A misunderstanding walks through the door… and fate quietly nudges another piece into place.
Option One was undeniably tempting.
Ayato found himself drifting into a mental spiral over Venti's abilities.
The Singer of the Sky.
The Bard of the Wind.
The wandering minstrel big brother.
The legendary "Ehe" slacker Archon.
The eternal absentee god.
Barbatos.
The white-stockings-and-green-hat guy.
The nameless spirit—
…Wait.
Did a few extremely questionable titles just sneak in there?
Ahem.
One of Teyvat's Seven Archons.
The Anemo Archon — Barbatos, also known as Venti.
The embodiment of wind itself.
Ayato lingered on Venti's glowing card for several seconds before shifting his gaze to the next option.
Option Two: Dracule "Hawk-Eye" Mihawk.
The world's greatest swordsman from One Piece.
A former Warlord of the Sea.
A solitary drifter who crossed the oceans in a coffin-shaped boat.
In pure swordsmanship, no one had ever surpassed him.
The only uncertainty was whether the world's strongest slash could still cleave cleanly through a chopping block in the shinobi world.
And then there was—
Option Three: Garou.
At first glance, when Ayato saw One Punch Man, the first image that popped into his mind was that bald man.
Naturally.
If it were Saitama, there wouldn't even be a choice.
Even sixty percent of "invincible" was still invincible — the only difference might be whether the punch was casual or serious.
But this wasn't Saitama.
It was Garou.
And in an "invincible" series, villains rarely enjoyed happy endings.
For once, Ayato genuinely hesitated.
Garou was eliminated first.
That left only Venti and Mihawk.
Seconds ticked by.
Finally, Ayato made his decision.
He extended his finger and tapped the second card.
[Ding!]
[Temporary Card Selection Complete]
[Chosen Role: One Piece — Former Warlord — World's Greatest Swordsman — Dracule Mihawk]
The image of Hawk-Eye Mihawk seemed to glance toward Ayato for a fleeting instant before the card released a soft blue glow and settled quietly into the system interface.
Venti's and Garou's cards dimmed, dissolving into shadow until they vanished completely.
[Temporary Card Usage Rule: Tap the card to activate the role.]
[Appearance projection: Optional]
[Note: Temporary cards grant 60% of the character's peak strength.]
Ayato closed the interface.
At present, only two objectives remained unresolved.
One was related to Itachi.
The other was the ongoing transaction count.
With sixty percent of Mihawk's power available — even temporarily — most threats below Kage-level wouldn't pose much danger.
Just as Ayato was about to tidy up the shop and head out, a knock echoed at the door.
"Please, come in."
He glanced toward the entrance with mild curiosity. The Odd Jobs Shop had been unusually quiet lately, aside from Kakashi's visit earlier.
Returning to his seat, Ayato looked up at the visitor—
—and froze.
Standing in the doorway was none other than Uchiha Mikoto.
Her features closely resembled Itachi's — at least sixty percent alike — minus the faint lines at the corners of her eyes. In other words, she was unmistakably Itachi's mother.
Cradled in her arms was a small infant. Judging by the baby's age, there was no doubt.
Uchiha Sasuke.
…Why was Mikoto here?
A flicker of confusion crossed Ayato's mind.
"Hello, shop owner. Sorry to disturb you," Mikoto said politely, glancing around the room as if searching for someone.
Finding no one else inside, she took a seat while gently adjusting Sasuke in her arms.
"Good afternoon, Madam Mikoto," Ayato recovered quickly, offering a courteous nod. "What brings you to my Odd Jobs Shop today?"
Unlike most Uchiha, Mikoto possessed a gentle temperament. Much of Itachi's softness clearly came from her influence. She was warm, kind, and well-liked throughout Konoha — even Kushina's close friend.
"Well… may I ask…" Mikoto hesitated, her cheeks faintly flushed with anticipation. "Has Itachi been coming here often lately?"
"Itachi?" Ayato frowned slightly. "He has visited recently. Is something wrong?"
Had his contact with Itachi drawn the clan's attention already?
Was this a subtle probe?
Sending a gentle woman carrying a baby certainly lowered one's guard.
"Oh—no, no! Nothing like that," Mikoto waved her hand quickly. "It's just that I heard… Itachi's been coming here often…"
"Often?" Ayato paused. By his count, Itachi had only visited once or twice. That hardly qualified.
"Yes! I heard he's been coming with a girl!" Mikoto leaned in slightly, eyes glittering with curiosity. "So I wanted to see what kind of girl managed to capture our Itachi's attention~"
Her gossip instincts had ignited completely.
She'd been busy caring for Sasuke and rarely ventured out these days. But earlier, while walking through the Uchiha district, she'd overheard several clan members whispering about the young heir frequently visiting a certain place — supposedly with a girl.
That alone was enough to trigger her maternal curiosity.
Itachi was gentle with family but distant with everyone else. Even though he was only five, Mikoto had already begun worrying whether his reserved personality would make relationships difficult someday.
So the moment she learned the shop's location, she scooped up Sasuke and rushed over.
Listening to her explanation, Ayato couldn't help feeling slightly helpless.
"…This is the Odd Jobs Shop," he said carefully. "Are you sure you didn't come to the wrong place?"
He was almost certain Mikoto was actually referring to the dango shop next door.
But since she was already here—
It would be a shame not to take advantage of the opportunity.
"The wrong place?" Mikoto blinked, puzzled.
"Possibly. Still," Ayato said with a faint smile, "our services do include problem-solving. How about you sit for a moment? I'll take you to catch the culprit—ah—catch Itachi's 'girlfriend' shortly."
A mischievous glint flickered in his eyes.
Sometimes, misunderstandings make the best entry points for fate.
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