Rokugama Ayakashi

 "Joy fades, wealth fades, friends leave and family dies, but legacy lives on. Your legacy determines what you were, so make what you were, what you are, what you wish to be."

- Rokugama Ayakashi

Rokugama Ayakashi (上昇化野, Ayakashi Rokugama; literally "Risen From the Graveyard"), was the adopted son of the Sixth Hokage, who was found as a child next to his brother, who died shortly after bringing him to Konoha, and remembered nothing of his early life. He was taken in by the Sixth Hokage, Jūjika Kushizashi, and later became his student. He is currently a Jonin of Konohagakure, and a skilled ninja, specializing in Rashomon and related techniques. He is the main character of User:Thepantheon.

Due to his proficiency with Rashomon, he is known by two names signifying his advanced skills with the technique. The first, used by those who fear his wrath, is Rashomon no Tenshi (羅生門天使, literally Angel of the Rashomon), and the second, used by his allies and friends within Konoha who respect his power, is Tenmon (天門, literally The Gates of Heaven).

Appearance


Rokugama's look is that of a man still in his youth, and with the weathered appearance of one much older than he. His hair is red and swept back, and it spikes up or to the side slightly in some areas, but falls back to his head whenever he moves swiftly. His eyes are dark blue, almost black, and can shine or darken depending on the light. He has a hunting look to his face, with a hooked, handsome nose, and a harrowing look. His scars make him sometimes appear somewhat elderly, but at others hint at his incredible inner force, the destructive determination and peak of athleticism which he embodies.

Rokugama's physical build is the hallmark of one near his athletic pinnacle. He stands tall, with a well-muscled yet not grotesque chest, and powerful lines showing in his limbs. His arms have considerable length, but do not go so far as to be gangly. He bears marks from battle all over his body, with the most noticeable being a scar that starts as but a mere line on his chest, and becomes a piercing scar across his upper arm. All of this is the result of his years of strenuous training, and arduous battles, which allow him to be at the top of his abilities.

Personality
Unlike some of his fellow ninja, and utterly opposite to those who hunger for blood, Rokugama is not overtly aggressive or insidious. He shows extreme disdain for those who cannot control themselves, or use violence their minds and panacea, never utilizing any skills beyond that, or indeed any aspect of themselves. He considers these people the ultimate failure on the part of evolution, and the abysmal flaw in the argument of human supremacy over animals. He also seems rather easygoing, although more out of confidence than lightheartedness, always secretly on his guard, and does not bother with unneeded composure, enjoying himself when he can. He has been shown to constantly be game for nearly anything, and commonly engages in somewhat risky activities, saying he gets a kick out of it.

Despite this, he is, at the same time, a ferocious and ingenious opponent, as shown when he easily destroys several enemies when told to deal with them by his leader. He often duels other elite ninja, at full explosive force, in order to keep his abilities sharpened. However, he is still somewhat lacking concentration when fighting those who are obviously no threat, or whom he believes to not be a real issue to begin with. It is only when he is actually confronted with an enemy of serious power, even if it is not completely at his level, or when he is convinced by others that his mission has importance or urgency, that he truly unleashes his full, unrivaled potential.

Rokugama, when approached by someone with whom he has no other relation, such as accomplice or enemy, is more open, acting easygoing yet at the same time displaying a devil-may-care attitude, being almost impossible to control when his mind is set to something, with a determined ferocity and implacable devilishness that cannot be put aside. He is rather like a punk, with utmost confidence in himself, but always the perfect control of the situation and overall maturity that allows him to continually better himself, and remain at the top of the food chain. He is somewhat cocky, but is rarely overconfident, enjoying himself in a daring way, but without the foolish risk that most others with such an attitude take, never stretching beyond his abilities, and always able to come out on top.

When not in a combat situation, Rokugama is easily amused, and always ready for a laugh. He enjoys practical jokes and retelling stories, and is sometimes told off by his friends for laughing longer than anyone else at the simplest things. When camped out with comrades on a mission, if the situation is not dire, Rokugama will often begin an exchange of stories with his fellow ninja, mostly humorous ones, and sometimes imagines funny scenarios involving people that he knows, purely for amusement. He is very close with his friends, and will protect with his life anyone who shows him kindness when he needs it, feeling misery just imagining them in pain. If his friendship and trust is gained, it is nearly impossible to lose, and he will believe in an accused friend against all odds, until he is proven undeniably of their guilt.

Background
Rokugama's birthplace is unknown, for he was found gravely wounded close to Konoha, next to his dead brother, who had carried him there, and remembered only his name. Following this, he was taken in by the Sixth Hokage, Jūjika Kushizashi, as his adoptive son, but due to Rokugama’s own desire to be independent, he stayed with him for only a few years before living by himself, though he still treated Jūjika as his father. When he was nearly eight, he enrolled into the academy, having been judged by doctors and the Hokage physically and psychologically recovered. He trained in the academy for several years, doing poorly at the beginning, at first due to his conviction in pacifism, and later due to his inexperience, but became skilled over his time in the academy, and managed to graduate as the last person in the top half of the class. Following this, rather than being incorporated into a normal ninja team of three, he was trained personally by the Hokage, as his protege.

As a genin, Rokugama was an average ninja for his age, advancing in his skills but not learning much ninjutsu, and having no affinity for creating genjutsu. Besides the basic academy techniques, he only learned one technique early on, the Redirection Technique, which allowed him to block many of the opponent's attacks, even high level ones. He was especially skilled at quickly moving to an enemy's position and striking, then getting out of range. Despite his lack of techniques, when the Chunin Exams arrived, Jūjika submitted Rokugama to the exams, confident in him. In the first written exam, Rokugama managed to cheat by using the Redirection Technique to created a sheet of chakra on top of an opponent's sheet of paper, and then copy the writing from the chakra. Before the second exam, there was an overnight break, because the written exam had gone over time and the proctor for the second was in bed, and during this time, Rokugama expressed fears that without more ninjutsu, he would be unable to match up in the second exam. Jūjika, hoping to stop this from happening, went through the jutsu lists of the Hokage, and discovered the Summoning:Rashomon technique hidden away in it. Realizing that this could be the perfect defensive technique for Josho, as it would disguise his movements, he spent the night teaching Rokugama the hand seals and proper chakra control to summon the gate. The next day, in the Forest of Death, Rokugama managed to easily ward off an incompetent first attacker and took his scroll, but fell into the territory of a vicious giant panther. As the beast proved easily able to shrug off bodily attacks and shuriken, it charged at Josho, preparing to maul him. However, he summoned the Rashomon Gate for the first time in battle, and it proved enough to not only stop the charge of the panther, but also to knock it out, so ferocious had been its assault. Following this, he made his way to the tower, with little trouble avoiding or defeating the other beasts he came across, and passed the second exam with flying colors. During the third and final exam, he won two battles using his Rashomon and taijutsu skills, but lost the third to a ninja from Kumogakure. Despite this, he was still passed by the Council, and became a Chunin.

After the Chunin Exam, he plead a leave of absence from missions and ninja duties, and, after it was granted, left the village for the secret training grounds of the Sixth Hokage, which had been revealed to him by his adoptive father. This proved to be a forested area with many ravines, in particularly a small "island" within a great chasm, with a clearing amidst trees at the center, where he could train in secrecy. Here, Rokugama trained in not only his physical skills, which improved much during this time, but also his ninjutsu, fearing that he would not be able to combat other ninja with only defensive jutsu. Wishing to remain focused on his Rashomon summoning, however, he first developed his techniques with it further, mastering the Summoning: Triple Rashomon to the point where he could summon two Rashomon across from each other, and a third laid across the other two, to defend from attacks from above. However, he still had little offensive power, having to rely on his speed to attack the opponent. Therefore, he experimented with the Rashomon, and realized that its main weakness was that it was an immobile summons, not a technique that relied on himself, and so was less adaptable. Realizing that the best way to make it mobile was to seal it, he spent several weeks developing and perfecting a new technique, the Seal of Rashomon, and later the Gargoyle Technique and Demonic Firecracker. The Seal allowed him to place the Rashomon on his body, for easier summoning, and the Gargoyle Technique allowed him to form armor out of it, while the Demonic Firecracker gave him offensive capabilities. Satisfied with the results of his two month long training, Rokugama returned to Konoha to resume his missions as a ninja.

After his offensive abilities further increased with the discovery and expansion of Rashomon: Swallow, Rokugama was brought before the Hokage for promotion to Jonin. In spite of the traditional simple appointment to the rank, Jūjika chose to test his adoptive son, and sent Rokugama on a unique ceremonial mission, with a team of one chunin and another jonin under his command, to defeat and bring them the headband of a "rogue ninja", really another Konohagakure jonin, who was currently in the Land of Swamps. After arriving there, Rokugama sent the Chunin to scout for any inhabitants or suspicious ninja, to discover information on the enemy's location, while he and the other jonin set up their camp. After a while, Rokugama commented on the fact that the Chunin had been gone a while and might have been captured by the enemy, while the other Jonin was gathering wood for a fire. An instant later, the Jonin rushed back, chased by a Giant Snake-Tailed Chameleon, ridden by the very shinobi they were assigned to defeat. Four other chameleons emerged from the forest and attacked, and Rokugama ordered the other Jonin to deal with them, while he himself managed to knock out the enemy with a Rashomon: Breath attack. Returning to Konoha with the headband, the "missing-nin" confirmed that they captured him, and Jūjika promoted Rokugama to Jonin.

Synopsis
Recently, Rokugama set out on a lone journey, heading towards the site of his home village, in order to pay his respects, and, hopefully, find some clues as to his heritage. Upon his arrival there, finding little but rubble left, he calls out his name, in the hopes of finding any still living nearby, but is disappointed. Just as he is turning to leave, however, he hears shuffling behind him, and whirls to find, emerged from beneath the ruins of the village archway, a married pair of elderly yet fit ninja, with a ninja slightly younger than himself in between them. When he questions as to whether they are of the Ayakashi Clan, the elderly man answers that they were, but no more, and the elderly woman adds that any of the family have died, and any with the name have renounced it. Interrupting, the young girl, more hotheaded then her elders, declares that Rokugama is not worthy to speak the name, and that to dare pretend to be an Ayakashi is his death, charging him. Barely evading the ferocious attack, Rokugama attempts to prove his honesty, but the girl refuses to believe him, stating that he has no way of proving it, and slashes his arm. Angered, Rokugama flares his chakra, and when she halts for a moment, he flickers to her back, and runs her through with her own sword. Shocked she falls to the ground, and as the elder two make as if to attack Josho, Rokugama thinks to himself that he noticed something about their chakra, and then extends both of his hands and clenches them. Suddenly, both of the elders go rigid, their minds struggling against their bodies as they are halted from movement, unable to control themselves. As Rokugama smiles in relief, their eyes grow wide, and then, released, they break into smiles and bow to Rokugama in unison.

In a den underneath the ruins of the village, while the elderly woman tends to the wounded girl with medical ninjutsu, the man warmly greets Josho, mentioning that he never thought to see an Ayakashi again, presuming that they, along with the entire village, had been destroyed eleven years ago, when the slaughter had occurred. When Rokugama asks how they survived, the man explains that they are the Guardians, two Ayakashi who give up their clan title and tradition to become high-level shinobi or kunoichi. In their younger days, he and his wife were powerful ninja, but later they retired and returned to the village, as per custom, to select their successors and train them before death. They were only able to find one, however, before the slaughter occurred, which they were unable to stop due to its speed. He continues, saying that they were implanted with seals that allow the chakra of Ayakashi clan members to control them, as Rokugama had done before. When Rokugama questions further, asking why they remained there long after the village's demise, the man responds that it was because they hoped beyond hope for the day when a surviving Ayakashi could return and they could pass on their knowledge of the clan's ancient techniques. Astounded, Rokugama is incredulous that a pacifist clan would have secret techniques, even amongst its few ninja. The man laughs heartily, and tells Rokugama that the techniques were passed down from ancient times, and that the three of them are the last ones with knowledge of them. At that moment, the woman finishes healing the girl, and the two elders state that they should go outside, as it is time to train Rokugama in the clan's jutsu.

On a small plain outside of the town, the two elders stand facing Josho, and the man states that the elderly woman may have the honors. Nodding, the woman leaps into the air from a standing position, flying over the field to descend directly in front of Josho, and strikes him many times in rapid succession, all about his body, before landing on the ground. Shocked, Rokugama cries out, before stopping and musing over the fact that though it feels odd, he has no pain. An instant later, however, he jumps once again, and begins wincing, although he says that it is more uncomfortable than painful. The woman nods, and the man states that they have just begun to separate his tenketsu by a special method, while usually they would require training and a Hyuga to accomplish it. Noting that Rokugama seemed to have great chakra control before, the man informs Rokugama of precisely how to manipulate his chakra, and when Rokugama follows the instructions, he at first feels weak, but then odd and powerful. The man smiles, and states that this is the beginning of the Jotunn Technique.

Nigh on two weeks later, in the same field, the old man pronounces that Rokugama has mastered the Jotunn Mode and its techniques, and that the last one which remained, he had practiced enough to continue on his own. Josho, in thanks, bows low to the ground, and when he rises again, the two are gone. Realizing they do not wish to be seen, he turns, and heads back towards Konoha without a word.

Nine Tails Emergence Arc
Before he made an actual appearance in the story, Rokugama was first mentioned in Battle for the Title - Koga vs. Jūjika!, when Jūjika was shocked that Koga, the same age as Josho, was so much more powerful than even his own student.

Powers & Abilities
A very skilled ninja, Rokugama is said to be the only follower of the Way of Nature ever to become a shinobi. He was described as a "very skilled ninja" by Jūjika Kushizashi himself. He has also been noted to have been born with particularly powerful chakra, as shown by its occasionally forming new jutsu and variants without his conscious will. Rokugama also shows that he has access to have knowledge and intelligence; just from seeing his opponents using a technique, he can determine from their style and reaction what they are like and will likely do next, as well as their most probable village and clan. Drawing from his unique abilities and self-training, he is able to fight several high-level opponents while overall controlling the flow of the battle. He is also noted to be a genius in evaluating and expanding the potential of a jutsu, as shown by his expansion of the Rashomon into many techniques. Rokugama has shown to rely mostly on armed melee abilities, though he can use his hand to hand skills quite proficiently when it is appropriate.

Despite lacking any kekkei genkai or presence of a Tailed Beast, Rokugama still has immense strength to draw upon, and skillful control over it, as shown by the fact that he can break genjutsu with ease, simply by flexing his own chakra back into normal flow. Even the high-level genjutsu Demonic Illusion: Toad Confrontation Singing, which he could not so easily break out of, Rokugama was able to defeat by warping the genjutsu world himself, summoning Triple Rashomon to block off three of the four toads in the illusion, greatly reducing its strength to the point where he could break out of it. He has said that, should he ever be unable to escape a genjutsu, he has trained himself to be able to fight while trapped in it, a formidable feat. His weakness with genjutsu, however, is that he lacks not only any techniques, but also the skill to sense it easily, meaning that he must be made aware of it before he may nullify it.

Rokugama is also a highly adaptable ninja, due not only to his jutsu, but also in his way of thinking. When his attack triggers a massive explosion, he fluidly switches from offense to defense with his Rashomon. He has demonstrated the ability to take advantage of the slightest openings, and to immediately reformulate his plan, should an issue arise. It is also seen that he can create a strategy for nearly any type of attack or technique, a highly advantageous skill.

Rashomon
The signature jutsu of Josho, and the cornerstone for many of his other techniques, is the Rashomon Gate. Originally developed by Orochimaru as a basic defensive technique, Konoha learned of its basis through interrogation of captured minions of Orochimaru, and it was recorded in the jutsu lists of the Hokage. After having it tought to him by Jūjika, his teacher, as his first non-basic technique, Rokugama became obsessed with it, inventing many variants and training with it until it became his primary jutsu. When using these techniques, Rokugama is highly formidable, to the point where has been called the Rashomon Angel.

As the basis for his jutsu, Rashomon has, of course, been developed by Rokugama into many other techniques, including a seal which allows him to summon it on his body, and different forms that it takes, allowing it to function not only as an immobile defensive technique, but also for offense, as armor, and even ranged attacks. Despite at first appearing very one-sided and inflexible as a technique, Rokugama has twisted it into a powerful multiple-purpose jutsu, with many different applications.

Huginn & Muninn
Huginn & Muninn are two more interesting applications of the Rashomon. Rather than use the physical form and power of the Rashomon, as is the case with other such techniques, these use the unique properties of the material contained within the gate, and manipulate this material for techniques. These two are considered to be pure shape and nature manipulation, at its highest level. Huginn is referred to by Rokugama as the paramount technique of Shape manipulation, while Muninn is said to be the equivalent pinnacle of Nature manipulation.

Huginn allows the user to warp and control the form of anything they come across, while retaining its material and make, and Muninn transforms the exact opposite, retaining the shape and form, while transmuting the material and its qualities to that of something else. Muninn may also be used on chakra, to change its qualities and nature, allowing for unique jutsu usage, and even for copying unique natures, though it takes much energy.

Jotunn Technique
Following his journey back to his destroyed home village, and tutelage under the elders of his clan, Rokugama has learned of the ancient secret jutsu of his clan, passed down by the Guardians, who did not follow the Way of Nature, since times untold. These techniques are the Jotunn Technique, also called the Jotunn Mode, and its arts, which rely on the usage of that mode. The Jotunn Mode is achieved by chakral independence, a term which refers to the state when all three hundred and sixty tenketsu on the body, instead of working together to produce chakra for the body and cycling it amongst themselves, function independently and supply their own chakra. This changes the body's form while the technique is active, but allows for far greater levels of chakra, due to each being stimulated to produce vastly higher levels, and allows for the usage of the Jotunn Arts, special techniques that may only be used while in this mode.

The techniques Rokugama learned to use in this mode are soul-affecting jutsu, one of freezing ice, affiliated with the dead, one of burning flame, affiliated with torture, and one of nullifying void, affiliated with the beginning and end of all things. These techniques are highly deadly, and sometimes uncontrollable, but Rokugama has mastered them, becoming even more powerful than previously.

Taijutsu
While possessing more strength in ninjutsu, and not having any special particular techniques for taijutsu, Rokugama’s style of fighting relies heavily on a balanced combination of jutsu and physical attacks, and so he is beyond proficient in physical combat, though often enhanced by techniques. He is highly skilled with speedy movements, blocking or trapping opponents with his limbs, and then dealing powerful blows. He is also practiced with "hit and run" type taijutsu, where he darts in close and deals a strike or series of strikes at blinding speed, before leaping out of range again. If his attacks are blocked multiple times in succession, he will switch angles and restart the attack, or if it continues for a while, he retreats and reverts to ninjutsu for the time being.

Rokugama also has the apparently unique ability to generate unusual amounts of force, to the point of fantastic strength, through a circular movement, which he calls the Force Generator Style. This way of fighting centers around circular movements of the body, appendage, or digit with which the user is about to strike, before the attack is made, in order to generate many times the power. For example, while using all his strength normally Rokugama was able to break a piece off of a wall, but using the circular movement beforehand, he was able to shatter the entire wall.

A more common fighting style, which Rokugama mixes in liberally with his own personal way of taijutsu, is aiki-jūjutsu. Aiki-jūjutsu is a form of jujutsu that emphasizes "an early neutralization of an attack." Like other forms of jujutsu, it emphasizes throwing techniques and joint manipulations to effectively control, subdue, or injure an attacker. Of particular importance is the timing of a defensive technique to either blend or neutralize an incoming attack's effectiveness and use the force of the attacker's movement against them. It is is characterized by ample use of atemi, or the striking of vital areas, in order to set up jointlocking or throwing tactics. Some of the art's striking methods employ the swinging of the outstretched arms to create power and to hit with the fists at deceptive angles, as may be observed in techniques such as the atemi that sets up gyaku ude-dori (reverse elbow lock). Rokugama regarded one of the unique characteristics of the art to be its preference for controlling a downed attacker's joints with one's knee in order to leave one's hands free to access one's weapons or to deal with the threat of other oncoming attackers.

Relationships
Over his life, Rokugama has made connections of various kinds with people he meets in the world.

Jūjika Kushizashi
As both teacher and father, Jūjika is held in high esteem by Josho. Rokugama trusts him almost unconditionally, to the point of obeying seemingly pointless commands for training without a word, and has grown very close to his adoptive father, at some points forgetting even in his mind that they share no blood. He is easily willing to give up his life for Jūjika, prepared during meetings to throw himself in front of the man to save him if need be.

Inosawa Yamanaka
Seen when he passed Inosawa in the halls of the Hokage Residence, Rokugama has an inherent dislike, distrust, and disdain for the head of the Yamanaka Clan, holding him in lower regard than the prisoners sent to the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility, because, in Rokugama’s own words, "they had the decency to commit their crimes", while Inosawa is too much of a coward.

Koga Tensei
While it is unknown whether the two have ever actually met, Rokugama has had a quickly changing opinion of Koga in the few times he has spoken of him. At first, when he heard of him taking the Hokage position from the Sixth, Rokugama felt an instant grudge towards the man, which quickly changed to jealousy when told of his young age and high abilities. Still later, he became more approving and rather admiring of Koga, when he heard of his words and skills in battle.

Quotes

 * (To a new Jonin) "Joy fades, wealth fades, friends leave and family dies, but legacy lives on. Your legacy determines what you were, so make what you were, what you are, what you wish to be."
 * (Advice on life to a Genin) "You cannot regret life, for it is bliss."

Trivia

 * Rokugama’s appearance is based on that of Ikazuchi Akatsuki from the manga series Deadman Wonderland, drawn by Kazuma Kondou.
 * The brand of pacifism of Rokugama’s home village is based on the Way of the Leaf from The Wheel of Time.
 * If Rokugama had a Databook page, it would say:
 * Rokugama’s hobbies are learning, sparring, and reminiscing.
 * Rokugama’s favorites foods are pork and mochi. His least favorites are bananas and sushi.
 * Rokugama has completed 70 missions: 12 D-Rank, 16 C-Rank, 22 B-Rank, 17 A-Rank, and 3 S-Rank.
 * Rokugama’s favorite phrase is unknown.