The Ancient One smiled as she watched Kakashi step out of the golden portal and return to his own universe.
Normally, she would never have allowed something like this to happen.
Interfering with another timeline was dangerous enough without adding the TVA into the equation. The TVA had its own rules, its own methods of maintaining order, and its own understanding of what should and should not exist.
Sorcerers had spent centuries learning that meddling with forces they did not understand often created consequences far worse than the original problem.
The Ancient One had always been particularly careful about the flow of time.
Yet Kakashi Hatake was different. He was an anomaly in the truest sense of the word.
He did not belong to a single timeline. His existence was not anchored to the same reality as everyone else. His presence could not be neatly categorized by the rules she had spent centuries studying.
Even now, she was still getting used to the idea that someone could simply exist outside the normal structure of reality and yet behave as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
She watched the portal disappear after Kakashi returned to his Avengers Tower.
For a moment, she remained silent. The young man standing beside her had also been watching.
Stephen Strange had only recently begun his training at Kamar-Taj, but he had already developed the habit of asking questions whenever something caught his attention.
He looked toward the place where Kakashi had disappeared before turning to the Ancient One. "So that was Kakashi Hatake?" Stephen asked, his curiosity obvious in his voice.
"Yes, Stephen," the Ancient One replied.
Stephen's expression became thoughtful.
"I have seen him on television quite a few times. Those videos from the New York alien invasion still circulate everywhere. I remember watching some of them before I came here. He was fighting those creatures and killing them by hundreds."
He paused for a moment before shaking his head slightly. "He was like a god."
The Ancient One smiled faintly. "That is a common reaction from people who witness him fighting."
Stephen glanced toward her. "Is he a sorcerer like you?"
"No. He is more of a ninja."
Stephen frowned. The answer seemed to create more questions rather than answer the first one.
"A ninja like the ones from history?"
"In some ways," the Ancient One replied. "But the word does not quite describe what he is anymore."
Stephen looked at her with an expression that suggested he was already trying to fit Kakashi into one of the categories he had learned about.
"I always thought sorcerers were better than ninjas because of their magic."
The Ancient One's smile widened. "Ninjas have their own magic tricks. Kakashi simply calls them chakra and jutsu rather than magic. Different names do not necessarily mean different levels of power."
Stephen remained thoughtful. "So his abilities are magic?"
"Some of them resemble magic. Others resemble physical techniques. Some involve the manipulation of energy, elements, space, reality or the mind."
Stephen's eyebrows rose. "He can manipulate reality?"
"Among other things."
Stephen looked slightly uncomfortable.
The Ancient One noticed. "That concerns you?"
"I am trying to understand how someone can possess that many abilities without being trained in the mystic arts."
"That is because you are looking at him through the wrong framework."
Stephen frowned. "The wrong framework?"
"You are a sorcerer. You have been taught to understand the world through the mystic arts. You draw power through spells, relics, dimensions, and the manipulation of mystical energy. Kakashi comes from a different tradition. From what I have understood, his people developed their own system for manipulating the energy within their bodies."
"So chakra."
"Exactly."
Stephen glanced once more toward the empty space where Kakashi had vanished.
"Then he is basically a magical warrior."
The Ancient One considered the description. "That would be a reasonable way of explaining him to someone who has never seen a shinobi."
Stephen smiled slightly. "And how strong is he?"
The Ancient One's expression became more serious. "Very."
"Stronger than you?"
The Ancient One did not answer immediately. She looked toward the window overlooking the grounds of Kamar-Taj. "When I first met him, no."
Stephen waited. "But now?"
The Ancient One finally turned toward him.
"Now, I would say I would lose nine out of ten times against him."
Stephen stared at her. For perhaps the first time since beginning his training, he looked genuinely stunned.
"You are serious."
"I am."
"Nine out of ten?"
"That is my estimate."
Stephen's eyes narrowed as he tried to process that.
The Ancient One was the person who had introduced him to a world he had never believed existed. She could manipulate dimensions, bend energy, use powerful relics, and fight beings that Stephen had previously thought belonged only in mythology.
And she had just admitted that Kakashi would defeat her nine times out of ten.
"Then why not make him the Sorcerer Supreme?"
The Ancient One smiled. "I expected you to ask that."
Stephen folded his arms. "If he is that powerful, wouldn't he be the obvious choice?"
"He is not nearly as talented with the mystic arts as you are."
Stephen blinked. "Me?"
"Yes. You."
The Ancient One continued before Stephen could protest.
"Kakashi spent some time here at Kamar-Taj. He learned quickly and was able to complete several difficult missions with remarkable efficiency. But learning something quickly and possessing the potential to master it completely are different things."
"So I have more potential?"
"With the mystic arts, yes."
Stephen seemed surprised by the compliment.
The Ancient One continued, "Kakashi also does not need to become Sorcerer Supreme. He already has a role that suits him better."
"The Avengers."
"Exactly."
Stephen looked thoughtful again. The Ancient One gestured toward the world beyond Kamar-Taj.
"Think about what Earth needs. There are threats that appear in the streets. Alien invasions. Superpowered criminals. Armies. Monsters. Governments. Organizations. Those are threats that Kakashi and the Avengers can confront directly."
"And the sorcerers deal with the things they cannot."
"More or less."
Stephen looked toward her. "But you said Kakashi is an anomaly."
"He is."
"Wouldn't someone like that be dangerous?"
The Ancient One's smile faded slightly.
"Everyone powerful enough to change the world is dangerous, Stephen. The important question is what they choose to do with that power."
She turned back toward the window.
"Kakashi has killed before. Many times. He was raised in a place where shinobi were trained to kill from childhood. His instincts are different from those of a sorcerer."
Stephen considered that. "So you don't trust him."
"I trust him."
The answer came immediately. Stephen looked surprised.
"I simply do not believe he should be responsible for maintaining the mystical balance of Earth."
She glanced at him. "A Sorcerer Supreme must understand when to fight, when to negotiate, when to retreat, and when to allow events to unfold without interference. More importantly, the Sorcerer Supreme must protect the order of the mystical world, even when doing so means making decisions that ordinary people may not understand."
"And Kakashi isn't suited for that?"
"Kakashi is a shinobi. His instinct is to identify a threat and eliminate it. And it is not that he is more suited or not. It's just that you are more suited for the role than anyone else."
-----Author Notes---------
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