Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 21 Moving Forward

The July sun was scorching, and even fully armed, it felt like being in a sauna, causing ordinary people to sweat profusely and find it unbearable. But these problems did not affect the body of the Impure Earth at all. Even under a clear blue sky and with the sun blazing overhead, the people working in the fields never stopped.

"This is the last bundle!" A young man with black hair ran wildly, carrying a pile of rice stalks taller than himself, his eyes shining with excitement.

The advantages of ninjas' skillful use of chakra became apparent at this moment. Harvesting rice paddies, a time-consuming and laborious task, could be easily accomplished by a ninja skilled in Wind Release using a clone, who could simply stand to either side and tie a steel wire to the rice paddies. However, attempting to slack off afterwards would require a high level of chakra control. Every grain of rice in this experimental field was extremely precious, so no one dared to act recklessly and had to diligently work in the fields.

"Hurry, hurry! The rice ears in the neighboring No. 3 field are almost all harvested!"

"Lord Hashirama's speed is too fast!"

"We can't fall behind!"

A group of ninjas, dressed in simple clothes, wearing straw hats, with their sleeves rolled up and trousers tucked in, looked no different from farmers. They were busy around the threshing machine, some pedaling, some packaging rice, and some filling in raw materials. Their orderly assembly line operation made them incredibly efficient, and by sunset they were almost finished.

"This output, conservatively speaking, must be over five hundred!"

"That's too conservative, I think it should be six hundred!"

"...Is this really the yield you can get from one acre of land? Hit me, I feel like I'm dreaming..."

"It's no use hitting you, we don't feel any pain at all."

"Is this your reason for getting your hand caught in the machine? What if the children get sick from eating it?!"

"Isn't that a bit too urgent for me...?"

A burst of his signature laughter came from the next workshop. Lord Hashirama sounded genuinely happy! It seems this batch of early rice experiments was a great success!

If even one of them were curious enough to peek next door, they would have seen the great ninja god holding the leader under his armpits, lifting the utterly dejected adult high in the air.

"863 jin! Although it's not dehydrated yet, the yield per mu is already twice that of ordinary rice! That's fantastic!"

Naruto's feet left the ground before he even landed; a delighted Hashirama lifted him up like a doll, allowing him to finally experience the thrill of flying high that he hadn't had as a child. But to conceal his identity, he always made a detour before arriving, transforming into a disguised form…

"Lord Hashirama! Quickly put Lord Kinrin down!" The reliable assistant saved Naruto. When he was put down, the young lady said apologetically, "Lord Hashirama was so happy today, please don't mind."

Naruto weakly smiled back, feeling that all the shame he had ever felt in his life had just been exhausted, but he couldn't say anything. Then Hashirama grabbed him and dragged him away, showing him off his almost full granary from every angle, looking like he wanted praise.

"I never expected Wood Release to be so effective in breeding. It seems that Uncle Hashirama might even have the title of God of Agriculture in the future." Naruto didn't hold back his praise, and besides, this kind of epoch-making progress was of extraordinary significance.

"That's an exaggeration. We really need to talk about that senior from the Land of Rice Fields. Without the special improved varieties he left behind, it would have been very difficult for us to improve them successfully." After Hashirama's excitement subsided, although he was still smiling, his eyes were slightly melancholy. "With food, we will no longer be controlled by the daimyo."

Naruto, who is capable of sensing emotions, could hardly miss what Hashirama was lamenting. He stepped forward and patted Hashirama on the shoulder, saying, "This is only the first step. In the future, we will be fighting against the beings who control the vast majority of the world's wealth. Apart from ourselves, we are surrounded by enemies. To protect our precious seed, we need great power. Power without the support of conviction can easily go astray. Therefore, we must also sow the seeds to overthrow the old era, arm the hearts of every rebel, and let this power benefit the whole world."

The times limit thought; even if superior ideas truly flourish in the old era, they will only become bargaining chips for those in power. Only by transforming mindsets in tandem will people realize the hardships they endured and what the world could have been like. So, don't be sad, first-generation uncle; cheer up and keep striving!

The success in Xinxiang boosted the morale of "Hui," and at this crucial moment, Tobirama's Flying Thunder God Technique also made a breakthrough. While a teleportation array for people couldn't be created yet, the teleportation of objects was indeed quite effective. Even two people completely unfamiliar with space-time ninjutsu could open a two-way channel as long as both arrays received chakra input simultaneously.

"So, the problem we need to solve now is real-time communication." Communication has always been a big issue, but it wasn't so urgent before because their people weren't scattered. If all else failed, they could use spirit beasts to transmit information. But the next plan is for "Hui" to break up into smaller groups, spread their ideas, and organize their forces. Communication is indeed a big problem. "I remember that the secret technique of the mountain clan allows for telepathic communication."

“This is global communication. How many nodes would be needed to cover it? And if we use the telepathy technique, these nodes would need to be staffed 24 hours a day.” As the Second Hokage who led Konoha in major battles, Tobirama was well aware of the weaknesses of the Yamanaka clan’s secret techniques.

Naruto muttered helplessly, "I only mentioned a possibility."

“Recently, something called a ‘walkie-talkie’ has appeared in the Land of Lightning. It can conduct group communication within a certain range, but the range is still too small.” The intelligence department’s energy came into play. Izuna never missed these novel and valuable gadgets. “I think the reason for the limited range is that the device that sends and receives signals is only so small, so the signal strength is definitely not very good. If it is modified according to the way the Yamanaka clan covers communication, it is very likely to achieve global communication.”

Tobirama was somewhat surprised and whispered, "Why didn't you tell me before?"

Izuna rolled her eyes at him. "Are you sure you can handle all that?"

"What powers the 'walkie-talkie'?" Hashirama asked.

“Electricity.” Izuna added, as if remembering something, “I didn’t mention it before because the investigation found that the availability of electricity is only concentrated in densely populated areas like cities and towns, and most of it is only used for lighting. The power supply is also unstable, and most villages still use candles and firewood. This is a huge obstacle to building nodes.”

A silence fell over the meeting room. The base's power supply consisted of several generators that Tobirama had acquired from Orochimaru; the village ensured Konoha's livelihood. They were all ninjas, accustomed to living a life of hardship in remote areas, and they didn't concern themselves with the lives of ordinary people. But now things were different. They had to change their roles and consider how to make more people happy.

"Uncle Tobirama, do you know how to train the Mind Transfer Technique?" Naruto steered the conversation in this direction, since technological breakthroughs couldn't be achieved overnight, and they were about to disperse.

Under his older brother's deathly gaze, Tobirama forced himself to say, "...I know."

How could he use such a crucial ninjutsu in wartime without understanding its principles? This isn't because he's coveting other clans' secret techniques!

“That’s good. We’ll discuss it later. I have a hypothesis about this technique that needs to be verified.” Naruto finalized the direction for “Hui” at this stage. “We’ll resolve the communication issue as soon as possible. However, I believe this small setback won’t stop us. I believe you all remember our companions who went out to gather intelligence and establish trading companies. If they could overcome the difficulties, there’s no reason why we can’t. As for security, as usual, all personnel going out must be equipped with my and Tobirama’s Flying Thunder God Mark. If they encounter a crisis that they cannot handle on their own, they must immediately input chakra into the mark to request assistance. Remember, we are carrying out an unprecedented revolution. Everyone is an important seed. We must not take any risks until ‘Hui’ is ready.”

"I suggest issuing a call to all members to go out and participate. Anyone who is interested in spreading 'Hui' can participate. But before they leave, they need to go to 'Xinxiang' to learn from our successful experience and return to the base regularly to exchange experiences and insights. What do you think? Raise your hand if you agree."

Everyone in the meeting room raised their hands.