Kaguya Clan
Homeland: Mizu no Kuni;
Location of Clan Estates:
Clan Hidden Village Eligibilities: Kirigakure no Sato. [Meaning anybody who asks me to start an Kaguya character in a different village will get a flat out 'denied'.
Clan Head: Kaguya Asahanadayuri かぐや 薄いインディゴユリ
Clan Head's titles: Member of the Kirigakure no Sato Council
Clan Founder & Patron: Kaguya-Hime [By popular lore within the clan]
Clan Age: Ancient, Older than Kirigakure no Sato itself.
Clan Status within Kirigakure & Mizu no Kuni:
Clan Style: The Dances
Clan Emblem:
Clan Bloodline: Shikotsumyaku
The Kaguya are now and always have been the skeleton which Kirigakure has been built upon. While all Kirigakurans are seen as barbaric and noble in equal doses, the Kaguya have always been forefront amongst their village in this. As noble and beautiful as the starlit night, but as brutal and predatory as the things which come out in such times. Keenly beautiful and keenly hardy, they have always been the ones to volunteer for jobs which others would not do, or would not. As shock troopers or the last ditch bodyguards, they have always excelled.
So it is easy to forget that Kaguya as a clan may not want to be shinobi-nin, it is easy to forget that they are sacrificing for the village. It is easy to forget their worth, forget their contributions to the village. This forgetfulness was what lead to the near extinction of the Kaguya, as they rose up against their village in the year 1960 AA. Their rebellion was ill thought out if after thought, but it was for the same reasons so many others have rose up. They felt they were not given the proper respect their clan deserved, and as such sought to take it [in the Kirigakure tradition].
They were subsequently massacred at the hands of the Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura, and his followers, as so many other clans had been during his reign. While the history books of the time marked this as the extinction of the Kaguya clan, it was not. Their trump card and most fiercesome weapon survived, as did nearly half the clan. Because the clan's primary survivors were women and children, they sought to hide. In the countrysides of Mizu no Kuni and in plain sight within Mizu no Kuni, they did so.
For the time that followed, they contented themselves with this, survival. While they did, the villainous and rogue sennin of Konohagakure no Sato, Orochimaru, took the clan's secret weapon from the country, took it for his own purposes. While this fact did not escape the clan, they had no way to do anything to change it.
And so decade and a half passed, and they bid their time in hiding. They performed jobs which no one expected a Kaguya would do, and they survived. They survived and did more than even the great Orochimaru did in that way. In the year 1976 AA, when Orochimaru was slain by his pupil Uchiha Sasuke, the few remaining Kaguya shinobi-nin made the perilous journey through Mizu no Kuni and Hi no Kuni, to Denchi no Kuni and the laboratories of Orochimaru. After much exploration and investigation, the closest thing to a prize the clan could claim was found.
Remnant seed of their secret weapon, Kimimaro, and a way to be sure that in the future the Village Hidden in the Mist couldn't help but take notice of their clan. They returned home, with some groups of Kaguya traveling to Denchi no Kuni to look for more information and answers from Orochimaru's experiments. After four decades of selective breeding and careful work by the clan, their prize, their secret weapon, was present in quite a few more than one.
They revealed themselves to the Village Hidden in the Mist, and quickly showed themselves to be just as skilled as they had been before [and more]. With no hesitation, they were given their old clan estates and more, the Daimyo of Water Country himself offering them assistance and even a han of their own.
By the time 2012 AA had passed, the previous position of the Kaguya was all but forgotten. They were accepted as one of the most noble clans of Kirigakure, and viewed as a valuable asset to the village and to nearly any interest it might have. While the Kaguya had been great warriors before, the newest generation were something that perhaps not even the Hoshigaki could stand alongside in equal combat.
While the assumption of many is that the Kaguya are all a clan of bone manipulating, fast healing, stalwarts, only about half of the clan ever truly activate their clan's genetic gift, and less than tenth actually master it. It is something which some of the clan easily come to terms with, but others struggled with. It is also the reason for the settlement within Otogakure by some Kaguyas. Those breakoffs sought to increase their chances to gain the bloodline by finding more of their clan's 'secret potion'.
For ninety five years this virtual split of coming and going 'Oto Kaguya', was allowed, the Kirigakurans even welcoming the trade the brought and the access to the village some of the Kiri Kaguya were afforded because of their Otogakuran cousins. But in the year 2107, when the invasion on the known world by Kumogakure no Sato occurred, the Kirigakuran Kaguya, the 'head' Kaguya, suffered heavy causalities. Both in defense of their homeland and in defense of their clan, the Kaguya died in droves, as the Kumogakuran forces and the quickly formed NCIA moved to wipe out the Kaguya Council of Heads, and cripple the clan from being a true obstacle to the occupation of Kirigakure. The result was for the remaining Kaguya leadership to send out a call for all Kaguya, Kirigakuran or Otogakuran, to return to their ancestral homeland, Mizu no Kuni.
And so they did, and they went back to the existence they had been forced to live for decades. Those whom could escape the grip of the Kumogakuran Empire and the NCIA went to hiding. For the three years which the Resistance Kirigakure no Sato and Mizu no Kuni fought a shadow war against their NCIA occupiers, they were integral in the efforts of the resistance, and in it's survival. As the three years passed and the children of Mizu no Kuni and those within the country whom would support them rose up, the Kaguya clan struck in force, as did many of the other Kirigakuran clans.
It is now said that without the Kaguya clan, the village may well have fell during the revolution, and those words have contented the children of radiant night over the last five years as they rebuilt.
Clan Size: Moderate Estimates place the Kaguya clan at dozens of families. No accurate census has ever been taken, primarily because of the nature of intra-clan politics.
Training & Youth: The training of the Kaguya varies greatly from family to family. While some families within the Kaguya insist every one of their children go down the path of nindo and see themselves as the launching point, other families of Kaguya do not actively train their children at all, simply placing them in the Kirigakure Academy when they are of age if the child wishes it.
As a result of this greatly varying attitude on training [and thereby discipline], the children of the Kaguya clan have very varied youths. Some of them rarely ever see their cousins, while others are allowed to play with them daily. Popular [and endorsed by the clan] activities for youths include gymnastics, martial arts classes, dancing, fishing, reading, and painting. They are endorsed primarily because it is seen as positive for children to engage in those activites, as they may learn core virtues and strengthen themselves from them.
And despite the fact the majority of the clan seeks to do good by their children, the hands off approach by the clan's leadership allows for some very 'messy' situations to happen at times.
Clan Head, Clan Leadership & Customs in regards to the clan: Up until the Kumogakure War, the Kaguya Clan was a mostly democratic unit, with the head of each extended family forming the 'Council of Headship', and each Kaguya family, regardless of Kirigakuran or Otogakuran allegiance, having a say. This was the obvious byproduct of the events of the original attempted extinction of the Kaguya, and after the Kumogakure War began, it ended.
In part, it was because only one or two of the members of the Council of Heads survived the assault on the Kaguya Clan's Compound, and in part because those surviving members felt the Clan would do better with a singular head for the clan to look upon and admire.
The eldest of the surviving Heads, a man known as Kaguya Ezenji, was immediately declared the Clan's Head, but as he died during the course of the war, his second cousin and the eldest daughter of the old Head Family stepped forward to become the clan head.
In the six years since then, Kaguya Asahanadayuri かぐや 薄いインディゴユリ has been a bulwark of the clan, helping those within her clan who needed help and leading both militarily and in civilian matters.
Clan Cuisine: The Kaguya clan does not produce much of it's own food, so it has no preset mandates as to the eating habits of it's clan. Kirigakuran staples, such as noodles and soup are popular, as are vegetables, fruits, and high protein meats.
Colors: Bone White, Blood Red, and Royal Purple.
Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, or Genjutsu?: Taijutsu is the most famous and often most favored tool of the Kaguya Clan, but the people of the Kaguya clan have been known to have skill with weapons, ninjutsu, tools, and genjutsu. In nearly every field of nindo, they have been known to excell.
Opinions on 'breeding outside the blood': Varies by the family, but many families view it as 'weakening the blood'. Others welcome it.
Interactions with the other Clans within Kirigakure no Sato: The Kaguya clan have varied relations with the other clans of Kirigakure no Sato. This leads back to a slight mistrust of them for not arising alongside the Kaguya during the Kaguya insurrection, and also an innate feeling of beauty and superiority many Kaguya are bred with or fostered to feel.
With the Hoshigaki Clan, they have fierce rivalries. This is primarily because both clan's have similar skills in battle, and because they compete for similar positions, inside and outside of the shinobi field. The rivalry is deeply ingrained in the two clans, from the days when they were both favored as shock troops and people would try to act as if they planned to hire one clan or the other for such a job.
With the Hisame too, they have fierce rivalries. As the Kaguya compete with the Hoshigaki for jobs as shock troops and bodyguards, they have always competed with the Hisame as bodyguards and Assassins. While they have such a rivalry with the Hisame, their rivalry is less filled with derogatory remarks or ill looks than with the Hoshigaki clan. This is amplified with the respect they have for the Hisame's skills, and the similar near extinctions they have suffered. The Hisame are the only Clan which the Kaguya do not openly see as unsuitable for being 'upper nobles'.
With the Umikoi Clan, they feel mostly friendly, but also feel at odds with. Their sense of honor almost feels that it should feel insulted at the Umikoi's donation of lumber to rebuild the Kaguya estates, but they also buy a lot of food from the Umikoi Clan. Further still, the Umikoi clan did generally go out of their way to help them. Some Kaguya dislike the Umikoi and feel they're upstarts, others feel brotherly towards them. The standing on if the Umikoi should be considered 'upper house' or 'lower house' nobles within the village is only a moot point by the numbers of the Umikoi at the moment. If the numbers were lower, there might be clambers in the Kaguya Assembly that they should not be considered an upper house.
The Dokukito, too, are offered varied feelings by the Kaguya clan. While the Kaguya Clan's leadership openly respects the poison producer's benefits to the village, many of the Kaguya Shinobi-nin feel that it is beneath the village to use poison, and further still that the Dokukito are untalented cowards who hide behind clutches for victory. It is rare that any Kaguya will openly express this, however, out of etiquette. While they are a highly skilled and very old clan, the Kaguya clan seems to be split on if the Dokukito should be considered 'upper nobles' or 'lower nobles'.
The Suizuma are upstarts with interesting powers, in the eyes of the Kaguya. While they have potential, it is limited, and so too is their benefit to the village. This extends into the thought that while the Suizuma are a noble clan of Kirigakure no Sato, they are a 'lower house', of the village.
The Kolyma are the only clan within the village which Kaguya unilaterally dislike, and many hate. The simple answer to the 'why' of this is that the Kolyma are foreigners, established only a decade ago, and encroachers at that. Their religion is strange, and most things about them are strange.
Despite the commonly joked stereotype within Kirigakure no Sato, that is to say, “All Kaguya are Albinos with red eyes from thick inbreeding”, the Kaguya clan's features are often very varied. Hair color, eye color, and even palidity are very much variable by the parents of the child and by chance. There are some common things which Kaguya do often have:
Eyes: Kaguya eyes are typically somewhere in the spectrum from Lavender to Dark Blue or from Bright Green to Forest Green.
Height: Because of their tremendous healing powers and it's effects on their growth, very few Kaguya are short. In fact, many in the clan end up being over six feet by adulthood.
Paleness: Paleness is often seen in Kaguya, though if it is genetic or from those particular Kaguya's lifestyle is not easily discernible.
Kaguya Kimimaro [Deceased]
Alias: N/A
Shinobi Rank: Chuunin Equivalent
Specialization: Kekkei Genkei/Taijutsu
Information: Kaguya Kimimaro is the often remarked on 'favorite member' of many people within the Kaguya clan. His tragic story is somewhat lost to the century of time that has passed, but it is known by the Kaguya Clan that he was the one who helped the clan better find their Kekkei Genkei.
Kaguya Ezenji [Deceased]
Alias:
Shinobi Rank: Jounin
Specialization: ????
Information: Ezenji was one of the greatest leaders the Kaguya have had in recent times. While serving as both a dedicated soldier of his village, he also guided and shielded the majority of his clan from the havoc of the war. He was one of the primary leaders of the resistance under Sei Ryu, as well.
He was also one of the sensei of Umikoi Warrusu za Shichi and Umikoi (Nee Serasaki) Kaysu.
Kaguya "Hyakushiro" Okute （かぐや ”百白” 晩生 [Deceased]
Alias: None
Shinobi Rank: Gennin
Specialization: Taijutsu/Kekkei Genkei
Information: Okute was one of the many gennin who served the Kirigakure resistance during the Kumo War/Grand Civil War.
Kaguya Kenzen [Deceased]
Alias: None
Shinobi Rank: Gennin
Specialization: N/A
Information: A Kaguya child whom was pressganged into the NCIA forces. His exact whereabouts and story are unknown to the majority of the clan beyond that.
Kaguya Kumiko
Alias: None
Shinobi Rank: Chuunin
Specialization: N/A
Information: Another Kaguya child whom was pressganged into the NCIA forces. She however betrayed the NCIA after being thought dead, and made her way to Kirigakure no Sato and Mizu no Kuni, where she worked for the Resistance and went on to participate in the Seige of Nigiyakashufu.
Kaguya Katsuo
Aliases:
Shinobi Rank: ????
Specialization: ???
Information: A Kaguya bastard child raised primarily by his grandfather. He went missing before the Kumogakure War, and worked with various Resistance cells over that time. He resurfaced shortly after the Seige of Nigiyakashufu.
[Category: Clans] [Category: Kirigakure Clans]