The hidden village system is a staple feature of the shinobi world in Naruto. This system was instituted with the founding of Konohagakure in the Land of Fire by Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. With this event, the Warring States Period drew to a close, and other nations set up their own hidden villages to train ninja, with the Five Great Shinobi Countries standing out as the strongest among them.

In the decades that followed, regional tensions fanned the flames of war once again. Hidden villages engaged in conflicts against one another, over the course of the First, Second, and Third Shinobi World Wars. Punctuated by immense bloodshed, these confrontations usually took place in smaller nations along the fringes of larger ones, turning them into battlefields. Since the introduction of the hidden village system, several such settlements have fallen short of the ideals under which they were founded, leading to them becoming hostile environments for their residents.

5 Kumogakure

The Hidden Cloud Village

The Hidden Cloud in the Land of Lightning became known for its remorseless dedication to expanding its military prowess. It even did so at the cost of disrupting any tentative peace brokered between the Five Great Shinobi Countries. One instance of this policy was seen in the kidnapping of Kushina Uzumaki. Another was the Hyuga Affair, where Kumogakure shinobi attempted to abduct Hinata Hyuga to obtain the Byakugan, using a peace treaty signing as an excuse to infiltrate Konohagakure. Such ruthless policies, coupled with their discovery by other rival nations, led to similar underhanded tactics being employed by shinobi from all hidden villages.

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In addition to these sorts of covert operations, Kumogakure strove to consolidate their power through the acquisition of jinchuriki. Unfortunately, this would be another major conundrum in the village's functioning. It had custody of the volatile Eight-Tails Gyuki, whose many jinchuriki lost control of the beast and allowed it to rampage through Kumogakure's streets. It was only after Killer B became its jinchuriki that the tailed beast was reined in, alongside the Two-Tails Matatabi, which was sealed inside Yugito Nii.

4 Sunagakure

The Hidden Sand Village

Located in a fortified valley, protected by steep rocky cliffs, the Hidden Sand in the Land of Wind experiences a harsh desert climate, which can be difficult for those not accustomed to such a way of life. Sunagakure often fell into conflict with Iwagakure in the Land of Earth due to their proximity. At a certain point, the Land of Wind even outsourced missions to Konohagakure instead of Sunagakure. This led to a depletion of funding which forced the Fourth Kazekage to sell gold dust to gain revenue. Later, when Gaara was made jinchuriki of the One-Tail Shukaku, his poor control of the tailed beast also posed a constant risk to the village.

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As a result, the villagers lived under the persistent threat of the tailed beast, as well as Gaara's own mental instability at the time. This culminated in him unintentionally attacking civilians and allies indiscriminately. Just before the Konoha Crush in Part I, Orochimaru brokered an alliance with the village against Konohagakure, only to betray them and murder the Fourth Kazekage. This led to the Hidden Sand suffering a humiliating defeat in the ensuing conflict. They only returned to their former glory after allying with Konohagakure and promoting a reformed Gaara to the position of the Fifth Kazekage.

3 Kirigakure

The Hidden Mist Village

Once known as the "Village of the Bloody Mist," Kirigakure in the Land of Water has a turbulent past. Its history is marked by political upheavals, misgovernment, and brutal internal policies that reduced the village to the brink of ruin. The village's original social structure featured a caste system composed of descendants of the village's founding clans at the top, followed by allied clans that had been absorbed into the village. Finally, clans that had been forcibly annexed rested at the bottom.

During the days of the "Village of the Bloody Mist," academy students had to fight each other to the death as part of the graduation exam. Only the survivors would attain the title of shinobi. The practice was eliminated after Zabuza Momochi slaughtered an entire graduating class, despite not being a student.

Eventually, an elderly Madara Uchiha began pulling the strings in the village from the shadows. Te arranged for the Three-Tails Isobu to be sealed into Rin Nohara as a means of converting Obito Uchiha to his cause. In time, the tailed beast would once again be sealed into Yagura Karatachi, the Fourth Mizukage, who was manipulated by Obito Uchiha's genjutsu. Yagura's reign was a period of darkness for the village. Defection became commonplace among Kirigakure shinobi, especially the famed Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. By the time of the Fifth Mizukage's reign, many of these policies were reformed, as the village embarked on a path of redemption.

2 Otogakure

The Hidden Sound Village

Founded by Orochimaru, the Hidden Sound Village was introduced in the Chunin Exams Arc of Part I. It was an ally of Sunagakure, until its true origins were revealed in the Konoha Crush. It was initially presented as a haven for shinobi to thrive without being plagued by the issue of war between the Five Great Shinobi Countries. However, Otogakure was soon exposed as not an actual hidden village, but a network of laboratories scattered across the Land of Sound and other nations. In fact, Otogakure was little more than a front for Orochimaru to acquire promising shinobi and conduct human experiments on them. He treated them as disposable pawns to do his bidding.

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This could be seen in how he misled Otogakure shinobi to believe that they had to kill Sasuke during the Chunin Exams. Their actual purpose was to serve as targets for the young Uchiha to demonstrate his power. While it did produce powerful shinobi such as Kimimaro Kaguya and the Sound Four, Orochimaru's unsavory approach to running the village cast a shadow on its reputation. This lasted until after the Fourth Shinobi World War when it was revamped and recognized as an actual hidden village by allying with Konohagakure.

1 Amegakure

The Hidden Rain Village

Perhaps the most technologically advanced, the Hidden Rain village is an industrialized settlement in an unknown land situated on the borders between three of the Five Great Shinobi Countries. It served as a battlefield during each of the Shinobi World Wars of the past, which contributed to the region's political instability and the festering hatred of its residents towards other hidden villages. Many of its citizens were war refugees. The village soon adopted a system of intense fortification and surveillance alongside a policy of isolation to protect its borders.

At one time, the village was led by Hanzo of the Salamander. Hanzo was an infamously powerful shinobi who was once idealistic, but grew paranoid and power hungry in his later years. He contributed to the downfall of the original incarnation of the Akatsuki — an organization that sought to resolve regional conflicts through negotiation — and set up his own doom in the process. One of the Akatsuki's founding members, Nagato, returned under his new alias Pain. He defeated Hanzo to take over Hidden Rain, using it as the base of operations for his version of the Akastuki.

Amegakure's struggles did not end there. The destruction caused by battles in the lead up to the Fourth Shinobi World War would not be repaired for decades on end. The village's decline extended well into the New Era in Boruto's time.

Naruto

Animation

Action

Adventure

Release Date

October 2, 2002

Seasons

5

Studio

Pierrot

Creator

Masashi Kishimoto

Number of Episodes

220

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll , Hulu , Netflix , YouTube

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