Cosmos Quest (Naruto/Lupin III)

[Unclouded]

[X] Utsusemi him back. "Hey, you should be more supportive of your brother! Whatever a grown shinobi and his fully-articulated wooden wife get up to in the privacy of their own home is entirely their own business. Who're we to judge?"

[X]Plan a heist

 

[Jack Trade]

[X] Utsusemi him back. "Hey, you should be more supportive of your brother! Whatever a grown shinobi and his fully-articulated wooden wife get up to in the privacy of their own home is entirely their own business. Who're we to judge?"

[X]Plan a heist

 

[Guile]

You Know My Name - Chris Cornell, from the Casino Royale OST.
Mission Impossible would have been a better fit; they do the disguise/face mask thing.
Bond just breaks stuff.

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Daniel Craig breaks stuff, anyway.

I always preferred the less actiony, classier Bond of Pierce Brosnan.

"Why is a genin allowed to be a proctor?!" Tenten finally manages.

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"Favoritism, that's why!"

You're about to tease everyone that maybe you did and maybe you didn't, when a gorgeous woman in mesh and not much else crashes in through the window at jounin speed.

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[X] Now now, we can appreciate a good entrance. We'll let her do her thing first, then we'll have fun with her when she gets to the blood-licking portion of her speech. 'Something something fun is worth the price of admission' works there. Bonus points if it works as a double entendre.

For the heist, should it be a simple 'Let Ami take the scroll and use the distraction and our absurd handspeed to swipe more scrolls', or should we manage a bait and switch while other teams are receiving theirs? Switch the scrolls they're receiving out with fakes (like the scroll containing our camping tent) before or after they receive them? Immediately after might work better, since we're not going head-to-head with established chuunin; just set up camp near the tent exit, make it seem like we're just trying to catch a peak before our turn. People will realize our intentions (see what's coming) and not look for deeper sneakiness.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Man, fully-articulated wooden wife? For shame Furiko. For shame.

It should be fully-articulated wooden husband and/or wife.

Also, plan a heist? I'd make a good audacious plan worth a Z-Slash if I was you people. Go big or go home, and try and mess with everyone else while we're at it. Because if we're gonna try and neuter the challenge of the exam and skip the danger, it's worth making sure we do it RIGHT. And I do not think Furiko will let 'plan a heist' stand unless she announces a switch to Rihaku style and takes the best ideas.

Then we can brainstorm a shitton and let her take the choicest ideas and surprise US with what happens.

Finally, hot damn, Gaara can throw his voice too! If he uses it on other people it'll only make the ruse seem more accurate and fuck with the Mist-nin harder!

 

[Vindictus]

... For the purposes of this quest, Ino/Gaara is now my OTP.

[X] Utsusemi him back.
[X] Pick up your teams scroll. While doing so, listen in on the other teams as they pick up their own, and try to identify at least one person carrying either type of scroll. On the way to the gates, do the classic bump-and-grab to take whichever type you need.

Let's beat Gaara's team to the tower.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Extra audacious idea:

Menka, Henge into a scroll! While carrying a scroll! We will steal someone else's scroll, replace them with you, and you shall pop open, beat them over the head, and knock them out at the gate! Or replace Menka will a scroll by moving too fast for the chunin guys to see.

We need to do better than [I[that[/I] though...something more, something fresh and new. Or as fresh and new as we can manage.

How big is the detonation range on explosive tags? As in, how far can we be from them to trigger then, if we were to slip an explosive tag note in the scrolls?

It's more blatant sabotage, but eh.

Lemme think, how many examiners are there? Two or three? If two, Akamaru and Menka can replace Kiba and Ino, or Ino poses for Ino and Menka. IF we can arrange for us to get our scroll last and an earlier Konoha team can smuggle our allies into the booth, we can screw people over more freely. Then, us being the last team to enter, we retrieve whoever we sent in.

Team Gai is frankly probably the best choice for a swift and silent take down, with Neji and Lee. But Neji disapproves of our style and Tenten just doesn't like us. Hinata, Shika, and Chouji are next up with Shadow Binding and Gentle Fist. In fact maybe even superior in certain regards. A number of them, come to think of it....

But we'd need to make sure no other sensors saw through this.

Still, it's another exam hijack if we pull it off that favors us quite a bit.

 

[uju32]

*click* "I don't like what you're implying there, kid."
-_- "Such things are impossible between men."
"Grandpa always said Englishmen are for fucking over, not fucking. Now if it were Jacobine Bond..."
^_^ "I wouldn't mind."
"But Fujicakes!"
"At least Bond doesn't slobber over every woman he meets like some sort of horny farm animal!"
Also, Lu-chan, I'm pretty much damn near positive dear Issei-sama wouldn't swear in front of you.
"Hey, who ya gonna trust, Leblanc writing up the clean version, or someone the man actually raised?"
._. ... you're seriously trying to argue that a felon is more trustworthy than the author who...? No, no, you're right, I can't finish that sentence with a straight face, I've known too many writers. -_-;
"Told ya." ^_^

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Heh.
Questions:
How many Contracts can one person sign? Canon Sasuke holds two, and Rinnegan users have no limit I've seen.
Do we know if Lee has mastered Fire yet?

 

[FurikoMaru]

... For the purposes of this quest, Ino/Gaara is now my OTP.

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CALLED IT! *boogies in victory* I didn't even have to tell you who he is! )

 

[Vindictus]

CALLED IT! *boogies in victory* I didn't even have to tell you who he is! )

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I can already tell you who he is-

Someone awesome.

Anything beyond that is useless details. Thanks for semi-confirming my suspicion he's another Reincarnation, though~ ^_^

 

[Guile]

I can already tell you who he is-

Someone awesome.

Anything beyond that is useless details. Thanks for semi-confirming my suspicion he's another Reincarnation, though~ ^_^

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Considering the weird shit in this quest, he could be a Quest PC, a reincarnation, someone transplanted from another world, or something even weirder.

Maybe the demons are weirdoes in this quest, and this is what a possessed jinchuuriki is like.

 

[Vindictus]

Considering the weird shit in this quest, he could be a Quest PC, a reincarnation, someone transplanted from another world, or something even weirder.

Maybe the demons are weirdoes in this quest, and this is what a possessed jinchuuriki is like.

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Disgaea-style demons?

I'd like that, honestly.

 

[uju32]

Also, plan a heist? I'd make a good audacious plan worth a Z-Slash if I was you people. Go big or go home, and try and mess with everyone else while we're at it. Because if we're gonna try and neuter the challenge of the exam and skip the danger, it's worth making sure we do it RIGHT. And I do not think Furiko will let 'plan a heist' stand unless she announces a switch to Rihaku style and takes the best ideas.
Then we can brainstorm a shitton and let her take the choicest ideas and surprise US with what happens.

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Duck the danger?
Nah; I don't think that's on the cards.
Do you really expect Team 7 would have been able to avoid Orochimaru in the Forest even if they had both scrolls before going in?

Nah, this is just to fuck with the exam
1)Because it's always good to have your options sewn up ahead of time
2)Because it displays yet more forethought and initiative, which is what you look for in an officer
3)Because it gives us bargaining options in the Forest; we're clearly not the strongest here, and trade items might be necessary to get us or friends/allies out of danger.
Or to deceive enemies.
3)Because we can

Besides, Furiko has already confirmed at least one monster in the Forest.
We're not getting past the troll without paying a toll.
I would not be surprised to find out that Anko also seeded ringer teams in the Forest, just like in canon there were those Rain guys.

Let's beat Gaara's team to the tower.

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Not seeing it; Ino isn't that competitive.
Not unless she's been challenged.
Bsides, the Forest seems interesting.

 

[Guile]

I would not be surprised to find out that Anko also seeded ringer teams in the Forest, just like in canon there were those Rain guys.Not seeing it; Ino isn't that competitive.
Not unless she's been challenged.
Bsides, the Forest seems interesting.

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The Forest of Fun?

 

[uju32]

The Forest of Fun?

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Ho YES!

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Duck the danger?
Nah; I don't think that's on the cards.

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I'm pretty sure it is. Furiko outright said, "If you pass the exams early, you get extra training time before the prelims."

 

[uju32]

I'm pretty sure it is. Furiko outright said, "If you pass the exams early, you get extra training time before the prelims."

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I must have missed that.
What I remember her saying was that we would run into monsters here in the Forest.
Of course, neither option is exclusive.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

I must have missed that.
What I remember her saying was that we would run into monsters here in the Forest.
Of course, neither option is exclusive.

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You've misremembered on both counts.

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.

*snip*

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

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Not that I don't fully expect you to point out the goodies in the Forest and right now we're flush with success from the Z-Slash, but yeah. We have no need to tarry in the Forest, and the goodies are likely in the hands of other candidates.

I advocate running on outta here after cheating the exam.

Also? I see no Z-Slash, nor an audacious plan. So yeah, unless people want to be known for trying to cheat twice and failing, we'd best either make sure we win smashingly and get on outta there, or don't try at all.

People want to play in the Forest? Then don't bother getting extra scrolls, because why would we want to stick around with extra scrolls and why would our teammates, most importantly, want to?

We're a monster. Ami and Kiba, much less so. Team Nurse, WAY less so, and we just massively thinned the herd of easy targets. They are the easiest targets in the exam now, probably.

 

[FurikoMaru]

I must have missed that.
What I remember her saying was that we would run into monsters here in the Forest.
Of course, neither option is exclusive.

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If you take the slow way, you might run into monsters, or dangerous opponents, possibly both. If you book it for the tower, you won't meet monsters, but if you set up camp outside the tower to pick off people as they come in, you might meet dangerous opponents. The safest option is to swipe a scroll and make for the tower as fast as you can; you might meet some minor opponents, but otherwise you won't be in any danger and you'll get extra training time.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Okay....idea. Not nearly as grandiose as my last one, but there's less to embellish here. But I need to ask if there are certain things we can do.

This, however, may be simple AND effective. And audacious in what we accomplish and doing so right in front of the proctors.

Step one: take our scroll.

Step two: everyone single person on our team Henges in plain sight of the proctors into other teammates. That's right, we're doing a full team switcheroo.

Step three: while huge amounts of smoke is being kicked up by us and our techniques, Ino speed blitzes past the proctors to grab scrolls before retaking her place.

Now, the catch here is whether or not our movement will disrupt the smoke and give us away. We would likely have to time and position it so that Kiba, Ami, Akamaru, and Menka all go first and block the view between Ino and the proctors. Then Ino dashes past, grabs scrolls, and retakes position in her Henge. Or mask, whichever.

Also, whether or not we can use False Surroundings to lay some persistent genjutsu that the scrolls are still there. Or we use False Surroundings to trick the proctors into thinking we're still here. What would be absolutely best is to be able to use a genjutsu that makes them see the Henges and whatnot happening, BUT does not let them 'feel' the sensation or effects of our speed blitz. If we can use False Surroundings to block out certain sensations by making them think all is normal, this will be much easier to pull off.

And we want to take scrolls that won't be missed or that they won't notice until it's too late.

We will, however, be revealing our speed to an extent. Sensors and Hyuuga may notice our blur of activity. Maybe even call us on it.

So, thoughts? Is this a thing we can do Furiko?

 

[Guile]

I wouldn't go for it.

Smoke tends to swirl around movement. What techniques do we have that generate vast amounts of smoke, anyway?

 

[uju32]

If you take the slow way, you might run into monsters, or dangerous opponents, possibly both. If you book it for the tower, you won't meet monsters, but if you set up camp outside the tower to pick off people as they come in, you might meet dangerous opponents. The safest option is to swipe a scroll and make for the tower as fast as you can; you might meet some minor opponents, but otherwise you won't be in any danger and you'll get extra training time.

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Gotcha.
Speedrun it is.

You've misremembered on both counts.
Not that I don't fully expect you to point out the goodies in the Forest and right now we're flush with success from the Z-Slash, but yeah. We have no need to tarry in the Forest, and the goodies are likely in the hands of other candidates.

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Goodies?
Dude this is me: I'm the safe guy here.
Goodies are not my thing; I was considering recon not goodies.
But if we get extra training time.....

Okay....idea.

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I was considering getting an argument going between Akamaru and Menka as we go into the scroll-hut; might as well play into stereotypes.
Layer a False Surroundings on top of everything.
Use the distraction and genjutsu to swipe a bunch of scrolls; given we have storage seals in our clothes, should be feasible.
Hook up with Team Shika and do a speed run; maybe Team Nurse as well.
And if it looks feasible I'm willing to throw my one Z-slash into play.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

I wouldn't go for it.

Smoke tends to swirl around movement. What techniques do we have that generate vast amounts of smoke, anyway?

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Henge. And the swirling movement is one of the reasons why I'm asking about False Surroundings. Although I may have forgotten to put that in....

And I thought Henge had a poof of smoke? All four/five of us doing it at once seems justifiable.

EDIT: Also, perhaps if Ino is all the way at the back, if she goes around the smoke rather than through it the currents might not be as noticeable. Maybe we can make them think the swirling smoke is us switching places inside the smoke?

Goodies?
Dude this is me: I'm the safe guy here.
Goodies are not my thing; I was considering recon not goodies.
But if we get extra training time.....

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Alright then.

I was considering getting an argument going between Akamaru and Menka as we go into the scroll-hut; might as well play into stereotypes.

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That'd be an interesting argument, seeing as Akamaru can't speak human....and weren't you concerned about revealing Menka? Him talking would be attention getting.

Unless you mean a fight, in which case....well, are people gonna believe we brought two animals that fighting into the exam?

Still, has merit I guess.

Layer a False Surroundings on top of everything.
Use the distraction and genjutsu to swipe a bunch of scrolls; given we have storage seals in our clothes, should be feasible.
Hook up with Team Shika and do a speed run; maybe Team Nurse as well.
And if it looks feasible I'm willing to throw my one Z-slash into play.

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Could work.

As an extra for ensuring they aren't noticed, what are the scrolls held in? I don't remember. If a container, we could pull everything out of the container super quick, replace the bottom with some objects, put scrolls back in, and make it appear to have no change in number of scrolls left.

 

[uju32]

That'd be an interesting argument, seeing as Akamaru can't speak human....and weren't you concerned about revealing Menka? Him talking would be attention getting.

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He can't speak, but he can understand.
Neither of them need to talk, just spit/squabble at each other.
Like cats/strange dogs do IRL.

Unless you mean a fight, in which case....well, are people gonna believe we brought two animals that fighting into the exam?
Still, has merit I guess.

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Squabbling, and it gets a little physical.
And frankly, the distraction only has to last a few seconds.
Besides, human teammates squabble, especially at that age; why not animals?

As an extra for ensuring they aren't noticed, what are the scrolls held in? I don't remember. If a container, we could pull everything out of the container super quick, replace the bottom with some objects, put scrolls back in, and make it appear to have no change in number of scrolls left.

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This is the only picture that was shown in the manga of the interior of the scroll-hut

As you can see, the container wasn't shown.
Just have them squabble, Akamaru goes after Menka or vice versa, they go over the table, and their owners go after them.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

He can't speak, but he can understand.
Neither of them need to talk, just spit/squabble at each other.
Like cats/strange dogs do IRL.

Squabbling, and it gets a little physical.
And frankly, the distraction only has to last a few seconds.
Besides, human teammates squabble, especially at that age; why not animals?

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I suppose.

This is the only picture that was shown in the manga of the interior of the scroll-hut

As you can see, the container wasn't shown.

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Well...balls. We could feasibly ask our Hyuuga via Throw Voice or something to check for us ahead of time though.

On the smoke idea still, but maybe if we have everyone call their techniques like idjits for whatever reason that can cover stuff?

Example, says Henge and deliberately makes a lot of smoke. Then calls Kawarimi to swap places. This also happens to provide a reason for swirling smoke. While this stuff is happening or after a certain stage, Ino speed blitzes under cover/genjutsu to steal and replace scrolls.

And hope no one narcs on us.

I'm not sure our genjutsu is quite good enough for simulating people and surroundings yet. If it is, great. But I kind of like the Henge and smoke idea for the justifiable actions in plain sight of the proctors, at very least as another layer of secrecy. They think they see what's going on, us being clever by switching around. What's really happening is us stealing scrolls out from under their noses.

I suppose this works considerably less effectively if all scrolls are kept in a storage seal or under lock and key ahead of time. We may really need Hinata or Neji to give us intel ahead of tme....

 

[Scia]

In regards to the fight in the forest that will come.I am unsure if Lupino would leave people in a genjutsu there with all the man eating animals around as she kind of has a soft spot after all.

 

[uju32]

I suppose.
Well...balls. We could feasibly ask our Hyuuga via Throw Voice or something to check for us ahead of time though.

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We can just walk up to Team Shika and ask them to take a look now; Hinata can use her Byakugan to take an advance look at the interior now.

On the smoke idea still, but maybe if we have everyone call their techniques like idjits for whatever reason that can cover stuff?
Example, says Henge and deliberately makes a lot of smoke. Then calls Kawarimi to swap places. This also happens to provide a reason for swirling smoke. While this stuff is happening or after a certain stage, Ino speed blitzes under cover/genjutsu to steal and replace scrolls.
And hope no one narcs on us.

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I'm iffy on the smoke thing; there is not enough smoke from a bunshin dispelling to cover something like that, not unless you're spamming them in the number Naruto does.
You could make the genjutsu simulate it, but I'm not sure why you would do so.

I'm not sure our genjutsu is quite good enough for simulating people and surroundings yet. If it is, great. But I kind of like the Henge and smoke idea for the justifiable actions in plain sight of the proctors, at very least as another layer of secrecy. They think they see what's going on, us being clever by switching around. What's really happening is us stealing scrolls out from under their noses.

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Simulating surroundings is sorta what False Surroundings is for.
And all it has to last is 10 seconds, tops, and you take it off as you leave.
The physical distraction is to prevent them noticing any discrepancies.

I suppose this works considerably less effectively if all scrolls are kept in a storage seal or under lock and key ahead of time. We may really need Hinata or Neji to give us intel ahead of tme....

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If they're handing them out, it can't be locked.
But yeah, Hinata for advance intel.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

We can just walk up to Team Shika and ask them to take a look now; Hinata can use her Byakugan to take an advance look at the interior now.

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Seems a bit obvious to me.

I'm iffy on the smoke thing; there is not enough smoke from a bunshin dispelling to cover something like that, not unless you're spamming them in the number Naruto does.
You could make the genjutsu simulate it, but I'm not sure why you would do so.

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Henge, not bunshin. And I'm kinda hoping to deliberately make it smoky as extra cover to our switching act. If you guys don't think it can make enough though, alright.

Simulating surroundings is sorta what False Surroundings is for.

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Yes.

But do people fall under the purview. That's the question. Can we simulate people and their actions, and simulate them well enough that they will not notice something is up?

If we can, then hell, whammy them with the genjutsu that Ino is asking for their scroll, make them think we're waiting for it, snatch others during window of opportunity, return to position.

I think all the henges and kawarimis are best to muddle outside sensors (though probably not Hyuuga) but eh.

If they're handing them out, it can't be locked.

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No, but if they withdraw one at a time from storage seals or something, there's multiple containers separating them in bunches, or even just two containers with one for Heaven and one for Earth, that could be a problem.

 

[uju32]

Seems a bit obvious to me.

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Unavoidable; we know Throw Voice, but I don't think Hinata does.
And Gaara has already exhibited the ability to intercept/listen in on Throw Voice; who knows who else can.

Henge, not bunshin. And I'm kinda hoping to deliberately make it smoky as extra cover to our switching act. If you guys don't think it can make enough though, alright.

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It would cover you on that side of the table, but not on the other.
Might wanna ask Furiko for confirmation.

But do people fall under the purview. That's the question. Can we simulate people and their actions, and simulate them well enough that they will not notice something is up?
If we can, then hell, whammy them with the genjutsu that Ino is asking for their scroll, make them think we're waiting for it, snatch others during window of opportunity, return to position.

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I think not.
If we were in a market place, maybe, but with only three people for the two of them to focus on?

I think all the henges and kawarimis are best to muddle outside sensors (though probably not Hyuuga) but eh.
No, but if they withdraw one at a time from storage seals or something, there's multiple containers separating them in bunches, or even just two containers with one for Heaven and one for Earth, that could be a problem.

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This would be a problem, one we can confirm now by asking Hinata to look.
But you would think they'd avoid storing a seal within another seal to avoid interference/instability.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Unavoidable; we know Throw Voice, but I don't think Hinata does.

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She doesn't really have to if we can communicate in code/more discreetly. But eh.

And Gaara has already exhibited the ability to intercept/listen in on Throw Voice; who knows who else can.

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This, at least, is true.

It would cover you on that side of the table, but not on the other.
Might wanna ask Furiko for confirmation.

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Not really aiming for the other side of the table, I think Ino is in the 'so fast they can't see her move' territory at this point. If she can get behind them I think she'd be good.

I think not.
If we were in a market place, maybe, but with only three people for the two of them to focus on?

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False Surroundings. I want confirmation it can do people.

This would be a problem, one we can confirm now by asking Hinata to look.
But you would think they'd avoid storing a seal within another seal to avoid interference/instability.

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Just pointing out possibilities.

 

[Unclouded]

I have to agree with the idea of teaming up with Team Shikamaru and getting a heist going with Hinata's assistance. Basically phrase it as you asking to scope out the forest of death and really have her scan the area around the tent so you can do both. Then plan with Shikamaru to see if you guys can work together to get this part of the exam done with the least amount of work by stealing enough scrolls for the both of you.

The only problem I have is how we'd get around to doing that when I know these proctors will be on high alert since they know you impersonated a proctor in the last part of the exam.