At a certain hidden Hydra base, several virtual projections slowly appeared.
"It's been a month. Have you figured out why Baron Strucker's base exploded? Did Nick Fury catch wind of something?"
"It doesn't seem like it. If Fury had noticed, I would've known immediately. He's currently focused on assembling his Avengers Initiative. He was just talking to me yesterday, asking for help getting Security Council funding."
"What did the survivors say?"
"They only mentioned receiving a lockdown alert moments before the explosion. No further details."
"Let's shelve this for now. Maybe the supernatural subject Baron Strucker was experimenting on had a problem and activated the self-destruct sequence with some strange ability.
I've said it before—don't waste time on unstable projects like that. Right now, our top priority should be completing the Insight Plan.
Once Insight is successful, all of us in Hydra can step into the light and rule the world openly!"
"Long live Hydra!"
"Long live Hydra!"
"Long live Hydra!"
The brief Hydra high council meeting ended, and the projections dimmed out.
The lights in the room came on, revealing a man in his forties or fifties slowly standing up. He took a few paces across the room, then pressed a button on his console.
"Ward, come to my office."
This man was none other than John Garrett, one of Hydra's key leaders and the one who previously struck a deal with Baron Strucker.
He had once been an elite S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, but after suffering critical organ failure during a mission, he was marked for death. To extend his life, he enrolled in Hydra's Death Warrior Enhancement Program.
Desperate to escape death and gain superhuman power, he betrayed S.H.I.E.L.D. and threw in his lot with Hydra, becoming a double agent.
Thanks to his dual identity, Garrett had secretly built up a loyal following inside both organizations.
Previously, after discovering that the Power Pill, now wildly popular worldwide, could significantly enhance the human body over long-term use, Garrett made a secret deal with Baron Strucker at the Sokovia Hydra base.
He offered a partial list of known super-powered individuals from within S.H.I.E.L.D. in exchange for Dr. Smith, the inventor of the Power Pill, along with its formulation.
But before the transaction could happen, the Sokovia base was destroyed. The only message he received from Strucker was the trade confirmation—then radio silence.
Now, with Dr. Smith presumed dead, Garrett's only remaining lead to the formula was the President of the Carl Group.
A short while later, a cold, sharp-featured young man entered the room.
"Garrett, what's the mission?"
Garrett nodded approvingly at the newcomer:
"Good timing, Ward. You're getting sharper. Take a look at this."
He handed a dossier to Ward.
Ward flipped it open. The first page featured a photo of a Chinese man with a calm, gentle smile. Below the photo, detailed personal information was listed.
Name: Carl Hudson
Age: 24
Title: Chairman of Carl Group
"Get me the formula for the Power Pill, and find out where it came from. That's all."
Garrett's tone was casual but firm.
Ward closed the file and nodded:
"Understood."
For a seasoned agent like Ward—capable of disarming nukes—this kind of mission was child's play. The target was just an ordinary businessman, maybe with a few decent bodyguards.
Nothing he couldn't handle.
-----------------'-'---------------------
Early morning, at the private airport of the Carl family in Sokovia.
"Uncle Li, I'll leave the business here to you for the time being. If anything comes up, feel free to contact me anytime."
After giving some final instructions to Uncle Li, Carl boarded his private jet alongside his wife Wanda and brother-in-law Pietro.
With the new drugs now in production, and Jack having finished most of the prep work in New York, it was time for Carl to relocate and claim the six months of Small World Time he had earned.
If he remembered correctly, the Chitauri invasion of Earth was supposed to happen in 2012—only a few years from now. Relying solely on the Avengers without increasing his own strength would be an unwise gamble.(Let's assume that Wanda is 18.)
Especially now that his presence in this world had already triggered major butterfly effects.
The Scarlet Witch was now his wife and never joined Hydra, and the Sokovia base that was supposed to be a key part of Avengers 2 had already been blown up by him in advance.
Now, as he headed to New York to complete his mission and receive his reward, he wasn't sure how many more changes his actions would cause.
But it didn't matter—he believed it was all worth it. Strength brings control, and only with control can one take initiative. You can't depend on heroes to save you forever.
Seven hours later, the moment the jet touched down, Carl heard the mission prompt in his panel:
> "Side mission 'Settle in New York' complete. Six months of Small World Time granted. You may now enter any small world and stay for six months."
"Finally… time to train properly again!"
Though training ninjutsu in the Marvel world was possible, it was far too risky. Outside of a secure base, exposure was a constant threat.
And like martial arts, real growth in ninjutsu came not from theory, but from real combat.
That was why monks from the Fire Temple, like Chiriku, often lagged behind the shinobi of the five great ninja villages—those who honed their skills on the battlefield, not just in the safety of their temples.
Carl had no true sparring partners for ninjutsu in the main world. Besides slowly building Chakra, the rest of his progress had stalled.
"Once I get to the new house, I'll immediately dive into the Naruto World to train."
Sitting in the car on the way to his New York residence, Carl listened to Jack's report on local affairs, while planning his training regimen.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Carl spotted a digital billboard on a building playing a breaking news segment:
> "Breaking news! According to the latest reports, Stark Industries CEO and notorious playboy, Tony Stark, has been confirmed missing in Afghanistan as of 2 PM yesterday.
Stay tuned to the Daily Bugle for updates. I'm your favorite host, J. Jonah Jameson."
Carl raised an eyebrow. "Didn't expect to see this kind of good news right after landing in New York."
Wanda, sitting beside him, noticed the broadcast too and couldn't help but smirk. Though she had mostly let go of her grudge against Stark, seeing him in trouble still gave her a petty sense of satisfaction.
Just then, Carl heard the alert for a new side mission ringing in his mind...