Kohashi Shouga

A young man of Sunagakure no Sato, even those who have been around him as comrades or even as acquaintances know very little of this man.

Appearance

• Height: 5'10" (70 inches)

• Weight: 140 lbs.

• Hair: White-Grey

• Eyes: Blue

• Clothing: Shouga can, in casual contact, often be seen wearing loose-fitting beige and white clothes; a beige long-sleeved shirt, white knee-length shorts, along with the standard issue shoes and Hitai-Ate. He also wears a silver pendant bearing the names of his mother and father, Hitomi and Gouki, at all times, usually hidden beneath his clothing. Otherwise, he may be seen with either a standard-issue vest, which he received upon reaching Chuunin rank, or his family robes, given to him by his mother.

• Physical Description: While a normal 19 year-old may be the same height as Shouga, his body is generally smaller than most. In his youth, he was often ridiculed for this feature and for having such an ivory white skin tone, which was considered pale in comparison to those around him.

History

Chapter 0; Prologue

Shouga was born into the Kohashi Clan under unusual circumstances. Both his mother and father were traveling to Suna from a visit to friends of theirs that now resided in Iwa. As luck would have it, a Medic-nin happened to be traveling in the opposite direction when his mother, Hitomi, fell to her knees as she went into labor. Her cries of pain attracted the Medic-nin's attention, and he quickly turned to give aid. And after several agonizing hours, Hitomi birthed a baby boy, which the two quickly named Shouga. Neither one knew why, but they felt this name was excellent for the boy.

The Medic-nin then inquired if the three were proceeding to Suna, to which his father replied affirmatively. Whether out of sympathy for newborn life, or out of pure generosity, the Medic-nin took from his pack a blanket, telling the two to wrap the child in it to protect him from the harsh terrain that lie ahead. The two thanked the ninja for everything he'd done and they parted ways, continuing into the desert.

In the days of his youth, Shouga was often told of his family's history by his father, Gouki. For some reason, he took great delight in hearing the tales of his ancestors, and how the Kohashi Clan came into being. However, when his family settled just outside of Suna, his peers would often look down on him as inferior, judging a book by its cover, calling him names bestowed upon his entire clan by elders such as, "Freak" and "Monster," among others. He would admit that his taijutsu did need some work, and was regularly beaten by those who so desired, often after he spoke of his clan's ancestry. He tried to stand against them, not just for himself, but for his clan numerous times, but to no avail. Every time this would happen, he would come home only be scolded by both his parents, and yet consoled by them at the same time.

Chapter 1; Hate-fueled Desire

At approximately age 11, around the time of The Great Kumo War, his father died in an attempt to protect the village of Suna. Almost two months later, he and his mother retreated into a more secluded part of the desert, hoping to escape the Kumo regime and the NCIA that had since pursued them and other shinobi like them. Ever since he learned why his father hadn't accompanied them, he vowed to do his part in overthrowing the tyranny of the Empire. He and his mother engaged in lengthy conversations which often escalated into heated debates, but regardless, he was her only son and as such she would continually beg him to stay by her side, only to receive little, if any, reply as he went to hone his skills. Words along the lines of, "If it weren't for Kumo, Father would still be with us. I HATE THEM!" seemed almost commonplace during nearly every dialog that pertained to his involvement in the Resistance movement. For the next two years, he trained by himself, doing his best to hide himself from prying eyes (which, in a desert, was exceedingly difficult) as often as he got the chance, but found that he had many limitations to overcome, many of which he could not overcome alone. Shouga persevered, however, keeping his ever-present desire to help bring down the Kumo regime at the forefront of his mind.

Chapter 2; Into the Fire

At age 13, he stumbled into, and subsequently traveled to Iwa with Alchem Syaoran and several others within the city of Sunagakure no Sato. Shortly thereafter, he'd witnessed firsthand what the Empire could do, as the body of Kia, an apparent loved one of Syaoran's, lie dead on the floor of the building they had occupied. The remainder of the group that had survived then journeyed (though, nigh-instant travel is hardly a journey) to Iwa, where she was laid to rest and he and the group trained with what seemed like complete strangers in the newly liberated zone. Once this brief period of training had been completed, he sought out a mission there to aid them in their efforts, only to be given a message from a carrier hawk from Suna. He was to return immediately. With some hesitation, notably at the fact that he wanted to at least say goodbye to his surrogate caretakers in Iwa, he made haste back to his home. Upon his return, he and several other Suna shinobi began intensive training under the direct supervision of the Kazekage himself in preparation for their participation in an allied attack upon the Country of Fang. After this training was completed, it seemed as though promotions all around, even if some were only wartime-reserved "acting" ranks, were being handed out like candy. But like most people, candy is hardly something to be ignored. The most notable, and a bit of a shock to the boy himself, was Shouga's own promotion to acting Chuunin, for which he received the vest which Sunagakure bestowed upon all its Chuunin.

Later, everyone that had been promoted, along with other Sunagakuran forces gathered outside the city, and in what can only be described as a fantastic display of power, rode upon a wave of sand that traversed the massive deserts of Suna, almost directly to the gates of Fang. Once there, battle plans were devised, team assignments were given, and he fought alongside two of his peers, Mikoto Kodate and Mitsukai Aiyoku, both of whom he quickly lost track of after a very short time, especially after aiding in their defense. After several more opponents were fell and with the war finally at an end, he returned to his home in Suna, almost instinctively towards his home, where his mother awaited his return. It hadn't occurred to him at the time, but somewhere in the midst of all this action and excitement, tension and heartbreak, he had gained another year of living, and it seemed as though his mother bestowed upon the boy the Kohashi Family Robes as a birthday present, or perhaps an acknowledgment of his passage from Gennin to Chuunin.

He has since sought out several teachers, and in the last five years has trained with them, and by himself as often as he could spare between missions, which was quite often indeed, given Suna's time of relative peace.

Chapter 3; Mysterious Stranger

Almost immediately after the war ended and he made his way in shinobi life, day by day, mission by mission, a newcomer emerged within Sunagakure no Sato. Someone who had clearly never ventured in that general direction before. She called herself Kohaku. She, along with his future companions, Seiji and Sayuri, awakened the unconscious Kohashi in the midst of one of his solitary training sessions in the desert while on their way somewhere. It was just then that an unknown group of people appeared to have snatched up another Suna-nin by the name of Zenmaru. Strangely, all of these people, this Kohaku person especially, he had only met that day. After Zenmaru's successful rescue, and Kohaku's request for an escort, she told them that they were needed in Otogakure no Sato, and that Shouga was to take charge of the team as Captain. Somewhere along the line, Shouga questioned their apparent leader's authority, even so much as her name seemed oddly suspicious to him. Soon after, however, it was revealed that she was in fact the next in line to inherit the leadership of Yuki no Kuni, which had been engaged in hostilities with Tsuchi no Kuni until the then recent past.

Begrudgingly, he and his companions made their way to Otogakure no Sato, to complete their task.