Sarutobi Hiruzen did not care in the slightest.
He was standing up for what he believed was right!
For a while, the atmosphere between the two became rather awkward.
Until the banquet ended, neither of them said more than a few words to the other.
After the banquet, the Fire Daimyō arranged lodgings for Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō so they could rest.
Their mission to deliver the letters was complete, but they still had to purchase supplies, which was a grueling task in itself.
So the two went to bed early.
The next day.
Even though they had a minor disagreement, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō still got up early and went out together to purchase supplies.
Their first task was to buy the raw materials used to manufacture Soldier Pills.
These were the most common consumables among shinobi clans.
They could rapidly replenish chakra and could also serve as temporary rations.
As a shinobi, once you began carrying out missions, having a few Soldier Pills tucked away in your pouch was the bare minimum of preparation.
“These faces look unfamiliar…
I can make a killing off them.”
The shopkeeper looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō.
The two still had youthful, somewhat inexperienced faces.
They looked like young shinobi who had only recently emerged from some clan.
Perfect customers to fleece.
“Two shinobi, what can I get for you?”
“Raw materials for manufacturing Soldier Pills…
We need a large quantity.
Probably around…”
As Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke, he deliberately emphasized that they needed a large amount.
The implication was obvious.
I’m a major customer.
Give me a discount!
“Oh, then you’ve definitely come to the right place.
Last year, there was a flood in the northern part of the Land of Fire.
That’s the primary production region for Soldier Pill ingredients, and the losses were devastating.
Other shops would have a hard time supplying an order as large as yours.”
The shopkeeper then quoted them a price.
The moment Shimura Danzō heard it, his anger exploded.
He had been giving Sarutobi Hiruzen the cold shoulder, but now he immediately pulled out a shuriken and pointed it at the shopkeeper.
“You swindler!
How dare you jack up the price like this?
Do you really think I’m some clueless rookie who doesn’t know the market?”
“At your price, we’d have to pay at least two hundred thousand ryō more!”
“Damn it!
I’ll kill you!”
Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately grabbed Danzō’s hand and signaled him to calm down.
This was the capital of the Land of Fire.
Causing trouble here would only bring them grief.
Realizing that these young shinobi were not people to be trifled with, the shopkeeper gave an awkward laugh.
He had indeed raised the price somewhat, but nowhere near as much as Danzō claimed.
At most, he was making an extra one hundred thousand ryō.
Besides, the main production region for Soldier Pill ingredients really had been affected by the flooding, so prices had risen this year.
“Young people are so hot-blooded.”
“If you’re unhappy with the price, we can always negotiate.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen then demonstrated his secret technique.
He immediately chopped the shopkeeper’s asking price in half.
The shopkeeper’s face darkened.
At this point, he felt that these young men had come here simply to cause trouble.
The shinobi world had hardly known a peaceful day in recent years.
With all the overt and covert fighting going on, common supplies such as Soldier Pill ingredients were always in demand.
If you didn’t buy them, there were plenty of other shinobi who would.
It was practically like an electronics market.
“How could you possibly expect me to sell at that price?!”
The shopkeeper shook his head and quoted another figure.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzō shook their heads as well and countered with another price.
The shopkeeper countered again.
They went back and forth repeatedly.
After all that haggling, both Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō were practically parched.
At one point, Danzō was so frustrated that he nearly pulled out his shuriken again.
But the shopkeeper refused to budge.
This was the capital of the Land of Fire.
What shinobi would dare attack someone here?
Having done business for so many years, the shopkeeper had already figured out that Danzō only dared to wave his shuriken around for show.
In the end, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō still shook their heads.
They felt the price could be brought down further.
When buying something, you had to shop around.
They could always try another store!
” Hiruzen, that swindler’s final offer was still at least two hundred thousand ryō above what it should have been.
That’s enough money for me to go on a mission.”
“Damn it!
I risk my life going on missions, while these merchants can earn that much just by moving their lips.”
Shimura Danzō continued grumbling.
Normally, a mature and composed shinobi might know perfectly well that the daimyō, nobles, and merchants lived lavishly and made easy money, but he would keep such thoughts to himself.
But Shimura Danzō was still young. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Reality had not yet worn down his sharp edges.
All he could think was—
Damn!
Running a business really does make more money.
Continuing from the previous section:
Shimura Danzō walked out of the shop, still grumbling under his breath.
Sarutobi Hiruzen’s expression was equally grim.
Although he had known from the beginning that the supply-purchasing mission would not be as simple as he had imagined, getting off to such a bad start and encountering a swindler at the very first shop had dealt a serious blow to their confidence.
Moreover, as the wars between shinobi became increasingly severe, these merchants knew perfectly well that their goods would never go unsold.
If you didn’t buy, there were plenty of shinobi who would.
They practically had the attitude of an electronics-market salesman.
“Let’s go, Danzō.
We’ll try the next shop!”
“This is a mission entrusted to us by Lord Tobirama!”
Sarutobi Hiruzen pulled himself together and urged Danzō toward the next store.
Time passed quickly.
Before they knew it, the entire morning had slipped away.
After a morning of hard work, they finally managed to negotiate a deal for the Soldier Pills.
The price was slightly higher than what they had expected, but it was still barely acceptable.
The details of the haggling were almost painful to recount.
Every bargaining tactic imaginable—and plenty that they had never imagined—had been thrown into the fray.
The merchants had clearly made a hefty profit, yet they kept shouting:
“This doesn’t make me any money!”
“I’m selling this at a loss!”
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō were traditional Warring States-era shinobi, and they were still young.
They simply weren’t good at this kind of verbal sparring.
This was not work that just anyone could handle.
At this point, they would honestly rather go to the battlefield and cut people down!
By noon, the exhausted pair arrived at a restaurant for lunch and decided to take a short break.
While they waited for their food, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō once again heard a familiar name coming from another table.
Tulips!
“Brother, I wasn’t lying to you, was I?
Trading tulips really can make a fortune.
Just stock up on a batch now, wait a day or two for the price to rise, then turn around and sell them.”
“Brother, I don’t even know what to say.
Let me toast you!”
“…By the way, Brother, when can we sell the tulips we’ve stocked up?”
“This is only the beginning.
Let me tell you, according to some inside information, it’s not just the nobles of the Land of Fire who love tulips anymore.
The Land of Grass, the Land of Fields, the Land of Rain…
I’ve even heard that they’ve become popular among the nobles of the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning!”
“Really?
Then we’re going to make a fortune this time!”
“Exactly.
Opportunities like this are once in a thousand years!”
Hearing the hushed conversation from the neighboring table, the desire that had been stirred up in Danzō the previous night rose once again.
Tulips really could make a fortune.
And apparently, it was incredibly easy money.
He had spent all morning wrangling with those greedy merchants, painstakingly haggling over every last ryō…
It was exhausting.
Should I give it a try?
“Danzō, stop thinking about tulips.”
“We’re shinobi.
You saw what those swindlers were like this morning.
If you rush into the market like this, you’re very likely to get cheated!”
Sarutobi Hiruzen saw through Danzō’s thoughts with a single glance.
Danzō was obviously thinking about trying his hand at the tulip business again!
Out of a shinobi’s natural caution, Hiruzen kindly reminded him not to let his imagination run wild.
Right now, the most important thing was completing their supply-purchasing mission.
They still had a mountain of work to do that afternoon.
But…
As the saying went, good advice was often unpleasant to hear.
Hiruzen’s admonishment, coupled with his somewhat preachy tone, irritated Danzō immensely.
We’re basically equals.
What gives you the right to lecture me, Hiruzen?
Don’t tell me you think you’re better than me?
“Yeah, yeah, I know.
You’re so damn annoying!”
Danzō answered irritably.
Deep down, however, he completely dismissed Hiruzen’s warning.
It was only because they were in a crowded restaurant that he didn’t want to start an argument with Hiruzen right there.
“Good.
As long as you understand.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a long sigh of relief, a satisfied expression appearing on his face.
I finally managed to talk Danzō out of it.
But…
That expression only made Danzō even more irritated.
You think I’m incapable of doing it? This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Then I’ll prove that you’re the one who’s wrong!
The competitive spirit of youth was always this simple, direct, and completely unreasonable.
“Miso soup coming right up!”
The miso soup soon arrived.
They had specifically ordered it.
After spending the entire morning haggling, they absolutely needed something delicious to soothe their throats.
For the moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō put their disagreement aside and began drinking the miso soup in front of them.
“Miso soup really is delicious!” ×2
The two exclaimed simultaneously.
Their lunch soon followed, and the pair began to eat heartily.
After finishing lunch, they rested for a while before preparing to begin their afternoon “battle.”
But the moment they stepped out of the restaurant, Shimura Danzō presented his idea.
“Hiruzen, the two of us working together is simply too inefficient.”
“Why don’t we split up?
We’ve already more or less established our target prices.
If we divide the work and haggle separately, we’ll get things done much faster.”
That was Danzō’s proposal.
And, of course, there was another reason.
He wanted to shake off Sarutobi Hiruzen and sneak a look at the tulip business on his own.
Hiruzen is way too timid.
He won’t even take a look at the tulip market, and he keeps trying to suppress me…
Hmph.
What an irritating guy!
And his thinking is so rigid and extreme.
Whatever.
I’m not arguing with you.
“I suppose…
there’s no reason we can’t.”
“Then let’s do that.”
Hiruzen only thought for a moment before agreeing to Danzō’s suggestion.
If they split up, their efficiency really would improve considerably.
…
“This place is really lively…”
After shaking off Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō immediately headed for the tulip market he had been thinking about nonstop.
The entire market was packed with people coming and going.
The din of trading and shouting was incessant, and Danzō couldn’t help but have his eyes opened.
Everywhere he looked were investors flushed with excitement.
His ears were filled with the enthusiastic voices of speculators and scalpers.
Stories of people getting rich overnight even reached his ears, making his imagination run wild.
Tulips are even more profitable than I imagined!
“Right now, the market is all about targeting the pain points of the aristocratic customer base, finding a foothold in niche sectors, leveraging technological advantages to open up an entirely new track, connecting the upstream and downstream supply chains, integrating resources internally, and ultimately creating a positive-feedback ecosystem that completely penetrates their minds!”
“The price of tulips is still only halfway up the mountain—no, perhaps it hasn’t even reached halfway yet…
Anyway, I’ve already bought at the bottom!”
Some unknown speculator was enthusiastically promoting his theory.
Danzō happened to pass by and hear every word.
The entire speech left him utterly stunned.
Th-This is so professional!
After wandering around the tulip market for quite some time, Danzō reached his own conclusion.
The nobles and daimyō of the Land of Fire, as well as the aristocrats of the smaller countries surrounding it…
And even the nobles of the distant Land of Earth and Land of Lightning…
They were all extremely enthusiastic about tulips.
Merchants were selling tulips throughout the entire shinobi world!
In short…
The tulip market was flourishing with unprecedented vitality, with everything bursting into life.
“I think this is an opportunity.”
Shimura Danzō had always been the kind of person who dared to think and dared to act.
After waiting in line for a while, he finally reached the merchant.
“What?”
“One million ryō just to get started?”
“Isn’t that a little ridiculous?”
Danzō was stunned by the merchant’s opening price.
One million ryō!
“Shinobi, what did you expect?”
“Right now, tulips are flowers that nobles use to demonstrate their status and prestige.”
“This isn’t the old market where you could buy them one flower at a time anymore.
Of course, if you only want one or two flowers, you can go to one of those low-end markets.
But the flowers there are all inferior stock.
Only poor people who want to pretend they’re rich shop there.”
“The noblemen certainly aren’t buying just a few flowers.
They buy them by the roomful.”
“And I also provide professional storage services.
The fee isn’t expensive, either.”
Shimura Danzō hesitated.
He really did want to try his hand at the tulip business…
But the entry price alone was…
One million ryō was far too much.
“Hey, you in front!
What are you doing?”
“If you can’t afford it, stop wasting everyone’s time!”