Maki Hayase

Maki Hayase
Personal
Birthplace	Land of Water
Birthdate	2/1/0
Gender	Female
Age	15
Height	5'
Weight	110 lbs
Blood Type	AB
Kekkei Genkai	N/A
Areas of Expertise	Taijutsu
Clan	N/A
Affiliation	Kirigakure
Team	N/A
Rank
Ninja Rank	Genin
Genin-Equivalent Age	10
Nature Type
Element (Affinity)	N/A
Family
Mother	Maki Ryona
Father	Maki Yuro (deceased)
Sibling	??? (on the way)

Signature Jutsu
Henge

Maki Hayase is a Genin of Kirigakure. Many things have happened in her life: her recent graduation, her mother's pregnancy, and even more recently the death of her father. As far as the details go, Hayase will mention little of her past, and looks towards the future as an aspiring taijutsuist.

Background

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From early childhood Hayase was taught to conceal her emotions from everyone in Kirigakure. Under her father's instructions she led a life of perfect normalcy. She made sure her grades were average. Her abilities as a shinobi were generic and acceptable. She was friendly, but not too friendly. She successfully lived a colorless life, in which no one took notice of her. Most of all she and her father hid their bloodline limit: the True Henge.

Gansaku Yuro fashioned himself as Maki Yuro after the war. He and his daughter were members of the doppleganger clan, who operated in secrecy, and possessed the ability to literally change their forms into exact duplicates of others. It was customary to be secretive about this ability, but Yuro went so far as to conceal it from the Mizukage and his fellow Kirigakure shinobi. In a way it was treason.

Inevitably Hayase made some human contact. It was with a normal village boy named Enju. They spoke together, then played together, and became fast friends. For any other child it would be perfectly acceptable. Yuro saw it otherwise. To him it was an unacceptable risk. Over the years he'd grown more and more paranoid about those around him discovering his secret. And Enju died. In a fire, in an accident, they said. All Hayase knew was that her first friend was dead, and her father might be behind it.

At that time many things were changing. Her mother, never a strong woman, was pregnant. Yuro began going on the highest class missions. And it was up in the air whether Hayase would break free of her father's control, or once again become an unfeeling doll. But as fate would have it, Yuro died on one of his first high ranking missions. He was wounded, and his team chose the success over the mission over helping him. He'd lived alone and died alone. Yuro never truly valued anyone, and it turned out they didn't value him.

Since then Hayase has been free. She's a lived a life that would have her father rolling in his grave. She was taught as a doppleganger all her life. And yet now she's made friends. Comrades. She's confided her secret to a select few. She serves the village, her friends and, most of all, her family. Her weak mother and growing brother. She's cheerful, smiling, and friendly. Yet a large part of that facade is just another mask. Her hopeless, painful past still resides in her soul. Her dead friends and comrades have left a hollow in her heart, one which she still must try to fill.

Personality

Hayase is a kind and upbeat girl. She's untouched by the darkness of Kirigakure. That's how it seems at first. Behind that smile lies a shinobi who takes her responsibilities seriously. And no amount of her happy go lucky attitude can hide that small hint of insincerity.

Appearance

Hayase has unbraided pigtails that fly all over the place. Loose ends of hair frame her face, and fall down one side of her forehead like a thick wing. She seems much like an elven year old girl is expected to be. Her eyes are bright in a diminutive face, a deep brown to be almost black. She's half a child at 4'8, but getting a bit more shape and height as time goes on.

Her shirt is a waist-long vest, that's more like a sleeveless robe. It's tied beneath her chest with a thick sash, that also tightens the long sleeved shirt under the vest. Shorts barely peek out from under the ensemble. Her arms are covered in long sleeves that lead to elbow-length gloves. Her gloves are fingerless, but have metal plates on the back that provide a degree of protection.

She wears a little shinobi gear; standard sandals, a Kirigakure forehead protector around her waist, and a sword that lines her back.

Relationships

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Kirigakure

Name	Relationship	Notes
Okumo Naoya	Acquaintance	An Okumo who has a clever style of taijutsu with his spiders. He’s a smart and resourceful boy, with a forward outlook on line. If Hayase were to describe him, it’d be as her sparring partner. But he’s also a friend and someone worthy of trust.
Kaguya Yuriko	Acquaintance	A cute, mischievous, and sweet girl. It’s hard to believe that she’s from the vicious Kaguya Clan, with her playful ways. But lurking behind that smile is a resourceful shinobi. Hayase enjoys the company of both Yuriko and Yuuka. What’s not to like?
Akane	Sensei	Fujikujo…I mean, Doihara Akane is a woman who doesn’t know her own importance. She’s an excellent ninjutsuist and more than excellent medic, worthy of being married to one of the Seven. In fact, Hayase would hold the woman in greater regard than them, and considers Akane to perhaps be her one true ally.
Kiji	Acquaintance	It’s difficult to see beyond the mystery of Kiji’s gaze. But once past it, Kiji herself is an interesting girl to be around. Interesting and fun at times. Hayase has begun to view Shimizu with a higher regard because of the Genin.
Okumo Meruin	Mizukage	Meruin is a capable, efficient, and ruthless leader. He’s someone Hayase views with both fear and faith.

Kumogakure

Name	Relationship	Notes
Iga Sachiko	Acquaintance	To say that Sachiko surprised Hayase is an understatement. Akane’s clone? A baby on the way? Kumogakure? And abilities from clan’s that are countries apart.

Ninja Journal

August

+Death of a Father

I never thought my father would die. I thought he was immortal. So long as he kept the secret of the Gansaku, his disguise would protect him from all harm. But he was horribly wounded and abandoned. When they tried to find his body, it was gone. I didn’t know if he left us, but some part of me thinks he’s dead and his body destroyed. Probably by himself. He’d want to carry our secret to the grave.

Maybe he’s not dead. Probably he’ll show up in a few days. I shouldn’t worry so much.

+My Mother's Struggle

My mother is sad. I don’t see her cry much but she did now. I never thought she loved him much. Maybe he’d tricked her into getting married, because he never even let his family close. Not many came to his funeral. Only the shinobi on his last mission did. He was a hunter nin so usually he went alone on missions.

September

+Confirmed Death

I snuck into the medical center as Akane. I should’ve asked, but I was afraid they wouldn’t let me in since I was just a Genin. Or at least they’d wonder why I was searching for my father's corpse when he shouldn’t be in there. And I did. I found my father. No one would recognize him of course, because only me and mother ever saw my father's true face, and then only a couple times. I thought I wouldn’t feel sorrow, but I was a little sad. If nothing else, I wouldn’t have been born but for him.

I went to see the Mizukage, and I told him everything, Almost everything. About my bloodline limit, about my clan, even about my family. I realize now my father had betrayed us. It would’ve taken one small mistake for them to see him transform, and then he’d be branded a traitor to the village, and I’d be in an interrogation room before his corpse was cold. I need someone to know, and unless I want it to be a treasonous secret, it has to be Meruin.

He took it well…and not. He let me off. But he tested out if pain or injury could snap me out of the Henge. It wasn’t quite as bad as when Yuro did it, at least. It's good to know he won't be as cruel as Yuro (OOC: no longer calls him father.)

+Finding a Teacher

There’s many people I still have to visit in the village, and mysterious techniques I need to uncover. I thought Yuro knew every taijutsu technique in the book. Now I realize that he really only scratched the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. There’re probably a million taijutsu techniques, everything from pulled punches to poisoned sword slashes. I want to dabble in poison, and I need to find a good teacher.

Akane? Meruin? I know this sounds crazy, but it may be Ishino I approach. He seems like a good teacher, and he knows everything about poisons. Maybe I can just grab a lesson from him, and then get out of his hair! Okay, I’ll try it. I’ll go. I’m off.

+Ship It

Okay, I chickened out. And days have passed. In the meantime I went on a mission with a bunch of Genin. We explored a ship, and tried to find anything wrong with it to fix it. And boy was there wrong stuff! I went down into the hull (is that what the lower part of a ship is called) and it was filled with dead animals and poison. I almost barfed, but I managed to get out in time. Everyone did sooooo well. There was Renai-san who kept a cool head, and Kiji and Yuriko and…wow. We all worked together well. Maybe this is what's called having friends.

And there's a boy. I think I kind of like him. Just sort of. He’s cute and smart and we hang out every now and then. But it’d be horrible if I got close to him. Yuro was always warning me about Eiki. Poor Eiki. Maybe since Yuro is gone…it’s okay to…no. I’ll just be as I am. I know what happens now once you get too close to people.

None of them can see through me and that’s the way I like it. No one has guessed what I really am. I sometimes wish someone could. I sometimes wish someone would see what I was, and blow all my cover. But what could be really wrong with silly bouncy Hayase? I guess maybe that’s why I revealed my secret to Yuriko, Naoya, and Taree.

+Out in the Open

They know now. That I can use True Henge. They’re smart enough to figure out something is up, even if they never heard of the Gansaku. Yet the world didn’t fall apart. They haven’t even told everyone, I think. This could be a first step. Maybe there’s some things worth giving away my secret for. I helped save that fat girl. Someone innocent. Isn’t that worth one life?

I guess things are going well.

It was a disaster. I went down to the mandatory lectures and lessons for Genin. The Jounin lecturer got annoyed with me. And then the spar fell apart. Naoya has gotten stronger. I need to get stronger too, or he’s going to zip past me. I’ve only beaten him once, and at this rate that record will stand. I’ve decided. Ishino it is. If anyone can teach me how to be good with poisons it’s him. And I met him once. He was nice. And handsome. I kind of thought he’d be this crazed, frizzy haired mad scientist. But he’s polite. Yeah. I’ll go. I’m going now.

October

+ A Small Taste

I thought my mother was pretending to be a good mother, now that father is gone. But I realize now it’s not pretend. She’s actually trying to be a good mother…she wants to be a good mother. I need to stop blaming her, because even if she didn’t help me when father was alive, I didn’t try to help myself either. We were both caught in his webs.

I realized this when we were eating, as usual. We were always told to be silent at the dinner table. And we still were afterwards. Any food with a bit of fat, any food with too much sugar, was forbidden. It was healthy and tasteless. But now my mother’s cooking is starting to have a bit of taste. Now we talk, just a little. It’s still bad, but not as horrible as before. I’ve stopped skipping as many meals. I eat there once or twice a week…and I’ll try to do more.

But I don’t want her to get better just for me. She’s getting pretty big with her daughter. My sister. She has to be good for her. If she is, I’ll finally be able to put the past behind me. Our new life will finally be real.

+ Boys and Girls

Oh no oh no oh no! Yuriko-chan likes Naoya-kun as well. Naoya-kun is the second boy I’ve liked, after Eiko-kun. They’re a bit alike. So eager to be friends, so earnest, and very clever. But I know I can’t be with him. I won’t. After what happened to Eiko…after what my father did to him…after what I never acted on…no, I’m meant to be alone. I did the unforgivable, and even if no one else knows it, it will be with me forever.

But I can watch from afar. And even though I’m a bit jealous, I’ll also root for my wonderful friend. The next best thing would be to see my two friends happy with one another. It’s fun to like a boy. And I’ve been lucky to experience it twice already.

+ Hollow

Naoya just hit the nail on the head. He gave me an ultimatum: don’t pretend to be his friend if I wasn’t. And…I wasn’t. I’ve tried to act like a friend would act. Silly, foolish, happy, friendly, spilling my problems to them. But it’s just an act, a ruse. Inside I’m cold and dead. And I can’t tell them my deepest secrets, can’t even hint at them. They’d hate me for it.

Even worse, he described me exactly like I’d describe my father. He even described how my father died, down to the detail. Am I really so much like my father? I thought I was different, but maybe I’m exactly the same and just as bad. I really couldn’t stand it anymore. I left. I just hope…yeah.

+ Marine Rodeo

I think…I’ve finally cheered up. It was on the silliest mission. I was supposed to help some sailors with their catch, and this angry swordfish popped up! Koseitama my team leader is absolutely erratic. She changes moods in an instant. I didn’t know if she was amazing or a complete lunatic. But it was so funny…I used Nose Break on a swordfish!

There’s humor in everything. Everywhere. Life is meant to be laughed at. Even the problems in life. I need to make things right. I need to get on track. The Chuunin Exams are coming up, and I’m going to prepare for them…with my friends.

January

+To Reveal

My father always said it'd be my death if my secret got out. I'd be useless. A known doppleganger is a dead one. I realize I've been living in the shadow of those words, unable to move forward. When I realized this I made the choice to seek out Naoya-kun and Yuriko-chan. I told them everything about my ability. For this kind of power I need allies..and friends. A clan shouldn't be able keeping my lips eternally sealed, and using it only for my own ends.

+ Coming Apart

When I first met Feari I didn't trust him at all. He required us to take a binding oath when entering his team. The only part I considered good was that he was serious about this time…or so I thought. His track record of attendance is barely better than mine. He continues with his duties as a Seven, but besides a brief meeting I barely met with him. In fact, we parted on a rather bad note: I attacked him. And now after months it seems our team has drifted apart. Everything in the village seems to be coming apart at the seams. Plans for future events, building, order, teams, and there are many deaths both within the village and in the country due to The Silence.

+Me Time

I have practiced my doppleganger skills for many months. I've memorized the faces of those in the village, and as many outside it as I could. I watch habits, glean knowledge, and will research a single person for days on end. While doing so I've assumed a number of identities. Villagers, foreigners, and sometimes even shinobi. I've improved my acting skills, and sharpened my mind. While my doppleganger ability is incredible, my ability to convincingly pass off as one through their personalities is not. I must practice more.

+First Time

At last it has arrived: the Chuunin Exams. But an unexpected condition came with it. I must take a life to enter the exams. Though I don't wish to admit it, I've never killed someone before. In the bloody wake of my teammates, I've never had to really engage someone, much less deal the finishing blow. It's not that I am a pacifist. But…why kill someone for a test? I decided not to enter, until I heard about my friends who'd passed. How could I fall behind, being a weakness and burden to them? I had to pass. So I went on a mission and I made my first kill.

October

+Striking out

I am setting out on my journey and I will be gone for over a year. It was authorized by the Mizukage, to gather information, but no one else knows. Not Naoya-kun, Yuriko-chan, or my family. At least, I shouldn’t have told my family. But at the last instant I weakened and left my mother a small sign. She’ll know what it means. It’s not enough to tell her I’m coming back, but it’s enough to say I chose to go. I guess I still have a soft spot for her, or at least my future brother. We now know her baby is going to be a boy. And here I was sure it’d be a cute little sister. I’ll miss seeing him in his first year, but I’ll come back.

My purpose is fairly simple but will take a long time. I’ll perfect my doppleganger technique. I’ll meet everyone I can and memorize their faces. I’ll live for a day as one person, or a month as another. I’ll gather intelligence. What’s the point of using my trick if I am ignorant of everything and everyone? It’s ideal to move as a kid. Fewer people take less notice, and I run the danger of becoming a reputable shinobi once I’m older. Yet it’s scary. I thought I’d feel free passing out of the village. But it’s my way of life, has become my way of life. Especially because of Yuriko-chan and Naoya-kun. If I’m honest it’s not my brother I’ll miss the most or my mother. It’s them.

They’re both going to kill me when I get back. Figuratively speaking. I bet Naoya-kun will be that much stronger. Yuriko-chan is already horrifyingly strong. Who would think there’d be such a powerhouse behind that cute face and delicate kimono? That’s enough of that. I’m off. And I’m already in my first guise. Kuro, a fisherman from the Land of Waves. I made him up on the spot, and will create him as I go along…

+My last words

My name is Maki Hayase. I’m going to die soon, I’m sure of it. So I’m writing this final note and hiding it for you to find, whoever you are. When you get it give it to Okumo Meruin. He’ll pay you handsomely. I died at the hands of someone who mistook me for his enemy. He’s been chasing me for some time. I’m badly wounded, fatally actually and hundreds of miles from anyone. The desert is a harsh place, and while I’ve spent many months in Sunagakure, I don’t know it the way this shinobi or mercenary does. He’ll catch up soon. Farewell, and I’m sorry.

Actually, it’s half a day later and I’ve picked up this final entry. Disregard it. I’m still alive! By some unbelievable coincidence I ran into a traveling band of circus performers in the desert. They helped heal me just as soon as my pursuer caught up. It turns out the circus performers were Kirryu. They all turned into cats and killed him! I’ve never seen anything so beautiful or amazing. They really saved me.

+The party must end

This is half a year from my last journal entry. I couldn’t do it around them. I owed the circus performers. So I left and doubled back as Ayaji, middle aged, and helped them out for a couple weeks. Cleaning, setting up, that kind of stuff. It’s been months though and my village will kill me if they learn I’ve spent three months of my reconnaissance, intelligence gathering sojourn performing sleight of hand, card tricks, supposed illusions, and acrobatics. I haven’t gotten stronger, but I’ve learned quite a bit. Believe it or not but wearing rainbow-colored clothes and honking flowers is a good way to blend in anywhere you go.

I also got good at deceiving people. None of the Kirryu guessed who I was. You don’t really try and verify whether someone is a doppleganger or not, after all. Good at deceiving…but also having fun. My act had used up my usefulness so I moved on. As a shinobi. A villager. A politician. A noble. You wouldn’t believe how easy it is to walk into a room under a person’s identity, and have no one question it, and give you every secret they have. It’s sometimes impossible to keep so many secrets. So I’ll write a letter and burn it, just like this one.

+All grown up

I checked in on Kirigakure. My brother is a year old and then some. I need to go back, before he remembers that I abandoned him for a year. And the promised deadline with the Mizukage is at an end. My brother is young enough to forget about my absence. At least, I hope so. It’s strange. My mother stayed in the house, underground basement and all. The shinobi gear is still there. I wonder if she’s waiting for me to return, or maybe she couldn’t let go of father. I saw her. She actually looks a little better. Not so afraid. I didn’t realize she always looked afraid, until just a few hours ago, when I saw it had left.

I think Meruin will be pleased. I’ve perfected my doppleganger technique. I’ve memorized hundreds of faces, and fit into dozens of roles perfectly. It’s a testament that I’ve never been knocked out over the years, forced to revert to my original form, although it’s come at the cost of avoiding combat. I’m going to be reamed when people find out I’m not an iota stronger than when I set out. I spent months at a time as a peasant, so submersed in my role that running away became more of a habit than fighting. That’ll change. I’ll get strong as well as smart. For my brother. And for Naoya and Yuriko, if they don’t thrash me on sight. I suppose I deserve it.

"We're just as strong as the person beside us."

Theme Song

It’s my Life by majjamis

RP Logs

+ Show Missions

Campaigns The Path to Sagehood - Soren's Judgement Reach for the Sky - Greeting the Gatekeeper Reach for the Sky - The Tests What If? Kage for a Day - Interview with the Mizukage S Rank A Rank B Rank Sinking Ships and Insect Swarms Search for the Lost Comrades C Rank Kirigakure's Moody Spring Weather The Fat Prize Poisonous Feuds Straying into the Darkness D Rank Marine Rodeo Social Chosen Ramen, Candied Apples, and Childhood Ambitions Team Alpha: Induction sealed with blood Team Alpha: Appropriate times only Sensor Practice: Feeling with Mist and Fog A Fishy Meeting Training The Fate of Cookies at Stake Blade Training and the question of Friendship Team Alpha Squares-off Against Itself Winter Solstice, Test of Strength A poisonous leaf, a healing sap

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