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Whether the Anbu found evidence or Kirigakure sent accusations, either would confirm the authenticity of the intelligence scroll.
In truth, the Hokage's seal on the scroll already meant it was genuine.
Still, Rasa clung to a sliver of hope—what if some faction had forged it?
"Kazekage-sama, stop indulging in pointless fantasies. What we need to do now is mobilize the village's forces and prepare for war."
In all of Sunagakure, only Chiyo would dare propose war preparations at a time like this.
"Then let's convene a military meeting."
No matter the outcome, Sunagakure had to be ready.
Even if it turned out to be a misunderstanding, at worst, they'd have worked for nothing.
But preparing for nothing was better than being caught defenseless when the enemy struck.
Unlike Rasa, Chiyo didn't entertain delusions.
As one of the few in Sunagakure who'd survived the First, Second, and Third Shinobi World Wars, she knew all too well the cruelty of war and the terror of conspiracies.
Rather than pinning hopes on unrealistic fantasies, it was better to prepare for every possibility. Besides, Sunagakure wasn't necessarily doomed against Kirigakure.
On paper, Sunagakure ranked at the bottom of the five great ninja villages.
But considering Kirigakure would be the aggressor, Sunagakure could simply wait and defend.
The Land of Water was far across the sea—an advantage, but also a disadvantage.
Their geographic isolation meant wars rarely reached their soil.
But that same isolation was a glaring weakness. To attack Sunagakure, Kirigakure would need to send warships, constantly transporting troops and supplies from their homeland to the battlefield.
Sunagakure wouldn't be foolish enough to abandon their advantage and fight Kirigakure at sea.
They only needed to defend their homeland.
The Land of Wind was all desert and wasteland—a terrain that naturally hampered Kirigakure's ninjas.
Forcing water-style specialists to fight in a desert would inherently limit their strength.
It was like during the Third Shinobi World War, when the Third Hokage and Danzo, in a moment of idiocy, sent the Uchiha to the coastline to fend off Kirigakure.
To put it kindly, it was a mistake Harshly? Utter stupidity!!
Sending fire-style specialists to fight water-style experts—on a coastline, no less!!
It was only because the Uchiha were strong enough that their losses weren't catastrophic.
The same logic applied now. Kirigakure's ninjas sailing all the way to the Land of Wind to fight would find their water-style techniques not only difficult to use but also suppressed by the environment.
The collaborative water-style jutsu Kirigakure excelled at would be rendered useless, forcing them to slug it out with Sunagakure in the desert.
And the desert was Sunagakure's home turf.
Never underestimate home-field advantage. Used well, it made fighting outnumbered or outmatched entirely feasible.
In the desert, Sunagakure's puppet corps could unleash their full potential.
Kirigakure wasn't Konoha.
Against Konoha, Sunagakure's puppet corps had repeatedly suffered.
But what Konoha could do, Kirigakure might not.
If nothing else, Sunagakure's poisons alone would give Kirigakure a run for their money.
The military meeting commenced.
The group moved from the Kazekage's office to the meeting room, where Rasa had a massive map hung on the wall. He even stepped aside, yielding the floor to Chiyo.
Chiyo didn't stand on ceremony with Rasa. She stepped forward, picked up a pointer, and aimed it at Kirigakure's location.
"If war breaks out, I suggest we set the battlefield within our own territory. Kirigakure is far across the sea. To attack our village, they'll have to ship ninjas and supplies over a great distance. The Land of Wind is all desert and wasteland—an environment that limits Kirigakure's ninjas. Water-style jutsu will have limited impact here. The collaborative water-style techniques Kirigakure excels at will be rendered useless in the Land of Wind. All we need to do is wait—wait for the enemy to step onto our battlefield."
"But if war breaks out on our own soil, the daimyo will likely have strong objections."
Someone raised a concern.
Chiyo gave a cold laugh:
"With something like this happening, you think the daimyo will be happy? The Land of Water's daimyo came to the Land of Wind at his invitation, only to be assassinated here. I'm sure the daimyo's mansion's accusations will arrive soon."
Who has time to worry about the daimyo's feelings at a time like this?
"Once war breaks out, it won't just affect Sunagakure and Kirigakure—the daimyo of both nations will feel the impact. Even if the daimyo has grievances with the village, he'll have no choice but to support us."
Whether the Land of Wind's daimyo was happy or not, when war erupted, he'd have to grit his teeth and back Sunagakure. If Sunagakure lost, it wouldn't bode well for him either.
He might not like it, but when push came to shove, he'd have to step up.
"As long as the war tilts in our favor, I believe the daimyo will set aside past grievances and align with the village again."
The Akatsuki needed a war, but didn't Sunagakure need one too?
Their repeated defeats had pushed the daimyo's patience to the limit, cutting off development funds and forcing Sunagakure to downsize and go the elite route.
Once war broke out, no matter how reluctant, the daimyo would have to keep supporting Sunagakure.
If Sunagakure fought well and regained face, the daimyo would likely drop past grudges and resume backing the village's growth.
So this war, for Sunagakure, was both a crisis and an opportunity.
Their opponent was Kirigakure—not Konoha, Iwagakure, or Kumogakure.
Compared to those three powerhouse villages, Kirigakure was a much easier foe.
Though reluctant to see war erupt, Chiyo's words ignited a spark of ambition buried deep in Rasa's heart.
Perhaps this was the village's chance to rise?
The military meeting concluded, and Sunagakure went into full war-preparation mode. Numerous mission teams were recalled, war supplies were stockpiled, and Rasa even sent Chiyo to Konoha to negotiate purchasing supplies.
No matter what, Sunagakure had to be ready for war.
The good news was that Kirigakure was far across the sea. Even if they wanted to attack, it'd take a long time to prepare, and they'd still have to cross the ocean to reach the Land of Wind.
As for taking a land route, that was near impossible.
Konoha would never agree to such a ridiculous request—unless Kirigakure could detour through the Land of Iron and loop through various smaller nations.