CHAPTER SEVEN

Naruto looked down at the pendant that now hung around his neck. Itachi had given each of them a small necklace, and insisted that they never take it off unless he authorised it. Smiling, he remembered what had happened next.

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"But sensei! It's so… so… Argh! It's so GIRLY!" Neji complained. It seemed that even the normally stoic Hyuuga had a whiny side. Itachi merely laughed, still holding the bird-shaped pendant. Neji glared at Lee, who was holding a lizard-shaped pendant of his own. Tenten was holding a cat, while Liu was holding what looked like a wolf. "Can't I swap with Liu? I think she has my one!"

"Neji, Neji, Neji. If you can't figure it out now, then I'm not going to tell you." Itachi laughed, handing a fox-shaped pendant to Naruto. "Well, what are you waiting for? Put them on!"

Everyone fumbled with the catches until they were secured. Neji looked even more annoyed when Itachi pulled out his own weasel shaped one. "Now," he began. "These pendants will be our communication link. By pumping chakra into my pendant, it sends a signal to yours, which heats it up, and tells you to meet up for training. With me so far?"

Five heads nodded.

"Good. Now, for the first few months, we'll simply be training where we were today. Training ground 19. But when I think you're capable enough, I'll call you from somewhere different, meaning it's up to you to find me."

"How will we do that, sensei?" asked Tenten.

"The more a shinobi trains, the more in tune they are with chakra. Most don't notice it until they are told about it in ANBU, but it can happen as early as academy level. Hopefully, all of you can pick it up quite quickly, which means you'll be able to determine different people's chakra, what level they are in terms of chakra skill, and most importantly, whereabouts they are."

"So it's sort of like a tracking device?"

"Yes, I suppose so. Eventually, you will just be able to focus on the chakra that called you, and will be able to follow it back to the person."

"Cool."

"Oh, and it gets better, Lee. Someday, you'll be able to call each other too, which makes it a perfect device for, I don't know, sneaking out and playing pranks without getting noticed." He looked pointedly at Naruto, whose eyes were shining brightly.

"Anyway, that's if you can even survive the first month of training!"

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Naruto was positive after that; Itachi-sensei was officially crazy. Maybe it's all those years living with Sasuke-teme. Oh, wait. Maybe Sasuke's like that because he lives with Itachi!

Still, he couldn't fault the way the strange jounin thought. Loyalty to the village was always first on Naruto's mind. If he wanted even a chance at being Hokage, he would have to prove his loyalty to the village first.

As he settled down on his new bed, in his new, clean apartment, Naruto's mind kept replaying what Itachi had said before. "What's the point in becoming a shinobi if you're not able to protect your village at the highest level you can?"

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Alarm clocks were designed to wake people up at civilised times of the day. As a young aspiring kunoichi, Kindaro Liu did not expect to be able to lie in everyday. But then again, nor did she expect to be woken up at half past four by a burning pain against her chest.

Glaring down at the pendant that hung around her neck, she changed quickly, grabbing her pouch of kunai on the way out, before heading to her team's training ground.

Sure she loved her team mates, but they were not always the most welcome sight so early in the morning. Sometimes, I really hate Itachi-sensei. Then again, this isn't the first time he's woken us up this early. I wonder if he even sleeps.

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Team 3's very first day as a team started at the ungodly hour of five o'clock. Of course, four out of five genin on the team freaked out when they woke up sweating because of their extremely hot pendants. And although Neji denied it, several Hyuuga could be heard muttering about strange noises coming from his room whenever they passed him for several weeks afterwards.

Itachi, as an Uchiha, seemed to have a really sadistic sense of humour, and thus, when all of the genin gathered outside training ground 19, he deliberately arrived late, wearing a look that clearly said 'Oh, what are you doing here at this time of day?' Needless to say, it didn't last very long, as waking up two teenage girls at any time before seven was guaranteed to put them in a bad mood.

Of course, after that, Itachi knew not to do it again unless it was an emergency. However, when they found out why they had been woken up, their mood switched immediately.

"SHOPPING?!"

"I love shopping!"

"Why? Why?!"

"Sensei! That's not fair!"

"Ugh!"

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No matter how long or how hard the three boys had complained that morning, Itachi and the two girls still dragged them down into the village and to the nearest clothes store.

Neji was probably the most worried, because his pride was at stake. What if one of those damned Main House members saw him? And especially who he was with! Of course, nobody really paid much attention to the young Hyuuga's increasingly frantic struggles. Naruto and Lee had long since given up, leaving Neji to resist his crazy sensei's efforts alone.

Regardless, Itachi ushered them inside and pushed them to the back of the shop. Once there, he shoved them onto chairs before grabbing one for himself.

"Now, one of the most important things you need to have to be a successful shinobi is a decent outfit." He began. The three boys stared at him like he had grown an extra head. Seeing this, Itachi laughed. "Don't worry boys, this isn't all about fashion. There are three important things to think about when choosing a shinobi outfit. Can anyone tell me one?"

Tenten put up her hand. "You need to be able to sneak around without being seen. You should have dark colours, not bright colours like orange." Here she looked at Naruto.

"Yes. That's exactly right. While bright colours are nice, they won't help you at all when trying to sneak into enemy territory. Anything else?"

This time Liu spoke up. "Shouldn't they match somewhat the surroundings of your village? I mean, it wouldn't make sense to wear a lot of blues if you're from Suna."

"Again, that's right. As Konoha shinobi, greens, blacks, and browns are the typical colours of the surrounding countryside. Therefore, a good shinobi would incorporate them into his outfit. Does anybody know the last thing?" Nobody answered. "Hn, I didn't suppose you would. To me, and I've said this before, the most important thing for a genin team like you is teamwork. You need to be able to recognise your team mates quickly and efficiently, and also to let others know that you are a team. That's why you need to come up with a signature mark for all of your outfits."

The genin were quiet for a minute before they nodded.

"Right then. I'll leave you guys to get on with it. I have some things I need to be doing, so I'll meet you back here in fifty-five minutes to see what you've picked."

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Neji glared at the item of clothing in his hand. Upon seeing it, Lee had gone crazy, muttering how cool he would look, and how Gai-sensei would be proud of him. Naruto had wandered off a few seconds ago, leaving Neji to deal with a hyper-active Gai-clone-in-the-making. Luckily for him, Naruto came back, wielding a large pair of boots, which he promptly smacked Lee around the head with.

"Ah, peace at last." He sighed.

Lee, who was on the ground, grumbled before bouncing back up again. "Naruto-kun. What did you do that for?"

Two glares were sent his way. "However convenient this thing may be for training," Naruto began, holding up the black spandex body suit. "I forbid any of my team mates to wear something like this!"

"But Naruto-kun…"

"Hey, what about this?" Neji asked, holding up a skin-tight black top. It allowed the same movement that Lee liked about the body suit, yet wasn't as 'ugly'.

Naruto looked at it accusingly, then nodded. Lee grinned before snatching it from Neji's hand and hugging it. Determinedly ignoring him, Naruto continued rummaging through the pile of clothes they had collected before Lee spotted the bodysuit.

"Here." He said, pulling a pair of baggy black trousers from the pile. "Have these as well."

Lee snatched them too, before thinking out loud. "Are you sure that these will allow me a large range of movement. Don't forget, taijutsu's the only thing I can rely on."

Suddenly, a voice spoke up from the other side of the aisle. "For Kami's sake, Lee! Just take the damn trousers! And here, use this to wrap around your ankles to stop the ends from getting caught."

A roll of black bandages hit Lee in the head, and they looked up to see Liu perched on the wall. She smiled mischievously before dropping back down.

"Oh, and Tenten and I have decided what our signature is going to be." She called. Three objects were thrown over the cabinet separating them, which Neji caught swiftly. There were three red belts, each with plain buckles that could have a design etched into them. "There's one for each of you. And just so you know, make sure your outfits are all black and red."

Neji handed out the belts before speaking up. "Black and red, huh?" He looked over at Lee's small pile of clothes. "You need a bit more red, Lee."

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Once Lee's outfit had been decided, the three boys went to work on Neji's. They found that working together got the job done much faster, and with Liu or Tenten's occasional help, they were done almost as fast as the girls. When they met up with Itachi again, he sent them all off into the changing rooms so he could see their new outfits.

Lee now wore the spandex black T-shirt, (though Naruto still grumbled about it the whole time) along with the baggy black cargo pants which were taped at the bottom with the black bandages. He also wore black shinobi sandals, the red belt that the girls had chosen, and two more red belts, which he wore in an X-shape across his back and chest which he could attach a weapon to.

Neji's outfit was a lot simpler. He wore a similar shirt to his previous one, only black, and without buttons. He had black shorts too, under which his legs were also bandaged. He had also customised with belts, wearing the 'team' belt as well as three others, which hung at angles across his hips and upper legs. When the other two boys commented, he flat out denied that it was because they made him look cool, and insisted they were there for easy access to weapons. Of course, Naruto and Lee chose not to comment on the fingerless red gloves he had chosen.

Naruto had had the most fun with his outfit. Having never been taken clothes shopping before, he originally went wild with his choices. After twenty minutes of running around with an extremely long red headdress, Neji and Lee managed to calm him down enough to choose something sensible. He went for a similar top to Lee's only blood red instead. Over that, he wore a black tank top, with a small seal on the back to attach a weapon to. He had chosen the same pants and sandals as Lee, and he too had bandages around his ankles.

Itachi seemed impressed with their choices, and although he would never admit it, he was pleased to see that they had worked together to come up with them. Of course, he knew that Liu and Tenten had had some input too, but he wasn't exactly complaining. After all, teenage shinobi males aren't exactly known for their brilliant taste in clothes.

When the two girls finally finished changing, the three genin boys did a double take. Itachi, though he didn't comment, was surprised at the level of impracticality. 'Still, they are females, so fashion will come first before they truly realise what being a kunoichi means.'

Liu had discarded her long, baggy coat for a more sophisticated black trench coat. She had left it hanging open, revealing the short red crop top and black fishnet top that she now wore. She had also chosen baggy black trousers, which were held up by the red belt. The only thing that spoilt her new 'bad girl' image, as she put it, was the fact that her bright blue hair was still hanging loosely around her shoulders. From the look on her face, they could all tell she wasn't pleased.

"Itachi-sensei?" She said sweetly, trying to keep from attacking her hair. "You wouldn't mind if we go to a hair salon after this would you. I'm not the only one who needs a hair cut."

Itachi merely nodded, attempting not to crack a smile at her antics.

Once Liu calmed down some, they took the time to look at Tenten's outfit. She wore similar clothes to her old ones, but with a slight modification. The pink Chinese-style top she wore previously had been replaced by a rich red one, which stopped half way, leaving her stomach bare, if not for the fishnet top she wore beneath it. She had baggy black shorts that looked like they had once been part of dungarees, as there was still a pouch hanging at the front, and a flap of fabric at the back that went past her knees. She also had long fingerless black gloves, that, from the look in her eyes, they just knew she was going to customise and turn into a weapon.


AN: I cannot STAND Naruto's orange jumpsuit. It's just one of the things I was glad that he changed in Part II. And at last, it's finally here! SHIPPUDEN! Wooh! I thought I'd make this a slightly longer chapter in honour of thespecial day. Oh, and sorry for all the Italics in this chapter, I just wanted to get the time skip I have planned over and done with. Look forward to the good stuff after next chap.

Please keep up all your lovely reviews. Thanks.