It was at that moment the shopkeeper arrived. "Ah welcome! How may I help yo-" the shopkeeper stopped and studied him closely. Naruto immediately began to sweat, fearing that the man had figured him out already. His fears proved correct as the man brought his hand together in a hand seal and said, "Kai (Release)!"
Naruto mentally cursed as his illusion dropped and turned to leave the shop, already knowing he was going to get kicked out… Only to feel a hand suddenly grip his shoulder.
The shopkeeper frowned, having noticed how Naruto had immediately started to leave and then at the fear on the boy's face the moment he touched his shoulder. 'Damn, the villagers really did a number on him. You would be ashamed of what they did to your son, Minato.'
"Where are you going, kid? I thought you came here to buy something," the man asked jovially.
Naruto's jaw dropped. The only thing coming out of his mouth was a very articulate "Whaaaaa?"
"You'll catch flies if you keep that up, kid," the shopkeeper laughed. "And I know what you're thinking, kid. Don't worry. I ain't got no problems with you."
"B-B-But what about the Kyūbi?!"
"Oh, so you know about your burden! Well, that certainly makes thing a lot simpler. I, for one, have always respected the Yondaime's wishes and I know he wanted you to be seen as a hero. Plus, I have full confidence in his sealing abilities." Naruto's eyes widened. "You are always welcome in my shop, Naruto.""
If possible, Naruto's eyes widened even further. He could also feel tears beginning to well up again upon finding another person who didn't see him as the demon. What's more was that this man owned a store and would not overcharge him! He hastily wiped away his tears and faced the kind man.
"Thank you very much, sir," Naruto said with a bow.
"You're welcome, gaki. The name's Hideki Higurashi, owner of the Higurash's Blades and Armors," Hideki said proudly. He was in his mid-40's, had dark brown hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and sharp piercing green eyes. The man was relatively well-built, no doubt from working in the forge for so long, and was dressed in a simple shirt and pants. "So whatcha need?"
"Ano, I'm not really sure. Iruka-sensei said I should get a new uniform that looks more professional, but I'm not sure exactly what to get."
"No worries. You just graduated, right?"
Naruto nodded timidly.
"Congratulations on that, by the way. Anyways, you'll definitely want a few basic weapon sets of kunai, shuriken, ninja wire, and explosive tags. As for your outfit, yeah, you need to ditch that. Seriously, kid, orange? What are you, colorblind?"
"Oi! Orange is awesome! Why is everyone dissing the orange?!"
"Because as awesome as you think it is, it sucks. And I'll be honest with you, kid, the Kyūbi's fur was orange… A darker orange, but orange nonetheless. If you really want people to stop seeing you as the demon, not wearing that color would be a good start."
Well crap. He hadn't thought about it that way.
"Anyways, you'll definitely want something that's durable and light. Black, gray, navy, and green are the best colors for when you're a Genin, since you'll mainly be doing missions in Hi no Kuni or nearby… Ah, I got it! Come with me!"
A mere half hour later, as soon as Naruto got home, he immediately don his new clothes. Gone was the orange nightmare that he had once worn (he would hold a proper funeral for it later… sniff… goodbye, orange jumpsuit), and in its place was an outfit that looked befitting of a Konoha shinobi. He now wore a mesh undershirt under a form-fitting tank top turtleneck of navy blue color, a pair of dark gray cargo pants that had plenty of pockets to hide weapons and scrolls, and steel tipped boots in place of his sandals. In addition to this, he had also, at Hideki's recommendations, purchased a pair of arm warmers with steel guards attached to it as well as fingerless, steel plated gloves. His hitai-ate hung loosely around his neck, providing some protection to the vulnerable spot while also letting his hair hang free over his eyes.
All in all, he looked badass.
Naruto couldn't help but smile as he inspected himself in the mirror. He looked completely different and much more professional in his humble opinion. Hell, he even felt more like a real shinobi than he did just five minutes prior.
"Alright. Time to see jiji."
~ Scene Break ~
"Grumble, grumble… Should all just burn… Grumble, grumble… Kami-sama, save me… grumble, grumble… Shinigami-sama, just take me now…"
Naruto couldn't help but sweatdrop upon hearing the mumbled curses coming from the Hokage's office. He had been standing outside the closed doors for the past five minutes, at first thinking that Sarutobi was in a meeting until he actually caught some of the words that the man was saying and instantly knew what the elderly shinobi was talking about. Turning to the secretary, he asked, "How long has he been going on like this?"
The woman sighed in exasperation. "Three hours, Naruto-kun."
"Is it really that bad today?"
"It's usually pretty bad on the day of Graduation, but it became a whole lot worse with the Daimyō situation."
"Oh…" Shaking his head, Naruto decided he'd best get to rescuing the Sandaime Hokage from the bane of leaders everywhere: Paperwork. 'I wonder why jiji never used Kage Bunshin to do paperwork,' he thought as he walked in with a jovial, "Yo, jiji!"
The Hokage looked up and jaw dropped as he stared at Naruto.
"N-Naruto?"
"The one and only! What? Don't recognize me with my new digs?"
"I almost didn't, Naruto-kun. I have to admit you look quite sharp in your new outfit," Sarutobi said with a smile. 'He looks just like you, Minato.'
"I just thought it was time for a change. I'm a shinobi now, after all. Gotta be more professional."