Chapter 76 – S.H.I.E.L.D. Gets Involved
The Uchiha Medical Center was located in the bustling heart of Manhattan. The violent explosions from the pumpkin bombs not only drew the attention of nearby pedestrians, but also alerted both the police and S.H.I.E.L.D. almost immediately.
Thick black smoke billowed into the air. Outside the medical center, the area was already surrounded by responding police and fire trucks.
But today, New York's fire department had made a trip in vain. By the time they arrived, the fire had already been brought under control.
A man with a dangerously receding hairline and another man carrying a black composite bow had already sealed off the area with their team.
"Who are you people? We're with the NYPD. Show us your identification!"
The NYPD officer didn't have much goodwill toward the people in front of him—even if they were federal agents.
"We're with the FBI. This case is... special. We've been authorized by higher-ups to handle it. You can contact your superiors to confirm."
Coulson's smile was as flawless as ever. Though he didn't back down verbally, his friendly demeanor eased the officer's aggression.
"Everyone stand by. I'll call my commanding officer now."
The officer immediately contacted his chief via the police comms channel.
"All right, got it. We're pulling back now."
After confirming the orders from his superior, the police chief instructed his team to withdraw and return to the station.
"Whew," Coulson let out a sigh of relief and dropped his smile.
"Coulson, you're the guy for this type of smooth-talking. If it were me, I'd have been out already," Barton muttered. "So, mutants again?"
Behind them, the Uchiha Medical Center, which had been ablaze, was now calm. Even the smoke had mostly dissipated.
"Honestly, I still don't know exactly who we're dealing with. But one thing's for sure: they're not ordinary people. That's why I specifically requested you."
Coulson and Barton, along with two small squads, finished sealing off the medical center before splitting into two teams to enter the building.
But just as they stepped through the doors, they were spotted by a boy waiting inside.
Coulson and Barton stared awkwardly at the boy in front of them—busted before they even got through the door.
"Hands on your head. Get down. Kid, just cooperate and we won't hurt you."
Coulson already had his Glock trained on the boy.
Barton didn't hesitate either, raising his bow and taking aim.
Clang!
The boy threw a shuriken, striking Coulson's Glock with pinpoint accuracy, pinning the gun directly to the wooden door.
The moment the boy acted, Barton loosed an arrow. At a mere 10 meters, it should've been a guaranteed hit—
Until he saw his arrow pierce the boy's shoulder... only for the boy to turn into a wooden log.
"What?"
Barton had never doubted his skills—until now. A child turning into a log in front of him stunned him into momentary hesitation.
The next second, the real boy appeared again—a whip-kick took Coulson out instantly, followed by a high kick that struck Barton square on the jaw.
"Captain?! Captain!"
Seeing their team leaders go down, the agents behind them raised their guns and opened fire without hesitation.
The boy, seeing reinforcements arrive, immediately turned and ran. Serpentine footwork let him effortlessly evade the barrage and disappear into the darkness.
"You okay, sir?"
"No. Pretty sure my leg's broken," Coulson muttered.
Barton, dizzy and seeing stars, used his bow to steady himself so he wouldn't collapse. He had underestimated the boy. Even though he had reacted quickly with an arrow, he failed to follow up and didn't expect the kid to immediately retaliate in close combat.
Coulson felt at his leg. Thankfully, it was just a severe bruise, not a break. Limping over to the door, he tried to pull his Glock free.
It didn't budge.
With a sigh, Coulson gave it another hard yank and finally retrieved his pistol.
"So this is the difference in power, huh?"
Even with the boy's weapon, Coulson didn't miss a beat—he calmly slipped the shuriken into his pocket.
At that moment, the dark building lights came on.
"So late at night, and you're all armed to the teeth. Oh? Isn't that Agent Coulson?"
Standing in front of the two squads was Uchiha Akira, accompanied by two Uchiha children.
Immediately, over twenty gun barrels aimed at Akira.
"Who are you?!"
At the most awkward moment, someone's finger slipped. A shot rang out—and that one accidental gunfire was all it took to unleash chaos.
The others, already on edge from the earlier ambush, instinctively opened fire, emptying their clips toward Akira.
"Cease fire! Stop shooting!"
By the time Coulson stopped them, everyone had already emptied one magazine. But when they looked forward again—
Uchiha Akira was gone.
"Who fired?! Did I give the order?!"
"I—I'm sorry, I was nervous... it was an accident…"
Coulson was furious at his team's unprofessional conduct, but this wasn't the time for reprimands.
"Coulson, should I take this as an attempted assassination?"
A calm voice spoke from behind the team, making Coulson freeze. He turned to see Uchiha Akira—completely unharmed.
He had no idea how Akira had vanished and reappeared behind them, but at least he was alive. That left room to de-escalate.
"I'm sorry, sir. We came to provide support because of the attack on the medical center…"
"And your first instinct was to aim twenty guns at me and fire?"
"It was a misunderstanding…"
"Kenta, Shota—break the arms of everyone here except Coulson."
Uchiha Kenta had been the boy on guard at the door earlier. Shota was his brother.
Both were top graduates of the first wave of genin trained in the Marvel world.
"Mr. Uchiha, this is really just a misunderstanding—"
"Misunderstanding or not, we'll discuss it after the beating."
Kenta and Shota charged in like wolves among sheep. The tightly grouped S.H.I.E.L.D. agents didn't dare fire—they might hit their own men, and even when they did try to shoot, they couldn't land a hit on the two ghost-like ninjas.
"Stop!"
Barton roared, raising his bow and aiming it at Uchiha Akira's chest.
"I'll say it one last time—surrender, and we can talk!"
Akira looked at the shouting Barton with a mocking expression.
"You invaded my territory, and you have the nerve to demand I surrender?"
Barton didn't care. He loosed the arrow—
But he hadn't lost his mind completely; he aimed for Akira's arm.
"What—?"
Akira casually caught the arrow mid-air.
"Lucky for you, you were aiming at my arm."
He casually threw it back. The arrow pierced Barton's arm clean through and nailed him to the wall with sheer force.
A fitting reply.
Once Barton was dealt with, Kenta and Shota had already finished off the rest of the agents. Though numerous, they were far weaker than Barton.
Coulson hadn't fought from start to finish. And seeing the entire battle conclude in under 20 seconds, he was incredibly grateful he'd kept his cool.
"All right. Now I think we can sit down and talk like civilized people. Don't you agree, Coulson?"
All Coulson could do was give a bitter smile
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