"So… it's really done?"
"I actually spent one million ryō in one go?"
Shimura Danzō handed over the money in a daze, completing the tulip transaction. It wasn't until the deal was finalized and the clerk led him toward the warehouse to collect the goods that reality finally caught up with him.
He had really spent one million ryō.
On flowers.
A full one million ryō.
But regret came too late. The exchange was complete—money paid, goods secured. Returning them wasn't realistic, and Danzō felt he couldn't afford to lose face like that.
"Ninja-sama, these are the tulips you purchased," the clerk said politely.
"Every single one is top-grade, fully blooming stock."
Danzō looked at the flowers before him.
He had to admit—they were beautiful.
But still… trading one million ryō for a pile of flowers felt a bit too reckless.
I really acted on impulse.
At this moment, Danzō was exactly like a novice who had just stepped into the world of speculation—nervous, fearful, excited, all at once.
It was a feeling difficult to describe, and only those who had experienced it would truly understand.
"Ninja-sama, would you like these tulips delivered to your residence?"
"If it's nearby, we can transport them for free. But if it's far, tulips are very delicate—professional handlers will be required."
"Our exchange can arrange that as well."
"Of course, if you'd like to store them for a period of time, we also offer custodial services. The price is a little high, but absolutely worth it. During storage, any damage will be compensated at full value."
The clerk's service was impeccable, carefully explaining every option.
This level of after-sales support was precisely why this tulip exchange had grown so rapidly during this boom.
"Hm. You really have everything thought out," Danzō nodded.
He genuinely appreciated merchants like this. Their service awareness was excellent—nothing like the profiteers he'd dealt with that morning.
Naturally, he had no intention of taking the tulips home. There was no way the place he shared with Sarutobi Hiruzen could hold so many flowers.
More importantly, he didn't want Hiruzen to know about this at all.
"This is my personal decision."
"I'll store them here."
"Understood, honored customer."
The clerk smiled knowingly. Another tulip speculator—nothing unusual.
What surprised him was that even ninja were now getting involved.
When the clerk quoted the storage fee, Danzō frowned deeply.
Expensive. Damn expensive.
Still, he paid without argument.
At this point, there was no turning back.
He could only hope the tulips would bring him some profit—even a few tens of thousands of ryō would be fine.
Once everything was settled, Danzō left the tulip exchange and prepared to return to his procurement duties.
But he hadn't gone far before his heart began to pound uncontrollably.
A vague, creeping fear welled up inside him.
"…Forget it. The procurement mission can wait," he muttered to himself.
"Finishing the entire list will take at least a month anyway. One afternoon won't matter."
"This is one million ryō!"
At this moment, Danzō completely lost any desire to continue his mission.
His thoughts were entirely consumed by the tulip trade.
He convinced himself almost instantly, turned around, and headed straight back to the tulip market.
The tulip exchange was just as lively as before.
People streamed through constantly, voices overlapping in noisy excitement—desire, greed, and obsession filling the air.
Yet the moment Danzō stepped inside, his racing heart began to slow.
That vague sense of fear gradually faded away.
He suddenly realized—
I really like this place.
The merchants spoke pleasantly.
Being here felt strangely comforting, almost like returning home.
"Ninja-sama? You've come back already?"
The clerk who had served him earlier noticed him wandering the market and approached at once.
A good salesman never missed a potential opportunity.
"Oh, I don't have much to do this afternoon," Danzō replied casually.
"Just thought I'd look around."
Of course, he couldn't admit the truth—that stepping outside made his heart race, and only here did he feel calm again.
"Oh~ I see."
"In that case, Ninja-sama, why not rest in that room over there?"
"There's free tea inside, and we display the latest tulip prices."
"These prices are jointly compiled by several influential figures and major merchants. They're updated once per day now—eventually it may be twice a day… perhaps even every few hours."
The clerk instantly understood what kind of customer Danzō was.
He'd seen many like him.
Rather than expose it, he kindly guided Danzō toward the room where he could sit, drink tea, and watch the price movements.
"Mm. Thank you for the suggestion."
"You're welcome. If you plan to buy tulips again in the future, please allow me to serve you."
Danzō nodded in agreement. The clerk really was attentive.
He hadn't expected the tulip exchange's services to be this refined—daily price updates alone required enormous information-gathering capabilities.
As a ninja, Danzō was keenly aware of how difficult that was.
Those people behind this must have tremendous influence.
He didn't dwell on it further and walked into the room.
The moment he entered, Danzō saw a massive blackboard.
Written on it was today's tulip price, along with a chart showing recent fluctuations.
The trend climbed in waves—clearly upward.
Not long ago, there had been a sudden surge where prices doubled in a single day. After that, they stabilized and continued rising steadily.
Even when prices dipped briefly, they almost always rebounded the very next day.
After studying it carefully, Danzō came to a conclusion.
"…This kind of market is very healthy."
As he voiced his judgment, others in the room noticed the newcomer and gradually gathered around him.
Speculators had only two real hobbies:
Praising how bright the market outlook was—
And boasting about how much money they'd made.
Before long, Danzō blended in seamlessly.
He had only just entered the market.
Right now, he desperately needed that sense of reassurance.
PS : I've been consistently releasing chapters and If you want to support my work and read the complete fic (all chapters - soon more chapters will be uploaded ), you can check
out my P@treon ->patreon.com/Chakraflow789
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789