Chương 150

New York, 11 months later (origin time). The morning streets had already settled into their familiar rhythm long before the city reached its busiest hours. Yellow taxis rolled past in an endless procession while buses stopped every few blocks to unload office workers clutching paper coffee cups. Steam drifted lazily from the subway grates, disappearing into the cool autumn air as the constant chorus of distant horns blended seamlessly with hurried footsteps.

It was a scene Tsunade had grown accustomed to over the past several months, and she walked through it with the confidence of someone who no longer needed to study a map. Rei had to buy another apartment in Manhattan just so that Tsunade could come here and enjoy the sights of the city. As Tsunade walked, Shizune matched her pace without saying much, equally familiar with the bustling avenues and intersecting streets.

"You know," Shizune said as they waited for the traffic signal to change, "this city somehow manages to be louder than Konoha even before sunrise." Tsunade smirked without taking her eyes off the traffic.

"That's because everyone here thinks they're already late." The pedestrian signal lit up, and the two women crossed the avenue before turning down a side street lined with food trucks already serving the breakfast crowd. Without hesitation, Tsunade stopped in front of a stainless-steel sandwich truck parked neatly against the curb. The owner looked up from the grill, immediately recognizing his regular customer before a grin spread across his face.

"Morning, Doc."

"Morning."

"The usual?"

"You already know it." The man chuckled while reaching for a fresh bread roll.

"Turkey sandwich. Salt, pepper, ketchup. Lightly toasted."

"And don't burn it this time," Tsunade replied with a teasing smile.

"I only burned it once."

"You've been hearing that complaint for three weeks."

"That's because you keep bringing it up." Even Shizune couldn't suppress a quiet laugh while placing her own order. Within minutes, the owner wrapped both sandwiches before handing them across the counter.

"Enjoy."

"We always do," Tsunade answered before paying and walking away. They continued down the sidewalk, eating as they went. Office towers reflected the morning sunlight while cyclists weaved through traffic with practiced confidence. Street musicians were already setting up their instruments near the entrance to a subway station, and somewhere farther down the block, someone argued loudly over a parking space. It was noisy, crowded and occasionally chaotic, yet strangely comfortable in its own way.

"I'll admit," Shizune said after taking another bite, "I never imagined I'd actually get used to this place."

"Konoha wakes up with training grounds." Tsunade glanced toward another line of yellow cabs.

"This city wakes up honking. And somehow neither one feels unusual anymore." A small public seating area came into view just ahead. Several tables were scattered beneath neatly planted trees overlooking the busy street, with only a handful remaining unoccupied. This was her favorite sitting place and for some reason today it was bit more crowded than it ever was. She didn't like it but she went along. Tsunade chose one near the edge of the sidewalk before sitting down with a satisfied sigh.

Shizune took the opposite seat, and for several peaceful minutes, neither spoke. They simply enjoyed their breakfast while watching the endless flow of people moving through the city. A woman dressed in a dark business suit approached the table carrying a leather briefcase in one hand and a disposable coffee cup in the other. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Excuse me." Her tone was polite but confident.

"Would either of you mind if I sat here? Everywhere else seems to be full." Tsunade glanced around before gesturing toward the empty chair.

"Go ahead. It's a free country."

"Thank you." The woman settled into the seat, placing her briefcase beside her before offering a courteous smile.

"Busy morning."

"It usually is," Tsunade replied casually.

"I swear the traffic gets worse every week." Shizune nodded.

"That's probably because more people keep moving here." The woman laughed softly.

"I suppose you're right. Although I'd still rather deal with this than the subway during rush hour."

"Now that's something I avoid whenever possible," Tsunade admitted.

"I made that mistake exactly once." The three women shared a brief laugh before returning to their breakfast. The conversation drifted naturally from the weather to construction projects that never seemed to finish and finally to the nearby food truck.

"They make surprisingly good sandwiches," the woman commented.

"They do," Tsunade agreed.

"The owner remembers everyone's orders."

"That explains why he barely looked at the menu."

"He stopped needing one months ago." For another minute, the conversation remained pleasantly ordinary. Anyone walking past would have assumed they were three strangers enjoying breakfast together before heading to work. Eventually, Tsunade folded the wrapper around the last bite of her sandwich and brushed the crumbs from her hands. She reached for a napkin, wiped her fingers clean, then leaned back comfortably in her chair.

"So." The single word caused the woman to look up.

"Yes?" Tsunade met her eyes with the same relaxed expression she had worn throughout breakfast.

"Would you mind telling me why you've been following us since we left our apartment this morning?" The woman's smile faltered.

"... I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."

"No?" Tsunade's voice remained perfectly calm.

"The gentleman pretending to read the newspaper has been watching us over the top of the same page for nearly fifteen minutes." She casually nodded toward the opposite side of the plaza.

"The couple beside the fountain haven't touched their coffee since we arrived." Another subtle glance.

"The man wearing headphones has walked past this seating area three separate times without ever listening to a single song." Finally, her eyes returned to the woman.

"And from the looks of it you were the only one instructed to approach." Shizune remained completely silent, though her posture subtly shifted.

"They aren't ordinary civilians," Tsunade continued.

"None of them are. They're trying very hard to look relaxed, but they're all carrying the same tension beneath the surface." A long silence followed. The woman stared at Tsunade for several seconds before slowly exhaling.

"... I was hoping we'd be a little less obvious." She bent down, opened her leather briefcase, and carefully removed a neatly organized file secured inside a plain manila folder. Without another word, she slid it across the table.

"I think..." She paused briefly before meeting Tsunade's gaze once more.

"... it would be best if you read this first." Tsunade's eyes immediately fell upon the bold emblem printed across the front of the folder. A stylized eagle spread its wings above several large capital letters. S. H. I. E. L. D. A faint smile appeared on her face as she looked back at the woman.

"So... this is SHIELD." The woman raised an eyebrow.

"You've heard of us?"

"Not personally," Tsunade replied, resting one hand upon the unopened folder.

"But Rei mentioned your organization some time ago. He said there existed a global intelligence agency with resources extending far beyond those of ordinary governments. I suppose he was talking about yours." The woman couldn't help but smile.

"In that case, introductions are overdue." She extended her hand across the table.

"Maria Hill."

"Tsunade Senju."

"Shizune." After the brief exchange, Tsunade finally opened the file. The first several pages contained photographs of a glowing blue cube resting inside a heavily fortified underground facility. Accompanying reports detailed decades of scientific observations, energy readings, transportation records, and security clearances.

The most recent pages, however, were marked with bold red letters reading CLASSIFIED INCIDENT REPORT, accompanied by surveillance images showing the devastated interior of the research complex.

"So..." Tsunade said after quietly reading several pages.

"This Tesseract was stolen only recently." Maria nodded.

"Less than a week ago. We are still trying to locate it." Tsunade closed the report halfway.

"Can it be turned into a weapon?"

"Not by us," Maria answered without hesitation.

"The Tesseract existed for research, observation, and understanding. We were trying to learn what it truly is and how its energy behaves. Whoever stole it, however, almost certainly intends to weaponize it. That's precisely why we've become involved." Tsunade slowly continued turning the pages until the photographs of the cube disappeared. The next section bore another bold heading.

PERSONS OF INTEREST The very first page displayed her own photograph, followed by a detailed profile containing estimated age, denoting her as medical expertise, known affiliations, psychological observations, and even records of several public appearances since arriving in New York. The level of detail was unsettling. The next page belonged to Shizune. Following that came Rei. Now that was longer than she had expected. His parents and how famous and rich they were.

They even knew that it was Rei who was the mastermind behind the Harry Potter Books which was wild because Laura had always been it's face. Tsunade had a smirk on her face when she learnt that. The first Harry Potter film would soon premiere and they were all invited. Then the next pictures were about Rei fighting the Destroyer. Tsunade was impressed by the pictures.