Cosmos Quest (Naruto/Lupin III)

[FurikoMaru]

Slightly less bullshit than Gaante is and will be, considerably more bullshit than Orochimaru.

 

[The Nobody]

[x] "I... might not be able to avoid it, Gai-sensei." ect
-[x] "But I promise I'll try not to fight him, if at all possible."

I know at least a few ways to have a challenging match against Gaara without actually fighting him.

 

[Guile]

[X] Nod along with her. He only asked you to give his words consideration, after all; he isn't asking you not to fight outright. You might be able to find a way around Gaara.
-[X] Challenging him to dueling koto is starting to look more attractive.

Or maybe genjutsu. Does genjutsu require us to lock in on his chakra? I want to stay away from that stuff, but if we can avoid that issue, Gaara would probably enjoy an over-the-top action scene press-X-to-not-die event a lot, and with genjutsu we don't need to be near the 'splodey chakra bullets.

 

[iamnuff]

Ah.

So the problem was that you have no idea who the fuck Dante is, actually.

Here's a quick rundown- Imagine if Kamina was actually a Hanyou...

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I know who he is, i just don't know how his powers work (or particularly care)

I played through part of one of the games (second or third) His jokes weren't funny, his personality is bland as hell, and the combat system was that trational japanese "the door is magically sealed until you kill everything in the room"

so after about 20 mintues i turned it off and went back to playing Genji: Dawn of the samurai.

Jesus Christ, that game was so fucking amazing.

i need to find it right now and boot up my PS2.

 

[hunter09]

[X] Nod along with her. You didn't want any of that before, and now your resolve is even stronger.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Observations:

I think Gai only recently came to the conclusion that Gaara is S-Rank, otherwise he would have warned his students beforehand. That he didn't implies he thought at least some of them had a chance of winning. Now he thinks they have no chance, and it's probably because of that chakra. He might actually think Gaara is a bijuu in human form now, when before he just thought he was a very talented and extremely powerful combatant.

Speaking of the chakra....if intent is what matters and asking permission would have made the chakra 'safe' for us to handle, that implies that it's not a matter of constant concentration on Gaara's part.

Also, the bullet can't possibly always release little bursts of chakra like that or Gaara would be resigned to everyone in the room feeling that like we did, to an extent. So if it was meant to dissolve subtly and harmlessly, why did it change here, especially if the 'commands' stick like they do?

Now, response.....

I expected all of the "lol it feels evil" stuff to be about Shukaku, not Dante. I saw it, recognized it, then instantly disgarded the infomation, because i already knew that his chakra would feel evil, before we even met him.

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You should pay more attention to the fine print and the differences in canon, especially when the GM goes out of her way to defy canon all over the place.

Gaara has crazy chakra in canon, I assumed that being Saner in this fic would make him less likely to pull of demon-power for small-time stuff.

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There's crazy, and then there's this:

For one thing, he just has a whole hell of a lot of chakra - far past what you'd expect of most jounin, past the point where you can easily measure it, even. Naruto has something like that going on, but then, Naruto doesn't have chakra that sings in harmony with itself. Seriously, what the fucking fuck is up with that? The closest songs to this you've ever heard came from late-term pregnant women, and no baby in the world has chakra this... well, for lack of a better word, evil. You get the impression if you tapped him on the shoulder his chakra would bite your fingers off just because it could.

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Plenty of implication to draw appropriate conclusions from when you sit down and think about it. Shukaku near the surface and in-sync with Gaara as opposed to driving him insane, Gaara's much more balanced personality and lack of murder tendencies to beg the question of what's causing that evil chakra, et cetera.

Hell, all you really needed was that last one.

yeah, maybe I'm exaggerating how out of the blue this was, but "you really should have seen this coming" is a peeve of mine.

this was obvious in hindsight, when we go back and check all the descriptions about Gaara and realize that he's running on 100% pure demonstuff ALL THE TIME, rather than just when he gets super mad like in canon.

At the time we made the call, it really wasn't obvious, or we wouldn't have voted for it, would we?

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You read my post where I pointed this stuff out and you still blew it off thinking it'd be fine. I noted the description where it sounded like it'd snap at your just because it could, sings in harmony with itself (which was the implication that there's two entities, no points for guessing what the other is), et cetera.

And just the entire speech Furiko gave after the fact. Yeah, people, myself included, got complacent when the axe wasn't falling. That was a mistake, because Ino has been freaked the entire time because of Gaara's chakra. When the GM says, "That was a deathrap, why the hell didn't you see it," instead of defending why you didn't see it, maybe you should consider how you screwed up and figure out how to do better.

'We thought it was a good idea,' doesn't mean you don't get a Darwin award. If you mess up, instead of justifying your mess, figure out how tonot make a mess.

Perhaps, I overlooked the Dante aspect of his character simply because I don't like/know the series he comes from?

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That is indeed a grave mistake given how much info and hints Furiko throws out. After all, we're playing a reincarnation and that's certainly had a drastic effect hasn't it? And Dante was one of the original choices.

(it's made by capcom, known for horrible english voice-acting, and nonsensical plots)

regardless, its not important anymore, can we just drop it?

Click to shrink...

I suppose I should apologize for being overbearing and aggressive about this. So, sorry for indulging in my jerkass/egotistical tendencies. So alright, call it quits here.

 

[iamnuff]

snip,

Click to shrink...

I know, I know, I said I'd drop it, but you keep bringing up this specific scene like its supposed to mean something to me.

For one thing, he just has a whole hell of a lot of chakra - far past what you'd expect of most jounin, past the point where you can easily measure it, even. Naruto has something like that going on, but then, Naruto doesn't have chakra that sings in harmony with itself. Seriously, what the fucking fuck is up with that? The closest songs to this you've ever heard came from late-term pregnant women, and no baby in the world has chakra this... well, for lack of a better word, evil. You get the impression if you tapped him on the shoulder his chakra would bite your fingers off just because it could.

Click to shrink...

Click to shrink...

that doesn't say shit about dante to me, even now, with the benefit of hindsight.


chakra that sings to itself, that's Shukaku and Gaara echoing back and forth, the thing about the pregnent woman is exactly the same, he's carrying something within his soul, and its in tune with him.

yes, it feels evil as shit, and would probably take a bite at you if it could, because its fucking shukaku, being a giant man eating Chakra Monster is kinda what he does.


to me, this whole scene basically told me "yeah, its Gaara, he's still carrying the Ichibi, but they aren't in conflict anymore, so its sorta like Killer Bee, but his partner is more of an asshole"

YouYou read my post where I pointed this stuff out and you still blew it off thinking it'd be fine.

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yup, none of the evidence you pointed out said anything to me about his normal everyday chakra (which should be human) being dangerous enough to kill us, or that he was using demon chakra for everything. (which would drive him insane or kill him and everyone around him)

YouI noted the description where it sounded like it'd snap at your just because it could

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yup, thats Shukaku alight, but we already knew he was there, so I don't see why you find this so alarming.

YouYou, sings in harmony with itself (which was the implication that there's two entities, no points for guessing what the other is), et cetera.

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the other? you mean shukaku? because adding Dante would make three, obviously



TLDR? i thought what we were hearing was Shukaku inside the seal, I didn't realize that it had completely replaced his normal, human, chakra, because that should (by all rights) have killed him instantly.

Seems to be the same realization that Gai just went through, unless I miss my guess.

 

[FurikoMaru]

Speaking of the chakra....if intent is what matters and asking permission would have made the chakra 'safe' for us to handle, that implies that it's not a matter of constant concentration on Gaara's part.

Click to shrink...

Whacha mean by that?

Also, the bullet can't possibly always release little bursts of chakra like that or Gaara would be resigned to everyone in the room feeling that like we did, to an extent. So if it was meant to dissolve subtly and harmlessly, why did it change here, especially if the 'commands' stick like they do?

Click to shrink...

Ever popped a zit? If you had left it alone instead of putting pressure on it you wouldn't have gotten gunk all over your fingers and the skin around the thing.

First you stored the bullet in a seal, which meant it couldn't dissolve like it 'wants' to do. That kind of messed with the strength of the connection to Gaara's will right there, seals being what they are. Then when you took it out and it could do what it was supposed to do, you did the equivalent of opening a shaken-up can of pop.

 

[iamnuff]

Whacha mean by that?
Ever popped a zit? If you had left it alone instead of putting pressure on it you wouldn't have gotten gunk all over your fingers and the skin around the thing.

First you stored the bullet in a seal, which meant it couldn't dissolve like it 'wants' to do. That kind of messed with the strength of the connection to Gaara's will right there, seals being what they are. Then when you took it out and it could do what it was supposed to do, you did the equivalent of opening a shaken-up can of pop.

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I thought we were trying to force it to hold its shape? not trying to crush it?

 

[FurikoMaru]

I thought we were trying to force it to hold its shape? not trying to crush it?

Click to shrink...

What kind of skin do you have where you have to crush your zits? My point is, you put pressure on something that had already been under pressure for a good long while, and which was pretty damned dangerous.

How much clearer can I make this? Like, you know why Contents Under Pressure is a thing that warning labels say, right? And why you can't take containers thus labelled on a plane?

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Whacha mean by that?

Click to shrink...

Okay, let me try to illustrate.

Suppose we asked Gaara for a bit of chakra, he gives it and permission, and then he forgets about it and doesn't give it any further thought. Does the chakra remain dormant and harmless to us, or does it revert? If it last indefinitely, then it's got quite a memory. If it lasts for any period of time, then that means it still retains the command to some undefined extent. If it reverts to its natural state immediately after Gaara stops thinking about it, then it means Gaara needs to keep some portion of his attention on forcing the chakra to behave.

Ever popped a zit? If you had left it alone instead of putting pressure on it you wouldn't have gotten gunk all over your fingers and the skin around the thing.

First you stored the bullet in a seal, which meant it couldn't dissolve like it 'wants' to do. That kind of messed with the strength of the connection to Gaara's will right there, seals being what they are. Then when you took it out and it could do what it was supposed to do, you did the equivalent of opening a shaken-up can of pop.

Click to shrink...

Okay, I guess that works as a metaphor, and I can get why it backfired on us. Although the way you're phrasing it sounds like you're saying it needs to be connected to Gaara and essentially receiving orders on what it wants, and without orders it defaults to, "Fuck anything that fucks with me."

I know, I know, I said I'd drop it, but you keep bringing up this specific scene like its supposed to mean something to me.

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H'okay.

that doesn't say shit about dante to me, even now, with the benefit of hindsight.


chakra that sings to itself, that's Shukaku and Gaara echoing back and forth, the thing about the pregnent woman is exactly the same, he's carrying something within his soul, and its in tune with him.

yes, it feels evil as shit, and would probably take a bite at you if it could, because its fucking shukaku, being a giant man eating Chakra Monster is kinda what he does.

Click to shrink...

That's part of it. The key part, in my mind, is we can feel Shukaku. Naruto? Nothing. Not a wiff of Kyuubi. It's locked up. We cannot heal the Kyuubi inside its seal. Granted, it's probably a much more firm seal than Gaara's, but that's my current basis for comparison. Naruto apparently sounds normal, singular. Huge, but like everyone else instead of odd hiccups.

That we can sense something else tells me that Gaara's not locked away. Not as firmly at very least, but....

That it's singing in harmony throughout his entire body, as the chakra music comes from passing through the tenketsu, implies it's a part of him. If we hear Shukaku/Gaara/whoever's chakra like that, then it is coursing through his tenketsu. It is in use. It's not emanating from someplace on his body, it is circulating throughout.

Does that make more sense?

the other? you mean shukaku? because adding Dante would make three, obviously

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Yes, I mean Shukaku. Dante is Gaara. Maybe he can pull something like Ino and Lupin, although without being a Yamanaka I'd give him much worse chances, but for the moment I'm assuming two. Or at least two. For all we know he's actually subdued more than one entity.

TLDR? i thought what we were hearing was Shukaku inside the seal, I didn't realize that it had completely replaced his normal, human, chakra, because that should (by all rights) have killed him instantly.

Click to shrink...

Going by Furiko, it seems more of a half-and-half blend. If it was all Shukaku chakra and no Gaara chakra I'm pretty sure he would be dead. And apparently despite having human parents Dante keeps his original heritage. Ino would have gotten eternal youth and his strength if she'd been his reincarnation, IIRC.

 

[FurikoMaru]

Okay, let me try to illustrate.

Suppose we asked Gaara for a bit of chakra, he gives it and permission, and then he forgets about it and doesn't give it any further thought. Does the chakra remain dormant and harmless to us, or does it revert? If it last indefinitely, then it's got quite a memory. If it lasts for any period of time, then that means it still retains the command to some undefined extent. If it reverts to its natural state immediately after Gaara stops thinking about it, then it means Gaara needs to keep some portion of his attention on forcing the chakra to behave.

Click to shrink...

It's more like your chakra will only do exactly what you tell it to do and once it's out of you it doesn't really like some other person disrupting the chain of command. If Gaara tells part of his chakra you're in charge, then it'll listen to you. Until then, devils gon' dev, bijuu gon' BIJ YOU.

Of course, assuming he even knows he can do that and how.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

It's more like your chakra will only do exactly what you tell it to do and once it's out of you it doesn't really like some other person disrupting the chain of command. If Gaara tells part of his chakra you're in charge, then it'll listen to you. Until then, devils gon' dev, bijuu gon' BIJ YOU.

Of course, assuming he even knows he can do that and how.

Click to shrink...

Does that mean that 'commands' given from the one in charge are effectively indefinite?

That opens up a huge number of possibilities for a sufficiently creative mind.

 

[FurikoMaru]

Does that mean that 'commands' given from the one in charge are effectively indefinite?

Click to shrink...

Unless someone has a legitimate chakra-hack to override them.

That opens up a huge number of possibilities for a sufficiently creative mind.

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It does, doesn't it? 8)

 

[Vindictus]

It does, doesn't it? 8)

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And then suddenly CHAKRA QUANTUM COMPUTERS.

 

[uju32]

[X] And lots of wavy hair like Liberace!

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The Chordettes - Mr Sandman

Some instinct, call it self-preservation or just an ingrained need to pass on helpful information promptly in a crisis, grabs the steering wheel of your brain and offers Dead Man's Curve a sacrificial lamb in your stead.

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Wuss.
Reference to the real life Dead Man's Curve of Mulholland Drive I believe.
Was also a song by Jan and Dean.

"Sabaku no Gaara!"
"What?!" Neji asks, furious. "What on earth were you doing taking samples of his chakra?"
"You complete lunatic!" Tenten yells.

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Turns out both Neji and Tenten are tsunderes.
Hinata is fortunate that Lee is not.

Which means its nature was disguised somehow. We'd probably have to ask Gaara himself to find out the details.
"And the seal held it in stasis until you released it," Gai says. He sounds much calmer now, which is in no way a reassuring thing. "Ino-chan, will you please allow me to examine the seal on Menka-kun's collar?"

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Hmm.
At least it's in stasis, which means we can study it later.

We're gonna have to track down Jiraiya; with this many foreign heavy hitters in Konoha he'll be nearby.
Especially as the presence of so many outsiders means increased opportunity for espionage, which is his baliwick.
Time to take a walk past the women's baths.....then again, if we play our cards right here, he might find us.

Gai is obviously no seal-master, and after a moment he cocks an eye at Neji, who obligingly activates his Byakugan.
"It's secure, for now anyway." The veins recede, and a pair of white eyes glare at you. "It seems your luck holds out."
Ami frowns at the disdainful tone, but now that you listen for it you can hear an ascending arpeggio of worry in Neji's chakra. Damn. He always was hard to get a read on. Recent revelations have just added another layer of complexity.

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Byakugan can see into seals?
That's a pretty useful trick.
And suggests both Hinata and Neji should be able to see something hinky with Naruto.

But damn, Neji is acting like the male love interest of a Mills and Boon novel.
Not that I'd know what the male love interest of an MnB sounds like, of course *ahem*

Gai is silent for a long moment, and when he speaks again he doesn't look any of you in the eye.
"Lee. Neji. If either of you are called upon to fight Gaara in the finals, you must forfeit."
"Absolutely, sensei," Neji says as Lee cries, "What?!"
"Ino-chan, Ami-chan," Gai says turning to you, "I know I have no authority to ban either of you from doing so, but please give my words the consideration they are due; Gaara is an S-rank opponent."
Ami's mouth goes from agape to downright slack-jawed. Then she closes it, and nods decisively.

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Good job avoiding the question Gai.
It really is kinda amusing to see Neji being so.....forthcoming.

[X] Nod along with her. You didn't want any of that before, and now your resolve is even stronger.

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Nah.

[X] Nod along with her. He only asked you to give his words consideration, after all; he isn't asking you not to fight outright. You might be able to find a way around Gaara.

Click to shrink...

But this option leaves Lee with no leverage to argue, which he seems to want to.
Whether he should is another matter.
Safe option, no argument.

[X] "I... might not be able to avoid it, Gai-sensei. He really seems eager to face me in the ring. If I say no it might damage international relations - I mean, Suna definitely sent him here to show him off in front of a live audience. If he doesn't get a good opponent for at least one fight, I'll have pissed off an ally and an S-rank ninja who up 'til now I was kind of getting along with. That doesn't seem like a very wise decision for a clan heiress to make."

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This is the option most likely to raise a major ruckus with both our teammates and friends.
But it would also happen to show to one of Konoha's senior jounin that we were thinking beyond the exam.
And it would give Lee ammo as he is looking to test himself as well; at the moment he's looking at a blanket ban.

And it would mean it's possible we get some help with training resources, if he expects us to be prepping against Gaara; Gai certainly has access to things and people we don't.
Someone was supplying Tenten with sealing training after all.

 

[FurikoMaru]

Byakugan can see into seals?

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Nah. They can just see whether seals are functioning like they should. Without training Hyuuga don't know jack about sealing, just like every other schmuck.

But damn, Neji is acting like the male love interest of a Mills and Boon novel.
Not that I'd know what the male love interest of an MnB sounds like, of course *ahem*

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What's Mills and Boon? Is that like Harlequin Romance or something?

 

[Guile]

If it is, clearly I need to investigate further. I love me some harlequin romance.


Anyway, the third is pretty clearly a justification. We'd be propping up Sand at the expense of Leaf's reputation and our own personal wellbeing. And it's not like Sand wouldn't be able to spin 'Everybody was too afraid to fight Gaara and he rose to victory on a tide of forfeits'.

 

[uju32]

Oh yeah, forgot to vote
[X] "I... might not be able to avoid it, Gai-sensei. He really seems eager to face me in the ring. If I say no it might damage international relations - I mean, Suna definitely sent him here to show him off in front of a live audience. If he doesn't get a good opponent for at least one fight, I'll have pissed off an ally and an S-rank ninja who up 'til now I was kind of getting along with. That doesn't seem like a very wise decision for a clan heiress to make."

Given that we have been warned about her inability to turn away if taunted, best to make contingency plans now.
Best put Gai on notice; perhaps he can pass us some sealing scrolls to learn from.

Nah. They can just see whether seals are functioning like they should. Without training Hyuuga don't know jack about sealing, just like every other schmuck.

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Ah.
Which means every Hyuuga is aware of the seals on Naruto and Anko, if not the reasons for them.
Hmm.

It also means they can recognize Root members, by the way.

What's Mills and Boon? Is that like Harlequin Romance or something?

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Yeah.
More popular outside North America from what I can gather.
A distinctly 80s' type hero in that mould, all stiff upper lip and inner passion.
While Gaara seems to have been cast as the smooth, dangerous interloper from out of town who loses the girl eventually..

 

[uju32]

If it is, clearly I need to investigate further. I love me some harlequin romance.

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It is.
British imprint of Harlequin apparently.

Anyway, the third is pretty clearly a justification. We'd be propping up Sand at the expense of Leaf's reputation and our own personal wellbeing. And it's not like Sand wouldn't be able to spin 'Everybody was too afraid to fight Gaara and he rose to victory on a tide of forfeits'.

Click to shrink...

Less a justification, more a notification that we do see more at play here.
Remember the tenth question? Or the Forest?
The whole point of the exam is the willingness to accept risk, and the judgement/capability to minimize and otherwise handle it.
Isn't that where the whole substitute for war thing came from?

And it's not as if we won't have proctors to stop the exam, or that he'll be fighting all out.
I mean, the Hokage let him in, in full knowledge of what he is.
And this Sarutobi seems less subject to plot stupidiy than normal.

 

[Varano]

[X] "I... might not be able to avoid it, Gai-sensei. He really seems eager to face me in the ring. If I say no it might damage international relations - I mean, Suna definitely sent him here to show him off in front of a live audience. If he doesn't get a good opponent for at least one fight, I'll have pissed off an ally and an S-rank ninja who up 'til now I was kind of getting along with. That doesn't seem like a very wise decision for a clan heiress to make."


Whooo!!!
Retarded choises!!!!

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Unless someone has a legitimate chakra-hack to override them.
It does, doesn't it? 8)

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Jesus.

Well, that right there is the most vicious ghetto Jyuuken ever. And possibly standard jyuuken.

Nobody would be insane enough to actually try that shit though.




Also, for the big speech? Keep in mind that Gai may just go over our head on this one and convince Asuma to force us to stop. Whether Asuma would let us or not....debatable. But appearing to be obeying may let us pull a fast one if so inclined.

I'm not touting one or the other at this time though.



Though I do have to say that on reread, I am kind of wincing at the idea of Ino offering up Gaara's name as potentially offering up a decoy to protect herself. Seems more IC than her helpfully offering information, cause we're a miser.

What would have happened for the other choices, if you don't mind answering?


Guile's pretty much on the money in this assessment, IMO.

Although to be fair, not pissing off Gaara or spurning what he may consider legitimate friendship is sorta unwise. He's a powerful potential ally or enemy not to be treated incautiously.

 

[FurikoMaru]

[X] There goes the fear again

You bite your lip.

"I... might not be able to avoid it, Gai-sensei."

And you now have the dubious pleasure of hearing what Hyuuga Neji sounds like when he's actually frightened.

Gai's eyes widen. The chords low in his chakra rumble with anger and the promise of disappointment, but the notes above them speak of concern. For now, he's waiting for your explanation.

"Have you completely lost your mind?!" Tenten asks, almost definitely stealing Ami's line.

"You total hypocrite!" she says instead. Oof, I almost made her swear in front of a responsible authority figure.

"Suna sent Gaara here to put on a show," you say as calmly as you can manage while talking about an opponent who can completely annihilate you. You recall some of the reports you received over the past month from some Tora clan members in the course of your research. "The Wind Daimyo and the village have been involved in an ongoing labour dispute for the last ten years; the Kazekage has set mission wages at a level where they're actually worth a damn to someone living in a desert town that imports most of its food, and the daimyo has been hiring Konoha-nin as scabs, the cheap bastard. Needless to say, there's a lot of resentment about that."

"What does the cost of food in Suna have to do with you committing suicide by sand-monster?" Kiba asks, flabbergasted.

"Making Gaara a household name is their best chance of convincing their daimyo that it's in his best interests to support his local shinobi," you summarise. "If Gaara gets at least one good fight out of the finals, where he can really strut for the clients, impress them the way he impresses us, Suna will be back in business."

"Who cares if Suna is back in business or falls off a cliff?" Ami demands. "Are you seriously willing to die just to help an ally take clients away from us?"

"I haven't decided if I'm actually going to fight him yet!" you retort. "I'm just saying I have to think about it; there's more at stake here than just my health." You try to smile. "Besides, he specifically said he was excited to face me in the ring. If I turn him down, after all the other finalists turn him down, we'll have saved our skins at the cost of pissing off our ally to the southwest - and an S-rank ninja who up 'til now I was honestly kind of getting along with."

"You do remember the part where he shot Kiba, right?" Ami says, raising an eyebrow at you.

"Well... in the leg," Kiba says grudgingly, "after I shot him in the guts."

"Are you defending that sleazeball?"

Kiba shrugs. "Just sayin', if someone shot me in the stomach, I wouldn't pussyfoot around; I'd take the headshot if I could get it. Organ damage is really fucking painful."

Ami looks like she wants to strangle him. "You shot him there knowing that?!"

"But if no one wants to face Gaara, isn't that proof enough of his strength?" Lee asks.

"How is anyone going to prove we weren't all bribed to drop out?" you reply. "Suna doesn't want a win by default, they want a spectacle."

And we all know who can give them one, don't we?

As if by magic, the façade of an overprotective adult melts away, and the thief re-emerges. Damn right we do.

Gai's chakra has settled down now, from anger to sorrow and regret. He seems resigned; you can already hear him smoothing a facsimile of his usual bombast over his actual feelings. And yet, there's a hint of calm resolution to him, as though he's just made a decision that comforts him somewhat.

"... very well, Ino-chan," he says solemnly. "I will trust your judgement in this matter."

It's as if he just stabbed Neji in the throat. The boy's chakra wails like an air-raid siren, and the notes of his song pound out in short phrases repeating over and over, turning in on themselves and tearing each other apart.

The only outward sign of this is a slight widening of his eyes.

Neji Route Unlocked

Lee, by contrast, almost flies right out of bed in his agitation.

"Sensei! In that case, please permit me to be the one to fight Gaara!"

The pair of them blink at each other, unnerved by the momentary shared wavelength.

"Don't be ridiculous, Lee! Your senjutsu is not yet perfected," Neji says.

"If I haven't perfected it in three weeks, I'll do five thousand chin-ups and sit-ups and sign up for poison immunity training," Lee swears. "I will not permit my kouhai to be pummelled in my place! Or you, Neji - your Gentle Fist is superb, but-"

[X] "Oi, guys... not that I'm not flattered, but this is my fight. I don't want you guys to get pummelled either, y'know." You'll just refrain from mentioning that it's Lee Gaara's most anxious to tussle with.

[X] Wait for Gai to break it up. He's their teacher, after all.

[X] Write in.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Oh wow. We just hit Neji right in the buried trauma didn't we. He's totally comparing us to his father leaving to die.

On the other hand, Gai frankly took this better than I expected. Honestly, let's hope we're not Gaara's first match cause I don't think koto playing alone will cut it if he only gets one match. If he gets to kick ass and then end with a rocking guitar solo, that's certainly unique enough that it might be better PR than otherwise.

Finally, I have a minor problem with the first choice as it's not guaranteed that any one of us is gonna have a match-up with him, so let's not be counting chickens before they hatch.

 

[FurikoMaru]

Though I do have to say that on reread, I am kind of wincing at the idea of Ino offering up Gaara's name as potentially offering up a decoy to protect herself. Seems more IC than her helpfully offering information, cause we're a miser.

Click to shrink...

Actually, they're both in-character. Lupin almost always drops the troll act in an emergency.

What would have happened for the other choices, if you don't mind answering?

Click to shrink...

Sorry would have firmly established you in Gai's mind as the tiny blonde genin you are, and he'd have apologized for frightening you, then continued on in a friendlier manner.

Kyuubi would have been a lot of fun to write; you and Neji and Gai would have had a little PTSD powwow with Gai walking on eggshells to avoid implying anything while still interrogating you, and Neji being almost totally silent throughout but finally going, "Meditation helps with the nightmares."

 

[1234q1234q]

We can start planing for the next part in a couple of IC minutes. The fight order will be announced after the last fight. Then we will know the line-ups.

[X] Wait for Gai to break it up. He's their teacher, after all.

 

[Jack Trade]

[X] Wait for Gai to break it up. He's their teacher, after all.

 

[Selias]

[X] Wait for Gai to break it up. He's their teacher, after all.

Wonder if water jutsu or sealing would be more useful for the fight against Gaara.

 

[iamnuff]

What kind of skin do you have where you have to crush your zits? My point is, you put pressure on something that had already been under pressure for a good long while, and which was pretty damned dangerous.

How much clearer can I make this? Like, you know why Contents Under Pressure is a thing that warning labels say, right? And why you can't take containers thus labelled on a plane?

Click to shrink...

... I know why things under pressure explode, that's not the issue here.

The issue, is "how is deliberately squeezing something that's already losing its form supposed to stop it from doing so"

I thought we were trying to hold it together, not crush it?

We cannot feel the Kyuubi inside its seal.

Click to shrink...

... thats a very good point.

I ddin't notice that at all.

I really should have, considering how we reacted to Gaara's chakra, Kyuubi is a massive trigger for us, if we could feel something like that in naruto, then we would have fucking mentioned it.

 

[FurikoMaru]

... I know why things under pressure explode, that's not the issue here.

The issue, is "how is deliberately squeezing something that's already losing its form supposed to stop it from doing so"

I thought we were trying to hold it together, not crush it?

Click to shrink...

How else do you hold something together when it's falling apart than by pushing it back together? Ino isn't a telekinetic; she can't just magic up a stasis field where pressure is neither eased nor exerted. That's what storage seals are for.