"It's fine I guess," Naruto grumbled yet again after slipping into his black pants, black short-sleeved shirt with orange flames framing the edges of the sleeves. Underneath that was the standard net shirt that was also short-sleeved and over that was the standard chunin vest with standard black shinobi sandals. "But I need a katana."
"We can fix that after we pay for this." Jiraiya walked towards the cashier and dropped a bundle of Ryo on the table, the clerk's eyes sparkled before he thanked profusely and waved when the two exited the store.
"I miss my sword."
"It broke, didn't it?"
"Yeah," he sighed, "Sasuke's Kusanagi snapped it in half."
Jiraiya hummed, fingers scratching his chin, "I suppose you could always try to get your hands on the Kusanagi yourself. Orochi-teme hasn't got it yet. Besides, I know where it is. Well, kind of anyway. I know who's got it."
"Huh," Naruto let out a surprised chuckle, "That's not a bad idea. Who's got it?"
"A guy called Otani Kosami. Last I heard he stole the sword from someone, not sure who, and abandoned his village. He should be somewhere around Fire Country."
"Is he strong?" Naruto asked and dodged a train of academy kids who high-tailed through the crowded street.
"Not really. You could take him as you are right now." Jiraiya wasn't concerned. The boy was strong enough to tackle most jounin so he didn't need to baby the kid. Still. His eyes moved up and down the Rokudaime's small body- but he'd need to work on his reach and build up his muscle mass again.
"Then let's go kill him."
Jiraiya chuckled, eyes shining with mirth "Since when did you become so bloodthirsty?"
Naruto shrugged and dodged another round of kids, "Since I learned that if you're not- then you'll find excuses not to hurt people and then they stab you in the back." like Sasuke remained unsaid.
Once upon a time, he might have disagreed, but after seeing first hand where mercy got people, Jiraiya was inclined to agree with his student's assessment on the topic.
"Then let's get you a katana and stock up on some kunai, shuriken, and senbon in the meantime. If we're going to get Kusanagi, then we should do it before the battle." They'd have to be prepared to answer the call for the battle of Uzu within a few months so until then they should get as prepared as they could.
"Agreed." Naruto nodded and then glanced up at a store he remembered from a distant memory, "Isn't this Tenten's old shop?"
Jiraiya looked up at the sign, "Looks like it. You want to shop here?"
"Might as well. They've always had quality stuff from what I can recall."
The two shinobi entered. The place was empty except for the man napping with his head on the counter at the far back of the store. The man had dark brown hair and was out like a light.
Naruto paid him no mind, for the time being, he didn't need any help picking out weapons so; instead, he wandered through the isles. He reached for a box of freshly made kunai while Jiraiya found a bunch of shuriken and senbon, explosion-tags and smoke bombs. Naruto left him to it and instead moved over to the katana that stood lined up against one of the walls.
Now Naruto wasn't the best at picking out weapons, but he was moderately knowledgeable about it. Basically, he held them and waved them around a bit. If it felt too heavy, it wasn't right, and the same went for the opposite. If it felt like it was an extension of his arm then he was alright with it.
It just so happened that one of the swords had a black hilt with and orange hand-guard.
Perfect.
He reached for it and took it down, swung it around a couple of times and nodded. It was light, almost too light as it was built for speed rather than strength and precision like he'd usually go for but for now it suited his needs.
"What's with you and orange?" Jiraiya couldn't help but ask with an exasperated sigh.
"It's an awesome colour, and I think you have an unhealthy amount of hate for it!" Naruto shot back defensively. The man held up his hands in surrender, but there was clear amusement in his poorly concealed grin.
"Don't get your panties in a twist brat."
Naruto grumbled and stalked over to the counter where the sleeping clerk slept the day away. With a small amount of lingering irritation the boy slammed the katana and other equipment down on the counter and watched with satisfaction how the man flew up with alarm and a blunted kunai high in hand. The man was disorientated, eyes moving around the shop before they settled on Jiraiya's crossed arms and then Naruto who had a single unimpressed brow raised.
He chuckled sheepishly, a hand scratching the back of his head, "Need any help?"
"Yes, I'd like to pay for my wares."
"Right." The man quickly went over the equipment and counted the total cost. "5437 Ryo, please."
Naruto couldn't quite conceal his surprise. That wasn't nearly as expensive as he expected it to be. Not even a third of the price he was used to paying. Jiraiya had totally forgotten about the fact that thing was way cheaper during this time and even more so for Naruto who grew up over-paying practically everything he bought. Still, with all the money they'd sealed up in scrolls before they got here they were practically swimming in Ryo.
"Thank you! Please come again!" The man beamed as Naruto sealed up his new weapons and holsters.
Before long the two of them was back out in the street.
"Now what?" He asked.
Jiraiya took a look around and then shrugged. "Might as well put on the holsters and then drop off your weapons. If nothing else we could head out and get your sword. It's not like we've got much else to do at this point in time. After that we'll train and get your muscles up to snuff again, you're not as strong as you could be."
"Sounds good. Are you sure that Jiji will allow us to leave this soon?"
"It'll be fine, trust me!"