"I wouldn't go so far as to attack a kid."
The two figures vanished from the top of Hokage Rock in a flash.
Inside the Undead Tavern.
Zhang Yu sat behind the bar, a system interface that only he could see floating before him.
In the Undead Tavern work group, Hashirama and Madara's positions kept moving.
He switched to the third-person observation view and saw Naruto sneak into the Hokage's office building. He also saw Mizuki watching from a distance, a sinister smile on his lips.
"The plot's still happening."
Zhang Yu tapped his fingers on the counter, not worried in the slightest.
With Hashirama and Madara watching, the Scroll of Seals wouldn't be lost.
What he really wanted to know now was when the Third would arrive.
The next second, footsteps sounded outside the door.
Zhang Yu looked up, the corners of his mouth rising.
"They're here."
The wooden door swung open.
Kakashi entered first, his gaze sweeping swiftly over the tavern.
Hiruzen Sarutobi came in after him.
As soon as he stepped inside, his eyes fell on the small characters beneath the sign.
Undead Tavern.
Those words sent an inexplicable chill through Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Undead.
First Hokage.
Madara Uchiha.
Impure World Reincarnation.
Putting those terms together made it impossible to feel at ease.
Hiruzen Sarutobi remained composed on the surface, but inwardly, he was already on the highest alert.
Zhang Yu stood up from behind the bar and greeted them with a smile.
"Lord Third, welcome."
Kakashi's visible eye narrowed slightly.
The owner wasn't surprised at all.
It was as if he had known they were coming.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Zhang Yu.
The young man before him had no Chakra fluctuations. No matter how Hiruzen looked at him, he seemed ordinary.
And yet, standing before him, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't dare treat him as an ordinary man.
How could an owner who had the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha greeting guests at the door be ordinary?
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke slowly.
"You're the owner of this tavern?"
"Zhang Yu."
Zhang Yu nodded.
"Owner of the Undead Tavern."
At the word "undead," Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyelid twitched.
He didn't beat around the bush.
"Someone reported seeing two people here who shouldn't have appeared."
Zhang Yu smiled.
"Do you mean Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, Lord Third?"
Kakashi's breath caught.
He admitted it.
He actually admitted it so readily!
Hiruzen Sarutobi tightened his grip on his pipe.
"They're really here with you?"
"That's right."
Zhang Yu's tone was completely natural.
"They're employees at my tavern now."
"One greets guests, and the other keeps order."
Kakashi fell silent.
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent too.
First Hokage.
Madara Uchiha.
Employees?
Greeting guests?
Keeping order?
Putting those words together was as absurd as a dream.
But Zhang Yu had said it so naturally.
So naturally that Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know how to respond for a moment.
He took a deep breath and suppressed his shock.
"Did you use Impure World Reincarnation?"
Zhang Yu shook his head.
"No."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at him.
"It wasn't Impure World Reincarnation?"
"No."
Zhang Yu raised a hand and tapped the bar.
"They have complete physical bodies, clear minds, and their own memories and personalities."
"They aren't puppets controlled by a technique."
"Much less products of a forbidden technique summoned using living sacrifices."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression changed slightly.
Zhang Yu had even listed the key characteristics of Impure World Reincarnation.
That meant Zhang Yu knew what he suspected.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice grew graver.
"Then how did you do it?"
Zhang Yu's smile didn't change.
"Lord Third, that's a tavern secret."
Kakashi instinctively looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't get angry.
He knew this wasn't the time to throw his weight around as Hokage.
If Hashirama and Madara really served under Zhang Yu, then a single word from the young man before him could put Konoha in an unbearable situation.
He couldn't take that gamble.
"Where are they?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked gravely.
"They're out on business."
"But rest assured, Lord Third," Zhang Yu said calmly.
"I can guarantee they won't interfere in Konoha's internal affairs or threaten the village's safety."
"As long as Konoha doesn't start any trouble, the Undead Tavern will be nothing more than a little shop selling liquor."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart sank as he listened.
It sounded like a promise.
But from another perspective, it also sounded like a warning.
If Konoha didn't cause trouble, nothing would happen to the tavern.
But what if Konoha did cause trouble?
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't dare think any further.
He had been Hokage for so many years, and he knew better than anyone what it meant to be outmatched by circumstances.
The other side had Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.
This was no ordinary negotiation.
It was like putting two mountains on the table.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was silent for a moment, then softened his tone.
"Owner Zhang Yu, Konoha doesn't want to be your enemy."
Zhang Yu smiled. "I don't want to be Konoha's enemy either."
"I'm just running a business."
"It's best if we all leave each other in peace."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.
Kakashi listened from the side, a storm already raging in his heart.
Lord Third had backed down.
Not out of weakness.
But because he couldn't take the gamble.
Watching Hiruzen Sarutobi tread so carefully, Zhang Yu felt a secret thrill.
He had once been just a Konoha civilian.
He'd had to give the Hokage a wide berth whenever he saw him.
Now, the Third Hokage stood in his tavern, weighing his every word.
That was the clout of the Undead Tavern!
Just then, a system notification suddenly sounded in Zhang Yu's mind.
[Ding!] [Special guest detected: Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.] [Limited-time mission triggered.] [Mission name: The Hokage Buys Liquor] [Mission requirement: Successfully sell Hiruzen Sarutobi a bottle of erguotou.] [Minimum price: 100,000 ryo.] [Mission reward: 2,000 gold coins and one chance to unlock a random product.]
Zhang Yu's eyes lit up instantly.
100,000 ryo?
Rip the Third off on a bottle of liquor?
This system mission is ruthless.
But I like it.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was just about to ask something else when he saw Zhang Yu's smile suddenly grow noticeably warmer.
His heart gave an inexplicable jolt.
Zhang Yu had already taken out a clear bottle from behind the bar.
The bottle had a simple design, and the liquor inside was crystal clear.
"Lord Third, since you're here, why not buy a bottle to take home and try?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi froze.
"Buy liquor?"
"That's right."
Zhang Yu pushed the bottle forward.
"Our house specialty: erguotou."
"It hits hard going down and leaves a powerful kick."
"It's perfect for a respected elder like you, Lord Third, who has spent his life laboring for Konoha."
The corner of Kakashi's eye twitched.
He's pitching liquor at a time like this?
Hiruzen Sarutobi was caught off guard too.
One moment they had been discussing the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha, and the next Zhang Yu was selling liquor.
The shift was too abrupt.
"How much?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked instinctively.
Zhang Yu beamed.
"100,000 ryo."
Kakashi's visible eye widened slightly.
A hundred thousand ryo for a bottle of liquor?
This wasn't selling liquor.
This was outright robbery.
The corner of Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth twitched violently too.
"Boss Zhang Yu, this liquor of yours..."
"Isn't it a little expensive?"
Zhang Yu shook his head.
"No."
"It's the only one of its kind in the entire Shinobi World."
"Even if an ordinary person wanted to buy it, I might not sell it to them."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the bottle of erguotou, his heart aching at the expense.
A hundred thousand ryo.
That was the secret stash he had spent ten years saving up.
He had earned a good salary over the years, but he had plenty of expenses too.
Rebuilding Konoha, subsidies for orphans, funding for the Anbu, and all sorts of social obligations-there wasn't much money he could actually squirrel away in secret.