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Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

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TaliesinSkye said:
There's something to be said for crossing a bridge when we come to it. Let's hope Jiraiya's will doesn't matter for a long time. If there's anything we can do to maximize his chances of survival, we should do that and then stand back and hope.

I'm actually more worried about Naruto coming back broken than I am about Jiraiya dying on the mission. Who knows what sort of torture he's gone through. He might need all the professional psychological support we can get him.

Edit:
I was thinking about things that could be done to maximize his chances, and I wonder, is there some way the combined forces could stage a decoy mission? Something that would draw some of the enemy forces away while the main attack took place? Dividing their forces in half and then engaging them piecemeal would maximize everyone's odds of survival and mission success.

So what would be sure to draw out some of the Akatsuki members?

Only thing I can think of would be making up a story about a 'secret tenth Jinchuuricki', can anyone think of anything better?

Or maybe just attacking parts of Rain would be enough. Do we think they would defend the place?
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Here's another thing we could do to maximize the chances of the mission: Use Ami's favor on it. Get her to, I dunno, call on favors she has in Mist to rustle up some extra seals for the mission. Whatever she thinks would be most impactful.
 
Cariyaga said:
Here's another thing we could do to maximize the chances of the mission: Use Ami's favor on it. Get her to, I dunno, call on favors she has in Mist to rustle up some extra seals for the mission. Whatever she thinks would be most impactful.
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Is there really anything Ami can do that a massive inter-village taskforce can't? I think they'll have all the resources they care to requisition with essentially unlimited authority.

I suppose we could ask her if there's anything she can do, but I suspect her favor is better spent on more subtle things.

...maybe somebody to explicitly keep an eye on Jiraiya and pull his ass out of the fire if it comes to it, but that's what ANBU will be there for.

We could talk to somebody we trust about not letting Jiraiya get himself heroically killed and disobeying orders to save him if it comes to it. Kakashi, maybe? He's got the power to pull it off and the disrespect for authority to be willing to do it.
 
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TaliesinSkye said:
Is there really anything Ami can do that a massive inter-village taskforce can't? I think they'll have all the resources they care to requisition with essentially unlimited authority.

I suppose we could ask her if there's anything she can do, but I suspect her favor is better spent on more subtle things.

...maybe somebody to explicitly keep an eye on Jiraiya and pull his ass out of the fire if it comes to it, but that's what ANBU will be there for.

We could talk to somebody we trust about not letting Jiraiya get himself heroically killed and disobeying orders to save him if it comes to it. Kakashi, maybe? He's got the power to pull it off and the disrespect for authority to be willing to do it.
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But will they know who to requisition resources from?
 
Cariyaga said:
But will they know who to requisition resources from?
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Each village has its own command structure, for inter-village requests you wouldn't go directly to the other village's equivalent of a quartermaster, you'd tell the task for commander for the village and they'd handle it because they know who to talk to.

...I just had a realization. Skywalkers. They're a huge tactical advantage. Jiraiya might need to bust them out in an emergency where survival is more important than secrecy. We could make as many as we can before he leaves.
 
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TaliesinSkye said:
Skywalkers. They're a huge tactical advantage. Jiraiya might need to bust them out in an emergency where survival is more important than secrecy. We could make as many as we can before he leaves.
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Ayup, thats pretty much what we're going with in the plans at the moment.
 
Cariyaga said:
@MMKII I would still rather not have the section about Jiraiya's will in there.
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faflec said:
Yeah...thinking about it, I'll have to second that.
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In the possible future timelines where this comes back to bite Hazou-et-al in their collective butts, well, I told ya so.

Hmmm. Can probably WC optimize this down under 500 too. I'll take a crack at it later.

MMKII said:
Rough draft, may have missed some things, feel free to steal.

WC: 513
[x] Action Plan: Sealsmith of the Gods
  • Immediately run the following plan by Keiko and Noburi first. Thoughts?
    • OPSEC: Use an Air Dome, don't directly reference skywalkers.
  • Find Jiraiya to discuss the assault (high-OPSEC conditions, include siblings) and the potential aftermath situation, detailed below.
    • Jiraiya probably thought about most of it, but in case he missed any...
  • Strikeforce equipment:
    • Distribute seals from the Team's loadout.
      • Give everyone tons of explosives, and Banshee Slayers + Earbusters/Banshee Fuckers.
        • Sonic damage seems rare and hard to counter. Spam it?
      • For Jiraiya: Implosion Seals, Directional Explosives, and Goo Bombs.
        • Kagome's seals are awesome and so are Goo Bombs.
      • Equip the Leaf contingent with Skywalkers.
        • Zabuza surely informed Mistof their existence and Akatsuki could've reverse-engineered them. Maybe reveal them and equip the Kages?
    • Hazou will make what seals he can in the remaining time as is proscribed.
  • Strategy:
    • Wakahisa Exploitation:
      • Can Keiko can transfer chakra water to the Seventh Path? If so, Team Uplift should stay in Mist and get the Wakahisa Clan's cooperation. They'll supply chakra barrels, which Keiko will transfer to Jiraiya (or another summoner; an excuse to get other villages' intel on scrolls?).
        • Possible dangers: harmful bloodline/summoning interactions?
        • Equip some combatants with chakra water bottles.
      • If impossible, the strikeforce should take several Wakahisa and chuunin along as chakra batteries (leave them in the rear).
        • The strikeforce will get effectively unlimited chakra. Before battle, summoners should summon entire armies, and others should create dozens of clones (equipped with seals) resulting in an overwhelming numbers advantage.
    • Pangolins:
      • Keiko could get chakra from Noburi/Wakahisa and send her Pangolins along. They can focus on mooks, tank some hits, and support the strikeforce with Maneuvers or buffing ninjutsu such as Defend the Log.
      • Warning: Pandaa previously stated that Akatsuki's "dragon" resembled an archaeopteryx, which are the Pantokrator's servants. Pangolins are very religious — unlike other summons? — so this might cause a loyalty problem.
    • It's a trap?
      • Team Bloodrage was suspiciously incompetent given Akatsuki's overall competency.
      • Possibility: Nagi Island is a trap for the desperate EN.
      • Goal: assassinate villages' leadership via a WMD, or draw S-rankers away then destroy villages.
      • Solution: Stay ready to escape to the Seventh Path via reverse-summoning, I guess?
    • Backup plan:
      • Itachi's relationship with the Crows is strained: he'd apparently slaughtered one of their political factions.
      • Pantsaa had implied he'd be able to drag Keiko to the Seventh Path if she betrayed him.
      • If true, Jiraiya could assemble a team of summoners, negotiate with/attack the Crows, have Karanium summon Itachi into an ambush.
        • Could also work with Kisame's Sharks.
      • Contact Orochimaru/Tsunade via Seventh Path?
    • Mention Kagome's information. May be relevant?
  • Can we can count on Tsunade for help back home?
    • Is she likely to go on the mission?
    • Would she help us out in the event of Jiraiya's absence? Directly or as an advisor?
  • If you don't come back but Naruto finds his way home, we'll take good care of him. There are limits to being afraid of weddings and you owe us a massive victory party so you better damn well make it.
    • Hug him.
  • Follow Jiraiya's orders.
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I strongly object to not talking to Jiraiya about the future.

[x] Action Plan: Sealsmith of the Gods
 
MMKII said:
Hmmm. Can probably WC optimize this down under 500 too. I'll take a crack at it later.
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  • Discuss the following with Keiko and Noburi. (OPSEC: Air + Earth Domes, avoid mentioning Skywalkers.)
  • Find Jiraiya to discuss the assault and its aftermath (OPSEC: Skywalkers-level).
    • He'd probably thought about most of it, but in case he missed anything...
  • Strikeforce equipment:
    • Distribute the seals from the team's loadout.
      • Give everyone tons of explosives, and Banshee Slayers + Earbusters/Banshee Fuckers.
        • Sonic damage seems rare and hard to counter. Spam it?
      • For Jiraiya: Implosion Seals, Directional Explosives, Goo Bombs.
        • Kagome's seals (and Goo Bombs) are awesome.
      • Equip Leaf ninja with Skywalkers.
        • Mist knows about them (Zabuza); Akatsuki could've reverse-engineered them. Maybe reveal them and equip the Kages?
    • Should Hazou draw more seals? Which?
  • Strategy:
    • Wakahisa Exploitation:
      • Can Keiko can transfer chakra water to the Seventh Path? If so, Team Uplift should stay in Mist and get the Wakahisa Clan's cooperation. They'll supply chakra barrels, which Keiko will transfer to Jiraiya (or another summoner; an excuse to get other villages' intel on scrolls?).
        • Possible dangers: harmful bloodline/summoning interactions?
        • Equip some combatants with chakra water bottles.
      • If impossible, the strikeforce should take several Wakahisa and chuunin along as chakra batteries (leave them in the rear).
      • The strikeforce will get effectively unlimited chakra. Before battle, summoners should summon entire armies, and others should create dozens of clones (equipped with seals) for an overwhelming numbers advantage.
    • Pangolins:
      • Keiko could get chakra from Noburi/Wakahisa and send her Pangolins along. They can focus on mooks, tank some hits, and support the strikeforce with Maneuvers or buffing ninjutsu such as Defend the Log.
      • Warning: Pandaa previously stated that Akatsuki's "dragon" resembled an archaeopteryx, which are the Pantokrator's servants. Pangolins are very religious — unlike other summons? — so this might cause a loyalty problem.
    • It's a trap?
      • Team Bloodrage was suspiciously incompetent, given Akatsuki's overall competency.
      • Possibility: Nagi Island is a trap for the desperate EN.
      • Goal: assassinate villages' leadership via a WMD, or draw S-rankers away then destroy villages.
      • Precaution: Stay ready to escape to the Seventh Path via reverse-summoning, I guess?
    • Backup plan:
      • Itachi's relationship with the Crows is strained: he'd apparently slaughtered one of their political factions.
      • Pantsaa had implied he'd be able to bring Keiko to the Seventh Path if she betrayed him.
      • If true, Jiraiya could assemble a team of summoners, negotiate with/attack the Crows, have Karanium summon Itachi into an ambush.
        • Could also work with Kisame's Sharks.
      • Contact Orochimaru/Tsunade via Seventh Path?
    • Mention Kagome's information. May be relevant?
  • Tsunade:
    • Is she part of the strikegroup?
    • If Jiraiya is absent, can we rely on her for help or advice in Leaf?
  • If you won't come back but Naruto will, we'll take good care of him. That said, there are limits to being afraid of weddings, and you owe us a massive victory party, so you better damn well make it.
    • Hug him.
  • Follow Jiraiya's orders.
 
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MMKII said:
In the possible future timelines where this comes back to bite Hazou-et-al in their collective butts, well, I told ya so.

Hmmm. Can probably WC optimize this down under 500 too. I'll take a crack at it later.
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My suggestions:
After hug him, suggested dialog: "Please do what you have to to come back alive, sir." (I don't think they're counting dialog against wordcount.)

And secondly, what do people think about asking someone to keep an eye on Jiraiya and keep him from dying heroically?
 
Should we ask what to do to get someone sane the hat if Jiraiya doesn't return? Like Tsunade, maybe? Or just anyone except Hiashi.

I think we'd need guidance on threading the political mess if it comes to it. Where the bodies are buried, what levers to pull, etc. Whatever it might take.

Also, I don't really understand what the concern over the will is?
 
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MMKII said:
In the possible future timelines where this comes back to bite Hazou-et-al in their collective butts, well, I told ya so.

Hmmm. Can probably WC optimize this down under 500 too. I'll take a crack at it later.
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Only if I get to tell you so for the counterfactual world where Jiraiya views us with suspicion afterwards :p
 
TaliesinSkye said:
Should we ask what to do to get someone sane the hat if Jiraiya doesn't return? Like Tsunade, maybe? Or just anyone except Hiashi.

I think we'd need guidance on threading the political mess if it comes to it. Where the bodies are buried, what levers to pull, etc. Whatever it might take.

Also, I don't really understand what the concern over the will is?
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I think you're right that we'll need help, but honestly considering we don't know who's going on the mission and who will make it back, any specific advice might be pointless. Assuming Jiraiya needs time to prepare for the trip and handle things that aren't us, he probably won't be able to walk us through a list of possibilities. Without knowledge of the future, it seems kinda pointless.

I think as long as Jiraiya, Shikaku, and Tsunade don't all die, we'll have someone to give us some guidance... even if Shikaku will likely be guiding us toward his own agenda.

Though maybe it couldn't hurt to get some general advice. Like asking which clans outside of Ino-Shika-Cho can we trust to at least deal with us in good faith. I think if we don't try our hands at diplomacy outside of those 3 clans we risk becoming Shikaku's pawn... which might not be a terrible thing, but would limit our agency.
 
Fresh C said:
I think you're right that we'll need help, but honestly considering we don't know who's going on the mission and who will make it back, any specific advice might be pointless. Assuming Jiraiya needs time to prepare for the trip and handle things that aren't us, he probably won't be able to walk us through a list of possibilities. Without knowledge of the future, it seems kinda pointless.

I think as long as Jiraiya, Shikaku, and Tsunade don't all die, we'll have someone to give us some guidance... even if Shikaku will likely be guiding us toward his own agenda.

Though maybe it couldn't hurt to get some general advice. Like asking which clans outside of Ino-Shika-Cho can we trust to at least deal with us in good faith. I think if we don't try our hands at diplomacy outside of those 3 clans we risk becoming Shikaku's pawn... which might not be a terrible thing, but would limit our agency.
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Yeah. Something like 'who can be trusted?' and 'who wants what?' and 'what levers can be used to get each of the important players to do things?'.
 
I swear to Jashin, if Hazou suffers due to a lack of high clan political insight I will laugh, and my laughter has heralded the ends of worlds.



TaliesinSkye said:
Should we ask what to do to get someone sane the hat if Jiraiya doesn't return? Like Tsunade, maybe? Or just anyone except Hiashi.

I think we'd need guidance on threading the political mess if it comes to it. Where the bodies are buried, what levers to pull, etc. Whatever it might take.

Also, I don't really understand what the concern over the will is?
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If nether Jiraiya nor Naruto return: Run. Kagome is in charge.
 
TaliesinSkye said:
Yeah. Something like 'who can be trusted?' and 'who wants what?' and 'what levers can be used to get each of the important players to do things?'.
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In the event of Hypothetical Jiraiya Death, I would be most concerned about knowledge loss. That amounts to decades worth of secret techniques, seals, experience and access to more esoteric and clandestine resources and individuals.

After a bit of rough paddling, we would be able to navigate the rapids of the Leaf political waters with relative ease.
 
MMKII said:
In the event of Hypothetical Jiraiya Death, I would be most concerned about knowledge loss. That amounts to decades worth of secret techniques, seals, experience and access to more esoteric and clandestine resources and individuals.

After a bit of rough paddling, we would be able to navigate the rapids of the Leaf political waters with relative ease.
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Presumably we could find his secret notes in the event of his death. The upside of seal research is that it's so complicated a person can't possibly keep it all in their head. They need reference material.

Still, something to ask about.

Doesn't help as much with techniques, sadly. Those may or may not be documented, and Jiraiya certainly knows some really important ones.
 
As Shikamaru said, Leaf faced an existential crisis after Sarutobi died and Naruto was kidnapped, due mostly to internal divisions.

As I said, if a lack of Hana is a critical factor in the apocalypse, I will laugh.
 
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