Neji smiled as his teammates appeared and hummed his approval, eyeing the packages in their arms with interest. It certainly looked like a lot of food, but between the four of them, he was sure they'd eat most if not all of it. Each of them had their own demanding training regimen, after all.

His smile didn't falter, but it rang false for a long moment. He deserved the guilt that rode in the wake of Tenten's observation, had known all along what his new position would force him to sacrifice for the sake of secrecy. He could only be grateful for whatever time he got with them.

Not to mention he had plans for that evening meal that didn't include them. Not only was he ANBU now, but he had another precious person to allot time for, leaving even less time for his teammates. Sometimes he wondered if he was stretched too thin, had too many obligations to too many people- other times, like now, he strongly suspected that was the case.

It wouldn't stop him from trying.

"They were difficult to miss," he answered with the same fond amusement. "I saved them all, to show to Hokage-sama if he attempted to draft me on a mission. I'm almost disappointed I didn't get the opportunity."