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Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

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Oh shit, once this is done the Hokage needs to send an observation mission to the Rain border, to check if there's still rain.
 
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Chapter 266: Dreams Fulfilled and Nightmares Born
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    • "Blessings be to the Sage, for I have borne witness to such a craving for self-destruction that all other madness shall henceforth be lesser in my sight."

    It was not an auspicious start to the afternoon.

    Their message had been sent in the morning, shortly before the cruel and unusual torture that was shopping for a wedding dress with Shiori. Kei honestly did not know whether this was a subtle act of vengeance on Shiori's part or the standard experience that hardened brides in preparation for the trials of marriage. After the thousandth virtually identical wedding dress, after the thousandth discussion on frills and fripperies (which Kei promised would be fed to a particularly undiscriminating pangolin, swiftly followed by anyone who insisted on inflicting them upon her), after the thousandth measurement-by-guesswork from a tailor who had been warned of the consequences of laying hands on her, yet insisted that her own knowledge of her body was insufficient… Kei found herself recalling that Zabuza was dead and it was now much safer to travel the world as a missing-nin.

    Mercifully, the afternoon had come as she never believed it would, and Shikamaru was, as ever, a lone island of sanity to which she could cling (his written response having amounted to a very diplomatic "if I must").

    "You mean this, don't you?" Shikamaru said miserably, looking at the resolve in Hazō's face. "You honestly believe that there is a scenario in which you are able to lawfully communicate with the sovereign head of a foreign state, and further facilitate the arrival of an agent of that state in Leaf, without so much as informing the relevant Leaf authorities, much less securing their permission. Gōketsu, how can you so contest the Hyūga in desire for your own clan's annihilation?"

    "You're exaggerating, Shikamaru," Hazō said with wavering confidence. "For a start, there's no Hokage. No one can approve or disapprove of us sending this message, especially given that we're the Hokage's clan. If anything, until the elections, we have a better claim than anyone else."

    "Gōketsu," Shikamaru said. "May I apply the power of the Clear Communication Technique?

    "I do not intend my evaluation to in any way reflect my opinion of your moral character, nor of the effort you must have expended to arrive at this point, nor of the decisions made. It is intended only as a neutral analysis of your position, focusing on aspects I believe you have hitherto overlooked or underappreciated.

    "The power of a clan, its very nature, derives from tradition, backed by countless generations of accumulated knowledge, and expressed through unique abilities refined over those generations. At the present time, the power of the Gōketsu, its very nature, derives from a man who is no longer with us, backed by at most a single generation of knowledge, and expressed through abilities refined over a decade at best. With him gone, your clan consists of a gifted commoner, three shinobi who left their clans before they could gain more than the bare rudiments of those clans' power, and Gōketsu Kagome, common-born until proven innocent. Your special assets are limited to a summoner and two sealmasters, proportionately powerful but trivial in comparison to any clan worth mentioning, which could wipe you from existence with numbers alone.

    "Most damning of all, in the public eye, you are the alien scions of Leaf's greatest enemy. You simply have not had the years necessary to overwrite that perception. You are the weakest voting clan, and with the Fifth lost to us, it is only fear of legal precedent that keeps you from being stripped of your vote or even your clan status. To those who would advocate this, what are you but convenient fuel for Jiraiya's power grab, absorbed in defiance of both morality and law because of your concentrated strength, helpless dependence on him, and guaranteed lack of ties with his rivals?

    "Relatedly, you underestimate the amount of security afforded you by your positive personal relationships with influential figures of the younger generation such as myself. Were we as a collective to be your enemies, as would be expected given your origins, or even simply disinclined to interact with you, you would quickly cease to exist as a political entity, no matter your legal status. Conversely, our tolerance influences the mood of others who have yet to decide whether to reject you as foreign matter. To fully appreciate this, I invite you to imagine a world where every clan heir shared Neji's values."

    After a second's pause, Shikamaru leaned forward a little, interlacing his fingers below his face.

    "I would note, in the spirit of the Clear Communication Technique, that it is incumbent on me as Nara clan head to make my decisions with this information in mind. You are suddenly worth far less to the Nara than you once were. It is fortunate for both of us, but especially for you, that the Nara unfailingly honour our commitments, and thus will proceed with the marriage irrespective of reevaluation, and thereafter acknowledge the bond it creates. There are clans, and not necessarily those which first spring to mind, that would have seriously considered terminating the engagement with the sudden death of the Fifth. Nevertheless, I must give serious consideration to which paths our alliance opens up for us, and which ones it closes, in a completely different way than my father had to.

    "To finish off, please understand that I personally wish to be on your side. Keiko is the best bride I could have hoped for, and this one time I will admit that I find myself feeling a certain amount of affection for you two as well. While the rest of your family frankly intimidates me, I do not feel actual hostility towards them. As Nara Shikamaru, I wish for you all to prosper and find happiness. As clan head, these feelings are irrelevant.

    "With all of this in mind, I urge you to tread lightly. Even if you successfully recruit Naruto as you must, you are far more vulnerable than you seem to understand."

    "That bad, huh?" Noburi asked after a long, long second.

    "That bad," Shikamaru confirmed. "Clear Communication Technique over; it is more tiring than I anticipated. Instead, allow me to share with you one of the most basic Nara techniques. When you return home, take five hourglass minutes to contemplate every way in which an enemy dedicated to your destruction—or simply convinced that you are an obstacle to their plans—could attack you, individually or in collaboration, and which of those attacks could be aimed at you this very moment, waiting for an opening, or worse, already in progress.

    "There are those among the Nara who make this their daily practice, like use of the Dispelling Technique. A similar hobby, which I occasionally indulged in myself back when I had spare time, was to list the ways in which I would defeat any given shinobi I knew, based on their known and predicted abilities and the tools at my own disposal. It is very soothing, especially over a cup of herbal tea."

    "To conclude," Hazō said, "you wouldn't recommend sending Mori a message."

    "Indeed. Granted, while the idea of sending an unauthorised message of unconfirmed content to the sovereign head of a foreign state is merely sheer lunacy and guaranteed to have you tried for treason, you could instead theoretically apply to the diplomatic corps, which handles urgent international missives, such as calls for military aid, in the Hokage's absence. However, any messages that pass through their hands are heavily scrutinised, at times even rewritten to stymie secret codes, at which point your intent would be discovered. You are, need I remind you, under suspicion as foreign shinobi who have lived in Leaf for less than a year. Should you attempt to facilitate entry by an agent of your village of origin, for any reason but the Hokage's direct order, your reputation will take a hit from which it may never recover. This without considering the fact that, upon investigation, the agent will be revealed to be a jōnin infiltration specialist (my best guess as to Mori's specialisation) belonging to one of your 'former' clans. On reflection, perhaps I rejected the treason idea too hastily."

    It was painful to hear, but not excruciating. Kei had known in advance that this was the most likely outcome. The world had always been a place of despair by default, at times dripping from the fangs of monsters, at times enshrined by the laws of men. Had she, knowing the governing principles of the shinobi world, allowed herself to hope for a miracle? If so, she had no one else to blame for the resulting fall.

    "There's still a way," Hazō said, and her festival of self-pity was exchanged for Laser Element focus.

    "Mori may be insane—"

    Kei demonstratively reached for her kunai holster, brought with her today to deal with any overly-friendly shopkeepers.

    "Mori may be a creative thinker," Hazō smoothly corrected himself, "but she's also disturbingly on-the-ball. It's not impossible that she might guess about the wedding and take initiative on her end. Just in case, I think we should buy some time. Would you be OK with putting the wedding off by another week? For Keiko's sake?"

    "Not an option," Shikamaru said instantly. "I apologise, Hazō, but the guests have been invited, the venue has been set, the priest has been bribed, and my suit is being prepared even as we speak. Even if it were viable, which it is not, shifting the date now would lose us all the points we are about to gain by demonstrating your clan's commitment to Leaf tradition, which are not inconsiderable given that you are committing a fifth of your entire clan."

    "A sixth," Hazō corrected. "Soon, anyway."

    "Congratulations," Shikamaru said in the voice of a man watching with resignation as his cat fled with the last of his dinner. "You should go do enjoyable things now. I am given to understand those still exist somewhere in this world. Keiko, please remain so that we may share the thrill of browsing religious scripture."

    The only reason Kei was alive at this stage was that she could not die before fulfilling her plans for the evening.

    -o-​

    It was early evening by the time Kei staggered through the front doors, her mind already superimposing marquee decorations on the walls and ceiling, and red carpet (chosen to symbolise the blood that must be spilled on the path to righteousness, and Kei would never again allow Shikamaru to make binding decisions while sleep-deprived) on the floor.

    "Is it over yet?" she greeted Hazō and Noburi as they sat talking animatedly over the kitchen table.

    "Oh, Keiko," Noburi grinned. "Just the person I wanted to see. Which admittedly doesn't say much since there are only seven people who ever walk through that front door, counting Akane, and Kagome tends to use the back entrance anyway so he can check it's secure every time."

    "Six people," Hazō said quietly.

    Noburi's grin disappeared. "Right."

    "You have business with me before I luxuriate in temporary coma in my room?" Kei enquired with saintly patience.

    "That's right," Hazō said. "We have good news and better news."

    "Consider yourself to have my attention."

    Kei collapsed into a chair. Noburi, the hero they did not deserve, left to brew hot chocolate.

    "First off," Hazō said, "we've had a messenger from the Tower. Turns out before we left for Mist, Jiraiya sent in an application for an extended sealing license. In addition to the existing broad license, we can sell to the Tower, and only to the Tower…"

    He took a deep breath.

    "Banshee Slayers Earbusters Earth Domes Five Seal Barriers Force Walls Goo Bombs Lesser Barrier Formations Variant Storage Scrolls to be Evaluated on an Individual Basis at the Time of Submission Silence Mines Tunneller's Friends! Also Vibrator Seals, listed under that name because Jiraiya.

    "The list is to be kept confidential on both Gōketsu and Tower sides so no one automatically knows what seals we can make. He's also personally signed off on our certification as Leaf's head sealmaster, skipping the need for an inspection to validate that we're good enough to safely mass-produce advanced seals. Not that there would be any risk of such an inspector failing us for any reason coughHyūgacough, but this way we're the most certified sealmasters in all of Leaf."

    Kei nodded. "In other words, you will continue to risk unimaginable death and destruction to us all, as triggered by some combination of ill fortune and personal incompetence, but now you will be consistently remunerated for it. I approve.

    "I do also note that Kagome's personal seals are not listed."

    "I noticed that. Anyway, it's money. Without knowing the state of the market, I have no idea how much it'll get us—Keiko, get on that when you have the chance—but it's a stable income stream for as long as Leaf needs seals."

    "Unless someone invents a seal-printing machine," Keiko noted wryly.

    "But all this brings us to the better news," Hazō said. "The implications for our Seventh Path situation!"

    Kei's fatigue vanished in an instant. She sat bolt upright. The mug Noburi was placing in front of her, with its entrancingly sweet smell, was suddenly irrelevant.

    "Proceed."

    "So listen to this!" Hazō said as if he had just brought home an Academy report with five throwing stars in each subject. "We reckon that, with our multiple scrolls, we could force the beginning of a summon alliance where the clans are punished for attacking each other so much that they'll have to honour their treaties. That's also our springboard for getting them to abide by the kind of principles we'd want to implement here if we could influence war in the real world—I mean the Human Path—like respectful treatment of prisoners, and eventually, not doing horrible things to the people they conquer. If we can make it work for the clans for which Leaf has summoners, the ones we have easy access to, we'll have the foundations for something huge."

    Kei nodded slowly. "To a summon, nothing is more sacred than a contract. They are not to be broken lightly. Surprise attacks against allies, for example, are unknown. An alliance must be formally dissolved before war can begin—which is not to say that dissolution cannot take place at a time when the invading army is already in position to cross the border.

    "But how do we enforce this system of non-aggression and cultural transformation?" she asked, something within her whispering a reminder not to permit herself hope too soon.

    "Simple," Hazō said. "We sell seals to every clan that's part of the alliance, or signs up to the alliance later. With our new income stream, we have a safe fallback position. We can afford to take a risk on a big project like this without being afraid that we'll starve to death if we mess it up.

    "Now, once we get rolling, every clan will want our seals. It'll make them safe from conquest by the Pangolins and the other alliance members, who'd be able to crush them easily otherwise. It'll also give them an overwhelming advantage against anyone who hasn't signed up, which makes more clans which are desperate to join. This is the point at which they become dependent on our seals. If anybody wants to betray the alliance, or the ethical principles they signed up to, we cut them off. At best, they have to pull back from any territories they conquered earlier until they're left with only the territory they can hold by conventional means, like a ninja village having to abandon land because it no longer has the manpower to keep it clear of chakra beasts."

    Which might be a problem for Leaf soon, Kei thought absently, one of many headaches awaiting the new Hokage.

    "More realistically," Hazō went on, "now that they'd failed to abide by the terms of the alliance, and been denied the seals necessary to defend themselves, they'd be instantly swallowed up by one of the neighbouring member countries. No clan can afford to take that risk.

    "You see?" Hazō said. "It's the perfect plan. Noburi and I were already brainstorming it earlier, and then suddenly that message came like a sign from fate. We can have a proper clan discussion later tonight. No, wait, there's the thing tonight. Maybe tomorrow, then. For now, what do you think?"

    Kei wanted to take refuge in the Frozen Skein, to lose herself in a thousand unrelated calculations, but she already knew it was too late.

    "To clarify," she said in a hollow voice, "your intent is to sell weapons to every clan that agrees to your terms, such that those which do not, or cannot, or later choose to leave the alliance, will have the full power of said weapons turned against them."

    "You're looking at it all wrong, Keiko. I'm instituting a balance of power which we'll control." Hazō drew a circle on the table with his finger. "That balance of power will be more stable than anything that the Seventh Path has had so far. None of the clans will defect," he slid his finger from the centre out beyond the circle. "They'll know they can't take the consequences." He lifted the finger off the table completely and retracted his hand.

    "Membership of the Leaf-founded alliance is going to be the carrot, and the Pangolins are already serving as the stick. They demonstrate the power of our seals, and make it clear that the only way to survive is to obtain those seals themselves. At the same time, once the Pangolins see that there are others with the same seals—we don't have an exclusivity agreement with the Pangolins, I checked the notes—they'll have no choice but to curb their expansionism. It's going to be so ironic when their brutality becomes the trigger for wartime ethics being enforced across the world."

    At first, Kei could not speak.

    "This is you, Hazō," Kei said numbly. "This is you. When I realised what our hands had wrought on the Seventh Path, I was in despair. I exercised my primary talent, that of repression, because at the time there was no choice. Was I, the full-blooded Mori with a mind so insightful it put sea sponges to shame, supposed to invent and propose some ingenious solution to a problem of which I refused to acknowledge the scope? Was I supposed to place my feelings above the needs of the clan? No, Hazō. I explained the situation, I explained my distress, and from there trusted you to find a solution which I would give my heart and soul to implement. You, who treated even civilians as people. You, who balked at the deaths of merely fifty such. I watched and waited quietly for you to end the unending genocide.

    "But this is you. I have waited, and your solution to the problem of selling weapons is to sell more weapons. Your solution to the horrors of war is to threaten people using weapons. Your solution to the lust for conquest is to limit its targets to those who have failed to purchase weapons, or removed themselves from the weapons market.

    "It is 'clever', you see. Imaginative and with far-reaching implications. Elegant in its own way. A path to eventual world peace so simple and effective it could only have been conceived of by an original thinker without peer.

    "But Hazō," she pleaded, "all I ever wanted was for you to find a way for us to Stop. Selling. Weapons."

    "Keiko..."

    But she could not stand here and listen to his justifications. If they were weak, it would only hurt her more for trusting him. If they were strong, it would only hurt her more for trusting herself. Above all, neither could challenge her naive, irrational desire to just make it stop.

    "I have just recalled that I still have errands to attend to," Kei said, rising. It was not technically a lie. She would identify or invent some, if only to last until the evening, when she would be granted a brief few hours of reprieve.

    -o-​

    The dinner was as Kei had requested it. The atmosphere was less than convivial, perhaps due to the empty seat at the head of the table. Akane had explained that such rituals would serve to properly anchor Jiraiya's spirit until it could be guided to the Will of Fire, and while no one else present was quite certain how this meshed with the religious practices they'd grown up with, there was a universal consensus that now was not a time when they could afford to disrespect Leaf tradition. What mattered to Kei, however, was that all members, apparently including the dead, were in attendance and awaiting her special guest.

    "Thank you for waiting for us," Kei said. It was time to fulfil a promise she had made to herself what felt like years ago. If, despite her endless limitations, she was able to triumph in the tournament, if she emerged the ultimate victor of the Chūnin Exam… then in defiance of those same limitations, she would find the courage within herself to finally take this step.

    Tenten bowed. "Thank you for inviting me."

    "I requested a formal family dinner in order to make a certain announcement," Kei said with as much conviction as she could muster. "Tenten and I have been in a romantic relationship for thirty-seven days, and with Shikamaru's express lack of disapproval, intend to continue to do so indefinitely."

    She fortified her spirit for the incoming shock. That Kei was attracted to women was no news to anyone present (except possibly Fifi, who had commenced dinner early and was even now gnawing on what hopefully hadn't been somebody's dog). That Kei had moved on from her infatuation with Mari-sensei, or at least, as completely as she ever would, might be less expected—Kei guarded the mysteries of her heart even more fiercely than the sanctity of her body. But that Kei had fallen in love, and, far more amazingly, that her love had been returned, would be even more stunning to her family than it had been to her. She hoped they would not be offended by her delay in informing them.

    "Thirty-seven days?" Mari-sensei smirked. "You mean the previous two hundred were just you flailing around? I could have had you together in a week if you'd only asked."

    "So it's finally official, huh?" Noburi grinned. "Nice job, you two."

    "I am so happy for you!" Akane exclaimed. "So can I have those novels back now?"

    Tenten blushed suspiciously.

    "Took you long enough," Kagome grunted. "I was wondering if I should say something, make sure you had all your ducks in a row before the wedding."

    Everyone in the room stared at him aghast.

    "What?" Kagome asked. "We live in a village full of secret genjutsu users and Yamanaka and blackmailing Hyūga and mirrorverse ANBU and lupchanzen. You think I wouldn't check up on my cousin when she decides out of nowhere to go 'train with a friend' every other day?"

    Kei's eyes settled on Hazō, waiting for him to complete her humiliation.

    "I just assumed you were close friends."

    She accepted the consolation prize without comment.

    "I'm glad that's all out in the open now," Mari-sensei said cheerfully. "So what did Shikamaru say?"

    "I made my position clear, as well as the consequences of disagreement. Happily, no further action was required."

    There was a round of shivers across the table.

    "Well," Noburi said, "at last we have something to celebrate."

    Akane gave him a cold look.

    "Uh, no offence, Akane," Noburi swiftly backtracked. "It's just that we decided to invite you all the way back in Mist, whole days ago, and we figured you'd say yes, so that's awesome. But it's a different kind of awesome from this completely new development that I totally didn't see coming months ago and spend all that time worrying about whether it would work out or whether my sister would have her heart broken all over again."

    "Me neither," Akane agreed peaceably. "Tenten, why don't you sit down over here, between me and Keiko?"

    "Thank you."

    "Kagome, do you have any of that spiced hot chocolate left?" Akane asked.

    "Funny thing," Kagome said mischievously. "Somehow I just felt like brewing up an extra-large batch right before tonight's dinner."

    Mari-sensei rolled her eyes. Tenten smiled.

    This was Kei's family. Tenten, to the best of Kei's understanding, had lost hers a long time ago. It was a subject she avoided. Was the freedom she treasured truly worth rejecting this?

    Perhaps, in time, Kei could ask again. Assuming it would be possible after her marriage. Assuming it would be possible after tonight. If not, perhaps the family she would build with Shikamaru, Lady Yoshino and Shiori might one day approach this one's warmth.

    -o-​

    Finally, with dessert finished and vital sugar flowing through her veins, Kei rose from her seat. She suppressed her trembling. Tenten was by her side. It was no coincidence that she had chosen tonight to introduce her. She would need all the moral support in the world.

    "I have a further announcement to make." Her voice did not tremble.

    "What's that?" Mari-sensei asked casually.

    "Subsequent to the delivery at the end of this month, I am withdrawing from the Gōketsu contract with the Pangolin Clan."

    "What?!" Hazō exclaimed. "Keiko, I can't allow—"

    "On the contrary," Kei said. "Team Uplift was not a legal entity, nor its missing-nin members. Upon being acknowledged by Leaf, we received formal rights to our possessions, at which time ownership of the scroll naturally became mine as it was part of my contract, which Leaf recognised as valid. I have never transferred ownership of the scroll, either to the clan or anyone else, and do not intend to do so. I would prefer not to argue over further legalities, which I suspect I have researched better than you."

    She could feel her hands tighten into fists without any decision on her part.

    "I understand that this is a meaningless gesture. Noburi will soon become the Toad Summoner, whereupon you will be free to make and maintain whatever contracts you desire. However, even if I cannot wash the blood from my hands, I can at least cease to immerse myself, and no longer ask myself how many Pandās I have personally killed today. And yes, I appreciate that there will be personal consequences for me. I expect to lose my tessera. I do not know whether any of my current contracts will remain. Ultimately, however, either the Pangolin Clan can cooperate with me on our original, pre-Gōketsu, terms, or they can find a new summoner—a feat they will struggle with insofar as there are some very picturesque volcanoes on the southern islands."

    Dead silence.

    Hazō opened his mouth again, but Mari-sensei raised her hand. She glanced at him for confirmation, and he nodded.

    She gave Tenten a quick appraising look, then looked up at Kei.

    "Keiko," she said. "I'm very proud of you. I know it can't have been an easy decision. I can't pretend I'm not a little anxious, but we're the ones who chose to trust you with our finances. If you've decided that we can stay afloat without the pangolin income, all I can do is have faith in you.

    "In a way, I envy your courage. I've cut and run plenty of times in my life because I was too scared to face my problems head-on. You know that better than anyone, since it's how we all ended up in the Swamp of Death to begin with. I told myself that I couldn't make a difference because Yagura was too strong, and then Shikigami gave me an excuse to pretend I was being moral when I was just running away. I surrendered my agency out of fear. You're surrendering yours as an informed decision, and that makes all the difference.

    "I know it must have been tough to make a decision based on your own independent judgement, especially when what you choose could end up determining the futures of two worlds. It must have taken you months of thinking, with no one you could trust to help you decide, or to help you shoulder such a huge responsibility. Nobody should have to go through that when they have a family that's supposed to support them."

    Mari-sensei's eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

    "Keiko, I'm so sorry for being such a poor mother to you that I never realised the depth of your feelings. I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you when you needed me because I was too busy worrying about the survival of the clan, forgetting that the clan is made up of its people. I should have taken the time to talk to you and find out how you really felt, and then maybe we could have figured this out together, step by step. I hope you can forgive me."

    She bowed her head in apology. "I know it's too late to make amends for how much I've hurt you. All I can do is offer to help you work out where to go from here, and to believe in the responsible adult you've become. You've trusted us with your future often enough… maybe it's time we trusted you with ours.

    "Do it just one more time, Keiko. Look me in the eye, and tell me that this is what you want to do."

    Kei felt dizzy. The room blurred around her. This was too much. She felt sick. Who did she think she was? To come here and throw an ultimatum in the face of the people who loved her? To play the martyr when they would be the ones paying the price? To allow herself to believe, even for a second, that a broken thing like her had the right to decide other people's destinies? She did not deserve Mari-sensei's kindness. She barely deserved to live—

    A strange, unfamiliar sensation. She instinctively looked down at the source.

    Tenten had tugged at the loose edge of her kimono sleeve.

    She could hear gasps from around the table. Tenten had just crossed a line that could not be uncrossed.

    Kei stood frozen in shock, her tormented mind suddenly completely blank.

    Tenten's gaze was anxious. Uncertain. Ready for rejection. But determined nonetheless—to step into the unknown and do what must be done.

    Into Kei's violently cleared mind flooded one of Mari-sensei's own teachings. Unexpected. On some level frightening by its very presence. Yet somehow…

    For someone like you, Keiko, there is only one defence against a hostile social expert. Do not engage. Do not speak to them. Do not make eye contact. If possible, do not look at them at all, because body language is a weapon. Do not listen. If you can't escape, speak pleasantries until you can get out of the conversation. Never be alone with them. Above all, do not listen. As a last resort, assume that everything they say, without exception, is a lie. It will cost you, but not as much as going toe-to-toe with someone you know is better at lying than you are at catching lies.

    Mari-sensei was not a hostile social expert. She was one of the very few people Kei trusted unreservedly in this world. But if Kei had gone from conviction to nausea in seconds, if it had taken a serious boundary violation to render her able to think…

    "Tenten, may I walk you home?"

    -o-​

    A walk beneath the stars with one's lover could have been the height of romance. Instead, an awkward silence hung in the air like an invisible wall. They did not look at each other. They did not speak. They did not acknowledge each other's existence except to maintain an even pace.

    The door to Tenten's house marked the final boundary of decision. Kei would enter or she would not. Both choices had implications.

    Kei hesitated. Finally, she gave Tenten a questioning look.

    Without a word, Tenten held open the door to allow her in.

    Tenten's flat was almost exactly the same as before—small, spartan, and, usually, inexplicably safe—except that now Kei recognised a number of the weapons on the walls, and knew their basic uses. The memory almost made her smile.

    Almost.

    The only other change was that on the far wall, above Maito Gai's Guide to Attaining the Spirit of Youth, a pair of nunchaku occupied pride of place.

    Tenten, catching her eye, motioned to the kettle. Kei nodded.

    At the table, tea served, Tenten bowed her head in abject apology. She remained in that position, unmoving, while Kei gathered such courage as yet remained to her.

    She had fulfilled one of the promises tonight, if in a cataclysmic context. And then, as part of that same cataclysm, fate had offered an apology of sorts by presenting an opening to fulfil the other. And if it was not quite what she had imagined… well, there would be time.

    "Tenten," she said.

    Tenten looked up at her.

    Kei forced her breathing to slow. She ignored the screaming of her heartbeat. She closed her eyes and clenched her fists.

    She held out her sleeve.

    -o-​

    Lacking a benchmark, Kei could not say whether she had displayed extraordinary mental resilience by lasting this long, or, more probably, once again displayed her pathetic lack of willpower. Certainly, several eternities had passed, but with Kei's eyes closed and her other senses not exactly at their finest… for all she knew, for Tenten they could have been seconds.

    The terrifying, comforting weight of Tenten's fingers disappeared one final time, and Kei took a deep breath in like a pearl diver finally reaching the surface. She opened her eyes.

    Tenten's expression was the most beautiful she had seen for a long time. Delighted. Proud of her. Honoured by her trust. When was the last time anyone had looked at her like that? Even Ami could not escape the bounds of being the older sister forever superior to the younger. She could never bestow upon Kei the respect of an equal.

    However, with achievements in drawing closer to the bare minimum qualifications for being human came commensurate exhaustion, to say nothing of the accumulated stress of the day. But if there was one experience she did not have the strength to handle at this time, it was returning to the compound and facing the people she had betrayed. Thus, emboldened by her boundary-shifting success, she took one final step before she figuratively collapsed to the floor.

    "May I stay here tonight?"

    As if in perfect sync, they turned to look at the room's solitary bed. Then back at each other. Kei's mind filled with static as blood rushed to her face. Visibly, Tenten's too.

    After a few seconds of paralysis, Tenten slapped herself on the forehead and withdrew a bedroll from her equipment chest, spreading it on the floor. She gestured for Kei to take the bed. Kei naturally, made the opposite gesture.

    Initiative: Tenten, Keiko
    Tenten tags the scene Aspect "My House, My Rules".
    Tenten Standard: Empathy: ?
    Keiko Resolve: 20 + 6 = 26
    Keiko wins.
    Tenten Supplemental: Move pointedly towards the bedroll

    Keiko Standard: Intimidation 20 + 6 = 26
    Tenten Resolve: ?
    Tenten spends 1 FP to reroll.
    Tenten Resolve: ?
    Keiko wins. Keiko chooses not to inflict stress.

    Kei won the ensuing staring contest. Given that not long ago she had been the genin capable of forcing Jiraiya to a draw, Tenten had never stood a chance.

    Of course, then Tenten gave a warm "I really can't win against you, can I?" smile that reduced Kei's feeling of soaring triumph to mere common-or-garden joy.

    In time, the two girls lay next to each other in the dark, separated only by the height of a bed and a mind-meltingly small amount of horizontal space. It was beyond Kei's power to explain how here she was, with the world falling down around her, with Jiraiya dead, with her family hating her for her betrayal, with the unknown terrors of a wedding to come in the morning… and yet, for just this one moment, she was at peace.

    -o-​

    It was the most surreal experience she had ever had. Well, nearly the most surreal. One of the top ten, at least. That was Kei's life now.

    Shikamaru was dressed in traditional Leaf marriage armour, Senju plate dyed in Nara colours, to demonstrate his readiness to defend his new family. On his belt were two ceremonial sai, indicating his gentle side with a weapon designed to maim rather than kill. Kei herself was in a flame-red dress which represented her being infused with the Will of Fire (symbolising purification of her foreign roots, as well as having other connotations she chose to ignore), with a wavy, flame-bladed sword on her back to represent the complex path she had taken to arrive at this point.

    But questionable fashion choices aside, Kei was so overwhelmed she could barely stay on her feet. A wedding. Her wedding. For fourteen years, she had been completely certain that she would be single for the rest of her life, neither worthy enough to marry out of love, nor worth enough to marry in the name of politics. She had not dared imagine being at the heart of such a ceremony—being celebrated. Any minute now, they would all realise their error. They would cast her down and curse her for wasting their time.

    But until that time, she was swathed in a reality that was not a dream. Part of her still could not believe it, and a greater part of her knew that she was merely a tool of economic exchange. But this was her wedding, the only one she would ever have, and if Shikamaru was not the partner she would have chosen, she still had hope that she might be happy by his side.

    Around her, representatives of every clan watched the procession, some cheering and others silent. She could see Yamanaka wiping tears away with a handkerchief. Kagome, in one of the red outfits Akane had given to him, smiling nervously with his hands deep in his pockets. Hazō and Noburi, Noburi mouthing, "Hell yeah!" Had they forgiven her? Could they ever forgive her? No, Kei suppressed those thoughts. This was not the time. Instead, she focused on the crowd. Hinata, smiling and waving. Hanabi on her shoulders, deadly serious, nodding her head in respect. Shiori, meeting her gaze with red eyes and a complicated smile. Naruto, roughly once every four people.

    In the distance, in the section partitioned off for common-born shinobi and civilians (as well as those whose adoption paperwork was still in progress), Akane was virtually bouncing up and down, exuding that ghastly energy called "youth" so intensely that Kei could feel it even from here. Next to her, Tenten met her eyes, conveying radiant warmth that required no words, her hands firmly closed over Rock Lee's mouth. Dr Yakushi, mysteriously still not a clan ninja, was giving Kei and Shikamaru a contemplative look. And behind them... behind them, dozens of civilians waved an enormous banner reading "CONGRATULATIONS FROM THE GŌKETSU KEIKO FAN CLUB", with frolicking black kittens marking the corners like heraldic symbols.

    On second thought, perhaps this was a dream after all.

    She refocused on the ninja section, seeking sanity among the Uchiha. However, the young man was completely obscured by a huge litter bearing the bandaged Tsunade. She seemed disgruntled to be here, though not as much so as her bearers. The presence of Mari-sensei, next to her, should have been comforting, yet for a second, a flash of steely-eyed focus behind her smile almost made Kei feel afraid.

    She rapidly moved on, only to be blinded by the sun. In this overcast weather, there could only be one source of such glorious light.

    Ami.

    It was over, then. Such a beautiful dream.

    No, Ami had taught her a lesson for use in exactly such an emergency. Kei touched the Frozen Skein.

    The world remained.

    So did Ami, banishing the darkness that had been constricting Kei ever since she returned to Leaf. Kei could not imagine how it was possible for Ami to be here, and to be here now, but it did not surprise her for a moment that her sister had managed it. After all, Ami was functionally omnipotent.

    Kei was unable to tear her eyes away. Ami's expression was joyful. Encouraging. And, in the underlayer only Kei had learned how to see, gleeful. As if she were witnessing the payoff of a particularly sophisticated plot.

    Next to Kei, Shikamaru shuddered so violently she could sense it without having him in her line of sight.

    Oh yes. He existed. They were partway through a wedding ceremony. The shrine was a matter of metres in front of them. The assassin in white was further to the left. The Hagoromo priest, elderly and grey-bearded, was placing the Scroll of Ancient Wisdom on the lectern.

    "Rikudō Sennin iwaku," he droned in the ancient tongue that none but priests and scholars bothered to learn, "ninshū ni sugureru mono nomi…"

    Kei, who had naturally memorised the relevant texts in advance, tuned out the voice in the favour of watching the priest's hands as he drew forth seven gems: blue for the Human Path, white for the Deva Path, red for the Asura Path, green for the Beast Path, grey for the Preta Path, and black for the Naraka Path. Then he added another, iridescent, gem, and many in the crowd gasped. They must have gone their entire lives without seeing the Seventh Path gem, the privilege granted to summoners alone.

    The priest raised his hands, and without interrupting his reading, began to quickly juggle the seven gems, clockwise as was only proper.

    All eyes were drawn to the microcosmic wheel of transmigration spinning before the happy couple. Then, as the priest's voice rose to a crescendoing chant, the ninja waiting atop the boulder to the left, clad in white pyjamas, leapt down with a yell. He reached for Kei, but Shikamaru easily interposed himself. Failing to kidnap Kei, the White Ninja instead drew his his enormous, unwieldy naginata and thrust it (yes, thrust it) at Shikamaru, who caught it with his sai.

    Meanwhile, behind Kei, a ninja in black pyjamas slowly crept up to her, theatrically standing on tiptoe with arms stretched out in front of him. While the White Ninja symbolised the incompetence of evil, the Black Ninja symbolised the need to be vigilant for it nonetheless.

    Kei counted off the naginata-on-sai clangs. One. Two. Three.

    She spun around, blocking the Black Ninja's matte ninja-tō with a slash of her sword.

    He sought to stab her, but she easily deflected his attacks.

    Five clangs. Six. Seven.

    She swept the blade across with a magnificent flourish which in real ninja combat would spell her certain death. A ball of black cloth, trailing red string, rolled off the Black Ninja's neck and tumbled away. He collapsed, head tucked deep into his pyjamas. Behind her, Shikamaru plunged both sai into the White Ninja's chest. The White Ninja fell to the ground, rapidly casting a series of red ribbons into the air from inside his clothing.

    Back to back, the bride and groom stood triumphant over the forces of evil.

    They turned and walked to the true shrine, where the Hagoromo priest was waiting for them. Without a break in his chanting, he cast the seven gems to the couple one by one.

    "I call upon the Sage of Six Paths," Shikamaru called out while juggling the gems between Kei and himself, "to bestow the blessings of Six upon my beloved bride, that the bonds between us be as strong as the bonds between worlds, that our sharing of thoughts be as clear as ice, and that our self-interest be enlightened by the Will of Fire."

    "I call upon the Sage of Six Paths," Kei responded, "to bestow the blessings of Seven upon my beloved groom, that our bonds be as eternal as the journey of the soul within the cycle of reincarnation, that we may walk together as shadows, unbroken in light and darkness both, and that our cognitive biases be burned away by the Will of Fire."

    "Thus mote it be," pronounced the priest.

    Finally, Kei and Shikamaru embarked on a much truer test of their relationship than anything that had come so far. They had to cup their hands.

    In flawless coordination, as if reading each other's minds, they moved their right and left hands respectively towards each other. The hands were so close that, to an outside observer, they appeared cupped together. Only the tiniest, exactly-balanced sliver of chakra repulsion separated them. Were either side too strong, or only one side active, the hands could be visibly pushed apart or slip past each other. Were either too weak, the hands could touch. The proximity was unnerving enough already.

    Their cupped hands thus separated as one, Kei and Shikamaru allowed all seven gems to fall into them, and then rolled them into mouth of the rainbow-painted urn symbolising the Sage of Six Paths.

    There was a massive cheer from the audience as the final stage of the ceremony was completed. Turning back, Kei and Shikamaru cast a series of blunted kunai with exorcism tags attached in the vague direction of the crowd, in high, lazy arcs. Per tradition, any who caught one would be freed of any evil spirits interfering with their love lives, while any who tried and failed would be distracted from their love-related woes for some time to come.

    -o-​

    The second the wedding was over, Kei rushed her sister into a nearby marquee, leaving Shikamaru to stand guard against any suicidal mortal who dared to interfere with the reunion.

    "Ami!" Kei exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

    "Celebrating my darling little sister's wedding, duh."

    "Allow me to rephrase. What are you doing here?"

    "Seemed like a great place to study social dynamics. Most of the important people in Leaf are hanging around together, and they're all wearing their clan crests."

    "Allow me to rephrase one more time. What are you doing here?"

    "Oh, I asked the Mizukage whether she'd be paying her respects at the Hokage's funeral in person, and after a second's thought, she told me to have my scrolls packed within the hour."

    Kei sighed. "I suppose we may as well be thorough. What are you doing here?"

    "Taking notes." Ami beamed. "Didja see how there was a gap between the Yamanaka and the Akimichi? And where Uzumaki did and didn't place his clones? Nice crest, by the way, see if you can incorporate it into the Gōketsu one after the vote. Oh, and there was this cute Nara kid trying not to fall apart. I can't wait to hear that story. Are you going to be a heartbreaker like Mari-sensei? Oh, speaking of which, I have got to catch up with her. The thing with the thing? Masterful. Can't believe I missed it."

    "The… thing with the thing?" Kei asked warily.

    "If you haven't heard about it, I'm betting you will soon. Leaf looks like so much fun already. Looks like I'm going to have to bring my A-game if I want to join in!"

    "Wait." Kei rewound the conversation in her mind. "Mari-sensei?!"

    "Oh, yeah," Ami said. "I'm your senior student. Mari-sensei was one of the people who showed me the ropes back when I was a young and innocent chūnin. There aren't that many I&S specs in Mist, you know. She and I were never close—not that the Heartbreaker was close with anyone—but we worked well together. I helped her keep her hand in during downtime, and she gave me some very effective pointers. Hey, maybe she can tell me why my disguise skills have gone rusty all of a sudden."

    The revelation left Kei completely numb.

    "How did you know when to come?" Kei asked mechanically.

    Ami gave a meaningful silence.

    "I can field that one, I regret to say," Shikamaru's voice came from the marquee entrance. "After a certain unfortunate act of insensitivity on my part, Mori arranged a meeting and enlightened me as to my responsibility for Keiko's welfare as her husband-to-be. Once my mental faculties were restored, she engaged me in unrelated political discussion. A number of subjects were lightly touched on, one of them being a passing mention of the dangers associated with instability in the personal lives of political actors. Later, on hearing the news from Nagi Island, it became apparent to me how easily I could generate stability in at least one respect by accelerating the marriage preparations. This would fulfil both my own needs as sudden clan head and my responsibility for Keiko's welfare, all while drawing on no more resources than had already been earmarked for the purpose.

    "Then Mori visited me two days ago and a number of things became clear. Naturally, I was overjoyed to welcome her as a wedding guest, and keen to accept her request that we keep her attendance a surprise so as not to risk distracting Keiko while she was engaged in urgent preparations. Needless to say, there was also no need to alter the wedding date. May I please return to my guard duty?"

    "Go for it," Ami grinned. She looked back to Kei. "There's a lot going on in Mist right now, and I really should be fulfilling my duties and getting back as soon as I can. Trouble is, apparently Leaf has more than one strong candidate for the hat, and the funeral can't take place until there's a new Hokage, so either way I'm going to have to kill some time here. Any cultural revolutions you want to introduce, any secret societies you want to found, I'm your gal.

    "Oh, yeah," she said, "I should introduce my official escort. Yūichi, come meet my sister!"

    An awkward-looking young man, perhaps a couple of years older than Kei, shuffled past Shikamaru.

    "Yūichi here's been assigned to make sure I don't get into trouble."

    Yūichi bowed. "It is an honour to meet you, Lady Gō—Lady Nara."

    "This guy has a great backstory," Ami said. "Yūichi's a proud representative of the Shimura Clan, which used to be one of the great Fire Country clans until their allies betrayed them and they were nearly wiped out late in the Warring Clans period. The First Hokage shunned them because they were such a small clan, but their fortunes soared under the Second, who recognised their unique talents. At first, the Third continued the trend, and Yūichi's step-grandfather and clan leader was right about to expand the family business when he died in a tragic accident."

    "Yes," Yūichi said slowly. "A tragic accident."

    "One moment," Kei said. "It was my understanding that Shimura Danzō was the last scion of the Shimura Clan."

    "Oh, he was," Yūichi agreed, straightening his spine like an abandoned puppet coming alive. "He never adopted anyone because he preferred a loose network where none of our parents had legal connections with each other. Unfortunately his will mysteriously disappeared in the tragic accident, so if he was lining one of them up to be his successor, we'll never know.

    "But in the end, that's not what matters. Grandfather's the one who reached out to us common-borns and gave us a chance to be something more. Even if he's dead, even if the Third Hokage turned his back on us and allowed the clan to be dissolved, we will always be loyal to Grandfather's ideals."

    "Don't forget the thing," Ami helpfully advised him.

    "That's right," Yūichi said. "Lady Ami pointed out that now the Fifth has set the precedent for common-borns founding new clans, there's no legal reason for us all not to come together as the new Shimura. As a special favour, she's even willing to go over the basics of running a clan with us before she goes home."

    "I told you, it's just Ami to friends," Ami said. "I'm no clan bigshot back home. If anything, I'm hovering around the edges of the system—they won't pull me in and they can't kick me out. They only sent me here because the Mizukage wanted to get me out of her hair. Funny how fate sometimes draws people together, huh?"

    "A source of never-ending entertainment," Kei observed in a deadpan voice.

    "Sure is. I figured I'd look around the mission office while I was waiting for all the diplomats to be ready to receive me, and I took the chance to chat with a bunch of ninja, and it just so happened that Yūichi was hanging around trying to find a chūnin-level mission that hadn't already been assigned to clan ninja. So when the diplomatic staff were trying to pick my official escort, I asked them to specifically not assign that free chūnin downstairs who made me feel uncomfortable because he kept watching me like a hawk the whole time I was there."

    Ami winked at Yūichi.

    "But first things first."

    She stepped over and gave Kei the most affectionate of all possible hugs. Kei melted into her arms. Safety. Love. Trust. Something real in a world of uncertainty and lies. In the back of her mind, Kei was already wondering how to persuade Ami to join the Nara.

    She thought of Tenten. Did anyone ever hug her? Did anyone ever make her feel safe, loved, trusted, with a touch? If it was possible for her to share with Tenten what Ami shared with her, then she would keep trying till the end of time.

    Ami stepped back. "Now I'd love to catch up with you, and I promise I will, but I've got a prior engagement, and there's ever so much to do. Keiko, after whatever happened last night—c'mon, runt, I only needed to see how you were looking at your family—I'm assuming you're heading straight to the Nara compound? I'll drop by soon enough.

    "You ready to go, Yūichi?"

    "I am at your service, Ami."

    With that, Ami skipped off, Yūichi obediently following her like a dog following its master.

    Kei could have commented that this did not bode well, but she had resigned herself to Leaf's destruction the moment she saw that smile in the audience.

    -o-​

    You have arbitrarily received 4 XP.

    -o-
    ​
    What do you do?​
    ​
    Voting ends on Saturday 25th of May, 9 a.m. New York Time.​
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Velorien said:
    "I would note, in the spirit of the Clear Communication Technique, that it is incumbent on me as Nara clan head to make my decisions with this information in mind. You are suddenly worth far less to the Nara than you once were. It is fortunate for both of us, but especially for you, that the Nara unfailingly honour our commitments, and thus will proceed with the marriage irrespective of reevaluation, and thereafter acknowledge the bond it creates. There are clans, and not necessarily those which first spring to mind, that would have seriously considered terminating the engagement with the sudden death of the Fifth. Nevertheless, I must give serious consideration to which paths our alliance opens up for us, and which ones it closes, in a completely different way than my father had to.
    Click to expand...
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    Wow, that went poorly.
     
    Eh. Girl's a little dramatic about this. It won't serve as effective a binding factor as weapons would be, but given time we can provide the clans with economically useful seals rather than weapons which can serve a similar purpose.
     
    Cariyaga said:
    Eh. Girl's a little dramatic about this. It won't serve as effective a binding factor as weapons would be, but given time we can provide the clans with economically useful seals rather than weapons which can serve a similar purpose.
    Click to expand...
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    We know pretty much zilch about their economy though. And they seem to be pretty self-sufficient already, AFAIK. Although that "breeding license" thing does suggest that there's a limit on how many people the Pangolins can support...
     
    Well, lots of bad news, but nothing that we weren't going to hear eventually I suppose.
    No more Pangolin gold to bribe people with, but we do have a possible new revenue stream in the form of seal creation and selling to the Tower; which we can eventually offload to Kagome's students once he gets them trained up.

    Plan Arms Dealer for World Piece is def not going to work out; not if we want to try to get Keiko to not fuck off more than she already has. We have to pick one or the other, but not both. Honestly, at this point it might be best for her to get rid of the summoning contract, since it seems to cause her nothing but grief.
     
    Damn, Keiko is amazingly fragile these days. Here's hoping that things work out for her.
    And the thread's plans all turned out to be shit, who knew :D

    At least everyone who called Ami's attendance were proved right!
     
    Without the pressure of the extant deal with the Pangolins, there's no need to commit in perpetuity for or against our seventh path arms dealing peace plan. That is, we can easily table the topic and focus on the Human Path for a while, and then once Keiko's had time to process the idea and acclimatize to the new paradigm of not supporting the Pangolin war machine, we can test the waters again.

    With Ami in Leaf a few things start to realign. Most primarily, we have the means to contact her and call in our favour, whether it's to cause trouble for Hiashi or to arrange permission for us to be taught Iron Nerve Socials. We can ask Mari once she and Ami catch up if the former would be necessary/a good idea.

    Once Keiko gets us the market analysis of seal value we should have a line to the effect of 'make and sell as many of the highest-value seals as Hazou or Kagome can manage'. We're still good for the immediate future because of the last shipment to the Pangolins, but the money's most useful to us right now when we can try to exchange it for political favour and, potentially, a swung vote.

    I'll post the Plan Cache in a few minutes, but first I need to go remove the stuff that got done and swap out the linked plans.
     
    Velorien said:
    "Relatedly, you underestimate the amount of security afforded you by your positive personal relationships with influential figures of the younger generation such as myself. Were we as a collective to be your enemies, as would be expected given your origins, or even simply disinclined to interact with you, you would quickly cease to exist as a political entity, no matter your legal status. Conversely, our tolerance influences the mood of others who have yet to decide whether to reject you as foreign matter. To fully appreciate this, I invite you to imagine a world where every clan heir shared Neji's values."
    Click to expand...
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    I believe that this is intended to read underestimate, right?
     
    So, for the foreseeable future (and possibly permanently) we need to plan around our finances and future prospects without the Pangolins in the equation.
    Goketsu just got clearance to sell seals to the Tower; with Hazou able to make seals by the truckload he could sell to the Tower to keep us afloat for now. Once Kagome gets some students Hazou should be able to spend less time doing so as they take up the slack on that front. This should at the very least get us through for the near future.

    As for the Seventh Path, we will have an in there once again through the Toad scroll, but it will likely require us to owe a debt to Asuma to teach us how to use it properly (since I highly doubt Keiko will teach us anything about it). I'm not going to make any suggestions on this front because everything seems to backfire anyways when people better at this than me try.

    I also think we should just make our rounds to associates in the clans and offer our condolences before leaving the whole hat thing be; we have people far more socially competent on the case for that right now and I don't trust Hazou to not fuck everything up if he tries to do something.
     
    Plan Cache for this cycle up and running, pruned slightly and updated with last cycle's major plans.
    Inferno Vulpix said:
    Plan Cache:
    • Discuss with the family:
      • Akane: Suggest ice-making for funding.
        • If she's OK, start freezing and we'll sell it outside Leaf.
    • Review Jiraiya's notes on 7th path politics.
    • Schedule a wake to mourn Leaf's fallen heroes.
    • We should push for having Asuma take Naruto as an administrative assistant/apprentice when he's Hokage.
      • Naruto is still rather useful, what with being groomed for the position, deeply loyal to leaf, very well disposed to the Sarutobi.
      • He is still recovering from his ordeal, so some allowances for that would be needed.
      • On the other hand as Leaf's resident Naruto summoner he can take care of paperwork, and other administrivia extremely efficiently. Letting you focus on the actual job.
    • Maybe consider inter-village adoption (Doigama, Kato...)?
    • Gather information on Akatsuki:
      • Noburi: When visiting the Tower, grab their profiles.
      • Kagome: Summarize their book.
    • Snakes:
      • Hazou: Learn their culture/predispositions from Summons and Jiraiya's notes.
      • Keiko: Message them via Pangolins.
        • Send Jiraiya's letter to Orochimaru along (in case he's alive).
        • Did Orochimaru leave them his will? Jiraiya wrote him a pardon, we'd want to carry out his wishes.

    Past Plans:
    Ami and Chaos by Oneiros
    Shikamaru's Marriage by faflec
    Sometimes when we're making a plan we have a good idea that's just outside the temporal scope of the update, but we don't want to cut it from the plan because we might forget by the next cycle. This adds unnecessary words that could have been spent fleshing out the rest of the plan, and may outright cost XP in the worst cases.

    This plan cache will hold these subsections so they don't fall into the void between planning cycles. Just ping me with the subsection and, unless it's wildly unreasonable, I'll edit it into the post. I'll keep them there for a while until they either make it into a winning plan, fall out of favour, or the context significantly changes. Depending on circumstances, they might end up in my Side Project Cache, or they might be dropped, and I'll make sure to be transparent about what I'm doing.

    I'll do my best to quote this post after every update, so that planmakers can get an easy reminder about what we never quite got to last cycle.
    Click to expand...
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    So, I'm thinking it's time for Hazou and Kagome to talk and figure out what happened with ninja's disguise skills. I reckon we can get a favour out of selling that information to Ami.
    Velorien said:
    Are you going to be a heartbreaker like Mari-sensei? Oh, speaking of which, I have got to catch up with her.
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    *groan*

    I wonder whether we should be proactively preventing that particular reunion from happening, given previous track record, or just resign ourselves to it.
    Inferno Vulpix said:
    whether it's to cause trouble for Hiashi or to arrange permission for us to be taught Iron Nerve Socials
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    I vote for "maximize our personal control over Leaf politics". It neatly covers:
    • Ensuring that Hiashi doesn't win.
    • Ensuring that we remain a Clan.
    • Ensuring that the best-for-us candidate becomes Hokage (Mari if she's able, Chouza/Asuma if she isn't).
    • Ensuring that we won't become Ami's puppets ("personal control").
    TalonofAnathrax said:
    And the thread's plans all turned out to be shit, who knew :D
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    Actually, no. Keiko basically confirmed that the Seventh Path Alliance plan was workable. She rejected it on deontological grounds (she doesn't want to feel responsible for selling weapons), not utilitarianistic ones ("it will not stop the warfare"). Sad to be her, but yay otherwise.
     
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    Man, if we make it out of this in one piece, it's going to be impossible for Mari to reverse course and find some manner of redemption. She seems to have resigned herself to being everything she hates about herself, and is running completely in mission mode, with Hazou as her anchor. Her cutting Keiko off this chapter is a really bad sign - it means she doesn't see a future for herself, and is trying to limit damage she could do by disappearing.

    And now Ami wants to talk to her, too. You know, at this point, another breakdown might be the preferable course of action for her...
     
    I propose to chill out on the "Let's ignore/blatantly play with the rules of the village", this is the second time we almost hit the "Everyone calls you traitors and kill you all" target.
    It's clear now that we are in really shaky ground in Leaf, so at least we need to talk about any project with Mari and the other before trying.

    On Keiko, there is something we need to resolve, ASAP.
    She doesn't talk, because in her own view of herself, she's worthless, therefore her needs are worthless, therefore she doesn't talk about such needs, until someone fuck up and she explodes.
    For example, this chapter:
    She berated Hazou for not understanding her(In part understandable), but also said that Hazou should have implicitly understood her wishes.
    This is bad, if this isn't at least addressed, these incident will keep happening.
    So, i propose

    1)Meet her
    2)Say Sorry, for we failed her, we are Uplift, but she was the one that stopped the massacre, while we did accept it.
    3)Say sorry for saying "I won't allow", we are under pressure and we don't really know when we need to act as Clan Head to help keep the family united and when not do that, that was not the time.
    4)But we're also hurt: She felt the need to explain it as something that simply was, as if we would have forced her to keep such deal against her wishes, do she trust us so little? Did she really think we would have ignored her wishes if she simply said "I can't do this anymore"? Did she really think we would have just took the scroll from her and ignored her?
    5)We are also humans, while we should have, and we should have, realized the intent behind her request, she should not fear to give voice to her needs because of a biased view of her (lack of) importance. Even if she feels her needs are not important, for us they are. And as it happened many times, if she does not talk about what she wants, at a certain point she will explode(It already happened).
    Therefore Keiko needs to accept that she HAS needs, and such needs are important, if not because we consider them important, because sooner or later she express them, and not in calm and measured way.



    And we also need to talk to Mari, ASAP.
    Have a serious discussion with her, before she pulls a Keiko.

    If we ignore Goketsu for politics, we are going to have another "Ami Date" disaster, only much worse.
    And we also needed to meet the people that just lost their family in there, Ino for example, yesterday
    Even Keiko did so, while we, the Clan head, just ignored our allies.
     
    [X] Action Plan: Crisis Management
    • Have Keiko inform the clan on our current financial situation
    • Discuss ways to make money currently and in the future
      • Sell salt.
      • Sell seals to the tower.
      • Sell ice.
    • Go talk to Keiko.
      • Are you cutting ties with us?
     
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