>>5296476
“Yeah no, I have to admit,” you frown, “I can’t feel much sympathy. Every living thing in this world dies, and every person has to make peace with that in their own way. So as far as I’m concerned, this supposed crisis of yours is just something we all have to face.”

“No matter how long it is you’ve been avoiding your fate, it was simply arrogance that made you think you were actually exempt.”

“Perhaps,” Momoshiki confesses. “Though it seems I won’t be around to see how you face it for myself. Does it even bother you in the slightest, ending the existence of something so vastly older than yourself, which would otherwise have lasted long into the future after you have died?”

“No,” you assure him curtly. “For Kaguya, who once loved humanity, I felt some regret at what she became. For you, I think the only one who might’ve felt something is the guy you ate.”

..

The last of his spirit spent, Momoshiki slumps to the ground in front of you and lies there, utterly lifeless, like a marionette with the strings cut. It’s almost pathetic to see, so you choose not to look at it. Instead you can simply feel it through the total absence of chakra and the fact that you can no longer hear him breathing.

“Let’s go home,” you mutter.

“Just like that?” Kurotsuchi-han asks you quizzically. “Seriously?”

You nod. “It’s my turn to make dinner.”

“There really isn’t much reason to hang around here anymore,” Darui agrees with a shrug.

“One moment,” Sasuke pauses to set Momoshiki’s corpse on fire with the amaterasu. “Okay, now we can go.”
>2/3

>>5296483
Your return with Naruto in tow sees a heroes’ greeting in Konohagakure, and the medical response is immediate. Ryūzetsu is there with Shiki and Makoto, and several others who were in the boxes watching Shiki’s fights are nearby as well - Fū and Yugitō, Sāra and Seiryū, Guren and that little brat she took over looking after once the war was over, Natsuhi, Kagerō, and Tayuya, and even Koyuki-hime with an official entourage. While they’d certainly have come had you asked them, you’re just as sure that your being here is more of a fortunate bonus to most of them.

“Let’s go back to your place for now, Shiki,” you suggest. “I could kinda use a break and I don’t wanna use the hiraishin anymore today.”

“... okay?” your son replies awkwardly. “That’s fine.”

“I’ll go with Wasabi-chan,” Sumire-kun offers calmly. “We’re going to make sure all the other candidates get to the hotel in good order, then we’ll go to her house.”

“Alright,” your son nods curtly. “Then I’ll see you both later.”

…

“So,” your son muses, sliding some scrambled eggs and bacon out of a pan and onto your plate. “How did I do?”

>Not bad, for something you threw together on short notice with what was lying around.
>Congratulations on making chūnin. I’ll have Ajisai finalize the papers some time tomorrow.
>There’s a case to be made for tokubetsu jōnin. It means you’d be able to do some missions solo.
>Other?

>>5296485
>>Congratulations on making chūnin. I’ll have Ajisai finalize the papers some time tomorrow.

Setting up over multiple rounds for that one fight was fucking baller. Let him gain experience as a chunin. Fuck jumping to tokubetsu jonin, no need to rush experience.

>>5296485
>Not bad, for something you threw together on short notice with what was lying around. (joke)
>Congratulations on making chūnin. I’ll have Ajisai finalize the papers some time tomorrow.

>>5296485
>There’s a case to be made for tokubetsu jōnin. It means you’d be able to do some missions solo.

>>5296485
>>Congratulations on making chūnin. I’ll have Ajisai finalize the papers some time tomorrow.

>>5296485
>There’s a case to be made for tokubetsu jōnin. It means you’d be able to do some missions solo.

I think Sumire deserves this too

>>5296510
Maybe but things are relatively peaceful and I want them to enjoy their youth. Well, as much as they can with their sense of responsibility. Also speed running the ninja rankings doesn't make sense to me. How is Shiki to gain experience as a leader if he rushes past the rank explicitly meant for that? It's a meaningful rank to go through.

>>5296514
Yeah, ranks are absolutely worthless. All that matters is his growth, and gaining experience is critical to that.

>>5296485
>>Congratulations on making chūnin. I’ll have Ajisai finalize the papers some time tomorrow.

>>5296514
>>5296661
Aye, Naori would remember how easily she was exploited by rocketing through the ranks when she was a teenager. And she wasn't the only one, Kakashi is another tale were that talent was used to to his detriment. In a time of relative peace the kids should get to enjoy that peace before its to late, otherwise what's the point?

Btw, tell him he did great, he and his sister both when it got very serious all of a sudden

>>5296485
>Congratulations on making chūnin. I’ll have Ajisai finalize the papers some time tomorrow.

I agree that him speedrunning the ranks isn't a great idea. Naori, Sauce-man and Nard aren't wrung out yet, let him enjoy being a kid a while longer.

>>5296485
>Congratulations on making chūnin. I’ll have Ajisai finalize the papers some time tomorrow.

>>5296485
>There’s a case to be made for tokubetsu jōnin. It means you’d be able to do some missions solo.

>>5296485
>Not bad, for something you threw together on short notice with what was lying around.

But mostly just to exercise our right to tease the kid. He's earned chuunin comfortably.

He entered the exam; he passed the exam. If he wants to go higher than chuunin, it can be on his terms and not because it was forced on him. We aren't in the middle of the sort of militant situation that would justify pushing people like that.

Oh. But if any of the proctors or judges come after him for scamming Shinki, he's on his own. (Teasing again)

>>5296485
- Shiki -

“I think there’s a case for tokubetsu jōnin there,” your mother muses, “but yeah… in most cases tokubetsu jōnin is for more advanced shinobi who have near-jōnin abilities, not genin who happen to have skills exceeding an average chūnin. I’ll have Ajisai finalize the paperwork for your promotion to chūnin tomorrow.”

“… I meant dinner,” you admit awkwardly.

After a moment, Naori-ue shrugs. “Even if it wasn’t fine, it’s something you made for us and I’d appreciate it.”

“Pepper slipped your mind?” Ryūzetsu-ue guesses.

Ah, right. That. With all the craziness today it’s a little hard to deal with all the little details, but it’s clear nobody expects you to be at 100% right now. So you quickly grab the salt, pepper, butter, and so forth and bring them all to the table before sitting with your family.

There’s a pause.

“I dunno,” Naori-ue muses, “whaddya think?”

Ryūzetsu-ue shrugs. “I mean, it’s your thing.”

“Would you be okay with it personally?”

“I think so, yeah. I trust your judgment.”

“... okay, I’ll bite,” Makoto breaks. “What are you talking about?”

“Yeah no, I think it’s time to start your training in earnest,” Naori-ue suggests. “And by that I mean with senjutsu and hiraishin.”

… those are big words. You’re familiar with both techniques of course, as they’re key elements in your mother’s arsenal - S-ranked abilities that have each been possessed by only a handful of people before her. The only living sages today are Naori-ue and Naruto-san, with the only sages you know of previously being Senju Hashirama, Jiraiya of the Sannin, Namikaze Minato, and briefly Uchiha Madara. You also have heard that the Sage of Six Paths possessed an ability to use senjutsu chakra, though that was in mythical times before the existence of shinobi. As for hiraishin the list is even shorter - Senju Tobirama, your distant grandfather, and Namikaze Minato, with a small handful of chūnin and tokubetsu jōnin in Konoha having been taught to use the technique as a trio but who are incapable of using the technique to its full potential.

Needless to say, to possess either puts a shinobi on track to join the ranks of the elite among the elite. And to learn both is almost an embarrassment of technical wealth that only two people have ever known - Naori-ue, and Namikaze Minato.

>Can we really do that? I mean, what does that even look like in practical terms?
>Wouldn’t that mean being formally introduced to the shrike clan?
>Makoto… what do you think about this? How close do you think we are?
>Other?

>>5298733
>I trust your judgement, Naori-ue. Whatever i need to do, let's start as soon as possible.

>>5298733
>>Can we really do that? I mean, what does that even look like in practical terms?

>>5298733
>Can we really do that? I mean, what does that even look like in practical terms?

>>5298733
>>Wouldn’t that mean being formally introduced to the shrike clan?

>>5298733
>>Makoto… what do you think about this? How close do you think we are?

>>5298733
>>Can we really do that? I mean, what does that even look like in practical terms?

>>5298733
I have concerns.

Sorry to be a wet-blanket, but this is getting way too trivial. It's already written but I hope Naori is joking here.

This latest scene seems to be imply a complete lack of the tone and gravitas these abilities normally command. It's the casual mention of plausibly teaching both techniques in one breath like this that does it, I think.

*Orochimaru* looked into becoming a sage and decided "Nope, too hard." Opting to instead experiment with crazy biological methods of harnessing natural energy. But honestly: sage mode isn't the worst part, now that I think of it.

Using natural energy, as mentioned above, has a lot to do with congenital factors. This makes explaining special needs student, Naruto, learning it almost flawlessly in short order seem at least feasible. But Hiraishin is a separate matter. Probably not something that can be casually taught. You are either a 4d, space-time fuinjitsu savant, or you're not.

I'd also be more interested in seeing Shiki and Makoto have further opportunities to discover the things they are best at and coming into their own rather than just assuming they can be Naori 2.0.

Thanks anyone who at least considered what I had to say.

>>5299991
First thing, it's Naori who's pretty nonchalant about a lot of things what with being a demigod and whatnot, Shiki on the other hands seems pretty aware of the magnitude of his mom's statement. And Naori does have reasons to believe her kids being more than capable. Them being Uzumaki through and through comes with fuinjutsu talent, and being born from senjutsu was established earlier as giving the twins some affinity to natural energy.
And remember, this is just what Naori says in universe, there isn't WoG written in thread of how easy they will take to learning or if they'll succeed at all. Yeah, an MC is bound to have unfair advantages over the rest of the setting but that was also true in the source material.
But still, you raise some fair concerns, don't take this as dismisiveness or advocacy for the QM.

>>5300018
>>5299991
I don't really care what happens either way because this is the boruto universe and the boruto universe is non-canon in my head
This quest actually ended when kaguya died. None of us are here right now.

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>>5300020
>there is no Boruto

>>5299991
I don't see that at all. Not only has it been previously established that the kids were basically conceived via senjutsu in a not-quite-Orochimaru-worthy effort, but that they have inherited an affinity for it - and even beginning the training for it wasn't even raised until it became clear that they had both the technical skill of at least a chunin AND that they had the required stamina and chakra reserves (which Orochimaru lacked). There's nothing 'casual' there, they may prove to have a knack for it but not to the same degree as a pure biological experiment like Mitsuki, but they also have a very experienced teacher.

As for hiraishin, none of the hokage guard unit are even full jonin, and none of them have the advantage of being from a clan famous for an inborn talent for fuinjutsu. The youngest member of that unit, Iwashi, was 23 at the start of the first series, meaning that Minato taught him a version of the hiraishin when he was 11 years old. Genma would've been 17, and Raido I believe would have been 19. So really there's no reason to think that two Uzumaki brats who inherited the strengths of that bloodline couldn't start training to learn the hiraishin at 13, and there's no reason why Naori wouldn't want to start teaching her kids the strongest techniques in her arsenal.

Same goes for Ryuzetsu, who waited to teach them anything about the Ryumei until she felt they were old enough and capable enough to start learning it. Having no real skill with paper ninjutsu, having a different elemental affinity, and having the Ryumei and the Tenro seal, are all going to mean that even once Shiki is done training the things that his parents passed down to him they're going to look quite different in practice from the way his parents would use them.

And it's not going to be immediate because unlike in Boruto """canon""" I don't intend to throw the new generation straight into dealing with the new big bads.

Hope that's addressed some of your concerns my dude.

>>5298733
>>>Can we really do that? I mean, what does that even look like in practical terms?

>>5298733
“What would this look like in practice?” you ask curiously. “I thought we would have to form a contract with the shrike clan?”

“Yeah no, that’s definitely true,” Naori-ue confirms, “and you would need to do some training before even attempting to gather natural energy to do so safely. When I was training there were dangers that we now know how to mitigate.”

“What sort of training?” Makoto asks.

“I want to pair each of you with a shrike,” Naori-ue tells you, carefully laying out her thinking now that it’s time for the details to emerge. “Isoka’s two chicks specifically, they’re around your age now and both can handle senjutsu chakra even if they struggle to gather it. If you can train to synchronize your chakra with theirs, then they will be able to channel away any excess natural energy you might gather before it becomes a problem.”

“That’s how people die training for this,” Ryūzetsu-ue adds. “Too little and there’s no effect, too much…”

“And you become a statue,” Naori-ue clarifies the exact manner in which making that particular mistake will kill you. “Nobody wants that, so we’ll take precautions from the start. As for hiraishin, I have confidence in you. If a chūnin like Tatami-han can learn the basics at eleven I’m sure you can do better. And there’s no rush. Take a few years if you have to.”

“Does this typically take years?” you wonder.

Naori-ue shakes her head. “Well, not for Minato-han, and Naruto-kun cheated with shadow clones - don’t even try that. And I think Hashirama-tono didn’t take long… like Naruto-kun, I feel Madara-han cheated by using cloned cells from Hashirama-tono’s body. So there are ways to make it go faster than it did for Jiraiya-tono… either by being smart or clever. And how you work past the inherent limitations will determine how you use it in battle.”

“That’s talking about sage mode,” you observe.

“With hiraishin it comes down to refinement,” Naori-ue tells you, “and I can help you with that. Though yeah, the way each of you ends up using it may look a bit different from each other - Makoto-chan, your version may more closely resemble mine when I’m not using Seiran mode. Shiki-kun… sorry, but I can only guess what your arsenal’s gonna look like when you’ve trained up.”

It will look different of course because you have different abilities. Even your version of Kongō Fūsa looks different because of the fūinjutsu formula you use for it, similarly to how your kengen techniques are different from your mothers, or your sister’s. You understand that your sister’s technique will probably look more like your mother’s use of manipulated sealing tags, mixing in explosives and the like to make her attack pattern unpredictable, and to move hiraishin markings around continuously.
>1/?

>>5300873
In your case, the likely result would be much closer to the original form, albeit probably adding chakra flow techniques to the hiraishin-marked kunai and shuriken shadow clones to increase the number of tagged kunai in a given area. In a sense, both of these techniques are just the key components in building entire cohesive combat styles, enabling powerful new options rather than representing any sort of end point to you or your sister’s development.

“In case you were wondering,” Ryūzetsu-ue adds in, “this will be gradual.”

“Yeah no, good point,” Naori-ue quickly agrees. “It’s my intent to give you ways to train yourselves at your own pace.”

“How long do you imagine it would take?” you wonder.

“I think two to three years would be normal,” Naori-ue muses, “considering how much help you have available.”

“And the fact you’re both geniuses,” Ryūzetsu-ue adds quickly.

You consider all of this new information in silence for a little while. “You’ve thought a lot about this, haven’t you?”

“For sure,” Naori-ue admits. “Since you were born. Back in our time, it was easy to risk your life just to get a little stronger, and senjutsu was far from a small benefit.”

“It’s easy to risk your life when your life is the only one at risk,” Ryūzetsu-ue summarizes.

“Quite.”

“Well,” you muse, glancing at Makoto, “if it were anyone else suggesting it I’d say it sounded too good to be true. But since it’s definitely true… I think we can’t pass up the chance to work towards abilities like these. Makoto?”

“It seems like the best way to do what we decided to do,” she agrees.

Naori-ue nods once with a smile. “Then we should go straight to bed after dinner. You two will have some packing to do tomorrow.”

…

It’s not a particularly warm day - rain is scheduled off and on starting early in the morning and going all the way through until early evening, and there’s no hurry to get out early. You ended up sleeping on the spare futon thrown out on the floor, and so you slept somewhat restlessly, waking up last mostly thanks to your parents and sister keeping quiet while they fixed a quick breakfast and took care of some business. By the time you eventually stir around nine-thirty, there’s a small package waiting for you on the table in your apartment’s sitting room.

The flak jacket is slate grey, in a simplified ‘modern’ design where the only pouch fitted is on the back of the belt - sufficient to hold two kunai across the small of your back. There’s also a leather holster for a small scroll that hangs just slightly behind your right hip, to keep from conflicting with your typical strong-side shuriken holster.
>2/3

>>5300957
Your wakizashi sits at your left hip, your headband rests low around the base of your neck within the protective collar of the flak jacket, and you roll the sleeves of the breathable undershirt up over your elbows to leave a gap above the traditional tekkō gauntlets that cover the backs of your hands and loop around your middle fingers.

Makoto’s outfit is similar, however she wears no sleeves and has used her headband to keep her long red hair out of her face. She wears her tantō in the shinobi style behind her right shoulder, and around her waist hang folds of clothing that drape halfway down her thighs. Over these folds she wears two scroll holsters like your own, one on each side, and her pants cut off just below her knees.

“Not bad,” you nod.

“You seem like you’re missing something,” Makoto muses. “I’m sure you’ll find it.”

After a few minutes of packing, you hear a commotion just outside the door to your patio, and find Wasabi-kun crouched on the railing. So you open the door.

“Sorry, but if you’re looking for a bowl of milk we’re fresh out,” you joke.

“I choose to ignore that,” she grumbles. “We’re taking that Suna team out for lunch a bit later. Wanna come?”

She pauses for a moment. "Hey, looks pretty sharp on you. Congrats... guess I should get used to callin' you captain?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," you sigh.

>I’m actually getting ready to leave for a few days… an important date with some birds.
>I think I can spare the time. After all, my family does travel by teleportation most days.
>Other

>>5300971
>I think I can spare the time. After all, my family does travel by teleportation most days.

>>5300971
>I think I can spare the time. After all, my family does travel by teleportation most days.
wasabi get?

>>5300971
>>I think I can spare the time. After all, my family does travel by teleportation most days.

>>5300971
>I think I can spare the time. After all, my family does travel by teleportation most days.

>>5300971
>>I think I can spare the time. After all, my family does travel by teleportation most days.

>>5300982
I like were your head is at, but i doubt its gonna be that easy.

>>5300971
>>I think I can spare the time. After all, my family does travel by teleportation most days.

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>>5300971
“We’ll be heading out of town a little later,” you admit, “but we probably have some time. After all, we’re probably going to teleport there… where were you taking them?”

“To the fish market,” Wasabi tells you, before frowning slightly. “Where’re you going so soon after the exams? Amegakure?”

You shake your head. “No, we’re probably overdue to meet my mom’s summoning clan… I guess it’s a bit of a formal thing.”

“Alright then,” she shrugs, “we can talk about it later. See you there, or meet up someplace first?”

“I’ll meet you guys there,” you decide. “See you.”

Makoto glances at you with a slight smirk. “It’s always nice to see how you and your team get along, Shiki.”

You give her a playful nudge to her forehead as you head off to tell your parents. “You and Gin hanging out a lot these days?”

…

“Ah, Shiki-kun!” Sumire greets you with a smile at the entrance to the Mohawk fish market, on the southeast side of the village. “It seems you were already promoted? Congratulations!”

“We should turn this into a celebration before we go back to Sunagakure,” Kōshū declares unilaterally. “It’s decided, Shiki-kun doesn’t pay today!”

“That’s generous, but you really don’t have to…”

“Nonsense!” she insists. “If we all chip in a little extra it’s not like it’s a big deal or anything, and celebrating a friend’s achievements is just what you do, right?”

“She has a point,” Wasabi shrugs.

“And once she has an idea in mind, it can be hard to dissuade her,” Shinki admits calmly. “Just let her go with it.”

The fish market is as busy as it ever is, with both freshwater and marine delicacies of every variety being packed, sold, shipped, and otherwise processed. The best thing about this place is, of course, the little stalls where you can get pretty much anything that swims prepared for you in any way you like, to eat right there on the spot or to take outside with you. Right now, one of the best things you can get is the freshwater eel - a little taste of home for you, a rare novelty for your guests from the desert.
>1/2

>>5302219
“So this is unagi,” Shinki muses curiously after nibbling at first, testing the grilled eel before committing. “It’s unexpectedly sweet.”

“Man, I hardly ever get it unless I’m visiting my parents,” Kōshū sighs contentedly.

Araya has to tilt his mask up just enough to be able to eat under it, foiling anyone’s hopes who might’ve been waiting to see his face. So, he’s really that dedicated to the concept, huh? Sure you’re a little disappointed, but you’re also a little impressed.

“So, I hear you are preparing for a trip as well,” Shinki broaches the subject.

You nod. “Certain introductions need to be made with the shrikes.”

“You make it sound like you’re meeting the yakuza or something,” Kōshū jokes. “Are all summoning clans that serious?”

You shrug. “Maybe. Shrikes only contract with one summoner, and the contract is exclusive till one or the other dies.”

“So it’s important to make sure it’s a good fit?” Kōshū guesses.

“More to make sure it’s not a bad fit,” you clarify. “Otherwise a shrike could end up waiting for decades for the ‘prefect’ summoner.”

You finish a pleasant lunch outside, nibbling on barbecued eel for about an hour and chatting, before admitting that you should probably be getting home so that you don’t end up keeping your family waiting too long. You say your goodbyes for now, both to your own team and to your temporary guests from Sunagakure.

“Good luck,” you offer politely. “And sorry things weren’t more ‘normal’ while you were here - trust me, we don’t typically have alien invasions like that.”

“Thanks for all your hospitality,” Kōshū replies politely. After a delay, she glares sharply at Shinki. “Oi, don’t be a jerk.”

After a moment, Shinki bows to an appropriate depth, then turns to leave.

Araya nods once. “Thank you.”

Then he leaves to join Shinki.

Kōshū sighs dramatically. “We’ve still got work to do, but he is thankful... I think. Anyway take care you all, and you take care, Shiki-kun!”

"I'll be fine," you assure her and your teammates. "How bad could it possibly be?"
>2/3

>>5302695
>"How bad could it possibly be?"
Well, its time for Naori to teach the 'First rule of missions' to shiki, didn't think the curriculum was this bad in Konoha ...

>>5302695
>"How bad could it possibly be?"
Oh my sweet summer child, bless your heart. You just said the magic words.

>>5302695
The first thing you notice about the shrike forest is that you have a really hard time breathing in it. You’ve never been ‘out of shape’ before but this is what you’d imagine it would feel like to have gone out of shape then immediately tried running a mile. Your lungs are definitely complaining, and your whole body feels heavy.

“What is… this…” Makoto struggles.

You recognize the sensation of what’s causing this. “Natural energy… huh? But… how?”

“When the first god-tree was destroyed by the Sage of Six Paths, a vast amount of natural energy that had been stored was released,” Naori-ue explains patiently, having no trouble at all even in this atmosphere. “It spread in a powerful wave, which surged right around the whole world, meeting here.”

“... the antipode,” Makoto realizes aloud.

“Exactly,” Naori-ue confirms. “The waves converged here a thousand years ago, and left a permanent impact. Follow me and I’ll introduce you.”

There’s a winding forest path that Naori-ue leads you down, which eventually leads to an ancient-looking shrine where you find five birds and what looks like a tengu, which appear to have been waiting for you. Three you recognize - the scroll-bird Kijani-san, the oversized hummingbird Isoka-san, the gloriously-plumed and massive Nyoka-san. The tengu however is new to you, and the other two small shrikes who bear a resemblance to Isoka-san must be her offspring, but you can only guess that.

“Zenkibō-han, Nyoka-han, Isoka-han, Kijani-han,” Naori-ue bows politely, in a gesture immediately reflected. “As promised, may I present my children - Shiki-kun and Makoto-chan.”

Isoka-san is the first to reply. “Kiburi, Uwazi.”

The two smaller birds flit forward, examining you and your sister from a distance, from several angles, before separating so that one can approach each of you. Makoto reaches out with her hand and you do the same, so that the bird can land on your outstretched finger. Straight bill, iridescent blue and green feathers, with a white chest and trailing tailfeathers in scintillating blues and violets

>So… would you be Kiburi-san or Uwazi-san? We haven’t been introduced.
>Uzumaki Shiki, chūnin from Amegakure, currently assigned to Konohagakure.
>I assume you have a plan… shall we begin then?
>Other?

>>5303065
>Uzumaki Shiki, chūnin from Amegakure, currently assigned to Konohagakure.

>>5303065
>>So… would you be Kiburi-san or Uwazi-san? We haven’t been introduced.

>>5303065
>>Uzumaki Shiki, chūnin from Amegakure, currently assigned to Konohagakure.

>>5303065
>>Uzumaki Shiki, chūnin from Amegakure, currently assigned to Konohagakure.

>>5303065
>>Uzumaki Shiki, chūnin from Amegakure, currently assigned to Konohagakure.

>>5303065
>>Uzumaki Shiki, chūnin from Amegakure, currently assigned to Konohagakure.

>>5303065
“Uzumaki Shiki,” you greet the bird politely, “a chūnin from Amegakure, currently on indefinite assignment to a team in Konohagakure.”

“This one goes by the name Kiburi,” the bird greets you in return. “You may refer to her as such without honorifics. You said you were assigned to a team in Konoha?”

“International cooperation,” you muse, “or something to that effect.”

“This one understands,” Kiburi replies calmly. “This is in support of your mother, Uzumaki Naori-dono, and her various diplomatic initiatives?”

“That’s right.”

“And how do you find it?”

“They’re great,” you smile, “my teammates in particular. In Amegakure, my sister and I were… well, kind of feared.”

“Is that so?”

You nod. “Our skills even intimidated kids much older than us.”

“One fears what one does not understand,” Kiburi muses. “Or something to that effect?”

“Maybe,” you admit. “It’s consistent with what I felt.”

“This one is also curious about your other summons,” she admits. “She has heard something about a salamander?”

“Momo-chan,” you smile. “He’s good fun. Horrifically venomous and bound to grow up into a monster, but for now I can swing him around like a flail.”

“That sounds like quite a sight. But are you certain that is okay?”

“Yeah, he loves it,” you shrug. “It’s like it’s all one big game to him.”

Kiburi glances over at your sister and her own brother, then returns her attention to you. “This one is comfortable with her decision so far. Shall we retire to a more suitable setting?”

You spare Naori-ue a glance, and she nods at you. “Okay, that sounds good. You lead the way?”

“Of course.”

Kiburi leads you away from the shrine to a nearby clearing in the forest, where there's a large, flat rock surrounded by wild lavender and hydrangeas.
>1/2

>>5303968
Queen range banned, says:
>1d6 high roll
>taking first three

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5304127

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5304127

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5304127

>>5303968
“This one assumes that you will have at least been told about cooperation ninjutsu?” Kiburi muses. “Even if you have not ever tried to use one?”

“Supposedly, it’s matching your chakra to your partner’s that makes it difficult,” you reply. “Often you may get the approximate results you expected, but its effectiveness is cut by a bad match between chakras.”

“That is quite correct,” Kiburi chirps, perching atop a nearby lavender stem. “Naori-dono and this one’s mother, Isoka-san, are quite well-matched, as are Naori-dono and Nyoka-dono. If you and this one are to work together in training you to use senjutsu chakra, our coordination will need to be excellent.”

You take a seat on the rock, cross-legged with the backs of your hands resting on your knees and one finger outstretched on your right hand. “Well, there’s no sense talking about it too much if we don’t even know where our starting point is, right?”

“Agreed,” Kiburi replies, fluttering over to land on your finger. “Try to draw chakra, and this one will do the same. Remain aware of both our chakras.”

…

For such a small bird Kiburi’s chakra reserves are actually surprising. It takes you a little while to fight the instinct to restrain your chakra much more than is necessary, though eventually you start to feel as if you’re making a little bit of progress.

“Not bad,” she admits. “Still much room for improvement, but that being said, this one is suitably impressed with your potential, Shiki-san.”

“I’m glad to hear it, Kiburi,” you reply politely. “Shall we return to the shrine together?”

“Yes, this one believes that to be appropriate.”

You do exactly that, returning to the shrine where Naori-ue and her shrike affiliates are waiting for you and Makoto to return with your respective prospective shrike partners. “Well, how did it go?”

“This one has made her decision,” Kiburi declares. “Kijani-san, if you would please furnish the scroll.”

When Kijani the scroll-bird spits out a large scroll that your mother unfurls, you’re instructed to prick your finger and sign your name in blood, then place the keppan - five fingerprints of the right hand you’ll use to summon Kiburi from now on - below your name, taking your place to your mother’s left. And with that the formalities are concluded, allowing you to find a quiet place to wait for Makoto and Uwazi to finish up.
>1/2

>>5304741
Next comes something not quite so pleasant.

“Seriously,” you grumble, with one of the icepacks Ryūzetsu-ue whipped up for you and Makoto sitting on your face. You were given a choice before continuing your training tomorrow - either pierce your lower lip with a wickedly long stingray barb, or one of your ears. Unlike Naori-ue, both you and your sister chose the latter. “How’d you do this to your own face?”

“When we were your age we were all a bit…” Ryūzetsu-ue begins, before pausing to think.

“I’d already had an eye gouged out by that age,” Naori-ue shrugs.

…

The next few days are absorbed in basic training - physical training first thing, guided meditation, lunch, studying the spacetime mechanics of the summoning jutsu, more meditation, dinner, more studying, then resting for the night before starting it all over again. By the end of the week the only things that have changed are the topic of your studies (the basics of creating new fūinjutsu keyes and technique formulae) and the fact that it’s just a little easier to breath when you’re outside the shelter of the safehouse Naori-ue built here years ago.

“See ya later, Shiki!” Makoto leaves you with a cheerful goodbye that sunday night, when your family is leaving you back at your apartment.

“You’re doing fine,” Ryūzetsu-ue tells you quietly before leaving. “I know you know this, but Naori… can be intense. But that doesn’t mean you should feel pressured. She knows better than anyone how hard what you’re learning is.”

You had quietly confided in her two nights ago, admitting to your disappointment in how hard you’re finding all this. “Thanks, mom. I know.”

Naori-ue reappears, having already taken Makoto home and left your other mother alone with you for a moment. “Hey Shiki?”

“I’m proud of you two,” she insists with an easy smile. “For who you are, for sure. Not just when you succeed. I know I don’t say that often enough.”

“... thanks,” you bow deeply. “That being said, I don’t intend to slack off.”

The smile shifts slightly into a bit of a smirk. “Yeah, I know. That’s who you are, after all.”

“Call you later in the week?”

“Looking forward to it.”
>2/3

>>5305370
Your muscles are sore all day the next day, so you take it easy - Team 15 officially has the day off, so after meeting back up with an irritatingly well-rested Sumire and a frustratingly peppy Wasabi for the morning, you break off and soak in a hot spring for the early evening before heading home to throw something vaguely dinner-shaped together.

When you get to your apartment, something feels… off. It’s impossible to pin down at first, just something like a sneaking suspicion that things aren’t the way they should be, as though something has been changed and you can’t quite identify it. Then it hits you - the sliding door to the balcony wasn’t open when you left, but now it’s standing just ajar. Sweeping each room, you quickly reach your bedroom where you find an envelope sitting on your pillow.

It has your name on it.

You weigh it in your hand, and cautiously open it to reveal a letter written in what look like magazine clippings - like a ransom note, or the manifesto of a serial killer.

“Turn on your TV” it reads. You carefully examine the television in the other room and find a tape plugged into the tape deck that shouldn’t be there - someone left a message that includes audio and visual.

Turning on the television and pressing play reveals a simple set, in what looks like a cave, with the Tsuchikage sitting in a plain metal chair with her hands tied behind her back. A voice from off-camera gives an order.

“What is your name?”

“Kurotsuchi,” the Tsuchikage glares at the camera.

“Tell me one thing for the recording, one thing that only you and Uzumaki Shiki would know.”

Kurotsuchi glares up at the speaker standing behind the camera. “You bastard… what do you want Shiki-kun for?”

“You’ll find out in a moment. Just answer my question.”

There’s a pause. “Shiki-kun, for your eighth birthday I bought you and Makoto-chan a hard to find Kura-maa toy to complete your collection. You got your Matata-bii from Yugitō-san and your Chō-ō-mi from Fū-kun, but Naruto-kun got you a Shuka-kuu. So I got you a Kura-maa and Gaara got you a Gen-buu.”

“Okay,” you mutter, “that checks out.”
>3/4

>>5305384
“We have no intention of causing anyone any harm,” the voice insists. “But patience and official channels are for people with time and alternatives, and those are two things that are in short supply for us. So distasteful as it may be, consider this a threat.”

“Meet our representatives outside the main gate to the village at midnight. Contact no one, leave no message, bring only what you need for one week. Your bag will be checked before leaving, so don’t try anything clever.”

“And bring the tape and the letter with you.”

Good thing your sword is sealed into a marking on your palm right now. As for that second part… not happening. You’re going to leave a message, the only question is what sort of message could potentially go unnoticed but still be clear to whoever comes looking eventually? You reason that it’s most likely to be your teammates coming to look for you, so it should be something that will be obvious to them, and it should explain the nature of the problem, but it should be something whoever has been assigned to watch you won’t understand the significance of.

>You have a “heart stone” from Iwagakure. Leave that somewhere that your team will find it.
>Try to leave a small sealing-script marking in your bedroom, somewhere a little out of the way.
>The tape is evidence. Try to swap it for one of your own and leave it visible in the room.
>Other?

>>5305390
>>You have a “heart stone” from Iwagakure. Leave that somewhere that your team will find it.

>>5305390
>You have a “heart stone” from Iwagakure. Leave that somewhere that your team will find it.

>>5305390
Do we have enough training to be able to do the thing Naori-ue does with the Hiraishin kunai signals? I assume we have a ninja equivalent morse code we could chakra-pulse a simple message with.

Or maybe wave transmission method to someone we pass on the street as we prepare to leave town?

>>5305390
>>You have a “heart stone” from Iwagakure. Leave that somewhere that your team will find it.

>>5305568
we can try to give one of our friends a hint with wave transmission, but that can only really work if we meet someone that both knows us and that we can do it, so its a bit situational and depedent on luck.

>>5305390
As you pack into the small bag you usually carry on long-distance missions, you consider your possible options and settle on one - something that your teammates will understand but that whoever is watching you through the open windows of your apartment won’t. You make sure that your back is turned to the window of your bedroom and palm the ‘heart stone’ you found as part of your genin graduation exam in Iwagakure, then at the kitchen sink you slip it into the little jug that you keep to water your houseplants. The jug you leave by the bowl of plants on the little table where you eat.

That’s about as much as you think you can get away with before leaving the apartment, turning the bolt into the ‘locked’ position and closing it most of the way.

…

“This is weird, right?” Wasabi asks her teammate with a frown. “Shiki-kun’s never late.”

“And Hanabi-sensei isn’t usually so secretive,” Sumire agrees.

Wasabi glances in the direction of Shiki’s apartment. “You don’t think… that something happened?”

“If it did, we genin would be some of the last to know,” Sumire admits, biting lightly on her thumbnail as she tries to reason things out. “Hanabi-sensei didn’t tell us not to look into it ourselves.”

“Yeah,” Wasabi quickly agrees. “Let’s start at his place.”

…

It doesn’t take long for the two kunoichi to find themselves in the neighborhood where their teammate lives - a lowrise building in an older part of the village, near a small park by the same river that feeds the old hot springs district. It’s not quite as swanky as some of the newer parts of town, for example some of the buildings with a view from the top of the Hokage rock have ultra-luxury apartments in them that might cost as much as renting an entire building elsewhere.

When they get to the door, they both stop after observing the same thing.

“The deadbolt is holding it open?” Wasabi mutters. “What’s going on here?”

Sumire carefully pushes the door open and peeks inside. “Shiki-kun? Are you here?”

Receiving no answer, she motions for Wasabi to follow her. “We should try not to move anything if we can avoid it.”

“Right,” Wasabi agrees with a curt nod before following her teammate in.
>1/2

>>5306111
The two kunoichi carefully examine each room, with Wasabi gingerly sniffing at the air here and there to try and help paint a picture of the last few hours in Shiki’s apartment.

“It looks like he packed before leaving,” Sumire starts putting some of the evidence together. “So he wasn’t in a hurry. The blinds are open, so anyone outside can see inside.”

“He wasn’t here too long though,” Wasabi declares. “I’d say he left around one in the morning.”

Sumire examines the table, and the little jug left there by the pot of plants she gave her future teammate as a white day gift, years ago now. “The last thing he did was water his plants, so clearly he expects to come back.”

Then she examines the jug more closely. “Found something… isn’t this…”

“That rock he brought back from Iwagakure?” Wasabi frowns. “There’s an unfamiliar smell out in the other room… it’s real faint, concentrated around the patio doors and the tv.”

“Someone else was here?”

“Best I can guess.”

“So he didn’t leave by choice,” Sumire guesses. “And he left the heart stone he got in Iwagakure in the jug he waters his house plants with… it’s a message.”

“He was being observed, so he left us something we’d be able to find and recognize?” Wasabi realizes. “So that means he was telling us where he’s going?”

“Either that or where whoever the stranger in his apartment was from,” Sumire supposes. “Either way, it’s clear that he was coerced, probably being watched through the windows… which is why the deadbolt trick worked. You couldn’t see it from outside.”

>Play as Sumire
>Play as Wasabi

>>5306139
>>Play as Wasabi

>>5306139
>Play as Wasabi

>>5306139
Play as cat girl?
Yes please

>>5306139
>>Play as Wasabi
nyan

>>5306139
>>Play as Sumire

>>5306139
>Play as Wasabi
Sumire is great but Wasabi POV sounds fun.

>>5306139
>>Play as Sumire

>>5306139
>>Play as Wasabi

>>5306139
You are Izuno Wasabi, a thirteen year-old kunoichi from one of Konoha’s true minor-league clans. Your family are rarely counted among the gifted and talented, and only ever make chūnin the boring way as adults. While you’ve always acknowledged your clan’s hiden, the Nekokaburi, as being an excellent technique, it’s not as famous as the Inuzuka clan’s nintaijutsu and ninken-handling skills or as extraordinary as the Hyūga’s byakugan. It’s not as versatile (or creepy) as the Aburame’s bug ninjutsu, or as powerful as the Akimichi clan’s hiden. It doesn’t even have a final secret, or at least not one that anyone has ever actually managed to use.

But because of your hiden, you can tell better than most shinobi when something smells wrong about a situation. And what you’ve found in Shiki’s empty apartment well and truly stinks.

“We have to take this to Lord Seventh,” Sumire insists immediately.

“Right,” you agree. “Let’s go!”

…

You run past Team 10 - those guys must have the day off too, which is starting to look worse and worse. Outside the Hokage’s office you run even spy Konohamaru-sensei, who looks unusually tense, and doesn’t even slow down to look at either of you on his way into the building.

At the front desk, Kannonji-san pretty much shuts you down. “There’s no way you can see the Hokage right now,” she insists.

“We think something happened to our teammate, Uzumaki Shiki-kun,” Sumire insists. “We think he may have been…”

“The Hokage and the jōnin council are busy with a crisis,” Kannonji-san insists. “I’m sorry if there’s something going on with your teammate, but you can’t just barge in like Boruto-kun and Sarada-kun do.”

>Would you just listen already!? Our teammate was abducted last night and we have evidence!
>This is going nowhere. You’re going to have to sneak into the building with a clever distraction.
>Kannonji-san’s a nobody. There must be someone else with some authority who might listen.
>Other?

>>5306341
>>Kannonji-san’s a nobody. There must be someone else with some authority who might listen.
Who's woman is this?

>>5306341

>We don't have time for this! (Bust the fuck in, or at least make a big enough racket that you can't be ignored)

>>5306341
>>Kannonji-san’s a nobody. There must be someone else with some authority who might listen.

>>5306341
>>Would you just listen already!? Our teammate was abducted last night and we have evidence!

>>5306345
Lady at the mission desk, ground floor of the complex where the Hokage's office is. Basically a glorified receptionist.

>>5306341
>Would you just listen already!? Our teammate was abducted last night and we have evidence!
That feels very wasabi, direct and passionate

>>5306341
“Kannonji-san,” you growl, leaning over the assignment desk. “Since you weren’t listening the first time, a chūnin in one of our squads has been abducted and we have evidence that Iwagakure was involved. So use that little phone behind your desk to call Lord Seventh before we have a problem on our hands, yeah?”

“Are you threatening me, young lady?” Kannonji-san doubles down immediately.

“If that’s what gets you to call Lord Seventh,” Sumire replies calmly, perhaps sensing that you’re just about at the boiling point, “then yes, let’s say we’re threatening you, Kannonji-san. Please, call a jōnin or Lord Seventh to come take care of us.”
>1d6, best three of four, high roll

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5306952

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5306952

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5306952

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5306952

>>5306952
>evidence that a chunin has been kidnapped
>Up-jumped secretary with a bureaucratic ego throwing red tape

The absolute state of this village holy shit. Is there a process that Sumire and Wasabi are skipping for the sake of speed or is this secretary just ignoring the seriousness of the situation?

>>5306995
in canon its explained that the very same 'crisis' is because they witnessed mitsuki leave and by attacking guards as well, if that is the same case here its a diplomatic incident thats quite nasty.

>>5306952
“Yes, there are two genin here to see Lord Seventh… yes, Team 15.”

You can barely make out what the other person is saying - an unfamiliar male voice. “... concerned… saying…”

“Yes, they’re concerned about their teammate. They’ve gotten unusually assertive down here. If you could send a jōnin to explain the situation?”

“... Hanabi-san… away.”

“Right, I think that will help.”

“You…” you growl angrily. “The hell’s your problem, not telling them why we’re here?”

“Let it go for now, Wasabi,” Sumire cautions you. “Let Hanabi-sensei take care of her.”

Several minutes later your sensei steps out of the elevator and into the lobby, crossing her arms as she walks towards you. “Alright you guys, care to explain what all this commotion is about?”

“We know where Shiki-kun is going,” you blurt out immediately.

Hanabi-sensei’s expression changes immediately, from annoyance to genuine concern. “You do? What do you know?”

“When our mission was canceled and Shiki-kun never showed up to the meeting point we went to his apartment,” Sumire-kun begins to explain. “When we got there we found the door wedged open by the bolt, so we went in.”

“All the blinds and the door to the balcony were open,” you add.

“It was obvious that he had packed in a hurry,” Sumire-kun tells your sensei. “He took the bag he uses on long missions, with a few essentials. But before he left he also watered his houseplants, and he left the watering jug on the table with his heart stone at the bottom.”

“His heart stone?” Hanabi-sensei repeats, eyes narrowing slightly. “Which side of the plants was the jug sitting on?”

“If your back is turned to the windows, on the right,” Sumire-kun clarifies. “And Shiki-kun is right-handed.”

“So he was blocking line of sight from the window?” Hanabi-sensei muses. “Was anything else unusual?”

“I smelled something unfamiliar,” you add. “I think someone else had been there earlier in the evening. The scent was strongest by the balcony door and the television.”

“His television has a built-in tape player, right?” Hanabi-sensei presses.

You nod. “Yeah, that’s right.”
>1/?

>>5307012
“Alright then, let’s go upstairs,” Hanabi-sensei decides before turning to Kannonji-san. “Kannonji-san, when this is over you and I are going to have a long talk about incident reporting procedures with Lord Seventh. Until then, Hiroto-san will handle things at the desk.”

“Ah-” Kannonji-san exclaims, apparently taking a moment to realize she’s been placed on suspension. “Very well. I’ll inform Hiroto-san before I leave.”

…

“This is disturbing news,” Sasuke-san admits from one side of the Hokage’s desk after Hanabi-sensei repeated your findings.

Also in the room are Shikadai’s dad Shikamaru-san, as well as Yamanaka Sai-san, Inojin’s dad. Lord Seventh of course is at his desk, which is covered and surrounded by stacks of paperwork, with his hands folded in front of his mouth, seemingly deep in thought.

“Sai,” he decides, “please step out and contact the tracking team, let them know they’re heading for the Land of Earth.”

“I understand,” Sai agrees immediately before stepping out into the hallway.

“Shikamaru, Sasuke,” Lord Seventh continues. “To reach the Land of Earth, the intruders will have to cut through the Land of Grass. That means this involves Kusagakure’s jurisdiction as well. Thoughts?”

“Our first call should be to Kurotsuchi-san,” Shikamaru-san decides. “The intruders clearly had a way to get through the Land of Grass undetected, so we can assume that they’re perfectly capable of returning the same way. On the other hand, we need to confer with the Tsuchikage in any event, since Iwagakure has been implicated in the disturbance.”

“I have a few contacts in Kusagakure,” Sasuke-san declares. “With your permission, I’ll contact them immediately.”

“Please do.”

“In the mean time we also need to contact Naori-dono,” Hanabi-sensei interjects.

Lord Seventh sighs deeply. “Right, right… not exactly looking forward to that. You don’t know how scary Naori-san can get when she’s mad…”

>Butt in. This is your team, you should be doing something.
>Hold your tongue… or at least, try your hardest to do that.
>Other?

>>5307042
>>Hold your tongue… or at least, try your hardest to do that.

The longer we keep our cool the likelier we can just stay in the meeting, and the likelier we get to play a role. A plot crossing multiple borders is no place for hotheaded antics.

>>5307042
>Hold your tongue… or at least, try your hardest to do that.
>Do mention that secretary being retarded at the first opportunity, though

The info has been delivered, all important parties are informed and shit is getting done. That's all i needed.

>>5307042
>>Hold your tongue… or at least, try your hardest to do that.

>>5307042
>>Hold your tongue… or at least, try your hardest to do that.

>>5307042
>1d6, taking the first two
>DC: 13

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5307187

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5307187

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5307187
Failure is the only options here

>>5307189
>>5307190
Kek, wonder if that how many seconds Wasabi could manage being silent

>>5307193
>>5307202
I'd actually meant for it to be first three, dunno why it ended up as two.

Still.

>>5307187
“I trained with her,” Hanabi-sensei muses. “I think I have a pretty good idea what she’s like. But it needs to happen, Naruto-kun.”

… are they really…

“There’s a difference between that and being mad at you for real,” Shikamaru-san sighs wearily. “She was actually mad at me for like three years, back when we were teenagers. The way she looks at you when she’s like that… it’s more disgust than anything else, like she’s looking at garbage.”

… they’re really not going to give you an assignment, are they?

“I don’t think she even notices it,” Lord Seventh sighs. “I’ll place the call to Iwagakure.”

You brought them the intel.

“In the short term, we will still need to interview the surviving chūnin gate guard,” Shikamaru-san declares. “I’ll have Sakura let us know the minute he regains consciousness.”

You’re right here. In the room.

“That’s good,” Lord Seventh nods in agreement. “Hi, is this Kontsuchi-san? Is Kurotsuchi-san unavailable?”

Hanabi-sensei seems to notice your growing impatience. You can tell Sumire-kun is nervous, waiting quietly on pins and needles, hoping you can hold your tongue for just another few minutes.

Lord Seventh continues his conversation with the Tsuchikage’s assistant while Sasuke-san places a private call to Lord Sixth, asking him to bring Lady Fifth for a strategy conference. And you’re still here, standing in front of Lord Seventhi’s desk, waiting impatiently for him to get off the phone. The second he does he turns to Sasuke-san, and you snap.

“What about Shiki-kun!?”

There’s a pause before Lord Seventh turns to look at you for the first time since you were brought up to his office. “What do you mean?”

“Every minute we’re here Shiki-kun gets further and further away,” you insist loudly, stating what you hope is the obvious. “So what’re we going to do to get him back?”

“Wasabi-kun…” Hanabi-sensei mutters quietly.

Sumire-kun is quick to join you, now that you’ve opened the proverbial door. “I agree with Wasabi-kun, sensei. I fail to see how a phone call is going to bring Shiki-kun back.”
>1/2

>>5308057
Things seem a bit awkward, tense even, for the next several seconds.

“Other than the pursuit team,” Lord Seventh declares, “all shinobi in the village will either be assigned to patrol duty or standby - including genin. With the village having been infiltrated we can’t say for sure that we won’t be attacked at any point.”

“Shiki-kun trusted us,” you retort. “He left us the clues he knew we’d understand even though he was coerced, and he must’ve known he was being watched. He trusted us, so how do you expect us to just sit here on standby!?”

“I agree,” Sumire-kun presses with a chilly calm that sets off your simmering anger. “Even if he isn’t a shinobi from our village, he’s a member of our Team 15, and he’s our friend - our comrade. If the academy taught us to sit back and abandon a comrade, I must have missed that lecture.”

“Good grief…” Shikamaru-san sighs wearily. “I think I remember someone else talking big like that after one of their former classmates left the village one morning. Sasuke, could you help me remember when that was?”

Sasuke-san gives a curt little sigh. “Beats me.”

After a few moments, Lord Seventh seems to relax his position. “We can spare some genin to join the pursuit. If you can catch up with the pursuit team you can help them bring Shiki-kun back.”

“And what will my role in all of this be?” Hanabi-sensei demands.

“We need your strength to secure the village,” Lord Seventh decides. “They’ll be with several jōnin, so it should be fine.”

>Go get Shikadai-kun. He should be able to help you put together a group to go after Shiki-kun.
>Boruto-kun may be a knucklehead, but Team 3 is very skilled overall. You could use that skill.
>Wait and hear if the adults have anything else to say.
>Other?

>>5308131
>>Boruto-kun may be a knucklehead, but Team 3 is very skilled overall. You could use that skill.

>>5308131
>>Go get Shikadai-kun. He should be able to help you put together a group to go after Shiki-kun.

>>5308131
>Go get Shikadai-kun. He should be able to help you put together a group to go after Shiki-kun.

>>5308131
>Go get Shikadai-kun. He should be able to help you put together a group to go after Shiki-kun.

Bort is stinky, i want brain boy.

>>5308131
>>Go get Shikadai-kun. He should be able to help you put together a group to go after Shiki-kun.
>>Boruto-kun may be a knucklehead, but Team 3 is very skilled overall. You could use that skill.
I wanna hear borts response to all this and see how much better the team works together after that Shipshewana at the exams

>>5308360
Jesus, not sure how my phone autocorrected here and that word even is, I mean shitshow God dammit

>>5308131
“Sumire-kun, let’s go get Shikadai-kun first,” you suggest. “He’s supposed to be like some kinda genius, right?”

“That makes sense,” Sumire agrees immediately.

…

You find all of Team 10 loitering near the Thunder Burger that Shikadai and Boruto tend to frequent, and quickly explain the situation to Shikadai.

“... that sounds like a real pain,” Shikadai admits, “but it doesn’t sound like we can ignore it either. Okay, I’m in.”

“We should keep the team small,” Sumire-kun suggests, and Shikadai is quick to agree. "Easier to avoid notice, and the tracking team should also be there."

“Just you two and our team should suffice then,” Shikadai decides. “Gather your tools and grab some wireless radio sets, we meet at the gate in twenty minutes.”

Twenty Minutes Later -

“We’ll go with an echelon formation,” Shikadai declares after you’ve gathered at the old gates. It ticks you off that you had to take twenty minutes, but Team 10 definitely wasn’t ready to go so the delay was probably necessary. “Wasabi-kun, as our tracker you’ll be out front, I’ll be directly behind you adjusting our plan and dispersion as appropriate. Sumire-kun, you’ll be to my right and slightly behind, Chōchō-kun will be to my left, and since he needs time to set up his best techniques Inojin will bring up the rear. Since we’re in a chase formation we don’t need a fast striker as a rearguard. Be prepared for me to use hand signals.”

“Agreed,” Sumire nods curtly, still seemingly locked into her ‘serious mode’ that tends to come out on missions and in fights. It’s not exactly subtle, the curt tone and the disappearance of her usual easy-going smile. “Shall we make note of our tools?”

“That would be best,” Shikadai agrees, moving to open his various pouches to display an array of shuriken and kunai, with a pair of small scrolls, some explosive tags, wire, and a trio of smoke bombs - he probably doesn’t use flash bombs because that would wipe out his shadows.

As a mainly bare-fisted fighter you’d expect Chōchō to mostly have shuriken, but she also has a few long strands of wire with kunai tied onto them and some smoke bombs. In addition to his tantō Inojin carries a usual array of throwable weapons, a spare scroll, three bottles of ink, and two brushes.

You simply write out what you have sealed away - a list of standard shuriken, fūma shuriken, kunai, spools of wire, explosive tags, smoke bombs, pepper bombs, and the like. Sumire’s list is similar to yours, though she’s significantly lighter on the kunai in favor of poison-tipped senbon, and instead of pepper bombs she carries mildly-toxic poison smoke bombs.
>1/2

>>5308852
“Hey, isn’t this a bit much?” Chōchō wonders aloud.

Inojin is quick to offer his own observations. “You’re each carrying enough weapons for a full platoon.”

“We store all this using the raikō kenka seal,” Sumire clarifies. “Shiki-kun taught us that.”

“Alright then,” Shikadai declares. “Let’s move out.”

Shiki -

“Why are you stopping?” the taller of the two individuals you’ve found yourself traveling with demands. “Konohagakure will have sent a pursuit team.”

The shorter of the two, a young man with a bowl cut, sighs. “He has a point, Shiki-kun.”

“Exactly,” you declare. “They probably don’t have permission to cross the border with the Land of Earth, so we just need to get there before they catch up.”

“Still feeling concern for your so-called comrades?” the taller one muses. “I wonder how many of the ones chasing us would feel the same about you.”

“Irrelevant,” you retort.

>String out some rudimentary traps along the way, with flash and smoke bombs. Just to slow them down.
>Use some shadow clones to spread false trails while moving ahead. Force them to split up or risk wasting time.
>Do both, but use that to create an opportunity to leave a clone behind in secret, waiting to explain the situation.
>Other?

>>5309078
>>Do both, but use that to create an opportunity to leave a clone behind in secret, waiting to explain the situation.

>>5309078
>Do both, but use that to create an opportunity to leave a clone behind in secret, waiting to explain the situation.

>>5309078
>>Do both, but use that to create an opportunity to leave a clone behind in secret, waiting to explain the situation.

>>5308852
>Do both, but use that to create an opportunity to leave a clone behind in secret, waiting to explain the situation.

>>5309078
>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5309661

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5309661

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5309661
Come oooonnn

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5309661

>>5309078
These guys may have unusual abilities, the big one being absurdly fast and strong with the second one using Deidara’s explosive clay, but you’ve already started gathering more information and impressions about them. When they were fighting outside the village gates before, you managed to get them to spare the fallen guards by threatening to flash all the water in your own body into steam, immediately blowing yourself up. It stood to reason that they had some manner of pressing business with you that would be difficult to handle if you were a steaming crater, or so you told them.

It was a bluff of course, but your further observations of them suggest that they might not even understand the concept of a ‘bluff’ in the first place. They don’t act or apparently think like trained shinobi who gained their abilities the hard way, and haven’t made the slightest effort to shake your pursuers except by pure speed. So this may just work.

“Multi-shadow Clone jutsu!”

You add a smoke bomb for effect, creating six shadow clones. “Transform!”

Two of each group of three shadow clones transform to resemble the two Iwa ‘shinobi’ as closely as possible. Before they can leave, however, the taller man gestures for you to stop. “Wait.”

One masked beast joins each group of your shadow clones.

“Nice thinking, Kokuyō!” the bowl cut muses. “This should help to fool those guys chasing us!”

“Quiet, Sekiei-kun,” Kokuyō insists curtly before turning to glare at you. “Dost thou think us to be idiots?”

“What?” you frown.

“We will verify that your shadow clones disperse once you have set your false trails. Thou shalt not leave any messages.”

“No, I get that,” you assure him. “What I meant was the ‘dost thou’ thing just now. Are you even real?”

“Thou can be certain, I am quite real,” Kokuyō replies.

You’re not convinced, but you hand out the parts to create traps and send the two shadow clone teams out in two different directions. Eventually, after heading off in two false trails and setting a couple of nonlethal traps - some tags arranged in a Kekkai Hōjin pattern that will saturate an area with flashbangs if the pursuers trigger it, a few double-layer wire traps, and a particularly devious triple-layer wire trap with the third wire being spraypainted a light green to disappear in the grass beneath even the low-visibility wire used in the double-layer trap. One of the double-layer traps is also fitted with a flashbang-style tag disguised as the hilt wrap of a kunai used to string the wires, which will go off if someone tries to disable the trap.
>1/?

>>5309900
“That should be a nasty surprise,” you muse after the shadow clones disperse… true to Kokuyō’s word, the masked creatures return to the main group by traveling under - no, through the ground only after that point. So you’ll have to work around that.

Easy enough.

The next time, you repeat the exact same pattern, expending another smoke bomb to obscure the appearance of your shadow clones which then repeat the trick - albeit with a different ‘branch’ being your real path. But the third time, about three hours after the first, you create one extra clone and have it transform into a kunai, which you mix in with the real ones you hand out to the clones.

This time you start setting traps just before the paths split, and leave one of the false paths clear of traps to mix things up. In part because of that change in tactics, or perhaps just because they’re just really stupid, it seems like the masked monsters don’t pick up on any of those details and only report back to Kokuyō that your six shadow clones dispersed.

…

“That should delay them for at least a little while,” you muse aloud. “We probably even have time for a short break.”

You have military ration pills of course, but they don’t have to know about anything like that. In fact, you’re not entirely convinced they actually need to eat.

“We shall break at midnight,” Kokuyō declares. “You may have one hour to rest then.”

One hour, huh? By your reckoning you should arrive in Iwagakure by early morning on the fourth day, assuming there are no delays, and the border with the Land of Earth should come up late in the evening on the third day. It’s already getting dark, so that puts your upcoming break… perhaps one-third of the way to the border. And by your best guess, the pursuit team is maybe half a day behind you. The traps and diversions will slow their gain, but this is cutting it close.

Wasabi -

It’s morning on the second day after Shiki-kun’s disappearance, and your team starts out early.

Around six in the morning you signal for the formation to halt. “Something strange is going on here.”

“Is it the tracks we’re following?” Shikadai asks you warily.

You nod. “They split off in three directions.”

“Can you tell which set of tracks we need to follow?” Sumire asks you quietly.
>1d6, taking the first three

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5310128

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5310128
Not looking promising with that 1 starting things off

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5310128

Give me another round
>1d6 best of two

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5310283

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5310283

>>5310283
“I can’t tell,” you admit. “I can smell Shiki-kun going off in each direction, same as that weird smell I noticed in his apartment. The footprints all match too.”

“What about the tracking team?” Shikadai frowns, clearly wanting more of a broad tactical picture.

You shake your head and offer the only information you can based on what you can smell. “They split up.”

“Follow each trail then use your radios to regroup once you determine the correct trail,” Sumire guesses the logic behind what you can smell. “Is that it?”

Shikadai concurs with a nod. “That’s how I’d solve the problem. My question though is how Shiki-kun pulled it off. Shadow clones?”

“That’s it!” Sumire realizes. “Wasabi-kun, do any of the trails smell more like Shiki-kun and less like the strangers he met with?”

You think you can see where she’s going with this. “Yeah, the one branching off to the left has the weakest trace of Shiki-kun.”

“That’s the one,” Sumire declares.

“How’s that?” Inojin asks curiously.

“I see what you’re saying,” Shikadai agrees, chewing on his thoughts for a moment before explaining it to his teammates. “Shadow clones transformed to leave footprints imitating someone else will still smell like their creator. So if you have three of Shiki-kun’s shadow clones going down each fake trail, those would leave a stronger scent trace than the one taken by the real Shiki-kun.”

“It’s exactly the sort of paradox someone tracking by scent would pick up on,” Sumire suggests.

“Maybe,” Shikadai admits. “But I don’t think we should be so quick to assume a motive.”

…

After a few more hours of tracking and one more set of fake trails that you immediately sort out by smell the same way you figured out the first, you reach the third set of fake trails.

You stop short, and wave for your squad to do the same.

“He’s put traps here instead,” you realize. “A tripwire-type.”

“Be careful not to trigger it,” Shikadai insists that you do the obvious thing that you were already going to do anyway. “We should be able to bypass it…”

There’s a sudden bang and a burst of smoke.

“How!?” you demand, raising your fists in an awkward sort of high guard stance, only to realize that nobody accidentally set off a bomb somehow.

“Hi guys.”
>1/?

>>5310845
“Shiki-kun!?” Chōchō exclaims in loud confusion. “Hey wait, what does this mean?”

“Shadow clone, I assume,” Shikadai guesses with a frown.

- Shiki’s Clone -

“That’s right,” you reply calmly, pointing in the right direction. “We went this way. The original me has a pattern all planned out, so you can relax a bit, Wasabi-kun. We can talk while we move.”

It looks like Wasabi has been guiding the group with her scent-based tracking skills, so this should let her rest a little bit.

“We got your message,” Sumire-kun tells you as you head after… well, yourself. “But we weren’t clear on exactly how Iwagakure was involved.”

“Yeah, it could’ve meant they were being threatened or were the ones doing the threatening,” Wasabi-kun adds, giving you a glimpse of the problem.

You nod in understanding. “Yeah, I see the problem there. Really the answer is both - a rogue faction from Iwagakure contacted me the other night by pre-recorded video. They somehow managed to capture Kurotsuchi-san, the Fourth Tsuchikage, and are holding her hostage.”

“No way,” Inojin basically gasps in shock.

“How’d they pull that off?” Wasabi-kun wonders aloud.

“And how can you be sure?” Shikadai-kun presses you.

You have to shake your head. “She said something for the camera that nobody else would know. I’ve gathered that the two I’ve seen aren’t the only ones involved, and they’re both… unusual.”

“In what way?”

“One uses a kinjutsu that kneads explosive chakra into shapeable clay,” you explain. “But more to the point, both act… well… like they were born yesterday, I guess?”

“Maybe you should give us some examples,” Sumire-kun suggests.

You’re quick to agree. “They don’t seem to have any skills at tracking or evading pursuit, they have no skill with traps, they don’t eat, and both have the social skills of a toddler. Neither one has much of a sense of humor, and both seem puzzled by normal things - like me brushing my teeth.”

“Okay, that is definitely strange,” Shikadai agrees. “Is there anything else we need to know about this faction?”
>2/3

>>5310848
“They work together with things that seem to be animated servants,” you add. “They’re like living dirt, with white masks on what’s shaped like their heads. They’re pretty fast and strong, and they glide through rock and earth like they can use earth release.”

“How many are with the group that came for you?” Sumire-kun asks.

“Three,” you tell her. “I don’t doubt there are more… I just don’t know where they are.”

Shikadai still doesn’t quite seem satisfied with your answers so far. “I still have one question.”

“Yes?”

“The tracking team came through here before we did… right?”

>Yes, they did. But they probably can’t cross the border, while I have tacit permission to do so - and so does my team by extension.
>I’m not as concerned for them as I am for my own team. I have to admit that’s more my feeling than my reasoning talking.
>This is a delicate situation, and I’m concerned about how things might unfold if their orders end up at cross purposes with my efforts.
>Other?

>>5311127
>Yes, they did. But they probably can’t cross the border, while I have tacit permission to do so - and so does my team by extension.
Screw the rules, shit's fucked right now

>>5311127
>>Yes, they did. But they probably can’t cross the border, while I have tacit permission to do so - and so does my team by extension.

>>5311127
>>Yes, they did. But they probably can’t cross the border, while I have tacit permission to do so - and so does my team by extension.

>>5311127
>>Yes, they did. But they probably can’t cross the border, while I have tacit permission to do so - and so does my team by extension.

>>5311127
>Yes, they did. But they probably can’t cross the border, while I have tacit permission to do so - and so does my team by extension.

>>5311127
“They did,” you admit. “You’re wondering why I let them pass me?”

Shikadai-kun doesn’t miss a beat. “I assume since you brought it up yourself you’ll humor me with an explanation?”

“It’s because you and those guys have a key difference,” you go on to explain. “They almost definitely won’t have permission to enter the Land of Earth. You guys do.”

“Hey, how do you figure that?” Chōchō wonders loudly. “Shikadai-kun, there’s no way you got orders like that, right?”

“I’m going over the border with the tacit permission of the Tsuchikage,” you clarify your reasoning - admittedly, there’s a bit of a leap to this that you want to make sure everyone takes with you. “As the only chūnin here, technically I could drag you along on my mission.”

“Which is?” Wasabi-kun asks you. “Just to get it all out in the open.”

“Assess the threat posed by these invaders,” you begin your to-do list, “identify the motives and actors behind them, rescue Lady Kurotsuchi, and foil whatever conspiracy we’ve all gotten tangled up in. Maybe not in that order, but it seems the most logical.”

“So you need us,” Sumirin summarizes. “We came all this way with that in mind.”

“I’m not gonna lie, I could use the help,” you confess. “But I don’t want you to get involved until I have a better understanding of what I’m asking you to get into.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Wasabi-kun insists. “We’re here to help you, dummy, so that’s what Sumire-kun and I are gonna do.”

“That’s nice and all,” Shikadai grumbles, “but Shiki-kun has a fair point… can we at least wait to charge in until after he gets to Iwagakure?”

“I think I can try,” Wasabi-kun replies, “but no promises.”

You create a new shadow clone before dispersing yourself, catching your real body up on what was just discussed.
>1/2

>>5313701
>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5313772

>>5313777
I've made 3 rolls, all 2s, time to stop

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5313772

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5313772

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5313772

>>5313701
Test

>>5313701
- Shiki -

In a flash you’re caught up with your shadow clone’s doings several hours behind you, and in the mean time things haven’t exactly gone your way. The pursuit team sent by Konoha seems to have realized that none of your traps were intended to be dangerous, and so by the nightfall on the second day they’ve apparently come up with a solution. You now know that they’ve been splitting into three teams to follow your false trails, then they’ve used their short-range radio equipment to coordinate in regrouping.

This has dramatically cut the amount of time each attempt of yours actually nets you, and to make matters worse their solution to your traps is now to simply trigger them and deal with the annoyance. So unless you want to mix in a few potentially lethal traps to ‘keep them honest’, and make them approach each trap as though it were set by an enemy with the intent to kill rather than an ally with the intent to annoy and delay, that’s not going to really help anymore.

“They appear to be gaining on us,” Kokuyō observes. “Thou hast sewn this harvest for thyself.”

“Talk. Normally.”

“I’m pretty sure he’s trying to say that this is what you get for only using non-lethal traps,” Sekiei interprets, quite pointlessly. “Hey, hey, what’s it like for you right now? There must be so many complicated thoughts and conflicting feelings, right? Right? What’s going to happen if they catch up, I wonder?”

“Quit talking so much, Sekiei,” Kokuyō cautions his partner. “If thou hast the energy to speak so much, thou hast the energy to run faster.”

It’s not long after dark when you meet a third figure - very similar to Kokuyō and Sekiei, but this one appears to have been crafted in a female image. The two who have been escorting you seem to immediately recognize the newcomer.

“It’s a good thing you’re here to meet us, Kirara-san,” Sekiei greets her. “Those Konoha shinobi moved much more quickly than Lord Kū planned, and Shiki-kun’s tricks aren’t slowing them down as much anymore. So they’re really starting to gain on us.”

“Deal with them,” Kokuyō orders, “then return to join us.”

“Of course,” Kirara offers a curtsey.

“Remember what we discussed,” you frown at Kokuyō.

“What is he talking about, Kokuyō-san?” Kirara demands. “And for that matter, why hasn’t a guy like you dealt with this problem himself? It’s only a few humans.”

“Our ‘guest’ had a pretty strong reaction to our invitation,” Sekiei explains. “He says that if we go too far, he’ll blow himself up. Isn’t that interesting, Kirara-san?”

“Hey, isn’t that a bit much?” Kirara protests. “Is this guy an idiot or something?”
>1/2

>>5314196
“You have no idea,” you frown. “That said what am I supposed to do? All I know is that you want me for some reason, so my only leverage here is to say extreme things.”

“Use thy ability judiciously,” Kokuyō orders. “For the time being.”

“What a pain,” Kirara complains. “But if that’s what it’s going to take, I suppose I have no choice but to deal with it with my usual grace.”

>Try to argue with them - you can try to use fūinjutsu tags as traps now that they’re just triggering them anyway.
>They’ve given you some assurance that they won’t kill the Konoha trackers, so let them have their way this time.
>Other?

>>5314337
>They’ve given you some assurance that they won’t kill the Konoha trackers, so let them have their way this time.

>>5314337
>>Try to argue with them - you can try to use fūinjutsu tags as traps now that they’re just triggering them anyway.

>>5314337
>>Try to argue with them - you can try to use fūinjutsu tags as traps now that they’re just triggering them anyway.
Even if it doesn't work, that will still waste time the others can use to get closer

>>5314337
>Try to argue with them - you can try to use fūinjutsu tags as traps now that they’re just triggering them anyway.

>>5314337
>1d6, first three
>DC: 9

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5314883

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5314883

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5314883

>>5314883
“There’s no need for that.”

Kokuyō glowers at you. “Oh? Praytell.”

“If they’re just pushing through my traps at this point, now would be the ideal time to switch my approach,” you declare - quite accurately too. If you wanted them dead now would definitely be the time to start using bombs instead of flash-bang tags, clouds of poison gas instead of smoke bombs, and real kunai instead of plastic toys. “I have a small stack of fūinjutsu tags - they may not be powerful, but even the Isshi Tōjin can be a serious problem if they split up again and trigger them several at a time.”

“Huh? So you have a trick like that too?” Seikei muses. “Is this how shinobi fight these days?”

“I can’t say anything about that,” you admit. “And it’s irrelevant. This is how I choose to do this.”

You form the seal and use another smoke bomb - which you’re getting to be a little low on - and prepare to repeat your pattern one more time by replicating Kokuyō and Sekiei. “So are you going to let me handle it?”

“His reasoning seems pretty solid, Kokuyō,” Sekiei admits. “And he seems much more skilled than we were told to expect. I think we can trust him on this one.”

“We’re not putting this up to a vote,” Kokuyō declares.

Kirara seems to be losing her patience. “Am I going to handle this situation or is Shiki-kun? If you’re going to play at being the leader here you should be more decisive, Kokuyō.”

Kokuyō glares at you, and you shrug. “It’s your time to spend how you see fit… but if it were me I wouldn’t wait any longer.”

“... very well,” Kokuyō decides. “But only if you can create two more shadow clones to account for Kirara having joined us.”

“... whoops!” you play it off as an oversight on your part, creating two more shadow clones - making sure to use another smoke bomb, bringing you down to a grand total of one more in your arsenal. “Sorry about that… started to fall for my own tricks a little bit.”

“See to it that thou hast no further oversights of that nature,” Kokuyō growls - if he thinks you did that deliberately, he doesn’t say as much out loud. It might’ve been helpful had he fallen for it though.
>1/2

>>5315781
>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5315813

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5315813

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5315813

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5315813

>>5315819
2 is really just an upside down 7 with a bit of flair

>>5315813
- Shiki’s Clone -

When you appear this time, and have your counterpart who had been with your teammates until now disperse, it isn’t long before there are questions you have to answer.

“Release!”

The trackers, all chūnin in this team of eight, are freed from your trap and seem none too pleased with the situation. “What are you doing showing your face like this after what you just pulled?”

“Please, try to listen to his account of the situation,” Sumire insists curtly.

…

“So this involves the Fourth Tsuchikage, huh?”

You nod to confirm it… you shouldn’t have to, because the chūnin in question has already heard your story, so asking the question was pointless in the first place. But none of these shinobi are your own age, or even anywhere close, so the only way they may even know you is having seen your performance during the exams - which means for all intents and purposes they really know nothing about you. So it’s also somewhat understandable that they might not be inclined to believe you, and may dismiss your teammates as simply being children who’d do anything to protect their friend.

“Alright then, the rest of you genin need to come with us,” one of the chūnin orders.

“Hang on,” you counter. “Last time I checked I’m also a chūnin, and Team 15 isn’t your team to order around.”

You glance at Sumire and Wasabi. “Do you want to help me do this? I wouldn’t hold it against you if you said no.”

“We’ll wait on the border for your signal,” Sumire-kun declares.

Wasabi-kun nods in agreement. “We already talked about this.”

“And you three?” you ask Shikadai and his teammates. “What do you want to do?”

“We can’t ignore this situation,” Shikadai eventually sighs, glancing over his shoulder at Inojin and Chōchō. “It’s going to be a real drag, but I think we’ve gotta back up Team 15, guys. This one’s a big deal, and our two teams are effectively the only ones who are free to move right now.”
>2/3

>>5316006
“Then I’ll leave your team to you, Shikadai-kun,” you decide, “since you know your team’s own abilities best.”

“In that case we’ll wait on the border with you,” the chūnin who seems to be the one in charge of the tracking team insists. “We’ll make sure the others get free from your traps and join you as soon as we can.”

- Shiki -

Before you know it you’re across the border with the Land of Earth - a barren region with a lot of empty wastelands and scattered oases. But the ‘fabrications’ as they refer to themselves collectively don’t take you to the Iwagakure you’re familiar with. Instead, nearby, there’s a much older and shabbier village, which appears to have stood abandoned since before you were born. It reminds you a lot of the old Amegakure and Shin-Amegakure dichotomy.

“Welcome to Iwagakure, Shiki-kun!” Sekiei tells you in a cheerful tone. “This is where we were made, and it’s where Lord Kū will meet with you. Aren’t you looking forward to solving all the mysteries, Shiki-kun?”

>Before anything else, I will speak to Lady Kurotsuchi. Don’t forget that her safety is the sole reason I came here.
>Let’s get this over with already. The sooner I find out what all this is about the better.
>First I need to rest and recover. I’ve been going flat-out since we left Konoha, and after all I’m only human, right?
>Other?

>>5316039
>>Let’s get this over with already. The sooner I find out what all this is about the better.

>>5316039
>>First I need to rest and recover. I’ve been going flat-out since we left Konoha, and after all I’m only human, right?

>>5316039
>First I need to rest and recover. I’ve been going flat-out since we left Konoha, and after all I’m only human, right?

>>5316039
>Before anything else, I will speak to Lady Kurotsuchi. Don’t forget that her safety is the sole reason I came here.

>>5316039
>Before anything else, I will speak to Lady Kurotsuchi. Don’t forget that her safety is the sole reason I came here.

>>5316039
“Don’t misunderstand, Sekiei,” you growl. “Take me to see Lady Kurotsuchi. When I can see for myself that she’s still well we can go talk with your boss, but not before.”

“How dare…” Kirara begins to protest, only for Kokuyō to gesture for her to stop. “In this instance, I can only support Shiki’s position.”

“Why’s that?” Kirara rounds on her own partner.

“I’m curious too,” Sekiei admits. “Usually you’re the first to protest any time Shiki-kun protests.”

“In this instance, his protest is consistent with his objectives,” Kokuyō observes calmly. “That principle hath earned him some latitude.”

…

You’re careful to memorize the hallways and the distances involved as Kokuyō leads you deep into the largest, most prominent building in old Iwagakure - which is seemingly built out of a naturally imposing rock formation. Eventually you reach a room with only one entrance, and Kokuyō strangely enough doesn’t even have to unlock it. Inside you find out why - there are cages down here with iron bars set into the rock, lined with a ridiculous (though not too ridiculous to remove yourself) number of fūinjutsu barrier tags. These will have to be removed all at once, but since you can use more shadow clones at once than you’ve shown the fabrications you doubt that will be a problem.

“Shiki-kun,” Kurotsuchi-san greets you with a grim smile. “Under normal circumstances I’d’ve baked something.”

“That’s fine, I didn’t come here looking for treats. I came looking for you.”

“Charmer,” she teases you. “If you’re trying to tease information out of me with sweet talk you’re wasting your time, these guys haven’t told me anything.”

“I don’t know why they wanted to talk to me so badly either,” you admit in a low voice. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay first.”

“I’m not hurt,” Kurotsuchi-san insists. “At least not badly. My pride got the worst of it. This Lord Kū of theirs…”

Kokuyō smashes one of his fists against the bars, denting one of them in the process. “Thou shalt not speak any further. Shiki, thou hast met thine objective in coming here.”

“... you’re right,” you grumble, somewhat frustrated at being denied the opportunity for what you suspect is a key piece of information.
>1/2

>>5317395
You backtrack, checking your recollection on the way out and once into a new hallway, keeping track of the pathway you’re taken along further into the compound. Eventually you’re led into a large, round room with a large, raised dias at the center, nearly surrounded by a narrow circular pool crossed by a walkway. Before that dias are two figures - one frail, bound in a motorized wheelchair, the other stocky and muscular who stands in front of him as though shielding him.

Kokuyō sinks to his knee. “Lord Kū, I hath brought him as requested.”

“Excellent work, Kokuyō,” the stocky man replies calmly. “You may leave us.”

Even as Kokuyō leaves, your focus is already on the old man behind this Kū person. “Old man… aren’t you… Ōnoki-dono?”

“You should speak more respectfully,” Kū demands, before Ōnoki insists he stop.

“Please stand aside, Kū,” Ōnoki insists, “I will speak to this youngster.”

“As you wish, father,” Kū replies with a deep bow, before he steps aside to allow Ōnoki’s wheelchair to glide forward. It takes a moment for that thought to process. Father? Really?

“In order for you to understand why you are here,” he begins to explain to you as he’s still rolling, “first, you must allow me to explain why these fabrications exist in the first place. We do not wish to be anyone’s enemy.”

After he rolls to a stop he waits for a moment, and you gesture for him to continue. “Go on. I’m listening.”

“Several years ago our village was attacked by rogue shinobi,” Ōnoki recounts, his old face betraying little aside from his barely-contained anger at the thought. “Our youngest shinobi suffered disproportionately in that short conflict… an unacceptable loss for the village, and a blow to our future.”

“You participated in the chūnin exams, did you not? How did you find your opponents?”

>The fact that most of the candidates were eliminated so easily and so early bothered me at the time, and it still does.
>There were a few standouts. My team, Shinki and Kōshū. Shikadai’s pretty good too, and the Senka trio weren’t bad.
>I had some fantastic opponents, and even the guys with dumb techniques had some real potential if they’d just be serious.
>Other?

>>5317991
>>There were a few standouts. My team, Shinki and Kōshū. Shikadai’s pretty good too, and the Senka trio weren’t bad.

>>5317991
>>I had some fantastic opponents, and even the guys with dumb techniques had some real potential if they’d just be serious.

>>5317991
>I had some fantastic opponents, and even the guys with dumb techniques had some real potential if they’d just be serious.

>>5317991
>>I had some fantastic opponents, and even the guys with dumb techniques had some real potential if they’d just be serious.

>>5317991
>>The fact that most of the candidates were eliminated so easily and so early bothered me at the time, and it still does.

>>5317991
>I had some fantastic opponents, and even the guys with dumb techniques had some real potential if they’d just be serious.
The way Shiki trained would probably let him recognize those techniques have their niches.

>>5317991
>>I had some fantastic opponents, and even the guys with dumb techniques had some real potential if they’d just be serious.

>>5317991
“Kōshū-chan was fantastic and I have a lot of respect for her,” you muse. “And Shinki-kun may be a jerk, but he’s strong. It’s too bad Wasabi-chan had to fight him so early.”

Ōnoki shakes his head. “So you were impressed by two of your opponents, and hold your teammates in high regard. What of the others, though? The ones you beat before the finals?”

“Even that chewing gum kid from Kumogakure had some potential,” you shrug nonchalantly. “It’s basically Iwagakure’s exploding clay, but fruit-flavored. The Senka trio were okay too I guess, just not quite at Sumirin’s level yet.”

“And what about the team from Iwagakure?” Ōnoki presses you.

“I… remember there was one?” you confess, scratching your head a little.

“And the other teams from Suna, Kiri, and Kumo you didn’t mention? What about the team you beat in the second round from Konoha?”

“They were… less impressive,” you admit with a frown. “What, is genin having a wide range of skill new to you?”

“Watch your tone, boy,” Kū growls.

“It’s alright, Kū,” Ōnoki insists. “It is after all about time I came to my point - those ‘less impressive’ children are the ones with no real experience on the battlefield, and they will be the first to die in the next catastrophe. It is those innocent lives that I have taken measures to protect.”

“You’re the one behind the fabrication project,” you complete the thought, filling in the obvious blank. “You want them to fight so ‘kids’ like me won’t have to?”

“Correct on both counts.”

“You took your own granddaughter hostage,” you continue, “and used that to extort me into leaving Konoha. How do those actions fit with this high purpose of yours? What do you want from me that badly?”

“You are also one who was created rather than born, like our fabrications,” Ōnoki observes, ignoring your accusations. “Unlike our fabrications which are never far from crumbling away, you and your sister are fundamentally flawless recreations of human life.”

>I’ll allow you to study me, on the condition that you release me and Lady Fourth immediately.
>This program is a political and moral quandary - it should be conducted above-board or not at all.
>Ōnoki-dono, you said my sister and I are ‘recreations’ of human life… not that we ARE human?
>Other?

>>5319685
>>Ōnoki-dono, you said my sister and I are ‘recreations’ of human life… not that we ARE human?

>>5319685
>>This program is a political and moral quandary - it should be conducted above-board or not at all.

>>5319685
>>Ōnoki-dono, you said my sister and I are ‘recreations’ of human life… not that we ARE human?

>>5319685
>>Ōnoki-dono, you said my sister and I are ‘recreations’ of human life… not that we ARE human?
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."
strikes again, brilliant move gramps ...

>>5319685
>Ōnoki-dono, you said my sister and I are ‘recreations’ of human life… not that we ARE human?

>>5319685
>>Ōnoki-dono, you said my sister and I are ‘recreations’ of human life… not that we ARE human?

And thus a fundamental flaw in his reasoning. Treating those "recreations" as "lesser" was an error from the start.

>>5319685
“Ōnoki-dono, you called me and my sister ‘imitations’ of human life,” you observe, your face carefully impassive. “Did I hear that correctly?”

“You did,” he admits.

“I reason - by extrapolation, that you mean to say my sister and I aren’t human,” you growl. “I feel - insulted by you, and defensive of my family. I learn - namely, that prejudice can take many forms and that I’m not exempt from it. I grow - by choosing to view what you said as a chance for a doddering old fool to learn something.”

“How dare…”

“Shut up,” you glare at Kū. “You brought me here to talk, so that’s what I’m doing.”

Then you redirect your anger back towards Ōnoki. “Now tell me, old man, what part of that - reasoning, feeling, learning, growing - doesn’t seem ‘human’ to you?”

“None of it,” Ōnoki admits. “Now, young man, I will take my turn to speak.”

You gesture for him to continue. “While it is true that I do not see you and your sister as fully human, that is not to say I view you as less than human or more. You can shape chakra, therefore you plainly have a soul. You are aware of yourself, more so even than most your age, and are quite intelligent. In every sense you are equal to any human, and deserve to be treated as such.”

“However, the fact remains that you and your sister were created through artificial means, like these fabrications, and like the akuta which serve under them. Our intention is to determine how you differ, and apply what we learn to improving what we have created here.”

>I will allow you to examine me, but I have grave reservations about this whole affair.
>Show me what it is you have created. Then I’ll determine whether I want to help you.
>The fabrications meet many of our respective definitions of ‘humanity’, Ōnoki-dono.
>Other?

>>5319914
>You're the one lacking in humanity, old man. Our parents did the bare minimum to have children despite their situation, unlike you who toys with life for the sake of warfare.
>You don't even consider them your children, do you? They're just tools. Made to be used and thrown away at your convenience.
>What you're doing is disgusting. It's evil, and you sicken me.

>>5319914
>>Show me what it is you have created. Then I’ll determine whether I want to help you.

>>5319914
>Show me what it is you have created. Then I’ll determine whether I want to help you.
>The fabrications meet many of our respective definitions of ‘humanity’, Ōnoki-dono.

>>5319914
>Show me what it is you have created. Then I’ll determine whether I want to help you.

>>5319914
>>The fabrications meet many of our respective definitions of ‘humanity’, Ōnoki-dono.

>>5319965
>>5319914
supporting

>>5319914
Message from queen:
"Gimme a 1d6 high roll, best three of four"
you know what to do

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5320557

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5320557

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5320557

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5320557

>>5319914
“Show me what you’ve created,” you insist curtly. “Then I’ll decide whether I can help.”

…

With some obvious resistance and debate, there seems to be an eventual agreement that your cooperation is necessary enough that the only choice is to agree with your demand. So you dutifully track your progress lower into the building, in a different direction from the prison cells where Kurotsuchi-san is being kept. Slowly but surely you’ve been building a mental map of where everything in this compound is.

…

You find yourself brought to a viewing room overseeing a large mud-filled cavern, and from the bubbling muck you watch the white-masked akuta rise.

“This is how the akuta are created,” Ōnoki informs you. “The process is based on an ancient kinjutsu once practiced by Iwagakure.”

…

There are also laboratories and surgical theatres built into the bare rock, which are apparently where ‘Kū’ was created as a direct clone of the Third Tsuchikage: which makes him a user of the famed ‘jinton’ triple-nature. It sounds like the technique behind him sought to replicate a human without using any of the natural processes, where you were conceived by carefully directing those natural processes to do something that would normally be impossible. That would explain why Kū and the other fabrications are held together mainly by wishful thinking, while you and Makoto are essentially indistinguishable from any other human - because you ARE human, while Kū is biologically and physically something not quite human.

Kū in turn created the ‘fabrications’, of which there are currently four. Kokuyō was created as an exemplary user of taijutsu, along the lines of Metal-kun or his father. Sekiei was created to make use of Iwagakure’s exploding clay kinjutsu, a technique which once made a teenaged missing ninja by the name of Deidara an ideal recruit for the old Akatsuki. Kirara was created as a genjutsu user, and she apparently performs these techniques through eye contact which is why she keeps her eyes closed so much of the time. Then there’s one you’ve only met today - Kakō, a ‘male’ fabrication halfway between Sekiei and Kokuyō who can seemingly use ninjutsu as well.

Something about what you’ve been shown you find… disturbing. Both in its obviousness to you, and in its broad implications - a crucial fact that must exist within a massive conceptual blind spot for the man behind all this.

You’re shown to your room, and for a while you’re left alone to clean up.

Big mistake on their part.
>1/2

>>5320927
You bite both your thumbs, weave the hand seals, and perform a double-summoning - one with each hand. “Kuchiyose!”

Both your summons appear in a puff of smoke.

“What… where is…” Kiburi starts to chirp at you, only for you to hold her beak shut.

“Quiet, we don’t have much time,” you insist curtly before releasing her. You tie a small piece of paper around Kiburi’s leg, then turn to Momo-chan. “Open up.”

Momo-chan opens his mouth, and you gesture to Kiburi. “I need you to deliver that note to my teammates, they should be about twenty miles to the southeast by the border with the Land of Grass. And to get out of the building… you’ll need to ride in Momo-chan’s mouth.”

Kiburi stares at Momo’s glassy, vacant eyes. “I don’t like this.”

“He can swim through solid rock,” you explain, “and that’s the only way you guys can get out of here.”

You stare at Momo-chan. “Momo-chan… I need you to take Kiburi here outside.”

You point in the direction he needs to know. “She needs to sit inside your mouth, and you need to take her through the walls. Go straight, at this level, for one hundred and fifty feet. Once you let Kiburi out, please go home. Don’t get seen, don’t be heard, and please, don’t swallow.”

In an encouraging gesture, Momo-chan raises one of his forelegs up to the side of his head in mimicry of a salute.

Huh. He may actually be smarter than you initially gave him credit for.

…

“Well then, Shiki-kun,” Ōnoki entreats you over a large plate of okonomiyaki, “now that you have seen the whole program, what are your thoughts?”

“I have questions,” you admit, setting aside your fork - you haven’t really been eating much, only picking at it. “You do realize it already, don’t you? That the fabrications have souls?”

“By my own words earlier,” the former Tsuchikage admits, “it would seem I have no choice but to admit that, yes.”

“So your solution to protect young lives is to create sentient beings to die in their place?” you frown. "Isn't that hypocrisy? Creating a being with a soul, with curiosity, with a fear for its own life, for the specific purpose of sacrificing itself?"
>2/3

>>5321276
“I mean,” you continue, “why would you create a sacrificial pawn that can feel fear and pain?”

“Our goal is to resolve the issues with the fabrications’ lifespans,” Ōnoki insists, “so that they can better command the akuta who will take up the task of replacing humans on the battlefield.”

“And if the akuta can feel and think?” you press him. “They can follow commands. They can communicate with their handlers. Do you know for certain that they can’t also feel pain and fear?”

“They are not human lives,” Ōnoki insists curtly.

“Neither are our summoning partners,” you retort. “Doesn’t mean we don’t value them.”

“Will you help us?”

>I can’t condone what you’re doing, and I won’t help you do it.
>Only the bare minimum required to protect Lady Kurotsuchi.
>What happens if I refuse? If Iwagakure refuses? If the world refuses?
>Other?

>>5321371
>>What happens if I refuse? If Iwagakure refuses? If the world refuses?

Lads, we're right in front of him.
He may have been the tsuchikage once, but he's extremely old now. He's got one good burst of chakra left in him before he keels over.

Do you think we could kill him before anyone intervenes?

>>5321407
That sounds like a diplomatic disaster and a half, tho this situation is already pretty bad. And even if we kill him we'll get killed by the homunculi so what's the point. And Onoki is fucked once this gets out anyways.

>>5321371
>>What happens if I refuse? If Iwagakure refuses? If the world refuses?

>>5321371
>>What happens if I refuse? If Iwagakure refuses? If the world refuses?

>>5321371
>What happens if I refuse? If Iwagakure refuses? If the world refuses?

I really don't get his end game here, he should know that basically everyone is going to kick his shit in for trying to pull this, specifically 3 of the most powerful people on the planet

>>5321371
“And what happens if I refuse?” you press, setting down your fork entirely. “Do you intend to experiment on me without my consent? If Iwagakure rejects you, will you kill Kurotsuchi-san? When the other shinobi nations find out about this, will you start a war with them?”

“This is for the benefit of all humanity,” Ōnoki insists.

“And that doesn’t answer my question.”

Of course he has no question. It’s painfully clear that he hasn’t even thought

Kū picks that exact moment to invite himself into the room where Ōnoki was treating you to a meal, and quickly takes a position behind the old man. “This is taking too long.”

“Don’t be so hasty, Kū,” Ōnoki insists, before turning his attention back to you. “May I suggest that you finish your meal, Shiki-kun?”

“What, and get the full dose of that sedative you laced it with?” you reply, shaking your head. “Doesn’t sound like fun to me.”

The door opens again, and this time it’s Kirara - whose eyes are open, and glowing a brilliant shade of purple. Your first response is to try leaping over the table, but you don’t quite make it before an unseen force stops you short… this is her genjutsu?

Pain or chakra agitation… one or the other. Or… maybe try…

“Be careful not to harm him,” Ōnoki insists.

“I’m surprised,” Kirara muses, moving to drag you away, “that a kid turned out to be one of the good ones.”

>Hit her in the eyes with some mouth blood, then make for the door.
>Wait for a better, more opportune moment to make your move.
>Other?

>>5322701
>>Hit her in the eyes with some mouth blood, then make for the door.

>>5322701
>Wait for a better, more opportune moment to make your move.
>Make sure to pretend we're still under the genjutsu

Told y'all we should have just went for his throat

>>5322701
>Hit her in the eyes with some mouth blood, then make for the door.

>>5322701
>wait for a better moment

>>5322701
>Wait for a better, more opportune moment to make your move.
The element of surprise isn't enough to get things done here, best to get at least one more advantage.

>>5322701
>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5323628

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5323628

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5323628

>>5323628

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5323628

>>5323628
You decide to wait for a better moment, one where a sudden trick like that could actually create an opening to capitalize on… ideally, where Kū isn’t looming over you. Thankfully it seems like that opportunity comes sooner rather than later, as Kū leaves things to Kirara - perhaps out of overconfidence in her abilities. He escorts Ōnoki from the room.

“Take care of things, Kirara,” Kū orders.

Kirara replies with a bow. “Of course, Kū-sama.”

It’s only after Kū has left the room that you make your move by spitting the blood in your mouth out into Kirara’s eyes.

“You!” she exclaims angrily, too incensed to even come up with more words than that, and wipes the blood from her eyes frantically while you push past her for the door… only to find the hilt of Kū’s sword landing right in your solar plexus. The blow is immensely heavy, enough to stun you even through your flak jacket, betraying an enormous physical strength to the man that you hadn’t quite counted on.

“I suspected as much,” he muses as you stagger backwards. “To undo Kirara’s genjutsu so easily… you must be near-equally well versed in all the shinobi combat techniques.”

A heavy blow to the back of your head sends you crashing to the floor, this time courtesy of Kokuyō.

“Take him to the examination room,” Kū orders, and the sole of Kokuyō’s boot is the last thing you see for a while.

…

“... inconclusive…”

“... damn that woman…”

“... trying…”

…

You only catch snippets of the conversation before you start to truly regain your senses. The first thing you’re aware of is that you’ve been strapped to an examination table, tilted at about a forty-five degree angle, and you carefully control your response to that revelation. There are two people in the room with you, and you know they haven’t realized you’re conscious yet, so you listen in on the conversation hoping to glean as much as you can from it before anyone notices you. You also still have your raikō kenka seals on your person - another oversight. Between that and the fact that you’re pretty sure you know what room you’re in based on Ōnoki’s little tour before, you have what you need to make a second attempt at an escape.
>1/2

>>5323879
“Explain,” you hear Kū’s voice demand.

A stranger’s voice replies. “It would seem that Uzumaki Naori has placed a seal on her son’s heart. It’s interfering with our medical equipment.”

“So what can you tell us?” Kū demands impatiently. “I want results, not a list of your failures, doctor.”

“His bloodwork has come back normal for a human boy his age,” the doctor explains. “No abnormalities. But to actually study anything further about him, we need to find some way to work around that seal.”

“Doctor, have you ever heard the phrase that it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission?”

There’s a pause, before an obviously-excited doctor replies. “I understand perfectly. I’ll see to it myself.”

Kū leaves, and for a while the room is quiet.

You can tell that the doctor has come closer, and is working at a desk near where you’ve been propped up. Opening your eyes slightly lets you confirm it - he’s about ten feet away, easily within range of a lunge. The straps are leather - chakra flow into your fists and feet will allow you to cut yourself free in an instant.

Good. Now you just have to deal with the doctor and go free Kurotsuchi-san.

>Kill the doctor while his back is turned. Quick and quiet.
>Wound the doctor, interrogate him, then finish him off.
>Incapacitate the doctor with genjutsu and senbon.
>Other?

>>5323880
>>Incapacitate the doctor with genjutsu and senbon.

>>5323880
>Kill the doctor while his back is turned. Quick and quiet.
Fuck every last one of these pricks

>>5323880
>>Kill the doctor while his back is turned. Quick and quiet.

>>5323880
>>Kill the doctor while his back is turned. Quick and quiet.

>>5323880
>Incapacitate the doctor with genjutsu and senbon.

>>5323880
>Incapacitate the doctor with genjutsu and senbon.

Maybe this one might be good to discuss?

>>5323880
>>Incapacitate the doctor with genjutsu and senbon.

Even if there is an argument to kill the doctor to defend ourselves, any bit of a good point we have made about the value of life will be lost in the eyes of Onoki if we kill a doctor that *hasn't* done anything to us just yet.

>>5324365
>>5324363

Not to mention we have an immense ingrained responsibility to restrain ourselves. Shiki is the son of the single most powerful ninja in the world, a village head, and we are in a foreign country. If we go on a righteous murder spree here, we're not only undoing our own work, but Naori's as well.

>>5323880
Hey, lets play a game of 'Queen says'!
"Gimme a 1d6 best three of four, it's so low you'd basically need to do like a 5 or worse to fail."
You know the rules

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5324485

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5324485

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5324485

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5324485

>>5323880
You wait for a few seconds, gathering your chakra and preparing to move, and you spot your opportunity as the doctor turns his head. In an instant you use your nagare-te form to break through the bindings around your left wrist and unseal a pair of senbon, throwing them with lethal precision. They both stick into his neck - any senbon user knows these targets, but few ever get such a perfect opportunity to hit the two pressure points in the human neck that when properly struck simulate death. They’re bell-senbon for good measure, and with a snap of your fingers you set the genjutsu ringing right in the doctor’s ears, further incapacitating him as you free your other limbs.

“Thanks for your hospitality,” you tell him sarcastically as you grab your flak jacket off a nearby chair. “In exchange let me warn you - let a proper doctor remove those senbon. Do it carelessly and you could die for real.”

“Bye now.”

…

You throw the door to the prison open a few minutes later, and find Kurotsuchi-san rubbing her eyes at the disturbance. “Shiki-kun?”

“Gather yourself, Kurotsuchi-san,” you insist curtly. “We may not have much time. How are you at tunneling through solid rock?”

“Few better,” she replies. “How do you plan to deal with these tags?”

“Multi-shadow clone jutsu!”

You instantly create about two dozen shadow clones - more than any reasonable human being would dare, but for you still a safe albeit cumbersome amount. “Like this.”

After a moment, Kurotsuchi-san gestures emphatically at the tags. “Alright, get me out of here… just… point me in the direction of ‘out’ if you will?”

…

With Kurotsuchi-san’s help and the general heading you gave her, it’s mere moments before you’re outside of the building and on the surface.

“Ah… breathe in that fresh desert air!” Kurotsuchi-san beams. “So, I assume you have a plan?”

“Yeah, simple,” you muse, before biting your thumb and weaving a few hand seals. “Kuchiyose: Kiburi!”

On your outstretched finger, a bird suddenly appears - and not a happy creature.
>1/2

>>5325118
“He tried to swallow me twice!” Kiburi chirps angrily.

“Sorry, Kiburi!” you insist quickly. “I'll deal with that later, but right now I need you to carry another message to my team. Will you do that, please?”

“Ah,” she realizes who you have with you. “Well done then, Shiki-san. I know what to do!"

As she flies off, you turn back to Kurotsuchi-san.

>We need to come up with a plan. My ‘backup’ can only handle a few of the fabrications on their own.
>We need to separate Kū from the others - transformation will be the bait, and the Sanzu plains will be the trap.
>You will have to deal with Kū and Ōnoki alone, at least temporarily. My team and I will join you when we can.
>Other?

>>5325186
>As soon as kiburi gets back, ask her to inform nyoka of the situation and have her reverse summon you and kurotsuchi to the forest base
>in the meantime, put those clones you summoned to good use by transforming half of them into kurotsuchi and having them bolt in every direction

Why fight when you can escape?
Their only leverage is with us, let's just get the fuck out of here.

>>5325186
>>5325202
Support

>>5325186
>>We need to come up with a plan. My ‘backup’ can only handle a few of the fabrications on their own.

>>5325186
>We need to come up with a plan. My ‘backup’ can only handle a few of the fabrications on their own.
>>5325202
A rendezvous with the teammates is more relevant before pulling off a full on escape plan, let's not leave them to deal with the situation alone for no real reason.

>>5325310
There's no situation to deal with if you literally just escape

>>5325202
>>5325209
I'm not even going to consider this one, for two reasons. The first reason is that Kurotsuchi would never, under ANY circumstances, agree to flee her village when an enemy has already taken root in it like this. And I really do think Shiki would already know that she'd chew him out for even suggesting it.

The second reason is that a "pacifist run" is already possible without a write-in (trapping Ku in the Sanzu plains). Shiki already knows by personal experience that it's almost impossible to escape that area without going through the transformative, soul-searching training exercise - and Ku has shown himself to be constitutionally incapable of the patience required for that.

>>5325186
>>We need to come up with a plan. My ‘backup’ can only handle a few of the fabrications on their own.

>>5325186
>>We need to come up with a plan. My ‘backup’ can only handle a few of the fabrications on their own.

>>5325186
“My ‘backup’ won’t be able to beat Kū,” you declare, “and I wouldn’t ask them to try - at least, not alone.”

“Then we need to come up with a plan,” Kurotsuchi-san tells you. “We can either draw him away and keep him occupied, to focus on his fabrications, or I can face him alone - whoever finishes their opponents first comes to help the others.”

“You were captured by him personally?”

Kurotsuchi-san nods. “That one’s tough… in many ways, he’s grandfather in a prime that never actually happened. His skill with the jinton was never that good when he was in that kind of physical shape.”

“But I am the Tsuchikage - failure in defending my village isn’t an option. I’ll win the rematch for sure.”

“They all seem inexperienced,” you observe. “I think against an opponent like that, simple tricks might actually be the best.”

After a moment, Kurotsuchi-san smiles. “Alright, what do you have in mind?”

…

The first step of the plan actually isn’t yours to take - it relies on your enemy behaving in a predictable way, which they do within a certain margin of error.
>2d4

Rolled 2, 1 = 3 (2d4)

>>5325581
?

Rolled 2, 1 = 3 (2d4)

>>5325581
Interesting dice format but alright. Looking forward to the outcome.