By the time Zhang Yu finished wiping down the last wooden table, it was completely dark outside.
Konoha's main street was fairly lively, with ninja coming and going and customers in the barbecue, dango, and ramen shops, but his street was ridiculously out of the way.
To put it nicely, it was quiet.
To put it bluntly, not even a dog would come by.
The little tavern was a two-story wooden building. Six tables and a bar stood on the first floor, with a kitchen and wine cellar behind them.
The second floor was divided into three rooms. Zhang Yu had originally planned to live in one and save the other two for employees he might hire later.
Of course, that depended on whether he could afford to hire any.
In all the years since he had transmigrated into the world of Naruto, he had no kekkei genkai, no talent for chakra, no powerful family background, and had never even set foot inside the Ninja Academy.
Other transmigrators started out as Uchiha or with Senju bloodlines. At worst, they could become a student of one of the Sannin.
As for him?
Just another Konoha civilian.
He had worked odd jobs from dawn to dusk every day and saved for years before gritting his teeth and taking over this little shop on the verge of closing down.
"I open tomorrow. Whether I make any money is up to fate."
Zhang Yu tossed his rag into a basin of water and rubbed his aching wrist.
A few jars of cheap liquor were piled in the corner, and several freshly washed cups sat on the bar. The sign wasn't up yet, and the menu was only half written.
He looked around the empty room, a heaviness in his chest.
He didn't feel wronged. He just couldn't accept it.
Now that he was here, who wouldn't want to do something grand?
But in this world, staying alive was hard enough for an ordinary person.
The Nine-Tails' Attack, the Uchiha Clan Massacre, the various Shinobi World Wars-which one hadn't brought suffering to ordinary people?
He lacked strength, so he could only suppress his ambition.
"Forget it. Living a peaceful life isn't so bad either."
Zhang Yu was just about to turn off the lights when an icy notification suddenly sounded in his mind.
[Ding!] [Host detected in possession of a fixed place of business.] [Activating Undead Tavern System...]
Zhang Yu froze.
It was as though he had been nailed to the spot. He stood there in a daze for several seconds.
The next moment, his breathing quickened.
"A system?"
"You finally showed up?"
After all these years!
At first, he had hoped for it every day. Later, he thought about it once every couple of weeks. In the end, he had given up entirely.
And now, just as he was preparing to settle down and run a little tavern, this thing suddenly came online?
[Undead Tavern System successfully bound to host: Zhang Yu.] [This system is dedicated to creating the Shinobi World's one and only undead tavern.] [The host may summon the departed undead from the Pure Land Space to serve as tavern employees.] [Undead summoned by the system possess complete physical bodies and retain the memories, personalities, combat experience, and powers they possessed during the corresponding period of their lives.] [Special rule 1: Summoned undead are absolutely incapable of attacking the host.] [Special rule 2: The host may return undead to the Pure Land Space at any time.] [Currently unlocked functions: Attributes, shop, missions, undead list.] [Beginner rewards issued: One free summon and 100 gold coins.]
The flood of notifications nearly made Zhang Yu's head explode.
An undead tavern?
Summoning the dead from the Pure Land to work for him?
And they absolutely couldn't attack him?
What kind of god-tier system was this?
He immediately called out in his mind, Open attributes.
The next second, a pale blue panel appeared, visible only to him.
[Host: Zhang Yu] [Identity: Undead tavern owner] [Strength: Ordinary person] [Gold coins: 100] [Employees: None] [Summons: 1]
Those words, "ordinary person," really stung.
But Zhang Yu wasn't angry in the least.
He had been an ordinary person before, but that might not be true in the future.
He opened the shop next. It was packed with items, but most of them were grayed out.
[Chakra Fruit: Locked] [Rinnegan: Locked] [Sage Body: Locked] [Mangekyō Sharingan: Locked] [Hashirama Cells: Locked] [Tailed Beast Chakra: Locked] [Basic drink recipes: 10 gold coins] [Ordinary wooden cup: 1 gold coin] [Employee uniform: 5 gold coins]
The corner of Zhang Yu's mouth twitched.
Well, damn.
The items at the top were more outrageous than the last, while those at the bottom were shabbier than the last.
He had only a hundred gold coins. He couldn't buy the Rinnegan or afford a Sage Body; all he could buy were cups and uniforms.
"No rush."
Zhang Yu forced his excitement down.
The system had given him one summon to start with, and that was what really mattered.
There were far too many dead people in this world.
And the dead powerhouses were each more terrifying than the last.
If he really could summon undead from the Pure Land to work for him, why would he bother running a tavern?
He could turn it straight into the strongest force in the Shinobi World!
Zhang Yu immediately opened the undead list.
[Please enter a search target.]
Zhang Yu's mind raced.
Who should he summon?
Minato Namikaze?
He was fast and a good person. He would surely be a reliable waiter at the tavern.
Hashirama Senju?
The God of Shinobi was unbeatable and good-natured to boot. He would provide an overwhelming sense of security.
Uchiha Itachi?
He was smart, calm, and handsome. Just standing behind the bar, he would draw customers.
Nagato?
A powerhouse with the Rinnegan and a versatile set of abilities.
But he had only one chance, so he had to get the most out of it.
He wanted deterrence!
Enough deterrence to make the entire Shinobi World tremble at the sound of a name!
Zhang Yu stared at the search box and slowly typed in a name.
[Madara Uchiha]
Hum!
The target's information instantly appeared on the undead list.
[Target: Madara Uchiha] [Status: Available for summoning] [Optional form 1: Valley of the End battle form] [Description: Possesses the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, a Summoning Contract with the Nine-Tails, and Susanoo. Combat experience at its peak.] [Optional form 2: Fourth Shinobi World War form] [Description: Possesses Rinnegan-related powers, Wood Release, and Senjutsu Chakra, with a complete physical body as it was after Rinne Rebirth. Extremely high combat power.]
Zhang Yu's heart beat faster and faster as he read the two descriptions.
Valley of the End Madara was already formidable enough.
He was someone who could fight Hashirama Senju in an earth-shattering battle.
But Fourth Shinobi World War Madara was even more outrageous.
The Rinnegan, Wood Release, Senjutsu, and a complete physical body.
This was like bringing a late-game big boss into his tavern!
More importantly, the system had made it perfectly clear.
Summoned undead couldn't attack the host.
In other words, no matter how wild Madara Uchiha was, he couldn't hurt him.
Zhang Yu took a deep breath.
Was there even a choice?
"System, select Madara Uchiha's Fourth Shinobi World War form."
[Please confirm. This summon will consume one free summon.]
"Confirm."
[Summoning commenced.]
The tavern lights suddenly flickered.
In the center of the floor, a point of white light appeared out of nowhere and rapidly expanded.
Zhang Yu instinctively took half a step back, but quickly steadied himself.
What the hell was there to fear?
He was the boss now.
The white light grew brighter, illuminating the tables and chairs and stretching the shadows of the liquor jars against the wall.
An oppressive force strong enough to make his scalp tingle slowly spread from the white light.
Zhang Yu felt as though a stone were weighing on his chest.
The other person hadn't even appeared yet, but his body was already tensing up on instinct.
This wasn't killing intent.
It was more as if, standing before an ordinary person, was not a ninja, but a mountain.