Chapter 346 - My CO Stash #46 - The Darkest of Flames by EdwardMKeller (NarutoXAvatar:TheLastAirbender)

-It's pretty wholesome to see Itachi making his dream of being a better brother come true~

Synopsis: Itachi found himself in the body of Zuko, born anew in a world where people manipulate the elements through their sheer will. In a world torn asunder by war, a pacifist wounded by his misdeeds will try to change everything for the better.

Crossposted in FanFiction.Net and AO3 under the same name and same author

Rated: ???

Words: 8.8K

Posted on: forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-darkest-of-flames-itachi-uchiha-reincarnated-as-zuko-avatar-tla-x-naruto.864050/ (EdwardMKeller)

PS: If you're not able to copy/paste the link, you have everything in here to find it, by simply searching the author and the story title. It sucks that you can't copy links on mobile (´ー｀)

-I'll be putting the chapter ones of all the fanfics mentioned, to give you guys a sample if you wan't more please do go to the website and support the author! (And maybe even convince them to start uploading chapters in here as well!)

Chapter 1

Fire bent from his fingertips where there used to be hand seals. His form of katas pristine, perfect, and flawless. The speed of his kicks and punches surging fire at the training room lit it ablaze with sheer terror and pride. Landing with grace and bowing to the Prince, he was met with silence from the man he called "Father".

To call him a Father is quite a stretch as he never was there for him and Azula. He is only present during his advanced firebending lessons that his Father provides to them and during dinner. Otherwise, he is in his private chambers. His father Ozai, always wore an indifferent expression when he trains and only praises him just to advance his goal.

To him, this is only done to impress his father and nothing more. He does get some tips and few tricks from a new form of fighting, but he got adept at it very quickly, even from a young age. Fire was innate to a blood of an Uchiha, and he gained further understanding of fire from it. From his nightly readings, this world is far different from the world that he once lived. People bent physical elements instead of chakra manifestation.

Although, his world doesn't revolve around them. He could still remember the gentle smile that his mother, Ursa, wore as he was introduced into this new world. Ozai, although, somewhat apathetic to him, still wore a smile as he learned that his son is a firebender and a prodigy at that. But as it is from his past life, he is reserved. Though he bore a good heart, he kept to himself most of the time, just observing everyone from afar.

He could feel Ozai nod at his performance. "You have excelled from my expectations. Your day is free, Zuko, you are free to do as you please."

"I will father." He bowed back as Ozai left his personal training room. He could feel that if his skills in firebending are inadequate, his privileges from his father would wither. His training with Piandao would greatly be diminished and his night time privacy would be replaced for more hours in firebending.

He trailed to a palace where he was met with smiles from the guards and servants as the sunsets from the west. In turn, he nodded and smiled slightly as he went to his bed chambers to freshen and change clothes. Far from the comfortable but effective clothes given to him by the ANBU and Akatsuki, his clothes were adequate for him and he did not complain, even with his privileges as the son of a Prince.

He examined himself in his own mirror. Instead of his normal hairstyle of a single low ponytail and center-parted bangs, all of his hair is placed on a single high ponytail. Supposedly this symbolizes his nobility and stature but to him, it is just too much. He already has things that no commoner in the realm would have ever have, and now their hairs have to be high, just to make a clear message even more clear?

Those prominent tear troughs that gave his intimidating factor more appealing and distinguishing him from Sasuke is replaced by a smooth face appropriate to a noble. However, there is one thing that his new life hasn't replaced in terms of appearance. He turned his fire gold-colored eyes into the red pinwheel one that he is so accustomed to, the Mangekyō Sharingan. With a blink of an eye, he turned it again to his now normal eyes.

As he was finishing tidying up, he can hear running from the halls of the palace and it is heading straight to his room. When the doors were open he is already finished and he was tackled to the ground by a known assailant. "Zuzu! You can't guess what happened!" Azula, his little sister, wore a giant smile that swelled his heart. She shuffled something from her pocket and showed him a paper, "I aced the exams! Ha! Just like you did!"

He gave a quick chuckled and flicked her forehead, "Ow! What was that for?"

Azula demanded but he just shuffled her hair, "I always knew that you can do it, Azula. Show it to mother and father, they will be proud too."

"Hmpf!" Azula huffed, "You always know everything!" He can already see the hint of a smirk that Azula tries to hide and so he tickled her. He cherished his moments with Azula, her new sibling in this new world. And he tries to be the best big brother that he can to be her, but still, there is a hint of melancholy that while he did the same thing to Sasuke, his time was literally cut short.

"Zuzu stop it!" Azula laughed as he continued to tickle her until he came to an abrupt stop. "Bad Zuzu!" And now she smirked, "And now that I aced, you promised to teach me what father is teaching you."

"Of course," He smiled, "If you have free time tomorrow, see me, okay, 'zula? And remember what we talked about the servants?"

"Yes.." Azula trailed as she rolled her eyes, "Be kind to them blah blah blah. I mean why do we need to be kind to them anyway? They are peasants!"

"Azula.. remember about the ship? If you are the Captain and just make everyone's life more miserable, they will eventually mutiny. To rule with fear is to invite insurrection within your ranks. With push comes to shove. However, if you are kind to them and show them respect, they will do so in return."

"Alright, alright." Azula's shoulders resigned. "To be honest, you are sounding like uncle or even grandfather there. If I were grandfather, I would immediately appoint you as Crown Prince and ditch that tea lover. You'll be a great Fire Lord one day!"

He then gave a quick smile, "That Azula? That is the thing that I don't know."

"Why not? You're a genius! Father and Mother both adore you, the palace loves you. Even those generals try to woo you just to gain an insight into the war." Azula exclaimed loudly as she relaxed on his shoulders.

"Some but not all. Most of them just want to introduce their daughters to me. As if I have interest in them." He chuckled. "But Uncle will one day be a great Fire Lord, I'm sure of it." His Uncle was a kind man to him and thought him some advanced Firebending techniques, ones which can redirect lightning. Although he was surprised to do it since it was not his Kekkei Genkai. But never the less, he welcomed its addition to his arsenal.

"That tea lover? Ughh.." Azula slouched. "I wonder what is happening in Ba Sing Se right now."

At that, he hardened his eyes but Azula barely noticed. With that, he stood up and carried his sister, "So want to play hide and seek? Dinner will be in about an hour after all and I have nothing to do."

Azula quickly shook her head, "No! You always know where I am, and when you hide I can't find you! You always win! It's unfair!"

He thought for a moment, "Hmmm how about this then? If you can find me, I'll teach you a firebending technique father doesn't know."

"Maybe its one of those promises again..." Azula trailed and turned her back on him but he still didn't back down.

"Are you sure? You don't want to learn the Phoenix Style?"

"What's that?" She asked.

"Something that I invented." He gave a smirk and still he can see that she wasn't convinced. Placing her on the bed, he set his foot firmly on the middle of the room. No kata is formed but he let his chi flow from his body. From his place, he jumped up high and began to put a barrage of spitting fire to the ground in very quick succession using his fists and foot.

This firebending form is similar to Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique), with spitting fire. However, he tried to emulate it with just sheer firebending and the results were from days of practice. Not as energy-efficient as ninjutsu, and he cannot control the trajectory of the flames as soon as it leaves his fists and foot.

But still, he never revealed his abilities from his past life to anyone, not even Azula. Because if he does, they might just accuse him of being the Avatar.

As he landed to the ground he quickly extinguished the flames that he caused. He expects that Azula will have a slack-jawed face to the ground... and he was right. "You have to teach me that!" But she was met with his finger on her lips.

"So, now you have to play hide and seek with me." He smiled, "But I'm going to give you another leeway. The only floor that I can hide on is this floor. If I hide on any other floor, I lose. But if you cannot find me within ten minutes, you lose." He is about to go but he turned his head on her, "And also, NO FIREBENDING."

"Fiiinee.." Azula trailed and she just turned her back and suddenly her brother is gone. "Zuzu here I come!"

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Itachi, now Zuko, is a master of stealth. From his days in the ANBU and his atonement in the Akatsuki, he can infiltrate and do missions with relative ease. And now with Zuko's body, he hid from the shadows. He still remembered how he spent his time when he was on the Hidden Leaf. Almost every free time that he has, he gave it to Sasuke. However his last days there were mostly trying to prevent the Uchiha Clan Uprising.

Now? He is trying to spend it with his new family. Even though his schedule is always busy, he nevertheless spends time with Azula every now and then. He already noticed how their mother is quite distant towards her and how Ozai sows the seeds of cruelty seeing that he couldn't be converted to his father's creed. So, he is there to support her and gives a balance to the two, giving support and imbuing kindness to her. Almost becoming a third parent to her.

And from his experience, Azula is a great hide and seek player... when he is not involved. Because when she plays with other kids, Azula always wins. But he could see those who play with her are just letting her win out of fear, leaving her alone, not even daring to even get close to her. So now, most of the time, she plays alone or with him. Azula is great at hiding things, especially her sorrow. And so her big brother is there and always has time to spare for her, like this one.

He doesn't want Azula to think that there isn't someone there who loved her truly without using fear or aggression. Itachi can already see the contempt brewing in her heart and he knows where that can lead to. Sasuke is enough for that. And he indulges her competitive heart with games like these, challenging her to become better.

Hiding in one of the closets in the supply room, it is a bit stuffy, covering his mouth to lessen the dust. But it already works as five minutes past, Itachi didn't hear any footsteps coming to the room. Waiting here gave him ample time to prepare. Of course, he is not going to let Azula win as he has many tricks up his sleeves. Once footsteps were heard outside, he prepared for the inevitable. The door slammed open and he heard a grumbling Azula.

"Stupid Zuzu. Stupid hide and seek. Grrrr!" Itachi rattled in the closet just to provoke her, and Azula quickly opened the door but instead of seeing him, what greeted her is... "Another log?!" She shouted as Itachi quickly fled the room, snickering to himself as he tries to find another hiding place. He knows she will just try to burn the log, but no firebending is an offer too hard and cruel, even for him.

He wouldn't want this game to turn into search and destroy.

This time he hid near the top of the columns, hiding in the darkness. His gaze then went to Azula who is walking in the halls gazing up to the columns but still, she couldn't find him. He can already see that she is tempted to use her firebending, just to light up the room, fidgeting in her place. Her hunger for firebending was too much for her to handle and it is an endurance test for her not to do it. And with a smile, Azula left the hallway without firebending a single flame.

Landing on the ground, scanning the hallway, the coast is clear. He quickly set to move close to Azula, as he finds the game the most interesting when the danger is near. Not even the servants can quickly see how Itachi moved, as they often think the wind past by or some spirits of dead airbenders. When he catches up to her, she is already fuming in anger, trying really hard not to firebend away her problems.

He then hid under a table, deliberately making noise just of an earshot of her. Itachi can already feel the footsteps coming in his direction and when the table his flipped, Azula found... "Log?! Again?!" She shouted. "Why do I always find logs?!" Fire flared from her nostrils, and when her control ran out, she threw a fist out of anger and was about to firebend.

However, before she could do it, her hand is stopped by Itachi and poked her forehead with his two fingers. "Ten minutes is up. Looks like I win, again."

"Zuzu, you are cheating!" Azula shouted as she pointed her finger to him, "Every time I find you, it's always a log! Cheat!"

"Oh, the logs?" Itachi smirked, "Those are decoys. I know you are just going to take the bait every time."

"That's still cheating, Zuzu!"

"I never said anything about decoys, Azula. You can use decoys of your own too, that just makes hide and seek harder and far more interesting." He leaned on the wall to a fuming Azula. "And logs are a pretty easy thing to get."

"Yeah, but I didn't see a servant just dragging logs in here." Azula huffed but still is beside her brother, "I wonder if you are just doing this just to make fun of me."

"I'm not." Itachi calmly said but there is an edge to it. "Sure hide and seek is fun, but if you analyze it enough, you can draw parallels to it. In this game, it is all about deceiving your opponent about your position. The same when you are fighting, it's about reading your opponent and predicting their moves, baiting them, then countering them. This is just a much more fun, light-hearted version of it."

"Yeah for losers." Azula huffed again, turning her head away from Itachi.

"Oh don't be like that," Itachi knelt in front of her. He still could see that Azula is avoiding his vision but soon enough, her head slowly turned to him. "You did well, even if you lose."

Azula pouted, "You are just telling me that so that I can feel better."

"No, I'm not." Itachi gave his genuine smile, "You've really improved. Maybe one day, you'll be able to see through my decoys, and I may have to teach you the Phoenix Style. You want to really learn it, wouldn't you?"

Azula slowly nodded, "See? I know that hide and seek isn't a thing for you. How about we play Pai Sho next time? You're good at it."

This time, Azula gave a bright smile, "Deal! But no cheating!"

"I'm not cheating, Azula." Itachi gave a false grumble but Azula sped through the corridors away from him. But not until shouting, "Zuzu is a cheat!"

Itachi just gave a smile and moved on to his room, preparing for dinner.

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Dinner is uneventful, just the typical food and splendor of the palace present to them. Even if Itachi has lived under a new name "Zuko" for eleven years now, there are still things he is still getting used too. For example, how incredibly well off they are, the richest family in this world. His life is Konoha is okay, to say the least as he is granted privileges just with his intellect and skill in the ninja arts, he can still notice how they are being treated by the higher-ups in the Hidden Leaf.

But still, even in his death in that world, he loved two things on it, Konoha, and his little brother, Sasuke. For eleven years he constantly thought about him, on what path he is now when he showed him the truth of his shameful actions. Maybe he tried to destroy Konoha or even tried to get more answers. Just about anything that he plans or tries to solve, it always backfires.

In the years of constantly pandering these thoughts, he had two conclusions. He cannot return to his old life, and he doesn't want to. Even if his knowledge of ninjutsu is still intact, along with his chakra, he doesn't have a place in that world. And now he is creating a new life in this new world, changing his mistakes, being a better brother to his younger sibling.

However, even if he still is in another world, now that he is alone, he shifted his hair to his low ponytail one. The style that he is used to and most comfortable with.

The candle gave his room light as he continued reading a book about the various bending of the four nations. Currently, it's about Earthbending from various memoirs of past Fire Nation generals. Their experience in campaigning had gained them a remarkable knowledge about Earthbending and drowned himself in their words.

From what he read, earthbenders are rigid and headstrong, deriving their power from within. And unlike the use of every bending art, this is somewhat close to Earth Release as it directly manipulates the earth. However, they also use the earth as a projectile rather than just manipulating the terrain. Though it is unfounded, he knew there are rare cases of Earth Release being used as a projectile. Doton: Doryō Dango (Earth Release: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling) or any of Deidara's techniques comes in mind.

Now sandbending is a curious one. He already knows the infamous Gaara of the Sand, how the Hidden Sand tried to devastate the Hidden Leaf, however, he also helped in retrieving Sasuke from leaving the village from Orochimaru. Much of sandbending is almost the same as manipulating sand, however, in his previous life, it needs Wind Release and Earth Release to fully manipulate it.

Unlike the ninja arts, Itachi concludes in his readings that while bending in itself is fairly straightforward with many sub-disciplines such as healing in waterbenders, sandbending in earthbenders, lightning generation in firebenders, customization is still far superior in Nature Transformation. Heck, he didn't even see anyone mention, not even the Avatar, manipulating wood but Tenzō and Hashirama can.

A breeze went through his room but he knows who it is. It is his mother, Ursa walking in through the door with a tray in hand. On the tray are a single teacup and some rice cakes. "Here's your nightly tea, Zuko." His mother kindly said to him, laying down the tray near his cupboard.

"Thank you, mother. But honestly, you don't need to do this for me." Itachi replied with a smile and went on to his book. He expected her to leave but instead, Ursa scooted beside him.

"What are you reading?" She asked her son.

"About earthbenders, mother," Itachi replied, "It's about how they bend that piques my interest. There are many different forms of earthbending from what I've read, far from what the academy has thought."

Ursa shifted to her son, "What made you interested in earthbenders?" She humored him.

"Everything. I want to learn from them. All of these accounts by Fire Nation generals, while reliable in combat, are an inaccurate description of what earthbending is. Most of these accounts are, therefore, biased. They always comment on how earthbending is weak and firebending is superior. However, they fail to see the merit in learning the mechanics of it. While firebenders mostly rely on offensive attacks, earthbenders can utilize their terrain to their advantage."

Unlike his original mother, Mikoto, he knew that Ursa does not have an experience as a warrior. Still, she indulges him in his ramblings about knowledge. Itachi could see Mikoto, and Ursa in the same light, unlike his father. "Aren't you a firebender, Zuko?" She asked.

Itachi nodded, "I am. But just learning from firebending from a firebender can prove inadequate. From what I've seen from father, it's all about power, but fire can be warm and gives those who don't have a home, warmth. And maybe that's what the world thinks of us, they hate us because we burned their homes and destroyed villages rather than giving them the warmth that the world desperately needs. We may not be waterbenders, but the world grew cold."

Ursa smiled proudly at her son, "You are an outstanding firebender, yet you are truly a kind child. I'm sure that you will make our family proud."

In this, Itachi shed a small tear. He still could vividly remember the last words uttered by his father Fugaku, and remembering it here, it is still a painful memory that he hopes not to visit himself in. Ursa noticed this and wiped it from his face, "Is something wrong, Zuko? Did your father do something? Or is it Azula or-"

"No, mother." He choked, trying to hold his tears back with success, "It's none of them, I can assure you. I just remembered a book that I've read."

"What is it about?" Ursa asked him.

He smiled but closed his eyes, returning to the book in the table, "I'd rather not talk about it. It's not that interesting."

"If it's not interesting, why did it make my little boy cry, hmm?" Ursa hummed, "You will tell me about the book one day, okay Zuko?"

Itachi nodded gladly. "Don't worry, mother. I will." It's nothing something that he can hide for a long time, well, eleven years is a fairly long time to hide that he has abilities far beyond what a firebender can do. But he can muddle his past life with enough lies to not blow his cover.

Ursa gave him a tight hug which he returned kindly, "Good night, Zuko. Don't stay up too late."

"Good night," Itachi replied and drowned himself in the book while munching down the rice cakes and tea as Ursa left the room. He could honestly say that these were the most delicious rice cakes he has ever eaten and he looks forward to this every night. It is very peaceful as the moon shines light upon his room. He then heard a slight creak on his right.

Turning his head to the one who caused it, he saw bright golden eyes peer into him, "Azula?"

The said girl shyly walked inside the room, "I can't sleep, Zuzu." She shifted and looked everywhere finding her words. He could already tell she is embarrassed by the whole situation. "C-Can we sleep together?"

"Sure." Itachi quickly replied with a tired smile as he yawned. With a snap of his fingers, his candle went out. And he shortly joined Azula in his bed as she stared above the ceiling. "Something on your mind?"

"No," Azula replied in monotone as the crickets drowned the silence. "Zuzu."

Itachi hummed, "I want to become like you one day. I want to be as powerful as you, and win mother's approval."

"You will grow a more powerful firebender than me, Azula," Itachi replied as he too stared at the ceiling. "I can already see your potential."

"Do you think... do you think mom would be proud of me if I became more powerful? If I bring honor to the family?" Azula almost pleadingly asked her brother.

"Mother is already proud of you, Azula," Itachi replied tenderly but he is met with an angry glare.

"But is she?" She asked with a loud whisper, "I showed her my results. And even if she hugged me earlier, saying that she is proud, she just walked away from me. Almost as if she is disgusted by me, almost as if I am a monster." Azula couldn't hold it anymore and cried on Itachi's chest. "Am I a mon-"

Itachi didn't let her finish as he placed a finger on her mouth, "You are not a monster, Azula."

"But-"

"No matter what anyone tells you, what you see, or what you hear. You. Are. Not. A. Monster." Itachi hugged her as she continues to cry in his shoulder. "I'll talk to mother, tomorrow, okay? Don't worry, I'll be here." He felt Azula weakly nod as he caressed her back. Within a few minutes, both are asleep, waiting for a new day to dawn on them.

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