Chapter 460: Ninja Way Origins Research Society's Founding Ceremony (Part 5)

Besides, even that understanding was incorrect.

After Genjo mastered Wood Style, Shinichi discovered that Wood Style was actually a Kekkei Genkai combining Light, Earth, and Water Style.

Therefore, if he described it as an application of Wood Style, the understanding it would generate would be limited to Earth and Water Style, and only among a small number of people.

Now, however, he had demonstrated supreme mastery in the domains of Light, Earth, and Water Style all at once. Everyone present was both a witness and a future messenger.

And it wouldn't stop at those three natures.

Once today's events spread, someone would inevitably raise another suspicion.

Had Shinichi Higashino actually used some kind of Genjutsu to deceive all ten thousand people present?

After all, directly accelerating the growth of naturally occurring plants was simply too unbelievable, and compared to that, "It was all an illusion" might actually seem like the more reassuring explanation.

"I have named this special rice hybrid rice, and I call this first mature, stable generation Hope No. 1. I hope that, just like its name, it will bring hope for freedom from hunger to this world."

Shinichi continued.

"The birth of Hope No. 1 began with my using Medical Ninjutsu to crossbreed that original special rice plant with ordinary rice. Afterward, I repeatedly accelerated its growth, crossbred it again, and selected the best candidates using the Growth Acceleration Technique. Through countless rounds of iteration, I ultimately selected this first stable variety from among innumerable candidate rice stalks."

"During next year's spring planting, this batch of Hope No. 1 will undergo small-scale trial cultivation in the society's experimental fields. If the trials proceed smoothly and the yields meet expectations, the society will begin promoting it throughout Konoha the following year, then expand it across the entire Land of Fire. After the war, we will introduce it to the entire world, allowing every piece of cultivable land to produce more grain and feed more people. And by then, the hybrid rice series will certainly not stop with Hope No. 1. New varieties with even greater yields will undoubtedly emerge."

Another subdued wave of commotion spread through the audience.

Promote it throughout the entire world? Wasn't that claim a bit too grand?

But the young man on the stage clearly wasn't finished.

"And not just rice. Cotton, wheat, sorghum, the scope of the Growth Acceleration Technique has never been limited to rice alone. It can also be used to shorten the breeding cycle of every crop. Combined with Medical Ninjutsu, it gives us a faster method of selectively cultivating entirely new varieties that are better suited to different soils and climates: drought-resistant, alkali-resistant, cold-resistant, lodging-resistant, and even crops capable of thriving along the edges of deserts or enduring torrential floods."

At this point, Shinichi paused. His gaze swept across the members of the Akatsuki in the viewing area before briefly passing over Nagato's Shadow Clone, then he retracted his gaze before continuing, "When that day comes, people will realize that what ninja bring to the world is not only slaughter. We, ninja, can also bring food, abundance, hope, and happiness."

"Everyone, please take a look. Everything I've described is an example of the diversified applications of chakra. From sensory perception to discovery, from crossbreeding to cultivation, from Light Style, Earth Style, and Water Style to the simulation of growing environments, every step is an example of the diversified applications of chakra. Each one represents another possibility for Ninjutsu beyond the battlefield."

As his words fell, another uncontrollable wave of excitement rippled through the crowd.

There was no other reason; the future that Shinichi Higashino had painted was simply too vast, too distant. If it ever became reality, the world would be completely transformed.

Several Konoha Jonin seated in the front rows exchanged opinions in hushed voices.

The villagers seated farther back did not fully understand the technical terminology, but the words "abundant harvest" had reached them loud and clear, and they had already begun discussing them among themselves.

Yet in the front row of the viewing area, chief butler Sosho quietly frowned.

The Land of Fire possessed vast territory, a mild climate, and fertile soil. Agriculture had always been one of the strongest pillars of its trade system, and every year, the grain, cotton, and various cash crops it exported throughout the Shinobi World formed a major source of the nation's revenue.

Growing it for the Land of Fire itself was naturally a good thing, but why grow it for other countries as well?

Once those smaller nations could produce enough food on their own, how would the Land of Fire maintain its agricultural advantage? Who would still buy its agricultural products?

Was this Shinichi Higashino really intending to put the entire concept of "Mutual benefit and win-win cooperation" into practice exactly as he had preached?

No emotion showed on Sosho's face, however, because the one who had spoken those words was Shinichi Higashino, the universally acknowledged prodigy of the Shinobi World, Konoha's brightest banner in this war, and almost certainly the next Hokage.

In a setting like this, he could not voice any objection, and to do so would be to publicly create a rift with Konoha.

It would be better to report everything to His Highness the Daimyo after returning to the capital and let the Daimyo make the final decision himself.

Besides, whether any of this could actually be accomplished was another matter entirely.

Even if it really could be done, it would still be several years before what Shinichi described could be promoted throughout the entire world.

Several years were enough for countless unforeseen changes to occur.

With that in mind, Sosho smiled and gave a slight nod, appearing to agree wholeheartedly.

At that moment, Shinichi shifted his gaze back to Yahiko, whom he had left waiting to one side.

Yahiko's expression was now far more emotional than before, and the same was true of the other three beside him. "This is my second promise, Yahiko."

Looking at him, Shinichi spoke calmly. "I, Shinichi Higashino, together with my companions in the Ninja Way Origins Research Society, will one day develop a food crop suited to the geography and climate of the Village Hidden in the Rain. It will be flood-resistant, shade-tolerant, and moisture-resistant. It will take firm root in your land of perpetual rain, bringing your country a true harvest and the means to feed itself."

Hearing those words, Yahiko became even more emotional. He opened his mouth to say something, only to realize that no words would come out. In the end, he simply bent both knees, intending to kneel before the young man on the stage in a formal gesture of gratitude.

But just as his knees had bent halfway, an invisible current of air steadily supported his legs, making it impossible for him to kneel.

"Please stand, Yahiko. Nothing has even begun yet. If we truly succeed in cultivating crops suitable for the Village Hidden in the Rain in the future, it won't be too late for you to thank me then."

The excitement on Yahiko's face subsided somewhat. In the end, he bowed deeply toward the young man on the stage.

"Thank you, Shinichi-sama. Whatever the future may bring, the fact that you are willing to promise a path forward for the Village Hidden in the Rain is enough. On behalf of the people of the Village Hidden in the Rain, I thank you for your goodwill."