37. Tony's resolve

'.....'= Thoughts 

"....."= Conversations 

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After Harry was sure that they were quite a distance away from the base, he quickly used the Earth Release to block and fill the way they had used by soil.

His legs finally gave out and he sat down huffing and removed his shirt. He examined the damage to his upper body and sighed.

If it was some normal situation, he would have used Katsuyu to heal himself slowly. But due to the current situation he quickly purchased a C Rank sealed scroll to heal himself quickly.

Tony too was roughed a bit as the explosion had propelled them deeper in the tunnel. After Harry healed himself up, he quickly used a D Ranked healing scroll on Tony without his permission.

Meanwhile Tony sat in front of Harry lost in his own thoughts while clutching to a hard disk type device in his hand.

Harry, feeling a bit more revitalized, glanced at Tony, who was staring at the hard disk in his hands with a haunted expression. The raw pain and confusion in Tony's eyes stirred a rare sense of empathy in Harry. They weren't close—far from it—but in this moment, Harry understood the depth of Tony's torment.

"Tony," Harry began hesitantly, unsure of how to bridge the chasm between them. "I know we haven't always seen eye to eye, but I can't imagine what you're going through right now. If you need someone to talk to..."

Tony didn't immediately respond, his gaze fixed on the device as if it contained all the answers to his questions. After a long pause, he sighed and looked up. "I am not some weak hearted sissy kid. It's just I always had found the sudden death of my parents a bit suspicious. I wasn't even able to see them..after the so called accident...,"

Harry nodded, understanding the complexity of Tony's emotions. "It's never easy, finding out the truth. Sometimes it hurts more than not knowing."

Tony's expression softened slightly. "Thanks for the healing, by the way. Didn't ask for it, but I appreciate it."

Harry gave a half-smile. "Didn't think you would. But you needed it."

Tony took a deep breath, steeling himself. "I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier. I was... well, you know."

"Yeah," Harry said quietly. "I get it. No hard feelings."

For a moment, they sat in silence, the weight of their respective burdens hanging heavy in the air. Then Harry spoke again, his voice firmer. "What's your plan now, Tony?"

Tony didn't answer immediately, still lost in thought. But before he could respond, Harry continued, "Because whether you're with me or not, I'm taking down this HYDRA base. They've taken too much from me—my team, my life. I'm not going to let them keep doing this."

Tony's eyes narrowed with a new resolve. "They've taken everything from me too. I'm not just going to let them get away with it. I'll help you destroy them. We'll wipe them out together."

"Good," Harry said. "But we need to be smart about this. The guy in the recording, the one who killed your parents—he's a Winter Soldier. We've encountered one already, but there could be more. We have to be prepared for that."

Tony clenched his jaw, a cold fury settling in his eyes. "We'll be ready. When are we attacking?"

Harry looked at his hands, flexing his fingers as if testing his strength. "Give me an hour or two to recover my energy. Then we'll move."

Reaching into his pocket, Harry pulled out a small, sealed packet. Actually he had quickly purchased a packet of food pills from the system. Few months ago, while he was training in the forest before his trip to Harlem, he was heavily dependent upon these pills. Once he had even tried to eat more of them successively as they increased the chakra recovery rate, but he instantly regretted doing that.

His stomach began bloating and his control over the chakra inside his body went haywire. He was internally injured while carrying out the fear and since that day he had excercised caution while handling the food pills

He opened it and took out a pill, tossing another one to Tony. "Here, take this. It'll help you recover faster, both physically and mentally. And it'll keep us from getting hungry."

Tony eyed the pill skeptically. "What is it?"

"Food pill," Harry explained. "Just don't take too many. Trust me, it won't end well."

Tony hesitated but then swallowed the pill. "You always bring out some weird things, kid. Anyways, what's the plan?"

Harry thought for a moment. "How about this—you attack the base head-on, draw their attention. I'll use my Earth Release to tunnel underneath and take them out from the inside. It'll split their forces and give us a better chance."

Tony nodded slowly, considering the plan. "It's risky, but it could work. We need to hit them hard and fast before they can call for backup."

"Exactly," Harry agreed. "We need to be quick and decisive. And if things go south, we'll need an exit strategy."

Tony's mind was already working on the details. "Alright. Let's finalize our plan and then rest up. We're going to need all our strength for this." He paused, glancing at Harry thoughtfully. "You know, if things go south, I can easily escape with the help of my suit. The real question is, how will you get out if things turn bad inside the base?"

Harry gave a reassuring smile, tapping his temple. "Don't worry, I've got it covered. My tunneling ability works both ways. If things get too heated, I can dig my way out as quickly as I dug in."

Tony still looked skeptical. "What if you're cornered or there's no time to dig?"

Harry chuckled, his confidence unwavering. "Worst comes to worst, I'll use my transformation technique to change my appearance. I've studied their uniforms and ranks. I can blend in as one of their own agents. They won't suspect a thing."

Tony's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "You can do that? That's impressive. But are you sure it'll work?"

"Positive," Harry affirmed. "I've practiced it countless times. As long as I stay calm, they'll never know."

Tony took a deep breath, still processing the plan. "Alright, I trust you. Just make sure you stay safe. We're going into the lion's den here."

They were about to take on one of HYDRA's most fortified installations. It was a daring mission, but the potential payoff was immense. If they succeeded, they would deal a significant blow to HYDRA's operations.

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