Weapons for Kyozo

[Aoyagi Kyozo]

TOTSUKA | IMAGE
^{TEN HANDS LONG SWORD - KATANA - PERSONAL}
Forged by Kenmei, the greatest blacksmith in Mizu no Kuni in the times predating the foundation of the Shinobi Villages, the Totsuka is a powerful katana created for the Shodai Mizukage. While the actual Totsuka no Tsurugi referred to in the legends is a weapon that has yet to be found, this katana was forged so that the power of the Totsuka legend could be given to its' user.

In terms of appearance, the Totsuka appears to be eerily normal besides having two different blades. The first blade, is black, with golden kanji inscriptions on it, which are said to give it it's power. The second blade, is silver and surrounds the black blade in the middle. The tsuba of the katana is rather intricate, though. It was fashioned to look like four interlinked coils, which more of a rectangular shape than a circular one. The tsuba is also black in color. The hilt, on the other hand, is completely normal. It is decorate with a black and red fabric, which has diamond shaped patterns. Upon the fabric are more golden kanji inscriptions, which are said to deal with the very essence of the weapon.

The abilities of the Totsuka are truly what make the katana exceptional. Firstly, before one can even hope to use the Totsuka's power they must first 'bond' with the sword and he accepted by it. This is done by simply wielding the sword, and channeling chakra through it. In doing so, if it does indeed bond with the user's chakra they will be able to use its' abilities otherwise the Totsuka acts as a regular katana would.

What the Totsuka does is quite remarkable. In essence, once 'activated,' an enchanted ethereal blade extends out from the golden kanji that are inscribed onto the black blade of the katana. This enchanted blade is capable of sealing anything it pierces, as long as it is a part of a living organism. After something gets pierced by the Totsuka, it temporarily loses its' ability to function as the Totsuka places a 'binding seal' onto whatever it pierces. This 'binding seal' is composed of black tomoe which will remain upon the target as long as the Totsuka is in its' "active" state; upon deactivation, the seal will remain in effect until the black tomoe eventually vanish.

Using the Totsuka comes with a few drawbacks. It appears that, in order to use abilities granted to the user of the ethereal blade, a certain amount of the user's chakra is consumed. Meaning, every time something gets sealed by Totsuka's blade the user loses a certain amount of chakra. There has only been two men known to wield this dark blade, each of which belonged to the Shodai Mizukage's lineage.

[Ðr. Tran]