Shokujinshu

Pariahs among their respective clans. Rivaled only by Jinchuuriki in the widespread hate they engender, the Shokujinshu (食人種, しょくじんしゅ, Cannibals, Cannibalism Kind) search to find a place in their native land. Their struggle is one of loneliness and desperation. Many who have not found solace in their affliction have turned instead to grasp the power it represents. Fear follows in their wake and death itself calls upon the unfortunate, who cross their paths on the battlefield.

History
After the ranching of baku and spirit worms became widespread in Land of Whispering Bone, a program of universal Chakura Hyōrōzeme was instituted in its various shinobi academies. Disciples underwent extensive chakra deprivation designed to heighten the chakra sensitivity and therefore control of the perspective shinobi. While this program was extremely successful, a fraction of the participants underwent an irreversible transformation of their chakra networks. This resulted in an disorder that presents with parasitic characteristics resembling both baku and spirit worm life processes.

Numerous shinobi fell to this affliction. Eventually it was realized through various incidents that these individuals could stave off the effects of the this disorder by feasting on other chakra bearing organisms. As a consequence of the social unrest and public safety issues resulting from the existence of the condition and the knowledge thereof, a policy of sequestration was initiated. This led the quarantine of patients presenting with this diagnosis.

The Oyabun of the time however, saw great utility in the special abilities of these people and declared an eventual end to the quarantine. He sought to utilize their particular talents in special operations necessary for the continued safety and prosperity of the Land of Whispering Bone. Today they hold an honored place in the ranks of the Oyabun's special operatives, even if fear of their existence remains prevalent. Their numbers swell within the Whispering Bone as the nation has acquired the largest population of chakra parasitic shinobi in the world due to their national policies.

Symptomatology: Physical Body
Shokujinshu suffer from a disorder, referred to as Self-Cannibalism (自己人食い, Jiko Hitokui), characterized by chronically rampant autophagy of bodily tissues. Autophagy consists of programmed cell degradation, the metabolic breakdown of extraneous and defective cellular components into energy and resources. In times of starvation this catabolic process remains integral to maintaining cellular energy levels.

In a small percentage of those shinobi undergoing Chakura Hyōrōzeme training, this process radically accelerates into an involuntary reaction similar to the Akimichi clans Calorie Control technique. Instead of dismantling useless cellular tissues into components and energy, total cell degradation of every kind of bodily tissue results in 100% liquidation into physical energy necessary for chakra formation.

Symptomatology: Subtle Body
Simultaneously, the afflicted party experiences mental deficiencies reminiscent of dementia. This is due to the distillation of spiritual energy necessary for chakra formation. The resultant chakra is then processed to keep the body alive and functioning. The organism essentially consumes even the ethereal components of the subtle body for food.

The chakra pathway system of individuals afflicted with this disorder becomes radically altered. The condition streamlines the subtle body for rapid processing of chakra and component energies. The moniker "inner matrix" acquired commonplace status in the Land of Whispering Bone to describe an individual's "inner coils" that have undergone such a transformation. The only known treatment for this condition is the consumption of chakra or chakra bearing organisms in a similar manner.

Sensory Aptitude
Individuals with this affliction can "smell" and "taste" chakra in a manner similar to Samehada and Akamaru. The more adept among them can track shinobi or even normal people utilizing this ability. Its range, sensitivity, and capability varies widely among the Shokujinshu, according to the skill level of the user.

Chakra Attributes
The parasitic chakra of these individuals exhibits carnivorous properties capable of devouring the chakra, bodily tissues, physical, and/or spiritual energies of opponents. The subsequent byproducts can be stored for future use, metabolized for life processes, or utilized for jutsu. Retention of enough of the metabolized external chakra and components for the organism's continued survival suppresses the self-cannibalizing characteristics of this disorder.

Five-Fold Sheath
As an extension of the subtle body, the five-fold sheath surrounding the physical body exhibits these same characteristics and is capable of assailing unsuspecting victims without actual bodily contact. Anyone entering the domain of this aura will undergo similar effects to coming into contact with their parasitic chakra. Unlike normal individuals the five-fold sheath of the afflicted is partially extensible and invisible to those not in possession of the Byakugan, Rinnegan, or Rengetsugan.

Exoskeleton
Although more rare, some individuals develop the capacity to generate an exoskeleton composed entirely of a super-hard material significantly harder than diamond from the carbon in the human body and atmospheric nitrogen in a tightly bound matrix identical to that of baku skeletal composition. While the limits of this exoskeleton remain indeterminate, experts consider its impregnability comparable to such techniques as Susanoo and the 3rd Raikage's steel skin. Such individuals are also capable of forming piercing, cutting, or bludgeoning weapons composed of this same substance.

Genjutsu Resistance
Shokujinshu exhibit resistance to most kinds of genjutsu, depending on their level of mastery of their capabilities. Meijin level Shokujinshu can completely devour and metabolize the foreign chakra used to infiltrate the brain during genjutsu as sustenance.

Reiki
The term Reiki consists of two Japanese words: Rei, 霊, meaning "God's Wisdom or the Higher Power" and Ki, 気, "life force energy." It was discovered that a very rare few of the Shokujinshu possessed the capability to strip the subtle body from victims, distill and concentrate its substance into an especially potent form of yin like energy. Shokujinshu also claimed to detect and siphon something they referred to as an unseen fiery yang like energy which resided in the body even after death, remaining responsible for the link between the physical remains and the soul of the departed, i.e. that which summons the spirit back from the pure world during Edo Tensei.

Experimenters realized that the human spirit consists of two parts: yin spirit or departed soul and a yang soul also known as the corporeal soul due to the fact that it remains with the corpse instead of departing with the spirit. Meanwhile, the human body was comprised of a physical body which generated the physical energy (yang) found in chakra and a subtle body (yin) that governs that chakra. Therefore both the body and soul contain parts representative of their opposite numbers. Meijin Shokujinshu proved themselves capable of combining these energies into an incredibly strong chakra, the limits of which have yet to be explored. This chakra came to be known as Reiki.

Trivia
The material comprising the exoskeleton presented here is based on the novel super-hard material with the chemical formula β-C³N⁴. Beta carbon nitride is theoretically harder than diamond, but has yet to be developed into technical applications.