Land of Lightning
Two days later.
The stores of Blue Sky Project Co. Ltd.. in various cities remain locked.
The vast majority of those who participated in the Blue Sky Project still did not notice anything unusual.
However, a group of timid and impatient investors gathered at the company's store entrance, discussing the matter animatedly.
"What should we do? Why isn't the door open yet!"
"What's everyone panicking about!"
"The company is still in a meeting, there's no use in you rushing!"
"You've only invested a little money, and you're already panicking? I've put my entire fortune in! My uncle's brother invested even more than me, and he's not worried at all! You bunch of cowards!"
"If you're not worried, why are you even here? Go home and wait!"
"I just came to take a look, what's the rush?!"
Perhaps the meeting at headquarters just took a little longer this time. Don't panic, don't panic!
The "leeks" (a metaphor for retail investors) are encouraging themselves, hypnotizing and encouraging each other, saying that the company members are still in a meeting and will be back tomorrow.
That must be it!!
Then three more days passed.
Many investors are feeling uneasy, as the withdrawal date for the long-term user reward event is just a day or two away.
Why is the meeting at Blue Sky Project Co. Ltd.. taking so long this time?!
Fear was spreading, especially among those who had gone all in on gambling with their entire fortunes. They would sit on small stools in front of stores in various cities, not going home even late at night.
To be precise, they no longer have a home; their house has been mortgaged.
A day or two later, on the day of withdrawal, the store remained locked. Some of the more crazed gamblers, in a fit of rage, smashed the locks and stormed inside, demanding an explanation.
But upon entering, I was immediately stunned. The store was completely empty, except for the flyers scattered on the floor and the red banners hanging on the walls. There was nothing else!
"Scam!!"
"Those scammers have run off with the money!!!"
"Impossible, impossible! The company treats us like family, how could they possibly run away?!"
"Hahaha, I knew it! There's no such thing as a free lunch. Luckily, I withdrew all the money already!!"
Ponzi schemes aren't particularly sophisticated; they simply prey on human nature and, with their unparalleled financial resources, inflate the Utakata. As the bubble grows larger, more and more people believe in the company and hustle and bustle for their share of the pyramid scheme's commissions.
Of course, even the most sophisticated scams will be seen through by clever people.
Over the course of more than a year, a few wise individuals have spoken out, claiming that this company is a fraudulent shell company.
There's no such thing as a free lunch!
But when it comes to self-interest, the voices of wise people are too faint. Even if they are heard, their advice will only sound harsh to the masses, and they may even be attacked.
"You bunch of cowards! You're just timid and broke, only jealous of others making money."
"I'd rather die a glorious death than live a mediocre life. Life gives you so many opportunities to seize. Blue Sky Project Co. Ltd.. is a good company that treats us like family."
"."
When everyone is making money, no one pays attention to what smart people say, until this moment when everything has finally settled down.
This is a scam!!
Someone climbed a tall building and jumped off.
Some people were so angry that they reported it to the authorities, wanting an explanation.
Some people still refuse to give up and believe in their families.
The farce alarmed most of the Land of Lightning, and news about Blue Sky Project Co. Ltd.. suddenly became the hot topic in the Land of Lightning.
Rumors spread like wildfire.
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning ordered the Kumogakure to thoroughly investigate the matter.
However, the Daimyo's order came several days late, and the Kumogakure had already taken action on its own initiative; the entire village was a victim.
Damn it, the sky has fallen!!
Someone actually dared to deceive the Kumogakure! Do they really think the Kumogakure is too weak to fight?
The ninja army that was marching to the front lines has all turned around. Their home base has been raided; what's the point of fighting anymore? They should arrest those swindlers first!!
The Kumogakure moved quickly. The few Hidden Iwagakure Ninja responsible for the final cleanup were captured by the enraged, dark-skinned giants while fleeing the border of the Land of Lightning. They first beat the group of Hidden Stone Village ninjas severely, leaving them barely alive. Then, Medical Ninja kept them alive until finally, a specialized ninja used a mental technique to extract information from their brains.
Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure had been plotting for over a year. Their superior was Mr. Pangzi, who, according to rumors, had made 100 million ryo using futures in the Land of Fire. He was the person in charge of the green-eyed man.
Kumogakure
Emergency Meeting Room
"Fuck you!!!"
This is outrageous!!!
The Third Ai slammed his hand on the table, shattering it. After reading the information extracted from the torture, he felt utterly hopeless.
Damn Konoha! Damn Iwagakure! Damn Sunagakure!!!
" Lord Raikage, what should we do now? Many villagers have poured their life savings into their investments, their life's work gone in an instant. They've already surrounded the Raikage Building, demanding an explanation from you!"
"Yes, our family also invested, and lost a lot of money. We weren't planning to invest at all, it was all because of you Lord Raikage."
"Yeah, yeah!!"
" Lord Raikage, you must take responsibility!!"
The Kumogakure's higher-ups collectively turned their anger towards the Third Ai, A, leaving the hot-tempered old man speechless; he was a victim too!
"Oh no, Lord Raikage!!"
Suddenly, an Anbu ninja rushed in from outside the door, shouting loudly.
"What happened?!"
"Your home!! Your home has been burned down by the villagers!"
"What??"
My house burned down?
The Third Ai, A, widened his eyes. He was the Raikage! The hot-tempered man was about to explode, but then softened, looking ten years older in an instant. He waved his hand and said:
"Let it burn; it's all my fault."
Despite his volatile temper, the Third Ai was still a man of principle, and without Danzo like Danzo, he had to shoulder all the blame alone.
But the problem now isn't who should take the blame, it's who will make up for this enormous deficit.
The Kumogakure's finances have completely collapsed, the ninja clan's finances have collapsed, and the villagers are destitute, so much so that they want to become aerial acrobats.
Just a month ago, Kumogakure was a vibrant and thriving place, a place where everything flourished... Now, the Third Ai, felt as if he were dreaming, a terrifying nightmare.
If only it were just a nightmare, this is the brutal reality!!
The Third Ai even wanted to end his life; this burden of blame was just too heavy, too dark, he couldn't bear it, he just couldn't bear it!
"Those damn liars!!"
"Mr. Pang Zi!!!"
" Konoha is full of bastards!!"
"And then there's Sunagakure, they're allies with Konoha, they're in cahoots!!"
"If you ask me, Iwagakure is the biggest bastard. They're clearly allies with Kumogakure, but they secretly collude with Konoha to deceive us."
The high-ranking members of Kumogakure were arguing amongst themselves at the meeting, and when the Third Ai, heard the complaints, his anger instantly reached its peak.
right!!
I can't just die like this!!
At the very least, I can't commit suicide; I want to die together with those bastards!!!
"Gentlemen, this matter is entirely my responsibility. I have no money to compensate you all, and I have no face to continue sitting in this Raikage's position."
"But I'm not reconciled. I want revenge!!"
"In this world, no one can deceive me and still live a carefree and happy life without getting hurt."
The Third Ai spoke through gritted teeth, which resonated deeply with the high-ranking members of the Kumogakure, causing their anger to surge rapidly.
" Lord Raikage, give the order!"
"Being alive but losing money is hell! Even if I die, I won't let those scammers get away with it!!"
"Revenge!!"
We demand justice!
The internal conflict within Kumogakure quickly turned into an external conflict, and the Third Ai, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Gentlemen, first we must choose our first target for revenge: Konoha, Sunagakure, or Iwagakure?"
Despite his anger, the Third Ai remained rational. Declaring war on three ninja villages by one would only lead to certain death; he had to proceed cautiously.
"Take down Konoha first, Konoha is the mastermind!!"
" Sunagakure, they're the weakest. Let's pick on the weakest and eliminate the easiest enemies first!"
"Idiot, Sunagakure is too far away from us, and they've even allied with Konoha. If you ask me, we should choose Iwagakure. Those scoundrels, those treacherous backstabbers, they deserve to die!"
"Well said, I agree!!!"
"Kill the Iwagakure first!!!"
A group of hot-tempered men instantly found their way: Konoha was powerful, and now that Kumogakure's finances were in ruins, they were no match for Konoha.
Although Sunagakure is relatively weak, it is too far away and has the ally Konoha behind it.
Iwagakure is a backstabbing dog; everyone should kill them!!
The atmosphere at the meeting was immediately stirred up; Iwagakure became the primary target, and this treacherous ninja village had to be eliminated.
But what about Amegakure?
" The Daimyo's Order"
A pointed question was raised: the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning was urging the Kumogakure to destroy the Amegakure as if he were insane, and even provided a large sum of money.
Although half of the funds had already been swindled away by Blue Sky Project Co. Ltd..
"To hell with your Daimyo!!"
"I've taken over Iwagakure! Even the Daimyo can't stop him, I mean it!!"
"They've been bullied like this. If we don't retaliate, how can Kumogakure maintain its standing in the Ninja world? It will become Ninja world!"
The Kumogakure's leadership immediately ignored the situation with the Amegakure. They believed in settling scores and seeking justice, and if they didn't point the finger at Iwagakure, one of the culprits, the Kumogakure might just disband on the spot.
"Now that everyone has made up their minds, it's settled. We'll first seek revenge against Iwagakure. We'll gather all the remaining funds in the village and catch Iwagakure off guard. Since Iwagakure cheated us out of our money, we'll make it up to them from the Land of Earth!"
The Third Ai said with a fierce expression.
"Yes, sir!!"
The high-ranking members of Kumogakure) spoke in unison, and then began discussing battle plans. Iwagakure ) was already quite strong, and now that they had swindled so much money, they were practically a tiger with wings.
This is a fierce battle!
"This time, let's bring both the Gyūki and the Two-Tailed along!"
"But the Sealing Jutsu for the Jinchuriki isn't ready yet!"
"We can't worry about that now, we have to catch Iwagakure off guard!"
" Lord Raikage, what's your opinion?"
"I have no objection!"
The Third Ai, A, now only wants to go all out. As for the Tailed Beast and Jinchuriki, he doesn't care about any of that anymore. The village is already in such a state of collapse; whether it has a future is uncertain.
This will also allow Iwagakure to experience the power of the Gyūki' tentacles!
The high-ranking members of Kumogakure, burning with the flames of revenge, spent an entire afternoon planning their revenge scheme, ultimately deciding on an attack on Iwagakure.
We must rush to the vicinity of Iwagakure as quickly as possible, then release the Gyūki and Two-Tailed to cause chaos, and take this opportunity to defeat Iwagakure's main force. Then, the Kumogakure ninjas should break up into smaller groups and plunder the Land of Earth to make up for the losses incurred by Kumogakure this time.
This attack plan is called -- " Flash Attack Iwagakure!"
Konoha
"What a big change! The road has been widened again?"
"What's that roaring sound coming from that long vehicle?"
"Finally back"
"You're home."
The ninjas who carried out the Ponzi scheme gradually returned to Konoha. After a year away, Konoha had become even more prosperous, even differing significantly from the Konoha they remembered.
But... it's all good news, all good news...
Hatake Sakumo and Kakuzu returned to Konoha and immediately went to the Hokage Building to report on the operation.
Uchiha Nan poured a glass of iced cola for Hatake Sakumo and Kakuzu, and listened to their detailed account of the operation. Although there were some minor setbacks, everything went smoothly overall.
" Konoha made a lot of money this time!"
"It's those 'leeks' (victims) who suffer the most."
Uchiha Nan picked up Kakuzu's earnings report, and the series of zeros on it were extremely eye-catching. This was all the money that had been plundered from the people of the Land of Lightning. Countless ordinary people and nobles had been deceived, and even a small number of high-ranking officials in the Land of Lightning had been Kakuzu.
" Hatake Sakumo, why are you drinking cola with a mask on? Doesn't that seem like a hassle?"
Seeing Hatake Sakumo drinking cola with only half a mask on, Uchiha Nan asked with some confusion.
" Lord Hokage, I'm going to develop the good habit of wearing a mask at all times. From now on, I'll even wear a mask while eating."
Hatake Sakumo remained unmoved; for the sake of his safety for the rest of his life, he knew he had to be constantly cautious.
"He's a coward, always afraid his enemies will come looking for revenge!"
Kakuzu glanced at Hatake Sakumo with disdain and spoke in a contemptuous tone.
"Nonsense! You're the one directing from behind, while I'm out there giving speeches. I even personally negotiated with those black bastards in Kumogakure. I don't know how long I can keep my identity a secret!"
"It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering!"
"Who told you to cheat me with futures trading!"
"That's because you're stupid!"
"This is your retribution; you've committed countless evil deeds!!"
Kakuzu still obsessed with his 1 billion ryo. If it weren't for Hatake Sakumo being his partner, he would have cut off Hatake Sakumo's head long ago Bounty Exchange exchange.
"Stop arguing, stop arguing, this is all old news."
"Why are you bringing up old grievances again?"
Uchiha Nan immediately ended the argument between Hatake Sakumo and Kakuzu.
In the past, the two of them had argued in front of her countless times, and she was already tired of listening to it.
The two snorted coldly and fell silent.
Then, Kakuzu pulled a bounty poster out of his pocket.
"Oh, by the way, Lord Hokage, may I accept Hanzo the Salamander?"