As he spoke, he placed the last plate of fried meat on the tray.
"Boss, you woke up just in time. Breakfast is ready."
Zhang Yu felt immensely pleased when he heard that.
Just look at him.
Now this was an employee!
He could fight, work, and even cook.
Then look at certain other people. They had managed to set the back mountain on fire just fighting over the Scroll of Seals last night.
Before long, breakfast filled the tables in the tavern hall.
Hot congee, fried eggs, roasted meat, side dishes, and several plates of pickles Izuna had dug up from who knew where.
Hashirama Senju was the first to sit down. He took a sniff, and his eyes lit up.
"Izuna, I had no idea you were such a good cook!"
Izuna gave a faint nod.
"You flatter me, Lord Hashirama."
Madara Uchiha sat beside Izuna, his expression much softer than usual.
"Izuna's cooking has always been good."
At those words, the corners of Izuna's mouth lifted slightly.
Zhang Yu watched, amused.
Good grief, Madara wasn't even trying to hide how much he doted on his little brother.
But on the other side of the table, the moment Tobirama Senju sat down, Madara Uchiha's softened expression vanished.
Madara looked up at Tobirama.
Tobirama looked back at Madara.
The two sat across the table from each other, neither saying a word.
But the atmosphere had already turned sour.
Hashirama's chopsticks stopped in his hand, and he hurried to smooth things over.
"Um... everyone, let's eat first."
"Izuna's been busy all morning. Don't let it go to waste."
Tobirama picked up a piece of fried meat, his tone calm.
"Brother, I'm not picking a fight."
Madara sneered.
"You'd better not be."
Tobirama raised his eyes.
"Madara Uchiha, showing hostility at the table goes against the basic rules for tavern employees."
Madara's fingers stilled.
"Tobirama Senju, are you telling me what to do?"
Izuna put down his bowl as well, his gaze turning cold.
"Tobirama, you'd better watch what you say."
Hashirama's scalp tingled.
He looked at Madara, then at Tobirama, and finally at Zhang Yu, his face pleading for help.
Zhang Yu had barely had two mouthfuls of congee when the table was already on the verge of becoming a battlefield.
The next second, Madara's eyes turned scarlet.
His Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly spun.
The air seemed to grow heavy.
Steam rose from the hot congee on the table, but everyone in the hall could feel a cold, unyielding pressure bearing down on them.
Tobirama didn't back down.
He put down his chopsticks and folded his hands on the table, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"Sharingan?"
"You want to start a fight in the boss's tavern?"
Madara's voice was icy.
"I just want to see how long you can keep that mouth of yours running."
Izuna sat beside Madara, his fingers already pressing against the edge of the table.
Sweat broke out on Hashirama's forehead.
"Madara, Tobirama, calm down!"
"We haven't even finished breakfast!"
Zhang Yu slammed his bowl down on the table.
"Enough."
His voice wasn't loud.
But Madara Uchiha's Sharingan stopped spinning.
Tobirama looked away as well.
Izuna glanced at Zhang Yu and silently released the edge of the table.
Zhang Yu swept his gaze over them and said irritably, "Can't you even eat breakfast in peace?"
"If you want to fight, fine. Just don't do it in my hall."
Hashirama nodded hurriedly.
"The boss is right."
Zhang Yu looked at Madara and Tobirama.
"Eat."
"After breakfast, I'll take you somewhere."
Madara glanced at Zhang Yu and deactivated his Sharingan.
Tobirama picked up his chopsticks again.
Izuna resumed serving Madara more congee.
Hashirama breathed a sigh of relief and stuffed a large piece of roasted meat into his mouth, as if afraid the whole meal would disappear if he were a second too slow.
The meal was over in a flash.
No one said another word.
Zhang Yu, for his part, grew more satisfied with every bite.
With cooking like this, Izuna could easily become the tavern's signature attraction.
In the future, customers could come in for a pot of wine and some side dishes made by Uchiha Izuna himself. Wouldn't that drive up spending?
After the meal, Zhang Yu led the four of them to the backyard.
The tavern's backyard had originally been quite ordinary.
There was an open space, a few old trees, and a pile of firewood and wine jars in the corner.
Madara stood in the yard and glanced around.
"This is the place you were talking about?"
Zhang Yu smiled.
"It won't be in a moment."
With a thought, he opened the system interface.
[Activate the Backyard Dispute Arena?]
"Activate."
The next instant, the ground across the entire backyard shook violently.
It wasn't an earthquake.
Rather, some kind of rule had descended.
A structure took shape out of thin air in the middle of the open space.
A stone platform rose from the ground, pillars climbed at its four corners, and black railings enclosed the central arena. Intricate patterns were carved into the floor, yet they resembled no Sealing Jutsu in the Shinobi World.
Most absurd of all, the structure was enormous, yet it hadn't damaged the backyard walls or knocked down the old trees beside it.
It was as if it had always belonged there.
Hashirama's eyes widened.
"That thing appeared out of nowhere?"
Even Izuna showed a rare look of shock.
"No Hand Seals, no Chakra fluctuations."
Tobirama stepped forward and crouched to examine the patterns on the ground, his frown deepening.
"It's not a Summoning Technique."
"Nor is it Space-Time Ninjutsu."
"It doesn't even have the structure of a traditional jutsu formula."
He looked up at Zhang Yu, his tone more serious than ever.
"Boss, your system's functions bypass the rules of Ninjutsu entirely."
Madara stared at the platform in the center of the Dispute Arena, the corners of his mouth slowly rising.
"Interesting."
Zhang Yu felt immensely pleased as he watched the four of them react.
The God of Shinobi, the Asura of the Ninja World, the Second Hokage, and Uchiha Izuna-four formidable men from the Warring States era stood there, all stunned by something the system had created.
A pale blue panel appeared.
[Backyard Dispute Arena] [Function: Undead employees may resolve grudges and disputes here.] [Upon entering the Dispute Platform, both parties will be transported to a dedicated combat space.] [The combat space is isolated from reality. No Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Dojutsu, or destruction caused by kekkei genkai will affect the real world.] [Duel rules: The battle may only end when one side is defeated.] [Winner's reward: A large number of gold coins.] [Special notice: The Dispute Arena can withstand combatants at their peak fighting at full strength.]
Zhang Yu finished reading the description aloud.
The backyard fell silent.
Hashirama was taken aback at first, then unmistakable delight appeared on his face.
"So Madara and I can fight at full strength without worrying about destroying Konoha?"
Zhang Yu nodded.
"In theory, yes."
Madara's Sharingan appeared instantly.
This time, it wasn't killing intent.
It was excitement.
"Hashirama."
Hashirama looked at Madara too.
The moment their eyes met, all the tension from the breakfast table turned into fighting spirit.
Tobirama's expression darkened.
"Brother, don't do anything reckless."
Izuna looked at Madara as well.
"Brother, be careful."
Madara stepped onto the Dispute Platform.
"I've waited a long time for this day."
Hashirama took a deep breath, his expression turning serious as well.
"Madara, this time we don't have to worry about the village or the Shinobi World."
"Let's fight."
The two of them stood on the platform together.
The next second, the patterns of the Dispute Arena lit up.
White light flashed.
Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju vanished at the same time.
An image appeared on the system interface before Zhang Yu.
At the same time, a giant screen appeared out of thin air on the wall inside the tavern hall.
On the screen was a boundless forest.
Ancient trees towered into the sky, mountains stretched across the landscape, and the heavens soared high overhead.
Madara and Hashirama stood at opposite ends of the forest.
Madara Uchiha raised his hand first, and blue Chakra surged into the sky.
Bones, flesh, meridians, and armor wrapped around him layer by layer.
In the blink of an eye, a Perfect Susanoo rose from the ground.