A few days had passed since Uchiha Ren secured Tobirama Senju's cooperation. He was still racking his brain, trying to figure out how to "legitimately" move funds to build the laboratory. Then a report from the ANBU came in, and his pupils shrank.
The conference room was already filled for an emergency meeting. Ren sat at the head, his expression grave, while Konoha's upper echelon gathered around him in silence, their faces heavy. They knew this atmosphere too well—every time a large-scale war was about to begin, a meeting like this would be called. Even Mito Uzumaki had arrived, which alone spoke volumes about the severity of the situation.
"According to reliable intelligence, Kirigakure and Iwagakure are mobilizing," Ren said calmly. "They're likely targeting us." As his words fell, the room seemed to grow colder. War again. They had barely recovered from the last one.
"We must avoid war," Hyuga Takuya spoke up. "Konoha cannot sustain a two-front war." Many nodded in agreement. War meant death, and worse—it meant money burning away at an unsustainable rate. They had only just stabilized their finances, and now they were being dragged back into another conflict. The exhaustion was evident, even among the clans.
Ren observed quietly, his thoughts turning. The First Great Ninja War was essentially chaos—each village composed of multiple clans, each carrying their own grudges. Given the opportunity, none would hesitate to stab another in the back. That was the only reason Konoha had survived this long. If the other villages had truly united, Konoha would have already fallen.
Sunagakure had already been crippled. After being beaten by Konoha earlier, they had retreated to lick their wounds. Now, with funding cut, they were likely struggling to survive, possibly even reducing their shinobi numbers to save costs—falling into a slow spiral of decline.
Kirigakure and Iwagakure, on the other hand, had tested Konoha once and retreated, maintaining only low-intensity border conflicts. They were waiting—watching for weakness.
As for Kumogakure, they had been relentless earlier, but now that their Second Raikage was dead, internal instability would likely keep them occupied. They had also signed a peace agreement with Konoha, so it was unlikely they would interfere immediately.
Which meant this situation was nothing more than opportunism—predators circling, waiting to take a bite.
Ren exhaled slowly. Good. This war would likely be more bark than bite.
"Avoid war?" Mito's voice cut through the room, cold and firm. "That's wishful thinking. We cannot rely on the enemy's mercy." Her words were like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone. Peace was never begged for—it was fought for.
Soon, the room reached a consensus. They would prepare for war.
Which meant one thing—money. A lot of it.
"Spies are still gathering intelligence," a logistics officer reported. "If war begins, we must urgently procure supplies—food, medicine, iron. Prices dropped recently due to the treaty with Kumogakure, but once war begins, they will skyrocket. Pig iron is currently at sixty-three thousand ryō per ton. If the war escalates, it could increase five to ten times."
A ripple spread through the room.
"…Wait," Ren interrupted. "Why does iron fluctuate so drastically?"
Nara Shikaku answered calmly, "Because war consumes weapons. Merchants, nobles, even civilians hoard materials during wartime. Iron becomes extremely scarce."
Ren's expression darkened.
These people…
Even daring to profit off war.
And yet—
The shinobi here seemed used to it.
Used to being exploited by those without power.
Ren suddenly remembered the likely outcome of this war—it would fizzle out quickly, ending without decisive results.
A thought formed.
If iron prices were going to skyrocket—
Why couldn't he profit from it?
Speculation.
Futures trading.
The idea crystallized instantly.
Ren needed money. Desperately. Konoha needed it. Tobirama's research needed it. Everything needed it.
And now—
The opportunity had arrived.
Once news of Kirigakure and Iwagakure's mobilization spread, combined with Konoha amplifying the threat—
Iron prices would soar.
He could establish a financial structure—build the foundation of a trading system.
A controlled market.
The beginnings of something far greater.
The clans already dealt in iron through direct trade—mostly spot transactions, negotiating prices upfront and delivering later. Price fluctuations were shared risks, which was why merchants hoarded stock to stabilize their profits.
But futures?
That concept didn't exist yet.
All it required—
Was a powerful guarantor.
And Ren—
Was the strongest guarantor in the shinobi world.
Anyone who dared default—
Would pay with their life.
The more he thought about it—
The more feasible it became.
This wasn't just profit.
This was a system.
A foundation for controlling an economy.
Ren slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the room.
"Everyone," he said calmly.
"I have a proposal."
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