Disclaimer: I do not own the "Naruto" series.

Ninko, Chapter 6: Of Fate and Fortune

"You know, this is the second time you've been on deaths door in under a month. I'm starting to wonder how you apes live to puberty," the red-headed woman said dryly, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at her jailor.

Noticing the look of confusion on the six year old's face, she sighed. "Nevermind. We don't have much time. As of right now, you've split your chakra so many your chakra is fatally depleted. Your clones won't even have the ability to dispel themselves to return the chakra to your coils. You'll be dead within minutes."

"Nani?!" the boy replied, shock and fear dancing in his cerulean eyes.

"Oi, oi, calm down," the woman replied, waving her hand dismissively as she strolled towards, and through the bars. "Have you been feeling...ill, lately? Perhaps more tired than usual?"

"Yeah, but I'll be feeling a lot more tired if I'm dead!" the boy exclaimed, clearly put out by the woman's passive demeanor. His anxiety quickly bled into fear when the woman's features darkened.

"Watch your tongue, gaki, let I rip it out. I'll not tolerate your attitude, especially not when I'm saving your miserable life."

The intensity of the woman's gaze caused him to turn his head away, and his demeanor was that of a chastised child: shoulders slumped and head bowed. "G-gomen nasai, Onee-chan."

At the boy's words, the woman's eyes softened, yet her face spread into a predatory grin. 'Onee-chan? So desperate for contact he'd turn towards a demon? This will all be simpler than I had expected'

The grin vanished from her face as she glided silently towards the boy. Kneeling to the small boy's eye level, she put her hand on his cheek, gentle directing his eyes to hers. "You are forgiven, Naruto-kun. Now, are you willing to listen?"

After a short pause, the boy nodded.

"You're growing ill due to my chakra stagnating in your coils. It's foreign to your body, so it's poisonous to it, do you understand?" The fact that it was youki went unmentioned, a talk for another time, when the child's eyes no longer shined with fear of death. "I need you to place your hand on the seal and channel your remaining chakra into it."

"B-but won't losing all my chakra-"

"Trust me, Naruto-kun. Have I led you astray yet?" the woman asked, her voice gentle and soothing.

Shaking his head, the boy strode toward the seal. The paper section remained, but beneath it lay another, carved into the very bar. As he extended his hand, the woman placed hers atop his, and gently directed it towards the metal section. Closing his eyes, he grabbed the chakra remaining in his coils, and pushed.

Before the very last vestiges of chakra left his body, he felt the woman behind him pull his hand away as his vision darkened and his knees buckled.

'Mm, mm, decisions, decisions...To save the warden, or flee the prison whilst the path is wholly unbarred...'

Turning the unconscious child around, the red-haired woman shoved him against the metal column and placed a finger to his forehead.

'I'll save you my little warden, for you'll yet become my pet...'

When the unconscious blond-haired orphan began to breath once again, Kakashi let out a sigh of relief. The thought of telling the Sandaime that Naruto had perished from lethal chakra exhaustion while performing Kage Bunshin no Jutsu was not a pleasant thought.

Warily, Kakashi placed the soldier pill pack into one of the many pockets on his jounin's vest. On a boy so young, making use of the chakra restoring pill would be extremely taxing on the body. It was something to be avoided.

The clones that Naruto had made lay prone on the ground, and the gray-haired shinobi leaned over to one, grabbing it's chin and tilting it's head up. Staring into exhausted clone's eyes, Kakashi cleared his throat. "Yo, Naru-chan. Pull a stunt like that and you won't be eating ramen for a month, got it?"

Naturally, the clone didn't respond, as it barely had the chakra to maintain a solid form, let alone move. Casually, Kakashi flicked the clone in the forehead, and the chakra construct dispelled.

The lazy jounin repeated this process with the five other clones, changing the wording slightly every time to make each one clearly individual. Doing such came with the benefit of teaching the boy secret behind Kage Bunshin no Jutsu...

'...and making sure the little blond bastard remembers what I told him.'

Kakashi had followed the whiskered orphan to the training ground, knowing the child would pull this stunt. He hadn't expected the boy to actually complete the jutsu, let alone summon six relatively valid clones. Though they weren't up-to-snuff for an elite shinobi - the hair varied between three and five shades lighter, the clothing was inconsistent in regards to stains, and one of them had lacked the distinctive whisker marks - for a six-year old, it was an astonishing success.

"To master a jounin-level kinjutsu in under a week..." Kakashi declared, shaking his head in mild disbelief.

"...he truly is Minato-kun's son," an aged voice replied.

Turning suddenly, Kakashi attempted to school the look of shock from his features. "H-hokage-sama..." the jounin stated, his heart racing despite himself. 'I didn't even sense him...even decades past his prime, he truly is the "God of Shinobi".'

"It seems young Naruto-kun's tenant has intervened once more..." the Hokage stated quietly, a frown on his lips. "The boy should be dead. Twice now, in under a month. Kami, when did we start killing our children?"

It was then that Kakashi witnessed a sight he had never though he'd see. The Hokage stood, but no longer was his stance confident and regal. No, it was weighted down by the weight of village-full of lives, a village full of dreams. In the waning starlight, Sarutobi's face was dominated by shadow, the marks age had worn into his skin all the more prominent. To see such a man - Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, the brightest shinobi of his generation - laid low, was humbling. And extremely disconcerting.

"You can only do what you feel is best..." Kakashi proposed unsteadily, his voice a whisper as he turned his head away. It seemed...wrong to look upon the wizened shinobi at such a moment of weakness. For all the man had done, he deserved such a reprieve. Instead, he focused once more on the prone form of Uzumaki Naruto, watched as his chest rose and fell as color returned to his cheeks.

"Tomorrow, his fate will be decided, once again," the Hokage said simply. "His life will be taken and molded as will best benefit the village. He's a shinobi now, whether he wishes it or not. All that remains is the question of time." At that the Hokage paused, turning his gaze to stare at the lightless new moon as it continued his silent vigil over the land."Was it cruel of me to wish to hide that truth from the boy? To let him believe he had a choice? That his life was his?"

Kakashi didn't reply, for there were no words to say. In the least, no words he had to say. He simply stared at his late sensei's son, and watched his chest rise and fall. In and out, in a rhythm of life.

"Take him back to the orphanage, Kakashi, before he catches a cold."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

Without another word, Kakashi stooped over and took hold of the small child, and disappeared into the night. In his wake he left a weary old man with a burden far to great for his age-ravaged shoulders, staring up into the star-speckled sky and remembering his failures.

"The date is October the 30th," Mitokado Homura stated evenly, his voice cutting through the murmurs that filled the council chambers with easy. "I hereby call this meeting to order."

At the elder's command, the chamber grew silent within mere moments. On some - particularly members of the civilian council - looks of confusion were evident. Taking a deep breath, Homura forged on. "This council has convened to discuss a specific matter of great importance to the village, proposed by we as the Council Elders," at this Homura indicated himself, Koharu and Danzou, "in addition to Hokage-sama."

At this, the murmurs began anew, and it was no great surprise. The Council Elders and Sarutobi were frequently at odds with one another in regards to the administrative matters of Konohagakure no Sato. As Sarutobi had lost a fair amount of his prestige as he grew older and seemingly more complacent, more often than not the civilian council sided with the Elders, whilst the shinobi council was frequently divided. For the Elders and the Hokage to speak as one voice was nigh unheard of.

Homura allowed the conversation to die down on its own. Allowing the councilmen and woman to speculate would only be beneficial. If their minds were occupied with other matters, it would be easy to use the prestige of his position to force a positive vote.

"The matter at hand is the fate of Uzumaki Naruto," Homura stated simply.

The chamber erupted in a roar of activity as the boy's named left his mouth. 'Now, that won't do.'

Lifting up the gavel, Homura lifted it and brought in down with a punishing smash, reinforcing the wood with chakra to avoid shattering the dainty object. The sound was akin to an explosive note, echoing through the council chambers and silencing all conversation immediately. "On October the 10th, young Uzumaki Naruto was assaulted by an inebriated chuunin and hospitalized," Homura stated, his tone somber. 'And now, for the gamble,' thought Homura worriedly. "Though the chuunin was intercepted by ANBU during the attack, and Uzumaki Naruto was immediately taken to the hospital, the severity of the wound was such that any normal child would have perished. Without a doubt, there was outside intervention in the matter."

Once again, the chamber erupted in a bustle of activity, except this time it was tinged with a near palpable feeling of anxiety and mania. From the civilian sections of the council, Homura's ears caught mention of the words 'Beast', 'Demon' and 'Released'. It was clear they had seen 'the underneath' behind his words, as expected. Calmly, he watched the men and woman he had allied himself with stir up carefully controlled alliances of dissent. He had chosen men and woman who either possessed positions of great power, or a great deal of natural charisma.

His eyes were drawn to the unique bubble-gum pink of Haruno Senna's hair, and he noted the woman definately fell into the latter category. The Harunos were a small family, too slight in both prestige and size to be considered a proper clan. Nevertheless, she was appointed by her districts people as a representative due to her innate magnetism, drawing people to her like moths to a flame. She skillfully riled up her section and took a position of dominance amongst it, like the others he had tasked for this matter. He allowed this to play out for a few more minutes before he lifted his gavel.

While it may seem counter-productive to sponsor his own opponents, in the end he was simply rounding them up behind individuals he could trust. If he cannot eradicate their fears, he would control them. Haruno Senna was one of the individuals he trusted to nudge to civilian populace towards compliance, and judging by the size of the posse she had around her, she had done her job well.

Glancing over the meeting room, he affirmed that his people had completed thier tasks. Once confident in this, he brought the implement down with an echoing boom, and the shinobi section of the council quieted almost immediately. However, the civilian council continued, filling the council chambers with a din of fear and paranoia, and he fought the urge to grin. Glancing subtly towards Sarutobi, he nodded.

Immediately, the very air in the council chambers stilled, before buckling as the Sandaime Hokage rose to his feet. Passion shone in his eyes, and the force of his chakra was stifling. "Enough!" the aged Hokage all but roared, and the civilian council immediately quieted, cowed by a forcefulness Sarutobi had not shown in over a decade.

"You are representatives of the citizens of Konoha!" the Hokage exclaimed, his voice impassioned and echoing through the chamber. "Yet you act like children in the face of a coming storm: shouting and crying, given reason over to mania!"

At the Hokages word, Homura's 'agents' once again took their seats, seemingly cowed by the Hokage's words. Bringing his hands infront of his mouth, the council elder allowed a ghost of a smile to slip over his lips. With the 'representatives' apparently humbled by the Hokage's words, the 'rank-and-file' of the civilian council will be off guard. With the momentum of their movement derailed, the shinobi council would have a rare opportunity to take the helm. Without another word, the Head of the Hyuuga Clan, Hyuuga Hiashi rose to his feet.

Hyuuga Hiashi, as well as his late twin Hizashi, where both genin in Homura's second genin team. Consequently, the two had a bit of an accord from their years together. Silently, he thanked the stoic man for taking the helm. "Forgive us, Hokage-sama. I am sure my fellow councilmen are simply concerned about the news. I assume you gathered us here on such short notice because you've discovered a solution," Hiashi remarked, his tone clipped and formal.

"Indeed we have, Hyuuga-sama," Homura replied, bringing the council's focus back to him. He made certain to refer to his formal teammate in a formal register to avoid accusations of corroboration. "The orphanage is no longer a safe enough home for the boy."

At this, his pink-haired agent spoke up. "Yet this brings us back full circle. This Council ruled adoption as too dangerous, lest someone unreliable get their hands on him." The Haruno's voice was powerful, and demanded attention. The civilians showed their support of her point with nods and scattered applause.

'It's a pity she's not a shinobi, she certainly knows how to play people...' Homura reflected. Banishing his thoughts, he replied to the woman's concerns with the same even, almost-bored tone. "Indeed, which is why he is to be adopted by an individual outside of any recognized clan. Specifically, the jounin Hatake Kakashi, student of the Yondaime Hokage. His knowledge of fuuinjutsu is second only to Jiraya-sama and Hokage-sama's."

"As an ANBU operative, wouldn't he be far too busy to watch over a child? It was the reason he did not adopt the boy originally," the pink-haired woman remarked.

"Hatake-san is no longer a member of ANBU," Homura stated evenly, and his words were met by gasps of surprise. The infamous Sharingan Kakashi was considered the next best candidate to take up the mantle of ANBU Commander. "While I may not comment on his motivations for leaving ANBU, he is uniquely capable of looking over Uzumaki Naruto, due to his...condition. I trust you do not doubt Hatake-san's expertise?"

"Of course not, Elder-san," Haruno Senna replied, but her approval of the plan was short lived. "However, is it wise to have the...boy... in the custody of one of Konoha's premier jounin? He may pick up a thing or too that children should not know..."

"That is precisely the point, Haruno-san," the gruff voice of Danzou cut in, speaking for the first time since the meeting began. "Uzumaki Naruto has a great deal of potential, and frightening amounts of power. We cannot simply leave him in limbo and hope he turns out...reliable." Pausing for a moment, Danzou surveyed the room before continuing. "With Kakashi to oversee his development as a shinobi, any crises of 'character' can be identified and dealt with appropriately."

Danzou's words prompted a flurry of activity, and once more Homura allowed his agents to play their parts. With suitable hesitance, they voiced support, whilst proposing various measures that did little but make the civilian council feel as though they had an influence on these descions. In Homura's mind, however, tehy didn't. Though not a shinobi in rank, Uzumaki Naruto was never, and would never be a civilian. He was destined to change the face of Konoha, for good or ill. He was remiss to allow Danzou to take the reigns in the boy's development, but such things couldn't be avoided. Having Kakashi as Naruto's legal guardian ensured that Danzou wouldn't make another Ne member out of the jinchuuriki.

He allowed Koharu to take the helm and manage the finer details. With 'environment' of the Council Chambers as it was, she would best know when and where to give ground, something he always had difficulty with. His talents lay with inspiring the atmosphere he desired, a process carried over to the political sphere from his specialization in genjutsu as a shinobi.

Koharu, however, was better at reading individuals, seeing the unspoken truth behind their words. It was no great surprise, though. A kenjutsu specialist would have to be able to skillfully read people, and though she no longer held the title as Konoha's premier swords(wo)man, she was putting her skills as a shinobi to good use in the political domain.

The two of them made a powerful pair. Though they may not have the prestige of their third teammate, Sarutobi Hiruzen, they were nonethless influencial. The office of the Hokage was Sarutobi's, but this Council chamber was theirs.

Nevertheless, their prestige mattered little in this matter. The boy, Uzumaki Naruto, had the unfortunate to bring out the worst in people with his mere mention. The debate within the Council Chamber raged on, and it proved to be one of the longest sessions regarding a single topic the council had ever held.

Council had begun at 6:00 AM, and four hours had passed discussing the fate of young Uzumaki Naruto. Homura was drawn from his reverie by the sound of Koharu bringing the gavel down, piercing through the remaining conversations. "Return to your seats, councilmen," the woman demanded simply. "Now, are there any motions on the floor?"

Complete and utter silence filled the room, something which Homura found troubling. Members of the Civilian Council shared glances, many of them directed towards Haruno Senna and his other 'agents', and he couldn't fight the momentary anxiety which pulsed in his veins. Should this fail, the Council Elders would lose a great deal of clout, there would be no second chances.

"Very well," Koharu stated calmly. "Regarding the custody of Uzumaki Naruto, in addition to his training as a shinobi, in respect to the measures outlined by Council Elders Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and Danzou, in addition to the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen..." she paused, ensuring all attention came to the Council Elder's dias, "...all those for?"

Cloth rustled, and hands pierced the air. The scribe took count, and at a nod, the woman continued. "All those against?" Once again, movement could be heard through the chamber. The scribe stood, walked over the Hokage's podium, laying the tally before the Village Leader's eyes.

When Mitokado Homura glanced over, he noticed the Hokage's face was grim. "Gomen-nasai..." Sarutobi murmured beneath his breath "...Naruto-kun."

Japanese Term List/Jutsu List

Onee-chan: In this instance, sister.

A/N: I'd say this is my biggest cliffhanger yet in this story, hehe. Now should be the point where I tell you I won't be updating for a month for whatever reason, but I'm not that mean. I'm probably going to be moving the normal update schedule to Mondays from now on, to give me more time on the weekend to write these chapters. School started today, so my chapters might end up being late, or shorter to compensate. Next chapter is going to change things a bit, and bring the story into the "core" of the plot. Just warning, there will be multiple Original Characters, a necesity that I hope you all will understand.

Anyway, I want to say that I'm very grateful to those who've reviewed this story, it really helps motivate me to continue writing it. To those who've yet to, please review, share your critique positive or negative. This is my first delving into fanfiction, and any observations you make will be very beneficial.