Kawazu

Kawazu (川図, Kawazu; Literally meaning "River Drawing") is a prodigy in the art of and  who hailed from  prior to his defection as a consequence of the political situation of the country, where slave-labour is on an all-time high in order to recuperate from the losses of the. Kawazu is an eccentric young man, whose current occupation as a has also caused him to be labelled as a, therefore escaping all conventional  forces quite seamlessly. At some point in time, he made a contract with, and has since then been rather quiet in his appearances, performing missions that won't attract an enormous amount of attention to himself; he achieves this through remaining in the lands outside of the jurisdiction of the , such as , , and on some occasions,.

Background
Kawazu was born nineteen years ago to a pair of Chūnin-ranked Shinobi from Takigakure, following the Fourth Shinobi World War. They were part of the recuperation effort and, therefore, were forced to leave Kawazu in a daycare-esque facility while his parents slaved their days away as a means to re-establish and prosper the economic, military and political structure of the village. During this time, Kawazu decided to interact with other infants and children of his age. Eventually, he took a fascination to frogs after seeing one leap around the small room that he was in. In an attempt to emulate the frog's actions, Kawazu eventually bumped into a young girl known as Tarumi (垂水, Tarumi), eventually making his first, proper friend. As his childhood years continued, Kawazu and Tarumi interacted quite frequently with one another, forming a strong bond; they also nurtured their innate potential for the Shinobi arts, and eventually went to Takigakure's Academy at the age of ten.

During his years at the Academy, Kawazu and Tarumi were both considered to be prodigies in their own respective manners. Kawazu was academically inclined, and appeared to understand the fundamentals with great ease: eventually, he would be admitted into a special practical course alongside Tarumi in order to train them in their preferred arts. While Kawazu chose Genjutsu, Tarumi had chosen Taijutsu as her main form of combat training; and therefore, they stayed in separate training rooms, taking the different paths that they had both chosen in order to reach the same goal -- peace within Takigakure. This training lasted until they were sixteen. During this time, Kawazu and Tarumi had hardly met one another; and therefore, their growth spurt caused them to nearly be incapable of recognizing one another, until Tarumi had seen the hat on Kawazu's head. Almost immediately, she had recognized him, much to Kawazu's delight. Ever since then, they had worked as partners, in an attempt to assist the village in flourishing once again.

However, Kawazu and Tarumi were both heavily disappointed. The upper-class of the village were slaving away at the lower-class and the Shinobi in order to gain their own monetary profits, while leaving the village in the dust. They did this successfully due to the implementation of chemically modified Hero Water from original samples. Therefore, many individuals were slowly killed off as a result of this treatment; this lead Kawazu to begin practicing Medicine as a means to help those who weren't able to help themselves. Yet even his time: specifically, Harumi's time, arrived. She was strained enough by the workload that, even as a Taijutsu specialist, she was left on the brink of death through consumption of the Hero Water. Though he attempted to utilize Medical skills on her, it was virtually useless. Eventually, he tried utilizing the, but it backfired considerably as his own flooded into her, causing her to see phantoms that magnified her injuries, eventually causing her own death. Surged with guilt and contempt for the village, Kawazu, on the pretence of a mission, succeeded in becoming for a significant period of time.

During this time, Kawazu appeared to have encountered a toad by the name of, who, upon noticing the potential within Kawazu, took him to. Upon reaching, Kawazu was inspected by the, was given the toads from the area whenever he wished. At this point, he was classified as a after killing a patrol of Takigakure Shinobi through a violent combination of Genjutsu and cloning techniques. Ever since then, in order to earn a steady income for himself, he became a for a variety of villages. While he initially took high-profile jobs, he eventually lowered his standards in order to evade capture from Shinobi of his own village, therefore becoming an anonymous Shinobi among many. Though, he is currently the self-proclaimed Black Toad Illusionist (黒蝦蟇の幻術者, Kokugama no Genjutsushi).

Appearance
Kawazu's an oddball in every sense of the word. From his general mannerisms, his sense of fashion, all the way to how he presents himself in an ordinary situation. He is generally misconstrued as an extremist in some sort of frog-based religion, due to the nature of his behavior and appearance, something which he reprimands others by using his own blank verbal insults to demean their own appearance. While this might bring him off as conscious of his own presence, it appears to be simply because he gains amusement off the teasing of other people.

Kawazu's most distinctive trait is the abnormally large frog-hat that he appears to wear on all occasions. Regardless of the formality or informality of a specific scenario, he disregards the social norms and constantly wears this single hat. It is large, circular, and has featured that can be seen in a black, animated frog: large blue eyes above its 'nose', where there appears to be an opening where he can slot his head into. This hat appears to be more than a simple hat, as even powerful attacks are incapable of extinguishing it. Therefore, some have theorized that it is, in fact, an extremely elaborate illusion on Kawazu's part -- nobody knows. Otherwise, Kawazu appears to retain numerous, other, distinct facial features. He has sea foam-green eyes that appear to possess no distinct pupils, in a similar manner to that of the Hyūga Clan. Underneath his eyes, protruding to the left and right corners respectively, are a tear-like makeup mark; its significance is not known. Furthermore, his hair compliments his eyes with its dull sea foam color. While its full appearance is not seen, it appears to be shoulder-length, and has a fringe that stays in the middle of both of his eyes, nearly reaching his nose. In terms of physical build, Kawazu is very lean; almost skeletal. Due to his nature as an illusionist, it is to be expected that he does not enter martial combat very easily, though this is a deception to his prowess within speed-enhancement and overall durability.

Kawazu's general attire appears to be consistent of a black trenchcoat with cream across his sleeves, and just above his waist; at the edges of his abdominal area. Two rows of buttons are on the trenchcoat; it also has a red shield insignia near his left pectoral, as well as a fur-lined hoodie. Underneath this, he wears a simple blue tank-top, and a pair of similarly designed pants and shoes. Kawazu states that he wore this attire after insistence from a "certain someone" from his past, prior to leaving Takigakure.

Abilities
A child prodigy of, the likes of which have never been seen before, Kawazu is a highly adept whose prowess and knowledge within the various ninja arts would likely allow him to be promoted into a  if he hadn't defected from his village. His overall capacity to retain knowledge and his efficiency in the use of such knowledge evidently play a big role in his development as a Shinobi, along with his devotion to master his skills. Kawazu, in particular, demonstrates an innate level of proficiency within Genjutsu and Fūinjutsu, two arts which he has specialized in as a means to enhance his overall capabilities within combat. Outside of this, Kawazu holds some skill within standard Shinobi techniques, and appears to be well-rounded enough to hold his own against even with some level of difficulty.

Also, Kawazu's physical prowess appears to be substantial enough to use the to move at rather high speeds, forgoing the need of speed-boosts through techniques that. In addition, Kawazu holds a notable amount of durability, for he can effortlessly shrug off stabbing wounds and continue to battle or escape as he was before the injury happened. He later reveals that he has cast a personal combination of Genjutsu and Fūinjutsu in order to avoid the sensation of pain; only after releasing it can he tend to the wound properly.

Ninjutsu
Kawazu, while not specializing in Ninjutsu, demonstrates a remarkable knowledge in the various ways which Ninjutsu can be employed within battle. His research has allowed him to determine a variety of counters to potential assaults, and he can make assumptions based on knowledge gained from his tenure as a Mercenary so far. Overall, his avenue for growth is narrow, but quite far due to Kawazu's.

Summoning Technique
Kawazu, as stated before, holds the ability to  for a variety of purposes: battle, espionage and knowledge acquirement are but a few of these purposes. While not well-versed in numerous techniques regarding the toad summoning, he has demonstrated the ability to, as well as in order to assist in empowering his Genjutsu capabilities. While he rarely utilizes them for battle strictly, his signature summon holds the capability to utilize powerful and gripping, while utilizing his own tantō, or allowing Kawazu, to finish off the enemy in a single, well-placed blow.

Kenjutsu
While not a master of the art, due to learning how to wield a at a younger age, Kawazu is proficient in the use of Kenjutsu. He is capable of swift strikes which hold notable power, and can keep up with masterful practitioners through simply timing his attacks correctly, adding in his own Genjutsu in order to break their will with very little difficulty. His proficiency is demonstrated by his capability of mixing in skilful swordplay with his in order to create a deceptive fighting style that can quickly overwhelm an opponent through the use of feints and mirages alone.

Bunshinjutsu
Another bunch of tricks that Kawazu developed his skills in during his later years in Takigakure, and later expanding on them after becoming a Missing-nin. The Black Frog Illusionist demonstrates notable prowess within Bunshinjutsu, utilizing it cleverly along with his illusions to create a variety of deceptions in his opponent's mind. In particular, he utilizes the to great effect: when combined with his potency in illusions, he can utilize clones that, while not possessing any actual mass whatsoever. As a deception, this has the capability to disorient his enemy quickly and effectively, easily submerging them in powerful hypnotic techniques which would result in their death.