Chapter 569: Chapter 568: Kirigakure is born
Hidan and Deidara were surprised and curious about why Orochimaru, if he was present, wasn't a member of their organization, wondering if he had defected before being brought to this world.
Itachi nodded, "Yes, that's correct."
"With them here, we may not stand a chance, and fighting them is not our mission."
Hidan and Deidara agreed and prepared to retreat.
Hidan looked at Mei Terumi and said, "Fifth Mizukage, you're quite lucky!"
Uchiha Itachi's figure then dissolved into a swarm of crows that dispersed over the sea, while Deidara created a clay bird and flew away with Hidan.
An unmanned drone tried to follow Deidara but was destroyed by an exploding clay bird.
Just as the trio was about to leave, Charles arrived with Tsunade, Orochimaru, Might Guy, Kurenai Yuhi, and ANBU Yamato.
Seeing Deidara quickly disappearing from sight, Might Guy asked, "Should we stop them?"
Charles shook his head, "Our mission was to end this battle, and we've done that."
After halting the tsunami, Charles and his team rushed to the battle site, but by the time they arrived, the fight was already over.
Charles looked at Mei Terumi and noticed that Ao had fainted. Curious about the cause, he asked, "I didn't expect the Mizukage of Kirigakure to be here."
Mei Terumi, seeing the Konoha ninjas before her, was equally surprised. The appearance of Hidan and Uchiha Itachi had already shocked her, but seeing Orochimaru and Tsunade was even more surprising.
Though she had been brought to this world by Charles, she had mostly stayed in the summoning realm and only knew basic information about this world. She wasn't fully aware of all the ninjas under Charles's command.
Mei Terumi looked at Charles, thought for a moment, and asked, "This isn't the ninja world?"
Charles smiled, "This is Earth, not the ninja world, and certainly not the Land of Water."
Mei Terumi was surprised and started asking questions about their situation, leading to a conversation with Charles.
…
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters-
Due to the drone's destruction, the close-up footage of the conversation between the parties was lost. The military satellites in the sky couldn't capture the targets' facial expressions, making lip-reading impossible.
Nick Fury couldn't ascertain the content of their communication, but he knew that New York's Long Island was safe.
However, he was somewhat disappointed that the Konoha team led by Charles didn't engage in combat with the others. Any battle, especially with potential casualties, would have provided valuable intelligence on their capabilities.
Despite this, the fact that Charles's team easily obtained the energy blocks and the 084 object left Nick Fury feeling somewhat cheated.
Moving past these thoughts, Nick Fury contacted Maria Hill.
"Hill, how are things on your end?"
"Sir, we have already found Chen Haoran. He was merely unconscious and not in any immediate danger."
"However, there's a serious issue: what do we do with the wooden wall on Long Island Beach?"
Charles's Wood Release, though not as powerful as Hashirama Senju's, was still quite formidable. The wooden constructs he created didn't dissipate on their own but remained at the site, much like Hashirama's.
Nick Fury looked at the live feed from the site and instructed, "That wall was summoned by Charles. When they return, ask him if he can remove it."
"Understood, Director."
"And gather as much information as possible on the three ninjas that returns with Charles."
"Understood, Director."
Maria Hill, having received her orders, waited for Charles and his group to return. Before long, she heard several whooshing sounds as Charles, accompanied by the Kirigakure ninjas, arrived at the wooden wall.
Charles was the first to jump down and land in front of Hill and the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
Agent Hill greeted Charles respectfully, "Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Charles."
Unlike Nick Fury, Hill was always courteous to powerful individuals. Charles nodded and replied, "I've completed the mission as requested. S.H.I.E.L.D. should remember to settle the account."
Hill nodded, "Rest assured, S.H.I.E.L.D. will contact you shortly to finalize the payment."
"But we have a request: can you remove this wooden wall?"
By this time, the other ninjas had gathered around Charles. He glanced at the wooden wall behind him and said, "Alright, I'll help you with that."
Charles formed a series of hand signs, and the wooden wall seemed to come to life, sinking back into the ground and disappearing. The trees that had grown on the wall also lost their vitality and crumbled to dust.
The ninjas were impressed by Charles's control over his jutsu and chakra, while the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were astonished by his power.
After marveling at Charles's abilities, Hill's attention turned to Mei Terumi and her companions. Ao was still unconscious, supported by Haku. Hill noted their attire and headbands, recognizing them as members of another ninja faction.
She pondered for a moment before asking Charles, "Mr. Charles, can you explain what caused this disaster?"
Charles shrugged and said, "You'll have to ask them. I don't know the details. The fight was over by the time I arrived."
Charles then pulled a business card from his pocket and approached Mei Terumi, handing it to her.
"Fifth Mizukage, this is my contact information. Since we're both ninjas, if you need any assistance in understanding this place, feel free to contact me."
Mei Terumi took the card, glanced at it, and smiled, "Thank you, I will."
Charles smiled back, waved goodbye, and then led his group of ninjas away from Long Island, boarding a helicopter to return to the New York base.