Takezo Ikusa

Takezo Ikusa is a former-member of the main branch of the Ikusa Clan, formerly a highly ranked Samurai, he is now an exiled fugitive and Ronin who wanders through the many villages and towns in order to part himself from the Samurai and find purpose in his life. 
== Personality ==
Takezo is a careful and free spirited individual, after experiencing the betrayal of his own clan and exile, Takezo has become less high-strung and more relaxed and patient over the many years he's been on his own. It was that he was trying to prove himself, but in time he has realized the folly of this way of thinking and instead has set himself on a path of self-improvement. Not for the satisfaction of his peers and superiors, but for his own benefit.
== History ==
Im writing this in a single draft cuz he didnt have one and itd better explain his character it probs gonna suck
Takezo was born like many children to high-ranking and illustrious Samurai at the time, conceived not from arranged marriage or from a long-standing familial pillar of the Ikusa Clan; he was instead born to an unknown woman with whom his father had somehow coerced into Sex. The situation has, for his entire life, remained unexplained and mysterious to him as with many men of stature from the Ikusa Clan, it could have been the result of a daring rescue and subsequent thank you from the woman he protected. It could also have been from his father wishing for a woman and demanding such from a random girl in the country-side with the threat of violence or death from noncompliance. However, what Takezo does know is that this same woman who had birthed him had left him in the hands of Ikusa Clan servants who brought the child to the Ikusa hold in the Land of Iron. It is true that Takezo was an unwanted child, evident by the fact that even as an infant, he bore scars from the multitude of attempts on his life in order to be rid of the burden of his existence. Any other child from any other man would have easily been discarded, however Takezo was from the direct Ikusa line. Born of the legend of the Warring States Period, Munisai Ikusa, who was regarded with both reverence and fear from all major clans, his skill and killing prowess being second to none and his station as one of the most dangerous and capable individuals in the world being unchallenged. Tales of his abilities reaching the status of myth, having been known as the one who took one of Tajima Uchiha's Sharingan and the one who laid waste to the best of the Senju Clan. Takezo was not of normal birth, he would not die, his blood would not allow it. He was supposed to be special, a tool to be used by the Ikusa for war.
Takezo, growing up while hearing the stories of his fathers fighting abilities, was both expectant and expected to live up to this legend. This did not come to fruition as he wanted however, while strong and able, he was not quick to pick up the sword. His training was arduous and intense, his want to make his supposed family proud of his training and progress was for not. Even amongst his peers, he was quickly overshadowed by more skilled and talented children from the bloodlines making up the warrior caste of the Ikusa Clan. His journey was not one of a prodigy, but one of a struggling boy who wished nothing more then to be accepted. He had slowly, through dedication and commitment, built up his skill. He did not make progress like one would expect from a line of hardened and powerful warriors, if his bloodline was not apparent it would appear as though he was but a normal child. This disappointing turn of events caused his Grandfather to despise Takezo, he was not the warrior he was meant to be, he was a weakling. His existence was a blight upon his name and his continued life was an insult on their reputation. Through the years of constant training, Takezo had become respected on the field of battle, becoming a warrior worth fearing. Though this came too late at the cost of his favor in the eyes of his immediate family, the damage was already done.
== Abilities ==
Due to Takezo being born to and raised by the Ikusa Clan, he was trained heavily in Kenjutsu and primarily uses a Katana as his weapon of choice. His proficiency in the many schools of Kenjutsu are great enough for him to be called a grave threat to be faced alone in combat. He also possesses a prowess for Taijutsu as well, being more than capable of defending himself if he does not have access to a sword. While his physicality and hand-to-hand combat prowess is of high-quality, his Ninjutsu is lacking in comparison to his contemporaries but he makes up for this but excelling in the areas that he is more proficient at and supplementing his weaknesses.
=== Kenjutsu ===
All Samurai are taught the fundamentals of Kenjutsu at the start of there training, after some years to which they can master these basics, they move on to more specialized schools of training that focus on specific points or styles of sword-combat. Takezo had went through these basic teachings as well, being fully capable of wielding his weapon in a basic form to a mastery level. Compared to his peers he is among the most formidable with a blade, even held in high esteem by those with decades of experience. His growth of his skills are considered by many to be unmatched, garnering a reputation in only a few years from his ability that would take any other person decades of training and combat experience to acquire. He continued specializing and training Kenjutsu after his exile from Ikusa Clan, furthering his capabilities and expanding his arsenal even more. After his years of travel, he is often regarded in many circles as one of the most dangerous Kenjutsu practitioners on the planet. 
* Iaido - A more basic technique, though relatively popular among the ranks of the Samurai. Iaido is a technique requiring incredibly quick, precise movement having the sword being capable of being drawn and attacking at a moments notice.
** Iaido: Instant Draw Technique - A technique of Iaido, the movement of releasing the sword from it's scabbard with the thumb pushing it just enough for no friction to be connected between the blade and sheath, allowing for easier and quicker drawing of the sword. The Blade rises just enough for Takezo to be able to catch it halfway out of it's sheath to draw it the rest of the way making it far quicker than a normal draw. Takezo is strong enough that he is capable of flinging the blade skyward with just his thumb.
** Iaido: Blade Breaker Technique - An advanced technique requiring proper positioning and powerful drive from both the legs and hips, it is a power move from the sheath designed to deliver an immense slash to the opponent with regard to their defense, often being said in being capable of cutting through armor and shields. The namesake of the technique however, comes from how it is often reported that in clashes, the sword of the user, the opponent, or even both, are destroyed from the energy of the attack. Though not many people are capable of performing it properly as it requires great power and positioning to work to it's fullest potential.
Samurai Sabre Technique - One of the very few techniques taught to Samurai involving Chakra, The Samurai Sabre Technique is an ability utilizing Chakra Flow to act as an extension of the users sword, allowing them to completely cover there sword in a swath of Chakra making for more potent attacks. The user is also able to utilize it with Shape Transformations, making them capable of changing the general shape of there weapon to act as something different. Samurai are also capable of forcing chakra from there blades in crescent formations, sending projectiles of pure chakra at an opponent.
* Sabre Technique: Rupture - A Sabre Technique where Takezo is capable of swinging his blade in an arching manner, releasing a stream of chakra in the shape of a crescent capable of great damage.
* Sabre Technique: Flash - A Sabre technique where Takezo would follow with two small slashes from his sword, sending two streams of chakra at an opponent.
* Sabre Technique: Whirlwind - An advanced Sabre technique where Takezo combos his slashes seamlessly into each other to make a consistent series of chakra crescents that become exceedingly harder to block or dodge.
* Sabre Technique: Shockwave - Utilizing immense chakra pressure, Takezo is able to release great amounts of energy from his sword swings, causing the air around him to pressurize and deliver multiple slashes of chakra to scream through the air, cutting into things as if he directly attacked them as well as releasing great gusts of wind to disorient opponents.
* Sabre Technique: Aura - Encasing the entire blade of his sword in chakra, Takezo is capable of increasing the potency of his blade many fold. He is able to decrease the width of the edge of this chakra blade to such a degree that it can cut even through heavy armor, it is also capable of cutting chakra making it very effective against physical ninjutsu attacks.
* Sabre Technique: Stinger - Utilizing his chakra, Takezo is capable of causing his blade's reach to increase drastically allowing for greater advantage in battle, he is also capable of changing it's size quite rapidly, causing the blade to stab forward at incredible speed.
* Sabre Technique: Blade Alteration - Utilizing his chakra, Takezo is capable of changing different attributes of his blade, his chakra being able to take the form of weapons such as; Axes, Spears, Naginata, and many others.
* Sabre Technique: Grave Dance - Infusing a large deposit of chakra into his sword, Takezo stabs it into the ground depositing this chakra much like a tree's root system. When this chakra has reached it's preferred range, it instantly shoots out of the ground, causing hundreds of chakra blades to impale all enemies around Takezo.
Kagebudo (影武道, Shadow Art) - A specialized school of Kenjutsu, focusing on swift, short movements meant to be performed with relative silence and concealment. It is a school taught to all members of the Kagebushi assassins unit of the Isuka Clan as it hones and elevates the assassin skill of the user, allowing them to eliminate targets far quicker and easier. These techniques were created from studying the movements and techniques of Ninja, making the Kagebushi formidable troops to use for counter-assassination/reconnaissance missions against Shinobi.
Baizouryuu (倍増竜, Double Dragon) - An exceptional school of Kenjutsu that is a subset of Nitōjutsu (二刀術, Two Swords Method). Baizouryuu is a style that dedicates most of it's techniques in dealing with battlefield scenarios, forgoing a more traditional duel based design. It deals with the threat of multiple attackers, taking on techniques that would require to use of both a traditional sword and a short-sword so that the user may have a greater chance in dealing with more then one attacker at a time. Baizouryuu is made up of both offensive and defensive techniques, with a focus mainly on counter strikes and instant pressuring of the opponent(s). Takezo had dedicated much of his time after his exile too training in Bizou-Ryuu, excelling in it at a far faster pace then he previously was and becoming exceptional in his skill and aptitude in it.
==== Musōken ====
Musōken (夢想剣) is an ancient philosophical practice that dates back thousands of years to before the founding of the Samurai institution. At it's core, it emphasizes the idea instantaneous reaction caused by the an internal sensation not related to the regular five senses. An extra-sensory perception that causes the body to act without the necessity of having to use the brain to perceive and process the event in order to decide a response. Originally, a variation of this technique was used as a form of meditation that removed the mind from the material world in order to achieve peace, however, after the discovery and application of chakra was given to the world, it was quickly realized that not only could such a technique be amplified by the use of chakra, but also be applied to battle as well. Musōken was then created by ancient Shinobi who wished to greatly improve one's battle capability. It's use was discovered to be practically impossible for many to achieve through any normal means, making it's use rather unique among ancient shinobi and samurai. 
The only person in recent history that was speculated to have been able to learn this technique was Takezo's father, Munisai Ikusa, it is unknown however how much he was able to master it. The basics of this technique involve the user to continuously meditate for hours on end in order to establish a base line to how they can enter the state of being capable of using it in a combative situation. The parameters of using it were then furthered by the limits of human survival and it was found that forcing oneself into a prolong state of hyper-awareness enhanced the mind's ability to handle greater and longer uses of it. This training usually involved exposing oneself to the limits of exhaustion and injury, these paramaters could potentially lead someone into a forced state of hyper-awareness in which an individual's senses would be heightened to an almost supernatural degree. Often it would seem as though people who have gone through this training would be many time more perceptive to surrounding stimuli, being able to perceive there surroundings unknown to most humans. Even the best sensor-nin being unable to keep up with the perception of Musoken users. The technique is usually achieved in stages, it's effectiveness based not only on the mental state of the user, but also the efficiency at which the chakra flows through the body and to the brain. At lower levels of efficiency, chakra is not efficiently processed by the body, causing a sporadic aura to form around them. At higher levels, the chakra becomes more and more compressed into the tenketsu and the chakra pathway system, the large influx of chakra being used not to increase physical attributes necessarily. It instead is used 
*10% - While using Musōken at 10% of it's maximum efficiency, the user gains a large, sporadic, and violent silver aura of chakra that surrounds the whole body. The innate senses of the user are heightened immensely, leading to them becoming multiple times faster and more receptive then normal as well as receiving minor defenses against Genjutsu.
*25% - While using Musōken at 25% of it's maximum efficiency, the user's aura becomes calmer but still very apparent as the majority of the chakra produced escapes the body. The users physical abilities become further enhanced along with the mental perception and processing capability of the mind become significantly stronger. Spatial Awareness also becomes greatly augmented.
=== Ninjutsu ===
Takezo had realized after his dealing with the Senju and Uchiha that if he wished to be able to combat them fully on his own, then he would have to engage greatly into learning the nature of Ninjutsu. While it was something few commanders had practiced in, he had yet to seriously learn any advanced techniques that did not correlate to his Kenjutsu. Takezo journeyed to the top of The Three Wolves Mountains where he met The Great Wolf Sages of the Land of Iron. With there help he was able to learn proper Ninjutsu, as well as even the ability to control Natural Energy and thus, learn Sage Techniques.
Body Flicker Technique - A more basic technique that most capable Shinobi are familiar with, it allows the user to travel distances at what is visually instantaneous speeds,. The cost of using this Jutsu is entirely dependent on the distance the user wishes to travel. The way in which it works is that the user loads the body with a sudden wave of immense amounts of chakra in order to launch the body towards it's intended destination.
* Body Flicker: One-Thousand Steps - An advancement on the body flicker technique that Takezo devised to be used in close quarter situations, this derivative of the body flicker allows the user to move at immense speeds in a small radius. The minimized distance that the technique is used in allows Takezo to conserve chakra while also allowing him to outmaneuver an otherwise more agile opponent by moving in small, coordinated steps, essentially utilizing the body flicker in short bursts that then allow him to appear as though he is appearing and disappearing in multiple points at once, revealing an After-image effect that allows him to swarm his enemies with multiple attacks at once from all angles while also allowing him to perceive and react to any attacks or counter attacks at the same time.
Blade Transformation - A combination of Shape Transformation and Nature Transformation, Takezo can apply the teachings of his Sabre Techniques with his Nature Transformation to enhance it's potency with the elements of whatever nature transformation he can utilize and can use there traits to develop Jutsu that can further enhance it's capabilities.
==== Senjutsu ====
Sage Art: Wolf Sage Cloak - Takezo was unable to fully utilize all the capabilities of Sage Mode due to his inherently low chakra reserves, however, he was capable of utilizing Nature Energy outside of his body instead of inside. Chakra surrounds Takezo like a shroud and takes the form of a wolf-like creature around Takezo's body. While not being as powerful as a traditional Sage Mode, it still provides exceptional increases in strength, speed, and Jutsu potency.
* Sage Art: Sage Weapon - Takezo has learned how to utilize Senjutsu chakra in combination with his Blade Transformation technique, allowing him to further enhance it's potency, infusing Natural Energy into the chakra and greatly empowering the ability even further passed it's original capability.
* Sage Art: Wolf Howl - Utilizing Senjutsu Chakra, Takezo it able to produce high-pitch frequencies that emit powerful sonic blasts at an enemy. Takezo is capable of producing these blasts in all directions as he is constantly surrounded by natural energy, similar to Frog Kata. Takezo is also capable of compressing the energy and utilizing it in precise movements and shapes, such as surrounding his sword in it to further increase it's cutting ability.
* Sage Art: Multi-Arm Technique - Utilizing the surrounding Senjutsu Chakra, Takezo can create multiple appendages made out of it, granting him a greater range of offense and defense by utilizing the multiple arms that it creates, especially in combination with Sage Weapon. 
* Sage Art: Blades of Durga - In combination with the Multi-Arm technique, Takezo is able to summon senjutsu chakra to form multiple large blades that are wielded in each hand. 
=== Taijutsu ===
 Though promoted to as a "secondary" fighting style among the Samurai, Takezo has spent a large amount of time studying basic Taijutsu as well, leading him to become a proficient hand-to-hand combatant. This allows him greater security as he would not have to solely rely on his sword for combat as in some cases of losing it or being unable to access it in a time of danger or crisis. The comparative components of hand-to-hand combat and Kenjutsu are far more abundant then many would think, leading to a proficient Kenjutsu practitioner to associate there techniques without a sword and thus modify them in order to fight unarmed.
=== Techniques ===
Shizuku-Ashidori - A special system of movement created for stealth based operations by the Samurai, it is a technique mainly used by the Kagebushi in there missions in order to muffle the sounds of their footsteps as much as possible as well as be able to move in such a way as to detract any attention there movement might give them from any target to be as hidden as possible. This style of movement is taken from studying the motion of shinobi during their operations.
Soundless Murder Technique - As the name suggests, this technique is simply a soundless method of killing an opponent, usually from behind with a blade. Additionally, because the user moves silently, the attack cannot be anticipated and defended against. The user will often slit their opponent's throat, preventing any cry that might give them away. A technique almost exclusively taught to the Kagebushi Unit.
=== Equipment ===
* Kunai - Every member of the Kagebushi carry a set of Kunai for long ranged attack as well as for secondary weapons to be used in place of a sword if they were ever to lose access to one.
* Katana - Takezo wields an average Katana no different than any other on the surface level, however to counteract any effect of losing it, he had tied a long piece of steel wire around both his arm and the sword's hilt so that hey man maneuver it if it were ever beyond his reach.
* Wakizashi - A traditional side-arm worn by Samurai. Around 20 inches in full length with a 12 inch blade. A standard short sword.
== Stats ==
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