One leap across space. One truth pressed into the light. And a seal that may redefine a prodigy's fate.
"This… is space–time ninjutsu?"
For a split second, Kakashi felt the world blur—then the scenery snapped back into focus.
He was already standing inside the Odd Jobs Shop.
The near-miraculous transition instantly reminded him of his teacher's signature technique: the Flying Thunder God.
Although originally developed by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, it was Minato Namikaze who had truly perfected and elevated it. Even then, history itself proved how absurdly difficult the technique was to master.
Across the entire shinobi world, only two people had ever learned it.
Tobirama.
Minato.
Not even Hiruzen Sarutobi—the so-called Professor of Ninjutsu—had succeeded.
Yet now, the owner of this quiet little shop had performed something disturbingly similar.
"What I use isn't the Flying Thunder God," Ayato said calmly, as if reading Kakashi's thoughts. "Just a small trick."
At the same time, his gaze flicked to the system prompt.
[Function 1: Teleport — Remaining uses today: 0 / 1]
As expected, today's charge had already been consumed.
"Come. Have some tea."
As usual, Ayato prepared a fresh cup for his guest.
Which also meant the tea Tsunade had gifted him was rapidly running out.
Not exactly encouraging.
"…Thanks." Kakashi accepted the cup, steam curling faintly upward.
"You're welcome. You're my customer, after all."
Ayato set his own cup aside and met Kakashi's gaze.
"Alright," Kakashi said at last, his single visible eye sharpening. "Now explain it to me properly. How do you know all of this?"
"You mean Naruto?" Ayato asked lightly.
"Yes."
"That part's not difficult." Ayato smiled faintly. "Blond hair. The Uzumaki surname. And your teacher's wife was Uzumaki Kushina."
"…That's it?"
"Of course not." Ayato tapped the table slowly.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Kushina's due date wasn't exactly a secret in the village."
The rhythmic sound echoed through the quiet shop.
Kakashi fell silent.
"And deep down," Ayato continued calmly, "you already know who pushed Naruto into this situation, don't you?"
Kakashi didn't answer.
But two names surfaced clearly in his mind.
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Danzo Shimura.
The so-called embodiments of Konoha's light and darkness.
The rumors branding Naruto as the Nine-Tails' demon container tightened something painfully in Kakashi's chest.
That was his teacher's son.
A hero's child.
And the village's greatest safeguard against another catastrophe.
Very few bodies could withstand the Nine-Tails' violent chakra.
So why…
Why treat him like this?
Had everything Kakashi believed in been wrong all along?
Images surfaced one after another.
The White Fang.
Obito.
Rin.
Minato.
Kushina.
And now… Naruto.
"If you can't protect Naruto openly," Ayato said softly, breaking through Kakashi's spiraling thoughts, "then become the strongest shield protecting him from the shadows."
"From the shadows…?" Kakashi looked up, uncertainty flickering in his eye.
"Yes." Ayato smiled faintly. "When you have time, take a walk around Konoha. It'll give me peace of mind—and it may help you as well."
Kakashi hesitated.
"A walk…?"
"Yes. Walk more. Look more. Think about what you truly want to protect. If you want Naruto to have a better future, there are things you shouldn't keep running away from."
Noticing the tea had gone lukewarm, Ayato refilled Kakashi's cup.
"I understand, I—"
"As long as you understand, that's enough."
"…"
Kakashi stared at him in disbelief.
When did I understand anything?
Ignoring Kakashi's internal protest, Ayato smoothly changed the subject.
"Now, let's talk about your Sharingan. Have you found a solution?"
"…Not yet." Kakashi exhaled quietly. "I need a seal strong enough to suppress it, but flexible enough to release at will. That's the problem."
Ordinary sealing techniques weren't powerful enough to restrain a Sharingan permanently. Stronger seals, on the other hand, usually couldn't be disengaged freely.
It was a deadlock.
"Have you considered the Eight Trigrams Seal?" Ayato asked calmly, glancing toward Kakashi's concealed eye.
Kakashi's heart skipped.
"The Eight Trigrams Seal…?"
He knew it well.
It was the pinnacle sealing art of the Uzumaki clan—an advanced evolution of the Four Symbols Seal.
The very seal Minato had used to imprison the Nine-Tails within Naruto.
"If it can suppress the Nine-Tails," Ayato said evenly, "then suppressing a Sharingan shouldn't be a problem."
Kakashi fell into deep contemplation.
Then another thought surfaced.
"There's something else I don't understand," he said slowly. "How do you even know what seal was used on Naruto?"
The more they spoke, the more unfathomable Ayato became.
Space–time techniques.
Hidden village intelligence.
Forbidden sealing knowledge.
None of it matched the image of an ordinary shopkeeper.
It was unsettling.
Ayato lowered his gaze slightly, his voice quiet but steady.
"Those who live long enough can only revisit old comrades and forgotten landscapes through memory," he said.
"And memory… naturally includes knowledge."
The steam from the teacups drifted upward between them.
A silence settled.
And somewhere within it, Kakashi felt the shape of his future quietly shifting.
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