The world was large and sparsely populated with villages and small cities here and there across five major countries mostly centered around a single vast continent near a major archipelago of islands.
The countries had a feudal arrangement, with a daimyo owning large tracks of land and granting use of that land to others, who would then owe tribute and duty to that daimyo.
In this world, as in others, humanity's evolution was driven by the instrument known as the brain, which could perceive, reason, hypothesize and plan around various problems.
In another world, that directed, self-determined evolution would lean toward technological advancements while innate human potential was left fairly unexplored for long stretches of time.
In this world, that potential was explored first and the technology was left largely unexplored.
So, while there existed men and women who possessed the fighting ability of a legion each and others who could resurrect the dead, the advances of such basic things as farming remained low and the world's population was limited by that fact. Which, by side-effect, left much of the world still in a state of wilderness with settlements small and uncrowded.
The predominant practioners of these powerful arts...jutsu, were the shinobi clans centralized in legendary Hidden Villages that were comparable in rank and power to the daimyos that owned the land. Indeed, the Hidden Villages were not bound to the daimyo save by duty and honor.
But they were not the only warriors of power about.
Samurai clans, a noble-warrior caste beholden the daimyos in ancient days, still lived in places though they were small and no longer had much political clout. However, they were renowned for the vast combative ability by comparison to the shinobi who were much less specialized in general (individuals not withstanding). Now they served as magistrates, bodyguards and investigators of a more public sort than the shinobi. But they shared this duty with the shinobi now.
Wandering martial arts focused entirely on building the power of their bodies and minds could also challenge the shinobi one for one, though they lacked even the traditional status afforded samurai. Many were uninterested in politics, however, and only in self-improvement. They challenged themselves by competing against each other, though many used those contests as only a gauge and primarily sought only to advance past their own current limits.
Beyond them were the Reapers. The spirits of men and women that helped maintain the balance of life in the worlds of the living and the dead. For the most part, active reapers were the souls of those who had either passed beyond the veil or been born in that other world. However, occasionally a living human would gain the power of their brotherhood and aid in the maintanance of the spiritual boundaries as well.
All of them held their codes.
For the shinobi, the mission was first and foremost. They would do all that was necessary to achieve what was required of them to do.
For the samurai, it was service to the country and one's lord. They were expected to do as commanded and set aside even their lives for the asking.
For the reapers, it was balance. Balance between the living and the dead. Balance within the soul and balance of action.
For the martial artist, moral codes were individual, but all sought to improve. There was no level of perfection that they could not surpass in their mind.
At times, the samurai and martial arts found themselves serving under or with the shinobi, but for the most part they lived separate and of the shinobi-world.
See other episodes by Thrythlind
(Posted Sat, 14 Mar 2009 01:38)
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