Chapter 48: Negotiation with Nick Fury

“Planting trees? Sure!” Nick Fury wholeheartedly agreed with Yang Xin’s nonsense, and with an air of seriousness pulled out a tablet, swiping across the screen. “You can plant them anywhere you like in these locations. S.H.I.E.L.D. will provide manpower, resources, and funding—all free of charge to assist you.”

“You’re being so generous?” Yang Xin curled his lip, then studied the map Nick Fury presented with scrutiny.

“I was just wondering why you’re so generous—these are S.H.I.E.L.D.’s global distribution bases,” Yang Xin remarked with exasperation.

“This is the fastest way to resolve the issue!” Nick Fury said gravely.

“You’ve figured it out?” Yang Xin was taken aback.

“I don’t know why your body is overflowing with chakra, but I do know if you don’t find a way to vent this power, the energy will overwhelm your body and you’ll explode,” Nick Fury stated calmly.

“How did you see that?”

“You think this eye of mine is blind?” Nick Fury tapped the eye hidden beneath his eye patch.

“Oh, right. My apologies,” Yang Xin replied, wearing an apologetic expression that belied the indifference in his eyes.

“Is it safe?” Yang Xin suddenly asked.

Nick Fury glanced at Yang Xin, operated something on his desk, then lifted his eye patch, revealing a Mangekyo Sharingan. He scanned carefully for a moment, then nodded.

“That Mangekyo of yours has already been exposed to those with a keen eye, hasn’t it?” Yang Xin said, his tone steady.

“Yes. As you Easterners say: ‘There are no walls that the wind cannot pass through.’” Nick Fury nodded in agreement.

“As the king of spies, how can you let your secrets leak?”

“Do you have a solution?”

“Of course!” Yang Xin snapped his fingers.

“What is it?” Nick Fury asked, puzzled. The secret had already been exposed—what could be done? Hypnotize everyone who knew, or kill them all? That was impossible.

“Appear strong when weak, appear weak when strong.” Yang Xin patted Nick Fury on the shoulder.

Nick Fury’s body stiffened instantly. Such a casual gesture between friends struck him like a storm. He felt a force, the same lineage as the Mangekyo Sharingan, surge into his body from his shoulder, strengthening his entire being before rushing toward his right eye.

His normal right eye suddenly transformed into a blood-red Sharingan—single tomoe, double tomoe, triple tomoe, Mangekyo, Eternal Mangekyo…

“What…is this?” Nick Fury exclaimed in disbelief. He now possessed Mangekyo in both eyes. At the same time, he understood what Yang Xin meant by “appear strong when weak, appear weak when strong.” Anyone with ill intent would focus their attention on the left eye under the patch, neglecting the seemingly normal right eye.

“From now on, you may call me the Founder of Ninja or the Sage of Six Paths. As for you, you are now a true Uchiha,” Yang Xin remarked nonchalantly.

“What’s really going on?” Nick Fury pressed. As a spy, he possessed little curiosity, but an overwhelming need for control. He was desperate to understand the origins of all this.

“You know the Sorcerer Supreme?” Yang Xin saw no need to hide it. On one hand, he needed S.H.I.E.L.D.’s assistance; on the other, he now had the power to bargain with them. Even if S.H.I.E.L.D. learned the truth, they could do nothing to him—if anything, they would have to court his favor.

Nick Fury nodded.

“I gifted the Sorcerer Supreme a treasure—you guessed right, it was a sapling of the Chakra God Tree. This sapling resolved some hidden dangers within her, so she took me as her disciple. At the same time, she condensed a branch of the God Tree into a seed and fused it with me.”

“But that wasn’t all. The God Tree seed can absorb and perfectly convert energy into chakra. My master, the Sorcerer Supreme, Gu Yi, opened a channel to draw energy from multidimensional space, nurturing the seed and allowing it to take root. But the energy was too great, so…”

“So you need to plant trees, channeling the energy from multidimensional space elsewhere. But if you do that, superhumans will spring up everywhere, threatening the stability of Earth,” Nick Fury interjected.

“More precisely, they should be called ninjas. As for the worry that ninjas will multiply and disrupt the world, I disagree. Do you think just anyone can become a ninja?” Yang Xin gazed at his immaculate right hand.

Nick Fury’s pupils contracted—he instantly understood Yang Xin’s meaning.

“In the celestial palace above, with its twelve towers and five cities; if an immortal brushes my head, I’ll be blessed with longevity. Do you know what it means to be the Founder of Ninja? Only those I permit can become ninjas. If I refuse, they could exhaust themselves to death and still never succeed. As we say in the East…”

‘If I say you can, you can—even if you can’t. If I say you can’t, you can’t—even if you can!’ Yang Xin declared with pride.

Nick Fury’s dark face shifted through a range of expressions as he weighed whether Yang Xin spoke the truth and calculated the potential gains and losses. At last, he gritted his teeth and said, “Every S.H.I.E.L.D. base worldwide must have a God Tree planted. S.H.I.E.L.D. wants a hundred slots every year.”

“Hand it over.” Yang Xin extended his hand.

“All munitions and equipment expended in the Battle of Manhattan will be replenished for you. In addition, you’ll get ten full sets of standard weapons and supplies,” Nick Fury bargained immediately.

“Not enough.”

“Plus three Helicarriers,” Nick Fury added.

“The Insight Project?” Yang Xin’s brow furrowed.

Nick Fury’s pupils contracted once more. He drew a deep breath and said coldly, “Just how much do you know?!”

“Someone’s already tried to attack you, haven’t they?” Yang Xin appeared mildly surprised, then found it entirely reasonable. Nick Fury had already uprooted HYDRA from S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters—if they didn’t act now, they were doomed. “It seems you weren’t hurt.”

“That’s thanks to the eye you gave me,” Nick Fury admitted, feeling a flicker of gratitude—if not for the eye, he would likely be dead. The gratitude vanished quickly, replaced by cold calculation. As the king of spies, he could not let personal feelings cloud his judgment.

The ever-cool Nick Fury now felt only wariness—boundless wariness—toward Yang Xin.

“One more Helicarrier—will four suffice?” Nick Fury said in a frosty tone, as if making a painful concession.

“The three built for the Insight Project, plus Nick Fury’s flagship—four in total. That’s the best S.H.I.E.L.D. can muster…” Yang Xin thought, but still shook his head and scoffed, “You’re trying to palm off obsolete goods on me? Any Asgardian starship could outclass a Helicarrier by a mile.”

Before Nick Fury could respond, Yang Xin said, “Your S.H.I.E.L.D. will get five hundred slots a year from me.”

“What is it you really want?!”