"Yeah, if this were within the Land of Fire, something like this would never happen."
"Enough nonsense. Hurry up and register them."
"But we don't need that many people!!"
"Lord Hokage said to give priority to those who need to support their families and hire as many people as possible. The same goes for children and the elderly—just have them do whatever they can."
"That's the only way. Luckily, the Land of Fire doesn't lack food, or we wouldn't be able to withstand this."
"Shut up. Do you have a death wish? Is Lord Hokage's decision something you can casually judge? If you want to die, don't drag us down with you."
The overwhelming response to the worker recruitment exceeded everyone's expectations. Even though they had already hired beyond their quota, many people still stood in line and refused to leave. Fortunately, Ronglin had made several preparations. Road construction required workers, and so did the planting of cash crops. Moreover, many places within the Land of Rain needed to change.
All of this required vast amounts of manpower, while Konoha only needed to pay in food to recruit a large number of people to work. At the same time, it would prevent the people of the Land of Rain from developing a sense of dependency—a win-win situation.
The workers were quickly recruited. Once the construction materials arrived, the lively road-building campaign began. Some dug ditches, while others carried stones. Though they worked amid heavy rain, everyone was filled with enthusiasm.
Building roads in the Land of Rain involved many complications. Suitable drainage ditches had to be dug first to channel the water away, then the muddy ground had to be cleared before stones could be laid over the surface, one step at a time.
Fortunately, all they needed to pay