Cosmos Quest (Naruto/Lupin III)

[uju32]

....Nope, not ringing a bell there.

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Take my word for it then.
If you would like the chapter, I could probably track it down.

Rasengan is a bunch of whirling chakra in our hand, yes? It happens to be really good at shredding stuff. And unlike a lot of other moves, this hunk of chakra is still right next to our hand. The energy doesn't magically get expended hitting someone but not before, it's gonna be expended moving it.
If the trick to Rasengan, and I honestly don't recall details (you have no idea how sleep drunk I am right now, I can't even be arsed to look at the wikia right now), is always outputting that much chakra throughout and having it swirl as it expends itself, no dice. If it's put out a lot of chakra, then spin that hunk of chakra, then that means some chakra is not being used. It's essentially some whirling construct. So, instead of letting it disperse after you're done with it, suck it back in.

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Basically consider the Rasengan as a bomb.
As long as it's still in your hand, it hasn't gone off.
It's possible to test it on a target and not expend it totally; Kakashi did that once against Naruto's, because his(Kakashi's) was weaker.
But it's designed to blow entirely, not leave something you can recycle.

Basically, if you're gonna get any effect, you have to expend the entire thing.
Get some sleep dude.

 

[iamnuff]

Take my word for it then.
If you would like the chapter, I could probably track it down.
Basically consider the Rasengan as a bomb.
As long as it's still in your hand, it hasn't gone off.
It's possible to test it on a target and not expend it totally; Kakashi did that once against Naruto's, because his(Kakashi's) was weaker.
But it's designed to blow entirely, not leave something you can recycle.

Basically, if you're gonna get any effect, you have to expend the entire thing.
Get some sleep dude.

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I thought it was supposed to be a drill? to grind against your enemy?

its terribly inefficient anyway, why a ball? probably so naruto never has to be shown killing someone.

a wedge or drill shape would be better.

if we create a "reuse-able A-rank jutsu" then we will probably have to home-brew it. anyway, we don't need to an A-rank melee technique.

snap our tessen closed, then coat the whole thing in wind thrust with it and it will probably go through steel.

open the fan and coat with winds for a cutting tool.

who knows what ranton would even do? shockcut?

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Take my word for it then.
If you would like the chapter, I could probably track it down.

Click to shrink...

Eh, I could probably find it, but it's not exactly equivalent to Time Braid. Sakura there wasn't exactly human, which complicates things.

Basically consider the Rasengan as a bomb.
As long as it's still in your hand, it hasn't gone off.
It's possible to test it on a target and not expend it totally; Kakashi did that once against Naruto's, because his(Kakashi's) was weaker.
But it's designed to blow entirely, not leave something you can recycle.

Basically, if you're gonna get any effect, you have to expend the entire thing.

Click to shrink...

I remember it more like iamnuff describes, with the grinding effect. Unless you're just doing a metaphor to describe it as it's supposed to expend itself afterwards in which case...eh. I couldn't argue competently right now if I tried. Still think there's potential to be abused there, but eh.

Get some sleep dude.

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No can do, even if I really want to. My day's not over yet.

 

[uju32]

I thought it was supposed to be a drill? to grind against your enemy?

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It's described as a drill, true.
It functions more like a bomb; set it against your target, and it goes off.
Once you set it off, no take backs.

Unlike Chidori, which is a cutter, and is an adjunct to the thrusting action of the arm.

its terribly inefficient anyway, why a ball? probably so naruto never has to be shown killing someone.

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That, or chakra magic; take your pick.
I lean towards chakra magic myself, given that the Rasengan is a downsized bijuudama, and designed along the same principles for max effect.

if we create a "reuse-able A-rank jutsu" then we will probably have to home-brew it. anyway, we don't need to an A-rank melee technique.
snap our tessen closed, then coat the whole thing in wind thrust with it and it will probably go through steel.

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I disagree about need.
There was a reason why the Rasengan was supposedly reverse engineered from a bijuu bomb; the evaluation of it versus the Chidori indicates it punches way above it's apparent weight.

And iff/when we need it, we'll be dealing with stuff hardier than steel anyway.

open the fan and coat with winds for a cutting tool.
who knows what ranton would even do? shockcut?

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I'm more interested in finding out what Ranton would do if mixed into a Rasengan.

Eh, I could probably find it, but it's not exactly equivalent to Time Braid. Sakura there wasn't exactly human, which complicates things.

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Point.
We'll see though.

I remember it more like iamnuff describes, with the grinding effect. Unless you're just doing a metaphor to describe it as it's supposed to expend itself afterwards in which case...eh. I couldn't argue competently right now if I tried. Still think there's potential to be abused there, but eh.

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Perhaps.
We'll see what we can think of.

No can do, even if I really want to. My day's not over yet.

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Ouch.
My sympathies.

 

[Silversun17]

i wonder if we could make a derivative technique; just use the spin and power stages to make a drill shape around our fist when punching should be a little bit more power efficient even though the overall damage will be lower.

 

[iamnuff]

i wonder if we could make a derivative technique; just use the spin and power stages to make a drill shape around our fist when punching should be a little bit more power efficient even though the overall damage will be lower.

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probably shred our hand, that's why i suggested using a (closed) metal fan instead, and if we go that far, then we might as well just settle for a blade rather than a drill, with wind-charka, it would basically be the same thing anyway.


as for the mini-bijudama thing, powerful or not, it blows up and knocks people around, but rarely kills anyone and is massively power intensive.

Wind chakra spike would punch through basically anything armour, and its a lot less power intensive.

granted, we won't be blocking any jutsu with our wind-needle, like how naruto can go head to head with another rasengan, or the chidori and try to over-power it, but thats not really our style anyway.


the way i see it, the rasengan is a very...robust technique, the round shape means you can crush things with it, even other jutsu, but that takes more power than we have, something nice and small, something simple, but efficient, would probably suit us better.

A knife is faster than a hammer. less raw force, and it won't be knocking any walls down, but it can kill just as well.

 

[Vindictus]

If we were Wind element, I'd suggest working on pure element/form manipulation rather than any specific technique.

Mostly because it would let you 'fake' any technique you could possibly think of. And then some.

Not quite sure if that could work with our current element, possibly because we've never used it and as such I have only the vaguest idea of how to game it it works.

 

[FurikoMaru]

[X] She comes and goes and comes and goes like no one can

You shake your head. Has he completely forgotten that you guys are supposed to be ninja? Danger is what you do. "It's not like disaster's just going to go away." You smile at him, trying to get him to lighten up. "Life's more fun when you meet it head on."

The heartache is visible on his face, now.

Yare yare. I wouldn't be a teenager again if you paid me fifty trillion dollars.

"Gai-sensei," Neji says, turning desperately to his teacher, "please."

Tenten looks away, grimacing, giving off waves of sympathy and embarrassment. Lee's head turns back and forth between Gai and Neji uncertainly.

"Neji," Gai says finally, "your desire to protect your comrades does you credit. But I am your commanding officer, not Ino's. It is for she and Asuma to determine if she is to be permitted to face Gaara. We must not interfere. That goes for you as well, Lee."

"Yes, sensei."

Way to pass the buck, Gai.

"... yes, sensei," Neji says bitterly, humiliated.

A change of subject is definitely in order, you decide.

"So, Kiba. Which bullet did you want and why?"

"What? Oh! Mine," Kiba says, shifting uncomfortably. "I thought if we could prove he can be cut, and if we had a sample of his blood, we could have sis and her friends analyze it and give you some hints on what poisons he's immune to and which ones he isn't." He eyes Menka's collar, still in Gai's hand. "But given whatever the hell that's about, I'm thinking I completely wasted my time." He sounds pissed about that, and well might he.

"Well, we can give it a shot, anyway," you say optimistically, examining the reddened little ball of lead. "Odds are they'll find something."

There is an anxious jangle of chakra.

... yep, Gai definitely knows. Whatever it is.

Seems like everyone in this exam's got secrets.

[X] You should head back to the exam room. Don't want to miss the next fight.
-> [X] Ask for Gaara's bullet back?

[X] Unless you have something else you want to discuss, with...
-> [X] Ami (Write-in)
-> [X] Kiba (Write-in)
-> [X] Gai (Write-in)
-> [X] Lee (Write-in)
-> [X] Neji (Write-in)
-> [X] Tenten (Write-in)

 

[uju32]

If we were Wind element, I'd suggest working on pure element/form manipulation rather than any specific technique.
Mostly because it would let you 'fake' any technique you could possibly think of. And then some.
Not quite sure if that could work with our current element, possibly because we've never used it and as such I have only the vaguest idea of how to game it it works.

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We have a dual affinity: Wind and Water.
That combines to give Ranton.

as for the mini-bijudama thing, powerful or not, it blows up and knocks people around, but rarely kills anyone and is massively power intensive.

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In other words, you have it entirely wrong.
Minato Namikaze only pulled out the Rasengan when he certainly, absolutely had to kill someone.
The fact that Naruto never killed anyone with it was a factor of it being shounen; when a thirteen year old's first Rasengan is powerful enough to exhaust the regeneration ability of a jounin class nukenin who had just gone toe-to-toe with Tsunade, you know it's a fuckterrifying technique.

I mean, ninja aren't stupid; if the Yondaime used it as a signature technique against S-class opponents like Tobi, it's because it really is that deadly.
You might as well level the same lethality accusation at Tsunade's ground-exploding punches, or pretty much every jutsu used in Naruto by the protagonists against living opponents.
This is the Narutoverse; physics does not work the way you think it does.

 

[Scia]

-> Neji (Write-in)
Hmh Tease him to lighten the mood?

 

[uju32]

*winces*
Ow.
Congrats, Furiko, on writing a situation so cringeworthy; I knew that boy, or someone very much like him once.
My immediate reflex is to eject, eject eject.
I think I'll walk away for a while before voting; maybe I can think of some reason to vote for something else.

 

[FurikoMaru]

*winces*
Ow.
Congrats, Furiko, on writing a situation so cringeworthy; I knew that boy, or someone very much like him once.

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I've been that boy (only, you know, with boobs). And for far less reason than Neji has. ^_^;

 

[Vindictus]

We have a dual affinity: Wind and Water.
That combines to give Ranton.

Click to shrink...

... Looking back, you're right.

Which means we can TOTALLY use Wind element Chakra Strings for monofilament wire bullshit. If we get our Chakra Capacity up, we'll even be able to use the REALLY haxx bullshit that high level Form/Element manipulation makes available.

 

[Unclouded]

[X] You should head back to the exam room. Don't want to miss the next fight.
-> [X] Ask for Gaara's bullet back if Guy-sensei allows.

Interested in the other fights and always best to have firsthand experience with the competition.

 

[Selias]

[X] You should head back to the exam room. Don't want to miss the next fight.

 

[uju32]

... Looking back, you're right.
Which means we can TOTALLY use Wind element Chakra Strings for monofilament wire bullshit. If we get our Chakra Capacity up, we'll even be able to use the REALLY haxx bullshit that high level Form/Element manipulation makes available.

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Rasengan is Shape/Form manipulation.
I suspect pretty much every A-rank ninjutsu technique incorporates both Shape and Nature transformation; my head canon is that if it looks like an animal/creature, it incorporates both.
Which means every Dragon ninjutsu.

I've been that boy (only, you know, with boobs). And for far less reason than Neji has. ^_^;

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*cringes*

Yup, I've slept on it, and my inclination is STILL to run away.

Yeah, I know I know she's the smooth talker.
But given that Ino only found out there was something here like thirty minutes ago?
Even Lupin wasn't perfect; there's a damn good reason we need Fujiko.
Nor am I sure we want to talk to him with an audience anyway.

And besides, while they hash out relationship drama, they miss the fight, something it might do with reminding Neji as SOMEONE will face Deidara's star student.
On the bright side, Tenten's reaction means she doesn't have a particular crush on him, which would have complicated things further.

[X] You should head back to the exam room. Don't want to miss the next fight.
-> [X] Ask for Gaara's bullet back?
Definitely ask for the bullet back; say you want to show it to your father, and maybe another specialist.
Watching him dispose of it with your senses should be informative.
Even if Gai refuses to give it back, HOW he refuses(and what reason he uses) should be informative.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

So is Gai saying they can't fight Gaara, or just that there's nothing they can do to stop Ino?

I'm not sure whether Neji was begging Gai to let him fight or to keep Ino from fighting in that last exchange.



EDIT: And hey Furiko! Does Gaara sleep in this continuity? Or does Ino know/hear rumors about him being an insomniac?

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Two things:

First, was fifty trillion dollars a reference to the fifty trillion zimbabwean dollar bill? It sounded like a reference so I looked it up. This seems like a long shot but I figured I'd ask.

Also, holy fuck that's some horrendous inflation. They are printing banknotes in the trillions of dollars!



Second point, I'm wondering if we may need to get out of here before Gai thinks to demand the other bullet back and just say something like, "That's classified." It'd be completely lacking in subtlety but Gai can probably come up with something better, a lot better, and then no bullet. Or he doesn't bother since apparently fangirls take Gaara's blood anyway and Gaara gave it willingly.

 

[FurikoMaru]

So is Gai saying they can't fight Gaara, or just that there's nothing they can do to stop Ino?

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Both. He's already ordered them not to fight Gaara and he never repealed that order. He's a nice guy, so he didn't interrupt Ino's little attempt to placate the boys with a compromise, but he's not going to suddenly think his charges fighting a fully-actualized demon container is a perfectly fine idea.

I'm not sure whether Neji was begging Gai to let him fight or to keep Ino from fighting in that last exchange.

Click to shrink...

Either. Gai just addressed what he knew was Neji's main concern.

EDIT: And hey Furiko! Does Gaara sleep in this continuity? Or does Ino know/hear rumors about him being an insomniac?

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Temari: I think Dad wishes it was just insomnia. When Gaara's working he sometimes goes days without sleeping and it doesn't seem to affect him, but then when he gets back from a mission he either falls into bed and mooches around his apartment for a week without getting dressed, or he can't wind down and decides to 'make his own fun'.

Two things:

First, was fifty trillion dollars a reference to the fifty trillion zimbabwean dollar bill? It sounded like a reference so I looked it up. This seems like a long shot but I figured I'd ask.

Click to shrink...

Not a reference, just a big number.

Second point, I'm wondering if we may need to get out of here before Gai thinks to demand the other bullet back and just say something like, "That's classified." It'd be completely lacking in subtlety but Gai can probably come up with something better, a lot better, and then no bullet. Or he doesn't bother since apparently fangirls take Gaara's blood anyway and Gaara gave it willingly.

Click to shrink...

Temari: God you Konoha-nin are jumpy about jinchuuriki.

 

[uju32]

Temari: I think Dad wishes it was just insomnia. When Gaara's working he sometimes goes days without sleeping and it doesn't seem to affect him, but then when he gets back from a mission he either falls into bed and mooches around his apartment for a week without getting dressed, or he can't wind down and decides to 'make his own fun'.

Click to shrink...

That sounds like Dante.
Probably involving ice cream, given the Suna climate.
A much better family life than canon, I must say.

Temari: God you Konoha-nin are jumpy about jinchuuriki.

Click to shrink...

Ino: What's a jinchuurikki?
Temari:.............

There has got to be a huge freaking hole in the Konoha academic curriculum if Ino the history buff doesn't know about the other eight bijuu, and how they were traded away by Hashirama.
I mean, especially given that one of the Third Raikage's claims to fame was beating the crap out of the Eight Tails.
And one would expect that identification of the "Ohshitrun" targets would have fairly high priority among genin.

Come to think of it, her roomie just happens to own the Uchiha Archives, doesn't he?
What a fortunate coincidence.....

 

[FurikoMaru]

That sounds like Dante.
Probably involving ice cream, given the Suna climate.

Click to shrink...

Temari: Gotta say, having the kind of brother who gets A-rank pay and uses it to hire a private greenhouse to grow strawberries for sundaes and daiquiris? That is the opposite of terrible.

There has got to be a huge freaking hole in the Konoha academic curriculum if Ino the history buff doesn't know about the other eight bijuu, and how they were traded away by Hashirama.

Click to shrink...

I'd say the Academy's curriculum is canonically lacking on the history front, since Sakura is supposed to be the Hermione of the gang and she doesn't know jack about half the relevant stuff later on in the series. At least where the bijuu are concerned there's a reason for them to be excised from textbooks. It only takes one Hyuuga kid to put two and two together and start a rumour about Naruto, after all.

 

[Vindictus]

Temari: Gotta say, having the kind of brother who gets A-rank pay and uses it to hire a private greenhouse to grow strawberries for sundaes and daiquiris? That is the opposite of terrible.

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Well shit, it's strawberries.

I mean, I'd probably do the same. Except maybe with cherries instead.

Cherries are nice.

 

[Silversun17]

Well shit, it's strawberries.

I mean, I'd probably do the same. Except maybe with cherries instead.

Cherries are nice.

Click to shrink...

so we trade some of our cherry stash for some strawberries from Garra?

 

[uju32]

Temari: Gotta say, having the kind of brother who gets A-rank pay and uses it to hire a private greenhouse to grow strawberries for sundaes and daiquiris? That is the opposite of terrible.

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Pimping.
Son of the Kage, powerful shinobi in his own right, makes as much money while genin as a jounin, AND spends it in style?
No wonder he has fangirls.

I'd say the Academy's curriculum is canonically lacking on the history front, since Sakura is supposed to be the Hermione of the gang and she doesn't know jack about half the relevant stuff later on in the series. At least where the bijuu are concerned there's a reason for them to be excised from textbooks. It only takes one Hyuuga kid to put two and two together and start a rumour about Naruto, after all.

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Agreed.
It was one of the dumbest dictates of canon IIRC.
The existence of jinchuuriki in other villages was pretty well known if Rin knew enough to kill herself, and the fact that they threw genin, including clan heirs, into a combat exam with Gaara without as much as a heads up was frankly criminal.
And given that genin do go on missions and hear about other other villages[canon!Gaara had at least one public Kaiju incident in Suna], the lack of basic information about it would look even more suspicious.

I mean, canon!Naruto's secrecy should have lasted precisely as long as it took for him to draw on Kyuubi chakra in the middle of a fighting arena, in the presence of Hyuuga and miscellaneous sensors, from inside and outside the village.
Plot no Jutsu I guess.
Because I can't see any other reason why you would withold that info from genin who run the risk of running into enemy jinch while on missions.
Or even free-running bijuu; the Sanbi was in the wild before capture IIRC.

EDIT
Because I was rooting through my drive

Just change the hair color.

 

[Guile]

I assumed the lack of info on the genins' part was a narrative device to impart info to the audience. But you could have just had Miss Bookworm expositionize Naruto, easy.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

So....if this Quest is bring Furiko, would anyone be opposed to her skipping to the more exciting parts if it keeps her interest?

Even if it means less info, well, it's more of the Quest.

 

[uju32]

So....if this Quest is bring Furiko, would anyone be opposed to her skipping to the more exciting parts if it keeps her interest?

Click to shrink...

I was under the impression she was already doing that.

 

[FurikoMaru]

So....if this Quest is bring Furiko, would anyone be opposed to her skipping to the more exciting parts if it keeps her interest?

Even if it means less info, well, it's more of the Quest.

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Oi. This quest isn't boring. I was just bored last night waiting for more votes.

 

[iamnuff]

Oi. This quest isn't boring. I was just bored last night waiting for more votes.

Click to shrink...

I was hoping you would say that.

[X] You should head back to the exam room. Don't want to miss the next fight.
-> [X] Ask for Gaara's bullet back. (be sure to mention that it really looks like something your father should see)

 

[FurikoMaru]

[X] Blow me away

You get to your feet with a stretch.

"Well, I guess I should be heading back. Ne, Gai-sensei, can I get that bullet back from you? We'll have better luck figuring out a weakness if we have a chakra sample as well as a blood one."

Gai hands the collar over. "Keep it well concealed. If asked, inform people that I confiscated it."

"Gotcha. Later, everyone. Tenten? Stay gold." You look to Ami.

"Go on ahead of me," she says, with a sidelong glance at Kiba. "I still have matters to attend to here."

Ooh, someone's gonna get it.

"What does stay gold even mean?"

=

You're almost back when you hear Sakura scream, "SAYURI-SAN!"

The doors at the end of the hall slam open, and two medic-nin rush by. On the stretcher between them lies Sayuri, unconscious.

Ino, don't look-!

You look.

And turn to the wall to catch your breath and keep yourself from vomiting.

That... that used to be her legs, didn't it?

Ino, don't think about it. You hear me? Don't. Put it in a box and put it aside and we'll deal with it later.

She's got her family waiting for her. What are they going to do? Is she going to be-

Ino.

You try to slow your heartbeat down, and wipe the tears from your eyes. Right. Later.

You know before you're even in the room what the basic lay of the land is. The Konoha-nin are, to varying degrees, angry; Kuyo is apologizing but seems to be more disappointed than anything else; Deidara's probably pulling that soccer-mom routine again, from the sound of things; Ira is trying very hard not to lose his temper; Kibi is upset but probably not making much of a fuss out loud. The Mist nin have apparently left already.

Of the entire occupancy of the room, Sakura is easily the angriest.

The runners up, however, surprise you.

Temari is about how you expected; a bit shaken, but bearing neither good or ill will - for Kuyo or Sayuri. But her brothers are another story.

Well. At least now I know Gaara won't maim me and call it good. That's comforting, I guess.

When you enter the examination hall, you go to

[X] The Sound kids.

[X] The Sand Siblings.

[X] Sakura.

[X] Hinata - by process of elimination, her match with Sakura is next.

[X] Shikamaru and Chouji.

[X] Asuma.