Kitaro
Elements : Suiton Doton Mokuton
 | | Subject: Kitaro Senju Thu Aug 14, 2014 11:24 pm | |
| Character Registration TemplateCharacter Name: Kitaro Senju Titles/Other Names: Bushido Kitaro Age: 34 Species: Human (Japanese by Race) Gender: Manly Male Appearance: Kitaro is a comparatively large man, especially among those who share his complexion. Standing at 2.1 meters/6'9" he very rarely has to look up at someone. Though he's not one to be intimidated should he find himself there. His weight isn't necessarily proportional, however, and the lean muscle that exists around the majority of his body contributes to a greater weight. Though of course this is the norm rather than the exception for ninja. Kitaro, is mostly physically normal with a few exceptions and personal touches as everyone has. His only noticeable outstanding feature, when clothed, is that his hands are slightly larger than average. Kitaro keeps his hair at a very specific length and in a very straight fashion. Feeling that any more would prevent his combative ability and any less would be strange enough to invite otherwise unwanted attention or even looks that lasted too long. Kitaro maintains some facial hair around the chin, extending in a short patch under his lower lip and stretching two inches from his chin. Kitaro has been careful to keep this facial hair too thin to be grabbed and confined only to the chin rather than allowing a beard to claim the sides of his face. Extending only so far as the edge of either side of his lips. On the back of his head, Kitaro's hair is kept in thinly combed lines of shaved and incredibly short-kept hair. Kitaro's eyebrows are admittedly thin, due to a burn that he recieved in combat with an Uchiha in transit as an adult, they just never grew back and such has become a feature of his face. As he aged through the rife with conflict era that he was born into, and lived through, two wrinkle lines can be seen constantly across his face, though in reality these are the muscles in his face unable to relax after the deep levels of intensity they were exposed to at such an often rate. (His face really did get stuck like that) Unable to fully dispose of these lines, Kitaro accepted them and has since stopped caring for their existance, though they do make a noticeable difference in his face compared to most others. Symbolic of his clan (In color) and it's affiliation with wood Kitaro is most commonly associated, in appearance, with a long green jacket/trenchcoat (for the sake of space and time it will be refered to from here on as the jacket) that typically raises up to his neck and extends down slightly farther than his knees outside of his normal clothing. Coincidentally, this is where most of the various ninja tools Kitaro carries with them are held/concealed for ease of access. If one were to open this jacket up without Kitaro inside, they would immediately find sewn in pouches containing various items from senbon to scrolls, mostly along either side of where the torso would be. There is a pocket within this jacket near the left collar in which Kitaro stores his sunglasses. Considering sunglasses to be part of, both his combat and non combat presence, Kitaro takes good care of the rare set that he has. These sunglasses have only the special property of being slightly more tinted in the top half than the bottom half, and of course reflecting sun and dampening light that enters the eye as all sunglasses do, accented only by the slightest of orange tint. Kitaro wears a thin wire-belt around the outside of his jacket, that wraps back in through a small hole within the jacket itself, this allows for a belt-like circile to be created on one side of the jacket which exists for the sake of carrying his Shirasaya Katana, which is always within five meters of his person, finding it elsewhere would mean that Kitaro was either dead or otherwise incapacitated. Kitaro typically wears a solid white shirt underneath the green jacket. Serving no real stealth purpose it's make are incredibly similar to that of his pants. Kitaro's pants are made of a cotton-like material and are moderately dark tan in color. His shirt is contained to a shortsleeve as the jacket typically is more than enough cover for his skin and can, if need be, be closed. The pants are longer by comparison and extend slightly lower than the beginning of his sandals. Kitaro's sandals are fairly different, rather than wear the footware typically associated with that of the ninja world, the ninja sandal, he wore his own kind of sandal. A reduced version of the Samurai Geta, transformed into a flat sandal with a bark-strap reaching across the top over his toes, connected in the form of a T between his toes and re-attaching to the sole itself, in a more modern sandal appearance. When unclothed, Kitaro's most noticeable feature is the body covering tattoo that marks him, carefully painted onto his body with cut off points before the ends of the sleeves in his shirt, and low enough on the neck to be covered by a normal shirt. These tatoos are completely invisible as long as Kitaro is wearing, at least, normal sized clothing for him. The scene drawn onto him in ink is one of a reflection. Distorted puddles mark most of his body, in expanding circles meant to represent water when a stone falls into it. On the center of his back, however, is the image of a skeleton rising out of the water and extending a hand in the direction of a young samurai. - Spoiler:
Personality: Kitaro is a straightforward man. He would much rather play in the arena of an open battlefield than the arena of intrigue and espionage. While perfectly capable both mentally and physically to infiltrate and negotiate he would much rather pit his strength against his enemy rather than putting his faith in backdoor dealings. While Kitaro has an obvious preference about how to do things he is perfectly willing to go about things in a more politically inclined manner if the situation should call for it. As a straightforward man, Kitaro has a rather simple and all inclusive working code for his life. This code is basically that all confrontations ended with the victor being right, and all matters that don't involve fighting and killing should not be mixed when it can be avoided. Of course vital to both of these ideas and chief among them is his own honor remaining intact, regardless of whether he lives or dies. So, while Kitaro would rather not sneak into a civilian house and execute a non militant family, the right situation or the right reasons would be plenty to do so without hesitation. In his younger days, Kitaro was a violent and aggressive warrior. While the Senju purpose of advancing their clan and following ancient rites was the driving force for most of his clan, his difference was that he was not wired to follow or find deep mining in such things. His agression as a ninja eventually became tempered through his experiences in life. From his age and experience he has become calm. Remaining active and further honing of his skills not to be an ultimate weapon but rather to always be ready, and to be the greatest asset possible. Asset? Some reading may be wondering to what is Kitaro an asset? To the ancient Senju prophet which had been the only reason they had not yet caved in as a clan. Kitaro wasn't really loyal because of the Senju way, his honor and lifeless thoughts of himself wouldn't allow that. More he was loyal to the only thing that ever had been done for him, not allowing him to be killed while he was still too small and young to defend himself. Since then, the cumulative result of his life has been spent dedicated to advancing the Senju cause, where he was born and saved. Kitaro believes in metaphysical things like someone's word and the value of honor, even to sacrifice some pragmatism. Kitaro holds firmly in his mind the idea that it is worse to have lost a battle than to have surrendered one's sense of honor in the process. Of course if it wasn't already made clear Kitaro is a warrior by nature. The first thought when he wakes up and the final thought before he goes to sleep is that of combat, either in a way to improve himself or in reflection of what he has gone through. In that regard, Kitaro's life is completely dedicated to the art of combat and being combatively ready. The sense of mortality that most ninja feel that drive them to the brink of adrenaline and vigor when in combat is not shared by Kitaro. In his early days he had his share of it, but through all of the endless killing that he had done on behalf of his clan, or his commander, or even his people, had left him with a deadenned sense of not only his own mortality, but life as a whole. With this thought, Kitaro lost all significant care that he would die one day and it would probably be a grizzly death on the battlefield. Once resolved to this end, Kitaro remains calm and in control of himself where others would be enraged, or riding an adrenaline high. With regard to the lives of others, Kitaro is apathetic. Everyone is alive until their time and then they cease to have an influence on the natural world. Whether that means they move on to a spiritual plane or their soul is dragged to hell, or a sweet nothingness embraces them for eternity, Kitaro doesn't care to know nor does it have an impact on his regard for them. Ultimately, Kitaro sees others as their own personal embodiments of a lifetime of events, when he can avoiding cutting a short a lifetime of events, he will. But viewing them no longer as people but rather culminations, Kitaro has no hesitation in taking as many lives as is required. His loyalty to the Senju Clan could be equated to that of the value of his life. The 34 year-old believes firmly that his entire life has been spent defending and making the clan into what it has become and thus as a result he feels that the people, the culture, the customs, not only live on in him but are represented by him. Such is the unshakable loyalty of Bushido Kitaro. Bushido Kitaro is a title that was unofficially given to Kitaro due to the murders, assassinations, and duels that he managed to win using his most prefered of all weapons, his personal Shirasaya Katana. He became a master swordsman before his ninjutsu and eventual fuinjutsu practices and not only before, but also above his practices of the other forms of combat. However, as a master swordsman, Kitaro has learned to respect certain styles and dislike others. Viewing styles that focus on a gimmick such as Iaido and the traditional sword combat known as Ninjutsu as cowardly, shameful acts that warranted an immediate death. Viewing styles that relied on the skill of one fighter versus another such as Kendo or Aikido as respectable and honorable practices with swordsmanship. Background/History: Pre Life: - Spoiler:
Before Kitaro's life even began the great prophets of the Senju Clan had determined the path that he would spend his entire life following. In events that came shortly after the most recent world war, between clans rather than villages, in a time of desperation for the Senju. A great vision, followed by a leader from the chaos came with divine authority to the Senju people, a people that were injured and waning in both population and relevance.
Kitaro's father was a ninja in his prime, though now aged and at least part way into his decline, the conditions of the landscape further dampening his once proud skill and strength. The man had been bred from generations of Senju warriors dating back to before the original outbreak of clan warfare. He was noticeably larger and more muscular than most of the other Senju because of this and this trait was passed onto his son. Kitaro's mother was Senju as well, their isolationist attitude toward the other clans who blamed them for all of the war and death would never have allowed otherwise. Kitaro's mother was a plain woman who also grew up in this harsh environment and knew nothing but to dedicate her life to survival, an example of what Kitaro's existance would one day transform into. Kitaro's father, as such a wonderfully bred warrior, the most well bred and physically/mentally fit actually. He lived the vicious and cruel, yet satisfying life as the warrior hero of the Senju people, and so it would be that his son would follow in his footsteps during the most trying time of their clan of these generations. Regardless, it took a man stepping forward to bring about the unsealing of the Great Prophet and it took an immensely skilled and powerful ninja to pull it off. Of which Kitaro's father was selected before Kitaro's birth to undergo the training, from the Prophet directly. This was done by the technique(s) that would eventually be used in the breaking of the seal that bound the Prophet, once the great plan which would come to be known as the Great Senju Migration had been completed. As such, Kitaro's father was ordered to remain alive for the following years until the time came for him to break this seal. Up to that point, Kitaro's father would keep the unsealing method a secret and carry about his life as it were. For a part of the Great Senju Prophet's plan to come together nothing could be revealed until after the Senju Clan had been saved.
Eventually Kitaro's mother and Father would meet one another, after his father had officially retired from the ninja business into trying to grow crops with the majority of the rest of the Senju. The two both wanted to have a family and with a similar goal fell deeply in love with one another among the makeshift Senju farms. Eventually settling down and doing the do to create Kitaro within the desert wasteland of Sunagakure.
Childhood: - Spoiler:
Kitaro would be born as close to royalty as existed in the Sunagakure Senju. Why? The answer is simply lineage and while Kitaro wouldn't be able to understand until he became an adult, he was heralded as basically the next Great Hero and expected to eventually become the next Clan Head and take over his father's place as the greatest warrior. Additionally, and almost to affirm the fact, Kitaro had a natural elemental affinity with that of the traditional Wood Release Senju of old. A mix of genetics from his parents who's skillset made up the change in chakra nature required for Mokuton together, seemed to miraculously have been imprinted into their son, Kitaro. As such he would always recieve the better of the situation, recieve more of the precious food supply, given priority in both martial and non-martial matters. Kitaro would become their hero, though he was never given a choice.
So it was, the conditions under which Kitaro was born and raised within the harsh desert landscape of Sunagakure. A rather hellish place compared to almost all others for the Senju Clan. Devoid of life was hardly a landscape that a natural and gaiaic clan such as there's would ever want. The Senju were choked off of their nature and slowly suffocating as a population because of it, the pain only lessenned by promises of a new land among the adults. Kitaro spent much of his early days malnourished and weak, being given barely enough food to survive from day to day. His survival only the result of the proper amount being found to keep a baby alive from many dead before him.
Those tasked with administrating the people had been dedicated to the visions of the Senju Prophet, and in accordance a military presence was needed. Kitaro was among those that volunteered at a young age to recieve training, and eventually grow into one of the defenders of the Senju people as his father was before him and his before him and so on down the line for more generations than could be remembered. Such a decision was made before he was even an embryo, as was the way when your only future was to fit in to the purpose you were most adept for within the clan. The training was pretty basic, while they once had legendary ninja that were capable of earth-changing feats of a daily basis were they so inclined the clan had fallen into a Dark Age so to speak. The old knowledge of combat had mostly fallen to theory and memory, instead, Kitaro was drilled on the basics of combat day in and day out. He showed some promise with weapons more than anything else in his early age and so, in an effort to keep up the greatest military power possible, this is what he was trained in. Almost to an overspecialization point, and such was the glorious childhood of Kitaro.
Every day Kitaro was introduced to a new type of weapon and spent a good portion of the day drilling his skills with it, before a couple of hours of general practice to advance in all of the skills he had learned so far as much as not to get rusty with anything he hadn't used in a while. Afterward was always a practice session with the katana, an ancient symbol of military power and an effective weapon, when crafted in the Senju way. It was the weapon that Kitaro showed the most promise with, so much so that he was promised the katana of his instructor when he came of age to use it in real battle against enemy ninja. A prospect that up until now had been only spoken in whispers and dreams.
Budding Failure: - Spoiler:
The Senju recognized the most looming threat to their presence as the other clans and were even told such by their prophetic leader. As a result most of the food rations were used for the ninja in training and sent away with ninja who went into the field. Up until this point the poor and desolate state of the Senju forces had prevented them from interacting directly with other clans and as a result leaving the village was rare in those times, however, Kitaro had the pleasure of being born in a generation which the Senju people had finally become able to afford members of the clan out into the world, and occassionally, Kitaro was even allowed to travel with them as he grew into his preteen and early teen years.
One particular misssion outside of the village when Kitaro was fourteen caused the greatest conflict of his young life as much as it trumpetted the sound of the Senju's return to the world. A large group of Senju had been sent out on a mission to make contact with a nearby clan, a neutral offer to trade some abundant materials from the Senju for some of the food abundance of another clan. However, seeing the Senju as a lesser that could be overpowered and extorted the clan had sent their own ninja force to take the supplies without the trade and leave the Senju stranded with nothing but the most bare of supplies and nothing to show for their sacrifice. Knowing this, the Senju present defended the caravan violently against overwhelming numbers. The enemy numbers slowly pushed the Senju closer and closer and forced their perimeter to be tighter and tighter, all the while the soldiers knew that once they had been completely pushed back they may lose the battle not only from everyone dying, but lose the supplies as well. There was little to be done and the Senju line was pressed farther and farther back, Kitaro fighting as well as a fourteen year old with extensive weapons training could against the trained killers of the enemy, doing his best and managing only to stay out of the way of the rest of his clansmen, true warriors who's basic combat abilities had been drilled to perfection. Ultimately the Senju line was broken and the supplies were attacked and stolen directly. By the time the Senju were able to make it back half of their cargo had been stolen and they were forced to retreat carrying everything they could on their backs in return to Sunagakure, with most of their number dead from the battle, though valliantly so.
Dark Ages: - Spoiler:
Kitaro and those who traveled with them returned in failure and the Senju remained in poverty for the next five years as a result. Attempting both to improve their farming technique among the few patches of fertile ground, and introduce livestock for meat, however, most of these efforts failed before they could be given a chance to bear fruit given the desperate situation they were in to begin with as all of their projects were cut short.
In the looming darkness of what seemed like the end of the Senju Clan, the prophet of the Senju once again returned to the stage. Casting hope out among the Senju as if weaving it through their shadows and the people allowed their hopes to be raised one last time as he explained what they were going to do. The plan was simple enough, they were going to pick up as a clan and move back to their most ancestral of homelands in the land of Fire and more specifically Konohagakure. Though such a journey would likely be filled with danger and among those who understood either war or politics most knew that setting out on this journey would likely be their demise. Yet the faith remained and the Senju overwhelming majority agreed to traverse the lands between Suna and Konoha and retake their homeland.
The Senju were a tired people that was not only ready to find some life in the world but also completely willing to die so that the rest would have a better life. This of course had the exception of Kitaro, who had been willing to die at any point, it was not his place to determine his place of death and it was foolish to try and force Fate. During the time between when he was last out and a participant of the failed mission he had taken up ninjutsu and had been practicing his hand in it, at first as a support for his katana and weapon skills but eventually it took on it's own form and became almost equally important to his skillset as his bukijutsu. It was here that Kitaro learned just how special he was as he was able to grasp the fundamental elements of Mokuton early in his ninjutsu training, and was capable of applying this advanced element to his weapons training with relative ease. However, it did not end here. The legendary return of the Mokuton element to the Senju people in Kitaro was a symbol of hope among the entire clan. Elevating Kitaro's already undesired reputation from expected hero to Mokuton Messiah, the miracle that was putting together earth and water to make wood once more. His skill and power in the element only added to this belief among his fellow Senju.
He had become a skilled adult rather than a training child, and he had become the hero that everyone had expected him to become. Kitaro had been properly named as a warrior of the Senju upon his discovery of Ninjutsu and thus Mokuton, and he remained confident in his ability to defend his people. Such was his job as they made to trek to their homeland and their new promised land of Konoha. Naturally the Uzumaki wanted to get in on this traveling and the path that would take them back to Konohagakure, though due to both budding political differences as well as growing conflicts, mostly in the form of feuding between the Clans over the limited resources that did exist. It was hard to view others who were taking up some of the very few remaining supplies and food around this harsh wasteland as the allies they had once been. In light of both political and idealogical differences the Senju and Uzumaki Clan did not face the upcoming battles together, but rather seperated, each taking their own path back to the homeland and each fending for themselves along the way.
The Great Senju Migration Part I: - Spoiler:
It wasn't long after they had initially set out that they encountered a mass of enemies that had come together and had become more than a raiding group, it was unreasonable that they would run into such a massive 'army' of enemies, especially this soon after setting out. Yet no one expected this to be easy and the soldiers of the Senju Clan took their place and so it was that the first of many bloody battles took place, with the Senju entirely dependant on the prophet's ability to lead them. On this battlefield Kitaro came to prominance among the warriors of the Senju Clan. His precise mixture of styles and especially his dueling skills, whenever they had a chance to be displayed, were of an extremely high caliber comparatively. During his time fighting in the frontlines, he was responsible for the greatest amount of officer kills among all of the Senju warriors, of all experiences. So it was that the Senju Clan, depending on the might of the warriors and the leadership skills of their prophetic leader managed to navigate their first enemy encounter, and while they lost many due to both the condition of the people and the condition of their ninja, the Senju Clan survived to continue it's journey onward to the promised soil and life that would await them in Konohagakure.
Kitaro had taken it upon himself to ensure that the Senju would reach Konoha, however it would not be his privelige to watch his people arrive. The strongest are rarely ever used for conventional fighting and this was no exception, his skills were needed elsewhere and he was given a mission with such a purpose. He and a team of other hand selected Senju warriors would travel on the outside of the unit to prevent interception. If that meant sneaking around and sabotaging an army to slow them down or engaging ninja that were carrying out their own counter-Senju activities. No matter the circumstances, this unit had the purpose of making the travel, and more important progression, easier on the Senju Clan. Forced to travel as a side entity, hunting for their own food and surviving by their own means as an acting secondary squad, the 20s something Kitaro plastered the Senju return into the minds of everyone that he came across. His swordsmanship earned him a rather infamous reputation as Bushido Kitaro among those who kept track of those sort of things. In essence, he was the perfect soldier at this point, dead inside and without any desire to be a part of anything left, his life was a sumation of what turned from military duty to one of the more crucial military assets of the clan. He rarely saw anyone else and he didn't even take time to himself when he learned that his mother had died in the crossing, it was sad that he would never see her again but she would have understood his dedication (he hoped).
Doing battle against the Uchiha and the Hyuuga's doujutsu was difficult at first, their style of combat was very different from the Senju way and having only experienced battle through extensive and constant practice, aside from one event, Kitaro was overwhelmed by their passive advantages at first. Though as he continued to fight he learned strategies to deal with these things. Never look a stranger in the eyes, always be the first to draw, always assume your opponent knows what's going on. They were the keys to his combat against these enemies, and became staples of the way that he interacted with people in general. For such a warrior, it was difficult to actually think of a situation of completely without combat potential. It was around this time that even the most extreme of human emotions began to become dead within Kitaro. As he was losing his humanity, the Senju were advancing but not without difficulty. They had become desperate for military help and begun to recruit from those who used to be warriors to defend the front, while Kitaro and the ninja in his unit were away. Such a decision could only end in his father's death and Kitaro knew this though just as before he found himself unable to protest and unwilling to attempt to make an exception for the life of his father. Instead always turning up the phrase "A warrior's death" in his mind. It was cruel and it seemed immoral to him, but he couldn't even dislike himself for thinking of a warrior's death for a man like his father was.
Interlude Duel: - Spoiler:
After Kitaro had made a reputation as a defender of the Senju people and before the ultimate end to The Great Senju Adventure, consisting of the travel between Sunagakure and Konohagakure, he was approached by a man drawn by his reputation rather than a hate for his people. A hunter of sorts, who had been searching out the people who had gathered great reputation as a warrior. While Kitaro would normally have shoved this man aside, told him he had a people to protect before he could risk his life in such a challenge, the challenge came with the threat of an attack against the civilian population of his people should it be refused. Thus Kitaro accepted wholeheartedly.
Bushido Kitaro faced off against a famous Hyuuga hunter, though he was unaware of who this man was, it would later turn out that he was regarded as a noble warrior and an epitome of honor among the Hyuuga. (Later, when news of what happened were to be spread and become common knowledge, it would bring Kitaro to become a known negative image against the Hyuuga though this was not the intention.) Of course, the Hyuuga doujutsu trait is easy to spot in their abnormal eyes and Kitaro was easily able to spot this, not looking at them in the eyes, just in case, but rather observing the ear and taking note of the eye coloration out of his peripheral without moving his center of visual focus.
After this was established Kitaro engaged, knowing that the Hyuuga would never be taken by surprise by his tricks, Kitaro employed a highly aggressive strategy. Due to the sight prowess of the Hyuuga, he determined his best chance was not to hide anything but rather overwhelm his target by taking them head on at close range, where seeing a motion meant little in terms of being able to evade it. Such a plan, clearly, was not what the Hyuuga was used to and after he had stumbled around trying to make the battle move back into medium range, and was unable to, Kitaro was able to run this Hyuuga through with the katana that made him so famous, leaning in to hear the gurgled final words of his adversary. "You will die" were the last words to come from this Hyuuga's lips, though Kitaro already knew this and assumed it had been a final 'fuck you' (if you will) in telling him that no matter how strong he was, eventually he would die. Yet this was something Kitaro knew, something he had to come to terms with every day. A meaningless finale marked the end of that life.
The Great Senju Migration Part II - Spoiler:
Kitaro spoke with the prophet directly after he had finished his single combat against the Hyuuga Hunter-nin. Asking him to allow him to defend the people themselves rather than running interceptions, he believed his combat skills were more suited when he had something to defend anyway, after his battle with the Hyuuga opponent who did not think Gentle Fist could fall, even to the blade. In seeing this personal plight, the Great Prophet allowed for Kitaro to lead the military forces of the Senju during the following days of the journey. Kitaro learned that civilians, and even guards who were unused to the rigerous exercise of daily combat and physical exertion moved frusterating slow, where a ninja would have been able to make the journey several times over by now, they were hindered by their numbers (Something that hasn't happened to the Senju people for many generations) and by the lack of training that most of their number had (Another new problem for the Senju people.) It didn't help that the prophet had decided to take a longer route, hoping to avoid running directly into the main encampments of such powerful clans as the Hyuuga, Kaguya or Uchiha, increasing the time it would take. This frusterated Kitaro and eventually, when this frusterations came to a head, Kitaro asked to be put back on active combat duty with his old team. Fearing that such a stagnating environment as this would leave him a rusted shell of what his recent combat ability had been able to reach.
Kitaro was in his prime and dedicated to becoming the strongest that he possibly could in the time before his decline, not wanting to be like his father, who was fighting for his life against the bandits and thugs that sometimes were encountered along the journey, let alone against an enemy ninja unit that may happen by, though the old warrior remained alive surpassing expectations for him on a daily basis. In some weird twisted but in-tact area of Kitaro's heart it made him proud to be a part of his family and a warrior after him in the line and somewhere Kitaro hoped that he could be as useful when he was deep into his 50s. The Great migration was cut short once or twice while Kitaro was away, and he was forced to backtrack along the route he was given to find them. So much went wrong among the people so often that it hindered their progress even more, and occassionally the Senju would even run into huge enemy numbers and be forced to fight for their lives. It was usual that Kitaro would be recalled for these battles and catch only the tail end due to his distance but once when they were ambushed by an Uchiha force that had become privvy to their location Kitaro had been right there.
The Great Ganking: - Spoiler:
After Kitaro rejoined with the main Senju traveling group the next time he was again forced to deal with enemies on an individual rather than a group level. The attack began with a raid on the rear of the Senju, to which Kitaro (who happened to be around for this one) immediately responded to find no one. This repeated whenever the famous sword-warrior was away and to whatever location he was not present at. So, before long he stopped following the group of Senju and waited, knowing that he was the target rather than his people and refusing to allow them to be otherwise damaged further simply because he wasn't fast enough to catch the saboteurs. Before long he was approached.
It was an Uchiha this time, with the most (not) unique speciality of his clan, Katon. Alongside him however was his younger brother who specialized in Fuuton and long range cutting air techniques, which posed a direct problem to Kitaro who was led away to face the two of them. He was led away by a rather cowardly tactic of hurling long range elemental techniques at him and then daringly blitzing off into different directions in the woods. Kitaro pursued to some degree, traveling farther and farther away from the group, and thinking himself smarter than them for it. The two were clearly after the Senju supplies so if their target and the supplies were farther apart, Kitaro was making it harder on them right? This however, was not the case as the group had been luring him away and slowly quite deliberately, as many of their allies had been setting up a trap for whomever or whatever group of the Senju they managed to get to chase them. A trap that Kitaro, as intelligent and vigilant as he is, fell face-first into alone. Before long in the pursuit, Kitaro managed to find his way into a clearing of the woods they now traveled, and immediately upon setting foot in it he was greeted by an explosion of fire and lightning. The resulting explosion that came from the ground managed to catch his face somewhat off guard as he was jumping back, burning both of his eyebrows off, and singing many of the hairs beneath allowing from then on, only a small percentage of his eyebrow hairs to be regrown as well as other burns mostly of the first degree and lesser. It was a deadly trap that soon became more so when he was surrounded by enemy ninja including a puppet master, the previously mentioned Uchiha, and enough other ninja to make up more than an entire unit of shinobi with no focus but to kill Kitaro, knowing full well of his Bushido reputation.
It was a long battle, Kitaro managed to cut down many of the over-eager and younger fighters easily and early in the battle due to their absolute confidence in their numbers and his ability to take advantage of an all out attack such as the ones they attempted on him. His skill being of such a caliber to them that an opening like that was all he needed to go in for a single killing strike, and succeed pretty much every time. Kitaro cut through the puppet master's puppets, parried the wind attacks, evaded the fireballs, and otherwise ninja'd himself to eventually killing the brothers and most of the other ninja. Forcing those who remained alive to retreat once it was apparent that they simply didn't bring enough friends or firepower to defeat the legendary warrior Bushido Kitaro. Though, as all good ambushes are, this was a distraction for a much larger scale military event, in which the Senju Clan was raided by an even more massive force that took many lives and killed many warriors before they even had the chance to defend themselves. Suffering many losses, the only solace was that the Prophet had led them so far and they were getting close to the promised land of Konohagakure.
The Great Senju Migration Finale - Spoiler:
After the battle the Senju were a battered and beaten tribe of people, it would be rude to any other organized group to call it more than a tribe, but that was what was left of them. Somehow Kitaro's father had survived the journey thus far and every night talked about how he would soon be able to see the lands of Konohagakure like his ancestors did, standing with his son and them both seeing the lands for the sake of his deceased mother. Kitaro wasn't necessarily emotional enough to respond to that in kind, but the sentiment of it and the memories of his mother made him agree to the old man's request to look out over the fields with him and this promise would become the last of any mental value in Kitaro's life. Sentimentally at this point Kitaro had a lot to reflect on, the Shirasaya Katana that he wore at his side at all times as a promise to his long-dead mentor that he would never let someone catch him off guard enough to be defenseless. A dead mother that wanted nothing more than to see her family through to the promised life that awaited them after the final leg of this journey, a father who wanted nothing more than to stand on a hill somewhere and look out over green fields in memory of his wife alongside his son. They were all wonderful visions and memories, but it was too late for Kitaro at this point. His desensitized nature and soul-less following of his people, basically brain-dead to anything that was not a result of the Great Senju Migration as it had come to be called. The Great Senju Migration was called such among those Kitaro talked to partly because he called it that, and partly because to them it all felt like they were going home to a beautiful place they had been held away from for their entire lives, despite the massive amount of losses they had suffered and despite the looming threat of failure always at their shoulder the Senju banded together for the final leg of their journey, their numbers and equipment now far too little to be sending people out and away, much as their civilization had been in the time of Kitaro's birth, though he was too young then to remember and thus would never fully understand the seemingly divine irony.
After a long and treacherous journey through a great many lands and a great and wide arc through the land, the Senju Clan, the enteriety of what remained, made it to the promised land in Konohagakure of the Land of Fire and Kitaro and his father both managed to step foot onto the fertile ground. Though it was as far as the elderly (For a ninja) man collapsed from the strain of both pain and physical durress that had he been holding in this entire time, for that moment. He fell face-first into the fresh soil below that would, within a few years, be transformed into a farm for the Senju people and become a great source of food allowing much growth.
His father lay in bed for months after the incident and after four failed attempts to stand up and walk he decided that he would never be able to again, medically this was reasonable as both of his legs and especially both of his feet had suffered extensive damage throughout the trip, and his stubbornness to keep going had caused him to further damage his own body beyond the point of no return. For the old man and Kitaro's father it was a time of pain and suffering and for Kitaro it was a time of nothing. Despite all that he had gone through, all of the lives he had taken, they had only come to a more fertile and green place than before. It made the Senju happy, but he doubt they saw it as plainly as he did, Kitaro wished then as he wishes now to have the kind of happiness and faith that most of his fellow men possessed in great abundance. As for his father, in his bedridden state he was bound by his oath many decades ago now. While he was struggling to remain alive the power of will, he was contacted by the projected spirit of the Great Prophet. Kitaro's father and went to the Great Prophet directly, within that which he had been contained for all of this time, able to interact solely through an Astral Projection but proven to be an incredible leader. By the combined effort of Uzumaki Fuinjutsu masters and the training and power of Kitaro's father, the Great Prophet was released from within the metallic chamber he had once been trapped in and the inhuman nature of their leader was finally revealed and his accomplishments spoke for themself, the Great Prophet was accepted as leader and with that Kitaro's father no longer needed to hold on, having completed his task. It could probably go without explanation that after the few months of laying in a bed, he died. Though he was lucky in the same way Kitaro was, to see his clan at it's weakest and most defeated place and return to a place of hope and comfort to all of their people. However, he did not go peacefully or easily and when it was finally over, Kitaro felt nothing but happiness that such a man didn't have to deal with the pity his people had for him or the pain of his age and weakness any longer.
The Purification Decade: - Spoiler:
The rest of the Senju people were happy in their new place and the Great Prohphet of the Senju Clan wasted no time in bringing the people together religiously and establishing a new culture and new traditions. Kitaro remained on the peripherie of these and learned as well as recieved blessing just as the rest of his people did. Their blind following never sat right with him but his blind following and the hypocrasy of saying such a thing was too far against him to even be considered. He was a Senju soldier after all.
Soon, the Senju and Uzumaki encountered one another again, and having each endured trials without the other there was very little left of their political bond something to be desired. Though, among both sides there were plenty that respected what once was and of course their sealing efficiency would prove to be useful. Something had remained but as the Senju became an isolationist state and the Great Prophet explained the Uzumaki and their worship of Shinigami, as well as how this worship acted counter to him it initiated a decreasing respect between the leadership. The Great Prophet would eventually declare them to be an enemy for worshipping a false idol reffered to as Shinigami and almost immediately with this understanding came a tear between the two. Most Senju were angry about this seeming betrayl and held much disgust and hate for a while during this period. As time went on, the wounds of the accusations seemed less damaging and while they would not be friends again, the two clans that had made it back to their homeland somehow. Of course, this was no small feat, though their newfound distaste became the irony of the ages. The teachings and worship of the Shinigami directly conflicted with the religious teachings of their Great Prophet and thus were deemed to be unholy and most distasteful. While the Uzumaki Clan and Senju Clan were...going their own way and making what would become these two Clans today, a few years were going by and a rudementary civilization was established, Kitaro, already a famous warrior among both the Senju and the people who lived anywhere nearby, was put in command of most of the military affairs at this time and they were fairly lax. The Konoha lands were fertile but they were also naturally defended by trees and rivers, which of course came back in full force for the nature-loving Senju people, that had been so in tune with nature they used it in all aspects of their life, especially now that the Great Prophet had set upon the administrative and logistical parts of their new culture. Nature featured heavily. There were the most reforms in the military system especially in regards to training. A focus on general knowledge and versatility took over as well as a more standard system, designed in a way that didn't involve wandering around asking the people who knew how to fight, how to fight. With this, it was the hope of the Senju that a new generation of more skilled and generally more militaristic people would come out of the program. Kitaro wasn't so ambitious as that, only caring to spare the young Senju warriors from the bleak desolation that was the meaning of life. Regardless, it was a happy time for the Senju Clan.
The beginning of the purification ritual was very broad, reformations in the military in case things came to disturb the Senju, modifications both culturally and in general state of life were undergone immediately. Farming was a primary concern early on, as the Senju would not be able to forget the time that food was scarce. The Hygashiyama family quickly showed their skill in farming and agricultural techniques and became somewhat of a go-to family during this period for the farming, and ultimately were placed in charge of these agricultural matters by the Great Prophet. They worked fairly closely with the Kosho family whom had been given charge of the Senju livestock and thus enjoyed a close relationship among the green fields of the Hygashiyama. Among the militants, aside from Kitaro who had been acting alone throughout most of his career, the hero in the dark so to speak, the Yozei family had a great many of their warriors still alive after the Great Migration and took over the defense and offense of the Senju people, as well as enforcing anti-crime among the Senju. The police, the military, ultimately were united under the name of Yozei. The house which Kitaro would come to lead after the reorganization of the Senju Culture and population to further their commune.
It was during this time that Kitaro began to further expand his combat potential, no longer wanting to focus on the limited abilities that he possessed, expanded his combative range to encompass abilities the other Senju warriors were willing to teach him. He developed a strong taste for seals as his father had before him, even around the same age that his father had first been told of his place in life and his duty to one day unseal the Senju's greatest leader. In this time what Kitaro didn't learn for himself, he learned the fundamentals of and how to combat them effectively. Tricks and manuevers to stay out of Genjutsu, techniques of the body to become more effective at Taijutsu, rather than only his sword skills. Generally for all Senju this period of Purification was the greatest and most empowering time of their lives. Such would ultimately become the Purification Decade's legacy.
Kitaro became pleased with his position of Yozei Leader and took it to heart, dedicating his life to bettering himself and the other warriors of the Senju Clan, as was the only thing he knew how to do. Naturally, he and Shijo house developed a relatively close relationship. The weapon makers and the weapon users belong together in Kitaro's mind. Meanwhile though, the Great Prophet had not finished, wandering around himself and naming priests to spread his word alongside him. Such was the means the Mononoke and Prophet explained how Senju were to worship, what their religion would be, and how the children from here on among the Senju people would learn right and wrong. The religion explained what made the Senju great and their placement in the households. Enforcing a strong bond between the Senju people. A sense of right and wrong was drilled in and the Yozei became the enforcers of the new laws. Extra incentive to those who were on the fence between good and bad, and a good defense from the Senju being dominated by those who were willing to fight to disrupt them. Though the small number of these bad eggs among the already small and thankful Senju community was not a problem to handle.
Other houses were formed for various reasons to keep things running and a self sustaining effort. The Great Prophet established the Ojin to mine from the earth and collect the materials that would be needed by all houses. The Gensho house was created for the sake of water much in the way the Hygashiyama and Kosho were in charge of maintaining a constant food supply. Additionally the Juntoku was eventually founded, though later in the Purification Decade. Their purpose was many, maintaining the population of wild life, capturing game to ease the burden of killing off livestock from Kosho house. Fishing was re-established and the Senju began to experiment, practice, and thus ultimately become more adept at the art of catching fish further decreasing their need for food and increasing their surplus. Something they had never experienced before in their life, even a few of the Senju became fat. For hunters, warriors, and those who operate become injured, as is the way that life works and for these injuries the Senju compiled their medical knowledge and delegated Nakamikado House to this cause.
The Mononoke and Kitaro never had much reason to interact. Kitaro was a faithful servant of the Senju and the leader of the military and they were the priests that spread the word and judgement of those who would commit the crimes, that Kitaro or his subordinates had captured. Though, it was clear that the Mononoke were a military force of their own. Warrior Priests existed at first, but were eventually made into a seperate house by the Great Prophet attempting to add as many levels of morality to the Mononoke as possible. The Uda house was created to train the guards of everything sacred. They protect the Temple, they protect the Great Prophet, and they are, at least partially, trained by Kitaro for the sake of the most skilled warrior guards possible should the worse come to pass. So it was that the Senju established themselves among themselves. Became a new civilization, and finally reached a point in which they weren't struggling for life itself. Ten years after the arrival in Konoha the Senju finally decided they were capable of expanding once more, and 34 year old Bushido Kitaro remains it's loyal militant. Commander of the Soldiers, and Yozei house Leader.
Clan: Senju Rank: Khayal Commander - Yozei House Leader Tier: S-3 KKG: Mokuton. Items: Kitaro’s Shirasaya (to be registered) Basic ninja tools - Spoiler:
Kunai - 10
Shuriken - 25
Senbon - 50
Blank Scroll - 5
Elements: Suiton (Water), Doton (Earth), Mokuton (Wood) Abilities/Perks: Bushido Kitaro: Kitaro's familiarity and preference for the sword goes above and beyond both his skill and power with any other form of combat. His skill grew with him throughout his entire life and as a result all techniques directly related to swordsmanship recieve +50 to cutting power. Senju Life Force: +75 Life Force due to their deep cultural connection with nature and it's relationship with chakra, these imparted values improve one's own connection and Life Force. Senju Versatility: +75 CP due to the natural talent of the Senju. One's ability to be effective in any situation, combat or not, was of great spiritual importance to the Senju, especially those with a military leaning. This helps the Senju to further master the arts of combat. Senju Speciality: Mokuton (Wood Release) is a unique release mastered in the ancient history of the Senju people. As such, the elite warriors and artisans prize this skill and the affinity for it greatly. | |
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