Missing Ninja/Wandering Ninja (Knyght)
I'm totally okay with ninja yakuza.
Missing Ninja
Missing Ninja ("Nukenin") are those who have gone rogue and abandoned their hidden village. Every missing-nin is at least guilty of the crime of permanently leaving their organization without permission from their superiors.
Upon defection, they are given ranks depending on the skill level of the individual that serves as a warning to others about how much of a threat they are. For instance, the average ninja would be classed as D-rank while one capable of contending with a Kage would be classed as S-rank.
These ninjas may have given up their loyalty to their hidden village and chosen to live elsewhere. These ninja could have disagreed with the restrictions their duties placed upon them and have wanted to find a life with more freedom, still using their skills and taking on missions but doing so under their own terms. They often work as hunter-nin as well, paying for their expenses by hunting other missing-nin or famous shinobi.
Or they could have decided to give up on the ninja lifestyle and choose entirely different careers, sometimes taking paths that take advantage of their abilities and other times picking something entirely divorced from their path. But just because they have given up their livelihood, they don't stop being considered criminals by their home villages and need to continue living in secrecy to stay uncaught.
Under rare circumstances, some ninja betray their own village to join another, usually enticed by the promise of wealth and authority in return for valuable information. It could be scrolls of secret jutsu, restricted information on their village's missions, detailed profiles on important ninja etc. With the right price, a ninja can essentially buy their way into the ranks of another hidden village.
And then there are those who committed a crime that forced them to flee from their home to escape imprisonment or execution. It's this type that typically comes to mind when people think of missing-nin. Their crimes could range from killing one of their comrades or fellow citizens, stealing secret information, assassinating targets outside of village-sanctioned missions and even worse acts.
Most ninja keep their original headband after defecting. Usually this is because it allows them to easily advertise the fact that they are a ninja to potential customers when they are looking for work, and wearing the headband can fool others into thinking that they are officially still part of their village instead of a criminal runaway. It's really only those who give up on the ninja life entirely or particularly fearful of pursuit that throw theirs away. Akatsuki actually has its member cut through their headband's village symbol upon being initiated to highlight their status as an independent mercenary group and their rejection of all hidden villages.
Finally, some missing-nin aren't truly such at all. As missing-nin have discarded all allegiances, their home village won't be held accountable for any actions they take. So by having a loyal shinobi officially designated as a missing-nin, the hidden village gains plausible deniability as their subordinate performs operations that otherwise would have had negative backlash on them. That said, these ninja understand that they would likely never be welcomed back to their hidden village for their actions.
Known Missing Ninja
Momochi Zabuza - Originally from the Hidden Mist, he was labeled a missing-nin around a year before his death when he led a rebellion against the Fifth Mizukage for the sake of his ambition to become Mizukage himself and restore the village to its "former glory".
Orochimaru - Originally from the Hidden Leaf, he was found performing inhumane experiments on ninja and civilians of the Land of Fire. After his escape, he went on to become one of the most infamous missing-nin in history as he built his own hidden village and used it to attack his former home, killing his old teacher the Third Hokage.
Sasori - Originally from the Hidden Sand, his only crime at the time was that he chose to abandon his village after the Third Shinobi World War. However he earned a fearsome reputation for the attacks he undertook around the Land of Wind and his bounty hunting as he searched for powerfuly potential human puppets.
Deidara - Originally from the Hidden Rock, his selfish obsession with his art led to him stealing and using the village's kinjutsu, then testing his new abilities out in his very own home as he chose to abandon it. He gained further infamily by joining various terrorists groups and using his talent for explosives to destroy priority targets and plunge cities and nations into fear.
Kakuzu - Originally from the Hidden Waterfall, he was the oldest living missing-nin and had been one for longer than anyone else as well. Once imprisoned for failing to assassinate the First Hokage, he murdered the elders of his village and stole the village's prized kinjutsu before escaping and spent so long as an outlaw that many thought of him as legend rather than fact.
Hidan - Originally from the Hidden Hot Water, he was responsibly for single-handedly killing everyone in the village in the name of his fanatical desire for slaughter. It was an event that immediately catapulted him into fame for the sheer scale of the massacre because of the popularity of the "village that had forgotten war" and yet, few had any idea of what he was capable of given much of an unknown he was beforehand.
Hoshigaki Kisame - Originally of the Hidden Mist, he was accused of plotting to overthrow his country's government and had assassinated a number of important individuals, including another nation's daimyo. These actions were truthfully ordered by the mastermind of Akatsuki for the sake of destabilising the region, particularly in damaging the Hidden Mist as it attempted to recover from the nightmare reign of the Fourth Mizukage.
Uchiha Itachi - Originally of the Hidden Leaf, he killed the entire Uchiha Clan on orders from the Third Hokage and his Honoured Advisors to prevent a coup d'etat. But the truth was kept hidden from the rest of the village and so it was necessary for him to flee and be labelled a heinous criminal. By having him become a missing-nin, Konoha could hide the impending betrayal of one of their greatest clans, avoid looking like monsters for the acts and created the opportunity for Itachi to join the powerful Akatsuki organization.
Wandering Ninja
Wandering Ninja ("Watarinin") were once those who had learned the ninja arts but didn't belong to any ninja clan. Someone who had been self-taught, learned from their parents or taught by an existing ninja. They worked and lived independently, possibly forming teams with ninjas in the same situation, but generally sought out their own missions contracts and hunted for bounties to earn a living.
Nowadays this label still applies to those individuals but is more commonly associated with ninja clans who do not and have not worked for a hidden village. When the first hidden village was built, there was an explosive surge in the number of alliances forged between ninja clans of each nation as they started building their own villages in response. But not every clan did so.
Some clans were unwilling to lose any of their independence by becoming part of such an organizations such as the Kaguya Clan of the Land of Water. Others were just unable to set aside their differences and work together for such an undertaking. And a few clans had earned a certain stigma for the way that they conduct warfare which caused them to actually be rejected from the villages they wished to join.
The wandering-nin - who are sometimes mockingly called lost-nin - quickly became a dying breed as the hidden village monopolized the industry of war and the independent ninja clans often got caught in the crossfire between them. The villages themselves don't appreciate the competition, especially since they are known to welcome missing-nin into their fold (albeit depending on the severity of their crimes). So when the opportunity arises, they might take the chance to remove or assimilate the clan.
Remnants still exist throughout the nations but within a few generations, they may well die out altogether.
Known Wandering Ninja
Kaguya Clan - This extinct clan was once native to the Land of Water and were renowned for possessing the Shikotsumyaku, their bone manipulating kekkei genkai. When the Village Hidden in the Mist first started to be built, the Kaguya had no desire to join the other clans and rejected every envoy with terms for an alliance. Their brutal and savage culture caused them to fiercely cherish their independence while treating other clans as inferior, making the concept of the hidden village repulsive to them. Unfortunately this attitude led to their downfall as the Hidden Mist became the dominant military force of the nation until the Kaguya felt so threatened that they led a suicidal attack on the village in the hopes of restoring their supposed supremacy. There was only one survivor and even he died before even reaching adulthood.
Fuuma Clan - This clan of shuriken jutsu specialists once resided the Land of Fire but were forced out by Konoha's growing monolopy of the ninja trade. Afterwards they mainly travelled between the countries with only minor hidden villages, often taking work in bounty hunting and assassination. They did settle in the Land of Rice Fields but that led to them being taken advantage of by Orochimaru when he established his control of the county.
Tenbin Clan - This is one of the clans that were rejected when they tried to join a hidden village. Prone to berserker rampages and disturbing transformations because of their innate ability to absorb natural energy, many clans feared them and didn't believe it would be possible to live in any kind of peaceful coexistence with them. As a result, they were another clan that ended up all but extinct by the time of the modern era until they were practically forgotten.
Missing Ninja
Missing Ninja ("Nukenin") are those who have gone rogue and abandoned their hidden village. Every missing-nin is at least guilty of the crime of permanently leaving their organization without permission from their superiors.
Upon defection, they are given ranks depending on the skill level of the individual that serves as a warning to others about how much of a threat they are. For instance, the average ninja would be classed as D-rank while one capable of contending with a Kage would be classed as S-rank.
These ninjas may have given up their loyalty to their hidden village and chosen to live elsewhere. These ninja could have disagreed with the restrictions their duties placed upon them and have wanted to find a life with more freedom, still using their skills and taking on missions but doing so under their own terms. They often work as hunter-nin as well, paying for their expenses by hunting other missing-nin or famous shinobi.
Or they could have decided to give up on the ninja lifestyle and choose entirely different careers, sometimes taking paths that take advantage of their abilities and other times picking something entirely divorced from their path. But just because they have given up their livelihood, they don't stop being considered criminals by their home villages and need to continue living in secrecy to stay uncaught.
Under rare circumstances, some ninja betray their own village to join another, usually enticed by the promise of wealth and authority in return for valuable information. It could be scrolls of secret jutsu, restricted information on their village's missions, detailed profiles on important ninja etc. With the right price, a ninja can essentially buy their way into the ranks of another hidden village.
And then there are those who committed a crime that forced them to flee from their home to escape imprisonment or execution. It's this type that typically comes to mind when people think of missing-nin. Their crimes could range from killing one of their comrades or fellow citizens, stealing secret information, assassinating targets outside of village-sanctioned missions and even worse acts.
Most ninja keep their original headband after defecting. Usually this is because it allows them to easily advertise the fact that they are a ninja to potential customers when they are looking for work, and wearing the headband can fool others into thinking that they are officially still part of their village instead of a criminal runaway. It's really only those who give up on the ninja life entirely or particularly fearful of pursuit that throw theirs away. Akatsuki actually has its member cut through their headband's village symbol upon being initiated to highlight their status as an independent mercenary group and their rejection of all hidden villages.
Finally, some missing-nin aren't truly such at all. As missing-nin have discarded all allegiances, their home village won't be held accountable for any actions they take. So by having a loyal shinobi officially designated as a missing-nin, the hidden village gains plausible deniability as their subordinate performs operations that otherwise would have had negative backlash on them. That said, these ninja understand that they would likely never be welcomed back to their hidden village for their actions.
Known Missing Ninja
Momochi Zabuza - Originally from the Hidden Mist, he was labeled a missing-nin around a year before his death when he led a rebellion against the Fifth Mizukage for the sake of his ambition to become Mizukage himself and restore the village to its "former glory".
Orochimaru - Originally from the Hidden Leaf, he was found performing inhumane experiments on ninja and civilians of the Land of Fire. After his escape, he went on to become one of the most infamous missing-nin in history as he built his own hidden village and used it to attack his former home, killing his old teacher the Third Hokage.
Sasori - Originally from the Hidden Sand, his only crime at the time was that he chose to abandon his village after the Third Shinobi World War. However he earned a fearsome reputation for the attacks he undertook around the Land of Wind and his bounty hunting as he searched for powerfuly potential human puppets.
Deidara - Originally from the Hidden Rock, his selfish obsession with his art led to him stealing and using the village's kinjutsu, then testing his new abilities out in his very own home as he chose to abandon it. He gained further infamily by joining various terrorists groups and using his talent for explosives to destroy priority targets and plunge cities and nations into fear.
Kakuzu - Originally from the Hidden Waterfall, he was the oldest living missing-nin and had been one for longer than anyone else as well. Once imprisoned for failing to assassinate the First Hokage, he murdered the elders of his village and stole the village's prized kinjutsu before escaping and spent so long as an outlaw that many thought of him as legend rather than fact.
Hidan - Originally from the Hidden Hot Water, he was responsibly for single-handedly killing everyone in the village in the name of his fanatical desire for slaughter. It was an event that immediately catapulted him into fame for the sheer scale of the massacre because of the popularity of the "village that had forgotten war" and yet, few had any idea of what he was capable of given much of an unknown he was beforehand.
Hoshigaki Kisame - Originally of the Hidden Mist, he was accused of plotting to overthrow his country's government and had assassinated a number of important individuals, including another nation's daimyo. These actions were truthfully ordered by the mastermind of Akatsuki for the sake of destabilising the region, particularly in damaging the Hidden Mist as it attempted to recover from the nightmare reign of the Fourth Mizukage.
Uchiha Itachi - Originally of the Hidden Leaf, he killed the entire Uchiha Clan on orders from the Third Hokage and his Honoured Advisors to prevent a coup d'etat. But the truth was kept hidden from the rest of the village and so it was necessary for him to flee and be labelled a heinous criminal. By having him become a missing-nin, Konoha could hide the impending betrayal of one of their greatest clans, avoid looking like monsters for the acts and created the opportunity for Itachi to join the powerful Akatsuki organization.
Wandering Ninja
Wandering Ninja ("Watarinin") were once those who had learned the ninja arts but didn't belong to any ninja clan. Someone who had been self-taught, learned from their parents or taught by an existing ninja. They worked and lived independently, possibly forming teams with ninjas in the same situation, but generally sought out their own missions contracts and hunted for bounties to earn a living.
Nowadays this label still applies to those individuals but is more commonly associated with ninja clans who do not and have not worked for a hidden village. When the first hidden village was built, there was an explosive surge in the number of alliances forged between ninja clans of each nation as they started building their own villages in response. But not every clan did so.
Some clans were unwilling to lose any of their independence by becoming part of such an organizations such as the Kaguya Clan of the Land of Water. Others were just unable to set aside their differences and work together for such an undertaking. And a few clans had earned a certain stigma for the way that they conduct warfare which caused them to actually be rejected from the villages they wished to join.
The wandering-nin - who are sometimes mockingly called lost-nin - quickly became a dying breed as the hidden village monopolized the industry of war and the independent ninja clans often got caught in the crossfire between them. The villages themselves don't appreciate the competition, especially since they are known to welcome missing-nin into their fold (albeit depending on the severity of their crimes). So when the opportunity arises, they might take the chance to remove or assimilate the clan.
Remnants still exist throughout the nations but within a few generations, they may well die out altogether.
Known Wandering Ninja
Kaguya Clan - This extinct clan was once native to the Land of Water and were renowned for possessing the Shikotsumyaku, their bone manipulating kekkei genkai. When the Village Hidden in the Mist first started to be built, the Kaguya had no desire to join the other clans and rejected every envoy with terms for an alliance. Their brutal and savage culture caused them to fiercely cherish their independence while treating other clans as inferior, making the concept of the hidden village repulsive to them. Unfortunately this attitude led to their downfall as the Hidden Mist became the dominant military force of the nation until the Kaguya felt so threatened that they led a suicidal attack on the village in the hopes of restoring their supposed supremacy. There was only one survivor and even he died before even reaching adulthood.
Fuuma Clan - This clan of shuriken jutsu specialists once resided the Land of Fire but were forced out by Konoha's growing monolopy of the ninja trade. Afterwards they mainly travelled between the countries with only minor hidden villages, often taking work in bounty hunting and assassination. They did settle in the Land of Rice Fields but that led to them being taken advantage of by Orochimaru when he established his control of the county.
Tenbin Clan - This is one of the clans that were rejected when they tried to join a hidden village. Prone to berserker rampages and disturbing transformations because of their innate ability to absorb natural energy, many clans feared them and didn't believe it would be possible to live in any kind of peaceful coexistence with them. As a result, they were another clan that ended up all but extinct by the time of the modern era until they were practically forgotten.
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