Kazekage Ninja-Chapter 48: Economic Warfare

To be fair, Danzō's analysis wasn't wrong. If this conversation had happened half a year earlier, Yahiko would never have dared treat Danzō with such open hostility—at the very least, he'd have played along and kept up polite appearances.

So, what gave Yahiko the guts to push back so hard now?

Believe it or not, his newfound confidence came thanks to Sunagakure.

It wasn't that Jinghang had slipped him secret aid while he was turning screws in The Abyss. Sometimes, fate just throws you a lucky break.

When the great ninja villages kicked off their arms race, iron ore prices on the open market shot through the roof. Right at that moment, Amegakure's two massive iron mines, overseen by Kijima (general manager of the Hiame Group) and deputy manager Nogaegawa II, had just come online and started production. All the high-quality iron ore they'd been stockpiling vanished the instant it hit the market. The result? Amegakure made a killing, and their previously bankrupt coffers suddenly overflowed.

Seizing the moment, Kijima demanded an expansion of production. Nogaegawa II took it further—using his gang of thugs to whip and threaten the miners, squeezing every last drop of labor and profit. Output soared to double the annual average.

Of course, the miners weren't happy. To calm them down, Kijima publicly scolded Nogaegawa II for his brutality, punished a few murderous overseers, and handed out extra bonuses and benefits. But honestly, those little payouts were nothing compared to the real windfall everyone tasted.

And that wasn't the end of it. Not long after, Sunagakure announced a temporary suspension of overseas Hourglass Group stores. That left a gaping hole in the market, which the "eternal runner-up"—the Land of Craftsmen—rushed in to fill. Their steel ninja tools weren't as legendary as the Hourglass Group's Damascus steel, but their traditional craftsmanship was solid, and orders flooded in.

Iron ore prices spiked again. Representatives from the Land of Craftsmen came knocking, eager to buy up every scrap of ore Amegakure could dig. Without hesitation, Amegakure cashed in on this second wave of profits.

When Yahiko and company finally finished their hard labor and returned home, they were stunned to discover that Amegakure's finances had done a complete 180. In just one year, they'd raked in a net profit of twelve billion ryō—just from selling iron ore!

If only they'd known, they wouldn't have bothered with Iwagakure's ridiculous bounty missions or picked a fight with Sunagakure. Not only did they lose hundreds of comrades, but they also ended up working themselves to the bone for a year in Sunagakure.

Even while stuck in The Abyss, Yahiko kept a close eye on the "international" situation. He knew all too well that a new ninja world war was looming, and Amegakure desperately needed to strengthen itself. Now, with money in hand, those problems vanished. Before Danzō even arrived, Yahiko had spent just half a year recruiting defectors and mercenaries, rapidly expanding Akatsuki's ranks. Their peripheral ninja force had swelled to over two thousand, and with core members included, their numbers topped three thousand—a military force no one could ignore.

All of this was public knowledge. With his keen instincts, Sakumo Hatake had no trouble digging up the details.

After hearing Sakumo's report, Danzō just snorted.

"So that's where Yahiko got his backbone—struck it rich, huh? Tch! Nouveau riche are always the cockiest."

That's what he said, but now that Amegakure wasn't strapped for cash, Danzō found himself at a loss for solutions. Still, this strategic stronghold was too important to let slip away. He shot a look at Sakumo Hatake and Fugaku Uchiha—expecting ideas. Surely he couldn't let this trip end in humiliation.

"I say we just find some excuse to wipe out Amegakure," Fugaku Uchiha spoke up first. "What's two thousand ninja? Just a ragtag mob. Ask Lord Hokage for five thousand shinobi, and we'll crush them."

"That's the worst possible plan," Sakumo Hatake cut in sharply.

"Amegakure may be small, but they've always been experts at training assassins and Water Release specialists. The current Akatsuki isn't like those useless fools under Nōshin Kongō—I've seen quite a few capable jōnin among them. Taking them down won't be easy.

"And if we attack openly, we'll be exposing our true intentions ahead of time. What will Sunagakure think? What about Iwagakure, or Kumogakure? No one can say for sure. We might even spark a war prematurely. That's obviously not wise."

Danzō nodded, unable to argue with Sakumo's logic.

"So, what's your brilliant idea?"

"I wouldn't call it brilliant, but I do think economic problems should be solved economically. Amegakure's main income is from iron ore—so why not hit them there?"

Danzō's eyes lit up. "Let's hear the details."

Sakumo glanced around, making sure the curtains were tightly drawn, then lowered his voice.

"Here's what I propose: Amegakure's windfall came from those iron ore orders from the Land of Craftsmen, right? We should have the village send a letter—let Elder Homura Mitokado lean on the Land of Craftsmen, pressure them to cut off all orders to Amegakure."

"But even if the Land of Craftsmen stops buying, Amegakure can still sell to other countries. Iron ore prices are sky-high—there's no shortage of buyers."

"That's only because everyone's preparing for war. If the Hokage issues a public peace declaration, iron ore prices will crash."

"Excellent!" Danzō couldn't help applauding. He was sure Hiruzen Sarutobi would jump at the chance—old monkey loved this sort of 'grand gesture.'

"At the same time, we dump some of our own iron ore stockpile onto the market, and use funds to buy up even more. When the time is right, we flood the market—iron ore prices will plummet."

"Brilliant!" Danzō clapped his hands in delight.

This was barefaced market manipulation!

"And that's not all. We can use some… special methods as well," Sakumo added with a sly grin.

"Oh? Go on."

"I visited Amegakure's Sada Iron Mine and Sumu Iron Mine earlier. The miners are being worked to the bone, and the overseers are brutal. If, at this moment…"

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