Wanijin Clan

## Appearance

The Wanijin are a race of bipedal reptilian people, who range from totally monstrous in stature, to slender and very nearly human.  They can be found in a variety of tonal patterns and with all manner of fins, horns, frills, and ridges about their bodies which, along with their facial features, seem to be related to some sort of caste system.  The details of which have yet to be explained.  In addition to their claws and polyphyodontic teeth, some Wanijin are capable of unhinging their jaws, allowing them to swallow food and objects larger than their own heads.  This is useful because of their naturally slow digestive systems and lack of chewing teeth, which require they only eat once a week.  Nearly all Wanijin have tails, which are typically flattened like a crocodilian's and about as long as their legs; they can aid in swimming and be used as sturdy weapons of taijutsu.

In very rare cases, male Wanijin have been proven capable of breeding with female humans, and the children born possess few of the typical Wanijin traits; instead, they usually have reptilian eyes and pale, greenish skin.  For the most part, they pass off as normal humans.  Because female Wanijin produce clutches of eggs to birth purebreeds, hybrids involving human males seems impossible.

## Traditions and Culture

Wanijin culture has been demonstrably family based, though families seem to corroborate into larger, commune-esque units, which can be as numerous as several dozen.  Finding a mate typically occurs around 13 or 14 years of age, and there are cultural taboos concerning Wanijin that do not mate and produce offspring, which can be as many as 10 per year.  Males and females seem of equal importance, which is reinforced by the notion that a Wanijin should be capable of any and every necessary skill that the community might need.  If they don't know it, they learn, and if they do know it, they teach.  Despite Wanijin reaching physical maturity earlier than humans, their lifespans seem comparable, with Wanijin edging out humans for longevity only slightly.

Wanijin-speech is rather complex, with no established forms of writing and always taught at a young age.  It involves croaks, hisses, and clicks, with special emphasis order, duration, and repetition.  Wanijin were able to learn human-speech after significant exposure, but many still have yet to utter a syllable.  In fact, because of their reliance on trust and community efforts, the Wanijin have developed methods to check if another member is lying.  The technique cannot be defeated like a polygraph, and because of this ability to keep each other in check, Wanijin are very honest with each other.  Its use for interrogation and espionage is a true perversion of its original intent.

Finally, Wanijin are known in shinobi culture as being incredibly talented henges, which seems to relate to their basic need for camouflage, as they do not utilize typical dwellings.  For the Wanijin, this was simply life, and some who are brought to Sunagakure resent being desired simply for the sole purpose of espionage.

## History

Following the 1st Great Shinobi War, Sunagakure began a directive to explore new territories westward.  They stumbled upon the homeland of the Wanijin, who approached them with a cautious sort of curiosity.  Deeming them savages, Sunagakure forces attempted a conquest of their lands, to which the Wanijin violently opposed.  Many Wanijin were enslaved as war effort labor, and the conflict resolved in part thanks to Wanijin sympathizers, who managed to teach several of them human-speech.

After a nearly yearlong conflict, a peace treaty was formed, in which one of the terms required the Wanijin to send a small group of their young each year to be trained as Sunagakure shinobi.  In exchange they would be allowed to keep their lands and way of life without further issue, as well as establishing (rarely used) trade routes.

After so many years of sending conscript forces to Suna, the number of Wanijin in the hidden village numbers roughly 40.  The small population represents a variety of ages, including mated and young adults, as well as pubescent children.  Because of Sunagakure's specialized training protocols, many Wanijin abilities that were once benign are now used for nefarious purposes.  While not openly aggressive towards their human peers, many Wanijin look at them with an odd combination of curiosity and disdain.  Many of their human peers are not fond of the Wanijin presence in Suna either, and many Wanijin choose to adopt clothes that otherwise mask their appearance, such as burkas, robes, and mummy-like bandages.  While this doesn't always make them less conspicuous, sometimes it serves to keep everyone just socially comfortable enough to get by.

Variety of facial archetypesCeremonial garbVery rarely, Wanijin appear with hair.Not so different looking, eh?