260BKM: Higakure and Hotarugakure's Foundings

Two hundred and sixty years before the unification of the five nations by the first Kage, the Land of Lightning was beginning its prosperous period with the creation of two villages. Higakure, the village hidden within the clouds, and Hotarugakure, the village hidden within the lightning. Legends say construction began on both villages at the exact same time, each sharing the exact same building plans. As such, both villages were exactly identical. The building processes took six years before both were completely constructed, and it was rough. Ancient building methods required the builders to cart large stones and wood on poorly constructed wagons, which were prone to falling apart. This delayed building by two years from the expected four years. The Land of Lightning's notorious weather took the lives of quite a few of the builders, either by being struck by lightning, pelted by hail, killed by gusts of wind or whatever else the country's dangerous weather had in store for them. After six arduous years, the villages were finally complete as the last stone was simultaneously placed on both villages. The villages featured technological breakthroughs in building construction, including specially packed stones that helped protect against the Land of Lightning's harsh winds. Having heard rumors of the fledgling Konohagakure expanding trade routes, Hotarugakure and Higakure decided to do the same, though it would be met with mixed success over the coming years. Within days, villagers from the smaller, less technologically villages, each began going to Higakure and Hotarugakure. Within a month, both villages reached maximum population capacity, each capping out at a thousand people from all the small villages that dotted the Land of Lightning. Eventually, these villages were torn down and used to expand on the two villages as they were no longer inhabited. Ten years later, in 244BKM (Before Kage Meeting), each village elected a leader. Higakure named their leader the Kumouja, or Cloud King, while Hitarugakure named their leader the Raiouja, or Lightning King. Each expanded their respective villages with great pride, though their relationships were slowly becoming strained. Feeling the pressure of expansion, Hotarugakure threw the first stone on 219BKM, sparking the first of many battles against the two as both villages vied to take control over the other. Neither of them were able to overcome the other, their battle strength equally matched. Every one of their battles ended in stalemate until a slight lull in the year 190BKM, when the two villages began expanding on their technological breakthroughs. The discovery of iron from both villages allowed for the creation of things like cooking ranges and useful creations such as weapons and gardening tools. What the two didn't know, but would come to learn, is that this discovery would ignite conflict between the two villages all over again. Continued in the next chapter, 182BKM: A War Ignites.