Age: 16
Gender: Male
Village: Kirigakure
Rank:Genin | D-Rank
Title: -
Clan: Uzumaki
Bloodline: Strong Lifeforce
Element(s): -
Skill(s): Kugutsu, Genjutsu, Ijutsu
Stats
- Strength: D
- Constitution: D
- Stamina: D+
- Speed: D
- Coordination: C
- Intelligence: C
- Perception: D
Unique Abilities:
Multi-Tasker [One-Handed Seals]: As a lifelong puppet-user, as well as a scientist and shinobi, Yoru has grown accustomed to splitting his attention between multiple phenomena. Using one hand for his puppetry and the other for virtually everything else, Yoru is able to form seals with one hand. This results in a one tier loss of Coordination for that hand regarding hand seals.
Maximum Effort [Stat Boosting]: Despite remaining largely aloof from the other Uzumaki, Yoru has found his unnatural life force being a part of his life time and time again whilst growing up. After getting into more scrapes and rough spots than he can count, Yoru has embraced his lineage in a more active way. By growing unnaturally calm and focusing internally, Yoru coaxes his life force. At the cost of 5cp, Yoru gains +1 Tier in stamina whilst losing -1 Tier in Strength. This is a toggle ability.
Appearance: True to his last name, Yoru is a tall and lean young man, coming in at an impressive 6 feet and 2 inches tall. Built like a shinobi through and through, Yoru is as muscular and toned as every other Kiri-nin. His vibrant red hair is a clear sign of his lineage, not to mention his overall appearance seemingly-teeming with energy, largely due to his strong life force. His eyes are a dark brown, sometimes appearing almost maroon in the right lighting, though this is largely a trick of the eye due to his hair color. His limbs are slightly long, but never enough to appear lanky.
When it comes to clothing, Yoru isn't too overly picky. He'll wear regular shinobi gear fine enough, but has a slight preference to more casual outfits when he's given the chance. Truth be told, he'd wear no clothes if he could, if only to savor the freedom that nihilism and wild abandon can provide him. When forced to be dressed, though, he often wears black pants and a flowing vest that breathes on his chest. Things that don't restrict his movement are his clothing of choice.
History: For the majority of his life, Yoru Uzumaki has been a pariah of his own making. As an infant, he was born into a time of great turmoil in his clan. The Council of Uzushiogakure had secluded themselves int he wake of the Tohsaka controversy, cutting them off from Kirigakure as well as the rest of the outside world. It was in this era of paranoia and uncertainty that Yoru was born, reared Haru and Yojimbo Uzumaki, a loving mother and father. With vibrant red hair, the child didn't fall far from the proverbial clan tree. The boy's early years were marked by fond memories of summers at the beach, fireworks, and religious festivals of all kinds. They were good times, the likes that Yoru still remembers fondly.
Things changed as the boy grew older, though. Yoru's complacent and easy going nature became increasingly marked by a curiosity that pushed the limits of clan conformity. At first it was small things: questioning why he had to learn ninjutsu when he was no good at it, why his teachers forced him to try and find an element when none of them spoke to him- the kinds of things expected for any young shinobi raised in a structured clan community. His parents, thinking these were normal and to be expected for a young man of Uzushiogakure, didn't think too much on the matter. What they, and his mentors, failed to recognize, though, was that by failing to take his innocent questions seriously, they injected a sense of distrust and thirst for answers that would ultimately transform a benign curiosity for the wider world into a full-blown hunger for knowledge.
This youthful dissatisfaction with his clan and their insular lifestyle beyond the wider world grew and grew, but never quite found a catalyst through which to act on. This changed when, on one fateful day, a travelling circus came to Uzushiogakure, performing at the invitation of the clan council. The Fuinjutsu specialists didn't think much of the performer's use of puppetry or genjutsu beyond cheap special effects and parlor tricks, tools that the actors used in their kabuki theater rendition of Uzushiogakure's old legends and myths. For Yoru, though, the sight of such unique jutsu exhilarated him, astonishing him in ways he never thought possible. At long last, he had found ninja arts that called to him like no other. The discovery, coupled with his jaded views regarding his own clan, came to a head following a disagreement with his family about his future. Deciding to take his destiny into his own hands, Yoru packed his things and disappeared into the night, fleeing his clan, as well as his family, embarking on a journey of knowledge and discovery.
After throwing any pursuers off his trail, the ambitious young lad chased down the traveling circus that he'd witnessed. Disguising his giveaway-hair-color, Yoru introduced himself as 'Yoru Slim', a clanless youth who wanted nothing more than to join their troop. At first, the group's organizers were hesitant, but ultimately the ringleader, Yasaki Jiro, an old ex-Suna shinobi as well as the chief performer who had inspired Yoru, agreed to take the lad on as his apprentice. This transformative pact would change Yoru's life forever, fully engulfing him in a new world of discovery.
For the next several years, Yoru's life revovled around the ring of circus life. By day, he would help the different performers prepare their acts, doing menial tasks and the like, while by night he endured intensive training from his sensei, Jiro. These latter studies grew beyond just Puppetry and Illusions, the literal smokes and mirrors of a circus-man's trade, but also studies of the body to learn how to best apply what the former principles could achieve. Studies of the brain, the senses, the glitz and glamour of showbiz, they all blurred together into a holistic education that, when combined with Yoru's original passions, transformed into a deadly art.
Upon turning 15, Yoru finally made his grand debut. Having travelled across the shinobi world as a performer, the young man used his newfound skills to create kabuki theater the likes of which had never been seen before, drawing audience-goers literally into his stories of heroes and villains. He had found applause, he had found a new family who travelled everywhere with him, and he had indulged his thrist for knowledge to the n'th degree. Yet, even then, at what he had thought of as his climax of sorts, a peculiar feeling gnawed at Yoru, one that only grew as the ensuing months wore on: he felt lonely, and what's more, he felt as though there was still more for him to learn.
After a year of touring as a seasoned performer, Yoru made a decision: he would leave the circus and return to his clan, becoming a fully fledged shinobi. Obviously disheartened, the group eventually parted on good terms with the fledgling showman, promising to always root for him as a family of misfits. The teary-eyed farewell between Yoru and Jiro was short-lived, with both ultimately leaving on good terms, despite their differing alleigances. This devotion to his former family remained strong, even as Yoru returned to the Land of Waves, discovering that the Uzumaki had joined fully with Kirigakure. When registering as a citizen and a Genin, Yoru did not use his birth name, despite embracing his clan's identity. Instead, the boy, having grown since being the scared boy fleeing to join the circus, only put down two words: "Yoru Slim".
With that, Yoru became a Kiri-nin, oficially beginning his long path upward, soaking in all the knowledge he could along the way.
Personality: Curious. That's probably the word that would summarize Yoru most. Although he is a fairly amicable and friendly enough person to the average stranger, the Uzumaki does have a great tendency to drop whatever it is he's doing to inspect and study something that manages to strike a nerve within him. Ever the pseudo-scientist, Yoru is thrilled by discovering new phenomena, particularly in regards to jutsu, though this can extend beyond just regular shinobi work. In social situations, this curiosity and fascination can come across as creepy, unless the person on the receiving end knows Yoru well enough to know that the lad means no harm. This curiosity, and by extent this thirst for knowledge and discovery, is the boy's defining feature, along with his desire to view chakra and jutsu as a 'science'.
Beyond this keystone, Yoru is fairly lax, and at times almost nihilistic. Having been a performer for much of his life, he enjoys the role of 'designated storyteller' when explaining obscure lore or other information, such as history. Having travelled for long and seen so many places, the boy enjoys loosening up and fighting against the societal standards and conformity of village life. Flings with local farmgirls, dueling with simple bandits, and investigating lost ruins or other phenomena all thrill him beyond the normal boring life that 'the man' shackles him with. He is a free spirit, at heart, with only his amibiton and thirsty thirsty thirst for knowledge being able to match that fact.
Roleplay Sample: Yoru stood in the doorway of the ringleader's tent, his eyes watching the old and worn down form of Yasaki Jiro hunched over a workbench. It was a new puppet, a humanoid meant to resemble a princess of some far off kingdom who was supposed to be rescued by a good hero. Yoru was never a fan of that story, it was too black and white. Sure the kids would love it, but the kids would love anything bright and shiny and interesting. Still, Jiro was stuck on the project as part of the updated show, this puppet was so far the fruits of his labor. The old man didn't look over his shoulder, "So, you're leaving?" He asked, though with how the news had been out for a bit now, Yoru knew that his question wasn't one meant to be informative. "Yeah. I'm leaving. The ferry leaves for Kirigakure in a few hours." Yoru responded, still standing in the doorway. What should he say? What could he say? He'd learned everything form Jiro. Puppetry, genjutsu, Ijutsu- hell, all of it.
"There's a fair chance you'll die, you know. The life of a shinobi is hard, harder than being some two-bit kabuki king for a circus like this. They'll work you hard, drill some discipline into you. It'll be hell." He said, head still down, inspecting the puppet and tweaking its carapace with all sorts of tools. Yoru sighed, he'd been expecting the hardest farewell from his old mentor most of all. "Yeah. It'll be hard." He agreed, though the short answer seemed to irk the old man more than anything else he could have said. "Damn right it will! I hope they break you! I hope they break you good, you snot-nosed brat!" Jiro shouted, freezing up for a moment as he did so, gradually letting the tension leave his shoulders so he could go back to working again.
Yoru was unperturbed by the sudden disruption, he knew the geezer too well. Instead, he clicked his tongue, thinking for a moment in shared silence. "You told me once about the story of the wayward turtle. You told me then that it crawled inland because it was following the lights of the village fireworks while its siblings crawled to the sea, dying in the end. At the time, I thought it was a fable about defying nature and letting your curiosity lead to your doom... But then I thought more about it, and my mind changed..." Yoru started, recalling the memory well. It was one of the first legends he'd been taught by Jiro when he first joined the circus troop. It was one of his favorite stories. Yoru stepped forward a tad as he continued, "That turtle may have died because it didn't go toward the water, yes, but in that short time, it was more alive and more fulfilled than any turtle that had come before it. It had found its purpose, and I know, even as it was looking death straight in the eyes, that it was happy, just for that one moment. It had found peace." He said.
He watched as Jiro stopped working, freezing up again, head still down. This time, it was a different feeling though. Yoru could see small watermarks on the surface of the puppet, silent tear drops being shed by a stubborn old man who could not bare the thought of seeing his prodigy see him in such a state. The redhead gave a small smile, watching the tears flow from his mentor, as well as feeling a knot in his own throat as he spoke. "I'm going to say this once, old man, since I know you'll sure as hell never say it to me..." He started, fists in balls, gritting his teeth, feeling tears in his eyes as the years hit him all at once. "I love you. I love you like my own dad never could." He admitted, watching the tools fall from Jiro's hand, the two palms moving up to cover his eyes.
Yoru took that as his sign to leave, yet just as he reached the doorway, he heard a geezer speak again. "Kid, go give 'em all hell." He said, composing himself as much as he could in the moment.
Yoru nodded, giving a strained smile, before storming off away from the tent. He disappeared into the night, much as he had the first time he ran away to join the circus as a foolhardy youth...
