Uzumaki Mao is a recent arrival in Sunagakure from Uzushiogakure. A young woman who has accomplished far more in theory than in practice, she is working hard to ascertain the structure, power, and relationships which make up the Village Hidden in the Sand. She is also unfalteringly cheerful, sociable, and eager to work for the Village to earn her keep. She wants to fight against the dark reputation her people have obtained, and enjoy her freedom in this land of heat and sand.
Mao is a strange person. She is naturally cheerful, an optimist who tries her best not to let the world bring down her spirits. At the same time, she has a lot to worry about. She has wholeheartedly embraced the notion of playing the 'long game'. She does her best to think of things not in terms of how they will effect things this minute, but how they will effect things in ten years time, twenty years time, or more. For this reason, the relationship her village has with the outside world; the hatred and mistrust that they project onto the Uzumaki, concerns her greatly. She does her best to try and provide a positive example against such prejudice.
Mao has developed a theory of time which echoes through almost every action she takes. With a long life in front of her, she has the luxury of a viewpoint which few human beings could afford to take. She sees people in terms of their personality, not their body; because appearance is fleeting, and is guaranteed to change over time. She believes in taking the time to do things properly where possible, because this prevents one from being distracted by imperfections later. This is applied to her teaching and training, where she will do everything she can to ensure that a single technique is perfected before she moves on to the next. But it is also applied to how she lives her life; she makes sure her home is just as she wants it, each meal is made perfectly, and every action performed when it should be. Scheduling is highly important to her.
Mao does not believe in fate. This might seem odd, considering her notion of time. But she believes that people are firmly in control of their own destiny. This is highly empowering, and is part of the reason she is so cheerful most of the time. She has the power to make herself happy, and she does so, as much as she possibly can. Unkind people may consider her a bit of a hedonist in this, as she is not above going to extreme lengths in order to indulge her hobbies and passions. It is also what gives her the iron will that her people are so known for; when it is time to stand up, Mao will stand up with everything she has, with every fibre of her being, because to do otherwise would be to betray herself completely.
Fighting, though, is not something that Mao actually enjoys. She never wanted to be a ninja, though she has come to terms with that and she is now proud that she can help her village. Violence is a last resort for her, and one she hates to employ. Even to inflict pain on someone else is a very serious matter, to take another's life is the most difficult thing she has ever had to do. She prefers to incapacitate non-lethally where possible. This too feeds back into her notion of time. What is done, cannot be undone. Any mistakes she makes will have to be carried with her for the rest of her life. This is a huge incentive not to make any.
Appearance
Mao stands at just under five foot tall, a young woman in her early twenties, the first thing most people notice is her hair.
It's long, falling well past her shoulders in a series of long spikes, almost like dreadlocks. The natural color is a dirty blonde-brown which doesn't quite veer enough in either direction to complement her pale complexion. Perhaps that is why she has dyed the center of it bright purple. The violet hue is applied inexpertly, not quite covering any one spike absolutely.
The girl's features are soft. This is not someone who looks like she can defend herself, that much is for certain. She has wide, soft brown eyes, a tiny nose, and thin, drawn lips. She doesn't look like she's ever seen any hardship, and certainly no violence. Her eyebrows are a far darker shade than the locks of her hair, suggesting perhaps that even that dirty blonde isn't natural? Most peculiar, that.
Her outfit is that of a traveler. Selected, unlike her hairstyle, for practicality. To a certain extent anyway. A heavy black cloak is wrapped around her shoulders, lined with red velvet. A heavy cotton coat of dark grey is under that, and many straps of treated leather keep it held tight to her form. Lashed across her arms and her (thoroughly hidden) chest. An astute observer may notice that inside the coat, there are special pockets kept sealed up with shiny metal buttons. And more straps.
Under the coat she wears a white peasant's dress, simple and bland, and held in place by a hefty leather belt. Her feet are thoroughly protected by a pair of hard leather boots. These are brown, and in contrast to the darker straps holding her dress in place, the numerous straps over these traveling heels are cream. The one concession to style being the bright silver buckles on them.
Whooo, what a day! I arrived in Sunagakure, I met Councilman Kuoroke (he's unconscious right now, I think from exhaustion if I'm correct). He looks stern. But most people here look stern. I miss home already, but I suppose that's only natural. I'll only be here a few years, so I shouldn't get too worried about it.
My apartment is fairly basic. I'm working on making it more comfortable. I started with a rock garden using sand from the desert outside the city walls. I could have used some of the sand inside, I suppose, but it seemed more poetic to use it from another place. Now I just need some rocks, which is going to be more of a hassle than I had anticipated.
The heat here is terrible. I hope I get used to it.
I also met a young girl called Kasumi. She seems like she has her head screwed on. She's sharp, although she is a little bit morbid too. I suspect that has to do with her scar, but I didn't want to pry. She seems like she could use a friend. I've probably got twenty years on her, but I'll do my best. I hope she can make some friends of her own age too.
She said there's another Uzumaki here, and that she's … dense. I wasn't expecting that. I'll have to speak with some of the higher ups when I start taking active duties. If they've got an actual Uzumaki, and it isn't a coincidence, I'll have to let the Elders know. We'll see though. That is my gut instinct. If the kid seems like she's happy, and her tutors would rather I didn't, I can keep a secret.
I also saw a puppeteer today. That was, interesting. I'm going to have to investigate further.
Abilities
Talented seal-using ninja! No specific abilities yet.