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Iwagakure's restart has been everything but calm, yet despite its rocky beginnings - pardon the pun, though brace yourself for many more - it has regained some of its stability in recent times. Iwagakure began, like all other hidden villages, with a group of shinobi tired of the ways after the Great War, eager to bring back elements of the past that could restore peace. Through over time, men's hearts grew corrupt, and the power of responsibility was all but gone. A good example of this would be the tenure of Mitzy Valentine.

She had risen to power with the popular vote, as she was well-liked all around. Unfortunately, being "too much for the people", the council decided that sooner or later, the kunoichi would no longer wish to adhere to their own demands. Corrupt beyond saving themselves, a plan to dethrone was soon hatched. Over time, as her family grew in power, the time to act grew sooner. But she was no fool. Sensing the impending trap that was about to spring upon her, she ran from the village, accepting the worst label of all - missing - while risking everything in the name of what was right. Her fate became unknown soon after, but while she had left quietly, the mess left in her wake was anything but.

Iwa was in chaos for quite some time. Without a leader, the villagers were in despair, especially when being told by the council her defection was an intentional act to bring down the village. Torn and soon divided, civil war broke out from within, with loyalists blindly and unknowingly defending, while accusers too afraid to reason were quick to judge and act. It was terrible.

Despite all this, several prominent young stars emerged from the darkness unscathed, ready to push the village forward. Etsuko Honoka, but a child, pushed through the violence, remaining loyal to Mitzy while defending her name and her family. In the end, she was forced to bow down to a higher power under the threat of violence, but it was not without reason; soon, she'd become an instrumental part of the new order within Iwa, as a Chuunin nonetheless. It was well earned promotion.

Kaede, Makoto had acted as an agent of the Council, successfully neutralizing several key ANBU members Mitzy left behind during her escape. Loyal to her to the end, they chose to stay behind and hold her pursuers at bay while she gained ground, all while accepting the fact they would undoubtedly perish in the process. And so they did; Kaede made sure of that.

But perhaps the most successful of all was Uchiha, Enfuego. A wandering medic and a mercenary for hire, he had chosen Tsuchi no Kuni as a place to settle while he recovered from a previous venture. In the process, he ran into an Iwa Genin being assaulted by foreigners for knowledge of the village's location. Seeing this as an opportunity for him to expand his business to hidden villages - he was a rather excellent medic, mind you, though a tad bit erratic - he quickly intervened. It didn't take long for the pursuers to be buried, and the Iwa-nin to be slowly healed back towards some form of semblance.

The rest was history. Recognized by the village for his many recent efforts that would aid it as it transitioned from Mitzy's rule to that of the council, he quickly became recognizable. Though loyal to Mitzy - she was the one that hired him, after all - she had chosen to flee during one of his many patrols, leaving him no explanation. It was hard to understand her decision, but in the in the long run, his main purpose was full trust from Iwa. Thus, he would reluctantly pass on his services to the Council. It wasn't long before they had him on her trail.

But she was long gone, and F - his self-proclaimed code-name - had other plans. He soon decided that although he'd have to be a puppet to the Council, he didn't exactly have to do everything they had to say. As such, he'd pretend to serve their interests, all while doing his own investigating and concluding. He was skilled enough to pull it off, and with the entire village turned upside down over Mitzy, it wasn't exactly difficult to sneak around. Add a rushed badge of approval in light of the aforementioned frenzy, and you have a perfect recipe for planned deceit.

And he did just that. He began by first "hunting down" the remaining members, reporting to the Council he'd found each one and slain them personally. In reality, once he had tracked them down, he'd quietly led them out of the village, utilizing what little remaining Valentine sympathizers remained within the shinobi corps to transport them to safety. After that, he'd target key locations that belonged to the Valentine family, "destroying" them, all the while truly temporarily removing them from sight - the Valentine Manor was a good example, buried underground, but ready to emerge again one day when needed.

As for their inhabitants? Reported as murdered, but actually released outside of the village much like the family was. Everything was checking out, and soon, the Council's trust in F was as high as ever. So much so, that they would grant him an immediate audience once hearing the last Valentine members had been questioned, and were to be personally delivered to them for final "judgement". This was code for execution. F had delivered them, and as they salivated, would finally emerge from the shadows with his true intentions. It was then that he delivered his bid to become Tsuchikage, under their rule, of course. They thought about it for some time, but soon agreed; it seemed they had won this war.

But this was merely the illusion F wanted them to believe, and thus, hey never saw their undoing coming until it was too late. The prisoners were not Valentine, but instead members of the Council's own family, strapped to the brim in paper explosives. After disabling them easily with senbon, he'd take to the guards, letting the clones that delivered the prisoners explode nearby, hurting and disabling them even more, all while the Uchiha took on the guard. With the ongoing civil war, the guard was so light the Jounin spent little time battling them. Now, before completely demolishing the building with the explosives, a single fire jutsu would add an agent that would enhance the blase, ensuring all evidence of his assassination and coupe were gone - except the paper work with their own signatures swearing him in as Tsuchikage, of course.

Escaping before the blast even took place, he was nowhere near where the tragedy was discovered. Instead, he arrived alongside other shinobi, another objective completed and ready to be presented to the now dead Council. Once discovering this, the rest took its course. The papers were presented, he was sworn in, and then he was leader - but it was hasn't been all that smooth. Many natives opposed his rise to the throne, and although it appeared very much official, the idea of foreigner taking over seemed unreal.

But peace - for the moment - did in fact come. And for some time now, although quite militarized, Iwa can call itself safe. Though the emphasis on battle is evident in the village, F has remained unwavering in his spirit and still morally sound. He is not mean, nor is he a tyrant. A mad scientist rather, he has granted the village the peace he promised, all while using their best to test new medicines and surgical methods. Some still distrust him, but day by day, the resistance dies down.

What did the future hold for Iwa? It was unknown, but with powerful commanders like Nai, Jin,Cain, and Kousuke, it was certain it was bright. F was no weakling, nor was he a fool. With word of war between Konoha and Kiri on the horizon, Iwa needed to be careful. This recent struggle weakened the village, and although it is rebuilding and growing stronger day by day, it had no interest warring with other nations. Other than the eventual colonization of the Lower Nations, Iwa would very much become quiet to the outside world.

Only time would tell what the next chapter would bring...