Kei Yotsuki

Major Character "I've always been in the shadows of others. One of my friends was an Uchiha, skilled in Flying Thunder God and white fire, and the other jinchūriki of the Eight Tails, who eventually became Raikage. Even was renowned in his own right. That left me to light my own way, by my own right. I turned to my affinity, and it provided. Lightning is an unstoppable force, that can take you down in an instant. And I've tamed the greatest powers of lightning, and made them my own. Don't count me out, or you'll shockingly regret it."

- Kei.

Kei Yotsuki (Light of the Night Moon, 夜月明い, Yotsuki Kei) addressed by most by his codename, K is the head of the ANBU of Kumo, a high ranking member of the Yotsuki Clan, and the tag team partner to the Sixth Raikage. Formerly a general of Darui & C in Kumo's Civil War, he was assigned to a four man team that led the First Division. His teammates were Yoru, his late childhood friend and an Uchiha Prodigy, & the jinchūriki of, Mamoru, along with the previous war hero, who led them all.

A master of Lightning Release himself, his affinity, he sought to earn fame his own way, deciding to do it by mastering the greatest lightning jutsu of all time. Through many of Kumo's best, he was able to achieve this, with his hard work, effort, time and persistence. He has managed expanded on each greatly, unlike any Kumogakure shinobi ever before. Now one of Kumo's greatest rising shinobi just like his teammates, he is an adept avatar of the electric art. So adept, he has even mastered the powers of natural lightning, becoming known as the Electro Bringer, for his prowess as an avatar of electricity and lightning.

Now prominent in the ranks of the Cloud, following in his father's footsteps, he serves as Mamoru's right hand man, as well as partner in battle. Under his leadership, the Cloud's ANBU has prospered. He has brought in new advantages, and tactics for the Cloud's Black Ops. With him in command, the Golden Horn Force has been started anew, and is way more powerful than ever before. Kei also serves as an ambassador at times, for the Lightning, helping with his village's & country's international affairs, and overall, doing his best for the places he calls home, Kumogakure and the Lightning Country.

Early Life
The Land of the Lightning was probably the worst off in the aftermath of a. Plagued by natural disasters, it made living life in that country almost a living hell. But the people of the Land of Lightning were tough, brave, prideful. Some even called them arrogant. But no, truly they are just proud people, loyal to their home until the very end.

This is where the story of Kei begins. The son of the renowned, bodyguard to , he was born during a time of strife for the Lightning Country. When most wouldn't recommend having a child. But C, the-ever-loyal Hidden Cloud shinobi, did. It was to help the Lightning Country, who had begun to fall short of great shinobi after the war. Ones of amazing caliber had died in the war, or were stuck rebuilding what could in the Lightning. Terrorized every day by the memories of their fallen comrades. This experience made C realize he was mortal, and could die any day. Upon returning to his home, he quickly went back to his dark-skinned fiancee, and soon fathered a child by her. This child, would come to be named Kei.

Kei grew up under the care of his mother; as his father was soon called by his friend Darui to take care of the son of Killer B. So at first, Kei came to loathe his father at times, as he barely got to see him. He spent most of his time protecting Mamoru, from those who might hurt him. However, as he grew, he came to respect him, as he was doing what he needed for the village. This was explained to him by his mother, who was his teacher in his early years. This led to Kei being one of the few to know of Mamoru’s existence, and who he truly was at such an early stage of the jinchūriki’s life. Of course, he couldn’t make sense of it at the time.

Kei’s early life was also pestered by constant storms, as a result of the natural energy overload in Lightning Country. He never really had a single home. It was only a matter of time with each house he lived in before he had to move yet again. However wherever he was, he felt at home, under his mother’s care.

It was under that care, and C’s recommendation, more of urging, that brought Kei to the academy. His mother helped him through his studies, and by his own work ethic, Kei began to train on his own, honing his body in order to keep up with the academy’s tests. Kumogakure’s Academy does have a lot of physical work in it. This allowed him to excel in the Academy during his stay.

As Mamoru had begun to stay at the academy as well now, Kei got to spend more time with his father. This allowed for them to bond at least for a short time. He influenced Kei, and Kei became determined to help Kumogakure however he could. He also helped Kei discover his lightning affinity. This can be traced as the source as Kei’s repeated dedication to his studies and to his training. He bonded with his mother during study, and his dad during training, become a powerful and smart child. He made a bunch of friends, including Enkyo, a fellow clansmen, who he helped out with his expertise.

In the academy, Kei begun to see Mamoru up close and even befriended him. The day Mamoru’s secret was out; he had even forgotten what his parents had told him about him. He really began to question if Mamoru was capable of what they said, the people of Kumogakure. As the graduation exams drew nearer, more and more did the Land of the Lightning’s people oppose to Mamoru’s staying in the academy. So he was taken out. Kei soon had to study and focus on graduating, and with Mamoru’s withdrawal, soon Kei’s time with his father became less and less.

However, he was thankful for the time he had with him, as he had taught him many things. With this, he was able to pass Kumogakure’s academy graduation exams with ease. He was soon put onto a genin team, where he would be pushed to his very limits.

Pushing Himself, A New Team
Team Omoi.

Assigned to a team under the care of the master jonin, Omoi, Kei’s training as a genin started off with a bang. Omoi, a hero from the war against Gods, was a tough teacher, pushing the genin to their limits physically at first, everyday, as it was the norm for Kumogakure to have physical pushing tests.

After tests of the body, Omoi began to teach them. Of ninjutsu, of genjutsu, of improving taijutsu. This is where Kei began to learn and become comfortable with the basics of shinobi combat. Progressing well enough, he was not the best of the best; the title belonging to one of his teammates, a prodigy.

Kei met his first rival, Yoru Uchiha while on this team. The child in question was indeed a member of the famed Uchiha Clan, and as a result, was a true prodigy, graduating from the academy a year younger than Kei.

Yoru already showed tremendous progress as a ninja, with some skill already shown in the Fire Release. As an Uchiha, he was truly just well-rounded shinobi, even for a genin. He was easily above Kei and the other genin of the team. Whenever the team went on missions, Yoru was in the lead out of the trio, and soon, it looked like he’d be recommended to the exams, at least to Kei. Team Omoi became known for Yoru only, the other two in his shadow.

Kei sought to change this. Asking for private lessons under his sensei, he would be trained in the art of the sword, and his lightning nature, for the next two years. This is where Kei learned the Cloud Style basics, from the sword master, who gave him his first sword. Omoi also helped Kei master some basic lightning techniques, including the Thunderbolt and the Stream.

For two years, Kei, Yoru and the other genin trained under the legendary war hero Omoi, who helped them become skilled, for genin at least. Wanting them to all go to the exams at once, he didn’t send them the first year after their graduation, due to Kei and the other genin not being ready yet. A year later, he then took them all there after Darui, the Fifth Raikage’s approval, as he was sure then that all would pass. At the age of 12, Kei and his Team set out from Kumogakure in sight of the Land of Iron, as it was where the exams were being held that year, 12 years after the Fourth Great Shinobi War.

Chūnin Exams
The cold, unforgiving Iron Country.

Laden in white, wherever Team Omoi went was covered with snow and ice. A trademark of the home of the samurai. Ever since the Fourth War, the Land of Iron had begun to mingle with the shinobi lands. The shinobi managed to grow on them per se, and the samurai and shinobi began to coexist together. The Land of Iron was thus brought into the rotation for the exams, and by the time Kei was entering, it was their time to organize the exams.

But this also meant a more physically demanding exam for the Kumogakure ninja, a more grueling one. The samurai are a people who learn by doing, who give trust and respect based on action. So it was obvious that an exam hosted by them would test the body physically, and the mind on the field of battle and survival.

After Team Omoi arrived in the Country, they settled into huts at the edge of the border, not comfortable at all. However, the best of warriors need to work hard, even in the least favorable conditions.

The first test? Sword proficiency. Early in the morning, the genin were aroused and gathered. Kei being among them of course, they were each given a set of two wooden swords, used for the first part of the exams. These involved sparing one to one, with these swords alone. Pairs were made, and Kei soon found himself up against a huge Iwagakure genin, one of massive strength. Nervous at first, he soon put aside his fear when given a speech by Yoru, inspiring him to try his best for Kumogakure and the Lightning Country.

Doing just that, he stepped onto the arena, where the pairs faced off. A ring of sorts, it was more of a boxing ring than anything else; closed off, with an audience all around, and a proctor samurai up above, announcing the start.

As the battle begun, the Rock’s genin came out swinging. It was Kei could do to block the huge guy’s swipes at his face. As this sword fight continued, it was easily seen that Kei wouldn’t prevail as long as he continued to stay on the defensive. And as some strikes of the Iwagakure genin began to get past his defenses and actually hit the Kumogakure ninja, it was clear Kei needed a change of strategy. And soon. So Kei got to thinking, as he analyzed the movements of the shinobi. Kumogakure’s Academy had not only taught him physical domination; for what if your opponent is just stronger than you? You analyze their fighting style, and use their weak points as places to hit with your own physical strength.

Doing just that, Kei realized that between strikes, the genin’s neck was open. So, instead of blocking the next strike that came towards him, he dodged and rolled closer to the genin. Getting up, as he had surprised the genin by getting behind his defenses so easily, he swiftly struck the neck of his opponent with his wooden sword, taking him down and winning the match. The neck is usually a weak spot.

Congratulated by shinobi and samurai alike for his victory, it was noted by the samurai proctors that he was a potential candidate for becoming a chunin. However, even among all this good cheer, he was still stared at with vengeful looks by the Iwagakure genin’s teammates. Disregarding them at the time, he went to celebrate with Omoi, Yoru, and U (ユー, Yuu), his last teammate. Yoru and U had passed as well, with the former doing it through sheer skill, and the latter more thinking on his feet, like Kei did.

The first test continued till the end of the first day. With the day’s conclusion, it was shown which of those had moved on. In the dire times, not a lot of participants had formed this year, leading to only 60 genin at the start of the exam, and at the end of the first, half had moved on, the half that won their duels. This left the winning 30 to face the second and third trials.

The second trial was simple in a way. At the start of the second day, the 30 succeeding candidates had been transported to the Three Wolves, at the base. The task? The genin had a week to survive and climb to the top of the three mountains. Reaching one of four points would signify success; the center peak of the three, or if it came down to it, the peaks of any of the three mountains that made up the Three Wolves. There would be units of samurai set up here, in huts, ready to welcome the winners. The winners would then be taken to the central location, where the finals would begin sometime afterwards. However, there was a condition. Even though the climb of the mountains would be hard enough, especially in a week for the genin, it was also made so that only six teams (or only 18 genin) that had gathered at the base could advance. As soon as 18 had made it to one for the four checkpoints, everyone else would be eliminated; this forced getting to the checkpoints as quick as possible, a priority.

So as soon as the exam started, Team Omoi went straight to work scaling the mountains. The going was tough, and it was all they could do to keep their focus in the cold, and use their chakra to stay attached to the surface of the mountains. Within the first day, they barely made progress up the mountain, but thankfully hadn’t seen any opposing teams. Other candidates could serve as obstacles on this exam; they were also things to overcome, as they may try to sabotage your chances of getting up to the top- to lower down the competition so to speak.

Without seeing anyone the first day, the team had gotten the hang of their adhesive chakra technique basics, in order to do it without consciously focusing on it. This also allowed them to hunt for the little game on the mountain, and collect mountain grass without opposition. This allowed them to survive the first day.

With the second day, now relaxed, with vigor, Team Omoi attempted climbing again. Making progress, this day was much different from the first. Around noon, they came around another camped team; a group of Sunagakure shinobi, not really adjusting to the cold. Team Omoi was lucky to have Yoru on their squad, with his heating capabilities. Kei was not willing at first to take out this team, but Yoru insisted it would be effective in progressing. They stalked around the Sand shinobi, awaiting a time to sneak up on them, and disable the whole team. However, this chance never happened. Sunagakure shinobi were not stupid. They had tricked the Team Omoi into gathering, using a mirage like genjutsu, much like mirages in the desert. But here, it was a mirage in the tundra instead. By falling for this genjutsu, Team Omoi had fallen straight into the Suna trap.

The Sunagakure shinobi attacked from behind and only Yoru had snapped out of the mirage genjutsu fast enough, realizing it was one through his Sharingan. He managed to hold them back, as he aroused Kei and U from it as well with the commotion. With the whole team disgruntled, but on the offensive, the Kumogakure shinobi faced off against the Sunagakure shinobi. As Yoru used heat to control the battlefield, so his friends had places easier to use chakra to “stick” to, U used his bukijutsu mastery to drive the Sunagakure shinobi back. Kei finished them off with a Lightning Release Stream, literally blasting the opposing team down the mountain.

Successful in taking down a team, or at least, slowing them down, Team Omoi raided the team’s camp, taking essentials and then proceeding up the mountains again. As the second day came to a close, bells had sounded. This confused the Kumogakure shinobi at first at their camp, but then U remembered something the proctor had said. Bell ringing signifies the arrival of a team. Once this had happened six times, (usually), it’d mean game over for the other teams as 18 would’ve arrived by then. Of course, if individuals had arrived, they’d send off a different bell sign. But this was definitely the sign the first team had arrived at one of the checkpoints. Astounded, Team Omoi realized had little time they might have till 15 more arrived, and it would be game over for them. They resolved that within three more days, they should get up to the checkpoint at the center of the mountains.

However, this plan was somewhat stalled. With the addition of the third day, a blizzard soon hit. While not severe, it still chilled the genin, and it was all they could do to keep warm. This delayed progress, and so did another encounter with another rival team. This encounter led to Kei being separated from the group.

As he wandered in the cold, he soon realized he was hungry, and tried to hunt down a goat. This was one of the first times he had done this alone, hunting. Usually Yoru did this for them, as Kei’s only hunting experience had been with his father. But Kei, being alone, needed food. So he’d have to do this on his own.

Managing to track down a goat, he only scared it off as he approached, forcing him to chase after it. He managed to get his act together though, and carefully and quietly stalk it down, killing it with his sword, and lightning release chakra flowing through it.

He cooked it best he could; using the heat generated from his lightning and ate. As he ate, he would be found by his other teammates, and his makeshift hut he had constructed out of rocks, and a mini-cave, to keep warm in the cold. In the blizzard, warmth was detected a mile away, joked Yoru as they walked in on him. The team made camp in the cave that day, with barely any progress, sadly, as Kei getting lost and the blizzard hindered them. They still resolved to get to a checkpoint soon however. They could all attest to that. They made a pack that night, they’d they make it to a checkpoint in time. Even with whatever the mountains threw at them.

So with the fourth day, Team Omoi got serious. They only focused on getting closer to the top, only stopped for minor rest breaks, and once for a full meal. This proved very effective, as the blizzard had settled down, and they didn’t encounter any of the other teams that day, though two more and three independent individuals also arrived at a check point during that day. This left only two more sets of three, before game over.

But Team Omoi was getting there. And with the fifth day, afternoon time wise, they could even see the checkpoint in the center of the mountains. They had made it, mostly…

As they neared, they encountered another enemy team, just as another bell rung. Which meant only one team could pass on. This meant an all out brawl between Team Omoi, and the band of Sunagakure genin they had encountered early in the phase. This brawl did in fact occur, but the Sunagakure shinobi were smarter than before. They were beginning to win the tide of this battle, and soon, Team Omoi would’ve been overcome by this band of three Sand shinobi. However, Kei wasn’t about to let this go down, as he and his team had come so far. They weren’t about to just lose to a group they had already beaten.

Recalling a technique that his father had used on several occasions during hunting, Kei made the Ram, Horse, Snake and Tiger hand seals, to execute an advanced genjutsu, the Lightning Illusion Flash of Lightning Pillar. Determined, he succeeded in using the flash of light to blind the Sunagakure shinobi, for an even longer period of time, using the snow to reflect the flash’s brightness. This also worked on his teammates as well, though not as much as it did on the enemy- a side-effect of not mastering the jutsu.

But still, it proved as a good enough distraction for Kei to half-pull, and half-lead U and Yoru to the checkpoint, and outright beat the Sunagakure team there. A final bell sounded, and a game over notice boomed across the mountain for any of the remaining teams. Soon, as it was told to the Team, that helicopters would swoop in and collect those who’d had yet to make it, saving them from the cold.

As for Kei and the rest of his team though, they had succeeded in making it to the final phase, as told to them in the central hut. They were rounded up, along with some individuals who had made it to the final phase as well, to be taking to the more centralized location in the Three Wolves Mountain, where the final phase would be held- a tournament. But not one limited to wooden swords, and physical strength…

As they gathered in the more central location, they were shown to dorms, and told that within a week, the final exam would start. A tournament, not unlike those of the Chunin Exams soon in the series, but done in this centralized arena, which was down below in the building. A week for all the village leaders judging to arrive and a week for the candidates that had passed to this stage, to rest and prepare as much as they could; to be judged, and see which of the 18 had the aptitude to become chunin. With this in mind, Kei spent the next week in the place honing his skills, with the personal help of Omoi. He had been the only one who had requested their sensei’s help. (Note, all the jonin teachers of the succeeding genin had been gathered at the central location, before the winning genin had arrived themselves). With the help of Omoi, he had begun to get the hang of his lightning genjutsu, and honed his kenjutsu skill somewhat more.

Seven days past more quickly than Kei had expected. On the day of, the remaining 18 were gathered. The four individuals, one among them being Kakezan, a promising Frost Country candidate, a Konoha Team, Team Sakura, including Hayazumo, and the Iwagakure Team was amongst them, along with 8 others, two more individuals and two Teams, one from Sunagakure (two teams had gone from there), and one from Otogakure. The tournament was soon to begin, at noon that very day. Each genin was given a chart, with who’d they have to face throughout the tournament. Yoru and Hayazumo were facing off first, followed by Kei and a Sunagakure ninja, and U and an Iwagakure ninja. And so on, and so on.

The genin were escorted down the building’s levels, to the arena where the judging leaders had gathered in the stands. To the sides resided the places where the genin would wait for their battles. In the center was a battlefield. Plain of sorts made of metallic ground, with pipes interlocking above, not much different from the past appearance of a building of the Hidden Rain.

For the first battle, Yoru and Hayazumo were to face off. Hayazumo’s team, Team Sakura had been the first team to reach a checkpoint, the one that succeeded within two days. So it was safe to assume that Hayazumo was strong. However, Kei believed Yoru could take him anyway.

However, he was somewhat wrong. He watched as Hayazumo’s innovation skill soon overcame Yoru’s skill. Hayazumo actually managed to pull off a standstill against the two, using his quick thinking. To combat Yoru’s fire, he slashed the pipes above to drop down water, etc. This ended in the eventually tie between the two. This shocked Kei, as he had previously thought the Uchiha’s power couldn’t be matched. With that battle’s conclusion, came Kei’s with the Sunagakure genin. This one possessed the Wind affinity, a perfect foil for Kei. As his powers insulated Kei’s lightning, he was forced to attempt getting close to the Suna Genin. But obviously, it was difficult as gusts of wind were generated to hold Kei back. He’d need a new idea if he was going to prevail against this shinobi.

Using kunai, and his sword as distractions, he threw them at the shinobi. This preoccupied him, as he attempted to blow them away. This left Kei able to use his Lightning Pillar effectively on the genin, binding the guy long enough for Kei to charge Lightning Release: Thunderbolt. As he fired, the Sunagakure shinobi tried to recreate a shield of wind, as he begun to gain back his sight, he was too late as the amount of wind’s insulation was not enough against the high frequency used to create the Thunderbolt technique. The Sunagakure genin hadn’t enough time to mount a proper defense, so the attack blasted through the wind, and ended in a swift defeat for the Sunagakure ninja, and victory for Kei Yotsuki.

Cheers erupted from the crowds, as Kei was able to come out on top. Kei retreated back to where the genin had gathered, to continue watching the battles. Kei witnessed as his teammate U was pitted against an Iwagakure genin. U had been training with Yoru; his bukijutsu specialty had become enhanced with chakra. But even this wasn’t enough against the aspiring Earth master of a genin, and his brute strength. The Iwagakure genin managed to defeat U with some ease it seemed.

While this didn’t trouble Kei, though he was saddened that U had tried his hardest and lost, the Iwagakure genin insulted U where he lay. The Rock was still angered by their earlier loss to the Cloud it seemed. But insulting a man who had gave it his all in battle was not okay to Kei. He swore to make him pay.

His chance soon came, in the second rounds. After the first round, one of the participants, Kakezan, had been promoted to chunin instantly, for his incredible talent, skill and thinking capability. This left eight, to finish out the tournament. While Kei was able to defeat the Iwagakure genin in his battle, using the power of his lightning over earth, Kei was still eventually eliminated both the end of the tournament. The winner of the tournament wasn’t really well-known, and whoever it was, it didn’t matter to Kei.

After the tournament, within 4 hours, the results of who had made it had been posted. Kei, Yoru, and U were amongst them, much to the latter two’s surprised. Kei was elated; it was the newest step into becoming the best he could be.

After the results and the next few days of recovery from the battles, Kei and his team were leaving the borders of the Iron. But before they could leave they were approached by the Iwagakure jonin, who had taught the genin team that the team had gotten into altercations with. The Iwagakure woman wanted to talk, to Kei out of all of them. She had a proposal, she had said, as she had taken “interest” in him.

At first Kei was wary, but Omoi urged him to talk with the jonin. The Exams are all about improving relations with the other countries. So Kei heard the Iwagakure kunoichi out, and she surprised him with an offer to visit the Land of Earth! Her genin had respected him, and looked at him somewhat as a rival now. They had personally made her asked if he’d go with them to their homeland, to train alongside, and become stronger together, for an unspecified amount of time.

Kei told Omoi, and after mulling it over, he allowed Kei to go. Though some Cloud shinobi would be sent to supervise, Kei would be allowed to go to the Earth Country, for training, and improving the relations between the Lightning and the Earth. So Kei said his goodbyes, and he departed a different way with the Iwagakure shinobi to go to the Land of Earth, where he’d stay for three and a half years at least.

Pursuing Lightning & Further Training
Arriving in Earth country, it took no time at all for Kei to get used to his surroundings. The Land of the Earth had more cliffs and rocky structures than the Lightning, but still, it didn’t take long for Kei to feel at home. The people of the Earth quickly warmed to Kei, as he showed a sign of hope to them, though he didn’t know it at the time. Kei meant to them that there was hope in at least one village, Kumo, siding with their Fourth, in their times of isolation from the other Great Nations, in terms of their “problems”.

But Kei was of course oblivious to this picture, as being a genin at the time; he was not involved in the world’s politics. And no Earth person cared to really detail it to him. So instead, Kei’s focus was on training, and honing his skills, with his Iwagakure genin comrades, who had become chunin as well.

Kei’s training consisted of a lot of rock climbing, scaling cliffs to strength his body. This improved his upper body strength, while a ton of other activities raised the strength of his legs and overall his whole body. His endurance went up, and basically over the years, Kei grew into a teenager of peak physical condition, better condition than most other shinobi. This led to the start of his yang-natured chakra increasing. As he developed the body, he gained more yang energy. However, he never managed to incorporate the energy, until sometime later in his life.

Regardless, Kei still trained his body, to gain a high durability as well. As he had training battles with the huge genin, and other men of Iwa, his physical tolerance grew, and so did his body’s resistance to physical force. This resulted in the type of body the Raikages possess. Kei’s body became hard, and defensive, capable of travelling at the speed of light, without injury.

The training with the Iwagakure genin was all in all, very physically demanding. It led to Kei being able to face men of great size and stature, or users of the first few gates, with his taijutsu alone and prove to be effective against them. It pushed his body to its physical extreme, something he maintains even to the current day. His taijutsu took on the Strong Fist style, his blows and strikes easily being more powerful than the hits of others. This also gave Kei a high physical tolerance, one he has since then trained to become somewhat supernatural, being able to stand up to the first three of the Eight Gates with no problem, in terms of dealing with the damage, which is usually non-existent, due to his high durability levels. During this time, he also improved on his kenjutsu skills, a secondary thing, coupled with his physical training.

In addition to taijutsu, and a powerful and quick body, while in Iwagakure, Kei began to pursue his lightning affinity even more. With information and training from the few Kumogakure shinobi supervising him, and the Earth country people about lightning and lightning release, he began to study the aspects of lightning, refining his old lightning techniques, and inventing new ones. This is where he perfected the basics of using lightning-natured chakra, and its chakra flow. This is also noted to be the time; he invented the Cloud-Style Electric Beheading, along with what he calls now the basic uses of the Pseudo Lightning Release Armor he invented- the shocking touch, made from coursing lightning chakra throughout the body. During this time, he learned of the greatest lightning techniques, and gained the desire to master them, especially the ones invented by Kumogakure shinobi, such as the Lightning Release Armor, and the Hell Stab. The Pseudo Lightning Release Armor was created, and thought to be mastered at this time, along with its basic uses, as one of his attempts to recreate the Lightning Armor himself.

With this tremendous progress in the skills of Kei over three years, he would soon have to leave Iwagakure, as the city turned to turmoil. The Fourth Tsuchikage’s rule had begun to get opposed, and the people of Iwagakure showed signs of rebellion. The rebellion wasn’t in full swing yet, but the Cloud shinobi with Kei could notice the signs of the civil war in Iwagakure and the Land of Earth growing. Notifying Darui, he requested for Kei and the others to return, and as such, Kei was forced to say goodbye to his Iwagakure friends. Just 16 now, Kei would return to a Kumogakure he hadn’t known before in his whole life of almost two decades.

Kei’s friend, Mamoru, had returned to Kumogakure.

Warning Signs
Before Kei had departed for the exams, Mamoru was on the Island Turtle, taken there under orders from the Raikage himself to master Gyuki, and for his own protection. But now, Mamoru had returned, and Kumogakure was in some disarray, being forced to accept Mamoru due to Darui, their leader. One of the reasons Darui had called Kei back was to help with this situation, as the shinobi did not think it was wise to keep various shinobi out in different lands, when he feared their own would become somewhat unstable as well. And sadly, he would be right in time.

But in the meantime, after being welcomed back by friends and family, Kei began to spend time with Mamoru, along with Yoru, U and only a few others of his friends. Mamoru would be thankful for this friendship, and would eventually play a part in helping Kei’s dream. Mamoru would be the one to convince A in his old, retired age, to teach Kei Lightning Release Armor. Though Kei couldn’t get the handle on it at the time, he was very grateful to his friend for assisting him in his effort to learn all lightning techniques.

Kei and the few others proved to be some of Mamoru’s true friends, besides his tailed beast and Darui and the elite. As the friends trained and lived together, they would start to become close, and form true relationships. It would be because of this that the citizens of the Land of Lightning, well at least some of them, would begin to warm towards Mamoru.

With Mamoru’s return, bandit legions began to grow in opposition, wanting the jinchuriki’s head for something he did in his past. At times, Kei would be the only friend around to help Mamoru deal with this, all weighing on his head. And soon, over two years, the bandits would grow enough to form an army, preparing to invade Kumogakure unless the jinchuuriki surrendered to them. Kei would help his father, Darui and his friends in persuading the people of Kumogakure that this shouldn’t happen. As such, within months, Kumogakure rallied behind the jinchuuriki, and refused the bandit demands. Darui would gather the people to protect Mamoru, and Kei would be one of those in the forefront of this, now 18. As they prepared to defeat the bandits and stop their plans, Mamoru would halt these efforts, telling the defensive groups only to watch as he took the burden on himself to defeat the hundreds of bandits which had then gathered at Kumogakure’s gates, demanding the Gyuki host.

Kei of course, was one of those greatly opposed to this, as he wanted to protect his friend personally. However, on Darui’s command, he stood down, with the reassurance that he along with the defensive force would be watching closely, ready to step in if needed. Kei didn’t completely agree, but in Kumogakure, it was natural to let the one who caused the problem, fix it if they take it upon themselves to do so.

And fix the problem, Mamoru did; at least, somewhat…

In an altercation that would become known as the ‘’’Battle of the Titan’’’, Mamoru would summon legions of ink creatures from his scroll using the monstrous chakra of the Ox. These ink creatures, along with Mamoru himself, would kill every single bandit, and rogue, except one survivor of the whole thing. Kei was taken aback by Mamoru’s power, along with some of his friends as well. Kei was powerful in his own right, but taking on hundreds of people, some of which were minor shinobi? Something like that was almost unimaginable for Kei at the time.

Kei and his friends were best off though, meaning they reacted the best to this. Sure Kumogakure was free from the bandits yet again, but what of Mamoru? Many of the people who had witnessed Mamoru’s massacre began to question the jinchuuriki, and his stability. Was he even fit to be a jinchuuriki, with that ruthless nature of his? As more and more shinobi would come to fear and question the master jinchuuriki, the single survivor of the massacre also began stirring the people of the Land of Lightning to the “Anti-Mamoru” side. As these sides were drawn, they would soon escalate to war sides. Those who supported Darui and Mamoru, and those who wanted to see a newer, more capable jinchuuriki and the fall of Darui, who supported such a “monster” in their eyes. Kei of course, knew his friend well, and knew he wasn’t a monster. But even though Kei, his friends, Darui, C and the others tried to convince them of this, it was all in vain. The seeds of doubt had grown, and the roots unmovable. The single survivor had basically sealed the deal, crafting a side of the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure that would not rest till Mamoru was dead. This would cause a short period of civil war over the jinchuuriki of the Cloud. However, while short, it would be nothing to scoff at. Darui realizing this pulled those on his side, those in the shinobi force of course, into mandatory training to prepare for the inevitable war.

Kei, now 19, would begin to prepare for war, something he had escaped years before in the Earth Country.

Personality
Duty and wanting of recognition.

These are the two personality traits he has the most. From his father, he gained the sense of loyalty to the Cloud name. Dedicated to the Cloud, he strives to establish Kumogakure is a splendid village. One not to be taken lightly. One that is truly safe. With this sense of obligation to the village, he'd almost anything for the village. He has this innate sense of of duty to Kumo to make the Cloud the best it can be. This extends to his position in the village, as head of its ANBU, and the position he took in the Civil War, in order to protect Mamoru for the better of Kumogakure.

Kei is also a capable leader. As seen during the war, he is capable of making decisions on his feet. He always acts in what he thinks is best for the force, and doesn't risk others without cause. Many in Kumo come to follow him,as they notice his sense to take charge for the better. In the middle of a dire situation, Kei can be known as one of those who keeps his cool, in order to lead a pack. He often keeps a calm and cool, collective nature in most situations. Having been through a war, nothing startles him except the most dire of situations. This unmovable calmness makes him capable of doing the most secret missions, keeping his composure at all times, being a great leader as well able to assess situations and make appropriate solutions.

From his mother, Kei has inherited the feeling of wanting to be known. He aspires to not be overshadowed by those with talent, or reasons to be well-known. He isn't jealous of anyone, he just doesn't like to be taken lightly, or be unrecognized, when he himself does have talent. This trait of his caused him to pursue a Lightning Master career, to be known alongside his childhood friend, one that could've easily overshadowed him. His pursuit to be well-known also caused him to follow his parents wishes and become a high ranking shinobi, that surpasses his father. Seeking recognition is somewhat his drive, and helped him discover his passion for Lightning Release.

He loves the Lightning Release. He gained the affinity for the nature from his father, and in an effort to become well-known besides future heroes and martyrs, he pursued a career in mastering the nature to its fullest. Lightning to Kei could be described as one of his friends. Kei is one of those people, who may observe thunderstorms, because he enjoys the sight of lightning, and also electricity. He understands it, like the back of his hand.

Kei has also been seen to like physical fitness and meditation. In an effort to become stronger, Kei honed his body to the best it could be, matching A and the Third in durability. Having done this in order to be in peak condition (to be the best shinobi possible for the Cloud), he loves to exercise as a pastime. He also likes to mediate on things, and thinks about life often. Because of this, he is very creative, however not as much as Mamoru. He just thinks freely, and many ideas form in his head because of it. As a result of his Black Lightning training with Darui, it is not uncommon to watch him meditating, or thinking about a variety of things, constantly building spiritual energy. And constantly thinking about what's best for his home, the Hidden Cloud.

Kei also seems to share some ideals with his late friend Yoru. He is an active believer of justice and honor, equality and freedom. He is an idealist in that regard, holding those virtues close to his heart. Also, Kei has a very high maturity, in conducting himself, as he tries to set the standard for Kumogakure.

He has also been shown to be very analytical, in combat, and in conduct.

Appearance
Crystals of blue.

Words used to describe Kei's eyes, which pale out in direct intense light. Complimenting Kei's light white gray mop-head locks of hair, they go along with his youthful face, which framed by his hair's bangs. With a complexion of light milky brown, a combo of his parents skin tones, Kei fits the look of a normal Kumogakure resident, on the contrary with his father. Kei has a strong, youthful build to fit his extreme durability, and the peak he has trained his body into.

As for attire, Kei sports a variety of clothes, unique as a shinobi. He usually wears some collared long sleeve shirt, either yellow, or dark blue in nature. Resembling the shirts that go under suit coats, one could say Kei has a sense of dressing nicely and presentably. However, at times, it can be noted to be untucked, or partially unbuttoned. Kei usually sports the opposite tie color, in relation with his shirt. Yellow tie on blue shirt, and blue tie on yellow. Though his tie can be black or reddish pink as well. This makes his ties stand out, and shows more prominently his good dressing style.

Over the dress shirts, Kei also has two kinds of jackets. One hooded, one not. The hooded one is dark blue in color and made of a light but durable fabric, denim, extending down when worn almost to Kei's knees. Outlined at the shoulders, around the hood and down the zipper lines with dark gold, make it pleasing to Kei. The zipper seems to made out of metal, plates that lay together and are zipped to connect. He commonly can be seen with it, especially when with the ANBU. His other jacket is white in color, and is collared much like his dress shirts. Outlined with yellow, black and blue lines, it shines in the light. Also pleasing the Kumogakure shinobi, he uses it casually usually to not compromise stealth during missions.

Kei wears darker pants, with many pockets. In the rungs at the top, a belt loops around, however, this is only for show, as it isn't very practical in combat. The belt is an unnecessary accessory for the shinobi. Chains also loop from the pockets, and the belt, which are suspected to be used in Kei's battling style. He seems to sport blue sneakers for footwear, especially efficient and capable for running hard, and hard terrain.

Other accessories of the Kumo ANBU head include his fingerless gloves, blue or black in color. Excellent conductors for lightning as well, the fabric they're made out of. A red ring, solid in nature, is sported on his wrist. Actually a vambrace, unique to Kei, he uses it for forceful strikes, and to focus lightning and electricity. On his ties, he can be seen with clips of metal on them. Though, not often.

Speed
Kei is naturally fast, a sprinter of sorts. He has high speed endurance, and easily considered a quick human, even without lightning assisting him. He can keep pace with most shinobi, and is known as the fastest shinobi in Kumogakure (without chakra enhancement). His speed spreads to his handsigns and jutsu execution, he can do those faster than a normal shinobi. He is also quick to recover from attacks, or blows.

Abilities
Kei is a powerful shinobi, who is strong enough to serve as a bodyguard to the Raikage. A master of lightning, he has come to tame the powers of Hell Stab, and make them his own. Many fear facing him just because he has mastered the Third Raikage's greatest technique, and on top of that, improved it. Also, Kei has great skill in taijutsu as well, along with the other art of genjutsu. He also has powerful reserves of chakra, which assist him in dealing out powerful lightning techniques. Kei's mind also helps him put to together battle solutions, and how to use his chakra efficiently in battle, so he can bring out the many capabilities of his.

Electric Mastery

 * Amperage, Flow, Current:
 * Electromagnetism/Electromagnetic Lightning: Focused current, coiled current.
 * Electromagnetic Aura: Electromagnetic Telekinesis.
 * Pull to the Blazing Field:


 * Resistance:
 * Electromotive Force:
 * Voltage, Power, Intensity:
 * Lightning Cutting:
 * Discharge:
 * Vibration & Frequency:
 * Cutting and Piercing:


 * Charge:
 * Charge Negation and Charge Reversal:


 * Brightness & Sound:
 * Lightning Absorption:
 * Lightning Transformation:
 * Lightning Release Armour:
 * Pseudo Lightning Current Armour:


 * Lightning Release: Hell Stab:
 * Hell Stab Arts:
 * Lightning Release: Hell Drill:
 * Lightning Release: Hell Spear:
 * Lightning Release: Hell Sword:
 * Lightning Release: Hell's Lightning Cutter:


 * Raijin Mode:
 * Thunderbird (雷鳥, Raitori):

Black Lightning

 * Black Lightning Release Armour:
 * Black Lightning Release: Hell Stab:

White Lightning

 * White Lightning Release Armour:
 * White Lightning Current Barrier:


 * White Lightning Release: Hell Stab:

Taijutsu & Durability
Rough, powerful and durable.

Kei doesn't look pretty huge, but he sure packs a mighty punch. His taijutsu style revolves around dominating the opponent, with his honed physical strength. After training in the Cliffs of the Land of Earth for so long, he has peaked his physical ability, using the Strong Fist style of fighting.

A single punch from Kei seems to be able to shatter rock on average, a testament to his strength. His speed and agility are tremendous, able to keep up with most fast paced animals, even cheetahs. This is even more augmented by his Lightning Release Armour, which brings him to a new peak of those things, capable of keeping up with the legendary Fourth Raikage, A, and land his powerful strikes in a flash, a streak of lightning. His kicks seem to be enough to break bones.

Kei is also very durable, capable of taking a direct beating from a person enhanced by the first two Eight Gates, and still continue to fight like usual. He is capable enough to keep up with them at his natural honed speed, and with Lightning Release Armour, even surpass them in speed, and power. Kei is also resistant to pain, refusing to be deterred from say a broken arm. He would continue to fight even then, while most wouldn't. This is also a testament to his stamina in a fight.

Kei combines his taijutsu with Lightning Release Armour, and other lightning jutsu. This allows him to fight in the unique Lightning Release Nin-Taijutsu, where he seamlessly puts together Lightning Techniques like Hell Stab into the battle, along with his own physical ability. He can quickly follow up a punch with a Lightning Release Stream, or a lightning construct. He could integrate his constructs of lightning into meelee combat, such as fashioning a blade of lightning, to fight with during combat.

Kei's timing for taijutsu is precise, and when he works with lightning, he is one and the same with it. Lightning Strikes done by Kei are quickly followed up by blows, like lightning is his partner during a battle. Kei also uses lightning as an extension of himself really, with Lightning Release Armour, Hell Stab, and their manipulations, converting their shape into various constructs he can weave into combat with himself. They can serve a extra reach for a strike, or to stop an opponent if they ever got behind his speed. Kei's taijutsu is electrified with lightning chakra, and is powerful, with or without it.

Kei's powerful body seems to be directly related to his lightning affinity, and his pituitary gland.

Kenjutsu

 * Cloud-Style Electric Beheading:

Sensory

 * Contact Sensing: Electromagnetic Field:

Medical Ninjutsu

 * Mystical Palm Technique:
 * White Lightning: Revival of the Dead:

Trivia

 * Appearance comes from Soma, from the God Eater series.
 * http://www.ndt-ed.org/EducationResources/CommunityCollege/EddyCurrents/Physics/propertiesofelectricity.htm and http://www.electricityforum.com/basic-electricity.html is where I'm getting properties of lightning/electricity from.
 * Thanks to User:LongPatrol35 who helped me with White Lightning's secondary effect.