Dog Boar Ram!

Chakra burst forth from his tenketsu and flooded over his form. He was shrouded in a puff of smoke for a moment, then left changed physically as the power did its work. Soon the light strain on his tenketsu eased and he stared at himself in the pond's reflective surface.

Black hair was now a dark blonde. He'd gained over three feet in height. Bulging muscles seemed etched into his statuesque form. His jaw had grown leaner and larger, adorned by golden scruff.

Chaz felt at home.

He twisted his arm to examine it for any minor imperfections. This was far from the first time he'd tried to recapture his old self. By now he'd managed to perfect the Henge to an incredible level, although he was still experimenting with it. How the hell Naruto managed to transform into a goddamn kunai or shuriken or whatever during the fight with Zabuza in the anime was beyond him - the Henge wasn't difficult, but it did grow more challenging as you branched out into forms more different from your own.

His old body was quite different from his runty current one, but at least it was still human. Inanimate objects were a bitch, and that was with his training. He'd managed to perfect the Academy Three already - they were simple, designed to pose a challenge to dumbass little kids who hadn't figured out their chakra yet - and planned to use this as a springboard to reverse engineer more advanced techniques.

Naruto's training was coming along well. He'd entered the Academy alongside Chaz, already a good bit ahead of the civilian kids, and had taken to it like a fish to water. Sure, some of the kids were wary of Naruto (and thus Chaz by association) thanks to their dumbass parents, but most were willing to give him a chance.

Part of it was thanks to Chaz's good influence on the little blond brat. For all Naruto's energy, he wasn't quite as desperate for acceptance and approval. The harder you clung to something, the harder it would push you away. That's what Chaz had learned a long time ago. It was a good lesson to be taught young.

Between Naruto not floundering like a dying man at sea during lessons (largely because Chaz would kick his ass in training if he didn't focus), being a little more socially aware thanks to not being utterly isolated his whole life, and his own natural charisma left to blaze unhindered by the stigma he would have carried, Naruto was thriving.

Chaz had little interest in hanging out with a bunch of Academy brats. He kept an eye on them, picking out any with potential, but was mostly unimpressed. Pretty much anyone who wasn't named in the show was an absolute scrub, and he designated them as NPCs. They might fill in the chūnin corps later on, but they were ultimately irrelevant to his goals.

Naruto, Sasuke, even Sakura… those were the real prizes. He actively worked with them, offered validation - it felt kind of slimy to manipulate kids into liking him, but it was literally a matter of life and death depending on how things went. And hey, he'd make sure that they benefitted as well. No one was getting hurt.

He'd paid particular attention to making friends with Sasuke. It was almost startling at how different Sasuke was now compared to what he would become. He wasn't exactly a social butterfly, but he was open and friendly enough. Talented, certainly, but that was to be expected for an Uchiha.

LIke he said, slimy. But he was a lawyer at heart. He was banking on being someone that Sasuke could turn to after his clan's slaughter. See? Win-win. Chaz got a future demigod ally and Sasuke got someone on his side as well.

He was friendly enough with the rest of the class too, at least the named characters. They might be useful to him one day, and Chaz had no idea who he'd end up on a team with. If he'd end up on a team.

Chaz did keep Shikamaru at arm's length. He didn't like the way the little shit's eyes gleamed. While Chaz had his own issues with how the show had portrayed Shikamaru's genius, it was pretty evident the kid had a good head on his shoulders. Even a genius couldn't put together a puzzle like Chaz without relevant information, but Shikamaru might be able to realize there was something off.

Shikamaru might be an inexperienced and lazy kid, but that didn't mean he was stupid. Given who his father was, it was best if Chaz didn't attract any undue attention.

"Ugh, what am I even thinking about?" Chaz grumbled. He flexed his bicep, grinned, then it faded away when he remembered that it was just an illusion. Henge offered a little bit of substance - one of the reasons that he was so interested in the technique as a foundation to potentially reverse engineer Shadow Clones - but nothing truly solid.

No, his old body was truly lost to him. It probably wasn't healthy to keep clinging to it, but how could he not? He'd had the body of a fucking Greek god back in the old days. Chaz had a long way to go before he could remake it.

"Naruto should be at the Hokage Tower for a little longer," Chaz said to himself. The training ground he'd snuck into was fairly isolated. Sometimes he would hear nothing but the birds and wind for hours at a time. It was nice to have some peace and quiet after dealing with Naruto so much, but it made him miss the little bastard after a while. "Well, here goes nothing."

Before he attempted the next stage of his growth, he pulled up his stat screen. It was still satisfying to see the recent unlocks. Nothing else had appeared for the last few months, but he'd been trying to figure out how the hell to level up again.

Daddy needed that sweet, sweet hit.

Character Name: Ryo Kimura

Age: 6 years and 5 months.

Level: 3

Experience: 12/100

Stats:

Chakra Capacity (194/350)

Chakra Control (69%)

Skills:

Taijutsu (61/100)

Ninjutsu (68/100)

Genjutsu (34/100)

Special Abilities: *Currently Locked*

Reputation:

Konohagakure: 385/1,500 (A Budding Shinobi)

He'd grown a little since going to the Academy, especially in his control over genjutsu and hammering out his taijutsu, but it was slower than he'd like. Anything truly interesting was well beyond what the Academy and their teachers were willing to teach him. Chaz had blown everyone away, but it wasn't enough to catch any eyes yet.

Plenty of clans pushed ridiculous training on their kids before they came in. It wasn't uncommon to see certain students dramatically ahead for the first few months and then slowly fizzle out as their previous training was outstripped. They might keep an edge, but true prodigies took time to reveal themselves.

Chaz wondered if this next project of his would be enough to open up some new categories in the game. Perhaps one of those special abilities…

Oh well, only one way to find out. Chaz pulled a stack of sealing paper, ink, and a few brushes from his pack and set them upon a tray that he'd brought. It seemed so innocent as it sat there, but Chaz knew there was endless potential here.

One of the key techniques on his list to godhood was the Flying Thunder God technique created by the Fourth Hokage. The Yellow Flash had basically won a war with that thing, and even without its combat applications it would prove invaluable to Chaz.

It would probably be years before he could crack it, if ever, but best to start now. He deemed sealing at the same level of importance as medical ninjutsu. Plus, he really wanted to blow shit up.

This shit wasn't easy to come by for an Academy student. Chaz had used his mastered Henge to steal it from some store rooms in the Academy - he didn't think the Academy offered any training on sealing, but maybe it was just there for the instructors to use.

Sealing was supposed to be hard as shit, but he'd managed to spy on a few shinobi drawing up basic storage seals and explosive tags. Between that and some instructional diagrams he'd nicked from the same store room, Chaz thought he should be fine.

His Henge slipped away.

He followed the instructions to the letter. Every brush stroke was made with the utmost precision and delicate attention. Sealing could prove nasty in a heartbeat if you fucked up. Chaz wasn't planning on doing anything really dangerous with sealing until he had the Shadow Clone jutsu.

There was no fucking way that he was gonna get a game over from something as stupid as this.

This was for practice. He analyzed the product - a simple storage seal - and compared it to the example he'd snagged. It was identical down to the last detail.

Well, if that was the case -

New Skill Unlocked: Fuinjutsu (4/100)

Fucking sweet! That's what he was talking about. So his suspicions were correct - he could stumble upon all sorts of skills to reveal more information, even if this didn't really tell him anything other than he fuckng sucked at sealing.

Yeah, he already had that figured out. He'd spent time analyzing the actual seal, but still couldn't make heads or tails of the damn thing. Chaz had managed to reproduce it, but had no idea what it actually meant. It was like transcribing a foreign language. Sure, you could copy it, but that didn't mean you understood it.

Over time that would change. He would identify little pieces. Patterns would emerge.

But for now…

"So this is where you've been running off to, eh? It's rare to see an Academy student so devoted to training. But you're not like the others, are you, Ryo-kun?"

To his credit, Chaz didn't even twitch at the unexpected interruption. He calmly piled up his sealing materials and rose to his feet.

"Mizuki."

"Mizuki-sensei!" the silver-haired chūnin corrected. There was a note of exasperation in his voice, which Chaz took a little bit of pleasure in. Serves the cunt right. He understood all the honorifics and that shit, but it left him smiling on the inside to pretend otherwise. It drove the people here crazy. "I see that you're doing a bit of independent study. Where did you find those materials, I wonder?"

Chaz shrugged. "Here and there."

He didn't bother trying to act all mollified and shit. Mizuki knew damn well where an orphan would have found sealing supplies. To be honest, Chaz rarely bothered trying to act his age. The other kids could sniff out bullshit like a blood hound. It was easier to just act cool and composed and have them all assume that was just his regular personality.

If a seven year old Itachi Uchiha could do it, so could Chaz. Little geniuses seemed to be fairly common around Konoha.

Mizuki smiled. He was of average height, but possessed a lean build befitting a shinobi. Chaz wasn't so sure of his skill level, but he'd gotten his ass kicked by a bunch of Narutos in the first episode. It was hard to respect someone like that, even if he'd seen basic competence during the demonstration spars that Mizuki and the other teachers would put on.

All it took was a glance to figure out the bullshit that Mizuki was peddling: his eyes were softened, his hands were folded behind his back, and an easy smile stretched across his face. What a fucking snake - Chaz knew exactly what he was.

"I expect that if I were to check the 1A storage room, I'd find some sealing paper and ink unaccounted for." Mizuki let the words hang over the little clearing, ostensibly for Chaz to think about what he'd done wrong and cry like a little bitch. Jesus, could this asshole just get on with it? "The other instructors wouldn't be happy about that, Ryo-kun."

"The other instructors? What about you, then?"

Mizuki's smile widened. "I'm a bit more understanding, you see. When I see a student like you… well, I'm not one to stifle potential. I think you can be great, Ryo-kun. I don't think there's anyone else in your class that could have made a storage seal on their first attempt."

This fucker must have read the used car salesman's handbook. He was hitting all the major points: Flattery, fostering that emotional connection, making your victim feel like the most important person in the world.

Maybe it would have worked on a real Academy student. God knows Naruto would have eaten that shit up, especially from an authority figure.

Too bad he was mentally thirty.

Too bad he'd been doing this same shit to everyone in the goddamn class.

Mizuki was a dumbass.

"So I'm not in trouble?"

"I think that we can keep this a secret between us for now." Mizuki winked. "I actually wanted to offer you an opportunity for additional training. Training outside of the Academy. Special training."

This dude sounded like a fucking pedophile. Hell, it was actually a bit of a relief that Chaz knew Mizuki was actually just a traitor. Otherwise he'd be dropping a few comments where Naruto's ANBU shadow could hear - no doubt the Third Hokage wouldn't take kindly to that.

He might do it anyways for shits and giggles, but for now he'd hear him out. Chaz wasn't about to just ignore an opportunity, even if he doubted a chūnin would do much good for him.

"What is it?"

"Good, you don't just accept things right off the bat. That's smart, Ryo-kun, very smart. I think you'll want to accept this one, though!" Mizuki planted his palm against the earth - it seemed to become fluid, and he easily dove in and burst up a few feet away in a spray of grass and dirt. "See that? That's Doton - nature transformation. It's a highly advanced technique."

Doton. He couldn't help but remember the night of the Nine-Tails' vicious attack, his mom opening up that depression in the floor -

This wasn't the time for that shit.

Mizuki brandished a few strips of paper. "This is Chakra Induction Paper. It's grown from trees exposed to chakra from the beginning of their lives. It's used to determine your chakra affinity…"

While Mizuki rambled on in a dull explanation of shit that Chaz already knew, his mind set to moving. He had about as much faith in Mizuki's skills as he did in Naruto's ability to sit still for more than five seconds, but Chaz couldn't deny that having access to a chūnin's resources could prove useful.

He was smart, but there were things that he just couldn't access without risk. If Mizuki was willing to provide him with training tools, techniques, or any extra goodies… well, it wouldn't be that good given Mizuki's status, but it would be a start.

Another plot began to take form in the back of his mind. Mizuki had been the one to lead Naruto to the Scroll of Seals. Naruto had learned a very nice trick from that little mishap. Sure, Mizuki hated Naruto. He'd probably try to kill him eventually, just as he had originally.

If Mizuki even hinted at putting Naruto in danger, Chaz would fucking end him.

But before that point, he'd take Mizuki for everything that he could.

The Scroll of Seals was his major objective. Aside from Shadow Clones, he figured there might be a bunch of overpowered shit like the zombie technique or whatever it was called. Chaz had no interest in the Reaper Death Seal, but the zombie shit was the most broken power ever. Between that and the Shadow Clone technique, he'd be set.

Besides, he'd been curious to see if killing someone would level him up. What better test subject than this jackass? Mizuki was a dick anyways. He'd do the whole world a favor by removing him… plus it would take an agent away from Orochimaru, which could only be a good thing.

"I accept."

Mizuki frowned briefly at being interrupted, but quickly plastered on another smile. "Wonderful! Here, take this. You only have to channel a tiny bit of chakra -"

Chaz already had. The paper was impressively reactive. He'd only fed it a trickle before it hardened, crumbled into dirt, and drifted away on the wind. The remnants just barely moistened to become mud as they fell to the earth.

"Doton affinity, huh? It appears that you have a very minor suiton affinity as well." Mizuki murmured. His eyes were sharp and calculating. "Yes, I can help you with that. Doton is a very rare affinity in Konoha, Ryo-kun. Having a second affinity is even more uncommon. You should be proud!"

Ugh, more of this cheap flattery. He was going to need a shower after this - Chaz felt greasy just being in Mizuki's general vicinity.

"Can you teach me now?" Chaz didn't have to fake his enthusiasm here. He'd put off Elemental Transformation as a dream for the far future. Mizuki probably wouldn't be able to take him far, but that was fine. He could figure out the rest for himself. He put a bit of extra desperation into his words to sell the filthy traitor on it. "Please! I'll do anything!"

Mizuki smiled indulgently. No doubt he was giving himself a figurative blowjob over his success at manipulating a six year old. Fucking loser.

"You're a very talented student, Ryo-kun. I don't mind giving you a few pointers, but it may be some time before you're ready for more advanced ninjutsu. Here, come this way. I'll demonstrate the initial techniques to convert your chakra…"

He'd rather keep his distance from the slimy bastard, but Chaz put his reservations aside and took a few steps closer as Mizuki sat down on a log and began to breathe.

Time to become a badass.

A/N: So here we go! A bit of a surprise evil mentor who is potentially going to be out eviled by our favorite Chaz. Sorry that this chapter is a bit shorter, but I had a lot going on at work this week. I'm going to try to make up for it with next week's update. This one proved to be a bit of an interim - we'll get to see more of Chaz's life in detail then, along with more interaction.

I also just wanted to say thanks so much for all the support. I really appreciate everyone who's been reading this story and giving it a chance. Seeing your reviews makes my day, and I can't wait to hear what you think!