Chapter Seven
When Coulson finally felt his body stop fighting itself, he realized they were no longer on the beach. The dizziness still rang in his ears, but his vision was clear enough to tell that they were standing atop a skyscraper. He had no idea how the hell it had happened or at what exact moment it had occurred; he knew only one thing with absolute certainty: if he had his gun at that moment, he would have emptied the entire magazine into Naruto's head without a second thought.
The redhead, meanwhile, stood there as if nothing were wrong—completely at ease, with the wind striking his body and sending his long red hair flowing in such an unnatural way that Coulson couldn't help but recall a show he had watched as a child. Knights in service to a goddess who insisted on wearing absurdly long hair, even when it was obvious it would get in the way during a fight against warriors of other gods. Ridiculous, yes—but the image wouldn't leave his mind.
He pushed the thought aside when Naruto raised a hand. Coulson felt a faint pressure envelop him, as if an invisible layer had settled over his body, and immediately noticed that the wind had stopped battering them. The contrast was so abrupt that it took his body a couple of seconds to accept it.
For Naruto, this was less an act of courtesy and more a test. A way to measure whether, in the future, he might stop hiding—whether it would be worth continuing to help beyond the months it would take Charlie to come for him. Everything depended on whether this world could accept the existence of magic. With the wind barrier in place, he walked unhurriedly toward the building's edge and looked out over the city, letting the remnants of the wind strike him as though he were enjoying the sensation.
Coulson managed to recover from the lingering vertigo and stepped up beside him.
"You'll get used to it," Naruto said, never taking his eyes off the horizon. "The first time is always the hardest when you jump."
Coulson didn't respond right away. He was still dealing with the unpleasant churn in his stomach, trying to process what had just happened. He figured it had to be something like traveling through a wormhole… one about the size of an actual worm, to make matters worse.
"All right," he finally said. "That was definitely not what I was expecting. Was that how you escaped the hotel before I arrived? And is that how you came to this world?"
They were the two most important questions, and he decided to leave the inevitable how do you do it? for later.
"In a way, yes," Naruto replied. He had escaped the hotel like that—but he hadn't arrived in this world the same way. That had been Azazel's doing, playing with wormholes without properly researching them first. "Now here's the question: how do you think I'm able to do it?"
Coulson took a moment. He knew he was stepping onto dangerous ground. This was part of Naruto's test—a direct way of measuring how trustworthy he could be. And the situation didn't allow for recklessness. He already knew, from reports by his own agents, that Naruto could suppress memories with ease: the soldiers had massive gaps in their recollections, and the teenagers involved didn't even remember being on the beach.
They didn't need someone like that angry at them over a betrayal. And if Naruto was to be believed, he was completely sane, stable, and in full control of his power—which meant there was no "mental slip" they could rely on to stop him if things went wrong.
He would have to take a leap of faith. Show that he could be trusted without abandoning his duty.
"Before I can answer that," Coulson said at last, "I need to ask you something."
Naruto turned his head slightly toward him, wearing the same unshakable calm he had shown from the start.
"Go ahead."
"I specialize in personality analysis," Coulson said in a measured tone. "I read people. I try to understand them. And I've noticed some patterns… I'd like to confirm something. What did you do for a living?"
Naruto looked at him for a few seconds, as if evaluating whether the question hid some kind of trap, but then answered with complete naturalness:
"Prince, political agent, part-time athlete, and—more recently—a member of a research project aimed at improving long-distance cargo transport through instantaneous methods."
He said it as if it were the most normal thing in the world. To him, it probably was. He assumed Coulson imagined him as some sort of secret agent from his own world, but the truth was that he didn't know how to fight in a formal sense, nor did he have training to counter mental attacks. He had simply been born into a culture where such things were a natural part of life.
Coulson blinked a couple of times, genuinely surprised that Naruto wasn't a trained operative, but—quite literally—a prince who, for some reason, had taken part in a project that had gone wrong. He gathered his composure as best he could before asking the next question.
"How is it that you have such precise control over your power if you never received specialized training?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow, as if the answer were obvious.
"Would you leave a culture whose children are capable of rewriting reality using—quite literally—sticks… without at least some basic training to control the gift they're born with?"
His tone was dry, not aggressive. To him, the idea that only specialized agents received education was absurd—especially when he remembered that Gojo had never set foot in a formal school and yet was, if not the, then certainly one of the most powerful knights of his generation.
"That makes sense… I think," Coulson murmured, though his expression clearly showed that he now had more questions than before. And that he was definitely taking a vacation the moment he got the chance.
He took a deep breath before voicing the next doubt that had been circling his mind for some time.
"So, given that you're a noble… and based on what I know about those who still hold power in this world, did you have to swear an oath to protect your people above all else?"
"In a way," Naruto replied calmly. "More than protecting them, it was about ensuring their well-being and preservation. And in a somewhat more binding sense—but yes."
He didn't add anything else. He clearly had no intention of elaborating on that subject.
"That works," Coulson said, figuring he could at least work with that, even if it was rather vague. "Now… I'm bound by my own oaths not to share all the information we have. Even what we know about you. Do you understand?"
He said it seriously, but without a hint of aggression.
"It's not like you really have much," Naruto replied with a slight nod, "but I understand your concern. It's valid. And if we were in my world, we'd probably treat you the same way."
He didn't mention that, in his world, the process would be far more intrusive. There was no need.
"All right, how about this?" Naruto proposed. "Don't go into details. Just tell me what you can… and I'll tell you whether you're right or wrong."
"That's workable," Coulson conceded. He took a second to think, then began. "Let's see… it appears you can locate and destroy electronic technology."
He was remembering clearly how Naruto had fried the hotel microphones without even touching them—and how every single body cam on the soldiers at the beach had died at the same time.
"You can probably disrupt brain signals using the same method," he continued, "to render human targets unconscious… and erase short-term memory."
He had to suppress a faint smile when he saw Naruto lose his composure for just an instant—brief, minimal, but unmistakable. Apparently, Naruto hadn't realized they already knew he could erase memories.
"You can teleport," Coulson went on, "and you have the ability to generate some kind of barriers—like the one you're using against the wind. How am I doing?"
Naruto let out a short exhale—not annoyed, but distinctly dry.
"Listing my abilities isn't exactly what I had in mind when I asked how you thought I could do what I do."
"My personal theory is that you have some kind of mutant ability that lets you manipulate bioelectricity… or quantum entanglement," Coulson replied.
"I'm not a mutant," Naruto said flatly. He added nothing about quantum entanglement; he had no intention of telling Coulson—or anyone he didn't trust—that he had a natural affinity for using something like that.
"Some kind of technology from your home world?" Coulson asked again.
"Do you want to keep guessing, or would you rather I just tell you?" Naruto countered.
"So it's not technology… and not mutant abilities. Quantum entanglement seems like the most likely option. It would involve manipulating the energy that makes up the universe itself. I'm not a quantum physicist, but I don't know how you could do that without mutant-level abilities," Coulson concluded.
"All right," Naruto said as he turned his gaze back to the city stretching out below them. "I'll show you something that will give you clues so obvious even a child couldn't miss them."
He extended his hand forward and, with a simple movement of his fingers, began shaping the magic concentrated within his body. The white energy took form effortlessly—clean, luminous—until it became the unmistakable figure of a winged unicorn. The creature burst forth from his fingertips and descended toward the avenue, galloping in wide circles around the entire block.
In truth, Coulson saw absolutely nothing. He only saw Naruto move his hands and felt that something had happened, but he couldn't perceive a single shape. Even so, he knew something had occurred, because a sensation of absolute peace began to wash over him. Before he could make sense of it, he had fallen into what he could only describe as a trance of pure calm.
The trance broke when he heard Naruto's voice. It seemed to come from everywhere—and nowhere at once.
"Can you see it?"
The question came through clearly, but Coulson still saw nothing. He didn't want to break that feeling by speaking, so he simply shook his head.
Naruto ended the spell the moment Coulson indicated he couldn't see anything.
"What was that?" Coulson asked, still wrapped in the calm he had experienced.
"Something very special," Naruto replied. "It was made from the energy of my positive emotions. Back home we use it to send short messages and to keep away certain malicious spirits that devour souls. With that, I think you can already guess what I am."
He said it casually, though he was honestly a bit unsettled by how strongly Coulson had reacted to a simple Patronus. They didn't usually have such an… intense effect. Coulson seemed to have sunk into a kind of silent euphoria.
"Malicious spirits… messengers made of happiness… you're talking about fairy tales. Myths and legends about… magic," Coulson murmured. And then, suddenly, everything clicked. "You're a wizard."
"Please," Naruto scoffed. "Wizards use sticks and weird chants to do their magic. I'm a damn elf—didn't the ears give it away?"
He pointed at his pointed ears.
Coulson blinked several times as he finally noticed them clearly for the first time.
And only one question crossed his mind:
How the hell hadn't I noticed them before?
"So… Merlin is real in your world?" Coulson asked, with almost childlike amazement, trying to break the awkwardness that followed his realization.
"He's been dead for over a thousand years, and he was a massive idiot, but… yes. He existed," Naruto replied calmly. He had no reason to hate Merlin—but no reason to admire him either. According to his father, Merlin was a frivolous fool who wanted to turn every conversation into a damn musical. He'd been born sometime around the year nine hundred… though the Pendragons insisted he was still alive and had simply gotten bored, now traveling the world spreading his 'joy' and excessively vibrant personality everywhere.
Whatever the truth was, Naruto didn't particularly care.
"What time is it?" he asked at last.
The question snapped Coulson out of his lingering trance. He checked his watch quickly.
"We've been off the grid for a couple of minutes. Director Fury is going to be furious," he replied with genuine concern.
"Relax… now comes your final test," Naruto said, placing his hand on Coulson's shoulder again. "Ready?"
He didn't give him time to answer. The two of them vanished instantly, returning to the beach they had left behind.
When they reappeared, Coulson once again felt every cell in his body protest at once, as if everything inside him resisted the journey. It took him a few seconds to recover, and when he finally focused, he discovered that the beach was completely empty. No agents. No equipment. Not a single trace that anyone had been searching for them.
"What did you do? Where is everyone?" Coulson asked, his face slipping back into its usual neutral mask. For the first time, he wondered if he had made a mistake by trusting him. Naruto had been honest so far—he hadn't given him a reason to doubt—but… Fury didn't abandon an operation like this. Ever.
"Calm down. If I really wanted to hurt you, I have far better methods than tricking you," Naruto said, before placing a finger against Coulson's forehead.
A chill ran down his spine with such clarity it froze him to the bone. He watched in disbelief as his own hands began to fade from view—though he could feel them perfectly. It wasn't numbness or loss of control.
They simply… weren't visible anymore.
"A chameleon charm," Naruto explained calmly. "It diffracts the light around you and makes your body blend into the environment. You're invisible, not intangible, so try not to move too much."
"This is actually quite useful. You can apply magic to a willing subject," Coulson said, already thinking about how much Fury would pay for something like this—completely unaware that Naruto could extend it to virtually anyone, willing or not. "How long does it last?"
Naruto had to pause for a second at that question. He honestly had no idea.
"I don't know… you should be fine for a few hours," he said at last, shaking his head. They could figure out the duration later; right now, something else was far more urgent. "Now listen: this is the most important part, and I'm going to make sure not a single sound leaves us for the next few minutes. This isn't negotiable. Do you understand?"
"Understood…" Coulson replied. He tried to add something else, but before he could, he realized that the moment Naruto pointed at him, all sound stopped coming from his body.
At first, he flinched—but after a few tests—snapping his fingers, trying to speak, even lightly striking his palm with a finger—he confirmed that, while disconcerting… and probably useful for horrific torture with enough imagination, it was still incredibly functional. He was certain that with all this, he could convince Fury that Naruto was an invaluable ally—and absolutely not someone they wanted as an enemy.
"Good. Now… this is something you will only ever speak about if things go completely to hell. Even if I work for S.H.I.E.L.D., only you and Fury will know this—and Fury only because I know I'll end up working for him. But even if I die, if everything goes well and there's no reason to use it… this goes with me to the grave. Do you understand?" Naruto was more serious than Coulson had ever seen him.
Coulson could only nod, trying to convey his sincerity through the gesture.
Naruto returned the nod, satisfied, and pulled out the same amulet he had used to rewind time hours earlier. He placed it around both their necks, then stepped back and performed a series of brief, precise movements with the amulet in his hands.
When he finished, Coulson felt the world lose its color and begin to rewind. The experience overwhelmed him instantly. The worst part came when he saw a second Coulson and a second Naruto appear in front of him, perfectly replicating their positions from a few minutes earlier. The shock was so great that his body released an automatic scream—though, thankfully, he was still silenced.
Now he understood why Naruto had insisted so much.
He watched as the second Naruto tilted his head slightly, as if sensing something. A flash of understanding crossed the redhead's eyes before he began explaining the exact same conversation to the "other" Coulson.
For a moment, Coulson felt a strange, almost childish urge to follow them—to relive that part now that he knew he could trust him.
When their duplicates finished and walked away, Naruto snapped his fingers and all the magic around them dissipated at once. Color returned. Sound came back. Coulson could breathe normally again.
"You can travel through time. Do you have any idea what we could do with that?" Coulson asked, genuinely excited.
"Tear the fabric of reality itself. Create a wormhole large enough to swallow existence. Force the universe to 'fix' things… take your pick. If you think it wouldn't be bad, I have a thousand more examples. Time is a primordial force of the All. Playing with it always, always has consequences. And it's only done when there's no other option," Naruto said with complete seriousness, without a hint of exaggeration.
"I'm sorry… I didn't know. I'll leave it at that for now, but Fury will probably need to know more if things go well. And I want to know more too," Coulson replied. And he was being completely honest: if someone who had effectively revealed himself as a god in human skin told you "don't mess with time," then you didn't mess with time.
"I'll explain more later," Naruto said, slipping the amulet back into his clothes. "So… what happens next?"
"I think I can help you," Coulson said with a faintly wry smile. "Do you trust me to handle things?"
"If I didn't, I would've disappeared a long time ago," Naruto replied with his usual calm. "Do your job. Just make sure the agents watching me stop doing so. I don't want them punished when I slip out of their sight. And I think we both know I can do that whenever I want."
With that said, both of them began walking back toward the table where Coulson's devices were set up.
"I'll arrange everything for tomorrow. Just one more question before I reconnect: if you just arrived, how did you know about the Puente Antiguo incident?"
"The agents you sent on the first night were involved in that same incident. It was easy for me to find while I was erasing their memories of what happened tonight. And I have a very good memory, so when you asked, I knew exactly what you meant," Naruto explained, deliberately avoiding any mention of his ability to read minds at will. He didn't do it often, but that night had been a special case: he needed information about this world.
"Can you read minds?" Coulson asked, his gaze turning cold.
"No. To read them, I have to enter directly, and that requires the absence of mental defenses. An unconscious person doesn't have any. If I tried it on you, you could probably repel me with enough effort. Besides, the other option was turning their brains into mush, and I prefer not to kill people who are just doing their jobs. In any case, prolonged eye contact is required for deep access," Naruto explained.
It was a half-truth. Most people did require eye contact; Naruto only needed intent. The raw force of his power was enough to break through nearly any mental defense.
"I understand," Coulson said.
That was enough for Naruto to realize that Coulson didn't like that ability at all. Still, he simply offered him a reassuring smile before conjuring a pair of sleek, completely dark sunglasses with his magic and handing them over without another word.
"That makes sense," Coulson said as he took them. "Why tell me? You could've kept that information to yourself."
"I have no reason to. Trust requires knowledge, and in your line of work… someone with my ability to enter and exit people's minds would be something you'd very much want to know about. Either way, I'll leave you to whatever you need to do," Naruto replied simply.
He didn't add that, for a brief moment, he had considered telling Coulson that, in his world, they were a television franchise—but dismissed it immediately. Not only would it have been a lie, it was also so absurdly specific that Coulson wouldn't have believed it for a second.
Ironically, it wasn't that far from the truth, and if he were one of those action-movie types, he might have realized just how close he was to guessing correctly.
(Author's note: Naruto has absolutely no idea he's in the MCU, mostly because he doesn't like the superhero genre.)
Coulson seemed to accept the explanation, and as soon as they reached the table, he activated his communicator and placed it in his ear before turning to Naruto one last time. Then he began speaking.
"Coulson, confirming operational status. Authentication code: Zeta, Lema, Beta, four, two, five. Please confirm."
He waited a few seconds before continuing.
"Confirmed. Evaluation at Delta stage. The subject is willing to cooperate under Handling Protocol Fifteen, Subsection C."
He fell silent again, listening. For a brief moment, surprise flickered across his expression before he replied:
"Confirmed. I recommend option two. Proceed with Protocol X."
Naruto was at least ninety percent sure that wasn't the same code Coulson had used when requesting blackout status—but he said nothing, assuming it was some sort of counter-impersonation measure or something similar.
He simply remained silent and made a mental note to bring the idea up with his father later.
"I'll inform him, sir," Coulson said, clearly pleased with himself. "The Director wants you to report directly. Tomorrow he'll send someone to pick you up; he wants to meet you in person."
The smile that accompanied that statement was… rather tense.
Naruto chose to interpret it as I hope this goes well.
"I need to teach you Occlumency. You're far too transparent with your emotions," Naruto said dryly.
He'd give him the book later. After all, magic wasn't required to build mental defenses. At the end of the day, the mind was even more powerful than magic: without a mind to guide it, magic was nothing more than energy drifting aimlessly through the world, incapable of influencing living beings beyond a few basic effects.
In a sense, it was like air.
Coulson blinked a couple of times at those comments, not entirely sure what Naruto meant.
"The Director said you're free to leave whenever you want, but he'd prefer you keep using the hotel until you meet with him," Coulson said, deciding he could ask further questions later.
"It's not like I have anywhere else to stay," Naruto replied dryly.
Of course, he knew they wanted to keep track of him. It was logical: an unknown, potentially dangerous individual they knew little to nothing about. He would be treated as a threat until they learned more—or reached an agreement… or tried to lock him up, whichever came first.
After a brief stretch of silence, Coulson decided to ask another question.
"Most people would've asked about the codes and protocols I used. Why didn't you?" he asked as he drove Naruto back to his car. He could tell Naruto was a very honest person—brutally honest, really. He wasn't used to his subjects not being intensely curious, much less cooperative. Usually, it was the opposite: curiosity to a fault and outright aggression.
"I may not be a soldier or a special agent, but I am a prince. I understand the need for coded language to keep information from flowing to your rivals," Naruto replied.
Among the ten kings of the magical world, there was an unspoken understanding: they stood united against non-magicals. Still, every kingdom maintained its own culture, its own level of secrecy, and its own way of protecting what was theirs.
"My father hired a retired veteran to serve as our spymaster back home. I don't know him very well, but he's extremely paranoid—and for some reason, we've never had better information security than since he started working for us."
Coulson nodded. It made sense that, as a prince in his own world, Naruto would have at least a basic understanding of intelligence agencies and how they operated, even if he didn't grasp their full scope.
"If you don't mind me asking… what did you actually do in your world?" Coulson pressed.
The answer Naruto had given earlier felt too broad, lacking a concrete role behind it.
"That's private, Coulson," Naruto said with a faint smile. His private life was just that—private. He didn't share it with his closest friends, his cousins… hell, not even with his own brother, and they were quite close.
After that, they remained silent until they reached the car. Coulson dropped Naruto back at the hotel and then drove off to file his report.
As for Naruto, he figured he could go out for a walk to shake off some of the day's stress. But for that, he'd need money—and while S.H.I.E.L.D. was paying for the room, he wasn't about to be demanding. He could grab a drink at the bar first, then go find somewhere to exchange his coins for local currency.
First things first: he needed a drink.
He headed to the hotel bar and took a seat. He ordered six shots of tequila and a glass of whiskey. He knew it wouldn't compare to the elven liquor he was used to, but he had no intention of opening one of his bottles for something as trivial as stress relief. And the fire-whiskey that was shipped to him once a month—ever since he'd bought the distillery to save it from bankruptcy—would attract far too much attention… but that wasn't relevant right now.
As he drank—his palate protesting the low quality of what he was being served, though he admitted the tequila tasted surprisingly good—he began to observe the room.
He noticed a young couple trying not to draw attention. From their scent, the cocktails they were drinking were clearly non-alcoholic; apparently, they hadn't managed to fool the bartenders, who served them what they ordered but without the usual alcohol content. It made sense—the bar also functioned as the hotel's dining area, and they couldn't deny service to guests.
He dismissed the couple and turned his attention to five well-dressed men in suits who looked like they'd just wrapped up a business meeting and were now celebrating something. He also noticed an older man at the far end of the bar, drinking slowly while staring into his glass with a heavy expression. From the way he dressed and the emptiness in his gaze, it was obvious he wasn't having a good time. Naruto considered offering him some economic advice… but non-magical economics worked very differently in his world, and he wasn't about to risk it.
He let the thought go and returned to his whiskey just as a female voice broke his focus.
"Thirsty, are you?"
Instinctively knowing she was speaking to him, he turned his head to see an incredibly beautiful red-haired woman approaching the bar to his right. She wore a white summer dress with an elegant but understated pattern of pale green leaves. Her hair, slightly wavy and cut just above her shoulders, framed a pair of dark green eyes that regarded him calmly.
"No, I just wanted to have a drink somewhere other than my room," he replied calmly.
She studied him for a second, then glanced at the glasses in front of him: four already empty, the whiskey halfway gone.
"That must be a very boring room. Mind if I join you? I seem to be suffering from a bit of claustrophobia myself."
Naruto didn't need to be a genius—though he was one—to put two and two together and realize that this woman had been sent before his meeting with Coulson to keep an eye on him and see what she could extract. Still, he returned her smile and stood from his seat to greet her with proper courtesy, all while thinking internally that these people seriously needed to up their game if they truly wanted to play spies.
"A pleasure to meet you, my lady. My name is Naruto."
She took his hand with a polite smile.
"Natalie."
And with equal politeness, he brought her knuckles to his lips.
"The pleasure is mine, Natalie. May I offer you a drink?" Naruto asked calmly.
She accepted naturally, gave her order to the bartender, then turned back to him.
"Are you trying to flirt with me?" she asked.
Naruto's mind short-circuited for a second.
He wasn't flirting. In elven culture, it was perfectly normal to begin any professional relationship with a drink or a meal. He had no romantic intentions whatsoever.
"I'm not a one-night stand, just so you know," she added.
"Of course not," Naruto replied, mildly scandalized.
Damn it, Juvia would castrate him if she ever found out he was "flirting" with a stranger. And Wendy or Alexia—don't even get him started. Charlie would probably laugh… but that didn't improve his odds of survival.
"I was just being polite," he said, trying to sound natural while all he could think was that if his wives ever found out about this scene, he was absolutely dead. Most of them were extremely jealous.
She noticed immediately that his panic was genuine. She didn't know why he'd reacted that way, but she did know that if she lost the subject by playing her cards wrong, Fury would be furious—and something in her instincts told her Coulson would be even worse.
With that in mind, she quickly shifted tactics.
"So, what are you doing in Malibu? On vacation?" she asked, trying to halt his panic spiral.
Fortunately, it worked.
"It was a spontaneous trip. It'll probably count as a vacation… depending on what happens tomorrow," Naruto replied, finally managing to steady his breathing.
He just had to focus. Remember that he wasn't flirting. That he was merely being polite to a future coworker. One he would, definitely, keep as much distance from as possible.
"And you?" he asked at last, once he'd calmed down, being very careful not to say anything that could be misinterpreted.
She seemed to sigh in relief when she realized he'd stabilized, and after considering the best response, she spoke.
"I'm a personal assistant. My boss and I were here for a conference. Now he's off with his boyfriend; he got me a room and some spending money while they do… whatever. And you? You look like someone who can go anywhere and find business offers wherever he goes," she said, mildly intrigued.
"A bit of this, a bit of that," Naruto replied, deliberately vague. He still hadn't come up with a proper cover story. Damn it—how had he overlooked something so basic? It was literally step one in the book titled What To Do When Your Position Is Compromised.
"A friend set up a meeting for me with someone who might employ me. If things go well, that is," he added, finishing his drinks and internally cursing the natural alcohol resistance of elves. He genuinely wished he were drunk right now.
But since he hadn't even managed to get tipsy, he simply stood up and extended his hand again, which thoroughly confused his handler—especially when he took her hand and once more kissed her knuckles.
"I appreciate your charming company, my dear, but I'm afraid I must take my leave."
"Wait—you're leaving?" She sounded a bit offended.
"I only intended to drink what I did. I apologize if my departure seems abrupt, but I feel like taking a walk. Perhaps find a market and browse the shops. You know, do a bit of sightseeing while I still have the time. I suppose you could join me, if you'd like."
He didn't expect her to accept—but at least it wouldn't seem like he was abandoning her.
"Sure," she said, surprising him. "I haven't gone shopping in a while."
She shrugged slightly and began to stand.
"Would you mind if we meet in an hour? I was at the beach earlier and I could use a shower and some clean clothes."
"Alright. I'll see you in the lobby," Naruto replied.
She sat back down, probably to finish her drink.
Once Naruto left, she reached into her bag, pulled out something small, and placed it in her ear. Then she lifted her phone to the same ear—just in case anyone was watching—before speaking.
"The target has stated he's leaving the hotel to do some sightseeing. I've received an invitation to accompany him. Departure time is one hour."
She listened to her earpiece for a couple of seconds, then added:
"Confirmed. We'll continue with primary observation and reconnaissance. Widow out."
End of the Chapter.