When loyalty meets truth, even the calmest blade begins to tremble.
Only three transactions remained.
Ayato glanced at the system panel. Kakashi counted as one. Tsunade made two. As long as he completed three more legitimate transactions, the task would finally be cleared.
The problem was… even Ayato had no idea how long that might take.
Business depended on fate as much as planning.
Just when he thought today would pass as quietly as the last few—
The shop door slid open.
"Welcome—hm?"
At first glance, the Uchiha crest made Ayato think Itachi had returned.
But it wasn't him.
The man standing in the doorway was taller, sharper, his presence carrying a restrained, coiled tension.
Uchiha Shisui.
The other half of the so-called Uchiha Twin Stars.
So… he finally came.
"Hello," Shisui greeted as he stepped inside, his expression calm and unreadable.
"Welcome, Shisui. Have some tea."
Ayato paid no attention to the guarded aura and casually began clearing away the teacups Tsunade had left earlier. He rinsed a fresh cup, brewed a new pot, and placed it neatly in front of Shisui.
"…Thank you." Shisui accepted it politely, though his eyes never stopped studying Ayato. "And you are?"
"Ayato. Owner of the Odd Jobs Shop."
Ayato resisted the urge to sigh. You walked into my shop without even knowing who I was?
"Nice to meet you, Shopkeeper Ayato," Shisui said. "I came today to ask… what exactly did you say to Itachi last time?"
His gaze sharpened slightly.
Ever since leaving this shop, something about Itachi had subtly changed. He had begun questioning the relationship between the clan and the village far more frequently.
If Shisui hadn't been dispatched on continuous ANBU missions these past few days, he would have come much sooner.
"You mean… the matter of the Uchiha clan and Konoha?" Ayato smiled faintly.
As expected. Those two truly were close.
"The Uchiha clan is part of Konoha," Shisui replied evenly. "That's beyond dispute."
"Is it?"
Ayato lifted his gaze and met Shisui's eyes directly.
Shisui frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"Tell me, Shisui," Ayato said calmly. "What do you think a Hokage truly is?"
"The leader of the village. Someone who guides and protects everyone," Shisui answered without hesitation.
"Then do you believe the people he protects… truly include the Uchiha?"
Ayato turned his gaze toward the window.
Beyond the glass, Hokage Rock stood clearly visible — the carved faces of Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Minato Namikaze gazing silently over the village.
Symbols of authority. Of legacy. Of control.
"Of course," Shisui answered immediately.
Yet the faint tightening of his fingers betrayed the hesitation in his heart.
"If the Fourth Hokage were still alive," Ayato said softly, "that might truly have remained possible."
His voice remained steady.
"But now… the one holding power is—"
"It's Lord Hiruzen," Shisui cut in sharply.
"Not entirely," Ayato replied calmly. "Power currently rests with both Hiruzen Sarutobi… and Danzo Shimura."
He continued watching Hokage Rock, a trace of quiet contemplation in his eyes.
"What are you trying to imply?" Shisui stood abruptly, one hand already shifting toward the blade on his back.
To someone fiercely loyal to the Hokage faction, those words bordered dangerously close to treason.
"Nothing excessive," Ayato replied, unbothered. "Only that you already know I'm not wrong."
His gaze returned to Shisui.
"Don't you, Shisui of the Body Flicker?"
Shisui hesitated.
After a moment, he slowly lowered himself back into the chair.
"…Then what would you suggest—"
He stopped halfway through the sentence and stood again.
For a brief moment, he had nearly sought advice from this stranger.
But reason returned just as quickly.
He couldn't sense even the slightest trace of chakra from Ayato. In his perception, this man was nothing more than an ordinary civilian. Everything he said might simply be overheard rumors.
"You Uchiha…" Ayato said lightly as Shisui turned away, "are already considering rebellion, aren't you?"
The sentence landed like thunder.
Shisui's pupils shrank violently.
In a flash, his body moved faster than sight. Steel kissed Ayato's throat — the blade stopping less than a finger's width from skin.
One wrong answer…
And blood would spill.
Not long ago, before the Night of the Nine-Tails, the Uchiha clan under Fugaku's leadership had still believed in coexistence.
Minato had been Hokage. Fugaku had been Minato's friend. Kushina and Mikoto had shared deep bonds.
Hope had existed.
Then the Nine-Tails attacked.
The Sharingan visible within its eyes.
The Uchiha's conspicuous absence from the battlefield.
Suspicion froze everything overnight.
And then Minato died.
Hiruzen returned to power. Root began moving in the shadows. Pressure tightened around the clan.
When Shisui returned from his mission, whispers had already resurfaced.
Rebellion.
Uchiha En had personally visited Fugaku, proposing that the old plan be revived.
Itachi had overheard everything… and told Shisui immediately.
That was why Ayato's words struck straight into the heart of the truth.
How could an outsider possibly know this?
"Relax," Ayato said calmly, even smiling as he gently pushed the blade aside with two fingers. "I harbor no ill intent."
He wasn't currently using Zhongli's role.
If Shisui truly struck, this would be the end of the story.
"Hmph. Don't spread baseless nonsense," Shisui snapped, though he also realized he'd overreacted.
If this escalated further, it could easily be interpreted as proof that the Uchiha truly intended rebellion.
"Whether it's baseless or not," Ayato replied mildly, "you understand better than anyone."
He leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing just a fraction.
"Or…"
"…were you planning to use Kotoamatsukami?"
Shisui's breath froze.
For the first time since entering the shop—
True shock surfaced on his face.
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