>>4104535
“I see,” you muse quietly. That certainly does present something of a dilemma, doesn’t it?

You flag down a hostess, dressed in a rather skimpy-looking outfit with way more frills than you’d be comfortable with wearing, and she comes over to your already rather out-of-the-way table.

“What can I do for you, Mistresses?” she asks, using the cutesy-submissive turns of phrase that tend to be popular in establishments like the one you asked Ryūzetsu to meet you in.

“A private room, please?” you request, flashing the appropriate amount of cash. “And a bottle of something nice.”

“Of course, Mistresses!” the young woman replies cheerfully… dutifully, no further questions are asked.

“Really?” Ryūzetsu asks with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m about to do something weird,” you admit.

Your fellow kunoichi leans back slightly, feigning discomfort. “Should I be concerned?”

“Maybe,” you shrug. “I think you’ll understand when you see it.”

…

“So that’s the size of it,” you sigh, seated as you are atop the table in your private room while Ryūzetsu sips sake somewhere. You can’t tell where exactly, your eyes are closed so that you can talk to the rest of Akatsuki, or at least the ones who are available right now.

“This box thing sounds like bad news, and the Grass Flower faction wants us to avoid anything that might lead to a prison break.”

“Well that’s no fun,” Kisame shrugs, clearly disappointed.

“Sorry to hear you say that,” you muse, “I was counting on your help on this one.”

There’s a long, dramatic pause. “You’re not joking, are you?”
>2/3

>>4104540
“I think I understand,” Itachi-han offers. “By leaking information to Kusagakure that Akatsuki intends to rescue a prisoner to recruit them, we would force Kusagakure to seek outside assistance to prevent that from happening.”

“Probably jōnin from Konoha or Suna,” you continue the thought. “Since we have to figure the Grass Fruit already know about Amegakure’s alliance with the Grass Flower.”

“If Kisame and I fight those jōnin there would be chaos in the prison yard, especially once Kisame and Samehada got any momentum,” Itachi concludes. “It would be a perfect distraction, and would offer a plausible reason why we would not simply crush the castle’s defenders.”

…

“So that’s the price,” you tell Ryūzetsu, handing her a small sheet of paper with the figure written on it.

She stares at it for a moment. “That’s not a lot.”

“That’s how we operate,” you counter.

>I’d like to do some aerial recon work, if that’s acceptable.
>My summoning clan may know something about the Box.
>Are there any physical records I might be able to consult?
>Other?

>>4104541
>>I’d like to do some aerial recon work, if that’s acceptable.

>>4104541
I’d like to do some aerial recon work, if that’s acceptable.
>My summoning clan may know something about the Box.
Both are possible

>>4104541
>I’d like to do some aerial recon work, if that’s acceptable.
>My summoning clan may know something about the Box.

>>4104541
>I’d like to do some aerial recon work, if that’s acceptable.
>My summoning clan may know something about the Box.

>>4104541
>I’d like to do some aerial recon work, if that’s acceptable.
>My summoning clan may know something about the Box.

>>4104541
>>Are there any physical records I might be able to consult?

>>4104541
“Speaking of which,” you continue, “I’d like to do some fly-overs of the castle in the next couple of days. Would that be okay?”

“Depends on the altitude,” Ryūzetsu replies, cradling chin in hand as she considers the variables. “Could you do it at night?”

“That would work,” you agree.

“Then I see no reason why that wouldn’t work to our advantage,” she agrees. “You’re waiting for backup?”

You nod curtly. “This will take some time to go into motion.”

…

The next night you summon Nyoka to you in an isolated clearing some distance from Hozuki castle, which should let you get airborne and land without being spotted.

“This is your summons?” Ryūzetsu wonders aloud at Nyoka’s magnificent, and probably much larger than expected, form.

“This one appreciates your admiration,” Nyoka replies teasingly, “but knows she must not let it go to her head. So it would also be appreciated if you were to collect yourself.”

“Right,” Ryūzetsu nods curtly. “I’ll stay here to monitor the clearing until you can return. Remember… keep above the altitude we discussed.”

Once atop Nyoka’s back and in the air, you feel the chill as your partner begins to thicken the cloud cover so that she can dart back and forth between cover, giving you brief but clear windows on the castle below with minimum risk of detection. To make best use of these openings, you form the seal of confrontation.

“Unseal: Sharingan!”

Using the visual prowess of the sharingan in your left eye, you’re able to get a better view of Hozuki castle even in the dark and at this altitude. You make careful note of the layout, of the comings and goings of guards to establish their patrols, the locations of towers and their fields of fire into the castle’s grounds.

“Why is it that we are surveying the Land of Grass, Naori-san?”

The question comes as you find yourselves slowly gliding back towards the clearing, the wind now less loud in your ears so your partner needs not call out to you to make herself heard.

“There’s something under that castle called the “Box of Paradise” that we’re going to steal,” you explain.

“The Box of Paradise, you say?” she replies as she lands gracefully in the clearing and allows you to leap down. “This one knows of it… if Kusagakure still has it after all these years, it is good that you intend to do something about it.”
>1/2

>>4105740
“You know what the Box is?” Ryūzetsu asks, plainly astonished almost to the point of defensiveness. “How can that be?”

“This one may seem lively as a hatchling, but she has lived long and heard much,” Nyoka replies. “Tell me, young one, what do you believe the Box to be?”

“In Kusagakure, people believe it can grant wishes,” Ryūzetsu replies with a sudden frown. “At least, that’s what Mui and the others have believed while trying to open it.”

“That, young one, is utter nonsense,” Nyoka asserts bluntly. “The Box of Paradise contains nothing more than the yōkai known as Satori.”

“Satori,” you mutter. “Nyoka-han, do you mean to refer to kenshō?”

“Indeed, Naori-san,” Nyoka-han replies, pleased that you’re familiar with the concept already. “The yōkai of the Box possesses only one power, and that is to incite and then draw upon the worst aspects of human nature.”

“The Sage of Six Paths was the only one able to suppress both his fear and his bloodlust completely to face Satori, and it is said among our clan that he was able to bind the yōkai into the Box using in’yōton.”

“In’yō...” you repeat. “Yin and yang transformation at the same time?”

Nyoka-han inclines her head. “That is what this one has heard. It is a very old story though, so perhaps some details have been lost in the telling… a copy of a copy of the original cannot help but be diminished in some places, embellished in others.”

>I’ll inform Akatsuki when the other members arrive… that makes this mission that much more important.
>This information stays between the three of us. The Box should disappear from human memory entirely.
>Akatsuki should know, but the Five Shinobi Nations should never know. They’d go from fearing it to wanting it.
>Other?

>>4105741
>>This information stays between the three of us. The Box should disappear from human memory entirely.

>>4105741
>>Akatsuki should know, but the Five Shinobi Nations should never know. They’d go from fearing it to wanting it.

>>4105741
Let's keep it between us

>>4105741
>Akatsuki should know, but the Five Shinobi Nations should never know. They’d go from fearing it to wanting it.

>>4105741
>Akatsuki should know, but the Five Shinobi Nations should never know. They’d go from fearing it to wanting it.

>>4105741
>>Akatsuki should know, but the Five Shinobi Nations should never know. They’d go from fearing it to wanting it.

>>4105741
>Akatsuki should know, but the Five Shinobi Nations should never know. They’d go from fearing it to wanting it.
>The last thing we need is them trying to harness it like they have done in the past. They all allready have their Chakra beasts as "deterrents". They do not need more of them.

The irony is not lost to me. Akatsuki are even more likely to try harnesses it (if not now then when Pain kicks it and Obito kicks off 4th war) but we IC do not know that.

>>4105741
>Akatsuki should know, but the Five Shinobi Nations should never know. They’d go from fearing it to wanting it.

>>4105741
>>This information stays between the three of us. The Box should disappear from human memory entirely.

>>4105741
>>Akatsuki should know, but the Five Shinobi Nations should never know. They’d go from fearing it to wanting it.

>>4105741
When you meet with Itachi-han and Kisame-han two days later, it’s with two pieces of important news.

“Welcome to the show,” you greet them coolly in the woods not too far from the walls of Hozuki castle. “Things escalated since you’ve been en route.”

“How so?” Itachi-han asks you.

“And who’s the girl?” Kisame demands, watching Ryūzetsu cautiously.

“Local knowledge,” you explain. “She’ll be with me.”

“Then it’s a pleasure,” he backs off, his presence suddenly less imposing as his muscles relax slightly.

“Continue,” Itachi-han bids you.

You nod curtly. “We found out what’s in the Box from my summoning clan. Evidently it’s a genuine yōkai.”

“A yōkai?” Itachi repeats, surprised. “What sort?”

“I’m told it incites and feeds off of human fear and bloodlust,” you relay. “So it makes sense… the ancient Land of Grass psyched themselves up on yōkai until the Sage of Six Paths is said to have stepped in.”

“At very least I find the existence of this ‘Satori’ easier to accept than a magical wish-granting fairy box.”

“I don’t believe either of ‘em,” Kisame shrugs.

Itachi however seems more wary. “That’s a good way to end up eaten by a yōkai.”

“We’ll be careful.”

After a few moments you remember the next bit of news. “Oh yeah, Konohagakure sent some jōnin chasing after our ‘leak’, just as planned.”

“Who?” Itachi asks.

>1d6, taking the first two

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4106222

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4106222

>>4106222
“You guys must have touched a nerve last time you were over there,” you muse. “They sent Team Guy and an ad-hoc team of mostly jōnin and tokujō.”

“Guy-sensei?” Itachi-han muses. “Did you recognize any of the other four?”

“Shizune and Shiranui Genma,” you tell him. “One guy with a chinbeard and a swordsman with what looks like a burn scar on his face.”

“Namiashi Raidō and Tatami Iwashi,” Itachi realizes. “Shizune-san and the Hokage Guard Platoon.”

Kisame seems impatient. “Is that supposed to mean something?”

“It means that we may be set up for a meeting with the Fifth Hokage. The Fourth taught them a special teleportation technique."

You let that sink in for a moment before your palm meats your face. “Awesome! What the hell did you do the last time you were there!?”

“I may have put Kakashi-san in the hospital, a little.”

“A little?”

Itachi-han nods curtly. “I suppose they just consider me that big of a threat that the hint of my being here is cause for this much concern.”

That… would be one hell of a complication.

>If you can’t make a clean breakaway, tell her about the Box. We may be able to strike a deal.
>If you can’t make a clean breakaway, I’ll come talk to her. She MAY give me the benefit of the doubt.
>Under no circumstances drop the act. The Five Great Nations cannot know about the Box.
>Other?

>>4106240
>Under no circumstances drop the act. The Five Great Nations cannot know about the Box.

>>4106240
>>Under no circumstances drop the act. The Five Great Nations cannot know about the Box.

>>4106240
Under no circumstances

>>4106240
>>If you can’t make a clean breakaway, I’ll come talk to her. She MAY give me the benefit of the doubt.

>>4106240
>>If you can’t make a clean breakaway, I’ll come talk to her. She MAY give me the benefit of the doubt.

>>4106240
>Under no circumstances drop the act. The Five Great Nations cannot know about the Box.

>>4106240
>Give Itachi-han a very flat stare of scrutiny with the sharingan Itachi gave you.
>Under no circumstances drop the act. The Five Great Nations cannot know about the Box.

>>4106485
Fuck off with your cringe write-ins dude.

>>4106592
this

>>4106240
>Under no circumstances drop the act. The Five Great Nations cannot know about the Box.

Let's not loose another WMD on the world.

Also, maybe let's not run around announcing ourselves as an Akatsuki member to people we know like Tsunade? Because unless we're going to pretend to be a missing nin, which is a charade that'd be a BITCH to maintain, it's going to bring a lot of unwanted attention on Ame.

>>4106240
>Under no circumstances drop the act. The Five Great Nations cannot know about the Box.

>>4106240
>Under no circumstances drop the act. The Five Great Nations cannot know about the Box.

File: The_Shinobi_Prison_Hozuki(...).png (2.23 MB, 1916x1076)

2.23 MB PNG

>>4106240
“Under no circumstance should you drop the act in front of Tsunade,” you demand flatly. “The Great Nations would just see a superweapon to use on each other.”

“You’re really not a fan, are you?” Kisame muses.

You roll your eyes. “Whatever gave you the impression?”

“In any event, the Box needs to stay shut.”

“Agreed,” Itachi-han mutters. “If it cannot be controlled, Akatsuki has no use for it anyway.”

…

That night, the plan goes into motion.

You and Ryūzetsu leave first, heading around the storm-lashed cliffs that Hozuki castle is built atop, surrounded on three sides by churning water and hard stone spires rising like spearpoints. Thankfully it’s not only dark but raining, allowing you to hide yourself in the rain so that you can scout for Ryūzetsu. It’s still remarkably easy going considering how this would probably be even for genin, let alone “normal” people.

Eventually you find yourself at the base of the wall just below the shirō, the original keep of the castle itself from before it was converted into a prison. Beyond that rise the actual prison blocks, which have grown to dwarf the castle itself by at least a dozen floors.

At the arranged time, Itachi and Kisame crash the gate.

You can see from the top of the wall that they’ve definitely done well in drawing the entire prison’s attention. Kisame has actually flooded the entire prison yard with about twelve feet of water, which is absolutely insane to think about. It also speaks well of the strength of the gates themselves that they can hold back that much water.

“It’s in the top floor of the castle,” Ryūzetsu informs you, and so you quickly vault between the levels of rooftop until you can enter the top floor through a window. Thankfully no one else is present, and so Ryūzetsu walks towards a bookcase in what looks to be the warden’s office.

She tilts a book with a blue cover back on the shelf, and the bookcase slides back slightly to swing freely like a door.

“Down here.”
>1/2

>>4107189
Ryūzetsu leads you down a stone tower that you didn’t see from the skies above the castle… it must have been built into the footprint of the old keep, probably using earth release to keep it a secret to the outside world. At the bottom of the tower the construction gives way to natural stone… you must have passed clear through the foundations of Hozuki castle and into the stony land it was built atop.

Down a rough-hewn corridor, you begin to hear voices.

Ryūzetsu points you at a gap between a row of shelves and the wall, just large enough for you to creep closer towards the sound of the voices.

“It seems like the Akatsuki above are having trouble,” a deep male voice decides.

“They were wrong to think it would be so easy,” a female voice declares.

You sneak a quick peek around the corner of the shelves, to find a group of four shinobi in dark outfits and bizarre, almost demonic-looking masks, along with a familiar dark-haired man: the warden, Mui.

Gesturing with a quick slash across your neck with your fingers, you ask Ryūzetsu if it’s okay to kill the other four who are with the warden. After considering her answer for a moment, she nods.

>Use the time and the cover to go into sage mode.
>Use Kongō Fūsa as a surprise attack.
>Use genjutsu to set the stage, then begin cutting them down.
>Other?

>>4107203
>>Use the time and the cover to go into sage mode.

>>4107203
>Use the time and the cover to go into sage mode.

>>4107203
>Use the time for sage mode

>>4107203
>>Use Kongō Fūsa as a surprise attack.

>>4107203
>Use the time and the cover to go into sage mode.

>>4107203
>Use the time and the cover to go into sage mode.

>>4107203
>Use the time and the cover to go into sage mode.

>>4107203
>>Use genjutsu to set the stage, then begin cutting them down.

>>4107203
>1d6, high roll
Taking three. This isn't for success as much as for degree of shock and awe.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4107336

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4107336

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4107336

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4107336

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4107336

>>4107338
>>4107339
>>4107340
>>4107341
>>4107342
well, that is a weird pattern ...

>>4107336
You pause for a few minutes, holding perfectly still in seiza with one hand at the throat of your saya and the other at Umekiri’s hilt, doing nothing but gather natural energy. You also try to focus on how Umekiri reacts to that energy when you allow it to flow into and out of her blade, eventually electing to “fill” her the same way you would your own body. It takes a little longer because of that, but not long enough for anyone on the other side of the shelves to figure out you’re there.

The first move comes with a loud crash, as you knock the shelves across the room. One man has been sandwiched between that shelf and one across from it, making for one hell of a dramatic entrance.

A senjutsu-enhanced drawing cut with Umekiri is obfuscated by illusory copies, and the true strike lands before the second black-clad cult figure can finish weaving his hand seals. The cut severs his torso entirely… your blade cuts deeper than its length? It’s similar to the samurai technique, though since it’s enhanced by senjutsu chakra it must not be visible to the naked eye.

“Katon: Fireball technique!”

The third Kusagakure cultist’s attack hits an afterimage, and by the time he realizes the fact you’ve cut down another one of his companions after having used the shunshin almost instinctively. The fireball-user raises his arms to try to defend himself from the paper shuriken you unseal as his companion’s body is still falling, but that doesn’t accomplish much. It just means his guard is up when he’s hit twice in the chest and once in the side of the head by a total of three rasengans.

That’s immediately fatal.

“Katon: Onidōrō!”

One fireball, shaped like a flaming paper lantern with a demon-like face, destroys the bookcase that’s been thrown your way by the hulk of a man you hit with it before. Then the second fireball hits him in the chest, throwing him backwards. Then he’s hit again, and again, and again, each blow scorching even deeper into his flesh while throwing what remains of him down the hallway and out of sight.

“… thank you, Ryūzetsu,” you bow politely to your ANBU guide. “I’d actually written that guy off.”
>1/2

File: Mui_Blood_Prison.png (80 KB, 340x286)

80 KB PNG

>>4107369
“Now then, Mui-san,” Ryūzetsu declares, warily eyeing the warden. “It’s just us here.”

“It would appear so,” Mui agrees, his stare falling heavily on you.

You take a step forward. “Yeah no, I’m gonna need you to step aside.”

“I can’t do that,” Mui replies flatly.

“I can’t simply kill you,” you point out. “But a vegetable with chakra can still do your job as warden, and if you don’t step aside one’s gonna.”

“Mui-san,” Ryūzetsu transitions effortlessly into the voice of reasoned patience. “We know what’s in the Box, and it’s...”

“My son,” Mui snaps, albeit without raising his voice. “My son is in the Box.”

“Muku is gone, Mui-san,” Ryūzetsu insists quietly. “He’s been gone for seven years.”

… so that’s what Ryūzetsu didn’t want to talk about, and why she knows her way around the castle so well? She knew Mui’s son… no, it was something more than that. And then Mui fed his son to the Box of Paradise.

“The Box contains an ancient yōkai,” you explain. “It can’t be allowed to open again… even if the reason is a good one.”

“Then you’re condemning my son to death!” Mui declares, pulling off his white gloves in preparation for a fight. “What gives you the right!?”

“You were the one who sacrificed Muku in the first place!” Ryūzetsu finally snaps. “What makes you think he’d be okay with you putting the whole world at risk to try making up for what you did to him!?”

“Our ancestors could control the power of the Box!” Mui counters.

You glare sharply at him. “Satori was the one who led your nation to ruin… you have it all backwards.”

“Naori-san, this is a problem that Kusagakure caused,” Ryūzetsu growls. “Kusagakure should be the ones to fix it. Let me fight him.”

>No. (Put the Warden under genjutsu to disable him)
>No. (Disable the Warden, all you need is for him to be alive)
>I’ll still step in if things go poorly.
>Other?

>>4107407
>>I’ll still step in if things go poorly.

>>4107407
No (genjutsu)
You contracted us to do a job and protection of the client is part of that.

>>4107407
>I’ll still step in if things go poorly.

>>4107407
>>I’ll still step in if things go poorly.

>>4107407
>>I’ll still step in if things go poorly.

>>4107407
>>No. (Put the Warden under genjutsu to disable him)

>>4107407
>No. (Put the Warden under genjutsu to disable him)

>>4107407
>>No. (Put the Warden under genjutsu to disable him)

>>4107407
>>I’ll still step in if things go poorly.

>>4107407
>I’ll still step in if things go poorly.

>>4107407
>>No. (Put the Warden under genjutsu to disable him)

>>4107407
>>No. (Put the Warden under genjutsu to disable him)

>>4107407
>No. (Put the Warden under genjutsu to disable him)

>>4107407
>I’ll still step in if things go poorly.

>>4106602
That's . . . Quite a valid point. We can't be known to be working with Akatsuki and also still Amegakure without raising some concern.

>>4107407
What happens if she fucks up and kills him?

Oh well. I assume she isn't scrubby enough to pick a fight this important if she isn't very confident in winning.

>>4107906
The call is going to need to be made at some point, unless something diverges wildly from canon. Because right now, in terms of canon we're... like I *think* early on in the second year of the timeskip?

The bijuu hunt hasn't started yet, so we're at least a year and some out from Jiraiya infiltrating Ame unless we butterfly-ed something.

That's a long time to maintain a double identity and not blow our cover. Naori is fairly on board with Akatsuki's goals and the fate of the world trumps the fate of just Ame, so I feel like we're probably going to end up playing missing nin for a while.

Putting a pin it it here, but with >>4107928 it seems the NARROW preference is to let Ryuzetsu do this but be ready to step in.

>>4107407
>1d6, high roll
>best three of four

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4108586

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4108586

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4108586

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4108586

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4108586

>>4108588
>>4108591
>>4108593
13 out of 18 not bad.

>>4108586
You take a step back, and give Ryūzetsu an opportunity to do as she desires.

“Okay,” you agree. “But one way or the other the Box is coming with me.”

After a few seconds of sizing one another up, Ryūzetsu takes the initiative by weaving a short series of hand seals. Between that initiative and the number of seals, she beats Mui to the punch.

“Katon: Onidōrō!”

“Katon: Phoenix Flower!”

Mui’s technique isn’t meant to overcome Ryūzetsu’s, but rather to intercept her individual demon lanterns and set them off early. Ryūzetsu is forced to dodge several of the shuriken hidden inside Mui’s smaller fireballs, though after the collision of their techniques it’s impossible to say that Mui aimed them that way.

Ryūzetsu makes her next move by expelling hot ash from her mouth, without using any hand seals.

“Katon: Hajingakure!”

She uses that burning ash to cover her approach, though Mui manages to blast it away using another fireball of his own in just enough time to block Ryūzetsu’s fist with his wrist. Now in melee, Ryūzetsu would seem to be at a disadvantage: she’s just a bit slower and clearly not as physically powerful as the warden is, though her technical skill allows her to take advantage of Mui’s own fairly limited taijutsu style.

Essentially, it all comes down to “pushing hands” mixed with kicks. Mui keeps trying to put his palm on Ryūzetsu, while Ryūzetsu uses her own palms, wrists, and elbows to make sure that doesn’t happen.

While they’re scuffling, you use the smallest, simplest genjutsu through the hum of water dancing in the carved horimono on Umekiri’s surface. The goal isn’t to shift the battle in Ryūzetsu’s favor… she seems the type to take offense if you tried, and it defeats the purpose of letting her fight on her own anyway.

Instead you use it to disguise the fact that you’ve unsealed your Sharingan.

>13 (Very Hard)

With it, you can see the exact moment that one of Mui’s attacks gets through, placing a curse mark onto Ryūzetsu’s body. Between that visual prowess and your senjutsu-enhanced state, you can see the fire-release technique in action as he places it, as well as how the chakra is shaped and manipulated through a fūinjutsu key.

“Katon: Tenrō!”

The bands of the fūinjutsu wrap tightly around Ryūzetsu’s shoulders and chest, strangling her chakra distribution network even before Mui follows through with a roundhouse kick to her torso… a blow meant to stun her body and knock her back.

If she uses ninjutsu in this condition…
>1/2

>>4108694
“Katon: Onidōrō!”

“Why you...” Mui’s eyes widen, and he grunts in pain as the first lantern hits him dead on. He’s forced to toss his jacket and shirt off, both having been set fire, and his torso and forearms end up burned anyway.

Ryūzetsu still gets the worst of it.

The Tenrō curse mark sets her on fire using both the chakra expelled from her tenketsu and by drawing it from tenketsu crossed by the marking itself. You’re forced to use the water flowing through Umekiri to quickly put her out.

“So much for that,” Mui scoffs in between panting.

So that’s how the Tenrō works… you’ve seen it with the senjutsu-enhanced Sharingan… under normal circumstances you could use it yourself. But as you quickly re-establish the genjutsu hiding your eye, you realize that for all this extra insight you still don’t feel like you can use fire release. In fact, you can quickly confirm it yourself by trying and failing to replicate the Onidōrō that you saw Ryūzetsu use while your Sharingan was active.

But you DO know the details of the fūinjutsu key that Mui is using. Which gives you a new option.

>Subdue Mui and seal the Box yourself, as you came here to do.
>Use the Sharingain to implant the fūinjutsu key into Ryūzetsu’s subconscious mind. That would allow her to kill Mui and become the new warden of Hozuki castle without a mass jailbreak.
>Other?

>SP: 6/6
>ES: 1/2 (2T)

>>4108696
>Use the Sharingain to implant the fūinjutsu key into Ryūzetsu’s subconscious mind. That would allow her to kill Mui and become the new warden of Hozuki castle without a mass jailbreak.

>>4108696
>Subdue Mui and seal the Box yourself, as you came here to do.

>>4108696
>Use the Sharingain to implant the fūinjutsu key into Ryūzetsu’s subconscious mind. That would allow her to kill Mui and become the new warden of Hozuki castle without a mass jailbreak.

>>4108696
>use the sharingan ...

>>4108696
>Subdue Mui and seal the Box yourself, as you came here to do.

>>4108696
>Use the Sharingain to implant the fūinjutsu key into Ryūzetsu’s subconscious mind. That would allow her to kill Mui and become the new warden of Hozuki castle without a mass jailbreak.

>>4108696
>>Use the Sharingain to implant the fūinjutsu key into Ryūzetsu’s subconscious mind. That would allow her to kill Mui and become the new warden of Hozuki castle without a mass jailbreak.

Welly well well then. Don’t mind if I do.

>>4108696
Question: Is Ryuzetsu willing to become the new Prison Warden?

>>4108730
It'd be up to her whether to use the technique or not, and whether to kill Mui afterwards or not. But as things stand neither of those are options and it's a large reason why she's in the process of losing: because "winning" creates a whole new set of problems and she knows it.

>>4108696
>>Use the Sharingain to implant the fūinjutsu key into Ryūzetsu’s subconscious mind. That would allow her to kill Mui and become the new warden of Hozuki castle without a mass jailbreak.

>>4108696
>Use the Sharingain to implant the fūinjutsu key into Ryūzetsu’s subconscious mind. That would allow her to kill Mui and become the new warden of Hozuki castle without a mass jailbreak.

>>4108696
>>Subdue Mui and seal the Box yourself, as you came here to do.
Rather save that last charge of sharingon in case we have problems with the box demon.

>>4108696
>>Use the Sharingain to implant the fūinjutsu key into Ryūzetsu’s subconscious mind. That would allow her to kill Mui and become the new warden of Hozuki castle without a mass jailbreak.

>>4108696
>Use the Sharingain to implant the fūinjutsu key into Ryūzetsu’s subconscious mind. That would allow her to kill Mui and become the new warden of Hozuki castle without a mass jailbreak.

>>4108696
You lock eyes with Ryūzetsu and go immediately to work, implanting images and details of the fūinjutsu key that Mui was just using on her deep into her mind, below the level of her conscious awareness.

>SP: 6/6
>ES: 2/2 (4T)

As you help her to her feet you feel a trickle of blood from your left eye, and you’re forced to shut it… it’s like you’re wearing barbed wire wrapped in an itchy sweater on the inside of your skull, and the pain is only slightly diminished by closing it.

“Ryūzetsu,” you instruct your partner, “I need you to break the seal Mui placed on you.”

“That’s not how it works,” Mui insists sternly. “Next, I’ll be sealing you… your chakra may just be strong enough to open the Box.”

“You can do it now,” you tell Ryūzetsu calmly, ignoring Mui’s threats. “Use your Onidōrō again and trust me that you’ll be fine.”

At your insistence Ryūzetsu staggers to her feet and begins molding her chakra. “Katon: Onidōrō!”

Mui is stunned when the burning demon lanterns smash him about the inside of the cavern, like a child throwing around a rag doll. And more surprising to both of them is that this time Ryūzetsu doesn’t catch fire: the sealing formula for the Tenrō technique simply breaks on the spot.

“How?” Mui demands, having only just managed to survive the attack through a series of well-timed counterblasts similar to how he did it before. “What the hell is going on here?”

“You have Mui’s fūinjutsu key,” you explain to Ryūzetsu. “What you wanna do with that is entirely up to you.”

“Do what you think is right.”
>1/2

I see /qst/ is broken yet again.

>>4109016
no?

>>4109020
guess not

>>4108847
This time, the situation is different.

The battering that Mui has received leaves him slow, and Ryūzetsu quickly retakes the momentum. She leaves a kunai embedded in Mui’s right wrist before pinning him to a wall with a second kunai in his left shoulder. Then she hits him square in the chest with her palm.

“Katon: Tenrō!”

Just as when Mui struck her, the familiar braided seal markings appear where Ryūzetsu struck.

“How...” he wonders again, before staring at you. “You did this. I don’t know how, but you did this somehow.”

“You’re not wrong,” you admit.

“Give it up, Mui,” Ryūzetsu demands, raising her fists in preparation for Mui’s refusal. “Even after all this, I know Muku wouldn’t want me to kill you.”

“You say you know Muku?” Mui snarls. “You think you know my son better than his own father?”

“I believe you’ve forgotten what you knew,” Ryūzetsu counters. “Please, just stop to think for a moment!”

Mui pauses… before seemingly entering a moment of lucidity. “I lost my wife when Muku was young… in a border conflict with Ishigakure. I lost Muku to the box. The Grass Fruit faction is in shambles with the loss of the council. And now, there’s another who can use the Tenrō.”

“I have nothing left. I’ve sacrificed everything, and now I have nothing.”

Weaving a series of hand seals, Mui bursts into flame.

There’s no screaming, no overt signs of pain. Instead the burning warden simply seats himself before the Box and begins to blacken.

“Mui, stop!”

You stick a hand out in front of Ryūzetsu. “Yeah, no… if this is what he wants, there’s nothing we can do.”

“You can put him out!”

“He’d find a way,” you observe. “Sooner or later, he’d find a way.”

“That young woman is correct,” Mui agrees. “This is my decision, Ryūzetsu. Heed my final words: if you find it sad, then do better than I did.”
>2/3

>>4109090
>See to Ryūzetsu’s health.
>Start applying sealing formulae to the Box.
>Other?

>>4109091
>>Start applying sealing formulae to the Box.
unless ryuzetsu suddenly collapses, i think we best deal with the box asap

>>4109091
>>See to Ryūzetsu’s health.

>>4109090
>>Start applying sealing formulae to the Box.

>>4109091
>>Start applying sealing formulae to the Box.

>>4109091
>Start applying sealing formulae to the Box.

>>4109091
>Start applying sealing formulae to the Box.

>>4109091
>>Start applying sealing formulae to the Box.

>>4109091
>>See to Ryūzetsu’s health.
>>Start applying sealing formulae to the Box.

>>4109098
Also I suspect she would be better at dealing with burns

>>4109098
>>4109091
Let's also unseal some medicine for her

>>4109819
It seems like sealing the box is going to win, but there's no reason not to also do this.

>>4109091
“Here,” you insist, unsealing an emergency medical pack from a scroll at your waist and handing it to Ryūzetsu. “You look like you could use this.”

After a moment, she accepts it. “Thank you, Naori-kun.”

“Just rest up,” you suggest. “I’ll take it from here.”

You touch your fingertips to the Box, lightly brushing the cold and smooth surface. It must be metal of some kind, but it’s difficult to tell what kind of metal it might be. What you do immediately determine is that the physical object identifiable as the “Box of Paradise” is really more the size of a large cubical room with faces carved into each side that form “gates”.

>1d6, high roll
>taking the first three

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4110097
box up the box

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4110097

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4110097

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4110097

>>4110097
You have to check a second time, and realize that the dimensions of the box are literally perfect. The corners are exactly ninety degrees, the sides are all exactly the same lengths… it’s actually a little eerie how precise it is, especially considering its supposed antiquity. It’s not clear to you that it was willed into being by the Sage of Six Paths, as Nyoka told you the Shrike clan believes to be true, but if something like in’yōton actually did exist this is what you’d imagine it would look like… the concept of a perfect cube given form.

Anyway, time to put it in a scroll and never look at it again.

You seat yourself in front of the box and unfurl a scroll. Glowing chakra chains extend from your left shoulder, where the detached sleeve of your outfit ensures it doesn’t leave any holes in your outfit, and they wrap around the box you begin weaving hand seals.

“Fūinjutsu: Fūnyū.”

You swiftly seal the entire Box into the scroll, where an ink image of it appears at the center of your Enclosing Method array. Then you roll it up, tie it off, and bite your thumb.”

“Kuchiyose: Kijani.”

This time, Kijani’s head appears and extends from your left sleeve rather than summoning the whole bird.

“I need you to take this to Zenkibō-tono,” you instruct the scroll bird as his neck continues to stretch. He then swallows the scroll, before his neck begins to retract again.

“Of course, Lady Naori,” he replies dutifully. “Might I ask what is in the scroll?”

“The Box of Paradise.”

Kijani pauses before disappearing.

“… and I just swallowed it.”

“Yup.”

“That’s horrifying.”

“A little,” you agree. “Take it quickly.”

“No kidding.”

Kijani tucks himself back into the shadows of your sleeve before disappearing entirely.

You then notice Ryūzetsu staring at you.

“What?” you demand. “I’m just pulling a giant bird out of my sleeve and feeding it a scroll.”
>1/2

>>4110118
“So both Mui and the Box are gone now,” Ryūzetsu realizes, her exposed arms now glistening with the sheen left by burn ointment. “But I have one question still in mind.”

“And that is?” you ask.

There’s a pause. “Itachi said the Box wasn’t a weapon that ‘Akatsuki could use’. What did he mean by that?”

“If I was evil this’d be the point where I’d kill you for asking that,” you observe calmly. “Akatsuki’s goal is world peace, but that’s impossible when none of the great nations take us seriously.”

“I see,” Ryūzetsu nods thoughtfully. “I guess that puts his comments in context.”

“In any event, it’s nothing your nation should be worried about,” you assure her.

“Speaking of the great nations, you and I are the only ones who know what happened here,” Ryūzetsu points out. “What… should we do about that?”

>Tell Konohagakure whatever you want. I trust you to consider my situation as well.
>Don’t mention me or the Box, but other than that say whatever makes sense to you.
>Please spin it as pure internal politics. Don’t tell Konohagakure anything important.
>Other?

>>4110141
>>Please spin it as pure internal politics. Don’t tell Konohagakure anything important.
just a small case of gekokujo

>>4110141
>Please spin it as pure internal politics. Don’t tell Konohagakure anything important.
>Act like an asshole, that'll make it believable

>>4110141
>Don’t mention me or the Box, but other than that say whatever makes sense to you.

>>4110150
>Act like an asshole

Are you suggesting we act like an asshole or tell ryuzetsu to?

>>4110153
Tell ryuzetsu to act like an asshole.
Be huffy, dismissive, disrespectful and don't tell them anything.

Better yet, pretend to have a slip of the tongue that makes them think they understand what's going on.

You know, that kind of politician.

>>4110141
>Please spin it as pure internal politics. Don’t tell Konohagakure anything important.

>>4110141
>>Please spin it as pure internal politics. Don’t tell Konohagakure anything important.
They probably won't like it, but take it as believable, it should be rather typical for these type of happenings

that aside, if ryuzetsu is gonna ask us how we got that sealing formula inside her head, should we tell her?

>>4110141
this: >>4110155

>>4110141
>Don’t mention me specifically or the Box, but other than that say whatever makes sense to you.
>But if it was up to me... Akatsuki are assholes that just do not understand no and killed the one they wished to recruit when he refused. You were just caught in the middle of it.

>>4110155
Sounds good, I'll +1 this.

>>4110141
>>Tell Konohagakure whatever you want. I trust you to consider my situation as well.

>>4110141
“Please spin this as pure politics,” you ask Ryūzetsu. “The Grass Flower faction hired us to help end the threat presented by the Grass Fruit faction, who then leaked our presence to draw Konohagakure into the conflict on their side.”

“Something to that effect.”

“I can do that,” she agrees. “If you head out the same way you came in, you should be able to leave unseen.”

“Thanks.”

“If you ever need it, Hozuki castle’s gates will be open to you,” Ryūzetsu informs you with a slight smile.

…

The next several weeks are comparatively calm.

You have time to get caught up with those of your fellow Amegakure shinobi who are not in Akatsuki, most of all Karin and Ajisai. It’s also well past due to write a letter to Fū, and you have to apologize to her for not writing for such a long time. You explain it as the result of your recent promotion, and the fact that you can’t talk about a lot of your missions anymore. But you do tell her about some of the places you’ve been and the people you’ve met while in Akatsuki, focusing a lot on the seemingly inconsequential parts like the foods and the festivals.

Totally unrelated to your missions, and actually more pleasant to think about. That should fascinate Fū, who barely seems to get out of her own village.

You also write another letter to Kurotsuchi, despite not really anticipating a response.

…

“So that is what needs to get done,” Konan-sensei concludes, having led a meeting between only a few of the Akatsuki.

“There is one other request,” Itachi-han interrupts the proceedings before Konan can adjourn.

“Oh?”

“I heard that Naori-kun strained her eye recently,” Itachi-han admits. “I too need medication for that, from time to time. There is a place where it is rumored that a rare herb has been spotted that was once treasured by the Uchiha clan for treating eyestrain.”

“You’d like me to go?” you ask.

“It would be a low priority,” Itachi insists calmly. “But it is a scenario where mastery of Senjutsu would be helpful. The valley where this report comes from is shrouded in a dense mist, difficult to see through even with a dōjutsu.”

“I would go myself, but Kisame and I will be in the Land of Water.”

AKATSUKI MISSION BOARD:
>War Mission (Iwagakure Support)
>Eye medication mission
>Bandit Suppression mission

>>4110251
>>Eye medication mission
lets do it, should be useful for both itachi and Naori
and its also a good reason to train/test our Sage mode

>>4110251
>>Eye medication mission

Proper healthcare is important.

>>4110251
btw, did we hear what happend to itachi and kisame during our excursion below the castle?

>>4110251
>>Eye medication mission

>>4110260
This requires a rough description:
>Tsunade did not make an appearance
>Casualties were light for the prison itself
>Nobody in the Konoha teams was killed
>Tenten and Lee were mainly dead weight
>Neji was BARELY not dead weight
>The chunin in the Hokage Guard was the weak link, Itachi got him early with a genjutsu

>Eye medication mission

>>4110251
>>Eye medication mission

>>4110251
>Eye medication mission
Take care of yourself before you can think about taking care of others

>>4110251
>>Eye medication mission

Who's iwa at war with this time?

>>4110278
Thank you

>>4110307
It's technically not war, it's strategic military advancement across arbitrary lines in the sand

>>4110251
>Eye medication mission

>>4110251
>>Eye medication mission

>>4110251
>>Eye medication mission

>>4110278
Well, at least kisame got to have a bit of fun

File: ArcticMouseearJillStevens(...).jpg (67 KB, 580x474)

67 KB JPG

>>4110251
The details of the mission are fairly simple: head to a valley in the border regions of the Land of Fire, called the Valley of Judgment. You’re meant to be looking for a perennial white flower, low-growing in leafy clumps that should favor gravel or stony soil. Luckily the valley sits in the middle of a demilitarized zone, meaning at least there should be little if any opposition. At worst you may have to dodge a Konohagakure patrol.

Complicating the mission is the typical weather in the valley. Evidently there are stories of chūnin and jōnin from Konohagakure going missing under the thick fog that’s said to shroud the valley at nearly all times.

…

“So this is the Valley of Judgment?” Sasori-han muses as the two of you look down onto the site you’re meant to explore.

“It’s pretty awesome,” you admit. “I don’t think I’ve seen fog that thick before.”

“It may not be natural,” Sasori-han offers an explanation.

You have to nod in agreement. “Yeah… you may not be wrong.”

“It occurs to me that I have hardly seen this ‘Sage Mode’ of yours,” Sasori muses. “And if this fog never lifts that may be true tomorrow as well.”

“You have any ideas?” you wonder aloud.

“Not particularly,” your partner admits. “Large explosions would run the risk of destroying these flowers we’re here to pick.”

“Yeah, maybe best if I take point on this one then,” you muse, already imagining the disappointed look on Itachi-han’s face if you returned with half-incinerated, crushed flowers.

>Let’s see if Nyoka can’t lift some of this fog for a while.
>I’ll go into Sage Mode and use that to find our way around.
>The Uchiha used to know how to navigate this place…
>Other?

>>4112150
>let's see if nyoka can help
She also might have insight on the area, the mist or the flowers, Intel is important

>>4112150
>I’ll go into Sage Mode and use that to find our way around.

>>4112150
>Let’s see if Nyoka can’t lift some of this fog for a while.

>>4112150
>I’ll go into Sage Mode and use that to find our way around.
Like king said, we learned it to use it.

>>4112150
>I’ll go into Sage Mode and use that to find our way around.

>>4112150
>I’ll go into Sage Mode and use that to find our way around.
>The Uchiha used to know how to navigate this place…
Curious to see if the combination if Sharingan and Sage mode reveals something more than either one alone would.

>>4112150
>>I’ll go into Sage Mode and use that to find our way around.
>>The Uchiha used to know how to navigate this place…

>>4112150
>>I’ll go into Sage Mode and use that to find our way around.
>>The Uchiha used to know how to navigate this place…

wombo combo

>>4112150
You sit for a minute or two in meditation, at the end of which you can open your eyes and go into Sage Mode.

“I’ll use senjutsu chakra to improve my sensing abilities,” you declare. “But I’ll have to hold off on using Sharingan… I feel like I still have to be careful with it.”

“Understood,” Sasori-han agrees, following close. “I’m going to attach a chakra thread to you. Is that acceptable?”

“I follow you,” you agree. “Go ahead. I’ll lead you true.”

With that, you descend into the mists surrounded by fluttering paper butteflies.

It’s every bit as difficult to see through as you’d anticipated, perhaps even a bit more disorienting. But your chakra sensing is one of many things senjutsu seems to enhance, and with the butterflies acting as proxies for you it’s easy to cover a wide area.

“Damn,” Sasori curses in a low growl. “I can’t see a thing.”

“I don’t like it,” you admit. “My hair is up on end… it feels like we’re being watched.”

“Do you even have hair, Sasori-senpai?”

“Perhaps,” he replies cryptically. “Either way I share your impression. I think there’s something to it.”

You were honestly hoping for a rebuke. But if Sasori-han also feels that something is wrong here, it makes it even less likely that you’re imagining things. Having someone to check your own impressions against is a helpful tool, you’ve begun to find, especially with someone as grounded… or perhaps, as jaded… as Sasori.
>1d6, high roll
>best three of four

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4112489

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4112489

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4112489

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4112489

>>4112489
You stop short when you notice it, and behind you Sasori-han does the same.

“I can sense something up ahead,” you declare. “Chakra, humans… quite a number of them.”

“I can’t sense anything,” Sasori-han admits. “Are they coming closer?”

You focus on them intently. “Yes. Get ready.”

Sasori-han raises the tail on his armor-puppet, preparing for an attack.

You swiftly draw Umekiri and parry a series of weapons… all stone or water shuriken, thrown at you from the impenetrable mists. Sasori-han’s armor puppet opens its mouth and shoots a volley of senbon into the mist in return, though nothing seems to come of it.

“That didn’t hit anything,” you admit.

“Then we need to change our strategy,” Sasori-han suggests.

>We need to find a way to clear some of this mist.
>We won’t get anywhere from a distance… we need to get closer.
>I want to determine how it is they’re sensing us.
>Other?

>>4112562
>>I want to determine how it is they’re sensing us.

>>4112562
>I want to determine how it is they’re sensing us.

>>4112562
>I want to determine

>>4112562
>>I want to determine how it is they’re sensing us.
knowledge

>>4112562
>>I want to determine how it is they’re sensing us.

>>4112562
>>I want to determine how it is they’re sensing us.
The best way to prepare a counter-response is knowing what you have to counter.

>>4112562
>I want to determine how it is they’re sensing us.

>>4112562
>>I want to determine how it is they’re sensing us.

>>4112562
>1d6, DC 9 (Moderate)
>taking the first three

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4112768

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4112768

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4112768
Even if I fuck this roll up we still hit the DC.

>>4112768
“There’s something I have to check out,” you tell Sasori-han quietly. “Wait here for a moment.”

“Fine,” he growls. “But don’t keep me waiting.”

Weaving your hand seals, you use the Hiding in Mist technique… if they’re using dōjutsu this will work. If they can still notice you approaching then they’re likely using some other means of locating you.

As you draw close to the group of enemies, swift and silent as a shadow, you come under heavy attack… a withering barrage of projectiles crafted from your surroundings that forces you to weave and dodge with your shunshin. Even with that and sage mode it’s difficult due to the sheer volume of weapons, but you eventually manage to engage one of the shadowy figures at close quarters.

“… no way!”

As soon as you catch sight of the enemy’s face you backpedal, the two of you fading into the mists as you open up the range. That brief glimpse confirms to you how these people must be “seeing” you, but even having seen the undeniable evidence for yourself it’s hard to believe.

“They have no eyes,” you tell Sasori-han warily when you return to him.

His expression behind his mask remains unseen, but his tone betrays his shock. “No eyes… how many generations must they have spent in this place for such a thing to happen?”

“I don’t know, but I have an idea,” you tell him. “Sasori-sempai, please head back up and out of the valley. I’ll handle this from here.”

“I see,” he replies calmly. “Very well. I’ll leave this to you.”

…

Several hours later you return to Sasori with clumps of the flower you came here for sealed into a scroll… enough for Itachi-han’s medicine recipe, as well as several clumps that you intend to try growing for yourself to save the effort.

“What eventually worked?” Sasori-han asks inquisitively.

You hold out an empty glass vial of perfume: white plum and spice-scented.

“There are no animals down there,” you tell Sasori, laying out your reasoning. “So I figured their sense of smell and their chakra sensing were probably the abilities which compensated for their missing eyes. So I kneaded some chakra into my perfume and used it in a genjutsu. Made me seem to blend into the mist.”

“I see,” Sasori-han muses. “Very clever, Naori-san.”

“Thank you for the praise, senpai.”

“Don’t call me that.”
>1/2

>>4112851
Upon returning to Amegakure, you find Itachi-han waiting for you at the shrine.

“I assume you were successful?” he asks.

You nod politely, and produce the flowers you picked from the valley.

“Here,” he insists quietly, producing a mortar, pestle, a jar of water, and a pouch of herbs. “I will show you the recipe and method so that you can use it yourself.”

>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4112863

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4112863
>personal lessons from Itachi
Oh man too cute.

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4112863

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4112863

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4112863

>>4112863
“Just follow my lead.”

Hot water, added in small amounts with the rare eyebright herb you collected, dried honeycomb, willow bark, chamomile flowers, gingko leaves, and ginseng root. Then Itachi puts a clean cloth into the hot water, before spreading the poultice across the cloth, rolling it, and putting it across his eyes.

“Typically, a patient will lie down and cover their eyes,” Itachi-han explains, before doing exactly that on your bedroom floor. “Feel free to join me.”

With nothing else planned for the afternoon, you do exactly that.

The warmth and the soothing herbs are honestly one of the best things you’ve felt in a long while, prompting a small sigh of satisfaction.

>Just relax for now, let the medicine do its work.
>Try to strike up some casual conversation with Itachi.
>Ask Itachi why he joined Akatsuki in the first place.
>Other?

>>4112935
>Just relax for now, let the medicine do its work.

>>4112935
>Try to strike up some casual conversation with Itachi.
>Ask Itachi why he joined Akatsuki in the first place

>>4112935
>>Try to strike up some casual conversation with Itachi.

>>4112935
>>Try to strike up some casual conversation with Itachi.

>>4112935
>>Try to strike up some casual conversation with Itachi.
Bringing up why he joined Akatsuki would just bring up bad memories. I want him to enjoy this downtime.

>>4112935
>Try to strike up some casual conversation with Itachi.

>>4112935
>>Try to strike up some casual conversation with Itachi.

>>4112935
>casual conversation
Let's not think about work

>>4112935
>Try to strike up some casual conversation with Itachi.
>So, why'd you decide to save me that day?

>>4112935
>Just relax for now, let the medicine do its work.

>>4112935
“So… where do you actually live?” you ask aloud.

There’s a long pause. “If you mean to ask if I have an apartment, I do not.”

“So you live on the road?” you press, suddenly curious.

“Akatsuki’s funds make that easier,” Itachi-han admits. “That is what Kakuzu’s missions are for.”

“So… what do you think of Amegakure?” you ask.

“It rains too much for my tastes,” Itachi-han tells you.

There’s another long pause.

“Is everyone in Akatsuki as bad at this as we are?”

Itachi-han chuckles to himself somewhere on the floor to your right. “Believe it or not, some are worse.”

“I really don’t know most of them yet,” you admit. “I mean, it seems like you get along with Kisame at least?”

“To an extent,” Itachi replies.

“Then you have Hidan and Kakuzu who hate each other,” you sigh, “and Sasori who… well, doesn’t really like anyone. Everyone gets real nervous around Pain except for Konan-sensei, who doesn’t really talk to anyone other than Pain and myself except to give orders.”

“We have spoken a few times,” Itachi admits. “Konan strikes me as a woman who is only as stern as she is because she remembers being happier, a long time ago.”

“That’s… actually an apt description,” you agree.

“She seems to be happier when speaking with you,” Itachi tells you. “It’s… pleasant to see.”

“I’m glad,” you admit. “Though still, I’ll admit I haven’t had as much time for my friends outside Akatsuki.”

“I find it bizarre you even try,” Itachi admits.

>Why? Surely I’m not the only member of Akatsuki who has friends.
>I can see how you’d feel that way. I don’t agree, but I understand it.
>Change the subject.

>>4114183
>Why? Surely I am not the only member who has friends?

>>4114183
>>Why? Surely I’m not the only member of Akatsuki who has friends.

>>4114183
>I can see how you’d feel that way. I don’t agree, but I understand it.
Iirc we're literally the only person in the Akatsuki besides big man and Konan who isnt a wanted missing nin.

>>4114183
>Why? Surely I’m not the only member of Akatsuki who has friends.

>>4114183
>Why? Surely I’m not the only member of Akatsuki who has friends.

>>4114183
>Just because you killed everyone in your family doesn't mean we all have to

>>4114255
You are the type of person that hits people with a car when they stand in your driveway

>>4114183
>Why? Surely I’m not the only member of Akatsuki who has friends.
>I even write to people i've met from other villages, from time to time.

>>4114183
>Why? Surely I am not the only member who has friends?

>>4114183
“Come on,” you chuckle. “I can’t be the only one in Akatsuki with friends.”

The length of this particular pause is enough to prompt you to remove the herbal eyemask, sit up, and stare at Itachi-han. “Wait, am I?”

“Most of us have no living relatives or friends,” Itachi explains from the floor. “Kisame has killed everyone who ever grew close to him. Kakuzu cares only for money, and Hidan for his twisted religion. Deidara seems to bear some relationship to the Kamizuru clan of Iwagakure, but has turned his back on them. I know little of Sasori’s past, but he keeps all others at arm’s length.”

“As for me... you know my reputation by now.”

>Let it drop.
>Admit that it's hard for you to believe.
>Other?

>>4114274
>Admit that it's hard for you to believe.

>>4114274
>>Let it drop.
Maybe a "well that sucks", but definitely want to just let it drop.

>>4114274
>>Let it drop.

>>4114274
>Admit that it's hard for you to believe.

>>4114274
>That's... really unfortunate. I think it would help them a lot, even if they only had one friend to talk to.

>>4114274
>Admit that it's hard for you to believe.
>People are not lone lands... I guess I just don't understand people as well as I tought.

>>4114274
>>Admit that it's hard for you to believe.

>>4114274
>Admit that it's hard for you to believe.

>>4114257
It's called a joke, and I am not the one willing to give excuses to a kin-slayer. All Naori has heard is that he killed everyone in his clan. Every man, woman, and child except his brother. The fact Naori treats that the same as discussing the weather while having a ridiculous notion of "nindo" while also being what amounts to a mercenary who does nearly anything for money has to be treated as a joke.

>>4114274
>1d6, high roll
>taking the first three

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4114556

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4114556

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4114556

>>4114556
“I do know your reputation,” you agree. “And it’s a little hard to reconcile.”

“In what sense?”

“The world of shinobi is full of people who kill,” you admit quietly. “But it’s also full of different motivations and philosophies, of which I can only know my own for certain.”

“And that is?”

“To end wars with the least bloodshed possible,” you reiterate. “Akatsuki’s founding principle, one which I still feel is as valid today as it was when I was a baby. As for other people, I can only guess.”

Itachi-han doesn’t move. “Give me an example.”

“Name me a subject,” you counter. “Someone I actually know a little about.”

“Kurotsuchi,” Itachi-han picks a name. “Granddaughter of the Tsuchikage.”

“We ended up fighting together,” you recount. “Since her grandfather is the Tsuchikage, that shapes her decisionmaking process. And since her grandfather is a stubborn old man who’s been in the position as long as she’s been alive, she probably sees his recalcitrance as a cautionary tale. She’s also likely to become Tsuchikage herself at some point.”

“And the end result is?”

“She was probably thinking in terms of how she would make decisions as Tsuchikage,” you guess.

“Mifune,” Itachi-han picks another name. “The leader of the samurai of the Land of Iron.”

“The samurai value peace,” you reply calmly. “So his decisions would logically be aimed at maintaining peace, with particular emphasis on peace within and around the Land of Iron. That’s why they’ve negotiated settlements between hidden villages as neutral arbiters in the past.”

“Konan.”

“Like my own views,” you surmise, “though it’s probably harder for her, considering her past.”

“Shimura Danzō,” Itachi continues.

“The leader of that defunct ANBU unit in Konohagakure?” you muse. “He probably has himself convinced that his own power and welfare are in the village’s best interests, and that he knew better than the Third Hokage the whole time. At least that’d be my guess… I may be giving him too much credit.”

“Uchiha Itachi.”
>1/2

>>4114556
“Well, let’s look at the evidence,” you sigh. “He killed off his clan, but he also left his brother alive. He then joined Akatsuki, an organization dedicated to peace despite its often violent means, as a child. As part of Akatsuki he saved the life of a teenaged genin and her teammate who got in over their heads, and replaced her ruined eye with a sharingan taken from one of his former clansmen.”

“This last point isn’t something most people would do without a reason,” you conclude, “which suggests that there are reasons for each of those other decisions.”

“The reasons are the same in each case,” Itachi-han replies grimly, sitting up to reveal his active Sharingan. “I merely wished to test my own power. I killed my entire clan for that sole reason, and left my brother alive in the hopes that he would become someone worthy of my attention. I joined Akatsuki for the prospect of fighting strong opponents who would be able to test my power. I saved your life, and gave you the Sharingan, out of interest in what you might do with that power one day… even at that point I already knew that you were Konan’s student, and you had my curiosity.”

“That’s one interpretation,” you admit, “and it’s internally consistent. But you overlooked one crucial detail.”

“And that would be?” he asks, his eyes narrowed.

>12

“You’ve had two chances to kill your former comrades from Konohagakure,” you point out. “It would have been simple to kill that chūnin at Hozuki castle, and doing so would have prevented them from getting Tsunade-han involved for certain. Killing them all shouldn’t have been hard for you either… same for Kakashi-han and the other jōnin instructors you fought in Konoha. You could have denied Konohagakure, the ones who placed a bounty on your head, valuable military assets on both occasions.”

“But instead of doing so you held back… not a single one of them is dead. Your clan you slaughtered almost to the last child, and you say you joined Akatsuki for the same reason: to test your power. So why commit a total slaughter in one instance, but avoid killing in the other two?”

>I don’t know why you did the things you did, but I doubt you’re some kind of psychopath.
>I may be proud of my skills, but I don’t enjoy killing. I don’t think you do either, Itachi-han.
>I think you had another reason for what you did to your clan… but I won’t press you for it.
>Other?

>>4114679
>>I may be proud of my skills, but I don’t enjoy killing. I don’t think you do either, Itachi-han.
>>I think you had another reason for what you did to your clan… but I won’t press you for it.

>>4114679
>>I may be proud of my skills, but I don’t enjoy killing. I don’t think you do either, Itachi-han.
>>I think you had another reason for what you did to your clan… but I won’t press you for it.

>>4114679
>I may be proud of my skills, but I don’t enjoy killing. I don’t think you do either, Itachi-han.
this is the most likely answer that would get something out of him, the reason is a hunch at best

>>4114679
>I may be proud of my skills, but I don’t enjoy killing. I don’t think you do either, Itachi-han.
>I think you had another reason for what you did to your clan… but I won’t press you for it.

>>4114679
>>I may be proud of my skills, but I don’t enjoy killing. I don’t think you do either, Itachi-han.

>>4114679
>I may be proud of my skills, but I don’t enjoy killing. I don’t think you do either, Itachi-han.

>>4114679
>I may be proud of my skills, but I don’t enjoy killing. I don’t think you do either, Itachi-han.
>I think you had another reason for what you did to your clan… but I won’t press you for it.

>>4114679
>I may be proud of my skills, but I don’t enjoy killing. I don’t think you do either, Itachi-han.

>>4114679
>>I may be proud of my skills, but I don’t enjoy killing. I don’t think you do either, Itachi-han.

>>4114679
>I may be proud of my skills, but I don’t enjoy killing. I don’t think you do either, Itachi-han.

>>4114679
>I merely wished to test my power
Point out hownbullshit that is, guy was anbu at like 10, he knows how strong he is

>>4114679
>I don’t know why you did the things you did, but I doubt you’re some kind of psychopath.
>I may be proud of my skills, but I don’t enjoy killing. I don’t think you do either, Itachi-han.

>>4114679
“I may be immensely proud of my skills,” you admit quietly, “and I may even enjoy showing them at times. But I don’t enjoy killing, or even causing death, so I avoid it where I can… even if it’s an obvious enemy.”

You lay back and place the medicine back over your eyes. “I think you’re the same way, Itachi-han. I don’t know why you killed your clansmen, and it’s not my business. But something must have happened… the world twists people like that sometimes.”

After a few moments, you hear Itachi do the same.
>1d6, high roll
>best three of four

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4114946
Fingers crossed at upping our SL with Itachi

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4114946

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4114946

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4114946

>>4114946
“I will admit,” Itachi tells you from the tatami. “You cannot trust much of what I say, as even when I tell the truth my reasoning is my own. And you were right… I am not the type to do anything without reason.”

“But one of the things I told you was true… that I am interested in you.”

“Is that so?”

“It is,” Itachi insists in an even tone, the hint of menace from just a few moments ago having disappeared. “I want to see what you do with the power you have attained… how long you can live by your philosophy.”

>Without a doubt, until I die.
>I don’t know. It’s kind of naive… but it’s worth trying, at least in my view.
>You’re talking like a jaded old man.
>Other?

>>4115002
>I'll always do what i believe is right, even if it kills me. Whatever may be "right" however, i can't say until the time comes to choose.

Well, step 1 to conceiving the god-child cleared, eat shit Hisashi

>>4115002
>I'll always do what i believe is right, even if it kills me. Whatever may be "right" however, i can't say until the time comes to choose.
>You’re talking like a jaded old man.

>>4115002
>>I'll always do what i believe is right, even if it kills me. Whatever may be "right" however, i can't say until the time comes to choose.
>>You’re talking like a jaded old man.

>>4115002
>Without a doubt, until I die.

>>4115002
>>I'll always do what i believe is right, even if it kills me. Whatever may be "right" however, i can't say until the time comes to choose.
Seems like a decent write in.

>>4115028
Nobody can ever truly know until they're in the moment.
Even then, whether you realize it or not, you might have done the wrong thing. There are plenty of times people have done the best they could with what they knew, only to regret it later. Hindsight is 20/20, after all.

But your best, in the end, is all you can do.

>>4115002
>>You’re talking like a jaded old man.
like your sword skills, deflect

>>4115002
>Without a doubt, until I die.

>>4115002
>>4115028
Fuck it changing my vote to this:
>Without a doubt, until I die.

I'd rather be succinct.

>>4115002
>>Without a doubt, until I die.

>>4115002
>Without a doubt, until I die.

>>4115002
changing this>>4115021
to
>Without a doubt, until I die.

>>4115002
“Until I die,” you reply calmly.

“And if the reality of Akatsuki were to betray your lofty ideals?”

You pause to consider his question. “Yeah no, I was told explicitly that ideologies may vary within Akatsuki. So if an individual member becomes a problem, I expect that Pain, Konan, and I would all be on the same page.”

“And if Akatsuki itself were to become a threat to peace instead?” Itachi-han presses.

“Then it would no longer be Akatsuki,” you counter. “I’d be sad to fight Konan-sensei of course, but as her student it’d be my responsibility to bring her to her senses. Don’t you think?”

This time it’s his turn to quietly consider your words.

“I agree.”

“Then let’s cut it out with this serious stuff,” you offer. “Or do you have some reason to think that it’s not all just hypothetical?”

>1d6, high roll
>best three of four

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4116117

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4116117

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4116117
It's getting serious

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4116117

>>4116117
For several seconds, neither of you speaks. But eventually Itachi-han does reply.

“Many current and former members of Akatsuki were recruited by force,” Itachi tells you. “Kakuzu and Orochimaru were each defeated by Pain. Deidara was defeated by myself. Sasori and my previous partner Juzo were defeated by Konan, while she, Kakuzu, and myself convinced Hidan to join.”

“You are somewhat unusual in that you were recruited by Pain and Konan by mutual agreement.”

“And what about the rest of you?” you ask.

“Pain and Konan were already in the organization,” Itachi continues. “However, they were not the ones who recruited Zetsu, Kisame, or myself.”

“But that’s already ten,” you observe. “All ten active Akatsuki are accounted for… so if it was none of the other seven, who would have been responsible for the three of you?”

“There is another ‘leader’ within Akatsuki, one who does not show his face,” Itachi-han informs you. “He recruited me after assisting in the… ‘Uchiha Incident’… calling Akatsuki ‘his’ organization. My understanding is that this third individual operates in cooperation with Pain and Konan.”

“But it’s not ‘his’ organization,” you counter. “Akatsuki was founded by three war orphans from my village: one died when the ‘original’ Akatsuki were destroyed, the other two are Pain and Konan-sensei.”

“Then this third must have joined afterwards promising to help rebuild Akatsuki,” Itachi-han postulates… and you have to admit it’s consistent with the results, since this mystery man brought in three of the ten current ‘active’ Akatsuki members.

“Do you have any idea who he is?”

“No,” he admits, still letting the herbal poultice do its work… his eyes must be in even worse shape than your own, yours feels as though it’s back to normal. Well, ‘normal’ for a borrowed Sharingan kept in check with fūinjutsu.

“He identifies himself as a man who should be dead, but I have no way of verifying or disproving that statement. I also know he possesses at least one Sharingan, though I have no evidence that would allow me to meaningfully interpret that fact. The Uchiha clan has a long and blood-soaked history relating to their eyes, stealing and killing for greater power. There also exist two kinjutsu which require the sacrifice of one eye, and a higher level of Sharingan which places even greater strain on the eyes.”

“The fact that I have only seen him with one eye on its own proves nothing. And I refuse to jump to speculation regarding his identity.”
>1/2

>>4116208
“You seem wary of him,” you observe calmly.

“And I would warn you to be as well,” Itachi-han counters. “Take this all how you will.”

“You mentioned that you have your own reasons for doing things,” you agree. “So alright, thanks for the warning.”

>Change the subject
>Let the conversation end
>Other?

>>4116271
>change the subject
Does he have any hobbies to do in his free time?

>>4116271
So we know of the pupet of another pupet now IC. Not that by its self dose a lot for us right now.

>Let the conversation end

Honestly he has been talketive enough as is.

>>4116271
>>Let the conversation end
this seems like a good point, the poultice has pretty much done the work in our eyes. If we don't cut it here he might do it for us