The Land of Wind, Sunagakure Village, inside the Kazekage Building.
"Lord Kazekage, this is the latest intelligence gathered by the ANBU from the battlefield in the Land of Rain." Ebizo, the intelligence chief of Sunagakure, respectfully presented the intelligence scroll to the Third Kazekage with both hands.
The Third Kazekage accepted the scroll expressionlessly and skillfully unrolled it.
As the scroll unfurled, the Third Kazekage's gaze swept across the text and images with the speed of a hawk.His reading speed was incredibly fast, yet he could capture key information in an instant.
A moment later, the Third Kazekage raised his head, his eyes sharp and deep, making it impossible for anyone to look directly at him.
He said to Ebizo, "You did a great job impersonating Konoha ninjas to launch a sneak attack on the Land of Rain last time.You successfully provoked a war between Konoha and Amegakure." His voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable authority.
Hearing the Third Kazekage's praise, Ebizo felt slightly relieved, but he dared not slacken in the slightest and quickly replied respectfully, "It's all for the sake of the village."
The Third Kazekage nodded slightly, indicating his approval of Ebizo.Then, his brow furrowed slightly, as if he were pondering something important.
After a while, he slowly said, "Currently, some of Konoha's forces are tied up on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, and the Land of Earth is also making moves on the border.It seems it's time for us to step in."
Upon hearing the Third Kazekage's determination to join the battle, Ebizo felt a complex mix of emotions.
However, faced with the Third Kazekage's unwavering gaze, Ebizo hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
He knew that once the Third Kazekage made a decision, it was difficult for him to be swayed by the opinions of others.But as his subordinate, he felt it was his responsibility to remind the Kazekage of some issues that might have been overlooked.
Just as Ebizo hesitated, the Third Kazekage seemed to notice his subtle movements.The Kazekage turned around, staring intently at Ebizo, and said, "Ebizo, just say what you have to say!"
Having been directly called out by the Third Kazekage, Ebizo knew he could no longer avoid the issue.
He took a deep breath, then bowed slightly to the Third Kazekage to show his respect, and slowly said, "Kage-sama, I have no objection to your decision to personally participate in the battle.However, I think now may not be the best time for us to enter the fray."
Ebizo paused, observing the Third Kazekage's reaction.Seeing that the Kazekage did not interrupt him, he continued, "Currently, the battle between Konoha and Amegakure is at a stalemate.We haven't fully grasped the strength of either Konoha or Amegakure, so entering the fray rashly would be too risky."
At this point, Ebizo emphasized slightly, "Therefore, I suggest that Kazekage-sama, perhaps we could let Konoha and Amegakure continue fighting for a while, and wait until we have a deeper understanding of both sides' situations before deciding whether to join the battle.That might be a more prudent approach."
Ebizo had an excellent grasp of the intelligence about Sunagakure, and he was well aware of the profound strength of Konoha.
Although on the surface it seems that a considerable portion of Konoha's forces are bogged down in the war with the Land of Rain, in reality, Konoha does not feel empty at all.
The major ninja clans within Konoha have not yet mobilized a large number of ninjas for this war, which means that Konoha still retains considerable strength to deal with the next possible war.
If Sunagakure were to launch a rash attack on Konoha, it would likely not only fail to achieve its desired results, but would also plunge its own village into the meat grinder of war, suffering heavy damage.
This situation is undoubtedly extremely detrimental to the development of Sunagakure.
War consumes a lot of resources and manpower, severely impacting the village's economy and social order, and may even trigger internal turmoil and division.
Therefore, Ebizo had to be extremely cautious in considering whether to wage war against Konoha Village, weighing the pros and cons to avoid bringing disastrous consequences to the village.
"Ah!How could I not know all that you're saying!" The Third Kazekage suddenly stood up, as if a fire was burning in his heart.
With a solemn expression, he handed the intelligence scroll to Granny Chiyo beside him, then walked slowly to the window with his hands behind his back.
Standing by the window, his gaze traveled through the pane and landed on the swirling dust in the village.The dust, like his heavy heart, filled him with a sense of oppression and helplessness.
He sighed deeply, his voice filled with endless weariness and worry, and said, "Ebizo, if possible, I would also like to develop the village's strength as much as possible.But do you think I have any other choice?"
The Land of Wind, where Sunagakure is located, has a vast territory, but its environment is extremely harsh.More than 90% of its land is desert, barren and unsuitable for human habitation and production.
In this ninja world where the technology tree has gone astray, Sunagakure doesn't have many sources of economic income.
Compared to the neighboring Konoha Village, Sunagakure Village receives a pitifully small number of requests and missions, which has kept the village's finances in a very tight state.
The village's economy mainly depends on the daimyo's funding.From the First Shinobi World War to the present, the daimyo of the Land of Wind has been allocating funds to the village every year to maintain its normal operation.
However, the annual allocation of funds and the annual demands for money had long since driven the already stingy Daimyo of the Land of Wind to the point of no return with Sunagakure.
Therefore, in order to completely change the harsh living environment of Sunagakure and to change the Daimyo of the Land of Wind's contemptuous attitude towards Sunagakure, the Third Kazekage was anxious and eager to launch a large-scale war against the Land of Fire.
He knew that the Land of Fire was vast and rich in resources, while Sunagakure was a barren land with scarce resources and a small population.
If they could seize fertile land, abundant resources, and a large population from the Land of Fire, then Sunagakure would surely usher in an unprecedented era.An unprecedented development opportunity.
Moreover, Konoha is currently focusing most of its energy on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, which undoubtedly gives Sunagakure an excellent opportunity.
Therefore, Sunagakure decided to launch a surprise attack in secret (it must be said that this is indeed in line with the usual Japanese style, they seem to have a special fondness for the tactic of surprise attack), catching Konoha Village off guard.
It is easy to imagine that in the early stages of the war, Konoha Village would have been thrown into chaos due to being completely unprepared.
Taking advantage of this chaos, the Sunagakure army could advance unimpeded into the Land of Fire, quickly penetrating deep into the territory, and then begin to plunder the various resources that the village desperately needed.
Whether it's food, people, or minerals, they will seize anything Sunagakure needs without hesitation.
After all, for the impoverished Sunagakure, these resources were a lifeline; with them, the village's development funds for the next ten years could be secured.
Upon hearing this, Ebizo immediately shut his mouth.As an elder of the village, he naturally understood the village's survival crisis and was also aware of the conflict between the village and the daimyo.
When it comes to matters involving one's name, it's best to keep your mouth shut and not say anything reckless.
Granny Chiyo took the scroll from the Third Kazekage, carefully read the information on it, and then expressed her support for the Third Kazekage's decision.At the same time, Granny Chiyo also glanced at her younger brother, Ebizo.
Seeing this, Ebizo could only smile wryly and nod to indicate that he would no longer oppose the Third Kazekage's decision.
Thus, a sneak attack on the Land of Fire was launched by Sunagakure.
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