In the early morning of Land of Birds, the fog is heavier than that of Capital of Fire.
Kakuzu stood by the third-floor window of the "Food Is Heaven" Capital of Birds branch. The street outside the window was still deserted, with only a few early traders setting up stalls. This city is much smaller than Capital of Fire, and the buildings are more dilapidated. Most of the shops on both sides of the street still have wooden doors.
"Mr. Kakuzu, the ledger has been sorted out."
Azi pushed the door open and came in, holding a stack of thick account books in his hand. His voice was very soft, but the "tail" that was a combination of metal and flesh swayed slightly behind him, emitting an indescribable sense of oppression.
Kakuzu turned around, took the account book, and opened the first page.
What you can see is still those densely packed numbers.
It's just that the number this time is much less than that of the Capital of Fire main store.
"How are you preparing for the opening?" Kakuzu asked in a calm tone.
"The chefs and waiters are in place, and the ingredients have been purchased." Azi replied, "According to Young Master Chen's requirements, we transferred three chefs from Capital of Fire to ensure that the taste of the dishes is consistent with the main store."
Kakuzu nodded.
He put down his account book, walked to the window, and looked downstairs at the increasingly lively street.
Although Land of Birds is a small country, it has a special geographical location. It is sandwiched between Land of Fire and Land of Wind, and is the only place where caravans from the two countries must pass. Moreover, the relationship between the famous names here and Land of Wind is very subtle.
This idle attitude makes Land of Birds a gray area for information exchange.
"That brat asked me to come here not just to check the accounts." Kakuzu muttered in his heart.
He knew very well that the ambition of that brat Senju Chen was far more than just making money.
"Food Is Heaven" is just a cover, the real purpose is to establish an intelligence network throughout Shinobi World.
And he, Kakuzu, is the "God of Wealth" of this network.
"Tsk..." Kakuzu exhaled a puff of smoke and raised a mocking smile at the corner of his mouth.
He has lived for more than ninety years and has met countless careerists.
But Senju Chen is the first person to dare to play such a big game at such a young age.
"But..." Kakuzu looked at the account book in his hand, a trace of greed flashed in his eyes.
"As long as the money is there, it doesn't matter what he wants to do."
Three quarters past noon.
"Food Is Heaven"Capital of Birds branch officially opened.
A red lantern hangs at the entrance of the store, and the plaque on the lintel was inscribed by Maruboshi Kosuke himself, with strong penmanship and a sense of nobility.
There were two rows of waiters standing at the door, wearing uniforms and smiling as if they had been measured with a ruler.
Azi stood at the door, with the metal "tail" tucked into his clothes, looking just like an ordinary waiter.
"Welcome!"
The first batch of customers walked into the store.
They were several businessmen, wearing gorgeous silk robes, with heavy money bags hanging around their waists.
"I heard that this store opened from Capital of Fire?" one of the businessmen asked.
"Yes, I heard that the food is so delicious that even famous people like Land of Fire have tried it." Another businessman replied.
"Guests, please come inside." The waiter smiled and guided the guests to their seats.
Business is better than expected.
On the first day of opening, the store was full of customers.
There were merchants, travelers, and even a few ninjas.
Kakuzu looked at these people, a trace of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.
"It seems that Senju Chen's little devil's sign is quite effective."
But at this moment, the store door was violently pushed open.
"Clang--"
The wooden door hit the wall, making a harsh sound.
All the guests raised their heads and looked towards the door.
I saw seven or eight local gangsters walking in, led by a bald man with a ferocious scar on his face and a rusty short knife on his waist.
"Hey, it's a newly opened store?" The bald man grinned, showing his yellow teeth, "Do you know the rules?"
The store manager is a middle-aged man in his forties who was transferred from Capital of Fire. When he saw these gangsters, his face instantly turned pale.
"Gentlemen, what's the matter?" The fat store manager hurriedly walked out from the backstage with a smile.
"What's the matter?" The bald man walked up to the counter and slapped his hand on the table, "We protect this street! If you want to do business here, you have to pay protection fees!"
"Protection money?" The fat store manager swallowed, "How... how much?"
"Not much." The bald man held out five fingers, "Fifty thousand taels a month."
"Five hundred thousand taels?!" The fat store manager's voice changed its tone.
This is simply robbery!
"What, that's too much?" The bald man narrowed his eyes and put his hand on the short knife at his waist, "Then let's talk in another way?"
Several gangsters behind him also gathered around him, with evil smiles on their faces.
The customers in the store looked at the excitement, and some were ready to get up and leave, not wanting to get involved in such trouble.
"Wait." A hoarse voice sounded.
"How much is your heart worth?"
The bald man was stunned for a moment.
"What did you say?"
"I said..." Kakuzu slowly walked down the stairs. "How much is your heart worth?"
The words just fell.
Black tentacles emerged from Kakuzu's body, twisting in the air like a poisonous snake.
"Chi--"
The tentacle instantly penetrated the bald man's chest.
Blood spurted out, splashing on the counter, on the floor, and on the faces of the customers who had not had time to escape.
The bald man lowered his head and looked at the bloody hole in his chest, his eyes full of disbelief.
"You... you..."
He opened his mouth to say something, but only spit out a mouthful of blood.
Kakuzu reached out and took out a still beating heart from the chest of the bald man.
"Tsk, the quality is not that good."
He pinched the heart and then squeezed it hard.
"Pa--"
The heart burst in his hands, and blood and minced flesh flowed out from between his fingers.
The bald man's body fell limply to the ground, his eyes widened and he refused to close his eyes.
The few remaining gangsters turned pale with fright and turned to run away.
But Azi was already blocking the door.
His "tail" came out of his clothes and drew an arc in the air.
"Chi chi chi--"
A few muffled sounds.
Before those gangsters could even take two steps, their "tails" penetrated their bodies and pinned them to the ground.
They struggled to get up, but soon stopped moving.
The whole process takes less than ten seconds.
The store fell into a deathly silence.
All the guests stared at this scene blankly, forgetting to even breathe.
The guests who were about to leave were also held in place by this scene.
Kakuzu walked to the corpses, squatted down, and found several money bags from them.
"Tsk, it's only two hundred taels." He curled his lips, "Poor guy."
He stood up and looked at the guests who were still in a daze.
"Everyone, I'm sorry." Kakuzu's tone was very calm, as if nothing happened just now, "I disturbed everyone's enjoyment of eating, but please don't worry, this kind of thing will not happen again."
After saying that, he turned around and walked upstairs.
"Azi, dispose of the body."
"Yes."
Azi and several waiters walked over, picked up several corpses, and dragged them outside the store.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, everyone is really sorry. As the store manager, I apologize to everyone for what happened just now, hahaha."
"To show our sincerity, everyone will receive a 50% discount on today's consumption. We also hope that everyone will support us "Food Is Heaven" and welcome you to come often in the future." At this time, the fat store manager also stood up and apologized to the remaining customers with a smile.
All of this has been trained in the main store, and even how to deal with emergencies and customers' difficulties has been specially learned. Therefore, the fat store manager was trembling in his heart, but he dealt with it very calmly.
The customers in the store looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
But soon, someone spoke in a low voice.
"This... this store has such a hard background?"
"Even the gangsters dare to kill..."
"It seems like you don't have to worry about being harassed when you eat here in the future."
The fat store manager's smile deepened as he listened to these whispers.
That night.
The business of the "Food Is Heaven" Capital of Birds branch increased instead of falling.
Those guests who were originally hesitant to come, after hearing what happened during the day, actually wanted to come and have a look.
After all, the background of a store that can kill gangsters on the spot must not be simple.
Moreover, this kind of "security" cannot be provided by other restaurants.