Katsu Unmei/CoD

Katsu Unmei is one of the most prominent ninja of the Unmei Clan, having shown outstanding potential as a shinobi and reached the rank of Jonin at a rather young age, though many argue that he is still in the shadow of his older sister. Katsu has also gained a reputation as a brash and short tempered young man with the mentality of a mercenary, rather than a shinobi. Despite these somewhat undesirable qualities, the higher up of Konoha are willing to place a great deal of trust in Katsu, seeing him as one of the future leaders of the new generation.

Appearance
If Katsu’s appearance was all one had to go on, his simplistic attire and lack of distinguishing facial features would do little to impress. Katsu’s attire rarely changes, usually only as a result of entering some type of extreme climate. Katsu’s crimson red jacket is the main staple of his attire. It is made of a thin, but durable fabric with a large collar that protects the back of Katsu’s neck. Katsu normally leaves the zipper only zipped up to his chest, allowing him to proudly display the Unmei symbol on his necklace. Katsu is more than happy to explain the symbolism behind the star to others, telling them of how the star represents one’s destiny. Katsu’s gray pants are quite plain, with the constant pattern of gray fabric broken only by the shuriken holder Katsu keeps strapped to his leg. The traditional shinobi combat shoes Katsu wears differ from the majority only in the fact they are colored black rather than a deep blue.

Physically Katsu is thin but lean, a very common body type for young shinobi to have. Though they are usually covered by his clothing, Katsu does have several distinguishing marks on his body. On the top of Katus’ left thigh, there remains a fist sized burn scar from where he was scorched by a Fire Release attack on one of his mission. He often enjoys telling the tale of how his team completed the mission and he pushed through the pain caused by the wound, usually leaving out the fact that his sister had provided him with pain killers. Katsu’s abdomen bears another scar, this one being from a stab wound he received from a training accident with his sister. This scar, Katsu tends not to share much about, as he feels it reinforces the idea of his sister’s superiority over him. Those that ask about the mark tend to either be ignored or are told a lie about the scar's origin.

Though Katsu may not draw any eyes with his lackluster attire or physique, one thing that never fails to draw attention is the sword he carries on his waist. Katsu carries a kokutō in a silver sheath and has rarely been seen without the weapon since receiving it at the age of thirteen. Despite heavy use, the blade remains spotless as the day it was made, due to Katsu's constant maintenance on the black sword. The blade has served him well on many occasions and Katsu almost considers it to be more of a companion than a tool. He is extremely possessive of the sword and grows agitated when it is handled by others.

Personality
Violence is something every shinobi eventually grows comfortable with, but many believe that Katsu grew way too comfortable way too quickly. Even as a young child, Katsu was constantly picking fights with other academy students and many of the confrontations ended in unnecessary bloodshed. Unlike the children Katsu fought with, the blossoming warrior never once cried or complained when it was his blood on the training field. Katsu considered injury to simply be part of the shinobi lifestyle and was always confident that any pain he felt would soon disappear. Katsu is still visibly more accustom to violence than even some veteran shinobi, including his older sister. He rarely reacts to all but the most sever of injuries and many believe that he enjoys inflicting damage on his opponents. Some view this as somewhat sadistic and masochistic behavior, though many interpret it as a young warrior's lofty pride. Several of Katsu's peers have gone on record as referring to Katsu's attitude towards pain as mildly unsettling. Katsu views those that are disturbed by his indifference towards pain as soft and often even weak. He especially despises those within the Unmei Clan that show displeasure for his perhaps masochistic tendencies. Katsu views this as weakness within the current Unmei clan.

Katsu possesses great pride as a shinobi, but Katsu is also extremely proud of his heritage as a member of the Unmei Clan. This is apparent in the fact that Katsu often introduces himself as "Katsu of the Unmei Clan." The troubled history of the Unmei is well known to Katsu, especially the time spent as a successful group of mercenary shinobi during the Era of Warring States, without a doubt this being the Unmei Clan's high point. Having been told stories of the great influence and power the Unmei possessed during this period throughout his like, Katsu began to believe that this was what the Unmei Clan should strive for once again. As a result of this allure towards the grandeur the Unmei name once possessed, Katsu tends to care more about the rewards he's promised than the actual mission at hand, and rarely does anything more than what is asked of him in order to receive those rewards. Though Katsu maintains a moderately respectable moral code, he rarely helps others when he is not guaranteed compensation for such action. Among Katsu's favorite rewards are money and prestige. Both of these things are viewed as necessary to restore the Unmei to their former glory.

Katsu's father died several months before he was born, therefore Katsu was lacking a father figure right from the beginning. Katsu's older sister Shizuka and his mother Saki were both excellent role models for the young boy, but neither could quite fill the void left in Katsu's support system. For most of his early childhood, the other male shinobi of the Unmei Clan helped raise Katsu, but none were truly seen as a proper father figure. In addition, due to Katsu's rapid growth and astoundingly impressive progression as a shinobi, Katsu quickly saw that his talent out shined a majority of the other ninja in the Unmei, with one of the only exceptions being his older sister, Shizuka Unmei. Without a father figure in his life, Katsu's idea of what a "man" was became one comprised mainly of stereotypes. Katsu believes he must never show any "weak" emotions in front of others, that he shouldn't show inferiority to his female counterparts and that he should never back down from confrontation, however small. Though this shallow idea of what a man is meant to be like has led many to think that Katsu himself is a shallow individual, the behavior masks a more sensitive and caring boy that hides beneath the protective shell of a "man."

History

 * Born in Konoha
 * Father died when he was young.
 * Grew up with his older sister Shizuka, both joining the academy at the age of six and graduating within two years.
 * Spent his time as a Genin trying to become a Chunin faster than his sister, failed by mere months.
 * Joined several high ranked missions and completed them all.
 * Became a Jōnin at age 16

Kenjutsu
Katsu has been a practitioner of swordsmenship for as long as he could properly hold a sword. Part of his infatuation with sword fighting stems from his historical research on great shinobi from the five great nations. Many of the greatest shinobi in history were known to fight with swords, such as the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju and the most famous member of the Unmei Clan, Kenta Unmei. After reading so much about so many phenomenal ninja that wielded sword in combat, it was only natural for the young Katsu to want to learn how to master the art of kenjutsu himself. He firmly believes that he is capable of becoming another one of the famous swordsmen that will be read about decades upon decades after his death.

Katsu's kokutō is for much more than show. Katsu has become one of the most talented swordsmen in all of Konohagakure, wielding the sinister black blade with more finesse and talent than some shinobi with twice his years and experience. Katsu can effectively wield his sword in either hand and has even spent some time practicing using the sword in his mouth, should both his arms be disabled during combat. Only adding to the effectiveness of Katsu's swordsmanship skills is the fact that Katsu has a variety of techniques he can use in conjunction with the blade. Whether it is streaming his chakra through the weapon to magnify its cutting power, or using the Unmei hidden technique Hikarichūdan to bypass a target's guard, Katsu can alter his attack strategy to accommodate a large number of situations and deliver a decisive blow.

Lightning Release
Lightning Release was the first chakra nature Katsu was found to possess and has trained with this particular chakra nature for a majority of his life. Despite learning a notable variety of Lighting Release techniques that can be used at various distances, Katsu most commonly implements his Lightning Release by simply streaming it through his weapons. Katsu learned how to stream Lightning Release from his older sister, who also likes to use Lightning Release in this manner. Katsu augments shuriken and kunai with Lightning Release to increase the penetration capabilities of the weapons to pierce enemy defenses. Katsu also often streams Lightning Release from his sword, allowing him to slice through objects that would normally stop his blade cold. A less aggressive method of streaming his chakra through his sword involves Katsu quickly streaming a burst of lightning from his blade when an enemy blocks his attack with a metal weapon, stunning his opponent and leaving them open to a counter attack. Even without weapons at his disposal, Katsu is a capable fighter with his Lightning Release along, able to attack at a variety of ranges and deal a decisive blow. Unfortunately for those that face Katsu in combat, Lightning Release is only one of several methods Katsu can employ to defeat an opponent.

Wind Release
Being the second chakra nature Katsu was found to possess, he may not be as proficient with it as he is Lightning Release, but Katsu can still employ a number of Wind Release techniques, all to devastating effect in combat. Katsu primarily uses his Wind Release techniques to attack enemies at a distance when he is unable to attack them utilizing his Kenjutsu.

Unmei Hidden Technique
The Unmei Hidden Technique, known as Hikarichūdan, has been around since The Warring States Era and continues to be an extremely valuable tool for the shinobi of the Unmei Clan. The simple ability utilizes chakra to refract light and increase the user's elusiveness in battle. Katsu starting training with the technique since the age of five and, after over a decade of practice, has grown quite adept at the ability. Katsu is capable of utilizing the technique for long period of time without draining more than a small portion of his chakra. When active, Katsu doesn't even have to consciously think about the technique for it to be effective at throwing off an enemy's aim. He is even capable of using the technique to cover nearby allies as well. Katsu also likes to use Hikarichūdan offensively, by refracting the light around his weapons and making it difficult for the enemy to properly block his attacks. This method of attack greatly augments Katsu's effectiveness with kenjutsu. The Hikarichūdan technique has assisted Katsu in nearly every engagement he has been in as a shinobi and continues to be a significant part of his combat strategy.

Trivia
Original image by Cory Kolson, Edited by Dedmnwalkn88