Chương 153

After nearly an hour of flying, the transport aircraft gradually descended toward the open ocean. Naruto, who had spent most of the journey staring out the window, suddenly leaned closer to the glass.

"There's a ship..." Everyone instinctively turned their attention outside. Resting upon the endless stretch of water was an enormous aircraft carrier, easily dwarfing every vessel they had ever seen. Its vast flight deck bustled with activity as fighter jets, helicopters, and countless personnel moved about with practiced precision. Even from their altitude, the sheer scale of the floating military base was difficult to comprehend.

"So this is one of their military headquarters," Tsunade observed quietly, genuine curiosity flickering across her face. She had asked before where they were being taken to and Fury's reply was that it was a to very secure military headquarter. Seeing the ship, one couldn't deny that.

"That's one expensive boat."

"It is considerably different than I expected," Kakashi admitted, briefly closing his book to get a better look.

"It looks like a small town built on water," Sakura murmured, while Sasuke silently studied every visible weapon emplacement and runway. As the transport lined up for its approach, Fury glanced toward the group.

"Welcome to one of SHIELD's most secure facilities." The transport touched down with a gentle thud before gradually taxiing across the massive flight deck. Through the windows, everyone could see dozens of personnel already moving with practiced efficiency as fighter jets were refueled, helicopters prepared for deployment, and deck crews guided aircraft with illuminated batons.

The sheer level of coordination reminded Kakashi of a hidden village preparing for war, only everything here relied on machines instead of chakra. A few minutes after everyone stepped onto the deck, two men approached them from the command tower. One wore a neatly pressed black suit with a SHIELD badge clipped to his belt, while the other immediately drew everyone's attention.

Tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a simple blue tactical uniform adorned with a white star across the chest, the blond man carried himself with quiet confidence born from countless battlefields. Fury meanwhile had already got the report that Steve was coming so seeing him content.

"Agent Phil Coulson. And this..." a faint smile appeared on his face, "... is Captain Steve Rogers." Several of the younger SHIELD agents standing nearby subtly straightened their backs at the sight of Captain America. Coulson politely extended his hand toward Rei.

"its a pleasure to see you again." Coulson said. He was there when the Destroyer was taken down and though after that they never contacted, and Fury took the helm, he was still a huge fan of how a young child was able to pull that off.

"It's nice to meet you too." Rei replied. Coulson glanced between Rei's group before looking toward Steve.

"As strange as this sounds, Captain... they're not exactly from our world. Alien isn't quite the right word, but it's probably the closest description we've managed." Steve meanwhile didn't have a good look on his face. He was already dragged back into this mess which he didn't even understand, and now was looking was children.

"They are humans, not aliens." Steve replied. Rei chuckled before extending his hand. Soon the cruse mark took over and within second his hand transformed into a brown colored axe with distinct fish like patterns. It happened so fast none of them had even time to consider or understand what just happened. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Silence fell across the surrounding deck. Several SHIELD technicians stopped what they were doing.

Even Coulson blinked despite already expecting the unexpected. Steve stared for several long seconds before slowly nodding.

"... Alright. I believe you." His gaze then shifted toward Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.

"I still don't like seeing kids standing on what could become a battlefield." For a brief moment, nobody answered. Rei simply met Steve's eyes.

"Neither do I." Steve could tell from the lack of defensiveness that Rei wasn't trying to justify it. Whatever circumstances had shaped these supposed "aliens", their world clearly differed from his own. He still disliked it, but now wasn't the time to argue philosophy. Instead, he extended his hand.

"Captain Steve Rogers." Rei accepted the handshake.

"Rei." With introductions complete, Fury finally broke the silence.

"Now that everyone's acquainted... we've got a god to catch." With the initial introductions complete, the atmosphere on the flight deck gradually relaxed. Fury was immediately called away by one of the technicians waiting near the command tower, while Steve accompanied him after receiving a brief update regarding the Tesseract. The rest of Rei's group was escorted toward the interior of the carrier to familiarize themselves with the facility. Before Rei could follow, Agent Coulson stepped beside him.

"Rei, do you have a moment?"

"Of course."

"Director Fury wants everyone assembled as quickly as possible, but there's one person who isn't exactly known for following schedules." A faint, knowing smile crossed his face.

"Tony Stark." Rei couldn't help but smile in return.

"That doesn't surprise me."

"Ordinarily I'd go alone," Coulson continued, "but things are a little different now. SHIELD is well aware that Haku is legally the adopted son of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. Since your group already has a close relationship with them, I think Mr. Stark will be much more cooperative if you accompany me."

"Hmm true.." Rei replied. Within minutes the two of them were back aboard a SHIELD Quinjet. As the aircraft lifted from the carrier and turned toward New York, Coulson glanced across the cabin.

"I have to admit," he said, "Mr. Stark has changed quite a bit over the past years. Most people wouldn't believe it if I told them."

"He is now a superhero. Worshipped by many."

"And hated by more." Coulson added.

"He is a billionaire with a complex to help people and erase the mistakes of his past. People love to bring those people down. And the age of social media which is about to hit us, will rule their opinions." Rei said.

"Haaa.. That's why I stay away from social media. But your company is now one of the major giants when it comes to social media." Coulson reminded him, which made Rei chuckle.

"And I am still recommending people to stay away, so you understand how bad it is." Rei said, which made Coulson laugh too.

"If you don't mind me asking, can you tell us more about Haku? I mean SHIELD doesn't even understand you guys, especially after what you have shown." Coulson asked.

"Us? So you will report it to Fury later?" Rei joked.

"Uhh.. The camera in the aircraft will record it anyways, so umm.. You can refuse to answer." Coulson was embarrassed so he had to defend himself.

"I know Coulson. You will see us in action and maybe make the judgments accordingly." Rei said. Coulson nodded and for some reason he was hoping that SHIELD never gets to see the full powers, because he had a feeling that it wouldn't turn out to be good. The rest of the flight passed quietly as the Quinjet cut across the afternoon sky, leaving the Helicarrier far behind. Before long, Manhattan's familiar skyline filled the horizon, its countless towers shimmering beneath the afternoon sun.

"There it is," Coulson said, pointing through the cockpit window. Standing prominently above the surrounding buildings was Stark Tower, its glass exterior reflecting the sunlight while the enormous STARK logo crowned the top of the skyscraper. As the Quinjet began its descent toward the private landing pad, Coulson looked over at Rei with an amused expression.

"Ready to go recruit a billionaire?" Rei smiled.

"The way he is, I don't think he will accept. Maybe Haku can change his mind." Rei laughed. The Quinjet descended smoothly into Stark Tower's private landing pad. Soon they reached his garage as Rei had already pinged him that he would come with a guest and thus he wasn't stopped at all. Soon they found Tony standing beside a partially dismantled Iron Man suit. Sparks flew as he adjusted one of the armor's gauntlets while holographic displays floated around him.

Haku sat nearby at a workbench with several engineering textbooks opened beside a disassembled repulsor unit, carefully recording notes as JARVIS projected various diagrams into the air. Tony didn't even bother looking up immediately.

"I was expecting Rei..." he said while tightening a bolt.

"Didn't expect them to bring my favorite organization SHIELD along." Only then did he glance toward the entrance before breaking into a grin.

"Rei."

"Tony." Coulson quietly watched the exchange unfold. There was no awkwardness, no introductions, and certainly no uncertainty. The familiarity between the two immediately confirmed one of SHIELD's longest-standing theories. Whatever had truly happened inside that Afghan cave years ago had forged this relationship, and somehow that same incident had eventually led to Haku becoming Tony and Pepper's adopted son. Tony finally set his wrench aside before looking toward Coulson.

"Alright, Agent. What's on fire this time?" Without saying a word, Rei stepped forward and handed him Fury's briefing file. Tony casually flipped through several pages before letting out a sigh.