Shinobi

**Shinobi** (忍び) is an archaic term that precedes the modern term Ninja.

## Classifications

There are three Classifications for shinobi:

* **Good Shinobi** (善忍, *Zennin*): The general term for Shinobi who work under the government to further national interests. They do not use their powers for personal gain, and will always help other good shinobi. Good Shinobi are trained in a specially designated academy. Graduates are then sent on missions by the national government. Most missions involve protection, espionage, and other various tasks of national interest. They're sometimes also asked to do dirty work like assassinating enemies of the state, so the label isn't as clear cut as it seems.
* **Evil Shinobi** (悪忍, *Akunin*): The general term for Shinobi who work behind the scenes, typically for corrupt businesses or politicians. They are trained at clandestine schools to mercilessly preform any task at the client's request, no matter how illegal or dirty. Though a client's orders are absolute, Evil Shinobi are generally so devious that it's not uncommon for them to turn on the client. In truth, they act only in their best interests.
* **Renegade Shinobi** (抜忍, *Nukenin*, also called **Rogue Shinobi**): Shinobi, good or evil, who have been exiled from the shinobi world and marked for death.

## Ninja Arts

**Ninja Arts** (秘伝忍法, *Hiden Ninpō*), also known as Secret Ninja Arts, are the secret shinobi techniques that exhibit a paranormal power by embodying a creature imagined within the mind. Ninja Arts are based on a shinobi's mental ability. The body is merely a tool used to execute them. Shinobi can only learn skills when their body is powerful enough to keep up with their mind.

When you summon, it can be anything you want. It doesn't matter if it's a real or imaginary creature. However, the summoning is greatly affected by the person's innate characteristics or in other words "compatibility." This is also the reason why some shinobi can summon more than one creature. If you try to summon at random, chances are the summoning will be a failure.

Sometimes, one's family line has a bearing on one's summoning beast. The trend is particularly strong in families where there are more than one generation of practicing shinobi.

Secret Ninja Arts can be through the use of weapons or fighting styles, elemental affinities, summoning ninja animals, and many others, but not limited to only one thing, as one can attain the ability to combine the types, like an affinity imbued weapon.

### Applications

* **Weapon**: Those who practice use of specific weapons can use them as part of the art.
* **Affinity**: Those who use raw elemental (or non-elemental) energy as an attack.
* **Summon**: Those who use the abilities of their summon to aid them in their assault by summoning the creature itself.
* **Self**: Those who use themselves as part of the art and temporarily gain new abilities and potentially altered fighting styles. Some may even take on characteristics of their summon creature.

## Physical Prowess

Shinobi have noticeably more physical capabilities than a normal human being, able to execute feats of strength that would be otherwise impossible for a civilian, even at relatively low levels of skill. For example, their ability to jump and their above average speed. Shinobi are capable of leaping many times their own height and permitting them to clear buildings and structures, especially when moving across rooftops or traveling through trees.

## Trivia

* Female shinobi are called *onna-no-shinobi*​ (女忍 woman shinobi ), or in modern times, Kunoichi (くノ一).