Hello my readers! I hope you like the next chapter.

Pairings are open, so If you voted back on 'The Sandaime's Decision', you now have another vote on top of the original vote you had.

Please tell me who you thin Naruto should end up with. I do not discriminate between Yaoi and Hetero ships, so lay it on me.

Please do not let that effect how you read my story. I aim to please my viewers.

Anyway, here's the next chapter.

Please comment and follow the story.

Chapter 3: Preparing for a Desert

Naruto Uzumaki was bouncing around with glee. The excitement was killing him and he didn't think he could wait the next few days until they left.

He gonna be allowed to go outside the village! He finally had a chance to see what life was like outside of the village. He couldn't wait to get out of the leaf village and explore.

He loved Konoha, but sometimes it didn't love him back. More specifically, the villagers. They often found more happiness in hurting him or trying to attack him. He didn't know why they hated him, just that they did.

It was a mystery that he was determined to solve. He would learn why they hated him.

But that would all come in the future, as he had to focus on the task at hand. He had an opportunity! To visit a whole new Ninja Village! He didn't want fo waste it. There was so much he could do!

Meet new people. Discover amazing things.
Learn a cool jutsu. Spend time with Jiji. And maybe make a new friend!

He finally had a chance to make some friends. He tried really hard in Konoha, but everyone would stay away from him. They were afraid of him for some reason. It was the same excuse that the older villagers gave. All he wanted was a friend.

The ones that didn't run away would try to hurt him or bully him. They would scream about him hurting people. Naruto didn't understand. Who did he hurt? Had he done something wrong when he was younger.

He shook those thoughts from his head. He shouldn't be sad right now. He was gonna have fun with the old man and go on an adventure!

Who knows. Maybe there's someone out there who wanted a a friend like him.

-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-

Naruto walked into a shopping plaza, holding onto the Sandaime's wrinkled hand. He smiled as he walked into the shopping center, knowing that he usually wasn't allowed in here because he owner hated with his jiji here with him, he would be able to get some better clothes.

The Hokage also knew about the villagers' hatred of Naruto. Which is why he escorted the blond child personally. He had heard from Weasel and Inu that when Naruto was allow to shop here, he was usually charged three to four times as much as they should.

The poor boy already had a small stipend as it was.

The Sandaime walked into a clothing store with Naruto in tow and looked around for desert wear. It would be quite hot on their way to the village of sand. He noticed the clerk at the front gave Naruto a sour look, but a single glare from the Hokage made the man think twice about doing anything.

Naruto on the other hand walked over to the children's section and looked at some of the shirts. He really like the red, orange and tan ones. There were also some beige and black shorts.

He smiled at the clothes and looked in his gama purse to see he had enough to get several pairs of the clothes. He got Gama-chan as a gift from Inu-nii. It was the first gift he had ever gotten, so he made sure to take care of the green little money bag.

It turned out that he did have plenty for clothes, as long as they didn't raise the prices on him. He was so focused on the clothes that he almost didn't feel it. There was a presence behind him. The 'chakra' around the person didn't seem friendly.

"Hello there." A voice came from behind.

Naruto turned around to see a pale faced man standing with his hands behind his back. He wore a chunin vest and had a bandana over his white hair.

"Um.. Hello?"

"Hi there. I heard that you were looking for some new clothes. Would you like some help?"

"U-um" Naruto was nervous. Anyone that tried to help him was usually trying to trick him. Besides Jiji and his friends, nobody was never nice to him for no reason.

The man's chakra got a little darker. "Well, I think I have the perfect thing for you." The man said with a very fake smile.

-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-

The Sandaime found everything thought Naruto would need for the trip. The boy would have a cloak for the sun, water canteens for the lack of moisture, breathable clothing, and a sun hat.

The boy might be tanned naturally, but he could still get burned. He also purchased some sun balm so he and Naruto could avoid sunburn. Wrinkles and sunburn didn't mix for him, no thank you.

The Hokage walked over to find Naruto, but couldn't see him. The boy must have ran off. Or worse, someone took him. The Hokage decided not to risk looking for Naruto and used a different method to find the blond.

He used his training to sense the massive amount of chakra that was Naruto, and found the boy with another chakra source on the other side of the large store.

The Hokage moved diligently across the store, still focusing on Naruto's chakra like a beacon. He got to the location and found a chunin talking to Naruto. The chunin was not harming Naruto though. He decided to listen in, ready to jump in if he was needed. It wouldn't do to jump in with no information of what was going on.

"I'm not going to wear that!" Naruto half yelled.

"But why not? It would look great on you." A sickly sweet voice said back.

"It's way to big for me. I wouldn't be able to fight it in!"

"But you'll grow into it! I'll even pay for it if you promise to where it on your first C-Rank."

"No way!"

"All I'm asking is that you wear it once." The chunin half barked, his voice more strained than before.

The Hokage watched as the chunin's friendly facade was fading, revealing that he had ill intentions with Naruto. It was obvious with what he was doing.

The white haired man held a hideous jumpsuit in his hands. It was baggy, impractical, and screamed "kill me" with it's bright orange color.

The Hokage could easily tell he wanted a Naruto to where it so the boy would fail at being stealthy. It would give Naruto away in an instant, putting the boy in danger if he ever wore it in combat.

The Hokage heard enough and decided to intervene before the chunin did something brash to his small surrogate grandson.

Mizuki was getting frustrated. He couldn't attack the brat indoors, but he could do something that would ruin the demon's chance at being a ninja.

The jumpsuit would get the boy killed on his first mission. The demon would be as obvious as a traffic cone, making sure enemies would see him. And couldn't be blamed if the kid died. It was a win-win for Mizuki.

But the Kyuubi brat wasn't budging. He wanted nothing more than to strangle the kid and just be done with it.

"Is there a problem?"

Mizuki turned around and stumbled back. The Hokage snuck up on him! "N-no Hokage-sama, there is no problem here." Mizuki didn't even see it happen, but the jumpsuit was now in the Hokage's hands, who looked at it with disgust and anger. Mizuki gulped, knowing he had been caught.

"No problem, is there? Then please explain why you wished to have Naruto get this clothing?" He asked coldly. He let some Killing Intent spill out specifically for the chunin.

"W-well, u-um. You see. I-" Mizuki was shaking in his sandals. His knees wouldn't stop knocking together. This was the power of a Kage. The power of KI. It was terrifying. "I-I thought N-Naruto would need new clothing, s-so-"

"I don't care. If this is what you consider ninja clothing, then you have chosen the wrong profession. Now leave! If you're still here after ten seconds, then there will be consequences."

Said chunin ran out of the store, with a new fear of the Hokage, and a stain in the back of his pants.

Naruto watched the whole thing with awe. He watched his jiji's chakra spread around the other guy with anger, causing him to shake and stutter. It was amazing!

'How strong are you jiji?' He wondered to himself.

The Hokage turned to Naruto, who still had an awestruck look. He smiled down at the child and rubbed his head, messing up the already messy hair.

Naruto looked up to the Hokage with a cute pout covering his face. The Sandaime chuckled at the adorable blond. "Come on Naruto-kun. Lets go buy the clothes that you choose." The Hokage offered, gesturing for Naruto to follow him to the counter. "Just as long as there's no jumpsuit with them." Naruto started following but had more to say.

"Hey Jiji."

"Yes, Naruto-kun?"

"That was awesome." Naruto said, earning a smile from the old Kage.

-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-

Naruto got to his little apartment and sighed with content. He tired himself out earlier, but he was still happy about going to Suna. A whole different village. During lunch, he got a run through of what the trip would be like.

Jiji told him that the village was in a giant sand wall. It was a village that used the sand around them as a defense, which sounded really cool to him. Sadly, it would be hot and dry. Apparently his Jiji knew what he was thinking, which is why he got him a straw hat. It had a red band of fabric going around the bottom of the crown. He liked it. He also got a cloak, a canteen and some other stuff. With all the stuff to protect and help him from the heat, he was even more excited about going.

Now he was all ready for his trip to Suna. Sadly, it would take a couple days to reach it, so they would have to stop at a small settlement along the way.

Naruto didn't mind. In his head, it gave him a chance to make new friends. The journey isn't just the destination, but the trip too!

He opened the door to his apartment and looked around with happiness. Nobody broke in! Then again, Jiji told him that he and Inu-nii put something called 'seals' around the walls to protect it.

He thought it sounded cool, but his Jiji told him to wait until he was a little older to start it. Naruto pouted for a little, but followed his old man's wishes. He wanted to learn sealing now, but when Jiji told him to wait, it was usually because he had a good reason.

Naruto walked past his kitchen, knowing he wouldn't have to have cup ramen tonight. The meal he had with his old man was way better.

He loved cup ramen of course, but eating it so often made it loose its luster. He was starting to prefer other foods when he got them. He loved when the ANBU brought him different ones.

Hebi-neechan would bring dango and spicy foods. She liked to talk to him about her day and how she beat other strong ninja.

She would let him hug her and they would often relax while she pet his spiky hair. He never minded. It was nice.

Inu-nii would bring him meats and sauces, but wouldn't eat with him. Naruto had only ever seen Inu-nii without his dog mask once, and there was another mask underneath!

Plus, a few months ago, Inu-nii got a new book and brought it with him everywhere. Naruto asked if he could read it once, but Inu said no. He said he had to wait until he was older.

Naruto wondered what kind of book it was.

Neko-chan was cool. She would bring breads and fruits, and sometimes even some sweets!

She babysat him a few times. She was really pretty under her mask, and she had cool looking purple hair. They would play games and she would tell him about her friend Gekko.

Weasel would spend time with him and bring vegetables. He hadn't known Weasel for as long, but he was nice. He tried to cheer Weasel up sometimes when his chakra felt sad, but he was always a little distant.

Naruto still like him though. He was mysterious.

Naruto walked into his bedroom and pulled up a few loose floorboards. He placed his clothes under the floorboards next to his bed and closed it back up.

He didn't want them ruined if he left them at home. Anything of value was destroyed when people got inside his apartment. He was afraid that some villagers might get in despite the 'seals' that were added.

He switched into his night clothes and sighed with relief. It had been a good day. He got new clothes, gets to go to Suna in two days, and his home was untouched!

He looked to the side of the bed and pulled up a different floorboard. Under it was a book that he got from the library, titled "The History of Uzu."

Naruto found it a few days ago, and decided to read it. It sounded really interesting. After all, part of his name was in it. He laid down on his bed, ready to enjoy it.

But just as he was opening to the first page, he felt a tug. A tug coming from his stomach. Before he could question what was going on, he felt himself get tired. His eyes grew heavy and he fell asleep, book opened yet unread, with Naruto unaware of what was to come.

(End Chapter 3)

Ooo. I think that something juicy is up to happen next. If you want to find out what, follow and wait for the next chapter.

I hope you like it, tell me what you think.

Until next time, See Ya!