A Contract Gone Wrong

Oh the things that Guren got dragged into.

As his day had been going rather slowly, the Third couldn't help but have the creeping feeling that something unsettling was taking place. While he sat within his office, he'd look over to his son Michio. The young Chinoike had been lying upon the couch in the office, tossing a kunai up into the air and catching it as it fell. Interestingly enough it had been an exercise that Guren used to do when he was younger and bored. Yet now there was never really time for him to partake is such menial pass times. There always seemed to be bigger things at hand, and villagers acting recklessly. Figuring the boy needed something to do, Guren would out to his son.

"Michio," his voice would boom.

His son, catching the kunai from the air would look over to Guren. "Yeah pops?"

"Do me a favor, and do a sensory scan over of the village. Something doesn't feel right."

His son would simply nod, and act on command from his father. Unlike other children his age, he didn't back talk his parents. Instead he did as he was told without question. Perhaps it had been a characteristic of his accelerated maturity. In any case, the Jounin would focus his chakra immensely and scan the chakra signatures throughout the village. In the process, he'd note a quick blip on his sensory radar. It had been a spike of chakra emitted from the home of one newfound jounin, followed by the continuous emission of chakra from two sources. 

"There seems to be something going on in the jounin apartment complex." Michio would say to his father, rather alarmed. Despite his ability to maintain his composure, the jounin was still young. Sensing this level of chakra expenditure at this time of the night couldn't mean anything good.

"Is that so? I'll reach out to the ANBU and have them investigate." Guren would say. And following this, he'd mentally contact the Sunagakure Communications Unit and have them establish a telepathic link to most available ANBU member. In this case, it had been Junko, who readily answered and accepted the task Guren assigned to her. Within mere moments she'd arrive at the scene of the crime, detain the criminal, and begin lugging him back towards an interrogation room towards in the spire. But just before she'd do so, she'd link her thoughts to Guren's and inform him that there had been a criminal at hand who had just assassinated one of the newest Jounin: Kenshin.

Guren would sigh, not out of sorrow for the ogre, but out of irritation of the situation. He didn't know the man at all, but that didn't change the fact that he was a shinobi of the Sand. Furious, Guren would rise from his desk, and begin to storm out of the office. "Michio, come with me. This will be a learning opportunity for you." As Guren beckoned his son to follow him, Michio would do just that. And the pair would use the seal upon the wall to teleport them just outside the interrogation room. There, the pair would find Junko waiting just outside of the room. From where they stood, they could see through the one way glass which housed a single and injured man inside of it. The door was sealed shut, as Junko wanted to brief the Third before they proceeded inside the room.

"Lord Third," the woman would greet Guren. "This is Shin, an assassin of sorts who had some dealings with Sunagakure in the past. Upon investigating the jounin apartment complex, I found him standing overtop of The Ogre's dead body. I don't know his reasons, but he stated he didn't wish to be an enemy."

Guren would say nothing in response, but nod in appreciation of the debriefing the woman had offered. He'd look towards Michio. "Stay here and observe," would be all he said to his son. And with that, Guren and Junko would enter the room as Michio stayed behind and watched through the one way glass window. Upon entry, Junko would close the door and prop her weight against it. Guren, bearing a stern and bothered look upon his face, would make no pleasantries. "What the fuck do you think you're doing in my village? Killing one of our ninja is a heinous crime, one that warrants the most extreme of punishments. Death. Is that what you wish?" As he spoke, he kept his guard up in anticipation of the man and any sudden actions he might have. But one wrong move would have Guren and Junko ready to act.

WC = 777

Reluctantly, Guren would keep a cool mind when listening to the explanation of the assassin. Even though he had appeared injured, the man was dangerous. And this was evident by every word that he spoke. His assassination of the Ogre had been premediated, and the product of a contract he undertook. And from the sounds of it, this Shin fellow had opposed accepting the contract in the first place. Judging by the state that he appeared before Guren, he was right to be hesitant. Unfortunately it seemed as if he was an honest and competent man, two characteristics which Guren respected. But he wouldn't hold Shin to high regards, especially after he had killed a Sunagakure shinobi. Even though the Ogre's past was grim, he had still been newly inducted into the ranks of the Sand Village. But Guren had to remind himself that he only did this out of curtesy of the Ogre's dedication to Kenshin and his sworn loyalty to Sunagakure. It hadn't been of trust, nor interest in the man. And to be frank, Guren hadn't yet trusted him. He had sought to conduct an investigation on the Ogre's background but that never came to fruition. He had only been in the village for a short period of time before ending up dead by the hands of the man who stood before the Kazekage. It had been a weird situation for Guren. On one hand, he felt compelled to punish the assassin. But on the other hand, it seemed as if the Ogre had it coming. Truly there would be no winners in Shin's situation. Either decline the contract and die. Or accept it and face the consequences. 

The Third wouldn't interrupt the lengthy report from Shin, and instead would stand there as an unmovable force. His face matched his body language, serious and stoic. His hands down by his side, just covered by the sleeves of his yukata. With his hood upon his head, he'd stare into the eyes of Shin through every word the assassin spoke. His gaze was piercing, yet he refrained from activating his dojutsu. For the moment there had been no need. He was in control of the situation, and though this man did not seem trustworthy his intentions and words seemed to be sincere. Shin even went as far as to reference his previous good standing with Sunagakure, topping it all off with his willing surrender. Though he made a comment about being able to leave instantly and unnoticed, Guren wouldn't buy his bluff. The threat had been detected as it began, and if needed Guren believed that he and Junko could have arrived quick enough to thwart an escape. But that point was up to debate, neither men knew the capabilities of the other. And it would serve no purpose to comment on the matter. Instead, when Shin concluded his description of the situation, Guren would waste no time requesting to see proof of the contract and the visitation permit.

"Show me the contract, the records, and your permit."

Upon being presented all of the information Guren would rifle through the papers, quickly scanning over their contents. From his time as a missing ninja, he had seen similar contracts though not of this specific type. They appeared legitimate, along with the visitation permit that Shin presented. It had been validated with a Sunagakure seal, characteristic of all visitation permits to the Sand Village. While Guren spent a brief moment looking through the papers, Junko would have her gaze fixated on Shin in anticipation of any act he may take. But assuming he didn't, Junko would remain passive and Guren would lift his eyes from the papers. He'd take a step forward, and drop the stack onto the table before Shin. 

"This all appears in order, and what you say of the Ogre may be true, but understand you still committed a crime against Sunagakure. No matter how new he was to our forces, or how dark his past was. I don't condone his actions, but you should understand the position that you put me in. How do you plan to mend the relationship you had with our village?"

WC = 698. TWC = 1475

Guren would listen to the proposal from the assassin. He was straight forward in offering his services as a hired hand, and nothing more. This was unlike the offers which Guren had received previously. The Ogre sought to enlist within Sunagakure's forces, similar to what Raiden had done. Hell, even Zaled had presented himself as just a traveling teacher. The offer that Shin had presented was dark, and aligned with the cultural position of the village. Nevertheless, it felt wrong to ally himself and the village with someone who had just acted against the village. What a complicated situation. And what a complicated man. He even offered an option to cover up the undercover operation that he would be conducting. It was deep to think on, indeed. And as Guren thought, right when Shin finished his proposal, Junko would speak up.

"Lord Kazekage, though he did kill the Ogre, we didn't really know him. Nor did anyone in the village. I doubt any villagers or other shinobi even knew he was a jounin. But consider Shin's proposal. Though his brashness disgusts me, he could be a valuable ally. Someone more worthy alive and on our side, than dead."

Guren nodded in agreement to Junko. She had been perceptive and straight forward, sparing no pleasantries nor beating around the bush.

"This is a predicament..." Guren began with a slight sigh. "Yes, no one knew about the Ogre. So I am hardly upset about his death, though more concerned with the offense to Sunagakure. What Shin proposes, somewhat remedies this. Though we lost a high ranking shinobi, we could gain a subtle ally. If we were to play along than I would have several terms. This arrangement is to stay a secret, and should it ever be linked back to us, I will pursue you myself. The bounty being placed on your head will be a necessity, and should amount to 300,000 Ryo. Of course this will mean that the Ogre's death and status will be publicized, and the village will know a jounin's blood is on your hands. This bounty will be instated after you have...'escaped'...this village. But I will warn you...seriously harm another Sand Shinobi, and you'll face me.

Assuming that isn't a concern...how do you propose we speak with each other while you are away from the village? I would expect that we have some level of communication in order to conduct business."

Though he was conflicted, it was time for Guren to embrace all aspects of Sunagakure. As dark as they may be.

WC = 425. TWC = 1900

“You’ve thought this out, I see…” Guren began. Though he was not keen on the idea of his shinobi being a target of an assassin, it was at least somewhat comforting that Shin had no intention of further serious harm to his work force. Nevertheless, Guren was firm on his stance regarding the well-being of his shinobi. He would not verbally press the issue though, but would instead offer Shin a serious and concerned gaze when the assassin would refuse a guarantee. As long as the assassin understood that whatever his actions would be, there would be an equal and opposite reaction from the Third. It would be in the assassin’s best interest to stay far away from the Sand Village, yet keep the communication flowing. And that was how the conversation segued.

“I do have summons of my own, and a few messenger ones in my rank as well. Vultures, to be specific. Another potential avenue, which may be one we figure out down the line, is reverse summoning or teleporting to each other. I presume someone of your abilities is capable of that.”

With the end of the conversation nearing, Guren would exchange a soft glance to Junko. The proposition the group was engaging in was serious and confidential, one that could not leave the confines of this room. “Shin, understand that I am offering you a branch of trust. Do not make me regret it.”

WC = 238. TWC = 2138

As careless and compulsive as Shin first seemed to Guren, the assassin was slowly changing the Kazekage's opinion on him. It seemed as if this partnership between himself and Sunagakure would benefit the village more than what having The Ogre as a Jounin would. And come to think of it, The Ogre hadn't done anything in his entire stay within the village. He joined with the intentions of protecting Sunagakure, yet had barely made his presence known. To Guren, having an ally who operated discretely would behoove Sunagakure greatly, but not on a jounin level. That would be more advantageous in the role of an Anbu member, or an affiliated assassin. And that was exactly what Shin had been proposing. Via the previously established mental link between Guren, Michio, and Junko, Guren would begin a brief telepathic communication channel with them.

"Junko, Michio...The information from this meeting needs to stay internal between the three of us. I'll clue several parties in, but this must remain confidential. The death of the Mad Ogre is a slight to Sunagakure, but I feel we are gaining more in return. And on the plus side, no one knew of the Ogre and the Ogre had done nothing for our village yet. Stay on guard, but I think this Shin fellow may be alright."

Though Michio and Junko were startled by the sudden telepathic communication from Guren, they knew better than to show any signs of the conversation. Their posture, demeanor, and expressions all remained unchanged, as did Guren's own. Following this brief aside, Guren would softly nod his head in a single motion. He agreed that it was necessary to think out the whole process before just blindly performing an assassination. And even as Shin had done so, he still was putting himself in a sour situation. To Guren, this spoke volumes on the assassin's planning and IQ. Nevertheless the Third didn't comment more on the subject, and allowed Shin to reply to Guren's comment uninterrupted. And so far, his analysis was correct. There was a barrier or interdiction seals that would prevent Shin from teleporting into the village. And so summons were the only practical way of communication. But Guren would completely dismiss the idea of Shin freely entering the Sand Village, but not after some time spent developing the trust between the two. And still, Guren could freely teleport to him as needed. But again, this was a mute point and did not need to be said aloud. Surely Shin could deduce that much information by himself.

"Aye, summons will do just fine. We will see how this...partnership develops in time, and with that we may look to amend the terms of our verbal contract in the future."

With both men in agreement, it seemed as if the conversation was nearing a conclusion. Up until Shin requested a favor from the Third, to which he'd repay in the future. The inquiry brought a slight smirk to Guren's face, the first sign of an emotion not named furious or alarmed. "That can be arranged." Guren began. "All I ask in return is knowledge of what you plan on doing with the blood of a fallen man."

Should Shin reveal that information to Guren, the Third would nod and internally analyze it. Subsequently, he'd perform a short series of hand seals and the corpse of the Shadow Man would spawn upon the table which lied between Guren and Shin. The man's body had originally been a mess, thanks to the short work Suika had made of him. But Guren had since used iryojutsu to restore his body into one piece, making the man's cause of death being difficult to judge to the untrained eye. In any case, with the body lying on the table Guren would speak up once more. "Take all the blood you need. And I'd like to cash in my favor now actually. I'd like to task you with investigating some areas. I'll offer you a map of whereabouts, but as I am tethered to restoring the village and its shinobi to a state of glory, I'm unable to investigate those locations myself. I realize this information is cryptic, but trust that at a later time I'll send you a vulture which will relay the details you will need."

WC = 718. TWC = 2922