Ninja Ranks
Below are the Ninja Ranks shared among every Ninja Village (particularly the five great nations):
Academy Students: (忍者学校性, Akademī-sei) make up the student body of the Ninja Academy, where they are trained and prepared for life as a shinobi. They are not an actual part of the shinobi force, as they are still in the process of mastering the very basics of the ninja lifestyle. However, they can be conscripted as part of the war potential in times of emergency.
Genin: Genin (下忍; Literally meaning "low ninja", Meaning "junior ninja") are the lowest level of ninja and also the ones that display the most difference in power. When they become Genin, ninja start to do their bit for their village's economy – being sent on missions that the village gets paid for. They are typically sent either on D-rank missions, which are almost entirely risk-free jobs of manual labor, or, rarely, on C-rank missions, which are a cut above that and begin to verge on real "ninja" work that have a very low possibility of risk to the ninja involved. When villages are short on Shinobi, they typically send Genin on more difficult missions.
Chunin: (中忍; Literally meaning "Middle Ninja", Meaning "Journeyman Ninja") are ninja who are qualified to watch over and guide other ninja. Chūnin have reached a level of maturity that primarily consists of leadership skills and tactical prowess. This is because the Genin who don't have the skills to become chūnin are weeded out in testing. Some of them function as Academy teachers and others, serve as team leaders in charge of small teams who need to make decisions and utilize the skills of the shinobi under their command to the maximum effect. Chūnin are typically sent on C-rank or B-rank missions.
Tokubetsu Jonin: (特別上忍, Tokubetsu Jōnin; "Special Jōnin"; Literally meaning "Special High Ninja"; sometimes known as Tokujō for short) are ninja who, rather than all-around Jōnin training, have Jōnin-level ability in a single area or skill, much like warrant officers of real-world militaries. They are elite specialists in their areas and are often assigned as subordinates to regular Jōnin when their services are needed.
Jonin: (上忍, Jōnin; Literally meaning "High Ninja", Meaning "Elite Ninja") are generally highly-experienced shinobi with great individual skill who serve as military captains. They are often sent on A-Rank missions, and experienced Jōnin may even be sent on S-Class missions (which are considered to be the greatest difficulty). It is not unusual for Jōnin to go on missions alone. Jōnin are generally able to use at least two types of elemental chakra, some genjutsu, and above-average taijutsu skills.
Ninja Teams
Although the higher-ranking members of the regular forces often perform missions alone, most are done in teams. The most basic team is the one a Genin is placed in after graduation. This so-called three-man cell consists of three Genin under the guidance of a Jōnin. These teams are meant to give the new shinobi practical skills, while already being a productive member of the organization. Usually, strong bonds are cultivated between the members of such a team, lasting their entire lives. Because of these bonds and the fact that working with one's long-time team-mates is usually more efficient, these teams often last even after all members have been promoted to Chūnin or higher.
Besides these basic teams, there are also teams, and groups created for specific missions and tasks. Sometimes these are teams that only exist for the duration of the mission.
Special Ranks and Functions
Besides the standard ranks of Genin, Chūnin, Tokubetsu Jōnin, and Jōnin, there are some shinobi who bear a special rank or function. For instance, Kumogakure has a rank between that of jōnin and Raikage. This Head Ninja helps in leading the shinobi forces and is capable of representing the village. Konohagakure has the Jōnin Commander, who represents the regular forces in councils and likely helps in commanding them.
ANBU
ANBU: (暗部, Dark Side), short for Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai (暗殺戦術特殊部隊, Special Assassination and Tactical Squad; English Version: ANBU Black Ops), take orders directly from the Kage, performing special high-level missions, such as assassinations and torture. The ANBU usually work in teams formed to the requirements of the mission, ensuring maximum success. The shinobi in the ANBU are hand-picked by the Kage; chosen for their individual capabilities and special skills. Age, gender, background, or previous rank bear no weight in this decision.
There are apparently no true ranks within the ANBU, as is the case with the regular forces. Team leadership and hierarchy seem to be based on merit and experience. The leaders of the teams are called squad leaders (分隊長, Buntaichō), a position held in high regards.
Groups: There are various groups within the ANBU, aimed at various different functions and tasks. Kirigakure, for instance, has the Hunter-nin, a group created solely for hunting down and disposing of missing-nin. Konohagakure has the ANBU Torture and Interrogation Force, who interrogate prisoners and work to gather intelligence.
Medical Teams
The Medical Teams (医療班, Iryō-han) are the back-up of the shinobi forces. They consist of medical-nin, working behind the scenes to heal the sick and injured shinobi and to make sure the organization is always in peak condition. Medical-nins are also similar to HM or Hospital Corpsman of the military in real life. They also do extensive research into new techniques, medicine, and into diseases and the human body. Although not seen very often, they are highly respected. Even to a Jōnin, the advanced skills of these shinobi appear like magic.
Not all medical-nin are members of the Medical Teams, though. There are also medical-nin within the regular forces, who go along on standard missions to increase the success-rate. However, back in the village, it is the Medical Teams who run the hospital and treat the wounded.
Kage
A Kage (影; Literally meaning "Shadow") is the leader of one of the five most powerful Hidden Villages and generally are also the most powerful ninja in their respective villages. They are collectively known as the Five Kage (五影, Gokage). If a Kage has held their position for several decades, as was the case with the Third Hokage, younger ninja are likely to have become stronger than they are. In such cases, the Kage may retire and give the title to someone else; the title, once granted, is held permanently. This creates a case where there are two Kage at the same time, with only one of them actually active, as it was with the Third and Fourth Hokage. After the Fourth died, the Third came out of retirement.
The Kage stand equally with the rulers of their countries, oversee the activities of their villages, and are the leaders of ninja society. They typically are the ones who send the ninja teams out on their missions and make the decisions regarding the safety of the village. The five Kage are:
* The Hokage (火影; Literally meaning "Fire Shadow") of Konohagakure.
* The Kazekage (風影; Literally meaning "Wind Shadow") of Sunagakure.
* The Mizukage (水影; Literally meaning "Water Shadow") of Kirigakure.
* The Raikage (雷影; Literally meaning "Lightning Shadow") of Kumogakure.
* The Tsuchikage (土影; Literally meaning "Earth Shadow") of Iwagakure.
Although the village leaders of other hidden villages may be as strong or even stronger than any of the Kage, their villages have not earned enough recognition for them to bear this title. Hoshigakure has unofficially dubbed each of its leaders the Hoshikage (星影; Literally meaning "Star Shadow"), signifying their ambition to be recognized as an equal to the five great villages. However, this title is only a name, and the five Kage do not recognize it as their equal.
Ninja/Jutsu Classifications
E-Rank: E-rank is one of the six classifications. It is followed by D-rank. It is used exclusively when classifying jutsu intended for Academy Students. A number of E-rank jutsu must be learned before ninja can graduate, and are only difficult in the sense that students may not have learned how to properly control their chakra. With time, E-rank jutsu like the Body Replacement Technique become second nature for seasoned ninja.
D-Rank: D-rank is one of the six classifications. It is preceded by E-rank and followed by C-rank. It is typically used when classifying jutsu intended for ninja of the Genin level. D-rank jutsu are often one of the first jutsu a ninja will learn after leaving the Ninja Academy.
There are also D-rank missions, the lowest classification a mission can receive. These missions are usually assigned to Genin. Some ninja describe D-rank missions as not being actual missions as they deal with tasks as simple as finding missing pets and weeding a garden. D-rank missions pay between 5,000 and 50,000 ryō.
C-Rank: C-rank is one of the six classifications. It is preceded by D-rank and followed by B-rank. It is typically used when classifying jutsu intended for ninja of the Chūnin level. C-rank jutsu are often one of the first jutsu a ninja will learn that require some amount of training.
There are also C-rank missions. These missions are usually assigned to Chūnin, or in some cases, Genin. Assignments include bodyguard duty and hunting wild animals, all of which will likely pose some risk to the ninja. C-rank missions pay between 30,000 and 100,000 ryō.
B-Rank: B-rank is one of the six classifications. It is preceded by C-rank and followed by A-rank. It is typically used when classifying jutsu intended for ninja of the Jōnin or Chūnin level. B-rank jutsu are typically useful and can be learned relatively easily with enough time, such as the Shadow Clone Technique.
There are also B-rank missions. These missions are usually assigned to Jōnin or Chūnin. Assignments can involve spying or assassinations, and ninja are expected to go up against enemy ninja during the course of the mission. B-rank missions pay between 80,000 and 200,000 ryō.
A-rank: A-rank is one of the six classifications. It is preceded by B-rank and followed by S-rank. It is typically used when classifying jutsu intended for ninja of the Kage and Jōnin level. A-rank jutsu are often very useful, but need extensive training before they can be mastered. Some A-rank jutsu also pose a risk to the user, resulting in their classification as kinjutsu.
There are also A-rank missions. These missions relate to what is in a village or country's personal interests and are extremely difficult or dangerous to compete, usually assigned to Jōnin. A-rank missions pay between 150,000 and 1,000,000 ryō.
S-Rank: S-rank is one of the six classifications. It is preceded by A-rank. It is typically used when classifying jutsu intended for highly experienced Jōnin and Kage-level shinobi. S-rank jutsu are almost always unique to a single user, and as such are trademark abilities of that user.
There are also S-rank missions, the highest paying and most dangerous type of mission a ninja can go on. These missions are exclusively assigned to highly skilled Jōnin or large squads of ninja. S-rank missions pay at least 1,000,000 ryō.
"S-rank" is also a designation given to extremely powerful missing-nin, earning them a place in their village of origin's Bingo Book. There are some powerful ninja who are still loyal to their village as S-rank, such as the Sannin or other Kage-level characters, but this is arbitrary.
