[url=http://www.ninpocho.com/viewtopic.php?p=211678#p211678 said:次郎坊[/url]"]PERSONAL INFORMATION
一 Name - Jigoku-Mure, Denrei (伝令 | Messenger)
二 Alias - The Last Tengu, Jirōbō (次郎坊)
三 Age - 80's
四 Gender - Male
五 Village - Sunagakure
六 Occupation - Jounin (Unretired), Academy Instructor
七 Clan - Jigoku-Mure ( 地獄-群れ | Hell-Flock)
八 Affiliated Groups - Jigoku-Mure ( 地獄-群れ | Hell-Flock), Shusukei Jigyō (粛清 事業 | Purge Project)
九 Ranking - Official: Estimated A, Potential: Unknown
十 Core Ability - *Demonic Ancestry [18/20]
* Acquired Traits
十一 Appearance
- Third Eye (3)
- Fell Drain (2)
- Daunting Presence | Mastered (2)
- Demon Blessing (2)
- Death Touch (2)
- Fell Vengeance (2)
- Form of the Demon | Mastered (2)
- Ancient Order (3)
十二 Persona
- Standing at an average 5'11", Denrei neither looms over most men nor stands beneath their chins. For a man his age, Denrei has maintained exceptional physical health through daily training and meditation, and it shows. His hair was once the color of autumn leaves in his youth, but has grayed with age. A strong masculine face was supported by a firm jawline, the mild wrinkles etched into his flesh making no effort to hide his maturity. Having lost an eye many decades ago, Denrei opts for a piece of cloth tied over his missing right eye, instead of a more fashionable eye-patch. The left eye that remained was a frosty sapphire blue, electrical in tone and penetrating in nature. Favoring a more traditional approach to the life of a Shinobi, or true Ninja, very little stands out about his attire. His gi was a deep midnight blue color and as fitting for an old school ninja as could be. Sporting dark cloth greaves and bracers along with his ninja tabi, he seemed to have crawled out of an old textbook. A small obi tied at his side housed a sheathed Ninjatō, and belt pouches hung from his waist. While teaching, he makes a habit of wearing his Jounin vest over his gear.
十三 History
- Solemn and unflinching are two words that come to mind when describing his personality. It appears that this man finds enjoyment in nothing, and humor to be a waste of his time. In truth however; Denrei is simply more socially reserved than most have become accustomed to seeing even in the days of old. There is a strong moral compass inside him that the world may never truly understand, and it's that same compass that made him willing to put an end to his own clan in order to prevent more cruelty from entering the world. Friendless, Denrei was singled out early in the Jigoku-Mure as a prime candidate for their ambitions. Broken into the habit of training to his limits and always seeking growth while others may choose to be among friends to relax, his refuge is the sharpening of himself in any form. This allows him to remain out of contact with people indefinitely, honing his craft and studying the philosophies of those long passed. A trait making him perfect for the myriad of solitary missions throughout his life. Brilliant to a near fault, he finds little patience in waiting for others to process what he's already figured out. It's this inability to put up with delayed comprehension that lead to him going after the Jigoku-Mure himself, without informing a single official of his decision, plans, or reasoning.
- The Jigoku-Mure's origins have become obfuscated by the passage of time over several millennia. What grains of sand managed to trickle down from the all-encompassing hourglass of life in accordance with the destiny of the Jigoku-Mure left strange tales. Archaic philosophies and doctrines were left behind, becoming bastardized and corrupted by the ignorance of those who would inherit them. By the time of Denrei's birth, tradition and origins had become supplementary as the clan galvanized itself for more modern pursuits. Gone were the days in which reverence for the thoughtful quips and musings of the ancient prophets and enlightened ones held any meaning. Only the perceived ancestral ties to demonic entities were touted, proud of the eclectic blood that claimed responsibility for their brutality and longevity as a clan were paid homage. Every Shinobi sought to either exalt themselves, or the clan itself above all else. This ideology had little to do with the clan's actual history, traditions, and customs, but more to do with the petting of personal egos developed within the clan over the generations. They were entitled to rule, and they'd do so by whatever means were at their disposal. A slippery and cunning group as a whole, they embodied the old essence of what it meant to be a Shinobi in times long passed. Secretive, swift, and confounding in nature and style. They made exceptional mercenaries, and long before Denrei's birth a sect of their ilk nestled in and allied with the Hidden Sand Village.
The arrangement between the Jigoku-Mure and Sunagakure was little different from the arrangement with any other clan. They would have access to shelter and resources under the umbrella of a larger nation in exchange for providing capable bodies and services for the village military. Unlike many of the other clans, the Jigoku-Mure never quite fit with the rest. Without the need for discrimination, they cordoned off their respective sector of the village and chose to neglect the attempts at integration with the others. The official statement was that it would make them weak, and less capable of performing at their best for the government of Sunagakure. In many ways, it would have been true. How many clans have lost their way by assimilating with others? So many immaculate traditions left to wither away in the wake of exotic temptations, an impulsive need to throw away one thing for another simply because of how unlike what you once had before it was. Little more. As such, it took no time at all for the Jigoku-Mure to garner the disdain of their neighbors in Sunagakure. Regardless, they churned out Shinobi that were capable and had a reputation for getting the job done professionally and with minimal if any residual negatives.
Never once was there a report of a Jigoku-Mure not being able to complete their task due to inefficiency, or weakness of heart. Those who did not return successful rarely returned at all, choosing death over the dishonor of their order. While the clan was never known for any particularly outstanding gifts, no Kekkei Genkai or secret clan weapon, all that claimed their name were never sub-standard. Among such high expectations, Denrei was chosen at the age of 6 to be taken from his mother and groomed for a position in the Jigoku-Mure's elite: The Shusukei Jigyō, or in more common tongue, The Purge Project. It was something that would remain on the drawing board for many years, but until it was ready to be put into motion candidates were being molded to perfection. They were to complete their tasks as ordinary members of Sunagakure, while simultaneously working for the advancement of the clan and its sole interests in the shadows.
Many failed to endure the trials of Shusukei Jigyō, but those who survived were the best of their best. Garnering little attention from Sunagakure by fulfilling their duties without exceptional success or crippling failure, they wreaked havoc behind the scenes slaughtering key persons in the name of their progress. Still in his fledgling phases of initiation, Denrei had yet to learn of nor participate in the assassination of anyone. His main priorities throughout his youth had been the relaying of information and specialized training in ancient preserved methods of combat. It was while in his teenage years as a newly graduated Chuunin that he would be introduced to the texts of the prophets. The name Jigoku-Mure was more than a simple gimmick designed to instill fear or superstition among their foes. It was over the next few years that studious combing and analyzing of the philosophies and codes that built the Jigoku-Mure would occur. An obsessive need to dig further into the past and understand the world through their wisdom kept him up countless nights intently drinking in knowledge through scrolls. While the other Shusukei Jigyō prospects focused on increasing their power or influence as a means to embody the clan's beliefs, he chose a different path. In order to honor the clan that gave birth to him, and a direction in life, he would entomb its essence into his very soul. The means of doing this was by accepting the syncretic faith and history of the legendary founders, that of his forefathers.
Birth of the Jigoku-MureTheir "Religion" was a system akin to Shugendō, blending beliefs similar to those found in Buddhism, Vajrayana, Shinto, and numerous others. Initially consisting of a people settled in the rocky Taira Mountains of Kaze no Kuni, they lived the archetypal existence of a Hidden Village. Supposedly, they were descended from both man and Yōkai, specifically those that lurked about the harsh and blotted terrain. Sun, no matter how high it rose, would always fail to completely erase the shadows cast be its earthen peaks and always leave mystery. The natural barriers kept most anyone away, and if it didn't then accidents if not animals usually did the trick. This in turn laid the groundwork for their isolationism.
The Yōkai of the Taira Mountains were said to be Tengu, widely thought to be elusive demons of the mountains, forests, and were omens of war. Some of the earliest accounts of Tengu spoke of them misleading righteous monks or kidnapping them. Some tales described Tengu as setting fires to temples, possessing the living, and bestowing supernatural abilities to those that worshiped and served them. It was through a combination of the latter two of three recently mentioned occurrences that the Jigoku-Mure were supposedly born. It's said that before the people called Jigoku-Mure became known as such, they were a solitary monk-like people who preferred their seclusion to the steadily declining condition of the outside world. It was in their cavernous monasteries that they sought enlightenment and understanding of life. It was unknown for how long they carried on like that, but time immemorial knew of their tryst with spirituality. All of this would change on the moonlit night their central monastery was visited by the Tengu.
It was on the night of a full moon, during an annual ceremony where paper lanterns and beating drums filled the scene with life. It was just after an act where some of the young men were dressed as a serpentine dragon, moving in such unison underneath their singular draconian costume that it came to the life in the imagination. Once the false dragon had coiled into itself, and the drums died down, and half the lanterns went out, a caw broke the silence. The dragon unfurled as practiced, preparing to leave as the abbot and other monks looked about for the source of the cawing, which started up furiously in seconds. A flock of crows swarmed the courtyard and swirling together as they descended upon the dragon, viciously shredding the costume apart as people panicked.
With what seemed to be a mounting problem on his hands, the abbot quickly rose to his feet, but at the same time the formerly costumed monks fell on their backs. The crows had left them unarmed, without a single scratch, but not a single man stirred save for cause by breath. The murder of crows would come together and meld into a mass of feathery shadow and beak before taking form. What stood there before them was unlike anything the abbot nor anyone in the clan had ever seen before. A trio of monstrous looking entities standing in the center, surrounded by crows that walked about the courtyard pecking at the ground and doing as they liked. The one in the center, and the largest of them all was the most distinct. They all looked like a mixture of man and bird, but the center one less so. Instead of a bird-shaped head like the other two, his was humanoid though large and red with a pointed nose. Despite his long wily gray beard, and Yamabushi-styled clothing, he looked akin to a Sunagakurian Crow. With most of his head bald, long gray locks formed a collar round the back of his neck. Two large black wings protruded from his back, and feathery arms with talons at the fingertips made his identity obviously Yōkai. Even if none could be sure what else.
The two slightly smaller Yōkai were more animal than man, evidenced by their ebony fully-feathered, black-beaked heads. They were said to have dressed more like what we believe the traditional Ninja of old looked like, with cloaks spotless and assorted weaponry at the ready. The one in the center was said to have spoken first, identifying himself and his brethren as the Tengu of the the mountains. It didn't take long to see that the Tengu meant them no harm, and soon Jirōbō was speaking to the silent monks about their existence and why the Tengu had come. He would explain that the Tengu themselves were once monks that shared the same faith as the people of the mountain. Due to being followers of their faith, their souls were unfit for Jigoku (地獄 | Hell). Yet still, as people who never truly defeated their bad principles, they were unfit for Tengoku (天国 | Heaven) as well. They were the ghosts of priests, nuns, ordinary men, and ordinary women, all of whom in life lost the spiritual war against their egos. He explained about what they learned in death, how they'd been testing the faith of the strong for ages unseen. What many thought were mere evil spirits dissuading pious individuals, claimed to be truly weeding out the weak of heart and unsound of mind. They had waited in the winds and shadows until they could find a people worthy of their accumulated knowledge. He had found it in them.
From that day forward, it is said that Jirōbō and his Tengu worked closely with the secluded village. Techniques of steel forging, martial combat, elemental manipulation, and a slew of other stables for the Shinobi World of today were given their people before many others. Yet, they were not the first. Nor were the Tengu the sole proprietors of such knowledge. In a time long ago though, knowledge of the spiritual and combative arts weren't nearly as widespread. They studied all the Tengu had to offer, and served dutifully for what could have been centuries. A relationship formed with the Tengu to such extent that the people of the mountains even allowed themselves to be possessed, frequently at that. It was a shortcut to gaining knowledge and enhancing their abilities, while also bringing the Tengu more firmly into the mortal realm. It was possible for a man or woman, while possessed, to procreate and pass odd traits onto the child. It wasn't long before not a soul could claim not to have the blood of the Tengu flowing through their veins.
It was somewhere in the middle of this blossoming period that their name was adopted. Jirōbō, never aging and ever present since his arrival, would by default replace the abbot without any dissension or grudge being born. As the leader of their clan, he would bless it with the title of Jigoku-Mure. Without question, he would explain that as wanderers of the mortal plane and fallen from grace, they were Hell's flock. Though denied entry into the spiritual place of punishment, the third dimension in which we all lived served as yet another form of Hell which they would tend to. What use were monks who sat away from the world, gaining so much knowledge and wisdom and letting the world around them decay? Jirōbō preached that it was time they march out into the world, and begin setting things right. It was on the day that they were to leave for their mission, that Jirōbō was said to be last seen, unable to leave the mountains. Spreading from the now lost and fabled Taira Mountains over the years, one particularly skillful and devoted sect of the Jigoku-Mure settled about Soragakure long before the establishment of Sunagakure, back when it was still a budding fishing society. They would offer some spiritual guidance as well as hire out their trained Jigoku-Mure "Ninja" to guard caravans, make deliveries, and pretty much all the things Shinobi of today dealt with.
The relationship between the Jigoku-Mure and Soragakure in general was beneficial and pleasant, but time could change anything. It was early on when they decided to align themselves more closely with Sunagakure as the nation emerged, finding their independent spirit and distance in proximity from the Daimyo tempting. Never losing their own natural independent spirit, it was hard for them to accept the full control of the Daimyo and his emerging systems. While all this happened the culture of the clan was steadily changing without the direct guidance of the Tengu, nor the elders present during such fabled times. Their culture had begun to transform away from one that was about enlightenment and bringing redemption to the world, to being about the exaltation of might and skill somehow. It was under these circumstances that Denrei had been born, and up to that point which his textbook studies would take him.
Death of the Jigoku-MureDenrei's obsession would not only help him grow beyond the understanding of his elders, but add more devotion to his mission as a member of the clan. It was more incentive to perform better at every feat, and counter every technique. The thought of his role within the Shusukei Jigyō sent shivers down his spine, learning more in his later teen years than ever just how special being selected for it was. It was a chance for him to play a role in spreading more good throughout the world by doing what was needed where. The problem was his elders had gone astray, and nobody really followed the foundation anymore. Paying attention to what the clan had become as opposed to what he learned about in the scrolls, a sense of discontentment and frustration quietly stirred inside his heart. Still, Denrei remained faithful to his order and sharpened his skills until the day where he could use them to bring back the foundation of the clan.
Even among the Shusukei Jigyō, his reputation was becoming larger than life. Defeating his peers became regularly expected by his superiors, and nobody found surprise when he could succeed where others failed. Only pride and a sense of impending greatness concerned them. The elders of his clan were looking towards him as a bringer of hope for their clan, an ultimate weapon that would help to change the standard to something deserving of their ancestry. As their harbinger, he was given the moniker Jirōbō, as if the second coming of the Jigoku-Mure would begin with him. At the same time, those very same elders would end up disillusioning their most valuable asset with their own ignorance of the original concepts. After his thirteenth assassination for the clan had been completed, he would be let more into the fold and deeper into the secrets of his clan. Shusukei Jigyō would be unveiled to him as the unit that would spearhead a new era, in which the Jigoku-Mure spread their wings across Wing Country in dominance. No longer would they serve, exist, and pray to forgotten silent gods.
They had all the connections in all the right places. It sent a numbing sensation throughout his body as the abbot of their Sunagakurian sect laid before him a sheet of paper with several new targets. Looking over the names, Denrei would recognize several members of the Sunagakure council. Looking at the sheet of paper with the same stoic expression he always carried, Denrei processed everything he'd learned from birth until that moment and began drawing lines where others said there weren't any. Even though the abbot talked about how the Jigoku-Mure would bring about an age of enlightenment through force and guile, the promises fell on deaf ears. All the young man could think about was the blood he'd spilled in the name of something that had become so corrupt. So far removed from its inception.
It all made sense to him, the callous treatment and the spying. The way that even his mother, was nothing more than a concubine he'd never see again after he left her side to undergo grooming for Shusukei Jigyō. While preaching about balance, and light and dark, they blindly walked further into the abyss and wanted to bring others with them. It was history repeating itself, and one could only consider if it had been planned all along. For all the Tengu gave to the people of the mountains, those very same people ended up being swallowed by the same pride and hubris that created the Tengu in the first place. He could only wonder how many more Tengu had been created over the years in complete nescience.
While the overzealous old abbot went on to explain their divine right to rule and impose the will of the Heavens, Denrei stepped forward. He heard mentions of how the Tengu had sought redemption and that creating the Jigoku-Mure was the first step in that goal. If the Yōkai could convince the men to change the world then they would have their spirits be freed and finally join the Kami in retaking the world. It was a ludicrous concept, though grounded in some areas, but it was clear to see the the abbot was going about it wrong. For a moment, he tried to plead with the elder and was met with near startled confusion. It was the first time their 'Jirōbō', their favored son and near messianic puppet had ever voiced resistance to the clan or its needs. With a laugh, the abbot waved it off as temporary delusion and tried to send Denrei off to recover.
With the realization that everything he had been taught by his forefathers was a mere corruption of something greater, he became filled with subtle fury. Without bothering to further explain himself, there was a sudden flash followed by the sound of steel being drawn out against its sheath and being returned in rapid succession. As the abbot of Sunagakure's sect held his own throat in an attempt to stop the bleeding, Denrei found himself baptized in the blood of a man he once idolized. Realizing what he'd done, and the impact it would have, Denrei knew it wouldn't be long before the clan and he were at odds. There wasn't going to be any way in which he could explain his actions to several generations of people who've been working with the abbot that his plan went against everything they actually were meant to stand for. Quickly gathering all the information he could on the Shusukei Jigyō from the abbot's personal things, he would learn of an even more dangerous phase of the plot.
The abbot hadn't been working alone, and in truth wasn't even to be considered a mastermind of any sort. Like all sects within the Jigoku-Mure diaspora throughout Kaze no Kuni, their abbots communicated with one another through messengers and codes. It turned out that he was just one of many so-called 'Harbingers', the best of each sect's Shusukei Jigyō branch. Each of them had been named after Jirōbō as a propaganda technique, fueling the sense of importance to the clan and further tethering them to the concepts of secular ritualistic of irreverence. It didn't matter whether or not they knew it. All of the other Jirōbō candidates were scattered throughout Kaze no Kuni. A singular one for each sect, and Denrei had been the only one not to accept the program. The intricacies of the conspiracy went deeper than any could have imagined, involving such abominable acts as genetic manipulation, demonic possession, and sacrificial rituals of all kinds.
One of the side effects of this centuries long conditioning process was said to be a corruption of the soul. This would forge an etheric gap in a person's aura, allowing for them to be more easily possessed and fed off of by spiritual entities or energetic leeches. With the link shared by all that bore the blood of the Jigoku-Mure, a date had been set for when a synchronized meditation would take place. This simultaneous focusing of the minds and spiritual energy would send out a signal to all descended from the Tengu in Kaze no Kuni, transforming them. Every abbot from every corner of the country that claimed Jigoku-Mure had agreed to the event. The intention was forcing the latent demonic traces in their blood to take over, and cause anarchic disturbance throughout the country that would destabilize the world as it was and thrust the land into an age of brutality. The date of the mass meditation was mere months away but would affect every major region of Kaze no Kuni when it happened.
On that bloody night, he came to the conclusion that the cycle had to stop. Before the break of dawn, every member of the Jigoku-Mure living in Sunagakure had been killed. The women and children weren't excluded, but with no commotion being heard over the night one could only assume that all those of the clan that died in Sungakure died peacefully if not quietly and quickly. Already having left the village by the time anyone noticed the absence of the reclusive clan members, he would travel all over the countryside for the next few months. Tales of his apocalyptic wrath upon those that claimed Jigoku-Mure spread through the land as the clan he was born from was erased from the world. While hunting, he was believed to have betrayed the village and labeled as a Missing-Nin. Fierce duels were fought between himself and the others raised to be the next Jirōbō across the lands. Eventually, only one remained and their battle was the most cataclysmic.
The final 'Jirōbō' had tapped into a power that others only knew as myth. As the battle went on fire, lightning, wind, and water would cascade and roll through the air. Denrei found himself at his wit's end once his opponent revealed his final trump card, an unbelievable ability to take on the form of a Tengu. Though he no longer could see a way out, he would not relent. His convictions would not be broken by the hopelessness of what seemed to be, and it was in that sudden moment black feathers slowly drifted through the air...The sound of harshly beating wings and unnatural cawing echoed throughout the rocky battlefield. Denrei's shadow would be seen, but it was unlike it had been before. There were large wings, that quickly retracted before his form could truly be acknowledged. He had unlocked something beyond the scrolls...
The Last TenguWith his crusade finally coming to an end, Denrei would return to Sunagakure and turn himself in. At the time, the reigning Kazekage would have been Sunahoshi Keiku. After a full investigation it would be determined that Denrei acted in the best interests of not only Sunagakure but Wind Country as a whole. After being pardoned, Denrei chose willfully to retire from the Shinobi world at the relatively young age of twenty four. By the time Sunagakure was being moved underground, Denrei had already reached his fifties. An old recluse that never found intimacy, he remained almost a specter in the shadows. The Grand Palais was his chosen district, and deeper still in the urban blight was an old monastery caved out of the very caverns themselves. While intricate and surely difficult to have created, the monastery was quite small and abandoned by the time Denrei had decided to move in.
It was only after the Cabal's attack did Denrei finally have enough of watching from the dark. Fighting with an old fervor that sent chills down the spine of the Shinobi who watched him cutting down enemies while protecting his portion of the district. It had been more than half a century since he last saw real action, and though proving to have little difficult still couldn't be in more place than once. Once the commotion had died down, Denrei made it known that he wasn't going to rot away while Sunagakure gets erased. While the village had faced many threats before that failed to pull him out of retirement, this one was personal as it invoked memories of the life he had lived. The same sort of technique, the use of propaganda and skewering differing points of view to weave believable illusions. The Cabal were like the fallen Jigoku-Mure in that sense, claiming to be for one thing while doing another. He would begin working again immediately, taking nightly solitary missions while teaching at the academy during the day to prepare the future students for a time of hardship. It was the best way to contribute and put back into a village that had forgiven his misguided wrong-doings.
In truth though, he hadn't eliminated the Jigoku-Mure, he had known that all along. He had been the only one to truly complete the purging initiative, on his own terms. Deciding it was better to purge his own clan than allow it to continuously deface itself, whether consciously or unconsciously. Much like the Tengu of old, he had felt compelled to punish hubris and vanity even at the cost of sending more spirits wandering aimlessly through the mountains... He was the Jigoku-Mure, the 'Last of the Tengu'.
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