Hogwarts

How could anyone besides him activate the Chakra Elevator?

Back then, he had gone to great lengths to devise such a complicated way in and out, playing mole underground like the elderly Uchiha Madara, all to conceal himself. How could anyone else have found this place?

One thing was certain: they had definitely come for him.

Whether they meant well or ill, though, was impossible to tell for now.

Kyle swiftly formed more than a dozen Hand Seals, drawing upon the Chakra within his body. Once he was sure he could cast Ninjutsu instantly if needed, he formed a one-handed seal with his left hand and pulled a Pistol from beneath the table with his right, aiming it at the door.

Who said ninjas couldn't use modern weapons?

Sir, times had changed!

The base's iron door slowly opened, and two figures appeared in the doorway.

A bullet struck the ground at their feet in greeting.

"State your purpose!" Kyle shouted, aiming the Pistol at the two intruders' heads.

Dumbledore gazed at Kyle's mismatched eyes, which he knew all too well, and his eyes grew slightly moist.

But when his gaze met the wariness in Kyle's eyes, Dumbledore's expression turned complicated for a moment, as if he wanted to speak but held himself back.

A child who had lived alone for five years must have had a hard life.

Yet when Dumbledore saw the furnishings of the living room behind Kyle, the guilt in his heart eased somewhat. It seemed Kyle's living conditions were not too bad.

Dumbledore spoke gently, doing his best to convey goodwill. "Child, don't be afraid. We mean you no harm."

Kyle looked at the strange old man wearing Half-moon Spectacles, then at the old man behind him who had been showing him only his profile the entire time. He lowered his Pistol slightly. "You're not here to arrest me?"

"No, child. We're here to take you with us." Dumbledore tried to step forward, but the moment he moved, Kyle immediately took half a wary step back.

Was that half-step backward serious?

Such a tiny movement, yet it hurt so much...

Before he understood the situation, Kyle would never give them a chance to get close.

What if this frail-looking old man was actually a Taijutsu master capable of opening all Eight Gates?

Besides, anyone who could enter and leave the base using his methods was definitely no ordinary person.

"Take me?" Kyle asked doubtfully.

Dumbledore nodded. "Child, you are a wizard."

A wizard...

What? A wizard!?

Kyle froze, the confusion on his face deepening.

He was a ninja!

Since when did he have anything to do with being a wizard? They had nothing to do with each other, all right?

If this old man wanted to fool someone, he should at least have come up with a better excuse.

Wait...

An old man with a white beard!?

A wizard!?

It's you! Sword Saint Gandalf!

Kyle scrutinized the old man from head to toe. But he wasn't holding a staff in one hand and swinging a sword with the other.

Kyle asked uncertainly, "May I ask your name?"

"My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I am the Headmaster of British Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Dumbledore pointed to the old man beside him, who had refused to face anyone properly since arriving. "This is Newt Scamander, a renowned Magizoologist of the Magical World."

Dumbledore...

The room suddenly fell silent.

Kyle: Fuck!

Wasn't this a character from the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which he had watched in his previous life?

When he had transmigrated here, the remastered version of Philosopher's Stone had only been released not long ago.

Whenever he surfed the internet, he saw Harry Potter fans passionately discussing it everywhere. Eventually, bored out of his mind, he had downloaded it and watched it once.

He had long since forgotten most of the plot, but he still remembered the names of the three main characters: Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore, and the villain Voldemort.

As for Newt Scamander...

Who was that? He had never heard of him.

Still, since this man could say the name Albus Dumbledore, it meant he was not trying to fool him.

It was now 1991. Kyle did not know exactly when the first Harry Potter novel had been published, but it definitely did not exist yet.

Other than J.K. Rowling herself appearing in person, no one in the world should have known Dumbledore's name.

Having lowered his guard a little, Kyle tossed the Pistol aside. However, he still kept the Chakra in his body activated, ensuring that he could cast Ninjutsu instantly.

Then he politely invited the two of them to sit in the living room.

Though somewhat surprised by Kyle's change in attitude, Dumbledore did not dwell on it and instead slowly began to speak.

"I imagine you already know that you possess certain abilities beyond those of ordinary people. Hogwarts is a school specifically meant to teach young wizards like you, those born with magical talent."

Wait, there was a problem.

Why was a British magic school recruiting students in the United States?

This was New York, USA!

Didn't the United States have magic schools of its own?

Surely Britain could not be the only country in the world with a magic school?

Other countries should have them too.

If that was the case, then even if it was school recruitment, Japan's Konoha Ninja Academy should have come to recruit him instead.

There was another issue. Kyle had always thought that the energy flowing through his body was Chakra. Now, it seemed he might have imagined that.

But why could he use the Hand Seals to cast the Naruto Ninjutsu he remembered?

With his head full of questions, Kyle temporarily set aside his doubts about Chakra and magic power. "Why has British Hogwarts come to recruit me? Doesn't the United States have any magic schools?"

Newt ignored his question and instead pulled an old-fashioned pocket watch from his robes and glanced at it.

The hour hand pointed to three in the morning.

"I think you should leave now. The Aurors from the American Magical Congress will be here soon," Newt said.

"Now? Wait, what about all my belongings? And what is an Auror? I'm not going with you until you explain everything clearly."

Seeing Kyle's wary expression, Dumbledore sighed helplessly and began to explain.

"An Auror is the equivalent of what you Muggles call a police officer. Oh, right—Muggles are people who cannot use magic."

"The American Magical Congress wants to arrest you," Dumbledore explained simply.

Then he took out his wand and tapped the teapot on the table before him. "Mentos."

The teapot trembled for a moment, giving off an eerie blue glow. Then it gradually stilled and turned pitch-black once more.

"Why would the Aurors come here? To arrest me? I'm a law-abiding citizen!" Kyle said in surprise.

Dumbledore gave the open safe in the distance a faintly amused look. "A law-abiding citizen? Where did all that money come from?"

"Th-this... Who put so much money in the safe in my house? Isn't that just asking for—"

Dumbledore cut off Kyle's clumsy act. "They want to arrest you because of your father."

"All right. If we delay any longer, the Aurors will arrive. Put your hand on the teapot. We'll use a Portkey to travel to Britain, and I'll explain everything once we get there."

"Then I wish you a pleasant journey." Newt stood where he was and waved to them, making no move at all. Clearly, he did not intend to go to Hogwarts with them.

"Until we meet again, Newt." The next second, Dumbledore activated the Portkey.

Kyle felt as if a hook behind his navel had suddenly yanked him forward with irresistible force. His feet left the ground, and he shot forward like the wind, unable to see anything in front of him.

Fortunately, the nauseating sensation quickly vanished.

The instant his feet touched the ground, the blurry mass before Kyle's eyes transformed into a clear, towering castle.

The forward momentum from the Portkey nearly sent him sprawling face-first onto the ground.

Fortunately, after five years of Taijutsu training, he was agile. He performed a breakfall roll, sprang smoothly to his feet, and began taking in the sight before him.

Rolling mountains encircled the enormous castle, while a vast lake lay beside it, glittering in the morning sunlight. Every now and then, the shadow of a huge tentacle emerged from the water.

"So this is where I'll be going to school from now on!" Kyle exclaimed in amazement.

Dumbledore nodded with a smile. "Welcome to Hogwarts."