A Wood Clone took the team on D-rank missions. Knowing that the three little ones were training, half a month passed with them doing little but running around the village.
One Wood Clone was researching ninjutsu at home, another reported to Anbu every day, and Li Yu himself went to supervise the Hot Pot Restaurant's renovations while preparing to open a casino.
Once he had a casino, he could open branches across the Land of Fire. No matter how much Tsunade gambled, the money would eventually end up in his pocket.
Gambling in the Naruto World was too monotonous. People only seemed to like betting on high or low.
He would give the casino a modern design and offer Baccarat, Blackjack, Roulette, and Stud Poker for the VIPs.
Making casinos popular throughout the Shinobi World wasn't just a dream. With their built-in odds, casinos almost always made money.
He found a remote spot in Konoha and bought a plot of land.
Li Yu used Wind Release Ninjutsu to clear the ground, then swiftly formed Hand Seals.
"Wood Release: Four-Pillar House!"
A huge, three-story wooden building immediately rose from the ground.
Li Yu nodded in satisfaction. He felt like real estate would be a very profitable business, but Konoha had nearly finished rebuilding the village.
Even if the Nine-Tails Incident destroyed a lot of houses and left people without families, how could he charge the villagers for building them new homes?
Now all that remained was recruiting and training staff.
"Man, starting a business is hard."
"Finding a place, renovating it, hiring people, training them, advertising... It'd be easier to just take missions."
Li Yu worked hard for over half a month, and at last the Hot Pot Restaurant opened.
That day, Toko and her older brother, Rika, hosted the opening. The greeters at the entrance kept calling out, "Welcome!" After several days of handing out flyers, curious customers streamed in.
They'd never seen anything like it. Four beautiful greeters stood at the entrance, wearing red qipao dresses with high slits that drew plenty of sidelong glances.
On opening day, Li Yu brought his three students to the restaurant.
Uzuki Yugao asked curiously, voicing what the other two were wondering.
"Sensei, what is hot pot? Does it taste good?"
"Hot pot is great. It's more affordable than the Barbecue Restaurant, and it tastes even better."
"You'll understand when you try it."
The four of them sat down. Steam rose all around them, and the air was filled with delicious aromas.
"It smells so good!"
The three of them had never tried hot pot before. They followed Li Yu's example, dipping the food in sauce, and ate with gusto.
He knew that ninjas could eat a lot, but this time the bill came to fifteen thousand ryo—much less than last time.
On a street in Konoha...
"Have you heard? A hot pot restaurant just opened."
"A lot of ninja have eaten there already."
Someone else asked, "What's a hot pot restaurant?"
"You put all kinds of ingredients into a pot of boiling broth and cook them."
"Must be expensive, right?"
"Not at all. I ate there a few days ago. It's pretty affordable."
"And the girls at the entrance have really nice legs." He gave a few lecherous chuckles.
Li Yu walked past the villagers, a smug smile on his face.
The Hot Pot Restaurant brought in six or seven hundred thousand ryo a day.
He could open two more in Konoha, then start franchising and expand throughout the Land of Fire.
The casino would be the most profitable business of all. He would make sure the Senju Clan controlled every casino.
Thinking about how he could solve Tsunade's gambling problem once and for all while making a fortune made Li Yu grin smugly.
"The staff are trained well enough. The casino opens tomorrow."
The casino would benefit from the Hot Pot Restaurant's popularity and in-house advertising. Its opening should go well, too.
A house in Konoha...
"Target spotted! Target spotted! Yuhi Kurenai, get to its left!"
"Yugao, get to its right!"
"Now!"
The two girls threw their nets at the target.
It seemed to sense the danger. It leaped off the roof and fled, and the three gave chase.
At that moment, two figures in green jumpsuits, one large and one small, were walking on their hands.
"Asuma, we're only five hundred meters from the finish line! Let's burn with the fire of youth!"
"Yes, Father!"
Suddenly, a net flew over them and caught both green-clad figures along with the target. The three rushed toward their target in a flurry of activity, and Uzuki Yugao scooped up the cat.
"We got it!"
Li Yu's Wood Clone leaned against a tree, arms folded, watching his students make a valiant effort to catch the cat.
When he saw them net the two men in green jumpsuits, he couldn't help rubbing his forehead.
He used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside them. The two girls were comforting the frightened cat, while Sarutobi Asuma hurried to free the two men from the net.
As soon as they were out, they sat on the ground and hugged each other, sniffling and crying.
"Asuma, we were so close to finishing a handstand lap around the village!"
"Since we didn't make it, we'll do two thousand squats and three thousand push-ups!"
"Yes, Father!"
Seeing their outfits, bowl cuts, and thick eyebrows, it wasn't hard to guess they were Might Duy and Might Guy, the father-and-son duo who burned with the fire of youth.
"I'm really sorry for interrupting your training."
Might Duy, seated on the ground, saw Li Yu in a green flak jacket with a Forehead Protector covering his left eye and sprang to his feet.
He waved both hands. "It's fine, it's fine." Then he pulled Might Guy up from where he was still sitting, stunned.
Li Yu took a closer look at Might Guy. He had the same bowl cut and thick eyebrows. The future Guy the Great.
"This is your son, Might Guy, right? He looks very talented at Taijutsu."
"Ah, Father! Someone finally sees how hard I've worked! Someone finally recognizes my talent!" He covered his face and sobbed.
"Guy, did you hear that? Your hard work hasn't been in vain!"
Might Duy raised a hand and gave a thumbs-up. A flash of light gleamed off his pearly white teeth. "Ting!"
The glare made Li Yu squint. So Might Guy got that thumbs-up from his father.
"Guy, we're doing extra training today. One more handstand lap around the village!"
"All right, Father! I'm ready!"
As the two prepared to leave on their hands, Li Yu called after them.
"Wait, Might Duy!"
"Are you free tomorrow? I'd like to see your Taijutsu."
Might Duy, a Genin who'd been looked down on for years, lit up at hearing that a Jonin wanted to see his Taijutsu.
Tears streamed down his face, and he was sniffling so hard that he nearly threw himself at Li Yu. Uzuki Yugao and Yuhi Kurenai stepped back with disgusted expressions.
Li Yu quickly added,
"Tomorrow morning, at the Konoha Training Ground."
He hurriedly led the others away, intending to return and turn in their mission report.
As they walked, Uzuki Yugao pursed her lips.
"Sensei, you must be mistaken. He's the passionate dead last of this year's Ninja Academy graduates."
Yuhi Kurenai chimed in, "That's right, Sensei."
"I heard his father, Might Duy, is a Genin who's been one for years. He's so old, and he's still a Genin."
Even Sarutobi Asuma nodded in agreement.
Hearing his students' comments, Li Yu looked displeased. He suddenly stopped and turned to them with a serious expression.
"Do you think I actually want to spar with a Genin like Might Duy?"
"I want you to understand that you have more talent than Might Guy, but he trains ten times harder than you do."
"This is the best time to build your bodies and improve your physical fitness. Every bit of extra chakra you can gain in the future will matter."
"As for whether Might Duy is strong, that isn't important."
Although he said he didn't care about the match, Li Yu was looking forward to seeing the power of the Eight Inner Gates. He wondered how many gates Might Duy could open at this point.
The three replied without much interest, "We understand, Sensei."
Seeing their reaction, Li Yu could only chuckle. Tomorrow's match with Might Duy would show them just how big the gap was.
Li Yu's Wood Clone found an empty spot. "Poof!" It turned into a piece of wood.
At home, Li Yu was training his body with chakra when he received the information his Wood Clone had sent back as it dispelled.
"Might Duy, the Eight Inner Gates... Interesting. This is the perfect chance to see how much I've improved."