Throughout the history of the shinobi world, three major wars have taken place. The First Great Shinobi War, which commenced not long after Konohagakure was established, involved the majority of shinobi villages and countries. Twenty or so years passed by in peace after this first War, but the economic discrepancy between the countries had become a serious problem and soon the countries had started using military force to expand their territories, thus forming The Second Great Shinobi War.
Years later, due to a decline in power, the reign of the Five Great Countries was deteriorating, and skirmishes with smaller nations broke out frequently along their borders. The prolonged war gradually spread its fires far and wide, until at last it developed into the Third Great Shinobi World War. Of all the Shinobi Wars that have occurred throughout the existence of shinobi, the Third Great War was said to be the worst - even children from the most powerful villages were sent out to fight, their lives literally defined as a fleeting moment.
In the midst of this atrocious shinobi battle, a group named Akatsuki was said to have been formed, supposedly from Amegakure. With the oppression that the organisation's home faced during The Third Great War, the group's alleged intial goals were to fight against this tyranny, along with the long-term goal of world peace. However, in a battle with the famous Hanzo of the Salamander, Yahiko - student of the Legendary Sannin Jiraiya, and leader of the Akatsuki- sacrificed himself for the group to survive and bring peace to the world.
Inevitably, all great things must come to an end. As time passed on for the amnesty group, ideals became twisted, corrupted, and fearsome S-ranked criminals joined the ranks. Eventually, the organisation's blackened name spread universally and had become feared amongst all of the Five Great Country's leaders for the nefarious power they displayed in battle (one of those witnessed being Deidara of Iwagakure, who was reported to have the ability to create extremely deadly explosives out of clay). Those who had opposed and fought against the Akatsuki never made it back to their loved ones alive.
Along with the escalating might of the Akatsuki came the mounting terror felt by the Five Great Countries. The threat of a Fourth Great Shinobi War erupting while all five shinobi villages and their people alike were barely recuperating from the terrifying outcomes of the Third Great War was too much, and the world fell into chaos. The Akatsuki, sensing this catastrophy, made its first move. Millions perished from bombing attacks, and shinobi leaders were faced with volatile riots, dwindling populations and finally, a power-hungry group ready to conquer the world.
With a new war becoming reality, the Five Great Shinobi Villages finally went into action. An alliance was made by the two villages Sunagakure and Konohagakure, whilst the minimal blacksmiths still alive immediately set to work forging weaponry for shinobi and skilled fighters. Strategists, village elders and Kages gathered around in tiny huts planning their military strategies, food sources were ever-so-slowly increasing and shinobi trained day and night in preparation for war with the meager resources they were given.
Several days passed before rumours of strange activities reached the ears of all Kages - an abundance of supernatural spirits were reported to have been spotted "'frolicking' around in the coldest of rocky climates, bathing in the scorching hot waters of frightening lakes, leaping around in the burning lava of volcanoes, and coming out alive - an overall peaceful race despite their frightening abilities." Taking immediate action, the most skilled of shinobi were sent to investigate this phenomenon and capture these beings before returning to their respective villages - such abilities were not to be wasted in such desperate times, especially when such high potential for weaponry was involved.
As a result, hoards of spirits were reeled into the villages, sealed inside heavy-duty scrolls and ruthlessly tied up to be presented to the leaders. They were named Shinjinbukai (Godly) for the exponential increase in power they provided, and eventually, the shinobi world opened up to a brighter era. Trade routes opened up in every village and war-torn countryfolk were able to enter the villages and register themselves as citizens. This period, as brief as it was, was a time of relative peace - away from the stressfulness of wars.
Needless to say, terrorist organisations only thrived as relentlessly as their reputations did. It was laughable - a powerful cluster of notorious individuals who'd wreaked havoc on the entire planet vanquished with the discovery of more remarkable beings. They grew spiteful, enraged, by the dramatic loss of power, seized the few remaining Shinjinbukai they could find. Their sudden disappearance was written down as "unknown" in every record book, despite the strenuous efforts of all Five Nations.
With the new reign of peace ruling over the world, more attention was focused onto the ethereal life-forms, and amazing breakthroughs were uncovered. Long term exposure revealed an enhancement of an individual's abilities, as proven by Senju Tsunade's unfathomable increase in strength and medical skills.
Another discovery was made months later when an ordinary man became "one" with a Shinjinbukai, having been assigned to take care of the particularly volatile spirit. The man gained the abilities of that Shinjinbukai, altered to suit his own skills and thus became the first Gensho. Although, unlike those whose skills were only enhanced, his limited chakra was replaced with the spirit of the Shinjinbukai, which flowed through his veins. Excited from this sudden unearthing, this process of "spiritbonding" occurred with many shinobi and commonfolk in the hopes of obtaining these gifts, but those whose bodies were incompatible instantly passed away.
Only one hundred people worldwide had successfully "spiritbonded", and the remaining thousands of spirits also passed away from the strenuous efforts of the humans trying in vain to bond with the Shinjinbukai.
However, these traits were revealed to be hereditary, as most children produced from Genshos inherited the same, if not similar abilities. Separate Academies were thus established in order to hone the young Genshos' skills. They underwent vigorous training in order to take on missions after graduation, similar to the ninja's education system. However, unlike their shinobi counterparts, Gensho students entered at the age of fifteen and ended at nineteen years old, as the inherited abilities rarely manifested before the mid-teen years. However, prior to their enrolment, the children were entitled to attend normal schools, or be given an education in an alternative manner.
As such, five Academies were established internationally;
Konohagakure's Gensho Academy of the Leaf;
Sunagakure's Gensho Academy of the Sand;
Kumogakure's Gensho Academy of the Lightning;
Kirigakure's Gensho Academy of the Mist; and
Iwagakure's Gensho Academy of the Rock.
True to the alliance formed between Sunagakure and Konohagakure decades prior, one elite team from each of the Academy were selected to compete in the annual Gensho Tournament, strengthening the bond between the countries while attracting clients for their upcoming careers. It was a true display of fighting prowess and economic opportunities reserved only for the elite of the elite.
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~misspandalily