Twelve Guardian Ninja

Drawn from talent scattered across the Land of Fire, this company of a dozen shinobi existed for one purpose: to shield the country's daimyō, laying down their own lives if the situation demanded it. Belonging to the group was signalled by a cloth worn at the waist and marked with the kanji meaning fire. Their skill and singular mission made them figures of note well beyond the daimyō's court.

In the novel account, a pair of the guardians escorted the daimyō on his yearly visit to Konoha, only to be frozen by a masked assailant who was then chased off by Itachi Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake, after which the group was dissolved. The anime tells a grimmer story. Roughly two years after the Nine-Tails rampaged through Konoha, six guardians under Kazuma grew fanatical, convinced their nation squandered its strength propping up the passive Hidden Leaf. Bent on toppling the Hokage, razing the village, and eventually bringing the wider world under Fire's rule, they were opposed once the daimyō refused their scheme and ordered the six loyal members to stop them. Only Asuma and Chiriku walked away from that battle, while Kazuma slipped into hiding to keep chasing his goals.

The faithful half of the twelve comprised Asuma Sarutobi, Chiriku, Kitane, Nauma, Tōu, and Seito, sent to put down the conspirators rallying behind Kazuma. Long after the outfit scattered, its veterans stayed notorious enough to carry prices on the black market, thirty million ryō on Chiriku and thirty-five million on Asuma, which lured Hidan and Kakuzu of Akatsuki to hunt and kill both men, though only Chiriku's bounty was ever cashed in. An anime aside notes the group was rebuilt later and extended an invitation to Shikamaru Nara, who declined so he could stay and guard his friends at home.