The Outlaw

Chapter 5

Naruto had never understood why most men despised shopping. He'd expected Gaara to be thrilled at the prospect of purchasing new clothes. Instead he scowled and glanced around as though he couldn't wait to get out of the store.

It didn't help matters that Kakashi seemed equally impatient.

Naruto lifted a chambray shirt off the stack, unfolded it, and held it up. He was slightly disappointed that his attempt at conversation hadn't been as successful as he'd hoped. But he didn't plan to easily give up his quest to learn more from him. Thank goodness he's taken into consideration that it might take him a while to open up more fully. Their time together was only just beginning.

"Turn around, Gaara," he ordered.

"Why?"

He rolled his eyes with impatience at the distrust in his voice. If anyone shouldn't be trusted, it was Gaara.

"So I can get an idea as to whether or not this one will come close to fitting you," he explained.

"It looks about right," Gaara said.

"And I'm sure whoever gave you those clothes thought the same thing. Let's be sure, shall we?"

He turned, presenting Naruto with his back, but his stiff stance fairly shouted that he hadn't wanted to comply with his request.

"Uncross your arms," Naruto said

He did as ordered, but Naruto could tell he wasn't pleased about having to do it. He found it comforting to know the outlaw reacted the same way his brothers would if Naruto wanted to measure a shirt against them.

He held the shirt up to Gaara's shoulders. Despite the fact that Gaara didn't look as though he's eaten a decent meal in his entire life, he did have a broad back and wide shoulders.

"Iruka, what do you think?" Naruto asked.

Iruka stopped browsing through the denim britches. "Might work for sitting in church, but I'm thinking he needs more room for working on a ranch."

"You're right. We'll go with one a bit larger."

He looked through the stack until he found one that was a little bigger. He took the britches that Iruka handed him and passed them to Gaara. "Hold these against your waist."

Reluctantly he did as Naruto commanded.

"Kakashi, those should fit him, don't you think?" he asked.

"I reckon."

"Did you even look?" he asked.

"They're britches. Long enough. Wide enough. They'll do for working on a ranch," Kakashi said.

"You're absolutely no help," He told him.

"You didn't say I had to help. You said I had to bring you to town."

Sometimes his brothers were more trouble than they were worth.

"Fine," he said, ready to move on to the next aspect of his project to tidy Gaara up. "We'll purchase two britches, three work shirts, and a white shirt for special occasions," he said.

"I don't need one for special occasions," Gaara said.

Ignoring him, Naruto picked out the clothes he would purchase, including a white shirt.

"Iruka and I are going to look at patterns and material now," he told Kakashi. "I thought you could take Gaara to the barber's."

Gaara still had stubble covering his face, and his hair fell in shaggy waves around his face. Naruto wondered if anyone had bothered to explain to him that the bunkhouse had a bathing room in the back. He wondered if they trusted him with a straight razor. He'd have to talk with Zabuza about that.