Kozai Nishiki Stats

Kozai was one of the clanless children of Takigakure, and as such, had no bloodline to rely on. It was easy enough to get bullied for not having that "extra advantage" to reach the martial peak, back then. Still, Kozai was one of those idiots who never gave up. Neither was he a person to be angry for long. As such, since the teasing and hazing didn't really bother him, it soon ceased. Kozai still didn't like the fact that it happened to those who didn't belong to the "big clans", but he couldn't do anything about it yet.

Still, there was no point in sitting around and doing nothing either, right? Those who denied that there was any future for them were worse than trash. Only people who could reach the martial peak, even without inherent advantages like "bloodline limits", were even remotely worthy of praise. Even if it took his entire lifetime, even if it consumed him, he'd try his very hardest.

Sounds trite so far, right?

Even though Kozai was a nice person, that didn't mean that he wasn't... well, kind of Machiavellian. If something REALLY pissed him off, or if something obstructed his path, he'd do anything it took to get rid of it. Take, for example, early on in his genin years. Bankrupting and out-competing textbook dealers is a good way to get things for cheap.

It became evident as time went on that Kozai was rather strange. He was a bit too happy. Not in the creepy aspect, mind you, but... well, it's like in Candide, by Voltaire. There's a point at which it's socially awkward and strange to be so cheerful. As such, he was alienated even more than he was in his younger years, as he progressed slowly up the ranks.

Despite the flaws in his personality, the leadership soon saw that this was someone who had little innate talent, but was willing to really work his ass off. Well, they were wrong. Kozai's talent may not have been in his DNA, but it certainly was in his mind. As someone who perceived the universe in a different way than most other people, he was practically guaranteed success.

As mentioned before, Kozai got rid of anything in his way, so it was no surprise that when the kage spot became vacant, he began to formulate a plan to get that seat. It involved as little death, manipulation and murder as possible... then again, people made it hard for him to stick to that.