Kinoa Sangetsu

Kinoa is a Shinobi, a Genin of the Village Hidden in the Waterfall. He is a member of Team Meidashi, teamed with Meidashi and Sarura.

Appearance
Kinoa is a lean man with dull brown hair that is trimmed short, with the bangs spiked outward. He wears a red, sleeveless shirt along with black pants. He wears his Hidden Waterfall Headband tied around his waist.

Personality
Kinoa speaks with a heavy, southern-American accent. He enjoys not having to fight while other members of his team do the fighting instead. He likes to make jokes, and he can become mildly annoyed with people who take him seriously. He dislikes his teammate Sarura Kuharu, stating that he is a narcissist. This extends to the point of Kinoa not being particularly phased by Sarura being lethally injured in battle. He also tried to stop Sarura from needlessly killing an opponent. Despite this, however, Kinoa is willing to fight and put his life on the line for him. When in battle, he maintains a relaxed demeanor, not losing his cool and analyzing the situation carefully.

Abilities
Kinoa uses a combination of Ninja Art: Chakra Anchor and Ninja Art: Strike Return Strike. He uses Strike Return Strike to attack with immense speed, appearing almost invisible and preventing defense or counterattack. He combines this with Chakra Anchor to quickly escape to a safe distance in order to avoid injury.

Season One
Kinoa participates in the Season One Chunin Selection Exams along with the other members of Team Meidashi. During the Second Exam, Team Meidashi journey through the Forest of Death. Kinoa comments on not having to do any fighting, and Meidashi states he had to fight, as he needed to be ready to face his target. He then banters with Sarura, who takes Kinoa's joke seriously. Their team passes the Exam, being the last to do so, and they must now participate in a Preliminary Exam comprising of one-on-one battles to determine who will proceed to the Third Exam. Kinoa participates in the first battle against Shino Aburame. The battle begins, and Kinoa takes an early lead. Using Ninja Art: Strike Return Strike to attack with near-invisible speed, many witnessing the fight are left at a loss to discern Kinoa's abilities. Shino tries to fight back with Parasitic Insects Jutsu, but Kinoa is ultimately victorious.

During Sarura's fight with Hakuro Tsururi, Kinoa meets with Team Kakashi upon their discussion of Sarura, telling them that he is a narcissist who believes the Exams are beneath him. He surmises that Natsuhi has a similar disposition, but Amachi interjects and states that Natsuhi is a good person. As Kinoa continues to watch the battle, he gives little reaction to Sarura being lethally injured. However, he calls out to Sarura to try to stop him from killing Natsuhi, but this ultimately fails.