This is a temp chapter just to tease a future story. Let's see how this goes.

Reviews are welcome, good or bad, but just make sure we stay respectful.

Prologue/Temp

"They're using tear gas! Cover your face!"

"They're firing on unarmed protestors!"

"Get the wounded out of here!"

"Naruto!"

What would you be willing to sacrifice for your independence and freedom? What would you give to just have a fraction of those better off? To smell the things they do.

For him, he had been taught that to be oppressed is a choice. You let those in control have sway over you. But no one can make you do what they want. That is purely your choice to let it happen.

You choose to let people tell you where you can go. You choose to stay in the position you find yourself in. You choose your life of oppression.

But he would never let that happen. He will not be controlled like some piece of machinery.

I choose to be free.

Naruto sighed as he quickly entered the dorm of his current labrat - or partner, depending on who you ask. To him, however, the ignorant and whimsical boy that was looking into the arcane technology is nothing more than an experiment.

Until he finds what he wants, Naruto is simply using this mutual gain for his benefit. Everything was gained from his own power, of course, so there is no reason that he can't just take everything for himself in the end. Not like these Piltovans don't use the same methods themself.

Clatter

He heard the clattering and movement of someone inside Jayce's room. There was more than one, however, and he had been told by the labrat that he would be out for a while for classes. Apparently he was mentoring another student.

His fingers flickered with orange and red flames momentarily as he flexed his magic. He doubted these were very dangerous thieves so he won't have to use that power. It was also unlikely that he won't be able to talk to them so they can get out of there quicker.

They all want the same thing in the end anyway. Money.

He silently opened the door and slipped inside before closing it behind him. He looked up and saw a few shadows before one person moved across the end of the hallway. It was a girl with pink hair, dirty clothes, and clearly someone from the Lanes.

"Shh, I told you to be quiet, Mylo!"

The girl whispered harshly at someone out of view, getting a disgruntled whisper back that he could not hear. Just as he was going to walk down and confront them, he noticed the door to Jayce's office was open and someone was inside. As far as he knew, Jayce trusted his locked doors too much to keep his experiments and notes out of view.

Silently walking over, he pushed open the door and found a little girl looking at a box of arcane marbles. The marbles are physical manifestations of solidified arcana, the raw energy being produced by Naruto and encapsulated by Jayce. It was a way to keep the power for experiments without the blonde being around all day.

The girl is young, probably only ten or so, and was very curious as she rummaged around the papers and diagrams. Her blue hair only reached his chin and had a ribbon or something tied on the side. And yet, she was not a dull thief of the Lanes that he typically encountered.

She grabbed one of the cracked marbles and held it to her eye and critiqued its design. He quickly, silently, approached and grabbed her hand holding the marble.

"Be careful with those."

She gasped and looked up with fear in her eyes, but he just smiled and removed the orb from her hand.

"Those are dangerous. Here, this is more valuable instead."

He grabbed an ornate decoration from the top shelf and held it to her with a grin. It's an orb with a small spike on the top. It is colorful and a mix of metal and glass.

"Powder!"

The little girl ran to the door just before the pink-haired girl from before came around. The girl, Powder, ran into the elder's chest and hugged her tightly.

"She's fine," Naruto said before leaning on the work table. "She almost hurt herself and I was just trying to help."

The older girl protectively held Powder, and Naruto surmised they were related. Sisters, maybe? That would be interesting.

"This isn't even my room, actually," Naruto continued to speak, seeing as the girls were still silent and stiff from his presence.

"Are you robbing this place too?" The girl finally spoke, her tone guarded and aggressive. "This is our score, we got here first."

"No, I'm not a thief," Naruto shook his head and tossed the ornate globe between his hands. "I work with the guy who lives in this dorm. He does experiments for me and I supply some stuff. That's why I was offering this to your sister when she was playing with one of the experiments."

He quickly tossed it at the girl, watching her catch it in her hand. She had good reflexes, the ones usually obtained by career fighters, and while she looked like she could fight it was likely amateurish. She held herself poorly for a brawler, and she didn't have any weapons on her.

Sighing and patting his pants a few times, he moved from the table and looked around. With a quick glance, he found none of the items in the room as valuable to any pawn shop in the Lanes. Most were the results of little tinkering projects made by Jayce.

"Nothing in here is worth taking," Naruto told them and moved to stand in front of the door. "And you might want to hurry up with whatever you're doing. The owner of this room should be arriving soon. The next few minutes, actually."

The eldest girl's eyes widened before turning down the hall. "Mylo! Claggor! Pack everything up! We gotta leave!"

Naruto chuckled and waved his hand. "Go on, I'm not gonna stop you. I have no stake in his possessions."

Just after he said that, voices can be heard from the door entering from the hallway. One was Jayce while the other is female, likely the student he is mentoring. The two girls also heard and were quick to leave towards the balcony.

Naruto followed them over, watching as two boys grabbed the bags filled with whatever junk that looked expensive. Hilariously, the one held by the scrawny kid was bulging out the top with useless junk that was just laying around. Granted, the metal could fetch a good price, he supposed.

"Who's this guy?" The scrawny boy eyed him suspiciously.

"I'll tell you my name another time, hopefully not over dinner cuz we just met and I don't know you," Naruto grinned teasingly, getting a sputtering angry reaction. "You should go before Jayce arrives."

The girl nodded her head and walked to the balcony door with Powder. "Thanks again. Come on, guys."

Naruto watched as the group of them were preparing to leave. That is, until he noticed one of the arcana marbles slipping from the bag on the big boy's back. Before he could voice his concern, and to get it back, the marble slipped.

Well, damn. Seems like Piltover is going to find out about the arcana experiments.

Crack!

Naruto held up his hand and created a barrier behind the group of kids that were escaping. As the marble bounced and created a violent reaction, he made sure that the incoming explosion did not hurt any of them. He couldn't say the same for any of the walls and belongings of Jayce's.

Oh, well, he can always get replacements. Not like his parents aren't loaded. Maybe, he hasn't exactly asked him about his family before.

In a bright white-blue explosion, the room was destroyed and Naruto's vision was blinded from the flash.

Jayce ran down the hall and found that the explosion had indeed come from his room. The door and most of the wall is gone, charred from the blast of pure arcane energy. Even the inside of the room is damaged beyond recognition with only a few notebooks and plans still remaining.

The only thing that remained relatively untouched is the balcony.

And in the middle of the room, is a blackened and bleeding figure with a few blonde hairs left on his head. As they turned around, blue enchanting eyes looked at him with imperceivable amusement. The black flesh began to slowly heal, pulsing with orange and red magic, and in it Jayze found a familiar face looking at him.

"Oh, hey, Jayce," Naruto grinned while his body began regenerating his injuries. "Looks like there was an accident with the marbles."