight huff as Senna's eyes darted up to his hair and her smile grew wider at the sight. After a moment, he reached up and took the creature from his scalp and cradled it in his arms.

"This little demon is Kurama, and he can get rather upset when not properly introduced," he continued as he pushed his arms away from his body to hold the fox out towards the Water Tribe woman.

"Well aren't you a little cutie," Senna cooed as she placed both hands on the creature's cheeks before rubbing its head affectionately.

"You can hold him, if you'd like?"

Without any hesitation, the small fox was nearly torn from his hands as Korra's mother swept the creature into her own arms and continued to coo at him as one might a new born baby.

"…I take it this happens often?"

"Far, far more often than I would like to admit," the blond responded to Katara with a chuckle. "That's why I was actually surprised when Korra didn't do the same thing."

"I see," the Waterbending Master stated with an amused smile.

"She'll probably be distracted for quite some time if the normal reactions are anything to go off of," Naruto stated after a moment's pause.

"You're probably right. Let's head on inside, I imagine you're at least a little cold by now in those clothes."

"Not at all, actually," Naruto responded as they moved into the igloo without knocking or any other signal to their entry. "I've been told that my body burns at a slightly hotter temperature than most, and these clothes actually cover me pretty well."

Katara merely glanced at him for a moment before quickly averting her gaze and shaking her head with a slight huff. "Firebenders and their body temperature…"

By now, thankfully, the sounds of Korra yelling enthusiastically had come to a halt. However, it also meant that the brief conversation between the two bending masters was easily overheard.

"Katara, is that you I hear?" A masculine voice called out from the next room over in the large igloo before its owner strode inside of the main living quarters.

The man was tall, standing at eye-level with Naruto himself. Wearing traditional Water Tribe robes and with traditional darkened skin, the man also had a rather broad frame. His dark hair was pulled back into a simple pony tail for the moment, and his eyes immediately fell onto the blond male in the room as soon as he registered the foreign presence.

"Tonraq," Katara greeted warmly while also putting a name to the man's appearance. "It's nice to see you again after so long," she continued as she walked forward before quickly being pulled into a hug.

"Just as it is you, Katara," he replied kindly before his eyes honed in on the other man in the room. "However, it seems you've brought me a visitor."

"I have," she confirmed with a curt nod before gesturing towards the blond. "This is Councilman Naruto from Republic City."

At this, the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe merely raised his brows in a moment of genuine astonishment as his mouth hung slightly agape for a moment before he quickly closed it back up.

"My apologies, Councilman," he finally stated after clearing his face of his evident surprise. "I just…I'd heard about your age, but I didn't honestly expect someone so young…"

"Please, don't bother with my titles Chief Tonraq," the blond stated casually while still maintaining the serious expression upon his face. "As for my age, I get that sort of reaction at least once a week, so there's no harm done."

"Very well…Naruto, was it? I assume since you had Katara escort you here that you're here to speak to me about something?"

"Indeed," the blond confirmed with a nod. "I've been asked by Fire Lord Izumi to negotiate an agreement to allow some Fire Nation vendors to come in for your Glacial Spirits Festival later this year if you aren't completely opposed to the idea."

Upon hearing the initial idea, the Chief's brows rose once again as his eyes widened somewhat comically before he schooled his expression once more.

"I-I'm sure we can work something out," he stated while trying to contain his glee at the prospect of how much money and trading Fire Nation vendors could pull in for the tribe at the festival. "I use this next room over to keep my papers in. If you'd like to step inside, we can talk over things. I imagine this might take quite some time…"

"Unfortunately, I feel you may be right," Naruto stated with a chuckle as he turned towards Katara and bowed. "Thank you for escorting me here, it was greatly appreciated."

"Oh please, it was no trouble at all," Katara responded in a warm tone. "I assume you will at least be staying overnight to rest?"

"Most likely," he responded as he let out a loud breath. "I get the hunch that this will take a while, and Iroh has been has flown from Republic City, to the Fire Nation Palace, and then to the South Pole in the last five days. He needs to rest for at least a day."

"I will ensure there's a room for you at the White Lotus Compound then. It's the very least we can do for you since you came all this way, even if it was for some business of your own."

"Ah, thank you for your hospitality then," he stated before turning back towards the large man in front of him. "Shall we then, Chief Tonraq?"

"After you," the man stated as he brushed aside the hanging skins that helped keep heat in the rooms of the house, ushering him inside before following after him.

(8 hours later)

"I hate being a Councilman," Naruto muttered to himself as he strode back towards the White Lotus Compound with Kurama atop his scalp once again. The past long and grueling eight hours had been spent detailing the potential agreement between the Fire Nation and the Southern Water Tribe as had been expected. However, the sheer abundance of details that needed to be hashed out was so tremendous that he and Tonraq had skipped over an entire meal to get the work finished as quickly as possible.

Yipp

Sigh

"I swear, you're no help sometimes," the blond muttered out again as he reached the gate of the compound. The sun was finally beginning to fall in the sky, painting it a rather beautiful orange – his favorite color – and he had to pause for a moment to take it in. After that though, he promptly moved inside the compound and towards the large housing area that was kept near the back.

"Naruto?" A familiar, excitable voice questioned that caused him to snap back to reality as he was crossing the large stone platform in front of the large, wooden housing unit. As he turned, his eyes immediately locked onto the form of Korra and Katara standing together a fair distance away from a small group of White Lotus guards.

"Hey Korra," he greeted with a slight wave before raising it to his mouth to stifle a yawn. "What's going on?"

"Tenzin and the others are coming, that's what!" She exclaimed happily while Katara smiled wistfully off at her side. "Katara figured I'd pass, so she actually called him here early and he's due any time now! I finally get to start my Airbending training!"

"Tenzin?" The blond questioned with a cocked eyebrow. "Is he supposed to stay here and teach you or something?"

"He is," Katara confirmed from the girl's side with a large smile. "It will be so nice to see my grandchildren for a while again."

'Strange…I would think Tenzin of all people would be reluctant to leave Republic City right now. I wonder if he plans to bring Korra back with him…'

"Would you mind if I join you while waiting for them all then? It has been a while since I got to spend some time with the Airbenders."

"Of course you can," Katara answered without hesitation. "I'm sure they will be ecstatic to see you."

"Hey, while we wait, what was that Firebending you did earlier today?" Korra questioned with sincerity after a few moments. "It was so much…quicker than what I was taught."

"Ah, you mean the stance I took where I sort of bounced on my feet?" The blond questioned in return, not actually choosing to take the stance since that would result on an irritated fox atop his head.

Korra merely nodded in return, having directed her attention solely at him for an explanation.

"It's the style that Pro-benders use in Republic City."

"Pro-bending, are you a fan?!" Korra questioned in an even more excited voice than before. "I hear some of the guards talking about it all the time, so I really want to see a match sometime."

'…They really need to let her out to see things more if she's having to hear about that second-hand.'

"I suppose you could say that I'm a fan, yes," he admitted with a soft chuckle. "I have a friend in Republic City who was on a Pro-bending team, so he got me into it. Last year, the Firebender who was working with him and another friend of mine quit, so they all but guilt tripped me into playing for their team this year."

"Wait…what?!" Korra questioned excitedly, her interest having been peaked once again. "You're a Pro-Bender on top of everything else?!"

"Yeah," the blond confessed with a bit of a sigh. "It's killing what little personal time I actually had, but it's to help out two of my first friends. I can't exactly just tell them no when they really need something from me, y'know?"

"…Oh, I see," the teen responded with slightly curbed excitement upon hearing his reasoning. "Well, what team do you play for?"

"The Akimichi Fire Shadows."

"The Fire Shadows?" Korra questioned for a moment before her brow rose nearly up into her hairline. "You're the Firebender for the reigning champions?!"

"I am," the blond answered with another smile at her obvious excitement. "I can show you some tips and such about how various bending styles are different sometime, if you'd like?"

"Hell yeah!" Korra exclaimed before a look from Katara had her calming herself down once again.

'Well, actually…no reason not to start right now,' the blond thought a mere moment later. "Alright, are you aware with the general rules of the matches?"

"Uh…you try to knock people back spaces, right?" The Avatar asked more than answered.

"In gist, yes, that's the objective," Naruto confirmed with a nod. "There are a few other rules involved, but that isn't particularly important to understand the style. Now, it's a three versus three match-up where you don't want to get knocked back, so what do you think the most important ability that a Pro-Bender has to have is?"

"…Speed?" The Water Tribe teen offered after a few moments of thought.

"Close, and, granted, speed is an important aspect. However, that's not quite right. The most important ability that any Pro-Bender has to have is the ability to dodge. I know that seems a bit too simplified, but if you don't get hit, then you don't get knocked back."

"Alright, I could see that," the teen responded after a brief pause with a nod. "So the styles focus on being able to dodge then?"

"Good deduction," the blond answered. "Yes, as you can probably notice if you think back and look at how I reacted to your attacks, you can see how the stance allowed me to stay light on my feet and move at a moment's notice. That fundamental aspect will remain the same in the Pro-bending arena regardless of what type of bending it is."

"That's…so different than what I was taught," the Avatar responded after a relatively lengthy pause.

"It was quite different than what I had been taught too," Naruto responded after snorting. "However, you'll likely pick it up much quicker than your formal bending training when you get in some practice with it; I know that I certainly did."

There was a comfortable silence that followed after that. Before anyone else chose to make any more small talk, the familiar growl of a Sky Bison reached their ears – causing each of them to smile for their own reasons.

"..ereyet?ArewethereyetArewethereyet?Arewethereyet?" A familiar child-like girl's voice repeated time and time again as the bison finally landed upon the platform.

"Yes, Ikki," a tired man's voice stated as the noise settled. "As I've been saying for the last fifteen minutes, we are, finally, here."

"Now Tenzin, you know Ikki's just a bit excitable," Naruto hollered as he looked up to the large saddle. Upon hearing his voice, Ikki and Meelo quickly leapt from their positions on the creature and used Airbending effortlessly to carry themselves over into him – crashing into him in a rather fierce hug for kids so young.

"Big brother, why are you here? Aren't you cold in those clothes? Were you waiting here long? Where's Iroh? Do you always carry a sword with you when you're gone? …Are you and Korra secretly dating?"

Letting out a small sigh upon hearing the barrage of questions from the younger daughter of the bald Councilman, he took in a deep breath of air.

"I'm here for a few different reasons, Ikki. No, I'm not cold in these clothes. I was only waiting on you for the past ten or fifteen minutes, as I didn't even know you were supposed to be here today. Iroh's inside their stables resting. I usually carry my sword with me when I'm gone, but not always. Seeing as I just met Korra today, I'm fairly certain we aren't dating," he finished by sticking his tongue out at the girl.

"Now," he continued before prying the small figure clinging to his chest off of him and holding the bald boy at arm's length, "how's my little brother been? Get into any trouble recently?"

"I learned a new move!" he stated with enthusiasm as he grinned widely. "Put me down and let me show you really quick!"

Doing as he asked, Naruto watched as Meelo squatted down and seemed to focus intently…before the sound of a certain bodily function was heard as he blasted off towards his Grandmother rather quickly.

"…Jinora," he stated as he caught sight of the pre-teen girl just now having made her way relatively calmly over to him. "Please tell me that Meelo didn't do what I just think he did."

"Be happy that you weren't around when he first figured it out," the pre-teen muttered softly before catching his eye. "Mom and dad had to talk to him a lot to get him to stop calling it Fartbending."

"Of course they did," the Firebender responded with barely contained mirth as he fought valiantly to keep a rather immature chuckle down. "Anyway," he continued as he squatted down to bring her closer to eye-level once he noticed Ikki had also hovered over to Katara and the others. Fully standing, she came up to about mid-abdomen on him, so his new height worked out nicely. "How's my favorite Airbender been lately?"

"I-I've been well, mostly spending time studying old Airbending scrolls," the young Airbender responded with a slight flush visible on her cheeks.

"Ah, speaking of," the blond began as he snapped open the pouch on his right side and rummaged around in it for a moment before pulling out a scroll. After pulling it open for an inch or two to ensure that it was the correct one, he held it towards the young girl.

"W-what's…?"

"You're still interested in Firebending breathing techniques, yes?"

"W-well…I-I mean, yes," Jinora stuttered for a moment before regaining her composure. "I just saw how much you benefitted from studying ours, so…" she trailed off a bit shyly.

"A little birdy told me as much," he stated with a soft smile towards the girl who obviously had a bit of a crush on him. "You can keep this if you promise to keep it safe, okay? We don't have too many scrolls on techniques written by the Dragon of the West, so we want to keep them in good condition."

"Y-y-you're g-giving me a scroll written by Iroh?!" She shouted before covering her mouth with both hands as her entire face flushed red in embarrassment at her obvious show of excitement.

"A scroll written by Iroh from my personal collection, yes," the blond clarified with a soft laugh despite the eyes of the others that were now lingering on them. "Consider it a bit of an early birthday present, okay?"

Finally reaching forward, the young Airbender cradled the scroll in her arms as she gazed down at it fondly. After a moment, she finally turned her still-flushed face up and nodded.

"T-thank you."

"You're welcome," Naruto responded with a wide grin, unintentionally making the young girl's face flush just a bit more. "Now, we should probably go chat with your parents and see what's going on."

Finally having handled all of the Airbending children one-by-one, the blond strode over to the rest of the group just as Tenzin was helping his wife slide slowly off of the Sky Bison's large tail.

"Careful…careful," the Airbending Master stated as she slid down and finally stood.

"Tenzin, stop dotting on me," the woman huffed out in a slightly annoyed tone. "I'm just pregnant, not some helpless damsel in distress."

She was stopped from continuing, however, as Katara came up and quickly wrapped her up in a gentle hug before placing her hands gently on her enlarged belly.

"The baby is quite strong, I sense another Airbender in the future," the aged Waterbender stated without noticing the suddenly stricken face that Pema made.

"Ouch…sorry Pema," Naruto stated, finally drawing the attention of the woman and her husband entirely towards him.

"All I want is one, just one non-bender that doesn't blast wind in my face every five seconds," she said with a sight before shaking her head. "Oh well…"

"It will be alright, dear," Tenzin stated kindly before pecking her on the cheek from the side. "Councilman," he stated as he locked gazes with Naruto, "not that it isn't nice to see you again, but what are you doing here?"

"My official business here is done Tenzin, no need to be so formal," he stated with a chuckle. "To sate your curiosity though, Korra's Firebending instructor brought me in to spar her and I had to propose and formalize an agreement with Chief Tonraq. I honestly didn't even know you were coming here until around ten or so minutes ago."

"I see," the tall man stated as he visibly relaxed at hearing the news, "that's good."

"You need to relax, my friend," Naruto stated with a small smile. "Dealing with the council, managing your children, and helping your pregnant wife has you too stiff."

"…I know, but it's just so difficult to find time to get away…" he trailed off before lifting his head and noting the figure that was lurking a fair distance behind his mother. "Korra?"

The teenager in question quickly walked forward with a grin on her face as she stood before the tall Airbender.

"Look at you," he stated fondly as he quickly ran his eyes up and down her figure, "you've grown into quite the young Avatar."

"Master Tenzin," she greeted formally with a small bow. "I can't tell you how happy I am to see you. I'm so excited to start my Airbending training."

"Yes, well…" the man responded before turning his gaze away sheepishly as he raised a hand and rubbed the back of his neck. Korra obviously caught the gesture and began to look at him and the others somewhat suspiciously.

"You're going to have to tell her sooner or later," Pema offered from her husband's side as she gently rested an arm on the crook of his elbow.

"…You aren't staying," Katara suddenly stated more than asked as she noted the lack of any of their meager belongings.

"No, I'm afraid we're not," the Airbending Master stated with what was obviously a slightly pained face upon hearing his mother's disappointed tone of voice. "We're only staying for the night, then I have to return to Republic City."

"But…I…no," Korra shook her head in confusion. "You're supposed to move here to teach me."

"I'm sorry, Korra, but your Airbending training will have to wait."

'…No way she's going to let it end with just hearing that,' the blond thought with an inward sigh as he caught her rather devastated expression. 'I'm calling it right now.'

(45 minutes later)

"So, how long until you're able to start teaching me? A few days, a week, a month?" Korra asked while everyone sat down to eat within the White Lotus Compound.

'Called it,' the blond thought with inward applause for his deduction earlier about the issue not being resolved. He was currently seated between Meelo and Jinora – the former stuffing his face while the later was calmly petting Kurama who was curled up comfortably in her lap.

"It honestly may be much longer than that," Tenzin stated at the head of the table after he set his bowl of Water Tribe noodles down.

"I just…I don't understand why you can't start teaching me."

"Korra, I have a responsibility to Republic City, and the situation there is very…unstable right now," he stated with a quick glance towards the blond.

"Yes, but you also have a responsibility to teach me Airbending. Believe me, I'd be happy to try to find another Airbending Master, but you're the only one. We're stuck with one another."

"I understand that, Korra," Tenzin stated with a sigh as he raised his hand and rubbed his brow. "Truly, I understand it and I'm sorry for having to delay this longer, but there's nothing I can do."

"Tenzin, I feel you're overlooking an obvious answer here," Naruto offered from the side. As all attention at the table turned to him, he shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant fashion before offering the answer. "Why not just bring her to Republic City?"

"That's perfect!" Korra nearly shouted with joy as her eyes lit up.

"Absolutely not!" One of the elder White Lotus members stated as he smacked his hand off of the table. "Republic City is far too dangerous. Avatar Aang tasked us with keeping you safe!"

"No, elder," Naruto stated as he narrowed his eyes slightly at the man. "Avatar Aang tasked the White Lotus with helping future Avatars achieve their true potential, something that was certainly understandable given the difficulty he had doing so. By forcefully keeping her here, even though I am aware as to why," he caught Tenzin's eye for a moment at that before continuing, "I feel that you are failing in that very task."

Korra sent him an appreciative gaze at that, though the other adults in the room save for Pema and Katara gazed at him rather harshly for hinting at information they still desired to keep hidden.

"I highly doubt Aang would want me locked up here like a prisoner," the Water Tribe teen added on with a quick glance towards Tenzin.

"I know this is difficult to accept," Tenzin began with a sigh as he could already imagine what the reaction to this would be, "but now is not the right time for you to come to Republic City. I'm sorry, Korra, but the answer is no."

"…Fine, whatever," Korra stated shortly afterwards with a frustrated growl as she quickly stood and walked out of the dining room. As the door slammed shut significantly louder than usual, the two elderly men gave out another sigh.

"You are foolish to keep her away from this," Naruto stated with his gaze directed towards the Airbending Master as he slowly pried Kurama away from Jinora and stood up himself.

"I know your views on the matter, but as I said Councilman," he bit out slightly more harshly than he usually would, "she isn't ready."

"Then allow me to leave you on this parting thought, Councilman," he stated harshly enough to cause people sitting at the table to wince at his tone. "No one in their right mind would've considered your father ready to face the Fire Lord when he did, but he still accomplished it because it was what the world needed at the time. I'm aware you're trying to protect her until she's prepared for what she's going to face, but keeping the Avatar locked away in a compound for years is hardly the way to prepare her for dealing with Republic City or the world in general!"

This was met by silence as Tenzin and the White Lotus elder let their shoulders droop slightly. Even Pema, Katara, and the children, though not the target of the slight venom in his tone, looked slightly chastised. Seeing as no one made a move to say anything in their own defense, he calmly strode out of the room and closed the door softly behind him.

Whether that was more impactful than Korra's slam or not was up for debate

"Well that was…different," Pema stated after a few moments to try to diffuse the tension in the air that was still there despite the blond's departure. "I don't think I'd ever seen Naruto upset before."

"The subject of the Avatar is touchy with him," her husband responded softly after a few moments. "He and the leaders of the Fire Nation are in agreement that we shouldn't have been holding Korra here like we are any longer. Anytime he wants to bring it up in conversation, I usually speak with him privately so you wouldn't have to see…that."

"He made some good points though, Dad," Jinora stated somewhat shyly from the side. Though she was admittedly infatuated with the boy, even she could see the validity in the points he made.

"…I know he did, sweetheart," Tenzin whispered just loudly enough for everyone to hear before letting out a loud sigh. "He always does."

(The Next Morning)

"Bye Gran Gran!" Ikki shouted a moment before Oogi took off – leaving a waving Katara watching after them as a tear dripped down her cheek alongside a stoic-looking Naruto. He had already given his warm goodbyes to Pema and the children before they left, so he felt no need to say anything further. Tenzin, on the other hand, had received little more than a stiff handshake.

"I take it you're probably leaving soon as well?" Katara asked with a voice still rather thick with emotion after watching her family leave.

"Yeah, probably within the next few minutes," the blond confirmed with a nod of his head. "I'm sorry for the unpleasantness I likely caused last night during dinner, by the way. I feel a bit guilty about ruining what little time with your family you probably get…"

"It's quite alright," the aged woman stated with a sniffle. "Truth be told, I agree with what you said. My husband wouldn't have wanted Korra to be held here. She needs to be out in the world in order to learn what makes the Avatar…well, the Avatar."

"It's good to know that the Fire Nation isn't completely alone in their opinion," Naruto responded after a momentary pause. "Do you happen to know where Korra is, by the way? I was hoping to speak with her before I left."

"Ah, she's probably just outside of the compound on a nearby cliff if I know her as well as I think I do. I'm sure if you fly out that direction that you'll spot her easily enough."

"I see. Well, thank you again for your hospitality, Katara. I greatly appreciate you welcoming me here," he finished with a bow.

"The pleasure was mine, Naruto," she responded with a soft smile.

(Several Minutes Later)

"Ready to go buddy?" Naruto asked as he mounted the saddle on his dragon before reaching forward and scratching the scales above its brow. Kurama, as per the usual, was resting upon his scalp.

A loud gust of air coming out of Iroh's nostrils and a slight flap of its wings was the response he received.

"Alright, well it's going to be a short flight at first. After that, it'll be a long haul and you'll get to stretch your wings again. Let's go!"

At his behest, Iroh's wings spread out and flapped mightily causing several White Lotus members in the immediate area having to crouch low to the ground in order to keep themselves from being knocked over.

As the black dragon lifted off of the ground, Naruto let his gaze drift over the nearby landscape. After a few moments of searching, he found his intended target.

"Over there, Iroh," he hollered over the sound of his flapping wings. "Land us next to the Avatar!"

A few moments and one shocked expression on Korra's face later, and the blond was looking down at the teenage girl from atop his saddle as her eyes were locked onto the dragon in front of her.

"Hello again, Korra," he greeted kindly as her eyes drifted to him for a brief moment before going back to the dragon that was, at most, a foot away from her face.

"H-Hey," she greeted in return as he hand hesitantly rose. "Would you mind if I…?"

"Not my call, you'll have to ask Iroh here," he shot back in amusement as he pat the creature on the brow again.

As the Water Tribe teen nodded, she turned her gaze into the dragon's eyes. After holding contact for a few moments, Iroh's head bowed down towards her. As it did, Korra reached her hand forward and touched his snout before slowly rubbing along it a few times.

"It would seem that he likes you."

A warm smile was the only response he received for a moment before the teen finally tore her gaze from the beautiful creature.

"I'll be blunt with you, Korra," he stated after taking a few moments to gather his thoughts. "Tenzin wasn't lying when he said that Republic City is unstable. However, unlike him, I think that we'll need your help to settle things down."

At this, the girl's brow furrowed.

"What do you mean? No one really tells me much of anything that's going on there."

"There's a new group in the city that call themselves the Equalists," Naruto stated with a sigh at the very thought of the frustration the group has been bringing up. "To keep it short and sweet, they're a group of people who believe that benders are oppressing non-benders in everyday life and want it to be made illegal outside of certain circumstances."

"But that's…that's…" Korra began.

"It sound ridiculous, I know," the blond finished for her with a soft chuckle. "However, a lot of the crime in Republic City is done by benders. People who suffered under them then become rather prejudiced against the art itself regardless of the fact that it is neither innately good nor evil. They've been gaining a lot of support lately, so the United Republic Council is trying to do what we can to prevent a civil war from breaking out. That's why Tenzin couldn't move down here just yet."

"Oh," the teen stated softly in response before she gave out a long sigh. "I guess that makes sense. Still though, why didn't he just tell me that?"

"While I don't know for certain, I presume he merely wants to protect you."

"Of course he does," the brunette huffed. "What about you then?" Korra questioned after a brief pause.

"As I said, I think that we need your help to ultimately resolve the issue. As the only person in the world that can manipulate all four elements at once, you could easily be classified as the 'ultimate' or 'most powerful' bender in the world. I think if the people of Republic City saw the Avatar standing up for them once again that this nonsense about benders subjugating normal citizens would be easily resolved."

"I…I see," Korra responded with a somewhat solemn expression on her face.

"That being said, I also wanted to stop and chat with you because I heard that there just so happens to be a Republic City supply ship leaving port here tonight. I was interested in a rumor I overheard about the cargo bays in them being rather roomy, but I don't suppose you would know about that sort of thing off-hand, would you?"

After a momentary pause to likely ponder why he would ask her such a random question, the Avatar's eyes widened marginally for several moments in realization before she attempted to school her expression.

"I wouldn't know, I've never been in one," she responded slowly while her mind was wondering whether or not to take the risk.

"Ah, a shame then," Naruto stated in what was obviously false disappointment. "I'm told that the South Pole has pretty lax security around their ships at night, so I had thought you might have been in one before."

"Sorry to disappoint," the Avatar replied in a monotone as her mind was obviously elsewhere.

"Don't worry, it's no big deal," the Firebender replied as he waved a hand in front of his face as if to dismiss the apology. "I'll leave you be though, as I can see you have something you're working through. I hope to see you in Republic City sometime soon though, Korra."

"Yeah…" Korra stated thoughtlessly again for a moment before she shook her head and she drifted back to reality. "Yeah, I hope to see you there too."

Yipp

"It seems Kurama is of the same opinion. Until then…" Naruto stated with a smile before giving nod of his head towards the girl. "Let's go, Iroh."

Running forward and diving off the cliff without further prompting, Iroh's wings quickly caught the air and drifted them home towards Republic City.

Post-Chapter Notes

*Korra's Firebending instructor, as far as I know, is never name. As "there are a million Lee's," I found this to be a fitting name for him.

**According to the wiki, there's no official name for a Firebender's ability to breathe out fire. However, seeing as Firebending has always been so heavily tied to dragons, I decided to have the ability named after them in this.

***Zuko's wife isn't seemingly confirmed in canon, but I'm making it Mai here. It works well enough.

As a general note for how the United Republic Council works here, each nation is permitted to elect its representative to the city. The member can then, if they choose to, be solely responsible for their councilman/woman duties or function as an ambassador to their nation at large. The city then holds an election to choose a single, non-partial representative in order to ensure that there are no tied votes.