"Hey, kid," Tony called from inside the Mark VI, still hovering a few meters above the sand, "if that's the best you've got, I'm taking my turn."
Naruto and Sasuke's basic ninjutsu had bounced off the armor like rain on steel. Time to escalate.
"Cover me, Naruto," Sasuke said, eyes sharpening.
"You're really pulling that out now?" Naruto asked.
"Can't let Iron Man look down on us."
Lightning crackled in Sasuke's right hand.
"Lightning Release: Chidori!"
The shrill chirp split the air while Kakashi's signature technique condensed into a spear of plasma and chakra.
Inside the helmet Tony straightened.
"JARVIS, analyze that energy."
"High-density plasma with unidentified exotic particles," the AI replied. "Recommend evasion—defensive integrity unverified."
Sasuke shot forward, body flickering with Chidori's burst of speed.
"JARVIS, evasive—now!"
Tony juked aside at the last instant. Sasuke's strike drilled clean through a seaside boulder where Iron Man's chest had been.
"Kid, this is a spar, not an assassination!" Tony barked, repulsor already humming at Sasuke's back.
Sasuke wrenched his arm free, stone hissing from the residual charge. One more step and Tony's palm cannon would have been at his spine.
Karin raised a hand. "That's enough. Naruto, Sasuke—you're out. Mr. Stark takes this round."
Tony powered down the repulsor and exhaled. "Not gonna lie, that was alarmingly fun. But trading blows with teenagers isn't the workout I wanted."
Shisui smiled. "Then face someone closer to your tier. Kitsuchi, if you would?"
The towering Iwa-nin bowed. "Please guide me, Iron Man."
"Kitsuchi? Interesting name." Tony eyed the man's bulk—built like a mountain yet moving like a monk. "We going full tilt?"
"Absolutely," Shisui replied. "Push yourself."
"Music to my ears. JARVIS, full power—combat mode."
Thrusters roared; the suit rocketed skyward and leveled off at cloud height. Air combat—Tony's domain.
External speakers boomed. "Heads up, big guy—cluster micro-missiles incoming!"
A dozen darts rained down, each one a miniature warhead.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Kitsuchi slammed a palm to the ground. A slab the size of a cargo truck tore free and soared upward. Missiles detonated against it—then the improvised meteor kept climbing, smashing into Tony with a resonant clang.
"Armor integrity down twenty-four percent," JARVIS warned.
Tony's grin vanished. "Underestimation noted."
He counter-fired a swarm of smart rounds—only to see Kitsuchi's body crumble into dirt.
"A substitution," Tony muttered.
"Earth Release: Light–Weight Rock Technique!"
The real Kitsuchi burst from the hillside, aura shimmering as gravity lost its grip. He shot skyward, closing the gap in seconds.
Below, Naruto gawked. "Shisui-nii, he can fly?"
"It's Iwa's Light–Weight Rock Technique," Shisui explained. "Requires master-level Earth chakra control. Neither of you has the affinity—or the decades of practice."
Naruto pouted. "Figures."
High above, Tony realized he no longer owned the sky. Kitsuchi matched his altitude, then opened his mouth.
"Earth Release: Rock Cannon!"
He spat a pebble—instantly swelling to boulder size—and hurled it like an artillery shell.
The first hit glanced off Tony's shoulder plate. Alarms shrieked.
"Is he using his mouth as a Gatling?" Tony groused, weaving through the stony hail. Each projectile grew mid-flight, forcing constant course corrections.
Kitsuchi's eyes tracked the armor, adjusting fire with surgical precision. For every stone Tony dodged, two more lined up.
On the ground, Karin shielded her face from falling debris. "He's herding Mr. Stark—pushing him toward a kill shot."
"Smart," Shisui agreed, ruffling Naruto's and Sasuke's hair. "Kitsuchi has mobility, range, and first-class defense. On a real battlefield I'd rely on genjutsu to break his rhythm; your current strength can't scratch him yet."
---------------------
In mid-air, Tony zigzagged through the sky, but the persistent figure of Kitsuchi trailed behind, flinging rock shells with uncanny precision. Even in flight, Tony felt cornered.
"Jarvis, status report! Why aren't our missiles doing anything?"
"Sir, analysis suggests the enemy has a chakra-based rock armor. Your missiles can't penetrate it."
Tony scoffed. "You're telling me a glorified dirt suit can stop Stark-tech missiles?!"
"Correct, sir. The rock composition contains chakra—a unique energy system. It's not conventional."
Tony's usual aerial confidence was shaken. He tried evasive maneuvers, fired back, but the moment his missiles made contact, they either missed or fizzled out. One shell slammed into him with a loud bang, slowing his flight. Then another, and another.
"Armor damage: 37%... 53%... 79%. Secondary thruster failure," Jarvis warned. "Sir, I recommend surrendering."
"Surrender isn't in the Stark dictionary!"
"Sir, all propulsion engines are offline. You are now experiencing... freefall."
"Oh, come on—HELP!"
Just before Tony plummeted into the sea, Kitsuchi swooped in and caught him by the legs, halting the fall.
Kitsuchi stood effortlessly on the water's surface, completely ignoring gravity.
Tony blinked. "Wait. Are you standing on water?"
"Oh, this?" Kitsuchi chuckled. "This is basic stuff. Anyone can do it after graduating from the Ninja Academy."
Tony muttered, "Is there a school for superpowers I missed?"
"We do have Ninja School. Think of it as your elementary level."
Tony groaned. "Fine, Mr. Kitsuchi. Can you give me a lift? My engine's toast."
Shortly after inventing a new element and upgrading his Arc Reactor, Tony found himself embarrassingly defeated—and air combat was supposed to be his domain.
Back at the villa, Tony sat on the couch, slightly ruffled. "So, Mr. Kitsuchi... How much power did you use back there?"
"About 30%," Huangtu replied honestly. "I didn't even use any major ninjutsu. Also, aerial fighting isn't really my strong suit. I perform much better on the ground."
Tony groaned inwardly. This guy was nearly outmaneuvering him in the air—without even trying?
Unbeknownst to him, Kitsuchi was having doubts of his own. Is this the peak of power in this world? Or did I misunderstand something?
If Tony could hear his thoughts, he might have short-circuited his own Arc Reactor from sheer rage.
He inspected the mangled foot armor Kitsuchi had gripped. Bent and warped.
"Is this guy as strong as the Hulk?"
Although humiliated, Tony still sat down with Kitsuchi for a surprisingly civil discussion on large-scale energy generation.
"Wait—you want me to build an Arc Reactor... at the mouth of the Hudson River?" Tony asked.
"Yes," Shisui nodded. "Is that a problem?"
"Well, it's not a technical issue... but that's water. Not land. Where am I supposed to place it—on the seabed?"
"No need to worry," Shisui replied calmly. "Lord Xiuyu has already arranged a solution. We'll be reclaiming land and creating a man-made island."
More and more ninjas from Konoha were arriving in the Marvel world. It was clear they needed their own space rather than squatting in New York indefinitely.
Reclaiming land might seem like an expensive dream to others, but for Su Xiuyu, it was child's play.
"Which construction firm did he hire?" Tony asked skeptically. "Land reclamation takes years, not hours."
"Lord Xiuyu said it'll be done by tomorrow morning."
Tony and Pepper stared blankly.
"Tomorrow? Half a day?" Tony repeated. "Did he hire the entire world's military?"
Shisui only smiled. "He said it'll be done. That's all we need to know."
Naruto, wide-eyed with curiosity, chimed in. "Brother Shisui, how strong is Lord Xiuyu, really?"
Shisui paused. "The best word for him is... god."
Even Tony, ready to mock the idea, remembered Odin and the madness he'd recently witnessed. Maybe "god" wasn't so far-fetched anymore.
That didn't mean he'd ever acknowledge Thor. That guy was still just a glorified hammer mascot in Tony's book.
"Fine. I'll get Stark Industries to prep the Arc Reactor design. I want to visit the site tomorrow. Anything I should be aware of?"
"Nothing at all," Shisui said. "Oh, and allow me to introduce your new security detail—our newly promoted Chunin: Naruto, Sasuke, and Karin. They'll also protect Miss Pepper."
Tony eyed the trio: Sasuke, dark-haired and arrogant; Naruto, blond and confident; Karin, red-haired and analytical. All teens. All dangerous.
What kind of Generation murder squad is this?
Shisui added, "Sasuke is the heir of Uchiha Fugaku. Naruto is Fugaku's adopted son and a prodigy. Karin is a genius of the Uzumaki clan. Together, they're among our most elite youths."
That explanation helped. A little.
"Alright," Tony said with a sigh. "I'm not worried about myself. It's Pepper I want guarded."
"Understood," Shisui nodded. "Let's go over the arrangements..."
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