Hydra Base

"The Uchiha Clan's Great Fireball Technique and Konoha's Shadow Clone Technique—now those are really tempting!"

Closing the panel, Li Chuan began to weigh his options in his mind.

To be honest, his original goal was just to rescue Dr. Smith. After all, Hydra was a massive organization, and crossing them would bring a lot of trouble.

But those two ninjutsu were just too alluring.

Sure, the Great Fireball Technique never seemed to hit anyone in the story, but he figured that was just for plot convenience—it didn't mean it was actually weak.

As the most famous Fire Release technique of the Uchiha Clan, the Great Fireball Technique boasted a wide attack range, strong destructive power, and low Chakra consumption.

Plus, its learning difficulty was only C-Rank, requiring just six hand seals.

Even a ninja as skilled as Itachi still used the Great Fireball Technique from time to time in battle.

Compared to the Fireball Technique he currently knew, they weren't even in the same league.

Li Chuan's Fireball Technique shot out a fist-sized ball of flame—not very fast, average power, with maybe a slight edge in range.

But the Great Fireball was truly great; once mastered, the fireball it spat out was several times larger than a person. A single hit could probably blow up an ordinary house.

As for the second technique, the Shadow Clone Technique, that went without saying. It was the signature move of the protagonist Naruto, a B-Rank Ninjutsu developed by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.

Unlike the E-Rank Clone Jutsu, which only created a fake illusion, this one produced real, solid clones. And when they were dispelled, their memories and experience returned to the user.

Once he mastered this technique, his survival rate in the Marvel world would skyrocket. He could send Shadow Clones to handle dangerous tasks.

"But is it worth the risk?"

After thinking it over, Li Chuan hesitated again.

With his current strength, sneaking into a Hydra base to rescue Dr. Smith wasn't too hard. But killing Baron Strucker and destroying the Hydra base? That was a whole different story.

If he couldn't go back to the Naruto World, he'd throw everything into completing the mission to get those techniques.

But now that he could settle in New York and return to the Naruto World for another six months—and maybe earn even more time from later side quests—he'd naturally have a chance to learn those techniques there.

"One step slow, every step slow. If I don't dare to take risks, how can I grow stronger?"

Clenching his teeth, Li Chuan made his choice. He'd complete all three side quests.

Neither the Marvel world nor the Naruto World was peaceful or stable. Playing it safe and avoiding risks would only leave him regretting his inaction when he faced an unstoppable threat—and by then, it'd be too late.

As someone who had long fought in Life-and-Death Boxing to push past his limits, Li Chuan didn't lack a spirit of adventure.

Getting new techniques sooner and becoming stronger would let him reap greater benefits from events in this world. Then, when he went to the Naruto World, he'd be even more powerful, with more options.

That would create a virtuous cycle.

Of course, everything had its limits. Taking risks with no chance of success was just stupid.

"Xiao Liu, tell Uncle Li to stop the investigation. Have Xiao San and the others come back too."

With a plan in mind, Li Chuan stood up and pressed the button on his desk phone again.

Since the panel had already told him Hydra took Dr. Smith, there was no point wasting time.

In Sokovia, plenty of high-ranking officials and wealthy businessmen had ties to Hydra. An investigation would easily tip them off.

Over the past three years, besides pursuing Wanda, recovering his strength, and expanding his company, Li Chuan had also kept an eye on Hydra intelligence.

The reason Hydra had stayed hidden so well wasn't that they were that impressive—it was that everyone thought the organization had been wiped out by Captain America during World War II.

Most of their public identities were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, government officials, or wealthy businessmen.

Take the base on the high mountain outside Sokovia, for example. On paper, it was a military research facility of the Sokovian government, supposedly tied to the Peacekeeping Force that S.H.I.E.L.D. had deployed during the Sokovian Uprising years ago.

But he was different. He had always known Hydra existed and that the base was theirs. By keeping a close watch, he could pick up plenty of clues.

Meanwhile, inside the Hydra base on the high mountain outside Sokovia.

A burly Hydra agent was reporting to Baron Strucker, who stood before him wearing a monocle and a black leather coat.

"My Lord, through Hypnotic Interrogation, we've extracted the origin and formula of the Power Pill from Dr. Smith."

"Let's hear it."

Baron Strucker turned around with his hands behind his back, a look of mild interest on his face.

The burly Hydra agent lowered his head:

"According to Dr. Smith, the Power Pill wasn't developed by him alone. It was based on a drug called Reinforcement Cream, provided by Li Chuan, the owner of the Li Group.

In terms of effect, that Reinforcement Cream is far superior to the Power Pill for physical enhancement."

"Interesting. Where did Li Chuan get that Reinforcement Cream, and does he still have any in stock?"

Baron Strucker's interest deepened.

The burly Hydra agent shook his head:

"The source is unclear. Dr. Smith said there's none left. Li Chuan originally gave him samples to replicate the Reinforcement Cream exactly, but his ability only went as far as producing something like the Power Pill.

Later, when the samples ran out, he asked Li Chuan for more to continue research, but never got any."

He paused, glanced up at Baron Strucker, and cautiously suggested:

"My Lord, should I lead a team to capture Li Chuan again?"

"Not for now. Lock up Smith first; we'll hand him over to Garrett along with the intel later. Our current deal is just Dr. Smith and the Power Pill formula. As for what comes after... we'll see..."

Baron Strucker waved his hand lightly, dismissing his subordinate's suggestion.

John Garrett, a high-ranking member of Hydra and a Level 8 S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, was obsessed with experiments in body modification.

Earlier, through S.H.I.E.L.D.'s data and intelligence, he'd learned that the wildly popular health supplement, the Power Pill, had long-term effects that strengthened the body when taken regularly.

So he struck a deal: in exchange for intelligence on superhumans in his possession, he had Garrett send people to secretly capture Dr. Smith, the developer of the Power Pill.

Strucker himself had no interest in physical enhancement—his focus was solely on researching and developing superhuman abilities—so he'd agreed to the trade at the time.

As for the newly uncovered Reinforcement Cream and the true mastermind behind it, Li Chuan, those fell outside the scope of his deal.

Besides, kidnapping a scientist was a far cry from kidnapping the most wealthy and influential entrepreneur in Sokovia—the impact and difficulty were on completely different levels.

Of course, unless Garrett was willing to up the price. That would be another story entirely.