Shōyō Kawahiru

Shōyō Kawahiru (うちは倡佯, Kawahiru Shōyō) was formerly a jōnin of and the leader of Team Shōyō, which later on became known as the four Yonkō.

Background
Shōyō was renowned as one of the best shinobi produced by the village of Konohagakure prior to the. He graduated the Academy at the young age of five, and was promoted to Chūnin two years later. At some point after he became a Jōnin, he was hired as an instructor at. During his third year of teaching, he was put in charge of the class consisting of Seireitou Hyūga, Hikaru Kurosaki, Echo Uchiha, and Ryun Uchiha; instructing the group in ninjutsu. At first, Shōyō thought nothing of the four, however, during his later travels, he encountered a still young Seireitou on the plains of the Land of Fire. He noted that villagers around the Land of Fire had mentioned a "demon-like" presence in the forests, slaying any civilian that dares cross its path. But never expected to find "a cute demon", much to Seireitou's distain, as the latter drew his sword which had rusted from the blood of the people he had killed over the past two years. Shōyō stated that he shouldn't be using a sword that has rusted due to being misused, and that a sword should only be wielded to "protect one's soul". Shōyō took the young boy with him back to Konoha to join his Genin team, which at the time, consisted of Hikaru, Ryun, and Echo; Seireitou's old teammates. He trained the young boys in all manner of fighting styles and principles, even the way of the sword.

Personality
Considered the most powerful Jōnin of Konohagakure (in his time), Shōyō was benevolent and eccentric, an archetypal good man. He almost constantly gave off and aura of calmness and composure, rarely displaying intense emotions of anger or fear; instead he appeared content and whimsical throughout. Yet despite his benign nature, it is said that Shōyō was the only shinobi that Zukia Tojiro ever truly feared.

As a supremely talented shinobi, Shōyō showed numerous examples of extraordinary powers. His abilities as a shinobi were combined with a kind of cunning and subtlety of mind that allowed him to comprehend human nature and turn the better aspects of humanity (trust, love, and friendship) to Zukia's disadvantage in particular. Yet despite his many talents and accomplishments, Shōyō was never in the least arrogant, self-important or pompous and in this he stands above the other great shinobi of his day. Despite this fact, however, Shōyō was quite aware of the fact that his power outmatched everyone else's and would not hesitate to remind others of this fact, if the situation demanded it. However, in the end, Shōyō was a man of peace.

Shōyō refused to fight, even deciding to hold back during his fight with Zukia. He lived, and passed on to his students the idea of, believing that the art of battle was meant, not to defeat an opponent, nor to protect one's self, not even to cut away one's weaknesses, but to protect one's soul. Subsequently, he meant to protect one's own soul; their pride, their morals, and their beliefs; to never yield to another's will. But most of all, to protect the fragments of one's soul, passed on to those that one would form bonds of friendship with.

Appearance
Shōyō had a rather relaxed appearance, identifiable by his personality traits. He had similar long hair to Seireitou Hyūga, though the former's was more grey in coloration. Shōyō's eyes were normally hidden from sight, though when shown, they were light brown. In terms of clothing, Shōyō wore a kosode that was light lavender, along with a kimono wrapping around it. He also wore hakama meant for relaxation, despite fighting with this attire at times, remaining a testament to his superior abilities. While he was normally without it, Shōyō often kept his katana around his hip with an obi.

Abilities
Shōyō possessed a considerable amount of chakra, being both the most respected shinobi teacher in all the Land of Fire, as well as holding the position of of Konohagakure, if only for a short while. Seireitou and Hikaru were able to sense its strong presence from several kilometers away. Ryun was also stunned by the level of Shōyō's power when he was near the latter during a battle during the Second Shinobi World War, watching as Shōyō killed several powerful Jōnin with one swing of katana.

When releasing his chakra, it can cause a shockwave strong enough to affect a considerable radius. Shōyō was also a genius whose intellect and perception had no equal; capable of devising an elaborate master plan to defeat the seemingly unbeatable Zukia. His intellect, or at least his strategic thinking, is one of his key talents. His vast and extensive knowledge on subjects such as love and his acceptance that there are worse things than death makes him wiser than the even some of the Hokage of the past by vast amounts. He was very knowledgeable in regards to various techniques, able to quickly recognize and how to undo them.

Kenjutsu
Shōyō's skill in swordsmanship allowed him to effortlessly clash blades with both of his former students, Seireitou Hyūga and Hikaru Kurosaki, without having to access any of his special ninjutsu techniques. Shōyō was the co-creator, along with Hanzei Kurosaki, of a sword-style was that considered unlike anything ever imagined in the Shinobi world. It involved locating "cracks" along the pathways in the body that connected the physical body with the soul.

One who had mastered this style would learn to perceive these "cracks", and attack them, essentially cutting an opponent's soul, rather than their physical body. However, the details of the style died with Shōyō, never passed on to another student, and with Hanzei, whom professed to never mastering this style to the level Shōyō had.

Taijutsu
While not being his preferred combat method, according to Hikaru Kurosaki, Shōyō was still very proficient with taijutsu. In the past, it was shown that he was capable of stopping the large skyscraper-sized earth technique of an Iwagakure Jōnin who had attacked two of his students during a field training session.

Trivia

 * Shōyō (倡佯) means "wanderer".