Megumi

Megumi (恵, Megumi) is an ANBU-level shinobi of Konohagakure and was an orphan from the disbanded faction: Root, and a member of Team Sakura. His story takes place four years after Shippuden.

Megumi belongs to [ rin037] on deviantART.

This article is a work-in-progress.

History
Megumi was born in Kirigakure to Rui and Hiroto Shinkushi; his given name means "blessing".

Four years after to Megumi's birth, Megumi's household was attacked by a band of unidentified ninja. (This is later revealed to be a coup d'etat.) His parents were both killed as he ran into the forest to hide. He was pursued by the attackers. Soon after, he was found lying in the woods by Yakushi Kabuto, who brought him to Orochimaru.

While treating the boy's injuries, Kabuto took note of the unnatural cell reproduction rate his body possessed and asked him if he was a member of the Uzamaki Clan, to which Megumi replied that he is a member of the Shinkushi Clan. This revelation sparked Orochimaru and Kabuto's interests, and so they took him in to experiment on him.

Megumi's inherent resistance and immunity to physical pain made him the ideal lab rat. It is also due to this ability that Megumi bore no ill will towards Orochimaru and Kabuto. Rather than viewing them as his captors or torturers, the boy grew rather fond of them and didn't mind being experimented on. This unusual loyalty is what brought Kabuto to suggest Megumi as one of Orochimaru's vessels.

From this point onwards, Megumi underwent training to hone his skills and various medical procedures to strengthen his body. At age six, a Sharingan from the former test subject Shin Uchiha was implated in Megumi's right eye in order to improve his battle reflexes.

Personality
Megumi is generally cheerful and pleasant to be around. He is polite to those of higher ranking and is very friendly and accomodating towards the members of his new team, though sometimes he can be matter-of-fact. Highly confident in his own abilities, he is not one to rely on the strength of others. Neither is he the type to talk about himself unless asked, and therefore does not particularly stand out, as noted by Sakura.

Growing up, Megumi never had much interaction with other members of normal society due to his extensive time with Orochimaru, Kabuto, and the Root. Because of this, he sometimes fails to pick up normal social cues and has a poor sense of morality. Megumi had also developed a very obedient nature and learned to speak in keigo or formal Japanese during his time under Danzo Shimura .

It had been noted by Orochimaru that Megumi possessed a inquisitive nature as a child, but this curiosity was suppressed during his time in Root, where he was unlikely to question the intentions of his superiors and was prone to being used. However, in  the years following the death of leader Danzo, Megumi began to learn more about camaraderie and the importance of ones own feelings as welll as the feelings of others. His growth in character increased rapidly as he was placed in Team Sakura. Being a part of a small, intimate, squad taught Megumi to care about others and eventually develop a strong sense of loyalty.

Appearance
Megumi is a 16 year old male with a lean build. He is slightly short for his age, and many mistake him to be a few years younger than he really is. His most notable feature is his messy scarlet hair, a trait shared by all member's of his father's clan, which is cut unevenly with bangs framing his face. The shape of his face, nose, and his brown eyes, were all inhereited from his mother. A Sharingan was implanted in his right eye, and is covered up with bandages.

During the time Danzo took him in, Megumi wore a plain, grey, long-sleeve shirt, black shorts, and standard ninja sandals. In Part II, he wore the standard uniform of Root, over a grey shirt. He also carried a tanto blade on his back. After being recruited into the ANBU, he wore the standard gear of said organization. He also wore a mask, as all ANBU members do, that resembles a fox's face with grey, black, and red markings.

By the time he had joined team Sakura, Megumi had a more personalized attire. Although he wore the same dark suit and gloves from ANBU, it was worn under a short jacket that bore his father's clan sigil, as well as the word "crimson" written down the back. The sleeves of his jacket are pulled back by red tasuki, a design similar to the customary attire of his clan.

==Abilities == Ninjustu

Nature Transformation
Megumi's chakra has an affinity of Earth nature. He uses it mainly for defensive purposes, such as creatings walls of earth and spikes in the ground. Megumi doesn't use his Earth release during stealth missions, but can be seen using all his earth techniques on an open battlefield or a defensive mission. Megumi has the unique Blood Release (血遁, Chiton), a kekkei genkai exclusive to members of the Shinkushi Clan. The Blood Release has a vast number of utilizations, but due to the fact that Megumi was separated from his clan at a young age, his knowledge and abilities with the kekkei genkai are quite limited as he had no one to teach him, albeit Kabuto who instructed Megumi and aided him in the development of his power. Megumi mainly uses this unique ability for manipulating an enemies body. He has proficiently utilized this power many times during his time in the ANBU, making use of Piercing Impulse for stealth missions and Crimson Link when doing interrogation missions.

Summoning Technique
The Shinkushi Clan has held a strong bond with their hounds, loyal spirit animals that have served their shinobi since the Era of Warring States (戦国時代, Sengoku Jidai). As the heir to Shinkushi, Megumi is able to summon these spirit animals using Summoning Technique: Bloody Fang. He can summon three different spirits, maximum of two at a time, using his summoning scrolls. By integrating his own Earth release with the chakra nature of his summoned beast, modest attacks of Combine Nature Transformations are possible. (Example, together with Raiku (lightning spirit animal), explosion release can be done.) However the combo is not as effective as the actual kekkei genkai would be.

Sharingan
When Megumi was six, Orochimaru implanted a Sharingan into his right eye. During his time as a lab rat, Megumi had learnt how to see through genjutsu and predict attacks through the use of the Sharingan. However he has yet to weild it's power to a full extent.

Chakra Prowess
Another one of Megumi's inborn traits is his chakra stamina. Shinkushi's can utilize their own blood to fuel more chakra into their system. This allows Megumi to have an unreal amount of self-replenishing chakra in his body. This blood-fueled chakra can also take form in Medical Ninjutsu when applied to an injury, aiding to heal physical damage at a faster rate. However, Megumi never opts to use his ability for that purpose, due to his poor chakra control. Instead, Megumi is used to restore and restock the chakra of his teammates.

Other Abilities
As a member of the Shinkushi Clan,  Megumi an extremely high tolerance for pain, if not unable to feel pain at all. Blood-loss has no effect on Megumi's body, and any damaged cells repair themselves and regenerate much quicker than the average person. It is mainly for these reasons that Megumi was recruited for ANBU.

Though it isn't his forte, Megumi is also quite adept in taijutsu. His speed and reflexes allow him to react quickly in combat. Megumi finds himself using taijutsu more often for defense, blocking and countering his enemies' attack. He is capable of fracturing and accurately hit pressure points when on the offensive.

During his time with Orochimaru, Megumi was often pit against other experiments in order to gauge his progress and development. It was here that he mastered the art of murder, ruthlessly killing his opponents when ordered to do so. He is knowledgeable when it comes to which points of the human body must be hit or crushed or pierced in order to immobilize or inflict pain onto his opponent. He can also extend his fingernails into claws for assassination purposes.

Sasuke Retrieval Arc
Megumi is seen at Orochimaru's hideout, walking with Kabuto. Upon Sasuke's arrival, after abandoning his village to join Orochimaru, Megumi greets and welcomes him. Sasuke ignores his friendly gestures. Sasuke displayed open contempt for Megumi, who bore a mature Sharingan in his eye, and throughout their time together the two did not get along.

Interlude
Megumi was stationed at one of Orochimaru's hideouts  when Leaf ANBU infiltrated the premises. Orochimaru and Kabuto fled, however, the ANBU managed to find Megumi in one of the hideout rooms. Megumi returned to Konohagakure with them, where he was taken under Danzo's care and training and like many others, became one of the talented orphans raised to be part of the Foundation.

Due to his special Kekkai Genkai and displayed skill and loyalty, Megumi was recruited to the ANBU Foundation after being retrieved and raised under Danzo. It was at this time where Megumi met Sai, a fellow member of the Root. Sai appeared to be mildly surprised by Megumi's young age, but did not question Danzō's decision. The older of the two showed him the ropes and taught him the essentials of being a shinobi of the Foundation.

Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission
After Team Kakakshi returns from their failed mission, within the deep chambers, Megumi was seen speaking with a subordinate of Tatsuma Aburame. Danzō summoned for Megumi, assigning him to secretly watch over Sai, who after his mission with Team Kakakashi, seems to display a change in behavior. Megumi followed through with his task and stalked Sai about the village, however the latter sensed his presence and called him out. Sai then told Megumi to reassure Lord Danzō that he had nothing to worry about. Despite feeling that something was truly different about Sai, Megumi reported back to Danzō to relay Sai's message.

Five Kage Summit Arc
Upon receiving the news that Danzo had fallen victim to Sasuke Uchiha, Megumi recalled meeting Sasuke when the latter first came to join Orochimaru.

Fourth Shinobi War: Confrontation
Acknowledged for his incredible abilities, both inherent and aquired, Megumi was the youngest shinobi to participate in the war against Madara Uchiha and Kabuto. He was placed in the Logistical Support and Medical Division of the Allied Shinobi Forces, and was made to assist in replenishing chakra to the wounded.

Fourth Shinobi War: Climax
Later, Megumi and the rest of his division made their way to the jinchūriki's battlefield and lined up in position alongside the rest of the Shinobi Alliance. As other members of the divison began to heal those wounded on the battlefield, Megumi accompanied the medics in order to provide assistance and extra chakra reserves. He later stood alongside the other members of the Allied Shinobi Forces and prepared to face their opposition as Naruto vowed that the world would not end, with Obito Uchiha vowing otherwise.

Birth of the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki
Eventually, Megumi fell prey to the Infinite Tsukiyomi like the rest of the world. Within it, he dreamed of a happy childhood where he was in the arms of his mother and his father happily carried him on his shoulders.

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes
Ultimately, Megumi and the rest of the world were freed from the genjutsu by Naruto and Sasuke after ending the war. By the end of the Part II, Megumi was transferred over to the mainstream ANBU at age 13. There he relearned his emotions and was able to regain some of his personality thanks to the stronger sense of camaraderie amongst the mainstream ANBU ninja. It was also here that he met Soku, with whom he eventually shares a significant bond with.

Shikamaru Hidden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness
Upon her departure to meet Shikamaru, Soku was greeted by Megumi, who is her junior in mainstream ANBU, and was wished a safe mission. She mentally noted that he had slowly began to develop social abilities, but verbalized how strange and awkard it was to hear pleasantries from Megumi.

第十六版 外伝: Shippuden After Story
Four years after the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, ANBU captain Sai assigns Megumi to a four-man squad under order of the Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto. Megumi is introduced to Team 16, consisting of Yukina Ren , Hanasaki Nadeshiko, and Haruno Sakura as Team Captain.

Trivia

 * Megumi dislike's his given name because he consider's it feminine, but honors it because it is the last thing that ties him to his mother.
 * During his time in the Root/ Foundation, Megumi often went by the codename Būki.
 * Megumi is aware that he hails from the Shinkushi Clan, however he does not identify with the clan.
 * Megumi's hobbies include growing small plants and watching Sai draw.
 * Megumi wishes to fight Yukina Ranko and Danzo.
 * Megumi's favorite food is anything sweet, least favorite being basashi.

Quotes

 * (To Orochimaru) "N..not Uzumaki....Shinkushi...Megumi is a Shinkushi." (ううん. うずまきじゃない‥真紅死…恵は真紅死だ. )
 * (To Kabuto) "Good morning, Kabuto-san. Hey, what are we gonna do today? Another test, or are we gonna move to another hideout?" (おはよう、カブトさん. ねえ、今日何をしよう？実験をやる？それとも、ほかのところにいく？)
 * (To Sasuke) "Heh~ So you're the Sasuke-kun that Orochimaru-san always speaks of? Nice to finally meet you." (へえ〜あなたは大蛇丸さんがいつも述べるひと‥あのサスケくんですか？やっと会った、よろしく な. )
 * (To Sakura) “Ha ha, you seem like a scary person, onee-san.” (アハハ、お姉さんはちょっと怖いそうですね.)
 * (To Team 16) “Megumi. I’m from the disbanded faction Root. It’s nice to meet you." (恵 です. ANBU の 解散 根 に から来ました. どうぞよろしくお願いいたします. . )