Chapter 33: Heading to the Land of Rice Paddies
Stephen Fang watched the "Gold Medal Lecturer" before him throwing a tantrum, hugging Iron Man's leg, and refusing to let go no matter what. He only had one comment for him.
'You're a real piece of work.'
"Pay up! You have to pay up! You're not leaving! Are you broke or something?!"
If he had said this to any other superhero, he wouldn't have been able to extort a dime.
But the one he was questioning was Tony Stark.
Tony Stark could take any insult in his life, but he couldn't stand people thinking he was broke.
Come on, I'm already flying around in a suit of armor. Would I be short on money for your broken-down truck?
Stark gritted his teeth. "Card number!"
"I don't have a bank card." The Gold Medal Lecturer spread his hands.
Forget a bank card; his ID number was about to be canceled. He was, for all intents and purposes, a missing person. Where would he get a bank card?
"I only accept cash!"
Stark was furious. "Where am I supposed to get cash for you? How long has it been since I've even seen paper money?"
It wasn't that he was out of touch with the common world.
It was mainly because he dealt with digital currency every day.
Paper money simply wasn't used for transactions of any significant value.
It was hard to imagine a military arms dealer like him carrying a backpack around all day to make deals like some illegal immigrant.
"That's not my problem! If you can't, then take off the clothes you're wearing. I can sell them for a few thousand dollars!"
Tony Stark was completely dumbfounded.
He had never encountered such a shameless rogue in his entire life.
What rotten luck.
"I'll fly and get the money for you!"
"No way!" The Gold Medal Lecturer held on even tighter. "What if you don't come back?"
"I..."
"I don't care. You're not leaving until you give me the money."
Iron Man's temper flared. "Fine then! If you've got the guts, hold onto my leg! I'll take you to get the money!"
"Let's go, then!"
The lecturer was willing to die for this rare opportunity to make a fortune.
Just as Iron Man was about to take off, Stephen Fang, who had been watching the show from the side for a long time, spoke up weakly, "Uhm... I have a stake in that truck too, so take me with you?"
Half an hour later, a freezing Stephen Fang, his teeth chattering, finally landed on the ground.
What?
The Gold Medal Lecturer?
That guy's arm strength was too weak; he couldn't hold onto Iron Man's leg at all, so the task of swindling the money was handed over to Stephen Fang.
Before leaving, he even instructed that Stephen had to get five thousand dollars and that they would split it seventy-thirty.
The money itself didn't matter.
Stephen Fang mainly wanted to establish a connection with Iron Man.
Tony Stark pointed to the house in front of them.
"I'm going over there to get the money. Don't move."
"It's alright, Mr. Stark. I trust you. Go ahead."
Tony Stark aimed his hands at the ground, and just as he was about to take off, he suddenly froze.
He turned his head and took off his helmet as if he'd seen a ghost. "How did you know it was me?!"
Stephen Fang shrugged. "Ever heard of divination?"
"Divi... what?" Tony asked, confused.
"Fortune-telling," Stephen Fang clarified with a mysterious smile. "Actually, I calculated long ago that you would fall into that alley, so I waited there for you in advance."
Tony Stark nodded skeptically. "Oh, is that so, Mr. Sorcerer? So what do you want from me? I mean, after staging this whole show, how much money do you want?"
"It's very simple..." Stephen Fang made an outrageous demand: "A place to live, a legal identity, no need to cook for myself, preferably a hot bath every day, and also, I want to play on a computer..."
Looking at the "Mr. Sorcerer" who looked like he was about to cry, the corner of Tony Stark's mouth twitched. "Fuck..."
That evening.
Stephen Fang took a long-overdue bath.
Lying on the clean, soft, large bed.
For the first time, he felt how comfortable it was to be alive.
"Brothers! Brothers!"
He immediately shared the good news with everyone.
Pirate Ren Arakawa: "What's up?"
"I have a place to live!"
Uchiha Ren: "..."
Pirate Ren Arakawa: "Uh-huh, good for you."
Pirate Ren Arakawa was currently practicing Iron Body.
Naruto World Ren Arakawa was currently on a mission out of the village with Hatake Kakashi.
Main God Space Ren Arakawa was dancing on a knife's edge.
But here in the Marvel world...
The Marvel universe was a world where the poor relied on mutation and the rich relied on technology.
The cost and conditions for getting stronger were extremely high.
Even if Stephen Fang wanted to contribute and enhance everyone's abilities, he was powerless to do so.
"Hmm," Stephen Fang took a deep breath. "It's not that there's no progress at all. I've made contact with Iron Man. Once we have a good relationship, I might be able to get something."
Pirate Ren Arakawa: "Technological equipment can't be shared, right?"
"Equipment can't, but enhancements to the physical body should be synchronizable!" Stephen Fang said with anticipation. "If I can get my hands on the Super-Soldier Serum that Captain America was injected with..."
Uchiha Ren: "That would be a huge help! The Naruto world is all high attack and low defense; a single kunai can kill a Jonin. Physical durability is exactly what I lack."
Before Stephen Fang could reply, Pirate Ren Arakawa shot back a message:
"Iron Body is harder than I thought. Once I learn it, you won't have to worry about physical damage."
Uchiha Ren: "Iron Body... If I learned Iron Body, it's hard not to imagine a scenario where I think I've activated Iron Body, but in reality, I've fallen for Toge's genjutsu and get my head blown off by a shuriken."
Pirate Ren Arakawa: "Nothing to be done about that... unless I eat a Devil Fruit that counters Toge."
Uchiha Ren: "Let's talk about it when you get out..."
After going silent, Uchiha Ren drained the noodle soup in front of him in one go.
"Don't space out! This is the border between the Land of Rice Paddies and the Land of Lightning. It's easy to run into enemy ninja. Stay sharp!"
Uchiha Ren put down his bowl and shot Kakashi a helpless glance. "Sensei, even if we're on a secret infiltration mission, you still wear that mask. Your title of 'Copy Ninja' is famous throughout the shinobi world. Who wouldn't recognize you?"
Kakashi touched his chin. "Then I'll take it off."
Seeing the face under Kakashi's mask, Uchiha Ren was stunned for a moment.
He managed to painfully suppress his laughter only with great difficulty. "Never mind, put it back on."
After Kakashi paid the bill, the two put on their hoods and walked out of the noodle shop.
The mission was said to be difficult, but it was also simple.
The simple part was that the mission content was just a delivery.
The difficult part was the location of the recipient.
Since the founding of the nations, the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire had been in constant conflict.
Later, a freakish ninja emerged from the Land of Fire... a man who could use Wood Style, clap his hands together, and get whatever he wanted.
The relationship between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire eased up a bit.
After Hashirama passed away, relations between the villages became tense again.
The Second Hokage, Tobirama, a man of great love and Uchiha Ren's ninjutsu "idol," personally went to the Hidden Cloud Village to sign an alliance treaty.
During the meeting, the Gold and Silver Brothers staged a coup, and both the Second Raikage and his idol, Tobirama, died as a result.
Since then, the relationship between the two nations has been like fire and water. They even used the Land of Rice Paddies as a battleground, with constant skirmishes, large and small, which eventually led to the start of the Third Great Ninja War.
And then, there was the incident with Kakashi and Obito's group.
Returning to this place of sorrow, Kakashi's heart was heavy.
Uchiha Ren, on the other hand, appeared much more relaxed.
As long as he was far away from the Uchiha clan grounds, he was fine with doing anything.
Of course, the prerequisite was that he had to be acting alongside a top-tier combatant like Kakashi.
Otherwise...
His pair of Sharingan would become a coveted prize in the eyes of others.
For example, a certain Snake-Eyed Woman staring intently in this direction from afar.
(end of chapter)