If a member of the Galactic Republic were to find the transferred Konoha they would simply think it was a settlement of Humans. On the surface they would be correct, the citizens of Konoha were Human. This is not the case however. The people of Konoha and their rival villages were in fact Near Human. Near Human was a term used by the Galactic Republic to define the people who were genetically descendant from Baseline Humans but had distinctive characteristics that set them apart. In Konoha, those distinct characteristics were that they were stronger, smarter, more durable, had better senses and most importantly posses the Chakra Circulatory System: pathways through out the body that channel and distribute the very essence of life, Chakra.
These distinct characteristics were a result of the unique world and culture that spawned them. First, Konoha's native world/dimension was an extremely violent place. Through generations of life and death battles those whom could not survive were at least pushed aside and at worst killed off. Second, because of the violent nature of the world, those whom survived would look for similar traits so their children would have a better chance at survival, ensuring the strongest and smartest would carry one to the next generation. And finally and possibly the most important was all shinobi, regardless of Hidden Village or Clan, can trace their line back to the Sage of Six Paths; the first documented person with a Chakra Circulatory System.
There are many ideas about the origin of the Sage of Six Paths. Some say he was a god called forth by the people to slay the ancient demon, the Juubi (Ten Tailed Beast), that was tormenting their lives. Others say he was a result of a random mutation in the human genome and there nothing mystical or divine about his origins, just random chance. A tiny minority say that he was the offspring of that demon and a human and he wanted to overthrow his parent to usurp his power. The truth was lost to history in the mix of facts, legends and embellishments; thus the mysterious origin of the Sage of Six Paths will remain just that, a mystery. Two facts did remain from the many legends and myths about the man. Those facts were, he was the first person to have a Chakra Circulatory System and he had at least two sons, maybe more. As a result, the Sage of Six Paths is truly the Father of the Shinobi Arts.
The Near Humans of Konoha put their advantages to the test in the time since their departure ten years ago. In that time they scouted as far as they could of their new world, learned what flora and fauna were edible, charted their new sky and made discoveries that made them gasp in awe and tremble with fear.
One of the discoveries that made even harden veterans tremble in fear were found in ruins that were discovered nearly fifty kilometers from where Konoha ended up. The ruins themselves were just a small settlement that appeared to have been long since abandoned by an unknown people. Found among those ruins were devices that still had many of the top researchers in Konoha scratching their heads wondering how they worked. But one artifact stood out among those. It was a small thing, a little bigger than a standard sized kunai but shaped like a crossbow and made out of a metal that was extremely resistant to corrosion.
When the researchers were examining the artifact they saw an obvious trigger and came to the conclusion that it was some sort of weapon. Deciding the weapon needed to be tested they took it to one of the Anbu training areas. The results still caused poor Chunin to shiver every time he thought about it. The artifact spat out a flash of green light that when it hit the target stump that burnt a hole through the stump.
The idea of anyone having such a weapon frightened everyone involved. The Sandaime Hokage after reading the results of the test immediately classified it and made finding how the weapon worked and ways to counter it the Research and Developments Department their top priority. After ten years of research results were finally coming in.
“What do you have for me, Hinamori?” the Sandaime asked. He had been summoned to Research Facility One so he could personally see the results.
“For records purposes I will give a summery of our research,” Hinamori answered. Hinamori Kento was a short gray haired middle aged Special Jounin because he as absolutely brilliant when it came to research and development; in other matters he ranked just above a Chunin. The Sandaime understanding the need for records nodded for Hinamori to continue. “After the first firing of the 'Hassha no Tomoshibi (Light Shooter)' and the analysis of the damage I concluded that it had similar properties to a now extinct Bloodline Clan in Lightning Country. The Clan used an extremely rare combination of Raiton (Lighting Element) and Katon (Fire Element) Chakra to produce an Element called Nenshouton (Burning Element). It would effectively cause wounds that have two types of burn damage, electrical and flame, at the same time. There were differences between the Hassha no Tomoshibi and the Nenshouton, the Hassha no Tomoshibi could hit a target at long range for example. For months we tried to focus on the similarities as they would give us a base on what to work with. This yielded methods of defense against such weapons, like the armor I have here.”
The armor Hinamori gestured to was the torso piece of Samurai Armor, similar in appearance to those used in the Land of Iron. The primary difference between the two was the material they were made from. The Land of Iron's Samurai Armor was made of highly refined steel while the Armor in the room was made of a ceramic based material.
“What this line of research did not produce was a way to fully explain how the Hassha no Tomoshibi worked,” Hinamori continued. “So my assistant, Haruno Ume, suggested we concentrate on the differences instead. This line of research yielded the missing element in the how the Hassha no Tomoshibi operated.
“How it works is a multi-step process occurring in a fraction of a second,” Hinamori finally began to explain. “First, from a sealed gas canister small bit of Hydrogen is released into the weapon. Then, from a highly advanced battery an electrical charge is used to excite the Hydrogen. At this point we can only speculate, but we think an intense magnetic field is used to contain the Ionized Hydrogen. But after that we do know that the Ionized Hydrogen is released from the weapon with the magnetic field still holding it together. After a maximum distance of fifty meters the magnetic field apparently fails and the Ionized Hydrogen is released. If the bolt of Ionized Hydrogen hits something solid before the fifty meters the magnetic field releases and the Ionized Hydrogen caused sever burns around the impact area.”
“And what of the Armor?” the Sandaime asked. He knew what it was made of from the brief he received before coming, but got lost in the technical jargon about why it was made from ceramics.
“Yes the Armor,” Hinamori replied. “At first we used a number of different metals, steel and titanium for example, to try and determine which would be the best against such a weapon. Unfortunately the metals would transfer the heat to the target thus negating the reason for the Armor. It was Haruno again that suggested we use materials that we know do not conduct heat well. After some trial and error we determined that the best material to used was ceramic based as it was the most resistant to impact versus the most resistant to heat. After trying different formulas to try and get the weight down but still maintain the level of protection needed we came up with what we used in the armor you see here. The problem is, to make such armor is time consuming and material intensive.”
The Sandaime looked troubled for several seconds. The cost of manufacture would severely limit how many armors could be made. “What do you recommend in combating a person with a weapon like the Hassha no Tomoshibi?”
Hinamori smirked as he answered, “The tried and true method we shinobi have always used, avoidance and striking before the target knows you are there.”
The Sandaime grunted at this. That was true the best way to avoid injury was to not get hit. It was too bad combat never allows for the best way to do anything. “Thank you,” he said. “Your next project is to find a way to lower the cost and manufacture time in producing the armor. Even if we can avoid ninety-nine out of a hundred shots from this Hassha no Tomoshibi, it only takes one to kill or maim. I would rather my ninja have at least some kind of back up measure.”
“Of course Sandaime-sama,” Hinamori bowed.
The Sandaime returned the bow before leaving the room and heading back to the Hokage Tower. He had another meeting to attend. This one with Jounin in charge of the Ninja Academy. They were going to discuss the teaching and implementation of the new powers that were manifesting among Konoha's population.
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(Posted Fri, 09 Apr 2010 22:01)
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