Yamigakure (Chikyu no Tamashi)

Yamigakure (Yamigakure no Sato; English TV "Hidden Darkness Village"; Literally meaning "Village Hidden in Darkness") is a highly unknown hidden village in the Land of Demons which does not technically serve its host nation like villages of other countries. Even though Yamigakure is not within one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, it is still governed by a Kage, titled the Onikage, an individual who wields excessive power and importance in the world that is guarded by many secrets. The current Onikage is a woman named Haruka Zetsumei, who is widely considered among the denizens of the village as the most powerful of the village's leaders in its history.

Overview
Yamigakure is a moderately sized village hidden entirely within a deep, isolated cavern system in the remote mountains of the Land of Demons. It is far older than all other ninja villages of the realm, including Konoha, but was not governed by the system that the world recognizes until after a brief event in recent years when Haruka Zetsumei met Naruto Uzumaki during the years Naruto was first beginning his training under Jiraiya. The village is constructed along the ceiling of a massive underground chamber, with the various buildings built on or even inside of the giant stalactites within the cavern and connected to one another with a wide variety of means such as rope or chain bridges, solid walkways of wood or stone, and for fast travel an inventive means of human slingshots which launch Yamigakure's military forces to other platforms where large landing zones meant to soften their landing are set up. Far below the settlement resides the Abyssal Pond, a lake of pitch black water that radiates a harmless cloud of dark vapor. In the center of the town resides the Rift of Earth, a powerful artifact that connects the mortal realm with that of the “underworld”, the home of demonic entities of godlike power called Oni. This gateway is one of two that are powered by an object known as the Fathom Stone, and with the gateway’s twin in Hikarigakure, they are capable of producing the creation of a God Tree. Yamigakure is heavily spiritually active and zealously guarded by a strict tradition of Oni worship and subjugation. The denizens of the village are locked within their small world, dedicating themselves to preventing any rogue Oni from stepping foot into their world, and exceedingly rarely involve themselves in matters of the surface world. They and their brethren in Hikarigakure see their duty to keeping the masses of chaotic forces from beyond their respective rifts as a religious, unavoidable responsibility, while they work to keep an event of the formation of another God Tree from taking place. Both villages wish to prevent seeing what reality could become if such an event occurred given how things occurred when a rogue tree seed ended up on Earth, and thus keep their population under strict guard and training in order to keep atop of such a burden. This task is further aided by the clans of ninja making long term pacts with the more powerful Oni within the Rift, allowing them use of exceptional powers to help keep the more mischievous Oni from causing calamity. Due to this constant, strict task, Yamigakure’s shinobi are quite possibly some of the toughest and deadliest of their kind across the world.

Founding
(WIP)

Search for the Fathom Stone
(WIP)

Zetsumei Clan
Pacts: Oni of All Consuming Chaos & Hachibora, King of the Shinigami One of the first clans of note that helped settle Yamigakure and helped make it what it is, the Zetsumei clan are often low in number but widely considered the strongest members of the village, and could easily contend for that title throughout all of the ninja world. Their ancestors worked out a pact with three major Oni within the Rift, one of which is believed to be the demon most other demons fear, the Oni of All Consuming Chaos, and another is one all mortals fear, Hachibora, the Death God. Their pact with the first of these “Oni lords” is far reaching, as the clan members are occasionally born with the markings of the Kontonmanto, a genetic abnormality which permanently links that individual with the Oni of All Consuming Chaos in a very direct, but not fully understood way. The Kontonmanto allows them to use the Oni’s own blood and chakra to empower their bodies and abilities (and even their surroundings) not unlike, but quite different from a jinchuuriki as the power is loaned through space and time, not constantly present in the individual battling for supremacy. These resources are able to be used to effectively bend effects of reality in their environment to their needs as long as the demon's chakra has soaked into it first. Zetsumei clan members are regularly forbidden to ever leave the village or its cavern networks, and very few accounts of any ever being seen by other villages are recorded, allowing them to be an unknown entity in the larger machinations of the world. The power wielded by the clan would be rightly feared if knowledge of their existence was widespread, but thankfully due to the pact they wield with Hachibora, should a clan member ever break the oath with him and seek power solely for personal gain or ambitious goals, their lives are forfeit. This makes the Zetsumei scary, but unable to sow true fear across the world as they are bound to service in Yamigakure and Yamigakure alone.

Saionji Clan
Pacts: Muteki of the Solid Soul

The Saionji are one of the eldest clans in service to Yamigakure, and carry a major role in the village and the world itself. Bearers of the Sosakan Gem, a relic that was brought through the Rift to Earth when the first Oni emerged to form the God Tree, the Saionji choose from among their most worthy members to host the Sosakan next to their heart and become the "Tsuro Hogosha", or Riftwalker (The merger with the gem is not without its own risk, as the host must undergo a process similar to open heart surgery, and may die in the process).

The host of this gem becomes near impervious to physical damage and immune to practically all elements, as they cannot be burned, frozen, electrocuted, and are not hindered by others such as water or earth, as the wielder practically becomes a juggernaut… an unstoppable being in motion. The wielder also does not require the need to breathe when activating the gem’s energy within. However, this boon comes at the sacrifice of the user’s own chakra levels, as they no longer can create or focus chakra for use other than their own biological needs. Thus they are rendered incapable of using almost all forms of Jutsu the shinobi world is known for, including any Taijutsu which requires chakra to activate or strengthen, and limits their mobility somewhat as they cannot scale walls or trees like other shinobi.

The Saionji's role is to send the Riftwalker through the Rift to communicate with the Oni beyond in order to form pacts with the various Yamigakure clans, as well as to scout the other side for any possible threats who should be making their way towards the portal between the realms. Thanks to their immunity to the elements, since the Oni realm is so chaotic and rife with massive firestorms, ice avalanches and more that can occur in the blink of an eye with no warning, the Riftwalker is likely the most important role in Yamigakure, perhaps even more so than the Onikage.

Endo Family
Pacts: Kariudo, the Manifested Dream The Endo family is a very small group of exceptionally powerful shinobi which have been involved in the operation of both Yamigakure and its sister village, Hikarigakure, since their founding. In fact, records show that the villages were technically founded by members of the Endo family and the Sage of Six Paths' two sons, Ashura and Indra. Three of the family’s ancestors were also personal retainers of Hagoromo during his era of existence. The Endo family have many roles within Yamigakure, but chief among them is the dictation of the history of the shadows, the unknown events throughout the world's history that took place in tandem with the more well known ones. Seen as scribes, spiritual leaders and monks, or advisors to clan and village leadership, it is easy to mistake an individual of Endo descent as a pushover for a shinobi. The Endo, however, hold a long history as the original creators of what eventually became known as Genjutsu, having developed the concepts of the form of techniques to which they presented to Hagaromo. As such, even the least skilled Endo family member is vastly superior in the use of such techniques in comparison to most others of the world. While they frequently are bested in all other means, the family still holds this one brag worthy position among ninja society.

Kataoka Clan
Pacts: Shōhi of the Warfare Spirit One of the newer, but easily the most militant minded clan in Yamigakure, the Kataoka can probably blame that on their pact with the Oni of Warfare. It is through this pact that they are allowed a true battle ‘instinct’ that is superhuman in its capacity, giving Kataoka clan members the capacity to assess an opponent’s battle prowess, skills and demeanor just by observation for a short period of time, during battle, or even through body language during casual time. Atop of this, Kataoka members who show enough skill in assessing an enemy earn the respect of their patron demon, and are gifted access to a plethora of tools and weapons that only the most sadistic beings could devise. These are accessed by a special ‘node’ that appears in the flesh of the clan members given this gift, often appearing as blind “eyes” in the center of the palm, at the base of their neck, or their shoulder blades. Titled "Akuma Heiki no Arawarae" (Demonic Arsenal Manifestation), these nodes function as a living link to their Oni of War, and provide the Kataoka member with instant manifestation of a weapon or tool the demon believes would be most useful for the scenario the shinobi is currently facing. Thanks to the innate, static instinct the Kataoka clan members are provided, they know fully how to wield the provided weapon without issue as if they had trained with it for their entire lives. Due to these traits, the Kataoka have become Yamigakure’s premiere defenders and serve as the village’s first line of combatants if faced with enemies from outside the village, or within… or should a rogue Oni pass through the Rift into the realm of mortals.

Akahata Clan
Pacts: Master Tengu the Eight Armed (WIP)

Yamida Clan
Pacts: Hiretsuna the Unrepented (WIP)

Horigome Clan
Pacted with: Chiho, Breaker of Sanity (WIP)

The Rift of Earth
(WIP)

The Abyssal Pond
(WIP)

Shinobi of Yamigakure

 * Haruka Zetsumei, the Onikage
 * Kinsaku Saionji, the Riftwalker
 * Ryoko Kataoka
 * Kagabu Akahata
 * Mizuki Endo, the "Shimmer Faun"
 * Yasei Amida

Trivia

 * In a regrettable moment in history, during the transition period of a much needed leadership succession, the ninja of Yamigakure failed to stop the Oni known as Mōryō from escaping the Rift of Earth and their cavern system. However, residents of the surface world were able to defeat him, preventing Yamigakure from needing to act.