Senju Haruto's goal in New York was clear: complete his sign-in task and, along the way, eliminate any dimensional invaders lurking in reality.
Although he had coincidentally run into Tony Stark, Haruto had no real interest in dealing with the flamboyant playboy. Ignoring Stark's bewildered expression, Haruto took Kaguya with him and flew straight out of the garage.
The speed left Stark completely dumbfounded. Forget about activating any kind of security system—by the time he could even process what was happening, the two were already gone.
And their departure method… that was what truly shook him. If their sudden appearance in his garage could still be explained away as some kind of elaborate stage trick, the sight of them flying away directly shattered the very limits of his scientific worldview.
"Who am I?"
"Where am I?"
"What was I supposed to be doing?"
"What the hell just happened?"
Stark stood frozen, unable to come up with a single reasonable explanation.
At that moment, his phone rang.
"When are you planning to head out, Mr. Stark?" came Pepper's gentle voice, with just a hint of impatience and reproach.
"Pepper, listen—I swear I just saw two people suddenly appear in my garage. I thought maybe you invited them to do some magic tricks, but then… they just flew away!"
Pepper: "???"
"I swear, it's true!"
"And I swear, that is the most ridiculous excuse I've ever heard!"
Pepper hung up angrily, leaving Stark rattled and confused, staring at the empty space where Haruto and Kaguya had just been.
Meanwhile, Haruto and Kaguya had already landed on the streets of New York.
He didn't find the air here particularly fresh—in fact, it felt worse than back in his home country before he had crossed into this world. And truthfully, Haruto wasn't impressed by New York as a city at all.
"Come to think of it, Stark didn't chase us in his armor… That means the timeline should be before 2008."
Marvel's timeline was different from the Naruto world. Naruto had run for over a decade, with more than seven hundred episodes and a mountain of filler and additional lore. Haruto couldn't possibly recall every detail perfectly.
Marvel, on the other hand, had planned out its story arcs over ten years, but only released two or three movies per year. By the time Avengers: Endgame came out, there were just over twenty films. The core story was much more condensed compared to Naruto.
And above all—Tony Stark wasn't just one of Marvel's central figures, he was the central figure. His solo films were what fans called the place "where the dream began."
Because of that, Haruto remembered Iron Man's timeline far more clearly. For instance… the first Iron Man movie was released in 2008.
As Haruto silently pieced things together in his mind, a sweet, youthful voice suddenly rang out behind him, breaking his train of thought.
"Haruto!"
A girl's voice, full of excitement.
Instinctively, Haruto turned his head.
It was one of the apprentice sorcerers who had traveled from Kamar-Taj.
She wore the standard red-brown sorcerer's robe, had blonde hair and blue eyes, and looked only about fourteen or fifteen years old. Short and petite, she gave off the impression of a little loli—an image in sharp contrast to Kaguya's overwhelming, goddess-like aura.
"That's right, I never told you my name," the girl said with a bright smile. "I'm Anna."
"This is actually my first time in New York. What a coincidence, running into you here."
Anna hesitated for a moment, then continued. "The Ancient One sent us here separately, but… she never said anything about not working together, right?"
Her tone was careful, probing.
Haruto studied her for a moment. How could he not see through her little scheme?
Sure, New York was a famous city in America, but the number of sorcerer apprentices in this trial was limited. Running into each other "by coincidence" on the streets of New York? That stretched credibility.
Chances were, Anna had used some form of tracking magic to locate him.
Besides… Haruto wasn't a rookie anymore. Back when he had signed in at the Kamar-Taj library, he had used his Shadow Clone technique to read through every text he was permitted to access. By now, he had mastered more than a hundred methods of magical detection.
Anna's likely trick? She had arrived in New York ahead of him. When Haruto opened his portal to Stark's garage, the surge of magical energy would have flared like a beacon. From there, locking onto his position wouldn't have been hard.
And her motivation? Simple. She didn't trust her own strength, so she wanted to cling to someone stronger. And Haruto was, without question, the strongest of them all.
His mental power outstripped even the Ancient One. He had cut down over thirty sorcerers with a single swing of his zanpakutō.
If anything, her decision showed intelligence. Unlike some fools who didn't even know enough to cling to the protagonist's leg, and instead went chasing after weaklings, only to end up making enemies with the one person they couldn't afford to offend.
"So… it's not going to work after all?"
Seeing Haruto remain silent, Anna sighed, a little crestfallen.
"Whatever. If you want to follow, then follow." Haruto finally spoke casually.
He had already seen through her plan, but there was no real harm in letting her tag along. More importantly, she might have access to useful information about this world.
After all, while Haruto had seen the Marvel movies before crossing over, the films left huge gaps in the timeline and showed only key moments. The sorcerers especially were barely shown before Doctor Strange's movie.
Anna might know things only a native of this universe would.
"Awesome!"
Anna's face lit up. To her, finding the right person to rely on was half the battle already won.
"Mr. Haruto, Miss Kaguya… is she your girlfriend?" Anna asked suddenly as she hurried to keep pace with them down the busy street.
"What is a girlfriend?" Kaguya asked curiously, tilting her head. The term was unfamiliar to her.
"Eh?" Anna blinked in surprise. "So Miss Kaguya isn't your girlfriend? Then what's your relationship?"
But just as Anna pressed for details, Haruto's ears buzzed with the sound of his sign-in system.
Congratulations, host! You have arrived at the sign-in location! Sign-in officially commencing!
1%... 12%... 44%... 88%... 100%.
Sign-in complete!
Reward granted: The Eye of Agamotto!
"The Eye of Agamotto?" Haruto's eyes widened.
The name instantly brought to mind the pendant Doctor Strange wore on his chest—the vessel for the Time Stone, one of the Infinity Gems governing the very laws of reality.
According to the rules of the Marvel Cinematic Universe…
The Eye of Agamotto was none other than the artifact that housed the Time Stone!
...
Hey everyone! Want to read ahead and unlock up to 100 early-access chapters? 📖Plus, enjoy even more exclusive novels! Join my Patreon now and dive into the adventure!
patreon.com/Rawink00