"Chiyo," Kazekage muttered.
Chiyo shook her head slightly, signaling there was little hope for a solution.
The Third Kazekage clenched his fists. "Is there no other way? If this drags on any longer, we'll be forced to retreat to the Land of Wind. That's not the outcome we wanted when we started this war."
The Third Kazekage was unwilling to accept defeat. Chiyo felt the same, but what could she do? The village was poor, in debt, and lacked the resources to continue fighting.
War required a stockpile of resources-something the Hidden Leaf had in abundance, but the Hidden Sand did not.
Looking from his silent sister to the disappointed Third Kazekage, Ebizō fell silent for a moment. Then, finally, he raised his head and pointed to a circle on the map of the Land of Rivers.
Chiyo's eyes widened, and she shot to her feet, alarmed. "No! Doing that will bring severe repercussions for the village and hurt its future growth."
"If we lose this war, the village will have no future," Kazekage countered.
Ebizō's suggestion was ruthless: if the Hidden Sand had no money and no food, they should simply take it from the Land of Rivers. Though the country was caught between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, it was in disarray, attracting rogue shinobi and bandits. Even so, the officials in the Land of Rivers were wealthy.
The Third Kazekage was clearly tempted by the idea. Chiyo, however, was growing anxious.
"Kazekage-sama, if we target these people, it will have significant long-term consequences," Chiyo warned.
Even though the Land of Rivers was in turmoil, it was still a recognized country. If the Hidden Sand attacked its officials, word would spread, and the village's reputation would be tarnished.
Worse, it could lead to strained relations with the daimyō, who might have familial ties to the officials of the Land of Rivers.
The daimyō of various countries were often related to one another in convoluted ways. If they attacked the wrong person, they could very well find themselves in the crosshairs of the Wind or Fire Country daimyō.
If the Hidden Sand took such drastic action, they would undoubtedly face backlash. No one would want to do business with them, and potential clients would hesitate to commission them.
The Hidden Sand's economy was already fragile, and a move like this would make future development nearly impossible.
Chiyo shot her brother, Ebizō, a scathing look. What kind of terrible idea was this?!