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>>3992583
“Water and Lightning are the two releases she uses?”

You nod with a small grin. “Thankfully those are the two I stand a chance at using. Awesome, right?”

“The results will likely be spectacular,” Tenshi-sensei agrees, her tone betraying an unusual note of disapproval.

“Is something wrong?”

Tenshi-sensei shakes her head. “Not yet.”

“A future problem?” you press.

This time she nods. “You could say that. Lord Pain has taken a personal interest in your potential: my concern is in ensuring that you are not placed into situations before your abilities have sufficiently matured to face them.”

That… honestly catches you a little off your guard. “You’re worried?”

Tenshi-sensei seems to catch herself as she speaks. “Lord Pain… does not always consider things from a human perspective. You are of course familiar with the concept of a warrior’s perspective?”

“For sure,” you nod. “Bushi no me, in the samurai’s teachings.”

“Lord Pain sees things as though from the perspective of a god,” Tenshi-sensei tells you. “That is why I am the one who manages most affairs within Amegakure. I may be called ‘Angel’ by the villagers, but it isn’t the perspective of an ‘angel’ which I bring to my duties.”

>It sounds like you and Lord Pain don’t see eye-to-eye on everything after all?
>Thank you for your concern, but things are RARELY in our control anyway.
>Why me? (Will require a roll).
>Other?

>>3992584
>Why me? (Will require a roll).
Y

>>3992584
>Why me? (Will require a roll).

>>3992584
>What is Lord Pain like? He's our leader, but I've never seen him once. He comes off as very mysterious.

>>3992584
>why me?
Do you want to use X sp?
>Yes

>>3992584
>Why me? (Will require a roll).

>>3992584
The bird doesn't have a wind release?

>>3992630
She's Nyoka "of the Storm", so it's water and lightning. And I'm betting Storm as a result. I'm looking forward to some cooperative Storm style ninjutsus, where Naori handles shaping and manipulating the technique while Nyoka handles the nature change and probably adds some power to it.

>>3992584
>>Why me? (Will require a roll).

>>3992584
>1d6, High Roll
>Taking the first four, dropping the lowest

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>3992761

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>3992761

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>3992761
Two 4s, good start.

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>3992761
Whoops, wrong field for the dice.

Is there a hidden archive of thread 6 somewhere?

>>3993132
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?searchall=shinobi+sidestory

It's mistagged under Claymore, yeah.

>>3993136
Thanks, mate.

>>3992761
Will be updating twice a day for the time being.
>update incoming

>>3993322
“… why me?”

“Because you are my student.”

Her answer comes as though it was rehearsed well in advance… it’s easy to see through it, and so you press. But only slightly.

“You knew my father,” you press. “But how well, and for how long, doing what? What led you to feel so strongly towards me that you decided to all but take me in after seeing me once in a crowd?”

This answer is slower in coming than the first. Genuine words usually do. But eventually, your sensei begins to weave a story for you.

“Pain and I were orphaned in the Second Word War,” she tells you, “along with a third… a boy, Yahiko. You learned the Rasengan from Jiraiya of the Sannin?”

You nod quietly.

“It was Jiraiya-sensei who taught the three of us how to survive after the war, and how to fight,” she continues solemnly. “It was also Jiraiya-sensei’s teaching which ultimately led us to found the Akatsuki, led not by Pain, but by Yahiko.”

You realize immediately what it is that Tenshi-sensei isn’t saying. “Yahiko passed away, didn’t he?”

Tenshi-sensei nods, her expression sad… as if recalling old heartbreak. “He killed himself… using Pain’s kunai to do it.”

She senses your confusion, so continues. “Hanzō took exception to our goals of bringing peace to Amegakure if it would threaten his rule. He captured me as a bargaining chip, to destroy Akatsuki’s leadership.”

“Your father, along with the others in our organization, were simultaneously executed by Konoha ANBU allied with Hanzō… no official records of Konoha’s involvement exist.”

>So what has become of the Akatsuki since then, Tenshi-sensei?
>Yahiko clearly meant a lot to you… but how did Pain take it?
>I’ve never even seen Pain. What is he like?
>What is your real name, sensei?

>>3993334
>>So what has become of the Akatsuki since then, Tenshi-sensei?

>>3993334
>>3993334
>So what has become of the Akatsuki since then, Tenshi-sensei?
>What is your real name, sensei?
>>Yahiko clearly meant a lot to you… but how did Pain take it?
>Jiraiya mourns you, Yahiko and Pain. He has your real names on the memorial stone in Konoha. He believes he failed you.
>as for the Konoha Anbu, Have you ever heard of ROOT? It may be related, someone was and still could be double dealing in Konoha, and Orochimaru killed his biggest roadblock. Said someone was even the other candidate for Hokage if Tsunade was not found or made to accept in a timely manner.

>>3993334
>>So what has become of the Akatsuki since then, Tenshi-sensei?

>>3993334
>>So what has become of the Akatsuki since then, Tenshi-sensei?

>>3993351
>>3993334

>>3993334
This >>3993351

>>3993334
>>3993351

>>3993351
>>3993334
i support that, although we don't know that He was a candidate for hokage, since we were only told of the existence of that now "disbanded" secret organization

>>3993734
Figured given everyone’s Reaction to danzo’s name it’d be a safe bet.

>>3993855
the thing is we were told about ROOT but not who lead it, only that it was a bunch of zealous cunts who did shady shit and the third eventually disbanded it
Danzo's name wasn't mentioned and its not even clear if he is that well known outside the village

>>3993351
>Jiraiya mourns you
Even though that's clearly true from meta awareness, it's also not their names on the memorial stone and it never would have been, because that stone is for Konoha citizens.

>the other candidate for Hokage
Naori only knows that Jiraiya considered ROOT to be a potential problem.

>>3993351
>1d6, DC 13
Taking the first four and dropping the lowest due to the overwhelmingly high result that started this whole discussion.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>3993952

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>3993952
Come on

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>3993952

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>3993952

>>3993952
>12: Fail
>Current SP: 4/6
Spend 1SP to get Tenshi-sensei to tell you her real name?

>Yes
>No

>>3993960
Yes

>>3993960
>>Yes

>>3993960
Yupp

>>3993960
>Yes

>>3993960
Yes

>>3993960
>SP: 3/6
Writing

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>>3994063
You’re quiet for a while as you ponder something that’s been bothering you, which now you can’t possibly ignore. It bothers you that not only do you not know your own sensei’s name, she seems not to want to use it… like it’s unimportant.

“Sensei,” you begin, your tone cautious and guarded. “I’ve been aware for a while that I… don’t actually even know your real name. ‘Tenshi’ is the role you play for Pain, but it isn’t who you are, is it?”

She frowns, briefly repeating the question. “My name...”

“… please.”

A moment of eye contact. A deep, cleansing breath, and a sense that for her this is a momentous occasion.

“My name is Konan. But please, just call me ‘sensei’ when others are present.” Just saying it seems to come as a relief to her, as though a great weight has been lifted.

“Konan-sensei, then,” you bow politely, “thank you. I’m happy to finally have a name for the one I’ve come to respect.”

“As for ‘Pain’, I assume that’s not his real name either?”

Konan-sensei shakes her head sadly. “He took the name Pain on that day. It’s the name he has chosen for himself as the leader of the Akatsuki.”

“No, yeah,” you muse, “that’s what I was about to ask.”

“Our objectives remain the same,” Konan-sensei informs you, “though our membership looks quite different today. Pain’s methods are also less idealistic than Yahiko’s… albeit, perhaps much more realistic.”

>What is different about the current members of the Akatsuki, and why haven’t I met any of them?
>Why did you return to Amegakure? Not only that, but you killed Hanzō as well?
>To what degree do you blame Konoha? Your sensei was from there, but my bet is that ‘ROOT’ assisted Hanzō.
>Other?

>>3994213
>>Why did you return to Amegakure? Not only that, but you killed Hanzō as well?
>>To what degree do you blame Konoha? Your sensei was from there, but my bet is that ‘ROOT’ assisted Hanzō

>>3994213
>To what degree do you blame Konoha? Your sensei was from there, but my bet is that ‘ROOT’ assisted Hanzō.

>>3994213
>>Why did you return to Amegakure? Not only that, but you killed Hanzō as well?
>>To what degree do you blame Konoha? Your sensei was from there, but my bet is that ‘ROOT’ assisted Hanzō.

>>3994213
>To what degree do you blame Konoha? Your sensei was from there, but my bet is that ‘ROOT’ assisted Hanzō.

>>3994213
>>Why did you return to Amegakure? Not only that, but you killed Hanzō as well?

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>>3994213
“To what degree do you blame Konohagakure?” you ask carefully, watching Konan-sensei’s reactions.

Eventually she nods slowly. “I would be lying if I said ‘not at all’… because they were involved. Some may blame the Second World War on them entirely, though the truth is always more complicated. Hanzō was just as much to blame, as were the Kages at the time.”

“If war is simply a continuation of politics ‘by other means’, then it was no one person or even one side that failed. It was a failure of the system in which those actors were operating.”

“I ran across some information in the village last time,” you admit with a frown. “A group that existed within their ANBU at the time of the Second World War, called ROOT.”

“I have heard rumors,” Konan-sensei tells you. “Nothing substantial of course, but the rumors surrounding Danzō of the Leaf… are dark. Perhaps this darkness and the one of which you have heard are related?”

“Maybe,” you agree. “If we were to nominate a short list of possible ‘points of failure’ in this ‘system’ you mentioned, a man like that and an organization like what ROOT is rumored to have been feel like natural inclusions.”

“Even one of the Sannin had to admit that ROOT ‘went too far’ in their freedom… something that went beyond the questionable acts which the Third Hokage previously tolerated.”

“In any event, it is a goal of the Akatsuki to introduce a fundamental change,” Konan-sensei concludes with a slight frown. “That was Yahiko’s goal before he passed it to us, and it is Lord Pain’s goal now.”

“I will tell you more, when the time is right. But for now leave the Akatsuki and its mission to us.”

>Thank you for telling me all this, but I’ll know the Akatsuki by their actions… not by your motivations.
>How does dealing with Orochimaru fit into the long-term plans to change the world, exactly?
>I would like to meet with Uchiha Itachi… the man who saved my life, and Sadaaki’s. He DOES wear your uniform, doesn’t he?
>Other?

>>3995213
>I would like to meet with Uchiha Itachi… the man who saved my life, and Sadaaki’s. He DOES wear your uniform, doesn’t he?

>>3995213
>I would like to meet Uchiha itachi

>>3995213
>How does dealing with Orochimaru fit into the long-term plans to change the world, exactly?

>>3995213
>>I would like to meet with Uchiha Itachi… the man who saved my life, and Sadaaki’s. He DOES wear your uniform, doesn’t he?

>>3995213
>Thank you for telling me all this, but I’ll know the Akatsuki by their actions… not by your motivations.

>Konohagakure meant well. That doesn’t mean they did well.

>How does dealing with Orochimaru fit into the long-term plans to change the world, exactly?

>>3995514
come on, don't be to friendly with the *potential* enemy

>>3995213
>>I would like to meet with Uchiha Itachi… the man who saved my life, and Sadaaki’s. He DOES wear your uniform, doesn’t he?

>>3995213
I'll let the vote stay open for about another hour.

>>3995558
do we have to choose between the 2?

>>3995568
Not strictly speaking, it's just not even 9am where I'm at on a Monday. I may have the day off but not everyone does, and not everyone will have had a chance to get caught up.

>>3995213
>1d6, High Roll
>Taking first four dropping the lowest

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>3995629

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>3995629

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>3995629

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>3995629

>>3995629
“Uchiha Itachi-han is a member of the Akatsuki, isn’t he?” you ask. Konan-sensei doesn’t seem surprised in the slightest.

“He is,” she nods. “I suppose it was only a matter of time before you made the connection.”

“Could you possibly arrange for us to meet?” you ask. “There are some things I would like to ask him… I think you know what those things are.”

“I do know,” Konan-sensei admits, “and I don’t think a meeting should be difficult to arrange. Itachi-san has expressed some interest in meeting you as well.”

That comes as a surprise. “He has?”

Konan-sensei nods calmly. “I do not know why. He mentioned running across your team during the course of his mission to collect the bounty on Kurosuki Raiga and his swords, though he kept any personal thoughts to himself. Itachi-san is a true professional in that regard.”

“He frequents a small cafe on the outskirts of the village,” your sensei informs you. “If you give me a few minutes I can confirm whether he is there or not.”

Konan-sensei extends her arm, and it quickly dissolves into paper pieces which fold themselves midair into butterflies. You make careful note of how they’re folded… you think you can probably replicate it, though not quite in the same fashion that Konan-sensei can do it.

It takes her about a half hour, but eventually her arm starts to reconstitute itself from the same paper she sent out before.

“Itachi-san is waiting for you at the cafe,” she informs you, leaving one origami butterfly on her fingertip which then flutters in front of you. “I will serve as your guide.”

“Thank you, Konan-sensei,” you bow politely. “You’ve placed a lot of faith in me… I appreciate that, and I won’t let you regret it.”

“Good to hear,” she nods back to you. “Now go… you should not keep Itachi-san waiting.”
>1/2

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>>3995664
In a quiet cafe, not too far from the lake, you find him seated in a darker corner. You step in from out of the rain, with Konan-sensei's origami butterfly landing on your outstretched fingertip.

Uchiha Itachi gestures for you to sit on the bench across from him.

Once you get a closer look at him, he seems... profoundly tired. His face is etched with it even more deeply than his Konohagakure headband is etched with signs of his betrayal. His eyes are both red, with the visible black pattern of the fully-matured sharingan.

"So... how does this work, Uchiha Itachi-han?" you ask nervously. "Do you speak first, do I speak first?"

"It's just Itachi," he insists quietly. "Tea?"

You quietly order a serving of green tea with a wagashi, which comes out promptly as Itachi-han watches you with a keen, albeit silent, interest. After you take your first sip he speaks again.

“I love traditional cafes like this one,” he informs you. “I find their quaint, humble character to be relaxing.”

“It is very nice,” you agree.

“You competed in the Chūnin exams, solo,” Itachi-han muses. “I was the last to do so in Konoha.”

“So you were the ‘little prick’ that Anko-han mentioned?” you chuckle.

He shuts his eyes, the faintest traces of a smile tugging at his cheeks. “I fear so… Anko-san’s assessment is not incorrect. I was arrogant as a child, over-confident in my own abilities.”

“You have questions for me. I suppose I may have some answers for you.”

>I met your younger brother, Sasuke, while I was in Konoha. He seems to think you’re some sort of monster rather than a man.
>You were the one who thrashed Kakashi-han then left the village immediately after? What purpose did that serve?
>First thing first, who did this eye belong to and why did you implant it into my body without my consent?
>Other?

>>3995685
>>First thing first, who did this eye belong to and why did you implant it into my body without my consent?
that sounds a lot like an accusation, he did save our life as well

>>3995685
>>You were the one who thrashed Kakashi-han then left the village immediately after? What purpose did that serve?
>>First thing first, who did this eye belong to and why did you implant it into my body without my consent?
Fuck Sasuke.

>>3995685
>First thing first, who did this eye belong to and why did you implant it into my body without my consent?
>other: What did you do that made your brother hate you so much?

>>3995685
>You were the one who thrashed Kakashi-han then left the village immediately after? What purpose did that serve?
>First thing first, who did this eye belong to and why did you implant it into my body without my consent?

>>3995685
>>>First thing first, who did this eye belong to and why did you implant it into my body without my consent?

>>3995685
>>First thing first, who did this eye belong to and why did you implant it into my body without my consent?

>>3995685
>First thing first, who did this eye belong to and why did you implant it into my body without my consent?
>I met your younger brother, Sasuke, while I was in Konoha. He seems to think you’re some sort of monster rather than a man.

>>3995685
>1d6, high roll
>taking the first three

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>3996048

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>3996048

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>3996048

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>3996048

hoping for something good, expecting something less than...

The dice are not nice when it comes to Uchiha'd it seems

>>3996048
>>3996050
>>3996052
>>3996057
oof

>>3996048
“Whose eye is this?” you blurt out, tapping at the scar just below your left eye.

Itachi-han narrows his gaze. “You do not intend to ask if what Sasuke-kun told you is true?”

You shake your head. “Whatever’s between you and your brother isn’t my business. But you implanted someone else’s eye into my head without my consent, and that is very much my business.”

“That eye belonged to a girl, about your age, who I killed,” Itachi explains, his face an emotionless mask… one you realize he would not need to force at all were there no emotions to hide.

This girl… it logically means that it would have been an Uchiha, despite the fact that Itachi-han is playing this close to his chest that much is obvious. If it were otherwise, he wouldn’t be doing his best to keep details from you. Taken together with the fact that he went to the trouble of sealing it, it’s clear that this was a teenaged girl who could use the sharingan.

“I wish to know who to pay my respects to,” you press.

Itachi-han’s gaze grows less harsh, and more appraising, before he offers his response. “Her name was Uchiha Izumi. I do not intend to answer any further questions about her, or her eye.”

“Though I would be willing to converse with you, at least until I have finished my tea.”

It doesn’t seem like there’s much left in his cup, which means you don’t have long. He takes another sip, as if to drive the point home.

>If I offended you I apologize… it’s just that this is VERY confusing and dangerous for me.
>Now that you mentioned it, are the things I’ve heard about you true?
>You fight for the Akatsuki now… for what reason?
>Other?

>>3996214
>If I offended you I apologize… it’s just that this is VERY confusing and dangerous for me.

>>3996214
>>If I offended you I apologize… it’s just that this is VERY confusing and dangerous for me.

>>3996214
>if I offended you I apologize
>you fight for the akatsuki now

>>3996214
>>If I offended you I apologize… it’s just that this is VERY confusing and dangerous for me.

>>3996214
>If I offended you I apologize… it’s just that this is VERY confusing and dangerous for me.

>>3996214
>>You fight for the Akatsuki now… for what reason?

>>3996214
>>If I offended you I apologize… it’s just that this is VERY confusing and dangerous for me.
>>As for your story, why would a man who killed his entire clan in cold blood decide to save some children he'd never met before? The story I heard about you lacks depth and the life of a ninja is complicated.

My other submission sounds kind of weird to me, if anyone that's less of a social retard has suggestions on its structure feel free to alter it.

>>3996214
>Why did you give me Izumi's eye? I could understand saving my life if you're on Amegakure's side, but why go so far?

>>3996214
>If I offended you I apologize… it’s just that this is VERY confusing and dangerous for me.

>Uchiha Izumi
>basically Itachi's version of Sakura
Maybe check the wiki on that one anons. That's... that's a hell of a thing to give us. It's something we couldn't possibly IC know, but that's a HELL of a gift. Like, I'm fairly sure even now that Naori doesn't really grasp the significance of the Sharingan, seeing at as just an overblown kekkai genkai. While she gets that it's a Bad Thing if anyone finds out, she doesn't really *get it*. But that it's Izumi's... whatever it was that Itachi saw in us, he saw something special.

Otherwise, not a fan of asking about Akatsuki or his motives, as we don't know him well, don't know jack about Akatsuki, and there will be plenty of time to meet him again later when we're better acquainted.

>>3996586
I'm more concerned about why he carried her eyeball around in his pocket for 6ish years.

>>3996701
I mean, he had a reason.

There seems to plenty of people in the lore carrying those eyeballs around.

>>3996762
More and more as the franchise ages.

Super Special Eyeballs of Bullshit Hax Power seem to be in great supply despite their source being an endangered species.

>>3997200
Special eyes are like the spice from dune. Basically let you control the universe, is in a limited supply, but the story revolves around it in a sense

>>3997206
And it's a magic macguffin

>>3996586
That death.
>notsureifhorrified

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>>3996701
Do... do you not carry your waifu's eyeballs around with you everywhere you go?

...but seriously. That's a fucking weird thing to carry around, Itachi. Let's never ask why he was doing that. There's no good answer.

>>3997320
>everything you ever dreamed of comes true
>it's a dying dream

I got feels, anon, but I'm not sure which ones.

>>3996214
“I… apologize if I offended you,” you sigh, setting aside your own cup of tea. “But please try to understand, Itachi-han… whatever your reasons, and I have no earthly idea what those might be, this is all super dangerous for me.”

“Your life as a member of the Uzumaki clan was always going to be dangerous,” Itachi-han counters in a flat tone. “That is in your blood, Raishō Naori. It has hung over your clan’s heads since the fall of Uzushiogakure… it was the reason your mother never went by her real name, not even with you.”

“What do you know of my mother?” you frown.

Itachi takes another sip. “I have done some research since our meeting. The paper trails were in disarray, but I did find her name.”

“I can tell you… but you have time for one question now,” he tells you, swirling his tea in the cup. “One question, and maybe one answer, depending on the question.”

>Why did you kill off your entire clan?
>What can you tell me about the Akatsuki?
>What was my mother’s birth name?
>Other?

>>3997574
>>What can you tell me about the Akatsuki?

>>3997574
>>Why did you kill off your entire clan?

>>3997574
>"Why'd you do it? You don't seem insane. You must have had some reason."

>>3997574
>What was my mother’s birth name?

Given how much Naori looked up to her mother, how can she ask any other question?

>>3997574
>>Why did you kill off your entire clan?

>What was my mother’s birth name?

Like I said earlier, the clan option is almost certainly gonna be one we don't know him well enough for him to tell us about, nor one that we really have the context to understand fully. Also, he knows we know Sasuke, so telling us about it could make it back to Sasuke, making it potentially risky to the whole grooming Sasuke to kill him thing.

The one about Akatsuki is kinda a waste of our question. Konan will almost certainly explain it when time is right to hear it. I won't call it a total waste, because it'd be interesting to see what he'd say, but it's ultimately something we can learn elsewhere.

Our mother's name isn't. We're not going to learn that anywhere else anytime soon. This could be our only chance.

>>3997681
anon don't forget to link your vote.

>>3997574
>What was my mother’s birth name?

>>3997574
>>What was my mother’s birth name?

>>3997574
>>What was my mother’s birth name?

>>3997574
>Other?
Will my HMO cover the eye transplant?

>>3997574
>Why did you kill off your entire clan?

>>3997574
>>What was my mother’s birth name?

>>3997574
>What was my mother’s birth name?

>>3997695
Thanks, anon.

>>3997739
We're close enough to Akatsuki that I'm fairly sure Kakuzu writes our insurance policy. Which is why we no longer have one.

>>3997896
kakuzu doing their finances with the typical cap on and embezzling money is a hilarious thought

>>3997574
>1d6, high roll
>taking four and dropping the lowest

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>3998165

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>3998165

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>3998165

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>3998165

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>>3998165
After considering your position for a moment, you sigh. It’s clear that you really have no reasonable alternate question… he’s not going to give you any reasonable answers to most of the questions you have, and he’s clearly been sizing you up with his sharingan this entire time. It’s not just to intimidate you, he’s using his increased visual acuity as an interrogation method. So the more intense a discussion you have the more information you’ll be giving away to him about your thoughts, your personality, and your mental state.

And he clearly knows that you’ve gotten this far, and you both know without confirming it in each other that you won’t get as much information out of Itachi-han’s reactions as he will out of yours.

Luckily, your heart and mind are in agreement on what you want to know from him.

“I want to know what name my mother was born with,” you admit. “She didn’t choose to abandon her name, she chose to protect me… now that I know that much, there’s no reason not to know the name she sacrificed for that purpose.”

Itachi-han’s expression betrays the faintest hints of satisfaction. “Your mother’s name was Uzumaki Makoto, who herself was the grand-daughter of Uzumaki Rinko.”

You shake your head. “Yeah, no… if that name is supposed to mean something to me, it doesn’t.”

“It means that your mother was the great-granddaughter of Senju Tobirama,” Itachi-han summarizes, “by his daughter, who as many Senju did in that time married into the Uzumaki clan: the Senju’s strongest allies and distant relatives.”

“You learned… all of that?” you wonder aloud.

“Once I had your mother’s name, it was easy enough,” he admits. “After all I was once a shinobi of Konohagakure.”

You don’t really see how that would… wait, does he mean he snuck back into Konoha to browse their records? Or did he get that information from the ruins of Uzushiogakure? Or was it something else?

“That is the end of our discussion, I’m afraid,” Itachi-han bows politely, setting aside his now-empty cup. “If you would do me a favor and pay your respects to Makoto-san’s grave, that would make the effort I went to in learning that information worthwhile.”

>Thank Itachi-han for his time and effort, then leave.
>Ask if it’s likely that you’ll ever see Itachi-han again.
>Other?

>>3998288
>>Thank Itachi-han for his time and effort, then leave.

>>3998288
>Thank Itachi-han for his time and effort, then leave
really that was the last question
don't ask another one

>>3998288
>>Thank Itachi-han for his time and effort, then leave.

>>3998288
>thank him

>>3998288
>Thank Itachi-han for his time and effort, then leave

>>3998288
>Thank Itachi-han for his time and effort, then leave.

>>3998288
>>Ask if it’s likely that you’ll ever see Itachi-han again.

>>3998288
>Ask if it’s likely that you’ll ever see Itachi-han again.

>>3998288
>Thank Itachi-han for his time and effort, then leave.

I'd rather leave on a good impression than ask a question that we're not going to get an answer to.

>>3998288
>>Ask if it’s likely that you’ll ever see Itachi-han again.

>>3998288
Thank Itachi
Gunning for that secret Itachi route

Senju?!

>>3998402
>>3998288

This does beg the question, how old is Naori right now?

>>3998466
15, making her two years older than the Rookie 9 and three years younger than Itachi.

>>3998288
>Thank Itachi-han for his time and effort, then leave.

No sense pushing our luck. Uchiha are cats. Come on too strong and they vanish. If he wants to meet again, we'll meet him again, simple as that.

...we didn't really have much to offer him in terms of conversation this time, did we? Maybe we'll have more in common *coughakatsukicough* next time. Or just provide him with Sasuke updates.

>>3998466
15, I believe. Tellingly, the last time it came up was in reference to Itachi, when Naori soloed the chunin exam at 15, while he did at 10.

>>3998402
I'm ok trying to do this

>>3998508
So he's in range.
I prefer her sensei, but Itachi is also good.

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>>3998288
You bow politely. “Thank you for meeting with me, Itachi-han… and for the two names you’ve given me.”

“Now I can pay my respects properly.”

Uchiha Itachi leaves you alone in the cafe to finish your tea without another word, though you don’t sense any animosity at least. So you figure things could easily have gone much worse.

You take the rest of the afternoon to see to a few things. The first is that you write a short letter to Fū, wishing her well and sharing a description of some of the things you saw while in Sunagakure… like the garden that Temari took you to. She ought to enjoy that. Next you write a short courtesy letter to Kurotsuchi responding to her last letter, keeping that correspondence alive.

Then you head for a rather small and austere memorial above Amegakure’s rather small pleasure district… your mother, whatever you choose to call her, was never one to go overboard on such things. She would have been very cautious to avoid being forever commemorated as someone with poor taste, and a tacky shrine would have secured just such a postmortem reputation. So instead her shrine is simple: flat roof surfaces at a steep pitch over polished hardwood rafters and beams, with gilded fittings on and around the doors. Her public name, ‘Tenran’, is painted on a plaque in the center of a miniature stone lantern at the corner, beside the little scale stairs leading up to the shrine itself. Little ornamental plants are laid out around the shrine’s base, providing splashes of natural color throughout the year.

You light an offering of incense.

“Uzumaki Makoto...” you muse quietly. “I wish I had known it while you were still with us, but I understand why you kept it from me… your name was just one more thing you sacrificed for my sake, wasn’t it?”

Of course she can’t reply.

You bow deeply to your mother’s grave. “I swear, I won’t let those sacrifices go to waste.”
>TBC

>>3998768
Days turn to weeks.

But eventually, after a whole slew of uninteresting missions within the village, you receive a summons to meet with Konan-sensei in the meeting hall where she assigns missions to… well, to any team that isn’t you. Arriving just before the scheduled time, you find three teams already assembled: Team Ajisai, Team Ibuki, and Team Oboro.

“… unlucky...” Oboro mutters under his breath.

“Yeah, you realize that rebreather amplifies your voice, right?” you counter, arching an eyebrow in his direction.

“Wait,” he frowns. “Does that mean...”

“It does,” Ajisai confirms gruffly. “You’re just figuring it out?”

“Every time you’ve muttered something under your breath,” you smirk, “everyone could hear it. We were just waiting for you to figure it out on your own.”

“Why you little...”

“Restrain yourselves,” Konan-sensei orders as she appears on the balcony above you and the assembled teams. “Your mission will be to investigate the region of Otogakure for traces of the criminal activities of Orochimaru of the Sannin. Team Ajisai, Team Ibuki, and Team Oboro will each be assigned a jōnin team leader.”

That leaves…

“And my orders, Tenshi-sensei?” you ask quietly.

“You are to coordinate our three teams with the teams sent by Konohagakure and Sunagakure,” Konan-sensei informs you. “You will maintain radio contact with teams Ajisai, Ibuki, and Oboro.”

“Who are my counterparts from Konoha and Suna?”

Konan-sensei tosses you a scroll, witch you catch in your hand.

“The details are contained in that scroll,” she declares. “Report directly to me when and however you are able.”
>1/2

>>3999034
Counterparts eh?
My bet is on shikamaru and temari

>>3999034
>unlucky

Did Naori get a reputation somewhere?

>>3999141
That, and Oboro just doesn't like her.

>>3999034
The scroll gives a list of your contacts for Sunagakure and Konohagakure: from the latter, you’re due to engage with the leaders of Team Asuma, Team Kurenai, and a team of ANBU agents. From the former, you expect to meet with Team Baki, Team Ameno, and a team of Suna’s ANBU.

Also included is a suggestion, in a note handwritten by Konan-sensei herself: she suggests that donning an ANBU mask might not be out of the question, as your mission is more or less in line with one that would normally be assigned to an ANBU agent.

“Team Asuma is decent enough,” you admit to Ajisai when she asks you after the meeting. “Asuma-sensei himself is a powerful jōnin, and his students seem to work well together.”

“And the other team were all trackers, weren’t they?” Harusame asks you curiously.”They’re the ones you mentioned after that stupid mission for the Warm Water?”

You nod. “Yes, that’s right.”

“Team Baki are the ones who killed Shigure and his teammates, weren’t they?” Oboro muses, the smirk conveyed solely through his tone of voice. “Are we sure there’s not a chance to… even the score, if you will?”

You shrug. “You think you can kill Gaara more power to you. But unless you’ve gotten way stronger each of team Baki’s members could take your whole team single-handed, and Baki is another skilled jōnin. A wind-release user, super straight-forward. Fast, too.”

“What about this Team Ameno?” Karin chimes in.

“Never heard of ‘em,” you admit.

>Remember, for the time being these teams are our allies. At least TRY to act like it.
>No need to get chummy with any of ‘em. Coordinating with them is MY job anyway.
>Keep your eyes open, especially around the ANBU teams. Those we can’t trust.
>Other?

ALSO:
>Wear a mask
>Don't wear a mask

>>3999212
>>Remember, for the time being these teams are our allies. At least TRY to act like it.
>>Wear a mask
PROMOTIONS

>>3999212
>>Remember, for the time being these teams are our allies. At least TRY to act like it.
>Wear a mask

>>3999212
>>Remember, for the time being these teams are our allies. At least TRY to act like it.
>>Wear a mask

>>3999212
>>Remember, for the time being these teams are our allies. At least TRY to act like it.
>Wear a mask

>>3999212
>No need to get chummy with any of ‘em. Coordinating with them is MY job anyway.
>Keep your eyes open, especially around the ANBU teams. Those we can’t trust.
>Wear a mask

>>3999212
>Remember, for the time being these teams are our allies. At least TRY to act like it.

>>Wear a mask

>>3999212
>>No need to get chummy with any of ‘em. Coordinating with them is MY job anyway.
>Wear a mask

>>3999212
>>Remember, for the time being these teams are our allies. At least TRY to act like it.
>Wear a mask

Tengu mask?
Naori is going to have to change clothes and seal her sword or get an umbrella built to sheathe it if she's gonna hide her identity. Which is probably a decent idea if Baki will be there.

>>3999609
With that hair colour? Nah, change of clothes won't do shit, also team kurenai has Kiba and he will know her immediately, even if she could somehow fool shikamaru and asuma.
As for the suna shinobi, I doubt they would be fooled, better to just play the role and stay away from baki.

>>3999636
She could dye her hair... It's like you don't even want to play ninja dress-up.

>>3999609
>>3999636
>>3999657
Personally I enjoy the thought of Naori just insisting that nobody around her knows who she is.

>>3999212

>Remember, for the time being these teams are our allies. At least TRY to act like it.
>Keep your eyes open, especially around the ANBU teams. Those we can’t trust.
>Wear a mask

Konoha's Anbu is linked to Root. That's the faction to worry about.

>>3999666
I've always had the inkling that Anbu masks are one of those 'polite fiction' type things. Where anyone who matters can probably figure out who you are under the mask, but it's the custom to look the other way.

But Konan wouldn't have suggested it if it wasn't useful.

Ehh. It doesn't really hurt, and it makes us look cool.The people we know will figure it out, but no sense bandying Naori's face around with Orochimaru's forces on the other end. That's probably not a great idea.

>>3999212
You have to make a few slight changes before it’s time to leave, to make better use of the mask you intend to wear.

Amegakure ANBU masks differ somewhat from those of other hidden villages, being based around the respirator mask that was once worn by Hanzō of the Salamander which includes a heavier forehead protector with integral cheek guards. This you wear over a tight-fit hood to hide your red hair, and under a deep hooded cloak to make it not look like you’re hiding your hair. Then the last piece, which separates the ANBU mask from an ordinary respirator: a fine reinforced porcelain mask which runs from headband to respirator, and between the cheek guards. As is Amegakure tradition, this mask is blank white.

In terms of matching weapons you select three parasols with hidden swords inside their handles, and seal Umekiri into your palm. These are what you’ll be relying on when anyone from another village can see you, and when Umekiri’s specialized abilities aren’t needed.

“No names,” you remind the team leaders before you head out towards the rendezvous point.

>1d6, taking the third

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>>3999782
>reference on Hanzo's respirator

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>3999782

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>3999782

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>3999782

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>3999782
Rip

>>3999793
I don't know if we needed the low or high roll goddamn captcha had me go through it 9 times

>>3999784
Thicc mask

>>3999212
>Remember, for the time being these teams are our allies. At least TRY to act like it.
>Wear a mask
Konohana ninjas seem incredibly sentimental.

>>3999792
This will determine who you run into during hte next update, which will be tomorrow morning.

So is Naori just palette swapped Holo without the wolf features in terms of appearance, or are there meant to be differences?

>>3999782
I love the description of the mask

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>>3999975
At the moment, more or less yes. Her hair is more red, her skin tone is slightly toastier, and she's got the fucked up sharingan implant eye. She'll grow a bit more dramatically from 15 to 17 though than the main cast did from 13 to 15.

>Morning update in progress, probably by 10am PST

File: Yūgao_swearing.png (1.86 MB, 1912x1080)

1.86 MB PNG

>>3999212
Soon after crossing the border into the Land of Fire, you’re met by what you presume to be your escorts… including one familiar ‘face’, as it were. It’s a team of five Konoha ANBU, who don’t even try to make their presence discrete.

“You would be our ANBU contacts?” you ask the group after signalling for your three teams to stop.

“We can...” one of the jōnin in charge of the Ame teams interjects, earning a sharp glare.

“Pecking order,” you reprimand him, pointing to your mask. Regardless of what he may think is going on here, the fact that you were issued an ANBU mask at all for this mission makes the intention clear. Amegakure’s ANBU are not a dedicated unit, but are pulled on an ad-hoc basis from the regular forces using a list of individuals with specific, often extremely specialized talents.

He doesn’t know who you are, you made sure to be wearing the mask by the time you met the teams for this mission so he’s never seen your face. But what he should know is that you were selected to serve as ANBU right now, so he should know better than to question you.

“Forgive him,” you apologize to the Konoha ANBU. “The jōnin are not fully aware of my role in this mission… the briefing scroll was not explicit.”

“One young woman... here as our counterpart,” Yūgao acknowledges you from behind her cat-like mask. You can recognize her easily from the time you met during the chūnin exams… you wonder if she can say the same of you?

You incline your head, exaggerating the gesture slightly to make sure she can recognize it despite the mask. “Yes, just as you are the counterparts to the team of ANBU from Sunagakure.”

“Some of us aren’t too thrilled about this arrangement,” one of the other ANBU, who wears a mask reminiscent of a tiger, admits.

>Reassure him that you all feel a little on-edge, but that none of you are here with ill intent.
>So long as your teams keep to themselves, there shouldn’t be any needless conflict.
>Tip your mask to Yūgao, and ONLY to Yūgao, as a show of good faith.
>Other?

>>4000215
>reassure him
Also if we keep to our own parts, there shouldn't be a problem

>>4000215
>>Tip your mask to Yūgao, and ONLY to Yūgao, as a show of good faith.

>>4000215
>>Reassure him that you all feel a little on-edge, but that none of you are here with ill intent.

>>4000215
>>Reassure him that you all feel a little on-edge, but that none of you are here with ill intent

>>4000215
>Reassure him that you all feel a little on-edge, but that none of you are here with ill intent.

>>4000215
>>Reassure him that you all feel a little on-edge, but that none of you are here with ill intent.

>>4000215
>>Reassure him that you all feel a little on-edge, but that none of you are here with ill intent.

>>4000215
>Reassure him that you all feel a little on-edge, but that none of you are here with ill intent.

>>4000215
>>Tip your mask to Yūgao, and ONLY to Yūgao, as a show of good faith.

>>4000215
>>Tip your mask to Yūgao, and ONLY to Yūgao, as a show of good faith.

>>4000215
>Reassure him that you all feel a little on-edge, but that none of you are here with ill intent.

>>4000215
>1d6, best three of the first four

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4001057

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4001057

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4001057

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4001057
Another 4?

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4001057
>inb4 4

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4001057

>>4001079
>>4001085
>>4001086
Oh dear.

>>4001102
DESU

sp restored?

>>4001231
No DC means that SP aren't involved: no chance to spend, no chance to recover.

>>4001057
“I’m sure we all feel a little on-edge,” you sigh, shaking your head. “But I’m just as sure none of us are here with any ill intent. So if nobody starts anything, there won’t be anything.”

You turn your focus entirely to Yūgao, singling her out. “Agreed?”

She examines you carefully, then makes an exaggerated nodding gesture. “Agreed. We will be holding here until the teams from Sunagakure and Konohagakure join us later today. From there we will escort you all across our territory to the border of the Land of Sound.”

“There are no other orders.”

You spare a glance at your own teams, your gaze lingering on Karin for a moment. She shakes your head, confirming that she senses no lie in Yūgao’s words either.

“I assume no one has any objections to waiting around a bit?” you ask your teams’ jōnin.

When no one raises any objections, you settle in to wait for the other teams.

Team Asuma and Team Kurenai arrive first, with the genin of Team Asuma showing now evidence of recognition. Team Kurenai however is a problem. Of this second genin team it’s initially surprising when Akamaru begins to yap excitedly.

“What is it, Akamaru? You say you know this chick?”

You glare sharply at the pup, and the pup seems to realize that he’s attracted your attention because he abruptly stops yapping.

“You must just be imagining it, Akamaru,” Kiba shrugs. “There’s no way you’d recognize an ANBU from another village… and if we’d ever met a chick that scary I think I’d remember it too.”

The teams from Sunagakure arrive not long after: the Sand siblings along with Baki, whose arm is in a sling, are familiar to you. The other trio consists of a brown-haired young woman with a simple white tunic of sorts and a red sash, a dark-haired man with sunken cheeks and three-quarters-length sleeves, and a messy-haired young man with a brown vest and rolled-up sleeves. That must be Team Ameno, though you have no idea which among them the name belongs to.

The team of Suna ANBU also arrive at the same time, seemingly a cell of three who are accompanying Baki.

Yūgao’s team escorts you until nightfall, when the various teams set up separate encampments. The Amegakure teams are clustered together, with only Oboro’s team maintaining some distance from the others. Despite this, Team Ibuki and Team Ajisai are more or less quiet. The two Konoha genin teams are camped together along with their senseis, while their ANBU maintain a perimeter. The Sunagakure shinobi do the same, although Team Baki and Team Ameno seem to be even less talkative than your own teams are.
>1/2

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>>4001424
After working out a rotation with Ajisai and Team Ibuki, you take your turn to sleep.

Deep in slumber, you feel as though you are not alone. Looking up you find yourself resting on a forest floor, sheltered near a campfire between the great tangled roots of mighty trees, across from a familiar mask.

It’s the same figure you have dreamed about twice before. She seems to silently watch you, or is she watching the fire between you?

>Sit up, but do nothing else.
>Move over and sit on the same side of the fire as the mysterious figure.
>Try to entice the mystery figure to come and join you.
>Other?

>>4001428
>>Move over and sit on the same side of the fire as the mysterious figure.
if she lets us, if she moves away, sit back down

>>4001428
>>Move over and sit on the same side of the fire as the mysterious figure.

>>4001428
>>Try to entice the mystery figure to come and join you.

>>4001428
>Move over and sit on the same side of the fire as the mysterious figure.
>Offer her food
>>It's a dream. We definitely have food
>"Are you my sword's tsukumogami?"

Feels... appropriate in a Naori kinda way to be hospitable, even in a dream.

Feel free to cut the tsukumogami question if it doesn't make sense. Just figured that Naori is fairly sharp, and while it has been a while, we met this lady before during two heavily sword related events, so it doesn't feel too reaching to have her draw the conclusion.

(we've had 3 events with sword lady now, and I don't want it to go unattended and fall by the wayside in case it's important. Nor do I want to dance around it and have it drag out. Sword lady just feels like one of those quest subplots that I can see us forgetting about real quick if we don't trip the flag.)

>>4001489
>>4001428
This.
>offer her food or a spot by the fire. Be hospitable. And remember the manners that your mother taught you.

>>4001489
>>4001428
Supporting.
I wonder if this is happening because we sealed our sword into our body?

>>4001428
>>4001489
>>4001550

>>4001428
>Move over and sit on the same side of the fire as the mysterious figure.

>>4001428
>>Move over and sit on the same side of the fire as the mysterious figure.

>>4001428
You slowly, deliberately, move to reposition yourself closer to the masked woman.

She watches you cautiously as you do so.

“It’s not really a campfire if you’re sitting by yourself,” you muse, “don’t you think?”

After a moment, she nods silently.

You’re not entirely sure what you have sealed right now in terms of hot drinks, but if this is a dream it really shouldn’t matter, should it? That’s not how dreams work. So you unseal two cups of coffee from a scroll, smiling as you offer one to her.

This should be interesting… will she remove her mask? Or will she merely lift it a little, and leave her face accidentally visible?

She doesn’t accept the cup at first, so you’re not sure that your ploy is going to work. That is, until she takes a small knife and slams it pommel-first into the mask to shatter its lower quarter or so away. This exposes her mouth and chin, up to just under her nose… you’d say based solely on her jawline and her ever-so-slightly pouty lips that she’d be pretty under the rest of that mask.

Then she accepts the coffee from you, sipping gingerly at it while it’s still hot.

“You don’t talk much, do you?”

She shakes her head.

A thought occurs to you. “Can you talk?”

After a moment, she shakes her head again. Then she sets the coffee cup aside, before drawing the kodachi at her side and patting its spine lightly with her fingertips.

>1d6, taking the first three
>DC 8

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4001927

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4001927

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4001927

>>4001927
>Success
>SP: 6/6
Will update again some time after the lunch hour.

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>>4001927
“So you are my sword after all?” you muse. “That’s what you’re trying to tell me?”

The masked figure nods.

“… Okuni, then,” you incline your head politely. “Guess that’s nice to meet you.”

The masked figure stares at you, then touches her fingertips to her collarbone.

“Yes, you!” you chuckle. “That was your original name, right? Okuni Ichimonji… before you were renamed by Nidaime Kotetsu.”

Your own fingertips hover just above the familiar blade. “This choji-midare is the exact same as my sword’s, but there’s no horimono engraved into it. That’s how I know.”

Eventually, Okuni nods in agreement.

>If you’re my sword, does your appearing like this mean you’re getting used to me?
>Try to figure out through yes-or-no questions why she’s appearing in DREAMS as opposed to any other way.
>Just try to be polite and thoughtful. You have tons of questions but no good ways to ask them, nor does she have a good way to answer.
>Other?

>>4002729
>>If you’re my sword, does your appearing like this mean you’re getting used to me?

>>4002729
>>If you’re my sword, does your appearing like this mean you’re getting used to me?

>>4002729
>>Just try to be polite and thoughtful. You have tons of questions but no good ways to ask them, nor does she have a good way to answer.

>>4002729
>If you’re my sword, does your appearing like this mean you’re getting used to me?

>>4002729
>apologize for breaking her, and thank her for the help she gave us back then

>>4002796
>>4002729
Yeah, supporting
Without her we would be dead, especially since she allowed us to use the yin(?) Chakra ability so early

>>4002729
>first apologize for your mistreatment of breaking her previous guard, then thank her for all the help she has provided.
>play charades with Okuni, try to interpret what she wants to say.
>Try to figure out through yes-or-no questions why she’s appearing in DREAMS as opposed to any other way.

>>4002796
I actually really like this.

>>4002729
Changing vote from>>4002793 to >>4002823

>>4002729
“I’m sorry for destroying your fittings before,” you apologize, bowing politely. “And thank you… I had the chance to talk with Itachi-han about it, but even before that without you in my hands I’d have been killed. I wouldn’t be here.”

Okuni nods curtly. You can’t quite tell if she’s acknowledging that you owe her your life, of she expects you to say something more, or what. It’s difficult when you can’t see any facial features.

“With your leave I’d like to continue wielding you.”

Okuni nods again.

“Awesome!” you smile. “I guess as we get more and more used to each other I’ll be seeing more of you?”

This time, Okuni shakes her head.

“No?”

She repeats the gesture.

“Do you know how to write?”

Okuni stares at you. No, you suppose a sword who has never even had hands or eyes in the physical sense wouldn’t be literate, would it? So your options are either to teach a mute sword how to write in kana, or play twenty questions until you can figure out what she actually means whenever the answer you want isn’t a matter of yes and no.

“Did you mean that I will actually see less of you?”

Okuni nods.

“Is it because of something that will be happening to you?”

Okuni shakes her head.

“Something that will happen to me?”

She shakes her head again.

“Then… both of us?”

Okuni nods.
>1/2

>>4003324
“Do you mean like… we’ll combine or something?” you ask.

Okuni shakes her head.

“Great,” you sigh, wiping your brow dramatically. “Cause I don’t think I’d look too great in silver.”

There’s a protracted pause… but eventually you hear Okuni make a noise. At first it’s more like a mimicry of laughter, from someone who’s never heard laughter. After a little while, it starts to sound a little more normal.

“So, if it’s not some kind of weird fusion, then… I guess that means we won’t be seeing each other?”

Okuni nods.

“So more like continuous empathy rather than appearing to me in dreams?”

This round of nodding is particularly emphatic.
>1d6, high roll
>best three of four

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4003431

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4003431

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4003431

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4003431

>>4003431
“Well that doesn’t sound too bad,” you admit. “Oh yeah, I’ll make sure to get hold of some less showy fittings next time I need to do an ANBU operation. Sound good?”

Okuni seems happy with that, based on her smile.

“You… have a face under that mask, don’t you?” you muse.

Okuni nods, and briefly lifts her mask…

“You alive in there?” Arashi demands.

Your hand finds the base of his neck in the moment of disorientation which follows, before you release him just as abruptly.

“Sorry!” you quickly apologize. “I was having a pretty vivid dream.”

You recall what you saw just before having been awakened… dark eyes, friendly and focused, with angular red tattoos on her cheeks not dissimilar to the ones you’ve seen on Inuzuka Kiba.

>Go ahead and unseal Umekiri immediately… you can transform the sheath if you need to.
>Keep up the facade until you reach Otogakure, then unseal Umekiri.
>Keep up the facade as long as possible… only draw on Umekiri when you really need her.
>Other?

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>>4003605

>>4003605
>>Keep up the facade as long as possible… only draw on Umekiri when you really need her.

>>4003605
>Keep up the facade as long as possible… only draw on Umekiri when you really need her.

>>4003605
>>Keep up the facade as long as possible… only draw on Umekiri when you really need her.

>>4003605
>>Keep up the facade as long as possible… only draw on Umekiri when you really need her.

>>4003605
>Keep up the facade as long as possible… only draw on Umekiri when you really need her.

>>4003605
>1d6, high roll
>best three of the first four

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4004237

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4004237

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4004237

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4004237

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4004237

>>4003605
“Are you okay?”

Karin examines you carefully after you catch yourself glancing down at your sword, which has become un-sealed somehow. Probably when you were rudely awakened just now.

“I’m fine, by the way,” Arashi mutters.

“Your chakra feels...”

You place a fingertip over Karin’s mouth, insisting that she shut up. “You didn’t sense anything.”

“I… what?”

“If anyone asks nothing happened, you didn’t sense anything,” you insist.

“… okay?”

“Good.”

You sense that within your blade… no, you’re just going to call it Umekiri for simplicity’s sake. The manifestation you were speaking to in your dream may have been based on its original identity as Okuni Ichimonji, but that’s not what you’re dealing with here. The blade has been changed, whether it is aware of that or not, and this apparent synchronization of your chakra with its own ‘fickle’ chakra metal… and with the residual chakra of possibly dozens of previous Uzumaki wielders, if you’re right about what is actually happening…

There’s a certain unaccountable but also undeniable vitality there that you had not noticed previously, like the impression of having a living being in your hands rather than an artistically-figured piece of steel.

In any event, you’d prefer not to broadcast the fact that you’ve begun to synchronize with this sword, and for now it would be easier to avoid answering the thorny questions of what precisely Umekiri counts as: a teammate, or a tool.

As much as you regret it, the charade is best kept up for the duration of this mission. The next time you have any similar ANBU work to handle you can deal with Umekiri differently.
>1/2

>>4004358
Hmm if we knew she had become unsealed I think people would have voted differently.
You are not supposed to be able to seal living things correct? Wouldn't want to risk killing her, or even just re-sealing her.

>>4004375
I think we roled for keeping her sealed, failed and she became unsealed.
I bet the change in her and us unraveled the sealing formula

>>4004375
While it is possible, albeit difficult, to seal a living being Umekiri isn't 'alive' in the same sense that Samehada is. She's a chakra metal sword that's grown to be self-aware due to the residual chakra impressions left by a succession of Uzumaki wielders, the Uzumaki clan being noted for the unusual vitality of their chakra. Her personality is a gestalt of the attitudes and personalities of her past wielders while they were running their chakra into her.

tl;dr having Uzumaki chakra running through a particularly fine chakra sword for long enough gave that sword a personality.

>>4004513
The most important question is if Umekiri loves eating ramen, even if it's just dream ramen.

>>4004513
now its no wonder she just broke her mask, typical uzumaki stubbornness and pragmatism

>>4004525
naori will probably help even her personality out a bit.

>>4004567
refine it i would say, Naori can be quite stubborn herself

>>4004358
It’s almost surprising how little discussion there is during the rest of your escort through the Land of Fire, but you should probably have expected as much. A rather clear testimony to the fact that even in the shinobi world something a simple as hiding your face behind a mask tends to work more often than not, even when you’ve actually met most of these people before.

At the border with the Land of Sound, the various jōnin meet to discuss the assignments and delegation of responsibilities within the broader search efforts. Both the Sunagakure and Konohagakure ANBU hang back, and you do the same, presumably because of the stark difference in your respective orders.

“I’m rather surprised, Baki,” you address your key Suna counterpart without formalities… your accidental use of -han might serve to jog his memory.

He glances at you past his half-face veil. “About?”

“You aren’t with your team.”

“Those three don’t need me,” he grumbles. “Not anymore, at least.”

“I see,” you shrug. “One of them stepped up as a leader after that debacle?”

“Gaara, as it happened,” Baki admits. “It came as a surprise to everyone… even to him I think.”

>Stick close with the other ANBU teams once everyone goes their separate ways.
>Stick close with your own Amegakure teams, especially making use of Karin’s sensing.
>Strike out on your own using your paper and sensing abilities to cover ‘gaps’ in the search pattern.
>Other?

>>4004588
>>Stick close with the other ANBU teams once everyone goes their separate ways.

>>4004588
>Stick close with your own Amegakure teams, especially making use of Karin’s sensing.

>>4004588
>>Stick close with your own Amegakure teams, especially making use of Karin’s sensing.

>>4004588
>>Stick close with the other ANBU teams once everyone goes their separate ways.

>>4004588
>>Stick close with the other ANBU teams once everyone goes their separate ways.
We're supposed to be coordinating with the other villages, staying in vocal range of the other anbu will keep radio chatter down by allowing the various villages to use their own signals.

>>4004588
>Stick close with your own Amegakure teams, especially making use of Karin’s sensing.

>>4004602
Also
>Gift everyone an origami animal.

>>4004588
>>Stick close with the other ANBU teams once everyone goes their separate ways.
I assume we and the other ANBU are supposed to react to any threats the teams encounter

>>4004588
>>4004606
Not a bad idea.
Give everyone a unique animal, then if we ask them for the "password" they present it to us.
And we can sense through our paper, so it'll be hard to fake.

I'll support this in addition to >>4004605

>>4004588
>>Stick close with the other ANBU teams once everyone goes their separate ways.

>>4004617
I was thinking it could be used to track individual ninja if communications go down, or if someone gets captured.

>>4004588
>>>Stick close with the other ANBU teams once everyone goes their separate ways.

>>4000178
Grow dramatically you say? I like where this is going.

>>4005232
She gonna get them hips.

>>4000178
tig ol biddies?

>>4004776
They could also write on the paper to send us an emergency message if they get captured or have to hide or something.