Some of the maggot swarms were used as feed for the clan's poultry houses; other swarms were kept as breeding stock to produce more maggots.
From then on, the Senju clan's fowl had a continuous supply of feed.
At the same time, Tsukuyo also gained a supply of 'delicacies' to bribe wild small and medium-sized birds.
Beyond this, Tsukuyo taught the personnel responsible for agriculture how to use items like bamboo strips to attract apple snails in the fields to lay their eggs on them, preventing these creatures from damaging the rice paddies.
The collected snails could not only be fed to poultry but also prepared as dishes for diners who enjoyed 'adventurous eating'.
Nowadays, the eggs supplied by the Senju clan were different from those outside.
The hens in their coops not only ate the specially supplied maggots but also ground cornmeal. The eggs they laid were generally larger than ordinary eggs, with much deeper yellow yolks and a richer fragrance.
At the hot spring resort's grand festival meals, the tamagoyaki (rolled omelet) was more vividly colored and far more fragrant and delicious than elsewhere.
Some nobles who came for leisure had already begun discussing the trend of sourcing eggs directly from the Senju clan.
Following the Senju clan's 'life-extending' medicines and medical care industry, their 'life-span-cultivated' agricultural products industry, nurtured by their unique vitality, quickly followed suit.
For the past two years, the Senju clan had been living days where their hands cramped from counting money.
Only the Senju clan could cultivate such agricultural products, making the nobles increasingly dependent on them.
Although the current Senju clan was the wealthiest it had ever been in history, Tsukuyo still urged everyone: those who needed to study, studied; those who needed to train, trained.
Once other powers discovered their prosperity, it was highly likely to attract scoundrels coveting their wealth.
Therefore, simply running large businesses wasn't enough; they needed to continuously become stronger.
After hearing Tsukuyo's explanation, Senju Wakama nodded, then asked with a somewhat strange expression, "You sent out a box of maggots, and what important intelligence did these birds bring you in return?"
Tsukuyo held up two fingers, "Two things. First, Madara wants to meet with me. Second, Hyuga Bai burned my gift."
Senju Wakama narrowed his eyes, "Looks like your honey trap failed, huh? That Hyuga Bai fellow seems a bit dense, but surprisingly upright..."
However, before Senju Wakama could finish, Tsukuyo burst out laughing.
"What? Was I wrong?" Senju Wakama looked curious.
"Those clothes are exclusive to our Senju clan. If he had excitedly put them away, it would mean he truly is thinking only of love, and an idiot at that," Tsukuyo said with a meaningful smile. "However, he didn't burn the letter I gave him along with the clothes. Instead, he keeps it close, glancing at it now and then~"
Senju Wakama: "..."
Tsukuyo slowly rose from the low table, speaking softly, "If he hadn't burned the clothes, it would show he isn't very bright. I would have quietly guided the Hyuga clan to discover it, and whether he lived or died would be left to fate."
Hearing this, a chill ran down Senju Wakama's spine.
Damn, that's vicious!
"If he had burned both the clothes and the letter, I would respect him as a loyal follower and stop wasting my energy trying to provoke him." A wicked curve formed on Tsukuyo's lips. "But he burned the clothes and kept the letter... it seems there's room for cooperation..."
"Didn't you say that the Hyuga clan has only had one Main Family head since ancient times, and he's just from a branch family, not particularly strong either..." Senju Wakama frowned deeply. "Is it worth spending time and energy cooperating with him?"
"Wakama, have you forgotten what I said before?" Tsukuyo turned to look at the night sky outside the courtyard, speaking gently, "As long as you give people 'emotion and reason,' they will act on their own, without needing any instructions."
Senju Wakama silently watched his sister's slender figure. Although she had grown quite a bit taller over the past two years, she still possessed a delicate, beautiful feminine appearance.
She gazed towards the horizon, her eyes unfocused, and continued, "Even if he's from the branch family, so what? Your last major mission was to go to the Royal Capital and provide medical care for the ruler of the Fujiwara family. The Fujiwara are hereditary 'Kanpaku'."
"What is a Kanpaku? A Regent... The Fujiwara aren't Daimyo, yet they secretly manipulate everything in the Daimyo's government. The Fujiwara family are hereditary relatives of the Daimyo by marriage."
"So, what does it matter if he's from the Hyuga branch family? As long as his mind is flexible enough, understands how to assess situations, and knows how to leverage power, even a member of the Hyuga branch can control the Hyuga clan."
"I'm looking forward to seeing just how much Hyuga Bai can grow."
Senju Wakama disagreed, "Since he's a clever person, clever people aren't easily fooled."
"True. But while he doesn't lack brains, he lacks love," Tsukuyo chuckled softly.
Senju Wakama fell silent again. At this moment, he found Tsukuyo somewhat terrifying. He closed his eyes briefly, then asked, "What about Brother Madara then? He took the initiative to meet you. What's the situation?"
"Him? I don't know..." Tsukuyo shrugged but maintained her wicked smile. "However, once I meet him, I'll find out."
"You... surely you don't treat Brother Madara the same way? I mean... what you did to Hyuga Bai."
In Senju Wakama's view, gestures like drawing on bloodstains were novel ways of showing affection that could easily ensnare naive youths.
Even though for Tsukuyo, it was merely a trivial matter.
But the recipient's response would surely be fervent.
However...
"Madara? He's quite amusing when he's angry, explodes at the slightest provocation. Generally, when he doesn't need help, I'm usually just teasing him," Tsukuyo said thoughtfully, rubbing her chin. "I'd never send him that kind of gift. If I really were to send him something, I'd wrap up poop like it was a pastry, put it in a gift box, and send it to him."
Hearing this, sweat dripped down Senju Wakama's brow. Poor Brother Madara...
Back when Senju Wakama had taken over from his second brother, Tobirama, to monitor Tsukuyo, what he saw was his elder brother and Uchiha Madara talking together, sparring, and researching ninjutsu.
Meanwhile, Tsukuyo stayed cool by herself off to the side, playing with small animals, never disturbing the two friends who cherished each other's company.
Only when it was mealtime would Tsukuyo kill hostile animals to cook, inviting her brother Hashirama and Madara to eat together.
Other times, like when Big Brother Hashirama went to answer nature's call, Tsukuyo would follow behind like a yandere, terrified that Hashirama might fall into a pit and die while peeing or something.
In Uchiha Madara's eyes, this Tsukuyo was simply a psycho.
The two met because of Hashirama. When they first met, they were polite to each other. After getting familiar, Uchiha Madara couldn't mention Tsukuyo without complaining, "Psycho."
After all, Uchiha Madara was one of the few people in the world who knew Tsukuyo's malicious personality.
But Hyuga Bai wasn't. Hyuga Bai only saw Tsukuyo's good points.
Tsukuyo tailored her approach to the person; there was no need to pretend in front of Uchiha Madara.
Receiving a love letter from Tsukuyo would be a horror story for Uchiha Madara.