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Eight Seconds to Impact (A Fated to Die Naruto Quest)

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Eeeeee! We got Raiton Flood!
Eeeeee! The QM liked my idea!

*Ahem*

Great update, boss. The fears that both kids are going through feels very realistic, and Rina is the very archetype of bratty kid sister. She'll be good for our mental health, I'm sure.
 
Oh wisdom of crowds, bless me with your assessment of the following battle tactics!

(EDIT: This post has been updated to use Youta's actual numbers as of 2024-08-26, plus the training plan that was already voted in and has us bump CR to 29. The training plan has not been applied yet but I'm counting it. I have also incorporated changes based on feedback from below, so that feedback isn't going to match what is here now.)

Youta's current stats:

For brief:

RF = Raiton Flood
TSA = Thunder Spirit Alliance
SotS = Strength of the Storm

Stormspear creates a spear made out of lightning. The spear persists throughout combat if used as a melee weapon, or it can be thrown up to Effect zones, at which point it disperses.

Raiton Flood enhances all lightning jutsu in the zone, adding (2 x RF Effect) to their level and (1/3 x RF Effect, round down) to their Effect. It stacks, although it doesn't affect itself or other instances of Raiton Flood. It can be cast at Effect: 1 to 2xAB, so with 1 level in it we can cast at a max Effect:2. Raising it to level 10 would let us cast at max Effect:4, which will make a huge difference since Effect:3 is where it bumps the Effect of other jutsu. If the user takes damage then the Flood breaks and the user receives a psychic attack of (Effect x 10), damage going on the Mental stress track.

Thunder Spirit Alliance summons a thunder spirit which has (Effect) tendrils -- e.g. Effect 4 means 4 tendrils, Effect 5 means 5 tendrils, etc. It attacks anyone that we attack in melee and it counterattacks anyone who attacks us in melee, striking once per tendril at level (Effect x 10). @RoadWild said on Discord that Raiton Flood does increase the base level of the spirit's Storm Touch attack stat by the usual (2 x RF Effect), so if we have an Effect:4 TSA then it will attack 4x at 40, or with an Effect:2 RF in play it will attack 4 times at 44, and with an Effect:3 RF in play it will have its Effect boosted to 5, meaning it attacks 5 times at 56 (50 base + 6 for the RF).

Strength of the Storm gives us tags which can be used to boost Athletics for dodging or Stormspear for attacking, among other things. Also, we can spend one tag to counterattack someone that we wouldn't normally be able to counterattack, so long as they are in the same zone as us. RoadWild confirmed on Discord that we could spend a SotS tag to use the TSA for counterattack, even if we don't make a counterattack of our own. We can safely use up to 3 of those tags on a single roll. We can choose to use 4 on a single roll, but it causes us 1 stress.

An important question is what happens when Youta attacks someone and they Substitute away; does the Substitution happen before the TSA gets its attacks? On Discord, RoadWild said that no, he will treat all the attack/defend rolls as a 'mini initiative', as per the following example:
  1. Youta rolls his attack and gets 51.
  2. The TSA spirit rolls all its attacks and gets 49, 46, 43, 40
  3. The enemy rolls their defense. They get a 44 with their Substitution bonus included. They are hit by the 51, 49, and 46 attacks but successfully dodge the 43 and 40 attacks.

Additionally, wound penalties will be applied after all attacks have resolved.


Stormspear prevents the user from casting "external jutsu" for (Effect - 1) rounds. It's unclear what "external jutsu" includes, but when cast at Effect 1 it does not prevent you from casting as per RoadWild on Discord.)


Ordinarily there are limits to how many buffs can be applied to a single roll, and only one buff of a specific element can apply to a given roll. Fortunately, RoadWild agreed that RF counts as an innate buff and therefore Stormspear can benefit from both RF and SotS.


RoadWild said on Discord that we need to buy a combination stunt if we want to use SotS tags and Substitution on the same dodge roll; our current Substitution of 16 gives us +8 to dodge while three SotS tags give us +12. The comparison isn't perfectly apples to apples since we might burn through our tags and not have them available, but I think it's reasonable.


RoadWild confirmed on Discord that yes, you can use Athletics to Block opponents from leaving the zone and yes, the TSA will proc as long as the Block succeeds. This allows us to use our Standard to Block the enemy from leaving the zone instead of attacking. Situationally useful.

Basic thoughts: we have a ranged attack but it's much more chakra- and action-efficient to fight in melee, since then we don't have to keep casting the spear over and over. In general, we want to close the range and get in the bad guy's face.

Each round of combat we have 1 Standard and 2 Supplemental actions to use. In most cases there is a notional "round 0" that represents the pre-combat state of affairs. On round 1 we will usually (but not necessarily) have access to our Supplementals from round 0 and can use them for reflexive jutsu such as Substitution or Strength of the Storm. When our initiative comes up our actions will reset. In the following tactics I'm assuming that we can use SotS reflexively.


Given all of that:

Strategy: Hugs McZappyface Seems better than my other thought, 'Zappy Hentai Smooches'
Summary: Amp the Thunder Spirit up to massive levels, let it wreck face against our enemies

Round 1

Free: 5 points of chakra boost (25 CP)
Reflexive Supplemental: Strength of the Storm, Effect 4 (85 CP)
Supplemental: Raiton Flood, Effect 2 (27 CP; all non-RF lightning jutsu in the zone receive +4 to level)
Supplemental: Stormspear, Effect 1 (35 CP)
Standard: Thunder Spirit Alliance, Effect 4 (71 CP)

CP remaining: 47 CP



We burned all our actions for the round so we don't get to attack or use Substitution. We have 4 SotS tag left for dodging (although we can only afford to use 3 on a given roll). The TSA is attacking 4x at 44. (40 base + 4 from RF).

This version is likely not worth it. We would be better off with:

Free: Chakra boost 5 (25 CP)
Reflexive Supplemental: SotS, Effect 6 (118 CP)
Supplemental: Stormspear, Effect 1 (35 CP)
Supplemental: save for Substitution
Standard: Attack with Stormspear

We are now attacking at 61 on the first round, plus we have an action open for Substitution and 2 extra SotS tags that can be used for dodging.

Now let's compare what happens if we spend 27 XP to bump Raiton Flood to level 10 (AB 2, therefore max Effect:4). NB: It's 27 XP because Raiton Flood is half cost under the higher-level lightning jutsu.


Round 1

Free: 5 points of chakra boost (25 CP)
Reflexive Supplemental: Strength of the Storm, Effect 4 (85 CP)
Supplemental: Raiton Flood, Effect 3 (35 CP; all non-RF lightning jutsu in the zone receive +6 to level and +1 to Effect)
Supplemental: Stormspear, Effect 1 (35 CP)
Standard: Thunder Spirit Alliance, Effect 4 (71 CP)


Remaining CP: 39 CP


This boosts both SotS and TSA to Effect 5, giving us an extra SotS tag plus giving the TSA another tendril and boosting its attack to 56 (base 50 + 6 from RF).

Note: I am intentionally not leaving an action open for Substitution because of the ruling about needing a combo stunt for SotS + Substitution. (See above)


Round 2:

No chakra boost
Supplemental: Raiton Flood, Effect:3 (35 CP)
Standard: attack with Stormspear at level 64 (32 base + 8 (EA) + 12 (3x SotS tags) + 12 (2x RF))

Remaining CP: 4

This boosts SotS and TSA to Effect 6. That means we get 6 SotS tags and the TSA is making 6 attacks, each at 72 (base 60 + 12 (2x RF)).

The good:
  • We are hitting like a new jōnin (level 64)
  • The TSA is hitting like six senior jōnin (6 attacks at level 72)
Anyone we attack in melee is going to be wrecked. Anyone who attacks us in melee eats our counterattack plus the TSA's counterattacks and thus is wrecked. Anyone who attacks us from within the zone but out of melee, we spend a SotS tag to blitz them and the TSA wrecks them.

The bad:
  • We didn't attack on the first round and are restricted to dodging incoming attacks.
  • On round 2 we are "only" dodging at 51 (39 Athletics + 12 (3x SotS tags)). This is still high chūnin.
  • As of round 2 we are out of chakra so we can't Substitute or use any other jutsu for the rest of the fight



There are several ways to improve this strategy:
  1. Increase Chakra Reserves. Given enough CP, we could:
    1. cast more Raiton Floods, each boosting our attack and the TSA
    2. chakra boost and use Substitution in later rounds
  2. Add a stunt to combine Substitution and SotS tags for dodging.
  3. Increase Resolve to prevent damage if the Raiton Floods break

This strategy has some strengths:
  • It is incredibly chakra efficient for the amount of pain it dishes out. We are fitting multiple jōnin-tier (counter)attacks into a chūnin-level Chakra Reserves stat.
  • It lets us hit way above our weight class.
  • It has phenomenal action economy against multiple attackers, far better than any other build open to us. It can easily wipe up multiple attackers in a single round if they are even somewhat within our strength.
  • It ramps up quickly.
  • It ramps indefinitely as long as we have the chakra to support it. We can keep stacking Raiton Floods each round, making our Stormspear, TSA, and SotS stronger each time.

This strategy has some weaknesses:
  • It relies on keeping the battle in the starting zone. If a melee opponent figures out what's happening then they could move to an adjacent zone and simply wait out the duration of the Raiton Floods.
  • It struggles against ranged attackers who can kite us away from our Flooded zone.
  • It resets almost to zero if we take damage and thereby break the Raiton Floods. We would still have the TSA and SotS on us, but it won't be strong enough to do the damage we want without the Floods.
  • When Raiton Flood breaks it hits the caster with a psychic attack. We do not currently have the Resolve to resist this attack and would probably sustain 5 Mental Stress per Raiton Flood in effect, meaning that we take a Consequence for each one.

The first problem can be addressed when working with a team by having our allies use Blocks and Maneuvers to keep opponents hemmed in. Or by using our own Blocks instead of attacking.

The second problem has a simple solution: if someone is attacking at range and we don't think we can pin them down, don't use this strategy. Cast Stormspear, cast Strength of the Storm, use movement and/or Substitution to get up close, stab them. Our numbers won't be nearly as good but they will hopefully suffice.

For the third problem, we can either fall back to stabbing or we can run.

For the fourth problem, level up our Resolve. (This costs XP.)


Thoughts?
 
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eaglejarl said:
This strategy has some weaknesses:
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I also want to note that we're fairly likely to enter fights with specific objectives beyond "kill these guys/flee/survive" and spending the entire first turn buffing is often going to be risky but I think the solutions you list are already capable of addressing most of this.

Overall, I think it works well enough to use as a build with teammates, and the big numbers are exciting.
 
RandomOTP said:
I mean, I'm not opposed to raising Resolve (it'll help our tween soldier handle warfare), but is there any other reason to raise it to 24/27, as opposed to 23, 26, or 29 (shifts are determined by 3s, after all)?
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To my understanding it's the threshold required to deal with the backlash if the preferred number of castings of Raiton Flood break.
 
RandomOTP said:
I mean, I'm not opposed to raising Resolve (it'll help our tween soldier handle warfare), but is there any other reason to raise it to 24/27, as opposed to 23, 26, or 29 (shifts are determined by 3s, after all)?
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I think 25 makes more sense, since ties go to the attacker, a TN 24 attack would cause 1 stress if we rolled a 24 + 0 defending it. At 25 + 0 we take nothing.
 
eaglejarl said:
  • Spend 27 XP to raise Raiton Flood to 10
  • Spend 147 XP to raise Resolve to 24
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Raiton Flood said:
If the caster takes damage while their Raiton Flood is in effect then the Raiton Flood breaks (i.e. ends immediately) and the caster is hit with a mental attack of strength (10 x Raiton Flood Effect) which must be defended with Resolve. If damage results from this attack, it goes on the Mental stress track.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I don't think Resolve 24/25 is enough to run this build. If we take any damage we'll be taking like 6 mental stress as the 3 RFs pop and each inflict - on average - 2 stress. That's enough to give us a Medium Consequence with our level of Resolve. Which is as good as dead.

Our Athletics isn't good enough to dodge much either even with SotS. So any ranged chunin could absolutely kill us, pretty easily in fact. Just by popping our jutsu and letting it do the work.

Resolve 31 is minimally necessary IMO and I would prefer Ath 40 as well, so our dodges benefit from the +AB, but I wouldn't say it's required.
 
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Chapter 2.1: Evening Conversations, pt. 2
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    • Chapter 2.1: Evening Conversations, pt. 2


    The evening air was cold, even as Youta huddled close to his campfire. When the sun dipped beneath the horizon, general training and life slowed down, and fireplaces were constructed. Two of his older cousins promised to hunt game if he tended to the fire, which amounted to tossing in firewood at uneven increments.

    The small stack of firewood by his side was gathered by the mudfeet he shared camp with, of which only the chunin was worthy of bearing his family's crest. Where they were setting their own fire Youta had no idea, nor did he have any interest. He occupied his time by observing the layout of the rest of the camp, and thinking on what his father had done.

    An idle thought bloomed, and Youta contemplated the irony of the placement of tents revealed about the camp, and of his home village.

    The Fuki contingent of tents plain outnumbered every other group of tents in the small valley, much as their clan did in the home village. The other clans had one or two tents within the field, but their placements were still distinct from the others. The only two clans who shared a campfire were seemingly the Raiun and Gyakuryu, though for what reason he couldn't guess. There was a void around the two tents which housed the Mizen, as they were preparing traps even as every other ninja trained during the day, and no one wanted to test what a paranoid trapper could do.. There was yet another void in the center of camp, as though there was an element missing, but Youta couldn't put his finger on why-

    Rolls: Youta Awareness vs Aika's Stealth
    Youta (Alertness) 27 + 4dF(0) = 27 vs. Aika (Stealth) ?? + 4dF(+3) + ??
    Youta victory!

    Then, at the edge of his vision, Youta saw a figure walking towards his tent. With the evening light lengthening the shadows cast by the flickering torches and campfires, he couldn't make out any features. It wasn't one of the backfill in his camp, they were coming from the wrong direction. Nor did the figure fit one of the camp's jōnin. He kept his eyes trained on the person, until they were nearly at his fire. Then, as their features cleared up and Youta could finally see who it was, he relaxed.

    As he turned to toss more wood into the waning fire, he asked, "How's your day been, Aika?"

    When he turned back, his teammate was sitting next to him. "Pretty well. I should be asking you that. Rina told me she was going to find you next."

    Aika warmed her hands by the fire, inching closer to the firepit even as sparks nipped at her toes. During missions, Aika complained a lot about her hands and feet being cold, especially during missions when they'd stake out a location for hours on end, for Rina to infiltrate later. So, he tossed another log into the fire.

    Just before replying, Youta paused to take in the evening's atmosphere. Overseeing the rest of the camp was soothing, and the promise of good stew had left him content. But a curious bead of alertness effused the air around him, like ninja preparing for an ambush.

    He looked around- all he saw was Aika, picking at her fingernails. Strange. Dismissing the feeling, Youta returned his attention to what he was about to say.

    "I'm doing fine, thanks for asking." Aika seemed pleased by his answer, as if she was expecting otherwise. Almost unbidden, an answer swam across his mind-she was still expecting Youta to be shocked by the rapid change in pace yesterday, barely functioning at all. In truth, he still was, but he'd learned some measure of coping strategies in the past day.

    Thinking of events in the past day, Youta thought about Rina's 'visit', and one particular moment stood out to him. "Did Rina go through your stuff too?"

    Aika hung her head, burying her face in her hands. "She actually did that? When I caught her outside my tent she told me she was going to do the same to you. I hope she didn't annoy you too badly."

    "No, it wasn't too bad." Youta shook his head; he was well inured to Rina's antics. One thing Aika said, however, jumped out at him. "Wait, you caught Rina? While she was invisible? How'd you manage that?"

    Rina was the stealthiest of their team, by far. Even when she wasn't using her bloodline, the other two genin still struggled to spot her. The fact that Aika had managed to catch Rina on her own was notable. Yet, as he puzzled over what Aika's tactic might've been, he detected the strange bead of alertness in the air again. This time, however, the alertness was tinged with hypervigilance, and a thread of desperation.

    "Yeah…" Aika looked off to the side. "I just got lucky, I guess."

    Youta looked at her, concerned. She was clearly concealing something, he wasn't sure if he should pry or not. Yet, something made Youta question further. The aura of alertness, hypervigilance, almost paranoia, bubbled back to mind. He couldn't explain what his suspicions were, but he didn't like it either way. Perhaps it was a streak of concern, or the closeness of their friendship, or any myriad of reasons, but his next words were a surprise to even himself.

    "Rina's better at hiding than both of us… combined. I don't think it's only luck that let you catch her. Can you tell me exactly how you spotted her?"

    Aika's eyes darted around, flitting between shadows that to Youta's eyes were totally obfuscated, but to her eyes were completely clear. Her clan's Bloodline Limit was less visible than some of the other clans in Waterfall, but their simple abilities had turned them into a cornerstone of the village's defense.

    When her eyes finally resettled on his, her mouth contorted itself into a poor facsimile of a smile, while Youta finally took notice of the bags under his teammate's eyes. "Well, when we were setting camp, I gathered some dead leaves and scattered them around the clearing. It narrowed down a potential attacker's movements to a set series of areas, and placing even more traps meant I only had to keep my eyes on very few areas."

    "I was keeping watch," Aika's eyes took a far away quality as she recounted her preparations. "I almost didn't spot Rina nudging away some leaves, or the grass flattening beneath her feet, but I caught her."

    "I caught her…" Aika's voice faded away.

    Youta was genuinely impressed. He'd never thought of deterring attackers in such a way, but it made sense that Aika, whose role was to case targets, would consider means to make enemies inadvertently reveal themselves.

    A thread of concern twigged at him, despite his admiration. Some part of him was still uneasy with Aika's explanation, yet his mind remained on her preparations.

    Then, it struck him.

    This was the first time he'd heard of this tactic. Why had she taken such precautions when they were still well within Waterfall's borders, safe in camp? More questions bubbled up, buoyed by the first. Why was she on edge from the moment she joined his campfire? Why did she have bags under her eyes? What had changed in the past day since the war started?

    Youta wanted to ask a dozen questions at once, but one question overrode all others.

    "Aika… are you okay?"

    Rolls: Youta Empathy vs Aika's Deceit
    Youta (Empathy) 13 + 4dF(3) = 16 vs. Aika (Deceit) ?? + 4dF(-3) + ??
    Youta victory!

    Youta learns Aika's aspect "Stress-Fueled Paranoia"


    Aika looked up at Youta, her eyes widening for a moment before she forced a smile. "Of course, I'm okay," she said, her voice a bit too chipper. "Why wouldn't I be?"

    Youta raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "You've been on edge since you got here, Aika. You've never set traps outside your tent before. And those bags under your eyes… did you sleep at all last night?"

    Aika waved a hand dismissively and leaned closer to the fire, seeking its warmth. "I'm just being careful, that's all. We're at war now, Youta. We can't afford to let our guard down, even for a second."

    "You're going to run yourself ragged," Youta replied bluntly, concern etched into his features."You've been straining yourself all day, and look at you now. You're exhausted, Aika."

    "It'll keep us alive," Aika shot back, her tone defensive. "You know how many missions we've been on where a single mistake would have cost us everything, and now the stakes are even higher."

    Youta sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I get that, but there's a difference between being cautious and driving yourself crazy. You need rest. We all do. What good will you be to the team if you're too exhausted to think straight?"

    Aika's eyes hardened, her posture stiffening. "I'm fine," she insisted. "This... heightened awareness, it's what's kept us safe this entire time. It's not a bad thing, Youta. It's necessary."

    As the crackling fire cast shifting shadows around them, Aika's gaze flickered between the dancing flames and Youta's concerned expression. The tension in the air hung heavy, unresolved.

    "I appreciate your concern, Youta," Aika finally said, her voice softer now but still tinged with stubborn resolve. "But I need to do this. We all have our ways of coping with the stress."

    Youta nodded slowly, his expression a mix of frustration and understanding. He knew Aika well enough to recognize when further persuasion would be futile. "Just promise me you'll get some rest tonight," he said quietly, a plea rather than a command.

    Aika managed a small, tired smile. "I'll try," she replied, though both knew how unlikely it seemed.

    With a sigh, Youta leaned back against the log, resigning himself to the impasse for now. The fire crackled on, casting flickering shadows across the campsite as Aika gathered herself to leave.

    "Good night, Youta," she said softly, her voice carrying a hint of weariness that belied her outward bravado.

    "Good night, Aika," Youta replied, watching her silhouette retreat into the darkness beyond the fire's glow.
    Author's Note:
    FINALLY, THE SECOND PART. This isn't dead, I swear. I'm just dead, instead. That's your teammates introduced, I'll see you all later!
     
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    • Poor Aika, the girl needs a hug and a mug of hot chocolate :(

    Youta's the team's Heavy Combatant, so hopefully being around him provides some measure of subconscious comfort for Aika. <3
     
    Wow, I feel for this poor girl. They're in the middle of a small army and she's still stressing out about potential attackers? I hope she manages to get some sleep before she cracks.
     
    Chapter 3: Mission One: Advanced Scouting
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    • Chapter 3: Mission One: Advanced Scouting


    The morning arrived with little fanfare, the chirping of the chakra birds gently rousing Youta awake. His tent's familiar interior almost let him pretend he was merely on a regular infiltration mission with his team, instead of being mobilised to fight in a war he never saw coming. But his senses quickly ripped away the fantasy. Far too many voices and footsteps in his vicinity for that to be the case.

    Opening his tent flap, Youta witnessed the makeshift camp partially disassembled, with those still standing actively in the process of being taken down. One of his cousins passed by, arms laden with what he assumed was pieces of her camp, and Youta absently noted he should probably follow suit.

    Collapsing his tent was as simple as pulling out the posts, and storing it was quite literally trivial. He walked over to where his older cousins were seated, and made idle conversation while they watched a small group of genin dump water on the two Yumetabe tents.

    Soon, even their deepest sleepers were roused, and they all stood, arrayed by the beasts of burden. The spirit of excitement from yesterday had evaporated, leaving fifty ninja quietly dreading what will happen next.

    The camp's two jōnin stood in front of them, and Youta watched as a stocky Shubiteki and Hanashi-sensei exchanged nods, and set off.

    The rest of the ninja quietly followed after them.


    Halfway through the march, Hanashi-sensei pulled him out of the procession with a firm grip on Youta's shoulder, signaling to the side with a curt nod.

    Her first words to him since the world tore apart were direct. "Are you ready for a mission?"

    Youta blinked, taken aback by the abruptness of the question. 'A mission?' he echoed, still processing her words. "Sensei, we aren't even at the base, yet."

    "The first thing people will do once we arrive at the base is set up defenses," Hanashi-sensei's gray eyes peered into his, while she calmly explained the offer. "I'm going to have to attend a strategic meeting with the other jōnin, but genin? Ditch digging. I think you three are above such things, but if you want to do it-"

    "Nope!" Youta's answer flew out of his mouth the moment he heard 'ditch'. "I mean, yes I'm ready for a mission. "

    The corner of Hanashi-sensei's mouth tugged upwards, a hint of a smile in her eyes. "Very well. Stay here while I retrieve Aika and Rina. We're going to move ahead of the war party."



    Rolls: Hanashi-sensei Survival vs ??

    Hanashi (Survival) ?? + 4dF(-3) vs ??

    Result: ??

    "Maaaaaaaan, this is boooooring." Rina leaned against a tree, picking at it with a kunai.

    Youta rolled his eyes, but he stayed alert, maintaining a combat-ready stance. Aika stood by his side, peering through the shadows cast by the trees, and though they were facing away from each other, he could almost feel her rolling her eyes as well.

    "Stop doing that," Hanashi-sensei rebuked, further ahead the trail. "Our scouts won't be able to tell whether that mark was left by a Rock ninja or a careless genin."

    Rina, slightly behind him, let out a loud wet sound, but he did notice the scraping stopped.

    Hanashi-sensei had explained that their mission was 'post-hoc observation of enemy movements', which translated to searching for any traces of Rock ninja who've already pierced the border. In practice, it meant that Hanashi-sensei was doing all of the scouting, while the three genin were doing nothing.

    Their jōnin sensei kept a distance ahead of them, so that any missteps by the genin wouldn't disturb a clue.

    "If any of you had decided to improve your tracking skills, then you could be up here with me" Hanashi-sensei called, prompting the three genin to look away uneasily.

    He had intended to brush up on some of the training his sensei offered, but then he was given access to the second tier of jutsu the Fuki had, and then he had to improve his reflexes so that he could use them faster, and then a dozen other things jumped to his attention, and theeeen doing survivalist training with Hanashi-sensei was forgotten.

    Beside him, Aika sputtered, "I meant to! I really did, it's just that I had to practice my lockpicking more, then my parents told me to improve my stealth, and then I was working on my reaction speed, and then I threw shuriken…"

    Behind him, Youta could almost swear he heard Rina's palm meet her face. Ahead, there was silence, which bode badly. Finally, after a few seconds more of suspense, Hanashi-sensei replied, "I'll get you all to an acceptable level. No genin of Waterfall shouldn't be able to track someone through the marsh, or find their way back to the village."

    Hanashi-sensei appeared in front of them, causing a stutter in his and Rina's steps, and Aika to jump completely back. "No signs on this trail, either. This marks the fourth one we've checked today, and will be our last. Let's return to base camp."

    Rolls: Youta Examination vs TN: 10

    Youta (Examination) 4 + 4dF(+9) = 13 vs TN: 10

    Result: Youta victory!

    As his sensei spoke, however, something caught his eye. Youta's awareness sharpened, and the world bled away as he single mindedly focused on what had caught his eye. Yet what he saw shocked him, and Youta was unable to stop himself as he said, "Uh, sensei, you've got something in your teeth."

    "Hm?" Hanashi-sensei pursed her lips and ran her tongue along the front of her teeth.

    Aika and Rina hovered beside him, glancing at each other uncertainly. But their worst fears were confirmed when Hanashi-sensei fished around a little, and then bit down with a horrific crunch.

    "Ah," Hanashi-sensei sighed, much to her students' horror. "Grasshopper legs always get stuck."

    At the sight of their horrified expressions, she added with a shrug, "What? It tastes like chicken."


    Three genin and a jōnin trudged back to the site their maps said the combined war party would be assembled. They were not disappointed. What was once a lightly forested clearing was now a deforested expanse, with palisades equally made of wood, dirt, and stone forming a box.

    The defensive fortifications were clearly not finished, yet most of the grunt work had been finished. It would be up to specialists to turn the walls into truly fortified death traps. A large wooden gate had been erected on the box's northernmost side, and even at this distance they could see there were ninja already assigned to guard duty.

    Yet, as they approached the gate, a guard stepped forward, raising a hand to stop them.

    For a moment, both parties stood in silence, each waiting for the other to speak first. Finally, the guard broke the silence. "Well? Where are you four from?"

    "Scouting," Hanashi-sensei replied curtly. "Southwest area."

    Rolls: Youta Examination vs ??

    Youta (Examination) 4 + 4dF(+9) = 13 vs ?? (Deceit) ?? + 4dF(-3) + ??

    Result: Youta victory!

    Youta watched as the guard closest to the gate silently palmed a kunai, while the one questioning them continued his interrogation.

    "I don't recall a group like you leaving for that area," the guard said, suspicion lacing his voice.

    "If you failed to notice us then that is your problem," Hanashi-sensei stated firmly, "But that is no reason to block our entry."

    "H-hey!" The guard's face turned red as he stepped up aggressively, fists raised, The other guard stopped hiding his kunai and raised it in a defensive stance. The atmosphere around them grew charged, each heartbeat echoing the unspoken challenge.

    Rolls: Hanashi-sensei ?? vs ?? Resolve

    Not even gonna roll it, Hanashi-sensei victory!

    "No." Yet with a single word, the growing tension was immediately quenched, as killing intent surged out of Hanashi-sensei. A cloying floral scent settled in their souls as poison flooded their flesh. "I am a jōnin of Waterfall. You are beneath me. Step aside, or meet your end now."

    The oppressive aura slowly retracted, allowing the shaking guards to fall to their knees. Youta almost did the same. The only reason why he was even conscious was because whatever that was wasn't aimed at him. He could tell his teammates felt the same. They'd…. They'd never experienced anything even approaching that before.

    Before Hanashi-sensei, the two guards retched and shivered uncontrollably, while the gate slowly opened. As the massive wooden barrier parted, a figure emerged from the shadows of the parapet.

    "As I live and breathe," the revealed man exclaimed, smiling. "Is that Renge I detect?"

    Hanashi-sensei's eyes glinted, while her face remained utterly placid."...Hirosanta."

    Rolls: Hanashi-sensei Deceit vs Hirosanta Deceit

    Hanashi (Deceit) ?? + 4dF(-6) = ?? vs ?? (Deceit) ?? + 4dF(+6)

    ??

    The man's grin grew impossibly wider, and his eyes flickered from hers to Youta and his other teammates. "I didn't believe it when Koshiro told me you took on a team of kids. The Flower of Rot, teaching genin?"

    "The Takikage ordered," Hanashi-sensei conceded. "I obeyed."

    "Of course, of course!" The man placated, raising his hands in a calming motion. "Ah, but where are my manners? Please, let's talk in our command post."

    He gestured further into the fort, and the group stepped into the makeshift base. Youta watched Hanashi-sensei walk into one of the few structures already erected, and the smiling man follow after her.

    Aika and Rina stood at his sides, equally stunned by the rapid pace at which things had unfolded. They stood there in silence until one of them whispered, "I'm going to sleep." With that, the team disbanded for the day, each member leaving to find where their clans were situated.

    It is now slightly past 4pm, on August 11th. Youta found where the Fuki were camping, and discovered this theatre was lucky enough to have a blood related Fuki jōnin deployed here. Also present are the two blood-related chunin from earlier this day, and two other blood-related genin. As for Fuki-affiliated ninja, you are surrounded by ten additional affiliated chunin, and about twenty affiliated genin. He does not know how many affiliated jōnin are nearby.

    This vote will be for what Youta generally does every evening after completing the day's mission, up until the next update, which be determined by rolling.

    What does Youta do during the evenings? Options include but are not limited to:
    -[x] Train
    -[x] Talk to: (Who, and about what?)
    -[x] Meet some of the neighbouring clans
    -[x] Hunt for food
     
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    • -[x] Train
    Survival, seems like a very useful skill we will have 0 regrets prioritizing.
    -[x] Meet some of the neighbouring clans
     
    [X] Last Minute Training
    - You're the beatstick of the team. Very possible you'll need to be fighting not only your own opponent, but making sure other enemies aren't taking down your teammates at the same time. Ask some genin to join you for 2v1s and 3v1s to prepare yourself. Keep your best stuff secret.
    - When you can't source partners, work on general skills to supplement your team.
     
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    [X] Action Plan: Training, Disguised as Safe Fun in a War Zone

    • We note that the entire team is stressed. Personally, we're the beat stick of the team, so if we're stressed, then how stressed must our teammates be!
    • Decompress with our teammates, and invite the neighboring clans to join in on the team building exercises.
    • Play cheating card games, slow motion taijutsu practice (IRL ninja game), hide and seek, and whatever else we can do without disrupting the camp.
      • Don't needlessly waste chakra, just in case something happens.
      • Smile, laugh, and try to bring some levity. The oncoming weeks will be hard, we need to seize these moments while we can.
     
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