Fuyukodachi

Fuyukodachi is one of the legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist from Kirigakure. A frightening warrior respected for his athletic prowess in battle, he has inherited the legendary Blast Sword, Shibuki, and has since made a name for himself as a noble yet fierce defender of his village—and a nightmare to those who threaten it. Fuyukodachi hails from rather aristocratic beginnings. As a member of a family known for pumping out loyal shinobi, not much was expected but not shown (initially) by his younger self, however upon reaching late childhood, Fuyukodachi began to demonstrate incredible poise and skill with a blade. This led to his ascension through the ninja ranks and his rightful promotion to the celebrated Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.

Background
Fuyukodachi was born into a wealthy family in Kirigakure, consisting of a long line of shinobi who had loyally served the Hidden Mist throughout the decades and fought the wars it had gotten involved in. The third of four children, he too had been groomed from childhood to join the village's military and distinguish himself as a shinobi first in order to earn respect and standing as a member of his family. From young, he was trained to wield the sword in various different disciplines—his father and grandfather viewed it to be even more important that Fuyukodachi grew accustomed to a blade before delving into the art of shinobi warfare.

At the age of 7, Fuyukodachi was forced to partake in the first act of brutality he would ever commit. His family were fanatically loyal to the village, and it was important that the young among them, particularly those born male, learned just how important the village was, and what had to be done to traitors who sought to harm the Village Hidden in the Mist. Fuyukodachi's father and uncle brought him before a badly beaten man who had traded secrets about Kirigakure with a distant nation in exchange for gold, riches that bought him great material comfort. His evil whisperings had brought about the deaths of two of the village's citizens; and as part of a tradition that had run through the village for many years, the family had personally asked to execute the traitor on behalf of the village when the verdict was passed. Fed with encouragement from his uncle and father, a trembling Fuyukodachi was goaded into piercing a single Sai between the man's eyes. As he trembled and pleaded for his life, a traumatised Fuyukodachi slid the blade in—after his father's coaxing had turned into furious spite and scorn, accompanied by vile threats. Though disturbed severely by this incident, Fuyukodachi had completed a rite of passage; and seeing his father's pride in him drew his eyes away from the bloody, still warm corpse of the traitor, reeking of excrement that had been passed due to his fear of premature death.

By the time he enrolled into the Ninja Academy, the young man was already a very superior swordsman; and though silent in conduct and mild in language, Fuyukodachi took immense pride in his proficiency in swordplay. As an Academy Student, he never stood out. By no means was Fuyukodachi a gifted prodigy, nor was he a tireless hard worker. He was average in both capacity and effort, and understandably he took his time to go through the Academy, without a spotlight thrust on him and without the hopes of his teachers, the attention of the villages nor the jealousy of his peers upon his lean shoulders. But he would make the rank of Genin nevertheless, and it was possibly around then that the young blonde truly began to show promise. Appreciating the virtue of hard work through each day as a Genin, he slowly began to pour more interest into sharpening his skill as a ninja and the results began to show. Fuyukodachi began to shine on missions with his teammates, and though gradual, each one of his successes were brighter than the last. This uphill rise would coincide with his Chūnin Exams.

It didn't take much to make Chūnin on the year Fuyukodachi participated, and he easily made the cut. Now a Chūnin, he began to really display his true talent as he dazzled his peers with his swordplay, which he began using in unison with his elemental affinity. Fuyukodachi developed his own unique style of fighting which quickly led to him being recognised as a gifted combatant and a deadly adversary. Possessing attributes that held him in ease with his superiors also helped the then teenager climb the ladder to glory in Kirigakure. C-ranked missions turned to frequent B-ranked missions and soon Fuyukodachi did enough to warrant two A-ranked missions—which he distinguished himself in. All his years of dedication to the noble way of the sword had finally seen him through, together with his newfound dedication to the shinobi arts as a Genin. Word began to spread of a Kenjutsu genius whose skill had seen him take on dozens of enemies alone; and emerge with not even a scratch; but the silent man remained humble and consistently dismissed the rapidly bloating rumours of his skill.

Through each year of consistent exemplary performances, the day finally came when Fuyukodachi was made a Jōnin of Kirigakure, at the age of 21. As a Jōnin he found himself taking on rogue missing-nin and dangerous criminal elements with surprising frequency. A-ranked missions were rather commonplace for him and he began notching up a remarkable tally of victories in battle; cutting down vicious enemies and even opponents thought to be much stronger than he was. Sometime during his tenure as a Jōnin, Fuyukodachi engaged in what happens to be his most famed battle—an epic fight to the death against the feared international terrorist of the Land of Fangs; Tetsuo Amara. Outnumbered after the savage murders of his companions, Fuyukodachi bravely held his ground alone, refusing to back down from his seemingly superior adversaries. The young Jōnin took on a group of four missing-nin including Amara, sustaining immense punishment but nonetheless killing three of them before fighting Amara in a fatigued and severely wounded state. In an inspiring but bloody battle, Fuyukodachi was able to decapitate the famed criminal in a 4 hour long encounter, eliminating a threat that had plagued Kirigakure for around three years; all with three knives stuck in his torso, a broken right shoulderblade, a fractured clavicle, a broken wrist and a kunai buried in his neck. Though this resulted in a tenure in the hospital for two months, the tough blonde swordsman shockingly pulled through and therefore became a figurehead for his younger shinobi—his against the odds victory and survival after receiving such punishment made him an instant favourite among the children of Kirigakure, who regarded him as a tough as nails hero.

Fuyukodachi never backed down and seldom lost a fight; but he learned quickly and effectively from the battles that he did lose, emerging many times stronger from each defeat. His never-say-die mentality and consistent displays of excellence caught the eye of the Mizukage and his superiors—they saw qualities that they assumed would make an excellent addition to one of Kirigakure's and the Shinobi World's greatest, and most feared teams—the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Fuyukodachi's swordplay had become the stuff of bar talk, but his exploits now actually were as impressive as the rumours made them to be. No longer were they bloated, as the young man's presence had turned the tide of several battles and won his village victory in occasionally mad odds. And thus, Fuyukodachi accepted his promotion to the celebrated group of swordsmen at the age of 23, bringing great honour to both himself and his family. His natural strength and dexterity also saw him inherit a notoriously uncouth and unusual blade: the Blastsword.

Appearance
In terms of appearance, Fuyukodachi outwardly resembles a spoiled child of luxury more than a shinobi. He has soft, smooth skin and a face free of combat scars. Like most males in his family, the hair that covers him is straight, blonde and relatively easy to maintain. With narrow green eyes, and constantly relaxed eyebrows, the look of apathy that he wears on his face is even more natural; a default expression that happens to be his most used one. Behind a straight and narrow mouth with thin lips, his teeth have been sharpened as per the usual custom when initiated into the Seven Swordsmen. Fuyukodachi is above average where height is concerned; standing at 177 centimetres tall and possesses a slightly lean body type—which is made up of well toned muscles and a defined shape. Unlike his face however, the Swordsman of the Mist's body is riddled with the fruits of hardship in battle. He has over eleven scars alone on his torso—most of which were gained against Amara, and possibly en equal amount on his limbs.

When on missions for the village, Fuyukodachi straps the Kirigakure forehead protector underneath his hairline and tames his normally free flowing hair into a ponytail to facilitate movement and prevent hair from obstructing his vision. He also dons the standard Kirigakure flak jacket together with a long sleeved t-shirt and treks underneath it. His outfit is complete with Shibuki strapped across his back and a katana holstered by his side. Fuyukodachi also carries just one combat pouch, strapped to his left thigh, and a belt with two kunai strapped to it. Unlike most of his companions who just wear sandals, he wears camo combat grade boots together with his shinobi outfit, the ensure his feet are protected from more...unsuspecting and unexpected enemies.

Personality
Fuyukodachi can be generally described as a detached person. A quiet man, he rarely speaks unless spoken to or unless his opinion on a matter is needed. Perhaps this held back view he possesses on life can be attributed to the fact that Fuyukodachi is not a fan of leadership, or is he blessed with it—he simply prefers to do his job and let the remarks and words be passed by others. His silence however does not prevent his habit of passing wry remarks under the guise of usually inaudible muttering; as the Swordsman of the Mist does have no problems with making his views known to his peers. When he feels that words are needed and may make a significant difference in the grand outcome of possibilities, Fuyukodachi will easily jab his tongue at whoever he needs to regardless of position or standing, to ensure that what has to be done, is done.

An old fashioned and strictly disciplined man, Fuyukodachi can be described to be a very 'by the books' individual. He seemingly lives by some unknown guide book of etiquette and conduct, his actions leading to him being labelled as boring on occasion. These mild insults do not faze the Erupting Swordsman however, because Fuyukodachi holds nothing above honour. He will not harm the innocent, he will not harm an unarmed enemy and he will not be crude to women. These three rules are a major part of a huge inner list of moral priorities to him, and they are rules he simply does not and will not compromise on. Fuyukodachi also strongly believes that one should never disgrace their opponents in combat—and to do so is the greatest insult to battle in his eyes. Battle to Fuyukodachi has to be fought with both sides giving their all, a glowing show of mutual respect that even enemies can share.

Slow to anger and immune to insults, he is very difficult to provoke without adequate reason. This leads to him being able to reason effectively in tense situations despite not being a supremely intelligent shinobi. Fuyukodachi rarely allows emotion to influence his decisions in life, both during missions and on normal days. He attacks only when attacked, and fights only when ordered to or forced to. He looks at his opponents not as enemies, but as jobs that have to be undertaken for the greater good of Kirigakure. He holds nothing personal against them, attempting only to eliminate his opponents to safeguard the lives of his friends and his village. However those that harm his allies do succeed in bringing forth the wrath of the Erupting Swordsman, in the form of steely determination and still-somewhat-shackled rage focused on their elimination from the world of the living.

Fuyukodachi however, is a completely different being when thrust into combat. If one were to look past the swift, almost effortless swinging of his humongous blade and his skilful knowledge of the most advanced shinobi tactics and techniques; and you get a man who lives for the thrill of battle, for the kick of a good fight to the death. There is a difference between a job and a battle, and no living person knows this better than Fuyukodachi does. Though his face remains stern and determined, his heart roars with each clash and each technique hurled. With each explosion and each counter the thrill in his heart is stoked further. For the brief moments a battle exists, Fuyukodachi loses himself into a world of euphoria that one could define as madness—a rush of adrenaline pumping in each part of his body, a banging in his brain just too good to ignore. In this state, the one thing greater than the battle is only his desire to win. Aside from his moral code, Fuyukodachi will push everything and anything else to the absolute limits to win.

Though he is cynical and unafraid to mutter sarcastically to himself, it is safe to say that Fuyukodachi is devoid of humour. He doesn't feel the urge to joke and laugh like others do, and he doesn't feel that humour is a necessary component while interacting with others. He's blunt and unsportsmanlike in this regard; being able to understand a joke but never ever reciprocating or sharing in a light moment. This is possibly due to the fact that in some regards, despite all his honour and principles: Fuyukodachi is somewhat nihilistic. He has arguably become desensitised towards death and violence in some regards after engaging in so many brutal battles for the sake of his village, both as a normal shinobi as as a Swordsman of the Mist. Some of his peers believe that the only true reason Fuyukodachi still even adheres to his code of honour is because the lines that separate his humanity from monstrosity have blurred terrifyingly badly.

Abilities
Fuyukodachi is one of the best shinobi in Kirigakure: his position as one of the Seven Swordsmen and his sterling reputation would be enough to confirm this, even if he barely resembles a shinobi—let alone a powerful one. Along with his hard drilled mastery of Kenjutsu and his ability to wield two elemental transformations with remarkable ease, he has become one of the Hidden Mist's most reliable and durable shinobi, a young but highly experienced and capable fighter. Together with his team or alone, Fuyukodachi has undertaken high risk missions and emerged victorious; and at just the age of 28, he has more epithets granted to him by enemies and peers alike than many shinobi will ever have. Most famous out of all of these would be the infamous "Erupting Swordsman" title, which have led to him being known on the international scale as an enemy not to be trifled with.

Physical Capabilities
Though only of an average but toned build, Fuyukodachi possesses immense natural strength—having displayed the ability to shatter certain rocks and boulders with his kicks on occasion. Though not as strong as many powerhouses who inhibit the Shinobi Nations, he is still very well loaded in this department, and this often shows in combat situations. Tasked with wielding the large Shibuki, many may find this a challenge to do so, but not Fuyukodachi. He is perfectly capable of utilising one arm to manoeuvre the gigantic blade with as much ease as one may manipulate a dagger. Whirling the blade in confusing arcs doesn't seem to tire him out in the least, which is an admirable feat considering just how much the large blade weighs. Fuyukodachi's immense raw strength saw him pick up and polish Taijutsu as well. His punches and kicks are savage in the least; when thrown without caution they could cause severe damage, pain and crippling bruising, but when thrown with deliberate focus; Fuyukodachi easily shattered bone and often sent his enemies flying. His common tactic utilised when attempting to stay from killing, would be simply to fling his opponents across the battlefield and smack them against some construct. This shattered bone and quite often caused his I luckier opponents to faint, but nevertheless, proved to be effective at getting his messages and intents across—rather non lethally.

As far as endurance goes, one could also describe him to be a tank. Fuyukodachi is built to last, having trained his muscles for endurance and purpose more than for just show. While very adept at evading attacks thanks to his Taijutsu talents, Fuyukodachi is equally good at meeting them head on as well. Literally. His roughed body has withstood penetration from knives and swords in numbers and places that would have quickly killed ordinary men; and his head has seen uncomfortable impacts at the hand of blunt force weapons like clubs. Yet still, he has lived to tell these queasy tales, and in battle, such blunt force trauma in battle would very likely not stop Fuyukodachi or even affect his performance. A typical hand to hand combatant would not be able to stop the Erupting Swordsman unless he could completely and comprehensively land dozens of powerful, hard hitting blows to the middle of his face. Fuyukodachi possesses commendable stamina as well; withstanding long and gruelling battles while maintaining his urgency to end them, giving a dedicated performance until his opponents gave out before him. Such battles were commonplace for the man built to hold out, hold out even against a hurricane if it were necessary. Some have even joked that it may be easier to kill Fuyukodachi than to knock him out for the count...though reality may not be too different from such a gentle jest.

Trivia

 * Fuyukodachi can be translated as "branches during the winter".