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Shinobi villages (忍の里, Shinobi no Sato?) or hidden villages (隠れ里, Kakurezato?) are ninja villages that serve as part of their country's military force. A hidden village maintains its economy by training its citizens to be ninja from a young age and using them as manpower in various missions others would be willing to pay for, from weeding a garden for a single payment to receiving a constant budget from the country it resides in for being soldiers in case the country is involved in a war. The hidden villages of the five great countries each have a Kage as their leader.
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Of the countries scattered about the Naruto world, five are considered to be the most powerful and influential of them all, holding the title of The Five Great Shinobi Nations. These are the Land of Earth, the Land of Fire, Land of Lightning, the Land of Water, and the Land of Wind. Each represents one of the five elements (earth, fire, lightning, water, and wind, respectively) and each is ruled by a Feudal Lord.
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