This is bonus from before the reset, thank you again guys :)
"Who the hell doesn't know such a simple truth?!"
That's it? That's his grand master plan?! Kyosuke and the other three were instantly furious. They had played the part of obedient students for five minutes just to hear basic economics!
Without a second thought, the four of them tackled Kiichiro, beating him up right then and there. Soon, Kiichiro's face was covered in comic bruises and swelling.
Mishu gritted his teeth, holding Kiichiro in a headlock. "You better say something actually useful, or else I'll make Kyosuke use the Thousand Years of Death on you!"
Kyosuke laughed in disgust, backing away. "Why don't you do it yourself? I don't want to get my hands dirty!"
Hearing the threat, Kiichiro immediately scrambled away, putting his hands firmly over his backside to protect himself.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" Kiichiro surrendered. "Listen! I'm planning to aggressively speculate on grain. Think about it: whether it's kunai, explosive tags, or medicine, large-scale production requires massive manpower and technical facilities, which we simply don't have."
He rubbed his bruised cheek, his tone turning serious. "But grain is different. The barrier to entry is extremely low, the sources are scattered, and the monopoly level is weak. It's cheap to buy in bulk now, making it the perfect commodity for us to hoard."
Chisuke shook his head. "Not us. You. We don't have a single ryo to our names."
Kyosuke nodded in firm agreement. "Exactly. You handle the stressful money-making, and we'll handle the spending. This is called a division of labor. It vastly improves our organizational efficiency."
Kiichiro wasn't surprised by their shamelessness in the slightest. He snorted. "Hmph! Don't think you can just slack off. To maximize profit from grain speculation, I need to know the exact timeline of when the war officially starts."
He looked at the group pointedly. "If I buy too early, my capital chain will snap from storage costs. If I buy too late, the grain prices will have already skyrocketed, and we won't make a dime."
Ooka Shin spoke up first, looking entirely innocent. "Our Akatsuki Organization is just a weak, peace-loving NGO. We don't have the military power to instigate a World War."
Shameless!
The other four glared at Ooka Shin, their eyes filled with absolute contempt.
The Akatsuki? Weak? Peace-loving? Does he think we haven't seen the anime?!
Mishu shrugged next. "I'm just a standard Genin on the frontlines. I have zero access to confidential, high-level intelligence regarding war declarations."
Kyosuke also shook his head. "I'm just a Chunin. Even though Minato is my sensei and likely knows the village's secrets, he would never leak classified military intel to me. He's too strictly by-the-book."
Seeing everyone flawlessly passing the buck, Chisuke also wanted to slack off. "I mean, I'm just a Chunin too..."
The other four suddenly stopped and stared at Chisuke, their eyes radiating intense killing intent.
"Think very carefully before you speak your next sentence," Kiichiro warned darkly.
Seeing the severe threat, Chisuke swallowed hard and quickly rephrased his words.
"I... I am the One-Tails Jinchuriki. The Kazekage will definitely have me prepare extensively right before they launch a strike. Therefore, I can roughly predict the exact week Sunagakure will initiate the war."
At this, Chisuke added a caveat. "Of course, I have no idea if the other hidden villages will strike first."
Kyosuke stroked his chin, analyzing the political board. "Knowing Konoha's style under Hiruzen, they definitely won't fire the first shot. The Hidden Mist is isolated across the sea; if the mainland situation is unclear, they likely won't strike first either. The Third Tsuchikage is a cunning old fox, so he's definitely planning to sit back and reap the benefits after everyone else weakens each other."
Kiichiro nodded in agreement. "That leaves the Raikage. He's notoriously warlike and might mobilize first. I already have some political connections in the Land of Lightning, so I'll focus my intelligence gathering there. In short, as long as we accurately estimate the movements of the Sand and the Cloud, our success rate for this grain monopoly will be near perfect."
The next morning, after waking up from the dreamscape, Kiichiro immediately sought out his trusted butler, Mikuri Tomokazu.
"Are the gifts ready?" Kiichiro asked.
"Young Master, everything is prepared to your exact specifications."
"Let's go."
Kiichiro stepped into a luxurious carriage, heavily loaded with exquisite gifts. Tomokazu jumped onto the driver's bench and cracked the whip.
Half a day later, the carriage arrived at a sprawling, heavily guarded scenic manor.
"Kuriarare Kiichiro requests an audience with Lord Nishio Takeki!"
"The Lord has been expecting you. Please, follow me."
Kiichiro followed a samurai guard deep into the manor. Seeing the beautiful pavilions, artificial rockeries, and pristine lakes, Kiichiro noted that Nishio Takeki certainly knew how to enjoy his wealth.
Kiichiro, utilizing his ninja senses, also noticed that behind the visible samurai guards, there were several highly trained shinobi hidden in the shadows, keeping a close eye on him.
A moment later, in a lavishly decorated hall, Nishio Takeki sat casually on a cushion, receiving Kiichiro with a perfectly practiced, fake smile.
"Ah, I've heard the rumors that the young master of the Kuriarare family is a brilliant prodigy who has opened countless successful hotels across the Land of the Moon. Seeing you in person, you are indeed a promising young man! Hahaha!"
As expected, Kiichiro's rapid wealth accumulation had attracted the greedy eyes of the local nobility. It was precisely for this reason that Kiichiro had come here—he needed Nishio Takeki to act as his political umbrella.
Kiichiro knelt politely, offering a bright, utterly sincere smile.
"My Lord, although I am young, I know that a wise bird carefully chooses a sturdy tree to nest in. I have come today to humbly seek your esteemed patronage."
At that cue, Tomokazu stepped forward and opened a heavy wooden box, revealing a masterfully crafted, solid gold lion statuette inside.
Seeing the sheer size and weight of the solid gold, Nishio Takeki's eyes lit up. His smile instantly became far more genuine.
"Excellent, excellent! You may return to your business without a single worry, my boy. I assure you, absolutely no one will dare to bother your operations in my territory."
"Thank you, My Lord."
Everything went flawlessly. Nishio Takeki was a close, highly influential aide to the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning. With his political backing, Kiichiro's assets were now secure from standard extortion, and he wouldn't have to worry about local thugs or rival merchants.
Leaving the manor, Tomokazu asked respectfully, "Young Master, where are we heading next?"
Kiichiro didn't get into the carriage. "You return to the Land of the Moon immediately and begin liquidating our minor assets to raise massive capital. I have a major play coming up. I have some personal business to attend to and will be away for a few days."
Before Tomokazu could even ask for details, Kiichiro vanished using the Body Flicker technique. The butler could only sigh, snap the reins, and drive the carriage away.
Kiichiro was heading toward the coast. According to his hired informants, Kuroda Hiroki—the man responsible for murdering his parents in this life—had recently been spotted in a seaside town in the Land of the Moon.
Kiichiro hurried, afraid that if he arrived too late, his target would slip away again.
Two days later, in an ordinary, fortified courtyard within the Land of the Moon, Kuroda Hiroki and a few of his subordinates were waiting anxiously.
Suddenly, two dark figures silently dropped onto the courtyard wall. The samurai immediately drew their katanas.
"Who's there?!"
Seeing the distinct forehead protectors on the intruders, Kuroda Hiroki relaxed, raising a hand to lower his men's weapons. "Stand down. Don't be afraid. They are shinobi from the Hidden Mist."
The two Kirigakure ninjas jumped down into the courtyard, offering cold, brief introductions.
"Hidden Mist ninja, Kuriarare Kushimaru."
"Hidden Mist ninja, Mishu."
Underneath his mask, Mishu felt incredibly helpless. After returning to the village from his last brutal mission with Kisame, he had received good news and terrible news.
The good news: Mishu had been officially promoted to Chunin. The terrible news: He had immediately been assigned a highly dangerous political mission.
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, had literally jumped onto his desk to bark the orders at Kushimaru and Mishu.
"Kuroda Hiroki has formed a localized rebel force in the Land of the Moon to resist the Cloud Ninja's aggressive expansion into the area. Recently, he begged us for support. Your mission is to deliver these sealed supplies to him, and then systematically assassinate the Cloud Ninja stationed in the Land of the Moon to relieve the rebels' pressure!"
Mishu wasn't stupid. He knew Yagura's true purpose wasn't nearly so altruistic. The smell of gunpowder in the Ninja World was growing suffocating. The Mizukage's actual goal was to instigate chaos and establish a strategic foothold on the mainland in preparation for the inevitable World War.
Handing over the heavy sealing scroll containing the weapons and supplies to Kuroda Hiroki, Kushimaru's voice rasped from behind his Anbu mask.
"Enough with the pleasantries. Give me the intel on the Cloud Ninja outposts. I can't wait to taste their blood."
Kuroda Hiroki's entire family had been slaughtered by the Cloud Ninja. Driven by deep-seated hatred, he immediately unrolled a detailed topographical map.
"The Cloud Ninja have three heavily fortified strongholds in this region. Here, here, and here. Each outpost is garrisoned by dozens of shinobi, but I haven't been able to ascertain their exact ranks or combat strength."
Kushimaru stared at the map for barely a second before a sharp, sadistic grin stretched beneath his mask.
"Hehe. That's more than enough. We move out immediately!"