The space-time meeting ended. Outside, night had fallen hard.
Nighttime Amegakure wore its usual icy palette—endless rain, a handful of scattered lights barely holding back the dark.
Whoosh!
Something tore through the downpour. A figure blurred between high walls, phasing through Amegakure's barrier like it was tissue paper, landing outside a cave carved into the back mountains.
The cave mouth yawned wide and hungry, swallowing what little moonlight dared approach.
The visitor stood with their back to the night, body hidden beneath a deep gray raincoat.
"You came." Flickering candlelight emerged from the darkness. A tall man in black robes stepped forward, hood concealing his features, presence radiating controlled power. He studied the gray-coated figure. "The ANBU patrols didn't spot you?"
"Heh." Confidence dripped from the raincoat man's voice. "What do you take me for? I walk through this village like I own the place."
"Hmph. I suppose you do..." The black-robed figure muttered, then turned sharply. "Follow me."
Candle raised, he disappeared into the cave. The raincoat man followed without hesitation.
The cramped tunnel stretched on forever—until suddenly it didn't. The passage opened into a massive underground chamber, empty and echoing.
"Here." The black-robed man strode to the center and set down his candle with deliberate ceremony. He retreated several steps, turned, and faced his companion. "My secret base. Built through careful deception. Our grand plan begins here."
"Did you bring it?" the gray raincoat man asked.
The black-robed figure reached into his robes. "Of course. Custom-made to your specifications. Took forever to source, but it'll maximize your jutsu's effectiveness..."
He pulled out a palm-sized golden object and tossed it forward.
Hum! The raincoat man caught it one-handed. His arm dropped from the unexpected weight. He tested the heft, nodded slowly. "Mm. Exceptional quality."
Rustle. He pushed back his hood. Blonde hair caught the candlelight. Then his eyes—dual six-tomoe Rinnegan, spinning lazily.
The black-robed man lowered his own hood. Darker skin, face half-hidden by a mask, but those dark green eyes unmistakable.
Naruto and Kakuzu.
The golden object? A gold bar, naturally.
Naruto was finally making good on his promise—using Ōmononushi to replicate gold itself.
Kakuzu's eyes gleamed with naked anticipation.
Naruto gripped the bar. Chakra surged. His left eye flared wide.
—Ōmononushi!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Gold bars materialized from nothing. They clattered to the stone floor in a growing cascade, spreading across the chamber in a glittering tide.
"Nngh... NNNNGH!!!" Kakuzu's dark green eyes transformed into literal dollar signs. His pupils dilated until nothing remained but raw, unfiltered greed.
Thud! He dropped to his knees. Crawled forward through the golden light like a pilgrim approaching salvation.
The truest portrait of a money-worshipper facing his god.
Naruto held the original bar, watching with something almost like compassion.
Long minutes passed.
Kakuzu finally spoke, caressing the nearest gold block with trembling fingers. "Could you kill me? Bring me back with Edo Tensei?"
"Why would you want that?"
"This texture. This feeling." Kakuzu's voice cracked. "I'm terrified I'll lose the ability to touch it someday..."
Naruto laughed. "Relax. Once we're swimming in resources, I'll give you a chakra fruit."
Kakuzu snorted—clearly not buying it. "Hmph. Looks like I need to remarry. Have children to inherit all this..."
Half an hour later, Kakuzu regained something resembling composure.
Naruto surveyed the hundreds of tons of gold surrounding them. "So... Amegakure now has inexhaustible wealth, right?"
"Wrong." Kakuzu's response came swift and sharp. "Completely wrong."
"How so?"
"Fighting and killing? You're a master. Economics?" Kakuzu shook his head. "You're still a novice."
"Value depends on supply and demand. Gold is precious because demand is high, supply is low, mining is difficult, and refinement is complex. But no matter how precious something is—if you can create it from nothing, it becomes worthless."
"Wait..." Naruto's stomach dropped. "Did I just copy all this for nothing?"
But Kakuzu would never waste his time on meaningless ventures.
Naruto stroked his chin, thinking hard. He refused to look stupid in front of Kakuzu.
Then—inspiration struck. "I've got it! We monopolize all the world's gold!"
"Hmph. Monopoly works—to a point. But market demand has limits. Gold we can't sell just rots in our vaults."
"Then I don't understand..."
"If there's no demand..." Kakuzu's eyes glinted. "We create demand. Find a way to drastically increase gold's necessity. Then our reserves won't depreciate—they'll skyrocket in value."
"I see..." Naruto's mind raced. "But how do we increase demand?"
Kakuzu's gaze turned calculating. "You're planning global defensive fortifications throughout the ninja world, aren't you?"
Right. One of Naruto's major initiatives. Future wars might escalate into worldwide conflicts. Nowhere on the surface would be truly safe. During wartime, how could hundreds of millions of civilians be protected?
Global defensive fortifications weren't optional—they were inevitable. Whether people liked it or not.
And only Naruto possessed the power to construct defenses capable of withstanding battles between ninja and Ōtsutsuki.
Kakuzu's smile turned predatory. "In those fortifications, we mandate one construction material—gold. Only gold. Then, with our overwhelming reserves, we become the biggest winners in history."
Even Naruto balked. "Isn't that... incredibly ruthless?"
"More ruthless than human nature itself? We're not stealing. We're not robbing. We're stimulating the economy, driving demand, stabilizing currency, and—most importantly—protecting lives and property." Kakuzu's voice carried absolute conviction. "This will be the greatest capital operation in history."
"I call it the Golden Country Plan."
They sealed the treasury with layered barriers and walked back together through the rain.
"Hey, Kakuzu. How much money do we actually have now?"
"Excluding the budget for developing Water Country's six islands... about three billion." Kakuzu paused. "But I don't really care about that number anymore."
Naruto stopped walking. "Are you serious? You don't care about money?"
Kakuzu's gaze turned distant. "You see one tree. I see the forest. What is currency, Naruto?"
"Money. You buy ramen with it."
"Foolish." Kakuzu's tone sharpened. "Currency is a symbol of value. It has no inherent worth. For generations, the Five Great Nations jointly issued currency, guaranteed by their authority. That guarantee ensured functionality."
"If the Five Nations fell tomorrow, our money would be worthless paper."
"And that's not impossible. Their status is already crumbling—the Land of Lightning proved that. Currency's position will be impacted too."
"With threats from beyond, anyone with eyes can see the ninja world's survival depends entirely on shinobi. Therefore, shinobi should issue currency. Bind currency function to shinobi function. That's how we ensure monetary stability."
Kakuzu looked up at the stars, hope flickering in those green eyes. "The only prerequisite is people recognizing this reality. Honestly... I'm curious how that Asura will perform."
Naruto pulled out a scroll and handed it over.
"What's this?"
"A Divine Tree flower. Sealed inside." Naruto's expression turned serious. "Release it into the black market. But sever all connections to us first."
Kakuzu frowned. "Why?"
Naruto met his gaze. "For a future as bright as gold itself. I'm counting on you, Kakuzu."
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