Title: Unwanted
Rating: K
Type: One-shot
Summary: Ever wonder how Naruto came by his orange jumpsuit and why he always wears it? (A different take on the reasons behind Naruto's fashion choices.)

The scratching of a pencil tip writing across paper was the only sound in the lobby as the secretary copied the Hokage's appointments into a datebook while simultaneously flipping through sheets of paper to make sure she hadn't skipped any. She vaguely noted the stairwell door opening, and startled when it abruptly slammed shut. Glancing up, she noticed a familiar chibi with a somewhat sheepish grin.

"Ano… sorry?" he offered, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his head in a nervous fashion.

She gave him a stern look before it morphed into a slight smile, chuckling quietly. She hadn't cared much for him at first, but he had grown on her. He was always bursting with energy and never caused any real harm. "It's okay, Naruto-kun. Next time try not to slam it, alright?"

He nodded with a bright smile. "Is Jiji busy? He told me to come see him in his office today."

"Sandaime-sama isn't too busy. I'll take you to his office," she offered and climbed out from behind her desk, leading him down the hallway.

*

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused mid-sentence when he heard a knock on the door. "Hai, come in." He called out and quickly finished the thought he was writing down. He glanced up right as his secretary began speaking.

"Naruto-kun is here to see you, Hokage-sama," she offered, ushering Naruto inside the office.

"I was wondering when you'd show up, Naruto." Sarutobi offered him a gentle smile.

"Nothing could stop the great Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto exclaimed. "Gotta keep you guessing, Jiji."

The aged hokage chuckled in response. "Thanks for showing Naruto to my office, Maiko-san."

The secretary bowed with a quiet "of course, Hokage-sama" and took her leave, used to his subtle dismissals.

"So, how has your day been, Naruto?" he asked kindly.

Without further prompting, Naruto launched into a play-by-play tale of his exciting day and finished with his usual exclamation of "I'm gonna be the greatest hokage ever! Dattebayo!" before looking back at him expectantly.

Sarutobi continued smiling genially. "I'm glad you're so determined, Naruto. I have some good news for you. You can start at the ninja academy next week."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Really?! Awesome! I'm gonna be hokage in no time, Jiji! Just you wait!"

The hokage gave another chuckle. "I can't wait. Make sure you work hard so you can do this job better than me."

"I will! Dattebayo!" was Naruto's enthused response.

"You'll need to get some new clothes and ninja gear, Naruto," he continued, handing the boy a small sack of money. "I've included some extra so you can cover the expenses of your ninja supplies."

"Thanks, Jiji!"

"It's not a problem, Naruto. You have some shopping to do, right?" He mentally nudged Naruto out the door.

"You're right! I better hurry!" He exclaimed before storming out the door, letting it slam. Sandaime heard the echo of another door slamming followed by Naruto's cry of "sorry!" before going back to work with a pleased smile on his face.

*

The sharp ding of a ringing bell echoed through the store, filling the air. Susuki Sagara raised his gaze from the catalogue and order form he'd been filling out to see whom had entered his store. His eyes fixed on a lone golden-haired youth that was gazing around the store with awe and wonder shining brightly in his sky blue eyes. A white t-shirt with an orange swirl, yellowing with age, hung loosely on his small frame and a pair of light blue shorts stretched past his knees. Lastly, Susuki noted the three whisker marks that adorned each tanned cheek.

'Ah, the Kyuubi kid…' he realized. 'No wonder he's alone.'

He watched as a skittish Naruto looked at item after item closely, but was careful to avoid touching anything, as if the young jinchuuriki was afraid he would break something if it so much as got too close to his person. After watching the boy continue this behavior for three minutes, Susuki abandoned his position behind the counter and slowly made his way over to the cautious youth, coming silently up behind him.

"You're not going to find anything that delicate in here, kid." He sounded almost amused. "This is a shinobi supply store. Everything is made to withstand prolonged harsh treatment… knocking something over wouldn't have much, if any, effect on it. You look like you need some help. What are you looking for?"

Naruto wrung his hands, giving the tall man a hesitant, sheepish smile. "Ano… I'm starting at the ninja academy soon. I'm not really sure what all I need besides some new clothes."

"Well, the academy is mainly lectures and memorization. You'll most likely be tested on shinobi codes, policies, and beginner chakra manipulation… using chakra for ninjutsu," he clarified after seeing Naruto's confused face. "The graduation exam is practical application… a demonstration of skills," he explained again. "You're expected to study and practice physical skills on your own time because they aren't covered often in class. Most academy students learn to use kunai or shuriken. Makibishi and wire are tactical weapons used almost exclusively for traps. I wouldn't suggest ninjato or any other large weapons, as they require hands-on teaching from a master and are hard to use effectively, even with rigorous training… Do you know which you want to begin with?"

Naruto cleared his throat. "I want to start with kunai and shuriken… do you have a scroll on how to throw them?"

"Sure do. I'm going to grab you a set of each and a scroll on throwing technique. You said you needed clothes, right? Why don't you check out our shinobi-grade apparel while I get your order ready." He suggested, walking towards the back of the store to retrieve Naruto's requested items.

Naruto glanced at the racks of pants, shirts, vests, and jackets. 'There is so much to choose from…' he felt of a plain pair navy colored pants, then read the tag. 'Pricey! No wonder jiji gave me extra…' He moved on from that particular rack of pants. He browsed at some black t-shirts, reaching a hand out to feel the material and then glanced at the price. 'These aren't too bad—pretty cheap compared to the other choices.' He scooped a few into his arms.

'I wonder if they have anything I little brighter…? Everything I've seen has been black, navy, or green…' He wondered, glancing around the store. 'Something dark red or maybe true blue would be nice.' That's when he noticed the rack of bright orange jumpsuits beneath a 70% Off sign. He liked orange well enough, but… that was still a bit much, even with the navy and white collar. However, they were very cheap… 'I wonder why there are so many.'

"Find what you were looking for?"

Naruto jumped, whirling around to find the source. He came face to face with Susuki.

Slightly cowed, Naruto answered the man's question. "I'm still looking around… I've found some shirts. I was wondering, though…" He trailed off, leaving the question unasked.

Susuki raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"What's with all the orange jumpsuits?" Naruto asked sheepishly.

Susuki grimaced slightly, before letting out a sigh. There was no harm in telling the kid. He could tell the boy already noticed them as odd. "They were an error on my part. I ordered them by mistake when I was finishing up my bulk order list… I meant to buy the dark gray ones with the burgundy accented color, but I accidently switched some of the numbers and ended up with these orange ones. Why they're even made in that color, I'll never understand. I haven't sold a single one, even though I'm selling them for practically nothing. They're not really practical for shinobi. Yeah, they're comfortable and have lots of pockets, but they're too noticeable for a profession that requires stealth… So, nobody wants them." He watched as an odd, sad look stretched across the young boys face.

"I'll buy them." Naruto's voice was surprisingly firm.

Susuki gaped. Did he misread the boy's facial expression? He could've sworn by the look on his scarred face that even this rambunctious kid thought they were too orange. "Kid, didn't you listen to a word I just said?"

"Yeah… I heard everything you just said," he replied awkwardly.

"Then why, in Kami's name, do you want to buy them?" Susuki was confused as to why the soon-to-be shinobi-in-training would want this admitted hazardous apparel.

Naruto's gaze slid to the floor, his voice softening. "You said no one wanted them, right? I'll take them… I want them…" his voice got softer still. "I know what it's like to not be wanted."

His confusion clearing, he suddenly felt very guilty. He didn't have anything against this kid. He seemed nice enough. He'd never gone out of his way to be mean to the boy. He didn't want to sell the kid those jumpsuits—they would only cause the poor boy complications. Still, he could tell that this young boy wouldn't relent… and given the adolescent's reasoning, Susuki couldn't find it in himself to deny the boy, even if it would be in his best interest.

'Hokage-sama is going to be pissed…' He mentally groaned. Finally, he let out a sigh, relenting. "Come on, kid. I'll throw in some free scrolls on stealth and evasion tactics."