Naruto Luck and Chance

**Luck and Chance**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but this. Sigh. **

* * *

A slim boy, no older than sixteen, stood with twitching fingers and shifty eyes. His blue eyes glittered in anticipation as he saw his next target. And by default his next prize. The boy straightened his spine and threw his head back. He walked with an air of confidence that, if anyone knew his true purpose, would find it unnerving and unfounded. It's not often a thief walks into their target building with enough confidence to practically swagger.

Rule #1 of being a thief. Act exactly like you know what you're doing and walk like you own the place.

There were more rules of course, this one just happened to be most relevant at the time. Over the years he had mastered his trade through trial and errors, lots and lots of trail and errors. Some had ended better than others, and some had ended in far too messy a fashion to be considered a success. Suffice to say, though he came out a little worse for wear, the teenager was quite successful at his job.

"Akitsi-san?" a secretary's cheerful, high-pitched, and very false voice rang out happily through the hallowed halls of the building that the boy was currently waiting patiently in. "The Raikage will see you now. Just head up the stairs and his office will be the second door on the left. Knock and he'll let you know when you can come in."

The teenager smiled broadly at the secretary and said in a chipper voice, "Thank you Secretary-chan!" The secretary smiled brightly at the boy as he moved past her towards the stairs. As he ascended the stairs, the previously bright and happy smile turned into a far more malicious smirk. A happy façade was apparently all it took to fool these people, if nothing more than for just a few moments. Of course, in his line of work, a few moments were all he would ever need.

He approached the door and rapped sharply upon the wood three times, awaiting an answer. He wasn't kept waiting for long as a loud voice boomed, "Enter!" The teenager swung the door open and strode in, his shoulders back and his chin high in the air defiantly.

"Raikage-san," the teenager nodded with a smirk, knowing the man would hate that anyone dare instigate they were on his level. True enough, the Raikage's face turned a peculiar red and purple shade that started creeping up his thick and stocky neck and ending at the very tips of his tanned ears.

"And who the hell are you?" the Raikage spat, his nose wrinkled in disdain.

The teenager sneered right back before replying, "Akitsi Daichi."

"Never heard of you," the Raikage spat, obviously enjoying the faux irritation and rage that the teenager allowed to cross his face.

"You will," the boy responded with spit of his own, much to the surprise of the Raikage. Good acting was also a very nice skill to have when in his line of work. The Raikage's surprise quickly turned against the boy and he was soon left with a fuming leader that could smite most men with a wave of his electrically charged hand. Said hand was now being raised in the air, the air around it crackling and snapping with electric charge.

"Repeat that boy," the Raikage spat the last word as if he was planning on using a far different word but decided against it at the last moment.

"You will soon here of both me and my family in due time," Naruto repeated, some of the heat disappearing from his voice. The Raikage's eyes narrowed a final time, flashing dangerously before abruptly throwing his head back and roaring with laughter.

"I like you kid," the larger man finally said in between chuckles as he got himself back under control. Bingo. "You got spunk. Just watch your mouth. Most others in my position wouldn't be nearly as forgiving as I am." Daichi nodded quickly, his head bobbing up and down in agreement. "Now, Akitsi was it? What are you doing here in my office?"

The boy smirked as the Raikage used his name, and he replied, "Merchant business sir." For the next two hours, the Raikage and the teenager discussed the probability of Akitsi Daichi obtaining a merchant license, despite the boy's age. At the end of their meeting, the Raikage waved goodbye to the downcast boy. Akitsi walked out, his hands shoved deep in his pockets and his head bowed as the very picture of a boy who had not gotten his way. The Raikage gave one final wave that was lost on the teenager before swiveling back to face his desk.

If he had stayed facing the boy just a little longer, he would have seen the teenager change. He straightened up, yanking the bandana that had previously been tied at the base of the neck off his head, allowing his spiky blond hair to spring up every which direction. His clear blue eyes sparkled mischievously and he ran his thumb over the ring that was sitting inconspicuously in the pit of his pocket.

"Four down and one to go," the obviously not Akitsi Daichi muttered cryptically to himself.

* * *

Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. So powerful. So majestic. So… boring. "Miiiiiiiinato," a red haired woman whined pathetically from her sport on the ground. She'd collapsed dramatically on top of a training post, her limbs flung every which direction. "I'm so boooooooored."

The man sitting across from her in the meditative lotus position sighed. "Kushina," he said patiently, his tone calm and even as he took deep lung expanding breaths. "Instead of using this time to whine, you could be training to protect our village."

"Or I could start a giant water balloon fight in the Academy," Kushina said contemplatively. "Do you think I should start with the younger kids or the older kids?"

"NO!" Minato's eyes flew open wide and he scrambled up from his previously seated position. "The last time you involved the Academy; you got suspended from active duty for a month and got put in a secretarial position. Do you want to go back to filing paperwork for Sarutobi?"

Kushina shook her head so violently that Minato was honestly surprised that she didn't give herself some form of whiplash. With a pout, Kushina crossed her arms across her chest and stuck out her bottom lip stubbornly. Minato sighed at Kushina and with an internal grimace asked, "Would you like to get some ramen, my treat?" The blurry red streak that went off in the direction of Kushina's favorite ramen stand was answer enough. Minato shook his head with a slight grin and his hands shoved into his pockets as he strolled after his red haired compatriot.

* * *

Sabuaki Gino leaned heavily on his walking stick, shuffling along the well-worn dirt paths, his cart and companion slightly ahead of him. They had long since passed across the border separating the Land of Fire and Lightning and were now travelling steadily towards Konoha.

For a Hidden Village, Gino was surprised how not hidden the place was. There was a saying amongst the merchants, passed on along the civilian travelers. All roads lead to Konoha. Excellent when traders are trying to find your village for their wares. Not so excellent when enemy shinobi are coming in search of your village and there are pretty much signs pointing to you from all angles. Poor planning in Gino's opinion, but hey, no one asked him.

As Gino's walking cane tapped along the dirt, leaving little pocket spots in the dirt he listened to the steady thump-thump of his heavy-laden cart in front of him. Overtop the mounds of vegetables that were piled carefully on the wooden bed was a barely visible shaggy tuft of blond spiky hair that was held in place with what Gino knew was a detailed black bandana.

Gino was unsure of the boy that was currently laboring in front of the cart. All he could tell you was that the boy's name was Daichi and that he had no clan name. The rest was all made by inference. Gino assumed the boy was sixteen, maybe younger, he had that sort of face that was hard to tell exactly how old the kid was. The boy was dirty and scruffy like every other street rat that Gino knew. But the boy was a hard worker, he did exactly as Gino instructed without a second glance or question. Gino liked that.

It wasn't often that Gino found a street hand that was so cooperative. It was common practice for travelling merchants or salesmen to take a street kid from whatever town or village they were leaving and ditching the kid in the new place. Sometimes a street hand stayed on with a merchant for a few village moves, but it was rare. Gino wouldn't mind Daichi staying on with him a while, the boy was good company. He had a natural calmness and wasn't chatty and his presence was soothing.

However, it didn't take a genius to figure out that Daichi was some sort of criminal. Civilians may not be as observant as shinobi, but they weren't stupid and oblivious all the time. Gino had seen far too many smart and good boys turn to the tempting arms of crimes to escape their bad situations as best they could. If Gino had to guess, he'd assume that Daichi was some sort of thief or pickpocket. He had long slim fingers that never seemed to stay still, his eyes were weary with seldom a trusting glance at anyone, and he moved with a certain amount of quickness that spoke volumes. But it's not like Gino particularly cared. He looked after himself, everyone else could look after themselves too.

"Next town, you want to get something to eat, Daichi?" Gino called out to the teenager.

"It'd be nice," Daichi called back, his voice straining ever so slightly under the weight and pull of the cart.

"Very well," another thing that Gino liked about Daichi, he wasn't afraid to let you know what he thought and wanted. "You ever have ramen before Daichi?"

"No," Daichi shook his head as his bandana slipped down onto his forehead and he pushed it back up to hold his bangs out of his eyes. "But I've had udon. Is it the same?"

"Similar," Gino smiled slightly. "I got a gut feeling you'll like it."

"Alright," Daichi nodded, his blond hair bouncing as he bobbed his head in time to his feet pounding on the path.

* * *

Jiraya smiled as he found his student and his not-quite girlfriend at their most frequent eating establishment. "You two are getting too predictable. Switch it up, get barbeque or something," he said with a chuckle as he slid onto one of the old rickety stools at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar.

"No can do you old perv," Kushina said through a mouthful of salty ramen noodles. "The food of the gods shall not be ignored!" Minato just rolled his eyes and daintily lifted another chopstick full of noodles, meat, and what may or may not be vegetables into his mouth and dabbed the corner of his mouth with a napkin.

"You're such a prissy eater," Jiraya commented with good humor as he motioned for a bowl. It was immediately slid down the wooden surface of the bar and stopped expertly in front of Jiraya. He muttered a quick thank you for the food and swiftly started eating as he caught up with Minato and Kushina, swapping stories about what had been going since he'd last left.

Eventually, Minato got around to asking, "Not that I don't mind having you around Jiraya-sensei, but why are you here? I thought you were up in Tea Country writing your next book?"

Jiraya grinned at Minato through a mouthful of noodles and when they were slurped down, he said, "I found out something that's not exactly good news pertaining to Konoha."

Minato immediately dropped his chopsticks and looked concerned. "You need to go speak with the Hokage, now!"

Jiraya shook his head and said dismissively, "It's not that important."

Even Kushina looked disbelieving. "You cancel a trip to Tea County with news about Konoha's safety and then sit here eating ramen saying it's not that important. Have you suffered a recent blow to the head?" Kushina asked with a derisive snort.

Jiraya glared at her and said shortly, "No, I have not. The news doesn't pertain to Konoha's safety anyway, it's only for Sarutobi."

Minato looked just as exasperated as Kushina did and he exclaimed, "Well go see Sarutobi!"

Jiraya slurped up his noodles and said with a sigh, "It's not bad. I promise. Pervert's honor."

"Is there such a thing?" Minato asked curiously.

"No Minato," Jiraya said with yet another sigh. He did that a lot around his now grown up student. "It's just about a rash of thefts."

"Really?" now Kushina looked mildly interested. It was never something Minato understood. Kushina explained it to him as thieves and pranksters were of the same skillsets. They had the same mindsets. They were sneaky, you had to be, and they were diverse. They could adapt and they were creative. It was no surprise to those who could it see it in that way that pranksters often times made phenomenal ninjas, if they could stay serious long enough. Kushina had always had an odd thing with liking theft in general. It perturbed Minato but she never actually stole anything so he had nothing to say to her on the matter. "What was stolen?"

"Trinkets mostly," Jiraya took a sip of sake that Minato hadn't seen arrive. "But what's really weird is their high profile status."

"High profile trinkets?" Minato snorted. "Aren't all trinkets by definition worthless?"

Jiraya raised an eyebrow and asked sarcastically, "So the ring with the Raikage's sealing crest is worthless?" Minato spat out the water he'd been sipping, much to the outrage of the chef.

"Sorry," Minato choked as he used his napkin to sop up the water. When the counter was clean and as dry as it was going to get, Minato turned back and asked, "Did you just say that the Raikage's personal sealing ring was stolen?"

"Yup," Jiraya nodded taking another sip of sake, knowing that Minato and Kushina were hanging onto his every word. "Just last week."

"Who did it?" Minato asked curiously.

Jiraya grinned and said, "They don't know."

"Why isn't the Land of Lightning being turned upside down and inside out looking for that ring?" Kushina asked.

Jiraya smirked at his student's not-quite-girlfriend and said, "It's not the only ring. Apparently the big guy is so strong that whenever there was a letter that he had to sign that he didn't like, he would slam his fist on the desk so hard both the ring and desk would break. One of the biggest expenses of the Raikage's Office is wooden desks. Sort of how when Sarutobi gets super mad he goes to the Hokage's Training Ground and obliterates training posts or whoops everyone in Konoha who plays chess's ass. Same thing, but from what I understand desks are far more expensive than wooden training posts."

"I'd assume," Kushina snorted. "So what about the Raikage's ring? Some ninja went in on a mission, stole the ring, and bolted. Hardly seems like something you'd need to warn the Hokage about."

"Hence why I'm here eating with you two and not badgering or flirting with the secretary to let me in to see Sarutobi," Jiraya said as if talking to someone stupid. Minato and Kushina both went back to eating their ramen with their faces scrunched in thought.

"But why do you have to share it with Sarutobi at all?" Minato asked.

"Yeah," Kushina chipped in. "So what that a ring got stolen? Why are you going to talk to Sarutobi, to give him bragging rights?"

"Hardly," Jiraya snorted into his sake. "However, there have been strings of these thefts everywhere."

"Everywhere?" Kushina was surprised. One high profile theft was one thing but multiple was a whole different matter. "Same person?"

"Looks like it. Waterfall, Lightening, Stone, Sand, Rain, Wave, Grass, Tea, everywhere. Everywhere but here."

"You're here to warn Sarutobi," Minato said in realization.

"Yup," Jiraya nodded as he stood up, sliding cash on the counter. "Thanks for the meal Takana!" he called to the man standing in the back of the kitchen. "Tell the wife and kid I say hey will ya!"

"Will do Jiraya!" the man shouted back with an apron tied around his waist. "And come by sometime later this week, Teuchi wants to see you!"

"I'll try," Jiraya called back as he shusined away.

* * *

Daichi looked at the looming wooden gates of Konoha. He supposed that someone else would find them awe-inspiring and intimidating. Daichi found them to be a bit over extravagant. Who on Earth would need gates that big? Giants? Gods? Big-boned people? No, Daichi didn't really know. Daichi had to chuckle at the irony in his 'name'. Luck was not something that not-Daichi had possessed in large quantities ever since the events of his rather unfortunate birth. Daichi shook his head, his blond hair flying into his eyes ever so slightly as he tried to ward off unpleasant memories.

"Daichi, you okay?" the older man Daichi had been travelling with called out in concern.

"Ah, yes sorry," Daichi shouted back to Sabuaki. Daichi liked the older man, in no small part because of the face that the old man seemed to like him for whatever reason. Daichi was no stranger to being unwanted, growing up as a street kid in almost every country in the world tended to do that to you.

"Lost in your thoughts?" the older man asked knowingly.

"A bit Sabuaki-san," Daichi said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Oh nothing to be ashamed of boy. And please call me Gino, Sabuaki-san makes me sound so old," Gino said as he and Daichi began to make their way towards the gate check-in. Daichi raised an eyebrow at the old man, looking pointedly at his bushy white hair, his winkled skin, and his hobbled, hunched over appearance. Gino must have noticed the look that Daichi was giving him because he amended, "Alright, older."

Daichi felt his mouth quirk into a strange sort of half-grin before it fell back to its natural stoic expression. Gino handed over the correct papers when prompted by the gate keepers and he looked at Daichi sideways. "You need to smile more, loosen up a little. You're too damn serous." Daichi was surprised by the older man's outburst but felt himself actually grin this time. Gino harrumphed and nodded in satisfaction as he reclaimed his papers. The cart had to stay at the check point so they could do a quick search of it, and Gino was instructed to come back in an hour to pick it up. Gino thanked the gate guards and led Daichi into the village.

"Now follow me whippersnapper," Daichi smirked at the obvious jab at his age but he said nothing. "I know the place that makes some of the best ramen in all of the Elemental countries. Stuff is so damn good. You'll love it." Daichi nodded and put his hands comfortably into his pockets as he strode easily next to Gino.

They walked side by side in compatible silence until Daichi asked out of the blue, "So what's this place called anyway?"

"Ichiraku ramen."

* * *

Minato smiled crookedly at his classmate turned teammate turned best friend turned love interest. Kushina was eating her ramen full force, well into her third bowl by now, and Minato had to admit that her manners were rather lax. However, her manners were impeccable (ish) when eating anything else; it really was only ramen that brought out this side of her. Minato propped his elbow up on the counter and rested his head on his open palm and just watched Kushina eat. When she finally noticed that he was staring, she looked at him quizzically, a noodle clinging to her upper lip and forming a fu-mancho moustache.

She swallowed her mouthful of ramen, sucking up the moustache noodle, and asked, "What?" Minato merely chuckled and shook his head.

"Nothing," he said with a small grin. Kushina opened her mouth to start mocking Minato but to Minato's surprise, she froze.

"Kushina?" Minato asked softly. "What are you staring at?" Kushina didn't reply, instead nodding at something over Minato's shoulder. Minato threw a quick glance over his shoulder, saw nothing but a few new customers, and looked back at Kushina with concern.

"What?" he asked again, his forehead wrinkled in confusion. Kushina shook her head slightly to get herself back from whatever la-la-land she had been occupied in.

"Nothing," Kushina said with a small smile of her own, though hers was slightly more strained than Minato's had been.

* * *

It was most certainly NOT nothing. Kushina had felt like the breath being sucked out of her chest. When that kid, guy, man, boy, whatever he was walked in, she'd felt like she was seeing double. When she shook her head though, there was nothing there. Just a kid and his grandfather walking into a ramen stand for lunch. Another shake of her head and Kushina felt like an idiot for even thinking that the kid was a second Minato.

Still, a small part of her brain kept screaming that something was off about that kid. Something was way off about that kid. Kushina's eyes narrowed slightly as she stared at the boy out of the corner of her eyes. As she watched, scrutinizing him, he shifted awkwardly on his stool, looking conspicuously around. Something very off indeed.

* * *

**Alright, so confession time. Not my first Naruto fanfiction, but the other sucked all sorts of butt, so it was deleted. Here's to hoping this one is better. Critique and advice is welcome. **

**Just don't make me cry.**


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