[Uehara Shin]

Just before new years, after having tried for a while to get an audience with someone from village leadership, Shin could finally breathe a sigh of relief that he'd at last managed to get an audience. Although he hadn't been told how many people he would meet, he knew that he would get to talk to the current leader of the village, Nakahara Ichi. What made this interesting, was that at one point they were both at the academy and at the same time, but Shin could not recall them ever interacting in an official manner. Even after becoming Genin there was basically no overlap where they would've worked together. Was this just the difference in their status? Shin was collecting thugs to work for him, while Ichi became the little lord of this Shinobi village. There was definitely something special about him, though the young man from the Uehara Clan did not have a full grip on what it was. He'd only seen this leader from afar and really wasn't in the position to investigate him closer. Not that he wanted, there was no reason why he would.

His chance to meet the Kusa Lord in person for the first time aside, he had come here to talk business today, and he was pretty optimistic about it, even if he had to bring his request up before a council of people rather than just the lord. Confidence though was never a problem for him, even if he had to talk before every Shinobi village leader at once, he could make his pitch. The issue was if his idea would be appreciated. He had the right words in mind to make his request not sound childish and uneducated, but to some extent he was trying to force his way into the countries balance. This country was full of peace-loving tea drinkers who'd like to remain in safety, just look at that one guy he met when training who offered him tea and preached his protective ways. Shin wasn't sure where his meeting today would take him, maybe he'd put suspicions on himself and get in trouble. It was the gamble he'd have to take, the thing he'd worked towards for the past years. Despite all that, he did not prepare any fancy get up or even a new haircut, he came as he always dressed. His attitude was relaxed and casual, still showing his confidence. He would go in no games. He was sure that Ichi had received some form of information about himself, especially since his rank was not negligible by now.

It was showtime. He entered the central administrative building and registered his arrival. There was still some waiting time before he could be brought before Ichi, granted, Shin was also a bit early. He spent his time mainly looking about the mostly empty waiting room, lost in thoughts about recent ongoing, before he was called to head for a certain room that he expected to be the Lord's office. When he arrived, he knocked on the door three times and waited for a response asking him to enter.