17 Chapter 17: Sweet Talk, and Then Some More

"This is a mythological story," Nick Fury's first reaction upon hearing what Wu Jin had said. "This is a mythological story known only to them, the ninjas," he thought, after the brain trust at S.H.I.E.L.D. had searched through global myths and found no match. But the name, "Goddess Usagi"? That seemed to come from the Japanese side. Looks like they couldn't let their guard down on Japan after all!

However, as Wu Jin, disguised as the outwardly calm Hokage, continued to speak earnestly, Nick Fury's inner skepticism began to waver. "Goddess Usagi sealed on the moon? How could that be? Ten-tailed beast? Sounds quite far-fetched," he thought to himself. "The Sage of Six Paths dividing the Ten-Tails into nine beasts... Does that mean this Sage is akin to a creator god, able to create life out of thin air? But how could gods die?" With each revelation, Nick Fury's mind calculated, but when Wu Jin finally spoke of "Hokage's purpose in coming to New York," his eyelids couldn't help but twitch. 

One mustn't fully believe, but one mustn't disbelieve either! That was Nick Fury's conclusion. If what this Hokage said was true, and they disregarded or disbelieved it, allowing someone to unseal the nine beasts and merge them into the world-destroying Ten-Tails, wouldn't they become accomplices to the world's destruction? It wasn't about being an accomplice per se, but rather about plunging the world into a crisis, and that was what Nick Fury was worried about. 

After much contemplation, Nick Fury said to Natasha through his earpiece, "Natasha, give him the communicator." Clearly, they knew that they were being remotely controlled behind Natasha's back. If they continued to do so, wouldn't that be disrespectful to him? Although this Hokage seemed calm and not violent, what if?

Nick Fury didn't want to take chances. He'd rather choose a slightly more troublesome way to nip the crisis in the bud. "You're the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.?" The slightly gentle tone made Nick Fury feel a little relieved. A person this gentle shouldn't cause trouble, right? Moreover, with such a gentle personality, maybe there was a possibility of cooperation with S.H.I.E.L.D.!

Thinking of this possibility, Nick Fury's pupils unconsciously dilated a bit, and his breathing became slightly faster. However, this slight anomaly was quickly masked by the experienced Nick Fury, unnoticed even by Agent Maria Hill standing beside him. But Wu Jin noticed it. After all, a ninja's senses were quite sensitive.

With a slight curl of his lips, Wu Jin felt a little pleased. Disorder was what he wanted! This indicated that the story he had just told wasn't in vain. "Mr. Hokage, I'd like to confirm, does this world really have creatures called Tailed Beasts?" Perhaps because of Wu Jin's good temperament, Nick Fury became a little bolder and directly asked one of the key questions.

"Tailed Beasts do exist! Our First Hokage of Konoha once fought the Nine-Tailed Fox, the strongest among the Nine Tailed Beasts, and then subdued it!" Wu Jin spoke with a tone of reverence.

"The Nine-Tailed Fox? Isn't that an Eastern mythological figure?" Nick Fury frowned as he had just checked the mythological data. "And when did your First Hokage fight the Tailed Beast? Why do we know nothing about it?" 

"And, didn't you say that the Sage of Six Paths' seal, even after many years, remained very strong? Why would the Nine-Tails come out to fight your First Hokage?" These questions, Wu Jin had answers prepared. He replied one by one, "They are not the same thing, please do not confuse them. Although both are nine-tailed foxes, the Tailed Beast Nine-Tails is huge and cannot transform into a human form, do not confuse the two."

"As for when the First Hokage fought the Tailed Beast, that was a certain day five years ago. That day must have seen a very serious natural disaster!" 

"As for why you don't know about it, of course, we've kept it secret. If people all over the world knew about it, even though most would consider it a myth, there would always be someone who couldn't resist trying it out!"

"What if some unlucky fellow accidentally found the location of the sealed Tailed Beasts and successfully released one?" 

"No one wants to bear the consequences of that. Sometimes, the more you know, the more dangerous it is."

"As for why the Nine-Tails was released, this involves a traitor from Konoha Village. The specific details are not to be disclosed."

"After the First Hokage defeated the traitor and subdued the Nine-Tails, according to the seal of the Sage of Six Paths, it was resealed here in New York."

"That's about it. Do you have any more questions?" Wu Jin paused, slightly anticipating Nick Fury's response.