A Farming Novice's Farming Plan

While Shingetsu lay in bed doing absolutely nothing under the pretext of recuperating, the "Uchiha Farming Plan" she had devised was progressing steadily. Far from the center of Konoha, a remote stretch of clan land originally intended for a training ground had been cleared. Once the wild beasts in the surrounding area had been eliminated, it would be leased to a group of civilians willing to farm there.

Turning the Primeval Forest into arable land had taken less than a month.

And that was with the clan barely taking the matter seriously, merely picking a few Shinobi skilled in Water Release and Earth Release to handle it. Had they sent Shinobi of jōnin strength, they could have cut that time several times over.

During the Warring States Period, Shinobi were outcasts forbidden to own farmland and strictly prohibited from engaging in production. Their only source of income was accepting commissions from nobles as a clan. Although that prohibition had been abolished with the advent of the hidden village era, a thousand years of producing nothing had ingrained the habit deep in every Shinobi's subconscious.

Even decades later, in the era when Naruto was active, Shinobi still made their living by taking missions, let alone during these early founding years.

In truth, if Madara Uchiha had not been so accustomed to getting his own way, the land reclamation would never have happened.

With the Uchiha Clan's arrogance and pride, they could hardly lower themselves to work they considered beneath their status. These muscle-brained, combat-obsessed bundles of prickly pride had refused immediately upon hearing that their planned training ground would be turned into farmland.

Of course, under Madara's iron fist, all their refusals were useless.

But that was as far as Madara Uchiha could help. Providing money and manpower was already more than generous; she could not expect anything else from him. There were countless troublesome details to settle-what sort of civilians to recruit, what agreements to make with them, how much land to clear for this first trial, and so on.

Expecting Madara Uchiha to handle all that was nothing but a pipe dream.

The problem was, Shingetsu did not know how to solve any of it either!

She, Uchiha Shingetsu, had never even visited the countryside in either of her two lives. Everything she knew about farming came from farming novels. She could not tell one grain from another, and she could kill even a potted cactus!

Expecting her to handle all that was practically asking for disaster.

Still, compared with most Uchiha, who knew absolutely nothing about farmland, Shingetsu had at least read over a hundred farming novels. She was the best of a bad bunch. The idea had been hers, and so had the plan. At this point, she could only grit her teeth and do it herself.

"Waaah..."

Walking along a remote path far from the clan compound, Shingetsu trailed dejectedly behind Madara Uchiha, who practically radiated menace. A conspicuous, absurdly large lump of the sort seen only in gag manga bulged from her head. It was the reward Madara had given her after discovering that she was still lounging in bed despite having recovered.

Ah, farewell forever, my blissful days of doing nothing.

Unsure how much more suffering awaited her when she returned, Shingetsu wanted to cry but had no tears. One look from Madara, however, frightened her into straightening up at once.

Once they left the broad gravel road connecting the clan compound and the village, the path beneath their feet grew increasingly muddy, and another, more authentic world unfolded before Shingetsu's eyes.

"Good day, honored Uchiha!"

The civilians who had arrived early to wait spotted the pair in black clan attire embroidered with the fan crest and immediately recognized them as Uchiha. They hurried forward with deep bows, their faces lowered almost into the dust and their backs trembling incessantly.

Before she noticed their faces, Shingetsu noticed their emaciated bodies and ragged clothing. Rather than civilians, they looked more like refugees fleeing disaster.

Given the Uchiha's consistently poor reputation, who would dare seek refuge with this notoriously fearsome clan unless they truly had nowhere else to turn?

Madara Uchiha frowned as he surveyed the civilians, who were so frightened they were nearly dropping to their knees. He disliked the weak and had even less regard for these spineless people with no dignity, yet he understood that this was how civilians survived.

Beneath his arrogant, overbearing exterior, Madara Uchiha possessed a heart acutely sensitive to suffering and grief.

He knew all too well how twisted and cruel this world was. Civilians were trampled like mud beneath the feet of the powerful and the nobility, generation after generation repeating the same endless suffering. Meanwhile, Shinobi who possessed power were endlessly manipulated and exploited, reduced to expendable resources on battlefields without end.

He longed to end the world's spiral of suffering once and for all. He also knew how foolish and unattainable that wish was, but he knew that he would never stop hoping.

"Shingetsu, go and do what you want to do."

The corners of Madara's mouth lifted slightly. So long as Shingetsu also wished to change this suffering world, he would support her in carrying out her plans, no matter how bold or unbelievable her actions might initially seem.

Let me see just how far you can go.

Before reclamation began, this stretch of land assigned to the Uchiha had been nothing but Primeval Forest stretching beyond the eye's reach.

After the Uchiha Shinobi's initial work, however, the vast stands of trees had vanished, along with the rocks and weeds. Earth Release had turned and leveled every inch of uneven soil. Now, it already looked like proper farmland.

For civilians who lacked even tools, felling the Land of Fire's towering trees alone might have taken over a year. For Shinobi, it was a trivial task they could finish in less than half a day. Clearing the remaining roots and weeds was even simpler-if one Great Fireball was not enough, they could just cast another.

Of course, there was no relying on this bunch of Shinobi who knew only killing and arson for the actual farming.

The most common crop in the Land of Fire was rice, an incredibly delicate crop that could die from the slightest mistake. It needed farmers who had spent their entire lives working the fields to tend it.

Specialized work really did need to be left to specialists.

Standing before the timid, cowering civilians, Shingetsu let her gaze pass over their sallow, gaunt cheeks and the hands that years of labor had left as rough as old wood.

Naturally, she had not simply dragged these people off Konoha's streets. They had been carefully selected from among the civilians. Most were farmers who had been forced to become refugees after nobles and merchants took their land.

There were far from few people like them. The chaotic fighting of the Warring States Period inevitably engulfed farmers who depended on their fields and could not escape the flames of war.

No matter how carefully farmers tended their land or how desperately they struggled to survive, a single Shinobi attack, a drought, or a flood-just one unlucky natural or man-made disaster-could destroy their entire year's harvest.

Then the nobles' heavy taxes and the merchants' deliberately inflated grain prices would combine to force them to sell the very land they depended on, or even themselves.

In the end, the nobles amassed vast amounts of land and property, while the great merchants made a handsome windfall. They then used a small portion of that wealth to hire Shinobi to keep killing one another. And so, a perfect closed loop was formed.

Shingetsu sighed inwardly. Perhaps, rather than the Shinobi, the nobles who controlled the vast majority of wealth and land were this world's true masters.

This has to change!

She silently made up her mind. To achieve that goal, she had to give Shinobi sufficient productive capacity!

While Shingetsu studied the crowd, they were studying her as well.

They did not understand why the honored Uchiha had sent out such a little girl, but they did not dare underestimate her. The child before them was as noble and beautiful as a Daimyō's daughter, an exalted person they might otherwise never encounter in their entire lives. They did not even dare lift their heads to look directly into those eyes like black glass.

Shinobi and civilians were worlds apart to begin with.

At that moment, both sides were deeply nervous.

Shingetsu feared she would fail to handle the farming arrangements properly. The civilians feared that an ill-tempered Shinobi might burn them all to death with a fireball. Such things had been far from uncommon in the past.

By that reckoning, the civilians certainly had it worse. Expecting them to speak first would have been asking far too much.

Shingetsu took a deep breath and closed her eyes, rapidly reviewing the hundred-plus farming novels she had read before crossing into this world. When she opened them again, she had at least regained the Uchiha's cool composure on the surface.

"Please follow me, everyone. The houses prepared for you are over here."

Houses?

The civilians exchanged looks, seeing shock and disbelief in one another's eyes. They had come prepared to die, yet now these Shinobi, whom they had always imagined as vicious beasts, had actually prepared houses for them?

Wasn't that far too kind?!

A row of low, single-story houses stood not far from the fields. Given how remote the location was, having the farmers live nearby would save time and effort. Shingetsu had specifically arranged for several small houses to be built, complete with basic furniture and everyday necessities.

Besides the ordinary houses, there was also a large communal storehouse. After assigning everyone accommodation by household, Shingetsu led them inside. Brand-new iron farming tools were laid out within, and the newly made iron plows gleamed cold and bright.

These people were skilled farmers, yet hardly any had ever owned a decent farming tool. The sight of the new equipment left them itching to get their hands on it.

But they were afraid, too-afraid that these brand-new tools would become part of the debt they had to bear, afraid that those gleaming blades would one day be stained with their blood.

"These farming tools are for you as well. The oxen should arrive in the next few days."

Obtaining those tools had been anything but easy.

As a Shinobi village, Konoha was essentially a large military organization. Where was she supposed to find decent farming tools? Shingetsu had gone to Cat Granny of the Ninja Cat Clan, the Uchiha Clan's summoning partners, and paid a hefty sum for her to commission someone to make them.

Cat Granny had taken her money and still laughed at her, saying she could search the entire Shinobi World without finding another fool who used good iron to make farming tools.

Hmph. Once harvest time comes, we'll see who's still laughing at me!

A fresh pang of sadness rose in Shingetsu's heart. It really was absurd: Kunai and Shuriken meant for killing could be displayed and sold openly on counters throughout Konoha, yet she could turn the place upside down without finding a single tool meant for farming.

"The seeds are ready, too. Come and take a look."

Shingetsu casually pointed to the large sacks piled in a corner. A few of the braver civilians stepped forward and opened them, finding nothing but fine, plump seeds inside.

Naturally, obtaining those good seeds had not been easy either. After all, this was impoverished Konoha, where people could barely afford to eat. After overcoming all these difficulties, Shingetsu had gained a profound understanding of the saying that every grain on one's plate was earned through toil.

That whole series of tedious, complicated preparations had nearly killed her. Now, at last, she could dump this enormous headache on someone else!

"The farmland will be allocated according to the number of people. Every one of you will have land to farm."

Leaving the storehouse, Shingetsu pointed to the fields right outside the houses and steered the conversation toward the land allocation everyone was concerned about. After carefully explaining the arrangements and precautions until her mouth went dry, she finally reached the subject that concerned her most.

That was the division of the harvest, along with the other labor requirements!

"Every year, each of you must grow some crops specified by the Uchiha Clan. We'll provide the seeds and buy everything you grow at market prices."

Shinobi training required nourishment from medicinal meals, and those medicinal ingredients were another major expense. Worse still, merchants drove the prices up, and supplies were often unavailable even if one could afford them.

After a little thought, Shingetsu realized she could save a considerable amount by having the farmers under her grow medicinal herbs each year. Even if she paid for their harvest rather than demanding it as tribute like the nobles, she would still save money. At least she would not have to worry about outrageous asking prices.

"Of course, if you're willing, you can also consider selling your grain to our clan first. We can discuss the prices."

The civilians exchanged glances, scarcely able to believe Shingetsu's generosity and kindness. Those nobles had never paid a single coin for anything they wanted!

"Is there anything else you need?"

Looking at the houses, tools, seeds, and reclaimed land she had painstakingly prepared, Shingetsu felt she had done everything she possibly could. Her responsibilities were all fulfilled.

Now she could go home and wait for autumn, waiting for all that lovely grain to fall into her pockets. Then she would show those prideful, muscle-brained idiots who could not even get enough to eat just how wise and brilliant she was!

"My lady, could you please have a few more wells dug, and some new irrigation channels?"

A steady female voice came from in front of Shingetsu, interrupting her fantasies and self-satisfaction.

"I walked around the area before you arrived. Everything here is good-the land is level, and there's plenty of sunlight. There just isn't enough water. Without enough water, how are we supposed to irrigate the rice?"

Oh, right. How did I forget that?

Shingetsu rubbed her head sheepishly. Rice paddies-of course they needed water!

"I'll have people come do the work another day. By the way, who are you?"

A thin, brown-haired woman with determined eyes stepped out of the crowd and stood before Shingetsu. Unlike her timid companions, she was neither servile nor overbearing, and she carried herself with an unmistakable tenacity.

"My name is Kazuko. As you can see, I'm simply a farmer."