He had already died once, anyway.
Zhang Yu hadn't asked him to do anything right away, anyway.
And no matter how bad things got in the Shinobi World, a few more days wouldn't make a difference, anyway.
Madara put down his bowl and looked out the window at the deserted little street.
"This is what you call a new life?"
Zhang Yu took a bite of his rice ball.
"For now."
"You don't plan to conquer the Shinobi World?"
"No."
"You don't plan to use me to destroy the Five Great Shinobi Villages, either?"
"I run a tavern. Why would I destroy them?"
Madara fell silent for a moment.
The answer was too ordinary.
So ordinary that he didn't know how to respond.
Zhang Yu finished his last mouthful of porridge, got up and clapped his hands.
"All right, time to open."
He took down the doorboards and hung up the sign he had written the night before.
Undead Tavern.
The characters weren't particularly attractive, but they stood out.
Zhang Yu stood at the entrance and looked at the sign for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction.
"As of today, this establishment is officially open for business."
Madara stood beside the bar with his arms crossed, his expression cold.
He had originally wanted to see what was so special about Zhang Yu's so-called Undead Tavern.
But the whole morning passed.
Not a soul showed up.
A couple of passersby occasionally went past the entrance, but they only glanced at the sign from a distance before quickening their pace and leaving.
Noon came and went.
Still no one.
By afternoon, the sun slanted low, and the street was even quieter.
The tavern's six tables were spotless, without a single trace of use.
Zhang Yu sat behind the bar and even began to doze off.
Madara's expression grew uglier and uglier.
He, Madara Uchiha, had been standing here for most of the day.
And not a single person had come in?
Even if they didn't recognize him, wouldn't anyone at least take a look inside the shop?
Being ignored like this annoyed him more than being surrounded on the battlefield.
Madara couldn't help speaking up.
"Is your tavern always this deserted?"
Zhang Yu opened his eyes.
"It's the first day."
"So?"
"It's out of the way. It's normal for no one to come."
Madara looked at the little street outside, where hardly anyone walked, and a vein throbbed on his forehead.
"If it's out of the way, why did you open it here?"
Zhang Yu spread his hands.
"It was cheap."
Madara stared at him as though he were looking at someone utterly unreasonable.
"You possess the power to summon the dead, yet you opened a tavern in a place like this?"
"I had no money."
Madara took a deep breath.
He suddenly felt he needed to revise his assessment of this so-called Undead Sage.
This man wielded an outrageous power.
But he was poor.
And he was perfectly open about it.
Time passed, little by little.
By evening, the tavern still hadn't had a single customer.
Madara finally couldn't take it anymore.
"At this rate, no one will ever come to your tavern."
Zhang Yu said lazily, "It's fine if no one comes. It's peaceful."
Madara said coldly, "You opened a shop, yet you don't care about customers?"
"It's just a front."
"A front?"
Zhang Yu pointed around the tavern.
"What really matters is the Undead Tavern itself, not how many drinks we sell or how much money we make."
Madara didn't respond immediately.
Of course he understood what Zhang Yu meant.
Summoning the dead was the tavern's true value.
But he was still annoyed.
Extremely annoyed.
Wherever he, Madara Uchiha, had stood in his life, he had been the center of attention.
During the Warring States period, the various clans had feared him.
The battle at the Valley of the End had shaken the Shinobi World because of him.
Even after his death, his name alone was enough to make later generations pale.
Now he was standing in a tavern as an employee keeping order, and not even a passerby came in.
What was this?
Madara's Chakra began to surge involuntarily.
He looked out the door, his voice icy.
"If no one will come, then we'll make them come."
At those words, Zhang Yu instantly woke up.
"What are you planning to do?"
Madara raised his eyes, a hint of danger showing in his Rinnegan.
"If I activate Susanoo, all of Konoha will see this place."
"Then people will naturally come."
The corner of Zhang Yu's mouth twitched.
Good grief.
No customers on opening day, so he's going straight for Perfect Susanoo to advertise?
That would save on advertising costs.
But Konoha would probably lose half a street, too.
Zhang Yu hurriedly waved his hands.
"Stop right there."
Madara frowned.
"You're afraid of Konoha?"
"It's not that."
Zhang Yu pointed at the tables and chairs, then at the jars of liquor on the wall.
"If you bring out Susanoo, what'll happen to my shop?"
Madara said coldly, "I can control my power."
Zhang Yu gave a dry laugh.
"Your idea of controlling your power might be a little different from a normal person's."
Madara fell silent.
Zhang Yu walked up to him and said seriously, "Remember, opening this tavern is just to give us a public identity."
"The number of customers doesn't matter."
"Neither does how much money we make."
"What really matters is the system mission, the number of summons, and whether we can bring out more of the dead in the future."
When Madara heard the words "more of the dead," his gaze shifted slightly.
Zhang Yu saw his reaction and immediately continued, "For example, haven't you always wanted to see Hashirama?"
Madara's expression stiffened at once.
"Who said I want to see him?"
Zhang Yu looked at him.
Madara's face remained cold.
"I only want to check on his condition in the Pure Land."
Zhang Yu nodded.
"I get it. He's your archenemy, after all."
Madara said coldly, "He's also my dearest friend."
After saying that, he fell silent himself for a moment.
Zhang Yu smiled but didn't call him out.
In fact, he had noticed it last night.
Madara Uchiha talked tough, but his attitude was noticeably different whenever Hashirama Senju came up.
He was the only opponent Madara had acknowledged in his entire life.
He was also the person Madara had the most complicated feelings for.
Now that Madara had time on his hands, it was no surprise that he wanted to see Hashirama.
Zhang Yu was about to speak when a system notification suddenly sounded in his mind.
[Ding!] [Opening mission complete.] [Mission rewards: summons +1, gold coins +1,000.]
Zhang Yu froze.
The next second, his eyes lit up.
It's here!
Another summon!
And a thousand gold coins!
For him, as things stood, the rewards were a godsend.
Madara noticed the change in his expression.
"What happened?"
Zhang Yu didn't hide it.
"The opening mission is complete."
"The rewards are here."
Madara immediately caught the important part.
"A summon?"
Zhang Yu smiled. "One."
Madara's gaze instantly sharpened.
He didn't urge him on.
But his meaning was already obvious.
Seeing him pretend to be calm, Zhang Yu almost burst out laughing.
The great Madara Uchiha had just wanted to use Susanoo to draw attention to the tavern, and now he had perked right up at the news that they could summon Hashirama.
Zhang Yu didn't delay, either.
They had to summon the next employee sooner or later, anyway.
Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi.
He was powerful, had a good personality, and was also Madara's archenemy and dearest friend.
Once he was summoned, the tavern would finally be lively.
Zhang Yu opened the list of the dead in his mind.
[Please enter search target.]
He glanced at Madara Uchiha.
Madara stood beside the bar, his expression as cold as ever, but his fingers had already curled slightly.
Zhang Yu looked away and typed four characters into the search box.
[Hashirama Senju]
The system interface quickly brought up the target's information.
Zhang Yu did not hesitate.
"System, confirm the summoning of Hashirama Senju."
White light burst from the center of the tavern.
In that instant, the entire little tavern was brightly illuminated.
The tables and chairs, the bar, the wine jars on the walls, even Madara Uchiha's crimson armor, were all coated in a dazzling white glow.