AVL04
It's the mewtwo build I guess lol

Spacecore94
The ones that make it into the pairing will be actual but those not will serve a purpose for Naruto. Whether manipulation or not.

Paradoxity
Viktor had always been more interesting to me and seeing his process into the machine herald is interesting. I think he will align with Naruto more than Jayce and it will progress in such a way. You can already see the fracture of Naruto and Jayce's partnership.

Robocopio
I had always felt Ahri was overdone and that's why she was not in the initial list of options. But the current board is interesting to say the least.

Archer headass
Check PMs don't respond to it through story review

Kenshin002
Check PMs

Current pairings board (19:20 11/27/2024):
Ahri: 12
Jinx: 11
Caitlyn: 10
Akali: 8
Kindred (Lamb): 8
Evelynn: 6
Vi: 6
Briar: 4
Gwen: 4
Katarina: 3
LeBlanc: 3
Mel: 3
Sarah Fortune: 3
Aurora: 2
Kai'Sa: 2
Lux: 2
Morgana: 2
Poppy: 2
Sona: 2
Diana: 1
Fiora: 1
Illaoi: 1
Irelia: 1
Rell: 1
Samira: 1
Tristana: 1

Y'all really hate me. You really want both Jinx and Vi and Caitlyn. What am I gonna do with yall?

Current pairings: Naruto x Ahri x Jinx x Akali x Lamb x Evelynn OR Naruto x Ahri x Caitlyn x Akali x Lamb x Evelynn x Vi

Next update will be when the poll ends.

Shorter chapter but I'm just getting it out of the way for Thanksgiving. Have a great holiday!

V

"It's okay, Naru," his mother whispered as she guided his hand over the broken ankle. "Search for the problem."

He closed his eyes and used his magic to sense where the break was. It wasn't that difficult of a thing, being a basic form of arcane manipulation, but it was harder for him. His energies were always unpredictable, swiping around like a raging hurricane.

He always feared causing harm with his arcane fire. But his mother would calm him and remind him that he was in control. So long as he didn't want to hurt anyone, his magic will not lash out in such a way.

18

"I found it."

"Good," his mother smiled proudly before putting her hand over his. "Isolate the illness, and do this."

He felt her energy mix with his, aiding in his manipulation, and he felt his power be guided around the break in the patient's ankle. There were three separate breaks that they contained within a bubble of soothing magic. Their patient didn't fuss, doing the opposite and easing into the bed they prepared for them.

Then his mother helped him move his energies into the muscle and bone. They were realigning the breaks so they were straight and back in their natural position. The client breathed deeply in slight discomfort but they otherwise did not move in pain.

21

"Now, imagine the wound healing. The breaks and the illness are no longer there."

He closed his eyes and did as his mother instructed. He imagined the bones repairing themselves in real time, snapping back into place. The muscles were no longer inflamed or irritated but back to their pink appearance.

As he opened his eyes, he noticed the purple grapefruit sweating had died down and he could no longer tell that the ankle had ever been broken. It was completely healed again.

His mother wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly, smiling into his blonde hair. He felt safe in that moment, wrapped and shrouded with his mother's love.

9

"Great job, Naruto. That's my boy."

His chest burst with warmth as he smiled shyly to himself, overcome with pride at hearing his mother's praise.

He really loved being a healer like his mom. Maybe someday, when he was older, he would be able to treat Zaunite and Piltovans alike. He won't have to hide down here like what they were doing was a bad thing.

He will show that magic was a beautiful, useful art. And it was all thanks to his mother who showed him how to trust it.

14

He was startled awake by the sound of knocking on his door. He wiped his face of the tears and snot that covered the side of his face. He didn't realize he was crying.

Then he remembered the numbers. There were no runes to be seen this time, just the subtle flash of numbers in his face. What did they mean?

The knocking came again and he cleared his throat. "Come in."

One of his foxes entered and stood just a step inside the room as she let her boss clean himself up. "I'm sorry for disturbing you, sir."

Naruto waved his hand at the unmasked woman and shook his head. "Don't be, don't be. What's wrong?"

"We were following Vander like you ordered but something happened," she answered as if she was still reeling or confused about something. "We had run into the team following the kids you are interested in and something attacked them."

Naruto's eyes snapped up and he got to his feet, kicking the chair from under him while turning around. Fuck Vander, he would give no shits if that man was attacked on the streets. But the kids? The future of Zaun? Now that was something he could not allow or accept to happen.

"Take me there. Now."

His fox nodded and placed her mask on her face before grabbing his shoulder. They teleported from his room to an alley somewhere in Zaun. The air seemed to crackle with his sudden appearance, the atoms sparking to life like small fires. His own hair gained a more reddish tint, illuminating the dark alley with his power that was growing more and more unstable.

The moment he exited the alleyway he found what his fox was talking about. Attack didn't even encompass the scene that he found.

Blood splattered the walls and street like a twisted tapestry from a disturbed artist. The bodies, if they could be called that, were twisted and mangled in heaps all over the area. At least five Enforcers, one of which was sheriff Grayson, and she was the only one with a spent firearm.

Her face is slightly caved in on the side, popping out her eye in a grotesque display of the brute strength of the attacker. Then there was Benzo, Vander's friend, who was lying beside a wall with a collapsed rib cage and a twisted neck. Whoever, or whatever, did this was a behemoth of a man and had strength not normal of a human being.

What kind of monster has been inhabiting these streets? He asked himself before turning to one of the foxes standing in the street. "What happened?"

The man glanced around uneasily before answering. "Silco arrived with some kind of mutated beast. A man under some kind of mutation that made him faster and stronger than these people could handle."

Silco? Naruto was surprised to hear that man was still alive - but he was also thought to be dead so he wasn't actually surprised. "What about the kid? Who was here?"

"I was the one watching over Vi as she had separated from the other kids. She had planned to give herself up to the Enforcers but Vander arrived and took her place." The fox answered immediately before indicating with his head to the inside of Benzo's shop. "There's also the other kid taken in by Benzo inside. He was the one to witness everything."

Naruto nodded his head and waved his hands over the bodies. "Dispose of it all and clean up the mess. I'm going to go talk to them."

The fox nodded his head and he and the woman that teleported Naruto both set out to follow his order. Meanwhile, he walked inside the open door and found it untouched. The only thing there are the two kids mentioned by his fox, both of them spacing out as they continue to process what they witnessed.

He slowly walked forward, gaining the attention of Vi, and stopped just a few steps shy of six feet away. He looked them over quickly for any injuries and found none, much to his relief.

"I'm glad you two are okay," he finally said softly before glancing back at the door leading outside. "It's unfortunate you had to witness whatever it was that took out those Enforcers and Benzo. Just count yourselves lucky that you survived."

Naruto looked at Vi after speaking and tilted his head slightly as he considered what to do. He should just send her back to the other kids until he can handle Silco and whatever manner of beasts he's created. He didn't care for Vander but he knew these kids looked up to and respected him. If he wanted them to eventually be on his side, he needed to have them grow to like him more and that would require him to save the Hound.

Ekko, however, had nowhere to go now. This was his home and he has known nowhere else other than here. There's no reason he should leave him on his own so maybe he can take him back to the sewer. Not to become a fox, mind you, but just so he can have a place to stay until he decides on what he wants to do.

"Okay," Naruto finally said, getting the two kids' attention. "Vi, I want you to go back to the other kids. They need someone now more than ever. Ekko, you're going to go with one of my friends here until it is safe. I will… figure out what to do from here, alright?"

Ekko nodded his head but Vi was slower in reaction to his words. She sighed and hopped down from the counter, walking past Naruto without another word. He wasn't upset, however, as he understood that she would need time to come to terms with the event.

She had the same look he had when he was coming to grips with the loss of his mother, he expected her to be in the same mindspace he was. Vander was, after all, a father figure for the kids in his care.

Some people survive chaos and that is how they grow. Others thrive in it because that is all they have known.

His mother's words of wisdom had always been invaluable, even now after she is gone. He had never been much for wise words and calm approaches, even more so when she died, but the kids needed that now. He needed to figure out how he was going to handle this mess while making things come out in his favor.

And that will need Silco to be dealt with in one way or another.

"Jass," Naruto called out and the fox that brought him there quickly entered. "Please take Ekko and situate him with a bed and some food back at our home."

"Understood, sir," Jass nodded her head and walked over with a kind smile. "Come on, Ekko."

Naruto watched as the boy took his fox's hand and then disappeared in a flash of purple. He was left alone in the shop and took a deep breath as he felt his anger bubble under the surface now that they weren't around. He really could not believe that this one event is ruining his plans to undermine Piltovan control of Zaun.

Silco, you bastard. You and Vander just can't accept that your time to change Zaun's future has come to pass. It is our turn.

"Come on, Naruto! This is the sight to see!"

Naruto climbed the steep incline after his mother who had already reached the top. His eleven year old body ached from the exercise demanded from him. He blamed the horrible air that permeated Zaun's atmosphere.

He huffed as he finally reached the peak of the mountain, crawling the last bit by digging his fingers into the ground. He flipped onto his back the moment his knees reached a level surface, sweat drenching his face and body. His light orange and black robe was soaked over his chest, arms, and shins with dirt coating the areas.

"You okay, son?" Her words are asked with a smirk on her lips. "Are you tired already?"

"Why…" he breathed rapidly as he tried to talk. "Why did we not teleport here?"

She chuckled at his question, her purple eyes turning away from him and looking at the view she wanted him to see. The wind blew her beautiful, long red hair in waves of scarlet as she basked in the warmth.

Naruto caught his breath and turned to see his mom standing in the sun. She looked entirely ethereal with the way the sun made her hair and skin look vibrant. Her runic tattoos that he could not understand were a dark purple in the direct light, often appearing as a blue or black back in Zaun.

He walked over to stand beside her and he was wowed by the sight of their home. Controlling the flow of the water from one section to the other with a bridge and multiple large gates, he could see the distinction between Piltover and Zaun even from here. Even if the smog covered most of his home, he felt proud in what he could see.

From here, Zaun looked as great as Piltover did. It was a shame that when you were there you could taste and feel the difference with every moment spent there.

"Isn't it amazing?" His mother asked with a small smile on her lips. "When I first came here, I was amazed with the amount of technology and hard work. I was drawn in to the people of the undercity, who even with the little given would make the most of it all."

He listened to her intently, taking every word and shaping his view around it. His mother is the smartest, most brilliant person he has ever known. It was only right to look at everything through her eyes.

"But even now, this is a nation of old men," she sighed disappointedly. "You and the kids are the future of Zaun, Naruto. You all will be the ones to write the future, whether it be of peace or war, and your role must be nurtured carefully. But everyone here, they just don't see it that way."

He looked up at her when she said this and he saw the beginnings of tears building in the corner of her eyes.

"If anything happens to me, Naruto, please make sure you look after the future of Zaun, okay? Make sure that you and the kids make something of yourselves and write out a good future. And when you get too old yourself, make sure the environment for the kids allows them to express themselves."

He nodded his head frantically. "Of course, mama. I will protect the future of Zaun."

She smiled and leaned down to hug him tightly. "That's my boy."

Teaser…

He closed his eyes as he prepared for the jolt of pain that came from having your body be atomized.

BOOM

He screamed as the particles tore his very atoms from his body. It didn't just render muscle and flesh from bone or the bone from the body. It literally destroyed him to the cellular level. The pain that brought him to his knees but he did not let down his barrier.

The kids needed him to hold this barrier or else they would all die. Screw Vander and everyone else, he only cared for the kids that will bring the future of Zaun to life. The kids who, like him, see a vision for a future in the sun.

In the blue and pink fire where arcane and shimmer collided in the explosion, he can see the faint outline of a humanoid. A furry humanoid. She walked towards him, holding a long curved stick- it's a bow.

The Lamb.

Naruto had heard the stories of the Lamb and the Wolf. Each region or religion focuses on one over the other; the Noxians with their tenets of strength venere the Wolf, while the Ionian pilgrims worship the swift death of the Lamb. But he had never seen them as a possibility, mostly because any near death experience that should have killed him has never succeeded and he would just regenerate.

But why, as the Lamb got close and he collapsed down to one knee, did he see his mother's face? Her long red hair, funny silk clothes, and countless weaving tattoos with the symbols he could see in his dreams. She was easy to spot as she was not a Zaun native but was respected for her works as a healer and a sage.

He felt his grip slip slightly on the barrier as he felt calm suddenly. Her hand caressed his cheek - he couldn't tell if it was his mother reaching out to him or the Lamb preparing him for his end. But as he heard a scream from Vi behind him, he snapped out of it and gripped his hands tighter.

The illusion of his mother is gone and now all he could see is the curious black mask of the white-furred Kindred. "You are not taking me yet!"

With a scream, he pulled his hands down closer to his body. The barrier he crafted followed his command and shrunk to encompass only twelve feet around him. Inside, he felt the clashing of atoms become more violent as they had less room to go.

He lost part of his left side, taking out part of his hypochondriac and lumbar. With a final tug, under the curious gaze of the Lamb, he brought the barrier down one final time and his entire vision was painted white.

"How one dies shows how one lived."

Naruto smiled, at least he thinks he did with the numbness, and chuckled. I guess I should have struggled more then, huh?