182BKM: A War Ignites.

Following the events preceded by the discovery of iron, Higakure and Hotarugakure found themselves at war with each other. Starting in 182BKM, two Higakure assassins killed one of the Councillors that aided the Raiuja. This sparked a war between the two villages, one much more brutal than the minor conflicts the two villages had in the past. But like the rest of the conflicts, the war ended in stalemate on the year of 180BKM (Before Kage Meeting), after two years of showing no progression between either side. The Kumouja and Raiuja agreed on a temporary truce to allow their villages to recover from the war that brought destruction to their villages. This time was taken to both repair and improve the villages' infrastructures. During this time, more and more discoveries were being made that improved both villages. Improved transportation allowed for more efficient carrying of iron from the mines where the villages gathered iron from, which was extremely plentiful in the mountains surrounding the Land of Lightning. Suits of armor were being crafted from the armor, sparking a vast improvement in protection by replacing the old, wooden and thick paper armor used in the past. Amongst the technological improvements, social and economic improvements were taking place as well. Exporting iron to the surrounding villages helped provide new opportunities of trade. The villages would trade iron for important crops that their villages needed. As social bonds began to be formed, families began forming within the villages, which further exasperated the need for expansion. But as both villages were flanked by mountain walls, they couldn't expand outward. This proved to be a problem for both villages as population caps began increasing demand for supply they didn't have. This forced a migration of some of the villagers, some of which would come to found the village of Iwagakure. The pressure to expand sparked another conflict between both villages, bringing another war upon the villages, this one just as brutal as the last. The constant wars were beginning to wear down on the two kings on the year of 138BKM, the sixth in their hierarchies since the founding of the villages, both of which were hard stressed to come up with a solution. The only solution they could find was absorbing the other village into one village. This would prove difficult as both villages fought tooth and nail to protect their well being. Those who didn't fight, fled to other villages like Konohagakure, which was already a very large village even in its early days, as it had much more land to expand on than the two villages upon the Land of Lightning. This war would once again end in a stalemate and only brought economic ruin to both villages. The year was 61BKM, and both villages were looking at a bleak future after one hundred and twenty years of different wars. Both kings were worried the wars would only drive them to extinction, but with peace treaties no longer an option, all they could do was fight until one side eventually surrendered. Continued in the next chapter, 60BKM: The End of An Era.