The next week flew by unnoticed. The young man and girl enjoyed ordinary family life. On the fifth day, Kenshin finished drawing the huge formation and relaxed a bit, confident that the number of people wandering near his home would sharply decrease.
Aya's belly had noticeably grown, and the newlyweds decided to temporarily stop having sex, but the girl occasionally pleasured Kenshin, relieving his built-up tension.
Several times they went to the river a few kilometers from their home and spent wonderful time enjoying the pristine beauties of nature and their seclusion.
The young man built small fish traps in the river, spending half a day searching for engineering solutions to apply the needed formation to the riverbed. In the end, the newlyweds always had fresh, nutritious fish on the table.
Kenshin and Aya sat at the table, drinking coffee and having a casual chat.
"Kenshin, we're out of tea, almost out of salt, and low on grains... Maybe I should go to auntie's shop?" The girl asked after sipping her coffee.
"What? No! I'm not letting you go anywhere, especially to your home village. I'll go get the necessities myself." Kenshin said firmly, refusing outright to let the girl leave the house.
"But... But why? Is it because I've gotten fat and ugly? That's why you fell out of love with me?" The girl murmured through sobs and burst into tears.
Kenshin stood from the table, hugged Aya, and pressed her to his chest. "Don't talk nonsense, darling. I haven't fallen out of love with you; it's just dangerous in your home village, and pregnant women shouldn't walk long distances..." The young man whispered, kissing the back of her head.
"And what happens when I get old and ugly... Will you just forget about me?" The girl wailed, refusing to calm down.
"God, what nonsense! First, I won't abandon you. Second—with age, women only get better, like wine!" The young man said, and suddenly it hit him like lightning.
"Exactly, wine! Ha-ha-ha, yes, wine!" Kenshin suddenly laughed sharply, instantly calming Aya.
"What's with you, Kenshin?" The girl asked in surprise, her mood shifting abruptly.
"I just figured out how we can get rich!" The young man proudly proclaimed and kissed her salt-tear-stained lips.
"And how?" Aya asked, unable to contain her curiosity.
"Accelerated aging! You and I, girl, will age wine and sell it for big money!" Kenshin declared proudly.
"What? But how?" The blue-eyed brunette asked in surprise again.
"With an aging formation, of course! Well, the name's a bit grandiose; this formation doesn't age organic things, but it's perfect for disposing of inorganic substances, from radioactive elements to caustic chemical solutions. True, I can't create such huge and powerful formations yet, but for our needs, my abilities are more than enough!"
Aya froze in shock, pondering what he'd said. Not long ago, Kenshin had decided not to hide his formation creation abilities, reasoning that even if Inoichi Yamanaka probed her mind, she'd understand easily. The young man didn't yet have formations protecting against mental scanning, but he planned to acquire them soon.
"Um, okay, as you say. Please bring some salted fish!" Aya said with a smile, completely forgetting how sad she'd been minutes ago.
Kenshin spent several days preparing for the outing. He studied the approximate locations of nearby villages and a few cities. One targeted city was Shukuba, where the young man planned to go. He took all the money Aya had saved, hoping to move farther from the pesky Kaito. In total, he had 2700 ryō. He'd learned the approximate prices in this world: a kilogram of rice cost 20 ryō, a kilogram of salt 400 ryō.
Loading his backpack with necessities, the young man kissed the girl, ordered her not to leave the home unless absolutely necessary, then turned and headed toward a village fifteen kilometers southwest of his dwelling.
About four hours later, the young man reached the small village, asked a slovenly-looking old man with a red face about the trading shop's location, and strode in that direction.
In the trading shop, Kenshin chatted with a pleasant-looking woman of about forty who clearly lacked company. From her, he learned that the "oldest" and most common wine was called "Samurai Blade," costing 50 ryō per bottle.
Kenshin bought five bottles of wine and filled the remaining space in his bag with essentials, spending 700 ryō total. The shopkeeper gave him a 10% discount. Seeing the effect he had on the woman, Kenshin briefly considered adding her to his harem but instantly dismissed it.
Several days earlier, he'd thought about seducing more girls and fathering a bunch of kids, but in his opinion, it was pointless. Children born to ordinary girls would be extremely weak, dooming them to suffering.
Kenshin decided the next girl in the harem should be a kunoichi, but had no idea how to interest or seduce a woman trained to kill. He had no illusions about the tenderness or kindness of local kunoichi; though in "anime" most seemed like delicate flowers, he'd already realized reality differed greatly from what he'd seen on screen. This world was far crueler than what he'd viewed on his TV. The young man thought it was due to the child audience orientation, and Masashi Kishimoto, knowing this world's history, had hidden its bloodiness.
Kenshin had already heard stories from Aya about how Konoha shinobi sometimes raped ordinary girls with no consequences. They might get disciplinary punishment at most. The girl explained that to Konoha shinobi, everyone outside its borders was like livestock, unworthy of mention.
Loaded to the brim, the young man left the trading shop and headed to the village exit. After a few kilometers, he sat to rest and chose a spot for a cache. Drawing a formation on the ground, he dropped his backpack, covered it with branches and leaves, then turned and headed toward Shukuba, ten kilometers from his current position.
Walking the road between forests for about an hour, he startled when four silhouettes sped over his head, leaping from tree to tree. The four didn't even glance his way; he could only watch them go.
"Konoha forehead protector? Maybe genin led by a chunin... What speed! Thirty kilometers per hour at least!" The young man thought, shuddering at the thought of clashing even with the weakest in that group.