Ryusuke Nagao

**Ryusuke Nagao** (**長尾 隆介**) is a shinobi of the Igaseishin and is the current head of the Nagao Branch from the Shimizu Clan. Dedicated to the blade ever since he was a child, Ryusuke is a highly skilled warrior, accomplishing a Transcendent Technique that allows him to make extremely fast slashes that occur almost simultaneous. He is notorious for being the "Kuro Oni", and both his skills with a sword and his Menpo mask instills fear into the hearts of his opponents.

## Background

Ryusuke was born into a branch family of the Shimizu clan, a clan of shinobi that help make up the Kagedomei of Igaseishin. As a Nagao and a Shimizu he was trained in Shimizu-Ryu throughout his life, learning ninjutsu and how to wield a blade. He showed a lot of promise and passion for the way of the blade since he was a child.

His father was a skilled assassin and a strict teacher who wanted to see Ryusuke surpass even him. The lessons were harsh but instructive and Ryusuke quickly grew in skill with the blade as well as in ninjutsu. By the time he was a teenager, his father began taking him on real missions. At first Ryusuke was just there to watch and learn but soon he was helping his father on these missions.

However even as he rapidly grew in strength and skill, Ryusuke was still not the same warrior he is now. Eventually a mission gone wrong saw him separated from his father, captured, and used as a hostage. Ryusuke was used as bait to draw his father into a trap, resulting in his father being able to free him but being killed in the process. The rest of the Shimizu clan quickly avenged their fallen brother and retrieved his body and personal effects.

After that, he became the head of the Nagao branch as he had no siblings. He was still pretty young though so his mother took on the task of being his teacher to finish his training and manage the Nagao until he could come of age. Her lessons were far more lenient and they were more focused on other ways of approaching the job, but they were still effective and Ryusuke continued to grow as a shinobi.

Once he became an adult, Ryusuke practically took on the position he already officially had. Though he was at first uncertain about his worthiness for the position, he has proven himself to be a skilled assassin, warrior, and leader.

## Personality

On the job, Ryusuke is the very image of a ruthless killer. This is an image that he has purposely cultivated over the years in order to assist him. He can be especially brutal against despicable targets who he believes deserve the treatment. He believes that once someone has resolved to take a life then the way they do it does not matter, within reason of course. As such he prioritizes pragmatism and uses his reputation to terrify or off-put his enemies.

When not on the job, Ryusuke is a lot more approachable and easygoing. He takes good natured teasing well enough and will even make jokes of his own. In line with the principles of the old Iga Republic which the village descends from, he believes all people to be equally important. As such he is willing to give anyone some of his time, so long as they do not waste it. Similarly he is a fairly humble individual, though he can’t always bring himself to ignore serious challenges to his skill.

Ryusuke is a staunch believer in the beliefs and ideals of the Iga Republic and as such of his home, Igaseishin. It has instilled freedom from oppression as a vital part of his own ideals. Many of the missions he takes on are to eliminate mages hurting innocents or to otherwise support the common man. He is of course very devoted to his people and would go to any lengths to save them.

Having grown up in a Border Realm village, Ryusuke is a very traditional and spiritual individual. He makes regular visits to the village temple and shrines to pray to the spirits or simply reflect internally. He doesn’t exactly hold modern technology in disdain but he does have a preference for the old ways and likes for things to remain more or less the same. Lastly, he has a lot of love for the natural world as well, he spends much of his free time simply observing and enjoying the world and animals around him.

## Abilities

### Ikari no Odori

Ikari no Odori (怒りの踊り), meaning “Dance of Wrath”, is a Transcendent Technique that Ryusuke has developed through the principles of Shukuchi and Iado. The technique begins with Ryusuke sheathing his blade and taking on an iaido stance. If he's out of range from his opponent then he will next use shukuchi to cover the distance in an instance. What follows are three swings of the sword, not simultaneous but the speed is higher than any human can achieve under normal circumstances, being so fast that they might as well be simultaneous. This technique can be focused on one single target or used to quickly cut down three people before the first has even hit the ground. In proper health he can use this technique about ten times in a single battle.

### Shimizu-Ryu

The school of martial arts and ninjutsu taught by the Shimizu clan and its branch families. The most striking feature of Shimizu-Ryu is its focus on kenjutsu. Whereas most shinobi try to strike from afar or avoid being seen at all costs, the Shimizu are willing and able to not only kill but to fight with their blades. The Shimizu style of swordsmanship is very aggressive, it emphasizes powerful lethal strikes and every defense has an associated counterattack. It is said that a master of Shimizu-ryu can rival a master of Jigen-ryu in their ability to kill an opponent in one strike. Shimizu-ryu is not only swordsmanship however and does include other techniques useful to a shinobi. Things like honing one’s ability to observe and find weaknesses in an enemy position, moving silently, and concealing one’s presence through meditative practices. Ryusuke is considered to be a master of the martial art and his swordsmanship can even rival that of the main family, especially apparent through his development of a Transcendent Technique

### Physical ability

Thanks to his training, Ryusuke has developed beyond the limits of a Sleeper. Combined with reinforcement he can deflect most projectiles, cut clean through a human body, make great leaps, etc. Without reinforcement, he is still formidable but not quite as superhuman.

### Magic

Like many non-Kamiizumi of Igaseishin, Ryusuke’s skills are not primarily magic focused. One of the only spells he actively cast is reinforcement to assist him in athletics or combat. Aside from that he can make simple items such as his ninjutsu tools.

### Equipment

#### Muramasa-Arashi

A blade that has been passed down by the Nagao family for centuries. The sword is said to have come from the famous Muramasa and its quality is of the highest tier. At some point the blade came to be inhabited by a spirit of storm that has helped the Nagao since. The spirit is not very strong and can't even visibly manifest but it can do things like influence the wind to guide the wielder.

#### Kaginawa/Johyo

A tool that can shift between grappling hook and rope dart. The rope is made from the silk of a jorogumo that he was hired to kill after it killed the employer’s son, brought to the Kamiizumi family so they could make it into an artifact. The rope remains flexible while also having the durability to resist being cut, burned, crushed, etc. If a good enough anchor point was found it could hold up the weight of a building. It also has enchantments to help with the usage, launching itself further than Ryusuke could throw it on his own, guiding itself towards grappling points, wrapping and unwrapping around things at Ryusuke’s will, etc.

#### Menpo

The mask that Ryusuke wears on missions. Aside from providing some facial protection, the mask has been given the magical effect of being able to instill fear. Simply seeing the mask while it is being worn is enough to trigger the effect. However a skilled magus can resist it and even just someone with courage or willpower, even then it may be enough to throw them off.

#### Other ninjutsu tools

A variety of tools and weapons meant to assist in stealth, such as throwing knives, smoke bombs, poison darts, noise makers, caltrops, and sticky bombs