Kazō Yakusho

Kazō Yakusho (やくしょ カゾウ, Yakusho Kazō) is a tokubetsu jōnin and trap expert of Kusagakure. He is a member of Team Yon-Tao with Oda Inagara and Kasumi Mitou. He and Oda are also former members of Team Takato with Avaki. Through years of training, he has acquired the ability to manipulate any preexisting wooden object, including his wooden prosthetic arm.

Background
Kazō began his Academy years as a fairly average student. His academic grades, however, were above average thanks to his father, Kōza. As a scientist, his father made sure Kazō didn’t fall behind in his studies. His knowledge in math and geometry even helped his shurikenjutsu by increasing his aiming skills. Hand seals were his only other redeeming skill, one that few in the class could beat. Outside of this, he was quite lax with his training. He would often spend his time in the back of the classroom with his best friend, Kentaro Shida, making jokes about the teacher’s lectures. When not in class, Kazō would hang out with Kentaro and the twins, Ide and Buto. Soon Kasumi joined their group, albeit out of sheer boredom.

While Kazō was still in the Academy, he met Giriko. The man was introduced as a colleague of his father, and as the two men worked, Kazō would watch from the corner of their lab. The time was short lived, as Giriko was found to be a rogue scientist. A logbook was discovered, detailing failed experiments involving children from the different villages he had lived in. Kazō had unknowingly become the newest experiment. He had been injected with a parasite in the hopes that he would survive long enough for the parasite to fully evolve. Before the experiment got too far, his father found out and was able to stop it. However, Kazō lost his lower left arm to the parasite in the process.

After recovering, Kazō was fitted with a simple wooden prosthetic; a solid piece carved into the basic shape of an arm. His father thought it easier for him, only eight at the time, to adapt to life with one arm instead of suffering through the rehabilitation process a more complex prosthetic would give. However, this made Kazō’s ninja career collapse. Without his arm and still an Academy student, Kazō’s training came to a halt. In an effort to not fall behind, Kazō began experimenting with wire-shuriken manipulation. His already proficient skill with aiming allowed him to easily learn the ins and outs of this new skill, even with one arm.

However, the rest of his training still faltered. Without his arm, his coordination with taijutsu suffered. It wasn’t until an accident with Kasumi that he realized his prosthetic could be used as a shield during a fight. Gaining his confidence back, Kazō continued his training, becoming more skilled with wires and with using his disability to his advantage. His teachers tried to prevent this, asking him what he’d do if his prosthetic broke from taking damage like that. He knew they were right, but didn’t know what else to do.

During a lecture in class, Kazō learned about chakra flow and how it could be used with weapons. Using this concept, he began trying to make his chakra flow into his prosthetic. Three years later, by the time his graduation drew near, Kazō gained the ability to manipulate not only his wooden arm, but other wooden objects as well. Though he gained mobility again, he also acquired a loss. With the amount of chakra used up when manipulating his arm, Kazō’s reserves were drastically reduced. Even if he could function fully, he couldn’t last long in battle, making his chances of being a successful ninja fall once again.

When the genin were grouped, Kazō found himself under the command of Takato Kishimi. To his anger, the team was an unofficial one; created, he thought, just to give him the appearance of still being a ninja. His teammates, Oda Inagara and Avaki, were not fellow classmates of his. Instead, they were two normal villagers that Takato selected. Kazō refused to be saddled with false ninja out of pity. However, Takato revealed that he purposely created the false team to show those in charge that Kazō could still make it as a ninja. Not wanting them to end Kazō’s career, he said he would take full responsibility of the student, regardless of the outcome.

Kazō began training with Takato, as well as helping Oda and Avaki learn to tap into their chakra. During this time, Kazō never saw his other friends. He was too embarrassed of his false team and didn’t want the others to see him. Eventually Kazō got over this problem, though he still avoided his other friends. He began to enjoy being on his team and grew quite close to his new teammates. His skills with building traps increased to make up for the lack of solid chakra reserves. Team Takato began completing missions and were that much closer to being seen as an official team of the Hidden Grass Village.

Personality
Kazō has a fairly laid back attitude and tends to crack jokes whenever he sees an opening. What he sees as being witty, others tend to see as being a smartass. Nonetheless, his words have become an integral part of his fighting style. Known as Kusa’s Wooden Spider, his web of words is just as much of a trap as the physical ones he sets. His quick tongue can be quite useful outside of fighting as well. He can easily switch to a more diplomatic tone, becoming very polite and always speaking in such a way as to make it at least seem like he’s on the other person’s side. Avaki has even stated that Kazō could probably talk a hungry lion off of a carcass.

To match this trait, Kazō is a very good actor. He can easily fall into character, whether during a battle or just horsing around. He and Oda would often act out various hero/villain skits when not training. During missions, he may fall back on an act when fighting won’t work or if he’s bored enough. Once when building a trap, he made a giant spider out of wood. Wires served as its web and, when triggered, they caused the spider to move. Before having two enemy ninja be “swallowed” by the spider, Kazō actually hid inside of it so he could act like he got swallowed too. The spider used up a lot of chakra, but he was having too much fun to care.

Kazō can become easily annoyed, especially with Kasumi and her older sister, Seishi. In many cases, he can cover it up well. Even if it’s with a quip or smartass remark, his keeping face just shows more of his mastery over his words. However, if he can’t keep composed, he can come off as childish. One of the biggest challenges after losing his arm was not being written off as a ninja. Because of this, he hates being viewed as crippled, and will usually berate those who call him such. This happens when Seishi calls him a crippled smartass, emphasizing the smartass; to which he angrily responded that he wasn’t a cripple.

When the situation arises, Kazō shows a more serious side. While he usually tries to fight without using up all his chakra, he can unleash a substantial barrage with his wood manipulation. Having wooden canisters with extra chakra stored in them allows him the opportunity to fight without holding back. He is also not above using tricks in battle, many times using them for a chance to fall back and set a trap.

Appearance
Kazō is of average height, with short, spiky, brown hair and squinted eyes, all features he shares with his father. His most distinguishing feature is a wooden prosthetic replacing his left arm, below the elbow. It was originally a carved and sanded piece, but has since grown a layer of bark from Kazō’s chakra allowing it to grow. When viewing a cross-section of the arm, the number of rings will actually change to match his age, though he seems to find this embarrassing.

Due to the constant use of the arm, Kazō is told by his doctor to change his prosthetic every month to ensure the stump stays healthy. He stops by the hospital each month to receive a sterile wooden base to attach to his stump. As long as he's careful, he can change the piece on his own and manipulate it to stitch itself in place. He then lets his chakra grow the rest of the arm from the base.



In Part I, Kazō’s outfit consisted of a brown, short-sleeved shirt with a high collar and black pants. His wooden arm was concealed by wrappings and he wore black gloves. Being a Kusagakure genin, his headband was dark green. Like most ninja, he wore a shuriken holster on his right leg and had a pouch on his back waist.

During Part II, Kazō wears a tan long-sleeved shirt with loose sleeves. His pants and headband are now dark brown, and he no longer wraps up his arm, though his sleeve now covers most of it. He also carries an extra pouch on his waist; one for his wooden arsenal and the other for his trap equipment. When aiding the Trap and Capture Squad, Kazō removes his shirt to reveal the beige flak jacket of Kusa’s ANBU, with a dark brown undershirt and ANBU tattoo on his left shoulder. He wears a boar shaped mask with orange rings around the eyes and an orange stripe down the center. He also has a sword to go with the attire, though he rarely carries it. His codename is Roto (ロト).

Wood Manipulation and Chakra Flow
Kazō’s main jutsu revolves around manipulation of his wooden prosthetic arm. In one year, he learned to channel his chakra into it as if it were a ninja tool. After about a year and a half of work he was able to use the chakra as a source of energy for the wood, allowing it to move and grow. Since it was his chakra, he could control the growth, gaining full manipulation of the arm. Six more months of practice allowed him to take the skill a step further and channel his chakra outside of his body to manipulate other wooden objects including trees. As a genin, Kazō kept a constant flow of chakra in his arm. He was afraid that if he lost his focus, he would have trouble moving it again. After the time skip, he has gotten better at doing things with one arm. He now tends to stop all flow of chakra to his arm when he’s not in battle. This has increased his reserves somewhat in the process.

Since the skill began as just chakra flow, manipulation of his arm doesn’t require hand seals. He has, however, made a sequence for manipulating other wooden objects and to manipulate his arm past its normal functions. He uses his arm for a multitude of techniques; the most common being wooden tendrils to entangle or strike an opponent. He also likes to shoot the tendrils into the ground and make a barrage of roots erupt.

At times Kazō may have a larger flow of chakra through his body, and by extension, his arm. This is usually in moments of anger or fear. Since he’s not in full control of his emotions in these cases, the wood will actually use this excess chakra to grow on its own. This often causes a splintering effect, with small spike-like bits of wood flaring out from the prosthetic. This may be his instincts unconsciously affecting the growth, almost like the defensive traits of some animals in the wild.

Just before becoming a genin, Kazō picked up carving, a hobby he has shown to be quite skilled at. With this skill, he has made a supply of wooden kunai knives and shuriken which he can manipulate in battle. One quirk he shows while carving is a complete absorption in the task. Until he’s finished, he tends to not notice anyone around him, usually to their annoyance.

Since even using his arm for daily tasks eats up chakra, Kazō began carrying around wooden canisters the size of a common scroll. These canisters are hollow and he can store chakra inside to use when he runs low. He also carries around much smaller versions in which he stores a larger quantity of chakra. The pressure built up from so much chakra in a small space makes these canisters unstable. If punctured or activated by Kazō, the chakra will burst out, causing the canister to explode in a spray of wooden shrapnel. He has the ability to control the direction and magnitude of the blast as the chakra flows into the shrapnel.

Trap Expert
Due to his low chakra reserves, Kazō began to make traps to stop opponents without wasting chakra. Before long, he became an expert trapper-nin. The majority of his traps start with his words. By controlling the communication between him and the opponent, Kazō can effectively talk the enemy into the physical trap. Depending on the situation, he can even set up a trap right in front of the enemy while distracting them with his words. When building a trap, Kazō works backwards. He begins where the enemy will end up after being caught. He then builds the trap back in such a way that the enemy’s actions at each point would be delegated by either the trap, or by Kazō’s words. Once started, the trap has a domino effect; each part leading into the other with little room for the opponent to get out of it. He seems to get a lot of enjoyment out of building traps, even showing child-like excitement before his more elaborate traps are sprung. One of the things he can’t stand is not being able to use a trap he’s set. If a battle ends without his trap being sprung, he may sulk about it until he can see it activate.

After the time skip, Kazō discovered a new way to build traps. This method allows Kazō to stay inside the trap radius. By remaining inside, Kazō can easily lure the foe inside the radius too. They rarely notice they’ve entered a trap zone because it’s built in such a way that only Kazō can spring it. When triggered, the trap will whirl around him, encompassing the opponent in a torrent of wires and kunai. The wires move quickly enough to slice into the opponent while also entangling them. Although it’s preferred that the enemy be standing in a specific spot within the radius for maximum damage, there is no escaping once inside. Kazō remains in the center of the trap where he won’t be caught up in it. He always has to be alert while in the trap, as the wires can whip around, mere inches from his body. Kazō calls it Antlion Web, because of its resemblance to the creature’s traps.

Intelligence and Quick Wit
Kazō has shown a fair amount of intelligence, both in and out of battle. Thanks to his father, he has a well rounded knowledge in mathematics and some sciences. This became useful when Kazō began making traps to use in battle. Besides academics, Kazō shows considerable skill in speaking. Though he usually uses it for wisecracks, his talent is on par with those in diplomatic professions. When arriving in Kyōyōami Forest, his quick words made Kuenaigumo, one of the strongest of the spiders, allow him to sign a summoning contract with them.

In battle these skills are used, not to analyze or predict the opponent’s next moves, but to make their moves for them. At the beginning of every battle, he will start conversing with the opponent in order to sway their actions. As the opponents are never the same, the direction of the conversation can go anywhere. Kazō is able to find the best way of forcing the opponent’s moves, even acting like a weakling or a klutz if it need be. This can be seen during his preliminary match of the Chūnin Exams. After seeing how cocky his opponent was, he willingly let it be known that he was almost out of chakra. For the rest of the match, Kazō just ran around haphazardly, dodging the enemy’s shurikenjutsu. His only attack, which had failed from him acting tired and clumsy, became the trap. By continually criticizing his opponent’s skills while showing no skill himself, Kazō angered him enough to try close combat. When the opponent reached the target for the trap, Kazō told him to stop, saying he was done with the fight. Surprised at the audacity, since Kazō had only run around the whole time, the opponent actually stopped long enough for the trap to trigger.

Summoning Jutsu
After teaming up with the Trap and Capture Squad, Kazō was shown the summoning jutsu. Per his captain’s orders he performed the jutsu, purposely not being told a contract was needed first. This teleported him to the home of the animal he had a natural affinity for. There he signed a contract with the spiders of Kyōyōami Forest.

Depending on the amount of chakra used, spiders of varying strengths can be summoned. However, due to his low chakra, Kazō can only summon either small or weaker spiders. To summon more powerful spiders, Kazō must also use his chakra canisters. This is seen with Arakuregumo and Kuenaigumo, who require one and three canisters respectively. He doesn’t summon these two very often because of how dangerous they can be for him as well as his opponent. He will only summon Kuenaigumo if he is in need of an ally with her sheer size. Any other time, he will summon Arakuregumo instead, though this is still only if he’s out of chakra and cannot avoid direct combat. In a normal case he will usually summon the weaker, and less dangerous, Juhigumo or Amigumo. He will also summon Sensuigumo if he intends to be in the water.

Other Skills
Since Kazō had only one good arm for a large portion of his Academy days, he practiced very little ninjutsu. Given the ability to, he would probably have a fair amount of it in his arsenal, as his skill with seals before the loss was one of the best in his class. His taijutsu also suffered greatly without his arm. Not only was his coordination impaired, but his stamina was cut substantially. Through training with Oda and Avaki, his skills have improved in this field. Working with the Trap and Capture Squad, Kazō has picked up a few ANBU skills as well. At his request, he has been taught some rudimentary medical ninjutsu by his captain.

Other than basic ninjutsu skills, Kazō has created his own jutsu over the time skip. After realizing his arm will actually drip resin if the wood is left wounded, he learned to convert his chakra into resin that he can spit from his mouth. Being exposed to air will cause the resin to harden, thus making it a useful technique for capturing an opponent. He can also force the resin out of his arm to get the same effect, usually having wooden tendrils tunnel underground and making the resin seep up below the enemy. The resin is flammable, allowing Kazō to combine it with Oda’s fire style and accelerate the flames.

Kazō has also shown the use deceit on occasion. While on an S-ranked mission, Kazō introduced the use of blood pouches: membrane pouches created by his father that he filled with animal blood. He had gone to the village head in hopes of letting all Grass shinobi use them to trick enemies in battle. During the mission, Oda and Kasumi came across what they believed to be Kazō’s decapitated body, a trick meant for the enemy. Later, Kazō used the pouches again to fake Oda’s death; not telling either of them the plan, however, as Kasumi watched Kazō kill Oda. Kazō was able to complete the mission and went back to the village with a distraught Kasumi, where she learned about the pouches. While Kazō went to bring Oda back, the village head told Kasumi he would ban the blood pouches from use in the village due to the problems it would clearly cause among allies. Kazō still seems to keep some on hand, though he has yet to really use them again.

Chūnin Exam Arc
For the first test, Kazō was able to answer a few questions on his own thanks to his studies. Once he realized Oda had discovered the purpose of the exam, he began gathering information too. Using his Wood Manipulation, he was able to copy answers from his neighbor based on how they pressed into the paper and desk surface behind it. He was then able to pass the answers on to Avaki.

During the second exam, Kazō had planned on getting his team to the tower quickly by creating wooden platforms above the tree line, away from the obstacles below. However, they were soon stopped by two shinobi from the Grass Village. Kazō recognized them as teammates of Shiore, an older shinobi he had seen a few times around the village. Talking their way out proved futile, as the older genin attacked them relentlessly. The two, secretly Orochimaru’s followers in disguise, were clearly above genin level and they left Team Takato, battered and bruised, in the dirt. Luckily, the two neglected to take their earth scroll, apparently having other objectives to deal with. Kazō and his team continued to the tower with little more opposition and acquired a heaven scroll in the process.

For his preliminary match, Kazō went up against a genin from the Waterfall Village. After making it through the forest, Kazō had little chakra left and told his opponent as much. Before he could attack with some wooden shuriken, his opponent swiftly struck with shurikenjutsu of his own, causing Kazō to stagger off balance and his weapons to veer off course and imbed themselves into the ceiling. At this point Kazō began running around the arena, all the while dodging the opponent’s shuriken that could home in on his position. As the match progressed, Kazō was able to anger his opponent enough with criticism to try close combat. Before he could get very far, Kazō “accidentally” revealed a net trap he had set up while pretending to trip earlier on. Taking Kazō for a fool, the opponent stopped his advance and prepared for a new attack. Kazō then told him he was bored of the fight. This surprised him long enough for a large log to swing down and slam him into the wall. The two wooden shuriken from the start of the fight had been connected with a wire. One gripped the ceiling as the other grew into the log. Both were strategically placed as a part of Kazō’s trap, with his words and actions luring the opponent into position.

The third test pitted Kazō against Oda. At first the fight seemed one sided with Oda effortlessly evading Kazō’s taijutsu and landing blow after blow. In an attempt to block one of the strikes, Kazō’s left arm was broken, revealing the shattered prosthetic under the wrappings. Somewhat embarrassed at the reveal of the disability, Kazō grew the arm back and began launching blasts of wooden shrapnel at Oda, finishing with a root erupting from the ground and slamming Oda in the face. With his teammate stunned, Kazō fell back and hid among the trees to set a trap. He soon continued his wooden barrage causing the whole arena to become uneven with roots and branches. Oda avoided most of the onslaught and forced Kazō out in the open. Now out of chakra, Kazō tripped a wire, causing hundreds of blunted wooden projectiles to assault his teammate. He had hoped it would be enough; however, Oda struggled to his feet. After throwing a shuriken almost all the way through Kazō’s prosthetic, he began making his way over the jagged terrain. Kazō, unable to do much more, began retreating from his advancing friend. Another step and the wood beneath Oda gave way for Kazō’s last trap, causing him to fall into the tangle of roots below his feet. With Oda too worn out to escape, Kazō was declared the winner. Both of them were taken to the infirmary afterwards.

Invasion of Konoha Arc
As the destruction of the Leaf Village began, Kazō and Oda were led out of the infirmary by Yon-Tao, a jōnin from Kusa who had come to see the finals. They left the Leaf Village in silence due to a falling-out after their match. Oda felt Kazō had held back by using blunted projectiles and setting up the pitfall. They made a pact to count the match as a draw. In exchange, Oda would challenge Kazō again; this time without either of them holding back. Kazō agreed, realizing he had humiliated Oda with his tactics.

Master's Training Arc
Kazō returned to his home after the Chūnin Exams, where he was greeted by his four year old sister, Miko. His parents had wondered where he’d been for over a month. As normal villagers, they were not aware of just how big the Exams were. Kazō told them of his endeavor but decided to leave out the reason for the Exam’s cancellation.

A few days later, Takato took the three genin to a location on the outskirts of the village. There they would receive more training from another teacher. Takato had some higher ranked missions to take care of, so he could not continue their training himself. Since the team was an unofficial one, Takato wasn’t treated as a regular sensei and trained the three on his own time when able. Now that they participated in the Chūnin Exams, they would need further training that he couldn’t give them on his own.

Junko Yokuchi would be their acting sensei for their new training assignment. She had been a top shinobi in her youth and was now an old woman who mostly kept to herself. She agreed to train them however, having apparently trained a younger Takato and two others for a while during his genin years.

The major part of the training was chakra control. Since both Kazō and Oda had lower reserves, they would need to learn to use less chakra when executing techniques. One of the challenges took place at a nearby lake. Junko threw three rings onto the water’s surface and told the boys to retrieve them. Kazō thought it was a joke, and joined Avaki at the water’s edge. Before they could jump in, Junko added another obstacle. Using the summoning technique, she brought a pack of sharks to the lake. Kazō no longer wished to go through with the challenge, saying he wasn’t going to get eaten. However, Avaki faced the challenge, forcing Kazō to reluctantly follow. Manipulating his prosthetic, he was able to keep the sharks at bay and grab his ring. Back on the shore, Junko commended the two, taking note of Kazō’s apparent phobia and bravery in the face of it.

For completing the task, Kazō joined Avaki as they followed Junko for dinner. Oda had to remain behind until he finished the task as well. Since Oda couldn’t swim, Kazō and Avaki were worried he wouldn’t be able to do it. That night they heard noises coming from the lake. They rushed out to find Oda actually keeping his balance on the water’s surface. Once he got the ring, Kazō and Avaki stepped in to help. Avaki swam out to get Oda while Kazō kept the sharks at bay from the shore. Later, they found out the goal of the exercise was to learn to walk on water. By doing this, keeping away from the sharks would be easier.

Their training continued, Kazō getting better at reserving chakra all the while. He wasn’t too fond of Junko’s training and his sharp tongue wasn’t very appreciated by her either. As a form of punishment, Junko used her Water Barrier Technique to encase Kazō in a hollow shell of water. To stop him from breaking out and to have it serve as a punishment, she summoned a small shark to swim around in the barrier, causing Kazō to cower inside. The shark being able to talk to him only made it worse. Punishments like this caused Kazō to treat Junko almost like a drill sergeant. Whenever she gave orders, he would snap to attention and obey, cautious of his words and actions. It seemed to please her that she could whip him into shape so easily. With all three members of Team Takato properly taking on their training, they were able to grow stronger.

Mountain Trial Arc
After finishing a mission, Team Takato passed through a small village at the base of a mountain. As a way to gain some experience, Takato told the genin to stay there a while and talk to the villagers. Hearing from people with different views and customs could teach the boys some life lessons. He left to make his report while Kazō and the others looked around.

They entered a tavern in the middle of the village and were greeted by a group of men drinking. Realizing the boys were Grass ninja, they began telling them about a trial that’s held in their village. Referring to the mountain above them, the trial called for a person to traverse the dangerous terrain and reach a set of caves hidden within. The trial was made solely for bragging rights in the village, but recently, some people had not returned. Even if they couldn’t reach the caves, everyone always turned around and made it back safely. Since the boys were ninja, the men figured they would have no problem making it through. Avaki decided he would take the challenge, looking into the disappearances on the way.

Before heading out, a group of villagers were brought over to keep with tradition and see him off. Since the trial was for one person at a time, Kazō and Oda remained behind. Oda had stayed with the drinking men while Kazō decided to take a nap in a pile of straw outside of a building. A while later, he woke up, realizing a very large man was towering over him. Next, a small girl popped out from the pile where he laid. The big man above him was revealed to be a large boy younger than Kazō. He never spoke, but was the young girl’s best friend. Since Kazō had stumbled upon one of their play areas, he was forced into their games. As the day dragged on, Kazō was brought to the girl’s house to share a snack. Her grandmother was an eccentric old woman with a creepy vibe. The snack reflected this, as it was a strange dish made to look like human eyeballs. The children happily played with the snack with Kazō eventually giving in and joining their strange fun. As they ate, the girl’s grandmother told Kazō of the village’s history, including information on some of those who had completed the mountain trial.

What Kazō learned about the mountain made him suspect there was something unnatural about the trial. To him, it seemed like a person was somehow involved in creating some of the difficulties a challenger faced. He realized nobody in the village saw it that way and he hoped Avaki would be able to find something to prove his theory. While he waited for Avaki to return, he followed the two kids around and tried to gather more information from other adults nearby.

When Avaki finally returned from the trial, he brought the few people who had gone missing. He told Kazō and Oda that someone had captured those who tried to complete the challenge. Avaki had fought the man, but he fled down the other side of the mountain when he couldn't win. After hearing this, the tavern men Oda had spent time with began celebrating the victory, saying it was another tale to add to the ones they had been told earlier. Avaki wanted to return to the summit to make sure the man was really gone, so Kazō and Oda joined him.

At the peak, they found him moving among the rocks. Before they could do anything, he detonated the paper bombs he set. The blast knocked the three of them from the mountain. As they fell, they tried to stay together. However, they began falling in separate directions and couldn't stop it. Kazō created wooden spheres to surround each of them and they plummeted to the ground.

Solo Missions Arc
Having crash landed after being separated from his teammates, Kazō found himself surrounded by a tribe of women. Greeting them earned him a view of arrows pointed at his face. He was taken into a building and thrown into a prison cell, but not before having his tools and headband confiscated. As his captor locked the door, he began wrapping a gash on his head from the crash with the bandages on his prosthetic. Noticing his one-handed attempt, the woman reentered the cell and started wrapping up his head herself. A bit taken aback, Kazō said the women there must actually be nice, even with the imprisonment actions. A sharp swat to his wound was her response.

Kazō soon found himself talking to an old man in the cell across from him. The man told him of the many people imprisoned there. Although he was unsure of the purpose, he knew their captors would occasionally pull someone from their cell and they would not return. The inmates weren’t treated harshly while they waited, but the unknown fate of those chosen made them worry.

Before Kazō could figure out a plan of escape, another prisoner was chosen. It was the man he had been talking to the whole time. Not knowing what would happen to the man, Kazō didn’t want to let him be taken while he did nothing. After they took the man away, Kazō broke out of his cell. Before leaving, he noticed all the other prisoners around him. Realizing he couldn’t leave them there, he began his liberation. Using his wood manipulation, he created an air duct shaped escape route for them. Since it ran across the ceiling, he was able to have it burrow through the wall and move above the heads of the guards. As the people made their way out, Kazō broke down the door and started looking for the old man and his ninja supplies. Using stealth helped him avoid confrontation almost entirely and he only used his manipulation a few times.

Finding his stuff, he eventually made it to the upper rooms. At the top, he found the man, tied up and being dragged into a large room. Kazō freed the man and created a similar escape route for him. Entering the room, he sealed the door with a thick wooden wall and confronted those inside. Sitting in a large chair in the center of the room was the apparent leader of the tribe of women. Surprised to see such a young boy reach the room, she had her guards stand down. Kazō then explained what he had done up until that point, saying it would have taken little effort to do more damage to her people. He proposed a peace treaty of sorts. Although he was just a genin, the woman listened to his appeal. She eventually agreed to stop the imprisonment of others in exchange for Kazō leaving her domain intact and not having any military power get involved. He then took his leave and tried to find his teammates.

Noble Family Arc
Taking on their first C-ranked mission, Team Takato was tasked with escorting a caravan to its home village. It wasn’t a dangerous mission, but the caravan just wanted to be safe. Unlike most of their previous missions, Takato was actually accompanying them. However, he was really handling a separate mission that just happened to be on the way. Midway through the trip, Takato went off on his own and left Kazō and his teammates to continue without him. As the trip dragged on, Kazō’s boredom grew. The group they were guarding didn’t talk to them much. The only important thing they told the genin was to stay out of the valuable supplies they were carrying. Although Kazō was curious as to what they were hiding, he knew enough to keep his curiosity in check.

While stopping for the night, the three genin patrolled the surrounding area. Kazō returned to see Oda sneaking over to one of the carts. Avaki had noticed as well, and hurried over to stop him. Kazō was about to side with Avaki, but seeing Oda’s reaction to the cart’s contents made him realize something was wrong. Jumping up, he looked inside to see the cart was completely empty, except for a young woman tied up with rope. When Avaki saw the girl inside, both Kazō and Oda knew he would want to get her out of there. They both prepared to work up a distraction, using a game of rock-paper-scissors to see who would play which role.

Having lost, Kazō would play the part of injured. Oda helped him over to the campsite while he let his wrapped-up prosthetic hang limp. Oda asked if they had an antidote to heal Kazō’s “poisoned” wound. Obviously lacking it, Oda’s only option was to amputate Kazō’s arm. Telling the others to hold him down, Oda pushed Kazō’s prosthetic into the campfire. Not actually feeling anything, Kazō fell into the role well enough, and the group was so preoccupied with the act that Avaki slipped away unnoticed.

Once Kazō’s prosthetic was burned down to ashes, Oda said he would take him to the nearby river to clean up the wound. He told them not to worry and that, as ninja, they were prepared to handle unfortunate situations like this. He then carried a passed out Kazō away. At the river, Kazō said he would either find Takato or return to the village to report the deception their mission had entailed. He left Oda to go after Avaki and help the woman. Not able to find their sensei, Kazō returned to the village. Later he heard about the rest of the adventure from his teammates after they returned.

Sleeping Battle Arc
While Oda and Avaki were off on a D-ranked mission, Kazō was handling a challenge of his own. Passing through one of the many forests around the Grass village, he came across members of Konoha’s ANBU Black Ops. They had been looking for him for most of the day and led him to their camp nearby. Inside the tent, Kazō found Ibiki Morino, the proctor from the first stage of the Chūnin Exams. He was there to question Kazō about his wood manipulation ability. As far as the Leaf knew, only the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, could use the unique wood release. Annoyed at their actions, Kazō resorted to his standard method of handling situations. Not liking his smartass responses, they decided to delve into his mind to get the answers they desired.

Inside Kazō’s head, a forest he was standing in began to be manipulated on its own. In his attempt to control it, his prosthetic began growing on its own too. Afraid of his inability to control his own body, Kazō released his chakra, causing his prosthetic to rip off of his arm. The pain from the action broke the jutsu he was under, and he awoke with the surprised ANBU around him. Among them was one with a cat shaped mask covered in green and red markings. It was Tenzō, the only ninja with Hashirama’s cells and Kekkei Genkai at his disposal. The wood user had created the illusion Kazō had been under.

After the illusion broke, the ANBU chased a scared Kazō out of the tent. Since he knew the terrain better, Kazō was able to make it into the village, and headed for the village head’s office. Busting through the door, he interrupted the head’s discussion with Takato. Seeing his subordinate standing there, bleeding, Takato stepped in. The ANBU had made it to the office door and stopped. With several ninja arriving behind them, the ANBU decided to give up their mission, realizing Kazō’s jutsu wasn't wood release after all. After explaining their motives, they were allowed to leave without any major problems. Though relatively unharmed after getting his arm taken care of, Kazō developed a strong dislike for the ANBU.

Shadows of the Past Arc
Given a new B-ranked mission, Kazō traveled with Oda, Avaki and Takato to a location near the border with the Land of Fire. They were to visit a prison set up there. Some inmates had managed to escape, and ninja from both the Grass and Leaf were asked to help collect them. Team Takato was given information on an inmate when they arrived. It was Odaiba Inagara, Oda’s father. Upon seeing the photo, Oda took off in the direction his father had escaped. Takato hurried after the boy with Avaki, telling Kazō to stay and get any other information. While waiting, Kazō heard complaints coming from another ninja. Kazō recognized him as the loud-mouthed and flashy ninja, Naruto Uzumaki, from the Chūnin Exams.

Walking over to him, Kazō learned the other genin was sent on this mission alone by the Leaf’s new Hokage and it was apparently a “lame mission”. Before Naruto headed off, Kazō took a look at the information he was given. The photo was of an older man that Kazō recognized. Taking the file, he ran off in the direction Naruto was about to go, with the confused Leaf ninja running after him. When asked if he knew the man in the photo, Kazō said the man was the reason he lost his arm.

In a flashback, a young Kazō answers a knock at his door to find the man from the photo holding an armful of scrolls and other supplies. After sharing some witty banter with the boy, the man introduces himself as Giriko, and after a bit of fumbling with his supplies, shook Kazō’s hand. He was there to work on a project with Kazō’s father.

For the next few weeks, Kazō would hang around his father’s lab in their basement. He watched as the two men worked and even got to help with some of the tests. After his Academy classes one day, Kazō returned home to find his father and Giriko not there. The supplies that they had been working with were cleaned up and only a notebook was lying out. Looking at the cover, he noticed it was Giriko’s. He decided to visit his father’s work to see if Giriko was there.

On the way, Kazō began feeling a sharp pain in his left hand. The pain grew as he got closer. Stopping to check his hand, he saw something squirm under his skin, moving further up his arm. Now frightened, he tried to hurry and find his father. He didn’t get very far and collapsed in the middle of the road.

When he awoke, he found himself in the hospital with his father. Remembering what happened, he noticed that, not only was the pain gone, but he couldn’t feel his hand at all. His father tried to stop him as he pulled the blanket away. His arm, below the elbow, was gone. Over the next month or so, Kazō recovered. He was eventually fitted with a prosthetic made out of a solid piece of wood. He had difficulty doing daily tasks and began sulking around the house, knowing his ninja career was clearly over.

It wasn’t until a few years later that his father told him what had happened. Giriko had been behind the incident. When Kazō first met the man, he had injected a parasite into the boy’s hand. The notebook he had found described other similar experiments done to children in other villages. Kōza had not shown his son the contents of the notebook, however, as it was too much for the child to see. Giriko had disappeared soon after the events happened, as he apparently did after all the experiments.

Reaching a clearing, Kazō and Naruto found Giriko. Telling Naruto to keep hidden, he confronted the scientist. Giriko was surprised to see Kazō, and even expressed relief. Unlike his other experiments, he had actually grown attached to the boy during their time together. When he took note Kazō’s wrapped up arm, Kazō responded by manipulating it and revealing the wood beneath. Giriko seemed genuinely impressed with the genin’s growth. He then revealed the results of all his work and released a parasite that was the size of a small animal. After releasing it, Giriko continued his escape. Naruto jumped out to follow him, but the parasite attacked. Kazō blocked it and was startled to see it burrow its way through his prosthetic. He told Naruto to capture Giriko since the creature would devour him from the inside out if he touched it.

Before they could make any moves, a gigantic version of the parasite appeared where Giriko was. As Kazō struggled to contain the small one, Naruto decided to face one giant with another. Gamabunta was summoned and berated Naruto for calling him. Kazō was surprised to see such a technique come from a goofball like Naruto. He joined the other genin after killing his target. Using his diplomatic skills, Kazō was able to ease the toad’s annoyance and explain the mission. With his large tantō in hand, Gamabunta was able to keep away from the parasite’s devouring mouth and kill it. Giriko was swiftly recaptured, saying he may need to run experiments on more inmates to fix flaws in his creation. Kazō collected the remains of the smaller creature to give to his father for testing. He then headed off to find his team.

Kusa's Unofficial Team Arc
While passing through one of Kusa’s side streets, Kazō and Avaki spot a young villager leading a ninja towards one of the forests surrounding the village. The ninja was Naruto Uzumaki from the Leaf. They asked what he was doing in their village, and were told he was on an escort mission. Since he was the only ninja available at the time, Tsunade had to send just him on the mission. He was to escort a man from Kusa into the Land of Fire. The young girl was the man’s daughter, Rika Inoue. She was taking Naruto to her father’s shop while he collected more supplies.

Before Kazō could walk away, Avaki asked if they would be able to help on the mission. Kazō tried to explain that it would require getting clearance from the Village Head to work a cooperative mission, but Avaki wouldn’t back down and told him to get it sorted out. While he was gone, Avaki took Naruto and Rika to get something to eat. During the meal Avaki explained that he and Oda were technically not real ninja.

In a flashback, a newly graduated Kazō walks into a nearby forest. There he sees Oda for the first time. After some waiting, Avaki and Takato arrive. Takato then explains that the four of them will form Team Takato. Kazō took a moment to take the information in and realized what was happening. He was being put on a fake team because of his disability. This angered him and he spoke out against the team-up. He wasn’t sure if he was madder at the false team, or the fact that the higher ups weren’t being straight forward with him. He refused to be saddled with two fake ninja.

Takato told him what really happened. He explained that Kazō would have been dropped as a ninja if he hadn’t stepped in and taken the boy’s ninja career into his own hands. In order to properly train, Kazō would need two teammates to help him. They were a ragtag group, but it was necessary to allow Kazō to continue as a shinobi. Takato then gave Oda and Avaki a headband to officially establish the team.

The three genin began their training. Kazō helped the other two tap into their chakra supply first. He then began switching between Oda and Takato for sparing partners. Oda needed more practice with his Chakra Skeleton ability, and Kazō’s lowered coordination skills proved to be a good match-up for it. Takato pushed his ninjutsu skills by using earth release against his wood manipulation. They spend most of their time outside of the village so Kazō could avoid his Academy friends. Even though he had agreed to the team, he was still embarrassed about being on it.

More of their training is shown, with the three genin growing in strength. While setting up camp one night, Kazō found out that Oda enjoyed making up skits as much as he did. They played out a scene with Oda as a Yakuza boss and Kazō as a man in debt. They eventually got Avaki to join in as a thug who cuts of Kazō’s left arm for the debt. They continued to mess around until Takato returned and berated them.

One year later, Kazō and his team finished their training. They had completed a few missions over this time thanks to Takato getting permission for the unofficial team. Kazō had grown quite attached to his new teammates and was no longer embarrassed to be with them. They were now ready to take on their first real challenge. Their unofficial team would finally face real ninja in the Chūnin Exams.

In the present, Kazō returns and the group heads off for the shop of Rika’s father. On the way, Kazō recalled something he heard as he went to see the Village Head. There had been news of a jōnin level missing-nin from Ishigakure causing trouble. If he was found, the sighting should be reported instead of trying to face him alone.

Exiting the forest, they stepped out onto a cart path with a shop on the other side of the road. As they were crossing, a man exited the building. Kazō felt uneasy as they passed him, and quietly told the group they should head back to the village. Before they could do anything, something rolled past their feet. They scattered as the small object exploded. The man they passed had stopped and began putting a ninja headband on his head. It was the Ishi ninja named Ryō Uchimono.

Kazō, Avaki and Naruto faced off against the jōnin while Rika hid inside the building. His main form of attack was using unusual boxes that exploded. The boxes were different sizes with larger ones making bigger explosions, though most of the ones he used made explosions smaller than a paper bomb. Because the blast radius was so small, Ryō could toss them around without risking much damage to himself.

The three genin struggled to keep up with their opponent. Naruto’s shadow clone technique seemed to help at first, but Ryō just switched to a method that spread the damage to all the clones. Kazō’s wood manipulation got a few good hits, but he would eventually run out of chakra that way. With a blast, the two of them were sent flying through the mushroom covered trees next to the path.

Getting to his feet, Kazō saw Naruto ahead of him. Looking past the Leaf ninja, he saw a bright flash of light. He poured out his chakra and created a wooden wall in front of Naruto and another in front of himself. Just then, an explosion rocked the forest. When the blast subsided, Kazō ran to the path. He passed Naruto who sat in shock, staring at a fragment of pipe that had pierced through the wooden wall and almost into his head. After the smoke cleared, Kazō saw the building had been reduced to a pile of rubble. He hurried over to a ball of charred chains with Naruto following close behind. Kazō ran past it and began digging through the wreckage. Naruto began pulling the chains apart to find Rika inside. He then noticed the other end of the chains a few feet away which were the ends that Avaki held in his hands. They were charred and broken, and Avaki was nowhere to be seen.

Realizing what had happened, Naruto watched as Kazō tried in vain to find his friend. Just then, Shizune and a squad of Leaf ninja appeared, saying they had been on a mission looking for Ryō when they heard the noise. They grabbed Ryō, who had gotten caught in the blast after being tied up by Avaki’s chains. Naruto couldn’t take it and tried to lash out; his Kyūbi chakra welling up inside of him. Shizune stopped him, saying it was over. With effort, he pushed down his chakra and looked to Kazō who was kneeling in the rubble.

As they carried Ryō away, a tendril of wood burst from the ground and wrapped around Ryō. Shizune called out to Kazō and the tendril stopped short of the unconscious shinobi’s head. She said they needed Ryō alive for their mission. She then took Naruto and Rika with her to give Kazō some time alone.

That evening a funeral was held near the blast site. Since Avaki was not a regular ninja, and was basically unknown to the main forces, the funeral was a small one. Only his family and friends, Kazō’s family, Oda’s mother, Rika and her parents, the Village Head, and the Leaf ninja involved were in attendance. While this was going on, Kazō was not there. Instead, he was deeper in the forest, blaming himself for Avaki’s death and not being able to protect him. His father walked over and told him he was not to blame. He said Kazō had done a lot to get to where he was with a disability and shouldn’t expect himself to be able to do everything. After seeing the wooden walls, he pointed out that Kazō had still protected others. Both he and Naruto were still alive thanks to his skills.

For the next few weeks, Kazō and Oda coped with their loss. It would take some time before they were ready to continue training and missions.

Growth Arc
Part II opens with the students of Konoha’s Team Guy trying to recapture the rogue Ishi-nin, Ryō Uchimono. Due to his bombs, they have trouble stopping him. He reaches the base of a cliff and sees Kazō and Oda at the top. The two had left their village when they heard Ryō was on the move. Since they were not under any direct orders, they knew they couldn’t interfere with the Leaf’s mission. If they failed, however, Kazō and Oda were not going to let the shinobi get away.

After a bit more fighting, it looked like Team Guy could not stop Ryō. Takato then appeared, with direct orders for his team to eliminate the rogue. Allowing Oda to get the first shot, Kazō jumped down and waited. Oda knocked Ryō over to him after breaking both his arms. With the man who killed his friend lying at his feet, Kazō took out one of his wooden chakra bombs and shoved it into Ryō’s mouth. He then slammed the man’s jaw shut, making it the only thing keeping the canister from exploding.

He told Ryō he had been storing chakra in that specific canister ever since Avaki’s death. He said it was a fitting death for him, but unlike his bombs, Kazō’s could be controlled in direction and magnitude, preventing the excessive damage that Ryō’s tended to cause. The canister exploded and the mass of wood that burst forth completely tore apart Ryō’s body, leaving no trace of it behind. Takato told a gecko he had summoned to relay the execution he observed back to Kusa. Team Takato had finally avenged their teammate’s death.

In various flashbacks, some of Team Takato’s training over the time skip is shown. One such case shows Kazō learning the Resin Bullet technique in order to combine with Oda’s newly acquired fire release. Originally Kazō had tried to create the technique using isopropyl alcohol from his father’s lab. He would hold some in his mouth and spit it out with Oda’s fire. Before they could attempt it, Takato appeared and asked what they were doing. This caused Kazō to accidently swallow the chemical. In response, Takato struck the boy’s back with chakra in his palm and the surge of chakra through his body made the chemical forcefully launch from his mouth. As he sat there puking, Takato berated them for doing something so stupid.

Another time shows Kazō and Oda in a forest with Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyūga from Konoha. They were aiding the Leaf ninja in capturing some bandits that had fled toward Kusa. While Oda went with Kiba and Hinata, Kazō stayed with Shino. After hearing the stoic ninja refer to bugs one too many times, he decided to get away and start building some traps. Before he left, he asked Shino if bugs made traps. Shino told him it was mostly spiders and their webs that fit that category, but that they were arachnids, not bugs. Risking letting the bug user talk more, he asked if any spiders could make webs that “attacked” the prey instead of being stationary. Shino responded by saying it would be a pointless method, as the spider would get caught up in the moving web too.

Intrigued, Kazō bet Shino that he could make a trap doing just that. Normally his traps are set with him a distance away and he directs an opponent into them. If he could remain inside the trap, he could have a new way of fighting. After a few hours, he returned to the campsite to find Hinata back. She noted all the scratches on him but he told her not to worry about it, tossing a few coins to Shino as he said it. When he commented that it was only half of the bet, Kazō told him he wasn’t done trying.

The next day, they located the bandits. They split up to surround them. Kazō went off ahead of the group to try his trap again. Before the others could close in, the bandits had reached where Kazō was setting up. Upon seeing him, the bandits decide to attack quickly and continue on their way. When they got close to Kazō’s location, he cut a wire next to him and his new trap kicked in. Wires and kunai whirled around him and entangled the opponents, dragging them deeper in as they tried to escape. Afterwards, Shino commented how the trap resembled the antlion’s traps. When Kazō asked why he didn’t tell him of it sooner, he explained that he didn’t think it was relevant, because the antlion trap uses dirt and Kazō’s traps use wire like a spider.

Trivia

 * Kazō’s hobbies are building traps and carving.
 * Kazō wants to fight opponents who test his trap-making skills.
 * Kazō’s favorite foods are anything crispy. His least favorite is anything sour.
 * Kazō’s favorite phrase is “The trap is set” (トラップが設定されます, torappu ga settei sare masu).
 * Kazō has completed 51 official missions in total: 10 D-rank, 16 C-rank, 9 B-rank, 15 A-rank, 1 S-rank.
 * Kazō suffers from selachophobia, a fear of sharks.
 * If Kazō tested his chakra nature, he would have an affinity to water.

Quotes
(To his opponent in the Preliminaries) “Well I sure hope so. I mean, what would it say about you… if you lost to a guy with barely any chakra left?”

(To Junko during his punishment) “W-wait, hold on, I’m sorry! I’m sorry!… I’ll listen, I promise… just let me out of here… please… hey!… Come on!…“

(To his captor as she wraps his wound) “You know, I figured you guys must be pretty twisted people… pointing arrows at a guy and imprisoning him for no apparent reason… But I guess I can’t judge you for that, I mean, I did kinda crash into the middle of your… uh… whatever this place is. I’d see me as a threat too. But you’re helping me now… heh… I guess you’re actually pretty nice- AH!!… ngh… Y… You bitch!!”

(To Miko) “ I told you you’d fall. Hang on… You ok? Do I need to perform surgery? Let’s see… two eyes?… check… one nose?… check… two e-… uh… wait, where’s your other ear? Oh! There it is. Next… one mouth… and one tongue? Yep, hey there’s a laugh too… ok… two arms… one, two… yep, ten fingers… one belly… two legs and… yep! One butt! Looks like everything’s ok.”

(To Ryō) “We may be just a bunch of ‘weak genin brats’… but we’re still alive. What does that say about you?… Mr. Jōnin.

(To the presumed dead Avaki) “You idiot!… Why?… You always had to do that. Always had to do the right thing… to help others… to protect them… But who was protecting you!?…”

(Calling out to Seishi) “… Go away! If you found this place, then that means you must have tortured it out of poor Kentaro! You should be ashamed of yourself! Repent to prove you aren’t a monster -oof!   See… I knew you were a monster.”

(To Kuenaigumo about the other spiders) “My apologies… I guess I’m not as skilled as I’d like to think. Your friends are quite good at what they do… I don’t think I noticed even one of them on my way here.”

(To Kuenaigumo after summoning) “Apologies, my Queen, but is seems I’m not strong enough for this one. I’d have summoned someone weaker so as not to bother you, but in my haste, I guess I slipped up. I’m afraid I must ask you to waste some of your time on an unworthy opponent.”

(To Miko) “What? No… no, you were very brave. You were a good little ninja… I… I’m so proud of you.”

Reference

 * Kazō Yakusho is an OC created by KusaNin.
 * Images for Kazō's part I and II appearances used pictures of genin Sasuke and Shippuden Shikamaru respectively to get body proportions and general pose.