Kuzashi Clan

History: The Kuzashi are a Clan that has been around for several centuries. They were one of the driving forces behind the unification of the several clans that made what is considered modern day Konohagakure. The Kuzashi have always been known for their connection to the leaders of the Land of Fire. Because of this they are often looked upon as though they receive special treatment; and while if you were to say this to any of it's members you may get a snide remark, it isn't completely untrue. The Kuzashi were given a large piece of land for their clan to live on and it is rumored that they have hideouts throughout the Land of Fire, a gift from the Daimyo.

The Kuzashi have always been good at Katon Jutsu. Most of their clan were even capable of utilizing what is now called the Scorch element; a powerful form of Fire Release. While this used to be the extent of their abilities they have picked up other skills over time.

In the beginning the Kuzashi were a fairly small clan. Despite their size though they were powerful and proud. Over the years they began to exercise this strength and started to forcibly assimilate other clans into their family. This is what has given them all of their unique abilities to date. At one point many years ago they started a conflict with some of the other large groups in the Land of Fire. It was during this war that they discovered some of their new abilities. It was not enough though as they had made too many enemies during their campaign. Some of their strongest warriors were lost during these battles and along with them, the secrets of the more advanced abilities of the clan. 

When they became an active member in the creation of Konoha they had a lot of things to answer for. Because of this the generation at the time spent much of the clans earned wealth to help build the Village and it's economy. The clan leader at the time signed an agreement stating that because of the damage caused to the other clans the Kuzashi would pay a certain amount of money each year to the Village to make up for it. Aside from this they were also required to volunteer their shinobi to participate in several missions. At this period in time the Kuzashi clan was led by a level-headed, reasonable man who managed to convince his clansmen that these requirements were acceptable. They had to pay their dues. This went on without incident for several years.

Tensions came to a boiling point however when a B Rank mission went wrong. The Hokage had composed a group of Kuzashi's best shinobi for a simple B Rank mission. Minimum risk was reported to be involved but there was some blank spots that the client couldn't fill in and it seemed that the Hokage didn't want to push the matter. Weeks went by without a report. A team of ANBU were sent to investigate a full three weeks after the mission had started. This angered the Kuzashi clan but they waited to see the report. It was found that every member of the team that was sent to complete the mission had been murdered or was missing. The clan demanded to speak with the client about why he had reported it a B Rank mission. However the Hokage informed them that the client had disappeared and was unable to be contacted. At this time the Clan accused the Village of staging this mission to kill the heads of the Kuzashi clan to eliminate them. They also threatened war on the Village.

After some small skirmishes outside the Village and some very aggressive discussion an agreement was reached that appeased the Kuzashi. All their former debt was considered paid and they were free to act as an independent clan within the Village again. Even though they had made peace there would continue to be bad blood between the clan and the Village for many years to come.

Biological Traits: In terms of physical traits the Kuzashi only really have one that is shared by most members of their clan. This is not a hard and fast rule but almost every member of the Kuzashi clan has green eyes. The color of green does sometimes vary, depending on which branch of the family a person belongs to but it is usually emerald green. Seeing a full-blooded Kuzashi without green eyes is incredibly rare but not unheard of.

When the clan was first formed they were known for their proficiency with Fire Release Jutsu. As the years went by this evolved into an art form and the clan has developed many unique flame based techniques. It is not uncommon for even their academy students to start learning Katon techniques, which is years ahead of many other genin.

After their aggressive expansion campaign they acquired many more traits as well. The most common throughout their clan is their natural defence against fire. While they can't physically withstand fire the burns that occur after the fact are quicker to heal. Hardly ever will a burn be life threatening to a member of this clan and they don't normally scar due to one. This prevents any permanent damage from fire based attacks but unfortunately provides very little extra protection from the initial attack and burn. That said, their bodies to have a natural resistance to heat, and can survive in much higher temperatures than a normal human being.

The Kuzashi have also attained one other special biological trait that occurs naturally in only some members of the clan. Some clansmen are capable of producing a noxious gas in their lungs through a unique chemical reaction with a naturally occurring bi-product in their respiratory system. Using their chakra they can create a large amount of this gas and breath it out to create a lingering cloud in the area in front of them. This gas is not poisonous but burns the respiratory system as well as the eyes and will irritate skin. This is useful as a distraction but not much more.

Kekkei Genkai: Shakugan | Shakuton {Scorch Release} (Apps pending)

Hiden Jutsu: None as of current; will develop some techniques in the future

Additional Information: The Kuzashi Clan is open to anyone originating from Konohagakure no Sato.

Heirarchy – The Kuzashi believe that all members of their clan are equal and status is usually determined by power. There is a main branch of the family and they tend to produce the strongest shinobi however this isn’t always the case. There is a clan elder who is usually the oldest member of the clan (though if the second or third oldest held much higher status they will usually be regarded as the elder instead) and day-to-day decisions are made by a council of the most powerful and eldest members of the clan.

Relationship with Konohagakure – There is a lot of mistrust between the village and the clan. Most members of the Kuzashi are raised to believe that they are superior than standard shinobi in the village and are taught that it is more important to defend their family than it is to protect the village. Despite this they are still respected by the residents of Konoha, if for no other reason than their incredible power.

Diet - While the Kuzashi don't have their own special "diet" per say, they are known for their incredibly spicy traditional dishes. So much so that it is often joked that their resistance to fire is directly related to this history of eating spicy foods.

Ceremonies - The Kuzashi have two special ceremonies that they consider sacred. The first one, 'The Bath Of Fire' is still performed to this day. The second one is considered to be lost and forgotten and hasn't been performed for over a century.

The Bath Of Fire
This is a coming of age ceremony, often associated with the activation of the initial form of the Shakugan. Traditionally this ceremony would be performed on all boys and girls in the clan when they reached their tenth birthday. However today it is usually only performed on those who have successfully been admitted into the shinobi academy in Konoha. It is also optional now (unlike when it was first performed) and the parents of the child can opt out of having it performed on their son or daughter.

To perform this ceremony the child is soaked in a special chakra infused oil and made to sit in the center of a room, in the middle of their clan symbol which is painted on the floor. Four of the clan's top members will stand at one of the four points on the symbol. Once this is set up the child will be required to recite a passage from an ancient text that is considered sacred to the Kuzashi which is believed to have been written by the founders of the clan. This text states that a Kuzashi will stay loyal to their brothers and sisters for eternity and will always fight to protect the family. It is basically a swearing of allegiance to the clan. Following the reading of the text, a mantra will be chanted by the four members outside the symbol. This chanting will be continually repeated until the ceremony is over.

The final and most important part of the ceremony takes place once the four members believe the child is calm enough (this can happen immediately after the text is read but can also take several hours, as this serenity is crucial for the success of the ceremony). The four members will activate a secret jutsu then simultaneously breath green fire on the child. This will ignite the oil and the flame will burn for different periods of time, depending on the individual. This flame isn't hot and it won't cause any lasting burns but it can be painful (sometimes excrutiating) to some. The purpose is stated to be that it will burn away any impurities in the child. As the flame burns, it mixes with their own chakra and this is said to be the reason that they are so talented with fire style techniques. It is this fusion of chakra that is also said to awaken their Shakugan, though there have been some members of the clan to come out of this ceremony without the added benefit of their kekkei Genkai.

The Second Ritual
Very little is known about this ritual, as the records of its use have supposedly all been destroyed.