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Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

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@eaglejarl, many of the gemstones and other materials Hazō created with ES50 didn't exist in Leaf until that moment, leaving them unnamed. Is there a particularly beautiful novel gemstone that we can name after Ino?
 
Next time we experiment with ES we should figure out what the Pangolin claws are made of

Also, I've had an idea for keeping them relevant to Hazou's kit: Since we've considered making force wall weapons anyways, when we have 3D sealing we could ES the claws into having seals on them and give them force wall tips.




Pic unrelated, just another guy with invincible claws that Rocket Boots around
 
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Chapter 595: Meeting with Asuma
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    • "Welcome back, sir. Did you speak to the Hokage about the investigation?"

    "Blargh," Hazō said, dropping into his chair. "Yeah, I did."

    Gaku sighed in relief. "In that case, sir, it's a delight to see you. Especially to see you without manacles or an ANBU escort. Tea is in the seal to your right."

    Hazō shook his head in amusement at his Chancellor's priorities. "Thank you, Gaku. I have no idea what I would do without you."

    "I believe you would fetch your own tea, sir."

    Hazō snerked, and then he unsealed the tea and poured himself a mug. "Got a lot to go over."

    "I await with poiséd brush and bated breath, sir." He was indeed sitting with his brush poised over the page, an attentive and focused expression on his face.

    Hazō eyed him narrowly for a moment. "Are you mocking...you know what, never mind. If you are, I don't want to know."

    He leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the desk, a sacrilege that he was allowed now that he was the Clan Head and no one could tell him not to.

    "I spoke with Asuma," he began. "Long conversation which went extremely well, all things considered." He fell silent, allowing the scent of the tea to fill his nose.

    "That's excellent news, sir," Gaku said after several seconds.

    "Hm? Oh, right. Yeah, I think I'm getting the hang of this Clan Heading business."

    "That, too, is excellent news, sir," Gaku said, as butter adamantly refused to melt in his mouth.

    "Hmph. Anyway, I told you before that he offered me tutoring in politics and Clan Head stuff. I asked what exactly he had in mind and I'm honestly not sure how I feel about the answer."

    "More or less than you had hoped, sir?"

    "I have no earthly idea, if I'm being completely open about it. Anyway, he's thinking that we have tea two or three times a week, a couple hours each session. I ask whatever questions about politics I have that don't violate security, he answers them, and then he tells me the stories that his father used to teach him the political and leadership game. Except he'll actually walk me through the meanings and implications because I'm a grown man getting a fast course in politics instead of a little kid getting bed time stories that will inform the future."

    Gaku chuckled. "That does sound more useful, sir."

    "Sure does. Anyway, then I asked him about the Fourth's seals. More specifically, I asked him if he thought it was likely that the Fourth combined jutsu and seals to make the bijū-containment seal."

    "Interesting. I didn't realize such was possible."

    Hazō grimaced and took another sip of his tea. "It shouldn't be. It makes no damn sense. Like, literally, the very idea is nonsensical. Jutsu are a method for convincing reality to do what you want. Seals are a method for exploiting flaws in reality. Jutsu use comparatively enormous amount of chakra. Seals use basically none. Jutsu require an ongoing effort of will to sustain them throughout their duration, even if they only last for a second or two. Seals require concentration to create and to activate but they are self-sustaining between those points. Plenty of jutsu create permanent artifacts, like the granite walls produced by MEW when you cast it on soil. Few seals do that." He shook his head. "It's infuriating."

    Gaku, being neither a sealmaster nor a jutsu creator and knowing his own limitations, said nothing.

    "Anyway, Asuma said that he had no way of knowing but that it seems reasonable. At which point I asked him whether, on the assumption that the seals do in fact require jutsu creation skills, would he be willing to tutor me?"

    "Is he in fact a jutsu creator, sir?"

    "He is, yeah. He told me once that he's 'not half the jutsu creator his father was', but I think he might have been sandbagging. Regardless, he said that he doesn't have time to tutor me but he's happy to find me a good tutor and have the Tower pay for the lessons."

    "That seems like an excellent compromise, sir."

    "It does, doesn't it? Anyway, that was a great lead-in to asking him about this idea I had for research missions, where the Tower pays a sealmaster or jutsu creator to create a specific thing." He grimaced. "Turns out, that's pretty much how it works now. Sure, people can also hire it privately but the Tower does it using the standard mission framework."

    "Ah."

    "Yeah. Anyway, a bit of a misstep but not the worst. I mentioned that I've been doing a lot of research and after talking with Kagome-sensei I believe I more than have the chops to stand among the best sealmasters in the village." In point of fact, he probably had the chops to stand ahead of them, but let's be humble. "Given that fact, I'd like to get my special jōnin ranking in sealing so that I'm eligible for advanced research missions."

    "Oh? What did he say, sir?"



    Asuma's eyebrow rose. "Hm. You're confident in your abilities?"

    "I am."

    "All right then. I'm fine with you taking the test and I'll be glad to promote you if—when you pass." He pursed his lips, thinking. "Orochimaru is likely the best in the village and I suspect I can drag him away from his research for half a day...tomorrow? The next day?"

    "Uh..." Ohcrapohcrap. Was there a polite way to say this...? Nope. "Sir, I would prefer literally any other person on the planet as my invigilator. If he's the only candidate then I'd rather not get the rank."

    Asuma frowned, his eyes thunderous. "Hazō, are you implying that Orochimaru is somehow—" He failed to hold the straight face and cracked up. "Sorry, sorry," he said, waving a hand. "Forgive me, but I don't get to have a lot of fun in my job. He would be the normal person for something like this, but I know the history you two have and I won't make you test with him. Don't worry, I'll locate someone else. Day after tomorrow? That should give me time to set it up."

    "Thank you, sir."

    ​

    "It was...interesting," Hazō said. "It'll happen day after tomorrow."

    "Good news, sir." Gaku studied him for a moment. "You've been very carefully avoiding one topic, sir...?"

    Hazō sighed. "Yes, yes, I already said that I talked to him about the investigation into Akane's absence."

    "May I ask what he said in response, sir?"



    "Sir, there is one more thing..." Hazō said carefully.

    Asuma waited patiently before finally prodding, "Yes?"

    "The investigation into Akane's absence, sir."

    An expression of sympathy settled across Asuma's face. "Hazō," he said, his voice gently, "it's all right to say 'death'. Everyone grieves in their own way and I won't tell you that your way is wrong, but if you'll take a bit of advice from someone who has lost far too many friends...the losses where I clutched tight to false hope were always the hardest to bear. The evidence is very strong that Akane is dead."

    "Yes, well, the investigation remains important. Until we see a body we can't know for certain that she's dead, and the risk if she were captured..."

    Asuma shuddered. "Yes, I know." He hesitated, then nodded as though making a decision. "I don't normally share any details of ANBU missions, but I will this time. I have an ANBU squad combing Iron for any trace of missing-nin presence that we might be able to track back to Akane's killers. I am not going to send agents directly into the other Hidden Villages to search, but I have the intelligence service throughout this continent keeping their eyes open for anything relevant. Does that help?"

    "There is one option that I think we could tap, sir." He licked his lips nervously. "Hidan. He's a cold-blooded killer and he scares the crap out of me, not least because he has my blood, but I think he could help."

    This time both of Asuma's eyebrows went up. "Really? Do tell."

    "When he captured me on O'Uzu island, he tasted a drop of my blood and informed me that he could now follow me anywhere, and kill me at will. If we could give him a sample of Akane's blood, he might be able to locate her, or at least her body."

    "Hazō...you realize it's much more likely that he was boasting? The chakra dispersion problem is a fundamental element of jutsu creation. The sort of long-range effect you're describing is outside any possible scale ever imagined. Yes, certain bloodlines can exceed the normal boundaries of what's possible, but that's usually in a qualitative way, not a quantitative one. The Kotsuzui can make blood clones and no one else can, but their blood clones cannot travel dozens of miles from their progenitor."

    "Would it hurt, sir? Again, you know the stakes if she was captured."

    Asuma studied Hazō for several seconds, then nodded. "All right." One finger rose to cut off Hazō's suddenly hopeful expression. "But! I am not having him anywhere near Leaf. By all reports the man is insane, powerful, and far too murder-happy. I'm not taking chances. Akatsuki's headquarters is in Hidden Rain. My intelligence on them is limited, but it suggests that many of them wander quite a lot, so it's unlikely that Hidan will be in residence at any given moment. I'll have Ami approach them. She will ask whomever is there to ask Hidan to come to a meeting. Not in Fire. Somewhere neutral." He thought for a moment. "Hot Springs, I think. It's a relaxing and luxurious environment that will help to keep stress as low as possible. If he agrees to it then I will send someone. You will not be at the meeting. You are a Clan Head, a soon-to-be special jōnin sealmaster, the Dog Summoner, and the key person on dealing with the Dragons. You can brief with the representative, you can send physical messages with them, but you will be safely far away while that meeting happens."

    Damnit. That was...a lot less than Hazō had wanted, but more than he had hoped.

    "Thank you, sir. Speaking of the Kotsuzui...?"

    Asuma chuckled. "Yes, I'll approach them about a tracking mission to try to recover her body or determine its final location. I can't promise they'll take it for someone of another nation, but I'll do my best. Again, you won't be on the mission."

    "Good enough, sir."

    ​

    "That seems to have gone far better than it might have, sir."

    "You're not wrong, Gaku. You are not wrong," Hazō said. He slugged down the last of his tea and poured himself another mug. "Okay, last thing on the subject: Canvass said that the foods and spices from a given nation can influence how a person smells. Find me samples of foods and spices representative of as many other nations as possible. It's a thin hope but it's worth checking."

    Gaku blinked. "...Yes sir," he said. The normally unflappable and self-confident chancellor seemed remarkably flapped and unconfident.

    "Okay," Hazō said, rapping his desk to signal the end of the topic. "On to the day's business. What have you got for me?"

    Gaku promptly produced a foot-high stack of paper from his briefcase and set it on the desk. Hazō suppressed a sigh.




    XP AWARD: 3 I think all of this fits into one day. If it doesn't then I'll increase the duration and the award.

    Brevity XP: 1

    Vote time! What to do now?

    Voting ends on Wednesday, .
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Black King said:
    I don't think this is true? Like...if there's no cannons in the EN, who is he borrowing knowledge from? Do we know of any weapon engineers?
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    Not borrowing knowledge of cannons. Borrowing knowledge of metal workers. Sorry for the confusion. When you do not need complicated mechanisms to spark gunpowder, rifles do not have that many different qualities to experiment with. Are longer or shorter barrels better? Thicker or thinner? Round bullets? Pointy, snub nose? Bullet flush with the barrel or extra space? There are thousands of combinations to check, not billions. Most progress was blocked by lacking skills or materials to execute, not rifle complexity. Shooting at targets while trying new designs builds up good data.
    Sir Stompy said:
    Putting a gunpowder charge in your musket, forgetting you did so, then putting a second charge in there.

    If you did that, the musket would explode and probably kill you.
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    What does chakra inconsistency have to do with double charging? Do you mean one explosive seal can randomly be as powerful as two or do you mean that double charging a rifle with explosive seals is just as bad as double charging with gunpowder? Agree with the second, the first never happens. Double charging RBs will either still move you one zone or blow your legs off.

    Conclave. Most important insight up front. Make a deal with the pangolins to supply them skywalkers if we are proven wrong about the Dragons and Great Seal. Motivates other Conclave Clans to investigate.

    The pangolins are jingoistic propagandists who never had to convince nonbelievers. Waiting to be crushed by minds raised on the crucible of internet debate. Would be very easy if we did not have to worry about making them antagonistic. If by majority agreement the Conclave could temporarily be moved to a less central clan territory just for discussing the Dragons, that would be perfect.

    Mistake to waste time arguing with cat paws. Make sure it someone confirmed to represent the state position, not someone who can be be thrown to the wolves after losing a debate, for a new representative to arrive with improved arguments. Do not let them waffle. Lock them down on positions then hit them for their hypocrisy. Were they shrewd and swindled us in the skytower deal or were they generous? Did they think Kei was an amazing prospect - they failed to nurture someone who would be grateful after their rise - or a weakling - better if they died and a stronger ninja picked up the scroll. What did their old summoner think of them that they hid the scroll from the world for so long? Are they amazing reformers of condors or failing to reform condors? What fraction of condors have they reformed? Do they expect to reform more in the next year than the last? How does that compare to pangolin criminality? Is it appropriate to wear the bloody scales of pangolin criminals? Why is wearing bloody condor feathers acceptable? Not saying to use all of these. As always, take what you like, leave what you do not.

    In three sentences the gatekeeper went from saying we were within the letter of the law to the worst kind of oathbreaker. Not consistent. They called us weak. Why is someone key to conquering a nation still weak if the skytower deal was generous? Get consent for how much of our early relationship and deals are safe to reveal. Who has more to hide - after Mari vets Kei's summons for backstabbers? Can compare the gold to cost of moving estates. Why a flat reward instead of scaling with success of conquest? If we were greedy warmongers and not principled why did we not sell to Toads, Slugs, Dogs or Turtles. Pangolins took advantage of a small group of runaways barely out of diapers. Misrepresented 7th Path geopolitics. Skytowers are scouting seals designed to even playing field with flyers. We did not think what we were giving them was nation destroying. How could it be with our novice skill?

    Keep in mind audience. Pangolins are allowed to call their whole species a clan but humans are not. This argument is not sympathetic to clans who want the same asymmetry with their own summoners. Other clans are against genocide so they would appreciate nailing the pangolin down on which of their neighbors they promise to never invade and which 'grievances' they are waiting to reveal. What is the pangolin end game? To shame us into selling them weapons again? Making us hate them will not get them what they want. Rile up Conclave clans. Agree to supply pangolins skywalkers if you are caught lying about Dragons. Now they have an inventive to reveal look for the truth or admit they will not help stop the world ending. What should we ask them to place on the line if we are proven honest? Ask Conjura what she needs to leverage a won bet into something that can free her people.

    None of this matters because Dragons are a real threat and it does not matter if that comes from a 'traitor' throat. All sapients are our allies. Warned not to use Mori bloodline on 7th Path. Not to summon death,. Years ago there was a ritual that used every tailed beast and fully consumed three. People were brought back from the dead. Is it safe to think this had no effect on the 7th Path? Enma can back us up. Arachnids, Dogs, Hornets, Snakes + sea clans.

    Sorry if connecting these ideas into a coherent course of action is muddy.
    faflec said:
    How did we do this experiment and honestly say to the Hokage that we can only make sapphires?
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    Only make corundum into sapphires. Not emeralds or rubies.
     
    eaglejarl said:
    "It does, doesn't it? Anyway, that was a great lead-in to asking him about this idea I had for research missions, where the Tower pays a sealmaster or jutsu creator to create a specific thing." He grimaced. "Turns out, that's pretty much how it works now. Sure, people can also hire it privately but the Tower does it using the standard mission framework."
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    @eaglejarl has this policy changed since we asked Jiraiya about this?
    eaglejarl said:
    "Anyway, that was just my first thought. Other things that might be good would be using MEW to make stone buildings or walls, selling seals—storage scrolls and explosives are useful for lots of things, and I have some ideas about making civilian-usable versions. We could take commissions to research seals that people want, or—"

    "Let me stop you right there," Jiraiya said. "Those are all great ideas and would make us a fortune if we could do them. They would also be a lot easier and safer than taking ninja missions. So, ask yourself: Why hasn't some other ninja with the same or equivalent jutsu done those things already? For that matter, why are there ninja and ninja missions at all? Why isn't everyone who knows how to use chakra sitting at home in the lap of luxury?"
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    Shrooms said:
    Sealing
    • Devote a clone to sealing. Research Minato seals and directional explosives.
    • Eschew prep, use SSA, reroll -9/-12 on Callig rolls
    • If completed, check difficulty of anti-Byakugan seal with SC prep day
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    @eaglejarl did Hazou do any Sealing this update? A day should be enough for a clone and Prime to make two infusion rolls.

    Also did we refresh any FP? Hazou began this update with 1 FP.
     
    ES50 happened because questionably loyal, unprecedented expats were given time to grow. Not exploited or ground to death on missions. It happened because the sparks sheltered under peace caught flame. The Third planted seeds. The Will of Fire nurtured a strong home. Enemies who saw that home could only react with envy or try to take a piece of the flame. But the Will of Fire cannot be stolen. It sputters in corrupted hands or burns so bright the thief cannot help but be purified. It spreads. Even in Mist, it spread. Receptive hearts saw the truth and came home to the hearth. From the outside looking in, they found embers on the edges that could be relit despite looking spent.

    Next step of relationship with Asuma, want to be seen as more than a golden goose. Brothers in arms. Find more outsiders to bring in.
     
    [X] Action Plan: Go Fourth and Seal
    Word Count: <300
    Time of Plan: 10 days
    • Mari/Kei
      • Getting Kagome SC. Should be easy with Dragons and his sealing, right? If not, what can we offer? Maybe mandatory OPSEC classes for Kagome?
      • Yuno SC as well, and work on Noburi
        • Is it safe for him? Ask Kabuto? Noburi himself?
      • Akane's mission was leaked, we need to find out how/from who and prepare accordingly. Also look into seeing if any of the rest of us are being targeted as such. Also if there are any deniable assets she knows of who could've done this
        • Possible candidates: Asuma? Shikamaru? He was uncharacteristically lax about her death and even Asuma noted it.
      • Possible collaboration on Mari's training. Looking for optimization, realize we won't have full control
        • Same with Kagome and Yuno, ask how to approach this/to get this.
    • Asuma (likely off-screen_
      • Sanity check with Mari/Kei
      • Discuss getting Kagome SC for Dragonwar. More Kagome-level sealing is big help.
      • Probe about Yuno and Noburi SC also.
      • Continue with lessons
    • Ino
      • Hang out with her. Tend to Akane's garden.
    • Mari
      • Go forth and investigate how to get SC for Kagome, Yuno, and Noburi if nothing comes up immediately.
    • Hazou/Sealing
      • Continue work on Minato's Seals (no prep, reroll -9, 12 calligraphy if chunin seal or lower).
      • Use a clone to multi-thread, work on Directional Explosives (no prep, reroll -9, -12 calligraphy)
        • Once complete, do 1 day prep on Rocket Boots, if chunin seal or lower use same standards as DE, if jonin proceed with full prep.
        • Once Rocket Boots is complete, use shadow clones and 1 day prep to check seals from the list. Have Kagome work on the blood tracking and security seal if possible.
     
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    Black King said:
    [X] Action Plan: Go Fourth and Seal
    Word Count: <300
    • Mari/Kei
      • Talk about getting Kagome SC. Should be easy with Dragons and his sealing, right? If not, what can we offer? Maybe mandatory OPSEC classes for Kagome?
      • Get Yuno SC as well, and work on Noburi
        • Is it safe for him? Ask Kabuto? Noburi himself?
      • Akane's mission was leaked, we need to find out how/from who and prepare accordingly. Also look into seeing if any of the rest of us are being targeted as such. Also if there are any deniable assets she knows of who could've done this
        • Possible candidates: Asuma? Shikamaru? He was uncharacteristically lax about her death and even Asuma noted it.
      • Possible collaboration on Mari's training. Looking for optimization, realize we won't have full control
        • Same with Kagome and Yuno, ask how to approach this/to get this.
      • Possible tutoring from Mari on socials for Hazou, compound with Asuma's clan leader training
    • Asuma
      • Sanity check with Mari/Kei
      • Discuss getting Kagome SC for Dragonwar. More Kagome-level sealing is big help.
      • Probe about getting Yuno and Noburi SC also.
      • Continue learning politics under him
    • Hazou/Sealing
      • Continue work on Minato's Seals (no prep, reroll -9, 12 calligraphy if chunin seal or lower).
      • Use a clone to multi-thread, work on Directional Explosives (no prep, reroll -9, -12 calligraphy)
        • Once complete, do 1 day prep on Rocket Boots, if chunin seal or lower use same standards as DE, if jonin proceed with full prep.
        • Once Rocket Boots is complete, use shadow clones and 1 day prep to check seals from the list. Have Kagome work on the blood tracking and security seal if possible.
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    I'm reasonably certain we're meant to do a Conclave plan this cycle.
     
    Golden Eyed King said:
    I'm still curious about that mine the Hokage wanted drained of all resources.
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    This got discussed in QM chat but hadn't been posted yet. I'll edit it into the previous update's A/N: after discussing it more and learning more about the details of ES, Asuma regretfully concluded that it wasn't practical and dropped the idea.


    faflec said:
    How did we do this experiment and honestly say to the Hokage that we can only make sapphires?
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    MadScientist said:
    Non-linear time, maybe? Hazou discovers he make diamonds after that talk?
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    Erm...yes. Yes, that was absolutely it and completely what I intended in the first place. *shifty eyes*
     
    All you would need to do to funk up a mine would be to move the ore deposits out of reach, and make it seem like it dried up, take some work but a few repeated ore movements so no matter where they dig there's no ore would mean after a few weeks of nothing the Mine owner would have to give up.
     
    _The_Bomb said:
    @eaglejarl, many of the gemstones and other materials Hazō created with ES50 didn't exist in Leaf until that moment, leaving them unnamed. Is there a particularly beautiful novel gemstone that we can name after Ino?
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    Sure. There's a particular combination of corundum with mica that provides sparkling silver glints and is quite lovely.

    Hazō discovered it after that conversation with Asuma where he said he could only make sapphires, which is also when he figured out that coal can be made into diamonds.
     
    eaglejarl said:
    Erm...yes. Yes, that was absolutely it and completely what I intended in the first place. *shifty eyes*
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    I'm now imagining Hazou figuring that out, deciding he doesn't want to go through a whole other meeting with Asuma to explain it, so he just sends a large diamond in a parcel to the Tower figuring that Asuma will get what he means. Except Asuma wasn't alone at the time, not having any particular need for privacy at that moment. Asuma understands Hazou's message, of course, but another layer of wild rumours starts to spread about the Mad Clan Lord.
     
    Ah, shit. I am in error.
    Paperclipped said:
    Voting is open for @eaglejarl's Sunday chapter. Additionally, for next Thursday, please write a plan with the [Conclave] tag. For example:

    [][Conclave] Let It Be
    • Intervening is too much trouble. Just let the condor get executed and buy some extra gifts to win people over.

    This may be in replacement for the plan for the Thursday chapter, or in addition to the plan for the Thursday chapter. Basically, @Velorien will write the Conclave plan if he wants to, or I will if he wants to take the week off. Otherwise, if he wants to write something else, I'll write the Conclave chapter and you'll get two on Thursday.
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    @eaglejarl @Velorien @Paperclipped Should we be writing a Conclave plan xor a Human Path plan for the Thursday update?
     
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