HOZUKI MUGEN
Age: 26
Gender: Fluid
Height: 5'9
Weight: 140lbs
Appearance:
Mugen's relationship with their appearance is complicated. Their concept of self is, much like the water that makes up their body, malleable, and conforms to what is around them. This is particularly true of their gender identity, which fluctuates often multiple times throughout the day. Of course, they are a Hōzuki — a clan of suiton users with a particular quirk in their genetic makeup that, with the right training, allows them to passively transmute their very being into water — and so, they have learned to morph their features to present themselves according to what feels right at the moment. Sometimes, their facial features will present more masculine or feminine. Other times, their hair may appear longer, or shorter.
There are a few consistencies, of course: they are fair-skinned with bright yellow eyes, and a prominent beauty mark below their lip on the right side of their face. Their hair is wavy, almost white in hue, but they would call it seafoam blue. During work hours, Mugen wears their assigned hunter-nin clothing: a brown long-sleeved shirt over chainmail, a non-belted embroidered green kimono, loose pants of the same hue, a brown sash tied around their waist, thick brown wool tabi socks, and sandals. Hung loosely around their neck by red thread is a wide-brimmed kasa hat adorned with tattered hitai-ate cloth. On missions where anonymity and discretion are preferred, they wear a painted mask with thin slits for eyes.
Theme Song: Whalien 52 ~ 방탄소년단
History: As the first-born child of Hōzuki parents, it was very unusual to the other members of the clan that the baby would not follow traditional naming conventions. The parents wanted more from their child, hoping that they would one day grow to be larger than the besmirched image of a Hōzuki. The world would be this child's oyster, where they could be whomever they chose, and live the life they chose to be. In lieu of any name ending in -getsu, the parents chose to name their child Mugen. They were infinity, they were endless.
Of course, such an idyllic life was not in the cards for anyone possessing a kekkei genkai. From the moment that Mugen was thrust into the world, into the cutthroat village of bloody mist, they were a target. Their parents enrolled them in the ninja academy as soon as possible, in hopes that it would teach Mugen how to protect themselves should they ever need to. This, however, only painted a bigger target. As it turns out, putting a child who could at any moment turn into a puddle, in a room with other children possessing incredible prejudice and intolerance towards anyone who was different from them, was anything but educational. At least, not in the way they perhaps wanted for their child. The other kids berated Mugen, scared them into puddling themselves, stuck straws in them and pretended to drink them. It was horrid. They were called a freak for being who they were born as. Some kids outright avoided Mugen, and others poked and jabbed at them with invasive questions about their anatomy, their physiology, their identity. When it came time for graduation, all were betting on Mugen to go out swinging. "That kid is gonna unleash hell," The proctors gossiped. "I think the squirrely one is gonna snap, and get themselves killed."
But they were wrong.
Mugen, cold and afraid without a friend to be attached to, disappeared into a mixture of blood and rainwater. They watched in abject horror as all of the cruel, nasty children slaughtered each other like animals. It went on for hours. There were fifty in total. Then, 30. 20. 15. 8. 5. 4. 3. 2.... and then one other student left. Mugen thought the proctors would move on. They thought no one would notice. But one of the proctors caught on, and kept the timer going. The other kid looked haggard. Barely any fight left. So Mugen watched. Two more hours passed, and the student grew restless. Antsy. Paranoid. The weight of what they'd all done that day finally caught up, and the kid took matters into his own hands. The timer ceased, and Mugen was declared victorious without having ever spilled a drop of blood.
Mugen was selected to be an early candidate for the hunter-nin program early into their genin years. The director and, by extension, the Mizukage, saw a glimmer of potential in the young Hōzuki. While Mugen's track record of teamwork was far from stellar, their keenness for reconnaissance and intel gathering, as well as their distinct lack of interest in creating personal relationships with their peers, was enough to begin to draw interest. Days before the chuunin exams, Mugen was plucked from the lineup and into the ANBU barracks, and told of their new assignment: from now on, they would be a hunter. The new normal for Mugen was to act as a forward scout for parties of hunters, and track their target's moves so that others could intercept. It was an easy job for them. They didn't have to deal with teammates, received payment and new assignments by mail, and rarely ever had to engage in combat directly. Life was good, albeit perhaps a bit boring sometimes.
As all cruel jokes go, however, this simple day-to-day routine would only end in upset. One day, well into their 20s, Mugen received a new assignment: teaching. By this point, jounin were dropping left and right. Arguments about petty issues, slander, and a heavy spoonful of racism between clans and clanless took the lives of too many good shinobi who either didn't know any better, or didn't care enough to think twice. Mugen lost the lottery. They marched into the Mizukage Complex, pleading and begging for someone else to be picked. But, the top brass wouldn't hear anything of it. The decision was final, and that was that. A folder was presented with information on their first student and, before they knew it, Mugen was shooed out of the building.
The first day was tomorrow.
DATABOOK
Rank: ANBU
Clan/Kekkei Genkai: Hōzuki
Element(s): Suiton | Water Release (20 XP)
Restricted: Mist Rain Technique
XP Total: 900 XP
Sense: S-Rank (300 XP)
Skill: B-Rank (120 XP)
Speed: C-Rank (60 XP)
Stamina: A-Rank (200 XP)
Strength: D-Rank (20 XP)
Sturdy: C-Rank (60 XP)
Styles:
- Ninjutsu Expert (50 XP)
- Shunshin Adept (20 XP)
Equipment:
- 1 x pouch of senbon (20)
- 1 x pouch of smoke bombs (5)
- 1 x pouch of flash bombs (5)
Might: 0
Will: 1
Fate: 2
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