Post by Naruto on Sept 4, 2006 15:05:19 GMT -5
The five great countries
Of the countries scattered about the Naruto world, five are considered to be the most powerful and influential of them all. These are the Land of Earth, the Land of Fire, Land of Thunder, the Land of Water, and the Land of Wind. Each represents one of the five elements (earth, fire, lightning, water, and wind, respectively) and each is ruled by a Kage.
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Land of Earth
The Land of Earth (ÍÁ¤Î¹ú, Tsuchi no Kuni?) has seen little attention in the series thus far. What little is known is that it is oriented towards the element of earth, with many mountains and caves dotted about the country. They are not allies with the Land of Fire, as noted in the Kakashi Gaiden arc. Their hidden village is Iwagakure, the Village Hidden in the Rocks. Deidara, a member of Akatsuki, hails from this country.
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Land of Fire
Main article: Land of Fire
The Land of Fire is home to Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and is the home of the majority of the main characters in Naruto. It enjoys a relatively temperate climate, with generally sunny conditions year-round. It was at first widely regarded as one of the strongest countries, but became significantly weaker after the invasion of Orochimaru. Itachi Uchiha, a member of Akatsuki and Sasuke's older brother, is also from this country.
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Land of Lightning
The Land of Lightning (Àפιú, Kaminari no Kuni?) has also seen little attention in the series. Its hidden village is Kumogakure, the Village Hidden in the Clouds. An emissary from Kumogakure once came to Konohagakure under the premise of a diplomatic mission when, in truth, he was attempting to abduct Hinata Hyuga to obtain the secrets of the Byakugan. Yugito, the jinchuriki of the Nibi, is from this area.
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Land of Water
The Land of Water (Ë®¤Î¹ú, Mizu no Kuni?) is oriented towards the element of water. Its weather is typically cool and full of mist and lakes. In some places, like the area where Haku grew up, it is very cold and snows quite a bit. Little is currently known about it and it apparently leaves itself out of most political affairs, which is understandable considering that it is an island relatively remote from the continent containing the other four major countries. Its hidden village is Kirigakure, the Village Hidden in the Mist. The Land of Water is the smallest and poorest of the five great countries, which may be the reason why Kirigakure used to hold the gruesome graduation tests that it did. In their previous graduation exams, Ninja Academy students were paired off to fight to the death; the examination committee tried to pit best friends against each other as often as possible. This is possibly the most inhumane exam ever devised, and limiting even more the number of ninja in the village. However, after a young Zabuza Momochi, a boy who had not even passed the academy's graduation exam, butchered that year's entire graduating class in one go, the village changed its policy to a (presumably) more humane one. Its seven strongest ninja were once part of a group called the Mist's Seven Swordsmen, which included Zabuza Momochi, the Akatsuki member Kisame Hoshigaki, and Raiga Kurosuki. Zabuza actually attempted a coup d'¨¦tat in the country, but was repelled.
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Land of Wind
Main article: Land of Wind
The Land of Wind (ïL¤Î¹ú, Kaze no Kuni?) is a dry and desolate country, but also has some of the most powerful ninja. Its hidden village is Sunagakure, Village Hidden in the Sand. The Land of Wind has been relatively uninvolved with politics until recent times, and even had a peace treaty signed with the Land of Fire. The lord ruling it, however, had been systematically cutting down his military force and transferring missions he would normally address to his own country's hidden village to Konohagakure, prompting desperate measures on the part of the Kazekage at the time. Sasori, a member of Akatsuki, hails from the Land of Wind.
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Other shinobi countries
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Land of Bears
The Land of Bears (¤¯¤Þ¤Î¹ú, Kuma no Kuni?) is home to Hoshigakure. It is surrounded by a canyon filled with poisonous gas, and was created after a chakra-enhancing meteor struck its location. Naruto eventually destroys the meteor, since the radiation that causes the chakra-enhancing effect also causes bodily harm. Its hidden village calls their leader the Hoshikage, though it is a self-given title and is not recognized by the five great hidden villages.
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Land of Grass
The Land of Grass (²Ý¤Î¹ú, Kusa no Kuni?) is home to Kusagakure. Little else is known about the Land of Grass. Zetsu, a member of Akatsuki, is also from this country. It is probably very rich with flora.
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Land of Rain
The Land of Rain (Óê¤Î¹ú, Ame no Kuni?) is home to Amegakure, but little is known beyond that. Six of their shinobi were in the second Chunin exam. The first three shinobi were killed by Gaara's Desert Graveyard technique. The last three were defeated by Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, and Kabuto near the end of the exam in order to obtain a Heaven scroll. The last three appear once more during the Tea Country filler arc, along with a former Konoha Jonin, Aoi Rokushou. In a flashback, as Aoi and Idate Morino, Ibiki Morino's younger brother, were running towards its Hidden Village at night, it was shown to be filled with a great number of small buildings in a heavily wooded area, suggesting that it might perhaps be located in a rainforest.
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Land of Rice Fields
Main article: Land of Sound
The Land of Rice Fields (Ìï¤Î¹ú, Ta no Kuni?), otherwise known as the Land of Sound (Òô¤Î¹ú, Oto no Kuni?), is a small country bordering the Land of Fire and home to Otogakure, Orochimaru's own hidden village. The Land of Rice Fields is its original name, with the Land of Sound being Orochimaru's own name for it. Many of its shinobi were collected, most being from the Fuma clan, to supply his need for followers and jutsu.
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Land of Snow
The Land of Snow (Ñ©¤Î¹ú, Yuki no Kuni?) was the focus of the first Naruto movie, in which it had been taken over by a tyrant. Its hidden village is Yukigakure. The Land of Snow possesses an unusually advanced level of technology when compared to other countries in the Naruto world. Things such as railroads, airships, power generators, and volley guns are commonplace here, though the latter fired salvos of kunai instead of bullets. Additionally, their ninja wear special chakra armor that makes them virtually immune to ninjutsu and genjutsu.
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Land of the Waterfall
The Land of the Waterfall (œö¤Î¹ú, Taki no Kuni?) consists of a large waterfall which hides Takigakure, its hidden village. Not much is known about this land, except that Team 7 had a mission that brought them here. Obviously, the landmark of the area is its waterfall, which is rather large by modern standards. Their only prized possession is the Hero Water, which gives the drinker enormous amounts of chakra for a short period of time, but will cause bodily harm or even death to the user. Kakuzu, an Akatsuki member, hails from it.
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Other non-shinobi countries
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Land of Birds
The Land of Birds (øB¤Î¹ú, Tori no Kuni?) is a small country that Naruto and Team Guy (minus Rock Lee) were sent to. They were sent to investigate the rumor of the ghost of Noroimusha, as well as protect the daimyo, Toki. They eventually learned that a group of wandering ninja was hoping to take over the country. The ninja were repelled in the end.
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Land of the Claw
The Land of the Claw (צ¤Î¹ú, Tsume no Kuni?) is featured in episode 177 of the anime.
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Land of the Fang
The Land of the Fang (ÑÀ¤Î¹ú, Kiba no Kuni?) is featured in episode 177 of the anime.
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Land of Honey
The Land of Honey is first mentioned in episode 194 of the anime. Nothing much is known about this land currently.
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Land of the Moon
The Land of the Moon (Ô¤ιú, Tsuki no Kuni?) is the focus of the third Naruto movie. It is an island nation in the shape of a cresent moon, hence the name.
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Land of Red Beans
The Land of Red Beans is first mentioned in episode 194 of the anime. Nothing much is known about this land currently.
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Land of the River
The Land of the River (´¨¤Î¹ú, Kawa no Kuni?) is where Akatsuki had their hideout before Sakura Haruno and Chiyo destroyed it in their battle with Sasori. Not much else is known about this country.
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Land of the Sea
The Land of the Sea (º£¤Î¹ú, Umi no Kuni?) is featured in episode 169. Orochimaru had a hideout here, and several of his forbidden experiments were conducted here as well. One of his subordinates continued the work after Orochimaru abandoned it, leading to attacks on the local ships.
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Land of Stone
The Land of Stone (ʯ¤Î¹ú, Ishi no Kuni?) is featured in episode 159. It is ruled by a priest.
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Land of Swamps
The Land of Swamps (ÄàµØ¤Î¹ú, Numa no Kuni?) makes an appearance in episode 152. Anko Mitarashi protects its daimyo, Chichiya.
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Land of Tea
The Land of Tea (²è¤Î¹ú, Cha no Kuni?) is a small country in which Team 7 helped Morino Ibiki's younger brother, Morino Idate, win a race with very high stakes. It consists of two separate islands.
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Land of Udon
The Land of Udon (¥¦¥É¥ó¤Î¹ú, Udon no Kuni?) is first mentioned in episode 192 of the anime. Chikara-sama is the daimyo of this country and is currently engaged to Princess Fuku of the Fire Country.
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Land of Vegetables
The Land of Vegetables (²Ë¤Î¹ú, Na no Kuni?) is featured episode 187 of the anime. Naruto, Choji, and Hinata are sent there to escort a small convoy, not realizing that the country's daimyo, Haruna, was with the group.
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Land of Waves
Main article: Land of Waves
The Land of Waves (²¨¤Î¹ú, Nami no Kuni?) is a relatively poor nation, and thus does not have a hidden village. It is an isolated island, but used to be prosperous nonetheless, until Gato set his sights on it. He broke the people's will and monopolized the import/export industry, which was crucial for its economy. Team 7's first real mission was to this country, and, with the help of the townspeople, Gato's reign of greedy terror was ended for good.
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Shinobi villages
Shinobi villages (È̤ÎÀï, Shinobi no Sato?) or hidden villages (ëL¤ìÀï, Kakurezato?) are ninja villages that serve as the military force for their country. A hidden village maintains its economy by training its citizens to be ninja from a young age and using them as manpower in various missions others would be willing to pay for, from weeding a garden for a single payment to receiving a constant budget from the country it resides in for being soldiers in case the country is involved in a war. The hidden villages of the five great countries each have a Kage as its leader.
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Amegakure
Amegakure (ÓêëL¤ì¤ÎÀï, Amegakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden in Rain") is a small hidden village in the Land of Rain. It seems to be a rather loosely knit village, as a fair number of its ninja seem to either be missing-nin or end up as missing-nin. Nothing apart from this is known about it at this point, but it stands to reason that its ninja specialize water-based jutsu. Umbrellas are common weapons used only by them. One can infer from the performance of their ninja that long-range combat and genjutsu are emphasized, as are various breathing aids to allow them full mobility in their element.
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Getsugakure
Getsugakure (ÔÂëL¤ì¤ÎÀï, Getsugakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden under the Moon") is a hidden village in the Land of the Moon. The country appears briefly on a headband in chapters 39 and 43 in the manga and is the main focus of the upcoming Naruto movie.
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Hoshigakure
Hoshigakure (ÐÇëL¤ì¤ÎÀï, Hoshigakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden Among Stars") is located in the Land of Bears. Hoshigakure was formed sometime after a strange meteorite, which they call the "star", struck its location 200 years previous. Dialog from its inhabitants suggests that it can't have been around longer than Konoha. Its leader is the Hoshikage (ÐÇÓ°, Star Shadow?), though the leader is a Kage in name only. The other villages do not recognize Hoshigakure as an equal, nor is there any ninja truly worthy of the title.
The meteorite itself is not that large, but it emits a chakra-enhancing radiation. No trees or plants could grow around the vicinity after it landed. The First Hoshikage was able to devise a training method to allow the ninja in the village to harness the power of the star, allowing its ninja supernatural chakra levels. Completion of the training allows the user almost unrivaled chakra control, to the point where they can solidify it as a shield or create wings for flight. It has since been destroyed. The training was eventually forbidden by the Third Hoshikage, after he realized the deadly toll the training took on those doing it. Even if one can survive the training, the side effects will eventually kill them. Only Natsuhi and Hotorubi, the parents of Sumaru, managed to survive the training, and both died eventually. The Third was assassinated by Akahoshi, who became the substitute Hoshikage and reinstated the training. Knowing what the star did, he decided to ignore the effects in the hope of forcing the other villages to accept Hoshigakure.
During a filler arc, a bodyguard request for the star came from Hoshigakure. Team Guy was sent as bodyguards, and Naruto joins them by bribing Tsunade with sweets. There they meet Sumaru, who hopes to become a worthy Hoshikage. Naruto empathizes with Sumaru, since their goals, and general situations, are the same. Team Guy and Naruto eventually learn of the secret of the star, and it is destroyed by Naruto after Akahoshi implants it in his own chest.
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Iwagakure
Iwagakure (ÑÒëL¤ì¤ÎÀï, Iwagakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden Among Rocks") is located in the Land of Earth. As one of the five great ninja villages, Iwagakure has a Kage as leader, the Tsuchikage. Little is known about it, but it stands to reason that its ninja specialize in earth-based jutsu. In the past, the village was at war with Konohagakure, part of which is seen in the Kakashi Gaiden arc. A large number of their ninja were slain by the Fourth Hokage, so they are not allies of Konoha.
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Kemurigakure
Kemurigakure (ŸŸëL¤ì¤ÎÀï, Kemurigakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden in Smoke") is a village alluded to in episode 101 of the anime. Its location is unknown, as are the capabilities of its ninja. The only three ninja from the village that have appeared were portrayed as rather inept, but this may not be indicative of the overall state of the village. Instead, the three ninja in question could easily be untalented outcasts.
The Smoke Shinobi featured in the episode, who were identified as the Moya brothers, were portrayed as bumbling, incompetent ninja who could barely use any sort of jutsu, if any at all. Kakashi saved a woman the leader, who was only referred to as Aniki (which means something along the lines of Big Bro), was trying to wed by force, and tied them up in the process. This event is apparently so insignificant that Kakashi could not remember it after meeting them once more. Since Kakashi's intervention would seem a product of random chance, it is likely that Kemurigakure is in the Land of Fire, given that smoke is a natural product of fire.
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Kirigakure
Kirigakure (ìFëL¤ì¤ÎÀï, Kirigakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden in Mist") is one of the five great hidden villages and is located in the Land of Water. Its leader is the Mizukage. Little is known about Kirigakure, except that its ninja specialize in water-based jutsu. However, it would also seem that many of its ninja wield swords, based on flashbacks in the anime. In the past, the graduation exam for becoming Genin was rather inhumane: students who had been friends, trained together, and ate from the same table, were pitted against one another in fights to the death. This gruesome method was cut short, however, when Zabuza Momochi, a boy who had failed to pass the preliminary exam to even attend the ninja academy, went mad and killed all of the students in that year's graduating class.
This village was once the home of the famous Kaguya clan, who had a kekkei genkai ability allowing them to control their own bones, and the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, who were a famous group of swordsmen. The Kaguya clan was wiped out after they went to war on their own village, and at least three of the Seven Swordsmen (Kisame Hoshigaki, Zabuza Momochi, and Raiga Kurosuki) became missing-nins. The reason for the Kaguya's clan actions was their love for battle and killing. Presumably, the Land of Water was already at peace, which caused the clan to attack their ninja village for their love of battle. They were soundly defeated, leaving Kimimaro Kaguya as the only survivor.
In chapter 303, this country is briefly referenced by Yamato as "the Village Hidden in the Bloody Mist", a nickname it had gained through its practice of pitting trainees against one another in order to make them into emotionless killing machines. Yamato contends that Sai was subjected to this method in preparation for serving Danzo's Root division.
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Konohagakure
Main article: Konohagakure
Konohagakure, located in the Land of Fire, is the main hidden village in the series and one of the five great villages. As such, it has a Kage as its leader, known as the Hokage. The majority of the major characters live there, and it is one of the most powerful hidden villages. Its power was severely reduced after Orochimaru's assault, but it continues to accept missions in order to preserve its image.
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Kumogakure
Kumogakure (ë…ëL¤ì¤ÎÀï, Kumogakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden Among Clouds") is located in the Land of Thunder. As one of the five great Ninja villages, Kumogakure has a Kage as leader, the Raikage. In that past, Konohagakure and Kumogakure were at war, and during peace talks, one of the ninja from this village tried to kidnap a member of the Hyuga clan, which resulted in an incident that ended with the death of Neji's father. Nothing apart from that is known about it at this point, but it stands to reason that its ninja specialize in lightning-based jutsu. It should also be noted that Yugito, the container of the nibi hails from Kumogakure.
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Kusagakure
Kusagakure (²ÝëL¤ì¤ÎÀï, Kusagakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden in Grass") is located in the Land of Grass. Nothing apart from that is known about it at this point, but it stands to reason that its ninja specialize in jutsu involving flora or fauna. Judging from the ninja that have hailed from Kusagakure, it can be assumed that this village is far less pleasant than Konohagakure.
During the second Chunin exam, Orochimaru and his Sound ninja impersonated a three-man Genin team from Kusagakure using a mysterious technique which literally melts the victims' faces off. This made the unfortunate Grass-nin identifiable only by their ID tags. Later, in the third stage finals of the Chunin exams, two shinobi from Kusagakure were hired to intimidate Gaara to forfeit his match against Sasuke Uchiha intentionally so their feudal lords would win a bet on the fight. When Gaara hadn't responded, they attacked him, and were killed without hesitation. In a stroke of luck, it is their deaths that keep Gaara from killing Naruto and Shikamaru, since Gaara's bloodlust is satisfied for the moment.
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Otogakure
Main article: Otogakure
Otogakure is Orochimaru's personal village, founded for the express purpose of collecting ninja for his experiments and quest to learn jutsu. Three Sound ninja, under Orochimaru's orders, entered the Chunin Exam with the goal of killing Sasuke Uchiha. However, Orochimaru was actually using them as test subjects for Sasuke's power after Orochimaru gave him the cursed seal. Its ninja used sound-based attacks, using vibration and sound to disrupt the enemy's vision and balance.
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Sunagakure
Main article: Sunagakure
Sunagakure is the hidden village of the Land of Wind. As one of the five great ninja villages, Sunagakure has a Kage as leader, the Kazekage. Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro are all high-level ninja from the village. The Shukaku was said to originate here, having been created from a dead priest.
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Takigakure
Takigakure (œöëL¤ì¤ÎÀï, Takigakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden in a Waterfall") is located in the Land of the Waterfall. It's lead by Shibuki, who seems too much of a coward for the job at first. Nothing apart from that is known about it at this point, but it stands to reason that its ninja specialize in water-based jutsu. Also, its leader processed a type of water called the Hero Water, which was extracted from a rather old tree. It gives the user ten times their ordinary chakra level. However, the strain of its use can prove fatal. There is one known missin-nin from Takigukure, Hidans Partner Kakuzu. They recently successfully captured the Nibi.
There were six genin participants (twelve in the anime) from Takigakure in the first part of the Chunin exam, none of whom made it to the third stage of the examination.
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Yukigakure
Yukigakure (Ñ©ëL¤ì¤ÎÀï, Yukigakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden Among Snow") is located in the Land of Snow and featured in the first Naruto movie. Little is known about this village at the time. In the movie, the ninja from this village had a special "chakra armor" which protected them from most attacks while amplifying the users abilities, and their jutsu arsenal typically used ice in the forms of various animals. At the end of the movie, the snow is subsequently melted and the country is renamed the Land of Spring. It is unknown what happens to the village.
Of the countries scattered about the Naruto world, five are considered to be the most powerful and influential of them all. These are the Land of Earth, the Land of Fire, Land of Thunder, the Land of Water, and the Land of Wind. Each represents one of the five elements (earth, fire, lightning, water, and wind, respectively) and each is ruled by a Kage.
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Land of Earth
The Land of Earth (ÍÁ¤Î¹ú, Tsuchi no Kuni?) has seen little attention in the series thus far. What little is known is that it is oriented towards the element of earth, with many mountains and caves dotted about the country. They are not allies with the Land of Fire, as noted in the Kakashi Gaiden arc. Their hidden village is Iwagakure, the Village Hidden in the Rocks. Deidara, a member of Akatsuki, hails from this country.
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Land of Fire
Main article: Land of Fire
The Land of Fire is home to Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and is the home of the majority of the main characters in Naruto. It enjoys a relatively temperate climate, with generally sunny conditions year-round. It was at first widely regarded as one of the strongest countries, but became significantly weaker after the invasion of Orochimaru. Itachi Uchiha, a member of Akatsuki and Sasuke's older brother, is also from this country.
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Land of Lightning
The Land of Lightning (Àפιú, Kaminari no Kuni?) has also seen little attention in the series. Its hidden village is Kumogakure, the Village Hidden in the Clouds. An emissary from Kumogakure once came to Konohagakure under the premise of a diplomatic mission when, in truth, he was attempting to abduct Hinata Hyuga to obtain the secrets of the Byakugan. Yugito, the jinchuriki of the Nibi, is from this area.
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Land of Water
The Land of Water (Ë®¤Î¹ú, Mizu no Kuni?) is oriented towards the element of water. Its weather is typically cool and full of mist and lakes. In some places, like the area where Haku grew up, it is very cold and snows quite a bit. Little is currently known about it and it apparently leaves itself out of most political affairs, which is understandable considering that it is an island relatively remote from the continent containing the other four major countries. Its hidden village is Kirigakure, the Village Hidden in the Mist. The Land of Water is the smallest and poorest of the five great countries, which may be the reason why Kirigakure used to hold the gruesome graduation tests that it did. In their previous graduation exams, Ninja Academy students were paired off to fight to the death; the examination committee tried to pit best friends against each other as often as possible. This is possibly the most inhumane exam ever devised, and limiting even more the number of ninja in the village. However, after a young Zabuza Momochi, a boy who had not even passed the academy's graduation exam, butchered that year's entire graduating class in one go, the village changed its policy to a (presumably) more humane one. Its seven strongest ninja were once part of a group called the Mist's Seven Swordsmen, which included Zabuza Momochi, the Akatsuki member Kisame Hoshigaki, and Raiga Kurosuki. Zabuza actually attempted a coup d'¨¦tat in the country, but was repelled.
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Land of Wind
Main article: Land of Wind
The Land of Wind (ïL¤Î¹ú, Kaze no Kuni?) is a dry and desolate country, but also has some of the most powerful ninja. Its hidden village is Sunagakure, Village Hidden in the Sand. The Land of Wind has been relatively uninvolved with politics until recent times, and even had a peace treaty signed with the Land of Fire. The lord ruling it, however, had been systematically cutting down his military force and transferring missions he would normally address to his own country's hidden village to Konohagakure, prompting desperate measures on the part of the Kazekage at the time. Sasori, a member of Akatsuki, hails from the Land of Wind.
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Other shinobi countries
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Land of Bears
The Land of Bears (¤¯¤Þ¤Î¹ú, Kuma no Kuni?) is home to Hoshigakure. It is surrounded by a canyon filled with poisonous gas, and was created after a chakra-enhancing meteor struck its location. Naruto eventually destroys the meteor, since the radiation that causes the chakra-enhancing effect also causes bodily harm. Its hidden village calls their leader the Hoshikage, though it is a self-given title and is not recognized by the five great hidden villages.
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Land of Grass
The Land of Grass (²Ý¤Î¹ú, Kusa no Kuni?) is home to Kusagakure. Little else is known about the Land of Grass. Zetsu, a member of Akatsuki, is also from this country. It is probably very rich with flora.
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Land of Rain
The Land of Rain (Óê¤Î¹ú, Ame no Kuni?) is home to Amegakure, but little is known beyond that. Six of their shinobi were in the second Chunin exam. The first three shinobi were killed by Gaara's Desert Graveyard technique. The last three were defeated by Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, and Kabuto near the end of the exam in order to obtain a Heaven scroll. The last three appear once more during the Tea Country filler arc, along with a former Konoha Jonin, Aoi Rokushou. In a flashback, as Aoi and Idate Morino, Ibiki Morino's younger brother, were running towards its Hidden Village at night, it was shown to be filled with a great number of small buildings in a heavily wooded area, suggesting that it might perhaps be located in a rainforest.
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Land of Rice Fields
Main article: Land of Sound
The Land of Rice Fields (Ìï¤Î¹ú, Ta no Kuni?), otherwise known as the Land of Sound (Òô¤Î¹ú, Oto no Kuni?), is a small country bordering the Land of Fire and home to Otogakure, Orochimaru's own hidden village. The Land of Rice Fields is its original name, with the Land of Sound being Orochimaru's own name for it. Many of its shinobi were collected, most being from the Fuma clan, to supply his need for followers and jutsu.
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Land of Snow
The Land of Snow (Ñ©¤Î¹ú, Yuki no Kuni?) was the focus of the first Naruto movie, in which it had been taken over by a tyrant. Its hidden village is Yukigakure. The Land of Snow possesses an unusually advanced level of technology when compared to other countries in the Naruto world. Things such as railroads, airships, power generators, and volley guns are commonplace here, though the latter fired salvos of kunai instead of bullets. Additionally, their ninja wear special chakra armor that makes them virtually immune to ninjutsu and genjutsu.
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Land of the Waterfall
The Land of the Waterfall (œö¤Î¹ú, Taki no Kuni?) consists of a large waterfall which hides Takigakure, its hidden village. Not much is known about this land, except that Team 7 had a mission that brought them here. Obviously, the landmark of the area is its waterfall, which is rather large by modern standards. Their only prized possession is the Hero Water, which gives the drinker enormous amounts of chakra for a short period of time, but will cause bodily harm or even death to the user. Kakuzu, an Akatsuki member, hails from it.
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Other non-shinobi countries
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Land of Birds
The Land of Birds (øB¤Î¹ú, Tori no Kuni?) is a small country that Naruto and Team Guy (minus Rock Lee) were sent to. They were sent to investigate the rumor of the ghost of Noroimusha, as well as protect the daimyo, Toki. They eventually learned that a group of wandering ninja was hoping to take over the country. The ninja were repelled in the end.
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Land of the Claw
The Land of the Claw (צ¤Î¹ú, Tsume no Kuni?) is featured in episode 177 of the anime.
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Land of the Fang
The Land of the Fang (ÑÀ¤Î¹ú, Kiba no Kuni?) is featured in episode 177 of the anime.
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Land of Honey
The Land of Honey is first mentioned in episode 194 of the anime. Nothing much is known about this land currently.
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Land of the Moon
The Land of the Moon (Ô¤ιú, Tsuki no Kuni?) is the focus of the third Naruto movie. It is an island nation in the shape of a cresent moon, hence the name.
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Land of Red Beans
The Land of Red Beans is first mentioned in episode 194 of the anime. Nothing much is known about this land currently.
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Land of the River
The Land of the River (´¨¤Î¹ú, Kawa no Kuni?) is where Akatsuki had their hideout before Sakura Haruno and Chiyo destroyed it in their battle with Sasori. Not much else is known about this country.
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Land of the Sea
The Land of the Sea (º£¤Î¹ú, Umi no Kuni?) is featured in episode 169. Orochimaru had a hideout here, and several of his forbidden experiments were conducted here as well. One of his subordinates continued the work after Orochimaru abandoned it, leading to attacks on the local ships.
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Land of Stone
The Land of Stone (ʯ¤Î¹ú, Ishi no Kuni?) is featured in episode 159. It is ruled by a priest.
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Land of Swamps
The Land of Swamps (ÄàµØ¤Î¹ú, Numa no Kuni?) makes an appearance in episode 152. Anko Mitarashi protects its daimyo, Chichiya.
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Land of Tea
The Land of Tea (²è¤Î¹ú, Cha no Kuni?) is a small country in which Team 7 helped Morino Ibiki's younger brother, Morino Idate, win a race with very high stakes. It consists of two separate islands.
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Land of Udon
The Land of Udon (¥¦¥É¥ó¤Î¹ú, Udon no Kuni?) is first mentioned in episode 192 of the anime. Chikara-sama is the daimyo of this country and is currently engaged to Princess Fuku of the Fire Country.
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Land of Vegetables
The Land of Vegetables (²Ë¤Î¹ú, Na no Kuni?) is featured episode 187 of the anime. Naruto, Choji, and Hinata are sent there to escort a small convoy, not realizing that the country's daimyo, Haruna, was with the group.
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Land of Waves
Main article: Land of Waves
The Land of Waves (²¨¤Î¹ú, Nami no Kuni?) is a relatively poor nation, and thus does not have a hidden village. It is an isolated island, but used to be prosperous nonetheless, until Gato set his sights on it. He broke the people's will and monopolized the import/export industry, which was crucial for its economy. Team 7's first real mission was to this country, and, with the help of the townspeople, Gato's reign of greedy terror was ended for good.
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Shinobi villages
Shinobi villages (È̤ÎÀï, Shinobi no Sato?) or hidden villages (ëL¤ìÀï, Kakurezato?) are ninja villages that serve as the military force for their country. A hidden village maintains its economy by training its citizens to be ninja from a young age and using them as manpower in various missions others would be willing to pay for, from weeding a garden for a single payment to receiving a constant budget from the country it resides in for being soldiers in case the country is involved in a war. The hidden villages of the five great countries each have a Kage as its leader.
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Amegakure
Amegakure (ÓêëL¤ì¤ÎÀï, Amegakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden in Rain") is a small hidden village in the Land of Rain. It seems to be a rather loosely knit village, as a fair number of its ninja seem to either be missing-nin or end up as missing-nin. Nothing apart from this is known about it at this point, but it stands to reason that its ninja specialize water-based jutsu. Umbrellas are common weapons used only by them. One can infer from the performance of their ninja that long-range combat and genjutsu are emphasized, as are various breathing aids to allow them full mobility in their element.
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Getsugakure
Getsugakure (ÔÂëL¤ì¤ÎÀï, Getsugakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden under the Moon") is a hidden village in the Land of the Moon. The country appears briefly on a headband in chapters 39 and 43 in the manga and is the main focus of the upcoming Naruto movie.
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Hoshigakure
Hoshigakure (ÐÇëL¤ì¤ÎÀï, Hoshigakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden Among Stars") is located in the Land of Bears. Hoshigakure was formed sometime after a strange meteorite, which they call the "star", struck its location 200 years previous. Dialog from its inhabitants suggests that it can't have been around longer than Konoha. Its leader is the Hoshikage (ÐÇÓ°, Star Shadow?), though the leader is a Kage in name only. The other villages do not recognize Hoshigakure as an equal, nor is there any ninja truly worthy of the title.
The meteorite itself is not that large, but it emits a chakra-enhancing radiation. No trees or plants could grow around the vicinity after it landed. The First Hoshikage was able to devise a training method to allow the ninja in the village to harness the power of the star, allowing its ninja supernatural chakra levels. Completion of the training allows the user almost unrivaled chakra control, to the point where they can solidify it as a shield or create wings for flight. It has since been destroyed. The training was eventually forbidden by the Third Hoshikage, after he realized the deadly toll the training took on those doing it. Even if one can survive the training, the side effects will eventually kill them. Only Natsuhi and Hotorubi, the parents of Sumaru, managed to survive the training, and both died eventually. The Third was assassinated by Akahoshi, who became the substitute Hoshikage and reinstated the training. Knowing what the star did, he decided to ignore the effects in the hope of forcing the other villages to accept Hoshigakure.
During a filler arc, a bodyguard request for the star came from Hoshigakure. Team Guy was sent as bodyguards, and Naruto joins them by bribing Tsunade with sweets. There they meet Sumaru, who hopes to become a worthy Hoshikage. Naruto empathizes with Sumaru, since their goals, and general situations, are the same. Team Guy and Naruto eventually learn of the secret of the star, and it is destroyed by Naruto after Akahoshi implants it in his own chest.
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Iwagakure
Iwagakure (ÑÒëL¤ì¤ÎÀï, Iwagakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden Among Rocks") is located in the Land of Earth. As one of the five great ninja villages, Iwagakure has a Kage as leader, the Tsuchikage. Little is known about it, but it stands to reason that its ninja specialize in earth-based jutsu. In the past, the village was at war with Konohagakure, part of which is seen in the Kakashi Gaiden arc. A large number of their ninja were slain by the Fourth Hokage, so they are not allies of Konoha.
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Kemurigakure
Kemurigakure (ŸŸëL¤ì¤ÎÀï, Kemurigakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden in Smoke") is a village alluded to in episode 101 of the anime. Its location is unknown, as are the capabilities of its ninja. The only three ninja from the village that have appeared were portrayed as rather inept, but this may not be indicative of the overall state of the village. Instead, the three ninja in question could easily be untalented outcasts.
The Smoke Shinobi featured in the episode, who were identified as the Moya brothers, were portrayed as bumbling, incompetent ninja who could barely use any sort of jutsu, if any at all. Kakashi saved a woman the leader, who was only referred to as Aniki (which means something along the lines of Big Bro), was trying to wed by force, and tied them up in the process. This event is apparently so insignificant that Kakashi could not remember it after meeting them once more. Since Kakashi's intervention would seem a product of random chance, it is likely that Kemurigakure is in the Land of Fire, given that smoke is a natural product of fire.
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Kirigakure
Kirigakure (ìFëL¤ì¤ÎÀï, Kirigakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden in Mist") is one of the five great hidden villages and is located in the Land of Water. Its leader is the Mizukage. Little is known about Kirigakure, except that its ninja specialize in water-based jutsu. However, it would also seem that many of its ninja wield swords, based on flashbacks in the anime. In the past, the graduation exam for becoming Genin was rather inhumane: students who had been friends, trained together, and ate from the same table, were pitted against one another in fights to the death. This gruesome method was cut short, however, when Zabuza Momochi, a boy who had failed to pass the preliminary exam to even attend the ninja academy, went mad and killed all of the students in that year's graduating class.
This village was once the home of the famous Kaguya clan, who had a kekkei genkai ability allowing them to control their own bones, and the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, who were a famous group of swordsmen. The Kaguya clan was wiped out after they went to war on their own village, and at least three of the Seven Swordsmen (Kisame Hoshigaki, Zabuza Momochi, and Raiga Kurosuki) became missing-nins. The reason for the Kaguya's clan actions was their love for battle and killing. Presumably, the Land of Water was already at peace, which caused the clan to attack their ninja village for their love of battle. They were soundly defeated, leaving Kimimaro Kaguya as the only survivor.
In chapter 303, this country is briefly referenced by Yamato as "the Village Hidden in the Bloody Mist", a nickname it had gained through its practice of pitting trainees against one another in order to make them into emotionless killing machines. Yamato contends that Sai was subjected to this method in preparation for serving Danzo's Root division.
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Konohagakure
Main article: Konohagakure
Konohagakure, located in the Land of Fire, is the main hidden village in the series and one of the five great villages. As such, it has a Kage as its leader, known as the Hokage. The majority of the major characters live there, and it is one of the most powerful hidden villages. Its power was severely reduced after Orochimaru's assault, but it continues to accept missions in order to preserve its image.
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Kumogakure
Kumogakure (ë…ëL¤ì¤ÎÀï, Kumogakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden Among Clouds") is located in the Land of Thunder. As one of the five great Ninja villages, Kumogakure has a Kage as leader, the Raikage. In that past, Konohagakure and Kumogakure were at war, and during peace talks, one of the ninja from this village tried to kidnap a member of the Hyuga clan, which resulted in an incident that ended with the death of Neji's father. Nothing apart from that is known about it at this point, but it stands to reason that its ninja specialize in lightning-based jutsu. It should also be noted that Yugito, the container of the nibi hails from Kumogakure.
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Kusagakure
Kusagakure (²ÝëL¤ì¤ÎÀï, Kusagakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden in Grass") is located in the Land of Grass. Nothing apart from that is known about it at this point, but it stands to reason that its ninja specialize in jutsu involving flora or fauna. Judging from the ninja that have hailed from Kusagakure, it can be assumed that this village is far less pleasant than Konohagakure.
During the second Chunin exam, Orochimaru and his Sound ninja impersonated a three-man Genin team from Kusagakure using a mysterious technique which literally melts the victims' faces off. This made the unfortunate Grass-nin identifiable only by their ID tags. Later, in the third stage finals of the Chunin exams, two shinobi from Kusagakure were hired to intimidate Gaara to forfeit his match against Sasuke Uchiha intentionally so their feudal lords would win a bet on the fight. When Gaara hadn't responded, they attacked him, and were killed without hesitation. In a stroke of luck, it is their deaths that keep Gaara from killing Naruto and Shikamaru, since Gaara's bloodlust is satisfied for the moment.
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Otogakure
Main article: Otogakure
Otogakure is Orochimaru's personal village, founded for the express purpose of collecting ninja for his experiments and quest to learn jutsu. Three Sound ninja, under Orochimaru's orders, entered the Chunin Exam with the goal of killing Sasuke Uchiha. However, Orochimaru was actually using them as test subjects for Sasuke's power after Orochimaru gave him the cursed seal. Its ninja used sound-based attacks, using vibration and sound to disrupt the enemy's vision and balance.
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Sunagakure
Main article: Sunagakure
Sunagakure is the hidden village of the Land of Wind. As one of the five great ninja villages, Sunagakure has a Kage as leader, the Kazekage. Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro are all high-level ninja from the village. The Shukaku was said to originate here, having been created from a dead priest.
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Takigakure
Takigakure (œöëL¤ì¤ÎÀï, Takigakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden in a Waterfall") is located in the Land of the Waterfall. It's lead by Shibuki, who seems too much of a coward for the job at first. Nothing apart from that is known about it at this point, but it stands to reason that its ninja specialize in water-based jutsu. Also, its leader processed a type of water called the Hero Water, which was extracted from a rather old tree. It gives the user ten times their ordinary chakra level. However, the strain of its use can prove fatal. There is one known missin-nin from Takigukure, Hidans Partner Kakuzu. They recently successfully captured the Nibi.
There were six genin participants (twelve in the anime) from Takigakure in the first part of the Chunin exam, none of whom made it to the third stage of the examination.
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Yukigakure
Yukigakure (Ñ©ëL¤ì¤ÎÀï, Yukigakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden Among Snow") is located in the Land of Snow and featured in the first Naruto movie. Little is known about this village at the time. In the movie, the ninja from this village had a special "chakra armor" which protected them from most attacks while amplifying the users abilities, and their jutsu arsenal typically used ice in the forms of various animals. At the end of the movie, the snow is subsequently melted and the country is renamed the Land of Spring. It is unknown what happens to the village.