Kabuto picked up the briefcase next to his seat and got out of the car.
Standing in front of Charles agency's door, Kabuto looked up at the signboard above and then proceeded to walk towards it.
As soon as he reached the entrance, the attendant promptly opened the agency's door and respectfully said, "Please come in, sir!"
Kabuto nodded and entered.
It was Kabuto's first time visiting Charles agency. As he assessed the decor and layout of the entire place, he made his way inside.
Passing through the administrative corridor, the staff members he encountered all showed respectful expressions upon seeing the headband on Kabuto's head.
At the reception desk, Selene was working, while Michael stood nearby as a security guard.
Upon seeing Kabuto approaching step by step, Selene was somewhat surprised when she noticed the headband on his forehead. That mark... It looked like the logo of SHIELD.
Thinking this, Selene opened a drawer and took out a business card. On the front was Phil Coulson's name and phone number, and on the back was the emblem of SHIELD, the soaring eagle.
Looking at the SHIELD emblem on the business card and the ninja headband on the man's forehead, Selene felt a bit perplexed. What was going on? Could it be that SHIELD had also produced ninjas?
Carrying a briefcase, Kabuto arrived at the reception desk and looked at Selene sitting inside. He spoke, "I'm Kabuto, a ninja from SHIELD. I'd like to purchase some ninja gear here."
Selene was visibly taken aback by his words. On one hand, her speculation was confirmed— the man in front of her was indeed a ninja from SHIELD. On the other hand, she hadn't expected him to come here to buy ninja gear.
"Sorry, Charles agency doesn't sell ninja gear," Selene replied.
Kabuto looked at the woman in front of him and said, "You're not a ninja, are you?"
Selene nodded in response, "That's correct, I'm not a ninja."
Hearing her confirmation, Kabuto nodded silently. Then he spoke, "I'm Kabuto, a wandering ninja from the Land of Fire. I'm here to visit. Could you please inform the ninjas inside the agency? I believe they would like to meet with me."
After thinking for a moment, Selene said, "Alright, please wait a moment."
Picking up the phone on the reception desk, Selene dialed a number and waited a few seconds until the call was answered.
"Ninja-sama, someone has arrived at the front desk. He claims to be a wandering ninja from the Land of Fire, here to visit."
"Yes, I understand."
Selene hung up the phone and then turned to Kabuto, saying, "Your request has been accepted."
"Michael, please escort Mr. Kabuto to the meeting room."
Kabuto smiled and nodded, then followed Michael towards the direction of the meeting room.
Meanwhile, at the SHIELD headquarters, in Nick Fury's office-
Nick Fury and Coulson sat in the office, and the speaker on the table played out everything Kabuto had said upon entering Charles agency, word for word.
Inside the briefcase Kabuto was carrying, there was a miniature listening device that recorded all of his words and transmitted them back to SHIELD headquarters.
Kabuto followed Michael into the meeting room and placed his briefcase on the table before taking a seat on the nearby sofa.
Kabuto didn't have to wait long in the meeting room. The door was soon pushed open, revealing none other than ANBU Kakashi. However, Kakashi was currently dressed in ANBU attire but without his mask.
Seeing the man in front of him, Kabuto's mind immediately recalled his information.
This was ANBU Kakashi, responsible for guarding Charles agency.
When he received Selene's call and heard about someone from the Land of Fire, Kakashi knew things weren't simple and agreed to meet with the person.
As Kakashi entered the meeting room, he spoke, "You're the Wandering Ninja from the Land of Fire, Kabuto?"
At this moment, Kabuto simultaneously spoke and used ANBU hand signals to communicate with Kakashi.
"Yes, I am the Wandering Ninja from the Land of Fire, Kabuto. However, I have now joined SHIELD on Earth and become one of their ninjas."
Meanwhile, Kabuto's hand signals conveyed another layer of meaning: "I am a ninja brought by Lord Charles and currently undercover in SHIELD."
"I suspect there is a listening device in the briefcase. That's why, I am communicating with you in ANBU hand signals."
Observing Kabuto's hand signals and hearing his words, Kakashi glanced at the briefcase on the table. He also multitasked, responding to Kabuto's words while using ANBU hand signals to communicate with him.
"You're indeed the Wandering Ninja from the Land of Fire. How did you come to Earth? And what brings you to visit us?"
His hand signals conveyed, "Understood, I'll cooperate with you."
Upon hearing Kabuto reveal himself as someone brought by Lord Charles and proficient in ANBU hand signals, Kakashi knew he wasn't a stranger—he was either a ninja from Konoha or brought by Lord Charles.
After all, ANBU hand signals were not used by ninjas outside of the village, and those who were not ANBU members wouldn't understand them.
Trained by the Root organization since childhood, Kabuto was very familiar with ANBU hand signals, as Root was also known as the ANBU Training Department.
Their conversation was transmitted back to Nick Fury's office at SHIELD headquarters. However, they could only hear their voices but couldn't see them sitting face to face and communicating frantically using ANBU hand signals.
Kabuto smiled and said, "The purpose of this visit to the Konoha base here is mainly to purchase some ninja gear, such as explosive tags, smoke bombs, and soldier pills."
"As for how I came to Earth, it was because I entered a temple and triggered the formation inside, unexpectedly ending up here."
"I can tell you the location of the temple, but I have a request. I need the qualification to purchase ninja gear from you continuously."
"After all, as you know, since coming here, I haven't had the means to return, and I can't replenish my ninja gear here."
"Although weapons like shuriken and kunai can be made and replenished here, items like explosive tags, smoke bombs, and soldier pills cannot be obtained."
"Especially explosive tags and soldier pills, these are of utmost importance!"
Upon hearing Kabuto's words, Kakashi nodded and said, "Since you are willing to use the location that brought you to Earth as a bargaining chip for the qualification to purchase ninja gear in the future, I'll make the decision and grant your request."
Meanwhile, at SHIELD headquarters, Nick Fury looked at Coulson and asked, "What are soldier pills?"