"Obadiah Stane teamed up with someone? A guy with circular burn marks on his head and incredible precision in projectile attacks?" Kurogai's eyes narrowed with interest. "Then it's him."
He didn't need more than a moment to identify the attacker. If he was right, it had to be Bullseye—a notorious assassin with uncanny aim and lethal efficiency. But something didn't add up.
"Bullseye working with Stane?" Kurogai muttered to himself. "He's supposed to be Kingpin's enforcer. What's he doing here?"
The possibility intrigued him. If Bullseye was involved, that likely meant the Kingpin was, too. The thought triggered a new set of calculations in Kurogai's mind.
Wilson Fisk—Kingpin—was more than just a gang boss. He was the shadow that loomed over New York's entire criminal underworld, controlling the flow of drugs, weapons, and information. And information was exactly what Kurogai needed.
"I almost forgot about Kingpin," he said, lips curling into a quiet smile. "What a perfect opportunity."
His plans to create a wide-reaching intelligence network had stalled—until now. This alliance between Obadiah Stane and Bullseye might just give him a direct path to tap into the city's underground web. If Fisk knew his actions had caught the eye of someone like Kurogai, he might actually regret ever moving a piece.
"Kurogai, are you saying you know who the guy was?" Stark cut in, still groggy but alert. "Tell me. I need to know."
He wasn't asking out of curiosity. He wanted vengeance.
But Kurogai waved it off with a faint smirk. "He's useful to me. You focus on the bigger problem—what Obadiah Stane is planning with your Arc Reactor. That's the real threat."
He turned, thoughtfully.
In the original timeline, Obadiah needed the Arc Reactor to power his Iron Monger suit, a crude but powerful replica based on Stark's early designs. But in this version of events, things had deviated. Stark had never built the Mark I in the cave—so how did Stane build Iron Monger?
Something had changed. Kurogai was determined to find out what.
"Stane's time is up," Stark muttered, rising to his feet. "I already finished the Iron Man suit. I was going to show you, but after this… I'm going after him first."
He didn't wait for a response. Stark turned and bolted toward his underground lab.
There, sitting like a sleeping giant beneath spotlights, was the prototype: the red-and-gold Mark III. Sleek, streamlined, and deadly. Stark had built it in secret, and now it was time to put it to use.
In seconds, he was inside it.
"Kurogai!" Stark's voice echoed from the suit's speaker. "I'll deal with this. Just wait here. I'll be right back!"
The Iron Man suit roared to life as its thrusters ignited, launching him through the ceiling. He shot toward Stark Industries, where he knew Stane would be.
Kurogai simply shook his head and chuckled.
"Like hell I'd miss this show."
He opened a spatial rift and stepped through. The instant he emerged on Stark Industries' campus, he activated his fourth pupil ring.
His eyes shifted—Byakugan-like vision took hold—and he peered into the depths of the facility.
There it was.
A towering, heavily armored figure—thicker and bulkier than Stark's suit, armed to the teeth with industrial-grade weaponry.
Iron Monger.
"So he really built it…" Kurogai muttered, watching the beast-like machine being powered up. "But how? Without the Mark I?"
He didn't have time to wonder. Behind him, Stark landed, kicking up debris.
"Kurogai! You beat me again?" Stark huffed. "Right, spatial gate. Should've guessed."
The billionaire seemed almost annoyed at his own pride. If he hadn't stopped to show off the Iron Man suit, he might've arrived earlier.
But there was no time to joke.
Inside, Pepper Potts had just arrived with a small group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. That triggered something—Obadiah must have detected her presence, and chaos erupted within the building.
"I don't have time to argue," Stark said. "I'm going to get Pepper."
With that, he took off, jetting toward the factory floor. The confrontation began instantly—Iron Man versus Iron Monger. The clang of metal echoed through the halls, sparks flew, and repulsor beams lit the dim corridors.
But the difference in firepower was clear.
Iron Monger was loaded with high-grade weapons pulled from Stark Industries' inventory. Gatling guns, missile pods, shoulder-mounted launchers—it was a walking death machine.
And Stark? Stark only had speed, a few repulsors, and his sheer will.
"Haha! What's wrong, Stark?" Stane's voice growled from inside the Iron Monger. "Aren't you supposed to be the genius? Can't even stop your own design!"
He unleashed a barrage of missiles, forcing Stark to dive behind a concrete pillar.
"You think your flashy paint job makes you better than me?" Stane shouted. "I made this suit from your cave scraps, and I made it better! You don't stand a chance!"
Kurogai stood quietly above the scene, arms crossed as he watched the battle unfold through the building's upper-level windows.
"You built it off a blueprint stolen from a cave," he murmured. "You think that makes you worthy to wield it?"
His golden irises glowed faintly.
"But it's not the suit that makes the hero."
____
Throw in some power stones.
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