Hidden Village

Hidden Villages are the homes of most ninja in the Elemental Lands. Just over 130 years earlier, they started coming into being after two rival clans formed Konoha and other clans and ninja started settling there. Other groups started forming their own villages and within a few decades most ninja belonged to a village.

Types of Villages

There are actually two types of ninja villages, depending on the village size and funding.

Hidden Village

Konoha was the first true ninja village, complete with academy, ANBU forces and hiring system, however it is by no means the biggest or oldest city on the continent. When the Senju and Uchiha clans banded together to create the first Hidden Village they did not build it from scratch, but rather modify and expand an existing town, the home of the Senju. The success of this design lead the governments of the other major countries to follow their lead. The five major countries have “Hidden villages” dedicated primarily of ninja forces, along with some of the more powerful smaller countries such as Whirlpool Country and Waterfall Country.

Dojo

Many smaller countries do not have the resources or population to use such a system, and so do not use the Hidden Villages to develop their own forces. Small countries, such as Snow Country and Wave Country tend to use a dojo system, which is similar to the STC method seen in Konoha. The dojos are officially run and owned by the country’s government; however the curriculum and specialities tend to be heavily influenced by the shinobi running the dojo. These shinobi vary from place to place and may have been past graduates, from allied villages or even missing nin granted amnesty.

Unlike the Konoha system, all skill ranks are based at the dojo, from students to S class. Jounins may take one or more teams, similar to the elite program at Konoha, however this is also a case-by-case basis. Due to the smaller number of available ninja they tend to be used mainly by the country’s government or specialised jobs. There are no cat-catching missions in the smaller countries, they don’t have the numbers and they don’t need the public relations, missions tend to be a minimum of C rank.

Dojos may be set up by an allied country, particularly if it helped the small country gain independence (this is the case in Whirlpool), through a government project (Wave did this) or by an individual or group of shinobi who wished to pass on their skills. The system is a lot less formal and regulated than those of the major countries.

Government

There are three main forms of government for running a ninja village or dojo. One is used solely by the five great villages, while the other two are used by other villages.

Kage

The five great villages, as declared by the Treaty of Funkakou Gai that ended the First Great Shinobi War (1GSW) in 25 AF, are led by an individual known as a Kage. The specific title is different for each village and those five are the only ones recognized as Kage. The Kage acts as the leader of the village and its ninja forces and holds the position for life, until retirement, or are medically unable to perform their duties (such as being in a coma).

To become a Kage, a ninja must be designated by the previous Kage. If events prevent this from happening, there is an alternate method. In this method, a ninja must be chosen by the Daimyo of the country after a discussion between top level ninja of the village, the Daimyo, and the daimyo's advisors. Once the Daimyo makes a choice, the ninja must then pass a vote by the Jounin of the village. Until that vote, the potential Kage is only temporarily in the position.

Jounin-Oyabun1

Villages that do not qualify to have a Kage can use a similar form of government by picking one of the Jounin to lead the village in the same manner a Kage, minus the added prestige and power that the other does.

In this case, the Jounin of the village just elect one of their own to lead the village. If the village or dojo is a satellite of a larger village, the Jounin-Oyabun might be appointed by the parent village. The position is normally held until the Jounin dies, retires, or is removed from the position (either by someone being elected/appointed or them being forcefully removed).

Jounin Council

The other form of government for villages are for a group of Jounin to be picked to run the village as a council. This allows the workload for running the village to be spread between several people rather than one, and losing one or two of the group won't leave the village temporarily leaderless like might happen with the other two types.

Elections are held to fill positions on the council, and the positions tend to be for life, barring the same situations as might occur under the other systems.

Organizations

As with any military force, ninja villages and dojos have numerous groups that operate for specific purposes. Some organizations are not in use with some villages or dojos due to size, funding, or manpower.

Special Forces

The name varies by village, but this group is the special operations group of a hidden village. They are used for high risk missions and assassinations, but can also be tasked for internal security when required. Under their umbrella may be several other groups that whose purpose is unconnected with the primary taskings of the division. Some villages and most dojos lack a special forces unit. Hunter ninja area often found located within special forces, but can be separated if the village or dojo lacks the main umbrella force.

Military Police

Ninja in the Military Police division are responsible for handling police duties within a hidden village. This frees up other ninja or special forcse from being forced to perform those duties in addition to their normal duties. Military Police perform criminal investigations, village patrols, and arrests up to a certain level - some arrests are performed by special forces due to the danger.

Medical Corps

The Medical Corps handles running the hospitals or other medical facilities for a village or dojo. Ninja in this corps receive thorough training in the medical field and those that pass sufficient certification tests are known as Medic Nins. Medic Nins are qualified to handle most cases and know how to use medical seals when necessary.

Known Hidden Villages and Dojos

There have been numerous villages formed and destroyed since the beginning of the current system. The following list is all known villages formed since 0 AF.

Great Villages

The Great Villages were designated in 25 AF as the greatest of the various villages. At times smaller villages have grumbled about getting into the group or taking the place of one of the villages, but nothing has been successful to date.

Konoha
The founder of the current ninja system, Konoha's long been considered the best of the top five. This has resulted in numerous attempts over the years to knock them off the top spot. It is located in Fire Country.
Leader: Hokage
Iwa
Located in Earth Country, Iwa was the second great village formed. It nearly defeated Konoha during the Third Great Shinobi War (3GSW), but the future Yondaime Hokage unveiled his now signature technique and turned the tide of the war.
Leader: Tsuchikage
Suna
The third great village to form, Suna is located in the deserts of Wind Country. It has been involved in at least two Great Shinobi Wars and one invasion of Konoha brought about by funding cuts by the Wind Country Daimyo. Since then, it has been a close supporter of Konoha.
Leader: Kazekage
Kiri
Formed twelve years after Konoha, Kiri is located in the islands of Water Country. Because of its location, it has managed to stay out of two of the Great Shinobi Wars, though it was wracked with civil war for over a decade at one point.
Leader: Mizukage
Kumo
The last of the great villages to form, Kumo came into being just a year before the 1GSW began. It has largely stayed out of major conflicts, though it has attempted to steal bloodlines from other villages at points in its history.
Leader: Raikage

Minor Villages

If a village is not a Great Village, it has been grouped as a so-called "Minor" Village. In recent decades, a call has been made to split the minor category into two groups to differentiate power levels between the non-Great villages.

Ame
Formed just one year after the end of the 1GSW, Ame is the longest continual minor village in the Elemental Lands. It participated in the Second Great Shinobi War (2GSW) under the leadership of Hanzo. In the decades after this, Ame and its host Rain Country were embroiled in a civil war that ended with Hanzo's death and the rebels taking over. Around two decades later, it declared itself neutral and shifted focus to defending the country.
Taki
Taki was originally formed in the first decade of the current ninja system, but was destroyed during 1GSW. It was reformed six years after the war ended to prevent incursions into Waterfall Country by Iwa nin.
Uzu
Formed in 42 AF, Uzu largely took after Konoha's "quality over quantity" approach to training its ninja. Part way into the 3GSW, Kiri invaded Whirlpool Country and razed Uzu. Uzu eventually reformed in the decades after the Fourth Great Shinobi War.
Kusa
The village of Kusa was formed out of the Treaty of Ryokugyoku Toshi ending the 3GSW.
Yu
Located in Mountain Country, the village of Yu was formed post-Second Great Shinobi War and replaced the destroyed village of Kagerou.
Oto
Missing Nin Orochimaru formed this village in Rice Field Country in 77AF, participated in the Suna-Oto Invasion of Konoha, and had collapsed by mid-83AF.
Tani
Formed after the 1GSW, Tani (Hidden Valley) was the Hidden Village for Valley Country, that had recently seceded from Mountain Country to form its own country. The village was destroyed in the 2GSW and never rebuilt.
Kagerou
Formed after the 1GSW, Kagerou (Hidden Heat Haze) was destroyed in the 2GSW. It was rebuilt between the 2GSW and 3GSW, but at a new location under a different name.
Sora
Formed prior to the 1GSW, it became well known and feared for its use of technologically advanced gear. It was destroyed during the 2GSW and never rebuilt, though survivors attempted to get revenge of Konoha decades later.

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