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There’s no official anization in the shinobi world that prehensively ranks the military strength of the Five Great Nations.
However, if oo insist on ranking the Five Great Shinobi Vilges, Sunagakure of the Land of Wind would likely be pced st.
Whether in terms of popution, ey, or military might, it paled in parison to the other four.
Firstly, the military.
Although Sunagakure pioneered military reform by incorporating the Oail, Shukaku, sealed within a temple sint times, into the vilge's forces and dedig itself to researg the militarization of tailed beasts… the Oail’s power was undeniably limited. It recisely because of this limited power that other major vilges didn’t sider it a factor in the “bance of power.”
Look at the other vilges; they all start with at least two tailed beasts.
Konohagakure has the stro, the ails, while Sunagakure, despite being a Great Vilge, only has the Oail, which they've had sint times.
To pensate for this disparity, Sunagakure developed various ninja arts that allowed them to fight outnumbered: Puppet Mastery, Mag Release-which maximized their terrain advantage-and a series of brutal training regimens desigo cultivate powerful ninja, barely maintaining their status as one of the Five Great Shinobi Vilges.
, the ey.
As everyone knows, if you want to prosper, you must first build roads. Sunagakure, however, was strained by its geography. Most of its territory was covered by desert, while forests y beyond its borders, no be.
Sandstorms and tornadoes were daily occurrences. While Kirigakure was separated by a vast o, mert ships could still safely reach its ports. In Sunagakure, trade was not only risky but also time-ing.
Due to these factors, Sunagakure received very few issions from fn tries, relying mostly on domestic trade.
But relying solely on domestiissions to sustain a vilge was impossible. The vilge and the nation were one; a poor vilge meant a poor nation. The financial aid from the daimyo was also limited.
Out of y, successive geions of Sunagakure leaders had to resort to using Mag Release to pan fold in the desert.
The Kage themselves having to step in to earn moo supplement the vilge's expenses was a matter of great shame.
It was akin to the Raikage, A, being a fitness instructor, Onoki a quarry worker, Mei Terumi her own… tool, Minato a high-speed deliveryman…
Desperation bred flict, and internal strife within Sunagakure was fierce, with fas vying for trol of the vilge's precious resources.
Water articurly valuable in Sunagakure. In the past, water shes had eveo several internal uprisings. These were only quelled through the forceful intervention of the Third Kazekage's fa, led by Chiyo.
It wasn’t that they cked water to meet their basieeds, but rather humahat drove them to fight over any scarce resource.
In a vilge like Sunagakure, the more rare resources one trolled, the greater their influen the cil of Elders and the appoi or removal of the Kazekage.
…
…
Sunagakure.
It was a rare day without a sandstorm. More vilgers than usual filled the streets.
Despite its low ranking, Sunagakure was still one of the Five Great Vilges. Its popution and market were signifitly rger than those of smaller hidden vilges.
Pakura, wielder of the Scorch Release kekkei genkai and hailed as the “Hero of Suna,” strolled through the streets, aimlessly enjoying this hard-earned peace.
In the shinobi world, the more a ninja was burdened with the title of “hero,” the more bloodshed they witnessed, and their fates were usually tragic. Konoha’s White Fang chose suicide, while Sunagakure’s hero, Pakura, ultimately met a gruesome end, impaled through the back.
“The shinobi world is being turbulent again.”
Not long ago, Pakura had been assigned a top-secret mission takure. Just as she was about to depart, news of the Kirigakure u broke, followed by the joint statement from Konoha and Kumogakure, and the annou of the Konoha-Kiri Treaty…
Each piece of news was enough to cause signifit ripples in the shinobi world, yet they had all emerged in rapid succession.
The Third Shinobi World War had only retly ended, yet Pakura already sehe looming shadow of another war.
However, due to the upheaval in Kirigakure, her mission there had been celled, allowihe leisure to wahe streets of Sunagakure today.
In a harsh vilge like Sunagakure, eai was scarce, for both elders and oners.
Pakura’s usual way to unwind was reading.
As a ninja, she couldn’t experience different lives, but through books, she could. Immersing herself in the world within the pages, experieng the lives of the characters, allowed her spirit to touethiiful.
This brought her a sense of peace.
Retly, several good books had arrived at the Sunagakure bookstores, and among them, “Iki” was the most unique in Pakura’s opinion.
It wasn’t a long, epic tale, but rather a colle of iing short stories, c the culture and aes of various nations and vilges.
Refined, cise, aiful, it perfectly captured the hearts of ninjas like Pakura.
For instance, she found the cover stories of “Iki I” and “Iki II” particurly intriguing. They focused on Konohagakure, the most powerful vilge in the shinobi world and a frequent adversary of Sunagakure.
Having these factual, secret aes about another vilge revealed before her eyes, Pakura couldn’t resist the allure.
Stories like Konoha vilgers willingly leaving money behind after being robbed, the Hokage’s advisor being just an ordinary in, the shady dealings of the Konoha ANBU… these non-military tales were presented with humor and wit.
Sunagakure’s intelligence department wouldn’t, and couldn’t, record such trivial matters. And precisely because they cked military significe, they could be published in periodicals and read by ninja from other vilges.
“sidering the release date mentio the end of ‘Iki II,’ plus the transportation time… the test issue should be avaible today!”
Transportation in Sunagakure was underdeveloped, so deliveries might arrive ter than in other nations. Pakura didn’t mind; as long as she could read “Iki,” she atient.
Soon, Pakura arrived at the rgest bookstore in Sunagakure.
It was crowded.
Uher nations and vilges with diverse eai options, reading was the only pastime for many in Sunagakure. Among the Five Great Vilges, aside from Konoha, Sunagakure likely ranked sed in literacy.
A vilge materially poor but ri spirit.
“Shopkeeper, has the test issue of ‘Iki’ arrived?”
“It arrived days ago.”
“Eh? It’s already here? I thought it would be deyed like st time.”
“I heard the merts found a safer trade route and hired ninja escorts, which is why it arrived early. They said they aim for simultaneous release across the shinobi world for cultural publications, so everyone has equal access to books at the same time. Vilges have borders, but books don't.”
Overhearing this versation, Pakura couldn’t help but feel a sense of respect.
If she remembered correctly, the publisher of “Iki” was the official publishing house of the Land of Fire, making them teically enemies of Sunagakure.
With Konoha’s influe wouldn't be surprising if “Iki” was banned in Sunagakure. Yet, Konoha hadn’t done so, allowing it to be sold even in enemy vilges.
“Vilges have borders, but books don't… huh?”
“How noble. As expected of Konohagakure.”
Pakura sighed in admiration. Her animosity towards Konoha unknowingly lessened. Although Sunagakure and Konoha had a history of flict, even harb deep grudges from the Third War, for them to say such things… it was truly impressive.
“If only there were no wars in the shinobi world. Then I could visit Konoha without any burden, visit the vilge with the most flourishing culture, browse their shops, read their books, ahat in advisojo Kaigetsu.”
“Unfortunately, there are no ‘ifs.’”
One’s hero was another’s enemy. Pakura was undoubtedly an enemy of Konoha!
“Shopkeeper, one copy of ‘Iki’ Volume 3!”
“ing right up! Oh, it’s Pakura-sama. I ’t charge you for this; it’s on the house.”
The system in Sunagakure was harsh but hadn’t reached the distorted levels of Kirigakure. People weren’t yet segregated by a “caste” system. In Sunagakure, heroes were heroes, deserving of respect.
“Thanks, shopkeeper.”
Holding the unopened magazine, Pakura found a retively secluded spot in a nearby drink shop. After tearing open the packaging, she turo the first page-
[There's a shop called Taiten Ninja Tools in Konoha.]
[A wandering vilger from Suna, living in Konoha, washes kunai for the shop to earn a living, just like the Konoha vilgers…]
“Eh? A story reted to our Sunagakure?”
Pakura readily accepted this premise, not showing much surprise.
There were emigrants everywhere, and Sunagakure was no exception. Every year, a siderable number of people, uo endure Sunagakure’s harsh enviro, chose to leave, both civilians and ninja alike, being rogue ninja outside the vilge.
[…Konoha’s kunai must be washed seven times!]
[An anonymous minister from the Land of Wind stated…]
Upon reading about the runaway vilger from her own vilge being fired for washing the kunai only five times, Pakura sighed deeply. The story’s credibility increased.
This was indeed something someone from Sunagakure would do, but not out of dishoy!
It was simply due to the ingrained poverty of Sunagakure. Because water was scarce, they were relut to use too much, hence washing the kunai only five times.
However, putting that aside, would Konoha really riheir kunai seven times? Such meticulousness… Presumably, the same applied to shuriken.
Pakura recalled her experiences on the Konoha battlefield. During Genin cshes that devolved into kunai and shuriken exges, Konoha’s ons indeed seemed sharper and more durable than those of Sunagakure.
“Could it really be because they were washed seven times?”
“Even a minister from our Land of Wind ented on this?”
Pakura was skeptical.
“Washing” seemed more like an attitude towards ninja tools. A way to ensure quality and, perhaps, a small test of the employee’s character.
The sharpness of Konoha’s ninja tools wasn’t determined by the number of washes but by the skill of the bcksmith and the subsequent polishing at the tool shop.
Pakura suddenly realized the key point.
“Iki” was, after all, written by ordinary people who might not fully uand the ninja world. fusing Water Release with water washing ossible. Iy, the actual polishing of ninja tools was indeed handled by Water Release ninjas.
The seven washes before being put on dispy were merely the final step at the tool shop.
While Pakura thought this, she couldn’t help but feel envious of Konoha. The amount of water used alo was unimaginable. If Sunagakure were to use so much water to wash their tools for increased sharpness…
It would be sheer madness.
And the attitude of the Taiten Ninja Tools shopkeeper… if every mert in Konoha was as meticulous, then Konoha's business practices were truly… A meticulous shopkeeper, ho ers, and a vilge that valued the opinions of its oners. It was no wonder Konoha stood at the pinnacle of the shinobi world.
Pakura tinued reading with relish. The following articles were all to her liking. She lost track of time, immersed in the world of "Iki."
“Oh no, I got so engrossed! I’m going to be te for the meeting at the Kazekage Tower.”
Pakura quickly closed the magazine and, using the rooftops, swiftly made her way to the Kazekage Tower.
Before even opening the door, she could hear the sounds of an argument from within.
“Are you insane? Don’t you know how precious water is in Sunagakure? And you propose washing shuriken with it?”
“Hmph, what does it have to do with you servatives? This is our share, the liberal fa’s share!”
“What liberal fa’s share? Aren’t they all the vilge’s resources? I will not allow su absurd policy to be implemented!”
Due to the scarcity of resources, internal struggles in Sunagakure were fierce. The Kazekage held even less authority within the vilge than the Mizukage.
Unlike Kirigakure, Sunagakure didn't have powerful s or entrenched elders. Instead, the scarcity of resources had led to the formation of various fas with differing views on the vilge’s development.
The servative fa represented by the First Kazekage, the martial fa represented by the Sed, the reformist fa represented by the Third and Fourth… they stantly cshed over resource allocation.
With i-retired, the reformist fa, led by the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, held most of the power within the Kazekage Tower.
And today, a reformist elder had proposed the following:
[Now that Kirigakure and Konoha have allied to develop their eies, and with the Third Shinobi World War over, a new war is uo erupt soon. We, Sunagakure, should also keep up with the times and focus on eic development and internal affairs during these years of peace.]
[Reduce the military budget and allocate resources to road stru, water ma, and learning from the systems of advanced hidden vilges.]
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