Hearing Mei Terumi refer to the body-enhancing serums as low-tier items that she didn't carry with her, Nick Fury sighed.
The serums, something S.H.I.E.L.D. greatly desired, were considered mundane by her. Understanding her status, he accepted it.
After some further discussion, Fury agreed to provide Mei Terumi with a villa to serve as her base. In return, he proposed sending a female agent, Natasha Romanoff, to educate her on this world's knowledge and laws, hoping to foster future cooperation.
Mei Terumi did not refuse the offer for Natasha's assistance, recognizing the need for a better understanding of this world beyond what she had learned in the brief time in the summoning realm.
…
Back at the base-
Charles quickly received 500 energy blocks delivered by Natasha Romanoff from S.H.I.E.L.D. As for the 084 items, S.H.I.E.L.D. needed time to prepare them for Charles to select.
Natasha also provided the mission commission scroll from S.H.I.E.L.D. After completing her tasks, she promptly returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. for her new assignment.
Watching Natasha leave, Charles submitted the mission scroll to the mission assembly hall.
The system promptly responded with an assessment of the mission as S-rank.
"Ding! Obtained 20,000 reputation points, 5,000,000 copper coins, 30 gold coins, and one S/A ninja random fragment."
"Ding! Obtained one fragment of S-ninja Orochimaru!"
Having earned S-rank mission rewards effortlessly, Charles was very pleased. He looked at the 500 energy blocks and proceeded to use them or recharge with a wave of his hand.
"Ding! Successfully recharged, obtained 90,000 gold coins!"
Charles smiled, "It seems my Hidden Mist emergence plan was very successful. I've already earned 90,000 gold coins and five unknown value 084 items. This was a profitable venture."
After absorbing the energy blocks, Charles's consciousness entered the system interface. His focus shifted to the monthly limited ninja, B-rank Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin.
Although Jiraiya's recruitment required 16,800 gold coins, completing the Sannin title would likely yield achievement rewards, saving the 50,000 gold coins required to unlock a battle slot. Considering this, it was a worthwhile investment.
Moreover, Charles only needed Ino Yamanaka and Choji Akimichi to complete the Konoha Twelve, unlocking another achievement.
With a clear plan, Charles wasted no time and accessed the monthly limited ninja recruitment interface. He looked at the three available ninjas:
B-rank: Legendary Sannin - Jiraiya, 16,800 gold coins.
B-rank: Yamato, 16,800 gold coins.
B-rank: Kushina Uzumaki, 16,800 gold coins.
Charles immediately spent 16,800 gold coins to purchase B-rank Jiraiya, the Legendary Sannin.
As the 16,800 gold coins were deducted, a new screen appeared.
The next second, the image of Jiraiya, wearing the Konoha ninja headband, with two red markings under his eyes, appeared.
As the image of Jiraiya in battle armor, matching the attire of previously recruited Tsunade and Orochimaru, appeared, accompanied by the iconic phrase "No one disses on Jiraiya the Gallant and gets away with it!" Charles felt a sense of accomplishment.
"Congratulations on successfully recruiting the new B-rank ninja: Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin."
Charles immediately checked Jiraiya's skills.
Legendary Sannin - Jiraiya: B-rank Ninja
Star Level: Two stars
Basic Attack: Taijutsu Attack - Fire Release: Flame Bullet!
Substitution Jutsu: Wooden Substitution
Skills:
Toad Oil Bullet: Converts chakra into oil and spits it out in one go. The target hit will be covered in oil and slowed down. When combined with Fire Release techniques, the target will suffer continuous fire damage.
Ninja Art: Hair Needle Senbon: A secret defensive technique where Jiraiya hardens his silver hair, wrapping his body in it to attack nearby enemies. He can also release Needle to attack distant enemies.
Combination Ninjutsu - Fire Release: Great Flame Rasengan: A combination technique that releases a Fire Release: Flame Bullet forward, igniting a blazing flame, and then uses the rotating impact of the Rasengan to cause multiple layers of damage to the enemy.
Looking at the B-rank Jiraiya in front of him, Charles felt a sense of completion now that the Sannin trio was fully assembled. Although this Jiraiya was far from his peak strength, he was still a Kage-level powerhouse.
Charles believed that Jiraiya would definitely enjoy this world and would likely become good friends with Tony Stark.
Reflecting on Jiraiya, Charles thought about the powerful alternate versions: the toad-themed Jiraiya, the regular Jiraiya, and the Sage Mode Jiraiya. Combining all three S-rank Jiraiyas and merging their chakra could potentially create an incredibly powerful Jiraiya, possibly nearing Six Paths level strength.
However, upgrading them all to max stars was not an option due to the enormous number of fragments required.
Upon claiming Jiraiya, Charles's chakra increased by 5 units, reaching a total of 211 units.
With the recruitment complete, the system's notification sounded again.
"Ding! Congratulations to Charles Doyle for achieving the new milestone - The Legendary Sannin!"
Reward: One ninja deployment slot!
Seeing the system reward, Charles felt reassured, as it confirmed his expectations.
Charles then turned his attention to the remaining two monthly limited ninjas: Yamato and Kushina Uzumaki.
He was particularly interested in Yamato. Merging the ANBU Yamato with the Jonin Yamato could significantly boost Yamato's strength.
The fusion of two Wood Release bloodlines might enhance Yamato's Wood Release abilities, potentially doubling his chakra reserves.
For a ninja like Yamato, such a substantial increase in chakra in adulthood would greatly boost his overall power.
Having considered his options, Charles decided to spend 16,800 gold coins to purchase Jonin Yamato.
As the 16,800 gold coins were deducted, a new screen popped up.
At this moment, Yamato had taken off his ANBU mask and changed out of his ANBU outfit into a Konoha Jonin uniform. Next to him was a signature phrase: "Captain Yamato reporting!"
Congratulations, you have successfully recruited a new ninja: B-rank Jonin Yamato.
Charles immediately checked Yamato's skill details.
Yamato: B-rank ninja
Star Level: Two-star
Basic Attack: Mokuton Fluid Technique Attack!
Substitution Jutsu: Wood Substitution
Skills:
Mokuton: Giant Wooden Hammer: Creates a wood clone that jumps forward and transforms its arm into a wooden hammer, smashing the ground.
Mokuton: Rankaku no Jutsu: Produces a row of wooden spikes from the ground in front of the enemy.
Mokuton: Four-Pillar Prison Technique: Creates clusters of wooden spikes that push the enemy forward, then performs hand seals to create a giant wooden prison to trap the enemy inside. Finally, Yamato's arm transforms into a giant wooden hammer and smashes everything within the wooden prison. (Take your time to savor the terror of Mokuton!)
Looking at Yamato in front of him, Charles thought: Besides this Yamato, there's also another Yamato with the "Konoha Craftsman" title.
If merging the two Yamatoss doesn't fully unleash the power of Mokuton, then merging three Yamatoss should bring some glory to Mokuton. Hopefully, Captain Yamato won't disappoint me!
After clicking to receive the ninja, Charles's chakra increased by 5 units, reaching a total of 216 units. At the same time, his Wood Release kekkei genkai ability also began to enhance.
Charles could clearly sense the enhancement of his Wood Release kekkei genkai, although it hadn't reached the level of Hashirama Senju's Wood Release, it was closer to that direction.
After purchasing two ninjas without worrying about the deployment slots, Charles's gaze fell on the last person.
This person was none other than Uzumaki Kushina, Naruto Uzumaki's mother. However, Charles looked at his remaining coins, which totaled 58,115. While it was enough to buy a ninja, it wasn't enough to open a deployment slot.
…
On the other side-
For the past two months, Kakashi's team had traveled to many places, but the adventurer who originally discovered the crystal skull had long since died, leaving little useful information behind.
That day, Kakashi brought his team to a remote village in Australia to search for information about the crystal skull.
At this moment, Naruto saw an earthen house ahead with a sign that read "Kiss the Chef."
Naruto excitedly shouted, "Kakashi-sensei, there's a restaurant ahead!"
Sakura Haruno also saw the restaurant, but the earthen structure made her doubt there would be good food. Nonetheless, she turned to Sasuke Uchiha and asked,
"Sasuke-kun, are you hungry? Do you need to eat something?"
Kakashi glanced around the desolate area. With only this one restaurant nearby, he said, "We've been walking for a long time. Nearby there shouldn't be any other restaurants around. Let's replenish ourselves here,"
With Kakashi-sensei's approval, Naruto eagerly ran ahead and started knocking on the wooden door of the restaurant.
As Naruto knocked, an Asian man with a strong build, wearing an apron and covered in flour, opened the door.
The person who appeared was none other than Gilgamesh from the Eternals.
Gilgamesh looked at the young man with a group of three kids and smiled, saying, "We have guests, it seems. What would you like to eat?"
Naruto looked at the burly Gilgamesh and smiled, "Uncle, what good food do you have here? We've been hungry for a long time."
Gilgamesh glanced at Naruto and thought he seemed like a very sunny child. "The wind is strong outside. Come inside first."
He stepped aside, allowing Naruto to enter.
Naruto glanced back at the slowly approaching group and called out, "Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, Sasuke, there is really a restaurant. Come on over."
With that, he went inside.
Once inside, Naruto saw a large dining table and immediately found a seat. Meanwhile, Kakashi led Sasuke and Sakura over. Standing at the entrance, Kakashi addressed the chef, "Sorry to trouble you, but we need to dine here and replenish some food supplies."
Gilgamesh smiled, "It's no trouble. This place is quite remote, and we rarely get visitors."
As everyone settled in, Naruto called out, "Uncle, where's the menu? I can't see one."
"I don't get many customers, so I haven't made a menu," Gilgamesh replied. "But I have a variety of foods like pizza, pie, steak, bread, and also juices and wines."
Kakashi looked at him and said, "If it's convenient, could you bring one of each? We have big appetites."
"No problem at all."
"By the way, can we pay with dollars here?"
"Yes, you can."
Gilgamesh headed to the kitchen to prepare the food.
As Naruto sat, he noticed Sakura constantly staring at Sasuke, which made him unhappy. He then addressed Sasuke, "Sasuke, it's been so long and we haven't found any clues for this mission. Do you have any ideas?"
Sasuke crossed his arms and propped his chin on his hands, thinking for a moment before responding, "Since Lord Charles said the Golden City really exists and isn't just a legend, we should continue following the records."
"When will we ever find it? You were the genius of our class. Can't you use your intelligence so we can finish this mission sooner?"
"I heard there are more ninjas back at the base. Don't you want to go back sooner?"
Sasuke was at a loss for words. He was indeed the top graduate, but Naruto's current strength was nothing to scoff at either.
Sakura chimed in, "Naruto, we only have one crystal skull, no map, no coordinates, just some legends we've gathered. Asking Sasuke to come up with a solution is unfair."
Seeing Sakura side with Sasuke, Naruto huffed, feeling even more frustrated.
Meanwhile, Kakashi looked at his three students and thought, "Future me, why did you take these three as students?"
However, Naruto and the others' conversation was overheard by Gilgamesh in the kitchen. He thought to himself, "The Golden City? Isn't that just an alien spaceship?"
"Why are these kids looking for that? And the ship hasn't left Earth yet. I wonder if it can still be activated."
Pushing those thoughts aside, Gilgamesh focused on cooking.
Soon, one dish after another was prepared and brought to the table.