Government
The government of Iwagakure is led by a small elected council that decides on matters regarding all aspects of life in the village. Because of this, the council is made of individuals from each of the social classes of the village: the military class - i.e. shinobi - the samurai class, the civilian class, and the slave class. The number of council members from each class is a direct representation of that class's influence in the village. Therefore, since Iwagakure is largely influenced by the military, the majority of the council members are active or former shinobi. The civilian and samurai classes have fewer representation. The slave class is represented by a single member, known as The Voice.
Each position, except for the positions of the Tsuchikage and the slave council member, is voted for exclusively by members belonging to that class. The councilmen belonging to the shinobi class are elected every five years; the council member belonging to the civilian class is elected every three years; the member belong to the slave class is chosen every two years. The samurai members of the council are chosen exclusively by the daimyo every two years.
The council is charged with overseeing the activities of the various departments of the government. Although each member has a hand in leading the various aspects of the government, most government departments are officially headed by a council member. Traditionally, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior Development is headed by a samurai council member; The Department of the Treasury, the Department of Energy and Natural Resources, and the Department of Commerce is headed by a civilian council member; The Department of Trade is headed by a member of the shinobi class. The Department of Defense, which is the largest government department of Iwagakure, is headed by the Tsuchikage and its various military and intelligence services are headed by the other shinobi members of the council.
Iwagakure Village Council
The Shinobi
Chuutetsu Ishidai, Tsuchikage
Age: 57
The one, the only, the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure. Having been the leader of the village for several years, Ishidai's opinion is the most respected in the council. Though he has the ultimate decision-making power when it comes to village affairs, Ishidai rarely brings the hammer down by overruling council decisions. He typically lets his council members do most of the talking and deliberating, only speaking when his thoughts are needed or when the council's bickering gets out of hand.
Enkouten Kaizen
Age: 42
A proud man, Enkouten Kaizen is a firm Iwagakure loyalist. Following village tradition he values power above all else, which includes not only military strength but also economic dominance. Kaizen is not a very forgiving man and believes any affront to the village and to the people who rule it should be punished swiftly and severely. He is particularly harsh when it comes to members of clans, believing that they of all people should seek to do everything in their power to contribute to increasing the village's power and influence. He believes village affairs should be handled primarily by shinobi, and although he tolerates non-military personnel having some influence in the village. He does not like the fact that both the Daimyo's samurai and slaves have seats on the council. After the deaths of the slave councilman and one of the samurai he has made it known that he does not support replacing them. He does not believe slave voices need to be heard, and he despises the fact that the samurai, by definition, are loyal to the daimyo and not the village. Despite his focus on power and strength, he does not thirst for war with rival villages. He will, however, defend the village to the death should war occur.
Sakata Kanna
Age: 52
For most of her shinobi career, she has stressed the importance of improving village defenses. Kanna believes the village defenses are nowhere near as strong as they should be and her agenda primarily focuses on Iwagakure's walls and protecting the village from outside forces. In addition, she has always stressed the importance of the knowledge of tenkujutsu and has been the primary overseer for issues related to jinchuuriki even before she became a member of the council.
The Samurai
Nakatomi Kuroda
Age: 43
Not much is known about Nakatomi Kuroda except that he is very close to the daimyo and is possibly related to him. His primary concern is to ensure Iwagakure maintains its strength and power since it is a reflection of Rock Country's military might, and to ensure the village maintains the trade industries necessary for its survival. Unlike Fujiwara, Nakatomi is a likable man and gets along well with most of the other council members.
The Civilians
Iwasa Yuzuru
Age: 73
Possibly the wealthiest man in Iwagakure, Yuzuru's primary concern is the economic standing of the village. He and his family deal extensively with mining minerals in central and northern Rock Country and trading both the raw materials and the finished products. Compared to the likes of Enkouten Kaizen, he is quite open minded when it comes to shinobi affairs, which often puts the two men at odds. He believes that while the shinobi on the council should focus on maintaining the village's military strength, as a long time merchant it is his duty to ensure the village's economic dominance by whatever means he deems necessary.
Due to an
imperfect genma sealing, several council members are recently deceased. These recent developments shifted power to be even more firmly in the hands of the village's shinobi. Interestingly, there has been little push from neither civilians nor from the daimyo to replace the fallen council members. Due to the leadership of the village being currently in transition, the village anticipates a new Tsuchikage and the subsequent shuffling and appointings of council members.
Okada Rin
Age: 41
Okada Rin is a woman who came from nothing and managed to gain everything. She wears her status proudly, often by garnishing gaudy jewelry and robes and announcing her title at every given opportunity. She is very opinionated especially in matters that involve shinobi lifestyles, but she knows when to argue and when to bend to the will of the rest of the council for the sake of the village. Though she is not the most popular woman, she has time and time again proved her worth as a shinobi and council member.
Genkoyoushi Juroumaru
Age: 48
Juroumaru is the record keeper of the council. Tasked with knowing anything and everything about the village and its people, the Genkoyoushi is mostly interested in maintaining village archives. He has worked with the village's libraries for decades and seeks to extend Iwagakure's knowledge to include information that reaches far beyond its borders.
Fujiwara Kamatari
Age: 49
A stern man, Fujiwara was hand chosen by the from the daimyo's court to keep an eye on Iwagakure affairs. He has been selected to his seat several times under the current daimyo and is well known for sending detailed and often scathing reports to his master. Fujiwara is critical of the Tsuchikage and thinks it is time for him to step down and place the village in the hands of a younger leader; because of his stance and reputation for being the daimyo's lap dog, he is not very well liked in the council.
Tezuka Hotarubi
Age: 64
Hotarubi is a quiet woman most of the time, though that changes when she is passionate about an issue. Her main concern is usually maintaining the cultural richness of Iwagakure, which includes everything from ensuring annual festivals go well to the upkeep and preservation of underground village structures and forests. When it comes to the village, Hotarubi is all about maintaining Iwagakure aesthetics and traditions.
Shu
Age: 46
Known as "The Voice," Shu is the representative of the slave population. A taciturn man, he often does not speak on matters unless it relates directly to slaves. He is very aware of how others perceive him, especially the fact that neither Enkouten Kaizen nor Iwasa Yuzuru care for his presence on the council. Like many of his station, he wishes to improve the lives of slaves and eventually eliminate the practice of slavery in both Rock Country and Iwagakure. He knows this is a nearly impossible goal, but that does not stop him from pushing legislation that would improve the lives of his brethren.
The Tsuchikage
Through the council as a whole regulates the village and approves the Tsuchikage, once the kage is chosen he or she has the ultimate decision making power in the village. The Tsuchikage approves the council members to their positions, can dismiss a council member at any time, and can overrule any council decision pertaining to the military. In this sense, Iwagakure can fall into a dictatorship at any time. The current village leader is the eighteenth Tsuchikage, Chuutetsu Ishidai.
Immigration
Iwagakure is notoriously difficult to enter. Citizens of Rock Country may enter the village only with the proper paperwork and for proper reason, such as for trade or business purposes. These kinds of immigrants are granted access to the village for a limited amount of time, after which they must promptly leave the village. Individuals wishing to take up residence in the village must undergo rigorous screening, and only a small percentage of applicants are allowed permanent residency; those denied residency are then moved to other villages in Rock Country that are under the village's supervision. Individuals from other countries are almost never granted entrance to the village except for special cases.
Foreign Affairs
Iwagakure is a village that firmly believes it is the best of the five. Because of its citizens' indoctrinated belief that Iwagakure is inherently better than the other great shinobi villages, they have shaky or poor foreign relations. Kirigakure is the only other village that Iwagakure views somewhat favorably, but even this relationship is imperfect and is at times tense. Iwa traditionally sees Kirigakure as merely a partner in trade, but in the past few months both villages have made efforts in strengthening their relationship into a more formal alliance. With the rise of a new Mizukage, the villages participated in a joint celebration and the village leaders are on better, friendlier terms. Most Iwagakure citizens still do not harbor any strong feelings of loyalty or duty to Kirigakure, but are slowly warming up to the idea of a true partnership.
Many in Iwagakure hold a deep resentment for Konohagakure. The two villages have been on the opposite ends of bitter wars several times in the past, and their current relationship is essentially a hostile one. Though the villages are not at war, the common sentiment is that Konoha is a meddling, arrogant, and hypocritical village that cannot be trusted. Since Sunagakure betrayed their alliance to become Konoha's ally, Iwa views them harshly as well; citizens are taught to never trust Sunagakure's intentions. Sungakure shinobi are viewed as cowards and liars above all else. As for Kumogakure, the two villages have no relationship at all and Iwagakure prefers to ignore them.
Iwagakure - and by extension, Rock Country - has recently established an alliance with Grass Country.
Economy
Those who choose not to pursue a career in the shinobi forces have many options when it comes to employment. Once they have graduated from the academy, civilians may enter various trade schools. Those who wish to enter trade schools must take an exam which determines the schools they may attend.
Civilians may attend trade schools to become Engineers, Blacksmiths, Artisans, Merchants, Government Records Keepers, Tradesmen, Medical Workers, along with other professions. Those who choose to become Miners, Farmers, or Traders often live outside of the village for part of the year and are required to maintain the proper paperwork and screenings to be able to somewhat freely enter and leave the village.
Resources
Rock Country and the mountains surrounding Iwagakure are known to be rich in various minerals. Iron ore is the most mined resource and creates a large portion of the village's wealth. In addition, there are considerable marble, copper, and granite deposits in the country. Gold and precious stones, such as rubies and diamonds, are also found throughout the mountains. Iwagakure also engages in fur trading and the lumber industry.
The climate and geography of Iwagakure makes farming within and near the village nearly impossible. Therefore, the agricultural industry is largely maintained by importing crops and livestock from the somewhat more fertile areas in central Rock Country's river valleys. Iwagakure heavily depends on this area to maintain the farming industry, so it is not uncommon to see Iwagakure shinobi stationed in these areas throughout the year.
The Slave Trade
Although the slave trade has been part of its culture for centuries, Iwagakure itself does not employ slavers. Slaves are primarily procured by obtaining them from Rock Country slavers, who do their dealings at designated trading posts throughout Rock Country. Once the slaves are examined at the trading post, they are marched to the village where they are examined a second time and then purchased. Iwagakure monitors the slave trade closely. If slavers are suspected using grossly unethical practices to obtain slaves, they are promptly investigated by Iwagakure shinobi.