Sato Clan

*"All one needs in life is the earth, the sky, your family and a flock of sheep."*

The Sato Clan are a nomadic clan that travel around in the northern part of the Lightning Country.

## Traits

* Tanned:

Because of their life outside the Sato have a natural tanned skin.

* Good horse-riders:

It is said they practice before they can properly walk. Almost every member of the Sato-clan has a horse. It is one of the best giftst a child can get.

* Resilient:

Their outdoor life has made them capable of withstanding harsh weather pretty well. They also hardly ever get sick.

## History

Since the beginning there were clans that roamed through the Lightning Country, but where as most of them settled down in villages when they spawned there were several that kept the practice of traveling and living off their trade going. Two of these were the Sato and the Ariyama clan. Both clans were small with a limited amount of members. Both were herding sheep and shipped the wool, milk, cheese and meat to make a living. During that time the land was rather peaceful and the clans trived. The two clans didn't have much contact with each other except during the clanmeetings that were held every couple year. The Sato clan travelled every two weeks in search of grass for their sheep.

Nothing of extreme note happened in that time. The Sato travelled, the sheep ate. There was hardly any dispute in the clan and no real problems that couldn't be mended. Yet they were small and soon the realisation came that if they stayed as small as they were they would die out.

458 was the year that the Ariyama clan, a clan that had mostly been traversing the southern part of the Lightning Country whereas the Sato spend their time in the north, approached the Sato with a cry of need. Due to a skrimish at the border with the Fire Country the Ariyama had suffered great losses in cattle. Because the two clans were on good terms and had met several times before an agreement was made. Shunso Sato, the youngest son of the, at that time, current chief Takayuki Sato, was to marry Chie Ariyama, the daughter of one of higher ranked members of the Ariyama clan. Their marriage would seal the intergration of the Ariyama clan into the Sato clan, bringing profit for both and making the clan trive.

By the time that their first daughter was happily placing its first steps the peaceful nomad life was disrupted by the Great Shinobi War. Even though the nomads were not shinobi and didn't partake in the fights they were, of course, affected by this full scale war. To avoid the conflict the, now larger, Sato clan travelled north to avoid the coming storm. The pressure of war brought the need for self-defense and children and adults were thought basic taijutsu in case of emergencies. The Sato hid in the mountains only occasionally sending out people down south to gather news and resources they couldn't get themselves. And so they passed the war rather well.

Takayuki Sato passed away in 463, giving the leadership to his eldest son Masanori Sato. During his reign the war ended and the Sato could return to their normal travelling patern that now included spending more time in the south of the country.

A severe illness caught Chie Ariyama at the end of 471 and she and Shunso left the clan with their daughter to live in Kumogakure so that they could find a cure for her. In 472 Shunso returned to his clan without Chie and his daughter, whom he left behind in the city unable to sustain the closed space.

The Sato clan had a time of prosperity and relative normality. The Shoji Oppression didn't affect them much since they weren't a shinobi clan and weren't involved in fighting with them. They politely retreated from the conflict not picking a side.

475 was the year that Shunso's daughter returned temporarily to the clan along with Shunso's illegitimate daughter Kiyomi Hon, who would start calling herself Kiyomi Sato-Hon after their encounter. Due to the fact that, unbeknowst by Shunso himself, the Sato clan now was the source for two Jinchuuriki the Fifth Raikage has taken a great interest in the clan's comings and goings.

## Members

* Masanori Sato (NPC - Fieryfly)
* Shunso Sato (NPC - Fieryfly)
* Chie Sato-Ariyama (NPC - Fieryfly)
* Midori Sato (Fieryfly)
* Kiyomi Sato-Hon (Aliceee)

## Techniques

None. The Sato are not a shinobi clan even though they have brought forth people that now serve the shinobi forces.

## Traditions

### Nature Worship

The Sato believe that everything in nature around them carries a form of life force/energy. Nature and man are irreversibly connected through this force. When someone passes away he or she will become part of this energy and thus become one with natural force once again. For those who have lived a specific life it may becomes possible to become a nature spirit, a spirit that will live in a specific mountain or a specific tree and will guard this tree. The Sato have many a tale about such spirits and the wrath they can bestow on those who harm the natural element they live in and protect.

### Remembrance Day

*16 March*

On the 16th of March the Sato pay respect to their ancestors and recently departed. Because they are a nomad clan they don't have proper burial grounds to bury their dead. To keep them in their memory and to keep paying respect to them they have one day a year on which they send their blessings to the spirits that now live on in other form. One spends this day with the family and send little strips of paper up into the air so that the words might reach the departed wherever they are.

### Summer Solstice

*July*

The Summer solstice marks the day that the sun lights the world the longest. This day is customary celebrated with large bonfires, good food and drinks. The kids like it because they are allowed to stay up until the sun completely sets which is far into the late hours. If they are up north during that time it might happen that they only have a couple of dark hours.

### Nomad Clan Meeting

*Every 2 years - Third Week of August*

Every two years the nomad clans meet on the fields in the south where there is a bit more space then in the mountainous area. This is a meeting to exchange goods, to meet people, gossip and mix cattle. It is also a time where the leaders talk about new happenings in the past years. The event takes about a week because the clans never arrive at the same time.'

### Winter Solstice

*December*

The Winter solstice marks the day that the world is the darkest. The Sato huddle around the fire and eat the traditional lamb stew made by their best cooks. During this day the tales and legends that surround the Sato clan and the Land of Lightning are told.

## Relations

* Other Nomad Clans: Good Relations

Because of the clan meeting that is held every two years, the Sato clan maintains good relations with all the nomad clans. They have to, since they depend on those other clans to provide them with resources they themselves have no direct access to.

* Hon Clan: Good

Kiyomi Sato-Hon once brought the leader of the Hon Clan, Zakito Hon, to the Sato camp. There Shunso Sato and Zakito had a good chat about their differences. As it stands now, their relations are only growing in a positive way, especially due to the fact that Kiyomi is part of the Sato and Hon clan.