Kenryu, Konoha Genin

Name: Kurouba, Kenryu
Nickname(s): 'Kenny', 'Ken-Chan' and all other derivatives
Age: 12
Gender: Male
Village: Konohagakure
Village Rank: Genin
Skill Rank: D

Appearance Image:

Appearance: He is, as you can see, a serene youth with fair skin, sharp and wide red eyes and blonde hair. Standing of relatively small stature, and also of relatively small form, he appears anything but imposing. No, the best words to describe him range on the spectrum of manliness so far unmasculine, that he is, in fact, 'adorable.' Also cute. (To which he would loudly object, "I'M NOT CUTE! I'm deadly!" and be met with the chuckling from more mature people). In most ordinary circumstances, this assumption would be perfectly valid in that this youth is relatively harmless ... also puny, that's objectively true. Time has not been his ally, and while he's still young, there is no denying that he is rather diminutive compared to his peers as a ninja, standing a few heads, maybe a body, shorter. So, it is a bit hard to take him seriously. Most ordinary circumstances come into play in that he is still a ninja of Konohagakure, which means his skinny, small form is not powerless when compared to a civilian. Even a lion cub can still have a strong bite, after all.

Additionally, despite his aggressive behavior in response to being made distressingly aware of his vertically challenged self, he is prone to being ever in a relaxed state, a constant grin or smiles are omnipresent that they may as well be etched into his face. This feature unfortunately does not help him plead his case against not being taken seriously. And his crimson eyes, which would be a distressing feature befitting of inner ferocity, look upon the world and others often with a gentle ... innocent? ... light. However, even innocence has his limits and while young, he is no stranger to being menacing, after all he has a reputation to uphold of being the creepiest child on the block (although that's more his penchant for playing with dolls and figurines as opposed to playmates). It's just that its rather at odds to his natural appearance ... so one must forgive his zany mannerisms and tendency for exaggerated facial expressions to the point of cartoonishly freakish as him desperately to do something.

Height: 148 cm (4' 10.3")
Weight: 35 kg (77.2 lbs)
Hair color: Blond
Eye Color: Red

Personality: The wounded soul is the best way of all. Tragic events, suffering and resultant trauma work wonders in producing one so mentally, if not physically, scarred from it all. The weight of the trauma affects all in different manners, but when the wounds are most raw, it often is apparent how deep those scars run within the psyche of the victim.

But unfortunately, this golden child, Kenryu, seems more content on being peculiar rather than a spectacular mess.

For one with so awful a tale of loss, he has adjusted rather well or so it seems. Friendly, cheerful, willing to reach out to others and be fast friends to those who don't fond his optimism and playful spirit to be obnoxious (to those who do find it such, he learns to tone it down. But it's far more entertaining to turn it up to eleven instead around them, and them alone). For one who hates not being taken seriously for his appearance, after getting over this fact, he is quite silly in that he seems completely unaware of many social conventions other than fundamentals (be nice to people and all that jazz. Treat unto others, something something something ... western foreigner jargon). However, despite his penchant for being inappropriate and bizarre, he is a knowledgeable youth who enjoys company and does his best to make himself as good company as he can. Except when in a tense situation, it is an accurate notion to compare him to light clouds on a sunny day. Airy, gentle, but also roaming. Pleasant sight to bear, but comes and goes at his own choosing and seemingly removed from reality.

As for tense situations, well ... it becomes apparent that most of this is a 'face' he puts on for the regular person to see. Not that none of this is a false representation of himself, but it is a slight exaggeration. What lies beneath, only appearing when circumstances demand it, is a bit colder youth. Neither evil, nor malicious, but more guarded and withdrawn. Those who are strangers will be regarded politely and distantly, and even those who become close friends might be a bit off-put by this, assuming they're paying attention to him and not whatever it was that has caused him to act this way.

Betrayal and mistrust, as well as acute observational skills, have led his nature, which is both foolish and gentle, to have developed this keenness and perceptiveness. One could say he is gifted with Wisdom beyond age, and this has aided him in being able to control himself to such a degree and be functional, when all he really wants to do is break down and cry himself to death. But, he is still just a child, however wise and careful, just that with those qualities, he is capable of a frightening degree of maturity, and accomplish a great many things with such focus.

So, he is a child with a strange past with its own sorrows, which would and could have broken him, but managed to fight these effects. The toll has been severe enough that he attempts to protect himself with the guise of a fool, but even he knows there are limits to this and works to change something to overcome that. However, as time passes on things might get better, until then he has quite a few trust issues that prevent him from truly bonding with people, while his tolerance is high he also has tendencies to shut himself down and off from others in situations.

Lastly, and perhaps most strangest of all is a darkly burning desire for power. Not something he consciously craves, for his own imagination of practical matters is limited, but one could say that he holds a very strong sense of ... vengeance, and simply lacks the means to achieve it. Power to protect himself, power to destroy others. Power to change the cruel reality. Such things appeals him, or would if he thought of it in terms like that. But, whether this desire, which afflicts him to act a tad bit more violently, or aggressively when feeling personally threatened, may become anything worse remains to be seen.

In all, he is a bit of a silly child merely coping with suffering he may not fully understand, but is smart enough to have been able to do that, keep others from noticing, and remain relatively stable. Perhaps all he needs is a friend, perhaps all he needs is an outlet. Either way, he'll keep trying until he breaks himself beyond repair, or fixes himself: And then he'll get to work on fixing life.
Likes:

• Cats - Who doesn't love cats? Well, other than people who are allergic, and have bad experiences with them. But feline grace and aloofness has won him over.
  
• Chess/Shogi and other games of strategy - Kids would probably prefer more active games, and he certainly does like a bit of spontaneous random fun. But there is an appeal in the weight behind those pieces, moved one by one, representing a greater networked intelligence at his disposal.
  
• Drawing/Painting - To keep frustrations to a minimum, he does need some creative outlets for rising emotions. Sadly, he's not much an artist it seems, but at least its a good way to spend the time.
  
• Philosophy - Particularly discussion on the existence of Evil. Its purpose, its meaning. While he doesn't dwell on it, for it is a dry subject, he is not repulsed by it and returns to it from time to time.
  
• Skipping stones - Practice of dexterity. Nothing more, nothingless.
  
• Sweets - The body does need to consume sugars, but artificial ones just seem so much better.
  
• Swimming, also significant bodies of water. And rain. - There is comfort being lost within the embrace of water. Perhaps he should have been in Kirigakure, or somewhere that rains often and it'd keep him from nearly drowning so frequently.
  
• Victory - Who doesn't like winning?
  
• Decimation of foes - He's a competitive kid, and even friendly matches get out of hand since he plays/fights/lives by a simple principle: Succeed absolutely or risk being destroyed by the slightest things.
  
• Annihilation of the last traces of hope in the fleeting final moments of sinners - Not something he's indulged in, but when he thinks of the true criminals, the monsters in this world, particularly the one closest to him. He sees no other solution than to kill them all.
  
• The Concept of Utopia - Could paradise exist? Is there a Heaven? Is Mother there waiting for him?
  
• Peanut Butter
  
• Carving, though he doesn't indulge in it often due to the necessity of knives to the act.
  

Dislikes:

• Tea - Often too bitter for his tastes. He also has a distaste for heat, and hot things.
  
• Anti-intellectualism - Stupid people are just ... they get on his nerves.
  
• Hypocrites -
  
• Weaklings - He might be a weakling, but at least he struggles to be stronger. Those who are weak and consigned to their fate anger him, though why he's not sure.
  
• Indecisiveness - Circumstantial, but being unable to make a decision and commit to it out of fear of the consequences he hates. Live without regrets, after all.
  
• Cowards and Cowardice - Legitimate fear is one thing, but open displays of it make him feel disgusted.
  
• Traitors - Friends, family, citizens. Any category, any degree, any type of traitor for any cause ... he does not take betrayal well.
  
• Criminals - Considering a case of family violence gone completely wrong, unsurprising he has very low respect for individuals who commit heinous acts.
  
• Enemies - Enemies can never be trusted. By the very definition of an enemy, it's logical to dislike them and detest their presence
  
• Bastards - Not illegitimate children. Cruel beings to others, entities with a lack of even a shred of human kindness and dignity. These people disgust him greatly.
  
• Spies - Having a dad who was a deepcover spy, killed your mother and siblings, most of your friends and neighbors and nearly killed you, but was stopped just as he about finished preparing to gut you open would probably lead to some very justified if irrational hate of the mere concept of espionage.
  
• Killing without cause - More on the dislike than hate scale, due to lack of understanding of how people could do this. Also the fact that he may be more sickened than furious at the notion.
  
• Killing with unjust causes - Potentially murder. Also ethically, morally, legally, spiritually, logically wrong.
  
• Unjust causes - Evil is real, and this attempts to legitimize it in some manner. Down with this sort of thing
  
• Jashinism - Religion of Evil. No explanation necessary here.
  
• Dogs - Bit by one pretty young in his life. Finds them ... cute, but now refuses to like them on principle due to liking cats.
  
• Dog-lovers - They tend to be a bit ... annoying to him.
  
• People who hate cats - DEATH TO THE NON-BELIEVERS.
  
• People who have not witnessed suffering - Why me, and not you?
  
• People who contribute to the problem of evil - Sinners, beware.
  
• People who have not witnessed evil, but think themselves worthy of facing it - Inflated sense of self-worth. Also unlikely they have the stones to actually own up to their claims, so fuck them.
  
• Vigilantes - A simple delusion and abuse of power.
  
• Uncleanliness - He's a neat freak. Enough said.
  
• Lemonade - Sweet? Sour? WHAT IS THIS FLUCTUATING MONSTROSITY!
  

Catch Phrases:

• "... Hrmph."
  
• "Guest, MY FRIEND!"
  
• "Break his legs."
  
• "Blood for blood."
  
• "That [near death experience] was fun. LET'S DO IT AGAIN!"
  

Nindo: There is evil. There is good. We exist to find the boundaries between them, and do the right thing.

Element Affinity: None
Sub Element Affinity: None

History:

While there is much to be learned, so much more will be taken to the grave for he has refused to speak of the past. It's not in his nature to dwell, and the past only serves as a reminder to the way forward. The known facts, though sparse, is what we have to go upon.

-
First, the family. He was born the second child of three, and the first son to a pair of shrewd adults, who took it upon themselves to immigrate the recession-crushed Land of Wind into the Land of Fire years ago. Before he, christened Kenryu, even became a thought in their minds, they attempted to make a new life in Konohagakure no Sato.

Second, the tragedy. His father had displayed modest skill in kugujutsu, being a minor celebrity entertainer in addition to other money-making ventures. Unfortunately, it had turned out that his skill in the art of puppetry, both the act of creating and manipulating a false life, extended into a dark professional territory as well as reality. Four years prior to the present, the desiccated remains of his wife and the corpses of two of his children and nearly a third with his secondborn child, are all that remain as reminders of his existence. Nearly all of other physical evidence to prove he existed has been destroyed, stolen, or simply lost.

Speculations run rampant, for the tragedy was not a simple madman who had nearly killed his family. This was an individual who had silenced neighbors, associates, and also killed shinobi that had stumbled upon his killings. Whoever he was ... is ..., he's long gone from now. Location unknown. Intention unknown. All that remains is his son, found dying alongside his siblings and the sole survivor. Third, the son's identity. No meaningful connection between himself and the motive behind this senseless act. No further conclusion to be drawn about his survival other than mere chance.
-

Being a child, particularly one who was a victim of such an atrocity, it was not a surprise that someone offered to shelter him. But a broken life cannot be fixed by the hands of others alone, particularly if the one who endured the hardships has no will to live. Whatever the case, he kept to himself for a good portion of time: vehemently against (perhaps afraid?) re-socializing and even seeking human contact. Adults saw it as a coping mechanism of sorts, given he had picked up a ... distressing fascination with puppets, dolls, figurines. Imitations of people, rather than people themselves. Other children picked up on this as more unusual, than distressing, and naturally that lead to many uncomfortable moments and forever lost faith in humanity.

Alright, alright, alright. So he was in a rough time of life, and he certainly was depressed, angry, and just unable to process the entire magnitude of the events that had completely turned his life, which while mundane was at least happy, to shambles. But, he didn't break. No, he in all his childlike manner gifted with a intellectual aptitude beyond his physical age, held a grudge. His father was still alive. He IS still alive. And now he was going to live, after a year and half of being what amounted to being the living dead. He would live and find his father ... find that man, and get answers out of him. Well, killing him also would be a nice cherry, but this ... person, was the only one who could answer that burning question inside his heart and soul.

"WHY?"

And just like that, he found himself at the Leaf's Ninja Academy. First few months were bumpy, what with his looming reputation as the creepy, quiet child. And, to be completely fair, he didn't quite do anything to dispel such hurtful rumors, mostly on account of uncertainty (How does one deny something that is based on past events that actually did happen? Admitting they were right was the first step of defeat in his mind). So, things developed in interesting ways after that, though now the creepiness more or less comes from his fascination with puppets as opposed to be an unsympathetic loner. Being a lone wolf while not even yet in the double digits for one's age is a phenomenally hard feat, and while he wasn't the usual child with his mental maturity, that didn't change the fact he still was a kid. And being lonely was not something he enjoyed.

His first friend after the incident was gained by finding him, tackling him onto the ground and asking him right to his face to not run away and be his friend. This was the eleventh other classmate he had done such to, but his persistence finally payed off. Not in getting a friend, mind you. Friends have each other's backs, this was more of a mutually beneficial partnership, in that the unfortunate victim youth whom he had enslaved befriended lent his ear whenever was needed. And in exchange, not only would Kenryu ease up during physical exercises on him, but also proceed to kick the shit out of anyone who dared to give him crap. Or in more polite terms, kick their tushes if they tried giving him a stink. Sadly, this partnership did not last, but it did help them grow as a people, in particularly both of them gaining a spine, in that one grew taller and the other one became more confident in assailing his peers without violence and legitimately befriending them by sheer tenacity.

And befriend them he did, for his acute memorization skills that let him ace the classes went to good use by him remembering as much as he could to every person he ever spoke with, voluntarily or otherwise on their own parts, which gave rise to his new reputation, one gleefully comparing him to an excitable friendly small dog. No doubt this new reputation spread like wildfire in a forest (har har har) after it was also soon found out that he went about feeding stray cats in his spare time. That said, he's still a bit of dunce about the business of friendships, although not entirely clueless. But, its a start, and it's more than he had a few years ago when everything precisely went to hell.

Now? Now he'll graduate near the top of his class (not at THE head of his class, for even he was not perfect. And had other things to do than endlessly study. Sort of), from the Academy and start his days as a new Genin of Konohagakure no Sato. Time will tell if his story is one that sprawls onwards, becoming one of many interconnected to the world's ... or if he should wither yet again and this time perish.

I don't know about you, but I can probably guess which is more likely to happen.

RP Sample: I'm applying for a D-Rank Genin. Personally, writing a sample seems a bit excessive. If however it is necessary, please reference the posts in this topic.