Cosmos Quest (Naruto/Lupin III)

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Note I said Heaven, not Hell.
Persuasion/seduction is the key to beating him.

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I noted.

It's also the kind of thing that is real jerkass material and while that's IC, people have a soft spot for Lee.

Also, pain is not gonna break Lee. Hell no. I'd be much more vocal if you suggested Hell. It'll only fuel his resolve.

When we match him in speed?
Because we won't be standing still.

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Gates.

Would he use them against us....frankly, I would not put it past the plot or count them out of the game, ally or not.

Blind?
Against Prankster!Ino?
Basic Poison skill is go, as are exploding tags.
No one compensates well for sight loss mid-fight.
Not against a peer opponent.
Not unless you're named the Professor.

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I think Lee might compensate WELL ENOUGH. I mean how good can he see anyway at the speeds he moves at? Poison might work on him, I grant you....

But we don't have it here, we're not carrying any poisons. So yeah. If we fight, I'm going FUUUUUUUUUUUCK. We might want to aim for that early finish just for training time to pick up a trick in case of fighting these monsters.

Oh yeah, the two sensors are on Sound.
And I do not see that handpicked squad quitting.

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*nods*

I suspect much of that may be bluff as much as anything.
We'll see.

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I'd err closer to, "It started out true, but then the rumor mill started blowing things a bit out of proportion. So Mist rolled with it and never confirmed what was and was not true."

So still very good. Maybe, just maybe, as good as advertised.

But Hidden Mist and Throw Voice sound like staples, going by Zabuza. How much do you want to bet what we're doing is a trick out of their playbook?

 

[Selias]

Hey, you love Lee, but you really don't wanna face him in a fight if you don't have to; you're pretty sure he's as fast as you are with his weights off, and he's way stronger and waaaaaaay better at taijutsu.

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Wait, Lee is as fast as us with his weights off? Wow, how did we change things so that he's almost a full level above his canon self in speed? I mean, Lee isn't even that fast in Shippuden!

 

[Jack Trade]

[X] A selection of fine mooks for your trolling pleasure.

 

[Unclouded]

[X] That Taki-nin. You don't know for sure he's a sensor, but it couldn't hurt to get rid of him, could it?

[X] A selection of fine mooks for your trolling pleasure.

Can't see it working on the others. In the worst case scenario one of them realize it's you and they turn out to be one of the ringers in the exam. I'm having this bad feeling that the 8 year old girl might be Orochimaru.

 

[ward201]

[X] The Oto-nin
-> [X] The 8-year-old girl
-> [X] The teenage girl
-> [X] The boy in his late teens

[X] One of the Mist-nin
-> [X] The girl
-> [X] The blond apparent-water-user wild-boy
-> [X] The black-haired apparent-swordsman boy

[X] That Taki-nin. You don't know for sure he's a sensor, but it couldn't hurt to get rid of him, could it?

 

[Guile]

[X] That Taki-nin. You don't know for sure he's a sensor, but it couldn't hurt to get rid of him, could it?

[X] A selection of fine mooks for your trolling pleasure.

Can't see it working on the others. In the worst case scenario one of them realize it's you and they turn out to be one of the ringers in the exam. I'm having this bad feeling that the 8 year old girl might be Orochimaru.

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Orochimaru is a freak, granted, but I don't think he'd pick an eight year old as a host.

I'm gonna pass on voting this time, because whether we just try and pick off mooks that aren't ready for the exam or aim for the sensor ninja to make things easier on ourselves, it's gonna be fun regardless.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

[X] The Oto-nin
-> [X] The boy in his late teens

[X] That Taki-nin. You don't know for sure he's a sensor, but it couldn't hurt to get rid of him, could it?

[X] A selection of fine mooks for your trolling pleasure.




I'm taking a calculated risk here, given an apparent complete dearth of information.

Hint hint, Furiko, the benefits of us doubling down on research for these people would be pretty nice. We seriously have NOTHING on these teams?

In any case, knock off Taki, knock out mooks. I do not expect this to work on the Oto team. In fact I'm not completely certain they couldn't figure out where the REAL voice came from. The name Sound can't be all for show, you know?

But maybe, just maybe, we'll get these teams fighting each other. Hence me targeting the male and most likely to try and get in a dick measuring contest with Gaara. Purely by gender stereotypes, yes, but we don't have much else.

Course, by this logic maybe Mist is a better target. I dunno. Which one is more likely to be goaded into a proper pissing match? We do have Z-Slash active though so boldness is still probably best....

So, Furiko, odds of Sound team figuring out we're the one who sent the Throw Voice given what they know of us?

Also, how the balls do we not know more about Gaara the jink, come to think of it. -_-

And how da fuck is this eight year old anyway?

 

[uju32]

I noted.
It's also the kind of thing that is real jerkass material and while that's IC, people have a soft spot for Lee.
Also, pain is not gonna break Lee. Hell no. I'd be much more vocal if you suggested Hell. It'll only fuel his resolve.
Gates.
Would he use them against us....frankly, I would not put it past the plot or count them out of the game, ally or not.

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Noted and agreed.
But if Gates are in play, Heaven Viewing is as well.
Not actual seduction though; we have standards.

I think Lee might compensate WELL ENOUGH. I mean how good can he see anyway at the speeds he moves at? Poison might work on him, I grant you....

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He can see pretty well; even the most generous interpretations of Gate speed don't put it at light speed, and chakra use seems to come with enhanced durability.

He might adapt fine against lesser opponents, but against someone as fast as he is?
I expect that'll give us the edge.

But we don't have it here, we're not carrying any poisons. So yeah. If we fight, I'm going FUUUUUUUUUUUCK. We might want to aim for that early finish just for training time to pick up a trick in case of fighting these monsters.

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Our knowledge of poisons is Basic, same as our Seal Disruption, and we use that.
So while I don't expect us to have anything deadly, I'd expect at least some irritants in our current repertoire; OTC stuff.

But Hidden Mist and Throw Voice sound like staples, going by Zabuza. How much do you want to bet what we're doing is a trick out of their playbook?

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Good point.

Voting
[X]Hymn on this one.

 

[iamnuff]

Noted and agreed.
But if Gates are in play, Heaven Viewing is as well.
Not actual seduction though; we have standards.

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heaven viewing doesn't actually seem to be sexual/seduction based.


I had to go back and check, but it seems more like an incredibly cruel mind-fuck.

when you say "heaven" people picture one of two things.

something they want more than anything, but can never have, or something they once had, and can never regain.

and something tells me its only going to be more effective against stronger opponents.

To be strong in Naruto you either need a tragic backstory, or years of experience.

with experience comes loss and regret.

just think what would happen if it hit someone like the third hokage, what would it show him?

Here's a perfect world, you wake up and go meet your genin team, tell them you had a strange dream where Jiraiya left the country for years at a time as a spy, Tsunade ran away to become a drunken wreck, avoiding nukenin status only by technicality.

Orochimaru DID become nukenin, by virtue of horrifically unethical experiments on his own people, leaving his student to fend for herself.

your team laugh at you, how could such a thing ever happen?

Minato drops by with his son to chat with jiraiya about his new Seal idea, Dan comes by to pick up Tsunade, and Orochimaru and Anko talk shop, laughing and joking all the while.

even Danzo comes down to visit you, to share a drink and talk about old times.

everything is perfect, none of your students became irredeemable monsters or broken shadows of their former selves, nobody died or has to live with crippling physical/emotional scars.

you feel 30 years younger and you joints don't ache a single bit.


Then the technique ends, and you wake up


that's probably the most hurtful thing we could ever do to anyone.


note to self, never use it on Sasuke.. it would probably have the same effect as his second dose of mindfuck from itachi.

 

[uju32]

Also, how the balls do we not know more about Gaara the jink, come to think of it. -_-
And how da fuck is this eight year old anyway?

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1)Gaara here actually seems socialized.
It's entirely possible that his status is a secret in this AU.
2) Eight year old?
Kakashi became chuunin at 6, as did Yamato. She's exceptional, but not unheard of.

heaven viewing doesn't actually seem to be sexual/seduction based.*snip*

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Seduction doesn't require sex, or sexual allure.
Also means attract or charm.
Lee as is strikes me as very vulnerable to that kind of genjutsu mindscrew.

And yes, no using it on Sasuke except in controlled conditions, not that he's in this exam anyway.
Hell Viewing is likely to have an equally lousy effect.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

He can see pretty well; even the most generous interpretations of Gate speed don't put it at light speed, and chakra use seems to come with enhanced durability.

He might adapt fine against lesser opponents, but against someone as fast as he is?
I expect that'll give us the edge.

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Problem: Menka is not as fast as us.

Our knowledge of poisons is Basic, same as our Seal Disruption, and we use that.

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The description of our poisons just says our mother lets us watch her fill out orders, not handle the stuff.

1)Gaara here actually seems socialized.
It's entirely possible that his status is a secret in this AU.
2) Eight year old?
Kakashi became chuunin at 6, as did Yamato. She's exceptional, but not unheard of.

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That was a typo on my part. Not 'how' but 'who.'

Seduction doesn't require sex, or sexual allure.
Also means attract or charm.
Lee as is strikes me as very vulnerable to that kind of genjutsu mindscrew.

And yes, no using it on Sasuke except in controlled conditions, not that he's in this exam anyway.
Hell Viewing is likely to have an equally lousy effect.

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Sasuke's Hell Viewing is likely to be especially crushing. He's got Ino as a friend and we're pulling him up. His Hell Viewing is probably a does of the Massacre, Ino rejecting him, Ino dead, or most likely Ino dead and Sasuke killed her. Itachi is praising him for the execution.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

....Holy crap I have an idea. Maybe we SHOULD go for both Mist and Sound.

The catch here? We angle our Throw Voice such that Hidden Mist thinks Sound is trying to psyche them out, and Sound thinks Hidden Mist is trying to psyche THEM out.

This could actually work. They both have the reputations that could convince them that the other is trying to thin the herd.

Thoughts? I think I might recast my vote if Furiko says we can do this. There is the possibility that they'll banter or talk and figure out neither did it, but hopefully by then one of the teams will be down for the count and we'll be long gone.

 

[FurikoMaru]

Remember the name- Fort Minor.
Ka-ching!

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*hands over the Zantetsu-ken* Don't be hasty with it.

Temari is here.
So all three Sabaku kids are present.

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Yep.

Dude.
The hell happened to you?
You're actually cool.

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MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!

And Happy Thanksgiving!

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Same to you! *revels in pyjama'd holiday-Monday bliss*

I'm taking a calculated risk here, given an apparent complete dearth of information.

Hint hint, Furiko, the benefits of us doubling down on research for these people would be pretty nice. We seriously have NOTHING on these teams?

Click to shrink...

You know that the Oto-nin are called Ira, Kuyo, and Kibi. But those are all Japanese onomatopoeia that describe emotions or personal qualities, so they could just as easily be codenames. Also you don't know which name belongs to which person.

You suspect the boy on the team is a chuunin already, sent to chaperone the girls; this is the first (overt, at least) move Oto has made towards associating itself diplomatically with the wider shinobi world, so it'd make sense that they'd want to both bring their A-game and take some precautions. If they're looking for allies they have to look strong, but not like they're looking to stomp all over everyone. It's the same delicate balance as a job interview.

You think they're related, but they probably aren't all siblings. The little girl and the boy have one parent in common at best, and are more likely cousins.

There's something familiar about the three of them, but you're positive you've never met any of them before.

That kind of thing happens a lot, though, for you; even though each chakra song is unique, there're some predictable 'themes' that're shared between people with any number of factors in common. Sometimes it's a sound that, unbeknownst to you, signals that two people have the same blood type; lots of people share chord progressions for similar emotional states; sometimes family members sound alike in subtle ways (which, along with facial similarity, is how you know they're related); and sometimes it's an indication that the people making the sound all suffer from the same illness, or have been given some kind of enhancement. Without spending more time around them, you aren't likely to figure it out completely.

So, Furiko, odds of Sound team figuring out we're the one who sent the Throw Voice given what they know of us?

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Pretty decent, actually; they didn't come into this situation with no intel. They've known they were going to be participating in this exam for almost a year, and they've done research on their opponents just as you have.

Also, how the balls do we not know more about Gaara the jink, come to think of it. -_-

Click to shrink...

What's there to know? He can do unprecedented stuff with sand, he's been on more C-ranks than any other two rookies in this exam combined along with at least one declassified A-rank, he plays lead guitar in his sister's band, his favourite colour is red and he can probably kick the shit out of you with one foot.

There are fearful rumours floating around that he's a demon, but if you'll recall, there are also rumours that you are a witch, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean in a village full of freaking ninja, so you're more inclined to ascribe that to the colourful imaginations of the guy's victims.

....Holy crap I have an idea. Maybe we SHOULD go for both Mist and Sound.

The catch here? We angle our Throw Voice such that Hidden Mist thinks Sound is trying to psyche them out, and Sound thinks Hidden Mist is trying to psyche THEM out.

This could actually work. They both have the reputations that could convince them that the other is trying to thin the herd.

Thoughts? I think I might recast my vote if Furiko says we can do this. There is the possibility that they'll banter or talk and figure out neither did it, but hopefully by then one of the teams will be down for the count and we'll be long gone.

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You can totally do this.

 

[Selias]

Is Kibi the young one?

 

[FurikoMaru]

You'll have to speak with them to find out. :3

 

[Selias]

Can we have Ino whisper Kibi's name in Gaara's voice, when she tries to intimidate them, and see which one looks? I'm asking because eudict says that one translation for Kibi is Leader, so it actually might be Orochimaru.

 

[Scia]

nooo we should not have left the Koto lessons behind as while we are good we might not be good enough for a musical duell.

 

[Selias]

nooo we should not have left the Koto lessons behind as while we are good we might not be good enough for a musical duell.

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Dueling Kotos?

 

[iamnuff]

Dueling Kotos?

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get Gaara involved with his guitar.


god,

Gaara playing guitar in his sister's band... what a mindfuck?

 

[The Nobody]

Seeing as I'm here, might as well vote.

[x] Taki-nin

[x] Random mooks

We might manage to play Team Sound against Team Suna and flirt befriend get closer to Team Bishie... That is, those Mist ninjas. Or any other combination.

 

[FurikoMaru]

god,

Gaara playing guitar in his sister's band... what a mindfuck?

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They're called The Redgraves, but they're thinking about changing it.

 

[Scia]

Dueling Kotos?

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Well I was more thinking about something with a bit more.. movement and gnashing of teeths.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_icctfc9Kw
And as we have access to genjutsu we can add our own background effects like in Kung Fu Hustle.

 

[iamnuff]

honestly, I kinda want to hang out with Gaara.

 

[uju32]

*hands over the Zantetsu-ken* Don't be hasty with it.
Yep.

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!

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Oh dear.
We're gonna need this, aren't we?
*pockets Z-slash*

There's something familiar about the three of them, but you're positive you've never met any of them before.

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Now that isn't foreboding at all.
No sirree Bob.

Pretty decent, actually; they didn't come into this situation with no intel. They've known they were going to be participating in this exam for almost a year, and they've done research on their opponents just as you have.

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Welp.
Leave Sound alone.
One year is more than enough time for them to gather peg everyone in this exam, especially with the enthusiastic backing of their village.

Wonder if that chuunin is more bodyguard than guide though; wouldn't be surprised to find he's the girl's yojimbo.

What's there to know? He can do unprecedented stuff with sand, he's been on more C-ranks than any other two rookies in this exam combined along with at least one declassified A-rank, he plays lead guitar in his sister's band, his favourite colour is red and he can probably kick the shit out of you with one foot.
There are fearful rumours floating around that he's a demon, but if you'll recall, there are also rumours that you are a witch, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean in a village full of freaking ninja, so you're more inclined to ascribe that to the colourful imaginations of the guy's victims.

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Oh dear.
He's going to be FUN; I can tell.

You can totally do this.

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No point.
Possible chuunin on the Sound team, and Mist would both have good intel, and Utsusemi is similar to what Zabuza was using in canon.
You'd expect them to have some way of tracking it back.
Gotta know when to fold them.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Sweet, so we can play them against each other? Well....you say you want us going for the gold and be bold.....okay, I'm feeling good about this one. Plan A is them dropping out, Plan B for if they don't drop out is to hope they end up fighting Gaara and his band (if I had known Gaara played guitar I'd have seriously considered koto-genjutsu, as it is if we fight him in the finals I kinda want to challenge him to a musical duel), and Plan C for if they uncover the ruse is for them to target each other.

Also, lots of tasty info! Nice!

[X] The Oto-nin
-> [X] The teenage girl

[X] One of the Mist-nin
-> [X] The blond apparent-water-user wild-boy

[X] That Taki-nin. You don't know for sure he's a sensor, but it couldn't hurt to get rid of him, could it?

[X] A selection of fine mooks for your trolling pleasure.




I'm taking guesses on the Mist nin. May be too late anyway.

And come to think of it, maybe targeting them and only them is more effective at making this work because they won't suspect thinning the herd if they don't realize a lot of people were targeted....

Not sure. But this is still fun!

 

[FurikoMaru]

Plan B for if they don't drop out is to hope they end up fighting Gaara and his band

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Oh, don't let Temari hear you say that if you value your life. She thought she was a good big sister letting him join and now his little fangirls scare away all the actual music fans.

It's really quite a shame, since they're actually quite decent musicians for kids their age with as little free time as they have.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Oh, don't let Temari hear you say that if you value your life. She thought she was a good big sister letting him join and now his little fangirls scare away all the actual music fans.

It's really quite a shame, since they're actually quite decent musicians for kids their age with as little free time as they have.

Click to shrink...

Oh my god this is hysterical we need to hang out with Gaara more, scary unholymotheroffuck chakra or not.

 

[iamnuff]

Oh my god this is hysterical we need to hang out with Gaara more, scary unholymotheroffuck chakra or not.

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honestly that Chakra seems more reason FOR us to do it.


something wants to scare us away, are we going to let it?


check out reaction when we finally sat down next to Gaara.

Ino is Little-Miss Contrary.

 

[Vindictus]

Oh, don't let Temari hear you say that if you value your life. She thought she was a good big sister letting him join and now his little fangirls scare away all the actual music fans.

It's really quite a shame, since they're actually quite decent musicians for kids their age with as little free time as they have.

Click to shrink...

It's not Gaara's fault he was born Metal Incarnate.

He blames his father.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

If we get the chance, we need to teach Gaara to play Enter Sandman.

OHGODFORGIVEMEFORIHAVEPUNNED!