Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest
- Thread starter eaglejarl
- Start date
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- Tags
- naruto rationalist romance armageddon is looking better and better damn you kishimoto explosions everywhere explosives solve everyone if in doubt surrender to the mercy of zabuza it seemed like a good idea at the time looks like a really bad case of being a jōnin my god. where does the lore end? precommitting is the winning plan screaming in kagome screw the rules i have explosives something bad might still happen sometimes you gotta sociopath stabby zabby subsection c of paragraph 9 should include we can weaponize this so hard
- Location
- UK
- Pronouns
- He/Him
What democracy? All praise glorious leader Faflec
[><] Armageddon Initiative
- Location
- Yes.
Praise be, praise be.
Interlude: Chosen for the Grave, Part 24: Send in the Clown
- Location
- UK
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Interlude: Chosen for the Grave, Part 24: Send in the Clown
It was a pleasant morning at the Suspicious Foreigner Estate. For the sake of Orochimaru's resocialisation, I'd grudgingly accepted having meals with Earl and Oli instead of having extra time to pursue the deeper arcana of the Snake Element or recreate the Bloodline Limit transplant technology we'd unfortunately refused to carry over to the CftGverse. Oli had just finished regaling us with his exploits at the Leaf General Hospital (where he was busy annoying Tsunade with his attempts to move neurology past "brain disorders are caused by evil spirits partying it up inside your skull") when we heard the familiar ominous sound of a messenger calling from the main gate.
Orochimaru perked up. "Ah, finally, more raw materials. Now we can finish fine-tuning the Snake-Infested Swamp of the Underworld Technique."
"Remember, Orochimaru," I replied, "we do not kidnap people who might be missed, by which I mean anyone at all and suggestions to the contrary are blatant slander, so stop looking at me like that, you two. I'll go see what they want from us."
The message this time was neither a terrifying summons from the Hokage nor a a high-pitched scream that only we in all the world could decipher. Instead, it was a hand-drawn map, together with a calling card.
I rolled the map out across the coffee table, and the four of us leaned over to study it.
"This is near the Iron border, I think," Earl commented eventually. "I've heard rumours about villages disappearing in that area lately—more frequently than usual, I mean."
Oli and I winced, while Orochimaru nodded as if Earl had said, "It's likely to rain tomorrow" or "A lunatic like Hidan would never use his powers to help set up world peace".
"There's a cross-shaped mark there," Oli said, tapping an open area next to a forest (one of the two types of Fire Country terrain) with his finger. "Do you think it's an invitation to meet someone at that spot?"
We turned as one to the card. I flipped it over.
"Flufflec dot query," Orochimaru read out, taking a little longer to sound out the unfamiliar name. "Is this some kind of code?"
In a sense, I supposed it was.
"I have no idea," I said. "I don't think I've seen a flufflec.query before. That said, if it really is an invitation… there can only be one flufflec.response."
-o-
Flufflec, the Loremaster of Chosen for the Grave, was simultaneously exactly like and nothing like I had imagined him. On the one hand, here in the flesh, he looked like a maniacal clown in heavy makeup—you know the one I mean. On the other hand, here in the flesh, he looked like a maniacal clown in heavy makeup. At first, I was honestly lost for words.
"Not what you expected?" Flufflec gave a theatrical bow. "Ah, but wouldn't the alternative be dull? No, with all those years of entertainment to repay, my dear Valerian, I had to start by putting on my game face."
Suddenly, he shook his head violently, like a bull trying to shrug off a fly. "Ugh. I'm sorry about that. It's been like this ever since I got isekai'd, and I have no idea why. I mean, I assume you haven't been turning into your avatar, going around gathering morally dubious allies and exploiting overpowered supernatural abilities to prepare a bid for world domination and so forth."
"Eheheh." I gave an uneasy laugh. "No, that's certainly not something that would ever happen to me."
"Listen," Flufflec went on, his voice developing a trace of urgency, "I need you to stop me before it gets any worse. I swear to you, I'm not actually a homicidal sociopath with a twisted sense of humour, but given what I've already done, and the fact that my powers let me—"
He cut off abruptly, only to wiggle a finger admonishingly in his own face. "Ah ah ah. Spoilers in spoiler tags only, if you please. I am ever so sorry about my more boring half, my dear Valerian. Don't worry. I'll be sure to keep him under lock and key while we play our game.
"Speaking of games, I don't mind an audience, but I really was hoping for more of a show of courage from Team QM. And a protagonist actually being in possession of a telescope? It's like I don't even know you anymore."
It was my idea that the others hang back and watch from a safe distance. Anime had taught me that the essence of manliness was to charge into encounters headfirst, figuring out the enemy's abilities as and when they hit you in the face. However, better anime had taught me that against somebody with completely unknown powers which might well be the equal of our own (if not worse—he was a player, and they were the ones who typically got the cheat abilities), it made more sense for one person to provoke him into tipping his hand while the others watched and analysed, finding weaknesses to exploit in Round 2. Besides, if things went badly, which they probably would, I had the ultimate escape card ready while my friends did not.
"Then again," Flufflec drawled, "nothing makes the heart beat faster than a private show."
He snapped his fingers. Nothing seemed to happen.
"Much better."
"What did you do?" I asked warily.
"I had one of my happy little friends use seals to cut this area off from the rest of the world," Flufflec said. "My powers don't let me use chakra like you, but they make it ever so easy to gather those little yellow circles, and the people who live and die for them. That's why—"
He snapped his fingers again in mid-sentence, and a razor-sharp kunai hit the middle of my chest.
-o-
As it happened, I did not possess the aforementioned essence of manliness. I was well aware that, from a ninja perspective, I made wet tissue paper look like solid rock. As such, I'd come in wearing enough long-duration buffs that to an Uchiha I would light up like a Christmas tree made of lasers. The kunai, despite its scary precision, merely took off my level 94 Pangolin Conditioning Technique (and also scared the bejeezus out of me even though we'd figured I would be walking into some sort of ambush).
Three missing-nin appeared around me, spaced so that whichever way I turned, at least one would be outside my line of sight. Before anything else, I had to reposition.
"Substitution Tech—"
Oh, crap.
Forget convenient boulders or the classic log, the area around me was bereft of so much as a stray pebble. I made a mental note to avoid, in my next life, walking into ambushes set by people with a brain.
I went straight to Plan B.
"Earth Element: Shadow Clone Technique!"
Early canon was wonderful in some ways, and one of those ways was having shadow clones that not only didn't pop when hit, but could actually regenerate from fatal damage. Hiruzen's ability to solo two unkillable Kage and one only slightly less unkillable S-ranker at once made a lot more sense when you realised that Kishimoto had not yet grasped the concept of ninjutsu power levels.
"Substitution Technique! Substitution Technique! Substitution Technique!"
I was just about to relax after securely concealing myself in a squad of earth shadow clones when Flufflec waved a hand casually in my direction.
"My dears, your dance partner for this beautiful evening is number seven from the right."
"Substitution Technique!"
"Number three from the left."
"Substitution Technique!"
"The one in the middle. Are you even trying now?"
It seemed increasingly certain that Flufflec's power was what I thought it was, I decided as I used the Body Flicker Technique to evade kunai after kunai while praying that the universe didn't get confused by a ninjutsu that couldn't exist and decide to grue me. I'd have to take him out fast and hope that his missing-nin lackeys didn't stick around once he was no longer in a state to pay them.
I needed something that worked fast, before the melee missing-nin could get through my wall of clones.
"Water Element: Water Gun Technique!"
Bizarrely, I'd found through experimentation that the Hōzuki ability to transform into water was actually a ninjutsu rather than a Bloodline Limit, meaning the usual restrictions on my ability to use Kishimoto's most absurdly OP powers did not apply. Research in the Basement was a lot safer for me these days, given that every room already had a convenient drain for all the blood.
Oddly, Flufflec didn't appear intimidated as I formed my fingers into a finger gun and pointed it at him dramatically. Nor did he react as a super-fast projectile possibly made from part of my finger (Kishimoto was unaware of the concept of biomass) began to zoom towards him.
Instead, at the last second, a random gust of wind caught the deadly but also tiny sphere of water, shifting its trajectory just enough that it slammed into the tree behind him.
"I know what you're thinking," Flufflec said sympathetically. "'If only my balls were bigger.'"
I felt a flicker of annoyance. Well, if that was the way he wanted to play it…
"Fire Element: Great Fireball Technique!"
I actually had to downcast this one, as a Great Fireball at full level 94 power would have left me well within its blast radius (as well as quite possibly half the Fire Country—at higher levels, the scaling on some of these techniques broke down harder than Sasuke's characterisation between the original and Shippūden).
Watching the humongous, vaguely-spherical inferno flying towards him with little more than academic interest, Flufflec snapped his fingers one more time.
"Water Element," came a shout from the missing-nin nearest him, "Water Formation Pillar!"
The curved watery barricade couldn't entirely cancel out the fireball—luckily, we'd never finalised an elemental advantage mechanic—but it lasted long enough for Flufflec, already in position, to get out of the way without even getting his purple suit singed.
There was no way Flufflec had different ways of snapping his fingers to indicate different contingencies. My worst suspicions were confirmed. If Flufflec had briefed his minions in advance on exactly how to counter my attacks, then he knew my battle plan better than I did. He really did have some kind of omniscience-related power.
Establishing that alone made this battle worth it. Now, there was just one thing I needed to confirm before I made my escape. Did Flufflec have any way to fight that didn't rely on his minions?
"Chidori!"
Ordinarily, it would have been a terrible idea for a non-Uchiha to use Chidori—if you didn't have the Sharingan's pseudo-precognition, its speed boost was so big you became unable to track potential counterattacks. That was how Kakashi had lost his eye. However, in this instance, closing the gap to Flufflec really fast was the only way to make sure his minions couldn't use a ninjutsu to intercept again, and the technique's notorious one-hit-kill potential should be enough to force him to reveal any trump cards of his own.
So of course Flufflec sidestepped very slightly, and, lacking the ninja reflexes for course correction, I ploughed face-first into the tree behind him.
"Witness the power… of the Uchiha…" I slurred as I learned firsthand why ninja wore forehead protectors.
I regained awareness of my surroundings just in time to see Flufflec fish an extremely evil-looking, jagged steel knife out of a jacket pocket and saunter up to my prone body.
"Why so serious, Valerian?" Flufflec simpered. "I think somebody needs a second smile."
I didn't waste time trying to get to my feet.
"Flying Thunder God Technique!"
Nothing happened.
Flufflec tsked disapprovingly. "I did say this area was sealed off. And now you're stuck with terrible last words."
The knife plunged unstoppably towards my throat.
-o-
"…And that's how I single-handedly defeated Flufflec and his three killer missing-nin without a scratch on me, the tree thing notwithstanding."
My three housemates exchanged strange looks as I sank triumphantly into the sofa after a long journey home.
"Val," Earl said slowly, "are you sure you didn't get any kind of concussion from the tree thing?"
"Fairly, why?"
"You realise you haven't actually told us anything? You just came in, said, 'And that's how I single-handedly defeated Flufflec' et cetera, and then sat down as if that was the end of the conversation."
"Right," I agreed. "That was key to my plan."
Those strange looks didn't get any less strange.
"If I told you how I beat him in-update," I explained impatiently, "he'd be able to read it in advance like he read everything else that happened in our fight. Timeskipping the finale and the explanation was the only way to take him by surprise."
"It's worse than I thought," Earl said after a second. "Come on, Val, we're taking you to the hospital for a proper check-up."
"What are you talking about?" I demanded. I'd just had a very exhausting battle and a very exhausting journey back, and there was absolutely no way these three were dragging me all the way across Leaf. "I'm perfectly fine!"
"There is no need to waste Valerian-sensei's time with a hospital visit," Orochimaru agreed.
"Exactly! Listen to Orochimaru!"
"I have my scalpel and gag right here," Orochimaru went on as he reached into his labcoat. "We can begin the examination immediately."
In the end, I decided it was safest to stay overnight for observation.
-o-
What do you do?
Voting ends on .
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- Location
- UK
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hard how?
- Location
- Yes.
MrRobot
In doubt there's always the Sun!
On the phone is kinda hard to track the cfg updates in the midle of the other sidestories, at least for me l.
- Location
- The Maple Syrup Mountains
There's another way to defeat a foe with localized omniscience: it doesn't matter if they can make the perfect choice for any given decision if there is no route that leads to victory. All you need is enough overwhelming superiority that you can account for and neutralize every theoretical counter or escape route.
Easier said than done of course, so simply neutralizing the omniscience is far preferable when possible.
I wonder if the 'evil personality fighting for control' drawback is specifically Fufflec's burden, or if it's something shared by all player isekais? (which we can presume more of exist because, in all honesty, it would be extremely odd for only one player to come along for the ride).
Easier said than done of course, so simply neutralizing the omniscience is far preferable when possible.
I wonder if the 'evil personality fighting for control' drawback is specifically Fufflec's burden, or if it's something shared by all player isekais? (which we can presume more of exist because, in all honesty, it would be extremely odd for only one player to come along for the ride).
Cariyaga
Handsome Gentleperson
- Location
- United States
I think your obvious power would be the ability to control chakra beasts.
- Location
- UK
- Pronouns
- He/Him
This is true, but it relies on you knowing the confrontation is coming, and having all your pieces in place, before they become aware of you, as otherwise they can simply utilise the greatest defence in the shinobi world and not turn up to the fight. And really, at the point where you're able to set up that level of overwhelming superiority completely without the enemy's knowledge, what power they have is irrelevant.
- Location
- The Void
- Pronouns
- She/Her
The Angel without Mercy says hello
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Previous plan featured Snowglobe scenes, would rather reserve that for Vel
[X] Action Plan: Are Your Wits Wandering? Better Go Catch Them!
Word Count: 282
[X] Action Plan: Are Your Wits Wandering? Better Go Catch Them!
Word Count: 282
- Mareo/Kumafuwafuwa (can be offscreened)
- Leaf may have resources that could help Mareo's condition, if Hazou gets permission. He wanted to first verify if Mareo/Kumafuwafuwa want him to try.
- Ino
- Hazou had any Goketsu that was able learn YSJ, as Ino asked a while back.
- As far as Hazou can tell, it works. Was there anything else Ino wanted him to try with YSJ?
- Additionally, while YSJ is technically a Leaf jutsu now he wanted to ask permission to share.
- Explain Mareo situation. Hazou wondered if YSJ could help keep Mareo focused.
- If Ino agrees, have Kei pass a permission request/brief explanation to Asuma through the 7th Path.
- Tsunade
- Prep proposal with Mari/Noburi, ask Noburi to help pitch idea. Bring any interested civilians, especially any who read Tsunade's book.
- Noburi informed Hazou the hospitals are more understaffed than usual, and there aren't enough medic ninja.
- From GED, there's more literate Leaf civilians than ever. Goketsu wants to provide civilian nurses. They can't use medical ninjutsu, but they can identify symptoms like fever or dilated pupils, write reports for medical ninja, administer herbal treatment, and save doctors time. They can also socialize with bored patients stuck in bed.
- They could shadow medic nin to learn before fully stepping into an assistant role. A few can teach a course at the GED once proficient.
- The NFF has been spreading literacy outside Leaf. If the idea works, perhaps this system could be expanded nationally?
- Aside: Explain Mareo situation. Is there any treatment Tsunade knows of to help?
- Sealing (Offscreen)
- Work on whichever of these Hazou thinks is easier:
- MARS (Single ARS that triggers 2 seals)
- CATEARS (Single ARS triggered by chakra adhesion)
- Work on whichever of these Hazou thinks is easier:
- Location
- Liverpool
Massive backlog of things I wanted to respond to! Entirely unrelated note, my semester ended yesterday.
I really like this. Kei offering not absolution, but acknowledgement of culpability. You can't improve yourself if you can't acknowledge what is, and is not, you're fault. And Hazou leaned too hard into the "you were just following orders" bit. Hazou might be the driver, but Kei and Akane are the moral compasses, even if they have VERY different thought processes and methodology.
That's a rough truth. But Akane's belief in the will of fire and the belief of a righteous cause was always going to cause a travesty. It's just sad that it was one that large. And yeah, that was needless. I imagine that if Akane was in the room when Asuma insisted to Shikamaru that murdering a bunch of civilians for no strategic value was necessary, something might have broken then too.
1) Kei no.
2) Given her multiple new partners, the Snowglobe, the continued shift in nationality, repeated name change, and long-running imposter issues, and ongoing existential threats, I'd honestly say Kei is doing rather well at self-determination.
3) Kei no.
A bit on a negative side, but I do appreciate the desire to not abdicate responsibility, and to update behavior sooner rather than usual. I meant to type later, but I think I'm going to just call this a enlightened autocorrection.
I immediately started thinking of iconic ducks. Both Daffy and Donald aren't very self-aware, but Darkwing duck and the ones from the mighty ducks cartoon are decently insightful. So, insight to humble them would be great, if a bit fantastic.
Kei is certainly right about the wall part. And the grounding of Akane and tying the good to the bad as a means to not just rule them irrelevant is good. That's brutal in the phrasings, but not wrong. Also, quite the burn on Hazou, but that's fine and funny.
Crapsack world indeed. Would have liked a bit more of a focus on the "where do we go from here" from Kei, but given both her mentality and her general role in group dynamics, that is asking too much.
That is really nice, and the sort of quality bonding I'm here for. Concerning catalogue notwithstanding.
Meant to comment at the time, sorry. I will note that during that chapter, Tsunade seemed to have a couple of moments where she re-evaluated things based on new observations, or at least was actively disappointed in them as opposed to resigned and unsurprised. The fact that she was willing to actually assist with the matter, and it came to an aura clash, means it was at least worth her consideration.
Now that enough time has passed for me to comment without being a buzzkill, I have to say I appreciated this April fools joke less than normal. Certainly, it is not on you to account for every reader's mental state. But, coming off a night shift (so I forgot the date had changed)(also working in healthcare, so bad news out of nowhere is pretty much the norm), and being really busy, I just saw the first paragraph, didn't have time or spoons to keep reading, then went about my day, honestly believing that happened. Credit to your writing, for starting off believable and gradually becoming more obviously joking as the post went. But due to days blurring together and not reading the full update, I actually thought Vel was gone and MfD was gone. Very glad when I went back and finished reading, but relief was only slightly higher than frustration at myself at that point.
Obviously this didn't happen (probably (maybe)), but I wonder if the tags are Ino's actual tags. "Lover on an Untrodden Path" in particular is very flattering, honestly. And would have been in that update if it wasn't Ino scouring our brain.
I do wonder how much that was a shot in the dark. I suppose it would depend on how much common ground on the literature Shika and Hazou shared previously. But having one of your best friends dating another good friend, who is sibling to your wife, would make it easy to see when and how information flows from one to another. It would also serve as a reminder how small Leaf and its dating pool is.
I know it's already on QM docket for discussion, but I just wanted to express how much I love this suggestion, and appreciate the thoughtful deconstruction with goals to fix the issues.
I wonder what happened there. Henge gone wrong, or he just stayed in the form indefinitely. I'm always curious about the boundaries of the Grue, even as I fully acknowledge that the Grue eats, among other things, boundaries of its conception.
That's really sad that Oro has changed that much. Lingering attachment isn't a high bar, but it still isn't cleared. Maybe, MAYBE he's offering them to us specifically because of who we are, but giving away what's essentially a research journal with your now-dead once-best-friend? That certainly narrows down the possibility space of what Oro does and does not think about other people.
Also, I get that. I have notebooks, assignments, and a couple harder to find lab/text books I've held onto for years. Will I ever need them again? Probably not. Will I be overwhelming mad and disappointed and despondent if I do need them and I got rid of them? Absolutely. Is that worth transferring them over or moving with them half a dozen times? That depends on how much you like carrying boxes full of books constantly. If I had storage seals? No way, never giving them up without a compelling reason.
Because Marked for Death is, at its core, a Romantic Comedy, and possible murder is less of a contrived plot point that most.
Also, let us never tell Noburi that we've actually held hands with Kei AND Snowflake. He must never know.
Also, nothing to do about it right now, but it really sheds light on the fact that were slipping below our peers for combat power. Seals are a force multiplier, but we need things to multiply. I think I did an analysis on the Last Will of fire mission where we saw Hazou is 10 stat points behind Akane in all their relevant stats, which is half a rank tier. Keiko I know is also ahead of him right now. The guys in this family are really slacking.
(I'm cautiously optimistic to see the results of the Akamichi training technique for Noburi. I don't want him to get left behind the way it feels like Hazou is right now.)
Fourth wall breaking, warning, and self-depreciation all in one? Truly, the best hat trick.
Aww, buddy. That's really sad. Looks like the inferiority complex is still there. But I'm proud of him for being able to verbalize it. The fact that Iron Nerve would make Hazou good as a surgeon is neither here nor there.
... Okay, now I'm really curious what Ninjutsu are on the list. If we ever see Mari's character sheet, I will be VERY disappointed if these aren't on there.
RIP Noburi. Year [I can't be bothered to check] to [right now]. He's survived by his wife, who murdered him.
The fact that Kei gets More cute girls since got married is honestly impressive, though not unheard of based on polycules I've seen/have become a part of.
Woot. Much as I love marked for economics, I love not being poor more. And wow, no more debt to anyone and a money cushion, as part of a deal for one item? That's so good. Amazing even. Good thing we didn't almost ruin it.
20%? That's massive, absolutely massive. And if they get more powerful after consuming denizens... The next kill will not be that easy, I think.
Too bad Kisame can't get in touch and give us estimates on that. But, tens of thousands of deaths. Hazou doesn't seem to feel much responsibility for that. Now I'm honestly wondering the fallout if we did manage to kill another one. I can't imagine it would be fun. Spiders seem nice, and I really don't want Kagome to sign a contract with only, like, 5 spiders left.
That's a really going point, Noburi would just be a walking road paver at that point.
What makes one an instructor in an element? At what point could Noburi start teaching someone to use the water element? Also, a PEA and Hozuki's mantle Noburi would be an absolute Monster in CQC. Huge Chakra costs, but that's something he can do. Armor up, summon a couple ranged attack toads, and stack buffs while gradually forming his own area denial to the opponent.
Also, this is why Noburi is great. Sees a cool project that will help people, and not only is he on board, he's proactive about doing his best to make it better.
I'm sorry, there's no way that any version of an entity that became Kagome didn't have enough. Though I guess the act of not having enough in a critical mission is a good catalyst to change behavior to the overly cautious.
I'm sorry, did he accidentally just cause a stack overflow or error message in the universe? I'm going to properly respect that by not trying to weaponize it.
Watchers do exist! Did exist. May have existed in one reality... Wonder what caused the guy to panic that much?
"The usual" is right, but oof, you went right for the heart on that one, didn't you.
Wouldn't be the first person I've met that wants to do this way. Somewhere out there, Mari just got goosebumps, and sneezed. Though, would be a shame when all those attractive summoners are mauled by the Bear.
1) IIIINTERESTING. I wonder if it's still there.
2) Lots of doom fortresses in the updates recently. Is this the QM way of saying we need to create another fortress of doom?
Yes, I know this is LotRoL. Just highlighting that the influence of Jashin is spreading across the multiverse.
Knowingly, at least. Not that I think moon eye makes any sense. But I can't wait for MfD Hidan to do this... Until the exact moment when defection causes optimal death.
That's just SUCH a good line. You've been really saving these jokes up, eh?
Surprised that didn't skip you down to plan F. And gosh ambushes are powerful. No wonder swift and decisive strikes are the preferred MO.
Kishimoto is unaware of a LOT of things. 75% of what he wrote previously is on that list as well I think.
I audibly started cackling at that, much to the confusion of my partner at work today. Shippuden Sasuke really just is a mess of a plot pawn, isn't he.
Breathed in water at this one, well done. And I really want to meet a ninja who uses a custom forehead protector for a Righteous Headbutting Style.
Love it. Really reminds me of a series I've seen, but I can't for the love of me remember which one.
Are you perhaps familiar with Worm's Contessa? "There is no path to victory" just gave me flashbacks.
Also, assuming more players are Isekaied, you're Very high up on list of people to be. Which, given your avatar, is going to cause Issues. I can't wait.
I really like this. Kei offering not absolution, but acknowledgement of culpability. You can't improve yourself if you can't acknowledge what is, and is not, you're fault. And Hazou leaned too hard into the "you were just following orders" bit. Hazou might be the driver, but Kei and Akane are the moral compasses, even if they have VERY different thought processes and methodology.
That's a rough truth. But Akane's belief in the will of fire and the belief of a righteous cause was always going to cause a travesty. It's just sad that it was one that large. And yeah, that was needless. I imagine that if Akane was in the room when Asuma insisted to Shikamaru that murdering a bunch of civilians for no strategic value was necessary, something might have broken then too.
1) Kei no.
2) Given her multiple new partners, the Snowglobe, the continued shift in nationality, repeated name change, and long-running imposter issues, and ongoing existential threats, I'd honestly say Kei is doing rather well at self-determination.
3) Kei no.
A bit on a negative side, but I do appreciate the desire to not abdicate responsibility, and to update behavior sooner rather than usual. I meant to type later, but I think I'm going to just call this a enlightened autocorrection.
I immediately started thinking of iconic ducks. Both Daffy and Donald aren't very self-aware, but Darkwing duck and the ones from the mighty ducks cartoon are decently insightful. So, insight to humble them would be great, if a bit fantastic.
Kei is certainly right about the wall part. And the grounding of Akane and tying the good to the bad as a means to not just rule them irrelevant is good. That's brutal in the phrasings, but not wrong. Also, quite the burn on Hazou, but that's fine and funny.
Crapsack world indeed. Would have liked a bit more of a focus on the "where do we go from here" from Kei, but given both her mentality and her general role in group dynamics, that is asking too much.
That is really nice, and the sort of quality bonding I'm here for. Concerning catalogue notwithstanding.
Meant to comment at the time, sorry. I will note that during that chapter, Tsunade seemed to have a couple of moments where she re-evaluated things based on new observations, or at least was actively disappointed in them as opposed to resigned and unsurprised. The fact that she was willing to actually assist with the matter, and it came to an aura clash, means it was at least worth her consideration.
Now that enough time has passed for me to comment without being a buzzkill, I have to say I appreciated this April fools joke less than normal. Certainly, it is not on you to account for every reader's mental state. But, coming off a night shift (so I forgot the date had changed)(also working in healthcare, so bad news out of nowhere is pretty much the norm), and being really busy, I just saw the first paragraph, didn't have time or spoons to keep reading, then went about my day, honestly believing that happened. Credit to your writing, for starting off believable and gradually becoming more obviously joking as the post went. But due to days blurring together and not reading the full update, I actually thought Vel was gone and MfD was gone. Very glad when I went back and finished reading, but relief was only slightly higher than frustration at myself at that point.
Obviously this didn't happen (probably (maybe)), but I wonder if the tags are Ino's actual tags. "Lover on an Untrodden Path" in particular is very flattering, honestly. And would have been in that update if it wasn't Ino scouring our brain.
I do wonder how much that was a shot in the dark. I suppose it would depend on how much common ground on the literature Shika and Hazou shared previously. But having one of your best friends dating another good friend, who is sibling to your wife, would make it easy to see when and how information flows from one to another. It would also serve as a reminder how small Leaf and its dating pool is.
I know it's already on QM docket for discussion, but I just wanted to express how much I love this suggestion, and appreciate the thoughtful deconstruction with goals to fix the issues.
I wonder what happened there. Henge gone wrong, or he just stayed in the form indefinitely. I'm always curious about the boundaries of the Grue, even as I fully acknowledge that the Grue eats, among other things, boundaries of its conception.
That's really sad that Oro has changed that much. Lingering attachment isn't a high bar, but it still isn't cleared. Maybe, MAYBE he's offering them to us specifically because of who we are, but giving away what's essentially a research journal with your now-dead once-best-friend? That certainly narrows down the possibility space of what Oro does and does not think about other people.
Also, I get that. I have notebooks, assignments, and a couple harder to find lab/text books I've held onto for years. Will I ever need them again? Probably not. Will I be overwhelming mad and disappointed and despondent if I do need them and I got rid of them? Absolutely. Is that worth transferring them over or moving with them half a dozen times? That depends on how much you like carrying boxes full of books constantly. If I had storage seals? No way, never giving them up without a compelling reason.
Because Marked for Death is, at its core, a Romantic Comedy, and possible murder is less of a contrived plot point that most.
Also, let us never tell Noburi that we've actually held hands with Kei AND Snowflake. He must never know.
Also, nothing to do about it right now, but it really sheds light on the fact that were slipping below our peers for combat power. Seals are a force multiplier, but we need things to multiply. I think I did an analysis on the Last Will of fire mission where we saw Hazou is 10 stat points behind Akane in all their relevant stats, which is half a rank tier. Keiko I know is also ahead of him right now. The guys in this family are really slacking.
(I'm cautiously optimistic to see the results of the Akamichi training technique for Noburi. I don't want him to get left behind the way it feels like Hazou is right now.)
Fourth wall breaking, warning, and self-depreciation all in one? Truly, the best hat trick.
Aww, buddy. That's really sad. Looks like the inferiority complex is still there. But I'm proud of him for being able to verbalize it. The fact that Iron Nerve would make Hazou good as a surgeon is neither here nor there.
... Okay, now I'm really curious what Ninjutsu are on the list. If we ever see Mari's character sheet, I will be VERY disappointed if these aren't on there.
RIP Noburi. Year [I can't be bothered to check] to [right now]. He's survived by his wife, who murdered him.
The fact that Kei gets More cute girls since got married is honestly impressive, though not unheard of based on polycules I've seen/have become a part of.
Woot. Much as I love marked for economics, I love not being poor more. And wow, no more debt to anyone and a money cushion, as part of a deal for one item? That's so good. Amazing even. Good thing we didn't almost ruin it.
20%? That's massive, absolutely massive. And if they get more powerful after consuming denizens... The next kill will not be that easy, I think.
Too bad Kisame can't get in touch and give us estimates on that. But, tens of thousands of deaths. Hazou doesn't seem to feel much responsibility for that. Now I'm honestly wondering the fallout if we did manage to kill another one. I can't imagine it would be fun. Spiders seem nice, and I really don't want Kagome to sign a contract with only, like, 5 spiders left.
That's a really going point, Noburi would just be a walking road paver at that point.
What makes one an instructor in an element? At what point could Noburi start teaching someone to use the water element? Also, a PEA and Hozuki's mantle Noburi would be an absolute Monster in CQC. Huge Chakra costs, but that's something he can do. Armor up, summon a couple ranged attack toads, and stack buffs while gradually forming his own area denial to the opponent.
Also, this is why Noburi is great. Sees a cool project that will help people, and not only is he on board, he's proactive about doing his best to make it better.
I'm sorry, there's no way that any version of an entity that became Kagome didn't have enough. Though I guess the act of not having enough in a critical mission is a good catalyst to change behavior to the overly cautious.
I'm sorry, did he accidentally just cause a stack overflow or error message in the universe? I'm going to properly respect that by not trying to weaponize it.
Watchers do exist! Did exist. May have existed in one reality... Wonder what caused the guy to panic that much?
"The usual" is right, but oof, you went right for the heart on that one, didn't you.
Wouldn't be the first person I've met that wants to do this way. Somewhere out there, Mari just got goosebumps, and sneezed. Though, would be a shame when all those attractive summoners are mauled by the Bear.
1) IIIINTERESTING. I wonder if it's still there.
2) Lots of doom fortresses in the updates recently. Is this the QM way of saying we need to create another fortress of doom?
Yes, I know this is LotRoL. Just highlighting that the influence of Jashin is spreading across the multiverse.
Knowingly, at least. Not that I think moon eye makes any sense. But I can't wait for MfD Hidan to do this... Until the exact moment when defection causes optimal death.
That's just SUCH a good line. You've been really saving these jokes up, eh?
Surprised that didn't skip you down to plan F. And gosh ambushes are powerful. No wonder swift and decisive strikes are the preferred MO.
Kishimoto is unaware of a LOT of things. 75% of what he wrote previously is on that list as well I think.
I audibly started cackling at that, much to the confusion of my partner at work today. Shippuden Sasuke really just is a mess of a plot pawn, isn't he.
Breathed in water at this one, well done. And I really want to meet a ninja who uses a custom forehead protector for a Righteous Headbutting Style.
Love it. Really reminds me of a series I've seen, but I can't for the love of me remember which one.
Are you perhaps familiar with Worm's Contessa? "There is no path to victory" just gave me flashbacks.
Also, assuming more players are Isekaied, you're Very high up on list of people to be. Which, given your avatar, is going to cause Issues. I can't wait.
- Location
- Book Fort
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Ino is doing a very brave and scary thing, risking emotional vulnerability by dating Hazou. I'm proud of her. She's not used to this level of weakness, and it's terrifying, but she's going through with it anyway because she isn't going to let fear control what she wants. Good on her, honestly.
Yeah, Ami and Ino both have despaired at the quality of Leaf's dating pool. A little amusing to see that they both agree on this, considering the distain Ami exhibited towards Ino (when Ami learned we were dating Ino).
Given Kei's habitual secrecy and strict preference towards privacy, it's far more likely that we're Kei's dirty little secret, rather than the other way around.
And Snowflake? Well, Snowflake might not even bother to hide it. >:3
- Location
- UK
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Actually, I'll be writing the update this weekend so @eaglejarl can get some time off. However, my weekends aren't optimised for update-writing, so it's probably going to be some kind of short interlude (or a particularly non-taxing one-scene plan).
- Location
- Texas
Seals are force multipliers. It's just that we're also giving them to the rest of the Goketsu, so they get all the benefit of sealing without having to spend a single xp point in it.
We don't need instructors thanks to Jiraiya's notes on the elements.