"Fifty million ryō…?"
"You really made fifty million ryō?!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at Shimura Danzō in disbelief, repeatedly confirming the number aloud, as if afraid he'd misheard.
There was an old saying:
You don't fear your brother living poorly—you fear him suddenly striking it rich.
Hiruzen truly didn't want Danzō to continue down what he believed was a dangerous path. From the bottom of his heart, he hoped Danzō would turn back and do well.
But—
Why did you end up doing better than me?
And for real, at that?!
To Hiruzen, the world suddenly felt absurd.
Not long ago, Danzō had been no different from him. And now, in the blink of an eye, Danzō had transformed into a wealthy man.
"Yes, Hiruzen," Danzō replied calmly.
"Just fifty million ryō. It's nothing worth mentioning."
He waved his hand casually, wearing a smug smile. Inside, however, he felt utterly exhilarated.
He had waited a long time for this moment.
Didn't you say I had no business touching the tulip trade?
Well?
Why aren't you saying anything now?
Faced with Danzō's blatant arrogance, Hiruzen could only fall silent, frustration written all over his face.
"The procurement mission can be done anytime," Danzō continued.
"But for me right now, the most important thing is seizing opportunities and continuing to make money."
"So tell me, Hiruzen—do you have any objections?"
The question was tinged with mockery.
"I… I don't…"
Hiruzen struggled for a long time before finally forcing out two words.
"…I don't."
"Good," Danzō said with satisfaction.
"Then let's eat. My treat."
He strode forward confidently. Hiruzen followed behind with heavy steps, and soon the two arrived at a restaurant.
Inside the restaurant, Danzō smoothly booked a private room. Taking the menu, he pointed at the cheaper dishes and said to the server:
"None of these. Everything else—bring it all."
"Yes, sir!"
The server left in excitement. Big spenders like this were rare.
Hiruzen, sitting across from Danzō, felt extremely uncomfortable. He knew Danzō was deliberately showing off—but there was nothing he could do.
After all, money was power.
Thus began their meal.
Danzō ate heartily, appetite wide open.
Hiruzen, on the other hand, could barely swallow a bite.
The reason was simple.
They were comrades—but also rivals.
Both of them wanted to become disciples of Senju Tobirama.
And now, without a word, Danzō had dropped an enormous bomb.
Fifty million ryō.
Just thinking about it made Hiruzen's chest feel tight.
When they returned to the village, if Danzō presented that money—
Lord Tobirama would surely look at him in a new light. He might even take Danzō on as a direct disciple.
And Hiruzen?
He would probably be standing off to the side, watching.
The thought made Hiruzen feel even worse.
What hurt most was the contrast.
They had set out together at roughly the same level.
Now Danzō had suddenly "upgraded," leaving him behind.
Such disparity was harder to bear than outright failure.
Progress, after all, was cruel—fall one step behind, and you fall behind everywhere.
And so, inevitably, Hiruzen's thoughts turned toward the tulip trade.
There was no reason Danzō could do it and he couldn't.
Still, Hiruzen retained a shred of rationality.
If asked to throw shuriken on the battlefield, he was confident.
But tulip speculation?
It was unfamiliar territory.
Which meant he needed a guide.
Even if that guide was Danzō.
Especially if it was Danzō.
"Danzō," Hiruzen said earnestly,
"I have a favor to ask. Could you take me along… into the tulip trade?"
"I really want to improve."
Hiruzen had never lowered himself like this before in front of a peer.
But if it meant becoming Lord Tobirama's disciple—
It was worth it.
"Oh?" Danzō raised an eyebrow.
"So now you want to get involved in tulips?"
"Didn't you say before that ninja should stick to ninja business?"
Hiruzen looked awkward but forced a smile, admitting that his previous understanding had been too shallow.
"Well then," Danzō said magnanimously,
"I suppose I can take you along."
He agreed without much difficulty.
After all, they had always been comrades.
Even as rivals, their competition had been a healthy one.
As long as you submit properly, Danzō thought smugly.
I'm simply better than you.
Danzō immediately began teaching Hiruzen about the tulip market.
"Even though prices have been rising, they're still at the lower end. It's not too late to enter."
"Hiruzen—after deducting recent procurement expenses, how much funding do you still have?"
Hiruzen calculated silently.
They had brought eight hundred million ryō in total.
Each of them had been entrusted with half for procurement. Over thirty million had already been spent.
That left roughly three hundred seventy million ryō in his hands.
"Good," Danzō said decisively.
"Then forget the small change. Take seventy million ryō and buy in."
"Seventy million?!"
"Danzō—are you serious?!"
Hiruzen cried out in shock.
When had seventy million ryō become "small change"?
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Danzō replied coldly.
"The market is flooded with capital. If you don't buy in heavily now, are you waiting to buy at higher prices later?"
"My biggest regret is that when I first entered, I was too timid. I only invested a small amount."
"If someone had guided me back then, I wouldn't have stopped at just fifty million in profits."
He spoke with genuine regret, even slapping his thigh.
Why didn't I buy more at the start?
Hiruzen hesitated.
Seventy million ryō was an astronomical sum to him.
No exaggeration—it was enough to buy his life several times over.
"Honestly, Hiruzen, I don't know what you're afraid of," Danzō said impatiently.
"In this market, only the bold make money. The timid become fodder."
"When prices fluctuate, those people panic the moment it dips."
"But based on my analysis of tulip trends—when prices fall, that's when you buy!"
"And if there's a major drop…"
"That's when you go all in."
Hiruzen listened to these half-understood words, nodding stiffly.
At this moment—
He felt very much like the kind of person Danzō looked down on.
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