Nao Fujiwara is the twelfth heir of the revered Haineko Clan of Mizugakure. the Haineko is a family of ninnekos, cat-like beings that pledged their allegiance to the Amanushi, a race of technologically advanced humanoids who conquered most of Makai during the Great War.

Mostly utilized as guardians throughout various territories of Makai, the Haineko clan integrated into human society and eventually formed their esteemed house thanks to the efforts of their ancestors. Nao was born in honor of a pact forged between the Fujiwara Clan of Irori and the Haineko Clan of Mizugakure. Being that the Haineko Clan pledged fealty to the Amanushi, the Fujiwara's betrayed their previous lord for sake of marrying their youngest daughter to the Haineko family. Misaki was only sixteen years old when he was married to Hirako, the Eleventh heir of the Haineko Clan. Shortly after their marriage, Misaki gave birth to their only daughter, Nao.

Since birth, Nao showed great potential to become one of the most powerful ninnekos of her clan. At age four, Nao was capable of transforming in and out of cat form at will and later on became capable of ascending to bakeneko form at age seven. The boy knew no limit to her strength but the future heir was notoriously lazy and unruly. He would often get into fights with her fellow ninja classmates and often get into trouble with her instructors for being a nuisance. Known to be a little menace, Nao began to face scrutiny from the elders of her father's clan.

Nao was known to have quite a violent temper in her youth. It was suspected that the beast blood within her triggered her bad behavior and her father would often have to put the boy in her place. Yet despite her behavioral issues, Nao eventually reached the rank of Chūnin swiftly at age eleven. the wildness within the boy that plagued her since birth began to fade once he reached her teenage years. Nao began to start using her head more after a failed expedition south nearly caused the death of one of her teammates. Learning greatly from that harrowing event, Nao began to show signs of becoming a young leader on the field. he truly cared for her teammates and would do nothing to ensure their safety. Eventually, Nao's change in attitude won the approval of her elders, and her father begun to prepare her for her future role as leader of their clan.

As the boy continued with her shinobi training, Nao became quite close with her mother Misaki. While the youth certainly revered her father, Nao loved her gentle mother deeply. It was Misaki's kindness that helped Nao reach the rank of Jounin during that brutal age of Mizugakure's history. Forced to slay her fellow classmates in order to become Jōnin, Nao went into a deep depression. the boy would refuse food for weeks at a time. Eventually, Nao had to take a hiatus from further training as her parents struggled to cope with their daughter's depression but as fate would have it, the was just the beginning of bad times.

A nasty rumor began to surface about the Fujiwara family that traced their roots back to Irori. Some naysayers within the royal court coined the Fujiwara's as spies who've come to sabotage the Amanushi’s quest for dominance over the realm of Makai. Under peaceful times, such a claim would've been easily discarded. However, these were stressful times and war loomed over the horizon for Mizugakure. With no true way to claim their innocence and at the mercy of a corrupt lord; members of the Fujiwara clan were banihed from Mizukagure and those who defied the order were marked for death.

Misaki, Nao's mother, died in the purge.

the unjust death of her mother sent Nao into a frenzy. Before escaping the village, Nao had nearly slain several ninjas who tried to contain the boy's wrath. Nao's own father was forced to try and stop her daughter but during combat, Hirako was gravely wounded. Unable to cope with the blood on her hands, Nao fled the village and never looked back.

He wandered the world in search of meaning to her seemingly pointless life while coping with the unjust death of her mother. During her travels, Nao learned much about the world through the various people he met. He visited Mount Jofuku, traveled to the Turtle Islands thanks to the help of a few travelers he met along the way, and eventually found herself in Ainokura for a brief time. Seeing the world in all of its horrors and splendors made Nao come to appreciate and value the life her parents sacrificed for her. the melancholy that he felt began to form into something akin to the determination to continue where he left off. So after about nearby sixteen years of wandering, Nao returns back to her homeland a changed man, fully intending to use the turbulence of the world to take back up her abandoned duties.

Nao is quite a genial person with a kind but reserved demeanor. His more pacifistic approach to conflict might leave the impression that he's weak, but Nao is anything other than weak. He knows of her strengths well and knows how to capitalize on an opponent's weaknesses through subtle observation. He's a calculating tactician, one who's been secretly keeping a close eye on some of Mizugakure's problematic neighbors. Unlike other fellow Chunin who feel the need to boast about their strengths, Nao likes to remain silent. He believes that the best element in combat is the element of surprise. Always in a state of heightened awareness, Nao is always ready to draw her blade at a moment's notice. Whether it be for defense or offense, Nao can quickly shift from her genial demeanor to one of calculating coldness at will.

Outside of her role as one of Mizugakure's stalwart protectors, Nao is quite a charmer with a knack for storytelling. He says a deep fondness for the arts and typically enjoys origami. He's a thespian at heart with a love for literature. Nao's fondness for literature stems from the noble teachings of her parents. He honors her father and mother's legacy and hopes to do them justice. While he certainly possesses a love for books, Nao is honestly interested in people more. He likes watching and observing how others interact with each other. Nao finds it interesting to see how others behave out of her own delight in social settings.
He adamantly enjoys spending time with friends and family alike and is more than willing to greet others with a reserved smile. Although it should be noted that Nao can be quite cautious when dealing with strangers. He's slow to trust despite being perceived as a rather friendly and courteous fellow. His friendliness is limited by her deep-seated need to be careful. He's not naive to the ways of the world and knows for a fact that others will attempt to him if he somehow poses a threat.

While Nao's personality remains constant in between human and cat form, Nao does become a bit more animated as a feline. He's a little more playful and more mischievous. Nao is known to steal her fair share of fish and office supplies for the sake of amusement. While he would never admit such crimes, Nao certainly can be a little bit of a menace at times.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Besides her obvious physical strengths he possesses due to her ninneko heritage, Nao is quite intelligent and rather efficient in combat. He's a learned tactician who's capable of exploiting her opponent's weaknesses. He has a mind for combat and will always try to subdue her foes with smooth strategy rather than outright brutality.

Nao tends to play it safe when it comes down to either battling people on the field or facing them in the discussion. One could say that her stubborn nature can be one of her strengths. Nao honestly hates to lose. If he fails at an objective or mission, he'll do her best to overcome the setback by any means necessary. Much like her namesake, Nao knows how to endure loss with poised grace and hardly ever makes a scene.

Despite being a ninneko, Nao isn't privy to some of the skills and abilities that other demons are capable of. He cannot regenerate lost limbs but he can heal from minor scrapes and bruises. Bakenekos are resilient creatures capable of overwhelming their foes with fast and furious strikes. In tales of old, ninnekos can shapeshift into beautiful women to lure unsuspecting prey much like a kitsune. While Nao cannot transform into a woman, he can create a series of illusions that can warp her opponent's senses in the middle of battle. Able to capitalize on the inner fears of her foes, Nao can literally make a person's fears into reality by entrapping them in a dreamlike state. The is a form of ninjutsu token of members of the Fujiwara clan.

Here's a list of various positive and negative traits Nao possesses.

Ninneko
Despite being half-human, Nao is insanely strong. he's capable of crushing bone easily and is able to survive dangerous feats with limited injuries. While he's certainly not indestructible, Nao can take one hell of a beating before eventually succumbing to her wounds. the beast blood within him gives him her ability.

the Ninnekos are capable of controlling various forms of Jutsu thanks to their loose ties with the two-tailed Matatabi. Nao is capable of using sensory depriving genjutsu that is common to her ninneko heritage. he can literally dive into the minds of her enemies and attack their very subconsciousness. her is a form of genjutsu that gives the wielder the ability to control the chakra flow of a target's cerebral nervous system, thus affecting their senses. her mastery over illusions makes Nao quite effective in combat since he can literally trick her opponents into harming themselves.

In her full bakeneko form, Nao looks something likened to a panther with bright crimson eyes and large fangs. he has ceremonial red tattoos under her eyes and a long red stripe down the bridge of her nose. her long fluffy tail is split into two and her poisonous claws look oddly amethyst within the light. the potent poison within her claws can make her victims hallucinate with just a mere scratch much like the venom of a serpent.

It should be noted that Nao's strength in her form is amplified by double along with her capabilities with water Jutsu. he can literally create a torrent of water to crash down her adversaries and use those nasty claws to shred them to pieces.

Weapons
Unlike most from her mother's clan, Nao's extensive training with swords, in general, makes him a rather deadly opponent. he's noticeably faster and more agile than most humans and is able to dodge and block bullets with her sword alone. her efficiency in combat makes him quite a force to reckon with considering her training.

In combat, Nao typically wields the Ohabari much like the Iaido method of swordsmanship which consists of smooth, controlled movements of drawing the sword from its saya (scabbard) only briefly enough to strike her foes before placing the sword back in its heath. her method of combat follows consists of the wielder's flow of energy as he unheathes her blade to strike. Iaido follows the belief of the saying "Tsune ni ite, kyū ni awasu" (常に居て、急に合わす) which means being constantly prepared, match and meet the opposition immediately. It's because of her that the emphasis of "Iai", which is actually a state of readiness, is always stressed in Iaido. the secondary emphasis lies on one's skill in withdrawing the sword and acting quickly to sudden attacks. her style of combat fits Nao best since he's capable of striking quicker due to her bloodline.

Nao's weapon of choice is the fabled Ame-no-Ohabari (天の尾羽張, lit. Sword of Takamagahara, the double-edged blade) is a ōdachi sword used by the mythical Izanagi in an act of infanticide. It's said that when her son Kagu-tsuchi was born, he burned her celestial mother Izanami to death. Distraught over the loss of her wife, Izanagi used her blade to cut Kagu-tuchi's body into eight pieces. Allegedly the blood that dripped off the Ame-no-Ohabari led to the creation of several deities, the God of the Sea and the God of Rain.

It's because of her sword's affinity to rain and water that it's an aquamarine blade with silver and black-clothed hilt. the style of the Ohabari is more similar to a katana than an actual ōdachi blade in design. It's a double-edged sword that has no flat side which means that both sides of the sword were designed to cut. Like most other katanas, her sword is characterized to by its unique appearance: a curved but slender edged blade with a circular guard and long grip for two-handed wielding.

Taijutsu:
Nao is skilled in Taijutsu which is a basic form of martial arts that utilizes the natural movements and abilities of the practitioner. While he's fonder of using her sword in combat, Nao does sometimes fight hand-to-hand without the use of her blade. he has more than enough strength and stamina to overpower her opponents and because of her background in Iaido, he's able to utilize her opponent's momentum against them.

Ninjutsu:
Nao's strong affinity to water allows him to use water-based attacks while using Ninjutsu. he's capable of forming weaponry out of the water and along with shields. Nao's mastery over the water is pretty much second nature despite how ironic it is for a cat to be fond of water.

In addition to forming watery daggers and knives, Nao can also create ropes and oher oddities out of her chakra. he's able to manipulate water to suit her needs in combat and sometimes uses her Ninjutsu skills to form various watery illusions. he's also capable of entrapping her foes in massive water bubbles that can suffocate a victim to death. her form of Ninjutsu is typically used by Nao for fishing.

Nao stands out like a sore thumb in a crowd. If it isn't for the black catlike ears upon his head with the little white tips, it's for his matching tail he displays proudly. Nao is a black ninneko half-breed. He looks human with his fair complexion and bright blue eyes but the catlike features give away his origins.

Nao is quite fond of the color red, so usually he is seen wearing his signature red and gold attire that is loosely styled like a Western take on the classic furisode kimono(振袖).

The sleeves billow down all the way down to the ground much like a classic furisode but lack the decorative flowery print that Geishas were known to wear. The sleeves of his attire are stark white against the bright vermillion-colored vest he wears over it. The obi is a darker red, a cranberry red with a light green sash around it. Even though he wears something similar to a furisode kimono, it should be noted that Nao's attire isn't as restricting as a kimono since the bottom half only consists of a long flowing front cloth much like a loincloth. He typically wears red leggings or black ones under them.

In terms of shoes, a ninneko's has a slightly arched foot similar to that of the hind leg of a cat. They're not flatfooted like humans are and have to wear shoes that give them a bit of arch support.

If he isn't donning his usual kimono-inspired garbs, Nao tends to wear white kimonos instead. He doesn't have much fondness for colors in general but he is impartial to red.