With regards to the burning of the orange jumpsuit, I agree there is nothing wrong with the colour, in fact orange is my favourite colour, but the moment was meant to be somewhat symbolic.
He wore the orange for the sole purpose of getting attention and recognition from the villagers. But now he is at a new point in his life, where he decided that he just wants to be free to protects who he wants to protects and be who he wants to be.
It's why I named the arc the 'Uzumaki Naruto Chronicles'. If you remember his fight with Gaara in canon, after he made a buttload of shadows clones, he said something along the lines of 'sorry to keep you waiting.
This is where the Uzumaki Naruto ninja chronicles begin', I used that as the basis of saying that this is where his story truly begins.
He's not the scared little boy desperately seeking approval anymore, he's a young man now who will fight for his beliefs regardless of what people think of him.
The forest of death presents a bit of a conundrum. While it's true that he can complete it in no time at all with his skill level, there are other dangers lurking out there.
My Naruto isn't perfect or godlike. While he is strong for his age, there are certain obstacles that just can't be overcome.
The marking of Sasuke is one of the defining moments of the show and also presents a turning point.
Whereas in canon, Naruto had this unhealthy obsession with Sasuke, in my story, he keeps him at an arm's length as he sees the danger the boy presents.
This story won't be about Sasuke as much as canon was as Naruto simple doesn't care what the guy does with his life.
I will take some of your suggestions into account thought as some of them have some real entertainment value. Thank you for your input and I hope you enjoy the direction the story goes.
Now I want to clear something up about Naruto's character. While you saw him poke fun at his teammates last arc , because he's still a guy that likes to have fun.
I want to make it clear that he doesn't hate them. He just isn't as clingy as he was in canon. He will protect them on missions and help them if they are in trouble but he won't be as self-destructive as he was in canon in his attempts to please them.
I also want to make clear that while he won't be against killing enemies , he will value the lives of people. I don't want to turn him into some emotionless robot. His compassion is something that I liked about him, but it won't be overdone.
He will be kind and compassionate to those who deserve it but he can also be vicious and sadistic to his enemies. I want him to have a proper balance.
From this chapter onwards you will see his interaction with the rest of the rookies. I never liked how Naruto was so fixated on 'saving' Sasuke, because he was his 'friend' that he took the others around him for granted.
The scene in the Iron country after the Kage Summit with Gaara is one that comes to mind. Shikamaru is one of my favourite characters, as is Shino. Naruto will have a closer relationship with them in this story.
/ next chapter will be out tomorrow :)