Hashirama looked thoughtful.
Tobirama frowned but did not argue.
Izuna listened intently.
"Go on," Madara said coldly.
Zhang Yu tapped the table.
"The problem is, after you and Hashirama died, the Senju Clan gradually disappeared from Konoha's system."
"The Uchiha Clan had it even worse. They were wiped out altogether."
"The interests you two founding shareholders left behind were long ago swallowed up by the village leadership, other interest groups, and the Hokage's establishment."
"In name, Konoha still trades on the First Hokage's reputation."
"But when it comes to the actual distribution of benefits, you and Madara, the Senju and the Uchiha, no longer have any real say."
"To put it plainly, Konoha, the company, is still using your names and history."
"But your shares are gone."
When those words fell, the hall fell terrifyingly silent.
Hashirama's expression turned grim.
Tobirama's frown deepened.
Izuna's fingertips slowly curled into a fist.
Madara's face darkened completely.
"Gone?"
His voice was quiet.
But everyone could hear that his anger could no longer be contained.
Zhang Yu spread his hands.
"Judging by the outcome, yes."
"The Senju exist in name only."
"Of the Uchiha, only one child, Sasuke, remains."
"The actual interests of you founders are nowhere to be seen in Konoha."
"If you say looting the treasury is unreasonable, it certainly isn't within the rules."
"But if you say you don't have a single reason to do it, that's not right either."
Madara shot to his feet.
The wine cups on the table jumped.
"Good."
"Very good."
"Hashirama."
Hashirama's heart tightened.
"Madara, calm down first."
Madara looked at him with a chilling smile.
"You heard him."
"The Konoha we built swallowed up the Senju and wiped out the Uchiha."
"Now even the interests we're owed are gone."
"What's the point of keeping a village like that around?"
Hashirama hurried forward.
"Madara, there are still many innocent people in Konoha."
"Children, civilians, ordinary shinobi-they weren't the ones making the decisions."
"Of course I won't lay a hand on people who had nothing to do with it," Madara said coldly.
"I'll ask you one thing."
"What gives Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, the Konoha High Command, and those people who feasted on the Uchiha's flesh and blood the right to sit safely where they are?"
Hashirama softened his tone.
"This needs to be investigated."
"Once we know the truth, those responsible must be held accountable."
Madara stared at him.
"Hashirama, you're still the same."
"Always trying to save everyone."
"But what came of it?"
"The Uchiha are gone."
"The Senju are gone too."
Hashirama fell silent.
This time, he had nothing to say.
Izuna stood beside Madara, his voice low.
"Brother."
"I'm here."
Madara glanced at him, and the rage in his chest burned even hotter.
It was precisely because Izuna had returned that he found the Uchiha Clan Massacre even harder to accept.
His people, his bloodline, the clan he could never abandon even when he was disappointed in them, had vanished from Konoha just like that.
Madara turned to Hashirama, his voice like rumbling thunder.
"Hashirama."
"Come with me."
"Destroy Konoha."
Hashirama's expression changed completely.
"Madara!"
He stepped forward and gripped Madara's shoulders with both hands.
"Don't be rash."
"I know you're angry. I'm angry too."
"But Konoha is more than just its leadership."
"If we're really going to settle this, we can find the people responsible instead of destroying the entire village."
Madara looked at him coldly.
"You still want to talk me out of it?"
Hashirama did not back down.
"I'm not asking you to swallow it."
"I want you to direct your anger at the people who deserve it."
"Madara, I'll stand with you and investigate the Uchiha Clan Massacre."
"But I won't let you destroy the place where the children live."
Madara breathed heavily and said nothing for a long while.
Hashirama's voice grew quieter.
"Izuna is back."
"We're back too."
"This time, don't let anger drive you again."
Madara closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, his anger had not faded; he had merely forced it back down into his chest.
"Hashirama," he said quietly.
"I feel stifled."
"Utterly stifled."
Hashirama nodded.
"I understand."
Madara jerked his head up, his voice suddenly rising.
"What do you understand?!"
"With this kind of anger trapped in my chest, there's no getting rid of it without a fight!"
He stepped forward, fighting spirit surging forth.
"If Konoha can't be destroyed for now, then find me someone who can fight!"
"Hashirama!"
"Do you want to dance too?!"
Zhang Yu's head shot up.
In that instant, everything clicked for Zhang Yu, and he settled on a brand-new idea to revitalize the tavern and break the monotony.
"Do you want to dance too?!"
The moment Madara said those words, it was as if something clicked sharply in Zhang Yu's mind.
That's right.
Dance.
Why did the tavern have to be so quiet?
He jerked his head up and looked around the hall.
There were wooden tables, wine, and food, and the staff lineup was outrageously impressive.
But the problem was obvious too-the Undead Tavern was now like a high-end restaurant, nothing like a place that could get people excited, stick in their minds, and bring them back to spend money again and again.
It was too quiet.
It lacked atmosphere.
It lacked rhythm.
It lacked that feeling that could lift people's spirits the moment they walked through the door.
Zhang Yu smacked the table and sprang to his feet.
"I've got it!"
Hashirama, who was halfway through moving a wine jar, jumped in fright.
"Boss, what's wrong?"
Tobirama also raised his head and looked at Zhang Yu.
Madara folded his arms and frowned.
Izuna poked his head out of the kitchen.
"Boss, what do we need to prepare?"
The more Zhang Yu thought about it, the more excited he became, and his speech sped up considerably.
"Renovate the tavern!"
"This place is too plain right now. Drinking should feel like drinking. We need background music, rhythm, and bass.
"Better yet, add a DJ controller and make this place one of a kind in Konoha!"
The hall fell silent at once.
All four men stared at him.
Hashirama was the first to ask.
"Background music... what kind of technique is that?"
Tobirama frowned in thought.
"A subwoofer-is that some kind of sound-wave ninja tool?"
Izuna looked serious.
"A DJ controller... is that kitchen equipment?"
Madara was the most direct.
"Who do you hit with it?"
Zhang Yu nearly burst out laughing.
These old ancestors from the Warring States period were each fiercer fighters than the last, but faced with modern bar equipment, they were all stumped.
His spirits rose at once. He walked straight to the center of the hall and gestured with his hands.
"It's not for hitting people."
"BGM is background music. Customers listen while they drink, and it gets them in the mood right away."
"A subwoofer makes the sound more powerful. When it starts, you can feel it vibrating in your chest."
"The DJ controller is even simpler. It controls the rhythm and sets the mood. If it's done well, once the drinks get customers excited, their spending will go up too."
Hashirama listened in bewilderment.
"You can... drink like that?"
Tobirama's gaze changed.
He quickly grasped the point.
"In other words, you want to increase the time customers stay and their willingness to spend?"
"Exactly!"
Zhang Yu snapped his fingers.
"Tobirama gets me."
Izuna looked thoughtful.
"If it were livelier, it really would feel more like a place that specialized in selling alcohol than it does now."
Madara spoke coldly.
"As long as it makes money, do whatever you want."
The more Zhang Yu heard, the more satisfied he became.
Just as he was about to continue, footsteps suddenly came from the doorway.