Resolve

Tsunade's mind went blank at this moment; that body of hers, which clearly possessed the strength to shatter mountains and cleave rocks, felt extraordinarily weak, numb, and soft.

Her fingers unconsciously clutched at the hem of her clothes. Tsunade did not dare to move while in Dongfang Mao's arms, and it was only when he let go that she snapped back to her senses.

"You look over those ninjutsu first, I... I'll go downstairs and discuss the compensation with the shopkeeper..."

Tsunade pointed flusteredly at the ruined wall to the side, then turned and strode away, looking quite like someone fleeing in a panic.

Dongfang Mao, however, felt a bit strange.

Usually, this Tsunade was always unscrupulous about touching him, pulling him into the mountains from time to time to admire the towering peaks and savor the milky winds and pine waves, and he had never seen her show a shred of shyness.

Why was it that now, when he had simply given her a light hug out of gratitude, she acted as if a cat had been startled?

Dongfang Mao scratched his head in confusion; after all, in his past life, he was just a college student who died on the road to first base, so how could he possibly fathom the mind of a woman?

Deciding not to dwell on it, he refocused his attention on the scroll of space in his hand.

His gaze was focused, filled with a look of inquiry.

Just as Dongfang Mao was about to study it in detail, the door was suddenly knocked upon.

"Big Brother!"

Hearing that it was Inumaru's voice, Dongfang Mao tucked the scroll into his robes, his expression turning stern.

"Come in!"

The next moment, Inumaru pushed the door open and entered.

"Big Brother, I've managed to find out most of the details."

He walked quickly to the table, pulled a grease-stained map of the Land of Rice Fields from his chest, and pointed to the bottom right corner.

"This is the location of Tsukimiura. Because it is remote and borders the Land of Fire, the control of the Land of Rice Fields' Daimyo Manor over Tsukimiura is not strong. The city deputies here are generally elected by local families.

However, because Tsukimiura is a major hub for trade and is extremely lucrative, the price to be elected as a city deputy is not small. Therefore, once a deputy takes office, they usually squeeze the people dry to recoup their costs."

Upon hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in Dongfang Mao's eyes, and his fingers tapped the tabletop unconsciously.

"Back in Sakaki City near our stronghold, even those officials didn't dare to be this excessive. This Tsukimiura is truly one of a kind."

Inumaru couldn't help but sigh at this point as well, before continuing.

"Besides the city deputies and officials, the military officers in the city are just as unscrupulous. Not only do they revel in the flower districts every night, but they even sell the high-quality equipment just issued by the Daimyo Manor to merchants, leaving the soldiers below to make do with discarded scrap metal.

That is why those guards looked the way they did when we first entered the city."

Hearing this, Dongfang Mao's mind began to race. In Inumaru's description, Tsukimiura was like a piece of rotten wood eaten through by borers, ready to collapse at the slightest external push.

It was truly "thriving."

If he could topple and take control of this rotten city, wouldn't that be far better than hiding in the deep mountains and old forests?

The more he thought in this direction, the more Dongfang Mao's heart stirred.

But along with the excitement, problems followed one after another.

That was the issue of manpower.

If it were back when his stronghold was still intact, Dongfang Mao felt he could have made a play for it.

After all, the money he spent raising those men was not spent in vain.

Each one was armored and armed, drilled daily, and followed orders strictly; they were truly elite soldiers.

If this were his past life in ancient times, Dongfang Mao would have dared to start an uprising directly.

However, that was in the Land of Fire, a country with great national strength, and those people didn't play by the rules—they called in ninjas and beat him until he was half-crippled.

Now, excluding the wounded, Dongfang Mao only had about 70 men under his command, so even if Tsukimiura was rotten to the core, it was still not quite enough to seize the city.

At the thought of this, Dongfang Mao couldn't help but frown.

Inumaru, standing to the side, keenly sensed the change in Dongfang Mao's mood and tentatively asked.

"Big Brother, have you encountered some difficulty?"

Dongfang Mao did not hide it, pointing to the location of Tsukimiura on the map.

"Look, Inumaru, this Land of Rice Fields is narrow and its people are poor, and its strength is weak and stagnant.

And this Tsukimiura is located on the border; the Daimyo Manor can hardly control it, and even if something were to happen, they wouldn't be able to reach it in time.

Combined with what you just said about the situation in Tsukimiura, it makes me want to take it as our base so we don't have to return to the deep mountains and forests. It's a pity..."

Having said this, Dongfang Mao couldn't help but sigh.

Inumaru didn't speak immediately upon hearing this; instead, his eyes darted around, and then, having thought of something, he chuckled.

"Big Brother, have you forgotten what our status was before we went up to Mount Yoshino?"

"Refugees, so what?"

Dongfang Mao replied subconsciously, but before the words had fully left his lips, his expression froze. A moment later, his eyes lit up, and he slammed his left fist into his right palm.

"That's right, refugees! From here to the border, there are so many refugees along the way, all of them nearly starving to death. If we bring out food, why wouldn't they be willing to risk their lives for us?"

Dongfang Mao stood up excitedly from the edge of the bed and gave Inumaru a heavy pat on the shoulder.

"You really are something, Inumaru. You truly live up to your name as the number one scout of Mount Yoshino; your brain is just sharp."

"Big Brother is too kind."

Inumaru accepted the praise modestly, then offered a reminder.

"Big Brother, while we can supplement our manpower with refugees, the more critical issues are money, food, and equipment. The supplies we brought from the stronghold weren't much to begin with, and if this group of refugees joins us, it will likely be a significant expense."

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Mao's expression turned somewhat grave.

Money and food were indeed major problems. The funds he currently had were barely enough to maintain the status quo, let alone raise a much larger force.

Should he go back to his old trade?

But the moment this thought arose, it was dismissed by Dongfang Mao.

Tsukimiura was a vital thoroughfare for merchants, and with refugees gathering outside the city, there were surely people watching the roads to ensure the safety of these traders.

Therefore, he could forget about robbing the rich to help the poor; if he accidentally alerted the authorities, the loss would outweigh the gain.

Dongfang Mao pondered for a moment, then took out all the remaining money in his pocket and handed it to Inumaru.

"Here's what we'll do: take this money, find Yasuke, and exchange it all for food. Return to that village first and start recruiting some refugees. As for the remaining shortfall, I will find a way."

"Understood!"

After taking the money, Inumaru departed, leaving Dongfang Mao alone in the room.

At this moment, his expression began to shift, showing signs of struggle, and he paced back and forth in the room, feeling somewhat restless.

After a long while, he finally let out a slow sigh, his tense expression relaxing as if he had made a certain decision.

"Forget it. Those who achieve great things do not fuss over trifles. Since I decided to cling to a powerful backer from the start, I might as well see it through to the end. It's just begging for another bowl of soft rice, right? Let's do it!"