Clan Name: Monzaemon
Country of Origin: Country of Wind- Deserts
Hierarchy and Focus:
The Monzaemon are divided into two branches, depending on their specialty, the Bunraku and Kabuki branches. Both are highly competitive against eachother, but strict rules, and a no-nonsense attitude of their leader prevent any large insurrections, even with the overall pragmatic and amoral attitude of the clan.
The Bunraku branch specializes in puppetry, and often are seen wearing face paint as part of their art. They brag on the longevity of their creations. Their leader (and leader of the clan), Uemura Monzaemon, is famous for his own supposed immortality. One of it's most famous members is the reclusive Masaru, who created human puppetry. The branch deeply worried about them, the idea that someone else beat them to such a brilliant idea, but other than that have no problem how they are made. He's famously rejected every single apprentice that had come to him.
The Kabuki branch focuses on more liberal and artistic uses of the Chakra Thread Jutsu. Their leader is Kawatake Monzaemon, brother of Uemura. He is the voice of the clan, speaking and acting on it's behalf, famous for his combination of idealism and pragmatism. It's most famous member is Zushina Yachirau, the tactician of the clan, who's sharp mind has led many victories to the clan. An enigma in the clan is the high number of assassinations around the desert that bear marks of this clan, without any name attached to them
Overall the clan is known for their hit and run style, and for their particular disdain for other clans.
History: In the Desert in the land of Wind, resources have always been scarce, and bandits rampant. Many small villages were wiped out by raiders looking for supplies to survive til tommorow. In this environment, Okuni Monzaemon was born, a woman who had created the chakra thread technique. She used this technique to become the savior of Gobi, a small desert town. She protected it from the bandits who came in, and fear of her spread throughout the desert.
She taught her technique to a man named Chikamatsu. During one defense of their town, he panicked as a raider knocked him away. His taijutsu wasn't enough with the threads, and he grabbed whatever he could, a corpse of another raider, which he manipulated to surprise strike his assailant. In that moment, puppetry was born. He created his own puppets which could fight for him, and he slowly loaded with more and more weapons.
They taught their children a combination of the two, Okuni creating the Kabuki branch, and Chikamtsu created the Bunraku clan. As their power grew, their successors started to lust after more of it. The original defense of the desert was forgotten, though the clan remained territorial all this time.
About 10 years ago, the clan was under the control of Kenshin Monzaemon, an honor-bound idealist. Most members of the clan couldn't stand him, but his power was real. He insisted on decreasing the power of the clan, and increasing it's reliance on diplomacy. The tension snapped when he declared an alliance with a clan outside of the desert. His Nephew, Uemura saw that this was going to destroy the clan, and he couldn't let the man keep up his seat of power.
In the dead of night, he attempted an assassination on the Head of the clan. He was caught in the middle of his attempt. Kenshin was enraged at his lack of honor, and fought him. After a few minutes, it seemed obvious who was winning, as he landed a lethal blow on his nephew.... but his nephew did not die. Neither did he die from the next strike, or the one after it. After all that fighting, Uemura finally landed a scratch on Kenshin. It was enough with the poison he'd implanted, though Kenshin would destroy his entire collection.
In the meanwhile, his brother Kawatake helped with the coup, killing loyalist to the head. Uemura had staged a successful clan. He looked at the weakened state of his clan in disgust, and promised the clan 3 things. 1) They would become renown in the shinobi world once again. 2) Everything the Desert Wind touched would be theirs 3) The destruction of any clan that an alliance had been declared with.
Those were the first and last words he addressed to the assembled clan. He handed much of his control to his younger brother, Kawatake. Uemura felt his brother would be better in the limelight than him, but his strength was needed to rule the clan.
Since that day he's focused heavily on the build-up and order of the clan. Anything else, including diplomacy he felt was unnecessary. The clan's approach to diplomacy was surprise attacks on and assassinations on any clan they felt a threat.