Izuna brought out a bowl of hot soup.
"Back in the Warring States era, we drank before and after missions too, but we couldn't let it affect what we did the next day."
He paused, then added another sentence.
"But vodka really does have a strong kick. My brother woke up fifteen minutes later than usual this morning."
Zhang Yu laughed.
"Even Madara sleeps in?"
Izuna said seriously, "My brother wasn't sleeping in. He was just recuperating."
Zhang Yu gave him a thumbs-up.
"Got it. Little-brother filter."
Izuna didn't understand the term, but he could more or less guess it wasn't a bad thing, so he went back to the kitchen.
Before long, everyone came downstairs one after another.
Madara's expression was a little cold, but he was much more normal than he had been the night before.
Hashirama, on the other hand, looked a little embarrassed. He even scratched his head when he saw Tobirama.
"Tobirama, I didn't say anything strange last night, did I?"
Tobirama looked up at him.
"No."
Hashirama breathed a sigh of relief.
Tobirama continued, "You just hugged me and talked nonsense the whole way, and tried to invite Madara Uchiha to join the hug."
Hashirama froze.
Madara gave him a cold look.
"If you come near me drunk again, I'll throw you into the Dispute Arena."
Hashirama went and squatted in a corner.
After drinking the hot soup, Zhang Yu felt much better.
After breakfast, he sat behind the bar and began reviewing the tavern's current situation.
As for drinks, they had beer, erguotou, and vodka.
They had enough basic drinks to sell, and the hard liquor could serve as a premium offering.
As for staff, Hashirama greeted guests, Madara kept order, Izuna handled the kitchen, and Tobirama managed the accounts. The lineup was absurdly extravagant.
There was even less need to worry about food.
Izuna had already volunteered to take charge of everyone's meals.
Before Zhang Yu had even said anything, he had started organizing the kitchen inventory, sorting all the meat, rice and flour, and seasonings into categories.
"Boss, I'll take care of breakfast and dinner from now on."
Izuna spoke as he made notes. "If any customers order dishes to go with their drinks at noon, I can prepare those too."
"Snacks will take some time to test out. Once the ingredients are reliably available, I'll put together a fixed menu."
Zhang Yu watched his brisk movements, growing more satisfied the longer he watched.
"Izuna, you're adapting quickly."
Izuna paused, his tone softer than usual.
"It's good here."
Zhang Yu looked at him.
Izuna lowered his head and organized the knives. His voice was calm, but earnest.
"There are no enemies who might attack at any moment."
"No news of casualties among my clansmen."
"And I don't have to wake up every day and prepare to go to the battlefield."
"Being able to cook for my brother and see everyone sitting at the same table eating is already good enough for me."
Sitting not far away, Madara paused slightly.
Hashirama also raised his head, the smile on his face fading somewhat.
Tobirama said nothing, but he turned the pages of the account book a little more slowly.
People from the Warring States era understood all too well the weight of those words.
They had grown up among corpses and the flames of war.
What people called peace and quiet wasn't boring to them. It was a luxury.
Zhang Yu felt a little emotional too.
But he quickly reined in his feelings.
Peace and quiet were good things.
But the tavern couldn't stay this uneventful forever.
Business had been coming in lately, but things lacked a little unpredictability.
No missions had triggered in a long time, and most customers simply bought and drank alcohol. The place might be lively, but it lacked exciting moments.
With a name as big as the Undead Tavern and a group of Shinobi World legends working under him, it would be a waste if all they did every day was sell a little wine and meat.
The more Zhang Yu thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.
"Something's missing."
His fingers tapped against the bar.
Hashirama immediately looked over.
"Boss, what's missing?"
Zhang Yu shook his head.
"I can't quite put my finger on it."
"We have drinks."
"We have staff."
"We have food too."
"And the tavern can operate normally."
"But it just doesn't feel lively enough."
Madara snorted.
"Being uneventful is boring."
Tobirama looked up.
"Stability is important in the early stages of running a business."
Zhang Yu nodded.
"Stability is important, but stability alone isn't enough."
"For the Undead Tavern to grow, it needs something that keeps drawing people in."
"Just selling drinks isn't enough."
With that, he opened the Undead Tavern Work Group.
[Zhang Yu: Everyone, gather in the main hall. Meeting.]
The moment he sent the message, Hashirama raised his hand.
"Boss, I'm right here in the main hall."
Tobirama said flatly, "Brother, that was a group message. You don't need to respond in person."
Izuna poked his head out of the kitchen.
"I'll be right there."
Madara remained in his seat.
"I'm already here."
Zhang Yu looked at them and cleared his throat.
"Today, we're discussing one question."
"What exactly is the tavern missing right now?"
Hashirama stroked his chin, thinking seriously.
"Customers?"
Tobirama shook his head.
"Though we don't have many customers, there are enough to support basic operations."
Izuna said, "A fixed menu?"
Zhang Yu thought about it.
"We need a menu, but that's not the core issue."
Hashirama said, "A signature dish?"
Izuna nodded.
"We can add one."
Tobirama pondered for a moment.
"Detailed rules and regulations."
Zhang Yu looked at him.
"Do you see anything besides rules and regulations?"
Tobirama's expression didn't change.
"Rules and regulations can reduce chaos."
Hashirama also started repeating the question.
"Then what exactly is missing?"
Izuna frowned.
"Is it a reason for customers to stay long-term?"
Tobirama followed up.
"It could also be a stronger incentive to spend."
Hashirama repeated seriously.
"So what's missing?"
Izuna said quietly, "Some excitement?"
Tobirama said, "Unpredictability."
Hashirama said, "What... what was missing again?"
Zhang Yu put a hand to his forehead.
This familiar scene.
A group of people gathered for a meeting, only to end up collectively repeating the question itself.
Whether they were Shinobi World legends or ordinary workers, meetings tended to end up like this.
Humanity's shared traits really did apply across worlds.
Madara clearly had no patience to keep listening.
He tapped his fingers on the table and said coldly, "Since we're short on money and excitement, the solution is simple."
Everyone looked at him.
Madara raised his eyes.
"Let's loot Konoha's treasury."
The hall fell silent in an instant.
Hashirama's expression changed.
"Madara! No!"
Madara was utterly unapologetic.
"Why not?"
"You and I built Konoha together."
"The strength and reputation I put into it back then, and the Uchiha's sacrifices-weren't they worth anything?"
"Now the Uchiha have been wiped out, and Konoha still has its treasury."
"What's wrong with me taking back the part that belongs to me?"
Hashirama hurriedly said, "But you can't just rob it!"
Madara sneered.
"Then should we have Hiruzen Sarutobi deliver it willingly?"
Hashirama was left speechless.
Zhang Yu's eyes lit up as he listened.
The idea was violent, but interesting.
He raised a hand to interrupt them.
"Madara, what you're describing is called equity in business terms."
Madara frowned.
"Equity?"
Hashirama also looked bewildered.
"What's that?"
Tobirama, however, immediately sat up straight.
He was very sensitive to new terms.
Zhang Yu leaned back in his chair and patiently explained.
"Simply put, you and Hashirama founded Konoha together back then, making you the two biggest founders."
"The Senju and Uchiha clans behind you were the core initial shareholders."
"The other ninja clans that joined Konoha later also acquired shares."
"They exchanged their clansmen, fighting strength, resources, land, and intelligence for status and benefits in the village."