Chapter 51: The Banquet
"It's a pity. No matter how many titles you hold, no matter how much wealth you have, it doesn't change the fact that you're just an ordinary man. I'm not interested in you. Don't get in the way of my work."
Mikoto cut off Tony's showing off. Obviously, Tony's frivolous behavior disgusted her. She remembered very clearly that Tony had just escorted May Parker over. A man this flippant—Uchiha Mikoto truly hadn't seen one like him even in the ninja world.
"You might have misunderstood me! I can—"
"Enough. Can't you see how much trouble your harassment is causing others?" A tall boy suddenly stepped in front of Tony, with a girl beside him.
Uchiha Akira never imagined that his first meeting with Tony Stark would be under such circumstances.
Indeed, lust is a blade hanging overhead—Tony Stark had set his eyes on Uchiha Mikoto. Of course, Tony was somewhat restrained; he only wanted to get acquainted.
Had he dared to lay hands on her, however, he would've died an ugly death. At this time, without his Iron Man armor, Tony Stark was no match even for a single finger of Uchiha Mikoto.
"Hey, kid, I was simply expressing my heartfelt admiration for a beautiful lady, not harassment. There's a fundamental difference."
"Mikoto, what do you think?"
"Please, throw this harasser out." Mikoto was never good at dealing with this type. If they were still in the ninja world, Tony's grave would already be covered in weeds.
"You see? The lady is already very troubled by your behavior. So, are you leaving on your own, or should I help you out?" Akira pointed to the door and flexed his fist—making it clear that if Tony refused to leave gracefully, he would ensure it happened forcefully.
Tony instantly shut his mouth. His instincts screamed that if he stayed and argued, this kid would definitely rough him up. And that would be far more humiliating.
News of Tony Stark being beaten by a teenage boy would spread even faster than his tabloid scandals.
"Since the lady isn't in the mood today, I won't impose further." Tony tried to console himself: the boy might look tall, but he was just a kid—no point in stooping to his level.
When the R8's engine roared to life, Tony called out, "Beautiful lady, I'll be back again!" Then he sped away.
"You think you're Grey Wolf or something?" Akira couldn't help but laugh in exasperation.
"Mikoto, next time this womanizer comes by, don't be polite. Teach him a lesson—he'll learn soon enough not to trifle with you."
"Understood. I won't be so lenient next time."
"Mikoto, how's the recruitment for the medical center coming along?"
"Only about half the positions are filled. It'll take some time." Mikoto had been busy handling countless matters related to the center.
"You don't need to overwork yourself. The Uchiha don't lack funds for now. But for long-term development, establishing a medical center is necessary—for researching our clan's bloodline more effectively."
Meanwhile, at his cliffside villa, Tony sat drinking alone, brooding. Rarely had he given his AI assistant a day off.
"Uchiha Medical Center, huh? Let's see what you're really about."
Tony never cared much about methods. Though hacking into U.S. government databases was illegal, he had full confidence that with his skill, not a trace would be left behind.
The results, however, were meager. The Uchiha Medical Center had only been registered half a month ago as a small medical organization. The building had been privately purchased, and the listed legal representative was clearly just a proxy.
The registration site itself was nothing remarkable. All in all, the investigation yielded almost nothing useful.
As for personal information—unfortunately, aside from the name Uchiha Mikoto, there was no special record or history. The government database was too sparse, trimmed down to the bare minimum.
Ring ring ring.
"Tony, are you attending today's Stark Industries shareholders' meeting?"
"Anything important?"
"Stark Industries and Oscorp have finalized a joint medical technology development agreement. Norman Osborn will also be present. The banquet will be held at the Zurich Center Grand Hall." Pepper briefly reminded him of the evening schedule.
"Well, since I'm free tonight, I'll go."
Pepper knew her boss hadn't been fooling around with any women today—Tony always made sure to warn her not to disturb him when he did, and afterwards, there were always messes for her to clean up.
It was rare to see him actually concerned about Stark Industries itself.
At the Zurich Center venue in Manhattan, every attendee was among New York's elite. Norman Osborn was already in friendly conversation with Obadiah Stane.
"Though this is our first official collaboration, it clearly represents an important direction for both our companies."
Obadiah reveled in his own eloquence and charisma, basking as the center of attention. The guests' eyes were all on him.
Around him, a flock of glamorous women in revealing dresses lingered, some hoping for a word, others for a valuable piece of information—or even to become his kept companion.
Who cared about his bulging belly?
Norman Osborn, though less dazzling than Stane, was undeniably still one of the main stars.
"Obadiah, allow me to introduce one of Oscorp's newest shareholders—Uchiha Akira."
Yes, after much planning, Akira had finally taken his first successful step.
During Oscorp's recent stock crash, he seized the opportunity to buy in. In his eyes, Oscorp's value even exceeded Stark Industries'.
Not because Stark's tech wasn't appealing, but because Akira preferred to begin by unlocking his own clan's potential.
The Uchiha bloodline was his greatest hidden wealth. To forsake that for external gains would be folly. That was why he had accepted Oscorp's commission earlier.
With Marvel's black technology, exploring the mysteries of the Uchiha—and even the Ōtsutsuki—bloodline wasn't impossible. His dream scientist Orochimaru was still back in the ninja world, but opportunities always came to those prepared.
"Oriental?" Obadiah asked upon hearing the strange surname.
"I'm from Xia." Akira corrected.
But Obadiah didn't care. He looked down on Norman Osborn himself—let alone some obscure young shareholder.
Suddenly, the roar of an engine echoed at the hall's entrance. Many of the women around Obadiah turned their heads, and the crowd shifted as flashes from cameras erupted.
Obadiah's face darkened as he watched his nephew steal the spotlight.
"Tony, you're late."
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