World of Naruto
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The anime and manga series Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto, takes place in an unnamed fictional universe, containing various countries and locations that have been introduced to the audience thus far.
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[edit] Overview
In the Naruto universe, countries operate as separate political entities and are presumably all monarchies of some sort, ruled by landlords who stand equally in rank with the hidden villages' leaders. The Naruto world is similar to feudal Japan in many aspects; those countries maintain balance between themselves through nothing but power. Treaties are periodically signed, but are often not even worth the paper they were written on.
Shinobi villages (忍の里 Shinobi no Sato?) or hidden villages (隠れ里 Kakurezato?) are ninja villages that serve as part of their country's military force. A hidden village maintains its economy by training its citizens to be ninja from a young age and using them as manpower in various missions others would be willing to pay for, from weeding a garden for a single payment to receiving a constant budget from the country it resides in for being soldiers in case the country is involved in a war. The hidden villages of the five great countries each have a Kage as their leader.
Despite its similarity with feudal Japan, modern items are seen throughout the series, such as movie theaters, security cameras and even modern life-support systems. In spite of the clearly modern age items present, military technology does not seem to be on the same level, with guns being non-existent.[1] Most military technology seems to be medieval in nature, large-scale crossbows being an example; however, the use of the various supernatural items, such as exploding paper tags, allows them to simulate more advanced technology like flak cannons. The level of communication technology is portrayed inconsistently; on multiple occasions the characters will use short-range radios, yet carrier birds are used for communication between villages. Characters during the "Yellow Moon" ending theme are seen using cell phones.
Of the countries scattered about the Naruto world, five are considered to be the most powerful and influential of them all, holding the title of The Five Great Shinobi Nations. These are the Land of Earth, the Land of Fire, Land of Lightning, the Land of Water, and the Land of Wind. Each represents one of the five elements (earth, fire, lightning, water, and wind, respectively) and each is ruled by a Feudal Lord.
[edit] Geography
Scattered across the Naruto universe are several countries of various sizes, cultures, power, and landscapes. Only a select few of those nations, however, receive time in the spotlight.
[edit] Land of Fire
The Land of Fire (火の国 Hi no Kuni?) is home to the majority of the characters in Naruto and is one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations. The Land of Fire is appropriately oriented towards the element of fire, typically having a very bright and warm weather, with which the citizens enjoy and allows bountiful harvests all year-round. Because of its location, the Land of Fire trades heavily with the other surrounding countries, giving it one of the largest populations and strongest economies in the Naruto world. It is widely regarded as one of the strongest countries.
[edit] Konohagakure
Konohagakure (木ノ葉隠れの里 Konohagakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden Among Tree Leaves"), or Konoha for short, located in the Land of Fire, is the main Hidden Village in the series and one of the five great villages. As such, it has a Kage as its leader, known as the Hokage. On a mountain overlooking the village, the faces of every Hokage are carved into the rock referred to as "Hokage Stone". Although Konoha, much like the country in which it resides, has been peaceful for the past twelve years and has grown accustomed to that peace, it remains one of the most powerful villages in existence, with an overall ninja population much greater than that of any other village, and therefore has great military power and influence. The hiragana あん (an) is painted on the entrance gates of the village (one hiragana on each door). This means hermitage or retreat (kanji: 庵). It is also a pun as the Japanese onomatopoeia for a wide open mouth is also "an" (Similar to the English "Aaah")
Konohagakure was founded by an alliance between the Uchiha and Senju clans, which were led by Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, The First Hokage, respectively. The two leaders eventually quarreled as to which would lead the village, and fought at the Valley of the End, a fight which the First won. Eventually, the village was governed by the Senju clan and its Military police was under authority of the Uchiha clan. Madara Uchiha, who was thought to have died during his battle against the First Hokage, secretly returned to Konohagakure years later and trained Itachi Uchiha. When the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox appeared and attacked the village, it was defeated by Fourth Hokage, though the villages deduction behind the incident alleged suspicion of rebellion amongst the Uchiha clan. The villages mistrust eventually lead to the Uchiha clan plotting a coup d'etat, to take over Konohagakure. Itachi Uchiha, under orders of the village's leadership, annihilated every other member of the Uchiha clan with the assistance of Madara Uchiha to prevent the rebellion from becoming reality. However, Itachi was unable to bring himself to kill his younger brother, Sasuke, so the boy lived on as the only "survivor" of the massacre.
Masashi Kishimoto stated: "Yes, there is [a model for Konoha], it's my hometown. Where I lived as a kid was near a military base so there were lots of training fields. And near that was the city. Because I grew up in a place like that, I was interested in things like Special Forces, military maps, three man teams, etc."[2]
[edit] Notable locations
- Forest of Death
The Forest of Death (死の森 Shi no Mori?), also known as the 44th battle training zone, was the stage for the second part of the Konoha Chunin exams. Its primary function served as a testing grounds for the survival and fighting skills of Genin trying to become a Chunin. It is a very dangerous place, filled with hordes of flora and fauna; often gigantic, poisonous, or, even more likely, both, hence its name.
There are 44 entrances into the forest. A metallic fence surrounds its perimeter with 44 gates equally spaced around it; this perimeter is where the ninja enter to initiate the test. Inside is a river, the forest, and a tower located in the center; the forest's radius is about ten kilometers.
The tower is the destination of the ninja after they have collected two scrolls. Each team starts with only one scroll; therefore, to pass the exam, a team must find a team with the opposite scroll and steal it by any means necessary. Inside the tower is the large arena in which the third test preliminaries are held, if too many teams manage to survive to that point. Relatively few teams complete this part of the test; in the Chunin exam arc, seven teams completed the test, prompting preliminary matches.
- Ichiraku Ramen Bar
The Ichiraku Ramen Bar is Naruto Uzumaki's and Iruka Umino's favorite place to eat. The Ichiraku Ramen Bar is run by Teuchi and his daughter Ayame. The two seem to be some of the few civilian villagers of Konoha to not see Naruto in a hostile light, and consider him their favorite regular.
Ichiraku Ramen was modeled after a real-life ramen restaurant, also called Ichiraku Ramen, near the waterfront in the city of Fukuoka, Japan, where the author of Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto, apparently went to university for a period of time according to local sources. It is next to a Yakiniku restaurant, a Chinese Food place, and a video game shop. Tonkotsu ramen (noodles in a pork broth) is served there. There are two Ichiraku Ramen locations in Fukuoka, one at JR's Kyu-dai Mae station, and another in the downtown Hakata area. As part of the merchandise for Naruto, handkerchiefs are sold emblazoned with various Naruto characters in instant noodle cups labeled Ichiraku Ramen.
- The Valley of the End
The Valley of the End (終末の谷 Shūmatsu no Tani? Viz and English TV "The Final Valley") is the location of the battle between Hashirama Senju (the First Hokage) and Madara Uchiha, where the former defeated the latter. The valley and the river that flows through it are said to be remnants of their fight. The valley is located on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rice Fields. To remember the battle, two large statues of the combatants were built on opposite sides of the valley, bordering a large waterfall. Many years later, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha fought in this same location. Following Naruto's defeat, Kakashi Hatake notes Naruto and Sasuke to be ironically similar to Hashirama and Madara, respectively.
[edit] Land of Rain
The Land of Rain (雨の国 Ame no Kuni?) is filled with a great number of small buildings in a heavily wooded area, suggesting that it might be located in a rainforest. Its borders are highly defended, and those wishing to pass through the country must first give every information on how they intend to visit the country before being allowed admission. Even if one is permitted to enter the country, they will be under constant surveillance by the government for the duration of their stay. Because the Land of Rain is situated between three of the five great countries, it often acts as the battlefield for their wars and much of its population are war refugees, and as a result its government lacks stability. Unbeknownst to the rest of the Naruto world apart from Konoha, the country was in the midst of a civil war, though Konoha wasn't able to find out until the civil war was already over.
[edit] Amegakure
Amegakure (雨隠れの里 Amegakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden in Rain") is the Land of Rain's Hidden Village. It seems to be a rather loosely knit village, befitting the destabilized country, as a fair number of its ninja seem to either be missing-nin or end up as missing-nin. Amegakure was once led by Hanzo, though he was killed during the Land of Rain's civil war by the Akatsuki leader, Pain, and thus Pain became the de facto leader of Amegakure. Pain now uses the village as his base of operations for Akatsuki. He has attained a god-like level of notoriety among the villagers. Those loyal to the former Amegakure attack the village on occasion in an attempt to assassinate Pain, though their efforts are never successful. The village is shown to be full of metal pipes.
[edit] Land of Rice Fields
The Land of Rice Fields (田の国 Ta no Kuni?, English TV: "Land of Rice Paddies"), otherwise known as the Land of Sound (音の国 Oto no Kuni?), is a small country bordering the Land of Fire's northern border. The Land of Rice Fields is its original name, with the Land of Sound, possibly derived from Otogakure, being Orochimaru's own name for it. Many of its shinobi were collected, most being from the Fuuma clan, to supply his need for followers and jutsu. The Land of Sound, along with Otogakure, is a relatively new country in the political scene, though the country itself existed long before Orochimaru took it over and renamed it. It conspired with the Land of Wind to launch a surprise attack and hopefully destroy the Land of Fire.
[edit] Otogakure
Otogakure (音隠れの里 Otogakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden in Sound") is Orochimaru's personal village, founded for the express purpose of collecting ninja for his experiments and quest to learn jutsu. Not much is known about it: what is certain is that it actually consists of a series of lairs, located both within the Sound country and away from it, which Orochimaru switches between every week. Other than that, and the fact that its ninja specialize in techniques involving manipulation of sound waves, as well as using a cursed seal to increase their power, little else is known about it.
Although he is the leading ninja of Otogakure, Orochimaru isn't a Kage, despite his equivalent (possibly greater) power level. The reason for this is because the five Kages of the five great Hidden Villages don't acknowledge Otogakure, and Orochimaru is considered a criminal.
[edit] Land of Water
The Land of Water (水の国 Mizu no Kuni?) is one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations and home to Kirigakure (霧隠れの里 Kirigakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden in Mist"). It is composed of many islands, with each having its own unique traditions. The country's weather is typically cool and full of mist and lakes, while in some places it is very cold and snows quite a bit.
[edit] Kirigakure
Kirigakure (霧隠れの里 Kirigakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden in Mist") is the hidden village of the Land of Water. Kirigakure's leader, Uchiha Madara, is the Mizukage. Its ninja specialize in water-based jutsu. In the past, Kirigakure was well known for its inhumane Genin enlistment exam, where students who had been friends were pitted against each other and forced to fight to the death, though the method was cut short when academy-enlistment failure Zabuza Momochi killed all of the students in that year's graduating class. Along with Kisame Hoshigaki and Raiga Kurosuki, Zabuza was a member of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist, the strongest ninja group in their villlage who each wields at a large sword-like weapon. This village was once the home of the infamous Kaguya clan, the battle-loving clan who had a kekkei genkai ability allowing them to control their own bones, though they were wiped out when they went to war with their own village. The villagers of Kirigakure felt threatened by clans possessing kekkei genkai, and began persecuting them before the start of the series. Recently, Kirigakure has used these clans to their own advantage. At the beginning of the series Kakashi Hatake mentioned that the Mist village trains their ninja to be ruthless enemies, and noted that ninja from this village are far more powerful than most enemies he faced from other villages. This realization led Kakashi also to theorize that were it not for the vicious and bloody civil wars the Mist is often found in, they would be a major rival of Konoha.
[edit] Land of Waves
The Land of Waves (波の国 Nami no Kuni?) is a relatively poor nation, and thus does not have a Hidden village. It is an isolated island, but used to be prosperous nonetheless, until Gato set his sights on it. He broke the people's will and monopolized the import/export industry, which was crucial for its economy. Team 7's first real mission was to this country, and, with the help of Zabuza Momochi and the townspeople, Gato's reign of terror was ended for good.
- Great Naruto Bridge
The Great Naruto Bridge (ナルト大橋 Naruto Ōhashi?) was the name given to the bridge built by Tazuna to end Gato's monopoly over the economy. While Gato was still in control of the Land of Waves, Tazuna started building the bridge to allow free import and export once again, giving its economy a chance to recover. Tazuna decided to name the bridge after Naruto Uzumaki because of everything he did to inspire both his grandson and, by proxy, the rest of the citizens.
[edit] Land of Wind
The Land of Wind (風の国 Kaze no Kuni?), one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, is a large, dry, and desolate country whose cities are typically found near water sources. While much of the country is inhospitable, the population is large and prosperous due to its frequent trading with the Land of Fire. While not seen as often as the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind receives a great deal of attention in the series, and has a great many powerful ninja to call its own. Its hidden village is Sunagakure, Village Hidden in the Sand. The Land of Wind has been relatively uninvolved with politics until recent times, and even had a peace treaty signed with the Land of Fire. The lord ruling it, however, had been systematically cutting down his military force and transferring missions he would normally address to his own country's hidden village to Konohagakure, prompting desperate measures on the part of the Kazekage at the time.
[edit] Sunagakure
Sunagakure (砂隠れの里 Sunagakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden Among Sand" or "Village Hidden in the Sand") is one of the five great ninja villages, and as such has a Kage, known as the Kazekage, as its leader. The symbol on their headband is of an hourglass. The one-tailed Shukaku was said to originate here, having been created from the spirit of a dead monk who was trapped in a tea kettle. With its military forces being scaled down by the Land of Wind's feudal lord, the Fourth Kazekage realized that they had to increase the quality of each ninja to maintain a military force. Gaara is just one result of that.
As more time passed, the lord started commissioning Konoha with requests he should have been making to Sunagakure. On top of that, he began cutting back on Sunagakure's budget. The Fourth Kazekage realized that if he didn't act quickly, Sunagakure would be in danger of disappearing, so he joined forces with Otogakure in an attempt to destroy Konoha and force the lord to re-establish Sunagakure's military force if he wished for his country to continue existing. With the failure of the attack and the death of the Fourth Kazekage caused by the betrayal of Otogakure, Sunagakure re-allied with Konoha, and Gaara, Temari and Kankuro assisted Konoha during the mission to retrieve Sasuke. Gaara eventually became the Fifth Kazekage over the timeskip, and continues to remain such even though the Shukaku was removed from his body by Akatsuki.
[edit] Other forces
[edit] Tailed beasts
The tailed beasts (尾獣 bijū?) are basicaly chakra that serve to drive the plot of the Naruto series. Each revealed tailed beast is around the size of Gamabunta, who is over 100 meters tall. They are differentiated by the number of tails they have, with each possessing an amount from one to nine. The tailed beasts are also known for possessing the "ultimate chakra", as they have chakra levels far beyond what most of the human characters possess. However, this immense strength is tempered due to their bestial nature, which restricts some of them from being smart enough to use it effectively. For example, the three-tailed beast was unsealed when it first appears in the manga, and is thus easily defeated by Deidara and Tobi. Beasts sealed within another person are able to benefit from the knowledge of their hosts, giving them the ability to speak and better utilize their powers.
Akatsuki is currently collecting the tailed beasts. They capture the hosts and take them to a secret location where a three day long jutsu is performed to draw out the tailed beast from the host. They possess seven of the nine tailed beasts: Shukaku, the one-tailed beast; the two-tailed demon cat (former host was Yugito Nii, a ninja from Cloud Village); the three-tailed beast; the four-tailed beast (extracted from an unknown elderly man); and three other unknown beasts. All seven of these tailed beasts have been extracted and sealed. Pain claims that when all nine beasts are sealed, he will be able to create a jutsu powerful enough to instantly wipe out a country.
[edit] Hosts
Those within whom a tailed beast has been sealed are called Jinchūriki (人柱力, lit. Power of Human Sacrifice, English "Spiritualist Medium"), or simply hosts. In most instances, they are actually stronger than the tailed beast they contain, as they have the knowledge to effectively control the tailed beast's strength. Each of the hosts that have appeared so far within the series also possesses a physical characteristic that resembles their beast — Naruto has fox-like whisker-marks, and Gaara has tanuki-like rings around his eyes. According to Akatsuki members, those who host such creatures are typically lonely people who loathe humanity, and so far this has initially been the case. When Akatsuki captured their first two jinchūriki, no one from their villages cared, and in fact were thankful to be rid of them. It is also known that the death of a host will result in the death of the tailed beast within, and the hosts seen thus far sometimes exhibit involuntary defensive powers, such as Gaara's sand shield and Naruto's demon fox cloak. Likewise, the removal of the tailed beast results in the death of its host. Naruto takes the word jinchūriki offensively, regarding it as a dehumanizing term. During the Great Shinobi Wars, each country's Hidden Village tried to make use of the tailed beasts for military purposes, and competed for them. However, no one was ever able to truly bring the tailed beasts under control, with the jinchūriki being only a marginal success. The Weapon-makers village was able to come slightly closer than that using a dome that held Gaara in place while channeling the Shukaku's power into their weaponry, but Gaara later resisted the process and destroyed the very weapon his power was supposed to fuel. This is all noncanonnical though, seeing how it was from a filler episode
[edit] Akatsuki
The Akatsuki is an elite organization composed of S-rank ninja who defected from their villages. Although the term often refers to its ten main members, the Akatsuki is actually far more extensive, including low-level subordinates who either follow a single member or contribute to the organization's expansion. The Akatsuki originally appeared to seek out the tailed beasts. As the plot developed, however, it was revealed that the organization, as a whole, aspired for world domination; acquiring the tailed beasts was only one step to reach their goal.
It has been implied that membership into the Akatsuki is invitational; a notorious reputation for wreaking havoc seems to be mandatory, or immense power at the very least. Deidara, for example, was already a well-known terrorist upon invitation; Akasuna no Sasori was capable of single-handedly defeating the Third Kazekage.
The Akatsuki is visibly lead by Pain, who assigns missions to pairs of members, but is actually led by Madara Uchiha, who founded the organization and is a member under the alias of Tobi.
[edit] Ninja ranks
Noticeably, the three main classes of ninja (Genin, Chunin and Jonin) are based from actual ninja ranks used by the historical Iga-ryū school of ninjutsu.
[edit] Academy ninja
The academy is where would-be ninja start; they are not actually considered ninja until they graduate. Academy students take formal and practical tests of all sorts and are taught basic ninja skills, such as martial arts, techniques, physical fitness and the way of the ninja. Basic weapon usage, such as kunai and shuriken, are commonly taught. Elementary ninja techniques, such as transformation jutsu and clone jutsu, though they vary from village to village, are also taught. Some villages also have an additional test given by the Jonin of each three-man squad to see if they are truly ready to graduate, which determines whether the squad can work as a team. To ensure that only truly qualified ninja are promoted, only three Genin teams are allowed to pass. The test for determining which three teams may become Genin are administered by each team's respective Jonin commander, and vary depending on the Jonin. What is required for graduation varies from academy to academy. In Konoha, the graduation exam is composed of some sort of written test, as well as demonstration of basic techniques, such as clone jutsu, though Rock Lee is an exception, because he can only perform taijutsu.
[edit] Genin
Genin (下忍? literally "Lower Ninja", Viz "Junior Ninja") are the lowest level of ninja. Because of this, skill levels vary drastically between Genin. Genin are put in three-man cells, and are then assigned a Jonin sensei to mentor them. This is done to teach the Genin teamwork and experience true ninja life under the supervision and protection of an elite shinobi. The make-up of these teams is based on the individual skills of the Genin, so that there will remain a balance between the teams. When they become Genin, ninja start to do their bit for their village's economy, for which they are given a small payment. They are typically sent either on D-rank missions, which are the lowest rank and are almost entirely risk-free jobs of manual labor, or experienced genin are sent on C-rank missions, which are a cut above that and begin to verge on real "ninja" work, though they generally have a very low possibility of risk to the ninja involved. It is interesting to note that even though Naruto has the strength and experience of a ninja at the rank of Jonin or ANBU although he is still the rank of Genin.
[edit] Chunin
Chunin (中忍 Chūnin?, literally "Middle Ninja", Viz "Chūnin" and "Journeyman Ninja") are ninja who are qualified to watch over and guide other ninja. Chunin have reached a level of maturity that primarily consists of leadership skills and tactical prowess. Some of them, like Iruka Umino, function as teachers and others, like Shikamaru Nara, serve as team leaders in charge of small teams who need to make decisions and utilize the skills of the shinobi under their command to the maximum effect. Upon reaching Chunin level, ninja can wear an identifying tactical vest that holds ninjutsu scrolls. This vest is not required; instead, some look for more elaborate clothing like capes or robes. Chunin are typically sent on C or B-rank missions.
To become a Chunin, a Genin participates, with his or her team, in a large examination, known as the "Chunin Exams," hosted twice a year due to the growing number of ninjas. In the past, each village held their own Chunin exam. After the 3rd Ninja World War, allied ninja villages agreed to hold the exams together at the selected village that would host the exam, so villages could improve and strengthen their relationships. Another advantage is that ninja that took the exam might attract clients who are interested in hiring them. The exam is a test not only of strength, but information gathering abilities, survival skills, and adhering to guidelines. Those who have all of these qualities are grouped together into predetermined fights, watched by a council that decides who becomes a Chunin and who does not. While the winners are able to proceed to fight the next opponent, it is aptitude, rather than winning, that is evaluated to determine whether a candidate is promoted. This way even one who loses his or her first match can become a Chunin. In fact, there is a chance that every Genin who makes it to the predetermined fights will become a Chunin, though there is also a chance that every single one will remain a Genin.
[edit] Jonin
Jonin (上忍 Jōnin?, literally "Higher Ninja", Viz "Jōnin" and "Elite Ninja") are generally highly-experienced ninja with great individual skill who serve as military captains. They are often sent on A-rank missions, and experienced Jonin may even be sent on S-rank missions (which are considered to be the most difficult), and may carry out missions alone. They are sometimes assigned as sensei for three-person teams of Genin. Though it is as of yet unknown what one has to undergo to become a Jonin, it is mentioned in the Naruto Anime Profiles that Jonin are appointed.[page # needed] Most Jonin are able to use at least two types of elemental jutsu, have some skills with genjutsu, and have at least above average taijutsu skills.
Tokubetsu Jonin (特別上忍 Tokubetsu Jōnin?, literally "Special Higher Ninja" English "Special Jonin", sometimes known as Tokujō for short) are ninja who, rather than all-around Jonin training, have Jonin-level ability in a single area or skill, much like warrant officers of real-world militaries. They are elite specialists in their areas and are often assigned as subordinates to regular Jonin when their services are needed. They sometimes are seen as lower ranked than jonin because, they are good or the best at one thing and they lack talent, or even ability in others.
[edit] Kage
Those who have achieved the title of Kage (影? literally "Shadow") are the leaders of the five most powerful Hidden Villages and generally the most powerful ninja in their respective villages. The Kage stand equally with the rulers of their countries, oversee the activities of their villages, and are the leaders of ninja society. There may be exceptions, however, as a ninja may be the most powerful at the time of being installed as Kage, but may become less powerful upon aging, eventually being surpassed by a more youthful ninja. A Kage may retire and give the title to someone else; the title, once granted, is held permanently, creating a case where there are two Kage at the same time, with only one of them actually active. Their elite status is also attributed to the tendency for most Kage to have family members who were previous Kage, or be personally taught by a former Kage or student of a former Kage, or some combination of these factors. The anime introduced a sixth Kage, the Hoshikage (星影 literally "Star Shadow"?) from Land of Bears. However, this was a self-given title and not officially recognized by the five other villages. Most Kage tend to be at S-Rank level. The five Kage have different titles depending on their village. Those titles are:
- Hokage (火影 literally "Fire Shadow"?) Kage of Konohagakure.
- Kazekage (風影 literally "Wind Shadow"?) Kage of Sunagakure.
- Mizukage (水影 literally "Water Shadow"?) Kage of Kirigakure.
- Raikage (雷影 literally "Lightning Shadow"?) Kage of Kumogakure.
- Tsuchikage (土影 literally "Earth Shadow"?) Kage of Iwagakure.
[edit] S-rank
S-class ninja have gained power far beyond an average Jonin and earned a legendary status. This title is merely a class rather than an actual rank; the ninja's official rank with a village will usually still be Jonin. However, it can sometimes be lower, or they can have no rank at all. The allegiances of these ninja range from being part of the village's own ninja to being wandering ninja who are still loyal to their village. Some ninja of this level tend to leave their villages behind to seek their own ambitions, thus becoming missing-nin. Ninja of this class are often noted in the Bingo book, a list of notable enemy ninja marked for assassination that each ninja village provides for its Jonin and ANBU squad members. Most ninja, even high-level ones, choose to flee rather than face someone of the S-class. Ninja of the S-class are often highly revered, and usually signified by nicknames allies or enemies give them. For example, the Legendary Sannin lit. three people (Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru) are all S-class ninja.
[edit] ANBU
The ANBU (暗部? literally "Hidden Section", Viz manga "Black Ops", English TV "ANBU Black Ops") is actually short for Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai (暗殺戦術特殊部隊? literally Special Assassination and Tactical Squad), and is an organization of assassination squads that serves directly under the village's leader. The ANBU wear porcelain animal masks in order to distinguish themselves from normal shinobi and to conceal their identities, and also have standard uniforms consisting of black and gray armor, arm guards, a signature spiral tattoo on their left shoulder (female ANBU have it on their right shoulder), and a Ninjatō strapped on their back (though certain ANBU wear black cowls over their uniforms). They know the layout of the human body in detail, and have developed several techniques to strengthen their job, such as paralyzing the target. Within the ANBU of Kirigakure, there exists a sub-group called Hunter-nin (追い忍 Oinin?, literally "Chasing Ninja", English TV "Tracker Ninja"), given the specific duty of hunting down missing-nin, and destroying their bodies, so their village's secrets won't be revealed to foreign ninja.
[edit] Similar organizations
Konoha is shown having two ANBU-like organizations, though are separate from ANBU entirely. The Konoha Military Police Force (木ノ葉警務部隊 Konoha Keimu Butai?, English TV: "Leaf Police"), or Military Police for short, is a unique organization in Konoha, though other villages may have similar organizations. Their symbol is the Uchiha crest because the Uchiha family founded the organization as a sign of trust with the Second Hokage. The Military Police previously consisted of mostly Uchiha clan members, though now Itachi eliminated all but Sasuke, this is no longer the case. The Military Police are in charge of law enforcement within the village, and their jurisdiction is virtually unlimited except in matters that are under the Hokage's direct control, though they also respect ANBU's own investigative system and inner-organization discipline. The Nijū Shotai (二十小隊? Twenty Platoons) is a task force created by Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, for the purpose of tracking down, attempting to capture, and, if necessary, eliminating Akatsuki members in the Fire Country. This force consists of twenty four-man teams.
Konoha ANBU are usually under the direct command of the Hokage, but several years before the start of the series there was an ANBU Training Department known as "Root" (根 Ne?). Root was created and directly controlled by Danzo, who trained and conditioned children intensively from a very young age. This was done to completely eliminate emotions and enable its members to complete missions without being held back. Root tends to go further in its belief that ninja must not show any emotion than most other ninja groups do, as they forbid any members to possess anything that may invoke emotion (though Sai somehow has a book that he claims was for his brother). It was implied that the department might have used methods similar to Kirigakure's graduation exam, including putting students against each other in fights to the death. Because Danzo is a war hawk and opposed the Third Hokage, Root was disbanded. However, many former members are still loyal to Root. Even though Root is shown to have been well-intentioned, both Jiraiya and Tsunade remain wary of the organization.
[edit] Medical ninja
Medical-nin (医療忍 iryō-nin?, English TV "Medical Corps Ninja") are ninja who specialize in medical treatment and use medical-oriented jutsu to heal others. Becoming a medic-nin requires an extreme level of intelligence and excellent chakra control, since medic-nin use chakra to heal injuries. Aside from their medical training, their combat training consists mainly of taijutsu skills, with emphasis placed on evading enemy attacks, as the death of the medic-nin could result in the death of the team, though medical techniques can also be used offensively. On dangerous missions, a medic-nin will usually be sent along with the team, to increase the survival rate of that team. Sakura Haruno becomes a medic-nin after her training with Tsunade.
[edit] Missing-ninja
Missing-nin (抜け忍 Nukenin?, literally "Fugitive Ninja", English TV "Rogue Ninja") are ninja who have abandoned their Hidden Village, and as such can include ninja of every rank. These ninja are considered traitors and are hunted down because of the secrets they may hold. Other Hidden Villages would be interested in purchasing this information because it could be useful in gaining an upper hand in battle or obtaining a bloodline limit unique to a village. Villages create special units of hunter-nin to take care of this problem, although it's unlikely that every missing-nin has a team of hunter-nin sent after them. Also, some may be impossible to find unless they do something to attract attention.
[edit] References
- ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto. Viz Media, 145. ISBN 1-4215-1407-9.
- ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto. Viz Media, ?. ISBN 1-4215-1407-9.
- First Official Data Book (秘伝・臨の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK Hiden: Rin no Sho Character Official Data Book?)
- Second Official Data Book (秘伝・闘の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK Hiden: Tō no Sho Character Official Data Book?)
- Jump's 2nd Great Hero Book's Mini Data Book (秘伝・翔の書オフィシャルキャラクターデータBOOK mini Hiden: Shō no Sho Official Character Data Book mini?)
- Naruto anime and manga Guidebook (秘伝・翔の書オフィシャルキャラクターデータBOOK mini Hiden: Shō no Sho Official Character Data Book mini?)
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