Cosmos Quest (Naruto/Lupin III)

[MrGazzer]

[X] Okay dad

 

[Redon]

Lying to an interrogator, yeah that's going to turn out so bloody well.

 

[FurikoMaru]

Lying? I'm counting those votes as Ino being honest.

 

[Redon]

Oh, the other write in, sorry.

 

[Torgamous]

[X] Ask.

We can go along with it for all I care, but I want to know why this is happening.

 

[redaeth]

[X] Ask.

 

[MHLord]

[X] Ask.

 

[Guile]

Lying? I'm counting those votes as Ino being honest.

Click to shrink...

Right! He asked us not to fight. We're not. In fact we're not fighting SO hard we're just... going the extra mile in the other direction.

If dad doesn't let us fight OR befriend Gaara (and if he spends all his money on pizza), what the heck is left in our arsenal?

 

[darklord]

[X] Ask.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Hmm....is this about Itachi's Geas? Inoichi is feeling the pressure to accelerate Ino's progress with the Yamanaka portion? Or he thinks something is going to set it off?

Seems like the kind of thing he'd be fine with telling us openly.

Well, if he doesn't tell us what the deal is when we ask, then it's something he doesn't want us to know because Bad Things will happen. On one hand, protagonist, being told not to do something just means do it. Eventually. Also, Chaotic....something. On the other hand, Inoichi may be overprotective but he's not an idiot.

.....He better not be trying to excise the voices from our head on the sly. But it's way too late to start trying that, I think.

As for "Is it Inoichi," Kakashi can no-sell our sensing, but I assume Ino is sensing her father right now, and someone who can fool our sensing is very, very out of our league.

 

[Guile]

He could just be going into overprotective father mode again.

Remember when he freaked out over the possibility of our marrying Sakkun? Marrying a foreign jinchuuriki would be worse.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

He could, but it just doesn't seem to fit.

I mean he's an overprotective father pretty much default, he just dials it down, but that's not all that's at play here. I'm sure of it. If it was that simple we'd have guessed it by now, yet Furiko says none of us are close. There must be something going on in the background we don't know about that's giving Inoichi a nudge. Or something we haven't considered.

And I'm still wondering why Lupin has been so uncharacteristically quiet. Or why Ino isn't hitting the voice of experience up.

 

[Guile]

He could, but it just doesn't seem to fit.

I mean he's an overprotective father pretty much default, he just dials it down, but that's not all that's at play here. I'm sure of it. If it was that simple we'd have guessed it by now, yet Furiko says none of us are close. There must be something going on in the background we don't know about that's giving Inoichi a nudge. Or something we haven't considered.

And I'm still wondering why Lupin has been so uncharacteristically quiet. Or why Ino isn't hitting the voice of experience up.

Click to shrink...

When did Lupin go on the run with hitmen after him, 15? He doesn't have a huge amount of experience with fathers, either, presumably.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

When did Lupin go on the run with hitmen after him, 15? He doesn't have a huge amount of experience with fathers, either, presumably.

Click to shrink...

I was thinking less experience with father figures and more experience with espionage and conspiracies. Which is....roughly the same skillset to apply here.

 

[Unclouded]

[X] Ask.

 

[The Nobody]

Count my write-in as

[x] Ask + talk it over.

 

[FurikoMaru]

[X] Talk to me, so you can see

"What's going on, Dad?" you interrupt.

Without so much as changing the tone of his voice, your father says, "What I am about to say to you is classified in the extreme."

"And you're gonna tell me in the middle of Sasuke's kitchen?" you ask, nonplussed.

"I've laid a seal array upon the doors into this room that acts as a trigger for a genjutsu," he replies, "one you'll be learning this month. Anyone who walks into this room besides you and I will find it empty and silent."

You're genuinely surprised at that. Since when does Dad know anything about fuuinjutsu?

I'm betting there's a lot he knows that we don't.

Yeah, I was about to ask, what do you make of this?

Can't say for certain, but I think he thinks he's run out of time.

Before you can ask what he means, your father asks you if you are certain you're ready to hear things you can never repeat to anyone.

You say yes, and without being fully sure why, a sudden wave of guilt steals over you.

"We have reason to believe that a group of missing nin originating from Sound will descend on Konoha in the aftermath of the chuunin exams," Inoichi says.

You blink. "What? Is that why that Oto chuunin was in the exams?"

He nods. "Ira-san is the one who confirmed the report. He's here to hammer out the details of our alliance."

"But why?" you demand, perplexed. "Why are we agreeing to pick sides in a civil war over a backwater village we don't even have a preexisting relationship with?"

"Because the Otokage and Sandaime-sama believe they'll be taking the fight to Konoha next," he explains.

... damn it, I hate it when you're right.

I have mixed feelings about it myself.

"So I guess we do have a preexisting relationship with them?"

"We do," he says shortly, "and you and I will have to leave it there, for now. I've told you more than anyone outside the intelligence branches knows already."

You are touched. This is almost better than him congratulating you on your performance in the exams. "... thank you, Dad."

"There's one more thing," Inoichi says, frowning, and you can tell from the way his bass notes rumble around themselves that he'd really rather not tell you this next part, but he'd feel guilty if he didn't. "It came up in the discussion of terms. The Otokage is an expert in long-term genjutsu and he's confident he can remove the compulsion Itachi placed on you."

"Are you serious?" you blurt out.

"Deathly."

"How does he even know-?"

"That, I can't tell you. But I can tell you that it's virtually certain he can do as he says."

"You're that confident?" you ask.

Dad sighs. "In his skills, yes. He did not become Kage because Otogakure lacked for options."

"But you don't trust him," you surmise, echoing his sigh. "Is he a former nuke-nin, then?"

"Almost every active-duty shinobi in Otogakure of chuunin rank or above is a former nuke-nin," Inoichi says.

"Is he from Konoha?" you ask, bracing yourself.

"Ino," he says, "I've told you everything I can."

You huff. "Well how am I supposed to make a decision if I don't know the full story?"

"Welcome to the officer class," he tells you dryly.

[X] (Write-in) Ask more questions.
-> [X] of Dad.
-> [X] of Lupin

[X] Decline the offer.

[X] Accept the offer.

[X] Set the question aside for now. The Otokage has to turn up in person at some point to confirm the alliance, and likely it'll be soon. You'll have time to learn more about him before you decide either way.

 

[Redon]

[X] I'm sorry, I'm still going to fight Gaara, alienating our neighbor from just a possible rumor no matter how trustworthy the information source would destabilize us just as badly as an attack would.

 

[Guile]

>"Welcome to the officer class," he tells you dryly.
"it's like the grunt ranks, except you're also expected to make decisions based on your lack of info."

A bunch of missing nin from a lesser village are going to take on Konoha, who produces more S-rank missing nin than any two other countries combined? That seems... incredibly suicidal of them. Unless we're looking at an Orochimaru situation here, I guess; that is, some of those very S-rank missing nin we produce are coming back home to roost.

So the question really is, do we trust Itachi or Mystery Kage more? Or perhaps, do we hate Itachi or Mystery Kage more?

[X] Ask; is Sakkun also getting this offer? The implanted compulsion is kind of weird if Ino's the only one that has it. 'protect my brother, and die by his hand'? Definitely sounds like only one half of an implanted order.


Random thought that has no basis in anything; I would laugh super hard if Mystery Missingnin Kage is Danzo. He totally seems like the kind of guy to defect with the intent of making Konoha stronger.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Dah. I was so sure you were going to sit and laugh at all Invasion theories by knocking it out entirely. It's certainly a different kind of Invasion, which makes our meta-knowledge relevant practically by coincidence, but still.

Otokage, removing Itachi's compulsion? Well I already don't trust them, because someone who can remove that kind of compulsion without giving us brain damage is probably an expert in placing them too. Still. Useful.

Interesting set up.

 

[MHLord]

What does this have to do with us fighting gaara?

 

[useless101]

There aren't too many canon characters who could honestly say they can remove long term sharingan bullshit without even meeting the patient.

Being part of an important spy ring is another clue.

So, who wants to bet against Itachi being Otokage.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

You know, not being allowed to fight Gaara doesn't stop us from having a Battle of the Bands....



Itachi as the Otokage? That'd be hilarious, actually. But I have a hard time seeing Itachi making that offer.

 

[FurikoMaru]

What does this have to do with us fighting gaara?

Click to shrink...

Gaara will push you to excel. Right in front of everyone. Right before an invasion.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Gaara will push you to excel. Right in front of everyone. Right before an invasion.

Click to shrink...

Huh. That's....a fair cop.

Unless we can blind everyone else in the stadium.



I suppose Gaara could show off during the Invasion, but the civvies probably won't appreciate the performance as much. Unless Gaara is willing to mostly pull bodyguard duty en-masse. Saving an entire stadium's lives with such casual ease that they no longer feel they're actually in danger is massive, unbelievably, absolutely invaluable PR. Possibly better than anything Gaara can do in the ring.

People often hire ninja to feel safe. Gaara pulling the Big(gest) Damn Heroes moment for every prospective client around would be great for Wind. So great that we have to consider whether we want him to do that well, but it's Garaante, so I feel the answer is yes.

 

[FurikoMaru]

Oh, they may be overconfident, but they aren't likely to attack Konoha when there's a fully-trained jinchuuriki onsite.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

All that does is make me twitch at Naruto's state of utter uselessness at this time. Not even working as useful deterrence....

Oh well. Ninja Jesus warming the bench does give everyone else room to shine.

 

[uju32]

[X] Talk to me, so you can see

Click to shrink...

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On.

"I've laid a seal array upon the doors into this room that acts as a trigger for a genjutsu," he replies, "one you'll be learning this month. Anyone who walks into this room besides you and I will find it empty and silent."
You're genuinely surprised at that. Since when does Dad know anything about fuuinjutsu?
I'm betting there's a lot he knows that we don't.

Click to shrink...

Makes sense that the Intelligence guy would hide talents under the obvious.
I wonder how many things he does are written off to the Yamanaka hiden instead of being genjutsu or sealcraft?

We must take after the old man more than I thought; if the grandparents were alive, I wonder how much like us he was when younger?

Yeah, I was about to ask, what do you make of this?
Can't say for certain, but I think he thinks he's run out of time.

Click to shrink...

Huh.
Run out of time suggests he's been expecting this for a while.

Before you can ask what he means, your father asks you if you are certain you're ready to hear things you can never repeat to anyone.
You say yes, and without being fully sure why, a sudden wave of guilt steals over you.

Click to shrink...

Why guilt?
It can't be Lupin; he doesn't count.
Is this reminiscent of something in Lupin's past?

"We have reason to believe that a group of missing nin originating from Sound will descend on Konoha in the aftermath of the chuunin exams," Inoichi says.
You blink. "What? Is that why that Oto chuunin was in the exams?"
He nods. "Ira-san is the one who confirmed the report. He's here to hammer out the details of our alliance."

Click to shrink...

Ira?
Oh dear; Deidara's playing for the other side isn't he?
But if he was, why would he be here instead of in Sound?

"We do," he says shortly, "and you and I will have to leave it there, for now. I've told you more than anyone outside the intelligence branches knows already."
You are touched. This is almost better than him congratulating you on your performance in the exams. "... thank you, Dad."

Click to shrink...

And that accounts for why everyone seems to be going behind Asuma.
Not that you wouldn't expect his father to give him a heads up soon enough.

"There's one more thing," Inoichi says, frowning, and you can tell from the way his bass notes rumble around themselves that he'd really rather not tell you this next part, but he'd feel guilty if he didn't. "It came up in the discussion of terms. The Otokage is an expert in long-term genjutsu and he's confident he can remove the compulsion Itachi placed on you."

Click to shrink...

Inoichi really is bending over backwards to treat us like an adult isn't he?
Is this just him being him, or is it something he read in the training journal "So You're Raising a Reincarnation?"
Or is he trying to make up for the Gaara ban?

I wonder who the Otokage genjutsu expert is, given Inochi's comment about the depth of their bench; Orochimaru is the obvious, and Itachi is another.
Tsunade is not nukenin; Kabuto is still younger than Kakashi, and who knows if Nono Yakushi is alive.
No one else in canon fits; Kuramas are from filler, but we don't know if any exist here, or defected.
Tobi is a good boy, and a committed foe; Sasori would cause issues with Suna.

We do need to know
-If Suna is involved, given that there's a jinchuuriki in town?
- Why are they attacking Konoha NOW? What is their objective?
They can't possibly win if they don't even have their own village entirely behind them, so what(or who) are they after?
Deidara's kids? Something/Someone else? Do we know?
-Who's backing them?
Has to be a major player, if they're willing to risk an op in a Great Village.

And set aside the question; I wouldn't trust most nukenin in my head, and letting him in exposes Lupin anyway, who is our current compulsion defense if Ino gets paralyzed.
Still, we have time to decide.
And we do need to introduce Dad to Lupin soon.

 

[Guile]

>And set aside the question; I wouldn't trust most nukenin in my head, and letting him in exposes Lupin anyway, who is our current compulsion defense if Ino gets paralyzed.
With that, plus the month training we're going to get here in Yamanaka techniques, I'm going to tentatively,

[X] Barring meeting the Otokage and having some reason to trust him, or even just liking the cut of his jib, refuse.
Not only do we not know this guy from Adam, but it might give Oto more leverage in the coming talks if we accept.

I do hope Inoichi doesn't monopolize ALL our time, though. With Gaara, Kankuro, Kiba and Ino working together on our off hours we could do terrible, terrible things (and also make pistols).

 

[Torgamous]

I do hope Inoichi doesn't monopolize ALL our time, though. With Gaara, Kankuro, Kiba and Ino working together on our off hours we could do terrible, terrible things (and also make pistols).

Click to shrink...

And let's not forget that we have a month to corrupt Kibi.