Do you catch your breath, when I look at you?

[heavenly_earth]

Who: Neji and Sakura
When: May 24th; Backdated
Where: Konoha Tea Avenue
Notes: Two awkward ninjas attempt the weird thing called 'dating' with some margin of error.


Neji's uncharacteristically nervous and over half an hour early. Having never been on an official date before, he guesses that's probably normal.

Not that it looks like he's half an hour early. But he's chosen a perch that allows him a good view of the bridge he's supposed to meet Sakura at, doesn't need people crossing it to see that he's waiting for someone- or worse ask. Because he's not waiting for one of his teammates or mentors this time, rather a girl he knows little about, but found intriguing enough to ask out on a ridiculous impulse. Or was it impulse, when he'd been partially considering it since the day after their mission? It must've been the rumors getting to him, suggesting that maybe a date might not be so bad.

Maybe it was the heat.

Minutes tick by, and Neji wonders everything from whether or not she'll actually show to what she might be wearing. Will she bother to dress up? Does he want her to? Because he'd gone through a similar dilemma at home, torn between something more formal, or his traditional robes, because the standard shinobi uniform felt like dressing down more than anything. In the end, he decided against formality, because given the mixed signals he was already perceiving from the girl, he didn't want to send the wrong message. And his robes are semi-formal enough when they're clean and pressed.

It's not like they're going anywhere upscale anyway, so he kind of hopes she isn't dressed up, because then he'd feel like more of an idiot than he already does.

He's pretty sure he's not cut out for this dating thing after all. At fifteen minutes til, Neji finally drops to the bridge below to wait just in case she's doing something similar. He has half a mind to search for her through Byakugan, but for now it's likely best to simply wait.

He's usually good at waiting.

Comments

[notveryspecial]

It was true that age didn't necessitate capability, which was why most of her class became Chuunin long before her, but the unique circumstances of the current Uzushio made her suspect that many of the shinobi who'd made their way to that village were more capable than the average shinobi of their age.

...She really wouldn't know how to react if she knew he'd noticed and remembered her from the Chuunin exams. Shisui had, of course, but for someone who her specialties didn't really relate to, she would have expected Kiba or Shino to outshine her so loudly no one would remember her.

"The Jounin always bet on exams...don't they?" The last part was added as an after thought, when the thought occurred that this was a Jounin she spoke to, not a Chuunin. It was easy to forget, when he was about her age, when most were still her rank at her age. It probably helped to make her forget it that he seemed determined to show interest in her. There were far more capable Jounin women in Konoha than lowly Chuunin like her.

She bit the inside of her lip for a moment, as the thought occurred to her that perhaps he'd mistaken her rank along with whatever else he was misinformed of, but she wasn't given the chance to voice that. Perhaps fortunate, that.

"It must be tightly controlled or highly efficient and minimalistic. There isn't the room in Amegakure to conduct the sorts of training that Konoha would." She blinked, thoughtful. "Perhaps they're genjutsu oriented?"

[heavenly_earth]

Neji glanced at her, obviously amused.

"Those that don't have anything better to do with their time or ryo," he answered. "But once you've been out of the exams so long and overseen so many others, it's about the most excitement to be found, seems like."

He wasn't old enough to relate, but that's the way he perceived it and it made sense enough.

As for the training methods Kiri or Ame might employ, he hummed a thoughtful note, attempting to envision that.

"Perhaps both. Konoha likely does teach a broader range, whereas Kiri or Ame might focus on building up a certain set of skills and focusing heavily on those skills to a higher degree than the larger countries might. In regards to genjutsu, I suppose it's possible, though my knowledge of such advanced applications is limited."

He was first and foremost a taijutsu specialist, after all.

[notveryspecial]

"...I suppose that would be true." It was something of a novelty to her this time around, because it would be the first time she'd seen a Chuunin exam after getting her promotion...but after a while, there wouldn't be much reason to watch it anymore, particularly if there was no one in them with any relation to her.

So maybe it was better to say 'the older jounin always did it'.

She tried not to find it odd that a jounin like him didn't have at least advanced knowledge of things like genjutsu even if he preferred taijutsu as a Hyuga. After all, even Shirakumo had his limitations that he never made any attempt to deny or hide from his students. If a jounin had to be a perfect shinobi, then there wouldn't have been any chance of her becoming jounin one day.

"Whatever those skills might be...they're probably more precise and less destructive skills. Wide-range jutsus would be difficult to effectively practice on a large scale in a country so small, wouldn't they?" She wondered idly how many Ame shinobi worked in the near-constant rain in their country to improve their jutsus on their own home territory (or when it rained anywhere else they happened to be). "It might make it difficult for them in the Chuunin exams...general expertise is more important than specialized expertise in those."

[heavenly_earth]

Neji shrugged, reminded of Kushina's own large-scale technique that had effectively washed away much of one of Konoha's training fields in a demonstration. A technique he was supposed to be learning.

"Probably, in most cases. Though both countries do have an advantage when it comes to water type ninjutsu." And it was true that the Chuunin exams tested a broad range of skills, and they were never exactly the same. "I imagine they might have an advantage in direct combat, and that you're likely correct in thinking that they might experience a number of pitfalls when it comes to broader field applications."

Neji drew his hands out of his sleeves and reached for the door to the restaurant, pulled it open and gestured her through with a slight bow and a smile.

[notveryspecial]

Did Lady Kushina's jutsus accurately represent Uzu's style or training methods, though? Wasn't she a Konoha nin as a child? It would make sense to Sakura that a Konoha nin would have destructive techniques, after all. In contrast, she couldn't imagine effectively training her earth jutsu in Uzu's small village.

"I wonder if it's true many of them are predisposed toward water nature, or if many are only trained in water jutsu to use the element around them..." If in fact that rumor happened to be true, but the belief was probably based in some form of truth even if Ame (and Uzu) shinobi weren't natively born water-based. "Direct combat will only help them if they can first make it to the final phase. An inferior shinobi could overwhelm a better fighter in a place like the Chuunin exams if they use their surroundings and strengths better..."

She was...almost surprised to note that they'd already crossed the distance from the bridge to the barbecue restaurant, but then again one reason the food must have occurred to her in the first place was its proximity to where they'd met up. It would have been highly inconvenient to pick some place on the other end of the village.

After only a moment's hesitation, processing their location, she wandered into the building at his gesture, scanning the area for an appropriate place to sit and mulling over the smell of the food she'd chosen. This wasn't really the kind of food she should have chosen if she were trying to impress him on the date, so she wasn't...really certain about what the etiquette was for eating it in front of him.

Ah, well. She'd eat as she always did, pretending she did otherwise would only perpetuate his misconceptions about her.

"The booth in the corner there?" It was the most strategically sound open seat. No exits or windows behind them, a good view of the restaurant around them, and the window next to the seat was mostly obscured, so passing...people...wouldn't necessarily see or recognize them sitting in it.

[heavenly_earth]

Neji let the door fall closed behind him, glancing around briefly for anyone they might know. No one of note, though that could easily change before they finished eating. He looked to the booth Sakura indicated and nodded, relieved that she didn't want to be bothered by anyone else either.

"Seems ideal," he agreed, with a glance to the staff. Led to their booth, Neji settled in across from Sakura with a hum.

"Looks like some foreign shinobi have arrived early already."

[notveryspecial]

It was more important to plan for how to avoid detection and escape when they inevitably came across someone familiar than attempt to avoid them entirely. That wasn't really possible without finding some place only they or he knew of to spend their time...and that would be rather restrictive and potentially claustrophobic to attempt. Worth it, should it be Ino who caught them, but not ideal.

She glanced up at the surrounding restaurant with a mild curiosity, just to be certain whether or not his comment was prompted by the presence of one in the building or if he'd simply observed it earlier. "They might be anticipating the day of the event will be like a chuunin exam, with the delay at the gate for all of the visitors who waited until that morning to arrive."

[heavenly_earth]

Seeing her look, Neji subtly tipped his head in the direction of the small group of Iwagakure shinobi settled at a booth on the far side of the restaurant.

"Probably," he agreed mildly, accepting a menu. "Though I'll hope the event isn't nearly so popular." That would mean an influx of foreign shinobi about a week ahead of schedule.

"At any rate, feel free to order type of meat you'd like." And he'd pay for even the more expensive cuts. He just hoped she couldn't rival an Akimichi's appetite.

[notveryspecial]

Ah...those. They'd been slightly out of sight from where she was sitting, but at least not so far that she couldn't glance in their direction subtly.

She frowned slightly as she lifted her own menu to examine it. If the auction were as successful as the Chuunin Exams, then the village would have reason to repeat it. If the village started making it a tradition...

"Maybe they're simply using the exam as an opportunity to get familiar with Konoha prior to the exams? Familiarity with the village hosting the exams can sometimes be an advantage for participating genin." And if any village were to stoop to something like that over genin, Iwagakure would probably be the one.

She glanced up at him when he spoke again, as her lips twitched up into a faintly amused smile. "Including plates of this one?" She gestured toward the menu where (if their menus were identical, as they should be) the most unreasonably expensive meat was listed.