The Oboro Lineage (in Japanese: 朧一族;Oboro Ichizoku), also Oboro Household or just the Oboro Family, is the founding family of the Oboro Clan and made its debut in Shinobi on the PS2 console.
The Oboro Family is the founding family of the Oboro-ryu Ninja, the clan that would work to defend Japan from evil forces and the conflicts they exploited, all of their actions unrecorded by history.
The Oboro Family served as the leading Ninja group to organize all the active shinobi across Japan.
History[]
Early History[]
The Shinobi of the Oboro Clan.
The history of the Oboro Ninja can be traced back to many centuries ago in the hidden Oboro Village. Since before the Era of War, the Oboro family have served the Japanese Nation in secret. Soon they would create a Ninja Clan; the Oboro-ryu Shinobi (朧流忍; Ninja of the Oboro Clan), drawing their blood from the Ninja of Iga, one of the Twin Shadow Clans of Japan, the Oboro served as Shinobi of Justice for centuries, with their founding household, the Oboro Family at the helm.
The Heretical Sorcerer Affair[]
The mad sorcerer Hiruko.
72 years before the start of Shinobi, the Ubusuna Family, a clan of sorcerers that have served Japan for centuries raised and trained an adopted son, Hiruko. As Hiruko grew, he mastered the art of Onmyodo, but against the wishes of the clan, he began using the forbidden dark arts to gain control of the world.
The Eight Faced King
Using his forbidden arts, Hiruko caused the Great Kanto Earthquake of the 20th Century, and would use Yin, the unclean energies from sorrowful and hateful souls of the dead to power a deadly weaponized Hellspawn, Yatsurao; the Eight Faced King.
The demonic blade Akujiki.
Eventually, he would use his dark magic to created the dreadful Akujiki Sword; an eldritch abomination using the actual Yoma (妖魔 demon), the demonic parasite from which it gains its name as the base for the blade to create an evil perversion of an Exorcising Blade. With each death caused by the blade, it would feast upon the Yin and somatic energies of the dead, but if left unfed, the greedy demon would leach away at the user's life forces until it is either sated or the host is consumed.
Hiruko is cut down by a member of the Oboro clan.
Seeing Hiruko as too dangerous to let be, the government of the time would call upon the Oboro Ninja. The Oboro ninja, lead by the Oboro Household's Leader, would attack Hiruko; cutting him down and dismantled the Yatsurao while stealing Akujiki from him.
Hiruko's actions would disgrace the Ubusuna family, and the Kumano Shrine main complex where Hiruko was sealed would be watched by the Ubusuna under the Oboro family's supervision.
Akujiki Suppression[]
The legendary cursed sword, Akujiki.
After stealing Akujiki from Hiruko, the Oboro came to the understanding that Akujiki, if left alone, would cause great calamity, as the sword would continue to feed gluttonously, leading its host to live a life of endless slaughter.
To counter this, the Oboro learned from the Ubusuna that to cancel Akujiki's curse out, the sword must be fed Yang, the collection of the love, kindness, and purity within the human spirit. This would render the parasitic properties of the sword inert, and put the demonic presence housed in the blade into stasis. However, if it tasted of massive amounts of Yin from blood, the lock would come undone and Akujiki would rampage again.
The trail of battle within the Oboro clan.
Thus the Oboro Family decreed that the next clan leader would be determined via a duel to the death between the eldest sons of the Oboro Household; concealing the ritual's true purpose of selecting a sacrifice to the sealed Akujiki to keep the blade suppressed.
The Schism in the Bloodline[]
Hibana
For the next few decades, the Oboro clan leaders would safeguard Akujiki. In the main household of the Oboro Clan, a daughter was born, her name was Hibana. However, due to the clan customs, Hibana was not allowed to participate in the rituals of succession due to the fact that she was a female child.
As a consequence, Hibana was sent to be raised by the Mukuro, a branch of the Oboro lineage at a tender age, leaving her feeling abandoned and heartbroken without knowing why.
Moritsune, Hotsuma, and their friend Ageha.
Sometime after, the Oboro Elders had the eldest sons of the bloodline adopted and placed under the care of Master Kobushi, a powerful shinobi who acted as chief liason between the clan and the government. These two young boys, Moritsune, a prodigious child, and Hotsuma, would become brothers with Kobushi as their master and devoted father. The brothers would come to know Ageha, a kunoichi (くノ一; female shinobi) in Kobushi's care.
As for Hibana, she channeled her sadness into her training and grew to become one of the greatest kunoichi produced by the Oboro, gaining the attention of Jimushi ; the Shinobi of Earth and a former Oboro Ninja. Hibana would grow close to Jimushi, feeling a sense of belonging she hasn't felt for so long.
The Duel
But the happy days of the brothers came to an abrupt end when they discovered Akujiki in the Oboro Family Temple. It is then that they learned that the two would be forced to participate in the savage Rite of Succession. Moritsune knew what the true significance of the ritual was, but he and Hotsuma knew that they had no choice. So for ten years, the siblings trained. Eventually the duel took place in the summer on a full moon in a cherry blossom grove. Hotsuma would win the duel and strike down Moritsune, who died content. But Hotsuma would be anguished and suffer the burden of guilt. This would lead to Ageha abandoning the clan and going rogue.
Hotsuma and the Jonin would lead the clan, but as time passed, and Hotsuma recieved missions from the government more often, he gradually distanced himself from his clan and village.
Hibana; the jaded kunoichi.
As for Hibana, she and Jimushi join theShinobi Agency , but one day, the latter would leave the Shinobi Agency and Hibana, feeling abandoned yet again, would become a jaded and cynical Ninja, carrying out her missions without passion.
The Oboro Downfall[]
The battle for Tokyo begins.
4 years after the ritual, while Hotsuma was in charge of another mission for the Agency, the Oboro Village was attacked after Tokyo was ruined by a powerful earthquake. After learning of the massacre of the Oboro from the government, the mournful Hotsuma returns to Tokyo to investigate. To his shock and horror he learns that the Oboro Ninja weren't only annihilated, but their corpses were being manipulated against him. Beneath his calm exterior, an intense rage at this disrespect of his clansmen burned as Hotsuma vowed to avenge them.
The Master of the Oboro clan and the ninja dropout.
As time passed Hotsuma came in contact with Ageha, who went rogue following Moritsune's death. She mocks Hotsuma for his "leadership" abilities, and the fact that he is calm about killing his clansmen, even if they were already dead. Hotsuma counters, saying that the Oboro's affairs are of no concern to a renegade shinobi. Brushing off Ageha's insolence, he takes to the rooftops of Tokyo.
The seal is broken.
As he battles the undead Oboro and Hellspawn on the rooftops, Hotsuma is under attack by the masked white shinobi Aomizuchi, the murderer of his kin whose uncanny likeness to someone Hotsuma knew made him concerned. After boasting about Kobushi dying, Aomizuchi attacks Hotsuma. The vile assassin deliberately lets Akujiki taste his blood, breaking the seal that the Oboro had tried to maintain.
The curse of Akujiki.
While making his way to Kumano Shrine, Akujiki runs rampant and attacks Hotsuma, attempting to drain his life due to it not being fed fresh blood and souls. Ageha appears and tells him about Akujiki's vile nature. Hotsuma ignores, telling that he is ready to face his fate if he is to die.
The Final Pillar; Aomizuchi
Rushing through the ruined city of Tokyo, Hotsuma faces legions of Hellspawn and the undead Oboro ninja in his path. Eventually, Hotsuma learns that the Oboro were betrayed by Ageha, who broke the seal of the hated Hiruko Ubusuna in order to revive his late brother.
A tearful reunion and a sorrowfull farewell.
Unaware of Aomizuchi's presence, Ageha is killed before Hotsuma, and the Oboro Leader is forced to fight the corrupted body of his departed brother. After vanquishing Aomizuchi, Moritsune appears, giving Hotsuma a heartfelt pep-talk. Moritsune takes Ageha with him into Akujiki, telling Hotsuma to avenge the death and dishonor of the Oboro, which Hotsuma readily complies.
After saying farewell to his brother, Hotsuma makes his way to the Golden Palace, the source of the evil plaguing Tokyo. Hotsuma slaughters every Hellspawn he encounters, and returns every undead Oboro to death, when he finally comes face to face with Hiruko Ubusuna. After learning that all Hotsuma's actions were to strengthen Akujiki and allow Hiruko to gain more power, Hotsuma had more than he was willing to stand. After all the pain he suffered, Hotsuma was happy to die, but before that, he would kill Hiruko, and destroy Akujiki himself.
The end of the Oboro Family.
After a grueling struggle, Hotsuma finally defeats Hiruko, and absorbs all the Yin Hiruko had taken into Akujiki. As Hiruko perishes, Hotsuma takes one last look at the rising sun breaking through the darkness before succumbing to death as the castle collapsed. With his death, the Oboro clan had ended, but Hotsuma in death, is now free from Akujiki's cruel grip.
The Ariake Seal Formation; Return of the Demons[]
After Hotsuma's sacrifice, the government searched for Hotsuma, but he was nowhere to be found, and only Akujiki remained. Having realized that Akujiki cannot be allowed to wander free, the government orders the sword to be shattered and sealed forever. Kagari Ubusuna; the last Onmyoji of the Ubusuna family takes it upon herself to construct a sealing formation, the Ariake Seal, in order to keep the demon sword untouched and its dark powers eternally sealed away.
the Nakatomi Conglomerate.
Unfortunately, it was not bound to last. The Nakatomi Conglomerate, a corporate superpower, desired Akujiki due to its immense value, and so they sent mercenaries led by ex Oboro Ninja Jimushi to break the seal of Akujiki. With the Akujiki shards raging out of control, the demonic blade created whole new Hellspawn of its own, to recover its pieces and become whole once again. Due to Nakatomi's interference, the world was once more faced with the threat of demons.
In an effort to counter Nakatomi and stop the Hellspawn's advance, the Shinobi Agency was tasked with the retrieval of Akujiki and sent out one of their best agents; Hibana, the last blood relative of the destroyed Oboro clan.
Hibana would traverse the demon infested streets of Tokyo, and would face the Hellspawn and the Nakatomi Mercenary Ninja, including Jimushi, her former mentor. After defeating Jimushi, Kurohagane, a cyborg ninja created by Nakatomi steals the shards Hibana and Jimushi collected and heads to the ruined Golden Palace to reclaim the rest.
At the keep of the golden palace, Hibana faces the last Akujiki Hellspawn Lord to acquire the last piece of the evil sword. After Hibana slays the last Akujiki Hellspawn Lord, Kurohagane reveals himself; possessed by Akujiki's will, he becomes sentient and his programming is corrupted. After Akujiki is made whole once again, the cybernetic shinobi is transformed by the Demon Blade's power into an evil mockery of the dead Oboro Leader, Hotsuma.
After battling the dark energy powered monstrosity, Hibana finally destroyes Kurohagane and completes her mission. Suspecting ulterior motives, she initially refuses to give Akujiki to the government but relents. After witnessing a Nakatomi seal on one of the sealing cases, Hibana's suspicions are confirmed and she deserts from the Shinobi Agency.
The birthright is fulfilled.
Having swapped the real Akujiki's blade with the Utsushiyo sword's blade, Hibana, in complete control of Akujiki, is now is renegade ninja, taking destiny into her own hands.
