Chapter 357: Lucky Potion (Patreon)

"Sir, based on the analysis, the most suitable metal for replacement is currently the gold-titanium alloy. By enhancing hardness, it won't significantly increase the weight."

Tony looked at Kankuro, "The weight of the puppet affects your strength only when it's considerably heavy, right?"

Kankuro pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke, "For puppets weighing less than a ton, it doesn't have a significant impact on my strength."

"Of course, the lighter the weight, the easier it is to control."

Tony snapped his fingers, "Alright then, your materials are lighter than my armor. Switching to a gold-titanium alloy will only add a few dozen kilograms."

"Take a look at which parts need replacing. I'll have J.A.R.V.I.S. place an order for customization, and it can be delivered today."

"Can you use this thing? Try it."

Kankuro walked up to Tony, mimicking the operations Tony had done earlier and started manipulating his puppet, which had already been disassembled into individual components.

Soon, Kankuro removed some parts like poison mist devices and explosive clay weapons. Basically, aside from these, all other components remained.

Kankuro wanted to see what differences there would be between his original Crow and a puppet made of a gold-titanium alloy.

"I'm done with the modifications. All these remaining components can be replaced with gold-titanium alloy materials."

"J.A.R.V.I.S., begin production of these components and estimate how long it will take to deliver them."

"Sir, it will take six hours."

Tony looked at Kankuro, "Okay, we still have some time. Let's discuss puppets and the Mark series armor."

Afterward, Tony brought Kankuro to his Mark series armor, introducing him to it and exchanging ideas.

…

On the other side-

S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion Tower-

In Nick Fury's office, Coulson began his report, detailing the information he had obtained from Temari.

Listening to Coulson's report, Nick Fury pondered while analyzing the intelligence.

"Is the information from the Sunagakure Puppet Shop accurate?"

Coulson paused for a moment before speaking, "Based on the analysis and comparison with previously obtained information, we can't say it's one hundred percent accurate. However, they shouldn't use false information to deceive us."

"The five major ninja villages, plus over twenty middle and small ninja villages—what a formidable force."

"Most importantly, after such a long search, we haven't discovered any trace of them."

"The Kazekage's daughter, two members of the founding family of Konoha—those who have appeared seem to have quite influential backgrounds."

"And according to the analyzed information, not only the five major ninja villages but also many middle and small ninja villages are likely to have individuals appearing.”

“When a large number of ninjas emerge, the impact on the world will certainly not be as simple as it is now."

"How is your cooperation with them progressing?"

Coulson thought for a moment before speaking, "The conditions from the Hidden Sand Village are not much different from Charles's side. They want the Cosmic Cube, or something similar to the Cosmic Cube."

"They are only willing to cooperate if we offer treasures of the same level."

Hearing the Sand Hidden Village's requirements, Nick Fury shook his head, "Impossible. The Cosmic Cube will not be handed over as a bargaining chip. It's crucial for us, especially with Dr. Selvig's recent involvement.”

“With the potential use of Cosmic Cube energy, we believe many advanced weapons will be developed. This is a vital strategic resource for countering Asgard and other superhuman forces."

After some thought, Coulson added, "Currently, besides the Cosmic Cube, we don't have anything else that might attract them."

"But I think if we can't sway the five major ninja villages, when ninjas from middle and small villages start emerging, we could attempt to recruit them. Perhaps, with a difference in power, their cooperation requirements won't be as high."

Listening to his subordinates' suggestions, Nick Fury didn't reject the idea, "Give it a try."

"The focus should still be on identifying their needs. Apart from the Cosmic Cube, what else do they require?"

"Yes, Director."

While the two were discussing, Nick Fury's office door was knocked. Nick Fury pressed a button on his desk, and the door automatically opened. Hawkeye entered with a tablet and a report.

"What's going on?"

Hawkeye Barton walked up to Nick Fury, handing him a body detection report and the footage retrieved from surveillance.

"Today, around 10 am, the Hidden Sand Village ninja, Gaara, killed three thugs in an alley near Peace Plaza in Brooklyn."

Hearing Barton's report, Nick Fury furrowed his brows. He examined the body detection report and the incident details.

Barton had quickly located the street performer disguised as a clown after obtaining the surveillance video and learned about the incident from him.

Barton didn't care much about the deaths of the three thugs, but the brazen behavior made him feel uneasy.

After reviewing the analysis of the incident, Nick Fury opened the footage of Gaara entering the alley and spoke, "According to the description of the victim and the traces on the three deceased, as well as the sand particles left on the dismantled wall at the scene, it seems that the opponent does indeed possess the ability to control sand."

"But the Intelligence Analysis Division cannot provide an effective analysis of this ability.”

“However, judging from the information left on the bodies and the wall, the power of controlling sand in the opponent's hands is far more powerful than conventional firearms."

"Moreover, the gourd on the opponent's back should also be a powerful weapon. Otherwise, such a large ornament wouldn't be carried around."

Hearing Barton's analysis, Nick Fury expressed surprise, "Could it be that the Hidden sand Village ninja's ability is just sand control?"

Coulson reminded, "Sir, based on the information we obtained previously, Temari has the ability to control Top of FormWind."

Nick Fury rubbed his chin. "Perhaps the specialty of this ninja village is controlling both wind and sand."

"Maybe there are also puppets involved, otherwise why open a puppet shop?"

"What did you find about the puppets they sell in their shop?"

"Sir, I purchased four small puppet dolls, and based on my research, aside from their exquisite craftsmanship, I haven't found any particular use for them."

Nick Fury pondered for a moment, then said, "Send the puppet dolls to the science lab; let them see if there's anything special inside."

"As for the Sand Ninja and the situation with Charles, after analyzing and organizing the intelligence, hurry up and gather more information from them."

"Although many details like organizational structure, locations, the number and strength of ninja families aren't suitable for direct inquiries, we still need to find a way to obtain them."

"Whether it's from the Sand Village or Charles, there are many child ninjas. Try to get close to them and see if we can win their favor."

"Yes, sir," Coulson replied.

"Good, I'll leave this task to you. You can request some students from the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy to try reaching out."

After receiving the assignment, Coulson left the room, leaving only Nick Fury and Hawkeye Barton.

Nick Fury's gaze turned to Hawkeye Barton, and he spoke, "There's a situation in Africa."

"Many villages have been massacred, and a large number of civilians have died."

Nick Fury opened a drawer, took out a file, and handed it to Barton.

Barton, taking the file, opened it and found several photos inside. The pictures depicted countless bodies of African descent piled up, each with a large circular symbol drawn in front of them, resembling an evil ritual.

Vultures were feasting on the bodies, and the sky was filled with a multitude of crows.

Barton flipped through the other photos, and although the scenes were similar, they were in different villages with varying degrees of decay in the bodies.

Seeing this situation, Barton furrowed his brows. Was this a regular cult ritual, or did it involve superhuman powers? If it were just ordinary people, that would be one thing, but if it involved superhumans...

At this point, Nick Fury spoke, "These photos were taken by a photographer in Africa while participating in an exhibition. He unintentionally discovered these situations in some villages and recorded them with his camera."

"Barton, I'm assigning you a task."

"Take two teams of agents and go to Africa to find the true cause of this case."

"If it involves superhumans, contact headquarters immediately. The confidentiality level for this mission is Level Five. You can go pick your team."

Barton, holding the file, solemnly said, "Yes, sir."

Leaving Nick Fury's office, Barton's expression was grave. Seeing the photos, he felt that this was a very tricky mission, giving him an uneasy premonition.

Instead of immediately selecting team members, Barton went to other departments of S.H.I.E.L.D., intending to gather more intelligence and support.

Reviewing the files and photos, Barton began searching for information in the S.H.I.E.L.D. database to see if there were any similar ritualistic patterns or markings.

…

Within the base-

Charles had just finished his training. During this period, he devoted himself entirely to refining his control of chakra.

He sought advice from Tsunade on how to improve chakra control, as he had already surpassed the stage of climbing trees or walking on water.

Tsunade suggested that Charles should practice healing fish since the use of medical ninjutsu could effectively control the output of chakra.

Orochimaru recommended continuously releasing a technique, varying from the maximum to the minimum amount of chakra, using ninjutsu to train the control of chakra.

With these suggestions, Charles began practicing. Using his abundant chakra during the day, he practiced medical ninjutsu to heal fish. At night, he practiced chakra output with Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.

In these three days, aside from chakra exercises, Charles received three rewards through the system sign-in: Ninja Recruitment Scroll (1 copy, double rewards at VIP level 9), 50 servings of delicious ramen, and 500 prestige points (double rewards at VIP level 10).

In addition, Charles received a message from Team Kakashi. After completing the mission to hunt down the blood cores of the African vampire sub-tribe, he obtained 101 blood cores.

He stored one in his treasure vault and left the remaining 100 in the storage space without absorbing them.

Entering the system space, Charles looked at his Ninja Recruitment Scrolls. He now had thirteen, and his gold coins numbered 43,440.

Considering his current wealth, Charles contemplated extracting Itachi Uchiha from the Akatsuki organization.

Joining forces with Thor to quell the rebellion was approaching, and boosting his strength by even a small margin would be beneficial.

With the added power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, Charles would be more confident in his actions.

He could not afford to lose face as the Supreme Merlin, Ninja Immortal, and Transmigrator.

Checking the Ninja Recruitment page, Charles mentally prepared. From the magical world, he hadn't obtained any excellent magical equipment, but he had collected quite a few specialties, such as Felix Felicis.

Felix Felicis: A peculiar small magical potion, also known as Lucky potion. It brings good fortune to the drinker. Brewing it is extremely complex, and if done incorrectly, the consequences are dire. However, if brewed successfully, as in this flask, you will find that everything you attempt will succeed until the potion's effects wear off. (Lasts for twelve hours)

From his storage space, Charles took out a small, delicate crystal bottle containing Felix Felicis. He opened the bottle, and after taking a sip, Charles closed the bottle and entered the system space.

"Ninja recruitment, ten consecutive draws, go!"

The whirlpool symbol of the Land of Whirlpools appeared, emitting a unique light. After a dazzling display of light, the recruitment results appeared before Charles Dahl.

Ding! Obtained A-rank ninja, Gaara of the Desert, 4 fragments!

Ding! Obtained C-rank ninja, Jiraiya, 1 fragment!

Ding! Obtained C-rank ninja, Jiraiya, 1 fragment!

Ding! Obtained C-rank ninja, Sakura Haruno, 2 fragments!

Ding! Obtained A-rank ninja, Itachi Uchiha, 5 fragments!

Ding! Obtained B-rank ninja, Tenten, 1 fragment!

Ding! Obtained B-rank ninja, Kimimaro, 4 fragments!

Ding!Obtained A-rank ninja, Kiba Inuzuka, 4 fragments!

Ding!Obtained A-rank ninja, Gaara of the Desert, 4 fragments!

Ding! Obtained A-rank ninja, Itachi Uchiha, 1 fragment!

Recruitment ended, and Charles glanced at his results. Out of ten draws, there were five A-rank ninjas, including two Itachi Uchiha, two Gaara, and even an Eight-Tails Killer Bee. He also obtained B-rank ninja Kimimaro.

Charles couldn't help but marvel at the effectiveness of the Felix Felicis potion; it truly enhanced a person's luck for a certain period.