Game of the Year: A Naruto Quest

Horium said:

I may be alone in this, and it may be an unfeasable task considering the current difficulty, but I am all for Daisuke becoming a catalyst for growth of the entire (or at least most of the) class.

It would be a shame if this timeline as well remains just the Rookie 9 show.

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lifeofgesture said:

I'll put my 120 in ninjutsu. Should be helpful.

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Arbitbit39 said:

@Vesvius
can he do two seal
its like one hand sign seal but with both hand and different seals or is it too advance for him?

left hand
[] The Snake. Cunning. Manipulative. Hungry.
right hand
[] The Dragon. Bold. Noble. Destructive

edit:
also can he practice Genjutsu with some horror movies or stories he remembers it would be interesting how his classmates react

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djehuty3 said:

Hey guys. Been watching this quest for awhile, really enjoying it- and the last update immediately prompted this little omake. Hope you like it. I call it "Milestone," and the characters are about sixteen in it.

Spoiler

They had met, by unspoken agreement, at the bar down from the cemetery, two hours before the funeral. If they didn't leave time for Yui to fuss over their outfits, she'd be furious. At absolute best. At worst, she'd fret silently to herself, unable to ignore what was going on.
Unable to ignore who they were burying.
Sakura arrived first. Her father had offered to come with her. She'd said no, knowing he wasn't really offering. Dad was an old ninja. He understood that this was something you did with your friends. Still, it was nice of him to offer. He'd recommended the bar, too; very ninja-friendly, with good sightlines, a clear exit and few windows. You knew what you were getting, at a place like this.
She'd barely settled at the bar when Daisuke pushed through the door. They locked eyes. He looked like she felt; numb and tired, like something inside him had guttered and died. Still, he'd clearly made an effort. His katana was sheathed in the beautiful, black lacquered scabbard Ino had got him for his fourteenth birthday. The robe he wore was an elegant slate grey, with a pale blue dragon climbing up from the hem over his left shoulder.
And he wasn't wearing the hoodie. That was probably miraculous in itself.
He dropped down beside her, gestured at the bartender.
"Sakura."
"Morning."
"You look nice."
"Thanks. Mom helped me pick the outfit out."
"She has excellent taste. Mother sends her regards," he added, as the bartender poured out four small glasses of something dark that smelt of liquorice. "I had to talk her out of coming."
Sakura half-smiled. "Kind of her."
"She'll be furious about it later, I'm sure. 'So disrespectful, Daisuke! My absence will be noted! The village will ask, where was Manami? Why was she not there? And what will my answer be?'"
"To which you will say," said Ino, dropping down on the far side of Sakura, resplendent in a lilac kimono with a silver-grey floral pattern, "that this is a ninja village, mother, and things are done differently here. Besides, it was not a traditional ceremony." She wrapped her arms around Sakura's shoulders. "Morning, asshole."
"Morning, skank," came the reply, regular as clockwork. "Your hair looks amazing."
"Thanks. I figured that's what he'd want."
"Oh, he wouldn't notice," growled Daisuke, amused.
"No. He wouldn't say anything. He would definitely notice. Yui rubs off on everyone."
Daisuke raised an eyebrow. Ino visibly fought down a blush.
"Not what I meant."
"Of course not."
"Don't you dare even imply-"
"Wouldn't dream of it."
"Suke!"
Sakura relaxed a little into the familiar lull of banter. She missed this. Even in the circumstances, it was nice to be among friends. With people who understood.
The two stopped as the door opened again. Yui...
Yui had outdone herself. Her kimono was the soft pink of an autumn sunset. Her hair was swept up into a deceptively-elaborate black braid that she'd piled in a loose knot at the nape of her neck.
And her makeup was so good, it almost hid the redness around her eyes.
Daisuke rose immediately, and pulled out a stool for her. She took it with a nod of thanks, glanced at everyone's outfits. There was a long pause.
"Acceptable," she pronounced. Her voice had the rasp of a night of crying to it. "Good morning, dears."
"I took the liberty of ordering the drinks," said Daisuke. Ino winced.
"I don't get what he liked so much about it."
"Burns like a man's drink," said Sakura, in a decent imitation of Jabari's voice. The others smiled, eyes melancholy.
They took the drinks.
They drank them.
Daisuke waved for another round.
"Do you remember," said Ino, suddenly, "on graduation day, when Jabari found out Naruto had passed?"
Daisuke nodded. "He accused him of cheating, then challenged him to a fight."
"And Naruto beat the shit out of him," added Sakura. "First time I saw the shadow clone technique."
"Did they ever make up over that?"
"I believe they had another match before Naruto left with Jiraiya-san. That one ended in the bar. Why?"
"Just... wondered."
A silence settled. The bartender refilled their glasses.
They took the drinks.
They drank them.
"Gods, this stuff is awful."
"Mmm."
"He really liked it?"
"Went through bottles of it every night out. If he didn't like it, he did a great impression of it."
A pause.
"The others... I mean, everyone else has- has done this, right?"
"Mariko went to Kasumi's funeral. Didn't really talk about it after. I mean, not to me."
"She wouldn't talk to you, though."
"Point. I know Kairi went to Ren's, too."
Daisuke's face darkened, at that. Something halfway between contempt and guilt.
"I think Chouji and Shikamaru went to Goro's one, too," Sakura added, hastily. "Ino?"
"Mmm. I wasn't invited."
"Why?"
"His mom doesn't like me."
"Perish the thought."
"Shut up. I'm awesome."
"Yes."
Again, silence.
Sakura waved at the bartender, this time.
"Do- do we know how they do this? His family, I mean?"
Yui nodded. "The funeral practices of the followers of the lamb are relatively well documented," she said, dropping into a lecturing tone of voice. "The body is blessed by the priest, and a service is performed over the body called a mass. The body is then placed in a coffin, and buried with blessings."
"And we don't have to... do anything?"
"Some songs will be sung. Hymns. They'll distribute the lyrics."
Sakura nodded. "He wasn't devout, though."
"No. I'm given to understand his father is."
"Must be annoyed about the dress code, then," muttered Ino.
"Yes. Normally black would be more typical, but obviously the will supercedes that."
The bartender refilled their glasses.
They took the drinks.
They drank them.
Ino went to pay.
The bartender shook his head. "On the house."
And afterwards- after the funeral, after the bar and the consolation of drunken oblivion, after the hangover and the tears and the slow march of grieving- Sakura would wonder about that.
Wonder how many ninjas that bartender had poured drinks for, before funerals and after. How many times he'd said "on the house."
And when she visited the memorial, and saw all Jabari's name, she'd taste liquorice.

And I'll add my vote.

[X] The Dragon. Bold. Noble. Destructive.

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Dr_Caduceus said:

Because I owe Vesvius this Omake, I hereby christen these scribbles: The Daisuke Method of Teacher Acquisition

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Vesvius said:

Greatly enjoyed this one. Not canon, for obvious reasons, but take 70 XP.

Also, if you can put in lines between paragraphs, I'd greatly appreciate it.

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FourmyleOfCeres said:

So, this has been percolating in my head for a little while. Generic future battle, probably around the time of the Invasion, if we survive that long. I'm sure things won't end up like this, but on the other hand... Mini-Straw.

Spoiler: ...And The Grass Is Always Green.

"And finally, Satomura Daisuke. The Ninja who should have been a samurai, who tries to learn everything and masters nothing. A shallow, superficial man who has touched every surface, and fights without a thought in his head."

Despite their intent, you know enough of your heritage to know that—in another life—every word is be a compliment. And thus you are content with the enemies description of you. You never fought against the grant future in front of you, and never looked for an easy life. If this is where your life lead, you will ensure that it is remembered. You do not ready your sword, because it is already in your heart.

The enemy had sharpened their words like another would knives. "You really are the worst. You have no respect for tradition or taboos, you break everything you touch and move on. Flitting from house to house like a stray cat and eating whatever is offered. How many heirlooms have you tossed aside just because they weren't useful to you?"

His words do not demoralize you; only your thoughts could. But you have no thought for him aside from the Five. Others would be at a disadvantage here, in the open. Laughter bubbles to the surface, and you speak the only word you have for him. "Meow."

This, perhaps, was the right choice as in his rage the enemy closed. There is timing in all things, if you miss a beat you'll lose the rhythm, and nothing falls into place. But if you keep it, nothing can touch you. Your hand, and sword, are already in motion, striking to their throat. Neither you nor the enemy noticed when the motion started, nor do you care. When they block, and your sword grinds against their kunai, you step into it and push with your full body, to knock them down. When you bring up your knee, you expect them to pop like a soap bubble or burst into smoke.

There is are no clones, no substitutions. Just two bodies in motion and Ways in conflict. The enemy hisses. "No friends to save you now."

This brings another laugh. They have already saved you. Again, and again. When you know others, you know yourself. By knowing things that exist, you can know that which does not exist. And you, are something which does not exist. Neither Samurai nor Ninja; neither water nor earth. You let your chakra go and diffuse among the dirt and the plants. Another with your nature might be a puppeteer, or a leader. You are simply you.

He stumbles, and you pursue. At one point, his blows become frantic and you cannot deflect them all with just your blade. But this too is fine, and you simply draw the sheath, using it as another weapon. You block and counter, and in a way you dance. You stick as close to him as possible, as though your body were made of paste or lacquer. You press against him, not content to let your body hang back. His space belongs not to him alone, but to your both. This is not a tactic any academy teaches, but it is not yours alone.

Of course, his words before were not simply intended to take the wind out of your sails, oh no. They were his own anxieties. Reinforcements have arrived, and not for you. This is fine. One well studied can beat ten men as easily as one. What are two more? He disengages and you let him. You put away your sword. One should not become too reliant on any one weapon, or any one style. It would allow your enemies time to find weakness.

"It's three on one, oh revered Bastard Son. No one's coming to save you. It's time to see what you're made of." And they descend upon you, the large one with blows from his fists, another with fire from his lips, and your initial attacker with thrown steel. And you dance between them, learning the timing. They are well trained, and they know each other.

"I am made of Love." You say, and you embrace the way of Love, if only for the moment. You trust your enemy, and let them move around and through you. And when the big one brings their leg around, you have your moment. His momentum is trivial to manipulate. He is forceful, and you are yielding. You redirect it, and soon he is where you were, and the kunai, shuriken, and fire rain down upon him.

All is right with the world, the grass is growing, the sun is shining, and the trees are strong. They do not know what it means to be one with nature. But soon, you will show them. They do not notice that the grass does not singe when the fire misses you. They do not see the little things, and from each think know a hundred.

The craft of the Warrior is strategy, and they are poor craftsmen. They think of you as either a ninja or a samurai. They think of you as the bastard son. But they do not think of you, and that is why they will fall.

It's the little things, from the root that trips to the branch that gives way when it shouldn't, that really throw a person off. And when you disappear, they search. "I can't find him, he must be better than they said at masking himself."

It is that not that they cannot find you. It is that they are already inside you. You delayed not because you couldn't fight them and win. Any one of them would have been beneath you. You delayed to ensure it. They have lost, long since lost. You are one with nature now. As they search, you decide to let one find you, in a way. Your hand reaches out of the dirt and grasps the big one's ankle. And soon he is down here with you. Unlike you, he cannot move through the soft ground. Because you have made it part of you. Only his head remains above ground, but you tighten his prison to make it difficult to breath. "Damn you! He's under ground!" Says the man who you've trapped.

You don't mind. You've been damned so many times you've lost count. What is one more? You slip from the dirt, and spill more of your life into the grass. It whispers and hisses as it grows around the man, as it hardens into blades. The others are coming for you, and you're ready. You run up the tree, and feel it's wisdom beneath your feet. Take everything that is given to you, and grow stronger, it seems to say.

The tree-top battle on the edge of your body the clearing doesn't last long before you cast one of them down into the iron grass below. His equipment and flesh shreds, and the grass grows harder as his blood spills into it.

The man with the tongue of fire and words of steel is all that is left. "You... you're impossible. How could this be? Your constant flitting from discipline to discipline, your grass is always greener bullshit."

You speak, slowly, carefully. "No. I am possibility. I am my father's son and my own man. I am what could be, and what could not be. I live on both sides of the fence, both ninja and samurai, and the grass is always green."

There's... a lot of references in that. I'm not sorry. But history just sort of struck me. Historically, there were a large percentage of Ninja who were Samurai. Nobles with title and training.

And then there's Miyamoto Musashi, the actual historical figure. There is no way but Your Way. All else is a side-path that will eventually bring you further from The Way. But that is not a bad thing. You must be able to perceive that which you cannot perceive, understand that which cannot be understood, and learn all things. Because only by knowing what is there can you know what isn't.
I probably could have done better if I'd worked on it more, but in two days I'll be without internet for a while. Still, it's a thought about where we're going. Perhaps we'll never get there. This too is fine.

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Horium said:

I may be alone in this, and it may be an unfeasable task considering the current difficulty, but I am all for Daisuke becoming a catalyst for growth of the entire (or at least most of the) class.

It would be a shame if this timeline as well remains just the Rookie 9 show.

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RedV said:

Besides, I'm not sure if they'd want to be jonin level even if we forced them to. Some people just want to get a comfy desk job without risking their lives, yeah?

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Edkose said:

Can you imagine Naruto in the same group as Yui? They'd both go crazy.

Pretty sure Daisuke has beaten him in spars, so they have had some interaction at least.

One point in Daisuke's favour is that he isn't ignoring Naruto because of the jinchuriki situation. He just doesn't like his loudness, at least I think that's what he has thought earlier.

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RedV said:

We need to prepare to survive against Pein on Hard mode in ten years once he comes to crater the village (and the other stuff before that, like Orochimaru/ Sand Invasion), and it is pretty unlikely they will be at all relevant at that level.

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coalface said:

Has that been mentioned though, about ignoring him because he's loud, or fighting him? I just figured if we are trying to make a group to hang out with, Naruto may be a good choice.

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djehuty3 said:

...Kairi looks adorable.

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