Menma led Jiraiya and Ajisai westward along the main road running through the valley.
When they emerged from the valley area, their view suddenly opened up. Being truly in the Yuga River plain was even more breathtaking.
As far as the eye could see, there was an endless golden sea.
Ripe rice hung low with heavy ears, shimmering with a warm glow under the autumn sun, undulating with the wind like the earth's own breath.
Across the plain, harvest work was proceeding with intense yet orderly efficiency.
The air was filled with the unique fragrance of rice, mingled with the scent of earth.
Curious, Ajisai crouched by a field ridge. She saw some women, elderly people, and half-grown children, holding winnowing baskets and baskets, following behind large harvesting machinery or manual harvesting teams, carefully picking up rice ears scattered in the fields, gathering every grain into storage, cherishing every bit of the harvest.
She also picked up a small, dropped rice ear from the edge of the ridge and examined it carefully in her palm. She found this rice ear not only had exceptionally plump, heavy grains but also that the grains on the ear were arranged much more densely than any rice she had seen in the Land of Rain or elsewhere.
Jiraiya also crouched down, took the rice ear from Ajisai's hand, and examined it closely, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
He had traveled many countries and had broad experience, yet he had never seen rice growing this well.
He turned to an old farmer resting in the field, smoking a dry pipe, and asked in a kindly tone: "Old man, your rice looks truly splendid. The yield per acre must be high, right? How is it grown?"
The old man, seeing the three carried an unusual air, especially Jiraiya and Menma, one seeming carefree and the other just a teenager, but their aura of strength was undeniable, promptly put down his pipe and bowed respectfully: "You three are Ninja-sama, right? You are correct, the harvest is indeed good! We are planting new seeds issued by the authorities. I heard they are good seeds specially cultivated using some... Chakra Technology!"
The old man's face broke into a simple, honest smile as he continued: "At first, no one believed it. We thought, how could there be such a good thing in the world? Later, those 'cadre'-samas sent by the authorities personally marked out an experimental field at the village entrance. From sowing to harvesting, they let us watch the whole process. That rice grew… greener and straighter every day! That's when everyone believed! The next year, every household scrambled to switch to these new seeds!"
He pointed towards a field in the distance that had just been harvested, his tone full of emotion: "In the old days, using our own old seeds, if one acre could produce two hundred kilograms of grain, we had to thank the god for the good harvest!"
"Even then, we had to pay half the harvest as rent to the Daimyo-sama and the landlord-samas, plus various taxes. After all the deductions, what ended up in our own hands from one acre, maybe twenty percent of the harvest, forty kilograms at best was considered good. We'd forage for wild vegetables to barely make ends meet. If the harvest was poor, we'd have to work as servants for the landlord-samas to pay off debts. And if we encountered a year of disaster, it was really..."
The old man shook his head as if unwilling to recall those bitter days, then his face brightened again: "Now it's completely different! We only need to pay one-tenth in tax to the Land of Stars' authorities, with no other rents at all! And with these new seeds, one acre can easily produce over eight hundred kilograms of grain! I hear the yield from a few fertile plots over there can reach one ton!"
"After a year's work, every household has surplus grain! We can take it to the city to sell to merchants. Or if we don't like the merchants' prices, we sell directly to the government's Ever-Normal Granary… the price is fair! With the money, we can buy cloth for new clothes for the children, or get a bit of meat during festivals for a treat... This kind of life was truly unimaginable before!"
Ajisai listened, her eyes shining brightly, and couldn't help but ask: "Really? Can everyone here eat their fill?"
"Yes! Everyone can!" The old man nodded vigorously, the wrinkles on his face smiling like chrysanthemums. "The children have meat on their cheeks, the adults have strength for work! It's all thanks to Shura-sama and the Land of Stars!"
At that moment, Menma walked over. He took the rice ear from Ajisai's hand, gently rubbing a grain between his fingertips, and said: "This is the [New Grain No. 7] hybrid rice seed. The theoretical minimum yield per acre is nine hundred kilograms. In fertile land with good water and soil like the banks of the Yuga River plain, with proper management, yields of 1.2 ton, even 1.4 ton per acre are possible."
Hearing this, the old man's eyes grew even brighter, and he praised repeatedly: "This Ninja-sama really knows his stuff! Absolutely correct!"
"1.4 ton?!" Jiraiya and Ajisai couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
To think that even in the Land of Fire, three hundred kilograms per acre was considered excellent land. The Land of Stars' land could yield four times of that per acre?!
No wonder the Land of Stars was once able to export grain to two major countries, the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind, all by itself!
Jiraiya looked at Menma, his mind already understanding… this was definitely not the result of natural evolution or ordinary farming skills.
Menma nodded, explaining: "It can be called one of the applications of [Chakra Agriculture]."
"Using Water Attribute and Earth Attribute Chakra, and later discovered Wood Release Chakra characteristics to intervene and optimize the rice breeding process, cultivating hybrid varieties that are better adapted to specific environments, with higher yields and stronger disease resistance."
"This technology isn't only used for rice. Dedicated laboratories are also conducting research and cultivation on staple foods like potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, as well as cash crops like apples and citrus."
"For example, [New Grain No. 7] means this is the seventh generation of stable hybrid rice seeds successfully launched by the [New Grain Crop Research Laboratory]."
As Ninja, Jiraiya and Ajisai immediately understood the principle.
If Chakra could heal wounds and Wood Release Chakra could make trees grow, then using it to optimize plant growth and cultivate superior varieties was completely logically feasible.
This gave them a more intuitive and profound understanding of the Land of Stars' method of applying Ninjutsu's power to civilian livelihood construction.
The old man beside them listened in a daze, could only scratch his head honestly. Though he didn't understand those deep things, he knew these new seeds had brought good harvests and a good life.
Menma solemnly returned the rice ear in his hand to the old man… it was the fruit of the farmer's hard labor and deserved respect.
After bidding farewell to the old man, he continued leading the two westward along the Yuga River.
Along the way, scenes of bountiful harvest were everywhere.
The golden rice fields seemed endless. On the Yuga River, boats laden with grain or goods shuttled back and forth, busy as beehives.
Children after school, carrying uniform-style small backpacks or traditional bamboo baskets, ran joyfully along the field ridges. Some joined their families' labor, helping pass water, gather fallen ears, their young faces beaming with carefree smiles.
Beside those medium and large agricultural machines, besides the operating technicians, there were more farmers cooperating and sweating profusely. They chanted work songs, helping each other. Though their faces showed fatigue, more prevalent was the joy of harvest and hope for the future. The entire field was permeated with a harmonious, striving vibrant vitality.
Just then.
Huuumm—
A long whistle sounded. A Raiden painted dark blue roared past along the railway track set up through the middle of the rice fields. Its speed was astonishing, the wind it stirred billowing the trio's clothes and hair, causing the rice waves to rise and fall accordingly.
Jiraiya silently watched all of this.
The scene before him was so real and infectious.
'Here, under Shura's rule, the common people had indeed shaken off war, hunger, and noble oppression, living stable, prosperous, and hopeful lives.'
'The philosophy Shura preached was not empty slogans but had turned into the bountiful harvests before me, children's smiling faces, and people's tranquility.'
'Compared to Nagato's ethereal, insubstantial 'peace' that relied on inflicting pain and 'divine punishment' to force understanding, this was undoubtedly more solid and feasible.'
However, the more he saw this, the more Jiraiya's heart wrestled within.
'If Shura's path was correct, then what was the meaning of Konoha's long-held [Will of Fire]?'
'And how should the prophecy about the [Child of Prophecy] and the [Child of Destruction] made by the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku be interpreted?'
His ingrained perceptions and beliefs were being strongly impacted.
Menma seemed to see through his inner struggle.
By now, the three had arrived at a small ferry crossing on the banks of the Yuga River. A few ferry boats were moored at the shore.
Menma stopped walking and said to Jiraiya: "Well, I'll see you off here."
He then turned to Ajisai, asking in a calm tone: "Ajisai, for the road ahead, do you wish to continue traveling the world with Jiraiya-sama, or choose to stay in the Land of Stars?"
"To be honest, your [Enclosing Technique] proves you have unique talent in Space-Time Ninjutsu. If you are willing to stay, I might be able to find you a teacher here who is proficient in Space-Time Ninjutsu."
Ajisai hesitated almost none at all. She raised her head, her purple eyes sparkling with determined light, and replied clearly: "I want to stay here!"
The peaceful atmosphere here, the life where even ordinary people could live and work in peace, was precisely what she had always deeply yearned for.
However, she still instinctively glanced at Jiraiya, her eyes holding a trace of gratitude and reluctance.
Seeing this, Jiraiya laughed heartily, waved a hand, and putting on an act of nonchalance said: "We were only in a temporary employer-employee relationship! Now that we've safely arrived in the Land of Stars, that relationship naturally ends! Go on, Ajisai-chan, go pursue the peace and life you aspire to! Don't worry about this wandering old man anymore!"
Ajisai walked up to Jiraiya, bowed to him solemnly, her voice slightly choking: "Jiraiya-sama, thank you very much for your care and protection along the way! Please... take good care of yourself!"
She knew that although nominally she was Jiraiya's employee, in reality Jiraiya's strength and experience far surpassed hers as an ordinary Genin. She had learned much from Jiraiya on this journey, and he was like half a teacher to her.
Looking at Ajisai, Jiraiya couldn't help but recall the three children he met in the Land of Rain years ago… Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan.
'If back then, those three could have found a pure land like the Land of Stars where they could live and work in peace, perhaps the later tragedy would not have happened?'
A complex emotion welled up in his heart.
He shook his head, pushing down these thoughts, turned around, and prepared to board the ferry to the opposite bank, continuing his unfinished journey.