Iwagakure no Sato

The Village Hidden in Stone

Iwagakure no Sato

Iwagakure no Sato, or 'The Village Hidden in Stone', is the shinobi village of the Country of Earth, Tsuchi no Kuni. It is one of the oldest shinobi villages in the world. The village itself is located in the southern-central mountains of the Country of Earth, tucked within a small valley between mountain ranges. The village itself is impossible to see from the outside, and it is not until a person peaks one of the mountains surrounding it that they will be able to make out the village itself.

In recent times Iwagakure has also become the seat of power for the Iwagakure Air Federation, a powerful defensive orientated military group. Their first port was built and created in the village itself, and the person that formed it none other than the Tsuchikage, Alchem Syaoran.

Iwagakure Stone Monument

Culture Within the Village

The ninja of Iwagakure no Sato are the pinnacle of their nation in more ways than one. Two phrases can be heard echoing through the streets, taught in their academy and said between ninja on missions. "Your will is the strongest bedrock in the world" and "Alone we are but a single stone, but together we are strong". These two phrases embody the will of the stone and incarnate in the pride of their ninja and their ability to come together in times of great need. Many other countries speak of Iwagakure ninja as being stoic, collected, and a strength in times of disaster. Their belief in their peers and their own ability allow them to face even the most shocking of disasters.

Within the village is a Stone Monument that is meant to symbolize the greatest of the village's ideals. It's comprised of an intricate pedestal with a simple, smooth stone on top of it. The pedestal itself is in a pool of water that is filled with similar stones. The Will of Stone (石の意志, Ishi no Ishi) is the Nindō that exists symbolically in the monument. Similar to Konoha's Will of Fire, the Iwa shinobi live their lives by this great principle. The First Tsuchikage once said that the stone holds no true significance to the monument, even going as far as simply throwing it back into the pool with the other stones and replacing it with another random stone. He used these stones to demonstrate how essential the strong will of the shinobi is to Iwagakure. The village is not only the stone at the top, but all of those that surround, support, and ultimately could step up and replace it if it were lost.

The Council of Iwagakure no Sato

The Tsuchikage is the undisputed leader of Iwagakure no Sato, but in times of great need or when a Tsuchikage is unable to complete their duties a Council of thirteen members oversees the village. The Council is officially known as the Council of Iwagakure no Sato, but is often just referred to as "The Council". The Council itself only meets in times when it is needed; it is not unusual for The Council to not meet for months or even years at a time. Members of the Council are an elected few who serve for life or until they are deemed unsuited for duty by all twelve other members in a unanimous vote. To become a Council member one does not need to be trained as a ninja. The qualities that make a great Council member do not necessarily make great ninja. Though the majority of Council members are active ninja or previously active ninja, there are those in the past and even currently that never took part in the academy. The Tsuchikage or Prime Minister cannot also be a Council member, and if one of the members is raised to these offices, they are relieved of their seat on the Council.

The Country of Earth

As a symbol of their status, Council members are given a ring. The ring is a simple gold band ring with the Iwagakure no Sato symbol in crimson on one side. There are fourteen rings in total, and all of them are exactly the same so it is impossible to truly know who wore the ring in the past. Each of the thirteen members are given a ring, and if the current Tsuchikage was raised from the Council they are allowed to keep their ring as a symbol of where they came from. As of yet, because the position of Prime Minister is so new, never has a Council member had enough influence outside of the hidden village to obtain the office. However, it has been spoken that if it happened a fifteenth ring would be forged. When a Tsuchikage does not have a ring, the fourteen ring is stored in the council meeting chamber within the Tsuchikage's Summit.

Iwagakure Security Clearance

The security clearance of the village has a total of nine levels with three umbrellas; Gokuhi | 極秘, Hi | 秘, and Toriatsukaichuui | 取り扱い注意. Each umbrella has a level from one to three, with one being the lowest and three being the highest. Toriatsukaichuui is the lowest clearance, with all ninja gaining Toriatsukaichuui 1 by default. The next highest is Hi, with all Jounin gaining Hi 1 automatically. The highest state secrets are held at Gokuhi, with clearance tightly controlled at this level.

Notable Locations in Iwagakure no Sato

• Alchem Clan Estate

Current Council Members

• Junichiro Damjaou
• Marijus Vick
• Matas Holland
• Shinzo Redpah
• Tzarl Dzango
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Former Council Members

• Alchem Syaoran
• Kinsa Natari
• Tadashi Masanori
• Tsukishi Maomi

Miscellaneous

• A good portion of the residential district and outlying land has been taken over by a forest which was artificially created by Alchem Sanji. Comprising the majority of this forest is the Alchem Clan Estate.
• Iwagakure no Sato had been a victum of three invasions within a five year period. Akatsuki Invasion (2104), Kumogakure Invasion (2107), Yukigakure Invasion (2109).
• The village itself is impossible to see from the ground until you literally enter the valley itself. The valley is just large enough to contain the entire village.