Futures Trading Hall
"Heh, a bunch of leeks!" Kakuzu stood proudly on the third floor, looking down at the scattered retail traders below. After more than a month of trading, his capital had finally qualified him for the VIP room.
"Kakuzu-sama, your fruit platter and desserts…" The attendant placed beautifully arranged dishes in front of him. The set cost 8,888 ryo per serving. It wasn't about taste—it was about status.
In the past, Kakuzu would never spend money like this. But now things were different. Money came too easily. With his current capital, even small movements meant hundreds of thousands or millions.
Compared to his old life of risking death year-round for bounties, this was paradise. If money was this easy to earn, why not enjoy it?
He dismissed the attendant and casually picked up a piece of fruit, savoring its sweetness. Then he opened his account. A long string of zeros filled his vision, making his green eyes almost glaze over.
Without physical cash, trades felt unreal. Buying and selling meant instant gains of tens or hundreds of thousands. The bull market had amplified his greed.
Originally, he planned to invest only a small amount. But after witnessing this "financial magic," he kept increasing his position. Now he had over 300 million ryo invested.
The returns were staggering. His futures had tripled in value. Iron prices had risen eightfold compared to before.
But now prices were at a dangerous high. Any disturbance could trigger a collapse.
In the past, nobles and merchants controlled the market and would stabilize prices. But now too many ordinary people had entered. Street vendors, farmers, ronin, rogue ninja—many didn't even understand futures.
If panic hit, the crash would be catastrophic.
The market had stopped rising.
Prices had been moving sideways for over a day. Kakuzu watched the fluctuations uneasily. This kind of stagnation had never lasted so long before.
In the past, sideways movement meant another surge soon after. This time felt different.
He glanced toward another VIP room—where Sakumo Hatake was calmly reading. Completely unfazed.
That calmness reassured Kakuzu.
White Fang had become a legend.
"The God of Futures."
"The White Manipulator."
"The Man Blessed by Money."
Every prediction he made came true. Whether rise or fall, he was always right. Even nobles began to take him seriously.
Some suspected he had insider information.
Kakuzu revered him. He had practically memorized the manual. Yet he couldn't achieve the same accuracy.
He had sought guidance many times. But White Fang only told him to study more and practice.
In truth, White Fang himself was panicking. Prices had risen eightfold in just over a month.
The last time prices reached this level, it was during full-scale war between all five great nations.
Now, the war had barely begun.
He wanted to sell. Eighty million ryo profit—enough to change his life.
After a day of hesitation, he finally received a message from Nara Shikaku .
The final harvest had begun.
The sickle was about to fall.
Even though he expected it, White Fang still felt dizzy. The scale was too massive. Nearly everyone in the Fire Country had invested.
When the bubble burst, people would fall—literally.
Middle-class citizens would jump from buildings. Rogue ninja and ronin might hunt him down. Nobles would put bounties on his head.
He was the one luring them to slaughter.
The money was burning hot. But there was no turning back now.
White Fang stood up and walked toward the stairs. The hall immediately erupted.
"White Fang-sama!"
"He's going to speak!"
"Can we still buy now?"
Everyone looked at him like worshippers.
"Getting nervous again?" White Fang's voice was calm but sharp. "Every time you sell cheaply, you buy back later at a higher price!"
"Listen carefully. The current price doesn't matter. What matters is that in one or two months—you'll never see this price again!"
"This is the best opportunity to buy the dip!"
"If you hesitate today, ten years from now you'll still be poor!"
"Buy! You fools!"
His voice grew louder, almost hypnotic.
The image Uchiha Ren built for him now showed its power. The crowd surged. Prices climbed again.
"The war has begun! This will be more brutal than ever! Iron is still only halfway up the mountain!"
"Charge!"
The crowd lost all reason. People rushed in, ready to invest everything.
Kakuzu's heart pounded. Halfway up the mountain?
If he invested his remaining 700 million, it could double to 1.4 billion.
Greed battled reason.
After a month of trading, his standards had changed. Small profits no longer satisfied him.
Futures—that was real money.
In the end, greed won.
All in.
Meanwhile, nobles remained cautious. They waited for confirmation of war.
Soon, rumors spread—Kirigakure had landed, battles had begun, even Kumogakure might join.
True or false didn't matter.
War was expanding.
White Fang must have insider knowledge.
The nobles joined the frenzy. Prices surged again.
Behind the scenes, Shikaku quietly began selling. The total funds involved had reached hundreds of billions. He couldn't dump everything at once—he had to exit slowly.
He even took control of the Daimyō's accounts to prevent mistakes.
The operation was massive. Even he needed help from his clan to manage it.
Prices kept rising—but more slowly now.
There were simply too many buyers.
Iwagakure Camp
Mu sat in his tent, eyes bloodshot. The prolonged war of attrition was draining him.
He had tried several times to assassinate Uchiha Tomita, hoping to turn the tide.
But Tomita never gave him the chance.
Even if Mu could win one-on-one, Tomita was never alone. Surrounded by elite Uchiha, Mu risked being counter-killed.
The stalemate dragged on. Costs skyrocketed. Mu was already thinking of retreat.
They had fallen into Konoha's trap.
Still, at least they reached deep into enemy territory.
A hollow victory.
Then—
"Lord Tsuchikage! Bad news!"
Mu frowned. "What now?"
"It's not Konoha—"
"It's Kirigakure!"
Gengetsu Hozuki had appeared at their flank with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Their rear—supplies, wounded—was exposed.
Mu's vision went dark.
Kirigakure… circled all the way around Konoha… to attack him?
That made no sense.
And yet—
It was happening.
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