Chương 124

The robed man offered a small courteous bow before placing one hand over his chest.

"I am Master Drumm, one of the Masters entrusted with the New York Sanctum." His calm eyes carefully swept across the unusually large gathering once more.

"Welcome to the Sanctum Sanctorum." Rei returned the gesture with equal respect.

"My name is Rei Amagi." He gestured toward the others one by one.

"These are Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, Jiraiya, Tsunade Senju, Shizune, Sakura Haruno, Karin Uzumaki, Jūgo, Daniel Harris and Laura Harris. We apologize for arriving with such a large group, but the circumstances left us little choice." Master Dumm listened patiently before giving a polite nod.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." His expression remained composed.

"May I ask... do you have a scheduled appointment with the Ancient One?" Rei blinked once before shaking his head.

"... No." He smiled awkwardly.

"To be honest, I wasn't even sure how one schedules an appointment with someone like the Ancient One. I simply came here hoping to request an audience."

"I understand." Drumm replied kindly. He slowly came down and went to the nearby table to bring out a paper and a pen.

"If you would kindly complete this request form with your name, the names of your companions and the reason for requesting an audience, I shall personally deliver it. The Ancient One is presently occupied with important matters. If everything is in order, you may return tomorrow." Rei glanced at the form before looking back at Drumm.

"I'm afraid... tomorrow won't do."

"Oh?"

"It is rather urgent." The Master folded his hands within his sleeves.

"The Ancient One's time is exceedingly valuable. Many visitors claim their matters are urgent. Forgive my question, but what makes yours different?" The entire hall fell silent.

"... Khonshu." The single word echoed softly throughout the Sanctum. His face froze for a second and then looked deeply into Rei and then the rest. The warmth in his eyes disappeared almost instantly, replaced by unmistakable seriousness.

"... Please wait here." There was no mention of tomorrow anymore. After Drumm left, Naruto came and whispered to Rei.

"What is Khonshu."

"Khonshu is the name of the God that made a deal with Sasuke." Rei replied.

"So that is his name." Sasuke murmured and this made everyone look at him with weird eyes, including Shizune who was still trying to understand the world and the workings.

"What?" Sasuke couldn't help but notice the looks he was getting.

"You made a deal with someone and you don't even know their name? That's quite the jump into stupidity. I always though Naruto was an idiot, but you are a bigger one." Karin couldn't help but comment.

"Hey, I am not an idiot. I am smart okay." Naruto shot back.

"Don't lower the IQ of the room by opening your mouth." Karin shot back. Naruto was confused and then asked Rei, in a whispered tone.

"What is IQ?" Rei could only shake his head at the absurdity. Meanwhile Sasuke was boiling with anger and wanted to refute saying that this creature was able to take him out of the mental trauma, but in hindsight, he did realize now how stupid it was, to make a deal with someone who he met in his dreams and then in reality, while spending the least amount of time together. This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

But his ego made him want to go on a verbal spat against Karin, but seeing every elder person here was looking at him with judgement, he chose to stay silent for now. Several quiet minutes passed before measured footsteps echoed through the Sanctum once again. Everyone instinctively turned toward the staircase as Master Drumm descended with the same composed expression as before. This time, however, there was a noticeable respect in his eyes as they settled upon Rei.

He stopped before the group and offered a small nod.

"The Ancient One has agreed to meet you." Drumm said calmly.

"Please... follow me." Soon they were led upstairs. Master Drumm guided everyone toward a circular chamber lined with strange symbols engraved into the stone floor. Soon they saw a huge doorway. But surrounding the huge doorway was a faint outline of orange color hue, it was very vague and almost transparent. Master Drumm went through the same hue and opened the huge doorway, and asked them to follow his lead. Soon they crossed the doorway and into the open courtyard.

What they saw now was entirely different from the place they just came from. Snow-covered mountains stretched beneath a brilliant blue sky while an ancient monastery stood proudly among them. Naruto's jaw nearly hit the floor.

"... What...?" Even Tsunade, Jiraiya and Kakashi stopped walking. None of them sensed any transportation technique, chakra disturbance or illusion. One moment they had been standing inside a building in New York, and the next they were looking through a doorway into an entirely different country. Their previous doubts about Rei's claims vanished almost instantly. Rei noticed their stunned expressions before stepping through the portal first.

"Welcome to Nepal." He said over his shoulder.

"More specifically... Kamar-Taj. This is where the Masters of the Mystic Arts gather, study and protect this world. I told you before that I wasn't the only one capable of extraordinary travel. This is one of the ways they move across the planet." The cool mountain air immediately replaced the warmth of New York. Towering peaks surrounded the monastery while countless robed men and women could be seen throughout the courtyards.

Some quietly meditated beneath ancient trees, others practiced intricate hand movements that produced glowing mandalas, while several younger apprentices struggled to create the same golden portals Master Drumm had formed so effortlessly.

"So..." Sakura whispered while looking around in amazement.

"... this is a school."

"It is." Rei replied.

"Not merely a school, but also the headquarters of those who study and safeguard the Mystic Arts. Everyone you see here is learning to wield powers completely different from chakra." Master Drumm continued leading them through the monastery until they reached a quiet courtyard overlooking the Himalayan mountains. He finally came to a stop before a pair of large wooden doors adorned with intricate carvings and slowly turned back toward the group.

"The Ancient One is expecting you." He looked directly at Rei before adding respectfully, "She is waiting inside."

"Thank you Master Drumm." Rei replied.

"It has been my pleasure." Meanwhile the rest were looking at others practicing mystic arts and they were fascinated. Naruto almost ran and asked one of them, but Jiraya stopped him as he remembered the caution of Rei. Besides it would be quite rude for them to disturb others. Master Drumm gently pushed open the carved wooden doors before stepping aside, silently inviting the visitors to enter. The room beyond was surprisingly simple. There were no extravagant decorations or displays of unimaginable power.

Sunlight filtered softly through tall windows, illuminating shelves filled with ancient books and relics. At the center of the chamber, seated calmly beside a low wooden table with a steaming teapot already prepared, was a bald woman dressed in elegant saffron robes. The moment Rei saw her, he knew she looked exactly as he remembered from the stories of this world. The Ancient One slowly lifted her gaze from the cup of tea resting between her hands.

A warm, welcoming smile appeared upon her face as though she had been expecting them for quite some time. Her eyes moved across every member of the group without the slightest hint of surprise before she gestured gracefully toward the cushions arranged around the table.

"Welcome." she said gently.

"Please... all of you, come inside and have some tea." No one moved immediately. Even Naruto, who usually rushed into everything without thinking, instinctively remained quiet after seeing Rei respectfully lower his head before stepping into the room.

"Thank you for receiving us, Ancient One. In such a short notice." Rei said sincerely. Only after hearing him speak did everyone else slowly follow his example. Jiraiya, Tsunade and Kakashi exchanged brief glances. They had never once seen Rei treat anyone with this level of courtesy. Master Drumm stepped forward before bowing respectfully.

"Ancient One," he began, "this is Rei Amagi, along with his companions. He requested an urgent audience concerning... Khonshu." A faint smile appeared on the Ancient One's face.

"I know. You can leave." Master Drumm nodded his head and then took off while closing the door behind. The she looked directly at Rei, studying him for several quiet seconds before letting out the smallest amused chuckle.

"You took much longer than I expected." Everyone looked toward her in confusion.

"I had imagined you would arrive here years ago." she continued.

"Instead... you chose today." Rei smiled awkwardly before rubbing the back of his neck.

"... I wasn't exactly confident about coming."

"Oh?"

"I honestly wasn't sure whether I'd be welcomed..." Rei admitted truthfully.

"... or immediately thrown out. Or worse, killed." This made everyone tense up. Kakashi, Jiraya, who by now has had flushed out the poison and Tsunade was in a better headspace was now ready to fight it out, if things were sideways. They weren't sure why they were here, but this place screamed dangerous to them for some reason.