Chapter 474: Ninja Tools and Personnel Selection

At this moment, Nick Fury spoke up:

"Kabuto, I called you here because there's something I need to discuss with you."

"In the last sparring match, you used some symbols and smoke bombs. Could you explain what they are?"

Upon hearing Nick Fury's request, Kabuto thought for a moment and didn't refuse.

"Well, since the Director asks, I can't refuse."

As he spoke, Kabuto reached into his ninja tool bag. From it, he took out a bundle of detonation tags, only ten in number.

Kabuto pulled out one of the detonation tags from the pile and placed it on Nick Fury's desk.

As Kabuto took out the detonation tag, both Coulson and Nick Fury stared at each other, afraid that the other might trigger the item in his hands.

Seeing Kabuto take out a detonation tag and put the rest back into his ninja tool bag, Nick Fury asked, "What is this thing called?"

Kabuto picked up the detonation tag from the desk and placed it in his palm. Then he said, "This is one of the commonly used ninja tools called a detonation tag."

"Just by the name, you can understand it's something that triggers explosions."

"As for its power, I'm sure you already know from yesterday's combat test."

Looking at the detonation tag in Kabuto's hand, Nick Fury asked, "How stable is it?"

"I see you carry multiple detonation tags with you. Will they detonate due to external forces?"

Kabuto shook his head. "Its stability is very good, and it won't detonate due to external forces."

"Moreover, it's very easy to use and carry. Detonation tags are like hard currency in the ninja world and can even be used as money for transactions."

Nick Fury pondered for a moment, then asked, "How is this thing used? Can our agents use detonation tags as a means of attack?"

"What is the production cost, and can it be widely spread?"

After hearing Nick Fury's three consecutive questions, Kabuto pondered for a moment before answering, "The use of detonation tags is relatively simple. Typically, they are detonated through ninjutsu. The ninja triggers them by condensing chakra."

"However, this method requires injecting one's own chakra into the purchased detonation tags before they can be detonated through chakra condensation."

"Additionally, adjacent detonation tags will be detonated by the explosion of one within the same blast radius."

"As for whether agents can use them, I think it's very difficult. They don't have chakra, so they can't trigger the detonation tags."

"As for the production cost, I'm not sure. Also, I don't know the production process."

Upon hearing Kabuto's explanation, Nick Fury couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed. He thought he had found an item that could be used as a discreet and partial substitute for grenades, only to find out that only ninjas with chakra could use them.

Coulson spoke up from the side: "Since you've left the ninja world and have no way to go back, does that mean that once your detonation tags are used up, there's no way to replenish them?"

Kabuto nodded, "That's indeed a problem, so I plan to visit the ninja villages that have come to this world later to see if I can purchase some ninja tools from them."

Hearing that he still needs to replenish ninja tools from the ninja villages, Coulson felt somewhat helpless but could only nod and say, "It seems that's the only way."

Kabuto then took out a spherical smoke bomb from his ninja tool bag and said, "This is another one of the ninja tools called a smoke bomb, used to obstruct the enemy's vision."

"The method of using this is relatively simple. You just need to throw it on the ground with force to detonate it, releasing a large amount of smoke."

"Using a smoke bomb doesn't require chakra, so you guys can use it."

Hearing that this item doesn't require chakra, Nick Fury felt a bit less disappointed, but compared to the detonation tags, this item seemed much less effective.

Coulson then asked, "How much force is needed to detonate it when thrown on the ground?"

Kabuto thought for a moment before saying, "Not much force is needed. A force of several hundred kilograms to a ton can detonate the smoke bomb."

"Even kids in the ninja world can detonate it."

Listening to Kabuto's explanation, Coulson shook his head helplessly. It seemed that this item wasn't as useful for ordinary agents. After all, there's no guarantee that the impact force upon landing would be enough.

Seeing that both of the highly anticipated items weren't particularly useful for their side, Nick Fury felt quite disappointed.

"Kabuto, besides these, what other combat ninja tools do ninjas have?"

Hearing Nick Fury's question, Kabuto pondered for a moment before saying, "The main combat ninja tools for ninjas are detonation tags, kunai, shuriken, giant shuriken, fuuma shuriken, and short swords."

Nick Fury looked puzzled. "What are giant shuriken and fuuma shuriken?"

"The fuuma shuriken is like a larger version of a shuriken, with stronger attack power. It can also be used in conjunction with some ninjutsu."

"The giant shuriken, on the other hand, is even larger than the fuuma shuriken, with some as tall as a person. When thrown, they have tremendous killing power."

Not hearing the answer he was looking for, Nick Fury continued, "Are there any special ninja tools, like ones with magical abilities or artifacts?"

Hearing Nick Fury's question, Kabuto didn't speak immediately but took a moment to think before saying, "I've heard that the Mist Village in the Land of Water has seven ninja swords with special abilities. They've even trained seven powerful users known as the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."

"That should be what you're referring to as special ninja tools, but I'm not sure about the specific functions of these seven ninja swords."

"Such information is too high-end and not something a wandering ninja like me can grasp."

Hearing Kabuto's explanation, Nick Fury couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. It seemed that there weren't many options for obtaining powerful ninja tools that could be used by their side.

One thing to note is that the Hidden Mist Village has 7 powerful swordsmen.

"Kabuto, do you know about body enhancement serums, a type of drug that enhances strength?"

Kabuto immediately recalled some information he obtained in the Summoning World, which included an introduction to body enhancement serums.

"Yes, I do. It's a type of drug that enhances physical attributes, and it's not cheap in the ninja world."

"I can become a wandering ninja partly because of body enhancement serum."

"Back then, my family sold everything they had to buy me a dose of body enhancement serum, which strengthened my abilities and gave me the opportunity to become a ninja."

Upon hearing Kabuto's words, Nick Fury looked curious and asked, "Can anyone who uses body enhancement serum become a ninja?"

"No, Director. Not everyone who uses body enhancement serum can become a ninja, but most ninjas have probably used them."

Kabuto looked envious as he said, "I heard that in the ninja academy of the Hidden Leaf Village, every student uses body enhancement serum."

Hearing this, Nick Fury and Coulson thought to themselves: Indeed, it's just as they speculated. This item is completely abundant among ninjas.

"Kabuto, with your strength, what rank do you consider yourself among ninjas?"

Upon hearing Nick Fury's question, Kabuto chuckled awkwardly and then said somewhat sheepishly, "My strength isn't that great. I should be considered a genin-level ninja among ninjas."

"Though I haven't taken the ninja exam, but I have defeated some other wandering ninjas, so I might be considered relatively strong among genin-level ninjas."

"However, I haven't sparred with ninjas from major ninja villages, so I'm not sure how much of a gap there is between me and Chunin-level ninjas."

After hearing Kabuto's words, Nick Fury nodded, finding that it matched his expectations. It seemed that D-rank chakra was the standard for genin-level ninjas.

After answering the question, Kabuto looked at the two and said, "I wonder if there are any more questions, Director. If not, I'd like to request information about the Hidden Leaf Village and how to contact them."

"I want to do some trading with them, buy some ninja tools as backups, and see if I can find out how to use energy blocks. If they can be used to enhance my own strength, that would be even better."

Nick Fury smiled and said, "No problem. You can go back to your room and prepare. I'll have someone send you information about the Hidden Leaf Village later so you can learn more."

"Also, you can try to see if you can replenish your ninja tool supplies from there."

"But be prepared for the possibility of returning empty-handed. You may need to change some aspects of your fighting style."

Kabuto nodded, "I understand!"

"Kabuto, the information you provided today has given us a better understanding of the ninja world. SHIELD is not stingy, so I'll authorize 100 energy stones for you later."

"Although you may not know how to use them for now, they are highly sought after by other ninja villages, so consider it your reward."

Kabuto exclaimed happily, "Thank you, Director!"

Then Kabuto took his leave.

As Kabuto left, Coulson stayed behind.

Nick Fury looked at Coulson and then spoke, "What are your thoughts on these ninja tools?"

Coulson glanced at the explosive tag and smoke bomb left on the table by Kabuto, then replied:

"These items may provide some assistance to us, but it's not significant, perhaps even negligible. They simply add some attack options."

"Having them is slightly better, but not having them wouldn't be an issue for us."

"What's most important for us is the method of cultivating chakra. As long as our people can cultivate chakra, these items will be usable."

"Kabuto should still have a lot of information we can uncover, but we shouldn't interrogate him as if he were a prisoner and force him to divulge all his knowledge."

"And there's another major issue: we don't know how resistant ninjas are to our truth serum."

"If our truth serum doesn't have much effect on him, it would be more trouble than it's worth."

"We should slowly dig deeper using soft tactics. He's already here on Earth, and currently, he has no way to return to the ninja world. We have plenty of time."

"As long as we lure him in, we'll have opportunities. Even if he finds a way back to the ninja world, it would still be beneficial for us."

After hearing Coulson's words, Nick Fury nodded and then said, "In that case, let's work on convincing him and getting him to join us."

"As for selecting his supervising officer, Coulson, what are your thoughts?"

Upon hearing the Director ask about the supervising officer again, Coulson thought for a moment before responding, "Director, I've been thinking about it since yesterday, and I have two candidates to propose."

"One is Grant Ward. He has excellent combat abilities and is a diligent agent who strictly follows SHIELD regulations. He has consistently performed well in individual tasks and regards SHIELD's regulations as his own standards of conduct."

"With him as a mentor, Kabuto can better understand what it means to be a SHIELD agent and understand our SHIELD's mission, which could lead to his acceptance and joining our family."

"As for the other candidate, Melinda May, she holds the title of 'The Cavalry' and possesses strong conviction, sharp wit, and resilience. Although she has been working in the administrative department due to the Bahrain incident in recent years, she hasn't lost her inner kindness."

"The only uncertainty is whether she has fully recovered from the trauma of the Bahrain incident. After all, it had a significant impact on her, leading her to completely abandon fieldwork."

After hearing Coulson's recommendations for two candidates, Nick Fury nodded silently.

He attached more importance to Grant Ward, as not only did Phil Coulson recommend him, but he himself is quite optimistic about him. The only regret was that it seemed Coulson still didn't want to be the supervising officer himself.

"I'll consider your proposal. We'll select Kabuto's supervising officer as soon as possible."

"Later, give Kabuto a copy of the information from the other ninja villages and apply for 100 energy stones for him to see how he can trade with those ninja villages."

"Yes, Director!"

As Coulson left, Nick Fury pulled up the dossier of Melinda May and Grant Ward from the computer.

Looking at Melinda May's file, it stated her alias as "The Cavalry," an experienced soldier, spy, combatant, and pilot.

At the age of 7, she was recruited by Agent Peggy Carter after a chance encounter and underwent training at SHIELD.

Later, due to her outstanding performance, she was sent to the Cavalry. During her time there, May gradually lost her normal emotions and became a cold-blooded killing machine.

After experiencing the Bahrain incident, she began to withdraw from the battlefield and retreated to the administrative department of SHIELD.