c18: Ryan Wong Showed His "Sharp Teeth"
Ryan Wong had already revealed everything that could possibly be disclosed.
The next step was up to S.H.I.E.L.D. how would they respond?
Still, regardless of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s reaction, Ryan remained entirely unfazed.
His mastery over space manipulation reminiscent of Cloak's dimensional teleportation or even a tamed version of the Space Stone's potential gave him the freedom to appear and vanish at will.
This was the source of Ryan's unshakable confidence. Even if his true identity were accidentally exposed, organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D. or even HYDRA would likely still seek to use his abilities rather than destroy him.
You could tell who had true confidence and who was faking it from a single glance.
Meanwhile, using live surveillance streamed from a nano-camera embedded in Natasha Romanoff's gear, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s think tank was running advanced psychological and biometric analysis on "Minato Namikaze," Ryan's alias.
StarkTech A.I. systems, developed jointly by Tony Stark and Maria Hill after the Ultron incident, were being employed to cross-analyze speech patterns, micro-expressions, chakra output, and heartbeat irregularities to determine whether he was lying.
Such methods worked excellently on standard targets, even trained spies.
But for someone like Minato Namikaze whose chakra-based abilities placed him closer to metahumans like Martian Manhunter or Doctor Fate these detection systems were rendered nearly useless.
Of course, no one could admit that. At the very least, the results brought S.H.I.E.L.D. some temporary comfort.
"Director Fury, based on our real-time composite analysis and probability modeling, it appears that Minato Namikaze is not lying."
Nick Fury, his face as unreadable as ever beneath his signature eyepatch, gave the agent a level stare, voice measured. "Let's not rush to conclusions. Keep digging."
He stood firm in his skepticism, shaped by years of dealing with Skrulls, Inhumans, and other deceivers.
Still, something about Ryan's tone, his composed manner it wasn't something you could fake. Not even Loki, the God of Mischief, pulled off that level of sincerity without slipping.
After a minute of silent consideration, Fury lifted his communicator again.
"Mr. Namikaze," he said, his voice steady, "I want to clarify something. You're claiming that the First Hokage resealed a tailed beast in New York City a creature as powerful as the Nine-Tails, the strongest among the Bijū?"
"Yes," Ryan answered, walking calmly as he spoke, not even pausing.
"So, Mr. Namikaze, you should know specific data regarding the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's size and abilities, correct?" Nick Fury pressed again.
"Yes, I do." Before Fury could continue, Ryan Wong responded firmly. "The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox also known as Kurama is roughly forty to fifty meters tall, and over a hundred meters long including its tails. Its entire body radiates intense heat, its chakra is near-infinite, and it can unleash devastating techniques like the Tailed Beast Bomb akin in scale to the energy blasts fired by characters like the Silver Surfer or a repulsor-amped Hulkbuster. These aren't idle numbers they're threat-level Omega."
"That huge?!" Fury's expression darkened. "Mr. Namikaze, what exactly is chakra?"
"Chakra is the foundation of all jutsu in our world. It's a unique energy blend formed from physical and spiritual power," Ryan explained. "To put it in Earth terms, it's somewhat like the Power Cosmic used by Galactus's heralds, or the Speed Force in the DC multiverse. The Nine-Tails doesn't fatigue its chakra reserves are virtually endless."
Fury's eye narrowed further. "And where exactly is the seal currently located?"
"Times Square, downtown Manhattan," Ryan replied without hesitation.
Placing the seal in Times Square was a strategic decision on Ryan's part to raise the stakes in negotiations.
A creature the size of Kurama rampaging through the epicenter of Manhattan would have an impact surpassing the explosion radius of a high-yield C4 device. Its chakra-infused attacks could easily rival the fallout of a S.H.I.E.L.D. Level 10 catastrophe or a Doomsday-level Kryptonian event.
In such a scenario, even S.H.I.E.L.D., with all its contingency protocols, wouldn't be able to manage things quietly.
And that was precisely when Ryan would step in.
S.H.I.E.L.D. would have to turn to him and that meant he could negotiate terms. Getting compensated while playing hero? A win-win situation.
Sure enough, things unfolded just as Ryan had predicted.
"Mr. Namikaze," Nick Fury said grimly, "do you believe you can defeat the Nine-Tails?"
"I won't pretend to be on par with the First Hokage," Ryan answered, a trace of grit in his tone. "But I can handle Kurama. If I push myself and accept the risk, I should be able to re-seal it."
"In that case... may we rely on you? If Kurama does breach containment, can you reseal it?" Fury asked directly.
Ryan nodded with conviction. "That's exactly why I'm here."
"That's reassuring. Konoha truly is a peacekeeping force, worthy of comparison to the Justice League or the Avengers," Fury commented, his face unreadable as always.
But Ryan cut in quickly. "Then let's talk about compensation for this series of missions."
"Series of missions? Compensation?" Fury's tone shifted he was already bracing for the dent in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s budget.
"Although I came here with purpose, you can think of ninjas as mission-based operatives like elite mercenaries," Ryan said, flashing a cold smile. "Saving a city comes at a cost, especially when I'm the one bearing the energy drain and physical toll."
"Reasonable," Fury replied cautiously. "You mentioned a series of tasks. What exactly are they?"
"Tracking the mastermind behind this, preventing Kurama's initial breakout, and finally, resealing it after the breach," Ryan explained. "Three parts. That's the complete mission arc. So will your S.H.I.E.L.D. be willing to formally hire me and offer compensation for executing these interconnected operations?"
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