Kirigakure

is the hidden village of the Land of Water. As the village of one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, Kiri has a Kage as its leader known as the Mizukage, of which there have been six in its history. Befitting its name, the village is surrounded by a thick mist, with several mountains in the background, making it difficult to find by foreigners. Kirigakure's architecture is composed of several cylindrical buildings, with the Mizukage's office being the widest and largest. Most of the buildings have vegetation growing on their roofs.

The standard attire for Kiri shinobi revolves around a pinstriped material which the shinobi wear as bracers and greaves which merge into their sandals. Underneath this, they wear a full-black shirt and pants over which they wear the villages' standard grey flak jacket. Some also wear waist-guards. Many Kiri ninja use Water Release techniques. Due to the village's high number of missing-nin, Kiri has a subdivision of Anbu known as hunter-nin that are specifically tasked with eliminating these defectors.

History
Kiri was founded after the Warring States Period by the First Mizukage. Shortly after the formation of their villages, Konoha's First Hokage sold tailed beasts to Kiri as a sign of friendship and to ensure a balance of power amongst their new villages. The goodwill this fostered was short-lived, and Kiri would become involved in different conflicts over the following decades. The Second Mizukage and Iwa's Second Tsuchikage at some point met in battle and killed each other.

According to Kahyō, Kirigakure's society was split into a form of caste system since the founding of the village. The highest ranking civilians were those whose family lineage originally stemmed from within Kirigakure, the second caste was for members of families who were allied with Kirigakure on the battlefields in the past while the last and lowest caste consisted of members of the families who were defeated on said battlefields and annexed into the village. From the early days on, the members of the third caste were handled with caution and had to complete the most perilous and dangerous missions for the village — thus keeping them occupied and preventing them from revolting.

Village of the Bloody Mist
While nothing is known about the era of the Third Mizukage, his successor's reign was a time of darkness for Kiri, with corruption plaguing those in charge and the pursuit of power becoming paramount for many. In the Academy, students wishing to graduate (only members of the lowest caste in the novel) had to fight to the death, and only those who survived could advance to the ranks of the ninja. This practice earned the village the nickname as the. Defection became widespread amongst Kiri's ranks, with several members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and even the Six-Tails' jinchūriki, Utakata, abandoning the village. The Academy's graduation methods were discontinued after Zabuza Momochi, not yet a student himself, killed an entire year's graduating class, but by then the Bloody Mist had irreparably tainted the Fourth's legacy. In time it was discovered by Ao that the Fourth was being manipulated by someone, although Kiri was never able to ascertain by who or how.

Manipulation by the Uchiha
At an unknown point sometime, Madara Uchiha secretly began to manipulate events in Kiri. Following his death, Obito Uchiha, using the name of Madara Uchiha, took his place.

During the Third Shinobi World War, it was believed that Kiri — then already known as the "Village of the Bloody Mist" — kidnapped Rin Nohara of Konoha and sealed the Three-Tails into her; in truth, this was a plot by Madara to gain Obito's allegiance. When she was rescued by Kakashi Hatake, Kiri sent a force to go after her, but this was only for appearances; Kiri wanted Rin to make it back to Konoha so that, upon losing control of the Three-Tails, it would be released within the village and destroy it. Aware of this, Rin convinced Kakashi to kill her before they get back and the pursuing ninja are similarly killed. Kiri reacquired the Three-Tails after the Third Shinobi World War and made the Fourth Mizukage its jinchūriki. By the time it was captured by Akatsuki, the Three-Tails was roaming wild, with no host.

Other Conflicts
In addition to foreign conflicts, Kirigakure has experienced several periods of internal unrest. The Kaguya clan once waged war against Kiri to quench their lust for battle, but were slaughtered by the village's superior forces. Those with kekkei genkai were regarded with suspicion by the people of Kiri and the wider Land of Water due to their efficiency during times of war. As such, persecution and even murder of anyone with a kekkei genkai was common; in the case of the Yuki clan, it no longer exists in an organised sense and its few surviving members live in secret, fearful of their abilities being discovered.

In the anime, sometime after the Third Shinobi World War, Kiri and Iwa joined forces on a mission to reclaim intel stolen by Kumo. Once the information was secured, Iwa betrayed Kiri and killed most of the ninja sent on the mission in order to take the intel for themselves, an incident that would come to be known as the Tragedy of Yosuga Pass.

Current Situation
Under the Fifth Mizukage, Kiri has tried to move passed the memories of the Bloody Mist by reforming internal policies and improving its image abroad as being an open-minded nation. After Akatsuki captures a number of tailed beasts, including both of those previously possessed by Kiri, the Fifth attends a Kage Summit in order to improve diplomatic relations with the other villages and disprove the rumour that Akatsuki was founded in Kiri. As a further display of this, Kiri joins the Allied Shinobi Forces to oppose Akatsuki. The war is won and the village's image is redeemed, so that by the era of the Sixth Mizukage all five Kage are on good terms.

Trivia

 * The village is named after Saizō Kirigakure of the Sanada Ten Braves, a group of legendary ninja that served under daimyō Yukimura Sanada during Japan's Warring States period, and rival to his comrade Sasuke Sarutobi. His surname is a play on his association with fog and illusions. The village's trademark technique, Hiding in Mist Technique, also plays on Saizō's ability.
 * Kirigakure does not seem to have a ninja registration system.
 * Despite the persecution of people with kekkei genkai in the past, the village's Second Mizukage had a kekkei genkai, as well as the Fifth Mizukage who has two kekkei genkai.
 * During the second fight between Zabuza Momochi and Kakashi Hatake, the former used a kunai with an edge of the blade curving inward, making the point sharper and more suited for stabbing or thrusting. Later in the anime, this blade was depicted as Kirigakure's special variation of the standard kunai.