"Who are you?" Tony Stark asked in a serious tone, his eyes narrowing as he observed the dark-skinned man with an eye patch standing before him. His signature confident aura remained present despite the clear tension in his body.
As he spoke, his right hand slowly moved behind him, touching the phone in his pocket. With a small, nearly invisible motion, he activated the emergency protocol through JARVIS.
Nick Fury, noticing the movement, merely gave a slight grin. He remained calm, unfazed in the slightest. Instead, he glanced briefly at Yugao, standing not far from him, and winked as a signal.
The signal was clear: "Introduce us."
'Since when did I become his assistant?!' Yugao thought to herself. She merely folded her arms and turned her face, pretending not to notice.
Seeing Yugao's lack of response, Nick Fury sighed briefly and took a step forward. With a deep and authoritative voice, he said, "My name is Nick Fury. I'm the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm here to ask you to participate in the establishment of—"
"Ah, stop with the nonsense," Tony interrupted, dramatically waving his hand. He then pointed at Yugao. "You and her..."
Yugao, feeling awkward, waved her hand as if to emphasize that she had nothing to do with Nick Fury. "I just ended up here. Don't involve me," she said casually.
Tony furrowed his brow, then shook his head with a huff. "Whatever your intentions are, I'm not interested. S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't have enough money to hire someone like me. So you can leave now."
Nick Fury didn't budge. With a piercing gaze, he simply said, "Yugao, show him."
Yugao rolled her eyes, clicking her tongue in annoyance. "Ugh... I'm not your subordinate, you know!" she muttered almost inaudibly. However, realizing the situation would become even more awkward if she didn't act, Yugao reluctantly stepped forward.
Tony stared at her with curiosity in his eyes, while JARVIS automatically enhanced the room's scanning, attempting to detect any potential threats.
"You may have seen me fight before," Yugao said, her voice calm yet confident. "And perhaps you think my strength comes from technology or external tools."
She stopped in front of the metal table decorated with a glass vase, then reached for one of the solid metal ornaments on it. With slow movements, she channeled chakra into her hands, gripped the ornament with both hands, and squeezed it until it dented. The sharp sound of metal screeching filled the room.
Tony fell silent, his eyes wide. "JARVIS, scan," he whispered quietly.
"Authentic material. No external mechanisms detected," JARVIS responded.
"But…" Yugao continued, placing the object back on the table with a loud thud. "In this world, there are still many people stronger than me. And many who could defeat me with just one punch."
'As a Kagebunshin, even if I get hit by a middle schooler, I'll lose, so technically I'm not lying,' thought Yugao.
Tony stared at her intently, trying to process what he had just heard. 'If she's this strong, and there are still many stronger than her, what kind of world am I really living in?' he thought, a mix of curiosity and unease creeping into his mind.
Nick Fury took over the conversation. "Our world needs every ounce of strength to protect it. It's not just you who wants to save this world, but many others as well."
"Think carefully about my words. We'll meet again." After that, he glanced at Yugao and winked, signaling that it was time for them to leave. Yugao just snorted but quietly began performing hand seals, preparing a simple genjutsu.
Tony could only watch as the two figures walked casually toward the door. JARVIS, usually very protective, seemed to allow them to leave without obstruction.
Ten minutes after they had left, Tony finally noticed something strange. He sat silently on the couch, trying to remember the events of earlier. In his mind, Nick Fury and Yugao hadn't left through the door like ordinary people, but instead disappeared into a gust of wind carrying a flurry of leaves.
"What the heck...?" he whispered, confusion clear on his face.
...
As soon as they arrived in New York, Yugao headed straight for Naori's room. With a Puff! sound, Yugao's body transformed into white smoke, leaving a pile of equipment on Naori's tatami.
Naori, who had been sitting at a table with an open notebook in front of her, looked up with a slightly raised eyebrow. She observed Yugao's equipment scattered across the floor—shoes, a ninja bag, even black underwear.
However, before she could think much further, a surge of information from Yugao flooded her mind through their connected chakra. Naori staggered, holding her temples to stop the sudden dizziness.
'Ugh… thank goodness my chakra doubled after drinking that dragon bone potion,' she murmured to herself while massaging her temples. 'Otherwise, I might have fainted by now. And it would be really embarrassing if my underwear ended up on the floor when my clone disappears in the middle of a fight.'
After regaining her composure, Naori sighed deeply and began picking up Yugao's things. She neatly folded her clothes, placed the ninja bag in its spot, and moved the shoes to the corner near the door. Despite her calm movements, her mind was full of various plans and concerns.
Once done, Naori slowly walked to the terrace of her room. The cool night air greeted her face, offering a sense of calm amidst the turmoil in her mind. She sat in the wooden chair, taking her sparkling jade pipe from the moonlight, and lit the aromatic tobacco she favored.
The white smoke rose slowly into the air, dissipating with the night wind. As she inhaled, Naori gazed at the star-filled sky. Her gaze was sharp, but there was an undeniable melancholic aura that she couldn't hide.
'I can't keep going like this,' she thought as she exhaled slowly. 'With such advanced technology, there has to be someone out there who has a solution for my problem. If I keep looking, even to the ends of the earth, there has to be a way out.'
Her thoughts drifted to Orochimaru's accomplishments in her former world—a man full of ambition but a genius in biology and human experimentation. Naori recalled the old notes on artificial humans and creation techniques she had once studied under Orochimaru.
'If only he were in this world…' she thought. But reality was different. Naori would have to find her own way.
Slowly, she began to formulate a plan. In her mind, the only way to protect Kaguya Hime's identity was by creating a "real" body for all the clone members. This way, Kaguya Hime wouldn't just be a disguise, but truly exist as an independent entity.
However, this plan wasn't without obstacles. Naori shook her head lightly as she exhaled more smoke. "There's no way I can ask Nick Fury for help with something like this," she muttered quietly. "He can't be trusted with something so sensitive."
Her thoughts turned to other names: Wilson Fisk, the underground world's ruler with great influence, and The Hand, a shadowy organization that dealt in dark arts. But none of them could be trusted fully.
"No one can be trusted…" she sighed quietly, closing her eyes, trying to calm herself.
Despite her deep knowledge of the human body and mastery of medical Ninjutsu, Naori knew she wasn't a biologist. The need for cloning technology far exceeded her current abilities. But one thing was certain—Naori wouldn't give up.
She recalled the last mission against Iron Monger. That fight had opened her eyes to how complex this world was. It was full of threats and entities far beyond what she had imagined.
'If I keep going like this, my Kagebunshin technique will definitely be exposed sooner or later,' she thought, reinforcing her determination.
Naori took another drag from her pipe, letting the white smoke form abstract patterns before vanishing in the wind. Her eyes gleamed with unwavering resolve. To protect Kaguya Hime's identity, she was prepared to do anything, no matter how far or dangerous it might be.