Usagi Itagaki

Jutsu

Usagi Itagaki  ( 板垣 兎, Itagaki Usagi) is an original character of the Narutoverse. She is a chūnin - level Kunoichi of Kusagakure and a member of Team Jirou. Team Jirou is also known as Team Tiger because of their jōnin-sensei‘s tiger-nin companion, Kamisorimaru. Seisha Masatsugu and Ketsudan are the other members of Team Tiger led by jōnin-sensei Jirou Toramasa.

Background
Usagi was born into the Itagaki clan of Kusagakure. Her mother, Nakano, is a legendary shinobi of the Itagaki clan and Jōnin-Commander of the Kusagakure Shinobi. Her father was a poor farmer whose lands had come under attack during the Third Shinobi War. Usagi’s mother and her unit drove off the attackers but she was injured in the battle and could not continue on with her troops. Usagi’s father nursed her back to health and when the war was over she took him as a husband.

The shinobi of the Itagaki clan are all Kunoichi and take the clan name regardless of who their father’s family may be upon earning the rank of chūnin. The clan’s traditions date back to the time of samurai. 

Personality
Usagi is generally very kind hearted and cheerful, but injustice and cruelty really make her mad and then she can be kind of scary as she tends to laugh during combat which can be unsettling to her opponents. Many of her clan sisters and even her mother despair at her constant cheerful attitude, to which her father is completely to blame, as most of her clan exhibit the dour and stoic disposition of a regimental military force. Few of her peers call her out too loudly, though, as she will happily pound anyone who insults her into the dirt, smiling enthusiastically all the while. Her fellow classmates sometimes find her youthful exuberance annoying.

Appearance
Usagi has black hair with bluish undertones that she wears in the typical warrior braids of her clan and green eyes like her mother. She has her father’s dark reddish complexion. As with the rest of her clan she wears armor similar in style to that of the Akimichi clan of Konohagakure but in green and wears a kabuto style helmet with her forehead protector mounted just above the visor. Under this she wears mesh armor. She carries her naginata strapped to her back when not in use. For clan ceremonial functions, where armor is uncalled for, she wears a light green kimono with darker trim and her braids tied up in loops with a green ribbons. On her days off she wears a green halter top and yellow shorts and leaves her down and unbraided or tied in a loose ponytail with a green bow.

Abilities
Taijutsu

Usagi always showed the most aptitude for taijutsu throughout her training. She can deliver powerful combos using the Flying Foot Style a derivative of Strong Fist, which focuses specifically on powerful kicks. She is quite acrobatic and her speed allows her to dodge and counter-attack with great efficiency. Combined with her naginatajutsu she is a deadly and dangerous opponent. Currently she is able to open three of the eight gates, but has been forbidden by her mother from opening more than the first except under extreme circumstances.

Bukijutsu

Usagi is highly skilled in the use of the Naginata, the favored weapon of her clan. She has become very proficient with weaving her ninjutsu and taijutsu into her naginatajutsu. She is also skilled in the use of kunai, scrolls, paperbombs and other ninja tools, including kenjutsu. She received a clan naginata as a reward for her promotion to the chūnin rank the blade is made from chakra metal and is forged using earth release and fire release nature transformations by the clansmiths of the Igataki. Despite its blade’s larger size it remains light and agile. During the Fourth Shinobi War she also carries a Tantō across the back of her waist as a secondary weapon.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ninjutsu

<p class="MsoNormal">Usagi has average chakra levels but what she does possess she has learned to combine with her taijutsu and naginatajutsu. One of her mid range ninjutsu attacks is Whirling Blades of Grass in which she jams her Naginata into the ground sending forth spinning blades through the ground toward her target. Usagi can also summon a number of small rabbit-nin, most notably her friend Sanpā, Thumper, who her father had caught in a trap for stealing carrots out of his fields. The little Usagi convinced her father to let the rabbit go and he has been with her ever since.

<p class="MsoNormal">Nature Transformation

<p class="MsoNormal">Usagi has an affinity for the earth chakra nature. With it she can shield herself and others, dig tunnels, and erect barriers. In addition to strengthening her own blades and armor she can weaken the armor and weapons of others causing them to become more brittle and even shatter under her blows

Status
Part I

<p class="MsoNormal">Kusagakure Ninja Academy Arc

<p class="MsoNormal">Usagi was very excited to start at the academy and is very eager to prove herself to her clan. She was well liked by her classmates and quickly rose to the head of the class. One of the hardest general skills for academy students to learn is <span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#0070C0">Water Surface Walking, and normally takes a while to master. After the first day of practice, overeager to prove herself decided to train on her own despite her sensei’s warning. She was supposed to watching her little sister, Koke, at the playground but began trying to master water walking instead. She was having mild success until she ventured to far out in the river and snagged her foot in a bait trap which broke her concentration causing her to plummet into the river and get more entangled putting her in danger drowning. Fortunately, Koke saw this and began yelling for help. Seisha and Ketsudan, two boys from her class, bruised and battered from another altercation with the class bullies were walking along the river bank on their way home. Without the embarrassment of failure clouding their minds and the need to save a comrade fueling their drive the two boys used the water surface walking technique to run out across the river and drag her to the shore. Grateful for their rescue and their agreed silence on reporting the incident to their class instructor, the three became friends. To the boys benefit, Usagi, being the strongest of their classmates in taijutsu, put a quick end to their being bullied.

<p class="MsoNormal">Team Tiger Arc

<p class="MsoNormal">The three friends helped each other a lot during the academy and their teamwork was noticed by their instructors. When they graduated to genin rank, it was decided to put the three of them on the same team to further develop their skills and cooperation. They were assigned to a standard four man team under the leadership of Jōnin-Sensei Jirou Toramasa, a former Kusagakure ANBU. As a result much of their training revolved around stealth.

<p class="MsoNormal">Team Jirou’s first big mission was to locate and return a prize racing horse of the Shusoku Family in the neighboring Umagoya Village. The team met with the head of the Shusoku family, Tsukai, and his son, Kei, who was to ride the horse in question at a race in an upcoming international event. The horse, named Honba, was known for its willful disposition and frequent escapes. This was only considered to be a C-rank mission but it was soon discovered that the horse had been stolen by ninja from Takigakure. Upon making the discovery the team regrouped with the intention of calling in a more experienced team, but Kei, afraid for his horse and not willing to wait, ran off and got captured trying to get the horse back himself and the team had to attempt a rescue despite their inexperience. Team Tiger infiltrated the bandit’s camp without being seen and rescued the horse and Kei. Three of the bandits upon discovering the horse and kid were gone tracked down the team before they could make it back to the village a fight ensued. Jirou and Kamisorimaru each took on one of the bandit-nin and the three genin took on the third, which proclaimed himself as Umaketsu the Vile, and captured him using their Flying Tiger Cage Collaboration Technique. The technique was initially designed to catch rodents in Old Lady Kuwa’s garden, one of Team Tiger’s genin tasks, but Seisha adapted it to immobilize Umaketsu. The team makes it back to the village just in time for Kei and Honba to join the race, which they go on to win.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Chūnin Exams Arc

<p class="MsoNormal">In their third year as genin Team Tiger made up three of the fifteen genin from Kusagakure at the Chūnin Exams in Konohagakure. Among the others were Shiore and her team which was killed and impersonated by Orochimaru. After arriving in the Konohagakure, Jirou left them to catch up with <span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#0070C0">Tsume, an old friend and rival among the <span style="font-size:8.5pt; font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#0070C0">Inuzuka Clan. The three genin ate lunch at <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#0070C0">Ramen Ichiraku, and while there got in a scuffle with another Konoha genin team consisting Shikamaru, Ino and Choji. The fight started because Ketsudan thought Ino made a remark about the burns on his face and in retaliation he said she was stuck up and then Choji called Ketsudan ugly for insulting Ino, and then Seisha told Choji “to watch it, Fatso”. Things were about to get really ugly but it was broken up by <span style="font-size:8.5pt;mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;color:#0070C0">Iruka Umino, who warned them that fighting outside of the Chūnin Exams could get them disqualified. Then made them each apologize and sit down and enjoy a meal together. After the misunderstanding was resolved the afternoon became much friendlier.

<p class="MsoNormal">The team was eliminated from the first phase of the exams when Usagi, terrified that if they got the question wrong she would fail to become a chūnin and be kicked out of her clan opted out of the 10th question. She felt as though she let her team down and vowed she would never let fear stand in the way of her companions again. Her teammates bore some resentment about being eliminated, especially after they learned that by accepting the question they would have automatically passed, it was quickly overshadowed by the discovery of the deaths of their fellow ninjas at the hands of Orochimaru. All three passed the Chūnin Exams the following year.

<p class="MsoNormal">

Part II
<p class="MsoNormal">Konohagakure Security Test Arc

<p class="MsoNormal">As chūnin one of Team Tiger’s primary tasks becomes the testing of Kusagakure’s defenses. Periodically upon completing some mission they will be sent a coded message giving them details of the next security test and objectives. The test usually revolves around sneaking in to Kusagakure or the Daimyō’s palace and either stealing something, like a scroll, or placing something like a tag on someone, simulating they have been assassinated. They are usually caught, which is a good thing, but have been successful a little too often for the comfort of the Kusasancho, village head. The benefit the team adds to Kusagakure’s security and defenses is such that they have been request to perform similar test for some of Kusagakure’s allies.

<p class="MsoNormal">Team Tiger was even hired on one occasion by the <span style="font-size:8.5pt; font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#0070C0">Hokage, <span style="font-size:8.5pt; font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#0070C0">Tsunade, to test Konohagakure’s defenses. All was going well and Team Tiger penetrated deep in to Konohagakure’s security structure before they were seen. Unfortunately, the test and their capture proved enough of a distraction to allow a real threat to sneak into Lady Tsunade’s office and steal a scroll pertinent to Konohagakure and Land of Fire trade agreements.

<p class="MsoNormal">Team Tiger then teamed up with Konohagakure’s Team Kurenai to get them back. Together they tracked down and defeated the bandit-nin. During the fighting one of the bandit-nin summoned a messenger rat-nin that swallowed the scroll while the thieves delay for it to escape but Seisha summoned the owl-nin, Hoshouzuku, who quickly swooped down and gobbled up the rat-nin, regurgitating the scroll later. Under interrogation back at Konohagakure it was revealed the bandits may have been affiliated with <span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#0070C0; mso-bidi-font-style:italic">Amegakure, but concrete evidence could not be obtained since the bandits wore no headbands and their minds had been well guarded against intrusion, resulting in the deaths of all but one questioned and he was a missing-nin from Ishigakure.

<p class="MsoNormal">Usagi and Hinata were friendly to all and excited about working together, Shino and Seisha greeted all with their usual detachment and Kiba and Ketsudan felt that the other team was an unnecessary burden and blamed them for the incident. In addition, Kiba didn’t like Jirou, because of the previous history with his mother and Akamaru was somewhat afraid of Kamisorimaru, given his history with Kuromaru. Despite their initial feelings both teams bonded a great deal by the end of the mission and became friends. Interestingly the two that learned the most were Kiba, about animal collaboration techniques from Jirou, and Ketsudan, about using genjutsu in combat from Kurenai, as both senseis were renowned in their respective fields.

<p class="MsoNormal">(The events of the Konohagakure Security Test Arc occurred during the Kazekage Rescue Arc of the Naruto: Shippuden series.)

<p class="MsoNormal"> Shinobi World War Arc

<p class="MsoNormal">During the Fourth Shinobi World War Team Tiger was split up initially. Usagi was placed in the Third Division under Kakashi Hataki.

<p class="MsoNormal">(To be continued…)

Trivia
According to the databook(s): <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in">   §  Usagi’s hobby is gardening. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in">   §  Usagi desires to fight Orochimaru. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in">   §  Usagi’s favourite foods are carrots and wagashi. Her least favourite food is sushi. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in">   §  Usagi has completed 39 Missions:  9 D-rank, 4 C-Rank, 10 B-rank, 15 A-rank, 1 S-rank. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in">   §  Usagi’s favourite phrase is “Hop to it”
 * Usagi means “rabbit”
 * Itagaki was another name for Lady Hangaku, a female warrior who was known for wielding a naginata in feudal Japan.
 * Usagi’s mother’s name, Nakano, comes from a female warrior during the Edo Period.
 * A Tiger Team is a military unit designed to test “Friendly” security systems.
 * According to the databook(s):

Quotes

 * (To Team Tiger)“This is no time to be lying about, Hop to it guys!”
 * (To Opponent)“Somebody wants a stompin’”

Reference

 * The Usagi Itagaki OC, supporting OC’s and artwork are the creation of Dallas Perry.
 * Information about the Narutoverse was obtained from the <span style="mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;color:#0070C0">Narutopedia<span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;color:#0070C0"> website and/or from the Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden anime series.
 * Historical information was obtained from <span style="mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;color:#0070C0">Wikipedia.