When Senju Haruto declared that he would head to the New York Sanctum, the courtyard of Kamar-Taj erupted in applause.
But not everyone shared the excitement.
One person's reaction stood in stark contrast to the joy around him.
That person was none other than Kaecilius, the one Haruto had utterly crushed.
Never in his life had Kaecilius hated someone so much. The urge to erase Haruto from existence burned in his chest like a brand.
"One day…" he hissed through clenched teeth. To him, the outcome of this trial no longer mattered. Shoving his way through the crowd, he left quickly, seething with resentment.
The Ancient One, on the other hand, offered Haruto her blessing.
Since Haruto had only been at Kamar-Taj for two days, he had no belongings to pack. After hearing a few final instructions, he bid the Ancient One farewell.
He had to admit—the Sling Ring was an incredibly convenient artifact. Simply visualizing the desired location was enough to open a portal there.
Though Haruto had never set foot in New York before crossing worlds, he had watched every Marvel movie. The New York Sanctum wasn't only featured in Doctor Strange. Thor had also visited it in Thor: Ragnarok while searching for Loki. In Avengers: Infinity War, it had been the very spot where Bruce Banner crash-landed back on Earth.
With that knowledge, pinpointing its location was easy.
As for the six mage apprentices? Their fate had nothing to do with him.
"You're always in such a hurry."
The Ancient One couldn't help remarking as she looked at him, wishing he might learn to be more steady.
"If you were in my position, you might understand."
Haruto's lips curved into a faint, polite smile.
If the Ancient One had a little system assistant demanding sign-ins every other day, he doubted she would stay so calm either.
Of course, she misunderstood his words as a longing to return to his original universe.
And so, under her watchful gaze and before all the mages of Kamar-Taj, Haruto spun his Sling Ring and opened a shimmering golden portal.
Kaguya followed without hesitation. She had no interest in Kamar-Taj—her only concern was remaining at Haruto's side.
As for the Land of Fire, Haruto wasn't worried.
First, he had already set up the Four Red Yang Formation there. Breaking through that barrier from the outside would not be easy.
Second, his earlier encounter with Tony Stark had confirmed the current timeline—before the first Iron Man movie.
In other words, Earth had yet to see the rise of most superheroes or supervillains. Even S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't undergone its renaming yet.
As long as the Ancient One and Odin didn't intervene, no one on Earth could invade the Land of Fire.
Wakanda? Not a threat. For their own reasons, they would never expose their advanced technology at this point. Confronting the Land of Fire would bring them nothing but trouble.
"As long as I return in time for the Three Kage Summit, everything will be fine," Haruto thought to himself.
He had only been gone from the ninja world for two days. Convincing the other two Kage to attend the summit would take time, and their journey to the Land of Fire would also take time.
By any measure, there was no reason for him to be anxious.
"Speaking of which… Orochimaru."
The image of the pale sannin flickered through Haruto's mind.
The last time Orochimaru had invaded Konoha, Haruto had killed him in an instant. But anyone who knew even a little about Orochimaru understood—his life was stubbornly hard to snuff out.
Yes, he had died once. But Mitarashi Anko still carried his cursed seal. With that, Orochimaru could return.
While his raw power wasn't especially impressive, his mastery of forbidden jutsu was vast. And more importantly…
Orochimaru's mind was sharp. Calling him the scientist of the shinobi world was no exaggeration.
Haruto couldn't help but wonder what someone like Orochimaru would do if he witnessed the technology of the Marvel universe firsthand.
If Orochimaru could create a suit of Iron Man–like armor, the boost it would give to the Land of Fire's military strength would be immense.
After all… not every shinobi possessed the power of Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, or Guy. Not everyone could even become a shinobi.
And Haruto remembered clearly—in one of the anime's lighthearted filler arcs, Orochimaru had created a mechanical Naruto and even a mechanical Nine-Tails. Back then, Haruto had laughed until his sides hurt. But the Mechanical Naruto's combat ability had been frighteningly high.
In fact, Naruto had ended up wearing it like a battle suit, just like Iron Man's armor.
Haruto actually looked forward to seeing what Orochimaru might accomplish. He couldn't handle everything himself forever. Was he the Kage of the Land of Fire—or just an overworked employee?
"Anyway, for now, let's get to the New York Sanctum."
He shook his head slightly, putting those thoughts aside, and stepped through the portal with Kaguya.
It was worth noting that the trial for mage apprentices didn't normally involve the Sanctum's guardian. The only reason Haruto had encountered Mordo and the others was because the surge of dark magic had been so strong that it drew the guardian into the field.
Once the enemy was obliterated by Haruto, the guardian had returned to the Sanctum with the other mages.
"Haruto?"
The guardian sensed the ripple of portal magic and appeared instantly. At first, he thought the Ancient One herself had arrived—only to see Haruto.
"Yes." Haruto gave a brief nod, stating his purpose.
"I see."
The guardian's reply was crisp. He introduced himself:
"My name is Arthur. I am the guardian of this Sanctum."
Arthur paused, then explained:
"By tradition, any mage may challenge for the title of Sanctum Guardian. If the challenge is won… the victor becomes the new guardian."
In truth, the role of guardian was essentially that of the Sanctum's master—a position second only to the Ancient One herself.
"I understand." Haruto nodded again. "In that case, let's begin."
As he spoke, he shifted into a ready stance, fully prepared to fight. To him, defeating Arthur would be nothing more than a trivial exercise.
Yet what Haruto didn't expect… was Arthur shaking his head with a helpless smile.
After witnessing Haruto's true power, how could he possibly summon the courage to fight?
It would be suicide—instant annihilation.
"I am willing to surrender the title of Sanctum Guardian to you, Haruto," Arthur said at last.