Good Night Mourning Son [Open]

Learning Jutsu:

Nakaba clasped his hands together as the morning sun touched his face a quick prayer would proceed a solemn bow. As his body received the morning sun he could feel his body warming up. As his eyes opened he would look out from the the top of the hillock he was on. Silent chakra bound itself within his body as his muscles flew to life creating a thin, hollow, invisible shell around him. He'd take a cloth bound straw-man kicking him up three meters, joining him into the air, and spiraling down with him. With a large poof the straw dummy would collapse. He'd hold his finger. It was already red from his poor form, but he had finally gotten the basics down. Shoulders, elbows and wrists Nakba would crack them in sequence, and with a large breath he'd crack his jammed pinky back into place.  "The morning Sun here is fine. A place with skies this clear can't be all bad." Sweat was already starting to pool on his close as he exercised through the sunrise. He'd move now into a different phase of his training as Sun-heated blood moved through his veins. Walking over towards a pinned down tarp held down by a backpack and a few metal and glass container.

Nakaba would create a film, pooling a third of his chakra into a thin balloon of chakra. Shutting his eyes he'd imagine pinching the connective bits tighter and tighter. Rambunctiously the chakra would pool unevenly changing shape uncontrollably. Pop. reincorporate the chakra and reattempt, twisting it this time pop. Mundane eyes would note that he looked like he was trying to achieve stillness as his ears twitched, then his knee would shift, and his fingers would clench. He was sweating more now than he was in the hours he'd spent training his body. His chakra reserves would ebb and flow as he placed varying quantities out of his body. Each time he would be hit with a shock as his chakra levels would surge suddenly from two-thirds to full. These cold sweats were obviously pain induced as he almost felt like he was doing more harm than good. Every few minutes he'd open a journal review his notes and then add an addendum to them. The Sun would journey quite far across the sky before he stopped. He'd take a deep breath and resolve himself to accept his current level as his limit. A keen eye would notice that every now and then he successfully would send the chakra crashing backwards through his system. Only then was he taking notes.

Basically collapsing in frustration, he'd turn a nozzle on one of the containers with his reach and a burst of steam would erupt from it. Uncharacteristically he'd dismiss the ideas that populated his thoughts like the steam he waved away from his face. The war spicy smell of curry would fill the clearing as he would start preparing his afternoon meal. The pressure sealed foods would be prepared as if he were making some for his old squad. He'd sit quietly and solemnly, praying over his meal then digging in as the spice pulled out very liquid his face could make. Wiping tears and sweat between bites, the ninja's pace would grow quicker and quicker and quicker.

The member 'Nakaba' has done the following action : Dice roll

---

'Bunny Arrival' :

Although she was more than capable of just buying food at the market herself for dinner, Sera was raised as a hunter and her instinct was to go out and get her own food. The forest was slightly rowdy today, and as Sera hopped from tree to tree to get a good vantage point, she could hear what seemed like a struggle of sorts.  As she got closer the signs of battle faded from her ears and so she focused on searching for anybody or anything with her eyes. Whatever had made the sounds didn’t seem to be moving anymore and was hard to locate through all of the dense trees. Before she gave up on the search though, a most wonderful smell of curry began to permeate the forest. Her nose locked on to the scent, Sera would follow it to a nearby clearing with a young man seemingly eating his lunch. She didn’t see a konohagaure headband on him, but he didn’t appear to be dangerous.  Sera would make sure her konoha headband was fastened tightly around her waist before descending down the tree and greeting him with a smile and a wave.

“Hey there! That smells gooood~ What are you eating?”



“My name is Sera, what’s yours?”

My guard was more down than it should've been. Nakaba would wipe his eyes and calm his breath before looking over his shoulder. Breathe. Breathe. Nakaba sat on the large sheet of tarpaulin high enough on this hillock that he was catching each passing breeze. A konoha nin? Guess that makes sense. With a bright smile, the foreigner would wave Sera over, and then motion to a backpack five or six meters away from him. "I brought plenty, so feel free to help yourself to whatever. All of the containers are labeled." He would point at them one by one. "Pan seared veggies, sticky rice, curry, fried and sauced chicken bites, and that one over there is The Tetsudashi special: Quatro Chili Caliente Crucible Chili. It's hot." He'd stand when he saw that these weren't just pleasantries. "My name's Nakaba. Nice to meet you." He'd do a polite bow. There was no sign of any ninja affiliation anywhere on his person. The food smelled pretty tasty. Nakaba was a mediocre chef on his best days, but he has always been great at following directions. Each of these dishes have recipes that he inherited from all of his adopted grandmothers.

Nao had thought of simply returning to the training area to get in more practice for the exams, but training in the same way wasn't going to help him prepare for other possibilities. After a good deal of thought he would head for the gates of the village rather than the training area, today his training would include the forest. Dressed in all black, with the exception of the purple on his jacket, Nao would tighten his headband and move through the gates out into the forest that surrounded the village. He wasn't the first to think of training in this way, many of the Shinobi had done so in the past, remnants of their training sessions still scattered around the forest. As his Byakugan would activate he would get a wide view of a kilometer, seeing various wooden training dummies and targets spread throughout the area. His main focus today was his cardio, he was already pretty precise in his attacks and he had been working on his range, but his speed and his stamina where still an issue that he faced. Moving through the forest, leaping from tree branch to tree branch, Nao would try to cover as much distance as he could as fast as he could.

As he began tiring, he would pickup a source of chakra at the edge of his range. He was not fine turned with his chakra sight as others might be, but the source did not seem familiar to him. Though at this distance it was nearly impossible for him to tell, so he would begin moving towards the individual source. Once he was within five hundred meters, he would stop briefly zooming in his sight to see the individual. He didn't recognize the man, but that wasn't saying much, the village was a large place and he couldn't remember every face within it. Nao would begin moving towards the man again, closing the distance until he came up on the edge of the clearing. The man didn't look like a Konoha Shinobi, but he also didn't look like a threat. As he debated with himself on whether or not to approach, the gaze of his Byakugan picking up the approach of Sera from another direction, too far from him to be able to try and stop her. If the man wasn't dangerous then there was nothing to worry about, but he had not had time to assess the situation. Nao would form the half tiger seal as he activated body flicker and shot forward towards Sera, arriving a few meters behind her as she called out to the man.

"Careful, Sera. This man is not from around here." He would state softly, but loud enough that she would be able to hear him. He would stick close to Sera, so he could get between her and the other man if he attacked. While he knew Sera could take care of herself, he also knew from their spar with Tōri that she didn't fair well in close combat like he did.

The young man greeted Sera back with a smile and offered some of his food to her. As he pointed out each container of food, she came to the conclusion that he was probably not from around here, and that these were his traveling rations. After introducing himself, Sera would give Nakaba a polite bow as well and address the offer of food. “Oh no I couldn’t possibly eat some of your-” her stomach growled, distinctly audible amidst a quiet forest. “Well, maybe just a bite if that’s okay.” She gave an embarrassed smile.

As she took a step forward, another person dashed into the area and spoke with a familiar voice warning her that he wasn’t from konohagakure. As the white haired shinobi approached her, Sera would turn her head and greet him as well. “Oh, hello Nao! I appreciate the concern, but he seems nice. Would you like to join us for a quick bite?” Realizing that she had just imposed further, she would look slightly horrified at Nakaba and would stutter a follow-up. “U-hm if that’s okay?”



If it seemed like she was okay to grab some food, Sera would approach Nakaba’s backpack and eye the chili. Her mind told her that it was probably too spicy for her, but her mouth would salivate a bit at the idea of something so delicious. “One to ten, how spicy is this?”

“Again,” Nakaba would start with a friendly grin, “please join me. It’s the time of year for this meal, and it really is best enjoyed with company.” The genin’s eyes would wander to the other plates he’d made. It was much more embarassing now that there were folx here. Changing the subject, so he wouldn’t linger too long, and pointing to the metal and glass containers Nakaba would say, “These are prototyoes, but each of these containers should be able a low heat for about an hour at the cost of a D-Rank technique. That being said something went wrong and I recooked the spicy curry instead. Normally it’s about a six out of ten. Today it’s somewhere closer to eight and a half.” He answered as honestly as he could. The curry ended up being pretty damn hot. And it wasn’t that he ignored the worry of the other ninja, but it looked more like he didn’t want to manage those emotions right now. More like a think what you want to think kind of thing. He had no weapons on his person visible to a byakugan, but had chakra reserves far greater than the average picnicer. If he wasn’t a ninja he was obviously trained in the usage of chakra purely based on the size and stability of his chakra flow. “You two are Leaf-nin?”

Nao would watch the man with his distrust of the situation obvious upon his face as the man offered him and Sera to join him and answered Sera's question about the spiciness of the food. Unlike Sera, Nao would make no attempt to grab any of the containers the man had. If Sera chose to eat, that was her right to do so, and if she ended up poisoned then Nao would deal with the man. Nao would keep his Byakugan active, monitoring the area around them while his eyes never left Nakaba. Constantly scanning for signs of an attack either from the man himself, or from somewhere in their surroundings. He wasn't the most trusting fellow, especially of outsiders. A side effect of his upbringing most likely, but a history of deeds have been done at the hands of outsiders in one way or another. Nao barely trusted those within the village, but it was still more than he would others from another land.

When the question was raised about them being leaf ninjas Nao would reply almost immediately, "and you are not. Where are you from and what is your purpose here?" Nao's eyes would narrow as he raised the question of his own, while there may not be anyone lying in wait to attack them and the food might not be poison, that did not mean that the man was not a possible threat. His chakra was that of a Shinobi, it was possible that the man was a scout or an infiltrator. Nao wasn't going to take any chances, he may only be a genin, but he was a Shinobi of the leaf and that meant it was his job to protect it to the best of his ability.

After being reaffirmed that she was clear to eat, Sera would give an enthusiastic nod and open up the curry container.  Nakaba mentioned the containers being some sort of prototype technology and she gave them a closer look. From the outside, they didn’t look too much different from other storing containers, but if it could keep food warm for a length of time, that seemed pretty useful! “Whoa, did you make these? That’s really cool.” She said in quiet wonder. Before she could lose her nerve and convince herself not to dive into spiceland, Sera grabbed a spoon and tried some of the curry. The immediate flavor was great, and the kick didn’t seem too bad! The spice seemed to accompany the flavor well…

“Holy moly that’s hot!”

Sera stuck out her tongue to try and cool it down, the spicy curry seeming to take little bites of the inside of her mouth.  The flavors demanded a companion though. She couldn’t just take one bite and then stop right? Before she could think it through she took another bite, and then another.  Before, she could take a fourth bite she closed the curry container.  Her face now turning a shade of pink from the heat, she would turn to Nakaba. “Wow, that's really good!”

Then to answer his question to them, she replied affirmatively while pointing to her waist-headband. “Leaf Ninja at your service!” Quizzically, she would ask the question in kind back to the friendly stranger. “Are you from around here as well?”

Just a light chuckle was all the response Nakaba gave regarding the compliment to his contraption. He was far more embarrassed about it than he let on, and it made him a little less receptive than normal to compliments. "This was their first run. Could you imagine yourself using something like this?" He watched with an almost too eager amount of anticipation as Sera steeled herself. His immediate response was panic as she reacted to the heat, and then she went for another bite, then another, and another. Nakaba couldn't help but find himself chuckling and matching her bite for bite, and his eyes welled up with tears. We live in the memories of the lives we shape and the bonds we forge. Every life we touch touches another, and those small ripples prove that we had meaning. Nakaba would hold his hand to his face for a moment taking the time to calm his heart and wipe off his face. "Thanks. It's a friend's recipe." He could live like this.

Being nothing if not honest, Nakaba would answer the two of them frankly. "I am not from around here. I was raised in the Kaze no Kuni, but I am here hoping to get sponsored for the Chunin Exams." Pausing long enough to look for a specific way to convert his desires into words. "If I can make it to the finals, I can probably garner some popularity for my goods, and maybe open up a store." It wasn't the reason most joined the Chunin Exams, but it was undeniable that folx who won the exams gained incredible amounts of fame. Nakaba would make a mental note of Nao's eyes wondering what secrets they held. Though surely he should have heard of the legendary discerning eyes, he lived in his own world.

Nao would stifle a smirk as Sera ate the food the man had offered, from the looks of the two of them as they are the food was more spicy than the man had originally let on. He would relax if only slightly at hearing that the man was from Kaze no Kuni, as far as he knew Konoha didn't have any enemies there. His guard however would remain up, though the man seemed friendly enough, there was always the off chance that the man was lying. Nao's purple eyes would narrow on the man as he spoke of a sponsor for the Chuunin Exams and his reasoning behind it, the man was to be a potential opponent that he would have to face in the exams. Though Nao wasn't so sure about his reasoning, due mostly to the fact that he spoke as if he were more of a merchant then he was a Shinobi. "Your goods?" Nao would ask quizzically, "and what type of shop are you looking to open, if I might ask." Merchants were a dime a dozen and the village had plenty of shops, but there was more to this man than a simple merchant. Merchants did not have the chakra reserves that this man held, nor did they wish to enter a fighting tournament against Shinobi. There was more to this man than he let on, Nao knew there had to be. There was also the chance that the man had wares that the other merchants did not, perhaps items that would help him in the exams, if he could barter a good price with the man. "We can guide you to the village, if you like, but finding a sponsor within it will be up to the Lady Hokage." Nao would add with a note of softness that his previous tone did not hold. He still didn't trust the man, at least not fully, but he was willing to give the man the benefit of the doubt.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Sera would contemplate the words that Kakaba had said. Participating in the chuunin exams meant that he was, if not a genin, around that same level of shinobi that they were. It seemed like that answer gave Nao a bit of peace of mind as well, knowing that if it were true, they wouldn’t be outmatched in a two to one fight. That being said, it seemed like Nakaba was a stand up guy and just wanted to be friends!

“I’d love to learn some more recipes once you’re set up in the village. Although if you end up selling them at your store maybe that’s not the best idea… I’ll make sure to buy some of your food when you start selling it how about that?” Sera smiled enthusiastically as she stumbled her way through her plan.

With a friendly gesture to herself and Nao, Sera would speak to Nakaba:

“Nao and I are planning on going to the chuunin exams this year as well. It should be an exciting time. I hope you’re able to get sponsored and join us!”

Nakaba would linger for a moment thinking to himself about the offer to be escorted. "Well I'm definitely not much of a chef. I think it was more luck than skill that these came out so well. My trade is engineering and puppet making. As well as any basic ninja tool, I have a couple that I designed on my own." It was a delight to have people interested in his work, and even the suspicion of the Hyuuga was comforting. Nao cared about his village or about Sera, either way he was pleased to see it. "With so much praise though it would be hard for me to not at least consider dedicating sometime to cooking." His smile still hadn't faded. This was definitely not the welcome that I was expecting. It's not the welcome that I got in Iwa.

As his thoughts finally had all organized themselves, he'd respond to Nao's offer, "I think that I'd rather wait a little longer, and I'd like to go in like everyone else. I'd rather not seem special." An earnest plight. "That being said since you will be joining the chunin exams as well, is there anything that I can design for you to help you get ready for the exams." Pulling out a sketchbook Nakaba would show them some sketches and notes on giant tessen, high pressure water cannons, and some basic weapons.

Nao would frown slightly at Sera's mention of him and her participating in the Chuunin Exams at the same time that he noticed another chakra signature within his range, though it was more of a mental frown and would not fully register on his face. He would have preferred to keep the knowledge of his participation limited until the exams themselves, mainly as it would give his future opponents less opportunity to develop a method to defeat him. The cat was out of the bag now, so to speak, and there was no putting it back in. All it really meant was that he was going to have to be more secretive in his training, to prevent anyone seeing what he was working on.

While he wasn't exactly happy about Sera telling Nakaba about his participation, it seemed as though it would work out for his benefit in the end as the other man produced a small notebook with sketches within it. Nao knew exactly nothing about the man's profession of engineering, but the sketches and notes he saw within the book made him think. "Could you... Umm... I don't know exactly what to call it, but could you make a wrist guard that had a hidden blade within it?" Nao would ask as he looked over the notes and drawings. With his focus on his Taijutsu a held weapon would just get in his way, but a hidden weapon that didn't require him to hold it and could be used in conjunction with his Taijutsu would surely be a benefit. "I don't have much Ryo, but I can always earn more to help cover the cost if I don't have enough." He would add with a smile as the chakra signature he had seen with his Byakugan would move closer to them. In truth he had over one hundred thousand Ryo, but he had no idea how much something like what he was looking for would cost. Looking up from the notebook, even though he really didn't need to with his Byakugan, his purple eyes would fall upon the woman that was approaching them. As she introduced herself, Nao would notice her stumble with her name, but would not draw attention to it. "Hello, Hibiki. I am Nao, and this is Sera and Nakaba." Nao would reply, pointing to the other two as he said their names, "what brings you out here?" He would ask, in a much kinder tone than he originally had greeted Nakaba, though that was likely from the excitement of a potential new weapon he could use in the exams.

Sera had made a wrong assumption that Nakaba’s store he had mentioned was one of selling food. But how could she not? The food she had tried was so good! He explained that he was a tinkerer and inventor of sorts and offered to design tools to help them in the exams. That was awfully kind of him! Especially since he just said he was going to be participating as well. She eyed the special food containers that Nakaba had said he created and the pieces all came together for her. He seemed to like the idea of selling his food though, so maybe it could turn into a side hustle? Sera would smile at the thought.

Nao offered the young man an escort into the village, but Nakaba politely declined not wanting any special treatment. Seemingly warmed up to the traveler, Nao inquired about some sort of wrist blade that he wanted designed. It was nice to see everyone getting along. Speaking of “everyone”, another new face appeared popping out of the forest. A cute looking girl greeted them, seeming to stutter over her words and introduced herself.

With a bright smile and a cheerful wave, she would greet Hibiki in kind. Nao had already said her name so she would refrain from repeating the information. “Nice to meet you Hibiki! It’s a lovely day isn’t it?”

As Nao asked his question Nakaba would simply stare at him, and it almost looked like he was confused. He'd hold for a moment or to after his question as gears rotated and rotated and rotated. With a burst Nakaba's eyes would light up glowing slightly orange instead of the usual coffee brown, and the huge smile of a nerd in his element would spread across his face. "Do you mean like Fwoom-Thunk? Or like Swish? I can do both." Nakaba would pull Nao closer to him, flip to an empty page and begin drawing. Looking at the drawings his questions made more sense. Was the main intention to produce an item that could smoothly release a blade, an item that had a blade extension, or an item that would shoot out a blade. Ten seconds each, and Nkaba had a detailed drawing of each hidden within an arm guard.

Completely losing himself in the world of his thoughts, he completely missed that someone was approaching. "No no. No need to worry about money. There are other ways to get materials. I think-" Hearing the other two talk to the newcomer Nakaba would look up to see a new face. Something about her felt almost familiar, but that was a problem that sensor nin had all the time. Nakaba dismissed it as a trick of the mind. He could have passed by her in any number of places. He'd take a slow breath controlling himself, but not really cooling down the engines. "I'm Nakaba, nice to meet you."

---

Unconsciously activating UA

Spoiler:

As Nakaba made a few sounds, a questioning look would cross his face. The other man would pull him in closer as he made quick sketches to show him, Nao would point to the one in the middle that looked like a wrist guard with a blade extension. "Keeping my hands free is important, so the one that would allow me to stab when I go to jab someone will be perfect in my opinion." Nao would state with a smile, as he took a step back from Nakaba now that he had made his selection. While his particular style of fighting did not truly need a weapon, having one as a back up wasn't such a bad idea. A quick stab with a blade to the heart could make a difference, though in truth he doubted he could ever stab someone in the heart. Maybe the leg to slow someone down, or even the arm to prevent them from punching him to hard or something like that. Either way, he was sure he could find a way to use the blade if he needed it.

As Hibiki asked about the training grounds, a slightly confused look would pass over his face for a brief moment before a smile replaced it. Though he couldn't help but wonder how she passed through the gates of the village and walked all the way out into the forest without realizing that the training area was inside the village. "Yes, I know the way. In fact, I have been spending a lot of time there myself, I can show you the way if you like. We could even train together if you wanted." Nao would reply with a wink at the mention of them training together. He was always interested in a good spar as training, and Hibiki looked as though she could provide a decent challenge for him. She had a look that said she could handle herself at least, and was more muscular than he was, which just made her all the more interesting to Nao.

The group of shinobi seemed to huddle around Nakaba’s notebook and began to discuss the images and potential plans for creating items. Not wanting to feel left out, Sera would try to brainstorm what she would be interested in. She already had a magnificent bow, so maybe something to go along with that? Sera would turn to Nakaba and ask; “Do you think you could make some sort of specialty arrows?” she would gesture to the giant bow on her back. “I’m not sure exactly what I would want, but I can already do damage really well. Maybe something for capturing? Would that be possible?”

The new girl Hibiki seemed to reflect Sera’s positive energy and that made her so lovely to be around! She asked the group if they knew the way to the training grounds and Sera laughed a bit internally. They were pretty far away from her destination. Nao suggested giving her a tour to the grounds and Sera would nod in approval. “Nao knows what he’s talking about. We’ve spent some time there together. It would be a fun time to train there in the future” she would finish with a smile.

There was little that Nakaba believed in his heart that he couldn't make when it came to ninja tools. "Give me your addresses, and if I get settled in, I will make sure to send both of you some paper work that'll help me clear up what you need, and we can schedule some appointments for me to get what you need crafted." His offer was open to the three off them. Nakaba hadn't been praised about his technical drawings before from anyone other than his grandfather and was utterly taken aback by it. It wasn't that he'd never shown anyone, but this was probably the most casual setting, he'd ever drawn in. Obviously flattered, but a little speechless, he would nod at the younger ninja in appreciation for her kind words. Having no intention to join them, Nakaba would warily wait as they made plans, being attentive, but allowing his mind to wander slightly. He was grateful that on this day he was lucky enough to have some people join him before he had to end such a difficult journey. The echoes of old friends resounded in the voices of new ones as he quietly smiled.

"It's no trouble, I was about to head back to the village anyways." Nao replied to Hibiki with a slight chuckle, which was true now that he knew Nakaba wasn't a danger for Sera. He had done some training within the forest, but it really paled in comparison to what he could accomplish in the training facility. There was much better equipment there, and if Hibiki was willing to train with him then he was less likely to get bored like he did when he trained on his own. "My place is pretty easy to find, just go to the Hyūga District and look for the small shack on the outskirts of it." Nao replied to Nakaba when talking of addresses, despite him technically living in the clan district, they like to keep him away from the main population of the clan due to his tainted blood. "It's been nice meeting you Nakaba, Sera it's always good to see you as well." Nao stated with a short head bow to the both of them before turning to Hibiki, "whenever you are ready, Lady Hibiki." Nao stated as he waited for Hibiki to join him on the way back to the village so that they can head to the training facility.

Potential Exit

With a smile, Sera jotted down her address and handed it over to Nakaba. She trusted the young man well enough, and Konohagakure was safe enough that it wasn’t an issue to hand out something that might seem a bit personal. She wasn’t exactly sure what kind of paperwork she would be filling out to help with the creation of these arrows, but the idea was fun and so she was excited! “Sounds good! Thanks Nakaba!” Sera smiled.

Sera grinned at Hibiki as she asked about shooting arrows versus having them shot back at her. It was a distinction that Sera had to get used to at first when she was training with her parents growing up. Though of course her father used arrows with suction cups at the end instead of points to avoid hurting her. “From my experience, being the one shooting them is more fun.” Sera winked at her new friend playfully.

Nao made a move to begin their exit and Sera took it as a good idea as well.  There was a lot to do, and while this was a pleasant detour, she had to get going soon. She would wave to everyone with a bright smile as she began to head out as well. “It was really nice meeting you all, and we should definitely hang out again soon! I should get going as well, but this was great. I hope we can be good friends!”


[exit thread]

I've had plenty of people shoot arrows at me. The statement shook Nakaba to his core. Wasn't she just a kid, and no child should have had to face that. Weren't genin just supposed to do simple tasks like manual labor and municipal projects. What could this girl possibly have gone through to put her in a circumstance where she'd say that so casually. "Unfortunately I mostly specialize in tools. I have seen the blades of those who have mastered their craft create swords that can slice through bone and steel like taffy. I can only make some relatively average armor and weaponry, but my specialty lies elsewhere. I would love to go shopping with you sometime. It's said that those who build have a keen eye for quality." Having processed her earlier statement, he'd now address Hibiki directly. "I make my wears out of everything: metal, cloth, crystals, wood. Every material's qualities have something that can be brought out to the benefit of mankind." He'd ponder thoughtfully about this as it came out of his mouth, thinking about the gift he'd received from his previous mentor.

He thought about the last time he'd gotten into a real fight, and then he thought about how few times he actually trained fighting someone else, and responded, "Yes. I'd also love to get some training in. I'm not so sure that I'm combat ready." As the other two said their farewells, he'd respond with a simple bow and a large smile to each of the genin. Assuming they all left, he'd sigh and let a small smile spread across his face, delighted. When they were out of sight he'd collapse to his back onto the ground, staring into the sky. just taking another moment to think of the serendipity of the whole situation.