Chapter 19: Using Ninjutsu to Develop a Homestead
The Yokota Clan's high-profile migration stirred every force in the Southern Frontier into motion. Quite a few clan heads even came personally during the journey, hoping to pry some kind of information out of Yokota Ruma. However, Yokota Ruma only repeated that the Yokota Clan intended to withdraw from the world and recuperate in seclusion, revealing nothing else. This left the various clans half-convinced and half-skeptical.
The return trip was naturally far slower than the journey there. The last time, flying over from the forest had taken only a little more than half an hour. This time, however, they were bringing the entire family with them, including elders, women, and children, so there was no way their speed could compare. Even though they had carriages, the roads of this era were nothing like the smooth asphalt roads of Shen's previous life. The constant jolting was far too much for the old and the young to endure, so the group advanced at an unhurried pace, stopping and starting the whole way.
Shen did not urge them onward. Ever since coming out, he had only spent a few days with the Yokota Clan and had not truly taken the chance to observe this world properly. So he used the opportunity to study the local customs and scenery along the road, watching farmers hard at work in their fields.
In an exceptionally good mood, Shen wore a smile the entire way. Once he had seen enough of the scenery, he would joke around with Yūko and the others, or tease the children of the Yokota Clan while casually asking about their cultivation progress.
Life on the road was rather pleasant for Shen. After traveling like that for a full week, they finally arrived outside the Southern Frontier Forest, at the village where Shen had once exchanged for daily necessities. Seeing such a large group approaching, the villagers thought a bandit raid was underway. They hurriedly shut their doors, climbed onto the walls, and stood guard with weapons in hand.
Only after Yokota Kiyomi stepped forward and explained the situation did the mountain village open its gates and allow the Yokota Clan to pass through. Since they had met Yokota Kiyomi before, they trusted her to some extent. And since the group was clearly traveling with elders and children, looking nothing like a gang of ragged bandits, they were eventually allowed in.
Once they entered the forest, the terrain became far too complicated for carriages. The elders and children all got down, took what they could carry, and dismantled the carriage frames, leaving them by the roadside. If anyone wanted them, they could drag them away. The important thing was the horses—they had to bring every single one.
The forest paths were difficult enough already, and with elders and children in tow, their pace became even slower. Fortunately, they were not far from the place where Shen lived. They would still be able to arrive before sunset. The only real issue was where everyone would stay, and that required some serious thought.
After discussing it thoroughly with Yokota Ruma, Shen decided to go ahead alone and reach the destination first so he could clear out a piece of land for the clan to rest on.
Once the plan was settled, Shen rose into the air and flew deeper into the forest. Before long, he arrived at his house. After landing, he saw that the chakra in the wooden stakes he had set up for his barrier had already been completely exhausted. Quite a few wild beasts must have come by to "visit" his house. Still, after this, he likely would never have the chance to return. It really was a pity—his newly built home.
Shen had originally planned to live in seclusion by himself, never expecting that he would end up bringing back the entire Yokota Clan. But once the Yokota Clan officially settled here, wouldn't they build him an even better house? Since something better would come later, there really was no need to preserve this one forever. Even so, until the Yokota Clan's residence was built, this house could still remain in use.
Looking at the forest behind him, Shen saw that the terrain here was not especially flat, making it unsuitable for building a large clan estate. However, when he had flown in earlier, he had noticed a very broad and level area deeper in the forest. The only problem was that there was no river there.
But that was not truly a problem. They could simply dig a few wells later. Now that he could basically use all five elemental natures, digging wells would not be difficult.
After making up his mind, Shen headed toward that section of the forest.
"Slug, I'll need your help next. I need a large amount of chakra, so I'm counting on you," Shen said softly as he stood in the middle of the forest.
The slug hidden inside Shen's collar poked her head out and replied, "Shen-kun, I'm ready. You can begin."
Shen nodded, then closed his eyes. Forming the Rat seal with his hands, he began refining chakra at a frantic pace. In an instant, chakra started surging wildly from his body. This, in truth, was the fastest speed at which Shen could refine chakra. He had simply never dared use it before, because his body had been unable to withstand such violent chakra output.
But now, with Slug protecting his meridians, he could finally go all out.
He gathered chakra for a full ten minutes before stopping. Feeling the swelling fullness inside himself—a sensation he had never experienced before—Shen let out a satisfied breath.
At the same time, however, he could also feel the chakra slowly beginning to dissipate. He knew he had to move fast. Raising his chakra, he shaped it into a blade more than ten meters long. Holding that blade level, he spun in a complete circle toward the surrounding forest. After a brief delay of one second, the trees began toppling one after another.
Then he moved to another section of woodland and repeated the same sweeping motion with the horizontal blade. Within only a few minutes, Shen had cleared out a flat expanse of roughly three hectares.
"That's amazing, Shen-kun. You also have a skill like this?" Slug said admiringly as she looked at the felled trees all around them. This was not the sort of power ordinary people could possibly resist.
"Heh, actually, ordinary chakra shaping doesn't consume that much chakra. But mine is an enlarged version, and a strengthened one at that, so it uses a tremendous amount. Right now, my chakra is almost gone already. Luckily, what comes next is just moving logs around," Shen said with a bitter smile, explaining the truth. His body still could not store much chakra. Earlier, the chakra he had refined should have been around elite chūnin level, but after cutting down such a huge section of forest, there was barely any left. His chakra reserves were still too small.
He looked around. Seeing the tens of thousands of giant logs scattered all over the ground, Shen took a deep breath. It was not that the task would be difficult—it was simply unbearably monotonous. Hoisting one log onto his shoulder, he walked toward the center of the clearing. Then the repetitive labor began: carrying them and stacking them one by one.
By the time afternoon finally arrived, Shen had finished moving all the timber. Looking at the more than two hundred piles of logs before him, he smiled. These would become the construction materials for the Yokota Clan's future buildings.
Then he glanced at the tree roots still covering the clearing and gave a helpless smile. "Slug, looks like I'll have to refine chakra one more time. I'll have to trouble you again."
"Go ahead."
This time, when Shen refined chakra again, he did not gather as much. What came next would require ninjutsu support. Once enough chakra had built up, Shen formed hand seals with both hands and slammed one palm onto the ground.
"Earth Release: Rending Earth Turning Palm!"
At once, the earth around the roots began to split apart. Then, centered on Shen, the roots were all forced up out of the ground one after another. Shen maintained his chakra output continuously, only stopping after every last root in the clearing had been uprooted.
The moment he stopped, Shen collapsed onto the ground, sitting there and gasping heavily for breath. Using large-scale ninjutsu so frequently—draining one batch of chakra, immediately refining another, and then spending it all again—would have exhausted anyone. Never mind the fact that Shen's injuries had yet to be healed; even if his body had been healthy, he still would have been extremely fatigued. At this point, all he could do was sit there and rest. He was in no condition to do anything else.
Seeing how exhausted Shen was, Slug began channeling her senjutsu energy into his body. Feeling that energy enter him and gradually ease his fatigue, Shen smiled and thanked her.
"I'll leave the rest for the Yokota Clan to handle when they arrive. This is about as much as I can do." After resting for a while, Shen looked at the sky, where the evening sun was already sinking low. Estimating that the Yokota Clan should have reached his house by now, he got to his feet and flew back.
Sure enough, when Shen returned, he found that the people of the Yokota Clan had already begun arriving one after another. After landing beside Yokota Ruma, Shen pointed out the direction of the clearing he had prepared and told him to lead the clan there and set up camp.
He had caused such a huge disturbance there earlier that any wild beasts in the area had long since been frightened away, making it safe enough for the Yokota Clan to pitch tents there for the night and live there temporarily. Once all the houses were completed, they could move in properly. That would likely take quite some time—at least more than half a year. Shen also needed to set up a barrier around that clearing before he could return to Shikkotsu Forest with Slug to receive treatment.
After Yokota Ruma led the clansmen toward the clearing, Shen returned to his house. Seeing the dust that had built up inside, he called Yūko and another maid, Huihe, to help clean the rooms.
After spending an hour cleaning everything, Shen finally lay down on the bed and let out a long breath of relief. At last, he could rest a little. At that moment, Yūko and Huihe came to his bedside and began massaging him to ease his fatigue.
After more than ten minutes, Shen called a halt, telling them to go rest as well. He himself headed into the kitchen. Looking at the iron pan, seasonings, and ingredients the Yokota Clan had left behind, he smiled.
After setting the pan onto the stove, he began by scrubbing it clean. Once that was done, he washed the ingredients, cut them up, and prepared everything. After finishing those steps, Shen lit the stove and began cooking.
With an iron pan, it really was different. Shen handled it with practiced ease, and before long, the aroma of food spread through the air. The two maids, who had been resting in the bedroom, smelled it and immediately poked their heads out, staring at Shen working in the kitchen with shining eyes.
When Shen turned and saw the two of them staring fixedly at the dishes in the pan, he laughed. "Alright, stop staring. There are still two more dishes left. Take out the clay pot, wash the rice, and put it on to cook. By the time the dishes are almost done, the rice should be ready too."
The two girls quickly got to work after receiving their instructions. One washed the pot while the other rinsed the rice, and soon the rice was cooking. Once they were done, the two of them squatted in front of the stove and fed the fire.
It wasn't long before Shen finished all three dishes. He plated them and had the girls carry them out, while he himself brought out the clay pot of rice.
The three of them entered the dining room, set out the bowls and chopsticks, served the rice, and then all sat properly, waiting for Shen to give the order to begin eating.
"Alright, let's eat."
Only after Shen picked up his chopsticks first did the two girls lift their bowls and begin eating. After taking a single bite, the two girls—who had never tasted modern earth cuisine before—nearly bit their own tongues in shock. Watching them laugh and scramble to snatch dishes from each other, Shen hurried to speed up as well, or he might have ended up with nothing left to eat.
After the meal, the two girls leaned back in their chairs, too full to move, rubbing their stomachs and groaning. Seeing them like that, Shen could only shake his head in amusement.
He walked outside and looked up at the darkened sky, gradually calming down. It seemed he truly did like this kind of quiet life. Every time he stood there gazing at the stars, his heart would slowly settle.
Sadly, there was no moon in the sky—only a river of stars. There was not even anything he could use to anchor his longing. The moon would not appear until more than ten years later, and even then it would be an artificial one.
After watching the night sky for a while, Shen returned inside. By then, the two girls had already recovered.
After arranging everything for the two girls, Shen went to lie down on the single bed in the side room. He definitely could not stay in the master bedroom tonight, so he left it for the two girls. The single bed in the side room was still decent enough, though the room itself was a bit small.