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Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

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Word Count: 50

Keiko made a point that we should take measures to not endanger others because of our brush with the Out. I think we should address that. We can probably play it off as safeguards when for when we start assisting Orochimaru.
  • Implement defenses against Out-manipulation
    • Use the Mari Toolbox and Mother Nana exercises from Chapter 296 for centering.
    • Check your mental inventory like Orochimaru's basement.
      • Start using your flute more often. (Drown out the eldritch noise/voices).
    • Get the others to monitor your behavior when available.
    • Work on non-lethal restraints with Kagome.
This is to put Keiko's concerns aside that we aren't endangering Ami or Goketsu by not taking any precautions.
 
Orisha91 said:
Word Count: 50

Keiko made a point that we should take measures to not endanger others because of our brush with the Out. I think we should address that. We can probably play it off as safeguards when for when we start assisting Orochimaru.
  • Implement defenses against Out-manipulation
    • Use the Mari Toolbox and Mother Nana exercises from Chapter 296 for centering.
    • Check your mental inventory like Orochimaru's basement.
      • Start using your flute more often. (Drown out the eldritch noise/voices).
    • Get the others to monitor your behavior when available.
    • Work on non-lethal restraints with Kagome.
This is to put Keiko's concerns aside that we aren't endangering Ami or Goketsu by not taking any precautions.
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I don't think any of this is necessary? We actually want the kid to be more eldritch anyway, thats sort of the thing we're going for with the stunts :p
 
MMKII said:
I don't think any of this is necessary? We actually want the kid to be more eldritch anyway, thats sort of the thing we're going for with the stunts :p
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I mean yes we'll purchase the stunts, but Keiko also just talked about possession with us. Not following up on this is like having an OPSEC failure.
 
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MMKII said:
I don't think any of this is necessary? We actually want the kid to be more eldritch anyway, thats sort of the thing we're going for with the stunts :p
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How do people actually think this will work out in practice?

I don't mind him having an episode rarely as long as those are spread out time wise. But I definitely don't want to read about a Hazou that lost his idealism or keeps internally referring to his closest friends and family as meat bags or worse because he has become too detached.

(Of course Rule of Funny may apply and is fine.)
 
Tua said:
How do people actually think this will work out in practice?

I don't mind him having an episode rarely as long as those are spread out time wise. But I definitely don't want to read about a Hazou that lost his idealism or keeps internally referring to his closest friends and family as meat bags or worse because he has become too detached.

(Of course Rule of Funny may apply and is fine.)
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The way that MadScientist (the person who came up with the series of stunts) described it, it's Hazou being like "Reality is THAT fucked up?" and staring down the Out and being like "Time to fix it."
 
Velorien said:
I don't think it means anything to canonise something that is by definition an AU.

As for powergaming memories of alternate timelines, I would be entirely up for that if you collectively signed a waiver accepting that any and all mental trauma Hazō undergoes in those timelines also transfers to the present one. And a remarkable number of those Hazōs are working as Orochimaru's apprentices, or were until their stress tracks exploded.
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Maybe a Stunt similar to Prophet of the Out, Minor Consequences (from muted mental trauma* from alternate timelines) in exchange for TYS bonuses to Social actions (based on alternate universe actions**).

*Transfers imperfectly/incompletely to Hazo.
**Also imperfect translation.

Hazo might know that, for example, a hyper-implosion seal is possible, but even if he had a vision of working on the seal directly he would not be able to translate that to sealing (for example). Generalities, not specifics. The Mental Traumas transfer in the same way. Generalities of the horror, but not the specifics.

It could actually just be maade similar to Frozen Skein but worse in many ways.
 
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Orisha91 said:
This is madness!!! Do you know what your unleashing?!

We're gonna get Edgelord dialogue.

From Hazo!!!
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[X] Go full Madara, And I'm not talking about Edo Tensei Uchiha Madara. I'm not talking about Gedou Rinne Tensei Uchiha Madara either. Hell, I'm not even talking about Juubi Jinchuuriki Gedou Rinne Tensei Uchiha Madara with the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan and Rinnegan doujutsus (with the rikodou abilities and being capable of both Amateratsu and Tsukuyomi genjutsu), equipped with his Gunbai, a perfect Susano'o, control of the juubi and Gedou Mazou, with Hashirama Senju's DNA implanted in him so he has mokuton kekkei genkai and can perform yin yang release ninjutsu while being an expert in kenjutsu and taijutsu. I'm also not talking about Kono Yo no Kyūseishu Futarime no Rikudō Juubi Jinchuuriki Gedou Rinne Tensei Uchiha Madara with the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan (which is capable of Enton Amaterasu, Izanagi, Izanami and the Tsyukuyomi Genjutsu), his two original Rinnegan (which grant him Chikushōdō, Shuradō, Tendō, Ningendō, Jigokudō, Gakidō, Gedō, Banshō Ten'in, Chibaku Tensei, Shinra Tensei, Tengai Shinsei and Banbutsu Sōzō) and a third Tomoe Rinnegan on his forehead, capable of using Katon, Fūton, Raiton, Doton, Suiton, Mokuton, Ranton, Inton, Yōton and even Onmyōton Jutsu, equipped with his Gunbai(capable of using Uchihagaeshi) and a Shakujō because he is a master in kenjutsu and taijutsu, a perfect Susano'o (that can use Yasaka no Magatama ), control of both the Juubi and the Gedou Mazou, with Hashirama Senju's DNA and face implanted on his chest, his four Rinbo Hengoku Clones guarding him and nine Gudōdama floating behind him AFTER he absorbed Senjutsu from the First Hokage, entered Rikudō Senjutsu Mode, cast Mugen Tsukuyomi on everybody and used Shin: Jukai Kōtan so he can use their Chakra while they are under Genjutsu. I'm definitely NOT Talking about sagemode sage of the six paths Juubi Jinchuuriki Gedou Rinne Tensei Super Saiyan 4 Uchiha Madara with the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, Rinnegan, Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, and Geass doujutsus, equipped with Shining Trapezohedron while casting Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann as his Susanoo, controlling the Gold Experience Requiem stand, having become the original vampire after Alucard, able to tap into the speedforce, wearing the Kamen Rider Black RX suit and Gedou Mazou, with Hashirama Senju's DNA implanted in him so he has mokuton kekkei genkai and can perform yin yang release ninjutsu while being an expert in kenjutsu and taijutsu and having eaten Popeye's spinach. I'm talking about sagemode sage of the six paths Juubi Jinchuuriki Gedou Rinne Tensei Legendary Super Saiyan 4 Uchiha Madara with the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, Rinnegan, Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, and Geass doujutsus, equipped with his Shining Trapezohedron while casting Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann as his Susanoo, controlling the Gold Experience Requiem stand, having become the original vampire after having absorbed Alucard as well as a God Hand, able to tap into the speedforce, wearing the Kamen Rider Black RX suit, with Kryptonian DNA implanted in him and having eaten Popeye's spinach while possessing quantum powers like Dr. Manhattan and having mastered Hokuto Shinken.

Let's dance
 
Orisha91 said:
I mean yes we'll purchase the stunts, but Keiko also just talked about possession with us. Not following up on this is like having an OPSEC failure.
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Not really. Keiko is in a pacing mood in this chapter, so she's worrying about nothing more than my grandmother. I think we have bigger issues than possession SOP at the moment, too...

Regardless: Kagome is the guy who taught us sealing, remember? Just have Hazou spam the Dance of Leave My Meatbag To Me every morning like hes training for a DDR competition.

Tua said:
How do people actually think this will work out in practice?

I don't mind him having an episode rarely as long as those are spread out time wise. But I definitely don't want to read about a Hazou that lost his idealism or keeps internally referring to his closest friends and family as meat bags or worse because he has become too detached.

(Of course Rule of Funny may apply and is fine.)
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HAZOU: Wow, reality is a cruel joke and theres no meaning to any of it because its like a fragile dream.

HAZOU:...

HAZOU: So its like extra double triple chocolate fudge fucked up that theres still suffering in the world. Lets get to fixin' that and some other shit.

(Credit to @ContextBot for the funny video here.)
 
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I would like to suggest we comb through Jiraiya's journals (if asking Naruto or Tsunade doesn't work out) to see if Minato ever learned the summoning technique from him on the off-chance the latter was to be left the Toad scroll in case of the former's death.
 
[x] Action Plan: Kagome's Forbidden Lore
Particular topics:
  • Information on his sources. He'd said it's dangerous to share, but you insist.
  • His interpretation of the events pertaining to Akatsuki. What was their plan, who was Pain, what are the Five?
  • Did he update his picture of what's happening since the last time we spoke?
  • Cosmology. What are the other Paths? Where Out stands?
  • What's in Bear?
 
Assuming this doesn't mean that this is information from three weeks ago:
Velorien said:
Hazō has been out of town for a while, but the last he heard it was still waiting for disposition. Hiashi is using it as a carrot to keep people in line.
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We don't actually have to get the Dog scroll for ourselves, if we figure out who the most likely candidates are and throw our suppport behind one of them or just one we like we would still benefit.
 
Velorien said:
I don't think it means anything to canonise something that is by definition an AU.
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By canonise, I mean that it's something Hazou actually saw in a vision, and which has some amount of influence on his behaviour.

Velorien said:
As for powergaming memories of alternate timelines, I would be entirely up for that if you collectively signed a waiver accepting that any and all mental trauma Hazō undergoes in those timelines also transfers to the present one. And a remarkable number of those Hazōs are working as Orochimaru's apprentices, or were until their stress tracks exploded.
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I wasn't necessarily talking about the alternate timelines per se. Hazou has a connection to the Out, which means he can see all sorts of weird visions - they may show a possible future from some perspective, a far away place, a metaphorical representation of some internal conflict he's facing mixed with wtf, or just a nonsensical and abstract dream that feels unnervingly real after waking up. That just seems like a fun writing prompt.

To give a fairly banal example, say Hazou has a vision of himself standing on the moon, in the silence and darkness of space, watching as the MfD planet is destroyed by some cataclysm. Has potential for cool imagery and a prophecy of unspecified DOOM in the future, while also sneaking in some useful ideas - in this case, the concept of outer space as we understand it, the planet being a sphere, and so on.
 
@faflec IIRC the pact between Keiko and Panjandrum was not a part of the Skytower deal, right? So she should still have access to him?


@eaglejarl @OliWhail @Velorien

Given that Hazou was looking at Leaf land laws: If one owns a plot of land, do they own all the land underneath it? i.e. do we own all the land underground beneath the tavern we bought?
 
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[X] And Push It Somewhere Else
Wordcount: 292

Important tasks:
  • Mari: Get the Tower to return us money immediately or give us rights over another compound (Shimura's?). Suggest that if they're not very prompt, we'll have to start... (Mari's choice)
    • ... funding House of Youth.
    • ... paying Orochimaru rent via creative research suggestions.
  • Also, can you meet with Anko? Having her input on Orochimaru would be very helpful right now.
  • Keiko, do Pangolins care what Naruto's last name is? If he's officially Uplift, can we teach him techniques?
  • If push comes to shove, we can rehouse our retainers through the same methods we housed them in the first place - everything was constructed very quickly.
    • One option, lease underground space beneath properties adjacent to our tavern. Employ seals and Earth jutsu to build tunnels and rooms there, connected to our tavern.
      • Get Keiko's help (Pangolins).
Arrange a meeting with Hiashi (screen with Mari and Naruto)
  • Orochimaru has Leaf over a metaphorical barrel - he's vital to the village and essentially unstoppable. Together, we could push back against experimenting on civvies (against the WoF) or ninja (actively harmful to military). But we would be need concessions:
    • Dog Scroll
    • (Bio)Sealing Clearance & Arikada's notes
    • Not sending Gouketsu on suicide missions (implicitly)
Go talk to Kabuto
  • It sure is delightful that Orochimaru returned to Leaf safe and sound.
  • Our deal is, of course, void. Would you mind if we started from a blank slate?
  • By the way, how's the study of Noburi coming along?
Set up the Forbidden Lore meeting
  • What's the status on OPSEC seals like Jiraiya's? Do we have enough anti-Byakugan seals?
  • Do we have a secure location in the village? Should we take a till-n-fill?
  • Let's include Naruto - he has good clearance and can help us out.



Currently could use some fleshing out of the Hiashi meeting + a clearer direction on the Forbidden Lore section.
 
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Paperclipped said:
Set up the Forbidden Lore meeting
  • What's the status on OPSEC seals like Jiraiya's? Do we have enough anti-Byakugan seals?
  • Do we have a secure location in the village? Should we take a till-n-fill?
  • Let's include Naruto - he has good clearance and can help us out.
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Instead of doing this, can we exert more effort to solve the immediate problem of "200ish people might be in the street in a week if we don't figure something out there."

I'd like to at least soft-solve this issue by the end of this update, so that we dont have to care about it anymore as a problem and let folks work on it behind the scenes or whatever we end up doing.
 
[x] Action plan: Hugs for snakes

  • Meet with Hiashi. (Optimize with Mari and Naruto, take them along.)
    • Thoughts:
      • Orochimaru's arrival drastically rewrote Leaf's political landscape. Hiashi doesn't have the strength to stand up to him, nor an S-ranker for protection/support.
      • We can get concessions out of him by promising cooperation, and threatening to back Orochimaru if he declines.
    • Mindset: You've faced people far scarier than Hiashi — he's nowhere near Zabuza or Orochimaru.
    • Concessions we want (if some aren't viable, downscale what we're offering proportionally):
      • Primary: The Dog Scroll; the Shimura Compound; credible assurance we won't be sent on suicide missions.
      • Secondary: Arikada's notes; Mist allowing Hazou, Noburi, and Keiko to learn bloodline secrets (with teachers provided, if necessary).
      • Tertiary: Degree of control over the Academy's curriculum (consult Kagome). Hiashi stops fucking with Naruto's Council seat. More adoption slots.
    • Tactics:
      • Inform Hiashi that Orochimaru had agreed to be adopted in exchange for becoming Clan Head and learning clan-secret jutsu and Jiraiya's seals.
      • Say you're planning to go along, since you feel unsafe without the compound and with the war looming — which might prove particularly dangerous to us.
        • [Primary concessions] would make you feel safer.
      • Additionally, you're interested in Orochimaru's work, and fear that your growth would be stunted in Leaf as-is. You've offered to become his apprentice. If that shakes out, and if Orochimaru would be so inclined, you'd encourage him to climb even higher than the Clan Head.
        • [Secondary concessions] would dismiss your fears.
      • But you understand Orochimaru has a somewhat... unruly personality. If most/all your concerns were addressed, you'd consider helping the Tower manage him — as would our clan's friend, Uzumaki. In addition, you'd support the Tower in earnest in these trying times, if you started feeling truly welcomein Leaf.
        • [Tertiary concessions] would make you feel welcome.
    • Contingencies: If Hiashi suggests that we won't follow through because Orochimaru will...
      • ... vivisect random civilians, whom we care about: recite your ruthless-utilitarianism thought-process.
      • ... vivisect us: claim that Jiraiya made Uncle Oro promise not to harm us, and we're better tools while undamaged anyway.
  • Other:
    • Lease underground space beneath properties adjacent to our tavern. Employ seals and Earth jutsu to build tunnels and rooms there, connected to our tavern.
      • Get Keiko's help (Pangolins).
    • Conduct creative training daily.
    • Send a message to the dogs like we did to the snakes
 
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The plan tactics seem too confrontational and underhanded for my taste. If we demand stuff in return for unifying Leaf it makes it seem like we only helping Leaf for selfish reasons, and could hurt our alliance from the start. Perhaps we could trade stuff to Hiashi instead of making it concessions. And I dunno what Oro's and Hiashi's reactions will be to us telling Hiashi info we found at as Oro's apprentice. Could hurt our image. But if Mari is looking the plan over...but Mari might be biased to be negative due to her coping. Eh...I'll tentatively vote for it for now.

[X] And Push It Somewhere Else
[x] Action plan: Hugs for snakes
 
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