Iwagakure was known to have attempted to destroy Konohagakure many times in the past. During the Third Great Shinobi World War, Iwagakure fought Konoha across Kusagakure. Despite the actions of Minato Namikaze, Iwagakure was winning the war and pushing Konoha back into the Land of Fire. When Konoha destroyed the Kannabi Bridge, they cut off Iwagakure's line of supply and turned the war in their favor. Some point in the past, another attempt to destroy Konoha was made. This time, Iwa used their infamous Kamizuru Clan to guide them in the battlefield. Unfortunately, they were stopped by the rivaling bug-users of Konoha, the Aburame Clan. Although Iwagakure has maintained a strong military strength in times of peace, Ōnoki has frequently employed Akatsuki to carry out missions. Deidara, by stealing the village's kinjutsu, defected from the village because his art wasn't appreciated. He became a terrorist bomber for hire and would later be forced to join Akatsuki. Nevertheless, Iwagakure ninja still hold him in high regard.
Iwagakure has had two tailed beasts: the Four-Tailed Monkey and the Five-Tailed Dolphin Horse. The Five-Tails, sealed within Han, was captured by Akatsuki under unknown circumstances. The Four-Tails, sealed within Rōshi, was captured by Kisame Hoshigaki while he was exploring the world. While Akatsuki has claimed that the villages of its first two jinchūriki, which the anime indicates Han to have been one of, did not care and were glad to be rid of them, Ōnoki is embarrassed that Akatsuki could capture so many jinchūriki.
