kumogakure history"discretion is the better part of valor."
founding
[-901]
As Hi no Kuni and Mizu no Kuni both began to form their own Shinobi Villages, those within Kaminari no Kuni began to think of creating their own. Not wanting to fall behind in the race for power, the clans within the land had taken to forming their own village. The Daimyo contacted many of the clans, attempting to gather as many as he could for the founding of the new village.
The clans had lived in an uneasy peace amongst themselves, some clans shadowed beneath others while others had outshined all of them over the generations. There had been scuffles and skirmishes between them over the years in a vie for power but no one clan had truly destroyed another. It has been said that one of the more notorious clans had been well known for their Jiton Jutsu but through their own demise, the skills have been said to be lost, until it was refounded by Jokyū Otoshi, the Nidaime Raikage. Throughout the seven years after Kirigakure no Sato’s founding, the clans within Kaminari no Kuni attempted to talk with the Daiymo, wanting to entice them into founding their own village but it had been to no avail, until they had seen what the other villages had begun to do around them.
The formation of Kumogakure no Sato had been considered to be very civil, only small mishaps between the clans dealing with each other caused a small amount of friction from time to time. While some clans had agreed begrudgingly agreed to be civil, others welcomed the change to work with the others in the village’s formation. A strange and eerie peace settled over the prideful clans as the village came into fruition.
the kage summit
[931]
The Shodai Raikage had been from the Mageruhi, one Mageruhi Raiden. Staying in power for several years. It was this Raikage who had been to the Kage Summit that had been little to no success. Many had believed it would lead to great relationships between the villages while the discussion of the founding of Sunagakure no Sato had been one of the main topics. It had not gone as smoothly as many had wished or hoped for. There had been a great tension between all of them and many had wondered if war would start. The Raikage had walked away from the summit disappoint and overburden, this is only cemented the feelings of discontent and worry within the man. He would live until the middle of the First Shinobi War.
the first shinobi war
[942 to 946]
The Shodai Raikage had fallen in 944 in a heavy battle with the Lady of Takigakure; the loss to Kumogakure had been blunt and sharp. Within the month, the Nidaime Raikage had been named. Jokyū Otoshi had risen up throughout the years, breathing new life into the village as well as rediscovering the thought lost Jiton Kekkei Genkai. He was a very charismatic man, calling the people to rally and to keep going, the Shinobi of Kumogakure were proud and able people. He had them remember this and inspired hope to all those around; it is said he had been one of the greatest Raikage's Kumogakure had seen. Not all would end well for the man, for he had passed at the end of the War in 946 like many of the other Kages, falling in battle.
the second shinobi war
[971 to 976]
When the war began between Konohagakure no Sato and Iwagakure no Sato, Kumo had taken to the side of Iwa. Their Sandaime Raikage had been appointed at the end of the first war in 946 and had lived to see the second one. The Third Raikage, from the clan of Mageruhi, was considered to be a warrior, having learned much from the first war, enough so that he was able to bring the village through the war in a much better state than the devastation predicted prior to the end of the war. The ending of the war had all but devastated Kumo’s trading and economic ties and they had gratefully accepted the Non-Aggression Pact at the death of the Lord of Yukaure.
the third shinobi war
[977 to 990]
The peace had only lasted for a year before the Third war started. Kumo, while still being large in strength, had invited trouble as the Sunagakure assassins painted a target upon the Raikage’s back. The assassination attempts failed and the fragile peace that had been established between the villages had been shattered completely. Kumogakure had not taken kindly to the attempts on their Raikage's life and had taken to strengthen their military even more, their pride on the line.
With the death of the Kazekage, Kumo had taken to rebuilding the heavy damage that had been done to both the village and to their forces. They had refused to back down from their own might, desiring to remain strong and not allow for the same opening to happen again.
As the rebuilding began to take place and their military might had been strengthened once more, the years for Kumo have been considered to be peaceful and prosperous.
era of prosperity
[990 to 1002]
For nearly 12 years following the third Shinobi War Kumogakure prospered both economically and as a major shinobi power. It was during this time that Kumogakure was in its prime and considered by those still to be alive as the golden age. As time passed, however, the Sandaime Raikage began to succumb to the mental illness inflicted upon him due to a combination of his old age and his Kekkei Genkai, and as a result of this illness the once great Raikage slowly slipped into an anger driven madness.
Due to this madness, the Sandaime Raikage was much more prone to killing with reckless abandon, especially those that he considered enemies or potential enemies of Kumogakure. Some of his murders were expertly covered up and swept under the rug by the Anbu, allowing him to remain in power even when he was unfit to be the Raikage. In fact, the Kumo-Shimo Conflict was caused due to the Council's negligence during this time, when the Raikage suspected Shimo citizens within Kumogakure's walls to be enemies of both Kaminari and Kumogakure.
the kumo-shimo conflict
[1002]
This conflict was incredibly short-lived, lasting approximately three months before abruptly ending. During this three month period, however, Kumogakure was partaking in the conflict with Shimogakure without mercy: treating the thing as a full-blown war. This entire conflict was hectic to say the least, and was the cause of many lost lives from Kumogakure, Shimogakure, and a handful of people that got caught between these skirmishes. Towards the end of these three months in 1002 the Sandaime Raikage that got the village into the conflict mysteriously perished and only a handful of citizens know the cause of his death.
a shortlived respite
[1002 to 1014]
Within days of the Sandaime Raikage's death, Jokyu Akihito was chosen as a replacement. The Yondaime Raikage, Jokyu Akihito, apologized to Shimogakure and negotiated for a return to peace. Although Shimo still saw Kumogakure as an enemy, the conflict was beginning to take a toll on them as a nation, so they were quick to accept Kumogakure's terms for peace. With a return to peace, Kumogakure returned to a prosperous peace, although not quite as prosperous as the village's golden age.
the great plague
[1014 to 1016]
In 1013, Just after nearly 12 years of peace and prosperity, Jokyu Akihito lost his life to a mysterious illness, not unlike the plague that would arrive and decimate the lands of Kumogakure a few years later. Until then the Yondaime Raikage was replaced by Kyuuten Aoi. She reigned peacefully as Raikage for about a year before
, in 1014, illness began to sweep the lands, lasting for three years. People were passing away to harsh cold and flu like symptoms; a plague had swept the land, claiming the weak and young first. Some of the older shinobi had fallen ill and very few who did would survive, causing Kumo to close itself off from the world. They bore their illness in silence as their medic tried to cure the plague, their pride on the line.
The plague itself was not unusual. Many had considered it to be a massive wave of misfortune due to the years of prosperity. The plague had infected people as the flu would, but the fever it caused made it difficult to cure. It rippled through Kumo relentless and as the medics reached a cure, one of the last to fall victim to the plague had been the Godaime Raikage, Ryuuten Aoi. They had been unable to save the woman, many bearing curiosity as to why one of the last to fall ill had been a very healthy woman in a very important position. With no evidence to support foul play, many had to accept his death to be caused by the plague and whether the plague was natural or not had remained to be seen.
a series of shortlived raikage
[1016 to 1017]
In her absence, the Jounin Hanchou, Ryujin Imōjin, stepped up as the Godaime Raikage. While there was a minor outbreak of the Plague once more, it was cured rather quickly, only claiming the life of a handful of villagers.
Unlike the previous Raikage that had lost the position through tragedy, Ryujin Imōjin lost the position due to inactivity, as she refused to address the slowly failing economy of Kumogakure and the occasional resurgences of the plague in small villages. The council, unable to wait to make contact with Kyuumu Riku, temporarily gave the position to Jokyu Chihiro until the on-again off-again quarantine could finally be lifted permanently. When Kyuumu Riku eventually returned they requested Chihiro to step down from the position as the Interim Raikage so that the more qualified shinobi could take the position.
the nanadaime raikage is sworn in
[1017 to 1022]
Unsure of whether she was qualified for the position in the first place, Jokyu Chihiro obliged their request, and Kyuumu Riku finally took up the mantle as the Nanadaime Raikage. Riku has been Raikage for the past two years or so, and has managed to moderately improve the living conditions after the plague. Although there's still a lot of work if Kumogakure is to return to its former glory, Kyuumu Riku is currently regarded by most of the residents as one of the most accomplished Raikage in recent history.
the hachidaime raikage sets sail
[1022]
Kyuumu Riku, though an accomplished leader who helped navigate Kumogakure and the country writ large out of the devastating aftermaths of the plague, was replaced by the council after a five-year tenure. Hirana Kizumi was installed as his successor, the Hachidaime Raikage. With the threat of war looming on the horizon and enemies at all sides, Kizumi is sailing into shark-infested waters; but she aims to ensure her village and nation's safety and security during these troubled times, using her naval expertise and her close connection with the civilians of the nation to usher both Kumogakure and Kaminari no Kuni as a whole into a new era of prosperity.
