[table][row][cell]Hideo Sarutobi[/cell][cell]"Compromise is a lie told to abdicate duty."[/cell][/row][row][cell][sup][color=#2E2C2C]_______________________________________________[/color][/sup]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/WnDn1y1.jpg?1[/img][/cell]
[cell]It seemed that Hideo had made an impression. Between Tenshi's exasperation, Mizuraki's threat of violence, and Ichika's unmistakable warning, Hideo had stirred the pot. This mission demanded loyalty, however it wasn't his job to foster that loyalty but to evaluate it... along with... many other unmentionable things. Except to stare blankly, Hideo showed no response to the three's mildly hostile responses. He merely waited for their expressions to end and watched while they prepared themselves and their teams respectively. Ichika was the most gracious, which was unsurprising. He approached her and leaned a little closely and whispered, [b]"You said you do not recognize me. It is because you do not have the security clearance. But I recognize you. If Seiji hadn't kept you from rising in the ranks, you would have my job! Yes, I only received it when you were blocked from the position years ago. So, in a way, Seiji wanting you for himself and stifling your career has made you my benefactor. Thank you!"[/b]

He gave the slightest of head nods and a smile and backed up, moving this time to Tenshi, who seemed to have calmed a bit since arriving. Hideo knew that his relationship with his village was strained. The reports from his various handlers over the week had formed the basis of a psychological profile which had been most instructive as to how the upper echelons of Kumo operated. No doubt Tenshi wasn't completely disloyal to his own village and he was surely sending information back, somehow, but there was a reason he'd been barred, so far, from meeting Seiji. His threat-level was still being evaluated.

[b]"Hokori-san, you asked me a question and it is only fair that I answer it. You had asked why this mission was not passed through you first. But... It is only because the mission is not official and you were not intended to know of it. The council had decided that it was important that you be informed about it and added to it, but you were originally to be excluded from it. I will not pretend to know why, I am a simple shinobi. I go where I am told and do what I am told"[/b], Hideo explained, again leaning close enough that only those closest to him would easily hear, and a he bowed slightly. In truth, he knew more about the decision than he was letting on, but that seemed unimportant to the mission at hand. Tenshi was as informed as he needed to be and it was time to move out...

[b]"Follow closely and quietly"[/b], he said to the assembled teams and sprinted silently out of the gate and into the forest beyond.
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