So the growing trend of "Resets =/= RP" has been giving people a good +1 and more. It's been allowing people to excel at a better pace than going by just resets alone. I've been a bit lenient here and there with some of this. Though there have been small cases of advancing stupidly-fast, which I will not name out here.
Though here's something that I thought of: What keeps someone from going the Kabuto or Hiruko route in order to gain multiple Kekkei Genkai? Furthermore, what would keep someone from not only having Sage Mode, but also the Rinnegan? I actually fall under the latter, since I currently have Sage Mode and have the ability to awaken the Rinnegan whenever I want.
Resets always served as a psuedo-limiter to how many KG one could have. But now that we're throwing them out as a guideline, what are we going to go by now, other than it being subjective based upon what someone is willing to allow or void? A more disturbing question: What's to keep someone from starting out at (manga or SL) kage-level power if we're going to make things subjective?
I may be speaking for myself here, but resets have not been completely thrown out as a guideline. Yes, I'm not a huge stickler, but I don't just ignore it either. Someone who has 16 maxed out resets that RPs like crap still can use those resets; albeit, their crap RPing will either bring them down anyways or give me reason to just reject their claims to fame (but not necessarily to power).
If RP is the primary or only method for judging prowess, then subjectivity is the only way anything will be limited, because unlike maths or sciences, acting and RPing are themselves rather subjective. What I think is crap RP someone else will find thrilling and invigorating, and vice versa. There is nothing more than acceptance that keeps someone from having the power of a kage.
Now, RPing on a kage-level, to be technical, is very different from having the power of a KG. RPing on a Kage level takes some literary merit (you don't have to be the best, but if you can't form a complex sentence then you're not likely to become a Kage of any of the more populous nations) that terrible writers will struggle with. Argumentatively, writing here on SL has made me a worse overall writer; the need to describe almost everything plus some in a serious RP fight is simply numbing for a general audience wanting to be entertained, along with repetitiveness that has come as a habit when making long posts without charting them out first.
There have been a few general limitations to power, with that being sage mode and Rinnegan. Seniority or no, no one, not even Kage, should have that combination at his/her fingertips for any reason whatsoever. However, what is accepted by RPers is trumped by any rule of thumb or law around here, so really, with the "reset power != to RP power" subjective ruling, what else could be expected?
Presuming that the problem is that "resets != RP power" risks allowing newcomers the ability to just power-level past the lower RP levels, the only solution so far employed is that folks only RP with those that do things the way they accept, which excludes people and, if they don't find a niche to be a part of, eventually causes them to either leave or become outcast rejects always out to stir up trouble. As Kayenta would probably put it, if it comes down to picking the poison, I imagine many would rather say
Laissez-faire or in this context, "let them do" to keep some flow of newcomers around.
This website is not a forum, and will likely never be. Double standards just because someone is brand spanking new (or has a new account rather) are not productive. Wanting RP to be the way power is gained has that risk of newcomers really good at RP already to quickly power through the ranks (as I thought was the intention, to reward good RPers and punish those who just buy an account to get ahead) while resets favor those who can either acquire an account (purchase or otherwise) or have been here long enough to grind through it.
The sought after middle high ground has been to just roll with what you feel is good in contrast with hard and fast rules. And that makes for some rather conflicting RP when differing RP groups are brought together. If in unison enough people rejected crazy amounts of KG, then it would become a norm, but everyone would have to dismount the horse in order to put it in the stable for good.
That's my take on it, with the customary repetition that I was earlier joking about.