They commanded military might, yet remained constrained by so-called public sentiment. In the eyes of the traditional Nobles, ninja were mere monkeys dressed in finery, with no understanding of how to govern.
Although the power they possessed back then already far exceeded anything the Nobles of the Great Nations could imagine, human nature had never been something power alone could change.
When Konoha Shinobi Village was first established, every faction was uneasy. They feared that these people, who represented the strongest of the ninja, would truly unite to form a collective serving ninja interests, rallying ninja together to gain a voice. That would mean more than standing as their equals—it would mean dragging the Nobles down from power altogether.
Yet they soon discovered the ninja's limitations. Rather than expanding their influence, the ninja quickly fell into a misguided way of thinking.
Hashirama Senju continued the ninja's mercenary way of life. He merely founded a village and united some clans, giving them a safe place to live, and thought that was enough.
But just as the Nobles had expected, once peace descended upon these ninja who were accustomed to fighting, many of them could not settle down at all.
How did that saying go? When you were weak, peace was something you could only dream of, but when you possessed enough power, peace became nothing more than a restraint.
The ninja continued to demonstrate this principle perfectly, and soon began stirring up trouble.
The first was Madara Uchiha, who stood on par with the God of Shinobi. Although no one knew his goals or thoughts, the fact remained that Madara Uchiha had successfully used his individual prowess to shatter the peace among the Shinobi Village that Hashirama Senju had enforced.
After all, ninja across the various nations had quickly followed Konoha