Leaping through the canopy, Fire Country appeared as a sea of roaring flames, autumn leaves rising and falling through branches drained brittle through the closing winter frost. Sun falling, the intensity of their infinite amber ocean rose to a crescendo, causing the Uchiha to duck his trajectory beneath those leaves, seeking solace from the glistening array of sunset that stung his weary Sharingan. Sparse shadows beneath the branches blended well with the Uchiha's young face, concealing concentric rings of deep darkness beneath his eyes, masquerading the bloodshot sclera by drawing focus deeper into those crimson irises, spinning with tragic tomoe. Kirei moved as casually as possible, reflexively hiding his reasoning as to descent beneath the canopy, trained to cover his weaknesses without revealing them the Uchiha remained with a slight smile on his face as he shook his head free of daydreams to pay attention to the task at hand.

Nodding along, Kirei's jovial grin and relaxed demeanor drained slightly as the pair sped toward the entrance to the village which had become their destination. Taking cues from Fuyuko, the Uchiha sobered his outlook, focusing his Sharingan across the crowds, memorizing the ebb and flow of chakra which emanated from the village, taking note of the patterns which spun through each tenketsu in case he found himself tracking soon. With an affirmative gesture, the Uchiha descended from the trees, a cloud of smoke dispersing from his body as his right arm raised to form a half-handed seal. By the time Kirei parted the veil of his jutsu, his personage would change, tatters of black clothes stained with dried blood and dirt, short cropped black hair and a pair of charcoal eyes. He would not glance back toward Fuyuko, and the grasp of her Senjutsu affinity would find itself lapping at a new chakra signature, alluding to the advanced nature of Kirei's transformation, no mere academy technique at work.

Hidden in a lie, Kirei felt at home again. No stranger to the art of espionage, the ROOT Agent made his way through the rabble, shoulder bumping through onlookers who scowled and were met with deadly stares in response. From afar, if his partner were watching, she would see the Uchiha's body language change profoundly, as if with the transformation, he had become a new individual. Unskilled in combat, the Uchiha was nonetheless known for his skill as a shinobi infiltrator, scout, and spy, owing to his years of training as an agent of ROOT, but also his cover in the ANBU. Words of revolution met the Uchiha's ears, a man drew attention to the state of things, with nations claws closing around each others' throats, military presence rising throughout the Fire Nation, and a display of opulence in the Chunin Exams which, he postured, highlighted the inequality of the shinobi world. Whispers flew through crowded lips, exchanging ideas between them, drowning out the nearby sound of wind and the footsteps of those who wandered by, ignoring the sermon. Close enough to mingle with the crowds, Kirei could hear the various rumors circling, and how this man was able to stir primal feelings in the hearts of those who surrounded him, but another string of voices gave the Uchiha reason to pause.

"These crazies are rallying at Konoha's southern gate after this."

"You mean?"

"The Village should be preoccupied with the protest, we can move everything tonight. These loons cry about oppression and keep the ANBU busy while we can finally slip our haul out from that fucking warehouse on Tobirama River."

Draining away, the Uchiha allowed the crowd to write and absorb him, vanishing into the masses like a ghost before emerging at its flank, transformed eyes catching Fuyuko's observant gaze and gesturing her back toward the treeline. Careful to embark away from prying eyes, Kirei allowed his transformation to wane and would thoughtfully loop his way around the treeline until he could meet his partner out of sight.

"The crowd there is meeting before a protest they have back toward the Village tonight, that all seemed pretty normal, ya know? But get this, there are some guys on the far side of that crowd talking about this protest being the perfect distraction to move something from a warehouse on Tobirama River tonight. I dunno what they're talking about but if someone's moving stolen goods through Fire Country, that might be what you're looking for, right Fuyuko?"

Ready to depart on Fuyuko's order, Kirei's report came with deliberate cadence, annunciation clear and direct as if reporting to a superior. The Fox Sage would quickly tell Kirei as an experienced scout, but something shook in the back of Kirei's throat, a lingering hesitation beneath the surface of his words. He would listen to whatever reply came, and then happily be off toward the river, where they would follow its curves into the unknown.

Off again, the pair slinked away from peripheral firelight, vanishing into the dusk with any remnants of day. Gone were the last waning lights trickling back behind dark clouds as the silent duo of shinobi plummeted toward the river's edge. Kirei's reply came in the form of a quiet affirmation, and trailing Fuyuko, the pair would glide free of the view of the settlement along the treeline before it broke toward the riverbank. Beneath his cloak, the Uchiha's fingers thrummed through cords of wire which linked together his tools, kunai, and shuriken strung together in wreaths, hidden beneath those ebon folds, and Kuon who sat at his hip in wait to defend its master. What can't have been more than minutes stretched out in the quiet to hours, and Kirei shook his head free, gold mane collapsing with a sigh of relief as lights broke through the forest.

From their vantage point, Kirei could watch the slithering guardians who prowled the warehouse perimeter as if the sun had been shining from above, Sharingan unphased by the trees or shadows as it twitched through quivering veils of chakra to identify each who might become an impasse. Fuyuko's instructions were simple enough, and Kirei affirmed them with a gesture, unwilling to risk revealing themselves even as the shinobi parted from the trees, barrelling in opposite directions, Leaf to the south, Mist the north. Kirei's parting words would be a whisper of good fortune to his partner before the southern flank of this warehouse would become his target. Body becoming shadow as his foot touched down, the Uchiha would vanish to a watch obscured from the guards, slithering through the ample dark.

With two guards patrolling the rear door alone, and several more dotted throughout the surrounding trees, including two pairs either side of the main structure, whatever had been stored in this warehouse was making the Uchiha more and more curious by the minute. Sharingan piercing through the sheets of steel and brass, he could spy chakra beating faintly in pockets throughout the structure, causing him to grimace at the possibilities. Wasting no further time, the Uchiha crept through his shroud before rising in an inky burst from blackness with hands pressing together tightly before parting to reveal a candle, the peculiar Genjutsu being lit with the Uchiha's Katon and set to burn in the undergrowth. With no danger of catching the trees alight, the illusion's smoke would expand, filling the night with a hazy warmth. In the trees' embrace, the two furthermost patrols would find themselves yawning, eyelids pulled taut by strings of Genjutsu smoke, before finding refuge in the comfort of sleep, collapsing in the bush with little fanfare as the Uchiha made his approach. Leaving one side of the additional patrols to Fuyuko, the ANBU made his way east, skulking through the surrounding trees and out with silent footsteps.

Upper body still, the Uchiha moved as predator, stalking behind the pair of guards, unfurling a string of cloth between his hands and pulling it together between them. Dancing through the grass, Kirei would dart for the leftmost guard, slipping forward and twisting his body to collide back-to-back, sending a pulse of chakra from his body which withdrew a pair of glassy eyes as he stumbled forward into sleep. Leaping forward with his assailing the mouth of the second guard, shinobi quickness would overcome, Kirei's Sharingan would twirl hypnotically, lulling another victim into the haze of Genjutsu and allowing the Uchiha to maneuver freely and meet his partner on the opposite side. By now, the candle lit within the treeline had woven its illusion throughout the southern flank, the incense burning long enough to keep this as a reliable escape route. Skipping around the corner to the western side where he and Fuyuko would meet, the Uchiha would see whatever remained of her excursion before giving her a confident nod to assure her of the completion of his task, and swiftly approach. If the other shinobi caught his eyes, Kirei would seek to trigger a Genjutsu between them which they could use to speak, harmless illusory prowess would save them time and risk, and if enchanted, the pair would remain standing, world around them shivering still and frozen in time. Otherwise, the Uchiha would speak low, and relay his information.

"There's men in and outside, and I can see through the walls there are some weird chakra signatures. I don't like the look of any of this. I have a Genjutsu to the south, which means we can escape that way if something goes wrong."

Above the treeline, several miles toward the horizon, a spark of red and gold would illuminate the darkened sky, light glossing over stars as trails of matching smoke fell from its apex. Fuyuko would doubtless see the Uchiha's posture change, stiffening toward the fire before turning back to her, voice quiet but urgent.

"That's an ANBU riot signal. Be careful, I'll be back soon, and we'll get to the bottom of this."