Naruto : The White L Chapter 83: The Wind Demon of the Fūma Shuriken (I)

The shinobi world — the Land of Rain.

This region could be described as one of the most chaotic places in existence, whether in times of peace or war.

Leaving peacetime aside, during the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars, this land was a complete mess—a dumping ground for overlapping conflicts.

If one were to rank countries by how often they had been embroiled in warfare, the Land of Rain would almost certainly win by a landslide. Geography alone doomed it to that fate.

The Land of Rain's surrounding powers were extremely complicated.

Among the great nations, it bordered the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Fire. Amegakure, the Hidden Rain Village, could not afford to offend any of them—yet somehow, it kept provoking them anyway.

As for smaller nations, the Land of Rain bordered the Land of Birds, the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Grass. These countries were no match for Amegakure at all—especially the Land of Rivers, which didn't even possess a ninja village.

And yet, whenever a great nation attacked the Land of Rain, these smaller countries loved to jump in as well…

Objectively speaking, although Amegakure was classified as a minor ninja village, under the leadership of Hanzō of the Salamander, its overall strength surpassed that of every other small village. Among all shinobi forces in the world, only the Five Great Hidden Villages stood clearly above it.

Amegakure could easily overwhelm other minor villages, yet it remained far inferior to the Five Great Nations—stronger than the weak, weaker than the strong.

Hanzō was a ninja who possessed both power and ambition. He was deeply dissatisfied with both his own position and Amegakure's standing in the shinobi world.

His and Amegakure's repeated involvement in the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars could be seen as an attempt to reach the level of an "Kage