Ogo

Final Fantasy 7 Redone

…

…

…

Wait...

What?

As Maddie watched her contact, the way he sat, the way he looked at her...she came to a rather distressing conclusion: her attempt at seduction had not only completely failed, the man seemed to be almost disgusted by it. Which was a real blow to the old confidence, she had to admit. Was...was he gay? She hadn’t picked up that vibe from him, but she could hardly figure out what else it could have been. She had looked nice enough for the other drunks in the bar, right? And she checked all the seduction criteria, had she not? Prolonged eye contact, intimate physical contact, feigned interest in his passions, fed his ego…

Books and film made it seem so easy. Perhaps she simply required more research on the subj-

Wait. That hardly mattered here. The man broke the silence, and with each word, Maddie became more and more disheartened.

"So, you propose making use of your more technical expertise in there, rather than the cobbling together of explosives for the job. I'll run you a counter-proposal, a compromise if you will. The explosives would remain useful against the Reactor's automated security. If nothing else, they're a useful asset and not to be wasted, almost certainly guaranteeing that we make it to the core. Continue to help us with that and I'll entertain your idea. Maybe 'any amateur' can put together an explosive, but quality won't blow up in anyone's faces and still get the job done. We'll make sure they can stick to the hides of Sweepers and such. Those toys, we can do without."

Part of her was almost relieved that he hadn’t taken up her proposal. Even with her having planned to sabotage the mission, there would have been a chance - however small it may be - of success. And that success would have likely ended in an unimaginable amount of death. Would she then be any better than the butcher she had condemned not so long ago?

But matters of the woman’s struggle with morality aside, there was a bigger problem here: she had failed to earn a spot on the mission. Her options were now limited in a big way. The man wanted his bombs, and she had just made a big point of being an expert. Sabotaging them would now be out of the question. If anything went wrong on that end, the blame would fall squarely on her. And then what? Was it not her who admitted that ‘any amateur’ could put together his bombs? If her quality was the only thing that sat her apart, that drove the group to use her, then any doubt placed on that quality would effectively mean her end.

Best case scenario, she got replaced, cut out of the loop.

Worst case? An unmarked grave, if she were lucky?

Sabotage was truly out. And setting an ambush at the targeted reactor seemed foolish as well. Her lack of actionable knowledge of the mission specifics aside, she figured there was a rather small list of people who were even aware of the planned bombing. If the team caught wind that perhaps Shinra was alerted beforehand, then scrutiny on herself would definitely increase. No, she would need to cooperate fully.

Or at least, that was her opinion. In truth, the decision wouldn’t be up to her. Maddie was little more than a cog in the grand machine called Shinra. Even if she did enjoy some autonomy in her operations, at the end of the day she was a tool. It was her responsibility to report on her findings and then operate according to how her supervisors saw fit. She could only hope that she remained useful in their eyes. Useless tools often got discarded.

Maddie only had a chance to murmur a brief word of agreeance before her contact beat a hasty exit. It would seem that things would, more or less, go according to his original plan. She would make his bombs and -

Wait.

…

He never told her when or where she’d be getting the supplies. Maddie rose to her feet and scanned the entrance of the bar, hoping to see if she could catch the man before he was gone. No such luck. As quickly and as silently as he had appeared, he was gone.

…

For fuck’s sake.

Maddie slumped down in her chair and rested her chin upon the sticky table in defeat. The meeting could have gone worse she supposed, but she was having difficulty imagining how. She checked her distorted reflection in the semi-clean mug. At least her hair still looked fine. Make-up was still holding up too. She sat upright and continued examining herself. Clothes stain-free and neat. She held a hand up to her mouth and checked her breath.

Oh fuck. Oh sweet merciful fuck. It took all Maddie had not to gag on the smell of her own breath. It was like a mixture of goblin piss and soy sauce. Forget a gun - armed with that breath she could single-handedly take down the entirety of the Avalanche operation. Well, she certainly couldn't blame the Butcher for resisting her then. If he hadn’t been gay before, then he most likely was now, what with Ms. Skunkbreath wafting her poisonous fumes that close to his poor nose while clumsily groping him. If he wasn’t a murderous terrorist hellbent on sacrificing innocent lives for his foolish goals, she might actually have felt bad for having traumatized.

Maybe she wasn’t cut out for the whole femme fatale schtick.

Horror took root in the woman’s heart and her eyes went wide. A sudden realization struck her - she was going to have to report this. ALL of it. She would be embarrassed if Tseng read it of course, but at least that man could remain professional…

…

Reno could NEVER know.

---

Maddie eventually gathered herself from the pit of despair she had fallen into and, after settling up her tab, promptly left the bar. She made a quick stop at a convenience store on her way out of the Wall Market. Breath mints were desperately needed. She also picked up a magazine featuring an exaggerated cover photo of a woman standing in front of a swooning man with the caption “10 Easy Steps to Make Him Fall for You.”

On her way out of the pleasure capital of Midgar, Maddie checked her phone. She had gotten a notification earlier but hadn’t had a chance to check it before her meeting. It was a hit on her ad. A bite. Somebody was interested and wanted to chat. She had to admit, she was a little taken aback. That was quick. Real quick. Somebody was hungry. Still, she couldn’t dismiss the possibility that it was a false alarm. There were a number of people who had little better to do than waste other people’s time.

Maddie accessed the address. It wasn’t exactly the time the potential buyer had mentioned, but it wasn’t as if these things were black tie auctions. She thought for a moment, considering how best to open. These types were often paranoid, which made luring them out in the open rather difficult. She also needed to be careful with the price. Too low and it reeked of a trap. Too high and the buyer would lose interest. For something like this…

The potential buyer would receive a message from a “Mogsworth”, using a picture of a character from an old children’s show Maddie used to watch way back when. It was a cute, old moogle wearing a monocle, top hat, and a tailed coat, but no pants. Cartoons were weird. In her defense, she only rarely binge watched the series nowadays.

@rivaan
Package too hot for digital - sniffers will pick it up
Can do anonymous drop in Midgar area. Thumb drive
20k total
1st 10k gets u the location
2nd 10k gets u the passcode
Wouldn’t suggest trying to brute force it.
You fuck me, I fuck you.
Deal goes well, can offer exclusives in the future

With that taken care of, all she needed now was a good drop location. She had one in mind. It was just out of the way enough that it might not spook her mark, although Maddie wouldn’t have a great vantage point. Still, she didn’t need to cuff the mark immediately - just figure out if this bozo was the same one she was looking for.

---

After leaving the Wall Market, Maddie made her way towards the Sector 5 slums. She rented a small apartment in the little shantytown there. It wasn’t exactly Maddie’s dream apartment - she wasn’t the biggest fan of being on the wrong side of the plate - but for her assignment, it served its purpose. Couldn’t very well smuggle bomb supplies topside without an extreme amount of hassle. Besides, the last thing she needed was for her Mother to accidentally detonate a delicate explosive downtown. At least in the shantytown, the losses would be…

Maddie stopped herself. That was a cruel thought. She didn’t like those, even if she found herself having them more and more often as of late.

In any case, that was the place she received her last shipment of supplies and, considering her contact didn’t deem it necessary to update her on drop spots, she assumed that he would just use the same one. It was...sloppy. If she hadn’t been who she was, if she had just been another radical, she’d have likely been busted by now.

Perhaps that was something the group noticed as well? Or maybe she was overthinking as she often did. Bah.

Maddie made a stop along the way at an old playground. It used to be pretty popular, or so she heard, but nowadays it was more or less abandoned. Too dangerous. She certainly had never seen anyone use it before. Which was good. She could use this as her drop.

The woman crossed over to a slide in the shape of a fun, cartoon cat. Confirming that she hadn’t been followed - and as best as she could tell, her tail still hadn’t found her - she snapped a quick picture of the slide and continued on her way. That would be where she hid the thumb drive if the buyer took the bait.

And with that, Maddie continued on her way.

For a while. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that something seemed...off. She thought she heard something but...couldn’t place it.

But then the sound got louder. And louder. And more distinct. And unmistakable.

A helicopter. One of THEIR helicopters. Odd, but not cause for alarm. Midgar was Shinra’s city, after all. It made sense for their choppers to be in the air, even if the timing seemed a little odd.

But that’s when Maddie heard the gunshots.

Heavy gunshots.

A lot of gunshots. Off in the same direction that the helicopter seemed to be.

There was trouble. It wasn’t Maddie’s concern though. It wasn’t her job. So she would keep on her way. Go straight to her apartment. Ignore the curiosity. It wasn’t her responsibility.

…

Maddie rushed off in the direction of the firefight. Whatever was happening there, she needed to know. It COULD be useful. Maybe? Shaky logic or not, the woman couldn’t help herself. The curiosity was too strong.

And she was just a cat with a deathwish.

Tales from the Land of Fire | A Naruto AU Roleplay

Alright! Took a liiiiiiiittle longer than I was hoping, but I should be done now. Considering you mentioned a timeskip a few times in the interest check, I went ahead and added a few sections on the sheet with information that would only be relevant post-timeskip. They're mostly blocked off within hiders. I'm assuming there's some stuff that may likely need to be changed or altered down the road to fit whatever happens, but I think the Genin side of things should be good to go.

Uesugi Kimiko

Art by: ielleja | HONEYxPOISON

Name: Uesugi Kimiko

Nickname: Kimi | Mega-bitch | Princess [not in a flattering manner]

Post Timeskip

Heiress to the Uesugi Clan | Kimiko of the Phantom Blade

Age: 14 | 28

Gender: Female

Height: 181cm (5ft 11in)

Nature: Wind | Wind, Fire

Personality: In her youth, Kimiko was very much a carefree girl. As both the third-born child and a daughter, very few responsibilities and expectations were placed upon her, leading the rather unmotivated girl to coast through her early life while putting in as little effort as possible. Having grown accustomed to being the center of attention and able to indulge her every whim, it’s fair to say that the girl became rather spoiled, selfish, and stubborn. When things didn’t go her way, she was prone to tantrums and fits of rage.

Despite her terrible attitude however, the girl was gifted with rather impressive innate aptitude as a kunoichi. She would quickly pick up new concepts and techniques. Things just came to her easily. Unfortunately, this only continued to fuel her already poor motivation and undeserved confidence. She could get by simply by half-assing her assignments. If things worked out, then great. If not, well, it certainly couldn’t be her fault. Or at least that’s how she would justify her failings. Her selfish, aloof nature made for a nightmare teammate. She was certainly competent, but she thought little of her companions or opponents.

Kimiko thought so highly of her own abilities, that in her first attempt at the Chuunin Exams, she offered an opponent a wager: if she couldn’t finish him in three strikes, she would forfeit. He knocked her out cold. And despite that, the girl's confidence remained as high as ever.

Outside of her uh..."professional life", Kimiko was a rather outgoing person. She enjoyed being around other people. Or rather, she enjoyed other people being around her. She found it easy to speak to people. But Kimiko spoke very bluntly to others, and it wasn't due to any lack of social awareness. She knew that she could be cruel at times, but she simply chose to do it anyway. She valued honesty very highly, unwilling to lie to save face. If her words hurt others, at least it helped them acknowledge a truth they might not want to see. As such, she didn't amass a very large collection of friends. But the ones she did have knew her to be genuine and loyal.

Post Timeskip

Later in life, after the untimely deaths of her two older brothers, Kimiko would mature quite a bit. With the weight of her clan squarely on her shoulders, the former slacker would go on to become a rather hard-worker, practicing her craft like a woman possessed. While her confidence and stubborn streak would never truly falter, she would no longer underestimate those around her. She couldn’t afford to. Every task, every opponent could be her last. There couldn’t be room for error. Even her temper would evolve - going from quick, loud outbursts to more of an intensely-focused long burn.

The bratty, self-absorbed girl from the past would become an intense, responsible young woman, very much an echo of her father.

Background: The Uesugi clan can trace its roots to the Land of Iron. Historically, the clan was little more than another minor samurai family with little notable achievements to boast about, and it likely would have remained as such if not for the actions of Uesugi Minoru. Minoru was the seventh son of the clan’s leader and, believing there to be little opportunity to earn honor by staying in his ancestral home, sat out to seek his glory elsewhere once he became of age.

In his travels, Minoru came to trade blows with a number of shinobi from a number of lands. The young samurai grew increasingly enamored with the techniques used by these foreign warriors and, after some time, sought out teachers to learn their ways. It was his belief that one could not hope to overcome one’s foes without first understanding one’s foes. He would develop his own style, one that married elements of the two opposing ideologies.

Upon returning to his home after many years abroad, Minoru would find only ruins and destruction. While he was away, a rival clan had claimed the lands owned by the Uesugi clan as their own and, backed by a powerful warlord in the region, had taken them by force. A grieving Minoru, sole survivor of his father’s sons, would then gather the remnants of his clan and, seeing no viable future for his people in the Land of Iron, would once again leave for foreign lands.

The clan would settle in the Land of Fire, home to shinobi who saw it fit to teach Minoru the arts of ninjutsu. The exiled samurai would go on to refine his style, passing it on to his children, and their children after. The Uesugi clan’s rather unorthodox style would lead them to produce a number of exceptional bounty hunters specialized in combating shinobi.

-

Many, many years later, Kimiko would be born to the Uesugi clan’s current head, an intense - yet quiet - giant of a man by the name of Uesugi Daiki. She would be his third child and first daughter. While not outright antagonistic towards her, Daiki would take little interest in his daughter’s life. Matters of the clan would take precedent, and what little time he could spare would be spent training his sons in the Uesugi style of swordplay.

Kimiko would be far from neglected, however. Both of her brothers - Uesugi Takehiko (the eldest) and Uesugi Masahiko (the middle child) - absolutely adored their sister and would dote on her every chance they could. Other family members, seeing the inconsistency in Daiki’s treatment of his children, would attempt to overcompensate for the young girl as well, which likely led to her inflated sense of self-worth and entitlement.

When it came time for Kimiko to begin to learn her clan’s techniques, Daiki delegated her training to her uncle, a decision which infuriated the young girl. An indignant Kimiko would then challenge her father out of sheer embarrassment. It went about as well as one might think a young child fighting a master swordsman would go. Deeply humiliated, the girl had little choice but to respect her father’s decision.

Behind their father’s back, Takehiko and Masahiko would give Kimiko additional lessons. And between those lessons and the training of her uncle - an accomplished swordsman by his own right - Kimiko was shaping up to be a rather formidable swordswoman. She very well had the potential to be an exceptional kunoichi, easily amongst the best of her peers. The issue was that Kimiko was acutely aware of that fact. That knowledge, paired with the lack of difficulty - at least in Kimiko’s eyes - in her missions gave the girl all the excuse she needed to stop trying. Why bother pushing herself if she was already destined to be great? Why waste the energy?

Unfortunately, this sharp drop in motivation didn’t reflect in her performance. Her missions were still being completed, regardless if she took things easy or not. And that only served to fuel her ever-expanding ego. The girl hadn’t faced any real setbacks in her life.

That is, until her first attempt at the Chuunin exams.

During a segment of the exams to evaluate practical combat ability, Kimiko faced a foreign shinobi. The girl, having already deemed herself far and away his superior, not to mention a shoo-in for promotion to Chuunin, decided that she needed to make things a little more interesting. She announced to her opponent that should she fail to neutralize him in three strikes or less, then she would forfeit.

Ultimately, she would never have to make good on her word, as before Kimiko managed to even strike the young man a single time, he effortlessly overpowered her. She was out before she ever hit the ground.

Now, a thoroughly embarrassed Kimiko angrily awaits another shot at taking the exams, ready to finally claim the reward that was stolen from her and prove that her humiliating defeat was little more than a fluke.

-

Post Timeskip

Some time later, after finally becoming a Chuunin, Kimiko’s world would be violently shaken. Uesugi Masahiko would be slain on the trail of an incredibly violent rogue-ninja by the name of Ose Nobuyuki. Not long afterwards, in a desperate attempt to avenge his little brother, Uesugi Takehiko would foolishly abandon a mission and his team in order to hunt down the rogue shinobi alone. And he too would be cut down long before his time.

Given no alternatives, a grieving Uesugi Daiki would finally be forced to acknowledge his daughter. He personally took over from his younger brother and began to instill within the young woman the knowledge and training she would require to lead the clan in the future. In a cruel, twisted sort of way, Kimiko’s wish was granted. She finally got what she wanted. All it cost her was the lives of her brothers. It wasn’t worth it.

She resisted at first, grieving in her own way, but eventually the woman had little choice but to accept the weight of the responsibility that had finally been placed upon her. In her father, she found a teacher who was both ruthless and effective. He instilled a sense of discipline she had hereto lacked. And under his tutelage, she would finally begin to reach her true potential.

She would learn everything he had to teach, all with the unspoken goal of hunting down Ose Nobuyuki and personally carving her brothers’ names into his corpse.

Fighting Style: Members of the Uesugi clan are strong practitioners of kenjutsu, with their style sharing a lot of similarities with that utilized by the samurai of the Land of Iron. Specifically the reliance on Iaidō as a basis on which the rest of the style is built upon. Quick, precise strikes ending with the blade being resheathed comprise the core of the Uesugi style. The aim is to quickly take advantage of the moment an enemy shinobi is performing their hand signs in order to either interrupt their technique, or incapacitate them completely, either by disabling their hands, arms, or outright killing them. By resheathing, the Uesugi shinobi is able to recreate the strength drawn by their explosive draw if necessary while also allowing them the opportunity to perform their own hand signs if the situation calls for ninjutsu or genjutsu to be utilized instead.

The Uesugi school of swordplay contains three major styles, with practitioners typically learning the basics for all three before specializing in one. These include:

The Way of Dawn - A style that weaves in the use of offensive-type ninjutsu alongside typical swordplay. Followers of this style typically utilize the Fire-style, capitalizing on the explosive nature of those jutsu in order to mask their own movements and better position for follow-up attacks. In addition, practitioners frequently use elemental Chakra Flow to enhance their weapons to make their strikes even more potent. Fire-style users in particular tend to light their blades on fire in an attempt to unnerve the opposition. Typically fighters within this style prefer to remain within point-blank to close-range. As such, it’s of the utmost importance that users possess high dexterity and speed in order to get their hand signs off while in such close proximity to their opponents. Their goal is to overwhelm opponents quickly and end the fight as soon as possible.

The Way of Dusk - A style that relies heavily upon genjutsu to create openings for the user to deliver fatal blows more effectively. Rather than rely upon rapid, flashy attacks such as those within the Way of Dawn, followers of this style prefer to take their time to set up the perfect strike. As such, the style tends to favor a more defensive stance, with practitioners constantly parrying or blocking until they can capitalize on a lapse in focus in their opponent. The defensive specialists prefer mid-to-long range, engaging their opponents in a battle of attrition. Patience and precision are the two key factors in this style, as opportunities to go on the offense may not present themselves often.

The Way of Twilight - If the other two styles include elements of ninjutsu and genjutsu respectively, then it would be fair to assume that this style would be the specialized in taijutsu, and while it is true that the style includes far more taijutsu elements than the others, it’s not exactly the focus. The Way of Twilight revolves around the utilization of a technique known as a “Chakra Echo.” In the moment before a follower of this style draws his blade, he gathers his chakra around his body and, as he goes to launch his attack, sheds and materializes it. This results in the formation of chakra in the form of stored energy that can be activated, or “released”, to effectively “echo” an attack, repeating it. Advanced users are even capable of priming their echoes to utilize other techniques; a common example of this would be the use of the standard samurai technique “Flash” being stored in a number of echoes before being fired simultaneously. Utilization of Chakra Echoes, however, costs the user quite a bit of chakra. The initial formation of the Echo demands a large amount of upfront chakra, as well as a constant strain on the user to keep it formed. Priming them with another technique requires the expenditure of an appropriate amount of chakra as well. Releasing the Echo, however, occurs anytime the user ends the supply of chakra, whether intentionally or not. Due to this intense strain on a user’s chakra, their normal swordplay is generally augmented with taijutsu. For a follower of the Way of Twilight to be successful, they will require either a large chakra capacity or incredible control over it. It would also serve them well to possess superb spacial awareness and high dexterity and agility.

While Kimiko has been trained in the basics of all three, her specialization lies with the Way of Twilight. While her chakra reserves are nothing too special, she’s demonstrated a high level of control over it, and her natural speed and agile movements complement the style nicely.

Post Timeskip

As heir presumptive of the Uesugi clan, it became Kimiko’s duty to master all three styles of the family’s school. It was no small feat, but by her mid-twenties, Kimiko had earned the right to make such a claim. In combat, she’s capable of identifying the style most appropriate to her current situation and swapping to it on the fly, although it’s not unusual to see her dancing through the different styles with each individual strike.

Abilities:

In addition to her basic kenjutsu and taijutsu training as well as the common ninjutsu and genjutsu taught to all academy students, Kimiko has picked up a number of techniques both from her clan and her Jounin squad leader.

Chakra Flow - a type of technique utilized to extend the flow of one’s chakra. Typically, this can be applied to objects an individual comes in contact with. The most common use of this would likely be the flowing of chakra into a weapon, such as a sword or kunai. This can be done to enhance the natural properties of the weapon or - when one utilizes elemental chakra in this manner - to create new effects. The samurai of the Land of Iron use this technique extensively to enhance their kenjutsu, and the Uesugi clan are no different.

Way of Twilight: Chakra Echo - the core technique of the Way of Twilight. At its simplest form, a Chakra Echo is a manifestation of a user’s potential energy. By utilizing Chakra Flow, one can create a replication of their body and the energy stored in their muscles in the moment before an attack is made. Often, this takes the form of a semi-transparent “ghost” or afterimage of the user. The formation of an Echo requires a large upfront cost of chakra, and maintaining it consumes a steady amount from the user. When that supplemental chakra flow is interrupted, the potential energy is released in the form of the Echo carrying out the action that was stored then dissipating. Advanced users of this technique are capable of storing longer sequences of attacks or more complex techniques at a higher initial chakra cost. As a Genin, Kimiko’s chakra replenishment rate is capable of sustaining up to three Echoes simultaneously, although at that point she would begin burning through her reserves rather quickly.

Way of Twilight: Arcing Slash - this wide slash is meant to cover as much area in a single strike as possible. The area denial of this ability may not seem too impressive on its own, but when utilized by a number of Chakra Echoes surrounding an opponent, they serve to limit the target’s avenues of escape, opening them up for a more substantial targeted follow-up strike by the user.

Way of Twilight: Retreating Slash - Should the user require space between them and their opponent, a Way of Twilight swordsman will often perform an attack while moving away, regardless if the opponent were to be struck by it or not. The reasoning behind it is to use the resulting Echo to either dissuade an opponent from following or punish them if they choose to do so anyway.

Way of Twilight: Bladed Waltz - This advanced technique utilizes a series of quick slashes, with the user resheathing while repositioning around the target between each strike. Upon each drawing of the blade following the initial strike, the user releases the Chakra Echo they had just created in the previous attack. When performed correctly, this technique should result in a constant, uninterrupted flow of strikes against a target. The difficulty of this technique stems from the rapid creation of Chakra Echoes. The user must gather the required chakra and dispense it perfectly in only a moment before they must launch their next attack. Furthermore, the user needs to fully resheathe their sword in between each strike. Hesitating for even a moment on either the resheathing, the formation of the Chakra Echo, or even the repositioning in between strikes can leave the user open for a nasty counterattack. A perfect execution, however, gives the impression of a swordsman striking so quickly that an afterimage trails behind him.

Flash - A derivative of Chakra Flow, this common samurai technique involves the user projecting their own chakra in the form of an attack, such as a crescent blade of chakra following the swinging of a chakra-infused blade. More advanced users can project chakra blades with the elemental properties of their own chakra nature.

Way of Dawn: Vanishing Blade - A wind-elemental variant of Chakra Flow for use with a sword, utilized heavily by practitioners of the Uesugi School’s Way of Dawn. Kimiko envelops her sword’s blade in an aura of wind-elemental chakra. The rapid currents surrounding the blade refract the light around it, obscuring the visibility of the blade itself. When executed properly, this gives the appearance of the blade vanishing. Obviously, this makes it more difficult for an opponent to detect incoming strikes. In addition, the air currents around the blade can slice objects they come in contact with; however, this disrupts the mirage effect around the blade, rendering it increasingly visible until the obstruction is removed and the currents can pick up speed again.

Wind Release: Gale Palm - A wind-elemental technique that produces a gale of wind from the user’s palms. This can be used to propel the user in the direction opposite that which the wind is expelled, allowing the user to travel rapidly in a chosen direction, change directions if already traveling, or slow a fall. Alternatively, the user can use this technique offensively or defensively by clasp their palms together, creating a short range gale centered around the user with enough force to knock a person over.

Way of Dusk: Blinding Blade - A entry level genjutsu utilized by practitioners of the Way of Dusk, the common means of applying the genjutsu involve the user holding their sheathed sword out in front of them and, while maintaining eye contact with the opponent, unsheathing the sword rapidly. The genjutsu causes the victim to experience a blinding flash of light, seemingly reflected off of the blade. When the sensation fades, the victim’s eyesight returns, but to them it appears as if the user had vanished. In reality, the genjutsu has altered the victim’s perception, making it difficult for them to see the user, with the flash of light used to disguise the true purpose of the technique. While the victim may be unable to see the user, their other senses remain unaffected, with those with particularly keen senses of hearing or smell likely to still be able to perceive the user’s general position and detect any incoming attacks. A successful strike made by the user will, of course, break the genjutsu.

Small Group Naruto Roleplay

@Dio
Alright, I can dig it. Thanks for the reply. I'll work on a concept at work tonight - should have something by Friday morning.

Small Group Naruto Roleplay

I mean, I gave the anime a try when it first started airing, but I couldn't stick with it. I don't think it was like terribad, but fuck, they wasted no time at all in going to Filler City. Wasn't really my cup of tea.

Small Group Naruto Roleplay

I mean, are you really a ninja if you're not screeching at the top of your lungs?

Small Group Naruto Roleplay

Yo, sorry for not replying earlier. Yeah, I'm still interested personally, but I do have a few questions.

Like, when would this setting take place? Before/during/after the events of the series? Is the series even relevant or will this be more of an alternate timeline/world sorta deal?

Are the canon characters/clans/events a thing or nah?

Which village will this be focused around?

What kinda power level should we be aiming for? Like for example, let's say we went with option 1. These Genin taking the exams, should they be on par with Naruto and the gang during the Chuunin Exam arc? Or more like the Genin from Boruto? Or even Kakashi and the boys during the war?

What sort of expectations do you have for post pacing or length?
--

I'm cool with either setup you listed tbh. No big preference here.

Final Fantasy 7 Redone

In the course of her brief twenty-two years of life, Maddie had come to recognize a fundamental law of the universe: No matter how truly insignificant they may be, men of power - without exception - suffer grandiose delusions. And those delusions, more often than not, ultimately lead to downfall and devastation.

"That's been a question floating around the group for a while, but inevitably the answer had to be that we need to knock out Shinra power, period. Not inconvenience them with a repair job, but ruin it, destroy it.”

The man she had the misfortune of drinking with was the perfect example of this: he truly believed that his “grand plan” would bring about the change he so desperately desired. But it wouldn’t. Maddie had no precognitive ability, nor did she harbor any belief in such matters of the supernatural, but it didn’t take a psychic to see the obvious consequences of the man’s plans. Destroying a reactor wouldn’t harm Shinra in the slightest. Their resources might as well be infinite at this point. For every reactor Avalanche could destroy, Shinra would simply build two more. Getting into a war of attrition with Shinra was a fool’s gambit.

If anything, all this bombing mission could hope to accomplish would be the collapse of the community built around the reactor. Sure, plenty would die in the initial explosion and the resulting chaos that would ensue, but countless more would be affected in the aftermath. The number of lives that would be lost should even a single vital hospital lose power would be staggering. And for what? Avalanche would either (idiotically) take credit or be (rightfully) blamed by Shinra for the heinous act. Public opinion for the group would plummet. How could anyone play at being “Freedom Fighters” then take aim at the innocent?

In a grandiose display of irony, Avalanche - by following through with this plan - would fend off potential destruction and suffering in the future by...causing destruction and suffering now. Shinra’s sworn enemy would become the company’s greatest asset - offering a loud, obnoxious diversion to the, quite frankly, morally repulsive actions the company was performing across the globe. Granted, Maddie wasn’t privy to EVERYTHING the company was involved in, but she knew enough to know that she wasn’t exactly working for the good guys.

But hey, when the “good guys” deem countless innocent lives being snuffed out as an “inconvenience”, maybe that was just a sign that morality is bullshit. In that case, was it really wrong to side with the people offering a bigger paycheck? And besides, Shinra offered dental. Hard to pass that up.

“Their power must be broken so they have nothing to lord over others with."

Yes, the tyranny of Shinra could not be suffered even a moment longer. We should all strive to do everything within our power towards the ultimate goal of suffering under the tyranny of Avalanche instead. Deep down, in her heart of hearts, Maddie loathed this man. The disgust was surface level as well - make no mistake about it - but it was comforting to know that on a fundamental level she also hated him. It was one of the few things about herself that she could confidently claim as truth.

Maddie let the man have his monologue and, when he had finished, took a nice, slow drink. The alcohol was cheap - even if she hadn’t paid for it herself, the way it violently clawed at her throat in a desperate attempt to save itself from taking a plunge like a terrified housecat above a bathtub of water was unmistakable - and the mix was stale. But to be fair, a disappointing drink was the perfect companion to a disappointing drinking companion.

“Hon’, I’m not gonna lie - you’re kinda letting me down here.” she admitted, leaning forward. She held the mug with both hands, her elbows propped upon the table. She gazed at her contact over the top of it, but offered a sly smile through the semi-opaque liquid and glass. “Any amateur with a cookbook could cobble together something quick and dirty that could work for your little job here. But you came to me... So I would hope that you would want something a little more than just... ‘quick and dirty.’”

She shot her man a mischievous grin before taking another swig of the burning piss that the barman had the audacity to sell her. But she wouldn’t show her disappointment just yet. Not in the drink nor the pig in pants pretending to be a man across from her. She had a plan. She didn’t particularly like the plan, but she had a hunch that it just might work. She also had a hunch that she would most likely need to make a number of appointments with a therapist in the very near future. But let’s be real, no amount of therapy would ever make what she was about to do any less horrific. And she would most likely need to eliminate the therapist after their session, have to protect those company secrets after all, but that was a whole ‘nother can o’ worms.

“There’s a golden opportunity here, y’know? Why settle for just breaking Shinra’s toy when we could use it to send a message? Babe, when it comes to booms, I’m the best in the business. Are you following me? No? Well then...let me break it down for you...”

Maddie lowered her drink onto the table and gave a glance about to confirm that no one was actively listening to her conversation. Then, once satisfied, she rose to her feet and walked around to his side of the table. Standing over him, the woman began to lean in close. She tucked her hair behind her right ear before resting her hand against his chest. She brought her face to his ear, close enough to feel the warmth radiating off his skin. When she was close enough to be sure that he would feel her breath brush against his neck when she spoke, Maddie set the bait. She dropped her voice to little more than a whisper and purred. “If you were to get me to the reactor core, well then honey, forget a bomb - we could set off a lightshow that they’d see all the way over in Wutai. Then there wouldn’t be a soul on the planet who didn’t know about Avalanche.”

She let her words float for a moment before she pushed off of him and stood up straight again. Grinning like a fox, ‘Naomi’ let out a chuckle. “And you, sir, would be squarely at the top of Shinra’s Most Wanted list. Mr. Public Enemy Number One.” she teased, her grin spreading into a bright, toothy smile. Before he could reply, however, she held a finger up in front of her lips and pivoted on her feet before making her way to the bar. Once there, she flagged down a barman and ordered a shot of whiskey and a glass of water. The nausea was threatening to strangle her and she had half a mind to just let it. She desperately needed something to drown it and that watered down paint thinner in a mug back at her table wasn’t cutting it. She needed a shower and a lobotomy, but failing those, a gratuitous amount of cheap alcohol might just do the job. For now.

After treating her trauma and starting what would likely end up as a beautiful yet troubling relationship with alcoholism, Maddie returned to her table, sliding into her chair opposite the contact. She grinned at him before leaning back in her chair and performing an overly exaggerated rolling of the eyes complete with deep sigh.

“Buuuuuuut...I guess if you’re so dead set on being booooring, I SUPPOSE I could build your basic bitch bomb. You’re the boss after all. Just lemme know where and when to pick up my 'package.'”

And scene.

She brought her glass of water to her lips, but didn’t drink just yet. Instead, she observed the man. If she were lucky, he would take the bait and she would have secured her spot on the mission. From there, she would have a much better chance at ensuring that the mission either failed or went poorly. It was her best bet at sparing both precious innocent lives and company property - regrettably not in that order of priority. Otherwise, there was little she could actually do to sabotage the bomb without dumping a dangerous amount of suspicion on herself. And, to be frank, if she had gone through something as truly vile as making physical contact with this creep, she wanted it to at least have been for something.

If she wasn’t so lucky, well…

A shudder ran down Maddie’s spine. It was best not to think about it.

Either way, if she got through this job, she was definitely renegotiating her contract with HR. If this was to be any indication for how the job was going to be going forward, she would be demanding both dental AND vision.

Small Group Naruto Roleplay

Y'know what? I'm down too, if you're still looking.

Final Fantasy 7 Redone

Tick. Tock. Tick.

With each passing moment, the dread gnawing at Maddie grew stronger. The contact hadn’t arrived yet. That was a problem. If he had gotten spooked then she was in a very dangerous situation. If not, then the delay was likely intentional - perhaps meant to either scout her out or unnerve her. It was highly probable that she was currently being watched. Still, the woman remained stoic, feigning boredom to glance about the dimly lit bar. As far as dives went, she had seen worse. A number of patrons sat at a scuffed and scratched bar, with a few hovering about a billiards table watching a couple of older men take turns taking shots at both the cue ball and each other. Maddie wouldn’t go so far as to call the place packed, but it was still more people than she would have preferred.

It turned out that she was, in fact, being watched. Albeit, not quite in the manner she had thought. A number of patrons had approached her, offering drinks and...other services. She politely declined them all, claiming to be waiting on somebody. She was careful to keep up the warm Naomi persona however. She couldn’t afford to allow the wrong person to notice any discrepancies.

She had little want to remain within this den of vipers any longer than was necessary.

After turning down yet another hopeless suitor, however, the woman’s phone vibrated. She was just about to check it when it seemed as if her wait was finally over. She smelled the man approaching before she actually saw him. Even with the dive’s air reeking of a dozen different brands of tobacco, his was particularly strong. It was a sickly sweetness that stung her nose and clung to her throat.

Now, Naomi had never met the contact before. She only had a vague description of what the man looked like but the man before her was unmistakable. He might as well have been carrying a sign reading “Mr. Subversive” or “I am a Terrorist.” Or perhaps she was unfairly judging the man - seeing knives in the bouquet.

"We're going to need stronger explosives. I've already got men pulling together the materials. We need you to make ready use of them for the next mission."

Or perhaps she was right on the money.

Maddie was stunned by how brazen and nonchalant he was. To openly discuss something of this magnitude in a seemingly public place? Even if they were on his home turf, it came across as careless and dangerous. Was she dealing with a madman? Maddie silently kicked herself for not setting her phone to record or even wearing a wire of some sorts. She had been so sure that she might be taken to a secondary location - the bar’s backroom, a warehouse, SOMETHING - that she decided against it. It seemed too risky at the time...but now? Was she simply too paranoid, or was he not paranoid enough? Either way, Maddie didn’t like it.

"We're going to strike at the very heart of Shinra power, literally. Blow the Midgar reactors, one after the other, and leave nothing behind but their shattered dreams."

His clarification left Maddie speechless, although she managed to retain her composure and nod along while feigning complete adoration. That dread which had been building within her wrestled for control. This man was not only dangerous but deranged. He wasn’t just a terrorist, he was a butcher. She could eliminate him right now. That would leave seven shots. One for the bartender, one for the doorman. Five shots. She replayed her memory of the bar. The older gentlemen playing billiards had arms. Three left. Two holdovers for any agents not accounted for plus one for herself if things went south?

No. It wouldn’t be enough. It would be too close. Besides...the way he spoke suggested that the plan was already in motion. Even if she eliminated him right here and took herself out of the equation, Avalanche still had the resources to move forward with the operation.

She would do more damage than good were she to burn herself right now. Her best course of action would be to go along with the mission, pass on information and do what she could to minimize the destruction.

“That’s...massive. If we could pull this off, it would change everything. It would show them what we’re truly capable of.” ‘Naomi’ added, barely containing her ‘excitement’ [disgust]. “Just so I know for later, uh...do we want to just disable the reactors or…?” she asked, miming out an explosion with her hands and mouthing a boom.

Final Fantasy 7 Redone

Dig the new posts! I'm just about to head to bed, but I reckon I'll work on cranking something out later tonight. Cheers!