Shinobi, also known as ninjas, come from hidden villages in the Five Great Countries of the world: the Land of Wind, Land of Fire, Land of Water, Land of Lightning, and Land of Earth. They will perform missions--doing manual labour, acting as escorts, gathering secret information, retrieving stolen items, carrying out assassinations--for people for a fee, the amount of which is based on the difficulty of the mission. In times of war, ninja will come together to defend their villages and land. The clearest characteristic of a shinobi is their ability to manipulate chakra to create and use techniques known as jutsu.
Sunagakure | Konohagakure | Kirigakure | Kumogakure | Iwagakure
Jutsu The mystical abilities shinobi use in battle are known as jutsu. To perform jutsu, a ninja must bring together two energies of chakra and use hand seals to direct the energy. There are three basic types of techniques: ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. • E-rank - Learned by Academy students. Are the basic and most fundamental techniques for all ninja. • D-rank - Genin-level techniques. Can be achieved by all genin, though many ninja only learn their "type" of technique. • C-rank - Chūnin-level techniques. Sometimes learned by genin who have trained extensively. • B-rank - Jōnin-level techniques. Require high levels of chakra to use. • A-rank - Kage or jōnin-level techniques. Require great control over one's chakra and may be forbidden. • S-rank - Secret, extreme level techniques. Are typically unique to a single user.	Ninja Ranks Kage "Shadow." The leader of the hidden villages and the shinibi that occupy them. The most respected and generally the most power ninja in their village. ANBU "Special Assassination and Tactical Squad." The ANBU are hand-picked by the Kage and perform special--and usually very difficult--missions for him. Age, gender, and background seem to bear no weight among ANBU. Jonin "High Ninja." High-experienced shinobi who serve as captains and are usually sent on difficult missions. generally able to use at least two types of elemental chakra, some genjutsu, and above average taijutsu skills. Chunin "Middle Ninja." Qualified to guide other ninja and lead missions. Expected to have a high level of maturity and a grasp of leadership and tactical skills. Genin "Low Ninja." Shinobi in this class have the most variety among their abilities. New genin are often sent on D-rank missions, slowly working their way up to C-rank as they become more experienced. Genin are grouped in threes, with a jonin sensei to guide them. Academy Students Students preparing and training for the life of a shinobi. They learn at the Academy, eventually having to pass a final exam to earn their headband and their title as genin.