Ao (Kiri)

was a shinobi from Kirigakure, and a member of the ANBU Hunter-nin Corps.

Background
Ao was an experienced veteran, having been raised under the feared regime of the Bloody Mist and having fought in war, even before the advent of the Fourth Shinobi World War.He has clashed several times with Konoha shinobi.

Personality
Ao was a calm, prideful, stern and was the epitome of a stereotypical masculine individual. He believed that men should be tough and decisive, constantly scolding for his pessimistic and weak demeanour. This attitude seemed to be caused by his upbringing during the times when Kirigakure was known as the "Village of the Bloody Mist". He had a tendency of bringing up how things were done during those days, usually while fussing over Chōjūrō's behaviour. Despite his fussing, Ao did seem to have some type of friendship with Chōjūrō as he offered to treat him to a meal for luck in the upcoming war.

Appearance
He was a 38 aged man with blue hair which is styled in a moused-up manner. His left eye was blue and his right eye was covered by an eye-patch, under which he concealed the Byakugan that he obtained from a Hyūga clan member he defeated. He wore a talisman in each ear with the kanji for written on them twice on each side. These talismans reacted when his Byakugan is under threat and will protect it from anyone, even himself. He also wore the standard striped, grey suit, with a green haori that had white trimmings that stop halfway down, over them.

With the outbreak of the, he donned the standard outfit of the shinobi alliance with a Kirigakure flak jacket over it. He still kept his protective earrings with him.

Abilities
As a veteran of Kirigakure's hunter-nin, Ao was a highly capable tracker and has extensive knowledge of the human body. He seemed to possess a great deal of speed and agility, being able to grab a kama thrown at him just moments before it slashed his neck, in turn throwing the weapon and hitting the assailant, who had moved to assault him from the back, all in quick sucession. He was also clearly a very skilled combatant, as he was capable of defeating a member of the Hyūga clan and surviving a fight with Shisui Uchiha, a feared shinobi who was regarded as a genius even amongst the Uchiha.

Sensor
He was also a highly skilled sensor shinobi, a testament to which is that during the he was appointed as the Captain of the  of the. With his sensory skills he could even pick out the reincarnated shinobi out of thousands of White Zetsu clones, a feat that his counterparts could not perform. Along with, he was able to erect an immense sensing barrier, which allowed him to monitor the battle between the Allied Shinobi Forces and the White Zetsu Army. Ao counts among the few sensors that have shown the ability to sense natural energy.

Byakugan
At some point in the past, Ao took a Byakugan from a defeated member of the Hyūga clan and transplanted it into his right eye socket. His skill with it was notable, as he said that his eye saw through the illusion placed on the. With it he was able to detect that the eye in Danzō's right eye socket as well as his right arm had the colour of Shisui Uchiha's chakra. It is also notable that unlike a transplanted Sharingan, the Byakugan could be activated at will, rather than being in a constant release stage. The Byakugan was protected by the talisman seals that Ao wears as earrings, and would cover the eye if anyone tries to take or attack it. The seal could not be deactivated by anyone (not even the Mizukage) except Ao himself or other hunter-nin.

Legacy
Ao is credited as being the one who was able to uncover that the Fourth Mizukage was being controlled by a third party thanks to acquiring a Byakugan after his confrontation with a Hyūga. Thus it can be said that Ao played a crucial role in the turn of government within his village and helped the nation to usher in a time of openness and freedom from the tyranny of the once-called "Village of the Bloody Mist" that came with the appointment of the Fifth Mizukage. Ao's veteran skills also came in handy to the Allied Shinobi Forces where he was able to used his honed sensory skills to provide information on what was happening on the battlefield.

Trivia

 * Ao (青) means "blue" or "green".

Quotes

 * (To Mei Terumī) "The decision was made a few minutes ago... Mei, you'll be the Mizukage."
 * (At his last birthday) "Ah, thirty-eight, I'm beginning to feel my bones rusting. Perhaps it was time to retire... Better not, today's youth aren't ready to take on so many responsibilities."