Shija

Shija was the next chosen Iwagakure shinobi to potentially succeed Tsuki of the alias Gabimaru the Hollow. After the shogun came to Iwagakure for assistance in retrieving the Elixir of Life from Kotaku, having become impatient with the first group, Shija and a squad of Iwa ninja was assigned by the village chief to the second team to hasten the completion of the mission. In actuality, the Iwagakure shinobi squad's true mission was to kill Gabimaru, who was assigned to the first team, and take back the alias, which became Shija's personal goal. Shija had long, slick dark hair, slight hints of shadow below their eyes, and a shade of lipstick. Underneath their hair covered a scar on their forehead above their right eye, which was self-inflicted in their past attempt to mirror Yui. Their attire consisted of the standard uniform of a Iwagakure ninja, which was a black robe with long sleeves that are frayed, a black tattsuke bakama, and a white sash tied at the waist. They also wore a hannya mask that was later cut in half by Kiyomaru. As they prepared to go into battle, Shija tied their hair into a small bun in the back and had a bang parted to the right side of their face. As a Iwagakure shinobi, Shija viewed themselves as a pawn for their master and only prioritized on the orders they had been given on a mission no matter what the situation was. To this extent, they held no sense of concern for their fellow ninja allies since they too have the same mindset. After Kiyomaru ordered Kumokiri to kill himself, Shija was unfazed by his death and merely followed his orders of leading the squad before his passing. Another example being how they ignored the fact that a hand full of their subordinates were slaughtered by a Mōnshin and simply gave the order to one of them that was still alive to kill it despite the state they were in. They also only spoke when it was necessary. On the other hand, Shija is a Iwagakure shinobi first and foremost, as they put the chief's orders above the mission if they are connected. Shija had respect and a deep infatuation towards Gabimaru. Whenever they met Gabimaru, or even had a mere thought about him, Shija would break out in an excited, love-struck behavior. They believed that he was truly worthy of the name "Gabimaru" and would not stand by as others doubted him. Even after he had defected from the village and was seen as an embarrassment by the chief, Shija still maintained their respect for Gabimaru, believing that the dangers of Kotaku would not be enough to kill him. Shija's love for Gabimaru even prompted them to burn their face to mirror Yui after he became married to her. However, Shija was a psychotic and unstable individual, as their love for Gabimaru could be seen as being a twisted, borderline obsession. They thought of themselves as Gabimaru's supporter and was driven to commit horrendously violent acts from the shadows for his sake in the past, having killed all the young candidates that were training for the title. Years later to when Gabimaru became appointed as the next Hollow, Shija killed a few jealous Iwagakure shinobi after they had badmouthed Gabimaru behind his back. They also outwardly admitted to Gabimaru that they were even willing to die by his hands and that the only person they desperately desired to kill was him alone. After being sent to Kotaku, Shija was driven to find and engage in a death match with Gabimaru no matter what. Shija also found death to be fulfilling, believing that it was the only way to truly understand life from the fear and despair that comes from the experience. Having been stripped of the sensation to feel pain from their Iwagakure training, Shija suffered a life of boredom in the past and only came to relish the pleasures of death after coming close to it by Gabimaru's hands. In battle against their opponents (with the exception of Gabimaru), Shija was very ruthless and sadistic. They believed that battles were not won through strength but by playing dirty as they fought by exploiting their opponent's vulnerability (or their "love") and took pleasure in it. While fighting Rien, Shija took advantage of the ships being of high importance to the Tensen by attempting to set them on fire and passed the Elixir of Life to the ninja, presenting them an opening to attack with shuriken and set Rien ablaze while distracted. Through this, Shija was shown to be very perceptive as they figured out that Rien was holding back her power to not damage the ships and knew that the gourd she had on her was the Elixir of Life based on her reaction to when they stole it. During their confrontation with Sagiri, Shija had her restrained to violently drug her. For reasons unknown, Shija had a rather odd perspective of men and women, viewing everyone they encounter (with the exception of Gabimaru) as being old regardless of their correct age and referred to them as such.