"Don't say it! Damn, I got caught! I was just about to get paid too." White Zetsu sounded annoyed and even stopped drawing poop for a moment.
Then he patted his chest with a grin. "But don't worry, Lord Madara, I wasn't really discovered. That kusagakure lord is the idiot for thinking I'm a spy from Amegakure!"
"Hmm."
"Oh! Oh! That kusagakure lord really tried to teach ninjutsu to ordinary people, but those folks are idiots, they can't even learn the simplest stuff! It's easier than poop!"
"All idiots! Foolish idiots!" White Zetsu chuckled, clearly enjoying himself. "I'm telling the truth, right, Lord Madara? Oh, and by the way, there's no class right now, it looks like vacation. So, Lord Madara, you can finally get some peaceful sleep for a few days!"
"...How can a shinobi neglect proper training and studying? Idiot! Foolish idiot!" Madara scolded.
"Well, it's pretty cold. It's snowing up there, and New Year's is coming!" White Zetsu shrugged.
"If you can't push through hardship, how can you ever become a real shinobi? I was already on the battlefield when I was young.
Whether it's strong wind or snow, you have to keep training. Otherwise, how could you ever stand a chance against that idiot Hashirama?" Madara curled his lips in disdain.
"That kusagakure lord might have some guts, but he's a total fool!" White Zetsu exclaimed.
"Exactly! He actually thought I was a spy from Amegakure!" he added, nodding eagerly. Then he grinned again. "Lord Madara, did you know the Land of Grass has changed a lot recently?"
"Hmm," Madara replied, uninterested.
"They've been fixing roads nonstop, almost all the way to the Land of Rain!" White Zetsu continued.
"Boring. A waste of time," Madara dismissed.
"And there's this new scientific shinobi tool thing, it uses chakra to do... something. Oh yeah, an air conditioner! Even when it's really hot, it blows cold air!"
"Trivial distractions," Madara said sharply.
"Oh, and in autumn, you can harvest huge bundles from the fields with a single cut, super fast! I even heard the neighboring Land of Iwa bought ten of them!"
"Useless for shinobis! You're supposed to gather important intel, not become a tool for farming!" Madara snapped.
"All right, all right," White Zetsu said, unfazed by the scolding. He scratched his head, glanced at the tag Madara had tossed aside, then smiled brightly. "Oh, New Year's is coming up, Lord Madara!"
"Useless information!" Madara replied flatly.
"No, no, I just wanted to ask what you want to eat for New Year's. I'll sneak some back for you."
"I'm no shinobi who cares about food. Just stay here quietly."
"Don't worry, don't worry. No problem! That kusagakure lord won't... okay, fine! So, Lord Madara, what do you want to eat?"
"Eat... nothing! That kusagakure lord may be a fool, a kusagakure fool, but you, just stay here quietly!"
***
Ah-choo! Ah-choo!
"Charlie, you've sneezed a lot already. Are you getting a cold? Do you want me to take some medicine?"
"No! I'm not sick!" Charlie frowned as she tidied some things. "I don't know why, but I feel like someone just cursed me. And it was really nasty!"
Kana blinked at her, then frowned. "That's impossible! Charlie is such a good person! Everyone in the Land of Grass says so. Who would curse you?"
Just then…
"Charlie-sensei! Charlie-sensei!" a cheerful voice called out from the doorway.
Charlie narrowed her eyes, and sure enough, Nagato and Yahiko stepped inside, bundled up in thick clothes. She smiled warmly, as if an idea had just struck her. "Finished your homework?"
Nagato and Yahiko exchanged glances, their faces darkening at the reminder. "We've done those two hundred pages of notes and self-reflections. We've been at it for months! Finally wrapped it up just before vacation."
"Since you're here anyway..." Charlie started, but before he could continue, Nagato and Yahiko shuddered at the familiar phrase and quickly interrupted him.
"Wait! Charlie-sensei, we actually came to visit the factory side. We haven't seen Renjiro or Kongo in a few days and wanted to check on them.
But we heard they might be busy, and since they're shinobis from Amegakure, we weren't sure if you had any plans. So we thought we'd ask first!"
"Go ahead if you want! They're just handing out year-end bonuses, nothing too serious."
"Really? Then we'll go find Renjiro and the others later! Bye, Charlie-sensei!"
"Wait, since you're here- "
"Bye! Bye! Don't worry about us, Charlie-sensei!"
With that, and Kana giggling nearby, the two dashed toward the exit, skipping the front door entirely. They leapt over the wall and vanished in an instant.
Charlie's eyes narrowed as she looked seriously at Kana. "I think those two little troublemakers were the ones cursing me just now."
"No way! Nagato and Yahiko respect you a lot, Charlie-sensei! Why would they curse you?"
"It's fine! Even if it wasn't them, I'll just pretend it was. Looks like I need to give them a big lesson this year, teach them what real respect for their teacher means!"
"Uh... okay?"
"Let's go! It's about time. We should head over now."
Time passed on…. today, the Land of Grass was still covered in thick snow, and the cold winter wind gently swept across the fields. But despite the chill, every worker's face was glowing with excitement. After all, today was payday!
Honestly, they hadn't expected to get paid anytime soon. Since arriving in the Land of Grass, they had been working for months without receiving a single cent.
Yet no one complained. Back in the Land of Rain, they had no jobs, were starving, and lived in constant fear. Coming here changed everything.
Now they had work, and as long as they kept at it, their children would have enough to eat. What was there to complain about?
Even in modern world, if you don't earn any wage, but have all your need fulfilled who will complain?
And to top it all off, the village actually kept its promises. the lord had said they'd receive their wages, and once the pay was handed out, everyone would get some time off.
So, even though it was late, the workers stood straight, proudly wearing the green work uniforms provided by the Land of Grass, faces full of hope and anticipation. Kawaki was among them, standing at the front of the line.
He glanced over at his wife and daughter nearby, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. His daughter, quietly standing there in a tiny green uniform, looked just as hopeful. The clothes were surprisingly comfortable, warm in winter and cool in summer.
Still, Kawaki felt a flutter of nerves. Would he really get the Outstanding Employee Award? Captain Yamada had promised to nominate him and said it was all but guaranteed, but standing here now, Kawaki's heart raced. He remembered a few weeks ago when he'd come dangerously close to a spy.