As Hill left, Nick Fury opened a file on his computer—a report submitted by Natasha.
The report revealed that the capital of "Wakanda" had recently been attacked by unknown armed forces.
However, Wakanda managed to defeat the attackers. Despite the significance of this event, information about it had been completely suppressed and not shared with the outside world.
Due to the ongoing reconstruction efforts in Wakanda, Natasha was unable to gather much information about the attacking force.
Moreover, the situation in Wakanda seemed to differ significantly from its outward appearance.
Despite sensing something amiss, Natasha hadn't been able to uncover the truth, largely due to the country's extreme isolationism.
In addition, Natasha discovered during her investigation of countries bordering Wakanda that Hidan from the Akatsuki organization had reappeared in Africa.
Several villages had been massacred, with scenes of sacrifices to the evil god left behind.
Nick Fury's expression grew serious as he reviewed the photos in Natasha's report.
Rebel ninjas, Sound Ninjas, Wakanda, the Centipede organization—issues were multiplying quickly.
Nick Fury had already experienced the difficulty of dealing with the Akatsuki organization.
The investigation into the Centipede organization would continue under Coulson's team, in hopes of uncovering more information. As for the Akatsuki, that issue could be put on hold for the moment.
Regarding Wakanda, Fury decided that Natasha should continue her surveillance for a while. If nothing substantial was uncovered, she would be recalled, and someone else would be assigned to continue the investigation.
After all, keeping Natasha—a powerful asset—tied up in Wakanda for too long would be a waste of resources.
As for the Sound Ninja, Fury planned to make an example of them. In his view, after Kaguya Kimimaro was abducted by the Mist, the Sound Ninja Village hadn't even put up a fight and only sent three low-ranking ninjas as replacements.
Yet, they had the audacity to interfere with SHIELD's mission and steal their target.
Fury couldn't allow SHIELD's authority to be undermined any further. If they started backing down from missions involving ninjas, they'd lose all credibility.
The five great nations of the ninja world might be untouchable, but surely a small village like the Sound Ninja village couldn't be off-limits as well.
…
Elsewhere-
After completing his mission report, Coulson brought Skye to a SHIELD facility where special children were being cared for.
Michael's son was to be temporarily fostered here. After the paperwork was completed and the boy was taken away by a teacher, Skye approached Coulson.
"I told him his dad would be back soon, but now he's been taken by ninjas. Will he really come back?" Skye asked.
Coulson shook his head. "I don't know. We don't understand why the Sound Ninja took Michael. Maybe it's for the Extremis virus, or perhaps something else. I can't predict his future."
Skye, still puzzled, asked, "Aren't they supposed to be superheroes?"
The two continued walking towards the car.
As Coulson opened the car door, he replied, "Not all ninjas are superheroes."
"Then, are they villains?"
"It's hard to define, but they definitely don't obey law enforcement authority," Coulson replied.
Skye was silent for a moment before voicing her concern. "So, is this mission over just like that? There are still so many unanswered questions."
Coulson nodded, "Yes, we haven't cut off the Centipede's source, the person funding the experiment is still free, and Michael was taken by the Sound Ninja."
"But someone else will handle these matters. Headquarters will negotiate with the Sound Ninja to get some final answers."
As they got into the car, Coulson asked Skye, "Have you thought about that offer?"
Skye looked at Coulson. "You mean joining the crazy plane crew? I'm not really a team player."
Coulson clarified, "We're not exactly a team, but we can fight evil together, and you can be a big help. You'll get a front-row seat to the strangest shows on Earth. After all, isn't that what you wanted?"
Skye nodded. "I hacked into SHIELD from my van. You'd better to offer me something new."
Just then, Coulson's phone rang.
"Go ahead," he answered.
On the other end, Ward's voice came through.
"Coulson, we've received an 084 mission."
"Are you sure?" Coulson asked.
"They want us to confirm it," Ward replied.
After hanging up, Coulson started the car.
Skye, curious, asked, "What's an 084?"
Coulson glanced at her and said, "You've got ten minutes to decide if you really want to know."
Skye replied, "There's no way we can get to the airport in ten minutes."
Her response confirmed her decision to Coulson.
He pressed a few buttons on the car's control panel, and the vehicle began to lift off the ground. Skye leaned out to look down, amazed as the car floated in mid-air.
Coulson put on a pair of sunglasses and said, "The tide is rising."
The next moment, the car, now airborne, flew toward the airport, leaving Skye astonished by SHIELD's advanced technology.
…
Meanwhile-
In Orochimaru's lab, Kabuto delivered the test subject, Michael, who now lay naked on Orochimaru's examination table, his face filled with terror. Orochimaru, licking his lips, had already performed a full-body examination on him.
"Interesting," Orochimaru muttered.
"They've injected the Extremis virus into alien metal, then implanted this metal into a human body."
"The implanted metal secretes a liquid containing the Extremis virus, which continually modifies the subject's body, enhancing it while preventing an immediate explosion from a large dose of the virus."
"But the process isn't precise. The continuous secretion of the virus will eventually cause the host to explode. It's a clever idea, but it lacks refinement."
Orochimaru pondered for a moment, "I wonder if, after losing an arm, you still have the Extremis virus's self-healing capability."
With a swift motion, Orochimaru severed Michael's centipede-infused arm.
"Ahhh!" Michael screamed in agony on the table.
"Too noisy," Orochimaru remarked. Kabuto quickly struck a pressure point on Michael's body, rendering him silent.
Orochimaru observed the severed arm, noticing that no orange glow indicating regeneration appeared—only blood flowed from the wound.
After a brief examination, Orochimaru shook his head. "It seems the regenerative ability has been severely weakened."
He picked up the severed arm, carefully dismantling the centipede-shaped metal. After a quick analysis, he understood the mechanism and tossed the metal onto a tray.
"Perhaps I can use this idea, though not as crudely as they did. Kabuto, bring me some more test subjects."
Kabuto nodded, "Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
###
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