Ninja World/Countries/The Five Great Ninja Countries

The Five Great Ninja/Shinobi Countries/Nations are the five more powerful ninja-ruled countries on the Ninja World.

The Fire Country - Ho
This country features many dense forests, helping to give rise to its ninja village, Konohagakure, "The Village Hidden in The Leaves" (or hidden leaf village). Its government leader is the Fire Daimyo. The Land of Fire was the first country to adopt a ninja village, Konohagakure, a custom other countries would soon adopt. The Land of Fire is appropriately oriented towards the element of fire, typically having very bright and warm weather. While not the physically largest country, it has the largest hidden village.

The Fire Country has been involved in wars with Lightning, Earth, and Wind. In the quiet years that followed, Fire slowly recovered, and became accustomed to peace. This was seen by other countries, who had been working to increase their military power, as a weakness, and is one of the factors that brought about the invasion of Konohagakure by Otogakure and Sunagakure.

The Wind Country - Kaze
This country features many deserts, dunes and dry rocky mountains. The country covers a vast realm, although that realm is largely composed of deserts. Because there is very little rainfall throughout the year, the people of the country live in villages built on one of the desert's many oases. Despite the country's extremely harsh environment, it has a large population. Although they have warred with each other in the past, the country is on good terms with Fire, with a great deal of trade going on between the two countries.

The "Sand Dumpling" is a regional speciality of the Wind. A unique characteristic of the Sand Dumpling is the soy flour, which is prepared especially to resemble sand. They taste very good.

The Earth Country - Tsuchi
It is located north-west of the Land of Fire. The country is mostly comprised of desolate, rocky areas. The border of the Land of Earth runs along a rocky mountain range, blocking communication with other countries. The wind blowing from the north passes over these mountains, carrying small rocks from the Land of Earth to the surrounding countries. This famous natural phenomenon is called Rock Rain.

The Water Country - Mizu
This country features many rocky mid-altitude mountains. This country features the diverse climates and vegetation, which are located on its many islands. The Water country is a small country (if compared to the other great nations), but has a strong ninja force. 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. In some places, like the area where Haku grew up, it is very cold and snows quite a bit. Little is currently known about it and it apparently leaves itself out of most political affairs, which is understandable considering that it is composed of vast islands relatively remote from the continent containing the other four major countries. What is known, however, is that the country used to be ravaged by many civil wars, during which clans with Kekkei Genkai were used extensively, causing many to view them as harbingers of war and death, leading to purges and genocide to the point of parents killing their own children.

"Kirin (quillin) Nectar" is a regional speciality of the Water.

The Lightning Country - Kaminari
This country features many high mountains, which explains its altitude. The Lightning country is located on a peninsula north-east of the Fire. In the center of the country are vast mountains, whose many thunderstorms are said to give the country its name. From these mountains, many rivers flow to the sea, creating a very crooked coastline that displays an impressive oceanic beauty. There are many hot springs located within the country.