Otogakure (Otogakure no Sato) — a hidden village founded by Orochimaru after his departure from Akatsuki. Unlike the traditional hidden villages of the Five Great Nations, Otogakure is not a single settlement with centralized infrastructure. It is, in fact, a network of laboratories, hideouts, and bases scattered throughout the Land of Sound and beyond. Each such base performed its own function: some served as places for experiments, others as prisons for test subjects, and still others as training grounds.
Shinobi of Otogakure do not have a formal ranking system adopted in other villages. Their combat abilities are formed not through a standard academy, but through bodily modifications, cursed seals, and experiments conducted by Orochimaru and Kabuto. The techniques used by Otogakure shinobi differ in great variety and are often associated with bodily changes, limb expansion, the use of sound waves, or manipulations of chakra through cursed seals.
The village's symbolism includes a sign resembling a musical note. The formal attire of Otogakure shinobi includes sandals with a turtle shell pattern. Unlike the great villages, Otogakure has no permanent population or civilian infrastructure — it is a purely military formation subordinate to a single leader.
After the events of the Fourth Shinobi World War, the status of Otogakure changed. Orochimaru, having reconsidered his views, made peace with Konoha, and the village was restored as a legitimate state entity.
