Hotaru Yanma

"Adversity builds character. After a storm, things will stand on more solid ground than they did before. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof"

- Hotaru Yanma.

 Hotaru Yanma (蜻蜓蛍, Yanma Hotaru) is a mysterious Shinobi, interestingly belonging to a Samurai lineage from his fathers side. Like most of the Samurai's he originally hails from the Land of Iron. However, unusually for a Samurai he migrated from his mother land and shifted to the foreigners lands of Amegakure. Due to his meticulous training with his sword in the way of both Samurai and Shinobi he earned the moniker Eight of Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist (霧の忍刀七人衆の八目, Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū no Yatsume). After joining Amegakure, which was obviously after the Fourth Shinobi World War he at first made his ranks in the Chūnin, soon after that the young man got promoted to the ranks of ANBU. Making him one of the youngest ANBU-level shinobi of Amegakure.

Hotaru's talent was soon discovered by Sanhi Katsuki; the Captain-Commander of Ame's Ground Forces, who seemingly acknowledged the boy's prowess and took him under her wing, that is, recruit him and help him hone his skills. Although, ever since this incident Hotaru has yet to make an appearance, for he was never seen again. However, it can be presumed that he has grown into a wonderful and strong man. Hotaru is also known as The Lazy Sensor (懶惰感知器, Randa kanchiki) from his mastery over Chakra Sensing Technique and because of his laziness.

Appearance
"Incredible dressing sense, natural good looks, a small grin, medium black hair and attractive eyes. Who wouldn't fall for that?"- A girl as she describes Hotaru Hotaru is depicted as a fairly tall individual, standing at 180 cm tall (nearly 5'10"), along side with his gentle and to somewhat girly looks he weights 65 kgs (143.3 lbs) which complements his athletic and gymnastic skills. He has unruly short taupe-brown colored hair, with bangs that reach just below his eyes. Although, he complains a lot about his wavy hair, but it seems that he hates curly and straight hair. With time his hair becomes spiky in the back with bangs that lengthen as the time goes on. He is considered to be very handsome, which is why he was previously popular among girls. Hotaru's eyes are asparagus-green in color. Initially, Hotaru dons a white full sleeved shirt with a navy jacket and black pants with navy sandals. He is hardly seen wearing his Samurai outfit, like every other samurai he has a segmented plate-armour that covers the shouders, chest, upper back, lower sides sides, and thighs. He also wear gauntlets, shin guards, helmets and face masks that are designed to act like respirators, to combat poison regularly used by shinobi, and to communicate using inbuilt radios. Of course he always carries a sword with him. According to one of his friends, if Hotaru was not so lazy, he would be famous just for his looks.

Personality
Hotaru is mostly seen as quiet and calm, yet he is somewhat bi-polar. He is usually seen happily smiling, but can easily get sidetracked due to Takumi's personality clash, and becomes rather dark. He takes things seriously, but knows a joke when he hears one. On few occasions he is shown to have a very aggressive side. If he is pushed too far, he can gain a fiercely angry personality. His angry side is so intense that it frightens Takumi when it makes itself known. He is a big worrywart and often over thinks about situations. He is often seen sleeping anywhere like a chair or on his desk while thinking. He doesn't like to partake in 'unseemly' actions. He is usually punctual and lectures Takumi on how to behave. He has good control over his anger and tries his best to be calm and composed. Hotaru has a very passive, calm and seemingly apathetic attitude. Along with his passive demeanor, Yanma seems to always "conserve energy" and never uses energy unless absolutely necessary; thus he comes off as lazy. As another result of his attitude, Hotaru talks little and seldomly shouts or gets angry, though he does appear to get irritated often, and Hotaru also rarely smiles and never laughed in the series. Yanma is surprisingly wise and clever and as such, he's unbelievably good at solving mysteries and seems to be able to always find a solution if he gives it enough thought. In addition, Hotaru has been shown to enjoy reading manga. He seems to be cordial and socially graceful character towards both his subordinates and his enemies. He holds his power in a very high regard, very brash and, overall, quite carefree. However, he shows great anger and annoyance when someone ruins his fun. Shrouded in mystery, one quickly learns of Hotaru's innate ability to act as if he knows more than what he is letting on. Careful and meticulous, he is like a chess player, always ahead of the game.

He also enjoys chaos, as he stated to himself that he is a harbinger of chaos, and this world to be his playground, though he does not wish to see anyone get killed, claiming that he himself would kill Takumi if he ever tried to kill any of his friends. He apparently 'Loves' a girl named Azami.

He is prone to eccentric moments nestled in between serious moments, making light of a heavy mood and is portrayed as a man with more money than sense, but is very cheap when it comes to spending on others. Hotaru is mostly known for his perky, upbeat nature and his defensive skills which have won him many friends throughout the series. He is always seen with a smile on his face and is rarely ever sad. He is a very patient and enthusiastic person. He is also a ladies man as seen by his behavior towards them.

He is naturally a very lighthearted individual who seemed to take joy in nearly everything that he did, despite his immaturity he could get along very well with people who were older than him and tended to act more maturely whenever he was tasked with a certain level of responsibility. When simply interacting with his friends, Hotaru behaved in a jovial and oftentimes "little brother" role, in which he joked freely about his teammates, and even made fun of them when they made mistakes. He is significantly more mature then during his time as a teen, as he takes his missions far more seriously then before, and now interacts and trusts his team, equal to or more so then he trusted his former mentor. He maintains a mutual respect with his teammates, they normally look to consult or work with him on certain issues, as they look to him as an authority figure, and because he was a founding member, they know they can trust him. This level of respect with his team mates allows them to normally take orders without question, as they can always trust his judgement as their leader.

History
Hotaru is born of Shikane Yanma and Ayumi Yoshida, both of the parents belonging from different villages, Sunagakure and Kumogakure, respectively. Sometime in the past, during a secret mission Shikane was sent to assassinate Ayumi. However, Shikane decided to make a different call, instead of killing Ayumi he fell in love with her. Their love flourished and nurtured for sometime until the couple decided to elope and get married. Those were the dark times, Raikage and Kazekage shared a bitter relationship and hence shinobi's were hired to kill the couple. Before, they were killed, it was revealed that Ayumi had given birth to a son and had left him in the tutelage of one of her Samurai friends named, Takashi. Hotaru grew up to be an excellent samurai both trained and raised by his godfather until one day he eventually discovered about his true lineage and it was not too soon before he discovered his gift passed onto him by his father. Hotaru searched all through his life for new masters who would teach him new.

The story goes back when Naien used to perform at the Shinobi Circus, Hotaru and his Godfather would often watch his acrobatic skills. On Hotaru's 6th birthday, he again visited the circus and met with his idol, Naien. Naien told him that he would dedicate his performance to Hotaru on this particular day but before the circus could start there was an awkward sound followed by screaming. On hearing the scream, Naien, Hotaru and Hotaru's mentor rushed to the scene. All there lied was the dead body of Naien's mentor and the circus's owner. There was a moment of silence before Naien rushed off to punish the killer. Hotaru never truly got to spend any jovial time with his idol. For he never met him, for a year, that is. This is where the fate pulls the strings.

One night, Hotaru's house was attacked by a group of Shinobis'. However, they were quickly defeated and knocked unconscious by a stranger, but Hotaru could identify it was same acrobatics skill as his idol, for it was no one other than Naien. He quickly approached him and asked him to train him, although at first Naien refused but later took him under his wing after he helped him to find an assassin.

Abilities
Hotaru is a highly skilled shinobi, attested to by him being the first of his peers to be promoted to the rank of chūnin. Even while he was still a genin in Part I, Hotaru was among the few shinobi who detected and dispelled a strong genjutsu casted by Sayotsu. In Part II, he was seen being able to summon objects from scrolls to his advantage. Even though it is not his favorite fighting style, Hotaru is capable in the usage of close range combat, such as taijutsu, seen when he attacked Sageru with a punch that came as such a shock to the latter that he could not evade Hotaru's secondary, wind attack. He was always an unremarkable student and an excellent battle adept genius. All of his abilities has continued to evolve as his tale begins to unfold, training under various masters such as Naien and Takumi Uchiha respectively has made him a Shinobi in true sense.

Hotaru has amassed an impressive conglomerate of knowledge & awareness of countless surreptitious interested powers and their near countless tactics regarding assassination techniques, weapons specialty, explosives, espionage, intelligence and infiltration.

Ninjutsu And Chakra Control
He can shape and manipulate matter, ie. anything in the universe that has substance and mass/physical form, so this power grants many, many abilities, reaching from molecules and atoms, right though vehicles, tools, buildings, etc., to even planets and other astronomical features. An unique ability passed on to him by his father. He can cause two separate and distinct items to combine into one new item. He can fuse two different elements to make a new one. Ability can extend to morphing and reshaping existing matter. He is capable of transmuting matter into different forms. He is able to create and absorb matter and energy, shape, and rebuild it into anything of his choosing. He can create, absorb, meld, or replace all forms of matter and energy. He could also mimic the material around him. Shape matter around to create powerful weapons and armor. He can also transform one form of matter into another. Ex: Transform a fork into a shuriken, spoon, etc. However, transmutation of matter does not work on living beings. The last but not the least ability granted by this ninjutsu would be controlling solid or liquid elements in a way that increases his ability to move and/or maneuver either by granting him abilities they otherwise lack or allowing him to ignore normally needed equipment. His form of ninjutsu is unique to himself, not only matter but he can also manipulate, invert and alter molecules and atoms if needed. This easily makes him one of the most difficult opponent. He is also known for his usage of Shadow Clone Technique and reinvention of Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique. His re-discovery and masterful usage of Magnet Release makes him a truly formidable opponent. In addition to this, he can see the weak spots, injured areas and spots by striking where he could potentially kill an enemy, making him a force that most Shinobi's fear.

Hotaru was promoted from the ranks of Chūnin to ANBU directly because of his exceptional chakra control and advance grasp over it's concepts. Even as an academy student he possessed a chakra level of a Chūnin and much more advanced control which made him superior to his teammates. His chakra levels and chakra manipulation skills continue to evolve as he grows. This enables him to sense his enemies and allies from considerable distance, not only he can tell in which direction they are but also pinpoint their exact location. He can create, shape and manipulate Chakra to gain inhuman capabilities by learning to harness, which can be used in cases of extreme combat. He is able to physically manifest all of his strength and unleash it to the fullest extent of its power through shear force of will. He can achieve extraordinary strength, speed, durability, and reflexes. This is mostly for super awareness, blasts of concentrated chakra, nature manipulation, and sometimes invulnerability. He can harden his chakra to such points that wearing his physically manifested chakra can save him from both elemental and physical harm. The sharpness and elasticity of is comparable to that of diamond or beyond.

Nature Transformation
Hotaru initially could only utilize Wind Release ninjutsu. Though in-experienced but masterful ever since the beginning. It took him only a couple of minutes to grasp Asuma's signature technique. And, mastered the technique within a short time span of one hour. Proving himself to be a battle oriented genius. Hotaru also has created an wind enhanced highly augmented form of Flash. He is also able to incorporate his wind chakra in hand to hand combat to increase the force and effect of his blows. He also can enhance his mobility and speed by the use of wind release to a great extent allowing him to move with speed over mach 10. He has an unusual affinity for Wind nature. Wind release, was originally Hotaru's specialty. His mastery over wind release is beyond the limits of what ninjutsu can probably help us to comprehend. He can adjust the characteristics of the air around him and even cause wind to blow around a certain region.

He can create from small and gentle breezes, to loo's, gales, thunderstorms and even hurricanes if he wants. He can also control air molecules if he wishes to since it's in his genes. He can simply cause a persons lung to forcibly exhale out all of it's air and not let air pass inside causing the death of that person. Also, without oxygen the brain cannot function properly stripping his opponents of their thinking, strategical, logical reasoning, creativity and will power. He can cause them to hallucinate various things. He can also increase the air pressure to such point that it can pierce and slice through his opponent(S) flesh and skin. He can easily conduct and channel his wind chakra and has a great ascendancy over it. The most interesting ability of his would be the Razor Wind; a technique which sends a stream of wind which is so sharp and intense that it cuts through anything leaving the victim in pieces. Later after years of training he modifies this technique, the air itself is transformed into multiple mighty yet invisible blades of wind. He is able to use air itself to slice objects, focusing a current of wind, or in some cases sound, to the point where it takes on a sharp edge, which the caster launches at foes. Although this attack does usually slashing damage, to some extent he is able to focus it into single piercing stab like immaterial bullet. While the attack is generally performed by slashing the air, he is also able to perform it in water or stabbing ground and releasing attack through those elements. It can be used to cut through the air to cause a vacuum that possesses incredible sharpness.

Interestingly enough, he can also become one with wind/air, allowing him to dodge multiple attacks at will. The second nature he learnt was the formidable Water Release. Hotaru's water control is much better and versatile than normal users. He can not only manipulate and transform water but also generate and increase the quantity of water. He can create, shape and manipulate water, inorganic compound with liquid, gas (steam, water vapour), and solid (ice) states, including chancing them from one state to other.

He is able to clone himself whilst using the water nature. Spew high pressure stream of water from mouth; a kage level technique. Spy, eavesdrop and track others near water bodies. However, his mastery lies with the very basic and yet great Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique; one of the first water based techniques he learnt. Being able to generate water, he can have multiple water techniques at his disposal. He can also form an aquatic Shield to stop heat, weapons or even Jutsu's. He can solidify water by causing the loose molecules to come together, with the level of solidity going from loose jello to metal-like hardness or beyond. According to him, his most attractive ability would be the ability to call forth huge water waves to crash down at his targets, washing everything away in a powerful torrent. This can not only create a powerful wave of water to wash everything away and use those powerful surges of the crushing waves to crush the opponents, but also he can ride on the waves to quick travel and even extinguish heavy fires quickly. His water release is not only limited to water but also other liquids such as acidified water and even oil. He can manipulate viscosity: the resistance of fluids to a change shape, influencing spraying, injection molding, and surface coating. In everyday terms (and for fluids only), viscosity is "thickness" or "internal friction", thus, water is "thin", having a lower viscosity, while honey is "thick", having a higher viscosity. Put simply, the less viscous the fluid is, the greater its ease of movement (fluidity).

He could make water thicker, making it harder for sea-life to survive or have honey pour out like water by making it thinner.

His third nature was, Lightning Release. His true potential with lightning nature remains unknown. He is capable of using Lightning-Strike-Prison and Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder in addition he can also seal lightning around him. Amazingly, he is also capable of performing Lightning Beast Running Technique. He can create, shape and manipulate electricity, a form of energy resulting from the existence of charged particles (such as electrons or protons) which give him control over electric fields, electric charges, electric currents, electronics, and electromagnetism. His's body is immune to the effects of its electricity and that of other sources as well because of this. He can fly by generating a massive field of electricity which could propel him through the air. He also seemingly gained the power of magnetic control to a certain degree, allowing him to manipulate magnetic fields and move objects in a manner similar to that of experienced Magnet Release users, and could overcome his old weakness to water by using the electromagnetic fields around him to vaporize water before it could touch him. He was able to defeat various people by manipulating the bio-electric currents in the human brain to turn their own powers against him, and do the same to make his enemies beg. Presumably, he further explored the implications of this power, he is been able to control people's entire bodies this way as well, and may have been able to control machines in a similar way. He was also able to painfully paralyze anyone by overcharging their synapses' bio-electrical transmissions. The final element at his disposal would be Magnet Release. His genius re-discovery of Magnet Release, makes him an admirable persona.

Like most basic Magnet-nature users he can use Iron Sand Drizzle and Iron Sand Rain. Aside from that he also got his hands on advanced techniques such as the Magnet Release: Magnet Shuriken. He can produce electromagnetic fields. He can essentially manipulate electromagnetic fields, he also can create force-fields out of electro-magnetic energy, fire strong and compressed beams of electro-magnetic energy and even gain Electromagnetic Vision. His electromagnetism is truly superior to most of his enemies. Also, his way to figure out and decipher such complex jutsu's prove him to be nothing less of a true prodigy.

Taijutsu & Physical Prowess
Hotaru is a master martial artist despite his young age, he is highly trained and honed. In addition to martial arts, he regularly engages in rigorous training, gymnastics, weight lifting, swimming, mountain climbing, over 500 ab crunches, cycling, fencing, yoga and sporty activities to keep his body at its peak. Although he prefers the usage of Neijia, Hotaru is also masterful in external martial arts. Hotaru has displayed a considerable amount of raw strength even when he was 7, being able to punch a deep dent in a wall while sustaining no injury. Hotaru began his training by the time he was 6, Wing Chun was the first of the many martial arts he mastered. Hotaru has displayed a natural affinity for Wing Chun and perhaps he is most versatile with this particular form, when he was 15 he has shown the capability to keep on par with a grand master of martial arts who's techniques mostly centered the legendary Wing Chun and Dragon Style Kung Fu. Let it be balance, structure and stance or relaxation or punches he is highly masterful in every aspect and remains undefeated in this particular martial art. As we might already know that are six Wing Chun forms: three empty hand forms, one "wooden dummy" form, and two weapons forms. He has shown the capability to perform nearly 20 punches within 4 seconds (3.49 seconds precisely) explaining his caliber in the process.

In order to become a true shinobi and Naien's partner, as stated by Naien that he was looking for someone with smarts, not just guts, and Hotaru had that and more. All that was necessary was that Hotaru go through some intensive training before taking to the lands of the nation. This would involve a tour overseas, helping him understand who he was in addition to learning how to be a great fighter. His training started in the Land of Fire, where he learnt great martial arts such as Tai Chi and Krav Maga.

He is one of the most skilled martial artists on the planet. He has also been trained by his master, who is formerly the master in the art of Tai Chi, Eagle Claw(his favorite form), Boxing, Wing Chung, Shotokan Karate, Muay Thai, Capoeira, Iaijutsu, Bak Mei, Krav Maga, and Hapkaido. He has also been trained in Dragon Style Kung Fu, Sanshou and pressure point fighting. Thanks to his friend, he has been trained in Amazon martial arts, but is strictly a novice in that kind of fighting style. Other styles he's shown skill in include Savate, Judo, Aikido, Jujutsu, Wing Chun, and Tae Kwon Do. His martial arts skills combined with enhanced physical prowess have enabled him to defeat various top tier martial artists. Hotaru is an expert in hand-to-hand combat being very skilled in multiple martial arts through his training in military combatives and instruction under various private instructors. He utilizes American Boxing, Judo, Taekkyeon, Aikido, Jujutsu, hand techniques in Ninjutsu, Karate, Muay Thai, Taekwondo, Escrima, Chin Na, Wing Chun, Northern Shaolin kicking methods and Wushu with his gymnastics ability creating a style that suits his strengths and enables him to use his knowledge to the best of his ability. His mastery on the southern Dragon Kung Fu is nearly godly, he's capable of performing moves such as 16 Movements/Holes, Single Sword and Mount, Eagle Claw, Venomous Snake Moves Tongue and all of the existing moves. Hotaru has displayed all types of martial arts techniques from physical combat to chi manipulation. He is considered one of the finest martial artists on Earth. Due to his extensive training as a soldier, a Shinobi, a samurai and a monk his martial art skills surpasses various humans. Tang Soo Do is perhaps is his most preferred style of combat since it involves combining the elements of shotokan karate, subak, taekkyon, and kung fu. He has been known to overhead press 800 lbs, but had also bench-pressed 1,200 lbs and curled 500 lbs. He is cited as having the strength of 35 men and had himself once stated that he has the strength of half a platoon of fighting men (around 35). The average man is capable of lifting his own body weight, around 180lbs, so, Hotaru could be able to lift 35 times that weight. He had been referenced at least thrice as having preternatural strength. According to statistics he should be able pick up at least 6300lbs and as stated by himself he can lift up to 7000 lbs at his peak. He can easily overpower humans by lifting them up with one hand or by hurling them around. He and can also lift extremely heavy objects, crush and break through wood panels and templates, bend metal, and can punch through glass without gaining injury. However, that strength level was noted in past, his current strength level remains unknown. It is also evident that he has currently mastered Monkey Fist and is capable of performing each of its move in a very versatile manner.

He is a very skilled acrobat, he was taught various air maneuvers, gymnastic skills and stunts. He is a gifted and accomplished athlete, with heightened acrobatic prowess. His feats have been so amazing, one could argue that his athletic ability is somewhat superhuman. He knows every pressure point and vulnerable spot on the human body. He can Locate different pressure points around a persons body. He can incapacitate, paralyze, severly injure, or kill a person. He can control his nervous system enabling him to deaden his body to physical pain, control his emotions, and even his bleeding rate. He is an expert in several forms of existing and arcane forms of martial arts, and is also triple-jointed and a skilled acrobat, which he uses to his advantage to move quickly and unexpectedly. Later, he was taught Tai Chi, Leopard Kung fu, Biangan and Kendo by R. Hotaru's reaction time is enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural limits of the human body. Naien helped Hotaru control his powers and taught him valuable fighting techniques with stealth, vanishing, to even life-energy(chi/ki)control and chakra manipulation. Hotaru is well educated in the functioning of the human body as well as martial arts techniques that target pressure points enabling him to paralyze limbs of an individual's body or the entire body altogether. He's disabled eye sight, speech, induced pain, and even has knowledge of pressure points inducing death as mentioned earlier.

Being that Ninjutsu seems to be the martial art that Hotaru seems to have mastered the most, he more than likely possesses at least a grandmastership level rank black belt (at least 11th degree) in Ninjutsu. His skills have proven so exceptional so as to enable him to easily defeat or stalemate some of the greatest fighters across the globe. He is classed superb athlete, gymnast, acrobat, and aerialist due to constant training and exercise since his preteens. His reflexes and agility are equally remarkable and are on par with the finest Shinobi athletes. Hotaru's body is physically tougher and more resistant to some types of injury than the body of a normal human. His body is more resistant to impact forces than anything else. He can withstand great impacts, such as falling from a height of several stories or being struck by an opponent with super strength, that would severely injure or kill a normal human with little to no discomfort. Hotaru's body is durable to the point where tensing his super-strong muscles while being punched in the torso by a trained martial arts expert and taijutsu master who excels in heavyweight boxer caused the attacker's wrists to break; also, Hotaru has stated that he must roll with punches thrown by people without similar strength or durability to avoid breaking their wrists. He exercises regularly with at least 1,300 lbs or more.

Hotaru's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are all enhanced to levels that are far beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete. Hotaru is extraordinarily limber and his tendons and connective tissues are twice as elastic as the average human being's, despite their enhanced strength. He has the combined agility and acrobatic prowess of the most accomplished circus aerialists and acrobats. He can also perform any complicated sequence of gymnastic stunts such as flips, rolls, and springs. He can easily match or top any top tier martial artist, athlete, taijutsu genius at gymnastics apparatus such as flying rings, climbing ropes, horizontal bars, trampolines. Hotaru's body eliminates the excessive build-up of fatigue-producing chemicals in his muscles, granting him exceptional endurance and lung capacity. He can exert himself at peak capacity for an extended time period of six hours and five minutes without any rest and before showing any signs of fatigue. He spent several months dedicated to making himself a better fighter. He also boasts great flexibility and acrobatics, he utilized many flips and evasive air revenuers to battle his enemies. His durability is far beyond normal, he cannot be easily electrocuted or burnt. Even small and sharp weapons cannot cut him, only very sharp objects when used in conjunction with chakra flow and when drawn with a certain force can only manage to cut his skin, such is his durability.

He is able to withstand incredibly cold temperatures without sustaining bodily damage for great periods of time, even to the point of being nude in sub-zero temperatures. Hotaru's natural healing also afforded him the virtual immunity to poisons and most drugs. It was virtually impossible for him to become intoxicated.

Due to his vast threshold for pain and his ability to heal at an amazingly fast rate, this easily makes up for the difference. He has withstood considerable bludgeoning damage in the form of hand to hand combat with metahuman opponents such as Naien and R. He has considerable resistance to weaponries, though this is not absolute; wind ninjutsu can cause minor to moderate injury, but never life threatening. He is constantly renewing himself, allowing him to quickly heal mild to moderate injuries at an amazing rate. His normal regenerative abilities allow him to recover from injury within seconds to minutes. He possesses an incredible immunity from poisons, toxins, as well as disease.

He also has a pronounced assault leap, which few can sense, even those like Kiba who have animal senses. This leap is a combination of his superhuman strength, reflex and agility working in concert, flexing and un-flexing his muscles much harder and quicker than a normal human, similar to a tiger or lion's pounce, however slightly stronger and nible. This allows for a devastatingly powerful and fast leap onto the opponent, which few can recover from.

Bukijutsu
Hotaru is an expert in wielding all types of stick weapons which include staffs, batons, nunchaku, and paired short sticks due to training from Stick. Thanks to his martial arts training, Hotaru is extremely proficient in wielding various different weapons. Since Ninjutsu is the only identified discipline that teaches weapons, it would indicate he is trained in the use of most Japanese-themed melee weaponry. In his child hood, he is seen training hard in traditional Kyūjutsu. He is a skilled unarmed combatant that is capable of using most weapons proficiently. He is a master of many different weapons. Among the known are Okinawan Sai which are his usual weapons of choice (it is presumed she may have trained with all Okinawan Kobudo weapons), katanas, knives, sansetsukon (3-sectional staff), Senbon and (shuriken) throwing stars. Hotaru has been trained to be a master marksmen with his shuriken, hitting his targets and ricocheting them off objects with perfect aim. He's also highly proficient in the use of the bullwhip. And, is once seen wielding a gunbai, although his skills with gunbai remains unknown. Hotaru's bukijutsu skills are very vast and versatile, however, he chooses to focus more on swordsmanship and archery.

Hotaru is also trained in Bōjutsu and has used staff weapons over years and during most of his fights. His techniques involve slashing, swinging, and stabbing with the staff, his techniques also involve using the staff as a vaulting pole or as a prop for hand-to-hand strikes. Although he prefers the usage of Okinawan kobudō but it has been noted that he is equally skillful with Japanese koryū budō. Bōjutsu is basically the extension of one's limbs in a versatile manner. His abilities with the bo-staff gives him an extra edge with his fighting. He has also been considered the most skilled fighter in Kumogakure with his Bō-staff.

Hotaru is perhaps the finest archer ever known. He claims to be able to shoot 39 arrows per minute. He has a wide-variety of customized arrows, ranging from flash bomb arrows to time-bomb arrows to his infamous Lightning-chakra bathed arrow. In recent years he has used these arrows sparingly, preferring the time-tested simple arrow. He has shown the ability to shoot an arrow down the barrel of a chakra gun, pierce a drop of water as it leaves a tap, and shoot almost any part of the human body; although he aims only to wound and not kill when he shoots. He once shot two arrows down two different gun barrels while upside down, in mid-flip while somersaulting off a building. Hotaru has trained himself to become a master archer specializing in the use of regular bows, longbows, compound bows, and crossbows with near-perfect accuracy. He is capable of firing multiple arrows at a single target in a few seconds, hitting multiple targets in a few quick strokes, and directly hit small targets in the greatest of distances. He has been known to hit an apple in the center of it. He practiced a minimum of two hours per day to keep his skills honed.

Hotaru can wield not only decently but very skillfully. He is very proficient with a sword, though it is not his preferred weapon of choice. He has beaten Naien in a sword-fight and has deflected an incoming arrow with the sword he carries.

Fūinjutsu
Hotaru's also very masterful in usage of Fūinjutsu. Throughout his life he has demonstrated a wide usage of sealing techniques. He can essentially seal lightning and fire. He also can release the sealed flames in a particular manner using another seal. He is also capable of using the Evil Sealing Method and Contract Seal. But, the most brilliant usage of his sealing techniques would be the Bloodline Sealing Method and Memory Erasing Seal. Although not much is known about his caliber but it is certain that he's very versatile in using seals.

Intelligence
Hotaru's IQ level is over 250, he is a brilliant, virtually peerless, detective, strategist, scientist, tactician, and commander; he is widely regarded as one of the keenest analytical minds on the planet. Given his lack of control over his contractor powers, he often uses cunning and planning to outwit his foes, rather than simply "out-fighting" them. He is a natural leader and tactician, able to analyze most situations and develop complex and effective plans during combative situations in quick instances. Hotaru is a mathlete honoree, indicating that his mathematical skill is advanced for his age. With an intelligence classed as super-genius, he easily is one of the smartest people on Earth. Furthermore, this extends to his remarkable ingenuity dealing with difficult situations such as difficult foes and deathtraps where he is capable of using his available tools, in unorthodox and effective ways. He is known as a "futurist". He has stated that the way his mind works he can intuit the future, even being able to foreshadow that a situation similar to the Shinobi War was going to happen, years before it did. He is an excellent engineer and mechanic capable of fixing almost, if not all, any machinery. He has a vast knowledge of Shinobi history, law and science.

He has received excellent education in the field of Law, Math, Portion Making, Medical-ninjutsu, Weapon Forging, Geography, Politics, Criminology, World History, Music and English. He has shown astute deductive reasoning. He was rigorously trained in everything from escapology to criminology, fencing, stealth, disguise, and numerous other combat/non-combat disciplines. He has created more than 1,000 master plans to escape any situation and defeat any strong Shinobi through planning and preparation and a detailed understanding of the weaknesses and tactics that an opponent is likely to use against him. He has studied various types of drugs and poisons. He prefers using muscle relaxants although but he can create various forms of poisons and develop antidotes within a few hours. He is often recalled as the most investigative and analytical of all the minds. He is always listening, exploring and scrutinizing.

Hotaru's higher brain functions has always been apparent. His mental performance has been greatly enhanced over the years, allowing his mind to operate in the most efficient and rapid manner possible. One manifestation of this is his tactical genius; the ability to quickly process multiple information streams (e.g., threat assessment) and rapidly respond to changing tactical situations. Hotaru also possesses an eidetic memory, meaning that he never forgets anything and has perfect recall. This enables him to remember any military tactic and apply it to any situation. Academically gifted, Hotaru displays an uncanny affinity for science that is nothing short of genius. Able to utilize 10 times more than a Shinobi's brain capacity for information storing and sorting, his mind is practically a computer built for strategy and problem solving. He can work out any sort of battle or attack ahead of time and predict an enemies movements based on what they have displayed so far, showing that his memory borders on almost total recall. He is also ingenious in devising solutions against superior aspects of an opponent, can observe and exploit, and can calculate distance, time, and speed at lightning-fast speeds. His sense of time is also superb, bordering on perfection. He is also very creative at the same time and is described as an battle oriented genius. His brain is a perfect computer for calculations and rationality. He can even determine which part of the body the opponent going to used based on their muscle movements.

He also possesses a great sense of angles and is profound in trigonometry which allows him to hit his targets far better. His entire nervous system is much more advanced than normal Shinobi's. Hotaru is one of the World's Greatest Escape Artist from it going to a self proclaimed title to a reality. He can escape most bindings in his sleep. In fact he has passed beyond unconscious competence in the realm of metacognition. He is aware of the unconscious proceduresshe's mastered and can modify them in their use with other skills or to use new knowledge. He is marginally better at escapes than most Kages, though it would take another expert to make that determination. Much of her skill is the result of his advanced nervous system. Hotaru has studied the science of traps. In addition to building traps, Hotaru can invent new ones. As a corollary Hotaru is very knowledgeable about security and prisons. He is also a brilliant and experienced strategist with impressive leadership skills, having served as leader to his team, and even being placed in charge of the rescue efforts of R by Naien.

Chi Manipulation & Life Force
Through concentration, he can harness his chi to augment his physical and mental capabilities to nearly god-like levels. Chi Manipulation grants Hotaru with many abilities that he has possibly not yet learned, such as channeling chi into a ranged weapon, such as a gun or bow, to increase its striking capabilities. By summoning his chi and focusing it into his hand, he can draw upon the godly energy derived from within and make his fist inhumanly powerful and super humanly resistant to injury and pain on a very high inhuman level. This technique does not involve a physical transformation of any kind, simply a psychic channeling of concentrated natural energy. With his fist in this state, Hotaru can shatter wood and brick, rip through steel, and punch his opponents with extraordinary concussive force without sustaining injury to himself. He can hit with such vast force that he has knocked out incredibly durable and strong foes such as the likes of Naien and R with his technique at the sometime. The act of summoning and using his chi for the fist technique used to mentally drains him after long periods of use but no more. With this Chi Technique he can create various illusions and make his foes see what they want them to see. Hotaru can use his power to temporarily fuse his consciousness with another person, resulting in a sharing of knowledge, emotions, and memories. Thanks to this, he has learned how to tap into energy fields, most notable the electromagnetic field. His strength is increased to such points that he can outfight at least 100 Kage-level Shinobi's without exhausting himself. His awareness has increased to new levels, due to this. Chi increases his natural endurance and makes him at least 10 times more resilient than he was previously. His strength is increased to such levels that he can destroy buildings at relative ease, his chi enhanced strength allows him to lift a little more than 45000lbs (45020 lbs precisely).

At times, he has absorbed energy directed at himself and channeled it to augment his own power. He can even suck chi out of an opponents jutsu empower himself. Hotaru can create a sort of "Force Field" with his Chi protecting his entire body from damaging blasts, just like his does with his fist while he fights. Hotaru's increase his speed allows him to dodge or catch chakra enhanced shurikens hurled with maximum force. His entire body is oriented to combat, enabling him to adapt to any environment with minimal exposure. If he sustains injury or illness, Hotaru can focus his chi for the purposes of healing his injuries. On the brink of death after a battle with the resurrected Kage's (Hashirama, Tobirama, Mū and 3rd Raikage) accompanied by Deidara and Kakuzu, Hotaru reveals that "the Chi is not a weapon but a force of will which could perform miracles including healing," saving his life. By focusing enough he can even purge his own body of poison, however Hotaru experienced moderate pain in the process. Recently he has proven capable of healing himself almost unconsciously and does not feel drained in the slightest. He is also capable of channeling this energy into other people, allowing them to heal with more efficiency as well. With his naturally high healing rate and chi enhanced one's he can even regenerate lost limbs or any missing organ. Hotaru can focus his chi to such incredible levels that it becomes visible and appears around his fist or legs in the shape of golden-yellow flames. Touching his chi in this form would be dangerous and naive. His chi in this form emits a nearly blinding light, and produces enough heat to melt at least 5 inch of steel. During his battle with a revived Madara Uchiha he demonstrated the usage of this technique. He was able to send Madara's final Susanoo flying away with a single concentrated punch and with three punches he not only completely destroyed his susanoo but also landed a successful hit on Madara destroying his entire left side and it took him much longer time to regenerate after being hit.

Hotaru has truly a very strong life force. However, it is revealed that the source of his life force is not Chi but his indomitable will. Hotaru has a strong Force of Will, completely free of evil and temptation. For years, he has struggled to balance his life as a Shinobi and other duties. He is able to emerge from defeat even stronger. His mental strength is also shown when he successfully wrestles control of many mind controlers. He does have an extreme, almost superhuman "force of will". Hotaru is a very strong-willed person. He is able to overcome most forms of temptation and resist the effects of extreme pain, drugs and toxins to a great extent. Hotaru accepts his own mortality, and refuses to rob any sentient creature of its freedom. Hotaru has shown to have a powerful force of will throughout his life, so much so that he has defied the will of Naien, who is able to manipulate one's will and body and is also able to manifest her own will, on several occasions if he feels the need to do so. He does not back down from any foe, does not give into a fight and is willing to lay down his own life in defense of others. Never giving up and often emerging from defeat even stronger is perhaps what truly he is made of. With his will power and life force combined he can continue fighting whilst sustaining injuries which would kill normal people.

Superior Equilibrium, Hearing & Empathy
Hotaru possesses the ability to achieve a state of perfect equilibrium in any position imaginable. He seems able to adjust his position by instinct, which enables him to balance himself on virtually any object, no matter how small or narrow. After training for years, his sense of equilibrium has further sharpened. It is a common misconception that balance isn't a sense, but Eric's balance centers give him equilibrium on par or above finest Kage's (his equilibrium is much superior to that of Kage's such as Tobirama Senju, without using chakra). Hotaru is able to perfectly balance on any object no matter how small or narrow with little effort even with two fingers. His hearing is superior in a similar manner, allowing him to detect sounds ordinary Shinobi's couldn't hear at a greater distances, enough to hear a teardrop in another room that have thick walls with enough focus. Hi's sense of hearing enables him to detect an acoustic pressure change of one decibel at a pressure level of seven decibels. He can hear a person's heartbeat at a distance of over ten feet, or people whispering on the other side of a standard soundproofed wall. Through practice, he is able to control his hearing acuity, mentally blocking out specific sounds like his own breathing and heartbeat, all ambient sounds to a normal human level of perception, or all sounds but a particular sound he is concentrating upon.

The psionic ability to sense the emotions of others, allowing him to gain insight into their thoughts and intentions, and even experience his own feelings. This also enables him to sense the mental state of others, as he has stated that he would know if someone's mind had been tampered with. Hotaru can absorb the pain of others into his own body in order to induce rapid healing for them, and can heal himself by going into a trance of emotional calm. He can receive precognitive flashes of the future when exposed to extreme emotion. By using her empathy to guide him, he can track others with his soul-self. He can read and mirror the feelings of others without reading apparent symptoms, allowing him to understand introverts or discover one emotion is actually hiding another. He can attack someone in a personal and emotional way since he knows exactly what emotion is flowing through themselves and can use this knowledge to play against them. He knows to read emotional imprints left into environment or objects. He has the ability to sense the emotional state of animals on a basic level such as fear, anger, happiness or pain. He can even communicate with them to make the animal aware of his actions and or his intent.

Quotes
"We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone.Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."

- Hotaru

"A house must be built on solid foundations if it is to last. The same principle applies to man, otherwise he too will sink back into the soft ground and becomes swallowed up by the world of illusion.We cast away priceless time in dreams, born of imagination, fed upon illusion, and put to death by reality. If we choose, we can live in a world of comforting illusion."

- Hotaru speaking to his master

Trivia

 * Hotaru's hobby is falconry and watching shinobi fight.
 * He wishes to fight Raido X, Sannoto Senju and Muzai.
 * His favorite food are junk food like chips, cold drinks and pizza's his least favorites are anything bitter.
 * Hotaru's theme song is [], his battle theme song is [].
 * Hotaru has completed 1,002 official missions in total: 100 D-rank, 250 C-rank, 500 7 B-rank, 50 A-rank, 102 S-rank.