She and Tsunade also went through a series of strict inspections before being allowed entry, and they were even given two short-term residence permits, valid for one month.
Exceeding one month, they would be 'invited' to leave the country.
If you want to continue staying in the Land of Demons, you must apply for a long-term residence permit at the relevant official institution.
If you enter illegally or overstay, there will be personnel specifically assigned to invite you for tea.
Residence, entry, and exit are all managed very strictly.
This also means that within the Land of Demons, there will be no unidentified persons.
Renegade ninjas on the wanted list cannot survive in such a country.
"Let's go."
"Okay."
Not knowing what Tsunade was thinking, Shizune, holding a large pile of snacks and treats, trotted to catch up.
◎
Arriving at Shion City by carriage happened half a day later.
As the capital of the Land of Demons, it was naturally more prosperous and magnificent than the towns Tsunade encountered along the way.
The entire city's layout, buildings, and greenery were arranged in an orderly manner, without the slightest disorder, it was clear at a glance.
Unlike Tsunade's points of focus, Shizune was completely captivated by the roadside delicacies and the tall and clean buildings, looking around in delight.
Tsunade took a deep breath.
She had somewhat underestimated this country.
No, it should be said, all countries underestimated the Land of Demons.
Tsunade had never been to the Land of Demons before, and her understanding of it was limited to books and some fragmented intelligence obtained in recent years.
With the rise of the Shion Flower Pharmaceutical Company, people's impressions of the Land of Demons were no longer confined to the term "Witch" but also included a developed pharmaceutical industry.
But now it seems, there's more to it than that.
In other areas of development, the Land of Demons is not willing to fall behind; the large merchants coming and going are proof of that.
Because of some personal reasons, Tsunade had close dealings with merchants from various countries, and many stores in Shion City were labeled with the logos of international big companies, behind these companies were those well-known merchants pulling the strings.
Merchants are profit-oriented, if they don't gain substantial benefits in the Land of Demons, persuading them to stay would simply be an impossible task.
Now that they are gathered in the Land of Demons, there can be only one reason: that the Land of Demons can bring them immense profits, making it necessary for them to be here and cooperate with the Land of Demons' chamber of commerce.
Therefore, if one day the Land of Demons surpasses the Land of Fire economically, Tsunade wouldn't be surprised.
Perhaps, in recent years, the Land of Demons' GDP has already been very close to that of the Land of Fire.
Taking advantage of the Third Ninja War, the Shion Flower Pharmaceutical Company aggressively expanded its branches, ingraining its brand into people's minds, amassing substantial funds from the countries in the Ninja Realm, and even Konoha with a relatively complete medical structure became complacent because of the Shion Flower Pharmaceutical Company, having to purchase a large quantity of medications from them every year.
If even a place like Konoha with a relatively complete medical structure is like this, it's even worse for other ninja villages; their complacency might be even more severe than Konoha's.
If one day, the Shion Flower Pharmaceutical Company stops supplying medicines, just thinking about the consequences made Tsunade break out in a cold sweat.
Fortunately, the Land of Demons is a neutral country, not part of the Five Great Nations, without any ambition to expand its territory, it does not favor any side, treating all countries equally.
Such a country should always maintain neutrality, Tsunade thought to herself.
On a personal level, she admired the Land of Demons' unorthodox policies, but she was a Konoha ninja, representing the entire Land of Fire.
If the Land of Demons continues to develop at such a frightening speed, it's only a matter of time before it affects the Land of Fire, impacting its GDP, and consequently impacting Konoha's development.
Once the Land of Fire's GDP decreases, the funding supplied to Konoha will reduce, and that's something Tsunade doesn't want to see.
However, as for how to report this matter to Konoha, Tsunade thought it best to report it to Minato, the newly appointed Hokage, after meeting with the Witch.
Tsunade found the Land of Demons' foreign affairs officer set to meet her in Shion City.
The purpose of Tsunade's visit to the Land of Demons this time was to carry official documents from Konoha, making it a diplomatic event.
Otherwise, there would have been no way for Tsunade to meet the Witch of the Land of Demons personally.
The Witch of the Land of Demons has a status no less noble than that of a Daimyo, essentially the ruler of a nation.
The audience with the Witch involved an intricate process.
Since Tsunade was not a person of the Land of Demons, without this method, seeing the Witch personally would depend entirely on the other's mood.
Even if the other party was unwilling to meet with her, Tsunade would have no grounds for complaint.
However, with official documents from Konoha, much of the trouble could be avoided.
"Lady Tsunade, my deepest apologies, Lord Mire is unable to meet anyone at the moment."
The foreign officer from the Land of Demons returned Konoha's documents with an expression of apology as he responded to Tsunade.
"What does this mean? Why do you say she's unable to meet anyone for the time being?"
Tsunade was momentarily stunned.
"Since last May, Lord Mire has withdrawn the maids and guards from the shrine palace and issued an order that forbids anyone from approaching her shrine for nineteen months."
"Has something happened?"
"The military might know, since as soon as the order was given, the army surrounded the shrine and prohibited anyone from entering. But it seems to me that it's probably related to magical beasts. Lord Mire wishes to prevent the disasters caused by magical beasts from affecting ordinary people."
The foreign officer answered.
Magical beasts? Tsunade frowned.