>>5749146
The blow is even heavier than you could have imagined, knocking you off your feet. Thankfully you’re able to keep up off the deck and slip back into the correct spacing, but it looks like things aren’t going to go as smoothly as you’d hoped. You haven’t been able to land a lethal blow on him, and the longer this drags out the more it seems like he’s seizing back some of the momentum. Of course he would, since his stamina is also absurd.

>If you attack a little more aggressively, you equalize how fast you’re both wearing down.
>If you broke his weapon you could move a little more freely, and attack from different ranges.
>If you’re going to win, you need to play to your own strengths and attack from a greater range.
>Other?

>>5749147
>>If you broke his weapon you could move a little more freely, and attack from different ranges.

>>5749147
>>If you’re going to win, you need to play to your own strengths and attack from a greater range.

>>5749147
>>If you broke his weapon you could move a little more freely, and attack from different ranges.

>>5749147
>>If you broke his weapon you could move a little more freely, and attack from different ranges.

take adavantages to level the playing fields

>>5749147
>1d6, taking the first three
>DC 10
>SP: 2/2

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5750606

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5750606

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5750606

>>5750606
There’s one move you could make that might shake things up enough to give you an edge - breaking his spear would mean that his reach would be reduced, and that you would then have the longer reach between the two of you thanks to the fact that you have a sword.

You take the risk of stepping in and grabbing hold of the haft of your old man’s spear, pushing it across the center line to make it harder for either of you to attack each other directly. Then you aim a swing at the haft of the spear with everything you have, snapping it in half and leaving a shallow cut on your old man’s arm.

Then, seeing an opportunity where both his hands are occupied and his guard is open, you deliver a rising kesagiri-cut across his chest. His response is to whip the broken haft-end across your forehead, which sends you reeling - but you managed to turn the momentum a little more back towards your favor.

“How tiresome,” he grumbles.

>Press the advantage, stay just outside his reach and cut him as many times as it takes.
>You can be more bold now, press more aggressively with bold killing blows.
>This gives you some breathing room for other techniques than just taijutsu.
>Other?

>>5750898
>>This gives you some breathing room for other techniques than just taijutsu.

>>5750898
>>This gives you some breathing room for other techniques than just taijutsu.

>>5750898
>>This gives you some breathing room for other techniques than just taijutsu.

>>5750898
>This gives you some breathing room for other techniques than just taijutsu.

>>5750898
>1d6, first three
>DC: 12
>SP: 2/2

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5751551

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5751551

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5751551

>>5751551
This is actually great.

Not only do you have a slight edge in terms of your reach, but you can also do something now you couldn’t just a moment ago. Against a spear you have to get inside their reach to attack them, but to break off you have to get back out through their reach. So if you wanna mix up your distances by darting in from long to mid to long again they actually get two shots at you where you can’t hit them at all - once on the engage and once on the disengage. And while your old man’s a stubborn old bastard who at this point should just hurry up and die and make things easier for everyone else, he’s not an idiot when it comes to fighting. He’d absolutely seize those two advantages every time and beat you like a disobedient brat.

But now that he doesn’t have a spear anymore, you can move more freely. You close swiftly, exchange a few strikes, then disengage while throwing a few kunai. He moves to swat them away, not wanting to take hits if he can avoid them even if there’s no way they’ll be lethal, which actually opens him to another strike as you quickly close the distance again.

This tactic works twice, before you feel like something is off. A cracking sound from the deck beneath you alerts you to the problem, and you manage to backpedal in just enough time to avoid a familiar sight bursting through the timbers.

“Isari’s spear?” you realize.

“Before it was his, it was mine,” your old man growls as the spear, whose head now resembles a living and very angry marlin. “At least one thing I’ve made still has a sense of loyalty.”

This… isn’t great. If that thing answers to his chakra now, that’s trouble. The marlin spear may look a bit crazy but it’s undeniably strong. And it’s not something you can beat by using clever spacing.

What the shit are you going to do now?

>Nothing for it but to try hitting him with ninjutsu, cause taijutsu's just gone out the window.
>Use his own soldiers as cover. He's gone this far, so any idea of 'honor' is pretty moot.
>He looks down on your sense of dedication... so prove him wrong even if it means getting reckless.
>Other?

>>5752520
>>He looks down on your sense of dedication... so prove him wrong even if it means getting reckless.

>>5752520
>>He looks down on your sense of dedication... so prove him wrong even if it means getting reckless.

>>5752520
>1d6, first three
>high roll

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5753501

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5753501

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5753501

>>5752520
And because it's about time, go ahead and give me another roll for something different:
>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5753690

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5753690

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5753690

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5753690

>>5753690
He’s clearly looking down on you - he thinks you and your brothers are all trash because none of you have proven to be so fanatically devoted to him that you’d be willing to throw away the lives of your entire clan for the sake of his revenge. Well, if he thinks so little of you that just means that doing something a tiny bit fanatical should come as a surprise.

That’s why you rush him down recklessly, closing the distance right past the marlin spear. You and your old man clash weapons, the marlin contorting to present a threat despite the fact that you should be well inside his reach. Its fin pierces your shoulder, though you reach forward with the fingertips of your left hand.

“Gotcha, bastard!” you shout, forming a chakra arrow. Normally you’d fire this sorta thing from your bow, in order to give it any sort of precision and range. But right now you don’t need any of that.

The shot punches clean through his side, since he’s managed to turn, and a moment later you feel your ribs crack as he plants his knee in them in the same movement. Your sword follows that same path as you slip it into the hole your arrow made, widening it pretty significantly, and your old man punches you squarely in the face.

Blood streams freely from your broken nose. You take a moment to set it as your old man looks down at the sword-hilt protruding from his stomach. He pulls it free and tosses it aside, then aims the marlin spear at you.

“It looks like this is the end,” he growls, not impressed as you continue to stare him down while racking your brain for any sort of strategy you can use to beat him completely unarmed, with no real advantages to speak of. “You shouldn’t’ve lost that bow I gave you. Goodbye, Seiren.”

Well, this sucks. You close your eyes, knowing that you’ve done what you can.

... is this okay?
>1/2

>>5753933
… but the killing blow you anticipated doesn’t come.

Instead you find a red-haired young man standing between you and your old man, turned so that the marlin harpoon would miss him over his left shoulder, with a long, curved sword aimed straight for your old man’s face. The old man takes a step back from where he stopped short, and the newcomer pries a strangely-shaped kunai out of the ship’s deck at his feet.

His short-sleeved blue coat flutters on the sea breeze as he glances at you over his shoulder. “Sorry to butt in like this. You okay, Funato Seiren-san?”

“Yeah, but I really wish you hadn’t done that,” you admit with a glare.

“If you’re thinking about the duel, that spear of his is sentient,” he points out, his focus turning back to your father as he shifts his stance a little, “so all deals are off.”

“Shikkun!” you hear the cat kunoichi call out in delight - you’re sure she’s not the only one who’s happy to see this stranger, but she’s definitely the loudest.

“That movement,” your old man grumbles. “Who the hell are you, brat?”

>Perspective shift

“Uzumaki Shiki, a jōnin from Amegakure,” you introduce yourself, raising your sword to a single-handed seigan stance. “You’ve put on weight from your photo, Funato Araumi-dono.”

“Why are you here?” Araumi growls at you, his eyes narrowed in malign focus.

>Simple. I’m here to kill you so we can all see what happens when your vastly more reasonable daughter is running things.
>I’m here to offer you, and all your soldiers, one final chance to stand down and come to the negotiating table like grown ups.
>Maybe I shouldn’t be, but my friends are fighting and I got tired of sitting back and watching them risk their necks without me.
>Other?

>>5754944
>>Maybe I shouldn’t be, but my friends are fighting and I got tired of sitting back and watching them risk their necks without me.

>>5754944
>>I’m here to offer you, and all your soldiers, one final chance to stand down and come to the negotiating table like grown ups.

>>5754944
>Simple. I’m here to kill you so we can all see what happens when your vastly more reasonable daughter is running things.

This man murdered his own family
Jail's too good for him.

>>5754944
>>I’m here to offer you, and all your soldiers, one final chance to stand down and come to the negotiating table like grown ups.

The guy can go fuck himself, but his soldiers at least deserve the chance to choose a side.

>>5754944
>>Simple. I’m here to kill you so we can all see what happens when your vastly more reasonable daughter is running things.

Rolled 2 (1d6)

Qm wants 1d6 best of 4

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5755694

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5755694
>Update

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5755694

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5755694

>>5755694
“Here’s the thing,” you muse, shutting your eyes for a moment. “I know you’re not going to take me up on the offer to back down, and that at this rate I’m going to have to kill you, but I still want your soldiers to have that chance.”

Araumi stares at you, evaluating you, while one of his lieutenants takes it upon himself to act. “Who do you think you…”

The punch connects almost instantly, sending the lieutenant flying into a bulkhead at the base of the ship’s bridge tower where he bounces off with a resounding boom.

“Uzumaki Shiki,” you repeat. “A jōnin from Amegakure.”

Araumi holds his right arm out low, stopping any more of his soldiers from making the same mistake. A few moments later Araumi lunges forward with his fish-shaped spear, which you strike with a high, sweeping cut that destroys the creature in one blow.

Then you appear directly in front of him, with your fingertips placed against his stomach. “Raiton: Shiden.”

Araumi’s body knocks several of his soldiers over after you blast a small hole through his torso.

He struggles to rise, blood from his wound slowly pooling at his feet.

“... that’s enough,” Boruto insists sternly, stepping towards you.

Not like you’ve ever cared about Boruto’s bratty little opinion, but this IS a bit of an inflection point.

>Take Araumi down with the next stroke. You know how a cornered villain can behave if you allow it.
>Make an appeal to the Funato soldiers. This guy, who rules by strength, can’t get through you let alone the kages.
>Attempt to take Araumi into custody, to allow Kirigakure’s legal process to play out before the public.
>Other?

>>5756259
>Make an appeal to the Funato soldiers. This guy, who rules by strength, can’t get through you let alone the kages.
Damn, shiki really turned into a little Naori during the timeskip. Time to become the hype!

>>5756259
>Make an appeal to the Funato soldiers. This guy, who rules by strength, can’t get through you let alone the kages.

>>5756259
>>Make an appeal to the Funato soldiers. This guy, who rules by strength, can’t get through you let alone the kages.

>>5756259
>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5757063

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5757063

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5757063

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5757063

>>5757063
“This man preaches leadership through strength,” you declare loudly. “And yet he doesn’t even have the strength to make it to the Mizukage. I know nobody’s asking me, but if you did I’d suggest changing your definitions.”

“A leader is simply someone who makes decisions when no one else can or will,” you continue. “Sometimes they’re difficult decisions, and often they’re not made alone, but they’re always made with the best interest of their followers at heart. If you can see some sense in that… drop your weapons. Surrender, and we’ll all start backing out of this mess.”

After a few moments of silence, you hear a single blade drop to the deck. It isn’t long before everyone’s doing it.

“Stop that!” Araumi demands angrily.

One boy, however, doesn’t follow along. Instead he picks up a sword and steps forward, raising it towards you. “You people killed my dad!”

“Yes,” Araumi declares, seemingly recognizing the boy. “Yes, you’re Funamushi’s boy! The spirit of the Funato burns bright in at least one of you yet!”

A few of the Funato seem emboldened, raising their weapons as well. But you simply watch the boy calmly. “If it’s revenge you want, I’ll tell you now - you’re not going to get it. That path closed to you the moment I got involved.”

“Then are we just supposed to take whatever you decide to give us!?” the boy shouts back. “How the heck is that reasonable!?”

“So your idea of ‘reasonable’ is to either die,” you summarize, “or kill someone else’s child?”

“... then what am I supposed to do?”

“You can choose to learn from Funamushi’s mistake,” you insist curtly, “and not inflict the sort of pain you feel on anyone else.”
>1/2

>>5758097
Eventually, after a few moments of sniffling, the boy also drops his weapon. The other Funato holdouts behind him seem to lose heart after seeing this, and do the same. Now, it’s down to just Araumi himself.

“Weaklings!” Araumi roars, forming a hand seal and drawing out massive amounts of seawater to fuel a powerful ninjutsu assault. The sky is darkened with black storm clouds as he kneads chakra into the environment. “None of you are worthy! But I, Funato Araumi, will…”

>Kill him and put an end to this once and for all.
>Use the Tenrō Fūsa. If he dies it’ll be his choice.
>Knock him out, restrain him, and hand him over.
>Other?

>>5758165
>>Use the Tenrō Fūsa. If he dies it’ll be his choice.

Might as well also explain how it works before he burns himself out.
There is strength and there is stupidity, that way anyone can see which of those he chooses.

>>5758165
>>Use the Tenrō Fūsa. If he dies it’ll be his choice.

>>5758165
>>Kill him and put an end to this once and for all.

>>5758165
>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5758769

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5758769

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5758769

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5758769

>>5758769
You don’t let him finish, manifesting three Tenrō Fūsa and attacking swiftly aiming at his neck, right shoulder, and right wrist. All three land exactly where you aimed, tightening like a noose around the base of his neck, wrapping under his arm, and tightening around his wrist. Distracted, Araumi pulls against the bindings with the right side of his body.

“I’ll only warn you once,” you glare, meeting Araumi’s eyes directly. “This technique is the Tenrō Fūsa, a fūinjutsu technique that will use your own chakra as a catalyst to burn you if you try to use any ninjutsu or genjutsu. If you continue trying to fight using nothing but raw strength…”

Araumi tries to resume his ninjutsu, but roars as the chains set fire to his flesh and tighten around him.

“... you’ll surely die,” you conclude, raising your voice to be heard over Araumi’s racket. “Funato Araumi… you did hear what I said, didn’t you?”

“A trick like this… is nothing!” Araumi counters, still burning. “A true man of the sea… would never yield… to…”

“It’s tightening around your neck,” you point out. “If you choose to continue, pretty soon…”

The flames intensify, but Araumi’s roaring has ceased due to the tightening chain around his neck cutting off his breathing.

“I’m not going to back down,” you insist. “To let you go, and allow you to attack the people I care about, and those I’m duty-bound to protect, is something I can’t do.”

Eventually Araumi falls to his knees, then keels over onto the deck where he doesn’t move. The flames even gutter out, and you feel no ‘resistance’ at the end of your chains. It’s clear to you that the man is dead, and so you let the chains dissipate.

“Sarada-kun” you speak up. “Please confirm it.”

You glance over her, and find her staring in surprise. “Sarada-kun?”

“R-right,” she agrees, snapping out of her surprise. “I see no chakra activity… Funato Araumi is dead.”

>NOW you’re hands-off. It’s completely in Seiren’s hands.
>And now it’s time to intimidate the shit out of the soldiers.
>It’ll be nice to talk to your teammates for a moment.
>Other?

>>5758903
>>NOW you’re hands-off. It’s completely in Seiren’s hands.

>>5758903
>NOW you’re hands-off. It’s completely in Seiren’s hands.
I'm surprised he died before he passed out, honestly.

>>5758903
>>NOW you’re hands-off. It’s completely in Seiren’s hands.
Pretty metal way die

>>5758903
>NOW you’re hands-off. It’s completely in Seiren’s hands.

>>5758903
>>>NOW you’re hands-off. It’s completely in Seiren’s hands.

I like his chains, very interesting form of restraint and mercy. "I don't want to kill you but I recognize the pros and cons of doing so, so here make your choice."

>>5758903
>>>>NOW you’re hands-off. It’s completely in Seiren’s hands.

>>5758903
“So that’s the end of my involvement,” you declare calmly, before turning your attention to Seiren-san. “From here it will be in your hands, Seiren-san, but I’ll leave you with one piece of advice - identify the things your people need before engaging with the Mizukage, and be clear about your objectives and any red lines you may have. It’s pretty basic, but it’s the basics that get screwed up the most often.”

After an awkward moment of consideration, she nods back to you. “Yeah. Okay.”

Then you turn to your cousins. “So, Boruto-kun, Sarada-kun. Sorry I had to put off the proper greeting until now, but I’m glad you both seem to be doing well.”

“Ah, right,” Sarada nods, somewhat stiltedly. “Oh yes, by the way, this is our new teammate. His name is…”

“Mitsuki-kun,” you greet him with a slight but still polite bow. “How have you found Konohagakure so far?”

“It’s fine,” Mitsuki replies calmly. “Not much different from any other hidden village, though some of the people have stood out.”

“Wait, you two know each other?” Boruto demands. “Since when?”

“I’ve had dealings with his parent,” you shrug.

“You could call him a friend of the family, I suppose?” Mitsuki adds cheerfully.

“You’ve inherited your parent’s sense of humor,” you observe.

“It’s only natural a child would resemble their parents,” Mitsuki replies.

“No need to be rude,” Boruto grumbles.

“Buntan-senpai.”

“You went and got stronger again,” Buntan sighs dramatically. “Jeez, what’re we gonna do about you?”
>1/2

>>5760016
Past her, you finally come face to face with your teammates - who have been waiting patiently. You don’t remember being this much taller than them.

Wasabi seems to settle on an approach to the situation. “Well, thanks for finally getting around to…”

She lets out a bit of a yelp as you draw both her and Sumire into a close embrace.

“I’ll be in your care again.”

There’s a brief pause before Sumire answers. “Welcome back, Shiki.”

“Yeah,” Wasabi agrees. “Nice job, dummy.”

“…”

“...”

“... so are you gonna let go, or…”

You clear your throat and release the embrace. “Right. Sorry. Got carried away.”

“So,” Sarada-kun speaks up, coming over to join you. “You’re a jōnin already… I take it you already have your own orders?”

“Yeah,” you confirm. “That’s right.”

“Who from, though?” Buntan-san asks curiously.

“Pretty much everyone?” you admit. “They’re all different though and they don’t overlap.”

>First, we need to dock with the Mizukage’s ship, then offer security during negotiations.
>I’ll move the Konohagakure teams away from the battlefield, then return with my team.
>We need to secure the other Funato ships, make sure nobody does anything too stupid.
>Other?

>>5760698
>>We need to secure the other Funato ships, make sure nobody does anything too stupid.

I like ensuring no one does anything stupid.

>>5760698
>>We need to secure the other Funato ships, make sure nobody does anything too stupid.

>>5760698
>We need to secure the other Funato ships, make sure nobody does anything too stupid.

>>5760698
>>We need to secure the other Funato ships, make sure nobody does anything too stupid.

>>5760698
>1d6 best three of four

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5761647

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5761647

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5761647

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5761647

>>5761647
“Well,” you decide, stretching your back and neck for a moment, “the only thing I can think of to do next is make sure none of the Funato soldiers do anything too outrageously stupid to ruin all this.”

“You want me to join in?” Buntan-san asks.

You nod curtly. “Sure. I’d like you to join Team Konohamaru for now.”

She quickly nods. “Understood.”

Then she glances at Sarada-kun. “I’ll be following your lead then.”

…

You can’t help but groan as the Funato soldiers on the first ship you board greet you with weapons drawn. “Never should have come here!” one of them shouts, raising his sword.

The man seems stunned at first that his attack didn’t cause you any harm, only for him to realize that it’s because his sword has been cleanly snapped at the mid-point. Then he looks down, and notices that the rest of his sword is in your left hand. He scrambles to attack again, to which you respond with the same technique you abused against Araumi - by using the Ryūmei inherited from Ryūzetsu-ue, you created a teleportation target for the hiraishin you learned from Naori-ue.

In essence, you’ve just used hiraishin-giri without having to mark your target beforehand. To the average observer, there was no movement to even notice.

The soldier collapses, not dead because of how you struck him with the spine of your sword, hitting the deck with a complete lack of either grace or dignity. Before you can get more than a word or two out his comrades do the stupid thing and attack as well, forcing you and your teammates to counter them in a humiliating display. With lightning-quick strikes you knock one soldier after the next unconscious with minimal effort, while Wasabi does much the same though with her bare hands instead of a sword. Sumire also goes to work with Nue’s shadowy, serpentine tendrils, quickly subduing several soldiers without much of a fight.

“Everybody STOP!” one of the soldiers eventually shouts.

To your mild surprise, the other soldiers do just that.

“How many of us even wanted to be pirates in the first place?” the man demands.
>1/2

>>5762706
There’s a murmur among the soldiers at that question.

“Wait, what the hell!?” Wasabi demands loudly. “Whaddya mean you don’t wanna be pirates!?”

“A lot of them probably didn’t get much choice,” Buntan-san shrugs.

“So…” Sumire asks slowly. “If that’s true… why are you still fighting?”

“You know,” the soldier who spoke up earlier muses. “That’s a good question.”

A moment later, he unceremoniously tosses his sword overboard. One after the next, his fellow soldiers follow his lead. Even if any among them didn’t agree to this, they aren’t in a position to do anything otherwise.

…

Some may not be thrilled about it, but between your team’s presence and Seiren-san’s decisions most of the Funato are disarmed that very day. A few small groups, like single units or individual ships and their crews, refuse to stand down and simply become pirates affiliated with no particular overarching organization. But for the most part it seems likely that the many Funato soldiers will end up rehabilitating and going back to their former hometowns, or else will be resettled within the Land of Water.

As for the Funato clan proper…

“So you say you have a little brother,” you muse, having taken some time to actually speak with Seiren after her negotiations with the Mizukage are complete.

“I haven’t talked to the kid in years,” Seiren admits. “I’d kinda hoped he’d get sick of the Land of Water’s bullshit and come back to us.”

“Funny how things work sometimes,” Buntan-san muses.

“Well my old man’s gone now and I’m down to the one brother,” Seiren observes, slightly annoyed. “So not like ‘hah-hah’ funny.”

“Least we’ve got one thing in common,” Buntan-san sighs. “Our dads were both pieces of shit.”
>2/3

>>5763457
That new information leaves you with a decision to make. This Funato Ikada you’ve heard about is a loose end - perhaps one that may not ever end up causing a problem for anyone, but that can’t be known with any certainty. You feel obliged to tell Seiren frankly that Ikada may not be the little brother she remembers any more than she’s the older sister he remembers.

“True,” she agrees. “But when I supported his leaving I’d hoped he’d come back and rejoin us under our old man. I’d hope he’d be the same, but I get that a lot’s happened.”

“So whaddya wanna do about it?” Buntan-san asks, her tone not quite entirely disinterested - but also not far from it either.

>I think this is a hands-off matter for us. The Konoha teams had best return soon and leave things to Kirigakure.
>I won’t take any action myself, but I think the Mizukage should be informed of the loose end prior to any negotiations.
>I don’t want to take a completely uncertain situation to Kirigakure. Let’s at least check in on this brother of yours.
>Other?

>>5764180
>>I don’t want to take a completely uncertain situation to Kirigakure. Let’s at least check in on this brother of yours.

>>5764180
>I don’t want to take a completely uncertain situation to Kirigakure. Let’s at least check in on this brother of yours.

>>5764180
>>I don’t want to take a completely uncertain situation to Kirigakure. Let’s at least check in on this brother of yours.

>>5764192
>1d6 best three of four

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5766206

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5766206

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5766206

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5766206

>>5766206
“... it wouldn’t be satisfying to bring an uncertainty to the Mizukage,” you admit, “so I think I’d prefer to go find this missing son and check in on him.”

“Will I know him when I see him?” you ask curiously.

Seiren nods once. “Oh for sure. He’s like a runt version of me.”

“That should make it easy then,” Buntan-san smirks. “Then all we need to know is where he’s been this whole time.”

“The isle of shipbuilders,” Seiren informs you.

“... the what?” Wasabi asks with a frown.

…

“So this entire island is dedicated to making ships?” Wasabi repeats.

Sumire’s eyes fall on a nearby facility - a drydock. “And maintaining them, it seems.”

Then she glances at Buntan-san. “This isn’t the only place in the Land of Water which builds ships, I take it?”

“Far from it,” Buntan confirms.

“Then what makes this place so special?” Wasabi asks curiously.

“Quality,” Buntan-san summarizes in one word.

Ikada-kun turns out to be incredibly easy to find - he’s working in one of the drydocks, leading a crew of workers who seem to be fitting an engine and propeller shafts into a hull that’s under construction. Without hesitating you put the plan that you and your team came up with on the way here into action, heading down alone while the others stand by waiting in case something unexpected happens - better this than confront him with numbers that could be interpreted as a deliberate attempt to overwhelm or surround him.

“Ikada-kun,” you greet him. “I have a message for you, is there somewhere a little more private where I can deliver it.”

He wipes some sweat off his brow with the back of his arm, before setting aside the spanner in his hand and pulling his gloves off. “Why not here?”

“The message is from your sister.”
>1/2

>>5767023
“So,” Ikeda-kun presses you once you’ve turned the corner of a warehouse to speak. “Why did my sister send someone like you?”

“She’s busy,” you summarize. “And I volunteered.”

“What’s the message?”

“She wanted someone to explain to you what happened,” you inform him calmly. “With your family.”

…

“You’re not lying,” Ikada-kun realizes aloud with a weary sigh. “I guess I should be more upset that my father is dead, but it sounds like he chose a bad end.”

Wow. He's actually taking this relatively well - did he and his father have that much bad blood between them? You could tell from having listened to Seiren-san that she'd been holding back some stuff, probably for a long time. So it wouldn't be unusual if more than one of Araumi's kids secretly (or not so secretly) hated him.

You nod once. “I’d say so. I gave him plenty of opportunities.”

“Well, thanks for telling me all this,” he replies. “At least Seiren’s still here. Which makes me think, I should probably go and visit her, right?”

“That’s what I’d do in your position,” you agree.

>I’ll warn you though - there may be people among the Funato who’d prefer war at any price, and they may come after you for their own reasons.
>I’ll take you straight there myself, it’ll only take a few moments. Then you and Seiren-san can talk and reach decisions on your own, as a family.
>I’m sure it’ll be fine. Any surviving Funato would probably be after Seiren-san for what happened, and have no business with you.
>Other?

>>5767066
>>I’ll take you straight there myself, it’ll only take a few moments. Then you and Seiren-san can talk and reach decisions on your own, as a family.

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5767066
>>I’ll take you straight there myself, it’ll only take a few moments. Then you and Seiren-san can talk and reach decisions on your own, as a family.

>>5767066
>>I’ll take you straight there myself, it’ll only take a few moments. Then you and Seiren-san can talk and reach decisions on your own, as a family.

>>5767066
>>I’ll take you straight there myself, it’ll only take a few moments. Then you and Seiren-san can talk and reach decisions on your own, as a family.

>>5767066
You decide that although this situation intersects with your own areas of expertise, it’s only tangential – while you’re confident in both your fighting and your political maneuvers, this is as much a matter of families and reconciliations for those who are directly involved. Those things, you can’t handle for them.

“I’ll take you to see her myself,” you declare. “In one hour.”

“But… my job?” he answers with a frown. “I know you’re saying I should just drop everything, but can’t you do it a bit more delicately?”

“No,” you counter. “You’re a man, aren’t you? Make the decision, get your shit in order, and commit to what you’ve decided.”

He recoils, almost like you’ve physically smacked him, before he relents. “Yeah… even my own master’d say something like that in a situation like this.”

Then he smacks his own cheeks to psyche himself up. “Alright, gimme one hour. I’ll meet you right back here.”

… you have to wonder, how sick is this guy gonna get when you use hiraishin on him for the first time?

>1d6, taking the third roll

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5768089
is there really a need for three rolls if you're just going to take the third one

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5768089

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5768089

>>5768090
Yup. Sometimes I do use the other two rolls for "behind the screen" purposes, and because I want the occasions when I'm doing that to be secret I typically ask for three even if I'm not doing anything with the other two.

>>5768089
You take some time on the trip back to the Land of Fire to share information with your teammates – during the actual fighting and the politicking afterwards, right up until taking your leave from Buntan-san last light at a party (from which you had to carry her home after too much alcohol), there wasn’t really much chance to take care of such a detail.

And oh boy, what you have to tell them comes as a shock.

First of all you’ve mastered senjutsu – which in and of itself hits like a ton of bricks any time it comes up. It doesn’t just increase your physical combat abilities, it actually allows you access to new sensory abilities and more advanced technical capabilities that you’re only beginning to tap into.

Second, you’ve completed the hiraishin. Where your sister specializes in using her fūinjutsu tag origami as teleportation targets for the technique, allowing her to use hiraishin multiple times in rapid succession, your specialty is a little different. Your use of the technique is evidently much closer to how the Second Hokage used it, with one key advantage – as you used it against Funato Araumi, you can actually teleport to the ‘ghost’ created by Ryūzetsu-ue’s ryūmei. Compared to the way Makoto uses it, which is powerful but fairly conventional as far as such abilities are concerned, Naori-ue has deemed your ‘ghost’ hiraishin to be “unfair”.

Well, you figure she’s the expert on that.

And then, of course, there’s the thing that Naori-ue sent you to work on with Mei-dono for the last six months of your training. You learned that much like your mentor, your affinity is for the acidic variation of the ‘boil release’ rather than the steam variation. However, yours is a little different from Mei-dono’s as well. While Mei-dono can breathe out a cloud of acidic mist strong enough even to melt powerful chakra-based defensive barriers, your natural tendency is to produce something with an extra property.

Not only is yours a strong acid, just as corrosive as Mei-dono’s when she’s really trying, it’s also a particularly energetic oxidizer. So with a little increase in temperature, it explodes when it comes into contact with any organic substance in addition to corroding inorganic substances. The only downside is that it rather quickly dilutes itself in air by interacting with water vapor, making it unsuitable for using as a mist.
>1/2

>>5768994
Oh cool, we spew rocket fuel and can unironically *teleports behind u* now.
Nothing personnel, i guess.

>>5768994
You assure them both that you’re not quite a monster - yet. You’ve yet to fully develop the suite of abilities your senjutsu grants you and it’s not quite as strong as it eventually will be, since your chakra reserves have yet to swell to the ridiculous capacity the Uzumaki are known for. Part of that of course comes down to experience, and times are just too peaceful for a young sage to develop as far and as fast as what used to be possible even just in your parents’ generation. Your oxidizing acid techniques are similarly restricted by the difficulty in deploying them right now, since you can’t really spread the acid as a mist. That basically limits it to replacing your Tenkyū as a surprise attack, and in wearing down a tougher opponent’s defenses.

Hiraishin however is just hiraishin - it’s the strongest rapid movement technique you’ve ever heard of, at least among the techniques that don’t belong to a specific shinobi’s eyes. There’s no talking that down at all, it’s incredible that you have it even if your body is still growing to match its potential.

As for your teammates, they also get you caught up on their training. You’ve met them now and then over the last two years, so you already know a little, but they’ve summarized it for you anyway. Wasabi has created a technique related to her ‘cat covering’ chakra cloak, by using chakra that’s already been transformed as medical ninjutsu chakra. This sharpens her physical attacks to the level of chakra scalpels, and allows her to instantly heal herself from anything short of outright death by reabsorbing that chakra. Her medical ninjutsu and earth release have grown slowly as well, and she’s since added wind transformation to her repertoire.

Sumire in the mean time has picked up a little lightning release and wind release, but most of her efforts have been directed into deepening her skills at tantōjutsu and in using poison. Her water release medical technique makes it easy to go crazy with the latter with little repercussion for her allies. She’s also been working on helping Nue grow, as well as deepening her bonds with the creature through various training methods adapted from the Inuzuka clan.
>2/3

>>5769876
It’s a few days before you find yourself called into the Hokage’s office - which is good, because it takes you some time to get your apartment here in Konoha habitable again - along with your teammates.

Once you’re all there, Naruto-san clears his throat.

“Thank you all for coming on such short notice. Shiki-kun, has your move gone smoothly?”

You nod. “Yeah, it’s starting to feel like home again.”

“That’s good,” he replies. “Now, on to business… how much do the three of you know about Senju Hashirama, the first Hokage?”

>He was a powerful shinobi due to the wood release, but Naori-ue thinks he’s a bit of a clown.
>Not much, really. I know more about Tobirama-dono because he’s my distant ancestor.
>He’s surprisingly laid back.
>Other?

>>5770709
>He was great grandpa Tobirama's brother. Naori-ue said he’s a bit of a clown.

>>5770709
>>He was a powerful shinobi due to the wood release, but Naori-ue thinks he’s a bit of a clown.

>>5770709
>He was a powerful shinobi due to the wood release, but Naori-ue thinks he’s a bit of a clown.

>>5770709
>>He was a powerful shinobi due to the wood release, but Naori-ue thinks he’s a bit of a clown.

>>5770709
>He was a powerful shinobi due to the wood release, but Naori-ue thinks he’s a bit of a clown.

>>5770709
“I know he was an exceptional shinobi,” you offer.

“Because of the wood release, right?” Sumire adds. “We learned a little about him in the academy.”

“Not much though,” Wasabi counters. “The First had the wood release, the Second was a genius who created a ton of different ninjutsu, the Third was called ‘the Professor’ for learning like every ninjutsu ever, the Fourth saved the village from the Nine Tails, lady Fifth was a genius medical shinobi who led the village through the Fourth World War, lord Sixth was Kakashi-sensei.”

“That’s all the academy really said about them,” you agree. “Mostly superficial stuff. But I’ve also been told that Hashirama-oji could only really use the wood release because he had a ridiculous amount and quality of chakra.”

“A lot like our clan,” Naruto-san observes calmly.

“But I’ve also heard that he was a total goofball,” you throw in one last detail. “Well-intended, yeah, but completely uncool.”

“... Naori-san…” Naruto-san sighs in apparent exasperation. “How much have you told this kid…”

After a moment, he clears his throat. “But yes, that’s the gist of it. Now here’s a trickier question - how much do you know about a man named Yamato?”

“He’s a former Anbu who also has the wood release,” Sumire speaks up.

“Have you ever wondered how that’s possible?” Naruto-san asks with a knowing look.

At that moment, you hear a knock at the door to Naruto’s office. “Excuse me, I’m coming in.”

“Ah, it’s open,” Naruto replies.

The door swings open to reveal a familiar masked face - how can that mask not be familiar when the wearer sat for his stone portrait wearing it?

“Kakashi-sensei,” you incline your head politely. “Or should I be calling you uncle?”

“I wish you wouldn’t,” he admits. “Though I have to admit, it’s amusing that you’ve become so much like your mother in these last two years.”

“Which one?”

“Both, but I was thinking Naori-san.”
>1/2

>>5771738
“How is it you timed that so well?” Sumire asks curiously. “Not just now, but when you visited the academy too. Were you really…”

“Yeah, he was waiting by the door,” Wasabi confirms. “I smelled him.”

“Scary,” Kakashi-sensei muses. “Maybe I need to start taking precautions with you three from now on to preserve my image?”

Naruto clears his throat again, louder this time. “Sorry, but Kakashi-sensei, if you could add your part?”

“Right, right,” Kakashi-sensei replies, waving his hand. “What I’m about to say is pretty secret, so I’d appreciate it if none of you said anything about it outside this room. Yamato-san was once part of Root, which was Shimura Danzō’s personal Anbu faction. He can use the wood release because as a child he was implanted with cells cultured from Senju Hashirama’s body.”

You frown. “I’ve heard a little about that. It was the same technique Danzō used on his own arm, right? Or something like it?”

Kakashi-sensei nods, the look around his eyes taking on a grim appearance. “That’s exactly right, Shiki-kun. Using cultured cells like that has been prohibited for several decades, but as your family can tell us all ‘prohibiting’ something doesn’t mean nobody’s going to do it.”

Oof.

“Someone has resumed those experiments,” Naruto-san adds. “Konohagakure has been leading an investigation over the last nine months or so to track them down.”

>1d6, high roll
>taking the first three

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5771749

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5771749

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5771749

>>5771749
“It’s the ‘Kara’, right?” you ask calmly, drawing your teammates’ attentions.

Kakashi-sensei smiles under his mask. “Oho?”

“Naori-ue and Konan-oneesan met about it a week or two ago,” you explain. “Makoto and I were asked to sit in.”

“An appropriate place for that conversation,” Kakashi-sensei muses, “since Kara may as well be considered your generation’s answer to Pain’s Akatsuki.”

“Who are they?” Sumire asks curiously.

“An organization in the international underground,” Kakashi-sensei clarifies patiently. “They’ve proven exceptionally difficult to pin down, especially given how many criminal endeavors they’ve involved themselves in.”

Wasabi looks skeptical. “And… so what ‘endeavors’ are you talking about?”

“We’ve seen their hand in corporate blackmail in the smaller nations,” Kakashi-sensei begins, “as well as illegal arms trafficking, political assassination, and various financial crimes. But most surprisingly, they seem linked to this last decade’s upswing in Ōtsutsuki cultism.”

“So, you think Kara got hold of these cultured tissues from Senju Hashirama?” you ask.

Kakashi-sensei shakes his head. “Not quite. What we believe is that another party managed to produce the cells and plans to sell them at auction, and that Kara is among the potential buyers.”

“Do we know where?” Wasabi asks.

This time, Kakashi-sensei sighs wearily, rubbing his head. “Well, you see that’s the problem - the auction’s happening in the Land of Silence.”

That’s… going to be a problem.

The Land of Silence is a country across the seas to the east, even beyond the Land of Water. Some time ago the former daimyo there was overthrown by rogue shinobi, left otherwise directionless after the end of the last great war, establishing the “Land of Silence” as a haven for lawlessness and villainy.
>1/2

>>5773766
“I’ve never heard of it,” Wasabi admits candidly, before glancing at you and Sumire. “Either of you?”

“It’s not on this continent,” Sumire summarizes, “and it has a bad reputation. My… father may have had some dealings there, when I was little.”

“It’s a problem,” you admit thoughtfully. “A lot of the shinobi living in the Land of Silence are complete losers, but some may be more capable - and unlike in many other nations, the fact that so many of them are missing shinobi…”

“... means you cannot know as easily which among them are dangerous,” Sumire realizes.

Kakashi-sensei nods curtly. “It’s good to see you understand.”

“That’s why you’ll be accompanied,” Naruto-san informs you.

“By Kakashi-sensei?” Wasabi asks, with a note of obvious excitement in her voice.

He shakes his head. “Although I’m confident in my tradecraft, going with you would be like issuing an open invitation to be sniffed out.”

“So then, who?” Sumire asks.

“You’ll be going with miss Konan,” Naruto-san declares.

>That’s actually perfect.
>Why her of all people?
>... do we really have to?
>Other?

>>5774920
>>... do we really have to?

>>5774920
>>That’s actually perfect.

>>5774920
>That’s actually perfect.

>>5774920
>That’s actually perfect.

>>5774920
Isn’t she as Kage of Anegakure similarly incendiary?

>>5776141
Naori is the leader of Amegakure at this point, plus its just village head for Ame, don't ask me why.

>>5774920
“I like it,” you declare. “That’s perfect.”

“Perfect how?” Wasabi asks curiously. “I don’t think I’ve ever met Kakashi-sensei’s wife?”

“Konan-neesan was my mom Naori-ue’s teacher,” you explain. “She was also in Akatsuki, so she knows how to navigate the underworld without giving herself away.”

“Is she strong?” Sumire asks curiously.

You glance at Kakashi-sensei, who chuckles nervously. “Very.”

“Go on,” you gesture for him to continue.

“She can use the water dragon bullet multiple times in succession without a source of water, using just three hand signs to do it,” Kakashi-sensei elaborates with an example. “She also has the wind and earth releases, but none of that’s even her true skill.”

“That would be paper ninjutsu,” you add, looking to Kakashi-sensei who seems fine with you continuing from here. “Like my sister she can create paper from her chakra, and turn her own body into paper and back.”

“So wait, if that’s true…” Wasabi mutters, before her eyes widen slightly.

You nod. “So long as they have chakra remaining, they’re effectively un-killable. I’ve seen both Konan-neesan and Makoto completely disperse into paper, which means you can even blow their heads off and they’ll just regenerate.”

“… I can hardly believe a technique like that exists in this world,” Sumire admits.

“This doesn’t get discussed in the Academy for a good reason,” Naruto-san concludes, “but each member of Akatsuki had some sort of ability that challenged what others thought was possible.”

“Half of them had some kinda functional immortality at one point,” you add with a shrug. “Konan-neesan, Sasori-senpai, Kakuzu, Hidan, and Pain all had that sort of skill.”

“Sasori-senpai?” Kakashi-sensei repeats.

You smirk. “He’d hate being called ‘senpai’. So everyone in my family does it.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Naruto-san muses.

“If he did anything about it that’d mean I win. And he knows it.”
>1/2

>>5777865
Too small for one thing. If it were all about power and prestige of the individual Hanzo would've been a Kage.

>>5778070
How much did Naori expand the village in the past decade though?
Is it really going to stay small forever?

>>5778170
Compared to a village based in one of the "great" nations, yes. Konoha, Kiri, Iwa, Kumo, and Suna each have one of the largest and most influential nations backing them where the Land of Storms (which is just what I called Amegakure's host nation for lack of a canon name) is relatively modest.

Any of those five is like an America or China, maybe Russia at the worst. Amegakure is like the Finns - people remember what happened the last time a "world power" got frisky with them.

File: file.png (1.6 MB, 1600x1042)

1.6 MB PNG

>>5778732
That's a very good way of putting it.

>>5777958
You meet Konan-oneesan at the jōnin standby station, where there are secured meeting rooms for just such an occasion - you have to wave Wasabi and Sumire in through the front past the chūnin standing guard armed with jō staffs. You’ve gotten ready to meet her, aware that it’s around lunch time when she was planning to arrive.

“Lovely,” she muses, seeing the arrangement you dried and pressed for her - daffodil, iris, and peony flattened against traditionally-made washi paper. “You also prepared lunch… thank you for your consideration.”

Lunch is flame-broiled ayu sweetfish, rice, pickled vegetables, and miso - the fish is the highlight, since you know that it’s Konan-san’s favorite since she was a little girl growing up poor in the Land of Storms.

“So, the Land of Silence,” you muse. “Have you ever been there?”

“Twice,” she replies. “Once was just two years after the war, once was three years ago.”

“Tell us about it.”

“Not much of an economy,” she explains, “but untouched by the war. So at least they had peace, until the rogue shinobi started to arrive.”

>What do you know about the political situation? We may end up running into what passes for “authorities” there.
>Rogue shinobi, hm? Wasn’t there a cleanup there around the same time as your first visit to the country?
>The most important thing will be having a place to lay low and use as a base of operations. Have anything in mind?
>Other?

>>5779502
>>What do you know about the political situation? We may end up running into what passes for “authorities” there.

>>5779502
>>Rogue shinobi, hm? Wasn’t there a cleanup there around the same time as your first visit to the country?

>>5779502
>>What do you know about the political situation? We may end up running into what passes for “authorities” there.
>>Rogue shinobi, hm? Wasn’t there a cleanup there around the same time as your first visit to the country?
>>The most important thing will be having a place to lay low and use as a base of operations. Have anything in mind?

I know its greedy, but there is no reason not to ask all of these before such a dangerous mission. Preperation is key.

>>5779502
“Wasn’t there a purge around the time of your first visit to the nation?” you ask curiously, recalling some of the little tidbits you’ve heard throughout your childhood.

Konan-san shakes her head. “Not quite. The man who had been considered the leader at that time was captured along with many of his subordinates, but there was no concerted effort.”

“So many of the mid-level players would still be there,” Sumire guesses.

Konan-san nods once. “It’s possible, yes. But not certain – the underworld does have a certain tendency to turn over all on its own.”

“I can see a likelihood that we’ll encounter some of the current ‘authorities’ whether we want it or not,” you observe. “Please, onee-san, explain your second visit to the Land of Silence for us.”

“It was to update the Shinobi Union’s incident records,” she replies. “I covertly investigated the situation at the time within the nation.”

“What didja find?” Wasabi asks.

“There has been very little change,” Konan tells you with a slight frown. “There are still numerous rogue shinobi who have become well-established, as well as locals struggling to make ends meet.”

“You said ‘very little’, not ‘nothing’, right?” Sumire muses. “What did you mean?”

“I noted much more discontent than I anticipated towards the rogue shinobi,” Konan replies, furrowing her brow slightly in thought. “Regular people seemed much more willing to share their thoughts about the situation.”

>If they thought they had a chance, would ordinary people be willing to move against the rogue shinobi?
>Would ordinary people there be willing and able to shelter us for a few days while we work?
>I doubt we could trust any of the locals – desperation can make normally-good people unpredictable.
>Other?

>>5780633
>Would ordinary people there be willing and able to shelter us for a few days while we work?

>>5780633
>If they thought they had a chance, would ordinary people be willing to move against the rogue shinobi?

>testing

>>5780633
>>Would ordinary people there be willing and able to shelter us for a few days while we work?

>>5780633
“If that’s the case, would ordinary people be likely to help us if we asked?” you ask curiously. “I know we can’t expect anyone to fight rogue shinobi off with pots and pans or anything, but just giving us shelter maybe?”

“I think it’s likely,” Konan-san decides.

“So is that what our first move should be?” Sumire wonders aloud.

“Sounds good to me,” Wasabi shrugs. “Could be good to have someplace to talk privately and rest.”

>3d10 best of three

Rolled 6 (1d10)

>>5781655

Rolled 8, 5, 6 = 19 (3d10)

>>5781655
d10s instead of d6s?

Rolled 7, 7, 7 = 21 (3d10)

>>5781655

Rolled 5, 6, 2 = 13 (3d10)

>>5781655

>>5781795
Yup. That's not what I meant (yesterday was a LONG day) but for these purposes 3d6 vs 3d10 doesn't really matter.

>>5781655
You arrive in the Land of Silence several days later, after having taken an airship to the Land of Water first followed by a long-distance ferry the rest of the way. Unfortunately there’s not much else you can do to prepare for when you arrive, since so much hinges on what you find in this foreign land within the first half-day or so. The priorities are going to be covertly gathering information first, and since you have a few days before the intended auction of the Hashirama cell you’ll place an emphasis on the ‘lay of the land’ – where do the rogue shinobi like to hang out, where do they exercise the most influence, and where are you likely to find safe harbor and further information. If you can tick these boxes quickly without attracting attention it’ll make the whole mission go that much more smoothly.

Of course, you can’t have prepared for how dire things would be from the moment you get off the ferry. You’ve traveled the world with your family for many years, and while training you’ve seen some out of the way places. But at very least the ruins hidden within the forest of the shrikes have a certain picturesque quality to them, almost an atmosphere of wabi-sabi that balances the regal gravitas of their presence with the relaxed peacefulness of their overgrowth.

The Land of Silence is nothing like that.

The Land of Silence is not just run down, it seems like it may well have been built that way. Ramshackle structures built two or three levels tall crowd the waterfront, though they’re kept bustling by many visitors flitting to and fro while clearly on their own business. The fact of the matter is that with nondescript cloaks and no markings from your respective hidden villages, there isn’t really any way for anyone to even guess at who you are.

“Where to first?” Wasabi wonders aloud.

“Public house,” Konan declares quietly. “Follow me.”

…

The inside of the bar is pretty much exactly as seedy as the outside made it look, and so you decide to settle into a booth table. Thankfully, your presence seems not to have attracted the attention of any rogue shinobi, of which you spot a few obvious examples even in such a short time.

“… why here?” you ask calmly and quietly.

“I was hoping to run into a source,” she explains. “It seems he’s not here.”

“A bartender?”

Konan nods. “At very least we we attracted no attention upon arrival.”

>Well then, we’ll just have to ask around and find out.
>We’ll try coming back later. Maybe it’s just not his shift?
>Let’s try another avenue of investigation instead then.
>Other?

>>5783594
>Money seems short here. Perhaps greasing the palms of a few beggars would get us the information we need.

>>5783594
>We’ll try coming back later. Maybe it’s just not his shift?

>>5783594
>>We’ll try coming back later. Maybe it’s just not his shift?

>>5783594
“Is it possible this just isn’t his shift?” you ask curiously.

After contemplating it for a few moments, Konan seems to admit the possibility. “He used to work multiple shifts… but yes, it is possible his schedule has changed.”

“Then maybe we should get something to eat and drink then come back later?” Sumire offers.

“I could eat,” Wasabi adds. “What’s good here?”

“Simple faire,” Konan insists curtly.

A little kimchi, some toasted bacon, pickled vegetables, a small scoop of rice, and a little barley tea - perfectly serviceable. After eating you pay, then step out.

“So I was thinking,” you muse. “Money doesn’t seem so tight just now. Is this all in line with what you remember?”

Konan-neesan nods once. “More or less. It may seem like people here are getting by, however… this is largely a question of relative affluence.”

“How do you mean?” Wasabi asks curiously.

“Many people here seem to have more money and time to spend,” she explains, “because they live so cheaply, and work insecure hours and low-paying jobs.”

“If you’re working but living in a shack, you have more money to spend on other things,” you realize. “Is that what you’re saying?”

She nods. “And for most people living here, that could disappear at any point.”

“So, we have money,” you observe. “Even some in the local currency…”

“Somehow,” Sumire interjects. She has a point - it can’t have been easy to get a reasonable amount of something which seems so hard to come by even in the country it came from.

“... so would we be able to grease a few palms?” you finish.

Konan considers it. “Those who live on the margins sometimes see more than others do, that much is true. I can remember teaching your mother that lesson as well. But I do have some concerns.”

“We’d stand out,” Wasabi muses.

“There is that possibility.”
>1/2

>>5784649
Since we're ninjas, why don't we use a simple transformation jutsu to look and sound like someone else?

>>5784649
“That being said,” you muse, “the other thing about the destitute - nobody listens to them. Most people feel uncomfortable even looking at them, which makes them a massive blind spot.”

“That’s also true,” Konan-neesan agrees. “That having been said… I am simply the technical advisor on this mission.”

>And as the team leader, I acknowledge that this is your realm of expertise. We’ll do as you decide.
>I think the risk is worth the possible reward. We do need information after all, and we have no other contacts right now.
>We’ll save this for after we exhaust Konan-neesan’s contacts. Until then we wait, and observe.
>Other?

>>5784652
It's not a bad idea, but it's also not foolproof. You can pick up a tail or alert observant locals regardless of whether you look like yourself or someone else.

>>5784653
>Let's use the transformation jutsu to look like the local beggars ourselves. That'll be the easiest way to get around and speak to real beggars without being noticed.

>>5784653
>>And as the team leader, I acknowledge that this is your realm of expertise. We’ll do as you decide.

>>5784653
It's definitely a question of whether we should be getting information faster or whether we shouldn't draw suspicion.
Because what we're looking for is going to be a auctioned item, we're on a time limit of sorts. So some form of risk needs to be taken for efficiency reasons.
That said, hurrying doesn't mean we should hustle.
>We’ll go through Konan neesan's more easily accessible contacts first. That way when we'll start asking the beggars our trail will have a shorter time to be picked up on by unwanted parties.

Gotta play the information game hard here, at least one contact means we'll have some form of basis to shorten time spent on our palm greasing game.

>>5784653
>>We’ll save this for after we exhaust Konan-neesan’s contacts. Until then we wait, and observe.