Naruto is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become a Hokage, the ninja in his village that is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of all. The series is based on a one-shot comic by Kishimoto that was published in the August 1997 issue of Akamaru Jump.

Kirigakure (Kirigakure no sato; Literally meaning "Village Hidden in the Mist") is located in the Land of Water. As one of the five great ninja villages, Kirigakure has a Kage as its leader known as the Mizukage. There have been five Mizukage, the most recent being Mei Terumi. An unusually high number of missing-nin seem to originate from this village. A unique classification of ninja known as hunter-nin are specifically tasked with eliminating these defectors.