Clan Name: カラスKage Karasu (Shadow Crow)

Location: Niwaurushigakure

History: There are many rumors, tales and stories regarding crows. Many legends depict crows as evil and negative omens. For example, in one such tale, the crow was sacred and meant the flesh torn by fighting. As he eats carrion, welsh poetry uses the metaphor "the crow pierced you" to say "you have died". They thought crows escorted the sun during his nocturnal path, that is to say in Hell. So they were a symbol of evil, contrary to swanns, symbolizing purity. In the Bible, the crow is sent by Noah to search earth after the flood. But the crow didn't tell Noah that the flood was finished. So he is considered selfish. Saint Golowin thought that in Paradise, the crows had multicoloured wings. But after Adam and Eve were driven away from the Paradise, the crows started to eat carrion. So they became black-feathered. At the end of time, the crows will find their beauty again and sing harmoniously to praise God.

However, there are also stories that depict crows as exactly the opposite. In Africa, the crow warns men that dangers are menacing them. The crow is their guide and a protector spirit. In Celtic civilization, he has prophetic functions. Bodb, Goddess of the war, takes the form of a raven to observe the battlefields. The crows' flight and cawings told the future. The crow was also linked to Bran, God of the sailors (Bran means crow in gaelic) : the sailors had crows on their boats. They released them at sea. They flew in the direction of the earth. The same idea is in the Bible (after the flood Noah released first a crow).

Whatever stories and legends surface, the truth has been long lost to time. It is said that a clan of crows exists within the highest trees of the forests surrounding Niwaurushigakure. They are the eyes and the ears of the land, and dwell within shadows. Extremely reclusive, it is said that only a very certain few can gain an audience with the Shadow Crows, which legend depicts are highly intelligent and capable of communicating with humans.

Description of clan ability: Shadow Crow Sages' appearance alters somewhat when entering Sage Mode. Their eyes become a reddish color. They gain an incredible clarity of perception, letting them pick up on some of the most minute of movements (But not to the same extent as ocular dojutsu such as Byakugan or Sharingan.)
Much like other Sage Modes, they gain access to a black ankle length jacket bearing the sage symbol on the back (The jacket does absolutely nothing to boost stats or defense.)
Crow Sages gain a boost in speed and reflexes one rank above their own. (A maximum of SS Rank)
They share a telepathic link with other Shadow Crows, enabling them to communicate and to see what the crows see.
If the Sage has knowledge of Shadow Manipulation techniques, the costs of chakra to use these techniques while in Sage mode are halved.
If the Sage has the ability to fly, the costs of chakra to keep the Sage airborne while in Sage mode are halved.

Drawbacks: Shadow Crows, and Shadow Crow Sages are extremely suseptible to attacks composed of Lightning, (Raiton) Ice, (Hyoton) Earth, (Doton) and any specialization that is a combination of any of these elements (such as Storm Release, Thunderstorm, Dust Release, Explosion Release, ect ect.) Sages take +2 damage to all of these elements, and +3 to elements combined. Continuous successful attacks can easily knock the user out of Sage Mode for the remainder of that thread.

Jutsu:
Name: Sage Summoning: Flock of Crows
Canon/Custom: Custom
Rank: A
Type: Supplementary
Element: /
Range: /
Specialty: Senjutsu, Shadow Crow Sages
Duration: Until dispersed or destroyed
Cooldown: Duration + 3
Description: The sage can summon up to 10 Shadow Crows. These crows are several times larger than normal crows and can be compared to the size of an average dog. They have beaks and claws that can pierce steel, and do up to A-rank damage. The crows can scatter feathers as well as release a "Caw" to confuse (stun) a target for 1 post. They share a telepathic link with the Sage who summoned them, and when dispersed, they become shadows that can be used in conjunction with Shadow Manipulation techniques. Shadow Crows can withstand up to 2 A-ranked attacks before they are dispersed, but any element that they have a weakness to can disperse the birds in just one attack.


Name: Sage Summoning: Boss Crow
Canon/Custom: Custom
Rank: S
Type: Supplementary
Element: /
Range: /
Specialty: Senjutsu, Shadow Crow Sages
Duration: Until dispersed or destroyed
Cooldown: Once per thread
Description: The sage can summon Boss Crow, the Chief Bird of the Shadow Crow Sages. He stands as tall as a full grown human and is as wide as an ordinary van, having a wingspan of 20 feet. Boss Crow is highly intelligent and is capable of speaking english. His battle experience is vast, as he has faced many admirable Shinobi in the past and lived to tell the tales. Boss Crow has the skill and durability of an S-rank Jounin, but can be easily dispersed by an element he is weak to. While having all the same abilities as the lesser Shadow Crows, he can perform several exclusive techniques such as a Transformation technique to become an identical clone of his summoner, the Shadow Imitation Technique, and dispersing himself into several smaller crows to avoid attacks, or to travel into smaller spaces he wouldn't otherwise fit through.