Konohagakure

, or Konoha for short, is one of the five great ninja villages. As such, it is one of five villages with a Kage as its leader, known as the Hokage. On a mountain overlooking the villages from the north, the faces of every Hokage are carved into the rock.

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. In the Chunin exam, out of all 153 Genin participants, Konoha had 87 Leaf Genin (72 in the anime) trying to become Chunin, whereas all other ninja villages had considerably fewer participating: 30 Sunagakure Genin, 21 Amegakure Genin, 6 Kusagakure Genin (15 in the anime), 6 Takigakure Genin (12 in the anime), and 3 Otogakure Genin (Kabuto Yakushi and his teammates were counted as Leaf Genin). However, Konoha is the village that hosted the event, which possibly contributed to the unbalanced number of participants. The hiragana あん (an) is painted on the entrance gates of the village (one hiragana on each door). This means hermitage or retreat. In Kanji the character is 庵.

History
Konoha was founded by the First Hokage 80 years before the start of the series. With his brother, the Second Hokage, they trained the Third Hokage. During the founding of Konoha, the First was helped by the founder of the Uchiha clan, Madara Uchiha, whom betrayed the village and was defeated by the first. During the Third Great Shinobi War, Konoha emerged as the strongest of the Five Great Nations.

Nine-Tailed Demon Fox
Twelve years prior to the start of the series, Konoha was attacked by the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. The demon fox decimated all the ninja that was sent to repel it. It was only until the Fourth Hokage arrived and used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, was it defeated and sealed away.

Oto and Suna Invasion
Twelve years after the demon fox attack, Konoha held a relatively standard Chunin Exam until Orochimaru, a former Konoha nin attacked the Third and initiated the Otogakure and Sunagakure Invasion of Konoha. After assessing the enemies attack and plan, Konoha was able to repel or kill all enemy shinobi and win the battle. However the Third Hokage was killed in his fight with Orochimaru.

Forest of Death
, 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 four 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.

Hokage Residence
The Hokage Residence is a large mansion occupied by the Hokages during their reign, and is located close to both the Ninja Academy and Hokage Rock. Built during the reign of the First Hokage, the Hokage mansion is currently occupied by Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage. It is filled with many forbidden scrolls, in which lies the secrets to many jutsu. Shortly before Tsunade becomes Hokage, Konohamaru, the Third Hokage's grandson, locks himself in the Hokage Mansion and sets it full of traps, although Tsunade easily managed to get past them all. At some part of the Residence on the outside is located the kanji symbol 火 (fire), a reference to the location of Konoha (Land of Fire).

Trivia

 * Masashi Kishimoto stated: "Yes, there is [a model for Konoha], it's my hometown."