Five Great Shinobi Nations
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The Five Great Shinobi Countries (忍び五大国, Shinobi Godaikoku;English TV "Five Great Shinobi Nations") are the five largest countries and the main focus of the Naruto Series. These countries are led by governmental leaders, known as the daimyō, who are in charge of ruling their individual nations solely through dictatorship. These countries are divided equally on an unknown continent to create balance in the shinobi world. They are the Land of Earth in the Northwest, the Land of Lightning in the Northeast, the Land of Water in the East, the Land of Wind in the Southwest, and the Land of Fire in the centre. The countries are named after the dominant chakra nature of each of the areas.
These superpowers are the major players in the politics and trade between the shinobi nations. They are the most powerful of all nations and each has an extremely powerful shinobi village. The Land of Earth has Iwagakure, the Land of Lightning has Kumogakure, the Land of Water has Kirigakure, the Land of Wind has Sunagakure, and the Land of Fire has Konohagakure. These five villages are the only ones to have a Kage as the village head.
Although the Five Great Shinobi Countries are equal enough in power and military strength to create a fairly stable balance of power, the Land of Fire is considered the most powerful and influential. Similarly, the Land of Fire's shinobi village, Konohagakure, is considered the most powerful of all shinobi villages and Konoha's Hokage has been considered to be the pinnacle of the shinobi world. However, after the damage done to Konoha from both Orochimaru's invasion of Konoha and the invasion of Pain, Kumogakure has supplanted Konoha as the most powerful of the five villages.
The five countries are currently allied together, along with the samurai of the Land of Iron, in preparation to stop Tobi's Eye of the Moon Plan in the Fourth Shinobi World War.
These superpowers are the major players in the politics and trade between the shinobi nations. They are the most powerful of all nations and each has an extremely powerful shinobi village. The Land of Earth has Iwagakure, the Land of Lightning has Kumogakure, the Land of Water has Kirigakure, the Land of Wind has Sunagakure, and the Land of Fire has Konohagakure. These five villages are the only ones to have a Kage as the village head.
Although the Five Great Shinobi Countries are equal enough in power and military strength to create a fairly stable balance of power, the Land of Fire is considered the most powerful and influential. Similarly, the Land of Fire's shinobi village, Konohagakure, is considered the most powerful of all shinobi villages and Konoha's Hokage has been considered to be the pinnacle of the shinobi world. However, after the damage done to Konoha from both Orochimaru's invasion of Konoha and the invasion of Pain, Kumogakure has supplanted Konoha as the most powerful of the five villages.
The five countries are currently allied together, along with the samurai of the Land of Iron, in preparation to stop Tobi's Eye of the Moon Plan in the Fourth Shinobi World War.
Konohagakure (Leaf Village)
Konohagakure is the hidden village of the Land of Fire. As the village of one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, Konohagakure has a Kage as its leader known as the Hokage, who resides in the Hokage Residence. There have been five official Hokage, the most recent being Tsunade. On a mountain overlooking the village from the north exists the Hokage Monument which has the faces of all those who have taken the office of Hokage engraved on it. Although Konoha which would later become known as the most powerful village possessing an elite shinobi army corps, much like the country in which it resides, has been relatively peaceful since the end of the Third Shinobi World War, it remains one of the most powerful villages in existence, and has great military power and influence, though this has waned in the past three years following the attacks by Orochimaru and Pain. The shinobi of this village wear blue or black shirts which may or may not have swirl patterns on the shoulders, along with matching coloured pants over a green flak jacket which also has a red swirl on the back, and pockets on the chest area. They also tend to wrap bandages around their legs.
History
Founding
Before the ninja villages came into being, there was the Warring States Period when ninja were organised into small mercenary clans that knew nothing but battle. Two such clans were the Senju clanand the Uchiha clan, who have warred against each other since the time of their ancestors and are revered by others as the strongest ninja clans. Eventually, intending to end the countless bloodshed, Hashirama Senju used his power as leader of his clan to enter a truce with the Uchiha clan despite reluctance from its leader Madara Uchiha. Afterwards, the two clans would form the first shinobi village where Madara and Hashirama had met as children: Konohagakure — a name invented by Madara himself. Hashirama Senju used his Wood Release abilities to produce much of the village's infrastructure. This ability and his ideals were two of the reasons he was chosen to become the village's leader: the Hokage.
However, not being named Hokage and fearing that the Senju would oppress his clan, Madara attempted to gather support to overthrow Hashirama. But after his kin ostracised him, Madara resolved to deal with Hashirama himself by enslaving Kurama the Nine-Tails to do his bidding. The epic battle that ensued, causing the formation of the Valley of the End while Madara was presumed dead, resulted with Kurama sealed within Mito Uzumaki, a member of the Uzumaki clan who were known for their unique chakra, who became the Nine-Tails's first known jinchūriki and created a tradition on it due to the close ties between the Senju and Uzumaki clans. At some point, Hashirama came to bind some of the other tailed beasts and gave them to the other newly formed ninja villages to promote peace. However this peace was short lived.
However, not being named Hokage and fearing that the Senju would oppress his clan, Madara attempted to gather support to overthrow Hashirama. But after his kin ostracised him, Madara resolved to deal with Hashirama himself by enslaving Kurama the Nine-Tails to do his bidding. The epic battle that ensued, causing the formation of the Valley of the End while Madara was presumed dead, resulted with Kurama sealed within Mito Uzumaki, a member of the Uzumaki clan who were known for their unique chakra, who became the Nine-Tails's first known jinchūriki and created a tradition on it due to the close ties between the Senju and Uzumaki clans. At some point, Hashirama came to bind some of the other tailed beasts and gave them to the other newly formed ninja villages to promote peace. However this peace was short lived.
The First Three World Wars
Konoha took part in the first three Shinobi World Wars. Hashirama died shortly after the village began to flourish, and the mantle of Hokage was passed onto his brother Tobirama Senju who became the Second Hokage. During his administration, making attempts that no other Uchiha ends up like Madara, Tobirama created the Konoha Military Police Force and placed the Uchiha in charge of it. As the building also housed the jail and was located in the vicinity of the Uchiha's compound, this essentially ostracised them from the rest of the village. In giving them this task, Tobirama hoped to redirect the emotional Uchiha into a task which would benefit the village as well as save them from their curse. Tobirama died during the First Shinobi World War when he sacrificed himself to ensure the escape of his subordinates Danzō Shimura, Kagami Uchiha, Torifu Akimichi as well as Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane from Kumogakure's Kinkaku Force. Having inherited the mantle of Hokage now, Hiruzen later led Konoha's forces during the Second Shinobi World War where his three students Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru became known as the Legendary Sannin. Other than fighting across Amegakure with numerous clashes with its leader Hanzō, little is known of Konoha's actions during the war. Konoha became involved in the Third Shinobi World War fighting the ninja of Iwagakure at Kusagakure. Konoha was almost defeated, butMinato Namikaze helped turn the war back in their favour with his apprentice Obito Uchiha among those who "died" during the war.
Nine-Tails' Attack
After the end of the Third Shinobi World War, Minato was chosen as the Fourth Hokage. However, Minato's administration was short lived as Obito, having fallen into the Curse of Hatred and became a heir to Madara's legacy, snuck into the village and removing Kurama from its current host, Minato's wife Kushina Uzumaki, to have the tailed beast attack Konoha. Minato was able to defeat the masked ninja, unaware of his true identity, but he and Kushina later sacrificed their lives to seal the Nine-Tails into their son, Naruto Uzumaki. Many ninja died defending the village that day and blame for the events were projected on both Naruto and the Uchiha clan, the former unaware that he became the Nine-Tails's Jinchūriki and latter secretly accused of orchestrating the attack. In the aftermath, becoming Konoha's leader again, Hiruzen learned that Orochimaru had been kidnapping children in an experiment to reproduce Hashirama's power. However, though knowing he had to kill Orochimaru, Hiruzen did nothing and allowed his former apprentice to leave Konoha as a missing-nin who founded his own village to continue his human experimentation: Otogakure.
Uchiha Clan Massacre
Due to being blamed for the Nine Tails's attack on the village, believing that Madara's warning of them becoming nothing more than second class citizens is becoming a reality, many of the Uchiha members began plotting a coup d'état that would wrest control of Konoha. However, there were few members of the Uchiha who saw the dangers from such a venture. One such figure being Itachi Uchiha, who became a spy for Konoha's leadership. After peace talks failed, his part in the death ofShisui Uchiha playing a factor in it, Danzō Shimura orders Itachi to wipe out his clan. Assisted by Obito, whom he thought was Madara himself, Itachi killed all but one of kin: his younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha. Honouring Itachi's request as he leaves the village, Hiruzen promises to protect Sasuke from Danzō. From there, the higher ups cover up the slaughter as cold-blooded murder with Itachi joining the Akatsuki to protect Konoha while living as a fugitive for the rest of his life. However, wishing to be punished for his crime, Itachi told Sasuke to live a life of vengeance so he would die by his brother's hand and restore their clan's honour.
Joint Otogakure-Sunagakure Invasion
Around five years after the Uchiha clan massacre, Konoha was invaded by Orochimaru forging an alliance with Sunagakure ninja to end the peace and prosperity that Konoha alone had enjoyed since the Third Ninja War. Prior to the final stage of the Chūnin Exams, Orochimaru murdered the Fourth Kazekage and assumed his identity to get close enough to his former mentor to strike. Though the invaders were repelled, Konoha suffered heavy casualties that included Hiruzen after he redeemed himself by disabling Orochimaru's ability of using normal forms of ninjutsu when he could not take his former apprentice with him in death. Though Tsunade was named the Fifth Hokage, recovery for the rest of Konoha's military forces was slow and understaffed to the point that it could not properly respond to events occurring in the interim, such as Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki sneaking into Konoha in search of Naruto and Sasuke's defection weeks later.
Pain's Invasion
Three years after the failed Sand and Sound invasion, the Akatsuki's leader Pain attacked the village in an effort to capture Naruto. Konoha's forces had some success while fighting the Six Paths of Pain individually, but could do nothing to stop the village's destruction by Pain's Shinra Tensei. Naruto returned to Konoha shortly afterwards (having been delayed by Danzō's actions) and defeated Pain before confronting Nagato, the man behind Pain, about his actions in the death of both their mentor Jiraiya and Konoha's citizens. After Naruto convinced him that his actions were wrong, Nagato gave his life to revive everyone that died during the invasion. Naruto has since then been celebrated as a hero of the village.
Because of the attack, Konoha lost much of its economic and military capabilities, falling behind Iwagakure. Konoha's status as the most powerful village also passed onto Kumogakure. Tsunade was left in a coma from exhausting herself in protecting Konoha from Pain, causing Danzō Shimura to temporarily take office as her replacement. Danzō oversaw the start of the village's lengthy rebuilding process and dealt with the immediate aftermath of Pain's attack. Also, Sasuke's international crimes are now known to Konoha, which led the village to sever ties with him to prevent him from becoming a burden any longer, and officially brand him as a criminal to be killed.
Because of the attack, Konoha lost much of its economic and military capabilities, falling behind Iwagakure. Konoha's status as the most powerful village also passed onto Kumogakure. Tsunade was left in a coma from exhausting herself in protecting Konoha from Pain, causing Danzō Shimura to temporarily take office as her replacement. Danzō oversaw the start of the village's lengthy rebuilding process and dealt with the immediate aftermath of Pain's attack. Also, Sasuke's international crimes are now known to Konoha, which led the village to sever ties with him to prevent him from becoming a burden any longer, and officially brand him as a criminal to be killed.
Sunagakure (Sand Village)
Sunagakure (砂隠れの里, Sunagakure no Sato; Literally meaning "Village Hidden by Sand") is the hidden village of the Land of Wind. As one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, Sunagakure has a Kage as its leader known as the Kazekage, who resides in a spherical structure in the centre of the village. There have been five Kazekage, the most recent being Gaara.
Symbol of Sunagakure.The Puppet Technique, and from their performance in the Fourth Shinobi World War, the Cloth Binding Technique seem to be common techniques among Sunagakure ninja. Shinobi from this village believe that the accomplishment of a mission predominates the lives of the ninja trying to accomplish it. As such, they are known to be ruthless in battle, meaning to them that failure is not an option. Should failure seem inevitable, a Suna shinobi would almost surely try to make a success of their mission in some way or another as seen when Kankurō secretly retrieved from a piece of Sasori's clothing as a means to track Akatsuki to their hideout.
The standard attire of this village consists of blue or black uniforms underneath flak jackets of various shades of beige to better blend with their natural environment and include shoulders guards. Sand shinobi also tend to wear a common headpiece consisting of a head-wrap and cloth neck-covers to aid against the sun and sandstorms with a headband on top.
A natural defence of Sunagakure is its location in the desert with the protection of lack of water and sandstorms to discourage large-scale invasions. Sunagakure itself lies in a fortified valley behind cliffs of rock. The passage to travel into the valley is in a cleft between two cliff faces which provides a natural defence for the village making the area very hard to attack from the ground. The outside cliff face facing the desert has been terraced for a place for defending shinobi to stand up against assaulting forces. The buildings inside seem to be made of clay or stucco which would help to keep the buildings cool and allow them to also withstand the raging sand storms that are common in the area.
Symbol of Sunagakure.The Puppet Technique, and from their performance in the Fourth Shinobi World War, the Cloth Binding Technique seem to be common techniques among Sunagakure ninja. Shinobi from this village believe that the accomplishment of a mission predominates the lives of the ninja trying to accomplish it. As such, they are known to be ruthless in battle, meaning to them that failure is not an option. Should failure seem inevitable, a Suna shinobi would almost surely try to make a success of their mission in some way or another as seen when Kankurō secretly retrieved from a piece of Sasori's clothing as a means to track Akatsuki to their hideout.
The standard attire of this village consists of blue or black uniforms underneath flak jackets of various shades of beige to better blend with their natural environment and include shoulders guards. Sand shinobi also tend to wear a common headpiece consisting of a head-wrap and cloth neck-covers to aid against the sun and sandstorms with a headband on top.
A natural defence of Sunagakure is its location in the desert with the protection of lack of water and sandstorms to discourage large-scale invasions. Sunagakure itself lies in a fortified valley behind cliffs of rock. The passage to travel into the valley is in a cleft between two cliff faces which provides a natural defence for the village making the area very hard to attack from the ground. The outside cliff face facing the desert has been terraced for a place for defending shinobi to stand up against assaulting forces. The buildings inside seem to be made of clay or stucco which would help to keep the buildings cool and allow them to also withstand the raging sand storms that are common in the area.
History
Sunagakure was founded by the First Kazekage, who gathered the desert-dwelling shinobi under his control with his overwhelming power. At some point, the village would come to possess Shukaku, and in the coming years the beast was sealed into three different hosts so that its abilities could be studied. The Third Kazekagewas able to emulate Shukaku's abilities, earning recognition as the strongest Kazekage in history.
Some time in Sunagakure's history they created the Puppet Brigade in an attempt to create a technique that would give life to their puppets in order to increase their combat effectiveness. Research for such a technique was started and Chiyo eventually developed One's Own Life Reincarnation, but use of the technique came at too high a price at needing the user's life to complete the technique, thus the research was called off and the village continued to use normal puppets.
Some time in Sunagakure's history they created the Puppet Brigade in an attempt to create a technique that would give life to their puppets in order to increase their combat effectiveness. Research for such a technique was started and Chiyo eventually developed One's Own Life Reincarnation, but use of the technique came at too high a price at needing the user's life to complete the technique, thus the research was called off and the village continued to use normal puppets.
Sasori left the village after the emptiness of lacking parental love finally reached a breaking point, but later returned, kidnapped, and murdered the Third Kazekage. Sunagakure took a risky gamble and attempted to find their Kage rather than securing their borders against attack which led to war. This in the future would make the village cautious about searching for the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, when he was kidnapped.
Sunagakure frequently fought with Konohagakure; Chiyo's attempts to poison enemies during the Second Shinobi World War were often counteracted by Tsunade. To compound this fact, following the Third Shinobi War, the Wind Daimyō began outsourcing missions to Konoha, leading to a lack of funding for Sunagakure. To make up for the loss of military power this created, the Fourth Kazekage had Chiyo seal Shukaku into its third host, his own son: Gaara. It was hoped that Gaara would become a weapon for the village, but the power of Shukaku was too unstable and overwhelming for Gaara and the idea was abandoned. The village then had to rely on the development of new techniques and trading of gold dust in order to keep its standing within the Five Great Shinobi Countries. As time passed, however, the Fourth came to appreciate Gaara's increasing control and returned to relying on him as a weapon.
Another village Sunagakure has frequently fought with, unsurprisingly due to their close proximity, is Iwagakure. This has left the two villages as age old enemies with each side holding a grudge against the other, a fact which makes them highly unwilling allies.
Another village Sunagakure has frequently fought with, unsurprisingly due to their close proximity, is Iwagakure. This has left the two villages as age old enemies with each side holding a grudge against the other, a fact which makes them highly unwilling allies.
Invasion of Konoha
At some point, Sunagakure was approached by Orochimaru with a proposition for a joint invasion of Konoha. The Fourth Kazekage was killed and impersonated by Orochimaru to give the impression of support, and Sunagakure was falsely led to a devastating loss against Konoha's forces. Once Orochimaru's deceit was discovered, Sunagakure re-allied itself with Konoha, gaining much from the peace and leading to new prosperity for the village. By Part II, Gaara would be made Fifth Kazekage to replace his father.
Kazekage Rescue
When Akatsuki came to Suna to abduct Gaara, Sasori set several explosive tag traps and killed several guards, as well as reactivating two of his sleeper agents, Yūra and Mukade, while Deidara in his bid to draw out the Kazekage, nearly devastated the entire village were it not for Gaara's Air Sand Protective Wall. Regardless, Gaara was captured, and the village was in dismay.
An urgent message was relayed to Konoha for assistance via messenger bird. After Gaara was rescued and revived by Chiyo, at the cost of her own life, he was safely returned to Suna and is currently still the Kazekage. He lost his tailed beast, but still retained the ability to manipulate sand.
An urgent message was relayed to Konoha for assistance via messenger bird. After Gaara was rescued and revived by Chiyo, at the cost of her own life, he was safely returned to Suna and is currently still the Kazekage. He lost his tailed beast, but still retained the ability to manipulate sand.
Kirigakure (Mist Village)
Kirigakure (霧隠れの里, Kirigakure no Sato; Literally meaning "Village Hidden by Mist"), infamously known as the "Village of the Bloody Mist" (血霧の里, Chigiri no Sato), is the shinobi village located in the Land of Water. As one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, Kirigakure has a Kage as its leader known as the Mizukage. There have been five Mizukage, the current one being Mei Terumī. An unusually high number of missing-nin seem to originate from this village and as such a unique classification of ANBU known as hunter-nin are specifically tasked with eliminating these defectors.
The standard attire in this village revolves mainly around a pinstriped material which the shinobi wear as bracers and greaves which merge into their sandals. Underneath this, they wear a full-black shirt and pants over which they wear the villages' standard grey flak jacket. Some also wear waist-guards. The shinobi from this village are very proficient with Water Release techniques. Kirigakure's architecture is composed of several cylindrical buildings, with the Mizukage's office being the widest and largest. Most of the taller buildings have trees on them. Befitting its name, the village is surrounded by a thick mist, with several mountains in the background, making it difficult to find by foreigners.
The standard attire in this village revolves mainly around a pinstriped material which the shinobi wear as bracers and greaves which merge into their sandals. Underneath this, they wear a full-black shirt and pants over which they wear the villages' standard grey flak jacket. Some also wear waist-guards. The shinobi from this village are very proficient with Water Release techniques. Kirigakure's architecture is composed of several cylindrical buildings, with the Mizukage's office being the widest and largest. Most of the taller buildings have trees on them. Befitting its name, the village is surrounded by a thick mist, with several mountains in the background, making it difficult to find by foreigners.
History
Kirigakure was founded by the First Mizukage. At some point, the First Hokage, distributed the tailed beasts to the Five Great Shinobi Countries as peace offerings to ensure balance amongst the nations. Sometime in the past due to great enmity between the Second Mizukage and the Second Tsuchikage, the two men eventually killed each other in a final confrontation. During the Third Shinobi World War, Kirigakure captured Rin Nohara and made her the jinchūriki of Isobu, hoping to use her to destroy Konohagakure. They allowed Kakashi Hatake to retrieve Rin and sent jōnin and ANBU pursuing them, so they would get to Konoha as fast as possible, where the beast would be released on the village. This however failed as Rin willingly let herself be killed by Kakashi in order to protect Konohagakure. The Kirigakure shinobi were subsequently killed by Obito Uchiha who had witnessed everything.
Kirigakure does seem to have experienced a number of internal conflicts. The Kaguya clan once waged war against Kirigakure to quench their lust for battle and were slaughtered by the village's superior forces. Because of their efficiency on the battlefield, those with kekkei genkai are fielded in times of war, but Kirigakure ninja and most other citizens of the Land of Water are suspicious of those with genetic abilities and have persecuted them in the past. This persecution is known to have reached the point where parents imprisoned children or attempted to kill their children and entire clans were wiped out.
During the reign of the Fourth Mizukage, Kirigakure began using a new graduation ritual for their academy: death matches for students who wish to move on into the ranks of ninja. This act reinforced the infamous nickname "Village of the Bloody Mist" (血霧の里, Chigiri no Sato). Students who did exceptionally well during the graduation became prime candidates for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, a group of ninja skilled with bladed weapons. Though this practice was eventually discontinued after Zabuza Momochi slaughtered an entire graduating class, not yet being a student himself. Yagura's term as Mizukage caused great turmoil for the village: ninja began craving power and taking part in questionable activities such as in Zabuza's case when he attempted to assassinate the Mizukage. Kisame Hoshigaki, a member of the Seven Swordsmen who was disillusioned by the corruption was among those who knew the truth that Yagura was really being controlled by Obito Uchiha, yet sided with the masked ninja and eventually defected after trying to overthrow the government and assassinating several officials. Because of this association, many believed the Akatsuki was created in Kirigakure rather thanAmegakure. Since Mei has taken office, the village has taken a new stance and has begin working on their diplomatic relations and internal policies as well as their overall image while aiming to be recognised as a more open-minded nation.
In the anime, ten years before the Shinobi Alliance was formed, it was revealed that Kirigakure bore a grudge against Iwagakure for the event known as the Tragedy of Yosuga Pass where Iwa ninja caused the deaths of Junsai and Suiren to take an important scroll that Iwa ninja helped a Kiri team including Ganryū steal from Kumogakure.
Kirigakure had two tailed beasts in its possession: the Three-Tails and the Six-Tails. The Three-Tails was sealed within Yagura, though by the time Akatsuki went after it, it was roaming free. The Six-Tails' host, Utakata, was captured and had his tailed beast extracted by Akatsuki. Utakata's capture is the subject of its own arc in the anime.
During the reign of the Fourth Mizukage, Kirigakure began using a new graduation ritual for their academy: death matches for students who wish to move on into the ranks of ninja. This act reinforced the infamous nickname "Village of the Bloody Mist" (血霧の里, Chigiri no Sato). Students who did exceptionally well during the graduation became prime candidates for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, a group of ninja skilled with bladed weapons. Though this practice was eventually discontinued after Zabuza Momochi slaughtered an entire graduating class, not yet being a student himself. Yagura's term as Mizukage caused great turmoil for the village: ninja began craving power and taking part in questionable activities such as in Zabuza's case when he attempted to assassinate the Mizukage. Kisame Hoshigaki, a member of the Seven Swordsmen who was disillusioned by the corruption was among those who knew the truth that Yagura was really being controlled by Obito Uchiha, yet sided with the masked ninja and eventually defected after trying to overthrow the government and assassinating several officials. Because of this association, many believed the Akatsuki was created in Kirigakure rather thanAmegakure. Since Mei has taken office, the village has taken a new stance and has begin working on their diplomatic relations and internal policies as well as their overall image while aiming to be recognised as a more open-minded nation.
In the anime, ten years before the Shinobi Alliance was formed, it was revealed that Kirigakure bore a grudge against Iwagakure for the event known as the Tragedy of Yosuga Pass where Iwa ninja caused the deaths of Junsai and Suiren to take an important scroll that Iwa ninja helped a Kiri team including Ganryū steal from Kumogakure.
Kirigakure had two tailed beasts in its possession: the Three-Tails and the Six-Tails. The Three-Tails was sealed within Yagura, though by the time Akatsuki went after it, it was roaming free. The Six-Tails' host, Utakata, was captured and had his tailed beast extracted by Akatsuki. Utakata's capture is the subject of its own arc in the anime.
Kumogakure (Cloud Village)
Kumogakure (雲隠れの里, Kumogakure no Sato; Literally meaning "Village Hidden by Clouds") is the hidden village of the Land of Lightning. As one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, Kumogakure has a Kage as its leader known as the Raikage. Thus far there have been four Raikage, the most recent being A. The village is located in a range of tall mountains, and is literally hidden in the clouds. The Raikage works in a large blue structure built into the tallest mountain.
Shinobi of this village seem to have a natural affinity for Lightning Release nature transformation. Nintaijutsu, and kenjutsu are also promoted as preferred fighting styles in this village. The standard attire for the shinobi from this village consists of a long, grey top which gathers just at the waist to give a sash-like appearance, with a matching coloured bottom. Over this they wear white, one-strapped flak jackets and arm as well as shin-guards.
Shinobi of this village seem to have a natural affinity for Lightning Release nature transformation. Nintaijutsu, and kenjutsu are also promoted as preferred fighting styles in this village. The standard attire for the shinobi from this village consists of a long, grey top which gathers just at the waist to give a sash-like appearance, with a matching coloured bottom. Over this they wear white, one-strapped flak jackets and arm as well as shin-guards.
History
Previous Wars
Kumogakure was founded by the First Raikage. At some point, the First Hokage distributed the tailed beasts to the Five Great Shinobi Countries as peace offerings to ensure balance amongst the nations. During the First Shinobi World War, Kumogakure tried to form an alliance with Konohagakure. During a peace treaty ceremony between the Second Raikage and the Second Hokage, the Gold and Silver Brothers staged a coup d'etat. The Hokage was badly injured and the brothers became the most reviled criminals in Kumogakure's history. It is unclear what happened after the failed coup, but a group of Kumogakure ninja known as the Kinkaku Force were responsible for the Second Hokage's death. The First Shinobi War ended with an armistice treaty, but only after all of the Five Great Nations had been seriously damaged. In addition, it was shown in a flashback in the anime that a platoon of Kumo shinobi was decimated by Crystal Release users approximately ten years prior to the start of the series.
Taming the Tailed Beast
During the reign of the Third Raikage, some 30 years before the Fourth Shinobi World War, the village was plagued by the berserk attacks of the Eight-Tails, due to its host not being able to control its power. The Third Raikage led special teams to combat and re-seal the Eight-Tails in the Kohaku no Jōhei. Many of the shinobi who participated lost their lives. As they could not dispose of such a valuable war deterrent, the village was forced to look for a more suitable jinchūriki. In time the village would come to select Killer B as the beast's host, and the Eight-Tails' rampages were brought to an end.
Kumogakure has had two tailed beasts in its possession: the Two-Tails, sealed within Yugito Nii, and the Eight-Tails, sealed within Killer B. Both are very skilled with their tailed beasts, so much so that B is regarded as one of only four ninja who can completely control a tailed beast. Because of the military potential Yugito and B pose, Kumogakure value both highly.
Kumogakure has had two tailed beasts in its possession: the Two-Tails, sealed within Yugito Nii, and the Eight-Tails, sealed within Killer B. Both are very skilled with their tailed beasts, so much so that B is regarded as one of only four ninja who can completely control a tailed beast. Because of the military potential Yugito and B pose, Kumogakure value both highly.
Covert Activities
At some point before Madara took control of the Nine-Tails, the Gold and Silver Brothers were assigned to capture it. Despite times of peace, Kumogakure has not demilitarised and in fact constantly sought to have an edge on the other ninja villages, even going so far as to kidnap Kushina Uzumaki both for her unique chakra, and in order to gain control of the Nine-Tails. Nine years before the start of the series, after the end of another conflict between Kumogakure and Konohagakure, the villages decided to formally end their constant fighting. The Head Ninja of Kumogakure was sent to Konoha to sign a peace treaty. While there, the Head Ninja tried to kidnap Hinata Hyūga so as to gain the Byakugan revealing the true intentions and the treaty to be nothing more than a means to an end. He was killed by her father, Hiashi, but Kumogakure, claiming to have no knowledge of the Head Ninja's motives, demanded Hiashi's body in compensation as per the treaty. They received the body of Hiashi's twin brother, Hizashi, instead, with the latter's cursed seal sealing his Byakugan upon his death foiling Kumogakure's attempt to gain the dōjutsu. To date, no other village has made so many attempts at stealing other techniques as noted by the Third Tsuchikage who stated that during a time when the five nations were at peace, Kumogakure was relentless in their efforts to amass power and techniques — an act which he noted provoked others to employ the Akatsuki.
Iwagakure (Stone Village)
Iwagakure (岩隠れの里, Iwagakure no Sato; English TV "Hidden Stone Village"; Literally meaning "Village Hidden by Rocks") is the hidden village of the Land of Earth. As one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, Iwagakure has a Kage as its leader known as theTsuchikage, current being Ōnoki. Iwagakure is well-known for the rock-hard attitude of its shinobi; as soon as the Tsuchikage gives an order, the Iwa-nin do so without hesitation, even if it means death. The standard attire for shinobi from this village consists of red outfit — which can either have one, or both sleeves — a lapel which is usually found on the side without a sleeve and a brown flak jacket — which also may, or may not have a pouch attached to it. They also tend to wear mesh armour around their ankles. Iwagakure ninja seem to specialise in Earth Release techniques.
The rocky mountain ranges that surround the village and country provide a natural stronghold. The village profits from this advantageous position and is proud of its strong defences. The village sits among a mountain range consisting of small narrow waterfalls, with the buildings being composed of rock and stone; shaped from large, elevated formations of rock into tower-like structures. Many of its buildings sit on cliffs connected by a network of bridges. The Tsuchikage's palace seems to be the tallest structure with a cone-shaped roof.
The rocky mountain ranges that surround the village and country provide a natural stronghold. The village profits from this advantageous position and is proud of its strong defences. The village sits among a mountain range consisting of small narrow waterfalls, with the buildings being composed of rock and stone; shaped from large, elevated formations of rock into tower-like structures. Many of its buildings sit on cliffs connected by a network of bridges. The Tsuchikage's palace seems to be the tallest structure with a cone-shaped roof.
History
_ Iwagakure was founded by the First Tsuchikage. At some point, the First Hokage distributed the tailed beasts to the Five Great Shinobi Countries as peace offerings to ensure balance amongst the nations. During the time when Madara Uchiha was a shinobi of Konohagakure, he approached Mū and Ōnoki where he informed them that despite the alliance that Iwagakure had made with Konoha, his village was to remain the dominant power and that from that point on, they would obey Konoha. Afterwards, Madara fought and defeated them when they engaged him in battle. Sometime in the past, due to great enmity between the Second Mizukage and the Second Tsuchikage, the two men eventually killed each other in a final confrontation. Although it is unknown which, or how many tailed beasts were given, the Four-Tails and Five-Tails were in Iwagakure's possession before their capture by Akatsuki. The Five-Tails, sealed within Han, was captured by Akatsuki under unknown circumstances. The Four-Tails, sealed within Rōshi, was captured by Kisame Hoshigaki while the jinchūriki was exploring the world. In the anime, Akatsuki had claimed that the villages of its first two jinchūriki, which Deidara indicates Han to have been one of, did not care and were glad to be rid of them.
Iwagakure played a small role during the Second Shinobi World War, being one of the villages to participate. The Third Shinobi World War would later make up for this, as Iwagakure becomes the main focus of the war by fighting against Konohagakure across Kusagakure. Despite the actions ofMinato Namikaze, Iwagakure had the advantage and was successfully pushing Konoha back into the Land of Fire. When Konoha destroyed the Kannabi Bridge, they cut off Iwagakure's line of supply and turned the war in their favour. Due to their close proximity, Sunagakure and Iwagakure have had many battles over the years, resulting in a bitter enmity between the two villages and their ninja that they are slow to relinquish, even during the Fourth Shinobi World War, where they are allies.
In the past, the Tsuchikage were known for using underhanded tactics to win against their enemies. This included maintaining a strong military strength in times of peace by frequently employing Akatsuki secretly to fight for them during any quarrels they would encounter. This would earn Iwagakure the disapproval of the hidden villages of the other great nations. Other tactics included betraying an ally once the objective was achieved in order to secure the spoils as seen in the anime during the Tragedy of Yosuga Pass when Iwagakure betrayed Kirigakure. Ten years before theFourth Shinobi World War, Kirigakure requested Iwa's assistance in retrieving valuable documents stolen during Kumo's time of lust for power. Shortly after the documents were retrieved, the group of Iwa-nin betrayed the Kiri-nin on the orders of the Tsuchikage. This betrayal led to years of tension between Iwa and Kiri before the situation was settled, just short of the start of the Fourth Shinobi World War. Deidara, after stealing the village's kinjutsu, defected from the village because his art wasn't appreciated by his fellow village members, including the Third himself. In the anime, it was revealed that he had bombed the village before leaving. He would later accept missions by governments across the nation as a terrorist bomber for hire, which would eventually lead him to being forced into join Akatsuki. Nevertheless, Iwagakure ninja still hold him in high regard.
In the anime, Iwa was also known to have attempted to destroy Konoha many times in the past. Iwa had in the past used their infamous Kamizuru clan to guide them in the battlefield. Unfortunately, they were stopped by the rival bug-users of Konoha: the Aburame clan, leading to the decline of the Kamizuru clan for their failure. After the invasion of Konoha led by Orochimaru had occurred, Iwa took the opportunity to strike back by deploying an extensive amount of genin led by an Iwagakure jōnin to attack Kohona while it was still reeling from the death of the Third Hokage. However, the battalion was disposed of by Kosuke Maruboshi with the help of subordinates.
Iwagakure played a small role during the Second Shinobi World War, being one of the villages to participate. The Third Shinobi World War would later make up for this, as Iwagakure becomes the main focus of the war by fighting against Konohagakure across Kusagakure. Despite the actions ofMinato Namikaze, Iwagakure had the advantage and was successfully pushing Konoha back into the Land of Fire. When Konoha destroyed the Kannabi Bridge, they cut off Iwagakure's line of supply and turned the war in their favour. Due to their close proximity, Sunagakure and Iwagakure have had many battles over the years, resulting in a bitter enmity between the two villages and their ninja that they are slow to relinquish, even during the Fourth Shinobi World War, where they are allies.
In the past, the Tsuchikage were known for using underhanded tactics to win against their enemies. This included maintaining a strong military strength in times of peace by frequently employing Akatsuki secretly to fight for them during any quarrels they would encounter. This would earn Iwagakure the disapproval of the hidden villages of the other great nations. Other tactics included betraying an ally once the objective was achieved in order to secure the spoils as seen in the anime during the Tragedy of Yosuga Pass when Iwagakure betrayed Kirigakure. Ten years before theFourth Shinobi World War, Kirigakure requested Iwa's assistance in retrieving valuable documents stolen during Kumo's time of lust for power. Shortly after the documents were retrieved, the group of Iwa-nin betrayed the Kiri-nin on the orders of the Tsuchikage. This betrayal led to years of tension between Iwa and Kiri before the situation was settled, just short of the start of the Fourth Shinobi World War. Deidara, after stealing the village's kinjutsu, defected from the village because his art wasn't appreciated by his fellow village members, including the Third himself. In the anime, it was revealed that he had bombed the village before leaving. He would later accept missions by governments across the nation as a terrorist bomber for hire, which would eventually lead him to being forced into join Akatsuki. Nevertheless, Iwagakure ninja still hold him in high regard.
In the anime, Iwa was also known to have attempted to destroy Konoha many times in the past. Iwa had in the past used their infamous Kamizuru clan to guide them in the battlefield. Unfortunately, they were stopped by the rival bug-users of Konoha: the Aburame clan, leading to the decline of the Kamizuru clan for their failure. After the invasion of Konoha led by Orochimaru had occurred, Iwa took the opportunity to strike back by deploying an extensive amount of genin led by an Iwagakure jōnin to attack Kohona while it was still reeling from the death of the Third Hokage. However, the battalion was disposed of by Kosuke Maruboshi with the help of subordinates.