Chapter 77 – Friction with S.H.I.E.L.D.
The chaotic scene forced Coulson to admit that he had underestimated the Uchiha clan's strength. That peaceful first meeting must've been just a rare exception.
The real Uchiha weren't nearly as easy to deal with.
"We only came because of the explosion. Our intention was to see if you needed assistance," Coulson explained with a forced smile, trying to keep things calm with Uchiha Akira.
"Oh? That sounds very reasonable. Over twenty fully armed agents step onto my private property, and you're telling me it was all to offer help? Coulson, I have to say—I'm impressed by how smoothly you lie."
Coulson knew that his excuse wasn't going to convince Akira, so he sighed in frustration.
"I'm sorry. What you said is fair. But please believe me—I didn't want it to go this way either."
"The problem is, your activity was too loud. This is Manhattan's city center. Please understand our position…"
Coulson wasn't looking to fall out with the Uchihas. As one of the few S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who knew the truth about Professor X and Magneto, he was extremely wary of mutants. And the Uchiha clan, closely aligned with them, was a growing concern.
"We're aware of your conflict with Norman Osborn, but that doesn't justify a public brawl in the middle of the city. We'll issue a formal warning to Norman. Something like this won't happen again—"
"No need. Norman's dead."
"…What?" Coulson's heart skipped a beat.
"Coulson, I don't mind you two chatting," Barton interrupted, "but could you help me get this arrow out first? I can't pull it with one hand."
Coulson rushed over and tried to pull the arrow from Barton's arm, but even with all his strength, he couldn't remove it.
"Could you not make it worse? You're tearing the wound open," Barton growled.
"Kenta, help him down."
Responding to Akira's command, Uchiha Kenta nodded, pulled out his kunai, and stepped forward. Yanking the arrow out with brute force would just worsen the injury.
"Hey, kid, that's a high-strength alloy arrow. Your little knife isn't gonna cut it…" Barton didn't bother with pleasantries—even pinned to the wall, he wasn't going to hold back.
Kenta gave Barton a cold glance. He had zero interest in a loser he'd already beaten.
With a clang, Kenta's kunai glowed with a faint blue hue—Wind Release chakra. He lightly sliced, and the arrow snapped cleanly in two. Barton was finally freed from the wall.
"Looks like it cut just fine," Kenta shot back, smirking. Even a veteran like Barton flushed in embarrassment.
First, the kid had demolished him in close combat. Now, he'd been instantly proven wrong. Barton couldn't remember a mission that had gone more miserably than this one.
"All right, Mr. Akira, enough with the jokes. Norman Osborn is the head of Oscorp. You expect us to believe he just suddenly died?"
"Norman committed suicide. He left a note. His body is in our medical center."
Suicide? No one in their right mind would believe that. If Norman Osborn were willing to kill himself, why would he have attacked Akira in the first place?
"You guys go. Barton and I will stay and handle the follow-up."
Coulson dismissed his remaining agents. After all, Kenta and Shota had broken everyone's arms. Forget using a gun—they couldn't even unzip their pants right now.
When Coulson and Barton finally saw Norman Osborn's body, they had no choice but to accept it: Norman was dead. Completely dead.
Even without medical training, they could see it—nearly every bone in Norman's body was shattered. The fatal wound appeared to be a snapped neck.
Aside from the strangely peaceful look on Norman's face, it was a gruesome death.
"Mr. Akira, are you seriously trying to tell me Norman committed suicide?"
Coulson's expression practically screamed: I'd love to hear how you spin this.
"Yes. Mr. Osborn's old injuries flared up. The pain became unbearable, so he chose to take his own life. He even left a suicide note. What's so hard to believe about that? In America, terminal patients are even allowed to seek euthanasia. Norman Osborn was of sound mind and legal age. What's wrong with him choosing to end his own suffering?"
Akira stood firm—Norman's death had nothing to do with him.
Coulson glanced at Norman's caved-in chest, the blood at his mouth, and the wreckage of the lab. He wanted to say something, but didn't know how to begin.
"Was this some kind of terrorist attack? His wounds—" Barton protested angrily.
"Coulson, does he speak on behalf of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division?"
"Barton, stop talking!"
"Mr. Akira, Norman Osborn was the head of Oscorp. His body clearly shows signs of trauma. No judge would believe this story of suicide—"
"Coulson, if I'm not mistaken, under the Castle Doctrine, I'm fully within my rights to kill any intruder on my property. Also—correct me if I'm wrong—you knew Norman's background, didn't you?"
"You even knew that Billy Osborn's death was tied to him?"
Akira was sure S.H.I.E.L.D. had known all along about Norman's dark side. They had just chosen not to intervene. Now that Norman had finally made a mess, they came sniffing around like vultures.
Even Coulson, thick-skinned as he was, had no response this time. Whether his embarrassed look was real or fake, no one could tell.
"We were aware of certain aspects of the situation with Norman Osborn. Originally, the NYPD was supposed to investigate, but... clearly, Norman's descent into madness went further than we expected…"
Coulson tried to soften their role, explaining things in a way that distanced S.H.I.E.L.D. from any wrongdoing.
"Oh, I see," Akira replied, feigning sudden understanding.
"So, this angry agent here—do you now believe Norman committed suicide?"
As he spoke, Akira pointed his gun directly at the furious Barton.
"You?!"
Barton clutched his injured arm, clearly still ready for a fight.
"And who are you to question me? I'm Oscorp's largest shareholder. I can afford to hire the best lawyers in the country and drag you through court for a hundred years."
"In terms of strength, you couldn't even beat Kenta. What makes you think you have the right to question me?"
"You think that FBI badge means anything? You're just hiding behind a borrowed name. A shadow organization in disguise—what gives you the right?"
Akira didn't hold back, fully displaying his dominance.
Worried that things might spiral further, Coulson quickly stepped between them.
"Mr. Akira, I'm very sorry for the misunderstanding. But please believe me—we didn't come here to target you. S.H.I.E.L.D. has always aimed to preserve peace—"
"Save it, Coulson. Let's end it here today. When Norman attacked me, you didn't show up. But the moment things got messy, you rushed in to clean up."
"If the roles were reversed, and you were in my place, would you accept these excuses?"
"So don't explain. Just take Norman's body and finish your mission. Let's not interfere with each other going forward."
"My patience and goodwill stem from my respect for your legal authority.
But don't mistake that for weakness—or you'll regret it.