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Kenji listened, as Neru spoke, and in silence continued to watch their surroundings. He was not an expert at long range surveillance, but it was a habit he picked up on in his youth, to always be aware of what was around him. Of course, he did overreact at times, because of sounds or sensations he came to while out in the field, which in some way was a result of his anxiousness. He did tend to want to jump to action, because he was not the sort of person to just sit back and do nothing. Being idle, he hated. Nevertheless, for now, he kept himself in check, and watched, as Neru spoke softly.

He noticed the parents in the windows upstairs. He noticed the kiss the two shared, and how it lacked any true romance. Kagami said the girl was smitten, but Kenji did not agree. He did not see true love. At least, not on his part. The guy obviously did not want to be near the house, if only simply because he knew that her parents did not approve of him. Perhaps she felt love for him, but in the way they kissed, in the way they hurried off, all he saw was ... lust. And he was sure, once the pair had gotten far enough away from the house, that would be what they would end up in. The throes of passion.

Being on a recon mission was not something that thrilled him. He hated being idle, and being on a recon mission was being idle, in his mind. He understood the necessity of knowledge and being prepared, but he was not the sort to simply do that. He trained to be a fighter, not a spy. He trained to hunt down those that endangered the weak, not to investigate. And so, standing there, staring at a pair of young kids on the edge of tearing each others clothes off was not his idea of a prosperous use of his time. He heaved a sigh, after some time, and despite his desires, kept his eyes open, and watching... not just the two targets, but the area as a whole.

"A bad love story." was his only response as to what he saw. He had spent far too much time dilly-dallying because of the war. He didn't want to be doing pointless things, which was how he viewed this current situation, and wanted to be doing something that would have some effect. Why were they watching a pair of kids whose love, or lack thereof whichever the case may be, was approved of or not? What effect did it have on the village? And what did it have to do with the danger insinuated within the mission slip that had been posted at the Atrium?

As he was back at the meeting place, Kenji was dressed in his white dogi and green robe. Ninja tools, in thigh holsters, were covered by the robe, and his headband was concealed within the bangs of his hair. At first glance, he would not even appear as a shinobi at all. But that was part of his intent. It was how he worked in and out of shinobi missions and familial duties. As was also common, Kenji walked in silence with his two female teammates. The situation was explained, but from just looking at the pictures he was eventually shown, he had deduced all he needed to know for a non-confrontational situation. The girl was a spoiled brat. She probably had anything she could ever want just given to her by her parents. What did this mean?

She has no idea what it is like to deal with hard times. That was why she clung to this 'man'. He represents danger, something she had never known before and as such, was curious about it. He makes it look dazzling, and she fawns over him and strives to be like him, so she too could live that 'exciting' life.

Did he have any questions? Not really. He knew what sort of girl she was, spoiled, clueless, unlearned in the ways of real life. How then did she get the headband? Kenji was sure she didn't earn it. To learn the ways of the shinobi was to deal with a life of danger. If she knew of it beforehand, she would not have become so attracted to the man for such. Was there another reason she was drawn to him? He wanted to know, and so in the end, that was his first question.

"More importantly in my mind, do we have any verification that she truly earned that headband?" A hefty sentence, on his part, but as he had said on prior occasions, though not necessarily to Kagami and Neru, he spoke when it was necessary.

After he had looked over the pictures, and heard all Neru had said, he would hand the pictures back, and await a response to such questions. Depending on the answer, he may have another question, but he wasn't exactly worried about the man, as Kagami was. For in his experience, men only bulked up as this one had when they were trying to cover up something. Sexual compensation aside, there was also the fact that they would bulk up to make themselves appear tough, when really they were cowards. That was Kenji's opinion. Whether it was a correct assumption or not did not matter to him though, for if the man tried something, Kenji would still be ready.

Seemingly before Daichi had a chance to respond to Kenji's curt response, the decision would be mad. Kenji would nod lightly to Neru and would push off from the tree finally. He would move along with them as they made their way to the Atrium. A mission, splendid. He could use something to do other than mingle with politicians and deal with the unimportant matters that passed as clan affairs. "Sounds good to me."

(also a ... blah, post. )

Kagami's responses were understood. At least, to him because he knew what kind of person he usually was, and he knew how out of the ordinary he was today. The tasks of his family usually kept him so busy, he was on the verge of pulling out his hair. Which, is quite the task, given how much hair he has. Of course, thoughts on the differences in his behaviour would not linger for long, as she put on quite the display of being famished, and trying to hide it, and trying to look dignified while doing it. It cracked a smile anew on his lips, as he turned to his own food as it was set before him. He took a sip of his green tea, before glancing back to her.

"I think you better feed that beast, before it crawls its way out of your stomach."

Now on top of smiling more, and being more approachable, he was talking more! He really was a social person! He just did not like speaking too much. When it came to conversation, he felt that only the necessary should be discussed, and all the frivolity and extra should be left behind. Like Daichi's comments on how names were ordered when declaring who he was, and the insatiable desire to make stupid puns. He was sure Daichi had his positive qualities as well, but kids will be kids.

Yes, Kenji was not a 14 year old girl. He was thankful for that, no doubt about it. He did not explain why he was still a Genin at his age, because again, it was one of those things that only needed to be discussed by importance. He had said it before to others, not necessarily Kagami and Daichi, so he felt it need not be mentioned again. Of course, if Kagami asked, it was not likely something he would not mention. Those thoughts would be put aside with the arrival of a new ... arrival. Kenji turned in his seat, and glanced to the other boy.

"Hmm, greetings. I recall seeing you in the Atrium a couple times." he said with a nod, and left it at that. "Hogosha Kenji."

Kenji followed the boys silently, once more keeping his head and eyes positioned in a way that it would not appear that he was watching them. However, through the veil of his long hair, specifically his long bangs, kept an eye on the boys, and noted where they were headed. This was all very peculiar, why were they stealing chopsticks, and why was he launching such a complex pursuit, just to catch these petty thieves? Yes chopsticks were no big down on the economy or morale of the village, but he couldn't simply let thievery slide just because the stolen goods were so cheap. He could not get over the audacity of the crime, and could barely keep himself from laughing because of it. It was all so ridiculous!

After following them for a short while, they went into a building that on the village's registry, which he was familiar with due to his clan's ties to the village, was supposedly abandoned, and due for renovation before it could be used for some other purpose. He quietly slipped in, and hung back around a corner, as he overheard the boys approaching and conversing with someone else.

"And these are from Tofu Dragon? Good. Head to Iron Tortoise next."

Seriously? Was this crime that widespread? They were trying to monopolize on this? It took all he had to not laugh out loud. Kenji turned the corner though, and put himself in the doorway, to block any more activity. The eyes of the other guys focused on Kenji, and frowned.

"We need to stop relying on kids to do this. They can't even tell when they're being followed."

"Hmm, perhaps. But this time it won't matter. It's just one guy. Let's just dispose of him."

Kenji did not give them the time to converse, he lept into action, spinning in the air, and delivering a kick aimed for the nearest man's shoulder. It sent him spinning back, and into the wall, where he promptly fell unconscious. The other man would leap into action, trying to catch Kenji off guard, but just as the man's fist was aimed for Kenji's head, Kenji would drop down to the floor, putting his weight to one hand, as he aimed a kick upward, to the man's chin. He flew upward, and tumbled to the floor eventually. Quick, concise. These guys were pathetic, in more than one way. Kenji dusted off his hands, and turned to the boys, who were in a state of utter panic.

"Now kids. You're going to tell me everything involving this ... sad excuse for an april fools joke, and perhaps then I will be lenient on you."

Just as silently as he had come in, he would leave. His hand reached out and grasped the stamped notice, and took it on his way out of the Atrium, and on his way to wherever these pathetic thieves went. Kenji could understand thievery to make ends meet, because they did not have the money for necessities, but ... stealing chopsticks? What was the profit in that. Well, he would find out eventually, and so he departed the Atrium.