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In the Naruto Anime/Manga, characters who are part of Hidden Villages undergo qualifications to be Ninjas. Not all ninjas are considered of equal skill levels, and there are also some qualifiers that differentiate some types of ninjas from others.
The "nin" at the end of some ranks can be short for both "Ninja" and "Ninjas", which means that ranks ending with "nin" are the plurals of themselves.
Upon graduating, students receive a special band of fabric with a metal bar bearing the symbol of their village (which can be worn in many ways) and become Genin. What is required for graduation varies from academy to academy.
To become a chuunin, a genin has to go through an exam containing three stages: the first stage tests their information gathering abilities and decision-making abilities, the second stage tests their mission accomplishing and adherence to guidelines ability and the third consists of fights between those who passed the previous two stages, watched by a council which decides who becomes a chuunin and who does not.
Naruto Ninja Ranks
Academy Students
The academy is where would-be ninjas start at; they are not actually considered ninjas until they graduate. Academy students take formal and practical tests of all sorts and are taught the basics: usage of weapons (such as Kunais and Shurikens), basic ninja skills (such as Henge no Jutsu and Bunshin no Jutsu) and chakra control.Genin
(Or literally Low-level ninjas)
Genin are the lowest level of Ninja and also the ones that display the most divergence in power (Compare Sakura and Neji, which are both genin). When they become genin, ninjas start to do their bit for their village's economy- being sent on missions that the village gets paid for; however, they are typically sent on D-rank missions, which are the lowest rank and are generally simple, risk-free jobs of manual labor (or in other words, amazingly dull).Chuunin
(Or literally Mid-level ninjas)
Chuunins are ninjas who are qualified to watch over and guide other Ninjas. Some of them function as teachers (such as Iruka) and others serve as military strategists in charge of small teams who need to make decisions and utilise the skills of the shinobi under their command to the maximum effect.Tokubetsu Jounin
(Or literally Specialised high-level ninjas)
Tokubetsu Jounin are ninjas who, rather than all-around Jounin training, have chosen to specialise in a single area of the training. They are elite specialists in their areas and are often assigned as subordinates to regular Jounin when their services are needed.Jounin
(Or literally High-level ninjas)
Jounins are generally ninjas with great individual skill who have a lot of experience and serve as military captains. They can be sent on B-rank missions and are sometimes assigned as senseis for three-men teams of Genin. It is as of yet unknown what one has to undergo to become one.Sennin
(Or literally Sage Ninjas)
Sennin are Jounin whose powers have reached legendary status and are extremely powerful. Some of them are said to be capable of overpowering small villages on their own.Kage
Those who achieved the title of Kage are village leaders and are often very powerful ninjas. The Kages- Hokage (of the Fire Country), Mizukage (of the Water Country), Tsuchikage (of the Earth Country), Raikage (of the Lightning Country) and Kazekage (of the Wind Country)- stand equally with the rulers of their countries, oversee the activities of their villages and are the leaders of Ninja culture.Missing-nin
Missing-nin are ninjas who have abandoned their village. These Shinobis are considered traitors and are hunted down because of the secrets they may hold. Other Hidden Villages would be interested purchasing this information because it could be useful in gaining an upper hand in battle. Villages create special units of Hunter-Nins to take care of this problem.
Hunter-nin
Also known as Body erasers. Each Hidden Village has a team of hunters, given the specific duty of hunting down Missing-Nins. They kill, then completely dispose of the body of their prey, leaving no trace of it and often having wild birds eat at the dead Missing-nin's internal organs and skin. This is done in order to make sure the Village secrets which a Ninja's body holds- such as Chakra types, herbs eaten and NinJutsu- won't be revealed.