Marvel : Ms. Hyuga's journey

The next morning, Naori, who was currently using transformation techniques, disguised herself with the identity of Yugao.

She stood in front of the large, ancient Chinese-style door, the entrance to Madame Gao's headquarters. She wore a long black coat with a hood that covered most of her face. Her purple hair hung loose, and her pale lavender eyes looked sharp beneath the shadow of her hood. She held a pair of baton sticks and a pistol at her waist, ready to face anything.

After giving the passcode to the guard, Naori cautiously entered, passing through a long corridor with classic oriental decorations. The faint scent of incense mixed with the tense silence, making the atmosphere even more somber.

In the corner of a large room, Naori spotted Fisk's informant—a thin man with messy hair who appeared uneasy. He waved softly, signaling Naori to come closer.

"You're late," the man whispered.

Naori merely snorted. "Relax. What's the situation?"

"Madame Gao is in the main room, but we can enter through the back hallway," the informant replied.

The two began sneaking through a narrow hallway, the walls adorned with old paintings and dim hanging lamps. However, before they could go much further, a whistling sound was heard.

Swish! Swish!

Naori looked up, and in the blink of an eye, several shurikens hit the wall beside her. Five red-clad ninjas appeared from the shadows, each holding a kunai. They moved quickly, almost like the shadows themselves.

"Stop right there!" one of the ninjas said coldly.

"It's a trap!" Fisk's informant screamed in panic. He tried to run, but Naori grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"Quiet," Naori whispered sternly. "Stay behind me."

As she was about to draw her pistol, Naori stopped, sensing there was no intent to kill, and decided to observe the situation first.

The ninjas attacked without warning. Naori drew her baton sticks, spinning both quickly to deflect the kunai aimed at her body.

Clang! Clang!

The sound echoed down the hallway. One of the ninjas jumped from above, throwing several shurikens. Naori moved quickly, gracefully spinning and using her baton sticks to strike the weapons back.

"Don't let them escape!" one of the ninjas ordered.

Naori pretended to be serious, displaying panic on her face so Fisk's informant wouldn't suspect anything. She stepped forward with agile movements, disabling one ninja by striking his wrist and knee.

However, she didn't kill any of them. Even without activating Byakugan, she realized that these ninja's attacks weren't meant to be fatal—they were intentionally avoiding vital points.

"Damn," Naori muttered inwardly. "They're just trying to scare me. This is a performance to test me."

After several counterattacks, Naori incapacitated three more ninjas using the Gentle Fist technique, pressing their acupuncture points to make their bodies immobile.

Although using Gentle Fist without Byakugan was like using an empty gun, wasn't it true that an empty gun could knock someone out by using its handle? Furthermore, with the Gentle Fist technique she had trained for decades, that was more than enough to handle these ninjas even without the aid of Byakugan.

Fisk's informant, on the other hand, stood frozen with wide eyes.

"You're amazing," he said in awe.

Naori merely snorted. "Don't be too impressed yet."

…

Naori incapacitated the last ninja with a single strike to the back of his neck. His opponent's body collapsed helplessly to the floor.

'What is this, is Madame Gao so short on money that she's hiring ninja academy students? Why aren't any of them at least at the Genin level!?' Naori grumbled to herself.

But before she could let out a sigh of relief, rhythmic footsteps echoed from the dark corridor ahead.

From the shadows, Madame Gao appeared with a cold gaze, followed by more ninjas who slowly surrounded them. Each of them carried kunai and shurikens, moving with coordinated movements that clearly indicated high-level training.

Fisk's informant, who stood next to Naori, looked increasingly pale. "We won't make it out alive!" he said in panic.

'And why do you all look like you're publicly advertising "we are ninjas!"' Naori couldn't stop complaining in her mind when she saw ninjas from this world.

But on the surface, Naori pretended to be surprised, staring at the ninjas with a frightened expression. She tightly grasped Fisk's informant's arm, as though seeking protection. "We have to scatter and run. That's the only way!"

"What? Are you joking?!" the man shouted.

Naori shook her head in panic. "No! They can only chase one target at a time. Trust me, I'll draw their attention. Run the other way, quickly!"

Before the man could reply, Naori pushed him forcefully toward the back exit. Fisk's informant, still hesitant, finally ran out of breath, leaving Naori alone in the middle of the encirclement.

As the sound of his footsteps faded, Naori's "fearful" expression instantly disappeared, replaced with calmness and a subtle smile. She turned to face Madame Gao, who stood in the center of the room with her hands tucked behind her robe.

"What do you really want?" Naori asked in a flat tone.

Madame Gao waved her hand, and the ninjas stepped back a few steps, forming a circle at a distance. "You're clever enough to understand the game, young lady," she said in a low but authoritative voice. "I want to talk, just you and me."

Naori crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly. "Then speak. I don't have time for small talk."

Madame Gao narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Naori with a sharp gaze. "Not here. Too many ears, even among my people. Let's discuss it somewhere more... private."

Naori pretended to think for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, but don't try any tricky games, Madame."

Madame Gao gave a thin smile. "I don't need tricks. You're interesting enough to make me overlook that."

Naori followed Madame Gao out of the main room, leaving the ninjas still on guard.