Having received Uchiha Makoto’s assurance, a smile appeared on the Fire Daimyō’s face.
With the matter of the letter settled, the two turned their attention to the tulip plan.
The tulip operation was now approaching its climax.
According to the information currently available, over the course of the next month, cash from every country in the shinobi world would continue flowing into the tulip market.
At the appropriate moment, Uchiha Makoto intended to introduce an entirely new method of trading:
futures contracts.
This move had only one purpose— to pour oil on the fire!
The two discussed the plan for a while and finalized several specific details of its execution.
For example, they needed to plant people in the various tulip markets throughout the Land of Fire who could spread fake rumors, stir up excitement, and play the role of so-called “experts” whipping up the crowd.
Such people had to be strategically placed throughout the tulip markets.
About half an hour later, their discussion came to an end.
Uchiha Makoto left the room.
He needed to get a full night’s rest.
Ever since receiving the daimyō’s letter, he had rushed here overnight without getting any sleep.
…
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
Tulip prices began rising at an even faster rate than before.
And Shimura Danzō, who had thrown himself headfirst into the tulip speculation market, spent every day immersed in the blissful mantra of:
“Up, up, up!”
His entire worldview had been thoroughly shattered.
Was making money really that difficult?
All you had to do was spend some money buying a batch of tulips.
Then you woke up the next morning and found yourself richer by a huge sum.
Wasn’t that practically effortless?
At the same time, as his worldview changed, his desires began to grow increasingly unchecked.
You could even say they had become distorted.
He had originally planned to invest only one million ryō.
But now Danzō had repeatedly diverted large amounts of the clan’s supply-purchasing funds to buy tulips.
His investment had already reached the staggering sum of fifty million ryō.
Naturally, the returns were extraordinarily lucrative.
His investment had already doubled!
In just one week, he had made fifty million ryō!
What an absolutely terrifying return!
The funds Senju Tobirama had gone to such lengths to embezzle probably weren’t even as much as what Danzō had made in a single week.
But Danzō still had no intention of stopping.
According to the rumors circulating throughout the market, this was only the beginning.
A steady stream of capital would continue pouring into the market…
The price hadn’t even reached halfway up the mountain yet!
“How can I possibly stop now?”
“When there’s an opportunity to make a fortune, you have to go all out.”
“Who knows how long it’ll be before another opportunity like this comes along?”
Words like these were spreading throughout the tulip market.
And Shimura Danzō wholeheartedly agreed.
That was exactly what he thought!
Those people who got off the train halfway, those timid fools who wanted to sell at the slightest sign of trouble…
How could they be so frightened just because the price dipped a little?
So what if the price crashed?
Danzō had analyzed the previous price trends.
This was merely a temporary correction!
It was simply backing up to pick up passengers!
A technical adjustment!
Everyone selling now was nothing more than a bunch of brainless bagholders.
Sooner or later, they’d have to buy their tulips back at a higher price!
“I have to go see that idiot Hiruzen again.”
“Poor Sarutobi Hiruzen.
I wonder what he managed to accomplish today?”
“Probably nothing more than haggling with those swindling merchants and quibbling over a few hundred thousand ryō!”
Thinking this, Shimura Danzō strode away from the tulip trading market with an air of absolute confidence.
He had spent the entire day sitting in the tulip market again.
In fact, ever since making his first fortune there, he had completely forgotten about the supply-purchasing mission.
As far as Danzō was concerned, that kind of mission could be done anytime.
What mattered most right now was making a fortune!
Once he had money, what was there to worry about?
Would he really be unable to buy supplies?
As a result, Danzō’s progress on the supply-purchasing mission was painfully slow, far behind Sarutobi Hiruzen’s.
But Danzō’s attitude had changed.
Now, he couldn’t even be bothered to pretend.
“Hiruzen, I came away empty-handed again today.
Every single one of them was a swindler!”
Shimura Danzō wore a delighted expression.
There wasn’t even the slightest hint of disappointment over falling behind on the mission.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, meanwhile, had a dark expression.
He wasn’t an idiot.
At first, Danzō’s disguise had been convincing enough to fool him.
But later, Danzō’s behavior had become increasingly outrageous.
Now he couldn’t even be bothered to keep up the act!
Today, wanting to find out exactly what Danzō had been doing all these days, Hiruzen had deliberately followed him.
He had personally watched Shimura Danzō enter the tulip trading market.
And Danzō hadn’t come out until the agreed time for their meeting.
“Danzō, you’re still lying straight to my face!”
“Aren’t you treating me like a fool?”
Sarutobi Hiruzen was seething inside.
He finally confronted Danzō directly.
“Danzō, stop pretending!”
“You haven’t been carrying out the supply-purchasing mission at all these past few days.
I already know the truth.”
“How are you going to face Lord Tobirama after this?”
“A business like tulip speculation isn’t something we shinobi should be getting involved in!”
“Danzō, you need to turn back before it’s too late!”
Shimura Danzō’s expression changed.
Then he realized what had happened.
“Hiruzen, you followed me?!”
“Yes, I did follow you.”
“But I only did it for your own good.
Right now, the most important thing is completing the supply-purchasing mission…”
Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke with righteousness and conviction, his expression one of solemn moral integrity.
As Danzō’s comrade, he couldn’t simply stand by and watch him continue down the wrong path.
“All right.”
“I originally intended to continue living alongside you as an ordinary shinobi.”
“But all I got in return was your alienation.”
“Fine.
I’ll come clean.
I’m done pretending…”
Now that Sarutobi Hiruzen had discovered his secret, Shimura Danzō simply stopped hiding it.
Besides, the time had probably come to reveal the truth to Hiruzen anyway.
“Danzō, why are you still acting like this?”
“I’m doing all of this because I genuinely care about you.”
“We’re comrades, aren’t we?”
“I can’t just watch you keep making one mistake after another!”
Faced with Hiruzen’s “good advice,” the corners of Danzō’s mouth curled upward.
He even couldn’t help giving a soft snort.
“Hiruzen, you’re not a bad person.”
“You’re just too narrow-minded.”
“Since you’re willing to speak from the heart to me like this, I’ve decided to take you along and make a fortune together.”
“What do you mean, make a fortune?”
“Danzō, what are you talking about?”
Hiruzen asked in confusion.
Shimura Danzō slowly raised five fingers.
“Hiruzen, guess how much money I’ve made recently.”
“Five hundred thousand ryō?”
Danzō shook his head.
“Five million?”
Danzō shook his head again.
“Don’t tell me…
fifty million ryō?”
Sarutobi Hiruzen’s voice trembled slightly.
Danzō…
you really made a fortune!
Have I become the clown here?
“Fifty million ryō?”
“You really made fifty million ryō?!”
Sarutobi Hiruzen’s face was filled with disbelief.
He repeatedly asked Danzō to confirm the number, as though he couldn’t believe his ears.
You don’t mind seeing your brother struggle.
What you can’t stand is seeing him drive away in a luxury carriage.
Hiruzen genuinely hadn’t wanted Danzō to continue down the wrong path.
He sincerely hoped his companion would turn things around.
But…
Danzō, how did you end up doing even better than me?
How did you actually make it work?!
Hiruzen felt that the world had become completely absurd.
Not long ago, he and Danzō had been roughly equal.
Now Danzō had somehow transformed into a wealthy man.
“That’s right, Hiruzen.”
“It’s only fifty million ryō.
It’s nothing special!”
Shimura Danzō wore an unbearably smug smile and casually waved his hand as though fifty million ryō were nothing.
Inside, however, he was enjoying himself immensely.
He had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
And now it had finally arrived.
Sarutobi Hiruzen!
Didn’t you say I didn’t have what it took to get involved in the tulip business?
What about now?
Why aren’t you barking anymore?
Say something!
Look me in the eyes!
Faced with the smug and arrogant Danzō, Sarutobi Hiruzen could only sit there in miserable silence.
“The supply-purchasing mission can be done anytime.”
“But right now, the most important thing for me is seizing this opportunity and continuing to make money.”
“So, Hiruzen, do you have any objections?”
Shimura Danzō asked teasingly.
“You…
Danzō…
no…
no, I don’t.”
After struggling for a long moment, Hiruzen could only force the words out:
“No.”
“Good!”
“Then let’s go eat.
Lunch is on me!”
Shimura Danzō spoke with immense satisfaction and strode forward.
Sarutobi Hiruzen followed behind him with noticeably heavier steps.
Before long, the two arrived at a restaurant.
Once inside, Shimura Danzō smoothly reserved an entire private room.
He took the menu and pointed to several of the cheaper dishes.
“Don’t order any of these.”
“Everything else, order it all!”
“Got it!”
The waiter happily hurried away.
Customers this wealthy were rare.
Today, he’d finally encountered a truly big spender!
Sarutobi Hiruzen, meanwhile, sat rigidly in his chair.
He knew perfectly well that Danzō was deliberately showing off in front of him.
But…
There was absolutely nothing he could do about it.
Money talks.
And so the two began their meal.
Shimura Danzō had an enormous appetite.
He enthusiastically devoured the delicious food in front of him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, on the other hand, was so miserable that he could barely eat.
The reason was simple.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō were both comrades and rivals.
Both wanted to become Senju Tobirama’s disciples.
And now Danzō had silently dropped this massive bomb on him!
Fifty million ryō!
Just thinking about it made Hiruzen feel a knot in his chest.
After they returned to the village, Danzō would reveal that he had made fifty million ryō.
Lord Tobirama would probably look at him in a completely different light.
He might even immediately accept Shimura Danzō as his disciple.
And what about Hiruzen?
He would probably be left standing to the side, watching enviously.
The thought alone made Sarutobi Hiruzen’s mood sink even further.