"The Warring States Period (戦国時代, Sengoku Jidai) was the long, violent era preceding the formation of the hidden villages.
During the Warring States Period, the countries of the world were uniformly small, constantly battling each other for land, power, and opportunity. To fight these battles, countries hired one or more clans of mercenary shinobi to represent their interests, the shinobi's loyalties ultimately going to the highest bidder. The constant warfare in turn led to constant death, creating an average lifespan of only thirty years. Children were the greatest victims of the era, forced to fight for their clan no differently than an adult would and, more often than not, being killed by older and more skilled opponents. In an attempt to avoid conflict caused by the ever-changing alliances and resulting vendettas, shinobi were in the habit of never divulging their family names to strangers."¹
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http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Warring_States_Period
This message was last updated by the user at 19:28, Sun 01 July 2018.
