History of the World
Mar 10, 2012 22:40:29 GMT
Post by pyroflare77 on Mar 10, 2012 22:40:29 GMT
[Histories of minor nations to be added]
Since time immemorial, the history of the land has always been one of conflict. Written records and oral history paint a tale of war between humans, animals, and demons, the webs of conflict engulfing all three of them into wars with each other and civil wars. Humans had technology on their side, able to craft weapons to injure others, armor to protect themselves, and other improvements to their homes. Animals were able to use natural energy and the advantages of their own bodies. Humans and animals would sometimes unite and sign pacts, allowing the humans to summon the animals in times of need. Both were unanimously opposed against the vile demons, which combined the aspects of the two.
It is difficult to separate legend from reality in the history of these times. One prominent figure that made a radical change in the world was Hagoromo Otsutsuki, a man known as the Sage of the Six Paths. He possessed unique eyes known as the Rinnegan, which gave him unique powers akin to those of animals and demons. He learned how to harness the energy within the body and, emulating the techniques of the animals and demons, developed ninjutsu. A man that desired an end to the conflict, the Sage taught people how to use ninjutsu, as well as spreading a message of peace. To achieve piece, one thing was apparent: the demons had to be fought back, for they were a force incapable of anything but warring against others. The Sage and his followers traveled the land, fighting the demons and beating them back into the dark crevices of the earth from which they emerged. The Sage eventually faced the Lord of All Demons, the Jubi, and defeated it. He used the powers of his Rinnegan to imprison the Jubi in a celestial rock prison which is known as the moon. Now that the Jubi and the demons were gone, peace had finally reached the world.
The Sage had two sons, one who inherited the power of his eyes and one who inherited his spirit and will. The two competed to be his successor, and both had differing views of peace. The older son, Okuninushi, wanted to use power to dominate and unite the people of the land into one nation. The younger son, Ninigi, opposed this view, saying that love is the way to peace. On the Sage's deathbed, the younger son was chosen as his succesor. His views are why the people of the world are not united as one and why there are separate countries.
The sons feuded for quite some time, but they eventually made bitter peace with each other. It is said that the older son sired the clans that possessed doujutsu-- the Hyuga, Eizan, and Kodokuna. The younger son sired the Senju, Uzumaki, and Hattori clans-- clans which possessed great spirit and natural talent. Of these clans, the younger son's descendants would travel the world and mingle with the natives of these lands. The older son's descendants immediately settled down in one area, though conflict eventually drove some of them apart. This is why the Hatake, Sarutobi, Fuuma, Terumi, Fukui, and Getsuken clans are all said to be able to be traced back to having roots in one of those three clans. The Uchiha clan would come about when Adra Hyuga's eyes changed one day into a fierce red, possessing strange abilities different from the Hyuga Byakugan. Adra was exiled from the Hyuga clan due to fear of gaining power from demons. Similar clans arose from undocumented changes in the other two doujutsu, these clans being the Egami and Sanzo clans. Other clans that emerged during this time were clans that practiced their own unique form of ninjutsu, or those that were able to combine elements. Over time, the clans settled down in various locations, but feuding would emerge between the clans at times. The peace soon gave way as feudal lords began allying with the clans as they tried to form territories that they controlled.
The conflict exploded in one area that would today be known as the Land of Fire. Shinobi clans of all kinds, allied with various feudal lords that sought control and territory, would wage war. During this period, terrifying monsters known as the tailed beasts would emerge throughout the world. If they were slain, then they would simply revive a few years later, just as powerful as before. One theory about their appearance is the foul chakra of the Jubi seeping out from its prison, but there is no known fact behind their origin. The arrival of the tailed beasts, as well as the beginning of the war, marks the first recorded year of history, where legends fade away completely.
Approx. 100 years ago:
Land of Fire:
Blood was shed all across the Land of Fire as the various clans fought. Of the many shinobi clans, several were completely slaughtered while others rose to fame. The most prominent clans were the Senju and the Uchiha, bitter enemies of each other. Other powerful clans were the Hyuga, Uzumaki, Hatake, and Sarutobi. One by one, the clans were wiped out or surrendered, and eventually the war came down to two clans-- the Senju and the Uchiha. The other clan was the only obstacle for control of the country. The clans' leaders, Hashirama and Madara, were equally matched. The battle ended with a draw, and a truce was called, by both the clans and the daimyos that hired them. Madara did not wish to accept the truce, wanting to drag the war on until the Uchiha could obtain a more advantegeous position, but the clan made him reluctantly agree. Finally, after nearly 30 years of conflict, the clan wars ended.
65 years ago:
Land of Fire:
The feudal lords let the clans alone as they discussed amongst themselves how the country would be goverened. The clans that still had large numbers (the Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga, Hatake, Inuzuka, Aburame, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Uzumaki) settled down in small villages, as did the few survivors of eliminated clans. There was no government, nor was there much contact between the clans. This was a time of restoration that lasted a decade.
55 years ago:
Land of Fire:
Fed up with the isolation of the clans, Hashirama made contact of them all, showing his intentions of uniting the clans and the other peoples of the land into one large village. This excluded the Uzumaki clan, who had moved west sometime during the decade of peace and settled there. Hashirama's intentions were to bolster the defense of everyone, as well as create a united community that would help and provide for each other. The heads of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, Madara and Hizuro, traveled to Hashirama to learn the specifics of the government he had in mind, neither clan wanting the Senju to dominate in power.
The heads of the three strongest clans consulted with each other, and came to a conclusion. To ensure that the peace would last, they would all band together without being ruled by the daimyo of the country. This was at the cost of a lack of financial security, but the Uzumaki would no doubt be close allies, and they were allied with a daimyo. The government would consist of one elected leader, and a council consisting of elected members of each of the clans. The leader would look out for the interests of all of the villages, while the council members would mostly look out for their clans interest. Madara and Hizuro left, promising to vote for each other in the elections, as they were long time friends. The candidates for the position of Hokage were Hashirama and Tobirama of the Senju, Madara of the Uchiha, Hizuro of the Hyuga, Sho of the Aburame, Shiro of the Nara, Inodo of the Yamanaka, Chozu of the Akimichi, Ken of the Inuzuka, and Azoro of the Hatake. Tobirama had always contained different views than his older brother, which is why his presence in the election was fair.
Over a period of weeks, the clans and other wishing to join the village would migrate to the site of the new village. Hashirama used his fabled Wood Release to practically summon the village from the ground. Konohagakure was born.
The elections continued over the course of several weeks, and soon it was down to two candidates: the rivals Hashirama and Madara. The votes were tied, and Hizuro Hyuga (who lost) was late. He had promised to Madara beforehand to always vote for him, but Hizuro instead voted for Hashirama (believing that Madara lied to him due to their differing viewpoints and the unlikely tie earlier that eliminated both him and Tobirama at the same time). Madara had become so obsessed with and so certain that he would gain the position of Hokage that he murdered Hizuro later that night for vengeance. He was immediately exiled from the village, with the declaration from the new Hokage Hashirama that he would be killed if he stepped foot into the village again.
Land of Wind, Land of Earth, Land of Lightning:
These countries, hearing of the births of Uzushiogakure and Konohagakure, decide to emulate the success of these villages by allying with daimyos in their countries. Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure were born during this time, led by Fujin Saito, Kazan Ryokuzo, and Raiden Yotsuki, respectively.
53 years ago:
Konoha:
Hashirama traveled the world, making contact with these new nations in hopes of making alliances to further increase security and the economy. No alliances were made, but Hashirama, eager to establish friendship, helped some of the villages take down tailed beasts that were oppressing them. Hashirama's ability of using the Yang Release enabled him to subdue and seal the beasts, which were then given as gifts to some of the nations. It was during this time that Konoha had to ally with a daimyo, seeing no other way to sustain their current way of living.
Suna:
Hashirama arrived in the village seeking an alliance, and helped the desert dwellers in defeating the One-Tailed Tanuki and the Seven-Tailed Beetle. Both were sealed into shinobi, creating jinchuuriki. The Sand was grateful for Hashirama's assistance and made a trading agreement with the Leaf. Shortly after, the host of the Seven-Tails defected to the Waterfall, and that beast has remained in that village's possession ever since.
Land of Water:
This country's early history was large groups of sailors, tourists, and ninja wanting to get away from their homes sailing to a newly-discovered island. They decided to start building villages, and one shinobi suggested they form a ninja village to protect the other civilian villages from any pirates or vandals. There was a mass agreement, and the construction began.
Iwa:
Hashirama arrived in the village seeking an alliance, or at least a peaceful relationship. He helped the newly formed Rock in dealing with the two tailed beasts that rampaged across their lands: the Four-Tailed Ape and the Five-Tailed Creature. These bijuu were sealed into shinobi from the Rock, giving friendly relations between the two villages. However, the Rock would come to view the jinchuuriki not as gifts of peace, but as useful and powerful weapons. The peoples of the village had always sought great power, even before the village's construction. This idea is perfectly summed up by Kazan and his little brother, Muu, born from a man that possessed Lava Release and a woman that possessed Explosion Release. While Kazan inherited the Lava Release (but enhanced to a power previously unknown), Muu gained a mixture of the two elemental fusions, the first kekkei tota: Dust Release. With the Four-Tails granting Lava Release in all of its forms, and the Five-Tails granting another kekkei tota, Steam Release, the village became incredibly confident in its power.
52 years ago:
Suna:
The Sand began to spread their sphere of influence throughout the world using economic needs. While the majority of the desert was barren, there were lush pockets of valuable materials near oases or mountains that made the country rich. Sungakure would shortly become a major trading power, and its people prospered as a result.
Kumo:
The fierce attitude that Kumogakure has always known to have was able to be seen even in the village's early history. When Hashirama arrived to try and make an alliance, he was surprised to learn that the Cloud shinobi had already managed to seal away the two beasts in their land. The seals used to lock away the beasts were of a poor quality, but Hashirama was turned away by the proud Raikage, who wanted no assistance from outsiders. The village's famed Gold and Silver Brothers would have a run in with the Nine-Tailed Fox, of which they barely escaped with their lives. The encounter left them with powers similar to those of other jinchuuriki.
50 years ago:
Konoha:
Madara returned with the fearsome Kyuubi under his control, aiming to annihilate Konoha. Knowing that Madara only wanted his life, Hashirama offered to duel Madara, and the Uchiha accepted. Hashirama led him to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rice Fields, where they did battle. The fight was a fierce and legendary battle that split the cliffside open. Even though Madara had the Kyuubi on his side, Hashirama managed to temporarily seal the Kyuubi and kill Madara, but suffering severe injuries himself that were unable to be healed by jutsu due to Madara slicing off one of Hashirama's hands. Upon returning, the Kyuubi was sealed into his wife, Mito Uzumaki, to keep the beast from coming back. Hashirama died from medical complications a few weeks later. His younger brother, Tobirama, was made the Second Hokage. The area where Madara and Hashirama fought would be known as the Valley of the End.
49 years ago:
Konoha:
After Madara's attack, the village was rebuilt and all information sworn to be covered up to the future generations. The Uchiha were discriminated by Tobirama, who detested them all because of Madara, but their leader, Aimi (who had been Madara's wife), convinced him to lay off his harshness. They were given the Police Corps position so Tobirama could keep a close eye on them, angering many of the Uchiha, but they were calmed by Aimi. This small period was one of peace, despite the inner conflict amongst the government and the Uchiha.
48 years ago:
Suna:
Forces from Iwagakure arrived in the village as the people of the Land of Wind were threatened to give up most of their luxury goods to the Land of Earth. Fujin, the First Kazekage, was outraged, but he knew that his people could not win in a battle against the Rock, so he was forced to accept their unfair deals. Plans of vengeance entered the minds of the Sand's military commanders...
Land of Water:
The village was still under construction, but would gain a powerful asset in the form of Motoi Uchizo, a masked man that showed up and greatly helped out the peoples of this nation by not only presiding over the construction of the village, but by also subduing and sealing the Three-Tailed Turtle and the Six-Tailed Slug that had been harassing the peoples Due to his mighty power and charity, the citizens decided to make him their leader. Soon, the village was complete, and was christened Kirigakure.
Iwa:
After amassing a great military force, the First Tsuchikage, Kazan, threatened the nearby Land of Wind for the luxury goods they possessed, as well as making unfair trade agreements. The Sand had no choice but to comply to these demands, for despite the strength of the Kazekage, there was no way that he could win in a battle with the two Ryokuzo brothers. The Sand also did not have a military force anywhere near that of the Rock. This would be the first of many hostilities between the two villages, forming a long-lasted bond of enmity between the two.
47 years ago:
Iwa:
Seeking to further gain power, the Rock forcibly made the much weaker, neighboring Stone and Waterfall countries become vassals of the country. The Sand, Leaf, and Whirlpool began to become weary of the Rock's aggressive actions.
46 years ago:
Iwa:
As the Whirlpool predicted, Iwagakure began threatening them with force should they not relinquish some of their power and lands. This infuriated not only the Whirlpool, but the Leaf as well. Tobirama had become fed up with the Rock's aggressive tendencies and began pressuring other shinobi villages to band together to take down the Rock should they make any warmongering move. This increased tensions all around, culminating then Iwagakure announced a new Tsuchikage, Kazan's younger brother Muu. Kazan was still alive and well and showed no signs of giving up the position, effectively making two active Tsuchikages. It was assumed that Muu would govern lands that Iwagakure was confident that they could obtain. War seemed inevitable...
45 years ago:
Konoha:
The period of peace abruptly ended when the great shinobi nation of Iwagakure declared war on both Konoha and their loose allies, Uzushiogakure. The Rock sought to gain more territory and power, and partially did so because of Tobirama pressuring the other shinobi villages to accept alliances with the threat of retaliation. The forces of the Leaf and of the Whirlpool both moved out to combat the Rock. Shortly after, a newly formed shinobi village unheard of before now, the Mist, declared war on Konoha while most of their forces were outside of the village. The First Shinobi World War had begun.
The Cloud and the Sand would soon enter the war, with hopes of gaining more land, wealth, or power. The Sand would soon drop out of the war due to excessive casualties from their failed assault on the Rock and the Whirlpool. Tobirama demonstrated to the world the powerful Edo Tensei technique during this world, resurrecting Hashirama to do battle against the enemies of Konoha. The Mist eventually surrendered, and the Cloud sought to ally with Konoha. Eager to defeat the Rock, Tobirama traveled to the Land of Lightning with his six students to make a formal alliance with the village, letting Hashirama lead the assault against the Rock. During the meeting, both he and the Second Raikage were attacked by the Gold and Silver Brothers of the Cloud, leaving both injured. Tobirama fled with his team, believing that the Cloud had led them into a trap. The entire Kinkaku Force, the Cloud's elite shinobi team, had gone rogue and was out for Tobirama's head. It was at this time that Hiruzen, one of Tobirama's students, was appointed the position of Third Hokage as Tobirama held off the team to let them escape. He did not survive the attack, but most of the Kinkaku Force was killed in the battle. Hashirama was killed again during the fight against the Rock, but the combined forces of the Leaf and the Whirlpool were eventually too much for the Rock to continue fighting. The war had ended after four years of conflict, with the Leaf and the Whirlpool victorious. An armistice treaty was signed between the nations.
Suna:
Iwagakure declared war on the Leaf and the Whirlpool, and Fujin decided it was the perfect time to retaliate against the Rock's aggression three years prior. The forces of the Sand mobilized, led by Fujin himself, and marched into the Stone village, which was occupied by Iwagakure forces. The Rock was defeated and expeled from the Stone, liberating the village (although they were still officially under the control of the Land of Earth). From here, the forces of the Sand split, one part heading to the Whirlpool to gain more land and power. Fujin and his forces pushed into the Land of Earth, aiming directly at Iwagakure itself. Kazan confronted the Sand and their forces, and in the ensuing battle the Sand was crushed. Nearly all of the forces died, and among the casualties was the First Kazekage. The forces attacking the Whirlpool were ill-prepared, and the Sand was forced to drop out of the war. In the armistice treaty at the end of the war, the Rock's trade agreements were returned to normal, and they only had minor penalties for attacking the Whirlpool.
Kiri:
After establishing many of the Mist's policies, Motoi decided to declare war on the Leaf. The people of the Mist were unsure if it was a wise decision, but the Rock had attacked the Leaf at near the same time, causing most of the Mist ninja to gain confidence and gather to fight (for most of them were former dwellers of the Land of Fire that fled the Clan Wars, and they wished to return home without discrimination for their cowardice). The Mist was soon established as a great nation, making Motoi the Mizukage. His reign would be short, for he was assassinated shortly after his appointment. Two faithful followers of Motoi, Taro Terumi and Kazuo Houzuki, would both assume leader positions. Taro would be a powerful advisor-like leader that dealt with the people, while Kazuo would be the Mizukage and would deal with the war.
As the Mist fought the Leaf attackers, their numbers began to lower, so they surrendered. This angered the Rock, as they saw the Mist as useful distractions. In anger, the Second Tsuchikage attacked the retreating Mist forces, and Kazuo was among the dead. Taro assumed command of the village, but not the Mizukage position out of respect for Kazuo. The war had left them in a depression due to financial losses, so Taro had little choice but to hand over rule of the land to a daimyo lord. This, along with his violent policies, caused great anger in the citizens of the land, and riots happened, demanding that they have one single ruler that they can trust. Taro silenced the riots by forming an elite unit of ninja: the famed Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. The strife in the village was silenced due to the fear of Taro's power.
Iwa:
The tensions between the Rock and the Leaf and the Whirlpool snapped when the Rock declared war on both nations in an attempt to not only gain more land and power, but to prevent the alliance against them that might have formed if they left Tobirama alone. The Rock's declaration of war inspired a newly formed nation, the Mist, to enter the fray. The Sand and the Cloud would enter the war shortly after, elevating it to world war status. Kazan led the defensive forces that held off the Leaf and Whirlpool's offense, while Muu led the vanguard squads into the Whirlpool and Leaf. During these offensive attacks, Muu would frequently run into forces led by the Second Mizukage, Kazuo Houzuki. Their many repeated coincidental encounters created a fierce rivalry between the two. This rivalry would erupt into hatred when the Mist pulled out of the war, causing a key assault led by Muu to fail because the Mist were no longer distracting Konoha's forces. Muu tracked down Kazuo and fought him to the death in retaliation, with both men perishing in the battle.
Back at the homefront, Kazan had successfully banished Sunagakure from the war by devastating a large army by himself and slaying the First Kazekage in combat. Tobirama withdrew most of his offensive forces and the Whirlpool went on the defense as a resurrected Hashirama led squads from both the Leaf and the Whirlpool against Iwagakure. Hashirama's presence caused many casualties for the Rock, but Kazan rekilled the First Hokage by burying him under lava. This assault had cost Iwagakure most of their army, and the reserve forces of the Leaf and Whirlpool made a charge against the Rock that they could not defend against. Kazan was determined to keep fighting as long as possible, and the recently-promoted Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, killed him with the assistance of Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, Kagami Uchiha, and Torifu Akimichi. After four years of fighting, the Rock had no choice but to surrender, and an armistice treaty was signed between the villages. The Rock was forced to relinquish the Waterfall and the Stone, and their harsh trade conditions with the Sand were lightened significantly. The position of Tsuchikage went to Kazan's son, a young man named Onoki.
Kumo:
Upon hearing the news that Iwagakure had declared war on Konohagakure, the Cloud readily jumped into the conflict. The people were seeking to gain glory and wealth by defeating the other shinobi nations. This immature view on the conflict made the other nations view the Cloud as barbarous peoples, and the terrors of war caught up with them when Raiden was struck a fatal blow, his squad of men all perishing in a failed attack. Yamatashi, Raiden's brother, was made the Second Raikage. Being a more pragmatic man than his older brother, Yamatashi pulled out of the war and sought to make an alliance with the nation they pissed off the most: Konoha. It was during this time that the S-ranked criminal Kakuzu approached the Gold and Silver Brothers, telling them that Tobirama had a pricey bounty out on his head and that he would split the money if they brought him his corpse. During the alliance meeting, the Gold and Silver Brothers attacked, taking promises of wealth over their prestige. The Raikage and Hokage were wounded, but fended off the brothers, who became the most hated men in Kumogakure's history. This, unfortunately, would shroud the Fukui clan that they belonged to in a mist of discrimination. As Tobirama fled the country, the Kinkaku Force, the Cloud's elite shinobi team, was convinced to join their leader, Kinkaku (the Gold Brother), in hunting down Tobirama. The Kinkaku Force was convinced that it would be an easy battle when they saw that only Tobirama was facing them, but he managed to kill most of the force before dying.
41 years ago:
Konoha:
Hiruzen's first actions as Hokage were to officially ally with the neighboring Whirlpool, deterring any future conflicts for quite some time due to the sheer size and force of this duo. The issue behind the Cloud's "betrayal" was sorted out, but they would not ally due to the distrust that Konoha had shown them. Hiruzen's rule ushered in a long era of peace for the village, which lead to researching things about the world and discovering and inventing many new things in this renaissance-like era. The Whirlpool was not as lucky during this time, with several internal and external conflicts rising up. Konoha did not assist, and could not predict that the many small conflicts would end up collapsing most of the Whirlpool. The Rain and Grass villages would form out of these rebellions, and some portions of the country defected to other nations, Konoha being one of them.
Suna:
Monzaemon Chikamatsu, a brilliant tactician and inventor, was chosen to be the Second Kazekage. As Sunagakure began as a collection of nomadic groups, they had always been behind on technology. Monzaemon's policies focused on modernizing the country, bringing its technological level much closer to that of the other nations.
Kiri:
The village was wracked in poverty and depression still (but in small pockets, most of the country was stable enough), and several smaller riots happened for food. They were are silenced by the Seven Swordsmen, making Taro seem more and more like a bloodthirsty tyrant.
Iwa:
Onoki took on his new position of Tsuchikage by apologizing for his father and uncle's militant actions. Several villages and towns in the Land of Earth, and even Iwagakure itself, were damaged during the war. Onoki and the daimyo of the Land of Earth, Juro (also Onoki's younger brother) began working together to not only repair and rebuild the country, but to also replenish the economy and the military force as well. Their refusal to show any weakness would shortly develop into the fierce stubbornness that Iwagakure and the Land of Earth would be known for.
Kumo:
Fearful of retribution from Konoha, Yamatashi contacted the village and was relieved that they realized that something terribly wrong had happened during the alliance meeting. Yamatashi declined the offer for allying with the Leaf, but assured the village that they would keep trade between the two villages open.
40 years ago:
Suna:
The first jinchuuriki of the One-Tailed Tanuki had fallen gravely ill at this time, and it was clear that there was nothing that could be done to save his life. Monzaemon oversaw the council that decided on the new host for the beast, and he gained the idea to study the effects of hosting a tailed beast. The new host for Shukaku was studied a few days before the previous host's death, and when Shukaku was sealed within her, Monzaemon fervently studied the woman and the abilities of the tailed beast. Monzaemon's studies revealed the power of jinchuuriki, and although they were shared with the officials in countries that had jinchuuriki of their own, nothing changed.
38 years ago:
Suna:
Monzaemon gained a brilliant idea to increase the Sand's military might by creating artificial soldiers to do battle in place of humans. The first puppets were developed, and he called for his daughter, Chiyo, to share his plan of creating an army of these creatures and to see how to animate them. Chiyo's medical expertise revealed that to grant life to these mechanical men would require a fatal amount of chakra, so the idea of creating an army was dropped. The two quickly saw another use for the dolls. By creating strings of chakra, the dolls could be manipulated like puppets. The versatility of puppets and the unorthodox fighting style that ensued would certainly give the Sand a leg up over the other nations. The Puppet Technique had been created, and the Puppet Brigade of shinobi was created soon after.
Kiri:
Then a great blessing was cast over the land as Taro used all of the money he had been saving up in a great reconstruction effort (along with abolishing his past bloody acts), winning back the hearts of many. There was a small group disgusted that Taro had waited until now to help the people, and several assassination attempts were made on the Swordsmen and Taro himself, but only two of the Swordsmen fell to these attacks. They were not replaced.
35 years ago:
Suna:
Iwagakure offered a trade agreement to the Sand after getting back on their feet. The Sand unanimously refused the offer, creating tensions between the two villages. It was during this time that the Sand's economy and quality of life reached its peak. Monzaemon had created the Sand's first and, unfortunately, only golden age.
Iwa:
After six years of hard labor, Iwagakure and other villages in the Land of Earth had been restored to their condition before the first world war. With a renewed village and a strong economy, Onoki began making trade agreements with neighboring countries. The Sand refused their offer, still being bitter over the Rock's aggressive acts in the first world war. This created tensions between the two villages.
Kumo:
Yamatashi would become terribly ill at this time. During his month-long sickness, he retired from the Kage position and gave it to the promising shinobi Ratashi. Upon recovering from his sickness, rather than take his position back, Yamatashi created a new rank of Head Ninja that he would occupy for quite some time. Ratashi was not content with Kumogakure's status as a military power and sought more advantages over the other shinobi nations. During this year he organized a black ops squad that traveled to Iwagakure and stole a youth that had been born with a unique variant of the Lava Release kekkei genkai. This young adult, Dodai, would be held in an interrogation chamber and indoctrinated to fully accept the Cloud and its people, becoming a loyal soldier for them. Rather than be content with having one bloodline, Ratashi would, over the years, order more black ops to capture powerful bloodlines, with varying rates of success and failure.
33 years ago:
Kiri:
The leader behind the rebel group, Shinzo Kariya, made a full assault against Taro. Three of the five remaining Swordsmen died in the attack, and Taro surrendered. Taro was exiled, and Shinzo declared himself the Third Mizukage. He began a benevolent rule plagued by wasteful spending to help the people. The daimyo was assassinated so the Mizukage would completely rule, and each subsequent Daimyo would be killed under Shinzo's rule. Shinzo also sealed the bijuu swimming around the island in a child in the incorrect presumption that it would attack the village. Taro's daughter Mei would be born during his exile from the village, shortly before his return.
32 years ago:
Suna:
Iwagakure was persistent in gaining the Sand's luxury goods, and the Sand was persistent in denying them. Onoki was eventually fed up and sent both of his powerful jinchuuriki to Sunagakure to bully them into stepping down and accepting their deal. Monzaemon saw this as a challenge to test out the Puppet Brigade, which he led. The jinchuuriki were subdued, unable to cope with the strange new style. Confident, Monzaemon asked for a ransom to release the jinchuuriki. It was paid, and the hosts were released. What Monzaemon saw as a lesson in humility, Onoki saw as a challenge. The people of the Sand did not think the same way as their Kage, viewing the people of the Rock as brutish.
Iwa:
The Sand had continued its resistance to the Rock's peaceful offers, enraging the stubborn Onoki. He sent out the jinchuurikis of the Four-Tailed and Five-Tailed beasts to intimidate the Sand into bending to their will. Onoki was surprised as the recently formed Puppet Brigade resisted and captured the jinchuuriki. Onoki (and his brother, the daimyo) was furious when the Sand demanded a ransom for the release of their jinchuuriki, which he reluctantly paid off.
30 years ago:
Suna:
The people of Sunagakure's views of Iwagakure had worsened over time. When the Rock's diplomat aggressively pointed out that their trade agreement had been fair and demanded that the Sand accept it, it was refused once more and people from the Land of Earth were banned from entering the Land of Wind. Only two people opposed this action: Monzaemon and his son, Ebizo. Both saw the actions as immature and potentially dangerous, but the people were learn the consequences of their actions...
Kiri:
Taro returned with a renewed Seven Mist Swordsman group, consisting of Hiricho Kaguya, Kazuma Ryoji, Masuma Gijo, Raiga Kurosuki, Fuguki Suikazan, Jinpachi Munashi, and Jinin Akebino. Jinpachi and Jinin were the two remaining Swordsmen under Shinzo, and they betrayed him. With the help of the Swordsmen, Taro killed Shinzo and reseized his leadership (again, eschewing the Mizukage title) and the country's rule by a daimyo. He then began to make repairs to Shinzo's wasteful spending in the form of repossessing things and selling them back. This caused anger in the people of the village, so, sick of dealing with riots, Taro gave jurisdiction over the village to the Seven Mist Swordsmen. They constantly patroled the village and crushed any rebellion attempts they saw. The village was now ruled under the tyrannical Taro once more.
Iwa:
The Rock was enraged to discover that both the Sand and the Leaf were holding Onoki's aggressive actions against the Sand in contempt, viewing this as absolutely unnecessary. The Rock demanded that the Sand comply with their benign trade agreements, but the Sand pushed things too far by both rejecting their offers and barring people from the Land of Earth from entering the Land of Wind. Hostilities were formed, and a war was on the horizon...
Kumo:
The host of the Eight-Tailed Beast would lose control over the beast at this time, and the creature would go on rampages throughout the country. The creature was subdued and sealed into a man known as Fukai, who was teammates with the powerful shinobi Daiki and A. The decision to make Fukai a jinchuuriki was a rushed one, for he proved inept at controlling the beast. Fearing its powers, Fukai decided to never use them at all costs.
29 years ago:
Suna:
Iwagakure declared war and delivered a devastating sneak attack that nobody in the village was prepared for. Sunagakure's hastily-assembled forces were easily dealt with, and the village was conquered one area at a time. Monzaemon saw it as his duty to protect his village, so he led a suicidal battle against the Tsuchikage. He was killed, and the officials on the Sand chose Fujin's son, Shotetsu, as the Third Kazekage. He was a powerful young man that possessed the Magnet Release and could potentially have matched Onoki. Rather than keep hostilities up, Shotetsu ended things by surrendering to the Rock and accepting their demands. Reconstruction of the Sand began.
Iwa:
The Rock declared war on the Sand. The majority of its forces were already stationed in the neighboring Land of Stone as the announcement left the village. The forces then began their movement into the desert, moving at a rate so that the messenger would reach the Sand mere hours before their assault. Caught off guard, the Sand scrambled to defend itself as the Rock forces easily seized key areas of the village. The Second Kazekage, Monzaemon Chikamatsu, fell during the battle. As the Rock besieged the Sand's last bastion, their Administration Building, the officials inside decided on a new Kazekage, the First's son, Shotetsu. He surrendered and met the Rock's demands and began to reconstruct the village.
28 years ago:
Suna:
While Shotetsu showed maturity during the Siege of Sunagakure, he was secretly bitter over their humiliated defeat. He requested Konohagakure's assistance in leading a counterattack against the Rock. The Leaf not only refused, but condoned their offer. The people of the Sand felt betrayed by the Leaf, people who shared their contempt of the Rock's aggressive actions a few years ago. Tensions would arise against the Rock and the Leaf, and war seemed inevitable...
Iwa:
The Leaf heavily condemned the Rock's actions against the Sand, sparking conflict between the two villages as Hiruzen pressured Onoki to ease up on the harsh penalties they inflicted on the Sand, to which resistance was met. This argument eventually erupted into multiple conflicts involving all sorts of things-- economic issues, their presence in neighboring nations, etc. These conflicts would slowly bubble, erupting a few years alter...
Kumo:
Upon learning that a new jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi had been made-- the young princess of the Whirlpool, Kushina Uzumaki, Ratashi sent out a squad of men to kidnap her, planning to indoctrinate her just like the other kidnapped youth. Kushina was rescued by a young Minato Namikaze, and this would be the first of many conflicts between him and the Cloud.
25 years ago:
Kumo:
Fukai would finally lose control of the beast at this time. Ratashi organized a powerful squad to seal away the beast for good, with his son A and the powerful Daiki among the team. The beast was sealed into Fukai's younger cousin, who had been chosen as A's partner, B, a year ago. B proved able to control the beast, and there would be no further problems with the Eight-Tails afterward.
24 years ago:
Konoha:
The era of peace would come to a crashing halt as conflicts between Hiruzen, Shotetsu the Third Kazekage, Hanzo of the Rain, and Onoki the Third Tsuchikage intensified, soon erupting into the Second Great Shinobi War (instigated by Onoki and Hiruzen's arguments). Most of the fighting took place in smaller countries like the Rain and the Grass, as well as the Whirlpool, injuring the Whirlpool further and devastating the Rain. During this war is when the Sannin were named, where Tsunade become known as the most famous medical-nin, where Sakumo Hatake became famous, where Nawaki and Dan lost their lives, and where Jiraiya raised the Ame Orphans. After many years of fighting, Konoha and the Whirlpool emerged victorious. The Whirlpool came under a schism, however, due to the damages to their country. Some wanted to uphold their status as a ninja nation, while others wished to renounce that status for peace. Konoha settled the argument by escorting those wishing to remain ninja (the minority) to an island off of their east coast. The old area of the Whirlpool Country would become the River Country.
Suna:
The Rock declared war on the Leaf. The people of the Sand saw this as a chance for vengeance against both of the nations, and Shotetsu declared war on both villages. The Sand's military force was at its peak during the Second Great Shinobi War, leading to many victories for them. Shotetsu was incredibly powerful, using his Magnet Release to emulate Shukaku's powers over sand, with brutal results. Chiyo was not only an incredible medical-nin, a creator of many devastating poisons, and the creator of an antidote for Hanzo of the Salamander's deadly venom, but she also was the leader of the Puppet Brigade, having many puppets ranging from her father's famous ten puppets to an immense puppet created for bombarding cities that was destroyed in the war. Ebizo proved to be one of the most powerful users of wind ninjutsu. Chiyo and Ebizo's abilities and victories would lead to them being known as the Honored Siblings. A prominent young man known as Bankou rose to fame through his skill in ninjutsu as well, often butting heads with members of the Sannin.
Kiri:
Conflicts between the land-dwelling nations began the Second Shinobi World War. The Mist only acted as a mercenary group for the opportunity to gain more money during the war. Taro occasionally assisted the people by helping the village, but his tyranny was still obvious, and the inner rebellions were now operating in secret, formulating a plan to take down Taro.
Iwa:
The Rock was finally fed up with arguing with the Leaf, and the two leaders set up a meeting to try and reach some agreement. Onoki's stubbornness led to Hiruzen snapping at the meeting, and this action would erupt into the Rock declaring war against the Leaf. The Sand and the Rain also entered the war, both having issues with the Rock and Leaf. The enemy forces proved much stronger than the Rock anticipated (especially the Sand's forces, contrasting greatly with the near-conquest of the village years ago), leading to careful planning and conservative attacks, making this war a long, drawn out one. Small forces, most of them composed of the Explosion Corps, led assaults against key areas, leading to their capture. Despite this, resistance always arose, leading to them having to fall back. This tug-of-war would be the story of their part in the war.
Kumo:
The Cloud stayed out of the Second World War, but Ratashi used the chaos of war to try and kidnap more children. Some time into the war they would fail to capture a young Konoha shinobi, and a team led by Minato, now a young adult, was organized to both halt the team and to issue a warning against the Cloud. It was here that A and Minato clashed for the first time. Kumo's squad retreated, but they never told the warning to the Third Raikage. There would be repeated attempts of kidnappings during the later years of the war, each of them being fended off by a team led by Minato. Eventually the Cloud got the message and stopped constantly sending squads out, but the damage had already been dealt. The Cloud only went unpunished until the war ended, when Konoha was able to compose a force to do battle with the Cloud if need be.
19 years ago:
Kiri:
To the people of the Mist, a great miracle would happen. A young prodigy known as Genji Jishima (assissted by the village's 14 year-old jinchuuriki, Yagura) would rise up and defeat the head Swordsman Hiricho, therefore holding Taro and the other Swordsmen by the reigns as he took the head Swordsman's spot. Taro's tyranny would come to a crushing halt as Genji enforced an era of inner peace and prosperity for the village.
18 years ago:
Suna:
The Sand was victorious against the Rock, directly leading to them backing out of the war. The Leaf proved to have the advantage in the end, and it was clear that the Sand would not win the war. They and the Leaf were the only two nations still fighting at this point, so the Sand surrendered, causing the Second World War to end.
Iwa:
Surprisingly, the Rock was the first to back out of the war. It was clear that their assaults were getting nowhere, so they quietly made peace with the Leaf, Sand, and Rain, doing nothing but loosening the restrictions they placed on the Sand. The Cloud's covert kidnapping would become known to them at this time, leading into an investigation of missing people.
Kumo:
During the twilight months of the Second World War, when it was apparent that the conflict would end soon, Konoha issued a final warning towards Kumo, telling them to cease their kidnappings at once. To further coax them into submitting, information of their various attempts were shared with the other great nations. Ratashi had no choice but to give up the covert operations.
17 years ago:
Konoha:
Again there was a small era of peace as Konoha prospered from their victories. However, it is during this time that the village would lose four of its greatest ninja. Sakumo shamed the village greatly by failing a mission in order to save his comrades. This resulted in the Fire Daimyo getting killed, and the newer Daimyo was not as favorable towards Konoha as the past one was. He killed himself sometime after the start of the third world war, when not even a successful mission redeemed himself in the eyes of the village. Orochimaru was discovered conducting vile experiments, and he fled the village, Jiraiya pursuing him. With the lack of her friends and "family," Tsunade left the village as well.
Iwa:
Iwagakure discovered that Dodai had been kidnapped by the Cloud in the past, and declared war on Kumogakure, determined to not let this transgression go unpunished. They gathered most of their forces and marched to the Land of Lightning. The Third Raikage would single-handedly defeat most of Iwagakure's forces, leading to the Rock having no choice but to back down and recuperate from their losses. Their careful nature in the second world war resulted in very few casualties compared to the other nations, but the Third Raikage's attack created casualties akin to the other nations in that war.
Kumo:
Following the warning issued by Konoha, Iwagakure amassed a large force and declared war on Kumogakure. They had drawn the connections and found out that Dodai was taken from them many years ago and wanted vengeance for both him and the other children that Kumogakure recently attempted to kidnap. Ratashi protected the entire village by single-handedly fended off the massive amount of Iwagakure troops that gathered outside of Kumogakure, but died in the process. His son, A, became the Fourth Raikage.
16 years ago:
Suna:
A young prodigy of the Puppet Technique, Sasori, left the village. He was the grandson of Chiyo and was taught the Puppet Technique by her. His parents were killed by the famous Sakumo Hatake during the Second World War, and the loneliness he felt led to him defecting.
Kumo:
A put a halt to all conflicts by formally apologizing for his father's actions. Dodai remained in the Cloud of his own free volition, seeing it as his home over Iwagakure. Kumogakure would become a isolationist power at this time, gathering power while getting involved in no conflicts.
14 years ago:
Konoha:
Shotetsu, the Third Kazekage, disappeared. The Sand went to such great lengths to find their Kazekage that they became violent and accusatory towards the Rock and the Leaf. The Third Great Shinobi War had begun, and it was mostly fought in the Land of Grass. The Whirlpool refused to fight in the war, and the Rain constructed great walls to keep the war outside of their country. The famed Minato became a hero in this war when he and his squad took out a vital bridge for the Rock's line of supply, turning the war in their favor, in addition to his sheer power and ability. Minato then won the war for Konoha, and, in a shocking move, married the princess of the Whirlpool, Kushina Uzumaki, uniting the two villages forever as he was appointed Fourth Hokage with Hiruzen's retirement.
Suna:
Shotetsu mysteriously vanished at this time, leading to a panic among the people of the Sand. After several weeks of searching, no signs of him were found and they had no choice but to declare him dead. The Sand began accusing several villages, primarily the Rock and Leaf, of assassinating the Kazekage. Their violent denouncements sparked tensions, which erupted into war. The Sand was ill-prepared for the Third Great Shinobi War, with internal tensions leading to ineffectual fighting. The Sand's quick defeat meant that this world war would be much shorter than the other ones. It would not be until many years later that it was discovered that Shotetsu was killed by the rogue shinobi Sasori and converted into a puppet.
Kiri:
Yagura, sick of being rejected by the people despite his contributions to them, decided to usurp Taro completely. He partnered with Genji, and they fought against Taro and the Seven Mist Swordsmen. The Swordsmen Kazuma and Masuma would be killed in the battle, and Taro soon surrendered, making Yagura the Fourth Mizukage. A new set of Swordsmen were then chosen: Genji, Fuguki, Jinpachi, Jinin, Hiricho, Raiga, and Azira Yuki; and they began a benevolent rule during the Third Shinobi World War that would not last for long.
Iwa:
The Rock had recovered from their devastating loss against the Cloud just in time for Sunagakure to become increasingly violent towards them. The Third Great Shinobi War began, with the majority of the Rock's forces moving towards the Sand. Iwagakure also saw a great opportunity to make a sneak attack against the Leaf, but their plans were discovered and Konoha sent out a regiment of forces to deal with them. The Konoha forces, led by Minato, were successful in destroying the bridge they were constructing in the Land of Grass to easily supply their troops. The offense against the Leaf was hopeless, and their numbers proved too few to deal with the Sand. Onoki was infuriated and ordered a few suicide missions, which led to some of his forces defecting. He regained his senses and backed out of the war a few days later.
Kumo:
While the Third World War was short, it was a very profitable opportunity for the Cloud. Using their neutral position, they were able to sell supplies to any nation that needed them. Since they were not in combat, they could improve their military instead of expending it in combat. Kumogakure would ascend to be one of the strongest villages after the war, rivalled only by Konoha.
13 years ago:
Konoha:
The unification of the two countires shocked the ninja world, downright outraging some of them. The Sand and Rock had been greatly weakened in the war, so they couldn't act. The Cloud didn't care much and wanted to continue to remain neutral to Konoha. The Mist, however, did not approve. The Fourth Mizukage initiated a surprise attack against the Whirlpool and the Leaf: his trusted jonin leading the attack on Konoha, the Seven Mist Swordsmen (led by the mighty Genji Jishima) attacking the Whirlpool. Both villages were taken by surprise and injured, but they couldn't counterattack without dealing with the threats at their homeland. Konoha successfully fended off the Mist, but the Whirlpool was in a very tight spot: Genji had executed the Whirlpool's leader and was holding Kushina hostage to draw Minato out! Genji demanded that Minato surrender Konoha or else he'd kill Kushina. Minato refused and attacked Genji, and Kushina was gravely injured in the following battle. The entire event led to the collpase and destruction of the Whirlpool's island nation. Minato was enraged, and he managed to single-handedly defeat Genji and the remainder of the Mist's forces (Nijuichi Fuuma, who had traveled from the River Country to assist his fellow people, had taken down some of the Mist). Minato wanted to crush the Mist afterwards, but Hiruzen talked him out of it and forged peace with the Mist. Minato was now heavily depressed, and the villagers were worried about his health. Everything seemed to be okay once Kushina made a recovery.
Suna:
Yarito, the son of Shotetsu, was chosen as the Fourth Kazekage following the war. The daimyo of the Land of Wind would begin outsourcing missions to the Leaf at this time, silently protesting against the Sand's actions that led to war. This led to an economic decline, and Yarito was desperate to improve the village's power. With the fading health of Shukaku's second host, and the pregnancy of his wife, a diabolical plan entered his head...
Kiri:
When the Leaf and the Whirlpool united, Yagura feared that the nation would become too powerful. He was weary of the alliance, but also weary of attacking them. Yagura decided to initiate a sneak attack on Konoha and the Whirlpool: his powerful ninja attacking Konoha and the Seven Mist Swordsmen attacking the Whirlpool. The Mist forces attacking Konoha were defeated, and Genji's forces had successfully killed the Whirlpool's leader and were holding the princess hostage. She was soon dealt a critical blow, and the rage of the Fourth Hokage enabled him to single-handedly defeat the Swordsmen and force the rest of the Mist's forces to retreat (with prior assistance from Nijuichi Fuuma, leader of the Valley). The Whirlpool was destroyed, and Yagura and Genji feared a great retribution, but the former Third Hokage contacted them, offering peace. They accepted, and the small period of benevolent rule began once more.
Iwa:
The Rock once again began reconstructing after the third world war. Their army had been greatly weakened by this war and the war against the Cloud a few year prior. Still determined to carry out missions to receive desperately-needed money, the Rock hired the mercenary force Akatsuki to carry out some of these missions as they recovered from the damage.
12 years ago:
Konoha:
A few months after the war against the Mist, Kushina would start to give birth. Madara, seeking a chance to weaponize the Kyuubi once more, found the location of her birth and took their newborn son as a hostage. Seeing no choice, Kushina opened the seal, and Madara took control of the Kyuubi. Minato fiercely defended his country against the appearance of the Kyuubi. He could not defeat Madara, but he weakened the Uchiha to the point of forced retreating. He successfully sealed the Kyuubi into his son at the cost of his life, all for the village that he cherished and loved. Naruto, the village's third jinchuuriki, had been made, and the villagers would distrust and shun him for quite some time against Minato's wishes. Then began an era of reconstruction, and Hiruzen came out of retirement and became the Hokage once more. The peace treaty between the Mist would be abolished as soon as Konoha discovered the Fourth Mizukage's vile acts.
Suna:
Shukaku's second host died and the beast was sealed in a pot that would only hold him for a few days. A few hours before the pot's expiration, Karura, Yarito's wife, began to give birth. Yarito had no choice but to order Shukaku be sealed into his unborn son to prevent Shukaku from breaking free. The chaotic transferal of chakra during a delicate childbirth led to the success of Yarito's son, Gaara, becoming a jinchuuriki, but at the cost of his wife's life. Yarito grew to despise his son for this, viewing him as the reason for her death. His son would be raised as a tool in hopes he would become a powerful weapon the village desperately needed.
11 years ago:
Kiri:
Everything would change for the worse as Madara arrived in Kirigakure. He manipulated Yagura so that he would be an even worse monster than Taro was. The daimyo was assassinated (scaring off any potential daimyo from now on due to the 100% daimyo death rate), and new policies such as reinstating the bloody way to graduate the academy had been made. Genji stuck with his friend's decisions, the inner corruption that had been building up inside of him now springing forth. Hiricho and Raiga fought against the others, but they were slain. The new policies had thrown the land into chaos. The Bloody Mist had been born.
10 years ago:
Konoha:
The Leaf and Cloud finally entered another war when conflicts on trading agreements arose. The forces were evenly matched, so they agreed on a ceasefire and peace treaty. The Cloud sent their Head Ninja as the ambassador, but he tried to steal Hinata for the secrets of the Byakugan and was killed by Hiashi. The Cloud was outraged at their Head Ninja's death. They demanded the death of the one who killed him, but Hizashi (Hiashi's twin brother), took his brother's place instead.
Kiri:
A replacement for Hiricho had been found: the young A replacement for Hiricho had been found: the young Zabuza Momochi, who had killed all of the graduating students in the graduation test a few years prior (a first), when he himself was not even a student yet. He was made a Swordsman, along with another skilled young ninja, Ameyuri Ringo, who replaced Raiga. Fuguki would be killed by one of his subordinates, Kisame Hoshigaki, who took his spot in the Swordsmen. The Mizukage, upon seeing that several of the kekkei genkai clans opposed him, ordered the execution of all of them, including the Swordsman Azira. Azira fled the village before he could be killed, and a skilled ninja known as Kushimaru Kurirare replaced him. Besides a few survivors, all of the kekkei genkai clans had been wiped out by the end of the year.
Kumo:
The Cloud would finally enter another war after six years of peace when trading disputes arose between them and Konoha. Neither side wished for a large number of casualties, so a ceasefire and peace treaty were quickly made. A saw a great opportunity for kidnapping a young child with a kekkei genkai, a temptation which he gave in to. The Head Ninja would attempt to kidnap the heiress to the Hyuga clan, but was killed in the process. In a slick move, the Cloud declared murder and wished for the head of the man that killed their head ninja's death. The man's twin brother offered to take his place. This fooled the Cloud for a few weeks, but they were indifferent when they discovered the truth. Blood had been paid in blood.
9 years ago:
Konoha:
Another period of peace began, but there was hidden conflict. The Uchihas were forming plans for a coup detat, for Konoha suspected they were behind the Kyuubi's attack and relocated them to a small corner in the village, severely angering the Uchiha. Itachi was appointed to ANBU by his father under orders to spy on Konoha, but Itachi's detest towards his father's plans made him go double agent. It was during this time that Itachi would also join Akatsuki in search of Madara, who he suspected was still alive. Although not knowing Madara personally, he did read the records of the clan and knew what the former Uchiha leader had done and what he might still do.
Kiri:
The inner fighting of the country climaxed as the kekkei genkai clans fell to the flames of war. Bloodshed was everywhere as several factions fought against each other or against Yagura's forces. Kisame, Zabuza, and Ameyuri were sick of seeing their ruler relish in the chaos of the land, and attempted to assassinate him. They partnered with a promising subordinate of the Swordsmen, Mangetsu Houzuki, and the four convinced Jinpachi, Jinin, and Kushimaru to join their rebellion. The seven then made a move to assassinate Yagura and Genji, but they failed. Jinin, Jinpachi, and Kushimaru died in the assassination attempt, while Zabuza, Kisame, and Ameyuri fled, becoming missing-nin. Mangetsu was partly responsible for the failed assassination, for his cowardice led to him leaking information to Yagura. This led to his life being spared. The only Mist Swordsman left was Genji. Yagura began annexing the series of islands around the Land of Water, planning vile uses for them.
Taro emerged from his hiding with a massive force that opposed Yagura. The Civil War of the Mist began as the fighting ravaged the land. Most of the innocent civilians had been evacuated to another island by Taro, who had secretly met with them and apologized for his former actions. Taro, witnessing Yagura's actions, made him realize what he would have headed towards if he was not constantly dethroned. The war raged for several years, with no side in clear victory. With Genji's subduement, the tides of war shifted towards Taro's favor. Yagura and Taro fought, and Taro ripped out Yagura's bijuu, killing the brainwashed monster of a Mizukage. Genji fled, and Taro was, once again, the village's leader (once again refusing to be known as a Mizukage).
6 years ago:
Suna:
Gaara was publicly known as a jinchuuriki and was ostracized and feared for being the host of a tailed beast. This led to outrages and tantrums that endangered the lives of villagers. Yarito and his brother, Yashamaru, both had trained Gaara throughout his childhood. Yashamaru was the only person that Gaara trusted, for he accepted the boy. Even Gaara's siblings feared him at times, leading to his distrust in them. One day during this time, Gaara nearly killed a group of children in one of his outrages, and Yarito deemed him a failure. He ordered Yashamaru to kill Gaara, enraged that his wife's death could not even produce a viable weapon. With a heavy heart, Yashamaru did so, lying to Gaara that he never cared about him as he tried to kill him. Gaara killed Yashamaru and went berserk, Shukaku gaining control. Yarito stopped Shukaku by using his Magnet Release to control his Gold Dust, which seeped through Shukaku's sand defenses. Six other assassination attempts were ordered upon Gaara, and all of them failed. Covneniently, this hardened Gaara, making him a cold-blooded killer and the weapon that Yarito always desired.
5 years ago:
Konoha:
Itachi made his move to stop the coup detat and initiated what would be known as the Uchiha Massacre. Only Itachi's younger brother, Sasuke, was left alive in the carnage. Itachi fled from the village afterward, joining the criminal organization Akatsuki. Afterward, another period of peace began, with minor conflicts every now and then.
Kiri:
After the civil war began a great period of reconstruction, for the land was more ravaged than ever. There were a few small groups opposing Taro, thinking that he was just deceiving them with a benevolent mask like in the past, but these rebellions were easily crushed. Taro was getting too old to rule alone, so he had his daughter, Mei, advise him on his decisions. The rebellions became next-to-nothing as the new peaceful policies went into place, including allowing a daimyo to rule to country for the first time in fifteen years. A new set of Swordsmen were also chosen: a reformed Genji, Raigetsu Houzuki, Gido and Jizo Diore, Yoshimura Shikoro, Mangetsu Houzuki, Oda Shikoro. The seventh position was left vacant, with several young apprentices vying for it.
Iwa:
Eight years had passed since the Rock began their reconstruction effort, and it was a great success. Despite the devastating losses they endured, they shot right back to a powerful nation with a large shinobi force, and they no longer required Akatsuki's services.
The Present:
Konoha:
The Sound and Sand initiated an undercover joint attack during the Leaf's chunin exams. Orochimaru, the mastermind behind the attack, did battle with the Hokage. The Fourth Kazekage would attempt to kill the Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake. Both were defeated, but Hiruzen's life ended when he unsuccessfully tried to seal away Orochimaru, but only sealed his arms instead. The Sound and the Sand were fended off, and currently Konoha is in an uneasy position. They are without a Kage, as the candidate that the elder council wishes to lead them, Jiraiya, considers himself unfit for the role. He is currently acting as the Fifth Hokage, but does not view himself as such and thus makes as little decisions as possible. His goal is to track down his former teammate Tsunade and make her the Hokage instead, knowing that she would be a far better leader than he ever could be.
Suna:
While Yarito was successful in making Gaara a weapon, it did little to help the Sand's failing economy. His Gold Dust could only go so far in keeping the economy from outright crashing. The Sand had been in a depression for some time, and it was looking as if killing the daimyo was the only way out. Then, as if it were a miracle, Orochimaru arrived and offered to financially support the Sand if they would assist his village, the Sound, in attacking the Leaf. Yarito accepted because he was bitter against the Leaf for taking their missions, but also because it was an offer that he could not refuse. Both the Sand and the Sound were defeated during the invasion, but the invasion resulted in the daimyo ceasing the outsourcing of missions. Finally the Sand are starting to get back on their feet, even though they are in the hands of the Sound due to their payments keeping their economy afloat.
Kiri:
It was only a few months ago that Mei became the Fifth Mizukage. Her appointment to the position was satisfying for everyone in the country, and it appears that finally the Mist will have inner peace.
Iwa:
The Rock held the second division of the chunin exams. This resulted in a gathering of five jinchuuriki, which inticed Akatsuki to invade the village in an attempt to seize them all. A prominent young jonin, Deidara, defected during the invasion, revealing himself to be an Akatsuki spy. The Akatsuki were fended off, but not without many casualties. This event would lead to the beginning of the shinobi villages banding together against Akatsuki.
Kumo:
The famed Daiki rebeled against the Cloud. His rebellion was due to A formulating a plan to kidnap the surviving Uchiha boy, Sasuke. Daiki disagreed with this plan, and rebeled to make A's plans known. Daiki was executed after being brought to justice, his true noble intentions going unheard by the populace. The criminal organization Akatsuki would make itself known to the world upon kidnapping the jinchuuriki of the Two-Tails, Yugito. She was rescued, and the Cloud would begin a crusade against Akatsuki for this act.
Since time immemorial, the history of the land has always been one of conflict. Written records and oral history paint a tale of war between humans, animals, and demons, the webs of conflict engulfing all three of them into wars with each other and civil wars. Humans had technology on their side, able to craft weapons to injure others, armor to protect themselves, and other improvements to their homes. Animals were able to use natural energy and the advantages of their own bodies. Humans and animals would sometimes unite and sign pacts, allowing the humans to summon the animals in times of need. Both were unanimously opposed against the vile demons, which combined the aspects of the two.
It is difficult to separate legend from reality in the history of these times. One prominent figure that made a radical change in the world was Hagoromo Otsutsuki, a man known as the Sage of the Six Paths. He possessed unique eyes known as the Rinnegan, which gave him unique powers akin to those of animals and demons. He learned how to harness the energy within the body and, emulating the techniques of the animals and demons, developed ninjutsu. A man that desired an end to the conflict, the Sage taught people how to use ninjutsu, as well as spreading a message of peace. To achieve piece, one thing was apparent: the demons had to be fought back, for they were a force incapable of anything but warring against others. The Sage and his followers traveled the land, fighting the demons and beating them back into the dark crevices of the earth from which they emerged. The Sage eventually faced the Lord of All Demons, the Jubi, and defeated it. He used the powers of his Rinnegan to imprison the Jubi in a celestial rock prison which is known as the moon. Now that the Jubi and the demons were gone, peace had finally reached the world.
The Sage had two sons, one who inherited the power of his eyes and one who inherited his spirit and will. The two competed to be his successor, and both had differing views of peace. The older son, Okuninushi, wanted to use power to dominate and unite the people of the land into one nation. The younger son, Ninigi, opposed this view, saying that love is the way to peace. On the Sage's deathbed, the younger son was chosen as his succesor. His views are why the people of the world are not united as one and why there are separate countries.
The sons feuded for quite some time, but they eventually made bitter peace with each other. It is said that the older son sired the clans that possessed doujutsu-- the Hyuga, Eizan, and Kodokuna. The younger son sired the Senju, Uzumaki, and Hattori clans-- clans which possessed great spirit and natural talent. Of these clans, the younger son's descendants would travel the world and mingle with the natives of these lands. The older son's descendants immediately settled down in one area, though conflict eventually drove some of them apart. This is why the Hatake, Sarutobi, Fuuma, Terumi, Fukui, and Getsuken clans are all said to be able to be traced back to having roots in one of those three clans. The Uchiha clan would come about when Adra Hyuga's eyes changed one day into a fierce red, possessing strange abilities different from the Hyuga Byakugan. Adra was exiled from the Hyuga clan due to fear of gaining power from demons. Similar clans arose from undocumented changes in the other two doujutsu, these clans being the Egami and Sanzo clans. Other clans that emerged during this time were clans that practiced their own unique form of ninjutsu, or those that were able to combine elements. Over time, the clans settled down in various locations, but feuding would emerge between the clans at times. The peace soon gave way as feudal lords began allying with the clans as they tried to form territories that they controlled.
The conflict exploded in one area that would today be known as the Land of Fire. Shinobi clans of all kinds, allied with various feudal lords that sought control and territory, would wage war. During this period, terrifying monsters known as the tailed beasts would emerge throughout the world. If they were slain, then they would simply revive a few years later, just as powerful as before. One theory about their appearance is the foul chakra of the Jubi seeping out from its prison, but there is no known fact behind their origin. The arrival of the tailed beasts, as well as the beginning of the war, marks the first recorded year of history, where legends fade away completely.
Approx. 100 years ago:
Land of Fire:
Blood was shed all across the Land of Fire as the various clans fought. Of the many shinobi clans, several were completely slaughtered while others rose to fame. The most prominent clans were the Senju and the Uchiha, bitter enemies of each other. Other powerful clans were the Hyuga, Uzumaki, Hatake, and Sarutobi. One by one, the clans were wiped out or surrendered, and eventually the war came down to two clans-- the Senju and the Uchiha. The other clan was the only obstacle for control of the country. The clans' leaders, Hashirama and Madara, were equally matched. The battle ended with a draw, and a truce was called, by both the clans and the daimyos that hired them. Madara did not wish to accept the truce, wanting to drag the war on until the Uchiha could obtain a more advantegeous position, but the clan made him reluctantly agree. Finally, after nearly 30 years of conflict, the clan wars ended.
65 years ago:
Land of Fire:
The feudal lords let the clans alone as they discussed amongst themselves how the country would be goverened. The clans that still had large numbers (the Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga, Hatake, Inuzuka, Aburame, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Uzumaki) settled down in small villages, as did the few survivors of eliminated clans. There was no government, nor was there much contact between the clans. This was a time of restoration that lasted a decade.
55 years ago:
Land of Fire:
Fed up with the isolation of the clans, Hashirama made contact of them all, showing his intentions of uniting the clans and the other peoples of the land into one large village. This excluded the Uzumaki clan, who had moved west sometime during the decade of peace and settled there. Hashirama's intentions were to bolster the defense of everyone, as well as create a united community that would help and provide for each other. The heads of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, Madara and Hizuro, traveled to Hashirama to learn the specifics of the government he had in mind, neither clan wanting the Senju to dominate in power.
The heads of the three strongest clans consulted with each other, and came to a conclusion. To ensure that the peace would last, they would all band together without being ruled by the daimyo of the country. This was at the cost of a lack of financial security, but the Uzumaki would no doubt be close allies, and they were allied with a daimyo. The government would consist of one elected leader, and a council consisting of elected members of each of the clans. The leader would look out for the interests of all of the villages, while the council members would mostly look out for their clans interest. Madara and Hizuro left, promising to vote for each other in the elections, as they were long time friends. The candidates for the position of Hokage were Hashirama and Tobirama of the Senju, Madara of the Uchiha, Hizuro of the Hyuga, Sho of the Aburame, Shiro of the Nara, Inodo of the Yamanaka, Chozu of the Akimichi, Ken of the Inuzuka, and Azoro of the Hatake. Tobirama had always contained different views than his older brother, which is why his presence in the election was fair.
Over a period of weeks, the clans and other wishing to join the village would migrate to the site of the new village. Hashirama used his fabled Wood Release to practically summon the village from the ground. Konohagakure was born.
The elections continued over the course of several weeks, and soon it was down to two candidates: the rivals Hashirama and Madara. The votes were tied, and Hizuro Hyuga (who lost) was late. He had promised to Madara beforehand to always vote for him, but Hizuro instead voted for Hashirama (believing that Madara lied to him due to their differing viewpoints and the unlikely tie earlier that eliminated both him and Tobirama at the same time). Madara had become so obsessed with and so certain that he would gain the position of Hokage that he murdered Hizuro later that night for vengeance. He was immediately exiled from the village, with the declaration from the new Hokage Hashirama that he would be killed if he stepped foot into the village again.
Land of Wind, Land of Earth, Land of Lightning:
These countries, hearing of the births of Uzushiogakure and Konohagakure, decide to emulate the success of these villages by allying with daimyos in their countries. Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure were born during this time, led by Fujin Saito, Kazan Ryokuzo, and Raiden Yotsuki, respectively.
53 years ago:
Konoha:
Hashirama traveled the world, making contact with these new nations in hopes of making alliances to further increase security and the economy. No alliances were made, but Hashirama, eager to establish friendship, helped some of the villages take down tailed beasts that were oppressing them. Hashirama's ability of using the Yang Release enabled him to subdue and seal the beasts, which were then given as gifts to some of the nations. It was during this time that Konoha had to ally with a daimyo, seeing no other way to sustain their current way of living.
Suna:
Hashirama arrived in the village seeking an alliance, and helped the desert dwellers in defeating the One-Tailed Tanuki and the Seven-Tailed Beetle. Both were sealed into shinobi, creating jinchuuriki. The Sand was grateful for Hashirama's assistance and made a trading agreement with the Leaf. Shortly after, the host of the Seven-Tails defected to the Waterfall, and that beast has remained in that village's possession ever since.
Land of Water:
This country's early history was large groups of sailors, tourists, and ninja wanting to get away from their homes sailing to a newly-discovered island. They decided to start building villages, and one shinobi suggested they form a ninja village to protect the other civilian villages from any pirates or vandals. There was a mass agreement, and the construction began.
Iwa:
Hashirama arrived in the village seeking an alliance, or at least a peaceful relationship. He helped the newly formed Rock in dealing with the two tailed beasts that rampaged across their lands: the Four-Tailed Ape and the Five-Tailed Creature. These bijuu were sealed into shinobi from the Rock, giving friendly relations between the two villages. However, the Rock would come to view the jinchuuriki not as gifts of peace, but as useful and powerful weapons. The peoples of the village had always sought great power, even before the village's construction. This idea is perfectly summed up by Kazan and his little brother, Muu, born from a man that possessed Lava Release and a woman that possessed Explosion Release. While Kazan inherited the Lava Release (but enhanced to a power previously unknown), Muu gained a mixture of the two elemental fusions, the first kekkei tota: Dust Release. With the Four-Tails granting Lava Release in all of its forms, and the Five-Tails granting another kekkei tota, Steam Release, the village became incredibly confident in its power.
52 years ago:
Suna:
The Sand began to spread their sphere of influence throughout the world using economic needs. While the majority of the desert was barren, there were lush pockets of valuable materials near oases or mountains that made the country rich. Sungakure would shortly become a major trading power, and its people prospered as a result.
Kumo:
The fierce attitude that Kumogakure has always known to have was able to be seen even in the village's early history. When Hashirama arrived to try and make an alliance, he was surprised to learn that the Cloud shinobi had already managed to seal away the two beasts in their land. The seals used to lock away the beasts were of a poor quality, but Hashirama was turned away by the proud Raikage, who wanted no assistance from outsiders. The village's famed Gold and Silver Brothers would have a run in with the Nine-Tailed Fox, of which they barely escaped with their lives. The encounter left them with powers similar to those of other jinchuuriki.
50 years ago:
Konoha:
Madara returned with the fearsome Kyuubi under his control, aiming to annihilate Konoha. Knowing that Madara only wanted his life, Hashirama offered to duel Madara, and the Uchiha accepted. Hashirama led him to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rice Fields, where they did battle. The fight was a fierce and legendary battle that split the cliffside open. Even though Madara had the Kyuubi on his side, Hashirama managed to temporarily seal the Kyuubi and kill Madara, but suffering severe injuries himself that were unable to be healed by jutsu due to Madara slicing off one of Hashirama's hands. Upon returning, the Kyuubi was sealed into his wife, Mito Uzumaki, to keep the beast from coming back. Hashirama died from medical complications a few weeks later. His younger brother, Tobirama, was made the Second Hokage. The area where Madara and Hashirama fought would be known as the Valley of the End.
49 years ago:
Konoha:
After Madara's attack, the village was rebuilt and all information sworn to be covered up to the future generations. The Uchiha were discriminated by Tobirama, who detested them all because of Madara, but their leader, Aimi (who had been Madara's wife), convinced him to lay off his harshness. They were given the Police Corps position so Tobirama could keep a close eye on them, angering many of the Uchiha, but they were calmed by Aimi. This small period was one of peace, despite the inner conflict amongst the government and the Uchiha.
48 years ago:
Suna:
Forces from Iwagakure arrived in the village as the people of the Land of Wind were threatened to give up most of their luxury goods to the Land of Earth. Fujin, the First Kazekage, was outraged, but he knew that his people could not win in a battle against the Rock, so he was forced to accept their unfair deals. Plans of vengeance entered the minds of the Sand's military commanders...
Land of Water:
The village was still under construction, but would gain a powerful asset in the form of Motoi Uchizo, a masked man that showed up and greatly helped out the peoples of this nation by not only presiding over the construction of the village, but by also subduing and sealing the Three-Tailed Turtle and the Six-Tailed Slug that had been harassing the peoples Due to his mighty power and charity, the citizens decided to make him their leader. Soon, the village was complete, and was christened Kirigakure.
Iwa:
After amassing a great military force, the First Tsuchikage, Kazan, threatened the nearby Land of Wind for the luxury goods they possessed, as well as making unfair trade agreements. The Sand had no choice but to comply to these demands, for despite the strength of the Kazekage, there was no way that he could win in a battle with the two Ryokuzo brothers. The Sand also did not have a military force anywhere near that of the Rock. This would be the first of many hostilities between the two villages, forming a long-lasted bond of enmity between the two.
47 years ago:
Iwa:
Seeking to further gain power, the Rock forcibly made the much weaker, neighboring Stone and Waterfall countries become vassals of the country. The Sand, Leaf, and Whirlpool began to become weary of the Rock's aggressive actions.
46 years ago:
Iwa:
As the Whirlpool predicted, Iwagakure began threatening them with force should they not relinquish some of their power and lands. This infuriated not only the Whirlpool, but the Leaf as well. Tobirama had become fed up with the Rock's aggressive tendencies and began pressuring other shinobi villages to band together to take down the Rock should they make any warmongering move. This increased tensions all around, culminating then Iwagakure announced a new Tsuchikage, Kazan's younger brother Muu. Kazan was still alive and well and showed no signs of giving up the position, effectively making two active Tsuchikages. It was assumed that Muu would govern lands that Iwagakure was confident that they could obtain. War seemed inevitable...
45 years ago:
Konoha:
The period of peace abruptly ended when the great shinobi nation of Iwagakure declared war on both Konoha and their loose allies, Uzushiogakure. The Rock sought to gain more territory and power, and partially did so because of Tobirama pressuring the other shinobi villages to accept alliances with the threat of retaliation. The forces of the Leaf and of the Whirlpool both moved out to combat the Rock. Shortly after, a newly formed shinobi village unheard of before now, the Mist, declared war on Konoha while most of their forces were outside of the village. The First Shinobi World War had begun.
The Cloud and the Sand would soon enter the war, with hopes of gaining more land, wealth, or power. The Sand would soon drop out of the war due to excessive casualties from their failed assault on the Rock and the Whirlpool. Tobirama demonstrated to the world the powerful Edo Tensei technique during this world, resurrecting Hashirama to do battle against the enemies of Konoha. The Mist eventually surrendered, and the Cloud sought to ally with Konoha. Eager to defeat the Rock, Tobirama traveled to the Land of Lightning with his six students to make a formal alliance with the village, letting Hashirama lead the assault against the Rock. During the meeting, both he and the Second Raikage were attacked by the Gold and Silver Brothers of the Cloud, leaving both injured. Tobirama fled with his team, believing that the Cloud had led them into a trap. The entire Kinkaku Force, the Cloud's elite shinobi team, had gone rogue and was out for Tobirama's head. It was at this time that Hiruzen, one of Tobirama's students, was appointed the position of Third Hokage as Tobirama held off the team to let them escape. He did not survive the attack, but most of the Kinkaku Force was killed in the battle. Hashirama was killed again during the fight against the Rock, but the combined forces of the Leaf and the Whirlpool were eventually too much for the Rock to continue fighting. The war had ended after four years of conflict, with the Leaf and the Whirlpool victorious. An armistice treaty was signed between the nations.
Suna:
Iwagakure declared war on the Leaf and the Whirlpool, and Fujin decided it was the perfect time to retaliate against the Rock's aggression three years prior. The forces of the Sand mobilized, led by Fujin himself, and marched into the Stone village, which was occupied by Iwagakure forces. The Rock was defeated and expeled from the Stone, liberating the village (although they were still officially under the control of the Land of Earth). From here, the forces of the Sand split, one part heading to the Whirlpool to gain more land and power. Fujin and his forces pushed into the Land of Earth, aiming directly at Iwagakure itself. Kazan confronted the Sand and their forces, and in the ensuing battle the Sand was crushed. Nearly all of the forces died, and among the casualties was the First Kazekage. The forces attacking the Whirlpool were ill-prepared, and the Sand was forced to drop out of the war. In the armistice treaty at the end of the war, the Rock's trade agreements were returned to normal, and they only had minor penalties for attacking the Whirlpool.
Kiri:
After establishing many of the Mist's policies, Motoi decided to declare war on the Leaf. The people of the Mist were unsure if it was a wise decision, but the Rock had attacked the Leaf at near the same time, causing most of the Mist ninja to gain confidence and gather to fight (for most of them were former dwellers of the Land of Fire that fled the Clan Wars, and they wished to return home without discrimination for their cowardice). The Mist was soon established as a great nation, making Motoi the Mizukage. His reign would be short, for he was assassinated shortly after his appointment. Two faithful followers of Motoi, Taro Terumi and Kazuo Houzuki, would both assume leader positions. Taro would be a powerful advisor-like leader that dealt with the people, while Kazuo would be the Mizukage and would deal with the war.
As the Mist fought the Leaf attackers, their numbers began to lower, so they surrendered. This angered the Rock, as they saw the Mist as useful distractions. In anger, the Second Tsuchikage attacked the retreating Mist forces, and Kazuo was among the dead. Taro assumed command of the village, but not the Mizukage position out of respect for Kazuo. The war had left them in a depression due to financial losses, so Taro had little choice but to hand over rule of the land to a daimyo lord. This, along with his violent policies, caused great anger in the citizens of the land, and riots happened, demanding that they have one single ruler that they can trust. Taro silenced the riots by forming an elite unit of ninja: the famed Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. The strife in the village was silenced due to the fear of Taro's power.
Iwa:
The tensions between the Rock and the Leaf and the Whirlpool snapped when the Rock declared war on both nations in an attempt to not only gain more land and power, but to prevent the alliance against them that might have formed if they left Tobirama alone. The Rock's declaration of war inspired a newly formed nation, the Mist, to enter the fray. The Sand and the Cloud would enter the war shortly after, elevating it to world war status. Kazan led the defensive forces that held off the Leaf and Whirlpool's offense, while Muu led the vanguard squads into the Whirlpool and Leaf. During these offensive attacks, Muu would frequently run into forces led by the Second Mizukage, Kazuo Houzuki. Their many repeated coincidental encounters created a fierce rivalry between the two. This rivalry would erupt into hatred when the Mist pulled out of the war, causing a key assault led by Muu to fail because the Mist were no longer distracting Konoha's forces. Muu tracked down Kazuo and fought him to the death in retaliation, with both men perishing in the battle.
Back at the homefront, Kazan had successfully banished Sunagakure from the war by devastating a large army by himself and slaying the First Kazekage in combat. Tobirama withdrew most of his offensive forces and the Whirlpool went on the defense as a resurrected Hashirama led squads from both the Leaf and the Whirlpool against Iwagakure. Hashirama's presence caused many casualties for the Rock, but Kazan rekilled the First Hokage by burying him under lava. This assault had cost Iwagakure most of their army, and the reserve forces of the Leaf and Whirlpool made a charge against the Rock that they could not defend against. Kazan was determined to keep fighting as long as possible, and the recently-promoted Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, killed him with the assistance of Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, Kagami Uchiha, and Torifu Akimichi. After four years of fighting, the Rock had no choice but to surrender, and an armistice treaty was signed between the villages. The Rock was forced to relinquish the Waterfall and the Stone, and their harsh trade conditions with the Sand were lightened significantly. The position of Tsuchikage went to Kazan's son, a young man named Onoki.
Kumo:
Upon hearing the news that Iwagakure had declared war on Konohagakure, the Cloud readily jumped into the conflict. The people were seeking to gain glory and wealth by defeating the other shinobi nations. This immature view on the conflict made the other nations view the Cloud as barbarous peoples, and the terrors of war caught up with them when Raiden was struck a fatal blow, his squad of men all perishing in a failed attack. Yamatashi, Raiden's brother, was made the Second Raikage. Being a more pragmatic man than his older brother, Yamatashi pulled out of the war and sought to make an alliance with the nation they pissed off the most: Konoha. It was during this time that the S-ranked criminal Kakuzu approached the Gold and Silver Brothers, telling them that Tobirama had a pricey bounty out on his head and that he would split the money if they brought him his corpse. During the alliance meeting, the Gold and Silver Brothers attacked, taking promises of wealth over their prestige. The Raikage and Hokage were wounded, but fended off the brothers, who became the most hated men in Kumogakure's history. This, unfortunately, would shroud the Fukui clan that they belonged to in a mist of discrimination. As Tobirama fled the country, the Kinkaku Force, the Cloud's elite shinobi team, was convinced to join their leader, Kinkaku (the Gold Brother), in hunting down Tobirama. The Kinkaku Force was convinced that it would be an easy battle when they saw that only Tobirama was facing them, but he managed to kill most of the force before dying.
41 years ago:
Konoha:
Hiruzen's first actions as Hokage were to officially ally with the neighboring Whirlpool, deterring any future conflicts for quite some time due to the sheer size and force of this duo. The issue behind the Cloud's "betrayal" was sorted out, but they would not ally due to the distrust that Konoha had shown them. Hiruzen's rule ushered in a long era of peace for the village, which lead to researching things about the world and discovering and inventing many new things in this renaissance-like era. The Whirlpool was not as lucky during this time, with several internal and external conflicts rising up. Konoha did not assist, and could not predict that the many small conflicts would end up collapsing most of the Whirlpool. The Rain and Grass villages would form out of these rebellions, and some portions of the country defected to other nations, Konoha being one of them.
Suna:
Monzaemon Chikamatsu, a brilliant tactician and inventor, was chosen to be the Second Kazekage. As Sunagakure began as a collection of nomadic groups, they had always been behind on technology. Monzaemon's policies focused on modernizing the country, bringing its technological level much closer to that of the other nations.
Kiri:
The village was wracked in poverty and depression still (but in small pockets, most of the country was stable enough), and several smaller riots happened for food. They were are silenced by the Seven Swordsmen, making Taro seem more and more like a bloodthirsty tyrant.
Iwa:
Onoki took on his new position of Tsuchikage by apologizing for his father and uncle's militant actions. Several villages and towns in the Land of Earth, and even Iwagakure itself, were damaged during the war. Onoki and the daimyo of the Land of Earth, Juro (also Onoki's younger brother) began working together to not only repair and rebuild the country, but to also replenish the economy and the military force as well. Their refusal to show any weakness would shortly develop into the fierce stubbornness that Iwagakure and the Land of Earth would be known for.
Kumo:
Fearful of retribution from Konoha, Yamatashi contacted the village and was relieved that they realized that something terribly wrong had happened during the alliance meeting. Yamatashi declined the offer for allying with the Leaf, but assured the village that they would keep trade between the two villages open.
40 years ago:
Suna:
The first jinchuuriki of the One-Tailed Tanuki had fallen gravely ill at this time, and it was clear that there was nothing that could be done to save his life. Monzaemon oversaw the council that decided on the new host for the beast, and he gained the idea to study the effects of hosting a tailed beast. The new host for Shukaku was studied a few days before the previous host's death, and when Shukaku was sealed within her, Monzaemon fervently studied the woman and the abilities of the tailed beast. Monzaemon's studies revealed the power of jinchuuriki, and although they were shared with the officials in countries that had jinchuuriki of their own, nothing changed.
38 years ago:
Suna:
Monzaemon gained a brilliant idea to increase the Sand's military might by creating artificial soldiers to do battle in place of humans. The first puppets were developed, and he called for his daughter, Chiyo, to share his plan of creating an army of these creatures and to see how to animate them. Chiyo's medical expertise revealed that to grant life to these mechanical men would require a fatal amount of chakra, so the idea of creating an army was dropped. The two quickly saw another use for the dolls. By creating strings of chakra, the dolls could be manipulated like puppets. The versatility of puppets and the unorthodox fighting style that ensued would certainly give the Sand a leg up over the other nations. The Puppet Technique had been created, and the Puppet Brigade of shinobi was created soon after.
Kiri:
Then a great blessing was cast over the land as Taro used all of the money he had been saving up in a great reconstruction effort (along with abolishing his past bloody acts), winning back the hearts of many. There was a small group disgusted that Taro had waited until now to help the people, and several assassination attempts were made on the Swordsmen and Taro himself, but only two of the Swordsmen fell to these attacks. They were not replaced.
35 years ago:
Suna:
Iwagakure offered a trade agreement to the Sand after getting back on their feet. The Sand unanimously refused the offer, creating tensions between the two villages. It was during this time that the Sand's economy and quality of life reached its peak. Monzaemon had created the Sand's first and, unfortunately, only golden age.
Iwa:
After six years of hard labor, Iwagakure and other villages in the Land of Earth had been restored to their condition before the first world war. With a renewed village and a strong economy, Onoki began making trade agreements with neighboring countries. The Sand refused their offer, still being bitter over the Rock's aggressive acts in the first world war. This created tensions between the two villages.
Kumo:
Yamatashi would become terribly ill at this time. During his month-long sickness, he retired from the Kage position and gave it to the promising shinobi Ratashi. Upon recovering from his sickness, rather than take his position back, Yamatashi created a new rank of Head Ninja that he would occupy for quite some time. Ratashi was not content with Kumogakure's status as a military power and sought more advantages over the other shinobi nations. During this year he organized a black ops squad that traveled to Iwagakure and stole a youth that had been born with a unique variant of the Lava Release kekkei genkai. This young adult, Dodai, would be held in an interrogation chamber and indoctrinated to fully accept the Cloud and its people, becoming a loyal soldier for them. Rather than be content with having one bloodline, Ratashi would, over the years, order more black ops to capture powerful bloodlines, with varying rates of success and failure.
33 years ago:
Kiri:
The leader behind the rebel group, Shinzo Kariya, made a full assault against Taro. Three of the five remaining Swordsmen died in the attack, and Taro surrendered. Taro was exiled, and Shinzo declared himself the Third Mizukage. He began a benevolent rule plagued by wasteful spending to help the people. The daimyo was assassinated so the Mizukage would completely rule, and each subsequent Daimyo would be killed under Shinzo's rule. Shinzo also sealed the bijuu swimming around the island in a child in the incorrect presumption that it would attack the village. Taro's daughter Mei would be born during his exile from the village, shortly before his return.
32 years ago:
Suna:
Iwagakure was persistent in gaining the Sand's luxury goods, and the Sand was persistent in denying them. Onoki was eventually fed up and sent both of his powerful jinchuuriki to Sunagakure to bully them into stepping down and accepting their deal. Monzaemon saw this as a challenge to test out the Puppet Brigade, which he led. The jinchuuriki were subdued, unable to cope with the strange new style. Confident, Monzaemon asked for a ransom to release the jinchuuriki. It was paid, and the hosts were released. What Monzaemon saw as a lesson in humility, Onoki saw as a challenge. The people of the Sand did not think the same way as their Kage, viewing the people of the Rock as brutish.
Iwa:
The Sand had continued its resistance to the Rock's peaceful offers, enraging the stubborn Onoki. He sent out the jinchuurikis of the Four-Tailed and Five-Tailed beasts to intimidate the Sand into bending to their will. Onoki was surprised as the recently formed Puppet Brigade resisted and captured the jinchuuriki. Onoki (and his brother, the daimyo) was furious when the Sand demanded a ransom for the release of their jinchuuriki, which he reluctantly paid off.
30 years ago:
Suna:
The people of Sunagakure's views of Iwagakure had worsened over time. When the Rock's diplomat aggressively pointed out that their trade agreement had been fair and demanded that the Sand accept it, it was refused once more and people from the Land of Earth were banned from entering the Land of Wind. Only two people opposed this action: Monzaemon and his son, Ebizo. Both saw the actions as immature and potentially dangerous, but the people were learn the consequences of their actions...
Kiri:
Taro returned with a renewed Seven Mist Swordsman group, consisting of Hiricho Kaguya, Kazuma Ryoji, Masuma Gijo, Raiga Kurosuki, Fuguki Suikazan, Jinpachi Munashi, and Jinin Akebino. Jinpachi and Jinin were the two remaining Swordsmen under Shinzo, and they betrayed him. With the help of the Swordsmen, Taro killed Shinzo and reseized his leadership (again, eschewing the Mizukage title) and the country's rule by a daimyo. He then began to make repairs to Shinzo's wasteful spending in the form of repossessing things and selling them back. This caused anger in the people of the village, so, sick of dealing with riots, Taro gave jurisdiction over the village to the Seven Mist Swordsmen. They constantly patroled the village and crushed any rebellion attempts they saw. The village was now ruled under the tyrannical Taro once more.
Iwa:
The Rock was enraged to discover that both the Sand and the Leaf were holding Onoki's aggressive actions against the Sand in contempt, viewing this as absolutely unnecessary. The Rock demanded that the Sand comply with their benign trade agreements, but the Sand pushed things too far by both rejecting their offers and barring people from the Land of Earth from entering the Land of Wind. Hostilities were formed, and a war was on the horizon...
Kumo:
The host of the Eight-Tailed Beast would lose control over the beast at this time, and the creature would go on rampages throughout the country. The creature was subdued and sealed into a man known as Fukai, who was teammates with the powerful shinobi Daiki and A. The decision to make Fukai a jinchuuriki was a rushed one, for he proved inept at controlling the beast. Fearing its powers, Fukai decided to never use them at all costs.
29 years ago:
Suna:
Iwagakure declared war and delivered a devastating sneak attack that nobody in the village was prepared for. Sunagakure's hastily-assembled forces were easily dealt with, and the village was conquered one area at a time. Monzaemon saw it as his duty to protect his village, so he led a suicidal battle against the Tsuchikage. He was killed, and the officials on the Sand chose Fujin's son, Shotetsu, as the Third Kazekage. He was a powerful young man that possessed the Magnet Release and could potentially have matched Onoki. Rather than keep hostilities up, Shotetsu ended things by surrendering to the Rock and accepting their demands. Reconstruction of the Sand began.
Iwa:
The Rock declared war on the Sand. The majority of its forces were already stationed in the neighboring Land of Stone as the announcement left the village. The forces then began their movement into the desert, moving at a rate so that the messenger would reach the Sand mere hours before their assault. Caught off guard, the Sand scrambled to defend itself as the Rock forces easily seized key areas of the village. The Second Kazekage, Monzaemon Chikamatsu, fell during the battle. As the Rock besieged the Sand's last bastion, their Administration Building, the officials inside decided on a new Kazekage, the First's son, Shotetsu. He surrendered and met the Rock's demands and began to reconstruct the village.
28 years ago:
Suna:
While Shotetsu showed maturity during the Siege of Sunagakure, he was secretly bitter over their humiliated defeat. He requested Konohagakure's assistance in leading a counterattack against the Rock. The Leaf not only refused, but condoned their offer. The people of the Sand felt betrayed by the Leaf, people who shared their contempt of the Rock's aggressive actions a few years ago. Tensions would arise against the Rock and the Leaf, and war seemed inevitable...
Iwa:
The Leaf heavily condemned the Rock's actions against the Sand, sparking conflict between the two villages as Hiruzen pressured Onoki to ease up on the harsh penalties they inflicted on the Sand, to which resistance was met. This argument eventually erupted into multiple conflicts involving all sorts of things-- economic issues, their presence in neighboring nations, etc. These conflicts would slowly bubble, erupting a few years alter...
Kumo:
Upon learning that a new jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi had been made-- the young princess of the Whirlpool, Kushina Uzumaki, Ratashi sent out a squad of men to kidnap her, planning to indoctrinate her just like the other kidnapped youth. Kushina was rescued by a young Minato Namikaze, and this would be the first of many conflicts between him and the Cloud.
25 years ago:
Kumo:
Fukai would finally lose control of the beast at this time. Ratashi organized a powerful squad to seal away the beast for good, with his son A and the powerful Daiki among the team. The beast was sealed into Fukai's younger cousin, who had been chosen as A's partner, B, a year ago. B proved able to control the beast, and there would be no further problems with the Eight-Tails afterward.
24 years ago:
Konoha:
The era of peace would come to a crashing halt as conflicts between Hiruzen, Shotetsu the Third Kazekage, Hanzo of the Rain, and Onoki the Third Tsuchikage intensified, soon erupting into the Second Great Shinobi War (instigated by Onoki and Hiruzen's arguments). Most of the fighting took place in smaller countries like the Rain and the Grass, as well as the Whirlpool, injuring the Whirlpool further and devastating the Rain. During this war is when the Sannin were named, where Tsunade become known as the most famous medical-nin, where Sakumo Hatake became famous, where Nawaki and Dan lost their lives, and where Jiraiya raised the Ame Orphans. After many years of fighting, Konoha and the Whirlpool emerged victorious. The Whirlpool came under a schism, however, due to the damages to their country. Some wanted to uphold their status as a ninja nation, while others wished to renounce that status for peace. Konoha settled the argument by escorting those wishing to remain ninja (the minority) to an island off of their east coast. The old area of the Whirlpool Country would become the River Country.
Suna:
The Rock declared war on the Leaf. The people of the Sand saw this as a chance for vengeance against both of the nations, and Shotetsu declared war on both villages. The Sand's military force was at its peak during the Second Great Shinobi War, leading to many victories for them. Shotetsu was incredibly powerful, using his Magnet Release to emulate Shukaku's powers over sand, with brutal results. Chiyo was not only an incredible medical-nin, a creator of many devastating poisons, and the creator of an antidote for Hanzo of the Salamander's deadly venom, but she also was the leader of the Puppet Brigade, having many puppets ranging from her father's famous ten puppets to an immense puppet created for bombarding cities that was destroyed in the war. Ebizo proved to be one of the most powerful users of wind ninjutsu. Chiyo and Ebizo's abilities and victories would lead to them being known as the Honored Siblings. A prominent young man known as Bankou rose to fame through his skill in ninjutsu as well, often butting heads with members of the Sannin.
Kiri:
Conflicts between the land-dwelling nations began the Second Shinobi World War. The Mist only acted as a mercenary group for the opportunity to gain more money during the war. Taro occasionally assisted the people by helping the village, but his tyranny was still obvious, and the inner rebellions were now operating in secret, formulating a plan to take down Taro.
Iwa:
The Rock was finally fed up with arguing with the Leaf, and the two leaders set up a meeting to try and reach some agreement. Onoki's stubbornness led to Hiruzen snapping at the meeting, and this action would erupt into the Rock declaring war against the Leaf. The Sand and the Rain also entered the war, both having issues with the Rock and Leaf. The enemy forces proved much stronger than the Rock anticipated (especially the Sand's forces, contrasting greatly with the near-conquest of the village years ago), leading to careful planning and conservative attacks, making this war a long, drawn out one. Small forces, most of them composed of the Explosion Corps, led assaults against key areas, leading to their capture. Despite this, resistance always arose, leading to them having to fall back. This tug-of-war would be the story of their part in the war.
Kumo:
The Cloud stayed out of the Second World War, but Ratashi used the chaos of war to try and kidnap more children. Some time into the war they would fail to capture a young Konoha shinobi, and a team led by Minato, now a young adult, was organized to both halt the team and to issue a warning against the Cloud. It was here that A and Minato clashed for the first time. Kumo's squad retreated, but they never told the warning to the Third Raikage. There would be repeated attempts of kidnappings during the later years of the war, each of them being fended off by a team led by Minato. Eventually the Cloud got the message and stopped constantly sending squads out, but the damage had already been dealt. The Cloud only went unpunished until the war ended, when Konoha was able to compose a force to do battle with the Cloud if need be.
19 years ago:
Kiri:
To the people of the Mist, a great miracle would happen. A young prodigy known as Genji Jishima (assissted by the village's 14 year-old jinchuuriki, Yagura) would rise up and defeat the head Swordsman Hiricho, therefore holding Taro and the other Swordsmen by the reigns as he took the head Swordsman's spot. Taro's tyranny would come to a crushing halt as Genji enforced an era of inner peace and prosperity for the village.
18 years ago:
Suna:
The Sand was victorious against the Rock, directly leading to them backing out of the war. The Leaf proved to have the advantage in the end, and it was clear that the Sand would not win the war. They and the Leaf were the only two nations still fighting at this point, so the Sand surrendered, causing the Second World War to end.
Iwa:
Surprisingly, the Rock was the first to back out of the war. It was clear that their assaults were getting nowhere, so they quietly made peace with the Leaf, Sand, and Rain, doing nothing but loosening the restrictions they placed on the Sand. The Cloud's covert kidnapping would become known to them at this time, leading into an investigation of missing people.
Kumo:
During the twilight months of the Second World War, when it was apparent that the conflict would end soon, Konoha issued a final warning towards Kumo, telling them to cease their kidnappings at once. To further coax them into submitting, information of their various attempts were shared with the other great nations. Ratashi had no choice but to give up the covert operations.
17 years ago:
Konoha:
Again there was a small era of peace as Konoha prospered from their victories. However, it is during this time that the village would lose four of its greatest ninja. Sakumo shamed the village greatly by failing a mission in order to save his comrades. This resulted in the Fire Daimyo getting killed, and the newer Daimyo was not as favorable towards Konoha as the past one was. He killed himself sometime after the start of the third world war, when not even a successful mission redeemed himself in the eyes of the village. Orochimaru was discovered conducting vile experiments, and he fled the village, Jiraiya pursuing him. With the lack of her friends and "family," Tsunade left the village as well.
Iwa:
Iwagakure discovered that Dodai had been kidnapped by the Cloud in the past, and declared war on Kumogakure, determined to not let this transgression go unpunished. They gathered most of their forces and marched to the Land of Lightning. The Third Raikage would single-handedly defeat most of Iwagakure's forces, leading to the Rock having no choice but to back down and recuperate from their losses. Their careful nature in the second world war resulted in very few casualties compared to the other nations, but the Third Raikage's attack created casualties akin to the other nations in that war.
Kumo:
Following the warning issued by Konoha, Iwagakure amassed a large force and declared war on Kumogakure. They had drawn the connections and found out that Dodai was taken from them many years ago and wanted vengeance for both him and the other children that Kumogakure recently attempted to kidnap. Ratashi protected the entire village by single-handedly fended off the massive amount of Iwagakure troops that gathered outside of Kumogakure, but died in the process. His son, A, became the Fourth Raikage.
16 years ago:
Suna:
A young prodigy of the Puppet Technique, Sasori, left the village. He was the grandson of Chiyo and was taught the Puppet Technique by her. His parents were killed by the famous Sakumo Hatake during the Second World War, and the loneliness he felt led to him defecting.
Kumo:
A put a halt to all conflicts by formally apologizing for his father's actions. Dodai remained in the Cloud of his own free volition, seeing it as his home over Iwagakure. Kumogakure would become a isolationist power at this time, gathering power while getting involved in no conflicts.
14 years ago:
Konoha:
Shotetsu, the Third Kazekage, disappeared. The Sand went to such great lengths to find their Kazekage that they became violent and accusatory towards the Rock and the Leaf. The Third Great Shinobi War had begun, and it was mostly fought in the Land of Grass. The Whirlpool refused to fight in the war, and the Rain constructed great walls to keep the war outside of their country. The famed Minato became a hero in this war when he and his squad took out a vital bridge for the Rock's line of supply, turning the war in their favor, in addition to his sheer power and ability. Minato then won the war for Konoha, and, in a shocking move, married the princess of the Whirlpool, Kushina Uzumaki, uniting the two villages forever as he was appointed Fourth Hokage with Hiruzen's retirement.
Suna:
Shotetsu mysteriously vanished at this time, leading to a panic among the people of the Sand. After several weeks of searching, no signs of him were found and they had no choice but to declare him dead. The Sand began accusing several villages, primarily the Rock and Leaf, of assassinating the Kazekage. Their violent denouncements sparked tensions, which erupted into war. The Sand was ill-prepared for the Third Great Shinobi War, with internal tensions leading to ineffectual fighting. The Sand's quick defeat meant that this world war would be much shorter than the other ones. It would not be until many years later that it was discovered that Shotetsu was killed by the rogue shinobi Sasori and converted into a puppet.
Kiri:
Yagura, sick of being rejected by the people despite his contributions to them, decided to usurp Taro completely. He partnered with Genji, and they fought against Taro and the Seven Mist Swordsmen. The Swordsmen Kazuma and Masuma would be killed in the battle, and Taro soon surrendered, making Yagura the Fourth Mizukage. A new set of Swordsmen were then chosen: Genji, Fuguki, Jinpachi, Jinin, Hiricho, Raiga, and Azira Yuki; and they began a benevolent rule during the Third Shinobi World War that would not last for long.
Iwa:
The Rock had recovered from their devastating loss against the Cloud just in time for Sunagakure to become increasingly violent towards them. The Third Great Shinobi War began, with the majority of the Rock's forces moving towards the Sand. Iwagakure also saw a great opportunity to make a sneak attack against the Leaf, but their plans were discovered and Konoha sent out a regiment of forces to deal with them. The Konoha forces, led by Minato, were successful in destroying the bridge they were constructing in the Land of Grass to easily supply their troops. The offense against the Leaf was hopeless, and their numbers proved too few to deal with the Sand. Onoki was infuriated and ordered a few suicide missions, which led to some of his forces defecting. He regained his senses and backed out of the war a few days later.
Kumo:
While the Third World War was short, it was a very profitable opportunity for the Cloud. Using their neutral position, they were able to sell supplies to any nation that needed them. Since they were not in combat, they could improve their military instead of expending it in combat. Kumogakure would ascend to be one of the strongest villages after the war, rivalled only by Konoha.
13 years ago:
Konoha:
The unification of the two countires shocked the ninja world, downright outraging some of them. The Sand and Rock had been greatly weakened in the war, so they couldn't act. The Cloud didn't care much and wanted to continue to remain neutral to Konoha. The Mist, however, did not approve. The Fourth Mizukage initiated a surprise attack against the Whirlpool and the Leaf: his trusted jonin leading the attack on Konoha, the Seven Mist Swordsmen (led by the mighty Genji Jishima) attacking the Whirlpool. Both villages were taken by surprise and injured, but they couldn't counterattack without dealing with the threats at their homeland. Konoha successfully fended off the Mist, but the Whirlpool was in a very tight spot: Genji had executed the Whirlpool's leader and was holding Kushina hostage to draw Minato out! Genji demanded that Minato surrender Konoha or else he'd kill Kushina. Minato refused and attacked Genji, and Kushina was gravely injured in the following battle. The entire event led to the collpase and destruction of the Whirlpool's island nation. Minato was enraged, and he managed to single-handedly defeat Genji and the remainder of the Mist's forces (Nijuichi Fuuma, who had traveled from the River Country to assist his fellow people, had taken down some of the Mist). Minato wanted to crush the Mist afterwards, but Hiruzen talked him out of it and forged peace with the Mist. Minato was now heavily depressed, and the villagers were worried about his health. Everything seemed to be okay once Kushina made a recovery.
Suna:
Yarito, the son of Shotetsu, was chosen as the Fourth Kazekage following the war. The daimyo of the Land of Wind would begin outsourcing missions to the Leaf at this time, silently protesting against the Sand's actions that led to war. This led to an economic decline, and Yarito was desperate to improve the village's power. With the fading health of Shukaku's second host, and the pregnancy of his wife, a diabolical plan entered his head...
Kiri:
When the Leaf and the Whirlpool united, Yagura feared that the nation would become too powerful. He was weary of the alliance, but also weary of attacking them. Yagura decided to initiate a sneak attack on Konoha and the Whirlpool: his powerful ninja attacking Konoha and the Seven Mist Swordsmen attacking the Whirlpool. The Mist forces attacking Konoha were defeated, and Genji's forces had successfully killed the Whirlpool's leader and were holding the princess hostage. She was soon dealt a critical blow, and the rage of the Fourth Hokage enabled him to single-handedly defeat the Swordsmen and force the rest of the Mist's forces to retreat (with prior assistance from Nijuichi Fuuma, leader of the Valley). The Whirlpool was destroyed, and Yagura and Genji feared a great retribution, but the former Third Hokage contacted them, offering peace. They accepted, and the small period of benevolent rule began once more.
Iwa:
The Rock once again began reconstructing after the third world war. Their army had been greatly weakened by this war and the war against the Cloud a few year prior. Still determined to carry out missions to receive desperately-needed money, the Rock hired the mercenary force Akatsuki to carry out some of these missions as they recovered from the damage.
12 years ago:
Konoha:
A few months after the war against the Mist, Kushina would start to give birth. Madara, seeking a chance to weaponize the Kyuubi once more, found the location of her birth and took their newborn son as a hostage. Seeing no choice, Kushina opened the seal, and Madara took control of the Kyuubi. Minato fiercely defended his country against the appearance of the Kyuubi. He could not defeat Madara, but he weakened the Uchiha to the point of forced retreating. He successfully sealed the Kyuubi into his son at the cost of his life, all for the village that he cherished and loved. Naruto, the village's third jinchuuriki, had been made, and the villagers would distrust and shun him for quite some time against Minato's wishes. Then began an era of reconstruction, and Hiruzen came out of retirement and became the Hokage once more. The peace treaty between the Mist would be abolished as soon as Konoha discovered the Fourth Mizukage's vile acts.
Suna:
Shukaku's second host died and the beast was sealed in a pot that would only hold him for a few days. A few hours before the pot's expiration, Karura, Yarito's wife, began to give birth. Yarito had no choice but to order Shukaku be sealed into his unborn son to prevent Shukaku from breaking free. The chaotic transferal of chakra during a delicate childbirth led to the success of Yarito's son, Gaara, becoming a jinchuuriki, but at the cost of his wife's life. Yarito grew to despise his son for this, viewing him as the reason for her death. His son would be raised as a tool in hopes he would become a powerful weapon the village desperately needed.
11 years ago:
Kiri:
Everything would change for the worse as Madara arrived in Kirigakure. He manipulated Yagura so that he would be an even worse monster than Taro was. The daimyo was assassinated (scaring off any potential daimyo from now on due to the 100% daimyo death rate), and new policies such as reinstating the bloody way to graduate the academy had been made. Genji stuck with his friend's decisions, the inner corruption that had been building up inside of him now springing forth. Hiricho and Raiga fought against the others, but they were slain. The new policies had thrown the land into chaos. The Bloody Mist had been born.
10 years ago:
Konoha:
The Leaf and Cloud finally entered another war when conflicts on trading agreements arose. The forces were evenly matched, so they agreed on a ceasefire and peace treaty. The Cloud sent their Head Ninja as the ambassador, but he tried to steal Hinata for the secrets of the Byakugan and was killed by Hiashi. The Cloud was outraged at their Head Ninja's death. They demanded the death of the one who killed him, but Hizashi (Hiashi's twin brother), took his brother's place instead.
Kiri:
A replacement for Hiricho had been found: the young A replacement for Hiricho had been found: the young Zabuza Momochi, who had killed all of the graduating students in the graduation test a few years prior (a first), when he himself was not even a student yet. He was made a Swordsman, along with another skilled young ninja, Ameyuri Ringo, who replaced Raiga. Fuguki would be killed by one of his subordinates, Kisame Hoshigaki, who took his spot in the Swordsmen. The Mizukage, upon seeing that several of the kekkei genkai clans opposed him, ordered the execution of all of them, including the Swordsman Azira. Azira fled the village before he could be killed, and a skilled ninja known as Kushimaru Kurirare replaced him. Besides a few survivors, all of the kekkei genkai clans had been wiped out by the end of the year.
Kumo:
The Cloud would finally enter another war after six years of peace when trading disputes arose between them and Konoha. Neither side wished for a large number of casualties, so a ceasefire and peace treaty were quickly made. A saw a great opportunity for kidnapping a young child with a kekkei genkai, a temptation which he gave in to. The Head Ninja would attempt to kidnap the heiress to the Hyuga clan, but was killed in the process. In a slick move, the Cloud declared murder and wished for the head of the man that killed their head ninja's death. The man's twin brother offered to take his place. This fooled the Cloud for a few weeks, but they were indifferent when they discovered the truth. Blood had been paid in blood.
9 years ago:
Konoha:
Another period of peace began, but there was hidden conflict. The Uchihas were forming plans for a coup detat, for Konoha suspected they were behind the Kyuubi's attack and relocated them to a small corner in the village, severely angering the Uchiha. Itachi was appointed to ANBU by his father under orders to spy on Konoha, but Itachi's detest towards his father's plans made him go double agent. It was during this time that Itachi would also join Akatsuki in search of Madara, who he suspected was still alive. Although not knowing Madara personally, he did read the records of the clan and knew what the former Uchiha leader had done and what he might still do.
Kiri:
The inner fighting of the country climaxed as the kekkei genkai clans fell to the flames of war. Bloodshed was everywhere as several factions fought against each other or against Yagura's forces. Kisame, Zabuza, and Ameyuri were sick of seeing their ruler relish in the chaos of the land, and attempted to assassinate him. They partnered with a promising subordinate of the Swordsmen, Mangetsu Houzuki, and the four convinced Jinpachi, Jinin, and Kushimaru to join their rebellion. The seven then made a move to assassinate Yagura and Genji, but they failed. Jinin, Jinpachi, and Kushimaru died in the assassination attempt, while Zabuza, Kisame, and Ameyuri fled, becoming missing-nin. Mangetsu was partly responsible for the failed assassination, for his cowardice led to him leaking information to Yagura. This led to his life being spared. The only Mist Swordsman left was Genji. Yagura began annexing the series of islands around the Land of Water, planning vile uses for them.
Taro emerged from his hiding with a massive force that opposed Yagura. The Civil War of the Mist began as the fighting ravaged the land. Most of the innocent civilians had been evacuated to another island by Taro, who had secretly met with them and apologized for his former actions. Taro, witnessing Yagura's actions, made him realize what he would have headed towards if he was not constantly dethroned. The war raged for several years, with no side in clear victory. With Genji's subduement, the tides of war shifted towards Taro's favor. Yagura and Taro fought, and Taro ripped out Yagura's bijuu, killing the brainwashed monster of a Mizukage. Genji fled, and Taro was, once again, the village's leader (once again refusing to be known as a Mizukage).
6 years ago:
Suna:
Gaara was publicly known as a jinchuuriki and was ostracized and feared for being the host of a tailed beast. This led to outrages and tantrums that endangered the lives of villagers. Yarito and his brother, Yashamaru, both had trained Gaara throughout his childhood. Yashamaru was the only person that Gaara trusted, for he accepted the boy. Even Gaara's siblings feared him at times, leading to his distrust in them. One day during this time, Gaara nearly killed a group of children in one of his outrages, and Yarito deemed him a failure. He ordered Yashamaru to kill Gaara, enraged that his wife's death could not even produce a viable weapon. With a heavy heart, Yashamaru did so, lying to Gaara that he never cared about him as he tried to kill him. Gaara killed Yashamaru and went berserk, Shukaku gaining control. Yarito stopped Shukaku by using his Magnet Release to control his Gold Dust, which seeped through Shukaku's sand defenses. Six other assassination attempts were ordered upon Gaara, and all of them failed. Covneniently, this hardened Gaara, making him a cold-blooded killer and the weapon that Yarito always desired.
5 years ago:
Konoha:
Itachi made his move to stop the coup detat and initiated what would be known as the Uchiha Massacre. Only Itachi's younger brother, Sasuke, was left alive in the carnage. Itachi fled from the village afterward, joining the criminal organization Akatsuki. Afterward, another period of peace began, with minor conflicts every now and then.
Kiri:
After the civil war began a great period of reconstruction, for the land was more ravaged than ever. There were a few small groups opposing Taro, thinking that he was just deceiving them with a benevolent mask like in the past, but these rebellions were easily crushed. Taro was getting too old to rule alone, so he had his daughter, Mei, advise him on his decisions. The rebellions became next-to-nothing as the new peaceful policies went into place, including allowing a daimyo to rule to country for the first time in fifteen years. A new set of Swordsmen were also chosen: a reformed Genji, Raigetsu Houzuki, Gido and Jizo Diore, Yoshimura Shikoro, Mangetsu Houzuki, Oda Shikoro. The seventh position was left vacant, with several young apprentices vying for it.
Iwa:
Eight years had passed since the Rock began their reconstruction effort, and it was a great success. Despite the devastating losses they endured, they shot right back to a powerful nation with a large shinobi force, and they no longer required Akatsuki's services.
The Present:
Konoha:
The Sound and Sand initiated an undercover joint attack during the Leaf's chunin exams. Orochimaru, the mastermind behind the attack, did battle with the Hokage. The Fourth Kazekage would attempt to kill the Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake. Both were defeated, but Hiruzen's life ended when he unsuccessfully tried to seal away Orochimaru, but only sealed his arms instead. The Sound and the Sand were fended off, and currently Konoha is in an uneasy position. They are without a Kage, as the candidate that the elder council wishes to lead them, Jiraiya, considers himself unfit for the role. He is currently acting as the Fifth Hokage, but does not view himself as such and thus makes as little decisions as possible. His goal is to track down his former teammate Tsunade and make her the Hokage instead, knowing that she would be a far better leader than he ever could be.
Suna:
While Yarito was successful in making Gaara a weapon, it did little to help the Sand's failing economy. His Gold Dust could only go so far in keeping the economy from outright crashing. The Sand had been in a depression for some time, and it was looking as if killing the daimyo was the only way out. Then, as if it were a miracle, Orochimaru arrived and offered to financially support the Sand if they would assist his village, the Sound, in attacking the Leaf. Yarito accepted because he was bitter against the Leaf for taking their missions, but also because it was an offer that he could not refuse. Both the Sand and the Sound were defeated during the invasion, but the invasion resulted in the daimyo ceasing the outsourcing of missions. Finally the Sand are starting to get back on their feet, even though they are in the hands of the Sound due to their payments keeping their economy afloat.
Kiri:
It was only a few months ago that Mei became the Fifth Mizukage. Her appointment to the position was satisfying for everyone in the country, and it appears that finally the Mist will have inner peace.
Iwa:
The Rock held the second division of the chunin exams. This resulted in a gathering of five jinchuuriki, which inticed Akatsuki to invade the village in an attempt to seize them all. A prominent young jonin, Deidara, defected during the invasion, revealing himself to be an Akatsuki spy. The Akatsuki were fended off, but not without many casualties. This event would lead to the beginning of the shinobi villages banding together against Akatsuki.
Kumo:
The famed Daiki rebeled against the Cloud. His rebellion was due to A formulating a plan to kidnap the surviving Uchiha boy, Sasuke. Daiki disagreed with this plan, and rebeled to make A's plans known. Daiki was executed after being brought to justice, his true noble intentions going unheard by the populace. The criminal organization Akatsuki would make itself known to the world upon kidnapping the jinchuuriki of the Two-Tails, Yugito. She was rescued, and the Cloud would begin a crusade against Akatsuki for this act.