Kuma Clan

The Kuma Ichizoku is clan of fisherman and warriors who service the bears of the smoky bear mountain. Though they have a speckled past, they have become known for their notrious strength, speed, and courage. Rumors have begun to surface about the clans ancient bear curse.

## History

### origins

During the early days of the ninja world, before the birth of the sage of six paths, there was a village of fisherman who serviced the bears of the smoky bear mountain. In exchange for their kindness, the bears would seek to repay them and would begin to teach the village the power to harness their senjutsu to use for defense and construction. However, this became a tedious task and each year, each family would send a son to learn the ability.

During the era of ninshu, following the defeat of kaguya, the village would send a class of 20 sons to learn the power of bear senjutsu. Out of the class 7 would return with the ability to weild such greatness.

This would be the largest success in the periods history and the 7 would go on to help build the village hidden in the bears. They would also each take the monkier of sage, becoming the seven sages of the bear.

Torwards the end of the era of ninshu and the rise of ninjutsu, followra of the the sage of six paths would spread ninshu to the village hidden in the bears. The sons and wives of the seven sages would begin to use this ability to help strengthen the village more. Over time the pilgrimage to the bears to learn senjutsu became sacred and those who would take people on this journey would become known as the bear shamans.

### The warring states period

During the centuries long conflict, the village hidden in the bears would begin to loose their peaceful ways and foresake the desires of the bears to use their powers for construction and defense only.

Instead the villages believed that with the combined powers of ninjutsu and senjutsu they could rule the nation. This attitude wouldnt appease the bear shamans and they would refuse to lead anyone on the path to learn the bears sacred power. By this time it had become customary for the first sons villager to go on the journey. Typically the sons of the seven sages who now dynastically ruled the village would become the true and strongest wielders of the power, with the other sons diying during training.

### Warring states period—The Bear Curse

One year when the time had come for the first sons to go out on their journey, the shamans had refused to take them up the mountain to fulfill the tradition. This infuriated the oldest son, goro, and caused him and his peers to go back to the village. Unsatisfied and angered the sons would go to the seven sages, to demand the shamans be expelled from the village. But before they could make their argument, goro was told fatal news of his parents passing during a war involving the bear village.

This drove goro mad and in one violent outburst he proclaimed himself the sole leader of the village. Unable to challenge him because of their fragile age, the seven sages reluctantly made the decision to accept him as the leader and goro was made the first village leader.

Seeking an outlet for his pint up emotions, goros first action as leader was to declare war on the shamans. this conflict would go on to the be the bloodist in the villages history. When the smoke had cleared the village laid in ruins, the bears had ultimately won the conflict, but the villagers, who had been dwindled down to nothing but a small tribe of warriors, all decendants of the seven sages, had also survived the war.

Ayumi, the oldest of the shamans had also survived the conflict. Completely driven mad with bloodlust, Goro had awoken an ancient ability of his clan; the Shroud of the Forgotten Bear.

Ayumi and Goros battle changed the landscape of the entire mountain and last for nearly 3 days—in the end it would be Goro, half alive, who would survive the final battle. On her death bed and unable to finish the fight, Ayumi used the last of her power to curse goros bloodline, thus the bear curse was born. In exchange she suffered the price of the technique and became a bear totem.

Following the conflict, Goro was brought to the ruins of the village, which was now the shore of a massive lake. There with the help of the last village survivors he would be healed and ultimately live on for many years. Unable to fight again, he would go on to level out, becoming a wiser leader and give birth to two sons.

When the eldest of the sons began to exhibit the traits of the curse, it startled many villages and even goro himself. Fearing that this was the bears doing, the son was exiled into the mountains.

### Age of villages

Many years after the bear curse, the village hidden in bears would be rebuilt on the bank of the lake where the first village was buried. Around this time the bears and the new village leader had made peace and began to continue the forgotten traditions of servicing the bears in exchange for their power.

The decendants of Goro continuing to carry the burden of the bear curse would continue to live in exile, eventually learning from the bears how to control this power.

### Modern era

The Bear Totem of Ayumi exists in the newly built Shaman Temple which exist in the center of great bear lake outside the village hidden in the bears.

Hakobune (箱舟, Ark) the last decendant of Goro and the seven sages departed from the village as nomadic warrior seeking to befome the strongest warrior and prove his ancestors strength.