>>5463640
“When did you…”

“Suiton: Suirō no jutsu.”

The water you used for the clone, you now use for a prison - having tricked your cousin into bringing himself into range of the water you created with your chakra rather than having to do it the other way around.

“Not bad, cousin,” you muse. “But you were careless…”

Boruto shows you some of the creativity that had you so wary at the start, using a rasengan in each hand to blast the water prison apart from the inside - since it’s a clone using water you had to produce rather than natural water, it’s only a fraction as strong as it should be. Then he produces a new weapon - a folding fūma-style shuriken, which had been stored in a pouch behind his back. He unfolds it and throws it at you in one smooth motion.

“Don’t underestimate me!” he shouts, even as you dodge, as you take a deep focusing breath.

The fūma shuriken passes you as you take a carefully-controlled hop to one side. But instead of sailing off into the distance, the weapon separates into its four component blades, each of which bursts into a shadow clone of Boruto with a cloud of smoke. One braces the other two, who gather chakra at their palms while the fourth uses them as footholds.

… not bad, but your breath is just a few fleet seals from becoming flame.

>He wins this round, at the cost of the war. Dispel yourself and save the chakra.
>Unleash your breath as a counter - Boruto’s clone can only attack in a straight line.
>Why bother with the clone? You have enough chakra chains for everyone.
>Other?

>>5463642
>>He wins this round, at the cost of the war. Dispel yourself and save the chakra.

I'm fine with playing the long game.

>>5463642
>>Unleash your breath as a counter - Boruto’s clone can only attack in a straight line.

>>5463642
>Unleash your breath and use it to knock up a steam cloud from the water on the ground, then use that to obscure yourself while you use the hibana shisshin
This dude's weak to genjutsu, like most everyone

>>5463642
>He wins this round, at the cost of the war. Dispel yourself and save the chakra.

>>5463642
>>He wins this round, at the cost of the war. Dispel yourself and save the chakra.

>>5463642
>>Unleash your breath as a counter - Boruto’s clone can only attack in a straight line.

>>5463642
You could meet the clone’s blind charge with a blast of white fire that would utterly erase them all - that, you know, is the great flaw of such a technique. Kakashi-sensei once relied on something similar (but better), a high-speed charge to deliver lightning chakra concentrated in his hand, but was forced to create the more flexible shiden when his aging sharingan could no longer keep up. While your eyes could probably let you get away with it most of the time, you still have to admit that you wouldn’t feel comfortable with the risk of using such a flawed technique until after you master senjutsu, which according to Naori-ue will let you preemptively sense danger and evade a potentially lethal counterattack.

Boruto on the other hand never had anything like that, so using such an accelerated linear attack means someone like you with the reflexes for it can punish him for trading away responsiveness for more speed.

But you choose not to. Instead you form a one-handed seal with your left fingers, and at the last possible instant dispel yourself. You only wish you could see the look on his face when he realizes how much chakra he wasted fighting a shadow clone.

…

You are Uzumaki Shiki, and the update from your shadow clone is certainly an interesting one.

“Something up?” Iwabee wonders.

You nod. “My shadow clones captured the thugs and figured out who sent them - but he also found Boruto-kun.”

“They did?” Metal replies, in something halfway between excitement and anxiety.

“Should we… should we go get him?” Denki-kun wonders aloud. “I feel like we should go try and capture him.”

>No. We’ll catch him at the rendezvous point with Sasuke-san.
>We’ll ambush him outside the train station, then take him back by train.
>We can intercept him on the train. It shouldn’t be too hard.
>Other?

>>5464524
>>We’ll ambush him outside the train station, then take him back by train.

>>5464524
>No. We’ll catch him at the rendezvous point with Sasuke-san.

>>5464524
>>We’ll ambush him outside the train station, then take him back by train.

>>5464524
>>We’ll ambush him outside the train station, then take him back by train.

>>5464524
">1d6 in thread, taking first three."
">DC: 12"
you know the drill

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5465194

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5465194
Uh oh, stinky!

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5465194

>>5465194
Snagged some wifi,
>Use 2sp to pass?
>SP: 4/4

>>5465266
yes

>>5465266
>yes

>>5465266
>NO
I don't care if its metagaming, but i want shiki and team 5 to fail so that we get a chance to get into the past and meet jiraya!

>>5465266
yes

>>5465266
yeah sure
but i still hope we get to meet jiraiya

>>5465266
no

>>5465266
>yes

I HATE TIME TRAVEL I HATE TIME TRAVEL

>>5465266
You consider your options - this isn’t exactly a busy stop in and of itself, meaning there won’t be any crowds, and right now you’re positioned at an ideal point to intercept Boruto. He’s coming this way by train after all, and you have a little bit of time to prepare for him. But even as you’re announcing your plans, a thought occurs to you.

“Shiki-san?” Denki wonders aloud.

“Bear with me here,” you insist, working out the concepts in your mind. “If you were Boruto-kun, and you had already fought my shadow clones, what would your assumption be?”

“That…” Denki begins, before catching on. “I’d assume you’d be waiting to capture me, and that the whole fight was just intended to wear me down.”

“So assume for a moment that was successful,” you continue. “Would you get off on the platform here?”

Denki shakes his head. “Of course not.”

“But if he knew that you knew he would not get off at this platform,” Metal muses, “would that not mean he would be more likely to get off at this platform as usual?”

“You’re overthinking it,” you insist.

“Boruto-kun’s not the kind of guy to get lost inside his opponent’s head like that,” Iwabee agrees with you. “He’s going to jump off the train early and leave a shadow clone in his seat.”

“That would make sense,” Denki agrees. “So how do we use that to our advantage? We have no idea where he’ll jump off the train, so we can’t really do better than guessing what path he’ll take to get to where Sasuke-san will be.”

“We can guess,” you counter, proverbial wheels still turning in your head. “If I were in his place I’d want to minimize how long I had to walk through the desert.”

“So he’d most likely jump off the train as late as possible,” Denki reasons.

A bird flies behind Metal before making a tight turn, startling the genin before stopping short in front of you. Hey, wait a minute…

“Isoka-san?” you wonder aloud, holding out your wrist so she can perch. “Did my mother send you to find me?”

“She did,” the rather large hummingbird-like shrike chirps. “There’s a note in the scroll on my leg - get it off me already!”

“Okay, okay,” you assure her, releasing the tiny clasps. As soon as she’s free of her burden she takes off, hovering in front of you. “That better?”
>1/2

>>5465672
“I hate carrying that thing, but Naori-dono insisted,” Isoka-san replies. “For his eyes only, she said. So if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be heading home.”

“Please tell Kiburi I said hello,” you incline your head politely. “And warn her that I may have to call on her shortly.”

“I will,” Isoka-san replies with a courteous dip of her beak before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Next you work the little scroll-carrier open, and unroll the message inside to read it silently to yourself.

>Go with Kōshū-kun. Tell nobody.
>Mom

… strange. But then again, both your parents do stuff like this sometimes - Naori-ue being the more frequent offender. At a certain point you simply came to accept the fact that your parents are elite shinobi, and that on occasion they have insights that drive their behaviors in a way ‘normal’ parents don’t.

…

As it turns out, the ambush point you chose was exactly on the money - Boruto comes running through a short slot canyon to find his way blocked by Denki, with Metal and Iwabee emerging from hiding above the rims of the canyon. Last, you position yourself to block his way back.

“Nice of you to join us, Boruto-kun,” you announce yourself and your intentions.

“Man, you guys are totally being a pain in the butt,” he grumbles.

“For real?” you counter. “You intercepted a message from a senior jōnin to the hokage, crossed two international borders, and you’re on your way to interrupt what’s presumably a sensitive mission, but we’re being a pain in the butt?”

“You know this time he has a point, Boruto-kun,” Iwabee quickly agrees.

>Consider the position you’d likely be putting Sasuke-san in - this is the guy you look to as a mentor, right?
>If you don’t come back willingly, I’m completely within my orders to bring you back by force - and I definitely will.
>Why rush? You’ll have plenty of time to train back in Konoha, with whoever you can convince to tolerate you.
>Other?

>>5465753
>>Consider the position you’d likely be putting Sasuke-san in - this is the guy you look to as a mentor, right?

>>5465753
>>Why rush? You’ll have plenty of time to train back in Konoha, with whoever you can convince to tolerate you.

>>5465753
>Consider the position you’d likely be putting Sasuke-san in - this is the guy you look to as a mentor, right?

>>5465753
>Consider the position you’d likely be putting Sasuke-san in - this is the guy you look to as a mentor, right?
>I'm giving you one chance to do the right thing before i kick your ass for real.

>>5465753
“If you want Sasuke-san to be your mentor,” you reason, “then why don’t you stop and think about what you’re doing here?”

“What do you mean?”

“If it’s Sasuke-san he’s probably on an important mission, maybe a dangerous one, and you’d be getting in his way,” you declare, “putting yourself at risk for sure, probably endangering his mission, and maybe even putting him at risk if he has to look out for you.”

“I’ll go one step further,” Iwabee grumbles, “you’re acting like exactly the kinda spoiled brat I thought you were on your first day at the academy. It doesn’t suit you, dude.”

After a few moments, Boruto’s shoulders slump. “Yeah, okay, I hear ya. Guess I was just getting defensive about it cause I didn’t expect my old man to send other shinobi after me like this.”

“Apology accepted,” you grumble.

“Point taken, jeez,” he replies flatly. “I’m sorry you guys.”

“Better,” you relent. “I’d been considering perp-walking you all the way back to the village as punishment, but now I feel like that’d probably be too much.”

“If it were anyone else would you do it?” Denki asks curiously.

“Probably, yes.”

…

The return trip to the station is fairly subdued, with Boruto having decided not to give you any trouble along the way and nobody else really on the roads and trails through the area. That is, until you approach the station to find that basically the only three other people out here are people you know. One of them stops as they’re about to run by, and calls out to you.

“Shikkun?” Kōshū realizes aloud, before calling after her teammates. “Uncle, hold up a moment!”

Her teammates and their leader, an older-looking man whose facial features are framed by purple markings and patterns, come to a halt as well. The older man then backtracks to where Kōshū stopped.
>1/2

>>5466636
“You’d be Naori-san’s kid, right?” the older shinobi frowns, rubbing his chin. “Normally I’d be real curious to know what you’re all doing in the Land of Wind, but right now it seems Kōshū-kun’s got something else in mind.”

He glances at her. “You think any of these guys can help?”

“I’ll vouch for Shikkun’s ability,” Kōshū declares, “any day of the week. The thuggy-looking one, the nerd with the ascot, and the green wonder are a different story.”

“That’s a pretty casual way of dissing us,” Iwabee grumbles. “You looking to pick a fight?”

“I’ve never been one for formalities,” Kōshū shrugs before glancing back at the older shinobi again. “The blonde one I don’t know, uncle.”

“Uzumaki Boruto,” Boruto introduces himself curtly, clearly wary of this whole development. “You guys from the Sand seem like you’re in a hurry.”

“We have an important mission,” Shinki declares calmly, “and we’re wasting our time here, uncle.”

“We’re short-handed right now,” Kōshū counters. “You said it yourself, uncle.”

So, ‘uncle’ huh? That must mean the man with the face paint is Kankuro, Gaara-san and Temari-san’s older brother. It’s been a long time since you saw him - he’s not as much a friend of your family as his siblings, and you see them rarely enough as it is.

“You’re both right,” Kankuro decides, taking out a scroll. “Shiki-kun, I want you to come with us or at least take a message to the hokage for us. Can you do that?”

You glance at Denki - clearly the brains of his team’s operation, even if his skills as a shinobi are still developing.

>Denki, I actually have my own orders to follow from here. Getting Boruto and Kankuro-san’s message to the Hokage is your mission now.
>If this is as important as you’re making it out to be I can’t refuse. Denki-kun, Boruto-kun, do whatever you think you have to in my absence.
>Boruto, come with me. Denki, carrying the message to the Hokage is your mission now. We’ll catch up to you when we can.
>I already have a mission to complete - it’s why I’m here in the first place. But I can take your message as part of that mission.
>Other?

>>5467570
>>If this is as important as you’re making it out to be I can’t refuse. Denki-kun, Boruto-kun, do whatever you think you have to in my absence.

>>5467570
>If this is as important as you’re making it out to be I can’t refuse. Denki-kun, Boruto-kun, do whatever you think you have to in my absence.

>>5467570
>>If this is as important as you’re making it out to be I can’t refuse. Denki-kun, Boruto-kun, do whatever you think you have to in my absence.

>>5467570
“Denki-kun, this is your mission now,” you decide with a sigh. “If this is half as important as Kankoru-san is making out to be I can’t refuse.”

You keep the fact that your mom explicitly told you to go with Kōshū to yourself for now - maybe you’ll tell her at some point that something else is going on here, since she’s become directly involved, but no one else can know.

“Wait… me?” Denki wonders.

“Is there anyone else named Denki here?” you frown at him. “Do what you think is best. I’ll be back as soon as I’m able.”

…

“So what did my big talk get me into?” you demand once you’re clear of Denki’s team and Boruto. “I assume it’s bad.”

“It’s bad,” Kōshū confirms. “We’re chasing after my uncle and the One-Tail.”

“Shūkaku-san?” you ask, confused. “Why?

“Apparently someone’s trying to capture him,” Kankuro-san clarifies. “Uchiha Sasuke should already be there, but our jōnin council thought that wasn’t enough.”

“I assume we know where we’re going?”

“That’s correct,” Shinki replies curtly. “It won’t be far.”

…

When you reach Gaara-san and Shūkaku-san, you find that the Kazekage has raised a massive stepped pyramid of sand and sealed something - or someone - inside of it.

“I don’t wanna!” Shūkaku protests. “You’re not sticking me back in that dinky little thing!”

Gaara has a heavy cast-iron tea kettle out on the sand, and is plainly trying to convince Shūkaku to get inside it. “We have no choice,” the Kazekage insists sternly. “The enemy is an Ōtsutsuki, and this is only a temporary victory.”

“Can you do it in your state?”

“That is the wrong question,” Gaara insists. “Because this is what I have to do, for the sake of everyone living in it - including you.”
>1/2

>>5469150
… honestly, you can do it at this point. It might not be easy and you’d be useless for probably an hour or so afterwards, but you could do it. In fact you almost step forward and offer, but Kankuro gestures for you to stop.

And so there are a few seconds of awkward silence as Gaara leaves Shukakū to mull it over, and eventually the great tanuki scoffs. “Well, I can’t have you kicking the bucket and haunting me as a ghost or somethin’, I’ve got enough nags bothering me already. So just this once, I’ll do it myself.”

And with that pronouncement, the great tanuki rapidly diminishes, almost fading in a sense, reduced first to a glowing outline, then a translucent blur that compresses itself before entering the tea kettle. After a moment, Gaara picks the kettle up off the sands and places a sealing tag on the bottom.

So that sort of exchange is ‘normal’ for them? Being a jinchūriki must be even weirder than Fū-nee and Yugitō-san let on.

“Kankuro,” Gaara continues, looking to his brother. “I need you to take this vessel to Konoha. They will be better prepared to safeguard it at this time.”

“Right,” Kankuro agrees with a nod. “The elder council will throw a fit over this.”

“Let them,” Gaara dismisses the notion. Then he hands the vessel off to Shinki… or rather, he tries to. The tea kettle just about leaps out of both their hands, before falling back to the sand.

“Hup!” you hear a voice, as two sandy legs emerge from the kettle, followed by another “hup!” and a pair of matching arms and a single familiar tail. Then the head emerges, with the lid of the kettle popping up with it like a hat.

Then Shukakū waddles over to you, and leaps towards your chest.

>Catch him.
>Let him bounce off you.
>Sidestep.
>Other?

>>5470046
>>Catch him.

>>5470046
>>Catch him.
then hold him with outstreched arms
"Why me?"

>>5470046
>>Catch him.

>>5470046
>Catch him.
>"Hello there. Mom told me about you guys. It's nice to meet you."

>>5470046
As tempted as you are to just let Shukakū bounce comedically off your chest, your reflexes get the better of you and you catch him on instinct. “What’s the meaning of this?”

“Shukakū-sama,” Shinki speaks up as well. “It would be better if someone from our village were to carry you for the duration of this mission.”

“See, that’s exactly what’s wrong with you, kid,” Shukakū retorts.

“What does that mean?”

“Think about it some and maybe you’ll figure it out.”

“I mean, I don’t think there’s a problem here?” Kōshū muses, before glancing at her uncles. “Then again, politics, or something?”

“Politics,” Kankuro agrees with a nod, turning to his brother. “I dunno, Gaara. It’s your call.”

“Shukakū has clearly made up his mind,” Gaara decides. “Uzumaki Shiki-kun, I will be entrusting this task to you. Can you do this?”

You spare a glance at the sand pyramid. “Assuming the Ōtsutsuki stays in there, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Then let’s get going,” Kankuro insists curtly. “Gaara, you gonna be okay?”

“I should be,” Gaara replies. “I could use a hand getting back to the train station.”

“Araya-kun, Shinki-kun,” Kankuro decides, “go with the Kazekage.”

…

“I’m curious,” Shukakū speaks up from your back. “Why did you choose Shiki-kun and Kōshū-kun instead of Shinki-kun?”

“It’s pretty rare that a pair of rivals can stab each other and still be friends afterwards,” Kankuro explains his rationale. “So that’s gotta count for something in terms of teamwork.”
>1d6, best of four

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5471744

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5471744

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5471744

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5471744

>>5471744
“Wouldn’t this go faster if we went by train?” you wonder aloud.

“Maybe,” Kankuro replies. “But Gaara wants to avoid any civilians getting caught up in this.”

“Then it makes sense,” Kōshū agrees. “Doesn’t inspire much faith in uncle’s fūinjutsu though.”

“True,” Kankuro admits. “But it’s better to overestimate that Ōtsutsuki’s ability than get caught off guard again.”

…

Well after nightfall, Kankuro calls your group to a halt. “We’ll rest here for a little bit.”

Ah… you forgot, this would be the first time Kankuro-san has seen your absurd Uzumaki stamina in action. He and Kōshū seem more or less fine at a casual glance, but a closer look tells you that both are tired from having kept up that pace. It’s most noticeable in their expressions, a slight weight to their eyelids that betrays the cumulative effects of their exertion. Kōshū’s development continues to impress - she clearly hasn’t slacked off at all since her promotion to chūnin.

Her uniform has changed since the last time you saw her - a sleeveless kimono in a deep bellflower purple comes down to her thighs, worn over a short-sleeved mesh undershirt and black tights, with arm and leg guards to compliment her new flak jacket. Over her flak jacket she wears a lighter silken sash, you’d call it a wisteria shade, and beneath it hang a hip pouch and a scroll holster.

…

You’re not really sure if you were sleeping lightly or if it was something more like a trance, but whatever it was it only lasts a few hours. Kankuro, who had made a little campfire for a while, kicks it out and rouses his niece, who also doesn’t seem like she was sleeping so much as resting.

In fact, the only one who shows much displeasure at being awoken is Shukakū.

“Man, I was just starting to get comfy,” he grumbles before jumping onto your back.

“Same,” you grumble back. “Think you could squirm less today?”

“It’s not my fault this thing’s uncomfortable,” Shukakū insists. “If you’ve got a problem with it, tell Gaara to shell out for a vessel that doesn’t suck next time!”
>1/2

>>5472811
It’s shortly after daybreak, and something has changed. At first it was a sensation like something hovering just short of the edge of recognition, the perceptual equivalent of feeling like you need to sneeze for five minutes but never actually doing it. But eventually that sensation gave way to the awareness that someone, or more accurately something, is following your group.

“So we’re being followed, right?” you muse, tightening the group up a little as you run across the desert sands. “It’s not just me?”

“Since shortly after we got moving this morning,” Kankuro informs you.

“Thought so,” Kōshū muses calmly. “I’ve been having the same feeling.”

“I wonder why it took me so long?” you wonder. “It seems like they’re close… normally I’d pick up on it quicker.”

“You’re sharper than most,” Kankuro commends you. “We’re being chased by puppets.”

… that would explain it.

>Wouldn’t it be better to turn and fight? Getting it out of the way gives us more options later.
>I can delay them a little using shadow clones, and essentially scout their abilities for myself.
>How are they able to track us? Puppets shouldn’t be able to do that sort of thing autonomously.
>Other?

>>5473117
>How are they able to track us? Puppets shouldn’t be able to do that sort of thing autonomously.

>>5473117
>>How are they able to track us? Puppets shouldn’t be able to do that sort of thing autonomously.

>>5473117
>>How are they able to track us? Puppets shouldn’t be able to do that sort of thing autonomously.

As a brief aside: it was somewhat gratifying to have someone explain to Boruto how utterly, deplorably unacceptable his course of action was.

Until that point in canon, I was willing to entertain the notion of Boruto being a more clever, less hax Naruto. This was the point I reassessed that notion.

>>5473117
“How are they tracking us independently?” you wonder aloud, curious about one little detail to this situation. “Even if it’s the Ōtsutsuki we’re talking about, shouldn’t techniques like this follow internally consistent rules?”

“I know that Sasori of the Red Sand once had a pair of puppets in his ‘Red Collection’ that had sharingan,” Kankuro declares. “So maybe these Ōtsutsuki puppets work the same way.”

“Those were real sharingan!?” you exclaim, before realizing what you just said. “I mean I’ve heard about those, I just assumed he created imitations.”

“Nice save,” Kōshū smirks. “So does that give you any ideas?”

“As a matter of fact yes,” you reply. “I’ve heard the byakugan traces its lineage back to the Ōtsutsuki clans. If we assume that’s the same sort of ability at work here, we’re in luck.”

“How’s that?” Kankuro wonders aloud.

“Because my teacher is from the Hyūga,” you explain. “So there are a few things I’ve learned by necessity. There are a few tricks we can try.”
>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5474404

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5474404

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5474404

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5474404

>>5474404
By noon, you can’t keep rushing forward in even feigned ignorance of what’s been going on behind you, and so your group is obliged to turn and fight. Your pursuers as it turns out were four puppets clad in what look like ancient aristocratic outfits, with pale mechanical parts, no chakra threads, and pale eyes. One, marked out with a much darker grey cloak and hood, almost seems to be designated as a leader.

Interesting… a precursor to the “four man cell” used by shinobi?

“It looks like we’re outnumbered,” Shukakū observes.

“Do it, Kōshū-kun!” you insist, finishing your technique. “Suiton: Kirigakure no Jutsu!”

“Right!” she replies, already weaving hand seals even as fog rolls across the desert floor. “Hyōton: Hyōkō no Jutsu!”

Before the mist can dissipate, Kōshū swiftly lowers its temperature and converts it to ice crystals, which she uses to create a blinding flash. This sort of technique you know can even overwhelm a byakugan’s visual abilities, since flash powder using particular metallic crystals is one of a limited number of countermeasures you’ve gleaned from your sparring sessions with Hanabi-sensei (an idea which Sumirin came up with).

As soon as the flash starts to fade the puppets launch an attack, flanking you and extending their limbs which sprout wicked blades thanks to a creative use of what must be a precursor to your own fūinjutsu. But what they strike are shadow clones you created during the momentary blindness, one of which was transformed to look like Kōshū. The entire purpose was to create this opening.

“Hyōton: Tsubame Fubuki!”

A cloud of unsealed shuriken coated in hard, razor-sharp ice, pepper two of the puppets, but that’s not the end of Kōshū’s assault. Even as the shuriken strike, several hitting the sand around the puppets’ feet, she’s already preparing the second stage. “Hyōton: Hissatsu Hyōsō!”

Meanwhile, you’ve been busy binding one of another puppet’s hidden blades with your own knife, and it makes the mistake of falling back. Your one-handed seals started even during the bind, and so your exhaling breath follows the puppet near-instantly. “Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu!”

A dragon-shaped blaze of white incinerates one puppet, the sudden change in temperature from the icy touch of Kōshū’s frozen fog to the searing heat of your own white flames cracking even the parts of the puppet that aren’t destroyed outright. The icy spears that explode outward from Kōshū’s shuriken rip limbs off two more puppets, not quite destroying them outright but causing crippling destruction.
>1/2

>>5474803
Kankuro-san jumps in as well, finally revealing the puppets he unsealed during the flash, which have positioned themselves underneath the two Kōshū damaged. Two of them open up along a seam that runs vertically the length of the chest, moving swiftly to capture the damaged puppets. Seemingly just to make sure these two puppets release their limbs and heads, which unfold poisoned blades which stab into special slots built into the puppet bodies, further impaling the Ōtsutsuki puppets held within.

If those had been flesh and blood you’d have felt somewhat sorry for them. It would’ve been a grisly fate.

“I can handle it from here,” Kankuro insists to you and Kōshū. “Get going!”

“Right,” you agree, glancing at Kōshū-kun. “Shall we?”

“Make sure you catch up with us, uncle,” she replies after a moment, before joining you.

“Yeah,” he insists. “As a puppet-master, I could never show my face again if I lost here!”

…

“So what next, Shikkun?” Kōshū eventually asks once you’ve managed to get a little bit of distance from the remaining puppet.

“This should be fine,” you declare. “The byakugan has an actual limit to its range - within that range its visual acuity is unbeatable. But outside that range it’s useless on its own.”

“I assume you have a plan to take advantage of that?”

>Actually, yes - I plan to get on the train, leaving some shadow clones as a decoy.
>I doubt an Ōtsutsuki will respect a border for humans - we need someone to meet us.
>I hate to rely on my mom, but this is exactly the sort of thing she got strong for.
>He’ll assume we’d take the shortest route. I propose we simply don’t do that.
>Nah, no plan. You have anything?
>Other?

>>5475022
>>He’ll assume we’d take the shortest route. I propose we simply don’t do that.

>>5475022
>He’ll assume we’d take the shortest route. I propose we simply don’t do that.

>>5475022
>>I doubt an Ōtsutsuki will respect a border for humans - we need someone to meet us.

>>5475022
>>Actually, yes - I plan to get on the train, leaving some shadow clones as a decoy.

>>5475022
>I doubt an Ōtsutsuki will respect a border for humans - we need someone to meet us.

>>5475022
>He’ll assume we’d take the shortest route. I propose we simply don’t do that.

I am sorry to ask this, but who is Kōshū? and what did she do in the story? I cant remember her.

>>5475022
>>He’ll assume we’d take the shortest route. I propose we simply don’t do that.

>>5475306
She is Queens invention, the daughter of Temari of the Sand and Chojuro of the Mist that didn't get together in canon. She has the kekkei genkai of ice and due to that she was send to her family in the village of the sand to keep her safe from those in the mist that have a prejudice torwards that bloodline ability.
She is on the team with Shinki and fought Shiki in the exams, since they were both very serious they earned each others respect and a sort of friendship.

>>5475368
Thanks
I still cant remember that at all, it is completely gone, but at least i know who she is now.

>>5475022
>1d6, first three

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5475969

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5475969

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5475969

>>5475969
“Well, if we assume this Ōtsutsuki is arrogant,” you begin to reason, “he’ll assume we’re too afraid of him to approach this tactically. So the next reasonable assumption is that we’ll take the shortest possible path.”

“So since he can’t see us with his byakugan he’ll just go straight towards Konohagakure?” Kōshū nods. “Okay, so having guessed that you plan to not do that?”

“I’ll need your help,” you admit. “I don’t know the best route to do something like that.”

“Well, there’s only one bridge,” Kōshū tells you. “How comfortable are you walking on walls?”

“... what kind of walls?”

…

At the bridge, ‘you’ find yourself ambushed by a man floating in the air - pale-skinned with pale eyes and pale hair. At his waist is some sort of glowing red gourd, and in his hand is a red switch - not the mechanical or electrical kind, but the kind you’d imagine a cruel, overbearing parent would hit you with.

“Well, that was a good run!” he muses with a wide grin. “But sorry to tell you, it’s over.”

To emphasize the point he then destroys the bridge with a blast of… sand?

“The Kazekage’s technique?” ‘Kōshū’ realizes. “How in the world…”

Suddenly, he swoops in to get a closer look at you - a much closer look. His blank eyes meet yours from just a few inches away, and you hold your ground, realizing that if he had wanted to strike you he would’ve done so already.

“Hm… you’ve got some pretty nice eyes, kid,” he muses.

“Stranger danger,” Kōshū mutters.

>Stall for some more time, ask him what he means about your eyes while you’ve got him talking.
>It’d be helpful to see more of what this guy can do while you can. So you should attack - cautiously.
>The key point should be to find a way to get across the river with the tea kettle. That’s your ‘mission’.
>Other?

>>5476297
>>Stall for some more time, ask him what he means about your eyes while you’ve got him talking.

>>5476297
>Stall for some more time, ask him what he means about your eyes while you’ve got him talking.

>>5476297
>>Stall for some more time, ask him what he means about your eyes while you’ve got him talking.

>>5476297
>>It’d be helpful to see more of what this guy can do while you can. So you should attack - cautiously.

>>5476297
>Stall for some more time, ask him what he means about your eyes while you’ve got him talking.

>>5476297
Well, since you have him talking already that makes it easier to keep him talking - and any time you can stall for works out in your favor, even if it’s just minutes.

“What do you mean?” you demand. “What do you know about my eyes?”

“I can tell just by looking at them,” the Ōtsutsuki tells you with a wide smile, “that it’s that traitor bitch Kaguya’s blood for sure. Tell me, human brat, do those eyes give you abilities other humans don’t have? Space-time warping? Life-force manipulation? Chakra absorption?”

You don’t show it, but you’re a little surprised when he mentions ‘life-force manipulation’, which describes what your ryūmei does accurately, if not precisely. “So what if they do?”

“I already know there’s a clan of humans that use the byakugan, which is ridiculous enough,” the Ōtsutsuki declares, “but yours are obviously related to the rinnegan. I mean, look at them!”

“They are pretty distinctive,” ‘Kōshū’ (in reality another shadow clone) muses.

“It’s surprising how well your kind’s taken to our blood,” the Ōtsutsuki continues. “I’ve even seen one crazy lady with a freakin’ jōgan of all things.”

“Really?” you ask.

“Lopped off one of my arms,” he gestures with what upon closer inspection is actually a puppet limb. “I’d give my other arm to kill that woman, let me tell you!”

… you’re just going to not tell him ‘that woman’ is your mother.

Then he seems to come back to his senses. “Anyway, I need that ‘tailed beast’ you’ve got there to make that happen. Tell you what, if you give it to me I’ll let you and your little girlfriend there walk away.”

“Can’t do it,” you reply curtly, shifting the weight of the kettle in your hands.

“Well, that’s too bad,” the Ōtsutsuki sighs. “Well, for you at least. I don’t particularly care.”

>Pitch the kettle to your other clone, make a show of trying to hold the enemy off.
>Go on the offense - you can’t stall for much longer, so you may as well try to weaken him.
>Stay on the defense, try to drag this out and give yourselves time to test attack strategies.
>Other?

>>5477659
>Try to keep talking. "Why do you need the tailed beast just to kill some human? Aren't you guys super powerful?"
>If that doesn't work, pitch the kettle to your other clone, make a show of trying to hold the enemy off.

>>5477659
>>5477671
I'll support it

>>5477659
>>Pitch the kettle to your other clone, make a show of trying to hold the enemy off.

>>5477659
>Pitch the kettle to your other clone, make a show of trying to hold the enemy off.

>>5477671
>>5477659
Lets try it, supporting.

>>5477671
>>5477659
This

>>5477659
“Wait a second,” ‘Kōshū’ wonders aloud. “Why do you need the One-Tail to beat some random human woman?”

“Yeah,” you agree, “I thought your kind were supposed to be super powerful, or something?”

“Ah, I see you may have gotten a wrong impression,” the Ōtsutsuki rallies for a moment. “See unlike you humans, my kind don’t believe in eeking out wins. So even if I can beat that woman without the help, I’d rather not have to struggle against a lesser being. Instead I’ll take a couple of these ‘tailed beasts’ that live on this world and use their power to absolutely crush anyone who stands against the Ōtsutsuki clan.”

“In other words you lost to a ‘lesser being’ and your ego can’t handle it,” you summarize, “so you’re looking for a cheap way to get stronger without putting in any effort.”

The Ōtsutsuki’s expression instantly sours, like he’s just caught a waft of something truly offensive. “I’m going to kill you now. I’m going to kill you and I’m going to enjoy it.”

“Won’t change the fact that you’ve been outsmarted by a human child,” ‘Kōshū’ smirks.

Now the Ōtsutsuki flies into a rage, flinging what looks like a fishhook in rapid succession. Your clone manages to dodge or block a few attacks, but finds that his shoulder ends up pierced by the hook from behind, as it changes trajectory midflight. You see an expression of shock on Kōshū’s face for a moment before the clone disappears in a puff of smoke.

“So that’s what you meant,” the Ōtsutsuki glares at you, veins around his byakugan bulging visibly even from here. “That kettle, it’s fake, isn’t it? You sent if off with that girlie you were with and played the hero? Well if you were planning to use that to impress her you’ve made a miscalculation.”

… so he thinks he’s figured out what your clone meant by saying you’d ‘outsmarted’ him? He’s certainly talking like he thinks you’re the real Shiki.

“Heh,” you smirk. “Should’ve guessed you’d figure it out pretty quickly… you caught me, but don’t think this is over yet!”

>Use a flash bomb and run to the south, draw the Ōtsutsuki away from your real body.
>He’s probably a lot faster than you, so use wide-area or multi-projectile attacks.
>You might just be able to catch him in a fūinjutsu like Gaara-san did, or maybe a genjutsu.
>Other?

>>5478423
>He’s probably a lot faster than you, so use wide-area or multi-projectile attacks.

>>5478423
>>He’s probably a lot faster than you, so use wide-area or multi-projectile attacks.

>>5478423
>>He’s probably a lot faster than you, so use wide-area or multi-projectile attacks.

>>5478423
>>He’s probably a lot faster than you, so use wide-area or multi-projectile attacks.

>>5478423
>You might just be able to catch him in a fūinjutsu like Gaara-san did, or maybe a genjutsu.

>>5478423
You make a snap decision - that you can probably get a little more time out of this if you attack using something with wide coverage, either a broad area attack or multiple projectiles. What you settle on is the technique passed on to you by your mother, Ryūzetsu-ue.

“Katon: Onidōrō!”

Dozens of little red candle-lights drift on a rising desert wind, flickering and growing as your chakra feeds them. Their flames morph and twist into the shapes of demons’ skulls, grilling visages with horns and fangs that turn white as you raise their temperatures.

>1d6, first three

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5479817

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5479817

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5479817

>>5479817
The skulls don’t hit the Ōtsutsuki, at least not at first. He’s extremely fast, and moves effortlessly in three dimensions to weave in between the projectiles you throw his way. One lands against the sand and flashes it to glass in an instant, confirming that the power behind them is right - it’s just that the Ōtsutsuki’s abilities are too great.

But you add one little layer to it, using the kengen-ryū as one of the skulls passes your enemy by. The air shimmers and distorts, and for an instant the man’s eyes widen in surprise. In that same instant a second skull takes an abrupt turn towards him, hitting his upraised forearm in a searingly bright white flare.

“Whew!” you hear him muse aloud before using that fishhook of his to counterattack, the line streaking in a zigzag through the air to strike each of the flaming white skulls. With each strike, the skull he hooks dissipates. “I have to admit, kid, those flames of yours are hotter than I expected! That actually hurt!”

You’d be willing to bet it did - it ruined his shirt and left a nasty burn on his wrist. The problem is that the attack you just hit him with would have burned any normal person to ash, then incinerated the ashes. And you can tell by looking at him that this Ōtsutsuki is very much not incinerated.

“Oh?” he continues. “Can I take it from that look that you’re out of ideas, hm? Well you did manage to ruin my outfit, so I guess I can show you something interesting before I finish you off.”

Then the Ōtsutsuki gathers something familiar in his hand, a massive pyre of white fire. Not just any fire - it’s definitely yours.

…

You’re actually across the border into the Land of Fire by the time you get the last memory update from your shadow clones - the look of surprise on the Ōtsutsuki’s face as your clone dispelled itself is one last satisfaction from the experience.

“We need to move,” you insist. “That Ōtsutsuki uses his fishhook to steal chakra, which he can reuse against us. He’s also fast and durable, way beyond normal for a human.”

“How bad?” Kōshū asks you.

“I barely managed to hit him, and he mostly shrugged off my hottest fire.”

“That’s… definitely not great,” Kōshū admits.
>1/2

>>5480804
You’ve come a fair distance to the north, upriver, in order to cross it under the assumption that the Ōtsutsuki might not understand how little a river actually means for two well trained and highly motivated chūnin. At the spot where Kōshū brought you to the river cuts through a gorge where there are nearly sheer cliffs on each side, not necessarily right across from each other but close, so that you can take a controlled slide down on a cushion of water, run across the river itself, and scale a wall on the opposite side with the advantage of sure footing.

The bare rock and flowing water also won’t hold a track, meaning that once you camouflage the spot where you came back up out of the gorge there’s very little that even a skilled tracker could rely on to determine where you’ve been.

…

“Hold it right there!”

You and Kōshū stop short in a clearing maybe a mile past the border, to find yourselves flanked by Konoha shinobi - a team of four.

“Who are you?” a jōnin (you think), wearing the uniform of the regular forces, demands. “This is the Land of Fire. State your business here.”

“You first, creep!” Shukakū demands, poking his head up from inside the tea kettle cradled in Kōshū’s arms. “Jumping outta the woods on a couple of kids like that, you aughta be ashamed of yourselves!”

There’s a particularly awkward silence that follows as the Konoha shinobi stare in complete, slack-jawed non-comprehension.

>Uzumaki Shiki, Kōshū. We need to get the One-Tail to Naruto-san immediately.
>No time, Ōtsutsuki behind us, run now or you’re all probably definitely gonna die.
>Contact the Hokage’s office NOW. We need ALL of the backup as soon as possible.
>Other?

>>5480834
>>Uzumaki Shiki, Kōshū. We need to get the One-Tail to Naruto-san immediately.

>>5480834
>Uzumaki Shiki, son of Uzumaki Naori. Currently on a mission for the Hokage. Speaking of... Contact the Hokage’s office NOW. We need ALL of the backup as soon as possible. If nothing else, tell him the Ōtsutsuki are after us and the one-tail.

>>5480834
>>Uzumaki Shiki, Kōshū. We need to get the One-Tail to Naruto-san immediately.

>>5480834
>>Uzumaki Shiki, Kōshū. We need to get the One-Tail to Naruto-san immediately.

>>5480834
>>Uzumaki Shiki, Kōshū. We need to get the One-Tail to Naruto-san immediately.
>>No time, Ōtsutsuki behind us, run now or you’re all probably definitely gonna die.

>>5480834
>Uzumaki Shiki, Kōshū. We need to get the One-Tail to Naruto-san immediately.

>>5480834
“Uzumaki Shiki,” you give them your name before tilting your head in Kōshū’s direction, “she’s with me. We’re playing keep-away with an Ōtsutsuki right now and the One-Tail is the ball.”

“So if you don’t mind,” Kōshū picks up where you left off, “we really don’t have time for nonsense right now?”

“Much as I hate to see that jerkass fox again this century I’d appreciate some urgency here!” Shukakū joins in.

“You said Ōtsutsuki?” the jōnin repeats, before his (presumably chūnin) comrades seem to agree with what he must be thinking. “You’d better come with us.”
>1d6, first three

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5481605

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5481605
Uh oh, stinky!

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5481605

>>5481605
Your impromptu group doesn’t make it as far as you’d have liked before you can sense the now-familiar presence of the Ōtsutsuki approaching from the southwest - and at a speed which tells you that he’s serious about overtaking you.

“He’s coming,” you warn the others aloud.

“You’re certain?” the jōnin presses you, almost as if he’s doubting you more than he’s hoping you’re mistaken.

You’re not mistaken, and you know it. “It's his twisted chakra, for sure.”

“How long?” Kōshū asks you.

“Minutes,” Shukakū answers.

“Agreed,” you concur.

“Keep going,” the jōnin insists. “We’ll cover for you.”

“He’s fast enough to catch us again, that much is obvious,” Kōshū tells him with a sigh, “and we’ll only be worse off when he does. But if we stand and fight together…”

“Some of us might survive?” the jōnin scoffs.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Kōshū admits, glancing at you - there’s a cold determination in her eyes that gives you pause, more so even than her reasonably accurate assessment of your situation. “But at least then we’ll have given it our best shot.”

“It sucks, but she has a point,” Shukakū agrees.”What can you do?”

“Shiki,” Kōshū continues, “I won’t ask you to join me.”

>It sucks, but you’re right. Living by sacrificing my comrades wouldn’t sit right anyway.
>You don’t have to. I’m actually under orders to stick with you - I’ll explain if we survive.
>I have a responsibility to get Shukakū to Konoha, but I’ll come back with backup when I can.
>Other?

>>5482446
>>You don’t have to. I’m actually under orders to stick with you - I’ll explain if we survive.

>>5482446
>There's no sense sacrificing anyone if you've got a way out. Call Naori.
We tried our best, but we aren't going to get away from him. Best to just signal mom.

>>5482446
>>It sucks, but you’re right. Living by sacrificing my comrades wouldn’t sit right anyway.

>>5482446
>>5482462
>>There's no sense sacrificing anyone if you've got a way out. Call Naori.

Supporting this. Sacrificial bullshit is the worst when we have an alternative.

>>5482446
>>5482462
Support

>>5482446
On the one hand: Naori ex machina is a bit of a cop out and probably always will be barring her mysteriously becoming incompetent or impotent like how canon handles things.

On the other: this guy is a clown composed mainly of lazy, uninspired cop outs and an absolute disappointment of a villain so fuck 'em.

Orochimaru could absolutely clown on this brainless punk. He doesn't deserve to succeed at anything.

>>5482446
>It sucks, but you’re right. Living by sacrificing my comrades wouldn’t sit right anyway.

Is summoning Naori the sensible option? Yeah, sure. But let's not rely on her as a complete crutch just yet.

>>5482446
>>You don’t have to. I’m actually under orders to stick with you - I’ll explain if we survive.

>>5483079
agreeing with this one, who knows what she has planned already.

>>5482446
>You don’t have to. I’m actually under orders to stick with you - I’ll explain if we survive.

>>5483079
It's not a crutch when you're literally minutes from certain death and have zero hope of victory
Shiki isn't a living god like Naori or the Otsutsuki. He's a strong, but he's just a kid, and a chuunin at that.

This entire quest up until now has been naori training herself to get as strong as possible so that she can protect others, especially from the Otsutsuki.
Yes, personal growth is important, but not letting others die for the sake of that growth is, i think, far more important.

Do you think Naori would be happy that Shiki stuck it out to the end, even though he knew he couldn't win?
Do you think she'd be happy that he let two Konoha ninja die to buy time for him? When he could have just called her? Relied on the strength that she built for this very purpose?

Do you really want to hear her say "I'm disappointed in you" after all this?

>>5482446
>>There's no sense sacrificing anyone if you've got a way out. Call Naori.

>>5483267
Welcome to the Narutoverse, where big important things are happening offscreen to justify restraint of force whenever extracting dramatic tension would otherwise be unrealistic.

Genin with a jaw dropping bloodline who we absolutely cannot allow to fall into the wrong hands defecting to an enemy who just killed the head of state? We'll put some quirky misfit kids on the case, then completely forget about him for years when they inevitably fail.

>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5483769

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5483769

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5483769

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5483769

>>5483769
This isn’t great in terms of situations you could’ve found yourself in today - an Ōtsutsuki breathing down your proverbial neck, a Tailed Beast’s fate in your literal hands, and you’re rapidly running out of tricks to delay what increasingly seems like an inevitable confrontation. But there is one idea you can try.

“I’ll stick with you,” you decide. “But not because I intend to make a last stand or anything.”

“... you have an idea,” she guesses.

You nod. “Yeah. It’s certainly an idea.”

…

When the Ōtsutsuki finally catches up to you, he seems in high spirits - but you can tell, even if he’s an alien. You can tell that what he’s showing you is a facade. In reality, he’s beyond anger and well into the realm of homicidal rage, probably because you actually managed to trick him.

“Hey there.”

“Hi,” you reply calmly.

“Guess what?” he asks.

“What?”

“... I’m gonna kill you all.”

“Sore loser,” you reply.

“Hey, is it really wise to antagonize this guy?” the jōnin asks you in a stage whisper.

“No,” the Ōtsutsuki replies. “No it’s not. But ‘wise’ isn’t really how these two brats seem to do things.”

“Wise-ass, maybe,” Kōshū replies. “Or so my uncles keep telling me.”

“Well I hope that wasn’t the last thing they said to you,” he smirks. “That would be kind of pathetic.”

“Yeah no,” you smirk right back, drawing out one of your mother’s special kunai and letting it hang from your left forefinger. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”
>1/2

>>5485134
You’re honestly not sure whether you should expect to see Naori-ue appear out of nowhere - just because you drew one of her marked kunai and sent her the signal doesn’t guarantee that. She clearly knows more than she let on when she sent you that message before, but what you cannot possibly know is how much more there is to this, and consequently you cannot say for sure what Naori-ue’s overarching objective is right now. For all you know three chūnin, a jōnin, or some combination thereof could be an acceptable sacrifice for whatever purpose she anticipates for you and Kōshū.

But this Ōtsutsuki bastard doesn’t know any of that, does he? That’s where your idea comes in.

Before you can even ‘sell’ the idea any further, you see the air behind him start to roll open to reveal a dark void behind his back.

“Tch… to think you’d turn out to be that woman’s brat…” he spits, letting the facade slip. “That’s it, kiddo… next time we meet, you’re dead.”

“This isn’t over.”

“Yeah it is,” you wave mockingly with your other hand. “Bye-bye!”

For several long moments nobody says anything - they simply stare at you in shock.

“He… ran?” Kōshū wonders aloud. “I’m not upset about that, but… why?”

“That kunai,” the jōnin recognizes. “I’ve seen one before, when I was a freshly-minted chūnin - during the war. That belongs to your mother, doesn’t it?”

>Explain everything to Kōshū, from the time of your mother’s cryptic warning through now.
>Explain your plan - that even if Naori-ue didn’t appear, the Ōtsutsuki would have to respond like she would.
>Call your mom out - you want to know how close to correct your own assumptions were.
>Other?

>>5486109
>>Explain your plan - that even if Naori-ue didn’t appear, the Ōtsutsuki would have to respond like she would.

We don't have to tell them just *how* scary Naori is ...

>>5486109
>>Explain your plan - that even if Naori-ue didn’t appear, the Ōtsutsuki would have to respond like she would.

>>5486109
>Explain your plan - that even if Naori-ue didn’t appear, the Ōtsutsuki would have to respond like she would.

>>5486109
>>Explain your plan - that even if Naori-ue didn’t appear, the Ōtsutsuki would have to respond like she would.

>>5486109
>>Explain your plan - that even if Naori-ue didn’t appear, the Ōtsutsuki would have to respond like she would.

A well executed plan is so satisfying.

>>5486109
>>Explain everything to Kōshū, from the time of your mother’s cryptic warning through now.

>>5486109
“She prepared it for me, yes,” you reply with a slight grin, spinning the kunai around on your finger. “That Ōtsutsuki let slip that he was the one Naori-ue fought before, so I presumed that he would recognize this. Because of that, he’d have to assume that any time it got near him he should expect a surprise visit from my mother.”

“Which would make it a pain in the butt to fight against you,” Kōshū nods. “Smart. But why ‘assume’?”

“I can answer that,” your mother chimes in, resting a hand on your shoulder. “Hi, Shiki.”

“Mom.”

>Naori

“Sorry I’m late,” you apologize with a smile. “But I take it you’ve started to guess at my reasoning”

“A little,” your son admits. “Though it’s hard to know exactly.”

“That’s fair,” you nod. “As you’ve probably guessed I had my own priorities from the start, which weren’t necessarily the same as everyone else involved.”

“... may I ask what that means precisely, ma’am?” Kōshū asks, the sudden formality prompting a confused glance from your son.

>I was inclined to give you and my son a chance to grow through adversity, even if it risked other lives.
>It’s a little harder to teleport into a fight than you might think. I was being cautious.
>Mostly I was content to observe at first. I know you and my kids are more skilled than most adults would admit.
>Other?

>>5487267
>I wanted to test Shiki's limits, to see where he'd call it quits and why. What he was willing to sacrifice, whether he was able to rely on others. How well he could handle that kind of pressure.

>>5487267
>>Mostly I was content to observe at first. I know you and my kids are more skilled than most adults would admit.

>>5487267
>>Mostly I was content to observe at first. I know you and my kids are more skilled than most adults would admit.

>>5487267
>Mostly I was content to observe at first. I know you and my kids are more skilled than most adults would admit.

>>5487267
>>I wanted to test Shiki's limits, to see where he'd call it quits and why. What he was willing to sacrifice, whether he was able to rely on others. How well he could handle that kind of pressure.

>>5487267
“Yeah, so I wanted to observe at first,” you confess. “I don’t get to see the results of Shiki’s growth for myself anymore. So seeing how my son approached a problem like an Ōtsutsuki was too good to pass up, for sure.”

“And what about us?” one of the chūnin snaps. “We could’ve died, you know!”

“I’m aware,” you assure him calmly. “It wasn’t an outcome I’d go out of my way to ensure, but on the other hand I am a village leader. You wouldn’t be the first chūnin to die because of a call I’d made, and make no mistake I did make the call.”

“What, that our lives were expendable?”

“That the risk to your lives was acceptable in context,” you correct him. “You’re a chūnin, so you shouldn’t need me to explain the theory behind training with your life on the line.”

“It used to be much more common,” the jōnin muses. “Most genin these days have trouble imagining being that driven to improve their skills.”

“Yeah no, it’s cause they don’t understand that it wasn’t long ago when that sort of drive was necessary,” you shake your head. “Shiki, Kōshū-kun, that’s the context behind my late arrival.”

“And so what do you think?” Kōshū-kun asks you curiously.

“You were right of course,” you observe. “The idea of ‘escaping’ really was an illusion once Urashiki-han got serious, and your best chance really was to stick together. You may seem brash, but it’s clear you have the skill to back it up and a good head on your shoulders besides.”

“As for my decisions?” your son asks you, careful not to tip his proverbial hand. Of course you can tell that’s because he’s nervous about what you might say, since he thinks he may have called for help too quickly rather than expending any of the options available short of that.

>I think you called for help too soon, without even trying any options that relied on your own abilities.
>You had a good instinctive read on the difference in power, and that understandably made you cautious.
>I actually appreciated the bluff there at the end. Where power fails, sometimes cleverness will work.
>Other?

>>5488505
>I actually appreciated the bluff there at the end. Where power fails, sometimes cleverness will work.

>>5488505
>>I actually appreciated the bluff there at the end. Where power fails, sometimes cleverness will work.

>>5488505
>>You had a good instinctive read on the difference in power, and that understandably made you cautious.
>>I actually appreciated the bluff there at the end. Where power fails, sometimes cleverness will work.
Just know it won't always work.

>>5488505
>>I actually appreciated the bluff there at the end. Where power fails, sometimes cleverness will work.

>>5488505
>>5488588
>>>You had a good instinctive read on the difference in power, and that understandably made you cautious.
>>>I actually appreciated the bluff there at the end. Where power fails, sometimes cleverness will work.
"Yeah, no, I guess this talk had to come eventually, but like I just explained to the young man over there, sometime, maybe even sometime soon, I won't be able to answer when you call. I have a reputation as a bit of a monster, so any intelligent foe is going to take steps to make sure I can't interfere. I'm not infallible or invincible, so you're going to have to carry your own burdens as much as possible. Today you got a taste of what I had to adapt to growing up. The kind of fear and desperation which drove me to become the woman I am today, strong enough to protect the things she loves. You're going to have to harness that too. It could be tomorrow, it could be a hundred years from now when I'm a decrepit old hag toddling around the Shrike forest. But someday the responsibility will be on you, and your friends, to protect what we fought for. I think the leaf call it the 'will of fire?' The point is, take what you saw today to heart. Become strong, clever, and never let the things you hold dear slip away while you still have breath left."

Then headpats and, "For what it's worth, you called me exactly when I would have. You did your best to exhaust everything short of sacrificing your comrades lives on a gamble, against an opponent you were vastly outmatched by. Calculated losses and needless sacrifice are a delicate balance, and only experience can teach you unfortunately. Good work Shiki."

>>5488505
“That bluff at the end wasn’t a bad strategy,” you shrug calmly. “Where power fails, sometimes cleverness can succeed - which is a good lesson to take away.”

“You aren’t disappointed you didn’t get to see me fight more than you did?”

You shake your head. “Not especially, no. For sure, there’s going to be a day when I’m not here to solve the world’s biggest problems - but nobody could expect you to stand in my place tomorrow or anything. So yeah, no, you fought with some skill, you thought strategically, and you balanced awareness and boldness well. You’re on the right track and I’m perfectly satisfied with that.”

>Shiki

“So keep doing what you’re doing,” your mother insists with a smile, before glancing at the kettle on your back. “Hey, Shukaku-han?”

“What is it?” the tailed beast asks curiously, popping his head up from out of the tea kettle.

“Nice kettle,” she comments. “It’s very flattering on you.”

“Ha ha,” the tanuki replies angrily, “very funny, now go die.”

Then he pops back down into the kettle to sulk.

“Oh, and Shiki?” your mother muses. “Be a gentleman and put the young lady up for the night.”

…

After handing Shukakū off to the Hokage, you find yourself on temporary leave for at least the afternoon.

>Make sure that Kōshū-kun is settled in. She is your guest after all.
>Check on Boruto and your other classmates who brought him in.
>Just go home and collapse. These last few days have been too much.
>Other?

>>5489739
>Make sure that Kōshū-kun is settled in. She is your guest after all.
Oh boy, i sure hope NOTHING HAPPENS

>>5489739
>>Check on Boruto and your other classmates who brought him in.

>>5489739
>>Check on Boruto and your other classmates who brought him in.
this first, then
>Make sure that Kōshū-kun is settled in. She is your guest after all.

>>5489739
>>Make sure that Kōshū-kun is settled in. She is your guest after all.

>>5489739
>>Make sure that Kōshū-kun is settled in. She is your guest after all.

>>5489739
>Make sure that Kōshū-kun is settled in. She is your guest after all.

>>5489739
You decide that the most important thing is to make sure that your guest is seen to appropriately, and that means stopping at a convenience store on the way home.

“What’s up?” Kōshū-kun wonders, though she follows you in.

“Just taking care of a few things,” you tell her, grabbing a toothbrush, a small travel-sized tube of toothpaste, a small packet of single-use face wipes, and the smallest container of laundry detergent you can find. “What kind of shampoo do you usually use?”

“Shin-Seido Himawari-Repair,” Kōshū replies, watching you blankly as you peruse a bunch of women’s hair and skincare supplies.

“Because of the dry desert air,” you guess. “I needed a new bottle anyway.”

“... we use the same shampoo?”

“Only boy in the family, remember?” you muse. “I usually didn’t get much choice. You fine using my body wash?”

After a moment, Kōshū nods. “Right, should’ve guessed… whatever you’ve got is fine.”

You throw in a couple of bento sets and pay for everything, refusing your guest’s offer to contribute. It hardly cost you anything you explain, and refusing to even meet this basic level of hospitality would be an embarrassment to your clan’s reputation, and so she ends up accepting your generosity such as it is.

…

You manage to put together a quick meal, adding a little fresh fruit, some hot miso, and a glass of chilled barley tea to each bento kit, before sitting down at your kitchen table.

“Thank you for the food,” Kōshū announces, before getting started. After a moment she rests her hand on the table, hashi still gripped in her fingers. “Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead,” you nod.

“You seem okay,” she muses. “Are you really?”

“With what?” you ask curiously, setting your own hashi aside. “Having you over really isn’t a problem.”

“No, not that,” she insists. “Yout mom basically just told you that she expected you to fight that crazy Ōtsutsuki guy sooner or later - and today it was almost ‘sooner’. For me it wasn’t a question, I’d rather go down fighting than not fight, but there was no expectation for me like there was for you.”

>My goals were always a little on the lofty side anyway.
>If Naori-ue thinks I can handle it, that counts for a lot.
>Considering it won’t change it, so I don’t consider it.
>Other?

>>5490957
>Considering it won’t change it, so I don’t consider it.
>And while she is throwing me to the wolves, she's also training me to actually survive, so really it evens out.
No one who's set on achieving something will start out knowing just how hard its actually going to be, you get that reality check when it comes. This isn't any different, besides the high risk of fatality for us and many, many other people.

>>5490957
>I'd prefer if we didn't have to fight like that, but we don't have much choice in the matter. Unfortunately, we were born strong.
>Without people like us to fight back against freaks and maniacs, what would happen to everyone else? You can shrug off the responsibility if you want, but it won't end well.

>>5490957
>If Naori-ue thinks I can handle it, that counts for a lot.

>>5490972
>>5490957
supporting this sentiment

>>5490957
>>5490972
Supporting

>>5490957
I’ll support >>5490972 as well

>>5490957
“It definitely looks like she’s throwing me to the wolves,” you admit. “But she doesn’t do it callously - she was watching me this last time, the same way she did when I was in the Sanzu plains in my graduation-”

“Wait, what?” Kōshū-kun interrupts, clearly startled. “You mean that training ground in Iwa?”

You nod. “That was my test to graduate from the academy.”

“Holy crap,” she exclaims. “I mean, people used to die doing that!”

“It wasn’t that bad,” you shrug, ignoring the parts where you almost starved to death and got yourself attacked by wild animals. “Any time you start something you don’t always know how hard it’s going to be - but Naori-ue’s already learned the hard way what it takes to fight enemies like that Ōtsutsuki.”

“And she wants to give you a safety net she never had.”

You nod calmly. “Partly yes, it’s a way Naori-ue and Ryūzetsu-ue can help me and my sister grow into our potential safely. But also, I suspect that’s just how Naori-ue teaches - the ‘learn by doing’ theory taken to an extreme.”

Kōshū seems a bit introspective as she plugs away at her dinner, like there’s something else on her mind.

>I take it your family isn’t like that at all? Tell me about them.
>So… how have things been? It’s been a while since I saw you last.
>Is there anything you’d like to do tomorrow? I suspect you’ll be stuck here at least a little while.
>... is there something on your mind?
>Other?

>>5492978
>>... is there something on your mind?
a penny for your thoughts

>>5492978
>>... is there something on your mind?

>... is there something on your mind?

>>5492978
>1d6, first three

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5493800

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5493800

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5493800

>>5493802
>>5493817
>>5493820
Holy shit I was afraid to hope, but god damn it actually happened.

File: 1625957427576.jpg (28 KB, 580x750)

28 KB JPG

>>5493802
>>5493817
>>5493820

>>5493800
“Something on your mind?” you ask curiously, and Kōshū seems to chew her words carefully for a few moments.

“Okay, screw this,” she eventually decides, pitching whatever planning she might have done in her head. “I like you, Shiki-kun.”

“... oh,” you realize. “Oh.”

“Yeah, I figure leave the ‘will she won’t she’ stuff to the trashy shōjō romances,” she quickly decides. “I like you a lot and I wanna go on dates with you and stuff, but since we live in different countries I’m not sure how to make that happen.”

There’s a moment of silence.

It slowly and visibly dawns on Kōshū what she’s just said. “I… just made it awkward, didn’t I?”

>A little, yeah.
>Maybe it’s too soon for that.
>It’s fine. I kinda suspected.
>Other?

>>5493881
>>It’s fine. I kinda suspected.
well then, that was quick

>>5493881
>>It’s fine. I kinda suspected.

>>5493881
>>It’s fine. I kinda suspected.
From running away from an alien to getting confessed to, what will happen to our boy next?

>>5493897
A weasel

>>5493881
>It's fine, I kinda suspected.

First time I actually get to a vote on time, hot damn.

>>5493881
>>It’s fine. I kinda suspected.

I'm a little sad it isn't Sumire, but a Kōshū is fine too. Shiki's a little heartbreaker just like his mom.

>>5493991
I doubt that this choice is locking us with Kōshū, I can see a date coming from this though. Personally I want to see more one-on-one interactions and dates between Shiki and each of the girls that like him before we get to a final choice

>>5493881
>It’s fine. I kinda suspected.

>>5494024
it totally is, but that's fine.
if you didn't pick someone eventually it'd just end in a waifu war or an unfinished plot thread

>>5493881
>A little, yeah.

>>5493881
>It’s fine. I kinda suspected.
I can just hear the screeching of AU shippers getting shut down, it's glorious.

>>5493991
>>5494034
>>5494286
Just like real life, sometimes it's just 'who comes first'.

... No, not like that ...

>>5493881
“Don’t worry, I’m not gonna get all clingy and possessive or anything,” she quickly insists. “It’s just that I know other girls are gonna start feeling stuff about you sooner or later, and cause I live so far away I wanna make sure I don’t lose before the game even starts, you know? Yeah, it’s kinda like that.”

“It’s alright,” you assure her calmly, pouring yourself and your guest some fresh tea. “I think I get what you’re thinking.”

“... really?” she wonders. “Cause at this point I’m just talking, I’m not sure I know what I’m thinking.”

“Maybe not literally,” you shake your head. “You probably never knew this, but my family had to get a restraining order against some teen girls in Amegakure who didn’t realize I don’t live there right now. It was after the exams... where I fought without a shirt and all.”

“It was a good look... so was it fanmail or stalking?” Kōshū asks curiously.

“A little too much of each for comfort,” you explain. “I’m already aware that I’m… ’popular’... and I can see the sincerity in your expression. So I know you’re honest about wanting to get to know me better, and for me to get to know you. That’s totally fine right now.”

After a moment, Kōshū nods happily. “Alright, that sounds good to me - I look forward to getting to know you better, Uzumaki Shiki-kun.”

…

It’s been an extremely long and tiresome couple of days, so there’s not much else to do in the evening but go to sleep at a sort of early hour, at least for someone your age with a friend over and no parents around to set a curfew. After playing a board game for a little bit you find yourself feeling drowsy, and so you set out the futons while you’re still able to see straight.

“I’m going to set up the futons,” you declare. “Feel free to shower. Did you bring spare clothes?”

“Always do,” Kōshū confirms. “Not exactly comfy pajamas for a sleepover but I think I can make do.”

…

You barely bat an eye at the t-shirt and tight shorts combination when you see it - you recognize it as a casual shirt with the sort of close-fitting and typically un-flattering undergarments a lot of shinobi wear beneath a standard chūnin outfit. It’s pretty easy to tell that none of this is somehow for your benefit, which makes it pretty not-awkward. Instead you head in and take a quick shower yourself before bed.
>1/2

>>5495103
The next morning you wake as usual, as if an alarm somewhere in your mind insisted upon it - the alarm here being force of habit, bordering on ritual. Light stretches, reviewing fūinjutsu and spacetime manipulation theory, followed by shadow-sparring, mixing movements for a short sword in with empty-hand. Then you move on to hand seals, forming them in various predetermined combinations as quickly as you can without making any mistakes, following a set pattern combining the pairs considered to be the most demanding in terms of manual dexterity.

When you step back into your room for a moment to grab a shirt you find Kōshū doing essentially the same thing, except in her case her movements are obviously intended to be performed with a spear in her hands.

“Morning,” she greets you without looking, focusing solely on her kata.

“Morning,” you reply calmly, fishing a shirt out of your drawers. “Sleep well?”

“Like a stone, thanks,” she tells you with a slight smile in spite of her focus. “You eat breakfast usually?”

“Pretty light,” you inform her. “You want anything in particular?”

“Light’s fine,” she assures you. “Just do whatever you’d normally do for yourself.”

That turns out to be oatmeal, a scrambled egg, and fresh fruit today - simple and reasonably healthy, with the added virtue of being brain-dead simple to double.

“Thank you,” she inclines her head politely when she sees the results of your modest efforts. “I don’t know how things usually are, but to me your hospitality definitely hasn’t embarrassed your clan.”

“So, how long will you be staying?” you ask in between bites.

“One day,” Kōshū replies. “My uncle got Lord Seventh to agree to let me take a day off here before catching a train home tomorrow.”

>Is there anything in particular you’d like to do while you’re here?
>I have a few things to do today - but I can give you some suggestions for what to do.
>I think I can clear my schedule, but I’ll have to talk with Hanabi-sensei first.
>Other?

>>5495893
>I think I can clear my schedule, but I’ll have to talk with Hanabi-sensei first.
Time to get to know eachother

>>5495893
>>Is there anything in particular you’d like to do while you’re here?

>>5495893
>>I think I can clear my schedule, but I’ll have to talk with Hanabi-sensei first.

>>5495893
>>I think I can clear my schedule, but I’ll have to talk with Hanabi-sensei first.

>>5495893
>I think I can clear my schedule, but I’ll have to talk with Hanabi-sensei first.

>>5495893
“I think I can clear my schedule,” you think aloud, “though I’ll have to talk to Hanabi-sensei about it first. Is there anything in particular you’d like to do or see?”

Kōshū-kun shakes her head, “Nope. Really all I want to do is see a normal day for you.”

“Normal?” you muse. “In the spirit of getting to know me?”

“That’s what I was thinking, yeah.”

“Okay,” you agree, “I can make that happen.”

…

“Sensei,” you introduce Kōshū to your mentor, “this is my jōnin-sensei, Hyūga Hanabi-san. Hanabi-sensei, this is Kōshū-san.”

“The Tiger of Suna,” Hana-sensei muses, “in the flesh… I remember you doing a number on my Shiki-kun here.”

“To be fair, it was kinda mutual,” Kōshū-kun shrugs. “Water under the bridge, I hope?”

“Of course,” Hana-sensei insists calmly. “That sort of thing happens all the time during the chūnin exams, but it is nice to hear that there aren’t any hard feelings.”

“So, Shiki-kun,” she continues, “I hear you had to deal with an Ōtsutsuki?”

“I didn’t do it alone,” you admit, “but yes, an Ōtsutsuki was definitely there.”

“And you’re still alive,” Hana-sensei nods appreciatively, looking you over in a slow circle, even checking under your chin and behind your ears.

“Um… what are you doing, sensei?” you ask awkwardly.

“Just making sure,” Hana-sensei muses. “Well, it doesn’t look like there’s anything wrong with you. How do you feel?”

“... normal?” you squint at her. “Maybe a little weirded out?”

“Is she always like this?” Kōshū-kun asks you quietly.

You shrug. “Sorta?”
>1/2

>>5497432

Chill, Hanabi, he was just a space fisherman. And not the sharpest knife in the crayon box. Nothing to get worked up about. His bumbling incompetence was almost refreshing.

At least that's what I tell myself to avoid thinking on the possibility that my mother practically fed me to an enemy who, by rights, I had no business surviving against for any more than perhaps enough time to comprehend the peril I was in; an enemy who, theoretically, should be on or about the same threat level as the greatest antagonist the world has ever known: Otsutsuki Kaguya, a foe who Naori just barely managed to fight to a standstill.

>>5497432
“For that, I’m giving you three Hana-stamps!” Hanabi-sensei declares cheerfully.

“What’s a Hana-stamp?” Kōshū asks you.

You shrug. “I don’t know, but I have ninety-seven of them now.”

Hanabi-sensei stares at you awkwardly. “Did you say… ninety-seven?”

“Ninety-seven,” you nod.

Another pause. “What were you planning to do with ninety-seven?”

“Who says I plan to stop at ninety-seven?” you counter. “In any event, may I have the day off?”

“Sure,” your sensei replies hesitantly. “Take the day.”

“Thanks, sensei,” you incline your head politely.

>Head to the dojo, get in a training session.
>Grab an instrument, practice in the park.
>Look around town for your classmates.
>Other?

>>5498663
>Grab an instrument, practice in the park.

Acoustic guitar, maybe?
She's already seen us shirtless, now let's show her something new.

>>5498663
>>Look around town for your classmates.

>>5498663
>Look around town for your classmates.

>For that, I’m giving you three Hana-stamps!
FUCK YEAH, this is the greatest metric for achievement in any quest. Can't wait to cash these in for the secret dark horse, being the Hanabi route for the Shiki-bowl.

>>5498663
>>Grab an instrument, practice in the park.
>ninety-seven Hana-stamps
My day has been instantly made better

>>5498663
>>Grab an instrument, practice in the park.

>>5498663
>>Grab an instrument, practice in the park.

>>5498663
“Let’s stop by my place again real quick,” you decide. “I have something I wanna do.”

…

What you grab is a pair of instruments - a familiar shamisen, and a less familiar three-stringed instrument that looks like a distant cousin of the shamisen, with a pear-shaped body and a long neck. The body is carved from a single piece of finely-figured and feathery mulberry, the neck is made from rosewood, decorated at its head with fine carvings like coiling vines set with flowers like stars. It’s really quite a beautiful thing.

“That’s a setar,” Kōshū recognizes immediately. “Three-strings, so it’s Rōrani… carved the way they do. Where did you get that?”

“It was a gift from a family friend,” you shrug.

“Who’s the friend?”

“Queen Sāra and princess Seiryū,” you tell her, “they gave it to me as a gift when I made chūnin.”

“That’s quite a gift,” she muses. “Do you play?”

“I’m learning,” you admit. “It plays a little differently from a shamisen, but its tuning is the biggest difference.”

…

After heading to the park to get some fresh air and sunshine, you take out your instruments. Kōshū produces a spear with a red tassel tied just below the edgeless head - a training weapon you recognize, weighted and flagged to improve control and precision.

For a few hours you experiment with different tunings for your new instrument, listening carefully to the tones and adjusting to suit your own voice, as is traditionally done with instruments in Rōran. The two of you occasionally attract a few onlookers drawn to two very different spectacles, both training in their own rights. In your case you’re testing frequencies and familiarizing yourself with resonances, as well as improving the dexterity of your fingers.
>1/2

>>5500010
After about an hour and a half Kōshū takes a break from her sōjutsu training, and you’ve managed to get the sliding frets on your new instrument adjusted to the appropriate spots to get a good tuning to match your voice. You’re conscious of the fact that by this time next year you may have to do this all over again, but for now you feel like you’ve got it nailed.

“Hey, that’s starting to sound pretty good,” she muses. You unseal a bottle of water and toss it to her. “Thanks. Can I ask you how you got into music?”

“Sure,” you nod. “How familiar are you with my family history?”

“I know a little,” Kōshū replies. “But only what my mom’s told me.”

“My grandmother, Uzumaki Makoto-dono, was a high-ranking courtesan in the Land of Storms,” you explain, “which means that my mom, Naori-ue, was raised in what basically boils down to a fancy brothel.”

“That’s where she got her whole way of speaking,” she nods in understanding. “So she also learned to play music there?”

“And write poetry,” you add, “and paint, and do calligraphy, and all the other things that make an oiran different from an ordinary prostitute.”

“And she passed those things on to you and your sister?” Kōshū asks. “Why?”

“She’s been a supporter of traditional arts in our country for many years,” you explain, “along with certain values some people might call ‘old-fashioned’.”

“Like your strict requirements for hospitality,” she suggests. “I think I follow you.”

“Not just what to offer and how,” you add, “but what not to offer, who to exclude from what activities and locations within the house, how to recognize status and closeness to the family, what is and isn’t appropriate under all manner of social situations. It’s all very structured.”

“Anyway, how did you learn sōjutsu?” you ask curiously. “It’s pretty common among our border guards, but I thought it was a rare choice for shinobi?”

“It’s annoying,” Kōshū grumbles, “but in the Land of Water we’ve got a lot of small and kinda pointless aristocratic families. Your clan may be big into preserving traditions, and that’s a good thing when the traditions are worth preserving. But a lot of these pricks in my homeland must’ve missed a memo, cause the way they do things is totally archaic for no reason.”

“So your taking up the spear is a political thing?” you guess.
>2/3

>>5500433
“Ameyuri Ringo and your senpai Buntan-san came from totally unimportant families,” Kōshū-kun explains. “So when they got good with a sword they were recognized for it. But if you’re a girl born into the aristocracy you learn to use a shortspear - and only to defend your husband and your household. Nobody I studied with was even serious about it.”

“Something tells me that didn’t sit well,” you guess the rest of the story.

“It was like a bad joke,” Kōshū grumbles, having taken a seat on a park bench next to you and propped her spear up against her shoulder. “The old men in Suna didn’t want to pin their hopes on a tomboy, and the old men in Kiri didn’t want me to get hold of one of the Seven and take it outside the country.”

“So instead you decided to master the spear,” you nod. “It’s a point of pride for you, isn’t it?”

“Damn straight.”

>Do you still want to learn how to use a sword?
>I can respect that. But how do your parents feel?
>So what else do you do for fun?
>Other?

>>5500442
>>So what else do you do for fun?

>>5500442
>So what do you do for fun?

>>5500442
>>I can respect that. But how do your parents feel?
While every other child of a ninja has a style resembling at least one of their parents, Kōshū here just has their elements and that's about it. It's an interesting contrast.

>>5500442
>>So what else do you do for fun?

>>5500442
>>I can respect that. But how do your parents feel?

>>5500442
“So… what do you do for fun?” you ask her.

After a moment, Kōshū sighs. “Well, sōjutsu of course, and competitive karate too. I’ll sometimes go riding or hawking with my uncles… not exactly stuff you can just go out and do with friends.”

“Surely there’s gotta be something?”

“... well, there is something,” she admits.

“Oh?”

…

And that’s how you end up at a manga cafe.

“It’s a little embarrassing,” she sighs. “But sometimes it’s nice to just sit and read goofy stories and drink something nice, you know? What with how much time I spend on missions, fighting, riding, and all that.”

“Oh no, I get it,” you raise your hands. “That’s what music is for me after all.”

“Yeah, it’s just I’m not sure I like the look, you know?” she admits as a pot of tea arrives at your table. Beside her is a short stack of manga volumes - you think the story is about a wandering swordsman who… well, he honestly looks a bit like you but with a ponytail. Meanwhile you’ve picked out a single volume each of a seinan series set in the warring states period, an espionage thriller featuring a jōnin from a fictional clan affiliated with no village, and the first issue of a manga adaptation based on one of Koyuki-hime’s old films. “I always feel like I have to keep that sort of thing hidden, you know?”

“Sort of,” you shrug. “I guess it’s a lot easier for me to get away with things because people assume my entire clan must be totally bonkers.”

“To be fair, you’re sitting here reading a manga about a princess,” Kōshū observes, “played by an actress who’s an actual princess, who you just happen to know.”

“She sends me birthday cards every year,” you admit.

“And I love how to you there’s nothing weird about that,” she smirks.
>1/2

>>5501893
“Hey, Shiki-kun!” a familiar-but-not-quite voice greets you. “I see you brought a friend, very nice!”

A slender, cinnamon-skinned girl who looks an awful lot like Chōchō-kun greets you with a cheerful wave of her hand. “My, what a rare pair this is!”

“... who?” Kōshū-kun wonders aloud, putting down her manga.

“Chōchō-kun,” you greet your former classmate, gambling to a degree but saying it with enough confidence that you can get away with pretending that you’re certain of her identity. It’s more for Team Three’s benefit of course, since Boruto, Sarada, and Tsubaki are all with her. “Did you do something with your hair?”

“Very funny,” she sighs. “But at least you recognized me.”

“Ah, you’re an Akimichi!” Kōshū finally realizes. “So this is what that technique looks like.”

“So you’ve heard of us?” Chōchō replies with a sage-like nod. “Yes, of course you have!”

Meanwhile, Sarada seems to be giving Boruto a talking-to for not having recognized Chōchō, apparently earlier in the day.

“Weren’t you on some kinda mission until just like yesterday?” Boruto-kun asks you curiously. “Some kind of emergency?”

“Oh, we finished that,” Kōshū shrugs. “It was really dangerous, so I’ve been given permission to take a day off here and rest before heading home.”

“And so you brought her to a manga cafe?” Boruto frowns. “Not exactly what I would’ve done.”

“... who’re you again?” Kōshū-kun frowns.

“Boruto-kun, you’re being too forward,” Sarada grumbles. “Again.”

“Boruto-kun,” Kōshū repeats before coming to a realization. “Ah, so you’re Uzumaki Boruto-kun, Lord Seventh’s son… that’s why you looked familiar!”

“Yeah, but let’s just leave my dad out of it, yeah?” Boruto offers a handshake.

Kōshū accepts. “Too bad about the chūnin exams thing, I know Shinki-kun was looking forward to fighting you.”
>2/3

>>5502880
someone please, please, please drop the fact that you're on a date right now.
i just want to see boruto's face. i need to see it. And maybe chocho's too.

>>5502880
“Yeah, hard pass,” Boruto shrugs. “Guy seems way too high strung.”

“Oh, he absolutely is,” Kōshū agrees.

“So anyway, I’ve never seen you come anywhere like this,” Chōchō observes, glancing back to you. “You came here because your guest wanted to, right? That’s so considerate.”

“Not quite,” you shake your head. “Kōshū-kun wanted to see a normal day for me, and I wanted to see something normal for her. And since I don’t know where we’d get horses and a couple of hawks on short notice, here we are.”

“... did I hit my head and miss part of the conversation?” Boruto wonders.

“Hawking is still practiced among the upper class in the Land of Wind and in Rōran,” Tsubaki clarifies from the booth behind you, nose buried in… a romance manga? Well that’s a bit of a surprise.

“Hawking?” Boruto repeats.

“Hunting small game by using a trained hawk, often from horseback,” Sarada explains.

“That’s weird,” Boruto muses.

You shrug. “It’s traditional. It’s also beside the point.”

“So what, this is like a date or something?” Boruto asks… and there’s an immediate tension on the part of Sarada and Chōchō. Ah, the sixth sense for drama is such a powerful thing in girls of a certain age, or so your mothers warned you.

>Technically yes, though maybe “pre-date” would be more precise.
>Sort of. I think it’s Kōshū-kun’s place to explain her intentions.
>It’s nothing so dramatic, we just wanted to get to know each other.
>Other?

>>5504702
>>It’s nothing so dramatic, we just wanted to get to know each other.
We all know it is, but aknowledging it might destroy the magic it has so better pretend it isn't happening even if everyone (minus boruto) looking in can tell you it is exactly what it looks like.

>>5504702
>>Technically yes, though maybe “pre-date” would be more precise.

>>5504702
>Technically yes, though maybe “pre-date” would be more precise.

>>5504702
>>Technically yes, though maybe “pre-date” would be more precise.

>>5504702
“Well, technically,” you admit with a frown, thinking carefully about the reality of the situation and how to put that into simple words for simple minds. “Although calling it something like a ‘pre-date’ might be more accurate.”

“... ‘technically?” Boruto repeats. “Isn’t that one of those ‘either-or’ sorta things? Either you are or you aren’t?”

“Think of it like this,” you continue. “It’s a date, but we’re not ‘dating’ yet. That may come later, but for now it’s not quite that yet.”

Crickets. Yikes.

You glance at Kōshū and gesture for assistance, and she sighs. “Okay, so it’s like this. Any of you know the trope of the ‘missed connection’?”

Sarada, Tsubaki, and Chōchō all either nod or voice their confirmation, but Boruto continues to be clueless so Kōshū clarifies. “Well, it’s a common plot development where a really good couple actually meets, but doesn’t get together at first because they either can’t or won’t share their contact info.”

“That’s dumb,” Boruto grumbles.

“No argument there,” Kōshū shrugs, “but it sells so hey, who am I. Anyway, Shikkun’s right - we’re not ‘dating’ at all cause I wouldn’t wanna pressure him into that. I just wanted him to know which way the wind’s been blowing for me, so we don’t end up like the trope just cause we live in different countries and don’t see each other all that often.”

“Well, that’s actually still kinda sweet, I guess,” Chōchō decides. “Come on.”

She starts to collect Team 3, and rapidly ushers them over to a different table. Kōshū watches in mild amusement.

“Are they always like that?”

>Pretty much, though Boruto usually causes way more trouble wherever he goes.
>Hard to say. Two may be my cousins but I don’t see them often these days.
>Nevermind them, I thought you didn’t like those ‘trashy romance manga’?
>Other?

>>5505674
>>Hard to say. Two may be my cousins but I don’t see them often these days.

>>5505674
>>Pretty much, though Boruto usually causes way more trouble wherever he goes.

>>5505674
>Pretty much, though Boruto usually causes way more trouble wherever he goes.
Boy needs a tender to wipe his ass for him.

>>5505674
>>Hard to say. Two may be my cousins but I don’t see them often these days.

>>5505674
>>Pretty much, though Boruto usually causes way more trouble wherever he goes.
>Other? I'd tell you what he just did but I'd probably be arrested for sharing it.

>>5505674
“It’s hard to say,” you admit, pouring yourself a cup of tea before it gets too much colder. “Two of them may be my cousins but we don’t exactly hang out… in fact, it’s usually Boruto making a mess out of a situation and needing me to come clean up after him. Guy needs his team as full-time minders.”

“It almost sounds like you don’t like them.”

“Our families aren’t particularly close,” you shrug. “Sarada-kun’s alright in my book, and Tsubaki-kun seems reliable.”

After finishing your tea, and giving Kōshū time to finish her book, you’re left with a question of what to do with the afternoon. You suppose you should put in some training at some point, since for a “normal” day, this part of your life is inescapable.

>Do a deep dive on Uzumaki style fūinjutsu - maybe you missed something relevant to the hiraishin.
>It’s been a long time since you practiced any techniques from Ryūzetsu-ue’s side of the family.
>Summon Kiburi, try to work on controlling natural energy for a little bit.
>Other?

>>5506510
>>It’s been a long time since you practiced any techniques from Ryūzetsu-ue’s side of the family.

>>5506510
>>Summon Kiburi, try to work on controlling natural energy for a little bit.

>>5506510
>It’s been a long time since you practiced any techniques from Ryūzetsu-ue’s side of the family.

Can't let yourself get too rusty.

>>5506510
>>It’s been a long time since you practiced any techniques from Ryūzetsu-ue’s side of the family.

>>5506510
>>It’s been a long time since you practiced any techniques from Ryūzetsu-ue’s side of the family.

>It’s been a long time since you practiced any techniques from Ryūzetsu-ue’s side of the family.

>>5506510
>1d6, taking the third roll

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5507328

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5507328

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5507328

>>5508485
New Thread

It's a Christmas fucking miracle!