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Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

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Dropped the pangolin trading.

Added Hazou's crazy idea.

Briefvoice said:
[X] Plan Bewitched!

Establishing Rapport with the Client
  • Be friendly. At minimum try not to show how uncomfortable she makes Hazou and Noburi.
  • Respond to some of her flirting jokingly. If she becomes too forward, rebuff her gently and inform her that your professionalism demands that certain boundaries not be crossed.
  • Find a way for Hazou and Noburi to engage her. Maybe she wants to listen to some made up stories of ninja adventures. Maybe Noburi can talk to her about her knowledge of herbs. Or perhaps she likes talking about her business. We want her to like spending time with us, less chance of her wanting to gallivant around the city in her free time out of boredom.
    • As befits his higher Presence, Hazou is probably best off trying to project confidence
    • As befits his higher Rapport, Noburi is best for being chatty
  • Whenever she is resistant to some of our security practices, try to leverage our good rapport and charm her into agreement.

Establish a SOP with Granny Karina
(all of this done with the greatest politeness)

Moving Granny Karina Around
  • During travel, one team member takes to the rooftops to have a higher field of vision while the other two stick closer to the palanquin to be able to converse with with client and keep ground-level eyes out
    • Given client's expressed preferences, Keiko should normally be on rooftop duty
  • When we arrive at a location, the group will stop in the street outside. Karina stays in the palanquin.
  • One team member will go in to scout the location for assassins and announce Karina's arrival.
  • The other two stay on guard outside, looking for snipers. (If necessary, send someone to investigate any suspicious areas where an enemy sniper might be concealed.)
  • Determine if Karina needs to take in a sample case of some sort. If so, then it will be carried either before or after her, but not at the same time.
  • If all seems safe, Karina will exit the palanquin and be escorted inside by all three ninjas. Instruct her that if danger appears, she is to duck down and huddle on the spot and we will protect her. Running will only expose her to danger.
    • See "attack response" discussion below for more details.
  • Reverse this procedure upon exiting.
    • Palanquin to be inspected for traps before Karina enters it each time
Attack Response
  • Always have at least two people (one can be a Noburi clone) close to the client whenever she's out of the palanquin, with Blocks prepared for stopping any attack targeting her.
  • If she follows our instructions and ducks be prepared to deploy an Earth Dome above her. Demonstrate this to her ahead of time so she doesn't panic if it happens.
    • Unless we identify the attackers a Rock team or anyone else we suspect can manipulate the ground that can manipulate the ground, in which case get her the hell off the ground.
  • Otherwise, move her into cover without breaking the Henge. Always be on the lookout for appropriate cover.
  • If three people (counting clones and Pangolin) are available, one goes after the attacker. Don't start a full on fight in the city streets, but attempt to intercept and stop them from going after the client.
  • Once the attacker is confirmed to have fled, proceed as previously planned.

Where are we going?

Determine Immediate Destination
  • If Karin has no preferences on order, we will respectfully suggest going to the up-and-coming business first and then the upmarket area second.
    • Our team's logic is that the upmarket area is likely to be where many teams will travel, and we want to have a chance to scout it out before jumping into the mix.
    • In addition, Hazou is most familiar with the up-and-coming area and has better chance of noticing anything unusual
Discuss Longer Term Plans with Grandma Karina
  • Respectfully inquire with Karina if she has appointments at specific times/places over the next five days
  • Determine if she has any plans for meals.
    • Will she be taking dinner meetings?
    • We of course desire to ensure that her food is safe. We are happy to go out and buy food for her, watch its preparation, prepare it ourselves, or whatever will ensure client-san a satisfying and safe meal experience.
While at the Shop
  • Inform Karina respectfully that for her safety one member of the team will be going ahead to scout the next location while the other two guard her during negotiations.
    • Default to having the team member back within an hour or so, unless Karina thinks negotiations will be faster or much slower.
  • Send one team member to the next area by rooftops and to go check out the next location and the path to it, checking out potential ambush spots along the way.
    • Likely this will be Keiko, but we can quickly discuss by handsigns. Keiko can send a Messanger Pangolin as required as well.
  • While doing this, try to spot other teams, their method of travel, and their merchants. See what's visible.
  • Fate Point Declaration: We prearranged a message drop location with the other teams where we can communicate information back and forth dropping messages in a Leaf code.
    • Keiko can drop off message identifying our client's trade and that she acquiesced to our arrangements for the night and any observations she may have made about other teams along the way.
    • Check to see if other teams have dropped any messages of their own.
    • Attempt to arrange meeting later in the night where teams can send representatives to exchange information in person
      • Ideally we'll all be staying at the same boarding house so this will be literally no problem at all
  • Otherwise Keiko's actions are to her own best judgment. If she sees a target of opportunity from a team that's being careless, she can drop a trianing explosive their way
  • Two members remaining at the shop are to remain on their guard but also observe the negotiating process closely.
Contingencies

If another team with a client in the drug trade shows up.
  • Prioritize protecting our client over targeting theirs
    • Move Karina back, move into blocking position.
    • Do not be the first to initiate combat and be open to rapid negotiation if they seem to hesitate
      • It's not going to improve our rating to needlessly pic a fight in front of the client
      • Unless the other team are total suckers and leave such an easy shot we can't resist taking it, of course.
If the Yakuza show up trying to enforce their no-drug-trade rule
  • Attempt a social intervention by convincing them to step to the side and listen to you before acting
    • Drop Saitō's name.
    • Explain (if these particular enforcers are unaware) that this is a game for purposes of the Exam and attempt to convince them to step away and at least check with Mr. Saitō before interfering further.

Hazou's crazy idea
  • Try not to have this discussion directly in front of Karina
    • May need to have a little musical chairs and discuss in groups of two as one team member guards Karina directly while the other two do "perimeter sweeps" or otherwise as opportunity presents.
    • Part of preplanning for the Event would have been how to arrange discussions without making it seem like we're neglecting the client
  • The big problem with narcotics sales is that other than sales to legit healers, the buyers are potential drug distributors don't know if the drugs will be illegal next week.
    • This means they'll be reluctant to invest a lot of money without knowing what the market will look like.
    • This could be fixed if the Mizukage were somehow induced to make a ruling immediately.
  • Hazou proposes that we could come up with a prominent figure in the village and plant drugs on them and/or drug them in a way that would be publicly discovered tomorrow morning and would be hard to cover up.
    • The characters would have to decide and discuss an acceptable target; quest participants don't have enough detail knowledge of the world.
    • If you're looking for the ideal, something like a prominent merchant leader opens his briefcase to begin a meeting with the Mizukage and a brick of heroin falls out
    • Or alternately, the son of a big landowner gets whacked out drug, makes a fool of himself publicly, and is discovered with LSD in his pocket. Stuff like that.
  • They don't even have to look that guilty; it can be a "very likely this is a setup".
    • The point is that the Mizukage has to make an immediate call to either investigate further because this was obviously illegal or that no investigation is needed because she had been planning to legalize this stuff anyway.
    • For our purposes, it almost doesn't matter which she picks. Even a "it stays illegal" means that now the distributors we're selling to know that this will be high value because of its illegality but dangerous to sell and can plan accordingly.
  • If we can choose a target, Keiko could go out with Panashe and Zephyr's reach tonight to make the plant.
    • Or Hazou could do it using sleight of hand, while henged as another ninja with his bandana showing.
    • Does Noburi have the necessary drugs in his kit?
    • Alternately, maybe we should openly present the plan to Karina as a benefit to 'her business' and ask for drugs to pull it off with. She might appreciate the moxy.
    • Or could steal the drugs from her sample case, since we'll be constantly hauling it around for her. Or could go buy drugs from one of the people she sells them to after she leaves at a mark-up.
  • If the other two are hard "hell no" we can let it drop.

EDIT LOG:
  • Edit Batch 1:
    • Adding an offer to facilitate pangolin trade with Grandma Karina. What reason does she have to refuse another market?
    • Editing contingencies for "if another team shows up" to concentrate on protecting our own client and not starting a fight rather than assuming talking our way out of it.
    • Editing combat contingencies to avoid earth dome against teams from hidden Rock.
    • Adding contingencies to protection from poison.
  • Edit Batch 2:
    • Removed plan to trade with the pangolins
    • Added "Hazou's crazy idea".
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You know, if we actually pull of influencing the Mizukage's drug policy, we will solidify mastermind theory in Shikaku's imagination, because with a single stroke we pulled in new Yakuza allies, won the Third Event, and set ourselves up for massive profits from the Toad Clan.
 
[X] Plan Bewitched!

I'd like to state for the record that I don't believe the new crazy idea will achieve anything other than make Hazou's teammates look at him like an idiot. Still, it is in character for him to have ideas like this, so I don't think it will have any negative consequences. And, on the off chance we pull it off, it's going to be really funny.

huhYeahGoodPoint said:
You know, if we actually pull of influencing the Mizukage's drug policy, we will solidify mastermind theory in Shikaku's imagination, because with a single stroke we pulled in new Yakuza allies, won the Third Event, and set ourselves up for massive profits from the Toad Clan.
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Please don't give QMs ideas like these.
 
I feel like I want to add a contingency to the plan not because it needs it or because the characters are too dumb to think of it, but because it would be hilarious if it happened.

If accosted by common thugs who have heard "the bandana ninjas can't hurt them"
  • Hazou sets off one of his prepared misterators filled with with harmless floral scent in their face
  • Informs them this was deadly ninja poison and they have minutes to live without the antidote
  • Demands their submission and apology in return for the 'antidote'
 
Briefvoice said:
I feel like I want to add a contingency to the plan not because it needs it or because the characters are too dumb to think of it, but because it would be hilarious if it happened.

If accosted by common thugs who have heard "the bandana ninjas can't hurt them"
  • Hazou sets off one of his prepared misterators filled with with harmless floral scent in their face
  • Informs them this was deadly ninja poison and they have minutes to live without the antidote
  • Demands their submission and apology in return for the 'antidote'
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Click to shrink...
What, we can't use Intimidate instead?

But yes, that is a hilarious thing we ought to prepare for. Though one would think that civilians would have the common to sense to never piss off a ninja, even if they can't fight back in that moment.

Edit: As a thought, I'd expect the Mist government to crack down hard on anyone who tries to screw with foreigners allowed in Mist under international treaty.
 
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If anything, we just mention we're on first name terms with that Second lieutenant, are in negotiations with the Oyabun, and surely messing with us is a bad play, yeah?
 
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