The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, raised a hand, signaling the speaker to sit down.
"That was a well-argued point, but ultimately, it changes nothing."
Did this person really think the leadership was unaware of such basic reasoning?
Was Sunagakure lacking in reserves?
No, that was not the issue.
Though Sunagakure had limited habitable land, its population was not particularly small. The real problem lay elsewhere—unlike some of the other villages, it did not maintain a massive standing army.
As a result, Sunagakure had a sizable reserve force. However, anyone with military knowledge understood that deploying troops wasn't as simple as pulling people off the streets and throwing them into battle.
At the very least, each soldier needed a uniform, a set of ninja tools, and rations. And that didn't even factor in the continuous supply chain required to sustain a military force, or the daily wages paid to shinobi.
Reinforcements? Expanding the army? Once again, Sunagakure found itself shackled by a single, relentless issue—money.
Rasa had posed three questions: Should they send reinforcements? How many? And how should they go about it?
The first question was meaningless. Reinforcements were a necessity. The war had only been going on for a few months—Sunagakure was far from surrendering.
The second question depended entirely on the third. The number of reinforcements they could send was dictated by how many more shinobi the village could afford to sustain.
And that, in turn, boiled down to one thing: how to fund it all.
Money.
Again and again, it came back to money.
As soon as the dreaded topic resurfaced, many of those who had fervently advocated for war now found themselves lowering their heads in silence.
"So, does the village have any liquid assets remaining?"
Sunagakure had never been particularly wealthy. After Rasa took office, the surprise attack from Iwagakure had forced the village to spend a fortune on repairs and fortifications. Then, in the following months, they had invested heavily in war supplies from Kirigakure in preparation for the ongoing conflict.
And now, there was the cost of maintaining the army and its logistical needs.
To make matters worse, with most of the shinobi at war, one of the village's main sources of income—mission commissions—had dwindled to almost nothing.
Of course, this was true for all the warring villages. At this stage, the battle had shifted to a contest of financial endurance.
Rasa didn't know how the other villages were faring, but he was well aware of Sunagakure's dire financial straits.
He didn't even need to ask the treasury officials for exact figures. He already had a rough idea in his mind.
"Given our current financial status, would it be difficult to place another large-scale order with Kirigakure?"
The finance officer, drenched in sweat, immediately nodded, terrified that Rasa might ignore the deficit and expand the army recklessly.
"Yes, Kazekage-sama. It would be extremely difficult."
"Then conduct an immediate assessment. Determine the maximum number of additional troops we can afford to equip and sustain, and report the number back to me."
Rasa was forced to settle for a temporary measure. "For now, send as many reinforcements as our budget allows. Come spring, when the Daimyō's military funds arrive, we will initiate the second wave of reinforcements."
"Understood, Kazekage-sama. A wise decision."
"There's no other choice."
"It's already December. Based on precedent, the annual military grant from the Daimyō should arrive next month."
Each month, the Land of Wind's Daimyō allocated funds to the village for military expenses, with a substantial lump sum paid in January.
For Sunagakure, revenue came from three primary sources: the Daimyō's funding, mission commissions, and taxes from the territories under its jurisdiction.
"Still... why has Konoha been able to mobilize so quickly? Their war preparations should have been even less thorough than ours."
Someone voiced their frustration toward Konoha.
Comparisons were always painful. And in this case, the contrast was stark.
Sunagakure had stretched its budget to the limit just to arm its standing army of over ten thousand. Equipping several thousand more reserves seemed impossible.
Meanwhile, Konoha had somehow managed to field a combined force of over thirty thousand shinobi—including both active and reserve forces—in an alarmingly short period.
And judging by the combat effectiveness displayed by Konoha's forces across multiple battlefronts, it was clear that they were not sending under-equipped troops into battle.
If Konoha had been suffering from supply shortages, yet still managed to achieve such combat efficiency, that would be even more terrifying.
It was easier to believe that Konoha had access to ample military resources.
So where had Konoha acquired its equipment?
The Land of Fire was vast, with fertile plains, but it was not particularly rich in mineral resources. It lacked the capability to produce a large volume of military supplies in such a short time.
One of the diplomatic officers spoke up. "According to intelligence from Kumogakure, Konoha and Kirigakure have maintained an extremely active maritime trade route over the past several months."
Rasa closed his eyes for a brief moment.
This was no secret.
Kirigakure had been selling military supplies, while Konoha had been trading away surplus resources in bulk. The sheer volume of goods being shipped—measured in tons—made it impossible to keep their transactions hidden.
It wasn't hard to figure out what Kirigakure had been supplying Konoha.
In essence, the very same weapons and equipment Sunagakure had been using had also armed Konoha's forces.
Made in Kirigakure.
That was how Konoha had so quickly converted its wealth into war assets, then turned those assets into battlefield strength.
Kumogakure and Iwagakure were already furious over this.
"Kazekage-sama, the Third Raikage and the Third Tsuchikage are urging you to join them in issuing a formal warning to Kirigakure, demanding they cease supplying Konoha with war materials."
Rasa said nothing at first, scanning the room to gauge the opinions of his advisors.
Their response was unanimous.
Kirigakure must be stopped!
Even if they hadn't formally entered the war, by supplying Konoha, Kirigakure had effectively positioned itself as an enemy.
This was unacceptable. Unforgivable!
Elder Chiyo agreed. "I concur. Kirigakure's actions have severely impacted our war efforts against Konoha. With both the Raikage and the Tsuchikage prepared to take a stand, now is the perfect moment."
...
"Kazekage-sama, Elder Chiyo, may I say something?"
A logistics officer interrupted the fiery discussion, respectfully reporting, "Last month, 63% of the supplies sent to our frontline troops came from the batch we purchased from Kirigakure in September."
After September, when the war escalated and Sunagakure's funds ran low, they had stopped placing orders with Kirigakure.
From that point forward, Kirigakure had been filling orders exclusively for Konoha.
Sunagakure had been relying on its stockpile ever since.
"If we sever ties with Kirigakure, our future military supplies..."
Before he could finish, someone cut him off.
"Now is not the time for cowardice! Kirigakure has been exploiting our weakness to act with impunity!"
"That's right! If we stop buying from them, we can turn to Kumogakure, the Land of Artisans, or the Land of Iron!"
"We cannot allow Kirigakure's arrogance to go unchecked!"
"Exactly! And we haven't even settled the matter of them defiling Pakura's body!"
Rasa knocked on the table, bringing the room to silence.
He understood the logistical difficulties.
As Kazekage, it was his duty to oversee all aspects of the village.
Once the room had settled, he turned to the logistics officer.
"If we stop buying from Kirigakure, can other sources meet our needs?"
"Previously, we relied primarily on the Land of Artisans for ninja tools."
The officer hesitated. "But after the war began, iron ore prices skyrocketed, crippling their production capacity."
"The Land of Iron produces plenty, but demand is high across the Great Nations."
"And as for the Land of Lightning... transportation would be a major obstacle."
A chilling fact was laid bare.
Kirigakure's prices were 40% lower than Kumogakure's.
The numbers spoke for themselves.
Silence filled the room.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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