It has been fifty years since the end of the Fourth Great Shinobi War. Peace has reigned supreme among all of the many shinobi nations. Smaller nations enjoy prosperity along with their larger neighbors of Konohagakure, Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure. Kirigakure, not to miss out on the peace and prosperity, has become an even stronger hub for seaborne commerce, selling the fruits of the seas to the other shinobi nations without discrimination. Having essentially erased the image of the Bloody Mist, Kirigakure now enjoys a status similar to the sensibility seen among the other four great shinobi nations.
Gaara has passed away from natural causes, while Naruto and Sasuke aged into a decent retirement age. However, just as peace was looking permanent, something stirred in the air, and a ripple shot its way through the peaceful landscape. Propelled by a still unknown motive, the Raikage of the time saw fit to order Kumo black operations shinobi to infiltration the Suna nation in order to steal Suna's Jiton (magnetic release) secrets. It is unknown how long this was going on, but it is known that ten years before present day, these Kumo shinobi were discovered by Suna defense forces, captured, and publicly executed. However, the response from Sunagakure did not stop there. A week later, Suna mobilized its military against Kumogakure. Seeing the impending conflict, Kumo mobilized it's own shinobi, marching through the smaller nations that divided the four nations on the mainland continent form each other.
Konoha refrained from any action for the first year of the war. Under the direction of Naruto Uzumaki, Konoha simply hoped that the battles would end soon and peace would return to the lands. Seeing that this would not happen, yet hoping to keep Konoha shinobi out of the conflict, Naruto publicly declared Amegakure, Kusagakure, and Takigakure to be under the protection of Konohagakure and its military. Still, no Konoha shinobi moved beyond Konoha's original boarders. After only a month of a perceived end to the violence, Kumo and Suna violated the boundaries of the protected nations once again, prompting more attempts by Konoha to preserve peace. Mobilizing the nation's navy, Naruto ordered the sea ports of both Sunagakure and Kumogakure to be blockaded, hoping that the strain of goods and finances would be enough to end the war swiftly.
However, what Naruto never planned for was the reaction by Kirigakure and Iwagakure. Blocked from trading with two of the Great Nations, Kirigakure shut down all sea trade, and granted an island for asylum of all nine Bijuu. Throwing its military into a defensive posture around it's area, and the island, Kirigakure once again isolated itself from the world.
