The freshness of the morning air strikes you, a chill mist dampening the smell of the plants the surround you. The moss hidden under a veil of low laying fog feels slightly spongy under your feet. You proceed further into the ticket of bamboo, beginning to question your decision to follow when at last your ears locate what you must be looking for. A crisp "Thwop!" resonates through the early morning air as you turn to face the source of the sound. Your eyes widen as you barely have time to jump out of the way of a gigantic stalk of bamboo falling. Just beyond the stump stands your target, posed with blade in the final motion of a cut.

"Cutting through a stalk of bamboo that thick is the equivalent of a human body from neck to hip. I do this without issue and without difficulty. Proceed forward if you wish to test my skill.", said the young woman as she adjusted her stance, bringing the hilt of her blade over her head while lowering the tip to form an aggressive guard. As her ice-cold blue eyes regard you, you know that should you step even an inch forward you will be taking your fate into your own hand, perhaps for the very last time.

Tsubaki is the epitome of Kakita. Sporting pale skin, white hair, and ice blue eyes some might call her albino. She has a slim figure built for speed and precision rather then brute strength. With shoulders back and chin held high, many would say she carries herself with a certain regality usually reserved for the high nobility. Perfect posture is of course just one of the many things that sets her apart from normal citizens and ninja of a hidden village. Hair down past ones waist is neigh unheard of among Konoha for its lack of practicality both on and off the field of battle, however, unlike most others, Tsubaki will not cut corners, or her hair, for the sake of practicality.

Like her hair, Tsubaki's cloths do not conform to the norms of the ninja. Utilizing the blue and white colors of her house, Tsubaki wears the traditional kamishimo over her kimono. This consists of an upper piece was called the kataginu and a lower piece called the hakama. The Kakita family crest (a crane) adorns the back of her kataginu. Of the few things that she does wear that a normal ninja would be accustomed to are tabi and sandals as well as a headband, although hers does not detonate her affiliation to the village as it is merely white silk.

The mark of perfection is all about Tusbaki, from the clothes she wears, to the weapons she carries, to the attention to detail given to the simplest of things. Whenever she is awake she is in a constant state of readiness. Be it an appearance in the court of the feudal lord or the call to battle, Tsubaki is always prepared. While awake she never is without some form of weapon, be it a tanto or her exquisite katana worn at her left hip. Even in the dead of night she is not without the means to respond to an attack, always keeping some form of blade about her person. Though she always is armed, she never carries weapons in a typical way that a ninja might. She does not carry a "kit" as many have come to refer to it as, seeing such crude and unrefined weapons as barbaric and the tools of the lower caste.

A constant state of readiness and attention to proper form characterize Tsubaki. As a member of the nobility, Tsubaki has been raised to be very formal and courtly. Such mannerisms are often mistaken for being cold and uncaring, but these notions are incorrect. While she may not often show external displays of emotion, she has been conditioned to internalize her emotions. This trait has lead to severe emotional damage as Tsubaki does not talk about her feelings if it can be avoided. Keeping such things bottled up is undoubtedly damaging to any person, especially one so young. When she has reached a breaking point it often boils over into fits of hysteria.

As a bodyguard, Tsubaki has been trained to be constantly vigilant and ready for action. Thus she is constantly walking a knifes edge, poised for violence in even the most serene of moments. Combat stress takes its toll though, as her constant battle readiness fatigues her body and mind. There are days and nights when Tsubaki is overcome by the stress in the form of pounding migraines and fainting spells. Having never been given strong coping mechanisms, she displays traits of some soldiers returned to peace after a war, unable to leave the mindset of combat and its stresses behind.

Many intimate encounters with the mortality of men has given Tsubaki a flippant attitude about death. Having seen so many die shameful deaths she is determined to keep her pride, even if it requires her to die at her own hands. Death has become common place in Tsubaki's mind and is a fate none will escape. The only method of prolonging life is to deal death to those who would shorten it in her mind. This has taken the form of an overaggressive protective streak. If she takes a shining to you it is very possible that should she feel a threat she will do her utmost to terminate it.

Tsubaki has trained to engage opponents in melee combat. As a bodyguard she is trained to fight in her lords stead as well as in his protection. Her specialties are the quick draw duel (or Iajutsu duel) and the single cut kill. Unlike ninja who are trained to fight with subterfuge and underhanded tactics, Tsubaki is trained with brutal efficiency in mind. When properly applied, her style allows her to fell foe after foe in melee with single deadly strokes.

While without a weapon, Tsubaki is none the less a force to be reckoned with. She utilizes throws, grappling, pressure points, and strikes to disarm, disable, and incapacitate her opponents. While a last resort to her as an armed fighter, she is none the less proficient and practiced in these forms should the need ever arise for their use.

Finally, Tsubaki has learned to read her opponents movements with skill and uses this to her advantage, exploiting their attacks in such a way that she both avoids and cuts down her enemy. Thanks to the speed imparted to her blades because of their design and use, less observant opponents find themselves struck before they realize they have missed or before their attacks could land.

Name: Evasiveness
Rank: C
Type: Physical
Physical Requirements: None.
Training Requirements: A 600 word training post is required to gain this special characteristic.
Description: The ninja trains their ability in more advanced evasive maneuvers which serves the purpose of avoiding enemy attacks. The survivability of the ninja increases as they are now capable of executing quicker flips and dodging basic forms of physical attacks by reading an enemies movement.

With the rise of the ninja many traditional standing armies were disbanded leaving the feudal lords as political leaders who gave over military leadership to the hidden villages. Some noble families were loathe to give up the power of a standing force of warriors at their beck and call. This posed an issue in that there was a sort of internal power struggle between the hidden village and the country as a whole. While the hidden village held military power, the country as a whole held political power and had limited control over the hidden villages (selecting kage candidates as well as approving major military actions, etc). Many among the hidden village would see the creation of a standing force as encroaching on their livelihood and might respond in kind. The solution was ingenious, bodyguards.

There were problems with even this solution though. There were few who could rival the ninja, and the ninja coveted their secrets. Thus it was that the feudal lord had to look outside his borders to find his bodyguards. In a brilliant political move, the lord of the fire country arranged for noble women from the land of metal to marry into the nobility of the fire country. While the land of metal was loathe to enter into such an agreement, they were persuaded when offered positions in the noble houses, thus ensuring that the fire country would allow them to remain in their position of neutrality for as long as the lines sired by their women lived. This also spawned the tradition of females serving as the bodyguards for the Feudal Lord as the original samurai were all women.

Kakita, Tsubaki was born under a full moon during winter. Her early years were spent grooming her for court. Her daily routine was rife with lessons on ceremony and proper etiquette. As the daughter of a noble family with samurai roots, Tsubaki's lessons on form subtly turned into form for combat. By the time she way old enough to be playing dolls and house, she was instead learning to fight with a bokken (a wooden practice sword). She lived a sort of dual life, learning the intricacies of tea ceremony in the afternoons after a morning of combat training.

Though she we still but a child, she was expected to fulfill her duty to the Feudal Lord and pledged her life to his protection by age eleven. Thus it was that she began carrying live steel on a daily basis. While few today appreciate the old ways, those that do know that the carrying of the sword in the open is the mark of a person willing to use it, a big responsibility for a child. It was a responsibility that she was forced to face as soon as it was thrust on her. As was the practice of the time, swords were tested on the bodies of convicts destined for death. This job fell to Tsubaki, visiting her lord's justice upon the helpless men and women who had somehow brought the ire of the lord down upon them. Eventually she would even perform this task with her bare hands against prisoners who were allowed to fight for their lives, ensuring that she would not hesitate when it came time to protect her liege, be it his body or his honor.

By the age of twelve Tsubaki had been acting as a bodyguard for the feudal lord for a year. With her abilities progressing and her willingness to perform the tasks set before her by her lord it was deemed a good time for her to take her training to the next level. To elevate her abilities further it was decided she would need to face real enemies, thus it was that she was set out to carry out her lord's judgement.

At the time, her Lord was dissatisfied with the number of rogue ninja who wandered his country. Seeing that these threats to his person and country weren't being taken care of by the hidden village he sent Tsubaki out with the intent of embarrassing them into doing their jobs. Of course she was directed only to engage certain rogue ninja, those who it was deemed she could handle in single combat. So it was that she set out with her blade to do combat against her first capable opponent, a sort of trial by fire.

Her trial was short and swift. Those who she were sent after were deserters who had probably gotten scarred when sent on mission and fled for a peaceful life without violence. They weren't ready for Tsubaki, who had already had a year of killing experience under her belt by the time she was unleashed upon them. While they first tried non-lethal attacks and words to dissuade her, she began with lethality from the first swing.

Of course such things weren't without consequences. Having not yet even reached adulthood she was little prepared for the emotional backlash of the brutality she was visiting on those weaker then herself. By the age of thirteen she had broken down several times, her emotional and mental state being regarded as fragile. While none questioned her willingness to fulfill her duty if asked, there were days she couldn't function and merely stayed shut in. Seeing that she needed some time to process the events of her life and in general grow up, it was decided that she should be sent away until she could recover and function day to day.

Soon after she was assigned as a go between with the hidden village of Konoha, acting as a messenger for the feudal lord and the court to the village and its leader, the Hokage. The position was merely a nicety though, as she had few actual duties. Thus it was that she came to Konoha, a noble samurai of the ruling caste with an "important" station. A curiosity to many, she was rarely seen during her first year assigned to the village. She spent much of that year in contemplation of the events of her life, getting her head on straight before she eased herself into the mainstream of village life.

Few in the village actually know of her station or that she is indeed not a ninja. The ninja of the village of course know she is not one of their own, but the villagers as a whole do not. Among the ninja not many are privy to the knowledge of her station. Common knowledge is simply that she is here under the protection of the village.

They both stood for a moment, tension rising while they watched each other for the smallest twitch which might indicate action of some sort. A gust of wind blew sand grains at the them as they waited in the typical Mexican standoff. The first motion was the shaking of her legs as they buckled under her weight, nearly dropping her back down into the sand. She felt a lightness in her head which was swimming in a sea of heat exhaustion. It was trouble enough just to stay balanced on her feet, let alone any sort of training.

Her trainer stood across from her, simply watching and judging her current state. Blind siding her no longer had any purpose. He knew she would be unable to detect an attack coming from any area other then directly in her line of view. She'd be lucky to make out a shiruken flying through the air with how blurred her vision must be. He'd have to use something with a larger cross sectional area while flying at you, something like a kunai.

He drew the decided upon projectile slowly from his holster, watching her eyes move for recognition of the draw. With painstakingly slow motions he brought it up to his opposite shoulder, using a typical elbow snap motion to throw the Kunai. It was a simpler then simple attack, the slow flying kunai moving straight out to strike high and outside on Izumi's right shoulder. It was an attack that she would be able to dodge, even in her pitiful state. ..But she had been dodging all day. Certainly by now she had to be figuring out that wasn't the point of this exercise. But she was just a wetlander, he couldn't expect her to understand the point of this training.

Seeing the Kunai flying in she leaned out of the way well in advance of when the kunai would strike. Her trainer sighed as she took the easy way out yet again. He had a shiruken in his hand in a flash, his hand moving quicker then the eye. It was then he noticed her arm rising up, grabbing the handle of the kunai as it flew wide. She spun with it in her hand, telling herself to release once he entered her field of vision again. The kunai flew out of her hand and upward into the air angled out from her intended target. She watched the kunai flying upward, perplexed at how she missed. She was completely unaware of the angle of the dunes relative to her shifting until she landed on her back in the sand, looking up into the sky with half open eye lids.

Had he been any slower she wouldn't have seen him at all before unconsciousness took her once again. As it was, she only saw a blur of darkness as his cloak bathed her form in shade, eyes slipping shut in exhaustion. Everything went dark for her as her eyes closed, blissful deliverance from worldly pains being gifted upon her sprawled form.

When next light intruded into her world it seemed very harsh. Her eyes cracked open only enough for her to wince and groan as dark spots lit up her vision. Voices soon followed, seeming distant even as they loomed over her.

"We put her on a saline drip. It will be a few days before she is back on her feet, but she should make a full recovery.", that was what a normal person would hear, but Izumi could barely make out that it was someone that she recognized. In her stupor she couldn't come up with who it was though. She didn't have long to contemplate it though before she had slipped off once again. Her next memory was being helped up to a sitting position, propped up with pillows so that she could eat jello.

On and on it went until nearly a week later when they released her from their care. She was being escorted home by one of her cousins when she caught a glimpse of something flashing in the light. It was moving, and rapidly at that. It was then that she noticed that it was headed right at her cousin, who was no ninja, that was for sure. Before she might have taken the hit for her cousin, not being able to stop it in any other fashion... but something came over her. It was a trained response in her muscles, her hand darting out to fish the flying needle right out of the air, sweeping it around before throwing it right back at where it had come from.

The heightened velocity of the senbon caused it to hit with a THWACK! sound as it struck a wooden cart. The shaft had bored clear into the wood, leaving only half the needle sticking out as the other half was embedded in the wood. In front of the cart was a man in a sand colored cloak. She only saw him for but a moment before a civilian in a suit passed between them. In that instant that her vision was blocked, he vanished with a knowing grin. "Not bad for a wetlander", he thought to himself as he disappeared into the village.

She looked on, trying to figure out what just happened when her cousin grabbed her around the middle and whisked her off as if she were but a doll. She hadn't looked in a mirror yet or she would have conceded that she looked like she had lost some weight. The large arms of a manual labor had her in a tight grip, bearing her home with a false sense of urgency. Little did either know that the man in the cloak had followed them home.

While she was still weak, and subsequently needed protection, she would be amazed to find how fast she had grown for it. If she could spot and catch a senbon when she was too out of it to be allowed to leave the hospital on her own, she could possibly catch dozens once her health returned. While she was just beginning to learn the lesson in her head, her body was already catching on. Perhaps she had some potential to be brought out of her yet.

~Fin~

Name: Katana
Rank: C
Type: Bladed Weapon
Appearance: With a curved blade measuring 2 Shaku and 4 Sun (73 cm) and an overall length of 3 Shaku and 4 Sun (103 cm). Forged of Tamahagane steel using the Soshu Kitae or seven layers method of forging. The blade contains two fullers which produce a whistling sound when swung which a skilled practitioner can use to judge the angle of the blade in a swing. The finished product is polished to a mirror finish and kept pristine with choji oil applied to the blade.
Quantity: 1
Storage: Worn and stored with the curve down and blade up. When worn it is always worn on the left side and either thrust through and obi or bound in place with chord.

Name: Yoroi tōshi
Rank: D
Type: Bladed Weapon
Appearance: With a blade measuring 6 Sun (20cm) in length, the dagger like Yoroi tōshi is a variant of the tanto built to pierce armor. Unlike the tanto it has a thick cross section to support the blade when thrust through armor. It is a favored auxillery weapon of the samurai for use in war as well as in close combat and can be used for stabbing, its primary use, or slashing.
Quantity: 1
Storage: Worn and stored with the blade up (it is a straight blade, and thus the curve cannot be down). When worn it is worn on the back or right side thrust into an obi or belt with the hilt up.

Name: Iaijutsu Draw
Rank: D
Type: Weaponry
Range: Melee Reach
Element: N/A
Description: One of the more dangerous techniques of swordsmanship is the ability to both draw and strike with a blade in a single smooth motion. With one hand on the scabbard or saya and the other on the hilt of the sword or tsuka the user withdraws the sword while simultaneously pulling back the scabbard, swinging through with the sword to create a very fast and deadly stroke.
Chakra Cost: 3

Name: Air Cutting Technique
Rank: D
Type: Weaponry
Range: Melee Reach
Element: N/A
Description: Using this technique the user can use an unsheathed blade to slice down projectiles within their reach with physical mass. The user may only stop a number of ranged attacks equal to what is thrown out in a single volley. Thus if an enemy shoots two arrows simultaneously, the user can take them down in the same use of this technique. If the enemy had shot separately the user would have to use a use of this technique per arrow.
Chakra Cost: 2

Name: Guard Break
Rank: D
Type: Weaponry
Range: Melee Reach
Element: N/A
Description: Often in a duel weapons become locked. In order to overcome this eventually this technique was created. The user uses a short but powerful shove to push their opponent back and off balance to create an opening for an attack. This technique only works on those of an equal or lesser level of the improved strength special characteristic.
Chakra Cost: 3

Name: Spinning Cut
Rank: D
Type: Weaponry
Range: Melee Reach
Element: N/A
Description: A complicated counter attack built to counter a horizontal or diagonal slash. The user begins with ducking under the blow while stepping forward and to the side in a spin away from the direction of the slash. The user rises back up as they complete the spin, using the momentum of the spin to impart power to either a horizontal slash across the body or a diagonal slash down into the shoulder and neck area.
Chakra Cost: 4

Name: Turn N' Stab
Rank: D
Type: Weaponry
Range: Melee Reach
Element: N/A
Description: A simple but very hard counter to pull off. The user must wait to be attacked by a vertical slash, then once the enemy commits to the attack the user turns their body to the side stepping forward and away from the slash while bringing their blade up to stab the enemy in one smooth motion. A very skilled user will often go for an instant kill blow by trying to stab through the throat and spine, but other popular targets are the heart or other vital organs.
Chakra Cost: 4

Name: Focused Strike
Rank: C
Type: Weaponry
Range: Melee Reach
Element: N/A
Description: The ability to turn a normal stroke or stab into a strike that can cleave a person from shoulder to hip or head to toe. The user focuses their chakra into the strike to deliver both a faster and more potent blow. Proper breathing is used along with perfect technique for this ability to work, making it the culmination of skill and prowess. This technique can be used on its own or to add power to any other technique.
Chakra Cost: 5

Name: Flowing Water Cut
Rank: C
Type: Weaponry
Range: Melee Reach
Element: N/A
Description: One test of a swords sharpness was to blade the blade into a flowing stream and place leaves in the stream to run across the blade to judge its sharpness. A truly magnificent sword doesn't split the leaves though, it splits the water, making the leaves flow around the blade. This technique was built off the principle and it cannot be used with any weapon without a blade that is at least rank C. The user concentrates their intent (in the form of chakra) into the swing, creating a wedge where the blade passes that can split attacks of up to B rank. The user remains behind the wedge and is undamaged (unless that attack is of a slow engulfing sort or lasts more then 1 post in duration).
Chakra Cost: 6

Name: Instant Iaijutsu Draw
Rank: C
Type: Weaponry
Range: Melee Reach
Element: N/A
Description: Like the Iaijutsu draw, this technique is a draw and strike all rolled into one. The difference between this technique and its lower level counterpart is the speed of the draw and strike. An opponent must have a level of improved speed equal to the user to perceive the draw and attack at all. An opponent with one level higher of improved speed or with a level of evasiveness and the same improved speed can react to the attack, although it is still not an easy attack to counter as it is over before many even knew it began.
Chakra Cost: 7

Name: Hip Throw
Rank: D
Type: Taijutsu
Range: Melee Reach
Element: N/A
Description: A technique used to throw an opponent to the ground while maintaining control of any weapon they have in hand. The user begins by catching the arm and hand of their attacker, turning in so that their back is to the enemies chest. Using the arm as a lever the user pivots at the hips, using it as a focal point over which to toss their opponent. By maintaining a hold or a lock on the weapon hand of the enemy [the hand which they struck with], the user can then twist the appendage in question to force the release of a weapon or break the joint if the enemy resists. The user will often use a foot to stomp down on the shoulder socket of the arm to hold it in place and help facilitate the release of the hand and possible disjointing of the shoulder socket by pulling up on the arm while kicking down with the foot.
Chakra Cost: 4

Name: Windmill Bar/Lock
Rank: D
Type: Taijutsu
Range: Melee Reach
Element: N/A
Description: A very simple method of beginning an armbar or wristlock, the user simply steps forward and to the right while using a downward windmill motion with their right arm to guide it down to the enemies hand/wrist. From there the user can take control of the limb with a simple twisting motion, creating the armbar or wrist lock depending on which arm the enemy attacked with. Common follow ups include throws and joint breaking via application of toque or blows from the free hand of the user.
Chakra Cost: 4

Name: Knife Hand Technique
Rank: C
Type: Taijutsu
Range: Melee Reach
Element: N/A
Description: By releasing and molding chakra around the hand of the user they can form it into katar like blade that provides a sharp cutting and stabbing edge for the user to use with knife hand strikes.
Chakra Cost: 5 with 2 to maintain per additional post.

Name: Sword Catching Clap
Rank: C
Type: Taijutsu
Range: Melee Reach
Element: N/A
Description: The ability to stop an incoming sword or other bladed weapon by clapping your hands on both sides and using inward pressure to halt the blades motion. This technique takes a tremendous toll on the user as it takes perfect timing and all of the users strength to complete. This technique is dangerous as the technique will fail if the enemies strength is two levels higher then the users. In that case the user will be severely cut in at least one hand as well as wherever the blade was targeted as the user must commit to this defense and will not have time to redirect the blow. If the technique is used successfully then the user can try to take the weapon from their enemy or can disengage the hold while moving away to avoid follow through.
Chakra Cost: 9 with 3 to maintain per additional post.