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.

Otogakure (Otogakure no Sato; Literally meaning "Village Hidden in Sound"), called Oto for short, was Orochimaru's personal village, founded for the express purpose of collecting ninja for his experiments and his quest to learn all jutsu. In actuality, Oto is not really a village, but a group of hideouts and bases scattered throughout the Land of Sound and other countries. Sound ninja use a diverse amount of jutsu, which are mostly centered around modifications and mutations Orochimaru gave them.