Byakuya Uchiha

Byakuya Uchiha (団扇剣心, Uchiha Byakuya) is one Seven Swordsmen of the Mist and the older brother of Kenshin Uchiha. He is one of the last surviving members of the Uchiha clan as well as one of the few not affiliated with Konoha. Due to his great speed and use of various lightning based techniques he is known as the Lightning of the Hidden Mist (霧隠れの稲妻, Kirigakure no Inazuma).

Appearance
Byakuya bears a striking resemblance to his younger brother Kenshin. He is a fairly tall, lean-built person with peach skin and onyx eyes. He is slightly shorter than his brother but a little more muscular. He always has a very stoic expression on his face. He normally dresses in formal clothes which match his serious demeanor. He used to wear his hair long as a kid with a pony tail holding it back. But of late he has cut his hair short and lets it fall in a messy manner around his face.

Personality
Byakuya’s personality is in contrast with that of his brother Kenshin. He appears as a calm, serious, aloof, and detached man. He is a very serious person and very little seems to surprise him, and he rarely smile. He is a very honourable man. He refuses to give up when he believes something is wrong and will even break a rule to do what he thinks is right. But the most striking aspect of his personality is his unwavering love for his younger brother Kenshin. Though they were separated a few days after Kenshin’s birth, Byakuya loves him with all his heart as Kenshin is the only family he has left. He even left Konoha and went into hiding so that the ANBU would not connect Kenshin with him.

Seeing his parents' deaths had a big impact on him and he is very reluctant to trust people. He holds himself responsible for his parents' deaths as he thinks that if he hadn't lost control of his sharingan and commited murder his parents would still be alive. He thinks that he is the reason why his brother never knew his parents and is convinced that Kenshin hates him because of that.

Survival
Byakuya’s grandfather Shido was born on the day of the Uchiha Massacre. At the time preceding the Uchiha Massacre, Shido's mother was pregnant with him. At the time of the massacre she was not due for a few more months. When Itachi attacked, she saw her husband getting killed and this emotional shock caused her to go into premature labour. She managed to hide and gave birth to Shido. He came into the world just when almost all of his clan mates were leaving it. His mother realised that Itachi planned to kill everyone and came up with a plan to save her child. She escaped with with Shido through a secret way through their house. She then set her house on fire so as to hide any evidence of their survival. She then travelled away from the village and ultimately ended up in Kirigakure.

She opened a small shop there and started a new life. Shido grew up as a Kirigakure ninja and kept his Uchiha roots hidden. He ultimately married and had a daughter Kagome, Byakuya and Kenshin’s mother. Kagome was told to never reveal her sharingan to anyone and so had to hide her power. She was very restless and irritated by the fact that she had to keep her sharingan hidden from everyone. On hearing about her ancestry and how Sasuke fought against Konoha after Itachi’s death made her think that Konoha was to blame for her having to stay hidden as her father had told her nothing about the massacre. So after her training was finished she left Kirigakure and went to Konoha with the intention of trying to destroy the village and release all of her pent up anger against the village and its people. She settled in the village as a grocer and lived in as one for a few years. Finally when she had everyone convinced that she was a simple grocer she started to secretly kill off ANBU members and various important members of the village.

Birth and Early Years
But at this time something happened that she had not expected. She fell in love with a man who used to work at her shop, Ryuichi Tatsu. She soon stopped with her vendetta against the village and married Ryuichi. After a few years she became pregnant with their first child and gave birth to Byakuya. Byakuya was loved by both his parents and grew up in a very happy and safe environment.

Byakuya was a very prodigiously talented boy. But when he was 5 years of age an incident occurred that awakened his sharingan. One day when he was playing, he was attacked by some elder kids. The bullies started to hit him and his friends. He begged them to stop but they turned a deaf ear to his pleas. Finally something inside Byakuya broke and he awakened his sharingan. Without knowing what he was doing he killed one of the bullies.

This incident set off the ANBU. On talking to the other children they realised that Byakuya had the sharingan. Though Kagome had modified their memories via gengutsu, the ANBU manged to extract the truth after some time. As it so happened, at that time she was pregnant with Kenshin.

Breaking Bonds
Just a few months before Kenshin was born the ANBU had confirmed that Byakuya had the sharingan. As the village elders did not want a sharingan user loose they ordered the murder of the entire family. When the ANBU assassins attacked, Kagome saw her husband getting killed and this emotional shock caused her to go into premature labour jaut as with her grandmother. She managed to hide along with the then 6 year old son Byakuya and gave birth to Kenshin. His mother realised that the ANBU planned to kill everyone and came up with a plan to save her children. She gave Kenshin to Byakuya and told him to escape through a secret way through their house. She then used a replacement technique to fake Byakuya's death and made it appear that she was still pregnant. This way when the ANBU found her they thought that both her children were accounted for and killed her. By sacrificing her life she managed to protect her sons.

Byakuya ran out of the village and after a few hours reached a house where a single ninja called Yusuke lived. Byakuya had often visited Yusuke with Ryuichi and knew him well. Yusuke took the frightened child in and gave him shelter and protection. In his shocked and frightened state Byakuya told Yusuke everything. After a few days Byakuya decided that he should leave as people in the village knew him and he could no longer trust them. Realising that Yusuke was a kind man who could be trusted, he asked Yusuke to take care of his brother and to keep the fact that he was an Uchiha hidden. He also asked him to never reveal anything he had told him and to keep Kenshin in the dark. Yusuke, saddened to see how the young Byakuya had been forced to grow mature so soon agreed to every request.

Byakuya knew that his past would someday come back to haunt him and thus did not want Kenshin to be caught up with him. So he broke all ties with his brother and left for Kirigakure.

Kirigakure
He set out for the only other place where he had any relatives, Kirigakure. Though his grandparents were dead, he still had some relatives there from his grandmother’s side. He was introduced as a distant relative and dropped the Uchiha surname. He started attending the ninja academy at age 7. He kept his true powers hidden and it took him two him two years to graduate when he could have easily done so in just one year. He was put into a genins and allotted to a Kirigakure Jonin. While on one of the many missions his team participated in he encountered an old swordsman living alone on the outskirts of the village. The swordsman had secretly seen Byakuya’s team in action and realised by his movements that Byakuya could make an excellent swordsman. He informed Byakuya about the same and offered to train him.

Byakuya was initially hesitant but the old man convinced him to spend a day with him. During this time he told Byakuya about what it meant to be a true swordsman and how a sword is to be used as a means to protect lives. Byakuya realised that he wanted to protect his younger brother so that he could make amends for his parents’ deaths. He agreed and started learning swordsmanship under the old man. The first things he learned from his master were his way of being a shinobi and a swordsman, being kind, brave, benevolent, respectful, loyal and above all else honourable. Byakuya learned fast and soon developed a strong relationship with his master and ultimately revealed his true identity to him.

Battle of the Bloody Mist
Around 10 years before the current series of events Kirigakure was attacked by Otogakure. Initially Byakuya did not take any part in the fight as he felt no need to do so. But then one night while en route to his master’s hut, he saw his master fighting many foes. By the time he was able to reach him his master was fatally wounded and the Otogakure shinobi had escaped. Byakuya then learned that his master had seen the Otogakure ninjas attack some innocent villagers and rushed in to help them. With his dying words he told Byakuya that every life was important and that he should not be picky about who he protected. Saying this he gave Byakuya his sword and died in his arms. His master’s death made him realise just how much he owed to the old man and how he never thanked him. Seeing the villagers who his master had protected weep for him made him realise that he owed a lot not just to the old man but to the village as well. They had taken him in and protected him. He finally understood his master’s way of the ninja and decided to live by that same code from that point on. He swore to protect every life he could and decided to join the battle.

He fought many foes and was soon approached by three other young and talented shinobi swordsmen to join them and fight the Otogakure. He agreed to join them and fight with them. Soon their numbers increased to seven. Defending the village against the enemies these seven young shinobi along with the assistance from other loyal Kirigakure ninja were able to defeat Otogakure and push them back. Though they were the victor of the battle but it was at a high price, as the village suffered much damage and a lot of people were injured or killed during the battle.

Seven Swordsmen of the Mist
Reiko Himegami, one of the six who fought with him, asked them to form a team to protect the village from such threats in the future. Byakuya agreed as did all the others. They went to the Mizukage and presented their case. The Mizukage and Water Daimyo agreed so the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist were reformed; under the ideals that together all seven of them would fight for peace and justice of not only Kirigakure but also for the Land of Water.

Brothers
Years later Byakuya heard that Yusuke was dead. On hearing of Yusuke’s death, Byakuya decided it was time to reunite with his brother. He travelled to Komugakure and sought out his kid brother. He learned that Kenshin had not been seen since Yusuke’s death. Byakuya finally found Kenshin hiding in a cave near the village. Kenshin was shocked by the arrival of this stranger and attacked him. But Byakuya avoided his attacks and revealed his sharingan. Seeing another Uchiha, Kenshin calmed down. Byakuya then told Kenshin of their relationship and of their history. Kenshin was so shocked that he ran away. He spent the night thinking about what his “brother” had said. Though very confused he was happy at the same time. He had lost Yusuke but he had a brother who had sacrificed everything to keep him safe. He returned to the cave, where Byakuya was patiently waiting for him. He walked up to his brother and hugged him.

Byakuya then stayed with Kenshin for a time. They shared their life stories and then Byakuya trained Kenshin in the use of his sharingan. He also asked him to keep it hidden from others only if he wanted to. People knew that Byakuya was an Uchiha and so he thought that Kenshin should make that decision on his own. Kenshin decided that he would not run from his legacy. From that day forth he took up the Uchiha name and went back to the village with his brother. Now that people knew that Byakuya and Kenshin were brothers and that Kenshin was an Uchiha, Byakuya knew that Kenshin might not be completely safe. He offered Kenshin the opportunity to come to Kiri with him but as much Kenshin wanted to be with his brother, he knew he owed a lot to his village. He decided that he would stay here for the time being. Byakuya respected his decision and though it pained him to leave his brother again he returned to Kiri.

Abilities
Even compared to the members of the Uchiha can, Byakuya is considered a genius. He is highly proficient with the Uchiha Fire Release techniques. He has very high chakra levels and it is noted by his brother that his chakra levels make evn the Fourth Raikage A’s chakra levels seem mediocre. He has excellent control over his chakra and has as such he had an innate ability to use jutsu to their maximum efficiency without wasting any chakra. Being one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist he is an excellent swordsman and is counted among one of the most skilled swordsmen in the world. He is a very cunning warrior and come up with numerous strategies immediately after encountering a new situation. He tries to use his opponent’s weakness against him.

Chakra Manipulation
Byakuya is an expert at controlling his chakra. His control is so great that he can manipulate it at an almost atomic level. By manipulating lightning release chakra, he can send small electric currents through his neurons to fully activate them and greatly speed up his reaction time and increase the speed of his movements. Thus he showed seemingly instantaneous reflexes and amazing raw quickness.

Kenjutsu
He is a very skilled swordsman and wields the Kaminari ha, one of the sharpest blades in the world. His fighting style favours speed and finesse instead of raw power. He uses his great speed to great effect. He makes precise strikes and as few sword swings as required. He can use his sharingan to read his opponents movements and almost predict their movements.

Sharingan
As a member of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke possesses the Sharingan, the clan's Kekkei Genkai. He first developed it when he was 5 years old and at that instance he ended up killing a child by mistake. He gained the ability to see chakra and a mastery over Genjutsu based techniques. It also allows him to memorize any technique that he witnesses, see through any deception, and predict his opponent's movements. Over the years he has trained his Sharingan to such an extent that he can cast a genjutsu by merely pointing at or looking at someone, and can similarly turn an opponent's genjutsu against them with Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change.

Mangekyō Sharingan
Byakuya first awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan after he saw his master get killed in cold blood by Otogakure ninjas; the emotional trauma caused by the incident awoke the Mangekyō within his eyes. The Mangekyō increased his already great power, and enabled him to use his most powerful techniques.

With his right eye, he can use Maya (literally meaning Illuson), a genjutsu that traps an opponent's mind in an illusory world, trapping them there for what seems like days in a matter of seconds. Maya requires eye contact to be performed. When executed, the jutsu traps the target in an illusion that is completely controlled by Byakuya. He can alter the perception of time with ease within the genjutsu to make it seem to last for days when in fact it only lasts a few seconds. With his left eye he can use Moksha (literally meaning To Release), a unique ability that allows Byakuya to heal his own injuries. Though the exact workings of this technique are unknown Byakuya explains it to be similar to putting himself under a genjutsu and "releasing" himself from the limitations of his body and using his own chakra to heal the aggrieved body part. He needs large amounts of chakra to use this ability and though he can regrow body parts he cannot do so for his brain and vital organs. His final technique is Kshatriya, the "Warrior", a technique that uses both eyes to manifest itself as a spectral being. The spectral being is gigantic and surrounds and protects Byakuya. The being is a reflection of Byakuya's soul and a physical manifestation of his chakra. It takes the form of a large armored being carrying a sword in one hand and a large shield in the other. Byakuya has mastered it to such a degree that he can call out parts of the being to protect himself.

Like all Mangekyō Sharingan users Byakuya also suffers from its drawbacks. All its techniques require large amounts of chakra and puts alot of strain on Byakuya's body. Though using Moksha slowly reverts the blindness due to usage of Mangekyō techniques it does not stop it and extended usage of Mangekyō techniques leads to blindness for periods of time which vary depending on the amount of time for which Byakuya used the techniques.

Nature Transformations
Proving himself a true genius ninja and member of the Uchiha, Byakuya has repeatedly shown great proficiency in fire-based jutsu. He mastered his clan's rite of passage jutsu, the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique at a very young age and can use numerous fire based jutsu without using hand seals. He is also very skilled with lightning based jutsus; having mastered them to such a level that he has come up with a technique of his own where he uses lightning chakra to increase his speed.

Kaminari ha
Kaminari ha is unique blade which was passed down to Byakuya by his master. It appears as a normal katana but its blade is much straighter. Its sheath and hilt are black in color. It is a unique sword with an affinity for lightning. When Byakuya feeds chakra into it the sword converts it into very strong lightning. This lighting can be used to extend the length of the sword to use as a spear or used for long range attacks in a manner similar to Chidori Senbon by shape transformation. After feeding chakra into it Byakuya can release small needles of electricity similar to the Senbon by swinging the sword. The centrifugal force created causes the needles to fly out at a high speed. This allows it to be used as a long range weapon as well. Byakuya can also let the lightning run along the length of the blade so that it will run along the blades length and on coming in contact with an enemy’s sword transfer onto that blade and through that run onto the enemy to shock him.