There was really nothing inviting about the place. Nothing at all.[break][break]
Suzu, a little girl of no more than six or seven years old, held the hand of one of the Hyuuga clan servants. They had been instructed to take the girl to see a certain doctor, a family doctor of some sorts. The tone in her father's voice as he instructed the servant to take her to see him wasn't the most pleasant, and perhaps for all the right reasons. Nobody knew just what was the relationship or interactions like between the between the elders of the clan and this Kobashigawa, and no one dared to ask. They only followed the orders given to them by the leader, and so here they were, at the entrance of his so-called 'clinic', waiting for the man to shoe his face. "Why are we here, Maki?" Suzu questioned, tugging at the shirt sleeve of the young man who she called Maki. [break][break]
"My lady..." His blue eyes looked into her red and orange hues, the look the young girl gave him made his voice trail. "Suzu..." It was imperative that the servants always respected their masters and so calling the girl by her nickname was frowned upon. He whispered it like an oath, barely audible. She gave him a bright smile, nodding her head in approval. Suzu hated to be called Lady, the servants of her family way too serious and strict. "We are here to see a doctor. You haven't been well lately." It was true, the young Hyuuga had an assortment of ailments lately, starting from her activation of the byakugan to triggering the heart condition that she had since she was born. She didn't like to be doted on, which seemed to be the case for as long as she could remember. Her father and mother were especially worried about her heart, since she often enjoyed going out on adventures and running around, triggering attacks frequently. [break][break]
"Can he fix me...?" It was such a weird question to ask but it was the most honest one. She didn't enjoy people always having to take are of her, feeling like a burden on people. She placed a hand gently over her chest, feeling the beating of her own heart against her chest. She also hated the pain and agony that came with each attack, how it crippled her enough to restrict her movements, gasping for air while her airways constricted. Her chest would feel like it was ready to explode, as though someone ripped her heart open and was squeezing it in their hands with as much force as they could. She was always left fainting from the pain and she longed to be like the other children in the village. "We shall see about that, Suzu." [break][break]
At that moment the door to the entrance would open, a tall man stepping into view. The bells on his hair jingled as he knelt to greet her. Something about him made her scared, but she wasn't going to let the man see through her fears. Gripping Maki's shirt a little harder, she attempted to make eye contact with the man. "N-nice to meet you too...Koba-san?" She could never remember people's names and resorted to giving them nicknames. The girl would just stare at the man though, unsure of what to do. He looked kind of intimidating no doubt, and the place itself seemed daunting. Was Maki just going to leave her here to fend for herself? Could she trust the man? All this ran through her head as she silently waited for the man to speak.
[break][break]
[attr="class","curragebot"]I'm excited to see what happens!
A voice interrupted her thoughts from a little behind her, belonging to none other than the Hokage herself.[break][break]
Suzu turned to face the woman, her eyebrow slightly raised as the other took off the fox mask to reveal her face underneath. She admittedly hadn't expected the Kage herself to be sitting behind the desk, pretending to be one of the assistants. But then again, she guessed that Mai had wanted to catch people off-guard. The Hyuuga bowed formally to the woman immediately, having recovered from the initial shock of coming face-to-face with the kage. To be honest, Suzu hadn't expected to be able to talk to Mai at all since she knew that there were a lot of people who came to bother the woman on a regular basis. And the blonde-haired girl was no special person after all, just a regular jounin. "Hokage-sama, it is a pleasure to see you again." [break][break]
She returned the woman's smile, her red orange hues looking once over at Mai. She respected the woman incredibly, being one of the very few people she looked up to that was not part of the Hyuuga clan. She listened to the mission details, nodding her head a few times at the information that was given to her. An illegal fighting ring. It sounded like a very interesting mission, knowing that there have been recent adjustments within the Otogakure shinobi ranks that chuunin and jounin numbers were trickling. "Of course, please rest assured, Hokage-sama." She bowed slightly again, waiting for the other woman to give her the mission scroll with the details. "I will return with the person in question after the interrogation with a detailed report of the information I find."[break][break]
As she turned to leave, she would stop, thinking for a moment before turning back to Mai. "Hokage-sama, I was wondering if I could ask for permission of something. It is directly related to the Hyuuga clan mansion and training grounds." She exhaled slightly before continuing. "As you are aware, the Hyuuga clan has both a mansion within the sound village and a manor north of Hi no Kuni. I was wondering if I may be granted permission to open the training grounds at the manor in the country to all Hyuuga descendants from across the land. Rest assured that no descendant who takes refuge or uses the building will be granted access or knowledge of our village details. This is to keep tabs on how many of our clan members are scattered throughout both the country and other major countries. It also gives us an idea of a head count of how many possess our kekkei genkai, which is useful information to the village as a whole." She cleared her throat slightly, "I will personally set up a riddle of some sort to filter out any potential spies from using our training grounds." She understood that being one of the few clans in the world to possess a dojutsu, it brought on natural threats from outsiders. Suzu waited patiently, to see if Mai would allow this otherwise preposterous idea to follow through.[break][break]
[attr="class","curragebot"]Figured I would ask ICly before making the actual Hyuuga mansion training grounds thread~
Gentle Fist 「柔拳」[Journeyman] The primary fighting style practiced by Hyuuga clan members, it inflicts internal damage through attacking the body's chakra pathway system, which Suzu can now use in conjunction with her Byakugan, she is able to disrupt up to thirty-two of a person's chakra points in battle, using the signature eight trigams techniques. Suzu is very good at hand-to-hand combat, which makes her very skilled at this Hyuuga clan signature style of combat.
Gentle Fist 「柔拳」[Veteran] The primary fighting style practiced by Hyuuga clan members, it inflicts internal damage through attacking the body's chakra pathway system, which Suzu can now use in conjunction with her Byakugan, she is able to disrupt up to sixty-four of a person's chakra points in battle, using the signature eight trigams techniques. Most of her attacks are swift and accurate when she uses Jyuuken with her kekkei gekkai. She is also able to use some forms of the eight trigams jutsus to defend herself.
There was nothing better than going to hot springs at night[break][break]
Or so it seemed, as the blonde haired girl put a red chopstick messily through her hair, putting her hair up so that it didn’t touch the onsen waters. She was a big fan of hot springs, the heat of the water was always so comforting. This was especially the case at night, when Suzu could gaze up at the stars and just forget about the worries of her day. It was possibly the only thing that could take her mind off of her troubles. She wrapped her body in a white satin towel tightly, before dipping one toe into the waters, immediately feeling its heat course through her veins. She shivered subconsciously, putting one foot into the onsen. [break][break]
Today had been a rather boring day, the jounin having spent most of it training alone in the mountains. Of course, she could have trained anywhere, but she wanted to be alone and knew that most of the training spots in the village were often occupied with other shinobi. She was a conversationalist and quite social, but Suzu had realized recently that her training was lacking, pointed out by her father. The woman recalled the spar they had had just a couple of weeks ago, in the training grounds of the Hyuuga mansion. You have to get a grip… she chided herself, closing her eyes as she descended deeper into the waters. She had lost to her father, and quite quickly too. How disgraceful she felt, as she lay on the ground of the floor.[break][break]
She opened her eyes once more, her red and orange hues focused on the stars above. It was a beautiful night, the wind blew a slight breeze that was not enough to be too chilling to the bones. How she longed for some sake, or any kind of alcohol for that matter. Suzu had been so deep in thought that she hadn’t noticed what was happening beyond the hot springs itself, the steamy waters clouding her vision. She was just about to close her eyes again and enjoy her time when screams erupted from all around her. What in the world… The girl sat up straight, her head turning left and right as she tried to figure out what exactly was happening. It seemed that a bunch of monkeys had stolen the towels and clothing of the other bathers, jumping over the fence to leave the open air bath. Great…just when I thought I could catch a break…[break][break]
Suzu jumped up from the water, her towel dripping wet as she left the onsen. She casually grabbed her kimono, slipping into it rapidly, the black silk fabric felt weird against her wet skin. She quickly tied the red silk sash that bound her kimono together, her eyes never leaving the direction of where the monkeys were headed with their so-called trophies. “Get back here…” she breathed, her hand reaching into her weapon pouch as she produced two shuriken. She threw them at the monkeys, just as they were descending to the other side of the fence, leaving the vicinity. [break][break]
[attr="class","curragebot"]Need a solo mission to train for Jyuuken styles
How she had dreamt of stepping foot inside since the day she knew of its existence. In fact, she had been told by her parents that only shinobi could and would ever find themselves visiting the kage tower. It was all for the right reasons too, since the Hokage seemed always to be busy, too busy to be disrupted for no good reason. And Suzu had a great reason to be there that day. She wanted to be assigned a solo mission, since she had been trying to go on group missions lately. She needed a breather, so to speak. [break][break]
As she stepped foot underground, she was met with elite shinobi at the entrance of the first floor of the building. ”I’m here to see the Kage about taking on a solo mission. My name is Suzuran, Suzuran Hyuuga.” The black and red silk kimono fluttered gently as she moved, her red-orange hues looked at the shinobi and then at the assistants who were doing paperwork. She was not used to asking for a mission like this, but she was also just not used to doing solo missions. Suzu hoped it would be something exciting, something that might take her beyond the country. She wanted to travel, to go on an adventure, her life otherwise had been somewhat boring for quite some time. [break][break]
[attr="class","curragebot"]Need a solo mission to train for Jyuuken styles
Gender: Female Age: 26 Birthday: May 1st Village: Otogakure no Sato Rank: Jounin
History
Her ancestry dates back to the supposed 'main' branch of the infamous Hyuuga Clan, although presently there is not real differentiation between the branches. Suzuran is the eldest of three siblings, to one brother and one sister. She was born in Otogakure no Sato, in the well-established Hyuuga mansion. Many Hyuuga clan members scattered the world, with only a few ending up in Otogakure. The day she was born, May 1st, signified a day of happiness and blessing to her parents, so to honor the tradition of naming the Hyuuga female offspring with a name of some kind of flower, her parents had named her Suzuran, after the lily of the valley. It was also because the flower meaning symbolized purity and happiness that they thought their eldest daughter should be named one of the most beautiful flowers that bloomed in May. As a result, many of her close family and friends would call her either Suzu or Lily for a nickname.
It was expected that she would possess the byakugan, although the first time Suzu activated it was by coincidence. She had been training in simple hand-to-hand combat with her father, something she often did with him more as a pass time than real training, when he proved to have a major upperhand, for all the right reasons. Pushing past her limits, she unknowingly activated the kekkei genkai to fight against her father. This initial activation surprised and scared her, as she was only seven years old, and she fainted shortly afterwards from exhaustion. Although the byakugan was unlike most other dojutsu where the user would have to 'activate' or 'develop' it through meeting certain emotional or psychological prerequisite, Suzu hadn't expected that she would be able to use the Byakugan, especially since her parents told her that not many of the Hyuuga descendants possessed the kekkei genkai.
Suzu realized then and there that she was more than destined to be a shinobi, to serve the village and protect those who were unable to protect themselves or who were weak. She entered the academy at around twelve and started her long and harsh journey to becoming one of the best kunoichi of Oto. She had no extreme aspirations, but she wanted to make her family proud and not taint the reputation of those who possessed the byakugan. When she first entered the academy, she had thought about becoming a medic, but her rigorous training through the years and her thirst for knowledge expanded her horizons beyond that of being just a support role. Suzu began to crave power and longed to show those who looked down on her or women in general that she was just as capable of holding her own ground when she depended on it.
She climbed the ninja ladder at a relatively steady speed. She didn't want to be one of those cocky people that thirsted for recognition. But, she proved not to be a pushover either, being promoted to a Chuunin only shortly after becoming a Genin. She took on as many missions as possible, believing that only through missions could she see the world and gain some real-life experience. This helped her in her training as well and it would take her a few years as a Chuunin before she was granted a second promotion to Jounin rank, allowing her the chance to lead a platoon for the first time. The extra responsibilities kept her in focus and Suzu began to understand that she was made to be a leader.
Her goal now is to become the Kage of Otogakure, to serve the people better and keep the land safe.
Appearance
Suzuran stands at five feet seven, with a muscular build than most women her age and height. This was primarily due to her training in Jyuuken and her focus on sparring to increase both her muscle strength and stamina. Unlike most Hyuuga clan members, she doesn't have the purple-white pupils that are the signature of her clan, except for when she activates her byakugan. Her natural eye color is an orange red (only aesthetic purposes). The most notable feature would be the tassel of red orange hair that is at the center of her bangs, which is a direct contrast to her long blonde hair and coincidentally is the same color as her eyes. She often puts up her hair with chopsticks, the way geisha or priestess do.
Instead of the regular jounin uniform, she prefers to wear things more 'feminine'. Of course, she would wear the uniform at important events or when called upon to, but on most missions, she prefers wearing kimonos designed specifically for her to move fluidly. There are slits on on the side of her kimonos usually, to show her legs, much like that of a china dress. This allows her to not be restricted especially when in battle. All of her clothes are a mixture of gold, white and red and must be of silk fabric. Instead of the usual tabi and shoes, she wears heeled boots. Her headband is usually hidden somewhere or strapped to her arm.
Personality
Perhaps not the most perfect balance of logical and emotional, Suzu believes she is somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. When faced with decision-making, she is logical and rational. However, when faced with things that are close to heart, like when her family or friends are in the equation, her judgment can be clouded by emotion. She is loyal to her village, to her people and has a big heart to care about everyone. Because of this care, she can often be very blunt when she speaks, not afraid of hurting people's feelings. In fact, the closer she is with a person, the more blunt she becomes, thinking that there is no need to sugar coat her words if it is out of good intention. As a result, some people can become easily offended by her words and she is too confident to realize that she has hurt someone's feelings.
She is often seen as 'playful' or easygoing when she talks to strangers, half influenced by her naturally confident personality. But this is also because she doesn't want people to know exactly how and what she is thinking, a tactic she learned when she was young. She doesn't trust people easily, even though she pretends to, the walls to her heart and mind high. She is meticulous and careful on most occasions. Again, she makes an exception when those closest to her are in danger, where she is not afraid to stand up and fight. Some think that she has two personalities or is bipolar when it is only the result of her keeping people at arm's length. The woman always smiles even when she is angry, which can be somewhat scary.
Proficiencies
Shurikenjutsu [Journeyman] Contrary to all of her other proficiencies, which focus more on hand-to-hand or close range combat, shurikenjutsu is the primary long-ranged proficiency that Suzu excels in. She has a keen eye for her target and has learned through the years to catch most of her targets with a variety of different weapons, not limiting to shuriken, kunai and senbon. Through constant training and practice, she has mastered the ability to hit at least one or two targets successfully within sight, although she has yet to master this when the target(s) remain in constant motion, such as when they are running or in mid-air.
Stealth [Journeyman] A natural proficiency for all shinobi, the woman loves showing up behind people and scaring them. She has learned to almost erase her footsteps on certain types of floors. She also learned to swim, although not completely so that her movements underwater can be unprotected. Her primary pattern of movement includes jumping on rooftops or tree branches and springing on her targets semi-unnoticed. Because of her hair and eye color, camouflage remains something that she needs to work on though.
Hyuuga Heritage「日向一族」 [Unranked] Blessed with the ability and the possession of the Byakugan, she learned and activated this when she was young. Since she was able to activate it, she has guarded this gift of hers and continues to train relentlessly.
Byakugan「白眼」 [Unranked] The all-seeing eyes of the Byakugan was passed down from her father genetically, and because of this, she has had to adapt to it. Not only do her pupils change color, the spectrum that she can see once the it is activated is something she took many years to get used to. She believes that there is much more potential to her kekkei genkai than the all-seeing aspect of it and continues to train to use this in conjunction with the Jyuuken.
Gentle Fist 「柔拳」[Veteran] The primary fighting style practiced by Hyuuga clan members, it inflicts internal damage through attacking the body's chakra pathway system, which Suzu can now use in conjunction with her Byakugan, she is able to disrupt up to sixty-four of a person's chakra points in battle, using the signature eight trigams techniques. Most of her attacks are swift and accurate when she uses Jyuuken with her kekkei gekkai. She is also able to use some forms of the eight trigams jutsus to defend herself.
