Back at the base-
Upon returning to his room, Charles asked, "Red Queen, where is Tsunade right now?"
"Master, Tsunade is currently in the laboratory."
Nodding in acknowledgment, Charles made his way to the lab.
As he pushed open the door, he found Tsunade hard at work. Surprisingly, Shizune and Sakura Haruno were also there. Seeing Sakura, Charles paused for a moment, wondering if she had once again reconnected with Tsunade.
Tsunade, noticing Charles, said, "The regeneration serum that can heal and reattach limbs isn't ready yet. It's going to take a little more time."
…
In the laboratory-
Recently, the changes in Orochimaru, his departure, and the successful development of the Curse Mark of Fire had been quite a shock to Tsunade.
However, despite her formidable abilities in medical ninjutsu, she couldn't quickly make up for Orochimaru's decade-long advancements.
Charles smiled and shook his head. "I'm not here to rush you."
"The matter of the recovery serum isn't urgent. I have a small task—do you think your two students can handle it?"
Hearing Charles refer to her "two students," Tsunade glanced at Shizune and Sakura Haruno, feeling a bit helpless since neither of them was officially her apprentice.
"What's the task?" Tsunade asked.
"I need the vampire enhancement serum re-engineered, so it's indistinguishable from the original formula. In simple terms, repackage it, bypass any existing patents."
"I'm planning to let Hidden Cloud Village sell it."
Tsunade turned to Shizune and Sakura. "Shizune, you'll be in charge of this. Sakura, assist her."
"Three days—can you get it done?"
With a serious expression, Shizune responded, "No problem."
For Shizune, this task wasn't too difficult.
Seeing that Tsunade had assigned the task, Charles smiled and nodded, then moved closer to her.
"Leave it to them for now. You should take a break."
"How about I take you out for a drink? Maybe play a few rounds somewhere?"
Tsunade's eyes lit up at the mention of gambling. Excitedly, she threw off her lab coat, tossed it onto the chair, grabbed Charles's hand, and said:
"What are we waiting for? Let's go already."
"Let's gamble a bit, then we'll go for drinks."
As Tsunade dragged Charles out of the lab, both Shizune and Sakura smiled at the scene.
Shizune turned to Sakura, "We should get back to work."
"Yes!" Sakura replied enthusiastically.
…
Outside the lab-
As Tsunade pulled Charles along, she asked, "Where are we going to gamble?"
Charles thought for a moment and then replied, "The best place, of course, is Las Vegas. Sure, we could play here, but it won't be as lively as Vegas."
"Should we invite Tony Stark? He's a regular there."
Tsunade frowned slightly at the mention of Tony, "That playboy?"
"Isn't he busy building some kind of armor?"
"Well, you can ask him."
Charles took out his phone and called Tony.
At that moment, Tony Stark was discussing a new suit design with Dr. Bruce Banner. Specifically, it was the Hulkbuster armor—a countermeasure for when the Hulk went on a rampage.
Tony needed a way to control such destructive power, and Banner, knowing his own risks, was on board with the idea.
"Sir, Charles Doyle is calling," JARVIS informed him.
Tony gestured for Banner to pause the conversation and picked up the phone.
"Hey, buddy," Tony greeted.
Hearing Tony's response, Charles immediately spoke up:
"Hey, man, I'm taking Tsunade to Las Vegas for three days of fun. Why don't you bring Pepper Potts along? It's been a while since you two had a proper break, especially after Christmas."
Tony was reminded of Pepper, who had been managing company affairs while he had thrown himself back into developing his suits since the Aldrich Killian incident. He realized he had indeed been neglecting her.
As for Las Vegas, Tony knew that Charles was taking Tsunade there for a break, and it might be a good opportunity for Pepper to relax as well.
"Alright, when do we leave?"
"We're heading out now. You pick up Pepper Potts, and I'll take Tsunade. We'll meet at the entrance of the Bellagio Hotel."
Tony glanced at Dr. Bruce Banner, standing nearby, and after thinking for a moment, said:
"No problem. See you there."
After hanging up, Tony turned to Banner and said apologetically:
"Doc, we've been at this for a while. Let's take a three-day break. You're free to do whatever you like, and the expenses are on me."
"If anything comes up, you know how to reach me, and I'll be back right away."
Banner, having overheard the conversation and knowing that Charles Doyle was involved, smiled.
"No worries. I've got some research to catch up on. You go enjoy yourself."
"If there's really an emergency, I'll contact you."
"Of course, let's hope nothing happens, or this building might not make it through."
Tony chuckled at Banner's self-deprecating comment.
"I trust you'll keep things under control, Doc. After all, you haven't lost your cool in a while."
"Alright then, I'll be back in three days."
With that, Tony signaled to his suit. His Mark armor flew over and attached itself to him, and he took off, heading towards Stark Tower.
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