Eiyōkage



Eiyōkage (栄耀影, Radiant Shadow) is the title held by the leaders, past and present, of Tenkūgakure. This position is exclusive to members of the ruling and founding clan of the village: the Kōjin Clan. Thus far, there have been four who have held the title, with the current Eiyōkage being Akihito Kōjin, the Fourth Eiyōkage.

Overview
With the title Eiyokage comes undisputed leadership over Tenkūgakure in its entirety, and over the whole of its military force. It falls upon the shoulders of this individual to oversee the operations of the village, to ensure the safety and security of the nation's citizens, and to conduct missions that would align with the best interests of the country. There is but a single individual who holds more power than the Eiyōkage, and that is the Air Daimyo: ruler of the entire country.

A new Eiyokage is selected following his or her meeting of many criteria. First and foremost, they must be of age and had ample amounts of experience on the mission field. Second, they must be of excellent moral character and have the best interests for the village at heart; and not simply a lust for power. Lastly, this individual must be the strongest of, not only the Kojin but, the entirety of Tenkūgakure. If an individual meets all three of these criteria, then at the next selection of Eiyokage, they would ascend to that title. In the event that there is more than one candidate who meets these qualifications, a duel takes place for the honor of leading; though there is no dishonor in stepping down as opposed to a near-deathmatch.

Once an Eiyōkage enters into office, he or she holds the title for life, but is permitted to retire at any time. Despite retirement, they would still be referred to as Eiyōkage out of respect and are held in high esteem by all the villagers. However, there has yet to be an Eiyokage who has retired, as all of the previous Eiyōkages held the title until the time of their passing.