Ishidate

was a missing-nin and Mercenary Ninja who appeared in Naruto the Movie: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom.

Background
Ishidate was exiled from his homeland and was going through hardships until he was hired by the Land of the Moon minister Shabadaba to kill Michiru Tsuki and his son, Hikaru Tsuki, as part of Shabadaba's plot to overthrow the current king, Kakeru Tsuki. He used a unique gauntlet to assassinate Kakeru, leaving the elderly king with fatal wounds that eventually led to his demise.

Personality
Immediately upon his introduction, Ishidate showed himself as an arrogant and egotistical man. He had a tremendous amount of confidence in his abilities; so much so that even when knowing he was up against one of Konoha's best ninja, Kakashi, he already believed himself to be the superior. Despite his arrogant nature, he had shown himself to be an intelligent man. While Kakashi was launching a powerful assault on the main gate, Ishidate deduced that it was a diversion tactic and had his men find Kakashi's team-mates. Ishidate's arrogance seemed to come from a superiority-complex as seen during his second battle against Naruto. When Naruto managed to defeat him, Ishidate completely lost his composure and became deranged, completely obsessed with killing Naruto to reaffirm his belief in his abilities despite being given orders to kill Michiru first. After he realised that he killed his own contractor in his anger, he did not seem to be regretful of it in the slightest.

Appearance
Ishidate was a tall man who wore an orange wig of spiky hair, with a forehead protector with no village symbol on it. Underneath his wig was short light-brown hair, and he also had blue eyes with a beauty mark under his right eye. Ishidate wore a blue shirt with pants and a white vest over it, and on his right hand was his petrification gauntlet that had an eye on the back of the hand.

Abilities
Like the rest of his team, Ishidate's primary battle tactic was close-range taijutsu while utilising a powerful and odourless performance dulling gas to weaken his opponent's senses and reaction time, thus making it easier to fight. His physical combat prowess is high, as he managed to overpower many of Naruto's shadow clones with ease. In addition, he possessed a unique gauntlet with an eye on the back which allowed him to control stone and petrify any living material he touched, which may be reversible if treated immediately, but leaves the victim brittle and fragile. The gauntlet also allows Ishidate to control rocks and stone, levitating them, shifting their shapes into sharp projectiles and launching them.

Plot Overview
He was first seen as he witnessed Konoha's ninja arrive at the fortress, and escaped with ninja techniques. Ishidate made a presumption that his team was stronger than Naruto Uzumaki's. He then comes again to stop Michiru and the team to go get help from other lands. There he battles Kakashi Hatake and, with the assistance of his performance dulling gas, easily outmanoeuvred Kakashi and ultimately petrifies Kakashi's left arm. He even petrified Korega and sliced him into many pieces. After Naruto used the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox, Ishidate decided it was better to retreat as his team had already captured Michiru.

Later, when Naruto's team, along with the circus people and Land of Moon soldiers, infiltrated the palace, Ishidate and his men were ordered to stop them. He petrifies a soldier and tries to kill Hikaru. Naruto manages to arrive in time to try and stop him from doing so. Naruto creates multiple shadow clones to try and fight but Ishidate easily repels all of them using taijutsu and his gauntlet. He then easily defeats Naruto, sending him flying off the tower they were fighting on. Before Ishidate could kill Hikaru, Naruto awakes and uses the Nine-Tailed Fox power once again. Naruto then uses the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique to overwhelm Ishidate who is crushed by the clones and knocked out. He was assumed to be dead, but was still alive and he petrifies Naruto's leg. Ishidate then plans to kill Naruto and Hikaru, but Shabadaba tells him to kill Michiru. Getting annoyed, Ishidate grabs him by the neck with his still activated gauntlet in a fit of blind anger, unwittingly petrifying Shabadaba.

Seeing bigger problems ahead of him, he picks up stones, and turns into multiple sharp rocks and fires at Michiru. After scoring some hits, Ishidate seems to prepare his gauntlet for a final jutsu, but was immediately stopped by Kiki and Chamū. Ishidate then tries to get them off. However they buy enough time for Michiru, who is carrying Naruto on his shoulders and helped along by his son Hikaru, to gain momentum and charge toward him. By the time Ishidate has got the animals off him, he is hit point blank by Naruto's Crescent Moon Rasengan, blasting the section he's on into smithereens and killing him and Shabadaba.

Trivia

 * The Naruto Collectible Card Game lists Ishidate and his teammates as members of the Uemon Clan.

Ishidate