Time passed quickly.
An entire afternoon slipped away in the blink of an eye.
Shimura Danzō reluctantly left the Tulip Trading Market, as it was almost time to meet up with Hiruzen Sarutobi as they had agreed.
"Danzo, how did things go this afternoon?"
"I visited three or four shops in a row and finally reached an agreement with one of them."
Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Shimura Danzō about his afternoon, but Danzo had spent the whole time at the Tulip Trading Market chatting with those speculators, so he could only brush him off.
"Hiruzen, don't even mention it. All I ran into were crooked merchants."
"I'll try again tomorrow."
Danzo spoke dismissively, though his face wore an annoyed expression. Hiruzen Sarutobi did not suspect much, however. He had also encountered a bunch of crooked merchants and had only managed to settle on a suitable price with one shop after considerable effort.
So it was understandable that Danzo had simply been unlucky.
"Then let's call it a day."
"Let's have dinner first, then get a good rest tonight. We still have work to do tomorrow."
That was what Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
Unlike Danzo, who had sat alone in the Tulip Trading Hall chatting with those people and drinking free tea, Hiruzen had been busy all afternoon. His mouth was dry, and he felt exhausted in both body and mind.
"Mm."
Shimura Danzō nodded, letting out a long breath inwardly. He had finally managed to fool Hiruzen.
The two went to the restaurant where they had eaten lunch and, as usual, ordered two bowls of miso soup first to wet their throats.
"The miso soup really is delicious."
The moment Hiruzen Sarutobi saw the miso soup placed on the table, he eagerly took a large gulp and sighed in satisfaction.
But when he raised his head—
He saw Shimura Danzō absentmindedly stirring the spoon in his bowl, showing none of Hiruzen's thirst as he failed to take even a sip. So Hiruzen asked, "Danzo, why aren't you drinking your miso soup?"
"Oh, right. It's too hot. I'll let it cool first."
Shimura Danzō snapped out of his daze. He was sitting in the restaurant, but his heart had been left behind at the Tulip Trading Market. As for miso soup?
He had drunk tea in that room all afternoon. He was not thirsty at all!
Before long.
The dishes were brought to the table. Hiruzen Sarutobi ate heartily as he had at noon, while Danzo put down his chopsticks after only a few bites.
Hiruzen tried several times to strike up a conversation, but Danzo brushed him off every time. Still, he thought he understood how Danzo felt.
"Danzo must be upset because he got nothing done this afternoon..."
"Heh, but I did a little better than him."
"Still, I can teach him some bargaining tricks tonight."
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a faint sense of pride, but he still intended to encourage Danzo that evening. After all, they were companions!
Meanwhile, Danzo was still wondering whether Tulip would rise tomorrow.
If it surged, he could rub it in Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.
Amid a rather silent atmosphere, the two finished dinner, each with his own schemes.
After returning to their lodging, Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to break the silence and teach Shimura Danzō a few small bargaining tricks.
But Danzo refused, speaking exactly like a middle-aged man who had worked all day and returned home exhausted to face his wife.
"Hiruzen, I'm too tired today. Let's talk tomorrow."
"Alright."
Hiruzen Sarutobi could only nod, and the two settled down to rest.
That night, Hiruzen Sarutobi slept deeply and began snoring before long, because he really had worked all day.
Shimura Danzō, however, tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. He was still thinking about Tulip. That was an investment of one million ryo!
A long time passed like that.
In his hazy state, he drifted into a disorienting dream. Danzo had two dreams in a row. In the first, he dreamed that he had lost everything, only for Tobirama Senju to discover it. That shocked him awake at once. After calming himself down, he closed his eyes again and pretended to sleep. Before he knew it, he fell into another dream. This time, he made a fortune. Tobirama Senju praised him repeatedly and even accepted him as a disciple. In the end, he even—
Soon, dawn arrived.
Hiruzen Sarutobi woke up refreshed and pushed Shimura Danzō, who was still lost in his beautiful dream.
"Danzo, wake up."
"Enough, Hiruzen! I'm the Hokage!"
"What Hokage? Danzo, wake up!"
Shimura Danzō opened his eyes and saw Hiruzen Sarutobi urging him to get up. He quickly came to his senses, then sighed inwardly with a sense of loss. So it was just a dream!
"Danzo, let's go have breakfast first!"
"Then we'll split up again, just like yesterday!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi said this, intending to teach Danzo a few bargaining tricks over breakfast. Shimura Danzō nodded, and the two quickly got dressed and headed to a breakfast shop.
"Danzo, let me tell you about bargaining. First, slash the price in half. After haggling for a while, pretend to leave, then count to three in your head. The owner will definitely turn around and stop you."
"Uh, Hiruzen, what if the owner doesn't turn around to stop you?"
"Then hurry and find another shop. That one's run by a crooked merchant!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with great seriousness, while Shimura Danzō let the words go in one ear and out the other. He could barely wait to rush to the Tulip Trading Market and check Tulip's price for the day.
After breakfast, Danzo watched Hiruzen Sarutobi walk away. After taking a couple of detours, he immediately headed to the Tulip Trading Market he had been longing for.
Tulip Trading Market.
"This place really is lively!"
"It feels like there are even more people than yesterday."
Shimura Danzō looked at the bustling crowd in the Tulip Trading Market and could not help sighing. Then he immediately headed for yesterday's room—Tulip prices were being updated today!
The moment he entered.
Shimura Danzō saw the eye-catching upward figure.
A huge rise!
The price had actually risen by thirty percent!
"I made three hundred thousand ryo in just one night?"
The delight on Shimura Danzō's face was impossible to hide. The anxiety and fear that had tormented him all night were finally eased.
As more and more people filled the room, the noisy chatter rose again. Danzo ran into the group of friends he had met yesterday. They sat together in small groups, drinking tea while discussing the market.
"It really went up again!"
"There were rumors yesterday that a large group of wealthy merchants from the Land of Earth had come to the Land of Fire together. You newcomers have caught this market at the right time."
"Why did you have insider news again without telling me? If I'd known, I would have increased my position yesterday."
"Tch, insider news? I paid for that insider news!"
Danzo mingled among them with a delighted expression, greedily gathering information about Tulip.
"Hey, newcomer, your name is Danzo, right? How much did you make?"
"Not bad. Three hundred thousand ryo!"
"You're this happy over three hundred thousand ryo? Who here hasn't made at least a million ryo? Tens of millions are ordinary enough, and some people have even made hundreds of millions. Those with the guts to go all-in have already made billions, even tens of billions!"
Listening to this, Shimura Danzō sucked in a breath. Although he did not understand some of the terms, such as all-in, the numbers alone shocked him. Tens of billions of ryo!
How terrifying!
"Brother, what does all-in mean?"
"You don't even know what all-in means? You really are a complete novice!"
"All-in is a kind of wisdom!"
Please follow, bookmark, and vote monthly as usual.
I sat at my desk today and squeezed in time to write two chapters. It felt great!
And lastly, I still have to say this.
Remember to follow! Don't leave me sitting in your backlog, esteemed readers.
Before you continue