Chương 125

"Hahaha.." the Ancient One laughed at the words of Rei.

"That's quite the jump and fear you have for me. I am not some monster that eats people."

"Tell that to Dormammu." Rei thought, but of course didn't say the words out loud as he was sure he would be flamed if he spoke that. Instead Rei said.

"Well you can't blame me. People from other dimensions fear you and stay as further away from you as possible."

"Only those ones who have some ill intention here on Earth." the Ancient One but she did notice the tense moods of his friends.

"See, your friends are bit too scared by your words of me now. Here.. Have the tea. There is a bit of honey in it, taken from the local shops. I hope you will like it." Kakashi and the others looked at each other and since Rei had nodded to them they took the tea. They were still not sure how was this woman would help them but since Rei seemed to give her the highest respect, it was worth waiting and seeing where this was going. Besides the whole place was still a wonder to their eyes.

But Naruto was the one most restless here.

"Hey.. Baldy woman.. Rei had said that there are others like him who can travel between different dimensions. Are you one of them?" Rei turned back and almost smacked his head for the rude name calling. But instead the Ancient One laughed and replied.

"Baldy woman. I have never seen anyone call me that before. Hahaha.. And to answer your question.. Yes in a way, I can travel to different dimensions. Though my travels are mostly very limited and only done when it is required to teach someone a lesson."

"Someone a lesson? Who?" Naruto asked.

"Those creatures who have evil eyes on Earth itself." the Ancient One replied. Rei was now looking daggers at Naruto, who lowered his eyes a bit and so did the rest as they understood that in simple terms she was a hunter of beings who could travel through dimensions. No wonder Rei was fearful of her. Rei understood that these people needed to be explained.

"The Ancient One here has been safeguarding Earth for the last 700 years..."

"726 years..." She corrected him.

"Uh.. 726 years and has made sure that there are no inter dimensional invaders that could bring destruction to Earth."

"Did you just say 726 years?" Tsunade looked at both of them as if it was some kind of joke.

"Yes. She has been doing this for countless years." Rei assured.

"But how is she doing this? Is she an Asgardian?" Sakura couldn't help but ask.

"No. I am a normal human being who has had some help." the Ancient one said. The words of her didn't make any sense and Naruto couldn't help but whisper to Tsunade.

"Granny Tsunade, she is older than you."

"Shut up Naruto." Meanwhile Jiraya and Shizune for the first time was seeing someone who was that old and even after that there were no signs of aging. The Mystic Arts that Rei spoke about, was it that marvelous that it was allowing someone to live such a long life? They were now curious but also understood why Rei had such immense respect for this woman. Safeguarding a planet for hundreds of years from invaders of other worlds meant she was extremely powerful.

Though they weren't sure how powerful these "people" were but if they were anything like them, it would be a disaster in a world which had nothing but ordinary people. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

By this time, almost everyone here had a general idea of what kind of world this place was and thus realized that though the people here had weapons, at the end of the day they were as same as the normal people in their own village and those who live their life normally. At least their world had shinobis to protect the ordinary people. Here they had soldiers who were same as ordinary people. The only difference being the soldiers had weapons.

"Thank you for your hard work." This was all Jiraya could say at the end and bow down a bit to her. He had seen enough wars and killing around to know what she was doing was very noble. Having power but still continue to safeguard humanity, albeit at a different place, deserved proper respect.

"It's alright, you don't need to be so formal. I am used to this life." The Ancient One replied.

"So you asked for a meeting with the name of Khonshu. Has he contacted you?"

"Not me.. Him.." Rei said while pointing at Sasuke. The Ancient One slowly turned her gaze toward Sasuke. For several long moments she simply observed him in complete silence, her expression remaining unreadable. Sasuke met her eyes without flinching. Unlike everyone else in the room, he neither felt intimidated nor particularly curious. To him, she was simply another powerful person. However, the Ancient One's calm gaze lingered upon him.

"... May I?" she asked politely. Sasuke frowned.

"May you what?" Instead of answering, the Ancient One calmly stepped forward. Before anyone could react, she gently placed two fingers against Sasuke's forehead. The room exploded into motion. Sasuke suddenly watched his own body remain standing while another version of himself was violently thrown backward. His transparent astral form drifted several feet through the room before instinctively stopping in midair.

Gasps escaped from nearly everyone present as they stared at the impossible sight of two Sasukes existing simultaneously.

"W-What?!" Naruto shouted.

"My body..." Sasuke muttered while looking down at his translucent hands. Neither his physical body nor his astral form showed panic. Instead, both remained strangely calm, though the latter was clearly more confused than alarmed. The others almost reacted but Rei stopped them from doing anything. The Ancient One paid no attention to the others. Her eyes focused entirely upon Sasuke's astral body. Slowly raising one hand, she traced glowing golden symbols through the air.

Layers of intricate mandalas expanded before her, passing harmlessly through Sasuke's soul. As each circle disappeared, more of his spiritual form became visible. Then everyone saw it. Embedded directly over Sasuke's soul was a glowing silver crescent moon. It wasn't merely resting there. Countless ethereal tendrils extended from the emblem, weaving themselves throughout every part of his astral body.

Some wrapped around his heart, others stretched along his spiritual pathways, while several disappeared into the very core of his soul. The Ancient One quietly lowered her hand.

"... I feared as much." She gently returned Sasuke's astral form to his body with another light touch. The two merged instantly, leaving Sasuke standing exactly where he had been moments earlier.

"What did you see?" Kakashi immediately asked. The Ancient One looked toward everyone gathered inside the room.

"The pact has already matured." she answered calmly.

"The mark is no longer merely upon his body. It has anchored itself to his soul. That crescent emblem has become part of his spiritual existence."

"... Can you remove it?" Jiraiya asked hopefully. The Ancient One slowly shook her head.

"No." That single word landed like a hammer.

"Had he come immediately after accepting the offer, perhaps there might have been possibilities." she continued.

"Now... there are none. The bond has completed itself. To remove it would require tearing away part of Sasuke's own soul. Such a process would almost certainly destroy him."

"... So I'm stuck with it."

"You are." the Ancient One replied.

"For the remainder of your life." Jiraiya folded his arms tightly.

"... Then tell us about this Khonshu. What exactly is he? Rei keeps calling him a god." Kakashi nodded as well.

"If we're going to help Sasuke, we need to understand what we're dealing with." The Ancient One turned toward Rei.

"Have you explained Khonshu to them?" Rei slowly shook his head.

"Not really. I only know fragments. I know about Moon Knight... the avatar... some abilities... but Khonshu himself?" He sighed.

"I know far less than I'd like." The Ancient One nodded before extending one graceful hand. Golden sparks gathered above her palm before expanding into a magnificent illusion filling the room. A towering skeletal figure appeared before them, draped in ancient white robes. Instead of a human head, it possessed the skull of a great bird with a long curved beak. Its piercing eyes glowed with an eerie pale light while a crescent moon floated behind its back. Several people instinctively stepped backward.

"... Khonshu." the Ancient One said quietly.

"He is an ancient cosmic entity worshipped in Egypt as the god of the moon. Across countless centuries, he has represented many different ideals—vengeance, justice, travelers of the night, and those abandoned by society. Yet above all else, he is a being who rarely acts directly. Instead, he chooses mortal avatars to carry out his will." The illusion shifted again. Around Khonshu appeared countless human figures from different eras, each wearing variations of white armor marked by the same crescent symbol.