[Uchiha Izuna: Brother, what kind of technique is this? The words appeared directly in my mind.]
[Madara Uchiha: It isn't Ninjutsu. It's a tavern function.]
[Uchiha Izuna: I see. Boss Zhang Yu's methods truly are extraordinary.]
[Hashirama Senju: Izuna's here too! We're all coworkers from now on!]
[Tobirama Senju: Brother, you're being too friendly toward the Uchiha.]
[Hashirama Senju: We've all died once. Don't be so particular.]
[Tobirama Senju: That way of thinking is one of the reasons Konoha's finances are such a mess.]
Zhang Yu watched the group messages and laughed, slapping the table.
Every time Hashirama greeted someone enthusiastically, Tobirama managed to shoot him down with pinpoint accuracy.
This chat group was far more entertaining than the Scroll of Seals.
Just then, Tobirama suddenly sent a message.
[Tobirama Senju: What's this red icon?]
The next second.
[Tobirama Senju sent a red packet.]
Zhang Yu froze for a moment.
Before he could react, his hand had already tapped it.
[Congratulations, host! You claimed a special reward: Tobirama Senju's Kage-Level Chakra.]
[Withdraw?]
Zhang Yu's breath caught.
Kage-Level Chakra?
Not gold coins?
He looked back at the group.
[Madara Uchiha: Twenty gold coins.]
[Uchiha Izuna: Fifteen gold coins.]
[Tobirama Senju: Ten gold coins.]
[Hashirama Senju: ...I didn't get one.]
Zhang Yu nearly burst out laughing.
Everyone else had gotten ordinary gold coins.
Yet he had claimed an attribute reward!
The perks of being the boss were ridiculous.
"Withdraw!"
The next instant, an immense surge of Chakra poured into his body out of nowhere.
Zhang Yu's whole body tensed.
His once-empty meridians felt as though they had been filled by a flood, as if a raging river had appeared deep inside his body.
It wasn't some insubstantial power.
It was real Chakra he could sense, draw upon, and control.
He clenched his fists, his fingertips tingling slightly.
"So this is Kage-Level Chakra?"
Zhang Yu looked down at his hands, his heart pounding.
Just moments ago, he hadn't been able to make sense of the Scroll of Seals.
Now, when he looked at the descriptions of Chakra circulation, they no longer seemed like completely incomprehensible scribbles, at least.
In the group, Madara seemed to have taken an interest.
[Madara Uchiha: Let me try.]
[Madara Uchiha sent a red packet.]
Zhang Yu reacted quickly and tapped again.
[Congratulations, host! You claimed a special reward: Madara Uchiha's fire-attribute physique.]
[Withdraw?]
"Withdraw!"
Heat burst from his chest and spread through his entire body in an instant.
Zhang Yu could clearly feel that the Chakra in his body had gained a blazing affinity.
It was as though, if he wanted to, he could turn his Chakra into flames.
Another string of messages appeared in the group.
[Tobirama Senju: Twelve gold coins.]
[Uchiha Izuna: Eighteen gold coins.]
[Hashirama Senju: Why didn't I get one again?]
[Madara Uchiha: Too slow.]
[Tobirama Senju: Brother, you have no talent for claiming red packets.]
Hashirama sent an aggrieved emoji.
Izuna also gave it a try.
[Uchiha Izuna sent a red packet.]
Zhang Yu instantly tapped it again.
[Congratulations, host! You claimed a special reward: Great Fireball Technique.]
[Withdraw?]
"Withdraw!"
A wealth of Hand Seal sequences, Chakra circulation methods, and Fire Release techniques seemed to be carved directly into his brain.
Zhang Yu even had the illusion
that if he stood in an open space right now, he could immediately spit out a textbook Great Fireball.
He forcibly suppressed the urge to try the technique.
This was the tavern's second floor.
If he really spat one out, he'd have to repair the building before opening tomorrow.
In the group, Hashirama came up empty-handed once again.
[Hashirama Senju: I didn't get one again.]
[Uchiha Izuna: Lord Hashirama, perhaps you'll get one next time.]
[Tobirama Senju: Izuna, you don't need to comfort him. He's simply unlucky.]
[Hashirama Senju: Tobirama, you're too cold to your big brother.]
[Tobirama Senju: Facts don't need warmth.]
Zhang Yu had laughed himself numb.
Finally, Hashirama seemed unwilling to accept it and sent a red packet of his own.
[Hashirama Senju sent a red packet.]
Zhang Yu tapped it.
[Congratulations, host! You claimed a special reward: Hashirama Senju's earth-attribute physique.]
[Withdraw?]
"Withdraw."
This time, the Chakra in Zhang Yu's body became more substantial.
The fire attribute's blazing intensity remained, while the earth attribute's steadiness blended into it.
He could feel that he had gained a natural affinity for Chakra transformations involving earth and rock.
Everyone else in the group still got only gold coins.
Hashirama himself stared at the record in silence for a long time.
[Hashirama Senju: Why don't I feel like I gained anything from the red packet I sent?]
[Tobirama Senju: Because you're the sender, Brother.]
[Madara Uchiha: Idiot.]
[Hashirama Senju: Madara, you're saying that about me too?]
[Madara Uchiha: Facts don't need warmth.]
Zhang Yu leaned back in his chair, laughing until his stomach hurt a little.
These people were all legendary powerhouses.
But when it came to claiming red packets, each one was more real than the last.
Most outrageous of all, the other four had claimed packet after packet, but all they got were ordinary gold coins.
Only he could claim actual attributes and Ninjutsu every time.
In a single short night, he had gone from an ordinary able-bodied man to possessing the foundation needed to truly enter the ninja system.
Zhang Yu looked at the Scroll of Seals on the table, feeling completely different from before.
The scroll was still difficult.
But he was no longer an ordinary person who couldn't even find the door.
With Chakra, attributes, his first Fire Release Ninjutsu, the Undead Tavern, and this group of outrageous employees, he finally had the confidence to grow stronger.
He closed the chat group and shut the Scroll of Seals again.
He had gained so much tonight.
And tomorrow, the tavern would finally face Konoha.
Guests, tasks, gold coins, red packets, the shop.
Everything would begin when they officially opened for business.
He was already looking forward to seeing what the Undead Tavern would be like when it officially opened tomorrow.
The morning breeze slipped through a crack in the window, carrying a slight chill.
Before Zhang Yu opened his eyes, his nose twitched.
The savory smell of fried eggs, the rich aroma of grilled meat, and the fragrance rising from bubbling hot soup drifted upstairs in waves.
Zhang Yu rolled over groggily. His first thought wasn't to get up, but-
Who's in the kitchen?
The employees currently in the tavern were each more outrageous than the last.
Madara Uchiha seemed like he might hack a pan to pieces as though it were an enemy.
Hashirama Senju might cook while reflecting on peace.
Tobirama Senju was reliable, but if he were put in the kitchen, it felt like he might turn it into a forbidden-technique laboratory the next second.
Zhang Yu rubbed his eyes and went downstairs.
As soon as he reached the foot of the stairs, he saw a black-haired figure bustling back and forth in the kitchen.
Uchiha Izuna.
His sleeves were rolled up, and his movements were efficient. As he worked the spatula, he laid the fried meat neatly on a plate and ladled hot congee into bowls. Chopped side dishes sat nearby.
There wasn't a single wasted movement.
He didn't look flustered in the slightest.
The sight was completely different from the sharp-edged Uchiha who had just been summoned last night.
Zhang Yu stood in the doorway watching for a couple of seconds before he couldn't help asking, "Izuna, you can cook too?"
Izuna turned his head, his tone natural.
"There was a lot of fighting during the Warring States era. There couldn't always be someone in the clan to take care of us."
"On missions away from home, starting a fire and cooking were basic skills."