As long as he had enough gold coins, the Undead Tavern would definitely become more than just a tavern.
Madara and Hashirama stood nearby, unable to see the system interface. All they could see was Zhang Yu's expression changing.
Hashirama asked curiously, "Boss, what are you looking at?"
Zhang Yu didn't look up.
"The shop."
"What's in it?"
"Drinks, glasses, uniforms, and a few things even you two would find tempting."
Madara's gaze shifted slightly.
"Like what?"
Zhang Yu glanced at him.
"The Rinnegan."
Madara fell silent for a moment.
Hashirama was stunned too.
Zhang Yu added another sentence.
"There's also the Sage Body, Wood Release, and the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Hashirama sucked in a breath.
"You can buy things like that too?"
Zhang Yu smiled.
"Probably, eventually."
Madara stared at him, his gaze growing grave once more.
If he had still thought last night that Zhang Yu merely possessed a special power to summon the dead, he now had to reconsider the value of this tavern.
It could summon the dead.
It could forbid the dead from attacking the host.
And it could exchange these so-called gold coins for Kekkei Genkai, Senjutsu, and Dojutsu.
This was beyond anything any power system in the Shinobi World could explain.
Zhang Yu paid no attention to their shock.
With a tap of his finger, he placed his orders.
[Purchased 100 bottles of regular beer. Gold coins spent: 1,000.] [Purchased 5 bottles of specialty baijiu. Gold coins spent: 100.] [Current gold coins: 0.]
The next second, a faint sound came from the cellar.
Neatly packaged bottles of beer appeared out of thin air, stacking themselves tidily on the wooden shelves.
Beside them were five bottles of baijiu in distinctive, crystal-clear bottles. At a glance, they were in a different class from the crude, inferior liquor of the Shinobi World.
Zhang Yu hurried into the cellar, and the sight of a whole shelf full of drinks lifted his spirits.
Now that's more like it!
The inferior liquor that had sat in the corner before had barely been enough to fob off ordinary drunkards.
Now things were different.
Beer.
Baijiu.
The only ones of their kind in the Shinobi World!
The ninjas of Konoha were used to drinking sake and cloudy rice wine. When had they ever tasted anything like this?
As long as someone came in and took a sip, he refused to believe he couldn't keep them coming back.
Zhang Yu picked up a bottle of beer and turned to Madara and Hashirama.
"See this?"
"Starting today, our Undead Tavern has specialty drinks."
"This is the only place in the entire Shinobi World where you can drink them."
Hashirama leaned in for a look, his face full of curiosity.
"This drink has such an unusual color."
Madara glanced at it, his tone indifferent.
"You think drinks alone will attract customers?"
Zhang Yu smiled. "The drinks are just the beginning."
"The real attractions are you two."
Hashirama's heart skipped a beat.
"Boss, you're not going to make us perform Ninjutsu, are you?"
"You're overthinking it."
Zhang Yu put the beer back on the shelf and turned to point at the door.
"For now, you two go greet customers at the door."
Hashirama's body stiffened.
"Greet customers?"
Zhang Yu nodded.
"The daily task is to bring at least five customers into the shop to spend money."
"You're the servers, so of course this is your job."
The expression on Hashirama's face gradually turned awkward.
Who am I?
Hashirama Senju.
One of the founders of Konoha.
The man later generations called the God of Shinobi.
Back then, the heads of every clan had treated him with great respect, and even the daimyō of the Five Great Nations had not dared to take his name lightly.
And now he wants me to stand at the door and drum up customers?
Hashirama raised a hand to rub the back of his head, forcing a smile.
"Boss, isn't this... a little..."
Zhang Yu looked at him.
"A little what?"
Hashirama said quietly, "A little embarrassing."
Madara Uchiha, however, strode straight toward the door.
"Let's go."
Hashirama was taken aback.
"Madara?"
Madara didn't look back.
"It's just bringing in customers."
Hashirama was dumbfounded.
He had thought that with Madara's pride, he would be the first to refuse.
Instead, Madara had agreed more readily than anyone.
Zhang Yu was a little surprised too.
Madara reached the door and looked back at Hashirama coldly.
"How much longer are you going to crouch there in front of the boss?"
Hashirama's face fell.
"I'm just not ready yet."
"The God of Shinobi doesn't even dare greet customers?"
"It's not a question of daring..."
"Then you can't bear the embarrassment."
"Madara, don't try to goad me."
"I'm just stating a fact."
Hashirama took a deep breath and finally stood up.
"All right."
He walked to the door and stood beside Madara outside the tavern.
The evening sun slanted down, and there were few pedestrians on the out-of-the-way street.
Zhang Yu watched the scene from inside the shop, feeling immensely pleased.
Who could have imagined it?
Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju would actually stand outside a little tavern in Konoha one day, greeting customers.
If word got out, the whole Shinobi World would go wild.
Hashirama tried to compose his expression.
A passerby went by in the distance. He opened his mouth, but for a long while, he couldn't call out.
Madara glanced at him.
"Aren't you good at getting along with people?"
Hashirama said quietly, "That's different."
"How is it different?"
"Before, I was talking about alliances, the village, and peace."
"Now I'm calling people over for drinks."
Madara snorted.
"It's all about getting people to come in."
Hashirama thought about it seriously and actually found some sense in that.
Just then, two figures came walking side by side from the end of the street.
One had silver hair and a Forehead Protector tilted over his left eye. He held a book and walked with the air of someone who might be late at any moment.
The other had thick eyebrows and wore green, his whole body radiating fiery enthusiasm. Even his walk was full of exaggerated energy.
They were Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy.
Kakashi had only glanced casually toward the side of the street.
But the next second, he stopped dead.
His gaze fell on the tall figure at the tavern door.
Red armor.
Long black hair.
A broad face.
And an indescribable sense of familiarity.
Kakashi stood rooted to the spot.
That face...
He seemed to have seen it somewhere.
Not on a living person.
In portraits.
On the Hokage Rock.
It belonged to the name that countless ninjas spoke of as a legend in Konoha's history.
The First Hokage.
Hashirama Senju?
Kakashi's pupils contracted sharply, and he nearly dropped his book.
Impossible.
The First Hokage had died long ago.
How could he be standing at the door of a little tavern?
And the long-haired man in red armor beside him had an unsettling presence too.
Just one look from a distance sent a chill down his back.
Kakashi frowned deeply, his shock and doubt growing.
"Kakashi?"
Might Guy hadn't looked closely at the people at the tavern door. He had only noticed Kakashi suddenly stopping.
He followed Kakashi's gaze and immediately wore an expression of sudden understanding.
"I see!"
Kakashi still hadn't recovered.
"See what?"
Guy clapped him on the shoulder and laughed heartily.
"Even youth needs to relax once in a while!"
"Kakashi, I never thought you'd want a drink!"
"In that case, it's my treat today!"
The corner of Kakashi's eye twitched.
"Wait, Guy, I didn't..."
Before he could finish, Might Guy was already fired up.
He gave Kakashi no chance to explain, grabbed him by the arm, and charged off toward the Undead Tavern.
When Might Guy dragged Kakashi to the entrance of the Undead Tavern, Hashirama Senju still hadn't quite arranged the smile on his face.
He had tried.
He really had.