A/N: Well, it's time for my new story, Weapons of Life. I hope you all enjoy. Oh, and this chapter was originally going to be three times as long, so I already have chapter two ready! I just want to see how this is received.

Old man Ichiraku had seen a lot of things in his life. He had seen the beginning and the end of the war with The Village hidden in the clouds. He had been in Kirikagure when there was an attempted coup. But the memory that dominated his mind was the attack of the Kyuubi six years ago.

Ichiraku also remembered the aftermath of that attack. The ruins on the outskirts of town had to be rebuilt. The week-long food shortage which had needed aid from other countries to be abated. The looting of many stores had kept the shinobi busy for weeks. But most of all, the overwhelming hatred almost everyone in town held for a newborn boy.

In order to defeat Kyuubi, a sacrifice had been needed. Two actually: The life of one man, and the body of a newborn child. The Yondaime, their beloved leader, had quickly and willingly paid the first price, and a newborn boy had had the demon sealed inside of him.

Ichiraku shook his head in disgust as he remembered the reactions of most of his fellow villagers. They didn't seem to be able to tell the difference between a fifty foot tall, raving, destructive fox demon and a small, defenseless boy. But he could, and since the boy had become a frequent customer at his ramen stand, Ichiraku had done his best to be good to him.

Something was happening. Ichiraku squinted to see. There was a large group of people gathering around the apartment building across the street from Ichiraku Ramen. As the man watched, there was a plume of flame, signifying that a fire bottle had been lit. Ichiraku cursed. They were going to try to burn Naruto's house down, with him inside! He had to get a message to the Hokage!

Ichiraku turned to his daughter, Ayame. She had just turned ten, and was a fast runner. She was also the best choice he had for a message carrier. But she was also inquisitive and squeamish by nature. If he told her the problem, she would panic and start to break down. If he wrote it down, she would read the message and then panic. Verbal code was the only way. Ichiraku knelt down so he could look into his daughter's eyes. "Ayame," he said very seriously. "I have a very important job for you. Will you do it?" She nodded. "Good." Ichiraku said. "Run to the Hokage's tower as fast as you can and tell him that the fox is in the oven." Ayame nodded again, and then took off. The ramen shop owner sighed, took off his apron, and prepared to begin the futile task of reasoning with an angry mob.

Ayame was running as fast as a determined ten-year old could. She was completely and utterly focused on her goal. 'Daddy wouldn't have asked for it if it wasn't important.' She thought. Ayame was so focused on the ground in front of her that she wasn't looking around for watchers. Thus, she didn't see the figure watching her from the rooftops.

The figure frowned under his mask. That was the Ichiraku girl, and unless he was very much mistaken, she was heading for the Hokage Tower. That meant that something important was going on. Frowning again, he took off toward Ichiraku Ramen.

Uzumaki Naruto's world was crumbling around him. He had been sleeping peacefully, and then his living room had erupted in fire. Naruto staggered out of bed, and began screaming. Everything he owned was on fire! Quickly, Naruto filled a pot of water, then through it on the flames. There was a small hissing, and the fire retreated. But the flames roared back a moment later, stronger then before.

'What did I do? Naruto thought as he threw more water on the fire. He tried to think of some reason that someone would want to incinerate him. He came up with nothing. 'I have to have done something!'

Seeing that the fire wasn't going to go out no matter how much water was thrown on it, Naruto turned to the door. He had to get out! But as he looked at the door, he realized it was impossible. Part of the roof had caved in, and the rubble was blocking the door! 'Just my luck!' he growled in his mind. The window! It was still unblocked. Naruto ran at the open window, planning on jumping out of it.

That plan lasted until he looked outside. Gathered outside of his building was a very large crowd of people. For a second, Naruto thought they were there to help him, but that thought was quickly dashed. All of them were chanting "Burn, Demon, Burn!" in unison.

Naruto slowly walked back inside, and stopped in the center. It was slowly sinking in. 'No one cares about what happens to me. I'm going to die here, and I never got to do anything!' As this knowledge penetrated his skull, he let out an anguished scream.

On the roof of the next building over, the masked watcher heard the scream. He had spent the last few minutes trying to devise a plan to get the kid out, but when he heard that scream, all logical thought left him. 'I've gotta get in their, NOW! Screw planning, tie for brute force!' he thought. Leaping into the air, the watcher landed on the roof that was already a little shaky. Jumping as high into the air as his chakra-enhanced legs could get him, he began going through the seals for his most powerful jutsu. As blue lightning coalesced on his right hand and forearm, he screamed "Chidori! (Thousand Birds)". In midair, he pointed his body towards the roof and hoped his chidori would last. He did have four floors to go through after all.

With the chirping of one thousand birds, and a large splintering sound, Hatake Kakashi plowed through the roof of the building, then the tenth floor, the ninth floor, the eight floor, and finally the seventh floor. 'Hope I'm not too late.' He thought.

In the middle of his scream, Naruto registered a strange sound. It sounded like a lot of birds chirping. He heard some cracking, and then the roof above him broke. Naruto had just enough time to realize there was a masked ninja above him with a lightning shrouded hand when he was grabbed and pulled along through the floor.

Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled Naruto along. He had rescued the child from certain death. As they broke through yet another floor (that made nine), he let his chidori fizzle out and landed on the ground floor of the apartment complex.

'Where can I go now?' Kakashi thought. 'It's only a matter of time before this building burns to the ground, so we can't stay here. And if we go outside, we'll be attacked by a mob. I can't kill villagers, even if they are some of the most despicable beings I know.'

But the problem was quickly solved by the sound of many people landing outside, and an old cal voice that said "You can bring him out now." Kakashi picked up Naruto and carried him out, to see that the Hokage and a unit of ANBU had arrived. About five villagers were in chains, the rest had scattered, and one ANBU was kneeling next to Ichiraku, hands glowing green with a healing jutsu.

The Hokage walked over to Ichiraku, who was just sitting up and shaking his head. The Hokage inclined his head to the woozy villager. "I thank you for your timely message, Ichiraku-san. If it hadn't come, we wouldn't have been able to get here in time."

Ichiraku got up, shook his head again, then bowed deeply. "It was my pleasure, Hokage-sama."

"I think you should go back to your stand now." The Hokage said. "Your daughter will be there shortly." Ichiraku nodded, bowed to the Hokage, smiled at Naruto, and walked back to his stand across the street.

"Naruto, I think you should let go of Kakashi." The Hokage said, for Naruto had latched onto Kakashi's leg after being put down. Naruto mutely shook his head. Kakashi grinned under his mask.

"I don't mind, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi smiled. This was the first time Naruto had displayed any outward emotion but fear around an adult besides himself. Sarutobi's smile grew. A plan was slowly taking form in his devious old mind.

"Kakashi, kindly come to my office and bring Naruto-kun." He asked, and Kakashi nodded assent.

At the Hokage's office, Sarutobi began to explain his great idea. "Kakashi, Naruto needs a new place to live. His house just finished burning to the ground. Nothing short of the Nidaime could have put that blaze out. Naruto-kun seems to feel safe around you, and I know that you and Rin have been considering having children. Would you consider allowing Naruto to live with you for a period of time?"

Kakashi though for a moment. "How long a period of time?"

"At least until he finds a new house. But if the three of you like each other, he could stay for a long while."

"I'll have to talk with Rin first. But I think we will be able to. That is, if it's ok with Naruto."

Two sets of eyes looked towards Naruto, who had been entirely silent since they had entered the office. He looked back at both of them and thought about this idea. 'I like silver hair, my house is destroyed, and there's no where else for me to go. What's there to think about?' Naruto nodded his assent to the idea vigorously.

Kakashi reached over and ruffled Naruto's hair. With his trademark grin, he said, "Good! I'll go talk with Rin and I'll tell you our answer tomorrow- or rather, later today." With a poof of smoke, Kakashi left the room.

Naruto stared at the spot Kakashi had sat with an expression very close to awe. "Oji-san," he said. "Who and what exactly was he?"

Sarutobi smiled again. He did a lot of that whenever Naruto was around. "He is Hatake Kakashi, and he is one of the best ninja in our village."

Naruto's reaction was extremely loud and predictable, at least to anyone who knew the boy. "I'm gonna be a ninja, and be a better one then you, Oji-san, and even Kakashi!"

Sarutobi chuckled. "That would make you the strongest ninja in the village, and the Hokage."

"Then I'll be the strongest in the village! I'll be Hokage!"

In another part of the village, on the outskirts, the living room of a nice manor house to be precise, a blonde kunoichi was tapping her foot impatiently. A puff of smoke announced Kakashi's arrival. "Yo." He said.

A vein began pulsing in Rin's temple. "You are so late, I'm seriously considering surgically implanting an alarm clock in your forehead."

Kakashi nodded. "Sorry."

Rin's eyebrows climbed to the middle of her forehead. "No excuses? No ladders, black cats, old ladies, road of life, or anything else?"

"I just saved a six year old boy from a burning building."

"Is that the best you could come up with?"

"I'm serious."

Rin looked at him closely. "You know, I actually believe you. So, what happened?"

Kakashi quickly recounted the events of the night, starting with his patrol of the village, and ending with the ANBU and Hokage dispersing the mob.

As Kakashi told the story, Rin's eyes steadily grew wider and wider. When he finished, she explode. "What the hell do those villagers think they're doing! Trying to kill Sensei's son! If I had been there, I wouldn't have held back. I would have destroyed them!"

Rin was fuming mad. Kakashi took that as a good sign for them adopting the boy. "Rin, would you like to do something for the boy?"

"Like what?" she asked instantly.

"Like letting him stay here for a while. He has no place to go now that his house burnt down, and the Hokage would like him to stay with us temporarily."

Rin paused for a moment, then nodded. "Of course. I'll be more then happy to let him stay here for as long as he needs. We'll go pick him up in the morning."

Kakashi smiled. "I'm glad we came to this decision." Rin quirked an eyebrow. "Ok, I'm glad YOU came to this decision."

A/N: Well, tell me what you think! R&R!