c13: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
At the beginning, Ryan Wong was able to answer every question smoothly.
"They're not made of vibranium or adamantium? Then how do they resist bullets? What was that glowing blue orb you used to defeat them? Was that some kind of energy manipulation like Doctor Strange's Eldritch Magic? And how did you just appear out of nowhere? Can you actually move faster than Quicksilver?!"
"Not exactly magic. It's a form of advanced energy control. And no, this isn't sorcery like Strange's. It's chakra-based ninjutsu. I'm a ninja."
"Ninjutsu? Ninja?! Dude, that's wild! I wanna be a ninja too! I've seen ninjas in video games like those in Shinobi Striker or Ghost of Tsushima but they don't throw energy balls and teleport! You're way cooler than any of them!"
"Do you have to meditate like the monks in Kamar-Taj? Why do you do those hand signs before you throw fireballs? Is it like Zatanna casting spells backwards or something?"
But the more little Peter Parker talked, the less Ryan wanted to answer.
In barely a minute or two, Peter had launched into dozens of questions, each one more enthusiastic and verbose than the last.
Ryan Wong didn't really dislike kids, especially not someone like the young Spider-Man, but this was driving him to the edge.
"I'm stronger than any ninja you've seen because I have chakra, the same energy the legendary shinobi use!"
After firing off this last answer, Ryan activated the Flying Thunder God Technique a perfected teleportation method once used by the Fourth Hokage and vanished, leaving a starstruck Peter babbling alone in the alley.
"Ninjas are SO COOL!!"
...
When Ryan Wong returned, his figure materialized on a rooftop in a radiant burst of golden light—clearly visible to Natasha Romanoff, who had been scanning the skyline with binoculars from a distant vantage point.
This was no accident. Ryan wanted Black Widow to spot him. It was part of his plan.
Otherwise, someone with the teleportation prowess of Minato Namikaze wouldn't have been caught unless they wanted to be.
Noticing her keen gaze, Ryan executed an Instantaneous Movement from the rooftop and reappeared directly at Natasha's side. "Evening, Agent Romanoff. Looking for me? Do you need assistance?"
Though they had been separated by dozens of meters, he now stood before her in a blink. Even with her intelligence background—familiar with mutant teleporters like Nightcrawler and spellcasters like Doctor Strange Natasha was visibly impressed. "You just teleported, didn't you?"
"Teleportation?" Ryan tilted his head. "I guess you could call it that. But technically, it's a Body Flicker Technique. It's similar, but faster in execution."
"Flicker technique, huh? So last night, when you intercepted the Hulk and Abomination, was it this same technique you used?" Natasha's tone was casual, but her eyes were alert gathering intel, assessing risk, pretending it was all friendly banter.
Ryan, channeling the serene demeanor of Bo Feng Shuimen while cloaked in mystery like Batman, only smiled.
"That's not quite it." Ryan Wong shook his head calmly. He immediately picked up on Natasha Romanoff's subtle probing, but chose not to confront her directly.
Strategic revelation of limited intel is, after all, a useful way of asserting one's power.
"If it's not teleportation, then what exactly is it?"
Natasha tilted her head just slightly, her gaze analytical. Her makeup subtly emphasized East Asian aesthetics—based on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal profiling suggesting that Bo Feng Shuimen (the alias Ryan had used publicly) likely hailed from somewhere in East Asia.
Despite his blond hair and blue eyes, his facial structure diverged from traditional Western features possibly indicating a mixed heritage.
Right now, Black Widow's demeanor was poised, graceful, with an almost tender elegance—an effect calculated to disarm East Asian male subjects during intelligence-gathering ops.
However, Ryan Wong, fully aware of her dossier—including her espionage record from the Red Room, encounters with the Winter Soldier, and infiltration tactics remained utterly unfazed.
Still, he didn't respond with animosity. Natasha was an operative, and like any elite agent be it a League of Assassins infiltrator or a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative her entire body was an extension of her craft.
Besides, Ryan had no reason to change course. With a firm yet humble tone, he explained: "This is space-time ninjutsu the Flying Thunder God Technique. It was pioneered by the Second Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village a tactical genius of his era. I'm merely building upon the foundation laid by giants."
"Space-time ninjutsu," Natasha echoed, her expression unreadable, yet clearly registering the implications.
Unbeknownst to Ryan, her words were transmitted in real time through the micro-transceiver embedded in her suit collar. On the other end, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s think tank immediately flagged and dissected key terms: 'Space-Time', 'Ninjutsu', 'Hidden Leaf Village', and 'Second Hokage'.
Already, the implications were cascading across monitors in the Helicarrier war room.
"Space-time manipulation... So we're not just dealing with a lone metahuman like Nightcrawler or Blink. This could be structured, formalized superpower training," said one analyst.
"Hidden Leaf Village... The very word 'hidden' implies that it's a cloaked or dimensionally shielded base possibly on par with Wakanda's illusion tech or Latveria's security matrix. We'll need quantum-level surveillance to locate it."
"And if this Second Hokage developed the technique, and this man identifies himself as the Fourth Hokage then that means at least four confirmed individuals at his power level exist in that society. First, Second, Third, and Fourth Hokages each potentially matching or exceeding Omega-level capabilities."
Director Nick Fury, the one-eyed master tactician of S.H.I.E.L.D., processed the data with narrowed focus. From behind his desk in the Helicarrier command center, he issued his next directive in a gravelled tone:
"Romanoff, I want intel on this Hokage structure. Find out what kind of hierarchy they operate under in this Hidden Leaf Village. Titles like that mean governance, leadership, military rank. Get names. Get power classifications."
"And most importantly," he added, locking eyes with the screen, "ask him if these abilities are teachable. We need to know if their methods can be replicated, studied or weaponized."
He paused, then leaned forward slightly.
"And finally get to the real reason why the Fourth Hokage is in New York. Konoha doesn't just send its top-tier operatives halfway across the multiverse without a damn good reason."
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