File: 74749303_p0.jpg (511 KB, 900x1600)

511 KB JPG

>>5789134
The woman speaking is Konan-neesan, the dark-haired former member of Akatsuki who at one point mentored your mother Naori when she was a girl about the same age as you and your team. Naori-ue has talked about that time of course, and when your twin sister Makoto started to show signs of talent in the specialized origami ninjutsu Konan-neesan became her mentor as well. So because of that you’re familiar with what Konan-neesan can do, and it’s absolutely befitting of the Akatsuki’s reputation for having been monsters in human form (in some cases vaguely).

…

“Of course it’d start raining,” Wasabi mutters gloomily. “This place got even more depressing somehow…”

“It reminds me of where I grew up,” Konan replies, her tone flat. “Just a little.”

“Just a little?” Wasabi repeats.

“There was more rain, and less food,” Konan clarifies.

“Not to mention poison gas attacks,” you add.

“… that sounds worse,” Wasabi admits sheepishly. “Sorry to complain like that.”

“If I didn’t grow up getting rained on constantly it’d annoy me too,” you shrug. “As things are I kinda like it.”

“It is rather refreshing,” Sumire agrees.

>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5789140

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5789140

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5789140

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5789140

>>5789140
The search for a place to stay goes well, and you quickly locate a humble sort of hostel with a room available – the correct number of beds, a door that locks, and a bathroom, and nothing more than that. Nothing high-profile enough to draw attention, but all the things you really need.

During the process of securing that room you don’t find any likely avenues to gather any further information… what you really want is someone who’s poor enough that nobody will pay them any attention, but not in such a desperate situation that you can’t trust them to behave in a sensible way. But what you note is that every person here seems to be struggling, meaning it’s hard to pick anyone out of the proverbial and literal crowd. It’s hard to even know where to begin.

“Well, at least there was one bit of good news,” you sigh, rubbing the back of your neck. “Seems the guy’s still around.”

“It would seem so,” Konan-neesan muses calmly. “I did not anticipate him doing well enough to open his own bar.”

“So how do we approach this?” Wasabi asks curiously.

You’re in your four-bed hostel room, with Konan-neesan’s paper positioned around the corners, the windows, and the door marked with sealing and barrier formulae, so it should be completely safe to speak your mind.

Konan-neesan spares you a glance, clearly interested in what you have to say.

>We should do nothing aside from meet with this contact, as carefully and quietly as possible. Ideally with only Konan-san making the contact.
>We should send someone other than Konan-san. Have this be treated, for better or worse, like a first-time contact with the criminal underworld.
>I’ll meet with him. There are a few names I could drop to convince him that I belong in some less-than-legal business ventures.
>Other?

>>5792419
>>I’ll meet with him. There are a few names I could drop to convince him that I belong in some less-than-legal business ventures.

>>5792419
>>I’ll meet with him. There are a few names I could drop to convince him that I belong in some less-than-legal business ventures.

>>5792419
>>We should do nothing aside from meet with this contact, as carefully and quietly as possible. Ideally with only Konan-san making the contact.

>>5792419
“I’ll meet with him,” you decide after considering the situation for a moment in silence. “There’s a high probability he’d recognize Konan-oneesan and we can’t predict what that will end up meaning, and I can pretty easily drop a name or two that would imply my involvement in somewhat dubious business.”

“What were you considering?” Konan asks curiously.

“I was thinking of name-dropping Sasori of the Red Sand,” you admit. “Orochimaru-san would have been a good choice were it not for certain circumstances.”

“Circumstances?” Sumire repeats with a frown.

“At one point Orochimaru of the Sannin was caught performing human experiments involving the exact object of our interest,” Konan clarifies. “So it would be unusual to hear of him involving himself in such research again.”

“Especially since he’s under Konoha’s direct supervision,” Sumire realizes. “I understand, thank you.”
>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5793409

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5793409

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5793409
Not a great start but let's see if things are looking up.

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5793409

>>5793409
“... I’m looking for something,” you begin, once you call the attention of Konan-neesan’s contact - a man by the name of ‘Benji’. “I’m told you’re a guy who can help me.”

“Everyone’s lookin’ for somethin’, kid,” Benji replies with a grim chuckle as he cleans the bottom of a glass. He seems like he’s maybe a little older than your parents, with a tired look in his dark eyes and some stray gray hairs here and there. You can tell a little more about him just from meeting him - he’s a smoker, but probably not a drinker. He’s left-handed and should be wearing corrective lenses, but doesn’t probably due to lack of access to a specialist. He also trims his nails in a way that makes you think he plays some kind of strained instrument, and seems to have the callouses to match. “You’re gonna haveta be more specific.”

“Okay then,” you agree, “I’m looking for the kind of thing you don’t really want anyone knowing you have. The kind of thing that’s dangerous in the wrong hands, but possibly even more useful in the right hands. The kind of thing you either have to pay a high price - or exact one - to get a hold of.”

“That kind of thing isn’t something a kid should want,” Benji insists curtly, his mood having grown stern as you spoke.

“I don’t want it for myself,” you inform him, before handing him a folded-over piece of paper. “This is who I’m securing it for.”

He unfolds the paper, and looks over the marking you left there. “You’re buying a gift for a scorpion?”

You stare at him in confusion for a moment. “... what?”

“I don’t get it,” he insists curtly, handing the paper back to you.

“You… don’t recognize that symbol?” you ask.

“Nope.”

“Does the name Sasori of the Red Sand ring any bells?”

“Of course it does,” Benji insists. “I mean, around here who wouldn’t?”

“So… does he not use that mark anymore?”

Benji’s face slowly turns pale as he starts to realize the implication - you guess that’s a no, then?
>1/2

>>5795137
Test.

>>5795137
“I… I had no idea,” he stammers uncomfortably.

“It’s fine,” you insist. “Just tell me what I need to know and I’ll be on my way… like a bad dream in the morning. Just a memory.”

“I know there was supposed to be an auction,” Benji tells you. “But… why would Sasori need to send someone here to ask where it is?”

>... wait, is he actually here right now?
>Aren’t you asking unnecessary questions?
>You do know, don’t you?
>Other?

>>5796459
Where are we? In a bar or something? Is anyone around?

If we can get away with it, i'd like to intimidate the shit out of him, but that's not very conspicuous.
Unless we teleport him somewhere quiet first.

>>5796459
Intimidation is definitely not the right call here.
I think the right call here is to make Benji's line of suspicion off and in turn make them trust us.

...Y'know what, there haven't been enough comedy options lately. So I'll posit this one.
>Oh there's actually a reasonable explanation for that one. I forgot.

This is a bit of a riskier option though, so I don't encourage anyone actually voting for it. Especially since a on the fly story is going to be dangerous if they pry, but honestly speaking. Even in a professional environment human error has to be taken into account, not to mention showing said "human error" even if falsified will let them lower their guard.

>>5796459
>>... wait, is he actually here right now?

>>5796466
It's in his own bar, which is noisy enough to allow some incidental privacy but not quite noisy enough to make it hard to talk over.

>>5796459
>1d6, taking the first three

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5797313

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5797313

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5797313

>>5796459
“For all you know he didn’t,” you immediately bluff, leaning across the bar and lowering your voice. “I mean, come on - it’s that guy we’re talking about. He could be in this room right now… he could even be right in front of you. So why don’t you just tell me what I want to know?”

Then you look him straight in the eyes, altering your voice just slightly through genjutsu and directing a little bit of killing intent at him. “Or do you insist on wasting even more of my time?”

…

“I guess it’s actually a good thing the man was more familiar with Sasori than I anticipated,” you shrug, having gone back to the hostel with the rest of your team. “All I had to do was mimic some of his mannerisms.”

“Not bad thinking,” Konan-neesan muses. “But to think that man has also been keeping informed of events here…”

“It doesn’t matter,” you sigh.

“True.”

“So what do we do now?” Sumire asks curiously.

“We know that the auction will take place in two days’ time,” you summarize, “and we know what building it’s going to be held in.”

>We could continue to feign working for Sasori. That seems to have worked so far.
>We shouldn’t be the only ones here for this event. Let’s take someone else’s place.
>If we knew who had the sample and where they were, we could do something about it.
>Other?

>>5798423
>>We shouldn’t be the only ones here for this event. Let’s take someone else’s place.

>>5798423
>>We could continue to feign working for Sasori. That seems to have worked so far.

I'd rather deal with Sasori, someone we know we can talk and apologize to for this, than an unknown.
And if he has interest in the auction its better we know.

>>5798423
>>We could continue to feign working for Sasori. That seems to have worked so far.

>>5798423
>1d6 best three of four

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5799499

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5799499

>>5799499
dice+1d6

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5799499

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5799499

>>5799499
“Konan-neesan,” you muse. “Remind me… who was it that beat Sasori-san and recruited him?”

“I did,” she replies.

“And who was it that served as his partner in Akatsuki?”

“Your mother,” she replies, “Naori-kun.”

“So even if he took umbrage at our use of his name, the chances he’d retaliate are…”

“Basically zero.”

“So I say,” you decide, “we keep abusing the name recognition that’s worked so well for us so far, and deal with Sasori-san if and when that becomes a problem.”

“Any objections?”

…

The information Benji gave you proves to be completely accurate, which is great news for him. Not only would you have to pay him a return visit if it turned out otherwise, which you doubt he’d appreciate, you also have to assume whoever ended up buying the Hashirama cells here would do something that would end poorly for everyone - and Benji is of course a part of ‘everyone’.

It strikes you that your lie about being here on behalf of Sasori isn’t all that unbelievable - very few of the people here seem like they’re the actual buyers. If you had to guess they’re mostly authorized representatives of likely buyers, who will do the actual bidding. Payment will then likely occur remotely, and here’s the problem - the actual transport of any sold items may well be done by arrangement after the auction has concluded.

As you seat yourselves you share these observations with your team using the wave transmission method.

[You may be correct,] Konan-neesan agrees. [Particularly rare or dangerous goods may be stored and transferred off-site.]

[So what do we do?] Wasabi asks with a frown. [If that’s true we can’t just steal the stuff and run.]
>1/2

>>5801902
[She has a point,] Sumire agrees calmly. [Shiki-kun, you have a variety of exotic skills - could one of them be of assistance?]

It’s possible that ninjutsu could work here. The classic strategy would be transformation and or clone shenanigans, but that’s also the sort of trickery that any guards (and if you’re unlucky the members of Kara itself) would be on the lookout for. Genjutsu would be a much more subtle solution, and would probably take the form of bamboozling what looks like the richest person in the room into making the winning bid on what you want, then arranging to steal it from them afterwards.

Then, there’s the option you think of as “the full Naori” - using your ryūmei to possess the auctioneer, eventually transferring to whoever the auctioning organization is using to provide security during the transfer of purchased goods. Then you either break off once your possessed victim goes to wherever the Hashirama cells are being stored, or wait for the moment of transfer, before teleporting to your own ‘ghost’ using hiraishin and snagging the goods before teleporting back to your teammates.

>Clone and transformation shenanigans are the classic for a reason, and you and your team are better at those than most.
>Genjutsu the shit out of this problem - it’s the subtle methods that truly talented shinobi usually get away with easiest.
>Go “full Naori” this time. What’s the point of having learned from her if you can’t relentlessly abuse what she taught you?
>Other?

>>5801916
>>Genjutsu the shit out of this problem - it’s the subtle methods that truly talented shinobi usually get away with easiest.

>>5801916
>Go “full Naori” this time. What’s the point of having learned from her if you can’t relentlessly abuse what she taught you?

This is what we trained for after all

>>5801916
>>Genjutsu the shit out of this problem - it’s the subtle methods that truly talented shinobi usually get away with easiest.

>>5801916
>>Go “full Naori” this time. What’s the point of having learned from her if you can’t relentlessly abuse what she taught you?

>>5801916
>>Go “full Naori” this time. What’s the point of having learned from her if you can’t relentlessly abuse what she taught you?

>>5801916
>Genjutsu the shit out of this problem - it’s the subtle methods that truly talented shinobi usually get away with easiest.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>5801916
>1: Full Naori
>2: Genjutsu

>>5802748
>1d6, best three of fouw0vwkr

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5802749

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5802749

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5802748

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5802749

>>5802749
You elect to approach this problem with all the subtlety you can muster, quickly explaining your plan to place a genjutsu on an unsuspecting bidder and force them to win the auction you’re most interested in. Once you’ve done that you can track the target and take the Hashirama cells from them some time around the time that the asset is transferred - either before or after, whichever makes the most sense in the moment.

“I’ll need help determining the best ‘assistant’ we can find,” you eventually admit. “I trained to sense chakra, not money.”

…

“That appears to be a good target,” Konan-neesan says of an older-looking gentleman, who you have to admit does have a bit of a ‘look’ about him that gives you some hope. He’s accompanied by a woman, younger than himself, seemingly company he might have paid for. “It would seem as though he is here merely to impress that lady on his arm, not because he has any specific object he wishes to purchase.”

Sumire watches him carefully for a few moments. “His body language and manner of speech suggest extreme confidence, but he also seems to have little or no physical ability. It certainly does seem to be the sort of confident swagger only money can buy.”

After making a close pass, Wasabi returns with her own comments. “That woman is wearing an extremely expensive perfume from the Land of Grass.”

“A scent you’re partial to or what?” you muse.

She shakes her head. “Too raunchy for me… but it’s a pretty common thing people try and smuggle.”

Ah, that’s right - she’s been working with customs over the last two years, so she’s probably familiar with a lot of things like that. All told, it certainly feels like this is your guy.

And so you place the genjutsu on him with a brief moment’s eye contact, and implant the suggestion that ‘he wants to buy the Hashirama cells’. From there, it’s just a matter of waiting and watching to see what happens.
>1/2

>>5804401
After considering how to proceed, I've decided to call for a randomized vote:
>1d10
>will take the first three

Rolled 2 (1d10)

>>5804822

Rolled 6 (1d10)

>>5804822

Rolled 10 (1d10)

>>5804822

>>5804822
The first item to be auctioned is nothing you’d call particularly spectacular - a sword purportedly once used by Hoshigaki Kisame during his time as an ANBU. It’s a nice sword to be sure, with a lot of history, but you’ve seen nicer and it’s definitely nowhere close to the level of the sword that made him famous. You can tell that it bothers Konan-neesan a little to see such a thing treated as an expensive trinket however, despite the fact that you’re certain they never got along particularly well.

It sells for 300,000 ryō however - does the man who bought it even know what a ‘fine’ sword looks like?

Next comes something unexpected, which would look totally innocuous if you didn’t recognize the symbol on it. It’s a large ceramic vase that bears the eight-pointed starburst of the Ōtsutuski clan main family in low relief.

“What is it?” Sumire asks you in a low voice.

You wait a moment for the auctioneer to announce what the object is, and start the bidding.

“I can’t believe he’d bring that here in person,” Wasabi muses. “Is it even real?”

“It’s real,” you assure her. “But it has no unusual abilities.”

“Your training allows you to tell?” Konan-neesan realizes.

You nod. “Yes. I think we can let this one go.”

The Ōtsutsuki vase sells for 200,000 ryō, which is impressive but not completely unreasonable considering how old and rare it is.

Then comes a true bombshell, as the auctioneer declares that the third item for sale is a black rod created by the notorious leader of Akatsuki, known as Pain.

You can definitely feel the mood change, sitting next to Konan-neesan.

“... are you okay?”

“Yes,” she insists curtly. “Why?”

“You’ve destroyed your armrests, neesan.”

“... ah.”
>1/2

>>5805743
“... are you okay?” you repeat your question.

“I… did not expect to see something like this,” she admits as the bidding begins. “For me, this is intensely personal. Consider how you would feel if someone were auctioning one of Makoto-chan’s fingers and you should understand how I feel right now.”

“I would probably want to kill whoever took it,” you admit.

“The thought crossed my mind,” Konan-neesan agrees.

>Then let’s track down the seller. You and me, after all this is done.
>We could always bid for it, couldn’t we? Could that work?
>It’s offensive, but not a threat. I don’t think we should act.
>Other?

>>5806860
>It's probably passed through several hands already. Best to just remove it from the market by destroying it later. We'll keep tabs on the buyer for now...

>>5806860
>>We could always bid for it, couldn’t we? Could that work?

>>5806860
>>We could always bid for it, couldn’t we? Could that work?

>>5806860
>Then let’s track down the seller. You and me, after all this is done.

>>5806860
“... we have a discretionary budget,” you muse. “We could… you know.”

Three hundred thousand ryō would be manageable, you figure. Sure it’s Konohagakure’s money that you’d be spending, but this has clearly pissed Konan-neesan off to a degree that you’ve never seen before. And honestly you’re kind of right there with her, at least to a degree. Akatsuki may be a controversial part of your homeland’s history (and hers), but it’s still an important part of what has made Amegakure what it is today. You’re certain that even if Konohagakure raises a fuss over the expense Naori-ue would side with you, and reimburse Konoha for the cost of securing that piece of Amegakure’s legacy (and hers) rather than have it fall into the hands of some skeevy rich collector.

“Whatever you decide will have my unconditional support, neesan.”
>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5807740

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5807740

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5807740

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5807740

>>5807740
“… yes,” Konan-neesan eventually agrees. “Thank you.”

…

The bidding eventually goes as high as 250,000 ryō – a stunning figure for an object you consider to be mostly pointless to own. But in the end, you do manage to secure its purchase on behalf of your homeland, and for Konan-neesan’s peace of mind.

“I’ll use a clone to retrieve it at the end,” you declare.

Finally, you get to the big ticket item – billed as a live culture of cells harvested from the body of the first Hokage, Senju Hashirama. Bidding starts at 150,000 ryō, which quickly rises in increments of 50,000 to 200,000, then 250,000, then 300,000 ryō. Soon the price has broken the 500,000 ryō mark, seemingly to the surprise even of the organizers.

By the time the price reaches 1,000,000 ryō – about the price demanded by one of the major hidden villages for an S-rank mission – many of the challengers have dropped out.

At 1,500,000 ryō it’s down to two – your man, and one other bidding on behalf of an outside client. That you reason will likely be a representative of Kara, the mystery organization of Ōtsutsuki cultists which has risen to prominence in the void left by similar, more traditionally-minded criminal organizations like Akatsuki.

Perhaps because they realize that it may be necessary to use alternative means to secure their prize, it seems that Kara gives up at 1,700,000 ryō – an eye-watering sum for a clump of tissue from a dead old guy, but one that given the research potential is probably well worth the cost.

…

Next to those items, the rest seem insignificant.

As you put your plan into motion, wondering silently what Kara’s move will be, you find your question abruptly answered as your party’s attempts to follow your genjutsu victim to pick up ‘his’ purchase are interrupted in an alley, before it can even really begin.

“Well, I see you were correct,” a serious-looking man with greying hair and a patch over his right eye muses. “I should have expected no less.”

A powerfully-built man, his hair and beard white despite his apparently younger age, doesn’t seem to mind any implications there. Or at least, if he does have some sort of ‘tell’ you can’t see it behind the half-mask covering the upper half of his face. “So, what do you wish to do now that our suspicions are confirmed?”

“I’ll go and get the package,” the older man with the eyepatch insists curtly. “Clean this up, if you don’t mind.”
>1/2

>>5808663
Even as the older man leaves, Konan-neesan tries to follow - only to find the stranger in the mask blocking her path. The masked man moved with a speed that even took you by surprise.

“You are Konasan, of Amegakure,” the man muses, before sparing you a glance. “And that would be Uzumaki Shiki-kun, correct? Son of Uzumaki Naori-san and Ryūzetsu-san, formerly of Kusagakure?”

“So,” you rejoin, “you use honorifics when you’re talking about my parents. What exactly is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing at all,” the man insists. “My name is Kasshin Koji, by the way. In case you were just thinking about me as ‘this man’, or something like that.”

“We don’t have time for this,” Konan-neesan muses, before her body peels apart into paper. “Catch up with me when you can, Shiki-kun.”

“Can do,” you reply calmly. “See you in a bit, neesan.”

“Freaky,” Wasabi muses.

“You didn’t lift a finger to stop her the second time,” you observe.

“It’s a fantastic ability she has,” Kasshin Koji admits. “It would feel like a shame to interrupt.”

“You’re an odd one,” you reply. “What exactly do you want, Kasshin Koji-san?”

“I want to fight against you, Shiki-kun.”

>And what about my teammates? Where do they factor into all of this?
>I don’t feel like doing any favors, so don’t expect an honorable fight.
>Okay.
>Other?

>>5809515
>Alright. I feel like you're not going to give me a choice anyways. Outside of town, though.

>>5809515
>>Okay.

>>5809515
>Okay.

>>5809515
>>Okay.

>>5809515
>1d6, taking the first three
>DC: 10
>SP: 4/4

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5810195

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5810195

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5810195

>>5810195
“Okay,” you reply after considering the apparent request.

There’s a slight pause, and you can feel your teammates staring at you in surprise, so you clarify your thinking. “Try to catch up with Konan-neesan… I’ll be fine.”

“If you’re sure about this,” Sumire replies warily, “then we’ll do as you ask.”

“Thank you,” you reply, before the two girls take opposing paths around your opponent’s sides and chase off after Konan.

“Well then, I take it you already know a little about me,” Kasshin Koji asks you.

You nod. “I sensed it fairly quickly. I assume you did the same?”

“I did,” he admits. “When did you master it?”

“Define mastery.”

“Fair,” he shrugs off his cloak. “Now that we’ve dispensed with the formalities, shall we get on to business?”

“Don’t be silly,” you muse, drawing your sword and entering sage mode. “I know you’ve already started!”

The initial clashes are remarkably quick, and surprisingly loud as well. These may just be a light exchange, testing yourselves and each other before committing to anything more serious, but the force is still enough to displace the air around wherever your blows meet. Whoever Kasshin Koji truly is, you can tell he’s good - he uses his bare hands and his speed to anticipate your attacks, using direct movements to counter what by necessity are wider swings on your part.

“It seems I’ll have to take this a little more seriously,” you muse.

“Please do,” Kasshin Koji replies calmly.

>Strike with your own version of Hiraishin.
>You’ve enhanced your kengen again - use it now.
>This closed alleyway is a perfect place to try “that”.
>Other?

>>5811827
>You’ve enhanced your kengen again - use it now.

>>5811827
>>This closed alleyway is a perfect place to try “that”.

>>5811827
>>This closed alleyway is a perfect place to try “that”.

>>5811827
>This closed alleyway is a perfect place to try “that”.

>>5811827
This situation… it’s a perfect place to try ‘that’ technique.

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WIsNxSmW6A

You quickly create a single shadow clone who leaps backwards, releasing four chains of your Tenrō Fūsa which immediately form a barrier that encloses both the entrance to the alleyway behind you as well as the walls on the other three sides, and finally even the open air between the rooftops on either side.

As for you, while keeping your blade raised in a single-handed seigan that leaves no openings, you form halfo of the horse seal with your left hand. “Futton: Kōmu-no-jutsu.”

Seeing what you’re doing, Kasshin Koji seems to realize the danger immediately even before the whole enclosed space becomes saturated by your acidic mist.

“This is the technique taught to me by the former Mizukage,” you explain. “Please enjoy it thoroughly.”

“Ninpō: Yumaku-no-jutsu!” Kasshin Koji counters with the seal of the ram… quickly coating his skin in some kind of translucent, viscous oil to serve as a buffer against the acid. The man thinks quickly, but the problem with that plan is…

“Even through the oil, huh?” he realizes.

“That’s right,” you reply calmly. “I have to commend you for your quick thinking, but even this…”

He quickly initiates another technique, which is something you were prepared for despite maintaining the appearance of giving a speech where you explain your abilities and taunt your opponent for having doomed themselves.

“Fūinjutsu: Kawazunomi!”

Four pillars rise from the ground and spit electricity, but you’ve already reacted with a swift shunshin maneuver which sees you braced against your own barrier above Koji, and from that position you launch an iaijutsu counterattack that falls on him like a bolt from the heavens.

But as it happens that fūinjutsu was a feint, and even as he completed it he prepared a counterattack. When you parry one of the kunai he throws at you, he unleashes the technique. “Zanmai no Shinka.”
>1/2

>>5812819
The mass of intense flames is really quite something. It would have been even more impressive if it didn’t end up simply falling to the ground, like a cloak would drop to the floor if the person wearing it were to disappear in an instant.

Your blade however is stopped by hundreds of white hair needles… it’s surprising that he could react that swiftly despite having faced a ‘ghost’ hiraishin. That must be the kumite of Mount Myōboku you’ve heard about, which probably let him sense the incoming attack by observing movements in the ambient chakra near his body.

“That was good,” you muse, withdrawing before he can hedgehog the shit out of you with his hardened mane of hair. “Normally I’d ask what your relation to Jiraiya-sensei is, but your oil shell is about to reach its limit. So, what will you do?”

“It would appear that this is your victory,” he admits, slamming his palm on the ground. “Kuchiyose no Jutsu!”

…

To think, he’d escape by getting himself eaten by a giant toad… what a strange fellow.

>Catch up with your team by using a hiraishin.
>Catch up with Konan-neesan by using a hiraishin.
>This is getting interesting. Search the area for evidence of who that masked man was.
>Other?

>>5812828
>leave a hiraishin marker to check the area out later
>catch up with the team, then teleport everyone to konan

>>5812828
>>Catch up with your team by using a hiraishin.

>>5812828
>>This is getting interesting. Search the area for evidence of who that masked man was.

Gonna trust the squad to handle themselves alone.

>>5812828
>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5813804

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5813804

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5813804

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5813804

>>5813804
You leave your personal hiraishin marking, which is based on the refinements to the technique made by the Fourth Hokage, on one of the nearby walls before taking a moment to lower the pH value of the mist you created to something that wouldn’t immediately rip the skin off any random passerby. Then you teleport to your teammates, leaving your clone to watch things here for the time being.

“Already, dude!?” Wasabi demands, confounded by how quickly things went for you.

“My opponent withdrew,” you clarify.

“Will we be joining Lady Konan, then?” Sumire asks you curiously.

“Not by hiraishin,” you answer, before the explosions ahead of you make it clear what your reason is – if you simply teleported into a fight like that it could be dangerous. “But there’s also something I need to take care of.”

“Kuchiyose!”

…

You are Uzumaki Naori, and you’ve found yourself abruptly reverse-summoned into the shrike forest where Nyoka-san, Isoka-kun, and oddly enough Kiburi-chan have all assembled. Had you been forewarned of course you wouldn’t have been in the middle of showering when it happened, but as things are you can’t help but stare at Isoka-kun in mild annoyance.

“Yeah, so what’ve I said about that?”

“Only in emergencies,” she replies, “which this is.”

“Oh,” you reply awkwardly. “Okay, what’s the emergency this time?”

“Shiki-kun fought a guy who he thinks is a clone of Jiraiya.”

“… of the sannin?” you muse.

“Assuming Kiburi-chan’s account is correct,” Nyoka-han replies, “which I do believe is a fair assumption, the evidence is quite convincing.”

“Apparently he’s a toad sage,” Kiburi-chan declares.

… well yeah, that’s pretty clearly a description of Jiraiya-sensei, although you know for a fact that the man in question is currently very much dead. That of course makes his appearance in the Land of Silence after all these years a puzzle that needs to be solved, and you can only come up with one reasonable solution to that puzzle.

“You figure someone cloned him?” Isoka asks. “Like from a bunch of cells or something?”

“Otherwise, it would be very difficult for someone to exist with a toad-summoning contract of which the great toads know naught,” Nyoka-han muses thoughtfully. “This one finds that line of reasoning to be convincing, as one created as a pure clone would have matching blood, and thus would inherit any summoning contracts, in a sense.”
>1/2

>>5816199
I feel like hot scented baths would be much more popular than showers in amegakure
You already get rained on all day, after all. Nice hot bath to warm your bones would be good.

>>5816199
Testing Japanese LTE data connection, mostly to see what my options are for later.

>>5816199
You unseal a set of clothes directly onto your body before informing your summoning clan what you’ve decided. “Then yeah, I’m gonna have to leave re-organizing our contracts to Kijani-han. Nyoka-han, may I task you with communicating the nature of the problem to the toads, snakes, and to Katsuyu-han?”

“This one shares your concerns,” Nyoka-han inclines her great head politely, “and so she shall do what she can to convince them of the threat this may pose.”

“Thank you,” you return her bow.

“So what’re you gonna do?” Isoka chirps curiously.

>I’m going to go visit my kid - I wanna see this ‘Kara’ for myself.
>I’ll go talk to Naruto-kun personally. He’s not gonna take this well.
>If Kara has begun to move, the Shinobi Union will need to take steps. I’ll call a meeting.
>Other?

>>5818904
>>I’ll go talk to Naruto-kun personally. He’s not gonna take this well.

>>5818904
>>I’ll go talk to Naruto-kun personally. He’s not gonna take this well.

Maybe take someone close to him as well, to stop him from doing something stupid without thinking.
Talking to Hinata fist might be a good idea, she is probably best able to both console him and keep his worst impulses from going nuts.

>>5818904
>I’ll go talk to Naruto-kun personally. He’s not gonna take this well.

>>5818904
>>I’ll go talk to Naruto-kun personally. He’s not gonna take this well.

>>5818904
“Yeah, so I’m going to tell Naruto-kun myself,” you decide immediately. “There’s no telling how he’ll take the news.”

“Alright, I’m coming with you,” Isoka insists, flitting over to perch on your shoulder. “Just in case I can be useful, you know?”

“For sure,” you quickly agree.

Kiburi in the mean time whistles loudly, darting forward to hover in front of you and cut you off. “Hey, hey! What do we do about Shikkun?”

“Yeah no, feel free to go and help him,” you declare. “But be prepared to not have much to do.”

“What do you mean?”

“After all, you’ve been with him the whole time so you may not have much of a frame of reference,” you muse. “But that kid’s really strong.”

…

You are Uzumaki Shiki of Amegakure, and by the time you catch up with Konan-neesan the fight is already in full swing. Her opponent seems to focus on elemental ninjutsu, and boasts a reasonably large pool of chakra to draw from. Each of the old man’s attacks draws a comparably small amount from that pool, indicating to you that his proficiency is fairly high.

That being said, next to Konan-neesan the man’s like a monkey trying to catch what he thinks is the moon. You almost feel bad.

>Instruct your teammates to watch. This is going to be illustrative.
>Back Konan-neesan up, but don’t outright interfere in her fight.
>Team up with Konan-neesan. Wrap things up as quickly as possible.
>Other?

>>5821715
>>Instruct your teammates to watch. This is going to be illustrative.

>>5821715
>>Instruct your teammates to watch. This is going to be illustrative.

>>5821715
>>Instruct your teammates to watch. This is going to be illustrative.

>>5821715
>>Instruct your teammates to watch. This is going to be illustrative.
Maybe take a seat close by, its also gonna be entertaining.

>>5821715
>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5824348
I hope this is roll is to find a comfy bench to sit on to watch the (paper) fireworks.

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5824348

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5824348

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5824348

>>5824348
“Wasabi, do me a quick favor,” you muse, “and use your earth release to raise a bench.”

“A bench?” she repeats. “Like, something to sit on?”

“Please.”

After a moment’s hesitation she fulfills your request, and you pat the seat. “Let’s sit.”

Both of the girls stare at you as you sit in the middle of the bench, before each takes up a position on either side.

“I’m not following you here,” Wasabi admits.

“Are we not going to help?” Sumire asks.

You release a few glowing chains, surrounding your seats in a kongō fūsa barrier before flashing Konan-neesan a thumbs-up and a grin. “Alright, neesan! You can cut loose!”

“I see,” she muses, before turning back to her opponent and spreading her arms wide. “If a spectacle is what you wish for, I will oblige. Think of this as a reward for your hard work so far.”

“Thanks, neesan,” you smile. “I look forward to it.”

“So we really are going to watch?” Sumire realizes.

You spare her a glance. “This is an opportunity to watch a former member of Akatsuki fighting seriously - I don’t plan to miss it.”

Predictably, Konan’s opponent berates her for wasting time talking to ‘a bunch of children’ - and Konan interrupts him by hurling a disk of hardened explosive tags at him that saws off one of his arms. Even as the wheel turns in the air at Konan’s direction the old man regrows his arm, forms a seal, and exhales a large fireball.

“Katon: Gyōkakyū no Jutsu!”

“Suijinheki.”

Konan-neesan’s response is perfectly timed to counter the fireball, and as her opponent dodges the chakram this time she sets off the tags in a massive series of explosions - the main virtue of the attack is that, of course, it can’t be dodged. Her enemy takes a predictable degree of damage from the explosions.
>1/2

>>5824698
For a few moments it might seem to an onlooker that the other man has gained the upper hand – seeing as his next move is to grow two oversized arms out of his shoulders in order to continuously attack Konan while his original hands form the necessary seals to perform elemental ninjutsu.

“Doton: Retsudo Tenshō!”

The old man uses a basic technique, albeit at a high level, to break up the ground all around himself and Konan-neesan, shifting it around underfoot in an attempt to throw her off-balance as he attacks. For her part Konan simply takes a step back and stamps her foot, utilizing a counter-technique to reorganize and flatten the earth at her own feet. That way when the old man’s fist meets her arm she has her footing.

Her arm dissipates into paper after deflecting the punch, and she slips behind the man to use his body as a shield before setting off the paper tags she released in front of him. He comes out relatively unscathed, his body quickly regenerating.

“Raiton: Tenjinrai!”
“Reppūshō.”

Without letting up, the old man starts attacking with the lightning-release technique he had been preparing even as he engaged with Konan, while Konan merely pushes the arc away with a blast of compressed air generated in her palm. After regenerating her arm from her chakra she’s able to effortlessly keep up with the incoming surges of lightning even as they come at her from every direction, including some which were clearly channeled through the ground.

“… how disappointing,” Konan admits. You’re used to her emotions being… subtle, you’d say. They’re difficult for some people to pick up on, but you know how she is around Kakashi-sensei, and around your family, and around Ajisai-nee. To you, it’s usually pretty obvious what she’s feeling even if what she’s thinking is often informed by experiences you simply lack.

But right now, it’s hard even for you to tell what she’s feeling by her tone alone.

“Tough talk coming from a woman who’s simply been defending this whole time!” the man scoffs. “What nonsense.”

“You clearly misunderstand,” Konan-neesan continues, unperturbed by her opponent’s bluster. Unperturbed, of course, because she knows how wildly off-base it is. “I have assessed your abilities, and I find them wanting.”

“How so?”

“Your regenerative technique is clearly flawed,” she declares, “and taxes your body heavily, though you use it anyway because you believe it makes you powerful. The same is true of how you forcibly amplify your weaker nature transformations at the cost of your health.”
>2/3

>>5826673
It’s now that Konan-neesan chooses to show her full ability, just this one time.

All around you, parts of the landscape peel away into sheets of paper – as if an entire library was put through a blender and the contents were slowly ejected into the air all around you.

“So you mixed a few paper bombs into the chaff,” the man grumbles. “Am I supposed to be… to be…”

“You finally noticed,” Konan-neesan muses with a slight smile as the papers continue to multiply far beyond what’s reasonable. “All six hundred thousand of these are paper bombs.”

“Are you insane!?” he demands loudly. “There’s no way!”

“This isn’t even that many,” you muse, finally chipping in.

“Against Uchiha Obito I was forced to use six hundred billion,” Konan-neesan recalls. “And no, I did not misspeak.”

“What the hell accounts for that massive difference!?”

“While Naori-kun would probably beat you to death with Hidan’s severed head to prove a point only she understands, I prefer to be more straightforward,” she replies calmly. “I am only using this many because compared to Obito you only warrant this number.”

“So, let me ask you this… what is your objective?”

“Go to hell!” he shouts back at her.

“An odd goal,” Konan replies, “but one I can facilitate.”

…

By the time Konan-san is done and you can lower your barrier, there’s nothing left of her opponent. Both your teammates continue to stare in shock at the display.

“It’s too bad he refused to share any information,” Konan muses with a frown. “But not unexpected.”
>3/4

>>5827282
Ah yes, power levels.
Measured in the number of paper bombs it takes to kill you.

>>5827282
>While Naori-kun would probably beat you to death with Hidan’s severed head to prove a point only she understands, I prefer to be more straightforward,” she replies calmly.

Shit now I have a craving to reread the quest to see what oddball votes we made in fights.
>>5827289
It definitely has a certain appeal in its simplicity.

>>5827282
“So, I take it that was a member of this ‘Kara’ thing I’ve heard about?” you wonder. “He seemed…”

“For any ordinary shinobi, particularly during a time of peace, he may have been considered monstrous,” Konan-neesan admits. “To send such a man after me… I can’t help but feel as if I have been underestimated.”

“… you sound disappointed,” Sumire prods quietly.

>I’ve seen Naori-ue get like this too. I think she has trouble relating to people whose definitions are different from hers.
>He seemed weaker than the one I fought before. So I guess even Kara has their own internal hierarchy?
>We can discuss this later. Right now we need to seize our two purchases before our presence becomes widely known.
>Other?

>>5827539
>I’ve seen Naori-ue get like this too. I think she has trouble relating to people whose definitions are different from hers.

>>5827539
>For someone who was considered a monster during the most tumultuous times in history, who stood as a peer to those who could wield the abilities of the Sage of Six paths, and was a serious threat to even an Uchiha in the full flower of thier might? It must be a slap in the face to have a foe who is simply strong to be considered not only her equal but better. How would you feel Sumire, if a fresh Genin was sent at you and not only expected to best you but to trump you utterly? That's what Kona is feeling right now, more or less.

>>5827539
>I’ve seen Naori-ue get like this too. A fight like this may look impressive, but you have to consider that they've basically killed a god before. I'm sure nothing much is quite as exciting as that.

>>5827539
>>5827581
Now this, I like. Supporting.

>>5827539
"I've seen that look before," you muse, recognizing the same look from how Naori-ue sometimes reacts to disappointment in others who are supposed to be 'strong' but fall short of her standards. "Imagine for a moment that you two, as young toku-jonin, were pitted against a rookie genin who people keep saying is like the 'next Uzumaki Shiki'. The kid even thinks he's going to flatten you, but it turns out that he's just as over-hyped and self-absorbed as you'd expect."

"That's a little bit like how Konan-neesan probably feels right now."

"Most people outside of Shin-Ame don't understand Akatsuki," Konan confirms. "Not our history, our motives, or even the basic reality of our strength."

"That must be disheartening," Sumire acknowledges sadly.

Konan nods once. "It does not change the objectives or desires of those who carry on, however."

"That having been said," she continues after a moment as you re-orient yourselves back towards your goal of securing the results of the day's bidding wars, "how did you find your own opponent, Shiki-kun?"

>I think I fought a clone of Jiraiya-dono.
>It was hardly a fight. He seemed too cautious to fully commit.
>He clearly had other motives, so neither of us went all-out.

>>5831747
>I think I fought a clone of Jiraiya-dono.
he was her sensei so y'know, gotta tell her

>>5831747
>I think I fought a clone of Jiraiya-dono.

>>5831747
>>I think I fought a clone of Jiraiya-dono.

>>5831747
>>I think I fought a clone of Jiraiya-dono.

>>5831747
>>I think I fought a clone of Jiraiya-dono.
But make it gently, who knows she might react, after all he died already which she couldn't prevent.

>>5831747
You take a moment to consider what you say next, because you know a few things. The first thing that you know is Jiraya-dono’s ties to Akatsuki and to your own family - he trained the orphans Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko directly in the aftermath of a previous world war, and in turn it was Konan-neesan who mentored Naori-ue. You also know that he took it upon himself to introduce Naori-ue to the training method behind the Fourth Hokage’s rasengan, which he intended her to use to reconstruct your own clan’s legendary kongō fūsa. That training method, along with both techniques, would even be passed down to you and Makoto. The third thing you know is that you’ve actually met the man himself, although you’re not sure you can say that here. Konan-san might know already, but it was Kōshū who was with you at the time instead of Sumirin and Wasabi, so it might not be appropriate to let them in on just how wacky your misadventures in the past actually got.

In any event, you’re confident that the man you fought was Jiraiya-dono, and yet you can be equally confident that it was not Jiraiya-dono. His chakra felt right to you, his toad summons were a match, and he was certainly a capable sage whose ninjutsu matched. Those facts are beyond doubt. But it’s also a fact that Jiraiya-dono is still very much dead, and this man was clearly not. You’ve seen the forbidden reincarnation jutsu created by the Second Hokage, developed by Orochimaru-san, and perfected by your mother - you’ve met your grandmother that way. This wasn’t that.

“Konan-san,” you eventually begin. “My opponent was a biological clone of Jiraiya-dono.”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Wasabi insists loudly. “You don’t mean THAT Jiraiya, right?”

After a moment, Sumire glances at her. “I think he does mean ‘that’ Jiraiya, Wasabi.”

Konan, who has been watching you carefully as your teammates processed your words, nods. “I see. You have probably already informed Naori-kun?”

You nod. “Through Kiburi-chan.”

“... ‘biological’, you said?”

“As much flesh and blood as I am,” you add. “Some advanced biological cloning technique is all I can think of.”

“So Kara has a competent scientist at its disposal,” Konan-san muses. “And now, a clone of Jiraiya-sensei.”

“Shikkun,” Sumire realizes something. “Did we not see something like this, years ago now? When we went to Iwagakure?”
>1/2

>>5833637
“You’re right,” you acknowledge, thinking back to the inside of the facility where Ku and the others were created. “Although Ku was created using an earth release technique as a basis, he was undeniably a clone of old man Ōnoki.”

“So it’s not that unusual for Kara to have such methods as well.”

“I see,” Konan-san muses calmly. “I will need to discuss this with Naori-kun… now then, it should be time for us to secure our objectives.”
>tbc
>there will be a brief hiatus for my return flight to the US, and I will start a new thread once I’m there