As soon as they stepped through the gates of the Konoha Ecological Farm, Hatake Yoshiko and the newly arrived Kakashi were stunned by the scene before them.
If the changes in the village were flourishing, then this place was a land of miracles, bursting with life.
As far as the eye could see, there were endless fields, planned more neatly than blocks of tofu.
Waves of rice undulated with the wind, the heavy ears bowing their heads, heralding an unprecedented harvest year.
Between the field ridges were wide irrigation canals, where clear river water flowed slowly, nourishing every inch of the land.
In the distance were several huge, round buildings that looked like small hills.
Kakashi pointed curiously in that direction: "Father, what's that? Huge mushrooms!"
"Those are pigsties," Sakumo explained succinctly.
Pigsties? Yoshiko opened her mouth slightly. The pigsties she imagined should be dirty, cramped, and smelly places.
But the "pigsties" before her were clean, tidy, and even sparkled in the sunlight.
Further away was a vast grassland.
Herds of cattle and sheep, like clouds in the sky, were scattered on the grass, leisurely grazing.
And on the periphery of the herds, a dozen or so robust ninja hounds were running back and forth with vigorous strides.
Occasionally, they would let out a short bark or two, like experienced generals commanding the cattle and sheep, which outnumbered them dozens of times over, to move in an orderly manner, preventing them from overgrazing the same patch of grass.
"Wow! Doggies!"
Kakashi pointed excitedly at the ninja hounds, stars in his eyes.
Just then, a hearty voice was heard.
"Yo! Isn't this Manager Sakumo??"
Akimichi Torifu, shirtless, was walking towards them. Behind him were several exceptionally burly ninja, clearly from the Akimichi clan, standing on a field ridge.
And the way they were turning the soil made Kakashi's little mouth drop open in surprise.
"Hey! Ready?" one chubby youth shouted.
"Ready!" several clansmen in the field responded in unison.
"Partial Multi-Size Technique!"
The Akimichi clansman gave a low shout, and his two arms instantly expanded, turning into a pair of giant palms.
Then, he bent down, thrust his huge palms into the soil, and flipped it violently.
Rumble—!
A large patch of hard soil was easily turned upside down, exposing the soft earth to the air.
The efficiency was astonishing.
"The Akimichi clan actually uses the Multi-Size Technique to turn the soil..."
Yoshiko watched this scene, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
This was probably the most efficient and extravagant way of farming in the history of the ninja world.
"Lord Hokage said this is called making the best use of people and their talents."
"I see..."
"Senior Torifu, you're here early today?" Sakumo looked at the newcomer and joked.
"Haha, demonstrating for those new kids!"
Akimichi Torifu wiped the mud spots off his hands, walked up to them, and greeted Yoshiko and Kakashi warmly. "This is Kakashi, right? Hey, why the mask?"
Kakashi hid shyly behind his father. "Be... because it's cool!"
"Alright, alright, you guys take your time looking around, I'm going to get something to eat."
"Goodbye, Uncle Torifu~~"
Akimichi Torifu, who had already turned around, waved his hand in response.
"Woof—!"
"Woof woof!"
"Lord Sakumo!!"
A youth from the Inuzuka clan, with his ninja hound, trotted over and greeted him enthusiastically.
The ninja hound beside him was a spirited white Shiba Inu—Wang Cai, who also wagged its tail friendly at Kakashi.
"Wow, doggy—kawaii!"
Kakashi shouted excitedly, his eyes shining.
"Mm."
Sakumo nodded. "How is the pasture growth in Area B?"
"Reporting to Lord Sakumo! Everything is normal! According to your instructions, we are implementing a rotational grazing system, never letting any patch of grass be overgrazed! Ensuring that every cow and sheep can eat the freshest and most nutritious grass!"
The youth puffed out his chest. A gust of wind blew, moving a few strands of hair stuck to his forehead. Bathed in sunlight, he could almost be called an angel.
Kakashi curiously reached out his small hand, wanting to touch the friendly-looking ninja hound.
Wang Cai had a very good temperament and actively leaned in, rubbing its furry head against Kakashi's palm.
"Doggy, soft."
Kakashi giggled.
"Does Kakashi like animals?"
The Inuzuka youth laughed seeing this. "Do you want to experience our Inuzuka clan's unique 'riding technique'?"
Saying that, he whistled.
Not far away, an exceptionally robust and docile lead sheep trotted over slowly.
With Sakumo's consent, the Inuzuka youth carefully lifted the excited Kakashi onto the soft back of the sheep.
"Wah!"
Experiencing this for the first time, Kakashi tightly grabbed the sheep's thick wool with his small hands, both nervous and excited.
The little sheep cooperated well, taking small steps and strolling leisurely on the grass, while the Inuzuka youth and his ninja hound followed closely to protect him.
Yoshiko watched her son bouncing up and down on the sheep's back, dancing with joy, and a happy smile appeared on her face too.
After settling his wife and son, Sakumo turned and walked towards a large tree at the end of the field ridge.
Under the shade of the tree, a familiar figure was lying lazily, chewing on a piece of foxtail grass, looking at the clouds in the sky with a look of utter boredom.
It was the deputy manager and chief planner of the farm, Nara Shikaku.
"Shikaku, slacking off again."
Sakumo's voice was calm and waveless.
"Sigh, what a drag."
Nara Shikaku didn't even lift an eyelid and said weakly, "Sakumo, let me tell you, being this deputy manager is more tiring than analyzing the battle situation on the battlefield. You know, yesterday the irrigation canal in Area C was blocked by a few lost toads. The Akimichi kids on duty calculated thirteen different dredging plans and specifically called me over to choose the optimal solution."
Sakumo: "..."
He suppressed the corners of his mouth that were turning up, chose not to engage with that topic, and asked directly, "Ahem, where's the report from yesterday? About the farm's production plan for the next quarter."
"Here."
Nara Shikaku took out a scroll from his robes and threw it over. "There's no problem with the grain. That rice Lord Hokage gave us grows terrifyingly fast. If we open up more fields at this rate, let alone winter, even if another Great Ninja War breaks out, our grain reserves will be enough to feed the whole village for a few years."
"But."
His tone shifted, and his expression became serious. "There is a very troublesome problem."
"Speak."
"Vegetables."
Nara Shikaku sat up, the laziness gone from his face. "What we are planting now are all seasonal vegetables, like hairy gourds, lettuce, beans, and so on. These things have high yields and grow fast, but as the weather turns cold, we won't be able to plant them anymore."
He pointed to the leaves in the distance that had begun to turn yellow and said with a headache.
"In two months at most, the ground will start to freeze..."
Listening to Shikaku's complaint, Sakumo's brow also gradually furrowed.
He looked into the distance, where his son Kakashi was still happily laughing on the sheep's back, having a great time.
Those rice fields were full of the promise of harvest under the sunlight.
But thinking that in a few months, these vibrant scenes would be covered by a blanket of white snow, he felt a heaviness in his heart.
The development of the farm had encountered a technical bottleneck.
The seasons.
This problem seemed to have gone beyond the scope of "how to farm well."
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