Hendel Dobi asked, "How long will it take for Kirigakure to arrive for support after we notify you?"
Mei Terumi considered for a moment before saying, "Considering the distance between us, five minutes."
"We can definitely arrive at the scene within five minutes."
Though they could arrive even faster, Mei Terumi chose to give a conservative estimate of five minutes.
Hendel Dobi nodded in agreement, satisfied with the response.
"Five minutes is acceptable. How much will the commission cost?"
Mei Terumi replied, "I'm not sure how many Sound Ninja will come or how strong they are."
"500 energy blocks for Kimimaro, 300 energy blocks each for Ao and Chojuro, and 200 energy blocks for Haku—a total of 1300 energy blocks."
"No matter how many Sound Ninja come, even if it's just one, the price remains the same."
Hendel Dobi was taken aback by the high price of 1300 energy blocks. His authority didn't extend to such a large budget, and the previous allocation hadn't accounted for this amount.
"Mizukage, ever since the Tesseract was taken by Konoha, we haven't had the means to produce more energy blocks. We only have 300 energy blocks, but we can add 5 of our 084 items."
Mei Terumi frowned slightly at hearing only 300 energy blocks were available and then responded, "10 of your 084 items."
Hendel Dobi countered, "6 items—two for you, and one each for the other members of your team."
Mei Terumi shook her head, "No deal. From what I know, the value of your 084 items is highly unstable. No less than 10 items, or the deal is off."
"Those items of yours aren't as valuable as energy blocks."
Seeing that Mei Terumi was firm in her stance, Hendel Dobi reluctantly agreed.
"Alright, we'll do it your way."
Seeing him agree, Mei Terumi smiled, "300 energy blocks as a deposit. You'll need to deliver them to me in advance."
Hendel Dobi nodded, "No problem. Someone will bring them to you shortly."
Mei Terumi handed over her business card and said, "When you are under attack, contact me immediately."
"I'll be there to support you right away."
Hendel Dobi carefully took the card and placed it in his jacket pocket, then asked, "Shouldn't we sign a mission contract?"
Mei Terumi smiled, "I didn't bring any blank mission contract scrolls with me."
Hendel Dobi pondered this—could it be that the scroll had some special power, like a magical contract?
"That's a shame. I've never signed a mission contract with a shinobi before."
"Now that everything is settled, I won't trouble you any further."
With that, Hendel Dobi, along with Steve and Rumlow, left the Kirigakure base and headed back to S.H.I.E.L.D.
As they left, Kimimaro stepped out and asked, "Did the Sound Ninja get attacked?"
Mei Terumi smiled, "Yes, S.H.I.E.L.D. used thermal weapons and their base was probably blown to ruins."
"I wonder if those kids managed to survive."
"I'd better report this to Lord Charles. I hope he doesn't mind that I accepted S.H.I.E.L.D.'s commission on my own initiative. After all, it's for collecting valuable items for him; he shouldn't have any objections."
Kimimaro, standing nearby, coldly stated, "I'm going out."
Mei Terumi's gaze turned icy as she looked at Kimimaro, "You are not going anywhere. I know what you're planning."
"But without orders from Lord Charles, if you dare ruin my plans, I'll melt those bones of yours."
Feeling the terrifying aura from Mei Terumi, Kimimaro said nothing and turned back to his room.
…
Meanwhile-
Nick Fury quickly received a report from Hendel Dobi. He learned that, for the price of 300 energy blocks and 10 items from the 084 collection, they had secured the protection of four shinobi from Kirigakure, including the Mizukage.
Hendel Dobi also reported that the mission scrolls seemed to have some special binding force, but the Mizukage did not carry one.
Fury nodded quietly at the report.
Without a teleportation channel, it was possible Kirigakure didn't have access to such scrolls.
He also wondered why the Mist shinobi hadn't directly taken over Otogakure earlier, especially since they had removed Kimimaro, the village's strongest asset.
However, with Kirigakure accepting this mission, it would be ideal if the Mist shinobi could wipe out Otogakure, which would help share the risk.
As for the Avengers, Fury decided it was best not to summon them.
If Tony Stark found out he bombed Otogakure for the sake of one person, it might not end well.
But just relying on this wasn't enough; Fury needed to make additional arrangements.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had to withstand the counterattack and, if possible, eliminate the opposition without involving Kirigakure, which would increase their standing in the eyes of the shinobi.
…
Elsewhere-
Charles received a message from Mei Terumi through a summoned beast, informing him that Nick Fury had spent 300 energy blocks and 10 items from the 084 collection to hire Kirigakure.
"Didn't expect Fury to still have energy blocks. I thought he'd used them all up last time buying the physical enhancement serum. But since he does, I'll gladly accept these resources."
Charles then instructed the summoned beast to relay a message back to Mei Terumi, praising her actions and advising her to secure the mission rewards. He also suggested raising the price if necessary.
After responding to Mei Terumi, Charles pulled out the blood core that Konan had previously given him.
A notification appeared:
Ding! A rechargeable item detected. Would you like to recharge?
Recharge!
Ding! Recharge successful. You have received 60,000 gold coins.
With 60,000 gold coins in his account, Charles decided to proceed with his plan.
He had considered having Otogakure hire the Akatsuki to exact revenge on S.H.I.E.L.D., but after thinking about what the Akatsuki was up to, he came up with a better idea—letting Otogakure handle it themselves.
Otogakure was founded by Orochimaru, who had many skilled subordinates: Guren, with her Crystal Release; Karin from the Uzumaki clan; Suigetsu Hozuki, who could liquefy his body; Jugo; and Kabuto Yakushi.
Not to mention Orochimaru himself, who could serve as the trump card.
Charles was just a few shards away from recruiting S-rank shinobi Orochimaru and Guren. The 60,000 gold coins were more than enough to recruit them.
The grudge of Otogakure would be settled by Otogakure itself.
As for Orochimaru, he could defect just like Uchiha Itachi. The version of Orochimaru that Charles was about to recruit was the one who had already defected from Konoha but had not yet joined the Akatsuki.
By this time, Orochimaru had already established Otogakure. If he learned that S.H.I.E.L.D. had bombed his village, there was no way he wouldn't be furious.