Ashigaru Clan - Foot Soldiers (complete)

Long before the formation of the great Shinobi Nations there were a multitude of clans that sought out to become masters of the world around them. Some harnassed the latent power of particular bloodlines, while others mastered their own secret arts and honed special powers. Durring these times there was great chaos through out the lands all around the nations. Between all the warring clans around them, there came to be a lower class of warriors, who never masterd the great skills of the ninja. Those who found themselves at such an advantage found another way to survive. They began to stick together. 150 years before the formation of the great Ninja Nations, four oppressed familes came together for mutual protection.

The four familes of Harutomi, Yazigatsu, Kazemitsu, and Saru all were one time at war with each other. The four familes lived on opposing shores of a large round lake, and battled each other for the resources around them. They battled for thick tree lands as often as they fought for open prarrie. They fought over the use of the lake, and warred over ownership of the wandering wildlife in the forest. Like the rest of the small cities at the time, they were suspicious of outsiders, and unwelcoming to all strangers. Such was the way of this dangerous time, and though they had plenty of practice in fighting, they were rules of nothing. All around them, other clans were developing jutsu. Their fighting prowess soon found huge improvment from their mystical techniques, and the lesser clans languished as inferior. Vast sections of land began to be consumed by the fledling ninja clans.

The wise elders of all four families saw that their downfall would come from the more powerful cities, if they did not find a way to increase their own power. The decades of warring against eachother had helped instil the talents they needed, but they had also worked well to thin their numbers. All four elders arrived at the same conclusion, and a grand peace was finaly annouced. The four nations warred, but had always been a good hostility. All four families had a mind for war, and too many of them saw it as a grand game of strategy. Lifespans were counted in a handful of decades for all but the most special of warriors, but none of these people would complain about their lives. These families were warriors through and through, and when their peace was established they chose a new name for their clan. They took the name of Ashigaru, meaning soldier, and have always lived up to the name.

With the great peace, warriors from all the families put down their weapons for one full year. They took up axes and hoes, spades and wagons and put their hands to work on the land. They fell trees to expand on a vast field, and burnt many of them in a massive pyre of celebration. The first pyre was lit on April 27th, and lasted for three days before the last smoldering coals were reduced to just ashes. The three days were full of drunken revery of all undescribable sort, and helped solidify the bond of the Ashigaru clan. Once the festival was over, a grand training grounds was established on the site of their first celebration, and they still maintain the sight as a fort today. While the clan may have fallen apart after the initial celebrations had faded, such was not the case. Unified by the plight of all the other nations, they found solidaridy in a familiar past time.

The people of the Ashigaru clan are still a warrior people to this day. They keep with their old traditions, use their old tools, and maintain their old ancenstral haunt. Their keep is a bastion for them these days, but kept them safe from the other familie for all the years previous to the formation of Konoha, and the rest of the nations. Even the Uchiha clan had difficulty in conqouring the Ashigaru clan, and in time found need not to bother trying. War is something trained into an Ashigaru from their birth. New born children are dressed in warpaint before they are even given to their own mother, and laid on a small shrine to weaponry. Sitting among the ancestral weapons of the tribe, the new born is given their name, and told their purpose in life. Only once the child has stopped crying is it finally allowed to see it's parents.

Ashigaru children do not last long with their parents. They clan lives a very clustered life, and all those they are raised around are considered family. Parents do not teach skills to children, instead a dedicated few act as comunal mothers of a sort, and see to the younger childrens well being. Children are raised in this group society to help them recieve a pack mentality from even a young age. Untill five years of age an ashigaru child is permitted to play and learn, but the family has certain expectations. After five years old children are then dedicated to the warrior trade, both boys and girls. Among the entire clan, there's not a single one that can not lift a weapon. As many invaders once learned, even the women and children are a lethal threat when underestimated. Some outsiders think this treatment is harsh to their children, but amongst the fine soldiers of the clan there's not a one that doesn't look back on their training with great fondness.

As the clan was begining to age, and other nations were growing weary of assaulting this unbreakable clan, they began to make a new name for themselves. With attacks on the decline and children being born quickly, the clan soon found itself overstocked with fine soldiers. Other nations began to contact them, and when they needed bulk troops, the Ashigaru became the default choice. No other militia was considered to have greater skill. Once they began to act as mercenaries, the family's coffers began to fill to abundance. More construction began, stone work was improved upon and what exists now was built. Their fortress is a solid stone wonder with 30 foot walls. Though many have breached it's defenses, not a single force has every held thier home for more than a night. The entire family would have to be destroyed before the clan ever stopped fighting for their home.

Among their notable traits, the Ashigaru clan is stoic. They are unbreakable, and immovable. Nothing inspires fear in an ashigaru, except the thought of running from a battle. Among their society, nothing is considered worse than giving in to cowardice. They are known for their great martial skill, and ability to work in formation. While a single ashigaru is rarely a huge threat, when twenty of them are standing in a double line, with their longspears presented before them, approaching them is all but impossible. Their skill with their spear is only slightly more notable than their skill with the katana. Their swordplay is deadly and fast, often used to create openings for a single soldier's parteners to get a good strike in on their opponent. The common Ashigaru soldier is also trained with well balanced and razor sharp throwing axes as a standard issue weapon, and acts as a way to harrass groups of resting armies, or opponents with a higher ground advantage. The Ashigaru also have a large battalion of soldiers that have trained extensivly with use of the common longbow, and act as snipers and a great defense to their homeland.

After the formation of the great shinobi nations, the Ashigaru clan continued to supply other clans with soldiers. The new tradition of training ninjas in the use of jutsu became the norm, and more and more of the special techniques were quickly picked up on. Most of the Ashigaru clan has no experience in ninjutsu, but some are able. Qualifying as a ninja from this clan requires a great deal of antural aptitude. Only the clans finest ninja are ever send to the ninja academy, and if they do not get sent by nine years of age, they never get sent at all. At age seven the first great tournement is held for the children. Rank and organization is decided by how a student does, so they all try their hardest. They fight with padded or wooden weapons, and only those who win have any chance at becoming shinobi. A child must become the champion to be concidered, but any who are able to reach the semi-finals without being hit are sent as well. As such, the Ashigaru clan has only four or five potential ninjas each year. These ninjas are sent away from their clan to which ever village will pay the 1,000 gold bounty offered for having them in their care.

From that day on the Ashigaru ninja is no longer a soldier. They have no desire or tradition of returning home, and tend to become loyal shinobi to whoever they begin to serve. Like their non-ninja family, they are known for their talent with weaponry, and make for astonishing warriors if an enemy is placed close to them. Most do not master anything but the most basic of ninjutsu, and genjutsu is unheard of amongst this family.