The idea for Asoki Village dates back to 2006, or possibly earlier. Back when I was a 13 year old kid, I made an attempt at a game called "Hidden Villages Online" it was essentially the same idea as Nin Online, but I was new to game development for the most part and wasn't able to make it anywhere as quality as Nin Online is today.
Hidden Villages Online actually saw multiple test releases where perhaps less than a hundred people ever tried it. But it was a good learning experience as a kid, and it helped me make Nin Online what it is today.
In Hidden Villages Online, you started at Asoki Village, which was a small village, and that was where everyone was born. There was no Leaf village or Sand village, just Asoki Village.
13 years later, here is Asoki Port village, slightly different names, slightly better mapping. I tried to recreate it how my kid self would've wanted it. I hope everyone likes it! There's only ducks here, but there's going to be Mission NPCs and shops soon.
Regards,
Ueda