Tony dashed to the reinforced lab door, thumb pressing hard against the scanner. The machine beeped. Then he bent down for an iris scan — the lens glowed blue, blinked twice, and the steel door hissed open.He and Ryuuto stepped inside.
At the far end, Susan Storm was already tapping away at the main console, her fingers moving like a pianist on caffeine. The system hummed; lines of encrypted code reflected in her eyes.
Ryuuto frowned. That keyboard rhythm... too fast. That's not Tony.He sprinted over — only to slam into something invisible. A translucent ripple flared in the air.
"The hell—" He smacked his fist against it. No use. "Oi, I told you last night not to tail me, remember? Now you're breaking in?" He glared through the shimmer, voice rising. "I don't care if you're a beauty or a ghost — step away from that terminal, or I'll make you regret it!"
Tony blinked. "Susan Storm? Invisible Woman? In my studio?"
Susan didn't even glance at them. She just kept typing, eyes sharp, focus absolute. The air around her shimmered — her force fields pulsing like protective glass. She wasn't here to fight; she was here to extract data.
Ryuuto exhaled. "Alright then. You chose violence."
He spread his palm — chakra flaring in a whirl of crimson.Tony panicked. "Wait, wait, WAIT—! Not in here! That's my equipment! You nuke that wall and I'll nuke your bank account!"
But the Rasengan was already spinning, a molten sun in Ryuuto's hand. He slammed it into the barrier. The air screamed. The force field cracked, flickered—then shattered like glass under pressure.
Susan winced, the psychic backlash catching her. In an instant, Ryuuto was behind her, hand gripping her throat. His eyes were cold, but the chakra swirling around his arm burned like wildfire.
"Don't move," he hissed. "You so much as twitch another force field, and your trachea's next."
Her eyes darted to the screen — download complete. The Manhattan Lab's coordinates flashed once before she logged out, erasing her trail. A professional move.
Ryuuto tightened his grip slightly. "Talk. What are you doing here?"
Cough. Cough."I... was just sightseeing."Ryuuto raised an eyebrow. "Through firewalls?"
He lowered her gently — well, relatively gently. "You're not just sightseeing, Invisible Woman. You're here for something. Spit it out before I start practicing anatomy."
She looked at the glowing Rasengan still humming in his left palm. Her voice trembled. "I wanted the humanoid armor data. To study it… maybe weaponize it."
"Liar," Ryuuto said flatly. "Your whole gimmick's invisibility. Put armor on, and you're just... an invisible bucket."
Tony finally stepped forward. His usual cocky grin was gone. "Ryuuto, let her go. She's not the type to steal for personal gain."
That tone — the rare serious one — made Ryuuto pause.He sighed, retracting his arm like elastic chakra wire. With one swift flick, he tossed Susan toward the open window.
"Expansion Jutsu!"His limb stretched, flinging her out like a slingshot.
"RYUUTO! You absolute jerk! Do you always have to send me flying!? I'm airsick!" she screamed, her voice fading into the distance.
Ryuuto just blinked, half a smile tugging at his lips. "Guess I'll take that as thanks."
Tony groaned. "Do you ever think before you throw women out of windows?"
"Usually not."
Tony rubbed his forehead. "You have no idea who you're dealing with. The Fantastic Four are basically a family. If Susan doesn't make it back safely, her teammates will bring hell to our doorstep."
"Noted," Ryuuto muttered.
Tony turned to his AI. "J.A.R.V.I.S., scan the lab. Anything missing?"
The calm British voice replied, "Nothing significant, sir. Except... one used tissue belonging to Miss Storm."
Tony squinted. "Used… how?"
"She wiped her nose. It appears she has a mild cold."
Tony exhaled. "Right. And her search logs?"
"She queried the term 'laboratory,' specifically data related to the Manhattan Lab."
Tony's face darkened. "So she did hear us talking. Damn it. If the Fantastic Four find out about the mutant testing, it's over. Contact Dr. Reese — tell him to relocate all materials immediately."
Moments later, Tony hung up. His shoulders eased — but only for a second.The phone rang again. Reese's voice came through, panicked.
"Tony! The lab— it's— it's been—!"
BOOM.
Static. Then silence.
Tony's face froze. "...Reese?"
No response.
Ryuuto's system tone chimed in his head:
[Ding! SS-Rank Mission Issued!]Objective: Capture Loki alive!Reward: Onoki Data Packet (Tsuchikage Module)
Ryuuto's eyes widened. "Onoki? The Third Tsuchikage… Are you kidding me?"
[Hehe~ not kidding, Host.] Athena's voice purred in his mind, teasing as always. [You wanted to fly, didn't you? Guess it's time to earn your wings.]
He smirked, clenching his fist as the Rasengan fizzled out."Fine. Let's hunt a god."