[Himishi Jou]

Being someone who cooks a lot, Jou was certainly no stranger to cleaning up, whether it's after himself or others. It wasn't exactly the most fun part of cooking, but it still felt a bit pleasant to Jou. He even tends to help his servants back at home...despite his parents' disapproval. Jou simply nodded in confirmation that he was fine with this, and smiled softly.

As for the young Himishi's doubts about what he'll do next after the exams, it wasn't really something he could help...considering he failed the previous exams he had partaken in. "Y-Yeah..." Jou smiled a bit at how Kazu was trying to boost his confidence up...but Jou's doubts still lingered. Sure, they passed the first round...but Jou passed both the first and second rounds in the previous exams...but ended up failing the last. What if it happens again? Even with the epiphany Jou acquired back then...it didn't stop the boy's failure. It gave him a chance to grow...but also messed with his confidence.

"Your sensei sounds really nice. I hear that quite a few have a stinky attitude...but I'm glad yours doesn't." Jou nodded a bit. "With your ice kekkei genkai, I think you'd make an outstanding guard." Jou added as he began to eat. Speaking of...This did start to make Jou wonder about being a guard himself instead of joining an Ops Team. Not a bodyguard...but more of a gate guard? He felt that his dojutsu could truly come in handy for such a job. But...that is if he could even promote. "I imagine becoming the bodyguard of your clan's head would be more than an honor for you, Kazu-chan."

Yuki Kazu

[Yuki Kazu]

Jou seemed to know what he was doing when he cleaned up the mess they had made, even if it was the most boring part of cooking. Maybe that was the reason he didn't want Kazu's help with the task, he already had a way of doing it himself and he'd have to change way too much in order for Kazu to help. In that sense, it was probably more work than just doing it himself. Though, this was just a guess on Kazu's part, not necessarily factual.

Kazu could understand why Jou was so doubtful. He might not have known the details of why exactly, but there were many strong participants in these exams. Taki, Shigure, Kasumi, to name a few. Kazu had doubted his own abilities a bit before round one had started. He still remembered the chill he got when the uh... people had come to grab them for the start of round one. Kazu didn't have anything crazy strong like a lot of the participants. He didn't have a dojutsu like Haruka. No crazy weapon like someone he'd seen. He just had some decent Taijutsu and his clan techniques. He felt extremely less capable than a lot of participants. However, he could only do his best. He was already here, he might as well see this thing through.

His friend commented that Kazu's sensei seemed nice, and that some of the ones he'd heard about seemed to have a bad attitude. Kazu couldn't even imagine Masahiko with anything other than proper etiquette. Sure, they were a lot closer than most student-sensei duos, but Kazu was also his only student currently. Yuki didn't have a massive amount of Genin like a lot of villages did. The two that had been his teammates, and the ones after they had been replaced, had either died or were on a very long mission. Jou continued, stating that he'd be an outstanding guard. But they didn't quite have the same idea. It wouldn't be his clan head that Kazu would be guarding, but Lady Yuki herself. "I appreciate the compliment. And yea, my sensei's pretty great, though he can be a real pain sometimes. As far as who I'd be guarding though, it'd have to be Lady Yuki herself. I don't even know my clan head, though I guess they could be the same person?" He finished with a questioning tone, more to himself then Jou, but it was still open-ended. If Jou knew the answer, why would Kazu stop him from giving him more information?

[Himishi Jou]

Jou nodded a bit and smiled a little at his friend's appreciation. Jou stood by what he said and wasn't just complimenting the Yuki genin to make him feel better or anything. As usual, Jou was genuine with his words and had nothing but respect for Kazu. It was still amazing that these two became such fast friends in such a short time. Jou didn't really question any of it though and had just been enjoying the other genin's company, seeing him as almost like a breath of fresh air during the exams that had been hectic so far.

Jou did chuckle lightly at Kazu's comment towards his sensei. "Your sensei sounds like a lot of fun." Jou added, actually cracking a bit of a joke. Deep down, Jou was a little envious about this. This alone was enough for Jou to tell that Kazu has an interesting dynamic with his sensei without even needing to peer into his memories. Jou wished he could've had a sensei like this, someone who's not only invested in trying to get him to grow, but a sensei who would also be there for him for other things. Jou didn't dwell on these feelings for long and continued to listen to Kazu though, not wanting to worry him.

"Oh?" Jou stopped eating the little food he had left for a moment after hearing Kazu's last comment. "Since you said that your village's leader is also from your clan, I just assumed that she was also the head of the clan." Jou claimed before tapping a finger on his own chin as he pondered. "But I suppose something like that isn't always the case. I guess it would also depend on your clan's culture and how they even decide their clan heads." He then looked back at Kazu, a bit more of curiosity in his eyes than before. "I'm a little surprised that you're not sure about this as well, Kazu-chan. Although I've never personally met him, I know a lot about my clan's current head...Not only him, but I've learned about the previous heads as well. Researching the past is essential for us Himishi." Jou added before pausing once more...realising that he might've been speaking out of line.

"E-Err sorry for rambling so much...or if I offended you in any way." He then glanced as way and started to scratch the side of his cheek sheepishly. "I-It wasn't my intention...I just find it interesting how different our clans...and clans in general work, ya know?"

Yuki Kazu

[Yuki Kazu]

Jou seemed to be genuine with his words, something that the boy had started to expect at this point with the boy. It was definitely nice hearing the compliments though. Jou mentioned that his sensei sounded fun, to which Kazu smiled. "He's a piece of work sometimes. But so am I." The boy's thoughts drifted to his sensei's advice for the exams as well as prior trainings and missions with the jonin. "It's kinda just been me and him for a while. So, I guess we know each other a lot better than most genin-sensei dynamics." He hadn't had a fellow genin team member on his team for so long. That came with pros and cons. 

Jou paused eating, with just a little bit left. He seemed surprised that Kazu didn't know who his clan head was, but Kazu couldn't really help it. His parents had kept him sheltered from most of the Yuki clan for as long as he could remember. He didn't know much of the structure, or important people in his clan. He knew the important people in his village, but his clan was a whole different story. "I was pretty sheltered growing up, even from my clan. So, I'm not super knowledgeable on my clan's history, structure, or anything like that. I know my village history and whatnot, but anything that's just clan related I don't really know much about."

Jou apologized, but Kazu held up his hand. "It's fine man, curiosity isn't a bad thing. Didn't offend me or anything like that so it's all good." He'd say before eating a bit more of his meal, almost finished.

[Himishi Jou]

"I see." was all that Jou would say regarding Kazu and his sensei. Jou wasn't all that surprised about this. Although a genin team of three with one sensei appears to be the norm in most if not all ninja villages, there are still moments where that isn't the case for one reason or another. Hell, Jou's situation was pretty complicated since he didn't have an actual sensei, and was instead getting trained from one person to another, then so on. That's why he's a little envious towards Kazu, but Jou didn't want to bother his friend more on the subject.

Though on the subject of clans...Jou was a little more talkative. He gave Kazu his undivided attention though, while finishing the rest of his food. Jou was beginning to understand where Kazu was coming from though, but he was still a little surprised that he knew more about his village than his clan. For Jou, his knowledge of both the Himishi and Iwakagure was pretty even, following both of their beliefs. But Jou didn't want to mention any more of that since he already felt that he was offending his friend despite him saying it was fine. "I understand." Jou claimed as he put his plate to the side, but was no longer looking at his friend and to the ground. He did take in what Kazu had said about clans...but that wasn't the only thing on his mind.

"Well, knowledge or not, you're still a Yuki. I'm sure the others of your clan don't look at you any differently." Jou claimed, smiling a little...but with bittersweet undertones. Jou was never sheltered...but that was due to his parents favoring his older sister over him...and her death had only further strained Jou's relationship with his parents. Jou was still lost in the past...barely clinging to the present.

Yuki Kazu