Cosmos Quest (Naruto/Lupin III)

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

He's a guy. If my sources are correct, Kishimoto even said in an interview that Zabuza and Haku were his first attempt at writing an implied male/male relationship.

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Pederasty. It's for more than just the Romans and Greeks.

 

[FurikoMaru]

Pederasty. It's for more than just the Romans and Greeks.

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Well, it's certainly more in keeping with the setting than most of the popular yaoi pairings.

 

[Vindictus]

Eh. In my earlier fanfic-writing days, I made Haku a girl because it gave Kakashi and Zabuza something to empathise with each other over in that they're both taking care of younger women and not getting the whole 'young girl' thing.

That said, I was also a terrible writer when I was younger, and that idea didn't really get expressed. Like, at all.

 

[FurikoMaru]

[X] Down in the hollow

"My apologies," Haku says as Lee joins him on the floor. "My sources suggest that you are indeed a very capable fighter. Had you been assigned a weaker opponent, you could have proceeded to the finals."

You suppress a grin. Oh, someone is terrified as shit. As expected of a Kiri-nin, he isn't letting it show on his face, but his chakra tells the whole story; he's barely holding it together. Even if you weren't a sensor, he's obviously trying to goad Lee into showing off as much as possible - salvaging a bad match up by getting more data out of it.

If you had to guess at why, it's probably the same reason you're scared of fighting Lee - Haku's got the physical build of a ranged fighter (along with what you think might be seal-pockets like yours in his sleeves, if you're hearing that right), and Lee is notoriously fast and skilled at close-range combat among those who keep their ears to the ground. Add to that the stuff he's been learning from Gai's summons lately, and the fact that Gai has apparently given Lee permission to go into the fight without his weights, and there's not a doubt in your mind - barring this kid actually being a legit Yuki clan member, he's done like dinner.

"Please, Haku-san," Lee replies with a smile, either not noticing the intentionally provocative phrasing or not caring (your money is on the latter, knowing Lee), "there is nothing to apologize for. I entered these exams specifically to test myself against strong opponents."

"I see..." The smile is returned. "I'm sure you will be satisfied, Lee-kun."

"Begin!"

Suiton: Kirigakure no Jutsu - Hiding In Mist Technique!

Abruptly, the bottom half of the arena fills with mist, obscuring the combatants and proctor completely.

"Damn it," Kankuro grumbles.

You tune him out along with everything else, and focus your sensing on finding the boys. You let out a few grumbles of your own when you realize the fog is so laden with Haku's chakra that you can't get an exact read on his location (it's like the whole fighting floor is suffused in the sound of him going ohshitohshitohshitohshit), but you find Lee quickly enough - and unless you're very much mistaken, he's preparing one of his trump cards.

Oh, they've engaged, now -

"KONOHA SENPUU!"

Yep, same ol' Lee, always callin' his attacks.

You hear a body hit the far wall and sigh.

Yep. Same ol' Lee. Manages to get the drop on a much stealthier opponent and then ruins it by letting them get away from him again.

... okay, you have fun here. I'm gonna go see if I can teach the Sasukes poker.

You do that.

"OSU! I've found you again, Haku-san!" There is the sound of a loud impact, and one of the giant hands at the back wall shakes violently and makes the crumbling sound usually associated with children knocking over massive block-towers.

"I'm sorry!" comes the immediate apology. "Gai-sensei, please take it out of my mission pay!"

"Very well, Lee!"

"Idiot," Temari snickers. "He's giving away his position every time he opens his yap."

"Wake me when we can actually see what's going on," Shikamaru grumbles, taking a seat with his back to the wall.

Hinata, meanwhile, has her Byakugan going, and is in murmured conversation with Chouji and - apparently - Mokona. The three of them seem to be shocked about something, and you can't quite hide your grin. Seems you were right - Lee's actually managed it, if only in part.

"Hey," Gaara says, nudging you (and almost giving you a heart attack), "you're a sensor, right? Give us the low-down; what's happening?"

[X] Hey, they're allies, and at this point in the exam your sensing isn't really something to keep secret anymore. Tell them everything you can hear.

[X] Tell them only as much as a normal sensor would be able to hear.

 

[Selias]

[X] Hey, they're allies, and at this point in the exam your sensing isn't really something to keep secret anymore. Tell them everything you can hear.

He already gave us some info. Might as well return the favor.

 

[iamnuff]

they know we are a sensor, but they don't know we are a special type of sensor.

then again, all we really know about what's going on is "lee keeps finding him, then wrecking his shit, then losing him again"

[X] as much as a normal sensor could tell them.

 

[Torgamous]

What do the two options mean here? I know we're better than a normal sensor, but we don't seem to have a really good handle on what's happening down there anyway. How terrible is a normal sensor's view of the fight?

Hmm. Does Menka have a better view of the fight? I can't find anything about cats' fog vision, but demonstrating our ability to speak cat should add to the confusion.

 

[Guile]

Maybe that bit where we can feel his emotions isn't sensor standard?

[X] Hey, they're allies, and at this point in the exam your sensing isn't really something to keep secret anymore. Tell them everything you can hear.

He already gave us some info. Might as well return the favor.

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He also shot Kiba. I feel like I need to keep mentioning this.

[X] Don't mention hearing chakra, and feeling his emotions.
-[X] Hard to say, Kirigakure mist is a bit of a bitch that way. Far as I can tell, Lee's fast enough to get the drop on Haku but he keeps announcing himself. So it'll come down to if Lee gives up - fat chance of that - or Haku pulls off what Kiri normally use this mist for (assassination?)

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Meh, I can see why Furiko gave us the choice to speak with the sibs, this is pretty full.

And Gai let Lee walk right into the arena without his weights? Yeesh.

Maybe that bit where we can feel his emotions isn't sensor standard?He also shot Kiba. I feel like I need to keep mentioning this.

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And Kiba shot him. It didn't stick because it's Gaara, but the intent is pretty clear. If he's not going to hold a grudge for pulling a gun on him (and it's a good thing it was Gaara instead of Temari or Kankuro), I'm not really inclined o hold one against him.

Still torn on what to tell him, but that's more on the basis of secrecy. On one hand, it's a valuable asset and tells a lot of emotions that's very useful in our line of work. On the other hand, Gaara calling us out and keeping things nice and light hearted so that they share information more easily as well is also desirable.

 

[uju32]

We have contests up with these guys.
And Temari has made it clear that there are things they are hiding for tactical advantage; I see no reason to come entirely clean at this time.
Will be back for a full analysis later.

[X]Normal sensor info only.

 

[FurikoMaru]

What do the two options mean here? I know we're better than a normal sensor, but we don't seem to have a really good handle on what's happening down there anyway. How terrible is a normal sensor's view of the fight?

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In this fog, a normal sensor would be able to tell where Lee is, and how injured he is. You can hear roughly where Haku is, where Lee is, how they're holding up, what their emotional states are, how much chakra they're burning, and how much chakra they have left.

Hmm. Does Menka have a better view of the fight? I can't find anything about cats' fog vision, but demonstrating our ability to speak cat should add to the confusion.

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It's my understanding cats don't have any special fog-vision.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

[X] Hey, they're allies, and at this point in the exam your sensing isn't really something to keep secret anymore. Tell them everything you can hear.

Eh. I'm torn on this because my natural instinct is to keep our cards close to the chest when it comes our sensing and essentially being a walking lie detector. It's a useful skill.

On the other hand, they've been surprisingly upfront and Gaara is straight up letting us take his blood despite knowing we're probably gonna be doing something underhanded with it. We may be able to bargain our services and insight in exchange for favors and intel, if not on them then on others.

Furiko, can you tell us what Inoichi and others would think of us revealing how much we can sense, Ino's idea of the risks/rewards?

 

[FurikoMaru]

Furiko, can you tell us what Inoichi and others would think of us revealing how much we can sense, Ino's idea of the risks/rewards?

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Well, if you're open with Suna, they'll be more open with you; Gaara'll push for it, Kankuro is kind of going back and forth on whether to distrust you, and Temari is just bad at hiding intel in the first place - you'll notice her phrasing when she told off Gaara reveals that Kankuro is a gunman before Gaara does.

If you shut them out, Kankuro might be able to tell you're lying, which could hurt future interactions with the siblings.

Inoichi wouldn't want you to reveal you can hear tenketsu or emotional states, but other than that, the Yamanaka being sensors is a known thing, so it's not a huge deal now that your name is out in the open for the slow children.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Alright, now I definitely don't want to hold back. Not sure I want to reveal emotional states, which seems to fall under 'everything', and tenketsu isn't relevant here, but now I favor more honesty if only to get a better in with them. They're valuable allies and Gaara's a goddamn beast in combat. We'll want to work with them rather than against them, maybe an in with gunsmithing and production, and having them as all around contacts.

Good relations with the budding super trio is a very good thing. Let's go for it.

 

[uju32]

[X] Down in the hollow

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No fair; you included a link.

You suppress a grin. Oh, someone is terrified as shit. As expected of a Kiri-nin, he isn't letting it show on his face, but his chakra tells the whole story; he's barely holding it together. Even if you weren't a sensor, he's obviously trying to goad Lee into showing off as much as possible - salvaging a bad match up by getting more data out of it.

Click to shrink...

Sound has two sensors left, right?
With Ino, that makes 3 sensors left in the exam.
Which makes it unlikely that Haku is using some chakra-masking/distorting technique.

And I note that Ino can hear seals; wonder if she can hear their contents?
Or learn to?

Add to that the stuff he's been learning from Gai's summons lately, and the fact that Gai has apparently given Lee permission to go into the fight without his weights, and there's not a doubt in your mind - barring this kid actually being a legit Yuki clan member, he's done like dinner.

Click to shrink...

What would a fast, Fire affinity CQC fighter learn from TURTLES?
I'm intrigued.

"Please, Haku-san," Lee replies with a smile, either not noticing the intentionally provocative phrasing or not caring (your money is on the latter, knowing Lee), "there is nothing to apologize for. I entered these exams specifically to test myself against strong opponents."
"I see..." The smile is returned. "I'm sure you will be satisfied, Lee-kun."

Click to shrink...

Lee calls him -san, and Haku calls hum -kun.
Nice application of psywarfare there.
Too bad Lee is too thick skinned for it to work.

"Begin!"
Suiton: Kirigakure no Jutsu - Hiding In Mist Technique!
Abruptly, the bottom half of the arena fills with mist, obscuring the combatants and proctor completely.

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*checks*
That requires surprisingly little water to pull off; less than a glass, if a quick googling is right.
Huh.

"Idiot," Temari snickers. "He's giving away his position every time he opens his yap."

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You're taking entirely the wrong lesson from that.
Maybe it's because he hasn't need to, yeah?

Hinata, meanwhile, has her Byakugan going, and is in murmured conversation with Chouji and - apparently - Mokona. The three of them seem to be shocked about something, and you can't quite hide your grin. Seems you were right - Lee's actually managed it, if only in part.
"Hey," Gaara says, nudging you (and almost giving you a heart attack), "you're a sensor, right? Give us the low-down; what's happening?"

Click to shrink...

This requires more thought.
I don't think even our friends understand quite how sensitive our sensing is; pretty sure Hinata is unaware we can hear tenketsu.

 

[Selias]

He also shot Kiba. I feel like I need to keep mentioning this

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Kiba shot him first, and Gaara made sure to shoot him in a place that didn't do any lasting damage, even though Kiba shot him in the stomach.

 

[uju32]

*snip*

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QUESTION
How many of our friends and teammates are aware of how sensitive our sensing is?
Any of them know we can sense emotional states? Tenketsu?

 

[FurikoMaru]

QUESTION
How many of our friends and teammates are aware of how sensitive our sensing is?
Any of them know we can sense emotional states? Tenketsu?

Click to shrink...

Your teammates know you can sense emotional states, but only your dad, Menka and the other cats know you can hear tenketsu. If the Hyuuga found out, that would potentially be kind of... bad.

 

[uju32]

Your teammates know you can sense emotional states, but only your dad, Menka and the other cats you can hear tenketsu. If the Hyuuga found out, that would potentially be kind of... bad.

Click to shrink...

Teammates know about emotional states, but not our close friends.
And no one knows about tenketsu.
Yup.
Keeping this to ourself.

[X]Tell them only as much as a normal sensor would be able to hear.
No problem with range, chakra and such.
But nothing about tenketsu or emotional sensing.

 

[Jack Trade]

[X] Hey, they're allies, and at this point in the exam your sensing isn't really something to keep secret anymore. Tell them everything you can hear.

 

[FurikoMaru]

Teammates know about emotional states, but not our close friends.

Click to shrink...

Oh, crap, no, your friends know you can do that, too. Be kind of ridiculous if Shikamaru and Chouji didn't figure that out sooner or later, and Hinata and Sasuke aren't exactly unobservant.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Le sigh.

Furiko, if we choose the first option, are we really going to tell them we can hear tenketsu out of the blue? I very much doubt it and would really like to not get caught in a lie by Kankuro, thus sabotaging a very potentially fruitful relationship.

Also, Gaara and sibs may have fought Suigetsu in the Forest, or otherwise have info on him, and I'd like to forward that info to Ami should she fight him.

Teammates know about emotional states, but not our close friends.
And no one knows about tenketsu.
Yup.
Keeping this to ourself.

[X]Tell them only as much as a normal sensor would be able to hear.
No problem with range, chakra and such.
But nothing about tenketsu or emotional sensing.

Click to shrink...

So...same as your first vote then.

 

[FurikoMaru]

Furiko, if we choose the first option, are we really going to tell them we can hear tenketsu out of the blue?

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No, but you won't specifically hide clues that would indicate to someone paying attention for them that you can.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

No, but you won't specifically hide clues that would indicate to someone paying attention for them that you can.

Click to shrink...

Kind of annoying that a middle ground wasn't included then. If we make one to exclude how we hear tenketsu but emotional states are fine because Yamanaka, will that fly or is that going to have holes in it? With less lying and more, "Can't say, sorry."

Or would people have to be deliberately wondering if we can hear tenketsu before it would even occur to them?

 

[FurikoMaru]

Or would people have to be deliberately wondering if we can hear tenketsu before it would even occur to them?

Click to shrink...

That, pretty much. Honestly, if you pick the honest option you still aren't going to be blabbing everything about yourself, you're just going to give them an informed report of the situation. From the situation as you see it, they might be able to put together that you can hear tenketsu or they might not. None of them have extensive medical training, so it's not certain they've ever even heard of tenketsu.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

....Eh, we're probably going to end up using ghetto jyuuken eventually. This is hardly less damning than that. This would basically be the same kind of informed report we'd give our teammates, friends, and sensei?

 

[FurikoMaru]

More or less.

 

[Scia]

[X] Tell them only as much as a normal sensor would be able to hear.

I upgrade my voite to one where we hear emotional states also if someone gets some traction for that going on.

 

[Serous]

[X] Tell them only as much as a normal sensor would be able to hear.

I upgrade my voite to one where we hear emotional states also if someone gets some traction for that going on.

Click to shrink...

That's basically the first option.

Speaking of which
[X] Hey, they're allies, and at this point in the exam your sensing isn't really something to keep secret anymore. Tell them everything you can hear.

 

[iamnuff]

[X] Hey, they're allies, and at this point in the exam your sensing isn't really something to keep secret anymore. Tell them everything you can hear.


honestly, unless Haku's tenketsu start singing Christmas carols, then its probably not going to come up.