“Everything really is going smoothly…”
“I hope things can continue going this smoothly!”
A satisfied smile appeared on Uchiha Makoto’s face.
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, it was time for the banquet to begin.
During this interval, the Fire Daimyō had found time to send Uchiha Makoto a letter, informing him that he wanted to discuss with Makoto whether he should provide financial assistance to Konoha.
Naturally, the Fire Daimyō didn’t want to fund Konoha.
Once Konoha became stronger, his own position would become more dangerous.
But…
Considering Senju Hashirama’s iron fists, he still wanted to maintain his dignity.
If Uchiha Makoto could resolve the matter, that would obviously be ideal.
If he couldn’t…
Then the Fire Daimyō would simply give them the money.
At the banquet…
The Fire Daimyō wore a kindly smile as he warmly entertained Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō.
They were the sons of shinobi clan heads.
He absolutely had to establish a relationship with them!
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō, meanwhile, looked utterly flattered.
In their eyes, the Fire Daimyō was an extremely noble figure.
He could practically be called the most prestigious person in the entire shinobi world!
However, their attention was soon stolen by the food.
Plate after plate of exquisite dishes was placed before Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō, making their stomachs growl.
“Let’s eat!” ×2
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō didn’t hesitate for even a moment.
They immediately descended upon the feast, devouring the food like starving beasts.
Teenage boys can eat a household out of its fortune.
It wasn’t an exaggeration.
They were at the age when their bodies were rapidly growing.
And they were shinobi who needed to constantly refine chakra.
Their appetites were therefore even more frightening than those of ordinary teenagers.
The nobles attending the banquet stared at the scene in stunned silence.
An entire table of delicacies was quickly wiped clean.
The Fire Daimyō waved his hand.
“Bring another table.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.” ×2
The two young men remained completely focused on their food.
The nobles attending the banquet, however, were after something more.
They hadn’t actually come here just to eat!
For nobles, the more important purpose of attending banquets was socializing.
They came to meet more people and expand their networks.
And naturally…
There was also plenty of showing off.
The nobles gathered in small groups and chatted.
Then one noble brought out a rare tulip he had prepared beforehand.
At present, this was the most elegant flower in the Land of Fire and the one most capable of displaying its owner’s status.
The moment he brought it out, he became the most eye-catching person in the room.
All the nobles unconsciously gathered around him, eager to see the rare tulip for themselves.
“This tulip is actually a rare red-and-white variety!”
“It’s beautiful!”
“Where did you buy it?
It must have cost a fortune!”
“…”
The nobles discussed it excitedly, showering the rare tulip with lavish praise.
“Money?”
“Only five million ryō!”
“What does that little bit of money matter…
I’m a man of status and refinement…”
The noble spoke with a lofty expression.
Five million ryō was certainly not a small amount.
Even he felt a little pain in his wallet.
But…
It had been money well spent!
Not only had he become the center of everyone’s attention, he had also demonstrated his refined taste.
Most importantly…
He had bought this rare tulip relatively early.
A specimen of this quality was now selling for tens of millions of ryō on the market.
And even then…
You couldn’t necessarily buy one simply by having the money.
It was a priceless commodity with virtually no supply!
Once I’ve finished showing off with this, I’ll find an opportunity to sell it.
That’ll basically count as an investment!
The noble basked in everyone’s praise as he thought this to himself.
Tulip prices were still steadily climbing.
The great nobles were using entire rooms filled with tulips to display their status and prestige.
More and more nobles were continuing to enter the market.
Meanwhile, wealthy merchants were stockpiling huge quantities, hoping to buy low and sell high for a massive profit!
“What are all those people gathered around?”
Soon…
After listening to the nobles’ discussion, they understood.
It was all for a flower.
“It’s just a flower.
What’s so special about it?”
Shimura Danzō spoke dismissively.
He was a pure-blooded warrior of the Warring States era.
He had absolutely no interest in the hobbies of nobles.
Rather than waste precious time staring at a flower, he would much rather use that time to refine his chakra, practice shuriken throwing, or train his ninjutsu.
“This fellow really struck it lucky…
He only spent five million ryō to buy that rare tulip.”
The whispers among the nobles reached the ears of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō.
As excellent shinobi, their eyesight and hearing were both exceptional.
“How much?”
“Five million ryō?!”
“Danzō, did I hear that correctly?
That red-and-white flower is worth five million ryō?!”
Shimura Danzō’s previously indifferent expression instantly transformed into one of utter shock.
His eyes widened.
His mind was filled with disbelief.
That one flower was actually worth five million ryō?
When their clan’s shinobi undertook difficult missions—even missions that carried a risk of death—their payment rarely reached five million ryō.
The flower before them had already begun challenging Shimura Danzō’s entire worldview.
“Danzō…
Hmm…
I don’t think you heard wrong.”
“I heard the same number.”
“Five million ryō.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen was equally dumbfounded.
The shock in his heart was no less than Danzō’s.
How could a flower possibly be worth that much?!
Just as the two were still marveling at the price, the nobles’ whispers continued.
“Yes, he really got lucky.”
“I’d conservatively estimate that this rare tulip is worth ten million ryō now.”
“Ten million?
That’s too low…
I think you could easily double that.”
“And that’s only the current market price.
In the future, it’ll probably…”
“You know what the tulip market is like now?”
“I’m extremely familiar with the market.”
“Not long ago, I spent several million ryō stockpiling a batch of tulips.”
“Guess how much I’ve made now…”
“How much?”
“I’m going to scare you.”
“Nearly thirty million ryō!”
“And even then, I still feel like selling now would mean taking a loss.”
“I’m wondering whether I should hurry up and stockpile another batch.”
“These tulip prices are going to keep rising!”
“You really struck gold, kid.”
“I was actually planning to stockpile a batch myself.”
“How about we pool our money together this time and buy up a batch?”
“At the current prices, it’s practically like picking money up off the ground.”
“Even a dog could walk away with several hundred thousand ryō!”
Hearing the whispers around him, Shimura Danzō couldn’t help reaching over and pinching Sarutobi Hiruzen’s thigh.
“Danzō, why did you pinch my leg?!”
“I wanted to see if I’m dreaming.”
“Then why didn’t you pinch your own leg?!”
Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his thigh and complained irritably.
“The price of these tulips is ridiculous!”
“One flower is worth twenty million ryō…”
Shimura Danzō spoke with an expression of utter disbelief.
“Indeed…
It’s absolutely astonishing.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen clicked his tongue repeatedly.
“And there’s more, Hiruzen.”
“Didn’t you hear what they just said?”
“The tulip market is practically free money now.”
“Even a dog could make several hundred thousand ryō!”
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Shimura Danzō.
From the astonishment written across Danzō’s face, he could clearly see something else.
Greed.
And desire.
“Danzō, don’t tell me you want to…
get into the tulip business?”
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the excited Shimura Danzō.
It took him only an instant to figure out what Danzō was thinking.
“This is a business where you can casually make several hundred thousand ryō.”
“Don’t you find that tempting?” New chapters come out on g.com first.
Shimura Danzō spoke excitedly.
At their current level as shinobi, each mission only paid them around several hundred thousand ryō at most.
And even then, the payment had to be divided among the members of their team.
Getting a million ryō from a single mission could already be described as getting rich overnight.
And now…
An opportunity to get rich overnight was sitting right in front of them!
Who wouldn’t want to get rich overnight?
Faced with such an opportunity, who could possibly remain unmoved?
“I…
Hmm…”
“That number really is astonishing…”
Sarutobi Hiruzen swallowed as he spoke.
Several million ryō was an astronomical sum to him as well.
Who didn’t like money?
“Exactly!”
“Such a great opportunity is right in front of us.”
“If we don’t even look into it, wouldn’t that be…”
“And Hiruzen…
Have you forgotten Lord Tobirama’s test?”
“If we can make a huge profit from this, even just one or two million ryō would be enough to show Lord Tobirama what we’re capable of!”
The aggressive and adventurous side buried deep within Shimura Danzō began to emerge.
He desperately wanted to investigate the tulip business.
If he could actually make money…
That would be fantastic!
Of course…
It wasn’t merely about the money.
What mattered most was making Senju Tobirama look at him in a new light as quickly as possible.
He wanted Tobirama to recognize his abilities.
Ultimately, he wanted to become Senju Tobirama’s disciple!
Listening to Danzō, Sarutobi Hiruzen’s heart began to burn with excitement.
The picture Danzō painted was indeed extremely tempting.
Just imagining it made Hiruzen excited.
Make a huge amount of money.
Make Lord Tobirama look at him differently.
Become Lord Tobirama’s disciple.
Even have his own father praise him…
How amazing would that be?!
But after thinking briefly, Sarutobi Hiruzen forcibly suppressed the greed in his heart and regained his composure.
His father had warned him to act cautiously in everything.
And shinobi should do what shinobi were supposed to do.
All they needed to consider was how to complete their missions as efficiently as possible.
As for doing business…
That wasn’t a field shinobi could casually meddle in.
If this business really could make them a fortune, naturally that would be something worth celebrating.
But what if they lost money?
There was no such thing as a business that was guaranteed to make money.
Thus…
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked seriously at Shimura Danzō.
“Danzō, we’re shinobi.”
“This isn’t something shinobi can casually involve themselves in.”
“If we make money, naturally that’s a good thing.”
“But what if we lose money?”
“There is no such thing as a business that can make money without risk.”
Faced with Hiruzen’s warning, the flame burning inside Shimura Danzō was doused with a bucket of cold water.
He became much calmer.
But he still couldn’t let go of the idea of getting into the tulip business.
He wanted to improve too badly.
He wanted Senju Tobirama to look at him differently too badly.
He wanted to become Senju Tobirama’s disciple too badly!
“But Hiruzen…
We…”
“No buts.”
“I absolutely disagree with what you were thinking just now.”
“The most important thing for us right now is to purchase all the supplies on the list and bring them back.”
“There’s no need to create unnecessary complications.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen was completely firm in his position.
He rejected Shimura Danzō’s proposal without hesitation.
“Hmph.
You’re really stubborn!”
“Hiruzen, you’re going to regret this!”
Rationally speaking, Danzō admitted that Hiruzen was right.
Their top priority was completing the supply-purchasing mission assigned by Lord Tobirama and their fathers.
If they could avoid unnecessary complications, they absolutely should.
But emotionally…
Shimura Danzō hated Hiruzen’s attitude toward him at this moment.
So he shouted at Sarutobi Hiruzen, expressing his dissatisfaction.
To be continued…