[Gurē Saitogu]

グレー斉藤ぐ

basic information NAME: Gurē Saitogu AGE: 28 GENDER: Male BIRTHDAY: May 25, 995 VILLAGE: Kusa CLAN: x Gurē RANK: Jounin POSITION: Kusagakure Lord's Bodyguard OTHER ALIAS: [NICKNAME] SAI

appearance HEIGHT: 6'1" | cm WEIGHT: 210lbs | kg Tall, slender, conventionally attractive but perhaps not so stunning, breathtaking. He has somewhat the appearance of a lanky, mischievous cat taken shape of a man.  Atop his diamond-shaped face, Sai has a short mop of forest green hair. It is cut a few inches short, with his fringe hanging far past his jaw - it is all swept over his right eye. Both irises are the same color as his hair, as are the pert eyebrows sitting upon his petite brow. He has a thin, sharp nose and soft mouth, complete with pointy canines top and bottom. Sai's skin is tanned olive, supple and stretched over his thick muscles. He has ruddy cheeks and shoulders.  Though his wardrobe is vast, it is very monochrome in color - he prefers blacks and earthy colors, as well as more modest clothing despite his hedonistic tendencies. He likes turtlenecks and long sleeves, mesh and undershirts, as well as thick jackets, though maybe not the jounin-issued flak jacket. He thinks that's maybe a bit of a fashion disaster, and hard to make work with his outfits (not true). Sai also typically wears gloves and high socks under his combat boots. Even when he's off duty, Sai dresses rather reserved. Because of his blood-deep fungal affliction, Sai is prone to sprouting small mushrooms, typically in a ring around his skull, much like a crown - this happens when he is overcome with emotions (especially embarrassment). Sai also emits a constant smell, especially when he's sweating, that is akin to chamomile and lavender.

personality NINDO: "Deadhead the rotten ones." Although he takes life rather seriously, Sai presents as a man who has not seen the cruelty of reality. He is playful, often cracking a joke to lighten the mood, and enjoys nothing more than good fun and entertainment. He is hedonistic, but not in the barest sense; although he does enjoy a good drink and a good romp, Sai believes life should be experienced to the fullest. He has little understanding of moderation, and often splurges on himself or loved ones - whether this be through materialistic or emotional gains is up in the air. So Saitogu puts love into everything he does, even when it's taking lives with his own hands. Sai is a little macabre, often referencing death, decay, and the cycle of life. The death of his mother put him on a path in the medical field, so he has become rather intimate with the concept. He often wonders about what comes after death, and almost looks forward to the experience - he welcomes it; he is brazen, bold, reckless. He does not shy away from the threat of oblivion because he hopes to embrace it like an old friend when his time comes. Hedonism does not stop at death. A love for life extends to all beings. Not only does Sai adore humans and animals (especially cats), the Gurē, in typical fashion, feels the closest to mother earth. Nature qualms him on his dark days, assuages his fears. He can feel their emotions, speak to their veins, roots. In his free time, he likes to garden, leaving the outside of his estate blooming and the inside a jungle.  Incredibly introspective and thoughtful, Sai not only can read others, but he knows himself the best. He is acutely aware of his greatest weaknesses and lamest strengths, well reserved within his personal bubble. He is careful to let others in, careful to be vulnerable with the wrong people - and his relationships with other people come in an assortment of flavors. He wears various masks for different people, never truly himself. It is easier to tailor himself to the whims of others, but this is not a benign trait - he uses it to his advantage. If he is not in control of a situation, Sai becomes uncomfortable. Beneath the layers, Sai is anxious. He wants nothing more than someone who can direct him, unsure of what to do without purpose. He clings to authority figures, and people who make him feel useful.

history [995 - 1000] Gurē Miroku was instilled with one ideal; keep the clan alive. So when the doctors told her she might not bear children, Miroku was crushed.  Saitogu is her miracle child, after one miscarriage - a rainbow baby. Everything to Miroku. She and her husband, Iruruta Kenji, dote on their precious Saitogu. Kenji, son of a wealthy restaurant-chain owner localized within Kusagakure, is able to provide wealthily for their son. Sai never goes without, does not need to understand dread. For a few years, his life is perfect - and his mother instills one ideal into him; keep the clan alive.  Over the years, growing up, Saitogu is a shameless mama's boy. He does not really get along well with his father, often causing arguments between his parents by misbehaving. Kenji would push for punishment; Miroku would insist Saitogu is only a child, harmless and exploring the world and his boundaries. Even when he grows vines throughout the entire house, or clogs the toilets with roses - Miroku is relentless in protecting her child. [1001 - 1007] As Sai turns five, Miroku starts slowing down, unable to get out of bed or truly care for her child. Eventually, she ends up coughing up blood, and then soon after mold spores start showing up in her vomit. The doctors tell her that decaying mold, much like a cancer, is growing in her stomach and seeping into her lungs.  Not even a year later, Miroku is bedridden. Spoiled brat that he is, something shifts within Sai - he trades roles with his mother, becoming her savior at as young as seven. He waits on his mother, is with her constantly. Reads her to sleep, feeds her meals - argues with his father about what should be done with her. Surprisingly, Sai is on the side of putting her out of her misery - as the years drag on, so too does the mold infesting her innards, spreading further and further through her vessel. Kenji cannot bear to see his lover fall to the arms of death; Sai cannot bear to see his mother suffer any longer. The sickness takes years. Sai hits double digits by the time she perishes. Even though he had advocated for her rest, Sai takes his mother's passing hard. If it's even possible, Kenji takes it harder - he shifts, going from the stern yet loving father to something empty and defeated.  Sai tells his father of his dreams; to be a steadfast medical ninja working the field, a support system for allies, a smiling face amidst the battle. Kenji, in his last attempt at being a good father, secures Sai two things - enrollment in the academy, and a chance to shadow at the hospital. [1008 - 1010] Thirteen. The year of being a true teenager. One dead mother under his belt, Sai sets out to realize his dreams. Juggling school and the hospital is busywork, and might overwhelm a lesser child - but Sai surges forward, fueled by a need to protect his mother even in death. His grades are phenomenal, and he quickly becomes the topic of peer conversation. A wealthy son with a dead mother who excels in class and also works at the hospital? Why, he's drop dead dreamy to the girls - and all the envy to the boys. Sai stays above it all, ignoring these whispers, ignoring the girls who ask him to date and the boys who try to pester him, befriend him.  It's hard to connect with anyone, hard to make meaningful bonds. Not for lack of wanting to; this stoic aura is only a cover for the worried, anxious boy at its core. With the loss of his mother, Sai does gravitate toward one individual. Instead of making a friend his own age, Sai grows attached to his sensei.  Hiruki Usagi is a clanless, busty woman with a husband and two children. Older, kinder, beautiful - but his attraction to her goes beneath the surface. She is tender, playful, encouraging. Reminiscent of Miroku. Through the years of his stay at the academy, Sai grows closest to Usagi, and eventually the relationship evolves into something inappropriate for a student-teacher dynamic. Behind the walls of school, Usagi is a hedonistic woman with a taste for beer and drugs - both of which she introduces to a fifteen year old Saitogu. This is when Sai learns to live life to its fullest, and with that ideal comes a risk he takes one night with his teacher. Sai kisses Usagi, only to be met with a slap to the face. He does not see Usagi outside of school after that. [1011 - 1016] Graduation is sour, but allows a sixteen year old Sai to focus on the medical field. Heart heavy, Sai dumps all his being into the medical corps, where he is trained even further in the field. This time, he gets practice with being a battle-medic; onsite, proactive duty hardens him. Without a light to shine on all this dark, Sai is growing inward, bitter, cold. He has no friends to speak of, hardly talks to his wayward father. Years are spent serving in the medical corps. Sai is rigid, easy to work with - better as a tool. As it is, Sai prefers to be a serf, serving someone higher, given a reason to exist. A purpose is important to him, yet he feels the lack of one. Sai plays pawn. He is expendable, and learns that he is not the most important piece in play. He is a supporting role, meant to be on the sidelines. He is content here, on the edge of the universe looking in.  His first Chuunin Exams would be his last; he shows up to a simple two-round adventure into adulthood among no less than one hundred other genin from different countries. Sai keeps his head down, but ends up playing the role of leader in the first round, and is successful in directing his team. It helps that he's a bit older than the rest, though it does make him feel a bit odd to be nearly an adult among children. The second round is a typical tournament. Sai overestimates his first opponent, ending the match in under five minutes.  A boy his age is the last opponent, and Sai is thankful for that. Beating up kids was kind of a bummer. Nobue Nakuto, the heavy hitter of Iwagakure, is a powerful opponent and a beautiful young man - not to mention kind. When Nakuto inevitably overpowers Sai, who concedes before a final blow to his face, the Iwagakure genin thanks and hugs his rival villager.  Sai is surprised when he passes, regardless of his last loss - but despite his graduation to Chuunin, there is still a numbness everlasting. Strangely enough, it is a cat that opens a drop of compassion within him. Out of the village and lost somewhere in the Nohara fields, the young adult comes across a mother and its litter, with only one of the mewling babes left alive. Something had taken the mother's life, a disease or infection, and the kin were left to starve. Sai adopts the kitten and brings it back to life with tender care, naming the calico beast Morimaru. Twenty-one, with the one year old Morimaru, Sai sees color again. Morimaru reopens that favorable wound, the one which reminds him of Usagi and thus Miroku. He once again tries to enjoy life, even if the grief and sadness never truly subside. [1017 - present] New life does not go unpunished. The Lord thinks Saitogu ought to be utilized to his fullest potential; he is promoted to Special Jounin and placed in the ANBU Ops, fit with a bird's mask, forced to be emotionless again. Morimaru is a small reprieve, and keeps his heart warm when nothing else can. In his downtime, Saitogu brandishes his green thumb and pours his woes into the growing of plants, inside and out. He knows it is to his father's dismay, but the old man doesn't have the energy to fight it - so Sai blankets their life in bloom. For a few years, this is fine. For a few years, Sai is almost happy. It always feels like there is just one thing missing - a something he cannot conjure. He thinks it is his mother, so he works on overcoming the loss. He thinks it is the lack of a lover, so he shares a bed with tons of different men and women in search of someone to fill the void. He thinks it's a lack of friends, so dammit, he makes some. Yet there is always something missing. For his years of loyal service, Saitogu is rewarded a promotion. He is appointed by the ANBU Captain themself. The Kusagakure Lord's personal bodyguard, and fresh Jounin. Truthfully, he does not know how to feel about this, but he accepts the pay raise gratefully.

fighting style --

combat information NATURAL CHAKRA: Doton CHAKRA AFFINITIES: Doton, Fuuton, Suiton PRIMARY SPECIALIZATION: Ninjutsu SECONDARY SPECIALZATION: Medical Ninjutsu INVENTORY • 01 | Tanto [ x ] PLACEMENT • 00 | ITEM SPECIAL ABILITIES Fungal Manipulation Inherited from his mother, Sai has altered genetic makeup, more similar to that of fungi than humans, and a nearly insurmountable degree of life force. This life force is so great that it seeps into his chakra systems, converting his chakra into a source of life. Sai's chakra itself and genetic makeup enable him to grow, shape, and manipulate all forms of fungi, including but not limited to yeasts and molds, as well as poisonous and non-poisonous mushrooms. Sai can cause fungi growth on almost any surface. This innate relationship with fungi opens a plethora of available techniques to him, as well as renders him immune to his own adverse effects. Symbiont Genetics Due to his genetic makeup and its similarities to fungi, as well as devoted practice to honing his connection to the earth, Sai has the ability to merge his body with flora and the earth itself through Iko - he can conceal himself in such things as trees, shrubbery, roots, dirt, and so forth - this also allows him to travel within the underground network of organic matter. This does not conceal his chakra signature. Can travel up to 12km underground. [LOCKED] Mycosis Manipulation Thanks to the goreish endeavor of studying the methods of manipulating fungal infections within humans for centuries, Sai is able to mutate the fungus he utilizes to infect humans. The enhancement does not last long, and after after a few seconds the spores revert to their harmless original form.  Medical Training After the death of his mother, Saitogu focused his ninja arts on medical prowess, and has worked for years to be a respectable doctor. He has spent enough time in the hospital to grow numb to death, as well as administer medical treatment on a dime with little resources. He has an incredible understanding of anatomy, psychology, disease, injury, infection, and poisons. Enhanced Chakra Control Because of his work in the medical field, it is important that Saitogu and utilize his chakra with the same precision as he would a scalpel. Over the years, Sai has honed his finesse and control over his chakra, capable of fine-tuning it to strings, change its frequency and extend its reach, as well as sharpen or blunt it. His control over it has changed its color to match his natural affinity, an earthen green bubbling over like the foam over the sides of a cauldron. One Handed Seals Saitogu's unique control over his chakra was developed over time to extend to casting practicality. Instead of the typically required two hands jutsu take, Sai can manipulate the sequence with only one of his hands for the seals of jutsu his rank or lower. TRAITS Locked.

techniques S Gurē • Gurē Ichizoku Ninpou: Yōsei-ō no Mori [Gurē clan Ninja Art: Fairy King's Forest] A -- B Gurē • Takehoushi: Kage Bushin [Mushroom Spore: Shadow Clone] C Gurē • Nihada: Yousei Tsubasa Seichou (Second Skin: Fairy Wing Growth) D Gurē • Ikō [Migration] • Mezurashī Seichō [Unusual Growth] • Takehoushi: Kemuridama no Jutsu [Mushroom Spore: Smoke Ball Technique] E Ninjutsu • Henge no Jutsu [Transformation Technique] • Bunshin no Jutsu [Clone Technique] • Kawarimi no Jutsu [Substitution Technique] • Kakuremino no Jutsu [Cloak of Invisibility Technique] • Nawanuke no Jutsu [Rope Escape Technique]

ooc information CHAT NAME: marz LOCKER COMBO: -- FACE CLAIM SERIES: touken ranbu FACE CLAIM NAME: uguisumaru

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