Kikaru Kobayashi

Kikaru Kobayashi - the main character of Ellie Austin's loosely based Naruto fic, Measure of Success. She's a tough, level-headed kunoichi who dreams of becoming a renowned ANBU spy.

(There are no canon characters from Naruto in Measure of Success. The story is completely original, but set in a Naruto-type world.)

Background
Kikaru was born on November 13th, child of Kagura and Nikkou Kobayashi. Her clan was revered, known for their unique type of Ninjutsu and targeted by many. Not only were they wonderful assets to Kirigakure, but they were seen as threats by those weaker than them. Kikaru was watched like a hawk by the Mizukage when her parents were away on missions, but she didn't seem to notice the threats looming over her - all she cared about was becoming an exceptional shinobi and following in her parents' footsteps. She wanted nothing more than grow up and become an ANBU spy.

When Kikaru was 8-years-old, her parents were targeted and killed by a man named Raiden Yakunan - the Raikage of Kumogakure. He had plans to gain more power, but the Kobayashi clan knew far too much about his schemes, so he destroyed them all. Kikaru was the only one left.

Lacking motivation, and overcome by sorrow, Kikaru stopped working hard. But she had raw talent, and graduated from the academy at 13-years-old without any trouble. She was put on Team 5/Masami, her teammates being Arata Akiyama, Eien Arakawa, and her sensei, Masami Kyonishi. The team spent a lot of time with Squad 15 - Nadeshiko Sohda, Suzu Yamina, and Kami Suimono - led by Masami's older brother Nijito. They gave her the motivation she'd been lacking, and the desire to become a member of the ANBU resurfaced. She began working towards her goals - to work as a spy, and to kill Raiden Yakunan before he killed her.

Personality
Kikaru is hard-headed and tough, but is very lazy and has a strong capacity for sleep. If you piss her off, she won't be afraid to hit you, but she typically has a very level-headed and calm demeanor.

Appearance
Kikaru has dark, auburn hair and bright blue eyes. In the first book, she wears a long-sleeved shirt and black shorts, with leg coverings and a wrap around her neck. In the second book, she wears a long-sleeved jacket of the same color, a gray shirt underneath, a wrap around her neck, leg coverings, and black shorts (still).

Abilities
Kikaru uses the Kekkei Genkai of the Kobayashi clan in battle - metal. The ability is very rare and admired by the ninja world. Shortly after the beginning of the first book, she learns another ability special to the Kobayashi clan - lightning. She becomes the second person in the clan's history to learn a second branch.

Kikaru uses a bow and arrow as her weapon.

Kekkei Genkai
There are three branches of the Kobayashi clan - metal, lightning, and water. Kikaru (as well as her father) is a member of the metal branch, but throughout the trilogy she perfects her ability to use lightning as well. Three different cloaks are worn by members of the Kobayashi clan when they elevate to chuunin level; those in the metal branch wear black cloaks with the black romanji for "metal" stitched in the back. Members of the lightning branch wear yellow cloaks with the black romanji for "lightning" stitched in the back. Members of the water branch wear blue cloaks with the white romanji for "water" stitched in the back.

Book I
The theme of the first book is Kikaru growing up as a Kirigakure shinobi, and experiencing what it's like to go on missions and be a part of a team. Arata Akiyama develops a fond crush on her, and her and Eien Arakawa have a slight rivalry that simmers away as they grow older. The squad leader, Masami, is cunning and quick, and is the perfect teacher for the stubborn trio of kids. Throughout the story, Kikaru's lightning release grows more powerful, but she has to work on her agility; she has raw power, but isn't exactly stealthy or cunning, which are the main attributes for an ANBU spy. She works hard to balance agility and power.

At the end of the book, she faces Raiden Yakunan, the Raikage of the Cloud Village, and the man who killed both of her parents. The book ends with her fainting.

Book II
The theme of the second book is Kikaru having to adapt to a newer self much quicker than she should. The story begins with her waking up in Kumogakure three years after the end of Book 1 - she discovers she was being held prisoner by the Raikage, and all of Kiri was convinced she was dead in that time span. She manages to escape from him and return to Kirigakure. The entire village is overjoyed by her return. Things return to normal, and she rejoins her teammates, developing even stronger bonds than she had before. This book focuses on her desire to kill Raiden and, as always, become an ANBU spy.

Trivia

 * Kikaru's favorite food is tea (Sencha) and dumplings. She also loves red peppers.
 * Kikaru lives at the edge of Kirigakure in the Kobayashi household, where former members of her clan resided. She doesn't sleep very often and spends most of her time taking walks or training.
 * Her dream is to become an ANBU spy; this dream strengthens when she becomes the student of the head of Kirigakure's ANBU organization, Misora Yokoshima.

Reference
Masashi Kishimoto is the rightful owner of the original picture used to create the picture of Kikaru above. The application Paint Tool Sai was used to edit Sakura Haruno into Kikaru Kobayashi.