Meanwhile-
On the other side-
Ward drove Killer Bee to the entrance of the Hidden Cloud base, saying, "I'll arrange the concert details for you and contact you once everything is set."
Killer Bee nodded and replied, "Alright, let me know when it's confirmed."
With that, Killer Bee opened the car door, got out, and entered the Cloud base.
Inside the base, Killer Bee was greeted by Cee and Karui, who had been waiting for him.
Cee looked at Killer Bee and asked, "What happened?"
Killer Bee took a seat on the couch and explained how Uchiha Sasuke had taken the Berserker Staff by force.
"I originally intended to collect all the pieces and negotiate a trade with S.H.I.E.L.D. to offer it to Lord Charles, but Sasuke got involved and took it by force."
Hearing Sasuke's name, Cee and Karui's faces turned serious. They recalled that in the ninja world, Uchiha Sasuke had once attacked Killer Bee as well.
Karui spoke up, "Should we go after Sasuke?"
She glanced at Cee and Killer Bee, but was concerned that the three of them might not be strong enough to take on Sasuke.
Plus, the Berserker Staff had likely already been handed over to Lord Charles.
Killer Bee shook his head, "No, there's no point in going after it now."
"Big Brother A hasn't been brought here by Lord Charles yet, and we don't have enough people from the Hidden Cloud."
"We need to focus on gathering items that Lord Charles requires to bring more Hidden Cloud shinobi here."
Cee then added, "From what I've learned, most of the items that could benefit Lord Charles have already been confiscated by S.H.I.E.L.D."
"And any remaining items are likely held by other organizations we don't yet know of."
Killer Bee replied, "Then let's strengthen our ties with S.H.I.E.L.D. and also use the media here to advertise."
"We could collaborate with the media to promote the benefits of the body-enhancement serum. However, the purchase condition must be that they trade us items containing mystical energy."
"I'm sure that after seeing the ads, those organizations would approach us to trade."
After considering it, Karui said, "That sounds like a good plan, but wouldn't it disrupt Lord Charles's plans?"
"After all, no other villages have openly marketed body-enhancement serums on this scale."
Cee reassured her, "No, Lord Charles instructed each village to manage the serum distribution independently, which means he isn't too concerned about it."
"Plus, even if they inject the serum, it won't be a threat to us since they don't have chakra."
Killer Bee nodded in agreement and continued, "I have a bit of a fan base now. S.H.I.E.L.D. plans to arrange a concert for me soon, so I could announce this at the concert."
"Then you can work with the media to stir up publicity around it, and it should quickly become a hot topic."
Cee nodded, "Then it's settled. I'll reach out to the media and reporters to release the news on your concert day."
Killer Bee agreed, "We're going to rebuild the Hidden Cloud Village here, no matter what."
With serious expressions, Cee and Karui nodded in determination.
…
San Francisco-
Outside Orochimaru's bio-lab, at another base, Sunil Bakshi arrived. Sunil, a Hydra member serving under Daniel Whitehall, was here to communicate with the Sound Ninja.
Tayuya appeared in front of him and said, "Sir, you're in the wrong place. This facility isn't open to outsiders."
Sunil presented an image of the Eight-Headed Serpent to Tayuya, saying, "I'm here by invitation, so I believe I'm in the right place."
Seeing the image in his hand, Tayuya nodded and replied, "This way, please."
Sunil followed her down an elevator and through a series of passages before arriving in a waiting room.
"Please wait here. Lord Kabuto will be with you shortly."
Sunil nodded, taking a seat on the couch.
Meanwhile, Tayuya approached Kabuto and reported, "Lord Kabuto, the Hydra representative you mentioned has arrived, and he brought the Eight-Headed Serpent image with him."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses and replied, "It's about time. It seems Hydra's efficiency leaves something to be desired."
Kabuto put aside his work and proceeded to the meeting room.
Sunil hadn't waited long when the door opened, and Kabuto of the Sound Ninja entered.
Sunil stood up and extended his hand, introducing himself, "Hello, I'm Sunil Bakshi."
Noting the well-dressed man, Kabuto smiled and shook his hand, "I'm Kabuto."
After taking their seats, Sunil initiated the conversation, "We heard you wanted to discuss a partnership and that you've located Hydra."
Kabuto replied calmly, "Yes, we discovered him in the Shinobi World and learned about Hydra's existence."
Sunil continued, "We're very willing to help bring Hydra back."
"But what's in it for the Sound Ninja?"
Kabuto smiled, responding with a steady voice, "Hail Hydra!"
Sunil was momentarily stunned and asked in disbelief, "You… you mean…"
Kabuto confirmed, "You guessed right. We are Hydra in the Shinobi World."
He pointed to the image of the Eight-Headed Serpent that Sunil had brought, saying, "Our entire organization in the Shinobi World is built around it."
Sunil was stunned by this revelation, coming to terms with the fact that the Sound Village was indeed a branch of Hydra.
The organization's motto, "cut off one head, two more shall take its place," seemed to take on a whole new meaning here.
With excitement, Sunil asked, "How can we assist in bringing Hydra back? It's the core mission of our organization."
Kabuto explained with a slight smile, "It's not easy for those from the Shinobi World to arrive on Earth."
"We need to sacrifice energy-infused objects to stabilize the portal, which is why so few ninjas have made it to Earth."
"Especially considering Lord Orochi's size—the energy consumption for such a passage is massive."
Sunil considered this and asked, "Would wind, electrical, or nuclear energy, or even arc reactors, work to stabilize the portal?"
Kabuto looked at him thoughtfully, then shook his head with a smile, "Do you really think the Shinobi World lacks such energy sources?"
"But if you can acquire Tony Stark's latest arc reactor model, it might have some effect."