Konohagakure

, or Konoha for short, is one of the five great ninja villages, and said to be the mightiest of the five. 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 exists the Hokage Monument. The village resides in the Land of Fire. Although Konoha, much like the country in which it resides, has been peaceful for the past sixteen years, and has grown accustomed to that peace, it remains one of the most powerful villages in existence, and has great military power and influence.

The Birth of Konohagakure and Madara's Revolt
Before Konoha was founded, shinobi were merely individual clans working as mercenaries for various daimyo. Of the countless ninja clans, the Uchiha clan and the Senju clan of the forest were the strongest at the time. After much bloodshed, the Senju clan offered a truce with the Uchiha. Despite their leader, Madara Uchiha's, protests, the clan overruled him, and he reluctantly agreed. Thus the Hidden Leaf Village was born. Soon, other countries began to adopt this system, leading to the birth of other villages, and peace was attained. However, when the leader of the Senju clan, Hashirama Senju, was chosen to be the leader of Konoha, Madara decided to challenge him for the sake of his clan. No Uchiha, however, would help him, for they despised him for trying to reignite the flames of war. Betrayed by everyone, Madara left the village so that he could challenge Hashirama by himself.

During their legendary battle at the Valley of the End, Madara was defeated, presumed killed, and was thereafter lost to history. Hashirama's younger brother, who became the Second Hokage, formed the Konoha Police Force, and gave it to the Uchiha clan as a way to prevent them from entering the governing of the village, and to keep them in check (though he made it look like handing them a symbol of trust), in order to prevent another revolt like Madara's. Some Uchiha clan members, who figured out this gesture's ulterior motive, began to rebel like Madara had. However, it was too late; the Senju clan became superior in the entire village, and the Uchiha clan was discriminated and secluded, just as Madara had predicted. It was this grudge that led to the Uchiha clan's attempted coup d'état decades later, and, eventually, their demise.

The Hyuga Incident
Nine years prior to the start of the series, Konoha and Kumogakure made a peace treaty with each other. To sign the treaty, Kumo sent a Head Ninja as the ambassador. However, during the night, the head ninja snuck into the Hyuga district of Konoha and tried to kidnap Hinata, Hiashi Hyuga's daughter, to steal the secrets of the Byakugan. Hiashi killed him before he could get away. However, Kumo denied having any part in the kidnapping; in fact, they wanted compensation for the death of their comrade. Hiashi was prepared to die, but his brother, Hizashi, took his place, to make up for his sins against him.

Uchiha Clan Revolt
When the Uchiha clan planned to overthrow Konoha, one of its members, Itachi Uchiha, began reporting the Uchiha's actions to Konoha's leadership. Itachi was subsequently ordered to eliminate the Uchiha to prevent a bloody conflict, and to thereafter live as a criminal. He did as instructed, but could not kill his younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha, as well. He convinced Konoha's leadership to keep Sasuke safe. He then joined Akatsuki, to become a spy for Konoha.

Oto and Suna Invasion
Twelve years after the demon fox attack, Konoha held a relatively standard Chunin Exam until Orochimaru, a former ninja of Konoha, attacked the Third, and initiated Otogakure and Sunagakure's invasion of Konoha. Konoha was able to repel and/or kill all enemy shinobi, at the expense of the Third Hokage's life. The Third Hokage was replaced by Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin, and granddaughter of the First Hokage.

Pain's Invasion
A few years after the Sand and Sound's failed invasion, Pain of Akatsuki attacked the village in search of Naruto Uzumaki. In the course of his search, most of the village was destroyed. After a talk of peace with Naruto, he sacrificed himself to revive the villagers, in apology for murdering Jiraiya. Tsunade is left comatose after the invasion, so Danzo was selected as the Sixth Hokage.

Landmarks

 * 44th Battle Training Zone
 * Hokage Monument
 * Hokage Residence
 * Ichiraku Ramen Bar

Trivia

 * 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.
 * Masashi Kishimoto stated, "Yes, there is [a model for Konoha]; it's my hometown."
 * Konohagakure has three Akatsuki representatives, the most of any village: Madara Uchiha, Orochimaru, and Itachi Uchiha. Also, Sasuke Uchiha has formed an alliance with Akatsuki through his own team, Taka.