Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

_The_Bomb · Jan 21, 2025

faflec said:
Orochimaru's projected return to Leaf will take possibly a month, but our biosealed chakra coils will require maintenance/removal within said month. Should Hazou request that Orochimaru perform the surgery now?

I strongly prefer not to. At most, I'd ask him in front of Tsuande if she would be able to perform the maintenance or an emergency removal if his is unavailable.

Really, we should absolutely tell her that we got bioseals from him and should have her check to make sure the contract-snake Orochimaru summoned wasn't disposed of.

Left-Hand Mutant · Jan 21, 2025

faflec said:
Uh. I think it will kill us if we don't deal with it.

Have Tsunade excise them or something?
Or even ask her to verify that assumption?

Halberdier · Jan 21, 2025

[X] Kei Training Plan: ACE II

[X] Noburi Training Plan: ACE III

_The_Bomb · Jan 21, 2025

Cariyaga said:
Cannai, yes. Subsequent clan bosses, no.

Yeah yeah. In all seriousness, I'd be down to give the Dog Clan stuff like Water Dragon Bullet, Cloak of the Reaper, etc.

With elemental bonus stunts, those could be brought to useful levels in the timespan of the Leopard War.

Sir Stompy · Jan 21, 2025

_The_Bomb said:
How are we on clone hours right now? I remember Tsuande being worried about coming up on her limit during the battle.

Like 51/58 but with invokes it's 51/74

OliWhail · Jan 21, 2025

_The_Bomb said:
Clearly it was Oli.

Listen here young man I'll not stand to be accused of doing work

faflec · Jan 21, 2025

OliWhail said:
Listen here young man I'll not stand to be accused of doing work

AHHHHHHHHHH ITS A GHOST

DanZapman · Jan 21, 2025

OliWhail said:
Listen here young man I'll not stand to be accused of doing work

That's fine, you can stay seated.

Veedrac · Jan 21, 2025

Has anyone pointed out that the opposite of the Iron Earth Rune could be quite the weapon? I realize they're all busted, but turning the ground into a frictionless sea would be quite something, even if it's still heavy enough that you don't just drown.

Left-Hand Mutant · Jan 21, 2025

Veedrac said:
Has anyone pointed out that the opposite of the Iron Earth Rune could be quite the weapon? I realize they're all busted, but turning the ground into a frictionless sea would be quite something, even if it's still heavy enough that you don't just drown.

That's a fun idea, but unfortunately all our serious enemies have non-skywalker flight and/or tunneling jutsu.

Veedrac · Jan 21, 2025

Left-Hand Mutant said:
That's a fun idea, but unfortunately all our serious enemies have non-skywalker flight and/or tunneling jutsu.

Tunneling jutsu means nothing in the face of superfluidicity. But I grant flight.

Left-Hand Mutant · Jan 21, 2025

Veedrac said:
Tunneling jutsu means nothing in the face of superfluidicity. But I grant flight.

something that makes a normal persistent tunnel would cave in instantly, but jutsu like HlaM seems more common and chakra-efficent - effectively "swimming" through the ground.

FaintlySorcerous · Jan 21, 2025

Sir Stompy said:
Why would you trap the interior of your fort???

Spies, infiltrators, Hidan or some other Jashinist gets it in his head that they should go check out how the research is going, Sasori is a paranoid motherfucker who doesn't trust anyone and certainly isn't going to allow anyone into his sealing facilities who he hasn't granted explicit permission. Deidara was in charge of the exterior defenses and it sounds like they had a lot of beef.

Veedrac · Jan 21, 2025

Left-Hand Mutant said:
something that makes a normal persistent tunnel would cave in instantly, but jutsu like HlaM seems more common and chakra-efficent - effectively "swimming" through the ground.

HlaM is explicitly not a tunnelling jutsu, but sure, that would give you mobility.

Sir Stompy · Jan 21, 2025

FaintlySorcerous said:
Spies, infiltrators, Hidan or some other Jashinist gets it in his head that they should go check out how the research is going, Sasori is a paranoid motherfucker who doesn't trust anyone and certainly isn't going to allow anyone into his sealing facilities who he hasn't granted explicit permission. Deidara was in charge of the exterior defenses and it sounds like they had a lot of beef.

This does not make sense. There were a ton of researchers in the base, you cannot heavily trap things that are used by dozens of people every day, they will die.

Shrooms · Jan 21, 2025

faflec said:
Orochimaru's projected return to Leaf will take possibly a month, but our biosealed chakra coils will require maintenance/removal within said month. Should Hazou request that Orochimaru perform the surgery now?

Kabuto 🗿

I think Oro said any skilled surgeon could take it out, so we could just have Nobs or Tsunade remove it

acidshill · Jan 21, 2025

Sir Stompy said:
This does not make sense. There were a ton of researchers in the base, you cannot heavily trap things that are used by dozens of people every day, they will die.

Do we know there were dozens of researchers? It seems likely that no one besides Sasori and maybe Konan could make much meaningful progress on the rift research. (Especially given, you know, the status of research collaboration mechanics. 🗿)

And again I remind you—a lot of the people at the fort were Jashinists. Death is not undesirable.

Sir Stompy · Jan 21, 2025

acidshill said:
Do we know there were dozens of researchers? It seems likely that no one besides Sasori and maybe Konan could make much meaningful progress on the rift research. (Especially given, you know, the status of research collaboration mechanics. 🗿)

And again I remind you—a lot of the people at the fort were Jashinists. Death is not undesirable.

I believe it was in the update. I agree it doesn't make that much sense but I assume EJ thought it through.... maybe not.....
EDIT:

eaglejarl said:
sitting next to the rift team while they waggled their seals around and made gobbling noises at each other like all sealmasters. Bunch of crack-brained idiots, if you asked him

Rift team, so we know there were sealmasters.

eaglejarl said:
That meant that a handful of the researchers and possibly a few of the Jashin cultists had survived.

Handful of researchers implies (I would argue) that many more than 5 were originally present. I would say 1-2 dozen makes the most sense to me in context.

Sir Stompy · Jan 21, 2025

RandomOTP said:
@Sir Stompy

Any chance of poking Orochimaru about this curious look he had? Chances are, he'll be inclined to answer, and the insight will be useful for further social interactions with him.

Not this update, doesn't fit the vibe.

FaintlySorcerous · Jan 21, 2025

Sir Stompy said:
I believe it was in the update. I agree it doesn't make that much sense but I assume EJ thought it through.... maybe not.....

We have Deidara's POV and nothing else, right? For all we know he lumped 'guy that got paper from the storeroom' in with 'accomplished sealmasters'.

I also think it's plausible that Sasori had a few lab assistants who were assigned projects like 'figure out how to get chakra out of Kisame'. Would you be surprised to learn that he had some biosealing groupies, too? I wouldn't.

To the 'can't trap heavily-used areas end of things: sure. But you can build a secure facility around the Rift and then have two decoy sites full of horrors.

Do we actually know the number or size of the areas that withstood the blast? That they were fortified in that way means the Akatsuki considered and took seriously the possibility of an attack which breached their perimeter. How prepared would you want to be if you were Sasori and your moron coworker had been put in charge of the defenses of the most important research project you had ever undertaken?

Every member of the Akatsuki had time and incentive to make this place a hard target. We blew through a lot of the defenses, but if anything is sitting in those buildings, it's waiting for us, undisturbed. Let's not faceplant at the finish line.

Sir Stompy · Jan 21, 2025

FaintlySorcerous said:
I guess we can use Sannin SCs but I expect these areas to be trapped and treacherous. Worse, they might have some shielding and be hiding Sasori or some jonin or something. I don't really know what to do about that but I'd like to be extremely careful.

Answered at the end.

FaintlySorcerous said:
would really like to do this *last*. If anyone starts moving on us we're going to want a lot of warning.

Ww can't really staff these and it will take hours for them to fall.... I'm saying no.

FaintlySorcerous said:
This is minor but I would just go with 'ask Orochimaru for Deidara's eyepiece'. No need to grovel, it's probably busted.

Done

Left-Hand Mutant said:
Would a lattice of BRI spikes be a chakra-efficient way to add an extra zone of height to the mound?

I don't think so. Unless someone knows how many Zones the fortress was...

faflec said:
Orochimaru's projected return to Leaf will take possibly a month, but our biosealed chakra coils will require maintenance/removal within said month. Should Hazou request that Orochimaru perform the surgery now?

We can skip a month. I think we'll be at 6 weeks before he shows up. We can also sneak out to meet him.

FaintlySorcerous said:
We have Deidara's POV and nothing else, right? For all we know he lumped 'guy that got paper from the storeroom' in with 'accomplished sealmasters'.

I also think it's plausible that Sasori had a few lab assistants who were assigned projects like 'figure out how to get chakra out of Kisame'. Would you be surprised to learn that he had some biosealing groupies, too? I wouldn't.

To the 'can't trap heavily-used areas end of things: sure. But you can build a secure facility around the Rift and then have two decoy sites full of horrors.

Do we actually know the number or size of the areas that withstood the blast? That they were fortified in that way means the Akatsuki considered and took seriously the possibility of an attack which breached their perimeter. How prepared would you want to be if you were Sasori and your moron coworker had been put in charge of the defenses of the most important research project you had ever undertaken?

Every member of the Akatsuki had time and incentive to make this place a hard target. We blew through a lot of the defenses, but if anything is sitting in those buildings, it's waiting for us, undisturbed. Let's not faceplant at the finish line.

I'm not arguing with all that.

I still consider this incredibly unlikely, but we can send Hazou SCs and if those pop we can request backup

Sir Stompy · Jan 21, 2025

Sir Stompy said:
[X] Action Plan: Aftermath
Word Count: <399

At the Rift

Summon Canvass, give her a vial of Hidan's blood and ask her to do a circuit around the exploded fortress looking for his scent.

If Hidan has a fresh trail, end the update so we can react.

Sift the rubble with ES, SC and chakrascopes, bring in the rest of the Leaf ninja to help look for the Rift

Look for Summoning Scrolls, seals, research notes, or anything of value.

Search the Sasori-fortified portion of the labs, be sure to grab any of his seals that remain. Start with Hazou SCs in case there are traps. If any pop, request backup.

Invoke 1x or 2x on the final reintegration roll to generate additional SC hours.

Ask Orochimaru for Deidara's eyepiece

After all Primes are at a safe distance, send an SC to remove a chunk of Deidara's Dragon, check if it contains chakra with ES, and chakrascope. If not, store it.

Suggest to Orochimaru/Tsunade that we blow the dragon when Akatsuki comes to investigate, by either using a proximity trigger on Lightning element seals or a Summon with Lightning Element left behind.

Unfortunately, Hazou has neither capability.

Expend Iron Earth and Force Dome, store the remains. Bury any Ninja-Radar deep and wrap in LFE. Expend the remaining RER shots, destroy the burned out runes with the last shot.

Open a deep shaft for the Superchiller, and set LFEs to collapse the tunnel.

Make a Rift-Opener -- use the 25 point size.

Open the Rift and grab Deidara (if possible), have Noburi drain him to keep him unconscious.

Killbox the exit, and send the Sannin in first.

Observe to see if most of the slain ninja ended up near the Rift.

Raise the ground where the fortress was to kill Unsummoners

(If Mari approves) Suggest to Tsunade that she stay with Orochimaru while he's moving the Rift. Both to help him move it....and lower the chance he absconds with it.

Leave by dawn for Leaf with Uplift and the Leaf contingent.

Contact Kagome via 7th Path and tell him the battle is won, and he should come back.

New plan updates. See Deidara's Dragon section for biggest changes.

Buggy · Jan 21, 2025

Now that the Rift Assault is won, we need some defensive runes. Might I suggest:

Antimeme Runes

Interference Rune - This rune is difficult to directly perceive, appearing blurry to vision, indiscriminate to touch, etc.

Forgetfulness Rune - This rune is difficult to remember; it comes to memory less easily and slips out of the mind with unusual ease. The creator of the rune has immunity.

Selective Forgetfulness Rune - The above, but immunity is granted to a selection of people based on whatever mechanism Hazo finds easiest to create (inside a AOE on activation, anyone who touches the rune directly, anyone Hazo tells about the rune, etc).

Zone of Forgetfulness - The above, but applies the effect to a entire region of space and all of its contents. Anyone inside the AOE is granted immunity.

Whirlpool Two, Electric Boogaloo - Combines all of the above functionality. This rune creates a large AOE which, to anyone outside, is difficult to percieve or interact with in a broad and holistic manner.

For the ideas, I credit the Antimemetic Dragon and ███████████████.

faflec · Jan 21, 2025

Shrooms said:
Kabuto 🗿

I think Oro said any skilled surgeon could take it out, so we could just have Nobs or Tsunade remove it

Paperclipped said:
Orochimaru will comment that he saw scarring on Hazou's chakra coils from repeated overdrawing and adjusted the transplant accordingly to ensure that the associated bioseals would not interfere with future overdraws. This added complexity is part of why Hazou will need to see Orochimaru personally to maintain or remove the bioseal.

Halberdier · Jan 21, 2025

So, if we get a combat unstagnations from our part, we eat the med notes to try and be able to maintain our own extra coil, right? I'd rather not rely on Orochimaru, but getting to keep the coil would be cool. And it if Oro has a couple of these, it explains how he took that insane amount of Chakra at once. Just has a bunch of energy tanks he refills over time.

Hopefully the second coil doesn't make TH harder. But I will say that being about to summon a chunin/jonin dog and still having enough Chakra to properly fight would put our threat rating higher (and boost my desire to level a decent AoE jutsu like BRI.)

Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

Antimeme Runes​

Antimeme Runes