Iwagakure

is the hidden village of the Land of Earth. As one of the five great ninja villages, Iwagakure has a Kage as its leader known as the Tsuchikage. There have been three Tsuchikage, the most recent being Ōnoki. Iwagakure is well-known for the rock-hard attitude of its shinobi; as soon as the Tsuchikage gives an order, the Iwa-nin do so without hesitating, even if it means death. Iwagakure ninja seem to specialize in earth release techniques.

The rocky mountain ranges that surround the village and country provide a natural stronghold. The village profits from this advantageous position and is proud of its strong defenses. The village sits among a mountain range consisting of small narrow waterfalls, with the buildings being composed of rock and stone; shaped from large, elevated formations of rock into tower-like structures. Many of its buildings sit on cliffs connected by a network of bridges. The Tsuchikage's palace seems to be the tallest structure with a cone shaped roof.

History
Iwagakure was known to have attempted to destroy Konohagakure many times in the past. During the Third Shinobi World War, Iwagakure fought Konoha across Kusagakure. Despite the actions of Minato Namikaze, Iwagakure was winning the war and pushing Konoha back into the Land of Fire. When Konoha destroyed the Kannabi Bridge, they cut off Iwagakure's line of supply and turned the war in their favor. Some point in the past, another attempt to destroy Konoha was made. This time, Iwa used their infamous Kamizuru clan to guide them in the battlefield. Unfortunately, they were stopped by the rivaling bug-users of Konoha, the Aburame clan. Although Iwagakure has maintained a strong military strength in times of peace, Ōnoki has frequently employed Akatsuki to carry out missions. Deidara, after stealing the village's kinjutsu, defected from the village because his art wasn't appreciated by his village, including the Third himself. He became a terrorist bomber for hire and would later be forced to join Akatsuki. Nevertheless, Iwagakure ninja still hold him in high regard.

Due to their close proximity, Sunagakure and Iwagakure has had many battles over the years, resulting in a bitter emnity between the two villages and their ninja which they are slow to relinquish, even during the Fourth Shinobi World War, where they are allies.

Iwagakure has had two tailed beasts: the Four-Tailed Monkey and the Five-Tailed Dolphin Horse. The Five-Tails, sealed within Han, was captured by Akatsuki under unknown circumstances. The Four-Tails, sealed within Rōshi, was captured by Kisame Hoshigaki while he was exploring the world. While Akatsuki has claimed that the villages of its first two jinchūriki, which the anime indicates Han to have been one of, did not care and were glad to be rid of them, Ōnoki is embarrassed that Akatsuki could capture so many jinchūriki.

Clans

 * Kamizuru clan (Anime only)

Trivia

 * The second fanbook gives Iwagakure a population size of four out of five stars, a military strength of four out of five stars, and an economic strength of two out of five stars. Along with Kumogakure, it has the greatest military strength of the five main shinobi villages.
 * On the cover of Chapter 489, several ninja from Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure are shown. The Iwagakure ninja seen are all wearing red and have black hair.