Chapter 85: On the Road
"So this is what flying feels like? It's a pretty fresh experience—modern technology really is convenient!"
The ninja cat on Uchiha Shota's shoulder let out a few soft meows. The group had safely landed in Sokovia.
Bordering Slovakia and the Czech Republic, Sokovia was a small, unstable country. Its only airport was in the capital. Their next destination was deep in the mountainous region—travel was difficult in this terrain-heavy nation.
After getting off a run-down bus, the rest of the journey would have to be done on foot.
"You guys really don't need to bring more supplies?" Coulson looked disheveled, carrying a massive backpack filled with food and weapons. This mission was clearly turning out to be much tougher than expected.
The first challenge was simply transportation. The rest of the path was narrow and steep—no good even for military jeeps. Helicopters were too risky; even a poor country like Sokovia had functioning radar systems.
"No need to worry. We can handle supplies ourselves," said Uchiha Shota. He, Tanaka, and Sachiko had already prepared soldier pills and other essentials. If needed, they could hunt for wild animals too.
After half a day of trekking, the sun was already beginning to set.
"Let's set up camp here for the night. We've still got at least a full day's journey ahead of us tomorrow."
Coulson hadn't experienced such a grueling mission in a long time. Normally, S.H.I.E.L.D. missions didn't involve this much infiltration—they preferred overwhelming firepower and quick execution.
But this Sokovia mountain operation was killing him. Just one afternoon of hiking left Coulson completely drained.
"Do you need me to share some food with you?" he asked helplessly, watching the three kids and their three cats drop their transformation disguises.
"No thanks. We've tried those compressed biscuits before. They taste terrible. Even soldier pills are better," Sachiko said bluntly.
"Tanaka, Sachiko—you two go hunting. Cats, go check the stream over there for fish!"
"Meow Meow"
The three ninja cats darted into the darkness with agile grace.
"You're seriously relying on hunting instead of bringing food?" Coulson rubbed his forehead in frustration, feeling like his hairline had receded even further. So that's why they didn't bring rations?
Of course, Coulson didn't know that the trio had packed the essentials—soldier pills and more—using ninja sealing scrolls, which even in the Marvel world, could be considered miraculous tech.
"Is there a problem?"
"Is there a problem? Of course there's a problem! Hunting takes a ton of energy. How are you going to keep up tomorrow? And even if you catch something, you still have to clean and cook it, and hide the fire—why go through all that trouble on a mission?"
"They're already back. So are the cats," Shota said, pointing into the darkness.
In just ten minutes, Tanaka and Sachiko returned, each holding two wild rabbits in each hand—eight rabbits total.
The cats weren't outdone—they came back with over a dozen small fish.
Honestly, the speed of the hunt shocked Coulson. How were they this skilled?! Was this a mission or a camping trip?!
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Shota cast a jutsu to ignite a campfire. The group swiftly worked with the cats to skin the rabbits and descale the fish. In no time, the aroma of roasting meat filled the air.
Cough cough—did that kid just breathe fire?!
Coulson looked at his bland compressed rations and suddenly felt a strong sense of food envy as drool gathered at the corner of his mouth.
After a day of travel and now this surprisingly cozy dinner, Coulson realized the kids weren't struggling—they were completely in their element.
"Here, this one's for you. Sachiko doesn't eat much," Shota said, handing Coulson a perfectly roasted rabbit, seasoned with salt and pepper.
"Thanks!" Coulson swallowed hard, shamelessly accepting the roast. While most Americans didn't eat wild rabbit, Coulson, as a seasoned agent, didn't mind at all and dug in ravenously.
"How are you all this skilled?" he asked while chewing.
"This is just basic stuff. We learned it when we were little. It's simple. We even practiced during games as kids," Shota replied casually.
"So every Uchiha can spit fire like that?"
"Oh, you mean Fire Style? Yeah, pretty much every Uchiha can use Fire Jutsu."
Shota didn't bother hiding it. Their clan leader had already instructed them: use ninjutsu openly when necessary—just don't reveal the core secrets.
"Fire Style…" Coulson silently logged the term. Without a doubt, this extended time with the Uchiha team was revealing more and more about their mysterious clan.
Shape-shifting transformations, fire-breathing techniques, superhuman agility, and even talking ninja cats—everything about them was mind-blowing.
"Do you know about the Skrulls?" Coulson asked, now trying to probe further using classified information Nick Fury had authorized him to test with.
"Skrulls? Never heard of them. Why?" Shota blinked, unfamiliar with the term.
"They're from America?"
"Never mind. Could be a coincidence."
From Coulson's point of view, their transformation technique was terrifying. Being able to impersonate someone perfectly, infiltrate an organization, sow chaos from within—this kind of skill could dismantle even the most powerful groups.
But the fact that these three kids could use it fluently meant it wasn't a rare skill. It was likely standard among the Uchiha.
While Coulson was still mentally strategizing how to gather more intel on the clan, the three kids and three cats had already finished every bite of their fish and roast rabbit.
"Tonight, Kaze and Tanaka will take night watch. Everyone else, get some sleep."
Shota finished assigning duties and jumped into a tree, falling asleep on a high branch.
"Kaze? Who's that?"
"That would be me, meow~"
It was the jet-black ninja cat among the three.
"Rest easy, everyone. I've got the first half of the night watch, meow~"
Coulson looked at the half-eaten rabbit in his hands and started eating faster.
Meanwhile, Tanaka carefully extinguished the fire and covered the ashes with dirt. Seeing this level of caution, Coulson realized he had been overthinking things. These weren't just three kids—they acted like seasoned operatives.
At least in terms of wilderness survival, they were far more capable than him.
Then he remembered his encounter with Uchiha Kenta back at the Uchiha Medical Center. At the time, Coulson hadn't been able to land a single blow.
"Don't tell me these three kids are monsters like that too…" he muttered, wiping grease from his mouth.