That daimyo's tragic fate was worth pondering for every ruler of a small country. A dignified daimyo, the sovereign of an entire nation, had actually died from a cold. Was that some kind of joke? Someone had clearly been pulling strings behind the scenes. There was only one truth: the national healthcare system was underdeveloped. Otherwise, how could a daimyo possibly die from a minor illness? Thus, while eating, drinking, whoring, gambling, and smoking, the rulers did not forget to increase investment in medical development.
The daimyos had grasped the truth and lived carefree lives amid tender pleasures. How gratifying!
That was beside the point. In every Ninja World War, small countries had been battlefields repeatedly contested by opposing sides. This time, the Sand Shinobi and Konoha had chosen the Land of Rivers as the battlefield. The current daimyo of the Land of Rivers was quite tactful as well, putting himself in one hundred and eight positions to cater to the two big men of Wind and Fire, each taking what they needed.
At present, the Sand Shinobi were retreating steadily and had been driven out of the Land of Fire by Konoha, but the reality was not so simple. The Sand Shinobi held the numerical advantage and still had plenty of fight left in them, while the best Konoha could do was maintain the status quo. There was no helping it—their numbers were too small, and the front line lacked the manpower to do more. Konoha had only themselves to blame for being too smug during the Second Great Ninja War. They had looked too greedy, shown no mercy at the negotiating table, and emerged as the biggest winner. As a result, once the Third Shinobi World War began, everyone ganged up on them. Fortunately, the war had started