-- History of the Otogakure --
It is said that the boundaries between where the Rice Country ends and where the Otogakure begins is different for every person... and that is exactly how it was designed to operate. As a new ninja village, the Otogakure is weak in terms of economic resource and political power, but it is strong in it's roots and determination. The mere existence of the village has been a carefully hidden secret for many years as the ninja who began to village took it upon themselves to meld their village and it's operatives into the very rice patties and agricultural citizenship which was already present. To everyone else, the entire land is nothing but beautiful and breathtaking landscape seemingly inhabited by traditional rural, agricultural farmers. In many ways, even with the village growing in strength, it is still impossible to tell what is countryside and what is the Otogakure, and more importantly who is a farmer, and who are the village's esteemed ninja.
All of this is exactly how the first Otokage had wanted it to be. On returning home, the first Otokage knew that strength and village prowess would come in time, but decided that things must be done slowly to avoid having the land become a war zone as it had in the past. Building slowly in the shadows of the Rice Country, the Otokage was able to create the Otogakure just like the old ninja villages of old, where it was impossible to distinguish between farmer and operative, who were often times one in the same person. With this frame of mind, the First was able to organize the village on a need to know basis, where not all operatives are aware of each other, and certainly, very few people even know that the Otokage exists. Most could walk by or speak with the First Otokage, but never even know, especially considering the constant guise she keeps as a high-level diplomat.
With the village growing in strength however, whispers began to be heard across the Rice Country as it slowly became aware of what was happening around it. With the emergence of so many new people with unique abilities, the old rural villages were starting to see new life and new commerce coming through. Small villages began cropping up here and there, but still, the Otogakure had no true center, all of the villages no different from any other mountain village counterpart, and certainly nothing close to the scale of any of the central villages of the Five Great Shinobi nations. the largest of these communities is Kariko Village, the home of the Rice Country's famous Dojo, Temple, and it's only main hospital. Most would consider it the capital of the Rice Country, but few would understand that it is a mere facet of what the Otogakure was forged to be by the First Otokage.
In reality, the Otogakure are the very mountain plains and open countries which stretch for miles across the Rice Country, and it's streets are the open fields and the flooded rice patties. With the new commerce however, the Otogakure's economy has grown and it's ninja presence has been acknowledged. People have found ways to make requests of the Otogakure's forces and have begun to utilize it's operatives. The First Otogake, sensing the change, has appointed many ninja to begin wearing their headbands in public to act as a front, or as liaison for requests and missions. And now, with the village growing, diplomats are beginning to make the village's presence known, at least as much as it can be considering their is no one place which is the Hidden Village of Sound.
In a land where every farmer could potentially be a ninja of the Otogakure, or when you could walk past the Otokage without ever knowing it, one cannot help but see the beauty of the village's organization and the safety such an environment creates for all. With the Otogakure growing in strength and prestige, who knows what will come in it's future, but the Otokage has and always would be bent on keeping absolute peace within her borders and will not tolerate any whispers of war.
