Under Jarvis's precise control, the negative information regarding Hayate Shiranui on the internet began to quietly vanish.
Soon, Jarvis discovered a dossier on Hayate Shiranui within a secure, encrypted network. Following Tony Stark's explicit instructions, Jarvis did not hesitate—he bypassed the security protocols of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.) and wiped Hayate's file from their database.
The Continental Hotel.
Umino Iruka arrived at the Continental alongside Charlie. Upon seeing the ninja's arrival, Winston personally came out to greet him. "Welcome, Adjudicator."
Iruka nodded curtly. "Lead the way."
Winston led Iruka deep into the bowels of the hotel to the crematorium. Charlie followed, pushing a gurney that held the lifeless body of Madam Gao. Winston glanced at the corpse and immediately recognized her as one of the Five Fingers of the Hand. He marveled inwardly at Hayate's ruthless efficiency.
Iruka inspected the body once more to ensure no one had swapped it, then spoke calmly. "Begin. Remember to collect the ashes in a separate container for me."
Charlie shot Iruka a strange look. It was the first time someone had insisted on personally supervising a cremation here, especially that of an enemy leader. However, considering Iruka's status as an Adjudicator, Charlie kept his questions to himself and proceeded with the task.
Iruka watched as Gao's body was slid into the incinerator. In the searing heat, she turned into a plume of gray smoke, leaving behind nothing but a pile of fine white ash. Charlie placed the remains into a simple wooden box and handed it to Iruka.
Taking the box, Iruka dialed a number. "Come to the New York Continental. Take Madam Gao home. She wished to return to her roots."
The voice on the other end agreed immediately. Less than an hour later, a young Asian man appeared at the hotel. Iruka, sitting in the lobby, gestured for him to approach. The young man looked at the wooden box in Iruka's hands, appearing somewhat lost.
"These are Madam Gao's ashes," Iruka said. "She wished for her fallen leaves to return to their roots. Take her back to Japan."
Without waiting for the stunned youth to respond, Iruka placed the box in his arms. He then added with a touch of pity, "I hope you aren't actually a member of the Hand, and that you can successfully get this back to the island."
As he spoke, several assassins in the lobby turned their gazes toward the young man. To them, the mention of the "Hand" made the youth look like a walking $100,000 bounty.
His task complete, Iruka turned and left for the Shiranui Agency. Whether that young man ever made it out of the hotel or if the ashes ever reached Japan was no longer his concern.
The Next Morning.
When Hayate Shiranui woke up, the first thing he did was open his system interface.
Check-in!
[Ding! Check-in successful. Reward: 300 Ninja Jewels!]
Hayate remained calm. While he didn't need the jewels yet, they would be essential once he unlocked his Artifacts. As for when that would happen, even he wasn't sure.
He navigated to the Mission Center. An A-Rank mission sat there alone, marked as "Incomplete." It seemed the reward wouldn't be available until the Hand members across the entire United States were fully liquidated.
Exiting the center, he glanced at his meager balance of 22 Gold Coins. His gaze then drifted to the Shizune Ninja Card in his inventory. "It won't be much longer," he whispered. "Once the Dragon Bone is unearthed, you'll be able to enter this world."
After a quick wash, Hayate walked into the Agency's main hall to find everyone gathered. He reached into his storage space and produced five bowls of Delicious Ramen, placing them on the table in the lounge.
"Fresh ramen, everyone. Come and eat," he said with a smile.
Swish!
Iruka, Sasuke, and Lee appeared at the table instantly. Iruka looked at the steaming bowls with a nostalgic sigh. "Ramen from home... how I've missed this."
As the three sat down, Hotaru approached slowly. She looked at the ramen and remarked, "Boss, this ramen has extraordinary recovery properties. Isn't it a bit of a waste to eat it just for breakfast?"
The three ninjas paused, looking toward Hayate. While it looked like Ichiraku Ramen, this "Delicious Ramen" was a strategic resource that restored physical energy far more effectively than Food Pills—and it tasted significantly better.
Hayate laughed. "Don't worry about it. I have plenty, and we just closed a massive deal. Consider this a victory bonus."
"Thank you, Lord Hayate!" Lee cheered. "I'm digging in!"
As Hayate took his first bite, a wave of warmth spread through his body, washing away the last lingering traces of sleep and filling him with renewed vigor.
Stark Mansion.
Tony Stark had just finished the new prototype of his Arc Reactor. He lay on a medical chair, heart rate monitors attached to his chest. Upstairs, Pepper Potts was watching a news segment about Tony's press conference when his call came through.
Pepper walked down to the lab. Tony gestured to her. "Hey. Come here, let me see."
He held up his hand, beckoning. "Come here."
Pepper walked toward him, hands outstretched. Tony looked at them and smiled. "What a delicate pair of hands."
He held up the new Arc Reactor. "I need a small favor."
Pepper gasped as she saw the glowing device in his chest. "Oh, God, Tony. Is that what's keeping you alive?"
"Exactly," Tony said. "But that old one is obsolete. This is the new model I'll be relying on. I need to swap them out, but I've hit a little... roadblock."