School Begins

Sasuke gave them a small demonstration to intimidate the employees. Satisfied by the expressions on their faces, he continued, "The wages I offer are high, and each week, you'll take turns getting two days off. So when you're working, I expect you to give it your all. Every plate of meat must be weighed before leaving the kitchen. Honesty is something we must uphold, and the quality of the meat must be guaranteed. Okubo, as the manager, you need to pay attention to every detail." Okubo was the manager Sasuke had hired. He was chubby and looked very shrewd. He had once run barbecue restaurants elsewhere in the Land of Fire, but went bankrupt because of bandits. Seeking a stable life, he had come to Konoha more than ten years ago and had been working odd jobs ever since. When he saw that a barbecue restaurant was opening, he came to apply for the manager's position.

"Please rest assured, I'll do my utmost," Okubo replied.

"Mm. The restaurant must be cleaned every day, and the rules must be strictly followed. Good work earns bonuses. Poor work means I can only ask them to leave." Sasuke had grown up in a barbecue restaurant in his previous life, so opening one now was second nature to him. He introduced four kinds of meat—pork, beef, lamb, and fish—and set different prices according to the cuts, making the selection especially diverse. He also offered grilled vegetables for female customers. When guests entered the restaurant, they were first served a complimentary pot of green tea before ordering. After that, the meat platters would be arranged beautifully, decorated with green vegetables.

The lamb would be made into skewers, lightly prepared in the back, and then brought to the table. Customers could grill it further to their own liking. Lamb soup and beef soup were also available, served with rice to make for a thoroughly satisfying meal. Sasuke also made sesame paste from sesame seeds, an essential barbecue seasoning, then added other ingredients to turn it into a sauce to be used with chili powder. Of course, customers could mix their own sauces too, since some people preferred barbecue in its original flavor.

After a round of hectic preparations, the restaurant was finally ready to open. Sasuke chose Sunday at noon for the grand opening. He advertised in advance, handed out flyers, and placed pictures of various meats outside the entrance. None of these promotional methods existed here. After a lively scene outside on opening day, customers poured into the restaurant. The meat in the pictures looked incredibly appetizing, and the cutting techniques made the marbling look especially beautiful.

By the end of the day, the employees were exhausted from the sheer number of customers. The fragrance of grilled meat drifted from the rooftop through the exhaust ducts, and that rich aroma was the greatest attraction of all. Moreover, Zhang Zhen's business methods had already been proven, so there was no possibility of failure.

"Not bad. I'm very satisfied with everyone's work. Each of you will receive a reward, to be handed out at the end of the month. Now, let's eat." That day, Sasuke treated every employee to barbecue. He could not do that regularly, considering how expensive meat was, but the day's revenue had been considerable, so he had to reward them. Over the following week, the restaurant entered a stable period. Japanese cuisine was not particularly varied, sushi was too expensive to eat often, and no one could eat ramen every day—not unless they were a ramen fanatic like Naruto. Ninjas also liked to have a drink at night. Their pressure was immense, and they never knew when they might die. At the same time, their wages and rewards were high, and most of Konoha's commerce essentially served them.

Early one morning, Sasuke woke up at home to find that the servants had prepared breakfast. He had hired two middle-aged women to work in the house, arriving every morning and leaving every evening. Such a large home needed to be cleaned. He had hired residents of the village, which made things safer and more reassuring. As for whether they were spies sent by someone else, he had no idea. In any case, there was nothing worth spying on. Usually, he only cultivated Chakra.

After breakfast, Sasuke headed to school. His vacation was over, and he had to return to class. Many parents stood at the school gates to see their children off. When they saw him, they all made way for him. Many pitied the child—his entire clan was gone, leaving him all alone. Sasuke did not stand on ceremony. He merely nodded his thanks and walked inside. He had to be polite; after all, he ran a barbecue restaurant. A bad impression could easily affect business.

The moment he entered the classroom, he heard a childish voice call out, "Sasuke-kun, you finally came." Looking up, he saw pink hair with a hair clip, bright sparkling eyes—it was Sakura Haruno, Sasuke's fated wife. Why fated? Because he had watched the anime, hadn't he?

"Morning." After offering that simple greeting, Sasuke sat in his familiar seat by the window. In the past, he could often see Naruto and the others jumping out through it to skip class. The moment he sat down, a group of girls rushed over and surrounded him. "Sasuke-kun, why did you rest for so long? I missed you!" "Move aside! I'm the one who missed Sasuke-kun most!" Their chattering made Sasuke dizzy. What was going on? They were only eight years old. Was it really okay to start dating this early? He felt miserable. He would have been better off transmigrating into Naruto. At least no one would have bothered him, right?

The domineering Ino made her entrance. "All of you, move aside! Stop bothering my Sasuke!" Her words instantly shifted the girls' attention. The war began. Ino's firepower was formidable, and she fought several opponents alone without falling behind. Sasuke could not help but marvel at how impressive Ino was.

While the girls' army was away, Sasuke began observing his classmates. Most were minor characters who might become cannon fodder in the future. Naturally, the ones he cared about were the future rising stars, those who would become powerful fighters. First, Naruto definitely would not arrive this early. He might not even be awake yet. He had probably cultivated until late again last night. Although there was a fox living in his stomach, such diligent cultivation could not be useless. It seemed Sasuke needed to work harder too. He could begin practicing the Three-Body Stance. Since he was still growing, practicing it now would also help his physical development. He needed to practice Tai Chi as well; that was an art honed through long, patient work. Even if he could not see acupuncture points or the paths of Chakra flow, the divine skill of borrowing force to counter force did not require such things. It would be better to practice Xing Yi after graduation. That art was truly hard on the body, though the essence of Xing Yi lay in the Three-Body Stance, and the actual forms were easy enough to learn. Tai Chi took ten years before one could leave the door; Xing Yi could kill a man in a year. That was a well-known fact.

The wise Shikamaru would arrive exactly on time. Chubby Choji was already here, still eating away. Were potato chips really that delicious? No, I have to resist temptation. Eat more meat and vegetables. Kiba was sleeping there, with Akamaru lying on his head. Who could have imagined that this little puppy would grow so large in the future? Hinata had her head lowered, seemingly lost in thought. Was she thinking about Naruto? What a shy, kind-hearted girl. Should he help her? Oh, Shino was still looking cool in his sunglasses. Right, sunglasses! How had Sasuke not thought of that? He should wear sunglasses too. That way, he could keep his eyes activated for practice. With that thought, Sasuke walked over.

"Shino, do your sunglasses have any special function?" Sasuke asked directly.

"I'm happy that you're willing to talk to me, Sasuke, but my sunglasses have no special purpose. Do you want a pair? I can give you one." As he spoke, he took out another pair of sunglasses and handed them to Sasuke. Sasuke was rather surprised. Were they spares?

"Thanks. You've helped me a lot. I'll treat you to barbecue sometime." Sasuke took the sunglasses and put them on, looking around with interest.

"No need. I'm happy to be able to help you. We..." Just as he said that, Shino looked toward Sasuke and discovered that he had vanished. After looking around, he found Sasuke slowly walking back while wearing the sunglasses. He was not used to them yet. Shino pushed up his own sunglasses, lowered his head, and did not know what he was thinking. He was probably cursing Sasuke to walk into a desk.