Naruto Quest: The Endless War of the Shinobi Empires (AU, Rinnegan MC)

[veekie]

[X] Ask if Hiricho can talk to the legendary blacksmith of the Mist so you can acquire your own unique weapon.

 

[Giga]

[X] Ask if Hiricho can talk to the legendary blacksmith of the Mist so you can acquire your own unique weapon.

 

[Megacookie]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

Winning Vote: Ask if Hiricho can talk to the legendary blacksmith of the Mist so you can acquire your own unique weapon.

"Lord Hiricho, being one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, I humbly request that you use your influence to convince the legendary blacksmith to create a weapon for me." you state, raising your head to look at Hiricho. The fierce look from the Kaguya Clan leader turned into a more passive facade.

"If only you asked for this beforehand, then any of our issues would not have flared up..." Hiricho sighed. "Very well, that request is easily done. Do you have the time to visit him now?"

"I expected a longer waiting time, but uh, yeah. I'm ready." you responded with slight surprise.

"Follow me then, and do not lag behind." Hiricho ordered, standing to his feet and swiftly walking out of the shrine. You kept a curse from escaping your lips as you had expected to go back and rest up for the mission. But you're gonna get a super cool customized weapon, so it isn't all bad! Despite his size, Hiricho was rather fast and keeping up with him proved much more difficult than you would have thought. You followed him through the many twists and turns of the inner Mist Empire until you reached a rather small and unassuming house in a residential area. From what you can guess, it was directly south of where the Inn you stay at was.

Hiricho walked up to the door and gave a firm and powerful knock. After a few moments, the door opened to reveal an odd looking man. He reminded you of Byakuren as he was clearly older than normal people, but he looked even older than Byakuren! He was a bald, with piercing blue eyes, his face completely clean shaven. He had many small scars marked across his face and wore a dark blue haori.

"Hiricho, what is the reason for this visit?" the old man asked, his voice scratchy, yet stern.

"This girl behind me,' Hiricho began, motioning towards you, "has done a great service to the Kaguya Clan. With the power I hold as a Swordsman of the Mist, I wish to reward her with a weapon created by the Mist's greatest blacksmith."

The old man glared at Hiricho before walking out of the house and towards you. He was a bit taller than you, and you feel his eyes scanning every inch of you. He nodded and held out his hand towards you. Despite how old he looked, his arms were thick. His hands, all the way up to his elbows, were covered in various scars and burn marks. You grasped his hand with a firm handshake, which seemed to surprise him.

"Very well, Hiricho. You may leave." the old man said, not even looking at the Kaguya leader. Hiricho bowed respectfully and walked away. "What is your name?"

"Maya Terumi." you politely replied.

"I am Amakuni Yasutsuna, unlike what that punk Hiricho said, I am no blacksmith. I am a bladesmith. Obviously I have dabbled in blacksmithing, but I am much more competent in making bladed weapons." Amakuni said. "But I suppose to the ignorant they are the same profession. Now please, come in."

You followed Amakuni into his house. Like the outside of it, the inside was rather unassuming and plain, barring all the weaponry hanging on the walls. In the middle of the living room was a square table with four cushions placed on each side of the table. Amakuni invited you to sit, which you did. He took the seat opposite of yours and sighed.

"So, before we get into what weapon you want, I need to see what kind of warrior you are." Amakuni bluntly said.

"Are we going to spar then?" you asked, confused.

"Not at all. Just a few exercises, is all." Amakuni answered. "Now can I see your hands?"

This was kind of weird, but you complied and outstretched your arms over the table so your hands were near Amakuni. The bladesmith took one of your hands and began feeling every inch of it. He pressed down on your palm, individually flexed each one of your fingers, and even asked you to squeeze his hand as hard as you could. He repeated these actions on your other hand before telling you that he was done.

"Surprising. Your hands are calloused like I expect of one wanting a weapon, yet your fingers are extremely flexible like one who has skill with jutsu. I also noticed the way you were looking at me, trying to find if this had any purpose or if it was something sinister. If I may hazard a guess, are you the flexible sort in battle? A mix of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu? Your mind always trying to find which one of the three has the best advantage?" Amakuni asked, a knowing look in his eyes.

"Y-Yes, you're right. I generally have skill with all three forms of fighting." you truthfully answered.

"Hm. That will make things a bit annoying, but nothing I haven't dealt with. Now tell me, what kind of weapon are you looking for? Something that enhances your jutsu? Something to give you the edge in taijutsu? Perhaps a weapon that gives you overwhelming power when your versatility is not enough?" Amakuni questioned as all sorts of ideas went through your mind. "Also, despite what I said, should you want a more...brutish weapon without a blade, my son would be able to forge such weapons. So you do not have to think of purely bladed weapons..."

Well? What type of weapon do you want?

[] A weapon that helps enhance your ninjutsu.

[] A weapon that helps enhance your genjutsu.

[] A weapon to give you the edge in taijutsu.

[] A weapon that's verstitle, just like your fighting style!

[] You want an overwhelming weapon that could crush a foe in one strike!

[] You already know what weapon you want, tell Amakuni in detail! (Write In)

 

[Dean]

[X] You want an overwhelming weapon that could crush a foe in one strike!
1. Use stun genjutsu
2. Use one hit KO weapon
3. ????
4. Profit

 

[Black King]

[X] A weapon that helps enhance your genjutsu.

 

[canned Tomatoes]

[X] A Kodachi that helps enhance your genjutsu.

Edited for a specific weapon. It's a shortsword. It's light, can still be used for defense and stabbing enemies that are debilitated with genjustsu.

I was going to vote for versatile, but I thought about it.
We can later pick the asura path or the human path to get better at direct combat.

 

[Kufufu]

[X] You already know what weapon you want, tell Amakuni in detail! (Write In)
-[X] An unassuming small blade that can be easily hidden, capable of extending into a long elemental sword when any elemental chakra is channeled through the handle

 

[veekie]

[X] A weapon that's verstitle, just like your fighting style!

Given our true breadth, we need a weapon that could adapt to being used with literally any branch of ninjaing.

 

[Dean]

[X] You already know what weapon you want, tell Amakuni in detail! (Write In)
-[X] An unassuming small blade that can be easily hidden, capable of extending into a long elemental sword when any elemental chakra is channeled through the handle
Changing to this

 

[Giga]

[X] You already know what weapon you want, tell Amakuni in detail! (Write In)
-[X] A fancy Beyblade fuma shuriken with eight blades, that can each individually hold an elemental charge. The shuriken can be pulled back to the user with a cooldown.

Apparently my tanto idea can be done with regular weapons, because Chakra Flow is a basic technique.

 

[Kufufu]

[X] You already know what weapon you want, tell Amakuni in detail! (Write In)
-[X] A fancy Beyblade fuma shuriken with eight blades, that can each individually hold an elemental charge. The shuriken can be pulled back to the user with a cooldown.

No point in wasting a boom like this if the other option was just "anyone could do this".

 

[Megacookie]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

Winning Vote:
[X] You already know what weapon you want, tell Amakuni in detail! (Write In)
-[X] A fancy Beyblade fuma shuriken with eight blades, that can each individually hold an elemental charge. The shuriken can be pulled back to the user with a cooldown.

"I already have an idea for a weapon!" you said.

"...Alright then." Amakuni replied, with a slightly amused tone. Clearly this wasn't the first time some young, bright eyed fool had dropped an idea on him like this.

"So, you know of those really big four sided shuriken, right? They look like windmills-"

"Fuuma Shuriken, yes." Amakuni abruptly interjected.

"Okay, cool! So I want a Fuuma Shuriken, but in between the four large blades I want four smaller blades, so eight blades in all. Is that possible?" you asked curiously. You wanted to make sure the base was possible before getting into the really complicated stuff.

"Hm...yes, but it would make the weapon much heavier, not to mention more difficult to grasp and throw." Amakuni answered, closing his eyes, most likely to visualize the weapon in his mind.

"Now this is where it gets funky. Is there a way to attune the shuriken to my chakra? So it only takes chakra from me, and I can call it back to my hand after throwing it?" you continued.

"Oho! It would take some effort, but nothing I haven't done before. Is there anything else to this weapon? Amakuni inquired, now opening his eyes and looking right at you.

"Yes, finally, I would like for each blade to be able to hold chakra I put into it. For example, I pour water chakra into one blade, then fire chakra into another blade before the fight and when I throw it, I can activate the chakra within so it becomes a multi-elemental spinning blade of destruction!" you finished, pumping your fists into the air with pure excitement. You saw Amakuni staring at you, and you couldn't get even the smallest read on his face. You awkwardly put your arms down and stayed silent, waiting for Amakuni's answer.

"So, you wish for me to create a massive, eight bladed Fuuma Shuriken that is specifically attuned to your chakra so that you may call it back. Along with this, you wish for each blade to be able to hold elemental chakra, so you can release said chakra as a surprise attack as it's airborne." Amakuni clearly repeated back to you.

"Yes, that sounds perfect." you replied, bowing your head respectfully.

"Well. It's certainly one of the most colorful ideas I've heard. The base itself is simple, but everything else would be...difficult. But not impossible. I need a large amount of your chakra however. Please, wait here." Amakuni said, standing up and walking over to one of the weapons on his walls. He gingerly picked up a sheathed sword, holding it by the sheath with both hands. He walked towards you and turned the sword until the hilt pointed at you. You noticed on the hilt was a bunch of weird looking runes and lines.

"Grasp onto the hilt, Maya. This sword absorbs chakra from those it wields, and stores it in the sheath. It was made for a swordsman long ago who had masterful chakra control, he could manipulate the flow however he wanted. However, he passed away before ever wielding this blade." Amakuni explained. "With the sheath full of your chakra, I will have enough to manipulate for your weapon."

"I see. Well, here goes nothing..." you sighed, firmly grasping the hilt of the sword with both hands. You gasped as you felt your chakra rapidly flow out of your body through your hands, the runes on the hilt glowing with your chakra! After a few seconds, Amakuni jerked the hilt out of your hands and you fell onto your back, gulping mouthfuls of air. You were covered in a cold sweat and you felt your entire body growing heavier and heavier.

"Hmm...interesting..." Amakuni muttered, looking at the sword. "This should be more than enough for the weapon. However, I do not know how long it'll take, and no, rushing me doesn't make the process any faster."

"Th-that's fine! I'm actually going on a mission, leaving tomorrow. I don't know when I'll be back, so don't worry about it!" you replied, sitting back up and wiping the sweat off your brow.

"How fortunate for the both of us. By the way, eat this..." Amakuni said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small ball that looked like a candy. "Called a soldier pill, Mist gives me these for when I need the extra pep while doing my job."

"Thanks..." you muttered, "but seeing how rare these are, may I save it?"

"Very well. Just don't blame me if you pass out halfway home." Amakuni shrugged as he handed over the soldier pill. You chuckled and took the pill, placing it in your pocket for now.

"Thank you very much for listening to my request, Amakuni! It means a bunch!" you gratefully said, standing to your feet woozily and lightly bowing your head.

"Such gratitude is rare within the Mist. Heh...well get going now." Amakuni said with a small smile. You nodded your head and left Amakuni's house. You yawned, now wanting nothing more to go to bed for the rest of the day.

---

You managed to reach the inn and gave Jiao her half of the supplies. You also told her that you'd be up early in the morning, so she better be ready to leave at that time as well. Jiao gave you nothing more than annoyed grunts and a sneer, but otherwise seemed fine with the plan. You walked to your room that was next to Jiao's and flopped on the bed, quickly drifting off into the world of dreams...

---

Congratulations! You have finished Arc 1! Claim your reward now! (May only choose one unless specified)

[] Select one of your Paths to rank up.

[] Your various battles within the Mist Empire has inspired you. During the next training session you will instantly learn a new technique or improve rapidly. (You may choose an existing jutsu or leave the choice up to me. Of course, certain jutsu will be vetoed.)
-[] Ninjutsu (Write In which element)
-[] Genjutsu (Write in which sense)
-[] Gain access to the Third Gate
-[] Gain two stat points to use as you see fit

[] The Bladesmith feels inspired when crafting your item, your weapon will be significantly stronger or more versatile than otherwise

[] Byakuren sees more potential in you than otherwise, he will be substantially more generous if you succeed in the Whirlpool

[] Jiao feels compelled to improve after your fight, she will significantly grow in power over the next arc

[] You suddenly gain great insight in one of your techniques, enjoying a significant boost in skill and especially potential with a random non-Path technique

 

[Dean]

[X] The Bladesmith feels inspired when crafting your item, your weapon will be significantly stronger or more versatile than otherwise

 

[veekie]

[X] The Bladesmith feels inspired when crafting your item, your weapon will be significantly stronger or more versatile than otherwise

The sword will be Regend!

 

[Prospalz]

TBH just grabbing some stats sounds good to me. We dipped into melee combat in every single fight so far, so more strength (which also counts as durability in this system) and speed would be pretty fine?

 

[canned Tomatoes]

Dang, stats would be a good choice.
But the shuriken is going to be really cool.

The tyranny of having to decide between two things you really want.

[X] The Bladesmith feels inspired when crafting your item, your weapon will be significantly stronger or more versatile than otherwise

But we can take this only now while we can take stats later, although this is a risk.

 

[Giga]

[X] The Bladesmith feels inspired when crafting your item, your weapon will be significantly stronger or more versatile than otherwise

I think Byakuren's favor is extremely useful if we ask him for training from a powerful Mist shinobi, and would give more stat or jutsu gain in the future than if we took raw stats now, but we have to succeed in the Whirlpool to collect Byakuren's reward. Plus a more powerful weapon is stylish.

 

[Megacookie]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

Winning Vote: The Bladesmith feels inspired when crafting your item, your weapon will be significantly stronger or more versatile than otherwise

You awoke to a loud banging on your door, making you snap upwards in a groggy daze. You looked at the alarm clock on the desk next to bed and saw it was already noon! So much for waking up in the morning.

"Maya you lazy fool! Get up! If we are to leave this wretched place then do not waste my time!" Jiao shouted through the door, continuing the pound on the poor, innocent door.

"I'm up! I'm up! Give me a second..." you yawned loudly, which thankfully made Jiao stop. You quickly went through your usual morning routine and prepared for your journey, putting on the travelling cloak which hid your tool pouch and walked out the room. You saw Jiao waiting in the lobby of the inn, also wearing her cloak and overall not looking very happy.

"Took you long enough. But I suppose this is better than if you had the gall to awaken me early." Jiao muttered, getting to her feet.

"I suppose! Now let's get going to the Whirlpool!" you declared, marching out of the inn. You could hear Jiao grumble as she walked behind you.

---

You reached the specified harbor and was immediately approached by a beefy looking sailor. "You Byakuren's stooge?"

"I prefer underling, but yes!" you replied, showing the sailor the slip of paper with Byakuren's mark on it.

"Follow me." he said, suddenly walking away from you and Jiao. You scoffed at the sailor's rudeness, but followed him through the harbor until you saw a rather small motorized boat. It would probably only fit three people at best. The sailor got in and sat near the boat's motor, impatiently gesturing for you to follow. You and Jiao took your seats across from one another, though that boat's small size made it so that your knees almost touched. You threw on the hood of the cloak, as did Jiao. After the sailor checked a few things, the motor roared to live and sped away from the harbor, in the direction of the Whirlpool Protectorate.

The ride would probably take a few hours, and you could tell that Jiao was already growing impatient. You'd be able to consider yourself lucky if you got through the next three minutes without her demanding that you give her more leg room. Maybe it could be avoided if you tried to strike up a conversation with her? Or you could try to do something else to pass the time a bit. You did sleep in a little, so maybe you could double check all of your gear? Or even try striking up a conversation with Byakuren's sailor? Something to pass the time....

[] Talk with Jiao. Now she's had some time to take in everything, maybe she'll talk about stuff!

[] Talk to the sailor. You're rather curious as to how he got into Byakuren's employ.

[] Check your gear. It was a mad dash this morning, better safe than sorry!

[] Despite being crammed on a small boat, the rocking of the boat and the sound of the ocean is making you sleepy...

[] Write In.

 

[Mizu0005]

[X] Talk with Jiao. Now she's had some time to take in everything, maybe she'll talk about stuff!

 

[Giga]

[X] Talk with Jiao. Now she's had some time to take in everything, maybe she'll talk about stuff!

 

[canned Tomatoes]

[X] Talk with Jiao. Now she's had some time to take in everything, maybe she'll talk about stuff!

 

[Dean]

[X] Talk with Jiao. Now she's had some time to take in everything, maybe she'll talk about stuff!

 

[Megacookie]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

Winning Vote: Talk with Jiao. Now she's had some time to take in everything, maybe she'll talk about stuff!

"So, how're you doing Jiao?" you asked, giving her a smile.

"Awful!" Jiao cried out, surprising both you and the sailor. She glared at you, her eyes almost vividly shining underneath the hood of her cloak. "I'm trapped in a tiny boat, it's cold and wet, the sea air is ruining my hair, and I can't even stretch my legs!"

"Hey, we're both in the same boat as well!" you joked with a large grin, pointing at the sailor.

"Why must you insist on making this even worse?" Jiao groaned, bending forward with her hands covering her face.

"Couldn't you just fly a bit if you wanted to stretch?" you asked plainly, crossing your arms.

"Oh yes, wonderful idea. I'd only be helplessly lost in a matter of seconds. Look around Maya!" Jiao replied scathingly, waving a hand about. You did so, noticing the extremely thick fog surrounding the boat.

"Oooooh, yeah. You'd be barely able to see past your nose in all of this. You're right, it's a wonderfully bad idea to fly!" you cheerfully exclaimed.

"Is she always this...rambunctious?" the sailor whispered to Jiao. Too bad you were all so close together than even a whisper was as clear as talking normally.

"Unfortunately." Jiao muttered. There was an awkward silence for a moment before you spoke again, this time deciding to take the conversation to a more serious place.

"So Jiao, can you tell me what kind of goals you have now?" you asked, crossing your arms. "I don't mean like, your goals in life. More like immediate goals now that you're firmly planted in the Mist Empire."

"I don't know what you're asking me. What else am I supposed to do?" Jiao responded, confused and wary. "My understanding of my current situation is that I'm in your charge, therefore, I do what you need of me. No matter how reluctant I might be to do so."

"I suppose so, but that's mostly how Byakuren sees it. For me, it isn't so simple as you being my underling that's expected to do as I say, whenever I say it. You're your own person too, and I do value you. Your opinion on things, your abilities, your....brash personality."

"My what? What on earth are you on about, Maya?" Jiao quickly snapped, eyeing you suspiciously.

"Uh, anyways, what I'm trying to say is that I want to know what your plans are now. What you wanna do, anything you wanna work towards. The same as you helping me on my own missions now, I wanna be able to help you with your own goals, no matter what they might be. Well, unless it involves buying extravagant things. Sorry, but I'm not as well off as you're probably used to, but hey, I'll get there someday! I hope. You see, there's this really rare book I've been wanting, but it's super super expe-"

"Enough!" Jiao abruptly cries, cutting you off. "I think I've deciphered your babbling enough to come to an understanding of what you're poorly attempting to say. As much as it pains me to admit, I haven't much thought of any short term goals. I've never had to, really. I've always done whatever I please, whenever I please. Things have been absolutely dreadful since I arrived in this accursed land! I despise it!"

"Hey, you got to meet me at least!"

"Absolutely. Dreadful."

"O-Ouch..." you whimper, Jiao's words piercing straight through any and all defenses you had. You would have appreciated any kind of hesitation on her part.

"As for your question, I do have a long term goal in mind, one that I had before even arriving here. That hasn't changed. I admit, I was a bit unprepared for just how primitive this land would be. I let my guard down." You notice a hint of sadness and disappointment in her voice as she speaks.

"But I shan't let it happen again! I will become even more powerful, so that my enemies here know exactly who they're dealing with! Which I suppose shall also be of aid to you. But I'm doing this for myself, not you! So there, I believe I've answered your question. Now if you'll please leave me be so that I might concentrate on not being annoyed out of my mind, being in this boat is bad enough, but having to speak to you too? Ugh!"

Jiao turns away from you, and stares out into the fog, but not before you glimpse a small smile on her face.

"I see..." you say, smiling softly. You feel as though you've definitely made a bit of progress with her, and have a better understanding of Jiao.

+1 Relationship with Jiao

---

The rest of the trip went on without much fanfare, barring a few times the waves threatened to tip over the boat, but a combination of you and Jiao's powers managed to avert the worst of it. Soon the heavy fog thinned until it was almost crystal clear, warm sunshine now washing over everyone. You could see the outline of land in the distance and the sailor suddenly spoke, "There's the Whirlpool. You girls ready?"

"I've been ready for a while." you yawned, putting your arms into the air and stretching.

"Quite. I wish for a long bath and a longer rest!" Jiao complained.

"Remember the story, you two are refugees who I managed to smuggle away from the Mist. It's simple, but don't mess it up." the sailor sternly said, his eyes flicking from you to Jiao multiple times.

"Don't worry, I got it handled!" you replied nonchalantly. Jiao gave a dismissive grunt and said nothing more.

Soon enough the boat managed to reach a busy looking harbor. You instantly noticed that a majority of the people on the harbor had either red or orange hair, although other colors were scattered around. During this time, you made handseals and used your Perfect Transformation genjutsu. As the boat docked on a small pier at the edge of the harbor, a red haired man was quick to approach, looking down from the pier at you, Jiao, and the sailor. He was tall and muscular with extremely long red hair that was tied back in a thick, braided ponytail. His eyes were a bright orange and he wore a sleeveless black shirt with black fingerless gloves and matching dark colored pants.

"What are you doing?" the man asked, looking clearly bored.

"We're refugees, sir." you said, looking at Jiao for a moment before returning to the man. You then pointed at the sailor before continuing. "This lovely man helped us escape from the Mist and brought us here!"

The orange eyed man looked at you, then to Jiao, then to the sailor. "I guess that checks out, sure go ahead."

"Wait, really?" you asked in disbelief. Jiao looked ready to slap you upside the head, but obviously held back before she gave anything away.

"Sure, I don't really care. Big leader man says to help any person who is less fortunate. Sounds like a good way to get spies into the island, but whatever." the man said with a shrug. "But if you are spies, then I'd be sent to kill you all. That might be fun. Anyway, have fun on this dull rock. I know I don't."

The man walked away, leaving you and Jiao almost speechless.

"Infiltration successful, I guess..." you muttered quietly enough for only Jiao to hear.

"I suppose. Let us go." Jiao replied. You clambered your way onto the pier and helped Jiao up. The sailor also got onto the pier, saying he's gonna find a bar and get a few drinks and some food before he went back.

Well, you're officially at the Whirlpool! What will you do now?

[] The sailor had the right idea, you're famished! Find a place to eat!

[] You need to find a place to sleep and cleanse yourself. To an inn!

[] No time like the present! Go explore!

[] Ask Jiao what she wants to do.

[] Write In.
[] Write In.

 

[Dean]

[X] No time like the present! Go explore!

 

[Black King]

[X] Ask Jiao what she wants to do.