Chapter 3: In S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Crosshairs
A couple of hours later, Naruto found himself reflecting on the sofa in his hotel room. He had arrived early that morning, accompanied by Agent Coulson, whom he had met on the beach. He was enjoying the tranquility of the place, remembering the feeling of the hot water from the shower on his skin. It had been a long time since he had experienced anything like it. Not that his surviving people didn't have baths, but a shower was a luxury he hadn't been able to afford in a long time.
Once he was clean and dry, he devoured the food they had sent him. "Not bad," he thought, savoring the last bite with a satisfied smile. He remembered with sadness all the things his people had lost when their world went to hell. A pang of pain squeezed his chest. "I miss real food," he thought wistfully, letting out a sigh.
Of course, with his magic, he could create any food he wanted. But that wasn't the same. "A warrior doesn't feed on illusions," he told himself proudly, straightening his back and lifting his chin. "I won't stoop to being a mere food machine."
Now, he didn't mean that he wasn't going to help in any way he could. Healing the disease was something he would do without hesitation; a noble task, no doubt. But the idea of creating food with his magic... that turned his stomach. He wouldn't let his pride stop him from helping his people, but he still couldn't find a way to do it without feeling like a "glorified vending machine," as he called it.
Naruto clenched his fists, guilt pressing on his chest. He wasn't trying to justify his actions, nor silence the remorse for enjoying a good meal while his people were starving. Simply, sometimes it was hard to reconcile his warrior's pride with the need of his people.
There was no point in dwelling on it any longer. With a full stomach and freshly showered, it was best to try to rest. Naruto felt exhausted, probably from the stress accumulated over the past few weeks. He fell onto the bed, ready to sleep, but sleep wouldn't come.
He frowned, restless. "How strange," he thought, tossing and turning in the sheets. Guilt had never taken away his sleep. After all, he had been through, he had learned to deal with it. It was a necessary evil. However, something was preventing him from relaxing. Naruto had never been able to sleep if he felt he was being watched.
He sat up in bed, staring at the door. "But who could be watching me here?" he wondered uneasily. He remembered the conversation with Agent Coulson, analyzing every detail. Coulson didn't seem to be the type to follow and watch, but rather the type to gain trust to obtain information. But what about his agency? They knew Naruto was hiding something, and they would follow him by any means necessary.
Then he understood. It wasn't a person watching him, but hidden devices. "Cameras, microphones..." he thought, clenching his jaw. That explained why he couldn't sleep. He knew he couldn't rest while those devices recorded his every move. He had to do something about it.
Now that he had a clear idea of what he was looking for, he began to meticulously search the room. He deactivated a hidden microphone in the phone, another in the smoke detector, and even a tiny one in the TV remote. Naruto frowned, annoyed. "Seriously?" he thought. "Do they have that little trust in me?" The task was tedious, but he finally managed to disable all the surveillance devices.
With a sigh of relief, he fell back on the bed, ready to rest. "Finally," he thought, closing his eyes. "Now I can sleep peacefully."
He slept for almost six hours, four less than he was used to, when the insistent sound of someone knocking on the door woke him up. With a grunt of annoyance, he got out of bed, dragging his feet to the door. Upon opening it, he found Agent Coulson standing in the hallway with an expectant expression.
Naruto rubbed his eyes, still sleepy. "What does this guy want now?" he thought wearily.
"Yes?" Naruto asked hoarsely, rubbing one eye with the back of his hand. He knew what the agent wanted, or at least had a vague idea, but he wasn't about to give him information just like that.
"Good afternoon, Naruto," Coulson said with a friendly smile. "Do you have a last name by any chance? I don't usually call people by their first name."
"Did you just come here for that? My last name?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. He knew very well that the agent was just trying to pry information out of him with small talk. It had been a while since he had seen that tactic. "Does he really think I'm going to fall for that?" he thought with a mocking smile.
"You can't blame me for trying," Coulson said with a smile, shrugging. "And no, in fact, I was wondering if you could take me to lunch. There's a good place not too far from here."
Naruto looked at him suspiciously, crossing his arms.
"Ah, I see," said Naruto.
At that moment, his stomach growled loudly, betraying his hunger. Naruto brought a hand to his belly, with a look of surprise. He hadn't noticed how hungry he was until that moment.
"Well, I guess I could eat something," he admitted with a slight smile.
Coulson waited patiently for Naruto to put on a jacket. "Where did that jacket come from?" Coulson thought curiously. He was sure he hadn't seen it before. Without comment, he led Naruto out of the hotel.
They walked a few blocks until they reached a small Mexican restaurant. The aroma of spices and grilled meat wafted through the air, whetting Naruto's appetite. Coulson, with a kind gesture, motioned for him to take a seat at one of the empty tables.
"It's on me," Coulson said with a smile. "Order whatever you want."
Naruto browsed the menu curiously. He had tried Mexican food in the past, and he remembered liking it.
"I'll have a burrito," he finally said, closing the menu with determination. Coulson nodded and ordered some tacos for himself.
Coulson waited patiently for Naruto to put on a jacket. "Where did that jacket come from?" Coulson thought curiously. He was sure he hadn't seen it before. Without comment, he led Naruto out of the hotel.
They walked a few blocks until they reached a small Mexican restaurant. The aroma of spices and grilled meat wafted through the air, whetting Naruto's appetite. Coulson, with a kind gesture, motioned for him to take a seat at one of the empty tables.
"It's on me," Coulson said with a smile. "Order whatever you want."
Naruto browsed the menu curiously. He had tried Mexican food in the past, and he remembered liking it.
"I'll have a burrito," he finally said, closing the menu with determination. Coulson nodded and ordered some tacos for himself.
While they waited for the waiter to bring their orders, the agent began with a question:
"So, have you heard from your people yet?"
"Oh, right, I forgot to check that," Naruto said casually, bringing a hand to his chin as if in thought. "Not yet. I'm waiting for them to contact me. I left them a message to get in touch with me and tell me what to do, and I told them where I'm currently staying."
It was partly true. He hadn't contacted home, but he had contacted the shadows. Still, he remained calm and serene, noticing how the agent's eyebrows rose slightly. Coulson quickly concealed it, but his face couldn't completely hide the surprise.
Naruto smiled to himself. He had been in this game of secrecy since he was born, and those little gestures were easy to spot. Coulson was most likely wondering how and when he had communicated with someone, as they were surely expecting to hear from him through the devices he had discovered and dismantled.
"Is there any rush I should be aware of?" he asked curiously, tilting his head slightly.
"Well, we're still trying to figure out what was going on at the beach," Coulson said, leaning forward with interest. "Are you authorized to exchange information?"
Naruto watched him carefully, resting his chin in his hand. "A new tactic?" he thought curiously. "Let's see what you come up with this time, Agent." Coulson was expecting an answer, but Naruto remained silent, with an unreadable expression.
"I can't really give much information about the event itself," Naruto said cautiously, looking Coulson in the eye. "I can tell you that I arrived at the scene shortly after your sensors detected the event."
He shrugged, downplaying the matter. If the agent thought they had better equipment or were aware of the event, that was something he wasn't the least bit concerned about.
"Are you saying you have equipment that could predict these events before they happen?" Coulson asked, his eyes fixed on Naruto, trying to decipher his intentions.
"In a way, you could say that," Naruto commented distractedly, shrugging. He remembered Gamma and his peculiar ability to predict the future. "I guarantee you that the event came as a surprise to me when I found out about it, and some parts of it are still outside my area of expertise. At this point, you probably know more about it than I do."
Naruto looked away, with an expression of slight discomfort. It wasn't a lie; no one, not even him, understood Gamma's calculations, who seemed to have his own unique mathematical language for his predictions.
"What can you tell me about the event?" Naruto asked, looking back at Coulson curiously.
Coulson looked at Naruto carefully, as if weighing each word before speaking. Finally, in a cautious tone, he asked:
"Are you aware of the event that occurred in a small town outside New Mexico last year?"
Naruto frowned, thoughtful. He tried to remember what major event in the Marvel universe could have happened in New Mexico. The possibilities were many. "I hope this is the movie universe," he thought with a hint of worry.
"Are you talking about Puente Antiguo?" he asked, with a look of doubt.
If Coulson's expression was any indication, he had guessed correctly. The agent froze for a moment, his eyes fixed on Naruto. Then his eyes took on a new glint, a more dangerous one, as if the mystery Naruto represented had become much more intriguing.
"Very few agencies have access to that information," Coulson said cautiously, leaning slightly forward.
"Very few agencies know the full extent of all agencies," Naruto replied with a hint of mystery, keeping his eyes fixed on Coulson.
This was true. No matter the place or time, countries would always operate in the same way: accumulating and controlling as much information as possible. Coulson probably thought he had narrowed down Naruto's reach a bit, but he was wrong.
"Indeed," Coulson said, nodding. "Suffice it to say, the readings we obtained were quite similar. Not exactly the same, but similar."
Coulson looked at him expectantly, waiting for a reaction. Naruto, for his part, frowned, unable to help a grimace of worry. If it turned out that he had destroyed two Bifrost in two different dimensions, Artoria was going to kill him. The dates matched, and that wasn't a good sign.
"And you think this event has taken place again?" Naruto asked, with a note of unease in his voice. The truth is, the possibility of another active Bifrost excited him. Not because of the idea of dimensional travel itself, but because of the magnitude of power he had demonstrated in destroying the first one. "Two Bifrost in two different dimensions..." he thought with pride. "Not bad, for me."
"Whether it's the same or not, the implications are... diverse," Coulson said cautiously, frowning slightly. He seemed to be worried about something.
Naruto watched him carefully. He knew Coulson was holding back, but he wasn't one to invade people's privacy without cause. There was a big difference between surface scans and deep readings of the mind. What he had done to the soldiers the other night was necessary to protect himself, but in this case, he would have to find the information he wanted on his own.
"And it is very interesting, indeed," Naruto continued with a smile, tilting his head kindly. "I know it doesn't necessarily have the same value to you, but my last name is Uzumaki. Naruto Uzumaki, at your service."
Naruto decided to offer him some harmless information as a gesture of goodwill. After all, he didn't want to seem too suspicious.
Believe it or not, Naruto had almost forgotten they were in a restaurant. If it weren't for the fact that, by a twist of fate, his food arrived just as he was saying his name, he would have gotten up and gone back to the hotel.
Naruto dug his fork into the burrito, his eyes fixed on Coulson. "Uzumaki," he thought. "What will that name mean to him?"
He began to eat calmly, enjoying the taste of the burrito. Coulson, for his part, seemed absorbed in his own thoughts. Neither of them spoke much during the meal.
When they finished, Coulson accompanied Naruto back to the hotel. "Good night, Naruto," he said with a friendly smile. "I hope you rest well."
"Thank you," Naruto replied with a slight bow.
Upon entering his room, Naruto noticed that the light intrusion barrier he had placed had been triggered. With a frown, he checked the interior. He couldn't help but smile as he discovered new surveillance devices hidden in the room. "How cunning, Coulson," he thought wryly. "He distracted me with food so his agents could sneak in here."
Without hesitation, Naruto unleashed a burst of magical energy that coursed through the room, frying all the electronic devices. "That'll teach them to spy on me," he thought with satisfaction. He put the protective barrier back in place and went to sleep. He needed to rest. If he didn't sleep at least ten hours a day, his brain literally short-circuited. His magic was powerful, but it had its limitations.
He woke up four hours later, feeling refreshed and clear-headed. He sat up in bed and began to consider his options.
He had to find a place where he could meet with the shadows without attracting attention. Delta and Zeta's fluffy tails were too flashy. He didn't mind them, but the non-magicians of this world would surely be frightened.
Naruto lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Several thoughts crossed his mind. One of them, in particular, made him sit up with a start. A risky, desperate plan, but one that could be the key to saving his world... However, before setting it in motion, he had to make sure that his conversation with Coulson hadn't just been a coincidence. He needed to gain the agent's trust, make him believe he wasn't a threat.
"A couple of days will be enough," he thought with determination. "Then I'll escape to New York and meet with the Sorcerer Supreme."
He could send a shadow in his place, but he doubted the sorcerer would be amused. He wouldn't like a subordinate representing him at an important meeting. "Better to go in person," he decided.
End of chapter.