Cosmos Quest (Naruto/Lupin III)

[FurikoMaru]

Wait, what?
Are you sure?
What stops Menka from taking our finished paper and switching it with Ami's?
Hell, what stops us from finishing, walking over to Ami and blatantly switching papers, accepting the two point penalty for an 8/10 score?

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Sweet fuck all.

Two questions:
How fast can Ino finish her paper?

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In about twenty minutes. That'll leave her about fifteen minutes to repeat everything from memory.

And is she up to writing two papers in the time given?

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Yep.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

While blatantly switching the papers is an option, I'd rather not steal drakensis' jokes.

 

[uju32]

One to go~

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Shit, if I remembered the face and name of every kid I was a bitch to in elementary school I'd have no room in my head for Simpsons quotes.
Her father's a clerk-chuunin, her mother's a retired genin who runs a women's self-defence class for civilians.

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Self-defence class.
Then Sakura must have been quite a shrinking violet if a civie brat was getting to push her around, or so it seems to me.
Of course, female pecking orders tend not to be quite as physical as male, but given that they were military trainees....

It's pretty mild by Hidden Village standards. Konoha hasn't got a reputation for being 'soft' for nothing.
Ibiki agrees. Anko does not.

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Lol Anko.
Never change

Sweet fuck all.
In about twenty minutes. That'll leave her about fifteen minutes to repeat everything from memory.
Yep.

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Wait, really?
Okay, this or variations of it are leading my list at the moment.
Unless someone can come up with something more interesting, that doesn't give us away to the jinch next door.

 

[uju32]

While blatantly switching the papers is an option, I'd rather not steal drakensis' jokes.

Click to shrink...

I knew it sounded familiar....
Anyway, if you don't like it, come up with something.
And remember, there is an upgraded Gaara and an eight year old Mist prodigy in this exam, as well as multiple sensors; we can't really afford to give too much away this early.

 

[FurikoMaru]

Self-defence class.
Then Sakura must have been quite a shrinking violet if a civie brat was getting to push her around, or so it seems to me.
Of course, female pecking orders tend not to be quite as physical as male, but given that they were military trainees....

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Well, you also have to consider that women with strong outspoken mothers sometimes lack opportunities to form a strong identity of their own early on. If you're used to deferring to a taller, stronger person, it's not out of the question that you'd just put up with bullying out of some neurotic fear that the taller stronger person will think less of you for being bothered by the taunts of mere mortals.

Of course, Sakura had the additional pressure of being in what amounts to Ninja AP/A-levels/University-prep classes; her parents were really proud of her for qualifying for them, so she felt like she couldn't give up. Until one night she broke down in tears and begged not to be made to go to school in the morning, and the whole story came out. Her mom and dad, heartbroken that she'd felt she couldn't share this with them, immediately filed for her to transfer to a lower tier of clases.

 

[The Nobody]

I was gonna ask how good is Menka with stealth, untill it was pointed out that Menka isn't taking the exam. So, my vote is

[X] Finish your paper, then have Menka swap it with Ami's.

After all, if we get caught cheating, it would be only minus two points for cheating - but minus hundred for style.

Also, why I asked about the genjutsu: how complex would something like a reverse-Shintenshin be? As in, the person we hit now sees the world as through our eyes (nose, ears, skin, etc). Although, a better question is, how practical can it be?

 

[Serous]

[X] Finish your paper, then swap it with Ami's.

Simple, and does not really reveal much about our capabilities that cannot already be guessed. People probably pegged Menka, but I rather not give them confirmation. While doing it ourselves might not be that stylish, the reactions on people's faces seems worth it.

 

[iamnuff]

umm.

You start with ten points.

A point gets removed for every wrong answer.

You only fail at zero points.

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even if Naruto didn't do it in canon, this loophole is as clear as day.

no way we could miss the fact that you can pass by not attempting any questions, right?

unless not attempting a question counts as "wrong" i guess. but even then, there's only nine of them, so we would still have 1 point left over for the final magical question.

its a gamble, but...


well, we can do some of the questions ourselves, right? so do the ones you are sure of, don't bother with the ones you aren't sure about.

Ami could just not do anything though.


Wait, didn't we pick up our clan technique in the "training time-skip" before we were nominated for the exam? or did we pass it over for something else?

edit: no we didn't nevermind.

[X] Finish your paper, then swap it with Ami's.

being so blatant is actually really subtle.

it means that nobody actually knows what we can do.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

I'd like to mention that being so blatant also means we give away the trick to everyone else watching and will probably result in a very low number of people being given the boot.

 

[iamnuff]

I'd like to mention that being so blatant also means we give away the trick to everyone else watching and will probably result in a very low number of people being given the boot.

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something tell me that ikibi isn't going to let everyone cheat the same way we did.

 

[FurikoMaru]

Yeah, don't forget who's in the room. And don't forget who's in charge.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Yeah, don't forget who's in the room. And don't forget who's in charge.

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Clarify on the first one there?



Now, important question. Where is Hinata or Neji relative to Ami? Because they'll see we're taken the imposter's place in my plan, and I really REALLY want to go over the top and hijack this bitch. If they see us, then if we hide our hands we can communicate with them under a desk and possibly get them to help us out in our act.

Ideally I'd like to help Ami here but WITHOUT being blatant and giving everyone an easy trick. Also, see drakensis. Cheaters will cheat by stealing someone else's paper right before the exam is over, thus screwing them. Sakura and the rest of team flower are probably some tempting targets if people figure out they're the brainy type. Right now....well, I do believe I have an idea.

Can False Surroundings can affect only a single person? If so use it on Ami and have her 'see' an illusion of our paper. Failing that? Well this should still work quite nicely, although Ami reading off of a floating test paper only she can see is amusing. Also, if only one person can notice it, then when we spot people cheating off of others we can pop off a genjutsu and have them copy the wrong answers.

We don't even have to reveal ourselves at the end, if we can keep up the guise then we can try to steal pairs of Heaven and Earth scrolls for all the teams we want (if we kick enough teams out there will be spares), maybe sabotage everyone others, and by playing off our fellow Konoha teams and running straight for the goal be done with the test.





[X] Use False Surroundings on Ami's paper. Inform her the hidden nature of the exam and that as soon as you finish the test and get the answers, you can use another genjutsu to give her a copy to, well, copy.
-[X] Or use Throw Voice to whisper in her ear.
-[X] Or wait till you've got the answer key, either or.

[X] Epic Gambit
-[X] Bathroom break time! For you or for Menka, one of you two having to go is the excuse. You and Menka leave with that pretty female examiner just your size or someone else you can Henge into for a prolongued period of time, knock them out, and take the proctor's place. Use masks or Henge, whichever you can get away with without draining yourself or giving away your mask trick to people. You also take their key of the exam. Menka takes your place in the exam and with the help of your illusions, copies down the answers. You keep the answer key, you're expected to have it.

--[X] IF it is possible to pull off and we are confident we can do it without being caught, use Kawarimi to switch the proctor's body with Kiba after Kiba has his answers down, who should appear to be taking a nap. The proctor's body should be Henged to be the sleeping Kiba and is to last for the entire exam. Akamaru guards the body. Kiba takes your place at your desk. A good Henged Menka on his shoulder is ideal, or just say (possibly with our Throw Voice so Kiba doesn't have to speak while Kiba covers 'her' mouth) that Menka had to stay behind in the bathroom. But Henged Menka is much better than none.
--[X[ Incidentally, if 'Ino' or 'Kiba' ever need to speak, Throw Voice is the answer.
--[X] Menka stays behind to pick off easy targets who leave the room and knock teams out of the exam. People either come back as genjutsu or Henged decoys, such as Menka returning to 'their' seat and Kawarimi'ing out of the room back into position.
--[X] If we can get other people out there waiting to kick ass and it's relatively safe, we think we can pull it off? Go for it.

-[X] Use False Surroundings on Ami and Kiba's desks/papers. On the top of their paper they will a note appearing, telling them to lift their papers up. On their desks is an illusionary copy of our paper and work, plus helpful notes. All for them to copy from. If possible, let all the work be visible through a sheet of paper so that they don't need to even lift theirs up. Just stencil in the answer key.
---[X] Use False Surroundings as appropriate to coordinate with your teammates or classmates for maximum effect. Giving them the answer key if they need it via discreet False Surroundings, they're your friends and having them owe ya one during the exam is good.

-[X] With your new authority as a proctor and imitating your mark's voice, you start weeding out the competition (that is not from Konoha). Give Hinata or Neji a signal if they spot you and get them to keep quiet. Do not let the sensors notice you're not who you seem if you can, and possibly avoid going after the sensor's teams at all if it'll keep them quiet.
--[X] Use Throw Voice, False Surroundings, whatever you can get away with without being caught to knock teams out, have them make a scene, or commit actions that get themselves knocked out. One smooth operator is suddenly louder or tipped off by his target hearing something odd, False Surroundings to tip them off or make them think someone is fishy, all that good stuff.
--[X] Should Menka be waiting outside, or Ami or anyone we happen to be able to smuggle outside is there waiting to kick ass, start rumors or drop hints that make people want to leave the room to look for answers, or something else desirable. Lavatory, thinking they can Kawarimi to safety with a nearby object (with Menka waiting to knock them out fast), get people to leave the room and see if you can get fakes back in their place.

[X] If or when people start noticing that genin are leaving and not coming back, use Throw Voice to divert suspicion or blame from you and get them to target each other. Get them caught or start feuds that will carry over to any war games portion of the exam so that people are not focused on you and yours. Also, try to keep them from blaming Konoha. Konoha may have to be targeted a little to avoid suspicion, but do your best to make Konoha come out ahead.

-[X] See if you can sow some general discord amongst the examinees. Convince them that one country is out to sabotage another, get them to sabotage right back, and see if you can get them caught. Weed out the gullible.

-[X] If Gaara's voice can become known to the room, such as when we're tricking people into sabotaging each other and we can get Gaara to make a room-wide threat, or we can convince the sensors that's it is Gaara's voice, use it to unsettle them and try to get them to quit the exam. Warm breath on the neck, threats, make them fear for their lives. In fact, if anyone can be convinced to quit because of Gaara, try and make it happen. See if he can scare people out.

-[X] If any of the above tactics would work better prior to switching places with the proctor, implement them then.

-[X] Either show off at the end, stay undercover to cheat the exam even more, or discreetly rejoin your group as appropriate. If undiscovered milk your position for all it's worth if you can. Or just decide what to do then.
--[X] If unconscious proctor still in Kiba's place, have Menka Kawarimi with it Henged as Kiba. Make sure the unconscious proctor ends up in a safe place. If possible, Menka and Kiba switch again with Menka becoming Ino and Menka, and Kiba being himself again.

[X] Do not allow yourself to get caught so many times you disqualify yourself. Play it safe and modify plans as needed to keep yourself and Konoha in the game. If some plans will cause other plans to fall apart, drop a plan to make sure everything meshes and Konoha is not left holding the bag.
-[X] Seriously, if other teams are figuring out what you're doing and that all the chaos is because of you, or you think they might, don't give yourself enough rope to mummify and hang yourself.

[X] This HoR uses a Z-Slash to make this plan go off as well as possible.



How about THEM apples? False Surroundings was a great choice if it'll work for this! And Z-Slash is like getting a called Nat100, correct? So if it's possible, and this is just some random proctor so it probably is between us and Menka, we're as golden as can be under these circumstances.

Now, what else can we use this shiny new technique for? Mwehehehehehe!

Also, how can we get the answers faster? Time saved is time spent hijacking the exam undercover.


EDIT: Alternative idea, if Ririka can take ours and Menka's place, Menka can stay outside and beat the piss out of anyone who leaves the room.

If they never come back in, their teammates can't pass.



EDITED EDIT: Oh fucking BALLS. We have Throw Voice! We can literally whisper in Ami's ear! And other stuff!

Mweheheheheheheeeeee!

EDITED EDIT, Son of the EDIT: Or catch someone's eye and put them in Throne, knock them out with no one the wiser, and get their team disqualified that way. Much dirty fighting though, if we fail to knock them out we may get busted, et cetera. Still it has....promise.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Hang on....so chunin have a sheet of full answers around, right? And we have a perfect memory?

So if we spotted a sheet of perfect answers either from our perch as a proctor or just by glancing a sheet....we could perfectly recall what is written on it and then use False Surrounding to get the answers to Ami, Kiba, and essentially whoever we damn well please?

Because if we can, then forget doing all the work ourselves, steal from the plants and give it to our teammates.

 

[FurikoMaru]

Clarify on the first one there?

Click to shrink...

In this room are dozens of people who you'll have to go up against in later portions of the exams. What do you want them to know about you when they do? I look very favourably on audacious and complicated plans, but the fact remains that showing off leaves an impression; what impression do you want to make?

At present, they don't know

[x] that you have a summoning contract

[x] that you can't do your Shintenshin yet

[x] that you can make perfect masks and mimic basically anyone who isn't a deep-voiced male just by putting on some elevator shoes and going to town

[x] that you can perform the Bringer of Darkness technique, False Surroundings and Double False Surroundings techniques

[x] In fact, the ones that didn't do research don't know that you're a genjutsu prodigy at all, and some of them don't know what you being a Yamanaka is supposed to mean

[x] that you're wicked fast

So. What do you want them to know when you leave?

Now, important question. Where is Hinata or Neji relative to Ami? Because they'll see we're taken the imposter's place in my plan, and I really REALLY want to go over the top and hijack this bitch. If they see us, then if we hide our hands we can communicate with them under a desk and possibly get them to help us out in our act.

Click to shrink...

Neji is in the third row from the back, Hinata is around the middle of the pack about five seats away from Ami diagonally. Ami is in the back row.

Can False Surroundings can affect only a single person?

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Considering its rank, it's actually likely to be a surprise to an opponent that you can apply it to more than one person, if they don't know you're a genjutsu prodigy.

We don't even have to reveal ourselves at the end, if we can keep up the guise then we can try to steal pairs of Heaven and Earth scrolls for all the teams we want (if we kick enough teams out there will be spares), maybe sabotage everyone others, and by playing off our fellow Konoha teams and running straight for the goal be done with the test.

Click to shrink...

That would certainly be a very nice thing to do for your friends.

Also, how can we get the answers faster? Time saved is time spent hijacking the exam undercover.

Click to shrink...

You know, you could just steal the answer key the proctor you knock out is carrying.

EDIT: Alternative idea, if Ririka can take ours and Menka's place, Menka can stay outside and beat the piss out of anyone who leaves the room.

If they never come back in, their teammates can't pass.

Click to shrink...

Super Kami GM allows this.

Hang on....so chunin have a sheet of full answers around, right? And we have a perfect memory?

So if we spotted a sheet of perfect answers either from our perch as a proctor or just by glancing a sheet....we could perfectly recall what is written on it and then use False Surrounding to get the answers to Ami, Kiba, and essentially whoever we damn well please?

Because if we can, then forget doing all the work ourselves, steal from the plants and give it to our teammates.

Click to shrink...

Shikamaru would approve.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

In this room are dozens of people who you'll have to go up against in later portions of the exams. What do you want them to know about you when they do? I look very favourably on audacious and complicated plans, but the fact remains that showing off leaves an impression; what impression do you want to make?

At present, they don't know

[x] that you have a summoning contract

[x] that you can't do your Shintenshin yet

[x] that you can make perfect masks and mimic basically anyone who isn't a deep-voiced male just by putting on some elevator shoes and going to town

[x] that you can perform the Bringer of Darkness technique, False Surroundings and Double False Surroundings techniques

[x] In fact, the ones that didn't do research don't know that you're a genjutsu prodigy at all, and some of them don't know what you being a Yamanaka is supposed to mean

[x] that you're wicked fast

So. What do you want them to know when you leave?

Click to shrink...

So noted!

Well, if we can get copies of the Heaven and Earth scrolls, that's probably worth giving stuff away if it means we can run straight for the exit. If Henge can really make people smaller, then have people henge into the smallest things possible and Ino races for the finish line.

And of course, still not a fan of a method that lets other teams know what's up and how to easily beat the test. Even if it doesn't give anything alway besides that we're clever, we make it far too obvious to everyone else. False Surroundings and Stealing the answers, or just getting them ourselves, should do fine. I want a good fraction of these people gone so we don't have to face the real monsters in the exam proper.

I don't want to let them know TOO much, but hijacking the exam is, well, awesome. That right there? That tells people we are chunin material. Looking underneath the underneath, Will of Fire, all that jazz.

Neji is in the third row from the back, Hinata is around the middle of the pack about five seats away from Ami diagonally. Ami is in the back row.

Click to shrink...

Not likely to work then. Them helping at least.

Considering its rank, it's actually likely to be a surprise to an opponent that you can apply it to more than one person, if they don't know you're a genjutsu prodigy.

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Sweet! So we could layer the illusion right on Ami's paper and she just traces over the answers. Perfect copy!

That would certainly be a very nice thing to do for your friends.

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But do the warm and fuzzies beat being the only team to pass....

You know, you could just steal the answer key the proctor you knock out is carrying.

Click to shrink...

The proctors carry a key?!

SWEET! DONE!

Super Kami GM allows this.
Shikamaru would approve.

Click to shrink...

I am editing my plan LIKE A BAWS.

EDIT: And done.

If Kankuro or Temari slips out, I would be sorely tempted to use him to knock Gaara's team out. Do not know how Gaara will respond though....probably not well, AU aside.

Also, do not want Kirika getting Desert Coffin'd.

EDITED; Actually, an alliance of convenience with anyone who can make a body double or multiple body doubles would let us seriously cut down on the people taking the exam. Hmm. Probably not worth it, but something to consider.

I suppose if we want to hide the summon contract we can just have Menka return to his seat as us.

I still think giving away some abilities is worth knocking out a few teams, stealing the scrolls or rigging the win condition, and then running straight to the exit. I mean that right there, that's winning before the exam's gotten started and we're fast enough people will give up or forget about us until the prelims. I could live with that.

 

[Scia]

[X]Voting for whatever Monster HoR is creating in the end.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

....I have another idea.

We heard Gaara's voice, yes? We have Throw Voice.

So could we imitate Gaara's voice whispering in people's ears, like say the sensors, saying, "Quit or I will kill you."

They are, sadly, the only ones who might be sufficiently spooked by Gaara to quit based on that alone. Do it during the tenth question and it might work really well. But we personally would be better served if we did it before we did our switcheroo so less people can call us out, just in case. It'd be harder though, and definitely a pretty dirty trick.

Still. Be nice to be rid of sensors in the exam....

 

[uju32]

In this room are dozens of people who you'll have to go up against in later portions of the exams. What do you want them to know about you when they do? I look very favourably on audacious and complicated plans, but the fact remains that showing off leaves an impression; what impression do you want to make?

Click to shrink...

The more I look on this, the more averse I am to any overt displays at this stage.
Ino is flashy, not stupid.
And Gaara's presence at her elbow should be a sobering reminder that there are unseen pitfalls here.

*snip*

Click to shrink...

No to using False Surroundings; Ami has no way of knowing who it's from.
I wouldn't trust genjutsu either in this situation.
The advantage of using Menka is that it's the equivalent of a trusted courier.
Low cost, simple.

No to summoning either; you were making the point that we're a low chakra ninja.
Expending chakra for what amounts to a party trick in an exam of unknown duration? No way.
And there are SENSORS here among the participants; you give too much away to the competent.

Asking Menka to sit outside and ambush people exposes HIM to injury; an unnecessary risk that an officer would not expose her assets to.
Canon had two jinchuuriki, one jounin and one S-class nin in this exam class; I expect there are comparable numbers of ringers here.

Note:
We are being assessed all through this exam.
What we do, and how we do it matters.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

No to using False Surroundings; Ami has no way of knowing who it's from.

Click to shrink...

Yes she does. Say it's Ino, say somethig only Ino and Ami know or on the team. Nabiki or some such.

I wouldn't trust genjutsu either in this situation.

Click to shrink...

We're a genjutsu specialist and on Ami's team. We can seriously convince her and just have her look at us and we nod, she Kais, keep nodding, this is not difficult.

And now I have to run but for the record Ino DOES like to show off, Lupin reincarnation, and rigging the exam is a worthy investment.

 

[FurikoMaru]

So noted!

Well, if we can get copies of the Heaven and Earth scrolls, that's probably worth giving stuff away if it means we can run straight for the exit. If Henge can really make people smaller, then have people henge into the smallest things possible and Ino races for the finish line.

And of course, still not a fan of a method that lets other teams know what's up and how to easily beat the test. Even if it doesn't give anything alway besides that we're clever, we make it far too obvious to everyone else. False Surroundings and Stealing the answers, or just getting them ourselves, should do fine. I want a good fraction of these people gone so we don't have to face the real monsters in the exam proper.

Click to shrink...

Canonically, Kankuro and Gaara each only had to make one cheating attempt to get the answers, and Temari's angry words about the tenth question making the rest of the test a waste of time indicate to me, at least, that she didn't get the point of the test until it was explained, which indicates by extension that she didn't think the test was too difficult to be anything other than an information-gathering evaluation, further indicating that she could answer a majority of the questions without cheating.

As such, you or your teammates will definitely be facing at least one monster in this exam.

But do the warm and fuzzies beat being the only team to pass....

Click to shrink...

Well, this is Konoha... and you're trying to get promoted to a position of authority...

The proctors carry a key?!

Click to shrink...

Ibiki is not so much a hardass as he is a playfully sadistic bastard. His favourite thing is to put the psychological pressure on with the least amount of actual danger, just to see which way the balance will tip for the individual undergoing stress-testing. There's a bit in the 'you answered the tenth question correctly, congratulations, here's an explanation' chapter where Temari notes he's like a completely different person; he's smiling, he genuinely seems happy so many kids passed, and even when he gets serious again and shows off his skull-scars, he's imparting a life lesson like some cool uncle figure.

If Kankuro or Temari slips out, I would be sorely tempted to use him to knock Gaara's team out. Do not know how Gaara will respond though....probably not well, AU aside.

Also, do not want Kirika getting Desert Coffin'd.

Click to shrink...

Gaara will not take it as hard as I will, believe me. You can do it if you like, but the Sand siblings are not an opportunity one throws aside lightly.

I suppose if we want to hide the summon contract we can just have Menka return to his seat as us.

Click to shrink...

Always a possibility. Everyone knows Yamanaka Ino's a crazy cat lady.

I still think giving away some abilities is worth knocking out a few teams, stealing the scrolls or rigging the win condition, and then running straight to the exit. I mean that right there, that's winning before the exam's gotten started and we're fast enough people will give up or forget about us until the prelims. I could live with that.

Click to shrink...

It would give you extra training time, but you'd miss out on some of the goodies you could get in the forest.

The advantage of using Menka is that it's the equivalent of a trusted courier.
Low cost, simple.

Click to shrink...

It's not a bad plan, but to my earlier remarks I would add a third point: remember the criteria by which you're being assessed. Remember what the whole point of this test really is.

 

[FurikoMaru]

I just wanna repeat, for the record, that I am more likely to look kindly on complicated or difficult plans than simple ones. Not only are they more fun to write, they're more in-character. If I wanted to watch the lot of you drag your feet every step of the way, I'd have made this a non-reincarnation Shikamaru Quest.

Complications and difficulties will not make it easier for you to win out, to be sure, but the payouts are better.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Canonically, Kankuro and Gaara each only had to make one cheating attempt to get the answers, and Temari's angry words about the tenth question making the rest of the test a waste of time indicate to me, at least, that she didn't get the point of the test until it was explained, which indicates by extension that she didn't think the test was too difficult to be anything other than an information-gathering evaluation, further indicating that she could answer a majority of the questions without cheating.

As such, you or your teammates will definitely be facing at least one monster in this exam.

Click to shrink...

Hooooo boy. Yeah, I want to weed out a few of them if we can manage it, or make themselves off each other.

Well, this is Konoha... and you're trying to get promoted to a position of authority...

Click to shrink...

Good point.

Ibiki is not so much a hardass as he is a playfully sadistic bastard. His favourite thing is to put the psychological pressure on with the least amount of actual danger, just to see which way the balance will tip for the individual undergoing stress-testing. There's a bit in the 'you answered the tenth question correctly, congratulations, here's an explanation' chapter where Temari notes he's like a completely different person; he's smiling, he genuinely seems happy so many kids passed, and even when he gets serious again and shows off his skull-scars, he's imparting a life lesson like some cool uncle figure.

Click to shrink...

Awww. But how would he have reacted to us trying to Shintenshin him?

Gaara will not take it as hard as I will, believe me. You can do it if you like, but the Sand siblings are not an opportunity one throws aside lightly.

Click to shrink...

Oh alright

Always a possibility. Everyone knows Yamanaka Ino's a crazy cat lady.

Click to shrink...

...Okay, gotta give you points for that funny.

It would give you extra training time, but you'd miss out on some of the goodies you could get in the forest.

Click to shrink...

Hmmm. It would let us avoid or let the wild cards play their hand or weed themselves out though, and if we keep our housecat network secret we may be able to spy on them better.

The more I look on this, the more averse I am to any overt displays at this stage.
Ino is flashy, not stupid.
And Gaara's presence at her elbow should be a sobering reminder that there are unseen pitfalls here.

Click to shrink...

Furiko has been saying she favors audacious, elaborate plans for a while now, and recently. Fortune Favors The Bold are words to take to heart here. Not to the point of recklessness, but all this playing it safe is just boring. And apparently OOC for the character we're playing.

Also, Z-Slash. I've been saving mine for blowing this exam away in style and intend to use 'em.

No to using False Surroundings; Ami has no way of knowing who it's from.
I wouldn't trust genjutsu either in this situation.
The advantage of using Menka is that it's the equivalent of a trusted courier.
Low cost, simple.

Click to shrink...

Addressed this earlier, but I'll remind you that our teammate knows we know the genjutsu which other people almost certainly do not know, and if we can give her the answers we can give her confirmation that it's us. That we can make the genjutsu visible to only her or others is just a bonus.

No to summoning either; you were making the point that we're a low chakra ninja.
Expending chakra for what amounts to a party trick in an exam of unknown duration? No way.
And there are SENSORS here among the participants; you give too much away to the competent.

Click to shrink...

Kirika is a kitten. She's low chakra, she's not one of the heavy hitters who is out of our range. So I'm not too worried about the chakra cost if it's for another useful body double.

And yes, there are sensors. I've noted that repeatedly myself. So I'd like to give them the boot if we can get away with it. It all depends on their range and if we can avoid their notice. I'm not averse to cutting down on what we put in play, but I'm certainly not going to do nothing when we have a good opportunity to thin the herd and show the examiners how badass we are. Playing ourselves up as an infiltration expert who relies on an ally for the heavy lifting all while we play the examinees and examiners in a creative manner that's probably never been seen before and is gutsy as all hell?

Yes please.

Asking Menka to sit outside and ambush people exposes HIM to injury; an unnecessary risk that an officer would not expose her assets to.
Canon had two jinchuuriki, one jounin and one S-class nin in this exam class; I expect there are comparable numbers of ringers here.

Click to shrink...

Menka is actually pretty badass. And if we're the ones escorting people to the bathroom, we're there as back-up. Also, Z-Slash. This is what they are for, making sure everything that can go well, does go well. And while I have no doubt there are ringers, not everyone is a hidden badass. We are totally capable of knocking one more team out of the competition via ambush of one person. Bam. Three people we no longer have to worry about.

If we fret over reasonable risks like these, especially from an IC perspective, in which we size up a target and kick their asses? We're missing the point of the last question.

Note:
We are being assessed all through this exam.
What we do, and how we do it matters.

Click to shrink...

Yes. Yes it does. Which is why I say for subtlety, creative, and thinking outside the box as we aid our allies and only our allies in passing this test.

I just wanna repeat, for the record, that I am more likely to look kindly on complicated or difficult plans than simple ones. Not only are they more fun to write, they're more in-character. If I wanted to watch the lot of you drag your feet every step of the way, I'd have made this a non-reincarnation Shikamaru Quest.

Complications and difficulties will not make it easier for you to win out, to be sure, but the payouts are better.

Click to shrink...

Hopefully people will take this to heart this time.




And random question, while I tweak my plan further: does Throw Voice have a tactile component? Like, say, hot moist breath at your neck?

Cause having that accompany our thrown Gaara voice would be sweet.

 

[uju32]

I just wanna repeat, for the record, that I am more likely to look kindly on complicated or difficult plans than simple ones. Not only are they more fun to write, they're more in-character. If I wanted to watch the lot of you drag your feet every step of the way, I'd have made this a non-reincarnation Shikamaru Quest.
Complications and difficulties will not make it easier for you to win out, to be sure, but the payouts are better.

Click to shrink...

*raise an eyebrow*
Complicated? And in line with the Konoha mores of teamwork and the Will of Fire?
Okay.
Gimme an hour or two.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

*raise an eyebrow*
Complicated? And in line with the Konoha mores of teamwork and the Will of Fire?
Okay.
Gimme an hour or two.

Click to shrink...

I'm curious how you plan on pulling that off without using genjutsu or Throw Voice subtly. Or revealing any advantages, since you don't want to do that either.

Seriously, I am not sure why you take such issue with this stuff. They let us give an answer sheet to whoever we want, and we're damn good at genjutsu. We can get away with. If people peg us as a genjutsu user, big deal. We have other tricks and better genjutsu and they'll still lowball us. Wanting to save masks or the cats, I can kinda get that although they certainly make the victory all the sweeter, but a C-Rank genjutsu?

And it's hard to beat stylish audacity for becoming a proctor and nabbing Heaven and Earth scrolls so we don't have to fight for them.

Knocking out foreign teams by posing as the proctor is just a sweet, sweet bonus. And Menka knocking out a team solo because it's pretty amusing. Has anyone else seen tricks like these before? I can't recall a fic or Quest in which the PC sneaks onto the examiners.





EDIT: ANWAYS....since there seems to be problems with awesome stuff like Menka knocking a team's weakest link out and with it the team or using too much stuff, I left some latitude in for how we disguise ourselves. And some ideas for trying to knock people out. Because if we're gonna have to fight them sooner or later, eliminating them now when we're wearing the stolen authority of a proctor to trick them into leaving is good tactics for us.

And awesome.

Although if using Ririka and Menka to knock out a few more people, or masks, is one of those things that can give better payouts then hey, I'll happily throw them back in. Eliminating a team by essentially mugging someone out in an ally amuses me. Ninja!

 

[FurikoMaru]

Hooooo boy. Yeah, I want to weed out a few of them if we can manage it, or make themselves off each other.

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Hee. I can't wait 'til the Forest. ^_^

Awww. But how would he have reacted to us trying to Shintenshin him?

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Laughed quietly to himself, engaged in what for him would be light mental sparring and what for you would be some seriously scary shit (he is very fond of horror movies), and given you the opportunity to cut your losses and abort the exam-hijack, finding another way to cheat.

Hmmm. It would let us avoid or let the wild cards play their hand or weed themselves out though, and if we keep our housecat network secret we may be able to spy on them better.

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True. Both options have strong arguments in their favour.

Furiko has been saying she favors audacious, elaborate plans for a while now, and recently. Fortune Favors The Bold are words to take to heart here. Not to the point of recklessness, but all this playing it safe is just boring. And apparently OOC for the character we're playing.

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Ohho dear me yes. Lupin's not quite dumb, but he is a showoff, a hothead, and an egotistical smartass who has diarrhoea of the mouth in the presence of any attractive sexually-assertive woman and a driving need to protect his honour/pride; if someone throws down a challenge, his first response is usually a sensible one, but the instant the person mocks him for backing out, his rational façade crumples like an autumn leaf and he's in it to win it, regardless of how stupid or beyond him the challenge apparently is.

And yes, there are sensors. I've noted that repeatedly myself. So I'd like to give them the boot if we can get away with it. It all depends on their range and if we can avoid their notice.

Click to shrink...

Of the around-six in the room right now, two are you and Menka, one is either a sensor or just a guy with solid instincts, from the way he was almost right next to Gaara before he started looking uneasy and moved away, one is a nervous-looking older teen who you don't think has looked up from his paper since the exam started, and two are on the Sound team.

And random question, while I tweak my plan further: does Throw Voice have a tactile component? Like, say, hot moist breath at your neck?

Cause having that accompany our thrown Gaara voice would be sweet.

Click to shrink...

You could add one, if you want. Tactile genjutsu are trickier, though; it'd limit the number of people you could use it on from about ten down to more like five to seven.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Hee. I can't wait 'til the Forest. ^_^

Click to shrink...

I can feel the ice creeping down my spine.

Laughed quietly to himself, engaged in what for him would be light mental sparring and what for you would be some seriously scary shit (he is very fond of horror movies), and given you the opportunity to cut your losses and abort the exam-hijack, finding another way to cheat.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I figured Shinteshin wouldn't have worked on the guy who works with Inoichi. But I loved the idea so much.....

Ohho dear me yes. Lupin's not quite dumb, but he is a showoff, a hothead, and an egotistical smartass who has diarrhoea of the mouth in the presence of any attractive sexually-assertive woman and a driving need to protect his honour/pride; if someone throws down a challenge, his first response is usually a sensible one, but the instant the person mocks him for backing out, his rational façade crumples like an autumn leaf and he's in it to win it, regardless of how stupid or beyond him the challenge apparently is.

Click to shrink...

Heh. That was amusing to read. So going above and beyond to show off or just to prove he can is perfectly IC for us. Cool.

Let's aim for Crazy Awesome and never look back.

Of the around-six in the room right now, two are you and Menka, one is either a sensor or just a guy with solid instincts, from the way he was almost right next to Gaara before he started looking uneasy and moved away, one is a nervous-looking older teen who you don't think has looked up from his paper since the exam started, and two are on the Sound team.

Click to shrink...

Hmm. So one guy has very limited range at best, but the other two may be the real deal.

You could add one, if you want. Tactile genjutsu are trickier, though; it'd limit the number of people you could use it on from about ten down to more like five to seven.

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You mean use it on at once, or how many times we could use it? The former is no problem, but I'd have thought we'd hold out longer with our finesse.

Should I take that to mean Henging ourselves as a proctor for the duration of the exam is not an option?

Still.....the creep factor. And every person we make quit is a team we and Konoha doesn't have to deal with. All thanks to Gaara. I'm sorry, but usurping others' authority or manipulating Gaara's KILLMURDERDEATHEVIL demeanor for our benefit gives me the giggles.

And when you think about, it's a relatively low cost to knock a team out of the exam. As long as we have enough left in the tank for the Forest and we don't get caught or noticed by too many people we could be good. Bribing other Konoha teams with scrolls and goodwill to cover us and band together, also nice.

 

[FurikoMaru]

You mean use it on at once, or how many times we could use it?

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At once.

Should I take that to mean Henging ourselves as a proctor for the duration of the exam is not an option?

Click to shrink...

It's an option, and a good one, but I think there's something you're failing to take into account.

Bribing other Konoha teams with scrolls and goodwill to cover us and band together, also nice.

Click to shrink...

Y'know how that's gonna look, right? XD

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

At once.

Click to shrink...

Heh. Excellent.

It's an option, and a good one, but I think there's something you're failing to take into account.

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That a Henge is easily dispelled, that we can't maintain a Henge and cast genjutsu at the same time, that a sensor will notice the chakra in use, or that our acting isn't good enough to fool the proctors/Ibiki and they won't sit calmly when they find out? I doubt the last one or you wouldn't say it's a good option.

Although come to think of it, leaving our victim a note where we hide them for when they wake up or are found sounds entertaining. Or is hiding them the problem?

Or is the problem, "We don't know our victim's name and impersonating him/her to their peers after the fact will be difficult?"

Y'know how that's gonna look, right? XD

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Oh absolutely. But if we help other Konoha teams on the exam and whatnot, it's gonna look suspicious regardless. As it is impersonating the proctor is somewhere betweem "They have to be cheating," and, "How good is that girl?!"

 

[Guile]

If nothing else, Ibiki thinks boldness is pretty critical. His whole test is designed to weed out the cowards as well as the ones incompetent at cheating.

I guess it's too late to genjutsu-change the content of other people's tests to make them think there's a third layer to the test at the same time we help Ami. Have the test papers tell the Rock guys that the real way to pass the test is to sabotage the Lightning representatives, and so on.

 

[uju32]

Okay, I'm back.
Checked the anime to confirm: Kankuro was not called on using his puppet as a proctor.
So infiltrating a summon as a proctor should be possible; just not Menka, because the sensors in the hall will be able to tell the difference.
So call a different kitten, infiltrate, and use it to eliminate teams/get at the scrolls.

[X]I'd pass on KOing a chuunin as first resort; Kankuro didn't have to, and we don't have any poisons.
Pickpocket him for his answer key, memorize it in the toilet stall, then return it on the way back.
Fast hands and all, it frees up more time for shenanigans and intelligence gathering(and blackmail material), and you don't have to do extra work.
Seems in character.
And we have experience.
KO only if things go south.

[X] Genjutsu?
Okay; if you're going to use it, do so properly.
Throw Voice to alert recipients, then a False Surroundings on your targets.
Seeing as Konoha is all for teamwork and you're looking to impress, you might try to nab allied teams as possible: Ami/Kiba sure, Team Shika, and maybe Team Lee/Team Sakura?
Dunno.


[X]Shenanigans
Don't henge Ino as a proctor; there are sensors here.
And both she and Menka have been noted.
Use Ririka, and play the long game.

EDIT And Hymn's latest edits caught most of my thoughts.
Sigh.