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You are Raishō Naori, currently aboard the ancient flying fortress Angkor Vantian, chasing after Uchiha Sasuke who’s chasing after Shinnō, the mad doctor responsible for the fortress’ reactivation.

“What are you up to!?” you demand as Sasuke rushes through the stony corridor.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he asks over his shoulder. “Orochimaru wants that doctor, for all the good it will do.”

“Then I can’t let you have him, now can I!?” you shout after him. “You should know that.”

“So why not cut me down from behind?” he asks. “You have the skill to.”

“You want me to?”

“Not particularly,” he admits.

“Sasuke!” Naruto shouts loudly from somewhere behind you.

“Not this again...” Sasuke mutters just ahead of you.

“Hey!” Naruto shouts, “I’m talking to you, Sasuke!”

Before anyone can shout anything else, Sasuke stops at an opening, the corridor you’re in abruptly ends in a large vertical chamber… the inside of the same power hollow… ‘tower’ from before.

“I see,” you muse.

At the bottom of the vertical chamber is something strange, like a congealed cocoon enclosing something black. As though the cocoon itself were giving the masked creature of darkness within some semblance of shape. The walls of the chamber are lined with glowing characters… not the ones familiar to you. Something that, if what Nyoka said is accurate, is much older.

Shinnō laughs maniacally at the bottom of the shaft.

“You nonchalantly followed me here, you idiots!” he crows.

“Who’re you calling an idiot!?” Naruto protests loudly.

“I think he meant all three of us,” Sasuke admits, trying to form a chidori and failing. The technique simply sputters out… ah, so that’s it.

Much like the chakra running through the cocoon, the lightning-transformed chakra from Sasuke’s hand floats down and into the creature.

“How’s that?” Shinnō laughs. “You can’t use your chidori, can you? This place absorbs the chakra collected by the zero-tails and converts it to raw power! You fools! Any chakra you release will be absorbed as fuel for Angkor Vantian!”

“You’re powerless here!”

“Shut up already!” Naruto shouts, leaping down to the floor. “I don’t need any chakra to pummel you into a pulp for what you did to Amaru!”

Sasuke also makes the leap down. “If that’s true, then you’re at the same disadvantage.”

“Fools!” Shinnō shouts. “Did you really think I led you all this way just to fight you again!?”
>1/3
>>
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>>4196533
Shinnō begins to mould more of this ‘dark chakra’ of his, such that it pours out of him like black smoke. At his summons the cocoon begins to form new tendrils, wrapping and eventually absorbing him as he continues to laugh.

Unlike the others, you remain up high, watching what happens from the end of the hallway as Shinnō further explains his plans, like a stock villain from a badly-written radio drama.

“Did you really think I would risk my life over something like a flying fortress!?” he laughs madly. “Did you think it something so powerless? No… this Angkor Vantian is a powerful weapon, one capable of bringing devastation to the Five Great Nations in a flash!”

“BEHOLD!”

The whole of Angkor Vantian rumbles for a moment, and a pulse of chakra runs from the bound “zero tails” into the walls… the script lights up in glowing green. Then the rumbling stops as the chakra is released.



You watch as a powerful blast of chakra completely annihilates the remains of the fleet anchored just offshore, where it lies already ravaged and helpless by Shino’s bugs. There’s not a trace of it left above water once it’s over… just a steamy, boiling patch of saltwater that takes a few moments to begin to cool.

Shikamaru, Kakashi, and the rest of their team stare in complete disbelief.

“What… the heck was that?” Shikamaru asks no one in particular.

“… I have to go,” you declare, abruptly dispelling yourself.



Your mind is suddenly flooded with memories of an aerial battle on paper wings, of tracking a team through the forests with Kakashi, the sight of a fleet of troop carriers being half-devoured by bugs, and of the Angkor Vantian’s blast wiping out the rest of that fleet in a flash of light, leaving nothing but steam and static.

“Hah!” Naruto laughs derisively. “What was that, a misfire?”

It takes you several seconds to shake the disorientation and for the wave of exhaustion to pass… you take a food pill to try and counteract the effects while Naruto and Sasuke fight a pointless little skirmish against the tendrils of the zero-tail’s cocoon, hoping to stimulate yourself just enough to make it through the next few hours.
>2/3
>>
>>4196535
The answer to this problem is obvious of course… if the zero-tails absorbs chakra, absorbing natural energy will probably be fatal to it. So all you need to do is let it take the natural energy you gather through Umekiri and watch it kill itself. Problem solved… without it Angkor Vantian will never be able to function again. The ruins themselves can be dismantled at your leisure.

But the problem is that once you pursue that strategy there’s no going back. You’ll only have a fairly brief window of time to escape Angkor Vantian before it falls from the sky.

>Do it now. In Sage Mode you’re quick enough to deal with the consequences.
>Wait until you hear back from your shadow clone that’s with Amaru.
>Just wait and see what Naruto and Sasuke can think up… or rather what Sasuke thinks up and Naruto joins in on.
>Other?
>>
>>4196537
>>Wait until you hear back from your shadow clone that’s with Amaru.
>>
>>4196537
>wait until. ..
>>
>>4196537
>Wait until you hear back from your shadow clone that’s with Amaru.
>>
>>4196537
>Wait until you hear back from your shadow clone that’s with Amaru.
Outside of that just observe and be ready to do your thing when the shadow clone pops.
>>
>>4196537
>Wait until you hear back from your shadow clone that’s with Amaru.
>>
>>4196537
>>Wait until you hear back from your shadow clone that’s with Amaru.
>>
Stock villain of the week is clearly enjoying himself. It would be criminal to cut things so short, let's use this time wisely while he overindulges in egomaniacal catharsis.

>>4196535
>Wait until you hear back from your shadow clone that’s with Amaru.
>>
>>4196537
You are Raishō Naori’s shadow clone, left by your original to speak with Ryūzetsu.

“Don’t think of it as an Akatsuki hideout,” you tell her, in a private meeting in the keep of Hozuki castle. “It’s my hideout. The rest of Akatsuki will neither use it nor even know about it.”

“I’ll inform the senior council that I’ve given my blessings,” she replies wearily, setting aside the map you’ve used to show her the exact spot you were considering.

“You don’t actually approve?” you frown.

Ryūzetsu sighs, settling into her chair. “I approve of you… none of us have forgotten your help in ending our civil war with so little bloodshed. That debt of gratitude will go a long way, but Akatsuki has become a divisive topic. And not just in our village. I think you’ll find many of the smaller nations are also… conflicted.”

You hang your head for a moment, taking a deep breath before settling on honesty. “Yeah, no… I… may be taking my own precautions at the moment. Putting a hideout in your nation is one of those precautions.”

“Akatsuki is… coming apart at the seams,” you confide in her. “My actions in the next few weeks may determine which of those seams tear and which ones hold.”

“I understand,” Ryūzetsu nods curtly. “Say no more.”



You are Raishō Naori’s shadow clone, created specifically to follow this girl named Amaru into the lower levels of Angkor Vantian to rescue villagers she believes are being held there: survivors of the attack you noticed the aftermath of through the shadow clone that chased after this whole mess from the Hot Water hideout.

For a moment your head swims as the details of the shadow clone in the Land of Grass reintegrate themselves with your memories… you recall her conversations with Ryūzetsu and the construction of the Grass hideout. The details are very similar to the one in the Land of Hot Water, though in this case you selected an island in the middle of a long, shallow lake. Due to its small size and challenging terrain no one lives there, which makes it a perfect spot to put a small safehouse. No gardens here though… too small for that. Instead you built a small outdoor courtyard.

The only exceptional detail is that on a whim, it seems your clone placed a Hiraishin marking on the floor of the largest room, which she designed like a dojo. It’s nearly thirty feet across and enormously intricate, and it will take you a substantial series of hand seals to use it, but if it works it should make it easy to withdraw to any of your hideouts at a moment’s notice.

“Are you okay?” Amaru asks, stopping in the middle of the corridor.

You nod curtly. “Just a bunch of memories from a shadow clone… totally unrelated. Sorry, let’s keep going.”
>1/2
>>
>>4196703
I keep forgetting when I've chased down an image to go with a description. This is what I imagined the island to be like.
>>
>>4196703
“It has to be somewhere in this direction...” she guesses.

You raise an eyebrow. “Based on what?”

She pauses. “I just figure a dungeon should be somewhere low, right?”

“Good a guess as any,” you admit. “I’ll scout down this corridor.”

You send some paper butterflies out, spreading them throughout the lower levels of Angkor Vantian as you and Amaru progress deeper into the structure of the fortress.

“Something bothers me...” she admits after you no-sell a group of Sora-nin who don’t even manage to get off a shot with their kunai launchers before you beat them unconscious with your saya.

“Yeah?” you ask. “Try this hallway… what is it?”

“How are you that strong?” she asks you. “And how exactly do you know Naruto? He didn’t seem happy to see you, even when you were… defeating that man.”

“You mean ‘Shinnō’?” you muse. “He might have had a strong body, but he had a weakness of spirit… he was never a match for me.”

“And Naruto?” she presses. “How do you know him?”

>We’re technically ‘enemies’ due to how things have worked out. It’s nothing personal.
>We’re acquainted. If you want to know, you might want to ask him when this is over.
>Akatsuki is after the tailed beast sealed inside of him. I’m a part of that organization right now.
>Other?
>>
>>4196746
>He's my cousin, technically. We're in opposing groups for the moment, but i've never once considered him an enemy. He's not a bad guy, but unfortunately he sees me as one.
>>
>>4196750
Seconding
>>
>>4196746
>We’re acquainted. If you want to know, you might want to ask him when this is over.
>>
>>4196746
>>4196750
Seconding
>>
>>4196746
Seconding this too >>4196750
>>
>>4196746
this: >>4196750
>>
>>4196750
>>4196746
I Second this
>>
>>4196746
>>4196750
>>
>>4196746
“We’re survivors of the same shinobi clan,” you explain, “who are in opposing factions at the moment. I don’t see him as an enemy per se, and he’s a good guy even if he’s a bit thick… but he probably sees me as an enemy.”

“Then why are you helping him?” she asks curiously.

“Same reason I sometimes end up fighting against him,” you muse. “Because I think it’s the right thing to do at the time… you hear that?”

“Yeah, do you think that’s what we’re looking for?” Amaru wonders, her untrained ears finally picking up on the thrumming sound quite distinct from the rest of the background noise.

“Down there,” you point to a set of stairs leading to a lower level.

In a new corridor you find several holding cells, with metallic bars and glowing symbols on the walls.

“Don’t touch,” you caution Amaru before she can try grabbing hold of the bars behind which dozens of people sit miserably on the floor… one of whom is Hyūga Hinata, looking like she’s been away for several days straight.

“… Amaru-kun? Naori-san?” she wonders aloud. “This cell… it’s...”

“… draining their chakra,” you complete the thought. “I’m watching it happen.”

“How do we stop it?” Amaru demands, looking around the room.

“I don’t know how it would respond to me attacking it,” you admit.

Amaru points up to what looks like some sort of device built into the ceiling, with a small glass center like a recessed light bulb. “What about that?”

“Think you can grab on if I gave you a boost?” you ask her quickly.

She frowns. “I might...”

“No,” you interrupt her. “Can you or can you not?”

After a moment of surprise, she nods curtly. “I can.”

You smile and take a knee, holding your hands together to give her a place to step. “Then let’s not waste any time doubting ourselves and do it.”

“Right.”
>1/2
>>
>>4196972
After Amaru shoves a scalpel into what turns out to be some kind of circuit, the bars lower into the floor and the symbols on the walls stop glowing.

“Nice,” you commend her, catching her as she falls and putting her feet-down on the floor. “Let’s get these people up and moving, try and find a launch catapult upstairs.”

“A launch catapult?” she repeats as she helps an old man to his feet.

You nod as you create a few more shadow clones. “Yeah… from what I’ve seen all the technology those Sora-nin use must be based off the technology they found here. So their flying machines should be compatible. We’ll find one and take it for our own use.”

“What about Naruto?” Amaru demands as you scrawl across a sealing tag to contact your real body.

“I’m a step ahead of you.”



“They’re evacuating the civilians...” you muse, having watched both Naruto and Sasuke get themselves captured. “Great news… but too slow.”

You tell your clones to hurry it up.

“So… it seems one of you is not a fool!” Shinnō crows delightedly from within the zero-tails cocoon.

“Maybe,” you shrug. “You’re certainly not one to judge either way.”

“Oho?” he cackles. “And why is that?”

“Because only a fool would listen to a fool,” you taunt him.

“Perhaps I was wrong!” he snaps. “Surely you can’t think it wise to taunt me!”

“Why not?” you shrug. “You haven’t given me any reason to respect your abilities.”

>Watch how this goes… Sasuke is planning something.
>Try to keep Shinnō distracted enough not to use Angkor Vantian’s weapon again.
>Just turn the bastard to stone already. Your clones should be about done.
>Other?
>>
>>4197028
>>Just turn the bastard to stone already. Your clones should be about done.
>>
>>4197028
>>Just turn the bastard to stone already. Your clones should be about done.
>>
>>4197028
>Just turn the bastard to stone already. Your clones should be about done.

After dealing with Shinno, mention casually to Sasuke and Naruto that what took them so long.
>>
>>4197028
>>Just turn the bastard to stone already. Your clones should be about done.

i don't trust him to not get vengeful at a moments notice
>>
>>4197028
>>Just turn the bastard to stone already. Your clones should be about done.

If I have to hear him say “fool” one more time...
>>
>>4197028
>Just turn the bastard to stone already. Your clones should be about done.
Guy's a fuckin' nutjob, let's just end this.
>>
>>4197028
>>Just turn the bastard to stone already. Your clones should be about done.
>>
>>4197028
To put this thing to an end, you do something you’ve avoided up till now: you use the shunshin technique and thrust Umekiri straight into the cocoon.

“So you are a fool!” Shinnō roars. “If you had a technique like that you should have used it...”

“If I had, I wouldn’t have been able to do this,” you observe calmly as the nature energy begins to show an obvious effect.

“What are you doing?” Shinnō begins to panic as the zero-tails begins to rapidly turn to stone. “What is this? How dare you do this to me!?

“I am an ultimate being! I have attained the ultimate power! I will not be destroyed like this...”

His words cease as too much of the cocoon and the monster inside it have solidified, and the process accelerates all the way out to the ends of the strands holding it in place. Then with a twist of your blade you shatter the entire thing, right out to the ends of the ‘hands’ holding Sasuke and Naruto as well as the strands connecting to the walls.

No sooner are Naruto and Sasuke on the floor than you’re back up the walls.

“We need to go,” you insist, “now. The chakra the zero-tails had already fed into Angkor Vantian won’t last forever.”

“What happens when it runs out?” Naruto wonders aloud as he follows you and Sasuke up the wall.

The floor shudders, and you hear a noise that seems to emanate from the entire fortress… it almost sounds the exact way you’d expect ‘deceleration’ to sound.

“We fall,” you reply simply.



Sasuke elects to run down a transverse corridor, towards one of the ends of the fortress, using a chidori stream to collapse the corridor behind him… it seems that he really doesn’t want anyone following him, and you can see why. Naruto immediately tries to batter his way through the obstruction with a rasengan.

“Naruto!” you bark. “We don’t have time, the others are holding up on you!”

You end up dragging him by the scruff of his neck, eventually reaching a platform where a flying machine is waiting, loaded with the villagers from down below along with Hinata and Amaru. You run over to the flying ship to give it the once-over a second time.

“Everything secure here?” you ask. “Hinata, you figure out how the controls work?”

She nods once with a little sound of affirmation. “I think so.”

“You think?” you begin, “or you...”

The platform you’re standing on shakes as Naruto pulls a lever to launch the survivors down the catapult, then uses a rasengan to break the catapult platform off.
>1/2
>>
>>4197893
You manage to spring through the air and float the rest of the way to the flying ship even as Amaru shouts at Naruto, who heads for the far end of the ship… he’s still chasing after Sasuke, and by running along the outside he hopes to reach Sasuke before he can arrange his own evacuation. As usual, he’s too stubborn and focused on the sole task he can envision before himself to consider anything else… including his own safety.

Angkor Vantian shudders again.

“Hinata,” you order from atop the ship’s wings, “bring us about, hard left and up one hundred meters.”

“I… I can’t!” she admits, “there’s not enough chakra!”

“Try now,” you tell her after establishing a chakra flow directly to the machine’s engine… by stabbing it with Umekiri.

“I… I have control back!” she realizes aloud, “pitching up and left fifteen degrees… I think is what these instruments say.”

“Dammit, Sasuke,” you mutter as you reach a position where you can see the end of the fortress. You can see someone gliding away from the end of the fortress on malformed wings, as Naruto gets ready to jump himself… clearly there are no escape machines at that end of the fortress, so he’s grabbed one of the personal flying kits.

The fortress continues to slow down, losing some of its altitude and crumble from the ends…

“Automatic power conservation?” you wonder aloud.

There’s a small explosion that throws Naruto free before he can don the glider wings.

“He’s not going to make it!” Amaru shouts, pulling on glider wings of her own from the back of the ship and leaping out of it without hesitation.

>Interfere, make sure they both survive.
>Don’t interfere. They’ll be fine.
>Other?
>>
>>4197915
>Interfere, make sure they both survive.
>"You're both retarded, i'm leaving."
>>
>>4197915
>>Interfere, make sure they both survive.
>>
>>4197915
>>Interfere, make sure they both survive.
>>
>>4197915
>Interfere, make sure they both survive.
>>
>>4197915
>>Interfere, make sure they both survive.
"Why are you both such idiots?!"
>>
>>4197915
>Don’t interfere. They’ll be fine.
They don't need a babysitter.
>>
>>4197915
>>Don’t interfere. They’ll be fine.
>>
>>4197915
>Don’t interfere. They’ll be fine.

Mostly fine, Naruto can't let his ass to be carried by Naori all the time.
>>
>>4197915
That idiot… always charging in and leaving everyone around him to come up with a plan that will work. At least he has the good sense or the good fortune to surround himself with people who, with the notable exception of one Haruno Sakura, have the talents and forethought to compliment him.

“Oh, alright,” you huff, answering on one in particular as you leap out of the flying machine. “Shadow clone!”

Your shadow clone, also floating the same way you do on a paper cloak of her own, wraps you in Kongō Fūsa and slings you after them before disappearing herself. That carries you as far as a massive stone head that you can kick off of to renew your momentum, having gone the wrong way while Amaru dives after Naruto. Eventually she abandons her wings as they’re just keeping her from catching up thanks to their drag… what the hell is she even thinking?

You bite your thumb and unseal and hurl a handful of summoning paper shuriken, what must be the fastest shuriken at this point in the world, which burst into smoke.

“Kuchiyose: Nyoka!”

Your carefully-aimed volley summon Nyoka below Naruto and Amaru, who cling desperately to her back, having been given this one chance to survive their combined foolishness. She glides to the ground and shakes them off rather dismissively.

“This one is neither a pack mule nor a trampoline,” she observes wryly.

“Sorry, wasn’t any time,” you apologize, floating down lightly on your paper cloak before transforming it back into its disguised form.

“Why’d you save us!?” Naruto demands.

“Someone had to,” you roll your eyes. “You really should learn to think before acting, Naruto… and you!”

You turn to Amaru. “You should learn the same lesson. I already know he won’t.”

“You just want the nine-tails!” Naruto continues to protest.

“And it would be easier if you did die,” you frown at him. “Seriously, I’d have an easier time sealing Kurama if you were out of the picture. In a lot of ways.”

“But that isn’t the way things are.”

You can hear the sounds of Konoha shinobi approaching… one of them is a cut above the rest. Is it… Jiraiya? Where the hell did he come from?

>Get onto Nyoka’s back and escape, hope Jiraiya has no way to pursue.
>Just wait and see what Jiraiya does. Don’t start a chase if there’s no need.
>Use Hiraishin to get to your hideout, taking Nyoka with you. Use smoke bombs as cover.
>Other?
>>
>>4198306
>Use Hiraishin to get to your hideout, taking Nyoka with you. Use smoke bombs as cover.
>Until next time cousin!
He’s known as the sage of toad mountain. Such titles are not idle things. Bail and bail now.
>>
>>4198306
>>Just wait and see what Jiraiya does. Don’t start a chase if there’s no need.
>>
>>4198306
>>Just wait and see what Jiraiya does. Don’t start a chase if there’s no need.
>>
>>4198306
>Get onto Nyoka’s back and escape, hope Jiraiya has no way to pursue.

Jiraiya can't fly, and likely has better things to do than track us down. Using Hiraishin-derived techniques while the guy who taught Minato is in around strikes me as a bad idea.
>>
>>4198306
>“But that isn’t the way things are.”

I'm not 100% clear, was that something Naori said?
>>
>>4198306
>Get onto Nyoka’s back and escape, hope Jiraiya has no way to pursue.

Yeah time to bail, when the Konoha reinforcements are arriving. No need to be here now.
>>
>>4198306
>Get onto Nyoka’s back and escape, hope Jiraiya has no way to pursue.
No way Jirayan didn't see those paper wings. Now Jiraya will know at least one of his students survived and taught us.

Using the Hiraishin is tempting, but it's not a trump card worth using right now. We should use it when Naori's life is clearly endangered and Jiraya is clearly here to capture us, not kill us.
>>
>>4198306
>Just wait and see what Jiraiya does. Don’t start a chase if there’s no need.
>>
>>4198306
>>Just wait and see what Jiraiya does. Don’t start a chase if there’s no need.

...Jiraiya isn't that scary.
>>
>>4198336
It's no just Jiraya who is around. At least if he caught up to us while we were leaving, it would (probably) just be him.

And I'm not sure why you're using Jiraya's "scariness" as an argument? Most people who voted to leave are doing so because there is no reason to stay around. Unless you can think of one?
>>
>>4198306
>Just wait and see what Jiraiya does. Don’t start a chase if there’s no need.
>"About time you got here Mr. Toad Sage! Had to save my idiot cousin and his fox from committing suicide AGAIN, I'm at the end of my rope! Seriously, what did you even teach him these past 2 years Jiraiya!?"
>>
>>4198306
>Get onto Nyoka’s back and escape, hope Jiraiya has no way to pursue.
>>
>>4198321
Yes, that was Naori.
>>
>>4198306
>Just wait and see what Jiraiya does. Don’t start a chase if there’s no need.
>Your pupil is an idiot. Did you train him wrong on purpose? As a joke?
>>
>>4198306
>>Just wait and see what Jiraiya does. Don’t start a chase if there’s no need.
>>
>>4198306
>1d6, DC 10
>taking three
>SP: 6/6
>>
Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4198550
>>
Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4198550
>>
Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4198550
>>
Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4198550
>>
>>4198550
“Hold on a moment,” you tell Nyoka. “Now might not be the right time for a dramatic escape.”

“This one can be patient,” she replies, stalking her way across the roots and stones to get closer to you instead of the other way around. “The strong one that is coming, you believe he could give chase?”

“It’s possible,” you admit. “Jiraiya of the Sannin isn’t one to take lightly.”

Nyoka lowers her head over your shoulder in a bid for your appreciation… essentially, reminding you that she’s more than earned it.

When Jiraiya finally gets to where you are his first concern is with his student, giving him the once-over after his brush with death. So once Naruto and Amaru are behind Jiraiya, he turns his attention to you.

“I suppose I have you and your summons to thank for seeing to the details,” he greets you, watching you closely. “That wouldn’t happen to be a shrike behind you?”

“This one goes by the name of Nyoka,” Nyoka replies, raising her head. “And would appreciate not being referred to as a ‘that’ by a mere toad-summoner.”

“Guess that’s all the answer I need!” Jiraiya grimaces. “Sorry if I offended you, Nyoka-san. But I have business with your summoner here.”

“I fail to see what ‘business’ we have,” you counter with a frown. “Jiraiya-sensei, the only reason I waited was because I knew you might be able to give chase… and that if you did, it might end in a fight. I’d rather avoid that outcome.”

“And you thought you could just talk it out?” Jiraiya demands, crossing his arms. “You’re not that same girl who I gave a five-minute lesson to out of a sense of responsibility anymore… you’re a member of a criminal organization that’s threatening the Leaf.”

“Who just protected the Leaf from the Land of Sky and the zero tails,” you counter. “Even after all that, do you plan to betray me for no immediate reason? Is that the way Konoha’s Sannin teach their students to behave?”

After a moment, Jiraiya shakes his head. “No… I guess it isn’t, is it?”

“Then you’ll allow me to leave?” you press.

“I have just one question,” he admits. “Just how skilled of a Sage have you become?”

>Show him.
>Tell him.
>Refuse to answer.
>>
>>4199828
>tell him
I wouldn't mind showing it, but don't want to give to much away, this way he can inform his peers over what that means
While there still remains the possibility of us 'over exaggerating'
>>
>>4199828
>Refuse to answer.
>>
>>4199828
>Refuse to answer.
He can get all the information he needs to make an assumption from the Konoha Shinobi.
>>
>>4199828
>Refuse to answer.
>>
>>4199828
>Tell him
As what >>4199834 said. Tell him partial truth. If he isn't happy with the answer, he can connect the dots with other Konoha Jonin who have seen Naori.
>>
>>4199828
>>Refuse to answer.
>>
>>4199828
>>Refuse to answer.
>>
>>4199828
I can raise the dead--no wait, I mean
>Refuse to answer
>But just so you don't leave empty handed: I found out about those students you mentioned last time we talked. Two of them are still alive, but Danzo conspired with Hanzo to kill the third. Make of that what you will.

He's bright enough to do something useful with that.
>>
>>4199914
And if we can't fly off after being all cryptic and mysterious, giving the heroes something to ponder on for our next encounter: we are just not living la vida Akatsuki enough.
>>
>>4199914
I don't like that plan. Konan especially mentioned not to use her paper jutsus when Sannin and especially Jiraiya is around. Telling him anything would be worse than that.
>>
>>4199828
>>Tell him.
But ask him why he wants to know before saying anything
>>
>>4199828
>Refuse to answer.
Ask your friends, this isn't something I do just to show off.
>>
>>4199914
>>4199828
Supporting this, if we can save the old toad from even a small amount of his fate, I'd like to try.
>>
>>4199920
While I agree it's risky, that was a long time ago, and we're gonna need allies. Conflict with Tobi is unavoidable, and Jiraiya is one of the most reasonable people in the entire world at this point.
>>
>>4199920
Hmm, well No one but Naori and Jiraiya will know wtf she is talking about, and I doubt Jiraiya is going to do anything stupid that would be bad for them.

I guess the only thing that might be tipping a bit too much is the Hanzo and Danzo thing. In that case, I'd just ammend the option for Naori to use her best judgment to say that part in code or not at all.
>>
>>4199941
>>4199914
Oh, but if we think pain can eavesdrop with the ring, do something else. Like, get even more cryptic or shoot him a micro paper senbon message or something else nigh undetectable.
>>
>>4199828
>>Tell him.
>>
>>4199828
>>Tell him.
>>
>>4199828
>tell him
>>
>>4199828
>>Tell him.
>>
>>4199828

>>Tell Him
>>
>>4199828
>Don't tell him about your sword.
>>
>>4199828
“I don’t see that I have to tell you anything,” you reply calmly. “Everything you need to know has already been reported… or are you telling me you haven’t already done your homework?”

After nodding for a few moments, Jiraiya sighs. “I have.”

“And?” you press.

“… and it suggests that you’ve achieved perfect control over senjutsu,” he admits.

“See, you already knew,” you incline your head politely. “Now if there’s no objection, I’d like to go home and take a nap.”

“There will be objections,” Jiraiya admits. “Some on the council will see this as an act of cowardice, and thirty years ago I might have agreed with them.”

“What changed?” you ask. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I trained a young man who became a perfect sage,” Jiraiya explains carefully. “He was about your age. After that experience I understand more than most that if things come to blows between us there’s a very real chance I might lose.”

“I’m not going to take that chance if there’s no real need.”

“Then let’s go,” you suggest to Nyoka, hopping onto her back.

“Gladly,” she agrees, inclining her head towards Jiraiya. “Until next we meet, toad-sage.”



August.

Once again you find yourself called into a meeting with the rest of Akatsuki, who begin to outline the situation. There are three major assignments right now: the three-tails has been spotted in the southeast of the Land of Fire, and will require immediate sealing to secure. There are also two more ‘mundane’ missions, which include a normal bounty mission from a nobleman in Kirigakure and a request from a border town in the Land of Earth to strike across their border into Ishigakure for them… a task that the Tsuchikage won’t take on due to the fairly recent peace signed into existence between Ishi and Iwa.

>You want to seal the three tails.
>You want to do the bounty mission.
>You want to attack Ishigakure.
>Other?
>>
>>4200279
>You want to seal the three tails.

I don't like the Ishigakure mission. It sounds just like a war where innocent civilians will suffer. Meanwhile sealing the three tails furthers our goal.
>>
>>4200279
>You want to seal the three tails.
>>
>>4200284
Link to the post friend
>>
>>4200279
>bounty mission
>>
>>4200279
>You want to seal the three tails.
>>
>>4200279
>>You want to seal the three tails.
>>
>>4200279
>You want to seal the three tails.
Eyes on the price.

>Other.
Did we train/achieve something during that time.
>>
>>4200293
Thanks for the reminder :)
>>
>>4200279
>You want to seal the three tails.

>>4200284
>>4200344
The expression is 'Eyes on the prize', not price.
>>
>>4200279
>You want to seal the three tails.
>>
>>4200344
Naori would have confirmed that her version of Hiraishin WORKS, and would have been working on getting the thing refined to the point of being useful as anything other than a fast-travel location. But much beyond that, no.
>>
File: naori_okita_comf.png (2.16 MB, 1000x1414)
2.16 MB
2.16 MB PNG
>>4200467
Also, have a comy Naori while I work.
>>
>>4200483
this immediately made my day better
>>
>>4200483
“I volunteer to handle Isobu,” you declare. “Choose whichever partner you feel is appropriate.”

“Ooh! Ooh!” Tobi declares excitedly. “I volunteer to not get eaten by a giant turtle!”

“Noted,” Pain replies sternly. “Are there any takers on this particular mission?”
>1d7
>Taking the THIRD ROLL ONLY
>>
Rolled 4 (1d7)

>>4200496
>>
Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4200496
>>
Rolled 5 (1d7)

>>4200496
>>
>>4200500
>Kakuzu selected
Writing.
>>
File: kakuzu_close.jpg (147 KB, 1018x1095)
147 KB
147 KB JPG
>>4200496
“I have some ‘business’ in that area,” Kakuzu admits calmly. “I’ll go.”

“So be it,” Pain agrees.

“And Kakuzu-san?” Konan-han adds in a carefully-controlled tone.

“What is it?”

“Please try to aim a little more carefully than usual,” she glares sharply at his projected image. “It would be a problem to lose another powerful member.”

“Such little faith in your own former student,” Kakuzu muses dismissively.

“I wasn’t talking about her,” Konan-han corrects him.



“So what business are we talking about?” you ask Kakuzu after meeting him near the bridge to the Land of Waves on the Land of Fire’s southern coast.

“A bounty head,” he clarifies. “Dead or alive, makes it simple. Should be worth the time.”

>How quickly can you take care of that, and how urgent is it?
>Isobu takes priority. We can deal with your bounty afterward.
>We’ll split up. I’ll stake out for Isobu while you do what you do.
>Other?
>>
>>4200516
>>How quickly can you take care of that, and how urgent is it?
>>
>>4200516
>Isobu takes priority. We can deal with your bounty afterward.
>How quickly can you take care of that, and how urgent is it?

Isobu is the priority, but how quickly could the bounty be done? More funds is always more funds.
>>
>>4200516
>How quickly can you take care of that, and how urgent is it?
>>
>>4200516
>>How quickly can you take care of that, and how urgent is it?
>>
>>4200516
>>How quickly can you take care of that, and how urgent is it?
>>
>>4200516
>>How quickly can you take care of that, and how urgent is it?

... oh. Is this when he goes after Asuma?
>>
>>4200516
>>How quickly can you take care of that, and how urgent is it?
It’s probably Asuma’s monk pal.
>>
>>4200516
>Other
We should at least see who it is, and if they're someone we don't know or care about and aren't necessarily a good person, we could always help him out.
>>
>>4200516
“What’re the details,” you ask. “About your ‘business’, I mean.”

“The scum we’re after is a former Konoha shinobi,” Kakuzu informs you, taking out his copy of the Akatsuki bingo book. “Fukuda Kiyomu… worth the better part of a billion ryō.”

You let out a low whistle. “What’d thus guy do to piss the Leaf off that much?”

“He’s a traitor,” Kakuzu declares, “and one with an exceptionally dangerous set of abilities some may consider… unnatural.”

“Do tell.”

“He uses what’s called the Gojō Kibaku Fuda,” Kakuzu continues. “An exploding tag that creates more exploding tags from itself using the body as raw material.”

“Intended to be used with a reincarnated shinobi,” you guess.

Kakuzu nods curtly. “The Second Hokage was an infinitely resourceful man. To him using the bodies of the dead in such a way was… distasteful, but not somehow off-limits.”

“So how does he do it if it requires him to sacrifice parts of his own body?” you ask curiously.

“That’s the part that would disgust most people,” Kakuzu reminds you. “He is a serial killer of unmatched brutality, dismembering his still-living victims and using medical ninjutsu to attach their limbs to his own before slitting their throats.”

“So he can sacrifice them to use Gojō Kibaku Fuda while alive,” you sigh. “That is seriously messed up. So how long do you think this is going to take?”

“Not long,” he insists. “And it’s on the way. But the intel won’t be valid for long.”

You carefully consider the point… his mission is worth a lot of money for the organization, and it sounds like his target is a real asshole. Taking a guy like that out could only be a good thing for everyone concerned. But you also need to act on your own information to secure Isobu before someone else does… you know that Orochimaru has an interest, and it’s on Konoha’s territorial back porch so to speak. But there’s a good chance that Kirigakure will want to get one of its tailed beasts back as well.

“Shadow clone!”

Your clone stands next to Kakuzu. “We’ll deal with your bounty head first.”

“And I’ll go ahead to secure the area where Isobu has been spotted,” you declare.
>1/2
>>
>>4201702
You are Raishō Naori, and you eventually arrive alone at the lake where Isobu is supposed to be hidden. Or rather, ‘alone’ in the sense that you have no teammates here with you.

Instead, you find a team of Konoha shinobi have already beaten you to the punch.

“Damn,” you grumble.

The ones you can see, out on the wide lake itself, are all kunoichi who you know: Shizune, Sakura, Hinata, and… Ino? What’s the one kunoichi in Konoha you know of who’s even more pathetic than Sakura doing here? The four are out on the surface of the lake, casting some sort of technique into the air above them… like a glowing sealing barrier of some sort.

By scouting the area carefully you detect more shinobi present, who are watching over the process… Kakashi… Kiba… Shino… Sai… Naruto.

Kiba you need to carefully avoid… the butterfly you were using has no particularly strong scent, but if you yourself were anywhere upwind of him he and Akamaru would be able to notice you. Fortunately Hinata, the one present who might have been able to notice you just by your chakra, is part of the sealing barrier team who are apparently searching for Isobu.

>Let them find Isobu for you, then swoop in at the last second to take out Ino… the obvious weak link.
>Just take Ino out now. They have you outnumbered, and a hostage situation may force them to withdraw.
>Work on thinning out their guards on the shore one at a time using genjutsu and shadow clones.
>Other?
>>
>>4201761
>>Work on thinning out their guards on the shore one at a time using genjutsu and shadow clones.
>>
>>4201761
>>Work on thinning out their guards on the shore one at a time using genjutsu and shadow clones.
>>
>>4201761
>>Work on thinning out their guards on the shore one at a time using genjutsu and shadow clones.
>>
>>4201761
>Work on thinning out their guards on the shore one at a time using genjutsu and shadow clones.
>>
>>4201761
>Work on thinning out their guards on the shore one at a time using genjutsu and shadow clones.
>>
>>4201761
>>Work on thinning out their guards on the shore one at a time using genjutsu and shadow clones.
>>
>>4201761
>1d6, DC 11
>taking three
>SP: 6/6
>ES: 0/2 (0T)
>>
Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4201938
Lets kick some Konoha shinobi ass
>>
Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4201938
>>
Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4201938
>>
>>4201965
Whoo! Good job you.
>>
>>4201965
Clutch.

Guess we don't get to find out what happens when Ino mind controls a perfect sage in sage mode. If she even can in the first place. That would suck if it ends up an instant petrify because she has no idea what the hell to do with natural energy.
>>
>>4202245
The QM did hint our sword might eventually able to distrupt genjutsu casted on Naori. I would not be surprised if it can also kick out chakra parasite from Naori's body.

Without its help? Assuming the possession work, Naori would probably be instantly petrified because the balance was disrupted by a noob. Not sure what would happen to Ino though. It's possible some nature energy come back with her when she leave Naori I guess.
>>
>>4202245
>>4202295
Really fucking scary situation if that would happen. Both have the "oh fuck" realization before turning into stone.
>>
>>4202299
There is the clause that the target has to stand still long enough to get hit, I doubt Naori would do that
The technique is better as a surprise move
>>
>>4201938
You decide that Kiba and Akamaru are your first targets, since they have the most ways to detect you if you’re not careful. Disabling the two of them will do the biggest immediate damage to the Konoha-nin’s defensive abilities, letting you get to Naruto and Sai that much more easily. You’re honestly not sure how to handle Kakashi, but that comes later.

The first step goes off without a hitch. You come up on them from downwind, beginning with a double-layer illusory terrain technique followed by the real heavy-hitter: the Nehan Shōja technique, exactly like the one used in Konoha before Sunagakure and Otogakure attacked.

And thanks to the fact that you’re controlling what Kiba and Akamaru actually see through the experience, it connects with them just as well as it did then, leaving both of them unconscious and totally at your mercy.

You secure them with binding tags: one over Kiba’s mouth, one over Akamaru like a muzzle, one around each of their arms and legs, along with heavy chains. The seals themselves should come undone in forty-eight hours… and to make sure no one who stumbles across them tries to immediately free them, you also place a fake exploding tag or two on each.

“That should keep you,” you muse quietly before creating a shadow clone. “Now then, let’s go meet your friends.”

The two of you transform: one into an exact duplicate of Kiba, one into an exact duplicate of Akamaru.

“Hey, I think I can rock this!” you muse playfully. “Whaddya think, ‘Akamaru’?”

‘Akamaru’ barks back at you.

“You’re right,” you nod curtly. “Gotta make sure I change my honorifics… that’d give me away immediately.”



“Kiba! Akamaru!” Naruto greets you. “What’s up, I thought you were patrolling over that way?”

“Akamaru thought he smelled somethin’ weird,” you lie, scratching your head. “Turned out someone came fishing here, probably three days ago? Left the campsite a mess, it was the firepit he smelled.”

“Ah, guess that nose of his might be a little too keen sometimes,” Naruto jokes.

Your clone barks at him, startling him for a moment before panting, trying to look a little more friendly.

“What’s with him!?” Naruto demands.

“We’re both a little high-strung,” you shrug. “I mean, come on. Aren’t you a bit jumpy?”

“Now that you mention it,” Naruto admits. “When I’m patrolling on my own like this I can’t help thinkin’ Akatsuki might just be lurking in the bushes somewhere, waiting for me to drop my guard.”
>1/2
>>
>>4202339
Your stalling of course gives you time to determine that Naruto’s not using his shadow clones as scouts… this one is the real body. He must be counting on Kiba and Akamaru to limit the number of directions someone could approach him from.

Too bad.

“Well, better get back to it,” you grumble. “Doubt anything more interesting than an old campfire’s gonna come up.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Naruto sighs. “Man, this whole thing’s turning out to be a real snooze.”

You place a genjutsu on him as well, one which makes him think he’s doing his regular patrol while in reality he’s just standing there in the forest, staring blankly at a tree.

‘Akamaru’ transforms back into your clone. “I’ll see to this one.”

“Right!” you reply in Naruto’s voice, having already taken his appearance. “Now then, ‘Sai’, time to see if you’re any better...”
>1d6, DC 11
>taking the first three
>SP: 6/6
>ES: 0/2 (0T)
>>
Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4202345
>>
Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4202345
>>
Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4202345
>>
>>4202345
While your clone focuses on keeping Naruto in check, you turn your attention to Sai. Creating another clone, you take a two-pronged approach. The clone casts an illusory terrain technique while you produce two tags with anesthetic gas sealed into them. By the time he notices the genjutsu, which to be fair none of your previous victims managed to do at all, the effect of the gas has left his body too numb to move his hands and form the seal to dispel it.

That lets you chain him to a tree and leave him there gagged. He won’t present a problem to you.

Now that just leaves Kakashi and the sealing team itself.

>Wait for Kakuzu to catch up with you, then coordinate your efforts.
>Strike while the iron is hot: distract Kakashi and take a hostage to disrupt their search.
>Kakashi is the only meaningful defense they have left. Eliminate him.
>Other?
>>
>>4202369
>Kakashi is the only meaningful defense they have left. Eliminate him.
>>
>>4202369
>>Kakashi is the only meaningful defense they have left. Eliminate him.
non lethal obviously, we don't want him killed
>>
>>4202369
>Kakashi is the only meaningful defense they have left. Eliminate him.

Of the remaining Konoha-nin Kakashi is the most dangerous. Taking him out will allow us to easily take out everyone else. After that we can wait for Kakuzu and search the three tails.
>>
Hmmmm. Orochimaru had some interest in the Three-tails and he and Kabuto were able to evade our sensing. While I doubt he bothered continuing without that one little boy, I'd still like to do a quick scan of our surroundings with senjutsu.

Am I being too paranoid?
>>
>>4202369
>Kakashi is the only meaningful defense they have left. Eliminate him.
>>
>>4202369
>Kakashi is the only meaningful defense they have left. Eliminate him.
Let's shake things up. MurderKakashi
>>
>>4202369
>>Kakashi is the only meaningful defense they have left. Eliminate him.

Does this mean aggressively KO? Murder seems like an unnecessary escalation so I’m assuming it’s my first guess.
>>
>>4202369
>1d6, DC 12
>taking the first three
>>
Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4202764
>>
Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4202764
>>
Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4202764
>>
>>4202764
>DC missed by 5
Your choice:
>Spend 3 SP and take 2 ES
>Spend 4 SP and take 1 ES
>Spend 5 SP and take no ES
>Punch the Senjutsu "win button" instead
>>
>>4202786
>Punch the Senjutsu "win button" instead
>>
>>4202786
>>Spend 4 SP and take 1 ES
>>
>>4202786
>>Punch the Senjutsu "win button" instead
>>
>>4202786
>>Punch the Senjutsu "win button" instead
>>
>>4202786
>>Punch the Senjutsu "win button" instead
>>
>>4202786
>Spend 4 SP and take 1 ES
>>
>>4202786
>Punch the Senjutsu "win button" instead
>>
>>4202786
>Spend 4 SP and take 1 ES
>>
>>4202786
>>Spend 4 SP and take 1 ES
>>
>>4202786
>Spend 4 SP and take 1 ES
>>
>>4202786
>Punch the Senjutsu "win button" instead
SLAP THE BUTTON!
>>
>>4202786
>Spend 4 SP and take 1 ES

I am curious what the senjutsu win button is
>>
>>4202786
>Punch the Senjutsu "win button" instead
>>
>>4202786
>>Punch the Senjutsu "win button" instead
>>
>>4202786
>Punch the Senjutsu "win button" instead
We still need those SP and ES for Isobu.
>>
>>4202867
some people are just retarded i guess
>>
>>4202786
>>Punch the Senjutsu "win button" instead

are there drawbacks to this?
>>
>>4202786
For this situation… you really have no alternative.

You’d love nothing more than to really push yourself in a fair fight against an opponent like Kakashi, but the problem with that is that there’s a good chance you might lose if you were to try it. And on this mission, sadly, you really need to make sure that doesn’t happen.

So you create two new shadow clones and take a few moments for the three of you to gather natural energy. One clone goes to the lakeshore and waits within sight of the sealing team, and one goes after where you’ve sensed Kakashi to be.



You are a shadow clone of Raishō Naori, using genjutsu to mask your approach as you try to catch Kakashi off his guard.

You begin by throwing a volley of poisoned paper shuriken that Kakashi dodges, almost as though he has eyes in the back of his head. So he noticed the genjutsu and already dispelled it… he’s good. Definitely a cut above anyone you’ve fought from his village. Above anyone you’ve fought in a long time for that matter.

But he dodges towards the direction you’ve chosen to attack.

“Raikiri!”

In a second first in as many seconds it seems, Kakashi actually parries your swing with his bare hand… unfortunate for him that you struck with the saya first, turning and drawing in a smooth follow-through under which he ducks only to have to block as you attack with your knee. A second replacement in a single, continuous series of strikes.

“Sage Mode already?” he muses as he pushes off to gain a little space. “I’m honored.”

“I was just thinking this would be a fair fight otherwise,” you admit. “I think you know I can’t afford that right now, much as I want it.”

“You’re after the three-tails,” Kakashi deduces, hurling a series of kunai at you, one of which has a smoke bomb attached to it.

“Isn’t everyone?” you muse, attacking him as he tries to use the cover to get to the shoreline.

Kakashi explodes into smoke as you strike him from behind with your blade, as his real body emerges from the ground. That’s pretty clever… had you not been using Sage Mode you might have been caught by that trap.

Instead you leave behind a clever substitution, shedding the paper from your cloak like a cicada casts off its shell.

“Got you!”
>1/2
>>
>>4202879
No, there aren't. She can enter sage mode in seconds and there are no negative effects.
Maybe they forgot the encounter isn't over when these guys are defeated, i dunno. There's no reason to hold back at all.
>>
>>4202882
As it turns out no… you don’t “got him” at all.

You attack him from what you’d anticipate being his blind spot, only to have him grab your wrist in one hand and begin forming a rasengan in the other.

You swiftly calculate the spin and power of his rasengan, and immediately counter it. The blow throws him backwards and into a tree… but the momentum helps him draw up a chain he buried under the ground, looping them around you.

Even as he crushes you…



… you pin Kakashi-han to the tree with a kunai to the shoulder as your clone disperses, but find that your eyes have wandered. Kakashi’s sharingan meets yours for just a second, but that second is enough for him to begin placing you under a genjutsu.

“Kyō-Tenchi-Ten?” Kakashi realizes as you use your own sharingan to reverse his genjutsu, making his body believe that it’s being wrapped by vines and roots. He immediately bites down on the inside of his lip and spits the blood at you.

In response you strike him in the gut with your left elbow, then in the face. You hear a hollow thud as the back of his head collides with the tree-trunk.

“We’ll have to do this again some time,” you smile as Kakashi’s eyes grow unfocused and begin to slide closed.

You chain him to the tree as well, like Sai before.

>Use your clone to move in on the sealing team, split them up and keep them on the back foot until Kakuzu arrives.
>Use your clone to inform the sealing team that their backup has been dealt with… if they want them back, they’ll have to withdraw.
>Take one of the chūnin hostage. No fourth member means they can’t use the sealing technique, giving your real body the opening she needs.
>Other?
>>
>>4202970
>Use your clone to inform the sealing team that their backup has been dealt with… if they want them back, they’ll have to withdraw.
>>
>>4202970
>Use your clone to inform the sealing team ...
Waiting for kakuzu just meano putting them in danger of whatever he does
>>
>>4202970
>Use your clone to move in on the sealing team, split them up and keep them on the back foot until Kakuzu arrives.
>>
>>4202970
>>Use your clone to move in on the sealing team, split them up and keep them on the back foot until Kakuzu arrives.
>>
>>4202970
So I know people go all on about Uzumaki and Hugya genes, but can we maybe get some Kakashi?

Granted it seems like just skill with him. How do we force him to raise a child?
>>
>>4202970
>>Use your clone to inform the sealing team that their backup has been dealt with… if they want them back, they’ll have to withdraw.
>>
>>4203000
The man is a genius in his field, and it allows him to punch way above his weight class. I'm not sure that's replicable.
>>
>>4202970
>>Use your clone to inform the sealing team that their backup has been dealt with… if they want them back, they’ll have to withdraw.
>>
>>4203023
I mean, it doesn't even really translate to his own students.
>>
>>4203044
I mean, in fairness, look at who he got to teach.

>Mr. I'm too edgy to work in a team and betray my village at the first opportunity
>Mr. I'm too dense to understand the basics of the basics
>Ms. I think holding a kunai is participation in a fight

Like at a certain point the student is just unteachable, and he somehow got 3 for 3.
>>
>>4202970
>>Take one of the chūnin hostage. No fourth member means they can’t use the sealing technique, giving your real body the opening she needs.
>>
>>4203023
This is Naruto the plot was supposed to be: "Even if you're a nobody you can be special!" And the hallmark nobody kid was every special horse shit ability you could stuff into a person, with the excess going to Saskue.

Comic book logic and Naruto's broken theme dictate Kakashi's competence is heritable.
>>
>>4202970
>Use your clone to inform the sealing team that their backup has been dealt with… if they want them back, they’ll have to withdraw.

"He immediately bites down on the inside of his lip and spits the blood at you"

Guys! We saw Kakashis face!
>>
>>4203000
Wasn't his dad like the best konoha ninja during the first shinobi world war?
>>
>>4203338
His father was well known ninja and genius himself. Apparently saved Konoha at least once and killed Sasoris parents.
>>
>>4203366
Yeah so maybe he’s got hax genes too since every old ninja thinks he’s his old man
>>
>>4202970
>Take one of the chūnin hostage. No fourth member means they can’t use the sealing technique, giving your real body the opening she needs.
>>
>>4202970
>>4203169
>>4203366
>Take one of the chūnin hostage. No fourth member means they can’t use the sealing technique, giving your real body the opening she needs.
>take the chance to peer at Kakashi's face. Give him a quick kiss
We won't get another chance
>>
>>4204203
keep it in your pants anon
>>
>>4202970
You are Raishō Naori’s shadow clone, and you almost forgot about Aburame Shino… your mistake.

While the real you is dealing with Kakashi, Shino will have to just deal with a shadow clone. And as luck would have it, he’s on the way to crossing Naruto’s new, genjutsu-addled course. So your preparations are to hide in Naruto’s shadow… a technique you’ve only ever heard of in theory, since it would require a silly amount of setup in practice. Why hide in someone’s shadow if you already have them so deep in a genjutsu that they have no idea you’re doing it?

But Shino’s bugs aren’t likely to be prone to genjutsu, any more than a tree or a rock would be. Their tiny brains just can’t handle the information.

So you wait in Naruto’s shadow, patiently, until Shino tries to snap Naruto out of the genjutsu you have him under.

You make Naruto think that Shino is actually your partner Kakuzu, come to take him by force… his response is predictably to create three shadow clones. You take advantage my making him think he created four by emerging from his shadow and immediately transforming yourself into a copy of him, the smoke helping you make springing from his shadow really look the part of a shadow clone.

“Rasengan!”

Another predictable attack… even Shino seems ready for it, having unleashed his bugs to absorb the attack by creating a layer between himself and the rasengan, setting it off early and taking the damage instead of him. He even shapes some of the bugs behind his shield into a bug clone, just in case… but he doesn’t move away quickly enough. Maybe to evade the real Naruto, but not you.

You drop the transformation and genjutsu for a moment… just a courtesy, really, to let Shino see who it really was who knocked him out with a solid uppercut that sends him sailing back to where Naruto’s standing, shocked at the fact that he’s been made to fight Shino. The bugs meanwhile lose all direction and disperse.

“Sorry about that, cousin,” you apologize. Naruto swings his head round just in time to watch you dispel his remaining two clones with a single blow each from your saya.

As he tries to raise his fist his eyes meet yours… specifically your sharingan.

“I had to take advantage to get to Shino,” you admit. “Seriously… those bugs are just too useful against genjutsu. But don’t worry… he knows it was me, not you.”

Naruto tries to force his limbs to move… but he finds himself quickly bound to a tree, like the others, unable to raise his hands to form seals. You do the same to Shino as well, using Kongō Fūsa to move him instead of touching him directly, carefully watching with your sharingan to ensure none of his bugs get on you. Funny… out of all these chūnin it’s the bug-user whose abilities you’re the most cautious of now. Who would have thought…
>1/2
>>
>>4204388
You are Raishō Naori’s other shadow clone, and now is the time for you to make your move. Having gathered more than enough senjutsu chakra during your real body’s fight against Kakashi-han, you’re ready to confront the sealing team and make the sort of threat that they can’t possibly ignore.

You use the Kirigakure technique to create a thin, clinging layer of mist… far too hasty to actually impede their vision that much, but enough to make your shunshin to get out in front of them look a little more dramatic.

“Sorry for the interruption,” you bow politely, “but I really need you all out of the picture. So could you just… I dunno… go away?”

The dome of shimmering lines and script disappears instantly as one of the four kunoichi… Ino, you think… loses her focus. Shizune takes a quick leap to the back of the group and they reshuffle and draw weapons, except for Hyūga Hinata, who takes a gentle fist stance at the front of their new formation.

“Don’t even think about it, Ino-kun,” you warn the blonde-haired girl as she raises her hands. “Even if you could pull off your little mind trick on me… it’d be a shame to send you home as a statue after going so far out of my way not to kill anyone.”

Sakura seems to be the first to pick up on what you meant. “Hang on...”

“That’s right,” you nod. “I already took out your backup. Kakashi-han gave me the most difficulty, but he, Naruto, Shino, Kiba, Sai… they won’t be riding to your rescue.”

“Naruto-kun...” Hinata mutters, clearly worried.

“If you go now we can avoid fighting,” you offer, “and my partner won’t kill you. Especially Kakashi-han… a bounty head with a kunai wound in his shoulder already? I don’t think I can convince him not to.”

“Kakashi-sensei...” Sakura mutters now, just as worried now as Hinata.

“The mission is already over,” you continue. “It was over the moment I got here… surely Tsunade-han warned you against fighting me?”

In the back of the formation, Shizune grits her teeth. “She also told me how important it was not to let you get hold of the three-tails.”

“Shizune-han, your situation is really bad,” you insist. “Please withdraw. There’s nothing more that holding out here will achieve.”

>1d6, best three of four
>high roll
>>
Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4204421
>>
Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4204421
>>
Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4204421
>>
Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4204421
>>
>>4204421
>1d6, DC 9
>first three
>>
Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4204434
>>
>>4204434
>>
Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4204434
>>
Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4204434
>>
Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4204434
>>
>>4204434
It seems they can’t bring themselves to trust you.

Shizune starts it by firing a set of shuriken from a launcher concealed inside her sleeve… pretty devious, but not exactly a ‘surprise’ for a medical ninja trained by Tsunade herself for so many years. They’re probably coated in poison too, for all that will do against a shadow clone.

You dodge them, and find Hinata charging in close by using that moment to cover herself. Not bad, but also not enough. She’s not even remotely fast enough… not even fast enough to pull this sort of thing off against you without senjutsu.

Using thumb strength alone you flick the copy of Umekiri forward in her saya, hard enough that her pommel hits Hinata in the pressure point immediately above the stomach. The blow is enough to momentarily stun her, and since you matched it with a forward thrust of your left arm she never quite leaves the saya… not a technique you’d ordinarily resort to, not with something so precious as the real blade. But it comes as enough of a surprise to be worth it.

You quickly perform a noto, resheathing Umekiri before slamming her saya into Hinata’s ribs hard enough that you see blood.

“Hinata!”

Ino breaks formation to go after Hinata, who can barely stay on her knees without collapsing into the lake.

Sakura meanwhile tries to attack from your left, only to find the end of Umekiri’s saya thrust up behind her tight guard and into her chin, hard enough to lift her off her feet so that a reverse roundhouse kick can send her skipping off the surface of the lake.

Finally you charge Shizune down, the image of a lightning-fast draw with Umekiri’s blade serving as a feint while you take her back, slamming the pommel into her just over the kidney. As she coughs it isn’t just blood, but poison… she uses that moment when you’re forced to take a leap back to ensure that Ino and Hinata are both out of the way, forcing herself to move with a full-speed shunshin in spite of her painful injury.

“This isn’t worth it,” you plead with Shizune. “It’s time you withdrew while your team is still able to. Please.”

After several long moments, she finally relents, still clutching her side from the unexpected kidney shot you landed. “Fine… you win.”

“Sakura, Ino… we’re leaving. Ino, help Hinata withdraw.”

“My other bodies will guide you,” you declare. “Most of your team are incapacitated by genjutsu… ignore the exploding tags on Kiba and Akamaru. They’re fakes.”

After another moment’s consideration, Shizune nods curtly.
>1/2
>>
>>4204474
You are Raishō Naori’s real body, and you’ve just guided Shizune’s battered team to where you’ve left Kakashi.

“Take him down yourselves,” you insist warily. “No tricks. Try anything with me and our ‘deal’ is off.”

“We’re in no condition to try anything,” Ino points out.

“Doesn’t mean you won’t try,” you counter. “Especially Naruto.”

“You… may actually have a point,” Sakura admits, sitting down and taking a moment to finish knitting a broken rib.

After they manage to cut Kakashi-han down, he starts to stir.

“I… screwed up,” he mutters. “Sorry about that, Shizune-san.”

“It’s not your fault,” she replies calmly, holding him up from under his arm. “We’ve all been… humbled this time.”

“No...” Kakashi mutters in disagreement. “I should have used that technique.”

“No shame losing an unfair fight,” you shrug. “Especially not one even one of your ‘Legendary Sannin’ decided he’d rather avoid.”

“Raishō… no. Naori-san… you understand, don’t you?” Kakashi asks you. “Letting us go means it’ll be ANBU next.”

“I considered that,” you nod.

“And?” he presses.

“And I won’t regret doing the right thing,” you answer. “Now get out of here. You’re wasting time.”

After a few more moments, he nods in agreement.



Now, how to find Isobu? At very least you should be able to focus on areas you haven't noticed the kunoichi barrier team examining... areas of the lake sufficiently deep for something the size of a tailed beast to have hidden in.

>Start using exploding tags to flush him out of hiding.
>Just wait in concealment. He has to come out sooner or later.
>Use Kongō Fūsa chains to churn up the water, see if they hit anything.
>Other?
>>
>>4204486
>Use Kongō Fūsa chains to churn up the water, see if they hit anything.
>>
>>4204486
>>Use Kongō Fūsa chains to churn up the water, see if they hit anything.
>>
>>4204486
>Use Kongō Fūsa chains to churn up the water, see if they hit anything.

Has Kakuzu arrived here yet?
>>
>>4204486
>Scout the lake using waterproof paper fish to extend your sensing range.

Assuming we can fold paper into a fish and also know how to make it move, of course
>>
>>4204486
Supporting
>>4204496
+
>Just wait in concealment. He has to come out sooner or later.
No sense attacking blindly in the water, it will likely just result in exhausting ourselves.
>>
>>4204486
>>4204499
>>
>>4204486
>>4204496
>>4204499
These
>>
>>4204486
>1d6, high roll
>best three of four
>>
Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4204661
>>
Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4204661
>>
Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4204661
>>
Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4204661
>>
Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4204661
>>
>>4201761
You decide to work on something new, folding your waxed paper into the shape of a fish and placing it in the water out on the lake. After confirming that it worked, you create several dozen more and have them swim through the lake while you head to the shore to wait quietly for the fish to find something.

After about six hours of slow searching you receive an update from the shadow clone who went with Kakuzu…



It was hardly a fight. This ‘Fukuda’ guy started off pretty strong, using a series of exploding tags that exploded into more exploding tags, just as Kakuzu had informed you. Since he jumped straight to his specialty he ends up showing it to you for nothing, since you were safely tucked away in a tree after placing him under a genjutsu.

He seemed so shocked when Kakuzu’s fist caved his chest in. You would be too if you were him… though you probably wouldn’t have sacrificed a stolen arm to take one last parting shot. Unfortunately for you and for Fukuda, the gesture is meaningless as Kakuzu seems to harden his skin somehow, like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

The explosions don’t do anything at all to him.

“I can’t believe garbage like this ended up with such a high bounty,” Kakuzu grumbles, kicking the corpse to make sure all the life really has drained from it. “Though I can’t really complain. It’s easy money.”

“Can’t you seal that into a scroll or something?” you ask, eyeing the corpse wearily. “It’s gonna start to smell.”

“If it bothers you, then you can do it,” he grumbles. “I won’t complain about that either.”

“… fine.”



So Kakuzu is already on his way here… well then, you’re glad that it seems the various Konoha-nin took your advice. Now you just need to wrap up before the ANBU get here to try again. You probably don’t have long.

And as it happens, you also don’t need long. Down on the bottom of the lake you find a large area that feels like the edge of a barrier ninjutsu, though you can’t tell what kind. It’s almost like…

“… some kind of spacetime barrier?” you muse. “What on earth is this?”

>Poke it with a stick… and by ‘stick’ you mean ‘explosions’.
>Wait for Kakuzu to back you up.
>Other?
>>
>>4204818
>Wait for Kakuzu to back you up.
>>
>>4204818
>Poke it with a stick… and by ‘stick’ you mean ‘explosions’.
We dont have time, Anbu is on the way. We likely know more about Spacetime Jutsu than Kakuzu does anyways.
>>
>>4204818
>>Poke it with a stick… and by ‘stick’ you mean ‘explosions’.
>>
>>4204841
Only other thing I could think of is to see if we can float a clone down there to dismantle the barrier up close.
>>
>>4204818
>>Poke it with a stick… and by ‘stick’ you mean ‘explosions’.
>>
>>4204818
>>Poke it with a stick… and by ‘stick’ you mean ‘explosions’.
>>
>>4204818
>>Poke it with a stick… and by ‘stick’ you mean ‘explosions’.
>>
>>4204486
>“Letting us go means it’ll be ANBU next.”

Why would Kakashi suggest to someone that if they make the mistake of letting him live worse things will come?
>>
>>4205028
It's a warning, during their exchange they were civil enough that he considered it a courtesy to inform her about what the village councils likely next move
>>
>>4205028
I think because Kakashi has been in contact with Naori so many times, he has some modicum of respect towards her. Naori has been in position several times in which she could have killed him or members of Team 7 and other Konoha-nin, but she hasn't done so.

Kakashi knows that because his team couldn't do the mission, the Konoha council will send in the big guns (read masked jobbers) that have no qualms to hold back or respect what Naori has done or promised before.
>>
>>4204486
You decide that now would be a good time to examine this barrier you’ve sensed, and so you send your fish down to explode all around its edges. To ‘knock on the door’, you could say.
>1d6, best three of four
>>
Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4206172
>>
>>4206172
dice+1d6
>>
>>4206174
Well that's what I get for trying to roll I guess.
>>
Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4206172
>>
Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4206172
>>
Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4206172
>>
Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4206172

>>4206174
options field
>>
>>4206172
The surface of the lake roils and seethes, disturbed by the explosions below the surface. At least, that’s what does it at first. A low rumble and a larger surge of water, more like the lake is trying to raise itself out of its bed in a massive dome rather than being shaken by your little explosions, tells you that something below has taken notice of you.

You’re forced to fall back as a ‘ripple’ higher than your head pushes outwards towards the shores in an ever-widening circle, and the tailed beast Isobu breaks the surface. This thing… you’re reminded of Shūkaku even despite the obvious differences. This one is like the largest turtle you’ve ever seen, and the lake surrounding Amegakure has some big ones.

There’s no way for you to crack through its armored shell, at least no way you can think of off the top of your head, aside from the vulnerable areas on any creature such as the eyes, neck, and joints. Despite looking bad on the surface, you understand that if there’s anyone capable of taking out a tailed beast solo it’s you.

>Using Kongō Fūsa from directly above is your best chance of ending this quickly.
>… try talking to it. Just make sure no one sees you do it.
>Other?
>>
>… try talking to it. Just make sure no one sees you do it.
>>
>>4206255
>>… try talking to it. Just make sure no one sees you do it.
>>
>>4206255
>>… try talking to it. Just make sure no one sees you do it.
>>
>>4206255
>>… try talking to it. Just make sure no one sees you do it.
>>
>>4206255
>… try talking to it. Just make sure no one sees you do it.
>>
>>4206255
>>… try talking to it. Just make sure no one sees you do it.
>>
>>4206255
>>… try talking to it. Just make sure no one sees you do it.
>>
>>4206255
>… try talking to it. Just make sure no one sees you do it.
>>
>>4206255
>>Using Kongō Fūsa from directly above is your best chance of ending this quickly.

Get some variety in here...
>>
>>4206445
i appreciate the joke and your futile stand against the waves, i applaud you anon
>>
>>4206255
>1d6, high roll
>first three
>>
Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4206465
>>
Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4206465
>>
Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4206465
>>
>>4206472
>>4206479
Hell yeah
>>
>>4206465
“As dumb as this looks, we need to talk!” you shout at Isobu.

Isobu’s response is a bone-jarring roar, one which literally creates a shockwave strong enough to push you back across the surface of the water.

“You’re not being helpful!” you shout back.

Next Isobu launches a powerful mass of water… too slow to actually be dangerous to you, but undeniably powerful.

“Well then,” you continue, “sorry about this.”



“What is this?” a surprisingly normal-sounding voice greets you. “How are you here, human?”

You find yourself in a similar place to the inside of Naruto’s seal, only with fewer chains, and a three-tailed turtle instead of a nine-tailed fox. And there’s no water on the floor.

“This is different from Kurama’s place,” you muse. “You don’t sound quite so menacing, and the floor is dry.”

“I see,” the giant turtle Isobu realizes. “A sharingan… and quite a powerful one too. You’ve seen Kurama you say?”

“I have,” you confirm. “Was he always that much of an arrogant jerk?”

“Not always,” Isobu admits. “Who are you?”

“Raishō Naori,” you introduce yourself.

“I am called Isobu,” he replies calmly. “Why have you attacked me? Have you come to seal me?”

>We need your power to change the world… whether any of us are worth wielding that power remains to be determined.
>All I care about is keeping you from being used as a weapon again, by putting you inside a teapot. Sorry it has to be done.
>I’m EXPECTED to seal you… but I’m also looking into ‘other options’. I want to know more about you and your ‘siblings’.
>Other?
>>
>>4207114
>I’m EXPECTED to seal you… but I’m also looking into ‘other options’. I want to know more about you and your ‘siblings’.
>>
>>4207114
>>I’m EXPECTED to seal you… but I’m also looking into ‘other options’. I want to know more about you and your ‘siblings’.
>>
>>4207114
>>I’m EXPECTED to seal you… but I’m also looking into ‘other options’. I want to know more about you and your ‘siblings’.
>>
>>4207114
>I’m EXPECTED to seal you… but I’m also looking into ‘other options’. I want to know more about you and your ‘siblings’.

This can go either really well or really badly.
>>
>>4207114
>I’m EXPECTED to seal you… but I’m also looking into ‘other options’. I want to know more about you and your ‘siblings’.
>>
>>4207114
>I’m EXPECTED to seal you… but I’m also looking into ‘other options’. I want to know more about you and your ‘siblings’.
>I've been trying to put a stop to these wars and I was offered a way to do so by using a BIG stick. I'm still opened to alternatives though.
Somewhat repetitive, but I wanted to clarify Naori's goal so Isobu doesn't think she just want the tailed beasts for the power itself.
>>
>>4207114
>>I’m EXPECTED to seal you… but I’m also looking into ‘other options’. I want to know more about you and your ‘siblings’.
>>
>>4207155
Very good point, supporting this.
>>
>>4207114
>>4207155
>>
>>4207114
>>4207155
supporting this
>>
>>4207155
>>4207123
>>4207114
i'll change my vote to this
>>
>>4207114
>>4207155

+1.
>>
>>4207114
>I’m EXPECTED to seal you… but I’m also looking into ‘other options’. I want to know more about you and your ‘siblings’.
>>
>>4207114
>>4207155
Will back this too.

Honestly, I don't know much about Naruto but these things are supposed to be immortal right? What's a few hundred years to something that will always be?
>>
>>4207114
>1d6, best three of four
>high roll
>>
Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4208200
>>
>>4208200
>>
Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4208200
>>
Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4208200
>>
Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4208200
>>
>>4208200
“I’m… expected to seal you into a teapot,” you admit. “Tell me, Isobu-han, are you… aware of what happens to your jinchūriki? I mean, on a day-to-day basis?”

“Of course,” Isobu confirms. “I can clearly remember every jinchūriki I’ve ever been forced into.”

“And how many times has your power been used as a weapon? For humans to kill other humans with?”

“Hm?” Isobu muses, apparently surprised at the question. “A lot, I think. I don’t remember much about being sealed inside Yagura-chan… that man’s genjutsu was astounding.”

“That man?” you repeat.

“An Uchiha,” Isobu confirms. “He had the sharingan… you have only one. Are you an Uchiha too?”

“Nope,” you shake your head. “Just borrowing this for a while, from a… friend, I guess you can call her. She passed away a long time ago.”

“Ah, I see,” Isobu replies. “Well, I do remember Rin-chan. She’s probably a good answer to your question.”

“Rin?” you ask. “Who was she?”

“A girl, from Konohagakure. The ANBU from Kirigakure kidnapped her and sealed me inside her, so that I’d go on a rampage when they took her home.”

“That’s…” you begin, struggling for the right word. “That’s gross.”

“A young boy was the one to kill her,” Isobu continues explaining. “It’s a bit fuzzy after that… first time I ever ‘died’ and had to pull myself back together from scratch. Plays hell with your memory. But I’m pretty sure they knew each other… yes, they were close.”

“That’s exactly what I’m trying to stop,” you insist. “I’m looking for some alternative, Isobu-han, but right now this is all I can do.”

“And how does putting me in a teapot solve anything!?” Isobu demands. “You humans will just find more ways to kill each other anyway!”

“You’re not getting it!” you counter. “The great nations split you up like robbers each taking a cut, and it made them arrogant. They have the advantage of numbers, and of being able to use the tailed beasts and the jinchūriki as weapons, so why would they ever stop fighting when they all think that anyone can actually ‘win’!?”

“So because humans are foolish I deserve to be put back in a teapot!?” Isobu protests. “Like that poor miserable Shūkaku-san!?”

“I’ll even keep you in me if you want the company!” you offer. “But until someone can come up with a better idea that stands any chance of working yes… it’s me or the teapot, Isobu-han!”
>1/2
>>
>>4208214
“If in either event you’re to be my jailer,” Isobu bellows. “Then I choose neither!”

“So we’re going to fight it out like savages?” you scowl. “Cause that sounds like such a lovely alternative.”

“It’s the only one I can offer!” Isobu declares. “I’m not going back into any teapots or little human girls!”

“Then I’m sorry Isobu-han!” you shoot back. “When I have a way to let you go I’ll do it, but for now you’re not leaving me a choice!”

>1d6, DC 10
>taking the first three
>>
Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4208223
>>
Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4208223
>>
Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4208223
>>
>>4208223
>>
>>4208223
The very instant you end your genjutsu Isobu launches another blast at you, which you easily evade. A handful of Tenran shuriken strike at Isobu’s face, bursting into powerful swirling spheres at the last second that force Isobu to shelter his eyes… and that gives you the moment of opportunity required to move.

You vault over his head and land on his back in a low crouch, before putting everything you have into the Kongō Fūsa… enough to wrap his three tails, around his neck, and his four limbs. In sage mode, with this many individual chains there’s no chance for Isobu to struggle free.

Placing the teapot onto Isobu’s back, you begin the sealing process by spreading out a wide, spiralling array.



“You seem exhausted,” Kakuzu growls. “What have you been doing?”

“Our mission,” you pant, kneeling wearily by the lakeshore. “I’ve got a teapot full of turtle soup.”

“The three-tails is in a teapot?” he asks. “How did you manage that on your own?”

“Unimportant,” you insist. “Konoha ANBU are on their way as we speak.”

“Fair play.”



The bounty station in the Land of Fire is a drab building, more like a bunker than anything else. Mostly rectangular, with a long, low row of windows that imply that much of the structure has been sunken into the ground.

“In here,” Kakuzu directs you.

The entryway is dimly-lit but not totally uncomfortable, with just enough furniture to make it not seem too cavernous without being comfortable. You’re greeted by a rather amiable man, with a thick goatee and eyebrows. His two scars hint at a violent past, one above his right eye and one below, the way they don’t align suggesting that he got them separately.

“Ah, Hidan!” the man greets your temporary partner. “Who’s the new kid? Your granddaughter?”

“Your sense of humor hasn’t changed, Zangei,” Kakuzu grumbles. “I have a bounty for you.”

“Oh?” Zangei grins. “Let’s welcome your guest, then. Downstairs, as usual.”

>There anyplace I can take a nap? I’m pretty beat.
>I’m going outside. Call me when you’re ready.
>Don’t mind me, but I’m a little curious about this.
>Other?
>>
>>4208340
>>Don’t mind me, but I’m a little curious about this.
>>
>>4208340
>Don’t mind me, but I’m a little curious about this.
>>
>>4208340
>Don’t mind me, but I’m a little curious about this.
>>
>>4208340
>>Don’t mind me, but I’m a little curious about this.

Hidan?
>>
>>4208361
it was a joke, because he hates his partner
>>
>>4208340
>Don’t mind me, but I’m a little curious about this.
>>
>>4208361
>>4208362
It was a typo.
>>
>>4208524
*ssshhhht*
i was covering for you!
>>
>>4208340
“Do you mind?”

Zangei turns to look at Kakuzu, who simply points Zangei back to you.

“You sure?” Zangei asks. “What interest does a sweet-looking girl like you have in a shady business like this?”

“Careful, Zangei,” Kakuzu cautions his bounty-handler. “This ‘girl’ is a full member of Akatsuki.”

“Sure, sure,” Zangei shrugs. “My question stands.”

“I’ve done several bounty missions, but I never handle the bounties myself,” you explain.

“Then you’re in for a real treat.”



Downstairs, Kakuzu unseals his handiwork and Zangei examines the corpse closely. “Yup, this is Fukuda alright. Nasty piece of work.”

“Alright, the funds will be ready in three days.”

“Three days?” Kakuzu demands, irate at the delay.

“Sorry, Kakuzu-san,” Zangei apologizes. “But we don’t have that kind of cash on hand. You’re talking more than seven hundred thousand ryō… you know how many Sarutobis that is?”

“Twenty-two and change,” Kakuzu declares. “You’ll have it ready tomorrow.”

“I’ll have it ready tomorrow,” Zengei sighs dramatically. “And then I think I’ll close up shop for a few days, until I can pay up for the regular bounties.”

“You sure no one misplaced a decimal point for this guy?” you muse as Zangei loads Fukuda’s corpse onto a small shelf that pops out from behind a hatch on the wall… one of a lot just like it.

“He managed to piss off two feudal lords,” Zangei explains dismissively. “So it’s not much of a shocker.”

“I see,” you reply curtly. “Well then.”

>Stick with Kakuzu for a while. Something interesting MIGHT happen.
>Head back to Amegakure. You’re done around here.
>There’s a small town near Konohagakure, and you need a break. Find a hot spring hotel.
>Other?
>>
>>4208606
>There’s a small town near Konohagakure, and you need a break. Find a hot spring hotel.
>>
>>4208606
>>Head back to Amegakure. You’re done around here.

There are still Konoha ANBU jobbers possibly looking for us.
It'd be a shame if we had to kill some idiots now.
>>
>>4208606
>>There’s a small town near Konohagakure, and you need a break. Find a hot spring hotel.
>>
>>4208606
>>Head back to Amegakure. You’re done around here.
>>
>>4208606
>>Head back to Amegakure. You’re done around here.
>>
>>4208606
>There’s a small town near Konohagakure, and you need a break. Find a hot spring hotel.
>>
>>4208606
>There’s a small town near Konohagakure, and you need a break. Find a hot spring hotel.

There is no better place to contemplate and think about things than a hot spring. And most importantly to get the tenseness off, she was somewhat irritated when dealing with Isobu. Naori's day off.
>>
>>4208606
>>There’s a small town near Konohagakure, and you need a break. Find a hot spring hotel.
>>
>>4208606
>There’s a small town near Konohagakure, and you need a break. Find a hot spring hotel.
>>
>>4208606
>>There’s a small town near Konohagakure, and you need a break. Find a hot spring hotel.
>>
>>4208606
You decide that now is a good time to take a day off to yourself. So to take the appropriate precautions and summon Kijani.

“Naori-dono,” he greets you politely. “I take it you have some other valuable and dangerous trinket for me to hold on to?”

“Very both,” you admit, “and no questions asked on this one.”

“Sure, sure,” he replies, extending his neck and opening his mouth to accept the scroll you’ve sealed the teapot you’ve sealed Isobu into. “Will that be all, Naori-dono?”

“Yes,” you nod. “Sorry. I’d suggest you stick around, but this is… risky business.”

“Must be,” Kijani nods his head curtly. “Thank you for being polite at the very least, as always. Might I ask what it is that you’ve sealed into this scroll?”

You lean in and quietly mutter it into his ear… or at least, the side of his head where you’d guess his ear is.

“Good heavens!” he caws.

“Yeah, no,” you muse, “that’s why I want you to keep it down.”

“Thanks,” you incline your head. “As always.”

Once Kijani disappears again you head towards a town that’s actually quite close to Konohagakure proper… like many of the larger towns and cities in the Land of Fire, there are quite fine hot springs to be found, many of which offer overnight accommodations. One of the nicer onsen ryokan in this town lies right on the edge of town, backed against a river cutting through the forests that surround the town. You attract a few whispers and nervous stares, but nothing too serious.

“Private room for one please,” you request at the front desk. “Two nights.”

“Would you like kaiseki and breakfast included?” the receptionist, a handsome young man in uniform asks politely.

You nod. “Please.”

You pay him and he hands you the key to a room on the second floor, which turns out to be rather small but comfortable, with a small porch facing out towards the river and the forest. On the tatami floor you find a cotton yukata, towel, and a rolled-up futon to sleep on.

“Nice,” you muse appreciatively, sealing Umekiri into your palm before slipping out of your Akatsuki uniform and the outfit you typically wear under it, and into the yukata provided for you.
>1/2
>>
>>4209137
This place has it all… an indoor facility for mixed bathing rumored to hold a thousand people, but normally there are far fewer people in there. There are steam rooms, as well as various outdoor pools that overlook the river. The latter are segregated, and so it’s the women’s pool you head for.

After washing away the sweat, the pond scum here and there from the lake where you fought Isobu, and the dirt caked on top of that, you head out to the pool and sink into it. The tension finally melts away and the dull ache in your joints disappears. You’re in grave danger of passing out on the spot from chakra exhaustion, and the lullaby of the river coursing over the rocks below isn’t helping.

>1d6, taking the third roll only
>>
Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4209212
>>
Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4209212
>>
Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4209212
>>
Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4209212
>>
>>4209212
You’re not sure how long you’re in the bath for when you hear a stifled yelp of surprise from the entrance to the shower and locker rooms you came through before. Opening one eye reveals Hyūga Hinata in a fluffy white towel, hands clasped tightly over her mouth.

>Ask her if she’s here alone or if others from that mission stopped here as well.
>Offer a truce. You’re here to relax… you don’t have to interact with each other at all.
>Greet her cheerfully. No hard feelings… at least not on your end.
>Other?
>>
>>4209243
>Offer a truce. You’re here to relax… you don’t have to interact with each other at all.

No hard feelings from the last mission. Such is life of a shinobi and now Naori is taking few days off. Be comfy and stay comfy
>>
>>4209243
>"Have you confessed to my thick headed cousin yet?"
>>
>>4209243
>>Greet her cheerfully. No hard feelings… at least not on your end.
>>Ask her if she’s here alone or if others from that mission stopped here as well.
>>Offer a truce.
>>
>>4209243
>Offer a truce.
>Ask if she's here alone?
>>
>>4209243
>Greet her cheerfully. No hard feelings… at least not on your end.
I really want to interact with her. And maybe give her some help with her current goals in life.
>>
>>4209243
>Greet her cheerfully. No hard feelings… at least not on your end.
>>
>>4209243
>Greet her cheerfully. No hard feelings… at least not on your end.
>I hope you're all doing well. Have you seen Ayame recently?
>>
>>4209243
>>Greet her cheerfully. No hard feelings… at least not on your end.

Coming to an onsen to relax only to find an enemy that’s already kicked your ass and the ass of all your friends. What a fucking mood.
>>
>>4209243
>>Greet her cheerfully. No hard feelings… at least not on your end.
>>
>>4209243
>>Greet her cheerfully. No hard feelings… at least not on your end.

The idea of giving or more like forcing love advice onto Hinata seems cute.
>>
>>4209307
Oh god, Naori's one of those, isn't she? No love experience yet think they have it down to a tee.
>>
>>4209243
>>Offer a truce. You’re here to relax… you don’t have to interact with each other at all.
>>
>>4209243
>Offer a truce. You’re here to relax… you don’t have to interact with each other at all.
>Greet her cheerfully. No hard feelings… at least not on your end.
>>
>>4209243

>Offer a truce. You’re here to relax… you don’t have to interact with each other at all.
>Greet her cheerfully. No hard feelings… at least not on your end.
>>
>>4209243
>Greet her cheerfully. No hard feelings… at least not on your end.
>Offer a truce. You’re here to relax… you don’t have to interact with each other at all.
>>
>>4209264
>>4209243 #
supporting
>>
>>4209243
“The water’s awesome,” you declare, patting the surface of the mineral-laden, largely opaque hot pool. “If you’re gonna get in I’m not gonna stop you.”

Hinata continues to stare at you as if she’s trying to determine whether you’re real or not.

“You’re going to make me blush, staring like that.”

“Wha-a-at are you doing here?” Hinata asks you, trying to force a cheery tone, but still coming no closer.

“Bathing,” you explain.

“… you are?” Hinata replies. “I-I see.”

“I… assume you’re here to do the same?” you continue. “And not just to make a really awkward scene?”

Hinata seems to realize that the handful of other patrons here early in the afternoon on a weekday are now staring at her in confusion, and so she cautiously puts the towel on a hook on the wall provided for that purpose. Then she steps into the water, covering herself modestly until the water can do so for her.

After a few awkward minutes of sitting at opposite ends of the pool, you finally stand up in the waist-high water and walk over to her. She visibly tenses the second you rise to your feet, but doesn’t react otherwise as you take a seat on the submerged bench next to her, the water coming back up to your collarbones.

“Listen,” you tell her reassuringly, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I’m just here to relax, same as you presumably are. And the way things are going neither of us is going to be able to do that.”

“So can we at least try to play nice? If not for me then for yourself?”

After a few seconds, you finally get a response. “You… you really mean that?”

“Every word,” you insist with a smile and a stretch, lounging against the wall of the pool and shutting your eyes. “Besides, this place has a strict ‘no fighting’ policy. Even if I were on a mission I’d observe that...”

“Hey, Hinata! Sorry it took so...”

Haruno Sakura stops on almost the exact same spot as Hinata did a few minutes ago.

“What is she doing here?”

You close your eyes again with a little sigh. “Look, Hinata has every right to be here.”

You can almost hear the cogs stripping inside Sakura’s head.
>1/2
>>
>>4210068
“She… was here when I got here,” Hinata explains quietly.

“And you’re just getting chummy with her now!?” Sakura demands.

“T-that’s not it!” Hinata protests.

You shake your head. “Relax, Sakura-han. I’m here to relax, like a normal person.”

“You’re not a normal person,” Sakura insists, narrowing her eyes at you. “So forgive me if I have trouble believing that.”

“Doesn’t matter what you believe,” you shrug. “We’re all here to relax, and I intend to do exactly that. Over your objections if necessary.”

“Hey Sakura!” another voice chimes in. “Why’re you just...”

“Ino.”

The blonde stops awkwardly next to Sakura, then realizes why her friend was standing stock-still.

“Oh jeez,” you sigh dramatically. “Look, I’m here to relax. So if you insist on harassing me, I’ll have to go to the management.”

“… the management?” Sakura repeats.

“The management,” you repeat.

“You’re threatening to go to the management?” Sakura demands.

“Yes,” you insist.

“… please don’t, Sakura,” Hinata pleads. “Just… just bear with it? She’s actually been… friendly.”

“Friendly?” Sakura demands.

“… well, she’s trying to be,” Hinata shrinks, fidgeting nervously with her fingers. “I mean, I think she is...”

“Oh, well that’s different then,” Sakura declares, before dramatically stomping her way out of the bath. “I’m going to the sauna. I’ll see you later Hinata, Ino.”

Ino watches her pink-haired friend go, then turns back to you and Hinata. “I… what was that?”

“Sakura-han and I don’t get along,” you sigh. “She probably thinks I’m some kind of demon, and I… well, I guess I don’t think much of her at all.”

“Water’s fine.”
>2/3
>>
>>4210166
>and I… well, I guess I don’t think much of her at all.”

Ahahaha.
Harsh but warranted.
>>
>>4210166
I love that we utterly destroy Sakura whenever she's on screen. Wonder if she'll ever git gud instead of whining about it.
>>
>>4210166
As Ino slips into the warm water she makes a little involuntary noise of satisfaction.

Meanwhile, you carefully prod Hinata’s ribs with your fingertips. “Your ribs okay?”

She squirms under the pressure, sliding away just an inch or two. “Sakura-san healed my injuries… she’s very talented.”

“She’s a top-notch medical ninja,” Ino admits. “I’m just second rate.”

“At least you can admit to yourself where your strengths and weaknesses lie,” you sigh. “Glad to know you’re feeling better, Hinata. I really was trying not to hurt anyone.”

“I can understand where Sakura’s coming from,” Ino admits, keeping a comfortable distance from you. “You… kind of mopped the floor with our entire team.”

You open your mouth, as if to speak, before glancing towards the entrance.

“Is there a problem?” Ino asks.

You shake your head. “I was just half-expecting another kunoichi from your village to show up.”

“Shizune-san went back to the village,” Ino explains. “So it’s just us.”

“Unless Sakura tries to call in your ANBU,” you sigh. “Cross that one when I get to it… anyway, I’m a sage. No need to feel bad about losing. I don’t really play by the same rules as the rest of the world anymore.”

“What do you mean?” Hinata asks quietly.

“We were told you were strong, but nobody can really explain to us what a ‘sage’ actually is other than saying you’re really dangerous,” Ino explains.

“No… yeah...” you muse, trying to think of a way to explain. “That’s because it’d be like trying to explain color theory to a man born without eyes. Tell me, Hinata, are you familiar with the concept of kenshō?”

“Kenshō?” Ino repeats.

Hinata nods hesitantly. “It means seeing one’s true nature… an instant of enlightenment.”

“Learning about natural energy is like trying to trigger that moment,” you explain, “followed by post-enlightenment training.”

“Sounds like a pain to me,” Ino chuckles in spite of the situation.

“Well, I didn’t end up petrified,” you shrug, “so I’d say it turned out okay.”

“… petrified?”

“Petrified,” you repeat. “No one ever said enlightenment wasn’t risky.”
>3/4
>>
>>4210233
Ino frowns for a moment as she comes to a realization. “Hang on...”

“If you possessed me, my body would have been petrified by your ineptitude with senjutsu chakra,” you smirk, “my body would have turned to stone and your mind would probably have been stuck in it.”

Ino’s eyes widen as she realizes just how terrible a fate she dodged without even knowing it. “Well then… I’m glad I didn’t try that on you. But why are you telling me this?”

“Because it would have killed both of us,” you shrug. “Even if you think I am evil, like Sakura seems to, I still have a sense of self-preservation.”

>You’ve never really spoken with Ino. Find out a little more about her if you can.
>Hinata is part of an interesting family, and she seems like a nice person. Ask about her.
>Just make small talk for a while, maybe offer to have dinner with them.
>Other?
>>
>>4210321
>Just make small talk for a while, maybe offer to have dinner with them.
Having a meal with the team you just curb stomped, sounds like a recipe for ENTERTAINMENT
>>
>>4210321
>You’ve never really spoken with Ino. Find out a little more about her if you can.
>After enough of hot bath enjoyment, offer to have dinner with them.
>>
>>4210321
>>Just make small talk for a while, maybe offer to have dinner with them.

Because this isn’t weird at all.
>>
>>4210321
>Hinata is part of an interesting family, and she seems like a nice person. Ask about her.
>>
>>4210321
>Hinata is part of an interesting family, and she seems like a nice person. Ask about her.
>Just make small talk for a while, maybe offer to have dinner with them.
>>
>>4210321
>>Just make small talk for a while, maybe offer to have dinner with them.
>You’ve never really spoken with Ino. Find out a little more about her if you can.
>>
>>4210321
>>Just make small talk for a while, maybe offer to have dinner with them.
>>
>>4210321
>Hinata is part of an interesting family, and she seems like a nice person. Ask about her.
>>
>>4210321
>Hinata is part of an interesting family, and she seems like a nice person. Ask about her.
>Offer to have dinner with them.
>>
>>4210321
>>You’ve never really spoken with Ino. Find out a little more about her if you can.
>>
>>4210321
>>Hinata is part of an interesting family, and she seems like a nice person. Ask about her.
>>Just make small talk for a while, maybe offer to have dinner with them.
>>
>>4210321
>Hinata is part of an interesting family, and she seems like a nice person. Ask about her.
>>
>>4210321
>>You’ve never really spoken with Ino. Find out a little more about her if you can.
>>
>>4210321
Is this really a good idea to divulge when yamanaka anbu or root operative are a thing?

Or is the body swap a strictly main branch hiden?
>>
>>4210321 #
>Hinata is part of an interesting family, and she seems like a nice person. Ask about her.
Ask her about neji to make things even more awkward
>>
>>4210321
>>You’ve never really spoken with Ino. Find out a little more about her if you can.
>>
>>4210685
That's a series of real big assumptions.
>>
Someone gotta red pill me on trying to be nice with the leaf, especially offering dinner. Didn't we just get done having a big fight with them?
>>
>>4210777
Read the quest, retard.
>>
>>4210777
Naori never really have had anything against the current generation of Konoha-nin, but against the system that has caused all the wars that devastated Amegakure. So the battle that happened was more or less business as usual for Naori for going with non-lethal options.
>>
>>4210777
It's kinda what Naori does. She's the most autistically professional ninja in the world.
>>
>>4210321
>>Just make small talk for a while, maybe offer to have dinner with them.
>>
>>4210787
"Prepare yourself Naori!"
"Yea, no. I just clocked out for the day. You can fight me tomorrow morning, I'm usually in by 7."
>>
>>4210321
“So… Hinata,” you muse. “Tell me about yourself.”

Hinata starts abruptly. “A-about me?”

“Yeah!” you insist. “I really don’t know anything about any of you, much aside from your names.”

“W-well… there isn’t much to say,” Hinata insists timidly.

“There’s no way I’d believe that,” you chuckle. “Hey Ino, what does your family do?”

“We… run a flower shop,” she replies hesitantly.

You gesture to Hinata. “I know what your family does, so… what do you like to eat?”

“Well… I guess I really like sweets,” she admits sheepishly. “My favorite is… well… cinnamon rolls, I guess.”

“Speaking of, I got you some at the shop,” Ino interjects.

“I wouldn’t mind sharing,” Hinata offers.

“Nah, I found some of my favorite brand of pudding,” Ino declares. “So I’m good.”

“So… what sorts of things do you like, Naori-san?” Hinata asks quietly.

“Oh, I’m… a bit of a traditionalist I guess,” you admit. “I really like namagashi.”

“Namagashi?” Ino asks, nonplussed. “Where did you grow up, a teahouse?”

“Not quite,” you admit, shifting slightly in the water. “My mother was a very prominent courtesan… so namagashi were what we had around most often. I guess I also really appreciate the effort that goes into them.”

“Flowers rather than dango,” Hinata muses, quoting the reverse of an old saying roughly meaning ‘practicality over aesthetics’.

“In a sense,” you admit. “A girl’s gotta have some appreciation for things like that. I take it you’re not availing yourselves of the cooking here… I hear they put on a fantastic kaiseki.”

“Nah, there’s a noodle place right here,” Ino declares. “We were kinda planning to pig out with Sakura a bit. Nurse our bruised egos.”

“That sounds like a fine plan,” you admit. “If you feel like stopping by my door… will be closed. But if you knock you may find some unexpected hospitality anyway.”

Ino and Hinata exchange awkward glances, and Ino eventually replies. “Thanks… I think.”

“You’re welcome.”
>1/2
>>
>>4210898
After that it’s mostly idle chit-chat, while you look for a graceful way to extricate yourself from what’s rapidly becoming an awkward conversation. The play becomes apparent when Sakura returns to the hot pool, letting you excuse yourself to the sauna for a while.

When you’re finally done with your steam treatment you’re feeling a lot better, and you head upstairs for dinner. Miso and rice are the backbone of course, with many seasonal ingredients. First comes an appetizer, fresh slices of plum with mint and basil.

The second ‘real’ dish is old-fashioned ‘stacked’ sushi pressed into a rectangular bamboo form in alternating layers of sticky rice, seasonal skate wing, and a mixture of pickled watermelon and ginger… the balance is exquisite, with the shallow-pickled watermelon adding a slight sweetness. This is followed by a light, clear soup, meant to be a pleasant palate-cleanser before the next ‘real’ dish.

This turns out to be your favorite, served in excellent fashion: grilled freshwater eel in a perfectly-seasoned sauce, rice, and surprisingly corn that’s been lightly tempura-fried. The fifth dish is a steamed dumpling filled with seasonal okra and red bell pepper that’s been perfectly seasoned… a little unusual in that it’s been made from potato flour and flattened, almost like a filled, steamed pancake.

And last… a namagashi dish. Strawberry-flavored sweet mochi folded into the shape of a flower, filed with mango-flavored jam and drizzled with what can only be a guava-flavored sauce. Absolutely decadent, and worth the extra cost.

>1d6, best three of four
>high roll
>>
Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4210986
ANBU interrupt?
>>
Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4210986
>>
Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4210986
>>
Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4210986
>>
Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4210986
>>
Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4210986
>>
>>4210986
Just when we got to the desert
>>
Ah well, what's the fun without a few trash rolls. Naori succeeds what feels like 95% of the time.
>>
>>4210986
Eventually there’s a knock on your door.

“Yes?”

“I’m here to pick up the dishes,” a female voice addresses you from outside the door. “May I enter?”

“Of course,” you reply, shifting carefully into seiza as a precaution. “Thank you, I’m finished.”

The woman who enters isn’t someone who works here… you can sense it almost immediately. Even if you couldn’t barely sense her chakra passively, you could tell it by the way she carries herself that she’s been properly trained in kenjutsu.

You extend your senses to the paper butterflies you have hidden on your balcony, on the ceiling in the halls, and among the trees in the forest across the river. A five-member team… ANBU from Konohagakure no doubt. The one before you has long, straight, and dark hair, currently tied back in a high ponytail.

And when she takes the dishes, she reveals herself even further… those callouses are clearly from extensive training with a sword. You have a similar set yourself. You can treat them, soften the skin, but to a careful observer they’ll always be there.

>Confront her. You’re tired of Konoha’s bullshit… you JUST want to relax for once. You’re not ‘UP TO’ anything.
>Ask her politely what she did with the girl whose uniform she stole, and whether ANBU intends to involve the other staff and guests.
>Just ignore it for now, but when she leaves strengthen the defenses around this room.
>Other?
>>
>>4211033
>>Ask her politely what she did with the girl whose uniform she stole, and whether ANBU intends to involve the other staff and guests.
>>
>>4211033
>Ask her politely what she did with the girl whose uniform she stole, and whether ANBU intends to involve the other staff and guests.
>>
>>4211033
>>Ask her politely what she did with the girl whose uniform she stole, and whether ANBU intends to involve the other staff and guests.
>>
>>4211033
>>Ask her politely what she did with the girl whose uniform she stole, and whether ANBU intends to involve the other staff and guests.
>>
>>4211033
>Ask her politely what she did with the girl whose uniform she stole, and whether ANBU intends to involve the other staff and guests.

Show her that you know that they are here. Naori doesn't have much interest at fighting them at all right now, so if they could just go and stay go it would be really nice.
>>
>>4211033
>>Ask her politely what she did with the girl whose uniform she stole, and whether ANBU intends to involve the other staff and guests.
>>
>>4211033
>>Ask her politely what she did with the girl whose uniform she stole, and whether ANBU intends to involve the other staff and guests.
>>
>>4211033
>Ask her politely what she did with the girl whose uniform she stole, and whether ANBU intends to involve the other staff and guests.
“Have you tried the hot springs yet? Fantastic for relieving those aches and pains. After this farce is over, you should probably have yourself a good long soak.”
>>
>>4211033
>Ask her politely what she did with the girl whose uniform she stole, and whether ANBU intends to involve the other staff and guests.
>>
>>4211085
On review, this isn’t a particularly polite response
>>
>>4211085
I do like the idea of this. Politely suggest that the hot springs are really good, for you and the whole team.
>>
>>4211033
>>Ask her politely what she did with the girl whose uniform she stole, and whether ANBU intends to involve the other staff and guests.
>>
>>4211093
I'll adjust the tone to fit of course, as usual.
>>
>>4211033
>Ask her politely what she did with the girl whose uniform she stole, and whether ANBU intends to involve the other staff and guests.
>>
>>4211033
>>Ask her politely what she did with the girl whose uniform she stole, and whether ANBU intends to involve the other staff and guests.

Goddamnit Sakura, I should have figured you for a NARC. How many times do we have to humble you before you understand?
>>
>>4212177
I didn't even think about that being possibility. If true, Sakura has done the biggest crime she can, interrupting comfy times.
>>
>>4212244
Check
>>4210233
>“Shizune-san went back to the village,” Ino explains. “So it’s just us.”
>“Unless Sakura tries to call in your ANBU,” you sigh.

Naori saw it coming and already knows who the narc was.
>>
File: 62790.jpg (24 KB, 225x350)
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>>4211033
“Can I ask you something, miss?” you ask politely.

The ANBU operative pauses for a moment, before smiling. “Of course, ma’am.”

“What did you do with the poor girl you stole that uniform from?”

There’s another brief pause, before the woman pulls up her left sleeve to unseal a sword that’s been sealed into a tag and wrapped against the inside of her forearm. You don’t let her finish, unsealing your own scabbard straight into your hand using raikō kenka and using it to pin her wrist to the tatami.

“Hold on,” you insist. “Do you really want to get the staff and other guests involved like this?”

After a moment she unclenches her hands and lets you strip the tag off her arm. Then you let her get up and shuffle on her knees back towards the door, never quite making eye contact.

“How did you know?” she demands.

“Your posture and movements suggested it,” you explain. “Your callouses confirmed it.”

“I was warned that in spite of your age you were a kenjutsu master,” the ANBU operative grumbles. “I should have been more careful… the girl is a few doors down.”

“I’m not going to get too deep into that,” you decide. “Just… leave. Please.”

“I can’t do that,” she admits. “Orders from the Hokage are to keep an eye on you until you leave the Land of Fire. So you’re going to have to deal with me… one way or another.”

“If all you want to do is observe, then you can do that without all this cloak and dagger nonsense,” you insist derisively. “I’m here to relax. Promise to behave yourself and you can watch me while I do it.”

“You’re suggesting that I bathe with you?” she demands.

You shrug. “It’s the only compromise I can think of. If you don’t like it we can go out to the river and have it out for real.”

You take a few steps back and prop yourself up against the wall, Umekiri across your lap. “I suppose I have Sakura to thank for this.”

“I… wouldn’t know,” the ANBU lies.

>That’s fine. I’m gonna go downstairs for an evening soak. Consider what you want to do.
>At least tell me who it is that’s going to be SPYING on me for the next day or so.
>I’m going to turn in early. Get out.
>Other?
>>
>>4212419
>That’s fine. I’m gonna go downstairs for an evening soak. Consider what you want to do.
>>
>>4212419
>That’s fine. I’m gonna go downstairs for an evening soak. Consider what you want to do.
>That was a horrible lie by the by.
>>
>>4212419
>>4212425

+1
>>
>>4212419
>That’s fine. I’m gonna go downstairs for an evening soak. Consider what you want to do
>>
>>4212425
>>4212439
Also yes, that was a horrible lie
>>
>>4212441
She was probably pushed into this part, and usually does more fight oriented work, not her speciality
>>
>>4212419
>>That’s fine. I’m gonna go downstairs for an evening soak. Consider what you want to do.
>>
>>4212419
Man, Haruno's just working herself higher and higher up the shit list isn't she?
>>
>>4212419
>>That’s fine. I’m gonna go downstairs for an evening soak. Consider what you want to do.
think we'll get to spar an ANBU kenjutsu specialist?
>>
>>4212425
>>4212419
this.
>>
>>4212419
>That’s fine. I’m gonna go downstairs for an evening soak. Consider what you want to do.
>That was a horrible lie by the by.
>>
>>4212419
Supporting this >>4212425
Goddamn Sakura you idiot.
>>
>>4212419
I'll support
>>4212425#
>>
>>4212419
“You shouldn’t lie like that,” you roll your eyes.

The ANBU narrows her eyes. “What kind of moralizing is this, coming from a member of Akatsuki?”

You shake your head dismissively. “What I mean is you’re almost as bad at it as I am.”

Then you get back on your feet, before sealing Umekiri and her saya back into your palm. “I’m going down for an evening soak. Figure out what you want to do in the mean time. Let me know your answer once you do.”



Downstairs you find yourself in a nearly-empty pool, with a little wooden tray by your elbow on which sit a small ceramic bottle of sake and two little cups. Sakura meanwhile is sitting in the water on the opposite side of the pool, staring at you pointedly.

“Were you the one who contacted your ANBU?” you finally ask.

“And what if I was?” she responds testily.

You take a sip from your little cup. “That wasn’t very smart. You ran the risk of escalating the situation for no reason.”

Then you set aside a small cup with a little bit of sake in it, by way of an offering.

“Here. Have a sip.”

She stares at you like a stray dog at a suspicious stranger offering food for no apparent reason. “I’m underage.”

“Not where I’m from.”

“We’re not where you’re from,” she points out.

“Bah,” you dismiss her. “You’re no fun.”

“Why are you still trying to make nice with me?” Sakura demands. “After everything you’ve done?”

“Is it really that hard for you to believe that this is just how I am?” you counter. “I mean I know you’re pissed at Itachi and Orochimaru, but you’re taking it out on me pretty hard.”

"... what did you say?"
>1/2
>>
Naori should start sending lovely bouquets of oragami flowers with dirty haikus coded on them to fuck with Sakura.
>>
>>4213073
We should probably do something nice for our bird pals first. We've been using and abusing them lately.
>>
>>4212933
“Well, I doubt it’s really your fault that you couldn’t stop Sasuke from leaving Konoha,” you shrug calmly. “It was his own decision. So instead of blaming him for hurting you, you blame Orochimaru and Itachi for creating the situation where he felt like he had no choice but to leave.”

Sakura stares at you in shock while you continue. “Since both have ties to Akatsuki you’re angry at me by association, despite the fact that they always hated each other. Itachi’s not alone in Akatsuki for wanting Orochimaru dead, and Orochimaru would like nothing better than to undermine us. It suits his goals and his ego.”

“It’s a good thing I’m not that petty and vindictive, or else a whole lot of people in your village wouldn’t be alive right now… in payment of course for what your village did to my home.”

“Why you...”

“And that doesn’t help, does it? The fact that if I were in your position back then I could have stopped him? That even after training for two years with Tsunade-han the gap between us has only widened?”

Sakura is shaking now, but you refuse to let up. This has gone on for far too long.

“Well guess what?” you continue. “You can’t be Tsunade… you’re not a Senju. You don’t have her vital force or her raw physical strength, so you’ll always just be a cheap imitation. And even if you were the genuine article Orochimaru already knows Tsuna-han’s fighting style at lease as well as you do.”

“So you see, I don’t have to be nasty to you. I don’t have to demean you, or sabotage you, or hold you back. You’re doing a perfectly adequate job of that yourself, with your lousy attitude, your mentality towards training and self-improvement, and your screwed-up priorities.”

“… you… really think all that?”

You nod curtly. “You take out all your anger on me because you wish you could have my drive and my skill and my connections. And I resent you because sometimes I wish I could be as selfish and naive as you can be. My life would be so much simpler.”

Sakura stares at you in confusion for several moments, processing that admission. You take a long sip of sake in the mean time.

“I… I never considered...”

She abruptly gets up out of the bath and rushes out.
>2/3
>>
>>4213073
>dirty haikus

I prefer cutting limericks.
>Now Sasuke's a boy with great hair
>Whose village he chose to forswear
>Now he works for a snake
>To allay his heartache
>Now Haruno must find love elsewhere
>>
>>4213113
“Seems like you have a real way with people,” the ANBU agent from before observes calmly.

“You were listening.”

She nods. “That’s what I’m here for.”

“Can I take it this is your answer?”

She slips into the hot water, and you pour a small cup of sake for her before nudging the tray across the surface of the water, controlling its movement with a little subtle shape manipulation.

After a moment’s hesitation, she takes the cup and nudges the tray back the short distance to your waiting hand. “I guess so.”

“So, what do I call you?” you ask.

“Yūgao,” she replies.

“That’s not a codename,” you observe.

She nods. “My codename was spoiled years ago, shortly after the Uchiha massacre.”

“You were already ANBU back then?” you ask her.

She nods, this time with a frown. “I was a recent recruit.”

“You could be forgiven for not liking me,” you admit with a sigh, sinking a little lower into the water.

“How do you mean?”

“I mean,” you clarify, “I’m an associate of the man who did it.”

“You’re right,” Yūgao admits. “But you’re also not Uchiha Itachi, any more than I am Shimura Danzō.”

>You know that Danzō is partly responsible for Akatsuki, right?
>There’s probably a comparison like that for every village or organization, don’t you think?
>So I’m not as bad as Danzō. Closest thing I’ve gotten to a compliment all day.
>Other?
>>
>>4213259
>There’s probably a comparison like that for every village or organization, don’t you think?
>You know that Danzō is partly responsible for Akatsuki, right?

I don't know if talking to Yūgao about Danzō too much is a good thing, but it doesn't hurt if we mention him.
>>
>>4213259
>>There’s probably a comparison like that for every village or organization, don’t you think?
>>So I’m not as bad as Danzō. Closest thing I’ve gotten to a compliment all day.
>>
>>4213259
>>You know that Danzō is partly responsible for Akatsuki, right?
>>
>>4213259
>You know that Danzō is partly responsible for Akatsuki, right?
>>
>>4213259
>So I’m not as bad as Danzō. Closest thing I’ve gotten to a compliment all day.
>>There’s probably a comparison like that for every village or organization, don’t you think?

>Other?
Ask her if she thinks we went too far with Sakura.
>>
>>4213259
>There’s probably a comparison like that for every village or organization, don’t you think?
>So I’m not as bad as Danzō. Closest thing I’ve gotten to a compliment all day.
>>
>>4213259
>>You know that Danzō is partly responsible for Akatsuki, right?
>>
>>4213259
>There’s probably a comparison like that for every village or organization, don’t you think?
>So I’m not as bad as Danzō. Closest thing I’ve gotten to a compliment all day.
>>
>>4213076
I agree. It might be just because I am a Naruto noob, but what exactly is it that summons get out of the deal? It doesn't seem like we are feeding them chakra or anything like that. We call them to help us out and then send them back. I know we are friends and all but it seems odd to me.
>>
>>4213463
They get to do new things and get prestige out of it.

They don’t get out much and being able to flex on the toads in the monthly tea meeting gives them joy.
>>
>>4213259
>>4213290

+1

We don't take back but it would be good to at least be self-aware. Regardless if she takes this as a chance to humble herself or push some new goals and be more than Tsunade's shadow remains to be seen.
>>
>>4213476
What does prestige do for them, just more summoners? Isn't that more work?
>>
>>4213259
>You know that Danzō is partly responsible for Akatsuki, right?
>>
>>4213980
Well every Summoner is a potential sage and general ally, strengthening the position of the clan in comparison to other clans. Of course you dont want to many, quality over quantity since they still have the choice of who to accept
>>
>>4213259
“’Not as bad as Danzō’ is as close as I’ve gotten to a compliment all day,” you grumble. “There’s probably a comparison like that for every village, if you think about it.”

“Karatachi Yagura for Kirigakure,” Yūgao suggests.

“It used to be Gaara for Sunagakure,” you shrug, “but not anymore. Maybe one of Sasori’s traitors, like Yūra?”

“Who would it be for Akatsuki?” Yūgao asks.

You cock an eyebrow at her. “You’re fishing.”

“It’s my job.”

“Hidan,” you admit. “Out of all the members of Akatsuki he’s the only one who’s just legitimately some kind of insane sadomasochist. No other reason for being in Akatsuki.”

“Here’s your free intel: only a few among Akatsuki play by similar rules to mine, but it’s hard to find someone more my opposite than Hidan. His usual partner Kakuzu comes close.”

“Are you sure you should be telling me this?” Yūgao muses quietly.

“They’re no comrades of mine,” you shrug. “In fact we’re going to come to blows eventually, the only questions are when and over what.”

“And you still work with them anyway?” Yūgao wonders, shaking her head. “I don’t understand that.”

“You’re ANBU,” you observe. “Surely you can understand.”

“Clarify it for me.”

>Akatsuki’s goals take precedence over my comfort with who I’m obliged to work with.
>It’s an ugly, dangerous job and Akatsuki needs whatever assets we can use.
>I don’t get to choose, because it’s not my organization.
>Other?
>>
>>4214358
>Akatsuki’s goals take precedence over my comfort with who I’m obliged to work with.
>Not just who i have to work with, but what that work entails as well. I don't want to fight any of the hidden villages, and i don't consider them my enemies, but i'm obligated to do so. That's why i never try to fight anyone when i'm not on a mission. It's why we're bathing together and speaking normally right now. I'm just doing what i have to do, even if i don't like it.
>>
>>4214358
>I don't get to choose, because it's not my organization, anymore.
I wanna give her a tip, a bit low key
>>
>>4214379
I meant hint
>>
>>4214358
>Akatsuki’s goals take precedence over my comfort with who I’m obliged to work with.

With little bit of this >>4214375
Maybe throw a tiny hint, not always things go to direction where Naori would like to go.
>>
>>4214358
>Akatsuki’s goals take precedence over my comfort with who I’m obliged to work with.
>>
>>4214358
>>4214375

Yeah that sounds about right. +1
>>
>>4214358
>4214358 #
Hmm, how about:

>" . . . Really? Alright, fine. I'll humor you.

>Between yourself and, say, Sakura han, which would you guess has seen more things worth losing sleep over? Which of you has a better idea of what the true cost of The Hidden Leaf's stability is? Which of you has seen more assassinations, kidnappings and interrogations? Which of you either knows how to torture someone or has worked with someone who does? Who would have a harder time explaining their job--in any detail--to, say, a child?

>I expect Sakura to look down on me for dealing with lesser evils. You? You know better. You could probably think of a few ways why I am able to see an organization, even one with someone like Hidan, as a 'lesser evil' in the Shinobi world."

Sorry for repost. Was fixing stuff.
>>
>>4214493

Shit, now I want to support this rant in addition to >>4214460
>>
>>4214358
>>4214493
Supporting this
>>
>>4214493
I like this too, supporting this write in
>>
>>4214358
>>4214493
supporting this so hard i ask you to ignore my post at >>4214379
>>
>>4214358
>>4214493
>>
>>4214358
>No.
>>
>>4214358
“Between you and, for the sake of argument Haruno Sakura,” you muse, “which do you think has lost more sleep over the things you’ve done or seen done ‘for the sake of Konoha’ over the years?”

Yūgao remains awkwardly, sullenly silent.

You take one last sip of your sake. “Unlike Sakura, you know what it’s like to weigh two bad options.”

“And that’s what you’re saying you’re doing,” Yūgao presses.

“I don’t want to fight the hidden villages,” you admit, “nor do I like who I’m fighting them with, but I’m in a position where I have to just deal with it for now. The fact that I feel that way is why we can have this nice little chat in the baths together.”

After a few seconds, Yūgao nods calmly. “I’ll be sure to convey that to the Hokage.”

“Well,” you nod curtly. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to head up and get to bed.”

After a few seconds, Yūgao gets up to follow you. “I will be in the room adjacent.”



Sakura, Hinata, and Ino leave the next morning for Konohagakure, and Yūgao remains out of your way for the duration of your stay… if only just. You’re very much aware of the ANBU teams tracking you all the way to the border with the Land of Hot Water, where you quickly find an Akatsuki hideout and proceed with Isobu’s sealing.

“I’ll be on my way back to Amegakure shortly,” you declare after the sealing.

“And what of the ANBU you encountered?” Pain enquires. “Will there be any trouble?”

“I’ll bypass the Land of Fire entirely,” you explain, “use the Hiraishin array I set up in the Land of Grass.”

“And what of the future?” he presses.

“I’m sorry?”

“I mean to enquire as to how Konohagakure views you,” he clarifies. “Will there be trouble in the future?”

You shrug. “Hard to say. You might imagine that after showing them who I am on so many occasions they’d eventually take my word for it.”

“You might imagine that,” he repeats. “See to it you don’t fall into the mistake of trusting the judgment of the ‘great nations’.”



>1/2
>>
>>4215097
>1d6, best three of four
>>
Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4215101
>>
Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4215101
>>
Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4215101
>>
>>4215101
dice+1d6
>>
Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4215101
>>
>>4215120
Try the options field next time, anon
>>
>>4215101
Over the next few weeks, you focus on two things. The first of these is working for hours at a time to compress your Hiraishin, succeeding in reducing the size of the array dramatically. It’s actually insane to see what once took up an entire room reduced to something that could fit onto the tang of a mass-produced kunai, or onto a slightly modified paper shuriken.

The problem is that without having seen the technique in use, in order to better dissect it, you only manage to reduce the number of hand seals it takes from thirteen to five. An improvement, but not quite what it needs to be for you to use it the way it was intended in combat.

There’s one last thing that you need to do now, while you have the chance.

“So, what’s all this about?” Karin asks you.

She, the Ibuki twins, and Fū are all present at your request, in a room at the shrine that you’ve pre-screened for security.

>Give them Hiraishin-marked tags, tell them nothing about what they do, but make them SWEAR not to tell anyone about them.
>Give them Hiraishin-marked tags and explain to them that in the event things get crazy, YOU intend to come to THEM.
>Ask them about it: if things start to go crazy here in Amegakure and you’re obliged to leave, who would leave with you?
>Other?
>>
>>4215161
This is an example of the formula that a 'miracle' roll got you.
>>
>>4215161
>>Give them Hiraishin-marked tags, but secretly.

We know mind reading is a thing. Them not knowing about them at all is to their benefit.
>>
>>4215161
>Give them Hiraishin-marked tags, tell them nothing about what they do, but make them SWEAR not to tell anyone about them.
>Ask them about it: if things start to go crazy here in Amegakure and you’re obliged to leave, who would leave with you?
>>
>>4215161
>>Ask them about it: if things start to go crazy here in Amegakure and you’re obliged to leave, who would leave with you?
Better to give them the choice in the matter. Fu and Karin are kind of a given, but the twins might still have their loyalty to Amegakure greater than to Naori.
>>
>>4215161
>>Give them Hiraishin-marked tags and explain to them that in the event things get crazy, YOU intend to come to THEM.
>>
>>4215187
>>4215161
supporting this, whoever agrees to go with us, we can give a tag to
>>
>>4215161
>>Ask them about it: if things start to go crazy here in Amegakure and you’re obliged to leave, who would leave with you?
>>
>>4215161
>>4215187
this
>>
>>4215161
>Give them Hiraishin-marked tags and explain to them that in the event things get crazy, YOU intend to come to THEM.
I'll not leave the ignorant to die.
>>
>>4215161
>Give them Hiraishin-marked tags, tell them nothing about what they do, but make them SWEAR not to tell anyone about them.
>Ask them about it: if things start to go crazy here in Amegakure and you’re obliged to leave, who would leave with you?
>>
>>4215161
>Give them Hiraishin-marked tags and explain to them that in the event things get crazy, YOU intend to come to THEM.
>Ask them about it: if things start to go crazy here in Amegakure and you’re obliged to leave, who would leave with you?
>>
>>4215161
“Akatsuki’s operations are about to reach a critical period,” you tell them… and this part at least is the truth. “In order to prevent a war from breaking out we need to weaken Kumogakure’s position by sealing one of their tailed beasts, and Kumo has never exactly been known for its… restraint.”

“You think there’s a chance they’ll retaliate?” Harusame guesses.

“I’d say it’s likely,” you nod. “Either against Amegakure or against the four of you, personally.”

“Why us?” Fū asks. “What’d we do?”

“Because I’m the only Akatsuki with actual friends outside the organization,” you observe. “Someone may target you personally for no other reason than to get to me.”

“What about Sadaaki-kun?” Arashi wonders.

You shake your head. “I couldn’t take him away from the hospital… that work gave him a purpose after he lost the use of his legs. And I doubt anyone would go after him after so many years.”

“If you say so,” Harusame nods.

“Two of you I’ve promised to keep safe from that sort of nonsense,” you recall. “Fū, Karin, if I felt it necessary would you let me evacuate you from Ame to one of my safehouses? At least for a little while?”

Karin nods curtly. “Sure. I’ve gotten to like it here, but I trust your judgment.”

“And that’s your first mistake,” you roll your eyes. “Fū? You wouldn’t be stuck here if it weren’t for me, so...”

“Sure!” she replies cheerfully. “It’d be nice to see someplace else…”

Then she glances at the Ibukis. “I mean don’t get me wrong, it’s nice here and everything, I just...”

“I get it,” Harusame reassures her. “No offense taken.”

“And that brings us to the two of you,” you turn to Harusame and Arashi. “What do you think?”

“Thanks for your concern,” Harusame replies, “but I’m inclined to pass.”

“This is our home,” Arashi agrees. “It’s where we belong.”

“I think we’ve learned enough from you and Karin to get by,” Harusame assures you. “If it gets real bad we’ll go to ground, hide out somewhere else in the Land of Storms. I’ve actually got a few places in mind.”

>Then take these two tags as a precaution. Tell no one.
>If you’re set on staying here, then I can’t show you the rest of my preparations… good luck.
>Other?
>>
>>4216473
>Then take these two tags as a precaution. Tell no one.
>>
>>4216473
>Then take these two tags as a precaution. Tell no one.
>>
>>4216473
>Then take these two tags as a precaution. Tell no one.
>>
>>4216473
>Then take these two tags as a precaution. Tell no one.
>If you see a creepy black and white guy or a guy with an orange mask watching you, inform me immediately.
>>
>>4216473
>>Then take these two tags as a precaution. Tell no one.
>>
>>4216473
>>Then take these two tags as a precaution. Tell no one.
>>
>>4216473
>If you’re set on staying here, then I can’t show you the rest of my preparations… good luck.
>>
>>4216473
>>Then take these two tags as a precaution. Tell no one.
>>
>>4216473
You hand each of the Ibuki twins a tag marked with your Hiraishin formula.

“Keep these,” you tell them. “Just in case. Don’t make a big deal out of them… and be sure to take care of yourselves, okay?”

After a moment, Harusame nods in agreement. “Okay. Sounds like a plan.”

“I have to make some other plans with these two,” you continue, gesturing to Fū and Karin. “I need to make these final preparations… in confidence.”

“We don’t have that?” Arashi presses.

You shake your head. “The fewer people know about any of this the better. Nothing personal.”

“Of course not,” Arashi nod curtly.

“Good luck then,” Harusame bows politely. “To all of you.”



Once they’re gone, you explain things in a little more detail to Fū and Karin, placing the Hiraishin formulae directly onto the backs of their necks. “If I’m forced to resort to this, then we’re leaving… whether you’re ready for it or not. Do you understand what that means?”

“Yeah, I guess...” Fū admits. “I don’t have much in the way of stuff, ya know? So it’s no big deal.”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Karin sighs. “Thanks for the heads-up… for what it amounts to.”

“Of course,” you nod.

“But why now?” Karin asks curiously.

“Trouble within Akatsuki,” you reply vaguely. “The organization isn’t what it used to be.”



About a week later, you find yourself called to Pain’s tower by one of his paths.

“In here,” he insists, opening a door for you on one of the access levels near the waterline. “Hidan and Kakuzu have been productive.”

You must be somewhere just below the level of the lake’s surface, in a cold and damp room illuminated by a single naked bulb. And what you see by that dim light brings your blood just short of a boil, thinking that Fū must have been subjected to similar.
>1/2
>>
>>4217402
The pale-haired woman is dressed in an unusual uniform with prayer beads around her left wrist and a purple sash at her waist. The only thing that identifies her is the Kumogakure headband hung round her neck as her head hangs limply. She’s covered with fresh, barely-closed wounds and old blood, with her hands pinned to the wall above her head by a black rod stuck crudly through her palms.

She doesn’t react to your presence at all, which given her sorry state you hope means she’s unconscious.

“This is Nii Yugito, junchūriki of the two tails,” Pain introduces you. “Take care of her.”

You pause for a moment, considering your response. “Why the unusual treatment?”

“Hidan went a bit overboard,” Pain admits. “She will not survive long enough for the tailed beast within her to be extracted. Her condition will need to be stabilized, and in the mean time other teams are on their own assignments.”

“I’ll see to it,” you reply curtly.



The first thing to do is to wash her wounds properly, so that you can see what you’re dealing with. This you do with warm water, before carefully patting her dry and wrapping her in what you hope will be a warm towel. Then you assess her condition: you can pry that rod out of her easily enough if you want to, which is one good thing to know, but it seems to be disrupting her chakra. So she probably can’t do it herself.

She’s definitely older than you, probably somewhere in her late twenties or maybe a very graceful thirty… old enough that you’re not sure you can save her life if she were to undergo the sealing ritual.

You can also tell as you’re drying her that she’s regained some consciousness… as in that moment her breathing changes involuntarily. She quickly regains control, feigning unconsciousness.

“I know you’re awake,” you tell her quietly.

After a few seconds, her eyes open. Barely, but just enough to glare at you angrily.

>Talk to her politely. See if you can’t get her to relax even a LITTLE bit.
>Explain the situation to her in detail, including why she was captured NOW.
>You don’t have much time. Ask her if you can speak with Matatabi.
>Other?
>>
>>4217456
>Talk to her politely. See if you can’t get her to relax even a LITTLE bit.
>Apologize for what Hidan did to her, and swear we'll never let him do it to anyone ever again
>>
>>4217456
>You don’t have much time. Ask her if you can speak with Matatabi.
>>
>>4217456
>>Explain the situation to her in detail, including why she was captured NOW.
>>
>>4217456
>>Talk to her politely. See if you can’t get her to relax even a LITTLE bit.
>>
Guys, we can save her life if we ask karin to heal her.

I'm gonna go ahead and change my vote from >>4217466 to that
>>
>>4217456
>>4217477
>>4217492
I will change to this as well
>>
>>4217456
>You don’t have much time. Ask her if you can speak with Matatabi.
>>
>>4217492
Save her life, and then what?
>>
>>4217505
benign kidnapping as we split from Akatsuki.
idk I'm guessing
>>
>>4217456
>You don’t have much time. Ask her if you can speak with Matatabi.
>Explain the situation to her in detail, including why she was captured NOW.

To save your life, I need to talk to Matatabi. It is extremely urgent.
>>
>>4217505
I'd imagine it in this order

>Send a clone to get Karin
>Speak with Yugito while we're doing that
>Worry about speaking with matatabi and doing the sealing afterwards
>>
>>4217546
>>4217456
agreed to this, we have to know more about the beasts
>>
>>4217456
>1d6, high roll
>best three of four
>>
Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4217942
>>
Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4217942
>>
Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4217942
>>
Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4217942
>>
Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4217942
>>
>>4217942
You place a Hiraishin marking on the inside of her wrist, then act quickly, forming seals with your left hand.

Ram, dragon, snake, horse… and then a new seal, one similar to ram or tiger but with your two fingers crossed. This sends you flickering across the village to the tag you left with Karin, only to find an unexpected moment of awkwardness.

“Put your pants on,” you insist, looking the other way. “I need your help.”

There’s a brief pause.

“Okay, done.”

You turn back to Karin, put your hand on her shoulder, and repeat your series of hand seals to return to where you left Nii Yugito.

“You...” she mutters weakly. “What did you just...”

“Don’t speak,” you insist. “Karin, you’re much better at medical ninjutsu than I am… help me stabilize her.”

Karin is still staring at the extent of her new patient’s injuries.

“Karin.”

She turns to look at you in confusion. “Naori, what are you asking me to be a part of?”

You consider your answer for a few moments. “All I’m asking is that you ease the pain Hidan inflicted… I haven’t decided on anything beyond that, because I honestly don’t have all the information.”

“I’m… not gonna...”

“Tell me anything,” you interrupt Yugito. “Yes, of course, I’m very impressed Yugito-han, but I’m not thinking about interrogating you.”

You gesture for Karin to begin. “Please. This is important.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Karin obliges you.



“That’s enough for now,” you tell Karin, taking her lightly by the arm and guiding her away from Nii Yugito. “Her life is out of danger?”

Karin nods nervously. “What are you...”

You look Yugito dead in the eyes, and she might just realize at the last second what you intend to do.
>1/2
>>
>>4219160
“What is this?”

Before you is a great tailed beast, completely unbound inside this place, a great two-tailed demon cat made of flickering blue and black flames who speaks with a surprisingly controlled tone. It sounds feminine, as opposed to Shūkaku, Kurama, or Isobu.

“Matatabi-han,” you greet her politely with a small bow. “My name is Raishō Naori.”

“That didn’t answer her question,” Yugito frowns. “A question I share.”

“I’m using a sharingan,” you explain, “a version of the basic interrogation genjutsu I practiced on Kurama and his jinchūriki, Uzumaki Naruto.”

“You are surprisingly forthcoming,” Matatabi observes. “Why?”

“Because I’m hoping it will put the two of you in a mood to talk,” you reply.

“I already told you,” Yugito insists loudly, “I have no intention of betraying my home!”

“Then it’s a good thing I’m not going to ask you to,” you insist. “What I want to determine is whether I can separate the two of you without killing one or the other.”

Yugito stares at you as though you’ve just started barking at her. “That’s not possible.”

“I’ve done it twice,” you tell her curtly. “Gaara and Shūkaku, and Fū and Chōmei.”

“Then you should have your answer already,” Matatabi insists sternly.

“Maybe, had I not also failed once,” you admit. “Han and Kokuō. I want to determine what went wrong.”

“Why?” Yugito demands.
>1d6, DC 11
>first three
>>
>>4219211
Scratch that, DC 9.
>>
Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4219211
>>
Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4219211
>>
Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4219211
>>
>>4219211
“What brought me here is a seriously complicated story,” you reply, “but the choice I have to make is straightforward: help seal Matatabi-han or leave Akatsuki.”

“You should already know which answer we would give to that question,” Matatabi observes. “Raishō Naori-san, what questions would you still need ask of us?”

“How long has it been?” you ask. “Since you were sealed inside Yugito-han?”

Nii Yugito’s brow furrows in confusion. “Twenty-three years.”

“And why is Matatabi-han allowed to walk free in here?” you ask of Yugito-han. “When I encountered Kurama things were different.”

“Matatabi and I have… ‘trained’ together,” Yugito explains warily, sparing you any real details.

“If you can call that ‘training’, that is,” Matatabi grumbles.

“Has that led to a greater entangling of your respective chakras,” you hazard a guess. “Matatabi-han, if your chakra has become tied even more strongly into Yugito-han’s chakra network, I need to know it.”

There’s a long pause. “You do not believe that, given the circumstances, Yugito will die regardless of whatever precautions you take?”

“I can’t say for sure,” you admit. “But the odds are against it.”

“May I ask you a question in return?” Matatabi asks, without waiting for your reply. “Why are you, as a member of the organization trying to collect tailed beasts, even discussing this with us?”

“Let alone in such a covert manner?” Yugito presses.

>You just let me worry about that for now. I have to speak with someone about this.
>I used to believe Akatsuki was doing the right thing. I haven’t been so sure lately.
>‘Pain’ expects me to heal you just to kill you. That suggests it’s time for us to part ways.
>Other?
>>
>>4219256
>I used to believe that akatsuki did the right thing, I am not so sure anymore.
>>
>>4219256
>I used to believe Akatsuki was doing the right thing. I haven’t been so sure lately. It is a seriously complicated story.

I think that after this is over, it might be time to go and resurrect Yahiko for a talk.
>>
>>4219256
>I used to believe Akatsuki was doing the right thing. I haven’t been so sure lately.
>Even if our mission remains something worth striving for, there are limits to what I'm willing to do to achieve this.
>>
>>4219256
>I used to believe Akatsuki was doing the right thing. I don't think so anymore.
>I'm one of the last "real" Akatsuki left.
>>
>>4219256
“I was practically born to be a part of Akatsuki,” you chuckle grimly. “My father was one of the original members you know, back when they were a band of passionate nobodies, just trying to bring about even a small peace to a war-torn nation.”

“That Akatsuki doesn’t exist anymore. In my heart, and in my sensei’s memories, maybe… but not in reality. And reality is where I need to make my decisions.”

“You sound like you’re ready to betray them,” Yugito realizes. “That’s why you called for your medic-nin friend… you were already building contingencies for this?”

“It seems you’ve been fortunate after all, Yugito-han,” Matatabi purrs.
>1d6, best three of four
>>
Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4219375
>>
Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4219375
>>
Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4219375
>>
Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4219375
>>
>>4219375
You’re momentarily disoriented, drawn into someplace terrifying. Or rather, your present company is what’s got you on edge.

“What is this?” you demand, turning to demand an answer from Yugito, hand on Umekiri’s hilt. After considering the possibilities for a second, you slowly and deliberately remove that hand. “I guess that’s not likely to achieve much, wherever this is. Is it?”

“Probably not,” Yugito agrees, before facing the seven tailed beasts in front of you in this titanic, and otherwise empty, space. “But then again, I don’t know what this is about either!”

“Cool it, sis!” a large, powerfully built shinobi with dark skin and dark glasses greets you. “It ain’t every day a bijū goes so far to meetchu, yeah!”

“Bee!” Yugito answers the strange greeting with a smile. “You and eight-tails are here too?”

“Only one-tail and nine-tails have refused,” a giant octopus beast with the head of a one-horned bull replies.

“As usual,” Matatabi grumbles. “Each thinks the other will be here, so neither one agrees. I keep telling you, asking both means getting neither!”

“Forget about that for a moment!” the eight-tails counters. “Two-tails, you brought the girl that three-tails mentioned… why?”

“None of the other jinchūriki are here,” you realize quietly, “including Fū…”

“What is that!?” Chōmei, a giant six-winged rhinoceros-beetle-looking creature, speaks up. “You mentioned Fū? How is she?”

“She’s fine,” you reply, louder now that you know who it is you’re speaking to. “I’ve been seeing to her safety.”

“How nice,” a giant slug-like creature muses, dripping with… well, there’s not that much sarcasm involved, but it’s definitely dripping something.

“Isobu mentioned me, and you all seem to know about it...” you reason. “This place… are you all linked on some subconscious level?”

“Yeeeah,” the junchūriki who Yugito called ‘Bee’ confirms, waving his hands emphatically. “Girl’s pretty slick for that to click so quick, yeah?”

“So what is your explanation, two-tails?” the eight-tails insists.

“I believe this girl may be related to the prophecy,” Matatabi replies. “Hagoromo-dono once spoke of a time when we would be reunited… like it or not, that process appears to be occurring as we speak.”
>1/2
>>
>>4219427
“You’re saying these villains are what the old man meant?” Gyūki demands.

“When was the last time a human you weren’t sealed inside called you by name?”

The speaker this time is the four-tails, Son Goku, who appears to be mostly monkey in his characteristics.

“For that matter,” he continues, “my host refuses to call me by my name at all, and has for decades. We quarrel too much for me to even bring him here despite still being among the living.”

“You think she might be correct?” Isobu presses Son Goku. “She put me in a teapot.”

“Isobu-han, you know you didn’t leave me much choice,” you reply with your arms crossed. “I explained the situation and you refused to listen, or to compromise with me.”

“What are you talking about?” Yugito demands.

“Naori-san offered to temporarily become jinchūriki to the three-tails,” Matatabi explains patiently. “To keep him out of anyone else’s hands until this period of crisis among the world of humans was resolved.”

“I feel it was quite a generous offer,” Kokuō muses. “I was stunned to hear of it.”

“Speaking of not leaving me many choices, Kokuō-han...”

“Don’t,” the shark-faced horse with five tails insists sternly. “I know that despite wanting to avenge your dead friends, you tried to spare Han’s life anyway. I can disagree with what you may do at times, but I cannot disapprove of who you have shown yourself to be.”

After an awkward moment, you bow your head curtly. “Thank you for that, Kokuō-han... I think.”

“Name us,” Gyūki presses not long after, returning to Son Goku’s claim. “Name us all.”

“Matatabi, Isobu, Son Goku, Kokuō, Saiken, ‘lucky’ Chōmei, Gyūki,” you reply, pointing out each in turn. “With Shūkaku and Kurama absent… why is this important? Is this important?”

“Maybe,” Matatabi muses, “maybe not.”

“Look, Matatabi-han,” you insist. “I’m not part of some… ancient prophecy. I’m just trying to find the right way to do things, the right path to follow. And Akatsuki as it is doesn’t seem like that to me anymore.”

The tailed beasts exchange a series of glances, like you’ve said something of cosmic significance to them that’s totally lost on you.
>2/3
>>
>>4219461
“We will be watching you, Raishō Naori-san,” Matatabi tells you cryptically. “See that you continue to show us who you are.”

“I’ll do what I can,” you reply, struggling to discern what she could possibly be thinking.



“What do you intend to do?” Nii Yugito asks you after you leave the depths of the tailed beasts’ shared psyche.

>We’re leaving here for one of my safehouses. I just need to grab a few people first.
>You and two others are leaving. I still need to speak with someone while I have the chance.
>Nothing, yet. I want to speak with my former sensei before taking any action.
>I don’t know.
>>
>>4219476
>>You and two others are leaving. I still need to speak with someone while I have the chance.

I think it's time.
>>
>>4219476
>You and two others are leaving. I still need to speak with someone while I have the chance.
>>
>>4219479
>>4219476
Agreed
>>
>>4219476
>You and two others are leaving. I still need to speak with someone while I have the chance.
>>
>>4219476
>You and two others are leaving. I still need to speak with someone while I have the chance.

Yeah it is the time. Bit too fast for my liking, but sooner or later this will happen. Better to do it without having our hands forced.
>>
>>4219476

>>>You and two others are leaving. I still need to speak with someone while I have the chance.

Getting the fuck out of dodge
>>
>>4219476
>>You and two others are leaving. I still need to speak with someone while I have the chance.
>>
>>4219476
>You and two others are leaving. I still need to speak with someone while I have the chance.
>>
>>4219476
>>We’re leaving here for one of my safehouses. I just need to grab a few people first.
>>
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>>4219476
You quickly produce three shadow clones all at once.

“You and two others will be evacuated,” you explain, “to one of my safehouses. There’s someone I want to talk to first before I leave.”



You arrange to meet your sensei in the shrine, by making her tag vibrate slightly and placing the characters for ‘shrine’ onto its face.

“Naori,” she greets you quietly. “So… this is it.”

“It is,” you confirm. “Your friend… asked me to nurse a woman back to health just to kill her later. That can’t be right.”

Konan’s expression grows weary. “No, no it isn’t.”

“Something about that told me that the only way we’re going to save your friend is to stop him,” you tell her quietly. “And I don’t think I can do that here.”

“No,” Konan agrees quietly. “No you can’t.”

“I’m… proud to have called you my sensei,” you tell her.

“Please tell your real self,” Konan replies with a sad smile, “that I am even more proud to have called her my student.”

You shake your head, your own smile resembling hers. “As if I’d leave something so important to a clone.”

“… see you later, sensei.”



You arrive in your safehouse in the Land of Hot Water seconds later, to the sight of one of your clones holding Nii Yugito bound in a Kongō Fūsa chain.

“Naori, can we talk about...” Karin begins to protest.

Then she sees the expression on your face, and backs down as you walk into the small courtyard with the lotus garden.

“It’s going to be dark in a few hours,” you tell one of your shadow clones. “Why don’t you check on the power grid and light the lanterns. Then the two of you should dispel yourselves. I’ll get caught up, then send a pair of clones out. One to Hozuki castle, and one to Hoshigakure.”

“I got it,” the clone nods in understanding. “I’m… glad I don’t have the memories of what just happened.”

“I was going to end up with them anyway,” you observe.
>1/2
>>
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>>4220115
It’s dusk when Nii Yugito takes a seat nearby, as you sit in front of the little pond. You've been carefully cutting at your Akatsuki cloak for at least a half hour.

“And here I was expecting an Akatsuki hideout to be a miserable place,” she muses, turning her arms to examine the sealing tags your clone placed there. “I suppose I’m lucky to be stuck somewhere nice at least.”

“With a hiraishin marking and those sealing tags on your arms, you’re not going anywhere,” you tell her. “I assume you understand the principle?”

“They’ll electrocute me if I attempt to leave your compound or enter your private room,” Yugito-han recounts the explanation you remember your clone giving her. “With an option to limit the boundaries to my own quarters. You’re very thorough.”

“I’ve also seen quite a few of those miserable hideouts you were imagining,” you tell her. “When I designed this place I went out of my way to avoid all the things that made them that way.”

“Like I said,” she muses, “you’re very thorough.”

“Seriously, I wish they weren’t necessary,” you sigh, “but I still haven’t figured out my next move. And I understand why you were targeted now… the same logic still applies. As the only village with two jinchūriki, and well-trained ones at that, Kumogakure would be in too strong a position and your Raikage would be too emboldened.”

“I didn’t leave Akatsuki so that more people would die.”

“So you’re some sort of...” Yugito struggles to find the word. “Humanitarian? Is that what you expect me to believe?”

“I just have principles,” you contend, wrapping a black piece of cloth with a prominent red cloud on it between your obi and the cord holding it closed... the first significant modification to your uniform since you joined. “Believe it or don’t, it’s your decision.”

>I smell Karin trying to cook something. You can’t have eaten for a long while… we can talk over a meal if you feel like it.
>Is there anything you want me to tell the Raikage? I can send a message covertly from any of the smaller nations.
>Matatabi-han didn’t seem to think much of your ‘training’. Before this goes any further, I want to know more.
>Other?
>>
>>4220173
>I smell Karin trying to cook something. You can’t have eaten for a long while… we can talk over a meal if you feel like it.
>Is there anything you want me to tell the Raikage? I can send a message covertly from any of the smaller nations.
>>
>>4220173
>>I smell Karin trying to cook something. You can’t have eaten for a long while… we can talk over a meal if you feel like it.
>>
>>4220186
Actually, we should probably send a message to gaara and tsunade as well, let them know what happened. That we've officially split from akatsuki.
>>
>>4220173
>>I smell Karin trying to cook something. You can’t have eaten for a long while… we can talk over a meal if you feel like it.
>>Is there anything you want me to tell the Raikage? I can send a message covertly from any of the smaller nations.
>>Matatabi-han didn’t seem to think much of your ‘training’. Before this goes any further, I want to know more.
>>
>>4220173
>I smell Karin trying to cook something. You can’t have eaten for a long while… we can talk over a meal if you feel like it.
>Matatabi-han didn’t seem to think much of your ‘training’. Before this goes any further, I want to know more.

I don't know if messaging Gaara or Tsunade is of utmost importance right now.
>>
>>4220173
>>Matatabi-han didn’t seem to think much of your ‘training’. Before this goes any further, I want to know more.
>>I smell Karin trying to cook something. You can’t have eaten for a long while… we can talk over a meal if you feel like it.
>>Is there anything you want me to tell the Raikage? I can send a message covertly from any of the smaller nations.
>>
>>4220173
>>4220215
Seconding this but also what do we know of the raikage and bee’s relationship? The offer of communication might be redundant if we know bee’s the raikage’s brother.
>>
>>4220173
>>I smell Karin trying to cook something. You can’t have eaten for a long while… we can talk over a meal if you feel like it.
>>
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>>4220308
Naori knows nothing about the relationships between Kumo's jinchuriki, or between them and their Kage.
>>
>>4220332
Okay then nevermind about the addendum. I didn’t know how common knowledge things like that are in the setting.
>>
I loving her art.
>>
>>4220173
>I smell Karin trying to cook something. You can’t have eaten for a long while… we can talk over a meal if you feel like it.
>Is there anything you want me to tell the Raikage? I can send a message covertly from any of the smaller nations.
>Matatabi-han didn’t seem to think much of your ‘training’. Before this goes any further, I want to know more.
>>
This quest got me to start rereading through the naruto manga and I'm currently at the beginning of the 4th shinobi world war but I always wondered this: why do the samurai of the land of iron not have a bijuu?
inb4 kishimoto fucked up.
>>
>>4220993
Specialized in sword instead of seal.
>>
>>4221007
still if the concept was to distribute weapons of mass destruction to keep the peace why did the land of iron get kept out?
>>
>>4220993
It was basically a deal between the emergant "major" shinobi villages of the era. Takigakure wasn't even supposed to get one, they were a lucky runner up since Sunagakure gave up one of their tailed beasts for farmland instead.

The Land of Iron wasn't even at the table.
>>
>>4221095
To busy learning the path of the blade!
*edgy guitar riff*
>>
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>>4220173
“I can smell Karin trying to cook something,” you muse. “Whether you eat it or not is up to you. Whether we talk over or not it is up to you. But I hope you’ll keep an open mind.”



After some silent deliberation, Nii Yugito elects to join you at the table to see what Karin managed to come up with.

“I found some fish in a storage seal,” she explains, “and some rice and pickled vegetables.”

The results were… okay, you suppose, but it’s clear that Karin hasn’t had very much experience cooking much more than the absolute basics.

“You can be a little more adventurous with the seasonings,” you suggest. “But thank you. I… wasn’t in any mood to cook tonight.”

“You seemed pretty off,” Karin nods. “You saw Tenshi-dono before coming here, didn’t you?”

You nod curtly. “I had to say goodbye in person.”

“Tenshi?” Yugito presses. “Someone in Akatsuki?”

“Yes,” you tell her. “My mentor, and my friend… she still believes she can change Akatsuki from within. She may be right… I don’t agree, but it’s her choice and I respect it.”

“So… you’re the two-tails jinchūriki?” Fū finally speaks up, having spent the meal so far starting excitedly at Yugito before putting her hand forward. “I’m Fū, let’s be friends!”

Yugito doesn’t take the handshake. “You were the seven-tails jinchūriki?”

Fū nods. “Yup, now I’m more like a half-jinchūriki though. I don’t really get it.”

“Half?” Yugito asks, directing her question at you.

“With Chōmei’s help I sealed part of his chakra back into Fū,” you explain as Fū scarfs down the last of her meal, the ignored offer to shake hands having been ignored for now. “I mean, look at her… how could I let someone like that die?”

“She does seem… vibrant,” Yugito muses.

Fū finally sets down her chopsticks with a broad smile. “Is that a compliment I hear?”

“You haven’t even seen the puppy-dog eyes,” you chuckle.

“So does that mean we’re friends?” Fū asks, leaning across the table and giving Yugito that look you know so well.

Yugito leans back slightly, eyes darting around as if looking for rescue. “I…”

“… yes.”
>1/2
>>
>>4221205
“See what I mean?” you muse.

Yugito nods curtly. “I’m beginning to.”

“Hm?” Fū muses.

“Nothing,” you shrug. “I’ll wash up.”



“It’s strange to see a member of Akatsuki doing dishes,” Yugito eventually admits.

“Consider it belated hospitality,” you shrug, “my mother raised me with a sense for it.”

“It’s also strange to think of Akatsuki as actual people.”

“If it would help you cope,” you roll your eyes, “I could always stab you a few times.”

“That’s not who you are and you know it,” she counters. “You’d rather be more like Fū.”

After a moment, you sigh and nod, conceding the point.

“But you’re too self-aware for that,” Yugito continues. “Too jaded.”

>Not quite. It’s just not in my personality to be that… ‘vibrant’, you said?
>Perhaps a little. Everyone in my village carries a bit of that in them.
>And you’re too forward. You are my GUEST, not my friend, at least for now.
>Other?
>>
>>4221259
>Perhaps a little ....
>>
>>4221259
>Perhaps a little. Everyone in my village carries a bit of that in them.
>After all the wars, struggles and Hanzos leadership, I would call it being practical. And I grew up in a temple, so not the most 'vibrant' upbringing.
>>
>>4221259
>Perhaps a little. Everyone in my village carries a bit of that in them.
>>
>>4221259
>Perhaps a little. Everyone in my village carries a bit of that in them.

I remember there being another post time skip Naori picture from awhile back. I'm going to have to dig through the archive to find it.
>>
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>>4221287
Bwahahaha found it.

Either she is binding herself up incredibly well, using ninjutsu to hide them, or something has gone seriously wrong.
>>
>>4221269
>>4221265
>>4221259
I like your take on it, supporting
>>
>>4221259
>Perhaps a little. Everyone in my village carries a bit of that in them.
>>
>>4221269
>>4221259
This
>>
>>4221297
To be fair, they probably aren’t conducive to kenjutsu if she leaves them hanging like that.
>>
>>4221259
“Maybe a little,” you admit. “Where I come from, it’s a survival strategy.”

Yugito nods quietly. “I think I can understand that.”

“I hope you’re telling the truth,” you tell her. “Because things are about to get tough, and I could do with one less person out there thinking I’m their mortal enemy.”

“You’re going to have to prove that,” Yugito replies sternly.

You shrug. “And I can’t do that unless you give me a chance.”



One of your shadow clones returns that night with a few provisions, and while Yugito bathes privately you set out the futons and prepare a warm, fluffy towel and a clean yukata for her. You also examine her bloodied, torn outfit and declare it a total loss. There’s almost more blood there than fabric.

“What have you done?” she demands, storming out in the towel you left her.

“What do you mean?” you reply. “Your clothes?”

“Exactly!” she insists angrily.

“Stored ‘em,” you admit. “Not enough left to be worth washing, and leaving them out was making the hallway reek of blood. I’ll buy you a new outfit tomorrow.”

“… thank you.”

“Don’t thank me,” you reply, shaking your head. “It feels wrong. You’ll be sleeping with Fū in the guest room.”

“Raishō-san,” Yugito presses before you can excuse yourself to your room.

“… what is it?” you ask.

“You know the Hiraishin technique,” she presses quietly. “How?”

>Tell her truthfully.
>Don’t tell her anything.
>Spin her an elaborate story.
>Other?
>>
>>4221716
"I had a chat with the fourth hokage's clone."
Both the truth yet still ridiculous.
>>
>>4221716
>Tell her truthfully.
>>
>>4221723
>>4221716
agreed, if we are allies later on we can tell her the full truth of that encounter
>>
>>4221716
>>4221723
Supporting this.
>>
>>4221716
>>Tell her truthfully.
I copied the second hokage’s homework.
>>
>>4221716
>>Tell her truthfully.
>>
>>4221716
I am supporting this >>4221723
It is the truth and maybe add that Naori did some studying and experimentation.
>>
>>4221297
>>4221570
Sports Bra
>>4221716

>>Tell her truthfully.
>>
>>4221716
“Well, what happened was this,” you explain. “I learned I’m actually a direct descendent of the Second Hokage, so I inherited a fair bit of his abilities. But it took a visit from the Forth Hokage’s ghost to explain it to me. I’m sure I’ll get it down eventually.”

“If you don’t want to tell me the truth,” Yugito sighs dramatically, “then that’s fine.”

“And one day when you learn the truth, that joke’s going to make me laugh all over again,” you smirk. “Get some rest, Nii Yugito.”



You awaken the next morning to Karin’s gentle snores and the faint morning light shining through the screen doors. In addition, you now have the memories of your two clones’ progress… you put one hiraishin marking on the underside of Ryūzetsu’s desk, and one on the wall in the Hoshikage residence. That means you now have four locations that you can teleport to in a matter of seconds should the need arise.

You quietly let yourself out of your room and into the courtyard, which you designed with this particular role in mind… taijutsu practice. The movements calm your mind and invigorate your body before a long day of difficult questions, the crisp mountain air refreshing you with every breath.

After you’ve seated yourself before the lotus pond, you find yourself joined by Karin, who offers you a cup of hot tea.

“So you have some time to think?” she asks you.

You nod slowly. “Fū will be the key, I think.”

“Fū?”

“She was once a jinchūriki,” you explain. “As much as I’m tempted to barge in there and sort things out myself, Yugito-han and I don’t have that in common. She and Fū do have that shared experience.”

“Do you think she’ll ever actually trust you?” Karin presses, sitting quietly on the veranda.

You shrug. “That’s entirely up to her. If you wanna know her feelings, ask her when she’s up and about.”

“She’s not exactly making any moves in that direction,” Karin observes.

“Fū had her up late talking,” you inform her. “I’m surprised you could fall asleep.”

“Guess I got used to sleeping through worse,” she offers, taking a sip of tea. “You know, in Kusagakure.”

“I know what you meant,” you assure her. “I won’t pry if you don’t want to say anything more.”

“Thanks.”
>1/2
>>
>>4222186
A few hours later Yugito finds you seated patiently in seiza on your porch, practicing calligraphy.

“You promised me clothes,” she tells you curtly.

“Lucky you,” you reply with a smirk. “You’ll find them in the sitting room on the floor. I tried to match your general style… based on one outfit.”

“Have you now?” she muses. “I’ll see about that.”

By breakfast she’s wearing a pair of three-quarter length pants and one of the thigh-length yukata you picked to match them.

“Alright, you did a fine job,” she admits.

You gesture to your own outfit. “Was there any doubt?”

Over breakfast, with Fū gnawing half-asleep at a piece of toast, you lay out your current priorities:

>Tracking the movements of the remaining jinchūriki in order to counter Akatsuki’s movements.
>Coordinating with one of the Kages… Gaara would be your vote for a number of reasons.
>Earning Yugito’s trust. She’s both an objective to Pain’s Akatsuki and a potential asset to yours.
>Other?
>>
>>4222367
>Coordinating with one of the Kages… Gaara would be your vote for a number of reasons.
We need help more than anything. Now that we're no longer akatsuki, we can get it. We have friends who are willing to help us, it would only be foolish not to.
>>
>>4222367
>Coordinating with one of the Kages… Gaara would be your vote for a number of reasons.
>Tracking the movements of the remaining jinchūriki in order to counter Akatsuki’s movements.

We gotta make sure nardo doesn't fall to the red cloud and gaara would want to help with that.
>>
>>4222367
>Coordinating with one of the Kages… Gaara would be your vote for a number of reasons.
>>
>>4222367
>>Coordinating with one of the Kages… Gaara would be your vote for a number of reasons.
>>
>>4222367
>Coordinating with one of the Kages… Gaara would be your vote for a number of reasons.
>>
>>4222367
>>Coordinating with one of the Kages… Gaara would be your vote for a number of reasons.
>>
>>4222367
>>Coordinating with one of the Kages… Gaara would be your vote for a number of reasons.
>>
>>4222367
>Coordinating with one of the Kages… Gaara would be your vote for a number of reasons.

I can't think how Temari will react. First we as part of Akatsuki help to kidnap Gaara and now we come back to ask for help. They might think that after all this, she is back and wants what now. While gaining Yukitos trust is important, she can wait a bit. Fu can keep her company.
>>
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>>4222367
“I think we need to start working together with one of the five Kages,” you decide with a heavy sigh… you’re already not looking forward to this. “And not the Raikage.”

You could tell Yugito was about to suggest that, and she crosses her arms combatively with a little ‘huff’ of indignation.

“So who then?” Karin asks.

“Ooh!” Fū exclaims excitedly. “I know! We could go talk to Gaara!”

“That’s who I was thinking,” you agree.

“The only Kage who owes you his life,” Yugito frowns.

You nod. “Yes, and the only Kage who was also a jinchūriki. I’ve decided.”

“Well, why not the Raikage?” Yugito demands. “He’ll listen to me.”

“He has a vested interest in recovering Matatabi,” you counter. “And tell me, if he told you to join in a retaliatory campaign… let’s say, against Konoha… would you follow his orders? No, Nii Yugito, I will not go to the Raikage… but I am willing to send him a message through the Kazekage explaining your situation to him, if that’s okay with you.”

After a few moments, Yugito nods curtly. “Hand me a blank tag and a pen.”

You do so, and Yugito writes the simple words ‘I’m alive’ before holding out her hand again. “Kunai.”

Hesitating at first, you produce another tag from your belt pouch and harden its edge. “Here.”

Yugito carefully slices her thumb, getting a few tiny droplets of blood that she uses to seal the first tag you gave her… a ‘keppan’ blood seal, with an identifiable thumbprint.

“Send this to him,” Yugito suggests. “He’s not the type to believe you without some evidence.”

After collecting the two tags, you gesture for Karin to work her magic.

“That’s not necessary,” Yugito insists.

“It’s very necessary,” Karin counters. “I’d be willing to bet Naori-san doesn’t want you bleeding all over the tatami.”

You quietly gesture for Yugito to relent, and she eventually does.

“Hey, Nakkun?” Fū asks cheerfully. “Can I go with you to see Gaara? It’s been a really long time and I think he’d be happy to see me… please?”

>Not this time. Our situation’s not stable yet.
>Sure. My clone can use Hiraishin so you’re not at TOO huge a risk.
>Sure. I’ll be leaving this place to Karin and my clones, you don’t have to stay.
>Other?
>>
>>4223555
>>Sure. My clone can use Hiraishin so you’re not at TOO huge a risk.
>>
>>4223555
>Sure. My clone can use Hiraishin so you’re not at TOO huge a risk.
Not sure how much it'd help, but I'd suggest a disguise for the two of us as well.
>>
>>4223555
>>Sure. My clone can use Hiraishin so you’re not at TOO huge a risk.
>>
>>4223555
>Sure. My clone can use Hiraishin so you’re not at TOO huge a risk.

Fū will be the key to the peace, mark my words.
>>
>>4223555
>>Sure. My clone can use Hiraishin so you’re not at TOO huge a risk.
>>
>>4223555
>>Sure. My clone can use Hiraishin so you’re not at TOO huge a risk.
>>
>>4223555
You shrug. “You’ll be just as safe with my clone as with me, so why not. Just be sure to follow my lead.”

“Kay!” Fū immediately agrees.



You are a shadow clone of Raishō Naori, currently on your way to Sunagakure. Hiraishin offers an easy shortcut from the Land of Hot Water to the Land of Grass, where you have your other hideout. The next step is to make use of the supplies you have stored up in the hideout, dressing yourself and Fū in slate grey, featureless raincoats and straw hats… for this next part, you’ll have to move quickly and look innocuous.

“This is the shortest route into the Land of Wind,” you tell Fū. “There aren’t usually patrols here… Amegakure has its hands full enough protecting the borders of the village, let alone the whole Land of Storms.”

“Okay,” Fū agrees. “I can keep quiet.”

“Good,” you nod curtly. “Let’s go.”



It doesn’t take long to cross through the Land of Storms, since you’re lucky enough to avoid the few patrols that might be in the region. You actually go so far as to carry her briefly when it seems like her attention was slipping from the constant task of covering her tracks.

When you cross into the Land of Wind your cloaks become a defense against the sun and sand.

“We’ll go for a… ‘dramatic’ approach,” you chuckle shortly outside the edge of the settlement’s extensive defenses.

“Dramatic?” Fū asks excitedly. “That sounds like fun!”

“I’m planning on it,” you grin.

“Kuchiyose: Nyoka!”



You knock lightly on the door to the Kazekage’s office.

“Yes,” you hear Gaara’s voice from inside. “Come in.”

As calm as his voice was a moment before he’s stunned when he sees who has come calling so late at night. Temari draws a small fan from the back of her sash, and Kankuro pulls out a scroll and prepares to unseal a puppet from it. Fū, on the other hand…

“Gaaraaaaa!” she shouts gleefully, throwing herself over his desk and tackling him out of his chair in an energetic blur.
>1/2
>>
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>>4223709
“We had a full contingent of guards on the borders of the village!” Temari protests. “How did you two get in here without alerting any of them!?”

“Yeah… no… about that...”

“You came in from above?” Kankuro guesses.

“We came in from above,” you confirm.

“The real question,” Gaara insists, forcing himself to his feet even having to drag Fū up with him, “isn’t how, but why.”

“You’re not in your Akatsuki cloak,” Temari observes, eyes still narrowed.

“There’s a reason for that,” you reply calmly. “Right now, Akatsuki and I aren’t exactly on good terms.”

“And why would that be?” Gaara asks. “And why have you brought Fū with you?”

“Cause I wanted to see my friends in Sunagakure,” Fū insists, apparently confused. “Why else?”

“Sure, that may be your reason,” Temari admits before turning back to you, “but what is yours?”

“For bringing Fū along?” you ask. “Honestly? Because she wanted to see her friends here. As for Gaara-han’s first question, I’ve left Akatsuki over… let’s call it a long-standing disagreement.”

“A disagreement over what?” Gaara presses.

>Tell him about Yugito.
>Tell him about Pain and Tobi.
>Tell him about the old Akatsuki.
>Tell him all of the above.
>Other?
>>
>>4223728
>Tell him all of the above.
>>
>>4223728
>Tell him all of the above.
STORYTIME!
>>
>>4223728
>all of the above
Time to come clean, akatsuki isn't the save anymore but maybe even a bigger danger
>>
>>4223728
>>Tell him about Pain and Tobi.
>>Tell him about the old Akatsuki.
>>
>>4223739
Really it should have been obvious
>let's stop war by grabbing all the nukes
>oh no leader wants to use nukes
I THINK WE MADE A BOO BOO
>>
>>4223728
>>Tell him all of the above.
>>
>>4223784
Fair, it was a bit idealistic of Naori/us to follow it, but the corruption in akatsuki was also much deeper than expected
>>
>>4223728
>Tell him all of the above.
>>
>>4223728
>Tell him all of the above.
>>
>>4223728
“Akatsuki used to be considered… subversive,” you admit quietly. “Subversive and disruptive, a general pain in a lot of people’s butts, but always for a good cause. That Akatsuki no longer exists, as much as I tried to hold to its principles. As things are now, they’ve been used by a man with no principles, for purposes I can only guess at.”

“That’s why I always tried to come up with ways to complete our leader’s plans without killing the jinchūriki,” you continue. “I was successful with you, and with Fū, but as I learned more about the situation I came to realize that I could only do that for some of the jinchūriki.”

“So why leave the organization at this point?” Gaara asks patiently. “The reports shared with us by the Hokage state that you succeeded in sealing the three-tails just a few weeks ago.”

“We captured Nii Yugito, the two-tails jinchūriki,” you explain. “I was given orders to heal her so that we could extract Matatabi from her… to heal her just so that we could kill her. That kinda drove the point home that I could never make the current Akatsuki into what I felt it should be. The corruption ran too deep.”

“So you escaped with her,” Gaara guesses.

You nod curtly, before producing the letter you intended to give him. “I would appreciate it if you would send this to the Raikage. It contains evidence that she’s still alive, in one of my hideouts.”

“So you’re just keeping her prisoner?” Kankuro demands.

“You’ve got it wrong!” Fū insists. “I may not get everything that’s going on, but I know Nakkun’s been doing the best she can!”

“I explained to them that if Yugito-han returns to Kumogakure too soon,” you add, “that the Raikage will likely go out looking for revenge. It could be the start of a new war if I’m not very careful.”

Gaara sits quietly for a few moments. “What do you think, Temari? Kankuro?”

“I don’t trust her,” Kankuro declares. “At least not entirely… it’s just a question of teasing out what’s true and what isn’t.”

A few moments later, Temari sighs. “I believe everything she’s said.”

“You can’t be serious!” Kankuro protests.

“She’s never lied to us before,” Temari points out, making her case to Gaara. “And from what we’ve seen we know she does stick to her principles. I don’t think it’s a stretch to believe that if she were to leave Akatsuki it would look a lot like this.”

“If she suddenly decided to start lying to us, she’s doing a remarkable job keeping everything consistent.”
>1/2
>>
>>4223784
>>4223807
Well think of it this way, in Star Wars, isn't it a little absurd that the Jedi wouldn't take in kid Anakin? He's already relatively powerful in the Force, which means if they don't then he'll definitely go to the Dark Side. If they do train him, he may or may not go to the Dark Side (as far as they know), but he at least has a chance to stay with the Light Side. Therefore the only real choice should be to take him in and train him, to give him the best possible chance. I don't believe that qualifies as idealism, since it's realistically the best you can do with the situation.

I think Naori and Tenran had the same choice with the Akatsuki/Yahiko (even if Naori didn't realize it at first). If they had done nothing and just left, the organization would definitely wind up doing the wrong thing. At least the way it shook out now, the two of them were able to mitigate the worst of the damage the Akatsuki could do for the time that Naori was there. Lives were objectively saved that wouldn't have been otherwise, and I think the Akatsuki as an organization are in a more vulnerable position overall. It was, realistically, the best Naori could do with the situation.
>>
>>4224023
idk if your star wars parallel really works out, but I get your point. If the Force is so prone to leading people to the dark side then the jedi would be fucked by all the untrained dark siders in the galaxy.
>>
>>4224011
After considering it for a few moments, Gaara renders his verdict.

“I tend to find myself agreeing with Temari,” he admits. “It has gotten to be late, and we have not greeted you properly. I suggest we continue over evening meal.”

“That sounds amazing!” Fū agrees wholeheartedly. “Then maybe we can play boardgames, or find a nice bathhouse...”

“That’s not happening,” Kankuro interrupts flatly.

“You’re no fun,” Fū pouts.



After a welcome meal, largely silent and awkward aside from Fū’s characteristic exuberance, you find yourself cleaning dishes together with Temari… which is quite different from the last time they treated you to a meal.

“This is different,” you muse. “You’re allowing me to help this time.”

Temari continues to polish a glass in her hands. “What of it?”

“I don’t know,” you admit patiently. “Whatever changed is in your thoughts, not mine.”

After a few seconds, she responds. “You’re right. I’ve considered it more than once over the last few months, you know. How I’d respond the next time we met.”

“And you didn’t consider that the next time might be after I left Akatsuki?” you guess.

“The thought occurred to me,” Temari admits. “But I didn’t give it any real consideration… so when you just barged into Gaara’s office like that...”

“I understand,” you sigh. “Trust me, I’m used to it.”

“Really?”

You nod, setting aside a now-dried plate. “I got it from both sides, actually. Haruno Sakura in particular just can’t wrap her head around the idea that I didn’t actually turn evil or anything. As for the Akatsuki, a lot of them struggled with the idea that I had actual friends.”

“They sound like a lot of fun,” Temari mutters, though her mood seems to be improving somewhat.

“Tenshi-han is still dear to me,” you admit. “But there’s a lot of psychopathy to go around with the rest of them.”
>2/3
>>
>>4224539
“It was nice to hear you back me,” you admit quietly. “Even in a small way. I don’t hear that very often anymore.”

“Yeah… well… don’t look too much into it,” Temari insists. “I just said what I really thought, that’s all.”

Back out in the sitting room you find Gaara and Fū playing shogi to pass the time while you and Temari finished in the kitchen, having headed out early. It’s only fair, since he and Kankuro were the ones who cooked.

Fū is focused intently on the game, however Gaara greets you as you enter the room.

“Have a seat,” he insists, not looking at you as he makes his next move on the board. “Tell me, why did you come here as opposed to Konohagakure?”

>I was concerned about a faction of their ANBU, the ‘Root’. Because of them Konoha wasn’t my first choice.
>Because you’re a former jinchūriki. I’d imagine Akatsuki’s activities would give you a strong motivation.
>Because I believe your worldview and mine are mostly similar, only differing in our respective responsibilities.
>Other?
>>
>>4224555
>>I was concerned about a faction of their ANBU, the ‘Root’. Because of them Konoha wasn’t my first choice.
>Because I believe your worldview and mine are mostly similar, only differing in our respective responsibilities.
>>
>>4224555
>Because I believe your worldview and mine are mostly similar, only differing in our respective responsibilities.
>I was concerned about a faction of their ANBU, the ‘Root’. Because of them Konoha wasn’t my first choice.

More emphasis on their friendly relationship and responsibilities first and then the more practical reason.
>>
>>4224555
>I was concerned about a faction of their ANBU, the ‘Root’. Because of them Konoha wasn’t my first choice.
>Because I believe your worldview and mine are mostly similar, only differing in our respective responsibilities.
>>
>>4224555
>>Because you’re a former jinchūriki. I’d imagine Akatsuki’s activities would give you a strong motivation.
>>I was concerned about a faction of their ANBU, the ‘Root’. Because of them Konoha wasn’t my first choice.
>>
>>4224555
>>I was concerned about a faction of their ANBU, the ‘Root’. Because of them Konoha wasn’t my first choice.
>>
>>4224555
>I was concerned about a faction of their ANBU, the ‘Root’. Because of them Konoha wasn’t my first choice.
>Because you’re a former jinchūriki. I’d imagine Akatsuki’s activities would give you a strong motivation.
>>
>>4224555
>Because I believe your worldview and mine are mostly similar, only differing in our respective responsibilities.
>Because you’re a former jinchūriki. I’d imagine Akatsuki’s activities would give you a strong motivation.
>>
>>4224555
>>Because I believe your worldview and mine are mostly similar, only differing in our respective responsibilities.
>>I was concerned about a faction of their ANBU, the ‘Root’. Because of them Konoha wasn’t my first choice.
>>
>>4224555
>There are a lot of reasons. Part of it is Konoha's ROOT, who i believe not to be very fond of me. I've also had to fight Konoha's shinobi on several occasions, which has strained our relations somewhat.
I guess... i just felt like you were the ones who'd hate me the least, at this point.
>>
>>4224555
>Because I believe your worldview and mine are mostly similar, only differing in our respective responsibilities.
>I know that I can't reverse the actions Akatsuki did to you or your village, but I know that what we both are after is similar. Just the ways we try to reach it are different.

>>4224667
It is kinda true. Gaara and the village has less against us than Konoha as whole. Especially as they still have Root/Danzo pulling strings. But same time I wouldn't be surprised if Gaara refuses to cooperate with Naori purely because of caution, mending things won't happen that easily.
>>
>>4224555
>>>Because I believe your worldview and mine are mostly similar, only differing in our respective responsibilities.
>>>I was concerned about a faction of their ANBU, the ‘Root’. Because of them Konoha wasn’t my first choice.
>>
>>4224555
>I was concerned about a faction of their ANBU, the ‘Root’. Because of them Konoha wasn’t my first choice.
>Because I believe your worldview and mine are mostly similar, only differing in our respective responsibilities.
>>
>>4224555
“I guess I figured this was my best option,” you admit with a heavy sigh. “Your worldview and mine aren’t that different… it’s more a matter of perspective.”

“In what sense can a Kage and a terrorist share a worldview?” Kankuro demands. “Don’t be...”

“Kankuro,” Gaara warns his older brother. “That’s enough. You’ve made your thoughts quite clear already.”

“Historically speaking, the Five Kages and their villages have held the greatest concentration of power since the hidden village system came into being,” you explain, going a bit out of your way to address Kankuro’s complaints. “By a wide margin. You may value peace, and you may not approve of the way this world has turned out, but that doesn’t change the fact that the position of Kage and the power behind it is part of the problem.”

“I’m far from the only person who sees it that way.”

“So even if you considered some among the Kages to be friends, or family,” Gaara muses thoughtfully, moving a piece on the game board as he thinks, “you would still end up fighting against the Kages at some point, along with their villages.”

“Fighting, yes,” you admit, “but not necessarily killing.

“You never saw us as enemies in the first place,” Gaara nods in understanding. “It was always the ideas that were your enemies. But you should have known from the start that you can’t kill an idea.”

“I’m well aware,” you admit. “But some ideas should be discarded.”

“And seizing the tailed beasts was meant to redistribute power away from the great nations,” Temari muses, hand at her chin as she watches the game unfold between Gaara and an increasingly frustrated Fū.

“The ‘great’ nations have grown arrogant,” you declare, watching as Fū, tilts her head and moves around the table, frantically looking for her next move. “They don’t think about the consequences of their wars. Deflate their egos a little and they’ll pacify themselves… that was the thinking, at least from my perspective.”

“You don’t think Akatsuki shares that view?” Gaara realizes.

You shake your head. “I can’t know for sure. But the masked man who has been pulling the strings probably has his own thoughts on what to do with the tailed beasts. Besides...”

“What is it?” Temari asks.

“The jinchūriki…” you begin laying out your thoughts as Fū sets the game aside a moment to listen. “Don’t you think that ignoring their fate in all this is the same, albeit on a smaller scale?”
>1/2
>>
>>4225726
“Put another way,” you continue, “consider the perspective I just laid out: the value of peace, and the desire to remove a capacity for war-making that the ‘great’ nations possess but all others lack. Would torturing Fū and Yugito be considered an act of principle?”

“Of course not,” Temari answers.

“I’d agree,” you insist. “Wholeheartedly… in fact, out of all the Akatsuki the only one I truly wish dead is Hidan, the one responsible for both those acts.”

“I remember him...” Fū shudders. “What a creep… definitely not good friend material.”

“Awesome, so we’re on the same page,” you agree. “And here I was starting to think I was only your friend because you don’t have standards.”

“That’s not fair!” Fū protests, “I have very strict friend standards!”

You can tell no one in the room believes that except her.

“Moving on… would killing Gaara in cold blood be considered an act of principle?” you press.

Gaara shakes his head. “I certainly wouldn’t think so.”

“Personal biases aside, I agree with that as well,” you agree. “So tell me, what am I supposed to do when the allies I have keep showing me in no uncertain terms that they don’t share the principles I thought made what we were doing permissible?”

“You leave Akatsuki,” Kankuro shrugs. “We’ve established that already.”

“… you find allies who do share your principles,” Temari realizes.

Gaara nods quietly. “And that brought you here.”

“If it were just Tsuna-han I’d be fine going to Konoha,” you admit. “But it’s not just her, and sticking her neck out for me would cause her a lot of trouble with the council of elders and probably the daimyō as well.”

“So you think you can convince the great elder Chiyo to trust you?” Gaara asks carefully.

You nod. “I do. Because unlike the elders of Konoha she has her own firsthand experiences to help her judge me.”

>It’s getting late. Do you mind if I place a teleportation formula marking here in your village?
>Fū… do you want to stay here?
>I can remain here if you need me to, speak with the council tomorrow?
>Other?
>>
>>4225756
>>It’s getting late. Do you mind if I place a teleportation formula marking here in your village?
its understandable if you say 'no', in that case i would stay if you want me to talk to the council tomorrow. i also have to inform you that i am a shadow clone.
>>
>>4225756
>>It’s getting late. Do you mind if I place a teleportation formula marking here in your village?
>I can remain here if you need me to, speak with the council tomorrow?
>>
>>4225756
>>It’s getting late. Do you mind if I place a teleportation formula marking here in your village?
>>Fū… do you want to stay here?
>>I can remain here if you need me to, speak with the council tomorrow?
>It’s getting late. Do you mind if I place a teleportation formula marking here in your village?
>I can remain here if you need me to, speak with the council tomorrow?
>>
>>4225756
>It’s getting late. Do you mind if I place a teleportation formula marking here in your village?

I think speaking to their council is bit too early. Baki might back us up, but for the others we basically just took away a great power multiplier few months ago.
>>
>>4225756
>>It’s getting late. Do you mind if I place a teleportation formula marking here in your village?
>>Fū… do you want to stay here?
>>
>>4225756
“It’s getting late,” you muse. “Do you mind if I place a teleportation formula somewhere in your village?”

Gaara briefly considers the question. “What kind of teleportation technique are you talking about?”

“Hiraishin.”

Kankuro leans in and says something quietly to his brother. “That’s the Fourth Hokage’s technique.”

“It is,” you agree with a nod, making Kankuro look uncomfortable. “And if I wanted to use it to attack Sunagakure I could have placed a half dozen markings without your noticing. All I’m asking is to help me avoid Akatsuki more easily if I need to meet with you again.”

After a few moments, Gaara nods in agreement. “Go ahead.”

You take a sealing tag and mark it with your personal Hiraishin marking, and hand it to Gaara. “Place this wherever you want me to arrive within your village. Preferably somewhere out of sight, perhaps in your office or on the roof.”

“Understood,” Gaara agrees. “There is a balcony outside my office. I will position it there.”

“That sounds good to me,” you nod. “If you don’t have a day in mind, I’ll come back in three days’ time.”

“That should be fine,” Gaara tells you calmly. “It will give me time to convince the council of elders to meet with you. But I do have one request.”

“What would that be?” you ask, curious.

“I would ask that you take Temari with you,” Gaara clarifies his request. “I’ll let her explain.”

“We’ve been trying to convince the other great nations to help us protect the other jinchūriki,” Temari explains. “It was my idea to try convincing the Raikage to help, since Kumogakure still has two living jinchūriki, but he refused to even consider it.”

“So you want to ask Yugito about it personally?” you guess. “Why? Do you have some suspicions about the situation?”

“Something like that,” Temari admits. “I find it a little difficult to believe that he’d just reject it out of hand, so I wanted to ask if Nii-san knew anything about why.”

>I agree. Temari can come with me.
>I disagree, but I’ll come up with an alternate arrangement.
>I disagree in general. Maybe at some point in the future.
>Other?
>>
>>4225982
>I agree. Temari can come with me.
>>
>>4225982
>>I agree. Temari can come with me.
On an unrelated note, I do wonder if it's possible to use the hiraishin the same way that Kakashi first used kamui, in just teleporting marked body parts away from an opponent. Might be a good way to deal with Hidan, if we ever get down to it.
>>
>>4225982
>>I agree. Temari can come with me.
>>
>>4225982
>>I agree. Temari can come with me.
>>
>>4225982
>I agree
Show of trust between potential allies and all that, besides Temari has already shown she understands Naori
>>
>>4225982
>I agree. Temari can come with me.
>>
>>4225982
>I agree. Temari can come with me.
The remaining jinchuriki must be protected, even if they must also be kept from their villages.
>>
>>4225987
It wouldn't work. First reason is that the markings act as 'beacons', so you'd need to find another way to move a targeted object TO one of those beacons. Second reason is that there's no way to use it to move a part of something. Third reason is that if you mark someone with it directly, that's basically a death sentance already. So unlike Minato's "guiding thunder" version combined with a barrier, developing a version that teleports a body part would be a huge modification that doesn't really achieve anything Naori can't already do through simpler methods.
>>
>>4225982
>>I agree. Temari can come with me.
>>
>>4226122
Fair enough. It’s just one of those things with the setting where you want to see how hard a technique can be exploited. Sort of like how shadow clones basically become the Problem Solver for virtually everything in the story proper.
>>
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>>4225982
After a moment’s contemplation, you nod. “I agree. Fū… would you rather stay here, or come back with me?”

Fū looks at you in confusion. “Are you trying to get rid of me or something?”

You shake your head quickly. “No, not at all, I just meant...”

Her smug grin gives you pause. “You’re messing with me.”

“It’s great to have friends, Nakkun,” she shrugs. “But at the end of the day you don’t live with your friends.”

After taking a moment to digest that statement, you gesture for Temari’s attention.

“Put your hand on my shoulder,” you instruct her. “And hang on for dear life.”



Temari immediately takes a stumble, the movement through extradimensional space having left her disoriented for a moment.

“You get used to it,” you insist.

“If you say so...” she mutters, getting her bearings. “Where are we?”

“My safehouse,” you explain vaguely. “You’ll have to forgive me if I refuse to tell you where it is, exactly.”

This is what you call a safehouse?” she replies, aghast.

“Thanks,” you tell her with a smile. “It’s completely off-grid, everything is handled by fūinjutsu tags integrated into the wiring and plumbing.”


“It’s like we teleported into a ryokan,” Temari muses. “Gardens, too?”

“A restrained, comfortable elegance is what I grew up with,” you explain quietly. “It may seem strange to some people, but for me it feels like home.”

You knock at the door to the guest room. “May I?”

“Sure,” Karin’s voice replies, and you open the door. “Welcome back. I hope your mission went well?”

“Very,” you nod curtly. “It’s a good start.”

“I see that,” Karin replies, watching Temari warily.
>1/2
>>
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>>4226519
“Temari here will want to speak with you tomorrow, Yugito-han,” you inform the two-tails jinchūriki. “Don’t worry, it won’t be anything unreasonable.”

“I just have a few questions about the Raikage,” Temari explains.

“I hope you understand that I can’t answer any sensitive questions,” Yugito replies rather pointedly.

“It’s nothing like that,” Temari insists. “I just want to know more about why he’s been refusing any cooperation between our villages, even when Akatsuki is concerned.”

After a few moments, Yugito gives a curt nod of affirmation. “That I can do. Tomorrow morning, after we’ve had a chance to eat.”

“That sounds fair to me,” Temari agrees. “I’ll see you then.”

“There’s going to be another shift in room assignments,” you tell everyone calmly. “Karin, you’ll be in here with Fū and Yugito-han. Less chance of keeping the three of you awake.”

“Thanks for your consideration,” Karin bows politely.

“It’ll be like a sleepover!” Fū adds excitedly.

“Emphasis on sleep, Fū,” you remind her. “Be sure that your roommates are allowed to get some.”

“… okay,” she sighs, defeated.



“That was like a ryokan,” Temari muses after taking a bath, returning in one of the yukata you keep around for visitors. “You did all of this with fūinjutsu?”

“Uzumaki,” you reply calmly. “It’s more than just a hair color.”

You dim the electric lights and leave the candles running, and you and Temari both settle into your respective futons. You however keep a book out, to do a little reading to relax a little bit before trying to sleep. As you turn through the pages of the old novel you’ve selected to be your bedtime reading material for the next little while, an archaic ‘court drama’ from an era long passed, you notice Temari stealing glances at you now and then.

>Ask her if there’s anything she wants… a glass of water, a book, or anything like that.
>Inform her that you arranged the rooms like this in anticipation of her having questions.
>Just let it go for now. It’s not like she’s bothering you.
>Other?
>>
>>4226545
>>Inform her that you arranged the rooms like this in anticipation of her having questions.
>>
>>4226545
>Inform her that you arranged the rooms like this in anticipation of her having questions.

She must have a lot of questions.
>>
>>4226545
>>Inform her that you arranged the rooms like this in anticipation of her having questions.
>>
>>4226545
>>Inform her that you arranged the rooms like this in anticipation of her having questions.
>>
>>4226545
>>Inform her that you arranged the rooms like this in anticipation of her having questions.
>>
>>4226545
>Ask her if there’s anything she wants… a glass of water, a book, or anything like that.
>>
>>4226545
>>Inform her that you arranged the rooms like this in anticipation of her having questions.
>>Ask her if there’s anything she wants… a glass of water, a book, or anything like that.
>>
>>4226545
>>Inform her that you arranged the rooms like this in anticipation of her having questions.
>>
>>4226545
>Ask her if there’s anything she wants… a glass of water, a book, or..
Or me
>>
>>4226545
>>Ask her if there’s anything she wants… a glass of water, a book, or anything like that.
>>
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>>4226695
>>
>>4226545
Just want to say that whoever drew this is exactly like I thought she would be when she would leave Akatsuki. The only improvement I can think of is putting chakra metal into the material near our vitals and strike blocking areas of our outfit. I'm sure pumping sage juice through them would be quite the surprise when someone tries to cut us with wind chakra infused blades.
>>
>>4226545
>Inform her that you arranged the rooms like this in anticipation of her having questions.

>>4226695
As much as I like Temari, I don't know if this is the time. And I don't want to break Shikamarus heart.
>>
>>4226695
Nah, we're in it for Gaara.
>>
>>4226969
Ah Smolder, just what I need in these trying times.
>>4227022
...would he really care? And it is a bit too sudden but let's not act like a one night standing equals a marriage proposal.
>>4227075
He's a good choice but I'm a bit sick of the "serious boy is actually soft" types.
>>
>>4227110
>He's a good choice but I'm a bit sick of the "serious boy is actually soft" types.

Then we cuck sakura and steal the sauce boss from him.
>>
>>4227124
But he's all serious without any soft, how's that better.
>>
>>4227127
because cucking shikamaru is bad people stuff
>>
>>4227124
>>4227130
Or we piss off Sasuke by boning Itachi.
>>
>>4227130
We were talking about Gaara... nevermind that, even if we were to fuck Temari it's not the end of the world for Shikamaru, they are not even together yet and he could always go after that one crazy girl simping for him.
>>
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>>4227146
He's kinda terminally ill, fucking him might just end him. Not the worst way to die.
>>
>>4227146
I like it.
>>4227148
This is shonen, you don't sleep around.
>>
>>4227166
Saying "is shonen" kind of undermines the effort that went into making the setting in the quest a bit more credible, but ok.
>>
>>4227175
You can say it that way, or you can say trying to turn it into a harem takes away from the original source material.
>>
>>4226519
You're all dense and overlooking the obvious choice here. Fu just turned down staying in Suna in order to keep living with us.

>“It’s great to have friends, Nakkun,” she shrugs. “But at the end of the day you don’t live with your friends.”

Fu #1
>>
>>4227192
I was going to mention her but I thought some people thought of her as kind of an imouto
>>
>>4227201
I'm pretty sure Queen only sees her as an imouto.
Even if she is the best thing ever.
>>
>>4227201
>>4227230
And what I was going for was the feel that Fu thinks of Naori as like a big sister. As in "at the end of the day you don't live with your friends, you live with your family."
>>
>>4226545
>1d6, high roll
>best three of four
>>
Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4227377
>>
Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4227377
>>
Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4227377
>>
Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4227377
>>
Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4227377
>>
>>4227377
“You know I arranged the rooms like this for a reason,” you tell her quietly, apparently startling her slightly. “If you have something you want to talk about, you won’t be keeping anyone else awake.”

After a moment, Temari sighs. “It’s nothing.”

“You kept looking at me,” you press. “Like you had something to say.”

“It’s just...” she begins, before abruptly rolling onto her side to face the wall.

“… gladyou’renotevil.”

“… so am I?” you muse. “I… don’t see why that was so awkward.”

“… I make things awkward,” Temari admits quietly. “Sometimes.”

You get up to turn out the electric lights, and blow out the candles. Now the room is lit only by the moonlight and starlight filtering in through the skylight you placed in the roof, and through the screen doors facing onto the garden outside.

“Then I’ll stop bothering you about it,” you eventually tell Temari, settling into your futon. “Rest well, Temari.”

“… you too.”



The next morning you awaken early, moving quietly to slip out into the courtyard and continue with your practice. This time, however, you place four Hiraishin markings in the courtyard and draw Umekiri. The kata you devise is to weave the reduced number of one-handed seals, timing each of your movements with a graceful slice or a flat thrust.

You’re not sure how long it takes to settle into a rhythm, but eventually it starts to feel more natural to you.

After one step, you notice Temari is watching you, seated on the veranda. She’s wearing a different outfit from the last time you saw her, a short-legged and short-sleeved suit of mesh under a short kimono like your own, with a light chest guard secured by a red sash.

“Did I wake you?” you ask, quickly sheathing Umekiri and erasing the Hiraishin marks you made for the exercise with a single seal of confrontation.

“It’s no big deal,” Temari insists quietly. “I hardly slept anyway.”

“Was there a problem?” you ask politely.

Temari shakes her head. “Nothing that was your fault.”
>1/2
>>
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>>4227435
“I’ll be taking a quick shower,” you tell her, “so help yourself to some tea and I’ll cook breakfast when I’m out.”

“Do you have any coffee?” Temari asks.

You shake your head. “Gives Fū the jitters, so no.”

“… you just don’t like coffee,” Temari guesses.

You nod with a grin. “Both things can be true.”



After washing up and getting properly dressed, you set to work preparing breakfast for all of your guests… for a ‘hideout’ the place is pretty busy these days. Some shallow-pickled cucumbers and umeboshi, a bowl of plain rice, scrambled eggs, and glasses of water with fresh cucumber, slices of watermelon, and a few mint leaves for whoever wants whatever combination of the above.

“That’s one big difference,” Yugito admits with a dramatic sigh. “Akatsuki never fed me, let alone like this.”

“Pain isn’t big on ‘hospitality’, you see,” you shrug. “My apologies for that… and many other things. Again.”

“You cook well,” Karin muses, “as usual.”

“It’s all just simple stuff,” you admit. “Temari’s actually better at this than I am.”

“Really?” Fū muses playfully. “I wouldn’t have guessed you’d be any good at stuff like that?”

“… stuff like what?” Temari asks, narrowing her eyes slightly.

“I mean girly stuff,” Fū clarifies, too quickly for you to say anything to stop her. “There’s nothing wrong with that, I’m kinda helpless in a kitchen!”

“You’re a menace in the kitchen,” Karin grumbles.

Fū simply sticks her tongue out at Karin, who rolls her eyes. Those two really are like sisters… you haven’t noticed it before, since Akatsuki’s business had you so busy. But it really is heartwarming to see them getting along with each other as well as you’d like to think they get along with you, even if the dynamic looks a little different.

You can sort of see what Fū meant now about where she lives… not with ‘friends’, but with a sense of ‘family’.
>2/3
>>
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>>4227452
As Karin finally starts into the cleanup, Temari decides to speak up.

“Yugito-san,” she begins, “I mentioned last night that I wanted to ask you a few questions. Would it be okay if we started now?”

Yugito-han nods politely. “A promise is a promise.”

“I was sent recently to Kumogakure,” Temari explains, “with a proposal to cooperate on protecting the remaining jinchūriki and countering Akatsuki’s movements. I didn’t even get a meeting with the Raikage… it was his secretary, Mabui I think her name was, who told me that the answer was a categorical no, in her own words.”

“Why would that be?”

“Probably because he knows he had two jinchūriki,” Yugito explains curtly. “The Raikage isn’t the sort to come to the table when he holds the advantage.”

“So with you gone, would that change his mind?” Temari asks.

Yugito shakes her head. “I’m still alive, so his main concern will be getting me back… not protecting other nations’ jinchūriki.”

“And even if you were to die,” you guess, “he wouldn’t come to the table, would he?”

“What makes you say that?” Temari asks you curiously.

“Just a hunch,” you admit. “But am I right?”

Yugito-han nods in agreement. “You’re probably right. He’d definitely take it personally, but I think he’d be even less trusting since all the members of Akatsuki are from other villages.”

“Sasori from Sunagakure, Uchiha Itachi from Konohagakure, Hoshigaki Kisame from Kirigakure, Deidara from Iwagakure,” Temari muses.

“Kakuzu from Takigakure, and me from Amegakure,” you continue. “One of Kakuzu’s past partners was from Kusagakure too.”

“You have to admit,” Yugito shrugs, “to a man like the Raikage that must seem an awful lot like everyone else is the problem, not part of the solution.”

>He sounds like a real charmer. There’s got to be SOMETHING we can do to make him listen.
>If you were to speak with him, could YOU convince him to listen to reason?
>Sounds like he can’t be relied upon. We should find someone who CAN be.
>Other?
>>
>>4227462
>Sounds like he can’t be relied upon. We should find someone who CAN be.
>>
>>4227462
>Sounds like he can’t be relied upon. We should find someone who CAN be.
>>
>>4227462
>>Sounds like he can’t be relied upon. We should find someone who CAN be.
>>
>>4227462
To be fair, Raikage kind of has a point.

And so long as they remain at or near full strength, Akatsuki has to focus their efforts on them above the others or else risk the remaining villages banding together against them full force out of desperation BEFORE they have secured the beasts they need to move forward with their plan.

It's the divisions and mistrust between nations that enabled Akatsuki to act as freely as they did to pick off jinchuuriki piecemeal.

Therefore:

>The Raikage being a stubborn hold out doesn't change the fact that Akatsuki can't move their plan forward so long as they can't capture at least one of the Hidden Cloud jinchuuriki. It's in our best interest to help them however we can. We could at least share information to help them defend against Akatsuki, free of any obligation on their part.
>>
>>4227462
>>Sounds like he can’t be relied upon. We should find someone who CAN be.
>>4227504
and this
>>
>>4227462
>Sounds like he can’t be relied upon. We should find someone who CAN be.
>>4227504
Supporting this. That is a good write-in.
>>
>>4227558
>>4227462
Supporting this
>>
>>4227462
>>4227558
>>
>>4227504
>>4227462
Supporting
>>
>>4227462
“It sounds like we can only rely on the Raikage to be stubborn,” you grumble. “But that can work to our advantage.”

“How would that be?” Temari wonders with a frown.

“I’m interested to hear your explanation as well,” Yugito agrees.

“So yeah, if I keep going the way I have been,” you explain, “where does that leave the Raikage?”

“Down one jinchūriki,” Temari replies patiently. “What am I missing?”

“He’ll realize that I’m being ‘kept’ by a third party,” Yugito-han realizes. “He may realize he doesn’t have to protect me from Akatsuki, he just needs to wait Akatsuki out.”

“And in the mean time...” you prompt the group.

“… he shifts focus to the second jinchūriki,” Karin nods along as she finishes the last of the dishes.

“Having him take this seriously is already a win,” you muse. “Having him stay the hell out of my way is even better.”

“Bee knows that I’m with you,” Yugito-han reminds you. “Matatabi saw to that. So he’ll probably communicate that to Lord A.”

“A and Bee?” you muse.

Killer Bee,” Yugito corrects you. “The ‘Killer’ part is important to him.”

It takes a moment for that to sink in. “Like a stage name… the rhyming.”

“That’s right,” Yugito frowns. “He loves rapping… I just wish he were any good at it.”

“Has anyone told him?” you ask.

“No one dares.”

“Ah.”

“Soooo...” Fū muses, “does that mean you’re sticking around for a while?”

“It goes against everything I am to just sit tight,” Yugito-han admits.

“No offense,” Karin observes, “but the last time you fought against Akatsuki you ended up chained up in a basement covered in your own blood.”

“I...” Yugito replies, knowing that she has no real counterargument. “I miscalculated.”

“Yeah, no… if I hadn’t had a crisis of conscience you’d have died,” you tell her flatly.
>1/2
>>
>>4227789
“That’s not to say I expect you to live like a princess stuck in a tower,” you sigh, rising to your feet. “So don’t worry about that.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Temari asks you in confusion. “I thought you just said you were going to guard her?”

“Bodyguard missions don’t necessarily mean hiding out of sight,” you observe. “And between shadow clones and Hiraishin… if it’s not to bold to say I should make a top-notch bodyguard. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“So we’re going out?” Yugito-han asks hesitantly. “Are you sure that’s a wise idea?”

>I expect you to be patient while I gather information. But Akatsuki won’t be sitting still either.
>I want you to help Fū train. I can’t really tell her how to be an effective pseudo-jinchūriki.
>We’ll need to rely heavily on my personal allies, and on Sunagakure, for the time being.
>Other?
>>
>>4227815
>I want you to help Fū train. I can’t really tell her how to be an effective pseudo-jinchūriki.
>If you want to go out and get some air, i know a lot of smaller villages that have some pretty nice people and culture. A little transformation jutsu and you'd be golden.
>>
>>4227815

>I expect you to be patient while I gather information. But Akatsuki won’t be sitting still either.
>I want you to help Fū train. I can’t really tell her how to be an effective pseudo-jinchūriki
>>
>>4227815
>I expect you to be patient while I gather information. But Akatsuki won’t be sitting still either.
>We’ll need to rely heavily on my personal allies, and on Sunagakure, for the time being.

She is still on the short leash so loosening the leash to allow her to train Fū is bit iffy
>>
>>4227815
>>I want you to help Fū train. I can’t really tell her how to be an effective pseudo-jinchūriki.
>>
>>4227815
>I expect you to be patient while I gather information. But Akatsuki won’t be sitting still either.
>I want you to help Fū train. I can’t really tell her how to be an effective pseudo-jinchūriki.
>>
>>4227815
Will continue tomorrow.
>>
>>4227435
>“… you too.”

Temari confirmed for crush.
>>
>>4227815
“I don’t know what being a jinchūriki is like,” you admit. “I know how Fū became a pseudo-jinchūriki, but I can’t tell her how to adjust to that change other than reminding her that she can’t draw on Chōmei’s chakra anymore.”

“You want me to help her train?” Yugito realizes, her tone somewhat less positive than you’d have thought.

“Yugito-han, it would be more of a help than you seem to think,” you insist.

She shakes her head. “The sort of ‘training’ I went through isn’t something you would want to subject Fū to.”

“Good thing I’m not asking you to train her as a jinchūriki then,” you counter. “You’re a jōnin, aren’t you?”

“I am,” Yugito admits.

“Then help me to help her,” you repeat your request.

After a few moments of quietly considering what you’ve asked of her, Yugito-han eventually relents. “Okay, I agree to try what you’re asking.”

“Really!?” Fū asks excitedly. “I’ve never trained with another jinchūriki before!”

“I can’t promise anything,” Yugito insists. “Except to try.”

“I’ll keep an eye on you while you do so,” you insist.

“You don’t trust me not to run off?” Yugito frowns.

“I want to trust you,” you admit, “but right now my trust doesn’t factor into it.”



As it turns out, Yugito-han’s idea of training Fū is to force her to meditate for six hours straight, giving you very little to actually watch. All you really have to do is make sure nothing goes wrong, that Yugito doesn’t try to run away, and that nobody stumbles across your hideout by sheer, dumb luck. You also take a few moments to check on your hideout in the Land of Grass, ensuring that it hasn’t been discovered yet. There’s no sign of that anywhere.

So by the end of the day all you have to show for your efforts are grumbling stomachs to fill.

Dinner is a tense affair, unusually quiet, with grilled eel, vegetables, and rice. There’s not much to talk about.

“You’ll get the hang of it,” you assure Fū as your various guests go about their evenings, more like they’re all just going through motions before going to bed.
>1/2
>>
>>4229219
“She has a point,” you admit to Temari with a sigh. “Fū isn’t used to discipline. If she’s going to get serious about improving her skills that’s going to have to change.”

“Maybe,” Temari agrees quietly. “But doesn’t it feel like we’re asking her to change who she is?”

“You may also have a point,” you agree. “I adore Fū for who she is, but at the same time… there has to be a balance there between what I adore and what she needs to be not just to protect herself, but to become what she can be. To reach her own potential.”

“Like you did,” Temari observes.

There’s a long pause. “Hopefully not exactly like I did.”

There’s another long pause. “You know what I meant.”

“I don’t,” you counter. “Neither one of us is happy about how things went. I’m less happy about it than you are… I don’t want Fū to go through that sort of thing.”

There’s yet another long pause.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” you insist. “You didn’t say or do anything wrong… it’s just you’re talking about some stuff I’ve been worrying over for months.”

“Do you...” Temari begins hesitantly.

“… want to talk about it?”

>Yes (write-in)
>Not now.
>>
>>4229251
>>Yes (write-in)
My first mission for my later Sensei went horribly wrong in the end, one dead and one crippled for life, with me losing my left eye. Akatsuki saved my life and gave me a new eye, but all i could think about was the life and potential my two companions were never able to reach, so i worked harder and harder, never stopping and only comparing myself to my own view of what that potential might be, maybe to even make up for what my friends were never able to reach.
>>
>>4229251
>Yes (write-in)
My first proper mission was to bring few swords to Land of Iron for general maintenance. It itself went rather well, but on the way back we ended up bumping into Kurosuki Raiga. One of my friends died and one was crippled for life. I was the lucky one for it was Akatsuki who saved my life and gave me a new eye for the one I lost.

I felt helpless at the fact that how easily Raiga killed and crippled my friends and ended their potential. So I just worked harder and harder to become stronger so that I could prevent that happening again. To reach the point where I could make a difference.

So later when my best friend died during a mission, I was devastated. I couldn't believe that she was dead and that I couldn't be there to save her.

Thankfully I did talk to her few days after this so that I could say my goodbyes, but it didn't stop my drive to be stronger. If I could be stronger, if Akatsuki could accomplish its goals, maybe we could live in a world, where we wouldn't have to fight and where we could just live without worry of war and strife.

I still wish that, but the direction where Akatsuki is going is not correct way. So now I have to prepare myself and grow stronger for the day when I will fight against my former comrades.

I like the general idea of this >>4229264 so I continued it and gave it more flesh. Maybe bit too much of a rant, but I think you can get the general idea to what direction I was going for.
>>
>>4229343
Thank you, I find it important that Itachi isn't namely involved, since it's not our buisness to endanger his secrets.
Maybe let out the part about speaking again with ajisai, it should be a last resort technique and revealing it to soon creates possible ideas we don't want to deal with yet
>>
>>4229354
Yeah Ajisai part could be left out, or just don't mention how Naori did it. It is still a big part why Naori does what she does in my mind.
>>
>>4229251
>>4229264
>>4229343
Supporting. Naori has worked a lot to be in this position and that approach might not work with Fu. Maybe some serious, but fun combat sparring.
>>
>>4229568
Actual sparring could work. We haven't had a team in a long time so some sparring with Fū and Karin could be rather useful for our teamwork. Throw Yugito and Temari into the mix and we are set.
>>
>>4229251
>>4229343
This
>>
>>4229251
“When I graduated from the Academy,” you reply quietly, “I was with three others who were close to me: Ajisai, Sadaaki, and Ken. Since then Sadaaki was maimed and Ken killed, I lost my eye to one of the Seven Swords as a genin, and most recently I lost Ajisai, my oldest friend.”

“I’m sorry,” Temari tells you quietly. You can’t see the expression on her face, because you’re not even looking at her, but you can hear it in her voice. “I never really had any close friends to lose, so I guess I don’t know how it feels.”

“Who knows what they could have been?” you muse sadly. “The sight of Ken being killed... that’s what drove me so hard that Akatsuki noticed me even at fifteen. I didn’t want to go out the same way, far too young and in over my head, so I grew strong. And I really thought joining Akatsuki was the right way to make sure no one else would go out that way either.”

“That, I can understand,” Temari admits. “There was a guy like that for me once too.”

“I thought you said you didn’t have many friends?” you observe.

“He was a bully,” Temari admits with a curt little snort. “One of the few normal parts of my childhood… until he got killed on a C-rank mission.”

“C-rank?” you wonder aloud, finally turning onto your side to face Temari. “Seriously, I thought the point of the ranking system was to ensure that sorta stuff didn’t happen.”

“Well, it didn’t work in his case,” Temari reiterates. “He had an overinflated ego, no sense of discipline or perspective, and it got him gored to death by a razortoothed sand boar. There was a time, very shortly after he died, that I would’ve thanked that pig.”

“But that didn’t last long. There’s usually no such thing as dignity in death, but even he didn’t deserve to die pointlessly.”

You sigh deeply. “You’re right. I guess that’s something different between me and Fū… I’m driven by events that never happened to her.”

“Even Yugito-san is probably basing her approach on what she herself went through in Kumogakure,” Temari suggests. “Whatever that actually was.”

“You know, it feels like forever since I trained with a team,” you muse. “Especially since I lost Ajisai.”

“You were partnered within Akatsuki, weren’t you?” Temari asks.

You shake your head. “It’s not the same… I found talking with Sasori-han stimulating sure. I appreciated his perspective. But we weren’t close, and we didn’t do 'cooperation['. None of the others even came close to being a proper ‘partner’ in the sense you probably mean.”
>1/2
>>
>>4230075
You sleep on those thoughts for the night, so that over breakfast (pancakes cooked by Karin) you can present them to the others.

“I think it’d be good to do some training,” you explain, “as a team. Fū, you’ve never been on a team before have you?”

“Only with my bodyguards,” Fū replies with a frown. “Now that you mention it… that doesn’t really count, does it?”

“Not really,” you agree. “And Karin, you no longer have your teammates, do you?”

“No,” she admits. “But… what exactly am I supposed to do on a team with you? You’re in a totally different category from… well… from normal people.”

>Then your team will have to be configured to support me.
>Who said I was on your team? Or that a ‘team’ needs to be three people?
>We need to guard Yugito-han anyway. She can be your third member.
>Temari? Have any volunteers you can volunTELL to join us?
>Other?
>>
>>4230088
>Then your team will have to be configured to support me.
>>
>>4230088
>Then your team will have to be configured to support me.
>>
>>4230088
>>Then your team will have to be configured to support me.
>>
>>4230088
>Then your team will have to be configured to support me.
>Who said I was on your team? Or that a ‘team’ needs to be three people?
>We need to guard Yugito-han anyway. She can be your third member.

Yugito-han Bodyguard Mission Go! We will shanghai her into our team!
>>
>>4230088
>>Then your team will have to be configured to support me.
>>Who said I was on your team? Or that a ‘team’ needs to be three people?
>>We need to guard Yugito-han anyway. She can be your third member.

Also I thought ninja teams/cells were supposed to have 4 in them.
>>
>>4230088
>>Then your team will have to be configured to support me.
>>
>>4230088

>Then your team will have to be configured to support me.
>We need to guard Yugito-han anyway. She can be your third member.
>>
>>4230126
Genin teams are formed in threes, and those teams often remain relevant even after all their members make chunin or higher. A group of four under a jonin is sometimes called a 'platoon', while ANBU teams like Team Ro (Kakashi's former unit) seem to usually have five members.
>>
>>4230088
“Sure, I can hit harder than you,” you shrug, “and I’m faster than you, and my fūinjutsu is much better than yours. But you have sensory abilities that surpass even the great dōjutsu, and your medical ninjutsu is much better than mine. So yeah, there’s some stuff I can do that makes you doing it almost irrelevant, but you can do some stuff even I’m envious of.”

“Well...” Karin falters, blushing slightly at your unexpected praise. “I… I guess that’s sort of true...”

“And Fū?” you continue, startling the girl at your sudden attention.

“Yeahwha?”

“During the chūnin exams, you used a technique to communicate with your team through a wall,” you recall. “Am I wrong?”

Fū nods emphatically. “Yeah, that’s right!”

“What was that called, and can you teach it to someone else?” you ask.

She frowns, considering her answer for a moment. “I guess I never named it, huh? And yeah, I can probably teach it to someone. But it’s a little tricky.”

“And can you still use your threads?” you press.

She nods. “Sure, why?”

“You want to teach her the Sōshūjin?” Temari realizes.

“She seems like she’d be a natural,” you grin. “Do you think you could pick up some toys when you go back to Sunagakure? You know the kind I’m talking about.”

Temari nods with a smile of her own. “Yeah… yeah, I think I can find something.”

“Toys?” Fū asks curiously. “I thought we were talking about training this Sōshūwhatsit?”

“We are,” you nod, “of course. “That feels like the beginnings of a solid team.”

“I’m lost,” Yugito-han admits curtly.

“Fū’s no slouch at close combat,” you admit, “by anyone’s standards, and unlike a certain bushy-browed numbskull she has ninjutsu to back it up. And between Tsunade’s pink-haired pupil and Karin I’d take Karin any day of the week.”

“Especially if you can learn Fū’s technique, you might just be able to communicate battle information too,” you tell Karin, turning your attention back to her, “over long distances, as you sense it.”
>1/2
>>
>>4231520
>1d6, high roll
>best three of four
>>
Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4231522
>>
Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4231522
>>
Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4231522
>>
Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4231522
>>
Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4231522
>>
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>>4231520
After a week, you’ve seen some surprising progress. Karin takes a few days to pick up on the ‘wave-transmission’ technique, which seems to work a lot like the radio waves that your wireless headsets might use. With a little modification of your own it becomes possible to make a seal marking vibrate at the appropriate frequency, basically allowing your little team to use wireless communication without the fragile equipment or power requirements. You place a seal marking behind Karin’s ear, Fū’s, and your own.

“I’d rather not,” Yugito-han politely excuses herself. “I hope you can understand how hesitant I am to let people put even more fūinjutsu markings on my body. At least until I feel like I can trust you.”

Temari also makes good on her promise, and when you visit her and Gaara a few days into your training she brings three snake-like puppets for Fū to ‘play with’. While the former seven-tails jinchūriki takes to it quickly actual control comes more gradually, as her enthusiastic movements break the first two puppets before she can rein herself in. It also means she can use her threads to attack with controlled kunai: the Sōshūjin technique perfected in Sunagakure.

At the beginning of week two of the Karin-Fū team organization, Karin surprises you. During an exercise session on the outskirts of Hoshigakure, she uses an elemental ninjutsu.

“Doton: Sokonashi Numa!”

Karin’s ninjutsu converts a fairly large area of terrain into a thick, muddy swamp… a swamp which very conveniently you and Fū can just fly over using your paper and insect wings, respectively.

“That’s a great idea!” you praise a beet-red Karin cheerfully. “Stick with that, I think changing the terrain is a perfect role for you. And it’s something I can’t do outside sage mode.”

“I never knew you had an earth affinity!” Fū grins ear to ear. “Surprised me so much I almost fell in myself! But then again who knows, I’ve heard mud baths can be fun too!”

>There’s a technique I can teach both of you: summoning. It can be a really versatile technique.
>Both of you have enough chakra reserves to use the shadow clone technique. It’s actually stupid how easy it is to learn. Grandpa Tobirama should never have created it.
>I think we MAY be ready to at least CONTACT Konohagakure. Shall we?
>Other?
>>
>>4231602
>>There’s a technique I can teach both of you: summoning. It can be a really versatile technique.
>>
>>4231602
>There’s a technique I can teach both of you: summoning. It can be a really versatile technique.
>>
>>4231602
>>There’s a technique I can teach both of you: summoning. It can be a really versatile technique.
>>
>>4231508
Gotcha. I just thought the 4 man platoon was the smallest denomination of ninja teams outside of akatsuki since that seemed to be the norm the whole manga.
>>
>>4231602
>>Both of you have enough chakra reserves to use the shadow clone technique. It’s actually stupid how easy it is to learn. Grandpa Tobirama should never have created it.
>>
>>4231602
>There’s a technique I can teach both of you: summoning. It can be a really versatile technique.
>Both of you have enough chakra reserves to use the shadow clone technique. It’s actually stupid how easy it is to learn. Grandpa Tobirama should never have created it.

No reason not to teach them both, since shadow clones are stupid easy.
>>
>>4231609
>>4231602
>>4231708
Agreed, please add that to my vote as well
>>
>>4231602
Supporting >>4231708
>>
>>4231602
Supporting >>4231708
>>
>>4231708
Backing. If the rolls are kind this team could be ridiculously good.
>>
>>4231708
>1d6, high roll
>taking the first three
>>
Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4232524
>>
Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4232524
>>
Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4232524
>>
Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4232524
>>
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>>4232524
“There are two techniques I can teach you that are useful beyond all reason,” you suggest to the pair of them after you take some time to rest overnight. “First is the Shadow Clone technique, you’ve both got the chakra reserves to do at least three each, no trouble.”



“I always felt that was too easy to learn,” you find yourself nodding patiently at the end of a very successful afternoon. “Tobirama-tono didn’t tend to consider the long-term repercussions.”

“So you say the best way to use them is a few at a time?” Karin muses.

“It’s not intuitive,” you agree, “but yeah, no, that makes it easier to coordinate between them, to integrate their experiences, and to use powerful techniques with them… the way Uzumaki Naruto uses them is just wasteful.”

“I’ll be super careful!” Fū insists happily. “What’s the second technique you mentioned?”

“Summoning,” you reply with a smile, before biting your thumb and weaving the hand seals before extending your forefinger. “Kuchiyose: Isoka!”

In a small puff of smoke Isoka appears perched on your outstretched finger. “Naori! It’s been a… who’s this?”

Fū is now very close, her eyes twinkling in delight. “Your summons are so adorable ohmygosh I’m gonna DIE!

“It’s… nice to meet you too,” Isoka chirps awkwardly, before turning to you. “Is she… okay?”

“Never better,” you assure Isoka. “Let me introduce you to Uzumaki Karin, a distant cousin of mine, and Fū, my friend and the former jinchūriki of the two-tails.”

“Charmed,” Isoka replies, with a twitch of her head that could be considered a stiff, slight bow.



After having a pleasant chat with Isoka, and sending her home, you explain the basics to Karin and Fū… they’re presented with the choice of either locating suitable summons over time, accepting your introduction to the Shrike clan and accepting the fact that they’ll be playing second-fiddle to you so long as you both shall live, or to make a random summoning, as you did.

“That Hiraishin technique of yours,” Fū muses. “Does it mean you can come with us?”

You nod politely. “I can, if you’d like me to.”

“Okay,” Karin agrees. “Give us some time, at least an hour.”

“Can do.”

>1d6, taking the third and fifth rolls
>>
Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4232913
>>
Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4232913
>>
>>4232913
>two tails
Seven. It's been a long week.
>>
Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4232913
>>
Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4232913
>>
Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4232913
>>
Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4232913
>>
>>4232913
>Fū: hornets the size of housecats
>Karin: firebreathing crested crane
Will update tomorrow
>>
>>4233014
>>Fū: hornets the size of housecats
>Naori wakes to this in front of her face
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDth2aF4IeY
One the plus side, we're higher on the food chain.
>>
>>4233029
50 deaths a year in Japan from the big suckers that eat entire honeybee hives, and their bite feels like someone jabbing you good and deep with a red hot nail.

These'd be about ten times larger, and the bite would probably be more like big serrated hedge shears.
>>
>>4233014
>>Fū: hornets the size of housecats
Ah, the adorable girl gets her requisite terrifying pets.
>>
>>4233095
If it scales in length, the stings would be about two and a half inches long, about as long as a typical pink eraser.
>>
>>4233123
Two inches of penetration is enough to kill.
>>
>>4233133
Six inches through outerwear is the long-established "recommended" minimum. Two and a half inches is about long enough to penetrate a typical flak jacket and deliver the poison, but not nearly long enough to be fatal without the poison.
>>
>>4233123
I said bites and I meant the big awful mandibles.
>>
>>4233014
Holy shit that is terrifying as fuck.
>>
>>4233014
>Fū: hornets the size of housecats
>Karin: firebreathing crested crane
Man Naori and the gang sure are some cute and terrifying girls. Also I hope Fū’s hornets can get to cazador sizes.
>>
But aren't beetles and wasps natural enemies?
>>
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>>4233014
You decide to check on Karin first, exactly one hour after she disappeared. You get the sense that you’ve travelled an immense distance, and when you arrive there’s a moment of disorientation. Then you catch yourself… the uneven terrain and the sudden wave of heat didn’t help things.

“Where are we?” you ask Karin. The earth here is dark… lava, and sand in the low valleys made from eroded lava, with dense vegetation clinging to the high ground and shallow rivers running over the sand. In the distance there’s a low spot, from which smoke and steam lazily rise.

“I’m glad you came,” Karin replies happily. “This is Hōō, the great firebird of Kikaizan, my summons.”

From the green underbrush on the slope you transported onto, there emerges the form of a majestic white crane with a feathery red crown and a black neck. It takes you a moment to realize that the bird stands a fair bit taller than you do.

It dips its beak in an unmistakeable bow, a gesture you politely return.

Then Hōō turns to Karin, its eye glinting red, sending her back to where she stood before in a puff of smoke.

“Sorry to intrude,” you incline your head to the great crane in polite apology, “but I really feel responsible for Karin, given how we met. And when I was called to my summons, it was a pretty dangerous event.”

“So I ask that you understand, and try to be patient with me.”

After seemingly considering your explanation for a moment, Hōō returns your bow.

“Thank you.”
>1/2
>>
>>4234248
“Don’t move!” Fū insists when you transport yourself to her, in a damp, warm jungle full of mist and an omnipresent thrum like what you’d hear from a high-voltage line.

You quickly see the source of the sound, almost more of a pressure really. It’s the bees, dozens of them, moving through the jungle like stripey yellow hawks on the prowl.

“Let them get your scent,” Fū tells you calmly as a giant bug hovers inches in front of your face, its sting about the same length as your thumb. “You’ll be fine, I’ve told them who you are.”

Eventually the bee moves off, and you can finally breathe again. “What’s going on here?”

“They’re my summons!” Fū replies cheerfully. “Aren’t they cute!?”

“Not the word I’d choose,” you admit. “Though… they’re kinda fuzzy.”

“I wasn’t sure they were bees at first,” Fū admits. “They look like they could be hornets or wasps, but they insist they’re not, so… yeah, guess I’m taking their word for it.”

“I guess the big difference is what they eat,” you shrug. “Do these hunt, or do they gather nectar?”

“They don’t hunt, that’s for sure,” Fū tells you.

“Okay, so they’re either bees or really weird hornets,” you declare. “Wait… ‘their word’? Can you communicate with them?”

“You hear that thrumming?” Fū asks, and continues when you nod. “That’s them communicating. They’re not exactly smart, but I can understand them.”

“Cool,” you nod in understanding. “So, do they make honey?”

“I can have them bring some for us if you want?” Fū offers.

“That’d be pretty awesome,” you admit.
>2/3
>>
>>4234301
“So the contract’s actually with the queen,” Fū explains over dinner, honey-stewed pork with rice and pickled vegetables. “There’s no clan.”

“Same with Hōō,” Karin nods attentively. “There’s only the one of him.”

What you’ve learned so far is that Hōō apparently uses fire transformation and lives within the volcano you visited with Karin, and that Fū’s bees come in two varieties. The giant honeybees that you saw inflict painful wounds that come with an anticoagulant poison, meaning that a deep wound will bleed profusely unless expertly treated. The variety you didn’t see are more like ‘orchid’ bees, brightly-colored in iridescent tones, and carry a venom that causes vivid hallucinations.

“It’s actually not surprising,” you shrug. “Tsunade’s summons is a giant slug that can split her body, Hanzō’s summons Ibuki was a single creature like Hōō, and Ajisai never had a contract.”

“That makes it sounds like actual clans are the exception,” Karin observes.

You actually tend to agree. “The Toads and Snakes are pretty high profile because of how many summoners of theirs have stood out, especially the toads. From what I understand they’ve had Jiraiya, then Minato the Fourth Hokage, then Naruto.”

“The Shrike clan has only had me since the days of the Second Hokage.”

“And you’ve posted quite a spotty record,” Yugito interrupts.

“So have the Snakes’s summoners,” you shrug, “and the Toads’ too, unless you’re from Konoha.”

“Fair point,” Yugito admits. “Guess I’m still not used to the idea that you’re on ‘my side’ yet.”



On the eighteenth of October, a now-regular trip to catch up and coordinate with Gaara and Temari reveals a new development.

“We received a report from Konohagakure,” Gaara explains. “The Fire Temple was evidently destroyed by Akatsuki and the head abbot, Chiriku, was killed.”

You can only frown at the news. “Why would… unless there was a bounty on Chiriku?”

“A quick check might confirm that,” Temari declares. “I’ll get started right away.”

“Please do so,” Gaara agrees. “The Fifth Hokage has decided to field a number of four-man platoons to hunt down the Akatsuki members responsible and bring them in for questioning.”

>If it’s Hidan and Kakuzu, whatever team encounters them will be no match.
>In that case, please send one of my Hiraishin-marked shuriken to her. I’ll speak with her voluntarily.
>Akatsuki’s plans are never so haphazard. I’d look out for evidence of their movements elsewhere.
>Other?
>>
>>4234373
>In that case, please send one of my Hiraishin-marked shuriken to her. I’ll speak with her voluntarily.
>If it’s Hidan and Kakuzu, whatever team encounters them will be no match.
>I have a personal grudge against hidan anyways, and i'd like to settle it myself.
>>
>>4234373
>If it’s Hidan and Kakuzu, whatever team encounters them will be no match. Write a dossier explaining Hidans and Kakuzus skillset and special abilities and ask Gaara to send it as fast as possible to The Fifth Hokage.
>Akatsuki’s plans are never so haphazard. I’d look out for evidence of their movements elsewhere.

While going in and killing Hidan and Kakuzu herself and settling that grudge, gaining more information about Akatsuki's actions is more viable option. Whoever Tobi might be, he hasn't been stupid.
>>
>>4234373
>>If it’s Hidan and Kakuzu, whatever team encounters them will be no match.
>>In that case, please send one of my Hiraishin-marked shuriken to her. I’ll speak with her voluntarily.

It’s a good opportunity to gain their trust and share some intel.
>>
>>4234378
>>4234373
Supporting
>>
>>4234373
>>If it’s Hidan and Kakuzu, whatever team encounters them will be no match.
>>
>>4234373
>>4234380
This.
>>
>>4234373
>In that case, please send one of my Hiraishin-marked shuriken to her. I’ll speak with her voluntarily.
>If it’s Hidan and Kakuzu, whatever team encounters them will be no match.
>I have a personal grudge against hidan anyways, and i'd like to settle it myself.
>>
>>4234793
New thread



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