Who was the enemy?
Mei Terumi thought for a moment, then analyzed the situation.
"The Land of Water borders the Land of Fire. If we're talking about enemies, the most likely one is Konoha, in the Land of Fire."
"But Konoha's Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, is old and frail, and Danzo died suddenly. With troubles both inside and out, Konoha is growing weaker by the day and is hardly a threat."
"Iwagakure and Sunagakure.
"The former's Tsuchikage is just as old, but compared to Hiruzen Sarutobi, he's more cunning and reserved. Iwagakure is taking a cautious approach, keeping a low profile and building up its forces. Still, I haven't heard of any exceptional talents among the new generation.
"The latter is struggling under financial pressure. Rather than investing in military strength, it's focused on keeping its people fed and clothed. Even the Kazekage has to pan for gold and sell jutsu to acquire supplies.
"Neither of them can be considered an enemy."
Mei Terumi spoke at length, her reasoning clear and orderly. Kirigakure had only just emerged from its internal strife during the Village of the Bloody Mist, and there was a mountain of work to be done. What it needed to guard against now was outside interference. She had always been wary of other villages taking advantage of the chaos, so she'd gathered plenty of intelligence in advance.
"Then there's Kumogakure. Ever since A became the Fourth Raikage, he's been expanding the military at a furious pace. Besides, the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water face each other across the sea, and they're relatively close."
Expanding the military required enormous manpower and financial resources. For a village, it was a very heavy investment.
And any investment was made in the hope of a return.
For military expansion