Looking at the four figures displayed before him, Nick Fury realized that the situation might be far more complex than it initially appeared.
Among the combatants were Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha, all confirmed as Leaf Village ninjas.
Even the unknown, red, four-tailed creature might very well be a summoning beast belonging to the Hidden Leaf.
On the opposing side was an S-rank rogue ninja from the Leaf, an Akatsuki member, only adding layers to the intrigue.
Fury mused aloud, "After all this time, it seems the Leaf Village has finally tracked down the Akatsuki's whereabouts."
Commander Hill, catching on to Fury's train of thought, asked, "What do we do, then? Should we intervene in this battle?"
Fury first saw this as a prime opportunity to eliminate a key member of the Akatsuki.
But with the Leaf Village ninjas on the scene, a direct deployment of nuclear arms was out of the question.
Taking out an Akatsuki member would be a strategic win, as they were already wanted criminals.
But causing harm to the Hidden Leaf's ninjas would undoubtedly provoke retaliation, especially from Charles Doyle, someone Fury could not afford to antagonize.
Fury's ideal outcome was a mutual defeat between the two sides. Next best would be the Akatsuki eliminating the Leaf ninjas, or vice versa.
The worst-case scenario? A stalemate where neither side suffered significant losses.
After weighing the pros and cons, Fury decided that direct intervention was unwise.
The Akatsuki's members weren't all in one place. Dropping a nuclear bomb might kill one or two, but the survivors would almost certainly trace the act back to S.H.I.E.L.D.
After all, few global entities had the capability to deploy such weapons.
S.H.I.E.L.D. would be unable to handle the retaliation of these S-rank rogues, whose power and tactics were beyond conventional understanding.
After careful thought, Fury concluded, "We'll wait and watch."
"This isn't a battle S.H.I.E.L.D. should involve itself in. However, we can inform Charles Doyle about the situation."
"Let his people send reinforcements to aid their ninjas."
Hill nodded in agreement.
"That sounds like the best course of action. Let the ninjas handle their own conflicts."
She pulled out her phone and dialed Charles Doyle.
Hill soon frowned as the automated message played, "The number you are trying to reach is out of service."
Clearly, Charles was either back in the Wizarding World or had traveled to the Shinobi World, where Earth's communication systems couldn't reach him.
Fury chuckled lightly, "Seems like he's not around. Try contacting Ginny. Let's see how she handles this."
…
At this moment-
Ginny, seated at her desk reviewing documents, heard her phone ring. The number was unfamiliar, but after a moment of hesitation, she picked it up.
"Hello, who is this?"
"Miss Ginny, this is Agent Hill from S.H.I.E.L.D.," came the professional voice on the other end.
"We've detected a battle between ninjas in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa. One side consists of Hidden Leaf Village ninjas, while the other side has Akatsuki rogue ninjas."
"Our analysis suggests the Leaf ninjas are at a disadvantage."
"I'll send you satellite footage shortly. By the way, Charles's phone is currently unreachable, so I had to contact you instead."
"The battlefield situation is volatile, and I'm concerned this could lead to casualties for Leaf ninjas."
Ginny was momentarily stunned by the news. A battle between Leaf ninjas and the Akatsuki?
As someone not involved in ninja matters, Ginny had little knowledge of their world's intricacies. She remained unaware that every ninja on Earth was actually under her boss, Charles Doyle's, command.
In Ginny's understanding, only the ninjas from the Hidden Leaf Village and those from the Wizarding World fell under her boss's management.
As the call with Hill ended, Ginny received a message containing videos and images from S.H.I.E.L.D.
Ginny immediately called out the AI assistant, "Red Queen, play the videos and display the images."
The video and pictures soon appeared on Ginny's screen. As she examined the scene, her expression grew serious.
From the photos, she noted that Haruno Sakura had completely passed out. In the video, the red, four-tailed creature battling Kisame Hoshigaki was assumed to be a summoning beast.
"Red Queen, align our satellites for live battlefield surveillance. I need real-time intelligence."
"Also, notify Tsunade and Minato Namikaze to come here immediately."
The AI responded promptly:
"Understood, Secretary Ginny!"
Ginny pressed a button on her desk, summoning her assistant, Shizuka, who entered the office swiftly.
"What are your orders, ma'am?"
Ginny instructed, "Shizuka, our boss is currently unreachable. Contact David and find out if he's in the Wizarding World."
"If he is, have him return to the base as soon as possible. We have a critical situation."
Shizuka nodded, "Understood, Secretary Ginny!"
With that, she exited to contact David, Charles Doyle's junior apprentice.
…
In mere moments, two figures, Tsunade and Minato Namikaze, appeared in Ginny's office with swift efficiency.
Tsunade was the first to speak, "What's going on?"
Ginny briefed them on the intel from S.H.I.E.L.D. and played the battlefield footage.
The Red Queen's voice chimed in again, "Satellite feed established. Live battlefield visuals now available."
The live feed showed the ongoing skirmish in the Kalahari Desert.
As Ginny concluded her explanation, Tsunade relaxed slightly. However, when she noticed the red four-tailed figure, she raised her eyebrows in surprise.
Minato, however, couldn't suppress his reaction, "Naruto!"
Ginny frowned and asked, "You're saying this massive creature is Uzumaki Naruto?"
Tsunade nodded, "Yes, that's Naruto. I didn't expect him to have reached the stage of four-tail transformation. The bigger question is whether he's still in control of his mind."
Minato added, "Previously, Naruto had only mastered the one-tail state. This appears to be a significant power increase."
Ginny nodded, astonished at Naruto's growth and power, "They're up against members of the Akatsuki and don't seem to have the upper hand. Should we send reinforcements?"
Tsunade and Minato exchanged glances.
Both understood that Ginny lacked full insight into ninja affairs. Since Charles Doyle hadn't disclosed certain details, they saw no need to elaborate.
As the live feed continued, Minato observed Kisame closing the distance to Naruto, with the Samehada sword actively absorbing the tailed beast's chakra.
Naruto's four-tail state visibly regressed, quickly diminishing to three-tails, two-tails, and finally nearing a one-tail state.
Seeing this, Minato spoke firmly, "Tsunade and I will head there immediately. We'll ensure that Naruto, Kakashi, and the others are safe."
Ginny nodded in agreement, "Thank you. I'm counting on you both."
Without further delay, Minato used the Hiraishin technique to teleport toward the battlefield in the Kalahari Desert, Tsunade following closely behind.