Tsunade, Please

"Good, good, good!"

Dongfang Mao laughed and repeated the word three times, then immediately gave instructions to Inumaru.

"Go tell Tokichiro to recruit as many men as he can. Make the rally grand; he must unify the ideology of these new recruits as quickly as possible. Then, have Yasuke and Kyuzo train them into a proper army with the utmost speed!"

"Understood!"

After Inumaru withdrew, Dongfang Mao paced back and forth in his study, brimming with excitement.

Over 2,000 men, combined with the existing New Martial Army, brought his total force to nearly 5,000. Such a military strength immediately eased the gloom and pressure that had been accumulating in his heart over the past few days.

"What has you so happy?"

Hearing the voice, Dongfang Mao turned around to see Tsunade walking through the door, holding a bowl of steaming medicinal soup.

While Tsunade was reliable when it came to concocting medicine, asking her to cook was a different story; this was clearly the handiwork of Shizune.

Dongfang Mao didn't point it out, however. He hurriedly took the soup from Tsunade, placed it on the desk, and then handed over the troop roster he had just been holding, saying with a hint of excitement:

"Look, Sister Tsunade. These are the new recruits enlisted from the villages recently—over 2,000 of them!"

"What?"

Tsunade took the roster in surprise and began to examine it carefully.

As the person closest to Dongfang Mao, she naturally knew of his recent distress.

He had the funds and the grain, and the source of weapons had been secured; the only problem was the lack of new recruits.

The situation within the city went without saying, and while the original group of refugees had been properly settled, the number of able-bodied men among them had already been squeezed dry by Dongfang Mao before he even took Tsukimiura.

During this period, Dongfang Mao had complained to her about this issue more than once.

Having heard it so often, Tsunade's heart ached for him, and her previous opinion—that Dongfang Mao's methods in suppressing Tsukimiura had been too radical—began to shift.

She suddenly started to feel that the people in the city were being truly ungrateful.

At times, she even wondered if she should just head back to Konoha, grab a squad of illusionists, and brainwash everyone in the city! Make them obey Dongfang Mao unconditionally, so they would stop causing trouble for her Mao all day long!

As for whether the illusion squad would have enough chakra or if they would collapse and die after brainwashing 60,000 people, Tsunade hadn't considered that much.

However, before she could make up her mind, she received the news that Dongfang Mao had successfully recruited new soldiers, which made her genuinely happy for him.

"Mao, congratulations."

From the roster, Tsunade could tell that the villagers from those outlying areas truly supported Dongfang Mao and were eager to join the army.

This only served to confirm her thoughts even further.

How was it that the villagers in those rural areas could recognize Dongfang Mao's rule and support him so fervently, while the people in the city caused him trouble every single day? They were simply unruly mobs!

For a moment, Tsunade felt a sense of righteous indignation, even beginning to think that Dongfang Mao's initial methods had been too conservative—he should have been even more ruthless to see if they would still dare to oppose him!

However, amidst her anger, Tsunade suddenly thought of something important and asked:

"By the way, do you have confidence regarding the army from the Land of Rice Fields?"

Dongfang Mao raised an eyebrow at the question and shook his head.

Tsunade thought he lacked confidence and was about to offer comfort, but unexpectedly, he said:

"The Land of Rice Fields is sending an army of 30,000. The number isn't overwhelming, but I don't know the combat effectiveness of their troops, so I don't have absolute certainty."

Tsunade was stunned. She had asked if he had confidence, and he replied by saying he didn't have "absolute" certainty—didn't that mean he had a seventy or eighty percent chance?

But then, Tsunade discovered a blind spot.

"How do you know the Land of Rice Fields sent 30,000 troops?"

"You didn't know?"

Now it was Dongfang Mao's turn to be stunned. He then said:

"Just ask any of the merchants who have come to Tsukimiura these past few days. According to them, as soon as the Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields finished discussing it with his officials in the palace, the content of their conversation became known throughout the city. By now, I imagine everyone paying attention to the affairs of the Land of Rice Fields knows about it. Besides, it is said that the general leading the suppression is the younger brother of one of the Daimyo's concubines, a woman named Zhangzi. It is rumored that Zhangzi's skin is as white as milk, and her touch is as smooth as fine butter from the steppes..."

"Stop!"

Tsunade's face darkened instantly. Wasn't she discussing military strategy with Mao? Why was he rambling on about the concubine of the Land of Rice Fields' Daimyo?

And what did someone else's concubine have to do with him? Why was he paying so much attention to that?

"Is my skin not white enough? Is my touch not smooth enough?"

Dongfang Mao snapped out of his reverie and immediately met Tsunade's icy gaze. He couldn't help but shiver, shrinking his neck as he laughed dryly.

"Smooth, smooth! Sister Tsunade, your touch is simply..."

"Smooth your head!"

Tsunade could no longer hold back and gave Dongfang Mao a sharp flick to the forehead.

"Ouch..."

Seeing Dongfang Mao clutching his head in pain, Tsunade's mood smoothed out significantly, and she returned to a serious expression.

"The military intelligence from the Land of Rice Fields was delivered in a way that is just too... theatrical. I think you should be careful and not let yourself be misled!"

Tsunade had participated in countless battles, large and small, yet she had never heard of intelligence being leaked in such a farcical manner. This made her worry that the Land of Rice Fields might be setting a trap, hoping to make Dongfang Mao lower his guard.

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Mao immediately took his hand off his head, only to see that there wasn't even a mark on his forehead.

Just kidding—how could Tsunade ever lay a heavy hand on him? At most, that amount of force could only be considered a caress.

Although Dongfang Mao felt no pain, he still feigned unbearable agony; this was a little tacit understanding and playful intimacy between them.

"Sister Tsunade, rest assured. This matter concerns the very survival of my Governor's Mansion, so how could I possibly slack off? I will continue training my troops as planned. If the Land of Rice Fields is truly this absurd, then that is for the best, but if they aren't, I will naturally be prepared to face them in peak condition."

Seeing that Dongfang Mao had no intention of underestimating the enemy, Tsunade felt a weight lift from her heart. Just as she was about to say something more, Dongfang Mao suddenly leaned in close, a suggestive smile plastered on his face.

"Sister Tsunade, this group of new recruits gave me a huge surprise today, and it made me feel much more relaxed. Don't you think we should celebrate?"

"Celebrate?"

Tsunade was taken aback.

"How are we going to celebrate?"

Dongfang Mao leaned into Tsunade's ear, his lips moving as he whispered.

As she listened, Tsunade's body suddenly stiffened, and a faint blush crept up her cheeks.

She turned her head sharply to glare at Dongfang Mao, retorting indignantly.

"You call this the two of us celebrating? It's me helping you celebrate, isn't it? How is your brain wired? Wasn't last time enough? You actually managed to come up with such... such... tricks!"

By the end, Tsunade found it difficult to even speak, and she couldn't help but glance down at her own proud, towering assets. Were they truly that attractive? Did they really give Dongfang Mao such an intense obsession?

"Sister Tsunade, please!"

Not giving Tsunade any room to react, Dongfang Mao pulled her toward him.

Tsunade felt a jolt in her heart, then said in a flustered tone.

"Wait... wait... right here?"

"If you want to chase a thrill, you have to see it through to the end! Don't worry, at this hour, no one will come!"