Tulips?
A strange expression appeared on Uchiha Makoto's face, as if he had just discovered a new continent.
He never expected to hear such a familiar name in the shinobi world.
In his previous life on Blue Star, the tulip bubble was practically legendary.
"Darkness," Makoto said immediately, "tell me everything you know about tulips."
"Yes, Leader," Darkness replied.
Although she didn't understand why Makoto was suddenly so interested in flowers, she still explained everything she knew in detail.
After all, this wasn't some state secret.
Anyone who moved in aristocratic circles could learn the full story with a little inquiry.
Although the Fire Country still had countless commoners who couldn't even eat their fill every day, the nobles had long grown accustomed to a life of luxury.
Fine clothes.
Rich food.
Endless banquets.
Life was… boring.
As the saying went—once survival was guaranteed, people began to chase status.
Ordinary antiques, collectibles, and entertainers had already been thoroughly exhausted.
What the Fire Country's aristocrats wanted now was something different—
Something rare.
Something fashionable.
Something that could silently announce both culture and wealth.
And so—
Tulips.
A flower originating from distant overseas islands.
When in bloom, the petals resembled a crown.
The stem stood straight like a sword.
Even the bulb itself looked like a gold ingot.
More importantly—
Tulips were extremely difficult to cultivate.
After planting, it took seven years just to form a proper bulb.
After that, another eight months before the flower bloomed.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect for aristocratic tastes.
At present, tulips were only popular among a small segment of Fire Country nobles—but it was only a matter of time before the trend spread throughout the entire noble class, and eventually across the shinobi world.
"I see…"
Makoto clasped his hands under his chin, a confident smile slowly spreading across his face.
As expected—
No matter the world, privileged elites were all the same.
Once they were fed and clothed, they craved novelty.
Excellent.
You have money.
And I need money.
Make money. Make more money.
"I'm now certain I've thought of an extremely safe—and extremely profitable—plan."
"It's just that the plan is… a little complicated. This room is too small to write it all down."
Makoto had originally planned to earn money in a more gradual, conservative way.
But if there was a chance to make fast money—
Why would he refuse?
Let the tulip bubble inflate in the shinobi world.
"Leader Makoto," Kazuma said hesitantly, "are you thinking about… doing business with tulips?"
He guessed Makoto's intention immediately.
But at heart, Kazuma was still a native of the shinobi world.
He wasn't a transmigrator from some island nation.
For now, he couldn't quite grasp how tulips could generate massive profits.
"Exactly," Makoto nodded.
"But the timing isn't ripe yet. We need to accelerate."
"Accelerate?"
"Yes. I need the name tulip to echo through the entire aristocratic circle, as quickly as possible."
Makoto wasn't worried that a tulip bubble wouldn't work in the shinobi world.
Human greed was universal.
What he did worry about was moving too cautiously.
If you're going to play a high-speed money game, then you go all in.
Hesitation was pointless.
If you're afraid—don't play.
If you play—don't be afraid.
The more participants there were in the game, the better.
"That still sounds… difficult," Kazuma said, frowning.
As a shinobi, he had little interest in noble luxuries, but experience told him that making tulips famous across the entire shinobi world would not be easy.
"Kazuma," Makoto said calmly, "use your brain. I've always had high expectations for you."
"Let me give you an example first."
"Do you like stories?"
"…Sometimes."
"Then let me tell you one."
"It's called—'The Daimyō's Daughter Buys Tulips.'"
"Once upon a time, the Fire Country's daimyō developed a deep fondness for tulips."
"However, he had long grown tired of ordinary yellow and white varieties."
"He wanted something different."
"Something unique."
"To that end, the daimyō spared no expense, offering enormous sums to purchase rare tulips across the Fire Country."
"Yet after an entire year, he gained nothing."
"At this moment, a minor official stepped forward and swore on his life that he could fulfill the daimyō's wish."
"The daimyō agreed."
"In less than a month, the official discovered a red-and-white variegated tulip—but it was already close to withering."
"Even so, the official spent three million ryō to purchase it."
"He brought the nearly dead tulip back to the capital and presented it to the daimyō."
"The daimyō flew into a rage:
'I wanted a tulip in full bloom! You spent three million ryō on this dying thing—are you mocking me?!'"
"The official, however, remained confident."
"'My lord,' he said, 'this money will not be wasted.'"
"'Once the world knows that you truly love tulips—so much that even a withering rare specimen is worth millions to you—countless people will bring tulips to you of their own accord.'"
"And sure enough…"
"One month later, the daimyō received several top-grade tulips."
Makoto finished speaking, his throat dry.
Just like that, a shinobi-world–adapted version of 'Buying the Horse for a Thousand Gold' was born.
Every action of the daimyō attracted attention.
When the ruler loves slim waists, people starve to match.
When the ruler values something, the world follows.
Combined with a carefully crafted narrative—
The impact would be far greater than simple addition.
Let the shinobi world experience the terror of public opinion engineering.
And Makoto was currently on excellent terms with the daimyō.
The daimyō wouldn't mind helping with such a "small favor."
In fact, Makoto could even pull the daimyō into the deal.
After all—
They'd be harvesting aristocrats, not commoners.
The daimyō already despised those nobles:
cliques, corruption, tax evasion—
Might as well bleed them dry.
"…That's a good story," Kazuma said, swallowing.
A flood of extremely dangerous knowledge had just been forcibly uploaded into his brain.
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