Yanagi (LostSynth)

was one of the co-founders and leaders of the rebellious group known as Tasogare until his betrayal of the group to the Eizenzeiger. This act promoted him to the newly resurrected Haganekage title in Yarigakure. He has since been the positive face of the Eizenzeiger and is used as a medium between the villagers and the regime.

Background
Yanagi had no recollection of his parents. The only life he knew was what he had on the streets of Yarigakure. He was a meek and shy child until, one day, he happened upon several Yarigakure Geheimbluttanz shinobi confronting several other orphans over allegations of stolen money. Yanagi hid behind some crates and watched while the shinobi began to assault the orphans. One of the shinobi took out his sword and demanded repayment. When the orphans said they had no money, the shinobi beheaded one of the orphans. The other two began to cry and, to silent them, the shinobi killed them, searched their bodies, but found no money. They left the bodies to rot int he street. After they left, Yanagi silently made his way to the bodies and proceeded to bury them in a clearing off from the side of the street. This event would cause Yanagi to hold a silent grudge against both Yarigakure and the Geheimbluttanz which would affect his future actions.

While his years after that are sketchy, he somehow made his way into what would be the future Tasogare. There, he met the other orphans as well as a young Tetsumoto, who he shared a rivalry with. He despised Tetsumoto since Yanagi felt the boy had the strength to fight back but he never used it. Therefore, Yanagi began to take the leadership of the group which led the group to be more aggressive in their actions. It was then that Yarigakure was invaded by the Eisenzeiger, a zealous group of warriors who opposed the Haganekage rule and Yarigakure. They assassinated the Haganekage and his family, destroyed the Geheimbluttanz, and established themselves as the authority of Yarigakure. This began a decade of uncontested brutality and anarchy within Yarigakure until the rise of Tasogare.

Tetsumoto advocated that Tasogare specialize in information and guerrilla tactics. He advocated that Tasogare should build its strength, gain support of possible sympathizers, and to slowly cut away at Eizenzeiger's supplies. However, Yanagi supported a more aggressive and visible approach to fighting with Eizenzeiger. Yanagi was the most out-spoken one and, thus, swayed the other members of the group. Tasogare then began to make attacks against squads of Geheimbluttanz, harry supply routes, and make raids against Eisenzeiger-held properties. This ended up bringing Tasogare into light. It is unknown if Yanagi turned from Tasogare in the beginning or during this time but, at some point, he secretly defected to Eisenzeiger and began to feed them information about the group. His defection to Eisenzeiger was due to his intense hatred of the Geheimbluttanz and the Yarigakure that killed orphans. He felt Eisenzeiger was the answer to the corruption and, secretly, embraced it.

Tasogare laid plans to attack the headquarters of Eisenzeiger Die Tod (大・灯道, Romanized; "Dai Toudou"; Literally "Large Lamp Street"; Translated "The Death"). However, during the attack, the various teams were all destroyed and every member was killed including Tetsumoto's team. Tetsumoto was the only one standing and, in the dimly lit chamber of Die Tod, held off every Eisenzeiger shinobi using his newly awakened Steel Release ability. It wasn't until a momentary lapse in the fight that he dropped his guard which caused the Eisenzeiger swords to plunge into him. On the verge of death, Tetsumoto was about to make one last stand when the final death blow was dealt. This belonged to Yanagi, who the revealed his betrayal. Tasogare was destroyed but, before Tetsumoto was to be apprehended, The No-Faced Man saved him and brought him to his secret place.

Yanagi searched for Tetsumoto for months afterward and, much to his anger, found nothing about him. However, due to his wounds from the swords, Yanagi figured he had died. His betrayal led him to be promoted to acting Haganekage which was resurrected after the Tasogare Rebellion. Yanagi was to be the positive face of Eisenzeiger and to "put an end to the tyranny" that the old Eisenzeiger held over Yarigakure. However, in the back of his mind, he knew that Tetsumoto had survived and begun to prepare for their fated encounter.

Personality
Yanagi was a shy child at first until witnessing the brutal murders of three orphans. This event caused him to be more outgoing and aggressive. This also caused him to hold a deep hatred for the Geheimbluttanz and the Haganekage. He was also very charismatic since he was able to quickly grab leadership with the future Tasogare and swayed the members to take a more aggressive stance with Tasogare. This also shows a power hungry side of his personality. This is evident after he betrayed Tasogare and Tetsumoto in exchange for the Haganekage seat. He also shows signs of weakness since he is easily manipulated by Eisenzeiger.

Appearance
Yanagi has short golden hair, sharp green eyes, and fair skin. He has been described as handsome and much more charismatic compared to Tetsumoto. As he grew older, he began to have a more muscular build. When combined with that, charming looks, and a direct attitude; it is no wonder that he easily swayed the members of Tasogare. However, after he betrayed Tasogare, his charming looks slowly slipped away and the shadow of doubt was constantly on his mind. Despite that, the villagers felt the newly appointed Haganekage was an attractive man and were easily swayed by his good looks and charming voice.

Abilities
Yanagi was often considered a capable warrior and could utilize basic Ninjutsu techniques including Fire Release techniques. He was also capable of wielding the Geheimbluttanz despite his hatred for the Kenjutsu style. Tetsumoto often thought that Yanagi's version of the Geheimbluttanz contained a essence of self loathing within it. Yanagi was also a sharp and cunning man that could use his charming looks and smooth voice to sway people toward his cause.

Ninjutsu
Yanagi showed a proficiency in Fire Release techniques. Much like Tetsumoto, he could use basic Fire Release techniques. He could use basic Ninjutsu techniques at an early age by copying from the Geheimbluttanz shinobi. His knowledge additionally grew while within Tasogare. By the time of the Tasogare Rebellion, his abilities grew ten-fold and he was considered one of the strongest members of Tasogare,

Kenjutsu
Despite his hatred for the Geheimbluttanz, he was a skilled practitioner of the sword style. However, as Tetsumoto noted, his sword seemed to carry a self-loathing and evil energy within it. This caused Tetsumoto be become distrustful of Yanagi. However, the others thought he had a very powerful and direct sword style that was needed to crush the Eisenzeiger. Yanagi's Kenjutsu ability was enough that he was able to cut down several Tasogare members; even those within the Offense team. He was also capable of delivering the last blow against Tetsumoto without the latter even realizing it. This showed that Y anagi was a both strong and fast Kenjutsu user. However, it should be noted that Tetsumoto was peirced with a dozen swords which may or may not given Yanagi the chance to strike.

Taijutsu
Yanagi's ability in Taijutsu is considered fairly high; higher than Tetsumoto. While added by his physical strength, he can augment his ability even with the Geheimbluttanz. He also has considerable speed. While he has strong Taijutsu abilities, his background in Kenjutsu is his go-to combat preference.

Intelligence
While not as strategic as Tetsumoto, Yanagi shows to have a cunning and charismatic personality that he utilizes to gain power. He seemingly know a great deal of informayion about Tasogare that he was able to leak to Eisenzeiger. He also able to broker a deal between himself and the Eisenzeiger.

Creation and Conceptions
I intended Yanagi to be the catalyst for Tetsumoto to resurrect Tasogare and use it as a vehicle to enact revenge and to destroy Eisenzeiger. While he was at first only intended to have an antagonistic role and nothing outside of that, he ended up having a bit of a back story/

Trivia
Yanagi literally translates to 柳 (Yanagi). His name is written in Kana: ヤナギ.