Shinobi Quest #4

Shinobi Quest #4

This quest takes place within the lands of the Five Great Shinobi Nations (aka Narutoverse) starting roughly around the beginning of the original series. The world of this quest remains similar to the original, with slight but notable differences in certain areas, based upon the passage of time from a single slightly altered event.

(It’s a goddamn Naruto Quest, you bastards. Have fun, participate, and write in when you feel inclined. Most of the outcomes of this quest will be determined by you, the players. Critiques and questions are always welcome, as my knowledge of the weeby shit is not all encompassing.)

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Previous Threads: suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Shinobi Quest

Last thread, our character Tsuki Norihime woke bright and early to attend her first day of training under her new sensei. After swiping breakfast, she attended said training, and took part in Ebisu’s version of the bell test, where the team was subjected to an audio genjutsu they hadn’t been prepared for. Being the only member of Team 7 to break the genjutsu unaided, a poorly timed slap awoke some sort of beast within Nori. Everything went according to plan, however, as she was able to time taking a hit in such a way to not only distract Nori, but grab the bells as well.

A very successful day, in which she celebrated by shopping with Hinata.
(Appearance votes were made!)

Now, we move forward in time, to the next day. Having accepted Danzo’s offers for more training, and Ebisu-sensei not asking you to report in, it would be a good time to take him up on that offer…

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Oh boy, time for ohohoho

“Tsuki-dono! It’s morning! Your breakfast is waiting!” a voice commands, cutting through the morning haze of your mind. Maru, most likely.

“I’ll be down… in a bit, Maru.” you grumble. While you’d been able to sleep in, you felt like a stone buried in the fluff of your mattress. Rubbing your midsection, you wince. While the medical-nin had healed any damage to your body, you were still sore from Nori’s hit. Probably would be for a while, too. Thinking back, you can’t help but thinking how weird that whole situation was- although you suspect you’ll find out what it was all about, eventually.

Rising slowly, you shuffle over to your armoire, and take the time to choose an outfit for the day. Style was important, of course, but you knew you’d be training today, and you suspected Danzo’s training wouldn’t be any easier than taking another one of that barbaric girl’s punches.

After dressing, you do a few stretches. Finally, you do your hair, spending the time to organize your teal locks into the signature drill curls you preferred. Looking at yourself in the mirror, seeing the amber eyes you share with your father, you smile. A statuesque picture of perfection!

You decide to….

1. Take your time with breakfast. You owe Maru after yesterday’s hit and run.
2. Opt for a quick breakfast. Don’t want to keep the old man waiting too long!
3. Skip breakfast entirely- you aren’t hungry. Training is paramount!

>2. Opt for a quick breakfast. Don’t want to keep the old man waiting too long!

Hells yeah. Time for non-academy level jutsu!

>2. Opt for a quick breakfast. Don’t want to keep the old man waiting too long!
Don't take too long, but we do need something in us if we're going to be training hard.

>1.
Got to celebrate! Plus, it's got to be a good breakfast anyways. That, and it's no use going out on an empty stomach.

>2. Opt for a quick breakfast. Don’t want to keep the old man waiting too long!

1. Take your time with breakfast. You owe Maru after yesterday’s hit and run.

> I'm drunk at work. Let's go!

>1. Take your time with breakfast. You owe Maru after yesterday’s hit and run.

>1. Take your time with breakfast. You owe Maru after yesterday’s hit and run.

>1.

>2. Opt for a quick breakfast. Don’t want to keep the old man waiting too long!

>2. Opt for a quick breakfast. Don’t want to keep the old man waiting too long!

Keep practicing our ninja skills by stealing muffins.

Sounds like it's breakfast time!

Writing.

So what do you guys think Danzo is going to teach us? I'm hoping for the Body Flicker Technique and we just master that to the pint an enemy doesn't know where we are.

Flower arrangement

You decide not to tempt fate any further than you have already within the last 24 hours. Danzo of all people knows how Maru can be- you’d be surprised if his old bones were able to dodge her wrath, either.

Wasting no time, you leave your room and head to the foyer, then down the main staircase, heading towards the dining area. You can smell it- she’s probably outdone herself. Again.

Once in the dining area, you walk past the long table where formal suppers and luncheons are held. As usual, it’s deep mahogany surface has been shined to perfection- it could double as a mirror. No need for the formal area this morning, though. You continue onward, to the small veranda just outside.

As you exit, the cool morning wind brushes against your face. Beautiful, as always. The Land of Fire’s weather is always so pleasant, especially in the spring. You sigh, out of nothing more than a small sense of contentedness.

Set before you, on a small glass-topped table, is your breakfast. It’s surprisingly moderate, considering the chef. Maru smiles at you, from across the table. You sit.

“Ah, the young madam has risen from her slumber. Did you sleep well?” Maru holds the smile- if she recognized your previous theft, no hint of it was on her face.

“Yes I did, Maru. Thank you for asking.” Your response is immediate- although you could’ve had the worst sleep of your life, and you would’ve said the same.

You share some some minor conversation, discussing the weather, your father, and his plans for the day. Again, it seems Maru is intent on dragging him outside of his office- you wish her luck.

As she laughs in response, you take a sip of your tea- you’ve given it a few minutes to cool. It’s….

1. Bitter, as tea should be.
2. Sweet, just like you like it.

I'm down for anything. Preferably anything that allows us to go Ohohoho~! better.

>2. Sweet, just like you like it.

sweet tooth

>1. Bitter, as tea should be.
Our body is a temple.

>2. Sweet, just the way you like it.

>2. Sweet, just like you like it.

>2. Sweet, just like you like it.

>2.

. Sweet, just like you like it.

Bitter like my soul

Sweet tooth is it~
Writing.

You take a sip- flavorful. A bit of milk, with hints of cherries and chocolate.

And very, very sweet.

You know bitter teas are better for you, and would go farther to waking you up, but you cannot help it. It’s your favorite, and she’s made this tea for you since you were just a small girl. After taking another sip, you set the cup down gently. She’d scold you if you finished your tea before eating your breakfast- even though her tea is probably the best part of the meal.

Keeping idle conversation, you take a leisurely look around the manor grounds. The lands keepers and servants go about their business, many of them greeting you respectfully as they catch your gaze.

Eventually, a lull in the conversation forms as Maru begins to eat her meal- spartan, by comparison to yours. You could probably take this time to ask her something, as you eat.

1. Ask Maru a question (What?)
2. Don’t. Focus on finishing breakfast.

>2. Don’t. Focus on finishing breakfast.

>1. do you think father still misses my mother? Is that why he spends so much time at work? Why he has never remarried?

Hmmm... Not sure what we should ask her, so for now I'll say 2, if only because I can't think up a good question to ask.

>2. Don’t. Focus on finishing breakfast.

Nevermind, going to support this, because I like it a lot.

I like it. Supporting.

>2. Don’t. Focus on finishing breakfast.

To go along with that.

"Even for political reasons? Surely there are windows with status in the uchiha or hyugga

Gotta go with this one boss.

Time to get sentimental.

Writing.

youtube.com/watch?v=afKAk-UnSpA

Might as well ask. You’ve been wondering about it, of late, and you doubt he’d give you a real answer.

“Maru? Mind if I ask you something?”

You hear your own voice- it sounds small, unsure. This won’t do at all. The Norihime must be strong.

“Of course, mistress, speak your mind” she answers; her voice soft, to match you own.

“Does Father still mourn for Mother? Is that why he buries himself in his work? Why he’s never bothered to marry again, even for political reasons?”

Her eyes soften, and she turns her gaze downward.

“Master Yoru… he does grieve for your mother. Every night, I’d wager. You know that your father is a passionate man- he puts his entire being into everything he does. This included his love for your mother. When your mother passed to bring you into this world, Tsuki-dono, I suspect this love passed on to you.”

She reaches forward, and places her hand on yours.

“I know your father can seem distant, but he does everything for you. All of this, his work- it’s all for you. If he didn’t have you, I don’t think he’d be able to keep himself going.”

You don’t know what to say- your Father has always seemed so bright, with the joy he brought to you and all those around him…

“As for remarrying, it was out of the question. The prestigious shinobi families have no need for a rich merchant, and such a marriage would have been a loveless, dismal affair. It is for the best that those petty hangers on have long stopped coming- for years they would come, offering your father the world. They would always leave, taking offense to your father’s indifference.”

You had no idea. In your oldest memories, you do remember visitors, herds of men and women coming to visit your father. The manor was new, then. Emptier, in a way, before most of the serving staff had come. Maru and Danzo had shielded you from much of this, you suspect.

“Thank you, Maru. I doubt Father would be so honest with me.” you reply, doing your best to give her a smile.

She sighs, quietly.

“You’re growing up, Tsuki-dono. Your Father will come to realize this shortly, I suspect.”

This conversation has given you some more information about you parents- although to know more you’d probably need to ask Danzo, or your Father directly.

You…

1. Finish up eating and move along. Dwelling on this negative topic will put you in a foul mood.”
2. Spend a little more time with Maru, to clear your head.

>1. Finish up eating and move along. Dwelling on this negative topic will put you in a foul mood.”
Time to move on!

>1. Finish up eating and move along. Dwelling on this negative topic will put you in a foul mood.”

. Finish up eating and move along. Dwelling on this negative topic will put you in a foul mood.”
Don't dig too deep too soon. Slow and steady on the lore bits.

>2.
Character. Development.

>1. Finish up eating and move along. Dwelling on this negative topic will put you in a foul mood.”

There is no time to Ohohoho~! here. We must move on to activities where Ohohoho~!-ing is appropriate.

>1. Finish up eating and move along. Dwelling on this negative topic will put you in a foul mood.”

It's time to learn powerful jutsu and questionable ethics.

>1. Finish up eating and move along. Dwelling on this negative topic will put you in a foul mood.”

>1. Finish up eating and move along. Dwelling on this negative topic will put you in a foul mood.”

Time for a training montage

>1. Finish up eating and move along. Dwelling on this negative topic will put you in a foul mood.”

>1. Finish up eating and move along. Dwelling on this negative topic will put you in a foul mood.”

Sounds like it's time to move on.

Writing.

The silence isn’t uncomfortable, per se, although you do feel like something has passed between the two of you.

After finishing your tea, you thank Maru for the meal, and her continued service to your family.

She just laughs, and smiles at you. “Ever the polite young woman. Seems I taught you well.”

You shudder internally. Thoughts of etiquette training had long since left you nightmares, but it wouldn’t be good to forget them entirely.

After bidding farewell to Maru, you head back inside. A passing servant tells you that Danzo awaits you below, near his quarters.

Why does he sleep underground, anyway? He’s an odd old man.

You walk steadily to the far end of the manor, and then follow the stairs downward. Eventually, you pass the wine storage cellar, and come to the end of the passageway. A simple door of iron, unmarked, leads to Danzo’s quarters.

You knock.

(cont.)

“Come in, Tsuki-dono. I’ve been waiting. Did you eat a filling meal?” Danzo’s voice greets you from the other side.

You enter, and respond. “Yes, Maru’s breakfasts are as good as ever.”

Danzo’s quarters are plain, with no ornamentation beyond the symbol of Konoha, painted on the far wall.

“Good. I hope you’ve taken in the fresh air- we’re going to be inside for most of the rest of today.” his voice doesn’t seem to belie his intent.

You question this immediately. “Inside?”

“Yes, inside. Further below, in fact.” he says without a hint of humor in his voice.

You’re puzzled. As you ponder what he means, Danzo walks over to the Konoha symbol, and presses inward, gently. A false wall gives way, leading into a small hallway. At the far end, what looks to be an elevator awaits.

He instructs you to follow him, and you do. He opens the iron shutter on the elevator, and closes it behind the two of you. From his robe, he produces a small key, which he inserts into a console near the front of the elevator.

The contraption lurches, and then descends, slowly.

In the near darkness of the elevator shaft, Danzo poses you a query.

“Tell me, Tsuki-dono. Have you ever heard of ROOT?”

You respond....

1. No, I haven't. What is that?
2. The name is familiar... although I cannot really place it.

>2. The name is familiar... although I cannot really place it.

>No, I haven't. What is that?
Ohboyohboyohboyohboy!

>2. The name is familiar... although I cannot really place it.
Oh god damnit! Still the same Danzo.

>1. No, I haven't. What is that?

>1. No, I haven't. What is that?
I honestly haven't, I didn't keep up with naruto past the chunin exams in the manga

>2. The name is familiar... although I cannot really place it.

>1. No, I haven't. What is that?


Welp, time to stop lurking and time to start voting.

Imagine the society in Hot Fuzz and that's pretty close

>1. No, I haven't. What is that?

>1.
I highly doubt we'd know about ROOT.

>1. No, I haven't. What is that?

I could see Danzo having said something small about it once or twice

Funny. But yeah apply ninjas and horrific warmongering, child stealing and murder and that's not too far off.

>1. No, I haven't. What is that?

>2. The name is familiar... although I cannot really place it.

>2. The name is familiar... although I cannot really place it.

We are a smart girl with her ear to the ground

>1. No, I haven't. What is that?

"What's ROOT, Onii-chan?"

Writing.

That's... terrifying... Bet they have all sorts of "interesting" jutsu though.

all I've seen from those losers is drawings become living constructs no jutsu from a pale kid that liked to talk about dicks

We don't see much of the actual organization itself. Just it's effects on some key characters

so... free reign to come up with whatever crazy vaguely sinister jutsu wargle wants?

To give a little more context than my amusement, ROOT is kinda like AnBu is to the Shinobi Corps.
Where AnBu deal with the most sensitive of intel, unsavoury missions and spec ops ROOT is all of the black ops. Things that could never see the light of day lest they ruin the Leaf's image forever.
Literally the roots down in the dark, never seen, but always keeping the rest of the tree up.
It was set up by Ol Danzo and Hiruzen back when he was still new to his position and needed an extra off the books force to do dirty work. In canon he much later declared them disbanded but Danzo he basically lost it by that point and kept going anyway.
He used some pretty extreme methods, read: raising a pair of children then forcing them to fight to the death/placing seals on his agents to prevent them from speaking, to ensure absolute loyalty and unthinking obedience.
He used said agents to infiltrate all sorts of places and kill lots of people to further his own goals, read: ensure Konoha's military dominance.
In essence in his own mind the difference between himself and his goals and those of the village got blurred along the way.

Who knows how much of that holds true here though? Wargle Lots of things are different in our timeline.

Wanna know another ROOT agent?
Kabuto

Like how Nori probably got Yang Kurama, while Naruto probably got Yin.

Ah... that's interesting then, a lot of potential there if were careful...

SPOILERS
But yes.

Hey, Kabuto is great

Personal best boy

Stomach Snake disagrees

Kabuto was probably my least liked character in the entire series. He's a little creepy, honestly. They wrote him really well. In the anime, anyway, haven't gotten that far in the manga.

youtube.com/watch?v=nhm9BH3Kd9A

“No, I can’t say I have. What’s ROOT?”

“ROOT was a group of elite shinobi who served the greater whole of Konoha. Officially, it was part of ANBU, kept secret from the outside world. Those unseen, who would protect the great tree of Konoha from the depths of the earth itself.” he explains.

No surprise you hadn’t heard of it, then.

“Were you part of this group, Danzo?”

He certainly knew enough about it.

“I was its leader.” he answers, and lets the silence hold.
“What happened, then?” you cannot help but question it. You’d always wondered what exactly Danzo used to do.

“Enemies of the Leaf poisoned the ear of our Lord Fourth. He deemed ROOT without purpose, after the end of the war, and on some trumped up accusations, ordered it dismantled. Broken apart, integrated into ANBU as a whole. I retired shortly after. Your father was a friend, and with his growing fortune, he offered me a place to stay, and honorable retirement. Away from those who no longer valued what I had to offer.” he continues, with just a hint of sadness in his voice.

“So we are going to….?” you inquire, although you think you know the answer.

“The old ROOT facility, yes. Your father has kept it clean and running for me, as a favor.”

This is a lot to ponder. Seems that the political situation within Konoha wasn’t as stable as it appeared.

You…

1. Ask Danzo about ROOT (What?)
2. Stay silent, and let him reveal what he wishes.
3. Try to change the topic.

>1. Ask Danzo about ROOT (What?)

what were those trumped up charges?

>tfw no one likes your husbando

>1. Ask Danzo about ROOT (What?)
How did you meet my Dad? Was it for something for ROOT?

>2. Stay silent, and let him reveal what he wishes.

He always struck me as a true remorseless sociopath. no respect for the dead. Sees everything from a pure utilitarian lens, that all people are merely a means to an end. That end always being power, but more importantly knowledge. Very creepy, but oddly interesting.

>2. Stay silent, and let him reveal what he wishes.

>1. Ask Danzo about ROOT (What?)
"Enemies of the Leaf? Like, other villages?"

> Let him reveal what he wishes.

Top secret ROOT techniques when

>2. Stay silent, and let him reveal what he wishes.

>2. Stay silent, and let him reveal what he wishes.

>2. Stay silent, and let him reveal what he wishes.
This is a big part of Danzo's life's work. Gotta let him go at his own pace and get comfortable before we push for some more answers. Still once he's ready, we gotta try and get EVERYTHING. heheheheheh

A little? Hue.
Kabuto is a tragic figure no doubt, but not a sympathetic one.

Indeed. Poor bastard is beyond broken in the head.

That theme and Sai's theme are pretty good
If we get to keep hearing those if we join ROOT then I don't see why anyone would be opposed at all

Yeah ROOT fucked him up good.

Letting Danzo ramble.

Writing.

Kabuto. Interesting fellow.

[Spoiler]Though it was kinda dumb how they made him "good" in the end of the series[/spoiler]

I want to save Kabuto and protect his broken smile