This is a myth.
That was Nick Fury's first reaction when he heard the story Wu Chen told.
This is a myth that only their ninja know about.
After S.H.I.E.L.D.'s think tank searched through myths from around the world without finding a match, Nick Fury came to that conclusion.
But the Rabbit Goddess?
That naming convention seemed Japanese.
It looked like he couldn't let up on investigating Japan!
However, as Wu Chen, who looked like Minato Namikaze, continued speaking with utmost seriousness, Nick Fury began to change his mind.
The Sage of Six Paths sealed the Rabbit Goddess on the moon? How is that possible?!
The Ten-Tails? A giant beast with ten tails? Why does that sound so far-fetched?
The Sage of Six Paths split the Ten-Tails into the Nine Tailed Beasts. Doesn't that make him essentially a creator god, able to create life out of nothing? But how could a god die of old age?
Nick Fury weighed each point in his mind. When Wu Chen revealed "Minato Namikaze's reason for coming to New York," Fury's eyelid twitched.
He couldn't believe it all, but he couldn't dismiss it all, either!
That was the conclusion Nick Fury reached.
According to Minato Namikaze, the Ten-Tails formed by combining the Nine Tailed Beasts was a giant beast capable of destroying the world.
If that were true, and he paid it no mind and refused to believe it, allowing some villain to seize the chance to unseal the Nine Tailed Beasts and fuse them into the world-destroying Ten-Tails, wouldn't he become an accomplice in the world's destruction?
Whether he became an accomplice wasn't important. What worried Nick Fury was plunging the world into a major crisis.
After thinking it over, Nick Fury spoke to Natasha through his earpiece. "Natasha, give him the communicator."
Clearly, the man already knew that Fury and the others were directing Natasha remotely from behind the scenes. If they kept doing so, wouldn't that be disrespecting him?
Although Minato Namikaze seemed even-tempered and didn't look like the violent type, what if he was?
Nick Fury didn't want to gamble. He would rather take a slightly more troublesome approach and nip the crisis in the bud.
"Are you the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.?" The mildly gentle voice reassured Nick Fury a little. Someone this gentle probably won't cause trouble on a whim, right?
And with a temperament this mild, maybe S.H.I.E.L.D. could work with him!
At the thought, Nick Fury's pupils widened slightly, and his breathing quickened a little.
But the experienced Nick Fury quickly concealed those small signs.
Even Agent Maria Hill, who was standing beside Nick Fury, failed to notice.
Wu Chen, however, noticed.
After all, a ninja's senses were remarkably sharp.
The corners of Wu Chen's mouth lifted slightly. He was a little pleased.
Good, he's unsettled! That means I didn't waste my breath on that story.
"Mr. Namikaze, I'd like to confirm something. Do things like tailed beasts really exist in this world?"
Perhaps because Wu Chen had shown such a good temper, Nick Fury grew a little bolder and asked one of the key questions outright.
"Of course tailed beasts exist! The First Hokage of our Konoha once fought the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, the strongest of the Nine Tailed Beasts, and then subdued him!"
Wu Chen spoke with reverence.
"The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox? Isn't that a figure from Eastern mythology?"
Nick Fury, who had just looked through mythological records, frowned. "And when did the First Hokage of your Konoha fight a tailed beast? Why haven't we heard anything about it?"
"Also, didn't you say the Sage of Six Paths' seals remained strong even after many years? Why did the Nine-Tails get out and fight your First Hokage?"
Wu Chen had long been prepared for these questions. He answered them one by one. "They're not the same thing, so please don't confuse them. Although both are foxes with nine tails, the tailed beast known as the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox is enormous and can't take human form. Don't mix them up."
"As for when Lord First fought the tailed beast, it was one day five years ago. There should have been a severe earthquake or some other natural disaster that day!"
"As for why you didn't know, that's because we kept it hidden."
"If everyone in the world knew about this, even if the vast majority dismissed it as a myth, there would always be someone who couldn't resist putting it to the test!"
"What if some unlucky person accidentally found a place where a tailed beast was sealed and managed to release it?"
"No one wants to bear the consequences of that."
"Sometimes, the more you know, the greater the danger."
"As for why the Nine-Tails was released, it involved a traitor from Konoha. I can't disclose the details."
"Lord First defeated the traitor, subdued the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, and then used the Sage of Six Paths' seal as a basis to seal him again here in New York."
"That's about it. Do you have any other questions?"
Wu Chen paused, looking forward a little to Nick Fury's answer.