Hiraku || Takigakure

[Hōzuki Sato]

HIRAKU

Alias: The Monks of the Waterfall
Country of Origin: Taki no Kuni
Current Location: Takigakure

Members:

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CHARACTERISTICS

Unlike most shinobi clans, birth, marriage, and adoption are not the exclusive means to which one can join this extended family. Instead, this clan exists only in name, as their residence is that of a monastery within the walls of the Waterfall Village. Any and all who wish to become part of this family are welcome to do so, as their ways of peace and enlightenment encourage  them to accept people of every gender, of every age, and of every background.

It is important to know, however, that the shinobi of this clan are not those typical to a village. Instead, they are those who practice pacifism and tranquility among others, only coming to arms if it is the only option given to them.

They are known as the ninja monks (ninsō) of Takigaure.

The disciples of this clan usually take residence within the clan's provinces of the monastery, and will wear clothing akin to that of ninsō; while they may wear jumpsuits or protective vests beneath, all of these monks will wear traditional robes and sashes as is custom to their clan. Prayer beads and other talismans may be seen adorned upon their person as well. While it is common to see ninsō whose heads have been shaved, such dedication is no longer a requirement within this clan.

This clan does not believe in leaders, only in guidance through experience and wisdom. Thus, there is no true clan leader deciding the actions of their clans, only the elders and wise men within the monastery to advise the youth in their actions. However, as they are still shinobi, the monks hold their obligation toward the orders and decisions of their village head.

Members of the clan are required to perform daily prayers, especially before one would ever do battle (or even spar) with another person. These prayers are for the safety of both the user and their enemy or, if death is a necessary outcome, that the souls soon departed find peace within the Pure World. Even if they defeat the enemy, it is in hope that the shared conflict was a lesson to be learned by both parties. 

BACKGROUND

Ninja monks have existed since the dawn of shinobi, but have been scattered throughout the nations for the sake of inspiring enlightenment all across the known world. These monks strayed from loyalty to villages, as they wanted to part in the wars they would wage between one another, instead choosing to act as a reminder of what things could become in the state of tranquility.

However, it was by the Fourth Shinobi World War that a monastery of monks residing within Taki no Kuni had realized that whatever peace obtained from these wars were short lived, and that conflict would continue to exist through neutrality and pacifism. Thus, it was decided that the monks would take their loyalty to their country's head village in order to directly administer their peaceful ways. While they fought for the Waterfall's sake, they would seldom kill. Instead, they believed that defeat and conflict should be lessons learned by the afflicted. 

War continued to bleed the countries, discouraging the monks of the path they walked when faced before the inevitability of violence. It was then that the elders of the clan constructed special techniques, ninjutsu that followed the beliefs of the ninsō, which ultimately worked to teach its wielders the absolute meaning of self sacrifice and pacifism. For the last three centuries, this practice has continued on, as numerous shinobi began to learn these lessons. It was a path to peace.

A path to enlightenment for the entire world.

LEGACY OF POWER

Satoridō [Path to Awakening]

The special chakra of the HIraku Clan holds an arguably spiritual property to its use, though in truth, it is a destructive energy that many would fear if they knew its true potential. This chakra works to break down the structure of one's body, starting at the cells, in order to release energy from its bonds, which is added to its user's overall life energy--and thus stamina. The more of one's body that is destroyed, the more energy is returned to its wielder. In short, the ninsō of the Hiraku Clan are capable of replenishing their life energy--and thus stamina--at the cost of their body's overall condition. It is the ultimate trade of body for soul, so to speak. Such an ability is reserved strictly for the use of jutsu, as idle use of the special chakra could potentially kill its wielder unneededly. This is the clan's form of enlightenment; sacrificing one's own well being for the sake of spiritual power in defending what one holds dear.

Kenshōdō [Path to Nature]

An antagonistic practice of the Hiraku Clan's techniques of peace, and in truth, is a form of medical ninjutsu. While the Path to Awakening trades the condition of one's body for the sake of life energy, the Path to Nature sacrifices the user's life energy and chakra for the sake of replenishing and repairing the body. In use, this path is applied to others more often than not, offering one's total lifespan for the sake of mending the wounds of another person. However, life energy is not something that should be wielded idly, and thus the path's abilities are limited to techniques. Even in practice, it is preferred that traditional methods of medicine and universal medical ninjutsu be applied before considering walking such a dangerous route as the Path to Nature. This path encourages those who walk it the other meaning of spiritual sacrifice; if one cannot defend what he cherishes, he can instead give it the chance to defend itself. 

[Hōzuki Sato]

Path of Awakening

KAI: GANRIKI [RELEASE: INSIGHT]
C-RANK || NINJUTSU || HIDEN || SHORT RANGE || SUPPLEMENTARY

The simplest use of the clan’s power holds the least amount of threat to the user's livelihood, though this can only be said if it is used less than five times. A small amount of cells, spread evenly all throughout the body, are broken down and converted into life energy, granting the user a surge of stamina as if they had just consumed a soldier pill. The benefit of this jutsu is that its use does not count toward the limitations involved in consuming the rejuvenating pills, though it houses its own issues. If used more than the recommend number of times, the user will begin to cough up blood as their muscles and organs ache, with further use impairing their timing and physical abilities. This jutsu is accompanied by a small release of steam rising from the body, symbolizing the first step into enlightenment: releasing one's mind from the body.

KAI: CHISHIKI [RELEASE: KNOWLEDGE]
B-RANK || NINJUTSU || HIDEN || SHORT RANGE || SUPPLEMENTARY

The next step of enlightenment, in which the bodily destruction resumes and increases within typically unused parts of the body; fat reserves, layers of skin, storage organs, etc, generating a great amount of life energy. Despite the immense pain they will bring upon his or herself, the user will have massed enough stamina to quench their base supply. If the user was ever near the brink or felt completely out of stamina, a simple use of this technique would bring them back to one hundred percent. Due to the sheer amount of danger it poses to the user, its use has been limited to two uses at most, as any further would practically kill the user. This stage of the enlightenment process represents that of returning to oneself in order to observe their placement within the world. When in play, this technique causes the user's body to seemingly erupt with energy, their chakra crackling from their body like a blue ethereal flame. Even if the body is hampered through its use, this ability can save its user's life.

KAI: REIFUKI [RELEASE: SPIRITUAL FREEDOM]
A-RANK || NINJUTSU || HIDEN || SHORT RANGE || SUPPLEMENTARY

With oneself and their world in perspective, the user is ready to transcend the boundaries of their existence and onto the next. Abandoning care for their health, the user will swiftly and dangerously convert lengths of skeletal muscle, skin, blood, and even bones all throughout the body in a gradual degradation, generating enough life energy that a shock wave of the energy strong enough to knock others nearby off of their feet. Their energy, turned chakra, seems to shake and crack the earth around them, generating it in such mass that the user's body becomes saturated in their blue and fiery chakra. While their body is damaged greatly, the user would have amassed triple the stamina of what they normally have. The user is not advised to use such a technique more than once, as even a single use puts enough strain on the user's body to put them out of the field for the remainder of the day, with each additional use adding a week to the time they would spend in the hospital. This technique is usually as far as most clan members choose to take their learning, as the last step is both incredibly dangerous and difficult to control. 

KAI: NYŪMETSU [RELEASE: ACHIEVING NIRVANA]
S-RANK || NINJUTSU || HIDEN || SHORT RANGE || SUPPLEMENTARY

When push comes to shove, a Hiraku clan member will saturate their entire body with their chakra, causing a very slow but thorough degradation of its biology while simultaneously generating life energy. The process is one considered to be very beautiful, as their chakra-infused beings glow bright blue and seemingly evaporate their chakra-converted selves as time goes on. In this state, the user is constantly breaking their body down in order to create life energy, using the chakra saturated within them to act as a mold that keeps his or herself from falling apart during its use. In truth, the massive volume is due to the chakra constantly being created rather than in a single burst like the previous techniques, giving the user a seemingly endless supply of stamina so long as this is in play. However, no matter how long the jutsu is used, stopping its catastrophic effects will cause the user to fall near the brink of death to which they would require immediate medical attention. The longest anyone has ever been able to withstand the jutsu's destructive power and survive was a minute, demonstrating just how dangerous using this technique is. It is said that if one uses the jutsu for any longer, if one breaks his or herself down to the fullest, they will turn into dust; they would free their spirit and achieve true nirvana.

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Path of Nature

TENSEI: SHIN [REBORN: TRUTH]
C-RANK || NINJUTSU || HIDEN || SHORT RANGE || SUPPLEMENTARY

A portion of one's life energy is converted into a remedying chakra, either in the user's body or in another's through touch. This energy carries miraculous, albeit weak, regenerating abilities for whoever it affects, working to either gradually repair or recreate cells throughout the target's body, mend deep flesh wounds, or simply give a dying target enough energy to breathe easy for a short period of time. While not entirely too taxing on its user, he/she will feel a great weight of fatigue befall them, even after a single use. Life energy, after all, is not something to waste so easily. This technique is a gateway ninjutsu for the lessons of the Hiraku's teachings, showing just what the sacrifice of oneself can achieve: it shows them truth. 

TENSEI: HONGEN [REBORN: ORIGIN]
B-RANK || NINJUTSU || HIDEN || SHORT RANGE || SUPPLEMENTARY

With the use of an even greater amount of life energy, the user is capable of healing his/herself or the body of another, with enough prowess to mend even mortal wounds in moments through miraculous regeneration. Punctured organs and ruptured muscles are recreated and sewn back into a functional form through this energy, bringing even mutilated targets back into what could be considered their prime; even if exhausted of all their chakra, when used on another person, the technique can bring someone back to one hundred percent. However, its toll on the user is far too great to use with ease; this sacrificed life energy makes up nearly a quarter of its user's longevity, with four uses marking the user for certain death. 

TENSEI: KYŪSHI [REBORN: CESSATION]
A-RANK || NINJUTSU || HIDEN || SHORT RANGE || SUPPLEMENTARY

A mass of life energy is gifted to the target's body, enough to be considered nearly half of their natural lifespan. The hair of the user may whiten if they are of great age, their features growing weary and worn if held out too long. This life energy is capable of regenerating parts of the target's body, even those long lost; an entire half of a person's body can be regrown from the use of such a powerful technique. Such a technique can even give another person longer life on top of healing even the most grievous of their wounds. It is part of the ultimate sacrifice, a technique that few within the clan learn, and even fewer ever get to use. 

TENSEI: SEIRO [REBORN: PATH OF RIGHTEOUSNESS]
S-RANK || NINJUTSU || HIDEN || SHORT-MID RANGE || SUPPLEMENTARY

This is considered to be a technique of great sacrifice, using the entirety of one's life to preserve the life of another. Life energy is constantly released into or from the user's body through contact, or even through the air, and into the body of the one(s) they wish to aid. While it cannot bring the dead back to life, an act that would defy the laws of nature, it can give new life to anyone who would otherwise have no chance to life. Diseases, poisons, even old age will be cured by such powerful life energy, while any and all wounds received will be healed. The user can only hold out such a technique for up to a minute before their life would escape them, this provides those afflicted by the technique with a constant ability to regenerate any wounds they may receive almost instantly, even regrowing severed limbs at a great rate. Rather than sacrificing one's body to give one's spirit great power, this technique uses the spirit to empower the body even long after it should be dead. Those who have used it in the past have done so for the sake of others, keeping their allies and loved ones safe in while they in turn die. 

[Nobe]

Alright, this took a long time to get to, but we're gonna be getting to it.

This is going to be quite blunt and straightforward. Neither of these paths make any sense. One destroys their internal organs, most of which are unable to regenerate to obtain 'Stamina', while the other heals their organs at the cost of their life span. Either way, the characters die. There's no amount of medical knowledge that'd be able to save them. What's more, the later levels of each just scream 'Hachimon' to me. Healing serious wounds near instantly? Yeah, I don't know many shinobi capable of doing that. Even if they dedicate their lives to this art.

While it's a unique and interesting concept, it really has no place here. I can't see it being used for anything more than boosting other characters.

I apologize for having this sit so long only to be shut down, but as of now the Hiraku clan has been Denied