As seasons have cycles, so do war, peace, prosperity and ruin. While the world was once dictated by the wills of the great beasts that live in it, Imperial creatures more regale and refined than any royalty, it has fallen to the fate of man and their clashing desires. This world we share has had more time pass than we can fathom, yet it has never been whole or perfect for a single moment in its history. As with the seasons changing, each lack what others desire. As with each state of the world, there are those that wish for more and it is true that this world has always lacked something....
That was until, in terms of the infinitely etching history of this world, the Great Azure Dragon and the Majestic Vermilion Bird made the choice to put the world into the hands of those whom live within it. To usher in an era of man like none other. It is said, by the eldest of elders within every corner of the world, that there was once a great warlord named Tatasuko and a humble wise man known only as the Sage. The warlord Tatasuko coveted the lands of the Sage and thus conquered them ruthlessly despite the peaceful nature of the Sage and his kin. When the Sage, with mere words, stood up to Tatasuko, the warlord stole the Sage's sons. He murdered one and sacrificed the other to the great Phoenix, whom had shed its title as a mere Vermilion Bird.
The Sage, having lost everything and most importantly his family, sought out the Great Azure Dragon, his sovereign beast and the counterpart to the new Phoenix. The great Dragon, distraught with the pain and suffering of a worthy, faithful example of mankind, presented the Sage with six divine trials:
The Trial of Earth was first, and was passed when the Sage used only words to unite those against or free of the Warlord, saving thousands from depravity and darkness.
The Trial of Fire was second, and was passed when the Sage again used only words to stop rebellion and unneeded conflict, once more saving the people.
The Trial of Wind was third, and was passed when the Sage understood his followers, their passions, their goals, and their values, uniting not just the people, but himself within them.
The Trial of Lightning was fourth, and was passed when the Sage was given a quest to leave his people and find the Dragon Shrine. He had saved not only them but himself from destruction, thus was worthy of meeting the Dragon once more. His journey took him through the world and fostered within him an understanding beyond just his people, but one of life itself.
The Trial of Water was fifth, and was passed only when the Sage understood that humility before the Dragon included that of his people and previous trials. He was a living creature, as all things were and so deserved respect.
The Sage ascended to the Dragon Shrine where he was rewarded not only for passing the trials, but also his compassion and love for his son. There, the Dragon gifted the Sage with the Rinnegan - the eyes of the Dragon - and the ability to control chakra, life energy itself. The Sage was then told by the dragon, whom had given him a portion of his own strength, that if the Sage should return with his son and having defeated Tatasuko who himself had the power of the fallen Phoenix, he would be given one final gift. The story goes that a great battle, one that shaped the land itself and changed all of life in a single event, resulted in the victory of the Sage. The Sage then saved his surviving son and banished the Phoenix, but through his compassion for all life he could not bring himself to kill Tatasuko. He allowed the warlord, fallen like the Phoenix he worshiped, to flee into the veins of the Earth, never to be seen again.
The Sage returned to the Dragon with his son soon after, explaining his successes and failures. The Dragon, however, was pleased and told the Sage only that he had passed the final trial: The Trial of Yin and Yang. As he respected all life and did not take it, the Sage was granted the ability to give life by the Dragon, thus ushering in the era of the Sage of Six Paths. The Sage served the Dragon for the remainder of his life and continued to fight the Phoenix, but never attempted to end him. This was the new cycle. This was the new way. Even the Juubi was sealed by the Sage and given a chance at life in ways that stretched the imagination. He even loved his rescued son far too much to intervene with the Curse of Hatred placed upon him by the fallen Phoenix, fated to plague generations henceforth.
The Sage taught his trials, his journeys, his battles and his idealogy to countless apprentices in a style he called Ninshuu. As all life was connected, he wished to use the life energy he was taught to control to bring all life together. He scoured his apprentices that eventually became the first masters in their rights across the world to teach the ways of Ninshuu. As time passed and the Sage did as well, the following generations took Ninshuu and stripped it of its core values thus creating ninjutsu. Sages became Shinobi. Masters became veterans. The teachings and the trials of the Sage have been all but forgotten.
Those that mastered ninjutsu passed it on to only who they trusted most, eventually creating clans. Most have blood ties, and even some have such close ties that they have developed abilities and methods of manipulating chakra only they can use. These have become Kekkei Genkai, bloodline limits. New techniques have been created, limits have been pushed, and the imagination has brought forth power unconsidered by the Sage himself. These clans, ever expanding, growing more powerful with each generation, have recently begun their friction with each other. The world is not black and white anymore. Or, should one say, Azure and Vermilion. There are more sounds than can be counted, more leaders than any treaty can keep content.This is the era of Jaded Ideals.
Naruto: Jaded Ideals is an Ideal alternate universe of the popular Naruto manga and anime. Created with the collaborated ideas of many and a large pool of assistants, this roleplay was designed by yoshua171 to give roleplayers a chance to help have a large hand in a Naruto world before it was even created. The "ideal" is not only to create a fantastic roleplay, but to weave a community of like-minded individuals together to create a strong social fabric for the roleplay. Ideas have been bounced around and evolved over time, taking new forms and becoming parts of the roleplay when at first their rough forms may have not as easily fit. This is the true ideal. To sand down any idea and build it back up until it fits perfectly, and create a community that can help in that process. In that sense, the roleplay has thus far been successful, as many new ideas have been and are constantly being incorporated into the roleplay and reviewed by its community.
A letter from your GM:
"Welcome to Naruto: Jaded Ideals, If you’ve gotten down to this point and intend to still reading, I’m happy. If you intend to join, even better! Here I will give you some additional information that was not contained in the history above.
The Daimyo, and thus the Land of Iron, exist already. As such the world is separated into the Elemental countries we know so well. They are the Land of Wind, the Land of Lightning, the Land of Fire, and Land of Water, and the Land of Earth respectively. The below map is primarily for geographical purposes so that we can measure distance and the landmarks of various areas.
I hope you enjoy our RP, and feel free to come to me if you have any questions."
The Staff
The following individuals are those, which one should keep in mind if assistance is required. Bold titles/names are GMs, underlined names/titles are managers. Each of these individuals has their own area of expertise, excluding myself, the GM, as I oversee the entirety of the roleplay.
The Head GM: yoshua171--Roleplay Overseer and Mechanics Expert.
The Magnificent Bastard: Ganryu--Overlord and Co-GM.
The Goddess: Caught in the Riddle--Human Resources.
Pending Title: Lost in my Mind--Character Reviewer.
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