Rasa knew Hidden Sand's biggest issue.
No, its perennial issue.
As a desert village, it lacked fertile conditions, surrounded only by harsh climate and unforgiving terrain.
This wasn't just the village's problem—the Land of Wind faced it too.
Hence their funding disputes with the Land of Wind.
Ninja expenses were high, and the Land of Wind was poor.
"You're quite sharp," Shen Mo praised. "The money for cans isn't just currency—it's the value it represents, derived from the world or human labor. I recommended a value-growing series to a Konoha elder, but he hasn't used it yet."
Shen Mo meant Danzo.
The King's Way Series.
Its items could have boosted Konoha's productivity, but Danzo seemed fixated on its strategies.
Even the pig-farming manual went unused.
Rasa's heart sank slightly.
As expected.
This mysterious merchant had mentioned seeing Gaara in Konoha, meaning he'd been there.
Konoha's people likely bought cans already.
Uneasy but respectful, Rasa awaited Shen Mo's response.
"If you don't want to migrate, changing the environment is the fastest solution," Shen Mo said calmly.
"Change the environment?" Rasa blinked.
"Yes." Shen Mo looked into the distance. "Manpower rarely alters nature, but some refuse to bow to its cruelty, striving to change it. That's the origin of the Nature Series cans."
Nature Series.
Shen Mo didn't have it yet.
But designing one wasn't too hard.
After speaking, he bought a thought-acceleration service.
Instantly, the world—including himself—froze.
He opened the system, selected items, and crafted the Nature Series prize pool, finishing quickly.
Restoring his thought speed…
It took half a second, unnoticed by Rasa.
Rasa just muttered "Nature," his eyes growing brighter.
"Give it a try," Shen Mo said, sitting down, stroking Hiju, who'd jumped into his lap. "Level 1 cans are for testing. If you're unsatisfied, you can switch."
Except for Rasa, no one else knew what cans were.
They exchanged glances.
But Rasa was resolute, turning to Maki. "Maki, where's the gold I told you to bring?"
"Here." Maki carefully produced a scroll.
Unsealing it revealed hundreds of one-centimeter gold cubes, neatly arranged.
"All of it…" Rasa's eye twitched.
This gold, painstakingly gathered, included funds for Konoha attack reparations.
"Rare minerals are the world's gifts, their value stable, fetching a higher exchange rate with me," Shen Mo said, eyeing the pile.
One gram of gold equaled 300 transaction points in the system.
One kilogram was 300,000.
This 300 kilograms was about 90 million transaction points.
Slightly more than the Hyuga clan's deal.
But for an entire village's budget…
It was meager.
No wonder Rasa was desperate for war.
"Start with 20 Nature Series Level 1 cans," Rasa said, opting to test the waters.
Hearing "20"…
Shen Mo's heart twitched.
The smallest can purchase he'd ever handled.
This was the cautious, wealthy-but-stingy type.
Still, he smiled, producing the cans.
Twenty grams of gold vanished.
"Lord Kazekage!"
Maki, sharp-eyed, noticed a gold cube's missing corner. Knowing why, he still couldn't help but speak.
"Quiet," Rasa snapped, staring at the cans with anticipation.
He opened the first carefully.
These cans were vital for villagers too.
Inside… black sand?
Rasa thought he'd misseen, grabbing a handful.
Really sand?
What a joke—black, but still sand!
"Black sand is common in Nature Series cans," Shen Mo said, as if reading Rasa's thoughts, chuckling and shaking his head. "Don't underestimate it. With this, even the barrenest land can sustain life."
"Sir, how… do we use it?" Rasa asked nervously.
He feared it was just ordinary sand.
If so…
Shen Mo was a fraud, and they couldn't beat him.
"Simple," Shen Mo said.
A small clump of black sand floated out, landing on the ground. With a wave, Shen Mo dropped water on it.
Before their eyes…
The black sand, meeting water, hissed and expanded rapidly, becoming nearly a hundred times its size—a pile of… mud!
"This black sand, mixed with water, creates soil for plants," Shen Mo explained. "With it, crops need only sunlight and water, with minimal environmental or temperature demands. It was designed for places like the moon."
"The moon?" some ninja gasped.
"You face harsh conditions, but some worlds' people lost their planets," Shen Mo said, his calm gaze sweeping over them. "Even fleeing to the moon, without air or water, they fought nature to survive—and thrive."
"…"
The desert ninja stared at the black mud and the can of black sand.
Stunned by its origin…
Hope flickered within them.
Even Maki held back doubts about its worth.
If these cans could transform their harsh environment, bringing prosperity…
The gold was a small price.
More would be worth it.
"Keep going," Shen Mo urged, stroking Hiju. "This is just the start. The Nature Series has plenty of wonders."
"Right!" Rasa took a deep breath, opening more cans with anticipation.
As Shen Mo said…
Various environment-altering technologies emerged.
Crops that grew without soil.
A drop of Nature's Water, speeding plant growth.
…
As the ninja's awe grew…
Shen Mo casually petted Hiju.
The Nature Series, like the Alchemy Series, didn't boost strength early on. But with a class-change item, unlocking exclusive can series…
That changed everything.