"The Kirigakure reform plan has begun. She’s gone to make preliminary preparations," Neiki replied.
Hashirama was silent for a mont before he couldn’t help but ask, "Will many people die?"
"That doesn’t depend on ," Neiki shook his head. Although he had deliberately spread the word about the reform to Kirigakure, the information he received from their side indicated that their high-level officials were not willing to accept the fate of being reford. Under the leadership of the Kirigakure elder, Genji, the ceremony for the inauguration of the Fifth Mizukage was about to be held.
Instead of rescuing their captured leader, Yagura, their first act was to install a new Mizukage. If Neiki didn’t know from the original story that Kirigakure’s conservatives would rather leave the Mizukage position vacant than let i Terumi take it, he might have thought the village’s high officials were just being overly hasty.
It seed that Kirigakure did have wise individuals, but if they believed that appointing a Mizukage could block the incoming tide of reform, they were being overly naive!
"I discussed your reform plans with i Terumi. If it's for world peace, I believe… the ans don't need to be so drastic. If left to develop on its own, Kirigakure would eventually move toward openness and developnt," Hashirama gently advised as soone who had seen much of the world.
In the scorching noon sun, the two masked n walked through the shade to the cafeteria, holding their trays of food, and sat in a corner. Although everyone was curious about what lay beneath their masks, no one dared approach.
They removed their masks, facing the wall, eating and chatting casually.
"I don’t deny that. It’s just the difference between erosion and radical change. Since you can tolerate the bloody mist era of Kirigakure, which caused countless deaths over the years, you should also tolerate my response to the people's expectations. By bringing short-term pain through reform, I can change the unchanging situation of Kirigakure over decades," Neiki said calmly.
Hashirama opened his mouth, but Neiki’s words seed so reasonable that he couldn’t find a counterargunt for a mont.
He wanted to tell Neiki to embrace understanding and tolerance, to respect the customs of different worlds, and to use love to change them… but he couldn’t even convince his own younger brother, Tobirama, of this when he was alive. Tobirama often scolded him for being naive. Now, facing Neiki, whose thods were even more forceful than Tobirama’s, he found himself at a loss.
He sighed heavily and then began to eat his al with vigor, as if trying to vent his frustration through the action.
If nothing else, the food in this era was indeed much better than in his own ti.
While the Edo Tensei body had no sense of pain, it did retain taste, though not as keenly as when alive. To feel the food more, his al was heavily salted and seasoned.
"The rice grains are so big, at least twice the size of those in my era… The world is indeed progressing," Hashirama remarked.
Neiki glanced at him and shook his head. "That’s not a result of the tis advancing. Your era isn’t that far removed from now. It’s impossible for such rapid developnt… The agricultural level in other places besides the Land of Waves hasn’t progressed much compared to your ti. As far as I know, they still plant regular crops without significant improvents."
Hashirama looked at the plump grains on his chopsticks. "Then where is this from?"
"The experintal field in the back hills grows improved varieties of rice," Neiki said matter-of-factly. "With the help of specialized ninjutsu, the rice that usually takes four months to grow matures in two. The rice in the cafeteria these days cos from the recently harvested experintal field."
Hashirama was stunned, then overjoyed. "If we spread these seeds worldwide, wouldn’t that an no one would have to go hungry?!"
His voice echoed throughout the cafeteria, drawing curious glances. However, those glances only saw the backs and heads of the two n, still unable to see their faces.
Though they removed their masks to eat, for these two masters of chakra and body control, as long as no one saw them directly, they could easily maintain their secrecy.
"Only about two-fifths of the world uses rice as their staple food. Besides, the relationship between hunger and food abundance is not as straightforward as you think," Neiki said, chewing his food. The grains were large and moderately sweet, and most importantly, they had a high yield. If there were no other issues, it was indeed an excellent rice variety, demonstrating that Neiki’s thod of synthesis through the Byakugan had practical applications.
"What do you an?" asked Hashirama, a political novice.
"So people don’t want everyone to be well-fed," Neiki explained as plainly as possible. "For example, so landlords use food to control their tenants and force them to work. So rchants want to control food prices and don’t want too much food in the market to avoid losses. Or, for example…
"."
A peculiar smile appeared on Neiki’s face. "I don’t intend to distribute these improved seeds unconditionally. This is a benefit reserved for the reform faction."
"You…" Hashirama’s face showed a complex mix of emotions.
With the Fourth Shinobi World War, food prices had been soaring. Even in the isolated Land of Waves, Hashirama often heard residents complaining about the rising food prices.
The Land of Waves, being small, was not a major food producer. With Kaido restricting transport and trade, the residents’ incos dwindled, and most of their earnings were spent on food.
The Land of Waves was struggling, and the outside world was no better.
With the Fourth Kazekage Rasa of Sunagakure breaking the alliance and declaring war on Konoha, food prices, which had been stabilizing, shot up again.
It wasn’t just landlords and rchants hoarding food. Most of the food in the Five Great Nations was under state control. These landlords and rchants couldn’t even sell if they wanted to. They were required to sell most of their food to the ninja villages and daimyos at pre-war prices, which was almost like being robbed.
"And the Land of Waves…?" Hashirama began to ask.
Neiki interrupted him with a wave. "Food prices will drop soon."
Hashirama’s eyes widened. "How much did you plant?"
Neiki smiled mysteriously. "The first batch isn’t much. When I say prices will drop, it’s because I stocked up a lot of food before the war and plan to release it to the market soon…"
Growing food takes ti. Yield depends not only on the quality of seeds but also on fertilizer, land area, farming techniques, and the use of ninjutsu in agriculture. Even so, large-scale production from these improved rice varieties would take at least three months.
For now, the excitent was only beginning.
But no matter what, in today's world, agriculture remains undoubtedly the largest industry. Once this batch of excellent rice seeds is promoted in the Land of Waves, as long as the war continues, riding the wave of high grain prices shouldn’t be an issue.
As long as there’s no exploitation, this small, densely populated country can beco prosperous for the ti being.
"I see."
The cicadas outside chirped incessantly, blending with the scorching heat of September. Hashirama thought about his debate with Neiki and finally nodded reluctantly:
"You’ve done a great thing… Maybe reform is the best outco for those ninja villages and the entire world."
"Does Kirigakure need my help?"
From his initial opposition to now accepting it, Hashirama's change in attitude was not just because of the bowl of white rice in front of him, but also due to Neiki's approach and determination. Though Neiki might not be the kindest person, he arranged everything ticulously, making even Hashirama feel that a reford Kirigakure might indeed be the best outco for the village.
"For now, there’s no need," Neiki replied, sipping his soup.
Hashirama seed puzzled: "I heard Kirigakure still has a Six-Tails Jinchuriki who is very strong. Can you handle that?"
"Are you underestimating ?" Neiki glanced at him. "My Wood Release may not be as strong as yours, but subduing a Jinchuriki is still within my capabilities."
"Moreover…"
"Moreover what?"
"Moreover, I might not even need to do it myself," Neiki said softly, wiping his mouth. He put on his mask, picked up his tray, and paused before leaving as if he had just rembered sothing:
"Oh, right. The other teachers are on missions, so the school is on break. If you have nothing to do, you can check out my experintal field. I’m growing more than just rice there. See if you can use your Wood Release to help out."
When Hashirama first heard "school is on break," he felt a bit disappointed. However, upon hearing about the experintal field, he imdiately perked up. This was an opportunity that could bring great progress to the entire world.
"I love taking care of plants. I’ll definitely help out!"
…
Recently, Kengakure has been quite deserted. The usually bustling cafeteria, known for its good food and low prices, had never been this empty during al tis since it was established.
Holding her bowl, Hinahara Fuyuka noticed Hashirama and the culture teacher, Mokuma, chatting in a corner. She didn’t approach them, despite her curiosity about what these masked n looked like. Out of respect for Hashirama, she and the others kept their distance, even if it ant crowding together at another table.
"Teacher Haku has finished teaching the assassination course. With the upcoming break, once I advance the secret technique to the second stage, I’ll go assassinate Kaido!" As soon as she sat down, she heard their top talent, Fujiwara Kusama, declare to everyone.
According to the secret technique taught by Hashirama, they were all still at the first stage, only able to "see" the chakra around them. But Fujiwara Kusama had progressed the fastest, able to "touch" these colorful chakra particles and absorb them, greatly enhancing the power of his sword techniques compared to others.
This gave Fujiwara Kusama a lot of confidence in taking down Kaido.
"In such a hurry?" Inari frowned. "Wasn’t the plan to wait until my grandfather finishes building the bridge?"
"Plans can’t keep up with changes. If we keep stalling, many people will starve to death," soone said coldly. Due to the rising food prices and Kaido’s blockade of the sea routes, many in the Land of Waves were experiencing a significant drop in living standards.
Even they, who received high subsidies from Kengakure, were feeling the pain of the skyrocketing cost of living.
Coming from a wealthy family, Inari, whose grandfather was a renowned bridge engineer, couldn’t fully understand the urgency felt by those from poorer backgrounds.
"Yes, even if it’s risky, we must act!" Fujiwara Kusama declared firmly. "Ti waits for no one. I can’t stand seeing my neighbors starve!"
"Well said."
"Brother Kusama, I’ll go with you!"
" too!"
Kusama's words were t with unanimous cheers from the other students.
Hinahara Fuyuka lowered her head awkwardly. She wasn’t strong, and she was afraid of killing. She didn’t dare to go.
"But I heard Kaido hired many rogue ninjas as guards…" Inari said worriedly.
"It doesn’t matter. He’s just an ordinary person. Even with more rogue ninja guards, one strike can still take his life," Fujiwara Kusama said with a fierce look, his long sword dancing in the air. "Besides, the essence of assassination is to avoid the strong and strike the weak. Teacher Haku taught us well, and I’ve mastered the essentials."
His confidence inspired many.
After all, learning martial arts isn’t just for show. It’s about serving the village and upholding justice.
The first batch of students, led by Fujiwara Kusama, couldn’t wait to use Kaido’s head to validate their skills.
"Shouldn’t we inform Hashirama-sensei?" Inari was still uneasy.
Just as Hashirama finished eating and was passing by, Inari was about to get up but was held down by Fujiwara Kusama.
Inari was confused.
After Hashirama left, Kusama explained in a low voice:
"Didn’t Hashirama-sensei say before? Kaido is an internal matter of the Land of Waves. He, as an outsider, won’t intervene. We’ll handle this ourselves!"
Seeing Inari still uneasy, Kusama lost his patience:
"Inari, if you don’t want to co, I won’t force you. We don’t need you."
Inari gritted his teeth: "I’ll ask my friend about this."
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