In the early years of Hokorigakure, trade and commerce flourished and was the mainstay of the village’s economy. Along with this progress, also came unwanted attention as gangs and bandits attacking merchants and wagons transporting goods was becoming a usual occurrence despite all precautionary measures that were taken by the parties involved in the trades. Among these groups of bandits, was one that was quickly gaining notoriety not just from attacking and hijacking transport wagons and merchants but also from their merciless acts of violence and murder. They were led by an unprincipled, disreputable Shinobi known only as Akimoto Tokage. He had served the village hidden in the dust after it had been founded and was a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. His desire for material possessions however, had caused him to be driven out of the village as a disgraced thief and he now sought revenge by destroying the village’s only means of survival, its trade The Tokage bandits, as they were called, soon grew in number, becoming an independent clan, well trained as shinobi bandits and despite the village’s efforts, they proved unstoppable, wreaking havoc on all the roads leading to and from the Hidden dust for years to come and their use of lethal toxins extracted from the desert’s reptiles was truly terrifying.
The Tokage came to be identified as a clan from the Dust Village, renowned for their banditry, theft, stealth and use of various toxins. A common technique of theirs was hiding in the sands, using some of the surroundings to blend in with their environment, then emerging from the sands with their weapons ready. Due to their grand success, opportunities for the more curious and knowledgeable of the bandits to study the equipment they raided from their victims arose.
One amongst them, which is currently a trademark for the current generation of Tokage clan members, is the gas mask. This mask efficiently filters out heavy particles that remain in the air, allowing the user to breathe comfortably in harsh environments (i.e. ash, dust, poisonous gas). Over the years, many clan members have added various trinkets to the design of the mask, resulting in an ominous trademarked item for the Tokage, whilst still keeping their individuality.
In time, many traders were seeking the comfort of having their own escort team, and with it the success rate of the Tokage’s raids dropped drastically. They sought within the deserts of Hokorigakure for something they could use, leading to the discovery of their most powerful weapon yet. Venom – from the tiniest and most volatile of creatures; so lethal that even the tiniest drop injected would cause the unlucky receiver to instantly be in a paralyzed state. The Tokage shinobi were taught by those skilled in medical ninjutsu how to extract the venom from these creatures. The prodigies amongst those trained in medical ninjutsu were highly praised, for they discovered a way to create toxic gases from pure chakra. The Tokage shinobi would extract the venom from any poisonous creature whenever they found them and covered their weapons with these poisons.
However, most of their raids still resulted in failures due to the reinforced escorts. Most traders decided to take more perilous routes that were more patrolled by guards. Food became scarce and with their weapon supplies running fairly low, their leader at the time, Shikoto Tokage, tried to pull-of a raid on the Kitsune nomad branch of the Sabaku Kuchikomi. Vizier, the fabled leader of the Sabaku and Hayame, an elder of the Kitsune-Sabaku, were, unfortunately for the bandits, present within the nomad branch at the time of the raid. The Tokage attempted an all-out assault on the Kitsune, who, as expected, fiercely retaliated. Shikoto Tokage was slain in one-on-one combat with Vizier and a fairly large portion of the Tokage, upon witnessing his death, surrendered and were captured. Being exhausted and low on supplies, they had realized they couldn’t win this fight. Those who still resisted were killed. Vizier ordered an execution as punishment for the rebel shinobi but Hayame disagreed with this harsh decision and was able to convince Vizier to change his mind. The elder believed that, as they had surrendered to the Kitsune’s might, they may also be able to change their ways of living. Vizier agreed to this and the execution was cancelled. He accepted the survivors of the clan within his own as another branch, one that would focus on looting and hunting wildlife. Hayame was then put in charge of the new house, for it was his move to spare them and he was to be held responsible for their actions. The members were allowed to wear their symbol, as long as they also wore the Sabaku symbol.
Thus began a new era for the Tokage clan – once fierce anarchic bandits, now loyal hunters. Even though their way of living changed, their way of combat has not, as members of this clan still specialize in poisons, genjutsu, ambushing and stealth.
They seldom get along with members of the Kitsune house, still believing their predecessors would have defeated the Kitsune in combat had it not been for the interference of Vizier.
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Topic: Tokage no Sabaku - Bandits of the Tombs (Read 11611 times)
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