The Farming Ninja

After the three bickered for a while, about ten minutes passed before Aburame Shibi finally reached the front of the line and stepped up to the counter.

The person issuing missions was a young woman in professional attire. She asked gently, "Individual or team?"

Aburame Shibi answered, "Team. Newly graduated."

"Alright." The young woman held out her slender hand. "Ninja Registration Card."

While she registered them, Aburame Shibi asked, "How many D-Rank Missions are available in the village right now?"

She handed him a booklet and replied, "Take a look first. The checked ones have already been accepted."

Aburame Shibi casually flipped through a couple of pages, then pointed at one of the missions. "This one."

The young woman took the booklet and confirmed, "D-Rank Mission, Number 35?"

"That's right."

"Alright, here is your number tag. Please collect the mission scroll at the side."

With that, the young woman handed him a number tag.

Aburame Shibi walked to the side and handed the tag to the impatient Inuzuka Aya. "Go get the mission scroll."

Before long, Inuzuka Aya came back with the scroll, dejected.

"What happened?" Gekko Hayate hurriedly asked.

Inuzuka Aya handed the mission scroll to Gekko Hayate, then glared indignantly at Aburame Shibi.

The moment Gekko Hayate saw it, his face darkened as well.

Uchiha Aozora took the scroll last. Just as he had expected, their first mission had absolutely nothing to do with the word ninja.

Team 3's initial mission was to help a Lonely Elderly person harvest rice.

The client was a rather wealthy elderly man with injuries and disabilities. He owned more than twenty mu of land, all planted with rice.

Konoha's soil and water were fertile, allowing two rice harvests a year. It was now just the time to harvest the first crop.

Because his land was extensive and the rice abundant, he could not harvest it alone, so he had hired ninjas to do it.

Although Uchiha Aozora had mentally prepared himself, he still frowned.

An ordinary person would need nearly half a day to harvest one mu of rice. If the weather or terrain was poor, it would take even longer.

With over twenty mu divided among the three of them, each would be responsible for roughly eight mu. Even though their stamina far surpassed that of ordinary people, it would still take three to five days.

The only good news was that the mission reward was fairly decent.

Since the mission was rather demanding, the commission was much higher than for an ordinary D-Rank Mission, reaching a full 6000 Ryo. After the ninja village took thirty percent and their teacher took twenty percent, each of the three could still earn 1000 Ryo.

While Uchiha Aozora calculated the earnings, Inuzuka Aya complained to Aburame Shibi.

"Sensei, we're ninjas, not farmers!"

"Sensei..."

Unfortunately, Aburame Shibi acted like an ostrich. He pulled up his high collar and treated Inuzuka Aya's complaints as though they had gone in one ear and out the other.

After a while, Uchiha Aozora could no longer stand Aya's nagging and said, "We've already accepted it, so let's just finish it properly. Otherwise, the first mission in our ninja records will be marked as a failure."

At that, Inuzuka Aya shot Aburame Shibi a resentful glare before reluctantly saying, "Fine."

Once Inuzuka Aya quieted down, Aburame Shibi led the dispirited trio toward their destination.

The client lived in a courtyard on Konoha's outskirts, surrounded by endless fields. The rice paddies were ripe, their heavy ears of grain swaying rhythmically. The wind whispered through waves of rice like a moving melody.

When they entered the courtyard, they found a massive ancient tree within. The old man lay in a rocking chair beneath it, slowly fanning himself with his right hand to ward off the stifling heat.

When he saw the four of them enter, the old man brightened, the wrinkles on his face bunching together.

"Are you the ninjas here to harvest the rice?"

Aburame Shibi nodded and showed him his Ninja Registration Card.

The old man glanced at it twice before returning it to Aburame Shibi, then led them out to inspect the fields.

Only after he stood up did Uchiha Aozora realize how tall and straight-backed the old man was.

He pointed at the vast, level rice field outside the courtyard. "This is the field."

"The weather is getting hotter by the day. It has to be harvested within the next few days, or all the rice will fall off."

As he spoke, he raised his fan to shield himself from the climbing sun.

Looking at the rice field the size of two football pitches and the steadily rising sun, the three companions exchanged glances, each sensing that something bad was coming.

Aburame Shibi nodded and promised, "No problem. But these children have never harvested rice before, so please teach them."

The old man had no objections and led them into the paddy field.

At the edge of the field, sickles, bamboo hats, baskets, and other tools had already been prepared.

The old man picked up a sickle and walked into the rice stalks.

He bent at the waist, hunched his back, held the sickle in one hand and grabbed the rice stalks with the other, then skillfully cut the rice and set the harvested stalks aside.

After harvesting about one bundle, the old man stopped and showed the three how to tie the rice.

"That's how it's done. Harvest and bundle the rice. Once everything is cut, carry it all to the threshing ground."

After demonstrating the proper harvesting posture, the old man went inside with Aburame Shibi to escape the heat.

Out in the fields, the three looked at one another. Surprisingly, no one wanted to make the first move.

Seeing the sun grow harsher and harsher, Uchiha Aozora had no choice but to lead by example.

With someone taking the lead, Gekko Hayate and Inuzuka Aya also got to work.

At first, the three were still unfamiliar with the task. They worked slowly, and the sharp rice leaves kept cutting them. Their eyes were nearly jabbed as well.

Fortunately, the three had quick reflexes and tough skin, so they were not injured.

Ninjas were agile and quick learners. Before long, they had mastered the techniques of harvesting rice.

By around ten in the morning, the sun had become too intense, forcing the three to retreat to the courtyard.

In the afternoon, when the temperature dropped slightly, the three continued harvesting.

By the time the sun disappeared beyond the mountains, Team 3 had finally completed the first day of their mission and returned home to rest.

After dinner, Uchiha Aozora practiced the Guidance and Qi Cultivation method a few times. Nourished by Chakra, his body gradually shed its fatigue.

Rather than continue studying True Fire of Samadhi, he found the box containing his Ninjutsu Scrolls and took out the scroll for the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

True Fire of Samadhi was a long-term undertaking. For the immediate task of dealing with tedious, demanding D-Rank Missions, the Shadow Clone Jutsu would undoubtedly be able to help him quickly.

Besides, he wanted to try the protagonist's cheat method.

Once he made up his mind, he acted at once, carefully studying the Shadow Clone Jutsu scroll word by word.

The Shadow Clone Jutsu was a B-Rank ninjutsu developed by Tobirama Senju and was widely spread throughout the Shinobi World.

Unlike the ordinary Clone Technique, Shadow Clones possessed physical bodies, shared the original's consciousness, and could attack enemies. Once dispelled, their memories and experiences returned to the original body.

Compared to the Shadow Clone Jutsu's powerful effects, its learning difficulty was unexpectedly low.

As long as one had enough Chakra, one could easily learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Although Uchiha Aozora had only been extracting Chakra for one year, his body, tempered over seven years, rivaled that of the Uzumaki Clan. As a result, his current Chakra reserves were no lower than those of an ordinary Chunin, already meeting the basic requirements for learning Shadow Clones.

After carefully reading every detail of the Chakra circulation, he did not form Hand Seals. Chakra moved according to his will.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

The instant his voice fell, a wisp of white smoke appeared from nowhere. Behind the smoke stood a figure as tall as himself.

As the smoke dispersed, he saw that the person had his back to him. Then a lonely voice rang out.

"At the end of the sea, the sky becomes the shore. At the end of the ninja way—"