Kakashi stood in the doorway of his new room at Kamar-Taj, a modest space with a low bed, a wooden desk, and a single window overlooking the misty peaks of the Himalayas.
His attempt to infiltrate the Hand had ended in blood and bodies, a reminder that this world's shadows were as treacherous as Konoha's. No point chasing dead ends.
The Ancient One's offer had given him a new path, one of knowledge rather than blades.
'If I'm stuck here, I'll learn this world's secrets—starting with the ones not on that internet thing.' Kakashi thought as he headed for the library.
The Ancient One had hinted at answers about his Sharingan, and Kakashi's curiosity burned brighter than his caution. He needed to know why his eyes stayed with him even without Obito's chakra and why using Mangekyou sharingan no longer cases him blindness or a large chakra drain.
Inside, the library was vast, its shelves stretching to a vaulted ceiling, filled with tomes bound in leather, cloth, and materials Kakashi couldn't name.
The air was thick with the scent of old paper and wax, and a man stood at a central desk, his posture rigid, his face set in a stoic frown.
Master Wong, Kakashi deduced as Ancient One had told him that he would help him with the books he needed.
Wong's eyes flicked up, assessing Kakashi with a scrutiny that reminded him of Ibiki Morino before an interrogation.
"You're Hatake," Wong said, his voice flat, almost accusing. "The ninja."
Kakashi's eye crinkled in his trademark squint, his tone deliberately lazy. "That's me. And you're… the librarian, I'm guessing?"
Wong's frown deepened, as if the word "librarian" was a personal insult. "I am Master Wong, guardian of Kamar-Taj's knowledge. The Ancient One said you'd come sniffing around."
Kakashi leaned against a shelf, hands in his pockets, his bored expression perfected. "Sniffing's a bit harsh. I'm just here to read. Got any good novels? Maybe something with romance and a happy ending?"
Wong's eyes narrowed, his stoicism unshaken. "This is a place of wisdom, not your for smutty scrolls."
But internally he thought, 'No way I am telling this creep about my secret stash.'
Wong continued, "The Ancient One instructed me to give you specific texts— that would help you understand about your eyes."
He gestured to a stack of three books on the desk, their covers worn but unadorned. "Don't dog-ear the pages. Don't spill tea on them. And don't even think about sneaking them out."
Kakashi raised a hand in mock surrender, his eye twinkling. "Wouldn't dream of it, Master Wong. You're scarier than my old ANBU commander, and he had a thing for thumbscrews."
Wong snorted, a sound that was half-disapproval, half-amusement. "Sit. Read. And don't waste my time with your… ninja nonsense."
Kakashi chuckled, pulling up a chair. "Ninja nonsense is my specialty, but I'll behave." He reached for the first book, his fingers brushing the worn leather.
'Let's see what you've got for me, Kamar-Taj.'
The first book, Pantheons of the Cosmos, was a dense treatise on the gods of this world. Kakashi skimmed its pages, his Sharingan memorizing key details with a glance. It described divine beings born from the universe's primal energies—some from cosmic events like the Big Bang, others from the collective beliefs of mortals. Faith shapes gods here? The pantheons included the Asgardians (Odin, Thor, Loki), the Olympians (Zeus, Athena, Ares), the Ennead of Egypt (Ra, Osiris, Anubis), and countless others, each tied to specific cultures or celestial forces.
They're not like the Sage of the Six Paths or Kaguya. The book hinted at their influence on Earth, from ancient wars to modern conflicts, a revelation that made Kakashi's shinobi instincts bristle.
'If gods walk this world then I am a smaller fish that I thought.'
He set the book aside, his mind buzzing, and reached for the second, The Amatsu-Kami: Lords of the Shinto Realm. The title sent a jolt through him, and as he read, his eye widened beneath his headband.
The book detailed the Japanese pantheon, the Shinto gods known as Amatsu-Kami, listing their names: Amaterasu, Bishamon, Inari, Izanagi, Kaminari, Susa-No-O-Izumo, Ame-No-Mi-Kumari, Hotei, Kagutsuchi, Mikaboshi, Susanoo, Tsukuyomi. Kakashi's breath caught, his fingers tightening on the page. These names…
He leaned forward, his mind racing. 'Amaterasu—Itachi and Sasuke's Mangekyō ability, black flames that burn until nothing's left. Kagutsuchi—Sasuke's second ability, shaping those flames.'
'Tsukuyomi—Itachi's genjutsu, so powerful it put me in a coma.'
He recalled Karin's interrogation after Danzō's death, her mention of Izanagi, a forbidden technique that altered reality at the cost of a Sharingan. And Susanoo—every Mangekyō user's ultimate defense, a spectral warrior. The parallels were too precise to be coincidence.
'Does this mean the Sharingan is tied to these gods? And they are responsible for whatever happened to my sharingan?'
Kakashi's thoughts spiraled. The Uchiha clan's abilities mirror these Amatsu-Kami.
'Are the Sharingan's powers drawn from their cosmic essence or whatever it is?'
He considered his own eyes, permanently integrated since arriving in this world, free of their former chakra drain.
'Obito's chakra fused with mine, but is there more? Are these gods linked to why the Sharingan's part of me now?'
The book offered no direct answers, only myths of the Amatsu-Kami's creation of Japan and their battles with chaos entities like Mikaboshi.
'I need more data. If the other gods—Bishamon, Inari—have abilities tied to the Sharingan, what are they?'
He reached for the third book, The Multiverse: Structure and Nature likely from Ancient One who realised that he did not understand the terms.
Universe. Multiverse. He'd grasped the basics from internet searches—vast spaces, countless worlds—but the Ancient One's talk of fractures and dimensions demanded a clearer picture.
The book explained that a universe was a single reality, complete with its own laws of physics, time, and space. Like the Elemental Nations, one world with its rules. The multiverse was a collection of infinite universes, each a variation—some similar, others wildly different.
Kaguya's dimensions were pocket realms, not full universes. The book described how multiversal fractures, like the one that brought him here, could bridge entirely separate multiverses, not just universes within one.
'My world's not part of their multiverse. It's… outside.' The realization was daunting, confirming the Ancient One's words: returning home was nearly impossible without replicating the exact rift, a feat beyond even Sasuke's Rinnegan.
'Well then, there is nothing for me to do but enjoy myself.' Kakashi stood, stretching, his mind alive with possibilities.
Kamar-Taj was a treasure trove, and Kakashi was no stranger to learning under pressure.
'Minato-sensei, you'd love this library.' The thought brought a pang, but also a spark of determination.