>>5673330
Shiki seals away the Ōtsutsuki’s body first as Naruto-kun and Boruto-kun continue to gawk at the display. You can tell that neither of the latter has ever seen a man decapitated before, let alone one who was so obviously powerful.

“I’ll need the head,” Shiki-kun informs you, his tone rather delicate and controlled.

You glance at him. “Yeah, of course. It doesn’t belong here.”

“Thank you.”

While he continues to take care of that, Jiraiya-tono gestures to you with a subtle nod… and you find a moment when Sasuke-han is talking to Boruto-kun and Naruto is going on about something while Shiki’s working to join Jiraiya.

“I think you know what we have to discuss now,” he tells you quietly.

>What do you want, Jiraiya-han?
>Sure. But just know that I won’t be able to answer every question.
>No comment.
>Other?

>>5673604
>>Sure. But just know that I won’t be able to answer every question.

>>5673604
>>Sure. But just know that I won’t be able to answer every question.

>>5673604
>>Sure. But just know that I won’t be able to answer every question.

>>5673604
>>Sure. But just know that I won’t be able to answer every question.

>>5673604
>Sure. But just know that I won’t be able to answer every question.

>>5673604
“Of course,” you reply calmly, “but just to make it clear - I won’t be able to answer every question you might ask, though I will answer the ones I can.”

Jiraiya-tono nods in understanding, before beginning. “Let’s dispense with the pretenses, shall we?”

“Sure.”

“Then what do you intend to do from here?” he asks you sternly.

“Simple,” you insist. “What I’ve already done once, apparently.”

“Can you be more specific?”

“Yeah, so I conveyed certain information,” you explain. “Memories, breakthroughs in technique, and so on.”

“Do you see why I might have a problem with that?”

“I do,” you admit. “But if I don’t do what I did last time, the results could be catastrophic.”

“What sort of techniques are we talking about here?” he frowns. “Hiraishin?”

“Yeah no, among other things.”

“... sage mode,” he realizes.

“Don’t be too worried,” you sigh. “I was her once, so I can tell you - she’ll be judicious.”

“I wish that were enough of a reassurance,” Jiraiya-tono continues to frown. “I’ve seen evidence of her potential already, even at her age. Evidence that should what you say prove untrue, would suggest that she could become the greatest threat to Konohagakure in a generation.”

“What would you say to that argument? The elders of my village may never have said it like that, but slow as they are they’ve already begun to consider things from that perspective.”

>I can offer you no guarantee but this - that should we deviate from my intended plan, I’m confident it will spell disaster for us all.
>Ignore all the nonsense and consider whether she is, underneath it all, still a human being. I already have my own answer to that.
>You really don’t have much of a choice in the matter. We’re going to erase all trace of Shiki and Sasuke-han’s group having been here.
>Other?

>>5675076
>I'd say our kids get along well enough that i don't think it's a problem. In fact... the fact that we have children at all says a lot.
>Whatever the future may hold, i think we can both look forward to it.

>>5675082
+1
though sadly, they won't really get to experience it...

>>5675076
>>5675082
Support.

>>5675076
>>5675082
This

>>5675076
“Jiraiya-tono…” you frown. “In their time, I married a former ANBU from Kusagakure. We have a son and a daughter together, and my son came here with a girl from Kirigakure, Sasuke-han, and Naruto-kun’s son. What does that tell you about the world they must have grown up in?”


Jiraiya-tono considers this point. “It sounds nice.”

“It does,” you agree.

He sighs softly, watching Shiki-kun end an argument between Kōshū-kun and Boruto-kun by bopping Boruto over the head with the scroll he sealed the Ōtsutsuki’s corpse into. “I won’t get to see it.”

You shake your head. “No.”

“Well, that’s too bad,” he shrugs, before putting on a smile and joining his student. “Well, seems like things went better than expected!”

“I barely got to do anything, ya know!” Naruto protests.

“You managed to pull a fast one on that guy with a transformation technique,” Jiraiya-tono contends. “Sometimes outsmarting and outlasting is enough.”

…

You are Uzumaki Shiki, and your mission in the past is over.

“So what now?” Boruto asks, after you manage to get him and Kōshū to stop bickering over who got a chance to do what to help in the final fight.

>Well, the turtle probably just needs to be charged with chakra. That will just take time.
>We need to erase all traces we were ever here - you need to retrace your own steps.
>There are still some things I’d like to go over with Naori-san and Sasuke-san.
>Other?

>>5676259
>>Well, the turtle probably just needs to be charged with chakra. That will just take time.

>>5676259
>>We need to erase all traces we were ever here - you need to retrace your own steps.

>>5676259
>We need to erase all traces we were ever here - you need to retrace your own steps.

>>5676259
>>There are still some things I’d like to go over with Naori-san and Sasuke-san.

>>5676259
>>We need to erase all traces we were ever here - you need to retrace your own steps.

>>5676259
wait a second, how does this Naori know about Makoto? She has to have Sharinganed that out of Shiki's brain, no way she deduced it from his shampoo or something dumb like that

>>5676763
I figured Shiki would have mentioned it some evening before bed. Seems like a pretty obvious thing to mention.
>writing

>>5676259
“We need to erase every trace that we were ever here,” you declare flatly. “So that means you need to retrace your own steps with Sasuke-san while we do the same with Naori-san.”

“Can you do that?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Boruto-kun sighs, waving his hand.

“This is serious,” Kōshū insists. “Come on, dude.”

“Okay, fine!” Boruto-kun protests. “I’ll make sure I get it done, alright?”

“So, what’s going on over here?” Naruto asks curiously. “Why’re you all arguing like that? And did you just say Naori? Like, that freakshow from the chūnin exams?”

“... we’re going to have to leave it at that, Naruto-kun,” Sasuke-san insists curtly, before putting Naruto-kun under using his sharingan.

>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5676902

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5676902

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5676902

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5676902

>>5676902
It’s not hard to retrace your steps through the previous few days, and at each step of the way Naori-san carefully eradicates the memories of every single person you met who spoke with you, or who got to know you at all. That means of course that most of Naruto-kun’s friends get a double-dose of mind-altering genjutsu. Finally, you come to a familiar face.

“Ah, Shiki-san,” Hanabi-chan greets you with a restrained cheer, as if forcing herself to show poise despite being pleasantly surprised. “Funny we ran into each other again like this.”

You and Naori-san tracked her down to a grocery store again.

“Hanabi-chan,” you smile, ever so slightly. “I just wanted to say goodbye to you before we left the village.”

“That’s thoughtful of you, Shiki-san,” she smiles back. “If you or your aunt ever come back to our village, let me know - the Hyūga clan can show you proper hospitality.”

“I’d like that,” you bow politely. “Thank you for your generous offer.”

Hanabi-chan glances at Naori-san, who takes the blindfold off her eyes. “Ma’am, I thought you were…”

Then she pauses mid-sentence, her pale eyes slightly unfocused. Before she comes around a few seconds later you both step around the corner of the aisle.

“... I could have sworn…” you hear her mutter, before she goes about her business.

…

“Everything settled, Sasuke-han?” Naori-san asks once you meet again back at the training ground, having been careful to ensure that you weren’t observed.

He nods. “Everything.”

“Okay then,” she nods. “Then prepare the turtle.”

As Sasuke gets your group ready to swing the pendulum back forward to your own time, Naori-san catches your eye. She approaches, resting her hand on your shoulder. “So yeah, see you in a couple of decades, Shiki-kun.”

You give her a little smile. “And I’ll see you in a couple of minutes.”
>1/2

>>5677545
Even before Sasuke puts the turtle away, you realize that you haven’t come back to an empty field like what you left. What you returned to was familiar faces - the ones that you should expect to see in this ‘now’. Naori-ue and Ryūzetsu-ue are here, along with Makoto-kun… and Hanabi-sensei.

>Mom, did you release the genjutsu on Hanabi-sensei?
>... how many people know now?
>Just… let things go however they go from here. Today should be a nice day.
>Other?

>>5677554
>Mom, did you release the genjutsu on Hanabi-sensei?

Man, Shiki really missed the ultimate opportunity to create a decades long plan for gathering Hana stamps

>>5677554
>>... how many people know now?

>>5677554
>... how many people know now?

>>5677554
>>... how many people know now?
>>5677555
Fuck I forgot about the Hana stamps

>>5677554
“... how many people know about this?”

Naori-ue smiles. “Well me, Ryūrin, and your sister obviously. Naruto-kun and Kakashi-han were involved so I told them both, and Tsuna-han was Hokage at the time so I figured she should know too. And then there’s Hanabi-kun, your sensei - who if memory serves, you were quite sweet to when she was little.”

“You’re going to get about a half-dozen Hana stamps for that, Shiki-kun,” Hanabi-sensei grins a little wider. “And I think I promised you and your mother tea - so as soon as the formalities are dispensed with why don’t you come to the Hyūga compound and we can make good?”

…

“So that’s your report?” Naruto-dono summarizes.

You nod. “That’s right.”

“I remember all that now,” Naruto confirms. “So you were certain to clean up after yourselves?”

“Yeah, dad,” Boruto-kun grumbles. “Sasuke-san and Naori-san were with us, ya know.”

Naruto-dono nods once. “Sure. I just want to hear you say it, for the record.”

“We understand that,” you jump back in. “I can guarantee you that we didn’t miss anything.”

“Then I see no reason why we shouldn’t wrap this up here,” Naruto sighs. “This whole thing was dangerous, ya know. So please, at least try to avoid doing anything like it again?”

“I won’t pick up any more turtles,” Boruto-kun promises.

“That’ll do. Shiki-kun, please remain here for a moment.”

After Boruto-kun spares a glance over his shoulder before stepping out of the room, Naruto-kun addresses you directly. “So what did you learn from Naori-san’s shadow clone?”

>Nothing. Just a few building blocks, basic elements of other techniques.
>I may have progressed in a few techniques that might freak your elder council out.
>With due respect, Lord Hokage, if you want to know you should ask Naori-ue.
>Other?

>>5678092
>>I may have progressed in a few techniques that might freak your elder council out.

>>5678092
>Nothing. Just a few building blocks, basic elements of other techniques.
Hokage or not, he's got no business knowing about our techniques. Neither does the council.

>>5678092
>>Nothing. Just a few building blocks, basic elements of other techniques.
>about a half-dozen Hana stamps
This pleases me

>>5678092
>>I may have progressed in a few techniques that might freak your elder council out.

>>5678092
>Nothing. Just a few building blocks, basic elements of other techniques.

>>5678092
>I may have progressed in a few techniques that might freak your elder council out.

Pretty sure they'll notice if you omit too much, they were there after all.

It's not like they're going to be obnoxious about us progressing? Right? Riiiiiight?

>>5678092
>Nothing. Just a few building blocks, basic elements of other techniques.

>“You’re going to get about a half-dozen Hana stamps for that, Shiki-kun,”
OH FUCK YEAH

>>5678092
“I learned a few puzzle-pieces,” you summarize, rather more obliquely than Naruto-dono probably would have preferred. “Though your village elders would probably find the picture at the end a little troubling.”

“And what do you think about that?” he asks you, folding his hands and resting his chin. “It used to be the case that a shinobi who worried the elders of a hidden village, like your mom did, would find themselves in trouble, ya know?”

“Should I have thoughts about it?” you frown. “For that matter, why should it be anyone’s business so long as I’m not breaking any laws?”

“There are laws, and then there are politics, Shiki-kun,” Naruto-dono replies. “Like it or not, an Uzumaki will always have to deal with the latter eventually.”

“So again, what do you think?”

>I think I should point out that I am a guest in your village, not officially under your village’s jurisdiction.
>I think if my learning to fight enemies like the Ōtsutsuki bothers anyone, they can fight those enemies themselves.
>I think that in the pure abstract sense they have a point - but the Shinobi Union already addresses that point.
>Other?

>>5678750
>I think that in the pure abstract sense they have a point - but the Shinobi Union already addresses that point.
I'd like to believe Naruto's probably going somewhere with this

>>5678750
>Politics should be left to politicians. Right now, it's not my concern.
>All i care about is keeping everyone safe and ensuring i'm strong enough to do so. If anyone has a problem with that, they were an enemy from the start.

>>5678750
>>I think that in the pure abstract sense they have a point - but the Shinobi Union already addresses that point.

>>5678750
“Well, in the most abstract sense I think they have a point,” you admit. “But it’s a point the Shinobi Union was built up specifically to address. So it really feels like anyone making that point is simply doing so to complain… at best.”

“And at worst?”

“They’re still stuck in the kind of thinking that led to four world wars,” you frown. “I may not have lived my homeland’s history, Lord Hokage, but I’m very familiar with it.”

Naruto-dono nods thoughtfully, weighing your words for a moment. Then he leans back in his chair, and spins around to look out the window behind his desk. “A lot has changed since we first met. But it wasn’t all that long ago, ya know.”

“I’m aware,” you offer calmly. “Most of that change has happened in my own lifetime.”

“I think we oughtta be proud of that,” Naruto muses. “But not everyone’s on the same page.”

“Where is this going, Naruto-dono?”

“Your mom and I talked earlier,” Naruto explains, “when she restored my memory. About promoting you to tokubetsu jōnin a little earlier than I really intended.”

>I’ll discuss that with my family and sensei, then.
>... why? I’d like to hear your complete reasoning.
>What would that entail, in practical, daily terms?
>Other?

>>5679698
>>... why? I’d like to hear your complete reasoning.

>>5679698
>>... why? I’d like to hear your complete reasoning.

>>5679698
>>... why? I’d like to hear your complete reasoning.

>>5679698
“May I hear your reasoning?” you ask, somewhat stiffly.

Naruto-dono nods. “A jōnin like Hanabi-san having a high opinion of your team is one thing - but when she’s been drinking, apparently it’s you your sensei always raves about. And if I had to guess, you and your sister are probably six months to a year from getting senjutsu down, so it’s totally obvious you guys have the skill.”

“But it’s not about skill, is it?”

He shakes his head. “No. Your mom filled me in on the details of how you handled the mission when I wasn’t around, and you did really well - especially given how dangerous and complicated the situation was. It showed the kind of maturity and judgement that make for a good jōnin.”

“What about Boruto-kun?” you ask curiously. “He handled himself pretty well too, all things considered.”

“I plan to talk to Sasuke about that,” Naruto-dono admits with a weary sigh. “Like you said, it’s only about fifty percent skill - and as talented as Boruto is at ninjutsu and taijutsu I think he’s still missing something, ya know?”

“Like something to push him into maturing?” you guess.

Naruto glances at a photograph on his desk. “Yeah, something like that. For me, I had Sasuke’s leaving the village. For my parents, they had a war to fight. For your mom, it was…”

When he pauses, you supply a euphemism. “Complicated. For both of them.”

“Very,” he agrees. “And for you and your sister, you have firsthand knowledge of what a shinobi who can wipe out entire countries is like - and an awareness that there are more out there who aren’t like Naori-san.”

“How do you mean?” you ask.

“She’s loyal, wholehearted, courageous, loving, and I think she’s just generally good at heart,” Naruto observes. “Which makes her the truest friend you could ever ask for, but also sometimes a pain in the ass. Sometimes at the same time.”

“And not everyone with her obscene level of power and skill is like that,” you summarize.

Naruto-dono nods in agreement. “That’s what I was getting at, yeah.”
>1/2

>>5680146
“Of course you’ve got a point,” Naruto-dono eventually admits. “It’s not my decision, it’s Naori-san’s. But I certainly won’t stand in the way of whatever decision she makes.”

You offer a polite bow. “Thank you, Lord Seventh.”

“Sure,” he replies. “And do me a favor - let Sasuke know on your way out that we should talk now. He’s standing outside the door.”

AH, so that’s who that was. You were starting to wonder.

…

“So,” Naori-ue muses politely as you join the others at the Hyūga mansion - after being escorted to the garden by the clan’s internal security detail, naturally. “Did you and Naruto-han have a constructive chat?”

“I think so,” you tell her, sitting down at the low table. “I assume you talked to him yourself first?”

“Yeah, for sure,” Naori-ue confirms. “I wasn’t about to just toss him in there without some orientation.”

“And how about you?” you ask Hanabi-sensei.

“Me?” she asks, a little bit awkwardly.

You nod. “How are you handling it, knowing we met as kids and all?”

>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5680310
Come ooooooooon give us the Hana Stamps

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5680310

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5680310

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5680310

>>5680310
I hope 13 is enough for the secret dark horse Hanabi route

>>5680310
“It was a little weird finding out that my top student was also my first childhood crush,” Hanabi-sensei admits candidly, “but it doesn’t really bother me - because that was a long time ago from my perspective.”

“I see,” you sigh. “It’d suck if…”

Your words are cut short by something unexpected - a gentle kiss to your forehead.

After a second - or maybe several - Hanabi-sensei backs away with a smile. “You don’t have anything to worry about… I may not be in ‘the game’, but I am going to be the best wing-man you never asked for. So when the time comes just rely on me, okay?”

After the surprise eventually wears off, you return that smile. “Right… thanks, Hanabi-chan.”

“Not a problem, Shiki-san.”

…

The next morning you awake later than normal for you - probably because you’re tired from your mission before. Your first task is to prepare breakfast, followed by hot tea out on your balcony as you write up a brief note to share with the Shrike clan detailing your misadventures in time. It’s while you’re writing that you’re joined by your teammates.

“What’s up, Shiki?” Wasabi asks you curiously. “I heard from sensei you’ve been up to some weird stuff since yesterday?”

>Sorry, can’t talk about it. VERY classified. But anyway, let’s hang out today.
>Let’s head to the training grounds and I’ll tell you what little I’m allowed to.
>I was just tying off some really weird loose ends. So what’s new with you two?
>Other?

>>5680416
>>Let’s head to the training grounds and I’ll tell you what little I’m allowed to.

>>5680416
>Let’s head to the training grounds and I’ll tell you what little I’m allowed to.

>>5680416
>>Let’s head to the training grounds and I’ll tell you what little I’m allowed to.

>>5680416
>Let’s head to the training grounds and I’ll tell you what little I’m allowed to.

>It was a little weird finding out that my top student was also my first childhood crush
YES YES YES YES YES
>I may not be in ‘the game’
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

>>5680416
>Let’s head to the training grounds and I’ll tell you what little I’m allowed to.

I WON'T ACCEPT THIS! HANA-STAMP ROUTE HIDDEN BEHIND SOME BULLSHIT ROLLS!

>>5680780
Worse, it's hidden behind an OC named koshu who basically exists because the qm actually wanted us to fuck temari and we didn't.

>>5680785
Especially with the discord guiding polls trending Sumire... Also Shikamaru and Itachi was robbed.

>>5680816
We all know he can't stand making a quest without a lesbian protagonist, he was never gonna let it happen

File: Spoiler Image (57 KB, 338x271)

57 KB JPG

>>5680416
>>Let’s head to the training grounds and I’ll tell you what little I’m allowed to.
>I may not be in ‘the game’
saddness

>>5680859
Damn, how’d I miss the extra d

>>5680416
>Let’s head to the training grounds and I’ll tell you what little I’m allowed to.

Y'all complaining about a route we basically locked ourselves in ages ago.

>>5680887
>be given choices a, b, c or d
>our heart lies in number e
>"you did this to yourselves!"

trash, behave yourself.

How many Hana stamps do we have to turn in to get Hanabi's heart? She's truly the best option out of everything presented.

>>5680922
It was never really about the hana stamps.
Simply put, we can't give up just because she said she's not in the game.

We need to spend more time with her, and take every opportunity to impress.
Never give up, never surrender. Keep moving forward for the sake of a brighter future.

That's our ninja way.

>>5680932
You've lit a fire in my heart anon. It's time to start pushing for Hanabi with every write in when applicable.

>>5680416
“You have no idea,” you sigh. “Let’s head over to the training grounds, and I’ll tell you what I can.”

“So, it was one of those incidents,” Sumire glances at you, a very knowing expression on her face. “How is it that you keep getting dragged into them?”

“Talent, I guess,” you shrug. “Come on, let’s go.”

…

“Man, it’s nice to not have something crazy hanging over my head,” you stretch dramatically, enjoying the sun and the warm breeze and the sound of the river flowing through its bed nearby. “This time yesterday I’d been sent back in time. Meeting Hanabi-sensei when she was six was nice and all, but other than that everything got pretty stupid.”

“Stupid how?” Wasabi asks curiously.

“Every conceivable way,” you reply. “At every conceivable level. It was fractally stupid.”

“Can you even tell us what made it so bad?” Sumire asks you.

You shake your head. “Sorry. Classified.”

“Eh, well that figures,” Wasabi grumbles. “So’d you at least get anything out of it?”

“I worked on senjutsu and hiraishin,” you tell them.

They both blink awkwardly at first - they know what those two words mean of course, but the simple, straightforward way you told them must be surprising. After all, you wouldn’t even have told the Hokage about it in such clear terms.

“That’s big news,” Sumire observes. “How does Lord Seventh feel about it?”

“Nervous,” you admit. “Just what he guesses I’ve been up to could turn into a political problem.”

“And you’re just gonna…” Wasabi frowns. “Tell us?”

You nod. “Sure.”

“You’re not worried we’ll spill it if someone asks?”

“Not really.”
>1/2

File: hanabi fireworks.jpg (167 KB, 1024x1536)

167 KB JPG

I can imagine hanabi's expression when she realizes shiki's genuinely after her.
Surprise, flattery, embarrassment. I can picture the look on her face when he flirts with her and she has to deflect it casually, but they both know he's serious.

How long can she dismiss it as just a kid's prank?
Shiki's only 14 now, but what about when he's 15 or 16? If he's still at it, will she be able to brush it off so easily?

Don't give up. Not now, not ever.
Stick it out for as long as you have to. It's worth it.

We'll become a man that she can't help but acknowledge.

>>5681189
like hell we will, jerk off before posting anon, or gtfo

>>5681192
Jerking off got nothing to do with it.
Whenever i imagine hanabi-sensei's smile, i can feel fireworks bursting in my heart!

I want Hanabi to light up Shiki's sky. We need more firework pickup lines, this is important

>>5681176
“Well, it’s good to have you back,” Wasabi nods thoughtfully. “It feels like it’s been a while since we’ve done much together.”

“That’s bound to be the case eventually,” Sumire observes. “As we grow in skill, we become more able to work independently, or as part of another team.”

“Yeah, I know,” Wasabi counters. “But still, it’s nice to be together again.”

“... I feel the same way,” you admit.

>That’s why I kind of want to just… you know. Hang out. Go camping, fish, maybe spar a LITTLE. But mostly just hang out.
>You’ve both been training hard, right? Show me what you’ve got.
>The two of you are going to try for chūnin again, probably pretty soon. So let’s consider that for a while.
>Other?

>>5681254
>That’s why I kind of want to just… you know. Hang out. Go camping, fish, maybe spar a LITTLE. But mostly just hang out.
>Maybe we should invite hanabi-sensei, too. I'm sure she needs some time to relax every once in a while as well.

>>5681254
>>You’ve both been training hard, right? Show me what you’ve got.

>>5681254
>>That’s why I kind of want to just… you know. Hang out. Go camping, fish, maybe spar a LITTLE. But mostly just hang out.

>>5681254
>That’s why I kind of want to just… you know. Hang out. Go camping, fish, maybe spar a LITTLE. But mostly just hang out.

>>5681254
>That’s why I kind of want to just… you know. Hang out. Go camping, fish, maybe spar a LITTLE. But mostly just hang out.
>Maybe we should invite Hanabi-sensei, too. I'm sure she needs some time to relax every once in a while as well.

>>5681254
>That’s why I kind of want to just… you know. Hang out. Go camping, fish, maybe spar a LITTLE. But mostly just hang out.
>Maybe we should invite Hanabi-sensei, too. I'm sure she needs some time to relax every once in a while as well.

HANABI ROUTE LETS GO

>>5681254
>>That’s why I kind of want to just… you know. Hang out. Go camping, fish, maybe spar a LITTLE. But mostly just hang out.

>>5681254
>That’s why I kind of want to just… you know. Hang out. Go camping, fish, maybe spar a LITTLE. But mostly just hang out.

>>5681254
>>That’s why I kind of want to just… you know. Hang out. Go camping, fish, maybe spar a LITTLE. But mostly just hang out.

>>5681254
“That’s part of why I just want to… you know,” you muse. “Just hang out for a while. Do normal campout sort of stuff - fish in the river, hike around in the woods, toast marshmallows, go stargazing. Train a little and maybe spar if the urge takes us, but not go into it with that in mind.”

“What do you two think?”

There’s a pause.

“Actually,” Wasabi muses, “that sounds nice. Sumirin?”

“Like a summer break.”

“Exactly!” you insist. “I feel like we need a vacation - like a real vacation, not just some time set aside to train.”

“Well, then let’s all get some supplies and meet back here in a few hours?” Sumire suggests.

“Yeah, let’s do it!” Wasabi declares, pounding her fist into her hand.

…

You settle on a division of responsibilities - a single tent, three lightweight sleeping bags with pillows, food, water, a small telescope, and so on. All these things are sealed away for lighter packing, along with spare clothes, swimsuits, fishing gear… a lot of stuff, really. Were it not for fūinjutsu it would be a silly amount of stuff.

“Are you sure that’s everything?” Sumire asks you - her tone only just hinting at sarcasm.

“You think I should leave the tent?” you ask, glancing back at her. “I could do without it, honestly, if you think we brought too much.”

“That’s fine,” Sumire answers immediately, her bluff called. “So where are we going?”

>The Naka river runs through a valley just outside the village walls. That could be nice.
>There’s a spot to the north where you’re supposed to be able to dig your own hot spring.
>The forests to the south are supposedly a good place to forage for wild berries and mushrooms.
>Other?

>>5682799
>>There’s a spot to the north where you’re supposed to be able to dig your own hot spring.

>>5682799
>>There’s a spot to the north where you’re supposed to be able to dig your own hot spring.

>>5682799
>The Naka river runs through a valley just outside the village walls. That could be nice.

River sounds more cozy than hot springs desu.

>>5682799
>>The Naka river runs through a valley just outside the village walls. That could be nice.

>>5682799
>>There’s a spot to the north where you’re supposed to be able to dig your own hot spring.

Hot spring fans unite!

>>5682799
The Naka river valley is beautiful, that much is undeniable. But there are other options - the Tatsumi river flows into the village from the north through a sluice gate near one of the entrances to the village through the wall, known as the Tatsumi Gate. It’s a well-known neighborhood within Konoha. But outside the wall, the Tatsumi river flows through the forests that surround the village including through an area where hot mineral springs join it. Along that stretch of river you can dig your own onsen pools, which on occasion trainees in the earth release will do as a training exercise due to how difficult it is to shape loose water-logged silt and sand.

“I was thinking the Tatsumi riverbank,” you suggest.

“Self-service onsen, good fishing, good hiking, good distance from the village lights,” Sumire muses. “That should be quite relaxing.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Wasabi agrees.

…

When you get to the river you follow it up and away from the regular campsite, where there are a few visitors, and towards a more out-of-the-way terrace that would be tough for a casual sightseer to reach. Here the trees stand a little ways from the river itself, and the sandy shores practically beg for you to dig into them, but at the same time the river is deep enough in the middle and slow enough for good fishing.

“Perfect,” you declare. “We’ll pitch the tent back in among the trees and lay in a fire out a little way onto the shore.”

The tent goes up in just a few minutes, and the sleeping bags go inside it. There’s plenty of fallen wood lying around that’s dry enough for a fire, and three comfy folding chairs in a little arc around a ring of larger rocks defines your campsite. A metal grill, raised up off what will be the fire by long wire legs, makes it ready to cook later on in the evening.

While the girls dig out little onsen pools for themselves nearby you cast a line, hoping to hook a few fish for dinner before allowing yourself to give in to pure inertia for the rest of the day. Finding a likely-looking spot you set your line and wait for a little while, eventually pulling in your first catch - a sweetfish, just shy of a foot long, which you seal into a scroll for freshness. Next you hook a small salmon, about a foot and a half long. Then your bait gets eaten off the hook before you eventually pull in the catch of the day: a taimen that weighs in at about fifteen pounds of fish that gives you a completely respectable fight.

Even the girls stand up and take notice of that one, which you seal away before digging a little onsen-pit for yourself near theirs.
>1/2

>>5683541
>1d6 best three of four

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5683565

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5683565

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5683565

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5683565

>>5683541
You sit back and let the mineral-laden hot water work its magic on your tired muscles and aching joints, strained as they are after what feels like a continuous stream of fighting for your life and training with your life on the line.

With one finger you stir the surface of the pool. It has no definite scent to it, let alone the rotten egg aroma of a sulfuric bath, and has a slightly thick feel to it that tells you that the source is actually mildly alkaline. ‘Bijin-no-yu’ - the water of beautiful ladies - it’s often called due to its clarifying and exfoliating effect on the skin which leaves it healthy and feeling silky smooth. Funny how something as commonplace as water can feel so different just based on the mineral content and the pH value.

Which when you think about it, a lot of that seems similar to your understanding of how futton, the ‘boil release’, is supposed to work. Having never actually used it of course it’s hard to say how accurate that impression is, but it does certainly get you thinking.

…

You share the responsibility of cleaning the fish, then cooking them in foil with herby compound butter and thinly-sliced broccoli. There’s plenty to go around, and fūinjutsu comes in handy again for sealing away the leftovers.

Then, after dinner, you take turns washing off after having bathed in the alkaline water before - using a hastily-constructed barrier to ensure privacy even if someone randomly wanders by your camp site. By the time you’ve all cleaned yourselves and re-dressed into dry clothing the sun has gone down and there’s a chill in the air, which keeps you talking by firelight well into the night. After the flames have died down to coals in which you heat some herbal tea, you watch the stars for a while longer from the riverbank - a clear dark night is perfect for it, turning the whole sky into a tapestry of silver pinpricks in fantastical and inscrutable patterns in a black field.

“... this is nice,” Wasabi muses quietly. “We should hang out like this more often.”

“We used to,” you observe. “Back when we were still in the academy.”

“This feels different,” Sumire admits.

“Maybe because we know each other better,” you offer. “We’ve been on missions when we’ve had to rely on each other.”
>2/3

>>5684464
“True,” Sumire agrees. “There was a time I thought I could never have that.”

“Back when you were still on a revenge kick against Konoha?” Wasabi sighs. “That was like forever ago.”

“Maybe,” Sumire muses.

“Long enough that it doesn’t matter,” you insist. “We’re here now, and we’ll be there for each other from now on… whatever else may happen. Right?”

“Of course,” Sumire agrees.

“You bet your butt!” Wasabi cheers.

…

When you wake in the dim light of morning, you find the sleeping bags in a messy pile - their occupants having rolled closer together during the night.

>Try to pick your way out of the tent without waking the others, to train with the alkaline water.
>Wake the others as gently as possible - there are things to attend to, like making breakfast.
>Just wait. Things are peaceful for now, and you don’t want to risk ruining that peacefulness.
>Other?

>>5684507
>Try to pick your way out of the tent without waking the others, to train with the alkaline water.

>>5684507
>>Try to pick your way out of the tent without waking the others, to train with the alkaline water.

>>5684507
>>Just wait. Things are peaceful for now, and you don’t want to risk ruining that peacefulness.

This is vacation time and I'm not spoiling that.

>>5684507
>Try to pick your way out of the tent without waking the others, to train with the alkaline water.

If only Hanabi was here

>>5684552
agreed

>>5684507
>>Just wait. Things are peaceful for now, and you don’t want to risk ruining that peacefulness.

>>5684507
>>Just wait. Things are peaceful for now, and you don’t want to risk ruining that peacefulness.

This is vacation so just rest.

>>5684507
>>Just wait. Things are peaceful for now, and you don’t want to risk ruining that peacefulness.
Shiki needs to relax like a normal person

>>5684507
>1d6 best three of four

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5684779

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5684779

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5684779

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5684779

>>5684779
You decide to relax a little more - after all, as interesting as the interplay of alkaline and acidic water may be in your suiton transformation the point of the bath yesterday was to relax, not to work yourself up. And while you may be a shinobi capable of great feats of stealth, so too are the girls on either side of you. It’d be polite to let them sleep as well.

And so you actually let yourself go right back to sleep for a little bit, until you’re woken by a yelp and the sound of the metal tent-poles creaking as someone hits the lightweight nylon wall to your left.

“Shiki!” you hear Wasabi’s voice, sounding at once confused and apologetic. “Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting to wake up that close to your face…”

“S’fine,” you groan, stretching your arms above your head. “Take it you’re probably awake now too, Sumirin?”

“I suppose,” she replies after a moment. “I had been enjoying the quiet…”

She, like you, notices the look on Wasabi’s face. “What is it?”

“We have company,” Wasabi declares in a low voice. “Just upwind… I count five people.”

“Distance?” Sumire asks quietly.

“Four are spreading out and keeping their distance. One is close.”

“I can feel the fifth,” you declare a moment later. “They’re coming this way, in no particular hurry.”

The stranger stops outside your tent. “Uzumaki Shiki-kun, I presume?” a female voice enquires. The speaker can’t be more than a year or two older than you are by the sound of it, but it’s nobody you recognize.

>I’m not doing anything weird, I promise.
>The interloper shouldn’t have their host at such a disadvantage. Who are you?
>Just pull a shirt on and step out of the tent. There’s really nothing to lose.
>Other?

>>5685104
>>The interloper shouldn’t have their host at such a disadvantage. Who are you?

>>5685104
>The interloper shouldn’t have their host at such a disadvantage. Who are you?
>Do NOT put on a shirt

>>5685104
>>I’m not doing anything weird, I promise.

>>5685104
>>The interloper shouldn’t have their host at such a disadvantage. Who are you?

>>5685104
>>5685107
Supporting. Psychological warfare

>>5685104
“You already have my name,” you reply through the side of the tent. “Give me yours and we can have a proper conversation.”

There’s a brief pause.

“Call me Sa,” the voice replies. “At least, for the time being.”

Sa, hm? So that would probably mean one thing.

“ANBU?” you ask curtly.

“That’s right,” Sa confirms, her voice calm and even. “From Konohagakure.”

“Why would she need to say that?” Wasabi whispers.

“As opposed to Amegakure,” Sumire observes.

Wasabi nods. “Ah, I gotcha.”

“I’ll need a passcode,” you insist curtly, pulling your folding knife from one of the pockets on the leg of your shorts. “I’m sure you understand how this is supposed to work.”

“Of course,” Sa agrees. “The canola flowers. The moon is in the eastern sky. The sun is in the western sky.”

You nod, putting your right hand (and the knife you’re holding in it) into your front pocket. “Then I’m coming out.”

You step into a pair of sandals and unzip the front flap of the tent, and step out into the open to face the ANBU member who has come down into your campsite to speak with you directly. Her frame strengthens your belief based on her voice that she’s just a few years older than you, standing just a little taller than you with some slight curves showing through despite her flak jacket and hooded cloak. It’s hard to say how her hair is styled, though you can see that it’s black, and her face is hidden by a mask with purple stripes that reminds you of a fox.

She watches you for a moment. “You aren’t wearing a shirt.”
>1/2

>>5685757
“You woke me up,” you reply with a frown. “Now what’s all this about, miss ‘Sa’? We’re supposed to be on vacation here.”

Your teammates step out as well, having taken the time to make themselves a bit more presentable than the tank-tops and exercise shorts they slept in. They take up positions from which they can take action if there are any attacks from around you. Seemingly in response, ‘Sa’ settles into seiza in front of you with her hands clearly and openly resting atop her thighs where you can keep an eye on them.

And so, you do the same.

“Your reply, then?”

“Last night, a train was scheduled to pass through the Land of Fire, bound for the Land of Grass,” Sa informs you. “Among the cars, one was secured as transportation for convicted Jashin cultists from the Lands of Hot Water and Lightning to their permanent internment in the Land of Snow. During the night, one of the guards tasked with securing those cultists died of a sudden heart attack.”

“What happened next?” you press.

“While the train was stopped to deal with the medical emergency, several of the cultists with training as shinobi took the opportunity to escape.”

“Well that’s not good,” you muse. “That’s not good at all.”

“No,” Sa agrees. “So when we heard there was a group camping out here we wanted to come to warn you.”

“Reasoning that they would follow the rivers,” Sumire guesses.

Sa nods. “But since it’s you three, a warning seems unnecessary. So instead, I’ll simply ask you to contact me if you see anything suspicious while you’re taking your vacation. Would you be willing to do that for me, Uzumaki Shiki-kun?”

“Of course,” you confirm.

Sa takes a small piece of paper out from a pouch at her hip and writes on it - a phone number. “This is the phone I carry for work. Commit the number to memory.”

She shows it to you, lets you read it, then sets fire to it between her fingertips.
>2/3

>>5685803
Shortly after that another ANBU, this one a grown man wearing a mask that seems to resemble a monkey, joins you. “We have another tip. Are you done, Sa? Or shall we wait a little longer?”

“A little courtesy never hurts, Kō,” Sa replies curtly.

“Courtesy sure, but I’ve never seen you so chatty,” Kō retorts. “That’d be weird even if we weren’t on a mission.”

“You rarely see it,” Sa rises to her feet and turns to leave with her teammates, “because talking to you isn’t very rewarding.”

“Wow, friendly fire.”

…

“Well that was different,” Wasabi-kun muses. “So… what now?”

>We’ll leave camp set up and hike in the area. Maybe gather some food as we go.
>Let’s strike camp and move to a different location, maybe up into the hills a ways.
>Let’s move our camp a bit further downstream. Stay closer to the village walls.
>Other?

>>5685817
>>This is going to end up our problem somehow. reinforce the surrounding area with traps meant to alert us to movement, maybe summon a couple shrikes to scout.
>>then continue to fish and enjoy our vacation. Ask Sumire what she's been up to while we've been off in the land of ninja-space-wizard shenanigans.

I know people like Koshu and Hanabi, but my heart still says Shiki's got the best setup with Sumire.

>>5685817
>>5685856
Supporting, even if this is a vacation, Shiki and friends are shinobi. There is never truly an off position.

And it is Hanabi with Sumire as the number two with me.

>>5685817
I’ll support >>5685856 except with asking both girls instead of just Sumire; Wasabi deserves some love too

>>5685856
>>5685817
This, essentially. When they inevitably come to ruin our vacation, let's be ready to ruin their assholes instead.
Also, talk to both girls and not just Sumire.

>>5685817
>>5685856
Support, but talking to both girls as well.
ALSO HANABI SUPREMACY

>>5685856
tch, i can't believe theres an actual catgirl and people want the /ss/ and the eggplanthead instead

>>5686451
I'd rather have no pussy until we're 18 and go the hanabi route than settle for some OC donut steel temari clone

>>5686453
i'm not talking about koshu but she's got shark teeth so she's okay in my book

>>5680816
Where must I go to show my Hanabi support.

>>5686487
https://discord.gg/XWZ3SrpT

>>5686491
>none of the votes shown have Hanabi as an option

THIS SLIGHT SHALL BE AVENGED.

>>5686453
Hey so, just how old is Shiki actually? Hanabi is only like 12 years older, right? Not too much of an age gap once Shiki is an adult. And I'm definitely in this till the end.

>>5685817
After the ANBU have left, you share your own thoughts. “This is totally going to become our problem somehow, right?”

“Yes,” Sumire answers. “Oh, for sure,” Wasabi replies simultaneously.

With a little sigh, you begin dutifully weaving hand seals. “Kuchiyose: Kiburi!”

Your shrike partner appears perched on your fingertip. “Shiki, welcome back.”

“You knew that I was gone?” you muse.

She nods, her beak dipping slightly with the gesture. “Of course, Naori-dono made us aware of your situation, and reassured us that there was absolutely nothing we could do to help you.”

“... what the heck were you even up to?” Wasabi stares at you, shaking her head.

“Anyway,” Kiburi continues, “that’s why this time I’ll be sure to help out lots!”

“Thanks,” you smile. “Right now I need to borrow your wings to scout the area along this river.”

“Am I looking for anything in particular?”

“There are a few ANBU in the area looking for some escaped ninja death cultists,” you recount, “or some dumb combination like that. They’re criminals at the very least, possibly even dangerous.”

“Do you want me to find them first?” she asks.

You shake your head. “Vacation. I just want to be sure that they don’t end up finding us by accident.”

“That’s definitely going to work,” Sumire grumbles.

“Very well,” Kiburi chirps, taking off into the sky. “I will check in with you shortly!”

“Thank you!” you call after her.

“We could also set some traps,” Sumire suggests. “Nothing lethal, of course!” she adds hastily after a surprised glance from Wasabi.
>1/2

>>5686584
>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5686656

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5686656

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5686656

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5686656

>>5686584
“I actually agree,” you declare. “The more devious and infuriating the better.”

…

What you end up laying out is a series of tag and wire-based traps, all nonlethal of course. Usually the obvious result is that a tag gets set off that releases a cloud of chili powder, or just a flash and a bang, or even just a bucketload of ice water from a branch above. Basically schoolhouse prank levels of annoyance, and no real harm to speak of (at least if you discount the chili powder).

But there are also hidden tags that aren’t connected to wire traps at all, and some of the wire traps are actually cunning triple-wire versions. In these cases the third wire isn’t even meant to be stepped on, though that will certainly set them off. Instead they’ll trigger an ultrasonic vibration which you and your team will be able to pick up and interpret even across a distance, essentially creating an early warning network hidden among the more obvious and conventional traps.

“So… what now?” Wasabi asks curiously.

“Now I start getting ready for lunch,” you reply calmly. “I’m sure we can forage some stuff that’s not fish.”

“I like fish,” Sumire muses, before admitting “but something else would be nice.”

“Then it’s settled,” you declare, before leading your team confidently into the bushes.

>You’re curious about Wasabi’s clan - you have to admit you never heard of them before coming here, and have no idea how they would have her train.
>You know Sumire has been working on her own techniques, which intersect with medical ninjutsu. Who did she get to teach her while you were apart?
>None of that is important. What’s important is sharing all of your progress and working out where you go from here, and how you can work together.
>Other?

>>5687422
>>You’re curious about Wasabi’s clan - you have to admit you never heard of them before coming here, and have no idea how they would have her train.

I need someone smarter than me to come up with an option that pushes Hanabi.

>>5687422
>>You’re curious about Wasabi’s clan - you have to admit you never heard of them before coming here, and have no idea how they would have her train.

>>5687422
>>You know Sumire has been working on her own techniques, which intersect with medical ninjutsu. Who did she get to teach her while you were apart?

>>5687422
>>You know Sumire has been working on her own techniques, which intersect with medical ninjutsu. Who did she get to teach her while you were apart?

>>5684679
Testing.

>>5687981
“So, tell me what you’ve both been up to,” you muse as your team walks together up the river a ways. “We’ve all been off doing our own thing lately.”

“I studied under Shizune-san,” Sumire explains, stooping to pull a few small shoots by the riverbank out by their roots. “Poisons, and water-based medical ninjutsu.”

“And how to combine the two, I take it?” you guess.

She nods with a small smile. “You’re sharp. Yes, the two can be readily combined. I just need more practice.”

“Give us an example of how it’d work.”

“Well,” she replies thoughtfully. “Here is one thought I had - instead of drawing poison out into water, which is a common enough practice, I am creating a technique which applies an antidote as the recipient is exposed to a specific toxin.”

“So you could go crazy with poison if you wanted without poisoning me or Shiki,” Wasabi summarizes with a grin. “Alright, I like it!”

“What about you?” Sumire asks.

“Yeah,” you agree. “I assume you trained with your clan for a while, but how?”

“Well, you know I’m a close-range taijutsu user,” Wasabi begins, “and that my clan uses chakra cloaks as our specialty, right?”

“That rings a bell,” you nod. “Do go on.”

“Well, if I load a scroll with a mix of medical ninjutsu chakra,” Wasabi tells you, “it’ll enhance my physical abilities, it’ll turn my fingertips into chakra scalpels, and if I dispel it I can use that chakra to heal myself.”

“That’s… fantastic!” Sumire declares, having to take a moment to grapple with how… well, ‘complete’ the technique Wasabi described. In fact, it seems to be a viable workaround to one of the rules of medical shinobi - that a shinobi who has mastered a certain hand seal-less self-healing technique can ignore the other rules.
>1/2

>>5688227
“So…” Wasabi muses, “do we even wanna know, Shiki?”

“Sage mode,” you admit. “And hiraishin. Neither is quite there yet.”

“You know, on the one hand it’s really reassuring to have a guy like you on our side,” Wasabi admits. “On the other hand it’s a little intimidating.”

“That’s fine,” you shrug. “You know the truth though.”

“Of course,” Sumire replies.

“... would you use it against Konoha?” Wasabi asks curiously.

You consider it for a moment. “Me fighting Konoha would be one hell of a contrived scenario. But like with that Iwagakure incident… no. I’d definitely hold back.”

“Thought as much,” she chuckles. “Well, that’s always been good enough for me.”

>Go back to fishing for a while. It’s relaxing.
>You’d be interested in seeing if the girls have any talent for whittling.
>With Wasabi’s help you could probably get some small game.
>OTher?

>>5688251
>>You’d be interested in seeing if the girls have any talent for whittling.

>>5688251
Are we ever gonna mention the part of our sage training where our mother sealed our chakra and threw us into the desert with no food or water and left us to be torn apart by wolves
Because that was a thing that happened

And we lived by the way

>>5688251
>>Go back to fishing for a while. It’s relaxing.
>>5688277
she didn't seal anything, it was a magic field

>>5688251
>With Wasabi’s help you could probably get some small game.

>>5688251
>>With Wasabi’s help you could probably get some small game.

>>5688251
>>With Wasabi’s help you could probably get some small game.

>>5688251
>Go back to fishing for a while. It’s relaxing.
>You’d be interested in seeing if the girls have any talent for whittling.

>>5688277
I think that is worth throwing as a completely serious thing in a humorous situation and then let them be completely bamboozled about it.

>>5688251
>>With Wasabi’s help you could probably get some small game.

>>5688672
>1d6 best three of four
Also they know that story already.

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5688831

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5688831

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5688831

>>5688831
Needs one more

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5688831

File: 1461786941942.gif (2.9 MB, 200x170)

2.9 MB GIF

>>5688984

>>5688984
shamefur dispray

>>5688831
“Wasabi,” you muse. “I think between the two of us we can probably bag some small game. You wanna try it?”

After considering for a moment, Wasabi agrees. “Sure, whatdya want me to do?”

…

Wasabi’s role is to track - something that next to Hanabi-sensei and her byakugan, she’s the best at in your group. Which is saying something, since even you and Sumire are well above average as it is. So Wasabi is able to sniff out game trails based on which ones have been used most recently, then narrows things down based on how particular blades of grass are bent and at what heights. She settles on a track probably used by rabbits with some frequency, and even takes efforts to erase your scents.

That’s where your role begins.

When your unnaturally sharp eyes spot movement you ready, and when a rabbit steps out of the tall grass you mould the chakra. It wiggles its nose, then lifts its head.

On the one hand, you ate those fish yesterday without really considering it. On the other hand, this rabbit doesn’t really stand a chance as things are - you really doubt you’re going to miss a stationary target at this range, even if you’re basically spitting at it. There’s no sport in it, and you could just as easily dip into your stash of sealed snacks to add to your meal today so it’s not really a survival situation.

And so for a moment you stop to consider it.

>Launch your water needle at the rabbit.
>Launch your water needle at a more deserving target.
>Other?

>>5689508
>>Launch your water needle at the rabbit.

This rabbit is gonna be hunted and eaten by something eventually.

>>5689508
>>Launch your water needle at a more deserving target.

>>5689508
>>Launch your water needle at the rabbit.

>>5689508
>Launch your water needle at the rabbit.

What, is a chicken 'more deserving'?
We're eating it because we want meat.

Just don't waste it.

>>5689508
>Launch your water needle at a more deserving target.
...Y'know what. I'll let queen cook with this option, I'm curious.

>>5689508
>>Launch your water needle at a more deserving target.

>>5689508
Interrogating that instinct a little further, it’s not a sense of softness for the rabbit as opposed to the fish you gutted last night. It’s not even an opposition to killing something for sport, like a lot of other people do with deer or even larger and more dangerous animals like bears. It simply strikes you as being a situation so lopsidedly in your favor as not to even be ‘sporting’ anymore.

So instead of killing your prey like that, you creep down out of the tree branches and slink closer, slowly, from downwind. Closer and closer, until you’re maybe twelve feet from the rabbit as it nibbles on a little root of some kind. And when it lifts its head, perhaps vaguely sensing its peril, that’s when you release the water needle. It strikes true, punching a hole clean through the back of the creature’s neck and snapping its spine just below the skull. The rabbit is instantly dead, having felt neither fear nor pain.

“Wow,” Wasabi muses, coming down from the tree to join you. “That was textbook. I didn’t take you for a hunter, but here we are.”

“Yeah, well, I had to learn,” you point out.

“These days, what with compound crossbows and everything, seems like a lot of people don’t bother stalking properly,” Wasabi continues, picking the rabbit up by the ears.

“I won’t say I wanted to make a point of it or anything,” you admit. “It just felt… kinda like bullying I guess? Like this kinda should be either sporting or necessary.”

“It’s cause you’re a good guy,” Wasabi shrugs. “Like we keep tryin’ to tell you. Now let’s get this thing cleaned up before we store it?”

You nod in agreement. “Yeah, good idea.”
>1/2

>>5690256
The rabbit cleans up well that evening, and the roots, spices, and leaves you gathered through the day make for a nice stew. This evening is just as pleasant and clear as the last, albeit with a single difference.

“You’re back,” you muse, having noted the return of the ANBU team.

“I take it you found your targets,” Sumire guesses.

The fox-masked ANBU, ‘Sa’, has stopped to greet you. “We have.”

“So you’re here to tell us to dismantle all our traps,” you guess.

She nods. “That would be best.”

“The criminals are all back on a train headin for Kusagakure?” Wasabi asks.

“Something like that,” Sa replies cryptically.

>We made stew if you want some. You’ve probably had a busy day.
>Well, that’s ominous. I suppose we shouldn’t involve ourselves any further then.
>... they’re dead, aren’t they?
>Other?

>>5690371
>We made stew if you want some. You’ve probably had a busy day.

Momma didn't raise us to not show hospitality.

>>5690371
>>... they’re dead, aren’t they?
>>We made stew if you want some. You’ve probably had a busy day.

>>5690371
>They're jashinists, Wasabi. They strap bombs to themselves and die with a smile on their faces.
>We made stew if you want some. You’ve probably had a busy day.

>>5690371
>>5690385
I like that, I’ll switch to supporting to >>5690388

>>5690371
>>5690388
Supportang!

>>5690371
“They’re Jashinists,” you point our. “Violence is kind of their whole thing… given what you just said I take it none of them are still alive?”

“Actually they’re all alive,” Sa tells you. “What I meant was that they committed additional crimes, so they’ll need to be re-sentenced. For some, that may mean execution.”

“… oh,” you reply, taken a bit off your guard. “Really? No casualties?”

Sa nods once. “Within ANBU, I’m the best at disabling and capturing suspects.”

“Well then, thank you for the update,” Sumire bows politely.

“You must be hungry,” you observe. “I’d be remiss if I failed to offer you anything in terms of hospitality.”

Sa is completely still and silent for a moment, as though considering her reply carefully. “Can I have that hospitality as take-away?”

“You don’t wanna take five minutes and eat with us?” Wasabi asks with a frown.

Sa shakes her head. “Although it would be nice, I shouldn’t for several reasons.”

“That’s fine then,” you shrug, unsealing a small bowl and pouring a ladle of stew into it before sealing it into a fūinjutsu tag along with a little warm bread. “Here. Hope you get a minute later to enjoy it.”

Sa accepts the tag, before offering a polite bow. "Thank you for your hospitality. I hope that some day my position will allow me to repay it."
>1/2

>>5691231
>1d6, high roll, taking three

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5691268

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5691268
>>5691302
well done

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5691268

>>5691302
>>5691307
Well done to both of you anons

>>5691231
“This was nice,” you smile at the end of the day, as the stars are out and shining. “I plan to hang onto my memories of this for a good long time.”

Sumire stares at you silently, almost expectantly, and Wasabi seems confused. “Whadya mean?”

“At some point soon,” you explain, gazing upwards, “I’m probably going to go off to train intensively in senjutsu, among other things. I may not be back for a while.”

“... how long?” Sumire asks you.

“It could be a year or two,” you admit. “But I’ll definitely be back.”

“You better,” Wasabi grumbles softly.

“Until then, do your own things,” you insist. “Keep learning, and training, and growing, and when we see each other again we’ll all show off, alright?”

“Yeah… sounds good to me,” Wasabi replies.

“It’s a promise,” Sumire agrees.

…

You weren’t wrong.

Not two days after you return to the village from your camping trip, Naori-ue appears at your apartment - and you know immediately why. This day was always coming. You were always going to have to commit yourself to completing all of the things you started, to take the next big leap towards being the sort of shinobi you and your sister decided to be as children, before even entering the academy. The sort of shinobi your family, your friends, and your teachers all know you can be.

It's time.
>1/2

>>5691896
>Wasabi
>Sumire

>>5691993
Wasabi

>>5691993
>>Sumire

>>5691993
>Wasabi

>>5691993
>>Wasabi

>>5691993
>Sumire

>>5691993
>Sumire

>>5691993
>Wasabi

>>5691993
>Sumire

>>5691993
>>Sumire

>>5691993
>>Sumire

File: file.png (4.99 MB, 3840x2152)

4.99 MB PNG

reminder
wasabi is an actual catgirl

>>5691896
>Sumire

>>5691993
>>Wasabi

>>5691993
>Hanabi

IF THERE IS NO OPTION THEN I SHALL MAKE ONE

>>5691993
You are Nagao Sumire, and it’s been about ten months since your teammate Uzumaki Shiki left Konohagakure to train with his family. Because of that your team has been… well… it hasn’t been much of a team for about ten months. You’ve trained a little with your other teammate, Izuno Wasabi, as well as with Hanabi-sensei, but you feel that things are starting to pull apart. Or maybe it just feels that way because of how close you used to be?

“It’s time,” Hanabi-sensei tells the two of you over breakfast. “We’ll be holding a re-do of the chūnin exams, and I’ve submitted both your names. Again.”

“How’s that?” Wasabi asks, beating you to the question that was also on your mind. “There’s only two of us now.”

“The same is true for Chōchō-kun and Inojin-kun,” you point out.

“None of the stages will be team based,” Hanabi-sensei informs you. “You can help each other of course, but you won’t need to both pass a stage to progress.”

You exchange a knowing glance with Wasabi - that means there’s a chance that in the later stages, you’ll be forced to fight against one another. If that happens, only one of you will be able to ‘win’. Assuming of course that you don’t end up in a draw, that is.

So… how do you feel about this?

>The odds are good you won’t have to face Wasabi, even if you both make it to the final round. So this is fine.
>You’re not thrilled about the possibility, but then again you know that she’d expect your best if it comes to that.
>If it happens it happens, but either way you know you’re both eager to see how you stack up after all your effort.
>Other?

>>5692713
>>You’re not thrilled about the possibility, but then again you know that she’d expect your best if it comes to that.

>>5692713
>If it happens it happens, but either way you know you’re both eager to see how you stack up after all your effort.
Who knows, the test is just a means to determine if we're ready. Even if it happens, they might pass us both anyhow.

>>5692713
>If it happens it happens, but either way you know you’re both eager to see how you stack up after all your effort.

>>5692713
>>You’re not thrilled about the possibility, but then again you know that she’d expect your best if it comes to that.

>>5692713
>>If it happens it happens, but either way you know you’re both eager to see how you stack up after all your effort.

>>5692713
You consider it for a moment, then glance at Wasabi - who’s clearly thinking the same as you. It wouldn’t be fun per se having to fight each other, but you both share the excitement in showing each other, and everyone else, how far you’ve come. So if it ends up happening, you think you and Wasabi share the understanding that you’re going to give it your all nonetheless.

And so, you sign the paperwork.

…

“That was… underwhelming,” you admit after the first stage of the exam is out of the way, and your classmates gather outside the test venue.

“The questions could have been difficult,” Metal admits, “if I had not figured out that I could simply cheat off of Denki-kun without any negative repercussions whatsoever!”

Your extensive training in social customs tells you that it would be rude to observe that you had zero difficulty with those questions, so you don’t mention it.

“Yeah well,” Wasabi shrugs, “it’s nice to have one stage that’s just kind of a freebie, right? It’s totally gonna get harder.”

“Yeah,” a boy seemingly one year older than most of your class mutters with a smirk. “I bet it’s nice.”

So that’s…

“Excuse me, Kawanami-senpai?” you muse.

He glances at you. “Yeah, what’s up… Nagao-kun, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” you nod. “A piece of advice…”

“Not particularly interested,” he replies.

“Well too bad,” you counter. “The advice is this - you should be careful about disparaging our class.”

“I forget,” Kawanami-kun continues, without so much as a hint that the smirk on his face is going to fade any time soon. “Were you always a mouthy little kouhai, or is this new?”
>1/?

>>5694158
“No, this seems new,” one of his teammates, a mousy-haired girl of the same age, insists.

“Aoki-senpai,” you glare sharply, before returning your attention to Kawanami-kun. “My father taught me not to attract attention by voicing my opinions. I stopped listening to him.”

“Well then,” Kawanami-kun shrugs. “I guess we’ll see if things go the way you seem to think, Nagao-kun.”

“I guess so,” you reply calmly.

…

The second stage of the exam is a single performance scenario where you’ll have to head into a forested examination venue to recover a chūnin ‘ally’ feigning injury and rescue them within a time limit.

So… how to go about this…

>Aggressively. Use traps and misdirection to eliminate competition.
>Just get in and out, look to your own concerns and yours alone.
>You can probably use this to shape the participants of the last stage.
>Other?

>>5695051
>>You can probably use this to shape the participants of the last stage.

>>5695051
>Aggressively. Use traps and misdirection to eliminate competition.

>>5695051
>>You can probably use this to shape the participants of the last stage.

>>5695051
>>You can probably use this to shape the participants of the last stage.

>>5695051
>1d6 best three of four

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5695671

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5695671

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5695671

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5695671

>>5695671
Instead of rushing in to find someone to ‘save’, you immediately seek out Wasabi - who you find waiting for you in the dense forest which you and the other candidates were released into.

“What’s up?” she asks you curiously. “I thought we were gonna be going this one alone?”

“This is too good of an opportunity to pass up, don’t you think?” you counter. “An opportunity to decide who will progress to the final stage.”

“Which is gonna be solo matches again for sure.”

“Right.”

“I’m not opposed,” she agrees. “You think we can work together to knock out anyone who might give us a real fight in the next stage?”

“Directly or indirectly,” you clarify.

“So like making sure some of them just don’t find someone to rescue?”

You nod. “And by using your senses to ensure that both of us do.”

“Okay, so what’dya think our first play should be?”

…

The first thing you do is locate an ‘ally’ to be ‘rescued’ that’s right near where Metal has been searching - Wasabi insists that it’s likely that, if he continues in a more or less straight line, he won’t encounter another ‘ally’ and still be able to return within the time limit.

That should be perfectly adequate to get the guy who’s without a doubt the fastest and physically strongest candidate out of the running, all without ever having to engage.

Next… Iwabē paints a tempting target. He already has an ‘ally’, so taking him down means you get to rescue them instead. The only question is how you want to approach this.

>Set traps for him near the exit, then take advantage of any openings.
>You have a poison powder you’ve been working on that’s perfect for this.
>Take him on here and now, with a swift and coordinated attack.
>Other?

>>5695798
>You have a poison powder you’ve been working on that’s perfect for this.

>>5695798
>>You have a poison powder you’ve been working on that’s perfect for this.

>>5695798
>>You have a poison powder you’ve been working on that’s perfect for this.

>>5695798
>1d6, first three
>DC: 10
>SP: 2/2

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5696311

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5696311

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5696311

>>5695798
There’s a poison you’ve developed over the last few months that seems perfect for a situation like this, created from the concentrated pollen of certain cactus flowers. It disperses by mixing in with the ambient water vapor in the air, covering a fairly wide area - in its most basic, unmodified form it causes a victim to believe they’re moving through the terrain around them while in reality they’re going in circles.

Instead, you’ve modified this version with am herb that produces a sense of euphoria that because of the combination with the cactus pollen can follow the same pathways and influence the mind in the same way.

It’s also a good opportunity to test a second technique - Gyakusuika. What you do is create a series of water spheres, kind of like large beads, and place them on Wasabi’s back and on the back of her ‘rescued’ chūnin.

“As soon as either of you are exposed,” you explain, “this technique will apply the antidote automatically.”

“When did you finish this?” Wasabi asks you curiously as you place one on yourself.

“Last week,” you admit.

“Neat.”

“That’s… kind of gross,” the chūnin admits. “Are you really okay working together like this? You may end up fighting each other you know.”

“That’s fine,” you shrug.

“Yeah,” Wasabi agrees with a slight grin. “Besides, if I’m gonna lose to anyone I’d rather lose to you.”

“Aw, you’re sweet,” you muse cheerfully as you spread the poison for Iwabē to rush into.

…

You end up taking the chūnin off Iwabē’s hands… and creating a shadow clone to take Iwabē himself, who is obviously so high that it wouldn’t be safe to leave him alone.
>1/2

>>5696429
In the end both Chōchō and Inojin pass, as well as you and Wasabi naturally. Tsubaki, Sarada, and Boruto all pass as well, meaning that three teams which started out yesterday passed in their entirety. Boruto-kun however barely passed, as he arrived just barely after time ran out on the exercise, but his refusal to leave Kawanami-kun behind to get mauled by a giant bear played well with the judges - who never actually said that arriving late was disqualifying. From his team Hōki-kun was the only one to pass, as was the case with Denki-kun and Onikuma Enko-kun.

Kawanami-kun’s entire team however failed, as did two others taking part in the exams.

You’re told that your opponents for the third stage will be announced the day after tomorrow, leaving you with one day to do with what you please - either to train, or to relax.

>You want to relax on your own for a while.
>Spend some time with Wasabi.
>You’d like to do some last-minute training exercises.
>Other?

>>5696477
>>You’d like to do some last-minute training exercises.

>>5696477
>Spend some time with Wasabi.
Gotta make an effort not to drift apart you know

>>5696477
>>Spend some time with Wasabi.

>>5696477
>>You’d like to do some last-minute training exercises.
With or without Wasabi is fine, also

That was heartwarming, this is great team dynamic.
Not that they have that big a competition at the exams, both have a good chance to get into the finals.

>>5696477
>>Spend some time with Wasabi.

>>5696477
>>Spend some time with Wasabi.

>>5696477
“... let’s have dinner,” you declare to Wasabi.

She blinks. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you repeat. “Let’s call Hanabi-sensei and we’ll have dinner.”

“Okay,” Wasabi agrees.

…

And about an hour later the three of you are sitting around a table at a fancy restaurant that serves temarizushi - plates of bite-sized and debatably ‘ladylike’ sushi of varying descriptions - along with a range of teas.

“So how are things going so far?” Hanabi-sensei asks you curiously.

“Well enough,” you muse.

“We knocked out some of the competition,” Wasabi adds. “Team Konohamaru’s still in it though.”

“Yeah, I heard about that,” Hanabi-sensei shrugs. “He’s really proud of them… and he should be. They’ve really gotten their act together.”

“Boruto-kun was late of course,” Wasabi rolls her eyes. “But then again, that’s just kinda like him, you know?”

“Definitely,” you agree. “Kawanami-kun may be an arrogant jerk, but he’s still a member of Konohagakure.”

“Is that why you dragged Iwabē-kun out with us?” Wasabi asks you.

You shake your head. “No, I actually rather like Iwabē-kun. I just didn’t want to fight him in the finals - he has quite a bit of raw strength to deal with.”
>1/2

>>5697143
“So what do you think of the rest of the pack?” Wasabi asks you curiously.

That’s a question she knows may open up a whole lot of very specific and carefully-considered opinions.

>I think Team Konohamaru are the only real problem for either of us.
>They’re all chūnin candidates for a reason. Any of them could surprise us.
>Well, I could go over what I know about each of them in depth?
>Doesn’t matter. Either we’re ready by now or we aren’t.

>>5697143
>I think Team Konohamaru are the only real problem for either of us.

>>5697208
>Well, I could go over what I know about each of them in depth?

>>5697208
>Well, I could go over what I know about each of them in depth?

>>5697208
>Well, I could go over what I know about each of them in depth?

>>5697208
“Is that a request to go into detail?” you muse playfully.

While Hanabi-sensei merely leans back and settles into her chair for a while Wasabi looks at you, half-amused and half-nervous. “I dunno… is this somethin’ I wanna hear?”

“Chōchō-kun has strength, but is slow unless she uses her butterfly transformation,” you begin, “where she trades away stamina for speed. Your best option is to find a winning move before she uses that.”

“Inojin-kun has several useful techniques, but both have flaws. His mother’s jutsu requires a lot of setup to use safely, and his father’s attacks with very fragile ink constructs.”

“So keep moving and attack at range to break up the ink beasts,” Wasabi nods, listening along. “But keeping in mind that the ink spatters aren’t harmless.”

“Right,” you agree. “Hōki-kun may be unremarkable but he’s been training with ANBU, so you can expect him to adapt quickly and devise counters.”

“And he’s got that instant recall thing,” Wasabi adds. “Gotcha.”

“Then there’s Enko-kun,” you continue. “She’s kind - I like her personally - and her clan’s technique, while rather grim, is highly effective. Perhaps as much so as your own.”

“Yeah,” Wasabi agrees curtly. “Not to get all judgey, but it really feels like she’s the standout on her team.”

“That all having been said, her other shinobi skills are still under-developed,” you explain your reasoning. “Probably because so much of her time and effort has been dedicated to learning how to keep her own special technique in check.”

“And Denki-kun?” Wasabi frowns. “Whatdya think of him?”

“He relies too much on scientific ninja tools,” you decide. “Technique, discipline, and creativity are key to defeating whatever technological marvels he brings to the table.”

“So what about Team Konohamaru?” Hanabi-sensei finally speaks up.
>1/2

>>5697895
“They’re our obvious strongest opponents,” you declare. “Boruto-kun may not have a lot of raw strength or endurance but he’s creative, and is a natural at ninjutsu.”

“In terms of our class he’d’ve been more of a standout if he ever took anything seriously,” Wasabi shrugs. “Which I think he might do this time around.”

“You may be right,” you agree, before continuing. “Sarada-kun is probably an even greater threat - her sharingan has helped her train in ninjutsu much quicker, and is useful in combat on its own.”

“And unlike Boruto-kun she takes things seriously,” Wasabi grumbles.

You nod. “And last we have Tsubaki-kun… her kenjutsu is top notch, perhaps even somewhat better than Shiki-kun’s. But while she has learned some general shinobi skills along the way, her emphasis on kenjutsu leaves her with fewer options.”

“Well,” Hanabi-sensei muses, “I think you have it just about right.”

“So where does that leave us?” Wasabi wonders aloud.

>Same as where we were yesterday. So I say just relax.
>We have one day to think about solutions and strategies.
>With an opportunity to spend chakra now rather than later.
>Other?

>>5698667
>>We have one day to think about solutions and strategies.

>>5698667
>We have one day to think about solutions and strategies.

>>5698667
>>Same as where we were yesterday. So I say just relax.

>>5698667
>1d6, first three

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5699393

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5699393

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5699393

>>5699393
“We have a day to think things over,” you decide with a little sigh. “On our own, I suppose.”

After considering it for a moment, Wasabi seems to agree. “I getcha. We shouldn’t know each other’s plans in case we have to fight each other.”

You nod silently. “That’s what I was thinking.”

After another moment or two, Wasabi seems to come to a decision. “Alright… let’s have dessert at least though?”

You can’t help but smile. “Sure, that would be nice.”

…

The next day, you set to work considering the problems at hand. Hanabi-sensei checks in on you and Wasabi of course, just to see what you were considering and to make suggestions - albeit not any that have to do with Wasabi, and presumably the opposite is true. With most of your possible opponents the key will simply be staying on your toes. For example, if you stay focused there’s no reason at all why you shouldn’t be able to beat Inojin-kun.

But there are a few special cases - heavy use of poison can serve you well against, well… basically anyone in the pool, really. It would probably work against Wasabi, but then again you’d be willing to bet that Wasabi has a few ideas for how to counter such techniques knowing that you’d favor them.

Anyone else however… at very worst, using your own Gyakusuika and a close-range poison cloud should be something you can leverage to great effect. Short of that, you feel like the best approach will be to tease out your opponent’s abilities with water-based ninjutsu, clone techniques, and shuriken.

The exceptions of course are Sarada-kun and Boruto-kun. For the former, your main difficulty will be in fighting the sharingan. From training with Shiki in his kenjutsu ryūha you’ve picked up a few habits that were built into the style by his Uzumaki mother, with the intention of countering dōjutsu users and techniques that require eye contact. You also know already that while the sharingan can penetrate some obstructions, it’s not like the byakugan - to hide your hand seals from Sarada-kun, for one thing, all you have to do is weave the signs where she can’t see you do it.
>1/2

>>5700280
Boruto-kun and Tsubaki-kun, meanwhile, share a flaw - they often don’t think things through strategically, meaning that the best approach for these two will be to “out play” them, as Shiki would say. Boruto-kun’s skills at ninjutsu are better than yours, though your taijutsu is better than his. Tsubaki-kun’s skills at taijutsu are better than yours for certain, but barring a few chakra flow techniques your ninjutsu is better than anything equivalent she has.

In any event some of those fights may turn out to be harder than others, but on your day off and with a little help from Hanabi-sensei, you put together a set of fairly sound strategies and approaches that you could use to defeat any of them. But that having been said, it’s still entirely incumbent on you to actually put in the work to pull any of them off.

>1d10, taking the second roll

Rolled 8 (1d10)

>>5700781

Rolled 4 (1d10)

>>5700781