
This may have been due to the First Hokage's death, which made Bijuu control harder, and which in turn lead to the 'storing' of Bijuu inside people (Jinchuuriki). However, at least according to this page, this may have actually have increased hostilities. This was done with the intention of distributing the power equally between the countries. The example of Konoha was followed in other countries, thus creating the Five Great Shinobi Countries.Īs a means to help settle the peace between these five new-born villages, Hashirama Senju (then First Hokage), who was able to control Bijuu with his Wood Release techniques, distributed said beasts between the other countries.

The heads of each of these clans shared the vision that peace was possible, as long as one could reach out to the other.

The ending of this Era is marked by the founding of Konoha by the Uchiha and Senju clans. Money, lands and rights initially spawned the conflicts, and then the 'cycle of hatred' settled in. Clans responded to Feudal Lords as long as they got paid, meaning that there wasn't even any particular affiliation to the nation itself. Back then, the nations' shinobi were not yet organized into villages, so any existing Feudal Lord (which I am not sure existed) would not have power over any clan, so he could not force them to make a truce.

This cycle was started, according to the Wiki page, as each nation "crusaded for more rights and land".
