Theme -
Battlecry
Name: Shiro Makoto
Alias: Mekura Samurai no Ran [
The Blind Orchid Samurai]
Age: 39
Apparent Age: 29
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Hetero
Village: Konoha
Birthplace: Land of Iron
Organization: Rebels
Rank: S-ranked Jounin
Title: Ronin Samurai
Clan: The Makoto clan were honest swordsman who protected the shogun himself for years. Shiro's father and grandfather were stricken with disease in their old age, leaving it up to Shiro to carry on their name. They are well-known in the Land of Iron but have little headway elsewhere.
Personality: Shiro is a blind samurai with an attitude. Just because he can't see doesn't mean he's oblivious, no it's actually quite the contrary to that. His other senses have come to his aid, and Shiro is able to analyze opponents just as well as someone who could see. You see, Shiro has become very reclusive since his almost-fatal accident that robbed him of his eyes. His lack of sight has humbled him over time, taught him to deal with his emotions like a man. He used to be full of arrogance and would be consumed by frustration until his eyesight was stricken from him, this made him see the truth, ironically.
Shiro tends not to trust others. He has learned to rely on himself in this world and tends to keep it that way. The more faith he puts in others, the more potential they have to disappoint him. The cycles of love and hatred and of light and darkness are the wars that rage inside of him on a day by day basis. He has accepted the fact that darkness has forever overtaken his sight, but he has forever sworn himself to the side of light in his mind. Shiro will often speak religiously of God and of those who sin and those who follow a righteous path. He is brave in the face of evil and will stand up for his beliefs, putting his life on the line without hesitation.
He is calm, sometimes getting a little too tense for his own good, but often takes the time to relax himself. Even when relaxing, Shiro is very serious and straight to the point. He hates those who dodge questions or beat around the subject of a covnersation and is quick to get the point out. While patient for those who deserve it, Shiro is hasty in his manner of acquiring information.
History: Shiro studied under a large, dark-skinned man with a level head and a knack for straightening kids out. He found Shiro running from local guards after being seen stealing fruit and grabbing women's butts in public. As Shiro was about to turn the corner down the alleyway and make his escape, the nine year old thief was tripped by the large man's foot, causing him to fall. The hulking man introduced himself as Kaizen Yamamoto, Shogun of the Land of Iron. The guards bowed their heads immediately out of respect. Yamamoto explained that Shiro was his son and that he was sorry for the trouble he caused.
The guards looked a little dumbfounded, exchanging looks between one another. Shiro was on his feet and hastily brushing off the dust on his knees. He turned and looked at Yamamoto with contempt. "What you mean, you're my FATHER? YOU'S A BI-" The Shogun placed his monstrous hand over Shiro's mouth and picked him up, carrying the struggling child to his palace. The guards looked at each other, a bit confused, but wouldn't defy their Shogun.
"HEY, LET ME DOWN. PUT ME DOWWNNN! YOU AINT MY DAD!" Shiro struggled and twisted himself around but could not break free. Just as they opened the palace doors to the interior, Shiro bit Yamamoto's hand and caused him to let go. "What do you want with me?! You're not my dad! YOOUUU'SSS A BIIEEEETTCHHH!!"
SMACK~ Shiro's face swelled up nice and good, a little blood trickling from the side of his mouth. Yamamoto stared down at Shiro with a stern, hardened look.
The Shogun's voice was deep and commanding. "You're arrogance is going to get you into trouble one day, little one. So will your foul mouth... Listen to me, and listen good. Your parents may have died in that fire, but that doesn't get you a free lifetime sympathy pass. It's been years, it's time to grow up. You will work as a samurai for me, just as your family has done in the past. You see, the Makoto family has always been part of my royal guard up until a decade or so ago when the last of your clan became stricken with disease. I am sorry you had to go through what you have. But you will live here now, with me."
And that was that. Shiro didn't like it, but he didn't need to. The guards became very acquainted with his face and knew him all over town. He couldn't run around stealing or playing perverted games anymore, even though he would often sneak out and cause as much mischief as possible. Five days a week he was instructed on how to wield a sword and how to fight. He was put through rigorous training and taught the way of Iai. He would stretch his body and work it out into peak condition each week. Soon Shiro was bulking up and becoming very agile in his movements, and the others in town took notice.
Years later Shiro was still employed as a guard for the Shogun. He had become increasingly tired of his position though, despite how sweet his set up was. He was simply too foolish to understand what he had going for him. "You know what Yamamoto?! YOOOOUUU'SSS AAA BIIIEEETCCHHHH!" The Shogun's hand swung and missed. "Too slow, old man!!" Shiro teased as the chase ensued, darting from hallway to hallway as Yamamoto closed in. Eventually Shiro took it too far, and the Shogun cornered him.
"I give you my hospitatilty, my training, and call you my son? And you defy me? This is unforgivable. You are hereby exiled from this country, thief." Yamamoto exclaimed. Shiro's eyes narrowed and his hand instinctively fell to the hilt of his sword. "Oh yeeeeaaaahhh, old man?! And how you gunna make me leave with those BITCH ASS little hands of yours?!" Shiro put up a decent fight with the Shogun even with his back to the wall. Shiro had grown to the point where he was even faster than the Shogun now, however Yamamoto had enough strength in one attack to demolish the wall behind him.
Once Yamamoto was done playing games he ended the fight in two cuts, each striking through one of Shiro's eyes, forever blinding him from that day forth. Out of respect for Shiro's ancestors for protecting him and the shogunate before him, he allowed Shinji to leave even though he was a troublemaker. The only stipulation was that he leave and never come back. Shiro left, but later that night when the Shogun slept, Shiro used his key to the grounds to sneak into the Shogun's quarters and stole his sword from his bedside. He fled out the window as fast as he could, Yamamoto waking up just in time to see Shinji jump to the ground. He was a much stronger opponent than Shiro, but did not realize just how fast the newly blinded man could move. He escaped into the forests and made his escape toward the land where Shinobi reigned.
Shiro realized he needed to learn how to respect others, despite his final act of spite in taking the Shogun's most valuable possession. He was now a fugitive on the run from the Land of Iron, and had no family or friends to turn to and no eyes to see the world. That moment was a wake up call and truly defined his life. He had to see the world in an entirely different light, one with no light.
Shiro moved to the land of Shinobi where Ninjutsu was widespread. He began to humble himself and in the process learned the ways of chakra. He was taught by several monks how to mold and channel his chakra through himself and his blade. He learned the basics of chakra when learning Iaido and how to strengthen the edge of his blade with it. The monks allowed Shiro to stay with them for some time as they taught him more and more. They recognized a soul in need of facilitation of the transformation of the soul, and embraced his presence there.
After half a year of living with them, they began to teach the blind samurai methods on how to view the world without the need for eyes. They spoke of a third eye, the mind's eye, that enabled the user to see passed the physical realm and into the realm of energy. They taught Shiro the way of the third eye and said that he would need to open his in order to receive their spiritual teachings. These monks spoke of a common Ninjutsu that they all wielded, a common technique they all shared. This was the Dance of the Shikigami, a powerful paper-based technique. The monks showed Shiro their origami figures made from their own bodies, and Shiro was in awe of how complex the papers were. The head monk gave Shiro an origami orchid flower, and told him it was a gift, just as their Dance of the Shikigami technique would be a gift to him as well. And so Shiro took upon the task of learning the method of becoming a paper person, and developed his own style of swordplay based around this ability.
After showering the monks, his new-found friends, in gratefulness and appreciation, Shiro set off as a paper samurai with no home, though the monks said that he was always welcome to live with them if he chose to. He would have loved to live there and learn from them for a few more years, but he had spent many seasons there and something was calling him out in the world. He wandered from village to village in order to meet as many people as he could. Most saw his blindness and took it as a disadvantage, but little did they know that with Shiro's meditation he was able to perceive the image of the world in his mind even if his eyes did not function.
It was tough to cope with, being a blind samurai in a foreign country. But eventually Shiro found that he fit in, and made his living as a samurai for hire. Eventually Shiro found himself in Sunagakure speaking to some of the higher ups about the Empire's place in Shinobi villages. He agreed to work for the Rebels in exchange for hospitality and a good rate of pay. It was in Shiro's best interest to keep a low profile due to his infamy in the Land of Iron. The Rebel leaders in Sunagakure sent him on a mission to Konoha as rumors of a revolt sprang up. He currently resides there at a local inn, awaiting orders from the rebels.
