Cap 7…

The ride itself was uneventful. It was the first time Sasuke had ever sat in a car, but he didn't understand the appeal of it. Sure, you remained dry, had a radio to listen to and traveling like this didn't tire you out, but in the case of an enemy attack a car would be crushed in an instant. He saw no quick escape routes, and it also ran on an highly flammable liquid.

And it was noisy, smelled like oil and petrol and metal and plastic and could only travel on flat roads. And if it broke down, it was useless. And… Sasuke gave up after naming another shortcoming and focused on the outside world. In the dark there wasn't much to see, especially now that the highway they traveled on was deserted.

His eyes unconsciously followed the interrupted white line until he slipped into a kind of trance. Alright, he dozed off and Naruto had to wake him when the cab pulled over and the man announced "this is your stop, lads."

Sasuke resisted the urge to rub his eyes. Naruto was already grinning at him, no need to give him further ammo (or get bonked on the head in retaliation to his 'slip' earlier).

A man stood on the side of the road, dressed in a colorful robe and he sported the longest beard Sasuke had ever seen. His eyes were kind, and Sasuke felt at ease with this man. And that put him on guard. The man might be manipulating his chakra to give off pleasant vibes in order to lure them into a false sense of security.

"I'm Tanaka Hideko and this is Sato Daiki," Sasuke said in his native tongue and added: "It was a long journey."

The old man smiled and responded: "But the rewards are reaped."

Sasuke and Naruto nodded in recognition of the password they had agreed on and relaxed a bit. At least they managed to travel to the right employer.

"Alrighty then, I'll be on my way," said their chauffeur. Before he got in his car though, the employer pulled a thin stick from his robes and waved it about.

"Obliviate."

The chauffeur's face immediately took on a glazed look and he stopped halfway into getting into the car. After two seconds of imitating a dead fish hung up on a wall he shook his head, got in his car and drove off without further comment.

"What did you do?" Sasuke asked in a carefully neutral voice and kept his eyes trained on the stick. He resisted the urge to let his eyes flow into the Sharingan. Best not to be identified yet.

"I'm afraid I had to erase the man's memory of this ride," said the employer. "This setting is too conspicuous and the wizarding world has forbidden almost all contact with Muggles. Now, please, follow me. Oh, and I'm professor Dumbledore, in case the name was so foreign to you you'd forgotten it."

"Wait. Are you planning to erase our memories after this year?" asked Sasuke sharply. Dumbledore chuckled and shook his head. Sasuke looked closely for clues the man lied, but either he spoke the truth or he was an expert at lying.

"You aren't muggles. Plus by the time I've uttered the first syllable I know I'll have my throat cut."

Well, at least he was aware of a shinobi's skills. Dumbledore turned his back on them (a stupid move with two shinobi behind them, but then again, he was their employer) and led the way.

Sasuke gestured for Naruto to come, who tried his hardest to understand the conversation but was left behind as soon as Dumbledore said 'conspicuous'. Sasuke made it clear with his body language that he'd tell Naruto later and his teammate grudgingly agreed. He had grown up after all, a little bit.

Dumbledore led them on a long walk, through a thin stretch of forest and finally they spotted something aglow in the distance. The forest made way to grass and as they passed a tall gate Sasuke saw somebody had gouged out letters in the stone. They were unreadable in the dark though.

Dumbledore had been silent for the whole walk but finally he said in their native tongue: "I'll show you to your room. I'll set up a meeting in the morning, so you can introduce yourselves to the rest of the staff. Please wear your masks, because your age will be frowned upon in our culture. You'll have one week to become familiar with the basic layout of the castle. I'm sure the rest of the mission parameters are familiar to you. Do you have any questions at the moment?"

"Yes," said Sasuke. "How do you intend to keep to the last clause of the contract?"

Dumbledore looked back over his shoulder as he answered.

"I have instructed my staff to be on the lookout for anyone wearing a black cloak with red clouds. If they are found, you will be notified immediately and I have placed an emergency Portkey in my office, leading straight to Heathrow."

Naruto frowned at the precautionary measures taken for his safety, but when Sasuke threw him a Look he wilted and shook his head. Now was not the time to complain that they could take on Akatsuki-members on their own.

"That was all," said Sasuke.

But more questions did pop in Sasuke's head as they neared the school. Or should he say: humongous castle. Light shone behind a few windows, but most windows remained dark, making the castle look ominous. They were going to have a hell of a time guarding it, especially considering the many twists and turns the path took. Sometimes the castle disappeared behind the trees and hills surrounding it, so that meant that the path wasn't fully visible from the castle either.

Sasuke noted this as the first flaw in the castle's defense. He heard Naruto breathe "wow" as they neared it. The castle looked impressive indeed, with all kinds of towers and windows and its sheer size was intimidating enough. And the castle felt alive, buzzing with ancient chakra (or magic, as they called it). Sasuke let his eyes slip into the Sharingan and he actually saw the residual wisps of chakra in the air, flowing like the wind.

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