Chapter Summaries

S.H.I.E.L.D. detected chakra fluctuations in Chinatown and Coulson tracked down Yakushi Kabuto, who had arrived without a headband. Over a meal, Kabuto admitted he was a rogue ninja unaffiliated with any ninja village, and Coulson asked to speak somewhere more private.

• S.H.I.E.L.D. detected chakra fluctuations in Chinatown and Coulson ordered agents to track the man seen in surveillance footage.
• Yakushi Kabuto stole cash from several wallets, bought food, and waited for S.H.I.E.L.D. to approach him.
• Coulson sat beside Yakushi Kabuto at a restaurant and introduced himself while Kabuto finished eating.
• Yakushi Kabuto confirmed he was a ninja and identified himself as a rogue ninja with no village affiliation.
• Coulson asked Yakushi Kabuto to continue their conversation somewhere else.

At S.H.I.E.L.D.’s New York base, Coulson learned that Yakushi Kabuto was a Rogue Ninja from the Land of Fire, though Kabuto demanded payment for information about his world. Coulson offered him employment and displayed Energy Blocks and Adamantium, leaving Kabuto to examine the unfamiliar payment and wait for a sample of solid metal.

• Yakushi Kabuto explained that some ninjas lived outside ninja villages, and Coulson listed the ninja villages and Missing-nin already encountered.
• Kabuto said he had arrived by accident and identified the Land of Fire as his home, but Coulson and James confirmed that no such country existed on Earth.
• Kabuto refused to give information without payment, so Coulson offered to employ him on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s behalf.
• Coulson presented fifty Energy Stones and liquid Adamantium as payment, and Kabuto asked to see solid Adamantium.
• Kabuto admitted he had never seen an Energy Block before and said he would study how to use it.

Yakushi Kabuto accepted Coulson's offer to join S.H.I.E.L.D. after negotiating salary, equipment, and mission pay. He explained that the Ninja World was a separate world, leaving Coulson wondering whether Charlotte Doyle had come from there as well.

• Coulson explained identification documents to Yakushi Kabuto and assured him that S.H.I.E.L.D. would arrange one.
• James brought Case No. 3, and Yakushi Kabuto tested its Adamantium kunai by slicing through a wall with Chakra.
• Yakushi Kabuto negotiated for spending money and separate mission rewards, then agreed to join S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Yakushi Kabuto told Coulson that the Land of Fire was part of a vast Ninja World beyond Earth and described its Five Great Nations and Konoha.
• Yakushi Kabuto said he had arrived on Earth after wandering through a barrier and did not know how to return.
• Coulson wondered whether Charlotte Doyle had fallen from the Ninja World to Earth as a child.

Coulson learned from Yakushi Kabuto about the Ninja World’s Five Great Nations and their Shinobi Villages, realizing S.H.I.E.L.D.’s assumptions and plans were badly mistaken. After bringing Kabuto to headquarters for onboarding and a strength assessment, Coulson reported the intelligence to Nick Fury, who began revising his plans.

• Coulson asked Yakushi Kabuto about the Five Great Nations and Shinobi Villages, and Kabuto explained their origins, locations, and characteristics.
• Coulson thanked Kabuto for the information and took him to the Triskelion to complete his onboarding and assess his strength.
• Coulson handed Kabuto over to Agent Fills, then went to Nick Fury’s office.
• Coulson told Nick Fury what Kabuto had revealed about the Ninja World, the Five Great Nations, and the Five Great Villages.
• Nick Fury listened, wrote notes, and stopped to look at Coulson after considering the intelligence.

Nick Fury and Coulson reconsidered the origins and scale of the Ninja World’s forces, then planned to tighten security and pursue intelligence and serum trade with Sunagakure. The chapter ended with Fury fearing the ninjas might seek to occupy Earth and concluding that Earth needed its own power.

• Nick Fury ordered Lance Hunter to withdraw the troops from Japan and speculated with Coulson that the Ninja World’s people might have migrated from Earth long ago.
• Nick Fury raised the intelligence about the ninjas to level ten confidentiality and ordered James to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
• Nick Fury told Coulson to investigate Yakushi Kabuto, verify the existence of forces beyond the ninja villages with Sunagakure, and explore further cooperation and material trade.
• Coulson proposed that Liu Haoran receive the Physical Enhancement Serum, and Nick Fury agreed to raise the idea with Sunagakure during the planned trade.
• After Coulson left, Nick Fury worried that the ninjas might try to occupy Earth and decided Earth needed its own defensive power.

Yakushi Kabuto completed his S.H.I.E.L.D. onboarding and prepared to undergo a combat assessment against enhanced Hawkeye Barton. As S.H.I.E.L.D. officials monitored the test, they discussed what the results might reveal and who would supervise Kabuto if he joined.

• Barton hurried to S.H.I.E.L.D. after learning a ninja would be assessed, hoping to test his own strength against a ninja's.
• Yakushi Kabuto stored his belongings in his assigned room, kept his Adamantium kunai and shuriken in his tool pouch, and headed to the assessment.
• Barton arrived at the factory venue equipped with an Adamantium bow, powerful arrows, and a tanto.
• Nick Fury ordered the Science Team and Chakra Monitoring Center to record the fighters' physical and chakra data.
• Maria Hill questioned whether Barton could safely test Kabuto, and Nick Fury said the match would reveal whether S.H.I.E.L.D. could contend with even a Rogue Ninja.
• Sitwell asked who would become Yakushi Kabuto's supervising officer.

Nick Fury and his agents debated who should supervise Yakushi Kabuto, then watched Barton assess Kabuto’s combat ability. Kabuto deflected Barton’s first attacks, but an explosive arrow sent him flying.

• Sitwell proposed Grant Ward as Yakushi Kabuto’s supervisor, while Hill recommended Coulson for his interpersonal skills.
• Nick Fury agreed that Coulson handled relationships well but said he might be too busy with Ninja liaison work, and he postponed the decision.
• Barton began Yakushi Kabuto’s combat assessment by firing a Secondary Adamantium arrow, which Kabuto deflected with a Kunai that broke on impact.
• Barton fired three arrows at once, and Kabuto used an Adamantium Kunai to deflect the first two.
• The third arrow exploded on contact, sending Yakushi Kabuto flying.

Yakushi Kabuto used smoke bombs and explosive tags to injure Barton, while S.H.I.E.L.D. watched and assessed the ninja tools. As the smoke cleared, Barton prepared to fight with his tanto and Kabuto stepped out, leaving their sparring match poised to continue.

• Barton shot Yakushi Kabuto with an Explosive Arrow, but Kabuto obscured the training ground with smoke bombs and counterattacked with shuriken and explosive-tagged kunai.
• Barton dodged the shuriken and kunai but was caught in the tags’ blast, injured, and separated from his bow.
• Nick Fury, Hill, and Sitwell reviewed the footage and discussed acquiring the explosive tags and smoke bombs for S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Barton drew his tanto and guarded against the smoke as it dispersed, while Yakushi Kabuto walked out without continuing his attack.

Yakushi Kabuto defeated Barton in a combat test, using Wind Style: Vacuum Wave to finish the fight without revealing his medical abilities. Nick Fury and Sitwell reviewed the match and judged Kabuto formidable to agents but weaker than the powerful ninja they had encountered before.

• Barton charged Yakushi Kabuto and exchanged more than thirty weapon strikes with him, but Kabuto parried each attack.
• Yakushi Kabuto used Wind Style: Vacuum Wave to wound Barton and send him flying, then held a Kunai to his neck and declared that he had lost.
• Barton admitted defeat, and medical personnel took him for an examination as his wounds began healing.
• Yakushi Kabuto declined to treat Barton and followed the agent to complete basic tests using machines.
• Nick Fury asked Sitwell to assess both fighters, and Sitwell called Kabuto strong by agent standards but unimpressive beside the ninja in their records.

Nick Fury and Hill assessed Yakushi Kabuto’s hidden abilities and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s plans to learn from him and acquire the Physical Enhancement Serum. Meanwhile, Coulson visited the Sunagakure Puppet Shop, where Temari prepared an intelligence consultation with Pakura present.

• Hill analyzed footage of Yakushi Kabuto’s fight with Barton and concluded that Kabuto had concealed much of his strength and avoided injury from Barton’s Explosive Arrow.
• Hill argued that S.H.I.E.L.D. needed large quantities of the Physical Enhancement Serum, and Nick Fury agreed that Kabuto could help the organization enter the extraordinary world.
• Nick Fury proposed earning Kabuto’s trust, gradually obtaining his secrets, and recruiting more Rogue Ninjas under Kabuto’s management.
• Nick Fury ordered Yakushi Kabuto’s test results and analysis sent to his office, then left with Hill and Sitwell.
• Coulson brought one hundred Energy Blocks to the Sunagakure Puppet Shop and paid Temari for two puppet dolls and an intelligence consultation.
• Temari invited Pakura to join the consultation, but Pakura declined and left Temari to speak with Coulson.

Temari and Coulson discussed Rogue Ninjas, the Ninja World, and possible trade between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Sunagakure. Temari refused ordinary supplies but agreed to consider trading for unusual items, while a Vibranium-for-serum deal remained scheduled for the following week.

• Temari told Coulson that Sunagakure was in the Land of Wind on another planet and said she knew nothing about Yakushi Kabuto.
• Temari said she did not know whether people from Earth and the Ninja World shared the same origins, though both were Human Race.
• Coulson proposed diplomatic and trade relations, but Temari said Sunagakure wanted the Tesseract, Energy Blocks, Vibranium, and other unusual items rather than ordinary supplies.
• Temari invited Coulson to bring unusual items for her to inspect, and he promised to apply to bring them on a future visit.
• Coulson said S.H.I.E.L.D. would have the requested Vibranium ready next week for trade for the Physical Enhancement Serum, and Temari agreed.

Temari negotiated with Coulson over Vibranium, Adamantium, and an intelligence mission, while Charlotte received Madara Uchiha’s training and a bundle of Hearts of the Earth. At S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury accepted that Yakushi Kabuto’s account of the Ninja World was true and ordered an investigation into his past.

• Temari accepted Coulson’s Adamantium Kunai as a gift, declined to buy the metal without its formula, and quoted two hundred Energy Blocks to investigate Yakushi Kabuto.
• Madara Uchiha returned to Charlotte with ten Hearts of the Earth, taught him Mangekyō Sharingan techniques, and vanished when his twenty-four hours ended.
• Yakushi Kabuto removed the surveillance devices in his S.H.I.E.L.D. room while Nick Fury watched the footage and reviewed his combat assessment.
• Coulson told Nick Fury that Temari confirmed the Ninja World and its Rogue Ninja, and suggested Charlotte Agency investigate Yakushi Kabuto.
• Nick Fury ordered an investigation into Yakushi Kabuto’s intelligence and asked Coulson to consider becoming his handler, but Coulson declined and offered to recommend someone else.

Hydra plotted to control Yakushi Kabuto’s S.H.I.E.L.D. supervisor and pursue Physical Enhancement Serum while investigating the recalled Japan search team. The next morning, Yakushi Kabuto accidentally caused an explosion while testing an Energy Block, then learned that Nick Fury also did not know how ninjas used them.

• Sitwell told Pierce that Coulson had recruited Yakushi Kabuto, and Pierce ordered Hydra to secure the supervisor position for one of their own, preferably Grant Ward.
• Pierce planned to obtain more Vibranium from Wakanda, use Winter Soldier if necessary, and secretly trade Slingshot Base 084 objects with the ninjas.
• Pierce learned that Nick Fury had recalled S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Japan search team without finding the ninja village and ordered Sitwell to investigate the reason.
• Yakushi Kabuto tested an Energy Block with Chakra, causing it to explode outside his room and setting off alarms throughout the Triskelion.
• Coulson brought Yakushi Kabuto to Nick Fury, where Kabuto asked how to use Energy Blocks and learned that Fury did not know either.

Yakushi Kabuto explained his Ninja Tools, knowledge of the Ninja World, and Genin-level strength to Nick Fury and Coulson. After Kabuto left to prepare for talks with other ninja, Fury and Coulson discussed how to win him over and considered Grant Ward and Melinda May as possible supervisors.

• Yakushi Kabuto showed Nick Fury an Explosive Tag and a Smoke Bomb, explaining their uses and why most S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents could not use them effectively.
• Yakushi Kabuto described other ninja weapons, Kirigakure’s Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, the Physical Enhancement Serum, and his own standing as a strong Genin.
• Yakushi Kabuto asked to learn about the ninja villages so he could trade for supplies, and Nick Fury promised him information and one hundred Energy Stones.
• Coulson advised Nick Fury to win Yakushi Kabuto’s trust gradually, and suggested Grant Ward or Melinda May as his supervisor.
• Nick Fury told Coulson to deliver the village intelligence and Energy Stones, then reviewed Melinda May’s and Grant Ward’s files.

Nick Fury reviewed Melinda May and Grant Ward’s files while Coulson brought Yakushi Kabuto his reward, S.H.I.E.L.D. rulebooks, and intelligence on ninja villages operating on Earth. As Kabuto examined the records, he recognized Konoha’s ninjas and discovered that S.H.I.E.L.D. had documented Tsunade’s strength and feats.

• Nick Fury learned that Peggy Carter had recruited Melinda May and saw that May had moved to desk duty before opening Grant Ward’s file.
• Yakushi Kabuto found his repaired room intact, then welcomed Coulson, who delivered Energy Blocks and a stack of S.H.I.E.L.D. rulebooks.
• Coulson discussed Kabuto’s ability to read some Earth scripts and offered dictionaries or a teacher to help him study unfamiliar languages.
• Coulson gave Kabuto files on Konoha Village, Sunagakure, and Otogakure, and Kabuto began reviewing the ninja archives.
• Yakushi Kabuto recognized many names in Konoha’s files, including Tsunade Senju, and remarked that Konoha had sent two of the Sannin.
• Yakushi Kabuto opened Tsunade’s dossier, which listed her as an S-rank chakra user who had defeated the Hulk and destroyed Anton Vanko’s mechs.

Yakushi Kabuto corrected Coulson's files on Tsunade and Orochimaru, then realized the summoned ninjas came from different points in time and that Charlotte Doyle might be able to resurrect people. He began reviewing Charlotte's extensive file, leaving him struck by the grand titles listed for Charlotte.

• Yakushi Kabuto told Coulson that Tsunade Senju and the other Legendary Sannin were Kage-level powerhouses, and Coulson recorded the correction.
• Yakushi Kabuto corrected Orochimaru's file and questioned its claim that Orochimaru was reclusive, while Coulson grew wary of how many powerful Konoha ninjas had arrived.
• Yakushi Kabuto noticed that Kakashi Hatake and Tenten's files reflected different ages than he expected, confirming that Charlotte Doyle could summon people from different points in time and truly resurrect them.
• Yakushi Kabuto thought of Dean Nonō and wished Charlotte Doyle could bring her back, then opened Charlotte's lengthy intelligence file.
• Yakushi Kabuto saw that Charlotte's file listed the code names Legendary Assassin and God of Ninjas, and privately considered Charlotte greater than the Sage of Six Paths.

Yakushi Kabuto reviewed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence on the Ninja and arranged to visit the three villages' outposts, choosing Charlotte Agency as his first stop. He arrived at the agency and prepared to meet its people.

• Yakushi Kabuto read S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files on Konoha, Sunagakure, and Otogakure, then told Coulson he barely knew the people listed.
• Coulson arranged a driver to take Yakushi Kabuto to the three Ninja Village outposts, and Kabuto chose Charlotte Agency as his first destination.
• Yakushi Kabuto put on an S.H.I.E.L.D.-branded Ninja Headband and took a suitcase containing forty-nine Energy Stones.
• Yakushi Kabuto left the Triskelion with a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent while Coulson copied the Ninja intelligence for the director and updated the database.
• After about an hour, Yakushi Kabuto arrived at Charlotte Agency and apologized to the driver for falling asleep in the car.

Yakushi Kabuto visited Charlotte Agency, claiming to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. Ninja while secretly signaling Kakashi that he was Lord Charlotte’s infiltrator. He negotiated for access to Ninja Tools in exchange for the location of the temple that brought him to Earth, while Nick Fury listened in without understanding the coded exchange.

• Yakushi Kabuto arrived at Charlotte Agency and told Selene he wanted to purchase Ninja Tools, then identified himself as a Missing-nin from the Land of Fire seeking the agency’s Ninjas.
• Selene called Kakashi, and Mike escorted Yakushi Kabuto to the Reception Room while a bug in Kabuto’s Suitcase transmitted his words to S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Kakashi met Yakushi Kabuto, who used Anbu hand signs to reveal that Lord Charlotte had brought him to Earth and assigned him to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Yakushi Kabuto told Kakashi aloud that he had reached Earth through a temple formation and offered its location in exchange for permission to keep buying Ninja supplies.
• Nick Fury and Coulson heard the conversation through the bug, and Fury asked what Military Ration Pills were.

Yakushi Kabuto bought Ninja Tools and Military Ration Pills from Kakashi Hatake and asked about using Energy Blocks to purchase Ninjutsu. Kakashi offered him D-rank Ninjutsu under strict restrictions, while Nick Fury and Coulson watched from S.H.I.E.L.D.

• Yakushi Kabuto told Kakashi Hatake that a Formation in an abandoned temple near Haruhi City had transported him to Earth, and asked whether he could use Konoha's method to return to the Ninja World.
• Kakashi Hatake refused to help Yakushi Kabuto return, reassuring Nick Fury and Coulson that Kabuto would remain on Earth.
• Kakashi Hatake told Yakushi Kabuto that Energy Blocks were accepted as payment, and Kabuto bought ten Smoke Bombs, fifty Explosive Tags, and eight Military Ration Pills for nineteen Energy Blocks.
• Yakushi Kabuto asked what Energy Blocks could do and whether he could use them to buy Ninjutsu, and Kakashi Hatake said he could purchase D-rank Ninjutsu for his own use only.

S.H.I.E.L.D. investigated Charlotte Agency’s sale of Ninjutsu while Yakushi Kabuto bought ninja tools and a Storage Scroll, planning to use S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Energy Blocks to trade with the agency. Nick Fury decided to search ancient temples and ruins for a teleportation Formation, as Yakushi Kabuto headed to the Sunagakure Puppet Shop.

• Nick Fury and Phil Coulson discussed whether Charlotte Agency’s Ninjutsu service was available only to Ninja and planned to ask during their intelligence consultation.
• Kakashi Hatake explained Ninjutsu and commission prices to Yakushi Kabuto, who decided to save enough Energy Blocks to buy Ninjutsu later.
• Yakushi Kabuto paid for ninja tools and a reusable Storage Scroll, then left Charlotte Agency for the Sunagakure Puppet Shop.
• Coulson suggested searching Earth’s ancient temples for a teleportation Formation, and Nick Fury ordered S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to investigate ruins.