Yukari Hyakurai

Yukari Hyakurai (百雷ユカリ, Hyakurai Yukari) was a defected shinobi of Konohagakure. He was one of the last two surviving heirs of his clan alongside his sister, Seiki Hyakurai. After learning the truth behind the demise of his parents, Yukari set out to exact revenge. He joined Team Heisei after graduating from the Academy, though little is seen of his teammates until the Chūnin Exams. Presumed dead at one point, Yukari was taken in by Orochimaru.

Table of Contents

Through the simple fate of human nature, the Hyakurai clan grew to be smaller and smaller throughout the generations. Although the clan played an important role during the Warring States Period, their significance faded as time went on and eventually their involvement was forgotten altogether, both to the village and to the clan. To put it briefly, the twins named Seiki and Yukari Hyakurai were orphaned a mere year after birth due to the mysterious death of their widowed mother, Kiyoshi Moriyama.

Their isolated living was supported by bare village funds brought together to maintain their clan's barren compound, which Seiki would later vehemently refuse the demolition of when she came of age to make the decision. Due to this simulation of solitary confinement, both twins grew into very reserved children who spoke very little to anyone but each other. This granted them a wary reputation amoung those who came into regular contact with them, such as the vendors at the marketplace, the social security workers who came to check up on them every so often, and the tutor sent to provide their basic education.

Until their enrollment in the Academy, Seiki and Yukari could rarely be differentiated, both in mannerisms as well as appearances. They'd taken to the same hobbies, the same interests, the same behaviours. However, once introduced to the public youth at the academy, they seemed to split apart instantaneously. Seiki became, as described by Yukari, "harsh and overbearing and a total brat" (a disposition that would earn her the nickname "Warugaki"), whereas Yukari sought out any opportunity to separate himself from his sister. As Seiki began to grow out her hair, Yukari cut off all of his in spite. They gradually grew further apart from each other as they drifted into different social classifications. Yukari was readily accepted by the other boys at the academy, while Seiki remained detached. Yukari watched his sister's degeneration into a delinquent from afar, silently pitying her, but doing nothing to stop her from her own self-destruction. Meanwhile, he went about his own training and made few attempts to reconnect with his sister.

It wasn't until Seiki approached him with Eiya in tow that they finally rekindled their relationship. Much to his embarrassment, Yukari was on the verge of tears as those years of separation finally got to him. He, Seiki, and Eiya became close during the weeks of cooperative training that ensued, and remained that way even after they were put into different teams after graduating.

In his childhood, Yukari was reserved and timid to a degree. Even after making friends at the academy, he continued to be withdrawn and seldom went anywhere but the academy and the clan compound, save for when he trained. He worked hard alongside his sister to become stronger any chance he got, often engaging in lighthearted rivalry with Seiki to test their skills against each other. He enjoyed a good challenge and strove to outdo himself, although he was a bit of a perfectionist. He would often train for hours at a time to perfect one skill, even losing sleep just to keep working. This instilled worry in others for his health, but he showed no regard for his lack of sleep or the meals he would sometimes skip. He appeared visibly perturbed by Seiki's constant attempts to "protect" him, which often hindered him more than it helped.

After discovering the truth about his parents' deaths, Yukari's hard-working, perfectionist disposition shifted into something akin with obsession. During Seiki's absence on her mission in the Land of Snow, Yukari broke into the sealed crypt that he and Seiki had agreed not to enter before they both decided they were ready to learn their clan's secrets. Stealing the scripture found there for himself, he fled the village in pursuit of his own idea of justice. He refused to acknowledge this act as the betrayal that Seiki accused him of during their ensuing encounter, instead proclaiming it a "necessary measure in the name of justice". His boasts and insistence that what he planned to do was right were quickly developing into hysteria, and Seiki approached him in an attempt to calm him down, but he mistook it for an attack and immediately went on the offensive.

After the battle which left him on the brink of death, he sustained severe head trauma, inducing amnesia that made him forget the majority of his life right up until the battle with his sister. Nursed back to health by Orochimaru and under the impression that Seiki was out to kill him, he let his own sense of betrayal and spite fester, completely forgetting his desire for the revenge of his parents. Orochimaru filled his mind with delusions that Seiki was an enemy to Konoha as well as to himself, and Yukari readily accepted the Cursed Seal placed upon him with the thought that it was a gift in compensation for his trials. Once he began his training under Orochimaru's tutelage, he met Sasuke Uchiha, whom he had no memory of from the village and showed confusion when Sasuke claimed to recognize him (vaguely). Disregarding that initial encounter, Yukari began to idolize Sasuke, and although he felt inferior to Sasuke in every regard, he possessed a strong urge to surpass the other and gain the attention Orochimaru lavished him with.

The combination of trauma, amnesia, and manipulation that Yukari underwent, as well as the physical strain of his Cursed Seal, caused Yukari to devolve into pure mania by the time he confronted Seiki for the second time, having abandoned his apprenticeship to Orochimaru due to impatience. He refused to believe anything she told him, exhibiting a worrisome conflict in emotion when he begins to cry and laugh at the same time as he battles his sister. In the final moment of his death, however, Yukari whispers nothing more than an apology, suggesting that he may very well have been compos mentis for at least some of the time after their first battle.

Taking after his sister, Yukari is short in stature with a lean physique. He has dark skin, short, curly hair, and pale blue eyes. His eyebrows are stunted and he has freckles on his cheeks much like his sister's. As a genin, he wore a black tank-top underneath a grey-blue jacket with white accents and plain black pants and sandals. He also tied a blue bandanna around his neck and wore his hitai-ate around his forehead, largely covered by his hair.

During the interlude in which Yukari trained with Orochimaru, Yukari was seen primarily wearing a mesh shirt beneath a long-sleeved, cropped black shirt and black pants. He appeared to have discarded his hitai-ate entirely and he had a diagonal scar on his face from his injury on the cliff.

In Part II, Yukari was shown to wear a plain black turtleneck top with no sleeves that parted at the waist and reached his calves, showing the white pants underneath. He wore long black gloves that reached his biceps and a purple, rope-like belt tied in an inverted bow around his waist. His cursed seal was located on the back of his left shoulder and took the shape of a Celtic knot.

Yukari's progression of skill throughout the plot is steady, showing a drastic increase after his training with Orochimaru. Yukari possesses the Hyakurai clan's Storm Release, at which he shows acute proficiency.

• The name "Yukari" means "evening geese".
• Yukari's hobby was sword fighting.
• His least favourite food was curry rice.

• (To x) "Quote"

Description

Comments