But would Kirigakure really take such a long way around?
That route would take even more time and supplies than going by sea.
Unless the person leading Kirigakure's forces has lost their mind, they wouldn't even consider it.
Not to mention, passing through all those small countries would definitely draw attention and pressure from Konohagakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure — exactly what Kirigakure wants to avoid.
So their only real option is to grit their teeth and take the sea route.
Shipping a huge number of ninja plus tons of supplies across the sea?
Just the round trip alone will take a long time.
That gives Sunagakure plenty of time to get ready.
They can sit back and wait, while Kirigakure has to come all the way across the ocean, then fight in the harsh desert where their strength is limited.
Rasa believes Sunagakure has a really good chance of winning this war.
We can't beat Iwagakure or Konohagakure, but you think we're scared of Kirigakure?
Even if Rasa had been wary of Kirigakure in the past, at this moment, he couldn't afford to show any fear.
This war had to be fought — and won — beautifully.
While Sunagakure was busy holding its military meeting, some of the servants and bodyguards who had been traveling with the Land of Water's Daimyo had already fled to the Land of Wind's Daimyo's mansion.
As soon as these people arrived, the Land of Wind Daimyo got the news.
The village sent people to assassinate the Land of Water Daimyo?
And even cut off one of his hands?
What the hell!?
The Land of Wind Daimyo's head was buzzing like it was full of bees, flying nonstop in his brain.
"How dare Rasa do this?!"
Snapping out of his thoughts, the Daimyo yelled furiously. The veins on his neck popped out, and his face turned red with rage.
Something like this happening felt like a slap in the face. It wasn't just humiliating—more importantly...
Was this a warning?
If Rasa really dared to send people to assassinate the Daimyo of another nation, did that mean he might send someone to kill him too?
Just thinking about how harsh and unfair he had treated the village over the years made the Daimyo suck in a sharp breath.
That lunatic Rasa… is he targeting me too?
Suddenly, panic started to set in.
Honestly, Rasa didn't even need to go that far—now that the news about the Land of Water Daimyo's assassination was out, the Land of Wind Daimyo didn't need them to win the war to offer support.
As long as they played their cards right, they could easily win back the Daimyo's favor and get the money from his pocket.
In the past, the Daimyo thought he could control Sunagakure Village however he wanted. But things had changed—what if Rasa really *had* gone mad and decided to get rid of him too?
Technically, attacking a Daimyo should be the last straw—but now that the Land of Water Daimyo had been attacked, that line had already been crossed.
Once something like this happens, it could happen again. Who could guarantee Rasa wouldn't go after him next?
The more he thought about it, the more the Daimyo couldn't afford to stay angry. Compared to his own life, the assassination of the Land of Water Daimyo was nothing.
"Get the men ready and pack everything—we're leaving for the Land of Fire Daimyo's mansion for a vacation! We leave in 30 minutes!"
Now that he felt his life was in danger, the Daimyo couldn't care about anything else.
He immediately summoned his guards, quickly packed up, gathered a few ninja loyal to him, handed the government affairs over to his advisors, and made a break toward the Land of Fire.
"Do you guys really think Sunagakure Village did this?"
In the meeting room of the Raikage's office, A leaned against the desk, reading the intel scroll sent from Konohagakure. It really was big news.
If he hadn't confirmed that this intel came directly from Konoha's intelligence hawks, he'd think someone was playing a joke on them.
Once he confirmed the intel was real...
A could already smell war in the air.
"I think it's a setup. Even if Rasa lost his mind, he wouldn't go attack the Land of Water Daimyo. Besides, things are going well for Sunagakure—they have no reason to start a war now, especially not against Kirigakure Village."
"If the one targeted was Konohagakure, maybe you could say Sunagakure wanted to push development through war. But the one who got attacked was the Land of Water Daimyo."
And the Land of Water? That place...
It's far from land, a country out at sea. Even if you could win a war with them, there'd be little to gain.
Unless Rasa had completely lost his mind—which even then, starting a war with the Land of Water and ignoring the richer Land of Fire right next door would just be plain dumb.
"…Is it possible…"
A hesitated and guessed, "Could this be a plot by the Akatsuki?"
Out of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Kumogakure hated the Akatsuki the most—because in the war with the Land of Rain, Kumogakure suffered the most damage.
When it comes to tracking down the Akatsuki, Kumogakure Village actually put in the most effort—but in the end, they got absolutely nothing.
It's like the Akatsuki just vanished.
Aside from the attack on Kirigakure Village and the ambush on Mizukage Yagura, there's been no sign of them at all.
The Akatsuki's goal is the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan. They want to capture all the tailed beasts from the major ninja villages. Since they know the Five Great Villages are hard to deal with, they stir up wars to wear down their power.
It makes total sense.
"Maybe. But that's just a guess."
When it's just a guess, even if you say it out loud, not many people will believe you. Right now, Kirigakure Village is like a volcano ready to erupt.
Even if you tell them it's all part of the Akatsuki's plan, they won't stop.
Because the Daimyo was assassinated, and that kind of act is basically declaring war on Kirigakure Village.
If Kirigakure doesn't take action now, things like Daimyo assassinations will just keep happening.
If killing a Daimyo has no consequences at all, then just kill them all!!!
Once it gets to that point, the whole ninja world will fall into chaos.
That's why people say the Daimyo is the bottom line.
Otherwise, the issue with Danzo and the Land of Fire's Daimyo wouldn't have caused such a stir back then.
Danzo only talked big, but the Land of Water's Daimyo was actually attacked—his hand was even cut off.
If the bodyguards hadn't risked their lives to protect him, he probably would've died in the Land of Wind.
Of course, this is just speculation. In reality, the Akatsuki wouldn't let the Daimyo of the Land of Water die in the Land of Wind—how else would they spark a war?
Only an injured and terrified Daimyo would be desperate enough to push for war, no matter the consequences.
If he actually died, his children and brothers would all just fight over who gets to be the next Daimyo. No one would care about going to war anymore.
"Raikage-sama, this might be a chance for us."
In the meeting room, many of the higher-ups were tempted by the idea.
If the war keeps growing and doesn't stop, maybe Kumogakure Village can get something out of it.
Maybe Kumogakure Village could even get involved.
Don't forget—right now, Kumogakure is clearly the strongest of the Five Great Villages when it comes to military power.