Chapter 4: "The All-Seeing Eye"
Agent Coulson knocked on the door of the Director's office and, after receiving an affirmative response, entered. Director Fury looked up from the screen, where he was reviewing a report on a possible Hydra remnant in South America. The information was unreliable, but he filed it away for later review. It wasn't the first time he had received such a report, and he doubted it would be the last.
"Agent Coulson, what do you have for me?" Director Fury asked, his one eye fixed on the agent. He trusted Coulson like no one else.
"I'm afraid I haven't been able to gather much information, sir," Agent Coulson replied. "Our technicians are analyzing the devices we found in the boy's room. Most of them were destroyed, and we don't know how he deactivated them. It seems to be very advanced technology."
"And has he contacted his superiors?" Director Fury asked impatiently. "I need to know who he works for."
Fury wasn't in the mood for political games. If there were foreign agents in his territory, he had to know who they were and what they were looking for. And, above all, how they knew where and when to send their agent.
"We haven't discovered how he communicates with his contacts yet," Agent Coulson reported, with a note of concern in his voice. "He claimed that he had already done so, but we haven't detected any cell phone, radio, or other type of communication from his room. He hasn't even used the hotel phone."
Agent Coulson paused, observing Director Fury's reaction. "Whoever he is and whoever he works for, he seems to be using a communication system that we cannot identify or trace."
Agent Coulson knew Director Fury wouldn't like that news. S.H.I.E.L.D. prided itself on having the best technology, and the fact that a foreigner had access to a more advanced communication system was an affront that Director Fury wouldn't tolerate.
"And what information do we have on him?" Director Fury asked, the vein in his temple throbbing. His patience was wearing thin. "You don't think I'm going to settle for this guy claiming to be a diplomat from an unknown agency, do you?"
"The technicians at the beach have sent some preliminary reports," Agent Coulson replied. "Apparently, they found traces of energy similar to the signal we detected near the area where the sand melted. But there are no marks on the ground. We can assume that the energy source was not the Bifrost."
"However, the melted spot has a completely different signature," Agent Coulson said, frowning. "Whatever happened there, it must have been something that generated a lot of heat and, probably, noise, since the glass that was created seems to have formed almost instantly. And there are no traces of any accelerant. I'm afraid we could be facing a first contact situation gone wrong, but there is no way to confirm it. There are too many unknowns. Our best option is the man waiting to contact his superiors at the hotel."
"What can you tell me about him?" Director Fury asked. "I know you have a good eye for people. Is he a threat?"
"His training must be some of the best I've ever seen," Agent Coulson replied. "He arrived with no luggage, equipment, or weapons. He's been evasive with the details, but he seems willing to cooperate. I don't think he's a threat. Rather, he seems tired. He is calm and observant, like someone returning from war. He has been cooperative, within what he considers acceptable. But there is something I don't understand... He hasn't asked us to recover his luggage."
Agent Coulson paused, creating an expectant silence.
"What?" Fury asked impatiently.
"Well, the thing is... when I met him on the beach, he was wearing some kind of leather armor. I've never seen anything like it. And when I went to get him at the hotel, he was wearing different clothes. There was even a jacket thrown on the couch. I thought he would have asked for clothes to be brought to him, but there's no record of him leaving his room, or anyone going in. I don't know how he did it, but it seems he got new clothes by other means." Coulson paused, thoughtful. "Is it possible that someone is working on something similar to Jane Foster's research?" he asked. "If someone else were investigating the Bifrost, you would know, wouldn't you?"
Fury, frowning, remained pensive. "It's possible, but unlikely. If they had that technology, why wouldn't they use it to bring their agent instead of leaving him here? And why haven't we detected any other transmissions? Be that as it may, we can't allow this 'Naruto' to disappear. Contact Widow. We may need her to get information out of him. Have her ready, but don't send her yet."
"Yes, sir," Coulson replied. "Oh, and one more thing. He told me his name is Naruto Uzumaki. Facial recognition is still ongoing, and if we find anything with that name, maybe we'll get lucky."
"At S.H.I.E.L.D., we don't rely on luck, agent," Fury said sternly. "Get me that information."
"Of course, sir," Coulson replied, with his characteristic empty smile. He turned and left the office, leaving Fury alone with his thoughts.
Fury, frowning, leaned back in his chair. "Just you wait, Naruto Uzumaki," he muttered to himself. "We'll uncover your secrets."
At that very moment, in a hotel on the other side of the city, an instrument monitoring the energy readings in Naruto's room suddenly activated. The technicians, alarmed, immediately jumped to their feet, and agents rushed out the door.
Naruto, tired of waiting, had decided to take a quick trip to New York. He wanted to visit the Sorcerer Supreme, hoping he would be there, or that he could at least contact him from the city. "And I hope it's not Strange," Naruto thought, remembering the sorcerer's eccentric personality. "The Ancient One was much more reasonable."
Before leaving, he went to his room. He was sure there were cameras all over the hotel, except in his room, which he had thoroughly cleaned of surveillance devices. Once inside, he used a ritual to make himself invisible. Light passed through his body without resistance, making him disappear from sight.
When he was ready, he activated a teleportation ritual. In an instant, he vanished from the room, reappearing in an alley in New York.
Unfortunately, as soon as he arrived in New York, Naruto realized a small flaw in his plan. He had no idea where the magical enclave that maintained the seal on Dormammu was located. And, to make matters worse, the location of the seal changed in every movie or series. His knowledge of the city was limited, and he couldn't rely on his memory to find the enclave.
"Damn it," Naruto growled in frustration. He deactivated his invisibility. For what he had to do next, he needed to see clearly. He activated his "galactic eyes," as he called them. (Don't judge him, he was only eight years old when he created them, and he had never been good with names). Those eyes allowed him to see the flow of different energies: magic, cursed energy, chakra, ki...
But, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see anything in the alley where he was. Not a single trace of magical energy. He sighed and expanded his range of vision, scanning the city with his gaze. Finally, he detected a faint thread of energy heading towards the city center. He followed it with his eyes until he found the source. It wasn't what he expected, but it was certainly powerful.
Naruto left the alley and entered the streets of New York. There was no point in hiding anymore. Disappearing into the crowd would only draw more attention. As soon as he arrived, Naruto found himself in front of an old three-story building, with a large circular window on the top floor. "And the non-magical ones say that we are ostentatious," he thought ironically.
He approached the door, intending to look for some magical mechanism to knock or some hidden trap. But, a few steps from the entrance, the door opened. An old man, dressed in Tibetan monk robes, watched him with an enigmatic look, as if he were waiting for him. Naruto was sure that some magical object had foreseen his arrival, but he didn't remember which one.
The old man nodded and gestured for him to enter. Naruto, after a moment of hesitation, crossed the threshold. He felt a strange energy as he passed through an invisible barrier. His senses told him that there was magic in this place, or something similar. He looked around, searching for the old man, but he was already gone, without saying a word.
Naruto, unsure whether to follow him, simply shrugged and started walking in the same direction. Then, he heard a voice coming from the stairs:
"Traveler, welcome to the Sanctum Sanctorum."
End of Chapter.