662-671
·Chapter 662: Gains
Meeting Room-
Charles watched as Natasha and the S.H.I.E.L.D. strike team left while remaining seated on the sofa without seeing them off.
Once they were gone, he submitted the mission scroll, which was promptly classified as an A-level mission by the mission assembly hall. The rewards were 5000 reputation points, 500,000 copper coins, and a deluxe treasure chest.
Seeing such a simple mission rated as A-level, Charles was very satisfied.
Looking at the numerous energy blocks in front of him, he placed his hand over them.
Ding! Rechargeable items detected. Proceed with recharging?
Yes!
Ding! Recharge successful. You have gained 234,000 gold coins!
Hearing the number of gold coins, Charles smiled with satisfaction. Just a single mission and some simple items had earned him such a substantial amount of gold, which made him very pleased.
However, he knew that this was likely a one-time deal. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s energy block reserves were probably nearly depleted; otherwise, they wouldn't have purchased so many physical enhancement serums in one trade.
The only regret Charles had was that this recharge still did not allow him to upgrade.
After completing the recharge, Charles didn't linger in the meeting room. He stepped out and immediately spotted Shisui Uchiha.
"Shisui, come with me back to the base," Charles said.
"Yes, Lord Charles!" Shisui replied.
Charles glanced at Selene and Michael nearby and said, "I'm leaving things here to you."
With that, Charles and Shisui got into the Maybach driven by John Wick and headed back to the base. Along the way, Charles notified Sasuke Uchiha and Obito Uchiha at the base.
As the car drove through the base gates, Charles saw the two waiting there.
Charles stepped out of the car with Shisui and said, "Sasuke, congratulations. You have another clansman."
Sasuke looked at Shisui who is now younger than him, feeling a bit embarrassed, he said, "Welcome, brother Shisui."
Sasuke knew Shisui in the ninja world, though he didn't expect Charles to bring him into this world.
Obito, standing nearby, walked up to Shisui, smiling broadly. "Shisui, I'll be looking out for you here."
Shisui smiled warmly at the two and said, "I look forward to your guidance."
Charles turned to Sasuke and said, "I'll leave Shisui to you. Take him to logistics for registration, get his identity information, and arrange his accommodation and salary."
"Yes, Lord Charles!" Sasuke replied.
After giving his instructions, Charles used the Hiraishin to instantly return to his room.
Seeing Charles vanish, Sasuke said, "Follow me. Let's get your paperwork done."
...
Elsewhere-
Natasha and the S.H.I.E.L.D. team safely escorted the supplies back to the Triskelion. After storing everything in the supply room, Natasha went to Nick Fury's office.
"Director, we got all the supplies back," Natasha reported.
Nick Fury nodded, having monitored the convoy's return.
"What about the mission request?" he asked.
"He agreed to take it. Said he'll have results for us within a week," Natasha replied.
Nick Fury pondered this. "A week, huh?"
"Yes."
"It looks like we'll need to gather all our forces for this," Nick Fury mused.
"Do you need to notify the Avengers?" Natasha asked.
Nick Fury shook his head. "No, with this batch of physical enhancement serum and our own strike team and superhuman personnels, we should be sufficient."
"Director, a lot of new ninjas have been coming over recently. I met a new member of the Uchiha clan at Charles Agency today. He looked only about five or six years old, but might be older."
"I suspect they might be using energy blocks or the Tesseract to stabilize spatial passages, which is why more ninjas are showing up," Natasha explained.
Nick Fury nodded. "We've noticed an increase of four ninjas recently, making five including the one you mentioned."
"Your analysis makes sense, but the Tesseract is already in his possession. I'll keep an eye on it."
"Since it'll take a week to get information from him, you can take a couple of days off."
"Thank you, Director," Natasha said before leaving Nick Fury's office.
After Natasha left, Nick Fury picked up the phone on his desk and called the science research lab.
"How's the analysis on the physical enhancement serum going?" he asked.
"Director, we're at a bottleneck. Two key elements are missing, and we need more samples."
"How many more?" Nick Fury asked.
"As many as possible. The more variables we have, the better our chances of discovery."
Nick Fury sighed. "Do you know how hard it is to obtain even one dose of the serum? Even three billion dollars wouldn't secure a single dose."
"Director, science requires constant testing," the scientist replied.
"Fine. I can provide two more doses. If you can't make progress, we'll have to abandon this."
"Understood, Director!" The scientist was thrilled at the prospect of more samples.
"Don't rush. There's another special item I'll introduce that might assist your experiments," Nick Fury continued.
Nick Fury intended to use the Felix Felicis in hopes of replicating Dr. Banner's success. If they couldn't crack the serum, he'd consider it a futile effort as it might involve extra-terrestrial elements.
As for the remaining three doses of the serum, Nick Fury needed to think carefully about their allocation.
-1-
·Chapter 663: Harvest
Shortly after Nick Fury hung up, he received a call from the T.A.H.I.T.I. base.
"Director, after Agent Phil Coulson was injected with GH325, his wounds began to show cellular regeneration. However, Coulson experienced immense pain throughout the process, to the point where he lost the will to live."
"What should we do next? Continue the procedure?"
Nick Fury remained silent for a few seconds. He had a Continental Hotel wax bath reservation, but he was unsure if it could counteract the side effects of GH325.
The wax bath was known for its wound-healing properties, but its effectiveness on mental trauma was uncertain.
Nick Fury weighed his options. One was to transplant memories and perform a brain enhancement procedure to alleviate the side effects. The other was to send Coulson to the Continental Hotel for a wax bath.
After some consideration, Nick Fury decided against taking the risk. He then said, "Proceed as planned."
"Yes, Director!"
After hanging up the phone, Nick Fury sat in his office, reviewing reports from various ninja villages, contemplating how to best utilize the ninjas' abilities.
...
Elsewhere-
Back in his room, Charles Doyle entered the system space.
He glanced at his gold balance: 267,363 coins, and nodded with satisfaction.
Considering the battle positions needed for upcoming ninjas, he accessed the battle slots and clicked on an adjacent plus sign.
Ding! Do you wish to spend 56,000 gold coins to unlock a battle slot?
Yes!
With the deduction of 56,000 gold coins, another battle slot was added.
Charles repeated the process twice more, spending 58,000 and 60,000 gold coins, respectively.
After unlocking three new battle slots and with one additional slot from a previous reward, Charles now had four new slots. His remaining balance was 93,363 coins, which he was sufficient for high-level recruitment.
Next, he focused on the ninja recruitment scrolls, which showed 42 available. He calculated how many scrolls he needed to recruit one S-rank and two A-rank ninjas.
Based on previous experiences, it could sometimes take over 300 draws to get an S-rank ninja, and he didn't have any guaranteed system rewards here.
Charles decided to try for 200 draws to test his luck and see how many fragments he could get. He spent 26,544 gold coins to purchase 158 ninja recruitment scrolls.
With everything prepared, Charles's consciousness exited the system space. He needed to give himself a buff.
Using magic, Charles constructed a blessing-type Merlin magic circle on the ground. He then retrieved the Space Stone from his storage and placed it in the top left corner, the scepter in the bottom right corner, and ice crystals and the Heart of the Earth in the other two corners.
In the center, he lit a candle.
Unfortunately, no new Infinity Stones were available to enhance the ritual's effects.
After arranging the items, Charles began his blessing ritual.
After completing the ritual, Charles felt a stronger sense of fortune enveloping him. Without further delay, he re-entered the system space.
Immediately heading to the recruitment interface, Charles initiated the ninja recruitment.
"Ninja Recruitment, Ten-Draw, Go!"
A whirlpool symbol from the Land of Whirlpools appeared, emitting a peculiar glow. After a flash of light, the recruitment results appeared before Charles.
Without analyzing the results, Charles continued the ten-draws under the blessing's influence.
The first ten-draw under the blessing yielded 6 S-rank Orochimaru fragments, 4 A-rank Konan fragments, 4 A-rank Zetsu fragments, 6 B-rank fragments, and 3 C-rank fragments.
The second ten-draw yielded the same results.
The third ten-draw yielded the same results.
The fourth ten-draw yielded the same results.
The fifth ten-draw yielded the same results.
In total, Charles obtained 30 S-rank Orochimaru fragments, 20 A-rank Konan fragments, and 20 A-rank Zetsu fragments, along with numerous B and C-rank fragments, making the blessing highly effective.
Despite his haste, the blessing's effect lasted only for five ten-draws.
With the blessing gone, Charles relaxed, ready to review the results. He was pleased with the high-quality fragments acquired in just fifty draws.
He noticed that Shippuden Sasuke Uchiha was close to reaching three stars, needing only twenty more fragments. This recruitment gave him confidence in boosting Team 7's star levels.
Charles meticulously tallied the results:
- S-rank: Orochimaru, 30 fragments from 10 draws.
- A-rank: Konan, 20 fragments from 5 draws; Zetsu, 20 fragments from 5 draws.
- B-rank: Shippuden Naruto Uzumaki, 6 fragments from 3 draws; Shippuden Sakura Haruno, 6 fragments from 3 draws; Shippuden Sasuke Uchiha, 6 fragments from 3 draws; Shippuden Hinata Hyuga, 4 fragments from 2 draws; Shippuden Neji Hyuga, 4 fragments from 2 draws; Guren, 4 fragments from 2 draws.
- C-rank: Hanabi Hyuga, 2 fragments from 2 draws; Young Killer Bee, 1 fragment; Ino Yamanaka, 1 fragment; Academy Naruto Uzumaki, 1 fragment; Karui, 1 fragment; Hayate Gekkō, 1 fragment; Shino Aburame, 1 fragment; Yukimaru, 1 fragment; Naruto Uzumaki, 1 fragment; Sakura Haruno, 1 fragment; Iruka Umino, 1 fragment; Shizune, 1 fragment; Sasuke Uchiha, 1 fragment; Tenten, 1 fragment.
Satisfied with the results, Charles knew it was unlikely to gather enough fragments to recruit S-rank and A-rank ninjas from the remaining 150 draws without the blessing.
--2--
·Chapter 664: The Location of Wakanda
At this moment, Charles Doyle no longer had the blessing buff. Looking at the remaining 150 ninja recruitment scrolls, he contemplated a question:
If I exit the system space and perform the blessing ritual again, will I be able to regain the blessing? If so, I could exploit this to gain powerful ninjas with minimal cost.
With this thought, Charles didn't hesitate. He exited the system space, retrieved the ritual items, and set them up again, drawing the magic circle and placing the items just as before.
After completing the ritual, Charles did not feel the same sense of blessing. It seemed his attempt to exploit a loophole had failed.
Far away in Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One observed Charles's repeated attempts to exploit his future self.
She shook her head in exasperation.
Who continuously seeks blessings without pause? Doesn't he fear that borrowing too much power from his future self might lead to his enemies overpowering him?
Seeing Charles's ritual fail this time, the Ancient One thought to herself: It's only normal to fail. If it worked every time, then it would be outrageous.
...
Facing the failed attempt to exploit the blessing, Charles now had two choices. One was to proceed without the blessing, acknowledging that he was currently in a low luck period.
This meant he might need to spend up to another 300 draws, costing around 25,000 more gold coins.
The other option was to perform the blessing ritual once daily, testing how long it took to successfully gain the blessing again.
Then, he could conduct ninja recruitment during the blessed period. With the remaining 150 recruitment scrolls, he could gather enough fragments and potentially spend only a few thousand more gold coins.
The surplus could then be used to further recruit and star-up ninjas. He had never experienced a five-star S-rank ninja and was curious about the immense power it would bring.
In his memory, the two times he encountered five-star A-rank ninjas—Wandering Samurai Senju Tobirama and Young Madara—both were exceptionally powerful. A five-star S-rank ninja would most likely rival even the strongest Sage of six paths.
After some thought, Charles decided to test the interval between successful blessings to determine if it was better to recruit ninjas only during the blessed period or to rely on gold coins.
If the interval was too long, waiting wouldn't be practical.
With his decision made, Charles chose not to proceed with ninja recruitment just yet. Instead, he opened the ninja fragment store to check for suitable ninja fragments.
Opening the system store's ninja interface, four ninja icons came into view:
- B-rank: Mitarashi Anko fragments, daily limit 0/9, 180 gold coins per fragment
- A-rank: Kamui Kakashi fragments, daily limit 0/9, 420 gold coins per fragment
- A-rank: Asuma Sarutobi fragments, daily limit 0/9, 300 gold coins per fragment
- A-rank: Hidan fragments, daily limit 0/9, 300 gold coins per fragment
Upon seeing the four ninja fragments in the store, Charles couldn't help but feel a bit of surprise. He had been thinking about Kakashi Hatake recently, and now a Kamui Kakashi fragment was available.
He clicked on Mitarashi Anko's icon, revealing that he already had nine fragments. Kamui Kakashi had zero, Asuma Sarutobi had two, and Hidan had thirty-four fragments.
Noting this, Charles focused on Hidan. To upgrade, Hidan required sixty fragments.
After some thought, Charles decided to buy all four ninja fragments, spending a total of 10,800 gold coins.
After completing these purchases, Charles exited the system space.
...
The next day, Charles attempted another blessing ritual but, unsurprisingly, it failed again.
He opened the ninja store and found C-rank Rock Lee, B-rank Shippuden Rock Lee, C-rank Neji, and B-rank Shippuden Naruto fragments. After looking through them, he decided not to buy any.
The second day's blessing also failed, and he bought nine Mitarashi Anko fragments for 1,620 gold coins.
The third day's blessing failed as well, and he bought nine Hidan fragments for 2,700 gold coins.
The fourth day's blessing failed, and he didn't purchase any ninja fragments.
The fifth day's blessing failed, and he bought nine Hidan fragments for 2,700 gold coins.
The sixth day's blessing failed, and he didn't purchase any ninja fragments.
The seventh day's blessing failed, and he didn't purchase any ninja fragments.
After a week, Charles still hadn't gathered enough fragments to upgrade Hidan, nor had he succeeded in the blessing ritual.
However, the daily sign-in rewards were quite good: two ninja recruitment scrolls (VIP level 3 double reward), 200 ninja pearls, 50 delicious ramen, 400 reputation points (VIP level 4 double reward), 200 Reincarnation stones, 50,000 copper coins, and two more ninja recruitment scrolls (VIP level 5 double reward).
With today's blessing failed again, Charles decided not to waste any more time on it. Instead, he picked up his phone, ready to inform S.H.I.E.L.D. about Black Panther's location since it had been a week as agreed.
He called Natasha from his contacts. The call connected after a few rings.
"Hello, Mr. Charles."
"Natasha, I've found the location of the target's base. I'll send you a marked map shortly."
"Thank you, Mr. Charles."
After hanging up, Charles said, "Red Queen, send the real location of Wakanda to the number I just called."
"Yes, Master!"
Following Charles's command, the Red Queen sent Natasha a map photo with Wakanda's true location marked.
In S.H.I.E.L.D., Natasha received the photo, immediately uploading it to her computer and confirming the marked location.
Seeing the map's location, Natasha was stunned. It was a vast area of dense rainforest, incredibly large.
After double-checking the location, Natasha was at a loss. The rainforest was enormous. How could they search for the enemy's base in such a large area?
Moreover, what about their high-tech ships? It seemed implausible they were built in the middle of a rainforest.
---3---
·Chapter 665: Wakanda's Super Team
Natasha stared at the map's marked area, roughly estimating the size. It was much larger than New York City.
If the base of the 084 target, Black Panther, was here, finding it would not be easy. This was an unexplored and undeveloped primeval forest.
A sense of doubt arose in Natasha's mind. Based on multiple collaborations with Charles agency, he had never provided false information. However, typically, he would give a specific address, like a detailed base or a house. This vast area was unprecedented.
If Charles Doyle's intelligence was accurate, did this mean the entire primeval forest was the base and stronghold of the target? That was beyond belief.
Then Natasha recalled the enemy's stealth aircraft capabilities. Could it be that they had hidden an entire city using that technology?
Even the Five Permanent members of the UN couldn't hide such a large area. Could Wakanda, a poor country, achieve this?
Covering such a vast area wasn't merely about using more equipment.
Natasha quickly shook off this crazy idea but decided to call Charles Doyle to confirm the details.
In his room, Charles saw his phone ring shortly after hanging up. Seeing it was Natasha, he smiled, knowing she was likely baffled by the area he had marked.
Answering the call, Charles said, "Natasha, is there more business for my agency?"
"Mr. Charles, I have some doubts about the target base you provided. Is the area really that large?"
"Can you narrow it down to a specific location?"
Charles laughed, "That is indeed their base. The location and area are correct."
"But it's a primeval forest."
"Remember their stealth aircraft technology?"
"They used that technology to cover their entire base."
Charles deliberately avoided mentioning a city or a country to downplay S.H.I.E.L.D.'s focus on Wakanda.
Natasha followed up, "What's their relationship with Wakanda? That land should belong to Wakanda."
Charles smiled, "Natasha, this sounds like a request for intelligence. Are you ready to commission a task?"
"I thought this was part of the previous task."
"Apparently not."
Seeing she couldn't get more information, and lacking more energy block, Natasha changed the topic.
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Charles. If there's further cooperation needed, we'll contact you first."
With that, Natasha ended the call.
After getting confirmation, Natasha gathered the information and headed to Nick Fury's office.
"Knock, knock!"
As the office door automatically opened, Natasha walked in and approached Nick Fury.
"Director, Charles Doyle has provided the target 084's base location, but..."
"Is there a problem?"
"Director, take a look yourself."
Natasha took out her tablet and showed Nick Fury the map Charles Doyle had provided. Nick Fury took the tablet from Natasha and examined the image.
"Hmm, this is a map of Wakanda. I've been here before."
"Wait, does this circle mean that the entire marked area is their base?"
Natasha nodded. "Yes, Director, that's exactly what it means."
Internally, Nick Fury was surprised, but he maintained his composure and nodded, asking, "Do we have any more specifics?"
Seeing no sign of surprise on Nick Fury's face, Natasha couldn't help but admire his composure.
"Charles's intelligence indicates that this area is the base of target 084, and it is shielded by stealth technology similar to their aircraft."
Nick Fury was indeed a bit taken aback. The cost and technological requirements for such extensive stealth technology would be immense. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s own stealth technology, used on their helicarriers, represented their largest and most advanced application.
"For such a large area, it seems the forces behind 084 are quite formidable."
"We can't solely rely on Charles Doyle's information. Deploying drones for reconnaissance will give us a clearer picture."
"Does target 084 have any connection to Wakanda?"
Natasha shook her head. "Charles didn't specify. We would need to commission a task to find out."
"However, the body enhancement serums traded with the Sand Puppet Shop require vibranium, and previously Wakanda was known to possess vibranium."
"If there's no connection, it seems unlikely, given their location within Wakanda and their possession of vibranium."
"But I can't say how deep the connection is. After all, Wakanda is notoriously known for its poverty."
Nick Fury looked at Natasha and said, "What if this poverty is just a facade?"
"…"
...
Meanwhile, in Wakanda-
Over the past week, while settling their people and rebuilding their homes, Wakanda held two competitions: one for the entire army to select the ten strongest warriors and another for the Royal Guard, selecting nine top members.
The selected nineteen warriors were injected with the body enhancement serums, becoming superhumans.
The ten warriors from the army were reorganized into a team named the Leopard Warriors, directly commanded by the King of Wakanda, in honor of their deity Bast.
The nine Royal Guard members, led by Okoye, formed a team called the Black Panther Guard, commanded by the Black Panther.
After the ceremonies for the two teams, T'Chaka visited Shuri's lab and said, "Shuri, I need you to design suits for these two teams."
"Enhance their defense and offensive capabilities, but make sure their suits are not as strong as the Black Panther suit."
"Understood, father. I'll start working on it immediately."
T'Chaka nodded. "Thank you, Shuri. This is crucial for our defense and the future of Wakanda."
T'Chaka nodded and then said, "Shuri, besides the suits, put some more effort into cracking the body enhancement serum's formula."
"Although we have the protection of the Panther goddess Bast, Wakanda needs to be defended by us."
Shuri nodded. "Father, I'll do my best."
T'Chaka planned to equip the twenty soldiers with new suits once they adapted to their enhanced abilities, and then proceed with the transaction with the Sand Puppet Shop.
Those one hundred vials of the body enhancement serum needed to be safely transported back to Wakanda.
...
Meanwhile, in an American military base in Afghanistan, three drones ascended from the base and, after reaching an altitude of eight thousand meters, headed toward Wakanda.
Nick Fury was in the command center, monitoring the live feed from the drones.
After a period of flight, the drones arrived at their designated location.
The live feed revealed a vast expanse of untouched rainforest below.
Nick Fury spoke, "As per the plan, conduct a perimeter sweep to check for any special military units."
"And keep the altitude steady."
"Yes, Director!"
A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the command center began maneuvering the drones to circle the entire forest.
As the drones flew over the Wakandan rainforest, the images were transmitted back in real time.
After completing one circuit, the drone operator reported, "Sir, the initial sweep shows no signs of suspicious military units."
"For more detailed intelligence, we would need to lower the altitude and activate the scanning system for a thorough investigation, which might yield different results."
----4----
·Chapter 666: Testing
Upon hearing his agent's report, Nick Fury instructed, "Have two drones continue their patrols at higher altitudes. One drone should record any changes in the forest below, while another drone monitors the descending drone."
"Report every 500 meters of altitude descent."
"Yes, Director!"
Following Nick Fury's orders, the drone operator began the descent.
"Bird 1 descending to 7500 meters, no anomalies detected."
"Bird 1 descending to 7000 meters, no anomalies detected."
"Bird 1 descending to 6500 meters, no anomalies detected."
As Bird 1 continued its descent without detecting anything unusual, everyone in the command center, including Nick Fury, watched the screens intently.
Bird 1 reached 5000 meters with no issues, then continued down to 4500 meters, 4000 meters, 3500 meters. The drone operator kept lowering the drone's altitude.
However, just as it reached 3000 meters, Bird 1 suddenly collided with Wakanda's protective shield.
"Boom!"
The drone disintegrated instantly, turning into a massive fireball. Its debris was dissolved upon contact with the shield, leaving no trace.
…
Meanwhile, in Wakanda-
Just after Shuri finished her conversation with her father, an alarm sounded in her lab.
T'Chaka asked, "What's happening?"
Shuri operated the control interface, displaying a blue sphere representing the shield. A red dot appeared on the sphere. With a wave of her hands, the red dot zoomed in, showing the collision footage.
The video displayed the descending drone crashing into the shield.
"Father, a drone is monitoring Wakanda from above. It seems they've discovered us."
"Have we been exposed?"
Shuri thought for a moment and said, "If they didn't enable real-time monitoring, there's a chance we haven't been exposed. But if they were transmitting live footage, they would have seen the crash."
T'Chaka's expression grew serious. "Check the shield to ensure no one can sneak in."
"Yes, Father."
...
Meanwhile-
In the S.H.I.E.L.D. command center, everyone saw the footage of Bird 1 crashing. The sudden appearance of a blue shield flashed on the screen. An agent exclaimed, "What was that?"
Nick Fury said, "Retrieve Bird 3's footage and slow it down."
The video replayed on the big screen, showing Bird 1 descending and suddenly crashing into an invisible shield, followed by an explosion. The blast revealed a blue energy shield, and the drone's debris was dissolved upon contact.
When Nick Fury saw this scene, he discovered that the other party's protective shield technology was much more advanced than that of the S.H.I.E.L.D.'s space carrier.
Not only does it have the effects of stealth and visual deception, it also has powerful protective capabilities and can directly melt the metal of drone wreckage. Its power is extremely great.
He then asked, "Do the drones have missiles? We need to test the strength of this shield."
"Sir, these three drones are purely for reconnaissance and are not equipped with missiles or weapons."
Upon hearing this, Fury had another idea. "Send one of the drones to the designated location, climb to 8000 meters, and then dive at full speed into the area below. The other drone will record the data and then return."
The position Fury referred to was precisely at the boundary Charles had marked. He wanted to test both the shield's extent and its resilience by using the drone as a makeshift missile.
The high-speed impact of the drone could potentially be as powerful as some missiles.
"Yes, sir!"
With Fury's orders, Bird 2 and Bird 3 drones flew to the designated position at an altitude of 8000 meters. Once there, Bird 3 locked onto Bird 2, which began its rapid descent towards the shield.
"Boom!"
Bird 2 collided with the shield, resulting in another massive fireball. Observing the results, Fury noted that the shield remained intact.
"Bring Bird 3 back," Fury instructed.
"Yes, sir!"
However, Fury quickly changed his mind. "No, have Bird 3 crash into the shield as well. Leave no debris behind."
The drone operator turned to look at Fury, who repeated, "Execute the order."
"Yes, sir!"
Bird 3 then dove towards the shield, also turning into a giant fireball upon impact, with its remnants entirely dissolved by the shield.
The repeated collisions drew the attention of Wakanda's citizens, who heard the explosions and began evacuating to shelters, fearing another war.
In the sky, a stealth Wakandan aircraft observed the events below. This aircraft had been dispatched to track the drones and identify the base from which they were launched. However, with the final drone also crashing, their mission was thwarted.
"Princess, the target chose to crash into the shield, leaving no debris."
In her lab, Shuri nodded. "I understand. Ensure there are no other threats and then return."
"Yes, Princess!"
Back at S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury's team was puzzled by his orders. Agent Hill asked, "Were you worried about being tracked?"
Fury nodded. "Given their level of technology, they must have detected us between the first and second collisions. If we had Bird 3 return, they would likely trace it back to the U.S. base in Afghanistan. That could pose a significant threat to our operations."
Acknowledging Fury's caution, the agents couldn't help but admire his foresight.
-----5-----
·Chapter 667: SHIELD's strategy
In the command room, Agent Hill said, "Director, from the defense shield and the aircraft displayed by the other side, it's clear that their technological capabilities are far beyond what we imagined."
Nick Fury nodded, then said, "Hill, Natasha, come to my office for a meeting."
"Everyone else, today's events are classified Level 8. All agents, follow the confidentiality protocols."
"Yes, sir!"
With that, Hill, Natasha, and Nick Fury left the command room. However, one agent discreetly reported everything that happened to Pierce.
…
In the office-
Nick Fury looked at Hill and Natasha and asked, "What are your thoughts on the situation with Target 084?"
Agent Hill had already been thinking of some strategies on the way there. She began, "We don't know much about Target 084 and the forces behind it, but the glimpse we've seen shows their terrifying capabilities."
"Whether it's the weapons used by their aircraft, the stealth technology, or the incredible defense shield, it all indicates that their technological development is far superior to ours."
"We can't determine exactly how much more advanced their technology and weapons are, but one thing is clear: they seem to be a group of Africans."
"Based on the previous appearance of Target 084, whether it was the guards around him or the owner of that villa, they were all Black."
Hill looked at Nick Fury.
Fury nodded, "Based on what we know so far, it's highly likely that Target 084 is also Black, although there's a chance they could be another ethnicity. However, the probability of them being Black is the highest."
Hill continued, "Considering their choice to trade with ninjas for physical enhancement serums, it suggests their strength lies more in the technological realm rather than in mysticism or extraordinary abilities."
"My suggestion is to deploy African-American agents from S.H.I.E.L.D. to infiltrate Wakanda. Investigate everything within that region. If our suspicions are correct, find a way to penetrate their ranks."
Nick Fury nodded, agreeing with Hill's proposal. After witnessing the capabilities displayed by the other side, his priority was to understand their true strength before deciding on the next steps.
"Natasha, what do you think?"
Natasha spoke up, "Director, we first need to determine our stance towards Target 084 to decide our next actions."
"If the goal is to eliminate them, I suggest commissioning ninjas to break through their shield and launch an attack, demanding they hand over Target 084 who is responsible for killing many agents."
"Charles Doyle was able to pinpoint that location easily, so he must have some understanding of it. With the ninjas' capabilities, they should be able to breach the shield."
Natasha proposed a completely different approach from Hill. Fury then asked:
"Natasha, what is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s policy regarding extraordinary individuals?"
"Investigate, evaluate, recruit, monitor, detain."
Natasha's five words encapsulate S.H.I.E.L.D.'s approach to handling extraordinary individuals.
It begins with gathering all available information on the individual, followed by a psychological assessment conducted by the science team.
Based on the danger level determined from the evaluation, the individual is either recruited, monitored, or detained and imprisoned if deemed a high threat.
Nick Fury nodded, "Currently, we are uncertain about the target's situation. Our primary objective is to investigate. I will deploy a significant number of African-American agents to infiltrate Wakanda and gather information on the target's base."
"Your task will be to use electrostatic disguise veils to pose as an African-American woman and find a way into that area for investigation."
"Our stance towards the 084 target will be decided based on your findings."
Natasha nodded in agreement, "Yes, sir!"
...
Meanwhile, Pierce, already knowing that Nick Fury had recognized the complexity of the 084 target but had not definitively identified it as belonging to Wakanda, remained silent.
As long as Nick Fury used S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources to explore, they would eventually uncover the truth.
Pierce was also curious about what Wakanda was hiding behind its protective shield. However, with Fury's investigation, he would eventually learn the truth unless even S.H.I.E.L.D.'s capabilities fell short.
Knowing Fury's character well, Pierce was confident that he would uncover what was hidden. He trusted Fury's abilities.
With the mission defined, many African-American agents within S.H.I.E.L.D. were mobilized, beginning their infiltration into Wakanda.
...
In a village, all the inhabitants had been massacred, and their bodies piled in the village square. A ritual pattern drawn with their blood was complete.
Hidan laid within the pattern, performing a sacrificial ritual to the Jashin. As the power of the souls entered his body, it began eroding the divine power of the panther goddess Bast.
However, the power of ordinary souls was weak, and a large number were needed. A steady stream of souls flowed into Hidan's body, gradually depleting the power of Bast, which was like a rootless tree, diminishing with each consumed portion.
As the ritual progressed, Hidan's injuries slowly healed. After half an hour, he stood up.
"My injuries have recovered somewhat. With about ten more rituals of this scale, I should be fully healed."
Itachi Uchiha glanced at the bodies on the ground and said in a detached tone, "Since you can stand now, you should handle the next targets yourself. I will only ensure your safety."
While Itachi did not shy away from killing—having committed atrocities such as the massacre of his entire clan in the ninja world—he found no pleasure in slaughtering these ordinary people.
Itachi himself wouldn't resort to indiscriminate slaughter like this, but he respected Hidan's religious beliefs and actions.
Deidara, holding a small C3 No. 18 puppet, smiled and said, "I wouldn't mind showing them my art, but there might not be much left after the explosion."
Kisame, hefting his Samehada sword, looked at Hidan and said, "If you need help, just ask me."
Kisame didn't care at all about slaughtering these people.
Hidan wanted to grab something but remembered his triple-bladed scythe was broken and discarded. He said, "Even with only ten percent of my strength recovered, dealing with these people won't be a problem."
"It's just that fighting without my triple-bladed scythe feels a bit strange."
Itachi Uchiha casually tossed a long sword to Hidan and said, "Use this for now. Once Lord Charles forges your new weapon, you won't miss that broken scythe anymore."
Hidan caught the sword and grinned. He was looking forward to a weapon forged from pure vibranium. Then he stepped out.
"Let's go to the next place."
Itachi glanced at Deidara and said, "Use your art to bury this place."
"Alright!"
Deidara created a giant clay owl. The four of them boarded the owl, which then flew into the sky, carrying them away.
At a certain altitude, Deidara dropped a puppet bomb from the air.
"Art is an explosion!"
"Boom!"
A small mushroom cloud rose into the sky, with a fiery glow illuminating the four of them from behind, creating a strangely beautiful scene.
------6------
·Chapter 668: The Akatsuki Organization's New Attire
Twenty-nine days had passed since the last blessing prayer.
Charles Doyle still hadn't succeeded in his prayer. He wasn't sure why; after all, the intervals between his previous prayers had never been this long. However, the object of his prayer had intentionally avoided responding.
Despite this, the past month had been fruitful in terms of daily sign-in rewards. He had acquired a variety of items, including 600 Ninja Pearls, 400 Reincarnation Stones, 200 bowls of Delicious Ramen, 130,000 Copper Coins, and 3,000 Reputation Points.
Among these rewards were also 200 Gold Coins and 4 Ninja Recruitment Scrolls. The most significant item he received was another random five-star A-rank ninja experience card.
Among all the rewards, the random experience card was the best prize.
Although it didn't directly enhance his strength, it served as one of his trump cards. Even the weakest five-star A-rank ninja possessed super Kage-level strength due to the five-star enhancement.
Charles placed the experience card in his storage space for future use.
Apart from the sign-in rewards, Charles had also benefited from the Task's rewards. Over the 29 days, he completed 9 tasks daily, totaling 261 tasks.
One of the tasks from S.H.I.E.L.D. was an A-rank task, which earned him 5,000 Reputation Points, 500,000 Copper Coins, and a deluxe treasure chest.
The remaining tasks included 160 C-rank tasks and 100 D-rank tasks.
Given the abundance of alien artifacts and corpses, the number of C-rank tasks reached 160; otherwise, most would have been classified as D-rank tasks.
The rewards for D-rank tasks totaled 20,000 Reputation Points and 500,000 Copper Coins.
The rewards for C-rank tasks included 80,000 Reputation Points, 8,000,000 Copper Coins, and 160 ordinary treasure chests.
Charles entered the system space and checked his treasure chests, finding he had 326 ordinary chests and 1 deluxe chest, along with 74 Ninja Secret Scrolls.
Knowing that ordinary chests could randomly contain Copper Coins, Reputation Points, Gold Coins, C/B-rank ninja fragments, or Recruitment Scrolls, and that deluxe chests could contain Gold Coins, Recruitment Scrolls, Ninja Secret Scrolls, A/B-rank ninja fragments.
He compared the two types of chests and decided to exchange 300 ordinary chests for 30 deluxe chests.
He was left with 26 ordinary chests and 31 deluxe chests.
Without hesitation, Charles began opening the deluxe chests.
"Deluxe chest ten times opening!"
Ding! You have received 100 Gold Coins!
Ding! You have received 100 Gold Coins!
Ding! You have received 1 Ninja Recruitment Scroll!
Ding! You have received 1 Ninja Secret Scroll!
Ding! You have received 1 Ninja Secret Scroll!
Ding! You have received 1 A-rank Ninja Fragment: Enraged Uchiha Obito!
Ding! You have received 100 Gold Coins!
Ding! You have received 1 A-rank Ninja Fragment: Uchiha Shisui!
Ding! You have received 1 Ninja Secret Scroll!
Ding! You have received 1 B-rank Ninja Fragment: Rin Nohara!
Seeing the promising items from the deluxe chests, Charles eagerly opened the remaining 20.
He ultimately obtained 900 Gold Coins, 6 Ninja Secret Scrolls, 4 Recruitment Scrolls, A-rank Ninja Fragments: 1 Enraged Uchiha Obito, 1 Uchiha Shisui, 1 Tobi, and 2 Mangekyo Sharingan Sasuke.
For B-rank Ninja Fragments: 2 Rin Nohara, 1 Four-Tails Naruto Uzumaki, and 3 Summer Swimsuit Tsunade.
Charles was amazed at the high quality of the ninja fragments from the deluxe chests. Although he was eager to recruit these ninjas, the fragment count was still too low to meet the recruitment standards.
After collecting all the fragments, Charles turned his attention to the Ninja Secret Scrolls, which had accumulated to 80. He felt that the accumulation rate was rather slow.
After some thought, Charles decided to open all the scrolls.
"Ninja Secret Scrolls, open!"
He opened all 80 scrolls, obtaining a large number of fragments.
Earth Release: Falling Rocks Fragment x5, Water Release: Water Shockwave Fragment x6, Summoning: Shuriken Protection Fragment x3, Fire Release: Demon Lantern Fragment x5, Summoning: Return Shuriken Fragment x2, Wind Release: Vacuum Wave Fragment x6, Earth Release: Ground Movement Fragment x4, Earth Release: Earth Pillar Explosion Fragment x3, Lightning Release: Ground Walk Fragment x2, Water Release: Water Tornado Fragment x8, Earth Release: Earth Flow Spear Fragment x4, Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet Fragment x2, Genjutsu: False Surroundings Fragment x3, Genjutsu: Blackout Fragment x6, Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique Fragment x5, Palm Healing Fragment x6, Shadow Clone Technique x5.
With so many fragments, Charles checked which Secret Scrolls had reached the upgrade or learning standards.
He found that Water Release: Water Tornado, Summoning: Shuriken Protection, Genjutsu: False Surroundings, Genjutsu: Blackout, and Shadow Clone Technique had all reached the learning standard.
Additionally, Wind Release: Vacuum Wave, Water Release: Water Shockwave, and Summoning: Return Shuriken had reached the LV2 upgrade standard.
Charles upgraded the three techniques he already knew, enhancing their power.
Then he learned the five new techniques:
Water Release: Water Tornado LV1: Summons a vertical water tornado that slowly moves, causing destructive damage to its surroundings.
Summoning: Shuriken Protection LV1: Summons a giant shuriken that rotates around the user, attacking nearby enemies.
Genjutsu: False Surroundings LV1: Makes the opponent perceive their location as a different place.
Genjutsu: Blackout LV1: Creates an illusion that robs the opponent of all light.
Shadow Clone Technique LV1: Uses chakra to create physical clones that share the user's chakra and have independent consciousness and moderate durability. Memories and experiences return to the user when the clones are dispelled.
Charles was particularly interested in Genjutsu: Blackout, an A-rank forbidden technique invented by the Second Hokage, which greatly enhanced his genjutsu capabilities and could be very effective in surprising enemies.
The Water Release technique was also useful for its destructive potential in urban areas.
The Shadow Clone and Shuriken Protection techniques were less interesting to him, though they might be useful for others like Tenten.
Having learned these techniques, both he and his recruited ninjas, as long as their chakra nature allowed, had now more methods to deal with enemies.
Leaving the system space, Charles's consciousness returned to his body.
At that moment, Red Queen's voice sounded in the room.
"Master, Secretary Ginny informed me that the weapon and clothing you requested have been completed."
"Orochimaru also reported that the 100 physical enhancement serums you requested have been manufactured."
Charles nodded at the report, "Good, I got it."
He opened the door and headed to Ginny's office.
"Ginny, Red Queen said the items are ready."
Ginny nodded, "Everything has been made and placed in Warehouse No. 1."
"Should I have them delivered to you?"
Charles replied, "I'll go get them myself."
With that, Charles used the Body Flicker Technique to disappear from Ginny's sight.
Seeing Charles Doyle leave, Ginny opened her mouth as if to say something but ultimately remained silent, continuing with her work.
Arriving at Warehouse No. 1, Charles found the newly stored items: 22 vibranium suits and a vibranium-forged triple-bladed scythe.
He picked up one of the vibranium-made red cloud cloaks, feeling its weight. For an ordinary person, it might be heavy, but for a ninja, it was no burden at all.
Considering the defense provided by vibranium, he mused that the Akatsuki members should definitely keep their cloaks on during battles. Removing them would significantly increase the risk of death.
With these battle cloaks, the number of people capable of defeating them had diminished considerably.
After storing everything in his storage space, Charles collected the 100 physical enhancement serums from Orochimaru.
With everything packed, he used the reverse summoning technique to transport himself to the Summoning Realm.
First, he summoned Pakura from the Sand Puppet Shop.
"Pakura, this sealed scroll contains 100 physical enhancement serums."
Pakura took the scroll and said, "Lord Charles, that leopard hasn't contacted me during this time. I suspect..."
Charles reassured her, "Don't worry, I believe he'll contact you soon. If he dares to ghost us, you can go to their hideout and collect the debt. I know where their base is."
Pakura nodded, feeling more at ease. "Since you know their location, I'm reassured. I hope he doesn't get any foolish ideas."
With the items in hand, Pakura didn't linger in the Summoning Realm and returned to the Sand Puppet Shop cancelling the reverse summoning technique.
After Pakura left, Charles summoned Uchiha Itachi.
"Itachi, how is Hidan's recovery going?"
"Lord Charles, Hidan's injuries have healed halfway. He should be fully recovered soon."
Charles nodded, "Make sure he focuses on his recovery. If anyone dares to hinder you, eliminate them."
Uchiha Itachi bowed, "Yes, my lord!"
Charles knew that deep within the Earth, a Celestial was being nurtured. It is a colossal and terrifying entity.
Only Odin, in his prime and wearing the Destroyer Armor, could defeat such beings. But after facing multiple Celestials, even he had to abandon his ambitions.
Massacring a large number of humans could delay the Celestial's emergence, which was Charles's strategy for dealing with the Earth-bound Celestial.
By the time of the fourth Avengers movie, he hoped to have the strength to confront them.
Charles then summoned two large boxes, placing them in front of Uchiha Itachi.
"One box contains new battle cloaks for the Akatsuki. Open it and take a look."
Uchiha Itachi opened the box and took out one of the cloaks, examining it.
"These cloaks are made of vibranium, providing excellent defense. All four of you will wear them from now on. The other box contains a weapon for Hidan, a vibranium-forged triple-bladed scythe."
Holding the cloak, Uchiha Itachi thanked Charles, "Thank you, Lord Charles."
"Distribute these to the others and make sure to keep them on during battles no matter what."
Although puzzled by Charles's emphasis on not removing the cloaks during battle, Uchiha Itachi trusted in Charles's wisdom and replied, "Yes, my lord, I'll inform the others."
Seeing that Uchiha Itachi understood, Charles was satisfied. He knew that the powerful defensive capabilities of the cloaks would make the Akatsuki members reluctant to remove them in battle unless they were intentionally going easy on someone.
Charles then left the Summoning Realm.
After his departure, Uchiha Itachi took the boxes and cancelled the reverse summoning technique to return.
Back at the base, Deidara asked, "What did the boss say?"
Uchiha Itachi opened the box, revealing the red cloud cloaks. "These are vibranium-made cloaks. Lord Charles instructed us to wear these from now on and keep them on during battles at all times."
The members each took a cloak and replaced their old ones. Deidara, trying on the new cloak, commented, "The size is just right."
Kisame, examining his cloak, added, "I've been interested in these for a while. The Wakandans even use vibranium for rhino armor, making them nearly indestructible."
With everyone donning their new battle cloaks, Uchiha Itachi opened the second box and handed Hidan the vibranium scythe.
"This is your new weapon, crafted by Lord Charles. Give it a try."
Hidan, excitedly wielding the scythe, swung it at the ground.
"Slash!"
A white light flashed, leaving a long crack in the ground.
Pleased with the result, Hidan tested the scythe further, sending it flying towards a distant rock, slicing it in half effortlessly.
Kisame remarked, "That's pretty sharp."
Uchiha Itachi suggested, "Try using chakra with it."
Hidan infused the scythe with chakra, making it glow with a faint blue light. He swung it again, sending a massive blade of energy towards a distant building, slicing it cleanly in two.
"Slash!"
The building collapsed with a loud crash, raising a cloud of dust.
Hidan, thrilled with his new weapon, exclaimed, "This is perfect! Much better than my old scythe. I'll call it the Bloodthirsty Triple Scythe!"
Looking at Hidan's excitement, Kisame remained indifferent preferring his trusty Samehada. Deidara and Uchiha Itachi, on the other hand, didn't require such weapons for their combat style.
-------7-------
·Chapter 669: Tchalla's plan
Wakanda-
Inside the Palace-
T'Challa had just stepped off his aircraft and headed straight to the palace.
Seeing his father seated on the throne, he immediately asked, "Father, why did you call me back? I haven't yet uncovered the force that attacked us."
T'Chaka looked at his returning son but did not reveal the reason for summoning him back. Instead, he asked, "T'Challa, what have you found out during this time?"
"Father, I have been investigating the ninja attack on Wakanda. Through inquiries with the Sound and Mist ninjas in New York and the incident on Long Island, and after spending some vibranium and money, I finally obtained information about these individuals."
T'Challa clicked on the mini-computer on his wrist, projecting four virtual images of the Akatsuki members who attacked Wakanda.
"According to my intelligence, these four belong to an organization called Akatsuki, consisting entirely of rogue ninjas. The members wear a uniform red cloud cloak and some wear straw hats."
"This organization is akin to mercenaries and a terrorist group. All its members are incredibly powerful, each at least of Kage level."
T'Challa then briefly explained the ninja power hierarchy: Genin, Chunin, Elite Chunin, Special Jonin, Jonin, Elite Jonin, and Kage, giving examples for each rank.
He continued, "Currently, the number of members in this organization is unknown, their leader is unknown, and their base location is unknown. However, I have preliminarily identified the four ninjas who attacked Wakanda."
T'Challa zoomed in on Uchiha Itachi's image and said, "This man is Uchiha Itachi, an S-rank rogue ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village. He once served under Charles Doyle but defected for unknown reasons. He also rescued Akatsuki member Hidan outside the S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion."
"The black flames that has been burning outside the underground warehouse were one of his abilities."
T'Challa then zoomed in on Hidan's image and introduced, "Hidan: An S-rank rogue ninja from the Yugakure Village, with Kage-level strength. He is a fanatic of a cult worshipping an evil god."
"He harbors great malice towards humanity and once conducted a mass slaughter in Africa as a sacrifice to his evil god."
"He was once attacked by the military but was unharmed and then assaulted the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, though he was eventually driven off by ninjas from the Sound Village and retreated with the support of Uchiha Itachi."
As he spoke, T'Challa played some video footage obtained by his sister Shuri. T'Chaka, watching the intel and videos of Hidan, gravely said, "Such a person should be exterminated. His existence poses the greatest threat to us. He is lucky not to have died at the hands of the Panther god."
T'Challa nodded in agreement. The presence of such a threat, especially one targeting people for slaughter, was indeed alarming.
Next, T'Challa introduced Deidara: "This is Deidara, an S-rank rogue ninja from the Hidden Stone Village and also a Kage-level fighter. He was responsible for the attack on our airport and the massive explosion."
"Based on the attack site, his ability is to create terrifying bombs with his bare hands. These bombs leave no residue after exploding, making him a formidable terrorist."
"The tsunami in Long Island, New York, was caused by his battle with ninjas from the Hidden Mist Village."
"And finally, this is Kisame Hoshigaki, an S-rank rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist Village. Information about him is scarce, and apart from attacking Wakanda, he has not caused any major disasters."
After listening to T'Challa's introductions, T'Chaka asked, "These four Akatsuki members are ninjas from different villages. Where are these villages and these ninjas?"
T'Challa shook his head: "We haven't found the locations of their villages. Before 2008, we hadn't encountered any ninjas on Earth. Even if there were, they were just insignificant presences in Japan, vastly different from these real ninjas."
"The only similarity is that they all call themselves ninjas and use shurikens and other cold weapons."
"The difference between them is like Wakanda and other African countries."
"I speculate that they also live in places similar to Wakanda. However, internal changes in recent years might have led them to reveal themselves."
Hearing his son's analysis, T'Chaka nodded, realizing that Earth might not only have Wakanda as a unique and hidden place.
"What are your thoughts on this Akatsuki organization?" T'Chaka asked.
T'Challa replied, "Ninjas are the best weapons against other ninjas. These four Akatsuki members are rogue ninjas from their villages."
"My idea is that since their strength is so formidable, we should unite with these ninja villages to attack the Akatsuki members."
"Since they are rogue ninjas from their villages, these villages are also hunting them. By offering some benefits, we should be able to ally with them."
"After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. could enlist ninjas from the Hidden Sound Village to attack Hidan. We should have no problem doing the same."
"The only challenge is that we don't know the location of the Akatsuki base, and it is difficult to track these four individuals."
"Additionally, we could seek the help of the Avengers. Since Akatsuki is a terrorist organization committing heinous acts, these superheroes should help eliminate this threat."
"However, I am not very familiar with the Avengers. They are affiliated with S.H.I.E.L.D., which once attacked me. I fear that if they discover Wakanda, they might become like Akatsuki and come to plunder our vibranium."
"If that happens, they too will become a threat to world stability. I need to investigate them thoroughly before deciding whether to seek their help."
"Besides these two forces, we can also rely on Wakanda's own strength. With the blessing of the Panther god Bast, my strength has been growing rapidly."
At this point, T'Challa's face showed a confident expression. The power of the Panther god had enhanced him beyond his expectations.
--------8--------
·Chapter 670: The Enemy that can't be found!
Hearing his son's thoughts, T'Chaka nodded in agreement.
"Very good idea, uniting all available forces."
"However, our own strength is fundamental. Wakanda possesses the world's only Vibranium source and has the most advanced technology. If our own strength is not sufficient, those forces you unite will eventually turn into wolves and tigers that will devour us."
Hearing his father's words, T'Challa nodded his head, "Yes, Father."
T'Chaka continued, "You can proceed with investigating the Avengers and seeking the help of ninjas."
"As for the Akatsuki organization, we don't fully understand them yet. There's no need to rush into an attack until we have thoroughly understood and located them."
"What we need to do is deliver a fatal blow, not allowing any to escape."
"Their strength is too great, and since they are rogue ninjas, letting any of them escape would leave us with endless troubles."
"Even if they just reveal our existence and the vibranium we possess to the world, it would bring us unending troubles."
T'Challa nodded, "I understand, Father. Once we act, we must eradicate them completely."
Then T'Chaka asked, "You mentioned the Hidden Sound and Hidden Mist Villages earlier. Why didn't you go to the Hidden Sand Village or Charles's faction? Are there any issues with those two?"
T'Challa paused for a moment before saying, "I didn't go to the Sand Puppet Shop because I was worried that they would detain me. I had ordered a hundred body-strengthening serums there and haven't paid for them yet."
T'Chaka nodded. T'Challa had mentioned before that if he didn't fulfill his promise, the Hidden Sand would not let it slide.
Since some time had passed since the order, going there now with items to trade wouldn't be an issue, but going empty-handed might cause significant conflict.
"And what about the Charles Agency? Currently, the Konoha ninjas there are the largest known group from any ninja village."
T'Challa thought for a moment and then said, "Based on my investigations, Charles Doyle was originally a legendary assassin at the Continental Hotel in New York. He later became an elder of the organization and eventually its true controller."
"Even today, as he has become a well-known superhero in New York, his legend still circulates in the Continental Hotel."
"He is a person who is both righteous and evil, or rather, he does not distinguish between right and wrong."
T'Chaka looked at his son and praised, "You've gathered a lot of information about the ninjas who attacked Wakanda and devised countermeasures, which is very good."
"So, what about the forces that attacked the border city? Have you found any clues?"
Mentioning the border city attack made T'Challa frustrated.
This force was even harder to investigate than the Akatsuki and ninjas. He had investigated the two mercenary groups, but shortly after they were killed, their base was taken over by other mercenaries.
Those who knew some clues all died in the border city battle.
"I haven't found any useful leads. Their concealment is excellent, and their cleanup was thorough."
"The leaders of those two mercenary groups died in the border city, and their base was taken over by other mercenaries within days."
"I asked Shuri to check their bank accounts, but we didn't find anything useful."
"As for the super-soldier squad, I haven't found any suitable targets."
"Back then, both the military and arms companies researched super-soldier serum, but all ended in failure."
"I suspected it might be S.H.I.E.L.D. After all, besides the extraordinary, they are the only organization that could evade our detection."
"Even intelligence agencies like the CIA, MI6, and GRU don't have the capability to hide from our intelligence organization. Anyone capable of this must be more powerful than us."
"But if it were S.H.I.E.L.D., they wouldn't send a ragtag group of mercenaries. They know the power of Black Panther and our stealth aircraft."
"Based on that, I ruled out my suspicion."
"But I don't have any leads on a more powerful organization yet. It might take some more time to investigate."
After saying this, T'Challa lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Father."
T'Chaka walked over, hugged T'Challa, and said, "T'Challa, you did very well. Father isn't disappointed at all."
"You are the blessed one of the Panther god, the future of Wakanda, and my son. I am proud of you."
After encouraging his son, T'Chaka released his embrace and continued speaking:
"Although you didn't complete all your tasks this time, you still performed exceptionally well."
"I called you back this time also to proceed with the transaction with the Sand Puppet Shop."
"We've prepared 1.5 tons of vibranium."
T'Challa looked at his father and asked uncertainly, "Is it ready for the transaction?"
"Yes, it's ready. I've made some arrangements for this transaction."
"The transaction will take place on an uninhabited island in the Atlantic Ocean. I will arrange for two flight formations to escort you. These formations will be equipped with Wakanda's most powerful laser cannons."
"I will give you a button. If you encounter an attack, just press it, and the flight formations will fire the laser cannons from an altitude of 10,000 meters, destroying the island."
"With your strength and the protection of the Black Panther suit, your life will not be in danger."
"As for those ninjas, I believe their flesh and blood bodies won't be able to withstand it. Even if they manage to, they will be seriously injured, giving you time to retreat."
"In addition, the Black Panther Guard and the Leopard Tribe Squad will escort the vibranium and the physical enhancement serums. If an accident occurs during the transaction, they will be able to hold off the enemy."
"With these arrangements, even if an accident happens, we can ensure your safe return."
Hearing his father's arrangements, T'Challa realized that he had already considered the worst-case scenario.
"Father, if an accident happens, won't our newly formed superhuman squads be completely destroyed?"
"How about we leave half of each squad behind? Even if an accident happens, we will still have the seeds of the squads."
T'Chaka shook his head. "For Wakanda, your safe return is the most important thing."
"We still have some physical enhancement serums. If necessary, we can make more people extraordinary warriors again."
"And this is just the worst-case scenario. They are already wearing the latest battle suits created by Shuri."
T'Chaka then turned a bead on his bracelet and said, "Come in!"
The palace doors opened, and two fully armored squads walked into the palace.
The two squads wore different armor. One squad wore blue and white armor with two vibranium spears on their backs, while the other wore brown leopard-print armor with two vibranium scimitars on their backs.
The squads marched in unison, exuding a chilling, killing aura. They walked to the center of the royal hall, stood at attention, crossed their arms in front of their chests, and then sharply lowered them, shouting in unison:
"Wakanda Forever!"
The loud voices echoed through the palace, creating a sense of awe.
Seeing the imposing demeanor of the two squads, T'Challa was impressed, and his attention was drawn to their battle suits.
T'Chaka and T'Challa returned the salute and shouted:
"Wakanda Forever!"
---------9---------
·Chapter 671: Transaction Location and Time
At this moment, T'Chaka looked at his son and said, "This mission is also a test for these two squads. From selection to training, these days will be the time to see the fruits of their labor."
"T'Challa, I leave them in your hands."
T'Challa nodded seriously and then looked at his father, saying, "Their battle suits..."
T'Chaka nodded. "That's right. These battle suits are made with a certain proportion of vibranium, giving them extremely high defensive and offensive capabilities."
Seeing that it was as he thought, T'Challa felt confident about the upcoming transaction.
"Father, I will bring these people back safely."
T'Chaka stepped forward and patted his son's shoulder, saying, "Good, I trust you."
"Go and contact them, confirm the date of the transaction. I've given you the coordinates for the location."
"Yes, Father."
…
Meanwhile, elsewhere-
Pakura sat in the training room, watching Chiyo instruct Kankuro.
"You fool, you can't even understand how to use such a simple puppet."
"My grandson could develop his own puppets at a younger age than you. You're still using such low-level things, picking up scraps from others."
"Foolish, too foolish."
"Don't tell me you rely on these pieces of metal to show off."
Chiyo criticized Kankuro harshly. She hadn't taught any students in years, and the more she looked at this kid, the more frustrated she became.
What kind of Kage's son was this? He was just a fool.
Kankuro, being hit on the head with a ruler by Chiyo, didn't get angry. Instead, he showed a flattering expression.
"Chiyo-sensei, I will work hard to learn."
"Bang."
Chiyo hit Kankuro on the head with the ruler again and said, "Who's your teacher? I won't take such a foolish person as a student. Call me Elder Chiyo."
Chiyo knew that Pakura was the teacher of these kids. If she became a teacher again, wouldn't she be in the same generation as that little girl Pakura? She couldn't accept that.
Kankuro showed an awkward smile but didn't call her Elder Chiyo.
As the strongest puppet master in Sunagakure, being able to learn puppet techniques from her was something he hadn't dared to dream of before.
Even though he was the son of the Kage with a teacher like elite jōnin Baki, it was nothing compared to the experienced Kage-level puppet master Chiyo.
Especially since he was on the path of the puppet master, Baki couldn't offer much help.
At this moment, Pakura's phone rang. Seeing it was a series of *** numbers, she was curious about who would use such an anti-tracking number. Thinking that not many people knew her number, she answered the call.
"Hello, who is this?"
"Hello, Miss Pakura. I'm the Black Panther who previously ordered the physical enhancement serums from you."
Hearing the voice and the words of the caller, an image of a man in a Black Panther suit immediately came to Pakura's mind.
"Oh, it's you. I thought you were ready to face the wrath of Sunagakure."
With Pakura's words, Chiyo and Kankuro in the training room looked over. It had to be something significant for her to say that.
Could it be that big order? Finally, it's about to be completed.
"Hahaha, how could that be?"
"After all, it's a large quantity of vibranium for this transaction. It wasn't easy to gather it all."
"But now everything is ready. When can Sunagakure proceed with the transaction?"
Thinking about the physical enhancement serums sent by Lord Charles not long ago, Pakura said, "We've already prepared the physical enhancement serums you wanted. We can trade at any time."
Hearing that the other party was ready, T'Challa said, "Due to the large quantity of vibranium in this transaction, and since we don't have your spatial storage technology, we've chosen a different location for the exchange."
"The coordinates XXX.XXX are for an uninhabited island in the Atlantic Ocean. I've set the location, but you can decide the time for the transaction."
T'Challa's side provided the transaction location, leaving the transaction time up to Sunagakure as a gesture of good faith. If Sunagakure had any concerns, they could schedule the transaction later and send personnel to scout the island first.
Pakura was not surprised that the other party chose not to trade at the Sunagakure Puppet Shop.
She was already aware that the previous two transactions at the Sunagakure Puppet Shop had been attacked by S.H.I.E.L.D. Changing the location was a normal precaution.
Sitting at the computer, Pakura searched for the location and, after confirming it, said, "This location is fine. Since you're ready for the transaction, let's set the time for noon tomorrow."
Hearing Pakura's straightforward agreement and the immediate scheduling of the transaction for the next day, T'Challa was taken aback and asked, "Aren't you going to check the safety of the transaction location first?"
Hearing this, Pakura laughed, "I know your strength is not weak, but I trust my own strength more."
Pakura was not afraid of any double-crossing by the other party; she even hoped they might try something. That way, she would have a legitimate reason to retaliate, and Lord Charles would not have any objections.
"Since the location is set, see you tomorrow."
"Alright, see you then."
Pakura hung up the phone and put it in her pocket.
At this moment, Kankuro, who was standing nearby, looked at Pakura curiously and asked, "Pakura-sensei, was that call from the panther who wants to trade for the physical enhancement serums?"
Pakura nodded, "Yes, it was him."
"This time, we will receive 1.5 tons of vibranium. We can keep some of it to upgrade our own equipment."
Kankuro excitedly said, "That's great! Sensei, take me with you tomorrow."
At this moment, Chiyo spoke up, "Vibranium, is that the material that can rival chakra metal?"
Kankuro replied, "Yes, and vibranium has strong defensive properties. Using it to make puppets is even better than chakra metal."
Chiyo thought about the 1.5 tons, which was a huge fortune. If used to make puppets, they would be incredibly powerful.
She then said, "Pakura, this transaction is too big for you to handle alone. I'll go with you to ensure everything goes smoothly."
Seeing Pakura about to protest, Chiyo quickly interrupted, "The world is deeper than we know, with many things we're unaware of. We're not invincible here."
"For safety, I suggest we all go together to ensure the mission's success."
Hearing this, Pakura didn't refuse.
For the safety of the transaction and the opportunity to make use of Chiyo's experience, Pakura agreed.
"Alright, this transaction is indeed very important. We'll all go together."
"But the location is on an uninhabited island in the Atlantic Ocean. I wonder if Elder Chiyo's body can handle it."
Chiyo said solemnly, "For the benefit of Sunagakure and Lord Charles, I am willing to go."