Autumn Appetite

In the late-autumn morning mist, Utsusemi walked toward the fields under the barrier. Today, it was time to harvest the fruits of her labor.

The power of the earth had transformed modern seeds into extraordinary produce the people of the Warring States period had never seen.

Glasslike fruit hung from the cherry tomato vines, and the Provence tomatoes were as large as an adult's fist.

The cucumbers were straight and emerald green, as if carved from jade. Even their leaf veins pulsed with life.

The loofahs gave off a subtle herbal fragrance by the time they reached the ground. Purple-black black raspberries gleamed like lacquerware, their heavy clusters weighing down the branches.

These modern seeds, brought to growth with Flower Release and nourished by both Flower Release and the earth, had yielded results that satisfied her.

Utsusemi crouched and gently touched a strawberry. The microscopic vision of her Tenseigan

let her see the sugar crystals beneath its skin, while the usual signs of insect damage were nowhere to be found.

It wasn't because there were no pests, but because the strangler fig roots of Flower Release had long since strangled every last larva.

She recalled the disgust she had felt when she first tasted a local apple at a Senju Tribe feast and her Tenseigan had shown her the mangled remains of insects on the apple, which had been cut into the shape of a flower.

Now, not even aphids could survive three seconds in her fields.

Seven Senju Tribe children followed Itama, all around seven or eight years old, their coarse-cloth tribal clothes covered in bits of grass.

They stepped barefoot into the damp soil and formed two lines to carry bamboo baskets.

The boy at the front had veins bulging in his arms as he carried a heavy watermelon.

The youngest child cradled a dripping melon, droplets rolling onto the front of the child's robe, where the clan emblem was embroidered.

The harvested watermelons had been piled into a small mountain, and Itama smiled as he stacked the baskets higher.

To the people of the Warring States period, these crops, grown using modern intercropping methods, looked like a miracle.

She had foreseen that these seeds would revolutionize the Warring States period's diet and ultimately plant the seeds of an era-changing transformation.

Hashirama, who had hurried over after hearing the news, stopped short the moment he stepped onto the field ridge. "Utsusemi, the patterns on these vegetable leaves are so unusual. Is this the new planting method you talked about?"

He knew all about the daily Chakra irrigation by Water Release ninja, and he had seen the glowing barrier Itama deployed to drive away pests. In the end, it had all come together to create the stunning sight before him.

Tobirama Senju's pen scratched across his notebook, recording everything from sowing to harvest.

"This cultivation technique..." A researcher's instinct drew the murmur from his throat as his gaze moved repeatedly between Utsusemi and the unusual fruit.

Only when his elder brother nudged him in the ribs with an elbow did Tobirama rein in his gaze.

Hashirama abruptly tore open an ear of corn wrapped in dark purple husks, and Tobirama caught his brother by the wrist.

His ruby-like eyes reflected his brother's pupils, dilated with excitement, with sparks of pure, childlike curiosity dancing in them.

"Don't touch it!" Tobirama snapped. How could he casually touch things he had never even seen before?

"That's sweet corn you can eat raw." Before Utsusemi had finished speaking, Hashirama had already taken an eager bite of the whole raw ear. "So sweet!"

The moment the sweetness burst in his mouth, two stray locks over Hashirama's forehead flew as he shook his head dramatically.

Tobirama's lips twitched helplessly. "Brother, why do you put everything in your mouth? You even skipped the testing!"

Hashirama chewed with puffed cheeks and mumbled, "This sweetness is incredible..."

Tobirama reached out to wipe the remnants from the corner of his mouth, and the stickiness left on his fingertips made him click his tongue instinctively.

Utsusemi couldn't help laughing at the sight, while Tobirama ultimately just sighed.

He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and silently handed it to his gesticulating brother.

Her Tenseigan swept over the moonlight pear trees. Cultivated using modern dwarfing techniques, the fruit trees were only as tall as a person, yet they were laden with heavy fruit.

When Hashirama reached out to pick one, Flower Release wrapped vines around his wrist. It was an anti-theft mechanism.

Veins bulged on his wrist under the restraint, but he grinned, showing his canine teeth. "This anti-theft jutsu is even trickier than Tobirama's Sealing Jutsu!"

Utsusemi waved her hand. "If you want seeds, you'll have to trade Ninjutsu manuals of equivalent value."

Tobirama tapped the edge of his scroll. "Aside from the Senju Tribe's secret techniques, we'll teach you anything you can learn. Do you want techniques from other ninja clans?"

Hashirama picked a pear, and it snapped apart, revealing icy, crystalline flesh unlike anything they had ever seen.

Tobirama strode forward, his pen hand trembling slightly with excitement.

Hashirama had already taken an impatient bite. Sweet juice ran down the corner of his mouth, and he narrowed his eyes with a satisfied sigh.

"This sweetness... Tobirama, write it down!" Tobirama lightly tapped his brother's forehead with the edge of the scroll. "Describe the texture and taste first, not your personal opinion!"

"This is a moonlight pear." Before Utsusemi's last word had faded, Tobirama had already teleported behind her.

The Tenseigan's all-around vision allowed Utsusemi to sense his tension without turning around.

"Can it be transplanted to the Senju Tribe's experimental fields?" The abrupt question made the air freeze.

Utsusemi rubbed her fingers together absentmindedly, and Hashirama put his arms around his younger brother's shoulders from behind. "Do you think you can get it to grow, little brother?"

Tobirama stiffened at his brother's sudden closeness and struggled to break free of the embrace. "Let's finish harvesting this field first."

His unrestrained thirst for knowledge was tearing through his usual composure, making his blood race even more than the benefits the new crops could bring.

Tobirama's gaze lingered on Utsusemi's back, his irrepressible curiosity making it almost impossible for him to control himself.

His brother's warning brought him to his senses at once. He couldn't be too eager, or he would put the unknown entity on guard.

Utsusemi felt his gaze, but she simply remained focused on the work in her hands. "Today, we need to finish harvesting all the fields."

Tobirama Senju knew she was reminding him that some questions required patient waiting, and some feelings needed time to develop.

As the work continued, he gradually found his rhythm again.

He was no longer so eager to get answers, and instead began to enjoy spending time with Utsusemi.