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Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

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eaglejarl said:
The people of the EN have never heard of Chuck Norris, and if they had then they would laugh and continue to tell Tsunade jokes:

Tsunade doesn't write medical textbooks. She stares them down until they are too scared not to exist.

Time waits for no one. Except Tsunade.

In the Beginning there was nothing ... then Tsunade punched nothing and told it to get a job.

When the Sage said, "Let there be light!" Tsunade said, "Say Please."

The driver ants looked at Tsunade the wrong way once. You know what happened to them.

Tsunade's tears cure cancer. Too bad she has never cried.

Tsunade breathes in Amaterasu to fight her heartburn.

Once a cobra bit Tsunade's leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.

When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Tsunade.

Tsunade can slam revolving doors, even though they haven't been invented.

Death once had a near-Tsunade experience.

When Tsunade looks in a mirror, the mirror shatters. Because not even glass is dumb enough to get in between Tsunade and Tsunade.

Tsunade doesn't own a clock. She tells time what to be.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I had my music library playing in the background as I was reading the thread. I swear to future!Hazou, it was playing the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny as I was reading this, including the Chuck Norris section. It made my day.
 
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Chapter 586.2: Snake Eyes
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    • Hazō exhaled, releasing a tension he hadn't even known existed.

    "Sir, may I speak frankly?" Hazō said.

    Asuma nodded, gesturing at Hazō to continue with his pipe.

    "I'm relieved that you're taking the Dragons seriously," Hazō said. "I've spent months of toil on a problem well beyond my abilities, begging humans and summons alike for help, only for them to ignore me as if it weren't their lives at risk if I failed. I almost couldn't have imagined having your support, much less potentially all of Leaf. So, thank you, sir.

    "Before I ask you for anything, what more can Gōketsu do for you? I can't promise anything yet, but I want to put it all on the table. Even clan secrets, if they'll somehow help with the Dragons."

    Asuma chuckled. "I understand, Hazō. However, Leaf survived four wars, sometimes dangerously close to complete annihilation, without any Hokage demanding secrets from the clans. Leaf would fall apart if a Hokage ever did so. No, I will stick to my principles, Hazō. I will not ask you to disclose any clan secrets even at your own invitation. Even if I allowed you to deny me, my duty prohibits me from asking and creating unacceptable expectations and precedents."

    Asuma put a finger to his chin. "Most clan secret techniques meant for ninja combat will not harm the Dragons. Gōketsu's main advantage is sealcrafting, and I know you've already sacrificed your greatest secret there – Jiraiya's textbook of sealcrafting wisdom. In fact, if you hadn't won the Will of Fire Contest and claimed the Dog Scroll for yourself, we would have a far weaker position against the Dragons. No, unless you want to volunteer something fully of your own volition, focus on what I can do."

    "Understood, sir," Hazō swallowed. "We need to solve two problems. First, the Dragons. They are incredibly fast, tough, and strong. They have many esoteric abilities, and we can't even counter the few we know about. How do you think we should kill them?"

    "Summon warriors and bosses, extensive skyslicer traps, any weapons Orochimaru and Tsunade have secreted away, and, if necessary, Elemental Mastery," Asuma said. "I haven't thought about it in any depth, and the War Council will adjust and refine the plan. Why, Hazō?"

    "To understand our current options. With the Chūnin Exams tournament coming up, can we create an international response?"

    Asuma laughed. "You're kidding. Our intel suggests that few major villages have summoners. F hasn't summoned a Mara in years, and if Sand has summoners, they've hid them well. If I ask for help with a Seventh Path problem that, if they choose inaction, will rob Leaf of most of its summoning power, what do you think they will do?

    "I'll probe the handful of minors with a summoner to cooperate, but there will be no global alliance against the Dragons. In fact, we can't even ask for help freely, since some people will definitely sabotage us to rob Leaf's summoners of their powers."

    Hazō didn't respond yet. He had another suggestion, but it required impossible delicateness…

    Asuma sighed. "I see. You want to involve Akatsuki. Yes, they have two summoners with incredible offensive power. Kinslayer Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame could credibly harm Dragons on the battlefield. If they somehow haven't heard of the Dragons yet, we could…

    "Ugh," Asuma said. "This creates complications. While, optimistically, the Dragons could kill them, their proximity would potentially let them see Elemental Mastery's deployment."

    "Could Enma or Kumokōgō claim responsibility?" Hazō asked. "Then no one would realize that Elemental Mastery is an easy-to-learn Fire Element ninjutsu. Enma or Kumokōgō could publicly and honestly swear to never use the technique again, except against enemies of similar magnitude."

    Asuma gazed thoughtfully out the window. "Akatsuki will find it unacceptable that Leaf holds such power at all, especially as they'll know that it works on the Human Path. We could add pageantry to the casting process to make it less threatening, but… Hm. Good idea, Hazō. Honestly, people will more easily believe the hellstorm is the Monkey King's ultimate technique, rather than a chūnin's creation."

    "Thank you, sir. You said your 'soul's defenses' let you resist the Beauty Dragon. What are 'soul defenses'? Is it jōnin aura? Better defenses would have helped tremendously in my close encounters with the Dragons, and I need any tool I can get."

    Asuma raised an eyebrow. "'Jōnin aura'? I heard Jiraiya use that phrase once or twice. It's surprisingly close – non-jōnin can fully develop their souls, but the people that become jōnin generally also have the combined unyielding willpower and full submission to the Will of Fire that inevitably grows their soul in that way."

    "What does it mean to grow your soul?" Hazō asked.

    "When you strengthen and master your chakra, your soul grows," Asuma said. "Though, without the Will of Fire, many people's souls grow imbalanced. Jōnin outside Leaf call it 'killing intent'. You may have experienced it before. Their souls grow jagged and harsh without spiritual balance, and they can only lash out and harm others. The Will of Fire is the will to protect. Without the Will of Fire, they cannot adequately protect their souls against attacks, or even defend their comrades against an enemy's onslaught. Perhaps you experienced that as well."

    Hazō thought back to Tsunade standing up to Orochimaru as he threatened to kidnap and vivisect Kei and Hazō. Her aura was a mountain, but instead of crushing them, the mountain's strength had empowered them to stand against Orochimaru. For a moment, Hazō had been unbreakable.

    "Yes, sir. I think I have."

    "Unfortunately, it takes time. Materially, continue to strengthen your chakra and master your ninjutsu. Spiritually, continue your meditations and your study of the Will of Fire to retain the balance of your soul."

    "Understood. One more topic, sir. Do you remember Mareo, the Summoner from Bear, near Dog? Could we offer him Leaf citizenship and an ANBU escort here?"

    Asuma sighed and pinched his nose. "I remember the crazy old hermit man, yes. Save it for after the tournament. I'm leaving Leaf on a skeleton crew of defenders to bring an adequate delegation to the Exams, and until that finishes, I absolutely cannot spare manpower for a risky and sensitive escort mission. For the next few weeks, I have to double-time politics with the other Kage and politics at the Conclave. I can't judge this proposal right now. Bring it up again later, Hazō."

    "Okay," Hazō said, "then let's discuss the Great Seal. The Great Seal's failure caused the Dragon problem, and if we don't stop that failure, we'll face even stronger Dragons soon. We need to fix it somehow."

    "Do you want my current plan for that, Hazō? Because, I'm currently hoping that you, Kagome, or Orochimaru pull off a miracle."

    "I can't say what Orochimaru can do," Hazō said, "but Gōketsu's has made minimal progress after the implementation of HOWS."

    "I see," Asuma said, with a thoughtful bubble-puff on the pipe. "Then Harumitsu needs a summoning scroll."

    "Good idea, sir," Hazō said. "But first, we need information. The better we understand the Great Seal and its makers, the better our odds of repairing it. We need lore, sir. On the Sage or his companions, whoever among them knew sealing. On their exploits. On other entities they sealed away. On the Dragons or even just on other forms of sealing. We could persuade people to open their clan libraries, and the Seventh Path has long memories. Even the Dogs, who are shorter lived than many Seventh Path clans, still had tales about the Dragons, or as they called them, the Eaters. Could we persuade any of them to share what they know?"

    "Clans preserve their own histories," Asuma said. "They won't know about the Dragons. Unless you want legends of ancient Sarutobi heroes and traitors, the Sarutobi archives will not help you. In Leaf, the Hagoromo keep the best records of the Sage's life by far. Leaf's last carved-seal expert died in the Collapse with no living apprentices, and Fumi's biosealing knowledge is minimal. Still, good idea regarding Seventh Path histories. I will order Leaf's summoners to give me a report about their clan's histories around the Sage and the Dragons."

    "Thank you, sir," Hazō said. "Relatedly, I have questions about the Nagi Island seal."

    Asuma raised an eyebrow. "The seal array? Hiashi took the burnt out seals with him after Pain died. Rock destroyed them. No Leaf sealmaster could replicate them, and Rock buried both the Tower and the Hyūga main house in the Collapse."

    "I see," Hazō said. "What about the machine? I believe Akatsuki had embedded a big metal cluster in the wall near the sealing array. Could it have been a seal as well?"

    "A three-dimensional seal, like the Great Seal?" Asuma asked. "Hiashi said it contained dangerous chakra levels even after Pain died, though he didn't explain what he saw. At the time, I was more concerned with collecting our dead."

    After a moment's pause, Hazō said, "I understand. Can you describe its physical appearance? For example, did it have moving parts?"

    "My memory of that day is hazy and dark," Asuma said as his voice adopted a strangely even cadence. "I was injured and chakra exhausted and battle-shocked after seeing so many comrades die around me. The sacrificial ritual, the supposed inheritor of the Sage's legacy returning his allies from the dead… I couldn't focus on it. I had to protect the other survivors from treachery from Mist or Sand or the resurrected Akatsuki.

    "Calling the machine a blur would give my memory too much credit. I couldn't even tell you if it was made of metal or another polished, lustrous material. It didn't move when I looked at it for threat evaluation, and I recall thinking that it looked more like a tangle of vines than any orderly construction. Hiashi had people sketch it from memory in the days following the battle. I assume the Collapse destroyed those sketches as well."

    "That doesn't disqualify it as a seal," Hazō said. "Do you know where it went?"

    "Sadly, no. Hiashi declared it too dangerous to destroy, and our injuries made our return to Leaf take days longer than normal. The people we sent to reclaim our seals and secure the site said that the machine had already disappeared. Mist is within a day's travel of Nagi Island, so we thought they took it, but all of our spying efforts on Mist turned up nothing. I have to assume that Akatsuki reclaimed it after we left the battle site."

    "Okay, I'll scrap that idea for now. Normal sealing needs chakra-infused ink to conduct chakra in controlled pathways, so three dimensional sealing needs a material that could make chakra pathways as well. Orochimaru has already experimented with bone and parts of muscle-"

    "Do I want to know how he did those experiments?" Asuma asked.

    "You don't. Was the Nagi Island machine made of chakra metal?"

    "I don't know," Asuma said. "Though, a group of S-rankers with superior intelligence and flight could maybe have gathered such a huge amount of it."

    "Could we kill chakra golems ourselves to get chakra metal?" Hazō asked. "Skyslicers and shadow clones could reduce the risk of fighting one dramatically."

    "What is a chakra golem?" Asuma asked.

    "It's an extremely powerful chakra beast with a chakra metal core," Hazō said, "supposedly formed when stone near a chakra metal deposit gets corrupted by the ambient chakra flux. They're extremely lethal, even to S-rankers, but they can be killed."

    "Interesting. If physical damage can kill them, then skyslicers will. Still, I see three potential obstacles. First, stronger chakra beasts tend to be smarter and have additional senses that make them hard to lure into a trap. Second, chakra beasts are extremely local, and these golems certainly do not spawn within the Land of Fire. Third, a creature dangerous to S-rankers will be highly mobile, so identifying its location well enough to set traps will itself be dangerous."

    "I'll rule out chakra metal until we actually find golems, then," Hazō said. "Ideally, we'd have chakra-conductive stone, but I couldn't find any stone like the Great Seal. Do you know any incredibly smooth, faintly translucent teal-green stone types?"

    "Is that a natural color?" Asuma asked. "If it's a gemstone, I'm sure some daimyo has a match in his collection at a far smaller scale than you need. I don't have answers for you, Hazō. I've made no study of which materials conduct chakra, much less how to make seals with them."

    "Even if the stone isn't natural, there are unnatural places to look. In Honey, we found a living cave filled with strong beasts and a huge variety of plants. Have you heard of that sort of thing?"

    "In a way," Asuma said. "Everyone knows that areas with potent chakra spawn the most powerful beasts. Beyond that, I could only list such areas in Fire. Exploring them usually invites death. Otherwise, Wind would long since have expanded westwards. In their youth, the Sannin apparently made a habit of exploring such places. Others have tried to imitate the Sannin, hoping to find a secret path to power. As far as I know, no imitators survived their attempts."

    "Relatedly…" Hazō said, "I have a question about Orochimaru. I don't want to make any specific accusations about a Leaf ninja in good standing, but you should know that Orochimaru could credibly crack three-dimensional sealing. While he would probably help seal the Dragons, his personal power would spike as well, though no one can predict by how much. I haven't specifically withheld any information from him, but I haven't shared everything either. Is it worth further empowering Orochimaru?"

    Asuma considered the question thoughtfully, blowing bubbles from his pipe and gazing out of the window at the sunset, and at the crimson clouds hanging over the darkening Leaf.

    "For now, I think yes. Orochimaru generally complies with orders, and you've shown that Tsunade can constrain him. In contrast, we absolutely cannot control the Dragons. If he will kill them or seal them away, I can accept empowering him. However, I only saw the Dragons this morning, and I need sleep and time to reflect. Assist him for now, Hazō, but be wary of the risks. I will tell you if my answer changes."

    "I have no more questions," Hazō said, bowing deeply. "Thank you again for taking action and for having patience and understanding beyond measure. I saw Jiraiya's struggle as Hokage, so I can recognize a little of what the pressure must be like for you. I'm grateful for your help despite everything."

    Asuma stared at Hazō for a second, as if trying to gauge his sincerity. After a moment, Asuma set his tall conical hat on the desk and rested his eyes on the heels of his palms for a few seconds. Hazō didn't know how to respond to Asuma's display of vulnerability. Asuma looked up again, and Hazō suddenly saw new lines of age and wear in his face.

    "Leaf enjoyed decades of peace under my father's rule," Asuma said. "I can't imagine what he did to earn it. Akatsuki tried to reshape the world at Nagi Island two years ago almost to the day. In the last two years, the world has put Leaf under a constant, unrelenting pressure, and the Hokage has a duty to prevent it from breaking. Duty never ends, but I had hoped for a moment of peace after the blood we paid to keep Rock from our walls.

    "Hazō, you unthinkingly commit treason, and you start new initiatives to improve Leaf that others would never dream of. You are a clan head politician, and you gleefully make enemies of the powerful and allies with the weak. You advocate for responsibility, and you embrace corruption. You invent new weapons, and you accidentally use them against Fire. When you made your claims about the Dragons, I had to ask myself if you'd found another insanity.

    "Now, I accept that it's not you. The world itself is simply sadistic, and it will continue to try to break Leaf until it's satisfied. I may not have wanted the Hat initially, but I accept the duty I need to fulfill."

    "I'm not trying to insult you, Hazō. You are a problem ninja, yes, but I do believe that you and your clan care about the good of Leaf. There are other problem ninja, and many of them have fewer virtues to redeem them."

    "I think I understand a little bit about why I'm hard to deal with, sir," Hazō said. "That's why I wanted to express appreciation."

    "Acknowledged," Asuma said as he reached and resettled the hat on his head. "Continue your mission, chūnin. I will see you at the Conclave in the coming month when not tending to the Chūnin Exams. While it may violate the Gōketsu's motto, please do ensure that Leaf doesn't get blown up in my absence."

    o-o-o​

    Hello Hazō,

    I understand that Noburi has just completed his final examination. Best of luck to him in earning Tsunade's attention! Supposing that he will have a couple days between the intensive audition and the soon-to-be intensive apprenticeship, Lord Orochimaru has made preparations for you to create the Great Seal replica with Noburi's aid. Please come to Lord Orochimaru's estate at sunrise two days hence.

    Kabuto

    o-o-o​

    Tsunade's Final Exam

    Tsunade has loosely monitored Noburi's progress for the past two months. He improved enough for her to actually consider him a worthwhile medic-nin, and his bloodline presents many interesting opportunities. That said, Tsunade's time is valuable, and she has other things she wants to do. Is time instructing Noburi worth more the lifesaving work Tsunade could do otherwise? If he's skilled enough, if he's demonstrably improving fast enough, then maybe…

    Noburi must complete three surgeries:
    • The first surgery requires that he pass a paired TN 50 MedKnow and a TN 50 MedNin check.
    • The second surgery requires that he pass three paired TN 40 MedKnow and MedNin checks before failing two.
    • The third surgery requires that he generate 25 total shifts with MedNin across seven paired TN 30 checks (failed MedKnow = 0 progress).

    The outcome depends on the number of success:
    • 3x successes: Tsunade accepts him as an apprentice.
    • 2x successes: Tsunade has him continue shadowing her for two weeks more and gives him a second test.
    • 1x success: Tsunade refuses him, but makes sure he's well connected in Leaf to keep growing.
    • 0x successes: Tsunade refuses him and becomes negatively inclined towards him for wasting her time.

    Noburi buys two Fate Points prior to the surgeries. He desperately wants to succeed here.


    Surgery 1: One TN 50 MedKnow, one TN 50 MedNin

    A lumberjack lost motor control. Can Noburi diagnose that a critical nerve in their spine is impacted, then carefully manipulate the nerve back into place?

    Noburi (Medical Knowledge): 47 + 3 (dice) = 50
    Noburi (Medical Ninjutsu): 39 + 4 (Invoke "Star of the Show") + 8 (Invoke "I Will Be The Next Tsunade"; 2x bonus since it's extremely narratively appropriate) + 3 = 54

    Noburi succeeds surgery 1!

    Surgery 2: 3 successes on TN 40 MedKnow/MedNin before 2 failures

    A giant log fell on a sawmill worker's leg. Can Noburi set all the bones correctly and reconstruct the man's hip before he bleeds out (or rather, before Tsunade intervenes because any further failure would make the man bleed out)?

    Noburi (Medical Knowledge): 47 - 6 = 41
    Noburi (Medical Ninjutsu): 39 + 3 = 42

    Success! Two successes still needed.

    Noburi (Medical Knowledge): 47 - 3 = 44
    Noburi (Medical Ninjutsu): 39 - 6 = 33
    Noburi spends a FP to reroll!
    Noburi (Medical Ninjutsu): 39 - 6 = 33
    Noburi spends a FP to reroll!
    Noburi (Medical Ninjutsu): 39 - 3 = 36
    Noburi spends a FP to reroll!
    Noburi (Medical Ninjutsu): 39 + 0 = 39
    Noburi spends a FP to add a half-bonus! Noburi is out of Fate Points!
    Noburi (Medical Ninjutsu): 39 + 2 (Half AB) + 0 = 41

    Success! One more success needed!

    Noburi (Medical Knowledge): 47 + 6 = 53
    Noburi (Medical Ninjutsu): 39 + 0 = 39

    Fail! One more failure will end the test!

    Noburi (Medical Knowledge): 47 + 3 = 50
    Noburi (Medical Ninjutsu): 39 - 6 = 33

    Noburi fails surgery 2! He must succeed the next surgery or else he will be outright rejected.

    Surgery 3: 25 MedNin shifts on TN 30 MedKnow/MedNin

    A diphtheria patient can't breathe, and their heart is fluttering. Can Noburi quell the throat swelling and cure the disease before complications arise?

    Noburi (Medical Knowledge): 47 - 3 = 44
    Noburi (Medical Ninjutsu): 39 - 3 = 36

    Roll 1; 2/25 shifts.

    Noburi (Medical Knowledge): 47 - 9 = 38
    Noburi (Medical Ninjutsu): 39 - 3 = 36

    Roll 2; 4/25 shifts.

    Noburi (Medical Knowledge): 47 + 6 = 53
    Noburi (Medical Ninjutsu): 39 - 6 = 33

    Roll 3; 5/25 shifts.

    Noburi (Medical Knowledge): 47 + 0 = 47
    Noburi (Medical Ninjutsu): 39 + 0 = 39

    Roll 4; 8/25 shifts.

    Noburi (Medical Knowledge): 47 + 3 = 50
    Noburi (Medical Ninjutsu): 39 + 0 = 39

    Roll 5; 11/25 shifts.

    Noburi (Medical Knowledge): 47 - 3 = 44
    Noburi (Medical Ninjutsu): 39 + 3 = 42

    Roll 6; 15/25 shifts.

    Noburi (Medical Knowledge): 47 + 0 = 47
    Noburi (Medical Ninjutsu): 39 + 3 = 42

    Roll 7; 19/25 shifts.

    Noburi fails surgery 3!

    1x success. Tsunade will not take Noburi as an apprentice. Still, with one successful surgery (and the impressive, TN 50 one at that!), Tsunade will remain positively inclined towards him, and will encourage him to keep working on his medic skills, especially medical ninjutsu.

    Noburi entered Tsunade's office and bowed.

    "Ah, cut it out. We're past that. Take a seat," Tsunade said.

    Noburi unstrapped his barrel and slung the Toad Scroll off his back, leaving them both by the door. He slowly slid into the chair. He knew what was coming, but that didn't mean he liked it.

    "I'm leaving Leaf," Tsunade said.

    And she would take Noburi's dreams with her.

    "Frankly," she said, "my work here is done. Every ninja injured in the war has made whatever recovery they're going to, and the peace treaties look stable enough that Asuma doesn't need me to sit around looking scary anymore. It doesn't make sense for me to spend all my time healing ninja when ninja are more naturally resistant to disease than civilians. There's another outbreak of typhoid in Otafuku Gai that someone needs to deal with, and I'll do more good there than here. Leaf has other medic nin to keep plagues at bay. The rest of Fire has no one."

    "I understand, Tsunade," Noburi said.

    "I'm leaving Leaf three days from now. And you're not coming with me."

    There it was. The end of an era of hope. Tsunade had mellowed out toward him over the course of their time together, but had she ever really considered taking him as an apprentice? Or had she faked it from the start, letting him follow just close enough to satisfy whatever political play that had forced her to pretend in the first place?

    "I understand, Tsunade." She'd let him take the lead on real surgeries, where real patients lived or died by his actions. He'd saved one particularly challenging case all on his own, yet… on the other, longer, more complex operations, he'd failed. His chakra control had been just a hair too coarse, his medical ninjutsu had destabilized, and Tsunade had been forced to intervene at critical points when Noburi's inadequacy threatened the patients' lives. Tsunade hadn't looked surprised at Noburi's screw-ups. Would it have hurt more if she'd been disappointed?

    Her expression softened. "Sorry, Noburi. You're a fairly good medic-nin for your age, and from what I saw, your combat skills are sharp enough that you'd hold your own with other chūnin in a fight. Having two specializations is tough, and you're managing it somehow. You'll make a great all-round field medic, and you'll save lives. Still, that's not something I can spend any more time on. People are dying all over Fire, and I can't laze around in Leaf training field medics when people are dying, plagues are spreading, and everything's going to shit.

    "Practice your medical ninjutsu. Keep studying anatomy. I'll make sure that everyone in the hospital knows that you're allowed to attend any dissections you want. Do real surgeries. I'll ask the doctors to keep you on as an assistant, and maybe in a year you can perform surgeries yourself without anything catastrophic happening."

    Noburi knew what the answer would be, but he couldn't stop himself from asking anyway. "Are you sure you couldn't take me as an apprentice Tsunade? I could come with you to Otafuku Gai, or to wherever you go."

    Tsunade's expression had softened before, but she grew stern again. "No, Noburi. Setting aside the fact that you're wanted in Leaf for other reasons, I wouldn't take you as an apprentice anyway. You're not bad, but you're not amazing. Not yet, at least. Keep working on your weaknesses, and maybe one day, once you're better than any of the other doctors in the hospital here, we can talk again."

    Noburi nodded. He shouldn't push it. He'd worked so hard on his relationship with Tsunade, to the point where… well, she didn't smile at him, but she at least sometimes looked at him without glaring. He knew he shouldn't ask again, shouldn't beg and plead if he wanted a real chance at getting Tsunade's tutelage in the future, but he still wanted to.

    Tsunade stared at him, and if she had an inkling of what he was feeling, she didn't show it. She reached forward and slapped her hand on the table between them. "Go home. You've been shadowing me around at the hospital non-stop for the last two months. Take a day or two off. Ask yourself why you want to be a medic. Then, come back and keep healing people. It's the only unqualified good thing you can do in this damn world."

    "I understand, Tsunade," Noburi said.

    She stared at him for a moment longer, before Noburi realized that the 'go home' had been an order. He stood, bowed again to Tsunade's irritation, and grabbed his barrel and scroll.

    As he opened the door, he glanced back to see Tsunade eying him thoughtfully.

    Should he?

    "Is there something else, Tsunade?" he asked.

    "No, it's…" she trailed off. After a moment, she nodded to herself. "Jiraiya would be proud of you, Noburi. For trying. Now go."

    Noburi nodded, ignoring the tightness welling up in his throat. He left.

    The door swung shut behind him.

    o-o-o​

    Hello Hazō,

    My sincerest apologies. I fear I made a grave error in scheduling. It appears that a particular research procedure must be performed that I had forgotten to account for when planning out the coming week. Lord Orochimaru will unfortunately be occupied during the day we specified previously. Please come to Lord Orochimaru's estate at sunrise     four days hence, with Noburi. Again, my apologies for any inconvenience caused.

    Kabuto

    o-o-o​

    "The situation is irredeemable," said Kei. "Secrecy cannot be maintained along all desired axes. With Tsunade's departure, you must not enter the Basement."

    Mari shook her head. "Once Orochimaru wants something, he gets it. The only question is if he'll ask or if he'll take."

    "Can't I demand privacy while I'm Earthshaping the seal?" Hazō asked. "Orochimaru must know that his presence distracts people. I can honestly say that I'll perform worse with him over my shoulder."

    "Impossible," Kei said. "Suppose you win the improbable bet that he does not care how you create a seal blank for the Great Seal. He is a ninja, and he presumably cares to defend his Basement. He will not permit you to perform a large area-of-effect ninjutsu in his laboratory for a full day unmonitored."

    "Earthshaping is a bust," Mari said. "We can't defend that perimeter. He will ask the obvious question, and you can't claim clan secrets when half of Leaf's Earth Element ninja know it. We need to focus on something we can actually protect: the Iron Nerve's seal memorization."

    "Two ideas, right away," Noburi said. "One, clan secrets."

    "Yes, because that has historically deterred him," Kei said bitterly. "Tsunade's departure cost us our sole defense."

    "Two, distract him. He loves chopping people up, why not give him something else to work on?"

    "Aside from the fact that our minds are insufficiently twisted to determine which biosealing experimentation pathways would maximally engage Orochimaru?" Kei said. "Kabuto alleges that the Great Seal has earned a higher priority than their 'experiments'. Were it not for your impending demises, I would be making preparations for the incoming decline of the Final Gift Program and lamenting the corresponding decline in Ami's usefulness."

    "Tell me about it," Noburi said. "I also got stuff to mope about. Bad enough that my own life's on the line, but I can't spend days moping when I need to fulfill Clan Gōketsu Duty Number One: keep Hazō from getting himself killed."

    Mari and Kei nodded in unison.

    "Hey!"

    "So, how about sketches?" Noburi asked, ignoring Hazō. "Fill books with drawings and pretend to reference them to explain how you made the replica."

    "Sketches won't make sense if Hazō memorized the terrain," Mari said. "And Orochimaru's camping by the Great Seal, so we can't make sketches anymore. Plus, he could have realized that I'll lie to protect my family even if it would make him angry, so he could ignore everything I said and focus on whatever Hazō was about to spill."

    "Additionally," Kei said. "Orochimaru knows that Hazō only inspected the aboveground Great Seal once, and he saw the belowground viewing area's creation. Terrain-sense justifies Hazō recreating submerged Great Seal components, but if Orochimaru rules that out, few alternate explanations exist. Of course, if he learns of the relationship between the Iron Nerve and the Sharingan, known to Hazō even as an untried genin, then our OSPEC position degrades further."

    "Hmm…" Mari said. "Orochimaru is meticulous and arrogant. Maybe we can make him a part of the lie himself…"

    o-o-o​

    "Hazō, Noburi!" Kabuto called out as he strode out of Orochimaru's estate. Someone had repaired the walkway since Tsunade's last visit. "A pleasure to see you."

    Hazō nodded and Noburi gave a short bow. "Thank you, Kabuto," Hazō said. "Have you been well lately?"

    "Of course," Kabuto said. "But let's skip the pleasantries. I'm certain you would rather attend the Conclave, and Orochimaru-sensei is waiting. Follow me."

    Kabuto led the two Gōketsu into their former home. The constant dripping had stopped, and harsh smells of chemical concoctions and blood had replaced that of the mildew. A part of Hazō wanted to explore the house and see everyone's rooms. He did not get the chance. Kabuto led them directly into the Basement.

    Keep your nerve in the Basement. TN 40 (Great) Resolve check.

    Hazō (Resolve): (cannot fail)
    Noburi (Resolve): 29 + 12 = 41 [Really? Now!?]

    Impressively, they both keep their cool!

    Kabuto had closed the doors to the side rooms before retrieving them. Hazō didn't have to see every experiment as he walked by. Instead, he could keep his attention forward and ignore the people suffering and dying behind every door. In fact, many experiments could use beasts, right? Orochimaru had made the octocats from chakra beasts. Chakra beast experiments could explain the squelching sounds and low moans and hushed flowing of liquid through thin piping that suffused the Basement.

    Hazō almost broke his stride at one closed door. The skin farm. Orochimaru had arranged an infinite supply of human skin out of some need, and Kagome had put the subject out of his misery. Did Orochimaru still have that need? Had he found another person to subject to that eternal torture? If Hazō stopped to listen, would he hear the rapid steps of the flesh spiders and another quiet voice calling for him to end its suffering?

    Noburi put a hand on Hazō's shoulder. "We need to survive this, first," he whispered.

    Hazō couldn't divert course here. Noburi was risking his life for Hazō, and Hazō needed to protect Noburi in turn. One day, Hazō would correct the horrors of the Basement, but he couldn't do it today.

    They continued to follow Kabuto.

    The Basement's master was seated in an out-of-place chair in a hallway of the third sub-basement, skimming an inscrutable report. Hazō and Noburi both bowed deeply.

    Orochimaru didn't look at them. "Enough. I disapprove of tardiness." He gestured down the hallway, and a soft click came from within the walls. A trap disarming? "Kabuto, take them."

    Kabuto gestured for them to go ahead, and Noburi started to walk down the hallway.

    "Lord Orochimaru," Hazō said. Orochimaru looked up from the report and stared at Hazō. Hazō struggled to avoid wilting under Orochimaru's slitted gaze. Orochimaru needed to see that Hazō was more valuable as a collaborator than a specimen. He reached into his satchel and withdrew a sheaf of papers. "I have feedback on your manuscript."

    Orochimaru's standards are, of course, ridiculous. For Hazō to impress him, it will be a straightforward TN 80 (Legendary) Sealing check. Small success (1-3 shifts): Hazō finds an insight that Orochimaru missed. Big success: [secret], Small failure (1-3 shifts): Hazō's thinking, while intelligent, is not ultimately helpful. Big failure: Orochimaru dismisses Hazō as an idiot (and maybe demotes him to a specimen).

    Hazō (Sealing): 50 + 22 (SSA) + 8 (invoke "Promising Sealing Student") - 6 = 74

    Hazō's feedback is insightful, but sadly too late to affect Orochimaru's research.

    Orochimaru looked at Hazō, then glanced at Noburi, who had taken a few steps down the hallway and turned back to look at them. Orochimaru stood and in three swift motions sealed away the chair, disappeared the papers he was holding, and took Hazō's annotated manuscript. Instead of reading it, Orochimaru started to lead them through the Basement. "Summarize your feedback," Orochimaru said without looking at Hazō. "Explain key points in detail."

    Hazō gulped. "Overall, it was as sound as any theory could be, sir. There are limitations that you took care to outline regarding existing uncertainties and potential physical mechanisms to explain the phenomena-"

    "Be concise."

    "Yes, Lord Orochimaru," Hazō said to Orochimaru's back. "In summary, I think your theory is internally sound, but trying to achieve the wrong objective. As I understand it, your theory assumes the Great Seal minimizes feedback effects between seal components. Instead, I believe three dimensional sealing emphasizes feedback effects between seal components."

    "Explain."

    "Normally, a seal component only has two dimensions where other nearby components could channel chakra and alter the primary component's effect. Let's temporarily assume Sogabe's node theory to describe inter-element feedback. If a two-dimensional component is at the center of an eight-node square, a three-dimensional seal element would be at the center of a twenty-six node cube! That would make containing feedback impossible, especially with non-Sogabe feedbacks and resonances throughout the entire seal."

    "This much is obvious."

    Hazō frowned, though no one could see his face. He had found this so much clearer before. Carefully, he accessed the Iron Nerve memory of the Pangolin Summoning Scroll, and his mind slowly started to slide.

    "However," Hazō said, "the Great Seal intentionally uses chakra feedback effects between components. There exists a subgraph of the Great Seal. There, a spiraling connector likely creates whorls in the chakra flow extending linearly beyond the connector, and something similar to a nonchiral feed plate intersects the connector's axis at the normal. I hypothe#ize the Great Seal located and oriented the feed plate specifically to capture whorls in the ambient chakra flow. Captu}ed chira|ity would correspond to the connector's flow direction, whether deosil, widdershins, or null. In short, that component acts as a switch, respo7ding to the direction of chakra flow in another part of a seal."

    Orochimaru glanced at Hazō, expression inscrutable. "In two dimensions, topology frequently prohibits certain connection configurations. In three dimensions, the additional degree of freedom should always permit manual connections. Why not use such a thing?"

    "Precisely," Hazō said. "The feedback effects are intentional. The Great Seal's foundational theory emphasizes using inci@ental chakra flows, rather than purely minimizing their impact as we do. The Great Seal uses chakra flows to solve trivial problems. Ther3fore, I reason that this new theory of sealing uses feedback effects and resonances as conceptual primitives."

    Orochimaru didn't respond for a few seconds as they walked.

    "Remarkable," said Orochimaru in a mild tone. "I formulated a similar hypothesis, though I proscribed forming conclusions before acquiring experimental evidence. Experimental evidence supports your claim. Many components appear to be intentionally positioned to exploit feedback effects.

    "This is no longer a significant contribution. My theories have advanced in the past three weeks. Nonetheless, it is… an impressive observation to make. I recall Jiraiya at your age. He would not have had the foundational maturity to consider this hypothesis, except solely as one among a scattershot of ideas that he would not ultimately select as noteworthy. Who taught you sealing, boy?"

    "My uncle Kagome," Hazō said. "And I studied your work and Jiraiya's textbooks."

    Orochimaru glanced at Hazō, and Hazō thought he saw Orochimaru's slitted pupils dilate. Orochimaru looked forward again. "Neither your demented uncle nor the pretentious imbeciles that call themselves Leaf's sealmasters would comprehend the Great Seal's implications. I understand that you primarily find creative applications for existing seals. You have not demonstrated any faculty for practical sealcraft. Where does your theoretical maturity come from?"

    Hazō couldn't tell Orochimaru about downloading the Summoning Scroll. He glanced at Noburi.

    "Hazō has always excelled in sealing, Lord Orochimaru," Noburi said. "Just a year after learning the basics, Jiraiya called him a 'good sealmaster'. Since then, years have passed and he's still improving."

    "Hm. Perhaps I will examine your claim," Orochimaru said. "This is the space."

    Orochimaru had somehow excavated a massive underground cavern. It reached forty feet tall at its peak above a gentle arch, and the sterile light thrown from the Basement's hallways couldn't penetrate its dark reaches. Steel plating covered the ground and walls near the entryway, but the room quickly faded to bare stone.

    Orochimaru descended the stairs and paced out into the vast, empty space. "Kabuto, the seals."

    "Yes, Orochimaru-sensei," Kabuto said, running on the walls and activating seals to shine cold, white light around the cavern.

    "What ninjutsu creates the replica?" Orochimaru asked.

    Hazō resisted grimacing. Of course Orochimaru had asked. "The Earthshaping ninjutsu, sir."

    "Where did you learn it?" Orochimaru asked.

    "The Leaf Ninjutsu Library, sir," Hazō responded. The Iron Nerve refused to show his disappointment.

    "I see," Orochimaru said. "Then I have delayed examining their collection for too long.

    "You, boy," he said, suddenly facing Noburi. "Kabuto provided me with information regarding your bloodline."

    Noburi squirmed under Orochimaru's gaze. "Yes, sir?"

    "I have prepared specimens suitable for chakra draining. You will maintain the reserves of your brother and myself as needed and stay out of the way otherwise. Am I understood?"

    Noburi nodded.

    Orochimaru gestured towards where Kabuto's seals had illuminated a massive mound of white quartz that reached nearly halfway to the ceiling.

    "Begin."

    Hazō walked to one of the larger boulders of quartz and kneeled down. He made his ninjutsu's single handseal.

    "Earth Element: Earthshaping."

    He reached out and started to infuse his chakra into the stone.

    o-o-o​

    Mari will try a complex deception. If Orochimaru questions Hazō's perfect memory, Hazō loses. Mari will lean into her previous lie. Knowing that Hazō will make mistakes with Earthshaping, she requests that Orochimaru point them out and correct them. Hopefully, this is proof of an imperfect terrain sense and disproof of a perfect seal memory She's not present (can't invoke personal Aspects), but she can maybe set the scene such that Orochimaru never considers the dangerous hypothesis (passive check for him, so no invokes either).

    Mari (Deceit): ?? + ? (2x time ladder bonus – using a few days to coach Hazō and Noburi through it) + ? (using the past lie, gets ???) - ? (indirect action penalty – still better than letting Hazō roll it) - ? (imperfect agents, working through Hazō and Noburi with Deceits of 24 and 19 respectively) + 0 = ??
    Orochimaru (Deceit): ?? + 9 (!) = ??

    Orochimaru reappeared in a puff of smoke.

    "Another error," Orochimaru said. "This entire volume is wholly incorrect."

    "I haven't started there yet, Lord Orochimaru," Hazō said through gritted teeth. Orochimaru's every correction carried an air of implicit superiority. Still, Hazō needed Orochimaru to think that Hazō hadn't memorized a flawless copy of the Great Seal.

    "Begin now. The connections to this dome are wrong. It connects here, here, and here," Orochimaru said, scoring the stone with a fingernail.

    Orochimaru examined the real Great Seal from the Seventh Path several times an hour to identify flaws in Hazō's replica, with Noburi periodically refilling the Sannin's reserves, as well as Hazō's so he could sustain the extended Earthshaping. Hopefully, Orochimaru would fixate on Hazō's mistakes, rather than notice minute inconsistencies in the quality of Hazō's.

    It was exhausting. From the central mound of stone, thick tentacles of stone extruded to fill the room. Periodically, Hazō grabbed loose chunks of stone in the mound and melded them into the greater whole. Once he'd established the rough shape of the Great Seal, Hazō squeezed it into shape. Tentacles warped and twisted, extruding mass into fine helixes and bladed edges, while flattening themselves and compacting into wavy, folded sheets. Excess mass flowed along the tendrils and through the central mound, slowly redistributing itself as needed.

    It tested every modicum of skill Hazō had ever earned with Earthshaping. Where pieces couldn't support themselves, he strengthened them. When sections of quartz came apart at their seams, he joined them. He even had to slightly adjust the density of certain areas, where the weight of components above threatened to collapse the whole structure. Hazō had to keep absolute focus to retain control over the entire cavern from one wall to another.

    Earthshaping could not replicate the Great Seal's complexity. Some of its enigmatic, interlocking components were smaller than Hazō's little fingernail, and the Great Seal had millions of components. No one could recreate its full fractal complexity in a single sitting. Even a month of work wouldn't let Hazō accurately depict every component, much less capture the even finer details of grooves and texture.

    Instead, Hazō could only hope to capture the Great Seal's macrostructure. Mari had planned this too – Orochimaru would more easily believe that he knew only the rough shapes rather than every precise detail.

    Eventually, Hazō needed to stop. Time didn't pass this far underground, but his body told him that sundown had long since passed, and Noburi had visibly started to flag. Slowly, Hazō pulled his chakra out of his creation, testing little by little to ensure that it would stand with its own strength. Finally, he stepped away, pulling his hands away from the central coils.

    Hazō (Earthshaping): 47 + 5 (Invoke "Team Uplift"; Noburi's support) + 9 = 61

    How could such an incredible effort amount to so much and so little? Looking at his creation, Hazō could see the Great Seal's general shape exactly as he remembered it, already more complex than any seal he had ever scribed. Yet, he had missed so much detail.

    "All good, Hazō?" Noburi asked.

    "Fine," Hazō said, looking around the Great Seal. "It'll be enough. Ready?"

    They left the room's heart via a tunnel Orochimaru had excavated, going under the tangled tendrils of the Great Seal rather than contorting their way through it. At the threshold between Basement and cavern, they met Orochimaru.

    "Is that all?" Orochimaru asked. "This level of detail is insufficient for any serious analysis."

    Hazō bowed his head, chastised. Mari had drilled this phrase until he'd perfected his vocal tone and microexpressions, and he drew it forth from the Iron Nerve. "I'm afraid I cannot do any better than this, Lord Orochimaru."

    "Do not lie to me."

    Hazō's heart sank into his gut, becoming a smoldering anxiety. Did Orochimaru know? Once Hazō had expended his utility, would he become another experiment?

    "You merely tired of your work," Orochimaru said. "You could produce a higher fidelity replica with time. We resume tomorrow."

    "The Conclave of summon clans is ongoing," Hazō said, "and I must-"

    "The Conclave is an irrelevant group of bartering idiots. You wish to restore the Great Seal's function? Then you will continue tomorrow."

    "How does this help repair the Great Seal?" Hazō asked. "You may examine it at will in the Seventh Path, and only the summon bosses can kill the Dragons."

    "Repairing an active seal is impossible," Orochimaru said. "Ultimately, I will deactivate the Great Seal and construct a new seal in its place. That construction requires four components. First, a suitable substrate to create chakra-manipulating mechanisms. Second, adequate theory to design a seal to capture and contain the Dragons. Third, a way to precisely shape the substrate into theoretically prescribed forms. Fourth, adequate chakra control to infuse the resulting blank.

    "In service of the second point, I must develop a theory of three dimensional sealing. This requires studying the Great Seal in minute detail, for I cannot rule out the potential relevance of even microscopic aberrations. Perhaps a source of ancient lore or another exemplar would let me discern critical design decisions from arbitrary ones. Without such providence, I must instead slowly, carefully study the Great Seal in excruciating detail.

    "That requires analytical tools, time, space, and access to the entire seal. My laboratory provides these, not the Seventh Path. So, unless another solution exists, you will continue crafting this replica of the Great Seal."

    Hazō considered the thought for a fraction of a second. At Nagi Island, Pain had made something that no one else understood, presumably using the Sage's long-forgotten lore… perhaps the same lore that had created the Great Seal. Should he mention it? Could he afford not to, when repeatedly returning to the Basement without Tsunade in Leaf could cost him his life?

    Orochimaru read the hesitation on his face.

    "You know something more. Tell me."

    "Sir, I must-"

    "Now."

    No aura, just normal intimidation.

    Orochimaru (Intimidation): ?? + 0 = ??
    Hazō (Resolve): 59 - 6 = 53

    Hazō is legendarily Taken Out! Orochimaru does not particularly care to inflict Consequences, so long as Hazō complies.

    Orochimaru met Hazō's gaze with his snake-eyed stare. Orochimaru had given an order. Hazō couldn't resist, of course. Orochimaru didn't use his aura like he had at the Shimura estate, making Hazō feel like an animal trapped before a predator's gaze. In retrospect, Hazō couldn't call Orochimaru a predator. The Sannin stood so far beyond any predatory hierarchy that it made it preposterous to compare his relationship with Hazō to that of predator and prey. What Orochimaru wanted to happen would happen. If Hazō ended up broken as a result, that was a mere fact of reality, not something within Hazō's ability to influence. Unless, of course, Hazō just gave him what he wanted.

    "At Nagi Island," Hazō said, barely keeping himself from stammering. "Pain had built something they only saw after you died. They described it as a metal configuration similar to the Great Seal in some respects."

    Orochimaru's eyes widened fractionally. He turned away, muttering, "Of course, Nagato, he… Lost memories… Where… Akatsuki would… But who would know?"

    Orochimaru turned back to Hazō. "There was a Kurosawa present."

    Orochimaru hadn't asked a question. Yet, Hazō still felt like he was dooming Ren with his response. "Yes."

    "Very well," Orochimaru said. A faint smile crossed his face. "You may have your Conclave. I must travel, it appears. I believe the Chūnin Exams are ongoing. When I return, we will resume the replica if necessary."

    There was no room for disagreement.

    "Yes, Lord Orochimaru," Hazō said.

    "Dismissed. Kabuto, escort them out."



    The plan was 300-399 words (397), so no brevity bonus or penalty.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Paperclipped said:
    Hello Hazō,

    I understand that Noburi has just completed his final examination. Best of luck to him in earning Tsunade's attention! Supposing that he will have a couple days between the intensive audition and the soon-to-be intensive apprenticeship, Lord Orochimaru has made preparations for you to create the Great Seal replica with Noburi's aid. Please come to Lord Orochimaru's estate at sunrise two days hence.

    Kabuto
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    Heh. Orochimaru didn't want to butt heads with Tsunade over stealing Noburi away, so they just decided to wait.

    Paperclipped said:
    Orochimaru turned back to Hazō. "There was a Kurosawa present."

    Orochimaru hadn't asked a question. Yet, Hazō still felt like he was dooming Ren with his response. "Yes."
    Click to expand...
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    Does Orochimaru already know about the Seal Download aspect of the Iron Nerve?

    ...oh wait, terrain memory.

    Welp. Bye bye, Auntie Ren.
     
    Paperclipped said:
    They described it as a metal configuration similar to the Great Seal in some respects
    Click to expand...
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    It does sound like chakra metal is a viable 3-D sealing material. Although it's better used to make weapons. Strange that Asuma had so little to say about it given he has some of the only CM in Leaf.
    Paperclipped said:
    Orochimaru's eyes widened fractionally. He turned away, muttering, "Of course, Nagato, he… Lost memories… Where… Akatsuki would… But who would know?"
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    Innnnnnteresting. When Oro pulls his immortality trick he loses some memories. I'm going to file that away. Stupid of him to say anything really.
    Shrooms said:
    *Contemplating in Jashin*
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    He works in mysterious ways
    RandomOTP said:
    Heh. Orochimaru didn't want to butt heads with Tsunade over stealing Noburi away, so they just decided to wait.



    Does Orochimaru already know about the Seal Download aspect of the Iron Nerve?

    ...oh wait, terrain memory.

    Welp. Bye bye, Auntie Ren.
    Click to expand...
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    I believe the +9 in his passive Deception roll means he does, but he probably thinks Hazou is actually kinda useful. Not worth vivisection when he can just get a less useful one.

    It's pretty sadge that 59 Resolve still isn't enough to even look Oro in the eye.
     
    Paperclipped said:
    Leaf's last carved-seal expert died in the Collapse with no living apprentices
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    So it isn't a lost art known only to the Sage? There were practitioners in living memory? AYFKM
    Paperclipped said:
    "Repairing an active seal is impossible," Orochimaru said. "Ultimately, I will deactivate the Great Seal and construct a new seal in its place.
    Click to expand...
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    Uhh okay uhh good luck with that.
    Paperclipped said:
    Orochimaru turned back to Hazō. "There was a Kurosawa present."
    Click to expand...
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    If the Nagi island seal(s) were as complicated as described, shouldn't she have been incapacitiated by downloading them? I don't think that was the case.
     
    acidshill said:
    So it isn't a lost art known only to the Sage?
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    I think those were meant to refer to the seals we saw in an interlude one time.... like, scratches on a solid surface type of seal. Sort of the geometric opposite of brushstroke sealing (which is technically slightly raised above the sealing substrate). 3D sealing is what no one has seen before
     
    Shrooms said:
    I think those were meant to refer to the seals we saw in an interlude one time.... like, scratches on a solid surface type of seal. Sort of the geometric opposite of brushstroke sealing (which is technically slightly raised above the sealing substrate). 3D sealing is what no one has seen before
    Click to expand...
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    So the chakra flows through... the empty spaces from which stone has been removed? What? This does not sound consistent with established sealing facts.
     
    We are not dead but honestly im kinda tierd today someone can give me the TLDR pf the Orochimaru stuff?
     
    Paperclipped said:
    "Everyone knows that areas with potent chakra spawn the most powerful beasts. Beyond that, I could only list such areas in Fire. Exploring them usually invites death. Otherwise, Wind would long since have expanded westwards. In their youth, the Sannin apparently made a habit of exploring such places. Others have tried to imitate the Sannin, hoping to find a secret path to power. As far as I know, no imitators survived their attempts."
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    This is interesting to hear. I had thought that places like the Swamp of Death and the Cave of Mild Peril were rather localized, only deterring human inhabitation in a point-source sort of way. But if the entire land beyond Sand is uninhabitable for such reasons, there may be a lot more chakra going on there overall than in these smaller dungeons. Something to look into, for sure.
    acidshill said:
    So it isn't a lost art known only to the Sage? There were practitioners in living memory? AYFKM
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    If it was just that, Orochimaru wouldn't be out reinventing the wheel here. I would wager that carved-seals are still 2D in most appreciable aspects, except embedded on a curved 3D surface rather than on paper. True 3D sealing, where the stone itself conducts the chakra, would be entirely different from that.
    Paperclipped said:
    No aura, just normal intimidation.

    Orochimaru (Intimidation): ?? + 0 = ??
    Hazō (Resolve): 59 - 6 = 53

    Hazō is legendarily Taken Out! Orochimaru does not particularly care to inflict Consequences, so long as Hazō complies.
    Click to expand...
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    So, uh... how high does Orochimaru's Intimidation have to be for this to have happened? He got +0 on his FD and I doubt he spent FP if he didn't even bother to call up his aura, so whatever we just stared down is his unboosted effective value. Spooky.
    Paperclipped said:
    Mari will try a complex deception. If Orochimaru questions Hazō's perfect memory, Hazō loses. Mari will lean into her previous lie. Knowing that Hazō will make mistakes with Earthshaping, she requests that Orochimaru point them out and correct them. Hopefully, this is proof of an imperfect terrain sense and disproof of a perfect seal memory She's not present (can't invoke personal Aspects), but she can maybe set the scene such that Orochimaru never considers the dangerous hypothesis (passive check for him, so no invokes either).

    Mari (Deceit): ?? + ? (2x time ladder bonus – using a few days to coach Hazō and Noburi through it) + ? (using the past lie, gets ???) - ? (indirect action penalty – still better than letting Hazō roll it) - ? (imperfect agents, working through Hazō and Noburi with Deceits of 24 and 19 respectively) + 0 = ??
    Orochimaru (Deceit): ?? + 9 (!) = ??
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    Not sure what to feel about this, though. Mari's Deceit is sky-high and she's stacked some good advantages there, but we have no clue how bad those disadvantages might be or how high Orochimaru leveled his Deceit. He's certainly hard to lie to, given how he spotted our withheld knowledge near the end of the update, so...

    I mean. Maybe it's not so bad. We're not the only Iron Nerve user in the world, and he just said that he's off to go visit aunt Ren. Maybe once he has one Kurosawa in his pocket he won't be so pushy for another?
     
    Paperclipped said:
    As he opened the door, he glanced back to see Tsunade eying him thoughtfully.

    Should he?

    "Is there something else, Tsunade?" he asked.

    "No, it's…" she trailed off. After a moment, she nodded to herself. "Jiraiya would be proud of you, Noburi. For trying. Now go."

    Noburi nodded, ignoring the tightness welling up in his throat. He left.
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    Our vodka aunt does care! She just thinks caring is useless, and that her energies are better spent doing triage on the human species rather than spending time with family.

    But that's okay. We're going to help Noburi shock and awe our Aunt Sunny with his medical abilities >:3
     
    [X] Let eaglejarl write what he wants, we trust him

    [X] Interlude: Yuno and Noburi go kill chakra beasts

    [X] Interlude: Akane and her Genin Team's Big Mission

    [X] Interlude: Mari and her Genin Students
     
    [X] Interlude: Yuno and Noburi go kill chakra beasts
    [X] Interlude: Akane and her Genin Team's Big Mission
    [X] Interlude: Mari and her Genin Students
    [X] Interlude: Enma's Journey to the West
     
    [X] Let eaglejarl write what he wants, we trust him

    We got the Monkey King matching in with a mission, ready to flex all over everyone there. He's got a plan and overwhelming power to flex around. All Hazou needs to do at this point is play the supporting role and watch the magic happen.
     
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