▸ History:Kiken is the heir to the Masazane clan, providing approximately 54 people die before him. Kiken's father Iyo is the least favorite son of Masazane Io, the current head of the clan and the wielder of the Tamashi no Tanren [Forge of Souls].
Kiken grew up disconnected from much of his family, as no one aside from his immediate family would interact with Iyo or one of Iyo's sons. Despite the distance from the core, Kiken did not have as tough of a childhood as many others in Amegakure, due to the nature of the family business in weaponcraft. Even with the inability to put the official Masazane stamp on his productions, Iyo made enough money undercutting the rest of the family by not having to give a cut to the clan leadership, something that was only sustainable because Iyo was capable enough of a smith on his own to provide solid pricing, as well as quality.
As for why Kiken grew up disconnected from the rest of the family is the three sins of his father. The first was getting an unapproved woman pregnant, the second was not allowing the clan leadership to 'take care of the woman issue', and the third was marrying the woman and bringing her back to Amegakure. And, as an added bonus, they decided to rub against the common naming themes of the family. Of course, to make matters even more fantastic, Iyo and Touzoku, the wife he ostracized himself over, divorced when Kiken was 8. It was also the first time his grandfather even chose to acknowledge his existence, making an attempt to visit his grandson shortly after the divorce, just prior to his 9th birthday. When asked by his father if he wished to see his grandfather, he simply replied with, "No." Then, in true Masazane style, went back to work tinkering on a project he had begun.
The relationship with his grandfather 'warmed' over the year, mostly due to grudging acknowledgement that relationships with the rest of the clan meant he had access to the clan's wealth and network from their weapons trade. As well, it meant Kiken had, and would take advantage of, access to skills outside of his father's specialty. No longer would Kiken be forced to reinvent the wheel of his craft due to lack of adequate teachers.
Kiken would spent most of his time bouncing between residences. He was obligated to spend time at the residences of his extended family as he was trained, but also obligated to spend time at each of his parents. As a result, Kiken learned to pack light, not get attached to a lot of possessions, and walk on a political tightrope when speaking.
While many children may be upset their parents had split up (if they were even still alive in the climate Ame was going through), Kiken was grateful for the separation. He recognized early on that had the not been separated, it would have meant any relationship with the rest of the clan would have resulted in absolutely no break from what he called the 'Masazane nonsense'. At least when he visited his mother, he was able to spend a weekend here or there not being a Masazane. And, as a bonus, it gave Kiken a mental break from the rigors of learning the clan's skills to learn something entirely new.
Touzoku was an assassin by trade, with medical training and knowledge, which partially probably kept her alive despite some of the inclination of the Masazane to have her disappear. Also from a complicated family background from being a product of some of the less savory parts of the shinobi world, Tozouku put little pressure on Kiken to do anything, knowing others had that duty sufficiently covered. Kiken took advantage of time with his mother to learn a number of supplementary skills to his own weaponcraft - mostly covering fuuinjutsu with a touch of Raiton. Touzoku, as well as Kiken, knew that to learn the medical arts would force him into an eventual choice of which skills to focus on, which would only make things more complicated with the rest of the Masazane.
Clan Hierarchy & Focus
The Masazane clan hierarchy is determined through a yearly test of skill and overall commerce. Heralded as some of the best smiths in the world, the Masazane clan has a gift with the shaping of metal.
Clan leadership is determined by whichever members of the clan has the most verified sales of weapons or by any individual who has completed a work of superb caliber. After those members are identified, they are faced with forging a sword for a champion of their choice in a contest known as the Tetsu no Shōtotsu [Clash of Iron]. The winner, by either through defeating an opponent or by breaking the sword of the opposing champion, becomes leader of the clan. Lethal attacks are considered a violation of the rules of the current Tetsu no Shōtotsu, but this is has only been the rules for the last few years.
Clan History
Originally from the Land of Iron, the Masazane are an old clan and have forged weapons for the samurai from the land for their entire existence. Smithwork in the Land of Iron was considered exceptionally noble, and much like nobles trade marry off children to other royals, the early smiths of the Masazane clan used their children to form connections with other smiths.
One smith, whose original name was long forgotten, was said to have had so many sons and to have made the most legendary weapons, that he was only referred to by his surname. Owning a weapon of the smith Masazane, or being married into his family (to be able to put the Masazane stamp on their productions), was considered an badge of honor. After awhile, all of the smith families within the Land of Iron were related.
Once the original Masazane died, leadership of the family fell into chaos. It was proposed by Masazane's third son that they determine who is to lead the clan through the Tetsu no Shōtotsu. It was not unheard of in the early days for this to be a bloody affair with assassinations of smiths and champions alike. After the first Tetsu no Shōtotsu, leadership of the clan fell to Masazane's fifth son, Ito, who was considered to be almost as skilled as his father.
Ito would run the Masazane in the longest reign of the clan for over 63 years. With the heavy relation to a singular bloodline, many of the Masazane developed the ability to manipulate steel through a kekkei genkai known as Kōton, using a mixture of the fire and earth elements. It was also not unheard of for members to develop Jiton either in addition to Kōton or as a solitary alternative.
After the reign of Masazane Ito, leadership of the clan fell once again into disarray with leadership cycling repeatedly through a series of smiths that were closely matched between each other. Each year, the one currently in power would lose to one of the smiths he had defeated the year before. This period lead to the exodus of the clan from the Land of Iron to Amegakure, a gimmick one of the Masazane clan's leaders had suggested as a way to provide access to more markets for their goods.
It would not be for over hundreds of years before the leadership would yet again stabilize. However, this stabilization of leadership would continue to the reign of Masazane Io, who has lead the clan for the last 62 years. Io is often considered the reincarnation of the original founder of their clan with near unrivaled skill in the forging of weapons and the manifestation of both Jiton and Kōton at a high level. This is often considered because of Io's great number of male heirs (in order of preference by Io - Iro, Iao, Iso, Iho, Ieo, Ipo, Ino, Ido, Iio, Iwo, Ibo, Iko, Igo, Iuo, Iyo).
Masazane Io currently has provided the Masazane clan a level of prosperity unusual for Amegakure, solely through their clan reserves and historical networks of weapons trading that have persisted despite the political climate.
Misc: While rare, some Masazane do forge weapons for themselves for the Tetsu no Shōtotsu. Most members of the clan fall under competent or skilled with a weapon. For the Tetsu no Shōtotsu most form relationships with kenjutsu masters.
It is said some still participate in an underground version of the Tetsu no Shōtotsu known as the Ketsueki no Shōtotsu [Clash of Blood] as a form of gambling or a way to display power between Tetsu no Shōtotsu.▸ Personality:✓ RealistKiken acknowledges his clan's resources and chooses to take advantage of them.
✗ BitterKiken dislikes much of the Masazane clan because of a healthy mix of dislike over the way he and his immediate family were treated as well as their general exploitation of the world's climate to make themselves wealthier
✓ IndependentKiken largely knew how to function on his own to balance the interests of all of his family's interests.
✗ LongingKiken wishes to be able to separate himself from the complications of his family and have close relationships that are less work
✓ Inquisitive/Open MindedKiken likes learning new skills and finds it relaxing.
✗ Trust IssuesGiven the politics of his clan, Kiken sometimes struggles to separate the genuine from those working an angle.
✓ HonestHas no issue telling anyone, especially politely, what he feels they should hear.
✗ Rebeliousish Will occasionally disregard authority when they exert their authority for authority's sake.
▸ Dreams and hopes:ｘ Creating a true masterwork
ｘ Start his own business
ｘ Owning his own home, complete with workshop
ｘ Getting promoted
ｘ BONUS: Defeating the huns and/or becoming Hokage while possessing 45.5 Sharingan.
▸ Desires:ｘ Eliminate the clan's status quo
ｘ Finding a vision of success outside of his family's name
ｘ Reconcile the complications of his family
ｘ Finishing upgrades on his various projects
▸ Fears:ｘ The clan will continuing functioning as-is
ｘ He will not be 'Kiken', just another Masazane
ｘ Family will make life even more complicated
ｘ Stagnating
▸ Motivations:Kiken is goal oriented, so he is motivated by events that advance him towards accomplishing his goals, hopes, and dreams without compromising his moral fiber.
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Military
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— ▸ Kekkei genkai:Sōzō no Hi [Fires of Creation]
▸ Description:The Masazane clan’s Kekkei Genkai, the Sōzō no Hi, confers upon its bearers several manifestations of power:
The first manifestation is that the bearer of this Kekkei Genkai can instinctively can identify the age, origin, creator, composition, and intended use of a crafted object - a power not limited to metal objects. The Masazane believe, by virtue of this aspect of their Kekkei Genkai, that each object is infused with a part of its creator's essence—which additionally enables them to sense significant events that have occurred surrounding the object they are identifying, but the significance of such events must be fairly high, to the point that only objects with some kind of folklore or a particularly long stint of use carry such information.
The second manifestation of the Sōzō no Hi is the development of combination release(s). Most commonly this is the development of Kōton [Steel Release].
The third manifestation allows the bearer to perform both simple and complex manipulations on any crafted object that are intimately familiar with (i.e., something that they themselves have created or something of generic design) at whim, to the point that the metal might seemingly appear to be a liquid instead the solid it actually is. This ability scales with the bearer’s overall knowledge and skill in both metalworking and in chakra control, allowing very simple manipulations at a basic level that can become extremely complex when the bearer is considered a true master of their craft.
▸ Strengths:A highly adaptable kekkei genkai that is mostly bound to the creative whims of the wielder.
▸ Weaknesses:While powerful, the Sōzō no Hi is not without limitations. Ultimately, most of the techniques utilizing the KG are easily avoided or deflected (even by techniques lower in rank), as well the Masazane must have made contact with a metal object in order to utilize their power. Objects with significant amount of foreign chakra can make utilization of some of the clan techniques more difficult, if not impossible depending on the level of those involved.
Kagayaku Yoroi [Shining Armor]▸ Rank:D
▸ Range:Personal
▸ Description:The technique is only a specific adaptation of the Unsealing Technique. Kiken released the armor pieces stored within the seals tattooed onto his body (in either the full set or piecemeal). It is style as traditional samurai style armor, an homage to when they served as smiths within the Land of Iron. One of the unique parts of this armor is that much of it is comprised of a series of interlinking pieces on its exterior layer, which has the current benefit of allowing damaged segments to be replaced versus the whole armor. It also is a part of a future technique for Kiken.
▸ Weaknesses:The armor does add weight to Kiken's body, which does slow him down and has the same limitations normal armor would (points where the armor has a gap). Of course, Raiton and Katon can be especially problematic given it does not offer any mitigation from electrocution or burning.
Kōton: Yōsai [Fortify]▸ Rank:D
▸ Range:Personal/Short
▸ Description:A simple technique that can be completed with a single handsign that can significantly bolster the strength of a piece of metal in contact with Kiken (or close proximity) by channeling Kōton chakra through the weapon. By virtue of utilizing Kōton chakra, this provides extreme heat resistance depending on the amount of chakra used. This can also be used to make an metal object more dense, providing material exists. For Masazane, this usually comes from weapons stored within Enclosing Seals or the earth around them. This technique is also a large part of the basis for their physical manipulations of metal, allowing for metal they have extended contact with to bend and extend without breaking or even necessarily compromising its strength providing they are increasing the mass appropriately from other resources.
▸ Weaknesses:This depends on the object that it is being used on. However, ultimately, this does not prevent Raiton techniques from being conducted through the metal or the technique from being overwhelmed by sheer power unless Kiken remains exceptionally committed to the reinforcement. For the manipulation aspect, a graduate would be able to easily bend and extend their weapon.
Gaman [Patience]▸ Rank:D
▸ Range:Physical Contact
▸ Description:Transfers an Enclosing Seal storing a single stored object onto something else that can be released from the seal even without contact with the new seal.
▸ Weaknesses:Seal is visible and can be removed with appropriate countersealing techniques. This seal cannot be transferred to materials with a high concentration of foreign chakra. The eventually release cannot be used to summon and object within an object.
Kōton: Funsai [Shatter]▸ Rank:D
▸ Range:Contact Required
▸ Description:Shatters, and potentially reshapes, a metal object that is in physical contact of the user (or through a line of metal under their control) into various size pieces.
▸ Weaknesses:Items with significant foreign chakra prevent this technique from being used on them (IE most special weapons).
TUUJNEEDSTONAME▸ Rank:D
▸ Range:Contact
▸ Description:TUUJNEEDSTONAME allows the user to pull metal from nearby surroundings/objects in order to create a weapon. The number and complexity of the created object determines the amount of chakra, handsigns, and times it takes for the technique to be enacted, as well as the skill of the user. A basic graduate of the Masazane line worth his/her salt would be able to easily create shuriken from the earth with only a short bit of contact. This technique can also be used, should there be a need, to pull raw materials from the ground.
▸ Weaknesses:The same weaknesses any standard weapons would have.
▸ Rank:D
▸ Range:Personal
▸ Description:▸ Weaknesses: ▸ Equipment and weaponryHyakugei [Jack-of-All-Trades]
▸ Type:Gauntlets
▸ Description:With guidance from his clan, Kiken has created his primary craft tool. The gauntlets, which extend over the top of the hand, are a product of Kiken's imagination. Inscribed into the metal with painstaking artistry is a series of weapon seals, which, when released allow the Hyakugei to alter its function by adding different attachments. Currently, Kiken has a large, shield capable of covering the entire front of his body in each of them which can be unleashed with a single handsign. Additionally, the gauntlet possesses a crossbow attachment that can be operated without direct hand contact, including the reloading which is done via a separate seal (if desired). Each gauntlet possesses a blade that can similarly be pointed towards the front and/or back of his body, measuring about the length of a standard katana, with a less significant curve. Lastly, the gauntlets each contain an attachment for spools of wire that can be connected to throwing weapons. The Hyakugei is designed specifically with significant exposure to Masazane chakra, making it much more cooperative with Masazane clan abilities and is naturally fortified. While crafted specifically for Kiken, it was interwoven with seals (IE: Fortify), so it would be able to be used by a non-Masazane.
Kizoku Eizō [Noble Reflection]
▸ Type:Unique Weapon
▸ Description:Kizoku Eizō is a rectangular tube with nine forward facing holes in it that attaches to a rotating disc worn at Kiken's hips, just below his waist. The single hole that is not a part of a symmetrical pair houses a spear-like projectile on a strong metal cord, which is able to have some significant degree of manipulation in flight with chakra. These cords can be retracted via an internal winch or entirely disengaged. The spear-like end can release additional protrusions to reinforce its grip on whatever it is lodged into. The remaining spots are merely used to launch a crossbow like bolt. The Kizoku Eizō is designed specifically with significant exposure to Masazane chakra, making it much more cooperative with Masazane clan abilities and is naturally fortified. While crafted specifically for Kiken, it was interwoven with seals (IE: Fortify), so it would be able to be used by a non-Masazane.
Sealed Masazane Tools and Weapons
▸ Type:Various
▸ Description:Many of these objects are stored within the connected seals on Kiken's body and primarily released through the seals on his palm. Throwing weapons can be released with tags already attached.
- 75 Explosive Tags
- 30 Flash Tags
- 30 Smoke Bombs
- 125 Shuriken
- 5 Katana
- 25 Ninjato
- 1 LHC
- 75 Kunai
- 300 Arrows/bolts
- 300 Makibishi
- 250 feet of sharp wire
odium
Raiton
Katon
Doton
