Personality: Hibiki is a kind and quiet person. Not quiet a conversationalist, he doesn't talk much, tending to nod his head alot in a conversation.. His actions however do speak for him. Rather than say 'happy birthday', he'll leave a present.
He's very kind to his neighbors, known as the good kid on the block, always doing things like delivering groceries, helping on projects and such. He knows the birthday of every person in his neighborhood. He has a particularly good relationship with the Satos, Chie and Midori.
One of the most surprising things about Hibiki is how little he talks about his work to his friends, although he speaks little in general. Infact, he's never mentioned the fact he's a ninja to his own friends, let alone an ANBU member. All people know is he travels alot for work, and the neighborhood is always guessing what he does. He doesn't hide it, he simply doesn't mention it.
As a ninja, Hibiki is fiercely loyal. He prefers trying to protect his teammates to attacking enemies, but is willing to kill without hesitation. Even in ANBU, the willingness for someone as kind as him be able to be cruel has been scary to the rest in his squad. Hibiki doesn't like to be, but doesn't hesistates as he's had plenty of experiences of his kindness kill his comrades.
History:
Hibiki has always been known as a nice kid, too kind. A bane to his life as a ninja has always been his kindness, even when he was a gennin. All his talent could not make up for his inability to hurt others.
When he first participated in the chunnin exams, he was clearly superior to his opponent. He had him cornered. But Hibiki couldn't bring himself to hurt him. In that moment of weakness, his opponent caught him off guard, and bested him. The Raikage, Genmyou was interested by the genin that couldn't bring himself to hurt others. He asked his sensei about him.
The judges were not pleased. He eventually made it however. During the end of the First Shinobi War, Hibiki's barrier saved many lives, and he was recognized as talented beyond genin, becoming chunnin. During the war however, his father was killed. His mother became broken from it.
After the war, with a shortage of barrier nin in ANBU, Hibiki was asked to try out. His sensei protested, thinking ANBU was the worst place in the world for someone with Hibiki's disposition. Genmyou agreed, and chose someone else by the name of Nobushige.
Hibiki continued training, often questioning why. He liked that he had saved people on the battlefield, but hated to hurt others, and couldn't correlate the two. He was sad of all the death around him, and about his parents.
During a mission, his team was sent to capture a missing nin, Nobunaga Tokugawa, with orders to kill. Hibiki found him alone, and attacked, fighting almost equally. Hibiki managed to catch him off guard with his barrier taijutsu, and disarmed him. Having a new idea that capturing him would be better, he attempted to tie him up. Feigning defeat, Nobunaga found an opening, and stunned Hibiki, escaping into the night.
His sensei severely reprimanded him for not following orders the next day. However, the reprimand was cut short, as Nobunaga attacked the group, with several followers he had gathered thanks to the warning he had gotten the day before.
Hibiki was pinned by two ninja, while his sensei fought Nobunaga. Hibiki figured that his sensei would take care of everything, as he always did. He was wrong. Nobunaga managed to overpower his sensei, and landed a fatal blow to his sensei's skull.
Hibiki's world shattered at that moment. He almost broke down, before his teammate, Chiyome, screamed in pain behind him. She'd taken a blow to ribs, and fell over, and the enemy ninja held his weapon to finish her off.
Hibiki screamed, and in an instant, killed both ninja's pinning him down, and rushed at the ninja attacking her. A second too late he decapitated the ninja. Another cry came behind him, his last teammate felled by Nobunaga. Hibiki stood alone.
Crying, his kindness faded at these monsters who killed his team. Hibiki let go of all restraint he had ever had.
He never did find out what happened next. He just woke up in a pile of corpses, crying his heart out. His team was dead, because of him.
Hibiki realized something. If he had killed Nobunaga when he had first met him, he would never had to worry about his teammates dying. He wasn't killing because he was a ninja, he killed to protect other people.
All hesitation to kill left him that day. Without that restraint, it was quickly shown his skills were that of Jonin, that he had actually been stronger than his sensei.
He signed up for ANBU following that, seeing that as where his skills would best be put to the test. He swore he would protect his village, and those precious to him.
Despite that, as a person, Hibiki continued to be kind. He moved into a neighborhood he quite liked, and became well-known for his charity. He became popular, and really helped the neighborhood become tight-knit. He liked it better that his neighbors didn't know he was in ANBU.
After 3 years living there, a new family moved in he grew particularly attached to, the Sato clan. He looked up to Chie as sort of a mother figure, and tried helping out Midori as much as he could. Not good with words, he never did feel like he succeeded. That, and while he didn't use many words, Midori did. The conversations felt extremely awkward to Hibiki, or rather Midori talking, and Hibiki figuring out when to nod to his head. He still tried to be nice though, inviting her to events, like a party, or small birthday gifts (though he did that to literal every person in the block).
When her father left, he asked Hibiki to watch over the family. Hibiki agreed, and has tried to do what he could to, though her father did not know he was in ANBU.
During the 8 tails attack, Hibiki took charge of evacuating the neighborhood. He was worried when he realized Midori was away, but was relieved to learn her sensei had protected her.
These days Hibiki is often over talking to Chie Sato, and enjoys tea at the house.
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