Mageruhi Clan

The Mageruhi hail from Kaminari no Kuni and reside in Kumogakure no Sato. While their unique hijutsu is often called Light Release, it is in fact not that. Their hijutsu is called Hikari Sōsa, or Light Manipulation. 
== Ideology ==
For as long as the clan has existed they have held true to a single belief; that is to be useful. In times gone by that was helping one another to better their families, village or businesses. Essentially the Mageruhi operated as a single body comprised of numerous cells that were their members.
This belief however has evolved over the many years however. While the original goal of the clan was merely to be useful and to help one another a gradual, but prominent change took place. That change was the competitiveness that began to creep into the clan.
Where they had previously strived to better one another's lives the members of the clan now worked to prove they were better than their kinsman, to prove that they were more useful than the others. This more self-centered way of thinking brought significant boosts in the abilities of the clan as clan members strived to learn and be capable of more with the previously weak abilities of the bloodline.
Now hundreds of years later the clan members find their abilities heightened, but their clan divided. Where they previous worked towards a common goal the clan has become saturated with backroom deals and house politics as multiple families try to outdo one another and assume the role of Lord Prism and in doing so be named as the best of the clan.
== Clan History ==
The Mageruhi's origins are debated by many individuals. Some say they were blacksmiths looking for a material stronger than steel, others say they were scholars who watched the stars and yearned to hold the light of them in their hands and others still say they were nothing more than masons and carpenters who merely wanted to build. The truth of the matter is that they were all of these things.
While few people know it, the Mageruhi were never a single family or clan. Rather Mageruhi was the name of a village in the far North of Kumogakure where light shimmered across the sky in a dazzling display, appearing so close on their mountain home that it seemed one could almost reach out and take hold of it.
These Northern lights played a large role in what the inhabitants of Mageruhi village would become. All of the village's inhabitants loved the lights, many of them staying out late to watch them with their neighbors, friends and family. After a long time this act of watching the lights helped the villagers form a bond with one another. Slowly villagers began to simply help one another with what they needed rather than charge money.
It was never an official barter system, rather villagers came to one another as they needed something and were simply given it. Farmers gave food freely, smiths repaired tools whenever required and scholars would copy books whenever asked to. The villagers lived in blissful harmony for hundreds of years.
In that time, many of the villagers and families formed various desires. No matter the profession, the villagers talked of how their job would be easier if they could harness the power of the lights which had always inspired them. Until this time though, these had merely been fleeting thoughts that simply were unattainable.
This was a new age however, the age of ninjutsu. While the news had been nearly fifty years late in reaching them; the villagers began to learn about the powers of ninjutsu that had been preached by a particular sage who was said to be capable of creating everything from nothing. It was upon hearing these stories that villagers began to consider their dreams. Weapons and buildings made of light; crops that would feed upon light no matter what time of day it was.
With these dreams fueling their dedication the best minds of the village started to learn and practice ninjutsu. While they soon understood the basic elemental techniques they discovered they were unable to capture the light with their chakra no matter how hard they tried.
Rather than give up though the clan members merely took a step back and began to theorize on how they might capture light with chakra. This question was examined for a hundred years before a man named Hikuzen figured out the answer. Over the course of twenty years he treated his body and the bodies of other ninjutsu practicioners with chakra in a very specific manner.
Utilizing chakra and very aggressive medical ninjutsu, Hikuzen was able to transform the DNA of those involved slowly, but surely. After a few decades Hikuzen's process paid off and a clan member was able to slow the waves of light with their chakra to the point where it became solid. It lasted only for a moment, but it was enough to prove his method worked.
Fast forward another fifty years and on Hikuzen's death bed he was treated to a display from the grandchild of one of his test subjects solidifying a small amount of light into a blue stone which remained solid. Hikuzen died with a smile on his face, knowing that while he might not get to see it, that his friends and family would soon be able to wield light just like any other tool and with it build everything they had always talked about.
It took dozens more generations of treatment for villagers to progressively make their ability to capture and solidify light stronger and stronger. After nearly twenty generations though, their chakra pathways had been modified enough that clan members could regularly create enough solidified light to create bricks or tools.
It was with these creations that the villagers began to become more famous with their neighbors as people spoke of the abilities they held. Soon enough the artisians of Mageruhi village were contracted to make tools of war for the forces of the Daimyo. Swords that looked of blue glass, with a slight yellow-blue glow eminating from them; armor that was harder than ceramic, but as flexible as rubber. In return for this the Daimyo provided all the resources the villagers ever needed, soon all the villagers traded away working the fields of crops and such for creating objects from light.
With this change from a quiet rural village to a hub of trade based around their solidified light the members of the village became associated as a single group rather than individual families. Such was how the family names all faded away until the inhabitants were simply know as the Mageruhi rather than its citizens.
It was shortly after the villagers, now clan began to work for the Daimyo that the Daimyo started another project; the creation of a shinobi village in response to the one made by it's near neighbor Hi no Kuni. Naturally the Daimyo turned to the Mageruhi as master artisans to construct the Daimyo's new village which would effectively act as the military hub and ninjutsu training hub of his country.
When the Mageruhi asked where they would build the Daimyo pointed to their village, stating that his village would share the home which had inspired them to such great feats. Honored, the Mageruhi began the slow process of expanding their village to cover the neighboring mountains and valleys. They built the village not for the people that would arrive, but rather built for the future and ensuring there would be enough space for all those in the coming years.
Buildings, walkways, bridges and streets were all made of solidified light. Naturally, some of these were covered over with murals of paint to ensure that the buildings could not be seen through, but the majority were left in their more bare state and instead were flourished with other colors of solidified light and were either carved or embossed to have beautiful designs.
At the end of all of it the village was named Kumogakure no Sato, for the only thing that touched such light were the clouds themselves and while the Mageruhi were not made the masters of the village; they would always be among its most respected members with clan members occasionally being referred to as "The Builders" a title of respect for the clan who sacrificed its home to make a home for everyone.
== Clan Hierarchy ==
Unlike many clans, the Mageruhi have a extensive and well developed hierarchy they rule their clan member's lives in both day to day and far reaching matters. This hierarchy is broken up into two factors, position and ability.
=== Position ===
First up is the position one holds. These positions consist both those assigned by the village, but also include a handful of positions within the clan. Generally positions assigned by the village are used as a deciding factor between two individuals with the same position within the clan, although certain positions such as being the Raikage bypass the ranks of the clan entirely.
The highest rank within the clan is that of the Lord Prism. Effectively this position acts as the head of the clan, making all final decisions when a ruling fall under his jurisdiction. He also acts as the public voice for the clan and commands the clan's impressive monetary fortune. While raised from one of the other lord positions, the Lord Prism is supposed to be of all colors and it is for this reason that generally the rare few who are capable of utilizing all of the color aspects of the Mageruhi usually come to hold this seat.
The next highest position within the clan are the Lords of Color, named such as each Lord acts as the head and example of the color aspect they represent. While there is one lord for each of the seven color aspects, there is an eighth Lord of Color. This lord represents the clan members who are incapable of utilizing any of the clan's color aspects. It is for this reason that this lord is referred to as Lord Black, for the color black is simply the absence of all color. While the seven other Lords of Color oversee any clan members who utilize their color aspect, Lord Black oversees the ungifted clan members and more importantly oversees the various business ventures of the clan and helps to ensure the clan continues to make a steady profit.
Below the Lords of Color are both the Light Guardians and the Instructors within the clan. The first of these are shinobi of the clan who have been tasked with defending the clan's compound as well as the various Lords of Color and the Lord Prism. As such their authority is second only to the Lords of Color and Lord Prism, as their duty to protect the clan and it's holdings effectively make them a self contained police force. As for the Instructors, they are merely clan members who are especially gifted at teaching and have been granted an extra stipend from the clan's coffers in return for their teaching younger clan members what they know. While their authority only extends as far as the class rooms they are in charge of, they are often given additional respect from other clan members.
Near the bottom of the totem pole, but being one of the more heavily populated we have the warriors of the clan. These consist of clan members who have undergone shinobi training and are either active or retired from Kumogakure's forces. While not given special treatment by and large, they tend to live in the quarters on the outer part of the clan's compound so as to act as a buffer for the clan's compound if it were attacked. Additionally they are usually given a fair amount of respect by the next two castes of the clan.
Next to last are the Builders of the clan. This caste consists of clan members who have undergone training in the use of their abilities and have either chosen not to follow or were unfit for the life of a shinobi. Instead they have dedicated their abilities to building and maintaining the structures around Kumogakure and in doing so ensuring the Village in the Clouds is also one that is nearly indestructible and boasts a second name as the Village of Light.
The final caste within the Mageruhi clan is comprised of those that were not gifted with the clan's abilities (often called the ungifted) and those who have not completed their training and as such have yet to choose or be assigned to the builder or warrior castes. Being in this caste is both a blessing and a curse to a certain extent. While those with the gift undergoing their training escape any real issues, those that are not gifted face acting as servants for the majority of the clan. They clean and maintain the compound (when it doesn't fall to the builders) and also are expected to run businesses and pay part of their earnings to the clan's coffers. The only bright side however is that the warriors and builders are expected to lay down their lives before allowing one who is not gifted to be harmed. This lesson is driven into members so diligently that while a warrior might disrespect and insult the ungifted outright or even purposely make their lives harder, they're among the first to jump to their defense if they were attacked.
=== Ability ===
While not as important as the actual ranks of the village or the castes of the clan, a clan member's ability and power with the gifts of the clan also play into where they fall within the clan's hierarchy to a certain extent.
Originating before the clan was part of the village, the combat prowess of a clan member or simply their capacity with the clan's ability acted as a way to decide which of two who held the same status was the "superior" of the two in terms of giving orders or being treated as the weaker one's better.
The usage of such a measuring device might allow one warrior to order a fellow member of the warrior caste to sharpen his sword or to take his shift patrolling the grounds. A further example would be one builder utilizing this difference in power to make a fellow builder follow his orders on how a wall should be constructed.
While this practice is often times considered barbaric from the viewpoint of an outsider looking in, for the members of the clan it is simply second nature and is taught to the children unknowingly until it is as ingrained as the practice of defending the ungifted.
== Clan Practices ==
There is a single practice within the clan (apart from their hierarchy) that needs to be mentioned. This is a test that every clan member undergoes at some point in their lives. The test consists of three parts. Each of these parts plays a fairly vital role in the future of any clan member and at times clan members might openly weep should they fail to get an outcome they had hoped for.
The first test, is having a clan member arrange eight thousand tiles. There is one thousand tiles for each color represented within the clan's symbol; these colors being blue, green, orange, red, violet, indigo, yellow and black. These thousand tiles range from each color's lightest shade to it's darkest. Clan members are forced to place all of these tiles in perfect order from lightest to darkest. If they fail to do so perfectly then they are automatically disqualified to ever be an instructor, light guardian or lord of light. Furthermore, it almost always ends with them being made a member of the builder caste, but not always.
The second test is for the clan member to be lowered into a pit. Over the course of their entire life they are told by family and friends that if they fail this test that they will be exiled from the clan entirely if they are not just executed outright. The reason for this is to instill a sense of fear for the test, with this often being reinforced by one of the proctors of the test making a comment about how they can force the clan member to fail or have them die from an accident during the test right as they are lowevered into a pit barely large enough for the clan member to fit in.
While in the pit clan members are subjected to various genjutsu which essentially act as a mental assault against them. This is once again to ensure a state of fear during the test. The reason that fear is such an essential part of the test is it causes the clan member's eyes to dilate to their maximum capacity in most cases which makes determining what colors of light the clan member can solidify. As they are in the pit, flashes of different colored light are cycled through with a camera recording changes in the clan member's eyes. 
To keep the testee from questioning the purpose of the test, the test utilizes a single rope connected to a bell hanging just within reach of the clan member within the pit. Should they pull this rope the test will be ended immediately and the clan member will automatically be denied access to anything, but the builder caste. Should the clan member last at least one minute they will be permitted to be part of the warrior caste. In the entire history of the clan only three clan members have lasted the entire ten minutes with Mageruhi Giri being one of those three.
The final test is simply for the clan member to be brought before the council of light and the lord prism. There they are asked varying questions; with the lords of light and lord prism simply asking whatever comes to their mind (although some lords tend to ask the same questions every time.) It is at this point that the lords of light and lord prism will either decide to forcibly place the clan member or decide to let the clan member choose and perhaps offer a suggestion. The logic behind this is that certain personalities and traits are better suited for certain castes and as such, clan members sometimes have to be forced into the caste they will be most useful in. It is only when a clan member would apparently be equally useful in either caste that the lords of light and lord prism give them a choice.
== Hijutsu ==
=== Hikari Sōsa ===
While the abilities of the Mageruhi are occasionally referred to as the "Light Release", their abilities do not involve the elements in any way and as such are not an actual release. Rather the members who harness the abilities of the clan have been born with a specialized chakra system and somewhat unique eyes.
==== - The Eyes ====
While the Mageruhi's are no where near on par with the other fabled doujutsu of the world, they do have two key abilities residing within their eyes. The first of these is the clan member's ability to change the dilation of their eyes at will. While this could come in handy and allow them to effectively never lose their night vision when switching between lighting areas, its true purpose is so that a clan member may observe the most amount of color and light that they are capable of for use in their jutsu.
The second and last ability concerning a clan member's eyes is their eyes' inability to be scarred by exposure to light. A member of the clan could quite literally stare directly into the sun for hours without being affected from overexposure to the UV rays. This is also used in conjunction with their clan abilities, allowing them to look upon any source of light to draw colored light waves from.
==== - Unnatural Chakra Paths' ====
While the chakra paths of a Mageruhi might look normal at a glance for those who can see them, upon further inspection an observer would notice that the paths have a rather large connection to the Mageruhi clan member's eyes. Additionally the functionality of these chakra paths is slightly different than normal.
This primary difference is that the waves making up light are capable of passing through the Mageruhi's eyes and actually entering into their chakra path where they will either dissipate naturally or if the clan member wishes, can be converted into a physical substance by utilizing the chakra to slow the wave lengths of light until they take on physical properties. This process is referred to as drafting by members of the Mageruhi clan. 
After this process is complete, the clan member is capable of forming these materials wherever their chakra is capable of reaching. It is for this reason that many, if not nearly all clan members focus on developing their chakra control so as to be capable of pushing their chakra much further away from their bodies than normal. Once their chakra is pushed out where they wish it to be, the light waves will be instantly slowed to form the material and from there will maintain that form unless a Mageruhi utilizing chakra to break it apart into normal light again.
Lastly it should be noted that this process carries with it a significant drawback however. By performing such complicated transformations within their chakra paths, a Mageruhi alters their emotions depending on the color compound they are creating. While this can be used to the user's benefits at times, it is more often a hindrance, impairing the judgement of the clan member with the bias of whatever emotion they are being forced to experience from the color. Furthermore over the course of many years, these emotions start seeping into their normal personality, with those who utilize one color in particular over others often taking the emotion or mental state associated with that color as their own personality.
==== The Hijutsu ====
There are seven types of components, there being one for each color of the light spectrum known to man. As such these are blue, green, yellow, orange, red, indigo and violet. Each of these compounds innately carry their own various properties after being created within the user's chakra paths.
==== Blue ====
The first color is blue, which is the strongest of all the color compounds in terms of hardness. It is many times harder than diamond, but at the same time though it is brittle to great kinetic force. A wall of blue might defend against a bolder thrown, but would generally have an indent and several cracks. Blades made of blue are without equal in terms of sharpness, able to cut through even other metals such as iron or steel or even stone.
The uses for the blue compound are very extensive, with clan members able to craft armor, walls, projectiles and stairways from it as needed. The emotions associated with blue is a pure and cold logic, the need for order and rules, as well as a highly inquisitive nature. While using the blue clan members feels the need to understand why something is happening and may very well stop fighting if they do not understand something. At the same time though jobs of a tedious nature or that require it be done perfectly are solved far more easily while harnessing this.
==== Green ====
The next color is green, this color compound is second in strength only to blue, but unlike blue which is unyielding, green is flexible and can be quite springy. One could easily compare it to a flexible ceramic, save that it is far, far stronger than either ceramic or rubber could hope to be on their own. The uses for green are nearly endless; it could be added to a clan members legs to increase the height of their jump; clan members could be covered in it head to toe, the green compound repelling blunt attacks against it. It should be noted that if the coating of green is made thick enough it can stop and capture projectiles that are sent towards a clan member and by coating the projectiles in the compound they could be fired away from the clan member.
All in all green is the most versatile of all the compounds and it's uses range vastly. The emotion associated with it covers a vast amount of emotions, but to summarize it in one word it is wildness. Clan members will become extremely impulsive and will constantly improvise which can prove useful, but also reckless. At the same time while using this clan members will not truly be able to recognize orders, commanding officers or any authority. They will simply do as they please until they releases hold of the green compound within their system and let it dissipate. While it is arguably the strongest of the solidified light it is also the most dangerous to use.
==== Yellow ====
Yellow is the next color compound, it might very well be considered one of the weakest of the compounds on its own, but strong when used in conjunction with others. Yellow's main strength is that it can repair any of the other compounds. For example, if a blue wall were to have a hollow space with yellow filling the middle, if it took damage the yellow would repair the cracks in the blue at the cost of itself. That is not its only use however, for all intents and purposes yellow is light in liquid form, sometimes referred to as bright water by those who have seen it. When a clan member wishes they can have the liquid revert back to its natural light state, this allowing for bright flashes of light that can blind people. The emotion associated with yellow is that of balance, users are perfectly in balance with all of their emotions and while they registers their emotions they can choose to ignore them if they must. This is perhaps the safest of all the colors to use.
==== Orange ====
Up next is orange, which is the heaviest of all the light compounds. Its main property though is how slick it is, with it being thousands of times slicker than ice or grease. In fact it is so slippery that friction of an object moving over it becomes nearly zero. This allows for very large objects to be pushed with the smallest of effort and also can make it difficult for people to walk let alone run. Only those of the Mageruhi or with the proper knowledge can truly move fast while on it and that is by making spikes of material on their feet to stab through the orange and if those spikes are also made of the orange compound a clan member could slide their foot and stab it in, doing so in a quick succession to effective skate on the orange surface as if it were ice. The emotion associated with orange is a very powerful empathy with others and a slight fatherly attitude, additionally users of orange often find their selves more artistic in nature, especially when utilizing the color compound over the course of years.
==== Red ====
Red is one of the most dangerous of compounds, arguably the most dangerous if you base it just by its properties. It is extremely sticky with close to one-hundred times the adhesiveness of tar, with only the concentrated application of vinegar able to dissolve it without also setting it aflame. It is also in the form of a thick viscous goo. The truly deadly aspect of this red goo is the fact that it is extremely flammable, burning at temperatures a little higher than napalm, but not as hot as thermite. The smallest of sparks can set this off, even a warm coal could set it off. This makes it extremely dangerous to enemies, but also extremely dangerous to clan members as if a spark went off while they were forming it near them it could burst into flames consuming them. The emotion that comes with this is a quick temper, arrogance and a vast love for destruction.
==== Indigo ====
Indigo takes the form of a heavy powder, almost like sand. This sand is incapable of being compacted into any sort of shape and appears useless save as a filling material in a wall or the various other potential uses sand might have. The truth of the matter is that Indigo is perhaps the most useful out of all the seven colors, at least for the village. The indigo sand displaces chakra that comes into contact with it, like water displaces heat from a body. This is not to say that the sand is immune to chakra based attacks, but it will weaken them considerably. More importantly, Kumo has found the sand extremely useful for imprisoning shinobi as it keeps them drained of chakra to the point where they're barely able to stay alive.
==== Violet ====
First up is violet, the main strength of which is that it is impossible to see with the naked eye. Being at the highest end of the spectrum it is impossible to see save for if someone is using a violet colored lens, focusing on a specific area and even then it is barely visible. It is also extremely light, having little more weight than air itself. Apart from this, it's other strength is just that, its strength. Generally it is used in thin threads and these threads are stronger than the best shinobi wire. Combine that with the fact that it is extremely thin (as thick as a sewing thread.) This enables it to be used as a razor wire against charging troops, but it can also be used as just a thread attached to a target to keep track of them or even to act a guide line for a projectile made from one of the other light compounds. The emotion associated with violet is a removed outlook on life, accompanied with appreciation for irony and sarcasm.It should be noted however, that doujutsu such as the sharingan or byakugan are capable of seeing any chakra within the string while being formed or held. If it is simply placed and left there though, they will be at the same disadvantage as other individuals.
==== Drawbacks of the Clan's Gift ====
First of all, the largest drawback of the clan's abilities is that due to their unique chakra pathways, Mageruhi clan members are unable to utilize any form of elemental ninjutsu and have extreme difficulty even with non-elemental ninjutsu. [Effect: Unable to use elemental ninjutsu / double xp cost for non-elemental / double chakra usage for non-clan ninjutsu / must have chakra control to use non-clan ninjutsu]
Furthermore, due to the way the light release twists the emotions of the user, prolonged use of any one or two colors will gradually change their personality over the years. While this might be useful for some of the colors which have the least impact or drawbacks from the emotions they bring; for users of the green, red and orange these can be extremely hurtful to the clan member's lifestyle.
Lastly, clan members have to be able to see colors to utilize their abilities. Effectively the clan members can not pull light from white, grays, brown, tan or black colors. The only exception to this is through the use of colored glasses which allow the user to pull that color from white and gray colors. Furthermore a Mageruhi is only able to produce as much physical light as there is color to pull from. Meaning if the only blue in the room is a small flower then the clan member will only be able to produce a small amount of blue at a time. It is this weakness which is used for any Mageruhi who has been imprisoned, as their cells are fitted with black walls and pure white light which makes it impossible for them to utilize the light release.
==== Perks of the Clan's Gift ====
Due to their heavy reliance on their clan's jutsu, the Mageruhi are able to learn their own jutsu more easily than anything else. OOC'ly this translates to a 50% reduction in the cost for their clan techniques.
Category:Clans
Category:Kumogakure Clans
Category:Hijutsu
Category:Kaminari no Kuni