Originally the ninja world as it is known today was much different. 685 years ago the Five Great Nations were still one grandiose empire that was run and organized under a grand king. While everything was just in the eyes of this king, many inhabitants of the ninja empire had a disdain for the rules and limited freedoms divvied out by the king. From time to time, uprisings or even small civil wars would break out. This normally would happen between the King’s Army and what was known then as The Resistance, and The Tarnaic Clan. During that time, conflicts were settled with negations where the Tarnaic often demanded obscure artifacts and scrolls. The Resistance became less and less negotiable until a group of ninja from the furthest reaches of the land regions of unknown origins appeared. These enigma gained the trust of those whom so desired independence. This group of 5 ninja were simply called Kage, as they acted as shadows to a greater future and appeared in the same manner, so it fit them perfectly.
From the moment Kage took war to the great nation, the economy fell to shambles. The war went on for twenty years with no stop in sight. Even though each Kage was more formidable than any ninja seen previously, the Grand Ninja King was on par if not stronger than them all. There was no time period where rest was optional. During these two decades several negations were attempted, but the Kage weren’t having it. They believed that a great nation such as Tsunoruru, the name of the Great Nation — should not be under one rule; it should be divided equally, each region with their own leader, economy, population, and purpose. Beyond even these desires another issue that truly fueled the war hadn't been quelled.
In a battle that changed the face of the world, the Grand Ninja King was finally defeated and his source of power compromised. The Kage revealed that the time of The Great Nation had come to an end. Tsunoruru would be no more, the time of separation and individuality had come at last. Each one of the five Kage would take one fifth of the Great Nation and they would start building their own lands. Many surviving ninja from the long war and even civilians chose to move to more suitable areas where their talents could and would be put unto better use.
This is where the true birth of the five nations came to be. The one who led Fire claimed the Land of Fire in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, ; the one who led water claimed the Land of Water in the Village Hidden In The Mist; the one who led Earth claimed the Land of Earth in the Village Hidden in the Rocks; the one who led wind claimed the Land of Wind in the Village Hidden in the Land of Wind; the one who led lightning claimed the Land of Lightning in the Village Hidden In the Clouds.
Each member of five Kage obtained their now used proper titles of: Hokage, Mizukage, Tsuchikage, Kazekage, and Raikage. The originators built their respective villages during their reigns and their predecessors continued the tradition while building relations with neutral territories. Over the years many skirmishes and even wars have broken out, but that was to be expected; Personalities clash, ideals are challenged, morals are tested and bonds are broken and formed. The Shinobi world has operated under this idealism for nearly seven centuries. Thankfully war has been minimal and all has gone smoothly between the five great nations.
6 Years Ago to the Present
Each nation has had its ups and downs, yet the relationships between most of the nations had been desirable up until six years ago when disputes began that caused old tensions to rise up. Kohona became the victim of a rumor involving embezzlement of funds from the lesser lands, most notably from the Land of the Whirlpools, and the Land of Rice. Rumors also circulated that Konohagakure were in cahoots with S-ranking criminals that were responsible for numerous crimes and even murders in the other great nations. Of course, these rumors gave rise to suspicion from the the nations, greater and lesser. However, Kohona wan't the only one suspected to be doing wrong. Kiri has been rumored to have fallen back into a dictatorship and strayed away from the path of democracy. Spies sent in from the other nations have confirmed that the Mizukage: Daaku Raito— has been ruling with an iron fist. The details are still as unclear as vision throughout the Hidden Mist Village’s "natural" defenses, but it’s obvious that Kirigakure has strayed from the original path that the first Mizukage set in motion.
By the second year, suspicions about Konoha had risen a great deal. While the Village Hidden in the Mist chose to stay neutral in the attempts to expose Konoha's possible treachery, the Kazekage, Raikage and Tsuchikage began secret missions of espionage. The gathering of intel became the majority of ninja missions for the lands of Lightning, Wind and Earth. After many painstaking endeavors, failed recon and losses, it was discovered that Konohagakure was experimenting on shinobi. The results varied from disastrous mutations to nothing at all. However, that’s not the worst of it. Apparently Hokage: Minato Namikaze was the root of all the experimentation. He was the one who set the experiments in motion. From the compiled intel a trading system was established between Kirigakure and Konohagakure, causing the economies of both nations to soar.
As for the experiments, the truth about them have never been revealed to the public. Only the highest of officials such as village elders and the Daiymo know about the truth of experimentation. The actual truth is that the experiments were using the essences of various tailed beasts and other legendary forces to try and manifest powers long forgotten. The essence of the beasts was manifested into a specialized marking dubbed Containment Seals. 3 years before present time, Minato Namikaze was quite the wiz when it came to sealing jutsu. As the completion of all of the experiments came near, something went horribly wrong. Minato didn’t know what it was but the overwhelming nature of the Tailed Beasts' essence proved too much for Minato in his final experiment. He became ill with a progressive infection that quickly caused the Yellow Flash to start wasting away.
In the last week before the Yondaime Hokage finally expired, he stood before his people and made an international apology, admitting he was wrong for treating his people and the other countries. He also revealed that the experiments had warped his mind just as his body had been broken down to the dying state it was in. The experiments had thus stopped instantly; The realization, however, had made the people of Kohona horrified for what Minato had done and their image of him shattered. It was quite difficult for a hero to be linked to the events Minato had been.
After nearly three years of recovering from what Minato had done, the Land of Fire made serious changes to restore faith back into their government and to instill good faith with the other nations but disputes between the other nations about secrets and classified information have never been settled. There also lies another problem within the shinobi world. The Hidden Mist Village now has been rumored to be undergoing experimentation on shinobi, regular humans and even animals. No one knows why or what kind of experiments they are, but one thing is definitely for certain: the evil that plagued Minato’s mind has supposedly plagued the entire Land of Water. The only chance to save the Shinobi world is to find the source of his corruption and rid it from the world forever, but first one must venture into darkness to bring light.
