Game of the Year: A Naruto Quest

Daisuke- Genin by Gigaplex
Daisuke Genin
@Vesvius Drew Daisuke as a genin wearing his current hoodie. Also Sephiroth hair.

Adhoc vote count started by Gigaplex on Nov 7, 2018 at 6:23 AM, finished with 226 posts and 28 votes.

  • [x] Plan: Skirmish
    [X] Plan Pop goes the Weasel
    -[x] Goad him into using more chakra than he has to with a combination of talking and genjutsu.
    -[x] Pretend to use more chakra than you do. Use Tone of Discord and combine it with fake castings of it and take advantage of the fact that summoning dummies does not cost chakra by pretending they do. Vary the effects of the genjutsu so that he can't immediately tell if you casted it or not.
    -[x] Take advantage of your superior stamina to control the pace of the fight and tire him out.
    -[x] If he manages to make some distance, close it with substitution and summoning dummies to attack him from behind. If he manages it a couple of times, bluff him by henging into a dummy and attacking him while he searches for where you substituted to.
    -[x] Take the fight to close quarters using kenjutsu to negate his advantage over long range. Take away his kunai pouch if given the opportunity.
    [x] Plan deception
    [X] He's right he isn't better than you in close combat, so that's where you'll force him to fight you. If he tries to gain distance us Tone of Discord to unbalance him and catch up. If he tries to use ranged attacks use Endless Sword to disrupt them. Use your techniques to keep him close and take him down in a field he can't hope to match you in.
    -[x] If for some reason he uses the fireball and you are unable to either dodge, replace or block with Mr Wood, then use endless blade to counter it and break through using it as a cover as a last resource.
    [x] Try to get up close and personal with Sasuke and use your superior kenjutsu skills to deny him the breathing room he needs for his more complex techniques. If he does manage to escape you and make some distance, use Tone of Discord with a vertigo effect, then a dummy+kawarimi combo to get back in his face from an unexpected direction. If/when Sasuke loses sight of you, summon a bunshin and hide it, and have it occasionally mimic the noise of your Tone of Discord to get him to disrupt his chakra unnecessarily. Be on the lookout for traps, ninja wire, shuriken tricks, and the Great Fireball. Steadily wear Sasuke down until an opportunity arises, then go all in and try to end the fight decisively.
    ---[x] just maybe you can try to fake a Kawarimi by using Henge into one of your Straw Companion
    -[x] try to implement your Bunshin as phantom-limbs to land some critical hits
    [X] You will show off to the teachers in this battle. You will perform every technique precisely and efficiently to prove to them you should be ROTY. Winning is not necessary to be ROTY, though you aim to win.
    -[x] disengage and initiate Endless Sword
    -[x] during the fight stay cool, there's absolutely no need for banter or some such.
    [X] Plan Beta
    -[x] throw in a few Creation: Straw Companion: Ranking Not Applicable. Usable 5/day for emergency Kawarimi
    -[x] start to gradually implement your Bunshins, they are nothing more than an annoyance in close-combat, but it might be enough to distract him for a split-second
    -[x] start the fight with Ken-jutsu, don't rush it, every little cut is a small chink in his armor
    -[x] get close, but stay focused on what he's doing, never lose track
    -[x] take the initiative
    [X] Get close and use your strengths
    [X] Plan Pop goes the Weasel
    -[x] when the time is right, Sasuke loses his cool for example, initiate Tone of Discord (vertigo)

Adhoc vote count started by Gigaplex on Nov 7, 2018 at 7:25 AM, finished with 236 posts and 29 votes.

  • [x] Plan: Skirmish
    [X] Plan Pop goes the Weasel
    -[x] Goad him into using more chakra than he has to with a combination of talking and genjutsu.
    -[x] Pretend to use more chakra than you do. Use Tone of Discord and combine it with fake castings of it and take advantage of the fact that summoning dummies does not cost chakra by pretending they do. Vary the effects of the genjutsu so that he can't immediately tell if you casted it or not.
    -[x] Take advantage of your superior stamina to control the pace of the fight and tire him out.
    -[x] If he manages to make some distance, close it with substitution and summoning dummies to attack him from behind. If he manages it a couple of times, bluff him by henging into a dummy and attacking him while he searches for where you substituted to.
    -[x] Take the fight to close quarters using kenjutsu to negate his advantage over long range. Take away his kunai pouch if given the opportunity.
    [x] Plan deception
    [X] He's right he isn't better than you in close combat, so that's where you'll force him to fight you. If he tries to gain distance us Tone of Discord to unbalance him and catch up. If he tries to use ranged attacks use Endless Sword to disrupt them. Use your techniques to keep him close and take him down in a field he can't hope to match you in.
    -[x] If for some reason he uses the fireball and you are unable to either dodge, replace or block with Mr Wood, then use endless blade to counter it and break through using it as a cover as a last resource.
    [x] Try to get up close and personal with Sasuke and use your superior kenjutsu skills to deny him the breathing room he needs for his more complex techniques. If he does manage to escape you and make some distance, use Tone of Discord with a vertigo effect, then a dummy+kawarimi combo to get back in his face from an unexpected direction. If/when Sasuke loses sight of you, summon a bunshin and hide it, and have it occasionally mimic the noise of your Tone of Discord to get him to disrupt his chakra unnecessarily. Be on the lookout for traps, ninja wire, shuriken tricks, and the Great Fireball. Steadily wear Sasuke down until an opportunity arises, then go all in and try to end the fight decisively.
    ---[x] just maybe you can try to fake a Kawarimi by using Henge into one of your Straw Companion
    -[x] try to implement your Bunshin as phantom-limbs to land some critical hits
    [X] You will show off to the teachers in this battle. You will perform every technique precisely and efficiently to prove to them you should be ROTY. Winning is not necessary to be ROTY, though you aim to win.
    -[x] disengage and initiate Endless Sword
    -[x] during the fight stay cool, there's absolutely no need for banter or some such.
    -[x] throw in a few Creation: Straw Companion: Ranking Not Applicable. Usable 5/day for emergency Kawarimi
    -[x] start to gradually implement your Bunshins, they are nothing more than an annoyance in close-combat, but it might be enough to distract him for a split-second
    -[x] start the fight with Ken-jutsu, don't rush it, every little cut is a small chink in his armor
    -[x] get close, but stay focused on what he's doing, never lose track
    -[x] take the initiative
    [X] Get close and use your strengths
    [X] Plan Pop goes the Weasel
    -[x] when the time is right, Sasuke loses his cool for example, initiate Tone of Discord (vertigo)

Adhoc vote count started by Gigaplex on Nov 7, 2018 at 8:02 AM, finished with 247 posts and 29 votes.

  • [x] Plan: Skirmish
    [X] Plan Pop goes the Weasel
    -[x] Goad him into using more chakra than he has to with a combination of talking and genjutsu.
    -[x] Pretend to use more chakra than you do. Use Tone of Discord and combine it with fake castings of it and take advantage of the fact that summoning dummies does not cost chakra by pretending they do. Vary the effects of the genjutsu so that he can't immediately tell if you casted it or not.
    -[x] Take advantage of your superior stamina to control the pace of the fight and tire him out.
    -[x] If he manages to make some distance, close it with substitution and summoning dummies to attack him from behind. If he manages it a couple of times, bluff him by henging into a dummy and attacking him while he searches for where you substituted to.
    -[x] Take the fight to close quarters using kenjutsu to negate his advantage over long range. Take away his kunai pouch if given the opportunity.
    [x] Plan deception
    -[x] If for some reason he uses the fireball and you are unable to either dodge, replace or block with Mr Wood, then use endless blade to counter it and break through using it as a cover as a last resource.
    [x] Try to get up close and personal with Sasuke and use your superior kenjutsu skills to deny him the breathing room he needs for his more complex techniques. If he does manage to escape you and make some distance, use Tone of Discord with a vertigo effect, then a dummy+kawarimi combo to get back in his face from an unexpected direction. If/when Sasuke loses sight of you, summon a bunshin and hide it, and have it occasionally mimic the noise of your Tone of Discord to get him to disrupt his chakra unnecessarily. Be on the lookout for traps, ninja wire, shuriken tricks, and the Great Fireball. Steadily wear Sasuke down until an opportunity arises, then go all in and try to end the fight decisively.
    [X] He's right he isn't better than you in close combat, so that's where you'll force him to fight you. If he tries to gain distance us Tone of Discord to unbalance him and catch up. If he tries to use ranged attacks use Endless Sword to disrupt them. Use your techniques to keep him close and take him down in a field he can't hope to match you in.
    -[x] throw in a few Creation: Straw Companion: Ranking Not Applicable. Usable 5/day for emergency Kawarimi
    ---[x] just maybe you can try to fake a Kawarimi by using Henge into one of your Straw Companion
    -[x] try to implement your Bunshin as phantom-limbs to land some critical hits
    [X] You will show off to the teachers in this battle. You will perform every technique precisely and efficiently to prove to them you should be ROTY. Winning is not necessary to be ROTY, though you aim to win.
    -[x] disengage and initiate Endless Sword
    -[x] during the fight stay cool, there's absolutely no need for banter or some such.
    -[x] start to gradually implement your Bunshins, they are nothing more than an annoyance in close-combat, but it might be enough to distract him for a split-second
    -[x] start the fight with Ken-jutsu, don't rush it, every little cut is a small chink in his armor
    -[x] get close, but stay focused on what he's doing, never lose track
    -[x] take the initiative
    [X] Get close and use your strengths
    [X] Plan Pop goes the Weasel
    -[x] when the time is right, Sasuke loses his cool for example, initiate Tone of Discord (vertigo)

Adhoc vote count started by Gigaplex on Nov 7, 2018 at 8:28 AM, finished with 250 posts and 29 votes.

  • [x] Plan: Skirmish
    [X] Plan Pop goes the Weasel
    [x] Try to get up close and personal with Sasuke and use your superior kenjutsu skills to deny him the breathing room he needs for his more complex techniques. If he does manage to escape you and make some distance, use Tone of Discord with a vertigo effect, then a dummy+kawarimi combo to get back in his face from an unexpected direction. If/when Sasuke loses sight of you, summon a bunshin and hide it, and have it occasionally mimic the noise of your Tone of Discord to get him to disrupt his chakra unnecessarily. Be on the lookout for traps, ninja wire, shuriken tricks, and the Great Fireball. Steadily wear Sasuke down until an opportunity arises, then go all in and try to end the fight decisively.
    [x] Plan deception
    -[x] Take the fight to close quarters using kenjutsu to negate his advantage over long range. Take away his kunai pouch if given the opportunity.
    -[x] If he manages to make some distance, close it with substitution and summoning dummies to attack him from behind. If he manages it a couple of times, bluff him by henging into a dummy and attacking him while he searches for where you substituted to.
    -[x] Take advantage of your superior stamina to control the pace of the fight and tire him out.
    -[x] Pretend to use more chakra than you do. Use Tone of Discord and combine it with fake castings of it and take advantage of the fact that summoning dummies does not cost chakra by pretending they do. Vary the effects of the genjutsu so that he can't immediately tell if you casted it or not.
    -[x] Goad him into using more chakra than he has to with a combination of talking and genjutsu.
    -[x] If for some reason he uses the fireball and you are unable to either dodge, replace or block with Mr Wood, then use endless blade to counter it and break through using it as a cover as a last resource.
    [X] He's right he isn't better than you in close combat, so that's where you'll force him to fight you. If he tries to gain distance us Tone of Discord to unbalance him and catch up. If he tries to use ranged attacks use Endless Sword to disrupt them. Use your techniques to keep him close and take him down in a field he can't hope to match you in.
    [X] You will show off to the teachers in this battle. You will perform every technique precisely and efficiently to prove to them you should be ROTY. Winning is not necessary to be ROTY, though you aim to win.
    [X] Plan Pop goes the Weasel
    [X] Get close and use your strengths
    -[x] take the initiative
    -[x] get close, but stay focused on what he's doing, never lose track
    -[x] start the fight with Ken-jutsu, don't rush it, every little cut is a small chink in his armor
    -[x] start to gradually implement your Bunshins, they are nothing more than an annoyance in close-combat, but it might be enough to distract him for a split-second
    -[x] throw in a few Creation: Straw Companion: Ranking Not Applicable. Usable 5/day for emergency Kawarimi
    ---[x] just maybe you can try to fake a Kawarimi by using Henge into one of your Straw Companion
    -[x] try to implement your Bunshin as phantom-limbs to land some critical hits
    -[x] when the time is right, Sasuke loses his cool for example, initiate Tone of Discord (vertigo)
    -[x] disengage and initiate Endless Sword
    -[x] during the fight stay cool, there's absolutely no need for banter or some such.

Adhoc vote count started by Gigaplex on Nov 7, 2018 at 9:28 AM, finished with 8180 posts and 32 votes.

  • [X] Plan Pop goes the Weasel
    [x] Plan: Skirmish
    [x] Plan deception
    -[x] Take the fight to close quarters using kenjutsu to negate his advantage over long range. Take away his kunai pouch if given the opportunity.
    -[x] If he manages to make some distance, close it with substitution and summoning dummies to attack him from behind. If he manages it a couple of times, bluff him by henging into a dummy and attacking him while he searches for where you substituted to.
    -[x] Take advantage of your superior stamina to control the pace of the fight and tire him out.
    -[x] Pretend to use more chakra than you do. Use Tone of Discord and combine it with fake castings of it and take advantage of the fact that summoning dummies does not cost chakra by pretending they do. Vary the effects of the genjutsu so that he can't immediately tell if you casted it or not.
    -[x] Goad him into using more chakra than he has to with a combination of talking and genjutsu.
    -[x] If for some reason he uses the fireball and you are unable to either dodge, replace or block with Mr Wood, then use endless blade to counter it and break through using it as a cover as a last resource.
    [x] Try to get up close and personal with Sasuke and use your superior kenjutsu skills to deny him the breathing room he needs for his more complex techniques. If he does manage to escape you and make some distance, use Tone of Discord with a vertigo effect, then a dummy+kawarimi combo to get back in his face from an unexpected direction. If/when Sasuke loses sight of you, summon a bunshin and hide it, and have it occasionally mimic the noise of your Tone of Discord to get him to disrupt his chakra unnecessarily. Be on the lookout for traps, ninja wire, shuriken tricks, and the Great Fireball. Steadily wear Sasuke down until an opportunity arises, then go all in and try to end the fight decisively.
    [X] He's right he isn't better than you in close combat, so that's where you'll force him to fight you. If he tries to gain distance us Tone of Discord to unbalance him and catch up. If he tries to use ranged attacks use Endless Sword to disrupt them. Use your techniques to keep him close and take him down in a field he can't hope to match you in.
    [X] You will show off to the teachers in this battle. You will perform every technique precisely and efficiently to prove to them you should be ROTY. Winning is not necessary to be ROTY, though you aim to win.
    [X] Plan Pop goes the Weasel
    [X] Get close and use your strengths
    -[x] take the initiative
    -[x] get close, but stay focused on what he's doing, never lose track
    -[x] start the fight with Ken-jutsu, don't rush it, every little cut is a small chink in his armor
    -[x] start to gradually implement your Bunshins, they are nothing more than an annoyance in close-combat, but it might be enough to distract him for a split-second
    -[x] throw in a few Creation: Straw Companion: Ranking Not Applicable. Usable 5/day for emergency Kawarimi
    ---[x] just maybe you can try to fake a Kawarimi by using Henge into one of your Straw Companion
    -[x] try to implement your Bunshin as phantom-limbs to land some critical hits
    -[x] when the time is right, Sasuke loses his cool for example, initiate Tone of Discord (vertigo)
    -[x] disengage and initiate Endless Sword
    -[x] during the fight stay cool, there's absolutely no need for banter or some such.
 
Last edited:
Was it in the open, during a spar? Seriously, plan skirmish is a plan revolving around paranoia and an example that happened in a very different scenario.

You want to limit our abilities on a presumption, that is foolish. The plan is essentially "stand there and do nothing"

This is plan Skirmish, might as well be called "Plan Do nothing and get Rekt"

To be honest, I initially wrote Skirmish primarily because I wanted to write an alternative to the "Get up close and keep punching him in the face until he goes down" plan (which, I'll note, was the first plan I suggested) so that people could actually choose between two distinct plans. That said, I think Nalanaya made some very valid points in his post here.

Essentially, while we are almost certainly better than Sasuke in CQC, he's no slouch at it either, and I think it'd be thoroughly underselling him to assume he doesn't have a plan for dealing with us when we inevitably get all up in his grill. We are pretty much his only rival on the battlefield after all, so it's arrogant to think he hasn't done his research and come up with a plan to beat us. By subverting his expectations and pulling out heretofore understated (but not undertrained) abilities in our repertoire, we can blindside him and tilt the match further in our favor on a strategic level.

That said, aside from general competence, we have two big things that work to our advantage. One is that he doesn't know about our dummy summoning ability (explicitly stated by Ves at some point, but I don't really feel like looking it up right now). Two is that he's only seen the Endless Blade the one time we demonstrated it in our spars.

I think Skirmish does three very important things that getting up in Sasuke's face doesn't do as well (or at all depending on how it's structured).

A) It makes use of our expert level Genjutsu skill more effectively. It's easier to cast many genjutsu, and to fake casting genjutsu, when at range than when in close combat. Furthermore, the canon omake A Bit Too Much Discord by @Enetious shows that the effects of Tone of Discord stack/weaken the target's resistance over time (although that is an omake, so even if canon, it should be taken with a grain of salt)

B) It makes better use of our endurance. Between our superhuman chakra *control, above average reserves, and superhuman constitution, a battle of attrition is decidedly in our favor. Furthermore, it gives us the chance to bait out powerful but expensive jutsu with a higher chance to dodge than if we were all up in Sasuke's (uncomfortably literal) grill.

C) It makes better use of the element of surprise. By keeping our dummies and the Endless Blade in reserve until they can be used as a finishing blow, we prevent Sasuke from getting a read on our techniques until it's too late. Sure, he doesn't have the sharingan yet, so it's not as much of an issue as it could be, but preventing him from adapting to our trump cards seems like a pretty good idea to me.

Edit: Removed the Omake so it could live in its own home, instead of sharing this debate comment's flat.
 
Last edited:
Very well, though this does no service to the plan you support.
Eh do you keep arguing to a wall saying the same thing over and over again? The topic of traps is dead end right now.
It is arrogance to think that we can outlast him.
I argue having superhuman Constitution, Chakra Control and people are working to up the Chakra Capasity right now so I give us good chance of us outlsting him. Besides its not like we will just stand there we need to put up some pressure to make him exert himself.
 
Made a modification to deception, making it clear that endless blade is last resource in case we a) can't dodge, b) there are no replacement targets we can use and c) we used all our dummies. All three of them.
 
I still think that fighting Sasuke at a distance is playing to his strengths. If you got a Dagger and your opponent has a Spear, you don't keep your distance. You get up close and personal.

There's merit to Genjutsu from a distance but I'd only vote for a plan that includes getting in Sasuke's grill and stopping him from doing any handseals for his techniques.
 
Eh do you keep arguing to a wall saying the same thing over and over again? The topic of traps is dead end right now.

Why do you just assume that I am completely unreasonable or unwilling to change? The reason I am opposed to the plan is because it essentially boils down to us sitting there and throwing Kunai while Sasuke is free to do whatever he wants.

Besides its not like we will just stand there we need to put up some pressure to make him exert himself.

The pressure implied by the plan is minor at best. This isn't me being stubborn, this is me reading the plan and then reciting it to you.

However, when he eventually disengages, rather than rushing back in, keep your distance. Focus on dodging his attacks while pelting him with the occasional shuriken or Tone of Discord (vertigo). Every once in a while, feint in as though you're going to go all out and try to bait out his Great Fireball.

It makes better use of the element of surprise. By keeping our dummies and the Endless Blade in reserve until they can be used as a finishing blow, we prevent Sasuke from getting a read on our techniques until it's too late. Sure, he doesn't have the sharingan yet, so it's not as much of an issue as it could be, but preventing him from adapting to our trump cards seems like a pretty good idea to me.

Can we not keep pressure on him in CQC while also keeping our techniques in reserve? Your plan allows Sasuke to have free reign of the battlefield, and controlling the battlefield is a massive advantage.

I argue because I see flaws and wish them to be either fixed or have the plan changed. This is a flawed plan that relies entirely on Sasuke being an idiot.
 
Last edited:
[X] He's right he isn't better than you in close combat, so that's where you'll force him to fight you. If he tries to gain distance us Tone of Discord to unbalance him and catch up. If he tries to use ranged attacks use Endless Sword to disrupt them. Use your techniques to keep him close and take him down in a field he can't hope to match you in.
 
I still think that fighting Sasuke at a distance is playing to his strengths. If you got a Dagger and your opponent has a Spear, you don't keep your distance. You get up close and personal.

There's merit to Genjutsu from a distance but I'd only vote for a plan that includes getting in Sasuke's grill and stopping him from doing any handseals for his techniques.

I definitely agree that fighting him on his turf would be a bad idea, and the plan does get a bit close to doing so for comfort (we're not engaging in an all-out ranged duel, we're engaging in a battle of attrition, so we don't have to tag him for every time he tags us, we just need to outlast his ranged tools and chakra reserves). That said, I also think that the benefits of the plan as listed outweigh the cons, and I generally like the idea of playing to strengths we hadn't really shown much until now for the boss battle.

Can we not keep pressure on him in CQC while also keeping our techniques in reserve? Your plan allows Sasuke to have free reign of the battlefield, and controlling the battlefield is a massive advantage.

To be honest? I don't think we can keep pressure on him without being forced to unexpectedly dodge an attack with the dummies. Once again, he has to have thought about how he'd beat us, which inevitably includes a strategy for disengagement. As for giving him free reign on the battlefield, you're right, the plan as written was playing a bit too passively on second glance. To that end, I've edited it slightly. Rather than reading:
Keep him on his toes by regularly throwing out fake Tones of Discord without actually using chakra. Every one in a while, feint in as though you're going to go all out and try to bait out his Great Fireball.

It now reads:
Every once in a while, throw out a fake Tone of Discord without actually using chakra to try to get him to needlessly disrupt his. Keep him on his toes by regularly feinting in as though you're going to go all out to try and bait out his Great Fireball.

I think that regularly feinting in as though we are going to engage him in melee will either force him to exhaust himself keeping us at bay, or give us free opportunities to get up close and personal if he doesn't.

EDIT: On a third pass I'm adding another edit. it will read "If he doesn't contest you closing in on him, take the opportunity to punish him for it." to the feint.

Plan Skirmish now reads: (Spoilered for brevity)
[x] Plan: Skirmish
- Sasuke is an expert in trap-setting and almost certainly expects you to get all up in his face. Start off by playing to his expectations and getting all up in that grill. However, when he eventually disengages, rather than rushing back in, keep your distance. Focus on dodging his attacks while pelting him with the occasional shuriken or Tone of Discord (vertigo/confusion). Every once in a while, throw out a fake Tone of Discord without actually using chakra to try to get him to needlessly disrupt his. Keep him on his toes by regularly feinting in as though you're going to go all out to try to bait out his Great Fireball. If he doesn't contest you closing in on him, take the opportunity to punish him for it. Try to turn this into a battle of attrition and act more tired than you really are to try and bait him to attack you. If he refuses to come at you, wait until he's either tired or distracted, hit him with a vertigo tone, and surprise him with a Mr. Straw + Kawarimi combo to get into close range behind him out of nowhere and end the fight with an Endless Blade.
 
Last edited:
Twelve Angry Jounin (and one happy one) by Rhodes (canon)
@Vesvius
So I did a thing! This one kind of got away from me, I was going to write an omake about Asuma following Daisuke around for a day, but then Sarutobi hit me in the schnoz and said "No! You'll write about me!" and Kurenai and Kakashi followed up with a devastating combo attack, so here we are:

Rule #72: Always beware a pleased Shinobi - One Hundred Shinobi Axioms

You're not a big fan of responsibility.

Oh, you keep your promises and you'll do your duty, of course. But taking on extra work? Doing more than anyone asks of you? Only bad things lie down that road.

So when you were asked to teach a Genin team, you answered with a firm, unequivocating no. You're not a fan of kids either, and you have better things to do with your time than herding a pack of brats.

Then, naturally, your father got involved and you had to compromise.

"I get to fail them if they're too much of a pain."

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the once and current Hokage nods in acquiescence. "Naturally, every Jounin-Sensei has that choice." His lips curl down into a frown as he says this. "Don't think you can use that as an excuse though. It's my understanding that this year's Genin are particularly talented."

You sigh, light up a cigarette and take a drag. Your father mirrors you with his pipe.

"Fine."

The Hokage's grim façade transforms as his frown becomes a pleased smile. "Wonderful, I know you will make a very good sensei, Asuma."

"Alright, alright, quit lookin' so damn pleased with yourself old man." You grunt, ruthlessly squashing any feelings of embarrassment. "So… you got what you want, what now?"

"Now, where was it…" Your father shuffles some papers across his desk, "Ah, here it is. You will be meeting with the rest of the prospective Jounin-Sensei in room 136, third floor." He says as he hands you a scroll from across his desk.

Your brow furrows as you accept it. "They're all already in a meeting."

Your father responds with a gallic shrug, "Well, all but one anyway."

"You knew I'd say yes."

The Sandaime puts on a kind, grandfatherly smile. Of course on anyone else, it would be called a smirk. "That is the nature of my job, I'm afraid."

You take a deep breath and exhale. You're a grown-ass man, have been for a while now, but you've found that nothing quite makes you feel as though you're a child playing at ninja like when your old man pulls this shit.

"Fine." You grit out, making your way out of the office.

Your father's call wishing you good luck is cut off as the thick door to his office firmly shuts.

You take your time heading down to the third floor. It's petty, making all of your fellow Jounin wait on you, but the small act of rebellion helps soothe your nerves as you peruse the Jounin-Sensei registration form in your hands.

You shoulder your way into the meeting room, still browsing the scroll, when a voice makes you look up from your reading.

"Asuma!" Yuhi Kurenai is the very picture of pleased, "I wasn't expecting to see you here, are you going to be a sensei too?"

What little is left of your irritation melts away like snow in the spring sun as you adopt a nonchalant pose and your mouth slides into an easy grin. "Guess so. Turns out old monkeys can be pretty wily."

Kurenai huffs, honestly, it's kind of cute, how she gets all prickly when you're so familiar with your old man. "You're doing it again, at least save it for when we're off duty."

"Oh?" You ask, arching your eyebrow. "When we're off duty, huh? You got something you wanna say to me Yuhi?"

"Stop it," your teammate giggles, a light dusting of red coating her cheekbones. "You know what I meant."

You sigh in mock disappointment. "I guess I'll never get you to ask me out. What a shame."

"You know that's supposed to be the man's job, right?" She asks, fighting to keep her face placid even as her lips twitch into a small smile.

You offer back a careless shrug. "I suppose I'll have to get around to it one of these days." You let the silence stretch, observing Yuhi's face turn a distinctly charming shade of pink before moving on. "What are you doing here anyway? Your maternal instinct finally get the better of you?"

Kurenai huffs out a small laugh, her father's words on the night of the Kyuubi attack had become an old inside joke between the two of you. He was never going to live them down. Still, the amusement fades from her face as she turns pensive, "It's been five years, you know. Since my last student."

"Yakumo." You say, acutely feeling the levity drain out of the atmosphere between the two of you.

Kurenai nods, "I just got to thinking, you know, it's been five whole years since that whole mess. Maybe it's time to try again, right?"

"You always were a sore loser, Yuki." You chuckle.

"I am not!" She says, mock scowling up at you. Well, maybe it's a real scowl, but you'll take it over the melancholy look any day.

Before the two of you can devolve into playful bickering, Ebisu primly clears his throat from the other end of the room. "If the two of you are done flirting, perhaps we can proceed with the meeting?"

You both look up at the special Jounin, snapped out of your own little world. Then you scan the rest of the room. Hatake, the smug bastard, waves cheerfully at the pair of you.

"Uh, right, yeah, uhh…" You mutter lamely as the two of you separate with matching blushes.

Ebisu nods in satisfaction, impatience assuaged at long last. "As we all know, there is one month left until the Konoha Ninja Academy graduates its latest class." Wait, really? "Obviously, an essential part of forming a good team is that the instructor should have a high compatibility index with his students." Ebisu lectures the group of jonin in the room. "To wit, I have devised a method by which we can most efficiently ascertain which jonin is most fit for-"

"How about we just pick straws?" Kakashi suggests, pulling a handful of senbon from seemingly nowhere.

Ebisu sputters at the interruption, but before he can get a word in edgewise, there's a resounding round of approval from the entire room.

You'd feel bad for Ebisu, really, you would. But you've sat through far too many of his lectures before to ignore the warning signs.

"Do you mean to randomly assign teams, Hatake!? That's madness!" Ebisu all but shouts at the elite Jounin.

"Of course not, Ebisu-san," Kakashi says, all reassurance and respect, "but surely it would be best if we had some time to observe the students we may one day teach, no?"

Ebisu frowns, sensing a trap. "I suppose… But I'll have you know, this is all highly irreg-"

"Fantastic." Kakashi cuts off a sputtering Ebisu once more, "Well then, everyone pick a straw - well, senbon."

Something about the single eye you can see seems far too pleased with itself. You don't like it. Still, better this than a lecture from Ebisu you suppose.

Kurenai draws her straw "Hyuuga." She says, frowning minutely.

"Ooh, good draw, Yuhi-san, that girl is quite studious." Kakashi smiles beatifically (you assume), "Well, you're next Asuma, come now, don't be shy."

Kakashi is acting… very odd today. Not at all laconic, chipper even, on time (or at least a reasonable estimation thereof), you're starting to sense a trap yourself. Still, better to walk into a trap prepared to dodge than try to avoid it and catch a face full of kunai. You take your pick and feel your brow furrow in confusion as you read it. "Satomura? Can't say I've heard that name before."

"Tsk tsk, Sarutobi-san, you don't know about Daisuke-kun? He and the littlest Uchiha are competing for rookie of the year, you know." Kakashi says, once again looking far too pleased with himself.

Satomura, huh? You don't recognize the name, so he's almost certainly civilian-born. It's not unheard of for students with no ninja parents to end up Rookie of the Year of course, but as far as you understand this year's class was supposed to be packed to the brim with heirs from the Clans. Either this kid's punching way above his paygrade or all of your fellow would-be sensei are about to be thoroughly disappointed.

You're so caught up in the mystery of your new observation target that you largely ignore the rest of the prospective Sensei as they draw their straws and have their various picks be praised by Hatake.

Then, as Hatake takes his own senbon, his eye grinning like the cat who caught the canary, there's a *pop*, a burst of smoke, the sound of a senbon needle falling to the floor, and an outraged going on livid Ebisu right behind where Kakashi used to be.

"HAAAA-TAAAA-KEEEEE!" He roars, prompting the various jonin in the room to scatter. Ebisu is utterly impossible to be around when properly mad - well, unless your name is Anko Mitarashi anyway, apparently she finds his unending, breathless rants hilarious.

At a safe distance from ground zero, you take a look at your senbon once more. "Satomura, huh?" You say to yourself. "Well, maybe today won't be such a waste after all."

So yeah, that's a thing. Also, can we just spare a moment of thought for Asuma and Kurenai's third teammate? That guy's gotta feel like the thirdiest third wheel that ever wheeled.

And the Sequel is now up as well: Following Satomura
 
Last edited:
@Vesvius: What difference is there between Journeyman and Expert Genjutsu? Like is Daisuke better/more efficient/etc with his pre-existing Genjutsu, or does it only help with learning new ones? In addition, is there value to using Mastered Tone (beyond lower Charka cost) instead of Intermediate Song?
 
Daisuke Genin
@Vesvius Drew Daisuke as a genin wearing his current hoodie. Also Sephiroth hair.

Nah you got it all wrong its Mizuki Hair. How else do you think we got the idea to keep it that way but observation of a man that wastes the full potential of said hairstyle? (Bandana that's so last decade) He must think we are the best just because our hairstyle mimics his that or he thinks we are kiss ass.
 
Last edited:
Raising the overhead skill makes the individual techniques better in general.

To what degree, *shrugs* Narritive quest. Whatever Ves feels like in a given update.
 
In Daisuke's opinion, Sasuke is one of the classes stronger hand to hand combatants, usually ranking somewhere in the top five at all times. However it isn't his strongest field; he's much better with ninjutsu. He's the only one in class to demonstrate an elemental proficiency and his Academy Three are all solid. But his real strength is combining his ninjutsu with tools. Sasuke is tops in the class at shurikenjutsu and he's a good shot with a kunai. However, his favorite tricks all involve ninja wire.
So remotely controlled shuriken that are thrown after a fireball to obscure it. Meep, how are we going to win?

Our best bet would be to use illusions that disrupt his sense of depth. Tho if he figures out what we're doing he'd problably just throw his small arms around like confetty. Shotgun.

Yeah! Our illusions should be made to make us look better and make him perform or look worse.

As for the tree sticking exercise, it gives us greater mobility and traction.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top