"What exactly do you mean?"
Nick Fury's brows furrowed at Kurogai's words. Something in his tone suggested a secret far beyond S.H.I.E.L.D.'s clearance level. "Not something we can touch…" Fury repeated under his breath. There was only one thing the man could be referring to—the Cosmic Cube glowing faintly in Kurogai's hand.
The vibranium shield was just a weapon, valuable but limited. The Cube, however, was something else entirely—a source of infinite power, once used by Red Skull himself during World War II. Fury's instincts told him that whatever Kurogai meant, it wasn't good.
"Kurogai," Fury said carefully, "what are you talking about?"
The man turned slightly, his crimson Sharingan glinting in the light. "I told you already," Kurogai said evenly. "There are powers in this universe you can't begin to comprehend—beings who could erase this planet with a thought. They're also looking for this Cube. If you want to keep your people alive, don't meddle with it. Don't spread word of what happened here."
His calm, almost casual tone carried more threat than anger ever could.
Having claimed both the Cosmic Cube and Captain America's vibranium shield, Kurogai seemed almost pleased with himself. On a good day, he might have spoken more; but now, he had said enough.
Fury's jaw tightened. "You're saying cosmic beings are hunting for that thing? Tell me who they are—"
But before he could finish, Kurogai's expression faded into disinterest. He raised his hand, twisting space itself. A dimensional rift shimmered open beside him, and without another word, he stepped through it and vanished.
Fury cursed under his breath. "Damn it…" Then, turning toward the unconscious soldier nearby, he barked, "Check on the Captain!"
Two agents hurried forward and shook Steve awake. Slowly, the super-soldier's eyes fluttered open.
"What—what happened? Who was that man?" Steve asked, instinctively stepping back, his guard up. His mind was still fogged by the illusion Kurogai had used to control him moments ago.
"Easy, Captain," Fury said, lifting his hands slightly. "I'm Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. You've been… out of commission for a while. What happened just now was complicated, but I'll explain everything."
So, for the second time, Fury retold the story—the decades that had passed, the fall of HYDRA, the world Steve no longer recognized. He had no choice; the man deserved answers, and Fury needed him stable.
Meanwhile, somewhere far from the chaos—
Kurogai reappeared inside his secluded manor. The air shimmered as the space-time portal sealed behind him.
"Everything went smoothly, I hope?"
A familiar voice greeted him—Rogue, standing nearby with a trace of worry in her expression. She knew this mission had involved S.H.I.E.L.D., and though she trusted Kurogai's strength, even she felt uneasy challenging an organization backed by an entire nation.
Kurogai smiled faintly. "There's nothing I can't handle. Prepare a room for me, Rogue. I don't want to be disturbed."
"It's ready," she said immediately. She had anticipated his return and led him to a quiet chamber deep within the manor, then left him alone.
When the door closed, Kurogai exhaled slowly. "Mirror Dimension."
At his command, the room rippled like liquid glass. Reality folded inward, creating a pocket space isolated from the real world. He stepped inside the reflective plane and finally allowed his concentration to sharpen.
If he'd only been upgrading his eye technique, he wouldn't have needed the Mirror Dimension. But this time, the situation was different. Absorbing the Space Stone's power meant unleashing massive cosmic energy—something he couldn't risk anyone detecting.
"Alright," he murmured. "Let's begin… with the sixth pupil ring."
The Sharingan flared open, its crimson glow reflecting in the mirrored world around him. Kurogai used Kamui, summoning Captain America's shield from the spatial pocket where he'd stored it.
"Ultimate Eye—absorb the vibranium shield."
The command echoed through the dimension. Slowly, the shield in his hand began to dissolve, breaking apart into countless streams of red-blue energy before merging with the sixth pupil ring etched within his eyes.
A low hum filled the air. The sixth ring, once incomplete, now glowed brightly as energy surged through it. A message resonated in Kurogai's mind—
'Sixth pupil ring fully charged. Level can now be increased. Proceed?'
Kurogai's lips curved slightly. "Finally. Do it."
Warm energy flooded his senses as the ring evolved. The crimson light intensified, spreading across both eyes. The power was intoxicating—unstoppable.
Then, a sudden burst of light erupted from his pupils, firing forward in twin crimson beams that tore through the mirrored landscape. The blast pierced straight through the illusion of the manor walls beyond.
Kurogai blinked once, smirking. "A focused laser from the eyes? So that's the ability this time…"
He already understood. It was the ocular equivalent of Superman's heat vision, though refined and far more controllable—a concentrated high-energy beam drawn directly from his eyes.
As he examined the ability, the transformation continued. A glowing totem, the mark of the Ultimate Eye, appeared faintly on his forehead. Of the many rings encircling its pattern, three pulsed with divine light; the rest remained dormant and dark.
Then, the sixth ring ignited—divine fire blooming across its surface, spreading until the entire pattern glowed brilliantly. The design became intricate, alive with movement, and the divine essence expanded until the whole Mirror Dimension pulsed with its power.
Kurogai closed his eyes, letting the energy settle, and when he opened them again—his gaze burned brighter than ever.
The Sixth Pupil Ring… complete.