Nippou

In the not-so-distant past, the land was in the midst of the Warring States Period, a time when smaller states were constantly battling each other for land and power. To fight these battles, countries hired one or more clans of mercenary shinobi to represent their interests, with the shinobi's loyalties ultimately going to the highest bidder. The constant warfare led to constant death, shortening a shinobi's average lifespan to only thirty years.   That all changed, however, when two powerful shinobi clans made peace with one another. Together they made a pact with a nearby country and established a shinobi village within its borders. Other shinobi clans quickly banded together and created their own villages in response. This created a system of several large, powerful nations that each housed their own powerful shinobi villages. However, peace was only temporary, as these villages and nations quickly went to war with one another, on a scale that had never before been seen.