Asami Saotome

Asami Saotome is a chūnin-level kunoichi of Hikagakure and a former member of Squad 1. She currently leads Squad 5.

Background
Asami was born into a rather wealthy family in the Hidden Mist Village. Her father was an accomplished blacksmith within the village, taking pride in his weapons. Having such an influence in the family had prompted two of the three Saotome children to take an interest in not only his work, but fighting. It went without saying that they would go on to enlist in the academy.

Asami was the youngest of them at five years old and the odd one out, if only because she was rather hesitant. She loved the prospect of learning how to use strange energies to change the world around her, and she loved to observe her father as he forged blades for Kirigakure's shinobi. She knew very well what would come after that, however. The shinobi of her village were infamous throughout the shinobi world for their sadistic nature, and Asami knew that she would be expected to act in such a manner. That was not a prospect she looked forward to. So time moved on, and her two siblings joined the academy in their own time. The first and eldest managed to pass the genin exam after a few years in the academy, but only a few months later he was killed on a mission, leaving the child with only her sister. His death was quite a blow to her personally, as any family death should have been, but also served as a warning as to how dangerous the life of a shinobi was.

By the time she was twelve, the idea of becoming a shinobi had been completely driven out of the the girl's head. Murder in itself had become less of a problem to her - after her sibling to such a crime and hearing those around her speak of it so casually, she realised that it didn't bother her as much. Such was the norm in her village. What did bother her was the fact that her parents still wished for her to try her luck as a genin and go on to kill others, all in the name of 'honour' and 'serving the village'.

No, she was quite content to help her mother at home. In her free time, she would read whatever scrolls her deceased brother had forgotten to return to the academy, and if her father would allow her, she would continue to watch him create weapons, farming tools and the like. She had taken a particular liking to his field of work, and decided that if nothing else, she could become a blacksmith too and aid him. Another year passed, and her sister, formerly the second-oldest, started off at the academy too. A little late, her parents noted, but Asami was more concerned that the dangerous missions meant she wouldn't live to see the end of the year. Exam day came around, and she managed to pass. Celebrations were had in the Saotome household that night, but Asami struggled to see her sister - Saki - in the same light again. Yes, she had survived, and she should have been proud of that, but at what cost? She would go on to kill so many others, and Asami doubted all of them had committed some despicable crimes.

Nevertheless, Saki was still her sister, and they still shared a rather close bond. Though missions had to take priority, they found the time to be together and confide in each other. When Asami admitted that she wanted to become a shinobi but not a killing machine, her sister (albeit rather hurt) took it upon herself to 'prepare' her for the academy, however sceptical she was about joining. Over months, Saki went ahead and taught her last sibling what the academy had taught her - or at least, she tried to. Patience was a virtue that she only had half the time, and the tedious sessions took its toll on both of them.

When they weren't 'training' together, Asami would read up on her own or return to her father's store as something of an apprentice. She wasn't allowed to actually make any weapons, per say, but she could still watch, or take orders and deliveries whilst he was busy. Luckily for her, her efforts earned her more favour in his eyes, since he was beginning to lose hope in her.

With her thirteenth birthday approaching, she finally went ahead and joined the academy. Thanks to Saki, she knew a good chunk of the course already, though she kept quiet about how she knew so much. There was still more to learn since her sister was far from an actual teacher, but what she had taught made the student stand out as top of the class.

Since she was so far ahead, there was nothing stopping the girl from continuing to assist her father when she was out of class. He too had no idea how she had managed to excel, but that fact that she was doing so well gave him hope. He had her first weapons forged for her - under her watchful eye, of course. The first chakram was his own work, but he had allowed her to help a little in the creation of the second - something she was rather proud of.

She also became rather familiar with the 'regulars', and often found herself listening in on their conversations. It seemed quite a few of them were not too fond of a village being built nearby - Hikagakure. An easy target if they caused trouble, if only because they were still growing. Her sister also allowed her pride to show, and started showing the girl techniques that were considered 'genin-level'. A weaponist herself, Saki was all too familiar with fūinjutsu, and was able to show (and eventually teach) her little sister the basics of it. It took much longer for her than it would have the average genin - weeks, in fact -, but she eventually learned how to consistently seal items.

Exam day came around, and like Saki, the girl managed to pass with flying colours. Her mind was already set on what she wanted to do next, however. Before the celebrating could begin, she sat down and explained her plans to what remained of her family. She wanted to leave the village. Not only that, but she wanted to go and aid the nearby village that was being build. Kirigakure had plenty of able-bodied shinobi, whereas the Hidden Shade Village was in need of help. Saki could probably visit whenever she wished, though she was considered an adult now and really didn't need checking up on.

Most parents would disapprove of sending off their child to a new land, and Asami's were very much one of those. It took days of convincing from both herself and Saki, who had become a chuunin. Her knowledge of the outside world meant that she could assure them that her sister would (almost) as safe in Hikagakure as she was in Kirigakure. Eventually, they caved in, and a few weeks later, Asami had packed her bags, all set to aid a new village.

She was amongst the first shinobi to arrive in the established village, and as such, was one of the first to be assigned a squad. She was to be taught alongside Tatsumoto Kirasuki by the village leader, Yaso Pon'Biki. She was understandably excited at the prospect of being taught by a man that had already identified himself as a skilled user of Fuinjutsu and showed promise as a budding shinobi. It didn't take long for problems to arise for her, however. She struggled to make friends, which managed to deal a heavy blow to her morale. A few choice words from her teacher managed to bring her resolve back up, only for Tatsumoto to disappear soon after.

Regardless, she still had training to do. Being the only genin left in her squad, she learned techniques from the village leader himself, taking on missions with other squads whilst he was busy. It was on one of those missions that she committed murder, an act that sent her spiralling downwards into despair. Again, Yaso had to step in with a few choice words, and though she still felt guilt over it, she managed to recover and continue to improve her skills.

In time, her Squad gained two new additions, and then two more, with genin mysteriously disappearing soon after joining. As with everybody else, Asami had trouble adjusting to their presence, but over time the latest line-up of genin had managed to grow on her - Eien Maboroshi and Kokoro Resu. Alongside them, she continued to grow.

Personality
Asami is a friendly young woman by nature, but her kindness is more often than not overshadowed by just how easily she can be put in a bad mood. She usually means well, but her tone when she makes such comments can be off-putting, even if she is only making a joke. Even worse, if somebody said the same to her, she would almost definitely be put off them, to the point that those close to her have noted her as a 'living minefield' when trying to hold a conversation. Thankfully, her thirst for knowledge means that she tries her best to maintain positive relationships with those around her.

The girl has been shown to be smarter than she first appears if the situation calls for it. She is also willing to use a little deception and manipulation to get her way. To that end, she can make herself quite the charmer if she wants to be (and isn't in a bad mood). Although she isn't afraid of fighting, the girl would rather solve her problems with words to avoid unnecessary injury. This is because, despite her apparent grumpiness, the girl has a big heart, especially for those that she considers close to her.

Appearance
Despite being a shinobi, there is nothing on Asami's person that could really identify her as one. The ends of her black, layered hair barely falls past her neck, with a few hairs poking out from her top. Her curious eyes and button nose manage to make her look a little younger than she actually is, much to her annoyance.There is really nothing about her that would make an observer think of her of her than any more than the common villager, if not a strange one. When she's out and about, she tends to wear a floral-patterned kimono, though the colour and pattern itself changes from day to day.

Abilities
Despite being a new Genin, Asami already has some skills that would put her above her graduating class. She possesses knowledge of basic Fūinjutsu, though she mainly uses it as a means of easy storage. Under Yaso's tutelage, she has also learned a number of supplementary seals to aid her in battle. She is also a skilled user of chakrams, both as a ranged weapon and in close combat.

Trivia

 * According to the imaginary databook(s):
 * Asami wishes to fight (and defeat) Yaso Pon'Biki.
 * Asami's favourite food is rice balls and peanut butter soup (a rarity outside of her home, unfortunately) and her least favourite food is anything sour.
 * Asami has completed 8 official missions in total: 2 D-rank, 4 C-rank, 2 B-rank, 0 A-rank, 0 S-rank.
 * Her hobby is tinkering and fiddling with objects.
 * Asami is known to prefer warm and sunny days.