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| - Years after, the Purge began on a much larger scale and a mass genocide began to occur. Men, women, and children lost their lives to the cleansing....none were exempt and a large portion of the lands population were slaughtered. Throughout the course of time the inhabitants never lost hope, having fought tooth and nail to persevere; withstanding the oppression from Kirigakure and continuing to hold on to hope. With the beginning of the Kekkei Genkai Blood Purge the inhabitants fought against their rulers - the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura of the Mist. Their struggles proved futile at best, failing to put even a dent in the overwhelming strength of the Hidden Village. They used their wiser, more experienced shinobi along with their copious amounts of loyal-through-fear ninja to decimate the growing rebellion. Although the forces of the rebellion have existed since their time of subjugation, the Hidden Village never paid them much mind; using the island for purposes of housing soldiers and/or criminals, ignoring the wishes of the natives. As this once held hundreds of kekkei genkai, many have interbred with others, but despite this very few blood-inherited jutsu appear here. However, before the beginning of the Fourth Shinobi War the island sent multiple overtures and eventually spoke with various delegates before meeting with the diplomatic and passionate leader of Kirigakure, Mei Terumi, and the Water daimyō. During these conferences the land would become a protectorate of the Land of Water and nothing more, capitalizing on the natural resources of the land such as the unique crops and cultivating the unique breed of kekkei genkai. After all, this island formerly housed hundreds of those who were once lambs to a slaughter and hunted down vehemently, but being the bearer of two rare releases herself, Mei decided to strike up a lasting bond with the Land of Hope. Her dream, the freedom of the Land of Hope would not achieve fruition. Following the cataclysmic conclusion of the Fourth War, subsequent dissonance and dissolution of the Shinobi Alliance and the death of the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, the village would find themselves having been conquered by Kumogakure. Thanks to Mei's diplomacy Hope Country would no longer belong to Fuyuki, and remained outside of his reach. However, now under the thumb of Darui, the Fifth Raikage, the land was conquered as a navy base for the Land of Lightning. Yet, two hundred years of being controlled by another village was not as appealing as it once seemed and the rebellions intensified and rebel forces increased significantly. The island nation would then begin exploiting the aftermath of the recent war, playing upon the Hidden Clouds' sudden weakness. Firstly, a contingency of coordinated and meticulous attacks and guerilla warfare played a pivotal role as Kumo began to send troops to the nation, however this succeeding in pushing out all of the Cloud shinobi. Secondly, the island began militarizing their own navy and swiftly combated their oppressors, creating an embargo around the south and east border of the Land of Lightning and thus ceasing trade through the ocean by closing off all sea-routes. Detrimental as this was, Darui foresaw this and attempted to coax Fuyuki into invading the island nation and thus, causing the Land of Hope to seek out Kumogakure for assistance, however this message was intercepted by the Land of Hope. Using the same tactic, the Hope Country began trading with the Land of Water and the surrounding islands, in addition to other smaller nations like Kusagakure and even the Land of Rivers and Tea Country. Meanwhile, Darui was dealing with the Kumo Civil War and the Land of Lightning was basically splitting itself apart at the seams. Hope Country could not be lost in the eyes of the Raikage. The turmoil in Kumogakure and the embargo enacted on Kumogakure allowed the Land of Hopes' economy to prosper while keeping supplies moving toward the Land of Lightning limited and kept the country with in pain. Trade with other nations proved highly successful; having the best sea navigators, sailors and craftsman since Uzu no Kuni. Moreover, their minerals and jewelry, rare and plentiful healing fruits and crops, and money accrued from navy battles with their northern tyrants had all but strengthened relations with neighboring nations and earned them infamy for their power. As the pendulum sped forward Darui sent an entire fleet to combat and quell the rebel forces in the island nation. Deceptively, he sent a massive battalion to strike the north of the island while a second one traveled along the shoreline to strike from the west. However the leader of the Land of Hope kept his resiliency intact as he led his superior navy forces and land troops to stave off the shinobi to the north while the shrewd yet inspiring leader of the country single-handedly defeated their western battleships with an exalted, seemingly extinct nature release: Cloud Release. He controlled the ebb and flow of the heavens themselves and commanded the seas to crush their adversaries, conjuring up cyclones, hurricanes, and floods - literally forming natural disasters with his own two hands. It goes without saying that no one survived the ordeal. Meanwhile, with their superior knowledge of the sea and advanced technology Kumo failed to even touch down on the shoreline. With the unexpected and overwhelming defeat Darui relented as he lost nearly a sixth of his entire shinobi force in this final, culminating battle. With his economy in shambles and his forces in disarray the Fifth Raikage had no choice but to sign a treaty with the Hope Country, forgoing surrender as to not appear weak but still used as a shrewd method to appease the country so that Hope Country would not begin a land campaign. With trade routes to most minor countries and Kirigakure, and after having assured their continued existence by defeating Kumogakure in battle, the rebels had finally achieved a goal sought after for two centuries. Independence was finally theirs. The treaty was accepted and the Hidden Cloud Village paid a hefty ryo to the victors; additional, Kumogakure having paid reparations to the Land of Hope, causing the island to thrive making it now stand as a country of notable repute for having beaten one of the Major Five. Once the new Raikage took the mantle, Mamoru, Hope Country has since been avoiding conflict and all times of interaction with their northern neighbors. In the coming years, alliances fueled by inter-clan weddings and marriages with daimyō and royal families of power of, Konoha in particular, has given the village even more power in the seas and influence in the minor and major countries and villages. Having to maintain their independence the island nation would adopt a militaristic style of living, not unlike that of a shinobi village. Their education system and format for military, tourism, and mission income resemble that of Konohagakure no Sato. Recently the alliance with Kirigakure has all but assured that should the Land of Water be met with force, they shall also take up arms and mobilize. Through policies, political maneuvering, and legislatures the former Cloud Release master has bred a royal family ruling body. Currently his eldest granddaughter has taken up the title of the Hope Daimyō. Meanwhile, the Cloud Releases' successor is a man who heralds a strong era for the Hope Country, leading with virtue and love yet completely unmerciful toward their enemies. The warrior now leading the Hope Country, although young and incapable of the Cloud Release or any other Kekkei Genkai bred on the island nation, leads with consistency, integrity, power, and ferocity.
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