Post by Toshiko Homura on Oct 28, 2017 22:19:48 GMT
INOUE
Origin: Iwagakure
Current Village(s): Iwagakure
History: Originating from Tori no Kuni, a small nation bordering the much larger Tsuchi no Kuni to the north, the Inoue clan hailed from a harsh and inhospitable environment. While water was present, it was scarce - the terrain a mix of rock and sand separated by steep mountains and deep ravines, the latter of which often hidden by tenacious brown bush and scrub. Farmland was often poor to nonexistent, game for hunting few and far between and often resulting in competition from local, far more effective natural predators. By extension it should come as no surprise that members of the clan developed into what they are today.
In the Inoue clan, strength is everything. It can come in many forms; intelligence, skill, power or even just luck, but at the end of the day what matters is your ability to get results. It was this mindset that not only kept the clan alive in their harsh homeland but allowed them to thrive where others couldn't, even during the bloodshed and chaos of the Warring States era. Unlike many of the other clans at the time the Inoue didn't sell out their services as mercenaries but rather kept to themselves, their ability to wield ninjutsu developed solely for the purpose of self defense in an era where conscription by more aggressive clans was commonplace. Between a harsh landscape that the clan had learned to thrive in and a unique form of ninjutsu that couldn't be copied even by the likes of the Sharingan, the Inoue survived the Warring States period practically undefeated with a home field advantage. It wasn't until the formation of the Hidden Villages that this changed.
Where the Inoue were a match for most individual clans one for one and able to play a hard advantage within the confines of Tori no Kuni, the advent of the Hidden Villages was a game changer - and they knew it. While numbers had never been a strength of the clan to begin with it would soon become a clear disadvantage. Their signature Yoton, likewise, was no longer the strength it once was as multiple different clans all with their own unique kekkei genkai and hijutsu flocked to the banner of their closest neighbor, the village of Iwagakure. It was an advantage that was likewise recognized by the Shodaime Tsuchikage, and less than three months following the official formation of the village the Kage would take a significant portion of its military into Tori no Kuni, the intent to wipe out a perceived potential threat.
What followed were weeks of guerilla warfare, and while it was a losing battle the Inoue still managed to inflict significant casualties on the invaders. Enough to impress the Tsuchikage, at which point a ceasefire was called and the Inoue were given a choice - to be wiped out and their bloodlines made extinct, or join under Iwagakure's banner. While a good portion of the clan wished to continue fighting with the threat of pulling the battle into Kaze no Kuni lest the Tsuchikage risk sparking a war with Sunagakure, the majority of the clan disagreed. Tori no Kuni was their home, and negotiations were preferable to abandoning it. In the end the clan leader's decision came down to the Inoue's own philosophy. Strength was everything, and the Tsuchikage had it - and while any member of the clan was free to challenge this decision and potentially claim leadership of the clan for themselves, none did.
The forty years since that day have been tumultuous ones for the Inoue. With the most recent generations having been bred and born as citizens of Iwagakure the clan has been firmly established as one of the village's clans, if albeit in a strange position. While not among the founding clans and to a point normally looked down upon as a result few are able to deny the Inoue's raw ability in combat, and for that reason many individuals if not the clan as a whole had come to be one favored by the martially minded Shodaime - where force needed to be applied, typically the Inoue were the ones sent. By extension their jutsu began to evolve into a far more offensive style as well, something which only encouraged the cycle more and more.
It's likely due to both this and the clan's isolated nature during the Warring States period that the Inoue have something of their own internal government as well, and if admittedly simple it has remained effective enough to keep the clan unusually coordinated and united. Individual families are led by a single head, typically the oldest and most experienced shinobi within it, and each in turn answer directly to both a communal gathering of all other family heads. Atop these, however, is the clan leader, and their word is law within it - while it can be an inherited position if they manage to maintain favor with the clan as a whole over the course of generations, more often than not it is dictated by who is strongest. At any point a clan member can challenge the current clan leader for their position, and should the challenger win they take on the title. This is not without reason, either, as it not only ensures that the clan's leader keeps themselves strong but also encourages the rest of the clan to evolve and grow in an attempt to surpass that benchmark.
Chakra Nature(s): Members typically born with both Doton and Katon, and although extremely rare an individual may manifest usage of Yoton before either. All other natures can generally be learned the same way as the average shinobi through training.
Bloodline: Yoton
Jutsu: N/A, developed on an individual basis - techniques are often either passed down by bloodline or individual mentors, if not inspired by them and created entirely by the students.
Current Clan Leader: Homura Toshiko
Current Clan Members: Homura Toshiko, Jin Tatsue
Accessible: Permission Required
MADE BY ★MEUL
