Konohagakure

**Konohagakure** (*木ノ葉隠れの里, Konohagakure no Sato, "Hidden Leaf Village"*) 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, of which there have been seven in its history. Konoha resides deep within a forest at the base of a mountain known as the Hokage Rock, which has the faces of all those who have taken the office of Hokage engraved on it. While generally seen as the most powerful of the ninja villages, Konoha has enjoyed many years of relative peace and stability.

The standard attire for Konoha shinobi consists of blue or black shirts which may or may not have swirl patterns on the shoulders, along with matching coloured pants under 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. Many Konohagakure ninja use Fire Release techniques.

## History

### Founding

   During the Warring States Period, ninja were organised into small mercenary clans that knew nothing but battle. The two strongest of these clans were the Senju and the Uchiha, who had warred against each other for their entire histories. Eventually, intending to end the countless bloodshed, Senju Hashirama used his position as leader of his clan to create a truce with the Uchiha clan. The Senju, the Uchiha, and their affiliated clans formed the first shinobi village: Konohagakure — a name invented by Madara himself. Other villages would soon start being formed following Konoha's example, ending the Warring States Period.

   Hashirama 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. Madara, however, feared that the Senju would oppress his clan and attempted to gather support to overthrow Hashirama. No Uchiha would help, forcing him to take on Hashirama by himself. Madara was ultimately defeated at what would be called the Valley of the End and he was believed to have died. As a result of the battle, Konoha came into possession of the Kyuubi. To contain its enormous power, the village began its trend of sealing the beast within the Uzumaki, a clan that the Senju and thus the rest of Konoha had close ties with. 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 and tranquility. However, this peace was short-lived. Hashirama died shortly after the village began to flourish, and the mantle of Hokage was passed onto his brother, Senju Tobirama, who became the Second Hokage.

### The First Three World Wars

Tobirama died during the First Shinobi World War, killed by Kumogakure's ninja, but he appointed Sarutobi Hiruzen as Third Hokage before his death. Years later, during the Second Shinobi World War, Hiruzen led Konoha's forces against Iwa and Suna, using Amegakure as their battleground. Ame's leader, Hanzō  also fought Konoha a number of times, and during one of these battles gave Hiruzen's students - Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru - the title of Sannin. During the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha fought the ninja of Iwagakure across Kusagakure. Konoha was almost defeated, but Namikaze Minato and his team helped turn the war back in their favour.

### Kyuubi's Attack

    After the end of the Third Shinobi World War, Hiruzen chose Minato to replace him as Fourth Hokage. Soon after Minato took office, however, a masked man kidnapped the Kyuubi' Uzumaki-host and removed it from her body, which he then used to attack Konoha. Minato was able to defeat the man, but the Kyuubi proved more difficult. Left with few options, Minato gave his life to seal the Kyuubi into the body of his newborn son, Uzumaki Naruto. Many ninja died defending the village, and most survivors blamed Naruto for the Kyuubi' actions. Hiruzen, Hokage again, outlawed all mention of the Kyuubi so that future generations would not hate Naruto as their parents did.

### Hyūga Affair

The Hyūga Affair (*日向の件, Hyūga no Ken*) — as the incident is known nowadays in Kumogakure — happened nine years prior to the start of the series, while Kumogakure and Konohagakure were at war. In an attempt to put an end to the fighting, they agreed to a peace treaty to be signed on the date which coincided with Hyūga Hinata's third birthday. The treaty was soon revealed to might be nothing more than a cover when the person who was the Head Ninja of Kumogakure at the time — who was in Konoha to sign the treaty — attempted to kidnap Hinata in order to obtain the Byakugan and its secrets. The shinobi was killed in his attempt by Hinata's father, Hyūga Hiashi.

### Uchiha Clan Downfall

Konoha's leadership believed an Uchiha was responsible for the Kyuubis's attack, and as such cut off the Uchiha from much of the village's affairs. Angered by this mistreatment, many of the Uchiha began plotting a coup d'état that would wrest control of Konoha. However, some Uchiha saw the dangers from such a venture. One such figure was Uchiha Itachi, who became a spy for Konoha's leadership. After peace talks failed, Shimura Danzō  ordered Itachi to wipe out his clan in exchange for being allowed to spare his younger brother, Sasuke. Itachi, with assistance from Tobi, did as instructed, but staged events to seem as though he acted alone and for selfish purposes so that Sasuke would someday take vengeance against him for what he did to their family.

### Konoha Crush

    During Part I, Konoha is the site of the Chūnin Exams. During the exams' final stage the village is invaded by Otogakure and Sunagakure ninja, an attempt to end the peace and prosperity that Konoha alone has enjoyed since the Third Shinobi World War. The invaders are repelled, but Konoha suffers heavy casualties, including Hiruzen. Although Tsunade quickly replaces him as Fifth Hokage, recovery for the rest of Konoha's military forces is slow. The village is understaffed until Part II, leaving it unable to properly respond to events occurring in the interim such as Uchiha Sasuke's defection.

### Pain's Assault

    Three years after the failed Konoha Crush, the Six Paths of Pain of Akatsuki attack Konoha in an effort to capture Naruto. Konoha's forces have some success while fighting the Pains individually, but can do nothing to stop the village's destruction by Pain's Shinra Tensei. Naruto returns to Konoha shortly afterwards and defeats Pain before confronting Nagato, the man behind Pain. After Naruto convinces him that his actions were wrong, Nagato gives his life to revive everyone that died during the invasion. Tsunade is left in a coma from exhausting herself in protecting Konoha from Pain, causing Shimura Danzō to temporarily take office as her replacement. Danzō oversees the start of the village's lengthy rebuilding process and deals with the immediate aftermath of Pain's attack.

### Fourth Shinobi World War

Because of Akatsuki's growing aggression, the ninja villages decide to form an Allied Shinobi Forces to oppose Akatsuki in the Fourth Shinobi World War. Danzō is killed shortly after the Alliance is agreed upon, but Tsunade wakes from her coma in time to start overseeing the war efforts. Despite still being under construction, Konoha is used as a haven for refugees fleeing countries where much of the fighting is expected to take place. By the time the war is won, most of the village has been restored.

## Clans

Within the village there are many powerful and well respected clans. Of these there are five clans which are regarded as noble clans. These are the: Aburame, Akimichi, Hyūga, Senju and Uchiha clans — the latter two of which was regarded as the most powerful clans in the village.

* Aburame Clan
* Akimichi Clan
* Amemiya Clan
* Hamanaka Clan
* Haruno Clan
* Hatake Clan
* Hyūga Clan
* Inuzuka Clan
* Nara Clan
* Okumura Clan
* Sarutobi Clan
* Senju Clan
* Shimura Clan
* Uchiha Clan
* Uzumaki Clan
* Yamada Clan
* Yamanaka Clan

## Trivia

* The hiragana あん (an) is painted on the four entrance gates of the village (one hiragana on each door). This means "hermitage" or "retreat". In kanji, the character is "*庵*". There are also torii built all around the perimeter wall of the village.