Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

[Inferno Vulpix]

It does? I don't see any timestamps indicating this. Perhaps I'm being a huge dumbass and skipped a detail indicating where we're at in the timeline or something.

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Well, he won't be on board on board until the vote's over and he can stop being an Uzumaki and join the Goketsu. And maybe Shikamaru never found out that we met him and it went rather well.

 

[Rafin]

I'd like to suggest we also apologize to Mari, for making her do something she clearly didn't want to do (that is to say, manipulate Keiko into changing her mind). Hazou knows (...right?) Mari loves Keiko, like, a fucking lot, and having her manipulate Keiko like that was fucked up. We should own up to our mistake in this regard.

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First I want to know what the hell Hazou was thinking right in that situation.

 

[Deathbybunnies]

It does? I don't see any timestamps indicating this. Perhaps I'm being a huge dumbass and skipped a detail indicating where we're at in the timeline or something.

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"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."

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I took this to mean that we hadn't spoken to Naruto yet, though I could be mistaken.

Unfortunately, there are no therapists in this world. The closest we have is Yamanaka Neira, who has very vocally expressed that she's not a therapist.

There's no trained professional to help Keiko deal. There's just us, the ones who know her issues best. And it's not working.

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I remember Kagome being offered one when we first walked around Leaf with ISC and Asuma, and him being very firm on refusing.

 

[Oneiros]

Let's be honest Hazō has nothing to apologize for. I'd really Like not instantly accepting blame for every time someone gets butthurt. Kei once again needs to grow up

 

[Emstar]

I took this to mean that we hadn't spoken to Naruto yet, though I could be mistaken.

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Alternative explanation: its not like we told Shikamaru about any of the secret politics conversations we had with Tsunade and Naruto?

 

[Rafin]

It does? I don't see any timestamps indicating this. Perhaps I'm being a huge dumbass and skipped a detail indicating where we're at in the timeline or something.

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I don't think we were still pre-Naruto. But I also don't think anyone ever told Shikamaru that Jiraiya wanted Goketsu and Uzumaki to merge even in the case where he died before Naruto was recovered. So Shikamaru can easily guess that we would really like to have Naruto on board, but he doesn't actually have any info indicating that that's already a done deal.

 

[faflec]

I have it down as an apology to the clan in general, because I feel like we should apologize to the clan in general.

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I mean, yes, we should apologize to the clan in general. But we put Mari on the spotlight, and basically made her do the exact thing that she had a mental breakdown over. We should definitely apologize to her in particular.

Again, this assumes Hazou attempted to give an order. Which I'm not 100% on.

First I want to know what the hell Hazou was thinking right in that situation.

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My interpretation, assuming Hazou was behaving IC from my perspective, was that he initially wanted Keiko to not jump to such a unilateral decision without talking it over with the clan and/or considering the effects it would have on their financial situation or her own personal powe, or considering alternatives that wouldn't result in adversely affecting the above. But Keiko interrupted him with her analysis and pointed out that it wouldn't screw the Clan (because Toads) and Keiko was willing to accept the loss in personal power.

And the thing with Mari was, hopefully, a miscommunication between the two. Hazou wanted to reluctantly agree, Mari raised her hand, and Hazou decided to let her speak without thinking of what she was going to say.

Maybe. I dunno.

I remember Kagome being offered one when we first walked around Leaf with ISC and Asuma, and him being very firm on refusing.

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Sarutobi chuckled. "Don't worry about it. We've got plenty of ninja here who have been on one too many missions. If you want it—and only if you want it—we actually have a psychiatric staff that you could talk to. It's not magic, but it can help. No pressure, though. We aren't going to force you into it."

Kagome's smile slipped and a trace of tension returned to his shoulders. "No."

Sarutobi raised his hands placatingly. "Okay," he said. "Like I said, no pressure."

Click to shrink...

 

[BG-Scout]

Unfortunately, there are no therapists in this world. The closest we have is Yamanaka Neira, who has very vocally expressed that she's not a therapist.

There's no trained professional to help Keiko deal. There's just us, the ones who know her issues best. And it's not working.

Click to shrink...

Considering that Keiko is now officially of the Nara Clan, I'm not sure how much our concerns should be dedicated to her. I'm thinking that we should simply leave her to her own devices for the time being while doing our best to remain supportive and friendly. Learning emotional intelligence and general social tact from Mari and Ino would be helpful for preventing similar downfalls in the future.

[X] Action Plan: Ino, You Know

 

[Velorien]

@eaglejarl @Velorien @OliWhail I recognize that y'all have more spoons than Kagome has explosives, but I would really like an explanation of Hazou's thought processes when Keiko announced her revocation of the Pangolin-Skytower deal; specifically, for his initial reaction ("Keiko, I can't allow–") and his intentions behind his prompting of Mari.

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Knee-jerk reaction: "I have to stop this from happening because it would be a disaster for the clan I'm responsible for protecting".

As for Mari, he saw himself as giving her the go-ahead in response to a "leave it to me" on persuading Keiko out of it.

 

[Deathbybunnies]

Alternative explanation: its not like we told Shikamaru about any of the secret politics conversations we had with Tsunade and Naruto?

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Entirely possible, though I'd lean towards the likelihood of letting our ally know that Naruto is confirmed for us so he can plan more effectively.

snip

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A psychiatric staff, being offered to someone because they're having mental difficulties? This is exactly what we want, is it not? (Assuming we can get a trustworthy one, but as the new wife of the Clan head of the Nara, I'm pretty confident Ino will be willing to arrange for Keiko to get someone.)

 

[Emstar]

Can we get an advance on next months Pangolin gold first?

We're totally good for it guys, don't you trust us?

 

[Rafin]

Quoting @eaglejarl regarding the existence of Leaf psychiatrists.

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I distinctly remember the QMs at some point telling us that professional psychologists aren't a thing.

@eaglejarl What was Asuma talking about? Was something retconned in that regard?

 

[faflec]

Knee-jerk reaction: "I have to stop this from happening because it would be a disaster for the clan I'm responsible for protecting".

As for Mari, he saw himself as giving her the go-ahead in response to a "leave it to me" on persuading Keiko out of it.

Click to shrink...

So did Hazou not process that Keiko accounted for this and was willing to accept the loss in personal power while also pointing out that the clan's power wouldn't be diminished since we'd still get the gold through the Toads?

Am I missing something?

 

[sophistsDismay]

Knee-jerk reaction: "I have to stop this from happening because it would be a disaster for the clan I'm responsible for protecting".

As for Mari, he saw himself as giving her the go-ahead in response to a "leave it to me" on persuading Keiko out of it.

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Didn't we just have an update where Hazou talked about the clan not being as important to him as the members of Uplift? When did this change? This is a complete 180 from my previous understanding of Hazou's priorities.

 

[Raichu1972]

[X] Action Plan: Ino, You Know

Please save us @huhYeahGoodPoint

 

[faflec]

He insisted that his sister, Keiko, was not allowed to make a decision that was best for her, on the basis that the clan needed it to happen more.

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Actually, could you also add that Keiko actually took the time to consider the effects cancelling the deal would have on the clan, and made a point to tell us a viable solution (read: sell through the Toads!)? So even this basis falls flat.

Edit: I mean, if anything, it could be argued that the action wasn't for her best because she'd be losing a fuckton of personal power, even though it was for her peace of mind and whatnot.

 

[Emstar]

I don't understand this "Hazou knew that Mari was going to try to social-fu Keiko into the ground (and poorly) instead of say, believing she would put forth a compelling argument to change her mind." thing folks are going on about.

 

[hYGP]

Actually, could you also add that Keiko actually took the time to consider the effects cancelling the deal would have on the clan, and made a point to tell us a viable solution (read: sell through the Toads!)? So even this basis falls flat.

Edit: I mean, if anything, it could be argued that the action wasn't for her best because she'd be losing a fuckton of personal power, even though it was for her peace of mind and whatnot.

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See, I really, honestly agree with you. The problem is that when I read the update, Hazou doesn't.




Hazou directed the attack, and would have attempted it himself if Mari didn't offer to do it for him better. In a very real sense, Hazou sought specifically to prevent her from terminating the contract, and gave permission for Mari to make her attempt to stop it.

IMO, voting in this plan would backfire because the message sent would be "what you did wrong was fail", not "what you did wrong was to use your full ability against a clan member".

What we need to do first, again, imo, is to reflect that it has been two weeks tops since this:

But somehow, the moment we became Clan Head we pretty much signed off on Keiko's primary value being the Pangolin Contract and willingly approved Mari's attack on Keiko to make her back down from the decision she needed to make.

We really need to reflect on this. Realize that we're going full Jiraiya, just not S-Rank.

Realize that we need to do better.

In combination with another initiative:

To socialize with the clan heads more. Shikamaru pretty much told us straight out our good relations with the clan heirs is a significant part of our present legitimacy; we should play that up some more.

To make this:

[X] Action Plan: Ino, You Know

• Reflect on what Hazou just ordered.
  • He insisted that his sister, Keiko, was not allowed to make a decision after she put in considerable thought to mitigate the issues, on knee-jerk impulse to value the clan over the individual.
  • It has not been a week since Hazou expressed the polar opposite sentiment to Keiko; the primary difference between then and now being Jiraiya's death and Hazou's subsequent temporary assumption of Clan Head status.
  • Hazou expressed that he hated it when Jiraiya did it to him and Keiko, so why does he think it is good now that he's where Jiraiya is seated?
  • Jiraiya...Jiraiya was great. Awesome. But - no, and - he had flaws, some of which Hazou picked up.
  • One of them was this. Hazou needs first to acknowledge that he has made the same mistake Jiraiya did; valuing the paper over the person.
  • Resolve to apologize to the clan and Keiko specifically.
• Go meet Ino.
  • Ask Mari for advice on a flower bouquet of mourning.
    • Intended meaning should be "we do not know what we have lost and that makes the loss all the greater".
  • Go ask to see Ino.
    • If she is not taking visitors, leave the bouquet for her with our name attached.
    • If she is taking visitors, offer the bouquet and offer to commiserate.
      • It's true. Hazou doesn't know what she's lost.
      • He can only speak to knowing that he loved Ino absolutely.
      • But Hazou would like to know what we did lose.
    • If she's up to it, we can talk shop.
      • Who are the Yamanaka - or really, the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi - supporting for the Hat?
      • Is there anything else we can do to help?
      • Can she introduce us to the diplomatic corps?
    • Thank her for her time.

Lines that were tempting to add but had to be cut: losing two fathers makes us somewhat of an expert on the subject

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Edited, sort of. I began cutting a few words in order to keep it under 300; no sense losing that bonus XP for a two scene plan.

 

[Rafin]

Knee-jerk reaction: "I have to stop this from happening because it would be a disaster for the clan I'm responsible for protecting".

As for Mari, he saw himself as giving her the go-ahead in response to a "leave it to me" on persuading Keiko out of it.

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Well... Shit.

Hazou is an idiot. He really should take time to self-actualize and internalize the things he claims to believe. And he should apologize to everyone. Again.

though I'd lean towards the likelihood of letting our ally know that Naruto is confirmed for us so he can plan more effectively.

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We can do that at the political coordination meeting that we should be having with ISC leadership ASAP.
When it finally happens it should include:

• Naruto's political assessments. But not his more colorful personal opinions.
• Mari's political assessments and the deal we are offering the Uchiha. But not any of her actual actions or sources.
• Our opening with the Minami.
• The fact that the Uzumaki and Senju will vote with us as long as we aren't complete idiots.
• Suggest Akamichi or Sarutobi as a candidate (in that order) if no one else has.
• Our willingness to vote for anyone they propose as long as they think said candidate would accept our existence as a full fledged clan with aspirations of thriving and healthy growth.

 

[Veedrac]

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

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Who's to bet this is going to turn out terribly, eh?

Kei nodded slowly.

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The hell? You got me again, Velorien...

"To clarify," she said in a hollow voice,

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Oh, there it is. I'm-a go take a breather.

 

[faflec]

@huhYeahGoodPoint Would it be acceptable for us to try talking to Ino during whatever party takes place after the wedding, instead of what I'm guessing will be the day after?

 

[fiirofa]

[X] Action Plan: Ino, You Know

 

[Jello_Raptor]

Now that I have that first rant out of the way time for an actual reaction post. I'm writing this as I read the update for the first time.

Chapter 266: Dreams Fulfilled and Nightmares Born

"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.

Click to shrink...

My previous post was basically my response to this.

"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.

Click to shrink...

Sigh.

I don't think Keiko is fundamentally wrong, we are enabling some horrible atrocities with our actions. I just think that Keiko's framing of the problem is wrong.

Keiko is forgetting that what we're selling, skytowers, and skywalkers are not weapons in and of themselves. Hell, the skytowers are straightfowardly more useful for defensive applications.

Our problem is not what we sell. Our problems are ethics and actions of the people we're selling to.

We can stop selling to those people or change their ethics. The former delays the problem somewhat but doesn't fundamentally solve it. (unless you only care about personal culpability)

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.

Click to shrink...

Fucking finally

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."

Click to shrink...

Good on you Keiko, you're still framing the problem in ways you can't see but good on you.

"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.

Click to shrink...

She makes a good point, Keiko could know whether we can survive this.

"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."

Click to shrink...

Damnit Mari, you ruined it. You undermined your own personal progress with that last sentence and put Keiko into a no win situation.

Mari is going to bed with tears in her eyes at the thought of how she twisted Keiko into doing what she wanted. Every bit of admiration in those words was real, and Mari just betrayed that. It'll help for a little while to blame Hazou for that, but that is going to turn into resentment or detachment if left to fester.

And we haven't even gotten to how Keiko will be affected, Mari is deeply important to her, and answering that question has a good chance to throw her into a loop of self-recrimination.

We need to deal with Mari soon, like in the next plan:

• Hazou chats with Mari about her own well-being:
  • Manipulating Keiko like that must have been like stabbing her yourself.
  • It was the right choice but Hazou has some inkling of what that must have cost her, and takes full responsibility for it.
  • Gently remind her that her orders are to protect the clan, and that she is a part of the clan. Her own well being matters.
  • If need be, order Mari to talk about what she is going through her thought on what happened
  • Decide in front of her that your own initial order wasn't well thought out. Amend it to "Protect the well-being of the members of the clan."
  • Mari should not be defending the clan as an entity, but the people who make it up. The clan is just a tool.
  • Sometimes that means doing something that hurts the clan as an entity (letting Keiko stop selling seals) but which supports its members (supporting and reinforcing Keiko's progress towards self-confidence)
  • Hazou wants to earn Mari's trust that "It's okay to do things that are suboptial for the clan as an entity to help its members. We are clever fucks, we'll figure it out."

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?"

Click to shrink...

Fuck yes, Tenten saves the day.

We still need to talk to Mari as above, but amend it for the fact she failed. Also ask Mari to apologize to Keiko iff she feels genuinely apologetic.

On the other hand Hazou still needs to talk to Keiko. Partly as due diligence and party to reinforce his authority.

• Keiko, I need you to tell me honestly can the clan survive losing the pangolin income stream? What will the consequences be? How you propose to mitigate the problems?

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.

Click to shrink...

Huzzah. This is good. We can't support Keiko like this and she needs it.

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.

Spoiler: dice

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.

Click to shrink...

This was silly and cute, I love it.

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.

Click to shrink...

Progress, actual progress!

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.

Click to shrink...

Oh Naruto

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.

Click to shrink...

Huh, the fan club might be a legitimately useful political resource. It's enthusiastic and has civilians of all sorts.

These has got to be some way to use them to normalize the existence of the Goketsu and shed associations with our past.

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.

Click to shrink...

Shit on a stick.

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.

Click to shrink...

Huh the skein can be used as a dispel with no somatic component. Interesting.

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.

Click to shrink...

That Shikamaru, is the correct reaction.

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.

Click to shrink...

Right, there's a whole pile of things to pick apart here but I'm going to ignore them in favour of boggling at juggling in a wedding ceremony.

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.

Click to shrink...

He tucked his head into his pyjamas!? How did he bend it all the way down there? Why!?

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."

Click to shrink...

Ok, how does any civilian get married? Is this a ninja only part of the ceremony?

"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.

Click to shrink...

Snnrk, these are appropriate vows.

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.

Click to shrink...

That is a lot of effort being put into not touching.

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?"

Click to shrink...

Asking the right question is important when dealing with Ami.

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!"

Click to shrink...

Oh boy, what now?

"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.

Click to shrink...

Is it just me who imagines a sudden backdrop of stormclouds and thunder?

"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."

Click to shrink...

Huh, interesting.

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.

Click to shrink...

Good instincts Kei, good instincts.

 

[Noumero]

Everyone in this thread whos ever had to edit plans knows about the annoying ghost bullets

Click to shrink...

Can confirm, annoying ghost bullets are a riot.

[х] Form a Summoning Contract with Annoying Ghost Bullets

 

[Rafin]

@Velorien

Didn't we just have an update where Hazou talked about the clan not being as important to him as the members of Uplift? When did this change? This is a complete 180 from my previous understanding of Hazou's priorities.

Click to shrink...

I think this is a request for insight into Hazou's current state of mind and how he got there, not any kind of accusation.

I don't understand this "Hazou knew that Mari was going to try to social-fu Keiko into the ground (and poorly) instead of say, believing she would put forth a compelling argument to change her mind." thing folks are going on about.

Click to shrink...

Care to weigh in regarding Hazou's awareness of Mari's likely methods?

In any case, no matter what Hazou's thought process was, we should approach Mari with utmost care when we broach the subject. Any direct blame towards her will not end well. We clearly and officially took responsibility for her actions. Her mistakes are our mistakes and to be counteracted with specific instructions to adjust her behavior. I suggest CCnJ level explanations why we dislike the outcome, why we dislike the methods with regard to Keiko specifically and an explanation as to what our current and long term priorities are, especially regarding family.