>>6086801
You’re greeted by the appearance of someone almost exactly like Hana-sensei but with redder hair, whom you identify immediately as the ‘assassin’.

“Did you really think that…”

Rather than let her keep talking you simply wipe her away, and search further back into Hana’s memories until you can grab hold of something more closely approaching ‘useful’. A bald-headed man with messy teeth, bushy eyebrows, and a lame-looking excuse for a beard dressed in the typical attire of a government minister from the Land of Bamboo. A gathering of young children, many crying or trying not to cry – war orphans.

“How dare you erase me like that!?” the assassin protests, having returned with some effort. “In my own mind no less!?”

“Yeah no, not gonna lie,” you muse, ignoring her protests, “I’m shocked anyone’d be dumb enough to do this sorta stuff personally. It’s actually kinda insulting.”

“You’re ignoring me?”

“You’re a war orphan,” you continue, finally acknowledging her presence. “How many of you were there?”

There’s a pause. “Fifty-three.”

“And how many survived the training, aside from you?”

“And why should I tell you?”

>Because I’m asking politely instead of just taking what I want to know by force – which I think we both know I can do at any time.
>Yeah no, I know what it’s like to be a war orphan, so I’m willing to bet you want nothing more than to screw that bastard over.
>I can help – not just you, but the others like you. In fact depending on where they ended up I may be the ONLY one who will help.
>Other?

>>6086804
>>I can help – not just you, but the others like you. In fact depending on where they ended up I may be the ONLY one who will help.

>>6086804
>Because i can help you, and maybe the other children too.

>>6086804
>>I can help – not just you, but the others like you. In fact depending on where they ended up I may be the ONLY one who will help.

>>6086804
>>I can help – not just you, but the others like you. In fact depending on where they ended up I may be the ONLY one who will help.

>>6086804
>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>6087600

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>6087600

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>6087600

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>6087600

>>6087600
“Can you listen in on Hana-han?”

“Yeah,” she frowns.

“Then yeah, you should know better than to ask dumb questions,” you insist. “You’re only still here ‘cause Hana-han asked me not to get rid of you… and here’s the thing, you and the others like you aren’t likely to get that good of an offer from anyone else.”

“So you’re threatening me now?”

“Nah. Just making sure you know where you stand,” you counter. “I’m already going to go out of my way for you, what you’ve gotta decide is whether I’m gonna only do that for you.”

The Assassin looks over her shoulder, then turns back to you with a frown. “Why did I do that? I don’t even have a shoulder to look over, and there’s nothing over there.”

“Yeah no, everyone does stuff like that,” you admit, “myself included. Seems body language is pretty deeply ingrained.”

“So what’s it gonna be, Assassin-han?”

After a moment, she sighs. “Follow me. I’ll show you the way.”

…

In the Land of Bamboo, a man performs a verbal bow-and-scrape routine for the Lord Yukiwari. This minister is a born schemer, a man who aims well above any station to which he might by nature or nurture be considered well-suited. The thoughts behind this man’s eyes, the obsession to which he has dedicated his existence, can be summarized thus: that power is an avenue for self-advancement, and that self-advancement affords more power. That’s all. There is no clearly-defined goal to achieve, no moral compass to follow, not even the sort of self-imposed rules that tend to govern where morals are absent. There is only a single path at his feet upon which he revels in walking.

Physically booting this man off from that path provides you with an immediate gratification more intense than any other vice ever could.

“Lord Yukiwari,” you greet the man himself. “A pleasure to finally meet face-to-face.”

In the mean time, Sasuke-kun has already gotten the minister into a rather devious headlock.
>1/2

>>6088827
“Could you please explain to me who you are and what my minister here has done to earn such casual disrespect?”

“Yeah no, minister smooth-brain over there made every mistake in the book,” you smirk. “From putting in live appearances while running his illicit assassination program to keeping unsecured physical records.”

The minister’s face blanches. “… how?”

“Putting them in your sock drawer doesn’t count as ‘securing’ them,” you shrug. “Anyway, we’ve been able to obtain testimony and corroborating evidence of your guilt, so don’t even try to argue.”

“And yeah, as for my name, it’s Uzumaki Naori.”

“Uzumaki Naori,” Lord Yukiwari repeats, his expression shifting towards grim. “The village head of Amegakure?”

“The same.”

“Why is it that someone of your reputation would concern herself so personally in such a matter?” Yukiwari asks you curiously. “Even going so far as to kick the man about?”

“Three reasons,” you answer, holding up three raised fingers and counting down. “First, every multinational incident involving shinobi escalates directly to ‘my concern’. Second, my son was the jōnin charged with escorting your daughter and who caught the first of your minister’s trained assassins.”

A pause. “And the third reason?”

“He used war orphans,” you conclude, a tone that drips with an icy venom. “Many of whom did not survive the training. That makes it feel pretty damn personal to me.”

“With your permission, I’d like to take him into custody,” Sasuke interjects. “Before my friend here gives in to her instincts and kills him on the spot.”

After a moment, Lord Yukiwari nods and Sasuke swiftly escorts the minister from the room.

“I take it this man wasn’t scheming alone?” the lord asks, cradling his head in his hand.

You shake your head. “No. But I was able to identify most of his associates. With your permission, I can have them all taken down at once.”

“Did you bring other shinobi into my territory?”

“I didn’t need to.”
>2/3

>>6092417
“Then by all means,” the Lord decides. “Let’s see what your investigations have turned up.”

…

It’s not an especially large conspiracy, so far as these things go. But for any leader, a conspiracy even of this size can be a real problem if the conspirators are well-funded and well-connected, as these men all are. It never ceases to amaze you the lengths to which those who already have power and privilege are willing to go for just that little bit more.

“Where are the remaining assassins?” Sasuke asks you after the initial arrests have all been made – mostly by shadow clones.

“So yeah, there are only three,” you tell him. “One in the Land of Waves one in the Land of Grass, and one in my own village. That third one, Ryūzetsu arrested earlier.”

“You intend to ask permission for the others?”

“Working on it.”

“And how do you intend to handle them once you have permission?”

>Find them, disable them with genjutsu, and take them in for rehabilitation.
>Inform the nations involved, but hold off on acting until it becomes necessary.
>Other?

>>6092507
>>Find them, disable them with genjutsu, and take them in for rehabilitation.

>>6092507
>>Find them, disable them with genjutsu, and take them in for rehabilitation.

>>6092507
>>Find them, disable them with genjutsu, and take them in for rehabilitation.

>>6092507
>1d6 taking the first three

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>6093203

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>6093203

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>6093203

>>6093203
“Yeah, you know me,” you shrug. “Find them, knock them each out with genjutsu, and take them in for rehabilitation.”

“Good luck,” Sasuke grumbles. “I can only hope it goes that smoothly in practice.”

…

You are Uzumaki Shiki, and today is your first day as a substitute teacher at the Konoha Academy. Up until a few days ago you were posing as a fellow student in this particular class, but when Hana-sensei revealed herself as an assassin planted in the village by a rogue minister in the Land of Bamboo you were obliged to drop your cover to stop her. While she’s going through rehabilitation under your mother’s guidance, along with the other assassins who she managed to capture, you will be responsible for the class.

“… what am I doing?” you grumble.

“A very responsible thing,” Sumirin insists calmly.

Wasabi nods in agreement. “It’s exactly like you to get involved like this.”

“I spent a lot of time here growing up,” Kōshū offers. “You want any help just ask.”

“I do have an idea,” you admit. “One big idea… though I’d like you to talk to your uncle to help me pull it off.”

“Alright, Shikkun. What’ve you got cooking?”

…

“Alright everyone!” you raise your voice slightly to come across as more authoritative rather than an abruptly-promoted classmate. “Please keep your arms, legs, and head inside the triangle at all times – and just a warning, this can be a little disorienting for the first time!”

“Ooh!” Hima muses, just a half-step shy of hopping up and down in excitement. “Is this the hiraishin!?”

“Sort of,” you reply, pointing out some of the details of the fūinjutsu array you’ve scrawled on the floor of the hotel lobby. “Adding a barrier fūinjutsu lets you move anything in contact with it – your grandfather created this technique.”
>1/2

>>6094368
You have to give the class a moment or two so that their heads will stop swimming – the first time being taken along by the hiraishin truly is jarring, no matter how ready you think you are for it. But their confusion and slight, passing nausea is quickly replaced with excitement as they see the kingdom of Rōran for the first time.

“Welcome to Rōran,” a strawberry-haired young woman greets you and your class, quickly approaching and spreading her arms for a hug. “Shiki-kun, it’s been too long!”

“It’s great to be back, Sēryū-san,” you reply, accepting the warm embrace of the woman you’ve always considered a cousin of sorts. “Thanks for coming out on such short notice!”

“It’s really no trouble,” she insists. “After all, it’s not every day our kingdom gets a school tour group!”

“Class,” you turn to face the students, “I’d like to introduce you to Queen Sēryū of Rōran.”

There’s a mixture of excitement and nervousness in the chatter that immediately follows, but it’s Kae-hime who speaks first. “Wait, Shiki-san… how is it that you’re so familiar with a Queen?”

“He’s my cousin,” Sēryū-san answers. “Not by blood, but rather by something much more meaningful.”

“The details are still quite classified,” you add, “but my family is also close with Koyuki-hime of the Land of Snow for broadly similar reasons. That’s why I was chosen to be Kae-hime’s guard while she was here.”

“Anyway, you’re here just in time,” Sēryū-san declares. “The festival will begin in about two hours, so just enough time for a nice meal to welcome your class!”

“Festival?” Eiki-kun repeats.

“Celebrating the anniversary of the re-founding of the kingdom,” you explain, “after it was destroyed in the Third World War. You may be some of Konoha’s best and brightest, but there’s still a lot you should learn about the world – and there’s no better way to learn than through experience!”

…

You are Uzumaki Naori, and it’s been twelve days since Shiki-kun captured a rogue member of the ‘Kara’ organization – a young woman by the name of Ōga.
>2/3

>>6095390
After daily therapy sessions, you’ve come to consider it an appropriate time for an experiment. For the first time since Ōga’s defection, she will be in the same room as another member of her former organization – Delta, the other Kara member your son has run into. It’ll almost be like a playdate. Like a weird, psychopathic playdate.

>Set it up as simple as possible – two psychopaths, an empty room, and you. What could go wrong?
>Call in some backup. You doubt things will get too ugly, but better safe than sorry.
>Both subjects should be heavily restrained. No risks means no regrets.
>Other?

>>6095457
>>Set it up as simple as possible – two psychopaths, an empty room, and you. What could go wrong?
it doesn't get safer than having Naori watching

>>6095457
>>Set it up as simple as possible – two psychopaths, an empty room, and you. What could go wrong?

>>6095457
>>Call in some backup. You doubt things will get too ugly, but better safe than sorry.

>>6095457
The setup doesn’t really have to be all that elaborate – the room just needs to be empty of any potential improvised weapons. You’d hate to get this far into the process of turning two members of the elusive Kara organization only to screw it all up with a poorly-positioned ballpoint pen. Both the woman named Ōga and the and the one only referred to as ‘Delta’ are led into the room through separate doors, both under heavy guard, and are forcefully ‘encouraged’ to sit in two metal chairs that have both been bolted to the floor, facing each other.

“Delta-san, it’s been a while,” Ōga muses quietly. “Have you been keeping well?”

“Obviously not,” Delta grumbles. “For a big-brain type you say some dumb shit sometimes.”

“I don’t understand,” Ōga admits. “You’re alive, aren’t you?”

“Alive yeah, but I’m probably on our old boss’s shitlist same as you now,” Delta shoots back.

“In that case, why have you not been more cooperative with Naori-san?”

“And piss Jigen off even more?”

“It would seem reasonable to place your bets on Naori-san at this point. Or have I missed something?”

That just seems to frustrate Delta even further – quite the feat, actually. You weren’t sure that was even possible. “You really think anyone’s got more power packed away than Jigen?”

Ōga shrugs. “Do you really think either of us has an alternative?”

>More to the point, do you really think he wouldn’t have killed you both by now if he were all-powerful?
>Show them your full power, ask Delta how she thinks you stack up to Jigen in terms of raw strength.
>Ask them where Kara has been hiding. It’s long, LONG past time when you should have gone on the offense.
>Other?

>>6096724
>>More to the point, do you really think he wouldn’t have killed you both by now if he were all-powerful?

>>6096724
>>More to the point, do you really think he wouldn’t have killed you both by now if he were all-powerful?
They seem to actually prefer to work from the shadows, the question is do they do this out of choice or necessity?

>>6096724
>>More to the point, do you really think he wouldn’t have killed you both by now if he were all-powerful?

>>6096724
“More to the point,” you observe with a slight frown, “do you think if he were so all-powerful and you were so important he wouldn’t have already killed you?”

“Wait, what?” Delta asks, confused.

“Yeah no, I’m asking why this ‘Jigen’ clown hasn’t come and had a go at me himself,” you clarify. “I don’t exactly make it a secret where I live, so why keep scurrying around?”

“You have no idea how strong that bastard is!” Delta protests.

“No,” you admit, shaking your head. “But there’s no way the reverse could be true. There’s no way he can’t know how strong I am – and yet, here we are. What’s my takeaway supposed to be from that?”

“That he’s too strong to even bother with you?” Delta scoffs.

You can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the notion, then your laughter stops abruptly. “Nah, lemme explain to you why that’s bullshit – he’s no idiot, the fact that he’s kept his whole operation this hidden this long is proof of that. He’s smart enough to know he’s gonna have to get me, Naruto, and Sasuke out of the way at some point if he’s gonna pull off whatever it is he’s got in mind. But he hasn’t done it yet.”

You turn your attention elsewhere. “Ōga-kun, you’re a puppeteer, right?”

“I am,” she confirms.

“So yeah, how would you say you stack up against Sasori of the Red Sand?”

“He’s probably a better puppeteer than I am,” Ōga admits without a hint of shame.

“And in terms of genjutsu, how would you say you stack up against my kengen-ryū?”

“If the stories are to be believed,” she answers, “I would stand a chance in a pure battle of genjutsu.”

“Odds?”

“Three to two in your favor.”

You ponder this for a moment. “Probably not unfair. And you’ve also got a Sage I hear – has he only ever used regular senjutsu, or has he attained an elemental Sage Mode?”

“I wasn’t aware that was a thing.”

“Delta,” you continue, turning back to the cyborg. “How many members of your group are actually immortal?”

“What do you mean ‘actually’ immortal?”

“As in you can cut their head off and they’ll still be shouting at you.”
>1/2

>>6097629
“None,” she replies, confused again. “That’s not really a thing.”

“Hate to be the one to tell you but you’re wrong,” you shrug. “How many could revive themselves through some sort of ninjutsu, then?”

“I have backup bodies?” she answers.

“How many?”

“Who’s askin?”

“Drop the act and give me a rough guess.”

“Maybe three at any given time?”

“Sasori-han had more than three hundred at one point,” you recall. “Almost didn’t do him any good. Can any of your guys suck a man’s soul out through their mouth?”

“No…”

“Use blood curse magic?”

“What even is that?”

“Turn themselves into paper? Teleport? How many have five hearts and all the basic chakra affinities? Can any of them blow up a city at the atomic level? Control your perception of time with genjutsu? Use a Susanō’ō?”

“One guy can turn his skin into diamonds.”

“Yeah no, I knew a guy who was half shark and spit small oceans at people,” you retort. “And that guy was basically the most NORMAL member of the Akatsuki.”

“Where’s this going?”

“So yeah, even with your body modifications your physical abilities are just what I’d call ‘above average’ by Akatsuki standards,” you shrug, “and your techniques are plain boring. I’d hazard a guess that ‘Jigen’ knows what I’ve come to suspect – that even if all the other members of your organization came at me all at once, the two of you included, it wouldn’t be much more than a nuisance.”

“Basically, you would argue that between yourself, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto,” Ōga connects the threads, “Jigen may feel unable to act?”

“Correct,” you reply simply. “Calculate those odds if you’d like.”
>2/3

>>6097644
“And what’s the point of all this?” Delta demands. “Where’s this all going, what does it mean for us?”

“Oh, Delta,” Ōga intones. “You always were criminally lacking in the creativity department.”

“The point,” you answer, “is that if you can tell us where to go this can all be over.”

>1d6 first three, DC 12
>SP: 6/6
>ES: 2/2

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>6098462

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>6098462

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>6098462

>>6098462
Burn some SP to get to the heart of the matter? I've decided that ES usage here would have only made sense with a different initial input.

>>6098617
yes

>>6098617
Aye

>>6098617
yeah

>>6098617
yes

>>6098617
“You really think you can kill all the rest of Kara?” Delta demands. “Even if I buy it that you’re strong enough to beat Jigen that’s still a big claim.”

You shrug. “Yeah no, don’t get it wrong. When I kill a villain I’m just the ‘manner of death’, the ‘cause of death’ is still suicide by Uzumaki.”

“I feel like that distinction might not hold up in court,” Ōga muses.

“So in any event,” you declare, “whether they live or die is more up to them than it is to me. But yes – I do think I can beat them all, especially if I have help.”

To add a little punctuation onto that declaration, you make and hold direct eye contact with Delta as you let your constantly-suppressed chakra slip out. While it’s not quite as intense as if you’d used Sage Mode, it’s all chakra that your viewers can sense – and enough of it that it actually shakes the building you’re in. Both the captured members of Kara stare at you in alarm.

Delta’s breath catches in her throat, and she seems to struggle for a moment before you go back to suppressing your chakra.

“I… wasn’t expecting that,” she admits breathlessly. “Shit.”

“You’ll be okay,” you insist curtly. “So yeah… what can you two tell me?”

“I have very little to say that Delta could not,” Ōga admits. “But out of respect towards yourself and towards Shiki-san, I will tell you what I can. What type of information would you find most useful?”

“Locations and common defensive measures,” you reply, your tone suddenly so businesslike as to momentarily distract yourself. “Akatsuki members always had their own personal haunts, some of which were hidden from and defended against even other Akatsuki members.”

“Sounds like Victor,” Delta shrugs.

Ōga glances at her. “You mean to say that he is still conducting his own private research?”

Delta makes an admission. “I don’t even really get what he tells us he’s up to there, but I kinda always figured it’s cover anyway. That’s just how those scientist-types are, no offense.”

“None taken,” Ōga replies – if she’s annoyed at any implications there’s no chance it’d come across. “I consider myself a researcher, not a scientist.”

“There’s a difference?” Delta asks.

“One observes, the other tests,” Ōga clarifies.

You definitely file that self-proclaimed fact about Ōga and her role within Kara away.
>1/2

>>6099899
“So this ‘Victor’ falls more into the ‘scientist’ camp in your mind?” you ask Ōga.

She nods in agreement. “The man’s public persona is that of a caring, ethical researcher in the field of medical science. Behind the facade he’s…”

“A bastard,” Delta supplies her own assessment.

“Fair,” Ōga agrees. “He cares nothing for the well-being of others, and is completely obsessed with his own power.”

“Yeah no, that’s not unusual,” you shrug. “What makes him special?”

“Access to certain resources,” Ōga offers. “Resources which allow him to continue research which the likes of Orochimaru and Shimura Danzō were prevented from completing.”

… the latter of those two names still offends you.

“Hashirama-han’s cells,” you realize. “He was the one trying to secure them?”

“You’re on a first-name basis with a dead guy?” Delta frowns.

“If that kinda thing hangs you up,” you muse, “we’re gonna be here all day. So Ōga-han, am I mistaken?”

She shakes her head. “No.”

“Then that suggests ‘Victor’ is a compelling place for me to start,” you decide. “Anything else I should know?”

“He’s been fucking around with Deepa a lot lately,” Delta offers. “That’s the diamond skin guy I mentioned.”

“Also what Delta-san would call a ‘bastard’, but for different reasons,” Ōga adds.

“More a personality thing,” Delta clarifies.

“A disappointing human in general,” Ōga shrugs.

“Anyway, the weird little company Victor runs is based in the Land of Valleys,” Delta informs you. “Go kick up some trouble there and you’ll hear from him.”

>Depart immediately, and go alone. Take them completely by surprise.
>Go talk to Naruto and Ryūzetsu, see if they can coordinate intelligence-gathering activities.
>Inform a few of your allies about what you’re doing, see if they have input. But deal with this today.
>Other?

>>6099913
>>Inform a few of your allies about what you’re doing, see if they have input. But deal with this today.

>>6099913
>>Inform a few of your allies about what you’re doing, see if they have input. But deal with this today.

>>6099913
>>Go talk to Naruto and Ryūzetsu, see if they can coordinate intelligence-gathering activities.

>>6099913
>>Inform a few of your allies about what you’re doing, see if they have input. But deal with this today.
this doesn't conflict with informing Naruto and our wife. This will stir up a lot of shit and its better if the intelligence is alert to make us of it, whatever turns up.

>>6099913
Tempted though you may be by the idea of dealing with these two members of Kara right now and by yourself, you think better of it in the next instant as you’re already creating some shadow clones.

…

“Ryūkkun.”

“Nakkun.”

“So yeah,” you muse, “I’ve got a line on one, maybe two members of Kara.”

“The girl Shiki ran into talk?” Ryūzetsu asks, setting aside the book she’d been reading out on the veranda between your house and your garden.

“That and Delta finally decided to share,” you shrug.

“Took long enough,” she sighs. “I’d be willing to bet you’re itching to go after them.”

“Oh, definitely,” you admit.

“Where are they?”

“The Land of Valleys,” you inform her. “There’s a medical technology company there that’s a front for one of them.”

“I see. You plan to go deal with it yourself, of course?”

“Of course.”

Your wife considers the situation for a moment. “We have no relations with the Land of Valleys.”

“Yeah no, I figured.”

“”I’ll do the usual political interference then,” Ryūzetsu decides. “Don’t expect me to put in an appearance though – I’m waiting on the results of a raid.”

“Against the Storms daimyō?” you ask, suddenly curious.

“Very same.”

“Man, that’s been what…” you muse. “Two years in the making?”

“A little short,” she corrects you, “but near enough, yes.”

“Think your team’ll get the evidence he’s been undermining our diplomatic efforts for profit?”

“You know me when it comes to political bullshit,” Ryūzetsu smirks. “If I didn’t know the outcome I wouldn’t pick the fight.”
>1/2

>>6101767
“Naruto,” you greet your cousin calmly.

“Naori,” he replies, setting aside his paperwork. “You’re in luck, ya know – now’s actually a good time for once. What’s going on?”

“So yeah, when I put the rogue Kara member Ōga-kun in the same room with Delta,” you explain, “I found some stuff out.”

“Go on, go on,” he insists with a curious look. “By all means, don’t leave me hanging.”

“One of them owns a biomedical research company in the Land of Valleys,” you explain. “A man by the name of Victor. Apparently some kind of tough old guy. There’s also a guy who may be hanging around with him poking into his private research – that second guy can apparently turn his skin into diamonds or something.”

“You have a plan for that one?”

“Yeah no, I figured that made him a good candidate for restraint and capture.”

“Agreed,” he nods. “You have any other plans?”

“I’m contacting Ryūkun and Fūrin,” you reply. “They’ll be my backup this time. If things get too much more intense than I expect I’ll let you know as well – but I doubt it’ll come to that.”

“Well,” Naruto sighs, “I doubt there’s anything I can say or they can do to derail whatever it is you have in mind, so just let me know how it goes, ya know.”

“Will do.”

>Go in quietly under the guise of an employment interview – your skill with genjutsu means nobody will disagree.
>Go in calmly through the front door like a normal person, introduce yourself, and ask to speak to the manager.
>Go in loud, but monitor the enemy’s responses. How they act when they’ve been caught may be illuminating.
>Other?

>>6102235
>>Go in quietly under the guise of an employment interview – your skill with genjutsu means nobody will disagree.

>>6102235
>>Go in quietly under the guise of an employment interview – your skill with genjutsu means nobody will disagree.

>>6102235
>>Go in calmly through the front door like a normal person, introduce yourself, and ask to speak to the manager.

>>6102235
>1d6 best three of four
>Sharingan are already in play, but not at a level which requires taking ES

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>6102915

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>6102915

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>6102915

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>6102915
Well, hope this one is better

>>6102915
You use hiraishin to get most of the way there, selecting a marking as close as possible to the borders of the Land of Valleys – which happens to be at a small safehouse in the Land of Waterfalls. From there you can sprint overland through the dense forests, leaping from branch to branch the way shinobi have for centuries since long before modern conveniences like the thunder rail or airships. It’s been a while since you had to travel quite such a distance on foot, and so after a nice six hours of running you take a moment to refresh yourself with a combination of various ninjutsu to quickly wash yourself and your clothes before instantly drying both and splashing the water off into the bushes.

Then you take another second to change your clothes in a flash, favoring something a bit more professional in appearance and less combat-oriented. So when you step out from an alleyway in the small city which serves as the capital of the Land of Valleys, it’s in a smart skirtsuit with a nice silk tie and heeled shoes. You even add in non-prescription glasses, because to a lot of men in business those soften the image and make a woman look just that extra little bit weaker.

…

It’s not hard to find the main office of the company you head about from Ōga and Delta, and even easier to walk in the front doors and right up to the reception desk.

“I’m here for an 11:30 interview?” you greet the receptionist, working her over with just a brief moment of eye contact to make her think she remembers something like that being in the schedule. “For that technical opening in your life sciences department?”

“Yes, of course,” the woman replies, with that ever so slightly dulled tone of someone deeply under genjutsu. “Please head up to the conference room on the fourth floor, the elevators are just around this corner to your right.”

“Thank you so much,” you bow politely. “I’m much more used to smaller buildings.”

The receptionist looks at you, still with what to you is a tell-tale vacancy but now with something like a warm, reassuring smile. “I’d be willing to bet you’ll have a chance to get used to it.”

…

You don’t go to the fourth floor. Nobody would be coming to meet you there anyway.

Instead you begin wandering the halls, letting the confidence in your mannerisms drive off most observers and using genjutsu to convince the others that you’ve been working here in this building for years. It’s pretty easy to start putting together a mental map of the facility including its entrances and exits, and with a little more effort you start to rule out entire floors and wings.
>1/2

>>6104375
>naori using genjutsu against normal humans

i mean you don't even need a sharingan for that, i don't think. that's just unfair.
i'm sure she hid her scars and whatnot before heading in, too. probably hard to find a business lady that looks like she's been through a ninja world war.

>>6104447
Unless that war really went badly for your squad, yes.

>>6104375
You quickly realize that given the size of the building and the locations you can identify to particular offices and departments, you can essentially rule out the whole building – at least, the whole building above the ground level. After taking the elevator back down to the lowest basement level listed on the panel of buttons, you take a few minutes to walk around leaving hiraishin marks and sending ‘pinging’ pulses of your chakra downward. This technique, somewhat like echolocation, lets you map out a large and obviously-engineered chamber underneath the building which extends outward past the footprint of the foundation to the north and east. It’s accessed by way of an elevator hidden in the back of a supply closet.

“Hey!” a security guard snaps at you before meeting your eyes. “What are you…”

“Bathroom,” you lie.

“Carry on,” he replies.

“You’ve been given the rest of the day off,” you insist. “Go home early.”

“Now if you’ll excuse me, ma’am,” he nods, “I’ve got the rest of the day off, so I’m going home early.”

“You do that.”

…

The elevator requires a key code, which your ninjutsu can’t replicate. But what it does have is air vents, which your ninjutsu can get you through thanks to a water clone sloshing through out into the shaft where it can re-form and slide down the cables to place and planting one more hiraishin mark on the inside of the doors.

After teleporting there, you force the doors open with your bare hands and step out into the cavern.

“Well, now that’s not something you see every day,” you muse at the sight which greets you.

“No, I should certainly think not,” a man’s voice greets you, his tone harsh. “Who sent you? Was it the daimyō? A suspicious family member? Or someone a bit better-informed, perhaps?”

“Yeah no,” you muse, hurling a few shuriken at the spot where the speaker has hidden himself with ninjutsu. “I’m not the kinda person who ‘gets sent’ by anyone… ‘cept my wife if she asks nicely.”

And now an opportunity to try out a technique you’ve learned since the war – one which was originally designed to help with costume switches, back when a lot more of the general public had some background in basic ninjutsu, but which you’ve elevated in terms of the precision of its execution.

With a single movement of your arm you switch your outfit, throwing off the business attire and replacing it instantaneously with a lightly-padded, darkly-colored kimono. Then you unseal a familiar set of armor directly onto your body. A single bob of your head lets you tie your hair back without using your hands, and in seconds you’re completely ready for battle.
>2/3

>>6104917
pfft, its like a better jedi mind trick lmao

>>6104917
>using water clones to infiltrate a building
>you could fit through pipes, cracks and grates effortlessly
>only airtight spaces are safe from this one simple technique
>the water clone then creates a shadow clone, which can send memories back to the original
>it's possible to infiltrate almost anywhere and leave zero traces

god, ninjas are bullshit. wow, this is a weird feeling. are we actually doing ninja stuff right now? like, actual ninja stuff?

File: Naori_Kagetora_Spot.jpg (238 KB, 600x1392)

238 KB JPG

>>6104875
“… Uzumaki Naori-taichō,” the speaker, an older man with a prosthetic right leg and a patch over his right eye, realizes. His rather dour and conservative clothing says wealthy corporate executive, particularly the rather tall matching hat, but his body language screams shinobi.

“Taichō?” you muse.

“None of the Allied Shinobi Forces who saw you back then could possibly have forgotten your appearance,” he insists. “Nor the unique accompanying sensation that was equal parts hope and terror.”

“So yeah,” you reply calmly, “you have me at a disadvantage here, Victor-han.”

“In what sense?”

“In the sense that I don’t remember you in the slightest.”

“It isn’t surprising,” he admits. “At the time I did not yet understand what true power even looked like. I had yet to comprehend my own weakness.”

“Is that so.”

“You sound unsurprised.”

“Of course,” you shrug. “Many strong shinobi – not all, but many – had a similar moment. For me, the loss of my team to one of the Seven Swords. For my mentor, the destruction of the original Akatsuki. For Naruto-kun, failing to stop Sasuke-kun from leaving Konoha.”

“But yeah, so which reanimated shinobi did you in?”

“Excuse me?”

“Yeah no, I figured you probably got beaten pretty badly by someone,” you observe. “Least that’s where I figured the story was going before I interrupted. Was I wrong?”

Victor shakes his head. “No, you were not mistaken. If you must know, it was one of Orochimaru’s old subordinates – Kimimaro of the Kaguya.”

You nod in comprehension. “You drew a nasty one.”

>Why don’t you call out Deepa from wherever it is he’s hiding. Let’s all have a nice little chat.
>So, since you’re clearly in the mood to talk, why the hell do you have a fake God Tree down here?
>A guy as experienced as you must know what comes next. Why don’t we cut the crap already?
>Other?

>>6104964
>>Why don’t you call out Deepa from wherever it is he’s hiding. Let’s all have a nice little chat.

>>6104964
>>So, since you’re clearly in the mood to talk, why the hell do you have a fake God Tree down here?