Shimura Danzō walked out of the shop, muttering nonstop under his breath.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face was just as grim.
He had already known, deep down, that this procurement mission wouldn't be as simple as he'd imagined. Still, running into a profiteering merchant at the very first shop was a harsh blow to their confidence.
With the ninja wars growing more intense by the day, merchants knew perfectly well that their goods would sell no matter what. If you didn't buy, plenty of other ninja would. It had that unmistakable feeling of an overheated market—take it or leave it.
"Let's go, Danzō. On to the next shop," Hiruzen said.
"This is a mission personally assigned by Lord Tobirama."
Straightening himself, Hiruzen called out to Danzō and headed for the next store.
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, the entire morning was gone.
After a grueling series of negotiations, they finally secured a deal for the soldier pills. The price was a little higher than they'd hoped, but still within acceptable limits.
The haggling process itself, though—if one were to describe it in detail—was nothing short of torment. Every trick, every excuse, every argument imaginable was thrown at them. The merchants were clearly making a fortune, yet still wailed about helping them "at a loss."
Both Hiruzen and Danzō came from the old Warring States generation of ninja, and they were still young. This kind of verbal sparring simply wasn't their strength.
Frankly, they would've rather gone to the battlefield and fought enemies head-on.
By noon, the exhausted pair entered a small restaurant to eat lunch and recover.
While waiting for their food—
From a nearby table, they heard a familiar word again.
Tulips.
"See? I told you I wasn't lying. Trading tulips is insanely profitable. You buy a batch now, wait a day or two for the price to rise, then resell them—easy money."
"Big brother, say no more. Let me toast to you!"
"By the way… when should we sell the tulips we're holding?"
"This is only the beginning. I heard it's not just the Fire Country nobility anymore. The Grass Country, the Land of Rice Fields, even the Rain Country—everyone wants them. Apparently even nobles from the Earth and Lightning Countries are getting into it."
"Seriously? Then we're about to make a killing!"
"Exactly. Opportunities like this don't come around often."
Hearing the hushed conversation from the next table, the desire stirred in Danzō once again.
Tulips really did seem capable of making a fortune—fast and easy.
Compared to that, spending all morning arguing with profiteering merchants over prices had been utterly exhausting.
Should I try it myself? he wondered.
"Danzō," Hiruzen said quietly. "Stop thinking about tulips."
"We're ninja. You saw those merchants this morning. If you rush into the market blindly, you'll get taken advantage of."
With a single glance, Hiruzen could tell exactly what Danzō was thinking.
He's planning to dabble in the tulip trade again.
From a ninja's cautious mindset, Hiruzen felt obligated to warn him. Their priority was finishing the procurement mission—there was still plenty to do in the afternoon.
But as the saying went, good advice often sounds unpleasant.
Hiruzen's warning—tinged with lecturing—immediately irritated Danzō.
We're the same rank. Who do you think you are, lecturing me?
You think you're better than me?
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You're so damn annoying," Danzō snapped.
Outwardly dismissive, inwardly he scoffed at Hiruzen's advice. The only reason he didn't argue was because they were in a crowded restaurant.
"You understand, then that's good," Hiruzen replied, letting out a relieved sigh.
The look of reassurance on Hiruzen's face only made Danzō more annoyed.
You think I can't do it? Fine. I'll prove you wrong.
Such was the stubborn competitiveness of youth—simple, direct, and utterly unreasonable.
"Miso soup's up!"
They had specifically asked for it. After a morning of nonstop arguing, they badly needed something warm to soothe their throats.
For the moment, they set aside their disagreement and drank the soup.
"Ah… this miso soup is great." ×2
Lunch soon followed, and the two ate heartily.
After resting briefly, they prepared for the "battle" of the afternoon.
But the moment they stepped outside the restaurant, Danzō spoke up.
"Hiruzen, the two of us working together is too slow."
"Why don't we split up? We've already agreed on a baseline price. Negotiating separately would be much more efficient."
That was his excuse.
In truth, he wanted to shake Hiruzen off and take a look at the tulip market himself.
Hiruzen's too timid. He won't even take a look, and he keeps holding me back. How irritating.
So narrow-minded and rigid… Fine. I won't argue with you.
"That's not unreasonable," Hiruzen said after a brief thought. "Let's do it."
As expected, he agreed. Splitting up would improve efficiency.
"This place is lively…"
Free of Hiruzen, Danzō immediately headed to the tulip trading district he'd been thinking about nonstop.
The market was crowded with people, voices overlapping in constant clamor. It was a sight that truly opened his eyes.
Everywhere he looked were flushed faces—speculators, middlemen, and brokers shouting excitedly. Stories of overnight riches reached his ears again and again.
Tulips are even more profitable than I imagined…
Someone nearby was passionately expounding:
"The key is understanding noble demand. Control supply, dominate distribution, and ride the price surge. Tulips haven't peaked yet—I've already bought in at the lowest point!"
The words were strange yet convincing.
So professional… Danzō thought, deeply shaken.
After wandering the market for a while, he reached his conclusion:
Fire Country nobles, nobles from neighboring small nations—and even those from distant Earth and Lightning Countries—all coveted tulips.
Merchants were selling them across the entire shinobi world.
In short, the tulip market was flourishing beyond measure.
"I think… this is an opportunity."
Danzō had always been a man of action. After waiting in line, he stepped up to a merchant.
"What?"
"Starting price: one million ryō?"
"Isn't that outrageous?!"
He was stunned.
One million ryō!
"Ninja-sama," the merchant said calmly. "Tulips are now symbols of status among the nobility."
"Single flowers aren't sold anymore. If you want just one or two, try some back-alley market—but those are inferior goods. Only poor people pretending to be wealthy buy there."
"True nobles buy by the room, not by the stem. And we even offer professional storage services. Very reasonable."
Danzō hesitated.
He wanted to try the tulip trade—but one million ryō as the entry price was no small matter.
"Hurry up already! If you can't afford it, don't waste our time!"
"Yeah!"
"Broke ninja shouldn't meddle here!"
Mocking voices rose behind him.
For a moment, Danzō felt flustered. In his mind, Hiruzen's lecturing face appeared:
"Danzō, you don't have the ability to get involved in the tulip trade."
"I—I do!"
"Who says I don't have money?!"
"One million ryō—fine! I'll buy it!"
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