{Origins}
"Ignorant child, born in a chaotic world, bereft of order and surfeit with Strife."

The name “Yamamoto” means “At the base of the mountain” which fits well with the clan considering they were once one of Kumogakure’s most trusted and reliable clans. The clan origins go back to the era of when ninja villages was never established, once held in great regard as Kumogakure’s most prestigious clan. At least a few Clan members existed as the Raikage’s personal body guards, others strong summoners of unmatched calibre.  

The origins of the Yamamoto clan is vague, but according to the clan scrolls, the clan was found before the era of ninja villages in the land of lightning,  which the first of the Yamamoto clan was a descendant of Rikudo Senin, the sage of six paths. Or so the story goes.  Actual proof of such a claim was never found.

Yamamoto also had their own religion, they believed in Raijin, the god of lightning. The Yamamoto clan was noted to create festivals as a tribute, this can be a fireworks display or a fire dance, they would thank him for their gifts and ask for protection and for guidance on the path they walked. The clan was also skilled in drums, as Raijin was portrayed to use drums with the symbol tomoe to draw in thunder and lightning storms.

It was just before the era of the ninja villages that the clan symbol came to light, it was inspired during a drum festival, the clan leader called on the thunder God by druming. Later on that day, a storm came along and wrecked havoc upon the land of lightning, the clan leader witnessed the "Eye of the storm.", in which the clan symbol is a homage to Raijin and his fury.  

Before the ninja villages came along, the Yamamoto clan were mostly gypsy-like people, often moving around and never staying in one place too long. They moved around in groups of twenty and led their life the way they wanted, not usually interfering with the affairs of other nations. However, that changed when the first shinobi war happened. Because their clan rules indicate they must not ignore a world in peril, they joined the cause to end the conflict. However, the war was must bigger than they anticipated, however their skills in battle were noticeable as they could summon large creatures to use for defence and offense, their Ninjutsu was impressive as well, quickly showing their power in storm release, able to massacre groups of opposing shinobi at once.  Against the Senju, they had the upper hand because their Raiton jutsus outweighs earth jutsu, leaving them feared and respected as a result.  Fighting the Uchiha clan was more difficult, as their genjutsu left the Yamamoto clan valuable but their Suiton jutsu defeats their Katon, but the Sharingan eye remains in the Yamamoto clan’s memory long after the first war ended.

{Kumogakure}
"Benighted child, consigned to walk in history's shadow."
After the first Shinobi war, Yamamoto developed a mutual respect for the Senju and the Uchiha and considered them worthy enemies. After the war, the Yamamoto clan was invited by the Raikage at the time to set up in Kumogakure. The Yamamoto, having growth fond of the land of water and its villages, accepted.

The Yamamoto clan, with the permission of the Raikage set up their own military group. The rangers of the cloud, defenders of land of lightning and the first line of defence against possible invasions. They were tasked to watch and guard the land of lightning’s borders and eliminate any threats, including assassinations of the feudal lord. This military group is considered the stuff of folklore now, many believe they don’t exist anymore and that is quite right. The group was separated eons ago. However, now-a-days you’ll occasionally hear whispers of a few clan members wandering around performing such duties on a lesser scale then they were during the first era.

The Yamamoto clan were also bodyguards of the feudal lord at some point, in charge of watching over their master.

The Yamamoto’s clan way of teaching their clan members were...strange. To officially accept an offspring of the clan as their own, they must pass three tests. The first test consists of gathering a group of five children and leaving them lost in the mountains, in charge of surviving on their own. The age range of the children range from eight years old to ten years old, the task was to survive for one week. Now-a-days such practices would be considered cruel and brutal, but the truth is: Yamamoto clan was looking for those with the strongest character, the type of people who will not kill a comrade for the sake of surviving. Those who kill their friends were immediately banished from the clan.  The second test was a test of endurance; candidates of an age range of eleven to thirteen would be thrown in an ice-cold lake tied up. The test was to free yourself by any means and swim in the lake without any equipment whatsoever and collect a certain item. The test itself was also a test of the mind and how these children can cope in such a situation.  The final test was the capacity to kill. The exam itself took place in the forests of the land of lightning; one particular forest contained the graves of many remnants of the past war. The trick was to silently kill your enemy with the least pain possible, prisoners of the land of lightning was released and the candidates was tasked to track them down in the forests and kill them without hesitation, those who engage in sadistic killing of any kind was immediately turned away, as the Yamamoto clan viewed such barbaric behaviour as “disgraceful.” They wanted candidates that will stick to their morals and codes; they didn’t want stone cold killers, but compassionate ones who will treat their enemies with dignity, in both the living and the dead. As they believed such actions contribute to the cycle of hatred.

The Yamamoto clan's contribution to the land of lightning quickly earned them recognition, Kumogakure in particular.
{Fall of the Yamamoto}
"Unenlightened child, orphaned by history's truth"

During the second and third world war, the Yamamoto clan has participated in both, over the decades they have growth in numbers, during the second shinobi war they were used mostly for front-line battles due to their abilities, however by the third shinobi war fear of the Yamamoto clan began to formulate despite the fact the Yamamoto clan was and still is, fiercely loyal to the land of lightning. In the third shinobi war, they were used more as an assassination squad, tasked to take down strong and troublesome opposing nin. One of those targets was Minato Kamikaze. However, the future fourth Hokage escaped with his life much to the dismay of the Yamamoto clan.

However, the Yamamoto clan was disassembled not long after the third shinobi war ended, the story goes is that the Yamamoto became far too feared that the land of lightning began to doubt their stand on the trust between them. They feared the Yamamoto clan would suddenly attack, and quite easily massacre villages. Because of high tensions regarding the security of the future, the feudal lord of the land of lightning ordered an undercover investigation of the Yamamoto clan.

The undercover investigation went on for three years, the trust fading over time. By the end of it, the investigation could only conclude that the Yamamoto are truly loyal to the land of lightning and that they wish only defend their homeland. However, the feudal lord wasn’t happy with that, so demanded the third Raikage order the clan to fight each other, and if they refuse they must be eliminated. The Yamamoto, once ordered by the Raikage refused, saying that it went against their clan morals. It ended in a massacre; none of the Yamamoto dared to harm their fellow clansman. Loyal they might’ve been, cowardly they were not.

The feudal lord, realizing the length of the Yamamoto clan’s loyalty and his own unwillingness to own up to his crime and mistake, the feudal lord instead created and spread propaganda that the Yamamoto clan are agents for opposing nations and that it was they, who summoned the eight tails. The result was more unjustified murders of the Yamamoto, and eventually they were driven out of Kumogakure, over the decades their numbers dwindled and their name slandered and dishonoured.

{Awakening}
"Skyless child, dost thee yearn for heaven's heights?"

What was left of the Yamamoto fled to other nations, they were banished from the realms of the cloud and lightning, prohibited to ever return. For decades the Yamamoto clan wandered the ninja world, some renounced their belief in reijin and their loyalty the land of lightning eventually, most tried to hold on to their clan ideals and retained a positive attitude. Most changed their surnames to avoid trouble in other nations of which they settled in, posing as civilians. Others became low-life criminals.
However, when the fourth shinobi war came around, the Yamamoto clan answered the call, pleased to see a united shinobi force and the joining of nations. Their nations remained very few by then, reduced to the hundreds however they took their place in the Kumogakure’s teams and joined in the war.

{Light at the end of the tunnel}
"Faithful child, Ye who reach, but cannot grasp, In failure ever to wander. Be well prepared for what is to come, heed the writings."

After the war ended, the Yamamoto clan was invited to return to the Land of lightning but the clan refused. Saying that they’re too scattered to return to their homeland and so continue to wander, the secrets of the Yamamoto clan became missing over the last century, many of the Yamamoto lack knowledge of the clan however there is a Yamamoto in the cloud village, whose father has preserved the clan’s secrets just as his father’s before him, and so the Yamamoto secrets and way of life continues in the boy and perhaps others. By now, there is at least a handful left of the Yamamoto clan and Sakumo seeks to restore it and return the clan to its birth place, the land of lightning.