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When the price of Tulips rose to the point where they could be exchanged for land, property, and even when prostitutes parted their legs, saying, "Give me a Tulip bulb, and I'm yours for the week," everyone began to lose their minds, believing in this myth of instant wealth, recklessly mortgaging and selling their possessions just to get their hands on a Tulip.
But then, no one was selling anymore.
Everyone knew that Tulips would continue to rise in price, like a ninjutsu of infinite fission. The harder they were to buy, the higher the price went. The higher the price, the harder they were to buy…
Everyone was convinced that Tulip bulbs were as valuable as gold in a time of war.
This was no longer just a handful of merchants driving the trend—all the commoners and nobles who believed in the myth of wealth began to believe it too…
Even the nobility began to move beyond simply "using" them, unlocking their long-sealed treasuries and exchanging gold, cash, and chakra metal for Tulips to hoard.
This insane wave reached its peak when a purple-red Tulip was pinned to the lapel of the Land of Lightning's Daimyo's wife!
It was said that the purple-red Tulip cost as much as 500,000 ryo!
The madness had reached such a point that even the Land of Lightning's Daimyo heard rumors about the Tulips.
Encouraged by the Daimyo's wife, he opened the Land of Lightning's treasury and used the gold and silver to buy Tulips. Gradually, the warehouses originally used to store cash and gold were filled with Tulips.
And part of the funds used to buy these Tulips was originally planned as subsidies for Kumogakure.
This was technically against regulations, but neither the Land of Lightning's ministers nor the Daimyo himself cared.
As they put it: "What's the big deal? The price of Tulips will keep rising. We can easily make up the difference by selling some later."
Until—
The Raikage, A, entered the Daimyo's estate and was told that the Daimyo and his wife were attending a party at a wealthy merchant's mansion.
A immediately turned around, found the mansion, and barged in, ignoring the guards' attempts to stop him.
The party was filled with people of immense wealth—every guest's net worth was probably over 100 million ryo. The vibrant Tulips pinned to their chests were the best proof of that.
Compared to them, A, dressed in a simple white open-front shirt, looked completely out of place.
The partygoers seemed to be discussing a rare red Tulip bulb, which the merchant had put up for auction.
Purple Tulips were arranged around it as a backdrop.
Purple wasn't a symbol of nobility—it was just a matter of scarcity. Now that purple Tulips were becoming common, red was becoming rare.
A patiently tried to speak directly to the Daimyo, explaining the situation. But he was repeatedly blocked by the Land of Lightning's envoy, who had been sent to the Five Great Nations Summit. "The Daimyo is attending an important meeting. You can talk to him later! Remember, you're just a ninja!"
A, with his volatile temper, couldn't take it anymore, especially when he heard that the Daimyo had used the aid subsidies originally intended for Kumogakure to buy these flowers.
All the frustration he had been suppressing burst out!
The villagers were directing their anger at the Raikage Tower, and although they didn't say it directly, they were secretly blaming him for his inaction. But where could A vent his frustration?
He ripped off the frameless glasses he wore to appear refined and crushed them in his hand.
Angrily shoving the Land of Lightning's envoy aside, he stormed into the auction venue.
The Daimyo, nobles, and merchants looked at A in astonishment as he burst into the party.
A angrily said, "Tulips, Tulips, it's all about these damn Tulips! The entire Daimyo's estate is talking about Tulips! Do you know that Konoha's shuriken have already entered the Land of Lightning?!"
The Daimyo was oblivious to the impending doom, still rambling about Tulips.
The nobles and merchants looked nervously at A, then at the Land of Lightning's Daimyo.
Their eyes seemed to say: "Your subordinate is going rogue—are you just going to stand there and watch?"
The Land of Lightning's Daimyo's face darkened. This foolish Raikage—couldn't he wait until after the party to talk to him? Was it about the allocation of funds? What a joke—he could double the amount after selling the Tulips.
The Land of Lightning's Daimyo's face was grim, but he didn't want to escalate the situation.
After all, the Daimyo and the Raikage were one and the same. The Land of Lightning also needed A to lead Kumogakure and earn face and cash at the upcoming Fire Festival.
"A, there's time to talk later. You should leave now."
"Later? It'll be too late then, Daimyo! I'm here to bring you to your senses!"
Then, in full view of everyone, A walked over to the auction item, casually plucked a Tulip, and without hesitation, channeled his chakra to turn it black and withered.
He wasn't satisfied with that. A grabbed another Tulip, directly put it in his mouth, and crunched it, spitting it out with a "ptui."
"Do you see?!"
"This Tulip is just a flower! What value does it have?! It can't be used to make ninjutsu tools like chakra metal, and it can't be eaten to satisfy your hunger!"
"Tell me! What's the use of Tulips?! Will they block Konoha's shuriken? Only the ninjas of Kumogakure can defend against Konoha's attacks! Why didn't you think about using the money to buy Tulips to aid the village and build a defense against Konoha?"
A desperate situation calls for desperate measures. But A's persuasive skills were lacking. His speech didn't enlighten the Land of Lightning's upper class—it only heightened their anxiety.
Especially the Daimyo, whose face was visibly darkening, and his mouth was twitching.
A had destroyed two Tulips, worth 100,000 ryo each!
The ladies and young ladies, horrified by his crude behavior, let out screams.
It seemed as if he hadn't chewed and electrocuted a Tulip, but them. Excitedly, they arched their backs, subconsciously clamping their legs together, fearing that their husbands would do the same.
The Fourth Raikage… was truly a crude man. If he treated them the way he treated the flower… they couldn't even imagine it.
The Land of Lightning's Daimyo, who had been repeatedly humiliated, was furious and slammed his fist on the table: "Enough, A! I am the Land of Lightning's Daimyo! You don't have the right to speak here. Get out immediately!"
"Daimyo, you…" A clenched his fists, then reluctantly relaxed them, turning to leave in frustration. As the shadow of a village, he could only stand guard at the entrance to the party.
If he were ten years younger, with his personality, he might have confronted the Daimyo on the spot. But now, he carried the weight of the entire village on his shoulders and couldn't afford to antagonize the Daimyo.
Now it seemed… persuading the Daimyo to revoke the treaty was a hopeless dream. The most important thing was to get the Daimyo to release the aid funds originally allocated to Kumogakure and buy ninjutsu tools. If the Daimyo indefinitely delayed this money… the village might not even be able to prepare enough ninjutsu tools for the war.
How could they fight that war? By having Cloud ninjas withstand Konoha's metal ninjutsu with their bare bodies?
"Sigh…"
A's intrusion did cause some people to think, and they began to re-examine whether Tulips were truly valuable.
Confidence in Tulips began to waver, and the upper class began to quietly sell off their Tulips.
The upper class's actions triggered a follow-up, and more and more people chose to sell their Tulips. For a time, the price of Tulips on the market began to fall…
If left unchecked, a panic sell-off could occur. But this wasn't what Gojo Kaigetsu wanted—he wanted to cripple the Four Great Nations, not just clip their wings.
Therefore… an invisible black hand reached out and frantically bought up the Tulips being sold on the market.
With the intervention of the invisible black hand, the price of Tulips didn't fall—it rose to a new peak!
Those nobles who had lost confidence and sold their Tulips after A's appearance were regretting it… They had lost at least ten million ryo in this round trip!
They all cursed the Raikage.
The market was reignited with confidence, and the people of the Land of Lightning began to even more frantically sell their ancestral possessions and cash to pursue Tulips.
And when the price of Tulips reached a critical point…
Konoha entered the scene, ready to burst the bubble and reap the rewards.
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