"Where is he now? He doesn't dare come himself, so he sent you to fetch me?"
Tsunade suppressed her anger and asked through gritted teeth.
"The Grand Governor has just taken over the Magistrate Office and is swamped with work. Please forgive him, Lady Tsunade."
Inumaru replied evenly.
"Hmph. Quite the Grand Governor. He's even taken over the Magistrate Office."
Tsunade snorted and stepped forward.
"Lead the way. I want to see how that brat plans to explain himself when I get there!"
Inumaru bowed and stepped aside, sweeping an arm out in a respectful gesture.
"Lady Tsunade, this way."
Tsunade strode out of the room, with Shizune following close behind, Tonton in her arms.
When they reached the street, they saw that the whole road glistened with water. It had clearly been deliberately washed; not a trace of blood remained.
Yet the night breeze carried such a thick stench of blood that it was almost impossible to dispel.
Tsunade snorted inwardly. The brat had at least thought of that.
Then she turned her gaze to the New Martial Army soldiers on the street.
Squads of fully armed New Martial Army soldiers patrolled back and forth. Their fine iron armor gleamed coldly in the torchlight, and the swords at their waists were all made from high-quality materials.
"Heh..."
A cold smile curled her lips. Now she understood where all the thirty million she had given Dongfang Mao had gone.
No wonder he'd sounded so convincing and agreed so readily. He'd been pulling the wool over her eyes the whole time.
But even more than that, Tsunade wanted to know where Dongfang Mao had found so many people, and how he'd made them so devoted to him in such a short time that they would risk their lives to carry out something so earth-shattering.
After all, the Daimyo's rule was as immovable as the sun, moon, and stars. Nearly everyone naturally accepted the legitimacy and rightfulness of the Daimyo's rule.
So even when the shinobi fought one another in all-out wars, almost no one had ever dared to seize territory so brazenly and challenge this ironclad principle rooted in everyone's hearts.
With a head full of questions, they crossed the streets still shrouded in smoke and finally arrived at the Magistrate Office.
The official residence before them had been utterly transformed, reduced to a complete mess.
"They really went all out..."
Looking at the state of the courtyard, Tsunade's eye twitched. She couldn't help but silently mourn the city magistrate she had never met for three seconds.
Then, without another word, she strode into the inner courtyard, only to be stopped in front of the main hall by two personal guards.
"The Grand Governor has just retired to rest."
The guard looked troubled.
"The Grand Governor fought fiercely through the night. He really..."
"Hah!"
Tsunade laughed in fury, her golden hair lifting as if stirred by a wind.
She stared fixedly at the shut lattice door, her knuckles cracking as she clenched her fists.
Was he truly exhausted to the point of being unconscious, or was he hiding from her because he felt guilty? She'd probably have to wait for someone to "wake up" to find out.
It wasn't until noon that Tsunade, who had been awake all night, finally headed to the front hall in a fury with Shizune, after a guard came to inform her.
The moment she stepped into the front hall, she found it already packed with people.
Familiar faces like Yasuke and Luzhen were there, along with more than a dozen strangers she had never seen before. All their eyes turned toward her at once, and the reprimand already on the tip of her tongue caught in her throat. In the end, it became a frosty glare directed straight at Dongfang Mao, seated at the head of the hall.
"Hahaha! Everyone, look who's here!"
Dongfang Mao seemed not to notice her icy glare at all. He sprang from his seat and hurried over to Tsunade in three quick strides.
Before she could react, he seized her wrist and raised her arm high.
"If it weren't for my big sis Tsunade, we'd never have taken Tsukimiura so easily. The greatest contribution in this battle belongs to her!"
At Dongfang Mao's signal, thunderous applause erupted throughout the hall.
Tsunade opened her mouth, only to find herself at a loss for words.
Her anger was stuffed back into her chest, leaving her with an indescribable sense of frustration.
What was this supposed to mean? She'd been kept in the dark, yet somehow she'd become the greatest hero of all.
Dongfang Mao spread his arms and pressed his palms down twice in the air.
In an instant, the applause stopped. The entire hall fell so silent that one could hear a pin drop.
He personally helped Tsunade to her seat.
Tsunade knew she couldn't reprimand Dongfang Mao in front of everyone, so she could only glare at him fiercely.
Seeing that Tsunade's only reaction was a sharp look and that she showed no other signs of losing her temper, Dongfang Mao finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then he unhurriedly returned to the seat at the head of the hall.
"Today, I'm announcing something. We have taken Tsukimiura, and my New Martial Army serves no ruler. From this day on, the Magistrate Office will be renamed the Grand Governor's Mansion."
After speaking, Dongfang Mao swept his gaze across the room. Apart from Tsunade, whose expression was somewhat odd, everyone else seemed to take it for granted. No one stepped forward to lecture him about loyalty to the ruler and patriotism. Only then did Dongfang Mao nod with satisfaction and turn to Yasuke.
"Yasuke, have the casualties been counted?"
Yasuke stepped forward and nodded, his expression grave.
"There are 216 wounded. Including Zenpachi, 149 have died."
At those words, the mood in the hall grew heavy.
Seated off to the side, Tsunade was surprised to hear the numbers.
She hadn't expected the battle yesterday to be so brutal.
The casualties were already comparable to those of a medium-sized shinobi battle.
But then she shook her head inwardly. In shinobi wars, those killed and wounded were shinobi. The two situations couldn't be compared.
Hearing the report, Dongfang Mao was also quietly relieved. Thankfully, Tsunade had given him the scrolls, allowing them to smuggle their weapons into the city without a sound and launch such a surprise attack. Otherwise, if they'd stormed the city head-on, their casualties would have been many times worse.
"Have the Ministry of Health treat the wounded. All the fallen soldiers must be given proper burials, and compensation must be sent to their families today."
Everyone nodded silently. Although they had no idea what the Ministry of Health was, it was clear Dongfang Mao had more to say.
But when Tsunade heard this, she suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Listen closely, everyone. The next matter I'm about to discuss is important."
Dongfang Mao suddenly raised his voice. Everyone immediately sat up straight and pricked up their ears.
"Effective immediately, the Grand Governor's Mansion will establish the Nine Ministries.
"The Ministry of Revenue will oversee household registration and civil affairs in the city.
"The Ministry of Finance will oversee the city's finances and the distribution of money and grain.
"The Ministry of Taxation will oversee the collection of taxes in the city.
"The Ministry of War will be responsible for appointing military officers and issuing military orders.
"The Ministry of Rites will oversee ceremonies, diplomacy, and the establishment of schools in the city.
"The Ministry of Personnel will oversee the appointment, assessment, promotion, and demotion of officials.
"The Ministry of Justice will oversee judicial administration and the management of prisons.
"The Ministry of Works will oversee construction projects, weapons production, and the management of craftsmen.
"The Ministry of Health will be responsible for establishing a wartime medical system, overseeing the city's pharmacies, training physicians, and developing medical treatments.
"Each ministry will have one Minister and two Vice Ministers, one on the left and one on the right. Under each ministry will be various bureaus, staffed by officials such as directors."
Before you continue