I write this coming out of a food coma.

The poll is finished and this is top ten result - all modifications included.
Ahri: 17
Jinx: 17
Caitlyn: 13
Lamb: 13
Akali: 12
Evelynn: 8
Vi: 8
Katarina: 6
Briar: 4
Gwen: 4

This means we have either

Naruto x Ahri x Jinx x Lamb x Akali x Evelynn

or

Naruto x Ahri x Caitlyn x Lamb x Akali x Vi

As I said, five will be the max that will be official pairings. Others, if there is an opportunity, are merely means to an end or to achieve something. Technically I should be doing Jinx and Evelynn instead of Caitlyn and Vi since Jinx leads by a whole 4 votes over Caitlyn. I will mull this over until the next update.

Sorry for the non-chapter update (which will come in a few hours or so) so here are some random facts about the current notable characters of Ninth Ruin

Naruto Uzumaki

The son of the Red Witch, Naruto holds a strange power that is beyond any other wielder of the arcane. His mother was the only one understanding of his existence, and her kindness has shaped Naruto's view until he lost her.

17 years old

His magic appears as red and orange colors, altering his hair and eyes when unleashing more of his potential

He dreams of his mother's runes and wonders what they mean

He thought Jayce could help find out why his magic reacts differently from it's natural form; but he no longer thinks so, finding more promise in Viktor

His foxes are nearly 100 strong, spreading throughout Zaun and Piltover

He likes mentoring the young children of Zaun

He despises the older generation that still try to decide the future of Zaun

He thinks Powder has the most potential of Vi's crew

He views the kids like Vi and Powder as Zaun's Future

He views the old adults like Vander and Silco as Zaun's Past

Vi (Violet)

The daughter of Zaunite citizens, she wishes to make a good future for her, her little sister, and her adoptive brothers. She is willing to do anything to achieve so but with the consequences of the successful heist into Jayce's penthouse, she has been struggling with trying to fix everything before something happens to her family.

15 years old

Is interested in boxing because of Vander

Loves her sister more than anything but thinks she is bad luck for any possible heist

Is interested in Naruto, although wants to trust Vander to stay away

Jinx (Powder)

The youngest daughter of Zaunite citizens, she was at a very young impressionable age when she witnessed the destruction of the bridge of progress. She has a trauma against violence which is only compounded by daily fights her sister fights with the other street rats around Zaun.

12 years old

Is interested in building explosives, but so far has been unsuccessful in making complete bombs

She is an incredible marksman even at a young age

Looks up to her sister

Wants to get to know Naruto more after seeing him fight the enforcers outside the abandoned arcade

Kushina Uzumaki

The infamous Red Witch, she had moved to Zaun from Ionia when Naruto was one year old. She had helped Cassandra prior to her death, and the only repayment desired was a blood pact that made the Kiramman matriarch owe the Uzumaki name.

35 years old (at time of death)

Was very personable, known by many as a great healer and sage

Has many runes tattooed onto her body

Had so much more to teach Naruto when she died

Ren hatori
2, if you count Seraphine (but she was too young canonically to include as a pairing without fucking with lore)

Unstezr
Lamb is female and Wolf is male. Gray man (ancient form) was genderless.

Paradoxity
I do not think Silco is surviving this lol

SFIAT
Gonna be that since Jinx won fair and square. Might still give Caitlyn and Vi some love but not like the official pairings.

Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgivings. I still got another one to go to (dear lord I'm gonna be fat)

The official pairing for Naruto is: Ahri, Jinx, Lamb, Akali, and Evelynn. We got a criminal, a foxgirl, the literal embodiment of Death but furry, a Ninja, and a demon of pleasure. Fun times for Naruto ahead lmao.

Not sure if I'm bothering with a time skip. Just with how this ends and how the next chapter is shaping up. Might just write out those coming six years that are skipped between episode 3 and 4, we shall see.

VI

Naruto entered the bar after burning a hole through the lock on the door. Vi must have locked it by the time she got back, much to his pleasure as he was only reminded how good her survival instincts were. She would thrive in the streets of Zaun, alone if need be, but it was even better that she had her crew and sister to help her.

He closed the door and quickly repaired the lock to make sure it would work again before making his way towards the door to the cellar. He knew that with how the kids stayed by it during the meeting the previous day they must sleep down there. Vander's room would be somewhere on the main floor or up one more.

He had gotten close to the top landing of the stairs before he heard a painful shriek and sobbing. He felt his heart drop and zipped down in a streak of orange lightning. What he found shocked him and made him extremely wary.

Only Powder remained in the room but her face was red with tears and snot while beating her head. She sobbed and gripped her head while kicking her feet at the edge of the bed. A monkey toy is tossed on the floor, the head popped off and a few feet away.

Among them are three of Jayce's hexcrystals.

But he was more worried about Powder right now with how hysterically was breathing and holding herself.

"Hey, Powder," Naruto slowly approached as he softly called out her name. "Where's the others? I sent Vi back to-…"

He trailed off when he was suddenly hugged by the young girl the moment he was near the bed. His shirt was immediately getting wet from her sobbing. She was frantic and shaking as she tried to babble something to him but he couldn't understand any of it.

"Shh, Powder, settle down," he wrapped his arms around her protectively and sat on the edge of the bed. "Quiet those tears. I can't help you if you do not settle down."

She sniffled and rubbed her red face against his shirt. "Sh-sh-she l-l-le-eft me-e-e! She said I wa-wasn't r-r-ready!"

Vi. He scowled to himself before sighing.

He should have known she would go to get Vander back no matter the danger. If Vander is alive, that means it was a trap and she was walking right into Silco's hands. Maybe she wasn't as smart as he gave her credit for.

Or she was overconfident in her abilities.

He lowered his face to Powder's head and whispered, "where did they go?"

"The cannery by the pier," she answered while wiping her face.

"Okay," Naruto looked to the side to see the hexcrystals. "Then let's go help them, huh?"

Powder looked up at him with wide, red eyes. "M-me too?"

Naruto smiled and rubbed a few fresh tear lines from her cheeks. "Even a jinx can bring about a good outcome, ne? Good thing for you," he looked around conspiratorially before leaning in to whisper, "I'm the luckiest thing alive. Let's see which is stronger, my luck or your jinx."

She smiled brightly at that and nodded her head as she finally felt trusted, like she was believed in. It was a painful thing to see in a child, especially to Naruto who had a soft spot for all kids. He wanted her to be able to express herself, and at her age of not understanding consequences or how dangerous some things are, it was hard with those around her. That's why she is seen as bad luck.

I will just have to nurture it myself, Naruto told himself as he helped her gather some supplies that will aid her in helping him.

He did notice that she rushed to gather the hexcrystals, mumbling something about having an idea. He wasn't sure what was going through her mind but he decided now was not the time to question her. He will keep an eye on her and make sure she stayed safe no matter what.

Time to go save Zaun's past.

Viktor stared at the board as he and Jayce worked out the equations needed to make the magical device the other had been figuring out over the last year or so. The more he stared at it all the more he realized how marvelous this energy really was compared to science. The possibilities just waiting to be figured out; what leaps and bounds they could achieve through the assistance of the arcane.

But he was also curious about the man that made all of Jayce's work possible. Naruto Uzumaki. The last name sounded familiar, like he had run into someone with that name before. He couldn't place his finger on it though.

"This math is promising," Viktor told Jayce as he corrected a mistake he noticed. "Granted, the fine tuning you were attempting was childish for the most part, but it is easily fixable."

"How so," Jayce questioned as he worked out his own equations on a sheet of paper with the help of his notebook.

"You are dampening the frequency of which the arcane energy interacts with your machine," Viktor answered while tapping the portion of the math that made all subsequent equations keep failing. "But that is a constant variable that does not change, but we are trying to make it change to our whims. A primordial energy bowing to our infant understanding of the laws of the universe? It is amusing, if only."

"So the answer is…" Jayce started with pondering eyes.

"To match or exceed the frequency," Viktor finished with him, giving a nod. "Yes, exactly. So, if we adjust the device to match it in this way…"

Viktor quickly went over the equations on the chalkboard as Jayce watched, his hazel eyes looking over each piece that slowly fell into place. Within moments, he found the frequency their device would have to reach to contain the arcane in a way that made it manipulable and stable.

"And that's the answer." Viktor stated as he stepped back from the board.

"Fantastic," Jayce walked up to stand next to Viktor with a smile on his face. "Now all we need to do is access my equipment and build the prototype."

Viktor pressed his lips together in a grimace before turning away with a bowed head. "About that."

Naruto ran forward with Powder right on his heels, stopping just short of the open street around the warehouse. It was rundown and clearly abandoned for years. It is one of Zaun's many sabotaged businesses that got too successful for its own good.

And now this area is avoided like the plague.

Turning back to his younger companion, he found her messing with one of her monkey toys. Twisting and pulling pieces of it around as she wanted. He could really see a craftsman's glint in her eyes, something of which shows up and is nurtured in the likes of Jayce and other Piltovans.

But here is this kid doing what she can with what she has. It brought a smile to his lips even in the direness of the situation.

"Okay, here's the plan," Naruto squatted down against the brick wall as he got Powder's attention. "I'm gonna go in swinging, taking as many as I can in the process. What you will do, my little jinx, is find an escape route for your sister and the boys."

"An escape route," she questioned with a confused look on her face.

"Yes, so all of you can get away safely," Naruto answered softly. "I want all of you safe, that is the purpose of us coming to your sister's aid after all."

"I thought we were coming to fight the people that stole Vander." Powder slowly became dejected as she thought it was because she was with him.

He didn't trust her either.

"We don't always have to fight, Powder," Naruto told her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Sometimes it is better to escape safely than risk dying in an encounter that you are not completely prepared for."

"But you have magic," she looked at him. "You can easily fight anyone off."

That surprised him for a moment before he shook his head. "Not always, Powder. But come on, we have a crew to save."

Jinx pursed her lips before nodding. "Okay."

"Good," Naruto patted her head before standing up. "Remember, look for a way for everyone to escape. I'll get them out for you to lead them to safety. Ready, partner?"

She nodded her head again with an excited smile.

Naruto grinned before he gave a salute. "Be safe!"

Then he left her to do her thing, teleporting away to the roof of the warehouse. He trusted that Powder can achieve what he set for her, no matter how much of a "jinx" the others claim about her. She just needed the room to express herself safely.

And with everyone's attention going to be on him, he trusted her to be safe until his foxes got here.

He was near a hole and Looked inside to see Vi facing off against a group of older men and women loyal to Silco. He saw that even with her more learned and practiced boxing style, she was finding it difficult holding their numbers back. If not for the bridge being narrow she would have been easily overwhelmed and surrounded.

So, Sevika was actually able to enter Silco's crew.

It was Naruto's order for her. Find a crew to join and find all of their locations to be dismantled. The reason was because when Naruto finally brought Zaun to a civil war, he needed all of these old crews gone and serving the greater cause. He didn't want them in his crew but he needed them more available to fight for the entirety of the undercity.

This division is a thing of the past. It is not time for them to stand as one.

Naruto jumped through the hole and raised his hand above his head. A bright orange orb appeared and it's glow gained the attention of everyone below.

He twirled so that he was positioned headfirst and he collided with one of the men facing against Vi. His orb easily pierced the makeshift metal chestplate with various Shimmer vials injected into them. The shockwave sent the others stumbling back, and even Vi moved back as the bridge creaked and groaned from the sudden attack.

"You know, it's not nice to fight a kid outnumbered like this," Naruto said as he planted his feet and ripped his hand out of the man's body. "Well, it's not surprising since a single kid of the next generation has more grit than all of you combined."

He stared down at Silco to see the man standing there stunned. "How's it going, Silco. You look good, coming from one dead person to another."

"Naruto," the man called in greeting. "I know you don't care for Vander, or me, so why are you here?"

"You're right, I don't," Naruto nodded his head but jabbed a thumb back over his shoulder at Vi. "But the kids I do care about. They are-"

"The future of Zaun, yeah, you say that a lot," Silco interrupted tiredly. "You and your mother."

"So here is how this will go," Naruto said after calming himself from hearing his mother be brought up. "If you decide to still fight, I will kill everyone that approaches. But if you leave now, I'll ignore you still living. So how is it?"

It was silent as all of Silco's crew looked back at the man for his answer.

"Kill him." Silco sighed as he gave his answer, as if it was a pitiable thing.

Naruto clicked his teeth and raised his hand. Orange energies surrounded his eyes and filtered through his hair like embers of fire. Immediately, orange tails of arcane energies appeared and lashed out like whips and cut through everything it touched.

Crack crack crack

Each whip of energy lashed with a crack of thunder, tearing metal and flesh alike. Nothing survived its contact, weak against the magic of the Red Witch's son.

"Go get Vander out of here, Vi," Naruto told the girl while making sure his focus remained on reigning in his power to strike only his intended targets. "I've got it from here."

Vi was hesitant to walk away but nodded her head. "How did you find me?"

"Found your sister breaking down over being left behind," his cold response stopped the girl briefly. "She's making sure you all have a safe way out. So hurry up."

Vi nodded her head and ran to the room where Vander was kept.

Naruto breathed in slowly, making sure he kept his anger in check, before exhaling. I only have to keep them back while the kids escape. No point in killing future assets.

That is, until a purple beast burst through his magic almost unaffected by it. A few cuts and gashes but nothing like the previous attempts of the rest of the crew.

Oh-!

Naruto raised a quick barrier but was still launched back from the monstrosity bashing against the shield. He landed on his closer to the other side of the bridge and he was able to get a good look at his new enemy.

Purple glowing veins with cold necrotic skin. A single enlarged arm and dull blond hair, this was definitely no human.

Not anymore, at least. Naruto knew that this had to be the effects of the Shimmer Silco had been making.

At least, some type of version of the Shimmer. He doubted that Silco could make money on the drug if this is what it did to everyone.

Ting!

Naruto shivered when he felt the pulse of arcane energy fill the warehouse. His eyes roamed around for anything that could cause that, another magical maybe, but he couldn't see anything-

Oh, crap.

Naruto's eyes widened when he saw the cymbal monkey beating against a blue hexcrystal. His eyes snapped up at the window and saw Powder there, hiding as she watched her toy march forward. I should have told her to not worry about me.

"Vi, close the door!" He shouted at the girl behind him and tore off his jacket.

"What?!"

Naruto scowled before using his magic to grab a piece of the wall. He yanked it down against him, ripping the entire corner column free from the walls. It cascaded down before completely sealing off the room where Vi and Vander were hiding.

Bringing that same hand up, he grabbed the three men still standing on the bridge and lifted them up. He slammed his hand down, breaking them through the bridge and into the floor fifteen feet below.

As he did that, he raised his other hand and began to manifest a shade of himself purely with his magic. It had no facial features or clothing, simply appearing as a shadow with his body outline, but it was a physical manifestation. Unlike illusions or other party tricks that he could cast that had no physical attributes to harm anyone, this was a raw technique that no other magical could do.

Get Powder to safety.

He had done this the fastest possible, all before the third clang of the cymbal monkey. He could feel the area being charged with raw arcane energies, small particle eruptions that are too small for the normal eye to see. But he could. He had the visual acuity thanks to his magic to see all of this happen.

The raw, uncontrolled nature of the hexcrystals made it a violent, unpredictable source. It's a wonder how Jayce was even able to use them in his experiments. It was a wonder how any experiments worked at all! But at this moment it was so much more evident.

The energies released from the marble filled the air with more energy than should be possible. With the sudden intrusion, the energies clashed together with already existing arcane energy like two opposing atoms. This would create a chain reaction that would become visible to the normal person in the appearance of streaks of light like it was right now.

And then…

While Silco's group of thugs watched the magic streak around the warehouse, Naruto raised his arms as his Shade moved to follow his orders. From him, a bubble of red-orange energy rapidly expanded to encompass the room that the fight has been happening in. He did not need to get it far to protect himself or the others but that was not his intention.

No, his goal was so much simpler.

Contain the explosion and protect the kids.

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?

At least he was able to protect the kids. Someone will carry his dream.