The Republic of Letters [A Library]

Path of the Kingslayer: Enishi’s Journal, Entry 1
- Yukimura Enishi, with foreward by Sir Takagi Masao, 0 SE
{Copyleft}

What follows here is a transcription of a journal kept by Yukimura Enishi himself from the early days of his career in the Raikage’s Honor Guard up until shortly before his assassination of Raikage Kagetsu Kiyo. The date of this first entry is approximately summer of 14 BSE, and recounts events of the previous few months which are summarized into his entries. Yukimura did not write frequently in his journal, instead preferring to summarize events of several months, and sometimes years in duration. As can be expected, there are occasional omissions, inconsistencies, factual errors, and much editorial content present in his entries, and these cannot be taken as a completely objective recounting of history. However, they are valuable in that they give us a unique insight into the mental workings of the man, as well as previously unpublished accounts of his interactions with Kagetsu Kiyo.

I wish to thank Sennin Santaru Rin and Vice Commander Takaki Masao of the ANBU, as well as Kagetsu Kiyo herself, who authorized my access to Yukimura’s writings and allowed me to publish the contents as a matter of public record. Obviously, I am subject to Lightning Country regulations forbidding the publication of sensitive military intelligence or information that could affect ongoing shinobi operations or the search for Yukimura himself. I will notify the reader if I have redacted any content within these entries. And now to let the man himself speak.

-Takagi Masao

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The things I do for my country. Where do I begin?

My name is Yukimura Enishi. At this time I am twenty years old, and I am a shinobi of Kumogakure, specifically a corporal of the Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai, or ANBU for short. We are the secret protectors of our village and country, sent to do the tasks that the Main Branch considers dishonorable, and that the Medical Branch considers too unmerciful. Our job is single in purpose: to extinguish life by any means necessary, if that life should merely think to endanger the nation or the masters who control it. Speaking of masters, mine is the Seventh Raikage of Kumogakure: Lady Kagetsu Kiyo. And it was she who requested that I should start to write in this diary.

Although I am no fool to think that these words shall ever be read by any other than I and Lady Kiyo, I do feel compelled to organize these passages into something more coherent than what I had envisioned at first. After all, The Lady demands perfection from her servants, and most of all those who she is to trust with her life and peace of mind. Therefore, let me start with a bit about myself.

I was born in Kumogakure to shinobi parents like most of my peers, and of course I attended the academy as soon as I was able to mold chakra with my childish hands. Along with the others, I endured all of the privations that at the time were a living hell but now I am grateful for. The forced stretching until our ligaments tore under the strain of hundred-pound weights, the ill-disguised beatings that our instructors administered to us under the guise of sparring practice, the hours kneeling naked in the know in the dead of winter… What I truly feared most was the sensory deprivation tanks, however. Regardless, I survived, and my skills were noticed by the ANBU at that time. I was immediately inducted into their training program, and spent the next five years on battlefields across the country and the world. It is truly amazing what years of fighting, drinking, and whoring will do for a young man’s development. When I finally earned my mask, I was nineteen years old and ready to kill anyone and anything for the glory of our village, our faith, and our society. Imagine my disappointment when I found that my first assignment was not to ruthlessly slaughter heretics and traitors in Shinbatsu’s name, but rather to guard the Raikage in Kumo.

(By the way, one of My Lady’s orders to me as part of writing my diary was that I should above all be honest with my recollection and events as well as my own feelings, even if they are embarrassing or potentially heretical. By writing truthfully, she says, I am forced to confront my own soul on paper and thus overcome my own deficiencies. I wonder if this will prove true in the end.)

I remember that I was resentful. I had finally earned my mask after years of bloodshed and fighting, during which although there were many pleasurable memories, there were also many nights spent shivering and miserable in disease-ridden trenches with the booming of arbalestillery in the background making it impossible to sleep, and many companions lost as well. And now rather than putting my skills to use where they were most needed, I was to let them atrophy making a show of guarding an old woman in the safest location in the safest village in Kaminari no Kuni? I showed up at inspection with a heavy heart and a sour face.

The ANBU Sennin at the time was Akira Saito, who had been called back into duty after the retirement of Santaru Rin, under whose graces I had entered training. He had always been a stern but fair man, and could tell that I was displeased. I expected him to cuff me for my insolence, but instead, he merely gave me a wrinkled smile and playfully slapped me on the cheek after adjusting my cuirass.

“You should always look and feel your best for a beautiful woman,” he said to me before turning to face the Raikage as she entered the room. What I saw took me aback. Despite spending the majority of my training outside Kumogakure, I of course kept apprised of who my masters were back in Kumo, as any loyal shinobi should. I knew that Kagetsu Kiyo, who had originally been the first Raikage, had stepped in to take leadership of the village after Lord Shinbatsu’s sudden ascension. At this point it had been decades since her initial reign, and I expected an old crone who would sooner die of old age than any assassination attempt on her person. The rumors about her not having aged a day past twenty were merely self-serving vanity which we all tolerated because she was our better.

I have attached a small cameo portrait of Lady Kiyo here because sometimes even I cannot still believe my eyes sometimes. The woman who stepped forward to inspect us was not merely some hunchbacked grandmother with crows feet etched into her face, but instead…breathtaking to behold. I am not ashamed to admit that my first reaction was a surge of desire. (You did tell me to be honest in this diary, My Lady.) She was as young and beautiful as that portrait of her in that hoary old “Raikages of Kumogakure” book made her out to be. In fact, she looked even younger than most of us young men and women there, save for her eyes.

I saw that as she silently passed by us, Akira Saito at her side. I think that she managed to look directly into the soul of each of us as she carried out the ceremonial inspection, because when her eyes met mine, I felt as if my very consciousness had been pierced through by a very sharp and old blade that tested my mettle and weighed my conscience to a degree to make any greedy Tenouzan jeweler envious in that half-second. My knees grew weak, but I kept my posture as demanded. After she had cast her gaze over each of us, Akira Saito started to speak.

“New operatives of the ANBU, you have all been selected to the Raikage’s Honor Guard because you were the best. You take on the responsibility of guarding the soul of the village, for if the Raikage should fall, so do we all,” he said, with his characteristic laconic style. It was now the Raikage’s turn to speak.

“Thank you, ANBU of Kumogakure. Many of you know that my first reign ended with a grave mistake that nearly cost our village its identity. I am here to promise you that I will not allow that to happen again. I will secure a future for all of you, my children,” she said, her voice mellifluous and yet calmly assured. With that, our inspection was over and we were sent to the Torre barracks.

In truth, Sennin Akira’s words and even Lady Kiyo’s words did not reassure me much regarding my original worries – that this was in essence a dead-end path for a young ANBU to be sent down early in his career. My fellow trainees who had been assigned to the Hunter-Nin division were excited to have gotten their first missions to track down a group of missing chuunin. Others who I had been friends with were assigned to the Rapid Deployment Force and had just left to quell an uprising near Port Cirrus. And here I was, cooling my heels in the Torre Celeste. As we unpacked our bags and got ready to change into our formal dress uniforms for our meeting with our squad captains, I got the chance to meet some of the others who had been thrust into this dead-end job.

“Hey you!” said a cheerful blonde next to me who extended her hand in greeting. I took hers, shaking it with a limper wrist than I was used to presenting. “I’m Seryuu! Yukibitas Seryuu,” she said, grinning.

“Yukimura Enishi,” I said, tentatively, nodding my head. She was pretty – not as striking as Lady Kiyo had been, but with her own airy charm.

“Ah, so that’s your name! The rest of us were talking about you. The Raikage seemed like she was really interested in you in particular. Don’t sleep with the boss, you hear?!” she said, poking me in the ribs, playfully, to which I gasped and stuttered.

“What?! I would do no such thing…” I started to protest indignantly.

“Relax! I didn’t mean it like that! I can tell you’re a really straight-shooter kind of guy. My justice sensor let me know that,” said Seryuu back to me playfully.

“Of course I am. I want nothing but to serve my Raikage and my country,” I said, clearing my throat.

“You’re pretty cute, you know that? No wonder Kagetsu-sama seemed to dwell on you a bit more than the rest. I’m actually not joking about that. We’re all pretty perceptive, you know,” she said.

“Well, I don’t expect to be here long anyway. I’m putting my request in for transfer at the end of the month as protocol allows. I’ve already decided,” I said shrugging.

“Oh? What do you want to do instead of this?”

“I’m going to go Hunters, of course. Missing traitors and other scum are the most dangerous of threats and my skills are needed to bring swift retribution to their numbers,” I said, smiling back at her.

“Oh, so you’re one of those types,” she said, shrugging. I rolled my eyes – it seemed like they were letting all sorts of delinquent types into the ANBU these days. I would rectify that when I reached command level.

“Yes, I certainly am one of those types. I believe we need to be getting ready to meet with our squad captain, Corporal Yukibitas,” I said to her, annoyed. Really, she was intolerable. I decided to break off the conversation there, only more convinced in the rightness of my decision. She laughed back at me, which I ignored as I proceeded to the separate changing station.

Of course, my good fortune must have been running out that day, since upon meeting our squad captain, one Jaeda Yomoko by name, I noted that one of the four others in my squad was indeed that annoying corporal Seryuu. As Captain Jaeda went over our duty assignments and shift schedule, I attempted to ignore the girl as best I could. At this point, I was set on doing my required duty and getting the hell out of this assignment as soon as possible. Surely Sennin Akira would heed my earnest pleas and transfer me to the Hunters or at the very least the Rapid Deployment Force.

The rest of the month went by as one might expect – no action, lots of boredom, and lots of annoyance. Granted, not everything was bad about being the Raikage’s Honor Guard. Our uniforms were much fancier than the standard ANBU combat BDU. Instead of a bulky cuirass and stuffy mask, we wore tailored suits of pure white and reflective dark glasses to cover our identities. Our quarters were much better than anything in the Sileo Tempestas, and our on-duty shifts were shorter in general – mainly to keep us at top vigilance. In general I got along with the others. Captain Jaeda was professional and affable, but he wasn’t exactly Sennin material and seemed more concerned with keeping his squad harmonious than advancing his own career. The other two men in the squad, Suoh Tamaki and Ootori Kyouya, were well-mannered but were both best friends from the academy and tended to keep mostly to themselves when not on duty. And then there was Seryuu. Combat-wise she was acceptable, as she proved during sparring and practice. She was disciplined enough to serve as a guard and knew when to keep her mouth shut during a shift. However, in our off-hours, she tormented me to no end with her incessant socialization, insisting that I go out with her for drinks or fritter away my valuable training time on other pointless frivolities. When I asked her if she would be better served devoting her efforts to improving her skills, she would merely giggle and tell me not to be such a “stick in the mud.” Regardless, I maintained my professional decorum and tolerated her silliness like Sennin Akira on the Cross.

I received a summons to the Raikage’s office at the start of the last week of the month. It was early fall, and I was already starting to look forward to my new squad and new career path. This early in one’s career, I knew, to be summoned before the highest power in Kumo was either a really good thing or a really bad thing. Sennin Akira and Captain Jaeda were indisposed, so I went to the office without the benefit of counsel. Outside, two of my colleagues stood watch and silently let me in. I could feel their stares behind their sunglasses and resisted the urge to sneer back. Inside, the Raikage Herself sat at her desk, looking up from a sheaf of papers, and beckoned for me to approach her as the doors swung shut. As had been the protocol during Lord Shinbatsu’s tenure as our Raikage, when I was within a few meters of her, I immediately prostrated myself, forehead to the ground, palms spread and upturned. To which, surprisingly at the time, Lady Kiyo laughed. A musical, pleasant-sounding laugh.

“Rise, Corporal Yukimura Enishi. I am not Shinbatsu, I have never claimed to be a God, and neither you nor any other shinobi of Kumogakure is required to grovel in front of me. I merely ask for you not to fiddle with your cellphone while addressing me,” said Lady Kiyo, bending forward with an amused look on her face. I followed her command, standing at attention and not really knowing what to do.

“Will you take some tea, Corporal?” she asked, to my horror walking over to a nearby tea service and preparing two cups.

“No! I mean, Raikage-sama, you are too kind, but I cannot request, er, I cannot burden you with…” I started to stammer as she brought the steaming liquid over.

“Relax. Now that’s an order,” she said to me. “I always take afternoon tea, myself. And dispense with calling me ‘Raikage-sama’ when we are in private. My name is Kiyo. I understand that you may have some reservations about addressing the Kage of the village by her proper name, so if you wish, you can call me something else, just not by my title. Understood?”

“Yes, My Lady,” I responded. No way in hell was I going to address the supreme commander of Kumogakure by her given name.

“May I call you Enishi?” she now asked.

“My Lady may address me in any fashion she pleases,” I mumbled.

“Thank you. Now, I know we are both busy people, so I will not waste your time. Please take a seat. Do you know why I called you here, Enishi?” she asked me, sitting down at her desk. It was smaller than I expected it to be – certainly no match for the massive granite slab that was Akira Saito’s writing surface.

“I do not. I hope that I have done nothing that displeases you, My Lady,” I responded.

“No, you haven’t,” she said. I felt a surge of relief – my career wasn’t over yet. “I wanted to talk to you about your transfer request.” My heart sank. Damn that Saito, I thought. He had ratted me out. “Did you not expect me to know everything about the activities of those with whom I am to trust my life?” she asked. I shook my head – it was the logical thing for her to do, after all. “You have an impressive record. Not one criminal offense, academic or training deficiency, or even informal reprimand on your record. You graduated the academy at the top of your class and you were even mentioned in dispatches as an ANBU trainee. ‘Citation for Exceptional Valor’ during the battle of Sekigahara. You also saved your entire platoon from certain death during the siege of Tomoyama. The list goes on and on. You are, in essence, the perfect shinobi of Kumogakure, and the perfect ANBU.”

“My Lady praises me too much,” I said, looking down at my feet.

“No, it’s actually quite justified. Given those facts, you have probably wondered this month why you were placed in my Honor Guard, a position usually reserved for operatives nearing retirement or those with less ambition than yourself. You are wondering why you weren’t placed in the Hunter squads and sent to bring me back the heads of our traitors, right?”

“Yes, My Lady,” I responded, with a growing sense of indignation – everything she had said was correct. So why was I in this position? Without warning, her fingertips were under my chin, lifting my head so that our eyes met. She leaned over the desk, her lips dangerously close to my own. I was of course, frozen in place.

“The reason was because I requested it. I had to see you myself to be absolutely sure, but I have a feeling about you, Enishi. A feeling that you are something more than just the perfect shinobi – the perfect tool - of Kumogakure. I can’t explain the specifics, but as I’ve observed you over the past month I am now absolutely certain that I am correct about you, even if you do not realize this yourself. I would like you to stay with me for the time being. I would like to nurture this unique aspect of yours that fascinates me so,” she said, her gaze intoxicating.

“Does My Lady wish my company in bed?” I asked. Immediately, I regretted saying that – it had been a stupid, impulsive show of youthful bravado and the fact that she was a damned fine-looking woman. I expected a quick slap, but only earned a giggle.

“Please, Enishi. I am old enough to be your mother. Actually, your grandmother. But I appreciate the complimentary thought!” she laughed. My cheeks now burned brightly. “I’m not a nun, mind you, but I don’t think of you that way. Rather, what I was trying to impress upon you was that I see in you great hidden potential that even I do not understand. And I am very curious as to what you might become later. But if you transfer out of my Guard, then we shall not be able to be as close to each other. So I am asking if you’ll consider staying, at least for now.”

“I will do whatever My Lady orders,” I responded, not knowing what to think.

“Unlike before, this is not an order. It’s an actual request. If you decline, I will not punish you. I am sure you will make an outstanding Hunter-nin,” she said, leaning back in her chair. I could not help but notice that the sunlight shining through the glass window in back of her gave Lady Kiyo an angelic appearance. I felt that I could trust her...

“I want...” I started to say, realizing how absolutely ridiculous this situation was. The Raikage was offering me a choice. This was simply unheard of. “I will stay in the Honor Guard...” I said, in disbelief at myself for making such a career decision. “...For the next month, at least,” I added quickly, seeking to give myself some leeway in what seemed like a suddenly permanent situation. Lady Kiyo simply smiled mysteriously in response.

“I will notify Sennin Akira, then. You are dismissed. I will call for you when the time is right.”

And with that, I exited her office unsure of what I had just entered into. That night I also took up Seryuu’s offer to go out as well. Things were starting to change, and I was only barely starting to scratch the surface.

{Back to Book Index}​

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An Unofficial Guide to Nobility & Royalty: The Case for Hereditary Government
- Countes Bakunin, 0 SE
{Copyleft}

There is a certain apathy that those outside the royal and noble houses have towards the system of hereditary government. In a few corners of the world the idea of republicanism, non-hereditary government, is taking hold. Just last year Fire Country formally declared itself as the 'Republic of Fire'. Extremist political science professors are making calls for the overthrow of the current system in favor of a Republic. Whilst these groups are for the time being on the margin of public debate, could it be that they have some validity? Could it be that non-hereditary government is a superior form of government?

I argue not in this essay.

The primary benefit of hereditary government is stability. One ruler is little different from another in the grand scheme of things. Royals know in advance who will be their successor and are in many cases capable of teaching said successor the elements of statecraft. Merchants can rest assured that regulations on their industry remain fairly static regardless of who is wearing the crown. The current succession crisis in Lightning Country is a clear example of what happens when there is no stability on the issue of who shall rule. Imagine the horrors that our country would undergo if every four years a new leader were sworn in!

Secondly a hereditary ruler can put themselves beyond the day-to-day politics of courts. They can enact legislation that is unpopular with the present population for the purpose of ensuring the long run welfare of the nation. A non-hereditary ruler is not able to do this. The populist politician is always answerable to the mob and must adopt his political platform to the demands of the mob at that moment. If the mob wishes for greater control on crossbows then the politician must be in favor of crossbow control. if the mob is in favor of outlawing sugary teas, then too must the politician. The mob, it goes without saying, is rarely composed of learned men. It is composed of the bottom layers of society whose chief delight in life is in watching the results of the lottery. This is why in Lighting Country we house the greatest opera houses of the continent and our children enjoy the finest of art museums. For comparison the filth in the Republic of Fire spend their time listening to the equivalent of pig snorts. At the time of their proposal the opera houses of Lightning were unpopular. It is only because we had a Shogun capable of acting without the check of the mob that we, the future, can take a ride to town and hear the music of angels.

It is said, by the republican, that hereditary government suffers from being unaccountable. This is by no means true. It is true that the Shogun is not held for popular election, but he is constantly being held to account by the Daimyo, the nobles, the merchants, and a multitude of other parties. More importantly, his entire family is being held into account. If one Shogun in Lightning rules terribly then he loses not only his own crone, but the entire dynasty is overthrown. And we have quite a number of Daimyo who are always ready to dispose of the current Shogun and place themselves on the throne! Again, one need only look into the present succession crisis in Lightning to see that an unpopular dynasty can always be removed and replaced by a new one if the need arises. Even when the Shogun is assured that no one else is envying his throne, he is rarely capable of enacting any edict that violates the jealousy guarded liberties of the nobility. Hereditary governments may not have a written constitution, but they have very real limitations on what they may do.

It is actually the republican government that is not accountable. Take for example the current leader of the Republic of Fire. He has enacted policies that are very popular presently, but whose long run effects will lead the nation to ruin. Who will be held accountable when these failures are realized? It is unlikely that the next leader of their Republic will be related to the present leader, so it is unclear what incentive the present Hokage has in making sure his successor is not blamed for policies that were enacted in the past. Will the corpse of the current Hokage be reanimated and then punished? Or will the successor be blamed for the actions of an unrelated past ruler? Whilst I would certainly enjoy seeing any Hokage being beheaded, I suspect that punishing people for the crimes of others is unproductive. In short, a republican government cannot be held accountable for its long lasting actions. It is, at best, accountable only for its actions in the present. Only a hereditary government, with its long ruling dynasties, is ultimately accountable for all its actions.

Nor is a republican government any less invasive of the rights of men than a hereditary government. The Shogun, however blessed he be by the pontiff in Tenouza, cannot simply declare a plot of land his. If he does so he becomes immediately in conflict not only with the owner of that plot of land, but with the nobles of that region. The nobility swear allegiance to the Shogun in return for protection from the barbarians of the south, but they have not ceded their sovereignty. The shinobi of Cloud are loyal not to the man in far away Raiden's Eye, but to our Raikage. We would all die happily for the Raikage and our village, but we would be hesitant to drop a single ounce of blood for the Shogun. This is why every time the Shogun acts he must argue persuasively why his actions will benefit the whole of the nation and not only himself or one region. The moment the Shogun ceases to act for the collective welfare he ceases to be a source of authority.

A republican government in comparison is unitary. There are not multiple Daimyos in the Republic of Fire balancing one another out to ensure only actions that benefit Fire as a whole occur. All authority is derived from that place called Leaf City and there is no resistance to that authority. Where can a citizen of Fire appeal if the Hokage decides to take a plot of land from him? All who he could attempt to ask for aide work for the Hokage. It can be said that he has a chance of electing his preferred leader every so years, but what power is this in reality? Can the vote of one man really influence things when there are countless men voting? In an election of countless a man really only has two votes. To vote for the mob and conformity, or to vote in dissent and label himself as a target for the mob.

So why is it that this republicanism has any supporters? It cannot be out of reason. The best response in favor of republicanism that I can think of is that it improves one's chances of winning the heart of the opposite sex because of its edginess. Beyond that it is only the ideology of the naive college student and the assistant professor who has been passed up for tenure.

Long live the Shogun.

{Back to Book Index}​

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Unedited Interview with ANBU Sennin Santaru Rin's Husband and Father (in-law?)
- Countess Bakunin, 0 SE
{Copyleft}

B: Countess Bakunin
Jr: Santaru Rin's husband
Sr: Santaru Rin's father (in-law?)​

B: I am glad you are willing to help. Can I begin by asking you when your wife first started the shinobi academy? Do you know who the Raikage when she started? Did she have any boyfriends or girlfriends before you two went at it? What did you two do when you went on your first date? How did she ask you out? What is her favorite type of flowers?

B: Did you father there give your hand in marriage to her easily? Or did the Sennin have to win him over by cooking really good pupusas?

Jr: You have a lot of questions, Fire Marshal. Are you sure you’re not from la migra? Anyway, my wife isn’t a very traditional person and hasn’t had a very traditional path through the shinobi ranks.

Jr: She started the academy at the minimum age, eight years old. Her father’s name is Satou Ken’ichi, a shinobi who retired from the service at the rank of High Genin to open a bakery with her mother, Yamada Sachiko, who is deceased. The Satou family is an offshoot of the Santaru clan, so she inherited the right alleles to start manifesting chakra potential early on. She doesn’t talk about it much, but there was, and still is, a significant degree of tension between her and her other family members, so I’m sure she wanted to get out of the house as soon as she could. This was at the start of the Dawnbringer’s reign, in answer to your second question.

Jr: I met her right after I’d graduated the academy and started my job with the Investigative Department of the Main Branch. Like usual, I was hung over and she was at the local shrine to Raiden, and we started talking with each other. I had pink hair at the time, and I think she kind of liked that, so afterwards, we kept on running into each other. During our first mission together, which was sort of a first date in a really horrible sense, we both engaged a group of bandits who were harassing a research settlement deep within the forest, and ended up killing some of their number. It was the first time she had taken a human life, and well, I was there for it. Having already been the triggerman in some pretty violent customs and interdiction raids in Port Cirrus, I was used to it, but she wasn’t. I expected her to cry, but instead, well, she accepted it quickly. She either was able to hide her distress or perhaps found that murder came easy to her. I still don’t know to this day.

Jr: One thing I’ll clarify is that although I’ve known her for a very long time, we did not actually become a couple until many years after we’d met. We only married sixteen years ago, and we’re both, uh, middle-aged now. Here, lemme show you a wedding photo. I still have it buried somewhere here…

Jr: We were both in relationships with others before we became a couple. She had some romantic interests in kunoichi we were mutual friends with, as did I. So in the end, it got messy, and she dropped a toilet on my head one time after she caught me with Kimura Rei. That made me want to commit – I wasn’t getting any younger and my skull had been fractured, so what was I to do? I still don’t know what her favorite type of flower is. I don’t usually get her those.

B: Who is Kimura Rei? Do you two have any children together? Has your wife ever had any encounters with ghosts, aliens, or traveling salesmen from the village hidden in the Sand?

Jr: Kimura Rei? Ah yes. She’s a retired Jounin who was in the same academy class as my wife was. They graduated about a year later than I. We all started to get close to each other in those early days, and I’d spend a lot of time with those two. Back then she was rather plain-looking but generally sweet, without much to distinguish her. However, she disappeared soon after she made genin, and only came back after Rin and I had completed our ANBU selection trials. I learned later that the reason for her disappearance was because she had been abducted and ‘trained’ in secret by that mad Sennin Nara Ryuujin. When she came back, she was changed. She was, how shall I put this; hungry. Although Rin and I had entered a relationship, Rei and I became lovers as well. Interestingly, she also became lovers with Rin. It’s complicated but the bottom lines is that I don’t think I have children with her.

Jr: As I said, though, this continued for a time until it all came to a head and Rin confronted me over this and dropped a toilet on me. Eventually, Rei was assigned to some wetwork in the Democratic Kagoshiman Republic, which at the time was a goddamned quagmire of a sandbox in which our country wasted lots of money to shoot foreigners for the sake of our freedumbs. There, she fell in love with the leader of the rebels, one Date Daisuke. With her help, Date’s faction rose to power, negotiated independence from Lightning, and she’s now his wife and head of security. Interestingly, my daughter with Rin is her adjutant. Funny how these things work out.

Jr: For your second question, she’s always having encounters with all sorts of supernatural crazy. Hell, for a long time, I could have sworn that the ghosts of her dead clansmen were tormenting her dreams. Also, her name is Santaru Rin. But she does not command lightning like a Santaru does. She used to, though. Now she manipulates shadows and reads minds. You don’t merely change your innate chakra workings like that without some serious negotiation with the Void, or at least not without the aid of a Serbo-Croatian hacker. As far as aliens, I’ll have you know, Fire Marshal, that our official government policy is that if you go to try to put out a flaming UFO crash, I have to shoot you, and then shoot myself, and then shoot the men in black. So I’d just ignore that 911 call and save all of us a lot of trouble, okay? Finally, as far as brown people from Sand, those terrorists tried to kill my dad.

Sr: That’s my boy, Dubya! I should’ve listened to Schwarzkopf…

Jr: Actually, they didn’t do anything to my dad. He just hates Sunajin because he's prejudiced against all races.

Jr: Anyway, Rin’s had dealings with shinobi from Konoha in the past, but none from the Kazekage’s village.

B: Wait why would the Sennin drop a toilet on you? I mean if she was also Rei's lover, then weren't you both doing the same thing? If you were hit by a toilet for that reason, then should she not too have been hit by one? Unless... you threw a toilet on you wife? My goodness!

B: Yes yes I see. You didn't have children with Rei. What about your wife though? You said she was lovers with Rei. Did the two of them ever have a child? Or are the only children she has from you? How many children do you have? Any foster children? Do they look like you or her? Do you have any baby photos?

Jr: Whoa there, Fire Marshal! I didn’t toss a toilet onto my wife. I just dutch-ovened her! You know, that technique where you create a really stinky cloud of gas and then use a dome-shaped force field to confine your target in with the gas?

Jr: You know, our society can send shinobi to the Moon but it still frowns on two people of the same sex raising a child together. Well, actually, it can’t send shinobi to the moon because of, you know, The Man*. So I guess we’re just really primitive after all. Ah well, can’t be helped. In any case, Rin and I have two children and no foster children. The boy, Enjeru, is 16 and the girl, Saeko, is 15. Neither of them look anything like either of us. Enjeru is a mednin, and kind of a wuss. Saeko is strong-willed like her mother and is Kimura Rei’s assistant right now. It’s complicated. I think they stole all their baby pictures one day to prevent us from showing other people.

B: Does your wife at this time have any plans for the ANBU branch? Do you know what she wishes to do with it in the near future? And what exactly is the story regarding your maid? Is she your wive's cousin or something of that sort?

Jr: Well, let me tell you about the maid first. The bottom line is, she’s basically a centuries-old eldritch horror that takes many forms and has enticed, enslaved, and drained-dry more men and women than the League of Legends. Regardless, I don’t play any MMORPGs. so I’m pretty safe, personally. Father on the other hand…

Sr: I have to resolve the Guild Wars!

Jr: That was many years ago, dad.

Sr: There’s a sequel!

Jr: Can’t you play something that doesn’t have a subscription cost?

Sr: They all suck!

Jr: Now where were we? Oh yes, the ANBU. Well, I can’t tell you ALL the details since we’re supposed to be top secret. I mean, the masks aren’t just there to make us all look like fetishists or to hide our neckbeards, right? In any case, the basic plan is that she wants to refine its mission from a vaguely-defined ‘we kill shinobi at the gates sometimes and serve as cannon fodder for important story arcs’ to a more focused emphasis on fighting enemies that would overwhelm shinobi from other branches. That requires redoing some of its structure and hierarchy and focusing on individual trainees more. This ensures that we don’t get stuck with a bunch of twelve-year-olds who can't put a sentence together and think the best way to resolve their own butthurt is to go stick a chainsaw in the Raikage’s rectum because it makes them look… ‘cool’. Seriously, you’d be surprised how many Cloud shinobi think that killing everyone around them will make them more respected. Then again, as the Fire Marshal, I’m sure you probably have a good idea of this.

B: MMORPG...

B: What are your thoughts about the current ANBU Sennin? I ask since you've obviously been around past administration. Is the current one competent compared to them?

Sr: I didn’t cover the smoke detectors with foil so I could smoke indoors! Ahem... Well, you’re right. I’ve been a shinobi in this village since before the reign of Kagetsu Kiyo the first. The Raikage before her was...well, I forgot the man’s name and frankly it’s completely irrelevant. We’re in the eighties now. The ‘Me’ generation. Anyway, I never used to pay much attention the ANBU until... Until... Who was the ANBU sennin right after Akira Saito who hated electricity and polymers, son?

Jr: Kizoku Ari, dad.

Sr: Ah right, I’m terrible with names. Kizoku ripped the electric lighting out of the entire Sileo Tempestas and replaced it with torches. This is in a place with no chimneys as far as I can tell. Then he ripped out all the phones and replaced them with tin cans connected by strings. For the computers, he replaced them with a single abacus, grudgingly I might add. I remember him rolling around town in his wooden bathtub on wheels powered by a hand-crank, squeezing his wooden duck and screaming at us all that the Cylons were coming and that if we didn’t want to die, to forsake all electronics and especially plastics. Oh, how he hated all things plastic!

Sr: He was a talented woodcarver. I recall he made a wooden facsimile machine. It really worked, too. It took an entire tree, reduced it to wood chips, then to paper, and then printed faxes with remarkable fidelity using psychic miniature chakra-enhanced woodpeckers that he himself trained to punch tiny holes in the paper. That’s why there’s no forest anymore. Not just because the council forgot to request one, but because it was all used for paper for that machine...

Sr: But I digress. Yes, poor Kizoku – he didn’t last long. He was eventually caught trying to scale the Torre Celeste to tear down the Raikage’s Satellite TV dish because he claimed that it wasn’t allowed in this universe. Raving and ranting gibberish about the Cylons and the Administrators and someone named Ryoma who apparently flies around on a dragon. Now he spends his days in the Takao Institute selling his creations on the international market to the highest bidder. I really think he’s happier doing that, than he ever was an ANBU Sennin.

Sr: After Ari was relieved of his position, the Raikage and one of the prior sennin, Akira Saito, asked that Rin come back on the job. She was the only one who could undo all the damage that Kizoku Ari had done to the organization in his madness. So that should tell you, Fire Marshal, how much she is trusted in this village and especially by the Raikage. After all, she’s the only woman who’s really chewed him out in the past. Men like a woman who gives them a bit of well-deserved abuse, you know?

B: WAIT!

B: You didn't answer my question! You went into a digression about electricity, plastics, and the former Sennins! You didn't actually answer whether the current if you thought the current ANBU Sennin is competent! That is like you asking about my love life, only for me to go off topic by discussing my time at the Lightning National University!

B: Answer the question! Is the current Sennin competent? Does she have a good eye for men to marry? Or do you think we have had a better ANBU Sennin in the past?

Sr: But college was totally awesome! You know, Fire Marshal, for the longest time my mother would always say that if I drank a single drop of rum, that I’d most definitely die or worse, get turned into a pirate. She was a classic tiger mom, you know, so she was actually pretty serious when she said that. So I must admit that I was a bit scared when this rather attractive girl shoved a rum and cola in my face on the first day of freshman year. But not wanting her to think I was totally lame, I drank it all right away! And I’ve enjoyed being a pirate ever since. Oh, whoops, that was another digression…

Jr: Dad, you’re a shinobi. Shinobi don’t attend higher education. No one in Kumogakure has actually gone to college.

Sr: Shows what you know, plebian. Anyway, yes, to answer your question, the reason I told you the story about poor Ari was because unfortunately he’s sort of emblematic of the usual type of nabob we have occupying the Senninships in Cloud. Those who have skill and diligence usually don’t possess the necessary ambition or desire to herd the writhing pack of cats that is our shinobi. Those who have ambition usually don’t have the smarts or diligence. Fuck you too, Sude Sairasu! Anyway, Rin has the skill, diligence, and masochistic desire to herd cats that is required of a good sennin, so yes, she’s more than competent. As far as if there’ve been better ones in the past, well, probably, but they’re dead.

Jr: Are you looking for a man to marry, Fire Marshal? Look, between you and me...uh, let me tell you straight. Cloud men...how should I put this. The odds are good, but the goods are odd.

B: Gotcha. She is competent, but there might have been better in the past. They're all dead though.

B: Well I thank you two- for your assistance today. I think this will be sufficient for my records. Now could one of you two kindly point out where you put your fire extinguisher? I need to verify its in working condition. Fire Marshall duties 'n all. I can be on my way afterward...

/End of Interview​

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Essay on Evaline the Goddess of Rain
- Ame Shichimenchou, 0 SE
{Copyleft}

The following is a contribution for the Society of Continental Mythopoeia. Inspiration is taken from the real cults and faiths of the Continent, but readers are warned to take the following with a grain of salt.

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[spoilername="Text Version of Table"]Name: Evaline the Rain Goddess
Epithets: The Adolescent Goddess, Sister Suna, Mistress of Turkeys

Element: Water
Domain Over: Rain
Patronage: The Ameri, Adolescents, Travelers, Hidden Rain Village

Generation: 3rd
Parents: Mother Suna (Mother), Father Unknown
Sibling: None
Issue: None

Feast Days: February 14th, November 25th
Symbols: Rain Droplet, Turkeys, Umbrella
Primary Story: Evaline & the Turkeys (included below)
Secondary Stories: Evaline's Trials, Reconciliation[/spoilername]

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Evaline & the Turkeys​

[spoilername="Short Version"]Evaline is the spoiled child of Mother Suna. After causing trouble and being punished by her mother she runs away. Instead of joining the circus she is adopted by turkeys who teach her to be kind to others. She grows up and teaches the Ameri people how to farm in Rain Country.[/spoilername]


[spoilername="Long Version"]Evaline was the first daughter of Mother Suna, Patron Goddess of the Southern Desert. When she was born the desert was covered with enough rainfall that a forest of cacti flourished in the east and was temporarily named the Country of Cacti. She was beloved by her mother and spent most of her life shielded away from the touch of the sun. Unlike other children born in the desert whose skin become a golden brown, Evaline maintained a ghostly white complexion. She performed few manual tasks herself. Her mother's priestesses would do everything from making her bed to feeding the family pet. It was only in adolescence that her mother gave her a duty. She was asked to make rain in some provinces that had been suffering from drought. The young goddess dutifully performed the task and summoned as many rain clouds as she could.

She did not receive any reward from her deed though. The people of the provinces did not pay tribute to Evaline, but instead offered sacrifice to their mother. This was understandable as the young one was not yet known to many outside the priesthood of her Mother. Even today knowledge of Evaline is sparse outside of Rain Country. Evaline was not to understanding of this and quickly threw a tantrum. Unskilled and not knowing the full might of her power she caused flash floods and was responsible for the destruction of many fields, livestock, and human life. Her mother quickly went to calm her daughter, but she was unable to succeed. Instead she only angered Evaline further. In the heat of the moment Evaline rose her hand against her mother.

Mother Suna was capable of restraining her daughter in the end and imprisoned her so that Evaline might reflect on her actions. The maternal goddess hoped this would result in her daughter realizing her mistake but again she failed. Evaline interpreted the punishment not as the act of a mother wishing to teach restraint, but as a jealous goddess scared of being displaced. After some days the rain goddess made her decision to run away. She overpowered her prison guards, sandworms, by creating a great downpour of water. Released from her prison she made her way northward, but not before mailing to her mother a letter telling her that she hated her and never wanted to see her again. It is said that Mother Suna wept for many nights after receiving the letter.

The Rain Goddess traveled no further than the northern edges of the desert when she began to feel homesick and regretful for her actions. She had been angry at her mother, but in the end of the day she loved her and missed her greatly. As it is the case for many of us, she was too prideful to admit this and continued moving forward. Eventually she came to a land in the shadow of several mountains. To the north of her was the country of Earth, and to the east was Fire. She made several attempts to cross both mountain ranges, but was incapable. Whenever she came close to crossing the mountain pass she would encounter large reptilian creatures, Carnasours, that blocked her path.

As a goddess Evaline was capable of going for long periods without food, and she was always capable of summoning as much water as she needed. Even the gods need food though, and Evaline was beginning to find herself with a hunger she had never known before. At one point she found herself trying to eat a rock in desperation. She would have suffered her demise if she had not been rescued by a group of turkeys passing by.

The turkeys of Rain are well known for their charity. Travelers in the region have frequently reported that in moments of great need a turkey will appear with gifts of food, medicine, and a surprisingly up to date map showing the quickest route to Twain's Port, the largest settlement in the region. No one is quite sure why the turkeys do this. Some theorize that the turkeys are really advanced sentient beings from another planet who take pity on us lowly humans. Others suggest that the turkeys are kind in the hopes that people will stop eating them. Whatever the case, Evaline became one of many whose life was saved by the turkeys.

Evaline was unsure how to react to being saved by a tribe of wild turkeys. Back in the desert she had come to expect aide from the priesthood of her mother, but these turkeys had no obligation to care for her. Why then had they? She told them that if they were expecting a reward that she had no valuables with her. The turkeys said it was okay. She then told them that if they were hoping to hold her ransom she had no family or friends who would pay. Again the turkeys said that was okay. She continued to attempt to solve the mystery until she gave up and asked plainly, "Why did you help me?". The turkeys replied, "Because we're not like those filthy penguins who don't take care of their guests."

To this Evaline was puzzled. What were penguins? And what was this about being kind to guests?

Seeing the goddess' confusion to these things the turkeys came together and decided that it was up to them to teach this adolescent goddess what it meant to be a good person, and to explain to her just what penguins were.

Penguins are, as the reader might know, stupid flightless birds who inhabit the country of Snow. They are infamous for being bad tippers, never reading a book that doesn't have plenty of pictures, and entertaining themselves with a barbaric game called 'rugby'. Turkeys in comparison are not flightless, they are well capable of full flight. They are wise old birds who leave generous tips, prolifically read and write books, and enjoy the sophisticated game of fútbol. In short turkeys are awesome and penguins suck.

The training of Evaline under the turkeys took many years. It composed not only of teaching morals to her, but also included lessons on how to use her divine power over rain. During its duration Evaline went from being a girl just entering adolescence to a fully fledged goddess. This time was not without its set backs. On several occasions the turkeys were incapable of handling the tantrums of the Rain deity and she filled the country with enough rain that lakes and rivers sprouted everywhere. By the time she reached physical maturity she was ready for her final trial to see if she had learned her lesson.

The country of Rain, as travelers now called the territory where Evaline and the turkeys resided, had never been colonized by humans before. There were a few settlements located on its rivers, such as Twain's, Melkor's, or Ayunee's port. The people who lived there did not consider themselves as natives though. They were merely tradesmen using the convenience of the rivers to ship their goods across the continent. Nor were these ports permanent in any meaningful. Most of them would be build for one year and abandoned the other as the need arose. Most of the overnight population would vanish during the day when the merchants sailed elsewhere. Only a handful of innkeepers could be found continually in the ports. It was not until the arrival of the Ameri that the country of Rain saw its first colonizers.

The Ameri were a farming people whose lands had been destroyed by great flash floods. Unable to pay tribute to their local lords they became nomadic and journeyed in hopes of finding a place to call their own. They had failed thus far as most places were already taken by others. After two generations of wandering they found themselves in the country of Rain. Their attempts of colonization was mixed. They were farmers, but their techniques were ill suited for Rain. The crops they tried to plant were adjusted for the dry deserts of the south and could not survive the water-rich environment.

Evaline watched them with curiosity and explored their shantytowns by disguising herself as one of their maidens. She was unable to stand watching them suffer and one day she presented herself before them in her divine form. She gave to them seeds for crops that could grow in the soil along with gifts of umbrellas, rain ponchos, and medicine for the common cold. The day was a Thursday, November 25th. The Ameri rejoiced at her gifts and ever since have held a feast in her honor. Evaline would join them during each feast. It had taken her many years but the goddess had learned humility.

Unlike other gods Evaline never quite went away. Besides her annual attendance at the autumn feast she is frequently reported to appear before those who are lost with a compass and a cup of soup. The turkeys are said to follow her as well, still bringing their own gifts to guests of the rainy country. She is also said to appear during the birth of an Ameri and brings them a small umbrella.[/spoilername]

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A World Map
- Pachuri Norejji, 0 SE
{Copyleft}

Click here or click the spoiler button below.
[spoilername="Warning Large Image"]

[/spoilername]

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Path of the Kingslayer: Enishi’s Journal, Entry 2
- Yukimura Enishi, 0 SE
{Copyleft}

A few days after I formally withdrew my request for transfer, Lady Kiyo summoned me again. I still did not know what she had meant when she talked about developing some inner talent of mine, but I was willing to find out. Kyouya and Tamaki stood guard outside her door and waved me in with their synchronized smiles. Inside, Lady Kiyo sat at her desk, sipping tea.

“Enishi, thank you for coming on such short notice. I have a personal request that falls outside of your normal duties. I hate to sound so lame, but I need you to make a delivery for me,” she said, pointing to a rather simple-looking leather box sitting on her desk. It had a hinged lid and clasp, and as far as I could tell, no lock. That alone was not a problem, given that a live shinobi guard was far better than any tumbler in terms of deterring theft. “I need you to take this box to the Shogun’s Chief Imperial Librarian in Raiden’s Eye. Of course, the contents are classified, and you should not let it fall into the wrong hands. Can I trust you to do this?” she asked.

“Of course, My Lady,” I said, bowing and inwardly rolling my eyes. For all that talk about “developing my potential,” whatever that was, this was turning out to be a rather lame way of doing so. After all, I’d done plenty of petty delivery quests as a genin, and this was really no different save for the fact that I’d be changing cities.

“Thank you, Enishi. Enjoy the fall weather,” she said, bidding me farewell. With a certain bemusement, I picked up the box and made my way out of the Torre and out of the village proper. The trip was uneventful down the mountain and for the remainder of the foothills. The lowlands, however, were a different story. As I rounded a bend between a copse of trees and the riverbank, I detected the telltale signs of an ambush in wait. The signs were not subtle at all, really. The hastily-disguised tracks, the rustling of the bushes, and the sounds of metal scraping against sheaths all signaled that I was about to be the “victim” of a highway robbery attempt. Shaking my head, I continued forward, chuckling at the inevitability of it all. Predictably, I soon found myself surrounded by six men armed with blades and spears, all of them pointed at me.

“Just put the box down and we’ll let you live,” said one of them, a tall, scraggly-looking man who pointed a bolter at my face.

“And I’ll make you the same offer if you put that bolter down,” I quipped back, causing the men to tense. I resisted the urge to laugh.

“We want your money, not your life, but we’ll take both!” insisted another.

“No, the REAL issue is that you’re making me late for an appointment,” I said, sighing. Now this was getting annoying. Did they not realize that I was a shinobi, no less an ANBU?!

“Dammit, just kill him!” said the one in front, drawing his blade to strike. The poor fools still did not know who they were dealing with – or perhaps they were part of a mass suicide cult. Either way, I decided that this farce was over. Before any of them could strike, the box hit the ground and my sword and bolter were in my hands. And three seconds later, which is by the way, slow for me, five men lay on the ground convulsing in their death throes, and my boot was planted firmly on the remaining one’s chest.

“Please…” croaked the young bandit as I stood over him, blade pointed at his throat. I had cut off one of his arms at the elbow joint, as well as his right foot. He would be dead in a matter of minutes, no matter how enthusiastically he pleaded for life. I was able to take a closer look at him now: his cheeks were gaunt and pale, and his teeth rotted partway with scurvy, making him seem much older than he probably was. Rather than being experienced, well-armed brigands, the men I had just dispatched looked more like rice farmers, and thus mostly unfit to fight, as this one had clearly shown. They probably would have shied away from trying to hold up any decently-guarded merchant caravan, but had made the fatal error of misjudging the single courier they had thought me to be, and for their mistake they had received a shinobi’s killing edge. As I flicked my wrist and sent my blade across his neck to give him a quick end, I briefly wondered what had made these farmers desperate enough to turn to highway robbery.

Then again, such matters were none of my concern, I chided myself. I was a shinobi of Kumogakure, and more than that, an ANBU – elite among the elites. I existed to serve the Raikage, who in turn was an ally to the Shogun and whose strength allowed us to live comfortable, well-appointed lives within our village. The peasants of Lightning were mere ants in comparison, and if they suffered, it was due to the will of Raiden. As I whipped my sword in the air to divest the steel of clinging blood, I realized that in my haste to crush my attackers I had become separated from Lady Kiyo’s package. A brief moment of panic ensued, but was quickly replaced by relief as I saw the box laying undisturbed on a patch of gravel nearby. Fortunately my brief moment of negligence had not resulted in any severe consequences, or so I thought.

As I picked it up, I realized too late that the clasp on the lid had somehow come undone, and as a result, a bundle of papers fell to the ground. Truth be told, my first reaction was not anger, or fear, or shame, but rather, incredulity. My lady had told me that I was transporting dangerous cargo that could compromise national security, not a bunch of yellowing documents. At the very least, if it had been money or banknotes, I would have understood, but old and worthless paper? I sighed, set the box down, and started to gather up the papers. This was reminding me of an incident from my youth, in which an academy teacher of mine had once tasked a group of us first years with the task of ostensibly delivering top secret correspondence to the headmaster. We were quite enthusiastic about the prospect of taking part in a top secret mission until we discovered that our true task was the deliver the man his morning coffee and donut.

My eyes fell over one of the documents that had fallen out. Like any good shinobi, and like any loyal ANBU, I knew it was best to avoid actually reading it. However, I did anyway. The words resembled the language we all commonly speak and write these days, but seemed to be more archaic in spelling. Regardless, I was able to understand a good portion of them. The document was titled: “Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen.” I have copied what I could in this diary based on my memory, with annotations.

Unknown said:

The representatives of the French people [Don’t know what a “French” is – some sort of ancient empire?], organized as a National Assembly, believing that the ignorance, neglect, or contempt of the rights of man are the sole cause of public calamities and of the corruption of governments, have determined to set forth in a solemn declaration the natural, unalienable, and sacred rights of man, in order that this declaration, being constantly before all the members of the Social body, shall remind them continually of their rights and duties; in order that the acts of the legislative power, as well as those of the executive power, may be compared at any moment with the objects and purposes of all political institutions and may thus be more respected, and, lastly, in order that the grievances of the citizens, based hereafter upon simple and incontestable principles, shall tend to the maintenance of the constitution and redound to the happiness of all. Therefore the National Assembly recognizes and proclaims, in the presence and under the auspices of the Supreme Being, the following rights of man and of the citizen:

1. Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good.

2. The aim of all political association is the preservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.

3. The principle of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation. No body nor individual may exercise any authority which does not proceed directly from the nation.

4. Liberty consists in the freedom to do everything which injures no one else; hence the exercise of the natural rights of each man has no limits except those which assure to the other members of the society the enjoyment of the same rights. These limits can only be determined by law.

5. Law can only prohibit such actions as are hurtful to society. Nothing may be prevented which is not forbidden by law, and no one may be forced to do anything not provided for by law.

6. Law is the expression of the general will. Every citizen has a right to participate personally, or through his representative, in its foundation. It must be the same for all, whether it protects or punishes. All citizens, being equal in the eyes of the law, are equally eligible to all dignities and to all public positions and occupations, according to their abilities, and without distinction except that of their virtues and talents.

7. No person shall be accused, arrested, or imprisoned except in the cases and according to the forms prescribed by law. Any one soliciting, transmitting, executing, or causing to be executed, any arbitrary order, shall be punished. But any citizen summoned or arrested in virtue of the law shall submit without delay, as resistance constitutes an offense.

8. The law shall provide for such punishments only as are strictly and obviously necessary, and no one shall suffer punishment except it be legally inflicted in virtue of a law passed and promulgated before the commission of the offense.

9. As all persons are held innocent until they shall have been declared guilty, if arrest shall be deemed indispensable, all harshness not essential to the securing of the prisoner's person shall be severely repressed by law.

10. No one shall be disquieted on account of his opinions, including his religious views, provided their manifestation does not disturb the public order established by law.

11. The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible for such abuses of this freedom as shall be defined by law.

12. The security of the rights of man and of the citizen requires public military forces. These forces are, therefore, established for the good of all and not for the personal advantage of those to whom they shall be intrusted. [Shinobi?]

13. A common contribution is essential for the maintenance of the public forces and for the cost of administration. This should be equitably distributed among all the citizens in proportion to their means.

14. All the citizens have a right to decide, either personally or by their representatives, as to the necessity of the public contribution; to grant this freely; to know to what uses it is put; and to fix the proportion, the mode of assessment and of collection and the duration of the taxes.

15. Society has the right to require of every public agent an account of his administration.

16. A society in which the observance of the law is not assured, nor the separation of powers defined, has no constitution at all.

17. Since property is an inviolable and sacred right, no one shall be deprived thereof except where public necessity, legally determined, shall clearly demand it, and then only on condition that the owner shall have been previously and equitably indemnified.

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I had only intended to glance over the pages, but as you can see, I actually ended up reading the entirety of this document. Oh, I tried my damndest to stop, but I could not pull my eyes from the pages! Of course, the entire thing was blatantly seditious – humans are of course, not equal to each other. The Shogun and the nobility rule over the commoners and peasants because that is the natural order of things. The Raikage controls us shinobi and we in turn are defenders of this country. Of course our power gives us the right to control our lessers.

Still, though, some of the things in that document seemed to make sense – in Kumogakure, the Raikage gives us law, and we shinobi follow it. Shinobi and Kunoichi are legally equal. We are allowed to worship whom we please, whether that means prayers to Raiden or Shinbatsu or Fuujin. We can also speak our minds, that is, unless we are advocating treason. I wondered who had written these words. Perhaps they had been shinobi as well, from some forgotten or ancient nation, I reasoned.

Finally, my rational side won over in an internal debate that I never thought myself capable of. Enishi! Be reasonable! I chided myself in anger for having wasted so much time reading this…this sedition.

Quickly, I gathered the rest of the fallen documents together and carefully replaced them in the box, this time making sure the lid was tight before I attempted to move it. Seeing as the attack as well as reading that “Declaration” had cost me a fair amount of daylight, I doubled my pace toward Raiden’s Eye and made it there without incident just as twilight fell over the horizon. The Imperial Librarian who greeted me and took the delivery was an affable enough fellow, and even offered me tea, which I politely declined. After all, I had promised My Lady that I would be back as soon as possible.

My trip to Kumo was thankfully uneventful, and I arrived at the gates late at night. Although I felt uneasy about potentially waking the Raikage from her slumber, I had sworn to her that I would report back personally upon completion of my assignment. I made my way through the normal gate checks and scans at the Torre, and before long, I was at the door of her office. Kyouya was standing duty at the time, and gave me his usual inscrutable expression as he opened the door. Despite the time, Lady Kiyo was still at her desk working as usual.

“My Lady, I have fulfilled your command. The package has been delivered to the Imperial Library,” I said, hoping that she would not probe further into my journey – after all, what reason would she have to with to know more?

“Thank you. I hope you didn’t run into any trouble on my account,” she replied, seemingly preoccupied with her papers. Thank Shinbatsu, I’m in the clear, I thought to myself. Now I could forget this sordid happening with the document and put it behind me. I could concentrate on my duties like a good solider.

“Not at all, My Lady. With your permission, I will take my leave,” I said, starting to back away. She looked up and gave me a mysterious smile.

“Did you read any of the materials?” she asked. I swore inside. Why in the nine hells would she ask something like that? Had she found out about the attempted robbery? Had she sent spies to trail me? Had she heard something from that Librarian? Had she…arranged for the bandits to attack?! As if reading my spiraling thoughts, she spoke again. “Enishi, you’re not in trouble if you did. I’m just asking because, well, if I were in your shoes, I might have wanted to take a look myself. You might’ve noticed that the lid wasn’t sealed with anything substantial.”

“I did look at the documents. It was never my intent to do so, however,” I said, defeated, but also curious. It was true what she had said; top secret documents were usually sealed with advanced jutsu to prevent just that sort of thing from happening. Lady Kiyo was no fool, nor was she forgetful. Wait, I thought – did she deliberately leave the package vulnerable like that to tempt me into reading the papers inside?! Was it some sort of devious test of my loyalty? Had I failed? I needed to explain myself, and fast. “I came under attack by highwaymen. I dispatched them, but in the process, the parcel’s lid came off and scattered the contents on the road. I immediately gathered them up and replaced them in the box, making sure to do a complete sweep of the area. In the process, I admit I glanced at some of the contents.”

“Which one? The Declaration of the Rights of Man, or Common Sense?” she asked, her tone amused.

“I believe it was the Declaration,” I responded cautiously. “I of course only skimmed the contents to make sure nothing was lost…”

“Oh Enishi, I know you. You read the entire thing in detail. There’s no way that you could not have,” she said, laughing musically. I sighed. There was simply no keeping things from this woman. The best I could do would be to confess my crime completely and hope for a pardon or at least a lighter punishment.

“Yes, I admit it. I apologize sincerely. It was simply to make sure that I could complete my mission,” I said, dejectedly.

“Believe it or not, I…had kind of hoped you would read it,” said Lady Kiyo, smiling genuinely. “Part of the reason I had wanted you in my guard, and thus close to me, was because I know that you are the type who hungers for information. You aren’t capable of truly blinding yourself to what’s going on around you, and ignoring what you see with your own eyes. That’s rare in this village and even rarer in our line of work. In short, you have a philosopher’s soul in a place that no thinking man or woman really belongs in.”

“My Lady, I…”

“Did you agree with it? With the things written in that Declaration? And be honest,” she asked, tilting her head quizzically. I swallowed, trying to think of a diplomatic response.

“I…I acknowledge that taken literally, it advocates treason against our government, and that its existence is a threat to national security,” I said, tentatively.

“Well, obviously. But don’t you think some of the things written there were similar to how we operate in Kumo?”

“Yes, My Lady. We operate under just laws given to us by you and your sennin. We are afforded the chance to defend ourselves against accusations by others. We enjoy privileges that the commoners do not.”

“And do you believe that human beings have innate rights, simply by virtue of being human?”

“Of course not, My Lady. We are only given rights because the Shogun, or you, give them to us. Without you, we shinobi are worthless. Without the Shogun, the common people of Lightning are worthless. That is why missing nin are trash who must be swiftly executed lest they spread their filth to the rest.”

“I see. Let me ask you another question. Who do you think wrote that Declaration?”

“If I were to guess, I would say that the people who wrote that document were possibly shinobi themselves.”

“Actually, Enishi, they weren’t. The people who drafted that document lived a very, very long time ago and knew nothing about chakra. They were ordinary human beings who had just overthrown their former Shogun and were trying to establish their own nation based on these principles,” said Lady Kiyo. Preposterous, I thought. Non-shinobi daring to overthrow a Shogun?

“It’s true. And they did in the end establish their own nation, which inspired other groups of people around the world to create their own similar nations, based on similar principles. And these nations actually grew to be very powerful, even without the aid of shinobi villages like ours. One of those countries is said to have grown so powerful that it sent men into the sky – to the moon, in fact. There were trains like the Raiden’s Breath everywhere. People separated by entire oceans could talk to each other instantly without jutsu or carrier animals. And it is said that the reason they could do this was because their nation’s strength was based on these simple, seditious words that you just read,” said Lady Kiyo, excitedly. “Of course, some of this may just be exaggerations. But based on what I’ve uncovered, perhaps it was reality once.”

“I don’t know what to say,” I replied, which was the truth. She was of course the Raikage, and her word was as good as the honor of Raiden Himself, but this talk of sending men to the moon and nations based on presumptions of equality, it was just too fantastic for me.

“Neither did I at first. But the history, the evidence, is there. I’ve seen it myself,” said Lady Kiyo, rising from her seat and coming closer to me. I tensed instinctively with my next question.

“My Lady, why did you allow me to see the document so easily? You could have easily prevented anyone from laying eyes on it. And if you wished for me to see it directly, why did you not simply show it to me yourself?” There, I was challenging her directly. At this point, events had become so strange that any questions about the health of my career were moot. Now I simply had to know what she was thinking. And to tell the truth, I was a bit angry at her as well. Again, she caught me off guard as she wrapped her arms around my waist from behind, drawing herself close in an embrace. I blushed furiously.

“Because you needed to take the first step on your own. If I’d simply ordered you to read that marvelous piece, you’d have never thought about it again. It wouldn’t have affected you the same way if I’d taken responsibility for exposing you to these things,” she said, laying her head against my back. My heart pounded in my chest and would have burst out entirely if I’d been of a weaker constitution. “There are many other pieces like the one you read - many other works of not only political science, but of art and literature and music of such glorious beauty that to look upon them is to…to behold the Creator’s will itself…” her voice trailed off in what could only be described as reverie. She inhaled, letting go of me.

“They are also forbidden – the law of the land, and the one dictum of the Shogun’s that I am beholden to, is that such works are to be kept from the people of Lightning, even shinobi. I am compelled to send his librarians all materials I find. Of course, I make copies of everything I find, whether books, paintings, music, recordings – and store them in my private archives. I could not bear the thought of having these locked away forever in the Red Palace. But at the same time, Enishi, joys like these are best when shared with the right person – a person who can appreciate these things on a deeper level . A person like you.”

“What…are you asking me to do, My Lady?” I asked, my heart still pounding at the implications of what she had just confessed to me.

“Share this joy with me, Enishi. Read the wisdom of the old world, marvel at the raw passion on canvas, and listen to the heavenly strains that we will never again produce before the end of our dying little world. Quench that burning desire for knowledge and beauty that your soul screams out for. With me.”

“My Lady…I…” I said, my throat closing and my chest aching. What had come over me? What dangerous desires had the mere act of reading words on paper elicited from the hidden chambers of my soul? I was overwhelmed by forces I could not comprehend. I trusted her. I…would agree. “I will join you,” I whispered.

Lady Kiyo dismissed me a short time later, but before she did, she slipped a sound crystal into my hand, telling me it was a taste of things to come. Of course, I had listened to musical pieces before, often during battle – the rousing anthems of our nation were always a favorite for the troops. Other than that, however, I did not have a taste for music. But as I end this day’s entry, I will perhaps play it. As they say, here goes…

</URL>

[Attached is the sound crystal that the Raikage Kagetsu gave to Yukimura.]​

<i></i>

<URL url="http://www.ninpocho.com/viewtopic.php?p=16274#p16274">{Back to Book Index}​

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Path of the Kingslayer: Enishi's Journal
- Sir Takagi Masao, 0 SE
{Copyleft}

INDEX

Enishi's Journal
_____________
Entry 1
Entry 2
Entry 3
Entry 4
Entry 5

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Raikages of Kumogakure: A History of Shinobi Leadership
- Takagi M. & Nakamura A., 0 SE
{Copyleft}

The below is a copy of Raikages of Kumogakure retyped and set to new font. The original book has too many coffee stains for me to easily read and so I have taken the liberty of making this copy. I have left the contents of the book itself relatively untouched and full credit goes to the court historians Takagi & Nakamura for their work on this volume.

Any annotations on my behalf can be found in red ink.

- Countess Bakunin, 0 SE

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INTRODUCTION
[spoilername="Introduction"]The history of a people is often best summarized by the history of their leaders. The remarkable irreplaceable individuals who assumed the monumental task of leading their compatriots to an uncertain destiny amidst great adversity and even great personal cost. The Raikages or Lightning Shadows or Kumogakure no Sato are among the most fascinating individuals in the history of Kumo, and for that matter Kaminari no Kuni itself, and so we are honored to bring you, dear reader, their stories.

The victors write the histories, of course, and although this book attempts to tell the stories of these men and women without bias, it is inevitable that some prejudices will surface as the inevitable cost of transmitting stories of the past to the people of the present. We have attempted here to describe not only the Raikage's achievements, but also their personal motivations and emotions, because we must not forget that even leaders are fundamentally human.

The authors wish to thank the Council of Kumogakure no Sato for exclusive access to the protected records of the village, as well as the regrettably small number of former still-living Raikages who offered their stories, criticisms, and corrections.

Most of all however we wish to thank you the reader for allowing us to tell you these tales, and impart our perspective on the history of Kumogakure. The best possible protection from repeating the mistakes of the past is to study them and by studying them, prevent them. You, dear reader, are the best hope for the future.

-Takagi Masao
-Nakamura Akihiko[/spoilername]

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Kagetsu Kiyo - 1st Raikage of Kumogakure in the Modern Era
[spoilername="Kagetsu Kiyo"]Length of Reign: 6 months (40 BS )

Notable events and controversies during reign: Had to leave office prematurely due to failing health, leaving an unprepared successor to take up the office.

Summary: As first Raikage of the era, she is an almost mythical figure - the founding mother of modern Cloud, even if she was not its first leader chronologically. Although her reign was among the shortest in the village's history, she established some of the village's most important customs and traditions that continue to this day. Overall a highly esteemed and revered figure in the histories, and is looked up to as the gold standard for what a Raikage of Cloud is supposed to be.[/spoilername]

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Nigami Eimin - 2nd Raikage of Kumogakure
[spoilername="Nigami Eimin"]Length of Reign: 5 months (40 BS)

Notable events and controversies during reign: Recognized to have been unprepared for the office, leaving him vulnerable to Sarunishi's coup d'etat.

Summary: His main achievements including contributing greatly to the cultural developments of the village by sponsoring artists, musicians, sculptors, and architects in their efforts within and around the village, as well as personally authoring a significant amount of original compositions in music and literature. In the popular imagination, however, he is more known for the numerous and torrid romantic affairs he carried on and pursued with many members of the shinobi elite of both sexes. His reign was overall a short one however due to the fact that he had been appointed Kage far before he was ready to defend the position. When Sarunishi desirous of power threatened the village, Eimin and his bodyguard Hosume were forced to seek asylum in a foreign land where he died in obscurity, penniless, and ridden with syphilis.[/spoilername]

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Sarunishi - 3rd Raikage of Kumogakure
[spoilername="Sarunishi"]Length of Reign: Est. 5 years (41-37 BS)

Notable events and controversies during reign: Obtained his position through coercion of the prior Kage, and greatly weakened Cloud's status as a shinobi village for his own gain.

Summary: In the oral history of the village Sarunishi is called the "Bandit Kage" due to the fact that he obtained the position by driving the previous Kage out under threat of outright destroying Cloud as an organization. As a leader, Sarunishi was a classic banana-republic despot who maintained a front of brutal totalitarianism while letting the economy and infrastructure of the village crumble from within. The end of his reign was notable for being the time in which the highest total number of shinobi went missing in any period of the village's history. Eventually, he became bored of his new property and left- some say amidst rumors that a legendary figure known only as "The Dawnbringer" was approaching with intentions of his own.[/spoilername]

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Aion the Dawnbringer - 3rd Raikage of Kumogakure
[spoilername="Aion"]Length of Reign: 4 years (36-33 BS)

Notable events and controversies during reign: Founded Cloud Council and saved the village from breakup, but also increased tensions with Konoha.

Summary: Perhaps one of the most complicated and famous Raikages of Kumo, Aion, or Kotani Aiko (his birth name) was already a legendary (anti)hero by the time he assumed control over the village under the chaotic circumstances brought by Eimin's abdication of the position to Sarunishi. Although he was responsible (along with Kizoku Takao) for helping to stabilize and rejuvenate Cloud during a particularly tenuous period in the village's history, the latter part of his reign would come to be dominated by ongoing issues with his own past particularly related to the fallout from a past romance with a Fire Country princess who name has been stricken from any records. His ascension to the role of Noble Phantasm of Raiden is the first witnessed example of this phenomenon, recorded in the village's history, and thus he has developed a small cult of his own which continues to vigilantly watch for his promised return.[/spoilername]

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Kizoku Takao - Takao the Mad - 4th Raikage of Kumogakure
[spoilername="Kizoku Takao"]Length of Reign: 5 years (32-28 BS)

Notable events and controversies during reign: Cofounded Cloud Council, but was eventually removed from leadership due to worsening mental instability.

summary: Officially the Fourth Raikage (despite being the 5th individual to hold the title) he is notable for having originally come into the position as part of a joint appointment with Kotani Aiko (i.e. Aion) who assumed the title of Third Raikage after decreeing Sarunishi's name struck from the records. It is unclear whether this arrangement was reached out of desire to help the village by complementing each others strengths and weaknesses, or whether it was done to avoid conflict between the two that would have leveled the village permanently. What is known however is that the means with which they decided who among them would be third versus fourth, a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. Of note, this is considered to be the most epic dual in Kumo history. It was also due to his influence that factions loyal to Aion's legacy did not go into full scale revolt after Kotani Aiko's (Aion's) passing. Although he contributed to the village's emergence from a treacherousness (?) period of decline, his reputation is usually overshadowed by Aion's.[/spoilername]

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Santaru Ryuuto - 5th Raikage of Kumogakure
[spoilername="Santaru Ryuuto"]Length of Reign: 7 years (5 within the village, 2 via proxies while mssing) {27-21 BS}

Notable events and controversies during reign: Played pivotal roles in both the Hitokage Conflict (Hitokage: Bandit Kage - i.e. The Sarunishi Conflict) and the subsequent first Demon Invasions of Cloud. His position was never formally announced to the village or council, and he went missing during the final two years of his reign.

Summary: To this day, Ryuuto is perhaps the greatest human military figure to have ever led Kumo (his abilities in strategy and combat being equal or greater than those of Gods, Noble Phantasms, and Immortals such as Shinbatsu, Aion, and Kiyo respectively), as seen by his defense of the village during the first Demon Invasion of Cloud and his defear of Crown Prince Shiro Amakysa Tokisada zi Kaminari during the Hitokage Conflict. However, as a day-to-day ruler, he was not as effective and preferred to delegate much of his decision-making to Council. In addition, he is known as the "Secret" Raikage of Cloud, who ruled in secret from the Sileo Tempestas instead of the Torre Celeste, all the while leading the village to believe that the long-ascended Aion was still issuing commands from his sickbed. As a result of this, the power of the Council of Cloud grew significantly compared to that of the Raikage. Even more controversial, however, is the fact that he is rumored to have gone missing in secret as well, leaving elements of his inner circle in charge of the village. These individuals, unmonitored by their former master, quickly feel prey to corruption, leading to the events of the October Plot (?What is the October Plot?).[/spoilername]

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Shinbatsu - 6th Raikage of Kumogakure
[spoilername="Shinbatsu"]Length of Reign: 4 years (20-17 BS)

Notable events and controversies during reign: Foundation of the Order of Shinbatsu. Never named a successor, leaving the village in a period of strife after his return to Godhead.

Reputation: Depending on one's belief system, Shinbatsu is either the Black God of Justice Himself descended to the mortal world in the form of a human avatar to personally guide Cloud to glory, or merely a man named Shouten Mitsukai, a former pit-fighter slave of unknown origins who broke free of his captors, traveled to Cloud, and through near-legendary feats of strength and cunning became Raikage. Strangely enough, Shinbatsu is never recorded giving any actual commentary on this himself, furthering the mystery of his origins. But whether his rule was something destined by the will of Heaven itself or merely the result of an agreement between councilmembers fed up with an absentee Raikage, what is known is that his equally mysterious and sudden departure was yet another blow to Cloud. His legacy is still visible in the village, manifested as a powerful cult led by his former lieutenants in the ANBU.[/spoilername]

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Kagetsu Kiyo - Kiyo the Immortal - 7th Raikage of Kumogakure - Formerly 1st Raikage
[spoilername="Kagetsu Kiyo"]Lenth of Second Reing: 15 years (16-02 BS)

Notable events and controversies during reign: Resolution of the Bear-Marsh Conflict.

Reputation: The sudden departure of Shinbatsu was a sudden blow to Cloud, who had enjoyed a long period of stability during the reigns of Ryuuto and Shinbatsu. And yet, as is real life had become a legendary tale, Kumo's original founding mother had now returned to save her children. Strangely, she was noted to have never aged a day since the time of her first abdication, leading many to speculate that she had become some sort of demigod in her absence. During her second reign she seemed driven to accomplish all that she had never been able to during her first, and the village enjoyed great prosperity and a quadrupling in size of the main branch. However, her second reign was abruptly cut short by the treachery of her own bodyguard, as well as the malice of a mysterious assassin known only as the Kingslayer. Although the fight did not manage to steal her life, it extinguished the vibrant spark within her that had brought such glory and peace to her tenure, rendering her forever changed. She abdicated for the last time, but her final act was to avoid making the same mistake she had during her first reign, appointing a much-better prepared sennin named Hayata Shin as her successor.[/spoilername]

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Hayata Shin - 8th Raikage of Kumogakure
[spoilername="Hayata Shin"]Length of Reign: 1 year still ongoing (1 BS-)

Notable events and controversies during Reign: Creation of the first sentient chakra-based lifeform. Participated in the Lightning Country civil war.

Reputation: Cloud's male Raiakegs have been up to this point a string of madmen, demigods, and ne'er do weels (and sometimes all three at once). However Hayata Shin has easily started to distinguish himself to the people with his integrity and humility, a refreshing change of pace after the chaos of the last few years. As a leader, he spurs his subordinates to action out of love rather than fear or hatred. Because of this, he represents Cloud's best chance for normalcy, even in the face of an ongoing civil war that threatens to engulf the entire country. Only time will tell if Shin manages to keep to this path, or if he succumbs to the demons of power and loses his soul like many others before him.[/spoilername]

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A Historical Memorendum on the 6th Hokage Akechi Mugen
- The Rain Daimyo, 0 SE
{Copyleft}

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FOREWORD

The following is a biographical memo on Akechi Mugen. It was found among the several countless boxes of old files in the Republic of Letter's archives. It was written by the 1st Rain Daimyo, a prolific writer of the era and a cousin of the 6th Hokage Akechi Mugen. Readers are reminded that the current Leaf City is not the first incarnation of a shinobi village in Fire Country, but rather one of several incarnations. The 6th Hokage mentioned here then is not from the current line of Kages who, at time of writing, number only one, but is referencing the 6th Hokage of the second incarnation of the Hidden Leaf Village.

For the benefit of the reader I have included annotations throughout the essay. The 1st Rain Daimyo seems to use a calendar system with the 'Chaos Era' (I'm unsure what this is myself) as an epoch, but I have managed to provide estimates in the BS/SE calendar for most of these dates. Unfortunately even after careful study some references made by the Rain Daimyo are unclear to me. What, for example, is he referring to when he speaks of Wind Country "preparing the war drums against Lightning"? Did our beloved Lightning Country and Wind Country go to war some point in the distant past, or is the Daimyo referring to a diplomatic dispute?

These and other annotations can be identified by the red ink I used.

-Countess Bakunin

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Written in memory of my cousin.
T'is a shame we never met in person.​

Akechi Mugen was born in 803 PCE (1026 BS) during the fifth reigning year of the first Hokage Ayunee. The then-current Konhagakure had only been rebuilt fourteen years prior to his birth, and the Waterfall Wars (The Waterfall Wars were between the great powers and Waterfall over the latter endangering the balance of power by building up their military) had only ended four years ago. Little is known about the early life of the future Hokage other than he enrolled in the Academy sometime around his seventh birthday and that he kept no pets.

He is noted as having a fondness in using genjutsu to blind his enemies and his record shows him as an expert in fighting multiple targets at once. Perhaps because of this skill he was quickly promoted to the rank of ANBU Sennin in 816 PCE (1011 BS) under the reign of the 5th Hokage Sunuke. One of his first acts was to appoint one of his friends, Takai, as an ANBU Captain under him. One of his more tragic acts was to kill the very same friend after discovering his attempt at betraying Konohagakure.

Four years after being appointed ANBU Sennin in 1008 BS he was appointed once more; this time to the position of Hokage. He had quite the shoes to fill in. The 2nd had ruled for less than three years, and both the 3rd and 4th ruled for no more than a few months. His immediate predecessor, Sunuke, on the other hand had guided Konohagakure through a golden era of ten years. Only the legendary Ayunee had matched the 5th's record. Would Akechi be able to continue the golden era? Or would he follow the footsteps of the 3rd and 4th? Akechi was only seventeen when he took the office and all eyes were on what his actions would be.

His early years passed with few honors, but by the same virtue no great calamity came to the village hidden in the leaves. Abroad things were much more hectic. In the north the countries of Bear, and Marsh were involved in a bloody war. Only a few miles southward, in Rain Country, violence came in both the form of a civil war and an invasion by Earth Country. Further south Wind Country was preparing the war drums against Lightning. One need not even speak of the horrors occurring eastward in Water Country.

The young Hokage should be praised for keeping his village and country at peace during such times. In the long run it allowed Fire to increase its domestic industry and to serve as a greater power in the years to come.

In 821 PCE (1007 BS), when he himself had just reached the age of maturity, his first child was born. Months prior to this his journal entries were filled with references to a black haired beauty. Whether this woman and his wife Kasuga Shiho, whom he married three years later in 824 PCE (1004 BS), are the same is unclear. It is clear though that he loved both his wife and son an unfathomable amount. Akechi Shiho might not have been his first woman, but she was his only love if their love letters are to be taken at face value. To his son he left these words in case of his early demise:

"Don't mourn, but instead remember the good times we had and how I lived."​

In late 825 PCE (1003 BS) he left Konohagakure no Sato in search of his friend Nakata Daichi. He expected to return promptly, but the months quickly passed. Some feared that he died at the hands of nukenins. The more cynical propose that he had never left the village, but had been murdered of peanut poisoning by an arrogant god. I myself speculate that he was abducted by beings not of our world, and currently wages war against the forces of evil in hope of delaying the end of life here as we know it.

In total he ruled for nearly six years (between 1008-1003 BS). He is fondly remembered by his people as a good Hokage. His spirit, wherever it may be, need not worry of his legacy. He has cemented his place as a man worth remembering, which is more than can be said about many.

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A Fictional Timeline of the World
- The Rain Daimyo, 0 SE
{Copyleft}

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FOREWARD

Below is a timeline of the world written by the 1st Rain Daimyo. It was reportedly written over a thousand years ago, but its authenticity is questioned. No one doubts that a world timeline was written by the 1st Rain Daimyo, but it is unclear that this copy was in fact written by him. Skeptics point out the inclusion of such things as the starting reign of Raikage Hayata in 826 PCE (Post Chaos Era). Surely the Daimyo could not be referencing the reign of the current Raikage Hayata Shin, well over a thousand years after the alleged creation of this paper? And who is this seventh Raikage 'Koumyou'?

In most likelihood the timeline is a fake written only recently. It is a very curious fake though as, although its dates for Raikages are wrong, it's dates for the Hokages and other events are quite correct. Is it possible that it is not a fake, but a timeline the 1st Rain Daimyo wrote for use in a fictional story of his? Perhaps this is the timeline of another world or, dare I say it, another universe? The reader is encouraged to make their own conclusions.

I myself believe it to be fiction, but it's novelty is to great to merit throwing away. For this reason I have filed it away under fiction.

-Countess Bakunin, 0 SE

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The Colonial Era (??- 1201 BCE)
[spoilername="The Colonial Era"]2200 BCE Discovery of the Continent.

2000 BCE Chakra usage begins.

1350 BCE Senju Clan founded.[/spoilername]

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The Anarchical Era (1200- 001 BCE)
[spoilername="The Anarchical Era"]1200 BCE Original Shinobi villages founded.

1169 BCE Kusagakure founded.
1140 BCE Moon Country discovered.
1130 BCE Moon Village founded.

1051 BCE First animal successfully cloned.

0917 BCE Grass/Bloodline Wars begin.
0900 BCE Grass/Bloodline Wars end.

0875 BCE The 2nd Kusagakure founded.
0870 BCE Moon invasion of Grass Country.
0869 BCE Moon/Grass War begins.
0821 BCE Moon/Grass War end.
0800 BCE
[1] The 1st Earth Daimyo's reign begins.
[2] The 1st Iron Shogun's reign begins.

0735 BCE Senju/Bloodline Wars.

0219 BCE The 13th Kazekage Sunaku Ruka's reign begins.

0194 BCE The 14th Kazekage Sunaku Uma's reign begins.
0182 BCE The 1st Hokage Pyrite's reign begins.
0169 BCE The 15th Kazekage Sunaku Chijiro's reign begins.
0151 BCE The 2nd Hokage Setsuko's reign begins.
0144 BCE The 16th Kazekage Sunaku Yuudai's reign begins.
0119 BCE The 17th Kazekage Haku Dairou's reign begins.

0082 BCE The 3rd Hokage Ichikawa's reign begins.
0070 BCE The 4th Hokage Romiress' reign begins.[/spoilername]

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The Chaos Era
[spoilername="The Chaos Era"]0000 The Chaos Era[/spoilername]

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The Classical Era (001-699 PCE)
[spoilername="The Classical Era"]0001 PCE Kumogakure is founded.
0023 PCE Babylos resurfaces.
0056 PCE Sasorimura founded.

0350 PCE The 1st Bean Daimyo's reign begins.

0400 The 1st Grass Daimyo's reign begins.

0500 PCE The 1st Valley Daimyo's reign begins.
0520 PCE The 3rd Kusagakure founded.[/spoilername]

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The Waterfall Era (700-799 PCE)
[spoilername="The Waterfall Era"]0700 PCE The 1st Honey Daimyo's reign begins.
0721 PCE
[1] The 2nd Moon/Grass War.
[2] Moon Village destroyed.
0733 PCE Tranquil Valley village established.
0763 PCE
[1] The 21st Kazekage Myakashi's reign begins.
[2] The Mini-Wars begin.
0770 PCE The Senju Exodus.
0771 PCE Sea Village founded.
0773 PCE
[1] The 22nd Kazekage Nori's reign begins.
[2] The Waterfall Wars begin.
0778 PCE Jinkotsu Clan founded.
0789 PCE
[1] Lord Taki dies.
[2] Suna's involvement in the Waterfall Wars end.
[3] The 2nd Konohagakure is founded.
0790 PCE
[1] The 23rd Kazekage Masashi-Inuzuka Melkor's reign begins.
[2] The 2nd Lord Taki's reign begins.
0798 PCE
[1] The 1st Hokage Ayunee' reign begins.
[2] Kagerenmei clan founded.
0799 PCE The Coalition withdraws from the ruins of Waterfall.[/spoilername]

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The Early Modern Era (800-817 PCE)
[spoilername="The Early Modern Era"]0800 PCE The 1st Raikage Kagetsu's reign begins.
0801 PCE The 1st Mizukage Yorimoto's reign begins.
0803 PCE The 2nd Mizukage Junpei's reign begins.
0804 PCE
[1] The 2nd Raikage Eminin's reign begins.
[2] Sunagakure Intervillage Chuunin Exam is held.
[3]The 'Anti-Raikage' Sarunishi's reign begins.
0805 PCE
[1]The 3rd Raikage Aion's reign begins.
[2]The 4th Raikage Takao's reign begins.
0806 PCE The 3rd Mizukage Suiseisek's reign begins.
0808 PCE Jinkotsu Matriach dies.
0809 PCE
[1] The 4th Mizukage Saito's reign begins.
[2] The Lightning Demon Wars begin.
0810 PCE
[1] The 5th Raikage Ryuuto's reign begins.
[2] The 2nd Hokage Kakihara's reign begins.
[3] The 1st Jinkotsu Oyabun Shari's reign begins.
[4] The Kagerenmei clan disbanded.
0811 PCE The 6th Raikage Shinbatsu's reign begins.
0812 PCE The 5th Mizukage Temujin's reign begins.
0813 PCE
[1] The 23rd Kazekage Masashi-Inuzuka Melkor's reign ends.
[2] The 3rd Hokage Kurenai's reign begins.
0814 PCE The 24th Kazekage Masashi-Sansuni's reign ends.
0815 PCE
[1] The 6th Mizukage Enzan's reign begins.
[2] The 7th Raikage Kiyo's reign begins.
[3] The 4th Hokage Ohkuninushi's reign begins.
0816 PCE
[1] The 7th Mizukage Renzo's reign begins.
[2] The 5th Hokage Nanjirou Sunuke's reign begins.[/spoilername]

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The Modern Era (818-826 PCE)
[spoilername="The Modern Era"]0818 PCE
[1] Founding of Amegakure.
[2] The Oishi Clan founded.
[3] The 2nd Jinkotsu Oyabun Takashi's reign begins.
[4] The 25th Kazekage Masashi-Inzuka Seitoshi's reign begins.
0819 PCE
[1] Konoha Kage Summit.
[2] The 26th Kazekage Sunaku-Iyo's reign begins.
[3] The 1st Rain Daimyo's reign begins.
[4] The 1st Amekage Yasha Sojoboy is selected.
[5] The Bear-Marsh War.
[6] The 3rd Jinkotsu Oyabun Hitsureru's reign begins.
0820 PCE
[1] The 6th Hokage Akechi's reign begins.
[2] The 8th Raikage Koumyou's reign begins.
[3] The 1st Sasorikage Kuromaru's reign begins.
0822 PCE Iwagakure invasion of Amegakure.
0823 PCE
[1]The 1st King of Babylos' reign begins.
[2] Ishikawa Clan founded.
0824 PCE
[1] Several Jinkotsu come out.
[2] The 8th Mizukage Minamoto's reign begins.
0825 PCE
[1] The 27th Kazekage Akaguchi's reign begins.
[2] Sasorimura Regency begins.
0826 PCE
[1] The 7th Hokage Gerudo's reign begins.
[2] The 9th Raikage Hayata's reign begins.
[3] Kagerenmei clan refounded.
[4] The 2nd Amegakure founded.[/spoilername]

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Map of the Wind Provinces
- Pachuri Norejji, 0 SE
{Copyleft}



0. Special Sunagakure District

• Hidden Sand Village / Sunagakure no Sato
• Toraono Dojo

1. Sunaku Province
2. Inami Province
3. Kondo Province

• Babylos
• Himigakure no Sato

4. Miyaki Province
5. Tanaka Province

• Soon's Haven

6. Yoshida Province
7. Okayama Province

• Hidden Sky Village / Soragakure no Sato

8. Shimane Province
9. Oonishi Province
10. Yamaguchi Province
11. Kinjo Province

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History of the Bear Marsh War
- Takagi Masao and Akira Saito, Sen. Ret., 1 SE
{Copyleft}

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History of the Bear Marsh War

The Bear-Marsh War, (or 한국전쟁 in the native language of the two countries), from 25 June 10 BS – 27 July 01 BS, also known as the “Joseon Conflict” or the “War Between the Stars” was a war between the Kingdom of Bear (Bear Country) supported by Lightning Country and Cloud Hidden Village, and the People’s Republic of Marsh (Marsh Country), allegedly supported by Fire Country. It was primarily the result of the political division of what had formerly been a unified province by an earlier agreement reached between victorious parties in the Waterfall Wars of the Chaos Era. Open hostilities were ended by the Kagetsu Treaty, which placed the involved countries in a state of cease-fire armistice, but as of this writing Marsh Country is still technically at war with Bear and Lightning Countries.

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Context of the War:

Culturally, the peoples of Marsh and Bear share the same root language and ethnicity distinct from that of Lightning Country’s kaminarijin. By the time of the war, each country had developed in markedly different ways that further reinforced the divisions between the two nations. Under the influence of Lightning Country, Bear developed a monarcho-capitalist system initially composed of merchant princes who bought their titles, but eventually transitioned to a hereditary feudal system with a King as head of state. Under the influence of Fire Country, Marsh developed an initially corporate-led republic whose ruling figures were composed of seven board-members and who administered a complex bureaucracy.

Around the start of year 15 BS, all seven board-members of Marsh Country were assassinated by a group of missing shinobi from Fire and Lightning known as the “Cabal of Seven,” who assumed control and over the next five years started to heavily militarize the country in a drive to create an “Outer Heaven” construct: a sanctuary for missing nin and other disaffected soldiers. Resources were scarce, however, and soon the Cabal set its sights on its neighbor, Bear Country.

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Open Conflict:

Hostilities began with a massive and unprecedented blitzkrieg-style assault on Bear, and the country’s unprepared defenders were quickly pushed back to within 100 kilometers of Lightning Country’s borders after losing the Capital City of Sagishi-Souru. Complete annihilation of the Bear army was only avoided by timely intervention of shinobi forces from Bear’s own Hidden Village, Star. During the pivotal battle of Incheon, however, the Second Hoshikage of Star was taken by surprise by the Cabal of Seven and was killed in battle.

Over the next few years, Marsh and Bear forces fought a bloody war of attrition in which the line of hostilities moved almost daily, and by the time of foreign involvement, had ground down to a trench war.

At this time, Bear and Hidden Star forces sent messengers to various shinobi villages and other nations worldwide requesting assistance. All of these messenger teams were located and killed by agents of the Cabal of Seven, except for a team that reached Cloud Hidden Village and contacted one of the sennin at the time, one Akira Saito. He agreed to provide aid to Bear, and the remaining Bear forces put themselves under the control of Kumogakure.

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Battle of Chipyong-ni:

Known as the “Sekigahara” of the Bear-Marsh War, this engagement was the turning point of the war in Bear’s favor and saw an outnumbered Bear-Star-Cloud force defeat a massively numerically superior Marsh force and stop their advance. During this battle, the Marsh Army split into two, attempting to encircle any remaining resistance and prevent retreat into Lightning Country, whose bakufuu government had issued a decree that if any Marsh forces crossed the border, it would mean war. Under the direction of Field Marshal Akira Saito, a combined force of remaining Star Village shinobi as well as the Bear Army regulars would make a final stand at Hoengseong Hill, while a separate Cloud force of shinobi would attempt to intercept and cut off the split force from Marsh.

During the resultant fighting, Cloud forces trapped and overwhelmed the split-off army attempting to close in on the Bear-Star army at Hoengseong, and managed to kill one of the Cabal of Seven. Meanwhile, the Bear-Star forces fought a desperate battle that managed to halt the main Marsh army’s advance, but at a cost of over three quarters of the initial force of sixty-thousand. Cloud forces quickly joined the battle after a forced march from their recent fight and pushed the Marsh forces back, forcing more members of the Cabal into open fighting. Despite incurring thousands more casualties, the combined Bear-Star-Cloud force eliminated or forced into hiding the remaining Cabal of Seven members, causing the Marsh Army to withdraw from the field and back to the 38th parallel.

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The Kagetsu Treaty and Armistice:

After its defeat at Chipyong-ni and the loss of the influence of the Cabal of Seven, Marsh Country’s military leaders quickly sued for peace, sending letters to Cloud and Lightning. Under the moderation of Raikage Kagetsu Kiyo of Cloud, Marsh, Bear, Cloud, and Star representatives met at the 38th parallel to negotiate terms that eventually resulted in the Kagetsu Treaty.

Under the treaty, all countries entered a state of cease-fire armistice in order to bring a quick end to open conflict. Demilitarized zones were established around all three countries save for Bear and Lightning, and Marsh Country was forbidden to establish a hidden shinobi village, although it would be able to hire from neighboring states such as Fire Country.

Signatories from Marsh were: Generalissimo Choe Il-Jong, General Sumihara Hotaka, and General Sumihara Kaede. Signatories from Bear were King Haninozuka Nikolai IV, Hoshikage Nanasaki Ai, and Sennin Kaibutsu Kuro. Signatories from Lightning were Chancellor Tachibana Ami, Raikage Kagetsu Kiyo, and Sennin Akira Saito.

For her efforts, Raikage Kagetsu Kiyo was awarded the International Noburu Peace Prize, which is on display at the Torre Celeste of Kumogakure.

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Aftermath:

Bear and Lightning Countries never signed terms of alliance with each other, as that was heavily contested by Marsh Country, however the two nations have maintained trade relations and citizens of both nations are allowed to pass the borders freely. Recently in the aftermath of the Lightning Country Civil War, relations between the two nations have become strained as Lightning has accused Bear nobility of attempting to make local land grabs on the vulnerable nation, and Bear has accused Lightning of discrimination and maltreatment of the numerous refugees that still live and work in Lightning.

Marsh Country fell into bankruptcy and almost dissolved as a nation due to depopulation and political chaos over the Cabal of Seven. However, it has made an astounding recovery in a miniscule amount of time, mostly due to rumored foreign support from Fire Country, but also due to the leadership of Generalissimo Choe Il-Jong, who quickly seized power and established a cult of personality supported by his generals and enthusiastically latched-onto by the people. Any economic recovery Marsh has made under his philosophy of "juche," however, is overshadowed by the growing threat of its rapidly increasing military strength and paranoid levels of isolationism under the control of the "Dear Leader" Choe.

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Intelligence Briefing on Marsh Country
- Main Branch Foreign Intelligence Service, Ed., 1 SE
[Copyright #2 - Cloud Shinobi Only]

Intelligence Briefing on Marsh Country

For viewing by Kumo Shinobi Only.

Conventional Long Form Name: The People's Republic of Marsh Country
Conventional Short Form: Marsh Country
Local Long Form Name: Joseon-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk
Local Short Form: Joseon
Abbreviation: PRMC

Location: Southwest of Lightning Country, sharing approximately 500km as a mutual border; East of Fire Country, sharing 600km of mutual border; north of Bear Country, sharing 700km as mutual border
Climate: Temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer
Terrain: Mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains and forest to the west

Government Type: Unitary Party, One-Man Dictatorship
Capital: Yangnyeom
Head of State and Government: Generalissimo Sumihara Hotaka. Note: Sumihara is interim head of state as a formal election to succeed now-deceased Generalissimo Choe Il-Jong has not been announced yet
Head of Military: General Sumihara Kaede
Population: 3.5 million approximately
Manpower fit for Military Service: 3.5 million
Military Expenditures: Approximately 95% of GDP
Hidden Shinobi Village: N/A

Shinobi briefing by Takayama Shimada, Taichou of the ANBU:

Marsh and its southern neighbor Bear were formerly an independent, unified kingdom for much of their history until the aftermath of the Lightning-Waterfall wars in which they were divided into the current separate entities of today. After failing to conquer the Kumogakure-backed Bear Country in the Bear-Marsh War, Marsh under its leader Generalissimo Choe Il-Jong adopted a policy of ostensible diplomatic and economic "self reliance," or "juche," as a check on outside influence. The PRMC demonized both Bear and Lightning as the ultimate threats to its social system through state-funded propaganda and molded its military and economic policies around the core ideological objective of eventual unification of Marsh and Bear under Yangnyeom's control. Generalissimo Sumihara Hotaka has assumed control as interim head of state after the assassination of Choe Il-Jong by an unknown party, confirmed by Bakufuu intelligence to have been Neo-Konoha missing nin Tanaka Daishi.

Currently, Marsh Country maintains its stance as a hyper-militaristic state mostly isolated from the outside world, despite likely economic and military support from Hi no Kuni. In the instability following the recent Lightning Country Civil War, its military leaders are likely to see an opportunity to attack Lightning or Bear, and thus Kumogakure shinobi must be on the lookout for any evidence of early mobilization of its forces. Fortunately, the Kagetsu Treaty forbade the country from developing any shinobi village programs, and the country's experience with the Shinobi Cabal of Seven further soured public and military opinion against such programs. Thus, our operatives are unlikely to encounter chakra-based resistance. However, do not let this seeming weakness result in underestimation of the threat Marsh poses. What they lack in chakra power they make up for in overwhelming force of numbers.

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Intelligence Briefing on Bear Country
- Main Branch Foreign Intelligence Service, Ed., 1 SE
[Copyright #2 - Cloud Shinobi Only]

Intelligence Briefing on Bear Country

For viewing by Kumo Shinobi Only.

Conventional Long Form Name: The Serene Kingdom of Bear
Conventional Short Form: Bear Country
Local Long Form Name: Taehan-min'guk
Local Short Form: Han'guk
Abbreviation: KBC

Location: Southwest of Lightning Country, sharing approximately 50km as a mutual border; East of Fire Country, sharing 1000km of mutual border; South of Marsh Country, sharing 500km as mutual border
Climate: Temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer.
Terrain: Mostly hills and mountains; coastal plains to the east and forest to the west.

Government Type: Hereditary Monarchy
Capital: Sagishi-Souru
Head of State and Government: King Haninozuka Nikolai IV
Head of Military: Princess Haninozuka Ekaterina
Population: 4.5 million approximately
Manpower fit for Military Service: 1 million
Military Expenditures: Approximately 40% of GDP
Hidden Shinobi Village: Hoshigakure no Sato
Village Kage: Sandaime Hoshikage Nanasaki Ai
Village Sennin: Kaibutsu Kuro

Shinobi briefing by Takayama Shimada, Taichou of the ANBU:

Bear and its northern neighbor Marsh were formerly an independent, unified kingdom for much of their history until the aftermath of the Lightning-Waterfall wars in which they were divided into the current separate entities of today. Bear was historically governed by a loose federation of merchant princes who had originally bought their titles in exchange for land holdings, but by the time of Raikage Kiyo's first reign, Bear had transitioned to a full hereditary monarchy with the Haninozuka family (formerly confectioners) as the new royalty. During the Bear-Marsh War, Bear regular forces fought alongside Hoshigakure and Kumogakure shinobi to repel an overwhelming invasion force sent from Marsh. The Kagetsu Treaty established an armistice, re-establishing the countries' mutual border at the 38th parallel. Afterwards, under King Haninozuka Nikolai IV, Bear achieved rapid economic growth with per capita income rising to ten times that of Marsh Country.

Lightning and Bear are not allies, contrary to public perception and the numerous trade agreements in place between the nations. Although the two countries have remained cordial to each other due to the support Bear received from Kumogakure, relations have recently come under significant strain in the aftermath of the Lightning Country Civil War. There is increasing evidence Bear Country representatives have started to court the loyalties of disaffected Lightning Country nobility, and Lightning Country society has typically discriminated against Bear Country refugees on the basis of ethnicity and culture. While the leadership of the KBC does not seem to wish for open conflict with Lightning, their efforts to gain land should be seen as theft by any other name. If pursuing targets from Bear, shinobi are advised to use utmost discretion and avoid capture or discovery by any means necessary, lest they cause an international incident and potential war. In addition, be on the lookout for shinobi agents from Hoshigakure, who may be attempting to spy on Lightning interests as well.

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Path of the Kingslayer: Enishi’s Journal, Entry 3
- Yukimura Enishi, 1 SE
{Copyleft}

It was a short time after that I listened to the recording that My Lady had given me in the aftermath of our last encounter. I had never in my life experienced such a…sensation before. Yes, it was “merely” music, but such music that I never thought possible to exit in this world. Tones of such clarity, order, logic; all united by a perfection of timing and purpose such that to hear it was to have an unobstructed view of the very fabric of the cosmos! Who the hell had written this? Who the hell had performed this? And on what?! These questions burned in my head, while in my heart, something else also smoldered – a slowly growing, insatiable, and totally irrational desire to experience more.

As if my wishes had been broadcast on some sort of unsecured frequency, another package suddenly appeared in my personal footlocker. My initial reaction was suspicion – for days I did not open it, and spent my time zealously watching my fellow squadmates and my commanders for any signs of intrigue. Perhaps they had heard of my personal mission for the Raikage, and were trying to ferret me out as some sort of traitor or deviant?

The next week passed by as a haze of paranoia and indigestion, but my investigations revealed nothing. Finally, I gave in and opened the package. Inside, several worn, leather-bound books with yellowed pages, with titles like: Utopia and Leviathan and Common Sense, and a larger one titled The Wealth of Nations by an author whose name I could not pronounce easily. Inside, a simple, unsigned note in My Lady’s handwriting: “Keep these safe. When you are finished with them, we will meet again.”

I will be the first to admit that I was never a bookish type of academy student. Being forced to study those moldy old tracts on jutsu utilization and shinobi warfare, especially the incredibly boring works by that Imperial Historian Takagi soured me on reading much. Nevertheless, it seemed that My Lady wanted me to fulfill a certain task, and that was justification enough for me. Over the next two weeks, I read the works, starting with the one called Utopia simply because it was the shortest.

By the time I had finished the last pages of the large book by “Adam Smith,” a change had come over me. I had never finished a book in less than two months. And yet I had just devoured over eight hundred pages in a quarter of the time. Was it because of my motivation to see Her again? To listen to more of that heavenly music? Or was it my morbid fascination with the seditious and treasonous material contained within those pages, which nevertheless left me with more questions than answers in any other period of my life? Again, My Lady seemed to sense my completion of her task, because a day later, I was called to her office again, in private.

“My Lady, I report as ordered,” I said, bowing to her as I entered. She gestured for me to come closer, giving me a wan smile that said: now we cut to the chase.

“What did you think of them, Enishi?” she asked, before flashing a coy grin. “Did they anger you?”

“I…can see why the Shogun would want to keep such works suppressed,” I responded, unsure of where she was going with this.

“And why would he want to keep these works suppressed? After all, they were written by men who are long-dead and who existed in a different age than us. They are no different from fantasy, no?”

“But My Lady, the author called ‘Hobbes’ claims that it is not Raiden or Shinbatsu or any of the Gods who gives our Shogun and our Bakufuu the right to rule, but rather that his subjects have voluntarily ceded authority to him. And the other author, ‘Paine’, claims that because of this, if the Shogun’s actions displease the people, that…that the people have the right to depose him or to break away and form their own nation. That’s unthinkable. I mean, for Raiden’s sake, My Lady, what if your subjects started to embrace such a philosophy? Then it means that you only control us because of the authority we as a whole give to you. If someone were to be displeased with such an arrangement, then if he were to go missing, it would mean he was…justified,” I said, gasping at my own realization of what I had said. No! This was treason! I cursed myself for running my mouth. “Of course, I would never make a claim like that! Missing scum are the worst type of traitor! Their lot is only to die by my hand! I…”

Surprisingly, Lady Kiyo started to laugh, which took me aback enough to terminate my rambling.

“It’s quite alright, Enishi. I know you don’t actually think that our missing nin are justified in their actions. But yes, you are correct about the nature of these works. The content, as foreign to our age as it may be, is still incredibly dangerous to someone like the Shogun, who rules based on his claim of divine endorsement. Sure, the Imperial Army can easily crush a tiny peasant rebellion in a remote province, but when the whole populace believes in the existence of a social contract as the basis of rule, then the Shogun of Lightning Country must bow to them.”

“And that’s the same sort of claim that the author ‘Smith’ makes as well, in regard to wealth, isn’t it? That it is not our gold koban themselves which possess intrinsic value, but the efforts of the people who manufacture our goods and grow our food and perform our labor, which is in turn represented by those metals. That without the backing of labor and investment, gold is merely shiny yellow metal with little worth of its own?”

“Imagine for a second, Enishi, what would happen if every rice farmer in the central valley suddenly gave up tilling the fields,” said Lady Kiyo, somewhat devilishly. “Even the Shogun cannot eat gold, despite all apeparances. We’d all be dead or displaced within two years. That is the type of power that the people of a nation have over its rulers and enforcers. And we must never, ever let them know this. Hence, that is why these materials are locked away.”

“Shinbatsu save us,” I gasped, realizing the full import of what she had just told me. The safe, orderly, stable world I had lived in for eighteen years had now been shattered under me. Not because of chakra or jutsu, but because of mere ideas.

“By the way, the time in which those books were written was the same time as when that piece of music you listened to was written. Humanity was undergoing a period of ‘Enlightenment’ at the time, and such dangerous, world-stopping ideas were also accompanied with creativity as well. The composer of that piece was named ‘Mozart’ and he composed hundreds of pieces like that. A few decades afterwards, another composer was born. ‘Beethoven’ was his name. And I will show you how I like to listen to his music. Come with me,” said Lady Kiyo as she rose from her seat and gestured for me to accompany her. Languidly, she strode over to a nearby bookshelf, and pulled at the candelabra next to it. With the whirring of machinery and the grinding of metal on stone, the shelf swung outwards. That such a thing existed in the Torre Celeste was unsurprising – after all, we were all shinobi.

Beyond the hidden door, a high-domed, brightly-lit chamber awaited, its inside lined with rippled tiles and in the center, an alien-looking device. At its base, a platform on which spun a large, black disc with tiny grooves cut into it with impossible precision, and issuing from the top, a large, horn-shaped speaker. After making sure the hidden door had closed completely, Lady Kiyo smiled, adjusting a small lever-arm on the device so that its end touched the grooved black disc. I listened, and…

Symphony No. 9, 4th movement, Ludwig van Beethoven</URL>​

<i></i>


…I found myself on my hands and knees on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, with tears of joy flowing down my face. There was no other way to describe it; I had heard the voice of the universe itself speaking to me in the most hushed of tones, which was still more than my mortal frame could bear. I had seen a God before in the form of Shinbatsu, but I had never felt the presence of THE creator until now.

The music, no, the irevelation I had just heard now stopped, and all that was left in this soundproof chamber was merely the sound of my breathing.

“Who…wrote this? Was it Raiden? Was it the Dawnbringer?!” I demanded breathlessly, uncharacteristically grasping Lady Kiyo’s arms as I knelt, still overcome with what I had just experienced. She made no effort to pull away, however, merely gazing into my eyes with hers and smiling that mysterious, coquettish smile of hers.

“I told you, Enishi, it was a man named Beethoven. And no, he wasn’t a divine being. At least not in the way that you and I traditionally think of,” she said, reaching down and stroking my hair.

“My Lady…I understand why the works of these authors, these ‘Smith’ and ‘Paine’ and ‘Moore’ might be suppressed, but why keep this music hidden away? Why keep it locked up like this?!” I asked, my head still spinning. I wanted, more than anything else, for her to replay what I had just heard. I hungered for it, completely irrationally.

“Because, Enishi, these things inflame the soul. They make men and women forget the bounds of order and stability. They cause chaos if unchecked. Do you see now? Do you see how powerful and how dangerous and beautiful these relics from the past are? We think of ancient war golems or vile underground plagues or enormous sandworms from the desert as sources of power, and yet these books and these recordings do not possess chakra; they cannot kill by themselves; they are merely words, notes on a page. But they have the power to change the world, more than any destructive device we can ever create. That is why I keep them hidden away. Because I will not repeat the mistakes I made in the past that harmed this village I loved so much…” she seemed to drift off, her expression turning bittersweet for a moment, before she resumed her normal inscrutable visage.

“You can come here whenever you like, by the way. Now that I have shared my secret with you, I expect you to pay me back with your company. You will find that the arts are much more enjoyable when experienced with others.”

“I…I will do so gladly, My Lady,” I said, smiling in anticipation. To have access to more…that was the most important thing in the world at this moment.

“Good. I want someone I can talk to about more than village intrigue or how to refine combat builds or who’s going missing or whether Sand or Leaf hates us more. I want us to talk about philosophy and have debates and even arguments about passion and emotion and human nature!” She said, grinning before she embraced me all of a sudden, weeping with tears of relief. “Oh Enishi, I’m so glad…I’m so goddamned happy. I looked for years for someone like you. I was so lonely… Never leave me... Swear it...”

I merely hugged her tighter, the words between us unsaid.

<URL url="http://www.ninpocho.com/viewtopic.php?p=16274#p16274">{Back to Book Index}​

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Languages in the Lightning Peninsula
- Countess Bakunin, 1 SE
{Copyleft}

Common:

The lingua franca of the Lightning Peninsula is the Common language and one can speak it anywhere on the peninsula and find someone who understands it. The Common language also dominates the other regions of the Continent and the outlaying islands. Although the Common language is the lingua franca of the entire Peninsula, it's vernacular use is limited to Lightning Country proper. In the southern border regions it has few who use it as a vernacular language.

Classical Kumo:

The Classical Variant of Ancient Kumogakurian. This was previously the dominant language of the Lightning Peninsula. It was followed, at least in Lightning Country proper, by the Vulgar variant. In the southern portion of the peninsula it was displaced by Chosŏnŏ.

Vulgar Kumo:

The Vulgar Varient of Ancient Kumogakurian. It succeeded the Classical Variant in Lightning Country and was the vernacular language there until the early modern period when Common displaced it. It continues to be spoken as a second-language in several communities and there have been several attempts to revive its usage as a national symbol. In the Hidden Cloud Village placenames are still typically in Vulgar Kumo. "Bibliotheca Conscientiae" for example is the Conscience Library in Vulgar Kumo.

Chosŏnŏ: (조선어)

Chosŏnŏ displaced Classical Kumo as the vernacular language after the classical period. It is believed by many linguists that Chosŏnŏ is derived from Classical Kumo in the same manner as Vulgar Kumo is, but nationalism in both the Chosŏn nations of Bear and Marsh have continually decried attempts to connect Chosŏnŏ with Classical Kumo as nothing short of cultural imperialism. To this day Chosŏnŏ remains the dominant vernacular languages of Bear and Marsh country. It is only in higher education and government affairs that Common is preferred.

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Essay on the Fire Goddess
- Oishi-Showa Yogi, 1 SE
{Copyleft}

The following is a contribution for the Society of Continental Mythopoeia. Inspiration is taken from the real cults and faiths of the Continent, but readers are warned to take the following with a grain of salt.

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[spoilername="Text Version of Table"]Name: Huchi
Epithets: The Fire Goddess, Grandmother, the Old Woman, Her Mercy

Element: Fire
Domain Over: Fire
Patronage: Fire Country, Hidden Leaf Village, Doctors, Farmers

Generation: 2nd
Parents: Unknown
Sibling: Mother Suna, Raiden, Fuijin, Ryuujin
Issue: None

Feast Days: February 23rd
Symbols: Volcanoes
Primary Story: The Red Flood
Secondary Stories: Spring Cleaning, Sweats[/spoilername]

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The Red Flood​

[spoilername="Short Version"]A millennium ago the village hidden in the leaf was at its peak of power. Its kages had steered the people to glory and they were renowned at the best of the best. Not was well though. In the process of achieving success the Konoha-jin had forsaken their goddess Huchi and out of anger she caused the nearby mountains to erupt. Lava flows flooded the hidden leaf village and its surroundings.

With the rise of Leaf City it seems as if a degree of normalcy has returned, but it is debatable whether the Konoha-jin have fully reconciled with their goddess Huchi.[/spoilername]


[spoilername="Long Version"]In its primordial past the ancestors of the modern Konoha-jin were a nomadic people. They had spent most of their existence as hunter-gatherers in constant migration between areas. Even later generations that adopted animal husbandry retained semi-nomadic lifestyles. It was only when they found the lands of central Fire Country that they began to settle down permanently. Volcano eruptions had left the land soil rich and easily allowed for farming. The deity in charge of regulating the lava outflows was a then-young Huchi and the Konoha-jin worshiped her for giving them such fine land to live on.

The relationship would not be without its sore moments. Huchi's volcanoes gave the farmers of Fire Country the soil needed for them to grow their fruits and vegetables, but for that to happen the volcanoes had to erupt and destroy the existing land. At times the eruption of the volcanoes caused not only the destruction of farms, but the death of people who hadn't escape the lava flows path. At these tragedies the Konoha-jin protested against their goddess.

The goddess was ever patient with the young humans though. She knew that their lives were too short for many of them to comprehend the place of destruction in the perpetual act of creation. On occasion she might have to suffer hatred from one generation, but she endured it knowing future generations would give her tribute in return for her actions.

Eventually the people of Fire Country began to develop advanced technology. They no longer needed the rich soil provided for by the Fire Goddess. Their machines and new farming techniques could make trees grow in even the poorest of soils. The people of Fire Country began to forsake their old god. Why did they need her for now? They could emulate her powers without the destruction. Newer generations became increasingly neglectful of her and eventually worship to her was seen was only a novelty to be done on holidays. Eventually even these token dates of worship were removed as the people abandoned all acts of worship as nothing more than the silly superstitions leftover from the 'dark ages'.

One night the goddess grew tired of her mistreatment and caused her volcanoes to erupt in a great storm of fire. Entire villages were flooded by lava flows, including the jewel Hidden Leaf Village. No province of the country was spared punishment. The eruptions grew so fierce that at times it seemed as if the heavens themselves were raining the red lava. The goddess was not without her mercy though and she ceased her volcanoes after not too long.

Her mercy was not without its price. She warned the people of Fire to never neglect her again. Should they once more believe themselves capable of replacing her with metallic machines she would not hesitate to make them relive the horrors of the red floods. For a time it seemed as if her warning had been taken to heart and the people of Fire returned to simpler lives.

Human memories are limited in the end sadly. In recent years the promise has been broken by those who have created the new Leaf City. Shrines and temples to the fire goddess remain, but their maintenance is poor. Once more the people have shunned away the old ways in favor of heartless machines. Increasingly there are reports of an angry aged woman, wearing the mark of the fire goddess, walking the city streets and preaching the people to remember their pact. Only time will tell what will happen next.[/spoilername]

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Path of the Kingslayer: Enishi’s Journal, Entry 4
- Yukimura Enishi, 1 SE
{Copyleft}

Seryuu lies naked on her side in my bed only a hand’s breath away, a profoundly content expression on her face as she sleeps, perhaps enjoying a dream or simply the oblivion of true unconsciousness. I am a lucky man to have bedded her - she is a beautiful woman by any objective measure, and I have heard that she is quite popular and her company sought after. The sheet draped over her outlines the sinuous curves of her hips, and falls just short of covering the delicate pink buds accentuating each breast like a jewel on a silken mound. Such a sight would inflame most men with desire, and yet I sit here scribbling in my journal instead of gently awakening her for a fourth bout of lovemaking.

The reason I am not is because I also burn with shame and conflict despite the urges inflaming my loins. I admit to myself, and to My Lady who will read this journal someday, that I was not thinking of beautiful Seryuu in our shared moment of clouds and rain, but that I was thinking of you, Lady Kiyo. That while our bodies writhed in climax and she moaned my name I…whispered yours instead of hers; her face with eyes hungry for me and ringed with her white-gold locks became your face framed with golden red hair and that for a second, you looked at me with actual desire and not merely the inscrutable expression you deign to give me even as you torture me with hints and innuendo that I know are meaningless but nevertheless suffer to hear. Damn you, Raikage Kagetsu Kiyo, for you have afflicted me, and although I may take solace in the arms of other women, I cannot forget my longing for you.

I realize, my lady, that I am getting ahead of myself. I know that you will demand an explanation for why I feel this way about you. But was it not you, my Lady, who once told me that one cannot control love and desire? That it strikes the powerful and the impotent equally, and causes men and women to act outside the bounds of rationality? Yes, I know you are our immortal Kage, and that I am merely a child compared to you, but nonetheless I have been struck by something I cannot reason with, cannot negotiate with, and above all, cannot dismiss. Yes, I curse myself for my weakness, but at the same time, we were always taught by Akira Saito’s example: that desire and suffering are inseparable.

I have now been sharing with you the experience of your wondrous library for an entire year. Over this year we have engaged in possibly the most seditious activity in Lightning Country and Kumogakure short of going missing. Because of you, I have now read the works of Locke, Diderot, Voltaire, Franklin, Montesquieu, Kant, Rousseau, and even Nietsche. I have listened to the entire catalog of Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Gershwin, and Stravinsky. I have gazed on the works of Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Munch, and Picasso.

And yet as you have altered the very fabric of my soul and led me to cast aside all of my old reservations and the very foundation of my beliefs as a shinobi, how could you have been blind to my own growing affections for you as we laid next to each other, drowning in the heavenly strains of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony? Or perhaps you are indeed toying with me, My Lady. Because you did not pull away when I held your hand, and you did not slap me when I pulled you in to kiss you, but rather stayed in my embrace before looking away with a deep sadness and telling me to hold for now. How long is “for now,” to an immortal like yourself, My Lady? For you, forever is but a moment to blink your eyes.

I waited for as long as I could, My Lady, but when Seryuu also took me aside and confessed to me that she had been watching me with desire for the past year I…I gave in to my tortured longing and her beauty and naiveté and swept her into my arms and into my bed. I have sinned against her, however, because she is only a proxy for someone else. I have become a base human being. I know not how to atone.

{Back to Book Index}​

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Apocryphal Raikages, 1st Ed.
- Countess Bakunin, 1 SE
{Copyleft}

PREFACE

The below is an attempt by myself to chronicle the Raikages that preceded Kagetsu Kiyo or for whom references exist in apocryphal texts, but are not canonically listed. It is bad habit of sorts for us Kumogakurians to treat the hidden cloud village as starting with the 1st Raikage of the Modern Era Kagetsu despite there being a considerable history beforehand.

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Yamada Yuki - The Linguistics Raikage
[spoilername="Yamada Yuki"]An early Raikage best remembered for overseeing the village and nation's shift from the use of Kumogakurian to the Common language. During his reign the Classical variant of the language had degenerated into the Vulgar variety. Fearful of this representing a cultural decline he attempted to revive the classical variant at the cost of suppressing the vulgar language. The unintended consequence of this was to encourage the learning of the Common language by the masses. Today the Kumogakurian language, mostly the Vulgar variety, is spoken by only a few and the Classical variant is known by no more than a half dozen people.

Despite his administration being responsible for the loss of the Kumogakurian language he is viewed favorably by modern linguists. He did manage to preserve the classical variety and pioneered the development of linguistics into a proper science. He is also viewed favorably by the Chosŏn nations of Bear & Marsh. His suppression of Vulgar Kumogakurian allowed the Chosŏnŏ language to replace Kumogakurian and ferment a seperate national identity for the people of the southern peninsula. Raikage Yamada Yuki could be argued to be the national founder of the Chosŏn nations in a way.

Little else is known of his reign.[/spoilername]

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Historical Survey of the Hidden Leaf Village for Year Zero
- Oishi-Showa Yogi, 1 SE
{Copyleft}

It has been approximately two years since the Hidden Leaf Village, known locally as Leaf City, was made the capital of the Republic of Fire. There have been no notable events with the continued consolidation of power in the hands of the yakuza and their 'legitimate' front, the Corporation. The yakuza have thus far experienced no organized opposition. The labour unions and big business alike are overwhelming in favor of the private-public partnerhip.

Of note there does exist the Akazora, which are nominally the opposition to the yakuza. During the official coronation of the new Hokage, Yamaguchi Kami, they set the village in blaze. I write that they are the nominal opposition because I suspect that they a honey-pot operation set up by the administration to see who is disloyal. It is curious that they set the village on fire, but did not actually succeed in killing any actual authority figures. If they are a legitimate opposition then they are a horribly inadequate one. Nor is it clear that the Akazora are actually opposed to the private-public partnership policies of the yakuza. It seems, to me at least, that they only oppose the fact that the Yamaguchi are the ones in control of the yakuza.

It seems that civil liberties have thus far not been targeted too heavily by the yakuza government. The fact that I can write these things is a sign to that. At times I cynically think that the only reason I am allowed to write freely is because no one reads my papers anyway. Ideas are only dangerous if people are willing to hear them.

Leadership:

As noted above the current Hokage is Yamaguchi Kami. Hasegawa Mana was appointed Medical Sennin late last year along with Umashiashikabihikoji (?surname?) as the Military Police Sennin. The Intelligence Embassy retains its previous leadership.

Linguistics:

The predominant language of the village remains Common. No cipher language has been developed thus far, although there are occasional rumors of one being under development by the top brass. The lower ranking shinobi use a variety of minor cipher codes for official business, but none are widespread.

Religion:

The patron goddess is the fire deity Huchi. I privately suspect that most of this city is atheist. The goddess' temples in the red mountains are largely abandoned and I scarcely find another soul worshiping there. You are more likely to find the people here at the hotsprings or the bar than the temples on the holy days.

Population:

Through my estimates I suspect that there is something of around 3,400 shinobi in Leaf City. I have no access to official records, and given the nature of the profession I may be horribly wrong in my calculations.

City Geography:

The northern barrier of the city are the Red Mountains, or the Hokage Mountains as they are known better as by tourists. This is the mountain range where the faces of the old Hokage can be seen, along with temples for the Fire Goddess Huchi. The area is beloved by tourists, but locals themselves do not seem to travel there often.

In the center is the Star Gazer, the largest skyscraper in the city. Here the Hokage and his officials have their office. Surrounding the Star Gazer are several other towers including the Siren Hospital. In turn these buildings are respectively the Exchange, where the commerce of the city can be found, the Housing district, and leading towards the Education district. Connected to, but distinct from the city center, is the Iron Road. The Iron Road is the industrial district of the city where both light and heavy factories can be found centered around the Epicenter. The Epicenter is perhaps best explained as being a portal to hell itself. One would think that all efforts would be put towards closing this portal to hell, but it provides cheap energy, so the industrialists are more than happy to allow the devil occasional entry to the city in exchange.

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