This article, Arajio Kashiri, is property of Wolffsbane. |
"To live only for yourself is to live a cursed life" |
Arajio Kashiri (呪 粗塩, Kashiri Arajio) is the last surviving member of the Land of Wind’s Kashiri clan. He is internationally renown as the world’s foremost fūinjutsu expert and is held in high regard as a pioneer in Jujutsu (呪術, “Curse Jutsu”). He is a member of the Legendary Sandaishū (伝説の三代集, "Legendary Three Generations”, "Densetsu no Sandaishū") known for defeating the most wanted man in the world, Amoghisaddhi Otsutsuki. After inspiring the people of Sunagakure he was elected the Ninth Kazekage (第九の風影, Kyudaime Kazekage, lit. “Ninth Wind Shadow”)
Appearance[]
Despite his age Arajio has managed to maintain his youthful appearance through the use of Shio Jutsu (塩術, lit. “Salt Techniques”) which have preserved his body, preventing it from aging. Though he appears to be in his mid twenties most realize he is much older through the ancient presence he seems to emit. With tan skin and golden eyes he stands at six feet and weighs merely 140 pounds. To prevent most people from seeing the toll that comes as a grotesque consequence to excessive Fūin, Ju, and Shio jutsu usage, the Kashiri Zukku (呪 衣, “Kashiri Cloth” lit. “Curse Cloth”) is woven tightly over the entirety of his body.
Usually he wears a high-necked brown jumper as well as a single brown glove over the bandages. For combat purposes the jumper is sleeveless, allowing full movement as well as the ability to employ the Kashiri Zukku in combat. His most recognizable item of clothing is the green and gold-striped haori that he is never seen without, unless he is to wear a ceremonial garb such as the Kazekage robes. In the signature tradition of Sunagakure Shinobi, Arajio possess face markings; his own being loosely modeled after the eyes of the Ichibi, with a color that he likes to refer to as Shukaku Blue.
Background[]
Before the foundation of the five great villages there was the period of warring states. During this time of war and strife a shinobi’s allegiance was not to a hidden ninja village, but to their clan. The Land of Wind was no different, and clan fought
relentlessly against clan. The Kashiri clan was known as one of the worst and their gruesome curses were feared throughout the desert. Arajio, consumed by their ignorance, fought heartlessly with no hope for future peace. That is, until he met the man named Reto. Reto had dreams of unifying the desert clans and bringing peace to the Land of Wind. His dreams brought new hope to a young Arajio, previously blinded by hate, and the young Kashiri looked to him as an idol and friend. Reto knew that his ideals alone wouldn’t earn the clans fealty, and so he required power from the Kashiri’s patron, the One Tailed Shukaku. The Kashiri clan had dedicated themselves to the service of the One Tails, believing him to be a deity of death, and so they elected guardians such as Arajio known as Bijū Gaadian. Arajio had tried to share Reto’s values with his clan, and convince them to share the Ichibi. When the swap was to happen however he was betrayed, and his clan attempted to seal Reto within the Shukaku. Arajio sacrificed himself to save Reto, knowing Reto’s dreams of uniting the clans were more important than his own life. After witnessing the passing of time through the Shukaku’s eyes Arajio rejoiced to find that Reto had accomplished the impossible, and united the clans into the Hidden Sand Village, Sunagakure. Upon being elected Kazekage Arajio strives to protect both his people and the legacy of the first Kazekage, by moving into the future with the same ideals of peace and unity that once united a warring people.
After being released from his 100 year imprisonment within the one tailed Shukaku, Arajio felt he had lost his way in life. Betrayed by those closest to him, he found himself without a clan, without a future, and without hope. Disheartened by the shinobi way of life he decided to cast aside his warring ways and wonder peacefully as a nomad. During these travels Arajio found himself in many foreign lands where he obtained inner peace and calmness. His travels took him across the globe, to every major country and many minor ones. His small exploits in these bew locations led to him becoming a legend of sorts.
While Arajio the Legend is known throughout the shinobi world, Arajio the man is not. As a member of the Legendary Sandaishū (伝説の三代集, "Legendary Three Generations”, "Densetsu no Sandaishū") he is hailed across the world as the most powerful shinobi of his generation. His peerless mastery over fūinjutsu inspires both fear and awe to any who witness his art, and often his basic formulae are taught as high level techniques to both aspiring and advanced practitioners. His legend further expanded itself upon him becoming the Kyudaime Kazekage. Which in turn has merged his personal reputation into that of the village’s, to such a point that now Sunagakure shinobi are expected in some degree to be exceptional users of fūinjutsu. He was prompted to write a series of biographical scrolls, the contents of which contain such astounding events that they have been mass-produced as a shinobi epic.
While his actions as a powerful shinobi are told across the world, it is his actions as a man that have won the hearts of his villagers. The dedication he displays for his values has always been an inspiring feature. When the Sunagakure Council refused to send an army to fight Amoghisaddhi, it was Arajio’s decision to defy them and go himself that rallied the torn sand villagers to his side and ultimately united a divided city into electing him as their leader. His reign as Kazekage has ushered in an era of repair, allowing Sunagakure to unite once more and stride, not crawl, into the future. So it is that the people of the Sand Village have taken to calling his reign the “Era of Progress.”
Personality[]
Although he comes from an era of constant war and aggression Arajio is a surprisingly level-headed individual. His demeanor is always cool, whether his situation be social or combative. He isn’t the type to speak without a reason, choosing rather to listen and observe until his input becomes necessary. He is a polite man, known by both enemies and allies for his etiquette and sincerity. His tone is consistently gentle and calm, and his honesty, despite being blunt at times, is often a comfort to those around him. Arajio comes off as a rather serious individual, not one to find humor in situations. This can be rather uncomfortable for most who would try and joke within the Kazekage’s presence. However those close to him know that he is a master of dry humor.
Abilities[]
Chakra and Physical Prowess[]
A byproduct of combining Summoning Juinjutsu with Shio Techniques, Arajio’s chakra has been mutated into the self titled “Salty Chakra” (鹹い チャクラ, “Karai Chakra”) . After decades of exposure to his Shio techniques Arajio’s chakra has taken on the aspects of the salt itself. Primarily this allows him to come into contact with his own fatal salt techniques, and remain immune to their dehydrating effects. It has also allowed him to further increase the process of his clan’s traditional self-mummification process, preserving his flesh remarkably well, to the point where it seems he hasn’t aged a day past twenty six. Taking on the properties of salt allows Arajio’s chakra to both purify chakra invading techniques, and absorb chakra to a certain capacity.
After being betrayed by his clan Arajio sacrificed himself, and was sealed within the One Tailed Shukaku. While being sealed inside a tailed beast is a death sentence to most shinobi, Arajio was tenacious.
It took everything he had, but he managed to survive at the cost of his body. Completing the self-mummification process, a Burial Art reserved for the dying, he was able to circumvent his body’s basic needs, by sealing himself within a cloth binding jutsu he protected himself from the raw destructive power of the tailed beast’s body, and by linking himself to the Ichibi’s chakra through a Juinjutsu, he was able to supplement his life force by absorbing the raw bijū chakra. A century later Arajio was released after the Bijū were sealed within the One Tails during the Fourth Shinobi World War. Upon being freed from his imprisonment, Arajio found that he had become a Psuedo-Jinchūriki (人柱力もどき,”Jinchūrikimodoki”, VIZ: “Simulated-jinchūriki”), and that his chakra stores had increased exponentially. This, coupled with his chakra absorbing properties, means that chakra reserves are not a concern to Arajio in combat, allowing him to create immensely complex Fūinjutsu, or flood entire battlefields with his Shio Jutsu.
Being a fūinjutsu expert, Arajio was trained at a young age in how to control his chakra for maximum efficiency. Now with two centuries of experience, he is able to mold and manipulate chakra at even the most delicate and miniscule levels in order to create the most complex seals and curses. Because of his control over chakra, the Kashiri’s fūinjutsu is ironclad, leaving no room for tampering or intrusion. He is able to place curse marks that bind to an opponent on a cellular level, and change them remotely, having such control over juinjutsu as one would medical techniques. Furthermore his chakra control extends to his use of Shio Techniques. Arajio operates at the most efficient level in combat by using only the most basic chakra required for each grain of salt. With such mastered control he is capable of manipulating and accounting for each of the individual grains of salt, rendering his control of the mineral comparable to the Shukaku himself. His ability to maintain mastered chakra control, combined with his Shukaku-given chakra reserves, means that Arajio can manipulate an ocean’s worth of salt. He is capable of changing the battlefield with devastatingly powerful and wide-scale attacks on a level never before seen by shinobi, earning him the nickname Arajio of the Cursed Sand (lit. 粗塩其の 罰当たり砂, “Arajio sono Bachiatari Suna”).
In order to suppress the madness affiliated with having the chakra of the One-Tails, Arajio created a fūinjutsu in the form of his face markings. However, in times of trouble, he has been known to weaken the seals power for a set time of his choosing. During this time the weakened seal will release forth a burst of Shukaku’s chakra, and all the consequences that come with it. In this mode the usually cool-minded Arajio becomes significantly more sadistic, his personality
taking on traits of the Ichibi. His chakra levels visually spike, and take on magnetic properties, allowing him to use Jiton (磁遁, “Magnet Release”) techniques. In this mode Arajio’s strength and speed increase significantly, while his observational and strategic skills take a significant hit. The usual salt like properties of his chakra are amplified, passively absorbing the energy of the immediate surrounding environment and increasing his techniques in a rudimentary senjutsu style. As his Salty chakra absorbs energy the surrounding environment shrivels dry and dies off. This technique is on a timer however, predetermined by Arajio before its activation. After a certain point in time, the curse seal will strengthen and Arajio will regress back into his regular form, returning to a stable state of mind. The seal strengthening is incredibly draining, and the longer he stays in his Shukaku Mode the more taxing the sealing process will become, making the technique dangerous in execution.
As a Shinobi of the Land of Wind Arajio is of course a skilled sensor nin. Without the use of techniques Arajio’s innate sensing ability is remarkable, his senses reaching the limit of what training can accomplish. With the added benefit of his Shikigan (式目, lit. “Formula Eye”), an ocular juinjutsu, there is very little that can escape Arajio’s perception. While his base senses have reached their pinnacle, Arajio is able to further amplify his sensing abilities using ninjutsu. Both of his chakra affinities lend themselves incredibly well to the use of sensing techniques. By using wind release, Arajio is able to project his senses across the wind, allowing his sensing techniques to cover expansive distances. Furthermore he is able to use the wind as a passive sensing technique by allowing his chakra to be carried with it, sensing what the wind touches, as well as any shifts in the air. With Doton Arajio uses a similar technique, projecting his senses into the earth, so that he can feel the vibrations within, in a similar manner to echolocation. Combining his doton and fūton techniques gives Arajio a constant 360 view of his surroundings in all directions, the distance of which is regulated by the chakra he chooses to emit. This impeccable ability has played a central part in Arajio’s fighting style, allowing him to fight at remarkable distances.
Arajio’s Handsign knowledge may be considered oddly low for an S-ranked Shinobi. However, this is primarily because few to none of the Kashiri’s techniques require hand seals. His salt techniques require only gestures, his wind techniques require only a medium for a breeze, his cloth techniques activate through physical touch, and his Shikigan internally prepares for the casting of Juin, Ju, and Fūin Jutsu. While there are some techniques in his arsenal that require hand signs, a majority of them need only a single hand or a single sign. This being said the Ninth is no novice when it comes to advanced signs and sequences, and can easily keep up with longer sequences and one handed signs, viewing them as easy in comparison to the complexity of fūinjutsu formula. Because his abilities are not reliant on hand seals, Arajio has gained a reputation of remaining still in combat, defeating most his opponents without lifting a finger, onlookers will note that there is true merit in a fight if Arajio breaks from his usual stillness.
Arajio himself is not that fast. Having achieved training in movement techniques, he is still as quick as an average shinobi. Instead Arajio relies on his abilities to compensate for his lack of speed. Arajio’s Fūton and Shio techniques move at a staggering third tier speeds, and his Fūinjutsu is capable of developing second tier speeds using space-time ninjutsu. Furthermore his Shikigan is able to perceive up to second tier speeds, negating reaction time, which helps give him an edge against faster opponents. Being a realistic man, if Arajio calculates an opponent’s speed is too great, he would chose to be prepared and take the hit, rather than be caught off guard in an attempt to dodge.
Not much in terms of physical strength, it takes all of Arajio’s ability to maintain even an average shinobi’s strength. This is due to his body having undergone the self-mummification process of the Kashiri clan, rendering it deprived of most functions and resources. Luckily Arajio’s chakra control is enough that the Kashiri is able to supplement his strength using chakra. While this process would usually amplify a shinobi’s strength into something exponential, with Arajio’s body it instead evens it out from an otherwise decrepit state.
While Arajio has taken on the moniker of Kazekage, his abilities have also taken on the moniker of a previous kage’s abilities in the form of “Absolute Defense” (絶対防御, Zettai Bōgyo). By placing a Juinjutsu on his subconscious, Arajio has succeeded in recreating and surpassing the Godaime’s Suna no Tate “砂の盾, “Shield of Sand”). In creating his own Shio Tate (砂塩, lit. “Salt Shield") Arajio’s subconscious will now react to any harm that may come Arajio’s way, regardless of whether he has registered it or not. Salt being both denser and lighter than sand, Arajio’s Salt Shield has surpassed the Fifth’s in both strength and speed, an impressive feat considering the latter was able to withstand the strength of a Raikage, and out maneuver the speed of Amaterasu.
With a tenacity for survival, Arajio’s life force has always been considered powerful. From a young age, exposed to war and hatred, surrounded by a clan that worshiped death, Arajio determined that he would survive. Whatever it took, Arajio’s one goal was to always move forward. At the time he thought the only way he could make a change was to first survive. A mentality he had, even sealed within a Bijuu. An execution for most, Arajio had determined once again that he would survive, not out of selfishness, but out of the hope that he could change the situation of others, and return to those who had saved him from the curse of hatred. It was in this torment within the Ichibi that Arajio’s will power, his life force, enabled him to survive. His will was enough to save him from immediate death, so that he could do what was necessary to outlast his imprisonment. Today Arajio’s determination has not wavered, choosing now to live for his people, so that he can continue to protect them.
Arajio is capable of fighting for days given only the briefest rests. In part, this is due to the self-mummification process his body has undergone, a body modification which supplements his basic survival needs. More so, this is due to both his exceptional chakra control and extensive pseudo-jinchūriki chakra reserves. By only using the minimum chakra requirements for techniques, Arajio can pace out his chakra usage, thus allowing him to drag out his chakra reserves for days on end. While his physical stamina is immense, the process does become mentally exhausting, imposing its limits on Arajio, who does require sleep. Because of his stamina capabilities, Arajio has been known to continue fighting in times of turmoil so that his comrades may rest or escape, even if this means risking his own life.
Arajio’s Karai chakra, combined with the modifications to his body, have rendered him immune to poison. If a foreign substance enters his body it’s salt-like properties will purify it, rendering it useless. Furthermore the self-mummification process Arajio’s body has undergone protects his vitals from attack, and allows him to be healed remotely by a third party. His Shio techniques do possess a mild healing process. By covering his wounds with his salt armor, the salt will work to disinfect, preserve, and cover a wound, before slowly replenishing the lost flesh. This process is not instant however, and can take a few days depending on the severity of the wound. In order to both keep up moral and intimidate his enemies, Arajio will often cover a wound with his salt, making it appear as if has instantly healed, even if it has only just started the healing process. At time’s he is able to do this with such speed that it seems the attack had no effect at all.
Nature Transformation[]
Embodying the symbol of his land, Arajio’s most prominent elemental affinity is Futon. His mastery over the wind element is a power that has not been seen since the warring states period. Having been trained to use Fūton by the first Kazekage Reto, who himself used the element with such astonishing power that he was able to unite the war mongering clans of the Land of Wind. Arajio was a prodigy under Reto’s training, this combined with his clans familiarity with the Ichibi and it’s techniques, made Arajio a subject of renown when it came to the desert’s wind.
With now over a century of experience, coupled with a century studying Shukaku from within, Arajio’s Wind Affinity cannot be matched by even the most extensive training. He is able to overcome his element’s innate weakness, being able to suppress Fire Release (火遁, “Katon, VIZ; “Fire Style") abilities with his most basic techniques, and using his mentors advanced Vacuum Style ( 真空 術, “Shinkuu Jutsu”) he is capable of suppressing techniques as hot as scorch release. He has reached such control over the desert winds that he need not make hand signs to formulate fūton based jutsu, truly earning the name of Wind Shadow (風影, “Kazekage”).
Possibly the most significant of Arajio’s feats with fūton is his invention of a new Wind Style. By harnessing the abilities learned from Shukaku, Arajio is able to combine both fūinjutsu and fūton, creating the highest level of wind release: Black Wind (黒風, lit. “Kuro Kaze”). This elemental affinity is on par with Amaterasu and Black Lightning, the three being the strongest of their respective elements. It is said that a breeze casted with Kuro Kaze could cut through anything, never losing momentum, as it seals away all it touches. It is extremely rare for Arajio to use this technique, and those that know him know how serious it must be for him to use it in a fight.
While the Kashiri clan’s most powerful ability was their Jujutsu, they were also renown for their skill in Doton techniques. Primarily Earth Release was used in conjunction with their Jujutsu to harness the abilities of corpses, both in ceremony and combat. Superstition surrounded the Kashiri, leading them to become one of the most feared clans in the Land of Wind. Obsessed with the afterlife, part of their process of moving on is to preserve themselves, converting themselves into living mummies before death, this way their body may rest eternal, and may continue to serve their family in the mortal plane. It is said that when a Kashiri clansmen was killed, they would come back from the dead to serve their kin in combat. Due to this, many clans refused to fight the Kashiri out of fear that the corpses of their loved ones would be used against them.
It was a right of passage for every Kashiri member to master enough of Doton to be able to raise a corpse from the soil. Because of this, the majority of Kashiri clansmen had Earth as at least one of their affinities. Arajio was no exception to this. He excelled at the mortuary process, and pursued techniques in doton, despite his primary usage of fūton. After centuries of experience his mastery over Earth has only improved, enough to rival most Kage, and his mastery over the tradition of Burial Arts (土葬 術, “Dosou Jutsu”) has reached its completion.
Bukijutsu[]
With an average shinobi speed and strength, Arajio tries to focus on his advantages in other categories, and so avoids close range combat when he can. However it is not uncommon for an enemy to bridge the gap and engage Arajio in hand to hand combat. If such a situation occurs, Arajio will lean back on his skill in Bukijutsu, a fighting style that lends itself well to the summoning arts of fūinjutsu. When it comes to the tool techniques, Arajio’s favorite tools of choice are four scythes, each named after the four winds. In combat he will rotate between the scythes at will, at times using bukijutsu to wield all four simultaneously.
Ninjutsu[]
Trained by the first kazekage in the art of wind style. Trained by the Kashiri clan in the art of Earth style. With over two centuries experience in both. Arajio’s ninjutsu talent is beyond exceptional.
While he is no master of all ninjutsu, he is a master of his ninjutsu. Having perfected his techniques. Particularly in regards to his Shio Jutsu, which harness both of his elemental affinities. Continuing the kazekage tradition of using a particle ninjutsu style, Arajio’s Salt Style is known across the world. His power with salt has devastated battlefields and changed the tides of battles with a single jutsu, earning him the nickname Salt Demon (lit. 塩 悪鬼, “Shio Akki”).
Medical Ninjutsu[]
Despite being familiar with some proficient medical techniques, Arajio is not classified as a Medical-ninja. This is because his familiarity with the body and it’s systems does not come from healing the living, but preparing the dead. With his medical-techniques Arajio is capable of transforming, and even reanimating, the dead.
He can preserve and store their bodies, resurrecting them with his clan’s Jujutsu techniques.At times he has been known to transform a bodies appearance into his own as a decoy, or substitute a corpse for his own body in times of danger. Primarily he uses the Burial Arts to summon a succession of mummified corpses to aid him in combat. Such medical prowess was essential for the Kashiri clans being during the warring states period, and led to much superstition and speculation regarding their treatment of the dead.
Fūinjutsu, Jujutsu, Space-Time Techniques[]
The Kashiri clan were masters of the cursed arts. Combining Fūin, Ju, and juin jutsu to create a myriad of curses and seals. There was no greater masters of these curses in all the Land of Wind, perhaps even the world. Their proficiency with the cursed seals is what earned them their name Kashiri (呪 “Curse”). Arajio is no exception, and continues to uphold the tradition. He has read his clan's treasured Kashiri Zukku countless times, and has memorized its contents, holding in one man all the knowledge the Kashiri clan possessed. This complete mastery over the sealing, cursing,and summoning arts presents itself boldly in the form of Arajio’s body. The entirety of which is covered in a hoard of cursed seals, with a plethora of different uses and curses contained within. A taxing feat, coming at the toll of his own body, Arajio holds a seemingly endless supply of fūinjutsu. He can bring forth a seal for almost any occasion, and can develop incredibly complex formula as a battle unfolds, circumventing the usual preparation time, and therefore being able to apply such formula complexities on the spot. His unmatched skill, and his immeasurable arsenal, are why he is known above all else as Arajio of a Thousand Seals (lit. 粗塩 千の封印, " Arajio no Sen Fuuin").
Body Modifications[]
Out of desperation Arajio has gone through the process of self-mummification, the reasoning behind his title of The Preserved (lit. 保, “Purizaabudo”). The art of self-mummification was reserved for the dying members of the Kashiri clan as part of the dying process. Believing their souls were tied to their bodies, the Kashiri wished for their bodies to remain as preserved as possible after death. While the recording process of the Kashiri Zukku was considered the the trial of mind, the self-mummification process of Sokushinbutsu was considered the trial of body. The burial art itself takes 8 years to complete, and during their lifetime the kashiri must follow a diet known as Mokujikyo (藪 口に , “Tree Eating”) to prepare. With the Mokujikyo diet the practitioners consume only the resin of trees, and drink a toxic tea called Urushi (漆, “Laquer”), which serves as an embalming fluid, rendering the body toxic to potential flesh-eating invaders. When they are ready they must seal themselves away in an airless space and verbally cast the proper seals for three days. Upon doing so, their organs become petrified, and must be removed from their body and sealed within special Kanoposutsubo (カノポス壺, “Canopic Jars”). This process is meant to be the final step in life, and end in the user's death. Instead, Arajio used the Sokushinbutsu technique to live. During the final process he linked his petrified organs to a series of seals using jujutsu. Meaning that even his organs are replaced with fūinjutsu. So long as his actual organs remain sealed away they can continue to perform their function remotely, allowing certain abilities to Arajio, such as breathing without the need of air. This technique gives a psuedo-immortality to the ninth, so long as his Kanoposutsubo remain undamaged. For this reason Arajio has sealed the the burial urns in a secret location within the Houmuro Dimension.
Stats[]
Stage | Ninjutsu | Taijutsu | Genjutsu | Intelligence | Strength | Speed | Stamina | Hand seals | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part I | 5 | 1.5 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 26.5 |
Trivia[]
- Favorite Colors: Teal, Red
- Favorite Food: Sand Dumpling (砂団子, "Suna Dango") Chocolate (ショコ, “Shokora”)
- Favorite Word: Dynamic (ダイナミック, “Dainamikku”)
- Favorite Phrase: “Wake from death, and return to life.” (起死回生, “Kishikaisei”)
- Hobbies: Puppet Making, Botany, Embalming, Sewing, Painting
- Likes: Sunagakure, Hosting Tea Ceremonies, Honesty
- Dislikes: Injustice, Hatred, Conflict
- Once the proud owner of a shop in the Land of Tea, which went out of business when the proprietors discovered the tea he was serving was lacquer and honey.
- While he doesn't use them himself, Arajio likes to design and build puppets for fun, often giving them away as gifts. His creations are highly sought after, and considered an item of honor.
- Now mostly confined to Sunagakure, Arajio enjoys having guests so that he can hear about their travels. He hosts regular ceremonial tea gatherings now for both citizens and higher ups, where they are encouraged to share their tales.
- The Ninth has a secret passion for gardening, once serving as a botanist on his travels. His favorite gift to receive are exotic flowers.
Quotes[]
"What’s a grain of sand to the desert?"
"I cannot show you the afterlife, I can only show you to it."
"Time heals all wounds, though memory leaves them scarred."