Uzume Uzumaki

Uzume Uzumaki  (うずまきウズメ, Uzumaki Uzume) was a kunoichi of the Uzumaki clan that lived during the Warring States Era.

!UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

Background
Born into Uzushiogakure during a chaotic and war-torn era, Uzume was a member of the Uzumaki clan through her father, Hisahide, while her mother, Megumi, hailed from a lesser known family that made a living through metalwork, particularly that of weapon forging.

Like many of the children in Uzushiogakure and, in particular, the Uzumaki clan, Uzume was trained in the art of fūinjutsu at a young age, spending many mornings practicing her handwriting and learning of the intricate rules and laws of the sealing art. Unlike many in Uzushio, however, Uzume had no interest in fūinjutsu, finding the passive nature of the art unsuited for battle, as well as boring and unstimulating.

She spent a lot of time with her maternal grandfather, Chikamasa, in his workshop, watching him work his forge, finding it much more interesting than her monotonous studies of fūinjutsu and calligraphy. Influenced by the man, Uzume harbored dreams of becoming a world-renowned blacksmith when she retired from being a shinobi; one whose name was known by all and whose creations were both feared and admired. When she confronted her father about cancelling her fūinjutsu studies in favor of learning metalwork, he immediately reprimanded her for even asking such a thing, claiming that an Uzumaki that didn’t master fūinjutsu was not an Uzumaki at all.

As she grew older, Uzume began to notice Uzushiogakure’s over-reliance of fūinjutsu, disliking the way it had become the only thing that defined the Uzumaki and Uzushiogakure as a whole. Determined to prove to her peers that fūinjutsu wasn’t the only thing that had to define them as people of Uzushiogakure, Uzume quickly picked up naginatajutsu and dedicated many years to perfecting the martial art. Because of that, however, her fūinjutsu skills gradually fell behind her peers, causing a rift to form between herself and her father due to arguments concerning how her decision to neglect her sealing lessons impacted her overall effectiveness in battles. Despite her father's lack of support, Uzume persevered as she took to the battlefield, intent on proving all who doubted her wrong.

Warring States Era
Uzume struggled to make a name for herself during the progressively chaotic times of the Warring States Era. Despite noticing the effectiveness of fūinjutsu and the advantages it gave her clansmen, Uzume still neglected her studies in sealing, instead, focusing on mastering lightning ninjutsu, choosing it over water—her chakra affinity—because it suited her fighting style better. She hoped that by expanding her small skill set, it would get her noticed by both allies and foes alike. Her progress was adequate but, even as she dedicated more training to ninjutsu and naginatajutsu, she still remained just a background member of the Uzumaki.

Because of an encounter with an enemy shinobi that was well-versed in earth release, she found herself inspired by their ninjutsu that mimicked flight and allowed their admittedly slight frame to dish out devastating blows. Uzume had trouble replicating the techniques she had witnessed, finding earth-natured chakra hard to control, mainly because she was accustomed to using lightning, along with the added complication of being naturally inclined towards water-natured techniques. Eventually, she stopped her earth ninjutsu training, growing frustrated that through all her efforts to be "different," she was only pushing herself further and further into the background.

At some point in time, a small group led by her father, Hisahide, encountered a group of Uchiha led by the relatively young but prodigious Izuna Uchiha. They engaged in combat, initially with an upper hand, however, Izuna's skills—augmented by the infamous dōjutsu, the Sharingan—quickly turned the tide of battle against them. Casualties mounted every minute and Uzume herself almost became a victim to Izuna's overwhelming power, saved only by the combined intervention of her father and some allied Senju members that heard the commotion. She barely survived, the entirety of her back scorched and, if not for her accelerated healing factor, Uzume would not have been able to return to the battlefield, much like her father, whom had lost an entire arm in protecting her.

Following the battle, Uzume reluctantly requested that her father help in her sealing studies, as both an apology for cutting his shinobi career short and as an attempt at mending their strained relationship. He reluctantly accepted and, with his help, she was able to create a unique fūinjutsu that affected the gravity of her weapon, similar to what she had been trying to achieve by learning earth ninjutsu. With restored determination, Uzume once again took up arms, confident that she had what she needed to become one of a kind.

Konohagakure and the Destruction of Uzushiogakure
By the time of Konohagakure's foundation, Uzume had become a formidable opponent, practiced and hardened through many trails and bloodly battles, becoming known on sight once she pulled out her naginata, infamously referred to as "God Splitter" because of its unsurpassed ability to split practically any and all forms of matter.

Because of her prowess, she was specifically picked as one of several people to guard Mito Uzumaki on her journey from Uzushiogakure to Konohagakure for her marriage to Hashirama Senju. Uzume performed her duty admirably and effectively, earning the praise of both Hashirama and Mito. With her mission completed, she continued to reside in Konohagakure for a time, mainly helping with the construction of buildings and generally enjoying the peace that the establishment offered.

She returned to her home of Uzushio some time before the First Shinobi World War, where she continued to live for many years after. Eventually, Uzume married, becoming a mother of two—a boy and a girl—and began to make plans to take up the family craft of metalworking in order to become a world famous blacksmith, just as she had dreamed of doing since she was a small girl. Unfortunately, an unknown enemy assaulted the Land of Whirlpools, leading to the destruction of Uzushiogakure and its people. While Uzume was a formidable opponent, she was outnumbered and eventually felled while attempting to keep her children safe.

It is unknown whether Uzume's husband and children were among the scant few survivors of the destruction of Uzushiogakure.

Personality
Uzume was described as a tough woman that was extremely proud of her strength, to the point where she appeared arrogant and blinded by her own hubris. This notion was further pushed by her usage of referring to herself with the term "ore," which can be seen as a boastful and rather rude way of referring to oneself.

As a child, because of her seemingly excessive pride and her rather tomboyish interests—which typically consisted of weaponry and metalwork—she mainly kept to herself, as most children either did not have much in common with her or were too busy with their own training. As a result, Uzume grew to have a strong sense of independence but she also gained troubles properly interacting with others, mainly having difficulties in expressing her feelings and faults, often times growing agitated or bashful when confronted with topics of weakness.

She was known to very headstrong and determined, convinced that her way of doing things was the proper way unless confronted with irrefutable proof that indicated otherwise—one such example was her refusal to further her studies in fūinjutsu until she realized it was useful in augmenting her battle prowess.

Despite her reputation of assumed conceit, Uzume was a woman who praised honor and courage in battle, condemning those who would use cowardly means to triumph in battle. She was fond of challenging many to spars as, in her mind, she believed the only way to perceive a person's true intent could only be seen through battle. Her chivalry and bravery were her stronger points but her bluntness and sharp tongue often downplayed her actions.

She didn't put much stock in natural talent, believing that one had to work and persevere in order to be truly powerful. She also did not like the idea of conformity, especially that which was seen in many shinobi clans. In the same vein, Uzume hated the idea of being remembered as "just another Uzumaki" and, to some, it made her appear ashamed or bitter towards her heritage, which was not the case at all—she merely wanted her people to realize that one should be seen as their own person and not rely on their family's name to define them.

Appearance
Uzume was a slightly tanned woman with an athletic but decidedly feminine form. Her eyes were almond-shaped and a mossy green, accented by red kohl eye makeup. She had rounded facial features but her nose was pointed, her chin blunted and her lips were painted with light-colored lipstick. Her hair was long, around back-length, and was purple that had a red tint to it, making it a color close to violet-red. Covering the expanse of her back was a large burn scar from her almost fatal encounter with Izuna Uchiha.

In battle, she tied and pinned her hair up into an intricate style. She wore the standard Uzushiogakure shinobi attire, the only difference being that her sleeves were shorter to allow for unhindered movement. She donned black wristbands that were marked with storage seals, used to house her weapon for ease of access and for better mobility. Her forehead protector was worn proudly on her forehead, marked with Uzushiogakure's emblem.

Abilities
Uzume was a talented kunoichi whose strength was respected and trusted enough to be chosen as one of few people to safely escort Mito Uzumaki during her journey from Uzushiogakure to Konohagakure.

Chakra Prowess and Life Force
As both a denizen of Uzushiogakure and as a member of the Uzumaki clan, Uzume was blessed with an incredibly strong life force and longevity, as well as great recuperative powers that allowed her to heal from even the most grievous of injuries within a short period of time. Uzume's chakra and recuperative abilities, in particular, were rather accelerated and potent for an Uzumaki, as noted by several of her allies and enemies alike. Her chakra reserves were overtly large as well, in that she was able to easily utilize Earth Release: Fissure—a ninjutsu that often times requires multiple shinobi to properly perform—without the aid of another shinobi.

Fūinjutsu
Despite not being a main focus in her repertoire of skills, Uzume’s knowledge in fūinjutsu was considerably more advanced than the average person’s because of her Uzumaki heritage. In comparison to her other clansmen, she readily admitted that her skills were sub par, however, she was able to craft her own unique and rather complex seals that have never been recreated with the assistance of her father.

Ninjutsu
Although her affinity was that of water, Uzume rarely—if ever—used water-based ninjutsu as she preferred earth- and lightning-based techniques. For a time, she struggled with learning earth ninjutsu—even giving up at one point—but, eventually, she was able to use both elements as equally proficient by the time of her death. Her chakra control while using the two elements were refined to such a point that she could omit using hand seals to perform them and, instead, use her weapon as a means of channeling and casting ninjutsu.

Naginata
While most shinobi during the particular time period favored using kenjutsu, Uzume prided herself on being one of very few individuals to use naginatajutsu.

She carried a specially customized naginata—affectionately nicknamed God Splitter—into battle that was equipped with a broader, heavier blade and forged with special metal that allowed elemental chakra to be infused into it easier. The pole arm also had unique seals etched into it, apparently affecting the weight and gravity similar to certain earth release techniques, either making it so heavy that it could fracture earth by simply dropping it on the ground or making it so light that Uzume could effectively wield it one-handed without tiring, along with anything in between. When combined with lightning-elemental chakra, the weapon was strong enough to cleanly split miles of earth and sea with only one swing.

Trivia

 * Uzume’s name originates from the Shinto goddess of dawn, mirth and revelry, Ame-no-Uzume.
 * Uzume preferred earth- and lightning-based ninjutsu because she aimed to become one of the most renowned shinobi beneath the heavens (represented by lightning) and on the earth.
 * Despite being classified as a naginata, her weapon was more similar to that of a guanduo—a pole arm of Chinese origin similar to the naginata.
 * According to the databook(s):
 * Uzume's hobbies were bathing in hot springs, drinking sake under the stars and spearfishing.
 * Uzume’s favorite food was nigirizushi, while her least favorite food was anything that contained shellfish.
 * Uzume wished for a rematch with Izuna.
 * Uzume’s favorite quote was "fall down seven times, stand up eight" (七転び八起き, Nanakorobi yaoki).
 * Uzume was actually reanimated to fight in the Fourth Shinobi World War as, after the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, her corpse managed to travel a location on the edges of the Land of Fire, where she was buried by some local farmers. Kabuto heard rumors and quickly collected her body, excited to have found an intact corpse of an Uzumaki member. She was quickly sealed however, because she was without her signature weapon, which had been pulled into one of the many whirlpools that surrounded her fallen country.

Quotes

 * (To Hisahide) "I do not wish to be just another Uzumaki, Father! I want to be known for more than just sealing and red hair! I will become a warrior that is one of the strongest in the lands! Even the heavens will tremble at the sound of my name!"
 * (To Izuna) "Your fire...burn-ns e-even...h-otter than t-the...d-d-deepest depths o-of h-hell... B-but...I-I will...perse...vere... I...cannot d-die...here..."
 * (To Mito) “It is an honor to be able to protect you during this journey, Lady Mito. Do not worry—I will cut down all who dare stand in our way.”
 * (To Hashirama) "T-thank you for your praise, Lord Hashirama...! I am honored to heard such words from you!"
 * (To Tobirama) "So, you are the one who defeated Izuna Uchiha? I am impressed...and a little angry at you."

Reference
Any artwork that will be posted on this page will belong to me unless otherwise stated. A majority of the information came from the Naruto Wikia and Wikipedia.