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Land of Fire

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The Land of Fire (火の国, "Hi no Kuni") is a geographical feature in the anime and manga series Naruto . It is one of the largest and most powerful countries in Naruto. Its hidden village, Konohagakure, is the home of the main cast; it is the most important and well-known country in the story.

The Land of Fire is appropriately oriented towards the element of fire (typically has very bright and warm weather) and, while not the largest country, has the largest hidden village.

Twelve years before where the story begins, the Land of Fire was attacked by an exceedingly powerful demon - the Kyūbi, or the nine-tailed demon fox. This monster destroyed anything in its path and killed countless people, including, among countless others, Umino Iruka's parents. It was stopped by the then Hokage of Konohagakure, a very powerful ninja known only as the Fourth Hokage. He sacrificed his own life to seal the monster inside a newborn child, Uzumaki Naruto, the titular character of the series.

In the quiet years that followed, the Land of Fire slowly recovered and became accustomed to peace. This was seen by other countries – who had been working to increase their military power – as a weakness, and is one of the factors that brought about the combined assault from conspiring Otogakure and Sunagakure.

Contents

Forest of Death

The Forest of Death (死の森, "Shi no Mori") was the stage for the second part of the Chūnin exam. Its basic goal is to test the survival and fighting skills of ninja trying to become a Chūnin. It is a very dangerous place, filled with hoards of flora and fauna which are often gigantic, poisonous, or both – hence its name. Its perimeter is surrounded by a metal fence with 44 gates equally spaced around it; this is where the ninja enter to start the test. Inside is a river, the forest, and a tower located in the center; its radius is about 10 kilometers. The tower is the destination of the ninja after they have collected two scrolls (one of which they have to pry from the hands of another team in battle). Located inside the tower is the large arena in which the third test preliminaries are held.

Konohagakure

Konohagakure (木ノ葉隠れの里, "Konohagakure no Sato", literally "Village Hidden Among Tree Leaves"; also known as "Village Hidden in the Leaves" or "Hidden Leaf Village), or Konoha for short, is one of the five great ninja villages. As such, it is one of five villages with a Kage as its leader, known as the Hokage.

Konohagakure
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Konohagakure

Although Konoha, much like the country in which it resides, has been peaceful for the past twelve years and has grown accustomed to that peace, it remains one of the most powerful villages in existence, with a overall ninja population much greater than that of any other village, and therefore has great military power and influence. In the Chūnin exam, out of all 153 Genin participants, Konoha had 87 Leaf Genin (72 in the anime) trying to become Chūnin, whereas all other ninja villages had considerably fewer participating: 30 Sand Genin, 21 Rain Genin, 6 Grass Genin (15 in the anime), 6 Waterfall Genin (12 in the anime), and 3 Sound Genin (6 counting Kabuto and his teammates). In addition, Konoha is the village which hosted the event, which possibly contributed to the unbalanced number of participants. It has been mentioned that certain villages (such as the Kirigakure) have had exams of their own in the past, and presumably, may hold a grudge against Konoha. The hiragana あん (an) is painted on the entrance gates of the village (one hiragana on each door). This means hermitage or retreat (the kanji is 庵).

Konoha is the home to several noteworthy clans (even a few with kekkei genkai abilities), among them the Hyūga clan and the nearly extinct Uchiha clan (whose only remaining members are Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi, who slaughtered the rest of his clan).

Trivia

Hokages

Konoha has had five Hokages (火影, "Fire Shadow") since the First Hokage founded the village 60 years before the start of the series, the fifth of which is still in power. The Hokages are generally the strongest shinobi of Konoha; however, as there are various extenuating circumstances involved in the selection of a Hokage, the one in power may not be the strongest ninja in the village. They also act as the leaders of the village.

Hokage, First

The First Hokage.
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The First Hokage.

The First Hokage (初代火影, Shodai Hokage) was the founder of Konoha. He was the older brother of the Second, and the grandfather of Tsunade, who is currently the Fifth. He saw the people of Konoha as a part of him, and put them before anything else. His spirit even now takes a firm root in Konoha. His soul was sealed in one of the Third Hokage's shadow clones after he was ressurected by Orochimaru.

It is revealed that Orochimaru used his DNA for his own genetic experiments, attempting to duplicate the First's Mokuton techniques and his (previously unknown) ability to control bijū. Only one of the sixty test subjects, Yamato, survived.

Hokage, Second

The Second Hokage.
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The Second Hokage.

The Second Hokage (二代目火影, Nidaime Hokage) was the younger brother of the First and Tsunade's grand-uncle. He greatly contributed to Konoha's establishment as a major power. He was very proud of his superior combat ability, and was especially skillful at water jutsu. He was the teacher of the Third Hokage, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu, and was the one to appoint the Third as his successor. His soul was sealed in one of the Third Hokage's shadow clones after he was ressurected by Orochimaru.

Hokage, Third

Hokage, Fourth

The Fourth Hokage
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The Fourth Hokage

The Fourth Hokage (四代目火影, Yondaime Hokage), also known as "The Leaf's Yellow Flash" (木ノ葉の黄色い閃光, "Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō"), was the brave ninja responsible for sealing the Kyūbi inside Naruto. He is said to be the greatest ninja Konoha had ever produced. He is remembered for his heroic acts through the monument which overshadows Konoha. Before he performed the seal, which would trap the Kyūbi, he said that he did not want Naruto to be viewed as the container of a monster, but as a hero who saved the village from annihilation (the Kyūbi still lives inside Naruto). He was a student of Jiraiya, and was the sensei of Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Rin.

The Fourth shares many similarities with Naruto, including blond hair, blue eyes, the same blood type (B), and overall similar personalities as noted by Jiraiya (though he also notes that the Fourth was much smarter, relatively speaking). Naruto is also noted to be the Fourth's legacy by Uchiha Itachi. Furthermore, when he was trying to force Naruto to release his Kyūbi chakra, Jiraiya pushed Naruto off of a cliff, saying "Forgive me, Fourth" as he did so. All this has lead to speculation that the Fourth may in fact be Naruto's father, but the series itself has not been forthcoming on either the Fourth's background or Naruto's parentage.

The Fourth created several unique techniques, including Hiraishin no Jutsu, which essentially allows him to teleport to any location with the use of a special seal. He also created the Rasengan, a technique that does not rely on hand seals, but instead uses a concentration of spinning chakra in the palm that causes immense damage to its victim on contact.

Trivia

Hokage, Fifth

Elders

Danzō

Danzo.
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Danzo.

Danzō (ダンゾウ) is more militant than most, favoring aggression and war over passiveness and peace. In the past, he competed with Sarutobi for the position of Third Hokage. He created the (now disbanded) ANBU training department known as Root and acted as its head. Danzō was the one who recommended that Sai be placed in Team 7. He appears to have lost an arm at some point, the cause of which remains unknown.

Despite Danzō's apparent support for the Hokage and Konoha, the Fifth does not trust him; this is apparently well founded, as Danzō had given Sai a secret mission that Tsunade was unaware of. Recently, in the manga, it was revealed that he had sent Sai to contact Orochimaru and act as a subordinate for him. Yamato believes that Danzō is trying to take over Konoha with Orochimaru's help. This is apparently proven when it is revealed that the envelope Danzō sent Orochimaru was full of pictures and information on the true identities of Konoha's ANBU. However, all of these are nothing more than a front to let Sai get close to Orochimaru, so that Sai can execute his true mission: the assassination of Uchiha Sasuke.

It is unknown how powerful he is, but he must be very powerful in order to have contended with Sarutobi over the succession to the title of Hokage. Another question that arises is whether his desire to build his version of Konoha is true, and of how many people in Konoha will support his campaign, but there is a good chance he has enough as he is willing to try to contact Orochimaru to possibly plan a future invasion. Sai did state that Danzō was planning to take over the village and create his own vision of it. Sai also stated that Danzō planned to betray Orochimaru after the invasion, and one way he would do that is by having Sai kill Sasuke, who would be used as Orochimaru's next body.

On the other hand, recent statements show some contradictions: while he dislikes Sai's new attachment to Team 7, instead of killing him, he merely stats that "emotion brings hatred, and hatred brings war." It is possible that if he wants to start a war, he wants to make sure he can gain something. He also allows Sai to keep his name and stay with Team 7. His exact nature is still shrouded in mystery.

Mitokado Homura

Mitokado Homura.
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Mitokado Homura.

Mitokado Homura (水戸門ホムラ) is the former teammate of the Third Hokage and Utatane Koharu. He is now a council member. Unlike the Third, he does not seem to think much of Naruto. He and Koharu wanted to restrict the number of missions that Naruto could go on and limit his area of activity in his own village since they're afraid Naruto will become a victim of Akatsuki.

Utatane Koharu

Utatane Koharu.
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Utatane Koharu.

Utatane Koharu (うたたねコハル) is the former teammate of the Third Hokage and Mitokado Homura. She is now a council member. Like Homura, she does not seem to think much of Naruto. She and Homura wanted to restrict the number of missions that Naruto could go on and limit his area of activity in his own village since they're afraid Naruto will become a victim of Akatsuki.

ANBU

Sai

Uzuki Yugao

Uzuki Yugao
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Uzuki Yugao

Uzuki Yūgao (卯月夕顔A) is a member of the Konoha ANBU and Gekkō Hayate's lover. She swore to avenge Hayate's death after he was killed by Baki, although it is unknown if she actually knows who killed him. It is also unknown if she still is trying to avenge him, though her revenge may have simply been the spirited resistance she was shown offering to the ninja invading Konoha.

The manner of her speech towards Hatake Kakashi as her senpai seems to imply that he was her senior while he was still in ANBU.

Trivia

Yamato

Other villagers by rank

Animals

Akamaru

Akamaru after consuming the soldier pill.
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Akamaru after consuming the soldier pill.

Akamaru (赤丸) is Inuzuka Kiba's ninken (忍犬, "nin-dog"), best friend, and companion. Akamaru's heightened senses, such as smell and hearing, along with Kiba's power to communicate with him, make him a powerful tool for gathering and sharing information; he can also sense chakra with his nose, so he can judge an enemy's strength and warn Kiba if they're particularly powerful. Akamaru and Kiba almost always attack together and often use Jūjin Bunshin (Beast Human Clone) to confuse their opponents. They also develop a very powerful technique during the Sasuke Retrieval arc, called , where they literally combine their bodies into a gigantic, white, two-headed wolf that is capable of devastating speed and damage. However, they lose their entire field of vision when using the follow-up technique, Garōga (Double Wolf Fang). This attack is usually preceded by Dainamikku Mākingu (Dynamic Marking), which allows them to target the enemy via sense of smell.

Trivia

Haimaru Sankyodai

The Haimaru Sankyodai
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The Haimaru Sankyodai

The Haimaru Sankyōdai (灰丸三兄弟, "Haimaru Three Brothers", also known as "Haimaru Triplets") are the canine companions of Inuzuka Hana. As their name suggests, their fur is grey.

Trivia

Kuromaru

Kuromaru
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Kuromaru

Kuromaru (黒丸) is the canine companion of Inuzuka Tsume. Kuromaru has a wolfish appearance and is missing his left ear and right eye. He appears to have the ability to talk. As his name suggests, his fur is black.

Trivia

Tonton

Tonton.
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Tonton.

Tonton (トントン) is Tsunade's pet pig, often kept in the care of Shizune. She does not speak in any human language, but still manages to get her point across by whining in her own unique tone – which in the original anime sounds like "byui". (It is a running joke amongst some fans of the series that Tonton does not oink.) It seems that Tsunade and Shizune understand what Tonton is trying to say. Tonton's nose also seems adept at tracking things.

Sources

  1. First Official Data Book (秘伝・臨の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK, "Hiden: Rin no Sho Character Official Data Book")
  2. Second Official Data Book (秘伝・闘の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK, "Hiden: Tō no Sho Character Official Data Book")
  3. Jump's 2nd Great Hero Book's Mini Data Book (秘伝・翔の書オフィシャルキャラクターデータBOOK mini, "Hiden: Shō no Sho Official Character Data Book mini")
  4. Naruto manga chapters and anime episodes
  5. Based on character's ability and status
Naruto
Naruto universe
Franchise: Episode list | OVA list | Video game list | Media list
General: Geography | Ninja ranks | Weapons
Plot: Story arcs | Naruto I | Kakashi Gaiden | Naruto II
Movies: | |
Jutsu: Fūin jutsu | Genjutsu | Juin jutsu | Kekkei genkai | Ninjutsu | Taijutsu
Characters
Main: Uzumaki Naruto | Haruno Sakura | Uchiha Sasuke | Hatake Kakashi | Sai
Supporting: Aburame Shino, Hyūga Hinata & Inuzuka Kiba (Team Kurenai)
Akimichi Chōji, Nara Shikamaru & Yamanaka Ino (Team Asuma)
Hyūga Neji, Rock Lee & Tenten (Team Guy)
Gaara, Kankurō & Temari (Sand Siblings)
Adults: Jiraiya and Tsunade (of the Legendary Three) | Third Hokage | Might Guy | Sarutobi Asuma | Yūhi Kurenai | Umino Iruka | Shizune | Yamato
Konoha-nin: Genin | Chūnin | Jōnin
Enemies: Momochi Zabuza and Haku | Orochimaru (of the Legendary Three), Yakushi Kabuto, and the Land of Sound | Akatsuki | Other enemies
Neutral/Other: Bijū | Summons | Ichiraku Ramen Bar | Puppets

 

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