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Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

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Inferno Vulpix said:
I find myself leery about this because, while I haven't paid enough attention to the sealing SOP stuff to have a fully informed opinion, I do have a strong recent intuition that Hazoupilot is getting actually fairly arrogant about his own abilities. I'm not sure I want Hazoupilot deciding how much safety margin he needs on a seal.

Is there any reason this scene needs to happen at all this update? I mean, yeah, we should be doing it right afterwards, but if the QMs are saying it needs more meat and we've already filled this plan to the brim dealing with Naruto, why do we think we should be cramming this through as an afterthought at the end of the plan?

imo just strike it from the plan and deal with it next cycle. The QMs aren't gonna have Hazoupilot wander off and spend a week gambling or something just because we didn't specify to go immediately to the next meeting of this very time-sensitive day.
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Hm, yeah; this is fair. Do you think we can get away with outright striking it from the plan, or do you think I should have a shortlist of things I would need to do, like "debrief Mari" or "make sure Kei and Yuno don't fuck off before we tell them about the mission" or etc.?
 
Inferno Vulpix said:
I find myself leery about this because, while I haven't paid enough attention to the sealing SOP stuff to have a fully informed opinion, I do have a strong recent intuition that Hazoupilot is getting actually fairly arrogant about his own abilities. I'm not sure I want Hazoupilot deciding how much safety margin he needs on a seal.
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This is just how to act when we don't specify a protocol. If we're at all concerned, we will specify a protocol. We typically leave it undefined when we're confident it'll be fine. Also I usually ask Paper what Hazoupilot thinks about these things, and he's been very on point recently.
 
Alright, changes made. I have removed the aftermath section and replaced it with a simple "make sure Kei/Yuno don't leave"; the intent of this is so we can write a more detailed mission briefing/leave for the next plan cycle.

Gonna dip soon, but will be up before the deadline so please voice concerns and I will parse them before voting closes.
faflec said:
Alright, I've been convinced, at least in part. The name of my plan is inconsistent with what's happening so I've changed it up a bit and obsoleted my old plan (headsup @Inferno Vulpix). I've elected to remove the Toad Sage conversation Sir Stompy has in favor of getting the ball rolling on leaving. The Toad Sages need to be sanity-checked with people we're going with (and done properly, so they need to know why we're doing it), and at this point it's a lot of bloat in the plan (also, not enough time in-story to do it before leaving).

[X] Action Plan: It's Never Joever For Team Uplift
Word Count: <400
  • Buy 3FP.
  • Naruto:
    • We intend to take Team Uplift unless this ruins the plan.
      • Noburi:
        • Without Noburi, we can make 1 rune blank (uninfused) per day; this slows research significantly.
        • Doing paradigm-changing seal/rune research anything close to "quickly enough" requires multithreaded Shadow Clones; Noburi's needed for this.
        • High-tier runes may require him present in the Human Path to research at all.
        • If Naruto insist-insists, let Noburi and Yuno stay, and convince Naruto to let us get chakra via Seventh Path.
          • Even with this, we'll be limited to smaller runes we can shuttle between Paths (lower-tier runes), and slow us down tremendously.
          • Bigger storage seals are a way to mitigate this; can you set Manjiro on it?
      • Kagome is a fellow sealmaster.
      • Mari, Kei, and Yuno are competent fighters, Summoners, and/or sanity-checkers with unique insights that can help us.
    • How important is the "research mission" cover? We've considered sacking the Forbidden Dungeon; can we combine missions?
    • Orochimaru:
      • How much does Orochimaru know about the Rift/our mission? Hazou's willing to turn over what he's produced so far if Naruto okays it.
      • Can we collaborate with him via Seventh Path? We could still share ideas even if we have our own projects
    • Give Naruto a copy of the Akatsuki dossier, ask him to destroy it after memorizing.
      • Point out Itachi's "soul-stealing sword". If we capture it, it's a save-or-die countermeasure.
    • Things that could help us kill Akatsuki?
      • Orochimaru definitely has anti-Akatsuki countermeasures; could we get those?
      • Anything that directly affects chakra; this would disrupt Konan's and Sasori's jutsu.
      • We've greatly benefitted from studying Jiraiya's and Orochimaru's sealing notes; did your father write anything similar?
      • Itachi's Sharingan-granted precognition is problematic, especially if it's not reliant on environmental details. Is this the case?
        • We need to know if Itachi could avoid a perfect ambush by receiving information from the future.
      • We plan to ask the Toad Sages for training. Could you support our request (in writing, in person?); they think highly of you.
  • After:
    • Make sure Kei/Yuno don't leave on their mission.
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faflec said:
Gonna dip soon, but will be up before the deadline so please voice concerns and I will parse them before voting closes.
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I'd really like to know what does/doesn't obscure the sharingan's chakra-sight. (darkness? Fog cover? Other charkra sources? A solid wall?) can you please rephrase the sharingan question to ask about sharingan sensory abilities more broadly?

Edit: or just tack on a question like "what conditions obstruct Itachi's chakra-sight?"
 
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Left-Hand Mutant said:
I'd really like to know what does/doesn't obscure the sharingan's chakra-sight. (darkness? Fog cover? Other charkra sources? A solid wall?) can you please rephrase the sharingan question to ask about sharingan sensory abilities more broadly?

Edit: or just tack on a question like "what conditions obstruct Itachi's chakra-sight?"
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IMO this gets a bit too close into "searching for clan secrets" territory; I'd rather not ask Naruto, since his best friend is a Sharingan user.
 
[X] Action Plan: It's Never Joever For Team Uplift

[X] (Sealing SOP) Hol up a minute. This last-second shit is a sketchy pattern, and there's no reason to desperately rush on this. We'll fix this next cycle when we've had a moment to look carefully.
 
Left-Hand Mutant said:
[X] (Sealing SOP) Hol up a minute. This last-second shit is a sketchy pattern, and there's no reason to desperately rush on this. We'll fix this next cycle when we've had a moment to look carefully
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I have been looking at this, please tell me what I'm missing here.

We have never once followed the Sealing SOP. We always default to "do whatever Hazoupilot thinks is fine".

Why not make that the official default so we can stop wasting word count overriding our "SOP" that we do not follow.

How can it be an SOP if we never follow it?
 
Well, I'm convinced.

[X](Sealing SOP) Buggy's Competing Sealing SOP That Is Infinitely Better In Every Way And You Have To Say The Entire Name Every Time, That Means You QMs
 
[X] Action Plan: It's Never Joever For Team Uplift

The following is an attempt to generate more ideas concerning Naruto's new role for Hazou. It explores my model of what I think the next conversation would go if Hazou considered some of his more riskier and fringe options. Wish I'd thought of this sooner. I wish I had the spoons for Naruto's side of the conversation.

  1. Naruto is unconvinced about letting Noburi go. There will be a chakra crunch problem to tackle.
  2. We're not entirely confident in Naruto's cover story for us leaving.
    1. This covers the protection of the clan and loved ones.
  3. The procedure for how to handle Akatsuki if they contact Hazou isnt good enough.
  4. Mitigating possible attacks against Leaf.

Hazou's possible responses to the first issue: Naruto is unconvinced about letting Noburi go. There will be a chakra crunch problem to tackle.
  • My suggestion failed, but maybe I can negotiate with Naruto in advance according to the seals/runes in development. This will be slower and Naruto might micro-manage me in terms of what I should prioritize. I don't think he'll do that unless he really thinks training Sasuke and Ruri is worth it.
  • I can reveal the location of the cave complex in western wind so that a Leaf team with some Goketsu (maybe Nobby and myself) can acquire the lichen, mushrooms, and water. The water sounds perfect for our increasingly tighter chakra constraints.
  • Another location of interest is Kiko island, which has crabs that raise the possibility of establishing a chakra farm. Although my medical knowledge, especially concerning chakra beasts is lacking, the fact that they excrete chakra metal ore deposits in their shells suggests that they may enjoy abnormal chakra reserves compared to other chakra beasts. This could be a very promising source of chakra for Uplift and Leaf, but it won't be easy. Acquiring enough for FOOM is going to be very difficult due to their capabilities and this will likely be a major operation for Leaf and Hazou.
  • I'll prioritize plans for sage stone rune development above weapons so that FOOM is possible for Naruto's interests and the Goketsu. Ideally, this will leave enough room for Leaf to be capable of using Zoo Rush, boss summonings, and Sannin Shadow clones in emergencies.

Possible responses to the second issue: We're not entirely confident in Naruto's cover story for us leaving. This covers the protection of the clan and loved ones.

  • Taking some extended time outside of Leaf to develop seal-based weapons isn't outside of the norm for me. Most people won't bat an eye, but ensuring that my cover-story is air tight will make or break this operation. Although I'm not sure what sort of story Naruto's crafted for me, I think anti-dragon defenses and weapons would be an understandable pursuit. Itachi and Kisame have the unique position of knowing just how dangerous the dragons are and it would be expected that I'd do everything in my power to mitigate the threat of these alien beings.
  • War between Pangolin and Dog/Hyena is on the horizon. In the event that the worse case scenario happens and either Cannai or Pantsa dies, this also means that future crusades would be less likely draw on as much fire-power as the most recent one.This is dangerous considering the fact that the dragons that emerge from the GS are stronger with each successive wave. This makes it all the more critical that anti-dragon weapons are prepared in advance.
  • If these weapons also happen to be Akatsuki killers, that's just a coincidence...

Possible responses to the third issue: The procedure for how to handle Akatsuki if they contact Hazou isn't good enough.

  • Supposing that Akatsuki contacts me on the 7th path, bypassing Naruto's attempts to keep me and my research secure, I'll provide the dragon cover story from up above. The more seemingly transparent and forthcoming I am, the less I'll have to worry about an unexpected, uncontrollable shakedown.
  • It would be prudent to also go a step further when contact is made; I'll tell them about the possibility of deceased dragons being on the Naraka path and the less actionable that concerning the existence and status of other GS-teir artifacts. Both scenarios are speculation so far. But the fact that the Toad sages confirmed the Sage of Six Paths could have killed the dragons but didn't is worrying. Sentimentality, utility, or some hidden danger could be the cause. Regardless of the answer, getting Akatsuki occupied with figuring it out is good for Leaf and me.
  • The importance of avoiding another apocalyptic event and preparing for a hostile Naraka path is too important to leave up to chance. Itachi is interested in forbidden lore and well placed to confirm the existance and status of GS artifacts according to the dossier, I just need Kisame to impress the significance of it upon him. I should give the Kangaroo summoner a heads up.

Possible responses to the fourth issue: Mitigating possible attacks against Leaf.

  • Getting Akatsuki to investigate the two concerns I have would be great for occupying their time and splitting them up, slowing them down in the rift race. There's also completing the objectives that each member of Akatsuki tasked Leaf with to withhold their vote for destruction. Setting up Kisame's embassies was one of such tasks. The threat of the dragons should stay Akatsuki's hand of execution in the event that Leaf fails to meet obligations, but we shouldn't count on that. Perhaps they'll soften their conditions or provide resources if I can have a dialogue with Kisame? He seemed oddly contrite.
  • During Asuma's tenure as Hokage, he took steps to gather Leaf's sealmasters together into the seal research team to create HOWS. I'd like Naruto to do something similar for tackling defenses and weapons that answer the dragon question. Hazou will of course provide samples of corpses to such a venture. Who knows what kind of insights this could provide and the security it could grant the hidden Leaf. It doesn't hurt that it further signals to Akatsuki that I'm not focused on hindering their efforts with the rift or researching dimensionalism.
 
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  • Voting
    • Scheduled vote count started by eaglejarl on Apr 14, 2024 at 6:53 PM, finished with 281 posts and 31 votes.
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  • Voting
    • I'll admit to being somewhat uneasy (the winning plan allows for more room wrt leaving Noburi and Yuno than I would otherwise prefer), but this may simply be the neuro-spicy brain being disproportionately reactive.

    Objectively, the plan covers our bases, gives convincing arguments for why we need Noburi, and makes decent headway on collaborating with Orochimaru.

    I'm somewhat concerned Naruto won't be as logical as we hope (as was the case with Shikamaru), but I find that my major concerns (abandoning found family) are mollified to a reasonable degree.

    Thank you, @faflec, and everyone who helped optimize his plan! ^.^

    I feel moderately guilty, and wish that I had been more active this past voting cycle, but the one-two combo of pollen and a bug hit me like a truck.
     
    eaglejarl said:
    Scheduled vote count started by eaglejarl on Apr 14, 2024 at 6:53 PM, finished with 281 posts and 31 votes.
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    Voting is closed.

     
    I also forgot to vote. If there's one thing I'd like to say it's this.

    "I need to bring Kei and Mari because they advise me and protect me and sanity check me and you know how crazy stupid I can be without my sanity checkers."

    "True. Granted."

    "And also Yuno so she doesn't accidentally jashin ur whole city lol. And because she's nobby's wife and we're definitely bringing him."



    Also NO TENTEN AGAIN REEEEE
     
    Hey suddenly I have a question how do the major nations and leaf in particular feel about ninja romantic partners (married or otherwise) being separated during long-term missions? Like is it just a regrettable fact of life or do they prioritize sending single people out on those missions when possible or do they approve of team missions that include partners even when not technically optimal? Or on the opposite side of things do they perhaps disapprove of partners being sent on missions together because it might lead to distraction?

    I'm not asking about Naruto position on things relating to this particular scenario, I'm more wondering about historical precedent, and what Hazo would know before thinking to make the request. I'd ping the QMs for an answer but also they might be working on the update which may well answer my question anyways so I'll just offer this one up to the void
     
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