Ahei, Uchiha Puppet Master

[Naimless]

Ahei Imaya
"I've already had a brush with death. And I'll never take life for granted again."

Artist credit-  Chun Lo

Basic Info Clan: Uchiha Age: 18 Class: Puppet Master (5) Background: Trouble Maker Personality When your body fails you, all you have left is your mind. Fiercely intelligent, Ahei has a bad habit of putting his foot in his mouth. More often than not, he says what's on his mind, only considering the consequences after the words have left his mouth. His brush with death has left him with a zest for life. He lost a lot of time to the accident, and he seems eager to make up for the time he lost. He lacks the instinct for navigating social waters like his father and sister do, instead taking after his mother. He is often overly serious, and possesses a strong sense of justice that, combined with his often ill-considered words, has landed him in hot water on several occasions. Older folks in town recall the accident that almost cost Ahei his life, and as such, many treat him with pity or as if he was crippled. He hates the idea of ever being helpless again, and that hatred propels him to succeed and persevere where others might turn aside. Appearance With his hood up and scarf covering his face, it's almost impossible to tell that Ahei's body is no longer natural. With a clear look at his face, or by paying attention to his hands, one can pick up on the telltale signs that despite everything, Ahei isn't truly human anymore. Never mind that his limbs seem to slim to support a person's weight. Never mind the unnatural stillness in his body when he thinks no-one is watching. The second set of eyes are the dead giveaway. Positioned right along the cheekbone, and set wider than the eyes that reside in his sockets, this second set of eyes are obviously artificial. And those details, combined with his thin limbs, and his strange staccato movement, often gives the impression of a humanoid spider.

 

Background

For all of Haiyoshi Uchiha's vaunted intelligence, she never developed her clan's most feared ability: the Sharingan. For all her skill in other areas, she was largely considered a failure in the eyes of the clan heads. So, when she petitioned to marry outside the clan - an entertainer no less, the clan considered her branch of the bloodline dead, and allowed her to all but leave the clan behind. They had her sister, after all, who was much more promising. What use did they have for a talentless heir?

Tired of conflict and war, Haiyoshi and Yokichi Imaya decided to leave Konoha in secret, searching for a new life elsewhere. And find it they did. In Matsugakure, a village so well hidden that most of the other villages even knew it existed.

They settled there, and began a family. In this peaceful town, there was little conflict, and less war. And that suited Ahei's parents just fine. They were happy there, in Matsuga. A good quiet life, where Yokichi could ply his trade as a toymaker and entertainer, and where Haiyoshi could do what she truly wanted - live a life free from the yoke of her clan. She took her husband's name, and all but left the name 'Uchiha' behind.

An adventurous child, Ahei was always off exploring something, climbing something, or otherwise finding trouble for himself. He was never a problem child, but there was a certain amount of rascally youthful energy that was difficult to control. But like so many things, eventually Ahei's luck ran out. Up on a cliff overlooking the often-frozen lake outside of town, there was a large Pine, perfect for climbing. And so Ahei did, as often as he could manage - which was a lot. But on one fateful day, the tree collapsed. And by that we mean to say, not just the tree, but the whole edge of the cliff where the tree was located. And Ahei went with it.

Smashing through the layer of ice with the aid of a number of rocks and a whole pine tree, the young boy sank beneath the surface. Tangled in the tree, there was nothing Ahei could do other than sink. He almost died in that frozen lake. If not for his younger sister, who had been nearby when the accident occurred, he probably would have died. He was rescued, his body ravaged by a combination of almost drowing, his body bearing the brunt of impact into the lake, and the almost-freezing temperatures therein. It took all his mother's genius, in concert with his father's craftsmanship to save his life. Now Ahei is possessed of an artificial body, crafted from wood and metal - a living puppet.

It took three years to build him a new body that would work properly, and he's been in it now for almost a year. After his transformation, Ahei vowed to never be helpless again, and enrolled to study the shinobi arts in the only village he has ever known. And while his father is proud of his bravery in the face of his near-death experience, his mother is not so eager, for she knows the secret her son now carries since his accident - the Uchiha's Dojutsu is alive and well in the eyes of her son. If word gets out, it will only be a matter of time before the Leaf comes looking for him. Or worse.