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| - Juro Uchiha trudged up the muddy road to the Howling Wolf Village, cursing under his breath as his new boots were soiled by the stinking mud. Usually against violence, the idea of assassins and assassinations were never something Juro was fascinated by, but the huge sum offered if he successfully finished the mission was tempting. But Juro didn't need the money. He was affluent, his family being successful ninja were all affluent, and his own wage was usually untouched, lying safely stashed in his vault. The kick of a mission was what Juro liked, and apart from the troublesome murder and suspicion, the idea of carrying out a detective-style investigation with more than a smudge of action actually got him pumped. It was a small climb, but Juro was in no mood to expend more energy in the sickening mud. Channeling chakra to his feet, he leaped high in the air twisting and somersaulting gracefully over the slanted soil and reaching the top, where a straight road led to the Vilage of the Howling Wolf, just three hundred metres ahead. Finally, The Uchiha thought as he approached the gates, but a flash of light interrupted him. Almost like a reflex Juro ducked, as a long and thick blade swiped into the air where his head had been. The nimble Uchiha rolled away as the blade slashed again, missing his shoulder by inches. Before the blade could swing again, Juro's foot made contact with the arm that was wielding it, sending the blade and it's wielder flying. The masked man in black quickly got up and attempted to strike at him, but Juro's Sharingan were already active. Merely stepping aside, he delivered three quick blows to the man's neck and sent him sprawling on the soil. The man immediately grasped his sword and tried to strike, but Juro's heel caught him in the nose, making his head bounce violently on the ground. "Is this how you greet your visitors?" Juro mused as he sank one knee onto the mans chest, pinning him to the ground. With a single punch across the jaw, Juro knocked him out and pulled off his balaclava. He was a savage looking man; tanned, scarred, squashed features and a thin beard which reminded Juro of a pirate. As the buffoon's body relaxed, Juro grumbled and dragged the unconscious man by the back of his collar slowly down the road as he approached the entrance of the village. Apart from this seemingly impulsive man, there was nothing else to suggest that anything else was wrong with the place, or that anybody else was watching. He continued dragging his failed assailant through the gates, before he sensed a familiar chakra signature a distance behind. Daisuke Setsu walked, barefoot, towards the chakra signature. He was dressed in his typical clothes for this mission, dark coat and shirt underneath that, with yet more black clothing on his bottom half. His sword rested on his back, clinking quietly as it followed the exaggerated steps he took as he trudged up the path towards the Howling Wolf Village. It was hard going, but without the hindrance of heavy boots it was a lot easier than Juro's journey. The chakra signature itself was decidedly powerful and even someone as untrained as himself in the art of sensing could tell that much. Stopping now, he looked in the direction of the signature, not even needing to squint as his scope picled out every detail of the surrounding landscape. Catching sight of the person, it was obvious that he was a ninja. Looking closer, he saw the symbol on his headband. The Hidden Leaf. He called out to him, "Hail Leaf shinobi! I come to the aid of the Howling Wolf village as requested! Who are you and what is your purpose?" He knew that there was a hidden Leaf ninja on this mission too, but it could never hurt to be too careful. Juro smirked and held a hand in greeting. "Peace!" Juro called out, "I am Juro Uchiha, also here to help this village!" He said, eyeing the new arrival, as the man trudged up towards him. He turned and dragged his fallen assailant through the open gates as the man caught up. Several police officers approached and relieved Juro of his load, much to the Uchiha's relief. Another one approached the two men and bowed, "Misters Uchiha and Setsu, thank you so much for arriving to aid us at our hour of need. The leader is waiting for you at his residence, and I have been tasked to escort you." He said. Daisuke remained an emotionless face through out the greeting, only wavering slightly with the realisation that the man was an Uchiha. "Uchiha..... Well at least he won' be a burden", he thought to himself. Walking towards the man, he acknowledged the police officer's greeting with a slight nod. "Thank you officer", he said. "Lead the way". The two foreigners were led by the man through winding streets and alleys, in what seemed to be a quaint and serene town. Juro scanned his surroundings, taking in as much as possible. He had that odd feeling on the back of his neck, as though someone was watching. Frowning slightly, he followed his escort without complaints as the three men reached an ancient looking building, crafted in the traditional Japanese manner. There were armed guards everywhere, at every entrance and patrolling the green lawns. There were also watchtowers with archers, ready made snipers. Upon seeing the trio, the guards in charge if the main entrance bowed. The man with them spoke a password, and the three were granted immediate entry. "Make your way through this corridor and turn left, sirs." Their escort monotonously said. Nodding his thanks to the escort, Daisuke turned down the indicated corridor and walked, his bare feet making eerily little noise. Without turning his head he asked, "So what's the background for this mission. The brief was a little vague...." Juro walked, following the escort, silently studying his surroundings. "Apparently this bunch don't have the specific manpower to handle this group of assassins—who happen to be made out of shinobi," He kept walking as he spoke, rarely turning his head, only moving his eyes. "There have been several attempts on their leader's life, all of which have narrowly been foiled. They fear that the next one will be a successful assassination, and that's why we're here." He stopped suddenly, feeling uneasy, before continuing. "We nail these guys before they nail this village's leader." He finished as they entered a lavish room with four men standing inside. There was a desk, where an elderly man was seated. "Welcome, and thank you so much for coming. I am Lord Fugaku, thank you again for responding on such notice." The old man said, standing and bowing courteously to his younger counterparts. Juro bowed. "The pleasure is ours, Lord Fugaku. How goes the situation now?" He asked. The old man grew visibly worried, "It is bad, horrible to be exact. I cannot go out and meet my people, or do anything in public with this threat about. I fear that this residence will also lose its' safety soon, I feel like they're watching me everywhere." He said, in a tone which was both dejected and saddened, almost acceptant. Juro squinted as his eyes gradually redenned. "I feel it too", he said as he sensed some odd chakra signal. Daisuke quickly put his hand on his sword hilt, ready to draw it at a moments notice. He hadn't trained his ability to sense chakra enough to be able to determine exactly where the chakra signature was, but Juro was right, it was strange. He looked around, his eye scope picking out every detail of the room in stunning clarity. "Juro, where is it?"
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