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Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

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faflec said:
Keiko's analysis of how the EN is slowly going to darkness when we first learned about scorch squads.
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I don't want to tell literally anyone (but most of all anyone with power) in a non-Leaf village about Kagome's theories about anything.

If he's batshit: it makes us look like crackpots.

If he's right: then they know we know.
 
MMKII said:
I don't want to tell literally anyone (but most of all anyone with power) in a non-Leaf village about Kagome's theories about anything.

If he's batshit: it makes us look like crackpots.

If he's right: then they know we know.
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But...
Velorien said:
Nara gave her a pitying look. "Gōketsu, your uncle has now spent several weeks living in Leaf. By this point the daimyo's wife's cat knows about lupchanzen."
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Surely by this point everyone knows about Kagome's conspiracy theories?

Serious: I'm focusing more on the part where Keiko notes how Mist's economy has been dwindling since its founding. Less so on the scorch squads, which Keiko used as an explanation for the former.
 
MMKII said:
Just a little bit of clarification on the above might be good.
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Hmm. But "not talking about OPSEC incidents" isn't what we normally do, is it? Quite the opposite, Noburi sometimes taunts Hazou by vaguely describing circumstances in which he had broken OPSEC in the past. This incident should get the same treatment. Ideas on how to word that?
faflec said:
I know this breaks OPSEC on...well, a lot, but it would be interesting to bring up Keiko's analysis of how the EN is slowly going to darkness when we first learned about scorch squads.
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Good point. Keiko based it on Mist's export going slightly down over the years, didn't she? If Ami has access to the same information, perhaps she could offer an alternate explanation...

Ehh, perhaps save that observation for later meetings. If Ami is an uFAI, that would be the thread she could pull on to cause an OPSEC incident. (E. g., "Why did Keiko mention such an obscure fact? In what context? Why is Hazou bringing it up now? It's not enough to arrive at the idea of the civilization's decline. They must have discovered something major out in the wilderness! Better learn what".)
 
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Noumero said:
Meet with merchant contacts:
  • Prior:
    • The salt/spice merchant, glass blower, and brewer.
    • Bring gifts (e.g., 'excess' storage seals).
    • If Jiraiya approves, offer sponsorship.
  • Make new contacts. Compile a notebook.
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The paranoid part of me worries that the Mist merchants might take our gifts as attempts to confirm their loyalty (see: all the times the merchant/waiters were terrified and tried to affirm their loyalty) and lose us the contacts. Ren might be a better Mizukage than Yagura but she's still a dictator controlling a nightmare state.

On another note, one thing I was considering would be to offer to buy some of their wares and show them off at Leaf to see if anyone there would be willing to facilitate trade between Leaf and Mist. I dunno how I would word it but it's a simple costless way for us to bring Leaf and Mist together, however little it would be.
Noumero said:
With Ami. Topics: social philosophy and family.
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I'd appreciate a slightly more detailed explanation on the topics, if only because Jiraiya might off-screen veto the meeting because the aforementioned isn't, by itself, justification for the meeting. Recall that Ami makes Jiraiya nervous, we need good reasons to meet with her.
Noumero said:
With the Oyabun. Topics: gambling and interesting books.
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Uhh...interesting books? Is this the Akatsuki book thing, I'm not sure how well this will go. Remind me, did we try getting the book in Leaf?
 
faflec said:
The paranoid part of me worries that the Mist merchants might take our gifts as attempts to confirm their loyalty (see: all the times the merchant/waiters were terrified and tried to affirm their loyalty) and lose us the contacts. Ren might be a better Mizukage than Yagura but she's still a dictator controlling a nightmare state.
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Theyre (on average) international merchants though.

We tried a bookstore in Leaf for the Akatsuki book.
 
Hazou just suffered a breakup with the girlfriend who worshiped his steps and literally owed him her life and family because he's an unobservant blundering buffalo when it comes to social subtleties. He's the idiot who nearly got his entire team killboxed. He's the son of a notorious drunk who went from the chosen heir of the diplomat clan to social pariah over sentiment, then nearly got herself killed and may have blown any chance of a continuing relationship with her son because she couldn't go a single night without assaulting the wife of a foreign head of state in her own home while serving as the official ambassador.

Ami knows all of this, because she holds a leadership position in a pan-village international conspiracy of supergenius frienemies plotting to secretly establish a new world order. She is an absolute prodigy who has been coached from childhood by a man best known for quotes like, "the only sin is sentiment", and, "my greatest failure was allowing myself to be merely human." She made the deliberate decision to protect Keiko and give her time to grow into the conspiracy by burning their relationship to prevent it from being exploited as part of a plan which was undoubtedly analyzed to hell and back- possibly literally.

There is nothing, absolutely nothing, Hazou has to contribute to this. Ami is not going to want to undermine her sacrifice by taking an ambassadorial position in Leaf or associating with her sister's step-brother. The best possible outcome of their meeting would be nothing at all, and far more likely the activation of numerous warning bells and contingencies.
 
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Lailoken said:
Hazou just suffered a breakup with the girlfriend who worshiped his steps and literally owed him her life and family because he's an unobservant blundering buffalo when it comes to social subtleties. He's the idiot who nearly got his entire team killboxed. He's the son of a notorious drunk who went from the chosen heir of the diplomat clan to social pariah over sentiment, then nearly got herself killed and may have blown any chance of a continuing relationship with her son because she couldn't go a single night without assaulting the wife of a foreign head of state in her own home while serving as the official ambassador.

Ami knows all of this, because she holds a leadership position in a pan-village international conspiracy of supergenius frienemies plotting to secretly establish a new world order. She is an absolute prodigy who has been coached from childhood by a man best known for quotes like, "the only sin is sentiment", and, "my greatest failure was allowing myself to be merely human." She made the deliberate decision to protect Keiko and give her time to grow into the conspiracy by burning their relationship to prevent it from being exploited as part of a plan which was undoubtedly analyzed to hell and back- possibly literally.

There is nothing, absolutely nothing, Hazou has to contribute to this. Ami is not going to want to undermine her sacrifice by taking an ambassadorial position in Leaf or associating with her sister's step-brother. The best possible outcome of their meeting would be nothing at all, and far more likely the activation of numerous warning bells and contingencies.
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I agree with some of this. It's why I want Jiraiya's permission. He's aware of all of this as much as you are; if he thinks the worst that'll happen is Hazou embarassing himself, then it's not a problem.

(I also want to get Kei's permission because it's her sister we're approaching.)
 
Cariyaga said:
I agree with some of this. It's why I want Jiraiya's permission. He's aware of all of this as much as you are; if he thinks the worst that'll happen is Hazou embarassing himself, then it's not a problem.

(I also want to get Kei's permission because it's her sister we're approaching.)
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Does anybody really have the slightest doubt what Kei's answer would be? Asking her just seems like giving her another reason to preemptively murder Hazou in his sleep.
 
Lailoken said:
Does anybody really have the slightest doubt what Kei's answer would be? Asking her just seems like giving her another reason to preemptively murder Hazou in his sleep.
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...yeah, I'm gonna have to agree with that. Which sucks, because I feel that we should get her permission.

OTOH maybe we could ask Noburi to do it. Keiko hasn't dreamed of a Noburi x Ami pairing.

Yet.
 
Lailoken said:
There is nothing, absolutely nothing, Hazou has to contribute to this. Ami is not going to want to undermine her sacrifice by taking an ambassadorial position in Leaf or associating with her sister's step-brother. The best possible outcome of their meeting would be nothing at all, and far more likely the activation of numerous warning bells and contingencies.
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You're right, the Hokage's kid and apprentice, the Iron Nerve sealmaster known for his "Uplift" ideals, has nothing to offer a hypothetical group of geniuses plotting a new world order. Also, Ami doesn't care about her sister or the people around her, and she definitely doesn't care to involve herself in Leaf-Mist relations.
 
faflec said:
...yeah, I'm gonna have to agree with that. Which sucks, because I feel that we should get her permission.

OTOH maybe we could ask Noburi to do it. Keiko hasn't dreamed of a Noburi x Ami pairing.

Yet.
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-or, perhaps, take it as a sign that this is a bad thing and we should not do this thing?



Langevin said:
You're right, the Hokage's kid and apprentice, the Iron Nerve sealmaster known for his "Uplift" ideals, has nothing to offer a hypothetical group of geniuses plotting a new world order. Also, Ami doesn't care about her sister or the people around her, and she definitely doesn't care to involve herself in Leaf-Mist relations.
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Ami is already involving herself in relations by directly blackmailing the Hokage and Mizukage themselves. She cares about Keiko, which is why she went to great lengths to make everybody, especially Keiko, believe that she doesn't care.

Meanwhile, Hazou hasn't even raised the subject with the Nara heir, who is not only a part of the conspiracy, but both a peer and close ally.
 
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Langevin said:
You're right, the Hokage's kid and apprentice, the Iron Nerve sealmaster known for his "Uplift" ideals, has nothing to offer a hypothetical group of geniuses plotting a new world order. Also, Ami doesn't care about her sister or the people around her, and she definitely doesn't care to involve herself in Leaf-Mist relations.
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Lailoken said:
Ami is already involving herself in relations by directly blackmailing the Hokage and Mizukage themselves. She cares about Keiko, which is why she went to great lengths to make everybody, especially Keiko, believe that she doesn't care.

Meanwhile, Hazou hasn't even raised the subject with the Nara heir, who is not only a part of the conspiracy, but both a peer and close ally.
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Fight, fight, fight! It's the battle of the L-folk!
 
faflec said:
The paranoid part of me worries that the Mist merchants might take our gifts as attempts to confirm their loyalty (see: all the times the merchant/waiters were terrified and tried to affirm their loyalty) and lose us the contacts. Ren might be a better Mizukage than Yagura but she's still a dictator controlling a nightmare state.

On another note, one thing I was considering would be to offer to buy some of their wares and show them off at Leaf to see if anyone there would be willing to facilitate trade between Leaf and Mist. I dunno how I would word it but it's a simple costless way for us to bring Leaf and Mist together, however little it would be.
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I'd appreciate a slightly more detailed explanation on the topics, if only because Jiraiya might off-screen veto the meeting because the aforementioned isn't, by itself, justification for the meeting. Recall that Ami makes Jiraiya nervous, we need good reasons to meet with her.
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Implemented. Implemented.
Uhh...interesting books? Is this the Akatsuki book thing, I'm not sure how well this will go. Remind me, did we try getting the book in Leaf?
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Yes, we did. They didn't have it:
eaglejarl said:
"What may I do for yo—Mr. Gōketsu! Sir, a pleasure! I'm honored to have you in my shop! Please forgive my rudeness a moment ago, I didn't recognize you. Feel free to stand in the door for as long as you want!"

Lovely, the shopkeeper was panicking. "It's fine," Hazō said. "You were entirely reasonable. I'm just looking for something to read."

"Well, you've come to the right place, sir! Anything you want, I've got it! Deep discounts for Lord Hokage's family, of course!"

"Great! I'd like a copy of Akatsuki's book, please."

The shopkeeper froze and became, if possible, even paler. "Akatsuki's book, sir?"

"Yes, please. I'm curious what someone would write about a group of S-rank ninja. Is it stories, history, or what?"

"Um...sir...I don't have that, I'm afraid. I know I said anything, but I didn't think...um...I've very sorry sir, please don't be angry, I didn't mean to deceive you or—"

Hazō sighed. "It's fine, don't worry about it. How about something else...maybe some math or philosophy?"
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I'll add checking the idea with Jiraiya first.
MMKII said:
This incident is technically ongoing though.
There is such a thing as being too true to character.
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No, I meant it as the policy for the future... Ah, nevermind. Implemented.


Review. Changes in blue.
  • General:
    • Check with Jiraiya
  • Meet with merchant contacts:
    • Prior:
      • The salt/spice merchant, glass blower, and brewer.
      • Bring gifts (e.g., 'excess' storage seals).
        • For Jiraiya: Would they see it as an attempt to buy loyalty? If yes, don't do.
      • Buy some of their wares.
        • Intent: To later show them in Leaf, see if that helps facilitate trade.
    • Make new contacts. Compile a notebook.
  • Arrange another meeting with Ikeda.
    • Ask about her life in Sand:
      • Excuse: curiosity about normal Sand ninja life.
      • Ask about civilian lives there.
    • Trade story for story if necessary.
      • Continue pretending: be a bit too guarded around operational information, and overly detailed about other topics.
        • No actual OPSEC breaches, obviously.
    • Give a brief explanation of uplift philosophy.
      • Explain till'n'fill missions.
      • Easy money for the economy, good practice for new genin, and keeps the civilians happy.
      • Would they work in Sand? Maybe float it by your higher-ups for brownie points?
  • Arrange meetings (set after Keiko's match, otherwise at other parties' convenience):
    • With Ami. Topics: social philosophy and family.
      • For Jiraiya: Test the waters in a relatively casual setting, with someone she wouldn't see as a threat. Hazou will stay far away from political and OPSEC-sensitive topics.
    • With the Oyabun. Topics: gambling and interesting books.
      • Send a bottle of wine as a gift.
      • For Jiraiya: Could we ask Yakuza for the Akatsuki book's copy?
  • Watch matches. Cheer for ISC.
  • Contingencies:
    • If asked about tanking explosives, always insist on the Kotsuzui-meatshield lie.
    • "Breaking OPSEC with cute Sand Genin" is now officially on the list of "Hazou's fuckups".
      • Accordingly: Do not talk about it. It didn't happen.
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Noumero said:
Implemented. Implemented.

Yes, we did. They didn't have it:
​
I'll add checking the idea with Jiraiya first.

No, I meant it as the policy for the future... Ah, nevermind. Implemented.


Review. Changes in blue.
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Post-Round 1 celebration with Leaf folk in the barracks?

Play poker and board games.
 
So, an idea came up: Invite Shikamaru for the meeting with Ami. Y/n?
MMKII said:
Post-Round 1 celebration with Leaf folk in the barracks?

Play poker and board games.
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Didn't we already celebrate? Except with Hinata and Shino, but I think it'd be a bit too much celebrations. Especially since the last time we had one, Hazou made this huge OPSEC blunder about his bloodline secrets.
 
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@Noumero Unless I missed it (possible), your plan checks for the approval of neither Jiraiya nor Keiko in talking to Ami. Is this intended?
 
Cariyaga said:
@Noumero Unless I missed it (possible), your plan checks for the approval of neither Jiraiya nor Keiko in talking to Ami. Is this intended?
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It checks for Jiraiya's. The entire plan is under "Check everything with Jiraiya", and the Ami bit includes this:
  • With Ami. Topics: social philosophy and family.
    • For Jiraiya: Test the waters in a relatively casual setting, with someone she wouldn't see as a threat. Hazou will stay far away from political and OPSEC-sensitive topics.
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