Chapter 46:
Because Shunhi had whimsically created a S.H.I.E.L.D.-like organization, things were now getting out of hand. Even if he confessed everything to Naruto and Sasuke now, they probably wouldn't believe him.
And Shunhi definitely didn't want to get taken down by a serious team-up between Naruto and Sasuke just because of some impulsive decision he'd made.
To redeem a villain, you always need the emergence of an even more powerful antagonist.
Take Orochimaru for example, the classic case of a villain's redemption. Thanks to the appearance of Uchiha Madara, Kaguya, and Black Zetsu, who posed an even greater threat at a critical moment, he got the chance to help the protagonists—and thus, redeem himself.
Shunhi planned to do the same. That was the reason he came up with the evil organization Umbrella, and planned to have the still-unseen S.H.I.E.L.D. director Bald Egg collude with it to endanger the ninja world. Then, once he "discovered" this plot, he could claim to have been secretly enduring humiliation and bearing the burden all along, acting as cover for undercover agents like Uchiha Itachi, Minato Namikaze, and Kushina Uzumaki.
It was a flawless plan.
Enter Gray Wolf, who possessed Orochimaru's memories—or rather, Orochimaru in the form of Gray Wolf.
After a brief introduction to this world from Shunhi, Gray Wolf quickly received his first assignment from S.H.I.E.L.D.: lead five Hulk-like beings to recruit the Orochimaru of this timeline.
"Even though your cover story is time travel from the past to the future, in truth, I'm just a clone implanted with fragments of Orochimaru's memories, aren't I?"
A dangerous gleam flashed in Gray Wolf's eyes, but he still accepted the mission from S.H.I.E.L.D. After all, his body was still under their control, and if he needed to play weak, then so be it.
Besides, Gray Wolf had a genuine interest in S.H.I.E.L.D.—or more accurately, in Umbrella's Bio-Ghost Project.
The results of Umbrella's Bio-Ghost Project: the Hulk-like monsters.
Tremendous recovery capabilities, high durability, some offensive ability—and most importantly, anyone could become a Hulk, regardless of age, health, or strength.
"This is the place…"
Standing atop a boulder, Gray Wolf muttered as he looked at a white research lab not far ahead—the lab that belonged to his true self in this timeline. Behind him stood five silent Hulks.
"Who are you?"
Yamato appeared in front of Gray Wolf alongside two other Konoha ninja assigned to monitor Orochimaru.
As Yamato questioned them, the other two ninja silently moved outward to the left and right, forming a pincer formation with him.
If a fight broke out, the three of them could immediately launch a coordinated assault on their opponent.
"So it's you, Yamato. I'm Gray Wolf from S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm here on behalf of Umbrella to recruit Orochimaru, who's hiding out here. But…I assume you're not going to let me do that easily."
Facing an old acquaintance, "Orochimaru" spoke.
This body was a good match for him, but the fact he couldn't stick out his tongue and lick his own face left Gray Wolf feeling rather annoyed.
Yamato, meanwhile, was already analyzing the enemy based on appearance.
First, the five identical hulking green giants. Unless they were quintuplets, they had to be the product of human experimentation.
And human experimentation just so happened to be Orochimaru's specialty.
Second, the apparent leader—a short, wolf-like creature. Though he looked a bit ridiculous, anyone capable of commanding those five green hulks had to be formidable. Either he was extremely powerful or he had created the five monsters himself.
"Hulks, attack."
Gray Wolf waved a clawed paw, and under Shunhi's remote control, the five 2.5-meter-tall hulks behind him took a synchronized step forward.
Gray Wolf, curious about the Hulks and eager to gather data, wouldn't fight personally unless absolutely necessary.
The sheer height and terrifying presence of the Hulks caused the two Konoha ninja accompanying Yamato to instinctively take a step back.
"Wood Style: Four-Pillar Prison!"
A giant wooden cell shot up and trapped one of the Hulks.
Yamato relaxed slightly as he turned to face the remaining four. A technique like the Four-Pillar Prison was hard to land unless the enemy's movement was restricted beforehand, but once it hit, the target wouldn't escape easily.
Or so he thought.
The trapped Hulk suddenly let out a furious roar and smashed through the wooden cell with brute force.
Realizing the situation was worse than expected, Yamato responded quickly: "You two, go back to the village and request reinforcements. I'll buy you time."
One person could do it, sure—but two was safer.
There were no emotional farewells. Upon hearing the order, the other two members of the surveillance team turned and ran without hesitation or regret.
"They're fast. The Hulks won't be able to catch up."
"You two, hold off Yamato. The rest, come with me to Orochimaru's lab."
Since all the Hulks looked exactly the same, even if they had names, it was easy to mix them up. So Gray Wolf simply pointed at them one by one as he issued commands.
Before leaving with three of the Hulks, Gray Wolf secretly released a small snake to continue collecting data on them.
Yamato was already struggling to hold off just two Hulks. He could only watch helplessly as Gray Wolf and the other three left.
"I need to finish you two off quickly."
"Water Style: Surging Sea!"
A high-speed jet of water blasted toward one of the Hulks—but the expected result, water slicing through the enemy, didn't happen. The Hulk roared in pain, but it clearly wasn't a serious wound.
"Wood Style: Smothering Binding Technique!"
When the first technique failed, Yamato instantly launched the next.
Vine-like wooden tendrils burst from the ground and wrapped around the Hulk, one of them even coiling tightly around its neck.
Normally, choking an enemy like that would render them unconscious. But the Hulks didn't need to breathe—so strangling was pointless.
Yamato kept pouring chakra into the brambles, trying to buy time, as the two Hulks continued to struggle.
"What the hell are these monsters?"
Even after using up half his chakra, the two Hulks were still thrashing with full strength. That's when Yamato realized something was seriously wrong.
The moment he stopped transmitting chakra, the two Hulks broke free and charged him, leaping into the air with spiked fists raised.
They punched…a log.
Yamato had used the Substitution Jutsu to escape.
He didn't try to keep fighting. Instead, he turned and headed toward the white research lab.
After a brief skirmish, Yamato had realized these opponents were nothing like ordinary shinobi. They had powerful defenses but poor agility—much slower than a standard jōnin.
Fighting them head-on was a terrible idea. Without proper intel, there was no way he could win alone.
He had to join forces with whoever was still inside Orochimaru's lab if he hoped to hold out until Konoha's reinforcements arrived.
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