Driving his classic Mercedes, Shiranui Hayate soon arrived outside the Stark Industries building. At the same time, Tony pulled up in his own car. Stepping out, Tony spotted Hayate just as he was exiting his vehicle.
Tony walked over, a smirk on his face. "Hayate, that Mercedes of yours is nice—definitely a collector's item—but you really should try something modern. I think an Audi would suit you much better." He gestured toward his sleek R8.
Hayate patted the side of his car and laughed. "I'll take your suggestion under advisement, Tony."
Tony shrugged, letting the topic drop. He crouched down to pat Pakkun's head. "Long time no see, Pakkun!"
Pakkun stared at Tony Stark, remaining silent. He merely gave a small nod of acknowledgment. Tony was slightly surprised by the dog's silence until he glanced around and noticed the crowd of employees and onlookers watching them. He didn't press it.
"Alright, Hayate," Tony asked as he stood back up. "You asked to meet here. Did you finally decide you wanted a tour of Stark Industries?"
Hayate pointed toward the exhibition hall housing the massive Arc Reactor. "Tony, can you take me inside to see that big guy?"
Tony was surprised by the request, but he agreed readily. "Follow me."
After identity verification and a card swipe, Tony led Hayate and Pakkun into the hall. The last time Tony had been here was for a meeting with Obadiah Stane. Since the hall was currently empty of other visitors, Tony leaned down and scooped Pakkun up into his arms.
"You're a heavy little guy for your size, Pakkun. There's no one else here now—you can talk." Tony couldn't help but ruffle the fur on the pug's head; he had grown quite fond of the ninja dog that had helped save him.
Pakkun relaxed in Tony's arms, unfazed by the billionaire's strength. "Mr. Stark, there are security cameras here. Remember to delete the footage later."
Tony beamed, increasingly impressed by the dog's vigilance. "Don't worry. No one is going to find anything unusual on those tapes."
Turning to Hayate, Tony's curiosity got the better of him. "Hayate, why are you interested in this thing? I know you've seen the more advanced version," he said, gesturing to his own chest. "Why come to see this giant relic?"
Hayate watched Tony's confident expression and smiled. "I saw the news, Tony. You said you're closing the weapons manufacturing division. I actually put over a billion dollars into shorting your stock because of it."
Tony didn't seem bothered by Hayate betting against his company. In fact, he looked amused. "Then you're going to make a fortune, pal. I expect the stock to keep dropping for a while."
Hayate looked at the giant reactor. "But I think this will be your new direction. Once the price drops enough, I'll close my short position and start buying in."
Tony continued to play with Pakkun's ears. "A smart choice. Stark Industries is definitely worth the investment."
Hayate smiled and stepped over the safety railing, walking toward the massive reactor on its elevated platform. Tony jumped slightly. "Hey, friend! That thing is dangerous. Don't get too close."
Hayate didn't stop. "Tony, touching the outer protective casing won't cause an explosion, will it?"
Tony gave him a dry look. "The stability is fine. As long as you don't fall into it from above, it won't hurt you."
Reassured, Hayate reached out and placed his hand on the giant Arc Reactor, feeling the hum of immense electrical energy within. He waited, focusing his mind on the system.
One second. Two seconds.
Nothing.
He even projected his consciousness into the system space to check for a prompt, but there was no "Top-up" notification. Disappointment washed over him. It seemed the Arc Reactor—as powerful as it was—didn't meet the system's criteria for energy conversion.
Hayate sighed and pulled his hand away, walking back to Tony. Seeing him shake his head, Tony asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Hayate lied with a smile. "I've seen enough. You mentioned a new invention back at your lab? Let's go take a look."
Tony didn't pry. He set Pakkun back down on the floor. "Alright, then. Let's head to my workshop."
Despite the failure to find a new gold source, Hayate figured seeing the progress on the Mark II would be a decent consolation prize.
As they left the building, Obadiah Stane was in his office receiving a report that Tony had brought a guest to see the reactor. By the time he could react, he was told they had already left. Obadiah's expression soured. Tony was supposed to be keeping a low profile.
"I want to know who that guest was," Obadiah barked into his phone. "Give me everything you can find on him."
Arriving at Tony's seaside villa, Hayate was immediately struck by the sleek, high-tech interior. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy for the automated luxury. He wondered if Sasori or Orochimaru could build something similar once they were summoned.
As they entered, JARVIS's voice filled the room. "Welcome home, Mr. Stark. And welcome, Mr. Shiranui Hayate."
Hayate feigned surprise. "Tony, is this an Artificial Intelligence?"
Tony grinned. "This is my butler, my assistant, and yes—my intelligent system, JARVIS."
"Thank you for the recognition, Mr. Stark," JARVIS replied.
Hayate watched the interaction with genuine interest. Who, after all, could refuse an AI? Just as Tony couldn't refuse a talking dog, the appeal of a hyper-intelligent assistant was universal.