After getting the notification, Gaara arrived in the Summoning Realm, bringing with him five 084 artifacts collected by the Sand Village.
"Lord Charles, these are the five 084 items we've managed to acquire during this time."
Charles took the sealed scroll with the artifacts and nodded in satisfaction, "You've done well. Keep up the good work."
"Yes, Lord Charles!"
Charles continued, "This time, I've brought a future version of yourself from the river of time. Though the duration isn't long, it will greatly enhance your current strength."
Hearing this, Gaara's excitement was evident, "Thank you, Lord Charles!"
Charles then withdrew into the system space and removed Gaara's ninja card from the battle slot. Instantly, Gaara in the Summoning Realm disappeared.
"Do you wish to fuse B-level Gaara with B-level Gaara (Jinchuriki)?"
"Yes!"
With confirmation, the two cards rose into the air, merging into one under a brilliant rainbow glow: B-level Gaara—Fusion!
The newly fused Gaara card had enhanced abilities, including free control over Partial Tailed Beast Transformation and Full Tailed Beast Transformation.
This state made him far more powerful than during the Chūnin Exams, where Shukaku controlled his body while he fell asleep.
Now, Gaara himself could fully control his transformations, bringing him closer to Yugito Nii's mastery over her Tailed Beast form.
Charles understood that this fusion reached its peak potential for Gaara's current timeline, as later versions, such as Shippuden Gaara or War Arc Gaara, lacked Shukaku within them.
Still, he knew future variations of Gaara would fuse to create a far stronger version than in the original timeline.
Satisfied with the result, Charles placed the newly fused Gaara card into the battle slot and selected a manifestation location within three meters.
In moments, Gaara reappeared, looking almost identical to his previous form due to the close timeline difference.
Memories of the Chūnin Exams and the Konoha Crush Plan flashed through his mind like a slideshow—being injured by Sasuke's Chidori, his partial and full Tailed Beast transformations, and his defeat by Naruto and Gamabunta.
Recalling Sasuke's growth, Gaara couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. Sasuke's strength in this world had risen at an even faster pace.
As Gaara opened his eyes, he immediately noticed that his chakra reserves had doubled. What shocked him even more was the return of Shukaku, the One-Tail, within his body.
"Am I a Jinchuriki again?" he thought to himself.
However, he quickly realized something was different—he could now freely control his transformations without the sleepless torment that once plagued him.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Gaara exclaimed, "Thank you, Lord Charles!"
Charles smiled at Gaara's enthusiasm, "You can test your new powers here in the Summoning Realm. You can also catch up with Shukaku if you want—not the one inside you, but the one residing here."
He pointed to Gaara's abdomen and added, "That's a different Shukaku."
Gaara nodded eagerly, visibly excited at the opportunity.
Satisfied, Charles left to visit Inugami Mountain, where he planned to call upon Naruto Uzumaki and further enhance his abilities.
…
Elsewhere-
Aboard the Quinjet-
May addressed the team: "S.H.I.E.L.D. has instructed us to intercept and welcome the incoming arrival."
"Alright, sounds good." Fitz, still recovering, spoke hesitantly, "Nothing to worry about, right?"
"Asgard is our ally."
Ward interjected suddenly: "Loki wasn't."
Fitz and Simmons' expressions darkened immediately at the reminder.
The team quickly mobilized. May drove the lead vehicle with Fitz, Simmons, and Ward, accompanied by S.H.I.E.L.D. support agents in four additional cars. The convoy headed toward the designated location.
From the passenger seat, Ward turned to Fitz, "How much farther?"
Fitz glanced at the device in his hands, "We're getting closer, but this isn't exactly reliable."
"It's technology we don't fully understand yet."
Ward smirked, "Seems like that's been the theme lately."
He turned to May and asked, "Has Coulson talked to you about it? About why he suddenly didn't want to give Fitz the serum?"
Hearing himself mentioned, Fitz leaned in to listen.
May kept her usual calm demeanor, "No, he's not saying anything."
At that moment, Fitz's device began emitting an alarm, "Energy surge detected—three times the previous levels!"
May asked, "How close?"
Before Fitz could answer, the rainbow light of the Bifrost appeared suddenly in front of them, forcing May to slam on the brakes.
The light of the Bifrost faded, revealing Lady Sif in full Asgardian armor.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. team quickly exited their vehicles. The field agents immediately aimed their weapons at the woman.
Ward observed her appearance and said, "She's definitely Asgardian."
Fitz worked on his device, "Running facial recognition… Got it. No name, but she was confirmed to have fought alongside Thor in New Mexico. She's on our side."
Sif, now on Earth, surveyed the five vehicles and the armed agents. Her eyes fell on the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo on the cars, and she began walking toward them.
May signaled the field agents: "Stand down. She's not hostile."
Sif approached, addressing the group: "Are you with S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Ward responded, "Yes, we are."
Sif introduced herself: "I am Lady Sif of Asgard. Earth faces a grave danger."
Hearing her words, May and Ward exchanged a glance, silently thinking: Here comes trouble.
Sif was invited to the Quinjet for further discussions.
By the time the team returned, Coulson had already arrived, having been notified of the situation.
Coulson watched as Sif disembarked from the vehicle. Turning to May, he said, "She's a warrior. I saw her in New Mexico fighting alongside Thor."
"She climbed onto a massive killing machine and used her sword to pierce it through."
"It's pretty impressive."