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Who: Neji and Hizashi
When: March 22nd
Where: Jounin Station
Notes: Father and son catch up after some unnecessary sneaking around.

Admittedly, he wasn’t doing much more than refreshing his memory with what he’d learned recently. His sealing and first aid training came with modest books of their own, but most of it was practical application and the books were just a general guide and contained more theory than anything. So when he found a bird pecking at his window, Neji gladly set the books down to let it in.

But it didn’t seem interested in coming in, more preoccupied with his fingers while they attempted to retrieve the scroll case. He relented, and upon realizing he had nothing for it, ruffled its feathers and puffed up. He chuckled shortly, and finally worked the message open.

It was from his father, proposing to visit in an hour or two. The Jounin glanced back to his books and over to his newly acquired table set between the living room and kitchenette. There was plenty of time to clean up, given what little there was to do. Neji stroked the side of the bird’s feathers with a crook of his finger, then moved to find a sheet of paper.

Father,

I’m relieved to hear your mission went well. I have an assignment beginning tomorrow at the Spring Festival in Wave Country, but I’m free for the evening. I’d be glad to have you over if you aren’t too worn from your own and you’re sure you can spare the time.

I appreciate your consideration for me, and I’ll have some tea prepared for us after dinner, then.

Sincerely,
Neji

Neji tucked the note into the scroll case. “There’s a feeder I put up outside the lounge,” he informed it, never knowing how much the courier birds really understood, but always willing to try. “Just don’t delay my message too long.”

It blinked at him, then turned and took off into the night.

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If there was one thing Hizashi was grateful for at Headquarters, it was their lockers. A few changes of clothing made all the difference in the world for maintaining secrecy; once the little messenger bird brought back Neji’s response, he could finish his work, change, and leave straight from there. No ANBU worth their salt would be caught dead buying groceries while in uniform; anyone who knew their preferences or habits well enough could see straight through their mask, at that point, even if they were shopping for someone else. He didn’t need much for one meal, but…..

The simple fact was that he wasn’t buying for one meal. He wasn’t even buying for two. If he knew Neji’s habits right, then he should buy enough for several days’ worth of food. How many times had the boy come home from missions, and would have simply crawled into bed hungry if something hadn’t already been prepared? Neji was focused, driven forward by whatever concrete goal he’d set for himself. It was an admirable trait, but still, when it interfered with his health….. well, he wouldn’t allow it to interfere with Neji’s health. What else were fathers for, after all, if not supporting their own?

Neji hadn’t told him which room number to come to, but that was hardly necessary; all it took was a quick sweep of the building with the Byakugan as he entered, and he was able to find him as quickly and easily as if he’d come to visit a thousand times. No doubt Neji easily could see him, too, if he was watching….. even so, politeness demanded that he announce himself. Hizashi tucked his bag into the crook of one elbow, knocking briskly on the door. “Neji?”

He wasn't watching for Hizashi and instead, threw himself into a cleaning streak to remove even the most inoffensive hints of dust. It didn't really make his apartment look all that much better in the end, because there was nothing impressive about it to begin with. The bits of furniture crammed between the living room and kitchenette didn't match and the paint was faded, but at least it was clean.

Though he didn't expect his father to want to do any sort of inspection, Neji straightened his bedroom and stacked his books and scrolls neatly- just in time for a knock on his door. One last cursory sweep over the apartment as his father's voice sounded through the door, and he was opening it with a smile and stepping aside to let him in.

"Thank you for coming, Father. Feel free to make yourself as comfortable as possible."

Hizashi had never lived in the apartments set aside for Jounins--still, that didn't mean he hadn't spent the odd night or two there, sleeping on a partner's couch to recover from some particularly grueling mission before coming home to Neji, and Hiashi, and the rest of the compound. After all, sometimes the results of a mission could be just as telling as the mission parameters themselves, and care was needed to cover your tracks--care, a discreet bolthole, and a visit to a medic.

There was no need for anything in this complex to be impressive, as far as he was concerned, so long as it was functional. And it seemed that Neji had that all sewn up, if the quick visual sweep he bothered with was any indication. Somewhere to sleep, somewhere to relax, somewhere to eat and study, somewhere to cook..... It was all there. He simply smiled in return, faintly nostalgic as he stepped inside. "Of course. Thank you for having me on such short notice; how is your work coming?"

There was really no need to ask where anything was, between the two of them, especially when Neji had extended such a welcome. Hizashi headed into the kitchen to set his groceries down, and get started on food preparation; no doubt it would be more comfortable for Neji if there was some other task to focus on while they talked, something else to look at and occupy his hands with. No doubt he had a great many questions, was possibly even indignant at this sort of knowledge being kept from him.....

To be honest? He had every right to be, even if Hizashi had his reasons for doing so. Now that they stood so fully as equals, and they were so clearly in Neji's territory..... well, Hizashi would leave it to him to set the tone of this visit, and the conversation.

Neji closed the door as Hizashi moved it inside, locked it against the casual shinobi wandering into the wrong apartment by accident- or even more deliberate visits like Gai or Izumo. Not that he expected either, but Gai was inherently unpredictable in that sense.

Another thing that different from the Hyuuga compound was that the temperaments that made up the tenants of the Station were chaotic at best. A bunch of Jounin living in the same building made up for a unique atmosphere that ranged from exhausted to restless, to completely and utterly smashed. Rather than finding himself offended by these unpredictable types of behavior as some of the older Jounin had thought, he regarded the majority with a sense of amusement. Their displays were more open and honest than the quiet, often stony faces of his relatives.

Like the one in his kitchen, but that came from a lifetime of growing up in the compound, living close to the Head Family and the stress that came with it. Neji picked out a vegetable that looked to need slicing up.

"It's going well. Finished learning the sealing techniques required of me. I'm very close to the end of my extra-curricular training. Roughly two weeks, and I'll be solely focused on working out a new fighting style."

It was an interesting place, wasn't it? So extreme, so raw, so honest a place as to be worlds away from the stilted and subdued and secretive Hyuuga compound. In some ways refreshing, in some overwhelming--it's an entirely different burden, having to completely reorient himself to participate meaningfully in this world. In some ways, it was more difficult to navigate being social with other Jounin.....

But on the other hand, it could be much more rewarding, too, than spending time at the compound. There were fewer solid expectations here, other than some measure of trust and camaraderie, solidarity and authenticity. In the end, it was the last that was the most draining--for shinobi who always had to be on their guard, that sort of vulnerability was both necessary and difficult. It wasn't forced on you, as in the compound's utter lack of privacy, to be jealously guarded and warded off with secrecy and coldness. No, here, privacy was an implicit right--but that meant you had to earn your way amongst your fellows, because each and every resident was there by their own choosing, by merit of their own virtues.

It would be good for Neji to live here for a while. The compound was stifling, sometimes--he deserved a breath of fresh air, and a chance to experience the wider world, a chance Hizashi had needed to painstakingly take for himself.

Hizashi measured out rice and water, and set a pot on the stove to boil. It was a precarious mental balancing act, but he intended to honor the openness that reigned here as well as he could. Neji deserved to know whatever he wanted, at this point. It was with that in mind that he reached into his weapons pouch, carefully setting down a few items that had nothing to do with the meal they were preparing: a set of claws, still attached to their fittings, and a pair of gleaming sai. They were placed without further commentary, as Hizashi settled into the familiar routine of washing and chopping himself.

"You really are nearly through..... I think you may find that the hardest part is behind you, now. Once such technical studies are past, you're free to do the creative work of reinventing yourself."

Neji glanced to the weapons laid out on the counter, stopped slicing to peer more closely at them. So these were the weapons his father used on the field when his natural style was forbidden. Melee weapons, he noted without surprise, and the claws he could see as a sort of adaptive taijutsu. Kenjutsu after all, was a close relation, and a field he'd been considering himself.

He returned to the vegetable and made note to inspect them more thoroughly afterward.

"Yes," he agreed. "Though I'll admit reinventing myself seems to be the most daunting task among the studies I've been put through. Training so long in Jyuuken.." His whole life so far, essentially from the time he could walk. "But it must have been similar for you starting out, Father."

Cooking always had been relaxing. The thoughtless rhythm of stirring and chopping, the familiar sounds and smells, the warmth..... It wrapped him in a sense of safety and home, a daily ritual of care. Even as a child small enough to more easily sit on the counter than stand at it, Neji had helped him cook. It had grown rarer as the boy had grown older, of course, but..... well, here they were.

Here they were, with a whole evening open to talk, and a whole new future laid open beside chapters long since closed in Hizashi's own life. He recalled Neji regarding those same weapons with wonder and delight, eyes so wide they seemed to be on the verge of swallowing up his whole face, features round and childish, hands soft and small. Neji had been so amazed at the chance to practice with him, while he'd been developing his own style. Hizashi was seldom a very expressive man, but there was still a clearly visible warmth touching his smile now, mellow with the richness of nostalgia at the sight. How could he not feel like that, at the chance to finally share something like this with Neji?

"You're right, it was. But daunting as it was, it was the most exciting project they gave me, too. Just by being invited into our ranks, you're being extended a precious trust--Hokage-sama believes in you so strongly, as a shinobi and as a person, that he wants you to be directly responsible for the well-being of the whole village. By passing the entrance exams, you're proving that you have what it takes to fulfill the faith everyone has placed in you."

How different was that from the Hyuuga compound, where a mere accident of birth and others' presuppositions kept you from realizing your full potential? Where, no matter how talented and brilliant and good you were, you would always be regarded as fundamentally less than and lacking?

"Now that you've passed those tests, and learned everything you need to know, that leaves you with a blank slate to work with, and the best resources of Konoha at your fingertips. If you had no limitations, nobody to answer to, and nobody but yourself responsible for shaping who you are..... who do you want to be? What ideal would you make yourself into?"

Taken like that, it was no wonder it had been so daunting for Hizashi--he hadn't approached it as learning a new combat style, but building a new identity, making a new life out of whole cloth. He had cast off the Jyuuken, yes--and with it, the Hyuuga name itself, and its bitterly oppressive legacy. He'd approached it with the exhilaration of absolute freedom and limitless possibilities, a way to cast off the chains his mundane life that so mercilessly bound him and weighed him down. Beneath it all, he had discovered the person he'd always had the potential to be, but never the opportunity. Somehow, putting on a mask had been the only way he'd ever been able to remove the one he'd spent nearly his whole life wearing.

Neji nodded, finished slicing up the pepper and neatly arranged it where Hizashi could reach it. His father seemed to have a handle on the rest, so he rinsed his hands and took the weapons over for idle inspection. He'd seen these before.. But he couldn't place where.

And that. That new identity he needed to craft for himself left him apprehensive. So wrapped up in the clan that had raised him, given him a way to fight and an attitude to follow, he'd deviated little beyond those set guidelines. And now he was being asked to throw it all away and become someone else- himself. Not an identity crafted for him, but an empty, hollowed mask that he had to fit himself into. Who was Swan, a person with no clan behind him?

The thought had left him cold at first, like there was a yawning chasm of emptiness inside himself that he had yet to fill. How much had the Hyuuga shaped him, and how much of it was himself? And what type of person did he want to be? For roughly a week, he'd struggled with that question, wrestled it down and doubted himself, but Obito had given him a glimpse of that person- the person everyone else saw him to be.

Graceful, protective, strong, and loyal..

Yes, that was the person he wanted to be. Reliable, capable, self-assured. Loyal and defensive of those he took under his wing, but with independence enough to make his own decisions and act in the manner he saw fit- rather than bound by proper decorum as dictated by his clan. Always maintaining proper titles, always surrounded by someone he couldn't afford to offend.

The way his father spoke, he made it sound like freedom, and perhaps that wasn't far off. Free to choose who they want to be, to act without consciously monitoring how they moved and how they spoke. Like Hyuuga was just a shell he had to break out of, and the thought made him smile.

Neji's fingers traced absently over metal, aware he'd been 'inspecting' the weapons without real attention as he'd lost himself in thought. He breathed, the curl of cooking food warm and familiar. It had been awhile since he'd shared a home-cooked meal with his father. He set the weapons down.

"Someone rebellious," he half-laughed, having hardly stepped a toe out of line where it mattered. Swallowed down his opinions where they weren't wanted, silent when members of the Head family seemed to operate on flawed logic. But Hizashi at least was helping with that, acted as the Voice of the Branch and so closely related to Hiashi. It was easy to see himself and Hinata would soon be following those paths laid out before them once their twin fathers retired.

"One of those thoughtless people that stands up and speaks his mind against the majority, utterly unconcerned for the consequences."

Those people started bar fights often enough, but despite getting beat up for their trouble, they fought back with strength to back up their conviction- strength members of the Branch family didn't have, because the second they took a defensive stance, they were down before they could so much as take a step forward.

Neji shook his head, shrugging, not sure how sincere he was about that. There was still a part of him hovering in the open door to his cage, afraid of flying out for fear of being struck down. But he was definitely fluttering his wings, chancing glances at the sky above.

"Can I help you with anything else, Father?"

Edited 2014-05-24 02:47 (UTC)

The sound and smell of sizzling oil soon filled the kitchen, as Hizashi began to scrape their cuttings into the pan; it wasn't too hard to mind a simple stir fry and a pot of rice at the same time. The water for the soup would be about right soon, too..... In the face of so much uncertainty and change, it seemed like a good idea to stick to the basics, a time-worn tradition, for something to help anchor Neji and let him fall back on. Not everything was new, after all--some things would never change, and at the end of the day, Neji was who he was, the foundation for all that Swan would ever be.

But he understood the desire to rebel. He, too, had scarcely chanced to breathe a word against the clan when it would have been disadvantageous; even when safely in the company of like-minded Branch members, his commentary was reserved and soft-spoken. allowing the others to give voice to his grief..... all the better to raise the issue with Hiashi, under the guise of concerns brought to him in confidence. People knew they could come to him with their troubles, and that he would diplomatically bring them to light, as privately as anyone could have wished. He too had known the folly of taking a defensive stance, when the very ground he stood on was unsteady.

So why stay on ground that was crumbling underfoot? Hizashi may never be courageous enough to soar, but he could at least climb. He doesn't have the strength of character Neji does, or the steel that will give him wings to fly on..... but as small as they may be, and insignificant their prey might seem, chameleons are still predators. A cunning, patient, unassuming predator doesn't have to be bold or noble to validate its own power, not when it remains nearly invisible until it strikes--and then it can show its true colors, acting swift and decisive to land a crippling blow, with strength applied with pinpoint precision. Perhaps it wasn't glorious or honorable, but Hizashi had chosen the path of the hidden ambush, the light touch, the poisoned blade.

Perhaps Hizashi hadn't thrown away the Jyuuken so much as he had become it, and everything it had the potential to be.

Hizashi laughed a little himself at the declaration, in sheer pleasure at the thought; what a wonder, to see a Branch member who could dare to aspire to such heights! It was something to admire, that was for sure, and to take pride in. A hint of hesitation was little more than self-preservation, but to be able to break past that fear and fly through the door to his cage regardless..... "Someone who can concern themselves with the far-reaching consequences of an action, rather than just the ones that immediately present themselves..... they may be the most thoughtful of them all. By all means, then, rebel--we need more people willing and able to raise their voice."

He couldn't help but be aware of how ridiculous it was, pairing such grand sentiments with such utter mundanity, but Neji had asked..... Hizashi's smile curled in amusement, as he offered Neji the miso. "You could get the soup started; it should be hot enough by now."

Neji found himself slowly smiling as well, the atmosphere lightening with his father's laugh and warm encouragement. He took the miso with a nod and moved to stir it all together, feeling better about the upcoming project of recreating himself.

He'd just be.. himself, without the restrictions of Hyuuga laid around him like loose chains that threatened to tighten at a moment's notice. He'd break through them, give voice to his opinions without hesitation. If he found himself in more trouble for it, then that was a consequence he was willing to embrace.

"So you blend handheld weapons with a different form of taijutsu? I assume you utilize ninjutsu for long-range opponents?"

In went the nori and tofu soon after, and for a moment or two, they worked in silence as the atmosphere lightened. It was clearly far more than what was needed for two people--but then again, they both knew that the more convenient meals were for Neji at this point, the better. Even if he suspected Neji might argue the point, Hizashi knew that it was a necessary thing, too; Neji was as likely as not to go hungry, at least until his fighting style training began, and he could no longer afford to neglect his nutrition.

He nodded his agreement at the question, casting a glance back at the weapons he'd laid out for inspection. "That's right, with occasional poison use. Ninjutsu and summoning are for long-range opponents, and for getting close enough to square off with them at a better range; I've developed skill with water and wind-aligned ninjutsu."

"I see," he returned, working to imagine what his father's varied style might look like on the field while he stirred the soup. A vision of dark, deadly hands wielding short, sharp weapons, and jumping back to knead chakra for ninjutsu. Water and Wind..

"My elements are Earth and Water," he said mildly. "Uzumaki Kushina-san has elected to take over my water ninjutsu training." A fact he found more amusing than anything, because he really hadn't been looking for a mentor.

"I also intend to approach Gai-sensei about alternative taijutsu.. and learn a few defensive Earth jutsu to make up for Kaiten. Beyond that however, I'm not sure how it'll turn out."

Dark, deadly hands wielding short, sharp weapons..... that for the moment were quite peacefully handling spoon and spatula, making space for them to sit together as a family once more. The information was enough to make him raise an eyebrow, even as he nodded. To have such a mentor..... it was rather impressive, to be honest. The Fiery Habañero of Konoha was a skilled shinobi in her own right, regardless of Minato's renown. "Kushina-san has decided to tutor you? She must think very highly of your potential, to take so much time out of her duties."

As well she should, he knew. Even the force behind Ushio's rebirth could appreciate Neji's brilliance, and want to nurture it. She would be a good teacher for him. There's a sparkle of something almost playful in his eyes, a fresh curl of amusement to his lips as he regarded Neji. He couldn't help but appreciate the neat symmetry of the proposal, even if it was a little strange to speak as though they were long-time comrades in this, when Neji had no idea when he'd even joined.

"I can't think of anyone better to train you than those two; you'll be in good hands. And if you need help practicing still, then I'd be happy to spar with you--after all your help, it's the least I can do to return the favor."

Neji shrugged, not certain of that, though he did wonder how much she might have heard, given they'd hardly met.

"It's a more casual arrangement," he admitted. "She has a village to manage, after all. But whenever she's in Konoha.. I have received some instructions through bird, however. As it is, water ninjutsu isn't my primary focus at the moment.."

Switching off the burner to let the soup sit, he moved to assist in drawing out the proper utensils he had few of, but would just be enough for the two of them. Perhaps he should've gotten a larger table, but it wasn't as if he'd have company over often.

"My help?" he queried, straightening. "I don't believe I've really helped you with much of anything, Father." At least nothing that mattered, as he had no control over his father's schedule or the ability to ease any of the burdens he knew he shouldered.

This- making dinner together thing had always been beneficial for them both. If it had been a bit of a chore growing up, he grew to appreciate it more as he began to understand the reason his father wasn't home all the time. And that time was all the more precious when he'd become an active shinobi in his own right.

"But I appreciate the offer, of course. I'm sure I'll need some intensive practice, and I'm also interested to see your alternative fighting style firsthand sometime."

Neji could set the table, at this point; Hizashi easily had everything in hand by now. The cook time for everything was fairly short, after all; it wouldn't be long before the two of them could eat. Time together always had been at a premium for them, especially once Neji started going to Academy, and even moreso once he'd started active service as a Genin. At least, in stolen transitional moments like this, they could enjoy having nothing more pressing to do than enjoy each other's company.

"Understandable..... Kushina-san is a busy woman, but I'm sure she'll do as well by you as she can. What do you intend to make your first priority, then?"

A few quick pokes, and he shut off the burner for the rice, to let the lingering heat do the rest of the work while it sat. Even if Neji had never had any control over the things that chained Hizashi down..... well, he didn't think Neji would ever truly know all the help he's been over the years, the kind of blessing he'd been to him. Some days..... some days, when he was cold and tired and defeated, when he felt the chains cutting into him most acutely and the heel of his betters pressing against his throat, when he most wanted to give up and stop fighting, and surrender to the inevitable erosion of who he was..... Neji was there.

He may not have been there physically--Hizashi had always been careful to try not to show Neji his ugly side--, but he was there in spirit. He was a purpose. He was the reason Hizashi would always get back up and throw himself into the battlefield again, whether that was literal or political. Neji was his saving grace. But how could he ever, ever put something like that into words?

"I don't know about that..... You helped me create that very alternate style, for example. It was an interesting exercise, pitting it against the Jyuuken. Perhaps we should see how yours fares against it, as well--I'm looking forward to seeing your technique develop and refine itself."

"Taijutsu of course, if I can pull Gai-sensei away from Lee and Tenten long enough." That would be a bit of a trial, training in secret away from his beloved teammates. But they'd ask questions and inevitably get curious, and Tenten wouldn't take a dismissive answer lying down like Lee might.

"But I do need some defensive Earth jutsu to make up for kaiten. It'll be difficult, crafting another strong defense, but I have a few considerations in mind.."

They were mostly idle ramblings as he set out dishes and utensils, but Hizashi's words made him blink back to attention as he attempted to remember a time he'd done as much. His father's alternate style...? But that's when it hit him. He'd seen those weapons before in his younger years, as Hizashi instructed him in Jyuuken's more advanced forms. He'd thought little of it then, focused only on mastering his style that he didn't so much as wonder why his father wasn't coming at him with Jyuuken. He'd always thought it was just to get him used to the idea that not everyone he faced would fight like them.

"Well, it's still not as much as I'd like to be able to do for you, but if I've aided you at all over the years, I'm relieved."

Sometimes he suspected that his father needed him to act as a sort of anchor, but other times, Hizashi looked as strong and unrelenting as he ever did through his childhood eyes. But the lines in his father's face were growing more prominent with age, and he glimpsed world-weariness in them enough times that he'd already resolved to be a pillar of support wherever he could.

"It'll be some time until then, but I'm interested as well, father." And the table was set, so he moved to help gather the food and set it out as well.

"I'm sure you'll be able to arrange something; Gai-san will undoubtedly want to do all he can to help one of his own." Hizashi believed that readily enough. After all, what man wouldn't want to help their own son flourish and thrive? And he was a father to Neji, surely, just as much as Hizashi was himself. Gai had guided and taught and cared for Neji for several years, now--and the way the man conducted himself, there could be no doubt that he loved his students as he would his own flesh and blood.

The thought was comforting, in its own way--he couldn't be with Neji all the time, affter all. Having another set of eyes watching out for him--or maybe even three more, as the case may be--was something he appreciated. It was the benefit of having a team, a second family, to counterbalance the loss of attention that one on one apprenticeship such as he'd had offered.

"You've aided me more than I can say, Neji. You've no need to worry on that count." Hizashi smiled back at him, quiet but warm as he turned the stove off; even if neither off them needed to look at each other while they talked, he wanted to, regardless. As Neji was the center of his world, so too should he be the center of his attention, at least for the moment, as he reassured him.

(You are useful. You are capable. You are wanted. You are enough. You matter. You are loved.)

He let the sentiment hang in the air for a moment of silence, as he dished out the food into serving bowls and helped Neji to bring them to the table. His weapons went back into his pouch, with as little fanfare as they emerged. He does his best to remain strong and true, as steadfast a protector and provider as he ever had, but..... well, time marched ever on, eroding even the best of men. Age and worldly experience had a way of leaving their marks, no matter how much anyone wished otherwise. He could only do his best--so that was what he'd do, for Neji's sake. For Hiashi's sake. For the village's sake.

But he was moving to lighten the mood soon after, ready to ease Neji's mind. "I've no doubt it will shape up quickly, once you have an idea in mind and have practiced some to see how it handles on the field--you always have been gifted as mastering such training. What thoughts have you given to your Earth defenses?"

"You're right, father," he said, nodding as he set the miso soup on the table. "I'm sure it'll work out."

And when he glanced up, he caught pale eyes that mirrored his own. For a clan whose eyes observed everything even without the Byakugan, eye contact was usually maintained only when a message was being conveyed- with or without words. It was the same look he'd received countless times before, but meant all the more now, and Neji smiled, then set back to work.

He'd never doubted his father's love for him, felt it as a tangible warmth through his chest that reminded him he wasn't alone. Even if they were both bound in the same ways inside their clan, he'd always have his father's support, and that made it bearable. He was sure it worked the other way around, too.

In a clan that drew lines between family members, he stood together with his father. Here was the person that had first believed in him, and always would, where Hizashi's love and pride was everything he really needed to stand strong.

Neji moved to the kitchen, pried a bottle of sake out of the back of the fridge with a smirk. He was still underage, but he found that once he hit Jounin, other shinobi were more inclined to shrug it off. Whether or not his father would approve was another story, but either way, he'd made sure Hizashi would be able to have a relaxing drink with his meal.

"I recall a technique an enemy shinobi used before," he elaborated while he poured a glass. "It was a protective dome that while effective, rendered them oblivious to their surroundings. My team used that to our advantage, given I could see through it. So paired with the Byakugan, there is no similar downfall. As well, it could be used to contain enemies."

Hizashi simply nodded his agreement, serenely certain; Neji was more than capable of ensuring everything worked out one way or another. How could he not, skilled as he was, surrounded as he was by good, talented people who wanted to see him succeed? Whatever the Hyuuga clan might do striving to keep Neji down..... he would rise above. He would spread his wings and soar higher than those shortsighted fools could ever dream, even with their Byakugans. In a clan where boundaries were everywhere, both within and without, and between even those who should have loved each other most dearly, the two of them stood side by side.

Neji would know what it meant to fly. No matter what, Hizashi intended to make sure of it.

Setting the last bowl down on the table, Hizashi paused to watch Neji retrieve a bottle--sake, was it? At his age? Heh..... starting on that spirit of rebellion already, hmmm? It was a more amusing thought than anything else, especially given it was something so utterly trivial. Neji was intelligent, mature, and disciplined--he knew very well how to handle himself with discretion, and as long as he made sure to know his limits and pace himself? He certainly deserved the right to enjoy a little alcohol when he had a mind to. After all, if Neji could die, why couldn't he drink?

He hardly batted an eye to see Neji pouring the glass, instead nodding thoughtfully at the description. "Interesting..... in your hands, that technique truly would be made whole. Of course, such defenses would effectively anchor you in place." It was a definite change, that much was for sure--drastically different from the free-flowing Jyuuken, unhindered in dancing across the battlefield to both strike and defend at any place and any moment. Would Neji compensate for that somehow, then? Or would he commit to a more powerful and entrenched style, in lieu of being a more agile combatant?

With no objection forthcoming or an otherwise displeased signal, Neji poured a second, then recapped the bottle and brought them over to the table.

"Yes.. It would allow me to prepare for an enemy's assault to a degree, but my own movement would be limited. However.. Earth ninjutsu seems to possess a unique flexibility, and if I can tunnel through the earth beneath in some fashion, I may be able to surprise any enemies intent on it."

At least in theory, provided no skilled sensors were present and he could utilize such a technique effectively while inside that protective dome.

Glancing over the table a final time, Neji didn't find anything in particular missing, and finally settled into a chair.

"In any case, I'll need to do more research before I decide on such combinations, but it's an idea for now."

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