Kikunojō

Long braids and tanned skin mark this broadly built swordsman, whose dark eyes sit above sharp features. His usual outfit pairs a pale jacket with a turquoise vest, loose trousers, and sandals, with a blade slung across his back. For the escort ruse he trades all of this for a merchant's guise: pale slacks and a shirt beneath a lilac kimono, topped off by a hat, light boots, and a shoulder bag.

Duty drives him, and he carries himself as a resolute, unbending man set on seeing his task through. He takes pride in his signature methods and insists they measure up to whatever mysterious skills the Janin might bring. That confidence deserts him around Haruna, whom he never dares to argue with.

He and his friend Yurinojō came up together as trainees, needling one another in a good natured contest that once turned romantic, since both boys nursed a childhood infatuation with Tsunade and jostled for her notice. Kikunojō's knack for the ninja arts surfaced early and spread his name across the Land of Vegetables, earning him a post guarding the daimyō.

His reputation rests on his mastery of his clan's flower centred jutsu. He can set the blossoms around a foe ablaze, make them detonate like paper bombs, stiffen them into airborne shuriken, or ring an enemy with petals to trigger an illusion that swallows the field in darkness. A capable swordsman as well, he can trade blows on even footing with a jōnin.

When the dreaded Janin descend on the region, the daimyō dispatches both rivals to shield his daughter Haruna. Short on funds, Kikunojō can only afford Konoha's help at a C-rank rate, so the group poses as travelling merchants, Haruna and the two guards included. Once it becomes plain the attackers have seen through the disguise, he breaks off to confront them alone. In a field of flowers he faces Ruiga, the youngest of the Janin, and for a time his secret arts look set to win, until Ruiga unveils a technique of his own and strikes him down. He is laid to rest with honour, and Haruna grieves that she never valued his sacrifice.