Chương 129

"Eh.. So you are talking about that.. Sorry.. Sorry.. I forgot the name.. Hehehe.." Naruto apologized. Meanwhile one of the little boy, scratched his head before looking more carefully at Sasuke's bright eyes and spiky black hair.

"... Then is he going to play Ron Weasley in the movie?" This time even Daniel blinked in surprise.

"... Movie?" Tsunade repeated in confusion.

"What movie?" Laura smiled as she finished signing another book before turning back toward the group.

"The Harry Potter books are being adapted into films," she explained.

"The studios have recently begun searching for young actors. Auditions are underway, so I suppose they're wondering whether one of you is involved." Tsunade had still not understood what was going on and neither did Jiraya, along with Shizune. Their world had been pretty much turned upside down and this day was throwing them new information every single moment of the day. Meanwhile Sasuke immediately understood what was going on. Unlike Naruto, he actually remembered the story Rei had narrated.

He looked toward the little boy before giving a rare, polite smile.

"I'm afraid I could never play Ron Weasley." The boy looked disappointed.

"... Really? But you are so handsome. My favorite is always Ron." Sasuke nodded before casually pointing a thumb toward Naruto.

"If anyone could pull off Ron... it'd probably be him." Naruto stared blankly.

"... Who's Ron again?" A beat of silence followed before Karin doubled over laughing.

"I can't believe you admitted that out loud!" Sakura covered her mouth to hide her own laughter while Kakashi's visible eye curved into a smile. Laura shook her head fondly.

"Naruto, Rei practically made you sit through the narration." Sakura whispered to Naruto, making sure others didn't get to know who actually wrote the story of Harry Potter.

"I remember magic!" Naruto defended himself immediately.

"And... and the owl! And that old guy with the beard!"

"Dumbledore?" Rei asked.

"Yeah! Him!"

"And Harry?"

"The glasses kid!"

"Hermione?"

"... The smart one?"

"And Ron?" Naruto proudly folded his arms.

"... Someone important." The entire sidewalk erupted into laughter. One of the girls looked between the three teenagers before grinning.

"I still think they'd be perfect!" She pointed excitedly.

"This person could be Harry because he looks serious all the time!" Another child immediately objected.

"No! He's too scary."

"What about Hermione?" a younger boy asked. Everyone's eyes slowly drifted toward Sakura. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Sakura blinked.

"... Why are you all looking at me?"

"Because you look like the smart one!" three children answered simultaneously. Sakura couldn't help laughing.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Meanwhile another child walked up to Sasuke with a notebook.

"Even if you're not Ron... can I still have your autograph?" Sasuke looked genuinely confused.

"... Mine?"

"Yeah! You look really cool!" For several seconds he simply stared at the child before awkwardly accepting the notebook. Carefully writing his name, he handed it back, earning an excited squeal before the child ran to show his friends. Watching the children laugh, argue over fictional characters and excitedly surround Laura, something inside Sasuke finally loosened.

For the first time since learning the truth about Khonshu's covenant, nobody looked at him as an avatar, a future avenger or someone burdened by hatred. To them, he was simply another teenager standing beside a famous author. This new world had given him both good and bad times, and maybe that was what his life should have been. But sadly he would never have a normal life ever. He thought that maybe killing Itachi in the future, would allow him to return to normal. But that notion was slowly fading away too.

The children eventually received their autographs, hugs and photographs before their parents began calling them back. One after another they waved enthusiastically toward Laura and, much to Naruto's delight, several of them waved at the rest of the group as well.

"Bye, Harry!"

"I'm not Harry!" Sasuke replied almost instinctively.

"Bye, Ron!"

"I still don't know who Ron is!" Naruto shouted back. That only caused another round of laughter before the families gradually dispersed into the busy Manhattan streets. Laura smiled warmly as she watched them leave.

"They're wonderful children."

"That they are." Daniel agreed. Master Drumm who had quietly accompanied them to the entrance of the Sanctum bid them goodbye too. He didn't know anything about this Harry Potter books but was happy to see children being happy around this group who seemed to have emerged from nowhere. From what he could see none of them had any magic affinity and even if they did, they never showed any inkling of it. Only the kid named Sasuke was a bit odd under his eyes but he never asked.

Since the Ancient One had not mentioned, then it wasn't his headache either. With their farewells complete, everyone climbed back into the two waiting Escalades.

"Rei, why didn't you tell us before of this Ancient One?" Kakashi asked.

"Tell you what? That I know a person who is immensely powerful, whom I feared. Sorry, I still fear." Rei replied.

"I wasn't even sure if she was real up till the point I met her."

"Maybe not, but at least you could have given a heads up." Kakashi said.

"Yeah.. Well.. When I first arrived here. I was scared, and then out of nowhere a man named Kang showed up proclaiming that he was some kind of time traveler. He proclaimed that he knew this woman and was hiding away from her. And that she knew Time Magic." Rei said. Lying with a straight face.

"And you believed him?" Kakashi couldn't help but ask.

"Wait, there is Time magic?" Sasuke asked as his eyes went wide and so did others.

"Sensei, I was new here. I was very young when I first arrived here and this person was able to find me. So of course, a part of me had believed him. And about Time magic, there should be, didn't you see how she proclaimed she was not an Asgardian but still these many years old? We got to see so many kinds of magic around, so why not magic which has something to do with time. In fact that man named Kang spoke about how he was able to travel in time using technology and it was possible in magic too.

I didn't know if there was any truth to his words, but his warning, especially to someone who was new to this world and be able to find me and know that I was different was enough of a concern."

"Where is this Kang now?" Jiraya asked. Rei just shrugged his shoulders signifying he didn't know at all.

"I took his words as gospel since he was able to find an other worlder as me. And now that the meeting has happened, I would say he was right." Rei said. Everyone felt a but weird that someone who could be a time traveler would caution Rei. It didn't add up, but it did give Rei the proper advice from the looks of it. What was even more mind boggling was that this person named Kang was some sort of time traveler. Kakashi and others wanted to know more and Rei would describe Kang.

How he met him and how he only showed up on the first day and never again. It was this Kang who gave him a more detailed explanation of this world and this was why he was able to establish himself so fast. Of course, all of this was a huge lie but to others now everything made sense. How he was able to come here and amass huge wealth and now influence. They were very thankful to this person named Kang for telling Rei of the world and also someone like the Ancient One.

"When you meet this person next time, you should thank him." Jiraya said.

"Of course." Rei replied while in his mind he was thinking he better not meet him ever, or else it would be quite a fight. Even when Rei uttered the name of Kang none of the TVA showed up. What was happening? Was it even working? Soon they were back at the Ranch, totally tired and exhausted. The moment everyone stepped inside, Laura clapped her hands together with renewed energy.

"Alright!" she announced brightly.

"Nobody is thinking about gods or other bad things for the rest of the evening." Everyone looked toward her.

"You've all had an unbelievably long day." She smiled warmly.

"So Daniel and I are making dinner. Until then, everyone is officially under orders to relax." Daniel raised an eyebrow."'We' are making dinner?" Laura looked at him innocently.

"... You'll be chopping vegetables."

"I've been promoted to assistant chef again."

"You've always been assistant chef." As both of them disappeared into the kitchen, their voices could still be heard.

"You do realize," Daniel laughed while washing vegetables, "that we casually walked into Nepal today without passports."