Ijō (異常, literal translation, Abnormality) is a Courier Ninja, and an ex Jōnin hailing from Kusagakure. Fleeing from the fear of losing his allies and the death of his friend, Ijō intentionally botched a series of missions in order to demote himself a position of relative safety and to further himself from the stress of missions. Coining himself a term from his own village, Mockery of the Grass (草の嘲笑, Kusa no Chōshō) for his failures as a Shinobi, and for his cowardice. With so much of his potential lost, Ijō became a symbol of dishonor and shame for the youth and his peers. While still no longer worth keeping as a regular Shinobi, his actions allowed him to continue aiding his village in a way he saw fitting.