Centuries ago when Ninjutsu was still new and powerful spirit creatures roamed the land, their were four brothers. These brothers were eternal rivals, and they constantly challenged each other to contests in order to prove their power. The eldest brother, Kenta was the biggest and the strongest. He valued his strength and when the brothers tossed logs or lifted stones he would always come out on top. The second born, Shou, was the most agile. With his speed and light step he could always outclass and outmaneuver his brothers in acrobatic contests. The third born, Takeshi, was the fiercest. In fights he had a warrior’s edge that let him win against his older brothers’ strength and speed. The youngest son, Osamu, was the smartest. He may not have been as physically impressive as his older brothers, but he cultivated his mind and could mystify them with his knowledge. Together these brothers traveled the lands, learning about the exciting new world of Ninjitsu.

Kenta aligned himself with the Doton element, using it to increase his stability and strength. He would use this unmatched power to remove obstacles from the brothers’ path, pushing aside boulders and uprooting entire trees at will. Once while traveling through the wilderness, the brothers were caught in a stampede. Thinking only of his brothers’ safety, he pushed himself in between the group and the oncoming horde, catching a charging elephant by the tusks. He strained against the 7 ton elephant’s legendary strength with his own, and after a few tense moments he finally won out. The elephant was brought to its knees, and Kenta was thereafter revered far and wide for his incredible strength.

Shou aligned himself with the Fuuton element, using it to move swiftly across the land and soar easily through the air. He could run across any terrain, even water, and could sprint up sheer cliffs. His leap was without equal, and no wall, river, or canyon could hold him from reaching his destination. When the brothers were run down by a pack of rival chakra-users, he got the group’s attention and led them away from his siblings. Leading his enemies on a wild goose chase through the woods, Shou was pursued by dozens of trackers. He evaded capture for 3 days and 3 nights, allowing his brothers plenty of time to escape before disappearing, seemingly without a trace.

Takeshi aligned himself with the Katon element, using it to strike at his foes with power and ferocity. Any time the brothers were wronged, he would attack the offender without question, defending the honor and sometimes the lives of his companions. In combat he was a terrible sight to behold, moving with power and purpose, never holding back. When his brothers were caught by a group of bandits, Takeshi fought his way through the villains’ camp, slaying the criminals with a righteous fury. He defeated over one hundred enemies that day, and when the small army was defeated, he freed his brothers and they hailed him for his martial prowess.

Osamu aligned himself with the Suiton element, using it to clear his mind and delve into forbidden secrets. He learned much through his travels, absorbing knowledge from all he met. He applied that knowledge into learning new techniques and helping to teach his brothers how to better utilize their own strengths. One dark night the brothers were walking through a jungle, forbidden for travel due to the presence of evil spirits. The four brothers soon found themselves caught in a trap: an unnatural web that none of them could seem to escape. All around them a horde of hungry spiders crept forward, closing on their defenseless meal. While his brothers panicked and strained in vain against the web, Osamu surveyed the situation calmly. He realized after a moment that the web and the spiders were not real, and he dispelled the curse and saved his brothers. Once the illusion was broken they saw the bones of travelers littering the ground around, dead from starvation and exposure while trapped in the unending Genjutsu.

After over a decade of traveling, tales of their incredible feats spread far and wide. One day, they came upon a crossroads with four diverging paths. Where the paths met sat an old man who explained the nature of the crossroads to them. Each path led to a different place, a paradise hand created for each brother. What lay at the end of the roads would be a life that each of them wanted dearly, and they would live forever in their own heaven. The only catch, the old man explained as the brothers eagerly discussed what each path might contain, was that taking the path meant they would never be able to see each other again. Devastated by the news, the four brothers didn’t need to think about it for a second. They promptly turned and walked away from the old man, refusing his offer. Pleased, the old man shed his disguise, revealing himself to be a golden dragon shining with seemingly limitless energy.

This dragon, the king of dragons, stated that he was impressed with the brothers’ loyalty to each other even in the face of their greatest desires. In reward for their outstanding character and legendary status, the dragon offered them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He offered to transport the four brothers to the  Mount Kami no ō, the sacred land of the dragons. After a short deliberation, the four accepted the dragon king’s offer, and the creature used reverse summoning to bring the brothers to his land. The brothers spent years learning and training on Mount Kami no ō. As they spent time working with each other, they found they could begin to emulate each other’s traits. Soon enough they were all capable of feats strength rivaling Kenta’s,  movements as agile as Shou’s, attacks of Takeshi’s ferocity, and keen knowledge like Osamu. Through this training they were able to harness the four elements.

Eventually the four brothers decided it was time to return to the shinobi world. Unfortunately, time flowed differently on Mount Kami no ō than it did outside of its divine aura. By the time the brothers left, nearly a century had passed. The great shinobi war had left the the continent in a state of division, and much of the natural and spiritual beauty that used to fill the land was snuffed out or diluted by human interference. Rather than abandon the human world and return to the dragon’s mountain, however, the four brothers decided they would change things.  For the first time in their lives, they went their separate ways.They traveled to the very outer reaches of the continent, searching for disciples willing to learn the way of the Dragons along the way. The time spent on Mount Kami no ō blessed the brothers with dragon’s blood, and those who followed them could feel their blood becoming influenced by the power as well.

After decades of teaching others their ways, the four brothers passed away, but their teachings and their power lived on through their descendants. The four brothers were said to have ascended to Mount Kami no ō, living the rest of eternity as dragons. Those born with the blood of the dragons found they could master the four elements, and that they could call upon the the spirit of their progenitors in order to gain dragon-like power. The four brothers were hailed as the Four Dragons, and their descendants changed their surnames to Shiryuu in their honor.

Shiryuu can be found anywhere, and the clan is not at all organized. They tend to breed staunch rivalries when they meet each other, though it is friendly for the most part. Not all of those born into the Shiryuu clan carry the blood of the dragons, and in fact their are actually only ever four Shiryuu with these abilities at a time. The few who do almost always become shinobi. If bloodline Shiryuu ever meet each other, they discover an innate sense of friendship and protectiveness over the other. Even the coldest, most hateful shinobi with this bloodline will find they cannot hate or harm their fellow dragon.

[b]Name: 四竜の道 {Shiryu no Michi ~ The path of the Four Dragons}
Canon/Custom: Custom
Rank: S
Type: Defensive||Supplementary
Element: Any
Range: Self
Specialty: Shiryuu KKG
Duration: Maintainable
Cooldown: Once per thread
Description: The user calls upon their dragon ancestry and their body gains an almost metallic sheen of a color depending on what dragon they call upon. Incoming damage is reduced by one rank while this ability is in effect. The jutsu has an additonal effect and weakness depending on the Element Used:

Doton: 北の竜 {Kita no Ryuu ~ Dragon of the North} -  The user’s skin glows with a copper sheen. The Dragon of the North grants the user the power of the earth, giving them the capability to perform incredible feats of strength. While this jutsu is active, the user can lift/move weights of up to 5 tons. If the user is damaged directly by a Raiton jutsu of S Rank or higher this jutsu is completely negated, dispelling it and leaving the user burned out and sore. If this happens, the gets -2 tiers to endurance and strength for 10 posts.

Fuuton: 東の竜 {Higashi no Ryuu ~ Dragon of the East} - The user’s skin glows with an emerald sheen. The Dragon of the East Blesses the user with unbridled freedom of movement, allowing them to resist entrapment. While this jutsu is active the duration of opposing techniques meant to stun, immobilize, or slow the user are cut in half. If the user is damaged directly by a Katon jutsu of S Rank or higher this jutsu is completely negated, dispelling it and leaving the user feeling heavy and sluggish. If this happens, the user gets -2 tiers to speed and reaction time for 10 posts.

Katon: 南の竜 {Minami no Ryuu ~ Dragon of the South} - The user’s skin glows with a ruby sheen. The Dragon of the South fills the user with righteous energy, allowing them to strike back against their opponents. When the user is damaged by an attack while this jutsu is active their next attack against that opponent  have the advantage when overcoming defenses of equal rank. If the user is damaged directly by a Suiton jutsu of S Rank or higher this jutsu is completely negated, dispelling it and leaving them in a weakened state. If this happens, the user’s attacks are treated as -1 rank for the purposes of overcoming defense for 10 posts.

Suiton: 西の竜 {Nishi no Ryuu ~ Dragon of the West} - The user’s skin glows with a sapphire sheen. The Dragon of the West prepares the users mind for mental attack, increasing their ability to resist Genjutsu. While this jutsu is active the user can use the kai jutsu to dispel genjutsu for 20 less chakra. If the user is damaged directly by a Doton jutsu of S Rank or higher this jutsu is completely negated, dispelling it and leaving them vulnerable to Genjutsu. If this happens, the user must pay double to dispel genjutsu for 10 posts.

Name:竜打つ {Ryuu Utsu ~ Dragon Strike}
Canon/Custom: Custom
Rank: C
Type: Supplementary
Element: Any
Range: Self
Specialty: Shiryuu KKG
Duration: Until the next attack is made
Cooldown: 5 posts
Description: The user taps into the fury of their dragon blood, modifying their next unaligned taijutsu or bukijutsu technique with an element of their chosing. The attack is treated as being of that element, and is not altered in any other way. The user must be trained in the element that they choose to use.

Name: 先祖の共鳴 {Senzo no Kyōmei ~ Ancestral Resonance}
Canon/Custom: Custom
Rank: D
Type: supplementary
Element: n/a
Range: self
Specialty: Shiryuu KKG
Duration: instant
Cooldown: 3 posts
Description: When the user is struck by an opponent with a taijutsu or bukijutsu attack, or clashes with an opponent with taijutsu or bukijutsu, they can activate this jutsu's effect. Their dragon blood resonates with the opponents chakra alignment, allowing the user to tell what elements they are trained in. This only senses elements that the user is also trained in.

Name: 古代血 {Kodai Chi ~ Ancient Blood}
Canon/Custom: Custom
Rank: A
Type: Defensive
Element: n/a
Range: self
Specialty: Shiryuu KKG
Duration: 1 post
Cooldown: 5 posts
Description: The user allows their chakra to flow across their skin, instantly forming a scale-like pattern of energy on their body. This armor can defend against 2 attacks of A-Rank or 3 attacks of B-Rank before breaking.