1000 PS (In advance xD)
◇◇◇
The clamor of the construction site was no longer chaotic.
Under Enmaru's command, every person and every Ninjutsu moved like precise cogs in a machine.
From atop a vertical Earth Release wall, Hizashi observed each site through his Byakugan.
His voice, transmitted through Yamanaka Ryo's mental link, delivered the most accurate instructions.
"Sector Seven, the earthen wall needs to shift three centimeters to the left. Adjust it with a softening Ninjutsu."
"Uchiha, load-bearing pillar number three in Zone B has a 0.5-degree vertical deviation. Please recheck it."
On the ground, the Uchiha ninja obeyed immediately, his three-tomoe Sharingan spinning rapidly as he compared the structure against the blueprints.
He turned to the Kurokaze ninja performing the Earth Release. "The soil hardening isn't enough. Increase your Chakra output."
"Understood!"
Hyuga and Uchiha, one above and one below, one still and one moving, worked together seamlessly as if they had trained side by side for years.
The craftsmen, who had initially been frustrated with the ninjas' interference, were now the most relaxed of all.
They only needed to install doors, windows, rebar, and other components according to the pre-drilled holes and dimensions once the Ninjutsu shaping was done.
An old craftsman with a grizzled beard watched as house frames rose from the earth before him, his hands trembling slightly.
He had been a bricklayer his entire life.
From apprentice to master, leading a dozen workers, toiling from dawn till dusk, he could at most complete two small houses in a month.
But now… he looked up, and as far as his eyes could see, the foundations and main structures of thirty houses were already standing.
How long had it been?
Just one morning.
Complex emotions welled up inside the old man.
A coworker shouted, "Don't just stand there! Move! The window frames over there are ready for installation!"
"Hey! Coming, coming!"
The old craftsman quickly jogged to join them, his enthusiasm burning brighter than in his youth.
The entire construction site buzzed with vigorous life.
Except for one person.
Sarutobi Asuma.
An air of solitude surrounded him, setting him apart from everyone else.
He couldn't understand.
Why were Hizashi and the Uchiha, proud elites from noble clans, doing this kind of work so willingly?
Where was their pride?
Where was the Uchiha's arrogance?
What happened to the rigid rules of the Hyuga Branch Family?
And those Ino–Shika–Chō guys, running around covered in dust, looking utterly satisfied—what was wrong with them?
They were crazy. All of them.
Asuma irritably stubbed out his cigarette, crushed it, and tossed it aside.
He admitted that Kazuma had a point.
He admitted that what was happening before his eyes was indeed remarkable.
But this shouldn't be a ninja's job.
Ninjas were meant to shine on the battlefield, to earn their glory through blood and combat.
This wasn't right.
Something was wrong.
As he simmered in frustration, a delicious aroma drifted through the air.
It was the smell of meat, mixed with the sweet scent of rice and the rich savor of sauce.
Asuma's stomach growled loudly.
Only then did he realize it was lunchtime.
Several large dining carts were pushed into the site.
When the insulated compartments were opened, steaming barrels of food were revealed.
The dishes weren't luxurious, but the portions were generous.
"Lunchtime!"
At the foreman's call, the craftsmen cheered, dropped their tools, and rushed over with their bowls.
"My goodness, what's the occasion? The food's amazing today!"
"Daimyo-sama took pity on our hard work and ordered extra food for us!"
"Long live Daimyo-sama!"
"Look, that's pork! I haven't had any in half a month!"
The craftsmen lined up, each bowl piled high, faces beaming with satisfaction.
Enmaru's team also stopped working, exhausted to the point of barely standing, leaning on each other as they walked over.
Seeing the food, Akimichi Hayama's eyes lit up.
"Wow! Meat! Meat! Meat! I feel alive again!"
He charged forward first, his appetite so great that the servers' wrists ached from serving him.
The others followed with smiles.
Even Hizashi's usually calm face softened at the sight of the steaming food.
He took two portions and called up toward the tower, "Natsume, come down and eat."
Uchiha Natsume responded immediately and descended with a few flickers of movement.
The two sat quietly to the side, eating in silence.
Then, Enmaru approached Asuma with two meal trays.
"Have some," he said, offering one.
Asuma turned away coldly. "I'm not hungry."
"Grrr…"
His stomach's protest made the moment awkward.
Enmaru didn't seem to mind. He sat beside Asuma, picked up his chopsticks, and began eating leisurely.
He didn't try to persuade him, only said calmly, "I know what you're thinking."
"You think it's a waste for us, Hyuga with Byakugan and Uchiha with Sharingan, to do this kind of work."
"You think a ninja's glory should be earned on the battlefield, drenched in enemy blood."
Enmaru's tone was soft, as if he were merely stating facts.
"Isn't it?!" Asuma snapped, his voice edged with anger. "We are Konoha's sword and shield, not craftsmen! Don't you think it's ridiculous for Jonin to be building walls?!"
Enmaru picked up a piece of meat, chewed slowly, and swallowed before replying.
"Asuma, do you remember that extermination mission on the border of the Land of Grass last autumn?"
"Of course I do. Why bring that up?"
Enmaru continued, "After the mission, we passed through a small village and got caught in a heavy rainstorm."
"Half of that village was destroyed by a flash flood."
"Both your squad and ours saw it—the mother crying in despair, holding her child's lifeless body."
Asuma's breath caught. The memory resurfaced vividly.
Enmaru's gaze sharpened. "Tell me, Asuma."
"To that mother, does it matter whether her child was killed by an enemy ninja or crushed in a collapsing house?"
"…" Asuma had no answer.
"There's no difference," Enmaru said for him. "The result is the same—broken families, shattered lives."
"One killer is visible."
"The other is invisible, like natural disasters."
"We go to the battlefield to eliminate the visible enemies with Ninjutsu."
"And now, here, we use the same Ninjutsu to eliminate the invisible ones."
He pointed to the sturdy houses standing before them.
"These houses will protect tens of thousands of people from wind, rain, and floods for decades."
"Every drop of sweat we shed here will save more lives than the enemies we cut down."
Enmaru sighed softly. "So, Asuma, this isn't a contradiction."
"Fighting on the battlefield is protection."
"Building houses here is also protection."
"It's just a different battlefield, with a different kind of enemy."
He paused, then glanced toward the Daimyo Manor. "Maybe this is what Daimyo-sama wanted us to understand."
Asuma's mind buzzed. He was completely stunned.
Enmaru picked up his chopsticks again. "Don't think too hard."
Chewing his food, he muttered, "Daimyo-sama just showed us another way to defeat the enemy for those of us too used to cutting people down."
"And… the food here is really good."
With that, he focused on his meal.
Asuma stood frozen, Enmaru's words echoing in his mind.
A different battlefield, a different kind of enemy.
Just then, a soft sound, mixed with a gasp, interrupted his thoughts.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇◇
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews.
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)