I'd be happy to explore fillers and movie territory, at least some of it, after all Raiga was a filler character.

As for the world, maybe. Not that I'm unwilling to do so, but we have a lot of business on our continent before we go seeing the world around us.

Look to Asuma.
"Is he always like this?"

Okay, let's rock! Go in with a bog-standard martial arts attack?

Ya know, if ya wanted it for the front image, I could've incorporated that 'Five Nation General' bit into the image.

>>16460544
Gotta seize the initiative first. Rank+Genjutsu gives you the priority.

>>16460558

QUICK WHAT'RE OUR STATS AAAAAAAAAAA

Blink at the crack and idly wish our sword was with us.

Stomp as well!

>>16460544
Yep.

>>16460577
Yeah, OP, could you include a link to this at the first new post?

rolled 1, 4, 10, 10, 7, 5, 7 = 44

>>16460558
Rank 4 + Genjutsu Knowledge 3

>>16460555
It's cool, I'm just super glad to see artwork done of this story. Since you're the drawfag in question I wanted to thank you for the great work. I didn't know I would be using it for the title picture, but I'm glad I got the chance to.

Lets have him come at us, first. Wouldn't want to be blindsided by Asuma either.

Three-way rumble, what fun!

>>16460261
After asking a native speaker, I didn't fuck up with 霧の渋き蒼い猛獣 (Kiri no shibuki aoi muju), and we get a free, misty, water based pun.

>>16460577
Sorry sorry! I always forget to do it!

http://pastebin.com/tLkQcUDQ

Instead our Martial Arts is 4

>>16460613

Any requests of the other swordsmen you want to see next?

rolled 8, 9, 4, 2, 5, 1 = 29

>>16460716
I'd appreciate seeing your interpretation of Yuki, actually.

Then of Gen, who I need to give you a description of, and will do so in short order.

>>16460603
3 successes.

>>16460759

We killed the Raikage, but Guy beats us into paste... *sigh*

Shit, old thread crapped out.

Orochimaru
>No Arms
>Immortal
>Can't take fucking Cadi- err Konoha
>Hilarious bullshit powers
>Loses every time.

I honestly wouldn't be suprised if the Nara Tatical Genius allowed them to flank with boss summons.

rolled 1, 8, 9, 10, 5, 9, 10, 6, 7 = 65

>>16460779
"Here we go! Dynamic entry!!"

(You get -1 dice pool to the roll because of his extreme speed)

>>16460716
I'd die from the dawwwwwwww factor if you drew Mangetsu with lil Suigetsu on his shoulders walking around Konoha.

rolled 5, 2, 6, 10, 5, 5, 1, 7 = 41

>>16460892
Dodge that stuff. Do we still have our armor?

>>16460921
Oh, wait, that would be a bad idea, so probably no.

Oh yeah, since we are really doing this to train our martial arts and foster good relations, I think we should just use taijutsu, and it helps us save some face when/if he creams us. I also think we should only use up to half our determination, if we won't be able to regain any in case of shit going down today. You never know.

rolled 1, 1, 4, 8, 4, 1, 1, 4 = 24

Had the wrong number of dice before.
But my question still stands: is Guy at Speed 1 or 2?
Because if he's 1, he has a -1 when attacking us.

>>16460976
He's at 3.

>>16460976

Oh wow, you dodge that shit so hard.
>>16460976
>>16460976
>>16460976

It's beautiful.

>>16460976
Good god, did we dodge so fast we went back in time?

>>16461018

That is some after image shit right there...

rolled 6, 2, 9, 1, 2, 1, 10 = 31

>>16461018
Now here's our attack!
Rank 4 + Martial Arts 4 - 1 due to extreme speed

>>16461033
>>16461052
Well damn sons.

Guy flashes forward and swings at your stomach with a mighty kick, finding nothing but a flick of your boots as you shimmy away from him and he smiles, "Alright! Now that's what I'm talking about!"

Ok, so, let's talk about Guy. His UA2 makes all people who attack him with martial arts do so at a -2 dice penalty, in addition to speed. So you guys are swinging at -3.

>>16460976

I have no reaction image for this.

rolled 10, 8, 2, 7, 10 = 37

>>16461126
I'll roll. Hopefully. Maybe. Dunno!

>>16461126

Hahahaaaaaaaaaashit. So that's...how many dice?

Accursed out of date character sheet...

rolled 7, 4, 7, 3, 8 = 29

>>16461126
can we extra effect him on that dodge? Like make him skip his next turn?

>>16461152
Oh dear.

rolled 3, 10, 1, 9, 6 = 29

>>16461169

I... I don't think I'm allowed to roll any more...

rolled 8, 6, 7, 8, 4 = 33

>>16461152

Aaand then we fell on our arse.

rolled 6, 10, 2, 3, 3 = 24

>>16461126
Rank 4 + Martial Arts 4 - 3 from Guy being a Taijutsu kicking machine.

Dammit, I wish we still had Willow's Whisper.

>>16461182
What ARE we going to do about willow's whisper? Training with Guy would be a great in game reason to change it.

>>16461192

Seconded.

>>16461152
"You may have noticed... the Raikage was kind enough to -stand still- when I tried to punch him!"
Maybe not in character, but that was my thought. -3 dice...

>>16461192

Use a point of Det to force a taijutsu check with -2 on our side which, if we win, we grapple.

>>16461192
I think keeping some kind of Taijutsu or Martial Art related UA is still a good idea. We seem to get into punching matches more often than would be thought normal for a swordsman.

"Hmm."

Shall be our response to our amazing punch failure.

I don't even know whose roll to take....

rolled 5, 1, 2, 7, 3 = 18

>>16461276

THIS ONE.

>>16461276
>>16461152 was first with the correct dice, right?

>>16461247
There is already a level one extra effect to start a grapple. That doesn't seem like a good deal for a UA.

>>16461305
it can't be helped.

>>16461305
Blow 2 determination, make it an ultra cit?

>>16461305
And we just got ohko, although I think we should've gotten some kind of combat bonus for our insane dodge crit, a quad attack crit is like instant win, but defense dooes nothing, apprently.

>>16461305
Hey! Would ya look at that, we're famous now- Our face is in the hokage monument.

>>16461337
>>16461340
that is his -defense- roll.
How is he rolling that many dice, anyway?

Oh the shame...

Yes, blow our determination! We're dead otherwise!

>>16461361
That's good, It'd suck to die during a friendly spar.
Not to mention the political rammifications of the right hand of the kage dies in a friendly spar during a diplomatic mission.

>>16461396
I'm pretty sure OP said in a past thread that you can just declare attacks non-lethal if you want (and I'm sure it's been assumed that we are).

>>16461417
Still there's a point where you get enough crits and you pulp them anyways, intentionally or not.

"I didn't MEAN to turn him into mush guys, HONEST!"

>>16461438
In truth, this happened to me once, my bedroom window was rattling or whatever, and i just half-heartedly smacked it with my closed fist to shut it up.

Then I had to explain to my parents why I felt the need to shatter my window.

>>16461323
CAN blowing enough Determination make our attack high enough to overcome Guy's insane defense?
If so, sure, do it.

>>16461361
First, that's my attack cause you guys got a crit, so you just popped him for double your standard damage.

Sorry I'm slow guys, something's come up, I'm just trying to collect my thoughts.

rolled 5, 10, 5, 9, 7, 3, 4, 9 = 52

>>16461542
>rolling 12 dice for attack
WTF? That a Taijutsu move.
Alright, let's try to dodge it again.
Rank 4 + Shinobi Movement 5 - 1 Guy's higher Speed Rank

>>16461573
>>16461573
Yep, that's one of Guy's jutsu.

repostan:
The fuck happeed with our old-school hidden mist swordsman concept? You know, a hardcore paranoid guy, who enjoys cleaving people in half? Who is that faggot being friends to everyone? Guys, Im dissapointed in you. There are so many opportunies for gathering first rate intelligence for our village and none are exploited, except Guy powel level check.
And being polite =/= being friendly, remember how we insulted A? Thats how it works.
Being honest =/= being secret spouting fool. We are shinobi first, we are not telling everything to potential enemies.
Forging alliances is a Mizukage thing, not our buiseness. Achievieng ultimate peace wont leave a place for shinobi in Five Nations. Thats a nightmare for individual, whose value is a individual strenght.
tl;dr stop having fun in this horrible narutarded way, and get back to the rails of awesome.

>>16461658
Being polite means not being an ass to people.
Also, gaining intel is easiest done if people believe we're their friend.
And finally, the original character idea was a shinobi who believes in professionalism while on the job. You are nowhere close to being a professional.
Also, Shimaru still enjoys cutting people in half, but he does it when he's on the job, not just where ever and whenever the fancy strikes him.
And we still have a professional level of required paranoia, just not enough that cripples us in any capacity outside of our mission.

>>16461573
So you got a single failure, and that means this fight's probably over.

Also we seem to be stalling on this, so how can we rectify this? Are we stalled on the plot or what?

>>16461658
>Forging alliances is a Mizukage thing, not our buiseness
Yeah, but being rude to people we're asking for help from is also stupid, especially since we're here with a diplomatic request from the Mizukage requesting information from the Hokage and Konoha.
Being rude or confrontational would reflect badly on the Mizukage, who allowed to come here with her diplomatic seal.

>>16461658
tl;dr
Why aren't you playing this like grimderp 40k

>>16461768
No, we're not. We wanted to test Guy's ability, and this has done that.
We can fast forward to when Jiraiya arrives in the Village, and ask him about Tsunade.

>>16461773
>>16461734
>>16461658

Diplomacy is an extremely important thing to remember. Even Gaara in his sadistic days didn't go messing people up for fun, and they were planning an attack.

>>16461768

Stalled on the plot? Who's stalled. We're just waiting for a few days to talk to Jiraiya and see if he can't tell us where we could find Tsunade.

Oh yeah! Go find/meet Anko. We need snakeman info. Or someone whod be willing to join us on a snakeman hunt.

>>16461804
>>16461785
>>16461785

Time passes and you have your fun before Sarutobi stops you as you're heading out, "Oh, Jiraiya will be here to meet the Fourth and his son today, they'll be at the Hokage's office, so I already set up an appointment for the three of you."

You arrive at the office and are quickly searched but are let in. Sitting behind the desk is the legendary Fourth Hokage, his son in his arms as a tall white-haired man stands beside him, "Hello there little Naruto." Jiraiya says with a laugh before turning, "Oy, Minato." The Fourth stands up and walks over to you, "It's a pleasure to meet you." he says with his kindest smile, "It's not often we get visitors from the Mist. I'm honored to meet you. I am Minato Namikaze."

>>16461658
What kind of intel do you think we are missing out on? I mean, I can imagine examining that field around the village being useful, but anbu would be on us in a heartbeat. We are only going to be able to see what they let us see. (I am sincere in asking what other intel you think we might be able to gather though, I was thrilled when someone mentioned Anko)

International peace was always a hypothetical progression, and it stemmed from me believing Shimaru would never quit the shinobi's life while his liege still had need of him. I do see lifetime-warrior as the default for Shimaru, unless something like talking to Tsunade or Kisame (about whatever the hell Akatsuki are up to) made something click for him.

As for being a professional, trolling the Head Family of the Cloud was only professional because it was in the course of our mission; we needed the Third to step back into the ring, otherwise that shit is the height of unprofessional.

>>16461866
Bow.
"I am honored, Hokage-dono. I am Shimaru Yamada. My colleague, Mangetsu Hozuki, and his younger brother, Suigetsu.
"We are here to request Jiraiya-dono's aid in locating Tsunade-dono."

Hand over the scroll from the Mizukage at this point.

>>16461866

We should introduce ourselves, obviously. Do we just go Shimura Yamada with no appelations?

Surely the Fourth Hokage knows who we are...

>>16461866

"Yamada Shimaru; Captain of the Seven Swords, and my companions Mangetsu of the seven swords, and his brother, Suigetsu of the Mist. Pleased to make your aquaintance."

Keep it curt but polite.

>>16461844
Anko is an 10year old girl now. And she is still with Orochimaru, I think.

>>16461969
Anko is 14 and already a Chunin. We know Orochimaru has defected and I -think- he performed the first cursed seals, killing 9 other Leaf ninja and abandoning Anko, as like his last act before he left.

>>16462028
Even with all of the 7 Swordsmen together, I don't like our chances against Orochimaru.
I wonder if Konoha would be interested in a joint operation, if we can prove that we're reliable.

>>16461935
>>16461924
>>16461932

Jiraiya looks you up and down and nods, "Alright, how can I help you? Sarutobi-sensei told me that you wanted to talk to me about something." He said as he crossed his arms, standing well above both you and Mangetsu.

>>16462053

Yeah Orochimaru is one tough customer. You'll love his UA3, so much.

>>16462066

"Our comrade suffers from a disease that our medic, while skilled, cannot heal. Madame Mizukage has authorized us to seek out Tsunade-dono and see if we could not convince her to heal him. Unfortunately, she has seem to drop off the continent, we were wondering if you knew where to find her."

>>16462066
"Our colleague is suffering from an illness that our best medical ninja have not been able to cure. Lady Mizukage has authorized me to attempt to find Tsunade, in case she can cure him."

>>16462134
>>16462115

Jiraiya nods, "Oh yes. I know vaguely where she is. She's been moving all around the shinobi world taking out loans and gambling her life away." He says, shaking his head, "I have a vague idea where she is. I can show you."

Knowing Tsunade, are we going to have to comb through the gambling dens of the 5 Nations?

>>16462224
"Thank you."
Alright, I assume we have a map we can unfurl.

>>16462134
>Lady Mizukage

i've been drifting in and out of these threads, which is our kage, the chick with lava powers, or the previus mizukage (creepy kid)?

>>16462228

God, I hope we don't have to make a bet or anything. Good god, that would be terrible.

>>16462254
Chick with lava powers.

>>16462254
The woman. She assassinated the kid.

>>16462254

It's Mei Terumi

>>16462255
>Challenge Tsunade to a game of dice
>If she loses she'll heal Mangetsu
>If we lose we pay all her gambling debts
Something like that?

>>16461781
> 5 sided Cold War
> jitsu magics weapon races
> spec ops agents ninja wizards trained from childhood
> our graduation involved killing our friends to supress emotions
> youre but a tool of your village
> Assassination missions are as common as escort missions
> not playing it as a grimderp 40k, after it was played as a grimderp 40k

>>16462270
That would work!

>>16462270
Nah, lets do it a fun way.
"I am going to bet this." *tap the gauntlet* "That is a tool I used to defeat Sandaime Raikage. It should cost a fortune by now."

>>16462277
We're playing it as grim, not derp, or to the levels of absurdity of 40k. Get it right.

>>16462277
> our graduation involved killing our friends to supress emotions

i never got that, so in a class of, like, 50 kids only 1 lives? doesn't that mean mist village has only a fraction of the ninja that all the other villages have?

>>16462270
>>16462304
Yeah... how about we not make that our opening offer. Our pay would be garnished for the rest of our life.
>>16462333
Much better! Although I would rather try and convince her that we are someone worth helping, perhaps through some service she can appreciate or a vow to do something that we can both agree on.

>>16462378

That was a one-off. I think usually you only need kill two others.

>>16462378
Yep, and that's how I'm writing off our power level. On a direct shinobi to shinobi comparison we're the better shinobi.

He walks to the door, "I'm going to spend the afternoon with my godson and his father and mother, you guys can meet me at the village gates at nightfall and we'll get going." he says.

>>16462474
"We'll see you then."
Politely excuse ourselves.
Eat more ramen. Thank the Third for allowing us to stay the night. Pack and be ready by nightfall at the gates.

>>16462506
Come nightfall Jiraiya is standing at the ready with his scroll across his back, "Alright, let's get moving." As you set off he looks at you sideways, "So..." he says, a bit at a loss for words, "You like reading?"

Talking to Anko? Actually, I suppose Jiraiya or even just the Leaf's intelligence department is just as likely to have useful information, but I think we should ask for information on Orochimaru's last known movements. We do want to know what Akatsuki is up to. There must be more we can do here before we leave.

>>16462562
"A little."

>>16462575
Well, I guess we could give them a freebie and let them know that Kisame is working for the same group that Orochimaru works for. They're a common enemy, and getting rid of such a powerful outside group is in every Village's best interests.

>>16462575
She gone. At the moment she's abducted.

>>16462591
It's true. We could pick up more info on Kisame that way.

I know we as /tg/ want Orochimaru's head, but beyond him interesting our fight with Kisame we don't really want him dead yet.

But common enemy is good. And Leaf and us are on good terms

>>16462612
Aww, why does /tg/ want Orochimaru dead? That's a shame.

>>16462612
>And Leaf and us are on good terms
Well, it's more like we don't actively dislike each other, and we both hate Cloud, whose Third Raikage we just killed.
I wouldn't say we're friends, but we're not enemies.

>>16462638
Good enough terms I suppose.

Could be better. Like say from sharing juicy tidbits about the most popular Leaf Missing-nin

>>16462654
We could tell it to Jiraiya when we find Tsunade, as thanks.

Though I am concerned about giving ANY intel over to a potential foe, Akatsuki is a mutual enemy and if we can get Konoha to expend resources to take out someone we wanted dead anyway...

>>16462638
That's not too bad, all things considered. Leaf hates Cloud and Stone.

>>16462692
What are Mist's relations like with other major Villages and Lands?
We already know that we don't like Cloud, and the feeling is mutual.
And I suspect everyone is scared of Sand.

>>16462708
No tailed beasts so not much of a reason to be scared unless im missing something?

>>16462562
Can we pick up any basic Katon (Fire Release) jitsu from Jiraya? I just want to spit fire so some guy face, while choking him.

>>16462755
You have a point. Everyone's seen our Water stuff, but no one but Gen, Kisame, and the other Swordsmen know that we're also dual-natured with Fire. It could be a nasty surprise to an enemy, especially if we can combine the fire and water into a steam jutsu, like our steam buzzsaw.

>>16462736
They're known to be extremely ruthless, and that they tend to do missions solo, implying an average shinobi quality exceeding that of Mist's. Their military quality is S-rank and Dread is A-rank.

>>16462789
Fair point

>>16462755
We can learn fire jutsu from tokubetsu jonin trainers back in Kirigakure. No need to try to learn it from someone hailing from a rival Village.

I just realized: I'm so glad we didn't bring Yuki along on this trip. Can you imagine the shenanigans that would have happened with Yuki and Jiraiya in the same group?

>>16462769
And Mei (our current Mizukage) was able to use water and fire affinities, to create kekkei genkai Vapour Release jitsu. Pretty much spewing super acid vapour infused with fire chakra.
>>16462794
Picking up a technique from legendary Sannin is way more fun, but whatever.

>>16462708
Mist hates-
The Cloud

Mist is neutral to-
Sand, Leaf

Mist Likes-
Stone


>>16462769
He'd be a good person to talk to about it. Go ahead and bring it up.

>>16462817
If we're going to get something from a legendary Sannin, it should be a Summon, rather than a bog-standard Katon.

>>16462829
Mist likes Stone? Didn't expect that.

"Jiraiya-dono, I have heard you're skilled with Fire jutsu. Would you be able to demonstrate? I am not skilled in it, and Suigetsu is supposed to be learning about the Elements."

That's one way to get him to show us the jutsu, unless someone can think of better.

>>16462847

He's totally going to see through that, and...it's not honest.

>>16462856
I agree, its out of character.

After he asks us to read his book, tell him we will if he teaches us fire jutsu.

>>16462829
"It is a honour to travel with you Jiraya-dono. And I cannot pass a chance to improve myself under your guidance. Im known to have a talent for Fire Release, but there were no opportunities to explore it."

>>16462829
Does ANYONE like the Cloud?

Also, any chance in this quest of meeting with some of the smaller Hidden Villages, like Grass, Moon, and Waterfall?

>>16462885
This one sounds good.

>>16462885

He shakes his head, "I don't teach kids. I write novels!" he says and grins, producing his famous books, Icha-Icha Paradise. "It's a helluva read." Then he chuckles, "Don't worry about the honor, I'm happy to have someone to share the road with."

>>16462974

It strikes me that everyone in the Leaf is a bit...weird.

Politely decline his literature, check on how Mangetsu's holding up and his bro.

>>16462974
Well, we have to read it.

>>16462974
Considering how Shimaru was so focused on his training, he probably never heard of the Icha-Icha Paradise series.
So his thought process would be: Sannin is an author -> Sannin writes book -> Sannin is legendary shinobi -> book must have insights into nindo from the perspective of a legend!

So yeah, ask to read it. It'll be funny.

>>16462999

Mangetsu glances at the cover and whistles, covering up Suigetsu's eyes as he glances through a few pages, "Jeez...how much is this?" He asks Jiraiya who laughs, "For a fellow connoisseur of romance? Free." He says and pats Mangetsu's back.

"So, what sorta shinobi are you?"

>>16463003

>>16463003

Lets read it. If Jiraya-dono wrote it, it's sure to be full of cryptic secret ninja advice that we can use.


But it will be hilarious material to base our seduction techniques on when missions call for it.

'b-back that ass up'

>>16462378
Only Zabuza killed everyone. Which is why he was believed to be a monster. As far as I know the only 2 rules to pass are:

1.) Kill someone during the test
2.) Survive the test

So out of a class of 50, about 25 will pass.

>>16462974
We should accept a copy and tell him we will look at it.

>>16463046
>Walk into ninjastop to pre-order the Konoha village starter guide
>Filthy cloud-nin plebian ahead of me in line
>He starts jibbering about how he hates salad
>I put my mokuton seed in his lunch
>He dies
>I laugh so hard I fall over and ramen spills from my armor
>I shushin home in shame
>I get attacked crossing a bridge by idiots on three seperate occasions: Some red eyed stoner I hated back in college, a greedy stalker with too much hair, and even my own brother.
>We both get resurrected by a transvestite pedophile

FUCKING NINJASTOP

>>16463155
>>16463068
He gladly gives you a copy and time passes. It takes days, almost a whole week before finally he walks into a casino and finds her, "Jeez, there she is!" He says and points at her as he walks up, "It's been a long time, Tsunade." She doesn't even look up at his voice, "Hello Jiraiya, long time no see." She says before gesturing, "Who's the other guy?" She says as he pulls at a slot machine and fails horribly yet again.

>>16463216

I think it would be more polite to let Jiraya introduce us first before making our request.

Also, this isn't a promising first look.

>>16463253
I agree, we'll wait our turn on this one.

>>16463216

"Umm...well, this is Shimaru Yamada, Mangetsu and Suigetsu Hozuki of the Hidden Mist..." he said as he rubbed his neck before she cut him off, "Mist? Have you gone soft, Jiraiya?" She asks before flashing her amber eyes at you, "The Mist is our enemy." She says with a voice that could kill. When she turned back to her machine Jiraiya sighed, "Jeez...come on Tsunade, we just want to talk. Here, I'll buy you some drinks." he offered and she pulled the handle again, the result coming up negative. "Fine. I'm not really going anywhere anyway." She said as she rose and a meek assistant holding a pig rose from beside Tsunade, "Oh, Shizune, it's good to see you." he said kindly as Shizune waved, "And you, Lord Jiraiya."

Ten minutes later you all are sitting down in a booth as Jiraiya explains the whole tale, concluding with, "And so, they've come a long way for your medical expertise." he said and Mangetsu spoke, "Milady, if I may....I am sorry to cause you so much trouble, but...I brought all of our medic's notes and my brother as a healthy subject to try and give you as much as I can." He offers before Shizune gently takes the papers and reports, "These have some very good notation." Tsunade finishes her drink and leans back, "Not interested. I gave up being a shinobi."

>>16463307
A pity, but we only need a doctor anyway.

>>16463307
We're not asking you to fight any battles or teach any genin, we're asking for help from your medical expertise...or you could just let him die and let Suigetsu go on without an older brother...

>>16463307

"Good. We need a doctor."

>>16463337
She arches her eyebrow at you, "I'm done with that too." She says in a flat voice, "I'm done with responsibilities. I'm just living to enjoy my life." She informs you and makes to leave before Jiraiya speaks, "Tsunade!" He calls, loudly and strongly, almost like an order as she clenches her fist and turns. "What is it, Jiraiya?" She asks in a deathly soft tone. "I'll.....bet you for it." he said, gesturing at Mangetsu, "You heal the kid, if I win. If I lose..." He muses, "I'll give you all the money I've gotten from my books." She lets out a disgusted sound, "That's smut money..." However, when he produces his checkbook and shows it to her she twitches her eye and nods, "Fine. You're on."

The game wound up being this. All of you stood outside with a small sake cup and ten ryo coins. "Alright, we're going to put the kid to the test." he said, pointing at Suigetsu, "If this kid can catch all ten coins before they hit the ground, we win. Fair?" He asked Tsunade who pondered and looked at the kid, whizzing a rock at him all of the sudden, which went through his forehead. "Ow?" Suigetsu said curiously as Mangetsu gave a chuckle before wheezing and coughing.

"The files The Mist has of you are very limited, Tsunade-Hime, so I am unaware what events made you come to such a decision and abandon this violent way of life...though, like all decisions to move towards peace, I am sure they are good ones. I am also unaware of what acts of apology or promise I could say or make that would change your mind- to help heal a man whose job is to kill. Perhaps even kill members of your own home village, in time. But...what I do know...is that you are still alive. And you gamble to feel alive. You are still in the business of Life, Tsunade-Hime, so please, I beg of you...save it. Save the life of my friend."

>>16463406

Oop, a bit late.

rolled 7, 9, 2, 4, 4, 3, 2, 6, 1, 10 = 48

...You're not going to ask us to roll ten dice, are you?

BECAUSE AH'M DOIN' IT!

rolled 1, 7, 6, 8, 6, 8, 5, 7, 6, 2 = 56

>>16463424

SO CLOSE!!

rolled 3, 6, 8, 7, 8, 8, 10, 4, 10, 7 = 71

>>16463430

VICTORY!!

>>16463406
A little to wordy and needy for Shimaru. To get the same urgency across, I'd suggest something humble and simple. Like say if she wins this bet ask if we can make one as well. Only this time offer something of real value to us, either our remaining arm or our life. When questioned state that it is our duty as captain to do no less for our squad.

>>16463445

I thought I' break curtness a bit and go out on a limb for our friend.

But I like going out on a limb much better. Lets do that.

Why not this >>16462333

>>16463488
Assuming Suigetsu even fails. TN is 6.

rolled 10, 4, 9, 2, 9, 8, 10, 7, 6, 5 = 70

Now stop fucking around with me, 4chan.

rolled 8 = 8

So, rolling for Suigetsu?

>>16463488
That could work too, but it lacks in severity. When offering up the gauntlet Shimaru is basically saying mangetsu's worth as a swordsman is about on par with the worth of the gauntlet. I just see Shimaru seeing it as having to bet something of equal worth. Mangetsu is his second in command so he has a value equal to one of Shimaru's own hands. Just the way I see him thinking.

>>16463520
And why would Tsunade even need our arm?

>>16463533
Same reason she'd need naruto to master the rasengan. She doesn't really gamble for the money. She gambles for the thrill. Besides she'd have enough money after beating Jiraiya that she wouldn't need the gauntlet either.

>>16463515
>>16463515
>>16463515
With a surprising show of deftness Suigetsu flicks the coins up and catches all of them with remarkable ease. When he's done Jiraiya laughs, "Wow! I didn't think you could do it, nicely done." he said and winks at Tsunade, "So, how about it?" Tsunade clicks her teeth, "Not a good night. Alright, come with me." she said and leads you all back to her apartment.

Once you're inside she opens the notes and scans them with lightning speed. "Alright, fine. So it looks like you have a coronary problem which is caused by a leakage in your system flooding your lungs with blood." She said and put her hands together, a white glow over them as she holds them over Mangetsu's chest and breathes in and out slowly, "Alright....I can see where the problem is." She said and placed a hand on his chest to keep the spot before she called Suitgetsu over and scanned his chest, "And now I see the difference. Ok...." She read over the notes, "Your water-body makes it very difficult to operate on you." She said and produces a scalpel, carving right down his chest and pulling back only a wet scalpel. "In fact, the only way TO operate on you seems to be with a chakra scalpel, and even that may not work." She said before creating one and cutting his chest, this time warranting a yelp in pain from Mangetsu as his muscles could be seen, "So this does work." She muses and puts him to sleep, orders everyone out of the room and begins work.

An hour later she re-emerges, looking drained. "I've done my best for him. He'll be operating a little under his best all the time for the rest of his life." She says sadly, "There's only one other shinobi in the world who could make this completely right." She said and Jiraiya shook his head, "Please, Tsunade, don't bring him up." he said with a sad expression in his eyes.

>>16463559
"Lady Tsunade, lord Jiraiya, if there is one who can help, I ask that you tell me."

>>16463589
They look at one another before saying, at once, "Orochimaru." Tsunade says it mater of factly, Jiraiya with a definite note of disappointment. "See, Orochimaru is a genius." Tsunade starts before Jiraiya picks up, "He's the smartest shinobi to ever live. In my mind he even has surpassed our teacher, Sarutobi, but I still believe Sarutobi-sensei to be the stronger in battle..." he states before going on, "Orochimaru and Tsunade were able to treat some of the most amazing things together, with Orochimaru's incredible immune system and knowledge of poisons and the human body, along with Tsunade's medical genius, they saved hundreds if not thousands of lives."

>>16463606
"...that is indeed, unfortunate. We've met before, I doubt he'd be willing to assist us."

Though Shimaru may entertain the idea of hiring him, since he's part of a mercenary band and all, I doubt we could trust him not to back stab us hardcore even if we paid really well.

>>16463641
"Orochimaru doesn't assist anyone anymore." Jiraiya says as he stands up, "I'm sorry, I've helped you all I can." He tells you with a nod as he leaves, "Tsunade, it was nice seeing you again." He said and the woman nods, "You can all go now, thank you." The subject of Orochimaru seems to have injected a large amount of discomfort into the room.

>>16463680
thank tsunade, go somewhere quiet and put mangetsu through his paces to see just how far he can go now. or take him back to the village to heal then do that. could give suigetsu some light training on the way back as well.

>>16463606
>>16463680
inb4 Suigetsu overhears that, and runs away to find Orochimaru, to heal his brother.

>>16463726
Then we hunt the brat down, then teach him why sneaking off from your teachers on an extended training trip is a bad idea. We took a risk dragging him from the village and if we can't find him if he takes off under his own power we don't deserve to be the captain.

As Jiraiya leaves he calls out, "Hey now! Come on, Shimaru, get this kid off me!" He says and as he's trying to move out of the building Suigetsu is clinging to his legs and making them heavy, "Jeez." He sighs, "Alright, alright, I'll point you in the right direction." He said and throws down a map where he has drawn various markings, but amongst them he points to the snake symbols, "These are his sightings. Last we saw he was on the border of the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth heading towards the Hidden Stone village."

>>16463749
Thanks again sir for all of your help, and also the book I have no doubt I shall learn much from it.

>>16463766
"No problem. Be careful, ok? Orochimaru is a dangerous man, and I don't know what sort of crowd he's fallen in with." Jiraiya says as he bids his farewells.

And since 4chan appears to be acting weird and attendance is low, OP's heading out for the night.

When Mongetsu will be able to walk safely again? Do we have some free time now, should we rent a cart, or would he wake tommorow morning and greet us with a wide sharky smile?

>>16463789
Bow and thank the two Sannin. Home to the mist, first. We could have missions waiting for us, and we need to find out that Kimimaro is with Orochimaru.

Oh yes, ask Jiraiya if we should kill Orochimaru, or if we should just go and ask him. Also, ask him to thank everyone at Leaf for us, especially Minato and Mighty Guy.

Update Bingo Book with everything we've learned about the Leaf. That might upset Leaf, is there any way we can do it discreetly?

>>16463021
This needs to be how we react to the book. Possibly asking if 'Harem Ninjitsu' is an actual attack and how many people it would kill.

Return to Hidden Mist, report to Mizukage, update Intelligence files (add a book to Jiraya file, lol), train, embark on Gendo related mission.

>>16465323
>>16464927
Agree with popping back into the Hidden Mist Village. It's on the way to the Iwagakure anyway, right?

Are we sure we want to tackle with a S-Class Mad Scientest Nin right now? Because if we do, we are telling Tsunade and Jiraiya that we're going to find him, force him to cure Mangetsu [and hopefully grab Kimimaro if we can figure that out] and that Ninja - not Tools, but I think it's Obvious that Leaf doesn't like people using the word Tools rather then Ninja - that betray their village are trash and we will kill him.

>>16466380
Honestly? I'm pretty sure that we can't take him, probably not even with all Seven Swordsmen assembled.

The questions will be how much fighting capability has Mangetsu retained, and can we get Suigetsu to understand that even though Orochimaru might have the knowledge to heal Mangetsu, his reputation means that he'll either not help, or implant some kind of backdoor to use against Mangetsu and us.

>>16466458
I know, that's why I'm not sure we should hit up Iwagakure already

>>16466534
Well, we're first stopping at Kirigakure. Our plans may change once we get an update on what's going on.

>>16466548
Why not try to do someone elses side quest first? I mean now the guys stable so al thats left is to let him recouperate and then train a bit to find out if he's still at 98%. Personally I think for now 98% is good enough.

>>16466594
Well, aren't our two known sidequests 'Find Orochimaru to get him to cure Mangetsu' and 'Find Kimimaro, who is with Orochimaru, and get him back' ?

Nah, we arent going for Orochimaru just yet. Busting a hideout? Okay. Going face to face? Fuck, no. We are going for Shark, not the Snake. And our Shark isnt a sneaky type, there will be some info on him pretty soon. Map would be useful for Intelligence though.
And Mangetsu.. well now he has a whole life ahead of him to get stronger.
metapoint: Orochimaru still has his arms, and all of his techinques. And he can plant his seal on us (thats his UA3, isnt it, OP?).
Also Mangetsu UA pretty much stolen from grown up Suigetsu:
Pumping water in his hand to increase muscle mass, allows for devastating melee attack.

>>16466632
There's also the "Keep Tetsuo from sliding back into a life of booze and gambling, like Tsunade".

>>16466641
Oh no, the seal's his jutsu, his UA3 makes it almost impossible for him to die, as is appropriate for Orochimaru.

>>16466182
It's the completely opposite direction. Iwagakure is to the north-west of the continent and the Mist is the south-east.

>>16465323
>>16463855
You spend the night in a hotel room and when you wake up Mangetsu is in the kitchen singing to himself and making breakfast. He seems none the worse for wear and when questioned he explains all that he feels is a slight discomfort when he breathes in and a weakness when drawing upon any large sum of chakra. However, he notes, he's still able to do all his techniques as he normally can and even can take stabs and kunai without an issue like normal.

>>16466632
Well you do have a point, but we can always try to get more side quests.

As was mentioned >>16466764
Tetsuo is liable to revert to his previous habits, we need to stomp that out right quick. Besides our kage might have something for us to do, we're a big man now and as such letts not die stupidly by facing a sannin unprepared.

If we meet Kimimaro, we might as well meet Jugo.
Im not sure if he already met Kimimaro and asked to restrain him, but if Orochimaru can plant his seals to people, and those seals originated from Jugo kekkei genkai.. Well Its gonna be tough.

>>16466849
Getting the two of them apart will be very difficult. Kimi is a fast friend of Jugo's, and both of them are serious Orochimaru freaks.

>>16466842
You'll find a pleasant surprise in regards to that waiting for you at home.

>>16466836
Discuss Orochimaru with Mangetsu.
Consider that Orochimaru may have the skill and knowledge to completely heal Mangetsu, but getting him to agree and being sure that he won't do something like plant a mind-control seal into him would be near-impossible.

Given that Orochimaru has an entry in the Bingo Book as an S-rank missing-nin, what kind of reputation does he have? One of deceit and untrustworthiness?

>>16466871
Orochimaru is a strange customer. Despite his reputation for mischief, murder, and outright evil, he's actually generally extremely good at keeping his word. Deceit is never something Orochimaru is well known for, and if what he's promised you has no negative repercussion on his end, he's more than likely willing to make a deal of it. He's very narrow-minded in his goals and isn't stupid evil and will just try to fuck you without a good reason.

>>16466871
Mangetsu comments, "I can survive like this, and fight, and still be well. Especially because I don't want to have to go find and tackle for help someone like Orochimaru. I may want to find him in the future, but unless you have belief in the fact that this is safe, I really am not sure about this."

>>16466871
Well we found him rather annoying when we met him, though that did have to do with the fact we were fighting Kisame when he got the drop on us. That was also the only time we've run away so far.

>>16466897
Well if we've got OPs word that he's not stupid evil that changes my opinion on things. I vote we go back to some stuff around the village then leave the kid, grab Yuki and hunt the snake down.

>>16466915
I agree with Mangetsu. Would you want to be on the operating table with a guy like Orochimaru wielding the scalpels?

>>16466764
Yeah, but that's not really as subquest and more 'an ongoing problem'. Which does bring to mind 'Should we look for the AA Nin'. Or should Shimaru start, is monotone and creepy voice, to tell Tetsuo the Serenity Prayer?

"Kami, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference."

>>16466944
I promise you Orochimaru isn't stupid evil. He's a lot of things, but that's not one of them.

>>16466946
You would need something to interest him enough to follow through with his deal. If you can catch his attention and convince him to play along, then he'll see it through to the end.

What happened to helping Tetsuo?

And we still need to ACTUALLY GET the go get Kimimaro Sidequest from Yuki. We, as /tg/ know it's there.

But Shimaru? He's got no idea.

>>16466867
Well, let's go home. Do we have any souvenir photos of us all standing together looking happy that may be used for Intelligence too?

And what should we focus on next?

>>16466961
Is it me, or I remember him lying to Tsunade about the revival technique (or at least not being entirely honest and not telling her that he needs sacrifices for it to work/that they'd be brought back as his puppets with impure resurrection).

>>16466897
>>16466915
"Orochimaru can be bribed. As long as we have something he wants, he'll be willing to work. We just need to find that thing. So for now, we return to Kirigakure."

Seems like everyone's agreed that we go back to the Hidden Mist for now.

>>16467000
Well, he was kinda desperate, losing everything he acquired through these years and slowly rotting away.

>>16466972
Well, Shimaru knows about Kimimaro. Not sure if Yuki does. We just need to tell her about it, finally.

>>16466997
>focus on next
Helping Tetsuo get over his inner demons and keeping him from spiraling down into alcohol and depression.

>>16467000
From what I gathered he was intending to use Jiraiya and Naruto as the sacrifices for Dan and Nawaki. That's why he had her deliver them to her.

>>16467026
>>16467041
>>16467049
You and the Hozuki brothers make your way back to the Hidden Mist, this time taking the fast route. When you arrive home and check on your team-mates you find that Saito and Tetsuo are spending a lot of time together as Saito keeps him off his drinking by practicing his swordwork with him, and Tetsuo helps Saito by helping him focus his Genjutsu powers. When you return, however, they are both very pleased to see their Captain's return and ask about Mangetsu's health.

>>16467000
And they only come back as puppets when he uses the tags that he stuck into the back of the Second and Firsts head.

>>16467132
I figure we can let the Hozuki in question field that one.

>>16467157
Mangetsu explained the exact limitations of his wellness but otherwise said it was a full recovery. Everyone was overjoyed to hear that and Tetsuo offered to take everyone out drinking tonight on his treat.

>>16467132
"Glad to see you, and your progress. Hozuki problem is solved, though he is not as good as new."

>>16467138
Kabuto is using the same technique now (I think?) and I don't see any mind control tags.

PS.: can't wait to see Kabuto in a straight-up fight.

>>16467164
"Sure, why not. See you guys later, I have some official buiseness to care about."

>>16467175
You see him putting them into Deidara in the start of the arc in one panel, from there you can extrapolate that he does so to all of his others as he comments on the level of control he has over such high level shinobi.

>>16467132
"Much better. Not at 100% effectiveness, but no longer in danger." And Training, checking up on people, and lamenting that Gen isn't Kakashi, and checking on missions and if Deep Current is needed or not.

>>16467185
>Drinking
>Tetsuo

Let us not celebrate a simple operation as we did in slaying a Kage.

>>16467164
"Sure. I have paperwork to finish first, I'll meet you all later."

Go to Intel, and update them with the Orochimaru sightings, and see if they match up with the Kisame sightings. Also update the files on all the Leaf shinobi we met and sparred with.

>>16467187
Must've slipped that. Yeah, I guess that'd make sense.

Though, does that mean Itachi somehow removed the seal's effect with his genjutsu raven?

Gah, whatever. They'd be still unfeeling husks of the people they were.

>>16467211
Maybe not to the excess from the killing a Kage, but having a couple of drinks for returning a friend to health?

I can see that.

>>16467214
The first thing you notice is that Orochimaru and Kisame have been together twice in the past two months, and both in wildly different locations. Other than that their paths almost seem to be exactly opposite one another.

With the files update Aya brings something to your attention, "Say, Shimaru, we've been getting a lot of intel about black-clad shinobi with red headbands attacking our non-national assets from the north. It looks like Cloud activity, but....these aren't Cloud nin." She says and shows you the picture of shinobi with all black on, even masks, but with red headbands to go along with it. "I've already informed the Mizukage and she's sent ANBU to go solve the problem."

>>16467222
Yes, his raven over-rode the effects of the seal due to the sheer stupid plot-armored power of the Sharingan eye.

Yeah, you're probably right about that last part. It would be a hollow return anyway, and they'd be immortal so she'd die and Dan would be...what....30? Forever. And Nawaki would be stuck at 12. That sucks.

>>16467249
Scarlet Brigade?

>>16467249
Have they been sighted before? What about styles of attack? Have there been any traces left behind their assaults that would allow us to extrapolate a possible origin of this group? And its good to see you again Aya.

>>16467287
"Good to see you too." She says with a kind smile before going on, "They use everything, fire, wind, water, lightning. Some fight in close, others use Genjutsu. We've never seen this group, but we got a messenger hawk from Konoha a few hours ago reporting similar actions on their borders, leading us to believe this is a global affair, or at least more wide-scale than a little terrorism."

>>16467249
Drinking party just have been canceled. Report to Mizukage and ask to supervise this incursion personally.
And mention an eccentric behavior of Leaf shinobi, lack of dedicaton to old shinobi ways, but pretty high power levels of most eccentric individuals.

>>16467287
Agreeing with these questions. We fought those jonin that called themselves the Scarlet Corps. I wonder if there's a connection.

>>16467249
Thank her, and bow. Ask if there have been any requests for our services. Check in with the Mizukage just to be sure. I'm pretty sure that The Seven Swordsmen can handle these red-crested fools, but we're gonna have to limit drinking.

Side note: I wish Tetsuo actually did know drunken fencing. That'd be awesome

>>16467296
Thank her, meet with the Mizukage for debrief and if Deep Current is needed.

Everyone can still drink, but limit it to two drinks, since this could be a major problem very quickly.

>>16467322
>>16467321

The Mizukage is currently busy but there's a Mission Dispatcher waiting for you who sets you on a mission to investigate these happenings. You are authorized to take two other shinobi with you to make sure this mission is successful.

>>16467384
Knock on Gen's door. Hold up mission details. Give creepy smile. Do the same with Aya. If not Aya, then Yuki.

>>16467384
A Saito and Tetsuo would do.
"No drinks for us tonight, but our blades just might have some."

>>16467384
I'm voting for Saito and Tetsuo; time to see how much they've improved.
"Mission's come up. Time to get to work."

>>16467412
I like this one.

>>16467451
>>16467412
>>16467410

Saito and Tetsu both respond with eagerness at your summons and arm themselves quickly, leaving the village gates with you in a flash. "You never seem to get tired, do you sir?" Tetsuo says with a chuckle as he keeps close to you, "The rest of us mortals need sleep and drink, but you are a shinobi warmachine."

>>16467513
"I had plenty of rest in Konohagakure and on my way back. Stay on guard."

>>16467513
"I am a tool. Tools do not sleep. But thank you Tetsuo. Hopefully we will drink our fill of blood tonight, however."

We did get a mission scroll, right? What are our parameters for this one? And if it's 'go here, kill all' where are we going? And as the Red-Crested Squad had a Byakugan last time we dealt with them, let's keep our eyes open for harvestable things - including head-bands, as our contact in the Black Market wanted those.

Oh! Are we wearing our ANBU cloak and Mask? We should be. Also, inform Tetsuo and Saito what tactics were used last time against Scarlet Brigade.

>>16467542
Besides, can't have you getting soft on me now could I? Show me how you've both improved.

>>16467542
"As you wish, Captain." Tetsuo says and you arrive at the site of the battle in short time. The damage done was by an army of weak shinobi. They were raiding an outlying village that produced ink for scroll work. "Jeez...what a mess." Tetsuo said as Saito looked around, "I'll investigate the buildings." He said and shimmered into his ethereal form and walked through the walls of the buildings slowly, investigating.

The villagers, to their credit, actually managed to get a kill. One of the shinobi laid dead on the ground, stripped of all of his gear, but his clothing was left. The headband was more easy to see now. There was a small cloud stitched into the red cloth, a red cloud.

Fuck yeah, a Crimson Cloud Hidden Village appears!

And with that, OP is gone for the weekend. I'll be back Sunday night. Until that time, stay gold /tg/.

See ya!

>>16467576
Check every 'dead' body first. We can passively scan Chakra, see if this dead ninja had anything speical. Next, see if you can sense where these Red Cloud Ninja went off to. Sword ready, and in hand and keep your eyes open. No unnessary talking.

>>16467609
Aww. Well, take care, OP! I'll miss this, as it's been awesome and a great way to playtest.

>>16467609
Thank you, have a nice time.

>>16467604
Akatsuki is making a village now? Well shit. They've already got at least three S rank nukenin so this'll not be fun. We did see pictures of Kisame and Orochimaru in the black cloaks with red clouds didn't we? Sorry hard to remember whats out of character and what isn't.

>>16467629
It was one of suggestions from early threads, 2nd or a 3rd one, and I like where this is going.

So, ideas for techniques and perks we need to get:
Blitz 3
Speed Familiarity
Katon
Steam Cannon
Also, I suggest Master (Water Clone) to improve the power of our clones, so that we can do a combo attack with our clones. We've tried it before a few times, but our clones were just too weak to be able to pull it off.

>>16468469
I thought we -did- learn Katon. I note it's not on the sheet, but I thought I remember seening it - which I think is something we need to check up on for Sunday. Try and get the character sheet fixed up.

I have no idea what 'Steam Cannon' is though. Details?

Other then that, I think we should perfect AVATAR OF THE SEA and look into what else would make us a good Shinobi. Flicker Blade is up there, and I'm not sure what else.

>>16468690
Steam Cannon is an idea I had to mix a Katon (Fire) and Suiton (Water) into a Steam ninjutsu attack, like our Steam Buzzsaw and the current Mizukage's Vapor Release (which uses the heat of a Fire jutsu to evaporate acid from a Water jutsu to create an acid mist).

I agree that Flicker Blade is good, but we might need a higher Speed Rank in order for it to work. Being faster would also give most people we fight against a -2 to their dice pools when attacking us or evading our attacks.

>>16468957
I thought flicker Blade ws more seal-work, warping blade in and out of existance.

And I think Vapor is a nature kekkei genkai so I don't know if we can get it.

>>16469289
Yeah, the Vapor we probably can't get, because it's a kekkei genkai. But our sword does show that a steam jutsu may be possible.

As for the Flicker Blade style, you're right that it's a form of applied seals and fuujutsu. In that case, we might need to increase our Fuujutsu Knowledge and possibly Chakra Control to get it.

First, awesome idea: What if our Avatar of the Sea can perform Jutsu all by itself while we focus on sword fighting? Avatar of the Sea signing Water Prison while we attack foes. Mhm, that brings up an idea. Can you sign contracts with things like 'The Sea' so we can get our Avatar to actually be a kaiju beast thing?

Second, are there any other ideas we want to try for? I would like to try to individualize our 'Hidden Mist' technique - not with poison, we should bring that up with Yuki or whoever on the Seven is best at poison - but maybe 'Dropping or injuring a target automatically allows us to spend a point of Chakra(determination maybe?) to expand our Bloody Hidden Mist as if it was cast on the body.' Suggest personalized 'Hidden Mist' Techniques for everybody.

>>16469534
Well, our Avatar of the Sea is a modified form of Water Bunshin and Water jutsu, and the idea of the water armor was that it could create a second set of hands, so I don't see why it couldn't also cast jutsu. It might drain from our own chakra pool because it's not a true Water Bunshin, though. That's something to confirm with OP on Sunday.

>>16470120
Hilarious idea: Avatar of the Sea casting Katon everywhere.

What UA/ST can we get from Chakra Sensing skill mastery, any ideas? We could tie a Speed Adaptation/Familiarity to it, or improve the Eyes in the Mist UA.
Martial arts and taijitsu knowledge masteries could allow for grapple-choke related technique, or even unique taijutsu fighting style (like placing explosive tags on targets in hand to hand combat, or creative use of our bone hand).
Speaking of bone hand, mastery of kekkei genkai allows for fuckload of funny things to do, regenerating shield-sword arm comes to mind, as well as ranged attack with finger fallang bullets.

>>16472928
Yeah but it's not a full kekkei genkai. I doubt we'll ever have full mastery over or Kaguya Arm.

>>16473007
OP said that use of kekkei genkai will require a Chakra Control test (and our Chakra stat is pretty low). That, and use of only one hand, instead of whole body, seems to be only limiting factors.
We already planted a poison in Raikage body with our hand, after all.

>>16472928
We've got all these explosive tags, and I'd really like to find a use for them.
If we get our Speed Rank up, get Speed Familiarity, and max out Martial Arts, then maybe we can use your idea of in-combat tag use.
Another idea is to turn our water clones into suicide bombers or have them continually fire tagged kunai at enemies like a sentry turret.

Saito, with his earth movement, should be able to mine the battlefield mid-combat, which could give us a great edge.