Charles returned to the base with Tsunade, holding her hand as they walked into the medical lab.
Along the way, all the ninjas they passed noticed them holding hands, smiling in delight. The werewolf guards and members of the Adjudicator team also smiled but immediately reported the situation to Ginny.
When they arrived at the medical lab, Charles looked at Shizune and Sakura Haruno, who were busy working, and asked, "How's the preparation of the body enhancement serum going?"
Shizune took out a case and opened the lid, revealing nine neatly arranged doses of the serum.
"It's ready. Some of the auxiliary materials are completely different from the previous Type I and Type II serums. With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current technology, they won't figure out that it's essentially the same as Type I for years."
"However, due to time constraints, I've only prepared nine doses."
"With a bit more time, both Sakura and I can produce a lot more."
Charles nodded. "Excellent, you didn't disappoint me."
"I'll take these now. As for this body enhancement serum, prepare a reserve of 10 doses. If more is needed, I'll let you know."
"Understood, my lord."
Charles then looked at Tsunade and said, "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll leave the lab in your hands."
Before leaving, Charles gave Tsunade a kiss.
Both Shizune and Sakura were wide-eyed at the sight. After Charles left, Shizune quickly asked, "Lady Tsunade, you and Lord Charles...?"
Tsunade nodded.
Seeing Tsunade confirm, Sakura was overjoyed. This meant that Lord Charles would now be her master's husband in the future.
Shizune, however, felt a mix of emotions. With Tsunade and Charles together, the possibility of her uncle, long dead, being revived seemed to slip away.
Would Charles still bring him back? She pondered the fact that in Tsunade's memories, Dan no longer existed, leaving her unsure of what to think.
But upon reflection, she realized that Tsunade being with Charles might be the better choice for her.
…
2 PM-
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Warehouse X on the outskirts-
The warehouse doors opened, revealing a long rectangular table.
On one side sat Coulson, with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s tactical team standing behind him. On the other side sat Kabuto Yakushi, with Guren and Kimimaro standing behind him.
Kabuto signed the ceasefire agreement on behalf of the Sound Village and handed it over to Coulson.
There were two copies of the ceasefire agreement, both signed by Coulson and Kabuto.
Looking at the documents in front of him, Coulson extended his hand and said, "I hope our friendship will last long."
Kabuto shook Coulson's hand and smiled, "May our friendship endure."
After the handshake, Kabuto took out a storage scroll and summoned a briefcase.
Opening the case, inside were three doses of the Fire Curse Seal serum.
"These are what you requested."
Seeing the orange serums in the case, Coulson nodded in satisfaction.
Unfortunately, if things had gone differently, he would have had three more stronger teammates.
Pushing aside the thoughts of what could have been, Coulson took out an envelope and placed it on the table.
"This is a bank card registered in your name. It contains the full billion dollars. The password is written on the back of the card."
"As for the resources to trade for the other two doses of the Fire Curse Seal, they're in the warehouse."
Coulson clapped his hands, and the tactical team behind him stepped aside, revealing various kinds of equipment.
"These are yours. Would you like assistance in transporting them to the designated location?"
Kabuto waved his hand dismissively. "No need for the hassle."
"Kimimaro, Guren, start packing the supplies."
The two of them, each carrying a large scroll on their backs, unrolled them and began sealing the equipment and resources into the scrolls.
Watching their actions, Coulson couldn't help but reveal a hint of envy, "That's quite a convenient ability."
Kabuto smiled, "Perhaps with further advancements in your technology, you might be able to achieve the same effect."
Coulson nodded, "Space storage technology... It may take a long time to develop."
Kabuto chuckled but didn't comment further, neither confirming nor denying the timeframe.
At this point, Coulson said, "By the way, Ward has been asking about you."
"After all this time, you've only been in contact with me. He was once your mentor too."
"He's a bit jealous, to be honest."
Hearing this, Kabuto's smile remained unchanged. He pushed up his glasses and replied, "Ah, Commander Ward. Yes, I haven't seen him since I left."
"But does he really miss me? Or is he just looking for a chance to beat me up?"
"Though with his abilities, that would be difficult."
Coulson laughed, "You do know Ward well. He is a bit stiff."
"But I think he genuinely misses you. Your departure hit him harder than he lets on."
Kabuto smiled again, "Feel free to give him my number. When the time comes, I'll treat him to some sushi."
Coulson nodded, pleased to see that Kabuto was open to reconnecting with Ward.
As they continued chatting, Kimimaro and Guren finished sealing all the equipment and resources into the storage scrolls.
"Kabuto, everything's packed," Kimimaro said.
Seeing them prepare to leave, Kabuto pocketed the bank card and, just before departing, turned to Coulson and said, "By the way, your S.H.I.E.L.D. intel system has become a sieve lately. Some parties have already attempted to contact us."
"The ninja files... are they all leaking out?"
Coulson was about to ask more when Kabuto threw a smoke bomb, and the three of them vanished from the warehouse.
As the smoke cleared, and with the trio gone, Coulson immediately picked up his phone.
The potential leak of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ninja files was no small issue.
Thinking about Killer Bee and the incoming Cloud Ninja, Coulson quickly reached out to Agent Sitwell, who was stationed at the Incan Temple.
"Agent Sitwell, this is Coulson."
"I've received intel that our ninja files have been leaked again. Has anything happened on your end?"
Sitwell responded, "Buddy, you're a bit late with that news."
"In the past few days, our tech department noticed a breach in our data streams."
"It's the same group of tech wizards that hacked us before. Somehow, they managed to infiltrate again, and they targeted the temporary base at the Incan Temple."
"We've confirmed it's the Rising Tide group."
Hearing this, Coulson paused, immediately thinking of Skye.
"Coulson? Are you there?"
"Why aren't you responding?"
"Bad signal?"
After a moment of silence, Sitwell grumbled and hung up.