The Moment a Miracle is Witnessed

Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi were both covered in mud and water, with clumps of dried dirt even clinging to their hair; they looked so filthy it was hard to look at.

Yet, the smiles on their faces were as bright as any other child's, and the weight of the clan that had been pressing down on them vanished in this moment.

It wasn't that the difficulties had ceased to exist, but rather that they realized they were no longer worried.

Senior Yamanaka Chujiu was right: as long as you find the right direction and work hard at it, there is no need to fear failure.

If you make a mistake, you just fix it; if the fix isn't right, you change your perspective and try again. By making adjustments step by step like this, even the most difficult problems can be solved.

The whole group gathered by the reservoir at the top of the terraced fields to enjoy a lunch that had been delayed by more than two hours.

But Yamanaka Chujiu did not stop; he used Earth Style ninjutsu to make the terraces more uniform and added lateral support to the retaining dams, reinforcing them as much as possible to prevent collapse.

While eating, Uchiha Shisui crafted small sluice gates for the reservoir to make it easier to control the water flow.

When the sun slanted westward and the temperature began to drop, Chujiu took out the seeds he had purchased.

These seeds included rice, soybeans, and various vegetables.

The children swarmed forward, scattering the seeds into the soil of the terraces according to their types.

After sowing was complete, they opened the gates to irrigate; clear water quickly filled every level of the terrace before flowing down to the next, nourishing the seeds buried in the soil.

An hour later, Chujiu led all the children to the top of the slope and looked at the terraced fields before them, his eyes filled with a sense of accomplishment.

Yamanaka Chujiu confirmed that no one was watching, then turned to the eight team leaders and said, "Now is the moment to witness a miracle!"

"Kazamatsuri Harume!"

"I'm here."

The most inconspicuous girl among the eight team leaders, who possessed a slender frame, stepped forward.

Yamanaka Chujiu said, "I leave the rest to you."

Kazamatsuri Harume gave a soft "Mm," stepped forward two more paces, and opened her arms toward the terraced fields.

"Wood Style: Growth of All Things!"

Uchiha Itachi: "!!"

Uchiha Shisui: "!!"

Harume's Wood Style chakra was also gentle and soft, lacking even a shred of the domineering aura of the legendary First Hokage, like a layer of spring rain sprinkling over the terraces.

In the blink of an eye, all the seeds sprouted simultaneously. Over the next ten minutes, the rice, soybeans, and various vegetables completed their entire life cycles: growing, flourishing, flowering, and bearing fruit.

Everyone watched, wide-eyed, as plants with different growth cycles, different fruiting methods, and even different harvest seasons all entered the harvest stage at the same time.

Yamanaka Chujiu smiled: "Uchiha Itachi, look, you can also harvest in winter."

"That is why I say, ninjutsu can create miracles."

Uchiha Shisui swallowed hard: "This, this is really Wood Style!"

The appearance of the Wood Style Kekkei Genkai meant that the bloodline of the Senju Clan still existed.

The impact of this scene on Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui was no less than a collision between Mars and Earth.

Even the children from civilian ninja families, who did not understand the political upheavals of the upper echelons, cheered at the appearance of the Wood Style Kekkei Genkai.

This was the Wood Style that had pacified the ninja world, founded Konoha, and brought twelve years of peace.

Kazamatsuri Harume's spotlight instantly eclipsed Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi, making her the absolute center of attention for the children.

Although the girl's Wood Style had no offensive power—she couldn't even create a single branch capable of attacking—the Kekkei Genkai she had awakened was indeed Wood Style.

As long as there was a first case of Wood Style, there would surely be a second and a third.

Then, the appearance of a powerful Wood Style ninja, one not inferior to the First Hokage, was only a matter of time; the Konoha of the future would surely possess powerful Wood Style once again.

And it was highly likely that, just like this time, they would suddenly emerge from among the unremarkable civilian ninjas.

Yamanaka Chujiu said, "Kazamatsuri Harume has proven the viability of the terraces, but we cannot pin the entire harvest on her."

"She would be exhausted; it is unfair, and it is not safe."

Uchiha Shisui was stunned for a moment, then frowned: "Senior Chujiu, do you not intend to report this to the Third Hokage?"

Yamanaka Chujiu said, "Of course not!"

"If Harume had the combat strength of a Chunin, I wouldn't stop her, because Wood Style would become the capital for her entire family to change their fate."

"Unfortunately, the Wood Style Harume awakened only has auxiliary capabilities and lacks any real lethality."

"Wood Style without actual combat power will not attract the attention of Hiruzen Sarutobi, and given Shimura Danzō's nature, he would absolutely conduct destructive human experiments."

"Kazamatsuri Harume would die—a meaningless, miserable death on an operating table."

"And to cover up such a scandal, her entire family would also be secretly captured and die on the laboratory operating tables."

Uchiha Shisui had already witnessed the darkness of the Shanty Town with his own eyes; even if he still had some trust in the Third Hokage, he no longer had any doubts about Shimura Danzō.

He believed that the tragic fate described by Yamanaka Chujiu was something Shimura Danzō was absolutely capable of doing.

Perhaps the Third Hokage would protect Kazamatsuri Harume, but that was only a "perhaps," and Uchiha Shisui dared not gamble with someone else's life.

Uchiha Itachi was already part of the opposition against the Third Hokage; he snorted coldly and said, "Hiruzen Sarutobi's rule is filled with darkness, and we must do our utmost to overthrow him as soon as possible!"

"Only by ending the Third Hokage's reign can more geniuses like Kazamatsuri Harume stand openly in the sunlight and contribute to the building of Konoha."

Seeing that no one opposed Uchiha Itachi's words, Yamanaka Chujiu spoke in a strange tone: "Everyone, pay attention. To protect our companion Kazamatsuri Harume, everyone must keep the secret of her Wood Release Kekkei Genkai."

"From now on, Kazamatsuri Harume is not allowed to accelerate crop growth at full capacity; it should only be used to ensure harvest yields until our Konoha welcomes true light."

His voice, influenced by the Heart Severing Realm, resonated within the minds of the fifty-plus children, planting a special memory seal that folded away this brief segment of memory.

In their daily lives, the children would not forget Kazamatsuri Harume, nor would they forget that she had awakened Wood Release, as if nothing had changed at all.

But when outsiders not belonging to this small organization inquired, the seal would completely hide the memory, causing the children to temporarily forget everything regarding Wood Release.

Even experts from the Yamanaka Clan itself would be unable to pry into the folded memories through the Mind Transfer Jutsu.

This was not a matter of technical skill, but rather like hiding a crystal in the middle of the ocean—how could it possibly be found?

The miraculous harvest created by Wood Release deeply shocked the small group established by Yamanaka Chujiu, leaving behind a Seed of Hope for the light in the children's hearts.

With the help of this Seed of Hope, all the orphans shared a common ideal, including Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi as well.

Next, Yamanaka Chujiu directed the children to harvest the fruits and wash them clean by the reservoir; some were stir-fried in oil, some were blanched and served cold, and others were simply handed out for everyone to hold in their hands.