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Cosmos Quest (Naruto/Lupin III)

I feel kinda bad about it myself, but I can't think of a single reason Sarutobi wouldn't put the only Uchiha left with the only Sharingan user left. :(

Don't worry, Asuma's fun in his own way.
 
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FurikoMaru said:
I feel kinda bad about it myself, but I can't think of a single reason Sarutobi wouldn't put the only Uchiha left with the only Sharingan user left. :(
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Better no dedicated Sharingan instructor than condemning the last Uchiha to Kakashi?

S'not like Kakashi ever taught Sasuke much with regards to it.
 
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Leeeeet's not speculate on future events according to canon please.

[X] Go after Dad.
-> [X] Tell him about your team assignment and "pretend" you didn't see what just happened.

Pretend i.e. make it extremely obvious that you did but you're not going to bring it up unless he does.
 
FurikoMaru said:
I feel kinda bad about it myself, but I can't think of a single reason Sarutobi wouldn't put the only Uchiha left with the only Sharingan user left. :(

Don't worry, Asuma's fun in his own way.
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Nothing wrong with the monk-ninja.

[X] Chouji, Shika, break! Meet up and compare notes, after.
[X] Go after Dad.
-> [X] Holy crap, dad.

I mean, I know Inoichi is a badass ninja and everything but he's kinda... pretty. And runs a flower shop. You know?

Edit: Huh. Thinking about it, I wonder if Shikaku made a recommendation to the Hokage vis a vis team assignments.
 
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Shikaku got laid out because Shikaku almost certainly knew the odd team assignments but probably didn't tell Inoichi and instead delivered a coup. If Shikaku saw the current dynamics and made it himself, doubly so.

His reasoning is probably along the lines of: "Ino and Chouji are incompatible. Putting Shikamaru with one alienates the other. To make the best of a bad situation, I split them up. Deal with it."

Inoichi probably sees that. But he, like Ino, was probably hoping to see their children together and the team and work together despite their differences. Shikaku shattered that dream before it had a chance and cut the losses.

So Shikaku gets decked. And if Inoichi didn't get it, no way would he have walked away. Given his attitude right now he'd probably press the point until he got satisfaction.
 
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[X] Go with Chouji and Shika to talk to Shikaku and Yoshino-angel. And hey, is that Chouza-san?
 
[3] Go after Dad.
-> [2] Ask what the hell that was about.
-> [1] Tell him about your team assignment and pretend you didn't see what just happened.
[3] Go with Chouji and Shika to talk to Shikaku and Yoshino-angel. And hey, is that Chouza-san?
 
[X] Go after Dad.
-> [X] Ask what the hell that was about.

This way we get the most info the quickest way - Chouji and Shika interrogate Shikaku, we question our own father. Then we compare notes. This is more efficient.
 
[X] Go after Dad.
-> [X] Ask what the hell that was about.
 
I'm in with the direct option Furiko, if it comes down to mattering vs the sticking with the Nara's option.
 
[X] Go with Chouji and Shika to talk to Shikaku and Yoshino-angel. And hey, is that Chouza-san?
 
[X] Go after Dad.
-> [X] Ask what the hell that was about.
 
[X] Go after Dad.
-> [X] Ask what the hell that was about.
 
Aw, damn, you guys just had to pick the boring side that doesn't work as a dialogue. Time to cheat.

[X] Family Meetings

"I'll catch up with you later and we'll compare notes," Ino tells you, and you nod as she zips off at top speed. You wonder briefly where on earth she gets the energy to move like that.

Shikamaru, having got his emotions back under control, strolls casually over to where his father lies in the garden, and prods him with a foot.

"Get up, old man," he says, "you aren't fooling anyone."

"Shut up, boy, this is the closest thing I'm going to get to a nap today."

"Shikaku!" a voice calls from inside the house. "If you're done rough-housing with the dirty hippie you can come back in here and help me chop up vegetables for the stew."

"Are you okay, Shikaku-san?" you ask timidly.

"I'm fine," Shikaku says placidly, getting to his feet. "I hurt him worse, I think."

"I guess you told him the team assignments?" Shikamaru asks grimly.

Shikaku shakes his head. "He already knew that. What I told him is that I recommended it."

"What?" you blurt out. "Why? Why would you do that?"

"Because I've known all three of you for all of your lives," the scarred man says, leading the two of you inside, "and I know what a waste it would be to have Shikamaru and Ino on the same team."

"Waste?" You feel stung. "A waste for who? What about the Ino-Shika-Cho bond?"

Shikaku-san looks at Dad, who to your surprise is seated at the Nara's kitchen table.

"Chouji..." he says with a sigh. "The Alliance was forged in the Warring Clan era. If it survived that, it can survive Ino-chan not being on your genin team."

You bite your lip. "But... she's our friend!"

"Is she."

... Shikamaru's dad's eyes are kind of creepy when he stares like that. He isn't angry, and he isn't disappointed, and he isn't sad. He's just... watching.

Shikamaru watches, too, but that's different; it's more like he's just paying close attention. When Shikaku's eyes linger somewhere they're almost sucking in whatever they're looking at.

You try not to blink.

"So what if we don't hang out so much anymore?" you say defensively. "We grew up together, all three of us! We belong on the same squad!"

"What do you think friendship means, Chouji?" the Jounin Commander asks calmly. "Because if you think it comes down to just being around someone all the time, then you really don't understand the Ino-Shika-Cho bond at all."

The words sting, not least because you know they're true. But I thought we could be done being apart now, you think miserably.

You're the only one who thought you needed to be apart in the first place, comes the bitter reply.

Shikamaru takes a step forward. "If you think Chouji and Ino can't work together-"

"Oh, hell no. The problem is you," Shikaku says flatly. His son looks flabberghasted.

You blink. "Wait, that doesn't make any sense. Shikamaru and Ino always work together really well."

"Exactly." Shikaku crosses the kitchen to the fridge, ignores his wife's meaningful look at the unchopped carrots and potatoes, and gets himself a beer. "They trust each other perfectly. And nine times out of ten, the way they end up working 'together' is by working apart, because they understand that their play styles are incompatible." He nods at his son, passing another beer to your Dad. "Even down to how you handled this situation. I'm guessing Ino walked home with you two, but went off after Inoichi when he left, right?"

"Genin perform concurrent investigations all the time in pursuit of mission objectives," Shikamaru points out.

"Is that what you told Ino?" Shikaku asks. "Or did she chase down her father on her own initiative, and tell you two to come talk to us?" He smirks a bit. "For someone who claims girls are troublesome, you're awfully... what was your word...? Whipped."

The boy scowls. "What does it matter if she's bossy? If Ino wants the leadership position on the squad she can have it; we sure as hell don't care, do we, Chouji?"

You want to shake your head. You ought to, because you know you don't want to be in charge; not yet. You do daydream from time to time about taking on a genin squad of your own as a jounin-sensei, but that's in the far-off future when you've gotten some field experience and are settling into adulthood along with your friends. Besides, you can't imagine ever telling Shikamaru what to do - half the time you don't know what to do yourself, and he's who you ask for help. You know you aren't ready for even the minimal decision-making being an unofficial leader requires.

But when you think of the kind of decisions Ino makes...

You look at your feet.

"It matters," Yoshino speaks up, scraping chopped onions and garlic into the pot on the stove, "because out of thirty members of your graduating class, precisely two students have been noted to already possess the primary qualities necessary for promotion to chuunin rank and by extension a leadership position. Yamanaka Ino, and Nara Shikamaru." She's obviously trying to break the news gently, but she cannot suppress the faint note of pride that creeps into her voice when she says her son's name.

Shikaku sighs. "That document is cl-"

"What 'document'?" She snorts. "Five pages out of an unruly heap of paper on your desk that you leave out for your wife to clean up do not constitute a document, you idiot, classified or otherwise. Not in a civilized society."

"I had everything laid out perfectly before," Shikaku mutters, scratching his arm. "Now any jackass who can crack a substitution cypher can come into my den and read whatever he wants."

"The point is," Dad cuts in before the argument can get off the ground, "it isn't in the best interest of the village or even the Alliance to put Shikamaru on the same team as Ino. When we joined Konohagakure we swore an oath to serve it to the best of our abilities. If we hoard every genius our lines produce, we could all go the way of the Uchiha, mistrusted and self-focused until we're destroyed from within."

"... this is such a drag," Shikamaru grumbles. If anything, you consider this an understatement. You don't quite get all that sudden talk about it somehow being bad for two team mates to trust each other, but you do know now that this obviously isn't a recommendation that Shikaku-san made lightly.

That doesn't really make you feel all that much better.

"So what made Inoichi-san so mad?" you ask finally. "If this is such a great plan, why doesn't Ino's dad agree?"

Shikaku snorts. "What am I, his fist's personal translator? Ask him."

"I think the best thing you boys could do right now," Dad says firmly, eyeing Shikaku, "is to go find your third team mate and spend the rest of the day with her. She's probably feeling lonely right now."

With a jolt, you realize he's right. The three of you ran off without so much as a word to Hinata the minute school was out.

Huh. You're really getting good at abandoning people, aren't you? the voice inside your head remarks nastily.

~tsuzuku~
 
I agree Shika doesn't steal with Ino but they still hangout the one who chose not to spend time together is Choji
 
I was talking about how he was beating himself up. He's going to feel even worse when he realizes that Ino doesn't hold it against him.
 
I don't think it's Chouji's fault his entire village is full of fair-playin' direct-assaultin' battle wizards who encourage the twin ideals of affection and loyalty, instead of, y'know... shinobi. Ino hasn't entirely caught on to the full implications of what ninja-ing means either, eh?
 
FurikoMaru said:
I don't think it's Chouji's fault his entire village is full of fair-playin' direct-assaultin' battle wizards who encourage the twin ideals of affection and loyalty, instead of, y'know... shinobi. Ino hasn't entirely caught on to the full implications of what ninja-ing means either, eh?
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Yeah...I don't see 'upholding the law' in there; like, at all. So yeah, still think his self-loathing is justified.
 
Huh. Thought loyalty covered that pretty well. It's okay to steal from foreigners in the field, of course, but Leaf civilians are our fragile little woogiekins and we've got to protect what's ours, etc.

To a certain extent, being Lupin and hence a big ol' softy, Ino agrees. She's just a little shaky on the concept of property rights is all. She wouldn't take bread out of a hungry man's hands or anything.

Unless he pissed her off.

Or if it'd be funny.

Or if there's a boy/girl involved.
 
Nice one.

Chouji cares about Ino, but he doesn't trust her to make good decisions. Which is fair really, Lupin kinda plays it fast and loose.

Makes a great story, but it's not for everyone.

And I even understand Inoichi, or think I do: because happiness matters more to Yamanaka than the nebulous greater good
 
Wow, did voters confirm Shikaku's assessment accidentally or did you throw it in? Because I gotta say, if it was us just confirming Shikaku's assessment then wow.
 
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Hymn of Ragnarok said:
Wow, did voters confirm Shikaku's assessment accidentally or did you throw it in? Because I gotta say, if it was us just confirming Shikaku's assessment then wow.
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Well, it actually makes sense when you think about it. I can see what Shikaku meant. And, from resource-management logic, it really is a waste to put Shikamaru and Ino on the same squad.
 
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Yog said:
Well, it actually makes sense when you think about it. I can see what Shikaku meant. And, from resource-management logic, it really is a waste to put Shikamaru and Ino on the same squad.
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Never said he was wrong. But if this was the planned reasoning ahead of time then Shikaku, and therefore Furiko, has our number. Which is pretty impressive and the signs of a good manipulator.

And, in my opinion, a good GM. :p
 
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Hymn of Ragnarok said:
Wow, did voters confirm Shikaku's assessment accidentally or did you throw it in? Because I gotta say, if it was us just confirming Shikaku's assessment then wow.
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Well obviously if you'd voted to go with Shika and Chouji to see his dad first, I couldn't put that in as an example. But yeah, Shikaku was always going to question whether it's smart to put both the twelve-year-olds who know basically how to work out a plan of attack on the same team.

Being a slacker like his son, Shikaku is really the one of the three dads who sees the kids the most. Chouza has a business empire and a spyring to manage, and Inoichi as you know leaves for work at 5 am just so in the evening he can get three hours, maybe four to be at home with his wife and daughter before aforesaid munchkin has to 'sleep'.

But Shikaku is home in the afternoons. He taught you and his son how to play shogi. He saw the way you went out of your way to forge strong friendships not just with Shikamaru and Chouji, but with every friend you had, damn near. He saw that in social interactions with people your own age, both you and Shika displayed the usual 'upper-hand' that mature kids have, but that when push comes to shove Shika is just too unfussed to be in charge if you're there to do it (partially because he's lazy, but mostly because he's just a better team-player than you are). He saw the way from time-to-time you'll second-guess yourself because you want to hear Shika's opinion before you keep going. He even noticed that you're a chronic shoplifter and that's why Chouji broke things off with you, something none of the other parents know.

In short, he knows the situation about as well as I do, as the puppetmaster.

He remembers his own Ino-Shika-Cho. He knows that the reason it worked and continues to work is because everyone fits together nicely; he's the Spock, Chouza's the Kirk, and Inoichi's the McCoy*. You three, on the other hand, have a leader-strategist, a leader-tactician, and a rather naive heavy-hitter in the making. That's just not balanced effectively - it leaves either Shikamaru or Ino behind on some occasions and reduces Chouji to a dumb-muscle role. That isn't fair to any one of the kids and is particularly unfair to non-Ino-Shika-Cho genin, who'd be cut off from Shika and Ino as potential resources in a business where a lack of resources can get people killed.

So yeah, making the choice you did just confirmed Shikaku's theory.

* Does anyone else think the Nara would be Star Trek nerds if Star Trek existed in Naruto?
 
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