Chapter 9: Finalizing the Partnership
Mito Uzumaki looked at the quietly seated Senju Miyuki and pulled her over. Mito stroked Miyuki's hair and said, "Little Miyuki, you are so thoughtful to have found such an excellent chef. In a few days, it will be Ryota's wedding. Could you introduce us to that master chef? We would like to hire him to cater the wedding banquet."
Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, and Tobirama Senju immediately stopped drinking their soup and stared intently at Miyuki.
That's right! they all thought. First, we find this master and get on his good side. Then we'll have access to any dish we want in the future. Why would we need to drink this soup in such small sips? When the time comes, we can drink one bowl and toss another! Mito is truly brilliant.
Miyuki was instantly thrilled. "Of course! He also wanted to meet you all to discuss a big business deal."
Tobirama's interest was piqued. "Oh? What kind of deal?" Although the Senju clan was large and influential, its expenses were also enormous. The village had only just been established and had little to offer; even the pensions for fallen ninjas were paid out of each clan's own pocket.
Miyuki quickly explained Yamamoto Ryusei's plan. After listening, Tobirama said, "It sounds like it has a high chance of success. It should be feasible. What do you think, Big Brother?"
Hashirama nodded. "I think it's possible too. Madara, what's your take? Do you want in on this?"
Hearing this, Tobirama's face turned black. This deal was brought in by Senju Miyuki, and the other party was looking to partner with the Senju clan. This business was meant to be exclusive to the Senju. But with his brother's words, he was now inviting the Uchiha clan to take a piece of the pie. He was giving away the clan's interests! If Hashirama wasn't the clan head—and if he could actually beat him—Tobirama would have had him arrested for treason long ago.
A warmth spread through Madara's heart. It seemed his best friend was always thinking of him. "This soup alone makes it worth doing. If the master chef has no objections, my Uchiha clan would like to join."
Hashirama immediately said, "No problem! I'll talk to the master about it."
Tobirama's face was now completely black. He let out a "Hmph!" and went back to finishing his Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
Mito noticed that Miyuki had only eaten one bowl. "Little Miyuki, you should have some more."
Miyuki's mind was completely filled with thoughts of the other jar of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall at Ryusei's house, and she couldn't wait to go eat her fill. She replied absentmindedly, "No, thank you. I'm going to eat Buddha Jumps Over the Wall at Ryusei's house later."
A glint flashed in Mito's eyes. There's another portion! I barely got enough just now. She knew she had to find a way to freeload a meal.
The moment she said it, Miyuki knew she had messed up. Looking at their expressions, she was certain they would all be following her later.
Sure enough, Mito said, "In that case, I should pay him a visit to personally thank him, and at the same time, we can discuss the matter of Ryota's wedding banquet."
'More like you want to "at the same time" freeload a meal,' Miyuki thought.
Tobirama followed up smoothly, "Then I shall also go to discuss the details of the partnership."
Madara resumed his cool expression. "Then I will also go to inquire if the master would like to cooperate with the Uchiha clan."
Hashirama laughed heartily. "Then let's all go together! Little Miyuki, you lead the way."
Bitterness welled up in Miyuki's heart. She felt like crying but had no tears. It seemed she would only be getting one bowl from that jar of soup after all.
The Yamamoto family, along with Komiya Yuki and Yamashita So, were all waiting for Miyuki. Suddenly, a knock came from the door. Ryusei opened it to see a not-so-happy Senju Miyuki, and behind her stood three men and one woman. Among the men, one had long, straight black hair, another had a spiky hairstyle that covered one eye, and the last had spiky white hair. All the men were wearing robes. The woman had striking red hair and was wearing a white kimono.
Wait, this combination seems familiar...
Ryusei saw the diamond-shaped mark on the woman's forehead. His eyes slowly widened, and blood rushed to his head as he finally remembered who they were.
He had never imagined that Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, Tobirama Senju, and Mito Uzumaki—the four giants of Konoha—would show up at his house at night. He thought the Hokage would summon him the next morning. It seemed the "nuclear bomb" that was Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was far more powerful than he had anticipated.
Ryusei immediately bowed. "Greetings, Lord Hokage, Lord Uchiha Madara, Lord Senju Tobirama, and Lady Uzumaki Mito. Your presence brings light to my humble home. Please, come in."
Hearing his voice, Yamamoto Shuichi, Yamamoto Nami, Yamashita So, and Komiya Yuki all came out to greet them.
"There's no need for bowing. It makes things awkward," Hashirama said.
The four giants entered the house one by one. Ryusei pulled Miyuki aside, staying behind, and asked in a low voice, "Big Sister Miyuki, what's going on? Why is the Hokage-sama here?"
Miyuki also whispered back, "It's all because that portion of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was too small! The four lords didn't get enough to eat, so they came here to get more."
Although they were whispering, to the four leaders, every word was crystal clear.
The four of them looked at each other and shared a smile, alleviating some of the awkwardness, before sitting down at the table.
Yamamoto Nami apologized for the disturbance and hurried to the kitchen to prepare several more dishes.
Before long, the table was filled with food.
The four leaders looked at the table full of dishes they didn't recognize, and their anticipation grew even deeper. They had definitely made the right choice in coming here.
Mito looked at the Yamamoto family, who were too nervous to come to the table. "Please, everyone sit down and eat. Don't be so formal."
Once everyone was seated, Miyuki directly opened the jar of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. An even richer aroma washed over them.
"Mm, this seems even more fragrant than the last one," Mito remarked.
"That's because this one was stewed for a longer time," Ryusei explained.
Mito asked with curiosity, "You know how to cook too, little one? Did you learn from your mother?"
Nami took over the conversation. "No, Lady Mito. Ryu-chan was the one who made this Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. He also taught me how to make the other dishes."
"You know how to cook?" The four leaders looked at the seven or eight-year-old Ryusei with disbelief.
Miyuki looked eagerly at Mito, her eyes darting towards the food. "I didn't believe it at first either, but he really did make it. But, Lady Mito, can we please eat first and talk later? It won't taste as good if it gets cold."
Seeing Miyuki like this, Mito smiled indulgently. "Alright, let's eat first then."
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the four leaders were sipping tea.
Hashirama sighed with contentment. "Truly delicious. I feel so happy and blissful after eating that. But, Ryusei, about your partnership plan, can the Uchiha clan participate as well?"
Ryusei was pleasantly surprised. "Of course! To have a clan as strong as the Uchiha join is something I couldn't even dare to hope for."
Ryusei wouldn't have dared to partner with the Uchiha clan alone. But with the Senju clan present to act as a check, he wasn't afraid that the Uchiha would try to seize the business.
Tobirama pondered for a moment. "That's not quite right. If only the Senju and Uchiha participate, the other clans will think our two families have formed an alliance and intend to swallow them up. It would be better to have Konoha manage it."
Ryusei's heart sank. 'Ah... he wants to nationalize it! In that case, wouldn't we just be "dedicated" to the cause and get nothing?'
Madara let out a cold snort and shot Tobirama a look. Konoha management? The Hokage is from the Senju clan. Wouldn't it just fall into Senju hands anyway? Tobirama is just trying to exclude my Uchiha clan. Tobirama's desire to see me fail will never die.
Hashirama looked at Madara, then back at Ryusei. "That won't work, Tobirama. If the other clans are afraid, then we should just pull them all in to cooperate! What do you think, Ryusei?"
Ryusei was, of course, delighted. "That would be wonderful! We have absolutely no problem with that. We will follow the Hokage-sama's decision."
Hashirama felt a headache coming on. "But the specifics of the cooperation, and how to distribute the profits... Tobirama, how do you think we should resolve this?" Hashirama was terrible with these matters and used his special technique: Ninjutsu: Pass-the-Buck-to-Tobirama Jutsu.
Tobirama skillfully caught the buck. "As for the partnership and distribution, it's natural that the more one contributes, the more one gets. We'll value each share at one hundred million ryo. The Yamamoto family will contribute their technique as capital, holding one share. My Senju clan will pay one hundred million ryo for one share."
Madara crossed his arms. "My Uchiha clan will pay one hundred million ryo for one share."
Hashirama said, "Mm. But the shares can't be too diluted. Let's have ten shares in total. The rest will be distributed to the other clans based on how much they invest." The war had just ended; there weren't many who could take out a hundred million ryo to invest in a restaurant.
Good grief, Ryusei thought, if all the shares are sold, that's one billion ryo. Konoha itself won't be enough to handle that volume.
Tobirama immediately added, "We'll open a few restaurants in Konoha first. If business is good, we will expand throughout the Land of Fire and even the entire ninja world. Mm... we will also need to assign ninja to guard the recipes and kitchens to prevent theft. This could also solve the employment problem for ninjas who can't survive in peacetime. The only concern is other villages trying to steal it."
Madara said, full of confidence, "Hmph... They wouldn't dare. None of them can withstand my wrath and Hashirama's."
'Uncle Madara is so cool,' Ryusei gave him a mental thumbs-up.
Tobirama turned to Ryusei. "In a few days, it will be Ryota's wedding. The Daimyo and the nobles will be attending. You will be in charge of the wedding banquet. When the other ninja clans taste the food, they will have the confidence to invest. We will use this Buddha Jumps Over the Wall to make a name for ourselves. If you're short on chefs, we can assign some from the Senju clan."
Mito couldn't help but secretly praise Tobirama. As expected of Tobirama. He's arranged a future path for the Senju clan while also taking care of his nephew's wedding.
Ryusei shook his head. "I'm afraid that won't work. The other dishes are simple enough and easy to learn, but they won't be able to learn how to make Buddha Jumps Over the Wall in just a few days."
Tobirama touched Ryusei's body. "Tomorrow, I will teach you a ninjutsu. With that, it will be possible."
Ryusei nodded in agreement.
With everything settled and the three parties having signed the contract, the four giants returned to their respective homes.