The Third Kazekage had thought that after taking out the daimyo, the problems with funding and supplies in the village would be solved.
But things weren't that simple.
The daimyos of several countries had joined forces to apply pressure, sending the prices of supplies in Sunagakure soaring by the hour.
The price of a liter of water had already reached astronomical heights. Just thinking about the outrageous cost made the Third Kazekage rub his temples.
He had the ability to manage a country, but he couldn't control the merchants' price hikes.
The Land of Wind was too barren. Hunger could be staved off by eating various local insects, and transporting food was much easier than transporting clean water. The country was desperately short of water.
There was no way to ease the people's fears by filling their stores with supplies.
For some reason, the sandstorms had grown fiercer in recent years. Many small oases couldn't withstand the raging sand, and small settlements were steadily disappearing. Even if the decline was slow, it still meant that the already scarce resources kept dwindling.
But once a country was in trouble at home, the best solution had always been to point its sword outward.
If I can't afford to buy things at home, there's nothing wrong with going abroad to take them, right?
The joint attack on Konoha by Iwagakure and Kumogakure had been dealt with in a very short time. That meant Konoha now possessed tremendous power.
With Sunagakure as it was, challenging Konoha alone would leave it no chance of victory.
The Land of Rivers served as a buffer between Sunagakure and Konoha. If the Sand Ninja entered the Land of Rivers, it would be tantamount to declaring war on Konoha.
The Land of Earth was considerably wealthier than the Land