- Pronouns
- They/Them
Is this is the case then I'd advocate for us to throw our lot in with her.
End of an Era (Naruto AU)
- Thread starter The Laurent
- Start date
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Had a busy morning, but managed to do some writing. Update'll probably be done tonight or tomorrow, depending on how inspired I'm feeling and how editing goes. I'm at the last big scene, or so.
Current Update Length: 4.1k
Current Update Length: 4.1k
Kairos123
Insomniac Extraordinaire
The only problem with this is that if she is playing both sides against each other, we are going to eventually lose some classmates. It would also turn us against our tentative friends if she goes through with this. Which...isn't much of a loss to be honest. To Shizue however, it would be gut-wrenching. Also traumatizing. To lose her new found friendship so soon after gaining it, especially after years of being alone, would mess her up something fierce.
If Missing-nin teach is behind it, she may just be trying to whittle down the old regime while making sure that the new generation (the one she's teaching, at least) lives through the fights. That way she moves straight to the top with fewer opposition and stronger support.
My personal theory is that she isn't an outside plant, simply because she is changing the war, which someone who wants to prolong it wouldn't do. That doesn't mean there isn't a plant somewhere in the village, but her usefulness and willingness to tip the scales give her a pass in my book.
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Oh I am slain!
Wynaut?
- Location
- Tatooine
Get to 7,500 and it'll qualify as a novelette! :3
Ridiculously Average Guy
I'm you, but stronger
- Location
-
Having been offsite for ~3 days:
As for his friends...I don't know?
He's already immortal, he'll just reincarnate ala Avatar(tLA). He'll probably just go with the Bijuu when they get resealed in someone else.
As for his friends...I don't know?
Act 1, Scene 5 (FIN)+Act 1, Scene 6: A Brilliant Mind! Genta's Analytic Prowess?
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Act 1, Scene 5: In the Village's Name(Conclusion)
Shizue considered it for a moment. Getting involved might not be a good idea at all, and even if it was there was no guarantee it would end well. But, then again, if they didn't get involved, what would she do? Refuse to ever go on another mission again for fear of what they now suspected? It was really that simple, and once she'd begun thinking about it, other answers also came up. A lot would be needed. They would need to prove, or at least have strong evidence, of treason to proceed, and if possible it'd be best if she and Rika either had a suspect in mind, or had narrowed it down considerably. Even if the pool of suspects was only Emiko and the Special Jounin, that was still six people, and it'd be far too easy to just blame Emiko- and whether she was guilty or not, acting against her would be dangerous. She'd just murdered all of the Jounin of Tide in a single night, two weeks ago.
A conflict between her and Reef would be disastrous, whether she won or not. Shizue hoped it was not Emiko, for Reef's sake, as she said, "I'm in. We should probably talk to Genta. He's smart, and he'd bring the sort of brainpower we'd need, wouldn't he?"
"You know," Rika said thoughtfully, "I bet he would! Let's go!" Rika stood up, sending papers scattering before racing for the door. Then she paused, halfway out the door, "Wait...where is Genta?"
Shizue stared for her at a moment before slowly standing and saying, "Well, we'll have to track him down."
[END Credits and Song]
Act 1, Scene 6: A Brilliant Mind! Genta's Analytic Prowess?
He was found at the library, an old, worn down building. In many ways, he reminded Shizue of Rika, looking at him. Dozens and dozens of books covered the table, which creaked and groaned under their weight as Genta filled a page with notes, eyes red-rimmed from lack of sleep. His eyes were always a little reddish, but now they were sunken in, yet oddly bright, as he kept on blinking, pausing in his calculations to turn and look to the side, or check one of the books. Shizue, when she later had a chance to glance at the paper, couldn't make any sense of it. They seemed to be numbers, some sort of math problem, perhaps? But then every so often there was a short sentence nested in parenthesis...
At the time, however, she merely walked forward, trailing Rika, who said, "Genta-kun, may we speak with you?"
He looked up, his eyes seeming to stare right through Rika at Shizue for a long moment. She felt grabbed by his eyes, and she'd look away for a moment before Genta said, "Yes." He paused, then cleared his throat, reaching over to where he held a glass of tea, which he sipped, rather delicately, then elaborated, "Yes?"
Rika gave a start and said, "Well, we wanted your help with something. It's really important, and if you're not busy--"
"No," Genta said, quietly.
"No?" Rika asked, stunned, pausing mid-sentence, having planned--Shizue knew because she'd practiced this big speech the whole way there to the library after they'd finally found out where Genta was--to say a lot more.
"No," Genta said, seeming almost amused at the way Rika was staring at him, stunned by his refusal.
[OPENING CREDITS!]
"What do you mean, no?" Rika asked, her voice rather louder than was normal for a library.
"Too busy," Genta said, quietly, glancing down at the books.
Shizue stepped forward, aware that this could blow up rather horribly, "It's really important, could you at least hear us out? We've been looking at it all afternoon, and…" she trailed off, "Well, we've been stumped, and it's something only someone like you can help us with." She hoped that flattery would get her everywhere, and certainly Genta paused to consider it, his cheeks slightly red, before he finally responded.
"Yes?"
"So, we were ambushed on our most recent mission, and Rika was looking into this, and it looks like there is a pattern. A trend. A complex one, she's been looking at literally months of data over the past day, but even with my help, it's almost too much. I know it would be a tough task, but…" Shizue said, trailing off.
Genta looked up and around for a moment, uncertainly, before after a long moment of staring at the ceiling he nodded, "Sure. A traitor?"
"You're jumping to that conclusion rather quickly," Rika said, "It took me hours to accept--"
Genta took a breath, "I can accept much about this village. Plus, it's the only logical answer, isn't it? Like something out of a mystery: you eliminate what can't be and the answer's what's left."
"Unless it turns out to be a ghost or some weird chakra woo-woo," Rika pointed out, "I've read the same books!" She sounded oddly triumphant, and Genta stared at her for a moment before nodding.
"We need years of data. At least five. A chart must be constructed, and some sort of…" he trailed off, looking at Shizue, "Report? With anecdotes and data? Right?"
Shizue thought for a moment and nodded, "Examples would definitely help. After all, it's our ninja, ourselves, who are dying from this. It'd be a lot harder to dismiss if we made it have some weight, some--"
"Pathos?" Rika and Genta asked at the same time, then blinked and stared at each other. Genta's blink was slower.
"Yes," Shizue said with a nod, "Exactly. But, we'd have to get that information. So you're in?"
"It will be good training," Genta said, after a moment.
"Training for what?" Rika asked.
But no matter how they asked, Genta wouldn't answer, at least not directly. He was tired, and moved slow, as if he wasn't sure where he was stepping, but he'd eventually reach Rika's house, and first look through the data before declaring that the archives were the place to go. The trio headed off to look things over, though both Shizue and Genta would be pulled away for more studying with Emiko.
This time, as Emiko talked about stealth, and how to get a read on an environment, Shizue watched her closely. As if somehow there would be a sign, some proof of what Shizue feared most. The worst possible answer for the village, yet one that seemed oddly plausible despite the points against it.
*****
Tuesday brought news of war, and this time, people went around in a daze, stunned both by the advances and progress made and the cost. There'd been another ambush, two Island Chunin had ambushed two of the older Genin. They'd been carrying an important message to the governor of a distant island, and so in that way the attack wasn't that surprising. But against those odds, it had been only luck, desperation and paranoia that had saved one of them, who had tried to fight for only a few moments before turning to flee, getting away by sheer luck. The enemies had then turned to looting the island, badly injuring the governor while torturing him for information, and stealing his papers and tax information, before escaping without consequences. They'd known the average response times- that was no secret- and had known how to bug out before Reef could respond.
Rika had class today, leaving Shizue and Genta to work on the information, which filled dozens and dozens of volumes, some of which weren't exactly checked out properly. It wasn't vital information, but it did make Shizue feel a little bit jumpy as she chatted with Genta as he worked. He was very quiet, incredibly focused on his work, but Shizue was able to draw him out of his shell a little. He seemed well aware of what was going on in the village, and it seemed that his own decision not to go out and do C-ranked missions fell under a surprisingly cautious logic.
It was a little impressive, his total disregard for what his fellow ninjas would have been saying about him not signing up for a C-rank. Cowardice was likely the nicest accusation that would be laid at his feet if someone noticed what was going on, and as the war ramped up and the deaths continued, it was likely that more and more Ninja would be placed in harm's way. And if she, Rika, and Genta were right, someone was betraying the village. Genin were dying because of them, dying on missions that shouldn't be nearly that dangerous.
Theirs weren't the only deaths, though. Taking yet another two islands, and failing to take the last, Reef suffered losses. One Genin was dead, and another was crippled. She'd lost her leg, an arm, and had suffered severe spinal damage. It was unknown whether she would retire or not, but they certainly weren't going to be back in the fight anytime soon. Weeks, months at most, and that was with the best prosthetics in the world, which were rarely available in Reef. And then, would they be up for fighting at all? It was a tragedy, and it meant that despite the victories, the mood was somber. Two dead Genin, and another crippled, in exchange for killing an enemy Chunin.
Reef had gained control of several islands, of course, and the resources there would help them pay Emiko's weekly bounty and more, but they were paying, island by island. Tide was doing what it needed to do, if it was going to stand a chance of surviving, and they'd held onto an island as a base for a counterattack.
"There's definitely a pattern. I'm looking four years back and no period has seen this many attacks, and more importantly," Genta said, "This many directly targeted attacks."
Shizue nodded. She had been looking at the same tables, graphs, and mission logs (what was it with other Ninja and their bad handwriting and tendency either to say almost nothing or rant for pages?) that he had, and while she wasn't sure she'd caught everything, she had hardly been lazing around as Genta began sketching just what a chart or presentation of the data would look like. The patterns she had thought she'd seen before were completely evident, and more importantly, they had definitely started several weeks ago. Which left a lot of questions, the greatest of them all: why then? Emiko's arrival on a torn up raft was the only important event that seemed to stand out. All of the Special Jounin had been at their posts for at least four months, for the newest, so if it was their crime, then why hadn't the bloody winter been even worse?
Why had the ambushes started to increase during a time of relative peace? It didn't make any sense, and Genta too seemed perturbed. They were missing something, but they couldn't be, could they? "There has to be a gap, some bit of information that's not present in…" he gestured at all of that. "People don't always write down that which matters most."
"Rarely," Shizue said, quietly, "Everything I care about most is written down nowhere. I wouldn't trust it to paper, not when it's so important."
"So if it wasn't Emiko, it's likely to have something to do with politics… someone who was made angry, or--" Genta said, thoughtfuly, rubbing his chin.
When Rika got back, she expressed surprise at this: "Wait, really? Office politics? I mean, doesn't the council all work together?"
"I know my mom had to deal with politics," Shizue said, "She had rivals and enemies, and if she did, then likely many ninja do. It's not something they really… tell Genin, though."
"Don't want to look weak?" Genta asked.
Rika's eyes widened, "Yet I hear jokes all of the time about how Tide's full of backstabbers, and the new 'Jounin' are going to betray each other at the first chance."
"Well, that might be true," Genta said.
"And," Shizue said, feeling an urge to defend her village, "Our Jounin haven't backstabbed each other. Politics happens, but it doesn't always mean that it's… fatal." Yet sometimes it did, Shizue knew, deep down. Were her mother's rivals the reason for her death? No, they didn't give her the illness and they didn't kill her on the mission, but if she'd gotten higher priority for medicine, or a leave to try to recover from her illness, or...this was a game that Shizue couldn't win, could never have won, because she was essentially playing it against herself. Asking how her mother might have lived, when the simple fact was that she was dead and imagining all of the ways that might not have been so was worse than useless.
It was depressing.
"True, true," Rika said, reassured, "So...we should get all of this stuff into a chart, or some way to organize it, right?"
"Right," Shizue said, and they returned to the topic at hand.
******
"It was brutal, but we're winning," Okiie panted, so distracted by trying to tell Shizue what his mother had told him about the northern offensive that he failed to dodge one of her punches, and he stumbled back, drawing practice Kunai as Shizue moved in for the 'kill.'
The Kunai were well aimed, and one bounced against her face, and the other against her arm, leaving visible chalk marks as she retreated in the face of what would be a withering barrage.
"We needed to grab them, try to hold them to keep Island from moving on. And we've done that," he said, forming the handseals for his Water Shuriken. Shizue drew a pair of kunai and tried to dodge, but she stumbled back, wet, as half a dozen watery shuriken hit her.
She threw her kunai and moved in, trying to close the distance. She wasn't much better close up, but without her puppet trying to fight at a distance wasn't a good bet either. But he effortlessly deflected them with his own kunai, laughing and moving in to clash with her, "My mother has a big scar, and Ishina-san, she got too confident and…" he trailed off, and they sparred with blunted kunai, though Okiie still was getting the best of it. It was closer, though.
"And it cost him," Shizue said. Another Chunin dead.
"But we seized them three by three. Three islands, three enemy Chunin taken down, three enemy Genin..." Okiie panted, as Shizue tried something a little more subtle, going in for a kick to the legs. He groaned, and half fell over as she charged in for the 'kill', easily dodging a clumsy kick from Okiie, now on the ground, only to be hit in the face with forceful stream of water. It hurt more than expected, but most of all it was wet, very wet, and she began running through hand signs as soon as she could. Okiie got up just in time for her to hit him with his own attack!
Okiie laughed and said, "I didn't know you'd learned that!"
"Spent some time last week," Shizue called, as she opened some distance, "I thought it'd be best to have something I could use, just in case."
"You've been busy, but so have I," Okiie said, taking a breath, "Been practicing this all last week, I think I can show you something cool!"
"You might want to get out of the way," Okiie said.
He went through the hand-signs, slowly, almost carefully. Tiger. Ox. Dog. Snake. Then he gestured and a Shizue felt a huge gust of wind pushing past her. Even standing out of the way, she felt off balance. If she'd been in it, she might have been blown back, or who knows what else. It seemed to be an area attack, she noted. Probably a wise choice, since it'd force any enemy to retreat, moving back into the range where Okiie fought based.
"What was that?" Shizue asked.
"Wind Release: Breakthrough. It's a cool technique, and has a bigger version that can knock down trees and everything. Emiko said it'd be the technique that'd work best with my style. I wanted to learn the Wind Arrow. Shoot people with wind, but…" he shrugged, grinning, "There will be time to learn all of it."
Shizue nodded, thinking back to her own work. Everyone had been working hard, trying to figure out the mission data, and she'd been training when she could as well. It felt a little odd, keeping what she and Rika and Genta were doing from Okiie, but the more people were let in, the more endangered their secret will be. "Yeah, it was really impressive," Shizue said.
"Thanks!" he said, blushing, "So, you wanna get something to eat? I'm starved." He began walking off the training field, and Shizue followed close behind, "Do you know any places that serve good beef? I could use some barbequed beef!"
His stomach gave a piteous growl at this declaration, "See, it agrees too!"
*****
"There's something we've been avoiding considering," Rika said, frowning, as she looked over their progress later that day, " the sealion in the room."
"Emiko," Genta said after a slight pause, looking up from his tea.
"Well, could it be her?" Rika said.
"I… let's look at things," Genta said, "Examine the evidence. So Emiko washes up on a raft that seems to be made from parts of a larger ship four weeks ago, correct? She's examined and found to be water-logged and suffering from malnutrition, but few concrete injuries, and then checked into the hospital--"
"It certainly makes it seem unlikely she did it, since she'd have to start so soon--" Rika mused.
"Except, she could have faked it. She's very clever," Shizue said, getting to the crux of the problem. They all respected Emiko-san's capacity as a ninja, which means that nothing at all should be taken at face value.
"But she was examined by Taniguchi-sensei," Rika pointed out, "She'd notice if it was faked, the deprivation, so if she was faking it, she was doing so realistically. She came in with a storm, but could she have first gone to Island, been hired by them, and mocked up a raft to make it look like she was blown in by chance?"
"I...that doesn't sound entirely impossible, but why?" Genta asked. "We know that she can sneak through all sorts of things, so if she really wanted to, wouldn't it be just as easy to get here via another means?"
"Through the mines?" Shizue asked.
"Though," Genta admitted, "If she wanted, she could just fake being a civilian and get through on a merchant vessel carrying goods, and then once there just sneak in if she wanted--"
"Unless she wants more than that," Shizue said, "It all comes down to this, though, doesn't it? She's too competent."
"Yeah, her washing up in a place like this, she's not a Matsume," Rika murmurs, "Not some idiot who's only good at three or four things, and really good at them. I mean, she's teaching tactics and elemental jutsu and genjutsu and the use of poison, and I heard she also has some skill at fuinjutsu and...she's capable enough that I wouldn't put anything as beyond her abilities. At least, not easily." She bit her lip, and Genta nodded as well. He looked very nervous, and after a moment he said.
"Yet right now, there's not really any positive proof," Genta said, uncertainly, "If we accuse her, or even hint that she could do it without proof--"
"It'd be a lot easier to believe that some outsider did it," Rika said, "Rather than one of their own. Some mercenary…"
"Then…" Shizue said, taking a breath, "We need not to hint at it unless we have not just evidence, but proof." She nodded, and looked at the other two. They all knew that this was a big decision, and depending on what the 'answer' was, it could be a big mistake or the wisest move of this whole endeavor. Nervously, they continued their work, late into the night.
*****
That afternoon, Izumida Akachi and Shimaoka Kansuke went on a routine mission, to escort some goods. Thursday morning, Akachi came home alone on a patrol boat and stormed right up to Emiko's cottage, up the way, through the village, all but sprinting. He pushed past people trying to talk to him, he caught attention and once he was there, he pounded on the door until Emiko opened it. Those who had followed, who were close, said that for some reason the sound was muffled, and so they couldn't make out all of the words. Akachi was yelling, that seemed to make it through, "He's dead! Your fuinjutsu…!" Emiko's eyes widened and she moved forward, saying something and gesturing for him to go inside the cottage, a place no genin had been since she had occupied it. He said a few more things, voice muffled, but tone clearly a little less angry. Then he moved to follow her. She frowned and slammed the door shut behind her.
An hour later, red-eyed, exhausted, and inconsolable, Akachi stepped out, mouth set, and he went straight to his house, locked the door, and didn't come out.
Shizue heard all of this while eating breakfast, and wondered at the muffling. It must have been some jutsu, but it sounded like something she could have done. Controlling how sound moves? It seemed really interesting, but the main story is what had happened. A Tide Chunin had ambushed the pair and nearly killed both of them, when Kansuke charged forward and- using fuinjutsu that Iwasaki Emiko might well have taught him- he blew up all of his explosive tags, all of the ones he'd stored away for a fight, at once. Both he and the enemy were consumed, and at the end there was only a slurry of ashes and guts and body parts remaining, impossible even to tell apart. Dead, both of them.
A good sacrifice, some might have said, but it was clear Akachi didn't see it that way, and Shizue remembered the way Kansuke had talked to Emiko the other day. Learned more, and then used it for...well, for what the whole village would regard as a worthy sacrifice, the action of a hero. Shizue didn't know how to feel, and she still didn't that afternoon, after the Snake in the Grass class, when Emiko came over to her and asked, "Hey, would you like to do that work with the puppets? Sorry I haven't been able to do it earlier, I've been somewhat busy."
Shizue was startled, having almost forgotten Emiko's promise, and she said, after a moment, "Sure. Come by my house in an hour, okay?"
"Of course, of course. I'll see you then," Emiko said, turning and walking over to where a few people had more questions, answering them as Shizue hurried off.
*****
She cleaned her house up, of course. Shizue spent the whole hour, instead of working on the puppets or getting started, trying to make the place tidy, as if Emiko-sensei was going to judge her house and herself by whether there was a bit of dust in the corner. It made her feel better, though, which was what really mattered, and by the time there was a knock on the door, she felt ready for guests. She opened it, and found Emiko on the other side, carrying what looked like two scrolls and a pack. She'd say, "Hey, may I come in?"
"Of course," Shizue said, stepping aside as Emiko looked around her house.
Emiko had no direct comments about how it looked, but she did ask, "Do you mind if I start some tea? Or would you rather not have me poking around your house?"
"It's fine," Shizue said, looking around, "Will you be able to find everything?"
"Probably," Emiko said, reaching into her pocket and saying, "While you're waiting, I have a spare, ordered a few too many…" she pulled out what could only be a slip of chakra paper. "So if you want to try, you can."
That was expensive, or at least expensive enough that Shizue hadn't been able to afford it yet. She'd probably have gotten around to buying a piece eventually, but it hadn't seemed that important, and besides most people wound up being exactly the affinity they expected. Water, most likely. It wasn't an opportunity you let pass, however, Shizue knew, and so she nodded and held out her hand, taking it. "I just push chakra into it?" Shizue asked.
Emiko nodded and turned, heading into the kitchenette and saying, "Just tell me what it does."
Shizue focused on the piece of paper, and began to let out chakra, first slowly, then fast. And it crumbled in her hands, before her very eyes, dust and dirt and then it blew away, fell through her fingers, "It turned into dust."
"Really?" Emiko called, "Wow. You have an earth affinity, just like I do. Huh, well, if you ever need a pointer or two, I'd be happy to show you. Earth can be very useful. Do you want sugar in your tea?"
"Yes please," Shizue said, thinking about the offer. It was generous, though it made her wonder. Emiko was clearly at least taking some effort to be nice to her, and she seemed to be doing that to many people. Some were even dead now, but Shizue remembered that it had been Kansuke who had come to her for advice.
A minute later, Emiko walked in holding a tea pot and a pair of cups before saying, "Lead the way."
Shizue felt nervous, showing her workspace to Emiko, but she opened the door and stepped through. Emiko looked around, glancing at the poster for a moment and then saying, "So, what I figure is, at the very, very least I am a pair of hands, and if you want any parts, or to borrow doses of poison, I'd be willing to do so, though I'd warn you against getting too reliant on them. I'm going to be going eventually, in a few months at most, and if you don't know how to synthesize the poison or repair the mechanisms, then you'll have to dig it out of the puppet, and I've been told that's a bitch to do."
Shizue nodded, understanding the point, though she had another question, "You've met puppeteers before?"
"Yes, he was an interesting fellow, it's good that I never had to fight him. He wasn't a missing-nin, and I could have theoretically been sent against his village, but luckily that never happened," Emiko said, "I know about the fight with the enemy Genin."
"I'm… fine," Shizue said, then realized she'd merely assumed that Emiko was going to ask about her.
"That is up to you to decide," Emiko said, "It always is. You're fine if you're fine."
Shizue frowned, and said, "What does that mean?"
"Exactly what I said, Shizue-san," Emiko said, looking around, "So, you're in charge here. This is your workshop, not mine."
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
What does Shizue have Emiko do?
[] Provides only her skill and an extra pair of hands.
[] Provides that, plus trap mechanisms.
[] Provides that, plus poison.
[] Provides all three.
Vote on How to Work with Emiko (Can choose multiple)
Also, as a note, remember that there are only two slots currently open for Stinger's Equipment unless its stats are raised in Armaments.
XP Free for Stinger: 28
Continuing the investigation (pick one)
[] Personal examples to make it feel more pressing? That's easy!
-[] Talk to the three Genin, ask them about their experiences.
-[] Talk to Azusa.
-[] Talk to Chusei.
-[] Interview Akachi about his experiences, the latest in the ambushes which has led to yet more deaths, though if he realizes what is being implied it could lead to fireworks.
[] Go to Emiko, whether for help or trying to confront her, you're not sure yet. Just...meet her.
[] Reveal it to someone else?
-[] One of the Jounin (Which? Pick from the list last update)
-[] Another Genin, expand the circle wider (who? Pick from anyone on the 'Genin you know' list, or anyone who has been mentioned since and is still alive.)
*****
A/N: So, bit by bit. First off, what is meant by comparing Matsume to Emiko is that Matsume, the late Oyabun of Tide, was a moron and a braggart who, in a world without chakra, would be a washed up high-school dropout bully. Instead, he was a very powerful, fearsome (rather min-maxed) combatant. Emiko, on the other hand, seems more well-rounded. She's not a Matsume of genjutsu.
Now, as to the tally, and note that since this war is partially decided by rolls, things could have been going a *lot* differently by this point. Still, death, death and more death.
Dead Ninja: 27 (4 Tide Jonin, 1 Tide Special Jonin, 8 Tide Chunin, 7 Tide Genin, 1 Tide 'Genin', 2 Reef Chunin, 4 Reef Genin)
Dead Civilians: >25
Civilian deaths are probably far higher than that. And, as to why it's all so disproportionate, @Kairos123 is close to right. By taking out the Jounin, Emiko has made it so that every fight includes a lot of bad match-ups. Matsume would have probably personally killed at least two or three Reef Chunin by this point, and maybe worse, if Reef had overextended itself like this normally. He might have even killed a Special Jounin or Jounin, or maybe multiple ones if the dice/luck loved him, and certainly would have forced Ken and others to be less circumspect instead of picking fights with people much weaker than them, hounding them, and then killing them.
He was that overpowered, that he was able to singlehandedly turn a defeat for Tide into a victory. Thus, with his death, the entire equation changed. Heck, there are like...four or five possible backgrounds listed in the 'Clans' options that end with 'and then your parents went and fought Matsume and died' Because he has that sort of reputation for a good reason.
Shizue considered it for a moment. Getting involved might not be a good idea at all, and even if it was there was no guarantee it would end well. But, then again, if they didn't get involved, what would she do? Refuse to ever go on another mission again for fear of what they now suspected? It was really that simple, and once she'd begun thinking about it, other answers also came up. A lot would be needed. They would need to prove, or at least have strong evidence, of treason to proceed, and if possible it'd be best if she and Rika either had a suspect in mind, or had narrowed it down considerably. Even if the pool of suspects was only Emiko and the Special Jounin, that was still six people, and it'd be far too easy to just blame Emiko- and whether she was guilty or not, acting against her would be dangerous. She'd just murdered all of the Jounin of Tide in a single night, two weeks ago.
A conflict between her and Reef would be disastrous, whether she won or not. Shizue hoped it was not Emiko, for Reef's sake, as she said, "I'm in. We should probably talk to Genta. He's smart, and he'd bring the sort of brainpower we'd need, wouldn't he?"
"You know," Rika said thoughtfully, "I bet he would! Let's go!" Rika stood up, sending papers scattering before racing for the door. Then she paused, halfway out the door, "Wait...where is Genta?"
Shizue stared for her at a moment before slowly standing and saying, "Well, we'll have to track him down."
[END Credits and Song]
Act 1, Scene 6: A Brilliant Mind! Genta's Analytic Prowess?
He was found at the library, an old, worn down building. In many ways, he reminded Shizue of Rika, looking at him. Dozens and dozens of books covered the table, which creaked and groaned under their weight as Genta filled a page with notes, eyes red-rimmed from lack of sleep. His eyes were always a little reddish, but now they were sunken in, yet oddly bright, as he kept on blinking, pausing in his calculations to turn and look to the side, or check one of the books. Shizue, when she later had a chance to glance at the paper, couldn't make any sense of it. They seemed to be numbers, some sort of math problem, perhaps? But then every so often there was a short sentence nested in parenthesis...
At the time, however, she merely walked forward, trailing Rika, who said, "Genta-kun, may we speak with you?"
He looked up, his eyes seeming to stare right through Rika at Shizue for a long moment. She felt grabbed by his eyes, and she'd look away for a moment before Genta said, "Yes." He paused, then cleared his throat, reaching over to where he held a glass of tea, which he sipped, rather delicately, then elaborated, "Yes?"
Rika gave a start and said, "Well, we wanted your help with something. It's really important, and if you're not busy--"
"No," Genta said, quietly.
"No?" Rika asked, stunned, pausing mid-sentence, having planned--Shizue knew because she'd practiced this big speech the whole way there to the library after they'd finally found out where Genta was--to say a lot more.
"No," Genta said, seeming almost amused at the way Rika was staring at him, stunned by his refusal.
[OPENING CREDITS!]
"What do you mean, no?" Rika asked, her voice rather louder than was normal for a library.
"Too busy," Genta said, quietly, glancing down at the books.
Shizue stepped forward, aware that this could blow up rather horribly, "It's really important, could you at least hear us out? We've been looking at it all afternoon, and…" she trailed off, "Well, we've been stumped, and it's something only someone like you can help us with." She hoped that flattery would get her everywhere, and certainly Genta paused to consider it, his cheeks slightly red, before he finally responded.
"Yes?"
"So, we were ambushed on our most recent mission, and Rika was looking into this, and it looks like there is a pattern. A trend. A complex one, she's been looking at literally months of data over the past day, but even with my help, it's almost too much. I know it would be a tough task, but…" Shizue said, trailing off.
Genta looked up and around for a moment, uncertainly, before after a long moment of staring at the ceiling he nodded, "Sure. A traitor?"
"You're jumping to that conclusion rather quickly," Rika said, "It took me hours to accept--"
Genta took a breath, "I can accept much about this village. Plus, it's the only logical answer, isn't it? Like something out of a mystery: you eliminate what can't be and the answer's what's left."
"Unless it turns out to be a ghost or some weird chakra woo-woo," Rika pointed out, "I've read the same books!" She sounded oddly triumphant, and Genta stared at her for a moment before nodding.
"We need years of data. At least five. A chart must be constructed, and some sort of…" he trailed off, looking at Shizue, "Report? With anecdotes and data? Right?"
Shizue thought for a moment and nodded, "Examples would definitely help. After all, it's our ninja, ourselves, who are dying from this. It'd be a lot harder to dismiss if we made it have some weight, some--"
"Pathos?" Rika and Genta asked at the same time, then blinked and stared at each other. Genta's blink was slower.
"Yes," Shizue said with a nod, "Exactly. But, we'd have to get that information. So you're in?"
"It will be good training," Genta said, after a moment.
"Training for what?" Rika asked.
But no matter how they asked, Genta wouldn't answer, at least not directly. He was tired, and moved slow, as if he wasn't sure where he was stepping, but he'd eventually reach Rika's house, and first look through the data before declaring that the archives were the place to go. The trio headed off to look things over, though both Shizue and Genta would be pulled away for more studying with Emiko.
This time, as Emiko talked about stealth, and how to get a read on an environment, Shizue watched her closely. As if somehow there would be a sign, some proof of what Shizue feared most. The worst possible answer for the village, yet one that seemed oddly plausible despite the points against it.
*****
Tuesday brought news of war, and this time, people went around in a daze, stunned both by the advances and progress made and the cost. There'd been another ambush, two Island Chunin had ambushed two of the older Genin. They'd been carrying an important message to the governor of a distant island, and so in that way the attack wasn't that surprising. But against those odds, it had been only luck, desperation and paranoia that had saved one of them, who had tried to fight for only a few moments before turning to flee, getting away by sheer luck. The enemies had then turned to looting the island, badly injuring the governor while torturing him for information, and stealing his papers and tax information, before escaping without consequences. They'd known the average response times- that was no secret- and had known how to bug out before Reef could respond.
Rika had class today, leaving Shizue and Genta to work on the information, which filled dozens and dozens of volumes, some of which weren't exactly checked out properly. It wasn't vital information, but it did make Shizue feel a little bit jumpy as she chatted with Genta as he worked. He was very quiet, incredibly focused on his work, but Shizue was able to draw him out of his shell a little. He seemed well aware of what was going on in the village, and it seemed that his own decision not to go out and do C-ranked missions fell under a surprisingly cautious logic.
It was a little impressive, his total disregard for what his fellow ninjas would have been saying about him not signing up for a C-rank. Cowardice was likely the nicest accusation that would be laid at his feet if someone noticed what was going on, and as the war ramped up and the deaths continued, it was likely that more and more Ninja would be placed in harm's way. And if she, Rika, and Genta were right, someone was betraying the village. Genin were dying because of them, dying on missions that shouldn't be nearly that dangerous.
Theirs weren't the only deaths, though. Taking yet another two islands, and failing to take the last, Reef suffered losses. One Genin was dead, and another was crippled. She'd lost her leg, an arm, and had suffered severe spinal damage. It was unknown whether she would retire or not, but they certainly weren't going to be back in the fight anytime soon. Weeks, months at most, and that was with the best prosthetics in the world, which were rarely available in Reef. And then, would they be up for fighting at all? It was a tragedy, and it meant that despite the victories, the mood was somber. Two dead Genin, and another crippled, in exchange for killing an enemy Chunin.
Reef had gained control of several islands, of course, and the resources there would help them pay Emiko's weekly bounty and more, but they were paying, island by island. Tide was doing what it needed to do, if it was going to stand a chance of surviving, and they'd held onto an island as a base for a counterattack.
"There's definitely a pattern. I'm looking four years back and no period has seen this many attacks, and more importantly," Genta said, "This many directly targeted attacks."
Shizue nodded. She had been looking at the same tables, graphs, and mission logs (what was it with other Ninja and their bad handwriting and tendency either to say almost nothing or rant for pages?) that he had, and while she wasn't sure she'd caught everything, she had hardly been lazing around as Genta began sketching just what a chart or presentation of the data would look like. The patterns she had thought she'd seen before were completely evident, and more importantly, they had definitely started several weeks ago. Which left a lot of questions, the greatest of them all: why then? Emiko's arrival on a torn up raft was the only important event that seemed to stand out. All of the Special Jounin had been at their posts for at least four months, for the newest, so if it was their crime, then why hadn't the bloody winter been even worse?
Why had the ambushes started to increase during a time of relative peace? It didn't make any sense, and Genta too seemed perturbed. They were missing something, but they couldn't be, could they? "There has to be a gap, some bit of information that's not present in…" he gestured at all of that. "People don't always write down that which matters most."
"Rarely," Shizue said, quietly, "Everything I care about most is written down nowhere. I wouldn't trust it to paper, not when it's so important."
"So if it wasn't Emiko, it's likely to have something to do with politics… someone who was made angry, or--" Genta said, thoughtfuly, rubbing his chin.
When Rika got back, she expressed surprise at this: "Wait, really? Office politics? I mean, doesn't the council all work together?"
"I know my mom had to deal with politics," Shizue said, "She had rivals and enemies, and if she did, then likely many ninja do. It's not something they really… tell Genin, though."
"Don't want to look weak?" Genta asked.
Rika's eyes widened, "Yet I hear jokes all of the time about how Tide's full of backstabbers, and the new 'Jounin' are going to betray each other at the first chance."
"Well, that might be true," Genta said.
"And," Shizue said, feeling an urge to defend her village, "Our Jounin haven't backstabbed each other. Politics happens, but it doesn't always mean that it's… fatal." Yet sometimes it did, Shizue knew, deep down. Were her mother's rivals the reason for her death? No, they didn't give her the illness and they didn't kill her on the mission, but if she'd gotten higher priority for medicine, or a leave to try to recover from her illness, or...this was a game that Shizue couldn't win, could never have won, because she was essentially playing it against herself. Asking how her mother might have lived, when the simple fact was that she was dead and imagining all of the ways that might not have been so was worse than useless.
It was depressing.
"True, true," Rika said, reassured, "So...we should get all of this stuff into a chart, or some way to organize it, right?"
"Right," Shizue said, and they returned to the topic at hand.
******
"It was brutal, but we're winning," Okiie panted, so distracted by trying to tell Shizue what his mother had told him about the northern offensive that he failed to dodge one of her punches, and he stumbled back, drawing practice Kunai as Shizue moved in for the 'kill.'
The Kunai were well aimed, and one bounced against her face, and the other against her arm, leaving visible chalk marks as she retreated in the face of what would be a withering barrage.
"We needed to grab them, try to hold them to keep Island from moving on. And we've done that," he said, forming the handseals for his Water Shuriken. Shizue drew a pair of kunai and tried to dodge, but she stumbled back, wet, as half a dozen watery shuriken hit her.
She threw her kunai and moved in, trying to close the distance. She wasn't much better close up, but without her puppet trying to fight at a distance wasn't a good bet either. But he effortlessly deflected them with his own kunai, laughing and moving in to clash with her, "My mother has a big scar, and Ishina-san, she got too confident and…" he trailed off, and they sparred with blunted kunai, though Okiie still was getting the best of it. It was closer, though.
"And it cost him," Shizue said. Another Chunin dead.
"But we seized them three by three. Three islands, three enemy Chunin taken down, three enemy Genin..." Okiie panted, as Shizue tried something a little more subtle, going in for a kick to the legs. He groaned, and half fell over as she charged in for the 'kill', easily dodging a clumsy kick from Okiie, now on the ground, only to be hit in the face with forceful stream of water. It hurt more than expected, but most of all it was wet, very wet, and she began running through hand signs as soon as she could. Okiie got up just in time for her to hit him with his own attack!
Okiie laughed and said, "I didn't know you'd learned that!"
"Spent some time last week," Shizue called, as she opened some distance, "I thought it'd be best to have something I could use, just in case."
"You've been busy, but so have I," Okiie said, taking a breath, "Been practicing this all last week, I think I can show you something cool!"
"You might want to get out of the way," Okiie said.
He went through the hand-signs, slowly, almost carefully. Tiger. Ox. Dog. Snake. Then he gestured and a Shizue felt a huge gust of wind pushing past her. Even standing out of the way, she felt off balance. If she'd been in it, she might have been blown back, or who knows what else. It seemed to be an area attack, she noted. Probably a wise choice, since it'd force any enemy to retreat, moving back into the range where Okiie fought based.
"What was that?" Shizue asked.
"Wind Release: Breakthrough. It's a cool technique, and has a bigger version that can knock down trees and everything. Emiko said it'd be the technique that'd work best with my style. I wanted to learn the Wind Arrow. Shoot people with wind, but…" he shrugged, grinning, "There will be time to learn all of it."
Shizue nodded, thinking back to her own work. Everyone had been working hard, trying to figure out the mission data, and she'd been training when she could as well. It felt a little odd, keeping what she and Rika and Genta were doing from Okiie, but the more people were let in, the more endangered their secret will be. "Yeah, it was really impressive," Shizue said.
"Thanks!" he said, blushing, "So, you wanna get something to eat? I'm starved." He began walking off the training field, and Shizue followed close behind, "Do you know any places that serve good beef? I could use some barbequed beef!"
His stomach gave a piteous growl at this declaration, "See, it agrees too!"
*****
"There's something we've been avoiding considering," Rika said, frowning, as she looked over their progress later that day, " the sealion in the room."
"Emiko," Genta said after a slight pause, looking up from his tea.
"Well, could it be her?" Rika said.
"I… let's look at things," Genta said, "Examine the evidence. So Emiko washes up on a raft that seems to be made from parts of a larger ship four weeks ago, correct? She's examined and found to be water-logged and suffering from malnutrition, but few concrete injuries, and then checked into the hospital--"
"It certainly makes it seem unlikely she did it, since she'd have to start so soon--" Rika mused.
"Except, she could have faked it. She's very clever," Shizue said, getting to the crux of the problem. They all respected Emiko-san's capacity as a ninja, which means that nothing at all should be taken at face value.
"But she was examined by Taniguchi-sensei," Rika pointed out, "She'd notice if it was faked, the deprivation, so if she was faking it, she was doing so realistically. She came in with a storm, but could she have first gone to Island, been hired by them, and mocked up a raft to make it look like she was blown in by chance?"
"I...that doesn't sound entirely impossible, but why?" Genta asked. "We know that she can sneak through all sorts of things, so if she really wanted to, wouldn't it be just as easy to get here via another means?"
"Through the mines?" Shizue asked.
"Though," Genta admitted, "If she wanted, she could just fake being a civilian and get through on a merchant vessel carrying goods, and then once there just sneak in if she wanted--"
"Unless she wants more than that," Shizue said, "It all comes down to this, though, doesn't it? She's too competent."
"Yeah, her washing up in a place like this, she's not a Matsume," Rika murmurs, "Not some idiot who's only good at three or four things, and really good at them. I mean, she's teaching tactics and elemental jutsu and genjutsu and the use of poison, and I heard she also has some skill at fuinjutsu and...she's capable enough that I wouldn't put anything as beyond her abilities. At least, not easily." She bit her lip, and Genta nodded as well. He looked very nervous, and after a moment he said.
"Yet right now, there's not really any positive proof," Genta said, uncertainly, "If we accuse her, or even hint that she could do it without proof--"
"It'd be a lot easier to believe that some outsider did it," Rika said, "Rather than one of their own. Some mercenary…"
"Then…" Shizue said, taking a breath, "We need not to hint at it unless we have not just evidence, but proof." She nodded, and looked at the other two. They all knew that this was a big decision, and depending on what the 'answer' was, it could be a big mistake or the wisest move of this whole endeavor. Nervously, they continued their work, late into the night.
*****
That afternoon, Izumida Akachi and Shimaoka Kansuke went on a routine mission, to escort some goods. Thursday morning, Akachi came home alone on a patrol boat and stormed right up to Emiko's cottage, up the way, through the village, all but sprinting. He pushed past people trying to talk to him, he caught attention and once he was there, he pounded on the door until Emiko opened it. Those who had followed, who were close, said that for some reason the sound was muffled, and so they couldn't make out all of the words. Akachi was yelling, that seemed to make it through, "He's dead! Your fuinjutsu…!" Emiko's eyes widened and she moved forward, saying something and gesturing for him to go inside the cottage, a place no genin had been since she had occupied it. He said a few more things, voice muffled, but tone clearly a little less angry. Then he moved to follow her. She frowned and slammed the door shut behind her.
An hour later, red-eyed, exhausted, and inconsolable, Akachi stepped out, mouth set, and he went straight to his house, locked the door, and didn't come out.
Shizue heard all of this while eating breakfast, and wondered at the muffling. It must have been some jutsu, but it sounded like something she could have done. Controlling how sound moves? It seemed really interesting, but the main story is what had happened. A Tide Chunin had ambushed the pair and nearly killed both of them, when Kansuke charged forward and- using fuinjutsu that Iwasaki Emiko might well have taught him- he blew up all of his explosive tags, all of the ones he'd stored away for a fight, at once. Both he and the enemy were consumed, and at the end there was only a slurry of ashes and guts and body parts remaining, impossible even to tell apart. Dead, both of them.
A good sacrifice, some might have said, but it was clear Akachi didn't see it that way, and Shizue remembered the way Kansuke had talked to Emiko the other day. Learned more, and then used it for...well, for what the whole village would regard as a worthy sacrifice, the action of a hero. Shizue didn't know how to feel, and she still didn't that afternoon, after the Snake in the Grass class, when Emiko came over to her and asked, "Hey, would you like to do that work with the puppets? Sorry I haven't been able to do it earlier, I've been somewhat busy."
Shizue was startled, having almost forgotten Emiko's promise, and she said, after a moment, "Sure. Come by my house in an hour, okay?"
"Of course, of course. I'll see you then," Emiko said, turning and walking over to where a few people had more questions, answering them as Shizue hurried off.
*****
She cleaned her house up, of course. Shizue spent the whole hour, instead of working on the puppets or getting started, trying to make the place tidy, as if Emiko-sensei was going to judge her house and herself by whether there was a bit of dust in the corner. It made her feel better, though, which was what really mattered, and by the time there was a knock on the door, she felt ready for guests. She opened it, and found Emiko on the other side, carrying what looked like two scrolls and a pack. She'd say, "Hey, may I come in?"
"Of course," Shizue said, stepping aside as Emiko looked around her house.
Emiko had no direct comments about how it looked, but she did ask, "Do you mind if I start some tea? Or would you rather not have me poking around your house?"
"It's fine," Shizue said, looking around, "Will you be able to find everything?"
"Probably," Emiko said, reaching into her pocket and saying, "While you're waiting, I have a spare, ordered a few too many…" she pulled out what could only be a slip of chakra paper. "So if you want to try, you can."
That was expensive, or at least expensive enough that Shizue hadn't been able to afford it yet. She'd probably have gotten around to buying a piece eventually, but it hadn't seemed that important, and besides most people wound up being exactly the affinity they expected. Water, most likely. It wasn't an opportunity you let pass, however, Shizue knew, and so she nodded and held out her hand, taking it. "I just push chakra into it?" Shizue asked.
Emiko nodded and turned, heading into the kitchenette and saying, "Just tell me what it does."
Shizue focused on the piece of paper, and began to let out chakra, first slowly, then fast. And it crumbled in her hands, before her very eyes, dust and dirt and then it blew away, fell through her fingers, "It turned into dust."
"Really?" Emiko called, "Wow. You have an earth affinity, just like I do. Huh, well, if you ever need a pointer or two, I'd be happy to show you. Earth can be very useful. Do you want sugar in your tea?"
"Yes please," Shizue said, thinking about the offer. It was generous, though it made her wonder. Emiko was clearly at least taking some effort to be nice to her, and she seemed to be doing that to many people. Some were even dead now, but Shizue remembered that it had been Kansuke who had come to her for advice.
A minute later, Emiko walked in holding a tea pot and a pair of cups before saying, "Lead the way."
Shizue felt nervous, showing her workspace to Emiko, but she opened the door and stepped through. Emiko looked around, glancing at the poster for a moment and then saying, "So, what I figure is, at the very, very least I am a pair of hands, and if you want any parts, or to borrow doses of poison, I'd be willing to do so, though I'd warn you against getting too reliant on them. I'm going to be going eventually, in a few months at most, and if you don't know how to synthesize the poison or repair the mechanisms, then you'll have to dig it out of the puppet, and I've been told that's a bitch to do."
Shizue nodded, understanding the point, though she had another question, "You've met puppeteers before?"
"Yes, he was an interesting fellow, it's good that I never had to fight him. He wasn't a missing-nin, and I could have theoretically been sent against his village, but luckily that never happened," Emiko said, "I know about the fight with the enemy Genin."
"I'm… fine," Shizue said, then realized she'd merely assumed that Emiko was going to ask about her.
"That is up to you to decide," Emiko said, "It always is. You're fine if you're fine."
Shizue frowned, and said, "What does that mean?"
"Exactly what I said, Shizue-san," Emiko said, looking around, "So, you're in charge here. This is your workshop, not mine."
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
What does Shizue have Emiko do?
[] Provides only her skill and an extra pair of hands.
[] Provides that, plus trap mechanisms.
[] Provides that, plus poison.
[] Provides all three.
Vote on How to Work with Emiko (Can choose multiple)
Also, as a note, remember that there are only two slots currently open for Stinger's Equipment unless its stats are raised in Armaments.
XP Free for Stinger: 28
[] Work on improving the basic body (Stats) of the puppet
-[] Set priority among Armament, Structure, Design, and Agility. (1st, second, etc)
--[] What portion of total XP (half, a third, no need for exact numbers) do you allocate?
[] Work on creating and designing equipment (just choose what you want to do, we'll work out numbers, and if you go 'over budget' that just means you have things invested to finish next time, like 5/X, or whatnot)
-[] Wired Reflexes: There are some small parts of the puppet that could definitely benefit from the use of wires rather than gears for the mechanisms. It would be a small improvement, but it might lead to expanded possibilities later on, and there are ideas Shizue has based on what she's read that she couldn't even begin to implement. (0/3) - Agility is increased by 2 for the purposes of acting first, quick reactions.
-[] Net Trap Explosion: She's working on it, she's working on it. Hopefully she can get it done soon. (7 of 8).
-[] Submersible: Not only can the puppet be covered in water, it can operate while fully submerged, though it has no specific swimming 'ability' programmed in. (0/12)
-[] Improved Poison: Begin trying to work out a better poison that can be used for the poisoned kunai reliably, or maybe even added to the arm blades to actually make them poisonous, really the sting of an angry hornet. (0/???)
--[] Ask Emiko about poisons, then simply figure out a way to install poison provided by her in a way that it can be used and reused without any risk of contamination. 0/???, less than the above, requires choosing 'Emiko Provides Poison.'
-[] Spring Loaded: Currently the movement of the puppet is pretty normal. Springs could be placed to allow it a sudden 'burst' of activity. (Requires Emiko trap help to make work) (0/6)
-[] Cloak and Daggers: It's not a big deal, but the cloak that Shizue's puppet is wearing could be changed to help it blend in even more, and increase the chance of it being mistaken for something else at a distance. Plus, it'd be better, aesthetically. (0/2)--+1 towards stealth rolls, puppet looks cooler.
-[] Water Gun: All that's needed is to install this (8/8)
--[] Itchy Water?: Through the use of chambers above the water, itching powder could be poured in right before it is sprayed. While it'd more be for friendly spars, it's an amusing idea, and the first one Shizue had before she had more dangerous ideas. (0/6), requires installing the Water Gun. Exclusive from all others.
--[] Caustic Water: There are any number of substances that can be rather bad if they get into someone's eyes, and can cause damage to the skin. While the water might dilute them, it could be a useful little trick. (0/8), requires installing the Water Gun. Exclusive from all others.
--[] Mildly Poisoned Water: Poisons could be added to the water so that if someone hit with the water gun wound up ingesting any of the water, they might suffer some side-effects, though at the level of poison knowledge Shizue has these wouldn't be truly dangerous poisons. (0/8), requires installing the Water Gun. Exclusive from all others.
--[] Emiko Class Poisons: Work with Emiko to have her provide poisons to use for putting in the water. Maybe not her best, perhaps, but certainly they'd be a lot more effective than what Shizue could manage. But Shizue would have to get the poisons from Emiko after every second or third use, or it'd run out. (0/16?), requires installing the Water Gun and asking Emiko for help with poison. Exclusive from all others.
--[] Loader: It's not so much a huge innovation as it is a rather complex system of chambers that allows the type of poison in the water to be regulated. Through this method, a dozen different poisons could be 'switched out' at well, allowing multiple of Shizue's ideas to be integrated into the same gun. (0/14), requires Emiko helping with both Traps and Poisons.
-[] Set priority among Armament, Structure, Design, and Agility. (1st, second, etc)
--[] What portion of total XP (half, a third, no need for exact numbers) do you allocate?
[] Work on creating and designing equipment (just choose what you want to do, we'll work out numbers, and if you go 'over budget' that just means you have things invested to finish next time, like 5/X, or whatnot)
-[] Wired Reflexes: There are some small parts of the puppet that could definitely benefit from the use of wires rather than gears for the mechanisms. It would be a small improvement, but it might lead to expanded possibilities later on, and there are ideas Shizue has based on what she's read that she couldn't even begin to implement. (0/3) - Agility is increased by 2 for the purposes of acting first, quick reactions.
-[] Net Trap Explosion: She's working on it, she's working on it. Hopefully she can get it done soon. (7 of 8).
-[] Submersible: Not only can the puppet be covered in water, it can operate while fully submerged, though it has no specific swimming 'ability' programmed in. (0/12)
-[] Improved Poison: Begin trying to work out a better poison that can be used for the poisoned kunai reliably, or maybe even added to the arm blades to actually make them poisonous, really the sting of an angry hornet. (0/???)
--[] Ask Emiko about poisons, then simply figure out a way to install poison provided by her in a way that it can be used and reused without any risk of contamination. 0/???, less than the above, requires choosing 'Emiko Provides Poison.'
-[] Spring Loaded: Currently the movement of the puppet is pretty normal. Springs could be placed to allow it a sudden 'burst' of activity. (Requires Emiko trap help to make work) (0/6)
-[] Cloak and Daggers: It's not a big deal, but the cloak that Shizue's puppet is wearing could be changed to help it blend in even more, and increase the chance of it being mistaken for something else at a distance. Plus, it'd be better, aesthetically. (0/2)--+1 towards stealth rolls, puppet looks cooler.
-[] Water Gun: All that's needed is to install this (8/8)
--[] Itchy Water?: Through the use of chambers above the water, itching powder could be poured in right before it is sprayed. While it'd more be for friendly spars, it's an amusing idea, and the first one Shizue had before she had more dangerous ideas. (0/6), requires installing the Water Gun. Exclusive from all others.
--[] Caustic Water: There are any number of substances that can be rather bad if they get into someone's eyes, and can cause damage to the skin. While the water might dilute them, it could be a useful little trick. (0/8), requires installing the Water Gun. Exclusive from all others.
--[] Mildly Poisoned Water: Poisons could be added to the water so that if someone hit with the water gun wound up ingesting any of the water, they might suffer some side-effects, though at the level of poison knowledge Shizue has these wouldn't be truly dangerous poisons. (0/8), requires installing the Water Gun. Exclusive from all others.
--[] Emiko Class Poisons: Work with Emiko to have her provide poisons to use for putting in the water. Maybe not her best, perhaps, but certainly they'd be a lot more effective than what Shizue could manage. But Shizue would have to get the poisons from Emiko after every second or third use, or it'd run out. (0/16?), requires installing the Water Gun and asking Emiko for help with poison. Exclusive from all others.
--[] Loader: It's not so much a huge innovation as it is a rather complex system of chambers that allows the type of poison in the water to be regulated. Through this method, a dozen different poisons could be 'switched out' at well, allowing multiple of Shizue's ideas to be integrated into the same gun. (0/14), requires Emiko helping with both Traps and Poisons.
Continuing the investigation (pick one)
[] Personal examples to make it feel more pressing? That's easy!
-[] Talk to the three Genin, ask them about their experiences.
-[] Talk to Azusa.
-[] Talk to Chusei.
-[] Interview Akachi about his experiences, the latest in the ambushes which has led to yet more deaths, though if he realizes what is being implied it could lead to fireworks.
[] Go to Emiko, whether for help or trying to confront her, you're not sure yet. Just...meet her.
[] Reveal it to someone else?
-[] One of the Jounin (Which? Pick from the list last update)
-[] Another Genin, expand the circle wider (who? Pick from anyone on the 'Genin you know' list, or anyone who has been mentioned since and is still alive.)
*****
A/N: So, bit by bit. First off, what is meant by comparing Matsume to Emiko is that Matsume, the late Oyabun of Tide, was a moron and a braggart who, in a world without chakra, would be a washed up high-school dropout bully. Instead, he was a very powerful, fearsome (rather min-maxed) combatant. Emiko, on the other hand, seems more well-rounded. She's not a Matsume of genjutsu.
Now, as to the tally, and note that since this war is partially decided by rolls, things could have been going a *lot* differently by this point. Still, death, death and more death.
Dead Ninja: 27 (4 Tide Jonin, 1 Tide Special Jonin, 8 Tide Chunin, 7 Tide Genin, 1 Tide 'Genin', 2 Reef Chunin, 4 Reef Genin)
Dead Civilians: >25
Civilian deaths are probably far higher than that. And, as to why it's all so disproportionate, @Kairos123 is close to right. By taking out the Jounin, Emiko has made it so that every fight includes a lot of bad match-ups. Matsume would have probably personally killed at least two or three Reef Chunin by this point, and maybe worse, if Reef had overextended itself like this normally. He might have even killed a Special Jounin or Jounin, or maybe multiple ones if the dice/luck loved him, and certainly would have forced Ken and others to be less circumspect instead of picking fights with people much weaker than them, hounding them, and then killing them.
He was that overpowered, that he was able to singlehandedly turn a defeat for Tide into a victory. Thus, with his death, the entire equation changed. Heck, there are like...four or five possible backgrounds listed in the 'Clans' options that end with 'and then your parents went and fought Matsume and died' Because he has that sort of reputation for a good reason.
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ReaperofInterest
Herald of Disaster
[X] Provides only her skill and an extra pair of hands
Let's not go and install anything that we won't be able to replicate ourselves. Plus, apparently Emiko's planning on leaving soon (according to her).
[X] Work on improving the basic body (Stats) of the puppet
-[X] Armament - 1st, Structure - 2nd, Agility - 3rd, Design - 4th.
--[X] 3/4 of XP
Ok, improving the Armaments apparently increases the number of things we can install in the puppet at once, so that should be focused on. Improving the Structure should make the puppet easier to wield. Improving Agility will make it easier to move it faster, and improving Design should make the puppet all around better.
[X] Work on creating and designing equipment (just choose what you want to do, we'll work out numbers, and if you go 'over budget' that just means you have things invested to finish next time, like 5/X, or whatnot)
-[X] Net Trap Explosion: She's working on it, she's working on it. Hopefully she can get it done soon. (7of 8).
-[X] Cloak and Daggers: It's not a big deal, but the cloak that Shizue's puppet is wearing could be changed to help it blend in even more, and increase the chance of it being mistaken for something else at a distance. Plus, it'd be better, aesthetically. (0/2)--+1 towards stealth rolls, puppet looks cooler.
-[X] Water Gun: All that's needed is to install this (8/8)
The net trap would be useful for slowing down an enemy, or pinning them in place. The cloak and daggers makes the puppet stealthier and look cooler. The water gun should be useful for distracting enemies.
Let's not go and install anything that we won't be able to replicate ourselves. Plus, apparently Emiko's planning on leaving soon (according to her).
[X] Work on improving the basic body (Stats) of the puppet
-[X] Armament - 1st, Structure - 2nd, Agility - 3rd, Design - 4th.
--[X] 3/4 of XP
Ok, improving the Armaments apparently increases the number of things we can install in the puppet at once, so that should be focused on. Improving the Structure should make the puppet easier to wield. Improving Agility will make it easier to move it faster, and improving Design should make the puppet all around better.
[X] Work on creating and designing equipment (just choose what you want to do, we'll work out numbers, and if you go 'over budget' that just means you have things invested to finish next time, like 5/X, or whatnot)
-[X] Net Trap Explosion: She's working on it, she's working on it. Hopefully she can get it done soon. (7of 8).
-[X] Cloak and Daggers: It's not a big deal, but the cloak that Shizue's puppet is wearing could be changed to help it blend in even more, and increase the chance of it being mistaken for something else at a distance. Plus, it'd be better, aesthetically. (0/2)--+1 towards stealth rolls, puppet looks cooler.
-[X] Water Gun: All that's needed is to install this (8/8)
The net trap would be useful for slowing down an enemy, or pinning them in place. The cloak and daggers makes the puppet stealthier and look cooler. The water gun should be useful for distracting enemies.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Also, now you have me curious. @Dark Ness , why did you rate my update funny?
Arkatekt
Harbinger of Shitluck
[X] Provides only her skill and an extra pair of hands.
Let's not become reliant on her more than we have to. Especially if we suspect she may be going against the Village.
In order of Priority:
[X] Work on creating and designing equipment (just choose what you want to do, we'll work out numbers, and if you go 'over budget' that just means you have things invested to finish next time, like 5/X, or whatnot)
-[X] Wired Reflexes: There are some small parts of the puppet that could definitely benefit from the use of wires rather than gears for the mechanisms. It would be a small improvement, but it might lead to expanded possibilities later on, and there are ideas Shizue has based on what she's read that she couldn't even begin to implement. (0/3) - Agility is increased by 2 for the purposes of acting first, quick reactions.
-[X] Water Gun: All that's needed is to install this (8/8)
--[X] Caustic Water: There are any number of substances that can be rather bad if they get into someone's eyes, and can cause damage to the skin. While the water might dilute them, it could be a useful little trick. (0/8), requires installing the Water Gun. Exclusive from all others.
-[X] Improved Poison: Begin trying to work out a better poison that can be used for the poisoned kunai reliably, or maybe even added to the arm blades to actually make them poisonous, really the sting of an angry hornet. (0/???)
My reasoning for the above is this:
Wired Reflexes would give us greater initiative once the puppet comes online, and we will be able to (hopefully) interfere with the enemy's attack before they can get an advantage over our teammates.
Water Gun with Caustic Water, because the gun is basically done, and we can't really use the puppet in sparring anyway, so getting something that would only really be useful there would be kind of pointless. I also think an overreliance on poison isn't a good thing and would like to get a non-poison based addition involved with the caustic water. It would also remain reasonably non-lethal for the foreseeable future as well.
Improved Poison, because we wanted to make the blades poisoned as well.
[X] Work on improving the basic body (Stats) of the puppet
-[X] 1. Armament 2. Agility 3. Structure 4. Design
--[X] Excess from the Above
This takes a secondary seat for me at the moment, but any excess XP from the parts above I would like to place here, prioritizing Armament so that we can hopefully install all the things we are working on.
Investigation
[X] Personal examples to make it feel more pressing? That's easy!
-[X] Talk to Azusa.
Let's not become reliant on her more than we have to. Especially if we suspect she may be going against the Village.
In order of Priority:
[X] Work on creating and designing equipment (just choose what you want to do, we'll work out numbers, and if you go 'over budget' that just means you have things invested to finish next time, like 5/X, or whatnot)
-[X] Wired Reflexes: There are some small parts of the puppet that could definitely benefit from the use of wires rather than gears for the mechanisms. It would be a small improvement, but it might lead to expanded possibilities later on, and there are ideas Shizue has based on what she's read that she couldn't even begin to implement. (0/3) - Agility is increased by 2 for the purposes of acting first, quick reactions.
-[X] Water Gun: All that's needed is to install this (8/8)
--[X] Caustic Water: There are any number of substances that can be rather bad if they get into someone's eyes, and can cause damage to the skin. While the water might dilute them, it could be a useful little trick. (0/8), requires installing the Water Gun. Exclusive from all others.
-[X] Improved Poison: Begin trying to work out a better poison that can be used for the poisoned kunai reliably, or maybe even added to the arm blades to actually make them poisonous, really the sting of an angry hornet. (0/???)
My reasoning for the above is this:
Wired Reflexes would give us greater initiative once the puppet comes online, and we will be able to (hopefully) interfere with the enemy's attack before they can get an advantage over our teammates.
Water Gun with Caustic Water, because the gun is basically done, and we can't really use the puppet in sparring anyway, so getting something that would only really be useful there would be kind of pointless. I also think an overreliance on poison isn't a good thing and would like to get a non-poison based addition involved with the caustic water. It would also remain reasonably non-lethal for the foreseeable future as well.
Improved Poison, because we wanted to make the blades poisoned as well.
[X] Work on improving the basic body (Stats) of the puppet
-[X] 1. Armament 2. Agility 3. Structure 4. Design
--[X] Excess from the Above
This takes a secondary seat for me at the moment, but any excess XP from the parts above I would like to place here, prioritizing Armament so that we can hopefully install all the things we are working on.
Investigation
[X] Personal examples to make it feel more pressing? That's easy!
-[X] Talk to Azusa.
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Ridiculously Average Guy
I'm you, but stronger
- Location
-
[X] Provides only her skill and an extra pair of hands.
Let's not become reliant on her more than we have to. Especially if we suspect she may be going against the Village.
In order of Priority:
[X] Work on creating and designing equipment (just choose what you want to do, we'll work out numbers, and if you go 'over budget' that just means you have things invested to finish next time, like 5/X, or whatnot)
-[X] Wired Reflexes: There are some small parts of the puppet that could definitely benefit from the use of wires rather than gears for the mechanisms. It would be a small improvement, but it might lead to expanded possibilities later on, and there are ideas Shizue has based on what she's read that she couldn't even begin to implement. (0/3) - Agility is increased by 2 for the purposes of acting first, quick reactions.
-[X] Water Gun: All that's needed is to install this (8/8)
--[X] Caustic Water: There are any number of substances that can be rather bad if they get into someone's eyes, and can cause damage to the skin. While the water might dilute them, it could be a useful little trick. (0/8), requires installing the Water Gun. Exclusive from all others.
-[X] Improved Poison: Begin trying to work out a better poison that can be used for the poisoned kunai reliably, or maybe even added to the arm blades to actually make them poisonous, really the sting of an angry hornet. (0/???)
[X] Work on improving the basic body (Stats) of the puppet
-[X] 1. Armament 2. Agility 3. Structure 4. Design
--[X] Excess from the Above
Investigation
[X] Personal examples to make it feel more pressing? That's easy!
-[X] Talk to Azusa.
Let's not become reliant on her more than we have to. Especially if we suspect she may be going against the Village.
In order of Priority:
[X] Work on creating and designing equipment (just choose what you want to do, we'll work out numbers, and if you go 'over budget' that just means you have things invested to finish next time, like 5/X, or whatnot)
-[X] Wired Reflexes: There are some small parts of the puppet that could definitely benefit from the use of wires rather than gears for the mechanisms. It would be a small improvement, but it might lead to expanded possibilities later on, and there are ideas Shizue has based on what she's read that she couldn't even begin to implement. (0/3) - Agility is increased by 2 for the purposes of acting first, quick reactions.
-[X] Water Gun: All that's needed is to install this (8/8)
--[X] Caustic Water: There are any number of substances that can be rather bad if they get into someone's eyes, and can cause damage to the skin. While the water might dilute them, it could be a useful little trick. (0/8), requires installing the Water Gun. Exclusive from all others.
-[X] Improved Poison: Begin trying to work out a better poison that can be used for the poisoned kunai reliably, or maybe even added to the arm blades to actually make them poisonous, really the sting of an angry hornet. (0/???)
[X] Work on improving the basic body (Stats) of the puppet
-[X] 1. Armament 2. Agility 3. Structure 4. Design
--[X] Excess from the Above
Investigation
[X] Personal examples to make it feel more pressing? That's easy!
-[X] Talk to Azusa.
- Location
- Leeds
Then how OP is Emiko?
Could we take this opportunity to instal some things to use our clan jutsu on the puppet?
- Pronouns
- They/Them
It's less that they believe she's necessarily OP, though she might be, but in that he was a min-maxed freak who would have failed a High School Exit Exam. Badly. Whereas Emiko seems more rounded/capable of not being min-maxed.
You already have the sound generator, what else were you thinking of?
- Location
- Leeds
Ah, I missed that. Never mind.
[X] Provides that, plus trap mechanisms.
Poison is an expendable, but I can quite confidently say we'd be picking up enough skill to maintain the traps once we're done.
[X] Work on creating and designing equipment (just choose what you want to do, we'll work out numbers, and if you go 'over budget' that just means you have things invested to finish next time, like 5/X, or whatnot)
-[X] Net Trap Explosion: She's working on it, she's working on it. Hopefully she can get it done soon. (7 of 8).
-[X] Spring Loaded: Currently the movement of the puppet is pretty normal. Springs could be placed to allow it a sudden 'burst' of activity. (Requires Emiko trap help to make work) (0/6)
-[X] Cloak and Daggers: It's not a big deal, but the cloak that Shizue's puppet is wearing could be changed to help it blend in even more, and increase the chance of it being mistaken for something else at a distance. Plus, it'd be better, aesthetically. (0/2)--+1 towards stealth rolls, puppet looks cooler.
-[X] Water Gun: All that's needed is to install this (8/8)
--[X] Mildly Poisoned Water: Poisons could be added to the water so that if someone hit with the water gun wound up ingesting any of the water, they might suffer some side-effects, though at the level of poison knowledge Shizue has these wouldn't be truly dangerous poisons. (0/8), requires installing the Water Gun. Exclusive from all others.
-[X] Improved Poison: Begin trying to work out a better poison that can be used for the poisoned kunai reliably, or maybe even added to the arm blades to actually make them poisonous, really the sting of an angry hornet. (0/???)
[X] Work on improving the basic body (Stats) of the puppet
-[X] 1. Armament 2. Agility 3. Structure 4. Design
--[X] Excess from the Above
That should be a fairly good combination of features. Poison water is something that's hard to anticipate and deal with, while the rest build on existing strengths.
[X] Personal examples to make it feel more pressing? That's easy!
-[X] Talk to Azusa.
Poison is an expendable, but I can quite confidently say we'd be picking up enough skill to maintain the traps once we're done.
[X] Work on creating and designing equipment (just choose what you want to do, we'll work out numbers, and if you go 'over budget' that just means you have things invested to finish next time, like 5/X, or whatnot)
-[X] Net Trap Explosion: She's working on it, she's working on it. Hopefully she can get it done soon. (7 of 8).
-[X] Spring Loaded: Currently the movement of the puppet is pretty normal. Springs could be placed to allow it a sudden 'burst' of activity. (Requires Emiko trap help to make work) (0/6)
-[X] Cloak and Daggers: It's not a big deal, but the cloak that Shizue's puppet is wearing could be changed to help it blend in even more, and increase the chance of it being mistaken for something else at a distance. Plus, it'd be better, aesthetically. (0/2)--+1 towards stealth rolls, puppet looks cooler.
-[X] Water Gun: All that's needed is to install this (8/8)
--[X] Mildly Poisoned Water: Poisons could be added to the water so that if someone hit with the water gun wound up ingesting any of the water, they might suffer some side-effects, though at the level of poison knowledge Shizue has these wouldn't be truly dangerous poisons. (0/8), requires installing the Water Gun. Exclusive from all others.
-[X] Improved Poison: Begin trying to work out a better poison that can be used for the poisoned kunai reliably, or maybe even added to the arm blades to actually make them poisonous, really the sting of an angry hornet. (0/???)
[X] Work on improving the basic body (Stats) of the puppet
-[X] 1. Armament 2. Agility 3. Structure 4. Design
--[X] Excess from the Above
That should be a fairly good combination of features. Poison water is something that's hard to anticipate and deal with, while the rest build on existing strengths.
[X] Personal examples to make it feel more pressing? That's easy!
-[X] Talk to Azusa.
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Hmm, looks like deep theory work, but on what?
Looks like numbers got his attention.
He's armed with math. A powerful tool.
I ship it
That sounds like retirement damage to me.
It does stick out a good deal.
Propaganda eh.
There likely won't be time
D:
What a terrible waste.
Earth release in these parts hmm, hard to use. I suppose this means earth jutsu are unlocked?
Bakkasama
There is always a greater fool
- Location
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Pronouns
- He/his
[X] Provides that, plus trap mechanisms.
[X] Work on creating and designing equipment (just choose what you want to do, we'll work out numbers, and if you go 'over budget' that just means you have things invested to finish next time, like 5/X, or whatnot)
-[X] Net Trap Explosion: She's working on it, she's working on it. Hopefully she can get it done soon. (7 of 8).
-[X] Spring Loaded: Currently the movement of the puppet is pretty normal. Springs could be placed to allow it a sudden 'burst' of activity. (Requires Emiko trap help to make work) (0/6)
-[X] Cloak and Daggers: It's not a big deal, but the cloak that Shizue's puppet is wearing could be changed to help it blend in even more, and increase the chance of it being mistaken for something else at a distance. Plus, it'd be better, aesthetically. (0/2)--+1 towards stealth rolls, puppet looks cooler.
-[X] Improved Poison: Begin trying to work out a better poison that can be used for the poisoned kunai reliably, or maybe even added to the arm blades to actually make them poisonous, really the sting of an angry hornet. (0/???)
-[X] Water Gun: All that's needed is to install this (8/8)
--[X] Caustic Water: There are any number of substances that can be rather bad if they get into someone's eyes, and can cause damage to the skin. While the water might dilute them, it could be a useful little trick. (0/8), requires installing the Water Gun. Exclusive from all others.
[X] Work on improving the basic body (Stats) of the puppet
-[X] 1. Armament 2. Agility 3. Structure 4. Design
--[X] Excess from the Above
[X] Personal examples to make it feel more pressing? That's easy!
-[X] Talk to Azusa.
[X] Work on creating and designing equipment (just choose what you want to do, we'll work out numbers, and if you go 'over budget' that just means you have things invested to finish next time, like 5/X, or whatnot)
-[X] Net Trap Explosion: She's working on it, she's working on it. Hopefully she can get it done soon. (7 of 8).
-[X] Spring Loaded: Currently the movement of the puppet is pretty normal. Springs could be placed to allow it a sudden 'burst' of activity. (Requires Emiko trap help to make work) (0/6)
-[X] Cloak and Daggers: It's not a big deal, but the cloak that Shizue's puppet is wearing could be changed to help it blend in even more, and increase the chance of it being mistaken for something else at a distance. Plus, it'd be better, aesthetically. (0/2)--+1 towards stealth rolls, puppet looks cooler.
-[X] Improved Poison: Begin trying to work out a better poison that can be used for the poisoned kunai reliably, or maybe even added to the arm blades to actually make them poisonous, really the sting of an angry hornet. (0/???)
-[X] Water Gun: All that's needed is to install this (8/8)
--[X] Caustic Water: There are any number of substances that can be rather bad if they get into someone's eyes, and can cause damage to the skin. While the water might dilute them, it could be a useful little trick. (0/8), requires installing the Water Gun. Exclusive from all others.
[X] Work on improving the basic body (Stats) of the puppet
-[X] 1. Armament 2. Agility 3. Structure 4. Design
--[X] Excess from the Above
[X] Personal examples to make it feel more pressing? That's easy!
-[X] Talk to Azusa.
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Arkatekt
Harbinger of Shitluck
You have Improved Poisons twice.
The current Poisoned Water option requires us to hit them in the face, and then for them to ingest it, and that isn't something we can rely on.
We currently have only 2 armament slots open, so most of these would be unused for some time even if we complete them this turn.
Kairos123
Insomniac Extraordinaire
[X]Arkatekt
Pretty much everything I want for the puppet. Really good melee supplemented by poison as well as a ranged water gun. Rather than having a bunch of parts we aren't using I would rather make this puppet as killy as possible, then start working on another design.
Pretty much everything I want for the puppet. Really good melee supplemented by poison as well as a ranged water gun. Rather than having a bunch of parts we aren't using I would rather make this puppet as killy as possible, then start working on another design.
[X] Provides that, plus trap mechanisms.
[X] Work on creating and designing equipment (just choose what you want to do, we'll work out numbers, and if you go 'over budget' that just means you have things invested to finish next time, like 5/X, or whatnot)
-[X] Net Trap Explosion: She's working on it, she's working on it. Hopefully she can get it done soon. (7 of 8).
-[X] Spring Loaded: Currently the movement of the puppet is pretty normal. Springs could be placed to allow it a sudden 'burst' of activity. (Requires Emiko trap help to make work) (0/6)
-[X] Cloak and Daggers: It's not a big deal, but the cloak that Shizue's puppet is wearing could be changed to help it blend in even more, and increase the chance of it being mistaken for something else at a distance. Plus, it'd be better, aesthetically. (0/2)--+1 towards stealth rolls, puppet looks cooler.
-[X] Improved Poison: Begin trying to work out a better poison that can be used for the poisoned kunai reliably, or maybe even added to the arm blades to actually make them poisonous, really the sting of an angry hornet. (0/???)
-[X] Water Gun: All that's needed is to install this (8/8)
--[X] Mildly Poisoned Water: Poisons could be added to the water so that if someone hit with the water gun wound up ingesting any of the water, they might suffer some side-effects, though at the level of poison knowledge Shizue has these wouldn't be truly dangerous poisons. (0/8), requires installing the Water Gun. Exclusive from all others.
[X] Work on improving the basic body (Stats) of the puppet
-[X] 1. Armament 2. Agility 3. Structure 4. Design
--[X] Excess from the Above
[X] Personal examples to make it feel more pressing? That's easy!
-[X] Talk to Azusa.
[X] Work on creating and designing equipment (just choose what you want to do, we'll work out numbers, and if you go 'over budget' that just means you have things invested to finish next time, like 5/X, or whatnot)
-[X] Net Trap Explosion: She's working on it, she's working on it. Hopefully she can get it done soon. (7 of 8).
-[X] Spring Loaded: Currently the movement of the puppet is pretty normal. Springs could be placed to allow it a sudden 'burst' of activity. (Requires Emiko trap help to make work) (0/6)
-[X] Cloak and Daggers: It's not a big deal, but the cloak that Shizue's puppet is wearing could be changed to help it blend in even more, and increase the chance of it being mistaken for something else at a distance. Plus, it'd be better, aesthetically. (0/2)--+1 towards stealth rolls, puppet looks cooler.
-[X] Improved Poison: Begin trying to work out a better poison that can be used for the poisoned kunai reliably, or maybe even added to the arm blades to actually make them poisonous, really the sting of an angry hornet. (0/???)
-[X] Water Gun: All that's needed is to install this (8/8)
--[X] Mildly Poisoned Water: Poisons could be added to the water so that if someone hit with the water gun wound up ingesting any of the water, they might suffer some side-effects, though at the level of poison knowledge Shizue has these wouldn't be truly dangerous poisons. (0/8), requires installing the Water Gun. Exclusive from all others.
[X] Work on improving the basic body (Stats) of the puppet
-[X] 1. Armament 2. Agility 3. Structure 4. Design
--[X] Excess from the Above
[X] Personal examples to make it feel more pressing? That's easy!
-[X] Talk to Azusa.
[X]Arkatekt
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Alright, vote's still going to be open for quite some time longer. Insightful analysis, Omakes, reaction posts, good questions (questioning open, of course) etc are worth XP! How much depends on their quality, insightfulness, funniness, topicalness, the weather, the PH balance in my water, whether our horoscopes match, and other such important factors.
fallintolife
the worst vegan
- Location
- Los Angeles
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Well, I'm either a Leo or a Pisces depending on who you ask, do we match?
fallintolife
the worst vegan
- Location
- Los Angeles
- Pronouns
- They/Them
New, Fragile Things
There was a general rule among the minor villages, one generally understood to be in their best interest no matter their operating style, location, bloodlines, specialties, or numbers.
This rule was simple: don't fuck with the major villages.
When Dorogakure broke that rule, the minor villages as a whole held their breath.
It was one thing altogether to covertly work against a major village. That was understandable, even expected. If your operative(s) got caught, you apologized and said they were overzealous. If you were lucky, someone was feeling merciful and you didn't lose a semi-competent ninja. If you weren't, you paid reparations for the next decade, nd thought twice about where you put your operatives.
Assaulting a genin team was something else entirely.
News of the initial attack spread fast. Dorogakure's hitai-ate were too distinct to be mistaken: two vertical lines from top to bottom, representing the road they hid themselves on. Their tactics, too, left little doubt: ambush, grab, and run.
The assault team hadn't managed to run, but that was mostly irrelevant.
The other villages waited. It would only really take one elite Konoha team to find and wipe out Hidden Road; the very Jounin Commander they'd attacked was a member of Konoha's white-eyed scouts, the Hyuuga. Taking out the minor village would be easy, as would absorbing them and taking all their contracts, along with any number of other punishments. The only real question was, which would Konoha choose?
The answer, it seemed at first, was none of them.
Days passed with no reprisal, then weeks. It seemed as though Konoha was content to take no action, to ignore the slight altogether. Some argued that Konoha was getting soft with age, that almost two hundred years of power had made them soft, peace-loving fools. Others said that Konoha was showing they had no need to pay attention to a village with about as many total ninja as they had chuunin.
When Konoha called a major summit in the heart of Fire Country, it was more a point of curiosity than one of concern. After all, these summits tended to happen once a decade, and while this one was a few years early, it wasn't entirely unlike Konoha to buck the trend simply for the sake of it.
One by one, the delegates arrived, curious and with various levels of tension due to the still-escalating minor village conflicts. The Kazekage sent his Jounin Commander with an apology; it seemed the Wind Country Daimyo was throwing a fit over something or other, and demanded their Kage's personal attention, and the Eastern Archipelago villages were forced to send two chuunin each rather than a jounin - they simply couldn't spare their villages elites - but other than those exceptions, near every village had their Kage, Oyabun, or at the very least a high-ranking jounin present.
(Even, the politically-savvy noticed, Hidden Road.)
"Thank you for coming," drawled Nara Shikabu, black eyes touching the gaze of each representative in turn. "We anticipate this meeting will be short; Konoha has only a single issue to discuss. Dorogakure."
The Hidden Road jounin's gaze sharpened, and he raised his head. "Konoha."
Two Konoha jounin stepped forward, a black-wrapped bundle in their arms. They dumped it on the table, unwrapping it with contemptuous ease.
"We thought you might want this back, since we're done with it," the Hokage said mildly, gesturing to the mangled body of Tozuko-o.
There was a single moment of silence while all assembled absorbed the implications of that. Then, the room erupted into noise.
There was a general rule among the minor villages, one generally understood to be in their best interest no matter their operating style, location, bloodlines, specialties, or numbers.
This rule was simple: don't fuck with the major villages.
When Dorogakure broke that rule, the minor villages as a whole held their breath.
It was one thing altogether to covertly work against a major village. That was understandable, even expected. If your operative(s) got caught, you apologized and said they were overzealous. If you were lucky, someone was feeling merciful and you didn't lose a semi-competent ninja. If you weren't, you paid reparations for the next decade, nd thought twice about where you put your operatives.
Assaulting a genin team was something else entirely.
News of the initial attack spread fast. Dorogakure's hitai-ate were too distinct to be mistaken: two vertical lines from top to bottom, representing the road they hid themselves on. Their tactics, too, left little doubt: ambush, grab, and run.
The assault team hadn't managed to run, but that was mostly irrelevant.
The other villages waited. It would only really take one elite Konoha team to find and wipe out Hidden Road; the very Jounin Commander they'd attacked was a member of Konoha's white-eyed scouts, the Hyuuga. Taking out the minor village would be easy, as would absorbing them and taking all their contracts, along with any number of other punishments. The only real question was, which would Konoha choose?
The answer, it seemed at first, was none of them.
Days passed with no reprisal, then weeks. It seemed as though Konoha was content to take no action, to ignore the slight altogether. Some argued that Konoha was getting soft with age, that almost two hundred years of power had made them soft, peace-loving fools. Others said that Konoha was showing they had no need to pay attention to a village with about as many total ninja as they had chuunin.
When Konoha called a major summit in the heart of Fire Country, it was more a point of curiosity than one of concern. After all, these summits tended to happen once a decade, and while this one was a few years early, it wasn't entirely unlike Konoha to buck the trend simply for the sake of it.
One by one, the delegates arrived, curious and with various levels of tension due to the still-escalating minor village conflicts. The Kazekage sent his Jounin Commander with an apology; it seemed the Wind Country Daimyo was throwing a fit over something or other, and demanded their Kage's personal attention, and the Eastern Archipelago villages were forced to send two chuunin each rather than a jounin - they simply couldn't spare their villages elites - but other than those exceptions, near every village had their Kage, Oyabun, or at the very least a high-ranking jounin present.
(Even, the politically-savvy noticed, Hidden Road.)
"Thank you for coming," drawled Nara Shikabu, black eyes touching the gaze of each representative in turn. "We anticipate this meeting will be short; Konoha has only a single issue to discuss. Dorogakure."
The Hidden Road jounin's gaze sharpened, and he raised his head. "Konoha."
Two Konoha jounin stepped forward, a black-wrapped bundle in their arms. They dumped it on the table, unwrapping it with contemptuous ease.
"We thought you might want this back, since we're done with it," the Hokage said mildly, gesturing to the mangled body of Tozuko-o.
There was a single moment of silence while all assembled absorbed the implications of that. Then, the room erupted into noise.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Amusing! Though...*opens mouth, closes it.*
Wait, that'd be spoilers, wouldn't it?
Needless to say, if Konoha went up against Tozuko-o, there'd be a lot of dead people on both sides. Tozuko-o didn't become what they were by collecting bottlecaps. Still, an amusing Omake. I shall consult the necrosages and consider the fact that you are a Pisces and XP will be gained at the end of the week based on these factors.
Wait, that'd be spoilers, wouldn't it?
Needless to say, if Konoha went up against Tozuko-o, there'd be a lot of dead people on both sides. Tozuko-o didn't become what they were by collecting bottlecaps. Still, an amusing Omake. I shall consult the necrosages and consider the fact that you are a Pisces and XP will be gained at the end of the week based on these factors.