[attr="class","text-space"] Within the maelstrom of calamity, pull in hope.[break][break]
Norisuke Hozuki’s soft amethyst eyes looked upon the raging conflict with almost aloof apathy. All for the glory of Amegakure. Fighting alongside other shinobi against the Empire was an honorable thing, even if they were from other villages. It was perhaps this fact that the boy’s usual calm soul was ablaze with the torrents of pride that were hard to contain. Thus dwelled within his tactful mind, whether he should go all out, or be reserved to not give away village secrets. It was a difficult concept in these times of death and flame, surely the shinobi who had been slain by the Samurai at this point were of like mind. No matter, this was a time to act, not a time to suffer decision paralysis. [break][break]
A large gourd of water was adjusted to his back, unadorned in any way. Honestly it was a miracle that alongside that and the beast of Kumogakure that they all fit in this trench. Otherwise, Norisuke was garbed in the traditional Amegakure shinobi attire, a black jumpsuit, white scarf, rebreather and conical hat. At either hip were two more gourds,with a shinobi pouch just below the main gourd, and a bandaloir of kunai and shuriken attached to the harness that kept the gourd to his back. Enough water for his Suiton techniques, or to remain hydrated if he used his Hijutsu. [break][break]
As their unit commander spoke, Norisuke listened carefully. Even if they were shinobi from another village, he still respected the chain of authority and nodded along to the orders. Take out the big one huh? He considered his talents in keeping the other Samurai off of them while the Jounin swarmed and massacred the enemy leader, but was sure their command leader would likely assign tasks as the avenue of attack drew closer. ”Very well.” His voice was soft, gentle, almost inaudible over the torrents of war outside. Yet within those words was the latent bloodlust that fueled the Hozuki clan, a clan he had never met. [break][break]
While their leader reminded them to watch each other’s backs, the Hozuki performed the handseals for his Hijustu, figuring this would be the main opportunity to do so as the technique took some time to trigger. In the heat of battle it was nearly impossible to activate. The titan of the man seemed eager as well, Norisuke respected that on an internal level. Respectful enough to listen to orders of those placed above you, but eager to move into action. Into the slaughter. ”I am ready to be used, Commander.” With that, he completed the handseals required, his body shifting from the solid structure of bone and flesh, into a more supple mass of water, still retaining the same physical appearance, but the keen eyes of the jounin in the room would probably detect something different about the boy. He also understood that his grasp of his technique was one that didn’t allow it to persist for long.
The deluge that shrouded Amegakure was pleasant to Norisuke. It was hydrating, pleasant, to be caught in a heavy rainstorm that could last for days on end. While most had complaints, from your clothes clinging to your skin which weighed you down, to the uncomfortable feeling of socks heavily soaked squishing between your toes, to the strength sapping chill that came from fresh rain, Norisuke relished it. Rain seemed to… Form a barrier in terms of crushing society, into opening a realm where spirits ran free, fed off of typical human discomfort. The deluge almost seemed to bring Norisuke his own reality where his thoughts constantly raced as heavily as the rain fell.[break][break]
Soft amethyst eyes gazed forward, but were distant. Various aspects that dwelled heavily on his attention span, the reasoning for being out today, thinking about his past (moreso his family), while concentrating on Suiton left the chuunin’s mind from being directly focused on the road ahead. The Amegakure headband he wore uniformly, around his forehead, kept the torrents from blinding him entirely. This allowed him to at least see the differences between puddle and road heights to further his training. [break][break]
His chakra flowed through his feet, creating a polarization between the thick puddles, grayed and murky, allowing him to walk on water. Training whenever he could to further understand his ability as a practitioner of Suiton. Almost always, Norisuke took the low road of the uneven streets of Amegakure just to take advantage of the puddles that could probably consume him entirely, meanwhile other folks passed on higher ends of the road, which only a few inches of water covered. Granted, there were times where he did feel bad about it. The rain would shroud the fact that his feet were above the water, dancing over it gently, and a commoner, even a fellow member of Amegakure’s Shinobi would follow him into the puddles, and they’d get drenched from a lack of awareness. Aloof, in his own reality that the deluge brought, the Hozuki quickly forgot about those instances after a curt mandatory apology. [break][break]
Granted, today’s quarry wasn’t necessarily a day of training, but rather research. The chuunin held scrolls beneath his right arm, parallel to the metal goliaths that soared into the skys, acquired from the academy on a briefing of the genin who were part of the platoon he was recently assimilated into. They were held in watertight casing to prevent spoilage, which he figured that the record offices would at least try to make waterproof paper, it couldn’t be that hard. You see, the lack of ability to read about the strengths (and shortcomings) of the genin he was going to assist irritated him a bit, but the presence of various clans of the platoon he was in intrigued him. Norisuke’s own clan was an oddity, meanwhile these ones were likely indoctrinated, welcomed, and grew within Amegakure as it benevolently grew in power. Meanwhile these scrolls would grant him better ways to teach, understand, and even potentially learn from the group of genin. He wasn’t arrogant enough to assume that he knew everything better than they did, but if he understood better before he met them, it would at least hold a certain dynamic between them.
The beginning of it. A curse is what it’s called, given to you by a distant ancestor you know nothing about. An impurity.
The presence of a member of the Hozuki clan so far inland is an oddity, which the cowardly father wished to destroy his history, his past with such a clan. Yet a child born with those soft amethyst eyes and vibrant ivory hair was purely the fact that one cannot escape from the flow that life guides one too. It was like gravity. A somber acceptance that your child is the very thing you wished to leave discarded, but emotion overcame fear of the past, so you conceded to teach him in your family’s ways, and give him the name of the clan so that he may do better than you ever did. A hope. Thus, Norisuke was guided along the path of the Hozuki, but was taught to be “better”.
Six. That was the age when patriotism was installed in those soft amethyst eyes. A conquering benevolence, helping others into the ways of Amegakure so they can become better. Pride in his village, the hidden rain. Determination and dedication to those aspects. Intelligence, might, the desire to die for your country. The boy was destined to be a shinobi, through sheer dedication to the craft. A father to instruct him in the ways of the Hozuki, and the reliance of the Suiton jutsu which was the very lifeblood of the technique. A savage intelligence in the art of jutsu, a jack of all trades who wished to master the fundamentals of what it meant to be a shinobi of the hidden rain.
Dedication to the craft shaped the personality. Negligence to grow socially led to a culture of professionalism. The rules could be altered at times, yet, the rules were sound guidelines of generations past who knew what they were talking about. A respect for your elders became instilled like a second nature to the growing boy. A work-aholic naturally as his mind was always dwelling on who his ancestral family was, what they were. Work, and training was a distraction from that need to understand. Of course there were rumors of bloodthirsty pirates, of the avoidance his father gave whenever the topic was brought up, yet the flow of fate remained. How could it not? It was part of him, part of his ancestry that couldn’t be ignored so easily. It became part of his reclusive nature, not in the essence of wanting to avoid the actual world around him, but it became an obsession.
The flow of water, it’s torrents and how it absorbed him. Norisuke began to see the flow of the water and wind, and how it guided his path. The reliance on water, how using it to open pathways was fundamental to one’s self. Be like water let life’s turmoils, regrets and ill decisions flow through you to become better you must become better. A trickling stream cannot carve through mountains as easily as a torrent can, become a tsunami and flow to where you’re supposed to be, and wash those that reside in your heart into the same destination.
A lust for wealth is not one that Norisuke has, but rather a lust for knowledge. A lust to understand how gravity, how the flow of fate affects him. Where it will lead, and what power the deluge will bring. In the case of Norisuke, he understands there is still much to learn, and to teach. For humans cannot grow strong alone, we share our strength, strength in family, strength in one’s homeland, strength and understanding in those around us to reach our true potential. Without a teacher, and without sharing knowledge, is there any purpose to what we do?
Proficiencies
Taijutsu [Apprentice] While not a preferred method of attack, having options is Norisuke’s reliance. Melee combat, and the martial arts he’s focused on is pacifying an opponent rather than devastating blows that shatter bones, but targets their stamina in a battle of attrition. To stagger and halt with a flurry of strikes. In a sense, Norisuke’s martial arts and how he behaves in combat is rather uniform, which once his technique of light jabs to disorient and slow is figured out, they can be crushed. A foe with greater stamina, strength, or endurance is the antithesis to Norisuke’s fighting ability.
Shurikenjutsu [Apprentice] Norisuke’s favorite form of offense with a strong focus on disorienting and overwhelming. Proficient at the use of shuriken for a wide berth to slowly drain the stamina of opponents, followed by overwhelming confidence via quick slashes and jabs with Kunai. While others excel at hitting moving targets with deadly accuracy, Norisuke excels at keeping a target on their feet, moving. A stationary target that’s confident they can handle the light damage from shuriken and kunai crumbles this technique.
Stealth [Apprentice] Stealth goes hand in hand with what makes a shinobi who they are. In Norisuke’s case it’s more of a focus on moving unseen, avoiding bad situations before they have a chance to cross Norisuke’s path. While there is still a substantial amount of growth that Norisuke has to achieve, his main application is through controlling his breath, moving quickly and quietly as opposed to blending in with an environment, crowd, or hiding in plain sight.
Suiton [Apprentice] Flow, the main application of Suiton. Flow, control, drown. These are the aspects of Suiton that ring through Norisuke’s head whenever he feels the element. Water is second nature to Norisuke, from his blood, history and family, to his demeanor and ideology. The use of Suiton is focused in the form of overwhelming, fast water whips to crack and leave a foe bruised, walking on water to gain the advantage in utility situations, and using water to disguise attacks from other angles. In essence, while his Suiton still has a lot of growth, it is used in a variety of applications. Supplementing the overall overwhelming combat style that Norisuke has developed.
Hijutsu: Hydrification [Apprentice] A technique of the Hozuki clan that has molded Norisuke’s own thought systems, beliefs, and perspective on the world at large. Growing up in a land foreign to the Hozuki however has limited his overall grasp on their Hydrification technique, and the numerous amounts of handseals makes the use of the Hydrification technique a requirement before a battle even begins, as the time it requires to activate is far too long to use amidst the heat of battle. His understanding is basic, and cannot enhance body parts, or allow him to travel through bodies of water, instead relying on augmenting his body for a source of water for Suiton.
