Template:KG, Hijusu, trait/contract clanboxThe Souzouteki clan hails from Tsuchi no Kuni and their loyalties lie with Iwagakure no Sato. They are renowned for their skill as artists and their ability to bring their artistic creations to life. Their Hijutsu is called Boku Sosa no Jutsu, or Ink Manipulation Technique.
Ideology[]
"creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. art is knowing which ones to keep."
To the Souzouteki Clan, art is an expression of freedom, and the ability to live one's life as they will it is paramount to their beliefs. There is a deep bond of trust that goes through the bloodline of the Souzouteki Clan, as well as to those who join the Souzouteki Clan, that no action shall ever be taken by one member of the Clan to another member of the Clan that would ever remove the sanctity of freedom, either in life or expression.
The Souzouteki Clan, as a whole, has no true goal beyond the creation of the best art that they are capable of. The interpretation of that art is completely up to the user, so long as it does not infringe upon the ideas of freedom that the Clan holds so dear. If a Clan member is caught infringing upon these rights, they are considered to be outcasted from the Clan.
Clan History[]
The Clan would like you to believe that they were formed in an ancient country far away by a young man named Matsukura Kazutoki. Because of his kind heart and his good sense of character, the gods granted him a magical paintbrush that brought anything he painted to life. They want you to believe that Kazutoki used his brush only to help those who needed it. They want you to believe the story that Kazutoki used his cunning and his powers to free the country from the grips of a power-hungry and tyrannical Emperor. This is the story they will tell anyone and, due to the lack of a written history, that's the story they believe, but that story is far from the reality.
The reality of the Clan's history is much less magical and much more bloody.
Matsukura Kazutoki did exist and he did come from a country far away. But there was no magic involved in his drawings. He was an assassin-for-hire. He developed the skill in order to kill his victims. Infusing his ink with chakra, he was able to make the drawings leap off the paper they were drawn on. He created many things, from simple weapons which he used to kill his victims quickly, to animals that ripped and tore when he wanted to draw the kill out.
As the technique had never been seen before, and all that was left on the bodies were splashes of ink, Kazutoki went unblamed for the deaths for a long while. But in the underground, he flaunted the fact that no one could catch him. He gained infamy for his proficiency and the clients needing someone to be disposed of never ran dry. Frankly, Kazutoki got bored of easy marks after a while.
It all came to a head when he was approached by the retainer of one of the country's more powerful nobles. His master had a job for him. One that would change the structure of their country forever. His master wanted Kazutoki to murder the Emperor.
In the story, the Emperor was a cruel man bent on world domination. In reality, he wasn't the best ruler ever known to man, but he was nowhere near the worst. The noble simply wanted him dead so he could rise to power, and Kazutoki just wanted the thrill of killing someone so important. And the money being offered helped too.
Kazutoki was allowed into the Imperial Palace under the guise of another one of the noble's retainers, newly hired, as they explained to anyone who asked. It wasn't long before there was an opportunity for the Emperor to be caught unguarded.
Using his skills, he easily traversed the outside of the palace, bypassing the guards, and slipped through the Emperor's window, using a drawn snake to open the lock from the inside.
Once in, he makes quick work of the deed, killing the sleeping ruler with a weapon made of poisoned ink. It was quick. And it was painless.
And it was expected.
The noble had betrayed Kazutoki's intent and called the Palace Guard. The moment the Emperor was dead, the noble and guards all rushed in and caught the assassin red-handed.
He barely managed to make it out alive. Only his skill and his art allowed him freedom, but he was badly injured by the time he escaped, his drawing arm broken. He had no one he could turn to for aid and with the whole country after him for the bounty placed on his head, he wasn't able to stay any longer.
He fled.
Kazutoki left his home country and wandered for many years. His arm had never healed properly and, for some unknown reason, he was never able to bring his art to life again, but he could still draw. He used his talent in drawing to make a living as he traveled, changing his name to Souzouteki Hisoki.
Time went by and the traveling artist found his way to a small village within Tsuchi no Kuni. It was a peaceful little place, and having gotten on in years, Hisoki decided this would be a good place to settle for a long while if fate allowed him. At first, the villagers were curious about the foreign artist, but pretty soon, he and his drawings became a common sight around the village. After about a year went by, a group of shinobi made their way to the village while on a mission.
They were from the city of Iwagakure, a large village that had recently been formed by several powerful clans. Among them was Tantetsu Shiome, a young kunoichi. She showed great interest in Hisoki's art and asked if he would be interested in being commissioned to do some works for her family. Hisoki agreed and followed the shinobi back to the city once they had completed their mission.
The artist made himself comfortable in Iwagakure. Once he had completed several works for the Tantetsu Clan, he gained some fame for his art and eventually met his wife, Nikaidou Muma. While not a member of any of the founding clans, Muma was a talented kunoichi in her own right able to manipulate chakra with the best. She fell in love with Hisoki's art and, after meeting him, fell in love with the artist himself.
When they were married, Muma took her husband's name and they had four wonderful children. All were talented at creating art and all were talented at controlling their chakra. When the children began to train to become shinobi like their mother, Hisoki offered to teach them his old technique. While he himself could no longer use the technique, he was able to teach them to channel chakra into ink and bring creatures off the paper using them for offense and defense.
The children learned to control the technique and added their own flares to it. They taught it to their own children and they to theirs. Some mastered the ink manipulation, and some did not. These children weren't shunned for that fact but taught different ways to channel their creative natures.
After a couple of generations, the Souzouteki Clan had established itself.
Clan Hierarchy[]
While they do have a Clan Leader, the Souzouteki's hierarchy is all but nonexistent. The Leader is mostly a figurehead, only there to deal with other Clans and the attend Village meetings. They're elected by a Clan-wide vote, deciding as a group who would be best suited for dealing with politics or any other duties that may arise. Once chosen, the Leader has little power over each individual Clan member.
The Souzouteki trust the parents to raise their children and teach them the Clan's ideologies. If a child is orphaned due to circumstances, they will be taken in by other family members. When it comes to training the younger generations everyone pitches in to assist, even those who don't have the ability to manipulate chakra. Being able to draw and paint at incredible speeds is something known by all Souzouteki, and is an irreplaceable skill for their techniques.
Hijutsu[]
Boku Sōsa no Jutsu [Ink Manipulation Technique][]
This technique, characteristic to the Souzouteki, allows them to draws objects with ink onto their scrolls, which a majority of the Clan can do very quickly as they combine this with the clan's general trait of being able to quickly draw detailed drawings/writing. They flow chakra through their brush into the ink as they draw and once removed, the images will leap from the paper and act according to the user's will.
Speed Writing and Speed Drawing[]
From a young age, members of the Souzouteki clan are trained to write and paint at extreme speeds. Older members of the Clan can create extremely detailed drawings within a matter of seconds. This talent is key for those who wish to use the technique the Clan is famous for.