The Days of Being the Richest Man in the Ninja World

Chapter 180. White Zetsu Awakens!

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[Beware of Online Scams!]

[If something sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't!]

[Crack down on fraud and scams to maintain trust in the Ninja World!]

[Yuto Group reminds you: Don't fall for quick money schemes, and don't trust strangers!]

[100 Ways to Prevent Online Scams!]

"???"

Asuma stared at the sudden pop-up window in confusion. "Why are there so many fraud warnings today? It's everywhere! I've seen them pop up several times in a short while!"

"It's even looping in-game!" Beside him, Kurenai—who had some free time today and had come to accompany Asuma out of concern—also looked puzzled. "The warnings keep repeating nonstop, and they're even in bold red text!"

At that moment—

"Wait… don't you guys know?" Shiranui Genma casually removed the senbon from his mouth and said, "This thing blew up last night. It's actually pretty serious! I spent the whole night browsing the Konoha forums. It's been crazy! Asuma, didn't you see it at home on your computer?"

"…"

The mention of his home computer made Asuma's heart ache.

The computer he worked so hard to save up for… was no longer his.

"Damn it! Quit dragging it out and just tell me what happened!"

"Alright, alright! Geez, you've been pretty irritable lately." Genma shrugged, not minding it too much. He knew—Asuma was just acting out because he craved fatherly love.

"So, last night, someone posted online saying they got scammed—by an employee from Yuto Group. And not just them, but their 'tens of thousands of brothers' all got scammed too. Apparently, one guy couldn't handle the truth and… well, he hung himself from a tree!"

"Tens of thousands of brothers? Damn, their mom must've been quite something."

"I guess they're probably just a bunch of friends, acquaintances, and people from the same village." Genma picked at his teeth with his senbon, then shook his head in disbelief. "Since the number of victims is so high and the total scam amount is massive, this is being called the biggest online fraud in history. So today, they're pushing fraud prevention awareness like crazy. I even heard that Yuto Group's reputation took a hit because of it."

"That serious? How did they even get scammed?"

"It was some '1040 Financial Project'—basically, you pay 69,800 ryo, and in the end, you supposedly get 10.4 million ryo as a return. If you want the full details, you can check online—everything's already been exposed."

"That's insane! Who the hell would fall for that? 69,800 turning into 10 million? And there were thousands of idiots who believed it?" Asuma scoffed. "I can't believe there are this many fools in the Ninja World. No wonder they're all 'brothers'!"

"The Yuto Group released an official statement today," Genma continued. "After an internal investigation, they confirmed that the scammer had absolutely no connection to them. He was just a fraudster using Yuto Group's name to run his scam. To protect its users, Yuto Group permanently banned his account on [Nin-Nin] and vowed to continue the investigation to bring the scammer to justice."

Shiranui Genma shrugged again, showing little concern. They were just bystanders enjoying the drama.

Still…

To think that some people would just give up and hang themselves over this…

Those victims must have been really desperate!

69,800 ryo might not have been a small amount for them!

"Since the scammer used Yuto Group's name, Boss Yuto's reputation has taken a bit of a hit too. Oh, right—"

As if remembering something, Genma put the senbon back in his mouth, his hands swiftly moving over his mouse and keyboard. "Boss Yuto is going to apologize live on the internet later. It should be happening soon—you guys want to watch?"

"Dad—uh, I mean, Brother Yuto is actually pretty responsible." Asuma sighed with admiration. "If it were me, I wouldn't even bother. I mean, who actually believes this crap? How do you not see through a '69,800 ryo turning into 10 million' scam? That's just ridiculous."

Right as he finished speaking—

Shiranui Genma's computer suddenly played a deep, urgent tune, as if announcing that something big was about to happen.

Immediately, everyone's attention was drawn to the screen.

The entire internet cafe fell silent.

The biggest, most disastrous fraud case in recent history had shaken the entire Ninja World, and now—

People were waiting to see how Yuto Group would handle the aftermath.

Would they compensate the victims?

Or had they already caught the culprit?

After all, with thousands of victims, this was no small case.

The situation was too serious!

At this moment—

The highly anticipated Yuto Group live apology was about to begin!

Everyone's eyes were glued to the screen.

The colorful intro played, followed by the Yuto Group logo, and then—finally—a figure appeared.

The handsome and charismatic Boss Yuto stepped into the frame, accompanied by several employees. They were all formally dressed, standing in a solemn formation, their expressions serious.

It was clear—Yuto Group was taking this matter very seriously!

Then—

The screen shifted.

A female reporter, her fair back exposed in an elegant dress, appeared, holding a microphone. She wore a stern expression as she addressed the audience.

"Many of you are already aware of last night's shocking scam—[The 1040 Financial Project]."

She paused briefly before continuing: "A so-called 'manager' from Yuto Group claimed he wanted to 'give back to players' and 'benefit the Ninja World.' He fabricated a project where, by investing 69,800 ryo, one could earn 10.4 million ryo—a nearly 200x return! Such an unbelievable profit margin! However, after a thorough investigation by Yuto Group, it has been confirmed that this so-called 'manager' was not an employee. He was merely an imposter, a con artist using Yuto Group's name to commit fraud!"

She paused again. "I am Pakura, a temporary field reporter. Now, let's see how Yuto Group officially responds to this matter."

With that—

The screen shifted back to Boss Yuto and his employees. At that moment, everyone snapped back to attention—almost forgetting why they were watching in the first place.

They focused intensely on the screen, eager to see how Boss Yuto would handle the situation.

And then—

Before their very eyes—

Boss Yuto and his employees stepped forward.

And then—

They bowed deeply, and in unison, they shouted: "We were wrong!"

Their voices were loud, their tone firm, their posture resolute—leaving no room for doubt about their sincerity. One could feel Boss Yuto's deep regret and guilt.

However—

Everyone looked at each other, then back at Boss Yuto and his employees, who remained bowed in apology, and...

Something felt off.

That's it?

"Wait… that's all?"

And then the live stream ended.

It was at that moment that everyone realized the truth—

That was really it.

…

Meanwhile…

In a certain underground cave—

A group of White Zetsus sat in stunned silence, staring blankly at the now-blackened screen where the livestream had ended.

For a moment, they didn't know what to say.

The air inside the cave grew unbearably heavy, an oppressive silence filling the space.

Finally—

One of them muttered, "That's it…?"

What about compensation?

What about that damn fraudster?

All they got was a single 'We were wrong'—and that was it?!

Who cares if they admitted they were wrong?!

They wanted their money back!

They wanted that bastard to be turned into a White Zetsu!

Even Black Zetsu stared at the screen with a dark expression, an unspoken frustration weighing on him.

That was his money!

Damn it!

Suddenly—

"Heh… heh heh…"

A strange, eerie laughter echoed through the cave.

Even Black Zetsu was startled by it. When he came to his senses, he quickly raised his head and looked over.

All the White Zetsus shifted their gazes away from the darkened screen. In the dim cave, a pair of eyes gleamed with an unsettling light.

Their already eerie lips stretched into wide, ghastly grins, the laughter growing more terrifying by the second.

And then—

"Hahaha—"

In perfect unison, they turned their heads to stare at the motionless body of "smart" White Zetsu—hanging lifelessly from the God Tree's husk.

Precise. Chilling.

"As expected…"

There was a pause.

"This ninja world… should be destroyed."

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