Hikaru is a young Genin with high hopes and a lot of potential. He aspires to be part of the Will of Fire, as his father was before him, and dreams of becoming great enough to protect the village in her time of need. He is a great friend and a fierce enemy, capable of both uncommon gentility and a fiery rage, but no matter what, he is fiercely loyal to those closest to him.
Hikaru was a child born at the dawn of a new era, when clans were uniting and forming hidden villages all across the five great nations. Some may call this a symbolic birth, a sign that the boy would be destined for some great fortune, a hand of renewal and peace over the land he called home - Konohagakure, the newly formed hidden village of shinobi warriors, and the beating heart of the Land of Fire.
Hikaru was born into the proud Sarutobi clan, who had a long legacy of pruducing highly skilled and competent shinobi, and who were one of the first clans to support the treaty creating an alliance between the Senju and Uchiha clans, joining forces with the new union and helping to form the Village Hidden in the Leaves. As a Sarutobi, it was no surprise that from an early age, Hikaru showed signs of exceptional skill and intelligence, and it was not long before he begun training to become a shinobi.
Throughout his academy years, he became adept at using his clan's Fire Manipulation style, enough even to perform the Lesser Fireball jutsu, which required considerable stamina, as well as with a new interest of his - Seals. Hikaru spent long hours poring over scrolls, studying the nature of seals and how to create them, and after a period of trial and error, he finally succeeded in creating his very first seal - the Goo Tag. Although not a very powerful seal by any means, Hikaru was so proud of his accomplishment that he seized every opportunity to use his new skill, much to the chagrin of his sensei and fellow students at the school, who were often the victims of his Goo-related pranks. Hikaru soon realized, however, that his Goo Tag was useful for more than just pranks, and he began to use his creativity and intelligence to derive a whole slew of potential combat uses. Since then, he has been avidly studying more seals and applications, hoping to further his skill. As skilled as he was in the realm of Ninjutsu, however, was just as unskilled as he was in Genjutsu. He was simply not able to see through illusions, something that has continued to frustrate him to this day, as it has been the only real folly to the boy who seeks excellence. He is still determined to overcome that weakness, someday.
Hikaru graduated from the ninja academy at age 12, with his prolific skills in Ninjutsu and his reputable stamina shining at the forefront of his final exam. Now a full-fledged shinobi, Hikaru strives to bring honor to the name of Sarutobi by being a truly excellent ninja, and never ceasing to improve his skills for the good of all in his village.
Personality
Hikaru is a complex boy, known just as well for being intelligent and kind as he is for being fierce and loyal. Though he is cautious of strangers, he is quick to make friends, and once he does, he is an irreplaceable ally. Hikaru's most prominent character trait is his incomparable will, his determination to succeed in his endeavors and to protect his village and all that she stands for. He sees every person he knows, every friend and family member that he has, as extensions of Konoha, and thus each one is cherished beyond measure.
Hikaru's skill and intelligence speak for themselves, being of Sarutobi blood, and he has always been a quick study in the ways on ninjutsu. He is constantly striving to make up for his shortcomings, and improve on the skills that he already has to bridge whatever gaps there are between he and his peers. It is true that he wants to be the best - but not so that he can boast, as some might think. Instead, he wants to become great so that he can better serve Konoha, and protect all of its people and what they stand for.
This being said, Hikaru is easily embarrassed by failure, and can become quite hot-headed if it is rubbed in his face. And his wrath is just as fiery as his will.
Appearance
Hikaru is a boy with unkempt, dark-brown hair and pensive green eyes who has not yet hit his growth spurt. While he may be shorter than some of the other ninja his age, he is by no means perceived as weaker because of it. While he has no bulk of muscle to speak of, his body is well-toned and has much stamina for both physical exertion and expenditure of chakra. As far as looks go, he is not the most handsome boy around, but his face displays both gentility and a focus that tells of his determination to achieve greatness.
Hikaru wears an earth-brown, short sleeved shirt over his standard grey mesh undershirt which reaches his elbows. His pants are cargo-style, black, with drawstrings cinched up to keep them at knee-length. He wears his shuriken holster on his left thigh, and his navy blue Konoha hitai-ate around his right. His shoes are standard shinobi boots, black. He carries a small, tan kunai pouch on the back of his belt, and holds further supplies in a single-strap green canvas backpack for longer excursions. He keeps extra paper tags for making seals in his cargo pockets.
I have great love and respect for my father. He taught me what it means to be a shinobi, and the importance of fighting for what you believe in, no matter what the cost. He has always pushed me to be my best, and I will never forget his wise teachings.
Sarutobi Chihiro
Mother
My mother is as kind a woman as I've ever met. She nurtured my soft side, and taught me the importance of gentility as well as strength. If one cannot open their heart to love, then their will to keep fighting will be diminished. I must always keep the will of fire burning in my heart.
Name
Relationship
Notes
Nara Tatsuo
Friend/Rival
Tatsuo is a shy kid, but he has a lot of potential. Since we're in the same graduating class, I want to continue to test my skills against his. Even though I see him as a rival, I know I'll always have his back.
Kyu is an amazing Genin. His skills far exceed mine, and I have great respect for him for that. He once healed my injuries from a bad spar and once more intercepted a powerful attack coming my way. It seems he is a good friend to keep around.
Shinobu is… interesting. She's so timid she can barely speak, but that time I sparred against her, she kicked me to the curb effortlessly. Where does she get her power from? She'll be one to keep a close eye on.
This guy is pretty interesting. He says he's an Inuzuka, but he doesn't look like one. Apparently he's adopted. He seems like a nice guy, though. I wonder how strong he is? Note: He has a giant red fox called Ayame for a partner. And she can speak!
Hyuga Yuuki
Acquaintance
Yuuki seems really kind of shy and jumpy, to me. Not as bad as Shinobu is, but still definitely on the timid side. She and Soren are romantic with each other. I found out that they're a couple. She seems really embarrassed about it, though. It must be a new thing? Note: She has a tendency of passing out if she gets too embarrassed.
Today I met a really shy girl at the Genin training grounds. It was odd, because she didn't talk much - at all - but for some reason she offered to spar with me. Of course I accepted, thinking I would have to go easy on her. But boy, did she prove me wrong. Her Taijutsu skills are incredible! And she isn't even an Academy student yet! She has an amazing tag team with her puppy, Kame. I had no idea she could pack such a powerful punch. I couldn't even defend myself. After the fight, she went back to being her quiet self, completely timid even though she had clearly beat the pants off me. A guy named Kyuketsuki had been watching. Apparently he knows her. He healed my injuries using some medical ninjutsu, which I found equally impressive, seeing as he is still just a Genin. These are two people I'm not likely to forget anytime soon.
Konin came and found me in the training grounds today. I swear I'll murder whoever let slip to him my embarrassing loss against the Inuzuka girl. Of course he started jeering at me and rubbing it in my face, and I sort of snapped. I really wanted to prove to him how strong I was, so he would stop laughing at me. And I showed him. I pulled out all stops, guns blazing, and I taught him a lesson. He didn't lay a single hit on me. Kyuketsuki showed up again, and he stopped the fight just as Konin attacked me with a slew of fireballs. He said there's no need to continue, since Konin was in pretty bad shape. I'm kind of grateful for that. Kyuketsuki is proving to be a pretty good guy. Though he seemed a little out of sorts today… I wonder what happened?
Today I saw an old classmate of mine at the training grounds, Nara Tatsuo. Even though we're the same age, he speaks to me so formally. I wonder if he was just raised that way? Anyway, he was working on some "uncommon" jutsu and seemed to be having a hard time of it, so I suggested we take a break and have us a little spar. He agreed. So we went at it, going strictly Taijutsu for a while - I really wanted to improve on my speed and defense, since my fight with Shinobu. As it turns out, Tatsuo is really….. Not good at Taijutsu. The guy has no confidence, and throws out weak attacks. But then, after I kept pushing him, he showed me a hint of his real potential. He started coming at me more aggressively, and he showed me some really impressive evasive maneuvers and skillful water ninjutsu. Maybe he has some real talent, after all. I told him I'd make him my rival, and I meant it. I want to continue testing my skills against his as we both keep training and getting better. I think he'll turn into a really good friend.
I was at the Academy again today, helping out with a class. At lunch time, I went outside, and was met with this couple of shinobi and a giant red fox! What was stranger was that the fox could actually speak! Of course these people were friends of Shinobu - she would attract those interesting types. The male shinobi claimed he was an Inuzuka, but he sure didn't look like one. He had this white hair, and his clothes were way different from what I've seen the Inuzuka wear. But then he told me he was adopted, so I guess that makes sense. The giant fox is his partner, Ayame. The girl that was with him, Yuuki, is of the Hyuga clan, but I think there's something bothering her about it. She said she was adopted by the branch family. I'm not sure what that means for her, but I hope she can make peace with it eventually. As it turns out, those two folks are actually a couple. Like… a romantic couple. The guy, Soren, was being all affectionate with her, and I think she got embarrassed or something, because she turned bright red all of a sudden and passed right out. I wasn't expecting that, honestly. But I think she'll be okay. They seem like nice people, though. I hope I get to meet them again.
I had my first real mission tonight. Not just hunting rats… I was part of a recon team, looking for evidence of Recluse movement. Apparently they are an evil organization who are out to kill the Inuzuka. So we have to keep them away from the village. But.. I didn't end up being much help at all… I had no idea how weak I was. How much I still had to learn… And Zankuro almost got killed. I had to leave him, and run.. I had to put the mission ahead of my own feelings… That was the right thing to do… Wasn't it? I'm just glad that Kaido was around to pull him out of harm's way… I couldn't do anything… I've got to keep training. That was too close a call, and I can't let it happen again. I have to able to protect my friends…
I met Tatsuo for some swimming and down time today. It was going really well, and I was having a good time. But then… We got to talking. Tatsuo's been looking really tired lately, and he's been saying some weird stuff. Then he told me something that explains everything… Tatsuo is a jinchuuriki. Apparently the sealing happened right after we graduated form the Academy… That was when he disappeared for a few months, and nobody that I asked seemed to know where he was. He's the host of the three-tailed beast, known as Isobu… I even saw the chakra. It came up in a tail around him.. The way it felt… It was like nothing I'd ever experienced… But I gave him my word. As his best friend, my word has to be the one that he can trust no matter what. I will tell no one of this revelation. This is our secret now.. And I will protect it, on my honor.
