In hindsight, it's plain to see how the quest has changed (from the perspective of a player) since its inception. The players, and I would assume the QMs as well, have become very attached to our original band of misfits in now stark contrast to the premise I remember about this quest being as strict of a simulation as possible about trying to survive in a deathworld based on the Naruto universe yet made more rational.
I was convinced our first attempt was doomed from the outset as too many people made decisions based on MfD!incorrect canon knowledge.
Now here we are in Leaf alive and, if not completely well, in a position to recover, but we aren't pregnant with Sasuke's child so everything didn't go according to the thread's first "bold" plan exactly.
I mention all of this to preface that I am proud of almost (never forget the pedants) everything the thread has accomplished and I want to encourage everyone to keep the process of Uplift going by expanding it outside of our clan, not keeping it to ourselves until a much later time. I find the organic narrative of MfD more satisfying and inspiring because it comes from a simulation background. Ordinary people decided to do more than survive in a deathworld: to transform it, to improve it so that all people in that same world could thrive instead because we found the means to do so.
The simulationist nature, from my point of view, necessitates treating
all of the NPC's we interact with as real people. If they are to live in a world without war they must pursue lasting peace. If they are to live in a world with justice they must act to hold themselves and each other to equal standards. Improvement starts with a visionary but only endures when the masses practice it.
Hazou has to increase his personal power while laying the foundations for Uplift to prove through action that he leads from the front, practicing what he preaches and consequently succeeds by doing so. I do not want Uplift as a movement stifled by naysayers claiming Hazou only advocates for Uplift due to his strength gained from his connections to Jiraiya, his bloodline, his summons, and whatever else we find. Might making right has persisted since the Sage's time as the underlying axiom of the MfD world so to truly change stubborn simulated people's minds Hazou must champion what he/we believe is right
before he becomes so powerful he has to be placated, willingly or begrudgingly. The presence of the person espousing a message must not overshadow the message itself or that message will be silenced by perceived looming implications.
Hazou can accomplish all of those goals you mentioned like the tip of a spear skewering the evils of the MfD world with his compatriots in Uplift acting as his shield, army, vanguard, and logistical support. The training for those people currently outside of our sphere of influence must be delegated eventually to achieve accelerating growth but Hazou has to take the first step to begin the process. Conveniently, winning the hearts and minds of the next generation of Leaf ninja can in part be accomplished by winning in battle, acquiring more power-ups, and defeating malefactors. How we win those fights and how we present ourselves and our beliefs matters as well though.
A movement would be more narratively satisfying than having Hazou become effectively a Messiah. No chosen ones but choosing our own destiny and teaching others to do so as well seems more accurate to the tone and the themes of what this quest has become, to me at least. I won't hold it against you if you still disagree; I just wanted to clarify my stance.
