S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters – Alpha Hearing Chamber – 2:02 PM
The ceiling was too high. The light too white. And the stares… far too cold.
Naruto stood alone in the center of the circular chamber. Around him: a dozen faces projected on screens. Others, masked, sat physically behind reinforced glass.
To his left stood Coulson. Calm. To his right, Maria Hill. Unyielding.
A modified male voice echoed through the speakers:
"Naruto Uzumaki. Classified as a 'non-aligned asset,' unstable category. Called to appear for the unauthorized use of an unregistered technique during an official operation."
Naruto folded his arms.
His gaze was calm. Golden. Serene.
"You shot at the woman who protected me. And now you want to judge my reaction?"
A murmur rippled through the chamber.
A secondary screen displayed data: energy readings, chakra pulse scans, thermal imaging.
Hill intervened.
"You neutralized three agents. Destroyed two Level 7 combat drones. Deployed a power we've never documented. All of this—without clearance."
He turned his head slowly toward her.
"Was I supposed to let her die?"
Silence.
One Council member — blurred face, modified voice — spoke:
"Agent Romanoff knew the risks. What we must assess is how far you're willing to go for her."
"Anything."
Naruto hadn't raised his voice.
But the air itself shifted.
He hadn't lied.
And everyone felt it.
Another member added:
"You claim to be stable, yet your chakra is growing exponentially. Your internal readings are unpredictable. Even in stasis, you emit energy detectable from thirty kilometers away."
"You're afraid because you can't control me."
Hill straightened.
"We're trying to protect this world."
Naruto stepped forward.
Security beacons flashed red.
Coulson raised his hand—not to stop him, but to calm the room.
"This boy avoided war. He chose restraint. He saved a life. And you want to punish him for not staying passive?"
A Council member replied:
"It's not what he did. It's why he did it. Romanoff is his weak point."
Naruto lowered his gaze.
Then raised it again.
"You're wrong. She's not my weakness. She's the one thing stopping me from becoming what you fear."
A long, chilling silence.
Then the central voice declared:
"The case is suspended. Surveillance will be reinforced. Intervention is forbidden without direct approval. Your connection to Agent Romanoff… will be monitored."
Naruto stepped back—slowly.
He gave Coulson a respectful nod.
Then looked at Hill.
"Keep treating me like a bomb… and one day, you'll make it explode. Not because of me. But because of you."
And he left the room.
The Council said nothing.
But they knew one thing:
They had tried to tame him.
And he had forgiven them.
That frightened them even more.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Medical Center – Primary Infirmary – 2:46 PM
She had been awake since dawn.
But she'd pretended to sleep for hours.
Not to escape.
To think.
Electrodes still clung to her chest. Her side was bandaged. An IV fed slowly into her left arm.
And despite the pain… she had refused the sedatives.
She wanted to feel.
Everything.
What had been stolen from her.
What she had just lived through.
What she refused to lose again.
"You don't get attached, Natasha. You don't belong to anyone."
She could still hear the program's voice in her head. The Red Room. The cold chamber.
But ever since he entered her life… that voice had grown quieter.
Naruto.
A boy so pure, it terrified her.
Because he asked for nothing.
He gave. He reached out. And waited… for her to take his hand.
It had taken her time to understand him.
But deep down, he was the one who had saved her.
More than the other way around.
She closed her eyes.
Replayed the hangar. The shot. The fall. The cold.
And that light… when he laid his hands on her.
It hadn't been chakra.
It had been him.
A second chance.
A rebirth.
She opened her eyes and sat up.
The doctor protested, but she ignored him.
She had to stand.
Because the world wouldn't give them peace.
And she had to be ready.
Weapons Room — 4:03 PM
She walked past rows of locked crates.
Her access badge had been activated manually—by Coulson.
Hill had said no. Too early, she'd said. Too "fragile."
But Natasha smiled.
"Fragile?"
No.
She had never been stronger.
She took a handgun, checked the magazine, then locked it back in.
But as she caught her reflection in the glass…
She paused.
Looked into her eyes.
No trace of pain.
Just… a new light.
She allowed herself a smile. Small. Subtle.
See? I'm still here. And this time, I'm more than what they made me.
Secure Apartment – 8:18 PM
She entered without a sound.
He was waiting for her, seated in the living room, knees folded beneath him, a cup of tea in hand.
When he saw her, he stood up.
Not to speak.
To welcome her.
They embraced. For a long time.
Then she pulled back, just a little.
"Did they humiliate you?"
"They tried."
"Did you stay calm?"
"For you."
She smiled.
Then let herself fall onto the couch.
He sat beside her.
Silence stretched for a full minute.
Then she spoke:
"I've never belonged to anyone. Not really."
He nodded slowly.
"I don't want you to belong to me. I just… want you to stay."
She turned her head toward him.
"And what if I break again? What if I lose myself one more time?"
"Then I'll put the pieces back together. Every day, if I have to."
She took his hand.
"You scare me, Naruto."
"Why?"
"Because you don't want anything. You don't demand. You don't expect. You're just… here. And that… I've never known before."
He leaned forward. Touched his forehead to hers.
"Me neither."
She closed her eyes.
Then whispered:
"Could you love me? Truly? Even if I never give you anything in return?"
He exhaled, his breath brushing her lips:
"You've already given me everything. You saw me. You reached out your hand. You saved me… not from death. From being forgotten."
A long silence.
Then she said, her voice uncertain:
"I… I'm not ready to have a child. Maybe not now. Maybe not ever."
He didn't flinch.
Then smiled—genuinely:
"I fell in love with a warrior. Not with a future someone else imagined for me."
She laughed. Softly.
Then cried.
Not loudly.
Not brokenly.
Just… in silence.
And he held her. For a long time.
Like a promise.
Souhaites-tu que je continue directement avec une scène de nuit, une révélation du système, ou un nouveau conflit lié à S.H.I.E.L.D. ?