Tony exclaimed in surprise, "So you're basically keeping a ticking time bomb around?"
Charles chuckled, "I hear Dr. Banner has been working with you recently, hasn't he?"
Tony smirked, realizing that, indeed, he also had his own "bomb" to manage.
The two then reached an agreement to pool resources and establish a charitable organization to provide aid and compensation for the residents of Narcissus Street affected by the recent events.
In return, Thena was expected to contribute to Earth's defense by helping repel future enemies as part of her responsibilities.
Once the arrangements were finalized, Tony, remembering that Dr. Banner was waiting for him in his lab, bid Charles farewell and left.
…
Elsewhere-
After escorting the Vulcan Squad back to base, Natasha Romanoff accepted a new mission from Nick Fury and made her way to the Konoha base to meet Charles Doyle.
On her way, Natasha reviewed the footage and confirmed that Charles Doyle had taken custody of the enemies.
Her mission wasn't to detain anyone or demand reparations for the damages but rather to uncover the truth behind the incident and identify the people involved.
Of course, if the enemies weren't eliminated by Charles, then holding him accountable for some of the damage would be a welcome bonus.
…
At the same time-
Charles had just seen Tony off when Red Queen's voice sounded.
"Master, Agent Natasha Romanoff from S.H.I.E.L.D. has come to visit."
Hearing that S.H.I.E.L.D. was already on his doorstep, Charles remarked sarcastically, "Well, that was fast."
He could guess the purpose of their visit, but he saw no reason to refuse.
"Bring her to the conference room."
"As you wish, Master."
…
Meanwhile-
Daisy watched the online videos, her hand over her mouth in astonishment, "Oh my gosh, how did this happen?"
"What are these monsters?"
Although the online footage wasn't comprehensive, there were clips of the earlier battles involving Gilgamesh, Thena, and the Mist squad.
However, after the arrival of Mizukage, all footage abruptly stopped. By then, most surveillance systems had been destroyed, and there were no surviving witnesses in the area.
Shizuka, who had just entered the room, walked over and asked Daisy, "What's going on?"
Daisy clicked on a video and replied, "There was a battle on Narcissus Street."
After taking a quick look, Shizuka calmly said, "The enemy has already been dealt with by Lord Charles."
Daisy was stunned. "What? It's already over?"
Shizuka replied, "No matter how strong the enemy is, they are no match for our lord."
Daisy marveled, "Wow, no wonder he's called the Ninja Immortal!"
…
By this time, Natasha had been led to the entrance of the conference room. A servant beside her said, "Miss, Lord Charles is waiting inside."
Natasha opened the door and entered. Seeing Charles seated on the sofa, she greeted him respectfully, "Mr. Charles."
Charles glanced at her and teased, "Natasha, why does S.H.I.E.L.D. always arrive after everything is over?"
"With your advanced warning systems and the Quinjet's capabilities, you should have been on the scene immediately."
Hearing his remark, Natasha thought back to the storm that had stalled their arrival.
Without missing a beat, she calmly replied, "There was a terrifying storm overhead at the time. It rapidly condensed and began pelting hailstones, making it impossible for our aircraft to get close."
Charles turned to Red Queen and asked, "Red Queen, was there a superstorm today?"
Red Queen's voice replied, "Yes, Master. A sudden and unusual superstorm formed over the outskirts of New York today. However, it dissipated on its own shortly after."
Hearing this, Charles couldn't help but marvel at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s stroke of luck.
In reality, the superstorm did occur, but it was located near the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, and the team dispatched was Coulson's squad, not Natasha's Vulcan Squad.
"Alright, I guess this isn't entirely your fault," Charles remarked.
Natasha shrugged and said, "We wanted to handle the situation, but the weather wasn't on our side."
"Besides, the enemy's strength was terrifying. It might've required the Avengers to contain her."
Charles chuckled dismissively.
"Let's not waste each other's time. Get to the point."
Seeing his attitude, Natasha got straight to it.
"This battle destroyed two entire blocks, causing nearly a hundred billion in economic damage. The estimated number of affected civilians is in the thousands. Both the Pentagon and the White House, not to mention the Security Council, are taking this incident very seriously."
Charles showed no reaction to her mention of these organizations.
If she had cited groups like Kamar-Taj, Asgard, or the Council of godheads as being dissatisfied with the events, Charles might've been inclined to listen and temporarily play the role of a good citizen.
After all, those entities held real power.
But as for the Pentagon, the White House, or the Security Council? Charles wasn't concerned.
Apart from Nick Fury having the ability to summon Captain Marvel, there weren't many methods at their disposal to counter him.
Could they threaten to bomb Earth? At best, their nukes could clean the surface, but they couldn't destroy the planet.
Besides, the Ancient One wouldn't just stand by and let it happen, so Charles felt no pressure.
Still, he decided to hear what else Natasha had to say.
"From the intelligence we've gathered, it appears that the superhuman responsible for this incident was subdued and taken away by you, Mr. Charles. We'd like to understand the cause of the incident and obtain information about those involved."
As for reparations, prosecution, or accountability? Natasha didn't mention a word about them.
She was well aware that anything Charles claimed as his spoils of war was beyond S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ability to reclaim. The Tesseract from the Battle of New York was a prime example.
Hearing Natasha's practical approach, Charles nodded approvingly. At least she's sensible.
He then began to explain, "This conflict in New York involved three groups of individuals."
"You're already familiar with Tony Stark and the Mist Village ninjas."
Natasha quickly interjected, "Mr. Charles, we actually don't have any records of the three Mist ninjas who first appeared. If possible, could you provide their identities?"
Considering her request for a moment, Charles decided to share their names. After all, once they applied for identification documents, S.H.I.E.L.D. would know them anyway.
As for more in-depth information, that would depend on how much S.H.I.E.L.D. had managed to uncover during the battle.
"Those three were members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—Jinpachi Munashi, Kushimaru Kuriarare, and Jinin Akebino."
"They are elite jonin from the Mist Village and are well-known figures in the ninja world."
Natasha blinked, realizing that this meant the enemy's strength far exceeded their estimates. After all, even these three combined had been no match for her.