Chōchin

Chōchin (提灯, lit; Paper lantern) is an archaeologist and historian who travels the width and breadth of the world, uncovering its ancient secrets. With a distinct fascination for paper lanterns, she carries many of them wherever she goes, acting as a beacon for those who have lost their way off the beaten path. Having scoured the world for years, she knows her way back to any form of civilization thanks to mapping out the unknown regions of the ninja world. As such, people consider her the sun shining in the darkness. She's an inspiration for many who follow her ideologies of peace through knowledge. She teaches people what the past can offer for their future, and how past mistakes can lead to the start of new beginnings. Wiser beginnings.

Background
Long ago, Chōchin was once known as Amaterasōmi Ōtsutsuki, and was tasked with guarding the moon from threats both within its boundaries and outside. She was descended from Hamura, and kept a vigilant stand against the threats that plagued the moon. But she would eventually be betrayed by those who she had once trusted completely. Those who wished to take the fight to Earth found themselves standing against Amaterasōmi, who attempted to hold them back. They overpowered her, and she was forcefully sent towards the Earth, crash landing upon the planet with immense force. They believed the force of the impact would kill her, had the reentry not finished the job first. Unbeknownst to them, she survived, but not without a cost. The impact caused her to lose her memories, and the impact destroyed her horns.

One of the first things she saw when she regained consciousness was a paper lantern. She was so fascinated by its design that it drew her attention. She took the lantern, and even without the candle within, it remained lit. Taking inspiration from this little lantern, she took on the name of Chōchin. Since then, she has gathered many paper lanterns and just as many banners. They adorn her attire and follow her like a beacon. She uses this light to delve into one of her greatest hobbies; archaeology. The dedicated studies of the past, learning of what they did right and wrong, and where it led them. She would travel the width and breadth of the world itself, uncovering ancient secrets and lands no one even knew existed. Chōchin studied them all obsessively, writing down every minute detail she found, and how sudden shifts in climate and culture led to equal changes in a society's standing.

She saw how civilizations disappeared in the blink of an eye by the sudden absence of people who were once standing where she stood. She tied this sudden end to many cultures to a single point, when a massive asteroid struck the planet twelve thousand years ago. It had wiped out thirty percent of the word's population at the time, and left the planet with a change in climate that transitioned it from cold to temperate. This shift in temperatures led to new cultural changes that Chōchin continued to find. She learned of a golden age that occurred ten thousand years ago, when people used materials gathered from the massive asteroid to create new forms of architecture. The buildings stood strong against any threats, and allowed the people safety from the dangers outside of their villages. The villages eventually turned into cities, and technological innovations bloomed.

But all of that came to an end, from a point Chōchin called The Great Schism. A single being, one cursed with immortality, wiped out the world's greatest defenders and disappeared without a trace. Without a strong enough force to protect them, the barbaric forces who lived outside the city walls tore down the cities of the world, wiping out two thousand years of technological innovation and throwing them back into a stone age. This was the beginning of the period that would wind up to the innovations of today. She found the exact moment the Ōtsutsuki landed on earth a thousand years ago, when she found influences of Ōtsutsuki architecture within an ancient country known as the Land of Ancestors. She found the roots where the Shinju first stood, still dormant. Outside of these discoveries, she also found an ancient pyramid far to the north of. She theorized that due to its smooth architecture compared to the layered architecture of traditional pyramids, that it was designed as a prison, one that could not be easily escaped from.

She also discovered an ancient riverbed that was home to an incredibly powerful spirit, one that could sense the intentions in her heart. It found her desires pure, and allowed her to cross. From there, she discovered an ancient grove that was untouched by even the innovations of the golden age. Within the grove was a chest. As she placed her hand upon the chest, she felt a surge of memories rush through her. She discovered her past, who she once was before her exile to Earth. She learned of her origins, but chose to lock these memories away. As she stepped away from the chest, she had no recollections of what happened after touching the chest, only remembering stepping into the grove. Her travels would eventually lead her to the Land of Lightning, where she delved deep into its history, learning of its origins. She learned of two villages, Hotarugakure and Higakure, and how the two waged decades of civil war upon each other. But eventually, the villages united into one, becoming Kumogakure.

There are so many secrets left for her to delve into in the world, and she does so with great glee, writing everything down with obsessive detail. If anything stuck out to her, she jotted it down. She has become something of a Sherpa of the unknown. Those who lost their way during their travels always look for Chōchin's lanterns, for she will guide them back to civilization. She became an inspiration for her discoveries, and was awarded numerous honors from all of the Great Nations thanks to her monumental discoveries. They continue to watch her adventures with great interest.

Appearance
Everything about Chōchin sticks out from a bystander's perspective. She's almost like a walking paper lantern in the eyes of everyone who observes her. With lustrous white hair in length to just below her shoulder, it moves like snow drifting in the wind. Her ice blue eyes observe the deepest secrets the world has around her, as she looks towards the world with an open mind. She wears a black and white yukata adorned with golden inlays, sewn in by a clothesmaker from Kumogakure. She is surrounded by at least sixty small, red paper lanterns and eight banners, while commonly carrying a parasol and a larger paper lantern on a black rod. She wears black okobo with white socks.

Personality
Chōchin is an incredibly positive individual, always exuding confidence in both herself and the people around her. She's outgoing, always happy, especially when she discovers something she hadn't seen before. She is easily excitable when it comes to ancient discoveries and has an almost infectious joy in her smile when she sees such environments. She is often absentminded, getting lost in thought as she delves deep into the history of the distant past and can often find herself monologuing about what she's studying.