scrape_r_rational/data/cache2/3vk6zs.md

A Drop of Poison Chapter 29: Retribution

• Author: u/diraniola *

• URL: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4573620/29/A-Drop-of-Poison

• Score: 5

• Created: 2015-12-05T17:40:05

Post:

Link to content

Comments:

u/FuguofAnotherWorld [+1] Roll the Dice on Fate (7 hours later)

So, I've seen this around and about before but never actually started on it. Is it worth reading?

u/eaglejarl [+4] (22 hours later)

Overall it's fun and I enjoy reading it, but it has a couple weaknesses: First, the spag is often a bit flaky. Second, the author handed Naruto too many advantages. In particular:

1. Early on he finds this giant abandoned mansion belonging to a now-dead OC clan. "Two kilometers" below it (for the record, most coal mines are only about 300m deep) there is an absolutely enormous training ground -- it seems to be 2-3 km across. Also, there is a network of tunnels leading from there to everywhere in Konoha and the surroundings, and no one knows anything about any of it.
2. Naruto has clones search around the woods around Konoha for any lost or abandoned gear. This makes a lot of sense -- logically, ninja training out in the woods should frequently lose kunai, shuriken, maybe even occasionally a sword. In addition to those things, though, Naruto finds not one but two summoning scrolls. (Along with other stuff that is also disbelief-causing, but the summoning scrolls are the big thing.)
3. The OC now-dead clan who owned the mansion were creators of forbidden jutsu, and they left behind a giant library of their techniques. Also, Naruto raids the Uchiha estate and finds even more.

Fortunately, those advantages don't actually play up that much. The main effect they have on the story is to introduce the rabbit summons, who make good and not overbalancing characters. There's also a lot of clones doing jutsu research which is fun to read about.

Behind those flaws, though, there's a good story. Naruto establishes multiple permanent identities

The characterizations are good, and interactions happen in an organic way, with some people's opinions of Naruto changing in believable and well-earned ways.

So, yeah. If you can ignore the flaws, give it a shot. It's a fun read.

u/Transfuturist [+2] Carthago delenda est. (5 days later)

logically, ninja training out in the woods should frequently lose kunai, shuriken, maybe even occasionally a sword

I feel like this has never made sense for the ninja who actually train with weapons and tools. There should be some workaround for this; a seal that the shinobi can ping or summon or something. Either this is the case, or kunai and shuriken are incredibly cheap.

a now-dead OC clan

The 'Urahara' clan. I presume the name kido comes up a lot? This character is from Bleach, and has a space-warping desert (with an apparent blue sky) underneath his tiny Japanese shop.

there is a network of tunnels leading from there to everywhere in Konoha and the surroundings, and no one knows anything about any of it.

Completely ridiculous.

they left behind a giant library of their techniques. Also, Naruto raids the Uchiha estate and finds even more.

Also ridiculous. What, does the author think that no one would ever think of such a thing, and that Naruto is either so original or that shinobi are so respectful of the dead that there would be anything left? Assuming that shinobi even write techniques down commonly. I think the forbidden scroll of seals is the only example of anyone learning anything from a scroll or book in canon, am I wrong?

I'm even more glad that I stopped reading where I did.

u/eaglejarl [+1] (5 days later)

Either this is the case, or kunai and shuriken are incredibly cheap.

I've always figured it's that one. They're just chunks of pointy metal, and they don't need to be super strong -- you can just stamp them out of sheet steel.

I'm even more glad that I stopped reading where I did.

It's fun guilty-pleasure reading.

u/diraniola [+1] (8 hours later)

I enjoy it. It's not a rational fic the same way HPMOR is, where the main character is super smart and uses named rationality techniques, but rather it takes a simple concept and expands upon it logically and without too many cliches.

u/Transfuturist [+0] Carthago delenda est. (6 hours later)

Stopped reading at the Bleach crossover and the magically-physical henge.

u/diraniola [+3] (7 hours later)

I stopped watching Bleach around the second time Ichigo died, so I missed that reference. And the physical henge is pure cannon based on when Naruto was thrown by Sasuke in the Wave arc as a Demon Windmill Shuriken, unless Sasuke has trained extensively in throwing human sized and shaped projectiles. Naruto doing the jutsu wrong and basically brute forcing the physical henge has been fannon for a long time, to make up for a seemingly limitless physical transformation technique being one of the main 3 taught to beginners.

u/Jiro_T [+3] (18 hours later)

This fic has a few unlikely coincidences, including Naruto getting the Hokage to go along without giving him much information, getting a place to train lots of clones, scavenging unreasonably well, and being unreasonably lucky in gambling. Also, physical henges may be canon, but I don't think clones that can take damage are.

And pulling this plan off requires that Naruto be a perfect actor, including creating several adult personas, something which is hard for someone Naruto's age to do even all by itself.

u/Chosen_Pun [+1] The Chosen Ones (a day later)

What ultimately broke SoD for me (and mine generally stretches quite far) was the incredibly casual treatment of nature energy as a convenient fuel source for clones. Canon was pretty explicit that it does not work that way.

u/Transfuturist [+1] Carthago delenda est. (11 hours later)

Naruto's henge is not special.

---