Hiroki Katsuro [Jounin, Konoha]

It was a mysterious night where the wind was still in the desert when the young boy had taken his first breath under the full moon while laying on the ground. His mother, an unknown young woman lay on her back and cried silently. She was alone, had no one there to help her or comfort her in this moment of pain, confusion and sorrow. Not an hour after the baby had been born, his mother had abandoned him, leaving him in a basket outside of the Suna village. Without looking back, she had walked away and left that part of herself behind. The small baby had been laying there for hours when finally he was found. The reason for no one noticing him at first was because the child hadn't made one sound since it had opened it's eyes for the first time. With pale pink eyes and a few strands of dark hair, the infant had laid silent on his back while waving his short, tubby arms around like he was trying to grasp onto something, wanting to feel someone beside him. The moon was the only light, as it shone down on the new life that had been brought into the world. As the hours passed and the moon got paler on the sky, voices were heard as footsteps drew closer. The people who were coming were a woman and a man, both around the age of 25. The man was limping slightly so they were walking slowly, both in their own world as the basket that lay so lonely there on the ground had caught their attention.

This couple that had found the infant were childless themselves and got fascinated by the smooth skinned and beautiful newborn. Never had they seen a child anywhere before that had such eyes, such pale and smooth skin like it had been brought down from the sky instead of a woman giving birth to it. There wasn't a single flaw on his skin and his still half blind eyes gazed up at the people that were looking at him. It was almost scary for them how he looked around with almost unnatural calm, not behaving like he was just born. But the blood that was still on his face, along with the small jar of milk next to his side spoke it all. On the basket there was a note saying; “Please take care of this child that was born into such tragedy and love him like your own. If possible could you name him Hiroki?” The young couple had been clueless what this meant about the tragedy, but leaving the child there to die wasn’t something they were ready to do either. Maybe by tragedy that unfortunate mother had meant her being raped or had the child outside of the marriage. And so the young woman and man that took the child in and settled down to some natural and normal explanation for his abandonment, ignoring the small sense of alarm at the back of their heads.

The man’s name was Iwao Katsuro and he made ninja puppets for ninjas in the village and was very good at what he did. However he had had an accident 2 years back that had caused him to lose his sight on his left eye along with his left leg being shorter than the other. Iwao refused to go back to being a ninja and holed himself up at the outskirts of the village along with his wife. As one would think, then people back talked Iwao for his cowardice while others pitied the man that had gotten so badly out of his mission. There was even the rumor that he had tried to flee from the mission, but gotten caught up in the fight and that rumor certainly didn't help his popularity. Iwao's wife, Haruka Kazue, was a rather plain looking woman, with brown eyes and a similar colored hair. Her father had been abusive but died in an accident. Haruka had met Iwao shortly after that, and they had gotten married. No one was really surprised that they had found each other, seeing that Iwao was also a rather plain man that no one had really remembered for anything special with his short black hair and dark eyes. He had gotten average grades in school, always been average at everything and had the normal average friends also. Haruka didn't have any ninja skills and hadn't gone to school as a child because of her father not wanting her to, but rather let her stay at home to serve him like a slave.

So now little Hiroki was raised in this household and had to listen every day about his foster father talk about how dangerous and ridiculous it was to be a ninja. Hiroki’s foster mother never said anything to oppose her husband, as she wasn’t a ninja herself, but she did feel like it was wrong to talk like this in front of the child. Regardless of Iwao’s bad reputation, his puppet making kept up what little was left of his honor as no one else was as good at that like he was. People wondered why he hadn't showed this skill before, but the only explanation they could come up with was that he hadn't wanted to be seen as something over average and therefore decided to blend into the crowd. As the years passed, Hiroki started crawling around and talking, but to both his foster parents surprise he never cried. If he was hungry he made a low complaining sound that escalated if the food didn't come, and if he fell and hurt himself he screamed in anger and was almost impossible to calm down. Other than that he was very easy to get along with, as long as he just got his food and what other things he needed. Sometimes Haruka wondered if he even looked at them as his parents, it was like he never really bonded with her or her husband and his eyes often gazed upon her with some sort of accusation to the look like he was blaming them for taking him from his real parents. At those moments she wanted to grab her foster son and scream that he had been abandoned and they had saved him, but even if the woman wasn't the brightest one then she wasn't evil and knew it would probably hurt the child greatly.

Now the year for Hiroki to go to the ninja academy finally came, but Iwao refused to send the foster son there saying it would only corrupt his mind to thinking ninjas were good and not some mindless killing machines. So a year passed as Hiroki had to watch the other childrens happy faces as they went to the school. He never complained about it, but after that year his foster mother had finally put her fist down and told her husband that if he wouldn’t let Hiroki enter the academy she would leave him. Not that she would ever have the guts to, but her husband had given up. So the small Hiroki finally got his wish fulfilled to be able to go to school and be like the other kids. But it came crashing into his face when the other children ignored him and treated him like he wasn't there. They never accepted Hiroki as one of their own, maybe it was because when he smiled the smiles never reached his eyes. Or maybe this was just something that happened when their parents talked badly about his parents, and the children thought they should thereby talk badly about the son of those failed people. Haruka talked sometimes to Hiroki and asked him why he didn't try harder to get friends, but her foster son just shrugged and said he didn't understand the other children and didn't feel anything for them. Being the bright kid he was though, he had asked his foster parents if he was really their son. After explaining carefully to him how they had come across him, Iwao and Haruka had expected their Hiroki to finally show some signs of sadness or at least be confused. But the boy just looked at them, nodded and then went back to his chores, leaving his puzzled foster parents to wonder if this child really had any feelings at all. What they didn't know was that in his mind, Hiroki was truly smiling. He knew now that it hadn't been just his imagination that he never had fit into this family, he pondered about if his real parents were like him and if they were perhaps ninjas from some other country.

At first in the academy the teachers hadn’t expected much from Hiroki, but had gotten pleasantly surprised as he had showed great skills in about anything he did. The young boy stopped trying to fake smiles and he became a loner wherever he went, but he also became very hard working and soon passed the other children that were his age. At home he started to become greatly interested in the puppets his foster father made, and one day to his great surprise Iwao came to his work shop to find Hiroki playing with the puppets by making small and fragile chakra strings connect to them. It was a mystery how Hiroki had managed to learn how to do that, and Iwao wondered if he had maybe observed someone else do the same thing. But from that day on he taught Hiroki how to make puppets, the best puppets. It was probably the only thing they had in common and Haruka felt very good in knowing her husband and foster son were bonding this well. She didn’t know though that as they were making the puppets and Hiroki was practicing, not a single word of kindness was spoken. Iwao had finally found a way to get revenge on those that had talked about him like a coward all these years, as he planned on training Hiroki the best he could so the other parents could feel sorry for having such weak kids while his foster son would become the greatest ninja Suna had had. Hiroki didn’t really mind his constant training and the lack of love he received. He had long since decided that he couldn’t love his foster father anyway, as probably anyone else. He was fond of his foster mother just like any other child would be, but she held no great place in his heart. She was there to put bandages on his wounds and to feed him and say some warm words every now and then, but nothing more was really to it.

When Hiroki was 8 years old he graduated from the ninja academy with top scores, leaving everybody astonished. The raven haired boy with the reddish eyes that never smiled for anyone was quickly rising up, too quickly for some people’s taste. There was worry about his mysterious past, and since no one liked or trusted his foster father then it was feared this 8 year old genius could do the village harm. So one day it was decided to send him away, after long meetings with the elders and the Kazekage. Hiroki would never forget that day as long as he lived. Someone had knocked on the door of his home, and not 4 minutes after his foster father had opened a lot of screaming and cursing had been heard. The 8 year old had walked towards the noise as he was curious to see what was happening, only to look at his foster mother crying as she sat on the floor while his foster father was being held down by 2 men Hiroki recognized to be ninjas from his village. “Stop fighting it Iwao, this was a decision made by the elders as well as the Kazekage so you will have no saying in this matter.” A man said harshly while they tried to calm the furious man down. “LIES, LIES!! YOU ARE ALL JUST JEALOUS BECAUSE I MADE A FAR BETTER WEAPON THAN ANY OF YOU!” The men shook their heads while someone took Hiroki’s hand and motioned for the boy to follow him. “Don’t worry Hiroki, you will go to a good place where you can be with kids your age and play as you want.” “Please don’t take him away, I beg you!” Haruka crawled towards Hiroki and grabbed onto his pants, clinging to them while crying. If everybody had expected the boy to start crying or get confused, then they were all mistaken as for the first time in a few years a bright smile entered Hiroki’s lips as he patted his foster mother on the head. “Don’t worry mom, things will be alright.” To be honest, he felt thrilled about getting to leave this place. These people he had to call mom and dad were starting to slow him down in his process to understand his existence in this world.

“I knew it! That brat can’t feel anything at all!” Iwao spat out while glaring at his foster son that seemed to be taking it a little too well that he was going away from them. The men that had come for the boy just looked at one another with weird expressions before Hiroki was picked up and taken away from his home for the last 8 years. His foster mother’s crying could still be heard as he stared at his home getting smaller and smaller with each step the man took that held him. To be creeped out was an understatement for the 2 men that had escorted Hiroki away from there. The boy kept smiling the whole time while not saying a word to them, never asking why they were taking him away or where he was going. He just kept smiling that weird smile. I will make my own puppets… better than those that father … no Iwao taught me to make. And in this new place I will be going to, I'm going to become strong....strong....strong. The words echoed in his head while the boy lifted his face to the sky and let out a laughter. At first he stayed over in a small room near the Kazekage building while the Kazekage had a talk with those that were going to escort the child to Konoha. He gave strict orders about going straight there and then return without saying a word to anyone. The Hokage had already approved of this and knew what he needed to know.


Now upon entering the Konoha village, he felt more welcomed than he ever had felt in the Suna village. Even if people looked at him like a stranger and weren’t sure where they had him, then he greeted everybody with a big smile. The Hokage had made it clear to those that knew of Hiroki's transfer that no one was to mention the past of that boy. Hiroki was allowed to participate in everything like other children of the Konoha village were, and he was put in a team with a girl and a boy that were both 10 and had graduated from the academy. Even if they tried to be friendly to him, Hiroki never managed to make the effort of remembering their names or even the name of his sensei. He finished the missions they were sent on and showed great potentials. It didn’t take long for the boy to be able to master the art of smiling and charming others, and he also kept getting stronger as he managed to pass the Chuunin exam at the age of 11. Up until then he had always been watched to make sure the boy that had come from the Suna village wasn't a spy or someone that would be dangerous. However as he didn't show any signs of either, but kept working his way up then people started making him feel more welcomed and high hopes were for him. He made his own puppets in his free time when he wasn’t training or on missions, and soon enough he was also starting to show great interest in the art of Fuuinjutsu. Becoming a Jounin was something he achieved at his 13th year, and then he was able to start practicing in making seals with the help of others in the village of high ranks. According to Hiroki he found himself too busy to even think about reaching a higher rank in the village, so he turned down to become an ANBU when he was 14. It shocked some, but others had kind of expected it. The boy was all about studying and disliked it when something distracted him from his goals. What he didn’t tell them though was that he felt no obligation to become one of those that protected the village right under the kage without any question.

As Hiroki turned 15 he was already starting to flirt with people and act like he was older than his actual age was. His beautiful face and great skills made it hard for people to resist his charms, but other Jounins scolded him for acting that way. He quickly forgot about those he had been in a team with, but sought out the company of others as he knew if would help him out. Some people would figure out that this was all just like a game to him, but he never harmed anyone and was always helpful when something came up so there wasn’t any reason to really dislike him. So those few that claimed they saw through the young ninja from the Suna village kept their mouths shut. Hiroki knew very well that even if everybody were starting to claim they trusted him, then there were always a pair of eyes watching him. But it wasn't like he was doing something wrong or something he needed to hide, so he chose to ignore and keep working on making his life. His puppets improved with each year, and it was unusual for the Konoha village to have a puppet user but it certainly made the higher ups happy. Hiroki never respected the higher authorities much, but he knew when to keep his mouth shut and when to say the right things. He did as he was told to with a smile, a smile that could make one feel cold shivers down his spine, and was starting to feel rather content in living in this village. Even if he was sort of missing out of the actual feelings people have for one another, then he still liked helping out people and he liked it when missions went well. It was just sometimes hard for him to understand why people acted they way they did.

The years of his 16th and 17th birthdays passed in a pretty normal way. He had his usual missions, sometimes he was even sure that he would die in one of them but things always managed to work out and that also gave him the opportunities to strengthen his puppets and become more experienced. To face death was really something any ninja had to do so they could figure out their worth, their strength and their weaknesses. Hiroki had now gotten his last seal on his body and felt quite good about himself and his skills. As his 18th year came, his popularity with the villagers has increased while on the other hand not all the other ninjas seem to like him just as much. Even if he seems to act correctly according to each situation, then it's clear for those that are trained in reading others that there is something off about that Jounin. However he is respected amongst them and treated most of the time just like they would treat each other, while no one talks about that small hole that is between him and the others. Hiroki himself never says anything about this, and is quite frankly glad that he is at least accepted into the ranks and is trusted with just the same missions as the others. He has many friends and knows about anyone in the village, while everybody seem to trust him and don't hesitate to call him first when something is wrong. He never stops having fun in watching others, and regularly treats his fellow Jounin's or even other ninjas to some food or drinks. It's a goal for him to never let anyone figure out how he really thinks, and wants to know how long he will be able to stay in this village before someone starts raising questions about where he came from originally.

Hiroki still thinks about who his parents could possibly be, and he even asked for the help of the Hokage to try and find out information. He had been allowed to return to Suna for a few days as he had turned 18 to try and see if he would get any clues, but nothing came up. His guess was that they were either dead, or that they were people that truly needed to hide and he would probably never be able to find them however much he looked. It didn't bother him much though, surely he was curious to know just who he was and if he was a part of some clan. But it wasn't really that big for him to find out to even name it as a goal. As he had stayed in Suna, he hadn't contacted his foster parents. Even if he felt grateful to them for raising him and taking care of him, then he felt no real obligation or feelings towards those people he had at that time called mother and father. Upon looking at it like that, he had simply stayed there those 3 days he had gotten permission for before he returned to Konoha. It hadn't surprised the former Suna villager that he hadn't felt at ease when he returned to Suna. On the contrary he had felt like he was at a place he had never even been to before, and couldn't wait to get away from there again. Now in the present time, a month has passed since he went to the Suna village. Hiroki hasn't changed his pattern or started acting any differently as he trains, does missions, interacts with others and then makes new puppets or tries to make his old ones better.

With a lazy stretch and a yawn that lasted for 5 seconds, Hiroki sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes before scratching his head and ruffling the already sleep messy hair even more. It was 8 in the morning and as usually he couldn't sleep longer than that. Mornings had always been something the young man had favored as they meant a new beginning to a completely new day in which no one was sure what would happen. Swinging his feet from the bed and standing up, Hiroki looked around for his clothes that he had very carelessly flung off the night before. Bah... I should just go to the closet instead of searching for what is probably lost somewhere. He wouldn't actually be surprised if he found his pants on the branch of the tree outside his window. After throwing on random clothes that consisted of dark grey jeans and a rather tight fitting red T-shirt, Hiroki wandered towards his fridge and opened it. After staring into the empty fridge for about 5 minutes, he finally gave up on waiting for something to magically appear before he strolled towards the door and opened it with a powerful swing. Drawing in a deep breathe from the crisp morning air, Hiroki let out a small grin before shouting at the top of his lungs. "GOOD MORNING!!" With a startled chirping 3 birds flew for their lives from the tree they had been sitting in while a dog not far away started barking loudly in it's panic. Hiroki was sure his neighbors hated him for doing the same routine each morning, but he just couldn't help it!

After running down the few steps from his apartment, he sprinted towards the closest food store and jumped inside. "Energetic as always, Hiro-kun." The old lady that run the shop said while smiling and greeting the handsome young man that was her favorite customer. "Well what is there not to be energetic about? The sun is shining, I have good health and also I have the honor of being greeted by such a classy lady like yourself, Mariko-san." Hiroki replied while doing a very gentlemanly bow and flashing the old lady one of his charming smiles. "Hah! You are a few years too young to be using that smile on me, little Hiro-kun." She laughed, but nonetheless gave him a very good discount on the food he bought. After getting what things he needed, Hiroki turned on his heel and while bowing he walked backwards out where he then blew a finger kiss in the direction of Mariko, who in return shook her finger in his direction while scolding the young boy for not having any shame to behave like that. She couldn't however hold the laughter in as the raven haired ninja sprinted away. "Really, to think that this boy is a respected Jounin." It was nice to know though that the village had heart warming people like this as it's guardians.

While on his way back home, Hiroki spotted a black cat that was laying on a rooftop not far away. Being his usual self, Hiroki put the bag with the groceries down on the ground and then jumped into a tree that was close by. Using his strength and agility he swung himself up the branches until he could jump from the tree and land near a window of the house, where he then managed to pull himself up onto the roof. This whole process had been completely silent as Hiroki then walked in quick steps towards where the cat lay and was supposedly sleeping. As there was just about few centimeters between them, the raven haired Jounin slowly knelt down before saying loudly. "MEOW!" A burst of laughter escaped him as the cat jumped up with a loud hiss and scrambled away from the place it had been laying on. Sitting down and dangling his feet off the rooftop, Hiroki wiped away the tears of laughter before looking down and observing the people that were walking on the streets below him. Hurry up, scurry around like ants! The corners of his mouth rose again as another smile started to appear. Oh how he never got tired of watching others.

After sitting there for almost 10 minutes, Hiroki remembered that he had left his groceries behind and hurried back to check on them. Luuuucckkyyy! The bag seemed untouched as his groceries were, so while humming a cheerful song Hiroki ran back home, looking forward to making something good to eat before he would go out again and find someone to have some fun with. Life in Konoha really was the best!