Inazuma

The Inazuma Clan traces its origins to a warrior named Marobi who was a disciple of Raiun the Lightning Disciple of the Sage. Marobi was said to be Raiun's bodyguard when he was at sea owing to his ability to combine his elements to conjure defensive storms or energy beams capable of destroying enemy ships. Marobi was a sullen and quiet man but in battle his temper raged ferociously. Raiun is said to have calmed his spirits and refined his ability to conjure and create storms. Raiun stressed the importance of using his gift to calm the seas or deter conflict over naval trade. After the passing of Raiun, Marobi would have a family of his own. From there, the family would grow and become known as the Inazuma Clan.  They had inherited Marobi's skill with Storm Release and used it to carry on their ancestor's legacy of preserving open trade on the seas. The clan became heavily focused on commerce and soon gradually created a powerful sphere of influence in the Lightning Country and on the seas.

The clan would eventually recognize the vast amount of wealth that could be gained via a military conquest of a foreign nation. Under the direction of Karobi Inazuma, the clan would arrive in the Land of Fire hoping to make a name for themselves. The clan's records indicates that the landing party was besieged by a single individual of unimaginable power. The nameless stranger massacred a large portion of the clan's expeditionary force and drove them back towards their ships. The clan regrouped and launched another expedition that encountered the same man who then transformed into a massive octopus-like creature that vaguely resembled a bull with arms. The creature wiped out all but a handful of the would be Inazuma colonizers. The few that escaped brought back the tale of the monstrosity that had wiped out some of their best shinobi. It is now believed that the nameless protector of the Fire Country was an Eight Tails Jinchurikki although no clan has claimed responsibility for its defense of eastern Hi no Kuni.

The major setback was seen as an act of God and many of the Inazuma saw it as divine punishment for the clan's transgressions against their ancestor's way of life. Karobi committed seppuku due to the shame of condemning the clan's strongest warriors to die a meaningless death in a foreign land. The clan would turn inward to the Land of Lightning and solidify their position by making trade agreements with other clans. One hundred years later, the clan would once more be drawn towards international affairs by the powerful Kazehana Empire. The Empire had been infringing on their trade by undercutting prices and blocking off critical shipping routes. Unwilling to repeat the disaster of the Fire Country expedition, the Inazuma Clan pursued a policy of hiring other clans to do their dirty work for them. They funded proxy wars in the Land of Stone and even awarded a massive contract to the Kotoushura in exchange for fighting against the Empire. The Inazuma Clan's massive wealth allowed it to remain behind the scenes while mercenaries worked to their benefit. The lack of conflict in the country and the clan's financial power gave it a place of honor and prestige in the eyes of smaller shinobi clans. The Inazuma's policy of trade pacts and intermarriages preserved its strength which in turn dissuaded other powers for directly invading the unified Lightning Country.

Kasami Inazuma had ascended to the position of clan leader after a decade long selection process. The young kunoichi sought to correct the mistakes that Karobi made in his failed expedition. She agreed with him that only conquest could take the clan to an even greater level of wealth and power but that making the first move would be a tactical blunder. Kasami instituted an embargo on the Kazehana Empire that was enforced by a naval blockade and a line of powerful storm clouds. The embargo was designed to cripple the Empire and force concessions in the form of land. The Empire declared war but could not defeat the Inazuma at sea and all attempts at invading the unified Lightning Country were successfully repelled. After a few years of war, the Empire and the Inazuma signed a peace treaty that resulted in the Empire ceding a small mineral rich piece of the Land of Stone to the Inazuma.

Kasami's victory was heralded by the clan as a breaking of Karobi's curse. The expansionary and ambitious faction of the clan toted the victory as proof that the Inazuma Clan could dominate the world with a combination of direct and indirect warfare. Unfortunately, the Empire was only bidding its time until they could catch the Inazuma Clan off guard. Kasami's family was captured in an Empire raid and was held hostage while its armies penetrated several clan defenses. Kasami sought the safe return of her family and as such negotiated a peace to return the small territory they had won in exchange for her children's lives. Kasami's children were returned but her husband was publicly beheaded as a stark reminder to the Inazuma of the cost of crossing the Kazehana Empire. The defeat was stinging and a serious blow to the clan's pride. Kasami committed seppuku in the tradition of Karobi as a result of the guilt she felt for repeating his mistakes. Many saw that as proof that Karobi's curse was anything but broken. Seeking to break the curse once and for all, Kasami's daughter and heir Ishihara funded another rebellion in the Land of Stone. Ishihara did not only want to put the superstitious legacy of Karobi's curse to rest for good, she also sought revenge for her father's execution, mother's humiliation, and her own capture as a child. The proxy war would weaken the Kazehana while the Inazuma focused their energy on southward expansion. The Inazuma competed with the Hozuki for control of the seas surrounding the archipelago but were ultimately driven out. Their incursion had the effect of unifying the islands under the Hozuki's leadership which only further cemented the rival clan's control over the area. Ishihara Inazuma's proxy war however was successful in damaging the Kazehana Empire beyond repair. While Ishihara would revel in the fall of her family's arch enemy, the growth of a new rival presented a new opportunity to end Karobi's curse. Ishihara would groom her own daughter Miyumi to take control of the clan and lead it to victory against the Hozuki.

The clan's strength was built up and when Miyumi took the reins of leadership, the Hozuki declared themselves the sole soverign of the archipelago. Seeing this as an unacceptable challenge to the Inazuma's access to the archipelago's lucrative market, Miyumi declared an embargo which escalated into the world's first major naval conflict. Having prepared her whole life for this eventuality, Miyumi was victorious. The clan credited their success to her legendary skill in the creation of storm clouds spanning several miles. The Inazuma won the right to trade along with several other concessions from the Hozuki Clan. The Inazuma agreed to respect archipelago's political sovereignty although the clan would no longer conspire to push their rivals out of the market. Many saw this as a resolution to Karobi's curse as the clan had ceded the use of military force to obtain land in favor of free trade and open access to naval markets. Although some of the superstitious pointed to Miyumi's mysterious and sudden decline in health soon after her victory as proof that the curse lingered over the clan. The ascension of a new clan leader came at a time where the political landscape of the world was changing. The Inazuma Clan gathered the various shinobi clans of the Lightning Country to found the Kumogakure. The shinobi village was modeled after that of Iwagakure and Kirigakure. With the election of its first Raikage, the Inazuma Clan remain ready to serve their nation's interest.