https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ4acnwsESM

You wake up to the light creeping past your curtains and into your room, and you yawn reflexively. It's not particularly early or late compared to your usual wakeup time, but final exams do start today, and you might have been a bit too anxious to sleep as well as you could have. Three straight days of exams would psych anyone out, surely. It's a wonder you slept as well as you did.

As you get dressed and arrange your ninja tools, you notice another factor that may have contributed to your awakening. A nice smell is wafting up from the kitchen downstairs. Someone is cooking breakfast. You have your guess as to who it might be, as well as who it certainly isn't. Within a couple of minutes, you make your way downstairs to confirm your suspicions.

"Good morning, Brother!" A young girl calls from her spot behind the stove as soon as she catches sight of you. "I'm just making omelets for us real quick! I don't want you to be hungry on your exam day!"

This little girl is Sae, your younger sister. Her hair is brown and pinned up in two buns like dango on either side of her head. From what you can tell from old pictures, she's basically the spitting image of your mother when she was a kid. Though she has your father's eyes instead. She goes to the ninja academy just like you, but she's not as far along in the curriculum, naturally.

Despite being two years younger than you, she's already fairly adept at cooking. Must have inherited it from your father somehow, which is quite miraculous given how little time the two of them have managed to spend together. She's actually good enough that your parents trust her to herself, despite still needing to stand on a crate to properly man the stove. Not that they're in any position to stop her, with how often they're gone. The two of you usually eat dinner with your Uncle Keiji at his restaurant, but mornings are Sae's territory.

>A. You mean OUR territory. Pitch in with your own cooking skills

>B. Let her do her thing. Just be a good big brother and watch over her

>C. You wouldn't be caught dead doing the same hobby as your old man, just go over what you need to know for your exam

>D. Write-in

>>6436609
>C. You wouldn't be caught dead doing the same hobby as your old man, just go over what you need to know for your exam

Hoooooooolllllleeeee ssshhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittt...welcome back.

Don't really have the time to participate, but it's always good to see old faces.

Disclaimers:

I have not seen or read any of Boruto anime or manga at all, and don't intend to. I may lift things I want to use from it if I learn of them, but will use them in whatever manner I see fit

Some information revealed in the Minato oneshot is considered non-canon to this quest. It came out after I wrote everything, what are you gonna do?

Holy shit, it's Laze. The Twitter announcement didn't lie. Welcome back! How have the years been treating you?

Disclaimer, it's been so long since I've read LNQ that I don't remember most of it. What do I remember is...

>>6436608
>she's basically the spitting image of your mother when she was a kid
...right. Ninshu shenaniganry... this is either Tenten or Kurotsuchi, right? But I recall Kuro winning so to speak... Did this end up as a two-wife scenario, or is Tenten by herself now?

>B. Let her do her thing. Just be a good big brother and watch over her

>>6436631
>How have the years been treating you?
Could be worse. All my college was a waste of time, didn't get me a job. So I'm just a mailman, now. At least I have a job, so now I can start using my free time for the stuff I really care about

Don't worry too much about the specifics, you can just enjoy the ride as we go

>>6436631
I'm this anon, posting from phone.

>>6436636
Sounds rough. For what it's wish though, I'm in the same boat, so it could definitely be worse.

As you may have noticed, /qst/ is a lot slower than it used to be, and is glacially slow compared to /tg/ in its heyday. Most QMs do one post a day, though more popular ones sometimes post multiple times a day if the board is moving.

I'd recommend getting the word out in the /qtg/ and Discord. I got here through Twitter, but a lot of the old guard aren't around anymore, after all.

And of course, get used to the new speed of the place sooner, rather than later. If this is going to be like that time Mini tried to get Boruto Quest started up, you can expect a slower board in general.

Welcome back, for sure.

>>6436680
It is a bit rough to see. This first bit was planned out to have a whole bunch of choices for the sake of character building, which is quite an ask for a board in this state. I might have to dip into those places to see if there's any interest. Regardless, I plan to at least make a second post tonight before I go to bed

>>6436609
>A. You mean OUR territory. Pitch in with your own cooking skills
I like to cook!
Welcome back, sorry the board's worse for wear, but that's the way of it on the internet - sites turn to dogshit or they get forgotten or sometimes both. This quest seems really cool!

>>6436609
>B. Let her do her thing. Just be a good big brother and watch over her
wow a QM returning after a decade.

>>6436691
Posts are much longer so its possible to squeeze more questions into it.

>>6436609
>A. You mean OUR territory. Pitch in with your own cooking skills

>>6436609
>>B. Let her do her thing. Just be a good big brother and watch over her
Goddamn, it's been years.
>>6436631
>Ninshu shenaniganry... this is either Tenten or Kurotsuchi, right? But I recall Kuro winning so to speak... Did this end up as a two-wife scenario, or is Tenten by herself now?
I'm still mad about Tenten.

File: Ninja Academy.jpg (33 KB, 640x480)

33 KB JPG

>>6436631
>>6436698
>>6436735

You've never been all that much for cooking yourself, but it's nice that Sae has her own hobby that she enjoys. Getting to eat a nice breakfast everyday is also a good bonus.

You watch as she finishes folding all the fixings she likes into her omelet, then does the same for you. She hasn't made any mistakes that made you worry about her for quite a while now, but it never hurts to keep an eye out for her. That's what big brothers are for, after all.

Once the food is ready, you both sit down and eat. You don't have time to take it easy, but neither do you have to rush to make it on schedule. Just enough time to enjoy your meal and the company of your sibling.

"Today is the written test, right?" Sae asks, making conversation over your meal. "What are they testing you on?"

"Let's see..." You take another bite as you recall your studies. "General ninja knowledge, Hand Seal functions, and Genjutsu theory."

"Theory?" Sae turns her head inquisitively. "They don't teach any genjutsu in the academy? Not even in your year?"

"Nope." You reply bluntly. "Apparently they never have."

"Lame." Your sister pouts.

After you finish eating, the two of you have just enough time to get to the academy without having to move any faster than a walk. You don't really see any of your classmates on the way there, so they've either set out earlier than you, or they're running late. Regardless, today is not a day that you've got time to goof around before class. Maybe that can come later.

As soon as you arrive and are in your seat, your teacher is passing out test papers. It's several sheets thick, and surely going to take the entire day's worth of class to complete.

"Remember to take your time and stay calm. In other words: Don't get testy with the test." Your teacher, Sai-sensei, makes one of his signature puns. Most of the kids just roll their eyes, though you do hear a chuckle from somewhere around here.

More importantly, you have a test to do right now. You think back on all the knowledge you've built up over these last few years at the Ninja Academy. It's all come down to this.

>This portion of the test will determine your Intelligence, Hand Seals, and Genjutsu stats. Please roll 3d100. Then, pick which of your rolls you would like to go towards which stat. The averages of the first three responses will be used and placed within a range that determines the final stat

Oh yeah, you can't forget to write your name at the top of the paper.

>_______ Karagowa

Rolled 48, 73, 3 = 124 (3d100)

>>6436746
Yosuke

Rolled 95, 71, 37 = 203 (3d100)

>>6436746
>Akio

>>6436757
>Genjutsu 95
>Hand Seals 71
>Intelligence 31

Rolled 37, 86, 19 = 142 (3d100)

>>6436746
I suck at names. So um...Onizuka?

First reply to rolls gets to assign them to stats, doesn't have to be the same person. As long as it's just three different people doing the assigning

Rolled 37, 17, 2 = 56 (3d100)

>>6436746

>Kosuke

>>6436842
>2 = Hand Seals
>17 = Genjutsu
>37 = Intelligence

Perma genin time

Rolled 40, 3, 90 = 133 (3d100)

>>6436746
Tadakatsu

>>6436869
40 Hand Seals
3 Genjutsu
90 Intelligence

>>6436842
>>6436844
lmao That's pretty fucked. Reply to a different roll and assign the stats.

>>6436781
Like this guys.

>>6436781
>86 = Handseals
>32 = Intelligence
>19 = Genjutsu

>>6436871

If we're bound to be a failure, that's just striving to grind harder
... But also dumping Genjutsu is extremely fucking valid.

Final stats are:

Intelligence 2.0
Hand Seals 2.0
Genjutsu 1.0

Note that these are based on ranges that I created with a hereditary basis, you weren't rolling for the stats raw

I'm going to get to work on the next post, name will have to be finalized after that one before we move on. Go ahead and throw your weight behind one of the suggestions so far

Your knowledge of Genjutsu is a bit lacking, but that's not really your fault. They don't do a very good job of teaching about it in the Academy, and from what you've heard, your father was awful at it too. But you are at least hopefully better than he was.

Hand Seals, that's a topic you have down pretty well. Not just in making and cycling though them effectively, but in recognizing the specific means in which each one helps you mold chakra in a particular fashion. You're pretty confident about this segment.

General ninja knowledge is much the same situation. You consider yourself reasonably intelligent. You're no Shikadai, but you're on the upper half of your classmates, you would say. The questions on the test are tough, but nothing you can't handle. You weren't out of your depth at any point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phLR_UweMv0

After several hours of nothing but putting pen to paper, the test is finally over. You get out a bit earlier in the day than usual to account for not having a lunch break, and the rest of the day is yours. You stand up and stretch your limbs out, looking around for inspiration on how to fill your afternoon.

In the back of the classroom, you see the classic Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Shikadai and Inoza have already pulled out their game systems and started playing the moment class let out. Chocho has pulled out snacks for all of them, despite not doing any gaming herself. You usually see her trying to hang out with the girls more, but it looks like that's just not how things shook out today.

At the front of the class, two girls are sitting together going over some notes. The two Uchiha cousins, Karasuba and Kagari. Studying immediately after the conclusion of a test, quite admirable. No doubt this scared Chocho away. Kagari herself seems a little intimidated by her cousin, though that's probably just due to her skittish nature in general.

The last major group you see is a boy and two girls on their way out of the classroom, giving the impression that they're off to cause some mischief. The tall one, Rikimatsu, is the biggest kid in your class and a bit of a delinquent. Not as much of a delinquent as Punk Lee though, one of the girls with him. She's constantly in trouble, whether it's from drawing graffiti or just wearing her headphones to school. The last girl is Mimi Inuzuka. She's not as much of a troublemaker as the other two, just more of a tomboy. She probably just fell in with them because she fits better there than elsewhere.

As for what you want to do...

>A. Chill with the guys and play some video games! You brought your own console too

>B. Now is the time to stay diligent and review the material. You always got along better with the Uchiha cousins anyway

>C. You're a bit of a troublemaker yourself. Tag along with the group that's leaving and see what they plan to get up to

>D. You're not really interested in hanging out with any of these groups. Head out on your own somewhere else

>E. Write-in

>>6436911
>>B. Now is the time to stay diligent and review the material. You always got along better with the Uchiha cousins anyway
So what name are we going with?

>>6436911
>C. You're a bit of a troublemaker yourself. Tag along with the group that's leaving and see what they plan to get up to
he shouldn't just be a clone of his dad

>>6436929
What's his dad like?

>>6436911
>E. Write-in
Hang out with the girl with the biggest breasts.

>>6436911
>D. You're not really interested in hanging out with any of these groups. Head out on your own somewhere else

>>6436930
You know the personality Kabuto was pretending to have in the Chunin exams? Kind of like that but with the stubbornness of a main character

>>6436911
>D. You're not really interested in hanging out with any of these groups. Head out on your own somewhere else
Sit by ourselves at the window overlooking outside. Kon our father was a great mediator and diplomatic guy I propose we go a slightly different route and go the spec ops loner route. We don't resent our dad but we're not him, he stayed a very public figure

We shall become the chuni shadow

>>6436911
>C. You're a bit of a troublemaker yourself. Tag along with the group that's leaving and see what they plan to get up to

Can't believe I've been basically off /qst/ for years and one of the days I randomly check back in I see a former GOAT. I'll make sure I'm playing regular, good to have you back

I have work today and most days, so I have decided that I will make my standard daily update time around twelve hours from now, after I've been home for a while and settled in for the evening.

In the meantime, anyone that wants to can still vote on the current question, but we also have the name vote to get to.

The options people have suggested are:

>A. Yosuke
>B. Akio
>C. Onizuka
>D. Kosuke
>E. Tadakatsu

Pick whichever you like the most or hate the least

>>6437347
Already voted for it, but doubling down on
>Akio

>>6437347
>E. Tadakatsu
TA
DA
KATSU

HHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDDDDDDAAAAAAAAAAAA

Re-voting for mine as well.

>>6437347
I like the etymology of Tadakatsu or Akio the most, but I figure Tadakatsu will end up getting shortened anyway so I'll go with Akio.

>>6437505
NM, this guy made me laugh so I'm switching to Tadakatsu. >>6437501
I'm sure the others will come up with something nice to shorten it to..

>>6437512
Katsu Chicken

>>6437514
That's what I was thinking, well Katsu Curry, nevermind I'll swap back to Akio and won't change my mind this time.

>>6437516
>>6437512
Tada's TA DAH's?

>>6437347
Akio

Looks like we're going with Akio

We are tied on the current question, so as a tiebreaker, the first reply to this post choosing between
>C. You're a bit of a troublemaker yourself. Tag along with the group that's leaving and see what they plan to get up to
and
>D. You're not really interested in hanging out with any of these groups. Head out on your own somewhere else
Decides it

>>6437638
>C. You're a bit of a troublemaker yourself. Tag along with the group that's leaving and see what they plan to get up to
Let's make some trouble

>>6437640
probably fits with the spec ops style (if anons wanted that), since you need to cause trouble AND get away with it.

>>6437640

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKiHkfnVkP0

There's no doubt that group is about to get up to something, and you wouldn't miss it for the world. You run up to them as they leave the Academy and join their group.

"Hey guys, aren't you forgetting somebody?" You ask as you pull up. "Don't tell me you were about to go do something without me."

"Of course not, we knew you'd tag along." Rikimatsu grins as the two of you exchange a high-five. "It's just so obvious that there's no need to call for you."

Despite his delinquency, Rikimatsu really gives off the aura of a leader. And not just because he's almost as tall as an adult already. No matter what he's doing, his confidence is second to none.

His long spiky white hair is tied into a ponytail to one side, and he wears a necklace made of a huge chain of beads kind of like a monk. Even just looking at him, it's obvious he'd command respect from the other kids.

"It didn't really matter to me if he came along or not." Punk Lee replies nonchalantly while blowing a bubble with her gum. "It would just mean more cred all for us without him."

Lee is a tough looking girl with pink hair wearing a green jumpsuit. She has bandages that are supposed to wrapped around her hands applied elsewhere as some kind of fashion statement, as well as her headphones around her neck. She's also always had some kind of weird purple diamond on her forehead.

She's more of a natural loner than the rest of your peers, but even she can't help but be friends with Rikimatsu. And that drags her in with the rest of you, naturally. Plus, while most of what comes out of her mouth is dismissive, you always got the feeling that she was grateful to have company, even if she would never say it.

"Glad you could join us, Akio!" Mimi greets you next with a smile. Her little dog Shiromaru yips his own greeting from his perch on her shoulder. "We're due to get up to something really fun today."

Mimi has been your friend since you were a toddler, pretty much. Your fathers were such close friends that they brought their kids along when they hung out all throughout your formative years. She's as extroverted as they come, and can slot herself into basically any group if the situation calls for it. But her natural inclination is for more physically active groups like this one.

Mimi's always gotten along just like she was one of the boys, and part of that is due to her scruffy appearance. Furry vest, painted face markings, fluffy hair that sticks up like animal ears. A wild sort of style, for sure.

"Oh yeah, what's this we're getting up to?" You ask. "Don't leave me hanging, here."

"We're gonna have to hang for a bit." Rikimatsu chuckles. "If we're gonna pull this off."

"We're gonna tag the Hokage monument." Lee explains, her tone slightly more energetic at the prospect of mischief. "No one's ever pulled this off before. We're gonna be legends."

"I get the Fifth, of course." Rikimatsu notes. "But the rest are all you guys."

>>6437653
>A. Sounds sick, I'm in. Which faces am I doing?

>B. There's no way that's possible. We'd never get away with it. Let's aim lower

>C. Talk them down. We should have more respect for the Hokage

>D.Write-in

>>6437654
>>D.Write-in
>"You can take the fifth if you can beat me to it first!"
Let's misbehave and make it a competition

>>6437656
Supporting this

>>6437654
>>6437656
+1 sure

>>6437656
This

>>6437656
Sure

>>6437656

You could just go along with what Rikimatsu is saying. But where's the fun in that? Can't be letting him get too comfortable.

"You can take the Fifth... if you can beat me to it first!" You tell him before dashing off across the rooftops as fast as possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9kw1vuCWPs

"Hey, wait a..." Rikimatsu starts to object, only to give up and start running after you. Lee and Mimi join in not far behind.

You've all been around the village plenty, so you already know where to pick up the stuff you're going to need. Ropes to repel with, stakes strong enough to hold you up, and of course tons of paint. As you stop to grab supplies, Rikimatsu catches up long enough to get a few words in.

"You asshole!" He curses you. "I know you don't care about tagging that face in particular, you're just doing this to piss me off!"

You grin as you take off with your stuff faster than Rikimatsu can. You've actually managed to get him angry, which is pretty rare. He usually stays cool no matter what you try. But this is a more personal matter, after all.

You get to the top of the Hokage Monument with all your stuff, right above the head of the Fifth Hokage. You drive your stake into the ground and tie your rope firmly around yourself, and you're ready to repel. As you grab your paint, Rikimatsu catches up to you.

"I'll paint over all your work if I have to!" He declares. "I'm not letting your contrarian ass get one over on me!"

Rikimatsu gets ready to repel, and the girls show up not long after to start as well. Mimi seems to be taking the two newer Hokage while Lee takes all of the first four for herself, which leaves you two boys to fight over only one stone face.

Sure enough, Rikimatsu keeps swinging over to you and painting over everything you try to do. He's put so much time into this, that he hasn't really been able to focus on whatever he wanted to do originally. But it is all pretty funny.

After a few minutes you take a quick break to look everything over. The faces of the seven men on this mountain are all pretty messed up. Mimi has painted little animals all over the Sixth and Seventh's faces, putting a particular focus on crows for the Sixth and Monkeys for the Seventh. Couldn't resist staying on-theme, you suppose. Lee went a different direction, applying her own style to all her faces. Stylized flower petals, kunai and shuriken, and of course her own name. This is the kind of stuff she always makes graffiti of, but this is her biggest canvas ever.

As for the Fifth, his face is really just a mess. random blobs of paint everywhere. Not exactly impressive, but it does make some kind of statement.

The girls swing closer to the two of you to admire everyone's work as well, when you hear a voice from nearby.

"What exactly are you brats doing to my face?"

There, standing on the wall, is the man whose face you just got done vandalizing. Jiraiya, the Fifth Hokage.

>>6438102

He's quite an old man now, even older than the face he has depicted on the mountain. But he's no less intimidating. Both he and his hair are still huge, and one of his arms is pure pasty white for some reason, which is pretty creepy.

"Particularly you, Rikimatsu." the Fifth sighs. "I'd be more proud if you could become a bit more cultured and make trouble by peeping at women instead."

"Heh. I don't need you underestimating me, old man." Rikimatsu sneers. "Cause I do that too!"

Lee immediately swings over to backhand Rikimatsu in the face, after which he clutches his nose in pain and nearly lets go of the rope holding him up.

"Ow! What the hell are you thinking pulling that right now! You're gonna get me killed!" Rikimatsu complains.

Lee merely ignores her victim and starts to back away slowly from the former Hokage. Mimi had already started. It's obvious what's about to happen.

"Alright, you've all had enough fun." the Fifth states from his position standing sideways on the wall. "You're all coming with me."

>A. Make a break for it with the others, you're young and spry enough to avoid an old man

>B. Scatter and head off by yourself, escaping alone is the best bet

>C. The Fifth is going to focus on Rikimatsu for sure. Try and let him escape by distracting the old man. You'll probably get caught yourself, though

>D. Write-in

>>6438108
>C. The Fifth is going to focus on Rikimatsu for sure. Try and let him escape by distracting the old man. You'll probably get caught yourself, though
Only fair

>>6438108
Glad to see the return of a legend, too bad Princely works for the government now, it'd be cool to see him drop a thread one day again too

as for now
>C. The Fifth is going to focus on Rikimatsu for sure. Try and let him escape by distracting the old man. You'll probably get caught yourself, though

Can't lose with this option, if he gets away, he'll owe us one and if he doesn't then we weren't ducking the old man anyhow since we don't know his tricks quite as well as Rikimatsu does

>>6438108
>C. The Fifth is going to focus on Rikimatsu for sure. Try and let him escape by distracting the old man. You'll probably get caught yourself, though

File: Rikimatsu.jpg (193 KB, 1188x1600)

193 KB JPG

Oh yeah, I have a friend who I convinced many years ago to make concept sketches of a few characters for me. I might as well post one every now and then. This one is Rikimatsu

>>6438108
>C. The Fifth is going to focus on Rikimatsu for sure. Try and let him escape by distracting the old man. You'll probably get caught yourself, though
like it or not we out our fathers' son

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcdD5e4EWFk

You know for certain that if the Fifth makes sure to catch only one of you, it's gonna be Rikimatsu. And you've probably given the guy enough grief today. Despite everything, he is still your friend.

You make the decision to run cover for him as he flees. You'll probably get caught, but hey. He'll owe you one. You reach into your pouch for a smoke bomb and yell to the others.

"Everybody scatter!"

You throw down the smoke bomb and the others start to run off, Rikimatsu included. You don't follow though, you stand your ground. Or your wall, rather. There's no way something like this will give you more than a second against a former Hokage, so you need to be ready to double down on the distraction immediately.

Before the smoke even begins to clear, a hand reaches for you and grabs your arm. As much as you try to pull it off, it's no use. He's way stronger than you. You do have one trick up your sleeve, though. You place your free hand on the one grabbing you and begin focusing your chakra. Through experimentation, you've found that your chakra has an interesting behavior. You can make things vibrate with it, and using it on people causes an uncomfortable stinging. It might be just enough to give you an opening.

As the smoke clears, you see Jiraiya looking at what you're doing with an eyebrow raised. He doesn't seem to be hurting in the slightest, but his face does soon change to one of surprise when he makes sense of what you're doing.

"Hey kid wait, not that arm, that one is" He begins to say.

The hand grasping you is actually the pale white one, and it begins to turn slightly goopy as you pump more chakra into it. It's pretty gross, but its grip on you loosens slightly and you're able to slip out. You push off from the stone face and start to run up to escape, but before you reach the top your entire body is enveloped by something white and fluffy. It seems to be the Fifth's hair. You think you've seen Rikimatsu use this jutsu before.

"I'm gonna have to get that fixed, you know?" The former Hokage complains about your handiwork. "Honestly, I don't know how you ended up this way."

You're definitely caught now, so there's no point in fighting it. At the very least, it seems like the others are too far now to bother chasing. Jiraiya pulls you free from your tether and slings you over his shoulder with his hair, walking all the way down to the foot of the cliff to take you to who knows where.

"Also, I admire the bravery kid, very noble." He adds as he walks. "But you know he's just going to come back home for dinner, right? You have to be thinking out your sacrifices a bit more if you're gonna be a ninja, kid."

The former Hokage carries you all the way to the Hokage's office before plopping you down in front of the desk of the man himself. Sitting in the chair behind it is the Seventh Hokage, Konohamaru Sarutobi. He's glancing out the window at the Hokage Monument and even grinning a bit.

>>6438554

"That's some pretty funny stuff." He chuckles lightly. "I like mine in particular. That was Kiba's girl, right?"

"You gonna stand there and appreciate it all afternoon, or are you gonna enforce some order around here?" Jiraiya interrupts the Hokage's joviality. "You're the Hokage now. You better not be letting them get away with stuff like this."

"What am I gonna do, give a stern talking to his parents?" I'm the one who sent them out on missions." The Seventh turns back around and shrugs. They've also got their Physical Exam tomorrow, so I don't want to tire them out cleaning that whole thing tonight. We need our good trainees to graduate, you know. Ninja numbers are going down."

"You've got to be kidding me." Jiraiya puts his head in the palm of his good hand. "Why'd Itachi go and retire so quickly? He'd be laying down the law here."

"It's fine. Akio's really a good kid. Right?" the Hokage turns to you with a smile. "You had your fun with this big prank, and you're satisfied, aren't you? You're gonna be a ninja in a few days, and you're going to take that seriously, am I right?"

>A. You may joke around, but you're serious about being a ninja. Promise that you won't let the Hokage down

>B. Of course you'll behave yourself, pinky swear. (Not. What a sucker.)

>C. What is this slap on the wrist crap? You better make me clean that monument

>D. Write-in

>>6438555
>A. You may joke around, but you're serious about being a ninja. Promise that you won't let the Hokage down

>>6438555
>A. You may joke around, but you're serious about being a ninja. Promise that you won't let the Hokage down
I'll surpass even my father one day. And I'm gonna rub it in his face! He thinks he's so cool...

>>6438555

>A. You may joke around, but you're serious about being a ninja. Promise that you won't let the Hokage down
Give the deflated aaaw fine, hey at least I'm outside and not playing video games

>>6438555
>C. What is this slap on the wrist crap? You better make me clean that monument
Funny choice

>>6438557
>>6438584
>>6438656

Pranks are one thing, but you have no intention of compromising your future as a ninja. You would still like to surpass your father, even you know that will take a certain level of dedication. Plus, the Hokage is just a cool guy.

"I won't let you down, Lord Hokage." You promise. You even give a salute to prove your seriousness.

"That's what I like to hear!" Konohamaru leans over his desk to ruffle your hair a bit. "Now get on home, don't you have a little sister to look after?"

"I guess that's that." Sighs Jiraiya. "I'll still be giving a talking-to to Rikimatsu when he gets home, and I imagine Sakura will do the same with her daughter. Kiba... He's not going to do anything."

"He'll probably get a kick out of it. Hell, he'll praise her for it!" the Seventh laughs as you head out of the office.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZcBS2Ko_5w

It's getting to be evening time by now, and you're pretty hungry. You never ate lunch, after all. It's about time for you to head home and pick up Sae so you can go eat dinner at Uncle Keiji's place.

As you arrive back home, the door opens for you before you can do it yourself. Your little sister is in the doorway, looking particularly excited.

"Brother!" Her exclamation is both a shout and a whisper simultaneously. "Mom's home!"

You're led into the living room to find your mother laid out on the couch, out like a light. She must have returned to the village not too long ago, and fell asleep almost immediately. She's back sooner than anyone expected, so she must have really worked hard to finish her mission early. And worn herself out in the process.

It's not all too uncommon of a sight for you, though. She's a regular workaholic, this might as well be her natural state. You pick up her ANBU mask from the floor and set it on the counter so nobody steps on it.

It is a bit funny to think about, though. Tenten, the Untouchable Kunoichi, ANBU Field Commander, and in serious contention for strongest kunoichi to ever live, up there with Tsunade and every female Kage. It sure doesn't look like it from what you've seen. You honestly wish she'd take better care of herself.

"We should wake Mom up and go to dinner together!" Sae whisper-shouts to you. "Come on, she's been gone for over a week! We need more family time!"

That certainly is an option. But you wonder if it's the best idea.

>A. She needs her rest, leave her be and go to dinner

>B. She'll be okay to wake up for a couple more hours, you'll be fixing her sleep schedule

>C. Suggest eating at home tonight, maybe she'll wake up on her own

>D. Write-in

>>6439123
Let's make her a welcome home meal together before she wakes up to surprise her. I'll be your sous chef.

>>6439125
+1!

>>6439123
>C. Suggest eating at home tonight, maybe she'll wake up on her own

>>6439123
>D. Write-in
Hey, hey old lady. You're on the sofa go shower and come down for dinner after.
.
Order some food in for when she's done

(Cooking was our dads thing and I'd rather not be a clone)

>>6439148
This one

>>6439148
Tiebreaker vote.

>>6439148

You aren't about to have dinner without your mother now that she's finally back again, but waking her up just to drag her out to eat isn't appealing either. So you'll wake her up to eat at home.

"Hey, Mom, get up." You shake your mother by her shoulder. "We're gonna have dinner, no more crashing on the couch. Go take a shower or something."

After a minute of vigorous jostling, Tenten finally opens her eyes. She puts a hand to her face and breathes deeply before sitting upright.

"Akio! Sae!" She groggily proclaims you and your sister's names while dragging the two of you in for a hug. "I missed you so much!"

"Enough Mom, we're gonna have dinner. Go take a shower already!" You demand as you pull free from the embrace. "You probably fell right on the sofa as soon as you got back from your mission, huh?"

"Ah, you got me..." Your mother makes a vaguely bashful gesture with her hand, still not quite awake yet. She yawns heavily, but manages to stand up and head upstairs. "I get it, I'll get ready so we can all have dinner, alright?"

As she disappears up to the second floor, you head over to the phone and make a call.

"You've reached the Jade Palace, the finest eatery in Konoha." A voice answers. "Would you like to place an order for delivery, or make a reservation?"

"Seijirou, it's me." You state plainly. "Let me talk to Uncle Keiji."

"Akio? Alright. I'll get him on." The man responds, before the line goes quiet for a bit.

"Hey kiddo, what's going on?" Your great uncle asks as he picks up the phone on his end. "Aren't you and your sister going to come by and eat?"

"Mom just got back and we want to eat at home today." You explain. "Can you send us some dinner for delivery?"

"Oh ho, of course, of course." Keiji laughs. "I can't be asking you to interrupt your family time, after all. You can bring your mom by another time. I'll send Seijirou out in a few minutes once I've whipped something up."

You thank Uncle Keiji and then end the call. After a few minutes of waiting, you send Sae upstairs to make sure your mother didn't fall asleep standing up in the shower. A bit later they both return downstairs, your mother clean and in a change of clothes. And just in time for the food to arrive.

You get the door and find your Uncle's hired help Seijirou there with your food. You thank him and take the bag, before heading back to the dining room table with it.

You lay everything out and see what you've got tonight. Uncle Keiji kept it pretty simple, sticking to fried rice and spicy chicken. Plus his signature gyoza, of course. You all dish up and enjoy the food for just a bit before engaging in conversation.

"I should have plenty of time off before I get another mission, so no more worries about that!" Your mother assures you. "I'll be here for your graduation ceremony Akio, and your father should be, too!"

"Yay! Dad's gonna be home!" Sae cheers.

You are a bit less enthusiastic.

>>6439531

>A. It's about time he came back home already. Better late than never

>B. Who cares if that guy is here or not? Doesn't make a difference to me

>C. You sure he isn't going to be too busy attending someone else's?

>D. Write-in

>>6439533
>B. Who cares if that guy is here or not? Doesn't make a difference to me

>>6439533
>C. You sure he isn't going to be too busy attending someone else's?

>>6439533
>A. It's about time he came back home already. Better late than never

we have a little sister, let's try not to rain on her parade just because we haven't seen dad in a minute

>>6439533
>A. It's about time he came back home already. Better late than never
"Was dad always a mission junkie?"

>>6439533
>C. You sure he isn't going to be too busy attending someone else's?

>>6439533
>C. You sure he isn't going to be too busy attending someone else's?
Sorry Ten-Ten, you should've won. Then maybe the new MC wouldn't have a chip on his shoulder...

>>6439533
>C. You sure he isn't going to be too busy attending someone else's?
wow kudos for having realistic consequences to the dumb throuple thing

>>6439533
>B. Who cares if that guy is here or not? Doesn't make a difference to me

>>6439553
>>6439634
>>6439660
>>6439721

Just hearing about your dad is irritating you. You know where he's been, and unlike Sae, you can't just ignore it and be happy anyway. You try not make an issue out of it too much, especially in front of your sister, but you couldn't stop yourself right now even if you wanted to.

"You sure he isn't going to be too busy attending someone else's?" You ask.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li05DqEnjx0

All it took was the implication, and the mood of the whole room turned sour. Sae's smile drops instantly, and your mother exposes a momentary expression of surprise before composing herself again. She never likes discussing this topic.

"Well the Stone Village had their Academy graduation last week, so that won't be a problem." Tenten explains with a pained expression.

"How convenient for him." You reply bluntly. "He didn't have to think to hard about it."

It's quiet at the table for a while. You're the only one who kept eating, both your mom and your sister stopped when you ruined the mood. You feel a bit bad about it, but you were never one to hold your tongue. Nothing to be done about it.

After a couple of minutes, Sae works up the nerve to breach the topic herself.

"Mom, is Dad's other family more important than us?" She asks, not a hint of the subtle antagonism of your previous question. Sae is as sincere as ever, and it makes the question hit all the harder.

"Sae, please believe me." Your mother pleads, grabbing her daughter's hands. "I promise that your father doesn't think that way. I know for sure."

"Does it even matter what he thinks?" You interject. "When he spends half his time abroad with a second family? His actions say enough."

"Akio, I know it's not fair to you kids, but..." Tenten starts, but you interrupt her.

"I don't want to hear it, Mom!" You assert yourself as you stand up from the table. You've had enough, of food and of family time, for one night. "I'd going to bed. I've got my Physical Exam tomorrow."

You leave your mother and sister at the dinner table and head to your room to sleep this bad mood off. You weren't lying about wanting to be rested either, so you put everything out of your mind and fall asleep as soon as you can.

In the morning, you keep to yourself and stick to some fruit and toast for breakfast. You'll probably be in more of a family mood again once you're exhausted from the tests.

Heading back to the Academy, you arrive to find everything set up in the yard outside. You'll all be tested on your Strength, Speed, and Stamina today.

>Roll 3d100, and in the same post, organize the three stats Strength, Speed, and Stamina in the order you would like your results to count for, from your highest roll to your lowest

I have the day off tomorrow, so I think I will make two posts to make up for today's being a roll post. One in the morning, and one at the usual time in the evening

>>6439721
You kidding me? The players handed me the sequel MC's primary character conflict on a silver platter. How could I not take the succulent bait?

I honestly don't even know how someone could bother to be a writer yet not take advantage of stuff like this

Rolled 74, 48, 93 = 215 (3d100)

>>6440032
>Highest: Speed
>Medium: Strength
>Lowest: Stamina

>>6440035
>"I promise that your father doesn't think that way. I know for sure."
Well, considering what she's been through, she definitely knows that much. Kon truly does love her and Kurotsuchi too. But it does make me wonder... would it have been better for her to have never known, just accept the loss, and find someone else?

>>6440032
>Highest: Speed
>Medium: Stamina
>Lowest: Strength
Not sure if we'll be a ninjutsu specialist like dad, or if we'll go more into taijutsu, but speed is always nice.

Actually, does mom still own the weapon shop? Should we go into seals or weapon stuff? Going in a different direction with Impact Release from Kon's original 'blaster' focus might be decent.

>>6440039
You forgot to roll

Also, her parents still own the weapon shop. They would have given it to her, but she's too busy to run it very much

Rolled 62, 17, 77 = 156 (3d100)

Strength
Stamina
Speed

File: 1010-muted.mp4 (1.38 MB, 720x590)

1.38 MB MP4

Rolled 5, 31, 44 = 80 (3d100)

>>6440039
>>6440041
Oop, sorry about that. Take this vid of 10/10 in Ultimate Ninja as penance. Had to mute it though.

And gotcha. Truthfully, I didn't expect her to still be going on missions, but considering her skills, she probably can't afford to settle down as a chunin, huh?

>>6440056
terrible, terrible rolls. We take the average, but still, damn.

>47, 32, 71
That's fine, Kon had it too easy anyway, right?
>>6440032
Speed
Stamina
Strength
Even if he's a kind of delicate guy, if he doesn't get hit it shouldn't matter... right? Maybe he should have been called Katsu.

Final stats are:
Strength 1.5
Speed 2.5
Stamina 1.5

2.0 was the lowest you could have gotten on Speed by the way, you were always going to inherit a decent amount

Writing up the next post now, which will be shorter, it's just so you guys have a choice to make

The morning has you all testing your muscles' lifting power. You're honestly not too bad here, there are weaker kids in class than you, for sure. Of course, Rikimatsu and especially Lee far outclass you in this area. You can see them quietly and obediently taking the tests without any hint of fooling around. They probably got chewed out pretty hard yesterday.

Next up is speed. You run laps as fast as you can, as well as do a few tests of your dexterity. This is where you really make your money. You are on par with the fastest kids in the class, with the exception of one. Mimi still outpaces you, just as she's done your entire lives. There's no sign of her getting disciplined yesterday, so she's her usual cheerful self.

Lastly, in the afternoon, it's time for the stamina tests. For this one, you just have to do various exercises for as long as you can manage until your body can't possibly endure any more. You do alright here as well. Nothing to write home about, but about equal to most of the kids in class. The only exception is Rikimatsu, who manages to hold out far longer than any other of your classmates. He really is something else.

At the end of the day, everybody is exhausted. Class is let out, but few of you bother to leave immediately, as most would rather just sit around and catch their breath. The only ones that leave as soon as they can are Lee and Rikimatsu, and they don't look happy about it. They are probably still getting punished somehow.

You just sit for a few minutes to relax yourself, and watch what the other kids seem to be getting up to. Mimi has joined the Uchihas over in the from of the class, and from what you can hear, they plan on practicing their ninjutsu and taijutsu for the practical test tomorrow once they regain their stamina.

Ino-Shika-Cho has reformed again today, and they're talking about hitting the town and goofing off. Your usual crew isn't here today, but you could still have some fun with these guys probably.

Or of course, you could always strike out on your own. There's no shortage of things and people to stumble upon in the Hidden Leaf Village.

>A. You haven't quite been satisfied with your test performance so far. It's time to get some practice in with the Uchihas and Mimi

>B. Hanging out with Shikadai, Chocho, and Inoza sounds more fun. You need it after working so hard today

>C. No crew means you go alone today. Just head around the village to see what's up

>D. Forget any of this, just go straight home

>E. Write-in

>>6440241
>A. You haven't quite been satisfied with your test performance so far. It's time to get some practice in with the Uchihas and Mimi
The fact that Akio wants to be a ninja at all is interesting. It tells me that despite resenting his father somewhat, this sort of thing is important to him.

Down for goofing off if that's the mood though.

>>6440241
>A. You haven't quite been satisfied with your test performance so far. It's time to get some practice in with the Uchihas and Mimi

>>6440241
>A. You haven't quite been satisfied with your test performance so far. It's time to get some practice in with the Uchihas and Mimi

>>6440241
>B. Hanging out with Shikadai, Chocho, and Inoza sounds more fun. You need it after working so hard today
We trained all day, no need to force it. Diminishing returns and all

>>6440241
>E. Write-in
Hang out with the girl with the biggest breasts.

>>6440289
In our age group, that's probably Chocho.

>>6440332
It is

Let me just give a quick ranking for the hell of it

Chocho
Kagari
Karasuba
Mimi
Lee

Do with this info what you will

>>6440343
That means he's voting with me.

>>6440255
>>6440259
>>6440261

You love your share of goofing off, but becoming a splendid ninja supersedes all of that. And your tests so far have only been adequate. Tomorrow is the practical exam, where you'll be tested on Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. Both of those things can be practiced even on the day before to still get some results. Just to make sure you can perform to your true potential, at least.

With that in mind, you head over to the girls and their little study group. Mimi notices you first, and waves you over.

"Hey Akio, you gonna practice with us?" She asks, before turning to the other girls. "Akio can join us, right?"

"Yeah, of course... We're all friends, so..." Kagari meekly responds, twiddling her fingers. "I mean, if Karasuba is okay with it..."

Kagari is your other childhood friend along with Mimi. Your fathers are all thick as thieves, so the three of you were practically raised together. She's like the polar opposite of Mimi, having trouble with even the most rudimentary socialization. She's very kind though, and tries to help people out in her own way. Her bangs are grown long and swept to one side to cover her left eye, most likely to mask the fact that her eyes are different colors. Also her dad does the same thing with his purple eye, so copying him might be part of it.

"I'm not going to turn away anyone that wants to improve themselves." Karasuba answers, looking up at you from her notes. "Some time away from those bad influences might actually see you made a proper ninja one day."

Karasuba is Kagari's cousin, and the daughter of the previous Hokage. She must have inherited all the clan's confidence in Kagari's place, since she never seems unsure of herself. Her long straight black hair reflects her character as a very by-the-books type. She doesn't approve of the kind of tomfoolery you and your friends get up to, but despite that she never fails to acknowledge anyone on their own merits.

"We were going to head out to the yard in a few minutes and practice the things we'll be doing tomorrow." She begins to get you up to speed. "For ninjutsu, they're going to be testing us on transformation, substitution, and basic clone jutsus. For taijutsu, we'll have to both spar in hand-to-hand combat, and exhibit our proficiency with kunai as well as shurikenjutsu."

"We'll probably have time to really hone ourselves in one area this afternoon." Mimi adds. "We can pair off if we want different things. What do you want to do, Akio?"

>A. I want to refine my use of the foundational ninjutsu. It'll make sure I get the most out of every jutsu I use in the future

>B. Hand-to-hand combat is where I want to focus. I plan on being a pro at taijutsu

>C. My mom has trained me like hell with weapons. I'm gonna prove myself with my kenjutsu and shurikenjutsu

>D. Write-in

>>6440413
>C. My mom has trained me like hell with weapons. I'm gonna prove myself with my kenjutsu and shurikenjutsu

>>6440413
>C. My mom has trained me like hell with weapons. I'm gonna prove myself with my kenjutsu and shurikenjutsu
Mama's boy

>>6440413
>C. My mom has trained me like hell with weapons. I'm gonna prove myself with my kenjutsu and shurikenjutsu
impact sword...

>>6440413
>C. My mom has trained me like hell with weapons. I'm gonna prove myself with my kenjutsu and shurikenjutsu
Yeah, it's gotta be - right?
>>6438128
Didn't even notice this for some reason. Yeah. That's Jiraya's.

>>6440413
>C. My mom has trained me like hell with weapons. I'm gonna prove myself with my kenjutsu and shurikenjutsu
While Kon didn't take this path more favouring shields and ninjutsu we totally should. Pairing our chakra with weapons makes some crazy stuff, launching at hyper velocity with mad piercing, ninja wire becoming like resident evil laser grids, sealing trick to create directional conclusive stuff.

Momma's boy going full seal and weapons!

>>6440413
>B. Hand-to-hand combat is where I want to focus. I plan on being a pro at taijutsu
Time to beat our dad's ass raw.

>>6440736
Our dad is without a doubt one of the tankiest ninja there are; medical training, naturally tough, wears partial armour of chakra conducting metal and then straight up shields Bartholomew from one piece style.

>>6440422
>>6440425
>>6440513
>>6440612
>>6440634

"My mom trained me like hell with weapons, so that's the area I want to be sure I do my best in." You explain your decision.

"That means you'll be with me." Karasuba replies. "Mimi and Kagari both want to practice their taijutsu, so that leaves us to pair up."

"You don't mind?" You ask. "Is this what you wanted to focus on?"

"It is." She assures you. "I have still yet to surpass my brother's shurikenjutsu, after all."

"Then it's settled! Come on Kagari, let's go!" Mimi shouts as she takes her friend by the hand and leads her out to the schoolyard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t7LkkC2uDk

You and Karasuba follow shortly, and start over at the target range. While Your childhood friends are going to be sparring the entire time, your time will be split between sparring with kunai and practicing with shuriken. So the two of you have decided to do the less strenuous task first.

"Your mother is famed for her weapons prowess, but the Uchiha clan's famous shurikenjutsu won't be surpassed so easily!" Karasuba boasts. She always gets more animated in times like this, when she gets to show off.

The young Uchiha starts with simply hitting bullseyes on all the targets, then moves on to more and more ambitious trick shots. Shots while jumping and spinning, shots from behind the target, those kinds of things. Her hardest shots weren't always perfect, but she did always hit the targets. You can tell she's still not satisfied yet, though.

You go next, and while you can't pull off anything quite as fancy as she can, you've very competent. You're just as accurate as her as long as you aren't trying to copy her crazy stunts.

After the both of you practice for a bit longer, it's time to move on to sparring with kunai. This is where the two of you will be in more direct comparison, and it's also where you're fairly confident that you have her beat.

"Don't think yourself the winner before we've even started." Karasuba tells you, guessing at your inner thoughts. "You should know better than to assume you'll best an Uchiha without a fight."

Karasuba takes up a stance with her kunai, and you do the same. You take a moment to consider how you want to approach this sparring match.

>A. Overwhelm her with speed, output a volume of attacks she can't match

>B. Play defensively, let her tire herself out and strike when opportune

>C. You're stronger than her, put in your strongest swings to break her guard

>D. Write-in

>>6440876
>C. You're stronger than her, put in your strongest swings to break her guard

>>6440876
>A. Overwhelm her with speed, output a volume of attacks she can't match
Dual wielding kunai in melee would be cool.

File: need-for-speed.jpg (102 KB, 528x287)

102 KB JPG

>>6440876
>A. Overwhelm her with speed, output a volume of attacks she can't match
strong attacks don't matter if you can't land them

>>6440876
>A. Overwhelm her with speed, output a volume of attacks she can't match

speed is kinda what we've got going for us for now, gonna have to work on strength one day if kenjutsu will end up in our repertoire

>>6440876
>A. Overwhelm her with speed, output a volume of attacks she can't match
It's our specialty. Just need to control the tempo of the fight.

>>6440876
>A. Overwhelm her with speed, output a volume of attacks she can't match
Hey, might as well focus on our one (minor) strength

Guys, I just got off work, so today's post is gonna be late

>>6440883
>>6440903
>>6440916
>>6441032
>>6441126

Kunai are too simple to really show off any technique, so it's just about fighting smart. And in your case, your greatest asset is your speed. You should be able to overwhelm her just by attacking more than she can react to.

You don't waste any time and start the sparring session by immediately lashing out with a flurry of kunai swings. Karasuba is forced on the backfoot right away, and desperately parries as many swings as she can while backing up for some breathing room. You don't let her have it though, as you continue to press closer and closer to her in order to keep her from making any distance.

Most ninja-in-training would consider conceding against you at this point, but given what you know of her, Karasuba would probably rather die. You've never seen her admit defeat your entire time in the academy, even when she's clearly lost, such as the time she nearly let herself get beaten into unconsciousness against Lee. You expect her pride to really get her in trouble one of these days.

You can feel your opponent about to break in the face of your unrelenting offense, so you get ready to call it a win. But then something changes. The parries that were so desperate a moment ago suddenly become precise and effortless. The huge volume of attacks that were too much for Karasuba to handle a moment ago are now met in equal force. But how?

You glance at your opponent's face and get your answer. Her eyes are red now, each one a sharingan with a single tomoe. That's apparently all it took to catch up to you. You're a bit irritated at that. After a couple of minutes with neither of you being able to gain the upper hand, the two of you break off. You both wordlessly agree to leave it there for the moment, and you each start panting heavily after such great exertion.

"I shouldn't have had to use that... Just to keep up in a simple spar..." Karasuba pouts between gasps. "I'm quite disappointed in myself..."

"Wow, Karasuba..." Kagari chimes in, her and Mimi having finished their practice a while ago to come over and watch you two. "I didn't know you had the sharingan already. How long have you had it? I was told that... You usually had to be in danger or under emotional stress... or something like that. To unlock it, that is..."

"Yeah, give us the details!" Mimi insists.

"It's been a mere few days, no more." Karasuba begins to reveal her secrets without much pressure. "My brother already had his sharingan when he graduated the Academy, and I would not abide by falling behind him in pace. Therefore, I simply asked my father to unlock my sharingan for me."

"Huh?" Mimi tilts her head in confusion. "How'd he do that?"

"It's quite simple, really. When you've got a proficiency at genjutsu like my father does." Karasuba explains like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "I asked to be placed in an illusion in which I was in mortal danger and emotional duress, and it happened as a matter of course."

>>6441315

>A. You have to respect the dedication

>B. This girl is actually kind of crazy

>C. And Lord Itachi agreed to do it?

>D. Write-in

>>6441316
>B. This girl is actually kind of crazy
We should ask her on a date

>>6441316
>>6441317
+1 lol

>>6441316
Seems like cheating. Shortcuts to strength don't usually pay off in the end.

>>6441316
>>C. And Lord Itachi agreed to do it?
>>B. This girl is actually kind of crazy
This entire family's crazy, actually, but that's par for the course for the Uchiha Clan.

Remind me, what's up with the Uchiha Clan in this timeline again? I know Itachi lived (and didn't go through with the purge), and Sasuke didn't become as edgy...

Actually, who did Sauce marry? And Itachi? Sarada doesn't seem to exist because of it, and now we've got the Uchiha OCs.

It seems Sakura ended up with Lee in this weird timeline, and iirc, Ino ended up with Haku (when Kon brought him back)? Not sure who the rest are.

>>6441317
This one. Gotta shoot while you're young, you know?
>>6441426
Itachi brainwashed the Uchiha in a genjutsu to make them more palatable to the village when he became Hokage, rather than killing them, which he revealed later, they were very sour on him but after his father died protecting the village from Nagato/Pain and Sasuke became the clan head he redoubled his efforts to bond with them, which I expect he succeeded in doing. He married Shizune (Tsunade's attendant). He has a son who's a major chunni as well. I thought Sasuke had married Sakura, but I guess I remembered it wrong. It must have been Hinata.

>>6441316
Show her the calluses on our hands. That's how we got our skill.
>>6441317
This is so lame. You really think Akio will be the flirty type when he's got a complex about his dad having two wives? Waifufags begone.

>>6441619
you think that Akio won't like women (or dating them) at all because his dad has two wives? that doesn't make sense

more likely he'll be over-the-top loyal/faithful to a single person that he chooses. so yeah, he's gonna have to make a choice at some point (but choosing no one is also a choice, just a lame one. "my dad has two wives so I'm not gonna have one myself")

>>6441672
I just mean right now. He's still a kid. He would take dating much more seriously than this in my opinion. Not just trying to start a romance on impulse.

>>6441317

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKCaqDZFJ7o

Beneath her top of the class marks and goody two shoes behavior, Karasuba is actually kind of crazy now that you think about it. You can't see anyone else in your class asking their dad to potentially traumatize them for a bit of training. There's got to be something wrong in her head somewhere. But then again, that does make her a bit interesting. She's considered the queen of the class for a reason. You feel like getting to know her better, yourself. What the hell? Why not?

"You really are something, Karasuba. How do you feel about going on a date sometime?" You shoot your shot.

"You and Rikimatsu truly are cut from the same cloth." Karasuba sighs and shakes her head. "He's asked me a hundred times, and the answer won't be any different for you: If you can somehow convince me that spending time dating you is a better use of it than furthering myself as a ninja, then I'll take you up on your offer. Until then, you can forget it."

"What! Even Akio, too?!" Mimi shouts in shock from beside you, her mouth agape. Kagari is next to her, shrinking into herself and looking downtrodden all of a sudden.

"How the heck are you so popular, Karasuba?!" Mimi demands to know, stomping her foot. "Literally every boy likes you! Maybe even Shikadai, and he doesn't like anything!"

"People at the confluence of effort and talent draw in the attention of others like a black hole." Karasuba answers with a train of thought you weren't expecting. "People admire hard workers, naturally, but it's the ones that succeed in those efforts that gain their own form of charisma. It's as if they want to be in proximity to such people in order to absorb some of that will to succeed."

"Uh, I don't know if that's really it. It sounds like you made that up just to talk yourself up." Mimi furrows her brow. "I think it's just cause you're pretty."

"That's only a secondary factor." Karasuba replies bluntly.

Well, that didn't work out. Oh well. Your dad's friend Kiba once told you your father was too chicken to ask your mom on a date, so you at least feel a bit better.

All of you are tired now, and you feel like your practice went pretty well, so you're satisfied. It's getting to be evening now, and you're going to be expected at home eventually. Though you don't necessarily have to eat dinner with your family.

>A. You're over last night, just go eat with your family at Uncle Keiji's

>B. You'd rather eat at home alone and avoid your mom and sister for a bit longer

>C. You've got friends, you can just ask to eat over at a friend's house. Saves you some awkwardness, and it's more fun anyway

>D. Write-in

>>6441619
>>6441681
Sorry anon, I can't ignore the will of the readers. I tried to avoid too much cringeworthiness

>>6441683
>C. You've got friends, you can just ask to eat over at a friend's house. Saves you some awkwardness, and it's more fun anyway
>>6441684
No worries, that's just my read of what makes sense for the character. I'm not the only one here and not objectively right. It is kind of contradictory but not too bad.

>>6441683
>A. You're over last night, just go eat with your family at Uncle Keiji's
he's obviously mad at his dad but is he mad at his mom as well for accepting the situation? if not then he should probably apologize to his mom for taking out his frustrations on her.

>>6441681
yeah good point, I'll refrain from choosing date options flippantly (probably).

>>6441684
I think you wrote it well

>>6441683
>A. You're over last night, just go eat with your family at Uncle Keiji's

>>6441475
Fascinating stuff, gotcha. It's been so long that I've forgotten about the brainwashing stuff.

>>6441683
>>A. You're over last night, just go eat with your family at Uncle Keiji's

I don't really feel like going on a date, being flirty / mischievous / playful is the same as "starting a relationship" or anything like that. I think for a kid like Akio it's fun with the opposite sex, rather than something serious. I was expecting to get told off, she had a pretty cold response.
>>6441683
>C. You've got friends, you can just ask to eat over at a friend's house. Saves you some awkwardness, and it's more fun anyway
See if there's any takers amongst our gathered allies. So who's a real ride or die (who will feed you) and who isn't...

>>6441684
I was the anon that voted to ask her out (in case my ID changes) and this is actually the kind of response I was hoping for, QM. I do enjoy a decent romance plot but it's way too early. Still, I like to think Akio is the type to just go for it and to be interested in people that are kind of off. Her response was insane.
>>6441683
>A. You're over last night, just go eat with your family at Uncle Keiji's

>>6441687
>>6441704
>>6441708

By now, you don't really feel like keeping things tense over your outburst last night. You're over it. You should just join your family for dinner like usual.

You say goodbye to everyone in the yard, then head off on your own. Your destination is pretty close to your house, just a couple of minutes' worth of a walk away.

The Jade Palace. Your great uncle's restaurant. Apparently your dad grew up here, but there's been renovations a few years ago to accommodate a higher volume of customers. It got renamed too, though you don't remember what it was called before.

You head inside to find it as busy as ever, with all of Uncle Keiji's employees hard at work cooking and serving. Seijirou is usually in charge of things on the floor, but you don't see him today. Must be his day off.

You head to a back corner of the restaurant where a table sits that has a permanent family reservation. Your uncle has made a point of any of you being able to come in at any time and sit here for a meal. Your mom and sister are already there, waiting for their food to come out. Joining them is an older lady you're somewhat familiar with.

"Sounds like you had a hell of a time out there, Tenten." the woman laughs, slapping your mom on the back. "Almost makes me want to come out of retirement again just to get some excitement!"

This woman is Tsume Inuzuka, Mimi's grandmother. She's also Uncle Keiji's... girlfriend? You suppose? They've been together as long as you've been alive, but apparently have no intention of ever marrying.

"Hey there Akio, about time you made it, kiddo." Tsume greets you with a sly grin. "You and Mimi did a hell of a number on that mountain the other day! Not to mention you got away with it without so much as a lashing. Back in my day, they would have torn me a new one for that. You better make sure these times don't make you soft, too. Become a proper ninja!"

As Tsume rants, Uncle Keiji comes out with everybody's food. There's also enough for you and him both, so he was prepared for anything. He joins you all at the table to eat, which is probably the privilege he most relishes as the owner of the shop. It's roast duck tonight, with some kind of fancy sauce to go with it.

Before everyone gets too occupied with eating you apologize to your mother. "Sorry about last night, Mom. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"Ooh, that's okay." Your mother grabs you and hugs you with one arm. You let her have this one for a bit longer this time. "I know how hard this can be for you, I don't hold it against you. You can do a bit of yelling sometimes, I understand."

You decide to leave it at that for now and end the hug so you can get to eating. It's the usual lively family dinner, though it's still missing your father. Not that you mind all that much. In any case, these events usually come with conversation.

>>6442126

>A. Ask mom about her work. She's been gone so much, there must be stories to tell, right?

>B. Ask what your little sister's been up to. You haven't heard much about what she's been doing lately

>C. Ask Tsume about the old days as a ninja. You know she's got stories for sure

>D. Ask Uncle Keiji about how life has been for him. He seems to be keeping busy all the time

>E. Write-in

>>6442127
>B. Ask what your little sister's been up to. You haven't heard much about what she's been doing lately

>>6442127
>C. Ask Tsume about the old days as a ninja. You know she's got stories for sure

>>6442142
considering it was just Akio and his sister at home for a while, asking her what she's been up to in front of some other adults would make us look kinda negligent.

And it looks like mom just finished telling some work stories (but maybe she has more...)

>>6442149
Fair enough, but I'm more interested in the present than the past, and a character we may fight alongside rather than ones that will be mostly out of the spotlight this time around