Hearing they could earn money to support their families, the children perked up and all declared that they would work hard to reclaim the land.
Several impatient boys hefted hoes taller than themselves and swung them down.
Clang!
The hoes struck stone, sending up sparks.
The force of the impact flung the boys off their feet, and they tumbled down the slope.
The carefree children burst into laughter.
But the older Kazamatsuri Harume and Yano Shoichi saw the problem and couldn't help frowning.
Uchiha Shisui went straight to the point. "Chujiu, the children are too young. They aren't suited to reclaiming land..."
Yamanaka Chujiu smiled. "That's why I said ninjutsu can create miracles."
Uchiha Itachi said, "But there's no ninjutsu for reclaiming land in the Shinobi World."
"There isn't a ready-made technique, so we'll develop one ourselves."
"Since the First founded Konoha, Konoha Ninja alone have developed thousands of techniques. We can do it too."
"I know the children aren't as strong as adults, and most of them can't even extract chakra, let alone use ninjutsu."
"But I've accounted for all that in my plan. Don't worry."
"Itachi, Shisui, you two will teach the little ones how to extract chakra. I'll teach the children who already have chakra how to use ninjutsu."
"If we work together, we'll create a miracle on this land today!"
With that, Yamanaka Chujiu formed Hand Seals and gathered Earth Release chakra in his hands.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall—Terrace Modification!"
Chakra flowed from his palm into the ground as he pressed it against the earth. The soil softened and bulged, forcing out the scattered stones before finally forming an earth wall half a meter high.
Its shape was just right for the packed-earth foundation of a terrace.
Yamanaka Chujiu's Earth Release was only at an introductory level, nowhere near the skill of a professional ninja.
The earth wall formed by the technique had a clean, precise cross section, but it was only thirty meters long.
Although the scale of the Earth Release was inadequate, the technique itself was quite sophisticated. It could sift out stones that would hinder growth and pile the soil into shape.
All they had to do was stack the stones that had been pushed aside into a retaining dam, and one section of terrace would be complete.
Even Yamanaka Chujiu's unpolished Earth Release could accomplish as much as thirty villagers working for an entire day.
Of course, using ninjutsu to turn the entire hillside into terraced fields in a single day would still put Yamanaka Chujiu under considerable strain.
Once the earthen foundations for the terraces stood in place, Yamanaka Chujiu directed the youngest children to work. He taught them to pick up the scattered stones and stack them beside the foundations, with the larger ends facing inward.
The stones sifted out by the technique were small, smooth pebbles washed down from upstream. Even three- or four-year-old children could lift them with ease.
The stacking method was simple, too, and the children quickly got the hang of it.
They even felt as if they were playing a game, breaking into happy laughter from time to time.
Yamanaka Chujiu gathered the children over five and had Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui teach them to focus their minds and extract chakra.
The children over six had already learned to extract chakra. Among them, Yano Shoichi and the others were first-year students at the Ninja Academy, so they joined Yamanaka Chujiu to study ninjutsu.
The older children knew what a rare opportunity it was to learn ninjutsu, so they studied with great focus.
After Yamanaka Chujiu demonstrated the technique twice, the children had memorized its hand seals and how to circulate their chakra.
Some of the more impatient children immediately tried using Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall, but chakra control wasn't easy to master.
Just as the earthen foundations were about to take shape, their chakra would go haywire, and the seemingly solid structures would come crashing down.
Once one child had tried, the others couldn't hold back. They began taking turns.
Either their walls weren't sturdy enough or they shaped the slope incorrectly. Every attempt ended in failure.
The children weren't discouraged. They gritted their teeth, endured the backlash from their failed techniques, and watched their friends' attempts closely, learning from their mistakes.
After they had failed several times in a row, Yamanaka Chujiu would step in and demonstrate the technique successfully.
Each time he succeeded, he encouraged them. "Don't be afraid of failure. As long as we set our minds to it and don't give up, we'll succeed."
"Remember this: every attempt either brings success or gives us experience! None of our efforts are wasted!"
With Chujiu's encouragement, the children's spirits stayed high, and they kept trying their best.
They experimented with forming Hand Seals more slowly, feeling out how to control Earth Release chakra.
The children practiced the Earth Release technique over and over, from early morning until noon. No one complained of being tired, and no one gave up.
At last, one child managed to channel chakra evenly into the earth and slowly shape it into steps. The terrace was only five meters long, but it was a genuine success.
The breakthrough greatly boosted the children's morale, and their cheers rang out along the riverbank.
"We did it! Let's keep going!"
"Now we can use ninjutsu!"
Success was the best stimulant. Everyone was full of energy, including Yamanaka Chujiu, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Shisui.
More and more children succeeded, and soon the earthen foundations they shaped were longer than Yamanaka Chujiu's.
Yamanaka Chujiu then used a second Earth Release technique. "Earth Release: Stone Crushing Adhesive Technique!"
Earth Release chakra spread across the retaining dam. The rounded pebbles changed shape and fused together, forming a perfectly seamless stone wall.
The retaining dam was now completely sealed and even sturdier than before.
With everyone working together, the first tier of terraces was finished two hours later.
The layout wasn't very neat, and the retaining dam wasn't much to look at, but they had truly done it.
The children cheered and jumped for joy.
"Brother Chujiu, we did it!"
"We learned ninjutsu!"
Chujiu laughed and shouted, "You all did an amazing job today!"
"But this is only the beginning. It's too soon to celebrate victory."
"Next, we need to build a water-lifting irrigation system. Nothing can grow without water."
The Konoha River ran at the foot of the slope. To bring water from the river up to the terraces, they needed to build a lifting channel.
This part didn't require ninjutsu. Led by the older children who knew carpentry, everyone worked together to make wooden water troughs. They wedged them into place on several tiers with stones and dirt, then dug a reservoir at the highest point.
The water channel was soon in place.
When Yamanaka Chujiu used Water Release: Water Shockwave to drive the river water upstream and quickly fill the reservoir, the clear water flowed through an opening in the reservoir into the first tier of terraces.
Soon, the clear river water was nourishing the newly built terraces. Sunlight glimmered on the water's surface, making it exceptionally beautiful.
The children were all covered in mud, like little monkeys, but the smiles on their faces shone brighter than the sun. Warmth welled up in everyone's heart, and they forgot all about the exhaustion of a hard day's work.
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