Matsuri

Juubiko

A/N: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.

Warning: Vegetable gore hinted.

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[Six month after arriving in the "Naruto" world..]

Autumn has arrived. The city of the Juubi is as lively as ever. As the lord of the city, I propose to celebrate the upcoming harvest of the year via a festival, where people set up stalls on the main road and sell their harvests and wares. I call it the "Shuukaku no Matsuri" roughly translated to "The harvest festival"

Personally I am very smug about the fact it was my idea. For I have become the honored founder of the Autumn harvest festival.

Besides, it is also an opportunity for me to make some money by selling cake. Yes, that's right I managed to recreate cake in this era.

I had no access to ingredients such as baking soda or Oats in this day and age, but who needs those things if you have Chakra. It took me a few tries and errors to finally get it right. It's not easy to stir the dough only using chakra. By raising the temperature of the dough while making sure that the dough is fluffy enough to be passed as cake material is a art in its own right.

Making the cream was on the contrary easier. Bye using a meniscus amount of wind chakra and infuse it into the fat rich milk, I managed to somehow make cream.

Although I call it cake. it's really just fluffy soft bread with a layer of cream on top of it, with a few local berries decorating it. From what Aya and Aki told me, the beverage wasn't very sweet since I could only use sugar sparingly.

Another down side of being a Chakra devouring entity is the fact that I taste things very differently from humans. Most human food just taste bland and flavorless regardless of what it is. Unless it's spicy. I had been nibbling on a wasabi root from time to time, just so I can taste something.

Even still, people are seemingly quite fond of the treat.

Due to its popularity and the lack of materials, I had to make the portions small enough for each portion to be eatened in one bite. That had been outside my calculations. At the end, the new product had been sold out on the second day to many people's dismay.

As for why I chose to do business in the first place, is because of the mysterious death of the tax collector. High heavens thank to Nouragi who managed to mitigate the problem before it even became a problem in the first place. The new tax collector is Kingoru.

I had to physically hold myself back from laughing when I heard the name. Aside from his name sounding similar to the animal Kengeru, the lad was a decent person in my opinion.

Later in the upcoming months, I am planning to introduce the concept of public bathing to my citizens. As a former twenty first century person, I know the importance of hygiene very well. The black death also known as the bubonic plague is a good example from my past life. Besides, I like to be clean, this also includes the people living in my city.

As for now I'll be Enjoying the festival.

People are happily walking up and down the street, laughing, cheering and some even singing and dancing. Through the chakra, I am able to feel their emotions faintly. It's like if I'm bathing in their joy and positivity. All in all, it's a comfortable atmosphere to be in.

[Line break]

Autumn, a beautiful season of the year. The once lush green forest has been dyed into vibrant colors of red, orange, yellow and brown. It is the season of bountiful harvest and also a season of decay. Where the old rot away, to become nutrients for the new that is about to sprout.

Walking towards the location where I agreed to meet up with Arashika for my lessons in the arts of senjutsu, I strolled through the now colorful woods with a hop in my steps.

Arriving at a mist covered area within the dense forest. I spotted my deer friend already waiting for me. I greeted him enthusiastically. "Greetings, Arashika. Happy Shuukaku no Matsuri!"

"I bray not out the festival thou art kind doest. a curious thing t is." Arashika commented, as stating a fact.

I took out a basket with fruits and vegetables from my Kamui-dimension. "Don't mind the small details. It is the enjoyment that is important." And I offered the basket to Arashika. "gracious." Arashika accepted my gift.

From what I know. Deer's are found of eating herbs, flowers and fruits, due to their nutritious values.

A pair of vines grew out from Arashika's horns and wrapped itself around the basket of autumn bounty, hanging right below the stags head, dangling there. A creative way of carrying things for a four legged creature. I thought to myself.

Following Arashika, we walked into the thick blanket- like mist. I can feel how the space around us is shifting. It's probably something similar to how Mount Miyaboku is located in a sub-dimension linked to the world.

Entering this place would be difficult without Arashika leading the way. On the other hand, leaving this place should be easier. I could still sense my mob spawns and clones from this place. As long as I move towards the location where I sense my creations, I should be able to return back.

Exiting the mist, I find myself in the midst of a enchanting valley with tall trees covered most part of the sky, yet the sun rays were still able to illuminate what's beneath the branches.

The ground was covered in moss of various shades of green, with a few deers lazily resting on the soft mossy carpet. Herbs and flowers of different sorts decorated the area in patches. It's like a scene straight out of a story book and groomed by a master gardener.

Walking deeper, I spotted large hollowed out tree stems filled with clear water and having lotus flowers of different colors growing in them. In a different direction, there are grapes hanging down from a few tree branches. Next to them, are bushes of wild berries. It seems the Deer tribe has a hobby in gardening. I thought to myself. There are many plants I don't even know the names of.

Although I wasn't a botanic fan in my past life, I can appreciate the scene before me. "This place is beautiful, must have took your kind a lot of work to gather so many different kinds of plants." I complemented.

"Many generations of effort. Accumulated here in our sanctuary. Our kind had walked many places for each one of these treasures. it can be said, that it is our pride." Arashika said proudly. I nodded in acknowledgement.

Arriving at a small hill like location, there was a misshapen tree which it's branches looked liked that of a pair of antlers. Green emerald like leafs grew from the branches, with ruby like berries decorating it the tips. All in all, it looked liked Jewel in my opinion.

"Our art, to wielded the senjutsu you speak of is linked to the cycle of rot and rebirth. Through within the the dead and putrid, new life will sprout and become nourishment for the new." Arashika explained.

Gesturing to the ruby like berries. "These berries are the product of our kinds senjutsu. Through consumption, one's connection with the life force of the world will be enhanced. You may take one."

Plucking one of these berries from the croaked tree, I observed what I had in my hand with intrest. This little fruit gem is intuned with the natural energy around me in a very interesting way. It seems it mirror the flow of nature chakra around me.

Focusing a bit of nature chakra I am able to gather in this sanctuary, I let it flow next to the little berry similar to how a person blows a breath of air against the surface of an object. And the little berry reacted accordingly to the small shift in chakra current.

"Fascinating." I spoke to myself. I don't know the how's of this phenomenon, but I find it greatly intriguing.

But, I can't eat it. Due to my unique physiologie, eating these berries will only desolve them in my body without any effect.

My problem with nature chakra is that it will melt into my chakra reserves regardless how I try to preserve it. Mixing my own chakra with it wouldn't help either. It will only be desolved into me faster. From what future-me told me, is that I need to grasp the "feeling" of nature chakra and understand the "chemistry". Her cryptic hints didn't help me much in my understanding of how to wield nature chakra.

In other words, eating this senjutsu berry right now would only be a waste.

Sitting cross legged, I pondered on a solution to my dilemma. Arashika had an awkward look on his face, a mix between bewilderment and deadpan. "Thou "Future-self hath managed to intune with the world, tis a matt'r f'r timeth, until thee followeth thy owneth steps." Arashika said calmly while munching on the vegetables I gave him.

I felt a little annoyed at the stag's nonchalant remark. "It's harder than you think. It's like carrying water with a cloth bag, metaphorically. I'd need to have these berries constantly active, without them desolving in me." I looked at Arashika with a hint of frustration in my tone.

Arashika only kept eating out of the basket, with some vegetable juice painting his chin yellowish.

I blinked, and look at the berry in my hand. Having an epiphany, I asked. "Arashika. those tribal markings on your fur, what purpose do they have?"

"They symbol my prowess in the art of senjutsu." Arashika replied, looking at the side of his torso.

My mind began to go through various ideas and theories and I face palmed myself. "The Answer was right infront of me, the whole time. How come I didn't think about "that"?"

Standing up, I began to leave the sanctuary. "Have you found your answer?" Arashika asked in milde intrest.

"Yes, but not here. I don't want to accidentally damage your home, with what I have in mind." I replied.

"Very well." Arashika continued eating from the basket without a care in the world.

Before leaving, I took a few more senjutsu berries and a piece of stag horn that happened to be discarded by one of the local denizens.

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An: Another chapter for you.

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