{Training ground #21, Konohagakure}

{7:36 PM, 18th Jan 13 Yrs ANB}

{3rd Person POV}

Ren didn't know how he ended up in this situation, he was done with today's training like always and was on the way home. The 6th level of resistance seal once again had exhausted his body to the brink of collapse and now he was quickly realizing that maybe that wasn't such a good idea.

For a moment he panicked, he couldn't see anything and his thoughts jumped to the most obvious conclusion but thankfully he could at least move his eyes.

'Whatever is blocking my movements is probably also cutting off my sense of sight, but how did they manage to do that, is it a seal?'

He tried to move his neck but all his muscles were stiff, no matter how much he tried after a few moments he realized that he was stuck. Realizing that panicking won't do him any good, and seeing that he couldn't sense his chakra he used the only option he had.

'Status...'

A gleaming blue block appeared in front of Ren, his gaze immediately focused on the blue block, and slowly the genjutsu he was under unraveled. As colors returned to his vision Ren focused on the two people in front of him, the male had unkept dark brown hair that came out from his headband framing his face along with a small patch hanging down on his forehead. He was dressed in standard Konoha Jonin attire with a sword in a sheathe hanging at his back visible above his left shoulder.

The woman was completely opposite to the unkept Jonin, she was dressed in a blood-red long-sleeved, high-collared top, which was fastened with a broad leather belt around her waist. Ren could see stress bandages covering her legs as her sharp red eyes were staring at him. Her hands were morphed into a bird seal as her long, wavy, dark maroon styled with a simple headband, keeping it out of her rosy face.

'Kurenai Yuhi and Hayate Gekko who are they and what do they want...'

Ren had to calculate his next actions very carefully and the fact that the names of the two people in front of him were blue prevented him from going into full protection mode and using all his saved-up stat points to break away.

"I wasn't expecting him to break my genjutsu, it seems like the teachers in the academy missed another important thing..." Kurenai muttered as she looked at the newly minted genin who was looking up at the two of them in a daze.

'It is such a stupid plan why did I have to owe one to Hayate of all people...' Kurenai lamented as Hayate stepped forward getting Ren's attention.

"Hmm, it seems like you're a little bit better than I thought, but then again it doesn't make a difference." Hayate unsheathed his sword and placed it at Ren's neck. Ren's senses screamed at his body to move but he couldn't even budge his eyebrows at the moment.

'This seems and feels like a genjutsu, seals leave behind more physical evidence and this sensation seems a little fake, and empty, should I dump all my stats into INT and try to dispel this genjutsu...' before Ren could act on his thought though Hayate spoke once again.

"And you're dead, even an academy student would be able to kill you with a small cut with just a kunai," Hayate turned his sword and patted Ren's artery with the flat side of his sword.

"For the Rookie of the Year, someone who could go toe to toe with an experienced Inuzuka chunin to die at the hands of an academy student...tch tch tch," Hayate continued teasing.

'What do you want,' Ren tried but the words didn't come out of his mouth, understanding the conundrum he was in Hayate stepped forward as he leaned down, "Why are you so sure you would be safe inside Konoha, you were so assured of your safety that you trained yourself to exhaustion, every day at the same time you stumble across the same road back home. A fast enough kunai would have ended you but you can't even acknowledge that, what kind of shinobi are you."

'Whaa-' Ren was speechless, he paused his struggles as his thoughts collaborated once again trying to picture the scene that this Hayate guy depicted.

"Are you feeling so secure inside the village, didn't you hear the story about the bloody night in the Uchiha clan? Due to their arrogance and their being not vigilant enough, the entire clan was wiped out by their heir, so why do you think you are completely safe within the village." Hayate finished his tirade and Ren's bindings loosened. Ren wanted to back away but he also wanted to stay and listen to Hayate's next words.

After a moment Ren dashed back before he was engulfed in the eternal darkness once again. This time he summoned the Blue blocks once again, and the visual genjutsu shattered once again. As he was still unable to move Ren could only focus his attention on Hayate's words.

"You have worked your body to the ground, every day breaking down your body and then doing it again the next day. You managed to gain massive progress to your physical capabilities but you don't understand the rhythm of your own taijutsu style, you hammer your fist at your opponents at your maximum speed but fail to realize that taijutsu is something more than just simply being faster than your opponent." Hayate analyzed, he pointed out another mistake that had been bugging Ren the entire day, by now Ren had stopped struggling, he had realized that the real reason that he was trapped like this by two Konoha Jonin would be that maybe because they couldn't bear to look at his obvious mistakes.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

'I'll take it, any guidance is better than having no clue where to start.'

Ren's bindings disappeared completely, so he asked the question that was hammering on the walls of his mind, "Who are you...?"

Hayate smiled as he suddenly coughed a couple of times, "My name is Hayate Gekko, this is Yuhi Kurenai and you have a decision to make, would you like to be my apprentice or a member of a genin squad under Jonin Yuhi Kurenai."

...

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{Hokage's Office, Administrative building, Konohagakure}

{Earlier that day...}

{3:49 PM, 18th Jan 13 Yrs ANB}

{3rd Person POV}

"...Now what was the reason that you two decided that this cannot wait till the meeting tomorrow" Hiruzen stared at Hayate and Kurenai, as he lit up his pipe for a relaxing smoke he could see the nervousness in both of them.

Hayate was the first one to speak up, "Hokage-sama," he bowed politely, "we were watching the graduation exam of Class 401 earlier today. The reports about Ren's capabilities are greatly misjudged by the academy instructors. Not only does he have high-chunin level speed but he also used the Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu in the extra credit portion of the ninjutsu exam."

Hiruzen paused briefly as he leaned back and contemplated what he had heard just now, he started dissecting all the information he could gain from Hayate's comments.

'So Ren is hiding his full capabilities... but then again he showed his full potential in the final exam, the one exam that matters to him. While it still would have been better if he kept the degree of his strength to himself and then shared it with his sensei it still diminishes the chances that he has some ulterior motive...'

"Tora" Hiruzen spoke and an ANBU with a tiger mask appeared in the room, "Do a background check on Ren... and tell Iruka to fetch me his complete file."

The academy students weren't actual shinobi, but they still had a file that was maintained in the Konoha records, while it may not be as detailed as the file they have on any genin that came under the preview of the shinobi council, it could provide an insight into why Ren was hiding his strength till now instead of seeking glory.

'He shouldn't be a threat but there is nothing wrong in taking precautions,' Hiruzen thought as he stared at the two Jonins in front of them, 'The rest of them weren't there huh... I need to cull this batch a bit more to get more active participation, at least when it comes to selecting their potential students and teams.' Hiruzen sighed and then indicated for Kurenai to go on.

"Hokage-sama," Kurenai bowed again, "Not only did Ren-kun show an impressive C-Rank Katon ninjutsu but he also showed a very precise chakra control when he used all of the basic ninjutsu which foreshadows his immense potential as a Genjutsu master. I would once again like to form a search-and-destroy squad as he would more appropriately be able to fill in the role of mid to short-range combat with his taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu prowess."

...

'Hmmm, now this is an interesting turn, the day before yesterday Kurenai was ready to give up Ren and make a squad with Hinata Shino and Kiba... and why was there an additional portion in the Ninjutsu exam.'

Hiruzen took another long puff as Hayate stepped forward slightly, "If I may, Hokage-sama" Upon seeing Hiruzen's nod he continued, "any team that Ren would end up joining would suffer from a lack of teamwork with one member being so far ahead of the other two. It may lead to a lack of confidence and trust within the team. So I want to take Ren as an apprentice and hone his raw physical attributes towards a more comprehensive shinobi."

'Interesting point but then again we trained these kids to set them on the path of becoming Jonin sensei...'

Hiruzen took the pipe out of his mouth with his right hand as he spoke, "Do you know why all Konoha teams are 3-man cells led by a commander." Hiruzen asked causing a smile to bloom on Kurenai's face as Hayate sighed.

"Because a 3-man cell almost covers each other's weaknesses in front of a stronger opponent," Hayate spoke.

"Exactly, in front of an adversary that one can not break through individual strength alone, by relying on combination jutsu's and tactics you could survive and stall till backup arrives. Konoha has always operated as 3-man cells and now even Iwa and Suna follow a standard 3-man team. The Elite class is taught in such a way that they have more coordination than your average shinobi. They are the leaders and commanders that are one day supposed to lead another generation of shinobi into the field."

Hiruzen stopped and let his words sink in, "Even Kakashi Hatake and Uchiha Itachi were part of a standard 3-man cell, why do you think Ren deserves a treatment that even they never got."

Hayate paused as he sighed with a complicated look on his face, he stepped back, and Kurenai smiled thirimutantly before she could speak though Hiruzen continued, "While that has always been the case I still believe in your vision Hayate-kun, you believed in Ren's hard work before anyone else," Hiruzen's face showed a soft smile. He opened his drawer and pulled out a form from his desk.

"I still remember when you asked me last year to take Ren as an apprentice after Kakashi failed him. This was the form that you submitted, a form that I approved but you never got the chance as the very next day Ren applied to rejoin the academy." Hiruzen pushed the form towards Hayate who walked forwards and picked up the form once again. He recognized his handwriting as he sensed Kurenai's eyes staring at him.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama" Hayate bowed but Hiruzen waved his thanks away. He leaned forward and stared at the two of them.

"An exception could be made for Ren since he technically failed the true genin exam last year and according to Kakashi's report, he does not have leadership qualities thus allowing him to take an apprenticeship under you. But to do that his previous failure would go in his official record which would make it a little harder for him to get any official positions in the village administration in the future."

Hiruzen let his words linger for a moment before he spoke, "That is not a choice he should make without knowing the true circumstances."

Hiruzen saw his words sink in, Hayate looked at the form once again before he spoke, "Understood, Hokage-sama."

"Good, I think this was it?" both Hayate and Kurenai nodded before they left the room. A few seconds later Iruka entered the room followed by an ANBU who was carrying a file with him.

"Iruka-kun, I heard there was an extra credit-"

...