Sunagakure

**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 the village of one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, Sunagakure has a Kage as its leader known as the Kazekage, of which there have been four in its history. Being surrounded by desert offers the village a natural deterrent against invasion, as few foreign powers would be willing to endure the sandstorms and water scarcity common to Suna. Sunagakure itself lies in a fortified valley behind cliffs of rock, with passage in and out of the village restricted to a single cleft between two cliff faces, making the area very hard to attack from the ground. The buildings inside seem to be made of clay or stucco, which would help to keep the buildings cool.

The standard attire for Suna shinobi 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. Headpieces consisting of a head-wrap and cloth neck-covers to protect against the harsh weather are popular with Suna shinobi. Many Sunagakure ninja use Wind Release techniques, which they may or may not perform with fans. Shinobi from this village believe that the accomplishment of a mission predominates the lives of the ninja trying to accomplish it. As such, they ruthlessly pursue victory in battle, and even if failure is inevitable they will still try to achieve any success against their enemy that they can. Unlike other Hidden Villages, Sunagakure is made up of various families as opposed to clans.

## Background

Sunagakure, since inception, has had a notorious history for corruption and ruthlessness among it's military and government officials. From double-dealing politicians, to Anti-Kazekage groups, disorder within the village has become a normality over time - as a result, trust has become a scarcity. Moreover, Kazekage of the Hidden Sand have been historically problematic in one way or another, though the most notable was **Kōta Higashi; the Second Kazekage**, whom is internationally known as perhaps one of the cruelest men in the history of the world.

Shinobi from Sunagakure have a track record of mercilessness and disregard for human life instilled into them from the very beginning of their training, creating generations of borderline psychopaths with an unnerving sense of patriotism to their village.

During the First Great Ninja War, Sunagakure established a reputation as a horrible, violent and inhuman village - perhaps most notably for the criminal and highly secretive project devised and managed by the Second Kazekage, involving the kidnapping of an estimated 50 to 100 infants with rare and powerful kekkei genkai; aptly titled **Project Kekkei-Shinka**(血継進化, *literally meaning:* Project Bloodline Evolution). Despite their awful reputation, Sunagakure played a key role in the systematic and ruthless hunting down of the criminal shinobi group; the Keibatsu.

Today, many from the next generation of Sand Shinobi seek to escape the cruel and bloody past of their village; while others aim to further the atrocious acts that the village has come to be known for. Having only recently come into power, the **Fourth Kazekage; Higashi Eita**, has quickly established himself as a firm and decisive leader that strives to pull Sunagakure’s reputation from the dirt, and bring about calm to the internal state of the village by weeding out corruption.

## Kazekage(s)

* Junichi Higashi; *the First Kazekage*
* Kōta Higashi; *the Second Kazekage*
* Chihiro Hōki; *the Third Kazekage*
* Eita Higashi; *the Fourth Kazekage*

Kōta Higashi; the Second KazekageEita Higashi; the Fourth Kazekage