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Chapter 37: Fury Arrives
🕑 Added 2025-06-22 16:08:55 +0000 UTCThe streets were scarred by the clash of the Hulk and the Abomination. There were crumbled buildings and overturned vehicles everywhere on the street.
General Thaddeus Ross's helicopter touched down amidst the destruction, its rotors kicking up dust as he stepped out, his face filled with rage.
His eyes locked onto the mercenary, Hound, who leaned casually against a still standing lamppost.
The Abomination—Emil Blonsky's monstrous form—lay unconscious in a crater, bound by heavy chains, while the Hulk had vanished into the night.
Ross stormed forward, his voice a low growl. "You let Banner escape."
Kakashi tilted his head, his single visible eye crinkling with a playful glint. "Yo, General, I believe my mission parameters were to subdue this one." He gestured at the Abomination. "The green one, as I quote you, was 'friendly.' And in army terms, friendly means 'don't shoot,' right?"
His tone was light, almost mocking, a deliberate jab to rile Ross. 'Gotta keep things fun. Keeps the world from feeling too heavy,' Kakashi thought
Ross's face reddened, a vein pulsing in his temple. "You…" he hissed, his glare sharp enough to cut steel.
Military vehicles rolled in, soldiers spilling out with rifles raised, forming a perimeter around the scene. Ross's voice boomed, cutting through the tension. "You're under military arrest for letting a U.S. criminal escape. Men, cuff him up and escort Blonsky—this monster—to the army research center. Take the mercenary there too."
Kakashi didn't move, his posture relaxed but his eyes cataloging every soldier's position. He tilted his head curiously, his voice calm but laced with steel.
"What makes you so confident you or your men can apprehend me, General? You've seen what I can do, haven't you?"
Ross's lips curled into a cold smile, his eyes glinting with calculation. "Oh, I know all about your skills, Hound. Believe me, I've watched your fight with the Hulk a hundred times—frame by frame. You could take out a thousand of my men, maybe ten thousand. But you'd get tired eventually, make a mistake. That's all it'd take to bring you down. And when we do, we'll rebuild our losses by studying your… strengths."
Kakashi's eye narrowed, his mind racing. 'He's not just power-hungry. He's clever. Too much like Danzo.'
With a flicker of chakra, he body-flickered, reappearing inches from Ross, a kunai pressed to the general's throat.
Soldiers shouted, rifles snapping up, but Kakashi's voice was low, threatening. "And what if I take their general? How do your men capture me then?"
Ross didn't flinch, his chuckle dark and unyielding. "That'd make it easier, Hound. Kill me, and you'd have every commander in the Pentagon after you. The ones who hate my methods? They'd adopt them in a heartbeat—more Hulks, more experiments. It's human nature to capture and study what we don't understand. You'd be a lab rat before you could blink."
Kakashi's grip on the kunai tightened, his mind flashing to Konoha's darker days—Orochimaru's labs, Danzo's Root, the relentless pursuit of power.
'He's not wrong. This world's no different.' Ross's cunning was a wake-up call: the military wouldn't stop, not with his abilities on display. 'I need to send a message—show them I'm not a pawn to be played with.'
He was about to act, chakra surging for a fight, when another helicopter roared overhead, landing with a thud. Out stepped a man in a black coat, an eyepatch covering one eye.
His presence shifted the air, soldiers hesitating as he strode forward, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade.
"He's one of my agents, General Ross," Fury said, his tone flat but authoritative. "You have no jurisdiction to arrest him."
Kakashi blinked, nearly blurting 'I am?' but kept silent, his eye crinkling with amusement. 'Nice save, eyepatch guy. Let's see where this goes.'
Ross's face twisted, his voice a snarl. "You expect me to believe that, Fury? Do you think I'm an idiot?"
Fury's lips curled into a smirk, his eye glinting. "Your actions have made that belief a fact, General."
He didn't pause, steamrolling Ross's retort. "The Security Council's reviewed your handling of the Hulk situation. Creating another monster—Blonsky—that killed soldiers, civilians, and caused millions in damage? Sloppy. I'm taking custody of the Abomination. And as for Banner, you're cut off. No more military support for your Hulk hunt. You're done."
Ross's jaw dropped, fury rendering him speechless. Fury turned to Kakashi, his voice crisp. "Agent Hound, you've completed your mission to protect the city from these monsters. Come to SHIELD headquarters. I have questions."
Kakashi nodded, his tone light. "Yo, sure thing, boss." He glanced at Ross, unable to resist a parting shot. "Oh, General, don't forget my mission payment. You've got my bank account number, right?"
With a mock salute, he followed Fury to the choppe as SHIELD agents secured the unconscious Abomination.
Ross stood frozen, his fists clenched, thoughts racing. 'Fury's playing a deeper game. Hound's no SHIELD agent—he's a mercenary. But Fury's claiming him to keep him out of my hands' * His mind churned, replaying Kakashi's abilities—lightning, earth, intangibility, that blue orb.
'He's a weapon I need. Fury won't hold him forever.' Ross barked orders to his men, his voice tight. "Secure the site! I want every scrap of footage from this fight!"
---
Inside Fury's chopper, Kakashi sat across from the director, his posture relaxed but his eyes analyzing every move.
Fury's claim was a lifeline, but Kakashi wasn't naive. 'He's not saving me out of kindness. He wants something.'
Fury leaned forward, his eye piercing. "You're no agent, Hound. But you're too valuable to leave in Ross's claws. SHIELD could use someone with your skills. Earth's got bigger problems than green monsters."
Kakashi's eye crinkled, his tone dry. "Yo, eyepatch, flattery's nice, but what's the catch? You don't strike me as the charity type."
Fury snorted, a rare flicker of amusement. "No catch, just a deal. Work with us, you get resources, intel, and a shield from idiots like Ross. In return, you help us handle threats—alien, mutant, whatever's coming. Your call."
