Physical Description: Minoru is a little short compared to his fellow male ninja, and has a face and form that says he appreciates sweets far more than the ninja around him who keep in good shape. He still does enough work that he stays well toned, but a broad form runs in the family, as does the sweet tooth. His eyes are a deep brown bordering on black, soft enough that they can be disarming. His hair is usually kept high on top, with a fade along the sides that extends to the back. Age and stress have lead the occasional grey hair to pop up. He usually keeps his facial hair down to a small goatee, when he can help it.
Clothing: Breaking from protocol, Minoru wears long sleeved long shirts that go down so far that they cover his hands if his arms are limp. This Ao Dai is a tradition he carries over from his wife's family. Many of them are rather well decorated, and carry his personal symbol, the 7 point star. He has a selection of Ao Dai that have the symbols of the LMG sewn into the arm, with all his other required identification, but other times he will just wear an LMG vest if the work is going to get that dangerous. He wears half-rimmed black glasses, and keeps his hitae-ate on his forehead. The face paint he wears is an old family tradition he recovered from generations ago, and is always white. He often carries a massive scroll case on his back.
Personality: Minoru has been called both full of himself, and too friendly for his own good. It is a strange sort of confidence, born from years and years of trying to please people with no idea if they want to have anything to do with you. He is known to over explain to fill dead air in conversations, and to have trouble saying no to simple requests. That said, he is rather determined to succeed. He doesn't have the same physical strength as some of his allies, but he will put in the extra work to make sure that he gets the recognition he deserves.
Nindo; "Way of the Ninja": "My story won't be forgotten!"
Cloud Genjutsu
Stage 1
Conductive Wave Technique
Requirements: Tactics 2, Power 2
Stage 2
Splitting Clone Technique
Requirements: Tactics 5, Willpower 4, Intelligence 4
Stage 3
Lightning Release: Volt Nailbed
Requirements: Control 8, Power 6, Reserves 8
Writ of Authority
Requirements: Tactics 9, Willpower 9, Control 7
Stage 4
Lightning Military Fortress Mind Technique
Requirements: Tactics 14, Willpower 13, Intelligence 11, Power 10
Stage 5
Lightning Release: Lightning Beam Playful Circus
Requirements: Control 17, Power 16, Reserves 16, Tactics 15
Lightning Military Advanced Surveillance Technique
Requirements: Tactics 18, Willpower 17, Intelligence 17, Power 14
Stage 6
Absolute Weather Control Technique
Requirements: Tactics 21, Willpower 20, Intelligence 19, Control 17, Power 15
Global Genjutsu
Stage 1
Ikamono Chishio (Fake blood)
Requirements: Control 3, Tactics 2
Stage 2
Magen: Kokuni Arazu No Jutsu (Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique)
Requirements: Control 5, Power 4, Reserves 4
Stage 3
Genjutsu Kai
Requirements: Willpower 8, Intelligence 6, Tactics 8
Raiton
Stage 1
Raiton: Yurayura Hikari Karada (Lightning Release: Flickering Luminous Body)
Requirements: Power 2, Tactics 2
Stage 2
Raiton: Rakurai (Lightning Release: Lightning Bolt)
Requirements: Willpower 6, Tactics 5, Control 5
Stage 3
Raiton: Den'atsu Kasui (Lightning Release: Volt Spike)
Requirements: Power 8, Control 8, Reserve 6
Stage 4
Raiton: Raikou Shunshin (Lightning Release: Lightning Instantaneous)
Requirements: Power 12, Control 11, Reserve 10, Willpower 12
Global Ninjutsu
Stage 1
Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Switch Technique)
Requirements: Power 2, Tactics 2
Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique)
Requirements: Control 3, Intelligence 2
Stage 2
Kinobori/Kabenobori no Jutsu (Tree Walking / Wall Walking Technique)
Requirements: Power 5, Control 4, Reserves 4
Senryu (2 Jutsu per Stage)
Stage Three
Stat Requirements: Speed 12, Stamina 8, Tactics 8
Inventory:
Shinobi Kit - 0
Tessen (Fan 2) - 2 [Emblazoned with the Black Star emblem]
The Canister (Shield 3 + Tracer 2) - 5 [The scroll case on Minoru's back carries a lot of documents, is sealed, and reinforced]
Item Points Remaining: 1
-----------------------------------------
Biography:
Lighthouse Cell
Day 13
Quote:
Originally Posted by To Nayume
After several days of asking over and over, they've finally given me a pen and paper to write with. They won't believe me when I say how thankful I am. I have so much I wanted to say to you, but there was no time before they dragged me away. We didn't have a chance to talk about my decision before I made it, and I know this breaks so many rules we've set between us, but I had to do it. Maybe with Raikage Denryuu dead I should have just swallowed my pride, and my tongue, and accepted Nagai's offer. I know you would have preferred that. If this were another life, I could have just left when the writing was on the wall. With what I saw during the war, the reports I read, the lives that were lost, in that moment I was furious. I knew in my heart that Denryuu had failed us, but I wasn't sure that Nagai was any better. So I opened my fat mouth and said the stupidest thing of my life, short of when I read you that love poem when we were younger. Goodness that was so embarrassing.
I miss you, Nayume. I miss you already and I have no idea how long I'm going to be stuck here, or how often they will let me write. I will though, because I want you to know the truth of what is happening to me, as long as they will allow it. Most importantly, I want you to know that I love you, and I am still alive. I got us into this mess, and I know it is just going to make life harder for you and your family. I will try to make it right, but I don't know if that is possible. Don't fight this, Nagai has made his stance clear. I should be dead, and I think it is only because I minced words when I denied him that he tossed me in this prison instead of having me executed on the spot like those before me. I will survive this, just like we survived that damned war, and just like we survived the darkness that came before. That means you need to survive too, so that I can see you again on the other side.
Lighthouse Cell
Day 30
Quote:
Originally Posted by To Nayume
I've been trying not to complain about it in my letters, but it is so cold here, and so lonely. Even when I get to see other prisoners, we wouldn't dare talk about more than what is for lunch. Many of the others here had a different place in the war, they were bandits or cheats. When they see me, I can tell they think I consider myself apart from them. Honestly, I deserve to be here just like them. The guards watch me with the same predator gaze, I get abused for anything that looks close to an attempt to make hand seals. They should know that their restraints make that impossible. Still, I've received a bruise or two just because they want to be sure I don't have any funny ideas.
It reminds me of when I was little. I'm not going to bore you with it, even though you always pretend to love my childhood stories. The Maruyama name wasn't worth shit, not that I knew that back then. All I knew was that among the kids in Hidden Cloud, I was treated like I had a stick up my butt. My clothes were too fancy, the way I talked was uppity, I even smiled too much. I was supposed to be as miserable as everyone else and didn't know that because of father's relationship with the Lightning Lord, we got certain perks. All I knew was that my father was a shinobi, and an important one. I didn't know how far from his comrades he put himself for that chance, I didn't know what people were calling us behind our backs. I entered the academy like any other kid, and sang the praises of the Lightning Lord, and tried to fit in. But the reputation followed me, even there. The Maruyama were liars, too stupid to do much but suck up, loyal to 'you know who'. That's probably why I tried so hard to be that academic student, despite not being all that bright. If I wasn't the smart student, it was as good as admitting the others were right about me. That's why I was so weird when we met, I should say more weird. It was only a matter of time before you realized I was a fake, not worth your time.
This time I won't put on airs just to fit in. Unfortunately, these glasses are prescription now and even if they don't say it I bet they'll think I'm a nerd. Somehow, in prison, nicknames hurt a lot less.
Lighthouse Cell
Day 41 (Never received)
Quote:
Originally Posted by To Nayume
I'm seeing more and more people brought here. It is hard to know what is the truth, and what is rumor, but we see faces entering the prison and then they never join the general population. We are low threats, or so the story goes. Those others, they are going somewhere else, somewhere deeper. Except, this is a lighthouse on a small island out among the ice. There is nowhere else to go. I get the feeling that there is a lot more going on here than I previously understood. Of course that has been the whole story, hasn't it? I thought I understood the whole war, and instead I opened my mouth and now here we are. The time before was bad enough, watching as Cloud shinobi wasted away doing pointless labor, serving as bodyguards to the Lightning Lord's interests. I remember watching my father waste away trying to please those monsters on the Lightning council until it was too late. When he vanished it set my suspicions in motion. I was just some random kid in archives, I couldn't process what it might have meant. I know now, that he wasn't useful to the Lightning Lord anymore, and was simply thrown away. If I am sure of anything in this world, it is that Nagai hasn't given up that attitude, drilled into so many of us back then. Obstacles, controllable obstacles, can be tossed aside.
I hope this reaches you in good health. I'm sorry to worry you, know that while more is happening here, I am still safe. I count the days with hope that every one is the last before I see you again.
Lighthouse Cell
Day 151
Quote:
Originally Posted by To Nayume
I will be short. My absence is my own fault. I hope it didn't cause you to panic. I received solitary time for behavior I won't detail here, I'm sorry. If my handwriting is sloppy, I can't help that, I'm writing as fast as frozen fingers will allow. I miss you so much, Nayume. I know that goes without saying, but it bears repeating. I miss the smell of your hair, the warm touch of your cheek, your kiss, and so much more. Every day without you is a torture I wouldn't wish on my worst enemies. I have to get out, I have to survive this because the thought of dying without seeing you again is [Blurred out by smearing].
I stay up thinking about when we first met. After that damned academy, two genin on different teams. It was clear even back then that you didn't care for all aspects of the shinobi life. You were so supportive, even when we were rivals. You had so many suitors, but despite my fear I had to let you know I liked you. Remember the notes I would leave you? That boy on your team, Hakko, he saw one once and hated me so much for it. I would just the support on my team, I tried to take the work seriously, but nothing back then was more important than catching your eye. It made those boring jobs back then go bye so fast. I would write you poems while out on missions, almost got me hurt more than a few times. I'm surprised Ikamaru Sensei let me even try for the chuunin exams that year, I was nowhere near ready. Hakko made sure to prove that, all of his rage, all of his jealousy. I tried the techniques I knew at the time, tried to redirect him without needing to actually hurt him.
Remember his face when you ran out to help me up after I lost? I didn't even pass that year, but I felt like a winner. You gave me a kiss on the cheek. Even though you swear we didn't kiss until a few months after, I count that as the first. I'm rambling. Again, I'm sorry, love, and I will send you another letter as soon as I can.
Lighthouse Cell
Day 410
Quote:
Originally Posted by To Nayume
I'm going to sound paranoid, which seems like a waste when every letter of yours comes already opened. I think someone is taking an interest in what I'm writing. Since I assume they can find love letters anywhere, it must be the rest of what I note in our communications. What they want to know that isn't already in the public record, I don't know. I've tried my hardest to be upfront with Nagai's government, this new LMG, but maybe they assume I still have secrets to hide. I've been feeling animosity from the guards, conveniently missed meal periods, clothing returned without being washed. What I did to deserve this, I don't quite know. Maybe if they read it here, they will understand how I feel. I have nothing against Nagai's government, I regret that rebellious moment a year ago with every fiber of my being. I didn't know what I was doing, and with time to think about it, I was a fool to take the side I did.
It was about 13 years back when tension started to build in the village. I think we discussed the animosity from the villagers around the country, and even then you knew better than me. We were all still in the grip of the Lightning Council, too trusting. It is because you have that heart that knows how to help, you saw even then that people were suffering, and shinobi were being used to cover it up. As a chuunin it wasn't like I had access to anything important, I worked for a while in records, in the mission office, only occasionally in the field. What I actually wanted was the chance to read more, to see what the village's archives had to offer. The truth was, not much. We were deprived our own past, and when the revolution eventually started it was that that made me want to fight back against the Lightning Lord. The small history I could piece together, of long ago Cloud-nin fighting alongside heroes of history, of warriors wielding great weapons of legend, it enthralled me. So when the revolution started, I wanted to see the new history with my own eyes. I'm glad you were there to help me as I tried to change into a shinobi worthy of a battlefield. In retrospect, it was rather pathetic, but at least my scrolls from then survive. Speaking of, I know you have been keeping the container safe, but don't underestimate how easily those old papers can become damaged.
Lighthouse Cell
Day 522
Quote:
Originally Posted by To Nagai
I don't know if you will receive this. After a year and a half, I want to plead with you. I have searched the meager library here, and used what records I am allowed when requested, and I believe I can be of use to you. You may not even remember me, the one who couldn't quite bring himself to stand with you after so much had gone wrong. I was in a panic, afraid for my wife, and thought that day would begin the slavery you railed against so eloquently on that winter day. I never got to hear your original speech, which seems ridiculous considering all it caused. That day, actually, I took something away from you.
As chaos broke out after your speech, I was given a panicked mission from my superiors. You might not have believed it then, but Denryuu kept close records of everyone you associated with. My unit crafted special communications that needed to elicit a certain response from the shinobi of cloud. To put it another way, we tracked problem people, and wrote propaganda to manipulate how everyone felt about them. I saw orders come through to sully your name in the aftermath of the fires, and I would be a liar if I didn't say I had a hand in writing the response. At the time I believed the intelligence that you were a danger to Hidden Cloud, I saw no other option. But that isn't what I want to recall now. That day where you spoke at the ramen stand, we had finished creating a list of your associates, profiles on all of them. With the fighting breaking out, the Raikage had no use for propaganda, he sent me and many other chuunin to find one Fukuda Naoya, and his associate Zanestsu Koji, and bring them in.
I will say here that Naoya was as strong as any proud jounin of Cloud should have been. His technique was terrifying, his power immense. I saw my comrades fall one by one, and it only got worse after what we did to Koji. Considering his dramatic response, I justified it all to myself. It was a matter of life and death. If I didn't kill Naoya, my wife would never see me again. That was not an option. My specialty is genjutsu, which you will see when you look at my portfolio if they ever give you this desperate letter. Naoya was no slouch in that department, and I only brought him down after exhausting him completely. He did not die peacefully, he had the fervor of lightning until the end. Did you know I received a commendation for that? I'm sure it got me my promotion to jounin, being the one who survived that massacre. I would much rather have stayed home, and written about it, from the safety of a desk. I would much rather have never killed your assistant, and a sensei, who was a brave soul.
Lighthouse Mailroom
Day 602
Quote:
Originally Posted by To Nayume
Nice paper right? If everything is going well, the envelope should be unopened too. I think everything is looking up. It wasn't easy, but they've finally realized that I can't really do any harm from in here. A man from the intelligence division even came to give me a mission, an honest mission as if I had seen Hidden Cloud sometime in the last year and a half. His name was Taro, came with orders straight from someone he called 'The Inquisitor'. I was suspicious, I guess I still am, but the work was more engaging than anything I had been allowed to do for so long. I just need to rewrite reports for them, sensationalize them, make it something the people want to read. You might have even read a few yourself, I hear they are real popular. The chance to write again and have people, besides you love, read it and love it... I couldn't pass up the chance. There was even a mention that I could get out soon, with supervision of course.
I've made mistakes, and one of the largest was not escaping Raikage Denryuu's Cloud when I had the chance. I saw the truth too late, and my rods back then were used to hurt so many people. I sent out intelligence on positions, deciphered code, intercepted messages, and in my eyes I was a saint destroying the wicked rebels. I remember when I first sensed something wrong with Konishi. The messages we were receiving didn't all match up, and it became increasingly clear that Denryuu Konishi was willing to work with the very G-men we all sought to destroy. The same monsters that burned down Hima. I know you don't like to talk about that day, and the pain, and the lives lost, but those were the kinds of men he thought he could still ally with. I should have thrown down my headband then, but they promoted me, and maybe I let pride get the better of me. I thought that I had to be wrong, those same people that see some good in me couldn't be tools of the G-men. I've had time to think about it, and I know now that there was no other choice but Nagai.
Hidden Note
Day 602
Quote:
Originally Posted by To Nayume
I hope you found this. I'm being reckless, and I know I shouldn't make you worry. Something good is finally happening, and here I am risking everything I fought to gain, a nicer cell, a desk, a chance to actually stretch my fingers. From what I'm seeing, you need to be careful. Even if that means hiding, do what needs to be done to survive. Knowing you, you won't leave that family of yours. Still, Nagai has an agenda that I can't quite track. The man was definitely changed by the war. He may be the Daishou, he may be the hero that killed Denryuu, but he isn't the god he is made out to be. I will work for him because if it isn't me, it will be someone else. It may as well be my voice being heard. I am a shinobi, I was there on that battlefield the day he supposedly charred the Raikage, I fought against the encroaching rebels and yes we lost. We deserved to lose, but I do not know if we deserve Nagai. I don't know who to trust, and time in this place has not helped me feel any better in that respect. So do me a favor and stay safe, beautiful, until I can be out there and help protect.
Lighthouse Mailroom
Day 899
Quote:
Originally Posted by To Nayume
I'm losing my mind in here. They have given me privileges in exchange for my work, and what I asked for were records. If they wouldn't let me have my freedom, then I would know my history. There were records that go back to the government of the Lightning Council, that tracked the history of my father, and his father. Every page I turned hurt more and more, it turned out Nayume that they truly were snakes. There was no secret hero, no twist of fate, Maruyama Mineo was a monster that manipulated everyone around him. A genjutsu master, a spy for the Lightning Lord, a traitor to Cloud, and nothing better.
The generations before though, the Maruyama back then were something else. My father always wore that black star like a symbol of pride, but his own shame must have stopped him from ever explaining what it meant. It was our family crest, a sign of the Maruyama. Through years of terror, through dynasties, and puppet kage, they continued to resist in their own way. They held on to histories of Cloud shinobi when they were strong, proud, and free. How a family like that produced a monster like Mineo, I will never know. It disgusts me that I ever called him father. Still, at least now I know what I could be, and I have something to aspire to. The question is how, how can I ever do that while rotting in this damned tower.
Lighthouse Mailroom
Day 1,340
Quote:
Originally Posted by To Nayume
I might see you before this letter even reaches you. I hear we will be involved in Swamp country soon and goodness do I have a lot to say about that. I'm writing a final article for distribution before I pack up everything here. It will be strange, and I hope you don't hate the man you see when I get there. I'll need new clothes, at least, I'm sure I've lost weight. If the scroll is still fine, I have a lot I need to transfer to it. I can wait though, we should have a long night out. I don't know if I will get much more than a night. They want to keep me under surveillance, they have some other tower they want to put me in I'm sure. A few years of wasting away in a freezer wasn't enough for them, now they are going to shove me in some Intelligence Division office. Still, I will be home, back in Hidden Cloud. I've come to realize, with time, that maybe it isn't too late for the vision I had before. I wanted to be there for that story of legend, and I thought that maybe that era would never be. Then I read more and more stories of brave Cloud shinobi, and I'm starting to wonder if maybe I just convinced myself there was nothing to see. Those heroes of the past, their lives were complicated too. It just takes someone willing to look through it all, to tell the truth about it all, to make them into legends worth remembering.
Hopefully, with your help, I can be someone worth remembering too. That's such a selfish wish, but if I'm honest it consumes me always. Together, we should make a legend.
Intelligence Division Offices
Day 30 after release
Quote:
Originally Posted by To Maruyama Mineo
One day I will find you, and I will make sure you read every word of this. I, your son, believed in you once. I thought that you were a great man, because I looked like you, and people always knew your name. I didn't realize then that you were merely infamous. You used everything your ancestors tried to teach you, and you turned against it. Because of you, and your twisted lack of loyalty, and your disgusting self-importance, I spent years behind bars when I tried to be like you. I stood with the evil I knew, I followed the tune everyone else knew so I could dance my little jig in perfect step. My wife suffered without me, you bastard.
Thankfully, there were Maruyama before you, great people who taught me that determination can lead to real strength. The kind of determination to resist, to fight for truth, even if I have to go above and beyond my station to shine like the star that I am. You did your best to drag the Maruyama name through the mud, and then when the going actually got tough you vanished. Now my comrades are embroiled in another war, the world is in danger, and I don't have the time to bring you to justice. I miss when I thought you were dead.
With love,
Your son.
Writing Example: N/A
Other Info:
==========================
Surname, First Initial: Maruyama, M
Alias: 'Blackstar'
Military Rank: Corporal
Company/Squad: N/A
Technical Occupation: Intelligence Division War Correspondent
==========================
Specialization: Cloud Genjutsu
Birthplace: Gaika City
==========================
Associations: Maruyama Nayume (Wife). Maruyama Mineo (Father. Nuke-nin)
Dependents: None
Marital Status: Married
Declared Next of Kin: Maruyama Nayume
==========================
Stats, jutsu, word counts look fine. I'm not even going to pretend to be knowledgeable about Cloud enough to know if you hit everything you needed, but I appreciate the non-standard bio format.
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03-14-2019, 04:31 PM
[Cloud Corporal] Maruyama Minoru
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