CH - 80 New Vest?

During this challenging period, the Hidden Sand Village faced difficult times. Since its establishment, a series of defeats had caused dissatisfaction from the Land of Wind's daimyo, resulting in a gradual reduction of the village's budget. Moreover, the sudden disappearance of the Third Kazekage left the village without proper leadership. Although they initially managed to keep these issues hidden and maintain stability, the search for the Third Kazekage somehow spread throughout the entire ninja world, causing even more problems.

News of the Third Kazekage's disappearance reached the Lightning Country, a nation known for its belief in power supremacy and ambition for expansion through military warfare. Seizing the opportunity, the Lightning Country launched a surprise attack on the Land of Wind, further escalating the turmoil in the Hidden Sand Village.

Amidst the battles, Sunagakure also speculated that the Third Kazekage had been assassinated by Konoha, leading them to declare war against Konoha as an act of vengeance and, possibly, to divert attention from internal conflicts.

With multiple fronts of warfare and their already struggling financial situation, the Hidden Sand Village found it increasingly challenging to cope. Though they managed to resist the invasion from the Hidden Cloud Village, they knew their position was precarious. The absence of the Kazekage, financial constraints, and manpower shortages made the village vulnerable.

Rasa, who had distinguished himself by repelling the Hidden Cloud Village's invasion and displaying remarkable strength, now found himself as the temporary commander of the Hidden Sand Village. Everyone, including Rasa himself, was aware that he was likely to become the next Kazekage soon.

However, despite his achievements, Rasa was troubled. He understood the dire state of his village. The absence of the Third Kazekage, coupled with financial constraints and a lack of manpower, left them vulnerable to a full-scale attack from the rapidly advancing Hidden Cloud Village, which enjoyed strong support from the Lightning Country.

In contrast to the Hidden Cloud Village's rapid development and support from the Lightning Country, the Hidden Sand Village lagged behind. If the Hidden Cloud Village were to launch a full-scale attack, the consequences for the Hidden Sand Village would be catastrophic.

As for why the Hidden Cloud Village eventually divided its forces to attack Konoha and conduct multi-front warfare, it could indeed be due to their overconfidence, underestimating the threat posed by the Hidden Sand Village and believing that they didn't need to allocate significant manpower to deal with them. However, there might be other underlying motives at play as well. Their ambitions and aspirations might be grander than simply winning battles.

For the other four major villages, waging war against Konoha was seen as imperative, even if they might face defeat in the end. Declaring war on Konoha had become a political necessity for them, regardless of the outcomes of other battles.

In the midst of the ongoing war, the Hidden Sand Village had reluctantly allocated some of its forces to declare war on Konoha, driven by political considerations, despite already being under immense pressure from the invasion.

As the war continued to take its toll, Rasa found himself growing weary. To make matters worse, rumors of unrest in the Hidden Mist Village across the sea added to their troubles. If the Hidden Mist Village were to join the conflict and declare war on the Hidden Sand Village, it would become an unbearable burden for the already strained village.

…

Today was Rasa's day off. After returning from the frontline, he came back to the village and felt relieved upon witnessing the relatively peaceful daily life. A long sigh escaped his lips, easing the anxiety in his heart.

Besides resting and handling village affairs, he also had another purpose for his return - the village was facing a shortage of funds, and he came back to find ways to generate revenue.

Although he hadn't officially assumed the position of the Kazekage yet, he had already begun gradually taking over the village's affairs. Managing the village, seeking financial resources, and handling various matters simultaneously kept him quite occupied.

However, he had no choice in the matter. Unlike Konoha, with its abundance of talented individuals, where the Hokage could stay in the village and delegate battlefield tasks to the skilled ninjas, the Hidden Sand Village was facing manpower and financial constraints. Therefore, Rasa had to personally involve himself in various aspects of village management.

Fortunately, he had the support of advisors Ebizō and Chiyo, which made it more manageable. Without their assistance, handling everything alone would have been quite overwhelming for him.

As Rasa strolled through the streets of the Hidden Sand Village, he asked in a casual manner, "How has the village been faring during this time?"

"Under Ebizō-sama's guidance, it's been relatively stable," one of the Hidden Sand ninjas replied. "The villagers are united and determined, eagerly seeking revenge for the Third Kazekage."

Upon hearing this, Rasa nodded approvingly. Although they hadn't found concrete evidence linking Konoha to the assassination of the Third Kazekage, it no longer mattered. The decision to go to war against Konoha had already been made, regardless of their involvement in the assassination.

Satisfied that the village was holding up well, Rasa didn't continue walking but turned towards the Kazekage Building. He had numerous other responsibilities that demanded his attention, leaving him little time to wander aimlessly.

After efficiently handling the village's affairs, his next priority was to concentrate on generating funds for procuring supplies at the frontline. The inability to take on missions during wartime posed a significant risk of depleting the village's financial resources. As the temporary commander of the Hidden Sand Village and the likely future Kazekage, Rasa had to ensure that the village remained financially stable to withstand the challenges of war.

As Rasa continued on his path, he unexpectedly overheard a conversation between two ninjas nearby. Curiosity piqued, he couldn't help but eavesdrop on their discussion.

"Kuro, where did you get this ninja vest? It looks amazing!" one ninja inquired, clearly impressed by his friend's attire.

"Yeah, you just graduated from the academy recently, like us, and have only completed a few D-rank missions. How did you manage to afford such a vest? The village doesn't provide them to genin, right?" Another ninja questioned with envy, aware of the vest's cost.

Kuro grinned confidently at first, boasting, "Hahaha, doesn't it look great? I actually saved up for it even before graduating!" However, when he noticed his friends giving him suspicious looks, he felt a tad embarrassed. After a moment, he regained composure and lowered his voice to share a secret, "Let me tell you a secret—I bought it at half price."

This exchange puzzled Rasa. As a skilled ninja with heightened senses, he easily overheard the conversation despite their attempts to speak quietly. The mention of a new ninja vest and the fact that it was acquired at a discounted rate intrigued him. He halted in his tracks, frowning, and listened attentively to the rest of their conversation.

As Rasa observed the group of young genin ninjas, the Hidden Sand ninja standing beside him also halted and followed Rasa's gaze. He smiled wryly and commented, "They've just graduated from the academy and have been handling D-rank missions lately. Once they accustomed to the ninja life, they'll be sent to support the frontline.It's a challenging situation, but I believe their presence will help alleviate the pressure on our forces."

The reality of sending freshly graduated genin to the battlefield without extensive training seemed harsh, but the ongoing wartime situation left no room for slow and gradual development. Instead, they had to learn and adapt on the battlefield itself, becoming polished and battle-ready through real-life experiences. It was an unfortunate necessity given the circumstances of the ongoing war.

As Rasa's expression remained serious, the Hidden Sand ninja accompanying him understood something, he spoke earnestly, "You're right, Rasa-sama Even during your break, it's not advisable to wander around casually in such a critical situation. I'll make sure to send those young genin back for further training."

However, before he could act, Rasa stopped him with a composed expression, furrowed his brow, and turned to address the other Hidden Sand ninja beside him. "Has the village recently acquired new ninja vests?"

In an ideal scenario, the village should provide its shinobi with necessary equipment like new vests, especially considering their participation in the ongoing war. But only some villages could afford to do so, depending on their economic situations.

"No," the Hidden Sand ninja responded, taken aback for a moment before shaking his head. "Given the village's current challenges, the procurement of new ninja vests hasn't been a priority. Besides, most jonin already possess their own vests, so there was no urgent need to purchase new ones."

"No?" Rasa continued to frown, pondered for a moment, and then pointed ahead, asking, "Then why is that genin wearing a new ninja vest?"

Taken aback by the revelation, the Hidden Sand ninja turned to look and indeed saw a slightly larger genin proudly showing off his brand-new ninja vest to his comrades. Upon closer inspection, it was evident that the vest was newly purchased, raising suspicion about its origin given the village's current financial constraints.

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