[center][img]http://i59.tinypic.com/wvpkww.jpg[/img][/center]

"[color=007236]Aye aye.[/color]"

Haruka was perfectly fine with staying back with the genin while the other two headed further into the abyss (overly poetic of him, but he wasn't too sure of other descriptors to use for what lay within the shoe store). Somebody needed to ensure that the lively duo didn't run off or try and kill each other, and if that was what was required of him, then that was the duty he would seek to uphold. In what could be now classified as enemy territory, safety and security was always something to keep in mind.

Still, puppeteers ... and so many, as well. Though the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War had allowed for knowledge transfer to occur across the continent, the highly skilled puppet-nin were still usually exclusive to the Village of Sand, meaning that it was possible that whoever lay behind all the occurrences could have been previously affiliated with Sunagakure. "Previously", as his village and Suna held a strong alliance that had lasted for numerous decades, and it would be highly unlikely for them to interfere with what had supposed to have been a Konoha mission.

Maybe it wasn't a former Suna-nin, but it was something to keep in mind.

"[color=007236]What do you two think?[/color]" he asked, turning his attentions upon the two genin. "[color=007236]I wish to hear your thoughts upon the situation we have found ourselves in.[/color]"

It was always good, getting a fresh perspective that wasn't his.