Kakashi stepped onto the other side of the portal. He entered the other universe.
As his boots touched soft earth, he looked around to check his surroundings. Tall trees rose high above him. Their leaves blocked most of the sunlight. Vines hung between branches. The air felt hot and wet. Insects buzzed around his head.
He scanned his surroundings carefully. They had arrived in some jungle.
The others who had stepped before him were also doing the same thing. They looked around to check for imminent threats. They checked for danger.
They took in the new world. No one spoke for the first few seconds.
Tony broke the silence first. He tapped the side of his helmet. "Jarvis is connecting to this world's internet," he said as his AI reached out to the networks of this universe's Earth.
Thankfully it seemed that this earth was not in stone age and had internet.
The team waited. A blue holographic screen appeared in front of them. It showed a map of the world. A red dot blinked on it.
"We are in the Amazon forest," Tony announced. He pointed at the dot. "Right here in Brazil."
He zoomed in on the map. "I have marked the coordinates to return here once our mission is done. We do not want to be stuck here for the rest of our lives, do we?"
Kakashi had already placed a mark on this exact spot himself. He could teleport back here anytime using Kamui. It was not that he did not trust Tony with it but he did not like relying on others for such things.
Bruce looked at the thick trees and the green canopy above them. He spoke with a thoughtful expression. "Well, it seems like this Earth is exactly the same as ours. So that means in the other universes, the planets remain the same but what changes is the people in them?"
The science part of Banner's mind had already started working.
Kakashi agreed with a small nod and looked at Tony. "Can you find more information about this world? What can we expect? The power structure here. People that could be causing the barriers that are breaking between reality. And if any of us has a counterpart of ourselves here."
Tony nodded. "Give me a few minutes."
They stood in a loose circle while Tony and Jarvis worked. The AI scanned the internet of this Earth. It pulled news, history, databases, and hidden files.
Tony watched the data flow across his HUD. He read quickly. He asked Jarvis to dig deeper into certain topics. The team waited patiently.
After a few minutes, Tony spoke again. "It seems that this world does not have a Tony Stark. What a pity that this world's missed my greatness."
He placed one hand over his heart in mock sadness. "No genius billionaire playboy philanthropist. No Iron Man. No one to save them from pityful technology. Tragic. Truly tragic. They have been living in the dark ages without me."
Cap shook his head. "Tony, get serious. We are on a serious mission. Billions of lives depend on us."
Tony turned to him with a grin. "Actually trillions, Cap. Since we are talking about lives of people in two universes and not just our Earth. Anyway. There is not a Bruce Banner, not a Natasha Romanoff, and not a Kakashi Hatake either in this world."
Kakashi thought to himself, 'I hope so. I do not think more of me would have managed to leave my home universe. Such circumstances were almost impossible to have.'
Tony continued reading the data. "But there seemed to have been a Captain America, Steve Rogers."
Cap raised an eyebrow. Natasha spoke up. "Huh, so he was a hero even here?"
Tony scrolled through more information. "It seems so. But he seemed to be dead in World War Two. I do not know. Maybe he is also frozen in ice in this Earth too. Anyway. But here is where it gets interesting."
He paused for effect. Everyone looked at him.
"This world has mutants."
Kakashi asked, "What do you mean by mutants?"
Tony explained. "Well, from what I can gather from the internet, mutants are defined as a series of enhanced species that possess specific genetic mutations that grant them unique paranormal abilities or distinct physical characteristics. Some also define it as the next step in human evolution. Individuals born with extraordinary, innate abilities that often appear as gifts but can act as curses."
He pulled up more data on his hologram. "These abilities can be anything. Some mutants can control fire. Others can read minds. Some can fly. Some can change their shape. Some have super strength. Some have healing factors. The powers vary widely. Most appear during puberty. Some are born with obvious changes like blue skin or tails. Others look completely normal until their powers activate."
Bruce listened carefully. "So they are born this way? Not from experiments?"
Tony nodded. "Correct. It is genetic. Something called the X-Gene in their DNA triggers the mutation. It is natural. Not from radiation or serum. Just evolution doing its thing. At least that is what I have found out."
Bruce thought about that. "Ah, so it is something like how Cap had been given a super soldier serum to change his genes or my Hulk transformation or Creel's changing his skin to anything he touches. But just natural and not a result of experimentation."
He took a pause and added, "Or it might have been a result of an experiment hundreds of years ago that led to the first mutants having abilities that let their kids also have a mutation. Fascinating."
Tony looked at him. "Are you sure about this, Banner?"
Bruce nodded slowly. "I am. I have done a little research on myself. And I know that my child would also have a little of Hulk in him."
He sighed. The thought of passing the curse to his future children made him sad.
Kakashi listened to everything. Then he spoke. "Well enough chatting about mutants. It seems that we know that a mutant is probably responsible for breaking the barriers between reality. We now just have to find the right mutant who could do this."
He asked the next important question.
"How many mutants are there?"
Tony checked the data. "There is no exact number. But it is definitely over one million."
Natasha frowned. "That is too many."
Tony agreed. "But I think that I have a lead. We should head to this place. They might know something about it and might be able to help us."
Kakashi asked, "And the place is?"
Tony answered with a small smile. "Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."
-----Author Notes---------
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