"I don't know my daddy," Ginta said with a grin. "And my mom's joined at the hip with her husband, not me. None of that stupid pop psych shit applies. I don't want to be a girl, I'm not afraid of women, I don't have an overbearing mother, and I sure as hell haven't got a daddy issue. I think that's your territory, not mine." He glanced at Asuma, to see how that blow landed, and found the other man' s face hard edged, eyes narrowed. A face that screamed threat.

"Dude, chill out. If you can't identify your own strengths and weaknesses, you can sure as hell bet someone else is going to do it for you. There's not a ninja in Konoha--well at least not anyone old enough to remember you leaving--who doesn't already get it that you and your dad don't exactly see eye-to-eye. And not just because you're a tall fuck, either." He raised his hands in placation, apologetic and wry at the same time.

"It's not a big deal. Hell, there's more than a few guys figure you're a hero, standing up to not just your dad but the damn Hokage. That takes some brass balls, my friend. I'm on your side here. I mean, weren't we just talking about how I crossed Sakamoto Gousuke?"

It always felt a little disrespectful somehow, saying his grandfather's name like that, instead of Grandfather. But it made his point, he hoped.