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Before anyone else could speak, a middle-aged villager pushed through the crowd.
"But it's the only reason we're still alive!" he shouted, spreading his arms protectively. "Without those roots, what are we supposed to do?"
His voice trembled with desperation.
"There isn't any water beyond this place! The rivers dried up years ago. Our wells barely have enough to last a few days."
He pointed toward the lone patch of fertile land in the center of the village.
"The roots may be killing the land... but they're also the only thing keeping this part alive!"
Murmurs of agreement spread through the crowd.
"He's right!"
"We can't survive without it!"
"If you destroy the roots, we'll all starve!"
"We can't let you cut them!"
Several villagers instinctively stepped between me and the fields, not with weapons, but with fear written across their faces.
I remained silent for a moment, taking in their expressions.
They weren't defending the God Tree.
They were defending their families.
Their children.
Their only means of surviving another season.
I let out a slow breath.
"...I understand."
The crowd quieted.
"You aren't refusing because you're greedy."
"You're refusing because you're scared."
I looked around at every face before me.
"If I were in your position..."
"...I'd probably make the same choice."
The villagers blinked in surprise.
"But listen carefully."
I pointed toward the cracked earth beyond the village.
"This isn't saving you."
"It's keeping you alive just long enough to watch everything around you die."
My finger traced the barren horizon.
"Every year, the dead land grows larger."
"The roots consume more chakra."
"More life."
"Eventually this green patch will disappear too."
I met the villager's eyes.
"When that day comes..."
"...there won't be anything left for your children to inherit."
Silence fell over the square once again.
I continued in a calm voice.
"So no..."
"I'm not asking you to trust me blindly."
I smiled faintly.
"I'm asking you to give me the chance to prove that I can remove those roots without condemning this village to death."
I took a step forward, meeting the villagers' anxious gazes.
"...How about this?"
The murmurs gradually died down.
"If we find a permanent water source for your village..."
I gestured toward the barren fields surrounding us.
"...then you won't stop us from removing the God Tree's roots."
The villagers looked at one another uncertainly.
The man who had spoken earlier frowned.
"You can... do that?"
I shrugged lightly.
"I don't know."
A small grin tugged at my lips.
"But I do know one thing."
"I won't destroy your only means of survival without giving you something better."
The elder stepped forward, studying me carefully.
"And if you fail?"
"Then I won't touch the roots."
My answer came without hesitation.
"I gave you my word."
The confidence in my voice caused the crowd to fall silent.
The village elder closed his eyes for a long moment before finally opening them again.
"...Very well."
He nodded slowly.
"If you can truly find a reliable source of water for this village..."
"...then none of us will stand in your way."
I smiled.
"So be it."
The agreement was made.
Now all that remained... was finding water in the middle of a dying land.
I nodded to myself before bringing my hands together.
"Looks like we've got some work to do."
The shadows beneath my feet began to ripple like the surface of a dark lake. They stretched outward across the ground before rising into the air, twisting and writhing as though they possessed lives of their own.
One...
Two...
Three...
Soon, ten humanoid figures emerged from the darkness.
Their features sharpened until each one became an exact copy of me, dressed in black shadow armor that shimmered faintly under the afternoon sun.
The villagers gasped.
"They... they all look exactly the same!"
"Clones?"
"No... they're made entirely of shadows..."
Even Shirai blinked in surprise despite having seen the technique before.
"...Every time I see this, it's still creepy."
Shiraku simply folded his arms.
"What a drag..."
One by one, the shadow clones turned toward me, waiting silently for orders.
I crossed my arms.
"Spread out."
"Search the surrounding region."
"I don't care if it's underground rivers, hidden springs, lakes, or streams buried beneath the mountains."
I looked each clone in the eyes.
"Cover as much ground as possible."
"If you find even the slightest trace of water, don't engage with anything. Return immediately and report."
The ten clones nodded simultaneously.
"Understood."
The next instant—
Whoosh!
They shot off in ten different directions, disappearing into the forest like streaks of living darkness.
Within seconds, only fading shadows remained where they had stood.
I watched them disappear over the horizon before letting out a quiet breath.
"Now..."
I glanced toward the distant mountains.
"...let's see what this land has been hiding."
Hours passed beneath the relentless sun.
What had begun as a simple search had turned into backbreaking labor.
One of my shadow clones had discovered traces of an underground water vein beneath a rocky patch a short distance from the village. It wasn't visible from the surface, but the soil and chakra flow beneath the earth confirmed it.
"Here," I said, driving a wooden stake into the ground. "This is where we dig."
The villagers exchanged doubtful glances, but after seeing my confidence, they picked up their tools.
Soon, everyone was working.
Men swung pickaxes into the hardened earth.
Women carried away baskets of dirt.
Even children helped by passing tools and clearing loose stones.
I joined them without hesitation.
Four shadow tentacles burst from my back, slamming into the ground again and again, breaking apart massive rocks that would have taken hours to move by hand. My shadow clones hauled debris out of the growing pit while Shiraku directed the work, organizing the villagers so nobody wasted their energy.
"Move the rubble to the left!"
"Don't crowd the bottom!"
"Rotate every thirty minutes. You'll collapse from exhaustion otherwise."
"...What a drag," he muttered, already planning the next step.
Shirai wiped the sweat from her forehead as she handed water to the workers.
"Take a break if you're dizzy! Don't overdo it!"
Hours stretched into the afternoon.
The pit grew deeper.
Five meters.
Eight.
Ten.
Every strike became heavier than the last.
My shoulders burned, sweat dripping from my chin as my tentacles smashed through another layer of compact rock.
Then—
Clink.
The sound was different.
Metal striking stone.
I immediately raised my hand.
"Wait."
Everyone froze.
Silence fell over the excavation site.
I slowly climbed down into the pit and crouched where the sound had come from.
The earth here felt... damp.
A smile slowly spread across my face.
"...Move back."
The workers quickly climbed out.
I drove one shadow-coated fist into the cracked rock.
BOOM!
The stone shattered.
For a heartbeat...
Nothing happened.
Then—
A thin stream of water seeped through the crack.
It grew wider.
Stronger.
Until—
CRAAASH!
A powerful jet of crystal-clear water burst from beneath the earth, shooting several meters into the air before raining back into the well.
The entire village fell silent.
Then someone screamed,
"W-Water!"
Another villager dropped to their knees.
"IT'S WATER!"
Children rushed forward laughing while the adults stood frozen in disbelief.
I threw my head back and laughed loudly.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"It worked!"
I pointed triumphantly toward the overflowing well.
"I told you we'd find it!"
The villagers erupted into cheers.
Some cried openly.
Others embraced one another, years of fear and hopelessness washing away with the fresh spring pouring endlessly from beneath the earth.
The village elder slowly walked toward the edge of the well, cupping the clear water in his trembling hands.
He drank.
Tears filled his eyes.
"...It's real."
He looked up at me, his voice shaking.
"...You saved our village, Danava-sama."
I simply scratched the back of my head with an embarrassed grin.
"Heh... now then..."
My smile turned confident.
"As promised..."
"...you won't stop me from removing the God Tree's roots anymore, right?"