It stood to reason that the kraken wasn't as simple as 'giant octopus' (another mark against that poorly-constructed instructions manual on the boat, Sasuke decided sourly). That it was now under the control of the woman in front of him meant that she was a shinobi herself, obvious as that had already been with the smooth efficiency of her movements just now: even the best civilian combatants couldn't use chakra with that judicious touch.

The look on her face was enough to make him want to lean back ever so slightly, but the awareness of another ninja -- obviously enough not a Konoha-nin -- meant Sasuke felt obliged to stand his ground where otherwise he might have made an excuse and fled.

"Yeah -- don't mention it," he said, while a voice in his head that sounded alarmingly like his mother scolded him for rudeness. "You, uh -- you say the previous contract holder was dealt with? Who was it?"