Because this involved the collective relocation of entire clans, there was no shortage of carts, horses, and baggage. Women, children, and elders also had to be taken into account. A round trip would inevitably take a considerable amount of time.
As such, after resting briefly in the village for a few days, Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Shima prepared to depart, taking Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō with them.
Hiruzen and Danzō left Konoha reluctantly.
During those few days of rest, even Senju Tobirama's occasional, casual guidance—given merely to pass the time—had benefited them immensely.
Now, both of them were burning with the desire to accomplish something meaningful as soon as possible—something that would make Tobirama look at them with new respect and formally accept them as disciples.
At the Village Gate
"Hiruzen," Danzō said, gazing back at the village in the distance, his tone faintly provocative,
"who do you think will become Tobirama-sama's disciple first—the two of us?"
Though they were close in age and had gotten along fairly well during their time together, Danzō always felt an urge—whether due to youthful competitiveness or the workings of fate—to surpass Hiruzen in everything.
Eating more.
Running faster.
Lasting longer.
They compared everything.
Even during training spars and practice matches, neither was willing to concede.
"That would obviously be me," Hiruzen replied confidently, refusing to yield even an inch.
"Hmph. Big talk," Danzō scoffed without hesitation.
The air immediately grew tense.
"That's enough, you two brats!"
"Stop wasting breath—it's time to go!"
Sarutobi Sasuke abruptly interrupted their bickering. The two boys could only fall silent, though both held back their frustration. After exchanging a sharp look, they strode forward and began the journey.
Fire Country Capital
"Make way—today I'm buying one hundred tulips!"
"Hey, stop pushing!"
"Get in line!"
...
Outside a tulip shop in the Fire Country Capital, a long queue had already formed.
People had begun lining up before dawn.
Even so, those arriving at sunrise couldn't get near the front—because some had come the previous night and camped outside the shop.
And this scene—
Wasn't limited to the capital.
Every shop selling tulips throughout the Land of Fire looked exactly the same.
The reason was obvious.
Uchiha Makoto had successfully inflated the tulip bubble.
To be honest, even Makoto himself had underestimated the Daimyō's influence, and even more so the vanity of the Fire Country's nobility.
They were truly rich—and perfectly willing to spend outrageous sums for the sake of appearances.
Any noble who could boast an entire room full of tulips would instantly become the center of attention at social gatherings, attracting admiration from young ladies eager to witness such splendor firsthand.
They wanted to see it.
To experience it.
And then to proclaim themselves refined, tasteful, high-born ladies of culture.
If someone possessed a rare, exceptional tulip, things became even more absurd.
Even the Daimyō himself might invite them—asking them to bring the flower along to appreciate "art" together.
And really—
What noble didn't want to curry favor with the Daimyō?
Now—
The tulip market had become a powder keg, ignited by Uchiha Makoto.
Behind the Scenes
As the true operator behind the curtain, Kazuma quietly guided tulip prices upward.
To his surprise, the process was absurdly smooth—he barely needed to inject additional funds.
Where profit existed—
Capital naturally followed.
The nobles threw money at tulips for prestige and favor.
And when the great merchants of the Land of Fire saw this, their eyes lit up like sharks catching the scent of blood.
They poured their funds into the market, betting heavily on tulips and charging forward without hesitation.
In a short time, a tidal wave of capital flooded the tulip trade.
The Daimyō's Palace
"Your Highness, you've arrived."
Kazuma's eyes gleamed like gold coins as he flicked beads on the abacus, calculating profits from the past few days. Looking up, he saw the Daimyō enter the room.
"Mm."
The Daimyō nodded and took a seat.
He had come for only one reason—
To see how the plan was progressing.
Or rather—
To find out how much they'd made so far.
"Your Highness, the situation is far better than we anticipated."
"The nobles are even richer than I imagined."
Kazuma stood, unable to hide his excitement.
Tulip prices were soaring.
They had sold only one-third of their inventory—
And yet they had already earned nearly 1.3 billion ryō.
It was staggering.
"So much already?" the Daimyō exclaimed, genuinely startled.
"That's even more than I expected."
"Those bastards really are swimming in money…"
"Last year, when floods hit the northern regions, I asked them to donate relief funds—every last one cried poverty!"
"Damn insects."
The Daimyō couldn't help recalling the devastating floods of the previous year.
Even though the Land of Fire occupied one of the most fertile regions in the shinobi world, it still couldn't escape the disasters common to agrarian nations—floods, droughts, and worse.
With natural energy amplifying such calamities, floods could become overwhelmingly destructive.
Even legions of Earth Release ninja were often powerless—earthen barriers would collapse within hours.
Against natural disasters, ninja were no different from ordinary people.
Well—
Except for Senju Hashirama.
But could that man even be counted as human?
"The contracts with the flower growers—have they all been signed?"
The Daimyō shifted the topic to the second half of the plan.
What they had earned so far was nothing more than an appetizer.
The true feast lay ahead.
Tens of billions of ryō—was that a lot?
Yes.
But not enough to justify the effort and political capital he had expended.
Over this period, the Daimyō had repeatedly displayed his fondness for tulips in public.
He'd hosted five or six banquets, all just to sell the image.
This time—
He intended to reap an enormous harvest.
To bleed those insects dry.
"Rest assured, Your Highness—everything is prepared."
"Prices are still rising. It's no longer just nobles; major merchants have entered the market as well."
"We're nowhere near the peak yet."
"Please take a look at this price analysis chart. When it approaches the summit—that's when we make our move."
Kazuma smiled confidently.
With the Daimyō's resources, they now had near-complete control over market prices, inventory levels, and capital flow.
Combined with detailed analysis charts prepared by specialists—
Everything was firmly under control.
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