"Mother, I've already stocked the latest batch of Super Gourmet Spice in the kitchen."
"Mm~."
"If you need more, just let me know. Don't worry about that Kazekage." Black Zetsu grinned as he saw his mother nod. "I can get more anytime."
Even though every shipment of Super Gourmet Spice was supposed to go through strict inventory checks… well, Tobi was now the deputy director of the research division. Grabbing a little seasoning "for research purposes" — what's the harm?
Since Mother didn't want the hassle of going through the registration, he decided to handle it personally.
And more importantly —
For free.
He looked toward his mother, who was already busy cooking.
Around her were several White Zetsu clones he had carefully selected — all of them with decent barbecue experience, now helping out behind the scenes.
If mother wanted to open a restaurant, then of course he'd do everything he could to support her.
No customers?
Then he'd send out the White Zetsu clones to draw people in.
As for ingredients… if Sunagakure had it, use that. If not, they'd source it externally.
All the food had to be the freshest and cheapest available.
Several White Zetsu clones had already infiltrated the procurement division. Whenever new or premium stock arrived, they'd be the first to know.
Black Zetsu snorted proudly.
"Those guys were totally useless — they made Mother lose so much money. Now I have to step in myself!"
"Well, they're just clones after all. What do you expect?" the other half of White Zetsu replied casually. "I heard Lady Kaguya spent a long time sitting alone in the empty restaurant. Not that she had a choice. Sunagakure's location isn't great, surrounded by desert, with no nearby towns or villages. The locals aren't used to having late-night snacks either."
And for the first few days, they didn't have Super Gourmet Spice . The taste was off. Of course business suffered.
After all, that's just the kind of person Lady Kaguya is… asking her to go apply for Super Gourmet Spice herself would've been a bit too much.
"When the tournament ends and people leave, the number of customers is bound to drop again. What then?"
"That's a valid concern~." Half-bodied Black Zetsu nodded seriously. "What do you think about using White Zetsu clones as stand-ins? We've got tens of thousands of them hidden across Sunagakure."
"That's a dumb idea. Lady Kaguya will notice."
What is this, playing house?
"True… she definitely wouldn't like that. So what do you suggest?"
"Bring in people from outside?"
"In this godforsaken place? Who's going to come all the way here for no reason?"
"Did you forget? We, the White Zetsu Brotherhood, have tens of thousands of comrades spread across every corner of the ninja world. Shinobi villages, daimyō estates — we're everywhere. We could advertise, offer transportation and security guarantees, and only charge a small fee."
White Zetsu's eyes gleamed as he smiled.
"That'd definitely attract people. We could even start a company — make it official. Help Lady Kaguya earn more money."
"Smart thinking! Then once Mother's rich, she can buy whatever she wants!" Black Zetsu's eyes lit up. "Let's call it... God Tree Travel Agency. — dedicated to sca— ahem, I mean, protecting and guiding tourists who want to visit Sunagakure!"
"Not a bad name, but the 'God Tree' part might make people think it's tied to God Tree BBQ. They'll think it's some kind of scam."
"Well… isn't it?"
"How can honest business be called a scam?" White Zetsu shook his head. "We should pick a safer name. Something that won't raise suspicion."
"True." Black Zetsu gave his other half a surprised look, brows furrowed slightly. "Didn't think you had a business brain on you."
"Just a result of processing too much intel. Broadened my thinking." White Zetsu waved it off. "But also… are we really not going to report back to the Fourth? That guy's stingy, you know."
"Forget him. We're not even on the same team. Mother's business comes first!"
"Fine, your call~."
...
"Not bad," Rasa said, wiping his mouth as he looked around at the other village representatives, who had also finished their meals.
At this point, he still had no idea that Black Zetsu was back, and that the so-called "internal thief" was none other than Black Zetsu and Tobi. Nor did he know that those two were secretly planning something big — founding the ninja world's first travel agency under the guise of entrepreneurship.
If he did know, with the sheer size of the White Zetsu clone network…
He'd probably shake Black Zetsu's hand with a big smile and praise him as a model entrepreneur of Sunagakure — and probably even offer three years of tax exemption, 50% off rent, and free utilities as incentive.
Talk about a win-win situation!
Unfortunately, Black Zetsu was focused on spending time with his Mother, and Rasa still had no clue they'd returned.
Rasa clapped his hands, signaling to one of the White Zetsu clones working as a temporary waiter to bring the check.
The taste wasn't on par with the top chefs at the Grand Sail Hotel, but for the price, it was honestly pretty good.
As for the White Zetsu clones playing tour guides nearby…
"Everyone finished eating? Great! Let's not occupy the tables too long — there are still many waiting outside~!" A short-haired White Zetsu guide stood up cheerfully. "Next, we'll visit the famous Twin Trees of Sunagakure! These trees aren't ordinary — one of them suddenly sprouted right in front of the Fourth Kazekage's residence one day. Rumor has it, they bring good fortune. Some even say that's how he became Kazekage!"
"After we visit the trees, we'll head outside the village to the stargazing platform. Perfect timing now that it's night — if we're lucky, we might catch a glimpse of the Star God. According to local legend, those who see it will find their destined partner and live a happy life!"
As he spoke, he led the group of well-fed tourists out of the restaurant.
"If you wake up early tomorrow morning, you'll be able to catch the desert sunrise. The whole desert turns golden red — a sight you won't see anywhere else."
"..."
He was really getting the hang of this whole tour guide thing.
Rasa shook his head, watching the group follow along.
"These guys… really have no sense of priorities…"
Did they forget they're supposed to be monitoring the village's security?
He made up his mind — tomorrow, he'd call a meeting.
A proper one.
And give these guys a serious talking-to for slacking off.
They were being paid by the village—well, technically the village didn't actually pay them, nor did it provide housing, meals, or benefits—but still!
Still!
They couldn't be this irresponsible!
Rasa sighed, shaking his head.
He muttered, "When Black Zetsu gets here, I'll need to have a proper word with him…"
How the hell is he managing his people?!