Once again, the manifested Naruto touched the forehead protector on his head. In the memories of this world, Lord Charles gave him his first forehead protector, but in the memories he just received, it was Iruka-sensei who gave it to him.
The intertwining of these two memories momentarily confused Naruto's thoughts. Nevertheless, he got to know that Kakashi was indeed his teacher.
"Thank you, Lord Charles!"
Seeing Naruto bowing in thanks, Charles smiled, "Alright, there's nothing else. You can leave now."
Following the order, Naruto, brimming with excitement, left the room.
He wanted to challenge the arrogant Sasuke; he wasn't the crane tail anymore.
After Naruto left, the meeting room became empty, with only Charles remaining. He looked at the bag on the table containing the blood cores and directly opened it, letting them spill onto the table.
Satisfied with the sight of the blood cores on the table, Charles nodded approvingly. This time, the mission took longer, but correspondingly, Kakashi and the others gained more. They had a harvest of 326 blood cores, a significant income. Thinking about his remaining 874 coins, he didn't hesitate to recharge.
Charles placed his hand on the blood cores, and a system prompt sounded.
"Ding: Discovered rechargeable items. Would you like to recharge?"
"Recharge!"
"Recharge successful. Obtained 19,560 coins!"
Entering the system space, Charles, satisfied with the coin count, nodded. Finally, he had restored it to over 20,000 coins. It wasn't easy.
During this period, he didn't dare even to open the system store for fear of encountering a ninja he needed but couldn't afford.
Checking the ninja store, Charles was disappointed. The offerings were either of low value or had fragments that couldn't meet the recruitment conditions in the short term. So, he closed the system store.
Looking at his 20,434 coins and the four ninja recruitment scrolls he had, Charles directly opened the ninja recruitment interface.
In the ninja recruitment interface, looking at the number four displayed on the ninja recruitment scroll, Charles didn't hesitate and spent 1,008 coins to purchase six more ninja recruitment scrolls.
With this, Charles now had a total of ten ninja recruitment scrolls, and his coin count decreased to 19,426.
Looking at the options on the ninja recruitment interface and considering the guaranteed ninja he had chosen, Charles immediately adjusted it to select limited edition ninja fragments.
After making these decisions, Charles didn't hesitate and proceeded with the ninja recruitment.
"Ninja Recruitment, Ten Consecutive Draws, Go!"
A whirlpool symbolizing the Land of Whirlpools appeared before his eyes. With a peculiar light, after a series of twinkles, the recruitment results appeared before Charles.
"Ding: Obtained C-rank Ninja, Iruka Umino, 2 fragments!"
"Ding: Obtained B-rank Ninja, Sakura Haruno, from Naruto: Shippuden, 2 fragments!"
"Ding: Obtained A-rank Ninja, Itachi Uchiha, from Akatsuki, 1 fragment!"
"Ding: Obtained C-rank Ninja, Naruto Uzumaki, from Ninja Academy, 2 fragments!"
"Ding: Obtained C-rank Ninja, Rock Lee, 2 fragments!"
"Ding: Obtained B-rank Ninja, Kimimaro, 4 fragments!"
Ding: Obtained B-rank Ninja, Naruto: Shippuden - Tenten fragments, 4 pieces!
Ding: Obtained C-rank Ninja, Iruka Umino fragments, 1 piece!
Ding: Obtained C-rank Ninja, Jiraiya fragments, 2 pieces!
Ding: Obtained C-rank Ninja, Sakura Haruno fragments, 2 pieces!
The recruitment ended, and Charles looked at the results. Surprisingly, the guaranteed Itachi Uchiha only yielded one fragment, leaving him disappointed. The only other notable result was 4 fragments for Jiraiya, making it a somewhat disappointing draw.
Could it be because he lacked the blessings of the various gods? The outcome seemed downright unlucky.
After reviewing the results, Charles realized that this recruitment didn't accumulate enough fragments for any ninja.
A total of 22 fragments were obtained this time—1 A-rank, 10 B-rank, and 11 C-rank. Notably, Sakura Haruno was only one fragment away from being summoned.
Charles wasn't entirely averse to getting Sakura. After all, the in-game version of Chunin Exam Sakura had been strengthened significantly, equipped with weapons and the giant-sized Inner Sakura projection, making her considerably stronger.
After collecting all the fragments, Charles considered his luck and decided to give up on further recruitment. It seemed he hadn't checked the horoscope today, making it an unfitting day for ninja recruitment.
...
Night fell.
Stark's seaside villa-
Tony Stark sat alone in the house, contemplating the news from Rhodey today. The military was pressing harder, especially with the explosion reported at the Monaco detention center, resulting in Ivan's death on the spot.
Upon confirming this news, the military grew more dissatisfied and planned to use other means.
After much contemplation, Tony decided to compromise on this matter. He intended to create a spectacle at today's birthday party. Knowing Rhodey's personality, he was sure Rhodey would put on a Mark Armor to stop him.
By then, Rhodey could take away an old version of Mark II armor. On one hand, it would give the military an explanation, shifting their focus away from him.
On the other hand, Tony believed that with the military's technology, even if they were given a Mark II, they wouldn't be able to figure out much.
Besides, there were safety measures within the armor, preventing them from dismantling and studying it. They would even have to come to him for a power source replacement.
Providing the military with a Mark II wouldn't affect him much considering that his own armor is constantly getting upgraded.
With a plan in mind, Tony closed the information in front of him.
Natasha walked into the room, holding a box of watches, and asked, "Which watch would you like to wear tonight?"
"I'll decide later."
Tony fastened the buttons on his clothes and turned to Natasha, saying, "Golden face, brown strap. Let me see that Jaeger-LeCoultre watch. Bring it over."
Sitting on the sofa, Tony looked at Natasha, who was holding the box of watches. She handed it to him and sat down next to him.
Tony glanced at Natasha, who was alluring, and remained silent for a moment before speaking. Natasha, meanwhile, picked up a concealer, gently applied it to her hand, and began covering the scars on Tony's face.
"Speaking of which, I can't figure out your background. Where are you from?" Tony asked.
"The legal department."
Hearing this answer, Tony fell silent for a moment and then changed the subject.
"How do you think a birthday should be celebrated to make it meaningful?"
"Do whatever you want with whomever you want!"
After saying this, Natasha finished her work and left.
Tony, looking at Natasha's captivating figure, was silent for a moment and then picked up the box of watches.
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