Takakage Clan

/As ever-present as a shadow, as swift as a hawk./

The Takakage Clan are a rare Clan of mobile Ninja that travel across the world, learning as much as possible and serving whoever they see fit. It is rare, but not unheard of, for Takakage to operate on their own, but they dislike lonliness and isolation, and see dying alone as the worst possible death.

The main strength of the Takakage Clan is its mind. The minds, memories, experiences and techniques of all Takakage, and the techniques of anyone a Takakage has ever fought, observed, killed or defeated, are implanted and shared in the minds of all Takakage, giving each one a theoretically-limitless pool of Jutsu to use. The shared mind also gives each Takakage member a complete immunity to Genjutsu, and any kind of mind-altering or mind-affecting Jutsu. If a Yamanaka attempted to force their own minds into a Takakage, the Yamanaka would find themselves pushed back, like a pebble thrown into a waterfall, and suffer one heck of a hangover. Takakage Ninja are typically highly intelligent and skilled, and love to throw around flashy high-rank Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, only to finish the opponent off with either the biggest explosion possible, the kind of attack that redefines overkill... Or they'll finish their foes off with something weak and common.

Another important thing about a Takakage Ninja is their ability to 'Bond'. When they find someone they deem worthy or historically important, typically one with a great mind, they can Bond with them. This enhances the physical and chakra-related abilities of both ninja, and allows them both to constantly know where the other is at any time of day. While it is not uncommon for Takakage to have intimate relationships with those they bond with, they typically shun marriage, and would rather assist their partner in the search for at least a third man or woman for them to share. Takakage live for a very long time, at least several hundred years, and those they Bond with find their lifespan extended to match their new partners. They can also hold telepathic conversations with any target, unhindered by distance or objects getting in the way.

Finally, all Takakage can modify their bodies at will, or the bodies of anyone they touch. Regrowing limbs, losing limbs, assimilating the features and abilities of various animals, regenerating from a single cell, changing a person's physical age or appearance, crafting objects, crafting duplicates of any object, changing their own scent, changing their chakra signature, changing their shape or size, copying a Kekkei Genkai they've seen or acquired a DNA sample of, modifying someone else's body to include one of those Kekkei Genkai, merging their own bodies with a target's body, all of these are within a Takakage's abilities. Some speculate that a certain rarely-seen ability(Sakon and Ukon's Kekkei Genkai) was derived from this. Others disagree. Either way, the Takakage Clan are an old, formidable and rarely-heard-of Clan, typically sticking to the shadows and serving their master. While a Takakage can leave their master and find a new one, it is very rare, and the enhancements granted by the Bond do not fade away.

The weakness of the Takakage is that all Takakage jutsu still need to obey the laws of Equivalent Exchange, and body-modifications will often fail if the user doesn't have enough chakra or matter ready to use as the cost. Furthermore, killing anyone Bonded to the Takakage will cause them to a great deal of pain. Takakage are typically very protective of those they Bond with, and so it is not uncommon for a Takakage to take a possibly-fatal attack meant for their partner. Finally, Takakage hate being alone, and extended periods of isolation can damage their minds and sanity.