With Asuma I'm worried he would turn other villages into desolate slabs of ice and nitrogen rivers with EM Nukes. With Hiashi, we would be missing-nin again because we couldn't count on the miracle of him not.
[X] Hidden Heaven
(It honestly might still happen at some point depending on how the story goes)
Also uh, if Asuma meets an unfortunate end within half a year, who is next in line to Hokage? Naruto? Probably not Tsunade. Would be kind of weird if they kept dropping like flies, though. I mean, 3-4 Hokages in ~80 years, then three more over a year or two, and that'd be a fourth lol
Also uh, if Asuma meets an unfortunate end within half a year, who is next in line to Hokage? Naruto? Probably not Tsunade. Would be kind of weird if they kept dropping like flies, though. I mean, 3-4 Hokages in ~80 years, then three more over a year or two, and that'd be a fourth lol
Naruto's not too far off of 18 by this point but it may still be premature, dunno. Kurenai maybe? Or one of the other stronger jonin, maybe one of the jonin summoners like Ruri or Aika. I'd say Mari but I don't think she would and I think there would be too much resistance to it
Uh-huh. Remember how just before the Collapse Mari was certain that Rock was about to make a decapitation strike on Leaf even while most other political analysts thought she was being paranoid, and how she made sure to stockpile resources and make plans in preparation for that, and how it just so happened that right before the Collapse all of the young clan heirs friendly to us ended up gathered in one place safely off any clan grounds after a Gouketsu event she heavily participated in, and how our compound wasn't touched but our-mortal-enemy Hokage died, and how the Collapse was only possible due to detailed insider information about Leaf's layout, and how afterwards she had a ready-made plan for minimizing Rock's victory which she made sure to personally propose during a Council vote thereby earning brownie points, and how she was half-running Heartbreaker while all of this was happening?
Layout's a bit weird, but here you go. Listed a small handful from Discord. I'll add more later.
Player Stunt Submissions
Wannabe Sealtech Sensor Ninja
Mechanics:
When adding chakdar bonuses, add (1.5*AB, rounded down) instead of (AB)
Prerequisites:
A notable mission history that involves the use of Chakdar v2
Alertness 30
Fluff:
You have gained a great deal of familiarity with regards to parsing through the data the Chakdar provides. You can now sift through the false positives and to the real dangers with an almost absent-minded ease.
Sealtech Sensor Ninja
Mechanics:
For the purposes of chakdar v2 detection, treat "adjacent zones" as "same zone"
Prerequisites
A significant mission history that involves the use of Chakdar v2
Alertness 40 (or maybe 50?)
Fluff:
You have an immense amount of familiarity with the Chakdar v2 Seal. You've familiarized yourself with the nuances and subtleties in the way that it presents its data collection. Even the faintest blip on the chakdar is as noticeable as a party trick seal.
Light Sleeper
Mechanics:
When asleep, you may roll Alertness against enemy stealth rolls at (⅔) effectiveness
Prerequisites:
7 TYS , Alertness 50
Yeah, I Do Parkour.
Mechanics:
Buys an Aspect of the same name. Invoke when overcoming Blocks or Fleeing while you are in a chase across rooftops (or when otherwise appropriate... such as a dense forest).
Prerequisites:
Athletics 30
Fluff:
Your athletics abilities can be leveraged for more than just dodging kunai and fireballs
Enduring Acrobat.
Mechanics:
Spend a FP to ignore debuffs related to balance (i.e. "earthquake" Aspects)
Prerequisites:
Athletics 50, Physique 40
Fluff:
You are an acrobat of a ninja, and a tanky one at that. Even without chakra, you are able to perform impressive acrobatic feats, and as such, no individual source of opposition related to balance can be used to justify opposition to your actions.
Lightning Reflexes.
Mechanics:
+TYS to defend/dodge with Athletics, but only for the first round after you become aware of a threat
Does not apply if caught under the "Surprised/Flatfooted" Aspect
Prerequisites:
Alertness 40, Athletics 40, TYS 6
Fluff:
You've seen some shit, and have honed your reflexes to match. Your instincts have been fine-tuned for combat, and you've learned to channel the initial shock/surprise of combat into something applicable to combat.
Jumpy
Mechanics:
+TYS to initiative, and to Athletics for the first round of combat you are not surprised.
You no longer receive +TYS points to intimidation.
Fluff
Rather than hardening you, your trauma has manifested in a hyper-sensitivity to potential threats.
Combat Chessmaster
Mechanics:
Once per combat, when you succeed with style on an Athletics against Ranged Weapons attack, you may force your opponent to attack another of your enemies in the same zone as you, using the same attack roll.
Prerequisites:
Athletics 50, Ranged Weapons 40
Fluff:
Your skill at dodging, when combined with your familiarity with Ranged Weapons, means that you can map out the battlefield in your mind and arrange yourself so that an enemy might hurt one of their allies.
Live Another Day
Mechanics:
On a successful dodge with Athletics, you may sacrifice your next action to immediately flee, making an overcome action with Athletics, and using your total on the dodge roll as your total on the overcome roll.
Prerequisites:
Athletics 30, Resolve <40
Graceful Silence.
Mechanics:
You may use your Athletics skill in place of Stealth whenever silence alone would help you move undetected.
Prerequisites:
Athletics 40, Stealth 30
Fluff:
Your natural poise and grace enable you to pass quietly and undetected.
Local Stealthy Ninja is Stealthy
Mechanics:
Once per combat, gain 1 free invoke on "[Fire] Native ninja" to add to your Stealth Roll.
This only applies within [Fire] country borders.
Prerequisite:
Stealth 20, and either Graduate [Leaf's] Academy, or spend 6 months doing successful missions within [Fire] Country?"
Fluff:
You are a [Fire] country ninja. More than that, you're well-trained in stealth. You know the patterns of your land's terrain like the back of your hand.
This Stunt is intended to be bought/upgraded every Stealth AB, for an additional free invoke, to reflect a ninja learning how to better use their native country's terrain to their advantage. The time duration Prerequisite should also increase for every level of this stunt.
While enemies are unaware of your exact location through any sense, you may use Stealth to determine your initiative.
Req:
Stealth 50
A Ghost's Lead
Mechanics:
When the party rolls for stealth, spend a FP to allow the party to get 1 free tag your Stealth AB.
Prerequisite:
Stealth 40, a notable mission history of being Mission Team Leader
Fluff:
You are a stealthy ninja with a history of leadership. You're accustomed to leading less stealthy teammates into enemy territory, leveraging your skill in stealth to help the entire party avoid detection.
Sealing is a Stealth Ninja's Best Friend
Mechanics:
When using a seal improves your stealth, tag your sealing AB
Prerequisites:
Sealing 10, Stealth 30
Fluff
Your knowledge of stealth means that you know how to use Seals (at least, those that are created for stealthy ends) for maximum effect.
SIlent Waltz
Mechanics:
You may roll Stealth at a .75x multiplier (round up) versus Alertness during combat as a supplemental action, if you have a means to break line of sight (HitM, Darkness seals, etc.). Usually, you will be rolling against someone with a large penalty with this effect. Success means you may apply the fragile aspect 'Flatfooted' to all that failed to see you. Remember that Aspects are True.
Prerequisites:
Stealth 30, extensive training in stealth use in combat, a teacher who knows this stunt OR 30 (additional) XP
Flammable Soul
Mechanics:
Gain Resolve AB to relevant (mostly social) checks.
Pre-req:
Resolve 60
Fluff:
Having developed special meditation techniques, you can now trivially ignite your own emotions in whatever way you please: becoming furious, amazed, protective, etc. in an instant.
Puppy Therapy
Mechanics:
When rolling Resolve or Empathy, add your TYS stat to the roll. This only works when you are in the same Zone as your bonded Inuzuka dog.
Prerequisite:
Have a bonded Inuzuka support dog (or Contracted puppy Summon)
Undaunted
Mechanics:
If a consequence is inflicted against you, roll Resolve versus (25, 45, 65 depending on variety of consequence). If you succeed, the consequence does not provide a tag.
Prereqs:
Resolve 50, surviving combat that you started with at least a moderate consequence
Unflinching
Mechanics
The same as Undaunted, but additionally you do not suffer penalties for a round.
Prereqs:
Resolve 60, Undaunted, surviving combat that you started with a moderate consequence and ended with more than that
Alternately, surviving combat that you started with a severe consequence
Immovable Object
Mechanics
Make a Deceit check. If you win, the opponent is forced to make a Presence or Intimidation attack, spending as much FP as possible on as many invokes as possible. If you win, you deal mental stress equal to the shifts of victory, plus one for each invoke the opponent made.
Alternative Proposed Mechanics:
Make a Deceit check. If you win, the opponent is forced to make a Presence or Intimidation attack, spending as much FP as possible on as many invokes as they have relevant aspects for. You can give your opponent as many additional tags as shifts you won the Deceit contest by. If you win your Resolve defence, you deal mental stress equal to the total number of aspect bonuses the opponent was using.
Prerequisites:
High Resolve
Fluff:
You've learned to bait opponents into coming at you with the gloves off… and then rebuffing their best efforts with unimpressed indifference, leaving them feeling angry and insecure. The goal is to have them lunge at you with the full weight of their confidence and conviction, only to break their metaphorical wrist on your unharmed jaw.
Justification wrt Dealing Stress Via Resolve
Emotional damage from making the best possible genuine and sincere effort, only to have your ego swatted aside like you're worth nothing and understand nothing.
Also, this requires both a successful Deceit attack, a successful Resolve defence against a *maxxed out* Presence/Intimidation attack, and levelling to Jonin Resolve in the first place.
Stoicism
Required:
Resolve 40
Mechanics:
You do not take wound penalties from mild mental consequences so long as you have no other consequences.
Fists of Iron
Mechanics:
As a free action when making a Taijutsu (or Melee Weapon) attack, you may inflict 1 Physical Stress on yourself to increase your Taijutsu (or Melee Weapon) attack's Weapon Rating by 1.
You must decide whether or not to use this skill before knowing if your attack will hit. You still take 1 Physical Stress even if your attack misses.
During the one month of learning this stunt, the user has a permanent Mild physical consequence from daily dislocations and self injury.
Pre-req:
Iron Nerve, Physique 40, 1 month of training from someone with the stunt OR someone with MedKnow 40 (the user counts if they have MedKnow 40)
Fluff:
You have experimented with pushing your body to its physical limits, and the Iron Nerve has memorized exactly how hard you can hit without causing immediate injury to yourself.
Wrathful Oni
Mechanics
Roll Intimidation vs. enemy Resolve
Your movement has been honed to strike as much fear as possible with every motion, taking advantage of your natural bulk and/or features (at narrative discretion).
Prerequisites:
Iron Nerve, Physique 40
Could plausibly be retrofitted to any jonin who has Taijutsu 60 and Intimidation 40... or something?
Fluff
Your movement has been honed to strike as much fear as possible with every motion, taking advantage of your natural bulk and/or features (at narrative discretion). You do not run at your enemy, you hound your prey, and they do all they can do not to flinch.
Ancient Path
Mechanics
Roll Athletics vs. enemy Alertness
Pre-req:
Iron Nerve, training from someone with this stunt (or at narrative discretion, somehow otherwise accessing the vast kata library.)
Fluff:
Centuries of warriors have refined the same Katas over and over, optimizing perfect onslaughts to use in battle for every situation. An opponent with an especially keen eye may catch on to the pattern of the movement of your ancestors, so you must brandish your bloodline with superior speed to stay one step ahead.
Subtle Fist
Mechanics
Roll Stealth vs. enemy Empathy
Prerequisites:
Iron Nerve, Stealth 40
Fluff
A style reserved only for Kurosawa assassins (if, indeed, they exist.) These few have mastered the art of telegraphing absolutely nothing from their motions. Every blow comes as a surprise for anyone who cannot read their opponent's intentions.
Roki: Punish Game
Pre-req:
Learn and use the Martial Style "Roki" for at least a year, Taijutsu 50
Mechanics
You have developed your martial style even further and have learned the optimal followups from tricking your opponent. When you win the Deceit roll by 4 or more shifts, the bonus to the attack roll is AB x 1.5 instead of AB.
Steel Nerve
pre-reqs:
Iron Nerve, 30 in a physical skill
Mechanics:
Due to building up your movement library, this stunt upgrades your IN bonus from +3 to +AB in a chosen physical skill. Can be bought multiple times, once in each physical skill at level 30 or above.
Silver Nerve
pre-reqs:
Iron Nerve,
3-6 months training with a jonin social spec
Mechanics:
Social skills are considered to be "physical skills" for the purposes of IN bonus.
Iron Wall
Mechanics:
When you have an ally in melee range of your target, you receive a free tag on your Taijutsu/MW attack. Your ally must possess the Iron Nerve and have this stunt in order to get the tag.
Prerequisite:
Iron nerve, training from someone with the stunt
Fluff:
The user has memorized Katas to be used in tandem with other iron Nerve users, without worrying about striking their ally despite tight timing due to IN synchronization.
Stalwart Resolve
Mechanics:
When under the effects of mind-numbing or muscle-numbing drugs/poison, mind control genjutsu, or other such debuffs (by QM fiat), the malus becomes 2/3 of its usual value. This only applies to physical skills.
Prerequisites:
Iron Nerve, Resolve 40, physique 40
Fluff:
The Iron Nerve user's mastery of body, mind, and bloodline allows them to lean on the Iron Nerve while under duress. Even as their bodies or minds resist their own control, the Iron strikes true.
High Speed Training
Mechanics:
While using the jutsu, you gain an aspect "Human Bullet." You do not get a tag on this aspect.
Additionally, any maluses the jutsu inflicts due to difficulty acting at high speeds (e.g. Tunnel Vision, Flying Blind) are 2/3 of their usual value as the IN propels you that much more accurately.
You must purchase this stunt on a jutsu by jutsu basis. However, after the first purchase, it is half-cost on all following purchases.
Prerequisites:
Iron Nerve, Level 30 in a jutsu that increases the user's movement speed (e.g. Vacuum Step, Chidori, other wind/lightning buffs, etc.)
Fluff
You have optimized your movement to its peak with the help of ninjutsu.
Optimal Signing
Mechanics:
When casting ninjutsu with casting time "full-round", you may add the +3 IN bonus to the attack roll (or other full-round ninjutsu rolls by QM fiat)
Prerequisites:
Iron Nerve, a full-round ninjutsu leveled to 30 or higher
Fluff:
The Iron Nerve allows the user to bypass any caution with longer hand seal chains, completing their cast a fraction faster than they would otherwise.
Battlefield Savant
Prerequisites:
Iron Nerve or some other way to make exceptionally precise movements or direct people likewise (genjutsu, bloodlines, etc. Frozen Skein might work?), Examination 40, Athletics 40
Mechanics:
Make an Examination roll based on the environment, on a specific zone. This takes half a minute, and may be moved up or down the time ladder by up to 2 as usual. This action does not seem hostile, and may be done while participating in conversation with no penalty. (TN 20 for forest clearing, TN 30 for forest, the more busy/hazardous the terrain the higher the number. Having a vantage point over the area gives a +AB to the roll) If you succeed, the zone is considered Scrutinized. A zone that has been Cased, if it is not changed substantially in the meantime, is also considered Scrutinized.
In Scrutinized zones, you may manevuer yourself or foes into advantageous or disadvantageous conditions. Once per Examination AB per encounter (maximum once per round), you may inflict a transient aspect (with associated tag) whose bonus is equal to your examination AB with an opposed Athletics roll, or provide yourself a bonus, likewise. This tag may be passed, as normal. This action is a Maneuver that, contrary to the usual, takes a supplemental action. You cannot use this stunt until the round after moving zones, if the zone you enter into was not already Scrutinized. (A zone that is subdivided by a border, jutsu, etc. may or may not remain Scrutinized, depending on the effect that did it.)
Project Estimation
Pre-reqs:
Complete 10 research projects of chunin level or higher
Mechanics:
You can estimate the difficulty of a seal with greater clarity, using the titles on the TN ladder instead of genin/chunin/jonin/Jiraiya.
Interdisciplinary Studies Apprentice
Mechanics:
You may invoke aspects related to any qualifying skill for any other qualifying skill. (e.g., Invoke "Promising Sealing Student" for Mednin)
You may act as your own assistant, and contribute the aspect bonus of the secondary research skill to the primary research roll. (Costing FP as normal).
You may accept assistance from researchers with the secondary research skill for the primary roll (Have Noburi contribute his Mednin AB to Hazos sealing research)
Prerequisites:
A "supernatural research" (Sealing, THing, Genjutsu Creation, ect) skill above 40, and a second above 10.
Interdisciplinary Studies Journeyman
Mechanics:
Whenever you are invoked as an assistant, the primary researcher adds the AB of each of your qualifying skills that they have at least 10 levels into the primary research roll.
(e.g., If Genin A with Sealing and Mednin 10 invoked Jonin B with Sealing, TH, and Mednin 40, he would add 10 to the roll. 5 each for Sealing and Mednin, and the TH AB is unused.)
Prerequisites:
Two or more "supernatural research" (Sealing, THing, Genjutsu Creation, ect) skills above 40, Interdisciplinary Studies Apprentice
Battle-Sealer
Mechanics:
When using combat seals that you know how to make that hit if the target fails to overcome a TN, your familiarity with the workings of the seal and how to optimise its functioning let you add your Sealing AB to the TN.
prereqs:
high Sealing
Tag, You're It
Mechanics:
If you succeed in a Taijutsu check against your opponent, then you can spend a shift of success to stick a seal to them. You can spend another shift to activate the seal, or skip this step by using ARS.
Pre-reqs:
Sealing 40, Taijutsu 40
A Sculptor's Knowledge
Mechanics:
Earthshaping counts as "Carving" at reduced effectiveness (2/3) effectiveness.
When narratively appropriate, add your Sealing AB to your Examination roll
Prerequisites:
Examination 10, Sealing 30
Fluff
Being a sealmaster is a deadly career. In reaching this level of skill, you've gained a critical eye for detail that few non-sealmasters could think to match.
Architect of Death.
Mechanics:
+1.5AB (or maybe +2AB) to research rolls when designing, repairing or upgrading weaponry. Does not work on nonlethal weaponry. Does not work on utility or buff creations.
Prerequisites:
Relevant Research Stat (Medknow, Sealing, Blacksmithing, etc) of 50,
Research a total of 20 lethal weaponry.
Create a combined total of 500 lethal weaponry (seals, kunai, swords, attack jutsu, etc).
Sealing Trapsmith
Mechanics:
When using seals that you have researched, you get a free tag usable only on your trapmaking roll.
Prerequisites:
Sealing 40, Trapmaking 30, A teacher OR +X to the XP cost
Safety Technician
Mechanics:
Can research Safety Analyses (See: Discord: Seals and such) for seals you know.
Prerequisites:
Sealing 50, Even the Dances
My Sensei was a Sadist
Mechanics:
The user gains the Aspect "Genjutsu Guinea Pig", which may be Invoked on rolls to resist or notice genjutsu when narratively appropriate.
Prerequisite:
"extensive" genjutsu training
Dignified
Mechanics:
Gives a bonus to Presence, Resolve, and Intimidation.
Prerequisites:
Read a textbook
Fluff:
The Hyuuga submitted to Asuma's contest a textbook intended to teach genin Hyuuga how to carry themselves with the regal composure that is expected of them. Quite a lot of it is Hyuuga-supremacy indoctrination, but there's some genuinely helpful tips in there.
Dragonslayer
Mechanics:
You gain the Dragonslayer aspect, useful for situations where that's impressive, or for combat against dragons, and can tag it for free once per scene for each dragon you've killed. No limit to how many of those tags can be spent on the same check.
pre-reqs: kill a dragon
Bedside Manner
Mechanics:
The user can tag their MedKnow AB on social checks against patients.
Pre-req:
MedKnow 40, experience working in a hospital.
Crack the Man, Not the Cipher
Mechanics:
When rolling Empathy offensively, get a tag on your Crypto AB.
Pre-requisites:
Cryptography 40
Fluff
What are people but more complex puzzles? Best not to say that aloud, though. Use your puzzle solving skills to intuit things about another person.
Quenched in Hate
Mechanics:
TYS applies to Intimidation again.
TYS is now considered a skill, and can be trained with XP (cost multiplier pending).
pre-reqs:
Lose FiF,
Have an aspect with the word "fallen"/"corrupted"/"traitor"/etc.
Fluff:
Demons aren't made of evil humans. Demons are made of evil angels. When you break under the weight of your own heart transmuting from gold to lead, and your overflowing compassion collapses into a point from which no sympathy can escape, you become far more dangerous than someone who was a villain from the start.
A Shoulder to Lean on
Mechanics:
Once per month, you can spend a FP to reduce someone else's mental consequence by one level of severity (severe to moderate, moderate to mild, mild to nothing at all) by succeeding on an Empathy roll with a difficulty of Fair (+2) for a mild consequence, Good (+3) for moderate, or Great (+4) for severe.
You need to talk with the person you're helping for a set amount of time to receive the benefits of this stunt, and you can't use it on yourself.
1 hour for Mild
2 hours for Medium
3 hours for Severe
This can only be used once per person, per Mental Consequence
Ex: If Alice has a Mild and a Medium, then you must choose which one to treat during that session.
Ex: If Alice has a Severe, you may choose to reduce it to a Medium, but you cannot then reduce that down to a Mild.
Prerequisite:
Empathy 40? Medknow 30? 7 TYS
Fluff:
You're an empathetic person, and know the words that will to soothe frayed nerves, ground someone during a panic attack, help during a manic episode, and more. You're able to talk to them, and maybe you won't resolve their issues, but they'll feel better for having listened.
Cold Reading
Mechanics:
Roll Empathy v Deceit. For every shift of success, you discover the enemy ninja's capstone skill, then secondary skills, then tertiary skills, etc.
Each skill demands its own shift of success (i.e. Learning capstone and both secondary skills will require three shifts of success).
You do not get to learn what level these skills are at, merely their placement in the enemy pyramid.
Prerequisites:
???
Fluff:
A taijutsu spec carries themselves differently than a melee weapons spec, short range ninjutsu specs hold themselves differently than long range ninjutsu specs, and sealmasters are their own brand of insanity altogether. You know the tells, and can map them to enemy ninja.
I Know Why You Lie
Mechanics:
Once per social combat, when you successfully see through a lie, you may gain a free invocation on whichever of the liar's aspects is most closely associated with their reason for lying to you.
Prerequisites:
Empathy 40
Fluff:
You know people, and their motivations. You know how they work, and why they lie. (edited)
A Crack in the Armor
Double the bonus when tagging a character's Trouble Aspect, but only when creating an advantage.
Empathy 40
I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours
Mechanics:
Every round of social combat that you have with someone reveals one of their aspects.
However, for every two aspects you learn, you reveal one of your own to that person and anyone listening. Round down, so the first one you learn is free.
Prerequisites
Empathy 40
Nose for Trouble.
Mechanics:
Roll Empathy instead of Alertness to determine initiative, provided you've gotten a chance to observe or speak to those involved for at least a few minutes beforehand.
Fluff:
You know when a fight's about to break out. You can read the finality of it on an enemy's face as parley fails. This allows you to react faster than only physical reaction speeds might otherwise dictate.
Here, I've Got You
Mechanics:
When an Ally/Enemy spends an FP to reroll, Spend 1 FP of your own to copy their roll. Upon seeing the results of your roll, you may choose whether or not your roll replaces theirs.
This only applies to base rolls, pre-tagged Aspects. You may not spend additional FP to reroll this ability.
Prerequisites:
Deceit 40, Empathy 40
[Fire] Chakra Beast Hunter:
Mechanics:
When rolling against chakra beasts within [Fire] Country, add your survival AB to your rolls.
Prerequisites:
slay 200 chakra beasts located within [Fire] Country
Fluff
You've been there, killed that. You're immensely familiar with the types of chakra beasts that [Fire] Country their home. You know their behaviors, attacks, and habits, and can act accordingly.
Summoner's Reserves
Mechanics
It creates a secondary chakra pool a quarter the size of the user's normal pool that may be used only for summoning. While this technique needs refreshed once a week (for 50 chakra), it remains active while the user is sleeping, and regenerates its own pool of chakra.
This secondary pool of chakra may only be used for summoning
Prerequisites:
Req: Chakra Reserves 40, being a Summoner in Good Repute
Fluff:
All of the summon path bosses know this technique, and most teach it to their summoner when they are ready.
Rocket-er Boots
Mechanics:
You may use [physique AB - 4] rocket boot seals per foot/arm without injuring yourself, provided there is space. For every additional rocket boot seal, increase the bonus provided by 1/3rd, rounded down. (edited)
Prerequisites:
Physique 50
Quick Draw.
Mechanics:
Lets you draw a weapon for free on turns you use a RW standard action.
Prerequisite:
RW 40
Armoured
Mechanics:
You can wear armour without it impeding your ability to fight, just like Hiruzen, Hashirama, Tobirama, and Madara did.
Pre-reqs:
Physique 60
Seal of Authenticity
Can use Calligraphy in place of Deceit when attempting to convince someone of a fake identity. Works in narratively appropriate situations: telling someone you're a diplomat, yes, convincing a mob boss that the drugs aren't cut, no.
EMPHATIC STROKES
Mechanics:
When rolling socials affected by the stunt there is a notable piece of your calligraphy in the scene, you may add your calligraphy AB to the roll.
If this is effect is discovered with a 50 invest check, negate the advantage and create a fragile tag "blatant propaganda" for the investigator
Prereqs:
A skilled socials teacher,
A skilled calligraphy teacher,
40 calligraphy,
40 of any social stat.
Can be bought multiple times, once for any social stat at or above 40.
High Artistry
When you make a scene Aspect with Calligraphy, you get (Calligraphy AB) tags on it, usable on social rolls as appropriate (typically Rapport)
Juiced
Requirements: VD 60.
Mechanics: Can add chakra boost to VD rolls.
Tug of War
Requirements: VD 40, extensive exposure to sources of chakra drain.
Mechanics: Add VD AB to rolls to resist drain. If drain is totally resisted, free tag on VD roll on the target next turn.
Untamed Thirst
Requirements: VD 40, use VD in 20 combats, drain 1,000,000 chakra.
Mechanics: After your first VD roll in combat, lose one supplemental on turns you do not roll VD. VD becomes a supplemental.
Way of the Empty Barrel
Requirements: VD 50, defeat 10 opponents without a barrel.
Mechanics: As a standard ninjutsu, spend 100 CP and choose a quantity of chakra water to sacrifice. Add 5 to this turn's VD roll for every 10 CP sacrificed. Cannot sacrifice more than VD level x10 per roll. Penalty to draining when over half capacity + buff when under half fits the theme too.
Drain More
Requirements:
VD 40, face 100 encounters where you drained enemies to empty.
Mechanics:
If you drain an enemy to zero this turn that has not used overcharge, add what they could have overcharged on a mild to your barrel. Take more copies of this stunt to raise to moderate or higher.
Wrench in their Coils
Mechanics:
Instead of draining on a VD roll, you can twist the stolen chakra against its master. The loop destructively interferes with their next use of chakra. Target may spend a full turn to clear the disruption. If not cleared, cancels one to one with chakra boost until loop is empty. If target uses a jutsu with smaller chakra cost than in the loop, loop is expended and the jutsu is negated or backfires. If a jutsu uses more, expend loop and debuff the jutsu's roll by loop CP divided by 9.
Prerequisites:
VD 60, Med Know 30, Med Nin 40, drain 10,000 targets or 100 patients while scanning them.
Chakra Finesse
pre-reqs: SC 50
Mechanics: When chakra is balanced among clones you may decide how the chakra is balanced among them. The amount left in prime is unchanged.
Parallel Recovery
pre-reqs: SC 60
Mechanics: For every clone that is awake for 15 hours or more per day, you gain a 50% bonus to mental consequence recovery that day.
The Spirit is Willing But The Flesh Is Weak
pre-reqs: SC 60, Resolve 60, Physique 60
Mechanics: Your clones may sleep for you. Each day you do this, fill a box on your physical stress track. This stress recovers at a rate of one for each day prime sleeps, and cannot be removed otherwise. This can cause consequences/death.
The Flesh Isn't Weak
pre-reqs: SC 60, Resolve 60, Physique 80
Mechanics: Your clones may sleep for you with no penalty.
Antimemetic Thoughts
pre-reqs: SC 70, Resolve 60
Mechanics: Your clones may choose to not pass on information to you. You may make a resolve roll vs [A high TN, TN 70?] to disregard hostile memetic effects, mental consequences, or magically altered memories passed to you through your SC.
Alien Minds Are Not So Alien After All
Mechanics:
Frozen Skein now applies to Socials, at (x/2) on a success, and (x/1) on a failure.
Prerequisites:
FS30, Resolve 40
Alien Minds Are Pretty Similar to Us, Actually
Mechanics:
Frozen Skein now applies to socials at (x/3) on a success, and (x/2) on a failure
Prerequisites:
FS 40, Resolve 50
Mine is the Alien Mind
Mechanics:
Frozen Skein now applies to socials as normal (x/5) on a success, and (x/2) on a failure
Prerequisites:
FS50, Resolve 60
Jashin's First Steps
Pre-req:
Kill somebody for no reason other than to acquire this stunt.
Mechanics:
Once every combat, Jashin will re-roll a failed dice roll. You may not see this re-roll.
Jashin's Long March
Pre-req:
Kill 100 people for no reason other than to acquire this stunt.
Mechanics:
Once every combat, jashin will re-roll an enemies successful dice roll. You may not see this re-roll.
Wicked Heart
Pre-req:
Kill somebody you love for no reason other than to acquire this stunt.
Mechanics
Once every combat, Jashin will replace a failed dice roll with a +12 instead of re-rolling it. You may not see this re-roll.
Evil Design
Pre-req:
Convince 10 other people to kill somebody for no other reason than to please Jashin.
Mechanics
When determining initiative with you, opponents roll fate dice in addition to their alertness.
Each combat, Jashin will re-roll an additional dice for each person you have guided into getting the "Wicked Heart" stunt. You may not see these re-rolls.
Evil God
Pre-req:
Guide 100 followers into gaining the "Evil Design" Stunt.
Mechanics
In combat, you may not roll less than +12, and your opponents may not roll more than -12. You may not see the modified rolls- only the false, original rolls.
JIRAIYA: Actually, before we decide to sign anything bindingly monogamous, I should tell you about this hot young social spec I met on the other side--
HAZŌ: He was truly a pioneer, the first man to go straight from the afterlife to the altar to the afterlife.
JIRAIYA: Actually, before we decide to sign anything bindingly monogamous, I should tell you about this hot young social spec I met on the other side--
HAZŌ: He was truly a pioneer, the first man to go straight from the afterlife to the altar to the afterlife.
Eh. Mari would have suspected something was wrong anyway as soon as he conceded any ground re: monogamy. He supposedly knows she didn't even ask for monogamy in the first place... Lupchanzen are the only possible explanation (but since they're also the only possible explanation for her odd "genjutsu", they're probably rival lupchanzen from another family)
"Are you sure that this is going to be safe?" asked Cantahaoya, staring not down at the interminable gap towards the night-darkened lands of Hyena below, but to Hazō's two Shadow Clones sky-jogging into the distance with the pack's two puppies, Canodo and Cantamai, in their harnesses.
"Absolutely," Hazō CanineCourier said. "They're only going to run a couple miles, and they have plenty of skywalker seals. We should get moving while we can. The quicker we catch up, the quicker we can send the clones back to take down this skytower and take the next step over."
Canny eyed the harness around Hazō CanineCourier's chest. "I have to say, I don't really like being carried around like this, especially when being dropped means…" Canny turned his nose meaningfully towards the edge.
Hazō smiled and crouched down to grab the oversized Doberman and hoist him into the harness. "Even if the straps fail, we have two spare ropes tying us together, and either one can support your weight, as we tested. We'll be fine." Not that Canny didn't know that. Canny had insisted on setting up a series of skytowers to test whether the ropes would hold up under his weight in a situation where the ropes failing wouldn't mean a deadly fall.
Stumbling for a moment under the weight of the heavy dog as he came to his feet, Hazō CanineCourier found his balance and started off in the direction of the distant Shadow Clones that had now disappeared into the night. Around him, his fellow Shadow Clones lifted Canyon, Cantahaoya, and Canteen, while Hazō Prime stayed back to mind the skytower with the two foragers, Cantal and Cantarakku. Once they'd deposited everyone on the new skytower a couple miles away, a few of the Shadow Clones would double back to help Prime take down the old skytower and move the last few dogs to the new skytower.
In this way, Hazō could move the entire pack through the sky with no risk of conflict. It was slow – but traveling over hills and valleys and negotiating with every Hyena pack with a bone to pick was also slow. More importantly, moving through the sky was safe.
Hazō tried to ignore how the dogs had looked at him as he explained how they would be "skyhopping" the rest of the way to Pangolin. Fear and doubt, sure, he had expected those for a crazy plan that kept the whole pack so far from the ground. Instead, as the Horizon Chasers had realized what exactly the plan meant, Hazō could tell that a few of them, Canyon and Canny especially, felt betrayed instead. As if Hazō had been holding out on this perfectly safe way to travel through enemy territory until something had really gone wrong.
None of them had actually said anything to him, but they'd clearly talked about it at some point while he was on the Human Path. They were doing their best to hide their anger and grief from him. Hazō knew this was a bad sign – that if he wanted to integrate himself into the Horizon Chasers, he needed to be an insider, not someone who they needed to hide their feelings from, but he needed to focus first and foremost on getting them to a safe place.
With a sigh, Hazō CanineCourier focused on the flickering light from the hooded lantern in the distance, where the two Shadow Clones must have finished setting up the skytower. He started to run.
o-o-o
"To arms, you needle-beaked bastards!" screamed the Pangolin leader. "There's a summoner here!"
"I'm not here to fight! I come in peace!" Hazō yelled down at the Pangolin outpost in the valley below. They barely looked up at him, instead continuing to rush to battlestations and prepare their defenses.
With a sigh, Hazō whipped his arm around, letting wooden disks fly free over the valley. He triggered the Multiple Activation Relay Seal that linked them before they flew out of range, causing the chained youthenizers to trigger at once in a roar of flames.
The Pangolins reacted to that. Many of them dived behind cover against Hazō's "ninjutsu", others curled into balls, clearly relying on the toughness of their scales, while a few simply gazed gormlessly into the display of rapidly dissipating flames.
At least they'd quieted down. Hazō leapt through the dissipating flames, flickering his skywalkers to come to a stop just above the Pangolin camp, high enough that any enthusiastic soldiers wouldn't try to gore him. Now with their full attention, he yelled out, "I am the Dog Summoner, here to attend the Conclave of Clans called by Pantsā of the Adamant Scales. I am here not only at the invitation of Pantsā, but at the invitation of Monkey King Enma, leader of the Monkey Clan, as well as at the invitation of the Pangolin Summoner, Kei the Dauntless, without whom the previous Condor Summoner could not have been defeated."
To their credit, the Pangolins did not relax as Hazō gave his speech. Many of them waited and watched him, while others crept slowly to their battle stations or closer to cover in case they needed to dodge another ninjutsu. After a moment, the Pangolin leader stepped forward.
"Dog Summoner, I am Ypolochagos Panatela. You are an associate of our summoner?" he asked, his deep and gravelly telepathic voice cutting clear through the quiet chatter surrounding them.
"Indeed," Hazō said. "I am Lord Gōketsu Hazō, leader of the Human Path Gōketsu Clan and clan-brother to your summoner. I have fought beside her for years, and I know she holds Pantsā's ear. Oppose me only if you wish to have word of your needless obstructionism brought before your Polemarch."
The Pangolins bristled, and Hazō got the impression that he had pushed too far. After a moment, Panatela responded. "Why have you come onto our territory like this, Gōketsu? Why have you not had our summoner escort or accompany you?"
Hazō did his best to glare. "I had thought this matter was trivial. My group of dogs is tired and unready to proceed to the Conclave after the journey through Hyena. We will rest in a mountain camp for a few weeks before we proceed to the heart of Pangolin for the Conclave, and the Pangolin Summoner will escort me then. I merely wished to inform you that I was present here, to spare you the embarrassment of having Pantsā's first impression of you be disciplinary action."
"I apologize, Gōketsu, but I cannot break with procedure," said Panatela. "We cannot simply have your group of Dogs on our territory unminded. We will ensure they are kept safe, but they will need to come down to our garrison so they can be kept under watch."
Hazō replayed his best arrogant laugh. "Try and move them. I am a sealmaster. We will sit back and enjoy the lights."
At that, the Pangolins finally broke discipline and started to talk.
"A sealmaster? But-"
"Wait, did he say-"
"Gōketsu Hazō? Like that-"
"ATTENTION!" Panatela yelled, cutting through the chatter of the Pangolin soldiers. He turned to face Hazō. "We are not so foolish as to run blindly into any defenses you prepare. You will fortify your camp well, I am sure. The Pangolin Clan has dealt with fortifications in the past. If you wish to go to war with us, then do so. You will be crushed and your people will die."
"I will not let you keep them functionally under arrest," Hazō said firmly. "They are ambassadors to your clan, and their freedom is a condition for the Pangolin Clan's alliance with the Dog Clan. Sabotage that at your own risk."
Panatela stewed for a moment, then said, "I cannot ignore the possibility that you present a military threat to us, even if you claim alliance. We will not restrain your people's movement, but you will reveal your camp to us and let us search it occasionally. Here on the border with Hyena, we must stay vigilant against the possibility of infiltrators."
"This is unacceptable," Hazō said, "I cannot-"
"If you cannot accept it, then return to Dog," said Panatela. "I would rather be brought before my superiors for doing my job too enthusiastically than for not doing it at all. We have no desire to draw our summoners' ire. We will not harm your people during the search. Let us ensure you mean the Pangolin Clan no harm, and there will be no further impositions upon your time, Dog Summoner."
Hazō turned the proposal over in his head, but could find no easy way to convince the pangolins that they really didn't mean to conquer their land (yet). Perhaps in a world where Kei would have had a summon anywhere near the eastern border…
"Fine," he said bitterly. "But I will be setting sealing traps around our camps by default, and you will only be allowed into our camps while I am present to deactivate them. The defenses will be calibrated lethally. Don't test me."
Panatela crossed his claws before him. "As you wish, Dog Summoner. Allow me a moment with my troops, then we can begin."
Panatela tries to command his troops to attack the summoner!
Panatela (Presence): ?? - 9 = ?? Panatela spends a FP to reroll!
Panatela (Presence): ?? - 12 = ?? Panatela spends a FP to reroll!
Panatela (Presence): ?? - 6 = ?? Panatela spends a FP to reroll!
Panatela (Presence): ?? - 9 = ?? Panatela spends a FP to reroll!
Panatela (Presence): ?? - 9 = ??
Hazō tries to command them back not to attack him!
Hazō (Presence): 20 + 3 (Invoke "Team Uplift" – his sister is the Pangolin Summoner) + 3 = 26
Jashin loves Hazō, or really fucking hates Panatela. Hazō succeeds somehow, though it's very close.
Hazō tries to intimidate them into leaving the Dogs alone.
Jashin continues to love Hazō, but his base stats are inadequate to take advantage of this. Hazō has to acquiesce to some unpleasant conditions on the dogs' continued stay in Pangolin – namely that their camp will be searched by the pangolins every other day.
Hazō wins 1 FP – didn't get attacked, ensured safety for the Horizon Chasers? That's a win. Hazou spent 1 FP, so this is a wash.
o-o-o
Three knocks sounded at the door to the hot spring.
Hazō groaned as he opened his eyes and pushed himself up from his reclining position with his head nearly fully submerged.
"Hello!" he called out. "This is Lord Hazō. Sorry, but I have the hot spring booked for the next thirty minutes. It will be open for the public again soon enough."
Instead of any response or footsteps leaving, Hazō heard the sound of the makeshift door to the hot spring creaking open as the newcomer slowly slipped into the hot spring.
Hazō sighed and started to raise himself out of the water. Would this be Gaku with more urgent business, one of Team Uplift who wanted to bother him during his only relaxation time, or yet another clan civilian who wanted to get friendly with their lord? At least it wasn't likely to be a Tower messenger – they were usually content to yell their messages through the doors.
"Excuse me, but I really wanted-" Hazō cut off as he saw Ino come through the door.
"Ino!" he said, relaxing back into the water up to his waist. "Welcome back. I'm glad you made it back safe. How did your mission go?"
Ino leaned down by the water to give him a quick kiss. She smiled at him, then made a spinning gesture with one hand. Hazō noticed the towels she was carrying and quickly turned around so she could wash off in privacy. "Well enough," she said as Hazō heard her step over to the washing bucket and disrobe. "Actually, not that well. People are really fucked up, you know? I mean, you of all people know that, but I think it's somehow different to know it as a Yamanaka. You get to see inside the heads of some seriously messed up people."
"Are things really that bad?" Hazō asked.
Ino shrugged, facing away from him as she leaned down to pour water from a bucket over herself. "It's probably not actually that bad. It's just that no one ever wants the Yamanaka to read the minds of people that are nice and kind and good citizens that help out old ladies and pay their taxes on time. If we're getting called in, the person's not gonna be anyone good, you know?"
"Yeah," Hazō said. "So, rough mission?"
Ino shrugged, wrapping a towel around herself as she stepped over to the hot spring and delicately started to lower herself down into the cloudy water. "Not that bad, outside of the mind-reading. Catching up with Sakura was cool, and Shino's always his own little fun kind of weird. I actually spent more time hanging out with Shino than I was expecting. I knew that Naruto and Sasuke got the team back together in the war, but I wasn't expecting that Sakura was actually, y'know, integrated into the team. I'd always thought she was an outsider that couldn't keep up with the boys, but I guess something changed because they were treating her way more like an equal than she'd made it out to be. I wasn't expecting to be a third wheel – well, fourth wheel, but that doesn't really sound bad, does it? – but I might have been if Shino hadn't been there."
Hazō nodded along, using all his Mari-learned training to avoid glancing at the hint of her cleavage that was above the waterline. "What was the mission, if you can share?"
Ino shook her head. "Sasuke said it was classified. I don't actually know if he can classify things, but I figure it's better not to end up on the wrong end of the OPSEC mishap leaderboard. Maybe ask him if you really care? After all, he was willing to bring you along. Anyway, I don't even know all the details. Like I said, he and Naruto and Sakura had their little plan, and they only told us what we needed to know. Still, from the minds I read…"
Ino cut off, staring vaguely into the distance. After a moment, she shuddered despite the warmth of the hot springs water around her, then sank into the water up to her chin.
"People can be really fucked up, Hazō."
Hazō smiled sympathetically and scooted around the hot spring to lay a hand on hers under the water. He waited a long minute while Ino periodically gulped and clenched her jaw.
"Hazō, how am I supposed to deal with the first-hand memory of someone-"
She cut herself off, closing her eyes tightly and pushing her head under the water. Even her hair got wet.
When she emerged, Hazō put a hand to her shoulder. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
Ino sighed. "Some other time, then. How was your mission?"
Hazō paused to consider how he wanted to explain it.
"People died," he said simply, turning to face the hot spring wall.
"Oh," Ino said, voice falling. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Hazō nodded stiffly. "I… I didn't know them that well. We'd just met a few days before. It was going to be my responsibility to escort them through some dangerous territory, but all the hostiles we met weren't a problem. We bribed them, mostly, but I was trying to gauge how tough their combat squads were and none of them were even particularly strong chūnin. We could have handled them in a fight, no problem.
"I should have realized that the enemy would never attack us with a combat squad that we'd easily crush. They knew exactly where we were since we were just trying to go peacefully with lots of gifts instead of sneaking through their territory. Instead of sending one combat squad, they sent four. It makes sense now. I'd rather work with other clans to kill invaders if it meant having an overwhelming numbers advantage so none of my people died. I should never have been thinking about whether we'd win in a fair fight. Why would they ever fight fair?
"We prepared for the wrong scenario, and we got surrounded by four combat squads. I had… an idea for how we could get out of there. It was a bad idea, and I wasted time pitching it and patching holes, time that we didn't have. Instead, I had to go with a secondary plan to evacuate the noncombatants that left me nearly chakra-exhausted and cost me all the time I could have been using to prepare and set up the battlefield in my favor. They gave me nearly a minute of warning! I'm a sealmaster, it should have been a death sentence for them. Instead, I fucked it up.
"We fought. We fought really well, for all that we'd never fought together before. We were outnumbered more than two to one. A few of my allies were about as strong as genin, and they'd never fought an enemy that was really trying to kill them, not even a chakra beast. Do you know what happens when genin get into a big fight?"
Ino nodded stiffly. "Yeah," she said.
Hazō laughed bitterly. "They die. One of them was killed, just like that, her throat torn out. Another was caught by a ninjutsu while he was trying to run. Ripped apart. Three pieces. I had to use three storage seals to pick him up afterwards."
Hazō took a second to breathe heavily, closing his eyes and letting the sound of the hot spring's bubbling water relax him. "I was using all the seals I could, but the enemies were spreading out or staying close to my allies so I couldn't hit them with my strongest effects. I snagged two at once, but I didn't kill them and I left myself exposed. I was going to die. The leader of the people I was escorting killed them so I would live. She left herself exposed. She died instead."
Ino didn't say anything.
"She… was a singer. A storyteller. I'd told her my story of why I wanted to go to the Conclave and unite the clans to fight the Dragons, and she loved it. She said she wanted to join me for it. She said she wanted to journey with me and be there to write each new verse of 'my epic'. Instead she died for me, someone she only knew for a few days. I… I don't know why."
Hazō and Ino sat quiet in the hot spring. After half a minute, Ino worked her hands up into Hazō's wet hair and started to work her fingers through it, slowly combing the knots out of it.
Hazō sighed. "The rest of the fight was fine. I freed up our strongest fighters and hurt and killed some more enemies. They ran, eventually, and I got our people up into the sky."
"Hazō…" Ino said. "Your allies were surprised by an enemy force that outnumbered you more than two-to-one, and you not only survived, but won? Chased off the enemy with only partial losses? In any ninja war, that would be a miracle! You…" she saw the expression on his face.
"I'm sorry," she said.
Hazō sighed. "It's fine. It's just that now I can see what I could have done differently."
"I get it. I've been lucky that I haven't had a teammate die yet, but still… I know what it's like to lose clanmates. With hindsight, it's easy to say what you could have changed to make it so that they'd be here with you, but we can't actually make decisions in the moment with hindsight."
Hazō didn't answer that. He just sat and thought.
After a moment, Ino nudged him. "How was the rest of the mission?"
"Fine," Hazō said. "I had another idea and this one was a good one. It made the rest of the journey easy. The Dogs are safe now – or safe enough. They made it over to Pangolin territory, who are our allies, but the Pangolins are being pricks and are insisting on searching our camp almost every night for 'dangerous elements'. It's got the little pups very stressed and the rest of the pack isn't doing too well after that disastrous fight."
"Ah," Ino said, leaning into him as she sensed that the most intense part of the story was over. "You know, your stories really don't make the Pangolins sound very nice."
"You don't know the half of it," Hazō said.
"Mm. Anyway, mission over? Success? I am noticing that you're here in the hot spring with me, rather than on the Seventh Path."
Hazō shook his head. "Well, I can spend most of my days in Leaf now, but I should still be on the Seventh Path at nights to mind the Dogs. We'll be advancing to the Conclave soon, but I'm waiting on others to coordinate their arrival with me, and I may face some trouble once I'm there. I'm working on new seals to help me out there."
"Oh?" Ino asked. "Anything you can tell me about?"
"Well, I finally got around to learning Jiraiya's Goo Bomb seals that we used at the Chūnin Exams. Oh, and do you remember the macerator seal that I used there? I made this neat upgrade to it…"
o-o-o
Hazō blinked away the smoke of the reverse summoning surrounding him, letting down Cantelabra while turning in a circle as Lady Tsunade had taught him to spot any enemies preparing an ambush at his reverse summoning spot. Instead, he only caught sight of Kumoairashī, making an odd bobbing gesture of respect.
"Ah, you returned have, Summoner of Dogs. Waiting you for been Kumokōgō has, or our own Summoner for. Saying is she your help that she needs."
Hazō nodded and jogged to follow the odd little spider that called herself the Empress's Herald as she skittered off through the hallways at a breakneck pace. "Got it. What is it that she needs?"
"Come have new arrivals. The leader Monkeys of the last night arrived snake with, and the Summoner of Snakes now returned has."
"Ah," Hazō said as they crossed the threshold into the Orbularium's throne room. "That seems-"
Hazō cut himself off as they entered the room. Around the room, the various Arachnid guards were paralyzed by the argument happening in the center of the room. The two participants seemed to only be focusing on each other, yet an intense pressure flowed from them in waves, making it nearly impossible for Hazō to step beyond the room's walls.
"Hey, no offense to you, of course," said Enma, his voice echoing through the room. "I'm just saying, I can't believe Manda puts up with you. Maybe he's finally gone blind in old age, because I figure anybody with eyes ought to see that you're putting your quest for immortality ahead of anything else."
"Enma," Orochimaru replied dryly. "You are aware we are on the Seventh Path now. You are no mere weapon for Hiruzen to deploy, only to return safely home if things go ill. If I kill you, you will die a true death."
"Welcome," said Kumokōgō, strained voice cutting through the argument, "Gōketsu Hazō, seal-maker is the who Great Seal has most studied, and weapons whose slain have a Dragon."
Hazō stiffened as Orochimaru of the Sannin and the Monkey King Enma both turned on him. Some part of him said a quiet prayer of thanks to whichever god had ensured that it was Hazou and not Kagome that had to walk into this mess.
The waves of pressure washed over him, reminding him of when he was a bystander to Tsunade and Orochimaru's contest of wills, but the Iron Nerve carried him forward into a short bow to the two newcomers. "Welcome," he found himself saying as the strange pressure abated. "To both of you, I am grateful that you are here."
"Ah finally, Hazō!" Enma said, striding over to pull Hazō into a tight one-armed hug that left him stumbling as Enma released him. "I figured I'd take some extra time to get here so you'd have the chance to prepare me a welcoming party, but I don't see any sign of that Bear-style honey-mead."
"Sorry sir, I-"
Enma laughed. "Ah, I'm just messing with you. That damn Nekkar never let me pass through Cat territory. Worse, the flea-infested furball never said that outright, instead leading me on for ages before I finally decided to go the long way 'round through Crow and Raptor, then I had to catch a boat to-"
Orochimaru cleared his throat. He wasn't particularly loud, yet the sound cut through Enma's words like a scalpel, and Enma stopped talking to glance at Orochimaru, before his expression immediately soured.
"Nephew," said Orochimaru, turning his slitted pupils onto Hazō. "Welcome, thank you for not keeping us waiting, et cetera. I was informed there were matters of genuine interest in Arachnid. Where may I find the Great Seal and the Dragons?"
Hazō glanced at Kumokōgō. "The Dragons are restless and they've been staying close to the Great Seal since we killed the last one. After the last massacre, we haven't wanted to send out bait teams, and-"
"Answer me, boy," said Orochimaru. His posture didn't change in the slightest, yet something in his voice made Hazō shudder. Memories of a distant night at the Gōketsu estate flashed before Hazō's vision. "Is there a point to my having come here?"
Hazō opened his mouth to answer, but Kumokōgō spoke first. "Summoner of Snakes, you a seal-maker are?"
"Yes," said Orochimaru. There was a pause in the room, then Orochimaru sighed and pulled a seal from within his robes.
Thunder cracked and rings of lightning suddenly surrounded Orochimaru. The rings around him started to writhe, turning around and around as wind picked up in the room, and Hazō realized the rings were actually snakes, cobras that were chasing their own tails as they enveloped Orochimaru. As Hazō realized this, the cobras suddenly stopped their spinning to lash outwards with their hoods flared and fangs of crackling lightning bared before suddenly exploding in a thunderous crack and a flash of light so bright that Hazō had to shield his eyes.
When Hazō opened them again, he saw Orochimaru continuing to stand casually in the center of the throne room, the woven floor around his feet now a pristine patch of white compared to the charred and frayed threads surrounding him. Branching streaks through the ground marked the path of the lightning-cobras that had reached nearly halfway to the walls of the Orbularium's throne room. Belatedly, Hazō realized that Enma had stepped forward, leaving a conical area of the floor behind the Monkey King shielded, including where Hazō stood.
"I am a sealmaster of the highest caliber on the Human Path," Orochimaru said, tone still bored. "Few if any exceed my skill. If yours is a problem that human methods can solve, I can solve it."
Kumokōgō glanced between the destruction of her treasured Orbularium and Orochimaru, clearly weighing whether to take offense at Orochimaru's massively offensive act, or to accept Orochimaru's aid. Eventually, she decided. "Consort you become will of mine summiting the butte for. Tonight in Arachnid will you stay marriage of consummation for, then the Butte tomorrow travel by Hazō's tunnel you will. Not wish I do lose Arachnid lives to angered Dragons from, and if in future access to top of butte required becomes, discuss then the bait teams can we."
"We shall depart tomorrow, at this time," said Orochimaru. "My thanks, Empress. I will return tonight to complete whatever compact you require of me."
The Snake Sannin turned to Hazō. "Send a messenger to my estate with any further details as required. Arrange Hebiue's stay," he said, raising a hand to point at Hazō.
A moment later, a blur leapt from Orochimaru's arm to Hazō's, coiling and tightening uncomfortably. A snake head popped up and glanced into Hazō's eyes. A forked tongue flicked out. The snake lowered its head again, adjusting its coils around Hazō's arm yet tighter.
With that, Orochimaru bowed shallowly to Kumokōgō and unsummoned himself in a puff of sickly-green smoke.
Enma turned to Hazō, then to Kumokōgō, mouth wide in what could either have been a grin or bared teeth of anger. "What a pleasure it is to have little Oro around. Anyway, I ain't gonna be running out on you, Empress. I heard you have a Dragon problem. What do you need from me and the other eastern clans in order to solve it?"
Everything below "Practice storytelling with Canaria to recount Dragon stories," in the plan was not executed.
Timeline for this update:
Day 1: Setting up camp in Pangolin, making contact with sentries, returning to the Human Path and catching up on delayed Clan Head work.
Day 2 to 10: Hazō starts research on Rocket Boots.
Day 2 to 7: A Hazō SC researches Goo Bombs.
Day 8 to 9: A Hazō SC researches Macerators v3.
Day 10: A Hazō SC does 1 day of prep on Dragon's Roar
Day 11: Hazō goes around the various summoners to convince them to support him at the Conclave.
Day 12: Hazō continues his quest to convince the summoners, and encounters Enma.
Hazō could SC train with full SCs on days 1, 11, and 12, but one SC (~3 training blocks) was occupied on days 2-10.
Goo Bombs
Hazō has previously rated this seal as "genin-level" – he has no fear and will go at it with no prep and no SSA.
The requested improvements are relatively modest, so Hazō will try to go for it immediately.
Callig: 39 - 12 = 27 Hazō spends 1 FP to reroll!
Callig: 39 - 3 = 36
Sealing: 50 + 6 (Invoke "Creative Idealist", since macerators are a Hazō original) + 3 = 59
Callig: 39 + 3 = 42
Sealing: 50 - 0 = 50
Hazō finishes research in 2 days.
Rocket Boots
Hazō is unsure how tough these are, and they are a Kagome seal. He'll do one day of prep and get the answer "Jōnin-level". Therefore, Hazō will make his first roll with full prep and SSA.
[NB: He's rolling over 100 Sealing – is he really a "Promising Sealing Student" anymore? Perhaps more like "Out-Touched Genius"...)
Hazō spends 9 days and makes some progress! He thinks he's at best a third of the way done.
Kagome has looked over Hazō's notes and progress, and mentions that this would be much easier if Hazō learned the prerequisite seal first: Directional Explosives. As-is, Kagome is surprised that Hazō is making progress at all, and reminds Hazō to train his Calligraphy, as there are a few tricky sections in the Directional Explosive and Rocket Boots seal.
Dragon's Roar
Hazō's SC has a spare day while Hazō Prime is making an infusion roll on Rocket Boots. To test an idea, he tries a day of prep on the Dragon's Roar seal, and gets back that the TN is "Jiraiya". Remember that this means that the infusion TN could be anywhere between 70 and ∞.
Seal research summary:
Hazō finishes Goo Bombs! The mechanics are already in the doc.
Hazō finishes Macerators v3! Tentative mechanics: the new macerators have exit velocity 25 m/s instead of 20 m/s, and are mechanically identical, except that Macerator v2s provided +3/+0/+0 to hit when in melee/in the same Zone/in an adjacent Zone, and the Macerator v3s provide +6/+3/+0 to hit when in melee/in the same Zone/in an adjacent Zone.
Hazō makes progress on Rocket Boots! They seem hard without the prerequisites Kagome fulfilled when he invented them.
Hazō thinks the Dragon's Roar seal is very hard.
Neji, Aika, Ruri, Asuma – conveniently, the order in the plan is also the order of increasing difficulty.
Hazō has no desire to take a mental consequence when he's currently occupied with his SSA Mild – he would rather give up a summoner than suddenly take a Medium and screw up his planned research agenda.
Neji
As always, higher Alertness goes first.
Round 1
Neji wants Hazō to go away and will use the standard Hyūga technique of being imperious at him.
Neji (Presence): ?? + ? (Invoke "Pride of the Hyūga") - 9 (dice) = ? Neji spends a FP to reroll!
Neji (Presence): ?? + ? (Invoke "Pride of the Hyūga") - 9 (dice) = ? Neji spends a FP to reroll!
Neji (Presence): ?? + ? (Invoke "Pride of the Hyūga") - 6 (dice) = ?
Poor bastard. Lacks Jashin's blessing.
Hazō has no particular desire to respond. Instead, he will simply try to ignore Neji's posturing.
Hazō (Resolve): 59 - 3 (Mild) + 0 = 56
Hazō easily avoids any social pressure Neji applies.
Hazō will attempt to convince Neji of the importance of this situation. Alas, he burned all his FP doing sealing research.
Hazō (Rapport): 31 - 2 (Mild) + 0 = 29
Neji will continue the unshakable act and defend with Presence.
Neji (Presence): ?? - 6 (dice) = ??
Neji takes ? mental stress.
Round 2
Okay, being imperious at him won't work. Intimidation probably also won't work then, and Neji's other strong social, Deceit, seems unlikely to make progress here – there's nothing really that Neji would want to deceive Hazō about, much less damage the Hyūga reputation over. He will attempt to make a roll with Empathy to open Hazō up and understand why Hazō is doing this (and how to make him go away):
Hazō will try to reinforce his case with Rapport rather than mislead with Deceit.
Hazō (Rapport): 31 - 2 (Mild) + 0 = 29
Hazō's fine. Hazō sees that talking Neji into it isn't making much progress, and will try speeching to sway him on his own merits.
Hazō (Presence): 20 - 2 (Mild) + 12 = 30
Neji will attempt to counter with his own Hyūga pride:
Neji (Presence): ?? + 0 = ??
Neji takes ? mental stress, and is Taken Out rather than take a Consequence over this. He acquiesces to accompany Hazō as Hazō goes to the Conclave.
Aika
Higher Alertness goes first.
Round 1
Aika will try to get inside Hazō's guard to build option value.
Aika (Rapport): ?? - 6 = ??
Hazō will try to remain friendly to start.
Hazō (Empathy): 21 - 2 (Mild) - 6 = 13
Aika creates the Aspect "Let's Understand Each Other" with a tag.
Hazō will start the same way as always – just try to convince her.
Hazō (Rapport): 31 - 2 (Mild) + 3 = 32
Aika will use Empathy to defend – keeping it cordial.
Aika (Empathy): ?? - 3 = ??
Aika takes ? stress.
Round 2
Aika will explain to Hazō that her interests don't align with his, and while she's open to cooperating in some way with him, she'd rather not burn limited capital on him.
Aika (Rapport): ?? + ? (Invoke ???) + ? (tag "Let's Understand Each Other") - 6 = ?? Aika spends 1 FP to reroll!
Aika (Rapport): ?? + ? (Invoke ???) + ? (tag "Let's Understand Each Other") - 9 = ??
Ah damn it, but it's not worth more FP.
Hazō defends with Presence. This is really important to him, and he's not going to back down.
Hazō (Presence): 20 - 2 (Mild) + 3 = 21
Hazō takes 4 mental stress.
Hazō attempts to riposte with Empathy: do their interests really misalign, or can Hazō find a way forward?
Hazō (Empathy): 21 - 2 (Mild) - 3 = 16
Aika (Rapport): ?? + 3 = ??
Sadly, Aika needs time if she wants to help, she can't commit right away.
Round 3
Aika will simply try again. This is a big ask.
Aika (Rapport): ?? + 6 = ??
Hazō (Presence): 20 - 2 (Mild) - 6 = 12
This isn't worth taking Consequences over, so Hazō concedes. Alas, he won't be getting Aika's help.
Ruri
Higher Alertness goes first.
Round 1
Joining arms with Hazō has a cost, one which she will want to extract. She'll agree to go along with the entrance (not that she would refuse), in exchange for favor, both with Hazō and with Kei.
Ruri (Rapport): ?? + ? (tag "Didn't Think I'd Agree So Easy?") + 0 = ??
Hazō defends with Empathy – does he see through Ruri's game that she's setting up a win either way, or does he just go along with it?
Hazō (Empathy): 21 - 2 (Mild) - 6 = 12
Hazō is Taken Out. He gladly accepts Ruri's help in exchange for support of unspecified type in the future.
Asuma
Mari vetoes asking Asuma to join Hazō directly – the power dynamics there would be hard to navigate and Asuma can contribute meaningfully by supporting Enma, who is probably a more respectable figure and who gives a different and valuable angle.
Social combat summary:
Neji has agreed to play along with your plan.
Aika has evaded, claiming the need to preserve face among the Summon Clans.
Ruri has acquiesced, but under conditions that leave Hazō feeling very favorably towards her.
Mari notes that with only Neji and Ruri along, it's possible (though maybe not probable) that there'll be greater returns from invoking the "new Sannin" mythos with only Noburi and Kei. Mari also notes that there are going to be endless complexities in the Condor-Pangolin relationship, and that Hazō will cause a number of unknown effects by claiming both the Pangolin and (in the eyes of the Conclave, subjugated) Condor summoners as allies, especially given his reputation.
Hazō has spent 4 FP in sealing research, and gains 1 FP for victory in social combat against Neji.
Before you ask, Hazō didn't get a couple of seconds to look at the seal Orochimaru used before it was expended, so he didn't download it.
