Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

[Dictator4Hire]

I dislike the idea of telling the elders of our intentions before Takahashi brings it up, and also of telling them that we are going to get every elder's backing before taking the trial. I mean, sure, we're ninja, we can lie, but I'd rather us say something to the effect of "We'd rather not have to rely on the merits of majority to grant us a chance at the trial." Also, I'm... unsure that approaching the religious zealotry clan about this at all is a good idea, and would be much happier leaving that up to Takahashi.

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I still don't completely trust Takahashi, so I wanted to try to reach out to the other clans as a way to see for ourselves if they really are that opposed to change; after all, during the election Murasaki's platform didn't call for our immediate execution, just indefinite house arrest followed by assimilation on the pains of poisoning. Not great, but the isolationists had accepted that we are a force to be reckoned with rather than pests to step on.

@Dictator4Hire On a more serious note, your plan seems to hinge on the assumption that there will be boiling tensions by Inoue/Aida. But I'm not sure this is necessary since the only real danger is between the vote (to let Keiko undergo the trial) and the actual trial. Yes, damage control is a good idea to do in advance...but I don't see why we need to go this extreme into appeasement.

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I have a sneaking suspicion that Takahashi said that the Aida and Inoue would attack us as a pretense for some other nefarious purpose. He did after all say that he had an important plan to setup and did not want us to know what it is. That just screams double-cross to me. Trying to placate the allegedly soon-to-be aggrieved clans seemed like a good way to either:

1. convince them not to attack us, or
2. ascertain exactly how much of a threat they are and if anyone else plans on helping them attack us

Let's say that Takahashi is planning to betray us shortly before or during the trial. What can we do to stop this that allows all of our team to survive and get out with the scroll? Even if Takahashi is being honest, according to his stated ant plan, he wants us to take the scroll and never come back. I'd rather not let a bunch of potential allies escape my grasp just because those hill billies want to stay in their own never never land. They are an extremely valuable asset to have and just letting them go is just plain wasteful.

Also? You're Akane.

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Wait, no! I only want the hill billies for their bodies potential use as minions! I don't want friends; I want a labor force capable of using chakra! If they happen to be our friends, that's just extraneous, honest!

 

[Cariyaga]

I have a sneaking suspicion that Takahashi said that the Aida and Inoue would attack us as a pretense for some other nefarious purpose. He did after all say that he had an important plan to setup and did not want us to know what it is. That just screams double-cross to me. Trying to placate the allegedly soon-to-be aggrieved clans seemed like a good way to either:

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I just figured out what his idea is. He wants to discredit the Aida and Inoue by goading them into attacking us; this will allow him to seize control of the village regardless of whether or not we survive, or even the results of it.

 

[Jello_Raptor]

@Jello_Raptor I've been working under the assumption that all seal/bloodline/jutsu research is under heavy guard. I'm emphasizing the need for more heavy guard when Noburi fucks with seals.

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I read "heavy guard" as "guard from enemies/saboteurs". We also need safety procedures.

And that stupid bomb idea? Kagome would tell you, after he's done screaming and running around, that it's a bad idea to do under any situation save to kill yourself.

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Dude, Kagome already has a seal that triggers arbitrary other seals when a "laser" is tripped. As well as timers and a stack of multiple explosive seal types. This nothing new from a sealing perspective.

It's stupid to be near it when it goes off, not to make it.

 

[Dictator4Hire]

I just figured out what his idea is. He wants to discredit the Aida and Inoue by goading them into attacking us; this will allow him to seize control of the village regardless of whether or not we survive, or even the results of it.

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That could be the reason, I'll add in asking into the PPPP plan.

@Jello_Raptor taking your critiques into account and I agree with most of them. Will post an edited version of PPPP soon.

 

[Cariyaga]

That could be the reason, I'll add in asking into the PPPP plan.

@Jello_Raptor taking your critiques into account and I agree with most of them. Will post an edited version of PPPP soon.

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If it is his plan, I'm not sure talking about it with him would be the best idea -- especially considering it will be Keiko alone asking him. Although, if we do manage to take them out nonlethally, we could put quite a spin on that, in whatever direction we chose...

 

[Traiden]

@faflec Take several stones and stack them so that at least one stone is up off the ground so that the majority of the rock's surface area is touching air, that should be enough of to warm a good sized area or else just make more radiator stacks and space them around the cave to heat the area evenly. Given that this village has axes and a worked wood, we should make sure we all have basic survival tools used only for the goal of working with the land to shape wood. Knives and stuff are great for fighting, but when you need to cut down a tree having a good hatchet will save a lot of work. We should also get hand saws as they have iron/steel tools within the village. They would be making these things non-stop as iron rusts and tools break so they need replacements at hand.

Kagome and this Village might also know about Swedish torches, a simple and effective way of raising fire out of snowy areas that does not involve shoveling it all out of the way. You have a tree trunk about the thickness of an adult human leg, and you cut it to be around three feet tall. On one end you cut off chunks so that it becomes a stake you can drive into the ground. For the other you cut into the wood to make a cross section of thin slots without removing the chunks. Within the slots you have created you loosely fill it with thin bark and small tinder cut sticks. You then create fire like you normally would when lighting up a normal campfire and bring the resultant flames to the slots so the fire catches on the back stuffed slots and place the rest of the fire on the top of the upright log. It should act as a wide torch with the slots you cut easily feeding oxygen to the flames on the end of this log, and should die down once it reaches the end of the slots as it has less oxygen to fuel the larger light producing fire you would have gotten from it.

 

[ChronOblivion]

Do you guys remember that Taka told us that we shouldn't meet anymore, so people don't think that we are collaborating for the scroll? Which was rather inconvenient, since we were about to discuss Marriage Delaying strategies. Then again, we could send a letter with Keiko, maybe encoded into an ant metaphor in case of spying pr interception.

 

[Cariyaga]

Dammit, I think I might need sleep to think on this as thoroughly as I wish to. Food for thought, everyone:

How will Takahashi benefit from the Aida and Inoue attacking us? What will they do in response to the results of it: Lethal, nonlethal; humiliating treatment by us, humble treatment by us?

In what's been done to us so far in this village, who is to benefit and how? We need to make sure that, whatever is done to us by the end of this, we're still around.

Do you guys remember that Taka told us that we shouldn't meet anymore, so people don't think that we are collaborating for the scroll? Which was rather inconvenient, since we were about to discuss Marriage Delaying strategies. Then again, we could send a letter with Keiko, maybe encoded into an ant metaphor in case of spying pr interception.

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Sending messages with Keiko is fine, but I'm 70%+ positive that he said that in part to cut back on contact with the more socially-skilled Mari, so keep that in mind.

 

[Jello_Raptor]

And that stupid bomb idea? Kagome would tell you, after he's done screaming and running around, that it's a bad idea to do under any situation save to kill yourself.

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To add, it's active seals that interact badly with other seals. Inert seals don't do that.

Otherwise you couldn't have a pile of tags without designing the entire pile of seals as a single entity. We'd see insane things happening if people shuffle a stack of seals. Likewise, creating a hallway of seal traps would require designing the entire hallway as a single unit, rather than creating traps individually and then arranging them together.

Inactive seals can't interact with each other, otherwise spamming seals or creating large trapped areas would be impossible. There would be too many variables that change with each minor change in positioning, environment, or deployment order.

The whole point is to have the entire thing be inactive until the timer seal activates all the other seals. At which point we'd be far away from the target range.

Not to mention we'd ask Kagome first. I'd honestly be surprised if he hasn't thought up ways to do large scale deterrent stuff like this before. Holding people hostage with a bomb is a great way to buy the time needed to run.

 

[faflec]

An FYI to everyone: The vote closes in the next 11 hours and ~30 minutes. Please fucking vote.

 

[Cariyaga]

An FYI to everyone: The vote closes in the next 11 hours and ~30 minutes. Please fucking vote.

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I will awaken before the vote closes and vote then. I'd rather give the plans time to mature rather than put the weight of a vote behind one when the other might turn out better nearer the time votes close. ...That being said, I suppose I could always change my vote.

[X] Action Plan: Proper Politics Prevent Problems

 

[Dictator4Hire]

Updated plan:

@faflec[X] Action Plan: Proper Politics Prevent Problems

Goals:

1. Survive
2. Explain to Takahashi why the village needs us
3. Convince other isolationist people at least to not attack us
4. Fortify the cave first and the old base in the village second as a fallback option
5. Begin helping out Yuno with her no friends problem
6. Learn about what exactly the upcoming summoner trial involves and as many of its important nuances as possible
7. Spend as little amount of time as possible in doing steps 2-6 above (preferably at least 1 week before the vote for Keiko's trial-thing)
8. Don't needlessly antagonize the isolationists without at least trying to talk things out like adults

How:

1. Maintain safety protocols when traveling in the village; use the buddy system just like last time.
2. Kagome has free reign to fortify the cave and old village base we used to live in as he sees fit and can use team members to help him when those members have nothing more important to do.
3. Arrange for a talk with Takahashi ASAP
   1. Politely ask if his plan is really just to force the Aida or the Inoue into an unfavorable position for his own political gains. We would rather not have to resort to violence if at all possible; too many people have died already and we do not want any more blood on our hands than is absolutely necessary. Is there nothing we can do to convince the isolationists to attempt something new?
   2. Using this analogy as inspiration/baseline (with a more in depth explanation of its intentions here (Inoue can use her discretion whether or not she thinks the analogy is a good idea)), explain to him how his village will never be truly safe from the outside world if they continue their current policy of absolute isolationism.
      1. Takahashi, if your village does not work with us eventually someone stronger than us will show up and conquer all of you; even without the scroll you are a bunch of valuable chakra-using human resources (that's just how it is, sorry).
      2. If you choose to cooperate symbbiotically with us, we can help improve your defenses, strengthen your secrecy, and smuggle in cool stuff/knowledge from the outside.
      3. You give us a sound foundation to build on and it will be the best decision you ever made.
   3. After that speech, politely yet firmly ask for an audience with every elder we have not had an official meeting with yet (the Aida, both of the Azai cousins, and the Inoue)
4. With every elder we have a meeting with (or for the sake of sanity/brevity, all of the elders can gather for one meeting or divided as you see fit), politely highlight the following:
   1. We originally learned of this village due to a rumor of a long lost summoning scroll
   2. Surprisingly, when we were attacked by a patrol of ninja who had no known affiliation we were intrigued and decided to let the patrol live rather than kill all of them like they were trying to do to us. we were tired of mindless killing and wanted. We wanted to understand who these people were and if these tapirs were the sapient summon animals we had heard about and wanted to sign a contract with.
   3. If we were not missing-nin, a number of us would have been sent back to our home village to gather an invasion force to conquer and forcibly recruit any survivors in this village.
      1. Luckily for all of you, We became missing-nin because one of our superiors decided to force us to secede from our our home by lying to us. Consequently, we will not be hypocrites and force you to do something against your core beliefs: even if the majority of the village wants to give us access to the scroll as per Takahashi's instruction, we will not accept until every elder had consented to allowing us to access the scroll. there is a supermajority in favor of allowing us to access the scroll.
   4. We would also appreciate any insight into your culture and lore that you want to give us; Takahashi mentioned something about Ui's heir that sounds important. We do not claim to be his heir, but we would like to know about him and what makes/made him so special.
   5. Mention that we are open to mutually beneficial arrangements with any clan so long as we retain our autonomy; just as we would not expect the village to concede all of their independence to us, so too do we ask politely to retain our freedom.
      1. Given time enough, we would like to temporarily leave the village. When the elders are willing to let that happen we are willing to discuss reasonable conditions to maintain an acceptable level of secrecy for the village.
   6. If they ask if anyone would notice if we never left the village, mention that we know a seal-master summoner who originally pointed us in the direction of Hidden Mountain. If we never return, he may send stronger people here to see what caused our disappearance.
      1. Alternatively, suggest that said summoner might be able to ascertain if anything is wrong with the village's summoning scroll so long as they consent to him examining their most sacred possession.
   7. Conclude each speech with a modest list of our abilities (if pressed, ask them if they would seriously be willing to list all of their most powerful techniques, weapons, bloodlines, etc.) and allow the elders to ask any questions they want while we answer truthfully.
      1. It's time to open up to the village to begin building real trust; the best way to do that is to truthfully explain our backstory in a empathetic way. Cooperation benefits all of us; attempting to snatch the scroll has only a chance of working. I consider having 50+ ninja allied with us better than a chance at a nonfunctional summoning scroll when we can have them hand it over to us of their own free will at a later time when Keiko is more prepared to take whatever it is the trial is supposed to be.
5. When Noburi next goes on a date with Yuno, prep him with the following advice (actually, has he even told the team about Yuno's confession? If not have him tell us about it so there are no misunderstandings):
   1. Before Noburi implements the following, have Hazou stress to him that Hazou is only being so insistent because he doesn't want something bad to happen to Noburi if Yuno really is irredeemably crazy.
   2. Yuno has been isolated in a closed society for years; it's not her fault she was forced to become a loner. Our whole team has been cut off from our own friends and family back home ever since we were betrayed by one of our leaders, Shikigami, and we want to help Yuno out in her own home; you can't replace home the past, but you can make a better future. Anyone on our team can sympathize with Yuno's plight and a few of us have more open hearts than others.
   3. Stress that, while we want to help her, we have to keep our team safe so there can be no psychotic outbursts against anyone even if something goes wrong. We want to help her, but only if we can stay safe while doing so.
      1. Don't prove all of her naysayers right by lashing out; rise above their pettiness and make them wish they had befriended you before.
   4. Have Noburi ask Yuno if she wants to be introduced in a relatively public setting to his completely platonic friend Akane to see if the two girls could become friends.
      1. Sell the idea to Yuno that Akane has no family obligations or orders to be her friend and that she will do so because that's just the kind of person Akane is (if anyone on our team can befriend a lonely yandere, it's Akane).
   5. Noburi should also tell Yuno that, even if the engagement doesn't work out due to meddling elders' decisions, he will still be at least her friend "no matter what."
6. Have Keiko come up with possible escape routes and contingencies in the event we need to leave the village in a hurry, with a new found emphasis based on what Takahashi said might happen shortly before or during the summoner trial.
7. Akane and Hazou look into what Akane's Mechanical Aptitude can do currently as she shows it off to him... in a completely chaste, innocent way (looking at you, Mari-sensei)
   1. (It gives Akane something to do at night and I really really want to see what she can do with it besides make caltrops).
8. Hazou creates and infuses as many storage seals as he can in his spare time.
9. The time frame for this plan should not exceed one week at the longest, but can be as short as per the QM's discretion. If actions would take longer than one week, please suspend them or cancel them as necessary until we, the players, can reassess the situation.

---

Edits will be in italics, unless I'm on mobile in which case... I'll see what I can do.

first major edits credit to @Jello_Raptor and @Cariyaga

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[eaglejarl]

@eaglejarl If we send Keiko into the trial can we control her actions like Hazou or are we limited to Hazou advising Keiko on what to do?

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No. Unless you are explicitly told otherwise in advance, you can never control anyone's actions aside from Hazou's. I can't think of a circumstance under which we'd let you control someone else, but I grant that it might exist.

a disjointed MEW coming from above

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MEW always starts from a solid surface and goes up at whatever angle you like. i.e., it can start from the ground and go up at a 1 degree angle, but it has to go up.

It only takes a single removed tag to destroy the barrier (they have peripheral seals that are not protected but required to keep the cannon safe). How do you deal with this?

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All five tags are unprotected, actually. Destroying / removing the center one destroys the barrier instantly. Destroying / removing the others weakens it proportionate to the numbers of supporting seals destroyed.

Good lord man, add indentation to your posts. They're a pain to read without it. Likewise, line breaks between major sections.

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@1234qwerty: Seconded. I can't read your plan / write for your plan the way it is -- please be nice to my poor tired eyes! (To say that more directly: I honestly cannot write for that plan until you clean it up, so if it wins in its current state then I'll write for the runner-up instead.)

When Noburi next goes on a date with Yuno, prep him with the following advice (actually, has he even told the team about Yuno's confession? If not have him tell us about it so there are no misunderstandings):

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He has, yes.

I'd consider it a win if we spent points to get level 10 in Technique Hacking

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There is almost zero chance that Takahashi is going to teach you Technique Hacking (assuming he even knows it) and even if he did there is absolutely zero chance that you will get to level 10 in the next two weeks.

Also, side note, are most large bodies of water near us salty?

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No. The ones in this area are fresh.

I feel like the analogy beats around the bush too much. I'd appreciate a note that lets Inoue use her discretion when choosing between the analogy or a more blunt form of "we could have a mutually beneficial relationship".

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No fear there. Inoue (aka me) will use her / my discretion when writing that up.


New tally post coming momentarily.

 

[eaglejarl]

Voting closes in 12.5 hours.

I'm for bed now; I may or may not be back on before voting closes. Good night, all.

CounterBot by eaglejarl, version 1.3


Plan name: Training Hazou: Brick Chop
Voters: @Cariyaga, @faflec, @HoratioVonBecker, @Jello_Raptor, @MadScientist, @Muer'ci, @QTesseract, @Sleeps Furiously, @SoothingCoffee
Num votes: 9


Plan name: Training Akane: Float like a Firefly
Voters: @Cariyaga, @faflec, @HoratioVonBecker, @Jello_Raptor, @MadScientist, @QTesseract, @Sleeps Furiously, @SoothingCoffee
Num votes: 8


Plan name: Training Noburi: Just What the Doctor Ordered
Voters: @Jello_Raptor, @MadScientist, @Muer'ci, @QTesseract, @Rafin
Num votes: 5


Plan name: Research Noburi: Vampiric Dew
Voters: @1234qwerty, @faflec, @HoratioVonBecker, @Muer'ci
Num votes: 4


Plan name: Training Noburi: High Sugar Level
Voters: @faflec, @Jello_Raptor, @MadScientist, @Sleeps Furiously
Num votes: 4


Plan name: Action Plan : Lore Update
Voters: @1234qwerty, @Cariyaga, @Jello_Raptor
Num votes: 3


Plan name: Training Akane: Light Sparring
Voters: @Cariyaga, @MadScientist, @Muer'ci
Num votes: 3


Plan name: Action Plan: Becoming Aristobulus
Voters: @faflec, @Killer_Whale
Num votes: 2


Plan name: Action Plan: Proper Politics Prevent Problems
Voters: @Cariyaga, @Dictator4Hire
Num votes: 2


Plan name: Training Hazou: Light Sparring
Voters: @Cariyaga, @MadScientist
Num votes: 2


Plan name: Training Keiko : Whatever Takahashi Says
Voters: @1234qwerty, @Jello_Raptor
Num votes: 2


Plan name: Training Keiko: Nope
Voters: @1234qwerty, @faflec
Num votes: 2


Plan name: Training Noburi: Waiting Room
Voters: @HoratioVonBecker, @Jello_Raptor
Num votes: 2


Plan name: Dig a Tunnel
Voters: @Ridiculously Average Guy
Num votes: 1


Plan name: Research Hazou: Casino light seals
Voters: @1234qwerty
Num votes: 1


Plan name: Training <Inoue>
Voters: @1234qwerty
Num votes: 1



Number of voters: 14

 

[Traiden]

[X] Action Plan: Proper Politics Prevent Problems

I don't agree with the current training plans as they don't take into account henge, but don't want to have to try and win everyone over to my side before the vote is over. As it stands I would rather not spend exp for anyone and we will have no time to do any real research with the plan I would like to put my support behind. Next update I will be pushing for more henge though.

 

[Jello_Raptor]

[X] Research Noburi: Vampiric Dew

 

[Cariyaga]

Updated plan:

Click to shrink...

I like this plan somewhat, and still more than the other, but... I don't know, I feel burned by our last attempts at engaging in village politics. I don't think there's anyone more trustworthy to talk to about this than Takahashi, or perhaps Yuno, though, but I'd feel a lot better if we spoke with Takahashi about the viability of bringing up that we desire a supermajority. That's not something we can spring on him, either way.

e: Off topic: New (and last) Homestuck album just released.

 

[faflec]

ohmygodyou guYS IF WE TELL THEM WE CAME HERE FOR THE SCROLL IT DOESN'T MATTER THAT WE CHANGED OUR MIND AFTERWARDS WE WILL BE ATTACKED IMMEDIATELY YOU ALL HAVE TO BE INSANE TO NOT REALIZE THAT AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

NO I AM NOT MIMING KAGOME RIGHT HERE I AM ABSOLUTELY SERIOUS THIS PLAN IS THE PART WHERE WE DIE IN FLAMESSSSSS

 

[Cariyaga]

ohmygodyou guYS IF WE TELL THEM WE CAME HERE FOR THE SCROLL IT DOESN'T MATTER THAT WE CHANGED OUR MIND AFTERWARDS WE WILL BE ATTACKED IMMEDIATELY YOU ALL HAVE TO BE INSANE TO NOT REALIZE THAT AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

NO I AM NOT MIMING KAGOME RIGHT HERE I AM ABSOLUTELY SERIOUS THIS PLAN IS THE PART WHERE WE DIE IN FLAMESSSSSS

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Also this I agree with this. But I also think ignoring social stuff entirely is a bigger mistake.

 

[Dictator4Hire]

Every other suggestion you made in the quoted post below, @Jello_Raptor was implemented into PPPP. Here are my thoughts on the few I didn't add:

Sort of, Akane also has a much high chance of annoying Yuno with the sheer magnitude of her naivete. I'm introverted and have depression (don't worry about me it's sorted now) and those friends who try to drag me out of my shell when I am not ready drive me up the wall. Slow and steady really does win the race in this sort of thing.

Akane in small doses is good for her, but Akane needs to know not to come on too strong and to be okay with quiet time. Honestly this would be good advice for when she's dealing with Keiko too.

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This is good if it's true. Remember, helping someone like Yuno is tiring and takes both time and effort.

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I'll admit that I've based my course of action in regards to Yuno based somewhat on her canon counterpart. It could be that Akane could seriously upset Yuno, but with only 1 week at most of interaction coupled, Noburi asking if Yuno actually wants to meet with Akane, and Noburi explicitly stating that if he and Yuno are to have a real future together she needs to prove that she is not a psychopath ready to murder anyone who threatens the ones she loves, altogether should prevent any catastrophes. Introducing Akane would be a good way to see how closely Yuno reflects her off-the-charts level of crazy canon character; in canon, Yuno would attack anyone perceived as a rival to her husband to be pre-preemptively. Yuno has already been shown around the old village fort by Akane and them becoming friends doesn't seem that risky to me at this point.

As for time and effort, I think youthful Akane is the best equipped of the people we have available; Mari would be better, but she is also our best diplomancer with the village elders.

 

[Dictator4Hire]

I like this plan somewhat, and still more than the other, but... I don't know, I feel burned by our last attempts at engaging in village politics. I don't think there's anyone more trustworthy to talk to about this than Takahashi, or perhaps Yuno, though, but I'd feel a lot better if we spoke with Takahashi about the viability of bringing up that we desire a supermajority. That's not something we can spring on him, either way.

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That's fair; I'll add it in.

 

[Dictator4Hire]

2nd round of edits:

[X] Action Plan: Proper Politics Prevent Problems

Goals:

1. Survive
2. Explain to Takahashi why the village needs us
3. Convince other isolationist people at least to not attack us
4. Fortify the cave first and the old base in the village second as a fallback option
5. Begin helping out Yuno with her no friends problem
6. Learn about what exactly the upcoming summoner trial involves and as many of its important nuances as possible
7. Spend as little amount of time as possible in doing steps 2-6 above (preferably at least 1 week before the vote for Keiko's trial-thing)
8. Don't needlessly antagonize the isolationists without at least trying to talk things out like adults

How:

1. Maintain safety protocols when traveling in the village; use the buddy system just like last time.
2. Kagome has free reign to fortify the cave and old village base we used to live in as he sees fit and can use team members to help him when those members have nothing more important to do.
3. Arrange for a talk with Takahashi ASAP
   1. Politely ask if his plan is really just to force the Aida or the Inoue into an unfavorable position for his own political gains. We would rather not have to resort to violence if at all possible; too many people have died already and we do not want any more blood on our hands than is absolutely necessary. Is there nothing we can do to convince the isolationists to attempt something new?
   2. Using this analogy as inspiration/baseline (with a more in depth explanation of its intentions here (Inoue can use her discretion whether or not she thinks the analogy is a good idea)), explain to him how his village will never be truly safe from the outside world if they continue their current policy of absolute isolationism.
      1. Takahashi, if your village does not work with us eventually someone stronger than us will show up and conquer all of you; even without the scroll you are a bunch of valuable chakra-using human resources (that's just how it is, sorry).
      2. If you choose to cooperate symbbiotically with us, we can help improve your defenses, strengthen your secrecy, and smuggle in cool stuff/knowledge from the outside.
      3. You give us a sound foundation to build on and it will be the best decision you ever made.
   3. After that speech, politely yet firmly ask for an audience with every elder we have not had an official meeting with yet (the Aida, both of the Azai cousins, and the Inoue). Inform him that we want to have a supermajority of elders in favor of giving us the scroll rather than only a majority for safety's sake
4. With every elder we have a meeting with (or for the sake of sanity/brevity, all of the elders can gather for one meeting or divided as you see fit), politely highlight the following:
   1. We originally learned of this village due to a rumor of a long lost summoning scroll
   2. Surprisingly, when we were attacked by a patrol of ninja who had no known affiliation we were intrigued and decided to let the patrol live rather than kill all of them like they were trying to do to us. we were tired of mindless killing and wanted. We wanted to understand who these people were and if these tapirs were the sapient summon animals we had heard about and wanted to sign a contract with.
   3. If we were not missing-nin, a number of us would have been sent back to our home village to gather an invasion force to conquer and forcibly recruit any survivors in this village.
      1. Luckily for all of you, We became missing-nin because one of our superiors decided to force us to secede from our our home by lying to us. Consequently, we will not be hypocrites and force you to do something against your core beliefs: even if the majority of the village wants to give us access to the scroll as per Takahashi's instruction, we will not accept until every elder had consented to allowing us to access the scroll. there is a supermajority in favor of allowing us to access the scroll.
   4. We would also appreciate any insight into your culture and lore that you want to give us; Takahashi mentioned something about Ui's heir that sounds important. We do not claim to be his heir, but we would like to know about him and what makes/made him so special.
   5. Mention that we are open to mutually beneficial arrangements with any clan so long as we retain our autonomy; just as we would not expect the village to concede all of their independence to us, so too do we ask politely to retain our freedom.
      1. Given time enough, we would like to temporarily leave the village. When the elders are willing to let that happen we are willing to discuss reasonable conditions to maintain an acceptable level of secrecy for the village.
   6. If they ask if anyone would notice if we never left the village, mention that we know a seal-master summoner who originally pointed us in the direction of Hidden Mountain. If we never return, he may send stronger people here to see what caused our disappearance.
      1. Alternatively, suggest that said summoner might be able to ascertain if anything is wrong with the village's summoning scroll so long as they consent to him examining their most sacred possession.
   7. Conclude each speech with a modest list of our abilities (if pressed, ask them if they would seriously be willing to list all of their most powerful techniques, weapons, bloodlines, etc.) and allow the elders to ask any questions they want while we answer truthfully.
      1. It's time to open up to the village to begin building real trust; the best way to do that is to truthfully explain our backstory in a empathetic way. Cooperation benefits all of us; attempting to snatch the scroll has only a chance of working. I consider having 50+ ninja allied with us better than a chance at a nonfunctional summoning scroll when we can have them hand it over to us of their own free will at a later time when Keiko is more prepared to take whatever it is the trial is supposed to be.
5. When Noburi next goes on a date with Yuno, prep him with the following advice (actually, has he even told the team about Yuno's confession? If not have him tell us about it so there are no misunderstandings):
   1. Before Noburi implements the following, have Hazou stress to him that Hazou is only being so insistent because he doesn't want something bad to happen to Noburi if Yuno really is irredeemably crazy.
   2. Yuno has been isolated in a closed society for years; it's not her fault she was forced to become a loner. Our whole team has been cut off from our own friends and family back home ever since we were betrayed by one of our leaders, Shikigami, and we want to help Yuno out in her own home; you can't replace home the past, but you can make a better future. Anyone on our team can sympathize with Yuno's plight and a few of us have more open hearts than others.
   3. Stress that, while we want to help her, we have to keep our team safe so there can be no psychotic outbursts against anyone even if something goes wrong. We want to help her, but only if we can stay safe while doing so.
      1. Don't prove all of her naysayers right by lashing out; rise above their pettiness and make them wish they had befriended you before.
   4. Have Noburi ask Yuno if she wants to be introduced in a relatively public setting to his completely platonic friend Akane to see if the two girls could become friends.
      1. Sell the idea to Yuno that Akane has no family obligations or orders to be her friend and that she will do so because that's just the kind of person Akane is (if anyone on our team can befriend a lonely yandere, it's Akane).
   5. Noburi should also tell Yuno that, even if the engagement doesn't work out due to meddling elders' decisions, he will still be at least her friend "no matter what."
6. Have Keiko come up with possible escape routes and contingencies in the event we need to leave the village in a hurry, with a new found emphasis based on what Takahashi said might happen shortly before or during the summoner trial.
7. Akane and Hazou look into what Akane's Mechanical Aptitude can do currently as she shows it off to him... in a completely chaste, innocent way (looking at you, Mari-sensei)
   1. (It gives Akane something to do at night and I really really want to see what she can do with it besides make caltrops).
8. Hazou creates and infuses as many storage seals as he can in his spare time.
9. The time frame for this plan should not exceed one week at the longest, but can be as short as per the QM's discretion. If actions would take longer than one week, please suspend them or cancel them as necessary until we, the players, can reassess the situation.

Edits will be in italics, unless I'm on mobile in which case... I'll see what I can do.

first major edits credit to @Jello_Raptor and @Cariyaga

second edit courtesy of @Cariyaga regarding telling Takahashi about wanting a supermajority

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[faflec]

Also this I agree with this. But I also think ignoring social stuff entirely is a bigger mistake.

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So you're saying that...deliberately antagonizing a group of religious, isolationist, conservative elders by claiming that we originally came here to steal their priceless religious artifact...is less of a mistake than attempting to avoid antagonizing or pacifying them?

Fuck it. Fine. I'll add some social stuff to the plan and hope it'll be enough for you madmen.

 

[Jello_Raptor]

Politely ask if his plan is really just to force the Aida or the Inoue into an unfavorable position for his own political gains.

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This is too precise. We should just ask if he's trying to force one or more other families into an unfavorable position.

I want him to have to lie to get around the question. (Lying is usually harder than telling the truth, also it may take him making both deception and diplomacy rolls rather than just a diplomacy roll.)

 

[Cariyaga]

So you're saying that...deliberately antagonizing a group of religious, isolationist, conservative elders by claiming that we originally came here to steal their priceless religious artifact...is less of a mistake than attempting to avoid antagonizing or pacifying them?

Fuck it. Fine. I'll add some social stuff to the plan and hope it'll be enough for you madmen.

Click to shrink...

Look, music is keeping me up right now so I think it's clear that I can't be blamed for what nonsense I spout. God.