The sweet smell of Ramen started to fill the air. It took a few minutes of walking, but Axel had finally arrived at Ichiraku Ramen with Takao. They were both quite hungry after training together. Axel brushed the curtain away and sat in the first vacant chair he saw. He didn't grab a menu only because he had been there multiple times and would always get the same thing. After a few seconds, the man behind the counter kindly asked the two what they wanted. Axel just seemed to grin and respond. "The usual for me, thank you." The man nodded and turned towards Takao. He was waiting for his order.

Takao followed suit in brushing past the cloth banners as he entered the Ramen Stand. Not much had changed since he had last paid the establishment a visit. But, then again, he wasn't expecting for a full building renovation. It was just a street stand for ramen, after all. "[color=green Beef and pork for me, thanks.[/color]" he said. It wasn't exactly his usual meal, but he was definitely in the mood for some good ol' fashion protein.

"Oh! I forgot to ask, or... Well, I forget if I asked. Are you going to participate in the exams this time around?" he inquired, his head turned towards Axel.

"You never asked that... and nah... Not this year... I'm going to train some more and try next year. Even though I'd really like to go... I think once I get a bit more experience, a better blade, and maybe a few more justus, I'll join it and just fly through it." Axel grinned as he watched his ramen being made. "What about you? Are you in it this year?" He turned his head and looked at Takao, but quickly turned back once his ramen was done.

Takao reached across the bar and snagged a pair of chopsticks while Axel was talking. He broke them apart and looked across the bar to watch the Ramen be prepared. "Yeah, I'm signed up for 'em. I'm pretty excited too, hopefully there will be ninja from all over the place coming. I think I've already seen a few genin from some of the bigger villages around." he said. He watched as the large bowls of Ramen were set down in front of him and held the chopsticks apart in his right hand.
"I'm actually going into them without much preparation myself. I just thought it'd be a fun experience." he said, shrugging off his thoughts afterwards as he began to eat.

"Okay, now your just making me jealous..." Axel laughed as he reached for his chopsticks and started to eat. He wasn't being too neat as he ate. Not like he was eating like a pig, more like he was eating his food quicker than a normal person would. Truth is, he was probably more hungry than Takao, he just didn't show it. Once he stopped to take a quick break from his food, he turned and talked to Takao once more. "The exam sounds awesome... I'm definately looking forward to it next year... Maybe I'll watch the fights for this year and learn a little bit."