Pov: Kurenai

  "Thank you for the meal, and nice meeting you all" Kenzo bows before leaving back to his work.

  We give a quick goodbye as he leaves and I turn to look at my new three genin, Kanata and Katsuko have compined about all the free time they have in comparison to Kenzo so maybe they can help me get these three of their feet and into chunin levels... as cn kids- heirs to the cn heads they have a lot of skills but no experience so it shouldn't be too hard for them to catch up.

  Considering the fact that the chunin exams are in Konoha and that my previous team will be competing as well- it would be the safest way to gain experience and help push them forward.

  "You fine now Akamaru?" Kiba asks as Akamaru climbs out of his jacket and onto his head again.

  "Arf!" He barks in a much better mood.

  "My insects have calmed considerably- an unfortunate ability Kenzo holds" Shino adds.

  Indeed... but that is something that I have no experience in, at least Ryū told me he has a few ideas to keep Kenzo in better shape, poor kid keeps getting held back by his kekkai genkai.

  ---

  Pov: Kenzo

  "Hey! Kenzo- you busy?" Lee stops as he runs past.

  "Oh, hey Lee- yeah I just took my break and need to do finish it now" I tell him.

  "Ah- that's fine, lets train together some time!" He shouts as he starts running again.

  I wave and continue forwards toward work once more, he is right actually- I need to start improving on myself in the six months we have before the Chunin exams.

  I would like to improve my basics actually, and use all my skill scrolls levelling up my skills rather than getting even more- I will try to get in more shape shifting training as I have wanted to try and shift partially into the nightmare creature or steal its terrifying bones at least.

  I have free time in the afternoons now that I don't have to help Naruto and he has a teacher... I could fit in training on Ryū's taijutsu style to help improve the battle-sages.

  I suppose then I could train my genjutsu as well? I will try to split my focus but we will see what happens.

  I have six months till the exams anyway and four chunin exam challenge scrolls to practice before entering.

  I should be plenty settled to sort myself out, Kanata and Katsuko are definitely Chunin level now, well- low chunin but that's enough for the exams.

  They are good at the theory... capable in the killing part of being a ninja and fortunately aren't as immature as most the kids my age.

  And I am pretty sure that Chunin are all about mentality rather than power... that's why someone like me who has high chunin strength is still a genin.

  Also Ryū has access to records that evaluate chunin and who decided they were mentally capable enough to lead teams, just in case some idiot was letting in horrid chunins and that's an internal investigations problem.

  Its also why I have to do most the work because Ryū is the only one allowed to see those files and no one else is trusted enough to view them.

  When Katsuko and Kanata get chunin they should be capable of taking stuff of my pte and allowing me to focus on Ryū's side of things.

  ---

  -One month ter-

  Pov: Katsuko

  *BOOM!* *SLAM!*

  A loud thunderous boom behind me roars ahead of me as the corrupt Jonin is drop kicked by a Battle-Sage genin.

  I throw kunai and pin the clothes of the Jonin allowing the genin to move and Kanata to hit him with a wind bst jutsu.

  *THUMP!*

  He coughs up blood as his back hits the broken wall again and we approach... *Woosh!* I jump back as the Jonin flickers out of his restraints and attacks us.

  The genin loses his lightning and Kanata commands him to help his friends- this Jonin has set numerous traps around his farm house and prepared for the long game- specializes in seals and great with ninjutsu.

  *FFWWOOOOO*

  Fire sweeps out of his mouth and I push over his cabinet to hide behind with Kanata- *BOOM!* I dodge backwards narely in time but get sent flying into the wall as explosive seals in the cabinet activate- I feel wood splinter into my leg and I groan as I fall to the ground.

  *Woooooooooh!*

  Wind bsts back against fme as Kanata covers me and allows me to fall back to the second floor hallway, I limp out and down the hall as Kenzo runs up the stairs and sees me.

  "In there?" He points while covered in sweat and I nod as Kanata runs out the room as well.

  Kenzo jumps to the roof in an intense burst and grows cws as he rushes across it towards the door- the Jonin runs out and attempts to complete a jutsu but a bone tail jabs down at him and pierces- *Psshh!* the wooden log that the Jonin substituted out with.

  Kenzo drops down and- *BOOM!* Gets sent flying through the hallway wall and into the feilds outside again as an explosion rings from the bedroom.

  "Again! This guy really keeps the good stuff for Kenzo" Kanata spits out blood and picks me up.

  "Wh-What are you doing!" I ask.

  "We checked that st room and he doesn't have secret exits- I am fighting him somewhere else!" He says as he jumps out the exploded wall and into the field outside.

  Two Lightning Genin apply medical attention to another and upon seeing use move outside they carry him further away.

  Kenzo climbs out of a hole and snaps his arm back into pce with some shape shifting.

  ...

  The jonin waits like he is trained too- Kenzo now angrier than usual passes by us as I am pced on the ground and his skin slowly turns grey.

  "Hey Kenzo- we checked and we can wait out here" Kanata says and Kenzo stops.

  "I warned you about my other form right?" Kenzo asks.

  "Yeah...?" Kanata nods.

  "I will drive him out- *Snap!**Pop!**Crack!* you will wait to ambush him right here" Kenzo says as his tongue turns bck while his bones snap into a greater size.

  *Shiver* *Shake* *Crack* *Stretch*

  Kenzo forms into something from a nightmare... it's- his stretched skin over dark bone... his elongated arms and horrid maw shift into pce... so that's what reignited his rumours again.

  ...

  I cannot let my parents know that I still work in the same department as him.

  *BOOOSH!*

  Dirt flicks up as the creature- Kenzo unches into the house.

  "AAARHRHHGGGGGHHHHH!!!* A loud scream followed by harrowing roars and explosions occur.

  *Crash!* *Boom!*

  I remove the splinter and wrap bandages around my leg, I give it the best attention I can before- *SLAM!* A humanoid figure is flung into the dirt and scatters across the field right into Kanata's arms.

  *Struggle* *Sm!*

  Kanata pushes him down into the dirt and uses ninja wire to hold his hands together.

  ...

  "Haaa- Didn't expect to see the man we suspected in action here... got caught red handed..." Kenzo jumps out normal as ever and breathes heavily as he comments on the jonin.

  "Why is he asleep?" Kanata asks and sps his cheek.

  "Its hard to remember I specialize in genjutsu when- haaa- when a giant monster is cwing at you" Kenzo grunts as he sits down and holds his ribs.

  "Cant you heal that like your arm?" I ask.

  "Oh- no this is only shifted to be helpful, right now all my limbs have been shattered and my ribs are broken, just need to keep my transformation up until we get back to the Hospital" He ys down and takes a few breaths.

  "You two head home with that injured genin, the other two and me can finish up the investigation here and hand in the mission" Kanata tells us and we both nod and get up to limp home.

  "Gd the farmhouse wasn't that far out from Konoha... might see if one of those merchants on the road can give us a lift" Kenzo shifts into looking like someone else and picks up the heavily injured genin to pce on his back.

  We walk to the road as Kanata and the other two genin complete the internal investigations mission.

  ---

  -One month ter-

  Pov: Naruto

  "Kenzo! Kenzo! I'm back!" I yell out and see Kenzo locking his safe before shoving it under his bed.

  "Hey Naruto how was your first C-rank?" He says and walks over to the kitchen.

  "Okay-Okay! On the way there it was boring, we were going so slowly towards this water pce- but I spotted ninja hiding in a puddle and showed off how cool I was to Sakura-chan~ cant believe those ninja thought they were smart- a puddle when it hasn't rained all day! Anyway, Kakashi-sensei 'died' and scared us, taught us a few lessons and we dealt with the ninja... Oh yeah, a super scary ninja came out after that and was called Zabuza the demon or something along those line's..." I start my recap.

  "Demon...? Zabuza!?" Kenzo nearly drops a pte and asks.

  "Yeah he had this big sword- Kakashi-sensei fought him while we protected the guy we were escorting and then Kakashi-sensei lifted his headband and showed us something called a sharingan, Sasuke said something about his cn, bh, bh, bh- all boring stuff... Kakashi then got put into a water sphere jutsu thing, me and Sasuke came up with a pn to get him out-" I continue my story.

  "Hold on- wasn't this a C-rank quest- mission?" Kenzo asks.

  "Yeah, Kakashi-sensei said that we should turn back but Sasuke wanted to continue and I am confident that we could handle it- anyway back to the story, me and Sasuke decided to free Kakashi-sensei, we decided to use what you taught me in genjutsu" I tell him.

  "Genjutsu... Naruto you cant cast any genjutsu?" He mumbles.

  "So he is sitting on the water and sending in water clones to attack us, unfortunately for him though is that Sasuke had this big shuriken the size of a body- I picked it up while he spewed out the biggest fireball he could muster- blinding our opponent and having him focus on the attack rather than us" I continue.

  "Basic misdirection?" He mumbles more.

  "Than me and Sakura switch with the old guy, me as him Sakura as me and the old guy as Sakura, she managed to cast a good enough genjutsu over us and that meant that Zabuza didn't know we switched... and then we had 'Me' and Sasuke make a few 'mistakes' which meant that an opening to attack Tazuna- 'old dude' appeared, so Sasuke leapt to attack Zabuza but Zabuza flickered over to Tazuna in order to kill him... but I was Tazuna... are you with me dattebayo?" I confuse myself a little as I speak... maybe I need a diagram...

  "Anyway- I not being Tazuna managed to pull off a substitution that I had been focusing on since being transformed and managed to escape long enough for Zabuza to realise that he was outnumbered and all that... then a hidden ninja came and took him away for the mist vilge?? A hunter-nin I think they were..." I conclude the first part of the story.

  "Right... so you completed your first mission... that's good- great that it all worked out" I can see the stress leave Kenzo's shoulders.

  "Hey! I am going to be Hokage you know!? Have some faith in me- I even got a bridge named after me!" I nod my head.

  ...

  "What did you do" Kenzo asks with worry.

  "Well- Zabuza was alive and that Hunter was actually his friend named Haku- Haku..." I continue my story.

  ---

  -One month ter-

  Pov: Ryū (Kenzo)

  ------

  Quest Complete!

  Reward: A-Rank Skill Scroll!

  ------

  And with that quest complete... plus the other two statistic scrolls I had gotten from the challenges I did st month I can take the weekend off and have some time to train myself again... I have a few skills to level up actually.

  ------

  Skills:

  Unyielding Stare: E×D×C×B×A×S×K×

  Burst Breathing: E×D×C×B×A?S?K?

  Word- Truth: E×D×C×B?A?S?K?

  Eternal Walk: E×D×C×B×A?S?K?

  Lockpicking: E×D?C?B?A?S?K?

  Juggling: E×D?C?B?A?S?K?

  Ancient Hearing: E×D×C×B?A?S?K?

  Dragons breath: E×D×C×B×A×S?K?

  Lightning Wire: E×D×C×B?A?S?K?

  Lightning Dart: E×D×C×B?A?S?K?

  Dragon style Taijutsu: E×D?C?B?A?S?K?

  Jump: E×D×C×B?A?S?K?

  _______

  Oh? So I can upgrade either my burst breathing or walk... walk has become less useful especially since getting other movement skills... and I don't walk over many raging rivers or such at all.

  But even so I would like to understand how it works, I cant seem to understand it at all... my best bet is through Yang energy but like Shape-shifting I am unable to discern 'how' things shift and only know that it does... is their some skill or seal that can allow one to see and monitor their yang energy? My Yin energy is much easier to interpret but maybe that's by design...

  Instincts for Yang and understanding for Yin.

  Speaking of my shifting I still haven't found out how to mix and match the stolen yang energy I have obtained... maybe figuring out walking can help me figure out shifting in return?

  Seems like it is settled then- now onto my two stat scrolls.

  More yang energy is bad as all it would do is give me even more yang energy to try and understand... hearing is fine as it is and lightning mana is plenty for what I need to use as Ryū.

  ...

  Should I just increase my strength? That feels stupid to do... especially when I know that I can combine skills and stats to evolve them... and that my body has yet to grow into an adult which severely limits the strength output I can use.

  ...

  But strength is already upgraded and getting something else to improve my walking doesn't really work when I don't understand my walking in the first pce.

  Best to improve what I have then- an investment for the future as I am sure I will need strength in many scenario's.

  I get up out of my office and walk past Kanata, heading for the door I hear someone on the other side of it- I open the door and smile.

  "Ryū, would you please follow me?" Ibiki asks and I follow along.

  We leave the building and through the streets of Konoha we find ourselves entering into the office of the Hokage... where multiple people sit.

  In fact- almost everyone of importance in Konoha sits at the table in this room.

  Every cn head- every department head, Danzo and the council of elders plus a few others alongside them.

  "... Ryū is the person you would like to volunteer?" The Hokage asks as we enter.

  "I was thinking Anko would do well but thought that the recent Chunin exams have been a bit repetitive, and if I am already taking on the first exam why not make it more difficult by having someone else change it up a bit? Someone who hasn't participated in such things before and can give a new perspective" Ibiki says and sits down, I stand behind him and make my brain do double time.

  No matter how I slice it this is a nomination to take over a part of the Chunin exams... I wonder who is responsible for this? Ibiki wouldn't decide this on his own...

  "I see, Ryū are you avaible to participate in the creation of the upcoming chunin exams?" The Hokage asks me and I feel a few stares.

  The Hokage is giving me a stare of confusion.

  The Hyuga head is giving me a stare of concern.

  Three Jonin are giving me intense stares that track my every movement.

  And the Jonin commander is giving me a hunters gaze... waiting for me to fall into trap.

  What trap I wonder? If I say I am too busy will that trip it? Obviously me saying that I am free goes with Ibiki bringing me here...

  "That is in three months correct? How much time will I need to spend on this?" I ask.

  "At least four hours a day giving ideas and going to meetings surrounding the Chunin exams- you would be handling the most dangerous part of the exam and therefore will be under the most scrutiny" The Hokage tells me.

  Concern and confusion repced with very watchful stares... the Hokage flickers in understanding as his gaze switches to someone else.

  The Jonin commander watches me close.

  I am only getting half the picture- obviously Ibiki and the commander have ways to make me accept this deal if I say no- and Ibiki can take over all duties I have so I have free time... the Jonin commander is capable of making sure I am free and 'Kenzo' isn't going anywhere...

  Why do they want me in charge of this? What could possibly help them here?

  They want my identity I know that much- and for very, very good reasons as well, I wouldn't want a stranger in charge of the internal investigations department let alone someone who has nothing to his name... should I fake a story? A previous me? No- I haven't even thought about it and one hidden rule in Konoha that I didn't read or one mistake in my improv story will cut me down real quick.

  ...

  Ah- scrutiny, the new job requires intense understanding of the person in charge of the deadliest exam, especially when children of the cn heads are diving into them.

  Even the Hokage cannot defend me from such things.

  Now the question remains- how do I get out of this? It can't be around me being busy... and I have no 'excuse' other than Kenzo which isn't much at all.

  ...

  "Ryū?" Ibiki asks as I take my time to think.

  "Sorry, I wasn't prepared for such a thing... can I have a moment?" I ask.

  The Hokage nods and I walk outside the room.

  "If he is worried about time management I can have some capable Jonin take over his job for a few months" Ibiki says behind the closed door.

  "The Battle-Sages are capable of being on their own like they have been for a while now and Ryū isn't booked for anything" Shikaku adds.

  "Why this man?" Danzo asks.

  "I would like to know as well, I would prefer one of the other volunteers rather than a Jonin I don't know" the Hyuga head asks as well.

  "We have a list of reasons here... let me pass it around" Ibiki says and I stop listening.

  ...

  If the Hokage wanted to he could put his foot down, but the Hokage doesn't wield such power for no reason... this is very obviously against the entirety of Konoha to hide my identity... no one should be that hidden so high up.

  Even if I was Hashirama Senju himself disguised as another, that would be a situation in which Konohagakure's top brass must know about it.

  But then again... there is always another way out- the Hokage cannot do it but I can... how do I want to do this is the question?

  ...

  I like the option that pisses off the people who keep trying to pry (Again, very reasonable for them to do) at me and my information the most.

  ---

  Pov: Shikaku

  *Step* *Step*

  Ryū walks back into the room and bows before the table.

  "I refuse" He says.

  "May I ask why?" Ibiki speaks up.

  We have very many traps set up- no matter what he says we can stick him with this job.

  "No" He replies and my eye twitches.

  "Sorry? We need a valid reason, this job is very strict in its requirements and cks other volunteers" I insist.

  ...

  "No" He says with a confident nod.

  ...

  There is an awkward silence as moments pass.

  ...

  "Is this because of the identity check? You have been selected and we will need to confirm your identity no matter if you chose this job or not" Danzo uses his commanding voice.

  "Yeah, no" He replies so simply.

  As much as I hate the help from Danzo of all people- he is right, the Hokage cannot shut this down when in front of the entire council.

  I shift my body to the Hokage and raise my eyebrows.

  "You are dismissed Ryū" The Hokage says.

  "Hiruzen- you can't tell us we are in the wrong after that simple discussion, he is in charge of our internal investigations and you don't let anyone know who he really is" Danzo angrily grunts out.

  I close my eyes and sigh, didn't think about Ryū being unreasonable did I? Now how is the Hokage going to get out of this?

  "Correct Danzo, I don't" He replies with a smirk.

  ...

  Point taken- no more questions about Ryū, I nod to Ibiki and he heads out to get Anko.

  Thanks for reading :)