Iwagakure had it even worse. They had no intention of joining the war, yet Sunagakure and Konoha had dragged them straight into the quagmire of war in the Land of Rain.
On top of that, Iwagakure and Kumogakure were constantly clashing, with Kumogakure's great threat watching them like a tiger. Iwagakure could not possibly be the one to step forward, declare war, and fire the first shot.
They could fight a war, but declaring one was out of the question.
After all, the first bird to stick its head out got shot. The first side to jump out and declare war was bound to lose the moral high ground.
Winning would be fine, but if they lost, they would not only shoulder crushing war reparations—they would lose all face as well.
Thus, even if the three great ninja villages beat each other's brains out, none of them would take the initiative to declare war.
As for Amegakure?
It was merely a sacrifice in the game between the three great ninja villages. Who would care about it?
Come to think of it, Konoha had Kumogakure and the Third Raikage to thank for the current situation in the Land of Rain.
The Land of Fire was a huge, juicy piece of meat. Sunagakure wanted to pounce on it, take a few bites, and leave with grease dripping from its mouth. Iwagakure wanted the same, since it was not any richer than Sunagakure.
Sunagakure dared to act, but Iwagakure did not, because the Third Raikage's deterrence was simply too great.
Over the years, conflicts had frequently erupted between the Third Raikage and Ōnoki, causing the friction between their villages to escalate without end. One day they would hit each other; the next day, they would strike back. It was normal.
That was also