Hearing Eddie's admission of financial constraints, Charles wasn't surprised.
Although Eddie's income was decent, it fell far short of covering the cost of a body enhancement serum, especially without additional missions from the Continental Hotel.
After a moment's thought, Charles spoke, "Eddie, I'm assigning you a special task. I want you to create a feature on ninjas—an exclusive report interviewing all of them."
Eddie asked hesitantly, "You mean, ninjas from all villages?"
Charles nodded, "Yes, every village. Take the agency's business card with you. I'm sure they'll show you respect."
"If you complete this mission, I'll provide you with the serum at cost price. As for what you can't cover, I'll arrange an interest-free loan, which you can repay gradually from your salary."
Eddie's face lit up with excitement. The boss was offering not only an interest-free loan and a discounted serum, but also a chance to produce a potential hit program.
Grateful, he exclaimed, "Thank you, Boss! I'll work my hardest!"
Charles smiled, "I know you will."
…
Elsewhere-
At the Sand Puppet Shop, Chiyo gathered her team after reading the recent news about Hidden Cloud's arrival.
"You all saw the news," she began solemnly, "Cloud Village is here, and they're already making waves."
"It's been ages since our own Hidden Sand has brought anything significant to the table. If this continues, it could have severe consequences for us. The longer we let Hidden Cloud operate freely, the more influence they'll gain."
She looked over her team, awaiting their thoughts.
Pakura thought for a moment before responding, "If Hidden Cloud can do it, then so can Hidden Sand. We're already recognized as heroes in this city and have our own loyal following. Reaching out to the media could yield even stronger results."
Chiyo nodded in agreement. The Hidden Sand Puppet Shop had already sold numerous enhancement serums and taken on intelligence missions, giving them a solid foundation Hidden Cloud couldn't easily surpass.
"Alright, let's develop this outreach channel. We'll give the people a convenient alternative to Hidden Cloud."
"I'll reach out to Hope, the Pym Board's Chair. She has her own enterprise and could handle the media connections for us."
Since their last collaboration, Chiyo had developed a high regard for Hope's character, and the two had since become close. Hope even visited her regularly.
Seeing the plan come together, Kankuro offered, "I can reach out to Tony Stark. With his influence, we could spread our message even further—beyond the U.S."
Chiyo nodded approvingly, "Good. You take care of Tony."
"Yes, Elder!"
Turning to Temari, Chiyo said, "I want you to reach out to our previous clients and invite them to the press conference."
Temari nodded, "Understood, Elder Chiyo."
Chiyo looked over at Gaara, giving him no specific task, then declared, "Alright, let's get moving!"
"Understood!" the team responded in unison.
…
Elsewhere-
In the Hidden Mist headquarters, Mei Terumi, Ao, and Haku sat together, watching a report on Hidden Cloud's bustling headquarters on TV.
The street outside Hidden Cloud's location was packed with a long line of people. Some people had even started purchasing items they brought directly from those in line.
Mei spoke up, "Ao, any thoughts?"
A nervous sweat trickled down Ao's forehead as he responded cautiously, "Lady Mizukage, we don't have any Body enhancement serums on hand. Perhaps it's time for you to meet with Lord Charles."
Mei thought of Charles's image and, after a moment, nodded, "It's time for a visit."
…
Unlike Hidden Sand and Hidden Mist, Kabuto of the Sound Village paid little attention to the news.
They had their own plans, believing that no public buy-up could match the efficiency of Snake Shield's methods.
As for the Akatsuki, New York's news had not reached them at all.
…
Elsewhere-
Ward and May ambushed Vanchart, who was in the middle of trading Chitauri metal with a buyer.
Their skills allowed them to easily subdue Vanchart and bring him to the rooftop, where Agent Hand was waiting with a full assault team.
Facing the man brought to the rooftop, Agent Hand said, "Vanchart, we hope you can help us find a friend of ours."
May disarmed Vanchart and took him to a nearby helicopter, which transported him back to the Airbus. He was soon placed in the interrogation room, where Hand's team began questioning him.
In the command room, Agent Hand gathered Ward, May, and the other agents for a briefing on the next mission.
"The interrogation needs to be quick. We must get him to reveal the client list from his trades as soon as possible."
She then tapped the screen, which displayed several red dots scattered across the America.
"These are suspected locations of the Centipede Group's bases, identified through S.H.I.E.L.D. intelligence. You'll split into three teams to scout these locations and verify their status."
Just then, an alarm sounded in the command room, signaling a hack into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s system. Ward and May immediately recognized the symbol on the screen: it was Skye.
…
Skye's bedroom door opened. She was sitting on her bed, working on her laptop.
Glancing at the entering Agent Hand, she spoke, "Agent Hand, just in time. Help me lift the restriction on my network access."
"I believe following the financial trail is the key to finding Coulson. If I can track Vanchart's accounts, I might trace them back to Centipede and pinpoint Coulson's location."
Hand looked at her, expressionless, and said, "Skye, you're violating S.H.I.E.L.D. protocols. Stop what you're doing and reduce your network privileges."
With that, Hand turned to leave, but Skye chased after her, saying, "Fine, Agent Hand! I don't care about the ridiculous rules; I care about getting Coulson back."
"Give me access, and I can definitely track Coulson's location through Vanchart's financial movements."
Hand stopped and turned to face Skye, "I, however, do care about these so-called 'ridiculous rules.'"
"Escort this regulation-breaking lady off the plane."
Skye stared, wide-eyed with disbelief, as she realized they intended to remove her from the plane.