"…We of Sunagakure have absolute confidence in safeguarding the Yuexi Peninsula. Furthermore, the Sunagakure Command solemnly announces that this military exercise is not directed at any faction. It is purely an internal drill for coordination and training. We hope all parties will not take this personally… Bastard! This is clearly meant for Konoha! How dare he!"
Danzō tore the intelligence report in his hands to shreds, fury twisting his features.
For the past three months, Danzō and the Fire Eight Pillars Commerce Guild had been wreaking havoc in the iron ore market, dumping massive quantities and sending prices into freefall. In less than a week, iron ore had crashed to the so-called "safety red line" of 200 ryō per ton—and continued to plunge.
196 ryō.
188 ryō.
181 ryō.
173 ryō.
168 ryō.
At these levels, things were dire. The price barely covered the cost of labor to dig the ore out of the ground. Even mining giants like Iwagakure had ceased production. Why bother mining when it cost more than just buying on the open market?
After stabilizing for a week, Danzō launched a third wave of price attacks!
160 ryō!
153 ryō!
148 ryō!
140 ryō!
It was madness—iron ore now cost less than fertilizer. Countless mining villages who relied on iron ore went bankrupt overnight.
Meanwhile, in a villa in Sunagakure, a thin young man spoke with steely resolve:
"Begin!"
A torrent of capital flooded the market, snapping up every available ton of iron ore. Prices rebounded almost instantly, surging back to 160 ryō per ton in just one day.
"Hm? We've got competition," the Konoha "Economic Division" quickly noticed. Such a sudden spike could only mean a major player had entered the game.
"Trying to prop up the market? Dream on! Keep dumping!" Danzō barked.
At his command, the Economic Division dumped another 3 million tons onto the market.
But it barely made a splash—those 3 million tons were snatched up in a heartbeat. The price held steady at 160 ryō.
"Not bad. They've got some muscle. Again!"
Danzō ordered another 5 million tons dumped.
Same result. The price didn't drop—it actually climbed, hitting 175 ryō after just a week.
"Someone's deliberately going against me! Dump more!"
But before Danzō could act, Sunagakure's Foreign Affairs Department abruptly called a press conference.
Sunagakure would be holding a massive military exercise in the Huangfutu Desert on the Yuexi Peninsula—in three months' time!
The spokesperson was, as always, the poised and ever-smiling Karura.
After reading the announcement, Karura waited for questions from the assembled village representatives.
"How large will this exercise be?"
"This will involve four regular divisions, the entire field army, plus reserves and security forces—over 25,000 troops in total. It'll be the largest exercise in Sunagakure's history."
"Why hold it in the northern Yuexi Peninsula?"
"First, the area is vast and ideal for maneuvering large forces. Second, we want to show the people of the Yuexi Peninsula that Sunagakure has the strength, determination, and confidence to guarantee their peace and prosperity. Any dark hand that dares reach for the peninsula will be cut off!"
"Is this exercise meant to target neighboring ninja villages?"
"No. This is entirely an internal matter for Sunagakure."
"But such a move is bound to make the other villages nervous."
"That's precisely why we're holding this press conference. On behalf of Sunagakure, I state clearly: this exercise targets no one. If someone's feeling guilty, well, that's on them."
Karura's smile was dazzling.
"You mentioned the exercise involves 25,000 people. Can Sunagakure really handle logistics on that scale?"
"Excellent question."
Here came the real show.
"The logistics for this exercise will be handled by Sunagakure's Hourglass Group. All food, medicine, and ninja tools will be procured by them. I trust everyone here is familiar with the Hourglass Group's production capabilities. As long as we have enough raw materials, logistics won't be a problem!"
Raw materials! The message was clear as day—Hourglass Group needed a mountain of raw materials!
For iron ore, the king of bulk commodities, this was a massive bullish signal!
That very day, iron ore prices shot up—straight up!
In just two days, the price had rebounded to 208 ryō!
Danzō was livid.
"Dump! Dump everything! I don't care if it's 20 million tons—crash this market!"
"Wait! Not so fast!"
The chief trader of the Economic Division grabbed Danzō's arm.
"Sir, with news this good, every major financial group in the ninja world is moving in. Dumping now would be suicide. Let's wait and see."
"Who do you think you are, defying my orders? Do you want me to—"
"I serve the Nishijo family, not Konoha. You don't need to shout at me. The market can't be crashed now—but that doesn't mean we can't make a killing."
Danzō was dumbstruck. He didn't know what shocked him more—this accountant's nerve, or that promise of "making a killing."
Before he could explode again, another accountant burst in, breathless.
"It's surging! Huge spike! We're about to break 300 ryō!"
Danzō had spent three months crashing the market, and in just a few days, others had brought it roaring back. The very next day, iron ore was already up to 294 ryō per ton, and anything that hit the market was instantly bought up.
302 ryō!
321 ryō!
352 ryō!
383 ryō!
400 ryō!
As Sunagakure's field army mobilized, iron ore prices soared!
The Hourglass Group's steel mills belched smoke, steel billets flowing like rivers into smelters and forges.
This military exercise was for real. The chance to strike it rich had arrived!
Twenty-five thousand troops—how many kunai? How many shuriken? How many ninja blades? How much equipment? And with so many puppet users in Sunagakure—modern puppets were mostly alloy. How much iron? How much steel? Even a rough estimate was astronomical. No question—hoard! Hoard as much as you can! This was a gold mine!
In just a month, iron ore had soared to an astonishing 507 ryō per ton—higher than before the crash!
Why bother crashing the market anymore?
Just sitting on this mountain of iron ore was like sitting on a pile of gold!
Amegakure? Please, who cares about those small fries.
I'll just bury them in cash later!
Staring at the towering mountains of 20 million tons of iron ore, Danzō grinned like a fool.
This wasn't iron ore—this was pure gold!
All those years of fighting and killing—what a waste. If I'd started playing finance sooner, I'd have been rich long ago!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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