[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/LFeIDrx.png[/img] [hr][hr][sub] [/sub] [img]https://i.imgur.com/VOo3gRH.gif[/img] [sub] [/sub][hr][hr][/center] [color=gray][indent]Hello, and welcome to [b]Naruto: Black Sun[/b], a new Naruto roleplay hosted by yours truly, Odin. After countless RP's in the Naruto roleplaying community on Roleplayerguild, it is time for yet another installment of the Naruto universe in roleplay format that sticks to the roots of the Naruto universe. The aim is to recreate [b]Naruto's appealing mood[/b]. The life of a shinobi isn't about roses, and it certainly isn't about all things good in life. Instead, it is about [b]sacrifice[/b]. Because at it's core, that is what being a shinobi means - [b]sacrifice[/b]. Sacrificing your 'normal' life to become a warrior and fight in the name of the village, to protect it's interest and keep the village safe. And, if you just so happen to enjoy being a weapon, a tool, a cog in the machine of warfare... then all the better, because it means you can [b]enjoy your own sacrifice[/b]. This is reflected in the premise of the roleplay - it follows canon events entirely and then skips ahead several years - [i]one hundred and fifty years to be precise[/i] - which gives us a convenient method of getting rid of otherwise [i]problematic[/i] canon elements. [b]Naruto and Sasuke[/b] existed, but obviously are no longer around. [b]Neither are their offspring[/b]. Anything after that? Well, it's vanished into obscurity. As they say, [i]the rest is history[/i], and in this roleplay, we can take that very literally. But Odin, you say, how does that even represent the mood of Naruto? Simply put, the world hasn't continued as Naruto and Sasuke no doubt intended. Yes, the curse of hatred is gone, and that is very nice, but hatred itself still exists. The [b]Five Great Shinobi Villages[/b] didn't exactly keep getting along. By pretending everyone gets along, the problems only worsen, and there is a moment where all those pent up frustrations.. get released. They pop. And that explosion will be bigger than any previous war. Interested in seeing how your destiny can be smithed within the confines of this new age? [b]Continue reading.[/b] [/indent][/color] [center][hr][hr][sub] [/sub] [img]https://i.imgur.com/vuFK7n1.png[/img] [sub] [/sub][hr][hr] [sub] [/sub][img]https://i.imgur.com/crqhgw5.gif[/img] [sub] [/sub] [sub][color=black][b]Keywords:[/b] dark, grim, warfare, Naruto: part 1.[/color][/sub][hr][hr][/center] [color=gray][indent]Nations are like a match. They are lit, burn in a great intense flame, and continue burning, until the fuel is exhausted and they slowly, very slowly, fade away and ultimately extinguish. The only proof of their existence then, the ruins of their people if you will, is the smoke. But even the smoke slowly fades away. And then, nothing remains. After Naruto and Sasuke unified the Shinobi nations and the great war was won, there was a brief sliver of hope. Hope that the countries would remain unified and at peace. But as time went on, the smaller shinobi nations went unrewarded for their sacrifices during this war - and their contributions to the war effort. If anything, it seemed that the great shinobi nations thought that these smaller villages should consider themselves lucky to have been able to contribute, should consider themselves lucky for continuing to exist. There was no attention paid to their suffering, and Amegakure was hit perhaps the worst of all. With Nagato dead, Pain left without a host, and Konan sacrificing herself in an attempt to rip the head off the snake that was the Akatsuki, the village was left without leadership. A power vacuum had formed and with the looming threat of war with other-worldy forces, this put Amegakure in a position that they could not recover from. It was, perhaps, only slightly ironic that the village that had been formed specifically because of their lack of power to fight back against the great shinobi nations would now suffer once again because none of the Kage's paid any attention to their struggles once again. The next one hundred and fifty years would be spent filling the vacuum, with warlords, mercenaries and demagogues taking up the mantle of being the leader of Amegakure. Internal struggle would dictate the political sphere in Amegakure for the next hundred years as the world changed around them. [b]Amegakure lost it's edge,[/b] it's industrial capabilities beginning to stagnate under the mounting pressure of the growing strife within the nations, with the nations surrounding them catching up. It took a hundred years for a leader to arrive who could take charge, and enforce a more rigid political system of elections for leadership positions within Amegakure rather than cutthroat politics. Fifty years later, Amegakure is a shell of it's former self, but still stands strong, alone, in a world that is no longer the peaceful cooperative environment Naruto and Sasuke had intended, but rather, had returned to it's roots. [b]One hundred fifty[/b] [b]years[/b] after the [b]Fourth Great Shinobi War[/b] ended, a new generation of genin has graduated. [b]Are they ready to take destiny into their hands?[/b] Can they do what it takes to become a shinobi of remarkable talent? [b]One hundred fifty yers[/b] after the [b]Fourth Great Shinobi War[/b] ended, a new threat looms on the horizon. A threat that goes unnoticed by the great shinobi nations, a threat that requires the full attention of the village.[/indent][/color] [center][hr][hr][sub] [/sub] [img]https://i.imgur.com/CaxXIRH.png[/img] [sub] [/sub] [hr][hr][sub] [/sub] [img]https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54a134b3e4b0d99a53e648a8/t/56f3d6475f43a6a3da44f498/1458820683271/[/img] [sub] [/sub][hr][hr][/center] [color=gray][indent]In order to be accepted to anything in life, there are typically some sort of requirements before you can be admitted to whatever you're requesting to be part of. This includes the shinobi academy in Amegakure no Sato -- and the roleplay too. Below are some stipulations in what we are looking for in a character: [list][*] Genin [*] Born in, or grown up in Amegakure [*] Resides in Amegakure and has resided there for the duration of his/her enrollment in the academy [*] Fresh graduate, between ages 13-14 (timeskip will occur later, so no worry - you're not stuck playing a baby forever) [*] Decent backstory, not an over the top edgy sobstory [*] Motivations for things that aren't 'standard' make sense and withstand criticism (ergo, he has a sharingan because his dad is Uchiha really doesn't make sense as you are in Amegakure) [*] Character is psychologically fit (enough) -- or can pretend to be [*] Character is capable of performing at an average level in multiple fields of shinobi arts (no one trick ponies) [*] Operates at a level one would expect from a genin (slightly above/below is fine)[/list][/indent][/color]