Yuki Shuka

The fifth Lady of Yukigakure, she follows in the footsteps of Nakajima Emiri and Yoi Saya. Time has tested her, but will she pass this task as well? Time has yet to tell how the Yukijoro will rule - as cold and heartless as the eternal winter? Or with warmth and care such as provided by a grandmother to her grandchildren? 
== Appearance ==
Shuka is an impressively tall woman with a presence that makes her seem even larger. She is strong, sturdy, made to weather the winter. She has lived a long time for a shinobi and the lines in her face tell a tale of great worldly experience, a certain harsh and unyielding wisdom. Her eyes are a striking grey-green, like sea ice beneath the cold water. Her hair is white and platinum, thick, and she most often keeps it styled into two braids which she drapes around her neck like a scarf.
Her style of dress meets in the middle between elegant and practical. She keeps a large fur cloak draped around her shoulders and arms, with armour settled on top of it for defence. She wears a scaled sort of armour down her chest and arms. Underneath the armour, she has a long and sleek skirt. Beneath that she wears thick leggings. She tends to dress for the weather despite being unaffected by the cold.
On one hip she always carries with her a sword, hidden by her cloak. Though she has a taste for jewellery, she cut back during Yoi Saya’s spartan reign. She still occasionally wears delicate metal chains, the sort which would lead to frostbite in the weather on anyone but a Yuki, as a subtle unnerving tactic. When she wears her Yuki headband, which is less common in recent times, and usually only done on missions or when travelling, she wears it around her forehead as intended.
Though she is not one to take much off time, on the odd occasion that she can be caught in casual wear, she tends to go for sweaters and shawls in cool colours. She wears clothes that are warm, but still loose-fitting, though often wears compression tights and other athleticwear underneath.
== Personality ==
Shuka is something of a “war dove,” at least in comparison to many of her compatriots. Though she has no particular moral qualms with war and conquest, she feels that they are often ineffective tools wielded without the proper precaution or responsibility, to no real gain for anyone. For a long while she held the fear that Yukigakure was a nation doomed to repeat its history eternally, always collapsing back into the same old rivalry after decades had passed.
She has great pride in the nation of Yuki no Kuni and the village of Yukigakure. The stories of Kuma no Kuni and the clamouring desperation to own it again don’t appeal to Shuka. The majority of the shinobi in Yukigakure have been gone from that country for generations. People are longing for a land they’ve never even known. Shuka asks, is Yukigakure not enough? Look how we have thrived here. This is the land of her ancestors and it is not lesser than the place Oda sailed from, the place he failed to reclaim.
What she wants is to help the half of the nation who still feel out of place to come to fully accept Yukigakure as their homes, to embrace and love the snowy lands for what they are. Her primary goal is national pride and to continue to forge up Yukigakure’s power and prestige.
Shuka is diplomatically minded. As a former member of the Diplomatic corps, she values highly communication and free exchange of information. She is kind and willing to support others. However, she is also not one to be crossed. Trust is the most important thing to Shuka and any degree of betrayal will be handled harshly, never to be forgiven.
She is a firm believer in progress, moving forward, changing. She sees no reason to be stuck in a rut of traditionalism and old ways. She wants to expand Yukigakure’s abilities and become a nation of innovation.
One thing Shuka prizes highly is efficiency. She dislikes meandering methods, overemotional blowups, and decisions made in the heat of the moment, without proper thought. She approaches things with a calm demeanour, favouring de-escalation, patience, and gradation in all things. It is important to her that things be done right the first time instead of having to expend more time and energy fixing a mistake. She can easily forgive a youthful misstep and is much more patient with children, but a shinobi who knows better acting out of line will receive swift chastisement.
Despite this, she's not draconian and views rest and nutrition of the soul as important parts of maintaining an efficient society. She is a major supporter of the cultural arts and takes some interest in painting, bonseki, and ivory carving.
== History ==
Born in -57 sd, Shuka came into the world 9 years after the change of the guard, when Yuriko became the second lady of Yukigakure. She lived first in the small fishing village home to many Yuki, where she learned to fish, hunt, and trap. Her kekkei genkai was not apparent until, at age seven, she fell into the icy water while fishing and was pulled out, completely unbothered by the frigid cold. From there she gradually became more interested in the abilities she possessed and, at age 8, she requested to be moved to Yukigakure, where she could attend the shinobi academy.
Shuka was a stellar student, though difficult at times. She had grown up in a remote and quiet village with more freedoms, and the rigid structure of the shinobi life was difficult for her to adapt to. She was always one to speak up in class and make her opinions known, though she gradually learned to tread more carefully as her time at the academy continued. She was able to graduate to genin by the age of 10, -47 sd.
She was quickly considered a reliable asset. Focused and fierce on the field, she was able to withstand the cold for longer treks, completing dangerous final legs of journeys through wind and blizzard to allow her teammates to take cover from the cold. She took part in protection efforts along the construction of the railroad network, helping clear the path of animals, environmental hazards, and bandits. By the time the network was completed in -45 sd, she’d engaged in dozens missions just along those extensive rail lines.
Her promotion to chuunin was not typical. It happened in -42 sd, when she was 15. The second shinobi war had been in swing for a year. Yukigakure needed able shinobi, especially those who could handle the cold fronts of Shimogakure. For the last year Shuka had been working tirelessly to help with supply transports and to protect the security of the nation from within. With typical life disrupted and no traditional chuunin exams on the horizon, Yuriko made the decision to promote her alongside several other promising genin from her cohort.
From there, Shuka was shipped off the docks of Yukigakure, leaving her snowy home for the first time. She entered a bloody battlefield, and though she arrived still a child, she left a hardened warrior. She helped to batter the shores of Shimo no Kuni for four long years, living as part of an icy guerilla force. Both members of the team she’d trained with since childhood died, along with many of her other friends.
She met with people from Shimo, civilians and shinobi kept prisoner alike. Though her commitment to Yukigakure never once wavered, she did find herself compelled by hearing tales from people in other nations. Some part of her wished for a way to end the conflict without all the bloodshed. The war came to an end with one final death. A peace treaty was signed and she was finally able to come home.
She shared in detail her experiences with Yuriko and though she was too young to be formally appointed an advisor, she became something of a low-level point of contact for battle considerations, serving as an apprentice below some of the then-standing members of the war council. Using her siege experience, she helped in providing suggestions for the design of the Castle of Black Ice, hoping to ensure its impervious nature.
In -36 sd, she would join the GOKA operatives. During the second shinobi war, she was often shipped out as a mercenary, playing either side of the field and engaging in battle. She would report information back to Yuriko, keeping her updated on the goings-on on the field while also helping to maintain neutrality. She transitioned from GOKA to the Diplomatic corps in -33 sd, and engaged on many diplomatic missions during this time, successfully helping to prevent Yukigakure being dragged into the war. As she continued to prove her dedication and value to the village, she was promoted to jonin at age 28, in -29 sd.
She took her seat on the war council not long after and continued to provide advice and guidance for the remainder of the war. She traded her time between mercenary missions, diplomatic mercantile efforts, and remaining at home, providing her advice. Her guidance began to be somewhat overshadowed by the guidance of the Yoi as time passed.
As the profits from the war wound down and Yukigakure began to struggle financially, she was a key player in maintaining trade contracts that would allow Yukigakure to avoid starvation.
She was officially declared an elite jonin by Yuriko not long before her death, in -5 sd, a final thanks for all that she had done. The council’s decision to hold a tournament instead of a vote to determine the new leader struck her as odd. Though she wanted to try for the position, she refused to engage in the charade and was unsurprised when a Yoi was the one who managed to clamour to the top.
During Yoi Saya’s rule, the two clashed often. Saya was a strict and war-minded individual who Shuka viewed as heavy handed. There were several occasions on which Shuka almost stepped down from her position on the war council. When Saya’s intentions to invade Hoshigakure were revealed, Shuka was one of the strongest proponents of her stepping down, applying incredible pressure to her associates and to the council.
Emiri leaving office shortly after her own instatement as leader was not particularly surprising to Shuka. With all the recent failure in leadership, she threw her own hat into the ring when the time to consider a new lord came. She pushed a platform of returning to the kind of rule that Yuriko would have wanted, trying to recapture the good-old times.
== Fighting Style ==
Shuka is a fearsome combatant, clever and unwavering. As with many members of the Yuki clan, she is known for her grace and dexterity, gliding across the snow to deliver harsh and deadly strikes. She is a genjutsu specialist and relies often on tricking the eye, delivering illusions and shifting landscapes to disorient the enemy and throw them off balance. Her illusions are of a terrifying sort, and she's worked very hard to master the ability to layer them over one another or twist them to lie in wait as traps. She'll move a shinobi from a more obvious genjutsu that leaves them shaken to one more subtle, leaving them confused about what is and isn't real.
Just because she is a diplomat does not mean she is above fighting. Any violence is met with extreme countermeasures and she likes to put the battle to rest as quickly as she can. Her preference for genjutsu comes from a desire to end things swiftly and with as little blood as possible. If the mind is trapped, it is much easier to bring the body to join it. Incapacitation is her foremost priority in any fight. This does not, however, mean she is against dolling out extreme physical harm when necessary.
Her Hyoton is storied for its terrifying strength. Stronger than even the average ice release, she is able to cleave enemies with a bitter cold that turns the blood sluggish. Anyone foolish enough to engage her face to face and refuse mercy will be met with impaling spears of ice or brilliant frostbitten explosions.
People who have seen her on and off the field do not describe a night and day difference, but rather an unlocking of a danger that is hidden beneath the surface at all times. She is just as intimidating and deadly as she appears. She uses the environment to her advantage, especially while surrounded by snow.
== Special Abilities ==
HYOTON
The ice is a part of Shuka, living deep within her blood. A rare familial trait, Shuka has inherited the ability to manipulate and control ice and snow at will. She is unbothered by conditions of extreme cold.
ENHANCED CHAKRA CONTROL
Over time Shuka has learned to have excellent chakra control. She was required to live on the battlefield for years, and is well aware of how important it is to conserve all the resources you have, including the ones inside you.
LAYERED GENJUTSU
Those gifted in the field of genjutsu learn to layer them on top of one another without breaking the original illusion the target was caught in. Layered Genjutsu can only affect each sense with one impairment. The newest genjutsu's impairment will overlay the previous if there happen to be two of the same. Layered Genjutsu is able to be broken by Kai'ing the lowest ranked jutsu out of the layer.
Limitations are as follows: - Can layer B ranks and below. Can only layer 3 jutsu max.
LINGERING GENJUTSU
Lingering is what some would call a 'trap' effect. Once a genjutsu is cast and the target is caught, the user is able to cast a second genjutsu to linger in 'hiding' beneath the first. It will remain inactive until the first jutsu is kai'd out of. Then, that trap card is revealed and the second genjutsu automatically takes over.
Limitations are as follows: - 2 Techniques - 1 Active and 1 Trap - Can use B ranks and below to linger.
DEADLY BLIZZARD
Shuka’s Hyoton is particularly intimidating. She has honed her constructs to be harder and sharper, making her Hyoton-based attacks stronger and deadlier than the average user’s.
DIPLOMATIC APPROACH
Shuka is not just a fighter, but a diplomat. As such, she knows how to ease tensions. She knows exactly how to utilize a social manipulation or a well-placed threat, or even idle flattery, to attempt to soothe someone who is up in arms. She excels at talking her way out of difficult situations and coming to understandings with others.