The library of Kamar-Taj was a sanctuary of knowledge, its shelves heavy with ancient tomes and the air thick with the scent of parchment and wax.
Kakashi stood before Master Wong. The revelations about the Shinto gods and the multiverse still churned in his mind, but another question pressed harder—those red-garbed shinobi in Hell's Kitchen, he waned to know more about them.
'If I'm staying in this world, I need to know my enemies. These Sorcerers seem to know a lot.' He leaned against a shelf, his tone casual but probing.
"Master Wong, do you have anything on those red-garbed shinobi operating in New York? The ones who like to play ninja with swords and chains?"
Wong's stoic face tightened, his eyes narrowing as if Kakashi had just asked for the key to the Sanctum's vaults. "You mean the Hand," he said, his voice low, carrying the weight of a storyteller about to unravel a dark tale. "The Yami no Te, the Hand, is no mere gang. They're an ancient and powerful order, born in the shadows of K'un-Lun centuries ago. Sit, Hatake. This isn't a story you hear standing."
Kakashi pulled up a chair, his interest piqued. Wong leaned forward, his hands clasped.
"Long ago, five founders of K'un-Lun sought immortality, defying the city's sacred laws. Banished, they turned to darkness, forging the Hand to pursue their obsession. They've lingered in the shadows ever since, orchestrating wars, fueling crime, and bending powerful men to their will. Their goal?"
"Eternal life, no matter the cost. They've caused horrors—Chernobyl, for one. Not a reactor meltdown, but a calculated disaster to unearth dragon bones buried beneath the city, relics they believed held the key to their immortality."
Kakashi's eye widened slightly, a rare crack in his composure. 'Dragon bones? Chernobyl?'
The Hand's ruthlessness reminded him of Orochimaru's experiments, but their scope was staggering but their goal was the same, Immortality.
"They're willing to burn cities for bones?" he asked, his tone dry but sharp.
Wong nodded grimly. "And worse. The Hand's fingers stretch across the globe. They're not shinobi, not like you. Their power is stolen, crude, but deadly in numbers."
Kakashi's mind raced, piecing together his fight with the Hand. 'Genin-level chakra not much of a threat right now. If they're backed by something bigger, I need to know.'
"What's K'un-Lun?" he asked, leaning forward. "You said that's where they started."
Wong's expression softened, a flicker of reverence in his eyes. "K'un-Lun is a mystical city, hidden in another dimension, one of the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven. It's a place of balance, where chi—chakra, as you call it—was first mastered. Its monks refined it into an art, using it to heal, fight, and transcend. K'un-Lun's knowledge is vast, but guarded. The Hand perverted its teachings, turning chi into a tool for domination."
Kakashi's interest sharpened. 'A city that mastered chakra?' The parallels to the Elemental Nations were uncanny, stirring a spark of curiosity. "Can I get there?"
Wong's lips twitched, almost a smile. "Not easily. K'un-Lun appears on Earth only once every decade, in the Himalayas. The Ancient One trades with them—herbs, relics, knowledge. Prove yourself on a few missions, and she might take you along. But don't get your hopes up, ninja. K'un-Lun doesn't welcome outsiders."
Kakashi's eye crinkled, a faint smirk beneath his mask. "I'm good at sneaking in." He stood, ready to leave.
As he turned, a group of sorcerers approached, their robes swishing softly. A young woman with bright eyes spoke up. "Master Hatake, the Ancient One spoke highly of your skills. Would you spar with us? We'd learn a lot from a… shinobi." Her tone was eager, but respectful.
Kakashi tilted his head, considering. 'A spar? Why not.'
"Sure," he said, his voice lazy. "When?"
"Tomorrow, 6 a.m., in the courtyard," she replied, beaming.
"Got it," Kakashi said, waving as he left.
'6 a.m. No problem.' His internal clock, however, had other plans.
---
The next morning, the Kamar-Taj courtyard buzzed with anticipation. Sorcerers gathered in a loose circle.
The air was crisp, the mountains looming in the distance. At 6 a.m., the group waited, but Kakashi was nowhere to be seen. By 7 a.m., murmurs of annoyance rippled through the crowd.
By 8 a.m., when Kakashi finally strolled in, his hands in his pockets and his eye half-lidded, the tension was palpable.
Master Kaecilius, a tall man with sharp features and a permanent scowl, stepped forward, his maroon robes billowing.
"You were told 6 a.m., Hatake," he snapped, his voice dripping with disdain. "Why are you late?"
Kakashi scratched the back of his head, his nonchalance infuriatingly intact. "Sorry about that. Found a lost cat on the way. Had to help it out."
The sorcerers exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of disbelief and exasperation.
A young apprentice whispered, "There are no cats in Kamar-Taj!" Another groaned, "He's lying!"
Kaecilius's eye twitched, his sadistic streak barely restrained. 'A cat? This outsider mocks us.'
Kakashi's eye crinkled, sensing their outrage. "Nice cat, though. Fluffy. You should get some around here. Liven the place up."
The crowd's internal screams were almost audible, and one sorcerer muttered, "He's worse than Wong with his tea obsession."
Kaecilius stepped closer, his arrogance radiating. "Enough games, ninja. Let's see if your skills match the Ancient One's praise."
His tone was venomous, his dark drive clear. Kaecilius despised Kakashi—a stranger, not a sorcerer, yet granted a room at Kamar-Taj and lauded as a "Grandmaster of Chi."
'Grandmaster?' The title galled him. A master of the mystic arts could become Sorcerer Supreme who was a Grandmaster, and the Ancient One's comparison of Kakashi to herself was an insult.
'Chi is inferior. It's just strength, speed, healing. Mystic arts bend reality.' Oh, how Kakashi would prove him wrong.
Kakashi sensed the hostility, raising an eyebrow. "Ready when you are," he said, his voice calm but edged with a challenge.
The courtyard cleared, sorcerers forming a wider circle. The rules were simple: anything goes—weapons, spells, ninjutsu.
'No academy taijutsu limits here.' Kakashi's lips twitched beneath his mask. 'Let's have some fun.'
Kaecilius's eyes gleamed with sadistic intent, his hands conjuring golden mandalas, their edges sharp as blades.
Kakashi stood relaxed, his Sharingan still hidden, his posture deceptively open.
'He's angry. Good. Angry fighters make mistakes.'
The duel began with a flash of motion. Kaecilius lunged, his mandalas spinning as he slashed at Kakashi's chest. Kakashi sidestepped, his movements fluid, and countered with a chakra-augmented palm strike. Kaecilius blocked with a mandala shield, the impact sparking, and retaliated with a whip-like spell that lashed toward Kakashi's legs. Kakashi leaped, flipping mid-air, and landed on a nearby pillar, his chakra anchoring him.
"Not bad," Kakashi said, his tone infuriatingly casual. "Got anything flashier?"
Kaecilius snarled, his pride stung, and summoned a portal, stepping through to appear behind Kakashi. He swung a mandala blade, but Kakashi's Sharingan flared, predicting the move.
He ducked, spinning to deliver a low kick that Kaecilius barely blocked. 'He's skilled, but his ego's a weakness.'
The sorcerers watched, murmuring. "He's matching Kaecilius without spells!" one said. Another whispered, "That's chi? It's… incredible."
Kakashi decided to escalate, weaving signs—Boar, Ram, Snake. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball roared toward Kaecilius, who conjured a barrier, the flames washing over it harmlessly. But Kakashi was already moving, his Lightning Blade crackling as he charged through the smoke.
Kaecilius's eyes widened, his sadistic glee faltering as he summoned another portal to escape, but Kakashi's Sharingan tracked him, teleporting through with Kamui to reappear at his side.
"Lightning Blade!" Kakashi struck, the chirping electricity grazing Kaecilius's robe as he dove away, his arrogance shaken. Of course, Kakashi missed on purpose to prove his point and it was just a spar.
The courtyard erupted in gasps, the sorcerers awestruck. Kaecilius, panting, glared at Kakashi, his pride wounded.
Kakashi stood, his eye crinkling. "Not bad, Master Kaecilius. Want to go again?"