Tsunade had no idea that when it came to bringing back her family, the only ones Charles was truly confident about were Hashirama and Tobirama Senju. As for Nawaki Senju, he wasn't so sure.
Charles wasn't certain if Nawaki would ever appear in the current ninja card pool. After all, before he had arrived in this world, Nawaki had yet to make an appearance in the game.
But it wasn't entirely impossible. After all, before Charles's arrival, the young Madara Uchiha wasn't available either, yet Charles had managed to experience summoning him.
If Nawaki were to be added to the ninja card pool, Charles guessed he would most likely be a C-rank ninja at best.
Of course, to Tsunade, it didn't matter whether her brother was a C-rank or an S-rank. As long as it was him, that was enough.
After comforting Tsunade, Charles took her to the shower.
He had other plans in mind next—specifically, going to witness the battle between the Uchiha brothers.
…
Aboard the Airbus-
Sitwell turned to Coulson, voicing his disapproval, "This double-blind approach—I can't agree with it."
"How are the field teams supposed to rendezvous with us at the destination?"
Coulson explained as they walked, "They won't. They'll be on standby elsewhere."
"We can't risk the Clairvoyant figuring out we're onto him."
Sitwell frowned, "That leaves one team vulnerable to an ambush with no backup."
Before Coulson could respond, Agent Hand walked up and interrupted, "Agent Sitwell, I just received orders from S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ. You're to report to the Lemurian Star immediately."
(The Lemurian Star being the S.H.I.E.L.D. ship about to be hijacked.)
Hearing this, Coulson turned to Hand, "You'll be taking over his responsibilities, then?"
Hand smirked, "Joining you to chase down Santa Claus? No, thanks!"
"I'll be heading back to HQ on a jet to oversee the field teams via satellite."
"If something goes wrong, someone needs to be there to pull you out of the fire."
"Stay in touch."
With that, Hand turned and walked away.
Sitwell remarked dryly, "Looks like I'll be taking a boat. Good luck, Agent Coulson."
Coulson shook Sitwell's hand with a smile, "You too, Agent Sitwell."
As Sitwell left, Coulson's expression darkened slightly, realizing the situation wasn't starting as smoothly as he had hoped.
After Fitz received the necessary data, he began assigning tasks and targets to the various teams.
…
Meanwhile-
Beneath the blazing sun of the African savanna, Uchiha Sasuke trudged across a vast desert, a cloak draped over his shoulders.
As he looked at the small village in the distance, he thought to himself, 'So this is where Itachi and the others have holed up? Why choose such a desolate place? Could there be something here that Lord Charles needs?'
Sasuke was unaware that the Akatsuki was currently on a mission to collect and cultivate blood cores.
As he approached the village, his brows furrowed slightly.
It was eerily quiet—no sounds, no signs of life anywhere in sight.
He glanced up at the blazing sun and wondered, 'Is it too hot, so everyone's hiding indoors?'
With lingering doubts, Sasuke entered the village.
It was eerily silent within. As he observed his surroundings, he noticed no people anywhere.
Following the faint traces left behind, he eventually arrived at the village square. There, he found piles of discarded clothing scattered across the ground.
'Too late!'
Sasuke crouched to pick up one of the garments, carefully observing the traces left behind.
Examining the blackened powder on the ground, he held a sample in his hand and scrutinized it closely.
He quickly recognized what it was.
'Vampire remains.'
Sasuke was all too familiar with this residue. He had hunted vampires before and knew well how their remains appeared after exposure to sunlight.
'It seems the Akatsuki has been sent by Lord Charles to collect blood cores.'
Sasuke couldn't help but wonder, 'Are there really so many vampires across Africa for them to hunt? Or could someone be manufacturing them?'
After some thorough investigation, Sasuke pieced together valuable clues. He concluded that the Akatsuki members weren't operating as a single unit but had split into pairs.
Based on the traces left behind, they had departed no more than two hours earlier.
With this newfound knowledge, Sasuke wasted no time. He quickly began pursuing the direction Itachi had taken.
…
Meanwhile-
300 kilometers behind Sasuke, Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, and Parker the ninja dog were speeding across the terrain.
Parker turned to the group and reported, "Sasuke's started moving faster. We need to pick up the pace."
Kakashi nodded, "Parker, full speed ahead."
He glanced at Naruto and Sakura, "Are you two good on stamina?"
Naruto grinned widely, "I just got this sudden rush of energy. I can keep going, no problem!"
Sakura nodded resolutely, "I'm fine too."
With that, the three ninja and one dog rushed forward, pushing themselves to their limit as they pursued Sasuke.
…
Elsewhere-
After finishing his bath, Charles didn't linger at the base, nor did he use Hiraishin to track down Sasuke.
Instead, he arrived ahead of time at the location where Itachi and Kisame were.
However, Charles didn't make his presence known. Instead, he used the Space Stone to hide in a spatial layer above them, ensuring no one could detect him.
Below, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki wore straw hats that obscured their faces.
Kisame held a map in his hands, many areas marked with red circles. The village they had recently left was also marked with a red circle, signifying it had already been eradicated.