The scam unraveled-time to run!

May, Year 26 of Konoha.

The Angel Fund headquarters in the Capital of the Land of Wind.

As always, a dense crowd had gathered outside the Company's gates before dawn had fully broken.

There were ordinary townsfolk, small vendors, nobles and wealthy merchants from the city, and quite a few merchant caravans from across the Land of Wind. Everyone wore an expectant expression, clutching the contracts from their original investments as they eagerly awaited today's dividend payouts.

"The day has finally come..."

"Heh heh, I've been waiting for this payout so I can get myself a couple of maidservants."

"You little punk. That's all you aspire to?"

Many people chatted with one another, their words brimming with hope as they planned what to buy with their dividends and how much better their lives would become.

As the crowd grew, voices rose all around them. The sun climbed higher, shining down on the Company's imposing headquarters.

Yet the gates, which should have opened on schedule, remained firmly shut.

The doors were locked tight, and the entrance stood empty. No employees came out to greet customers, no managers appeared, and not one of the staff who usually bustled in and out was anywhere to be seen.

Time ticked by, from early morning until the sun stood high overhead.

At first, people merely murmured among themselves, assuming it was not yet time or that the manager had been delayed.

"Why aren't they opening? They're usually open by now."

"Maybe today's dividends are so large that they need extra time to get the money ready?"

"But that still doesn't explain why they're keeping the gates shut..."

"Don't tell me..."

"Shut up! Don't say things like that!"

But even after another long wait, the gates did not budge.

Someone stepped forward and pounded hard