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>>3868270
“And they’re not completely wrong,” Okisuke admits. “But the finer point you shinobi always seem to miss is that we samurai make it a point to find a worthy place to die. Not any place will do… it must be for a purpose worth the value of a human life.”

“A further extension of the way of the Bushi?” you ask.

“And why not? The way we die should be in keeping with the way we live, don’t you think?”

“I suppose that’s one way of seeing things,” you admit with a frown. “This is all a little philosophical for a teenager, Shishō.”

“A samurai is considered an adult at fifteen,” Okisuke observes calmly. “We are expected to confront such questions well before that.”

“Awesome, but how does all this translate into the way you handle a sword?” you ask, finding yourself slightly impatient. “Philosophy is fine and all, but I want to know how you put that philosophy into action.”

“Philosophy informs practice,” Okisuke explains, maintaining his patience in spite of your lack thereof. “Those qualities we choose to emphasize in our lives carry through into our swordsmanship.”

“Give me an example?”

Okisuke nods. “Heijōshin, the goal of a ‘constant even heart’, is one such example. It means to cultivate a sense of balance and calm resolve in the face of danger to one’s life, which shapes the way one uses one’s techniques in combat. This can be directly contrasted with kenki, the ‘murderous presence’ that many other swordsmen prefer to rely upon to intimidate their foes.”

“When one possesses finely-tuned heijōshin both life and death may be faced with the same sense of grace and dignity, regardless of who one’s enemy turns out to be.”

>The Suiō Sōkō-ryū has a training curriculum, right? A ‘way of life’ will take a long time to learn, but you can teach me some movements consistent with your philosophy.
>If you don’t mind, could you walk me through one of your practice sessions, so that I can see how you train and compare it to how I train?
>And if one were to propose something like a Nindō, an equivalent way for shinobi to live, would it change your perspective towards us?
>Other?

>>3868273
>And if one were to propose something like a Nindō, an equivalent way for shinobi to live, would it change your perspective towards us?

>>3868273
>>And if one were to propose something like a Nindō, an equivalent way for shinobi to live, would it change your perspective towards us?

>>3868273
>And if one were to propose something like a Nindō, an equivalent way for shinobi to live, would it change your perspective towards us?

>>3868273
>And if one were to propose something like a Nindō, an equivalent way for shinobi to live, would it change your perspective towards us?

>>3868273
>>And if one were to propose something like a Nindō, an equivalent way for shinobi to live, would it change your perspective towards us?

>>3868273
>>And if one were to propose something like a Nindō, an equivalent way for shinobi to live, would it change your perspective towards us?

>>3868273
>1d6, DC 10
>Taking the first three

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>3868292

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>3868292

>>3868292

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>3868292

>>3868273
“And if one were to come up with something like a shinobi equivalent to bushido?” you ask. “Something like a nindō, as it were?”

Okisuke seems to consider your question for a moment. “I doubt that such a thing is possible.”

“And why not?”

“Too much bad blood,” the scarred samurai decides. “The great ninja villages, the smaller villages… all of them have differing philosophies, and all of them have made enemies of one another over the years. Do you really believe that a shinobi raised in such a context would be able to develop an outlook beyond loyalty to one’s own village, let alone spread it?”

“The ninja world is twisted like that. Camaraderie at the interpersonal level can become selfishness in the wider view.”

“And you disagree with the idea of loyalty?” you frown.

Okisuke calmly shakes his head. “Not at all. But a samurai would inherently recognize and appreciate that even the shinobi of an enemy village most likely feel that same loyalty to their own. Forgetting that can only lead to disaster.”

“You come from the Land of Storms. Surely you understand the repercussions of a global war better than most?”

You remain silent, quietly resenting the fact that he has a point.

>It seems that we’re at an impasse, then. At least, in this moment.
>Then at least spar with me. An appreciation for technical improvement is all we share, apparently.
>Then show me something different in action, not just in words.
>Other?

>>3868316
>>Then show me something different in action, not just in words.

>>3868316
>>It seems that we’re at an impasse, then. At least, in this moment.
only fair that we are at one. An undecided mind is swayed easier than a rooted one.

>>3868316
>Then at least spar with me. An appreciation for technical improvement is all we share, apparently.

>>3868292
And because I forgot that Shonen Points were a mechanic I was using, I'll be moving ahead with this update. However this won't be the end when it comes to convincing Okisuke, partly because I realized I done fucked up.

>>3868316
>It seems that we’re at an impasse, then. At least, in this moment.

>>3868316
>>It seems that we’re at an impasse, then. At least, in this moment.

>>3868316
>1d6, DC 11 (Hard)
>Taking the first three

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>3868356

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>3868356

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>3868356

>>3868356
“Then it would seem, Shishō,” you muse, “that we’re at an impasse. I can say anything I please and it won’t be enough for you, because it’s plainly not me that you have a problem with. Isn’t that right?”

Okisuke nods curtly. “That’s correct.”

“So it would surprise you then if I told you I’d fought alongside a team from Iwagakure on my way here?” you ask.

The man narrows his eyes at you. “Explain.”

“We were both heading to the Land of Iron on separate missions,” you explain from the beginning. “They caught us in their territory without permission, but I convinced their team leader to escort us to the border that we were both heading towards anyway. Along the way we were attacked by a raiding party from Ishigakure.”

“And so you fought the Ishigakure shinobi together?”

You nod quietly. “Absolutely. I think I even managed to make a friend… despite the fact that this was one of the villages responsible for waging a destructive war across my homeland. When it comes right down to it, I get the sense that neither of us wanted to shed blood if we could avoid it, and when we were all attacked we couldn’t avoid it. So we worked together.”

“And your point is?” Okisuke demands.

“Kamizuru Kurotsuchi did not kill my parents,” you declare calmly. “Nor have I harmed any of her family. We are two young kunoichi who grew up in a state of war, but not against each other, and were capable of trusting each other… albeit with reservations.”

“So don’t you think that if there could be even one generation without a war, the old grudges would start to lose their hold? And that subsequently, any bonds that could be formed between villages could deepen into a more lasting peace?”

Okisuke, once more, seems to ponder your words. “Those are the words of an idealistic child, but they do have a ring of truth to them. It wouldn’t even need to happen all at once, even just two villages forging a lasting peace would change the overall geopolitical dynamic.”

“But what sort of event could lead to such a historical shift?”

You shake your head, ready to admit that you have no answer. “I can’t say. But you just went from dismissing the possibility to believing in it, no matter how unlikely it might seem. And isn’t that a start, Shishō?”

>Rise, hold up your practice blade. Encourage him to engage with you.
>Wait to hear his answer.
>Head out to find your teammates.
>Other?

>>3868374
>>Rise, hold up your practice blade. Encourage him to engage with you.
there is no easy answer to his thinking, sometimes less talk leads to better things in the end

>>3868374
>>Wait to hear his answer.
it's only polite

>>3868374
>Wait to hear his answer.

>>3868374
>Wait to hear his answer.

>>3868374
>Rise, hold up your practice blade. Encourage him to engage with you.

>>3868374
>Wait to hear his answer.

>>3868374
>>Rise, hold up your practice blade. Encourage him to engage with you.

>>3868374
You wait patiently for several minutes, before he grabs hold of his training sword and rises to his feet.

“On your feet,” Okisuke orders in an altogether more commanding tone than before, and you quickly obey. “We will skip the introductory level movements and begin with the chūdan, the intermediate techniques. Is your sword an ōdachi or a kodachi?”

“Kodachi,” you reply. Even were it not true, most shinobi favor shorter swords… often going as short as tantō which are often considered little more than an elongated kunai.

“Then if time allows we will also focus on the Muken, Suiseki, Gaiseki, and Tesseki forms of the paired Daikentori exercises. Those are the four where the student is required to wield a kodachi.”

“Remember that the point of focus is not on my hands,” he reminds you as you square off. “Instead focus on a point one body-length behind me. That way you can maintain a ‘soft-focus’, seeing all of my movements while remaining somewhat safe from ocular-based genjutsu.”

“Now, begin!”
>1d100 for progress
>Taking the BEST of three this time

Rolled 1 (1d100)

>>3868426
OH SHIT.

Rolled 56 (1d100)

>>3868426
>>3868430
this bodes ILL

Rolled 50 (1d100)

>>3868426
Here goes nothing

>>3868426
For the next three days you train until Okisuke decides to stop. You run through the intermediate sets, even starting to see some real progress in terms of advancing your power and speed at executing those movements. But perhaps unsurprisingly, the older samurai always seems to keep pace without breaking a sweat… just how much faster and stronger than you is this Okisuke, anyway? And how many of the samurai here are like him, you wonder?

At the end of the third afternoon, as the sun starts to dip and the wind starts to blow, Okisuke gestures for you to sit on the inner porch of his manor and stare out at the snowy garden with him. His attitude towards you seems to have shifted somewhat after witnessing the earnest approach you took to your training.

“Your stamina is unreasonable,” he compliments you quietly as you watch the snow slip off a bamboo leaf. “And your technical skill is actually good for a child not raised in the ways of the samurai. I have a feeling that you will become a fine shinobi, given time. However, I cannot help but feel that you are lacking something.”

“What, Shishō?” you ask. “What am I lacking… aside of course from experience?”

He ponders for a moment. “If you have a reason for fighting, it seems like you do not focus on it enough, that you are not bringing it with you when you swing your sword. That is what is holding you back, I think.”

You consider this.

>I want to protect my village, and my friends. That’s all.
>What I truly want is for them to live in peace. Just living isn’t enough if it’s in a constant state of war.
>I want to be able to answer the question you didn’t ask, about what ‘nindō’ should look like.
>I want to speak with the men who were ultimately responsible for my father’s death, and my mother’s illness. To hear their reasons for going to war.
>Other?

>>3868448
>>What I truly want is for them to live in peace. Just living isn’t enough if it’s in a constant state of war.
>>I want to be able to answer the question you didn’t ask, about what ‘nindō’ should look like.

>>3868448
>>I want to be able to answer the question you didn’t ask, about what ‘nindō’ should look like.

>>3868448
>I want to answer the question you didn’t ask

>>3868448
>>I want to be able to answer the question you didn’t ask, about what ‘nindō’ should look like.

>>3868448
“I get the feeling that in the long run, everything revolves around finding the answer to the question you didn’t ask me,” you sigh. “What would ‘nindō’ even look like? The fact that I don’t even know where to start honestly bothers me.”

Okisuke watches you carefully as you speak.
>1d6, High Roll
>Taking the first three

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>3868480
come on dice gods, answer my prayers

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>3868480

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>3868480

>>3868480
>14: Very Hard
Okisuke sighs, then hands you a wooden sword. “Hold this out in the standard guard stance.”

“Like this?” you ask, obliging him.

“Exactly,” he nods. “You are a shinobi, are you not?”

“I thought that was established days ago, Shishō,” you frown. “Where is this going?”

“Do you know how to manipulate the elemental releases?” he asks.

“I know my nature,” you admit, “but I have no practical experience with elemental transformations.”

“None?” he asks incredulously. “Then what do you have skill in?”

“Sealing, taijutsu,” you explain, “and genjutsu.”

“Genjutsu, you say?” Okisuke muses. “You can cast genjutsu?”

“Actually, I’m supposed to be pretty good at it,” you admit.

“Have you had genjutsu used against you as well?” he asks.

You nod again. “In the basic training course, yes. Why?”

“Then you already know the feeling of what it is like when you use your chakra to cast a genjutsu?”

“Yes?” you reply, still more confused at the line of questioning than by the lack of answers. “What are you getting at, Shishō?”

“In order to survive long enough in the shinobi world to find your answer,” Okisuke muses, “there is only one thing I can give you. What I want you to do is, without using hand seals, cast a genjutsu at your practice sword.”

>How will I know if it worked?
>Is this some sort of samurai technique?
>Are you trying to get me to use… I guess that would be Yin Chakra Flow?
>I can't do it without hand seals.
>Other?

>>3868498
>>Are you trying to get me to use… I guess that would be Yin Chakra Flow?

>>3868498
>Are you trying to get me to use… I guess that would be Yin Chakra Flow?

>>3868498
>Are you trying to get me to use… I guess that would be Yin Chakra Flow?

>>3868498
>>Are you trying to get me to use… I guess that would be Yin Chakra Flow?

>>3868498
>Are you trying to get me to use… I guess that would be Yin Chakra Flow?

>>3868498
“So, I suppose that would make this ‘Yin Chakra Flow’?” you ask with a frown. “I know that my teammate Ukemi knows about chakra flow more than I do, but isn’t that typically done with elemental releases and not… well, Yin or Yang-transformed chakra?”

Okisuke chuckles, rising to his feet and focusing. It seems like his gaze is calmly extending straight past the raised tip of his wooden sword, and around his hand and the wood clutched within it a bright blue field springs into existence with a gentle hum.

“Our technique does not use transformed chakra at all,” Okisuke explains, turning that calm, almost impassive gaze towards you as the blue chakra focuses into a tight cutting edge. “So why would Yin be any different? All it demands is focus, and practice.”

“These training swords are made from the trunks of the same sort of tree you shinobi use to test chakra affinity. They are a key part of the samurai training regimen, and you seem to be at roughly the age where we would begin training our own children how to use this ability. Perhaps you will even find some affinity for it.”

>1d100
>best of three

>1d100
>best of three

Rolled 7 (1d100)

>>3868537
Here's the low roll

Rolled 66 (1d100)

>>3868537

Rolled 55 (1d100)

>>3868537

Rolled 15 (1d100)

>>3868537

>>3868537

>>3868537
You do as instructed, and focus intently on the wooden sword in your hand. You try to recall the feeling not only of using a genjutsu for the first time, but of having one used on you, and try to use that sort of chakra on the tool in your hand instead of on a living mind.

What seems like hours passes with no visible change.

The sun has long since gone down when you hear Okisuke sigh. “That is all I can do for you. Go back to the inn and rest, then return in the morning with that sword of yours… it should be finished by then.”

>Head straight for the inn and sleep.
>Head for the inn, but stay awake through the night and keep working on this.
>Head for the polisher and see if Umekiri is ready NOW. Try with the live blade in your hand before giving up for the night.
>Other?

>>3868555
>>Head for the polisher and see if Umekiri is ready NOW. Try with the live blade in your hand before giving up for the night.
Naori is impatient

>>3868555
>go to the polisher now

>>3868555
>>Head for the polisher and see if Umekiri is ready NOW. Try with the live blade in your hand before giving up for the night.
Might as well I suppose.

>>3868555
>Head for the polisher and see if Umekiri is ready NOW. Try with the live blade in your hand before giving up for the night.

>>3868555
>Head for the polisher and see if Umekiri is ready NOW. Try with the live blade in your hand before giving up for the night.

>>3868555
It may already be late, but you head for the polisher anyway and knock at the door to his front shop. The light inside, dim at first, brightens as someone lights a lamp in the front and the old polisher opens the door.

“Young miss!” he greets you, plainly surprised. “What brings you here at this time of night?”

“I just finished a training session, polisher-han,” you incline your head. “The samurai you put me in contact with has been putting me through my paces. Is Umekiri-maru ready?”

“Yes, yes,” he nods, waving you in out of the cold. “Of course, as I anticipated it was a pleasure to work on her!”

“May I borrow her for a moment?” you ask, before taking a moment to marvel at the fact that you both have just referred to your sword in the feminine without thinking about it.

“I suppose there’s no reason why you can’t,” he shrugs, heading in back. There’s a sound like a drawer being unlocked then opened, before he returns and hands the sword and sheath back to you as all the people here do: both hands, tsuka on the side of your dominant side, into both of your hands.

“Awesome,” you incline your head. “Sorry to call so late, but there’s something I have to try.”

>1d6, DC 15 (Miracle)
>Taking the first three

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>3868590
Use 7 SP.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>3868590

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>3868590

>>3868590
>8: Fail

Use 7 SP to pass?
>Yes
>No

>>3868604
>Yes

>>3868604
>Yes

>>3868604
Hell yes

>>3868604
>>Yes
hell yeah

>>3868604
yes

>>3868604
You recall some of what Okisuke has taught you in the last few days. This includes many of the finer points to the way that samurai learn swordsmanship: the emphasis on ‘maai’ or ‘spacing’ during sparring, the high valuation on intensity, the progression from moving correctly to moving with power, from moving with power to moving with speed, and from moving quickly to moving lightly and effortlessly. He taught you how to redirect with a parry, how to hold your sword when moving through doorways or crowds to avoid unwanted collateral damages.

The emphasis placed on awareness, or ‘zanshin’, and the particular ‘bunkai’ behind each set of exercises, were even new to you.

The samurai also seem to place emphasis on the hands, particularly when dealing with shinobi: to cut off a finger or two, or to damage the tendons, prevents the use of hand seals. It’s just as effective at crippling an opponent as if you had struck your first blow across the eyes.

But one aspect stands out to you now, considering what you are doing.

“We bow three times at the start of a training session,” Okisuke explained. “First to the founder and the dojo, then to the instructor, then to the sword itself.”

“To the sword?” you repeated.

“The blade which is like our partner,” he clarified for your benefit. “Often times if the sword breaks, then the samurai dies. This relationship is as worthy of respect as that between instructor and student.”

“Thank you,” you bow deeply to the polisher. “I’ll be back for the other items in the morning with my team, if that’s okay.”

“Perfectly fine,” the polisher nods. “I also went and did a little extra work for you, which I can tell you about in the morning.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”
>1/2

>>3868631
You walk out into the snow, heading for the inn. You have your own separate room for one, since the inkeeper insisted that it’d be improper for two boys to share a room with a young girl, and so you head there immediately. Ukemi and Hitsugi always come back late and tired anyway, so it’s not like they’re likely to be up waiting for you or anything.

Lighting a lamp on the nightstand, you kneel on the floor in seiza. Then you take the Umekiri Ichimonji out of your sash and set it carefully on the wooden floor in front of you, bowing deeply to it until your forehead touches the backs of your hands. There you remain for several seconds, before rising and returning the scabbard to your sash.

You concentrate on your blade as you draw it, rising to your feet and practicing a slow, deliberate draw-cut. Then you shift your body and arms to make the second downward swing, the kirioroshi, and take a step back to settle into the forward guard stance.

Focusing your eyes on a point beyond the upraised tip of Umekiri’s blade, you remain stationary.

In your room, nothing moves.

Eventually, having failed to produce the desired effect, you perform a proper chiburi and a carefully-controlled sheathing.

You hold out the Umekiri-maru one more time, bowing to it before setting it by your nightstand.

Brushing, washing, changing into your nightclothes, then the sweet embrace of sleep.

>1d100, best of three

Rolled 30 (1d100)

>>3868651
come ooonnnn ....

>>3868651

Rolled 27 (1d100)

>>3868651
Work now

Rolled 54 (1d100)

>>3868651

Rolled 48 (1d100)

>>3868651

Rolled 65 (1d100)

just to test how much of a troll the dicegods are today

Rolled 1 (1d100)

>>3868651

>>3868666
Super average rolls and then this. I'm concerned lol

Rolled 55 (1d100)

Lemme see

Rolled 77 (1d100)

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>>3868651
It’s strange, and hazy… but you recall one thing from that restless night. The image of a young woman, in dress that wouldn’t be out of place for a feudal peasant, with beautifully full white hair that falls to her waist in back and settles around her shoulders. But when she turned… a clay mask covers her face, two short projections like antlers rise from her hair around the crown of her head, and you notice the tantō held in her hand.

Neither of you spoke… you out of lingering doubts about what might happen if you broke the tense silence, and her for unknowable reasons.

Eventually you wake as the cold sunlight streams in your window, staring straight at the hilt of your sword.

You rise unwillingly from your bed, dress, and after a moment’s contemplation you thrust Umekiri’s sheath through your sash.

>Meet up with Ukemi and Hitsugi, have breakfast, and see what they’ve been up to.
>Meet with the polisher as soon as he’s open, then deal with your other business once that has been concluded.
>Meet with Okisuke first thing, see what he wanted from you.
>Other?

Also, pick one:
>Mention your dream
>Don’t mention your dream

>>3868689
>>Meet with Okisuke first thing, see what he wanted from you.
>Mention your dream
Naori's sleep paralysis demon's pretty cute

>>3868689
>>Meet with Okisuke first thing, see what he wanted from you.
>Mention your dream

>>3868689
>>Meet with Okisuke first thing, see what he wanted from you.

>>3868689
>>Meet with Okisuke first thing, see what he wanted from you.
>Mention your dream

>>3868689
>Meet with Okisuke first thing, see what he wanted from you.
>Mention your dream

>>3868689
>>Meet with Okisuke first thing, see what he wanted from you.
>>Mention your dream

>>3868689
>>Meet with Okisuke first thing, see what he wanted from you.
>>Mention your dream
Hah Naori just had her first meeting with her zanpakuto spirit

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303 KB PNG

>>3868694
In case you were wondering what the general inspiration to her appearance was... it's like pic related but different.

>>3868689
You give Ukemi a non-committal greeting as you head out, promising to be back by the time they’re done eating breakfast. It must be fairly late in the morning if he’s already out of bed… your late night training session must have contributed. Instead of eating, you take your sword straight to see Okisuke.

“Welcome back,” the samurai greets you with a polite bow. “I just had a few final thoughts to share before you returned to your home, and I admit… I did feel some curiosity regarding the sword which brought you here.”

“And I had a question for you, Shishō,” you admit. “If you don’t mind?”

He gestures for you to continue, so you do so. “Have you ever dreamt about your swords… not like you’re using them, but like they… well, like they had a personality?”

Okisuke stares at you for a few moments, and you’re certain he’s going to call you crazy. “Let me see that sword of yours.”

Stunned that the expected ridicule never came, you pass your blade to him and he draws it carefully from its scabbard.

“I see,” he nods thoughtfully. “An Ichimonji… and a Norimune what’s more, by the look of it?”

You nod to confirm it.

He sheaths your blade and hands it back to you. “It wouldn’t be the first sentient sword, if that is what has happened here… the Samehada is supposedly alive as well.”

“Are you familiar with the old stories of the Tsukumogami?”

You nod again. “I mean, I’m a part-time miko, so...”

“The concept may work similarly with old swords,” Okisuke explains. “At least, so some old stories go. I’ve never put much stock in such fairy-tales, but the world is vast.”

“Thank you,” you bow deeply to your instructor. “And your final words?”

Okisuke returns your bow. “Continue your training. Find your nindō. That is all I have to say to you.”

>Head back to the polisher and ask about your dream.
>Head back to the polisher and ask about this ‘extra work’ he mentioned.
>Return to the inn, go over to the polisher as a team.
>Other?

>>3868779
>Head back to the polisher and ask about your dream.

>>3868779
>ask about the extra work

>>3868779
>>Head back to the polisher and ask about this ‘extra work’ he mentioned.

>>3868779
>Head back to the polisher and ask about this ‘extra work’ he mentioned.

>>3868779
>>Head back to the polisher and ask about this ‘extra work’ he mentioned.

>>3868779
You return to the polisher’s shop, greeting the man calmly before he heads into the back.

“These five blades were an easy enough task,” he admits. “And you’ve seen how Umekiri-maru turned out.”

“You absolutely weren’t kidding,” you agree. “The temper line really does look like silvery flames. It’s beautiful.”

“The other blades are hard now,” he adds, showing you the mechanical monstrosities which you quickly seal to get out of the way.”

“I’ve also done you an additional service,” the polisher admits, handing you a small scroll. “I realized you might have some interest in Umekiri-maru’s previous possessors, so I compiled a list from my books on famous meitō. You see, in the old days possession of fine blades was thought of differently, and the work of auspicious smiths such as Norimune once made for excellent gifts from one ‘notable person’ to another.”

“They gave swords like this one as gifts?” you ask, completely aghast at the notion of simply giving such a powerful sword away. “Yeah… no… I can’t really even understand that.”

The man chuckles, insisting it’s true. “Here you’ll see that it was originally forged for the daimyō of the Land of Tea, who gave it to the daimyō of the Land of Fire, who gave it to the daimyō of the Land of Whirlpools, who gifted it to the then-head of the Uzumaki clan for services rendered. There it remained for around two centuries, until Uzumaki Ashina gifted it in lieu of payment to Nagasone Okisato in return for forging him a pair of new chakra blades. Not a bad deal for either man, as those blades themselves had peculiar traits before they were destroyed in the attack on Uzushiogakure.”

“And the sword made it back there after Okimasa died?” you realize.

He nods once more. “It seems that the daimyō of the Land of Fire purchased it in an attempt to… let’s say color the advice of one Senju Tobirama to his brother, the First Hokage. Tobirama already had a sword of his own of which he was fond, an Awaji-Rai from before he forged the Kiba, and so he returned it to the Uzumaki clan, who were long-time allies of the Senju. It must have made for a fine wedding gift.”

>This blade was once in the hands of the Senju? What sort of sword did they give this up in favor of?
>If this blade was in the hands of the Uzumaki for such a long time, could it have grown... 'accustomed' to that clan's chakra?
>What was your impression of those strange, folding blades? I've never seen their like.
>Other?

>>3868824
>>If this blade was in the hands of the Uzumaki for such a long time, could it have grown... 'accustomed' to that clan's chakra?

>>3868824
>>If this blade was in the hands of the Uzumaki for such a long time, could it have grown... 'accustomed' to that clan's chakra?

>>3868824
>If this blade was in the hands of the Uzumaki for such a long time, could it have grown... 'accustomed' to that clan's chakra?

>>3868824
>>If this blade was in the hands of the Uzumaki for such a long time, could it have grown... 'accustomed' to that clan's chakra?


>>3868779
>Tsukumogami
Dammit King, Savant ended, let it go.

>>3868824
“If it were in the hands of one clan for that amount of time,” you ask carefully, “and as you said it is a chakra blade of unusual quality, is it possible that the Umekiri could grow accustomed to that clan’s unique chakra?”

“Entirely,” the man agrees. “But for a member of that clan, such a sword might be particularly… ‘agreeable’, if you will.”

“I see.”

You thank the old man yet again, and he invites you to return at any point in the future if you need any work done on Umekiri. Then you return to the inn to find Ukemi and Hitsugi waiting.

“You’ve been busy, Nakkun?” Ukemi smirks. “And here I thought Sadaaki and I were the only ones working our tails off.”

“It’s not every day you get to learn a totally different approach to swordsmanship,” you shrug. “I wanted to take full advantage of that, Ukemi-han. Sorry if I wasn’t as sociable as usual because of it.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Hitsugi replies dismissively. “Honestly, I’d be the same way if the samurai ever really used shurikenjutsu at all, but most of their styles tend to ignore thrown weaponry.”

“Yeah, no,” you reply, “they use chakra flow too much for that.”

“Aw!” Ukemi groans. “Maybe I shoulda been asking around more than I was...”

You shrug again. “Missed opportunity, really.”

>Head back through Iwagakure, make no attempt to hide your presence.
>Head back through Iwagakure, try to keep as hidden as possible.
>Head back through Sunagakure, avoid the possibility of active combat.
>Other?

>>3868865
The cold never bothered me anyway?

>>3868872
>>Head back through Iwagakure, try to keep as hidden as possible.

>>3868872
>through iwa as hidden as possible

>>3868872
>Head back through Iwagakure, try to keep as hidden as possible.

>>3868872
>>Head back through Sunagakure, avoid the possibility of active combat.

>>3868872
>1d100
>best of three

Rolled 18 (1d100)

>>3868921

Rolled 1 (1d100)

>>3868921
Why are you torturing us?

>>3868926
Fuck fucking fuck

Rolled 14 (1d100)

>>3868921

File: 1557660962712.jpg (27 KB, 640x640)

27 KB JPG

>>3868926
>>3868931

File: good run.png (580 KB, 630x443)

580 KB PNG

>>3868926
And thus Naori and crew was captured and ransomed.

>>3868921
Now I'll need:
>1d6, DC 10 (Moderate-Hard)
>Taking the first three

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>3868944
>>3868948
mate, something is wrong on your end there

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>3868944

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>3868944

>>3868944
>SP: 8
Use 3SP to pass?
>Yes
>No

>>3868962
>>Yes
YES

>>3868962
yes ...

>>3868962
I think you angered the dice gods by two-timing with two different dice systems

>>3868972
pretty sure the dicegods are just smarmy cunts that like to torture innoce- ... well mostly innocent anons

File: CmZHOW5WcAAKvyV.jpg (65 KB, 1200x900)

65 KB JPG

>>3868962
>Pass
>SP: 5
A gentle rain begins to fall along the border between Iwa and Ishi, and you move carefully so as not to attract too much attention like you did on your way northward. But unfortunately, you stumble across trouble. Even despite the rain the scent of blood is almost impossible to miss.

You gesture for your team to take cover as you walk almost straight into the evidence of a massacre.

Perhaps a dozen Iwagakure ninja lie dead in a gravel field, weapons lying abandoned as their blood drains away with the rivulets of rainwater. Among them also lie a contingent of Ishigakure ninja, who have evidently wiped each other out. At least that’s what you thought at first.

Ukemi is about to ask about it, before you cover his mouth.

In the field stands a lone figure in a raincoat, who jabs an oddly-shaped sword into an Iwagakure shinobi who hadn’t quite died yet.

The man gurgles through the new bloody hole in his throat, then lies silent.

The hooded figure turns its head, but not towards you.

“Are you going to come out? Or am I going to have to come to you?”

Clearly he knows you’re here… just not exactly where yet. Which gives you a slight possibility.

>Prepare explosive tags, to launch an assault when he finds you.
>Try to sneak away with your team while you can.
>The best chance is to defeat this stranger in one massive sneak attack using genjutsu.
>Other?

>>3868985
>The best chance is to defeat this stranger in one massive sneak attack using genjutsu.
hm, it seems to be raining

>>3868985
>>The best chance is to defeat this stranger in one massive sneak attack using genjutsu.

>>3868985
>>The best chance is to defeat this stranger in one massive sneak attack using genjutsu.

>>3868985
>>The best chance is to defeat this stranger in one massive sneak attack using genjutsu.

>>3868987
>>3868990
>>3868996
>>3869000
i am just waiting for the inevitable 1,1,1 rolls ...

>>3868985
>1d10, DC 15 (Miracle)
>First three

Rolled 2 (1d10)

>>3869014
1d10, fuark

Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>3869014
Fuuuuck. It's the little boy, isn't it?

Rolled 2 (1d10)

Rip us

>>3869014
Need one more linked

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>3869014

Rolled 4 (1d10)

>>3869014

>>3869014
>Fail
Spend 1SP?
>Yes
>No

>>3869038
>Yes

>>3869038
hell yes

>>3869038
>Yes

>>3869014
You gesture your decisions quickly to your teammates, who pick up quickly. A gesture for genjutsu for your element, then for throwing for both of them, explains your strategic thoughts so far as you have them.

Then you begin to weave hand signs. It’s a fairly long string for what it is, but it should do the job. Once the Double False Surroundings illusion is in place, you gesture to your teammates to make their attack.

Ukemi leaps from cover and unleashes a fistful of lightning-enhanced senbon, and Hitsugi throws shuriken attached to flexible wires. You yourself vault over the top of the stone stack which hid you from sight and release a trio of kunai with hastily-placed exploding seals on their hilts. That assault, from in front, behind as Hitsugi curves the path of his shuriken, and from above, should connect with at least one potentially lethal set of thown weapons. Especially since the target of your assault can’t see it coming.

But instead the man draws a crackling sword, straight-bladed with two sharp horns curving off the main length near the hilt and the point, and uses it to parry Ukemi’s attack. It must have been a stronger lightning-based technique, because it halts the senbon entirely instead of allowing them to penetrate as they should. He then uses the same blade to slice the threads attached to Hitsugi’s shuriken… and as you fall towards the ground a second sword exactly like the first turns through the air towards you.

Umekiri slips out of the scabbard like she herself is silver lightning, but the blade slides against your kodachi until the horn just above the hilt catches on the edge.

There’s a blinding pain in your head as the incoming blade’s path narrowly misses splitting your skull, and you land on your feet. The stone behind you is split cleanly by the attack, before the blade returns to its wielder’s hand like a boomerang.

“Genjutsu, huh?” the man smirks, despite the tears running from his eyes. “That was a good strategy… how sad that I’ll have to bury such talented children.”

This guy… this isn’t a normal shinobi. Not like the ones you fought alongside Kurotsuchi. This guy… he’s a monster.
>1/2

>>3869062
“He broke both layers so easily?” you grumble as something warm and wet drips from the area of your left eye, running down your cheek. “That’s not fair at all.”

“What do we do?” Hitsugi asks you nervously.

“Our best chance was to defeat him immediately,” you repeat your initial thoughts. “But if my genjutsu won’t work, we’re not gonna get the element of surprise. We should try to retreat.”

“If he’ll let us,” Ukemi observes. You hate to admit, but it’s a fair point.

“What’s wrong?” the man mocks you. “You had so much guts when you thought you’d had me blinded.”

“You’re hurt,” Ukemi observes. “Can you...”

“As if,” you interrupt. “It’ll take more than that to keep me down.”

>Prepare more exploding kunai, try to bring down some rocks on him.
>Prepare a poisoned smoke bomb. The rain will interfere, but it’ll still slow him down.
>Use a regular smoke bomb and attack through it, hopefully hit his legs.
>Other?

>>3869072
>>Prepare more exploding kunai, try to bring down some rocks on him.

>>3869072
>>Use a regular smoke bomb and attack through it, hopefully hit his legs.

>>3869072
>Prepare more exploding kunai, try to bring down some rocks on him.

>>3869072
>1d6, DC 15 (Miracle)
>taking the first three
>SP Available: 5

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>3869098

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>3869098

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>3869098

>>3869098
You draw three more kunai, taking a moment to place exploding seals on them before shouting your new plan.

“Run!”

You make a break for the rocks behind you as Ukemi and Hitsugi hurl more projectiles downrange hoping to slow the madman down even in the slightest, and you drop a smoke bomb for good measure. But nothing you do seems to have any effect. Even when you spring your trap and detonate your exploding seals to drop rocks on top of the swordsman’s head, he simply shatters them with his lightning release.

“Lightning Burial: Ikazuchi no Utage!”

Powerful surges of electricity rip through stone and air alike, one hitting you square in the back and sending you sprawling.

Ukemi and Hitsugi both do the unthinkable: they stop.

“What are you… doing!?” you wheeze on the ground. “Keep… running!”

“I’m not gonna do that!” Ukemi declares boldly. “I can’t leave you behind, Nakkun… that’s because...”

Another blast of lightning lifts him off his feet, while one of the oddly-shaped blades slams point-first into his head. Your eyes widen as your teammate and former classmate is brutally killed while you watch, bleeding and sizzling and breathless on the ground.

You can feel… something primal, not quite like rage or despair, more like both at the same time.

>Remember what Okisuke taught you.
>Fuck what Okisuke taught you.

File: 1531089760449.png (122 KB, 874x763)

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>>3869127
>Fuck what Okisuke taught you.
a constant even heart might be a good idea, but I'm not for good ideas right now

>>3869127
>Will continue same time tomorrow, it's 1:30am here and I just nodded off for the third time

>>3869127
>Fuck what Okisuke taught you.
Not the time to be calm.
Also holy shit, we're off to a great start. Already one dead friend in just two threads.

>>3869148
thanks for running

>>3869127
>>Remember what Okisuke taught you.
it seems more Naruto to lose our shit. Might be interesting to go another direction

>>3869127
>>Remember what Okisuke taught you.

>>3869127
>Remember what Okisuke taught you.

Rolled 26 (1d100)

Let's see if the dice work now.

>>3869127
>>Remember what Okisuke taught you.

We'll never learn to keep calm in the heat of battle if we don't practice it. Plus it'll be a cool shonen death if we continue to fuck it up anyways.

>>3869260
nope. still shit.

>>3869127
Holy shit what an ending!

>>3869127
>>Remember what Okisuke taught you.

>>3869127
>Remember what Okisuke taught you.

>>3869127
Alright, if anyone's awake gimme some rolls to work with when the time comes.
>1d6, High Roll
>taking the first three

Yo guys im debating reading up, give me the elevator pitch for how this turned out?

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>3869765

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>3869765

>>3869775
I mean I could do it, but I'd be interested to see how one of my players might pitch it.

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>3869765
I miss a session and it all goes south so fast

>>3869765
>14 (Very Hard)
>SP: 10 (Cap)

>>3869775
I guess I can give my summary, without saying too much for those who’ve been playing along.
Full Naruto Version: Naori is the daughter of a prestigious courtesan in Amegakure who was probably an Uzumaki, and graduated just at the time Pain was taking over. She’s good at sealing ninjutsu, kenjutsu, and genjutsu, and at the moment almost useless at nature transformations. Just when she was starting to figure out why Tenshi took an interest in her, she ran into one of the rogue Seven Swords of the Mist in the middle of a massacre. Now he’s trying to kill her and her team, having already killed one of her classmates.
Non-Naruto Version: It’s a Naruto quest set in a minor village which starts off as a shaky ally to Naruto’s village, but becomes the center of operations for the main villains in the second half of the show. Naori excells at a few things most ninja in the setting don’t bother with due to the low expected returns compared to how hard most people find them, but isn’t as good with the bread-and-butter elemental stuff. She’s also pretty damn good for her age at swordsmanship, and has a unique named sword that belonged to her family. Her mom was a prestigious courtesan in her home country, possibly a member of an important ninja clan that was almost destroyed a few decades ago, and her father was a former comrade of the faction that just took over her village.

>>3869802
The pain inside is far worse than anything that’s been inflicted upon your body.

But you remember what Okisuke-sensei taught you about the way a samurai faces a life-or-death situation: with calm, grace, and dignity. You take a deep breath and force yourself back to your feet, raising the Umekiri Ichimonji in your hands.

This man may be stronger than you, faster than you, significantly more experienced than you, and he may have one of the great Seven Swords of the Mist at his disposal… but you have something on your side as well. If you can’t predict what effects Yin Chakra Flow will have in a battle, there’s no way he can anticipate your next attack.

Concentrating on a familiar feeling, you practically plead with your sword.

“Still standing, little red?” the swordsman grins dementedly. “How wonderful! At least you can take a hit or two and still come swinging at me!”

“I promise to say something nice for you when I bury you, nameless brat!”

“Raishō Naori,” you growl under your breath.

“What was that?”

“My name,” you reply as the air around your blade begins to shimmer. “My name is Raishō Naori!”

“Well, if we’re doing this,” the man cackles, “then where are my manners? My name is Kurosuki Raiga, wielder of Kiba, the Boltswords!”

The chakra around your blade hums to life, wavering around its edge like a candle flame that’s still struggling to stay lit. But it will have to do, for now.

>Take him by surprise and go on the offensive.
>Wait for him to make an attack and launch a counter.
>Fight defensively for now, but keep trying to strengthen your chakra flow.
>Other?

>>3870110
>>Fight defensively for now, but keep trying to strengthen your chakra flow.
tiem to power up

>>3870110
>>Fight defensively for now, but keep trying to strengthen your chakra flow.

>>3870110
>Fight defensively for now, but keep trying to strengthen your chakra flow.

>>3870110
>>Fight defensively for now, but keep trying to strengthen your chakra flow.

>>3870110
>>Fight defensively for now, but keep trying to strengthen your chakra flow.

>>3870110
>Fight defensively for now, but keep trying to strengthen your chakra flow.

>>3870110
>Wait for him to make an attack and launch a counter.

>>3870112
>1d6, High Roll
>Taking the first three

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>3870130
coomee oooonnnn

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>3870130
numbah uan

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>3870130

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>3870130

>>3870130
>12 (Hard)
“Come on...” you mutter as the swordsman bats you around, only ever what feels like a hair’s breadth from death. “Come on, I need more than this.”

“Delirious already!?” Raiga taunts you. “Come on! Come on, come on, come on! Show me something worth remembering when you’re gone!”

You quickly find your back against a wall, even with Hitsugi’s help in the form of several volleys of shuriken to distract your shared opponent.

“It’s now or never, Umekiri!” you shout, forcing another burst of your own chakra into the steel of your sword.

In an instant you drop low and weave to the side, swinging your kodachi in a wide arc as Raiga follows through with an attack that completely shatters the rock behind where you stood. With the thundercrack comes his realization that he missed you, despite what he must have seen for that instant, and he takes the only evasive action he can think of.

He steps forward and leans as you aim for the back of his neck, and as you try to adjust midswing your blade cuts across his back to remove a head.

Not Raiga’s head: a totally different and unexpected head. The head of what appears to be a child, whose face only becomes visible as it rolls free of the shreds of Raiga’s cloak. Even you have to pause for a second in shock, never having realized that there were two people there… though seeing the glow fade from his eyes as the life leaves him, you realize that this child must be the reason why your genjutsu before failed. With a partner to disrupt his chakra, of course Raiga could shrug off not just the first layer of genjutsu but the second as well.

“Ran… maru?” Raiga asks, almost as if he can’t quite accept what he’s seeing. “What just… that genjutsu...”

Then Raiga’s eyes fall on you, and when you look up you meet his gaze. From the look of a demented man to one of a man who has lost everything.

Almost instantly you feel your ribs shatter on the right side, under your arm, as Raiga delivers a devastating kick.

“You… how dare… how dare you do that to Ranmaru!?”

You raise your sword to defend yourself only to have a fist crash unexpectedly against your left cheek, where you haven’t been able to see since the first blow Raiga landed on you.
>1/2

>>3870173
You find yourself on the ground again, head spinning and chest aching, half-blind and exhausted.

Raiga, on the other hand, seems almost stronger than he began. No strategy, no patience, just reckless and uninhibited rage.

“Hey!” Hitsugi shouts, throwing as many shuriken as he can at Raiga as quickly as you can. “Quit beating up on her and come face me, you big bully!”

>Shout at Hitsugi to get himself out of here.
>Try to use the distraction the way Hitsugi intends, and crawl away.
>Try and roll over to use another genjutsu.
>Other?

>>3870178
>>Try and roll over to use another genjutsu.

>>3870178
>Try and roll over to use another genjutsu.
He's vulnerable, seize the opportunity.

>>3870178
>Try and roll over to use another genjutsu.

>>3870178
>Try and roll over to use another genjutsu.

>>3870178
>>Try and roll over to use another genjutsu.

>>3870178
>>Try and roll over to use another genjutsu.

>>3870178
>1d6, DC 11 (Hard)
>Taking the first three

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>3870198

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>3870198

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>3870198

>>3870198
You can’t just let Hitsugi trade his life for yours too, not without putting up a fight. So you struggle to roll over onto your back, enduring the pain from your broken ribs because you have no other choice. Once your arm is out from under your body, you begin to weave the seals.

“Demonic Illusion… Double False Surroundings...”

Once your illusion is in place you grab hold of Umekiri-maru, a piece of its now-broken handguard falling away but the rest of the sword and fittings still appearing to be undamaged. You find that the chakra flow must have kept the unexpected child’s blood off the blade, so you return it to its scabbard while a wide-eyed Hitsugi runs to you.

“Come on,” he insists, putting one of your arms over his shoulder. “We’ve gotta go, Naori-kun!”

You hiss in pain as muscles pull against what’s left of your ribs, and the strain leads to you coughing up a little blood.

“You… could’ve...” you struggle to speak, but Hitsugi shakes his head.

“I was out of shuriken,” he admits. “Now stop talking. You’ve got to save...”
>1/2

>>3870206
>1d6, High Roll
>Best of three

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>3870209

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>3870209

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>3870209

File: Spoiler Image (76 KB, 280x135)

76 KB PNG

>>3870206
You pull Hitsugi down, but not quickly enough.

When you come to you can see your remaining teammate crawling away on his arms, trailing his legs behind him. But Raiga only has eyes for you. He lifts you by your neck, slowly choking the life out of you.

“Have you finished struggling?” he glares at you maniacally. “Then I’m going to bury your head along with Ranmaru’s, little red.”

Your response is to lash out, a jab with Umekiri’s tip that takes a nick out of his side. He slams you to the ground in retribution, and your head swims again as your consciousness fades. Raiga, however, seems distracted.

You only catch snippets of what happens next.

“It isn’t every day former comrades get to kill each other with no repercussions! So shouldn’t we enjoy this, Raiga-san?”

There are loud crashing sounds, angry shouting from Raiga, and ultimately the sound of flesh being ripped.

“He wasn’t very impressive,” a new voice mused. “Do you have them?”

“Of course,” the first voice replies. “Mission accomplished.”

“Not quite.”

You recall dark shapes, floating blurs of red in a vaguely familiar pattern… and deep, red eyes.

“This one needs immediate attention,” the second voice declares. "Keep watch.”

"I really don't see the point... but you do you, partner."

>1d100, taking the best of four

Rolled 69 (1d100)

>>3870233

Rolled 78 (1d100)

>>3870233
wake up

Rolled 33 (1d100)

>>3870233
Be nice this time, oh great and terrible d100.

Rolled 92 (1d100)

>>3870233

That 92. Are we slowly becoming bff's with the Akasuki?

>>3870233
You lose all track of time, like a living nightmare you can’t quite recall the next morning. But at least the pain is gone, and you can finally slip off into an exhausted sleep.

The images are fragmentary at best, but one that you can clearly recall is the image of a woman with long white hair, kneeling nearby to where your body lies. Her face is obscured behind a clay mask, but you get the impression that she’s crying.

The blade she holds in her hands has taken damage, the handle having cracked and the tsuba being snapped in two. She turns her head towards you… is that a look of pleading, or of accusation?

All around you is a world of light, and the pain in your head returns.

“Aww...” you groan. “That was a mistake...”

“So you’re alive!” a female voice realizes. “Ma’am, come in! She’s woken up!”

“How long...” you ask, laying your head back down on the pillow as the room around you comes into focus. Then you suddenly remember why you’re here.

“Hitsugi-han!” you cry out, sitting straight upright in bed as your head swims. Your hand finds your forehead as you struggle to make sense of your surroundings. “Where is my team? Where’s my sword? Where am I?”

“Your sword is here,” a familiar voice consoles you sternly. “By your nightstand. Now calm down, Raishō-san. You’re going to reopen your wounds.”

“… Kurotsuchi-han?” you ask as the figure in front of you slides back into focus. Wait… can you see her out of both eyes?

>Ask Kurotsuchi to show you a mirror.
>Demand to know where you are and where Hitsugi is.
>Calm down… ask Kurotsuchi to explain exactly what happened after you passed out.
>Other?

>>3870258
>Ask Kurotsuchi to show you a mirror.
>Demand to know where you are and where Hitsugi is.

>>3870262
>>3870258
This

>>3870258
>Ask Kurotsuchi to show you a mirror.
>Calm down… ask Kurotsuchi to explain exactly what happened after you passed out.

>>3870258
>Ask Kurotsuchi to show you a mirror.
>Demand to know where you are and where Hitsugi is.

>>3870258
>>Ask Kurotsuchi to show you a mirror.

>>3870258
>Ask Kurotsuchi to show you a mirror.

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693 KB PNG

>>3870258
“Kurotsuchi-han,” you ask, your voice uncharacteristically raspy. “Please, hand me a mirror?”

She quickly does as you request, handing you a small pocket-mirror. You look at it, and can hardly believe what you’re seeing. But it does seem increasingly likely as you think about it: you did lose your eye, so the slate-grey replacement currently in your left socket and the scar left where your original red one was sliced apart are both consistent.

“So you see,” Kurotsuchi begins, sitting on the end of your bed. “You’re not in the worst shape. In fact most of the work was already done by the time you and your friend were brought here.”

Friend, singular. So that means Hitsugi survived as well… but Ukemi is dead.

“I see,” you nod, carefully, before shutting your eyes and leaning back in bed. “And where’s ‘here’, exactly?”

“Iwagakure,” she informs you. “You were brought in by some mercenaries Ohnoki hired to deal with Raiga.”

“Ohnoki?”

Kurotsuchi nods curtly with a grin. “My gramps… and the Third Tsuchikage. Speaking of whom, he wanted to speak to you when you woke up. He’s got questions.”

>That’s fine, so do I.
>I’ll comply so far as I am able.
>Be real with me, how much trouble are Hitsugi and I in?
>Other?

>>3870284
>I’ll comply so far as I am able.
>Be real with me, how much trouble are Hitsugi and I in?

>>3870284
>I’ll comply so far as I am able.

>>3870284
>I’ll comply so far as I am able.

>>3870284
>I’ll comply so far as I am able.

>>3870284
>>I’ll comply so far as I am able.

>>3870284
>>I’ll comply so far as I am able.
>>Be real with me, how much trouble are Hitsugi and I in?

>>3870284
>>That’s fine, so do I.

How'd we lose an eye or break our sword? The narrative kinda just said that it happened suddenly with not actual build up or am I just being retarded?

>>3870299
we were very outclassed and a faster opponent with powerful abilities can make things seem to happen out of the blue

>>3870299
Sword's not broken, at least to the blade. Hilt's cracked and the tsuba, the ring-thing where the hilt stops and the blade starts, is broken.
As for the eye, we fought one of the seven swordsmen of the mist, as a genin. Injuries are guaranteed, survival is not.

>>3870299
Losing the eye was mentioned in the first post of the fight, where Raiga dispelled Naori's genjutsu and threw Kiba at her. She caught one of the pointy horns in the face.

The guard of her sword broke when she got into melee with the wielder of the Boltswords with a halfassed chakra flow technique.

>>3870301

read this post again >>3869062, we intercepted his sword and it is mentioned that blood drips from the left eye area

>>3870302
Ah ok. Then I'm just missing things as I read and try to multitask. Sorry about that QM.

>>3870284
“As thanks for your hospitality, for me and my surviving teammate,” you reply calmly, “I will cooperate, to the degree that I can.”

“That’s good to hear,” Kurotsuchi nods. “Can you walk?”

“I think so,” you grunt, pushing yourself out of bed and wobbling on your feet. “Just took a few too many blows to the head.”

“There are new clothes for you sitting over there,” Kurotsuchi tells you, pointing to a pile of red clothing on a nearby chair. “I’ll just be outside.”

You find that your gear, aside from Umekiri, is gone. What you’ve been left are a mesh shirt and shorts that you had sealed into a scroll, and your shrine maiden outfit. The rest of your scrolls, including the one you were returning to Amegakure, are absent.

“It’s a good look!” Kurotsuchi nods approvingly. “I… take it you realized what you were missing?”

You nod. “Where are the scrolls?”

“Ohnoki confiscated them,” Kurotsuchi admits with a frown. “As a precaution, he said.”

Great, so you’ll have to get that back somehow. Maybe that was meant to ensure your cooperation?

>Mention it to Kurotsuchi how uncomfortable this whole situation makes you.
>Ask about the mercenaries.
>Ask about the Third Tsuchikage.
>Other?

>>3870306
No big. I don't mind having to clarify occasionally.

>>3870310
>>Ask about the Third Tsuchikage.

>>3870310
>>Ask about the mercenaries.
>>Ask about the Third Tsuchikage.

>>3870310
>Ask about the Third Tsuchikage.

>Mention it to Kurotsuchi how uncomfortable this whole situation makes you

Best if we try to be honest about this and try to form an alliance of sorts if not just be friends? We seem to be wanting to at least not let old prejudice cloud our judgment.

>>3870322
you missed the link to the post anon

>>3870310
>Mention it to Kurotsuchi how uncomfortable this whole situation makes you.
>Ask about the mercenaries.

>>3870325
Fuck. Erm I'll just link it in this post if it''s cool?

>>3870310
>Mention it to Kurotsuchi how uncomfortable this whole situation makes you

Just linking the post so my vote isn't missed. Not trying to double dip.

>>3870310
“So what is the Third Tsuchikage like?” you ask nervously. “And what are the chances I’m in deep trouble?”

Kurotsuchi shrugs. “He’s my grandfather, so that means I only inherited one-eighth of his stubbornness. That should put it in perspective.”

That… sounds like trouble for you.

“I see...”

“He can be unreasonable, petty, incredibly stubborn,” your escort explains as she leads you across a bridge from one high, beehive-shaped building to another, heading for a larger beehive with the character for ‘Earth’ on its roof. “He insists his faults are virtues and is quick to find fault in others, and relentlessly pushes against our rivals and neighbors. But the thing that makes him insufferable is that nine times out of ten he has the right idea.”

All the way the ninja and non-ninja citizens of Iwagakure either give you cold, hard stares or outright avoid you.

After what seems like an eternity, Kurotsuchi leads you into the large building partway up its height, and holds out her hand. “Sorry. But these are the rules… I can’t let you take that in there.”

With a moment’s hesitation, you hand the sword to her. “Please take good care of it. It’s in bad enough shape as it is due to my own inexperience.”

“I will,” she nods in agreement. “Head on in. And Naori-san?”

“Hm?”

She frowns at you. “Don’t lie to him.”
>1/2

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1.27 MB PNG

>>3870343
“I should throw you in prison,” the voice of an old man greets you as you step into a round office. From behind a stack of papers, said old man floats into the air before touching down lightly in front of the desk he was sitting behind. He’s so small that he was completely obscured before.

“But it sounds like my granddaughter has taken a liking to you,” he continues. “So instead I’ll deal with you with a little more civility.”

“Who are you?”

“Raishō Naori,” you reply calmly. “A genin from Amegakure.”

“Kurotsuchi explained your apparent mission,” Ohnoki explains, walking slowly around to your left side. “What I’m more concerned with is your connection to the Akatsuki.”

>The Akatsuwho?
>You mean the two who saved us?
>I don’t know anything about them.
>Write-in?

>>3870354
>>The Akatsuwho?

>>3870354
>The Akatsuwho?
>You mean the two who saved us?

>>3870354
>The Akatsuwho?
First time hearing the name.

>>3870354
>>The Akatsuwho?

>>3870354
>The Akatsuwho?

>>3870354
>>The Akatsuwho?
>>You mean the two who saved us?

>need to pick up some last-minute groceries for tomorrow
>will update when I get back

>>3870354
>>The Akatsuwho?

I think it would be pretty cool if tried to side with the Akatsuki in this quest. It'd definitly be a change of pace and didn't they liberate us too? Or at least one of their members is our sensei?

>>3870373
konan seems ok so far and itachi saving us and Hitsugi and giving us a new eye, thast gonna count for alot.
i would agree with siding with them, we can still find out how many psychos they employ and how fucked up the group in general is, which might lead us to leave them, or try to change it for the better

>>3870354
>head tilt of confusion

>>3870354
“The Akatsuwho?” you ask, confused about what you’re even being asked to talk about. “Is that the mercenary group Kurotsuchi mentioned?”

“Yes, the very same,” the Third Tsuchikage confirms. “The ones who healed you and brought you here.”

You shake your head. “I’ve never even heard of them before now. I couldn’t even tell you what the ones who killed Raiga looked like.”

“I see,” Ohnoki replies, stroking at his whispy beard and thinking deeply on the new information. “I suppose it is possible that one of them merely took pity on a badly-wounded girl, though I would have to wonder which of them harbored such a vulnerability...”

You briefly consider speaking up, but decide against it. The Third Tsuchikage seems to be talking to himself, and would probably yell at you if you interrupted.

“Fine then,” he eventually decides. “Let’s say for a moment that I believe you, and that your survival was merely on a whim of the Akatsuki who were sent to handle Kurosuki Raiga.”

You nod, listening along. “Yes, Lord Tsuchikage?”

“Then what precisely are these supposed to be?” he asks, unsealing your scroll. Five swords and three bizarre creations fall from out of the sealing formula inside, landing in a pile. “Five of them are recognizable as swords at least, but these three are of a design I’d pin more as coming from one of those puppeteers of Sunagakure.”

>I have no idea. I was simply ordered to have them evaluated and repaired.
>Two of the swords are quite valuable… they might well be from Hanzō’s collection.
>I was only sent because of my own sword. Anything else is above my pay grade.
>Other?

>>3870427
>>>I have no idea. I was simply ordered to have them evaluated and repaired.

>>3870427
>>I have no idea. I was simply ordered to have them evaluated and repaired.

>>3870427
>I have no idea. I was simply ordered to have them evaluated and repaired.

>>3870427
>I have no idea. I was simply ordered to have them evaluated and repaired.

>>3870427
>>I have no idea. I was simply ordered to have them evaluated and repaired.

>>3870427
>>I have no idea. I was simply ordered to have them evaluated and repaired.