No one asked Kakashi any questions about what had happened in the other universe.
It was not because the Avengers were not curious. Quite the opposite. Several of them had probably been wondering what kind of situation could possibly have required Kakashi to disappear into another reality with Deadpool and then return days later looking completely exhausted.
But they knew better than to start asking questions.
The multiverse was still something most of them barely understood. Even Tony Stark, despite having access to technology far beyond anything humanity had possessed before the arrival of the Avengers, had accepted that there were some things that were better left to people who actually understood them.
Kakashi was one of those people.
Whatever had happened in that other universe, Kakashi had handled it. That was enough.
Kakashi was sitting in his office, going through several reports that had accumulated during his absence, when the door opened without a knock.
He did not bother looking up. "Tony, if you are here to complain about the paperwork I left behind, I was technically saving another universe while you were dealing with it."
Tony Stark walked into the room with a grin on his face. "I was not going to complain about the paperwork. I was actually going to congratulate you on finally understanding that disappearing into another universe without leaving me a detailed itinerary is apparently something I have to tolerate now."
Kakashi finally looked up from the report.
"I don't remember saying you had to tolerate it."
"You didn't. I simply decided that you do."
Tony walked farther into the office.
T'Challa entered behind him, carrying a small metallic object in his hand. Kakashi's visible eye immediately moved toward it.
Tony noticed. *Well, while you were away, I made your suit of armor like I promised."
Kakashi looked at Tony, then at T'Challa, and finally at the object.
"You made me armor?"
Tony nodded proudly. "I made you something better than armor."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
Tony stepped closer and handed him what looked like a thick metallic wristband.
Kakashi turned it over in his hand, examining its surface. It was remarkably smooth and compact, with no visible joints, hinges, or mechanical components.
"This is the armor?"
"This is the part that carries the armor."
Kakashi looked at him.
Tony smiled. "Wrap it around your hand."
Kakashi placed the device around his wrist. The metal immediately adjusted itself to fit his arm perfectly.
Tony pointed toward a small button on the side. "Now press the button."
Kakashi pressed it. The metallic band suddenly expanded.
Nanites flowed across his wrist like liquid metal before rapidly spreading over his forearm. They moved across his shoulders, chest, back, legs, and feet in a matter of seconds. The material formed itself around his body, creating a sleek black armored suit that looked far lighter than traditional armor.
Kakashi remained still as the transformation finished.
The armor covered his entire body while leaving his head exposed. There was no helmet.
Kakashi moved his arm slowly, testing the flexibility of the armor. "It is lighter than I expected."
"Because I actually know what I am doing."
Kakashi ignored that.
He flexed his fingers. The armor moved perfectly with him.
There was no delay between his movements and the armor's response. It did not feel like he was wearing a heavy piece of equipment. It felt almost like a second layer of clothing.
Tony placed his hands on his hips.
"I have combined the metal from that Destroyer robot thingy from Asgard that you gave me, which Thor told me was made from a metal called Uru, with vibranium."
Kakashi's eye narrowed slightly. "Uru?"
Tony nodded. "Very magical. Very annoying to work with. Extremely durable. Apparently Asgardians like making their toys out of materials that make Earth engineering cry."
Kakashi looked toward T'Challa. "And the vibranium?"
T'Challa nodded. "I provided it."
Kakashi's eyes widened slightly. "You gave us vibranium?"
There was genuine surprise in his voice.
Wakanda was famously protective of vibranium. Even before Kakashi had become involved with the Avengers, he had understood that T'Challa's people did not simply hand the material to outsiders.
T'Challa seemed to understand his surprise.
"It is a show of goodwill."
Tony immediately added, "And because you're probably the strongest fighter on the planet."
T'Challa gave Tony a brief glance before continuing. "Your position within the Avengers also means that protecting you benefits more than simply one individual."
Kakashi looked down at the armor.
"I appreciate the trust."
"It was not given lightly," T'Challa replied. "But you have demonstrated repeatedly that you intend to protect this world."
Kakashi nodded.
Tony walked around him, examining the armor. "The combination was tricky."
"Why?"
"Because vibranium and Uru do very different things. Vibranium absorbs and redirects energy incredibly well, while Uru has magical properties that make it much more than just another super metal."
Tony tapped the armor. "Combining the two created something that is basically a nightmare for anyone who wants to mess with you."
Kakashi looked at him.
Tony continued explaining. "It's highly durable and it can't be influenced by other factors. For example people like Magneto can't affect it. Vibranium can still interact with magnetic fields under the right circumstances, and I didn't want someone with magnetic manipulation simply turning your armor into a fancy metal coffin."
"That's why I used the properties of Uru as part of the isolation system. It has some magical properties help prevent outside forces from influencing the material directly."
Kakashi looked at the armor again as Tony pointed toward the chest.
He smiled as he said,"You can use your abilities without removing the armor. Your jutsus won't be restricted. I could have made you a helmet, but it would have been pointless. Your Sharingan needs to see. Your eye abilities need to work. So I designed the armor around your fighting style instead of forcing you to change your fighting style around the armor."
Kakashi was silent for a moment. That was something he appreciated. Most armor was designed to protect the wearer first and expected the wearer to adapt to it.
This armor had been designed around him.
Kakashi moved his shoulders again and then bent his knees slightly. "It is well designed."
Tony looked almost offended.
"Well designed? I spent months making this."
Kakashi glanced toward him. "That is a compliment."
"For you, maybe."
T'Challa smiled slightly. Tony continued speaking before Kakashi could return to his paperwork.
"And there is one more thing."
Kakashi looked at him.
Tony's grin widened. "The best part is that it can be powered by your chakra."
Kakashi paused. "My chakra?"
Tony nodded. "Exactly. I built a conversion system into the nanite network. Your chakra can be used as an energy source for the armor."
Kakashi examined the suit again.
Tony pointed toward his chest. "The armor can use your chakra to power its systems, reinforce its defensive properties, accelerate the nanites, and recharge itself. You don't have to carry an arc reactor around, and you don't have to depend on external power."
Kakashi looked thoughtful.
"How much chakra does it consume?"
"Very little under normal circumstances. The system is designed to draw only what it needs. You could probably wear this thing for days without noticing much difference."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
"Probably?"
Tony grinned. "I said probably because your definition of normal circumstances involves fighting gods, aliens, armies, and occasionally destroying buildings."
Tony added, "You became the leader of the Avengers. You stopped alien invasions. You have fought gods. You can teleport through space, change reality, reanimated death, manipulate lightning."
He gestured toward the armor. "So I figured you might as well have something appropriate to wear."
Kakashi looked down at the black armor once again. For someone who had spent most of his life relying on his own abilities, weapons, and instincts, he had never imagined himself needing a suit of armor.
But this was different. It did not replace his abilities. It complemented them.
It did not restrict his movements. It enhanced them. And most importantly, it did not ask him to stop being a shinobi in order to use it.
Kakashi slowly raised his hand and looked at the armored fingers.
"I think I like it."
-----Author Notes---------
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