Natasha sat back in her chair and looked at Minato Namikaze before speaking, "I have a mission request that I hope you can handle."
Minato nodded, "But before we proceed, it's best to be completely honest. Losing contact with the client during a mission would be troublesome."
Hearing this, Natasha wasn't surprised that Minato had seen through her disguise. With the abilities of a Kage-level ninja, it would have been more shocking if he hadn't.
With a swipe across her face, she removed the static veil, revealing her true identity.
Seeing the device Natasha removed, Minato couldn't help but admire it. This world indeed had some impressive technologies, though they couldn't quite match the perfection of the Transformation Jutsu. Nonetheless, it was quite useful.
"As expected, such disguises can't fool the eyes of a ninja," Natasha said with a wry smile, "I am Natasha Romanoff."
"This time, I've run into a big problem and need your help."
Natasha then explained the situation they were facing. S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated by Hydra agents, including traitors within their ranks.
She described the potential enemies they might face and the mission she had in mind: a joint operation to attack the Triskelion.
Natasha and Steve would require Minato's protection during the assault and his assistance in eliminating the enemies attacking them.
After hearing the details, Minato thought to himself, 'As it was predicted, this mission is indeed tied to the downfall of S.H.I.E.L.D.'
"We can accept your mission," Minato replied, "but what are you offering as compensation?"
"Attacking one of the world's top intelligence agencies is no small feat."
Instead of directly naming her offer, Natasha countered with a question, "What kind of compensation would be sufficient to hire a ninja for such a mission?"
Minato smirked at Natasha's clever move and began calculating the costs aloud, "By our standards, this is an S-rank mission."
"Based on our intelligence, S.H.I.E.L.D. already has numerous enhanced individuals through physical enhancement. With the public sales from Kumogakure and Sunagakure, their numbers could be in the dozens."
"Additionally, the Triskelion is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters. After its reconstruction following the Otogakure incident, its defenses have been significantly upgraded, with advanced weaponry likely in place."
"Finally, this mission will undoubtedly antagonize S.H.I.E.L.D. as well as Hydra, as you mentioned."
"Considering all this, the price for this mission will be ten 084 items."
Minato's demand was sharp but justified. A single 084 item could be traded for a physical enhancement serum, rare metals valued at $3 billion, or even $30 billion in cash.
This made the mission worth an estimated $300 billion or rare, non-commercially available metals like original adamantium, secondary adamantium, or vibranium.
Natasha wasn't surprised by the hefty price tag. Normally, a mission like this would cost around three to five 084 items, but given the high stakes of attacking S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters, ten items seemed reasonable.
However, Natasha didn't have even one 084 item on her. Considering that Nick Fury was presumed dead and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s leadership was now infiltrated by Hydra, she decided Hydra—or what remained of S.H.I.E.L.D.—should foot the bill.
"Ten 084 items won't be a problem, but you may have to retrieve them yourselves,"
Natasha said. "And payment will be made after the mission."
Natasha planned to provide Minato with the locations where she had previously retrieved 084 items from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s archives. By the time Minato went to collect them, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fate would likely be out of her hands.
Hearing Natasha's plan to secure the mission without upfront payment, Minato chuckled.
"Natasha, you must know that tasks commissioned through the Continental Hotel require payment in advance. Even for tasks handled by the agency, a deposit of at least half is mandatory."
"And from what I understand, you are currently wanted by S.H.I.E.L.D., and those 084 items don't exactly belong to you, do they?"
Hearing this, Natasha thought Minato Namikaze was about to refuse the mission. But to her surprise, he continued:
"However, we'll still accept this mission."
"The payment method will need to be adjusted. You mentioned a storage site that holds 084 items. If there are fewer than ten items there, you'll need to provide the difference or tell us where to find more."
"If there are more than ten items, we'll consider the excess as compensation."
A smile spread across Natasha's face as she extended her hand and said, "Deal."
Minato stood up, shook her hand, and said with a smile, "Deal."
He then took out a business card with a phone number on it.
"When you're ready to begin the mission, just send a message to this number."
"When you're in danger, the ninja assigned to protect you will appear."
Natasha took the card and, after a moment's thought, said, "We'll call the mission 'Cutting the Serpent.'"
Minato blinked and responded with a smile, "No problem."
With the mission settled, Minato used the Hiraishin technique to leave the Continental Hotel and returned to the Konoha base.
…
In Ginny's office, where Charles Doyle was also present, Minato reported on Natasha's situation.
After hearing this, Charles said, "I'll handle this myself. I was planning to take Selene to the Triskelion anyway. You'll oversee global operations and the assault on other S.H.I.E.L.D. bases."
"As for the number you left behind, I'll have Red Queen forward any 'Cutting the Serpent' alerts to me."
Minato nodded, "They're truly fortunate to have you leading the mission, Lord Charles."
Charles waved a hand dismissively and said, "This mission will be tough, so put in the extra effort. We need to strike before international agencies make a move against S.H.I.E.L.D."
Minato's expression turned serious as he nodded firmly, "Understood, Lord Charles."