Haramatsu Korin

Haramatsu Korin was the Godaime Harakage of Kusagakure and one of the elite Hachinin. Korin was married to fellow Hachinin, Kinsen 'Raz' Rasen and has a young son Kinsen Heishin. She was the last beholder of the Wukong bloodline, which was transfused to her from her late NCIA sensei Wukong Aiko. Korin specialized in Genjutsu manipulation and medical jutsu, and was also well versed in numerous elements, most notably light and dark jutsu. She was one of the toad family summoners and possesses the infamous legendary Kaitou no Totsuka.

Within Kusagakure, Korin was known as the 'Daughter of Kusagakure,' given her quite generic background and upbringing that many of the villagers could deeply relate to.

Haramatsu Korin died in the Fall of 2115 during the Destruction of Kusagakure no Sato.

Haramatsu Korin

Summary

Name: 原松小铃 (Yuánsōng Xiǎolíng)

Rank: Kage

Village: Kusagakure no Sato

Clan: None

Bloodline: Wukong

Age: 22 (Deceased)

Gender: Female

D.O.B.: October 8th (Libra)

Appearance

Height: 5' 2”

Weight: 120 lbs.

Hair: Auburn and coarse to the point of unruliness, Korin's hair falls to her waist in uneven waves. Oftentimes it is kept in a single braid slung over a shoulder, or tamed with the help of headbands or a head scarf.

Eyes: A light and steely baby blue color puts emphasis on the dark pupil. Vaguely distant, they seem to always be focused on the future.

Clothing: Korin's wardrobe is quite simple, with her formal wear consisting of the Harakage's hat and robes. For other functions, Korin prefers comfort over fashion and favors plain fabrics over ruffles and other adornments.

Physical Description: Her face possesses doll-like features- a rounder head and soft cheeks, large heavy-lidded eyes, and rather small yet prominent pouty lips. Korin now boasts a fuller figure after childbirth, and has lost much of her initial awkward posturing. She stands tall and confident and taller than her own height, as expected of the Harakage. Naturally a tiny notch tanner than fair, she is prone to burning easily.

Persona

Korin is fairly laid-back and passive, though she knows when it is time to assert her role as Harakage. Her self-esteem has gone up over the years, but she remains aloof and shy at times. Not the most emphatic of people, she tends to go a little unnoticed and does brush off on others as withdrawn. She tends to weigh actions before completing them, and thus is sometimes accused of inaction. Devoted, Korin refuses to give up on things and possesses a dogged and headstrong nature. She prefers to have things more simple than complex. In the face of competition, Korin has a way to become incredibly caught up in it.

Over the years she has grown out of her shell and become a compassionate character, turning her once confused focus onto healing the injured, and eventually serving the people. She is welcoming and forgiving, oftentimes pardoning the accused of their misdeeds. Sincerity comes naturally to her. Korin possesses a subtle bravery that goes undetected alone, but shines when inspiring others. Dearest to her heart are the people of Kusagakure, as these are the very hands that raised her, and the very lives she has sworn to serve. She values honesty, trust, and friendship, and will not hesitate to go above and beyond what is needed to help and protect those dear to her.

History

Korin was born to parents Yosuke and Mameha in the outskirts of Kusagakure. The couple owned a plot of farmland near the village, but due to Korin's frail immune system in her youth, permanently abandoned the farmstead and moved into the village to give their daughter adequate care during the NCIA occupation to seek the advanced doctors that the Kumo Empire introduced. Cured of her illness, Korin was then enrolled in the NCIA and sent to Kumogakure once she attained Gennin status. From there, under the tutelage of the late Wukong Aiko, Korin's training expanded to the countries of Fang and Grass. However, while training in the forests of Lorien, Wukong Aiko was kidnapped and supplanted by Uchiha Haruki. It was there that Korin first learned of death, by the capture and execution of Oto Resistance members Cho Hakkai and Kinsen Rasen. Under the promise of reuniting with her sensei, Korin and the group followed Haruki to the City of Tin. Upon discovering Aiko's death and Haruki's true intents, Korin fled with the body of Wukong Aiko back to Fang, at the cost of her teammate's lives. Her return earned her the rank of hunter-nin. Aiko's legacy was gifted to her in the form of a blood transfusion, one which Korin barely survived. Spending time in recovery, she learned from a letter from her mother of a fire at the Kusa hospital and leaves for home without permission to investigate.

Shortly upon her return to Kusagakure, Korin was apprehended by resistance members and brought before the Harakage in hiding. She was held temporarily for questioning when her NCIA hunter-nin teammates pursued her, and while fleeing with resistance members, was picked up by the Kirigakure Resistance and brought away to Kiri shores. There, Korin was unexpectedly reuinited with Kinsen Rasen, and also met two other would-be Hachinin: Hisame Haruyuki and Umikoi Warrusu. A change of heart lead her to serve under the Resistance, first liberating the Empire's hold on Kiri, then participating in the battles at Fang and Oto.

Career

Haramatsu Korin, like nearly every other villager, is a farmer's daughter. Prior to herself, her lineage had no relation to any shinobi clans or noble blood. As such, she is commonly called the Daughter of Kusagakure due to the similarity of her background to the large proportion of the village. (By telling her background, one could guess she was any farmer's daughter.) Her time ascending to the Harakage's office began with the fall of the NCIA. Upon returning home after battles in both Fang and Oto, Korin was selected to don the robes based on her virtues- the very ones that made her Kusagakure's daughter.

As the Harakage, she has caused some controversy over pardoning large numbers of NCIA from the persecution of other villages, and has allowed them to live and work within the village. In the time of peace, Korin has urged Kusagakure shinobi to return to their historical roots- that is to hone their chakra for maximizing crop productivity rather than for violence.

Status

The demonic devastation of Kusagakure following the Chuunin Exams held in Metropolis caused irreparable damage to the village's infrastructure. Korin was not within the village when the incident occurred, and returning from a failed task in the Lorien, came upon a barren and abandoned home.

With the help of the Kaitou no Totsuka, Korin managed to destroy the withered Harakage's tree and now resides petrified upon the remnants of its stump. Korin's energies were then merged with what little was left of the tree's deepest roots, and she has given up her life as Harakage, wife, and mother to live on as the rekindled spirit of Kusagakure in hopes of regrowing the tree and ultimately the village. She leaves a last message to what remains of her displaced people:

"I’m afraid that I don’t have the power to be concerned with who or what did this. What I can do is lay down the foundations to begin this land’s restoration.

"Remember that the sun must set to rise, that oak forests will age and perish unless flame tempers their seedlings to sprout. In turn those seedlings are fed by the ashes of their forebears and the forest strengthens. The fall is a part of how life goes. Beginning anew isn’t the worst thing to happen- sometimes it’s for the best! Kusagakure will return, I promise that as my final duty as Harakage.

"So maybe I wasn’t the greatest Harakage, but it is now that I am ready for my vocation and now I turn unto my calling. It has been upon my honor to to serve this village to the very end. I have no regrets- shinobi and civilians alike have died for Kusagakure, and I am lucky to be able to live on for it. I could never, ever have asked for more."

• Destruction of Kusagakure (2115)