The Hokage's office.
Rinjin sat leisurely on the guest sofa, holding a cup of hot tea in his hands.
Beside him was a visibly irritated Danzo Shimura, his face darkened with frustration.
For reasons unknown, Rinjin had suddenly sought him out, claiming he had a "big business deal" to discuss—so big that it would make Danzo willingly wash his underwear.
Damn it! Even if I die, even if I die out there in the wilderness, I'll never wash his damn underwear!
Yet, under Rinjin's relentless persuasion, shameless grins, and physical dragging, Danzo begrudgingly agreed to come to the Hokage's office.
Meanwhile, Rinjin was enjoying his tea with a smug expression.
His plan had reached its final stages, and everything was falling into place.
And at this moment, how could he proceed without a "master tactician" to blow things up?
So, it's decided—Danzo, you're the man! Time for you to self-destruct!
Back to the matter at hand.
The ever-busy Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was still buried under a mountain of paperwork, leaving Rinjin and Danzo to wait a little while longer.
Soon, the sun rose in the east and set in the west. By the time Rinjin had made his fifteenth trip to the restroom, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally finished his work.
Looking at the visibly exhausted Hiruzen, Rinjin couldn't help but quip:
"Uncle Hiruzen, have you ever considered hiring some young and beautiful secretaries?"
Hearing this, Hiruzen's face stiffened, and he turned his head away in exasperation.
Beside him, Danzo's old face twitched, and a sly smirk briefly crossed his lips as he muttered under his breath:
"Biwa Sarutobi~"
Holy crap!
No wonder you never dare bring your crystal ball home. The truth is out!
Clearing his throat heavily, Rinjin suppressed his grin and adopted a serious tone.
"Alright, enough joking around. I do have something important to discuss with you both today."
Hearing this, Danzo rolled his eyes in exasperation.
He had long since given up on holding any hopeful expectations about Rinjin.
Having dealt with him countless times, Danzo had come to understand one undeniable truth:
This guy is a trap! A damn pit! A bottomless one you can't climb out of!
Unfazed by Danzo's inner grumblings, Rinjin continued speaking, his tone calm yet deliberate:
"The iron ore trade in the Land of Iron has been under my control for years. Over the past three years, I've steadily driven up the prices, bit by bit."
Starting with a bombshell, both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura furrowed their brows, their gazes locking onto Rinjin with intensity.
Unbothered by their reactions, Rinjin pressed on:
"Right now, to put it bluntly, the price of iron has risen to a point where even the Five Great Nations are struggling to afford it.
If I push it any further, I believe the Hidden Villages will stop buying altogether, leaving iron with no market value."
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded silently.
For Konoha, this wasn't entirely a bad thing.
As the village most eager for peace—and the one most afraid of war—Konoha's central geographic position made it vulnerable to attacks from all sides.
While high iron prices might discourage war, Hiruzen had no intention of letting the situation spiral out of control. He had already prepared to bring up the issue in the next council meeting to instruct the village's clans to cease their involvement.
Like a delicate balance, the iron prices were tolerable as long as they remained high. But if they soared too high, it would backfire and crush everyone involved.
Simply put, this was more dangerous than a Tailed Beast Bomb.
As Hiruzen pondered, Rinjin suddenly shifted the conversation.
"But this balloon can't pop yet. At least, not now!
I… need a war. A war to inflate this balloon even further!"
At these words, Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his hand on the desk and stood up abruptly, his voice filled with anger:
"Rinjin, we can discuss anything, but starting a war is absolutely out of the question!"
For once, even Danzo Shimura nodded in agreement. This was a line that could not be crossed.
Seeing their reactions, Rinjin chuckled and raised a finger to his lips.
"Shh~ Hear me out.
A war doesn't have to be real. It doesn't even have to exist.
A fake war—a phantom war—to inflate the balloon even bigger, even higher!
Then, we split the cake three ways.
Trust me, this cake is big enough to satisfy everyone in the village!"
With a confident smirk, Rinjin locked eyes with the pensive Hiruzen Sarutobi, his gaze sharp and unwavering.
Silence filled the room.
It wasn't until the ANBU lit the candles that Hiruzen snapped out of his thoughts and issued an order:
"From this moment on, seal off the Hokage's office. No one is allowed in or out without my permission!
And summon Sakumo Hatake!"
"Understood!"
The ANBU disappeared in an instant, and before long, Sakumo Hatake entered without knocking, closing the door behind him and standing guard with his back against it.
Seeing this, Rinjin knew he had won.
A man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders would never refuse a chance to drink water—even if it wasn't clean.
Sure enough, Hiruzen Sarutobi furrowed his brows and fixed his gaze on Rinjin, his voice low and serious:
"Details. The more specific, the better, Rinjin."
Hearing this, Rinjin nodded heavily and began to explain:
"For three years, I've worked to make everyone believe that iron prices are rock solid, that nothing holds its value better than iron.
At the current price, since my return, I've only released 1,000 tons of iron.
Yet the price has climbed to 380,000 ryō per ton.
In three days, I plan to release 4,000 tons in one go and raise the price to 600,000 ryō per ton!
Based on my calculations, this is still far below the market's saturation point. But 24 billion ryō is more than enough for the three of us to share.
That's why we need a war—something to make everyone believe that iron prices can still skyrocket!"
As Rinjin's unwavering words echoed in the room, a rare bead of sweat appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's forehead.
Breaking the silence, Danzo Shimura suddenly asked:
"Can you guarantee that this price will sell?"
Hearing this, Rinjin sneered.
"Ever heard of added value?
In the future, iron ore will only become scarcer. Every piece of iron today could be the last to be forged into a weapon.
Iron prices will only rise, never fall.
I've already planted this idea in their minds. If you've seen the madness in their eyes, you wouldn't doubt me for a second."
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked the most critical question:
"What does Konoha—or I—need to sacrifice?"
At this, Rinjin chuckled.
"Just a few enemies."
Without pausing, he continued:
"The Sand Village? The Third Kazekage has Magnet Release. Their losses will be minimal, and the Kazekage has already profited a lot from me. No real hostility there.
The Stone Village? They lost the Four-Tails and were ravaged by the Raikage. They're crippled for at least 10-20 years.
The Mist Village? They're too isolated to bother. Ignore them.
The Cloud Village? Temporary allies sharing the burden. Ignore them too.
That leaves only small fry—hardly worth mentioning."
At this moment, Rinjin's eyes glinted coldly.
If they take the money, I'll take the people.
If these small nations don't value their people, I'll take them all.
War cheapens life, but I'll give those lives purpose.
Let the empty battlefields be theirs to fight over.
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I apologize everyone, I mixed up the chapters. Thank you all for your reminders - it has been fixed now. This weekend, I will update two additional chapters for this book. Wishing you all a pleasant reading experience.