[X] Into the Lion's Maw
Game of the Year: A Naruto Quest
- Thread starter Vesvius
- Start date
- Location
- Koszalin, Poland
Not only that. Naruto characters can be absurdly durable, even those considered cannon fodder or genin level. Some evidence with Child Uchiha Sasuke, you know, complete cannon fodder when compared to some other shinobi, like Kage level ones.
Anime scene presents it even better, but it's pretty much genin Sasuke literally crushed into the rock formation with the force that would splatter normal human or at best crush most of bones of normal human. He's hurt, but later on he keeps fighting and if perfectly functional.
Or this. This is pretty much Sasuke dropping from a very high altitude and tanking it. So yeah, durability is something that shinobi don't complain about.
Anime scene presents it even better, but it's pretty much genin Sasuke literally crushed into the rock formation with the force that would splatter normal human or at best crush most of bones of normal human. He's hurt, but later on he keeps fighting and if perfectly functional.
Or this. This is pretty much Sasuke dropping from a very high altitude and tanking it. So yeah, durability is something that shinobi don't complain about.
Usernames
Merc gonna merc ya
Sasuke should have died from that. The rival character and last loyal Uchiha member to the village hidden to the leaf dying to what was thought to be an C rank mission. Naruto can get away with that kind of BS but not Sasuke. The fact he was even able to talk is a miracle.Fun Example of Ninja Durability!
That shit went through his throat/neck and his spine. Not just 1 but 5. Not including the ones that hit his back and his arms and legs. Also his torso.
....God naruto had soul in the first arc or 3.
[X] To Know Oneself
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-Not as dangerous doesn't mean safe though. There's no point to taking unnecessary risks in peacetime.
-This says nothing about their ability to do the job.
You're tough. Nice. Can you coordinate with other people to retrieve a cat without squashing it accidentally? Will you start a fight with a teammate on a mission over division of labor, the way Daisuke and Marino started squabbling over table space? Or unintentionally aggravate them, like Kiba talking about
More to the whole ninja thing than pure combat viability.
Furthermore it bears remembering that some injuries can't just be shrugged off. Even by Naruto ninja. Lose an eye to a cat lashing out in panic and you're fucked without an organ donor. Or stumble into poisonous/toxic materials.
Ghostdevil
The Devil of Ghosts
- Location
- United States
Based on Naruto literally squeezing the cat and just getting scratched in the face and have only... no training before getting the mission, i would say yes.
Thing is... this doesn't seem to be an isolated case of ninja remaining standing after taking INSANE damage. This just... seems like something Ninja can do.
WinterLantern
Smoked bird
- Location
- North England
Yeah they weren't
- Location
- Italy
That doesn't really count, Haku was so bullshit he could fill you with senbon without killing you.Fun Example of Ninja Durability!
Sasuke IS durable, but in that case it's really all about Haku's skill.
He had a curse mark though, and that uses natural energy, which makes you a lot better in terms of stamina/durability. Honestly Naruto/Sasuke at the Valley of the end, in terms of pure combat strenght, were probably AT LEAST at the level of special jounin, possibly even jounin (mostly due to bijuu cloak/cursed seal, but even without them they were already above most chunin)
Kakashi did not throw Team 7 into a Tora mission without training.
Just the tactical radios they were using in that mission requires instruction to use.
This.
Actual examples of ninja durability includes shit like Tenten landing back first on a metal fan without permanent injury.
Or Neji getting a crater blown through his left chest by a harpoon and still going on to murder Kidomaru.
And then instead of bleeding out in the first minute or drowning in his own blood like you'd expect from that sort of chest injury, he survived long enough to be retrieved by first responders.
And returned to active duty.
IT's a testament to her skill that he ain't dead. It's a testament to Sasuke's that he's standing and talking, and not just passed out.
Chakra, I assume they can either manipulate the heat or momentarily insulate themselves.
- Location
- Germany
[X] To Know Oneself
- Location
- Bulgaria
[x] To Know Oneself
TC9078
The Super Saiyan
- Location
- PA-01
Um, Haku is a boy. Otokonoko are still boys.
confusopoly
Metaphor Overextended. Ow.
- Location
- Germany
- Pronouns
- he/his
Does Haku ever say either way? I don't quite remember if they do or not.
- Location
- United States
It's the last thing he says to Naruto when they meet in the forest. "By the way, I'm a boy." And Zabuza, as I recall, refers to Haku with male pronouns.
An utterly fabulous boy, mind. But a boy nonetheless. Haku being female is a fanon thing created by writers uncomfortable with men looking like and dressing like women.
It's also possible that Haku is a trans man, though that would be purely up to interpretation and probably gives Kishimoto more credit than is due.
The Master of 36 Dark Thoughts/The Hero's Tongue by FourmyleOfCeres
- Location
- Maine
- Pronouns
- They/Them/Theirs
So, this one isn't from the Omake prompts, but it is something that I can see people wanting. Normally, after this long I'd go back and reread things to get someone's writing style down, but let's see how this turns out on memory alone.
The Thirty Six mentioned are of course the Thirty-Six Stratagems. It came out a bit more like my Samurai-Ninja omake, but that's what happens when I'm thinking about the Old Books, I guess.
And now for a crack take on the same mission.
There are three types of numbers: Important Numbers- like how much you're getting paid, Unimportant Numbers- like how many other people have tried and failed, and Figurative numbers. When people say "a million ways", they don't mean they actually counted, just that there are a lot.
Thirty-Six was supposed to be a figurative number. Six is the number of Yin, the 'dark' manipulative energy. Of course, it also brought shade and relief and many other things that people tend to forget. Thirty Six, as Six Squared, was to show that someone had reached the essence of shadow.
But there were, in fact, thirty-six basic plans for conflict. While it was truth that the thirty-sixth was the best, they could all be devastating if applied correctly. Your mother, while not a ninja, often used number three and number ten. Most ninja honed only three or four of them. The Nara clan, for instance, habitually employed four, nine, twenty-one, and twenty-seven. Your foe today was schooled in them all.
Most people would only notice that she employed number-thirty-six constantly. If all else fails, retreat. But she wouldn't be so feared if that was all she did. She was cunning, and learned from her enemies. The more people who came after her, the smarter she had gotten. It was only fitting, really. If she couldn't learn, she wouldn't have lasted very long as a member of the Daimyō's family.
Your plan, such as it was, was simply to let the others play to their strengths while you played to yours. Kiba would employ number thirteen, as was his way, and with any luck bring your foe closer to you. Meanwhile, Mariko would employ number seven. You didn't expect much from her, to be honest. Not because she wasn't skilled, she was, but because the target was simply too canny to be taken by it.
For your part you were going to chain, which was number thirty-five, ten, seventeen, and twenty-two. It was simple, elegant, and entirely your way.
Naturally, no one but Kurenai had any idea what you were talking about when you said all this. You suffered jabs about your friendship with the Nara when they found out that your plan, in the common tongue, was to sit in the park and drink tea until target came to you. Everyone noticed, however, that your idea of teamwork seemed to be 'let everyone else do the work, and take credit when it comes together.'
No one appreciates a schemer it seems.
You bought the ingredients for today's tea from the Nara clan and the 'snacks' were harvested locally. Which is how you ended up sitting under a tree with three dead squirrels, some canned fish, a bowl of smoldering catnip, some catnip tea poured in a saucer, and watching the clouds.
In the distance, you could hear Kiba and Akamaru had taken up Tora's scent and were giving merry chase. It's what they did, they stomped the grass to scare the snake. Tora was bound to get away at some point, at which point Mariko would take over. Then she'd lie her narrow little butt off, try to sweet talk the cat. Which wouldn't work because that's exactly why Tora keeps running away. Madam Shijimi was over affectionate and Tora had come to equate love and abuse. But with those two shoring up the north and the west of you respectively, Tora would be scared into your park...
And sure enough, events unfolded the way you had foreseen. There was the cat with the stripes and the bow. She was tired and timid. People had been chasing her... and then there you were. Ignoring her. With the alluring sights and smells. Despite the flavor, you lazily pulled a sardine from the can and ate it. It took every bit of acting skill you had to suppress the shudder. The catnip tea, was of course, minty and refreshing, and the saucer you set out for her was cool.
You made no moves to catch her, paid her no attention. Though you did push one of the squirrels closer to her, you did it as though you weren't aware.
A minute passed before she made her way to the squirrel and the fish. And it didn't take much longer for her to lap at the catnip water. You had made this to be an oasis for cats, and you had done a good job. Of course, others came and laid in front of the catnip bowl and you poured them their own saucers. But you'd thrown this brick to get a specific gem.
Once she was relaxed and close, you made sure there was no one behind you and flopped on your back, limbs sprawled. This was an act of submission, in a way. It was an act of trust.
It wasn't long before you were surrounded by purring, happy cats. Including your target.
They also ate all your fish, but you didn't mind.
You didn't count time, but eventually Mariko and Kurenai found you. You'd completed the mission, by not treating it as a mission. You ensnared the target by not treating her as a target, but as a friend. You also smelled like a crazy cat lady. But success was success. You took more time than others, but time was an unimportant number.
Thirty-Six was supposed to be a figurative number. Six is the number of Yin, the 'dark' manipulative energy. Of course, it also brought shade and relief and many other things that people tend to forget. Thirty Six, as Six Squared, was to show that someone had reached the essence of shadow.
But there were, in fact, thirty-six basic plans for conflict. While it was truth that the thirty-sixth was the best, they could all be devastating if applied correctly. Your mother, while not a ninja, often used number three and number ten. Most ninja honed only three or four of them. The Nara clan, for instance, habitually employed four, nine, twenty-one, and twenty-seven. Your foe today was schooled in them all.
Most people would only notice that she employed number-thirty-six constantly. If all else fails, retreat. But she wouldn't be so feared if that was all she did. She was cunning, and learned from her enemies. The more people who came after her, the smarter she had gotten. It was only fitting, really. If she couldn't learn, she wouldn't have lasted very long as a member of the Daimyō's family.
Your plan, such as it was, was simply to let the others play to their strengths while you played to yours. Kiba would employ number thirteen, as was his way, and with any luck bring your foe closer to you. Meanwhile, Mariko would employ number seven. You didn't expect much from her, to be honest. Not because she wasn't skilled, she was, but because the target was simply too canny to be taken by it.
For your part you were going to chain, which was number thirty-five, ten, seventeen, and twenty-two. It was simple, elegant, and entirely your way.
Naturally, no one but Kurenai had any idea what you were talking about when you said all this. You suffered jabs about your friendship with the Nara when they found out that your plan, in the common tongue, was to sit in the park and drink tea until target came to you. Everyone noticed, however, that your idea of teamwork seemed to be 'let everyone else do the work, and take credit when it comes together.'
No one appreciates a schemer it seems.
You bought the ingredients for today's tea from the Nara clan and the 'snacks' were harvested locally. Which is how you ended up sitting under a tree with three dead squirrels, some canned fish, a bowl of smoldering catnip, some catnip tea poured in a saucer, and watching the clouds.
In the distance, you could hear Kiba and Akamaru had taken up Tora's scent and were giving merry chase. It's what they did, they stomped the grass to scare the snake. Tora was bound to get away at some point, at which point Mariko would take over. Then she'd lie her narrow little butt off, try to sweet talk the cat. Which wouldn't work because that's exactly why Tora keeps running away. Madam Shijimi was over affectionate and Tora had come to equate love and abuse. But with those two shoring up the north and the west of you respectively, Tora would be scared into your park...
And sure enough, events unfolded the way you had foreseen. There was the cat with the stripes and the bow. She was tired and timid. People had been chasing her... and then there you were. Ignoring her. With the alluring sights and smells. Despite the flavor, you lazily pulled a sardine from the can and ate it. It took every bit of acting skill you had to suppress the shudder. The catnip tea, was of course, minty and refreshing, and the saucer you set out for her was cool.
You made no moves to catch her, paid her no attention. Though you did push one of the squirrels closer to her, you did it as though you weren't aware.
A minute passed before she made her way to the squirrel and the fish. And it didn't take much longer for her to lap at the catnip water. You had made this to be an oasis for cats, and you had done a good job. Of course, others came and laid in front of the catnip bowl and you poured them their own saucers. But you'd thrown this brick to get a specific gem.
Once she was relaxed and close, you made sure there was no one behind you and flopped on your back, limbs sprawled. This was an act of submission, in a way. It was an act of trust.
It wasn't long before you were surrounded by purring, happy cats. Including your target.
They also ate all your fish, but you didn't mind.
You didn't count time, but eventually Mariko and Kurenai found you. You'd completed the mission, by not treating it as a mission. You ensnared the target by not treating her as a target, but as a friend. You also smelled like a crazy cat lady. But success was success. You took more time than others, but time was an unimportant number.
The Thirty Six mentioned are of course the Thirty-Six Stratagems. It came out a bit more like my Samurai-Ninja omake, but that's what happens when I'm thinking about the Old Books, I guess.
And now for a crack take on the same mission.
Mariko, Kiba, and Akamaru just stared at Daisuke. Sure, he'd succeeded in the mission, but there were simply... no words for how. Near as they could tell, he'd gotten some 'special herbs' from the Nara and smoked up. The next hour or so he was stoned out of his mind, meowing like a cat, and rolling like a kitten. And every cat in a ten block radius came to join him. Occasionally, he sat up straight and made strange noises, as though telling a grand story.
Really, they'd learned some important things today. Mariko learned that most genjutsu don't work on cats, Kiba learned that just because Akamaru could get through a hole, that didn't mean he could, and Akamaru learned that Tora deserved her name.
And everyone as a group learned that Daisuke could get stoned on catnip.
Daisuke, for his part, did not learn that he could get stoned on catnip. He learned that he knew how to speak cat...
An hour earlier, from his perspective, he'd set up his little kitty bar with snacks and treats and catnip tea, with nice catnip vapor for everyone... and waited. The first several cats were not Tora, but more importantly, did something he wasn't expecting. They spoke. It wasn't the almost human meows he was used to, but something deeper, something seen and felt as much as heard.
"Hey! I found the source of those smells!" said the large black one-eyed tom as he jumped from the wall.
A younger white cat peeked over at Daisuke and the set up around him. "I don't know, Kuro, this smells like a trap to me..."
Kuro made a noise that Daisuke understood a cat-scoffing. "Leo, you're afraid of everything. Surely he wouldn't miss a fish or two. Besides, he's got a saucer set out. He's probably just one of those humans that likes us."
Daisuke spoke quietly, as to not startle them. "Please, help your selves. I'm looking for Tora."
Kuro stepped closer. "It seems you humans always are... Wait. You know the Hero's Tongue? How?"
Daisuke pushed a squirrel toward the cat. "I don't know. I don't remember learning it, but I speak it all the same."
It was a friendly brown and white tom that was the first to actually approach. He lapped heartily at the saucer and started chewing on a squirrel. "It's okay guys, I know this kid. He's that guy the squirrels are always after. Looks like he got a couple of the bastards."
Kuro buried his face in his paws. "Roku, must you? You're always charging in."
"Yeah, well, there's nothing to fear. So anyway, kid, you're looking for Tora? You're not going to take her back to her human, are you?"
Daisuke pondered. "I'm afraid I have to, but I'd rather not do anything to harm her. If I knew why she ran away, maybe I could solve things."
Roku crunched thoughtfully on squirrel skull. "Well, you're an enemy of the squirrels, so you're a friend to the cats. May as well tell you. The human is just too rough. She squeezes and restrains and strokes her all the way down. It's just no good."
Daisuke thought about this. "Yes, I could see anyone leaving a life where their family can't love nicely. I think I can explain this to her human. I don't think it's fair to anyone that people have to keep chasing poor Tora."
A tuxedo kitten was the next to pop into the area. "Oh! It's the great Squirrel Slayer!"
Kuro shook his head. "Look, I'll go get Tora if you're serious, but if you're lying to us, you'll be the enemy of more than just the squirrels."
Daisuke leaned back, showing his stomach some. "I swear, I do not wish to chase Tora, or have her be chased."
The next several minutes were spent telling the kittens with tales from the squirrel war. Daisuke had always been a good story teller.
The boy smelled like the cat equivalent to an Inuzuka, but he spoke like he was nobility himself. Which he might have been. There were stories of Cat Samurai, why not one that had become a ninja? He was quiet, but firm. He had insisted on coming back after the payment to talk, and so Madame Shijimi made her famous miso soup.
"I understand that you love Tora very much, but I'm not sure she does. Humans and cats are different in many ways." Daisuke said, before making a low chirrup noise, and Tora jumped in his lap. He absentmindedly laid a hand on her head on massaged with his thumb. "Every cat is different, but few cats like being squeezed the way you squeeze her. And laying on their back isn't a request for belly rubs, it's simply them opening up and letting their defenses down. Going to their belly is seen as a betrayal."
Tora seemed to lavish her affection on the strange ninja. Perhaps, just perhaps, the boy knew what he was talking about...
Title Unlocked:
The Cat Whisperer
Really, they'd learned some important things today. Mariko learned that most genjutsu don't work on cats, Kiba learned that just because Akamaru could get through a hole, that didn't mean he could, and Akamaru learned that Tora deserved her name.
And everyone as a group learned that Daisuke could get stoned on catnip.
Daisuke, for his part, did not learn that he could get stoned on catnip. He learned that he knew how to speak cat...
An hour earlier, from his perspective, he'd set up his little kitty bar with snacks and treats and catnip tea, with nice catnip vapor for everyone... and waited. The first several cats were not Tora, but more importantly, did something he wasn't expecting. They spoke. It wasn't the almost human meows he was used to, but something deeper, something seen and felt as much as heard.
"Hey! I found the source of those smells!" said the large black one-eyed tom as he jumped from the wall.
A younger white cat peeked over at Daisuke and the set up around him. "I don't know, Kuro, this smells like a trap to me..."
Kuro made a noise that Daisuke understood a cat-scoffing. "Leo, you're afraid of everything. Surely he wouldn't miss a fish or two. Besides, he's got a saucer set out. He's probably just one of those humans that likes us."
Daisuke spoke quietly, as to not startle them. "Please, help your selves. I'm looking for Tora."
Kuro stepped closer. "It seems you humans always are... Wait. You know the Hero's Tongue? How?"
Daisuke pushed a squirrel toward the cat. "I don't know. I don't remember learning it, but I speak it all the same."
It was a friendly brown and white tom that was the first to actually approach. He lapped heartily at the saucer and started chewing on a squirrel. "It's okay guys, I know this kid. He's that guy the squirrels are always after. Looks like he got a couple of the bastards."
Kuro buried his face in his paws. "Roku, must you? You're always charging in."
"Yeah, well, there's nothing to fear. So anyway, kid, you're looking for Tora? You're not going to take her back to her human, are you?"
Daisuke pondered. "I'm afraid I have to, but I'd rather not do anything to harm her. If I knew why she ran away, maybe I could solve things."
Roku crunched thoughtfully on squirrel skull. "Well, you're an enemy of the squirrels, so you're a friend to the cats. May as well tell you. The human is just too rough. She squeezes and restrains and strokes her all the way down. It's just no good."
Daisuke thought about this. "Yes, I could see anyone leaving a life where their family can't love nicely. I think I can explain this to her human. I don't think it's fair to anyone that people have to keep chasing poor Tora."
A tuxedo kitten was the next to pop into the area. "Oh! It's the great Squirrel Slayer!"
Kuro shook his head. "Look, I'll go get Tora if you're serious, but if you're lying to us, you'll be the enemy of more than just the squirrels."
Daisuke leaned back, showing his stomach some. "I swear, I do not wish to chase Tora, or have her be chased."
The next several minutes were spent telling the kittens with tales from the squirrel war. Daisuke had always been a good story teller.
The boy smelled like the cat equivalent to an Inuzuka, but he spoke like he was nobility himself. Which he might have been. There were stories of Cat Samurai, why not one that had become a ninja? He was quiet, but firm. He had insisted on coming back after the payment to talk, and so Madame Shijimi made her famous miso soup.
"I understand that you love Tora very much, but I'm not sure she does. Humans and cats are different in many ways." Daisuke said, before making a low chirrup noise, and Tora jumped in his lap. He absentmindedly laid a hand on her head on massaged with his thumb. "Every cat is different, but few cats like being squeezed the way you squeeze her. And laying on their back isn't a request for belly rubs, it's simply them opening up and letting their defenses down. Going to their belly is seen as a betrayal."
Tora seemed to lavish her affection on the strange ninja. Perhaps, just perhaps, the boy knew what he was talking about...
Title Unlocked:
The Cat Whisperer
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Archeo Lumiere
The Prince's Archivist
- Location
- Lumiose City, Kalos
- Pronouns
- He/Him/They/Them
I love both of these so much you can't even understand!