Tony Stark and Yinsen stood frozen, staring at the spot where the iron components had just vanished into thin air. Today had been a relentless barrage of the impossible.
Tony walked up to Shiranui Hayate, his scientific mind racing. "Have you mastered spatial storage technology?" he asked, his voice low and contemplative.
Hayate shook his head. He didn't feel like diving into a technical debate—mostly because he hadn't "mastered" anything of the sort. He couldn't craft Sealing Scrolls or Storage Scrolls yet; they weren't available in the System Shop, which currently only stocked basic ninja tools like Explosive Tags, Kunai, and Shuriken. As for Ninja Shards or direct recruitment, they hadn't appeared either—perhaps awaiting a system update, or perhaps destined to remain out of reach.
Seeing Hayate's lack of interest in explaining, Tony didn't push. As a genius scientist, he understood that breakthrough technologies were guarded secrets.
"Alright, Hayate. How do we get out of here? Are we trekking through the dunes?"
Hayate simply called out: "Blue Snake!"
A moment later, the hundred-meter serpent erupted from the desert floor, its massive form casting a long shadow over the group. "Lord Hayate, what are your orders?"
Hayate grabbed Tony with one hand and Yinsen with the other. With a single, powerful leap, he landed squarely on the Blue Snake's head. The sudden elevation sent a jolt of terror through both men.
"Pakkun, lead the way at full speed," Hayate commanded. "Blue Snake, carry us and follow him."
"As you wish, Lord Hayate!" the two summons replied in unison.
Pakkun blurred into a streak of brown fur, moving like lightning across the sand. The Blue Snake surged forward, its massive body gliding over the dunes as if they were level ground. Hayate stood tall atop the snake's head, using his chakra to stick his feet firmly to the scales.
He kept a firm grip on Tony and Yinsen; at this speed, the wind pressure alone would have swept them off into the desert the moment he let go.
Tony, despite the gale whipping against his face, wasn't afraid. On the contrary, he thought this was incredibly cool. He had driven supercars, ridden thoroughbreds, piloted yachts, and flown jets—but riding a titan-class serpent was a first.
"Buddy, this snake is seriously top-tier. Let's talk—I want one."
"If you won't sell one, how about you board it at my place?" Tony continued, his voice barely audible over the wind. "I'll build a massive enclosure, feed it Wagyu beef—whatever it takes—as long as I get to ride it occasionally."
"And the dog! Think about the adoption. I'll pay whatever you want, or I'll hire him as my bodyguard. He's way more capable than Happy..."
Hayate looked at the babbling billionaire and blinked. Was this Iron Man or Spider-Man? No wonder Tony would eventually treat Peter Parker like a son; they were cut from the same chatty cloth.
"Mr. Stark, they aren't products. They can't be sold or adopted. They are my partners in battle."
"Stop thinking about it."
Faced with a second rejection, Tony's pride flared up, and he went silent. However, what schemes were forming in that genius brain, no one could tell.
The group soon reached the extraction point where Hayate had first entered the desert. As he jumped down with the two men, Hayate couldn't help but burst into laughter at the sight of them. The high-speed desert wind had turned their hair into two identical, chaotic "explosions."
Tony didn't get the joke until he looked at Yinsen's hair. He immediately began trying to flatten his own mane, but hair set by gale-force winds is not easily tamed. It was a futile effort.
Hayate walked over to the Blue Snake and patted its snout. "You did well today. Return to the Summoning Realm." He then crouched down to Pakkun. "You too, Pakkun. Go back for now."
"I will summon you when I have need."
"Understood, Lord Hayate."
Poof!
With two clouds of white smoke, the massive serpent and the ninja hound vanished.
Yinsen gasped, his jaw dropping. "They... they're gone..."
Tony, who was still busy fixing his hair with his back turned, asked, "What's gone, Yinsen?"
"The snake. The dog. Everything. They just vanished."
Tony spun around. The road was empty save for the three of them. "They really are gone..." he murmured.
His gaze toward Hayate grew complicated. He knew now this wasn't just "spatial technology." He couldn't help but exclaim, "Mr. Hayate, what kind of science is this?"
Hayate thought for a moment and gave him a brief primer on Ninjas and the Art of Summoning. Tony gave him a look that said, "Keep dreaming, do I look like a child to you?" which effectively ended the lecture.
Fine, just think of me as a biologist then...
Soon, a High Table emissary arrived in an armored vehicle to ferry them to the airport. At the terminal, Yinsen bid them a tearful farewell. He wanted to return to his home village and declined Tony's invitation to New York.
Finally, Hayate and Tony boarded a private jet provided by the High Table. As the plane leveled off toward New York, Tony looked around the cabin. "You've got some pull, but the décor on this jet is a bit... mid-tier compared to mine."
"Give me a chance, and I'll show you how a real private jet looks."
Hayate shrugged, unimpressed. He pulled out a satellite phone and dialed a familiar number. "Ms. Potts? I've found Tony Stark. He is safe and currently with me on a flight. We'll be in New York in about six hours. You can arrange for someone to pick him up."
"Yes... he's perfectly fine."
Hayate slid the phone across the table to Tony. The billionaire picked it up, and for a moment, his usual bravado softened as he spoke to the woman waiting for him.
When the call ended, Tony set the phone down and looked at Hayate with uncharacteristic sincerity.
"Thank you."