Konohagakure

Konohagakure (木ノ葉隠れの里, Konohagakure no Sato^?, lit. "Village Hidden In The Leaves"), also known as Konoha, is the hidden village within the Land of Fire and the primary setting of the series. As the hidden village of one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, the village is led by a Kage, known as the Hokage. The faces of the first five Hokage are engraved on the rock formation overlooking Konohagakure. At the start of the series, the Third Hokage is the leader of the village. He had abdicated his position in favor of Minato Namikaze, who became the Fourth Hokage, but was forced to reclaim his position after Minato died saving the village from the nine-tailed demon fox. During Part I of the series, Orochimaru leads an invasion of Konohagakure that causes large amounts of property damage to the village and culminates with the murder of the Third Hokage, his former teacher. Tsunade, another of Third's students, succeeds him as the Fifth Hokage and oversees the village's reconstruction. Later in Part II Pain, the leader of the criminal organization Akatsuki, leads an attack on Konohagakure and destroys most of the village in the process. After Pain invades Konoha, Tsunade is left in a comatose state and Danzo is elected as Hokage. The origin of Konohagakure is revealed during Part II of the series. The village was formed as part of an alliance between the Uchiha and Senju clans, decendants of the two sons of the Sage of the Six Paths, the strongest clans in the Naruto world at that time. Hashirama Senju, the leader of the Senju clan, became the First Hokage, and defeated Madara Uchiha, the leader of the Uchiha clan, when Madara challenged Hashirama's rule.

Within Konohagakure are a number of locations featured prominently during the series. The Forest of Death (死の森, Shi no Mori^?) is a large gated forest used for the biyearly ninja exams in which ninja can advance to the rank of Chunin. The Ichiraku Ramen Bar is the favorite restaurant of the series' titular character, Naruto Uzumaki, and he frequently visits it during the course of the series. The Final Valley (終末の谷, Shūmatsu no Tani^?) is the location of Hashirama's and Madara's fight for control over the village, featuring large statues of the two overlooking a waterfall. At the end of Part I, Naruto fights Sasuke Uchiha in this location in a failed attempt to return him to Konohagakure.