Neji nodded curtly, suppressed the pleased flush that threatened to overtake his expression if he'd had just a little less control. It probably didn't sound like much to others, but he'd always striven to meet his father's expectations, took to the training Hizashi had given him as a child with a single-minded determination to perfect everything his father showed him.

Later, his own expectations of himself were set even higher, and his sheer will to meet his goals drove him to his accomplishments. There was no wall he wouldn't tear down to keep him from advancing, and he reveled in the challenges set before him, met them without hesitation for the thrill of accomplishment that followed. When he knew he could do something, there was no stopping him, and even if he couldn't, he'd still try- often until he succeeded.

"Thank you, Father," he said in a low voice that was still mindful of their surroundings. But it brightened, strengthened for a shift in topic. "But you're too valuable to be regulated to paperwork here, so I don't suppose this is your normal post."