In the Land of Wind, Ryukawa District.
It was midsummer, and a light rain had just fallen in the morning. Although the sky had cleared, the paths between the fields remained slippery. The crops on either side of the path glistened like pearls after being washed by the rain, and the air was filled with a fresh, moist fragrance.
Raindrops lingered, rolling down the stems of the grass, disappearing into the soil or the mouths of the grass, vanishing from sight.
Wildflowers of various colors bloomed—red, purple, pink, yellow—like brilliant spots embroidered on a vast green carpet. Swarms of bees busily flitted among the flowers, sipping nectar and flying diligently back and forth.
The farmers of Ryukawa District had also come out early, carrying hoes, carefully spreading the natural fertilizers they had prepared over the crops and vegetables.
On the ridges of the fields, if they spotted any weeds, the farmers would bend down to pull them out and toss them aside.
Looking at the lush, vibrant fields, the farmers' faces lit up with smiles.
"Ken, are you done yet?"
"When you're finished, come over to my place for a drink?"
"The sun's getting stronger; we shouldn't stay out here too long!"
A shirtless farmer shouted.
"No problem!"
"I'll be done here soon!"
Another farmer, dressed in simple hemp clothing, responded. He was vigorously swinging his hoe, covering the gaps in the ridges that had been eroded by the rain.
Not long after, in a somewhat spacious wooden house, the two farmers sat casually on the floor.
The farmer in the hemp clothing, with dark yellow skin, carefully held a porcelain bowl in his hands. The bowl contained a somewhat murky white liquid, which seemed to be a treasured possession for him.
He slowly brought the bowl to his lips, finding the right angle before gulping it down, making sure not to spill a single drop.
"Ah!"
"Good stuff!"
"This drink packs a punch!"
After downing the bowl in one go, the farmer in hemp clothing exclaimed loudly in praise.
With a flush of red on his cheeks, he seemed to have opened up.
"Ōta, you're the one with the skills!"
"We've only just managed to fill our bellies, and you're already drinking!"
The shirtless farmer wiped the remaining liquid from the corner of his mouth, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "It's not my skill!"
"It's my brother. He went out to do business, made some money by chance, and brings back a lot of drinks every time he visits."
Mentioning his brother, the shirtless farmer's face was full of pride.
"Business? What kind of business makes so much money?" The farmer in hemp clothing asked with interest.
"It's nothing remarkable. He got a cart and buys the surplus vegetables from us village farmers, then sells them in town."
"The ninjas from Sunagakure recently built a city called Ryukawa City here!"
"Wow! You wouldn't believe it, but my brother says the speed at which those ninjas build cities is unbelievable. It's like a city appeared overnight on the plains!"
"As if it was transported by spirits from somewhere!"
"The streets in the city are very well planned, and they even have electric lights! Do you know what electric lights are?"
The shirtless farmer's words left the farmer in hemp clothing dumbfounded.
Seeing the shirtless farmer suddenly stop, the farmer in hemp clothing urged, "Go on, tell me more..."
The shirtless farmer, feeling a bit awkward, adjusted the wine jar and poured more for the farmer in hemp clothing.
"I haven't seen what electric lights are, just heard from my brother that even at night, Ryukawa City is as bright as day!"
The farmer in hemp clothing, eyes filled with longing, didn't even rush to drink from his bowl.
"I know how to collect vegetables too; I can recognize all of them... Why don't we join your brother in business?"
"Make more money and get to see Ryukawa City..."
The farmer in hemp clothing said excitedly.
"Heh heh..."
"I've thought about that too, but knowing vegetables isn't enough!"
"You have to know how to calculate! And you can't even recognize the new currency issued by Sunagakure, so how would you handle the money?"
"And how much to buy the vegetables for, how much to sell them for, where to sell them... It's not simple. My brother isn't the only one selling in Ryukawa City."
"Being able to sell them is the real skill. If you can't sell them, many vegetables will wilt in a day."
"City folks like fresh, green vegetables, unlike us rough people..."
"We're better off not getting involved in that mess..."
The shirtless farmer downed another drink, speaking with a sense of resignation.
"Our tax rate is low now, just 15%!"
"And Sunagakure has abolished all corvée labor and miscellaneous duties, leaving only land rent."
"You pay according to how much land you have, no extra tax for having more children!"
"They're much better than those black-hearted officials from the Daimyō's court..."
The shirtless farmer sighed.
The farmer in hemp clothing nodded gently, sipping his drink slowly.
"Oh, right!"
"My brother brought back some news last time!"
"Sunagakure has built a ninja academy in Ryukawa City."
"All children aged five to nine, regardless of gender, can enroll without exams!"
"All expenses during school are covered by Sunagakure, and jobs are assigned after graduation."
"If they have good aptitude, they might even become ninjas!"
The shirtless farmer's tone grew excited as he mentioned this.
"You don't know how capable those ninjas are. I happened to pass by when they were building the dam and redirecting the river."
"They just moved their hands a bit... and then... wow..."
The shirtless farmer mimicked forming hand signs, though his random gestures looked quite comical.
"Everyone knows your Inukai family is the most prosperous in the village. Your wife is pregnant again, right?"
"It's not easy feeding seven or eight mouths, is it?"
"Except for your eldest and the youngest three, the others are all eligible!"
"Why don't you send them all to the academy?"
The shirtless farmer continued to persuade.
"Sunagakure has already registered all our family lands, prohibiting land sales, reclaiming them for redistribution after seventy years..."
"Can your small plot support so many people?"
"And you have to think about your descendants. If they don't have any skills, how will they survive in the future?"
The shirtless farmer said, pouring more wine for the farmer in hemp clothing.
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