"Ah?!"
Obito froze for a split second.
His mind hadn't caught up yet—but his body reacted on instinct.
He grabbed the rope Ren had thrown.
"Hold tight!"
Ren pulled.
Hard.
With a sudden jerk, Obito was yanked out of the quicksand, stumbling forward as he regained his footing.
"I'll handle this side—take care of the other one!"
Before his words even finished—
Ren was already gone.
---
Like an arrow released from a bowstring, he shot forward.
Straight toward the Wind Release ninja.
---
The masked enemy had already completed his hand seals.
His chest swelled as he inhaled deeply.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
---
Whoosh—!!!
A violent gale erupted.
The air twisted into visible waves, forming a wall of gray-white pressure that tore through the forest, uprooting leaves and shaking branches violently.
---
But Ren didn't stop.
Instead—
He threw his sword upward.
At the same time, his hands flashed through seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
BOOM—!!!
---
Wind.
Feeds fire.
---
The already massive fireball swelled instantly.
What had been a blazing sphere became a roaring inferno—expanding, twisting, devouring everything in its path. The gale only made it stronger, turning it into a blazing prison of fire.
The Wind Release ninja's expression changed.
"Not good—!"
Too late.
---
The flames engulfed him.
---
At that exact moment—
Ren caught his falling sword mid-air.
His body surged forward through the heat wave.
And—
Slashed.
Clang—!!
At the last possible moment, the enemy rolled across the ground, extinguishing the flames on his body, and raised a kunai to block.
Sparks exploded.
Steel met steel.
---
They clashed inside the fire.
---
Ren didn't hold back.
Every strike was fast.
Heavy.
Relentless.
His sword cut through the air again and again, forcing the chunin backward step by step.
The difference—
Was obvious.
Meanwhile—
From the side—
Minato watched everything.
---
After confirming that Ren had complete control over his opponent, Minato let out a quiet breath.
Relief.
But also—
A subtle unease.
This child…
Isn't his killing intent a bit too heavy?
---
Yes—
Ninja were meant to kill.
Especially now, when war loomed closer with each passing day.
But still—
This was Ren's first real battle.
And yet—
There was no hesitation.
No fear.
No visible struggle.
Just clean, efficient execution.
---
And that fireball…
Minato's eyes flickered slightly.
That level of power…
That rate of growth…
It was abnormal.
---
On the other side—
Obito had snapped out of his shock.
And what replaced it—
Was adrenaline.
---
"Bastard!"
He pulled out kunai and shuriken, his hands still trembling slightly—but his eyes burning with anger.
"You dared to attack Rin and Minato-sensei?!"
"Die!!"
---
Swish! Swish! Swish!
---
The Earth Release ninja, already injured, couldn't dodge in time.
Shuriken struck his shoulder.
Kunai pierced his thigh.
He fell to the ground again, unable to stand.
---
Obito charged forward.
All his fear—
All his hesitation—
Turned into rage.
"You piece of trash—die!!"
---
The battle ended quickly.
Too quickly.
---
Within minutes—
The Mountain Bear Clan was completely defeated.
Bandits lay scattered across the ground, groaning, burned, or unconscious.
The two chunin—
Fared the worst.
One—
Burned alive.
The other—
Half-burned…
Then cut down.
---
Compared to them—
The weaker bandits were almost lucky.
---
Silence fell.
Only the crackling of flames remained.
---
Kakashi walked over, grabbing Kumada by the collar.
"Talk."
His voice was cold.
"Where did you come from?"
---
Nearby—
Obito rushed to Rin.
"Rin! Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine," she said quickly, though her face was still pale.
---
Minato—
Walked toward Ren.
---
The fire still burned around him.
Flames danced.
Smoke curled upward.
And standing in the center of it—
Ren looked almost like something else entirely.
Calm.
Composed.
Unshaken.
Like a god of fire.
---
"Ren."
Minato's voice was gentle.
"It's over."
Ren slowly exhaled.
The scent of smoke and heat lingered in the air.
"You did very well," Minato continued.
"Better than I expected."
He paused.
"You can rest now."
---
"…Alright."
Ren nodded.
He sheathed his sword.
His expression—
Calm.
Unmoved.
---
But inside—
He was grinning.
---
[Ding! Special Event Completed: "Vindicating the Great Fireball"]
[Great Fireball Technique Favorability +10]
Current Favorability: 90/100
---
[Great Fireball Technique]: "Well done, little Ren!"
---
Ren almost laughed.
As expected…
Nothing boosted favorability faster than real combat.
Before this, he had already pushed Great Fireball above 80 through sparring.
Now—
One battle.
Another jump.
Almost maxed.
If things continued like this—
He might max out a fourth technique before this mission ended.
---
After the battle—
The team paused to recover.
---
Kakashi returned.
"Minato-sensei," he reported, "according to the leader… those two were rogue ninja from the Land of Rivers."
"They teamed up with the bandits for robbery."
"Motivated by money."
---
"I see."
Minato nodded.
"We're still far from the border."
"So this isn't likely enemy infiltration yet."
He glanced around.
"But rogue ninja are enough to raise this mission to B-rank."
His tone grew serious.
"From here on—stay alert."
---
Then—
He turned back to Ren.
"Your performance just now… and Obito's as well—very good."
He paused.
"But Ren…"
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"You appeared behind that Earth Release ninja."
"Substitution Jutsu?"
"When did you set it up?"
---
Ren smiled faintly.
"In a dangerous situation…"
"Isn't it normal to prepare a few substitution points in advance?"
---
That was his answer.
Simple.
Reasonable.
---
In truth—
He had used Simulated Instant Transfer.
He could have swapped positions directly with the enemy.
But that would have been too obvious.
So instead—
He threw a small stone earlier.
Used it as a marker.
And struck.
---
A trick.
Simple.
Effective.
---
Minato didn't press further.
He simply nodded.
Then—
Shifted focus.
---
"Obito. Rin."
He called them over.
"When you detect a rear attack—create distance immediately."
"Stabilize your footing with chakra."
"That prevents most control techniques."
His tone was calm.
But firm.
"The more dangerous the situation—the calmer you must be."
---
"And another thing," he added.
"Setting up substitution points before combat…"
"That was a good move."
He glanced briefly at Ren.
"But placement matters."
"Done wrong, it can put you in a worse position."
---
"Understood!"
Obito and Rin nodded seriously.
---
The forest fell quiet again.
Only the fire crackled.
---
Then—
Obito walked over.
Slowly.
Awkwardly.
---
Ren was wiping his sword.
He didn't look up.
---
Obito scratched his head.
His foot nudged a piece of gravel on the ground.
"…Hey."
He hesitated.
"…Um."
Then—
Quietly—
"…Thanks."
---
Ren paused.
Just for a moment.
Obito didn't meet his eyes.
But the meaning—
Was clear.,
Inside the military transport plane flying from Afghanistan to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, the cabin was filled with the deep roar of engines.
Tony Stark sat against the metal wall, wrapped in a military blanket. The crude electromagnet in his chest had been replaced with a temporary stable power supply provided by the military. The soot and grease on his face had been cleaned away, but the exhaustion in his eyes could not be hidden.
He stared through the small window at the endless sea of clouds outside.
But what he saw in his mind was not the sky.
It was the silver-haired, blue-eyed girl standing in the desert.
Three hours had passed since the rescue team pulled him onto the aircraft, but Tony had barely closed his eyes.
On the medical bed nearby, Ethan had already woken up. His injuries had been treated, and although he was still weak, his condition was much better than before. Seeing Tony's dazed expression, Ethan spoke in a hoarse voice.
"You're still thinking about that girl?"
Tony turned to him and frowned slightly.
"You really didn't see what happened in the corridor?"
Ethan smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"I still feel like I imagined it. When I ran out, more than a dozen guns were pointed at me. I thought I was dead. Then everything blurred, and the guards just fell. I didn't even hear a gunshot. Something pushed me into the control room, locked the door, and after the explosions ended, I passed out."
He looked at Tony with disbelief in his eyes.
"Tony… what kind of person did we meet?"
Tony did not answer.
He had seen more than Ethan.
That girl had appeared beside the falling Mark I as if she had crossed space itself. She had held several hundred pounds of steel armor with one hand and lowered it safely to the ground. Then she had snapped open the Mark I's metal faceplate with almost no effort.
That faceplate had been made from the strongest steel Tony could find inside the cave.
Even with proper tools, cutting through it would have taken time.
But she broke it with her fingers.
And then, at the end, she disappeared into the sand right in front of him.
No smoke.
No device.
No footprints.
Nothing.
She simply vanished.
That was not something an ordinary person could do.
Ethan suddenly remembered something and said, "Also, that thing she said before leaving… 'Santa Claus in the cave.' Do you think the medicine, cola, energy bars, and clean water were all from her?"
Tony's eyes narrowed.
He had wondered the same thing.
At first, he had thought maybe a guard had secretly helped them. But now, that theory seemed ridiculous. The cave had been heavily guarded. No one could have placed supplies inside every day without being noticed.
Unless it was her.
The girl who moved like a ghost.
The girl who saved Ethan without being seen.
The girl who appeared the moment Tony fell from the sky.
"Her voice…" Tony said slowly. "Didn't it sound young?"
Ethan thought carefully, then nodded.
"Yes. Very young. Maybe a teenager. Maybe early twenties at most."
Tony leaned back against the cabin wall.
A teenage girl?
With that kind of power?
Tony Stark had met geniuses. He had met soldiers, assassins, engineers, billionaires, and people with skills the world would never believe.
But he had never met anyone who seemed to casually ignore physics.
He raised his hand and called over the military liaison officer.
"Get me Happy Hogan in New York. Now."
The officer did not dare delay. Soon, the satellite call connected.
Happy's anxious voice came through.
"Tony?! My God, you're alive! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Tony said, though his voice was heavy. "Listen carefully. I need you to find someone. In the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan, within the last three months, check for any travel records, satellite images, surveillance footage, or military logs involving a silver-haired, blue-eyed girl. Asian features. Age somewhere between ten and twenty. Height around five foot three."
Happy was silent for a second.
"A silver-haired, blue-eyed girl in Afghanistan?"
"Yes."
"Tony, surveillance coverage there is terrible. Military satellite footage might not—"
"Find it anyway," Tony interrupted. "Search everything. Entry records. Airport logs. Private flights. Local cameras. Global reports too. Anyone with similar abilities in the last six months. Disappearing instantly. Moving faster than people can see. Breaking steel barehanded."
Happy heard the seriousness in his voice and stopped questioning.
"Understood. I'll start immediately."
Tony ended the call and looked back at the clouds.
For the first time in his life, he was completely obsessed with finding someone.
The mysterious girl had stepped into the darkest moment of his life, saved him and Ethan, then vanished without asking for anything.
But what haunted him most was not her strength.
It was her final sentence.
"Stop building weapons that kill people. Don't waste the life Ethan protected."
Tony looked down at the device in his chest.
The shrapnel inside him came from his own weapons.
His own genius.
His own company.
He had spent his life making weapons, selling weapons, and laughing at the consequences from behind wealth and fame. In the end, he had almost died because of the very weapons he created.
Tony closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, some of the old arrogance had faded.
The Tony Stark who had entered that cave was gone.
Someone else had walked out.
And no matter what it took, he would find that silver-haired girl.
---
New York.
Midtown High School.
The morning bell had just rung when Emily walked into the classroom with her schoolbag over one shoulder.
The moment she pushed open the door, two pairs of eyes locked onto her.
Peter and Gwen stood almost immediately and rushed over.
"Emily! You're finally back!" Peter said, looking her up and down with obvious worry. "Are you okay? You missed class yesterday. Gwen and I were really worried."
Gwen stepped closer and gently touched Emily's forehead.
"You still look a little pale," she said. "Are you sure you're fully recovered?"
Emily blinked.
After spending days in Afghanistan, sneaking through desert routes, witnessing Tony's escape, saving Ethan, cleaning up all evidence, and rushing back to New York overnight, she really was tired.
Luckily, that exhaustion made her sick-leave excuse look more convincing.
"I'm fine," Emily said softly. "Just a cold. I rested for a day."
Gwen sighed in relief and handed her a neatly organized notebook.
"These are yesterday's notes. I highlighted the important parts and marked all the homework."
Peter quickly added, "And if you don't understand anything, we can explain it to you."
Emily looked at the notes, then at their worried faces.
A small warmth spread through her chest.
"Thank you," she said quietly. "Sorry for making you worry."
"It's good that you're fine," Gwen said, smiling as she pulled Emily toward her seat. "Oh, right. There's something important."
Emily sat down and looked up.
"What is it?"
Gwen's eyes brightened.
"Midtown High and Columbia University are holding a science exchange program this Friday. It's for students with high grades. We'll get to visit Columbia's key laboratories and attend lectures from their professors."
Peter leaned forward eagerly.
"All three of us are on the list. Dr. Connors is leading the group."
Emily's fingers paused slightly.
Columbia University.
Dr. Curt Connors.
Cross-species genetics.
Osborn funding.
She immediately understood what this meant.
Dr. Connors' main research laboratory was connected to Columbia University. His cross-species gene research had likely already reached a dangerous stage. If things followed the path she remembered, it would not be long before Connors injected himself and became the Lizard.
A visit to Columbia University was not just a school event.
It was a step straight into another Marvel crisis.
If this had happened before Afghanistan, Emily might have refused.
Avoiding the plot had always been her safest option.
But now, she stayed silent for only two seconds before nodding.
"Alright," she said. "I also want to see Columbia's laboratories."
Peter's eyes lit up.
"They're amazing! Their biophysics department is one of the best in the country. Dr. Connors studied there, and his lab is doing cutting-edge genetic research."
Gwen smiled and teased him. "You sound like you're already planning to move in."
Peter flushed slightly. "I mean… it's Columbia."
Emily listened quietly as the two talked.
Her fingertips rested on Gwen's notebook, but her mind had already moved elsewhere.
She had changed Ethan's ending.
She had witnessed the birth of Iron Man.
She was no longer the frightened outsider who only wanted to hide in a corner and survive.
She was beginning to accept her role in this world.
Observer Zero.
A variable.
Someone who could change the tragedies she refused to accept.
The morning bell rang again, and the homeroom teacher entered with a notice. Standing at the podium, he officially announced Friday's Columbia University exchange program.
The classroom erupted with excitement.
Emily turned her head and looked out the window.
The New York sunlight fell through the glass, touching her silver-white hair with a soft glow.
Under the desk, her fingers moved slightly.
A faint string of pale blue code flickered and disappeared.
In her consciousness, a hidden program had already entered Columbia University's internal network. It began searching through Dr. Connors' experimental files, laboratory access records, and the Osborn Group's funding transfers.
She wanted to know one thing.
How close was the Lizard crisis?
And far away, above the Atlantic, Tony Stark was still searching for the silver-haired girl from the desert.
He had no idea that the person he wanted to find was sitting inside a New York high school classroom, quietly preparing for another coming storm.
Two paths that should never have crossed had already begun moving toward each other.
-------------------------------------------
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