Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi were just as covered in mud, even their hair caked with chunks of dried earth. They looked so filthy it was hard to bear.
But their smiles were as bright as the other children's. The weight of their clans that had pressed on their hearts vanished in that moment.
It wasn't that their troubles had disappeared. They had simply realized they no longer needed to worry.
Senior Yamanaka Chujiu was right. As long as they found the right direction and worked hard, there was no need to fear failure.
If something went wrong, they could just fix it. If that didn't work, they could try again from a different angle. By making one adjustment after another, even the hardest problems could be solved.
Everyone gathered by the reservoir at the top of the terraced fields to enjoy lunch, which was more than two hours late.
But Yamanaka Chujiu didn't stop. He used Earth Release to make the terraces neater and added lateral supports to the dam, reinforcing it as much as possible to keep it from collapsing.
As he ate, Uchiha Shisui built a small gate for the reservoir to make it easier to control the flow of water.
When the sun slanted westward and the temperature began to drop, Chujiu brought out the seeds he had bought.
They included rice, soybeans, and vegetables.
The children rushed forward and scattered the seeds into the soil, sorting them by type.
Once the sowing was done, they opened the gate to water the fields. Clear water quickly filled each terrace, then flowed 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. They looked out over the terraced fields, their eyes full of pride in what they had accomplished.
After making sure no one was watching, Yamanaka Chujiu turned to the eight team leaders and said, "Now it's time to witness a miracle!"
"Kazamatsuri Harume!"
"Here."
The slender girl, the least noticeable of the eight team leaders, stepped forward.
Yamanaka Chujiu said, "I'll leave the rest to you."
Harume gave a gentle "Mm," then took two more steps forward and spread her arms toward the terraces.
"Wood Style: Growth of All Things!"
Uchiha Itachi: "!!"
Uchiha Shisui: "!!"
Harume's Wood Release chakra was gentle and soft, nothing like the legendary First's overwhelming presence. It drifted over the terraced fields like a spring rain.
In the blink of an eye, every seed sprouted. Over the next ten minutes, the rice, soybeans, and various vegetables completed their entire cycle of growth, flowering, and fruiting.
Everyone watched in disbelief as plants with different growing cycles, different ways of bearing fruit, and even different harvest seasons all became ready to harvest at the same time.
Yamanaka Chujiu smiled. "Uchiha Itachi, look. You can harvest crops in winter, too."
"That's why I said ninjutsu can create miracles."
Uchiha Shisui swallowed. "Th-this really is Wood Release!"
The appearance of the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai meant the Senju Clan's bloodline still lived on.
The impact of this sight on Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui was like Mars colliding with Earth.
Even the children from civilian ninja families, who knew nothing about the upheavals among the village leadership, cheered at the appearance of the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai.
This was the Wood Release that had pacified the Shinobi World, founded Konoha, and brought twelve years of peace.
Kazamatsuri Harume instantly stole the spotlight from Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi, becoming the undisputed center of attention among the children.
Although the girl's Wood Release had no offensive power and couldn't even create a single branch capable of hurting anyone, the Kekkei Genkai she had awakened was Wood Release.
Now that a first case of Wood Release had appeared, there would surely be a second, then a third.
It was only a matter of time before another powerful Wood Release ninja, on par with the First, emerged. In the future, Konoha would surely once again have a powerful Wood Release user.
And most likely, just as this time, that person would suddenly appear from among the most inconspicuous civilian ninja.
Yamanaka Chujiu said, "Kazamatsuri Harume has proved that the terraced fields work, but we can't put all our hopes for the harvest on her."
"She'll be exhausted. It wouldn't be fair, and it wouldn't be safe."
Uchiha Shisui paused, then frowned. "Senior Chujiu, you don't plan to report this to the Third Hokage?"
"Of course not!"
"If Harume had the combat strength of a Chunin, I wouldn't hold her back, because Wood Release could give her whole family the chance to change their fate."
"Unfortunately, the Wood Release she awakened only has support capabilities. It has no real destructive power."
"Wood Release without practical combat ability wouldn't attract Hiruzen Sarutobi's attention. And given Shimura Danzō's character, he'd absolutely carry out destructive human experiments."
"Kazamatsuri Harume would die for nothing, a miserable death on an operating table."
"To cover up a scandal like that, her entire family would be secretly arrested, from the oldest to the youngest, and die on operating tables in the lab."
Uchiha Shisui had already seen the darkness of the Shanty Town with his own eyes. Even if he still had some faith in the Third Hokage, he had no doubts left about Shimura Danzō.
He believed Shimura Danzō was absolutely capable of inflicting the tragic fate Yamanaka Chujiu had described.
Perhaps the Third Hokage would protect Kazamatsuri Harume, but it was only a perhaps. Uchiha Shisui didn't dare gamble with someone else's life.
By this point, Uchiha Itachi was already opposed to the Third Hokage. He snorted. "Hiruzen Sarutobi's rule is steeped in darkness. We have to do everything we can to bring him down as soon as possible!"
"Only by ending the Third Hokage's rule can more geniuses like Kazamatsuri Harume stand openly in the sunlight and help build Konoha."
Seeing that no one objected to Uchiha Itachi's words, Yamanaka Chujiu spoke in an eerie voice. "Everyone, listen carefully. To protect our companion, Kazamatsuri Harume, we must all keep the secret of her Wood Release Kekkei Genkai."
"From now on, Kazamatsuri Harume mustn't use her full power to accelerate crop growth. She may only use it to ensure the size of the harvest, until our Konoha finally welcomes true light."
His voice was affected by the Heart Severing Realm, resonating in the minds of the fifty-odd children and creating a special memory seal that folded away this brief memory.
The children wouldn't forget Kazamatsuri Harume in their daily lives, nor would they forget that she had awakened Wood Release. It would seem as if nothing had changed.
But if an outsider who wasn't part of their little group asked about it, the seal would completely hide the memory, temporarily making the children forget everything about Wood Release.
Even an expert from the Yamanaka Clan couldn't use the Mind Transfer Jutsu to pry into those folded memories.
It wasn't a matter of skill. It was like hiding a crystal in the middle of the ocean. How could anyone possibly find it?
The miraculous harvest created by Wood Release deeply shook the group Yamanaka Chujiu had brought together, planting the Seed of Hope for a brighter future in the children's hearts.
With that hope in their hearts, all the orphans came to share a common ideal. Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi were no exception.
Next, Yamanaka Chujiu directed the children to harvest the crops and wash them by the reservoir. Some stir-fried them in oil, some blanched them and served them cold, and some simply put one in each person's hand.
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