To more legitimately take control of the Land of Wind, the Third Kazekage declared a state of emergency across the entire country, leaving its political system almost completely paralyzed.
Under the pretext of "suppressing the rebellion," the Third Kazekage declared that Sunagakure held the highest authority within the Land of Wind, and that all departments and officials of the Land of Wind were required to cooperate unconditionally with Sunagakure's anti-rebellion operations.
This move effectively placed the Land of Wind's entire political and military systems under Sunagakure's control.
Under such circumstances, the feudal lords and officials of the Land of Wind had no choice but to surrender their power to save their lives, becoming local administrators in name only, while the true authority rested with Sunagakure's shinobi.
Sunagakure not only controlled the core of the Land of Wind's power, but also seized immense wealth through its "pacification" operations.
This wealth came from two sources—one portion consisted of resources and funds captured from the rebel army, while the other came from Sunagakure taking full possession of the properties of fleeing officials amid the chaos.
As time passed, Sunagakure's wealth accumulated rapidly, like a snowball rolling downhill.
Originally, Sunagakure had always faced financial strain due to its harsh geographical environment and lack of resources.
However, as the civil unrest in the Land of Wind continued, Sunagakure rapidly amassed vast wealth by controlling the country's resources, politics, and military.
The rebels' supplies, officials' properties, resources from various territories, and even the funds in the Land of Wind's treasury were continuously taken over by Sunagakure.
Sunagakure's financial situation thus underwent a drastic transformation, even far surpassing that of the other shinobi villages, especially Konoha.
"Konoha likes to call itself the richest shinobi village, but it seems they're nothing special after all." The Third Kazekage sneered