Bwah? Aww man, another finfic idea, this can't be healthy man. Any another twist on Naruto for ya folks, hope you enjoy.
You know the drill; I don't own, you can't sue.
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A small shadowed figure lurked in the shadows briefly before moving and examining the lock on the steel door. Simple really, for a master thief of ten years old, the shadow sighed, he didn't enjoy having to stealthing , but considering the shit the stores sold him and the prices they sold them at, it was well worth it. Besides, who'd figure that Uzamaki Naruto, idiot extraordinaire and the dead last of the academy would know how to pick every lock in the village? Seals were different, he still needed a long way to go on those, but the lessons he got from the perverted old man at the hot springs were worth the wait between lessons.
'Enough musing,' the blond thought quickly picking the lock and closing the door as he slinked in the door and locking it. A thief didn't leave evidence aside from that what they took. Suppressing a laugh Naruto notice the traps set across the storeroom. He had to admit the shopkeepers where getting better at getting ready for him, but they never considered their thief to have ninja training. With a few slight movements the blond moved around the traps and had them disabled.
He never stole for profit or gain, just out of necessity. Using his chakra to not set stir up the dirt and glad to have gone barefoot tonight Naruto started filling his pack and scrolls with the necessary food he'd need for the week. After thirty minutes of so Naruto was set and left via the side door of the building making sure to lock it on his way out. Keeping to the shadows he made his way home and finished up his night.
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Early morning came and found Naruto on the side of the Hokage monument with several buckets of paint and not a once of orange on him. He'd get away with this for sure; true most pranks he declared out loud when he was done with them or lingered around so people would know, but those were minor things. This was a huge thing he was pulling off, looking at the clock he saw it was 5 A.M. he need to finish quick, otherwise he'd be late for class and it'd throw the entire thing off. Doubling his pace Naruto was able to finish by 5:50 A.M. and get home by 6 A.M. to wash up and change, eat and get to class by 7 A.M.
Getting to the academy was easy for Naruto, he knew every back alley and small street in the large village. He even knew a majority of the underground network that sprawled beneath Konoha. Naruto know most of the stuff they taught at the academy, he just never felt a need to really apply it. He preferred to go about the traditional methods of being a ninja, like his ancestors, those who didn't use chakra and used stealth and well trained skill to do their missions. But unfortunately those fools at the academy felt that chakra techniques were better and forced him to learn, well those who cared anyway.
Slipping into the classroom Naruto took a seat next to his classmate Shino, whom the blond respected for no other reason then the fact that Shino treated him like a person and not a disease. Shino, if one could get him to tell you, respected Naruto for no other reason then the fact that Naruto treated him like a person instead of shying away from him because the bugs he housed. That and Shino knew there was more to the blond then the orange jumpsuit and loud personality he had. Behind the two-sat Hinata who, oddly enough, seemed to enjoy their company for no others reason then the fact that they treated her like a person and not the "Stuck up Hyuuga princess" like everyone else. As Iruka walked into the room Naruto gave a small grin knowing that his most successful prank would show up around noon, gotta love chakra based paint he figured.
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The old Hokage sighed for the hundredth time that day due to the amount of paperwork he had just gotten, paperwork about the monument being painted in a variety of colors, to which he, and many people, wondered how they didn't notice someone paint it. Several civilians said Naruto had done it, but it couldn't have been the boy Sarutobi figured, considering the graffiti appeared at noon and Naruto was still in class at that time by Iruka's account. Then there were the reports about the continued burglaries, how someone was managing to breaking to storerooms and warehouses and stealing food. No matter how good the trap the thief managed to elude them, and by all accounts disable them. No store was hit twice in the same two-week span, it was almost if the person kept a schedule and shifted it regularly.
There were a few witnesses but the description was always the same: a ninja in black clothing from the history books. What was more intriguing was that the thief left no fingerprints, footprints, or even a traceable scent according to the members of the Inuzuka clan. All they were able to find for a scent was an earthy scent mixed with smoke and rust. Almost if the culprit or culprits as there were often multiple scents, lived in a where house. No one had a clue as to who it was. What was more was that the thief seemed to take only food, no cash, and no valuables, just food.
The old hokage wondered if this "Shadow Thief" as people seemed to call him, or her, was Konoha local, or a vagabond nin in the guise of a homeless person that took up residence in the market area of Konoha. Whatever the case Anbu would be out for the next week to catch this "Shadow Thief" and put the people to rest.
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Kakashi was looking at the roster of upcoming graduates from the academy, as he did every year, to see what kind of potential there was. Seeing as there was several clans this years class he wondered if the team got would be able to pass his test, he shuddered to think that'd he get dumped with Sasuke this years team. True the boy had potential, but he was arrogant, self centered, and did not work well with others. While Kakashi did feel indebted to Obito he was not foolish enough to look past at what could be a problem.
Farther down the list he spotted one Uzamaki Naruto, who was apparently the dead last. Oddly enough the side note on the roster said that Naruto didn't apply himself to chakra lessons and tended to lean towards more of a traditional style of ninja study. Kakashi found this interesting because this meant Naruto was more serious about being a ninja the most of the other kids his age. Kakashi was no fool; a ninja didn't need an arsenal of jutsu to be deadly. Gai was proof of that. Ninja's where shadow's, seen but not seen. He also found it amazing that Naruto could disappear in a crowd of people while wearing a neon orange jump suit, Kakashi knew the from experience having seen the blond seemingly vanish from view. Of course graduation was another month off so he could wait. Sliding his mask back into place the famous copy-nin resumed his routine walk of the village.