Shiba Norihatsu

Shiba Norihatsu was the son of Shiba Jimen and elder broher of Shiba Tsukune.

Shiba Tsukune
Shiba Norihatsu was born into the household of Shiba Jimen, a wealthy Shiba landholder. He had a younger sister named Shiba Tsukune, and most believed that the girl would spend her life in the shadow of her older brother. This did not bother Tsukune, as she and her brother shared an uncanny bond. They were described as "twins, separated by birth" by the poet Kakita Ujina.

Norihatsu was sent to the Shiba Bushi school, as was expected, but Tsukune, through a favor of a Shiba family daimyo, was sent to the Akodo War College for training. Though separated by great distance, the two siblings continued their bond, constantly corresponding between themselves. The two were poised to bring great honor to their father's house, and Jimen needed no shugenja to tell him that his children shared a kharmic tie. He knew that they would accomplish great deeds.

Death
Unfortunately, this was not to be. On New Year's Day, Norihatsu was journeying home from the Shiba school when his horse slipped and threw him. Norihatsu landed on his neck, snapping it and killing him instantly. In the lands of the Akodo, Tsukune instantly fell to her knees, screaming and weeping. When asked what was wrong, all she could do was sob, "My brother, my brother…"

Tsukune could not be brought out of her waking trance afterward. Not even the wisdom of the Council of Five could discover the mystery of her ailment. Eventually, a Kitsu Shugenja came to investigate the girl's condition, and she found the cause of the problem. Tsukune and Norihatsu had shared a soul, and with his death, she had been cut off from half of it. The Kitsu told Shiba Jimen that Tsukune would not recover until her wound was healed.