Relying on the unique trait of Shadow Clones, Senju Haruto managed in just a single day to complete what would normally require years of reading.
Except for a few particularly unusual grimoires, the magical knowledge and spells Haruto now commanded were no less than those possessed by the Ancient One herself.
Combined with his immense spiritual strength and magical reserves…
Even without resorting to ninjutsu, Haruto could now walk through the Marvel world without fear of anyone.
Host, please proceed to the Relic Vault to sign in!
Completing the sign-in will grant you a reward!
Just as Haruto was considering his next move, the familiar voice of the Sign-In System rang out once more.
And this time, the destination was the Relic Vault of Kamar-Taj.
"The Relic Vault again?" Haruto murmured to himself, remembering how Strange had once obtained his Sling Ring there.
Although the Sling Ring was standard equipment for all sorcerers of Kamar-Taj, there was no denying one fact—
The Sling Ring was one of the most powerful magical artifacts in the Marvel universe.
Especially in the cinematic timeline, where it could harness the user's spiritual strength to open portals similar to those created by the Space Stone.
Strange himself had once used it to connect Earth to Titan.
It could even access other dimensions.
Like the Mirror Dimension.
The only way in or out of that world was through a Sling Ring.
The Ancient One had even once considered sealing Kaecilius and his corrupted followers inside the Mirror Dimension by taking their Sling Rings.
But in the end, she had failed.
Even so, if Haruto could obtain a Sling Ring from this world, it would undoubtedly be a priceless treasure.
The only uncertainty was whether Kaguya's Amenominaka—her Heaven Concealed ability—already possessed similar properties to the Sling Ring.
"I'll test it when I get the chance," Haruto decided, but he wasn't in any rush.
After finishing every grimoire in the library of Kamar-Taj, Haruto left with Kaguya at his side, under the astonished stares of the apprentices.
As for why he'd need to visit the Relic Vault, Haruto already had a cover story in mind.
He wasn't particularly interested in someone like Kaecilius, but he had overheard enough of his mutterings to gather useful information.
Apparently, tomorrow was the day the apprentices would conduct their combat trials.
That would give Haruto the perfect excuse to approach the Relic Vault.
But what he hadn't expected was that, as he prepared to rest and recover his strength before tomorrow's sign-in, Kaguya suddenly phased through the wall and entered his room.
"What is it?" Haruto asked casually.
In his impression, Kaguya was not the type of girl to rely on others.
Kaguya gazed at him silently.
The room fell quiet.
Looking closely, even in the world of Naruto, Kaguya was undeniably one of its greatest beauties—especially with her unique, otherworldly presence.
"Can you teach me ninjutsu?" she asked without expression.
As the progenitor of chakra, Kaguya was practically immortal.
But most of her life had been spent in a state of being sealed.
Her power had been divided by her son, Hagoromo, into nine parts—forming the Tailed Beasts.
Whether in intellect, emotional understanding, knowledge, or worldly experience…
Kaguya lacked all of it.
Her thinking was simpler and purer than most.
Not wanting betrayal, she had turned people into White Zetsu and ruled directly.
Not wanting to be sealed again, she chose to eliminate threats with her own hands.
Now, facing Haruto—a man even stronger than her, someone who could seal her away at any moment—Kaguya had chosen to compromise.
And now…
She had taken an interest in the ninjutsu Haruto used. She wanted to learn it, to make herself stronger.
"Is it not possible?"
When Haruto didn't respond immediately, Kaguya's voice carried a faint trace of disappointment.
"It's not that," Haruto said honestly. "I just didn't expect you to want to learn ninjutsu."
The truth was, ninjutsu hadn't even originated with Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths.
What he had founded was Ninshū—the spiritual teaching of chakra.
It was Hagoromo's elder son, Indra, who, after being manipulated by Black Zetsu and opposing Ninshū, developed ninjutsu.
As it spread across generations, countless new ways of using chakra had emerged.
At its core, ninjutsu existed simply to maximize the potential of chakra.
Given Kaguya's current abilities, ninjutsu wouldn't provide her with much of a boost.
Still, if she wanted to learn, Haruto saw no reason to deny her.
After all, she no longer sought to rule humanity. She wasn't turning ninjas into White Zetsu anymore.
In fact, at this stage… she was practically his ally.
Helping her strengthen herself a little wasn't a bad thing.
With that thought, Haruto rose from his bed and stood before her.
"Ninjutsu is about forming the correct hand seals to refine chakra within your body," he explained. "A powerful shinobi can even use single-handed seals, or sometimes just one seal, to release a jutsu."
As he spoke, Haruto formed the seals and demonstrated the Shadow Clone Jutsu, encouraging Kaguya to try it herself.
He had to admit…
Kaguya possessed remarkable talent for ninjutsu.
She had simply never had the opportunity to study it before.
When she had been sealed away, ninjutsu didn't even exist.
And when Black Zetsu revived her, it was during the final battle.
Lacking knowledge of ninjutsu or battle tactics, Kaguya had suffered greatly in her fights against Naruto and Sasuke.
Especially when Black Zetsu was torn from her body—her combat experience had been almost nonexistent.
In truth, learning how to properly fight with her own abilities would benefit Kaguya more than learning ninjutsu.
But considering their current power levels, Haruto wasn't about to let her engage in actual combat too soon.
Even a single misstep could wipe an entire country of the Marvel world off the map.
"As for real combat… let's wait until I've secured a Sling Ring," Haruto muttered to himself while continuing to guide her through the basics of ninjutsu.
Unknowingly, night faded into morning.
Haruto and Kaguya, both nearing godhood, could go without sleep for days without it affecting their mental state.
When Haruto noticed the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj gathering in the courtyard, he brought Kaguya along.
As he expected, the Ancient One herself—who rarely appeared—was present.
Their gazes met.
Both smiled faintly at each other, a subtle greeting.
"What were you just doing?" Kaguya asked softly. As the progenitor of chakra, she couldn't quite grasp the meaning of Haruto and the Ancient One's gesture.
"Smiling," Haruto replied.