As she finished speaking, Mei Terumi's chakra erupted and her Kage-level aura surged, causing the surrounding rivers to tremble.
Orochimaru, not to be outdone, unleashed his own aura, matching Mei Terumi's intensity. In fact, Orochimaru's chakra output was slightly stronger, demonstrating his formidable strength.
After about ten seconds of this intense standoff, Orochimaru was the first to make a move, forming hand seals.
A massive number of grayish-brown snakes surged forth, attacking in Mei Terumi's direction and simultaneously obscuring Orochimaru and his group's retreat.
By the time Mei Terumi dealt with the multitude of snakes, Orochimaru and other sound ninjas had already disappeared from the river.
Seeing that Orochimaru had escaped, Mei Terumi and the other two looked grim. Ao was first to spoke up, "Mizukage-sama, Kimimaro has fled with Orochimaru."
Mei Terumi shot Ao a furious glare, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.
"Do you think I didn't see that?"
"That troublesome brat... it seems Orochimaru has completely brainwashed him."
Mei Terumi then looked down at the river beneath her. As she released her chakra, the central island, previously submerged, re-emerged above the water's surface.
At this moment, a large number of S.H.I.E.L.D. reinforcements arrived. The sky filled with helicopters and fighter jets. Mei Terumi glanced up at them, but paid them no further attention.
"Since our support mission is complete, there's nothing more for us to do here."
With that, Mei Terumi and her two companions left the area.
As for the payment for the mission, she wasn't worried.
If S.H.I.E.L.D. dared to withhold payment, the destruction she could cause would be far more devastating than what the Sound Ninja had done.
Meanwhile, numerous S.H.I.E.L.D. agents descended onto the central island via helicopter ladders, beginning their search and establishing contact with Commander Hill and others in the underground safe house.
Captain America, who had made it to the shore, was also found by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, who debriefed him on the events that had transpired.
…
Back at the Slingshot base, Nick Fury watched the video footage, deep in thought.
He was contemplating the appearance of Orochimaru and Kabuto, who had rescued the four Sound Ninja members.
The footage, captured by satellite, didn't include audio, so Fury couldn't hear the conversations between the two sides. Even attempting to lip-read was futile at such a distance.
Fury pondered what the Sound Village might have offered to secure Konoha's assistance, and why Kimimaro had willingly left with Orochimaru.
There were too many unanswered questions.
As he watched the ongoing rescue efforts, Fury thought of Agent Coulson. It seemed he would have to send Coulson to see if he could gather any information.
After briefing Coulson about this, Fury left the Slingshot base, heading back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters in New York to take charge of the situation.
…
Meanwhile-
Charles smiled as he watched the video of the now-ruined S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion.
"You destroyed my Sound Village base, so I destroyed your S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. I'd say that makes us even."
"I suspect S.H.I.E.L.D. will be disbanded within a year."
"However, those 084 items... I'll have to find time to use the Transformation Jutsu and visit with Mei Terumi. If I leave it to her to pick, the losses might be significant. I'd be lucky if she even ends up with ten usable items."
Closing the video, Charles began to focus on mastering his rapidly increasing chakra. Once he fully controlled his newfound power, it would be time to head to Asgard and see what the All-Father's commissioned task entailed.
…
Afternoon-
S.H.I.E.L.D. - New York Base -
Nick Fury entered the base, where the atmosphere was heavy with tension. The recent losses were the greatest S.H.I.E.L.D. had ever faced, casting a shadow over the hearts of all the agents.
Fury pushed open a door and walked into the infirmary, where Steve Rogers lay on a bed, his limbs wrapped in bandages.
Approaching the medical personnel, Fury asked, "How is he?"
The doctor glanced at the chart before responding, "Severe burns on all four limbs. He'll need a long time to recover."
"His constitution is remarkable. For anyone else, their limbs might have been permanently damaged, but he's slowly healing."
"However, it will take time. Conservatively, he'll need three months of rest."
Fury nodded and walked over to Steve Rogers' bed. Even in sleep, Steve's face was furrowed with worry.
Fury shook his head, knowing he couldn't afford to let Steve lie there for three months to recover.
Leaning close to Steve's ear, Fury called softly, "Steve, Steve!"
Steve's eyes slowly opened, and he looked up at the man before him, murmuring, "I'm sorry. We lost."
"I couldn't save Chen Haoran..."
Hearing Steve mention Chen Haoran, Fury felt a pang of grief. He hadn't even had time to arrange for a clone of Chen in Project T.A.H.I.T.I. before this extraordinary agent had fallen.
"I mourn for Chen Haoran and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents we lost."
"But Steve, as long as we're not dead, as long as we're not destroyed, we haven't truly lost."
"Even if we get knocked down, as long as we can get back up, we still have a chance."
"We won't let these villains continue to act with impunity."
Steve nodded. "I won't give up."
"But for the next three months, I might not be able to help you."
Fury looked at Steve and said, "I have a way to get you back on your feet overnight."
Steve's eyes widened in disbelief. "Has S.H.I.E.L.D.'s medical technology advanced that much?"
Fury didn't reply, just kept his gaze on Steve.
"Do you want to take some time to rest, or do you want to get back in the fight?"
Steve responded seriously, "I want to keep fighting."
Fury nodded. "Leave it to me. By tomorrow, you'll be out of that bed."
He patted Steve on the chest before turning to leave the infirmary.
As he left, Steve lay there, staring at the ceiling, his mind replaying the battle against the Sound Ninja.
Just then, Maria Hill approached Fury and said, "The Council is looking for you. They need you to attend a meeting immediately."
Fury nodded. "I'll go right away."
"But there's something I need you to take care of first."