Nishisora, Kouso [Kiri Genin]

Age : 29 Posts : 87

Nishisora Kousu - My imperfect creation

Basic Information

Name: Nishisora Kouso
Title/Nickname: None.
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Village Affiliation: Kirikagure.
Rank: Genin
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 130lbs

Appearance:

Kousu’s dark brown hair is cut short so that it barely reaches his temples, out of a sense of practicality if nothing else. The shortness of his hair enhances the appearance of a wide brow, lending him a curious, intelligent look which is most pronounced in his hazel eyes, deep set but with a healthy brightness and somewhat long, feminine-looking eyelashes and small straight eyebrows. The skin is pale, the thin lips of his small mouth a shade or so lighter as is the silvered scar – the result of an accident with a knife when he was younger - at the base of his long straight bridged and slightly blunt tipped nose. His chin is equally pronounced and his neck and shoulders are lithe with muscle…

... Lithe. That’s the one word that can be used to describe Kousu’s whole body, lithe and athletic though not overly bulky with tapering arms and legs and a solid chest where another scar – caused by the same knife – can be seen, dark against the light peach flesh. Tattooed on his wrists in a deep greenish-blue ink is the name of his clan, the word sky on his right wrist and west on his left. Another, larger tattoo on his back consists of a hawk's wing on the right side of his spine, beautifully detailed and perfect in every way.

Kousu usually wears a grey hooded top, the hood more than large enough to obscure Ichiro’s face if it were to be pulled up and a pair of slim fitting ‘pants’ [assuming the majority of this site is American and not British like meh] about two shades darker and with small buttoned pouch containing his flute and anything else he may be carrying at that time. His slip on shoes are the same colour as his pants and made of leather. As his appearance is so intentionally simple there’s not much else worth describing.

Personality:

Angry people make mistakes and mistakes can get you hurt, among one of the dozens of phrases that were repeated to Kousu throughout his childhood and a perfect example of a phrase that could be used to describe his personality, Kousu doesn’t get angry, frustrated maybe, but not angry… In fact any outburst of emotion is uncommon. Kousu isn’t emotionless he just doesn’t let he affect his decisions, he’s calm, inquisitive and with a beautifully dry and sarcastic sense of humour. Kousu loves just watching or talking to people and finding out about them, he’s fascinated by different personalities and the way different people act, to the point of using his Nishisora talent of sharp hearing to listen to other people just to find out their dreams and motivations. Because of this he comes across as a innocent if not unpredictable person, but he is Nishisora… Death and murder is no strange thing to him and he will act without hesitation if the need arises. He’s ruthless, of course and his unwavering determination means that if he wants to do something than he probably will and he’ll probably do it in the most efficient way possible, the way he sees it is that there’s no point struggling with his role as an assassin, his victims are not innocent and he is Nishisora after all…

Artistic and musical talent is a sort of unofficial trait of the bloodline and numerous, though not all, clan members play some form of instrument or another, Kousu is skilled enough at both the flute and the shamisen though due to his modest nature he doesn't often bring it up. He only carries the flute around with him - a simple wooden one made at the Nishisora village – and will often be found in a quiet location with his eyes closed, lost in the music. Imagine the effect music would have on someone with such a strong sense of hearing and you’re halfway to understanding why Kousu loves it so much.

Clan Information

[Clan is closed for the time being, unless someone worthy comes along]

Clan Name: Dosa, Nishisora [Western Sky] family.
Clan Location: Northern Water Country
Clan Traits: Determination, ability to act without hesitation and most have some sort of tattoo.
Abilities:
The Nishisora’s sense of hearing is worth noting, so acute that someone born into this particular bloodline is able to discern a person’s strength, stature and present physical state simply but the sound of their breath, this skill is usually acquired around the age of eleven or twelve, though some have been known to show signs at both younger and older ages. Such a talent lends itself to a stealthier approach to combat situations and so the Nishisora have become masters of hand to hand combat, most notably methods of assassination and other ways of dispatching their opponents, or victims, with deadly swiftness and silence.

Though this sense is not without its downside, it goes without saying that a loud enough noise would cause them immense pain but the clan has found a way around this. A clan member can block out sounds at will, though not all together and they must know it is coming, or in other words, if they are not expecting it it will deafen them for period of time depending on the volume of noise, but their hearing will always return eventually.

History:

‘The villages dotted across the western mountains were not among the wealthiest districts in the Five Nations, a century ago someone had built a shrine to the fox god in the mountainside forests and the houses and inns had been built around it eventually leading to the formation of the first village. This tiny, nameless village on the side of Kitsuneyama, or Fox Mountain was the beginning of five more settlements spread across the mountainsides, isolated even from each other and even more so from the major cities and towns of the Five Nations.
Life in these villages was not the easiest you were likely to come across, the men were farmers and the women were whores… there’s little else to say on the matter, the Nishisora, like the rest of the villagers, accepted their lot and made do the best they could. Complaining doesn’t help anybody, much least yourself and those who inevitably did protest against their miserable subsistence were regarded as cowards and idiots and become the victims of bullying by some of the more impatient villagers. The Nishisora usually chose to remain disinterested in any disputes, though they were the same as any mountain clan, hardy but prone to pessimism and with notably short tempers, these particular people also possessed a strangely sharp sense of hearing, though this was thought to be because of the clans heritage, the descendants of those who built the mountain shrine to the fox god and so were seen as near spirits and were regarded with the upmost respect by the villagers.

It was rare for people to pass through those remote villages, and when they did it was just some poor traveller or another, stopping long enough to get drunk at the inn or make a visit to one of the many brothels before leaving as quickly as they had arrived… so it was strange when a master less warrior turned up in the street asking if someone could help him with settling an old score, now I can’t remember the exact story but suffice to say he promised a considerable amount of money and so the Nishisora clan took up his offer only to find out it involved the murder of his old ally who had betrayed him and who he now wanted dead. It would also turn out that the man’s house was fortified and guarded, though it’s said that Nishisora Karasu left the village that night and before morning there came rumours that a local warrior’s house had been burnt down and his retainers killed, not long after Karasu returned with the man’s head tied to his belt and the rest... the rest? The rest doesn’t need telling, all I’ll say is that the Nishisora would go on to become some of the greatest assassins and spies in the Five Nations, though when you’re an assassin reputation is not a good thing…’

- Kousu's mother Naomi telling him the story of his clan when he was five years old.

Note.
The fox shrine itself was located a hundred yards up the mountain from the Nishisora house, in a small grove of bamboo, at the summit of a set of stone steps. Stone lanterns sat either side of the white statue, wrapped with a single length of rope and was forever adorn with offerings to the fox god. From the village one would have to pass directly past the Nishisora house and so the clan was set some sort of ownership over it, and as the main village moved further down the mountain in order to have better soil for the rice fields a small collection of houses remained and became the clan’s village. The Nishisora Village would later remain as an undisturbed place of residence and training for the clan where all records would be kept and where the majority of the Nishisora would be buried.

Combat Information

Element:

Main - None
Subs[s] - None

Specialties:

Main - Taijutsu
Sub[s] – None

Special Characteristics:

Nishisora
Other than their obvious bloodline talent of sharp hearing the Nishisora clan have a reputation as excellant hand to hand combatants and their abilities in stealth and espionage are regarded as the best that has ever been seen. Kousu holds both these traits within his blood and his training as an assassin has served to improve them, when he decides to disappear into his surroundings it is near impossible to detect him due to his absolute silence when moving and his talent for finding the best places the remaing out of sight. On the subject of combat his hand to hand prowess means his strength and quickness are both double that of a normal Taijutsu user of his rank and can be honed even more through extensive training.

Musical talent
Kousu’s heightened hearing means that he is able to tell, with perfect accuracy, the difference between notes and pitch and so has a much different appreciation of music than most people. He is able to play both the flute and the shamisen, having taught himself just by listening to others and copying exactly what his extremely sensitive ears heard. Using the same technique he can learn to play anything simply by hearing it once or twice and remembering the exact notes.

Pure Instinct
Being an assassin often requires putting yourself into situations where, if you were to make a mistake, you would find yourself vastly outnumbered, outgunned and, no doubt, dead within mintues. Becuase focus is so important to ensure sucess and survival Kousu is able to enter a state of pure instinct in which his Nishisora bloodline trait of sharp hearing is at its fullest and he has a total awareness of his surroundings. In this state he will act in the quickest, most efficient and, if neccessary, deadliest way possible, meaning that whilst in this state Kousu's skills are at their best, and he is even somewhat numbed to the effects of pain and fatigue, as well as increasing his reaction time by a small amount.

Jutsu:

Basic Techniques

Note. Kousu never went to the Academy and so was not made to learn any academy techniques...

Name: Water Walking Technique
Rank: E
Specialty: None
Element: None
Description: Probably among the most basic techniques someone can learn but a useful skill nontheless, the water walking technique allows Kousu to well, walk on the surface of water by focussing what little chakra his possesses into the lower half of his body.

Name: Rope Escaping Technique
Rank: E
Specialty: None
Element: None
Description: Probably the most basic technique someone can learn, it is used to escape from bindings by tensing and untensing the body to loosen the ropes.

Taijutsu Techniques

Name: Double Stike Technique
Rank: D
Specialty: Taijutsu
Element: None
Description: Kouso will perform two very quick and very powerful punches to any location on his opponents body, usually a nerve cluster or area where the blows will cause a great deal of pain. If done correctly then this technique can momentarily stun or even knock unconsious any opponent who fails to evade them.

Variation

Name: Backhand Stroke Technique
Rank: D
Specialty: Taijutsu
Element: None
Description: A variation of the double strike technique which uses the backs of the fists. The main advantage of this is that the technique can be performed more quickly from a blocking stance and can be used as a sort of psuedo-block itself, using the forearms to brush off attacks.

Name: Shoulder Toss Technique
Rank: C
Specialty: Taijutsu
Element: None
Description: A technique that users Kouso’s opponents own momentum against them. If his opponent happens to run or lunge at him then he will literally crouch and push his shoulder and arms against their waist or leg causing them to fall forwards over his shoulder, he will then stand up increasing the distance they have to fall and letting them drop to the ground, usually head first.

Variation

Name: Shoulder Toss Technique [Part II]
Rank: C
Specialty: Taijutsu
Element: None
Description: A simple variation of the above technique tailored to make it effective if attacked or held from behind.The same principle is used, Kouso will crouch slightly and shift he weight forwards as if he was going to roll, as his opponent stumbles he uses their momentum to hoist them onto his shoulder and throw them forwards. If they are too heavy/ strong to throw then Kouso will roll, flipping them onto the ground and crushing them beneath his shoulder as his body moves forwards.

Name: Leg Kicking Technique
Rank: C
Specialty: Taijutsu
Element: None
Description: A simple but effective technique used to take out or disable an opponent’s legs. The strike is extremely quick and powerful and usually aimed at the back of the knee, if done correctly it should at least cause Kouso’s opponent to stumble, if not fall to the ground entirely.

Name: Back Kicking Technique
Rank: C
Specialty: Taijutsu
Element: None
Description: Only if Kouso's opponents back is to him will he use this technique as it is easy to counter if you see it coming. It consists solely of a rapid kick to the nerve cluster in the small of the back and if it hits its mark perfectly then it can drop a grown man in a single blow.

Name: Combatants Stance
Rank: D
Type: Taijutsu
Element: ...
Description: The same stance [including minor variations] that is used in nearly every martial arts style ever developed, Ichiro will raise his forearms vertically in front of his face with his fists clenched. This allows for much more rapid strikes with the hands as well as protecting his chest and head and drawing his aggressor’s attention away from his lower body, meaning that any kicks he decides to throw will be unexpected and therefore more damaging and effective.

Name: Basic Hand Strike
Rank: D
Type: Taijutsu
Element: ...
Description: A simple close quarters combat technique performed from the Combatants Stance, Ichiro will throw a quick but powerful punch to his aggressors stomach, chest or head and then withdraw by rapidly stepping backwards, avoiding any counter that may be thrown his way and putting him in a relatively safe position. This technique is usually used when Ichiro is unsure of an aggressor’s strength and skill, using this quick strike to test them without putting himself in any position where he could easily be injured.

Name: Basic Counter Strike
Rank: D
Type: Taijutsu
Element: ...
Description: A countering technique used to respond to punches and other hand based strikes, Ichiro will duck under his aggressor’s arm and deliver a powerful blow to their stomach area. Because the momentum of their own strike has carried them forwards avoiding Ichiro’s is next to impossible and the surprise at being struck will only make it all the worse.

Name: Basic Disabling Kick
Rank: D
Type: Taijutsu
Element: ...
Description: A simple close quarters combat technique intended to quickly and efficiently disable an aggressor. Ichiro will deliver a swift kick to the side of an aggressor’s knee or lower leg, hitting the tendons and muscles with his shin in an effort to deaden their leg and cause them to stumble or even collapse. Because this kick is below the waist it is hard to counter and extremely quick as Ichiro’s leg have a very short distance to travel, this combination of speed and placement mean that avoiding it is extremely difficult.

Name: Multiple Agressive Strikes
Rank: C
Type: Taijutsu
Element: ...
Description: Used when his opponent has been weakened or has in some other way presented Ichiro with an opputunity to repeatedly strike them. He will lash out with flurry of increasingly fast and powerful punches finishing with an uppercut to his opponents chin and then an elbow to their forehead. If the two final blows land then they are usually enough to render an enemy unconcious almost instantly, unless of course they are incredibly resiliant.

History and RP Information

History:

Death of the father, birth of the son…

The mountains north-west of Kirikagure, the nearest a good fifty or so miles away have to endure a lot of rain and so it was no surprise that on the twenty eighth of may sixteen years ago the eaves of the house of Nishisora Naomi and her husband Ichiro were dripping with the constant fall of water… though I say Ichiro, Ichiro didn’t live there anymore… he had disappeared a couple of months ago whilst visiting another nearby town on business and was found washed up on the shores of the Miyakawa, only a small distance downriver from the shrine itself. A matter of days later his wife went into labour, the sounds of her screaming drowned out by the torrential rain pounding the roofs outside, the birth was very nearly a miscarriage but thankfully Kousu was born, to the sound of thunder rolling through the mountains. The baby didn’t see its mother for the first few days of its life, she had spent most her time at the Kitsunemiya or fox shrine, a sacred place amongst not only the Nishisora but all the mountain clans and the site where her husband had been coughed up by the river. Instead Kousu was looked after by his grandparents and a maid named Ayame, at his mother’s house in the secret village.

There are at least twenty different towns dotting the single mountain known as the Kitsuneyama, named after the ancient shrine which the ancestors of the Nishisora are said to have built, half a mile or so to the east of this is Kistunemura, a town again named after the shrine and nearby the secret village of the Nishisora clan where Kousu were born. Nishigata and Matsumura are nearby and Yamamoto can be found on the high road twenty something miles to the east. But for the first two years of his life Kousu was unaware of life outside the village, his mother Nishisora Naomi was an assassin as her brother, Nishisora Nesuro had been, but he had been seriously injured and rarely ever left the village, his life dedicated to brewing poisons for the clan, a talent at which he was considered to be a master.

To be honest, Kousu’s early life was relatively uneventful; the furthest distance he travelled from his home was into Kistunemura and to the fox shrine at irregular intervals, his mother did however, tell him stories about the outside world, mostly about her own travels and exploits, as well as the assassinations. The young Kousu lapped it up, to him the powers of the clan seemed like magic, some sort of unobtainable abilities that he could never dream of possessing… no, it would be another two years until he would start to become even half of the assassin his mother was…

Six years old and trained for battle …

It was two months after his sixth birthday that Kousu was to be sent to a one of the clan’s secret villages to begin training. This may seem strange to an outsider, but to the Nishisora every child is expected to begin training at the age of five, this will encompass both the basic and not so basic skills and will last six months known as ‘The building of the Nishisora’, usually spring all the way through to early autumn. Kousu and sixteen other children were sent to a Nishisora training village where they were to be instructed by an elderly, though incredibly skilled man named Nishisora Isamu and his wife and it was under his leadership that this assembly of children were to be turned into hardened shinobi.

The rigorous routine began early one May morning; the children were to stir three hours before sunrise and, under a barely moonlit sky, bundle a meager amount of food, plenty of water, a collection of weights and a single wooden training pole into a pack that they would then shoulder and carry six miles up the mountain. When they arrived the children would be allowed to eat their derisory breakfast of rice and then begin training, this would consist of hour upon hour of lifting weights and practicing with both the pole and bare hands and would continue until late afternoon when Isamu would give the word and they would begin their descent. As the months wore and the summer heat began to stifle the mountain air, the ‘building’ became even more difficult and began to incorporate such skills as moving silently and indifference to exhaustion, the beauty of their surroundings and the comforting simplicity of their day to day routine, as well as the occasional word of encouragement from Isamu or his wife. It rained more than once but no weather, no matter how miserable had any effect on the children, it was not uncommon to see their little outlines dripping with rain as they ascended the mountainside, happy for the merciful absence of the usual sweltering heat.

Summer eventually ended and as the days grew shorter and the trees began shedding their leaves, Kousu had fallen in to the day to day routine and, almost without realising it, had become used to the torturous walk up the mountain and the relentless numbing practice that came soon after. Those rare people who are not part of the clan but have had the pleasure of being told of the Nishisora’s methods often find it strange and indescribably barbaric that children are taught the best way to battle at six years of age, and that children should be taught so bluntly about death. The clan do not bother with such arguments, their methods, whilst appearing brutal to some and are unquestionably unconventional, are not meant to encourage violence but rather determination and bequeath the children with the ability to act without hesitation.

The instruction went well into the autumn months, and it wasn’t long before the walk up the mountain was accompanied by the soft rustle of leaves underfoot and the stifling heat made the ascent longer and more arduous. The children crossed the leaves with barely a whisper and continued alongside Isamu, up, always up, up to the usual setting, where the sole sounds were the wind tossing the bare branches and the call of the crows roaming the clouded sky. This barren scenery became the site for the closing days of his teaching and having endured six months of steady restraint and practice Kousu stood in silence, his movements perfect and deadly. In the months that would signal the end of that year’s instruction Kousu would spend these last days at the village battling numerous cousins, uncles and other, more distant relations, most were victories and those handful of losses became nothing more than another chance to become better.

Life goes on…

By the end of his sixth year, Kousu was stronger, quicker and generally in better physical condition than most more than twice his age. He had also began to show signs of the typical Nishisora dry sense of humour and their enjoyment of life despite being aware of its darker side. The next four years were relatively uneventful, apart from his yearly visits to the training village and his mother now and then being asked out on an assignment from which she would return rich with stories, usually about the capital but sometimes other towns and cities much further way to the south and west.

It was his tenth birthday, the end of his annual training at the secret village, when the name of the clan was tattooed to his wrists the kanji for west and sky embedded in his skin with a deep greenish blue ink, representing him as a true member of the clan, a sort of coming of age symbol of the Nishisora. This was also the same year his grandparents died; they were, in the way of the clan, cremated by simply having their bodies thrown on a fire and their ashes buried with most of the other Nishisora who have died; behind the village in the cherry grove, the pale blossoms to float wistfully over their graves. They were buried in the rain, the downcast weather matching the mood of the sombre onlookers, it was, like all clan burials, brief, and when it had finished Kousu accompanied his mother as she took an assortment of their belongings and gave them to the fox shrine, the river swelling with the onslaught of the near torrential rain. Kousu stood behind her as she knelt in front of the stone statue, wondering why she would be taking so long just to make an offering, it was then he realised she was praying, not just for her parents but for Kousu’s own father. Kousu himself couldn’t tell if she was crying or not but if she was then the rain quickly snatched the tears from her face.

It was at least a month before both the village and the town returned to normal; Naomi’s parents had been well known and well liked throughout the district and their deaths had had a profound effect on the people, it was almost impossible to even think that two such people who had been a constant in the lives of more than one generation of villagers had finally passed away. Naomi herself had not cried since her prayers at the shrine but the sadness could still be seen in her eyes and she hardly talked to anyone for two months after her parent’s deaths. Kousu’s father’s parents had died before he was born, before even they had married, so he was now left with no grandparents and no father, putting further pressure on his grief-stricken mother and Ayame to look after him. But if anyone is to be called weak it would not be Naomi and Kousu was old enough to partially look out for himself so her situation was not as hard as some would have thought, though it was enough to mean that her work would have to be set aside for five more years and so losing the Nishisora a valuable asset.

A boy becomes a murderer…

And so whilst the clan was searching for an assassin skilled enough to match Naomi’s degree of success she would be resigned to caring for her son and taking part in more mundane tasks around the village. As he grew, Kousu became more wayward and, for most of the time, would disappear into the town and adventure its many streets and alleys, disparagers would spread rumours that as he reached his fourteenth year he was ‘adventuring’ the many bars and brothels that could be found in the towns seedier districts. Kousu paid no attention to rumours, especially if they were so far from the truth as those and although he may have been tempted by the brothels more than once and had even befriended some of the women he had never acted upon his impulses, to be honest he had no persisting interest in sleeping with whores and often wondered how some men could become so infatuated with them when they must have known that an true relationship was out of the question. His occasional eavesdropping on the townsfolk began as nothing more than the odd word that he happened to hear as he was wandering the streets but his curiosity, as well as boredom, got the better of him and he started sitting in the shadows of bars and on the rooftops of houses just to listen to what the people had to say, not that he would tell anyone but because he was fascinated by the hopes and dreams of these ordinary people, especially those whose lives were more impoverished and wretched than most. This habit however, began to occupy less and less of his time after his mother gave him a flute she had made, it was a simple wooden instrument, no different from the hundreds of others that must have been made in this district alone but Ryoma practiced it with a near obsession, and slowly the lonely sound of his music became part of the everyday song of the mountain.

Despite the flute playing in the forest, his life was not as peaceful as it seems; he was, after all coming to the end of his fifteenth year and fifteen is the age that the Nishisora are assigned their first assassination, every scrap of training he had had to endure since the age of six had been preparing him for this, the true test of his abilities.

Whilst waiting for a suitable assignment to crop up Kousu decided to travel to the fox shrine to pray to the stone statue. Again it was raining, Kousu couldn’t remember a time when the he had seen the shrine without a steady stream of water tumbling across its stone etched features, the fox was familiar with the rain and no weather would ever wear it away. The sheer loneliness of his surroundings was absolute; the forest was silent aside from the solemn mewing of the kites somewhere above him and the faint roaring of the river beyond the trees. It was as Kousu was listening to these things that he heard the sound of someone breathing behind him, he was not unduly worried, the person had to be Nishisora to have been able to walk up behind him without him hearing. He turned round to see his mother outlined in the drizzle of the rain, she said nothing but gave a slight smile and gestured with her head for him to stand and follow him, she was, like himself, dressed in the dark travelling clothes of the Nishisora the hood pulled over her head.

‘We have a job for you…’ she murmured over her shoulder as she led in the direction of the town ‘You know Kasumi don’t you?’ Kousu nodded, Kasumi was the sort of person that everyone knows, and the owner of one of the more popular brothels in town. ‘Well she’s been having a problem with Inaba…’ continued his mother ‘… a man from Nishigata, a lord of sorts, he’s a regular at her business and he’s been abusing the women… or something similar, Kasumi didn’t tell me the full details all I really know is that she wants he taken care of, she certainly has the money for it…’. A small distance behind her she heard a sharp breath from her son, ‘Shit…’ Naomi turned round ‘What is it?’
‘The man I have to murder, Inaba, I’ve heard of him, he has a… bad reputation in Nishigata’ Kousu ground his teeth as he always did when he was worried, his face hesitant and uneasy. With a slight smile Naomi reached out and pressed something cold into his hand, it was a vicious looking coil of wire around the length of his forearm and the width of a braid of human hair. ‘Reputation or not he’ll be asleep at this time… use this to kill him, Nesuro’s away in Mastumura so we’re short on poisons’, Kousu nodded, Nesuro was his uncle and a master of turning mountain plants into lethal poisons, after a short pause to ensure the wire’s strength Kousu coiled it back into shape and placed inside his clothes.

The mother and son continued on in silence, striding noiselessly through the forest, the house could be seen as nothing more than a dark outline in the moonlight, its size and austerity visible as no more than a single silhouette against the night sky. They both came to a halt, Naomi leant forward and whispered in her son’s ear ‘Inaba’s room is on the top floor, this side of the house, I’d suggest going in from the outside, less of his men to worry about… sorry I can’t help you’ Ryoma heard the slight shift in the air as she turned and disappeared back into the forest. Kousu stood for a minute or so, childishly surprised that the advice and encouragement would be so brief, the moon was mercifully concealed behind the house meaning that he could scale the near side without any real threat of being seen. Now he had his route planned and was feeling more confident about the dark task at hand Kousu listened for any sounds of movement in and hearing nothing but two men, probably guards talking about two floors up hoisted himself onto the wall. From here it was an easy enough task to leap across to the roof and climb until he was hanging directly below the two men he had heard moments before.

Kousu took out his garrotte and hung there for a while, listening to the guards and mapping the routes he could hear them taking, none would be of any trouble to him save two that were standing right above him, he would have to climb straight past them to reach Inaba’s room, either that or kill them. He heard one of them strolling towards the screen joking with his companion that Kasumi would send an assassin to murder lord Inaba. Kousu smiled to himself, partly because of the stupidity of Inaba’s men and partly out of pity, he heard the man say something about needing some fresh air, his companion mumbling something in response before leaving the room, the sound of heavy footsteps coming towards the screen and the soft scraping against the wooden floor as it was opened. Without even realising what he was doing Ryoma heaved himself up into the room, the man had turned and was oblivious to the assassin behind him, he was still oblivious when the garrotte tightened around his neck, he died without a sound. More footsteps could be heard coming from the hall, not stopping to examine the body Kousu grapped his knife from a nearby table and waited by the doorway for his companion to return. The second died as quietly as the first and lay on the floor, blood dripping from a gash on his throat. Kousu studied the bodies, their faces were familiar but their names escaped him he felt no regret or remorse, just the sense of cold satisfaction that he had been told about so many times back at the Nishisora village. All the other guards were on the street side of the house and it wasn’t long before Inaba lay sleeping like a child before him, so innocently peaceful and unaware of his impending death, Kousu uncoiled his garrotte, in a way it was too easy.

The past seven days…

The morning after, his sixteenth birthday as it happens, Kousu returned to the village to find that news of the deaths of Inaba and two of his retainers had already reached them, his mother was waiting in the shadow of the eaves of their home to greet him. Nesuro had also returned with apologies that he had been absent and unable to assist in his nephew’s first assignment. Naomi told him that Kasumi wished to talk to him in, characteristically unforthcoming with the details, Kousu however travelled into town as soon as all the formalities of his first assignment were over, the meeting with Kasumi was predictable enough; a word of thanks and the arrangement of some further form of payment. Kousu turned her down at first, but she persisted saying that it would be rude not to do so, she offered him a choice of her women and when that failed to grasp his interest she mentioned that she could arrange travel to the capital if he wished to go there. To be honest Kousu was unsure of life outside the relative quiet of the town and village but he had often been curious of the capital and as always his curiosity got the better of him and he accepted Kasumi’s offer. After a brief trip back to the village to inform his mother and the rest of the clan of his departure, the goodbyes were short and nobody seemed shocked by his sudden choice, nobody was expected to stay in the village their whole life and his leaving was almost welcomed, he left that same afternoon, meeting Kasumi, her men and horses at the eastern road leading out of town, it turned out that Kasumi would also be accompanying them to the capital but whatever business she had there remained undisclosed.

The motley group set off almost immediately, with little conversation save a brief greeting and description of the route they would take, the road through Kitsunemura wound north for around twenty six miles, down the mountain, before meeting the high road at a small village named Yamamoto, they would then follow the high road east for another thirty miles until they reached the capital. The horse’s progress was fast and despite stopping off at numerous towns and villages along the way they reached the coastal city of Kirikagure in a matter of days. Kasumi and her men walked Kousu a small distance into the city before the woman mentioned that it was now time for them to part ways. After a short but fond farewell Ryoma dismounted and handed the reins to the nearest of Kasumi’s men, thanking the woman for the journey Kousu turned to leave as the three of them rode off and disappeared into the bustle of the city…

RP Sample:

Spoiler:

Last edited by Kouso on Thu 08 Jul 2010, 8:40 pm; edited 12 times in total

Age : 29 Posts : 87

Completion Bump... ~

Posts : 730

Quote :: Pure Instinct
Being an assassin often requires putting yourself into situations where, if you were to make a mistake, you would find yourself vastly outnumbered, outgunned and, no doubt, dead within mintues. Becuase focus is so important to ensure sucess and survival Kousu is able to enter a state of pure instinct in which his Nishisora bloodline trait of sharp hearing is at its fullest and he has a total awareness of his surroundings. In this state he will act in the quickest, most efficient and, if neccessary, deadliest way possible, meaning that whilst in this state Kousu's skills are at their best, and he is even somewhat numbed to the effects of pain and fatigue.

If this gives you an increased reaction time, or faster reflexes, please make a note of it in the description.

You only have one specialty and no elements. I highly sugest taking one element at least, as -everyone- has at least one basic elemental affinity. Otherwise, you're free to leave them blank.

Your techniques are all very basic, but I still think you need to add more detail to them. Please add another line or two of description to each of your jutsu, including the academy jutsu.

Over all, everything else looked good. I'll give it another good look when I get home tonight.

Posts : 730

Oh, also, I should note that your RP sample is 798 words. You should keep in mind that moderators will hold you to your RP sample over the minimum word guidelines for posting. If you don't intend on posting close to this RP sample(600+ word minimum) then I would recommend toning it down. If you feel capable of constantly reflecting the sample in your topics, then feel free to leave it as is.

Age : 29 Posts : 87

K... need to sort out some school stuff, but I should get in done in a day or so...

Age : 29 Posts : 87

Edited... the jutsu descriptions are still under 3 lines, but that's because of the small writing
o.o... also moved clan and character to water country since it seems so popular : )

Posts : 509

Quote :: The Nishisora’s sense of hearing is worth noting, so acute that someone born into this particular bloodline is able to discern a person’s strength, stature and present physical state simply but the sound of their breath, this skill is usually acquired around the age of eleven or twelve, though some have been known to show signs at both younger and older ages.

Because your characters hearing is so 'acute' does that mean that in the event of an explosion or loud noise he would feel great pain? How intense would this pain be? Can your character choose when this trait is active or is it a passive abillity?

I do like your character style, I'm looking forward to seeing your character in rp ^^

-L7

Age : 31 Posts : 8965

Your Roleplay Sample cannot be your history. I'd suspect you have roleplayed before, go pull your average sample from another place. I'd prefer it if you said your rank was just Genin, that Mizukage gave you the ranking, because you won't be permitted to compete in the Chuunin Exams without that title. Please make those two changes.