Ancient One set his tea down as she began to speak "I have an offer for you, Mr. Kakashi," the Ancient One began, her voice steady and inviting. "You can stay and learn here at Kamar-Taj. And I'm not saying learn the mystic arts, though that's an option. You can learn much more about this world, this universe, and even your own shinobi arts."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, the gesture subtle but expressive beneath his mask. Shinobi arts? Here? The claim intrigued him, but another question burned brighter.
"And why are you helping me, uh… ma'am?" he asked, his tone polite but tinged with skepticism. No one offers something for nothing.
The Ancient One took a sip of her tea, her movements deliberate, as if savoring the moment. "Just as it was my duty to vanquish you if you were some eldritch being looking to devour this world, it's my duty to provide you a home since, in part, I was responsible for taking you away from yours. Kamar-Taj is a sanctuary for the lost, Mr. Kakashi. You're far from your home, your friends and family. This place can be a new beginning."
Kakashi leaned back, his eye crinkling in a faint, amused squint. 'A home, huh?' The idea was foreign, almost absurd. Konoha was home—its gates, its ramen stands, the faces of his students. Yet here he was, stranded in a universe that didn't know chakra or the Hidden Leaf.
He pictured Naruto's grin, the way the kid would probably barge into this room, call the Ancient One "Bald Lady," and demand a spar.
'You'd like her, Naruto. You'd both get along like a house on fire.' The thought brought a quiet chuckle, muffled by his mask, but it faded as he considered her offer.
'She doesn't seem bad. Maybe too earnest, like a certain loudmouth I know. But She is not as naive as him either.'
"And what shinobi arts are here?" he asked, his voice steady, probing for specifics.
The Ancient One's smile widened, as if she'd anticipated the question. "We have magic that uses kanji—seals, runes, barriers. You call them fuinjutsu, if I'm not mistaken. It's an ancient and powerful art here, though not as refined as your world's. Our archives hold techniques for binding, warding, and even channeling energy in ways that might surprise you. Beyond that, we have masters of various taijutsu styles, though I suspect you'd outclass most of them."
Kakashi's interest piqued. Fuinjutsu? The art of sealing was rare even in Konoha, mastered by prodigies like Minato or Jiraiya.
If Kamar-Taj had its own version, it could deepen his understanding of fuinjutsu
"And outside of that?" he pressed, his tone curious but guarded.
"There are masters here who practice what you call chakra, though we know it as chi," she continued. "They refine it through meditation, physical discipline, and rituals. Our library holds texts on its cultivation—some might resonate with your shinobi training. And…" Her voice took on a mysterious lilt. "I believe you could learn more about your eyes."
Kakashi's eye sharpened. "Learn more about my Sharingan?"
The Ancient One's smile was enigmatic. "You'll understand when you explore the Kamar-Taj library. There are secrets even you, with your remarkable eyes, might find illuminating."
Kakashi leaned forward, intrigued despite himself. Secrets about the Sharingan? The Uchiha's legacy was tied to his world's myths as he had come to understand—Susanoo, Amaterasu, the Sage of the Six Paths.
' If this world held clues to its origins, or even its limits, it could unlock new potential. Obito, you'd be curious too, wouldn't you?'
"Besides," the Ancient One added, her tone warm, "the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj could learn much from a man of your skills."
Kakashi's lips twitched beneath his mask, a dry chuckle escaping. "I don't think I'm a very good teacher."
Memories of Team 7 flashed through his mind—Naruto's endless complaints, Sasuke's brooding defiance, Sakura's exasperated sighs.
'I barely survived those three.' Teaching was a responsibility he'd taken reluctantly, driven by duty to Minato's son and his comrades' legacies. 'I'm better with kunai than lesson plans.'
The Ancient One's gaze softened, as if she sensed the weight behind his words. "You look quite young," she said, her voice gentle but piercing, "and judging from your skills, you've killed many in your life. You went for my heart with that lightning, after all."
She chuckled, the sound light but not mocking. "I'm not judging you, Kakashi-san. Your world may have demanded such a life. You said you killed your first person at five, and I imagine you've lived that way ever since. That means you've never had the chance to enjoy your life, to do what you love. You're starting anew here. Why not consider doing something that brings you joy?"
Her words hit like a well-aimed shuriken, slicing through the armor of his detachment. Kakashi's eye widened slightly, a rare crack in his composure.
'What I love?' The question was alien, one he'd never paused to consider. His life had been a relentless march of duty and survival—first as the prodigy son of the White Fang, then as a grieving orphan, an ANBU assassin, a sensei, a warrior against an alien. Joy was a luxury, a fleeting moment for him.
He thought of Icha Icha Paradise, Jiraiya's scandalous novels that had become his guilty pleasure. A coping mechanism, he admitted silently, a way to escape the ghosts of Obito, Rin, Minato. Hanging out with friends—Gai's ridiculous challenges, Yamato's quiet loyalty—had brought warmth, but Kakashi had always preferred solitude, even before his world shattered.
'I was always like this, wasn't I?'
His mind drifted further, to a time before loss defined him. As a child, before his father's suicide, he'd lived for the shinobi arts. Training with Sakumo had been his joy—learning jutsu, sparring with kenjutsu, perfecting taijutsu forms.
'I was three when I started, throwing kunai before I could read properly.' His father had urged him to play with other kids, to be a child, but Kakashi had been captivated by the possibilities of chakra.
'It intrigued me. The way it could shape the world, bend elements, create something new.'
He'd become a genin at five, a chunin at six, not just for duty but because he loved the challenge, the discovery.
That passion had driven him to create the Chidori, a jutsu born of his curiosity and ambition.
' I was like Orochimaru in a way,' he realized, a thought that sent a chill through him.
Not chasing immortality, but obsessed with chakra's potential. Even after losing his sensei, his team, his purpose, that spark had endured.
The Sharingan, Obito's gift, had fueled it, letting him copy a thousand jutsus—not to use them all, but to understand them, to unravel their mechanics.
'I never had the chakra to wield them back then. But now…'
His chakra reserves had grown in this world, the Sharingan's drain gone, his body adapting to its new reality.
'Maybe I can explore that passion again.' The idea stirred something in him, a flicker of the boy who'd once dreamed of mastering every jutsu, not for power but for the thrill of creation.
'What would it be like to learn for myself, not for a mission?'
The Ancient One watched him, her silence giving him space to process. Her words had been more than an offer—they were a mirror, reflecting a life he'd never questioned.
' I've been running on instinct, duty, guilt. Konoha was gone, his students out of reach, but here, in Kamar-Taj, I could forge a new purpose. Not just survival. Not just missions. Something… mine.'
He met her gaze, his eye steady, a quiet resolve settling in his chest. "Very well, ma'am," he said, his voice firm. "I accept your offer."
The Ancient One's smile was warm, a spark of approval in her eyes. "Welcome to Kamar-Taj, Kakashi-san. I believe you'll find more than you expect here."
Kakashi leaned back, his tea forgotten, his mind alive with possibilities. Fuinjutsu, chi mastery, secrets of the Sharingan. The path ahead was uncertain, but for the first time in months, he felt a spark of purpose—not for Konoha, not for duty, but for himself.
---------- Author Note---------
For the purpose of the story, I have decided to make chi in Marvel same as Chakra. They are not much different. But I have decided to make them one and the same. Enjoy!