In the entry lobby of the Torre Celeste, a large, leather-bound text sits proudly in the center upon an ornate wooden stand. Here, both Cloud inhabitants as well as visitors may peruse the history of the village as told through the lives of its leaders, the Lightning Shadows of Cloud.
The history of a people is often best summarized by the history of their leaders. The remarkable irreplaceable individuals who assumed the monumental task of leading their compatriots to an uncertain destiny amidst great adversity and even greater personal cost. The Raikages or “Lightning Shadows”, of Kumogakure no Sato are among the most fascinating individuals in the history of Kumo and for that matter Kaminari no Kuni itself; and we are honored to bring you, dear reader, their stories.
The victors write the histories, of course, and although this book attempts to tell the stories of these men and women without bias, it is inevitable that some prejudices will surface as the inevitable cost of transmitting stories of the past to the people of the present. We have attempted here to describe not only the Raikage’s achievements, but also their personal motivations and emotions, because we must not forget that even leaders are fundamentally human.
The authors wish to thank the Council of Kumogakure no Sato for exclusive access to the protected records of the village as well as the regrettably small number of former still-living Raikages who offered their stories, criticisms, and corrections.
Most of all, however, we wish to thank you the read for allowing us to tell you these tales, and impart our perspective on the history of Kumogakure. The best possible protection from repeating the mistakes of the past is to study them, and by studying them, prevent them. You, dear reader, are the best hope for the future.
-Takagi Masao
-Nakamura Akihiko
Raikages of Kumogakure
A history of shinobi leadership
Takagi M. And Nakamura A
Historians of the Shogunate
A history of shinobi leadership
Takagi M. And Nakamura A
Historians of the Shogunate
The history of a people is often best summarized by the history of their leaders. The remarkable irreplaceable individuals who assumed the monumental task of leading their compatriots to an uncertain destiny amidst great adversity and even greater personal cost. The Raikages or “Lightning Shadows”, of Kumogakure no Sato are among the most fascinating individuals in the history of Kumo and for that matter Kaminari no Kuni itself; and we are honored to bring you, dear reader, their stories.
The victors write the histories, of course, and although this book attempts to tell the stories of these men and women without bias, it is inevitable that some prejudices will surface as the inevitable cost of transmitting stories of the past to the people of the present. We have attempted here to describe not only the Raikage’s achievements, but also their personal motivations and emotions, because we must not forget that even leaders are fundamentally human.
The authors wish to thank the Council of Kumogakure no Sato for exclusive access to the protected records of the village as well as the regrettably small number of former still-living Raikages who offered their stories, criticisms, and corrections.
Most of all, however, we wish to thank you the read for allowing us to tell you these tales, and impart our perspective on the history of Kumogakure. The best possible protection from repeating the mistakes of the past is to study them, and by studying them, prevent them. You, dear reader, are the best hope for the future.
-Takagi Masao
-Nakamura Akihiko
Kagetsu Kiyo First Raikage of Kumogakure Length of Reign: 6 Months Notable Events and Controversies during reign: Had to leave office prematurely due to failing health, leaving an unprepared successor to take up the office. Summary: As first Raikage of the era, she is an almost mythical figure - the founding mother of modern Cloud, even if she was not its first leader chronologically. Although her reign is among the shortest in the village’s history, she established some of the village’s most important customs and traditions that continue to this day. Overall, a highly esteemed and revered figure in the histories and is looked up to as the gold standard for what a Raikage of Cloud is supposed to be. |
| Nigami Eimin Second Raikage of Kumogakure Length of Reign: 5 months Notable Events and Controversies during reign: Recognized to have been unprepared for the office, leaving him vulnerable to Sarunishi’s coup d’etat. Summary: His main achievement included contributing greatly to the cultural development of the village by sponsoring artists, musicians, sculptors, and architects in their efforts within and around the village as well as personally authorizing a significant amount of original compositions in music and literature. In the popular imagination, however, he is more known for the numerous and torrid romantic affairs he carried on and pursued with many members of the shinobi elite of both sexes. His reign was overall a short one, however, due to the fact he had been appointed Kage far before he was ready to defend the position. When Sarunishi, desirous of power, threatened the village, Eimin and his bodyguard Hosume were forced to seek asylum in a foreign land where he died in obscurity; penniless and ridden with syphilis. |
Sarunishi Heretic Raikage of Kumogakure Length of Reign: 5 Years Notable Events and Controversies during reign: Obtained his posituon through coercion of the prior Kage, and greatly weakened Cloud’s status as a shinobi village for his own gain. Reputation: In the oral history of the village, Sarunishi is called the “Bandit Kage” due to the fact that he obtained the position by driving the previous Kage out under threat of outright destroying Cloud as an organization. As a leader, Sarunishi was a classic banana-republic despot who maintained a front of brutal totalitarianism while letting the economy and infrastructure of the village crumble from within. The end of his reign was notable for being the time in which the highest total number of shinobi went missing in any period of the village’s history. Eventually he became bored of his new property and left - some say, admidst rumors that a legendary figure known only as “The Dawnbringer” was approaching with intentions of his own. |
| Aion the Dawnbringer Third Raikage of Kumogakure Length of Reign: 4 years Notable Events and Controversies during reign: Founded Cloud Council and saved the village from breakup, but also increased tensions with Konoha. Reputation: Perhaps one of the most complicated and famous Raikagkes of Kumo, Aion, or Kotani Aiko (his birth name), was already a legendary anti-hero by the time he assumed control over the village under the the chaotic circumstances brought about by Eminin’s abdication of the position to Sarunishi. Although he was responsible (along with Kizoku Takao), for helping to stabilize and rejuvenate Cloud during a particularly tenuous period in the village’s history, the later part of his reign would come to be dominated by ongoing issues within his own past; particularly related to the fallout from a past romance with a Fire Country princess whose name has been stricken from any records. His ascension to the role of Noble Phantasm of Raiden is the first witnessed example of this phenomenon recoded in the village’s history, and thus he has developed a small cult of his own which continues to vigilantly watch for his promised return. |
Kizoku Takao, “The Mad” Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure Length of Reign: 5 years Notable Events and Controversies during reign: Confounded Cloud Council, but was eventually removed from leadership due to worsening mental instability. Reputation: Officially the Fourth Raikage (despite being the fifth individual to hold the title), he is notable for having originally come into the position as part of a joint appointment with Kotani Aiko, who assumed the title of Third after decreeing Sarunishi’s name struck from the records. It is unclear whether this arrangement was reached out of their desire to help the village by complementing each other’s strengths and weaknesses, or whether it was done to avoid a conflict between the two that would of leveled the village permanently. What is known, however, is the means with which they decided who among them would be Third vs Fourth: a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. (Of note, this is considered one of the most epic duels in Kumo History). It was also due to his influence that factions loyal to Aion’s legacy did not go into full scale revolt after Kotani Aiko’s passing. Although he contributed to the village’s emergence from a treacherous period of decline, his reputation is usually overshadowed by Aion’s. |
| Santaru Ryuuto Fifth Raikage of Kumogakure Length of Reign: 7 Years (5 within the village, 2 via proxies while missing) Notable Events and Controversies during reign: Played pivotal roles in both the Hitokage Conflict and the subsequent first Demon Invasion of Cloud. His position was never formally announced to the village or council, and he went missing during the final 2 years of his reign. Reputation: To this day, Ryuuto is perhaps the greatest human military figure to have ever led Kumo (his abilities in strategy and combat being equal or greater than those of Gods, Noble Phantasms, and Immortals such as Shinbatsu, Aion, and Kiyo, respectively), as seen by his defense of the village during the first Demon Invasion of Cloud and his defeat of Crown Prince Shiro Amakusa Tokisada zi Kaminari during the Hitokage Conflict. However, as day-to-day ruler, he was not as effective and preferred to delegate much of his decision-making to the Council. In addition he is known as the “Secret” Raikage of Cloud, who ruled in secret from the Sileo Tempestas instead of the Torre Celeste, all the wihile leading the village to believe that the long-ascended Aion was still issuing commands from his sickbed. As a result of this, the power of the Council of Cloud grew significantly compared to that of the other Raikage’s. Even more controversial, however, is the fact that he is rumored to have gone missing in secret as well, leaving elements of his inner circle in charge of the village. These individuals, unmonitored by their former master, quickly fell prey to corruption, leading to the events of the October Plot. |
Shinbatsu Sixth Raikage of Kumogakure Length of Reign: 4 Years Notable Events and Controversies during reign: Foundation of the Order of Shinbatsu. Never named a successor, leaving the village in a period of strife after his return to Godhead. Reputation: Depending on one’s belief system, Shinbatsu is ether The Black God of Justice Himself descended to the mortal world in the form of a human avatar to personally guide Cloud to glory, or merely a man named Shouten Mitsukai, a former pit-fighter slave of unknown origins who broke free of his captors, traveled to Cloud, and through near legendary feats of strength and cunning, became Rakiage. Strangely enough, Shinbatsu is never recorded giving any actual commentary on this himself, furthering the mystery of his origins. But whether his rule was something destined by the will of Heaven itself or merely the result of an agreement between councilmembers fed up with an absentee Raikage, what IS known, is that his equally mysterious and sudden departure was yet another blow to CLoud. His legacy is still visible in the village, manifested as a powerful cult led by his former lieutenants in the ANBU. |
| Kagetsu Kiyo Seventh Raikage of Kumogakure Length of Reign: 15 Years Notable Events and Controversies during reign: Resolution of the Bear-Marsh conflict. Reputation: The sudden departure of Shinbatsu was a sudden blow to Cloud, who had enjoyed a long period of stability during the reigns of Ryuuto and Shinbatsu. And yet, as if real life had become a legendary tale, Kumo’s original founding mother had now returned to save her children. Strengely, she was noted to have never aged a day since the time of her first abdication, leading many to speculate that she had become some sort of demigod in her absence. During her second reign, she seemed driven to accomplish all that she had never been able to during her first, and the village enjoyed great prosperity and quadrupling in size of the Main Branch. However, her second reign was abruptly cut short by the treachery of her own bodyguard, as well as the malice of a mysterious assassin known only as the Kingslayer. Although the fight did not manage to steal her life, it extinguished the vibrant spark within her that had brought such glory and peace to her tenure; rendering her forever changed. She abdicated for the last time, but her final act was to avoid making the same msitake she had during her first reign, appointing a much-better-prepared Sennin named Hayata Shin as her successor. |
Saint Hayata Shin Eighth Raikage of Kumogakure Length of Reign: 6 Years Notable Events and Controversies during reign: Creation of the first sentient, chakra-based lifeform. Resolution of the Lightning Civil War. Arbiter of the Hayata Accord between Bear and Marsh. Establishment of a Democratic rule in Cloud. Reputation: There has been no Raikage as simultaneously controversial and beloved by the people as Shin in the history of this shinobi village. As a leader, he made his mark on international politics as a peacemaker and a broker of more treaties and ceasefire than all of his predeccessors combined. As a shinobi, he was a staunch defender of his village and also his nation, having fought in the Demon Invasion, the Lightning Civil War, and the Kingslayer Crisis on the Loyalist Side. He is credited with defeating two of the most dangerous missing-nin of all time and only fell in battle to Hoshikata the Liar after ensuring his killer’s own death in the process. But perhaps his most important contribution was the establishment of a new way of selecting subsequent Raikage of Cloud: the popular vote. It remains to be seen if this legacy will survive the tumult that defines these Ninpocho Chronicles. |
| Akira Saito Ninth Raikage of Kumogakure Length of Reign: 4 Years Notable Events and Controversies during reign: Uncovered the truth behind the murder of Hayata Shin and brought justice to Shima Haruka. Reputation: While Saito’s term as the Raikage is one of the notably short ones, his short 4 years of service brought back strength to the Raikage title. He brought justice upon a number of high-profile shinobi, including Shinrya Kitsune, for the involvement of the 8th Raiakge’s murder and reformed the Council that attempted to weaken the Raikage position with a popular vote as opposed to one willed by Kumogakure Council. His pursuit of justice stretched across Lightning Country, chasing down and finally arresting Shima Haruka and trying her for the coup on the Raikage’s position, and the murder of Hayata Shin. Akira Saito is noted also for having battled a missing shinobi for the better part of two days straight, only to end with him offering the man the head position of ANBU as penance for his crimes. |
Kogami Ayumu Tenth Raikage of Kumogakure Length of Reign: 9 Years Notable Events and Controversies during reign: A short-lasting peace treaty with Konoha that would have seen the construction of railroads for the Fire Country. Highly successful in bringing a state of political rest to the country but was unfortunately plagued by unforeseen disasters. Reputation: Kogami Ayumu was a man who’s term could have seen the prestigious rise of a Raikage unlike the village had ever seen before; cut short by mysterious circumstances. Unlike certain other Raikages before him, Ayumu held out a hand of peace over violence, with the strength to back up his promises. This bridged a short-lived treaty with Konoha that would have them share in the fruits of their technological advancements for the betterment of all men. This, however, was only the first hurdle that the Tength Raikage was to leap over. The second came in the form of unrest from the village youth and their forced servitude into the military for their rare talents; the third followed with a plague. Then there was the Church of Tenouza who had decided to rear a sudden ugly head and began hunting down chakra users, calling them ‘cursed people.’ Despite managing to both bring a peace of mind to their youth and find a cure, Kogami Ayumu never managed to handle the cult-like church attacking their people. He, several Sennin, and shinobi personnel mysteriously vanished from Lighting Country without a sound. To this day it is unknown what became of the “Tenth and the Lost Guard”, but it left the Village in a weakened state far worse than ever before. |
| Shinrya Kitsune Eleventh Raikage of Kumogakure Length of Reign: 7 and Ongoing Notable Events and Controversies during reign: Keeps a village together and strong despite the hard times suffered by the loss of a large part of the military. Has had her title outright called into question. Reputation: Shinray Kitsune is a controversial pick of Raikage that has called many to question the choices of the Council. Kitsune has had a long career in the village, however, as a Medical Sennin; twice removed. Aside from important roles she’s played in various wars, the Eleventh Raikage is more notably the first Raikage not only be from the Medical Branch, but also ANBU and Main as she took control over the military as the three branches had a void in leadership. She is also the first to legally own parts of the Lightning Country and creates profits from these lands. It is these land holdings that provide money Kumogakure desperately needed in the wake of a lacking military and missions being run; single-handedly keeping the economy stable. The Eleventh Raikage has proved to be a staunch leader as a woman quick to choice and executing action. The Eleventh’s powerful empathy and willpower gained as a shinobi that has often stood on the side of doing what she believed was right over what was commanded, created a powerful leader willing to do whatever is necessary to keep her country, and village, strong. |
This edition was lost to time, necessitating an updated third edition being released.