Meanwhile-
Onboard an aircraft carrier, Phil Coulson gathered senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agents—Sitwell, Hand, Blake, and Garrett—for a critical meeting. Garrett had also brought his apprentice along.
Hand glanced at Coulson as he entered and remarked sarcastically, "Coulson, you do know teleconferences exist, right?"
Coulson smiled, "Good to see you, Agent Hand. Thank you all for coming on such short notice."
Sitwell questioned the unconventional gathering, "This kind of meeting isn't standard protocol, Coulson."
Blake quipped, "From what I've read in the reports, unconventional seems to be Coulson's specialty these days."
Garrett chuckled, "If it comes to blows, my money's on Blake. He's shy, but scrappy."
Coulson, maintaining his composure, responded, "I'll explain everything once we're at 50,000 feet. Please, follow me."
The agents followed Coulson into the command room of an airborne quinjet. Once airborne, May walked in to report:
"We've reached cruising altitude, 90 degrees over the Arctic."
Coulson chimed in, "Apologies for all the secret, but it's necessary for precaution."
Sitwell asked, "Precaution against what?"
Coulson addressed the group, "The Clairvoyant."
He added with a wry smile, "If someone can truly read minds, at least we're far enough out here to make it harder for them."
Blake interjected skeptically, "Coulson, you know S.H.I.E.L.D.'s stance on mind-reading—it doesn't exist."
Hand followed up, "Have you started believing in it?"
Coulson clarified, "Not exactly, but I recently encountered an Asgardian who could control others with her voice. That incident forced me to reevaluate certain possibilities, including mind-reading."
Garrett supported the claim, "We've noticed that the Clairvoyant always seems to stay one step ahead, stealing our strategic moves before we can act."
Coulson nodded, "And frankly, it's infuriating. I'm sure you've all read Garrett's latest report."
May added, "The safe house attack was carried out by a group designated as Deathlok Warriors."
Garrett elaborated, "I've been tracking the Clairvoyant with Agent Triplett for weeks. We believe their enforcers—these Deathlok Warriors—are protecting them."
Coulson concluded, "The fact that they've targeted us means we're closing in on them."
Agent Hand raised her voice with a pointed question, "What are we getting closer to? Their identity?"
Garrett and Coulson exchanged a glance before Garrett answered, "We've narrowed the list of potential targets to 13 individuals."
Blake frowned, voicing his concern, "How did you narrow it down? Where did you find these suspects?"
Coulson explained, "Agent Garrett revisited S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database of individuals with unique abilities, focusing on those not officially registered. We excluded ninja operatives from the list after some careful deliberation."
"These are individuals previously interviewed by S.H.I.E.L.D. for suspected telepathic abilities but were ultimately not classified as threats."
Sitwell leaned forward, skeptical, "So you're saying we've met the Clairvoyant before? And why would you exclude ninjas from the suspects?"
Coulson nodded, "Think about how many cases we've handled globally, how many people we've screened. It's not just possible we've encountered them—it's very likely."
"As for the ninja exclusion, it's strategic. We know their capabilities. If a ninja clan were involved, Garrett would've never survived their last encounter."
"Besides, ninja groups are primarily interested in acquiring artifacts with unique energy signatures, such as 084 objects. If they had Clairvoyant-level abilities, they'd collect these items covertly, not trade enhancement serums in broad daylight."
Sitwell nodded in agreement, but Hand pressed further, "Let's say you're right. What then? If the Clairvoyant truly has mind-reading powers, how do we fight against that?"
Garrett answered seriously, "We fragment the information."
Coulson elaborated, "My team's Fitz specializes in pattern recognition and data parsing. He'll prioritize Garrett's suspect list, and then we'll split into pairs."
"Each pair will have a partial assignment—one knows the location, the other knows the target. This way, no single person holds all the intel until we confirm the Clairvoyant's identity."
Hand raised a brow, considering the plan but still cautious, "And if you're wrong?"
Coulson gave a thin smile, "Then we'll adapt. But this is our best lead."
…
In the lab-
Simmons carefully extracted a blood sample from Fitz, who was visibly annoyed, "Simmons, I'm fine. Really. You don't need to keep checking."
Simmons smirked but continued her work, "Your recovery is remarkable, Fitz. It's not every day we see someone bounce back so fast. I'm just being thorough."
"You know, I understand Coulson doesn't want this publicized, but this treatment—this discovery—could save lives."
Fitz hesitated, glancing away, "It's... complicated. Coulson has his reasons for keeping it under wraps."
Simmons sighed, "Even if it's not mass-produced, it could be like the Continental's wax bath—a privilege for those in dire need. I'm tempted to share your sample with colleagues for deeper analysis."
Fitz frowned, "I don't think that's a good idea. If Coulson says it's classified, we should trust him."
At that moment, Ward entered.
"Fitz, upstairs. The boss wants to see you."
…
In the command room-
Fitz shared a new idea.
"The pairing strategy is good, but what if we take it a step further? Use a double-blind approach."
Hand tilted her head, "How does that work?"
Fitz explained, "We split the information even further. One team member knows the location, the other knows the target's identity. Neither knows the full picture until they're in position."
Garrett grinned, "I like how you think, kid."
Coulson nodded, "All right. Let's move. Fitz, finish compiling the data and assign the pairs."
…
Meanwhile-
After some quiet time with Tsunade, Charles reassured her, "I'll do my best to bring your family here."
Tsunade, thinking of her younger brother Nawaki and her clan, smiled faintly.
She trusted Charles. After all, she had seen him summon a version of Tobirama—albeit one with dual swords and a demeanor more like a samurai than ninja.
"It's fascinating, isn't it?" Tsunade thought out loud.
"The idea of parallel worlds. I never thought I'd believe in it until I came here."