Freshly harvested rice had to undergo a series of complicated, tedious processes-threshing, drying, and husking-before it became pearly grains. Reverently called "silver sarira," this precious staple was a luxury only daimyō, nobles, and shinobi from powerful clans could afford, yet it stood in mountainous heaps in the farm's granaries.
Such a bountiful harvest was unheard of anywhere in the Land of Fire, or even the entire shinobi world.
Although Shingetsu had reduced much of the rent on her fields and seemed to have taken a huge loss, she had made the pie much bigger. As a result, not only were all her tenant farmers satisfied, but her own share was considerable as well.
These tenant farmers, who had once possessed nothing, were grateful for her kindness and awed by the power of shinobi. Of their own accord, they gathered the finest rice, all of it polished and ready to cook.
This was a rarity in the Land of Fire. Commoners would never willingly hand over the grain they had labored to grow until the very last moment. They would do everything they could to hold on to what little food they had, from hiding it in secluded mountain caves to exploiting loopholes by mixing brown rice and coarse grains into the rice.
After all, during harvest season, one of the common jobs for shinobi was to help tax collectors find every bit of grain the farmers had hidden, then humanely exterminate all those wretched peasants while they were at it.
But now, before Shingetsu had even come to collect the rent, the tenant farmers who had only just finished gathering their harvest had loaded up the finest polished rice and brought it straight to the Uchiha Clan Compound early that morning.
It was still early, with only a few scattered people passing along Konoha's streets, and the Uchiha Clan Compound, enclosed by tall blue-brick walls, was as deserted as ever.
Even after six years, the villagers still kept a respectful distance from the Uchiha Clan. Few dared set foot uninvited in this territory that belonged exclusively to the Uchiha.
Compared with the Senju Clan, which had long since integrated into the village, the Uchiha, who always wore cold expressions and tried to look cool, were hardly likely to win over ordinary villagers. But the other shinobi clans, whom the proud Uchiha regarded as weaklings, did not like them either.
Add to that the rumors of uncertain origin and truth about the Uchiha being mentally unsound and emotionally unstable, and the vicious cycle only made them less welcome among commoners and shinobi clans alike. They grew increasingly isolated from the village, much like their compound, surrounded by a high, thick wall and looking every bit like a village within a village.
The wheels creaked and rattled over the dirt. Under the surprised, somewhat jealous gazes of passersby, Kazuko and the others struggled to push their carts, laden with rice, toward the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Hayato and Yota, whom Kazuko had roped into serving as guards, were each munching nonstop on a large rice cake. Whenever anyone cast an envious or greedy look at the carts full of grain, they immediately glared fiercely back.
Normally, those vicious looks paired with their standard cool Uchiha faces would have been more than enough to intimidate anyone. But now, with their cheeks bulging like hamsters as they ate, those fierce glares somehow made them look a little cute.
Seeing the two cool Uchiha men looking so unusually silly, the passersby could barely suppress their amusement. A few bolder people even burst out laughing. Naturally, that earned them even fiercer glares, but the pair hardly looked intimidating.
Gradually, a crowd gathered, gazing in envy and amazement at the rice piled so high on the carts that they could barely hold it.
They stared fixedly at the snow-white rice in its crude baskets. Even the normally fearsome Uchiha watching them like hawks could not drive away these people paying their respects to the rice.
Their feet seemed rooted to the ground, their gazes as reverent as if they were looking at some priceless treasure. In an age when most people could not get enough to eat, seeing so much food gathered in one place was something that only happened in dreams.
Only when the carts disappeared at the end of the road did the spellbound villagers come to their senses. Even then, they could not forget those heaping piles of white rice. Many of them would probably dream of that sight tonight.
"So much food. How wonderful!"
After a long, dazed silence, one entranced villager in the crowd voiced that sentiment.
What they did not know was that the rice on those carts was only a small portion of the Uchiha's share of this harvest. The only reason it had not all been brought at once was that Kazuko and the others had just these few carts.
By the time the carts had crossed a good stretch of Konoha and finally reached the Uchiha Clan Compound, a crowd of villagers had followed the grain delivery all the way there.
Only after watching these cleanly dressed, rosy-cheeked farmers bring the grain-laden carts into the compound with the help of the two Uchiha did they believe that this food really was being delivered to the clan.
Returning with a bountiful haul, Hayato and Yota, who had always been regarded as disgraces to the clan, finally strode into the compound with their heads held high.
When their clansmen saw the cartloads of grain and hurried over in astonishment, the two could not stop the corners of their mouths from rising. They tried to look cool and aloof, but their eyes shone with pride.
They had played a part in bringing in this much grain!
They grabbed someone at random and asked where the two people in charge were. Unfortunately, classes at the Ninja Academy were still in session that day, and both had left for school early.
"Where are Lord Madara and Lady Shingetsu?"
"They went to school."
"Then Lord Hōkaku should be here, right? Hurry and fetch him-never mind, we'll go find him ourselves!"
With that, Hayato and Yota sprinted toward Hōkaku's residence, leaving Kazuko and the others beside the carts, surrounded by a large crowd of curious Uchiha.
To be honest, these black-clad Uchiha, with their cold expressions and silent stares, really did look frightening at first glance. An ordinary person surrounded by them would have had their knees shaking long ago.
But Kazuko and the others had spent time with Uchiha before. Hayato Uchiha and Yōta Uchiha came out to help in the fields every few days, and over time, the two groups had grown close and learned how to get along.
The sensible Kazuko had anticipated this situation and prepared a secret weapon well in advance.
Drawing on their experience of keeping Hayato and Yota happy, Kazuko and the others took a large basket that had been carefully tucked into a corner of a cart. They lifted the thick gauze covering it to reveal a miraculous weapon that worked wonders on Uchiha-big rice cakes!
They had ground white rice into flour with a mortar and pestle, carefully worked out the lumps, then placed it in molds. Jam made from persimmons or wild fruit, mixed with wild honey, formed the filling. Another layer of rice flour went on top, and once the molds had given the cakes their final shape, they were cooked in a steamer.
The rice cakes made this way were soft, fragrant, and sweet, with a sugary jam filling that oozed out at the first bite. Their first two tasters, Hayato and Yota, had praised them highly and declared them an irreplaceable delicacy.
The Uchiha Clan really did have a hard time refusing anything sweet.
After Kazuko handed a rice cake to each of these outwardly ferocious Uchiha, most hesitated for barely two or three seconds before biting into it.
The sweet fragrance of honey and fruit in the jam paired with the fluffy, tender rice cake. The moment a bite touched their tongues, it was soft and sweet, like flowing sugar-countless times better than dango, Konoha's one and only go-to dessert!
Naturally, such a deliciously sweet treat won the Uchiha's hearts. Kazuko no longer even needed to hand out the cakes one by one. Drawn by the aroma, the clansmen lined up in front of her on their own, eagerly waiting for a rice cake.
The perfectly respectable Uchiha Clan Compound and its cool men and beautiful women suddenly turned into a gathering of squirrels, each eating with bulging cheeks. Some even hurried home to wake their sleeping friends and relatives, afraid they would miss out.
When Hōkaku rushed over with Hayato and Yota, this was the scene that greeted him-
Beside the carts piled high with grain, a woman who looked like a farmer was cheerfully handing out rice cakes, with almost the entire Uchiha Clan gathered before her!
Old and young, men and women, everyone in their black clan attire stood quietly together. The line stretched from the ground up onto the rooftops and then back down again, forming a great, undulating black dragon.
The Uchiha who had already received their rice cakes quietly stepped aside and became utterly absorbed in eating, seemingly oblivious to everything but the cakes in their hands.
"...What are you doing?!"
At first, Hōkaku was stunned speechless by the sight. A moment later, his face flushed with anger. He did not know whether to laugh or fume, and felt that these clansmen had thoroughly disgraced the Uchiha.
These people, who normally cared so much about dignity and appearances, lost all sense the moment they encountered something sweet. They were just like little children. It was infuriating!
"Oh no, it's Elder Hōkaku! Everyone, scatter!"
Seeing that Elder Hōkaku was about to lose his temper, the Uchiha immediately dispersed.
With nimble movements and unspoken coordination, they leaped away in every direction like black birds flying back to their nests, each heading home to their families.
Those who had received rice cakes carefully put away their half-eaten treats, while those who had not kept looking back at Kazuko and her basket, clearly reluctant to leave.
Watching the Uchiha finally disperse, Kazuko quietly breathed a sigh of relief. She had prepared plenty of rice cakes, but not enough to feed so many people!
"Did you come to deliver grain? Thank you."
Hōkaku looked over the carts piled with grain and nodded in reasonable satisfaction. Although this food would not meet all the clan's needs, it would keep them going for a while.
Although the grain was still far from making up for the money spent on that field, as long as his dear daughter Shingetsu's plan showed some results, he could silence all objections as her father and let her continue.
"My lord, this is only part of it. We'll bring the rest over shortly."
"What? There's more?!"
This time, it was Hōkaku's turn to be stunned.
He had thought this was all of it, never imagining there was still more grain!
"That's right, Elder Hōkaku. There's plenty more. It'll take several trips to move it all."
Hayato and Yota nodded in agreement and added that explanation, leaving Hōkaku wide-eyed with disbelief.
Had Shingetsu's farming plan really succeeded?
At that thought, he decided to visit the fields himself. He turned to call Hayato and Yota over, grabbed a few passing Uchiha at random, and said to Kazuko:
"Lead the way. We'll bring it back ourselves!"
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