Before Prince T'Challa could launch his counterattack to reclaim the Wakandan capital, Kagura had one more urgent matter to heal Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton, who had been injured during Ultron's surprise assault.
According to Steve Rogers, the Avengers bore the brunt of Ultron's initial and most ferocious strike when he hacked the Iron Legion and turned it against both the Avengers and Wakanda's capital.
As Ultron had chillingly declared: in his plan to "save" the world, the Avengers had to be destroyed.
Only by eliminating Earth's protectors could humanity be "cleansed," allowing the world to evolve into the mechanical utopia Ultron envisioned—one free of pain and suffering.
Ridiculous. What did he think Griffin Security was, a joke?
Despite the sudden betrayal and Iron Man's rampage, Natasha and the others responded quickly.
But even they struggled against the overwhelming firepower and combat capabilities of the Mark 43 armor.
Worse still, innocent civilians were caught in the chaos.
Equipped with Rhodes Industries' gear, Natasha and Barton weren't completely outmatched, but they were forced to go on the defensive.
They were injured not in direct combat—but while protecting civilians during the evacuation.
———————————————————————
Wakandan Capital Outskirts – Royal Research Center, Top Floor Medical Bay
As she entered the medical bay, Kagura found the two Avengers resting.
"Whoa… what the heck happened to you two!?" she exclaimed, unable to hold back. "I gave you all that advanced gear, and this is how you use it? I didn't equip you so you could get yourselves killed!"
That said, it's funny how fate works sometimes.
When T'Challa first encountered Steve Rogers and his team in the jungles outside the capital, he had every reason to treat them as enemies.
But seeing Natasha and Barton clearly injured while protecting Wakandan civilians led him to trust Steve and set aside his hostility toward the Avengers.
In a strange twist of fate, their injuries actually paved the way for reconciliation between Wakanda and the Avengers.
It helped T'Challa see who his true allies were… and who his real enemies were.
Now, according to Princess Shuri, Wakanda had provided the best medical technology available for Natasha and Barton.
But due to the limits of human physiology, both Avengers would be out of commission for at least a week.
Shuri followed Kagura into the room and offered a quick update.
"I've used Wakanda's most advanced treatment methods on your friends, but unlike my brother, not everyone can regenerate so quickly. Even with our tech, they'll need at least a week of rest."
Kagura nodded and walked over to check on her injured comrades.
"Well, if it isn't our dear Hitomi," Natasha greeted with a wave from her sleek, tech-laden hospital bed.
Despite the injuries, she still had her usual spark. "Sorry, little sis. Guess I screwed up a bit. Looks like I won't be able to join you on that Ultron revenge trip anytime soon."
Her wounds weren't too severe mostly external injuries to her leg and arm that limited mobility.
Bandages covered her thigh and arm, with a few visible scrapes, but Wakandan treatment had already begun to heal them. Given time, she'd be fine.
Barton, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky.
While shielding civilians during the chaos, he'd taken a direct hit to the torso from a searing energy pulse leaving a deep, charred wound.
Even with Kagura's custom-designed combat suit, the damage was devastating.
After all, no armor could completely protect someone who willingly threw themselves into a blast to shield a child.
'Seriously, should I just keep upgrading your gear, or wait until you're healed and give you a thorough scolding, maybe even send you into battle naked next time?'
"Oh, I see. You're worried about that idiot Barton," Natasha said, noticing Kagura's eyes linger on the coffin-shaped medical pod where Barton lay.
She sighed. "Even I didn't expect him to throw his life on the line for a child he'd never even met. He's always been soft when it comes to kids… Can't decide whether to praise him or punch him."
Kagura approached the pod and examined the readings.
"Did the emergency med-kit I built into the suit activate properly?" she asked. "Even with a critical wound like that, it should've at least prevented things from getting worse."
"Don't worry, Miss Kagura," Shuri said as she stepped forward and lightly patted her shoulder.
"Your emergency kit worked perfectly. Before they reunited with my brother, they spent hours weaving through gunfire. If it weren't for your equipment, Barton wouldn't have made it this far."
"Glad to hear it," Kagura said with a nod. "By the way… is this thing what you call the 'Cradle of Life'?"
She'd noticed that the fully enclosed Wakandan medical capsule looked almost identical to the "Cradle of Life" developed by Rhodes Industries though the inner workings differed slightly.
Shuri replied, "Cradle of Life? Never heard of it. This is a Wakandan regenerative medical pod we call the Rebirth Ark. It can rapidly analyze injuries and initiate auto-repair protocols."
Kagura asked, "So it uses nanotech to stabilize the injury and regenerate tissue?"
"Exactly," Shuri nodded.
Hearing that, Kagura turned to Natasha and, with a smug lip-sync, mouthed: Told you, it's basically the Cradle of Life!
Then she cleared her throat and addressed Shuri more formally.
"Anyway, thank you. Barton and Natasha are precious to me. If anything happened to them… I don't know what I'd do."
Shuri wore a calm yet slightly melancholic expression tinged with pride. "Mm… I understand how you feel. After all, we just lost our beloved king, my father."
Kagura bowed her head respectfully. "My condolences, Princess Shuri."
Shuri offered a faint smile. "I'll be alright. The people of Wakanda are strong."
"By the way, when will Mr. Barton fully recover?" Kagura asked.
Shuri checked the data on the medical pod.
"His injuries are severe. Just stabilizing him was already difficult. To completely heal—factoring in muscle and skin regeneration, it'll take about a week."
Kagura frowned. "This medical pod—oh, I mean your 'Regeneration Ark'—doesn't have quantum-level 3D automated tissue reconstruction?"
"Huh?" Shuri tilted her head, confused. "What does that mean?"
Kagura continued, "With quantum-grade 3D reconstruction, you can scan the injury and simultaneously generate a tissue model for printing."
"That allows you to 3D-print biological tissue while the wound is being stabilized, drastically cutting down healing time. Haven't you tried that with your pods?"
Shuri chuckled awkwardly. "I don't think we have… Technically, Wakanda can do that—it's just that we never considered using the pods that way."
"Mm-hmm~" Kagura smiled proudly. "If you ever get the chance, you should come visit New York."
"I'll show you the latest model of the Rhine Life 'Cradle of Life.' That baby can completely rebuild a human body in just twenty-four minutes. It's amazing!"
"Whoa, that really does sound incredible!"
Returning to the matter at hand, Kagura sighed. "But… I don't think we have an entire week to let the Avengers recover."
"By then, Ultron will have already finished building his mechanical army."
Shuri nodded in agreement. "True… but there's no way I can speed up the Regeneration Ark's treatment process in such a short time."
"That's why," Kagura said with a confident glint in her eye, "we're going to do something different."
She stepped forward. "Open the pod."
"...Huh?" Shuri stared, completely baffled.
"You mean… interrupt treatment? Open the pod now? If we do that, Mr. Barton's condition could worsen! With injuries like his, dragging him onto the battlefield would be suicide!"
"Who said I'm dragging him onto the battlefield?" Kagura winked playfully. "When it comes to surpassing my family's medical tech… only I can do that!"
Shuri hesitated, clearly unsure. "I… I don't understand, Miss Kagura. What are you planning?"
Kagura looked at Barton and Natasha, then took a deep breath. "I'm going to heal them—completely—in ten seconds."