When a prodigy walks through the door, fate quietly shifts its next piece into place.
After sending Kakashi on his way, Ayato opened the system interface.
[Host: Ayato]
[Active Role: Zhongli]
[Role Progress: 5.6%]
[Today's Role Time: 0 / 30 minutes]
[Character Draw Chances: 0]
Seeing the number frozen at 5.6%, Ayato couldn't help but smile faintly.
He shifted his attention to the mission panel. Only a single golden quest remained.
[Main Quest: Zhongli Role Progress reaches 70%]
[Current Progress: 5.6%]
[Reward: Character Draw Card ×1]
Seventy percent.
It didn't sound unreachable—yet the road ahead would clearly take time.
Ayato closed the interface. At some point, a small wooden replica of the Vortex Vanquisher had appeared in his hand. He casually flipped it between his fingers, watching the miniature spear spin and catch the light.
A reminder.
Power was close… yet still distant.
At the same time—
Deep beneath Konoha, inside Root's headquarters.
The room echoed with rage.
Danzo Shimura slammed his cane against the stone floor, veins bulging along his temple as several subordinates knelt trembling before him.
"Still haven't found him?!"
"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"
"You can't even locate one person, and you dare call yourselves the ones who oversee Konoha?!"
His voice sliced through the chamber like a blade. The kneeling operatives lowered their heads even further, fear pressing down on their spines like crushing gravity.
Only when the fire in Danzo's chest slowly cooled did he lean back into his chair, his lone visible eye narrowing with calculation.
"So… still no leads at all?"
Aburame Torune answered from the floor, voice steady despite the pressure.
"Yes. We traced the direction he left last night. No traces were found even twenty kilometers out."
Danzo's fingers tightened slightly around his cane.
"So what are you implying?"
"It is highly possible that he's still inside Konoha," Torune replied calmly.
Torune hadn't personally witnessed Zhongli's descent last night, but even from afar he had felt that suffocating pressure. During the field investigation afterward, his understanding of that power had only deepened.
"Yes. That possibility exists. Of course, it's also possible he possesses space–time ninjutsu. Otherwise, it's difficult to explain how his presence vanished so abruptly."
Among the kneeling operatives, Torune was one of the few who remained completely composed.
Danzo's gaze sharpened.
"Did you find anything in Root's records? Anyone matching his appearance?"
The sudden emergence of Zhongli had begun to threaten Danzo's sense of control.
Yet his pride refused to accept that someone like that could truly disrupt his long-laid plans.
What he wanted most—
Was to find Zhongli.
To brand him with the Tongue Curse Seal.
To drag Hiruzen down from the Hokage's seat.
Only then would his heart be satisfied.
Only then could he prove to Senju Tobirama who truly deserved to rule Konoha.
"We searched all internal records," Torune reported. "We even had foreign agents cross-check external archives. There is no trace of anyone resembling him."
"What about Iwagakure's files? With that level of earth release, even Ōnoki would struggle to match it."
"That side proved difficult. Iwagakure protects its archives more strictly than any other village."
Danzo clicked his tongue softly.
"Keep investigating. And what about the Nine-Tails situation?"
Zhongli might be elusive—but the Nine-Tails was not.
If manipulated correctly, it could become the perfect leverage.
"The rumors have been released as instructed. Some villagers already believe that the Nine-Tails transformed into a blond infant, currently under the Third Hokage's supervision."
Torune handed over a scroll.
"Good. You're dismissed."
Danzo unfolded the report. Detailed information regarding Uzumaki Naruto and the Nine-Tails filled the parchment.
A thin, cold smile crept onto his lips.
If this continues…
Let's see how you plan to defend yourself, Hiruzen.
…
Six in the evening.
"As expected… the rumors are spreading faster and faster."
Ayato lay comfortably in a reclining chair inside the shop. On the table beside him, the Japanese robin chirped cheerfully from its cage, feathers puffed in contentment.
Even without stepping outside, fragments of gossip drifted through the open windows.
"The Nine-Tails turned into a baby…"
"They say the child is under the Third Hokage's protection…"
"That kid is dangerous…"
The whispers layered over one another like ripples across water.
There was no doubt.
The rumors originated from Danzo—and were being subtly amplified and redirected by Hiruzen's countermeasures.
"How interesting," Ayato murmured. "Still… I need to raise my proficiency first."
He had already fully grasped the system's limitations.
Each role granted only thirty minutes of active time per day.
If Zhongli remained his only role, that meant only half an hour of true combat strength daily.
True—some heroes barely had three minutes of glory.
But this was far from sufficient in a world crawling with monsters like Naruto's.
And at only 5.6%, he possessed merely a fragment of Zhongli's real power.
If he wanted to survive long-term—
Raising proficiency and unlocking additional roles was the only viable path.
Fortunately, no one knew he was still in Konoha.
Neither Hiruzen nor Danzo suspected that the mysterious godlike figure was quietly running a small shop under their noses.
That anonymity was priceless.
Just as Ayato drifted deeper into thought—
Jingle.
The shop bell rang again.
Another customer?
Two visitors in one day was already unusual.
Ayato opened his eyes.
A young boy wearing Uchiha clan attire stepped inside.
Distinct nasolabial lines framed his youthful face—clear marks of the Uchiha bloodline.
"Uchiha… Itachi?" Ayato remained reclined, not bothering to stand.
The boy blinked slightly.
"You know me?" Itachi asked.
Earlier, he had been next door eating his favorite dango with Izumi Uchiha. After Izumi left, his attention had been caught by the unusual sign hanging outside this shop.
Almost without realizing it, he had walked inside.
"Uchiha Itachi. Eldest son of Uchiha Fugaku. I know enough," Ayato replied calmly, sitting up slightly. "You just finished eating dango next door, didn't you? That's your favorite."
Itachi studied him carefully.
Though not yet five years old, his expression carried a maturity far beyond his age. His gaze was composed, tranquil—almost unnervingly calm for a child.
Only at the mention of dango did a faint flicker of emotion pass through his eyes.
A prodigy.
A child already walking toward a destiny stained with blood.
And now—
He had stepped into Ayato's shop.
The game board had quietly shifted once again.
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