Chabame Clan

The or  is one of the five noble clans residing in Konohagakure. The clan is known for being ancient and having a founding that supposedly spans further back than other known clans, as well as having a generally pacifistic nature and members having the potential for awakening Wood Release. Alike the Hyūga Clan, members of this clan can expel chakra from more than their hands' and feet's tenketsu, including their core tenketsu.

Background
The Chabame clan are descended from the humans that Kaguya bound to the roots of the God Tree with the purpose of turning them into the White Zetsu Army. After Kaguya's sealing into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, [Hamura] and Hagoromo Otsutsuki managed to rescue the brothers Agni, Varuna, Mitra and Rudra (commonly known as the First Four) from being transformed completely into White Zetsu. The four brothers then worshipped the Otsutsuki brothers as gods, becoming their first followers - after the discovery that the four brothers were immune to the God Tree's deteriorating effects due to prolonged exposure, they were tasked with protecting a newborn God Tree sapling and ensuring that other humans wouldn't suffer from it.



The First Four were taught Ninshū by the Otsutsuki brothers before the latter's departure, and using the art sculpted their own offspring: Agni, the oldest, created twelve children; Varuna, the second, created ten; Mitra, the third, made eight; and finally, Rudra, the youngest, sculpted six. They eventually formed the first population of the Land of Fireflies (Hotaru no Kuni, 蛍の国) a massive underground network of caves that are interconnected, and resided in what would eventually become Edagakure (Hidden Branch Village, 枝隠れの里, lit. Village Hidden in the Branches).

The village lived in complete isolation, fending off outsiders in hopes of protecting them from the God Tree's leeching effects. They continued this tradition of isolationism for decades, until slowly their population started to dwindle as a result of fewer and fewer people approaching that could be taken as spouses; this resulted in a rift forming between two factions of the clan: the descendants of Agni and Varuna who believed they should remain wholly isolated and the descendants of Mitra and Rudra who believed that they should venture out in hopes of thriving. Slowly but surely, the conflict began to build towards an all-out civil war that waged for a long time; the area immediately surrounding Land of Fireflies was vacated due to the frequent rockfalls and immense earthquakes caused by a war being fought underground, rendering the land nigh inhospitable. Eventually, the war became so chaotic that it caused the cave to collapse on the main structure of Edagakure, killing a bulk of the fighters. Following this, the warring parties agreed to a truce, with the isolationists (descendants of Agni and Varuna) staying behind while the idealists (descendants of Mitra and Rudra) left to roam the outside lands.

The Chabame clan was a cadet branch of the idealists, whom eventually splintered into different groups and dissolved altogether, though peacefully.

They initially settled close to Konohagakure, having already existed prior to Hashirama Senju's construction of Konohagakure. As a result, the clan members aided Hashirama in the construction, growing close to the Senju clan in the process. As a token of appreciation, Hashirama gifted the Chabame clan a compound within the village, offering them the opportunity of integrating into the village. While the Chabame clan accepted and became a member clan of Konoha, they preferred to stay in their settlement outside of Konoha's walls; despite this, a number of Chabame clan members come to live at the inside compound at times, mostly composed of Academy students or those who work closely in the village. By the time Part I begins, the only ones whom remain in the outside settlement are mostly elderly members and older members of the chief family.



Despite having blood ties to the Edagakure family, the latter are so secluded and secretive that even the Chabame clan barely have any knowledge of their condition today, beyond that they are still active and even have a Kage.

Due to the Uchiha and Hyūga clans' close relations to Hagoromo and Hamura Otsutsuki, members of the Chabame clan regard them in high respect, though ultimately they are more loyal to the leadership of Konoha due to holding the Senju bloodline to a higher degree of respect.

Abilities
As they used to live in isolation, most of the teachings within the Chabame clan are Ninshū-based rather than ninjutsu because they did not learn the latter from passing travellers -- while they have been exposed to the latter and have evolved to adapt it into their culture, they are still pacifistic in nature, working more as a supporter than an offender. Members of the Chabame clan are especially powerful sensors, almost rivalling the capabilities of the Byakugan even without a dōjutsu of their own.

Like the Hyūga clan, they are also able to emit chakra, but only from their core tenketsu, and not in the same volume and shape. This innate understanding of chakra and chakra expelling led to the development of a special technique known as the Zen Style, wherein the user is capable of interconnecting their chakra core with multiple other people's through physical touch. In extension, users can utilize Zen Style: Mist Release; by entering a meditative state--hence the name--the user can then emit chakra from themselves in the form of a near-invisible mist that would serve to regenerate the chakra supplies of those they previously connected with. In the same token, for offensive purposes, the emitted mist can also be used to sap chakra at an alarming speed from connected people. With the chakra mist, the user can detect any and all movement within it and recognize the different chakra signatures. Members whom are experienced can emit enough mist to cover immense radii. A noted drawback of this kekkei genkai, however, is the user's inability to move -- a skilled user, however, can move at a slowed and somewhat sluggish pace, so they require close supervision while performing this technique.

Another notable ability of the Chabame clan is their dormant affinity for Wood Release, as they were originally taught Ninshū by the originators of Wood Release. Despite this, the genetic trait for Wood Release only surfaces as a practiced ability occasionally, with merely one or two practitioners per generation or even skipping a generation entirely. During the beginning of Konohagakure, however, it is implied a majority of Chabame clan members were capable of utilizing Wood Release as they aided greatly in Konoha's construction. However, as descendants of Mitra and Rudra (rumoured originators of Fire Release and Yin-Yang Release respectively), those who aren't capable of Wood Release still have the potential of becoming formidable Fire and Yin-Yang Release users.

Further abilities attributed to their ancestry is the Chabame clan's adeptness in kyujutsu, as Rudra was regarded to be the best marksman with a bow to have ever existed. Many Chabame clan members take up with the bow, preferring it to other projectile weapons, and are noted to be exceptional marksmen.

Due to their ancestors' closeness in proximity and regular tending to the God Tree sapling, the Chabame clan has inherited an impressive chakra supplies, rumoured to be nearly at the same level of the Uzumaki clan's chakra reserves. As a result of their enhanced amount of chakra and generally pacifistic nature, many Chabame clan members are medical-nin, though not a small number choose to become standard shinobi, some even sensor types.

Leaders

 * Chabame Elder: Former Leader
 * Miyuki Chabame: Former Leader
 * Suiten Chabame: Current Leader
 * Dainei Chabame: Current Heir

Trivia

 * Members of the Chabame clan all have birthmarks in the shape of branching-out roots as a result of their blood's exposure to the God Tree, though where it is imprinted typically depends. When they are using the clan's kekkei genkai, the patterns spread out and become pronounced.
 * The clan maintains a library in their primary settlement, filled to the brim with writings and teachings of Ninshū and other such publications by their ancestors.
 * It is noted in the manga that White Zetsu's genetic material has similar components to that of a Chabame clan member's DNA. This may be because the First Four, ancestors of the Chabame clan, were undergoing transformation to become White Zetsu under Kaguya and the God Tree's influence.
 * means "tealeaf", possibly referenced in the anime and manga in the clan's fondness for drinking and cultivating tea.
 * The clan's emblem is a combination of a lotus flower, and a section from the symbol of 'Ohm', both significant icons in Hinduism.
 * The First Four are derived from the names of Vedic gods: Agni is the god of fire, Varuna is the god of the sky and water, Mitra is the god of sun, friendship, and energy, and Rudra is the Roaring god (another name/aspect of Shiva). The number of children they sculpted is in reference to the asura descriptions they've incurred.
 * Due to the clan's settlement being situated outside of Konohagakure, they're typically regarded to be part of the village's first line of defence.
 * All bows used by Chabame clan members are handmade, and are either forged from cherry wood or using Wood Release.
 * Men in the Chabame clan typically grow their hair long, and wear them in traditionally feminine styles such as braids. This may mean that growing out their hair is a clan tradition or custom.