A Maelstrom of Ice and Fire

Part I: The Bastard Lion

AN: This is the first of a series of challenges I have for crossovers of Naruto and the GoT universe, similar to my earlier challenge: Son of the Imp. Keep in mind, as a challenge, these stories won't be continued unless they're adopted, so please keep that in mind and don't be demanding/asking me to continue the story. This first story and the one following it have several common factors to it. First is that this version of Naruto is a reborn Naruto, and as such he will have the memories and some of the skills of his past life, with limitations soon to be made clear. Secondly, Naruto will be the bastard child of one of the main characters, though not ones normally used. Third is that I'm not planning on any more Naruto characters being in the GoT world, save perhaps for Kurama depending on the preference of whoever adopts this. Now onto the main plot.

Shortly before Jaime Lannister joins the kingsguard, he goes to a brothel seeing as he'd have to become chaste after taking his vows. Several months later, he learns that the whore he slept with is with child, and that the baby is his. The mother dies in birth, leaving a 15 year old with a bastard baby boy. Appealing to his father, Tywin decides to have the babe legitimized so as to have an heir who is not Tyrion. The baby is named Naruto after an old Valarian word meaning maelstrom. However, the bastard holds the soul of one Naruto Uzumaki, who was gifted with another chance at life after dying during the Fourth Shinobi War in his old world. Naturally, while Tyrion and a begrudging Tywin welcome the reborn ninja into the family, Cersei is her usual bitchy self and hates the boy, seeing as she sees Jaime as hers.

Skill wise, Naruto has the strength and reflexes of his old life, but he can't use chakra externally anymore. Essentially, he'll be like Lee and can use chakra to enhance his physical abilities above normal human levels. His weapon of choice will be two short swords, along with throwing knives for distant enemies. He becomes the youngest knight in Westeros when he personally attacks and defeats one of the Ironborn ships during the Burning of Lannisport. Naruto gets along well with his father, uncle, and two younger cousins, along with most of the other Lannisters. However, both Cersei and Joffery hate his guts and while Tywin has legitimized him and has respect for him, there is no love lost between those two (think of Tywin as Danzo and Naruto as Hiruzen). At age 17, he rides with his family to Winterfell, where this challenge starts.

Again, if anyone wishes to adopt this, please let me know via PM or Review. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire.

Jon

The bastard of Winterfell hacked furiously at one of the training dummies in the training yard while the welcoming feast was in full swing inside the keep. Why was he attacking the dummy like it had paid him some great offense? Well, you could say that a lifetime of frustrations of being the illegitimate son of Eddard Stark was finally catching up with him. If the whispers around the northern lands held any truth, then his father, the main reason he was allowed to live in Winterfell, was to be named Hand of the King now that Jon Arryn had passed. While it was a prestigious honor to become the second most powerful man in the Seven Kingdoms, it would do Jon no favors. The Snow doubted that he'd be allowed down South with his father and younger half-siblings since bastards weren't allowed in court. Staying in Winterfell was also out since he very much doubted Lady Stark would tolerate his presence here without his father there. This limited his options as he was trained with a sword since he was old enough to carry one and had no other noteworthy skills to speak of.

His dream, and quite frankly best option, was to go to the Wall and join the famed Nights Watch. Even his Uncle Benjen thought he'd make a good ranger one day, but both him and Eddard thought that he wasn't ready yet since he was 'too young'. He was ready, damn it! These thoughts fueled his actions as he treated the training dummy like a woodsman would treat a piece of lumber.

"Ya'know, if you're really wanting to improve your skills, a moving target is much better than a stationary one," a rough yet young voice called out.

Jon turned in surprise, not even hearing the person who had appeared in the area. He frowned at who he saw approaching; Ser Naruto Lannister, the kingslayer's legitimized bastard. A young man at seventeen namedays, he was as tall as his father already. His looks were very similar to that of Jaime, though a more rugged handsomeness with hair that was a shade lighter blonde then the standard Lannister gold that stuck up in all directions, and his eyes were a crystal clear blue, a trait he must have inherited from his mother, as most Lannister's had emerald green eyes. Most curious of all about his appearance where the whisker shaped birthmarks that adorned both his cheeks, many a tongue calling the boy 'The Lannister's Cub' thanks to that. He wore a mix of Lannister red and gold under a set of armor lighter than what most knights would wear. At either of his hips were two short swords, rumor has it that he used them simultaneously like the late Ser Arthur Dayne.

A part of Jon couldn't help but feel a stab of jealousy when he saw his fellow bastard. Unlike himself, Naruto had been legitimized by none other than Tywin Lannister himself, and as the son of Jaime he was next in line to inherit Casterly Rock seeing as Jaime had forfeited his inheritance by joining the kingsguard. And despite his young age, Naruto had been a knight for nearly a decade all ready. The reasons behind his knighting were varied thanks to the loose tongues of the common folk and murmurs, but Ned was one of the few who found out the truth during the Ironborn Rebellion. Apparently, during the burning of Lannisport, the former bastard had taken a small rowboat and had boarded one of the attacking ships.

There, it was said he fought like a demon and was able to incapacitate the ships entire crew without a single fatality. He then used the ship to help drive off some of the remaining attackers. After the battle was over, Naruto had been knighted for his actions at only eight nameday's old. Some might say that it was all just rumor, that either the boy got lucky or the entire thing was made up and he'd only been knighted to boost morale after the attack. His father, however, believed it as he had interrogated several of the pirates the boy had captured personally. And he told his elder sons that the captured pirates all said something similar, that the heir to Casterly Rock was a demon in human form.

"How can I help you, my lord?" Jon asked, remembering his courtesies.

He was surprised when the slightly older boy just waved his hand in front of his face with a scoff. "No need for any of that 'lord' crap. I don't really care much for all that stuffy honorific nonsense and besides which, my family is the guests here so if anything I should be brown nosing with you."

Jon resisted the urge to snort at that, meanwhile marveling at the casual way the teen talked. From the stories he'd heard, he half expected Naruto to be a mix of his father and grandfather behaving in a manner fitting the heir to one of the most powerful families in Westeros. Jon then noticed his direwolf, Ghost, pad up to the blond and the Snow was surprised when the Lannister smiled, bent down, and began scratching the albino pup behind the ears, Ghost's tongue hanging out of his mouth as he happily panted.

When he noticed Jon's bemused look, Naruto smiled sheepishly at him and said, "I have a way with animals, it would seem. Now," at that his face became serious so suddenly that Jon was almost startled by the change, "would you like to talk about what's bothering you?"

"What makes you think something is bothering me?" Jon bit out a tad more bitterly than he had intended.

The Lannister heir cocked an eyebrow as if to ask 'really?' The two bastards had a stare down for several moments before Naruto sighed and crossed his arms, leaning up against the nearest wall. "Well to start off with, your tone doesn't help. I mean, I know my father is exaggerating when he says all the Starks have a shard of ice the size of the Twins up their rear ends, but you're kind of acting the part right now. Then there is the fact that you are treating that training dummy as if it were your mortal enemy. Finally...well, I guess you can call it a fellow bastard's intuition."

Snow silently fumed at the boy's blatant insult to his liege house and said through gritted teeth, "Excuse my boldness, Ser Lannister, but we are nothing alike."

Instead of taking offense to the jab at his title, Naruto merely laughed. After he had finished, he gave Jon a coy smile that was a mirror of his father's. "That comment right there showed that we are more alike than you might think, Jon. I can tell that you think that my fortune is much greater than yours, thanks to my legitimized status, but I am completely honest when I say that it is not all that cracked up to be." He gained a melancholy looked as he gazed up at the evening sky. "If it wasn't for the fact that my father was in the kingsguard and had forfeited his inheritance, my grandfather has made it abundantly clear that not only would I not be legitimized, but I'd have been lucky to live past my first nameday. Then there is my aunt and cousin Joffery, the looks they give me make the ones Lady Stark give you seem positively affectionate in appearance. But like you, I have people who care about me."

He then gave Jon a pointed look. "While you might not realize it, the two of us are considered lucky by most bastards. Most don't even know who their fathers are, let alone have them show the amount of love ours do for us. Never mind having them live at their keeps, a majority of lords who sire bastards tend to ignore their very existence. Take the king for example: I know for a fact that he has near twenty bastards himself, yet I doubt he knows a single one of their names or faces. The two of us though? My father loves me unconditionally, and I can tell from the way he looks at you that your father is the same."

He laughed, "Though don't tell either of them I said that, they'd probably take offense to me comparing the two of them. And from my limited time in Winterfell, I can tell most of your siblings feel the same way as your father. It's the same case with my uncle Tyrion, my cousins Tommen and Myrcella, as well as many others in Casterly Rock. We both have people precious to us, Jon. Never forget that, for they are your greatest source of strength."

Jon had bowed his head at that, gnawing on his lower lip as he contemplated the Lannister's words.

"Wise words, nephew," a new voice called out.

Both boys turned to see a diminutive figure walking up to them. This man was named Tyrion Lannister, younger brother to the Queen and kingslayer, and had the unfortunate nickname of 'The Imp' thanks to his dwarfism.

Naruto's face gained a wide smile as he said, "Uncle Tyrion, glad you could make it. I figured you'd still be in a brothel by now, warming up with the whores the North has to offer."

"I was," Tyrion said in a tone that Jon felt was both teasing and glum. "However, your father came to retrieve me from my nice soft bed and the lovely ladies I was entertaining in it. I swear, he has the worst sense of timing when it comes to these things. Does he not know what a closed door in a brothel means?"

"To be fair," Naruto said teasingly, "the only time he actually used a brothel, he ended up having me for his efforts. Perhaps he's trying to stop you from making the same mistake?"

"I doubt it," Tyrion shook his head, "It's more likely he was getting back at me since that brothel he went to was my idea."

"And for that, I thank you," Naruto replied without missing a beat.

Jon watched in bemusement as the dwarf and his nephew traded barbs like he would with his own half siblings. The Imp then turned to Jon and asked in a conversational tone, "So, you're Ned Stark's bastard?"

While Jon at first thought the half-man was belittling him for his status, he quickly learned that Tyrion sympathized with Jon's plight. He even learned that it was because Tyrion's own father, Lord Tywin, looked down on him so much (both literally and figuratively) because of his dwarf status that he even had Naruto legitimized just so Tyrion wouldn't be next in line to inherit the Rock. The Imp then gave Jon what he would realize later was sound advice: Do not forget what you are, for the world will not. Use it as an armor and no one can use it to hurt you. Apparently, this advice was similar to what he gave Naruto when he was younger and people still looked down upon him for being a bastard despite being legitimized, and the advice had helped the Lannister heir very well in the following years.

Before leaving the training yard, Tyrion gave both bastards a parting piece of advice, "Remember this boys: All dwarves may be bastards, but not all bastards need be dwarves."

After the man left, Naruto turned to Jon with a smile and said, "Now you see why he's my favorite uncle." Before Jon could respond to that, Naruto went to the rack that held the training swords and picked one up, testing his weight. Nodding in satisfaction, Naruto turned to Jon and got into a ready stance while stating, "Come at me!"

Jon sputtered at that. He managed to get out, "Why?"

His fellow bastard grinned, "Well, I've been on the road for over a month now and I could use the exercise. Plus, I figured you could still vent some and I find that sparring against an opponent that can hit back is way better then just hacking away at a training dummy." Still noticing Jon's hesitance, Naruto's grin grew sly as he thought of a clever idea that he was sure would piss off quite a few people. Tyrion would be so proud of him! "Tell you what, Jon, let's make this interesting," he stated.

"Interesting how?" Jon asked warily, not at all trusting that gleam in the Lannister's blue eyes.

Naruto's grin became predatory, "Just a little wager. If you're able to land so much as a single blow on me, even a grazing one, I'll take you on as my squire."

It took all of Jon's Stark stoicism to not openly gape at the Lannister heir. While it is not unheard of for bastards to become squires and later knights, it is incredibly rare and is considered an extreme honor. The whiskered teen was one of the few exceptions as he was knighted through his own merit. While not exactly taking the Black, it was one of Jon's dreams to become a knight for the Seven Kingdoms. Gaining a look of determination, the Snow strengthened his grip on his training blade and got into a ready stance that Ser Rodrick taught him.

Seeing this, Naruto laughed, "That's the spirit! Though you might want to fight with the intent to kill, otherwise you're not going to give me so much as a love tap!"

Soon, the training yard was filled with the sound of clashing metal followed by the occasional yelp of pain. Little did Jon, Tyrion, or anybody know, was that the 'Lannister's Cub' had lived a life before this one. One in a world ruled not by knights and kings, but of ninjas and kages. A life in which he was a pariah for reasons other than being a bastard, yet rose up to be a hero all the same. In that life, he was known as Naruto Uzumaki, the Seventh Hokage!

Naruto

Naruto whistled to himself as he strolled through the grounds of Winterfell. Robert had taken a large number of his entourage out earlier for a hunt, along with the lord of the castle, so the area was largely quiet and deserted at this time. It was moments like these that he'd reflect on the direction this new life had been taking him. It was odd, finding himself reborn after living a full life in the Elemental Nations. Especially since this world was so much more different from his old world.

For starters, there was no chakra in this world with only 'magic' being anything remotely similar, and even that had allegedly died out (though the former ninja had heard some rumors from the Free Cities of Essos). Then there was the whole political system that this world's government was made of. If anything, it had even more backstabbing and maneuvering then his old world had, and that government had ninjas in it! There was also the backwards way people treated others like bastards, dwarves, cripples, and women. It reminded the former jinchuriki way too much of how he used to be treated in his younger years in the Elemental Nations.

It was because of this that he may or may not have gone easy on Jon Snow. Though given the number of cuts and bruises on the younger boy, 'easy' may not be the best word to describe their spar. Jon had talent, there was not denying that, but was no match for Naruto who had a literal lifetime of memories of life or death situations added onto over a decade of fighting in this current life. Granted, Naruto was significantly weaker than he was in the Elemental Nations due to his lack of signature jutsu and no longer being a jinchuriki, but he was still head and shoulders above most of the so called knights of this land. Only a handful of people could truly keep up with him when he got serious in a fight and even fewer could actually beat him (his father and Barristan Selmy were the first to come to mind). That being said, Naruto was able to make it convincingly look like he missed a step during his and Jon's duel, allowing the Snow to score a glancing blow against Naruto's shoulder. After telling his present family what happened, Jaime, Tyrion, and Robert looked amused at the whole thing while his bitch of an aunt Cersei seemed extra venomous when she learned that another bastard would be joining them back at King's Landing. Honestly, Naruto had no idea how his lighthearted father and uncle could be related to a woman who gave off vibes that made Madara Uchiha seem like a soft kitten.

The reborn ninja arrived at the base of a tower that looked largely abandoned when he came upon one of the Stark children's direwolf pups. The young yet still big pup reminded him of Akamaru and how the nin-ken had grown big enough for his owner to ride in only a few years' time. If these pups were anything like the loyal dog, then they would be a force to be reckoned with when they were full grown. The wolf pup sensed his presence and looked at him to see if he was a threat or not. Naruto gave a gentle smile before crouching down and started rubbing the pup behind the ears, earning a happy whine from the direwolf.

"Hey there boy, where's your owner?" Naruto asked playfully.

Suddenly, the pup stiffened and Naruto heard the sound of a large object falling through the air. Startled, Naruto looked up and to his horror saw one of the younger Stark children, Bran he believed, was falling towards the ground at high speeds. Without thinking, Naruto pumped chakra into his legs. While he couldn't use chakra like he used to, the reborn ninja found he could still utilize internally to increase his physical abilities like Bushy Brows could. As long as he didn't do anything too crazy with his enhanced abilities, no one would be the wiser and just think he was a very talented fighter. Using his increased speed, Naruto was directly under the falling boy in the blink of an eye and managed to catch him before he landed on the ground, undoubtedly seriously injuring himself or at worst killing himself.

With an analytical eye, Naruto noticed that Bran was thankfully not severely hurt save for some cuts and bruises. What was concerning though was the bruise on his forehead that indicated he hit his head while falling. While he wanted to know why the boy fell (from the rumors he'd heard the boy could put some seasoned ninja to shame in how he could climb the walls of Winterfell), Naruto knew that Bran's well being came first. Setting off at a steady run with the direwolf following closely behind, Naruto went off to find the castle's maester. A dark feeling in the former ninja's gut told him that this was just a prelude to things to come.

'I guess it's true what the Starks say,' Naruto thought as Bran was taken from his arms by a hysterical Catelyn Stark, 'Winter is Coming.'