Elsewhere-
Coulson returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters and entered Nick Fury's office.
"Director."
Fury glanced at him, then asked, "I heard that the new recruit you brought in, Skye, has left the organization and joined Charles's agency?"
Coulson nodded. "Yes."
Fury studied him before asking, "Was this your doing?"
Fury wondered if Coulson had intentionally planted a spy with Charles.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had tried to infiltrate Charles's inner circle for years but had only managed to place agents in peripheral locations like the Continental Hotel or the High Table.
Any attempts to infiltrate Charles Agency or base had failed completely.
If Coulson could successfully place someone in Charles's circle, it would mark a milestone victory for S.H.I.E.L.D.
However, Coulson shook his head, "Apologies, Skye wasn't sent in by me. She's completely separated herself from S.H.I.E.L.D."
Hearing that Skye wasn't one of their agents, Nick Fury felt a slight disappointment but kept a neutral expression.
"If she wasn't sent by you, we should let her go. It'd be challenging to expect any intelligence from her now."
Coulson nodded, "Skye won't be much help to us anymore."
"Director, I actually came here today to report a troubling suspicion about Charles."
Fury raised an eyebrow, "What suspicion?"
Coulson spoke gravely, "I suspect there has been a leak in our archives."
"It could be something that Kabuto or Sound Ninja are involved in, or maybe some other cause."
Hearing this, Fury sat up and asked, "Why do you think so?"
"Director, Charles seems to know some S.H.I.E.L.D. secrets—like my surgery and the reason Skye is classified as a Category 084."
"These are matters restricted to Level 8 agents. Even I don't have access to details of my own surgery. Yet Charles knows I underwent brain surgery."
Fury's face darkened.
Charles knowing this much was concerning, especially about Skye's 084 status and Level 8 clearance issues.
Beyond the concerns surrounding Skye, Coulson's surgery was even more alarming.
Coulson's resurrection was classified at Level 10 security clearance—absolutely confidential within S.H.I.E.L.D. So how could Charles have access to it?
Not even Kabuto, despite his hacking attempts, should have been able to find that information, as it was never stored in the archives.
Picking up the phone, Fury dialed and said, "Pull up Skye's full file for me. Verification: Nick Fury, code: XX231XX84."
Listening, Coulson understood that with Fury's clearance, they'd have full access to Skye's file.
After hanging up, Fury continued, "You mentioned Charles knowing about your surgery. Could this be connected to that so-called 'Clairvoyant'?"
Coulson shook his head, "The ninja community is too mysterious, and on top of that, Charles Doyle has connections to the magic world."
"We have no idea what powers exist on that side."
Fury drummed his fingers on the table, then said, "I'll initiate an internal check to see if there's any evidence of an archive breach. But I doubt Charles gained access through hacking alone."
"If this was accomplished through magic or some special ninja technique, the situation becomes even worse."
"With Charles Doyle, we would have no secrets left."
"Then there's the matter of the Clairvoyant."
"If his abilities truly belong to the mystical realm, we'll have to bring him in. He might be the key to countering Charles's capabilities."
"If he can genuinely see the future, we might finally gain insight into the ninja world and their training system."
Coulson nodded but voiced his thoughts, "I don't believe the Clairvoyant's powers are of the mystical, foresight type."
"If he truly had such abilities, there would be no need for Raina to research the Centipede serum."
Coulson continued, "He could simply develop a ready-made physical enhancement serum, which seems far stronger than the Centipede serum."
"And with his abilities, he'd be able to acquire ninja training methods directly. Why would he need the Centipede organization? He could start his own ninja force instead."
Fury nodded thoughtfully at Coulson's analysis, "You make a strong case, but we need to consider every angle. It's possible his abilities have significant limitations, particularly when dealing with extraordinary individuals."
"After all, since you received the physical enhancement serum, his team's awareness of your activities has become much less clear."
"Or perhaps," Fury speculated, "the power has greater limitations than we realize."
"Then again, he might simply be a fraud, lacking any of those supposed abilities."
"But as for Charles, how does he know details about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal operations?"
"Coulson, I'm putting you in charge of the Clairvoyant mission. Continue the investigation," Fury ordered.
"We'll be monitoring his information internally; he's on our radar now, and there's no escaping it."
"And strengthen ties with the Cloud Village," he added.
"Now that Killer Bee is an advisor to your team, make sure to keep him close. We can't afford another situation like Skye's, where someone leaves unexpectedly."
Coulson nodded, "Understood, sir."
Just then, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s archive department transmitted Skye's complete dossier to Fury's computer.
Noticing that Coulson hadn't left, Fury opened the file and found that it did, in fact, contain information with Level 8 agent clearance.
It revealed a foster system setup during Skye's childhood, which was preemptively terminated once Skye reached adulthood.
This foster record had been buried in the system, accessible only with precise search terms. Even agents with Level 8 clearance would rarely encounter it.
However, Fury quickly noticed an inconsistency within the Level 8 clearance—this foster system had been created by someone who had died before the clearance was established.