Everyone looked at Mimi, then turned to Tsunade to await her decision.
"Let's do that. Notify the Rain Country that they should abandon their pointless resistance on the spot."
The meeting continued. The next proposals mainly concerned the reconstruction of the occupied territories.
"We must properly pacify the ordinary civilians. Center our efforts on care, protection, respect, and putting people first, and handle all necessary work accordingly."
Tsunade summed things up.
The ordinary civilians were manageable. The real problem was everyone else.
"Fourth Hokage."
"The front lines have been capturing prisoners in droves. They're tying up our military strength, and they're difficult to manage."
"What's so difficult about managing them?" Tsunade asked.
"First, the prisoners have to be transferred into the country, and there aren't enough prisons domestically. At this stage, with our rapid advance, we're already short of personnel to occupy and administer the territories. Organizing escort teams as well would be somewhat difficult."
They had enough personnel. It was just that they had swallowed too much territory all at once and were scrambling to keep up.
Konoha had more than twenty divisions, with nearly five hundred thousand standing troops.
The lack of prisons was indeed a problem. Although they were expanding existing prisons and building new ones, many were already full and unable to accommodate the large number of prisoners.
"Besides that, there are many troublesome thorns among the prisoners. They cause disturbances and stir up resistance against us, while many frequently plot escapes, forcing us to expend a great deal of manpower and energy searching for and recapturing them." The official in charge hesitated with an embarrassed look before saying, "We've been a little too friendly toward them. If possible, Fourth Hokage, I need the authority to impose suitable punishments."
What exactly did "suitable" mean?
Tsunade stared