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New HistoryShow
The child's first cries called forth thunder from the skies, piercing the night with their crack and his wail. His parents were not superstitious, and thought nothing of it, but the midwife claimed that the skies spoke a foreboding prophecy over the young child. He would wield the power of a storm in his hands, but he would never be able to calm the storm inside.
Sure enough, as the child grew, he was a bolt of lightning. He was always fast, and always impulsive. His parents were simple farmers, working the land near Konoha and selling their goods in the village market. Generally, such proximity to a hidden village warded off any kind of bandit raid that might otherwise be expected, but when Zakuro was just seven years old, his family's farm was raided by a particularly bold group of men on horses. Even at that young age, Zakuro's instincts led him to protect the ones he loved. He didn't think twice about throwing himself headlong into action, bolting out to challenge the offenders with his parents, afraid for their son's life, running after him.
The men took great sport in beating the boy nearly to death, the consequence for not yet having learned his place in the world. By the time his parents arrived the raiders had already formed an impenetrable barrier around the now bloodied boy, and were laughing at him, challenging him to free himself. The boy's body was broken, but his spirit would never bow. He kept fighting to what would have been his last breath, but before the much stronger men could deliver the final, skull-crushing blow, a blur flashed before Zakuro's eyes, and he was free. He watched through blood-soaked eyes as his hero dealt swiftly with his assailants, saving the young boy's life. He was a shinobi from The Hidden Leaf.
Zakuro never forgot what he had seen that day. His parents had always intended for him to take over the farm, but that day he had found his calling. He knew what he had to do. He wanted to never again be helpless, unable to defend his loved ones. He would become a shinobi. This dream, however, was quickly confronted by the reality of his humble origins and his family's lack of funds. His parents could not bare to see their son's dreams dashed, but they knew they could not support him through the shinobi academy.
One day, while on a trip to the market to sell crops with his parents, Zakuro heard a shinobi recruiter advertising scholarships for entry to the academy, and made it clear that ones heritage would not bar their entry to the academy if they proved themselves worthy. The young boy dedicated the next year of his life to training and becoming all he needed to be to enter the academy. He applied all of his energy and focus to the task, astounding even his parents with his perseverance. Finally, after a year of training, his parents permitted him to apply, and he was accepted on a scholarship.
It came as no surprise to Zakuro's parents that he excelled in taijutsu. He had a level of natural talent that allowed him to quickly overtake many of his classmates in anything physical, but he seemed to always fail at everything relating to ninjutsu and genjutsu, eliciting snickers and bullying from his classmates. Zakuro made sure they paid for every remark, though, and was constantly getting into fights. Those years were a living hell for the boy, but his resolution never wavered. He would become a ninja.
Determination is not everything, however, and even with his exceptional gift for Taijutsu, he barely graduated from the academy with the rest of his class, due to his lack of skill in two thirds of the class material. He was approved for graduation, however, and became an official shinobi of The Hidden Leaf. But his journey had only just begun. Shortly after graduation, and with only a few menial labor missions under his belt, the village came under siege. Two legendary missing ninja, Yaku and Enma, swept through the village like angels of death, terrorizing all in their wake. Zakuro feared for his life, and for the first time in his life, his fear overcame his will to defend those he cared for.
He found himself hiding as a civilian in a dark building. But there, in the dark, surrounded by so many innocents who were helpless to do anything, Zakuro came to the revelation that he was betraying his village and his honor by cowering in fear.
He rushed out of the building just as the two phantoms passed in front of him. It was an odd phenomenon within Zakuro's consciousness as time both sped up and slowed down. The two shinobi bolted past him with incredible speed, but as they did, the larger of them, Yaku, struck out, his fist connecting with Zakuro with a strength that could crush mountains. At that very moment, the boy's eyes connected with the pale, pleading eyes of a woman he would later know as Hyuuga Aina, a woman they had taken hostage and who was now helplessly being taken hostage. He had no time to think, however, as the strike from Yaku sent him flying back into the building he had been cowering in only moments before. By a strange twist of fate, or maybe a moment of mercy from a hardened criminal, Zakuro survived.
Zakuro awoke in the hospital, surrounded by hundreds of the people he had sworn to protect. The thirteen days he spent there were worse than an eternity in hell as he heaped guilt and shame onto his own conscious. He went into therapy to recover his broken body's strength, including a few days of assisting with the village's reconstruction, but no beam or boulder could be heavier than the weight he felt within. He had been so weak, so helpless.
He determined to grow and increase in strength, returning to the resolution he'd made as a child. He would never again stand by and watch as his village, his family, was in danger. He sought out a Jounin mentor, Nara Shikari. She agreed to train him, and held up her end of the deal. She taught him how to think, how to plan, and how to use his own gifts to his advantage. His newfound dedication led him to months of training harder than anyone else he knew. He was so focused, in fact, that he failed to realize how strong he had become until an encounter with an old peer, Taiga, revealed his new strength and skill. The skirmish ended as soon as it had started, and within moments Zakuro emerged victorious, much to the surprise of all involved. He was no longer the young boy who had graduated from the academy and hidden in fear at his village's hour of need.
At the recommendation of his mentor, Zakuro was selected for the Chuunin Exams, during which he was paired up against a higher ranking opponent. The same anxiety he had felt in the past returned, but this time, he did not allow it to take control. He used it as motivation, and trained all the more. In the end, Zakuro won the fight on a technicality, but he did not allow his pride to hinder his advancement, so he accepted his victory. The final test, however, an interview with Aoi, proved to be even more challenging than the fight itself. During the interview, Zakuro was challenged to identify his core motivation for growth and advancement. It was in that moment, maybe for the first time in his life, that Zakuro finally understood what motivated him and pushed him to excel. He was honor bound to protect the village and its people, no matter the personal cost. And with that goal clearly etched in his mind, Zakuro entered the ranks of a full-fledged shinobi as a Chuunin.
Sure enough, as the child grew, he was a bolt of lightning. He was always fast, and always impulsive. His parents were simple farmers, working the land near Konoha and selling their goods in the village market. Generally, such proximity to a hidden village warded off any kind of bandit raid that might otherwise be expected, but when Zakuro was just seven years old, his family's farm was raided by a particularly bold group of men on horses. Even at that young age, Zakuro's instincts led him to protect the ones he loved. He didn't think twice about throwing himself headlong into action, bolting out to challenge the offenders with his parents, afraid for their son's life, running after him.
The men took great sport in beating the boy nearly to death, the consequence for not yet having learned his place in the world. By the time his parents arrived the raiders had already formed an impenetrable barrier around the now bloodied boy, and were laughing at him, challenging him to free himself. The boy's body was broken, but his spirit would never bow. He kept fighting to what would have been his last breath, but before the much stronger men could deliver the final, skull-crushing blow, a blur flashed before Zakuro's eyes, and he was free. He watched through blood-soaked eyes as his hero dealt swiftly with his assailants, saving the young boy's life. He was a shinobi from The Hidden Leaf.
Zakuro never forgot what he had seen that day. His parents had always intended for him to take over the farm, but that day he had found his calling. He knew what he had to do. He wanted to never again be helpless, unable to defend his loved ones. He would become a shinobi. This dream, however, was quickly confronted by the reality of his humble origins and his family's lack of funds. His parents could not bare to see their son's dreams dashed, but they knew they could not support him through the shinobi academy.
One day, while on a trip to the market to sell crops with his parents, Zakuro heard a shinobi recruiter advertising scholarships for entry to the academy, and made it clear that ones heritage would not bar their entry to the academy if they proved themselves worthy. The young boy dedicated the next year of his life to training and becoming all he needed to be to enter the academy. He applied all of his energy and focus to the task, astounding even his parents with his perseverance. Finally, after a year of training, his parents permitted him to apply, and he was accepted on a scholarship.
It came as no surprise to Zakuro's parents that he excelled in taijutsu. He had a level of natural talent that allowed him to quickly overtake many of his classmates in anything physical, but he seemed to always fail at everything relating to ninjutsu and genjutsu, eliciting snickers and bullying from his classmates. Zakuro made sure they paid for every remark, though, and was constantly getting into fights. Those years were a living hell for the boy, but his resolution never wavered. He would become a ninja.
Determination is not everything, however, and even with his exceptional gift for Taijutsu, he barely graduated from the academy with the rest of his class, due to his lack of skill in two thirds of the class material. He was approved for graduation, however, and became an official shinobi of The Hidden Leaf. But his journey had only just begun. Shortly after graduation, and with only a few menial labor missions under his belt, the village came under siege. Two legendary missing ninja, Yaku and Enma, swept through the village like angels of death, terrorizing all in their wake. Zakuro feared for his life, and for the first time in his life, his fear overcame his will to defend those he cared for.
He found himself hiding as a civilian in a dark building. But there, in the dark, surrounded by so many innocents who were helpless to do anything, Zakuro came to the revelation that he was betraying his village and his honor by cowering in fear.
He rushed out of the building just as the two phantoms passed in front of him. It was an odd phenomenon within Zakuro's consciousness as time both sped up and slowed down. The two shinobi bolted past him with incredible speed, but as they did, the larger of them, Yaku, struck out, his fist connecting with Zakuro with a strength that could crush mountains. At that very moment, the boy's eyes connected with the pale, pleading eyes of a woman he would later know as Hyuuga Aina, a woman they had taken hostage and who was now helplessly being taken hostage. He had no time to think, however, as the strike from Yaku sent him flying back into the building he had been cowering in only moments before. By a strange twist of fate, or maybe a moment of mercy from a hardened criminal, Zakuro survived.
Zakuro awoke in the hospital, surrounded by hundreds of the people he had sworn to protect. The thirteen days he spent there were worse than an eternity in hell as he heaped guilt and shame onto his own conscious. He went into therapy to recover his broken body's strength, including a few days of assisting with the village's reconstruction, but no beam or boulder could be heavier than the weight he felt within. He had been so weak, so helpless.
He determined to grow and increase in strength, returning to the resolution he'd made as a child. He would never again stand by and watch as his village, his family, was in danger. He sought out a Jounin mentor, Nara Shikari. She agreed to train him, and held up her end of the deal. She taught him how to think, how to plan, and how to use his own gifts to his advantage. His newfound dedication led him to months of training harder than anyone else he knew. He was so focused, in fact, that he failed to realize how strong he had become until an encounter with an old peer, Taiga, revealed his new strength and skill. The skirmish ended as soon as it had started, and within moments Zakuro emerged victorious, much to the surprise of all involved. He was no longer the young boy who had graduated from the academy and hidden in fear at his village's hour of need.
At the recommendation of his mentor, Zakuro was selected for the Chuunin Exams, during which he was paired up against a higher ranking opponent. The same anxiety he had felt in the past returned, but this time, he did not allow it to take control. He used it as motivation, and trained all the more. In the end, Zakuro won the fight on a technicality, but he did not allow his pride to hinder his advancement, so he accepted his victory. The final test, however, an interview with Aoi, proved to be even more challenging than the fight itself. During the interview, Zakuro was challenged to identify his core motivation for growth and advancement. It was in that moment, maybe for the first time in his life, that Zakuro finally understood what motivated him and pushed him to excel. He was honor bound to protect the village and its people, no matter the personal cost. And with that goal clearly etched in his mind, Zakuro entered the ranks of a full-fledged shinobi as a Chuunin.
New PersonalityShow
Zakuro is fiercely loyal and unwavering in his resolve to protect the ones he loves, namely those from his village. The thought that he might one day face a challenge too strong for him to overcome frightens him, driving him to train and excel beyond all expectations and reason. Because of his desire to protect above all else, he feels that he is handicapped if forced to fight in a team. He is so concerned for the welfare of others that his focus is not complete, and his combat is not as raw is it otherwise would be.
Zakuro is a feral fighter at heart, wishing to hold nothing back. In many ways, this is the only way he can be his true self. When around innocents and allies, however, he feels he must hold back, even to the degree that when he is in the village, surrounded by people, he feels an underlying anxiety of what might happen if the village was to be attacked... again. This anxiety corrodes Zakuro's heart and fondness for the village he loves so much. He feels in many ways like he and the village are star-crossed lovers. He will fight to his last breath to ensure her safety, but he knows he can never truly find peace while this inner war wages on.
Zakuro is a feral fighter at heart, wishing to hold nothing back. In many ways, this is the only way he can be his true self. When around innocents and allies, however, he feels he must hold back, even to the degree that when he is in the village, surrounded by people, he feels an underlying anxiety of what might happen if the village was to be attacked... again. This anxiety corrodes Zakuro's heart and fondness for the village he loves so much. He feels in many ways like he and the village are star-crossed lovers. He will fight to his last breath to ensure her safety, but he knows he can never truly find peace while this inner war wages on.
New AppearanceShow
At 6'2", Zakuro towers over many of his fellow shinobi, and is easily distinguishable in a crowd. What's more, his body is built strong and sturdy, with each and every muscle toned for perfect application in taijutsu. His strong jawline is blotted with sandy blond stubble, matching his full head of equally blond hair. His hair is naturally thick, and Zakuro styles it with a streamlined look, lightly slicked back to never let it fall in his face. This creates the appearance of having sprinted so quickly that his hair laid flat against his head and stayed there, thought most of the time this is done by simply running his hands back through his hair to ensure it remains in place.
His eyes are alway watching. Always watching. In fact, what one might notice most about Zakuro, are his eyes. Slightly sunken, and shadowed as the result of many sleepless nights and anxiety-riddled days, the boy's eyes have never lost their sharpness. The very color seems to assist in piercing through falsehood and identifying the best course of action in every situation.
His eyes are alway watching. Always watching. In fact, what one might notice most about Zakuro, are his eyes. Slightly sunken, and shadowed as the result of many sleepless nights and anxiety-riddled days, the boy's eyes have never lost their sharpness. The very color seems to assist in piercing through falsehood and identifying the best course of action in every situation.
