Kumogakure

Kumogakure is the hidden village of the Land of Lightning and was founded by the First Raikage. As the village of one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, Kumogakure has a Kage as its leader known as the Raikage, of which there have been five in its history. The village is located in a range of tall mountains, and is literally hidden in the clouds. The Raikage works in a large blue structure built into the tallest mountain. The standard attire for Kumo shinobi consists of a long, grey top which gathers just at the waist to give a sash-like appearance, with a matching coloured bottom. Over this they wear white, one-strapped flak jackets and arm as well as shin-guards. Many Kumogakure ninja use Lightning Release techniques.

Kumogakure was founded after the Warring States Period by the First Raikage. Shortly after the formation of their villages, Konoha's First Hokage sold tailed beasts to Kumo as a sign of friendship and to ensure a balance of power amongst their new villages. The Second Raikage and Second Hokage later tried to formally agree to peace between their villages, but the ceremony was interrupted by the Gold and Silver Brothers and the Hokage was nearly killed. Konoha and Kumo ended up on opposing sides during the First Shinobi World War, with Kumo's Kinkaku Force killing the Second Hokage. Decades later, during the Third Shinobi World War, Kumo and Konoha would fight again, often with A on Kumo's side and Minato Namikaze on Konoha's. Following the death of the Third Raikage in a battle against 10,000 opposing shinobi, A succeeded him as the Fourth. Whereas all other villages reduce the sizes of their forces during times of peace, Kumo does not demilitarise so that no other village can ever have an upperhand when hostilities inevitably resume. The Third Tsuchikage notes that this behavior has only provoked the other villages to employ the same tactics in kind. Kumo's efforts to amass power often entail stealing secrets and kidnapping shinobi from other villages. Several years before the Third Shinobi World War, Kumo shinobi kidnapped Kushina Uzumaki from Konoha in order to study her unique chakra, but were foiled by Minato Namikaze.

A few years after the Third Shinobi World War, Kumo sent its Head Ninja to Konoha to sign a peace treaty, a cover for an attempt to acquire the Byakugan by kidnapping Hinata Hyūga. When the Head Ninja was killed by Hiashi Hyūga in the attempt, Kumo still tried to obtain the Byakugan by threatening war unless Hiashi's body was turned over to make up for the Head Ninja's death. In what would be called the Hyūga Affair, Hiashi's twin was given to Kumo instead, his Byakugan sealed. In the anime, Kumo made another attempt to acquire the Byakugan amidst the Konoha Crush, but failed yet again. One other method of securing power has been the tailed beasts. In the early days of the village, before buying tailed beasts from Konoha, Kumo sent the Gold and Silver Brothers to capture the Nine-Tails, a task at which they ultimately failed. With the tailed beasts in its possession, Kumo historically struggled to harness the beasts' power in jinchūriki; jinchūriki could not gain control of the beasts and would eventually lose control. The Eight-Tails would prove a particular headache in this regard, routinely rampaging through the village when its jinchūriki could not longer contain it. Because the Eight-Tails was too valuable to destroy, many were killed trying to seal it. The Eight-Tails' most recent jinchūriki, Killer B, as well as the jinchūriki of the Two-Tails, Yugito Nii, have been able to successfully control their beasts, leaving both highly valued by the village. Among the villages, Kumogakure also possesses the best technology to control a tailed beast, having built a whole temple for that sake.  When Akatsuki captures B (the Fourth Raikage's brother) mere months after the similar capture of Yugito, the Raikage is outraged by the loss of the village's jinchūriki and calls a Kage Summit to find a way to deal with Akatsuki. Although suspicious of the other villages due to their histories with Akatsuki, Akatsuki's declaration of the Fourth Shinobi World War (and news that B only pretended to be captured) convinces the Raikage to join the Allied Shinobi Forces. He is appointed its Supreme Commander and Kumo is selected for the Allied Shinobi Forces' Headquarters, making it a target for Akatsuki's counter-offensive. The village endures the attack, the war is won, and from working so closely together Kumo relations with the other villages improves immensely. Two years later Kumo is still consolidating power, but it does so for mutual benefit of all the villages by taking charge of stopping the moon from crashing into Earth. By the era of the Fifth Raikage, all five Kage are on good terms.