The orange was actually a diversionary tactic, his favorite color meant to stand out, and be the thing that people focused on instead of something more distinct; his blond hair, for instance. As bright as his clothing was, he usually wore darker items underneath, besides the jacket being reversible. Just because nobody wanted to teach him anything didn't mean he was stupid or ignorant.

A foxy smile spread across his face as the lock gave out a barely audible click, tumblers sliding into place and allowing him to open the door. Honestly, one would think people living in a ninja village would pay more attention to security. Then again Konoha's shinobi weren't exactly encouraged to steal when they could just as easily purchase what they needed from the civilian population; the five year old Naruto Uzumaki, however, was not yet a shinobi, and people tended to overcharge him for items when they weren't refusing service outright.

There was always another way to procure what he needed, though, and save the money for goodies and tricks. Easing the door open, the orphan padded inside the shop that had tossed him out earlier, closing and locking the door behind him just in case anyone came by. Getting away from the windows was a must, as the Military Police carried flashlights most evenings and were prone to randomly looking into businesses to ensure that nothing illegal was going on. Though he'd never had anyone explain it to him, Naruto knew as well as any other urchin that the first rule of breaking and entering was not to be seen. The second rule was to avoid shops that advertised as catering to shinobi; they usually had security tags or traps given to them by their patrons.

Unlimbering the duffel bag from his shoulder, Naruto scanned over the shelves, looking for the produce. Most grocers only put out what they expected to sell that day and kept the rest in refrigeration; others, like this one, had chilled cases that they left running all night so they didn't have to spend as much time stocking while there were patrons to serve. Slipping from bin to bin, Naruto filled his sack with his ill-gotten gain, mindful of the weight. Rule three: don't grab more than you can carry. A loaf of bread, carton of eggs, some fruit and vegetables, both fresh and canned, and a bottle of milk later and Naruto made his way back to the door.

That was about when the patrol that had passed by him earlier decided to double back and check in on the shop that they'd previously overlooked. Naruto froze, his hand on the door as he had been about to pull it open, cursing inwardly that he'd forgotten rule four (if the door swings inward, don't use it) and evaluating his escape options. The roof hatch if the store had one was probably locked, and the back door was an emergency exit and therefore rigged with an alarm most likely. Pacing backwards a few steps, he saw the uniformed officer pull the torch from his belt and switch it on; by that point Naruto was already among the racks again, his jacket turned inside out to show the black interior, counting his blessings that he'd worn his dark pants tonight rather than the bright ones. Next he cursed his luck, seeing that the officer had left his partner outside to cover the exit, just in case.

I would have to get the smart one tonight of all nights. He heard rather than saw the man—at least he thought it was a man (Rule five: wear sunglasses, because anyone with a flashlight can blind you with it)—searching through the aisles, pausing at each point where Naruto had taken an item, the faint sound of sniffing reaching his ears; while his pursuer's attention was elsewhere, the boy slipped over to the spices, hoping that they'd mask his scent. If he was dealing with an Inuzuka, or just an especially sensitive Uchiha (not all of them were known for using their eyes, after all), then mingling with the other smells was a particularly good idea.

Rule Six, after all, was hide in plain sight. Usually that meant changing clothes and handing your steal off to an accomplice, and then wandering back the way you came; in this case it meant going where strong smells were concentrated, then start praying that the tracker got discouraged by the odors. That in turn led to Rule Seven: Don't sigh in relief until you've got your steal back to your safe house. Therefore, as the officer gave up trying to find him, Naruto continued to hold his breath, inhaling and exhaling shallowly over several seconds each movement, spending a good ten minutes waiting for the street to clear.

This was a clear violation of Rule Eight: the longer you stayed put, the more likely you were to get caught, but not in contradiction with Rule Nine, which stated simply "no sudden movements". Bolting from cover when the street was supposed to be empty was tantamount to shooting a flare into the sky. Last but not least was Rule Ten: you haven't been caught until you're in a cell. Spending an extra few minutes just to be on the safe side, Naruto edged out of the shop, skirting the exterior wall until he came to an alleyway, keeping his eyes on the rooftops the whole time. Rule eleven wasn't official yet, but in a ninja village, it was essential: Look up. Shinobi liked to travel above street level and if you didn't check the roofs of nearby buildings—including the one you came out of—you were asking to be followed.

He may be many things, but Naruto wasn't stupid.