Hokage

The are the leaders of Konoha. They are generally the strongest in the village, although ideology and renown plays a large part in their being chosen for the position.

Five shinobi have gained this title so far.

After being apointed, they are given a mansion to live in, and later on, have their faces carved out in the stone wall behind the mansion that so far, after the begining of Part II, have all five Hokages carved into.

Fourth Hokage


Minato Namikaze, mostly referred to as the Fourth, graduated from the Academy at the age of ten and would go on to become the student of Jiraiya. There he was taught the Summoning Technique and signed the contracts with the Toads. Minato mastered the technique, being the only person to fully control Gamabunta, a feat not even his sensei could do. His skills would further grow with the development of his own jutsu, the Rasengan (although he did not live long enough to complete it) and Flying Thunder God Technique.

After attaining the rank of Jonin, Minato was given direction of his own team, which consisted of Kakashi Hatake, Rin and Obito Uchiha. Along with Kakashi, Minato's reputation greatly increased during the Third Great Ninja War, where his skills earned him the moniker of Konoha's Yellow Flash.

Later on, he became the Fourth Hokage (Yondaime Hokage). However, he is most famed for his defeat of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. When the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox attacked Konoha, Minato rushed to the village, where he and Gamabunta faced off against the Tailed beast. Near the end of the battle, Minato made the ultimate sacrifice: using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, he sealed the demon fox into a newborn child, Naruto, in exchange for his own life. His dying wish was that Naruto be viewed as a hero, and not the container of the demon fox, a request most of the villagers did not honor.

Fifth Hokage


The Granddaughter of the First and one of the "Legendary Three Ninja" (伝説の三忍, Densetsu no Sannin) Tsunade is also known as the "Legendary Sucker" for her love of gambling. During her first appearance, because of her love for gambling, her assistant Shizune is seen carrying around a briefcase filled with I.O.Us (I Owe You). Also she is a brilliant Medic-Nin, whose skills are known far and wide.

After the Third died and Jiraiya declined being given the title of Hokage, he thought that Tsunade might be a more appropriate fit, and also speculated that her Medic skills would be of good use to heal the wounded ones from the previous invasion.

After a long journey which included betting Naruto couldn't complete the Rasengan by the end of the week, and encountering Orochimaru and Kabuto in a difficult fight, Tsunade finally agrees to become Hokage.

Trivia

 * All of the former Hokage have been sealed away in the stomach of the Death God summoning. The Fourth was sealed when he sealed the demon fox inside of Naruto, while the First and Second were sealed when Orochimaru resurrected them and the Third sealed them away, and the Third was sealed when he gave his life to seal Orochimaru's arms.
 * Of all the Hokage, Tsunade is the only who hasn't had her surname revealed.