The Next Day-
Slingshot Base-
Nick Fury arrived at the Slingshot Base, glancing at the repairs being done on the Helicarrier. He called out to Coulson, "Are you kidding me?"
"Six days! You managed to turn a completely refurbished, state-of-the-art aircraft into a heap of junk in just six days!"
Coulson, remaining calm, replied, "It happened when Camilla activated the 084 weapon. Its power was… considerable."
"Don't give me that 'considerable power' nonsense," Fury snapped. "Do you have any idea how much that aircraft is worth?"
He surveyed the repairs being made around the plane, then stepped closer to Coulson with an intense face.
"Get it fixed. Restore it to its original condition."
"And don't let Fitz and Simmons add any ridiculous modifications—no fish tanks or anything like that."
Coulson nodded, "Yes, sir!"
Fury, recalling the ninja who liked street dance and rap, added, "But you can go ahead and create the karaoke room. Your team needs a break."
"Yes, sir," Coulson agreed.
"And that new girl—she's a risk factor."
"I understand, sir."
Fury stared at Coulson for a couple of seconds before saying, "Take me to see the ninja kid."
"Yes, sir!"
Coulson led the way out, discreetly pressing his earpiece and whispering, "The fish tank's a no-go, but the karaoke room got the green light."
…
Washington, D.C.-
In the middle of the Potomac River, the Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters, stood on a small island about a square kilometer in size.
A large water snake swiftly swam through the Potomac River, bypassing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s security and reaching the edge of the island.
The snake opened its mouth, revealing an arm that tossed out a seed of the Octagonal Emerald Crystal, burying it underground.
The snake continued to other positions, repeating the process until all eight points of the island were planted with the seeds.
Once the preparations were complete, Guren emerged from the snake's belly. Confident that S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't discover her actions prematurely, she proceeded with her plan.
Stepping out, Guren quickly formed hand seals, "Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Labyrinth Technique!"
With the activation of the jutsu, the previously planted seeds sprouted from the ground, creating a massive barrier with a one-kilometer diameter, trapping the entire island within.
As soon as Guren emerged from the snake, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s monitoring systems detected her presence and reported it to Commander Hill.
However, before any action could be taken, the entire island was encased in a crystal barrier, triggering alarms throughout the Triskelion.
"Alert! Alert! Headquarters is under possible attack! All field agents report to the armory to retrieve weapons!"
"Alert! Alert! Headquarters is under possible attack! All field agents report to the armory to retrieve weapons!"
"Alert! Alert! Headquarters is under possible attack! All field agents report to the armory to retrieve weapons!"
The alarms echoed three times, mobilizing all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents within the building.
Guren, after completing the barrier, bit her finger to draw blood and formed more hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Boom!
A cloud of smoke cleared, revealing the Sound Four, who had been summoned. Guren looked at them and commanded, "Get moving. Today, we're going to bring down this S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters."
The Sound Four looked at the towering building on the island and grinned menacingly before rushing toward it.
Seeing the Sound Four in action, Guren didn't pause. She formed another set of hand seals.
"Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Mirror!"
A massive jade mirror materialized before her, reflecting her image.
"Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Clone Technique!"
Six identical Guren clones emerged from the jade mirror. Guren instructed them, "Move out."
Whoosh!
The clones disappeared in an instant. As for the real Guren, she reached out and touched the barrier wall, making her entire body vanish without a trace.
…
In the Command Center-
Commander Hill's expression grew grim as she watched the surveillance footage of the Sound Four and Guren's summoned clones.
She knew this situation was serious, especially since Director Nick Fury was not in the headquarters, having left after last night's mission.
"Order all administrative and civilian staff to evacuate to the safe room immediately. Contact Steve Rogers, Chen Haoran, and Brock Rumlow for emergency response."
"Seal all entrances to the building. Lock down the external doors."
"Deploy all armored vehicles, tanks, and Quinjet aircraft from the armory. Engage the Sound Four on sight."
However, even as Hill gave these orders, the sound of gunfire and screams erupted from within the building.
Watching the supposedly secure gates being smashed open by Jirōbō's punch, Hill immediately pressed the emergency button to request reinforcements from other S.H.I.E.L.D. bases in New York.
She also pulled out a special phone that Nick Fury had left for her.
Quickly dialing the number, Hill spoke, "Ms. Mei Terumi, the Triskelion on the central island is under attack by the Sound Four. We need immediate assistance."
Mei Terumi, casually lounging with her legs crossed, smiled and replied, "Five minutes. You need to hold on until I get there."
With that, she hung up the phone, stood up, and remarked, "I didn't expect the Sound Four to retaliate so quickly. It seems our leader won't tolerate even a grain of sand in his eye."
Turning to Ao, Haku, and Kimimaro, who were standing beside her, Mei commanded, "Move out!"
…
Meanwhile-
Three Minutes Earlier at the Slingshot Base-
Nick Fury looked at Killer Bee with curiosity and asked, "Killer Bee, are you African-American?"
Killer Bee looked at the one-eyed "egghead" in front of him and shook his head. "No, I'm from the Land of Lightning."
"I'm not an African-Americans."
Nick Fury wasn't surprised by the answer. He continued, "Does everyone in the Land of Lightning have same skin tone as you?"
Killer Bee pondered for a moment before replying, "The Land of Lightning does have people of my skin color. But besides us, there are also fair-skinned people."
Fury thought about the possibility of recruiting these shinobi, given their shared origin of being of same color.
Just as Fury was about to say more, his phone suddenly rang.
Stepping out of the room, he answered the call.
"Director, the Triskelion headquarters is under attack by the Sound Four."