Naruto/Avatar the Last Airbender Worlds Collide Book 1: Water

Chapter 10: Naruto Uzumaki... The people's champion

Author greeting: So I watched both of the Winter Solstice episodes and realized there was nothing I could do to make Naruto useful in those episodes. Part 1 is mostly Aang in the spirit world and Part 2 is Aang trying to contact Avatar Roku for the first time. Thus this chapter is what I went with. The beginning takes place a bit before the start of Winter Solstice part 1: The Spirit World, and the bulk of the chapter will take place during the rest of The Winter Solstice two parter. Some minor changes since I won't be adapting either part of The Winter Solstice two parter is that Sasuke was involved in Iroh's rescue after he was taken captive by Earthbenders, and Zhao tried to capture Sasuke along with Zuko but failed when Avatar Roku destroyed the Fire Temple. Everything else for the most part stays the same. Now... on to the story.

A tired Appa landed to rest in a forest in the Earth Kingdom. As Naruto, Aang, Katara, and Sokka were finding things to do on their break from travelling, Naruto heard something calling his name. Naruto tried to ignore it... being creeped out thinking it was a ghost! But after a while, Naruto grew more curious on what this voice was.
"Naruto, hop on we have to go." Sokka called to Naruto as he and the rest of the team started to get on Appa.
"Wait..." a voice said. It was an Earth Kingdom citizen from a village near by the forest. Naruto and friends looked at the villager. It was a young woman who looked exhausted, like she had been running for a very long time.
"Are you... Naruto Uzumaki?" the woman asked. Naruto and friends flinched.
"Yes... I am. How would you know that though?" Naruto asked.
"Word of your travels alongside the Avatar has been spread throughout the world. I understand that you are a ninja from another world... please I've been in this forest for a while now... searching for you. I have a mission for you." the woman pleaded. Naruto looked at his friends.
"Aang, get going towards the North Pole." Naruto told Aang.
"We can't just leave you!" Aang replied. Naruto smiled.
"I have a gut instinct that's telling me that it won't take too long to for me to catch up with you. But your quest to get to the North Pole is too important to stop right now." Naruto explained. Aang sighed before saying 'yip-yip'... hoping that Naruto was right... and that he'd catch up soon.

"So, what is this mission you have for me?" Naruto asked as he walked with the Earth Kingdom villager back to her village.
"The Fire Nation has created a weapons factory near our village, and ever since then, they have hired mercenaries to 'keep order' in the village. I had a friend in Omashu who worked in King Bumi's personal guard... he told me that you could drive out the mercs and Fire Nation soliders from this village. You were powerful enough to defeat King Bumi's most powerful fighters." the villager explained. Naruto smirked.
"So, I guess I need to shut down their factory, and beat the mercs and the Fire Nation. Leave it to me! I'll send them all flyin', believe it!" Naruto replied. Naruto's stomach then growled.
"But maybe getting some food might be a good idea first." Naruto said in embarrassment.

The woman, Tara, took Naruto to her home where he met her husband Gonza and their kid Kaiba.
"Tara, when you said you were going after the flying bison to get help, I thought you'd bring the Avatar and the rest of his friends with you." Gonza whispered to Tara as Naruto ate at the table.
'This food might be the best tasting food I've eaten since coming to this world... and that's saying something after eating the amazing food at King Bumi's palace!' Naruto thought.
"I was originally going to, but Naruto sent the Avatar away... he was sure that he could handle this without impeding the Avatar's current quest." Tara explained. Gonza sighed.
"So that is the ninja from another world huh? I really hope Quan and the rest of King Bumi's guards were right about how powerful he is." Gonza said.

After eating, Naruto roamed around the village. He wanted to get a general idea where everything was in the village. If he were going to drive the mercenaries and the Fire Nation out of the village, he'd need to know where civilians were... what streets and places to avoid taking the fight to if he were forced to fight inside of the village.
'I wish Shikamaru was here. He'd come up with a perfect plan... but he's not so I just got to think. After I get to know the village, the next thing I'll do is look for the Fire Nation's weapons factory and look on at the activity there from a distance.... a stake out I think Kakashi Sensei used to call it' Naruto thought as he started to plan what he'd do.