Coulson sighed, then said, "Killer Bee, once I've dealt with everything here and restructured the team, I'll organize your concert. When the time comes, you must attend."
Killer Bee nodded, "Alright. If I'm not tied up with missions, I'll be there."
"And don't worry—since you've got a deal with the Sound Village, once the goods arrive, you'll have the resources you need to rebuild."
Coulson nodded in agreement, though he couldn't help but wonder how many resources those items from the hub would yield when traded with the Sound Village.
"Let's not rush your departure today," Coulson suggested.
"Once everyone's finished the process, I'll have Koenig arrange a team dinner. Then May can drop you off tomorrow."
Killer Bee thought for a moment and said, "A gathering sounds good. I'll leave tomorrow so everyone has time to process things."
"As for a ride, don't bother. It's too risky for you to leave the base."
He smiled, "And if you ever face an enemy you can't handle, feel free to call me for backup. But at that point, it'll be a formal mission request."
Coulson laughed and nodded, "Deal. Just don't ignore my call for help when the time comes."
…
Elsewhere-
Hydra Base in Cuba-
Raina had already received the news of Garrett and the others' failure and deaths.
"As expected, fakes are just fakes," she muttered.
"Without S.H.I.E.L.D., they're nothing. They lost everything in their first operation."
With the Clairvoyant exposed as a fraud, Raina's mind drifted back to the ninja she had encountered once before.
When it came to the extraordinary and to evolution, those ninjas were the truly reliable ones.
They were the real evolved beings.
Glancing at the Phase 3 Centipede Serum in her hand, Raina packed up the files and prepared to leave. She had decided to seek refuge with the Sound Ninjas.
At the same time, Raina planned to recruit some of her subordinates. She needed leverage to prove her value—resources and personnel from this Cuban S.H.I.E.L.D. base would do nicely.
…
Konoha Base-
Charles listened to Ginny's report, surprised by what he heard, "You're saying some 084 items were sent to Warehouse No. 3?"
Ginny nodded, "That's not all—a superhuman was teleported here with them."
"But he's not someone who's enhanced by serum or injectables. He naturally possesses a unique superpower."
Hearing about someone being teleported, Charles was stunned. Teleportation was a brutal force that even most ninjas couldn't endure physically.
"What's his ability?"
Ginny explained, "The individual can alter his physical properties to match whatever material he touches with his hands—steel, diamond, dirt, and so on."
"It even took Selene considerable effort to subdue him."
"For now, we've confined him in a special glass cell."
Charles instantly understood, "That's Absorbing Man—Carl Creel."
A former boxer turned superhuman, Carl Creel's abilities, while impressive, had significant limitations. Charles wasn't particularly interested in him.
However, handing him over to Orochimaru might lead to some intriguing results.
"I'll take him. I have a use for him," Charles said.
"Have him brought to me later."
Ginny nodded, "Got it. I'll have him sent to you shortly."
Charles thought for a moment and added, "The ninjas sent over a significant number of supplies this time—not just 084 items but plenty of other resources as well. In three days, once I've fully inventoried everything, I'll hand over a report to you."
"You and Red Queen can categorize and log everything, then allocate the resources as needed. Anything unnecessary can be sold off."
"And with Hydra and the S.H.I.E.L.D. incidents recently, people are on edge."
"Remember the video interviews I had Eddie record with every ninja a while back?"
"Start releasing those interviews gradually and strategically. Build some buzz and publicize them as much as possible."
Hearing the boss's instructions, Ginny admired his foresight and replied, "Understood. I'll take care of it."
Charles nodded, anticipating the end of the three-day inventory period. This windfall of gold coins and resources might allow him to summon a significant number of ninjas into this world.
He wondered if it would be enough to level up his VIP status.
'Probably not,' he thought.
…
The Next Day-
Providence Base-
The previous night had been wild. After days of tension and heightened vigilance, the team had finally let loose.
The good news was that everyone in Coulson's team had passed the polygraph tests. The bad news? Killer Bee was leaving.
As much as everyone hated to see him go, they couldn't stop him.
Simmons approached Killer Bee for a hug and said, "If you hold a concert, be sure to let me know. I'll bring Fitz, and we'll hold up signs for you."
Killer Bee smiled and replied, "I will. You'll all be VIPs in the front row."
Fitz, emotional and teary-eyed, was having a hard time. Everything seemed to be falling apart—Skye had left, S.H.I.E.L.D. was gone, Ward turned out to be Hydra and was dead, and now the team's strongest ninja, Killer Bee, was leaving.
Fitz, who hated change, was overwhelmed.
Killer Bee comforted him, "Don't be sad. We'll meet again."
"If you're ever in New York, come visit me at the Kumogakure outpost."
Triplett hugged Killer Bee and said, "We haven't known each other long, but you're incredible."