| Personality: | [ISTJ-A]- Greedy: The clearest bit of Kazouchi's personality is his dedication to acquiring material wealth. While most ninja and missing ninja will distance themselves from certain jobs that they disagree with, morally, Kazouchi has no qualms with alternating even from contradictory jobs, such as taking on a job to protect an important businesswoman, to, once that job is finished, taking on a job to assassinate her.
- Aloof: Not getting too much into any one job, the Taotie cares little for the feelings of others, keeping himself distant from others. While this can lead others to think that he is completely uninterested in them and their goals, most of the time this is correct. As long as he is able to profit from the deal, Kazouchi cares little for the details.
- Dependable: Even if a bit of a hard-ass for money, Kazouchi always makes sure to keep his word, knowing that an undependable worker is one that doesn't see another job. While this might seem at ease with his status as a missing ninja, Kazouchi takes great pride in his ability to keep his word and finish whatever job he starts, sometimes at a great personal risk to himself.
- Observant: Keeping with his own ability to distance himself from any issue or person, Kazouchi is always relating to how things relate to what is happening around him. Focusing on the real world, he leaves theory crafting to others, focusing on the function of his abilities, rather than how majestic they could appear. While others note how direct he can be, the Taotie makes sure that nothing is left unchecked.
- Logical: Going along with the others, Kazouchi is a very logical being. If something doesn't have an explanation, he will normally either find one or try to piece together a puzzle to see what would be the underlying cause. Utilizing structure and reason, he doesn't rely on creativity to solve issues, instead focusing on tried and true methods that get results.
- Boorish: To many, Kazouchi is rather coarse in how he interacts with others. Not caring about personal feelings or the well being in others, his mannerisms generally violate many accepted norms. While he normally doesn't go out of his way to attack others, the man does not hold back in order to save face. This has lead people to see him as a rude individual that gets the job done, which is perfectly fine for him.
- Malicious: While some missing ninja have a mean streak of sorts, Kazouchi is a cruel man. If one gets in his way, he will not stop just for them, and, if they just so happen to hinder him in any way, he makes sure that they will never do so again. This, along with his vindictive habits, lead to a lot of confrontation in Sunagakure no Sato.
| | Physical Description: | - Contrary to what most would expect for someone of his clan and his main ninjutsu style, Kazouchi has focused on his body to an almost unbelievable level. Maintaining the idea that the best way to gather funds is to be in the best shape, he has made sure to keep his endomorphic body in an almost perfect condition. He makes sure to not sacrifice function for form, which has made his body rather stocky.
- Kazouchi's face is rather rectangular, in a rather chiseled way, giving him an almost serene and commanding feel. He has a multitude of scars on his face, including one that crosses over the left side of his mouth an inch above and below, one that nicks the right side of his cheek that almost connects to one on the left side of his eyebrow, creating an unnatural break in the brow, which are rather full.
- Keeping with most of his other philosophies, Kazouchi keeps his dark orange hair fairly short and trimmed, making sure that it will not get in the way or be utilized as an obstacle. It is around the same length as his short boxed beard and mustache of the same color, that is connected to his face with his slightly spiked out sideburns.
- Like most Kouseki clan members, Kazouchi has a small Jade gemstones on the palms on each of his hands. While large to some other fellow clan members, they appear very tiny compared to Kazouchi's large hands. Additionally, like other Kouseki, his lips are a jade hue.
- Unlike most clan members, however, Kazouchi's Jade that was implanted into the center of his forehead is cracked. At one point, this flawless piece of jade was the most important part on his body, the missing ninja forcibly shattered the gem as an act of defiance of his clan.
- Finally, Kazouchi's eyes are a piercing fern green that are almost always looking past whatever he is actually focused on.
| | Clothing: | Not one to care too much about fashion or appearance, Kazouchi's apparel is fairly plain. His upper half is covered by a flak jacket, albeit not one from Sunagakure no Sato. The jacket is black, that is fastened by a covered zipper and elastic bands that keep it secure on the hip. It also contains padding on the shoulders, that provide a very base protection against falls and scrapes. The jacket also has a pocket on the left hip, while the right hip has a attachment for a sheath. Under the jacket, he wears a long sleeved dark grey shirt. His pants are rather basic, being the same black as his jacket, containing pockets and a strap on both of his legs near his thighs to hold weapons. Normally, he wears geta that are exactly one inch off of the ground. | | Basic Description: | A missing ninja from Sunagakure no Sato, Kazouchi is famed for his ability to utilize the Art of Puppetry along with his Taijutsu skills. | | Activities: | | | Goals: | - Get revenge on those that wronged him.
- Find the secrets of Human Puppetry
- Amass enough wealth to rule a country.
- Immortalize the art of Jade Puppetry.
| | Bingo Book: | - Murder of an innocent in Sunagakure no Sato
- Refusal to return to the village.
- Harming hunter-nin of Sunagakure no Sato.
| | Detailed Reports: | This is not a story about how Sunagakure no Sato had failed one of its citizens, like many others that leave the village fabled for its strength, law, and medicine.
This is also not a story about how a powerful man rose up from his surroundings and destroyed all those who had slighted him in the past.
No.
This is a story of how anyone can be manipulated, no matter how strong, weak, or pure.
Kazouchi was born in Sunagakure no Sato to two Kouseki parents, an Amethyst and a Topaz. Whenever their son was born, they were surprised to find out that, unlike his siblings, his gem had revealed itself to be [Jade]. Initially, the pair celebrated the revelation of their son, hoping that the gem was a sign of things to come.
Balance.
Peace.
Wisdom.
The pair's other two children, a Black Quartz and a Bloodstone, were full of energy and rowdy to no end, giving hope that their newly born son would live up to his gem, giving them a little gap of peace and silence.
His siblings, however, were not so happy with having to share the lime light in any way. As they all grew, the Jade's older siblings teased him about whatever they could, always trying to put him down and raise themselves up higher. When it began time for Bloodstone to complete her Coming of Age ceremony, the entire family watched the event unfold.
It was spectacular!
Without any hiccups or stumbles, Bloodstone was able to flawlessly able to craft her gem, and stayed steady for the grafting process, showing that she would become a Kouseki ninja. Topaz and Amethyst were both proud of their daughter, and propped both Jade and Black Quartz up, showing them what the gift of the Kouseki were able to do. Unsure of himself, Jade was further pushed back by his siblings, as they started to tease him about what he was able or unable to do. Granted, they were partially right, as he was still a shy little boy.
This teasing promoted Kazouchi to invent up an imaginary friend, who was always there for him. While he kept his friend hidden from his parents, this promoted his siblings to tease him even further. His friend, who was a strong and powerful being made up of [Jade], was always there to calm him down and reassure him that everything would be better.
Eventually, Kazouchi was not able to hide his friend from his parents, which they were originally unsure of how to handle. Taking him to a psychiatrist, they eventually helped him with his issues, as they punished their other two children for their incessant teasing, which promoted their son into being much more happier with life.
The psychiatrist eventually felt like the boy was able to handle himself, having the final meeting the day before Black Quartz was about to have his very own Coming of Age ceremony. Just like his sister before him, Black Quartz was able to flawlessly produce his gem, almost in record time. While it seemed as if Bloodstone had the finesse and Black Quartz had the speed, a great deal of the clan wondered what Jade would be able to do, seeing as it was a much more valuable gem than the other two.
A bit of teasing here and there prompted Jade to tug a bit at his imaginary friend at times, but he knew that he would have to keep it a secret. Granted, due to the help of his psychiatrist before, his friend was not real in any way or shape, but the comfort that it provided helped him stabilize himself in front of others, letting him act when he wouldn't have been able to before.
His parents sent him back to the psychiatrist, making sure to note that, at the moment, his imaginary friend wasn't causing him to do anything out of the ordinary, so the issue was not as strange. However, as his time for the Coming of Age ceremony was coming up, they made a deal with Jade that if he was able to remove himself from his imaginary friend, then he would be able to take the ceremony on time, and not be delayed access, due to his situation.
Trying his hardest, he eventually distanced himself from his behemoth of an imaginary friend, as his siblings pushed for him to make sure to complete the ceremony as expected. After all, at chuunin and cenin rank, they had both grown to become strong ninja in their own right, and their baby brother, even if a bit slow, would need to follow in their footsteps.
The disconnect between their normal teasing becoming praise was a bit jarring for Jade, but he enjoyed it massively. When the time came for his very own Coming of Age ceremony, he was ready, having left behind the crutch of his friend, knowing that it was for the best.
However, it was not as simple as he had thought.
Having trained for this, the ceremony should have been fairly easy, but Jade was definitely not as skilled as his older siblings, and it showed. Trying his hardest, he attempted again and again to get the gem the perfect size and shape, knowing that one mistake could cause everything to go sour.
And then he heard a voice.
It wasn't a complete unknown, feeling like he had heard that voice his entire life, but he was very sure that he had never heard a voice that low before. It would have been pretty high up on the memory box scale. Ignoring it for the first couple of minutes, he continued his work, as others in the clan watched from the sidelines. Suddenly, a mouth appeared in front of him with two pale green eyes staring at him from above it.
The mouth began to speak, reminding Jade of his imaginary friend from before. But this definitely wasn't his friend, as his friend had a full body and was very strong. However, the mouth continued to speak as if it was, reassuring him that everything would be okay. Jade nodded and continued to work, as the mouth helped him through the steps, making sure that the gem to be crafted would come out perfectly.
With a final polish, Jade was finished, and his parents both congratulated him, raising him up. He knew that he was not only slower than both of his siblings, but his gem definitely wasn't up to par with theirs. But, his was completed, which meant that he was able to enter the academy and become a ninja.
At first, his life as an academy student passed by quickly, without much getting in the way of his studies. However, every once in a while, the mouth and eyes showed up, asking how he was, acting as if it was catching up on old times. Jade quickly fell for the being, seeing nothing wrong with having a friend to talk to, especially since most of the other children in the academy were off doing their own thing. Taking an interest in puppetry, unlike most of his clan, Jade eagerly shot up, as his newly made mouth friend helped him out, making sure he was capable of completing any task.
Eventually, though, things started to take a turn for the worse. While the visits of his friend were not as often as he sometimes would have liked, the mouth started to ask many different things of Kazouchi, for whatever reason. At first, the Kouseki was put back by the requests, seeing no reason to complete them. The mouth reassured him it was to get stronger and pass over the rest of the students in his class.
Extra training or something like that.
Seeing nothing wrong with this, Kazouchi started to complete the task, which, to the mouth's credit, strengthened his body and gave him the finesse needed to complete even greater tasks. When questioned on how his body was able to grow this quickly, the Kouseki boy deflected the questions by justifying it as extracurricular working out. While a half-truth, in sorts, he definitely did not want his new friend to be taken away, just as he had before.
That was until the mouth started asking for more dangerous tasks to be completed, eventually culminating in the boy getting caught stealing food, even though he had enough to support himself at his house. Whenever prodded, Jade eventually revealed his friend, which his parents immediately sent him to the psychiatrist once more to investigate the underlying cause. Seeing much more of the same, the psychiatrist prescribed some teas, along with sessions where the two would talk things out, knowing that he was much to old and in a dangerous position to be doing this.
And, much to the psychiatrist's credit, Kazouchi improved in most ways, as the visits from the mouth seemed to have stopped, which did slow down his training a bit. Not to worry himself, though, he eventually graduated from the Academy without seeing the mouth apparate before him. His parents and siblings were both proud, as they were both Chuunin by this point, glad that he was able to complete missions just like they were able to.
Life continued on for a few years as normal, until the mouth appeared once more. Initially shrugging it off as a conjuration of his own mind, Kazouchi endured, ignoring the advances at every turn. Eventually, however, he broke down, talking to it once more. It, however, told him that he needed to be more careful, because his existence was not something that should be known. Agreeing, Kazouchi only talked to the floating thing whenever no one else was around, making sure that no one else would get a glimpse of it, as he continued on training for stealth and fighting with the friend.
Doing a much better job of hiding the mouth, Kazouchi eventually passed his Chuunin Exam with flying colors, impressing not only his mentors and family, but the judges as well. By being prepared for any encounter, with his puppetry and his taijutsu skills taught to him by the mouth, Bloodstone and Black Quartz were both excited to see their little brother's skills finally show themselves.
The mouth's visits became more and more frequent, while, at the same time, having longer and longer breaks between them. Unknown to Jade, this was due to Suna's own protections, in a way. However, the biggest change was when the mouth came back while Kazouchi was 17. It pushed him to do more and more dangerous things, just like before, but this time, it pushed him just a little too far. Without knowing his limits, he ended up murdering one of the people that he was playing around with. Not knowing what to do, he immediately left, trying to cover up the body as swiftly as possible.
At that point, he left the village, not wanting to be put on trial for the murder that he caused, eventually making a temporary home in Pebble Country, hoping that the climate there would allow him to train and make a new life for himself.
As time passed, he grew strong enough that the ninja that were being sent after him from Sunagakure no Sato were equal to him in power, and he was able to test his strength against each and every one. Unlike most of the missing ninja that he had came across, Kazouchi attempts to hit his would-be captors with nonlethal attacks, aiming to incapacitate his targets, rather than put more blood on his hands.
Eventually, though, Jade had to make payments to keep on living and hiding in different locations, prodding him into taking jobs here and there in order to survive. These jobs started out basic and simple, but slowly morphed into more heinous activities. At first, he was appalled and unable to complete them, but soon enough, money became too much of an issue, forcing his hand into killing for money.
He still rationalized his actions as being good, making sure to still only incapacitate any Sunagakure no Sato hunter ninja that came after him, letting them return back to the village without any lasting injuries. As this progressed, eventually, the mouth came back, tempting him with more and more opportunities for strength. Finally, Kazouchi put a stop to it, telling the spirit to leave him be. Without much of an argument, it left, saying that it would always be watching and waiting for him, if he ever changed his mind. |
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