More than a month later, in the capital of the Land of Fire.
Spring had come early.
The withered grass outside the city had turned green almost overnight.
Inside a grand estate on the upper right side of the capital—
Voices echoed from a hidden chamber.
A group of so-called "loyal officials" were arguing fiercely.
This place had gathered many of the Land of Fire's powerful elites.
Ever since Konoha's rise—
Everything had changed.
With overwhelming military strength, Konoha had forcefully inserted itself into the nation's economy.
And the nobles?
They were suffocating.
The grain business—
Once their most profitable sector—
Had been crushed.
In regions near Konoha, prices were fixed.
By force.
"No one crosses this line."
That was Konoha's rule.
"Isn't price fluctuation normal market behavior?"
"Doesn't Konoha advocate free trade?!"
They had a point.
But—
Konoha's "freedom" only applied to its own interests.
After a few executions—
They learned that lesson well.
Still—
This year should have been perfect.
A drought.
Food shortages.
A golden opportunity to profit—
And seize land.
But—
Grain kept flooding in.
From the Land of Rice Fields.
They investigated.
And found the truth.
Konoha.
Again.
That was when they realized—
Konoha was no longer controllable.
It had to be weakened.
They tried.
They failed.
Again and again.
The Daimyo refused to act.
Which side was he on?!
Their frustration boiled over.
Their wealth—
Their influence—
Was being eaten away.
Then—
A proposal.
From the second prince's uncle.
Dangerous.
Extremely dangerous.
But tempting.
If they acted—
They had to go all the way.
If the Daimyo "dissolved in water"—
There must be a successor.
And choosing that successor—
Everything was.
They needed someone—
Weak.
Malleable.
Easy to control.
And so—
They chose the second prince.
Not the eldest.
Not the most capable.
But—
Perfectly mediocre.
Which made him ideal.
"I want to be Daimyo!" the prince cried excitedly.
"I've dreamed of this!"
"I'll listen to everything you say!"
"I'll treat you like my father!"
His uncle finally smiled.
"My dear nephew… you are the future."
"The current Daimyo is too weak."
"This world belongs to us nobles."
"You are worthy."
"I'll do anything!" the prince said.
"I just want the throne!"
Meanwhile—
In the Land of Lightning.
Across its cities—
Crowds gathered.
In front of Blue Sky Company.
Two months had passed.
Today—
Was payout day.
A massive promotional event had been arranged.
This time—
No need for free rice or eggs.
The name alone was enough.
The venue was packed.
On stage—
Sakumo Hatake stood confidently.
"Brothers and sisters!"
"What's our slogan?!"
"Sleep on the floor today, be a boss tomorrow!"
"Good!"
"Applause!"
Thunderous clapping filled the hall.
Then—
Boxes were brought out.
Opened.
Money—
Poured onto the table.
A mountain of cash.
The crowd froze.
Then—
Their eyes turned red.
Without security—
It would have become a riot.
"Today is payout day," Sakumo said.
"I'll invite ten investors to receive their returns."
Names were called.
Amounts announced.
Huge profits.
But—
Seven of them were planted actors.
Only three were real.
Even so—
It was enough.
"Now," Sakumo continued, "you have two choices."
"Take your money."
"Or reinvest."
"We respect your decision."
"I REINVEST!"
One man shouted hysterically.
Even Sakumo was startled.
Then he remembered—
That man had actually invested.
And profited.
That was the beauty of the system.
Even insiders got hooked.
Greed spared no one.
"Good," Sakumo said. "What about the rest?"
"Reinvest!"
"All of us!"
The crowd roared.
Peak atmosphere.
Then—
The next step.
"Our new project—"
"The Pyramid Plan!"
The true core.
Recruitment.
Expansion.
Endless growth.
The crowd listened.
Eyes shining.
Calculating.
Friends.
Family.
Connections.
Ten people.
A hundred people.
Profit multiplied endlessly.
Risk?
Forgotten.
"Who wants in?!" Sakumo shouted.
"ME!"
"ME!"
"This is the path to wealth!"
Applause exploded.
Pandora's box—
It was open.
At the same time—
In Kumogakure.
The main event.
Sakumo's original body—
Hosted another rally.
And today—
A special guest appeared.
Third Raikage.
He personally received two million ryo in profit.
"Will you withdraw," Sakumo asked, "or reinvest?"
"Increase investment."
Of course.
For a village—
That amount was nothing.
Others followed.
All reinvested.
Then—
The final push.
"All of you," Sakumo declared, "should thank the Raikage!"
"He brought this opportunity!"
"Can you forget his contribution?!"
"NO!"
"We respect the Raikage!"
The crowd erupted.
Praise filled the hall.
The Raikage stood tall.
Moved.
Deeply.
His village—
Once struggling.
Now—
Hope had arrived.
"From today," he declared, "this company is Kumogakure's friend!"
The speech continued.
Past hardships.
Present struggles.
Future glory.
And finally—
Victory over Konoha.
The crowd was ecstatic.
Sakumo seized the moment.
"The Pyramid Plan—"
"For all of you!"
The Raikage nodded in approval.
This was it.
Wealth.
Endless wealth.
The crowd lost control.
"Invest!"
"Now!"
"Don't miss this chance!"
Even the Raikage—
Was ready to increase funding.
Billions.
Amid the chaos—
Sakumo felt a ringing in his ears.
This is too big…
Kakuzu… your heart is truly black.
Kakuzu's plan—
Had gone too far.
There was no turning back.
Sakumo swallowed hard.
After this…
I'm done.
I'm retiring.
No more missions.
No more schemes.
I'm getting married.
Having children.
Preserving the bloodline.
Because at this rate—
He might not live long enough otherwise.
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