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Chapter 30: Mission from Thaddeus Ross
🕑 Added 2025-06-13 18:25:49 +0000 UTC
Kakashi was in a dilemma as he read the newest mission that he has received.
: Subjugate Target: Bruce Banner. Location: Virginia Client: General Thaddeus Ross.
His Sharingan spun lazily as he read the intel packet attached which was marked as classified and if leaked, Kakashi would be hunted down. Kakashi was almost amused by the threat. Kakashi also did a bit of his own research to connect the dots since the package did not say everything like how Banner was under Ross's employ and it was a scientific experiment gone wrong.
Banner, a brilliant scientist, had been exposed to gamma radiation, creating a monster that could level buildings. The army, led by General Ross, wanted him alive.
Kakashi’s lips twitched beneath his mask. 'Alive, huh? Not to save him. To weaponize him and to make more of him. So every world desires power huh.'
The thought sent a chill through him, stirring memories of Konoha’s darker days.
'This reeks so much like Danzo,' he mused. Back in his world, Danzo had schemed to control the Nine-Tails, to turn Naruto and even Kushina into a weapon for the Hidden Leaf.
The old war hawk had seen jinchuriki as tools, not people, their power to be leashed for the village’s gain.
Ross’s obsession with the Banner felt eerily similar—a man chasing a monster, not to protect, but to harness.
'Same game, different world. Power-hungry types never change.'
Kakashi leaned back, 'Do I take this mission?'
It was a gamble. Accepting meant stepping into the spotlight, revealing his abilities to Ross and the U.S. military.
In the six months since he’d become Hound, Kakashi had stayed in the shadows, his ninja skills a secret.
Exposing his abilities could make him a target. 'If Ross is hunting Banner for his power, what’s to stop him from coming after me?'
He thought of the Ancient One’s words at Kamar-Taj, urging him to find joy in his new life. For years, he’d lived for duty—protecting Konoha, guiding Team 7, carrying the weight of losses of his friends and family.
This world offered a fresh start, a chance to rediscover the thrill of the shinobi arts he’d loved as a child, before loss and war had dulled that spark. Someday his powers would have been revealed anyways, why wait? He can always go and live in Kamar Taj if the military starts hunting him.
His eye crinkled, a smirk forming. 'Besides, I’m not Banner. If Ross tries anything, I’ve got Kamui. Let’s see him catch a ninja who can slip into another dimension.'
Even if Ross’s forces cornered him, he could vanish in an instant. 'But let’s be real. They’d need a miracle to put me on the backfoot to make me escape.'
---
The Virginia military base was bristling with armed soldiers
Kakashi arrived and waited for hours to get through the security.
He handed his mission papers to a pair of guards at the gate, their eyes narrowing at his silver hair and masked face. One muttered something about “weird cosplay,” while the other gripped his rifle tighter.
'Why do people always focus on my hair?' Kakashi thought, his eye crinkling in amusement. 'It’s just hair, guys. Not a weapon. Well, not until I use Jiraiya-sa's jutsu.'
He followed the guards through the base, their wary glances trailing him like a spotlight. The attention was nothing new—his appearance had always drawn stares, even in Konoha. Not many walked with a mask on their face.
Inside a briefing room, Kakashi joined a group of mercenaries—hardened men andwith tactical gear, their eyes cold as they eyed him.
They sized him up, their gazes lingering on his lack of visible weapons. One, a burly man with a scar across his cheek, snorted. “What’s with the ninja getup, kid? Forget your guns?”
Kakashi shrugged, his tone light. “Got my weapons. Prefer keeping ‘em hidden.”
He patted his pouch, where kunai and shuriken lay concealed. The mercenaries exchanged skeptical looks, but Kakashi ignored them.
The door swung open, and General Thaddeus Ross entered, his presence commanding despite his age. Beside him stood a middle-aged soldier.
Ross wasted no time. “You’ve all been paid to help us subjugate a man—or rather, a monster inside a man,” he said, his voice gravelly. “The Hulk. I know you’ve got questions, but most of it’s classified. You don’t need to know the details to do your job.”
His eyes lingered on Kakashi, a flicker of curiosity or suspicion crossing his face. Kakashi met his gaze, his expression unreadable behind his mask. 'He’s sizing me up. He might have figured out that I have some supernatural abilities with my mission record or some camera footage.'
Ross gestured to the soldier beside him. “This is Emil Blonsky, your team lead. The army’s backing you with a full squadron. Our target was spotted minutes ago, heading for Culver University. We move now. Blonsky will fill you in.”
Blonsky stepped forward, his posture rigid, his voice clipped. “The Hulk, also known as Bruce Banner, has been on the run for five years. He’s a fugitive. We tracked him to Brazil once, but we underestimated him. My entire team—except me—ended up dead.”
His eyes darkened, a mix of anger and respect. “He’s been spotted near Culver University. We’re ambushing him there. Any questions?”
A mercenary with a buzz cut raised a hand. “We taking him alive?”
Blonsky’s jaw tightened. “If he looks human, use tranquilizers. If he’s green and smashing, use every weapon you’ve got. But fair warning—guns won’t do much against the Hulk.”
His tone carried the weight of experience, confusing the mercenaries. 'If he looks human?' The room buzzed with unease.
Blonsky’s gaze landed on Kakashi, noting his empty hands. “If you need gear, grab it from the armory.”
Kakashi shrugged, his voice casual. “I’m good. My weapons are… just hidden.”
Blonsky raised an eyebrow but let it slide. “Suit yourself. Vehicles are outside. Let’s move before he slips away again.”
An armored convoy speeding toward Culver University, Kakashi sat in the back lazily. He put his hand inside his pouch.
The others got alert remembering that he said that he kept the weapons in his pouch.
And Kakashi took out a Magazine from his pouch.
Everyone looked at him and then at the Magazine cover. They were trying very hard not to shoot him down. Well some wanted to take a peek of the Magazine.
But all of them had a single thought,'Is this guy seriously staring at a Playboy magazine when we are going for an important mission?'
