Futures Trading Hall
"It dropped again…"
"It's been falling slowly for three days straight…"
"Brothers, I can't hold anymore—I'm out!"
The hall was still packed, just like before.
But the atmosphere had turned suffocating.
The real market makers—Konoha and the Daimyō—had already withdrawn most of their funds.
The earlier slow rise had merely been the final glow before collapse.
VIP Room
Kakuzu stared at three straight days of losses, his green eyes filled with anxiety.
Prices had fallen back to where they were during White Fang's last speech—the exact moment he went all in.
If he cut losses now, he would still make a huge profit.
But he couldn't accept it.
Through his own intelligence network, Kakuzu confirmed that Kirigakure had landed and fought Konoha.
There were even rumors they moved north to attack Iwagakure.
He dismissed that as nonsense.
The distance alone made it impossible.
But one thing was certain—
The war had escalated.
Konoha, Iwagakure, Kirigakure—all involved.
Even Sunagakure or Kumogakure might join.
By logic, iron prices should skyrocket.
So why had they fallen for three straight days?
Something was wrong.
Kakuzu suspected a coordinated market dump—
Someone was forcing prices down to buy low again.
"I won't fall for it…"
He held his position, convincing himself.
His eyes drifted toward White Fang's room.
The figure was still calmly reading.
If White Fang wasn't panicking—why should he?
Downstairs, the retail traders hesitated.
They wanted to sell—but didn't dare.
They were waiting.
Waiting for guidance.
A few more days passed.
Then—
The nobles and merchants finally received confirmed news:
The Mizukage and Tsuchikage had died together.
Iwagakure and Kirigakure forces withdrew.
Konoha was reclaiming territory rapidly.
The war—
It's over.
Panic meetings erupted overnight.
"Orderly exit!"
"Don't all sell at once!"
Everyone argued, desperate to escape first.
Nobles could recover wealth later.
Merchants couldn't.
But it was too late.
While they argued—
Konoha had already fully exited.
Then came the announcements.
War victory.
End of the First Great Ninja War.
Five Kage Summit incoming.
The news spread instantly.
Prices—collapsed.
A green line plunged downward.
Sell orders flooded the market.
But there were no buyers.
People kept lowering prices—
Still no one bought it.
Panic consumed everything.
In just two days, prices nearly returned to the original 630,000 ryo per ton.
A month of gains—
Erased in two days.
Crying. Screaming. Regret.
The entire hall descended into chaos.
Konoha had already deployed ninja and soldiers to maintain order.
But outside—
It was worse.
People jumped from buildings.
Hundreds per day.
Gamblers who mortgaged everything.
Loan sharks' victims.
To them—
Konoha had no answer.
VIP Room
Kakuzu hadn't slept for two days.
Bloodshot eyes.
Collapsed on the sofa.
"It's over…"
"All gone…"
Years of bounty earnings—
Gone.
He slapped himself repeatedly.
The cards on the table—
Once treasures—now worthless trash.
Prices were still falling.
No buyers.
Only sellers.
Then—
He remembered.
White Fang.
The last hope.
A faint spark reignited in his dead heart.
He staggered toward the room.
"Bang—"
He opened the door.
Inside—
A puppet sat reading.
White Fang was gone.
Two days ago.
A note was stuck on its face:
"Leeks, remember this—
If you don't sell, you don't lose :)"
Something snapped inside Kakuzu.
"WHITE FANG!!!"
"I WILL KILL YOU!!!"
His roar echoed through the hall.
Meanwhile, back in Konoha—
Sakumo Hatake suddenly shivered.
He was at home—counting money happily.
I nearly reached a "small goal."
"Yeah… I definitely shouldn't have left that note…"
"Lord Hokage really is… cruel."
He silently put on his mask.
Never taking it off again.
Hokage Office
"Lord Hokage, your brilliance is like an endless river!"
Nara Shikaku grinned widely.
"And like a flood beyond control…"
Hyuga Takuma added smoothly.
Uchiha Ren waved it off modestly.
"This is merely a small display of my abilities."
He was clearly pleased.
"Your contributions will not be forgotten."
"You two are my Wolong and Fengchu."
Laughter filled the room.
Then—
The door slammed open.
Mito Uzumaki entered, furious.
"Uchiha Ren!"
"What about your 10 billion ryo futures plan?"
"The war is over. Explain yourself."
Ren smiled.
"Perfect timing."
"Let's give everyone an answer."
Meeting Room
All Konoha clans gathered.
Tension filled the air.
If this failed—
Ren would be removed.
Mito crossed her arms.
"Stop wasting time. Show the results."
Ren leaned back casually.
"Alright."
"Shikaku —tell them."
Shikaku nodded.
"Konoha invested 10 billion ryo."
"Hyuga: 300 million."
"Ino-Shika-Cho: 500 million."
"Uchiha: 1 billion."
Murmurs spread.
Then—
"The total return for Konoha…"
"100.5 billion ryo."
"Net profit: 90.5 billion."
Silence.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Everyone froze.
They struck gold.
Mito was stunned.
This wasn't trading—
This was looting.
And she wasn't entirely wrong.
Ren had indeed "harvested" the nobles—
Just… more elegantly.
Mito's thoughts drifted.
If Senju had joined…
Her expression darkened.
Ren smiled faintly.
"Mito-sama… you don't look well."
"Shall I call a medic?"
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