Sazanka

was a former student samurai of Mifune and a mercenary.

Background
Sazanka was once the star pupil of Mifune. During this time, he grew close to Tsubaki Kurogane as a junior disciple. Valuing her friendship, they would train together regularly. They participated in a tournament where the rumoured prize was the right to bear Mifune's Kurosawa after his retirement. Sazanka wanted to win as proof of his growth. During the final round, he went against Tsubaki, and despite holding the advantage for most of the fight, she exploited an opening right at the end, defeating him. Horrified, he attempted to take Kurosawa by force, killing all his other fellow students as they tried to stop him, except for Tsubaki. He was deemed a criminal in the Land of Iron, which sent men to apprehend him ever since, to no avail, and became mercenary for hire.

Personality
Before his defeat and defection, Sazanka was a kind and cheerful man, valuing friends and their well-being. He was very driven, eager to prove his worth, training diligently to hone his skills. Losing to a perceived weaker opponent had a profound impact on him, causing him to discard all previous attachment to others. He came to believe that a sword's purpose is to cut, so cut down all who opposed him since. He began selling his service, and eventually abandoned wanting to claim Kurosawa, believing himself to have acquired power without it.

Appearance
Sazanka was a tall man of fair-complexion with medium-length, purple hair and purple eyes. He kept his hair tied up in a high ponytail with bangs covering the left side of his face. Originally, he was a lean-built man with soft hair that framed both sides of his face and clean-shaven. By the time he became a mercenary, his hair had become very unruly with long sideburns and noticeable chin stubble. He also put on a considerable amount of well-defined muscle. He wore white bandages over his wrists and legs ankles with baggy black pants and a torn-sleeveless, purple gi. He also wore a brown fur pelt that covered his midsection and reached his knees and samurai sandals.

He carried on him a katana with a red hilt-wrapping and bronze, circular tsuba with a five-point petal embossed on it with a black sheath.

Abilities
Sazanka was a prodigious swordsman, frequently winning sparing matches while still a student. His skills and growth rate earned him the nickname of "Second Coming of Mifune". His sword slices were so precise that cut bamboo could be put back together and heal. In battle, his relentless attacks left no opening for counters. As a trained samurai, he could channel chakra into his sword to perform powerful strikes, able to cut through powerful attacks by other skilled samurai. His use of the technique appears to be boosted as well, creating a constant swirl of chakra around his blade.

New Era
As a mercenary, Sazanka was hired as protection by bandits, who employed him to attack merchants, eventually operating in the Land of Fire. This drew attention of Konoha, so Team 15 was dispatched to investigate. Tsubaki knew a samurai was involved by one of the merchant's reaction to her, and while investigating where he was attacked, she recognised Sazanka's work on the bamboo. Team 15 disguised themselves as merchants to lay a trap for them, and while most of them were captured, Sazanka attacks them, injuring Tsubaki, who wasn't able to draw her sword on him. They retreat, but the two later clashed again, which he appreciated as it gave him an opportunity to kill his only remaining fellow disciple. While he continued on his path alone, Tsubaki grew with her friends, and in a last clash, she cut him down. She regretted having to do it in such circumstances, and he finally acknowledged her a strong samurai before dying.

Trivia

 * Like Tsubaki, Sazanka's name is a reference to a type of camellia, specifically the sasanqua camellia.