Meanwhile, a major event occurred in the shinobi world, instantly throwing the entire world into tension.
The Third Kazekage of Sunagakure ordered the deployment of his Sand shinobi forces to secretly invade the Land of Rivers, located between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.
As a small nation, the Land of Rivers lacked sufficient military strength to withstand Sunagakure's powerful offensive.
Under the Sand shinobi's fierce assault, the Land of Rivers' resistance quickly collapsed, and Sunagakure successfully took control of most of its territory.
The Land of Rivers lay between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, making its strategic location exceptionally important.
Compared to the vast desert of the Land of Wind, the Land of Rivers possessed a far better natural environment, with extensive land suitable for farming and production. More importantly, it held abundant mineral resources.
The Land of Wind had coveted these resources for a long time.
For the Land of Wind, its barren desert lands could not provide a shinobi village with sufficient resources, while the Land of Rivers' fertile soil and mineral deposits were precisely what Sunagakure urgently needed.
The Third Kazekage setting his sights on the Land of Rivers was not only reasonable, but also an inevitable choice born of the survival pressures facing Sunagakure.
Sunagakure's shinobi had long lived in harsh conditions, yet the village's economy could not match its formidable military strength.
Invading the Land of Rivers was the consensus between the Third Kazekage and Sunagakure's militant faction: seize resources through force and pull Sunagakure out of its resource-starved predicament.
The Third Kazekage's move was not merely a personal decision, but also the result of political pressure within the village.
Sunagakure's militant faction strongly supported using force to secure resources for the village. If the Third Kazekage