Chapter 05: Getting Equipped and the Fox's Cunning

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Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it is the property of Masashi Kishimoto

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"This is the place," Tenten said as she looked up at the large apartment complex in front of her, "Iruka-sensei said he lives on the top floor."

Tenten and Neji walked up the outdoor staircase, neither in a particular hurry. They were given male Naruto today and would work with female Naruto tomorrow to outfit and equip the young genin for both forms. With the Hokage paying for most of it, they could afford to go through what he had and replace everything if need be. It would be interesting to say the least.

Knocking on the door, Tenten couldn't help but marvel at the view he had from up here. There was a shout and what sounded like a bookcase or scroll rack falling over which was followed by cussing. The door opened and the two saw a blond boy wearing a pair of cotton pants and a black t-shirt, either he had just woken up or was getting ready for the day.

"Oh, hey. You're the guys that Gramps said were going to help me?" Naruto said, wearing a squinty smile that made him look like a fox.

"Yes. May we come in?" Neji asked, trying to restrain his disdain for the boy. He was not the failure that many thought he was because he had been under orders. On the other hand, he had been so consumed by his act, he allowed his skill and abilities to deteriorate. The blonde's fate had been clouded, but would soon be clear to the genius Hyuuga.

Naruto ushered them into the apartment, which was surprisingly clean other than an overturned scroll rack and a quickly patched hole in the wall with several strange phrases scrawled around it. Naruto noticed their stares and quickly explained.

"I had a slight nervous breakdown yesterday, nothing to worry about." he said as he moved to a table that was covered with diagrams and scrolls, most of the ideas crossed or scribbled out. His statement did little to reassure them as Tenten looked back at the wall, unnerved by the disjointed phrases and words written on it.

"Trying to create a Taijutsu style?" Neji asked picking up one of the unraveled scrolls, slightly impressed. The few simple ideas and sketched diagrams he could make out would work if the boy was taller or significantly heavier. It wouldn't work for him now but later in life it could, "It looks like you can't figure this out, but that's not too surprising. Our sensei is a Taijutsu specialist, he could help you develop it."

Naruto decided to take the comment as though it meant it was difficult to create a style from scratch. Naruto wanted a style that would fit in his Tenkan, seeing that he was going to try to convince the Kyuubi to have it passed down to his children. Being able to create sudden weight or height changes as well as shifting his muscle and bone density would take anyone by surprise. But he still didn't know how to do those particular changes, he didn't even understand how he had increased the muscles in his arms the first time about a week ago.

"I'm trying to create something that would work with my new ability, like Choji's clan or yours." Naruto said, "What are we starting with?"

Neji was taken by surprised. He thought Naruto would fight like a berserker, but for him to try to create a unique style that fit his abilities meant he was trying for something more.

'He wants to revive his clan, doesn't he?' Neji shook his head. The boy was still a failure, though it was the most probable dream that he could accomplish, more so than anything else he could try to do, "Bring all of your weapons, tools and anything similar you wish to use for Tenten to examine while I look at your armor and attire. We will look them over them and either pass them for use or discard them due to deficiency."

Naruto nodded and left the room to gather the items requested. The two of them turned back to the table. Naruto didn't seem to care that the papers were sitting where anyone could see them, but only one thing even remotely referenced his new abilities that Lord Hokage had briefed them on so they figured it was okay if they saw anything.

'Jihatsu... Shifuto? (Spontaneous Shift)' Tenten thought. It was just a name on a blank scroll. No sketches, notes, nothing accompanying it, "Neji, what do you think of this?"

"He obviously wants to create techniques to complement his abilities, but with only a name, it could mean anything." Neji said as he began clearing the table. They would need it to keep the items they were examining it on. They cleared it quickly as they heard Naruto coming out of the room on the other side of the small apartment. Turning around, they blanched at the sight of not one, but two safety orange jumpsuits in his hands.

"Don't say anything until we're done." Tenten whispered, elbowing the white-eyed boy. She had seen Naruto outside the Academy a lot when she was around the village and it seemed like he had some sort of attachment to the clothes, and it would be difficult to get him to change them.

"Tenten, go ahead and get started." Neji said gesturing to the weapons pouch and holster. "I'll start with these."

Neji examined the jumpsuits, much to his distaste. The color wasn't the only thing that made them unfit for shinobi use. The bulk of the padding offered some protection, but there was no armor sewn in between the padding and the layers of fabric, there were no extra pockets for hidden weapons either. The pants were not any better than the jackets, so he moved on. The sandals were civilian issue, no extras added. The headband was used and worn, someone had worn it before him. Naruto saw his questioning look.

"Iruka gave me his old headband to replace my goggles when they were broken in the fight against that bastard Mizuki," Naruto said, fondness in his voice as he spoke of his trusted eye-wear.

"I'd like to see the goggles," Neji requested, though it sounded like a command. Naruto glared at the older genin, but retrieved the goggles from their resting place, it wouldn't help him to overly antagonize the people who were helping him. Neji plucked the goggles from his hands and examined them closely. One lens was broken out of its frame and the second was cracked.

"Tell me why you bought these." Neji said, examining the goggles closely. If the lenses were replaced, it was the second most useful piece of equipment he had.

"I originally bought them to keep chalk dust out of my eyes," Naruto said, "Cleaning the Academy's erasers is one of Iruka's favorite forms of punishment."

"Replace these lenses with new ones will allow for better fighting in certain weather conditions." Neji finish removing the glass shards from the frames, "These can be useful in many situations you will encounter during your career."

Tenten nodded with Neji's assessment, "As far as these weapons are concerned, they're standard quality, but useless in battle because of neglect. They are more likely to shatter than they are to protect you. Plus with the low amount you have, you aren't fully equipped to handle yourself in a small fight, let alone a large scale battle that something like taking out a group of bandits can turn into."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly, "I was planning to replace them here soon, but after spending an entire week in the hospital and my breakdown yesterday, things were kinda hectic."

Tenten sighed, "At least you were planning to replace them. Everything you have needs to be disposed of properly. We don't need kids finding them."

"Your apparel is in a similar state," Neji said, holding his hand up to forestall any complaint, "The headband and goggles, once repaired, are the only things that are befitting of your new role as shinobi. The sandals and jumpsuit are more suited for civilian wear."

"I'm wearing my jumpsuit." Naruto was actively glaring at the Hyuuga, "It was given to me by a friend of mine, a man from Iwa. He told me he wanted to always be able to find me when he visited, and he visited a lot for a few years because he was an emissary that ran messages between the Tsuchikage and Gramps for a while."

"Why would you accept a gift from an Iwa-nin?" Tenten asked, worried about Naruto accepting such a gift from a man who fought for an enemy village.

"He's a hermit that lives outside of Iwa and rarely does missions anymore according to Gramps. He said that we were alike, both of us shunned for something we couldn't control. I recently found out what he meant by that. There are very few people like the two of us that exist in this world." Naruto said, remembering the day they had met many years ago.

"Then here's what we'll do." Tenten said clapping her hands, causing both boys to look up, "First off, how many of these do you have?"

"Four, two are in the wash right now," Naruto said, looking at her strangely. Both of the older genin mentally balked at the idea of four of these things, but it never showed on their faces.

"Then those two we'll leave for tomorrow when we equip your female form. We're going to take them with us to the shop I go to and have them modified for shinobi use. We'll have the color darkened so it's still orange enough for you, just not the 'kill me' color it's screaming right now. I'm sure Neji has a few suggestions for it as well. Tomorrow, when we go back, the other two will be modified to fit your female form so that you have something to wear as a girl. I'm also going to help you get some casual clothes for both forms. You're not a kid anymore, so you can't wear the same thing all the time."

Neji snorted and muttered "Lee and Guy-sensei."

"Lee's a bit nutty, and Guy-sensei is beyond help, but they're good teammates Neji, and you know it." Tenten shot back, "All right, let's get going. Higurashi's is opening soon."

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"Welcome, welcome! Let me know if you need anything!" a middle aged man called out from behind the counter, his back turned to the door the three had just walked through, "If you're a civilian though, SCRAM!"

Naruto started at the shout, but held his ground. He was a shinobi of Konoha, he had the headband to prove it.

"Relax Ryu. I brought someone to get outfitted, we're going to need to restock everything for him." Tenten said. Ryu was a good guy, if a little ornery. He ran a shinobi only store for a reason, being a retired shinobi himself, he believed that civilians were only good for keeping the economy flowing. That didn't mean he would allow them to browse his wares though. Last thing he needed was some stupid civilian brat running himself through playing with one of his shop's swords.

Ryu turned around, frowning when he saw Naruto, "Come to apologize you little runt? It took me seven days to scrub the graffiti off the front of my store."

Naruto snorted, "You threw me out of the shop while yelling at me!"

"Read the sign runt, 'Shinobi only. No academy students or civilians allowed!'" Ryu said gesturing to the sign that sat out in front of his door, "It's been that way since my father opened the store!"

Naruto blanched, that was the reason he was thrown out? "What about... that?"

Naruto gestured vaguely to his whiskers, causing Ryu to snort, "Don't care. Once you and I work out how you're going to repay me for that week of profits I lost because of your stunt, you can shop here as long as you have the cash to. I don't turn away paying customers of any sort due to the limited crowd I cater to."

"The Hokage is funding Naruto to get him up to par on equipment and weaponry. We'll be back tomorrow as well after we get some of the basic stuff today. We'll also be placing some special orders because he activated some weird new ability about a week ago. Can you work out that deal tomorrow after we finish up, Ryu?" Tenten cut in, not wanting to get thrown out of her favorite store over the blonde's cheeky attitude.

"If the Hokage ordered it, I'll put it aside for now. First let's get those clothes out of the way." Ryu said before he flinched at the sight of the two bright orange coats and a pair of matching pants.

"First thing, we need several jumpsuits in this same style," Neji said, "Uzumaki is most comfortable with this style of clothing, and it is easier to request something similar than to argue with him."

"Colors?" Ryu asked, a little relieved that he could just trash the original jumpsuits after he passed the measurements on for his niece so she could make the new ones.

"The majority of it should be black, and because he asked, have parts of it in a darker, less noticeable shade of orange." Neji looked slightly miffed at what he was saying, "We will also be bringing two more of these in tomorrow for similar modifications."

"Alright, anything specific that you want done for the jacket or pants?" Ryu had pulled out a note pad and was scribbling down the already mentioned changes, before pointing his pencil at Naruto "I'll need to measure you to fit them runt, go into the back room and strip down to your boxers."

Naruto was about to retort with something that would have, without a doubt, been downright rude or vulgar when Neji continued, "He should have several removable armored plates between the fabric as well as several hidden pockets on the inside. Scroll slots should be added on the outside similar to a jounin vest. The only thing that needs of repair are these goggles. The new lenses should be able to resist damage such as nicks and scratches. I'll let Tenten take care of the rest."

"Don't worry Ryu, I can get the weapons he needs so you can go ahead and measure him. I think he should get a couple of weapons for close combat, but I need to test him first to see what he can use first." Tenten said, moving away to look over the equipment racks, "I've always thought that having a few weapons that you specialize in is a good thing."

Ryu snorted, "Says the self-declared Weapons Mistress."

Tenten glared at him but decided against retorting. Ryu was one of the few weapon smiths that took apprentices outside of their family in the village, and with her being an orphan, he was her only chance to learn. Once she convinced him to make her his apprentice, of course.

As Tenten was compiling a list of weaponry and equipment they would need to test Naruto's skill with before buying, Neji and Ryu dragged Naruto into the fitting room in the back of the store. As Ryu called out measurements for the Hyuuga to write down, he picked up a lot on Naruto's physical condition.

"Well runt, I think that I'm going to make these suits adjustable so you're not spending too much money on replacing them. You're fixing to start growing like a damn weed." Ryu said as Neji scribbled several measurements down on a pad of paper.

"Why are you saying that?" Naruto asked, ready to move, but every time he tried Ryu rapped him over the head and told him to keep still.

"For one, I know about that mission you and your Academy teacher had, so he's probably going to help you get back into shape. Two, your malnourished, something that lead to that crippling height deficiency you seem to be suffering from. There's a diet plan that can fix that in about two months' time, if you stick with it. And finally you're twelve, it's only natural for kids to start growing once they hit puberty." Ryu replied.

The smith didn't notice the subtle tightening of muscles that happened in Naruto's neck when he was reminded of Anko's crash course of similar matters, while Neji did notice and wondered if it was connected to the strange half written phrases scrawled on the apartment wall. Ryu finished up and had Naruto get dressed again. Tenten was waiting with a list in hand for the two of them by the counter.

After letting Ryu know that they would be back the next day to make the purchases and finish the specialized orders, Tenten let Neji leave for his own training while she took Naruto to get some casual clothes for when he was off-duty. After the trip, Naruto was horrified when he realized it would be worse the next day because it would be for his girl form, and she needed a lot more clothing for what was rapidly becoming a pain in his twelve year old ass. At least Tenten liked pants more than skirts and understood Naruto's need to avoid them for the most part. They would do the shopping after going back to Higurashi's in the morning, and Naruto knew Ryu was going to make his life miserable when 'she' showed up tomorrow.

After a horrible experience in the civilian stores, mainly due to the women thinking that he and Tenten were dating and making all sorts of comments, Tenten eventually lead Naruto to a training field where they met Iruka. Iruka was there to help simplify things for the boy while Tenten started lecturing him on how to properly care for his tools and gear, using extras from her own stash for demonstrations. After an hour or so, Tenten decided to start testing him with her arsenal of weapons. It was to help give him an edge in the field, as well as to make sure she wasn't useless in this mission like Lee would most likely end up being. After an hour or so, she let him have a breather as she thought over what they had practiced with.

"Well, pole arms and chained weapons are out. So we can assume that anything that requires complex movements are as well. They just don't fit your style of going in head first. Axes and hammers are too heavy for you, so they're out as well." Tenten watched as the boy slowly nodded with her assessment. None of the weapons had felt right in his hands. "You did well with a sword, but I think we need to go further with them to see if you have a specific type best suited for you."

Iruka watched with a sadistic gleam as Tenten proceeded to beat Naruto into the ground until they found a simple sword with a straight edged blade he could work with, a jian.

"Alright you two, that's good enough for tonight. Tenten, be prepared to do this again tomorrow, I don't think that sword will work for 'Ichigo-chan'" Iruka snickered at Anko's nickname for Naruto's female form. It was probably the only good thing that came out of his one sided argument with her as Anko's rebuttals were 'I was following orders,' and 'If you're not doing anything tonight, I'll let you do me.' Needless to say he lost that argument very quickly before he made a run for it after she had whispered that last phrase in his ear.

"Come on Naruto, we need to talk about what training you're going to be doing over the month. While we talk, I'll show you how to cook the food I expect you to eat during our training." Iruka's grin did not give Naruto any feeling of happiness when the blond saw it. In fact, it terrified him quite badly.

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Naruto's next day mortified her from the very beginning of the day. Getting measured to modify her remaining two jumpsuits at Ryu's was embarrassing. While his niece measured the tiny redhead, Ryu kept chuckling as he glanced at the door to the back room kept loudly mentioning that 'Naru-chan' was a 'growing girl'. This had frazzled her nerves to the point that she was snapping at anyone that talked to her.

After Tenten informed Ryu she would be back after their training session to drop off the last of the special orders for Naruto's gear, the older kunoichi dragged the tiny red-haired Uzumaki through the shopping district once more. While Ryu and his niece were taking care of 'On Duty' clothing for Naruto, all the casual clothes had to come from somewhere else. Naruto's day took a distinct downturn when she realized that they were going to be shopping for girl's underwear for her.

To top off the list of bad things that had happened to the neo-girl, Anko had appeared in the front door of her apartment when Naruto and Tenten stopped by to drop off her new clothes, causing Naruto to dive out of her window in an attempt to escape the psycho woman. The escape turned into a chase much to Tenten's confusion and amusement.

Now Naruto was just finishing up finding a weapon for her female form as well, at Tenten's insistence. Iruka had been right when he had said that the sword she had used in her male form the day before was wrong for her female body. It had become had become too unwieldy because of its length, it was just too long her smaller female form to use properly. They eventually found a weapon for her, a wooden gunbai that allowed Naruto to use her natural wind elemental affinity, which she had learned from Iruka testing both over the last couple of days. She could also use it to bash someone's head in as Tenten demonstrated when Lee had snuck up on the older girl.

Naruto and Ryu had managed to work out a deal on how Naruto would repay him for the damages. Three times a week, for a couple hours at a time, Naruto would assist Ryu around the shop. Naruto would be restocking shelves, minding the counter, and unloading shipments. It would also be supplemental income once her debt was paid off as Ryu offered it as a permanent position.

Naruto took it, knowing that other genin like Ino were working part time in different shops around town as well as performing their expected duties as shinobi. Iruka had thought it was a great idea, as it would keep Naruto busy during her down time and gave her an option of employment on the off chance that something happens to cause the young Uzumaki to quit the shinobi life. Tenten on the other hand, had been put off for a bit before smiling, saying that as long as Naruto was only working the shop and not trying to become Ryu's apprentice she was okay with Naruto working there.

Naruto ended up getting the next three days off from training, as he would be spending those three days in the Hospital again. The Hokage had finally let the villagers and shinobi know about Naruto's shape-shifting, letting them all believe that it had been a lost ability of the Uzumaki clan. They would start with several basic trial and error experiments under the eyes of several clan heads and a full team of doctors to make sure nothing went wrong.

While Naruto had been tight lipped about the origins of his ability, the civilians started talking as they always did. They noticed the little red-haired girl with whisker marks and blue-grey eyes running around the day before, and put two and two together. What they came up with was several farfetched theories about how the Uzumaki clan had been the hybrid offspring of the Kyuubi no Kitsune and a mortal love, male or female depending on who told it. They started saying how Naruto had played pranks and use that Sexy Jutsu of his to confound men, like his 'kitsune ancestors' had done many times in the legends.

Though they were completely unaware of it, even when they whispered about it near Naruto, the Kyuubi could hear everything, and he was using these folk legends to propagate the story that he was an actual kitsune like they believed him to be, instead of a fox shaped mass of sentient chakra.

'Sometimes,' Kurama thought as he filed away some of the abilities that he could easily recreate, 'Even a group of monkeys all screaming at once can create a story worth telling.'

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Author's Note: All right, I'm ahead of schedule, and I have no mini rant this time. That last line by the Kyuubi has a meaning. It means that even with a hundred people in the same room screaming out their ideas at the same time, something can come of it. By the fact that he can over hear what Naruto hears because of the altered seal, he is gathering information to further his own plans and hide his true nature. He pretends to be a real Kitsune because at this point in canon, no one really knows the truth behind the Bijuu. So he is plotting and keeping himself entertained, waiting for his chance to step up his plans. That's all for now! Dingo Out!