At S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters-
Natasha reported all the intelligence and cooperation details to Nick Fury.
Nick Fury tapped his desk for a few moments before finally speaking:
"It seems the Mist Village places significant value on Earth if they've left their Mizukage here to oversee operations."
Natasha nodded, "The 084 items are likely one reason, but there must be other motivations we're unaware of. Otherwise, the leaders of these villages wouldn't continuously send their ninja here."
"So far, aside from the Iwagakure, the other four of the Five Great Shinobi Villages have all gathered here."
Nick Fury shook his head in regret, "For years, we've tried to uncover their secrets, but we've made little progress."
"Perhaps it's due to chakra—we've had difficulty infiltrating their ranks. Even when we managed to gain closeness to their High Table, it hasn't brought us closer to uncovering their inner workings."
"I even suspect they have their own secure communication channels. Phone and internet surveillance has yielded nothing useful, and behavioral analysis has provided no actionable insights."
After a brief pause, he continued:
"Nevertheless, we won't give up. We will find a way to uncover their secrets."
Natasha chimed in, "Director, we'll do everything we can to gather intelligence on them."
Nick Fury nodded before addressing another point, "As for your report regarding the Mist Village's possible lack of understanding about the Eternals, it's plausible that Charles Doyle's other identity allows him access to greater knowledge on the subject."
"Supreme Merlin," Natasha said, the title slipping out instinctively.
"Indeed. Charles, with his connections to the magical world, likely has access to far more information and knowledge than other ninja."
"Of course, that's just my theory."
"As for the Mist Village instructor, I'm approving the deal. Select 13 qualifying 084 items and hire him for a quarter of the year."
"Let's hope our agents can not only learn valuable skills but also extract some actionable intelligence during this time."
Natasha replied, "Yes, Director."
…
A week had passed since Charles returned from Helheim with Thena and Gilgamesh.
The pair had stayed on Earth, frequently sparring with Leaf Village ninja. Their days at the base were productive, and the Konoha shinobi admired their strength, often seeking their guidance and advice.
Meanwhile, Charles Doyle was in the Summoning Realm, meeting with Cee of the Cloud Village.
"Lord Charles, over the past period, we've exchanged a total of 23 084 items," Cee reported.
"Twelve of these came from the U.S. military in exchange for twelve enhancement serums. S.H.I.E.L.D. traded for five serums, and six items were collected from civilians."
Hearing the report, Charles was somewhat surprised, "I didn't expect the U.S. military to possess such a significant number of 084 items. That's quite unexpected."
Charles initially thought all 084 items would be under the exclusive control of S.H.I.E.L.D., given the mandate issued by the World Security Council when S.H.I.E.L.D. was established.
According to that directive, any discovered 084 items were to be turned over to S.H.I.E.L.D. for centralized handling.
Yet, Charles couldn't help but marvel at the U.S.'s status as a global superpower, retaining control over a notable quantity of 084 items.
"Twelve serums. It seems the military intends to create a superhuman squad."
"But S.H.I.E.L.D. acquiring another five? Considering what they've exchanged from other shinobi villages, this number is getting excessive."
Cee dismissed the concern, "If they're relying solely on enhancement serums, it doesn't matter how many they inject—none will pose a threat to the ninja."
Charles chuckled, "I've never worried about those enhanced individuals becoming a problem for us. Still, I am surprised you managed to acquire six 084 items from civilians in such a short time."
C explained, "Each of these civilian-obtained items is linked to some mythological story—many involving wizards, magicians, or ancient legends."
"And I've confirmed under my genjutsu that none of the exchangers lied about their origins."
Charles nodded thoughtfully, "This land is indeed full of wonders."
"The creators of Babylonian myths were Eternals, Norse myths stem from Asgard, and there's also Greek mythology, Kamar-Taj's sorcerers, and Kunlun…"
"It's not surprising that some unactivated or latent 084 items remain in civilian hands."
"Continue maintaining your civilian exchange channels and keep collecting such items."
Cee nodded, "Understood, Lord Charles."
"However, due to the workload of verifying 084 items, we're a bit understaffed. If possible, I'd request additional Cloud ninja to assist us."
Charles agreed, "I'll recruit one or two more Cloud ninja for your team from the flow of time. But the overall numbers won't increase significantly."
"Thank you, Lord Charles!"
Charles waved his hand, "The items have been collected. You may return and continue your work."
"Yes, Lord Charles."
Cee used the Reverse Summoning Jutsu to return to the Cloud Village's Earth base.
…
Back at the base-
Karui immediately asked, "So? Did Lord Charles agree?"
Cee nodded, "Yes, he agreed to send us one or two more comrades."
Killer Bee, standing nearby, thought about his brother, A, "Will Lord Charles bring Big Bro here too?"
Karui, full of excitement, exclaimed, "That's fantastic!"