It was a good move, probably, or as good as any to start. It was what they were taught, early on, protection of the village and the people that made it what it was; even the failed mentor program through which he'd met Adela in the first place had been an effort to drive that message home.

He wondered, abruptly, exactly how Kiri built loyalty. If at all -- perhaps that was why they'd run into such a large group of missing-nin last time. And it would explain Adela herself. But it would be doing her a disservice to address that to her directly, which left Sasuke floundering for a way to end the conversation or change the topic in any way that wasn't awkward.

"It's a good idea," he said, hesitating, and then latching onto the second-last thing she'd said: "Have you had time to train while you've been here? I expect you've been working on your bloodline jutsu."