The Land of Water was one of the Five Great Nations. Its territory consisted of islands surrounded by sea on all sides, with mountainous terrain and a unique island culture and customs. It had the smallest land area among the Five Great Nations, was bordered by the sea on all sides, and possessed numerous islands. Its affiliated Hidden Mist Village was led by the Mizukage, who governed the shinobi forces through strict regulations. They excelled at mist-based ninjutsu. Thanks to its geographical advantage of lying far offshore, the Land of Water was rich in resources and had long been less affected by war. According to relevant setting materials released as of 2018, it was the smallest of the Five Great Nations by land area, but its archipelagic geography provided excellent living conditions.
Kirigakure, one of the five strongest hidden villages, belonged to the Land of Water and was established by the First Mizukage. It possessed a distinctive culture. Located deep in the mountains, its territory was often shrouded in thick mist, making it a shinobi village completely isolated from other nations. Though its land was surrounded by seawater on all sides, it had a unique terrain with many peaks. Furthermore, the large and small islands around the main island each had their own customs, and many islanders lived according to those traditions. Its distance from the mainland, together with the barrier of the sea, was why the Land of Water rarely involved itself in the previous Shinobi World Wars.
In fact, at the beginning of the Five Great Nations, neither the Land of Water nor Kirigakure was the weakest among the Five Great Nations and Five Great Shinobi Villages.
The beginning and end of the Village of the Bloody Mist were fundamentally Kirigakure's own internal problems. Obito and Madara merely