[Takeuchi Rentaro]

Some time had passed since he had originally arrived at Mizu no Kuni, as the escort to the genin Himishi Haruka he wasn't allowed to leave the city. It's not like he would do that, he had no real reason and was too lazy to do it in the first place. Most of his time had been spent on his own, roaming around the place and getting to know the city. Whenever he went to Mizu no Kuni he always went to Kirigakure, so he was unfamiliar with Kagamino no Shi. So far from what he has been able to see of the city, it was quite nice and certainly lived up to its name due to the abundant amount of lakes in the place.

After having spent his day out in the entire city he returned to the hotel he was residing, which also happened to be the same place the participants of the Chuunin Exams stayed. Of course, he remained in a different room and did his escort duties whenever they were necessary, but he doubt that his presence was really needed. Most of his time was spent watching from afar while he had something to eat. Rentaro heard that the first round for the Chuunin Exams had recently ended and was curious as to see which were the results. He didn't know exactly what happened, but he managed to confirm that at least Haruka had managed to make it out of the exam just fine which was quite the good news. However, he knew that the next rounds were going to be much more difficult.

It was already night, and Rentaro was one of the few people outside. He didn't feel like going inside, most of his time was spent on his own and this was no exception. Sometimes it was because he preferred to be that way and just liked to be in his own thoughts. A plus was that the night was nice and peaceful. He simply leaned on a wall nearby as he gazed at the sky.

[Himishi Jou]

Jou could not sleep...Not after what happened in the first round. Wearing his pajama pants, the young Himishi was in his room, laying back first on his bed with his hands on his chest as he stared up at the ceiling. The poison was out of his system, those symptoms feeling like nothing but a distant memory, something he certainly would not dare to try and revisit with his doujutsu. He was glad that the others, mostly Haruka were alive....but what happened to Kashiwa though....it still hurt. Jou turned his head over at the empty bed where the grass genin once slept. He couldn't stop thinking about the sacrifice that Kashiwa made for him and the group....and how Jou felt like he was partially to blame for it despite that not being true.

Jou had long since stopped crying, but the sadness in his eyes remained, filled with nothing by grief. Jou was distant towards Kashiwa when they first met, putting the fact that they were from opposing villages before anything else. It clouded Jou's judgment...but now it was too late for any apologies. Kashiwa sacrificed himself not just for a comrade, but for three other genin who should be his enemies. It was such a selfless mindest...Jou felt awful...sick.

Jou then turned his body to face away from that bed, laying on his side as he just looked at the blank wall. After a few seconds, he closed his eyes, trying to sleep. It didn't work though. He could still sense the emptiness within this room. He opened his eyes and quickly sat up, looking at the bed once more before sighing. He couldn't be in here right now. He needed fresh air. Jou got up and changed into his usual clothes, placing his village's headband over his forehead before leaving out.

Now outside, the young Himishi walked for a little, his mind in the clouds. His expression was clearly down, no sign of happiness. A part of him pondered about going to see Haruka, but he didn't want to potentially wake her. Jou was so distracted by his own thoughts, that he didn't notice the guy leaning against the wall at first. As he was about to walk past him, he nearly tripped on his shoes. "Woah!" He almost fell but managed to keep his balance before letting out a small sigh of relief. "M-My apologies, I wasn't paying attentio- Jou paused as he looked up at the man. He has heard about him before...Almost anyone in his village has.

"Y-You're...Rentaro-sensei." Jou said. He has heard a lot about this man...and that strange eye of his. The thought of it made Jou glance at the man's eyepatch...but then he was quick to bow once again in apology. "M-My name is Himishi Jou...Sorry about b-bumping into you, si-sir!" Jou was quick to be formal...and apologetic to his superiors. Though if Rentaro is here, that most likely meant he was here as an escort for one of the other Iwagakure genin....Jou wondered who that could be.

Takeuchi Rentaro

[Takeuchi Rentaro]

Rentaro minded his own business and did not expect anyone else to be around to where he was. He somebody come out of the hotel and was about to walk past him. Just by looking at the young man, he was able to tell that he was a genin, from Iwagakure no less. By the looks of it, he was spaced out and submerged into his own thoughts, to the point that he nearly tripped. This time he turned to look at him completely as he apologized. "It's fine, don't worry about it..." Rentaro stated, not minding that he almost tripped over. It's not like he didn't bump into people by accident when he was tired or spaced out, on top of that he could only see from one eye. When he was a genin he struggled to sometimes walk due to the depth perception he suffered from the eyepatch, but he eventually managed to adapt.

"The one and only." He found it slightly interesting that he knew who he was, and raised an eyebrow with some interest. "Himishi Jou, huh..." The moment he introduced himself it made sense as to why he knew who he was, he was a member of the Himishi Clan. Which meant that he was related to Haruka, and she has probably talked to him at some point or he knew about him in other ways. "So you're related to Haruka? You clearly don't look anything alike, not it matters to me." It was evident that they didn't look alike, after all, Haruka was considered a black sheep within her clan due to her appearance. He knew that most Himishi were known for having white hair and red eyes, Haruka the exception, not like he really cared about those things. Rentaro was pointing out their personality, even if he had recently just met him he was able to tell that he was one a shy type.

"So what brings you here at a time like this? I believe most participants are already asleep or in their rooms." Rentaro asked, finding it a bit unusual that somebody, much less a genin would be outside at a time like this. After all, he believed that they would like to get some sleep in order to prepare for the next rounds, rest was an important factor, especially during the exams. Jou would be able to tell that he was laid-back and not as strict as one would expect from a Jounin, if anything, he was being casual about it.

[Himishi Jou]

Running into someone like Rentaro was certainly enough to distract Jou from what was bothering him...at least temporarily. He silently wondered if that thing about his eye was true. He believes it's called...the Sharingan? Jou knows very little about this doujutsu. He wondered if it was more like the doujutsu that Jun's clan possesses...or if it's anything like the Tomokenzangan. Those brief thoughts would be shifted to the side however as Rentaro mentioned Haruka.

"Y-Yeah..." Jou said, blinking a few times. "We're cousins." he added. Though even for cousins, the two didn't remotely look alike. Out of the two, Jou appeared more like your average Himishi...but Haruka certainly has the attitude of one which funnily enough is something Jou lacks a bit of. Still, Jou was a little more confused by how Rentaro knows Haruka. He didn't get to ask this just yet after hearing Rentaro's next question. With that question, Jou was quickly reminded of the reason he was out here. "O-Oh...umm..." Jou looked away, specifically towards the path leading back to his dorm room. Just thinking about it was starting to upset him a little again. He came out here to get away from these thoughts...not talk about them.

"I-I just needed air...is all." Jou said as he turned to face Rentaro again before looking down...his hands slowly balling into fists to try and contain his grief for now. He wasn't exactly lying, Jou did need some air...he just didn't go into the specifics as to why.

"B-By the way...How do you know Haruka-senpai?" That certainly was a question now lingering in Jou's head and a good enough distraction from what was bothering him. Rentaro mentioned Haruka by name. He wondered how the two knew each other.

Takeuchi Rentaro

[Takeuchi Rentaro]

Rentaro wasn't expecting to have a run-in with one of Haruka's relatives. By the looks of it, the two seemed to know each other and even somewhat close if he went to the point to call her "Haruka-senpai" which was slightly amusing. In terms of appearance he definitely looked like a Himishi, unlike Haruka, but in terms of personality Jou didn't seem to act like one either. Instead, he seemed to be a bit on the shy and introverted part, for whatever reason. Maybe if Haruka was more like Jou he would've had less of a hard time dealing with her.

"Seems like there's more to it, from what I can tell... Well, I can understand being here to get rid of some bad thoughts, I've done the same before. The Chuunin Exams can be stressful, a pain in the ass, and sometimes even a waste of time but they ultimately hold the purpose to test the genin and see if they're ready for a higher level of responsibility. He was used to be a genin before and he took the Chuunin Exams. So he was familiar with the feeling of stress and their purpose, it was nostalgic, but a part of him was also happy that he didn't have to deal with that thing again. It's not like it's any better though, after all, he still has a lot of responsibilities as a Jounin.

"Let's say we were friends and I trained her for a short while... I met her randomly one day, I had to help her out in some missions then she asked me for some help for her training. I'm also the one that was assigned to escort her for the exams." Rentaro said, briefly looking down to the floor and then up. He briefly explained how he knew her, he assisted her in some of her tasks and even trained her for a short while. Until everything went down the drain, but he didn't talk about part, he didn't want to make things worst for Jou. It was something he was going to have to sort out later on his own.

[Himishi Jou]

Jou should've known better than to think he'd be able to get away with this excuse from someone like Rentaro. Jou looked away, thinking that the Jounin would try to dig deeper into why Jou was really out here, but instead, the guy went on to talk about the exams, how tough they can be as well as testing one to see if they are capable of the responsibilities that come with being a chunin. This wasn't Jou's first time participating in the exams which is something he doesn't believe Haruka is even aware of. But that first round was so much more different than the previous. It held serious weight...and resulted in casualties. After that round, Jou was starting to doubt if he was ready for this...

Fortunately, Jou was able to distract himself from these thoughts for a little when the subject changed to his cousin. Jou looked at Rentaro with a bit of amazement. "R-Really?" He always saw Haruka as someone special, someone he should try to be like, but he never knew that she was also taught by one of their village's most respected and strong Jounin! Perhaps a lot of her skill comes from him...It would make sense after all. Not only that, but they did missions together, and he's her escort? Haruka must really look up to this guy. Jou found it a little funny, the person he looked up to having someone she looked up to...

"That's really amazing. I never knew that." Jou claimed. He did find it a little...weird that Haruka has never made any mention of this...but perhaps it just slips her mind? "I bet Haruka-senpai really likes you, yeah?" Jou asked with a bit of a smile on his face...unaware of how wrong he really was.

Takeuchi Rentaro

[Takeuchi Rentaro]

The Chuunin Exams supposedly tested a genin's capabilities and prove that they were prepared to rise up to the next rank. In reality, from all of his years of experience as a Shinobi it didn't matter how good you were, nobody was truly ready to undergo death situations and what truly meant to be Chuunin. By becoming one, the lives of many other shinobi were under them, one wrong mistake and it could not only cost their life but the lives of others. Rentaro knew this all too well, no matter how prepared one was, he was never ready to be in a real war, which was completely different. Iwagakure's Civil War changed him completely and his outlook on life was never the same afterward. "Well, whatever it is... Just remember this, it doesn't matter how good of a shinobi you are and whether you pass the Chuunin Exams or not. Those exams will never truly prepare you for what you'll face later on." He stated, it didn't matter whether he felt ready to become a Chuunin or not. The reality was that somebody was never truly ready to be one until one experienced certain things.

Rentaro raised an eyebrow with some sort of amusement the moment he made mention of the fact that he had trained his cousin at some point. It was nothing special and it's not like it ended up well, however for the sake of not worrying Jou he would just roll with it. "Sure, it was nothing special. You really seem to look up to your cousin, huh..." He commented, it seemed like Jou looked up to her which was sort of unexpected, but then again she did consider him her friend, and he only realized it to later. So it was just unexpected things, mainly because he didn't expect himself to be seen that way.

[Himishi Jou]

"Th-Thanks." Jou wasn't exactly sure how helpful that advice was. If anything, it made him feel a little more worried about what the future holds for him if he becomes a Chunin if the exams themselves will not be enough to prepare the poor Himishi boy. But he couldn't really fault Rentaro since he wasn't being exactly open to him about what was bothering him. But as he thought about it a little more, the jounin wasn't exactly wrong. Sure, the exams put you in scenarios where higher ranked ninja usually find themselves in...but the true dangers are often unpredictable. Even the lowest of missions can turn into something deadly depending on the circumstances.

The fact that Rentaro claimed that his training Haruka was nothing special didn't really bother Jou. The young Himishi just assumed he was being modest about it. Rentaro does not seem like the type to go around and boast about how strong and skilled he is despite it being quite well-known across the village. Jou was similar when it comes to cooking so he can relate. Jou nodded at Rentaro's question before smiling a little. "W-well, I wouldn't really say "look up to". I just respect her is all." Jou claimed before looking up at the night sky. "Haruka-senpai can think quickly and thoroughly even in the tensest situations. Her vast intellect is inspiring and her ability to deduce things is unrivaled." Jou added...rambling a bit. "Haruka-senpai is amazing. I'm fortunate enough to be related to someone like her." Despite Jou claiming that he doesn't look up to her...his rambling sure went against that, and it didn't even seem like he realized.

Although Jou didn't mention this, he is also grateful that someone like Haruka actually sees potential in him, and is actually going out of her way to make sure he reaches said potential. Not that many people believe in him...but even if it's only Haruka that believes in him, Jou feels that he can push through.

"I-I mean...of course you must have taught her a lot though Rentaro-sensei..." Jou quickly added.

Takeuchi Rentaro

[Takeuchi Rentaro]

If there was something he knew was that a simple mission could often go wrong and suddenly become more dangerous than it was originally intended to be. Such a thing occurred to him when he was a genin, he ended up having to fight opposing shinobi that your average genin would not normally face. Rentaro was lucky to make it out alive, but it was also on that very same mission where he lost his eye. Although some people considered him to be lucky for having such a powerful eye at his disposal, he saw it as both a blessing and a curse. The Sharingan was quite convenient and powerful, but it also took a toll on his body if he used it too long, as using it took high amounts of his chakra.

Rentaro didn't believe the training he did was Haruka was anything special, some believed he was just modest about it. It was true that he wasn't the type that liked to boast about his power as he found doing those things quite pointless. It was slightly amusing to hear Jou held Haruka in such high regard and respect. It was contradictory that although he claimed that he just respected her, his comments about her truly painted a different picture. "Mmm... She truly is a capable kunoichi, quite smart for her age, and a good investigator... However, she often lets her pride get the best of her." He acknowledged her capabilities and believed that she could be better than he would ever be. After all, she was born with the potential he would never have. That didn't stop him from remarking one of her negative traits, she's too focused on her clan's pride which is often her downfall. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that he could not relate to that, but it wasn't far off for a shinobi to be defeated due to their stupid pride or arrogance about their abilities. Even with his enhanced chakra reserves, he was always conservative with his chakra when it came to using the Sharingan.

"Not as much as you think. The strength she has gained has been the fruit of her own efforts and determination to become stronger, I have nothing to do with that." In fact he taught her very little, he didn't think he did anything, to begin with. There was no reason to give himself credit for things he didn't do or something he was responsible for.

[Himishi Jou]

Jou was smiling a bit as he continued to think about how amazing his cousin is, and nodded when Rentaro seemingly was agreeing with him. But Jou's smile faded as the man brought up Haruka's pride. "Her...pride?" Jou blinked a few times at Rentaro with a curious look on his face. "Haruka-senpai has never been too prideful...at least not around me." Jou claimed...but perhaps he was blinded by his own admiration of her to properly see this.

It made him second guess this for a second, but then he ultimately shook his head in disagreement. "Well, there's nothing wrong with a little pride...but I don't think Haruka is someone who would get bested by it." Jou said in her defense. "Sh-she's um, a little rough around the edges...and blunt...but that's about it." Jou added while rubbing the back of his head. "P-Please don't tell her I said any of that though." he then chuckled sheepishly.

As Rentaro admitted to having little influence on Haruka's skills, Jou looked like he was in a bit of disbelief. "I see..." Jou thought as he looked up to the sky with a bit of a smile. Haruka was even more amazing than Jou thought in his mind. She got to where she was mostly on her own, through her own talents. If Jou was right about Haruka not being prideful, he was certainly prideful for her. But...this mention of efforts and determination made him briefly think about a conversation he had a while back with Jun, a Yukigakure kunoichi. It made him look down at the ground, and frown a bit as he pondered this. "Hey, Rentaro-sensei? Do you...believe in natural talent? I-I mean someone who was born a natural at something?" Jou asked. Jun did not believe in such a thing. In fact, when Jou claimed that she was a natural with her art, she took offense to it before explaining her views. It took Jou off guard at first, and he felt bad...but it did give him a lot to think about relating to that subject, how he sees himself, Haruka...and how he used to see his late sister.

Takeuchi Rentaro

[Takeuchi Rentaro]

Rentaro could tell that Haruka held some of that pride as a member of the Himishi Clan. A clan with a good reputation and respect in Iwagakure, so it was obvious that her clan's reputation and the blood that flowed through her veins influenced her that she had to act in a certain way. It was something he could not relate to in any shape or form, as he was clanless, both of his parents didn't belong to a clan. Although his dad used to be a respected shinobi like he is now, it didn't matter to him in the long run as the only thing he had that remained from his family was the Sharingan that he had implanted on his left eye.

"Yeah... I guess so." It seemed like Jou really held her in high regard and was even blinded by his admiration. Not a surprise, so he decided not to comment any further. Rentaro had already crushed a teenager's hopes and feelings once, he believed that one was enough. If he really wanted to he could do something similar with Jou and be outright blunt, but he decided to at least tone it down, a sign that he learned from his previous mistake. Maybe he'll find out eventually, whether he likes it or not, nature would run its course. "Eh, don't worry about it, I wouldn't." He wasn't going to tell her about that's for sure, she'll probably just hate him more for it.

"Natural talent, huh... Well, it's clear that there are some people that are simply born natural on something, the ability to understand or perform things at. Eh... As far as I can tell everyone is good on something, at least, just gotta find what you're good at. I wouldn't stress too much of that if I were you. I'm as talentless as you can get." Things like natural talent and abilities existed, some people were simply born for certain things. They were natural at it and had the ability to do things much easier than others, that didn't mean others couldn't reach it, they just needed to put in the extra effort. He knew that from first-hand experience and even though he was good at certain things, he didn't consider himself all that talented.

[Himishi Jou]

"Th-thanks." He chuckled sheepishly. Jou was a little relieved that what he said about Haruka was just going to be kept between him and Rentaro. Rentaro didn't seem like the type to just go around and gossip so Jou trusted him enough. As much as Jou places Haruka on a high pedestal, even she isn't without her faults which is something Jou has acknowledged...but still refuses to say it to her face. Last thing he wants is to be on the receiving end of her sass.

Right now, Jou was focused on Rentaro's explanation regarding natural talent. It seems that he is a firm believer in it, contrasting what Jun told him. "Ah..." The way Rentaro explained it made it seem like he was trying to give Jou a confidence boost. This wasn't the real reason why Jou asked this, but he did not elaborate on the question so the young Himishi couldn't blame him. Though...Jou still thought it was nice to hear this, causing him to smile a little. "I-I appreciate that, Rentaro-sensei." Jou said with a nod. Jou then found himself leaning up against the wall.

"I know someone who disagrees with the idea of natural talent." Jou said as he looked back up at the Jounin. "She believes that nobody is born good at something...and that only hard work leads to becoming good at something." Jou then looked up at the sky once more. "I'm not sure what to believe." Jou then looked down a little. "I really do appreciate your kind words, but if natural talent really does exist...I'm not sure I have any." Jou claimed with a bit of a bittersweet chuckle. "I can cook...but I worked hard to learn how to. It didn't just...come to me, ya know?" Jou said before looking over at Rentaro.

"You said that you're talentless...but that's far from the truth." Jou shook his head. "I find it hard to believe that luck can carry anyone as far as to where you are right now. I'm not sure if you were only saying that because you were trying to make me feel better...or if you really do believe you lack talent...but you are a powerful shinobi, worthy of the ranking and positions you hold." Jou smiled warmly, one similar to that of some innocent child.

"I wonder if Haruka-senpai believes in natural talent..." he said, looking away as he pondered this a little.

Takeuchi Rentaro

[Takeuchi Rentaro]

Rentaro had no intentions of telling Haruka what Jou said, she wouldn't like to hear it and that would just make her hate him more than she already did even potentially causing an issue between the two cousins. It wasn't really a smart idea and overall a thing that could be kept between the two, he didn't think any of the two would tell her anyway.

In his eyes talent existed, some people for whatever reason we're born with an easy understanding of things, whether they were theoretical or practical. Everyone was skilled in one way or another, they had a talent of sorts, some of them would be more get the attention of other people than others. In a way, he was trying to give the young genin a confidence boost, but also saying the truth to some degree. He wasn't the type of person to lie about things like that anyway, nor did he want to give him any false sense of confidence, that could be dangerous.

"Hmm... Talent does exist, but it's useless if you don't work on it... Think of it this way... You have a farm with plants that can make you rich one day, but if you don't dedicate your time to watering it and taking care of it would die out. The farm will become useless since it died, the same thing goes for a talent... Even if you have it, you still have to invest in it. So your friend is partially right." Rentaro said, providing Jou was an analogy, comparing talent with a farm and if you don't invest your time in working on either of the two it would inevitably become useless. Talent is pointless if somebody didn't dedicate themselves to it, making the statement of Jou's friend not wrong entirely and it held some sort of truth.

"Heh, well thanks for the compliment. Luck can help you, but only so far. I guess you have a fair point at that, it was a combination of luck and effort, I guess... A pain in the ass, I wish I couldn't have to put effort into things... Eh, I don't belong to a clan, so I'm not really that special." As much as he tried to openly deny it, Jou's comment held some truth. After all, not many shinobi were able to achieve the rank up Jounin and they only constituted around 20 percent of their forces in the village. "Maybe, ask her whenever you have time... Surely, she'll answer it." He said, with a tone of slight amusement as he placed both of his hands on his pockets.

[Himishi Jou]

Jou listened to the analogy Rentaro had given him. At first, it didn't exactly make sense to the young Himishi, but the moment Rentaro finished it, Jou nodded in realization. "Oh I understand." If natural talent really does exist, it would still need to be practiced and taken care of to be maintained. It is much easier to lose your touch with a skill than it is to gain or maintain it...at least that's how Jou was starting to see it.

The young Himishi nodded once more when the subject shifted to luck and effort. Luck of course can have some influence on this sort of stuff, but effort is indeed the main source of gaining and perfecting a skill. Jou then ended up chuckling a bit at Rentaro's next comment. "You sound just like Haruka, Rentaro-sensei." Jou claimed...or was it the other way around? Maybe Haruka picked up more than some training from Rentaro. He could certainly see those two getting along now. Haruka's laziness was something else Jou would never bring up to her...but Jou didn't feel the need to tell Rentaro not to tell her since he was sure that he wouldn't anyway.

Rentaro's next comment was something that Jou didn't agree with though, causing him to shake his head a little. "I never believed that being a part of a clan or not should define your potential." Jou admitted before looking back at Rentaro. "Anyone is capable of greatness if they put in the effort, right?" This of course was coming from a boy who hails from probably one of the most renowned clans of Iwagakure....but compared to other Himishi, Jou hasn't exactly been doing the clan justice. It's something he wishes to change though.

"Again, you achieved so much Rentaro-sensei. You're a perfect example if you ask me." Jou claimed, not even bringing up that eye.

Jou then yawned a bit, starting to grow a bit tired. He was supposed to be asleep at this time after all. "I'll ask her tomorrow if I remember." Jou chuckled a bit before rubbing his eyes.

Takeuchi Rentaro

[Takeuchi Rentaro]

Confidence was always good to have, but having too much of it would always result in one's downfall. Rentaro learned that by seeing the fates of some of his comrades throughout the year. Often times they were too prideful and arrogant that didn't stick to the plan which sometimes lead them to their demise or nearly cost them their lives. One needed to always train, even if it was a pain in the ass for him he made sure to at least train every once in a while to keep his skills polished.

It could be said that both Rentaro and Haruka were alike in many ways, personality-wise, and even some of their mannerisms. "Eh... Do you really think so? In that case are you sure she isn't the one copying me?" He said, remarking that maybe it was Haruka the one acting him, instead of it being the other way around. It was more of a joke than anything else he believed that the two weren't really that similar, maybe in some aspects of their personality, but believed they were completely different.

When it came to clans, he believed otherwise. Kekkei Genkai and Hijutsu existed, which gave them a considerable advantage over the rest, the ones that didn't belong to a clan. "But, it does. Things such as Kekkei Genkai and Hijutsu provide you considerable advantage over the rest. Some simply have it easier than others, some have to place double the effort if they want to achieve something, but it's like you just said, anyone is capable, so it's not impossible..." It wasn't impossible that's for sure, but the way the world worked is that some people were more fortunate than others, some had it easier than others. Jou did have one point, it was still possible, but the effort required was greater.

"Thank you, I guess. But, I don't think I've done much. Well, this ended up being more interesting than he initially expected... You should get some sleep, trust me, you'll need it for the exam." Rentaro said, it was for two reasons one that he needs the energy for the exams tomorrow, and second he knew how important sleep was. After all, he was the type to always take naps almost always when he felt like it, but that part didn't have to be said. He knew from experience just how much of a pain in the ass the Chuunin Exams could be. In any way, the conversation with Jou changed some of his outlook on things. Older people could always learn and improve by watching the youngsters.