Bloodline Name: Ryū no iki (竜の息: translated to; "breath of a dragon")

Elements: /

Specialization: Ninjutsu

Physical Traits: Members of the Nii'gata that had been born with the ability to use Ryū no iki are lead through various rituals involving fire. These rituals have resulted in those who possess the Kekkai Genkai being heavily scarred with unnatural burn marks from their clan's flames.

Location: Nomadic (Shippuugakure no Sato)

Clan History: The Nii'gata have very peculiar origins that date back to the pre-shinobi era. The Nii'gata began with Tatsuo Kana, a nomadic traveler and loyal follower to a forgotten religion. He worshiped Xiuhcoatl, the Draconian God of Creation. Present day Nii'gata religion recognizes this deity as the being that created everything that is known to exist.

As time passed, Tatsuo gathered followers. Others, like him, that also wished to be loyal to his God. He taught these followers of his about Xiuhcoatl. The God of peaceful balance, Coaxoch, and the God of chaotic balance, Balerion. He explained how Xiuhcoatl was both the God of Creation, as well as true balance. He created these two demigods to represent and uphold balance over the realm, because the Nii'gata believe in times of balance. They believe that at any one period of time, the realm can either be in a time of peace or a time of chaos.
Xiuhcoatl created these two Gods to balance each other. Before the age of mankind, Coaxoch and Balerion were at war. Each side believed that they would only be successful without their other half, and because of their ignorance, the two were constantly at war. The time of chaos and time of peace tore the world into ruin and forced Xiuhcoatl to bring rebirth. During this time, Balerion sealed Coaxoch into a crystal and set him into an indefinitely unconscious state. This lead the land into the time of true chaos and, eventually, lead to the creation of chakra.

However, this is simply their point of view. The Nii'gata had been cut off from the outside world for a very long time. Though time has passed, the Nii'gata still cling to their ancient customs and traditions. Being worshipers of Dragons, these traditions typically involve fire. In fact, the Nii'gata are so naturally obsessed with fire, that they host annual festivals that include competitions such as self-immolation and hot coal walking.

Moving on from the religion of the Nii'gata, Tatsuo lead his followers to a mountain that was far away from the developing civilizations. Tatsuo and his followers were not particularly social, and thus, a solitary lifestyle suited them rather well. They lived within a secluded area that was guarded by treacherous and desolate landscapes. Through sheer luck, the Nii'gata went unnoticed, and still are primarily to present day.

Many years passed and Tatsuo slowly began to decay in his old age. He traveled to the top of the mountain that the group of followers had called home for the past forty years and meditated for two weeks at the peak. Very little is known about what happened at the top of that mountain for those two weeks, as the only stories passed from generation to generation are that the followers of that time claimed to have heard the constant roar of thunder on clear days, emanating from where Tatsuo was believed to be.

When he returned, Tatsuo had claimed to have walked alongside the gods and his faith bestowed a unique power to him, one that would only be passed on to his own blood. He titled this ability Ryū no iki (竜の息: translated to; "breath of a dragon"). It was very unique at the time, especially to the Nii'gata. The idea of chakra had not been common knowledge amongst the members, and in fact, those who knew of it could only call it their life energy.

The Nii'gata lived in solitude for generations, untouched by the growing civilizations. Tatsuo saw the creation of three offspring. Hisashi, the first born. Katsuro, the second, was born two years after Hisashi. Susumu, the third, was born four years after Katsuro. All three of his children carried his blood and were carriers of the Ryū no iki. Tatsuo died three years after Susumu was born, leaving nine year old Hisashi to lead the Followers. He had been thoroughly taught of the growing clan's belief and religion, and after being raised by the loyal followers of Tatsuo's time, Hisashi rose to be a great leader of his people.

Hisashi lead the freshly formed Nii'gata and their followers off the mountain, which was now both the sacred place for the “pure blooded” Nii'gata as well as Tatsuo's resting place. The three sons of Tatsuo had their own children, further diluting the Nii'gata blood. Hisashi was the first to unlock the ability bestowed upon his blood. It was powerful, his roars could crack mountains and his breath could throw fire hundreds of meters into the air. The Nii'gata lived peacefully in an enclosed mountain range, the peaks too high to climb through natural means and the surrounding environment much too treacherous for any sane being to want to travel through. Truth be told, there was no reason for the Nii'gata to be found. The only disputes they had were amongst themselves and were settled very quickly.
Years passed and Hisashi passed from age. He was honoured beside his Father and Katsuro was chosen to lead the Followers. He traveled the top of his mountain, just as his father and brother had done before him, and was bestowed his blood's ability, just as they were. He too lead the clan through times of peace, and died the same as Hisashi.

This left Susumu, the youngest of the three Nii'gata brothers. He traveled to the mountain and learned the secrets of his blood through a period of meditation that lasted two weeks. He returned to his clansmen and lead them as they had been before. Susumu also taught the sons and daughters of his brothers, as well as his own son, about the Nii'gata. They would be the ones to lead the clan in the future, so becoming properly educated on how to do so at an early age would be customary. Susumu was different than his brothers, however. He brought all of the Three Sons of Tatsuo to the mountain and had them meditate at the very tender age of ten. Each of them unlocked their abilities so young, and Susumu began one of the most honourable and respectable traditions the Nii'gata clan would ever experience.

Generations passed and the “pure blooded” Nii'gata bloodline slowly became more and more diluted. Each passing generation grew weaker in the voice, but compensated for it through other means. Shinobi Villages had long since formed, yet the Nii'gata lived on, completely oblivious to the war and turmoil that raged on beyond their mountains of ignorance. There was no way for them to know, the last time they had taken an outsider as a follower was hundreds of years prior. But their lifestyle of tribalism went on. As technology advanced, the Nii'gata still hunted with improvised weaponry. As architecture came up, the Nii'gata still lived in animal skin tents. They entertained themselves through festivals and nightly bonfires. It was almost as if they lived in a state of halted development. Stasis. They didn't progress or devolve, they simply existed.

Since the times of Tatsuo leading the Followers, the clan has undergone many changes. The first and, arguably, the most noteworthy is that the Pure Blooded have officially split themselves from the Followers. Only those with Tatsuo's blood call themselves Nii'gata, whereas the followers are known as just that, Followers of the Voice. In addition to this, the religion of the Nii'gata has also been split down the middle. There are those who worship Coaxoch over Balerion, and there are those who worship Balerion over Coaxoch. Similar to the conflict of those gods, those who worship either side tend to believe that their side is what will achieve true balance. However, there is another, much more infrequent practiced religion. Although it is generally looked down upon, there are those who follow the guidance of Xiuhcoatl. They seek genuine equilibrium, but are not as consumed with their ideals as others are. While worshipers of Coaxoch tend to be more practiced in the voice and possess the ability to speak Nii'shita, those who worship Balerion do not. Instead, they focus themselves more on the rituals and traditions of the Nii'gata.

Nowadays, in present times, the Nii'gata still live in solitude, protected behind the walls that they hid behind for hundreds of years. They are now lead by Taiyu, a direct descendent of Katsuro and carrier of the Ryū no iki. She resides at the top of the mountain that her forefathers and ancestors are honoured and spends her days practicing the voice in an attempt to restore it's ability to the glory of their Ancestors.

The Nii'gata practice a new tradition to test the worthiness of new pure bloods. Their typical meditation routine consists of the pure blooded sitting within a circle of burning flames for hours, days even, with no food, water, or sleep. During this time, their body is set aflame, and if the pure blooded falters or breaks their meditative trance, they are not ready. Those who do withstand the flames for their duration are imbued with the clan's trademark, the unnatural burn scars that decorate their upper torso. They are also sent to the mountain alone to learn the voice from Taiyu.

There has never been a Nii'gata that left the sanctuary that they have called home for the past hundreds of years. Until now.

Bloodline Ability Description: The Nii'gata have particularly potent chakra and an innate ability to mold their primary and secondary affinities. Due to this peculiar mutation, and as an added effect, the Nii'gata are capable of channeling chakra through their lungs and mouths without the usual hand seal requirement.

• Primary Nature Affinity deals the same damage as a technique one rank higher.
  
• Breath-based techniques do not require hand seals to be completed.
  

Drawbacks: Due to the Nii'gata's culture and upbringing, the concepts of Medical Ninjutsu and Genjutsu are unknown to the clansmen. They know nothing about these types of jutsu and, as such, possess no natural talent with anything related to them. The Nii'gata also possess moderately damaged skin from the rituals of their clan, and as such, supportive or healing medical ninjutsu is less effective when used on them.

• Members of the clan cannot start out with, learn, or utilize the Medical Ninjutsu and Genjutsu specializations.
  
• Supportive Medical Ninjutsu is much less effective on members of the clan, and has the same effect as a technique two ranks lower than normal.
  
• The Ryū no iki, jutsu, and abilities of the clan are limited to the primary and secondary nature affinity of the user.
  

Members:

• Nii'gata, Rin
  

Name: Ryū no iki (竜の息 ~ Breath of the Dragon)
Canon/Custom: Custom
Rank: C
Type: Offensive
Element: Primary and Secondary Element
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m) / Mid (5m ~ 10m)
Specialty: Kekkai Genkai (Nii'gata)
Duration: Instantaneous
Cooldown: 3 Posts
Description: Ryū no iki is the basic Kekkai Genkai of the Nii'gata. Because of their ability to mold chakra through their mouths without the aid of hand seals, and their innate abilities with molding chakra infused with their nature affinities, the Nii'gata possess the ability to produce the chakra needed to fire a single shot of their primary or secondary element. The ability is incompatible with their tertiary and quaternary elements, as well as any advanced elements the user may possess due to a genetically lesser ability.

Fire: The user ejects a ball of fire from their mouth. The size of the fireball is comparable to a Goukakyuu fireball with similar destructive power. It will leave a crater like Goukakyuu, but is not nearly strong enough to kill on impact. If flesh comes in direct contact with the flames, the resulting damage will be severe first to moderate second degree burns. The flames can also ignite unprotected clothing if it's in contact with the fabric for a fair amount of time.
Water: The user ejects a jet of water from their mouths that is similar to the Water Trumpet technique. The destructive power of the jutsu is not very similar to the technique, however, and can expel up to 100 gallons of water in total. The jutsu is not strong enough to break bones, but the likelihood of moderate bruising from direct hits is high.
Wind: The user inhales a large amount of air into their lungs and expels a concussive spherical projectile similar to Renkuudan from their mouths, but on a much smaller scale. The power of the jutsu is more comparable to Reppushou. The blast of air has enough power to blow enemies back away from the user, but doesn't do much damage other than that.
Earth: The user exhales a stream of muddy earth from their mouths. The mud doesn't have much effect offensively, but it can be used to create a slick battlefield or blind an opponent if shot at point blank range towards the face. No actual damage occurs from the mud, however.
Lightning: The user is able to exhale a single bolt of lightning out of their mouths. The bolt of lightning cannot be precisely aimed and will dissipate quickly, however if released at point blank range the most severe resulting effect can be momentary paralysis(one post). The victim may also experience moderate numbness in the areas that were hit, and the technique itself does very little damage.


Name: Ryū no iki: Hinote (炎:竜の息 ~ Breath of the Dragon: Flame)
Canon/Custom: Custom
Rank: B
Type: Offensive
Element: Fire
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m) / Mid (5m ~ 10m)
Specialty: Kekkai Genkai (Nii'gata)
Duration: Instantaneous (Flames last 2 posts)
Cooldown: 3 posts
Description: Hinote is a modified version of the Niigata's Kekkai Genkai technique known as "Ryū no iki". Because of the Nii'gata's natural ability to mold chakra through their lungs and mouths without using any seals, the jutsu can be performed simply by the user opening their mouth and exhaling. In the same instance, the user exhales a stream of invisible gas infused with chakra, with quite a bit more potency than normal. The user then ignites the gas from their mouth and releases a flamethrower towards their target. Due to the nature of the gas, molten liquid drops from the flames while the technique is in use. Given the fluid-like nature of the flames, they tend to "stick" to their target much easier than normal flames. This same fluid-like nature causes the flame to burn longer, and the flames themselves last two posts whereas the actual fire breathing only lasts one. The fire inflicts moderate to high damage, leaving second to moderate third degree burns if the flames are in physical contact with the user for more than one post. Otherwise, the flames will inflict severe first to second degree burns depending on the total inflicted area.


Name: Ryū no iki: Dengen (パワー:竜の息 ~ Breath of the Dragon: Power)
Canon/Custom: Custom
Rank: S
Type: Offensive
Element: /
Range: All Ranges
Specialty: Kekkai Genkai (Nii'gata)
Duration: Instantaneous
Cooldown: 5 posts
Description: Dengen is a slight variation of  Ryū no iki. It is considered to be the most powerful technique that the Nii'gata have, primarily because it does not include any form of nature manipulation. The technique is shape manipulation in one of it's purest forms. All that Dengen is capable of is releasing a powerful blast of pure chakra that is heavily condensed to extreme levels. This condensed chakra can be referenced to as a moving brick wall, and it can block all incoming projectiles of weaker rank, assuming that the projectiles are not infused with chakra that could otherwise nullify the technique. This condensed chakra travels up to 20 meters and devastates everything in it's path, building and nature alike. Any soul caught in the path of this technique will find themselves being thrown back upwards of 75 meters.