Foreward

Hanzō Foreward:

Every light casts a shadow, this is the basic principle of In and Yo. And yet, even within the depths of shadow there is still darkness and light.

Shinobi were once servants of the daimyō that ruled Nihon in the past, specializing in espionage, sabotage, subversion, and assassination. However, with the fall of the Edo period and the influx of Western culture after the Meiji Restoration, the feudal system began to collapse, causing them to fade from public consciousness.

Even so, however much time passes, the nature of business does not change. There is always a need for those who dwell in darkness.

Their employers now are primarily politicians, mafia, and corporations. Most who employ them regard them as tools to satisfy their own greed. As a result, shinobi are responsible for crimes throughout Nihon, and the government has moved to confront them.

The Oniwabanshū were an elite cadre of onmitsu who were established at Edo Castle by the 8th Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, in the early 18th century. Rumored to have been quartered in the garden of Edo Castle (hence the name), Yoshimune had tasked the Oniwabanshū with covertly gathering information on various daimyō and statesmen of the bakufu, as well as providing security for the castle itself.

However, after the Bakumatsu, its members became out of work, wishing to make ends meet and to preserve their traditions they opened a dōjō to pass on their teachings of bujutsu onto other students who were willing to learn, however that was a front as in the shadows the Oniwabanshū continued to train the next generation of members as shinobi. The Hōōzan, my clan, were one of the founding members of the dōjō.

Over the years however the dōjō moved to teach more subjects outside of the realm of bujutsu such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and language. The dōjō soon became a prodigious schoolhouse that was headed and taught by the members of the Oniwabanshū, it was this schoolhouse that would in the future become the National Hanzō Academy.

The schoolhouse soon caught the attention of the government, who heard rumors that it was headed by the Oniwabanshū, and commissioned them have their school officially become part of the Academy system and to work under them for their covert operations. Normally the Oniwabanshū would refuse this offer as they were not the shogunate, but an entire generation has passed since then and the members thought it would be best to have their trainings be put to good use rather than go to waste. And besides the government had also commissioned other shinobi from Iga, Koga, and Hyakuningumi; joining would allow them to gain more students and opportunities to test their skills.

The government in return funded the renovation of the schoolhouse to hold the large influx of student body.

Officially founded 1919, it holds roughly 1000 students with some of those 1000 students aiming to become shinobi.

As a International Mammoth Preparatory Academy and shinobi training facility in current times, National Hanzō Academy has two faces.

The shinobi students, unbeknownst to the rest of the student body, diligently train in secret, the descendants of the Oniwabanshū still head and teach at the Academy, and parts of the original dōjō still live on as the classrooms the shinobi attend in the Academy to honor its legacy.

In modern times, shinobi allied with the state are known as “Zennin,” while those who break the law are called “Akunin.”

That the two should come into conflict seems no less than destiny. Regardless of circumstance, they routinely trade life for life.

I currently am the representative of a class of three other students with my cousin joining in toe. I sometimes wonder, what marks will be left on the lives of my classmates by their battles. There will be scars left by a violent and sorrowful existence.

Can they see beyond the next fight?

Are they aware of what they gain? What they lose?

It is a life hidden in shadow.

Hebijo foreward:

Hi there newcomers, you might wonder what exactly is the basis of the setting is, well I'm here tell that...

Oh, qui suis je, you ask. I'm just a shinobi of Hebijo who knows a lot. In fact this story will focus on the students of the two schools: Hanzō, and Hebijo, although the original games give so little information about them so I'll fix that for you, if you don't tell. I think you could make an adorable puppet after all.

Hanzō is pretty much like your normal Nihonese High School although some of the students are shinobi, and in addition to the subjects of standard students they also take subjects related to their careers in the future.

Hebijo though, well in retrospect it is a fuckhole of death, try your best to train and survive there.

The academy never really had an official founding as the organization of Hebijo itself was formed by an alliance of vagabonds, mercenaries, thugs, ruffians, rōnin, nukenin, pirates, thieves, bandits, scavengers, and any other manner of outcasts and lowlife who came together for the mutualistic goal to gain wealth and power through any means necessary. The school soon came after once they realized it would be more profitable to have, let’s just say more bodies to throw at to get the job done.

Thus the principle of “Where good favors few, evil accepts all,” came into existence.

The school was not always called Secretive Hebijoshi Academy, it originally was named Private Hebijoshi Academy. At least until about 10 or more years ago when there was a major incident that killed a large number of students. Being short on money to rebuild the leaders at Hebijo Headquarters ended up having to sell the school and most of Hebijo's assets to the Yamaguchi-umi.

Dōgen is the current shatei gashira who invests in and oversees our training, and it's understandable why.

The Yamaguchi-umi consistently requires men for their ranks, and with the yazuka on the decline, having Hebijo is a necessity.

There are three main components of our training: Mandatory Study, Extracurricular Study, and Endurance Testing

The last one is like your P.E. if it took place in hell!

Although it's training at your own risk, since any sign of slacking off means having to endure a hail of shuriken or get stomped on if you're doing gravel escape. There have been moments when students have been killed off for slacking.

As for the other two, there is a rank system involved.

Mandatory study mostly involves classes about the essential things of the shinobi world like Basic Nen usage, Basic Government, Geometry, How the Yakuza works, Anatomy, World History, Chemistry, and Nihonese history.

As for Extracurricular study, simply it's whatever classes shinobi here want to attend whether it's for their own personal advancement or self-interest.

As for the ranking system, there are three main ranks among the students: Genin, Chūnin, and Jōnin

Terms like 1st year, 2nd year, 3rd year, and 4th year are simply to say how long you've survived.

Genin have to continuously take Mandatories and Endurance tests until they acquire chūninship. And they are not allowed to take any Extracurriculars, no exception. To do that normally you have to consistently get above passable grades on the Mandatories within a semester.

Of course, it is sort of worth it for genin, upon becoming a chūnin you have more freedom like being able to take more Extracurriculars and getting less Mandatories. Endurance testing simply becomes however you wish to train on your own, not to mention that you get to freely go in and out of Hebijo's grounds, genin can't go unless chaperoned by a student of a higher rank. Just don't miss curfew, always leave and enter out of the North Gate, and give your reasons for leave, violation of either three could make you a nukenin.

As for jōninship, which is what I have, well…

You need to take a survival test that can give even other jōnin trouble. It takes place every over a month.

(Ikaruga's note: At Kokuritsu Hanzō Gakuin, to acquire jōninship, you need to pass a certain Civil Service Exam at the end of the semester and then take a practical exam.)

Upon acquiring the rank of jōnin you're immediately drafted into the ranks of the Yamaguchi-umi to perform all sort of jobs for them. Although being a jōnin also gives you some power, you can admit new recruits, oversee their training, execute or torture them if you like, and you also can hold T.A. positions like I do. You can also act as one of the proctors for the "Jōnin games" as I'm calling them now.

There are higher ranks like Tokujōnin and Saijōnin, shinobi of those ranks sometimes hold the title of kyodai, but they're more reserved for teachers and other staff of Hebijo than for students.

Then there are the Cobras, they're not a rank at all but more of a title given to the elite and strongest Hebijo shinobi, they have great authority over the organization. Only a Cobra or someone on the level of a Cobra can defeat a Cobra.

There are 13 seats for the Cobras, and the identities of all the Cobras are only known between the Cobras and Senior Hebijo Staff members.

Trying to find out the identities leads to becoming a nukenin if not death.

Maybe now though that I'm a Cobra. Just don't tell, okay? Au revoir!