Lost on the Road of Life (An AU Naruto Quest)

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Double reaction post. @Shrooms , you're getting one too, and I'm sorry I'm just now seeing the Omake

A hand tapped him on the shoulder and an older woman said, "There ya are! I was wonderin' when ya'd show up." He swung a sickle out of reflex and the woman caught it between her thumb and forefinger. Kagato glanced around, noticing he was already in the camp. The woman who stopped his blade was… well, 'hag' wasn't appropriate yet, but the transformation would be complete in ten years or less. Her hair was graying, her skin wrinkling, and her maniacal grin was already complete.

"Dispel!"

He was actually sitting on a log next to the woman…?

"Hmm, not bad. A little slow, but then, ya blind folks tend to be, eh?"

Kagato stood immediately. He had many questions, but the first one he asked was, "What do you mean, blind?"

"Ya don't See," she replied, as if stating the obvious. She spoke to him, now from across the fire. "Although yer case seems to be exceptionally severe. Yeh've been stumblin' blind for some time now."

... Are you perhaps a fan of the new She-ra? Because this seems like a very good take on Madam Razz.

The older woman rolled her eyes. "Yeesh, ya need a reason ta do everything? Sounds exhausting."


Nice. Cool. Love the reference, madam Razz is great. And glad my read was accurate as well.

"What, did ya think yeh'd be tearin' holes in time 'n space with tha power 'o friendship?"

That's some meta cross-reality self-burn there. But also, yes, absolutely that's what I think, and I'll continue to think that until it happens or I die.


Nice. Clever. Terrifying.

There is no wisdom without ignorance. There is no success without failure. And there is no strength without weakness. My grandfather wove a pretty picture about doing your utmost with what you have, and there is honor there. But my father taught me a deeper Truth than that. One that even you understand. There is purpose in withholding your power. To keep it from the hands of the unworthy, power can and must be seized from their grasp, even if you do nothing with it afterward. My father loathed the idea of taking Michio's birthright from him. He did it anyways, because he knew that Michio was not ready to wield that authority. You deemed your predecessor a liability to the clan, for better or worse. You removed their power, taking it for yourself, as you believed that when it would one day be needed, only you would be capable of using it the way it must be used."

Kagato leaned forward, pressing his own forehead against Kamageddon's, as he continued his speech, his veins brimming with energy. "My intentions with your people matter, yes, what I request your power for is important. But it is irrelevant compared to the Truth brimming within me; that I am responsible for ensuring that power is never used by the unworthy. That is what power means to me. It's the piece my grandfather was missing. It isn't about the ability to effect change, it is the responsibility to do so in the face of others effecting change of their own. My grandfather was thinking like a Mantis. But no Man is an island. There is no world in which Men cannot account for the decisions of others and expect success. It was only by isolating myself that I finally realized… In spite of being alone, there wasn't a single major decision I'd ever made that wasn't about another. Even now… there's too many people that need me to succeed."

There are so many children out there who grow up without their mothers. Who lose their fathers far too young.

Hey, look at him actually thinking things through and trying to build off of wisdom, rather than just grapple with it.

Also, guts to stand up next to a boss summon, we love to see it (when they don't die at least).

Also, I forgot to quote it, but it's so nice reading a character who actually properly considers Op-sec.

Summoning Technique! Kamanche! Kamalot! Kamara! Kamasutra! Kamaflauge! Kamanda!"

These names are so good. Even if one is deeply disturbing in its considerations.

You didn't earn a miracle."

"I know."

Michio had learned to care for something more than himself after all. The arrival of Hyuuto had done what Ryōta and Chikara had failed to do. Right in what should have been his moment of triumph, Kagato's willpower failed him. Or perhaps, it saved him.

Peace came over him as he came to grips with his decision. He said at last, "I'm not interested in taking any more fathers from their families, if I can help it. Provided that they act the part of a father, of course."

Michio gazed at him, likely delirious with pain in an already confusing situation.

He grabbed Michio's chin, to be sure he was really hearing him properly, and Michio's eyes regained some focus. "Listen! I expect that boy to become nothing like you. Understand? I'll be checking back in on your heir's development, and I will find him new mentors if I find you passing on any of your worst habits.

Big bad grim Reaper cousin, coming to town, checking up on you, scaring and scarring everyone else. Sounds pretty awesome, honestly. This is the sort of social care we love to see.

Very awesome, and very long, Omake. I deeply enjoy the near religious perception of the Wind by the clan, and their interaction with it. It feels powerful, not broken, and was a cool way to differently convey info. It was a great self-contained story, and I hope to see more of your writing soon.

And speaking of hoping to see writing soon...

"And Hatake?" Kagato said. Kakashi paused. "Though it is a sad tale, I'm glad to have had the chance to retell it. It is not everyone who comes before me that bothers to ask how I came into my own power."

That's nice, honestly. Getting a chance to talk about trauma can go a long way. And certainly, Kakashi can learn some lessons about some of the actors involved in the story.

Also, I didn't want to steal the dude's scroll before, but I definitely don't want to now. Not that I believe that we can, but...

Gongen had laughed at him… but Kagato had neatly explained that fighting alongside someone whose chief goal is to capture or kill you was not a tactically sound decision

He's not wrong. I don't think I voted Dragon, but I did see the importance of interacting with him. Still, I think we could have justified being constantly on guard in any situation.

Kakashi looked up apologetically as Kamanta continued his angry tirade at the two Leaf ninja. Well, one.

Oof. That has to hurt Kakashi every time he things about it. Good little dig there.

Dragon finally spoke, voice muffled and warped. "Follow all my instructions. Communicate your observations. Keep fifty feet of distance."

Exactly 50 feet? That reminds me of something. But at least he's willing to work with us for the time being. And respect for the commitment to obscurity even all the way out here.

Despite the massive damage, the creature somehow kept regenerating through it -- this wasn't a beast Kakashi could have handled.

Dragon dropped an explosive tag into its open skull and leapt off, coming down thirty feet in a surely-painful roll

Clearly Kakashi hasn't learned the "explosions solve everything" lesson yet. Darn shame. We'll clearly need to fix that.

A massive burrowing lizard burst out of the ground, filling the air with mud and dust. Kakashi dodged its jaws. Dragon didn't. A moment later, Dragon burst out of its side, covered in gore, then spun and let loose a Fire Dragon Bullet that incinerated it from the inside out.

Okay that's just plain badass. I'm appropriately upping my danger level of this person. Also appreciating their ability to keep to a theme.

Admittedly, spamming Chidori made him a bit of a one-trick pony. Still, it was a damn good trick

We really need to work on getting a couple consistent new shinies. I'd love a better range option, honestly. And more Chakra. Always more Chakra.

Still, resting in a static position while a fight was waged not four hundred yards away, and having to accept that the tactical commanders would keep the lines stable and beasts from approaching the rest and medical areas while he rested? That was a level of stability in a fight that would never happen in the Elemental Nations.

Funny how much different things are when you're not constantly trying to murder your neighbor.

Each fight was fought at maximum intensity, and if you had tried your two best tricks and they didn't work, then you were fucked and had to retreat

Is it bad my mind immediately went to "how many people try to play at one level higher and have third best trick", followed shortly after by "'rule two is your opponent plays at level 2, and so should you'"?

If there was one Sage-given blessing from this tiring and wildly dangerous fight, it was that Kamanta had gotten bored of prodding and insulting him, and simply kept quiet, hanging on tightly to Kakashi's shoulder as he fought. Actually, no, it would probably be that fun-looking area-of-effect Lightning ninjutsu the Tennou jounin had used. But Kamanta's silence was a close runner-up.

Ooh, looking forward to seeing that on paper. Range AoE is always neat. Not that fire dragons aren't great, we'll need to do a proper comparison.

Kakashi felt a sudden chill in his blood deeper than anything he had felt in Snow. He recognized the ninja that was moving to fight the creature. No, moving beyond the creature. The ninja passed it by and accelerated once he was through the final thick wave of monsters coming from the east.

He wore a simple mask with one hole for his eyes, smooth lines of black paint striking a contrast with the greyish material. He carried a bladed chain with a spiked tip, a weapon he used with incredible precision as he fought the few beasts that tried to strike him.

He was the man who killed Minato-sensei.

Daaaaang. Okay, we can't let this go. And we definitely can't take them in a fight. We need to tell Dragon. But I think we also need to see this through, or else neither us nor Dragon will be happy.

[X] Immediately tell Dragon who we just saw. We want to take the murderer down, that's what this is all about. Go after them, with Dragons help (or really Dragon with slightly our help, honestly). Prioritize capturing the murderer over safety or greater odds of future escape.

Very risky. But if we can get them, then game over becomes a good end. And Dragon wants to get them too. If Dragon tells us to hang back, sure, but I don't they'll want that.
 
Seconded. My mind currently goes "chakra" and then "TH-ing," in terms of stat-priorities.
We can buy 2 levels of CR right now for an extra round of Sharingan

Also, @Paperclipped @MMKII are you carrying over the change to Element Stunts from MfD? (It was essentially that 500XP of the 1000XP for the stunt carries over into the jutsu you were using to practice the element, everything else staying the same from before the change. That way the stunt is actually worth buying)
 
We can buy 2 levels of CR right now for an extra round of Sharingan.
I'd be okay with spending our xp that way, but I'm not sure whether or not we'd be able to do it right at this moment.

On one hand: Kakashi has been too busy killing monsters, no time for focused training.

On the other hand: Kakashi has been spamming Chidori and it may be allowed under the narrative excuse of "straining his reserves has expanded Kakashi's chakra pool, similar to working out."

If leveling Kakashi's xp under the second point is allowed, then there would have to be an amount of good faith on the part of the playerbase not to leverage this towards trying to get free level ups ("We fought last chapter and nearly emptied our chakra pool! We should get a free point of chakra because it happened one time, 29 chapters ago!"). I don't think we'd have trouble with that (this community is pretty damned awesome), but it's still a potential (if unlikely) outcome worth acknowledging.
 
[X] Tell Dragon about the Masked Man, let him deal with it
[X] (-1 FP) Declare Kagato is Within Earshot
 
Also, @Paperclipped @MMKII are you carrying over the change to Element Stunts from MfD? (It was essentially that 500XP of the 1000XP for the stunt carries over into the jutsu you were using to practice the element, everything else staying the same from before the change. That way the stunt is actually worth buying)
In some way or another, for the most part. Might remove some of the finnicky rules with training and just houserule it in -- training the thing requires spending the time narratively and you don't get to dodge that.

tl;dr: Yes, probably. I don't know what that looks like at the moment (are we going to say its baked in already or reallocate things?).



I feel like there is generally a bit of caution from the playerbase when it comes to Declarations. This is probably sensible to some degree, but I wouldn't emphasize it at the limit of fun and creativity-- the point of this mechanic existing is to give you a narrative lever to pull. Declarations are in a very real sense one of the major reasons Fate Points are valuable in the first place. Sure, you can use them mechanically to buff things in combat situations or in contested dice rolls, but that's not all they are. The point of FATE is that this stockpile of points gives you some amount of wiggle room, if you're willing to use it.

Here's some food for thought options to start (I'm not saying these would be approved or just magically solve the problems at hand, to be clear):


1) Declaration: In addition to some advice and bad jokes, Jiraiya gave you a super-duper emergency-use only seal to pop out in case you really needed something extra when the chips were down.
(NB: The spirit of this is "What if Kakashi had something useful in his armory for this very situation" which we might find is better answered by "He bought it when interacting with that sketchy chap a few chapters back." )

2) Declaration: An unforeseen ally shows up in the nick of time.

3) Declaration: The Kakashi in this last scene (who is narratively separate from the particular instance of the character in other scene fragments in this chapter) is actually a Shadow Clone. Kakashi Prime is getting patched up in the medic area.

4) Declaration: Character X (where this is actually a name) is a stone's throw away and might be of assistance if things come to blows.
 
Double reaction post. @Shrooms , you're getting one too, and I'm sorry I'm just now seeing the Omake



... Are you perhaps a fan of the new She-ra? Because this seems like a very good take on Madam Razz.





Nice. Cool. Love the reference, madam Razz is great. And glad my read was accurate as well.



That's some meta cross-reality self-burn there. But also, yes, absolutely that's what I think, and I'll continue to think that until it happens or I die.



Nice. Clever. Terrifying.



Hey, look at him actually thinking things through and trying to build off of wisdom, rather than just grapple with it.

Also, guts to stand up next to a boss summon, we love to see it (when they don't die at least).

Also, I forgot to quote it, but it's so nice reading a character who actually properly considers Op-sec.



These names are so good. Even if one is deeply disturbing in its considerations.



Big bad grim Reaper cousin, coming to town, checking up on you, scaring and scarring everyone else. Sounds pretty awesome, honestly. This is the sort of social care we love to see.

Very awesome, and very long, Omake. I deeply enjoy the near religious perception of the Wind by the clan, and their interaction with it. It feels powerful, not broken, and was a cool way to differently convey info. It was a great self-contained story, and I hope to see more of your writing soon.

And speaking of hoping to see writing soon...



That's nice, honestly. Getting a chance to talk about trauma can go a long way. And certainly, Kakashi can learn some lessons about some of the actors involved in the story.

Also, I didn't want to steal the dude's scroll before, but I definitely don't want to now. Not that I believe that we can, but...



He's not wrong. I don't think I voted Dragon, but I did see the importance of interacting with him. Still, I think we could have justified being constantly on guard in any situation.



Oof. That has to hurt Kakashi every time he things about it. Good little dig there.



Exactly 50 feet? That reminds me of something. But at least he's willing to work with us for the time being. And respect for the commitment to obscurity even all the way out here.



Clearly Kakashi hasn't learned the "explosions solve everything" lesson yet. Darn shame. We'll clearly need to fix that.



Okay that's just plain badass. I'm appropriately upping my danger level of this person. Also appreciating their ability to keep to a theme.



We really need to work on getting a couple consistent new shinies. I'd love a better range option, honestly. And more Chakra. Always more Chakra.



Funny how much different things are when you're not constantly trying to murder your neighbor.



Is it bad my mind immediately went to "how many people try to play at one level higher and have third best trick", followed shortly after by "'rule two is your opponent plays at level 2, and so should you'"?



Ooh, looking forward to seeing that on paper. Range AoE is always neat. Not that fire dragons aren't great, we'll need to do a proper comparison.



Daaaaang. Okay, we can't let this go. And we definitely can't take them in a fight. We need to tell Dragon. But I think we also need to see this through, or else neither us nor Dragon will be happy.

[X] Immediately tell Dragon who we just saw. We want to take the murderer down, that's what this is all about. Go after them, with Dragons help (or really Dragon with slightly our help, honestly). Prioritize capturing the murderer over safety or greater odds of future escape.

Very risky. But if we can get them, then game over becomes a good end. And Dragon wants to get them too. If Dragon tells us to hang back, sure, but I don't they'll want that.
Reaction posts are always all the warm fuzzies. Take +3 XP. And since @Shrooms's omake has been extremely-questionably-canonized, I'll give an extra +2.
 
Also, @Paperclipped @MMKII are you carrying over the change to Element Stunts from MfD? (It was essentially that 500XP of the 1000XP for the stunt carries over into the jutsu you were using to practice the element, everything else staying the same from before the change. That way the stunt is actually worth buying)
My current plan absent MMK's preference was to basically do that, splitting the refund XP across jutsu in the the learned Earth and Fire elements and perhaps some new jutsu.
I'd be okay with spending our xp that way, but I'm not sure whether or not we'd be able to do it right at this moment.
I would allow XP expenditure right now. Seems vaguely anime for Kakashi, faced with a tough situation, to find a little more energy to keep going.
If leveling Kakashi's xp under the second point is allowed, then there would have to be an amount of good faith on the part of the playerbase not to leverage this towards trying to get free level ups ("We fought last chapter and nearly emptied our chakra pool! We should get a free point of chakra because it happened one time, 29 chapters ago!"). I don't think we'd have trouble with that (this community is pretty damned awesome), but it's still a potential (if unlikely) outcome worth acknowledging.
You would still need XP to spend.
2) Declaration: An unforeseen ally shows up in the nick of time.
I would be fine with this as an extension of "an ally is there to help!", which is basically 4. Though I might charge an extra FP for making me figure out who would be helpful and plausible in the situation, of course.
3) Declaration: The Kakashi in this last scene (who is narratively separate from the particular instance of the character in other scene fragments in this chapter) is actually a Shadow Clone. Kakashi Prime is getting patched up in the medic area.
In this case, I actually wouldn't allow it. In general, I'd be fine with using Declares to swap Kakashi with Shadow Clones, but the CP is being tracked closely here and Kakashi was fighting at full strength -- there's no plausible way he could have made an SC.
 
This is a decent start, I think. Suggestions welcome as usual

[X] The Heart of the Dragon
Word Count: 227
  • Convert XP to 3 FP.
  • (-1 FP) Declare Kagato is Within Earshot
  • (-1 FP) Declare That Kakashi and Sugiyama Arranged a Rendezvous Location In Case Kakashi Had to Flee From Dragon
  • (-1 FP) DYNAMIC ENTRY!
  • Point out the Intangible Man to Dragon
    • SPEECH! SPEECH!
      • That man is responsible for Kushina and Minato-sensei's death.
      • Kakashi will not return to Leaf under any circumstance until the Intangible Man is captured or dead. An insider leaked Kushina's location, so Kakashi can't trust anyone else to pursue the killer and keep Leaf safe, and Minato-sensei entrusted him to get to the bottom of the it.
      • It was Kushina's last wish that Kakashi kill the bastard that orphaned Naruto.
      • Kakashi doubts Dragon cares about any appeals to emotion, but he understands the pursuit of the mission at all costs, doesn't he?
      • Kakashi can't beat the Intangible Man right now, but he intends to find out why he's here.
    • Inform the others of Intangible Man's threat level
      • The Intangible Man fought evenly with the Fourth Hokage
      • He can selectively phase through attacks
      • Fighting him alone would be impossible for any of us
  • Surveil the Intangible Man but do not engage, run if pursued. Triple check that Dragon isn't trying to capture you at all times.
    • Prepare substitution targets such as Earth Clones, etc. to expedite escape if necessary.
    • Retreat if Kakashi thinks there is no more useful information to be gained.
 
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Also, since we are permitted to buy skills right now, I'm going to propose we buy more chakra. An extra 20 chakra is an additional Substitution, could come in clutch if we need to get away from Dragon.

[X] Training Plan: Reserves
Chakra Reserves 41 -> 43
Spend 170XP, keep 62XP.
 
This is a decent start, I think. Suggestions welcome as usual

[X] The Heart of the Dragon
Word Count: 227
  • (-1 FP) Declare Kagato is Within Earshot
  • (-1 FP) Declare That Kakashi and Sugiyama Arranged a Rendezvous Location In Case Kakashi Had to Flee From Dragon
  • Point out the Intangible Man to Dragon
    • SPEECH! SPEECH!
      • That man is responsible for Kushina and Minato-sensei's death.
      • Kakashi will not return to Leaf under any circumstance until the Intangible Man is captured or dead. An insider leaked Kushina's location, so Kakashi can't trust anyone else to pursue the killer and keep Leaf safe, and Minato-sensei entrusted him to get to the bottom of the it.
      • It was Kushina's last wish that Kakashi kill the bastard that orphaned Naruto.
      • Kakashi doubts Dragon cares about any appeals to emotion, but he understands the pursuit of the mission at all costs, doesn't he?
      • Kakashi can't beat the Intangible Man right now, but he intends to find out why he's here.
    • Inform the others of Intangible Man's threat level
      • The Intangible Man fought evenly with the Fourth Hokage
      • He can selectively phase through attacks
      • Fighting him alone would be impossible for any of us
  • Surveil the Intangible Man but do not engage, run if pursued. Triple check that Dragon isn't trying to capture you at all times.
    • Prepare substitution targets such as Earth Clones, etc. to expedite escape if necessary.
    • Retreat if Kakashi thinks there is no more useful information to be gained.
Add in [X] DYNAMIC ENTRY and you've got my vote.
 
Add in [X] DYNAMIC ENTRY and you've got my vote.

Fuck it, why not. If they reject the declaration they reject the declaration :V

This is a decent start, I think. Suggestions welcome as usual

[X] The Heart of the Dragon
Word Count: 227
  • Convert XP to 3 FP.
  • (-1 FP) Declare Kagato is Within Earshot
  • (-1 FP) Declare That Kakashi and Sugiyama Arranged a Rendezvous Location In Case Kakashi Had to Flee From Dragon
  • (-1 FP) DYNAMIC ENTRY!

I also added converting some XP to FP, it's worth it if it gets Dragon off our backs a bit
 
[X] The Heart of the Dragon
[X] Training Plan: Reserves
 
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[X] Training Plan: Reserves

I also added converting some XP to FP, it's worth it if it gets Dragon off our backs a bit

Remind me the exchange rate on that again? I also don't think a speech is ideal, since this seems Very time sensitive. I am, however, in favor of Mantis Master hearing.

[X] (-1 FP) Declare Kagato is Within Earshot
 
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Adhoc vote count started by Paperclipped on Nov 19, 2021 at 5:21 PM, finished with 39 posts and 7 votes.
  • 12

    [X] The Heart of the Dragon
    [X] Tell Dragon about the Masked Man, let him deal with it
    [X] (-1 FP) Declare Kagato is Within Earshot
    [X] Training Plan: Reserves
    [X] Immediately tell Dragon who we just saw. We want to take the murderer down, that's what this is all about. Go after them, with Dragons help (or really Dragon with slightly our help, honestly). Prioritize capturing the murderer over safety or greater odds of future escape.
    [X] DYNAMIC ENTRY


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