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[i]Electricity bills ... check. Water ... check. Land tax ... check. Registration fee ... check.[/i]

The green-haired chunin scribbled down the last of his payments down into his record book, clicking closed his blue ballpoint with a satisfying tick. All the taxes levied upon him had been successfully been paid, though at the cost of leaving his funds dangerously low, if his ledger was any indication. That period of hospitalisation and rest had been a scourge on his budget, as the lack of mission payments meant that he was working off a minimal amount of money for a decent amount of time, incapable of performing his duties properly and earning more. Still, he had bought his groceries earlier in the week; there wasn't much else he could spend on anyway.

He leaned back into his chair, stretching his arms out to release the built-up tension. It was probably time to deliver his report for his last mission to the Tower. Pulling himself to his feet, Haruka moved to exit his apartment, opening up his window and climbing up onto the rooftop of the complex. It was a common sight to see ninja travel around Konohagakure in such a manner, especially as it was far quicker and convenient than the standard ground travel. There was no need to descend to the earth when all he needed to do was run across the roofs in the general direction of the Hokage Tower.

Its central location was truly convenient.

With a final leap over a chimney in his path, the nineteen year old landed on the Tower, entering through one of the windows that those working inside kept open in case people preferred not to use the doors. It made it far easier for him to get to the mission floor, where ninja of all ages and ranks were swarming about, checking their assignments and in general just planning with their teams on what exactly to do.

"[color=f26522]Ueno my man, it's been a long time![/color]"

[img]http://i.imgur.com/pE70Qax.jpg[/img]

Haruka's eyes flickered over the source of the noise. Sitting at the mission desk and waving over to him was a girl with long black hair and a rather elaborate brooch. He recognised her immediately, noting the permanent grin plastered onto her face and glowing red eyes. It'd been a few months since they had interacted, but he found himself falling into the usual routine that existed between him and his old genin team.

"[color=007236]Yata,[/color]" he replied, greeting his former teammate by name as he crossed the floor to the mission desk. "[color=007236]How have you been?[/color]"

The girl ([i]special jonin now, if the new flak jacket was any sign[/i]) jammed a thumbs-up into his face. "[color=f26522]Same old, same old. Setting things on fire, painting trees and flirting with your lil' bro.[/color]"

[i]What?![/i]

A barely restrained laugh escaped his old teammate. "[color=f26522]Man, I'm just joking. I prefer older types, remember? Those rugged, muscular dads ... mmmmmm.[/color]"

"[color=007236]I'm not particularly keen on hearing about your taste in potential romantic interests again,[/color]" said Haruka flatly, handing over his mission reports. "[color=007236]The overly gaudy and prosaic speeches from our youth were enough.[/color]"

"[color=f26522]Ah, I've missed having my own personal killjoy,[/color]" she sighed, shaking her head in a joking manner as she quickly ran her eyes over the report before filing it for further perusal later. "[color=f26522]By the way Ueno, a mission came in recently that might be right up your alley. Interested?[/color]"

The green-haired chunin shrugged. "[color=007236]I am open to it.[/color]"

She seemed to brighten considerably, immediately grabbing a nearby manila folder and pushing it into his hands. Haruka didn't know if she was glad to be rid of it, or if there was some other motive behind the overly excited movements his old friend was making. It immediately had him on guard. One could never be too careful around Yata when she was showing signs of being very happy.

"[color=f26522]So here's the deal,[/color]" she said cheerily, leaning her head in closer and lowering her tone to a mock-whisper. "[color=f26522]One of the ministers down at the Capital, a bigwig noble, has been receiving assassination threats recently. And by bigwig I mean he's real big. Like, super old money, member of the Honourable Daimyo's inner circle. He's worried for the safety of him and his family, so he's sent this mission down to us.[/color]"

His curiosity was piqued. A bodyguard mission in the Capital? That was definitely something he was interested in.

"[color=f26522]Anyway,[/color]" she continued, "[color=f26522]the mission's looking for three chunin and a genin. If you wanna take it, it's up to you to assemble a team. Don't fail though, this guy's a pretty strong supporter of Konohagakure.[/color]"

That was a pressure he probably hadn't needed.

"[color=007236]Why me then?[/color]" asked the green-haired chunin. "I would expect a mission like this to have been assigned to someone of greater skill than me."

Yata chuckled. "[color=f26522]Man you still humble as ever. You'll be fine, and besides, ain't your sis' dream to be part of the entire Capital thing? You doing this will be great for her chances.[/color]"

Haruka nodded, accepting the folder with quiet thanks. It was good to be reassured by a friend, and there was logic in how he could influence his sibling's own career for the better. Still, it meant that there was no way he was allowed to fail.

"[color=007236]Understood,[/color]" he said, thinking of who exactly he would recruit for the team. "[color=007236]Thank you, Yata.[/color]"

"[color=f26522]No worries man. I got your back.[/color]"

He was fortunate to have such support. With one last smile, the green-haired chunin walked away from the mission desk, heading out into the village to search for his team candidates. Two more chunin and a genin. Who would be fitting for the duty? Aoi? No, she was personable but not exactly someone fitting around nobles. Jaakuna? Was he even available for a mission?

Yamato? The trade connections could be useful. Maybe he could bring along the Uzumaki as well; there was prestige in the name and it would make a better impression on their charges. And there was ... Kakiyama, was it? Haruka had not worked with the other ninja much, but a generalist was always good to bring along.

Selections made, he set off further into the village in search of them.