Fuyuki Hōzuki

鬼灯冬樹 Hōzuki Fuyuki

**Fuyuki Hōzuki** (冬樹冬樹 *Hōzuki Fuyuki*) is an Elite Jōnin ranked shinobi of Kirigakure's Hōzuki Clan. In the current day, Fuyuki is infamous for his mastery over the element of water which easily eclipses that of any other modern master. Known both inside and outside his nation as **Fuyuki of the Crimson Waves** owing to the powers at his command.

Determined, immoveable and ruthless - Fuyuki believes in the philosophy of doing right by wrong, and strives to one day lead the Village Hidden in the Mist to supremacy as its new Mizukage and has been hatching schemes to that effect ever since he became a shinobi. To that end he is currently seeking to establish control over both Ao Hōzuki and Ski Hoshigaki; the Jinchūriki of the Three-Tails and Six-Tails respectively as well as gathering and subjugating a new generation of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.

With these forces on his side combined with his personal arsenal of powerful ninjutsu, Fuyuki is slowly laying the seeds for a hostile takeover where he plans to oust the council of elders that currently control Kirigakure.

## Appearance

A man strongly influenced by a difficult past, Fuyuki carries himself as if weighed down by a lifetime of insecurities - and his demeanour likewise reflects this to everyone he meets. Because of how he came to be who he is today, Fuyuki is a man who very rarely smiles and tends to brood a lot as a result. Generally coming off as highly unfriendly, ruthless and even cruel.

Fuyuki is a tall man, standing at well above six feet in height, and this often leads to him towering above those he encounters; a trait which he's not above using to allow him to exert control over diplomatic envoys by means of intimidation, an art he, as a former bandit leader and terrorist is known to be intimately familiar with.

While a conflicted man indeed, Fuyuki has often been described as "chillingly handsome" by his various admirers. Possessing eyes the colour of a moonless night, and just as cold along with pale skin and white hair, his features help perpetuate the image of snow, ice and winter to those who look directly at him, and much like his namesake - Fuyuki is treacherous, dangerous and often unpredictable. His facial features are sharp but defined, his bold features being his prominent jaw and valiantly-shaped eyebrows. His hard cut mouth, combined with his demeanour and cold eyes serve to mark his appearance in a chilling light.

Fuyuki's body is one lesser men would envy, for it epitomizes the strength, force and subtle elegance of the sea. Indeed, his physique has been cited as being almost flawless, to the degree that it is often compared to that of a living statue; a masterpiece chiselled out from a block of ice by an ingenious craftsman enamoured with his art. Fuyuki himself is aware of this and is never above using it to afford himself an advantage if such an opportunity presents itself, considering it to be yet another weapon in his arsenal, and yet another tool to attain his goals if necessary.

## Personality

Fuyuki is a product of the world he's lived in, and the way he's grown up and the manner of which he's been forced to face the world. Although he was fortunate enough to be born into the main household of the Hōzuki Clan he nonetheless faced the harsh realities of the shinobi world as all of his elder siblings perished before he reached adulthood, causing the elders of the clan to turn their attention only on him and force him to abandon everything that made him a child in order to become the scion that they required.

To fulfil that objective Fuyuki was made to become an adult far too quickly and they spent months grooming and moulding him to remove every layer of doubt or lingering insecurities from his consciousness even as they primed him to undertake the ritual that would change his body forever and allow him to use the clan's infamous Hiden. All of these things worked and what emerged from the process was an exemplary shinobi who saw beyond good and evil and saw only his ambition and the greatness of his clan, while his humanity was not completely gone it had been suppressed in a manner considered desirable for a Kirigakure Shinobi.

After his body was transformed Fuyuki was immediately made to attack and kill to desentisize him to the sensation, he was sent on missions that should be much beyond his capabilities to handle but with the aid of his Hiden he survived and excelled and by the time he graduated from the academy and became an Anbu Fuyuki had already grown intimately familiar with the prospects of death and violence. Perhaps it was best that way for by that time he had deliberately ostracized himself from the community, friendship and social relations meant nothing to him at that point - all which mattered was power, the power nessecary to survive in the world, and as such he worked tirelessly to improve his abilities day and night, for to him there simply was no other way - power, success and survival were the only thing which held any relevance or meaning to the young boy.

Whether due to his heritage as a Hōzuki or because of his affinity for water in general Fuyuki has always felt a strong kinship to the sea and this was only reinforced when he witnessed the destruction of a ship at sea, crushed by tremendous waves, its crew scattered across the vast ocean of the Land of Water. The massive tidal waves were brought about by a storm, and from that time on, the young Fuyuki began to associate the sea with overwhelming power - the kind of power that he himself so desperately sought. To him, the immense forces of the sea had to be what true power should look like, and this was something he felt fated to attain given his upbringing and the Ninjutsu at his disposal. It was not merely a happenstance or coincidence but a call to action, to a higher calling even.

He decided his own destiny then and there, on the windy shores of Kirigakure. He would become the Mizukage and use that position to make both the nation and his clan prosper for he believed that his pragmatic view of the world would lead Kirigakure to a better future for its citizens; all for his own benefit of course, for great influence and prestige followed such a lofty position, especially if he managed to turn the Land of Water into a future superpower and use it to conquer the rest of the known world. Fuyuki vowed to achieve his goal by any means nessecary, and has been scheming towards that end ever since.

His goal decided, Fuyuki knew that beyond simply attaining the power nessecary to qualify for such a position, he would need allies and military forces and a great deal of recognition in the world at large, otherwise he knew that the elders of Kirigakure would be highly unlikely to accept him even if he did qualify for the position.

Due to having grown up in such a terrible way, and forced to confront the difficulties of life before he was even remotely mature enough to know how to deal with them, Fuyuki is a man whose sense of empathy is almost non-existant, as to him there is noone and nothing more important than himself, his clan and Kirigakure as a whole. Were he ever to attain his goal he would be likely to ruthlessly send trained Shinobi on suicide missions if it might protect the interests of his village and forcefully quell any attempted resistance against him by threats of mass destruction and eradication, all while striving to maintain control through fear, a concept which Fuyuki considers equivalent to respect.

### Nindō

"*To know ones place, its a matter as obvious as breathing, no one has to inform where you belong, because the truth of the matter is; you're already aware. Fear, its a powerful emotion, but one which is all too quickly brushed aside - fear is not a sign of weakness, its a virtue of your inner wisdom. For when do you feel fear? When do you tremble? Its always in the face of someone or something which you know you cannot overcome. Your mind has submitted then, to the very object of your fright - for your heart knows then, that this is your true superior. Those who tremble with every step you take, those who turn away from you in terror and especially those whom are desperate enough to cower in your wake, leave them be, for they've already been conquered; and are your belongings. However, those who oppose you willingly, those who stand upright and faces you, those are to be slaughtered and made examples of, never give your possessions a way to doubt their own fear, or you've already lost*"
— Fuyuki about the concept of fear, from a speech to his subordinates

Fuyuki's Nindō is defined as "might makes right"; and whereas others' Nindō are typically restricted to merely their own viewpoints and goals, Fuyuki's philosophy is quite different. There's no simple oversight which causes the commoners and farmers of the Land of Water to receive lesser treatment than the warriors, its simply a fact of life according to Fuyuki himself. Fuyuki would reason that their inability to defend themselves isn't necessarily what causes them to languish at their level, but their acceptance of their position and the very abuse they are to face. This "acceptance" is Fuyuki's interpretation of the negative emotions fear and terror - reasoning that the very state of feeling fear is to submit to the object of fright, like a silent declaration of domination.

## Relationships

**Ski Hoshigaki**: Fuyuki considers Ski to be an extremely valuable piece that must be honed and refined for the day when Fuyuki is finally ready to ascend to his coveted position of Mizukage. However, Fuyuki cares little if anything for Ski himself and ultimately only views him as an important weapon, and whenever the Jinchuriki fails to rise to Fuyuki's expectations the man is not above tormenting him about how his brother would replace him if his talents were unsatisfactory. Most prominently shown at Fuyuki's fury at Ski's loss to Amari Uchiha whom he referred to as nothing but a *mere* Uchiha. Even so, Fuyuki's methods of training Ski have proven themselves remarkably effective given his wealth of experience and high intelligence - even if they almost always involve a real danger to the boy in question, a danger that Fuyuki is all too happy to ignore if it suits him.

## Abilities and Powers

Fuyuki is the only individual who can rightly be styled as a so-called **God of Shinobi** and as a result of this is considered the most powerful shinobi in the world, vastly outstripping even his closest rivals in terms of ability and skill. In the centuries-long history of the famous Hōzuki Clan there has never existed a scion of such tremendous ability as him, and his power is not only the greatest of his time but might even place him as among the greatest shinobi in history.

His talents have garnered him worldwide renown and everyone knows his face and his godlike grasp on the element of water, though few know the true power he wields for Fuyuki remains cautious enough that he seldom leaves his opponents alive to reveal the particularities of his Ninjutsu. Regardless he currently possesses the highest known bounty in the world at 47,250,000 Ryō and is practically a celebrity around the globe, being known and respected by both allies and enemies alike.

Fuyuki's abilities as a shinobi are so overwhelming in fact that even the eight Kagemizu, who are nought but modified Water Clones are still vastly superior to most shinobi and would themselves be considered S-Rank despite containing but a fraction of Fuyuki's true capabilities.

His ambition to become the next Mizukage is a grim possibility that has caused the current ruling board of elders that presently govern the Hidden Mist Village to take steps at removing him, such as attempting numerous failed assassination attempts or even sending him on what they thought would be a suicide mission. However, despite their best efforts Fuyuki Hōzuki has never caved under pressure and their futile attempts at dealing with him ultimately only further his plans which is why he has not yet attempted to have them assassinated in turn, claiming that it would be far crueller to show them he's right.

Because of his great skill and nigh-invulnerability from the Hydrification Technique Fuyuki has not sustained any physical injury of any sort for more than two decades; which was further shown during the Crimson Water Incident where Fuyuki single-handedly dismantled the entire Blue Dolphin Movement on his lonesome without suffering so much as a scratch.

### Chakra & Physical Prowess

**High Chakra Reserves**: While Fuyuki's chakra control is exceptional, Fuyuki's reserves are at best average for a Jōnin of his station although this is mostly a pointless concern given his mastery of the Hōzuki Clan's magnum opus which allows him to pull all the water he needs from the world around him, to be expended and reused for Ninjutsu without expending even an ounce of unnecessary Chakra, for although water may change its shape momentarily, it is never indeed spent and every technique at his disposal can therefore be performed with complete disregard to his stamina and as water is the most abundant force in the world this essentially means that Fuyuki is never without a weapon. Even should circumstances force him to rely upon his own reserves of chakra, his mastery of it is such that he need only expend but a fraction of the required amount to produce jutsu at peak efficiency, which is particularly useful while he employs the Summoning Technique to summon the likes of Manda or uses the otherwise prohibitively costed Exploding Water Water Colliding Wave to massively increase the resources at his disposal.

**Flawless Chakra Control**: Arguably the defining trait of his abilities as a Shinobi, Fuyuki is blessed with a degree of chakra control which is virtually unsurpassed within the known world, with only a handful of individuals approaching his level of excellence in this field. This trait was apparent from an early age and allowed him to swiftly learn and apply Nature Transformation which set him upon his future path to glory and proved instrumental in pushing the limits of Water Release. In adulthood, the extent of Fuyuki's mastery of his chakra is such that he can, in conjunction with the Hydrification Technique employ all Water Release Ninjutsu of S-Rank or less without any hand seals at all; and only requires a single hand seal to perform other Jutsu of equivalent rank. When his astounding mastery of chakra is combined with Water-Heavens Convergence the result is that he weaves together different hand seals and jutsu with astounding precision so that they resemble other techniques altogether, typically performing several different high-ranking water release techniques in the time it takes his opponents to perform even one. This he demonstrated in the Crimson Water Incident where he by the time two enemy shinobi had finished a single Fire Release Jutsu each, Fuyuki had already performed three, annihilating both of them in an instant and buying only moments for their leader whom Fuyuki destroyed mere seconds afterwards.

**Invulnerability**: As a perfect inheritor of the Hydrification Technique Fuyuki is beyond words such as durability; for he is simply invulnerable to practically all kinds of physical injury whether they stem from Taijutsu or even most forms of Ninjutsu. Whatever the case any damage he sustains is rendered meaningless as his watery body simply reforms no matter its state, even if he's reduced down to nothing but a puddle or blasted to pieces Fuyuki always regenerates moments afterwards from surrounding water particles such as liquid or even vapour given the sheer extent of his mastery of this technique. Consequently there are vanishingly few ways to rid the world of him for good and he is greatly aware of this fact, with only Fūinjutsu being considered plausible at present, as well as Genjutsu to a lesser extent. Rumours also abound that a powerful enough user of Earth Release could overcome his invulnerability to some degree but at present, there are no masters of Earth Style powerful enough to oppose him.

**Basic Strength**: Although he is physically fit and healthy, Fuyuki has largely neglected practising martial combat chiefly for the reason that to him it is entirely unnecessary as he is more than capable of utilizing limbs of water in place of his own. Though it bears mentioning that his mastery of the Great Water Arm Technique allows him to correct these weaknesses at a moments notice although even then he would fighting merely on strength alone as he has never studied much Taijutsu at all and he likely never will. His mastery of such energies, in general, is also such that he can drain others of their chakra simply by prolonged touch, which can be employed in conjunction with the Hydrification Technique for astounding effect.

**Extraordinary Perception**: Although unkillable by most ordinary means, Fuyuki is still keenly aware of his weaknesses, few as they are and have grown paranoid as his ambitions have increased, naturally analytical and perceptive these traits have been honed and heightened out of necessity as he's had to leverage his advantages in the ever-changing political climate of Kirigakure. Yet however keen his natural instincts are they ultimately pale in comparison to how vastly they are usually enhanced through Fuyuki's invention and mastery of Water Release: Liquid Knowledge which grants him a level of insight that borders on omniscience within the area it effects; for Fuyuki has realized that being able to perceive and predict attacks are much more useful to someone like him who is at his strongest if he is allowed to remain stationary. Because of the exceptionally high levels of awareness granted to him not only by his naturally keen and analytical mind but also by the aforementioned Liquid Knowledge which he always keeps active, Fuyuki's senses are expanded to such a tremendous degree in ways that most wielders of Genjutsu are incapable of understanding the sheer depths of his existence and he is therefore extremely resistant to their spells and illusions - moreso than any other shinobi alive as he can in an instant ascertain the nature and presence of genjutsu and dispel it effortlessly through his astounding chakra control.

**Basic Speed**: Fuyuki's speed is much like his strength a highly neglected part of his repertoire for he simply has little need of it, preferring instead to predict and know an opponent and countering them directly through overwhelming ninjutsu that simply evading them. Evasion is hardly ever necessary for someone like him after all. Yet while the Hōzuki heir possesses little physical ability to move at speeds demonstrated by other shinobi, Fuyuki can employ his mastery of Water Release techniques in tandem with his own body to tremendously increase his speed to such raw levels that it easily surpasses all but the fastest of Ninja. Consequently, Fuyuki's apparently lethargic movements lull his foes into a dangerous sense of false security for he springs forth like a massive dragon and swallows his prey from hundreds of meters or more away in an instant if need be, with neither hand seals nor particular focus required.

### Ninjutsu

Having mastered the art of Water Release to the degree that he's developed and revolutionized it, Fuyuki is often praised as one of the most influential and powerful users of Ninjutsu of the current time. His abilities within elemental transformation and shape transformation is considered to be at the pinnacle of excellence. His ability is such, that he was capable of creating five distinct ways to employ his abilities, known as the Five Principles, which consists of two lesser and three major principles, each of whom were developed over the course of his life by expanding upon the teachings of the Hōzuki Clan. These Five Principles are known to form an essential foundation upon which Fuyuki forms the basis of his rapidly growing power.

His powers have made Fuyuki a feared man among his enemies and even fellow citizens of the Land of Water. Entire towns have been devastated at the hands of Fuyuki in the past, brought to ruin by Fuyuki himself by making use of these five principles. However, for all his power and mastery over the element of water, Fuyuki's abilities in Nature Transformation do not extend to other elements and he is unable to utilize the four other elemental releases although given waters natural versatility and his unparalleled mastery thereof this is not truly a detriment.

This is not to say that his talents are limited in scope however, as outside of those Fuyuki has knowledge and great skill in multiple fields aside from Water Release, most notably with his mastery of the Summoning Technique which he employs to summon snakes and clams for various functions.

#### Water Release

Fuyuki is widely considered to be the greatest user of the Water Release in the entire world, and potentially the greatest master of the water release in Shinobi history. As the foremost master of the water release in the current era, Fuyuki's abilities have developed to a point that contemporary Ninjutsu techniques are largely unnecessary, as he's achieved mastery over the element in question by training with it exclusively since he was very young. Now, his mastery of the element is considered on a plane completely removed from the realm of mortal Shinobi - with him claiming that his abilities rival that of Isobu itself, the Three Tails.

With a life shaped entirely by his search and craving for power, both personal and political, Fuyuki's general employment of the water release puts heavy emphasis on relentless attacks of enormous power and masterful applications, frequently blending in with one another to be unleashed in extended assaults of water, mist and ice. Because of his ruthless disposition, Fuyuki has no qualms with killing and all of his techniques are generally performed with murderous intent with only foes that impress or intrigue him in some way being spared, only to be used either as bargaining chips or way to increase his reputation. Those who oppose him are commonly crushed between two opposing pressures of water, torn into shreds by a myriad of condensed blades of the element itself, or impaled on massive pillars of ice which may be conjured at a moments notice.

Because he has largely succeeded in internalizing the process of using Water-Heavens Convergence that allows him to manipulate surrounding water without the need for other Ninjutsu techniques at all Fuyuki has developed several commonly utilized means of water-empowered attacks which he uses with the fluidity and extent as that of lesser shinobi using Shurikenjutsu or Bukijutsu. Many of these applications possess a power that would if they were made into actual Water Release techniques probably be ranked as C-rank; proving that these applications of Fuyuki's basic abilities are in and of themselves powerful enough to be compared with actual Ninjutsu.

##### Five Principles

**Keijō** (形状, Lit. "Shape"): Fuyuki's first principle of his mastery of the water release is to employ his natural chakra control to change the shape of water in his vicinity into something else, by invoking this talent Fuyuki's abilities allow him to command the water to maintain that shape near-indefinitely. At its most basic, this ability allows him to shape his water-based attacks into the shape most suited for the situation. However, when combined with his other abilities it blesses him with a tremendous amount of diversity and versatility; most commonly manipulating the water released from the bottles he always keeps on his person in order to attack opponents unerringly with powerful consecutive attacks. Fuyuki's mastery of this principle is enough to allow him to perform a wide array of enormous feats, all from shaping hyper-pressurized lances of water fit to pierce their way through even the strongest of materials and defences to summon forth massive tidal waves fit to cleanse entire villages of every living thing within the scope of the wave.

**Atsu** (圧, Lit. "Pressure"): Fuyki's second principle relates to adjusting the pressure and velocity of any liquid body in range; this is a simple application with pretty much endless possibilities as it allows him to tremendously accelerate the pressure, movement and by extension concussive force of any liquid body, the potency of this effect is so great that Fuyuki is capable of making something as simple as a raindrop strike the body with such force as to be equivalent to that of a cannonball. Fuyuki may likewise increase these perimeters in any other attacks or jutsu which employs water. While this principle can be used for really any purpose Fuyuki would desire of it, a few uses, in particular, shine out as especially useful; one of the easiest, efficient and cheapest ways to utilize this ability is to apply it to a myriad of individual droplets, whom when released can have their effective pressure and momentum strengthened hundredfold. Being fit to cleave their way to solid stone with ease and inflict grievous injuries upon impact - depending on how much moisture is present in the air upon using Atsu in this manner, the 'water bullets' may even grow into much larger projectiles by absorbing the ambient water.

**Nagare** (流れ, Lit. "Flow"): Fuyuki's third principle is considered to be more advanced than the previous two, and even with its most fundamental of applications, Nagare has the power to influence the direction and the manner that a liquid flows; at its most basic - the ability manipulates the flow of Fuyuki's water according to his wishes, allowing his water to move with the same versatility and grace as that of a natural-born dancer. The movements being controlled entirely by Fuyuki's mind and chakra control, allowing Fuyuki to manipulate the flow of water remotely and without even the slightest movement; these attacks strike with unerring speed on their own, but if Fuyuki directs the water by hand motions it reaches speeds capable of keeping up with Shinobi of exceptional mobility. Through the use of Nagare, there is no way that is impossible for the user in regards to moving the liquid bodies at his command, exemplified by Fuyuki having shown the ability to manipulate the waves of water in erratic and chaotic manners which would be improbable to outright impossible to achieve otherwise. Despite its great combative use, however, Nagare's real powers are only fully realized when it is combined with Fuyuki's other Principles.

**Katamari** (塊, Lit. "Mass"): Known as Fuyuki's "fourth" Principle, Katamari doesn't have the immediate power and endless potential that the three true Principles have, but in spite of this Katamari is an extremely powerful ability in that it provides a foundation for some of Fuyuki's most dangerous Ninjutsu techniques, which while they're not nearly as destructive as those provided by the three main principles are still much easier to control and employ successfully. This ability is achieved as a cross between Fuyuki's impeccable chakra control and his abnormally strong affinity with the element of water, granting Fuyuki the unique ability to alter the physical mass of water. This allows Fuyuki to actually compacting a huge amount of water (hundreds to thousands of gallons) into a much smaller form, typically being manifested as hovering sphere of water of moderate size. While not in combat, several of these water spheres orbit around Fuyuki's form endlessly, camouflaged by tricks of light. Ensuring that he's always capable of defending himself if attacked, a life of militaristic extremes having forced Fuyuki to recognize the importance of preparation. These compressed spheres of water serve as some of the most powerful offensive and defensive applications of his mastery over the water release, in that Fuyuki may instantly release the compressed water from its confines at the slightest provocation, causing a shockwave of immense pressure to be unleashed from the sphere along with a sudden torrent of raging water, any Shinobi other than Fuyuki who are within close range of the sphere when Fuyuki expands it in this manner, will have their bodies pulverized by the immense pressure and force which results when such a massive body of water tries to instantly escape impossible confinement. Aside from this use, when a large body of water is compressed - it creates a vacuum of great power centred around the growing water sphere itself, this vacuum, empowered with immense attractive forces is powerful enough to create a potent gravitational pull which if not properly responded to may easily throw any nearby individuals off their feet and have them be dragged towards the sphere at high speeds.

**Kōon** (高温, Lit. "Temperature"): A relatively minor ability, Kōon is considered Fuyuki's second lesser principle, considered separate from the three primary ones and it shares this status with Katamari. Kōon is, as its name would indicate the ability to affect, alter, increase or decrease the temperature of water in Fuyuki's range. An ability which is seemingly unnecessary due to Fuyuki's mastery over the flow and application of his chakra, Kōon still possesses quite a bit of practical use in that its capable of instantly changing Fuyuki's water from liquid to ice, mist or steam at extremely rapid rates - its also capable of instantly flash-freezing incoming water release attacks should he need to deflect them quickly, this same application can also be used to instantly turn ice-based attacks back into waters default liquid state. Although these defensive applications of Kōon are rarely used because of how Fuyuki is capable of wresting control over the water of enemies simply by virtue of his vastly superior skills within the field of water release. Fuyuki's main use of Kōon is either as a component to certain applications or as a way to alter his Ninjutsu and water-based attacks even as they travel towards their destination, such as causing a massive wave of water to disperse into mist moments before reaching its intended target, before Fuyuki then to follow up by flash-freezing the mist back into ice and directing it towards his unfortunate foe in the form of countless needles of ice.

#### Hōzuki Clan Techniques

As a member of the ruling family of the Hōzuki Clan, Fuyuki has mastered the Hydrification Technique to the point that its effects have become permanent, making him invulnerable to most forms of attack aside from a weakness to Lightning Release techniques which leave his body numb and paralyzed; although even these are merely ways to incapacitate him and killing him outright is something that as far as most shinobi are concerned, simply cannot be feasibly done, with some going so far as to label the Hydrification Technique as a so-called Absolute Defence. It is because of the extraordinarily close kinship with water that he has attained from mastering this Hiden that Fuyuki is able to perform most Water Release techniques without hand seals.

Like most of its masters, Fuyuki has mastered all of its many variants such as the ability to enhance his own musculature to tremendously enhance his physical capabilities. This talent, while widely used among others of his clan is one he largely avoids using himself for the added risk that it provides; preferring instead to use it to form a greater variety of deadly ninjutsu to add to his arsenal. Most typically showcased through the Water Release: Water Demon Samurai Jutsu which combines the effects of several jutsu to create Water Clones of such stunning complexity and strength that they rival even Wood Clones in usefulness, being able to take several hits, overpower foes and even use Water Release techniques of their own.

While its use in combat is its greatest claim to fame, Fuyuki's mastery also extends to using it for reconnaissance and espionage befitting his role as a shinobi and he was able to easily infiltrate Kuromizu even though it was in a state of total lockdown by hiding in water bags and infiltrated the estate of the Blue Dolphin Leader in the same manner. Once inside he used it to move around unseen and assassinated sleeping guards and rebels by the droves and most chillingly even infiltrated the corpse of a recently deceased one and wore him like a marionette by masterfully compressing his entire form into a much smaller space.

Its most potent supplementary ability is how it enables Fuyuki to gain information from all water that he controls, allowing him to discern an individual's precise movement and actions by visualizing how they disturb it; while at first a minor byproduct of the Hydrification Technique it has expanded to the point where his sense of perception is magnified in accordance. Fuyuki mainly uses this ability in conjunction with Kirigakure's signature technique to immerse the entire local area in his senses.

## History

Fuyuki Hōzuki began life as the oldest of three children and unlike the fearsome shinobi that he would one day become his beginnings were a complete disappointment to parents and most importantly the Hōzuki Clan as a whole for although he possessed the same genes as his siblings, a birth complication left him constantly bedridden, and atrophied most of his muscles to the point where he could not even stand upright on his own merits but required a wheelchair to move about at all, considering that he was intended to be the cornerstone of a new generation given his status as the Clan's heir this was a disaster and his parents suffered gravely in status for having produced such a feeble heir. Only by disowning Fuyuki were they permitted a chance at redemption for their failures and his siblings were groomed in his place. At the same time, he was left to be cared for by servants and nannies. It was only the fact that he inherited the genes of his clan and therefore had the secrets of the Hydrification Technique bred in his body that prevented them from throwing him out on the streets of Kirigakure.

No efforts were attempted to teach him anything for he had no redeeming qualities whatsoever, for much as his body was frail and weak so too was his chakra; ordinarily healthy and potent in a clan as old as theirs but in him it was a feeble spark to weak even to allow him to mould and harness his sole advantage as an inheritor of the water style. Everything he would learn he had to learn himself and he did so by studying the libraries of the grand Hōzuki Castle, which contained knowledge of Jutsu amassed over several centuries, particularly as it pertained to the Water Release and the Clan Hiden.

It took ages for him to read even a single book for merely holding it aloft was a challenge, as was traversing the shelves for new knowledge given how his body refused to work the way it was supposed to, his legs couldn't carry him, and his arms were thin and his body practically emaciated. Yet he persevered without complaint and question, not because he was that tough or just that resolute, but simply because there was no alternative if he wanted to live, knowledge of Ninjutsu was the only thing that could save him from himself and convince the elders to teach him the one power that could change his life. Water was not bound to the limitations of a physical body, after all. Hence, if he mastered the Hydrification Technique then and only then could he exist, but it was a mark of great status and learning it was an arduous and difficult process it; one that required undergoing a ritual that required several days of constant focus by the elders that cast it to unlock its function in the body of a Hōzuki.

Such exertion on their part was not something they undertook lightly for the secret of unlocking its power was known only to them. Fuyuki knew that they'd never agree to perform the ritual for him unless he proved himself worthy of the honour and to accomplish that he began applying his knowledge of Water to create new lesser versions of preexisting techniques by adjusting and increasing the number of required Hand Seals to reduce their cost and allow him to perform the techniques himself; useless in combat but it helped him hone and develop his chakra and most importantly his Chakra Control and by repeating these steps ceaselessly as much as possible he began to get somewhere, eventually he could move on from his simplified versions and utilize true techniques and it was that kind of resolve that eventually made the elders take notice and start to observe his progress with some level of interest although they still had no intention of giving him what he sought they were nonetheless moved by his effort.

Eventually, he was allowed to enter the academy at the age of eleven five years later than his peers as before then he was simply not healthy enough in any way to become a shinobi. In the end, it took him three years to graduate at the age of 14. Whereupon he'd gained enough skills and showed enough talent for the Water Style that his elders finally agreed to unlock the Hydrification Technique within him and his first goal in life was complete. With this newfound ability, he once again turned to research and study and made no attempt to join a team or anything like that but rather allowed himself to be scouted by the ANBU of his village who could turn his abilities to their advantage and although he was still weak at that time his abilities were still formidable enough to be of use in a variety of settings, there was always gonna be room in their organization for a member of the Hozuki Clan who had mastered the Hydrification Technique after all.

During his time amongst them, his talents flourished year by year and eventually, his weakness abated due to the sheer mastery of his abilities that he possessed. The weakling was shed and all trace of him eradicated by sticking him from the records and when at last he properly rejoined society he had become the greatest of their number and was immediately afforded the position of Jōnin.

## Triva

* Fuyuki was created on August 21th, 2020.
* Fuyuki is the first character on-site to be classified as S-Rank.
* Fuyuki is the first character on-site to attain 500 in a Specialization.
* Fuyuki has completed 156 official missions in total: 0 D-rank, 1 C-rank, 37 B-rank, 91 A-rank, 27 S-rank.

## References

1. ↑ Milestone: Fuyuki has a stat total of over 3000 at base due to permanently being under the effect of Water Release: Heavens-Flood Subjugation.
2. ↑ Kagemizu: A single Kagemizu has a stat total of more than a 1000.
3. ↑ Crimson Water Incident: His actions are detailed here.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Control Mechanics: Fuyuki has 800 Control. Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; name "Control4" defined multiple times with different content
5. ↑ Hydrification Technique]: Fuyuki's mastery of Water Release permits this.
6. ↑ Crimson Water Incident: Fuyuki uses three techniques in immediate succession to annihilate the last bit of resistance on the mission.
7. ↑ Control Mechanics: Fuyuki has 350 Control.
8. ↑ Hydrification Technique]: Fuyuki's mastery of Water Release permits this.