Make Nawaki Take Up Farming!
When Kizaru first proposed the idea, the opposition from Konoha's upper ranks was exactly as strong as he had expected.
Nawaki was the grandson of the First Hokage and one of the few remaining direct descendants of the Senju clan. His identity alone carried tremendous weight, and in the eyes of the village, it had already determined the path he was supposed to follow.
He was expected to inherit the glory of the Senju, become an exceptional shinobi capable of standing on his own, and eventually grow into one of the pillars supporting Konoha.
Although transplanting Hashirama Senju's cells had failed to awaken the Wood Release everyone had hoped for, the weakened offshoot known as Grass Release still possessed enormous potential in the eyes of the "Professor," Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The transplant had greatly strengthened Nawaki's body and expanded his chakra reserves. Combined with his Grass Release kekkei genkai, Hiruzen believed that as long as Nawaki was allowed to mature without incident, reaching Kage-level was practically guaranteed.
To Konoha's leadership, a future Kage-level shinobi was far more valuable than an expert in agriculture.
At least, that was how things stood in Konoha.
The Land of Fire was blessed with fertile soil and abundant natural resources. Food shortages had never been a serious concern for the village. As the Land of Fire's official military force, Konoha received regular support from the country's government.
Even setting aside the merchant associations that operated within the village and supplied its stores, the provisions allocated by the Land of Fire each year were enough to cover Konoha's basic food requirements.
Konoha also possessed a considerable amount of farmland of its own. Although its harvests could not fully support the entire village indefinitely, they were more than enough to sustain Konoha for several months during an emergency.
In other words, neither Konoha nor the daimyō and nobles governing the Land of Fire suffered from a shortage of food.
What they needed far more urgently were powerful shinobi.
A person's time and energy were limited. If Nawaki devoted too much of himself to studying agriculture, it would inevitably take time away from his shinobi training. In their eyes, that could hinder his growth and lower the heights he might otherwise reach.
That was the fundamental reason the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and Konoha's two advisors opposed Kizaru's proposal.
Only two people within the village's leadership supported him.
The first was Nawaki's elder sister, Tsunade.
The second was Kizaru's uncle, Shimura Danzō.
Tsunade supported the idea partly because Kizaru had convinced her of the possibilities it offered. More importantly, however, if Nawaki transferred into a research position, he would no longer need to accept ordinary missions or be sent onto the battlefield.
His chances of surviving would rise dramatically.
Danzō, on the other hand, had opposed the idea at first.
Kizaru changed his mind with a single sentence.
"If Nawaki's research succeeds, Konoha could become self-sufficient in food and reduce the Land of Fire government's influence over the village."
Nothing more needed to be said.
That one possibility was enough to make Danzō immediately switch sides and support Kizaru's proposal.
Although the support of Tsunade and Danzō was a great help, the person who would ultimately decide the matter was Nawaki himself.
After hearing Kizaru's suggestion and the future he described, the young Nawaki found himself unable to make an immediate decision.
He wanted to restore the glory of the Senju clan. He wanted to accomplish something even greater than his grandfather, Hashirama Senju, and his granduncle, Tobirama Senju.
At the same time, he could not deny the truth in Kizaru's words.
If Nawaki continued down the path of a conventional shinobi, he might never reach the heights attained by Hashirama and Tobirama. His dream of surpassing them could remain forever beyond his grasp.
However, if he chose an entirely different path and dedicated himself to ensuring that no one in the world ever went hungry, he might accomplish something that surpassed even the achievements of his ancestors.
Nawaki understood that.
Yet the lessons he had received since childhood, the expectations placed upon him by his elders, and the dream he had held for as long as he could remember all told him the same thing.
He was supposed to become a shinobi.
Not merely an ordinary shinobi, but an exceptional one capable of carrying the Senju name on his shoulders.
The weight of tradition and his childhood ambitions prevented Nawaki from making a decision, even though part of him already suspected which choice might be the right one.
Unable to settle the conflict within himself, Nawaki confided in Tsunade.
Tsunade, in turn, went to Kizaru.
"I understand," Kizaru said after listening to her. "Leave it to me."
Tsunade studied him suspiciously. "What are you planning to do?"
"I'll take Nawaki outside the village and show him a few things."
Tsunade was silent for a moment before understanding what he meant.
"All right. I'll leave him to you."
Unlike her younger brother, Tsunade had completed missions, fought on battlefields, and traveled through many different lands. She understood how harshly ordinary civilians lived, especially those trapped in smaller, impoverished countries.
After reaching an agreement with Tsunade, Kizaru approached Nawaki again.
He told the boy not to force himself into making an immediate decision. Instead, he invited Nawaki to leave Konoha and travel with him for a while.
Nawaki had spent almost his entire life inside the village and rarely had the opportunity to see the outside world. He accepted Kizaru's invitation without much hesitation.
Once Nawaki agreed, the rest was simple.
Kizaru followed the proper procedures and visited the Third Hokage's office to request authorization for both of them to leave the village.
Sarutobi Hiruzen found Kizaru's behavior more than a little troublesome.
They had still been arguing about Nawaki's future that very morning, yet Kizaru had appeared in his office that same afternoon asking permission to take the boy outside the village.
They had not even finished their disagreement.
Could this troublesome student not at least pretend to respect the mood?
"Where exactly are you planning to take Nawaki?" Hiruzen asked.
He tried to look stern as he smoked his pipe, but the moment he saw Kizaru's expression—particularly the faintly shameless smile on his face—he found himself unable to summon any real anger.
"Oh, nowhere special," Kizaru replied lazily. "We'll just wander around for a while. You're asking an awful lot of questions, old man. Just stamp the form."
Standing in front of the Hokage's desk with an easy smile, Kizaru placed the application before him and gave it a light tap.
Hiruzen sighed.
He could more or less guess what Kizaru intended to do. He planned to show Nawaki the suffering endured by ordinary people, then appeal to the kindness in the boy's heart.
"Kizaru, answer me honestly." Hiruzen's expression became more serious. "Are you pushing Nawaki toward agricultural research because you want Konoha to become self-sufficient and free itself from the influence of the daimyō and the nobles?"
"Oh, that?" Kizaru smiled. "I only said it to persuade my uncle."
"You've never considered it yourself?"
Hiruzen stared at him carefully.
It was not that he distrusted Kizaru. What concerned him was the possibility that the man he intended to name as his successor might gradually be influenced by Danzō's way of thinking.
Konoha had to preserve a certain degree of independence, but Hiruzen still believed in maintaining the existing relationship between the village, the daimyō, and the nobles.
The peace and balance they currently possessed had not been easy to achieve. He had no desire to see that fragile stability destroyed.
"Come now, old man. You know what I'm like," Kizaru said with an unconcerned smile. "If I truly wanted to overthrow the government, the Land of Fire would have disappeared a long time ago."
"Do not say things like that so casually."
After scolding him, Hiruzen nevertheless pressed his seal against the application and approved their departure.
"Thank you, my dear Sarutobi-sensei."
Kizaru picked up the authorization form, waved it lightly through the air, and turned toward the door.
"Kizaru."
Hiruzen's voice stopped him just before he left.
"Make sure you return soon. The Academy term begins in half a month."
"Understood."
With a casual wave, Kizaru walked out of the Hokage's office.
After obtaining permission to leave the village, he did not bother packing much luggage. He simply prepared enough money for the journey and departed Konoha with Nawaki.
"Kizaru, where are we going?" Nawaki asked as they walked.
"The Land of Stone and the Land of Grass."
If Nawaki was going to see the outside world, Kizaru had no intention of taking him somewhere prosperous and comfortable.
To force the boy to mature more quickly, he intended to show him some of the poorest and most chaotic regions he could find.
"All right!"
Nawaki had never visited either country and could not hide his excitement.
This was his first journey beyond the Land of Fire. The thought of seeing foreign lands and unfamiliar scenery was incredibly appealing to him.
Filled with anticipation, Nawaki followed Kizaru out of Konoha on foot.
It did not take long—hardly any time at all—for him to realize how careless his expectations had been.
As they traveled farther from the village, Kizaru deliberately guided him through one rural settlement after another, even before they had left the Land of Fire.
The poverty and backward conditions of those villages were far beyond anything Nawaki had imagined.
He saw wooden houses riddled with holes that allowed the wind to pass freely through them. He saw clothes covered in so many patches that the original fabric was barely visible. He saw emaciated bodies and dull, lifeless eyes.
These were sights Nawaki had never encountered inside Konoha.
As their journey continued, the excitement in his heart gradually disappeared. His anticipation faded with it, and he spoke less and less.
On the third day after leaving the village, Nawaki witnessed something he could no longer endure.
A farmer stood beside a river and threw the infant in his arms into the water.
Nawaki moved without thinking.
He rushed forward, plunged into the river, and rescued the baby before it could drown.
Holding the crying infant tightly against his chest, Nawaki turned toward the farmer.
"Why did you do that?"
The answer he received shocked him even more than the act itself.
The infant was the farmer's biological child.
He had attempted to drown the baby for one simple reason.
His family could no longer afford to feed another mouth.
In impoverished regions where people possessed no reliable means of preventing pregnancy, families unable to support all their children sometimes drowned their newborn infants in the river.
It was not a practice unique to the farmer's household.
It was something done throughout the village and across the surrounding region.
Nawaki only learned the full truth after pursuing the terrified farmer, who had initially tried to run away, and cornering him until he explained everything.
With the infant still in his arms, Nawaki stared at the farmer's resigned expression.
The man did not behave as though he had done something extraordinary.
To him, it was simply another part of life.
Nawaki felt a fire rising inside him, yet he did not know where to direct it.
Should he blame the farmer?
The man could barely feed himself. He could not raise the child, yet neither could he bring himself to sell his own flesh and blood.
Should he blame the government?
Konoha itself served as part of the Land of Fire's military authority.
Should he blame the nobles who ruled these lands?
Konoha was the very force that protected those nobles and upheld their rule.
After allowing the farmer to leave, Nawaki stood frozen in place, holding the infant against his chest. He looked toward Kizaru with uncertainty and helplessness in his eyes.
At that moment, it felt as though Kizaru was the only person capable of giving him an answer.
"Come with me," Kizaru said.
He did not explain anything further.
With Nawaki following behind him, Kizaru continued walking along the riverbank.
They crossed a low earthen slope, passed through a field, and entered a sparse bamboo grove. Beyond it lay a stretch of barren land covered in countless small mounds of earth.
A crude stone statue stood in the center.
"What is this place?"
Nawaki already had a vague idea.
It was an answer he desperately did not want to hear.
"The babies buried here were all drowned in the river," Kizaru said quietly.
Nawaki's body began to tremble.
His mouth opened, but no words emerged. He could only stare at the countless earthen mounds before him as an unbearable feeling tightened around his chest.
Without warning, he thrust the infant into Kizaru's arms, covered his mouth, and turned away.
Nawaki ran several dozen meters before stumbling into the bamboo grove. Bracing one hand against a bamboo stalk, he bent forward and began to retch.
Kizaru did not immediately follow him.
Holding the infant securely in one arm, he lowered his head and gently reached out with his free hand.
The baby had already stopped crying.
Two tiny hands rose and wrapped themselves around Kizaru's long, slender index finger.
Then the infant smiled, almost as though it understood that it was finally safe.
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