One week later
"I was wrong, I was really wrong!" "Why did I make my own decision? Why did I sell my futures?" "No!!!—" "Why is this happening…" Kakuzu roared in the forest, venting his frustration.
The surroundings were in ruins. Trees were scorched by fire release, and the air was filled with a burnt smell. After selling his futures, Kakuzu didn't feel happy for long—only regret.
The price of iron didn't crash like he expected. Instead, it kept rising steadily. Even a daily increase of one or two percent was enough to make his heart ache.
For Kakuzu, missing out on money he could have earned hurt more than death.
"I won't give up like this. I'll carve out my place in the futures market!" He recalled the people in the trading hall who had made fortunes, looking at him like he was an idiot.
If not for his strength, they would have mocked him to his face. The humiliation burned inside him. Why could these "leeks" make money while he couldn't?
He had once attempted to assassinate Hashirama Senju and survived. Anyone in the ninja world knew what that meant.
Failure wasn't shameful—fear of failure was.
After sorting out his thoughts, Kakuzu dove back into the futures market. With his sharp mind and the "manual," he actually started making money again.
Of course, there was no real skill involved. He had simply entered during a bull market. Every rise, pullback, and fluctuation was being carefully controlled by Nara Shikaku .
With high intelligence and Konoha's information advantage, Shikaku manipulated the market effortlessly. His growth shocked even Uchiha Ren.
He was born for this.
Seeing his capability, Ren handed over the entire futures operation to him. As the scale grew, it was no longer something Ren could personally control anyway.
As an Uchiha, he was better at fighting than finance.
But peace didn't last long. The war Ren dreaded had finally begun.
Iwagakure launched a surprise attack on Konoha's frontline. The Konoha forces appeared to collapse, retreating dozens of miles—but it was all staged.
Konoha was facing a two-front, possibly three-front war. Even though Kumogakure had signed peace, Ren didn't trust them.
To reduce financial pressure, he chose to shorten the battle lines. With superior intelligence, Konoha had already predicted enemy strategies.
This advantage had to be used.
Konoha's intelligence network—largely thanks to Tobirama Senju—was terrifyingly effective.
"Lure the enemy deep. Stretch their supply lines."
In the war room, Ren pointed at a forest on the map.
Uchiha Tomita had fortified that position, anchoring the defense and halting Iwagakure's advance.
The once unstoppable enemy now found themselves stuck. Their earlier victories had been bait.
And it worked.
Their extended supply lines became a burden. Every day, costs skyrocketed—explosives, weapons, food, medical care.
The expenses piled up like a flood in front of Mu.
Ren intended to drag this into a war of attrition. Even if he had to sell some futures, it didn't matter.
Iwagakure's consumption was already two to three times higher than Konoha's—and still rising.
Now they were stuck. Advance or retreat—both impossible.
The battlefield turned brutal. Small ninja squads clashed in forests and hills. Ambushes, assassinations, poison—anything went.
Even elite ninja could die silently in an instant.
Ren didn't like it. But this was war.
"What about Kirigakure?" he asked.
"They've repaired their ships and departed three days ago," reported Mito Uzumaki.
"Monitor them closely," Ren ordered.
Meanwhile, on the coast—
Gengetsu Hozuki had just landed and immediately asked about Iwagakure.
Recently, his fleet had been harassed constantly by Uzumaki and Konoha forces. Same tactic—attack ships, not people.
All shadow clones. Endless harassment.
It was exhausting.
"Report," he demanded.
"Iwagakure has advanced deep but is now stuck."
Gengetsu reviewed the intelligence and quickly saw through Konoha's strategy.
They were bleeding Iwagakure dry.
If Kirigakure fought Konoha directly, they would suffer the same fate.
Could Konoha survive two-front attrition? Maybe.
But Kirigakure definitely wouldn't.
His decision became clear.
Better to crush Iwagakure instead.
"Change course," he ordered. "We strike Iwagakure."
Back in Konoha—
Mito Uzumaki frowned at the map.
"Kirigakure's movement makes no sense."
"Do we adjust our defense?"
"No," Ren replied firmly. "Let them pass."
"They're targeting Iwagakure."
The room fell silent.
"This is reckless!" Mito objected. "We don't have enough intelligence!"
Ren's expression hardened.
"Konoha's survival is my responsibility—not yours."
"You'll regret this!"
"I am the Hokage."
With a glance, ANBU stepped forward and escorted her out.
This wasn't the first time.
Ren once again pushed through his decision alone.
As orders spread, Konoha forces barely resisted Kirigakure.
A few token attacks—then retreat.
Gengetsu immediately understood.
Konoha was letting him through.
Iwagakure was doomed.
At the same time—
The futures market was fiercer than ever.
If the ninja war burned flesh and blood—
This war burned money.
For over a month, White Fang appeared occasionally, guiding public sentiment.
Predicting rises.
Sometimes even predicting drops—after Shikaku manipulated the market accordingly.
Giving small profits to build trust.
Preparing for the final harvest.
Then—
Shikaku received Ren's message.
The end was near.
Mu and Gengetsu Hozuki would die together.
The First Great Ninja War was about to end.
The final harvest—
Was about to begin.
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