Marvel : Ms. Hyuga's journey

— One Week Later —

After eliminating The Hand and the Five Fingers of The Hand, Kaguya Hime seemed to vanish from the face of the earth. There were no traces of their activity except for the faint shadow of Naori's Bunshin, which remained active on the surface, serving as the public liaison. The Bunshin was flawless—only an expert could detect the difference. But to the world, Naori Hyuga still existed, engaging in her business ventures and social activities as usual.

Far from the bustle of the world, the real Naori was deeply immersed in relentless experiments in a hidden underground lab in New Mexico. With puffy eyes surrounded by dark circles, she calculated complex formulas displayed on a large holographic screen glowing in front of her. A towering pile of dragon bones served as the centerpiece of her research, surrounded by cutting-edge laboratory equipment. Small vials containing Pym particles and various strange substances were scattered across her workbench, creating an atmosphere of controlled chaos.

Naori muttered as she typed furiously. "If I enhance this stabilizer reaction... No, the energy curve is unbalanced. Damn it! I need more time!" She slammed her fist on the table in frustration.

Yugao entered the room, carrying a cup of hot green tea. "Hey, if you keep going like this, your brain might explode before this cloning works." She placed the tea on Naori's desk and glanced at the holographic screen with a curious expression.

Naori only grunted as she sipped her tea.

— Meanwhile, at SHIELD Headquarters —

Nick Fury stood at the briefing table, watching a large screen replay footage of Shiro's battle in the Brooklyn underground chamber. His brow furrowed deeply. The graceful yet deadly figure of Shiro danced amidst the bone forest, mercilessly slaughtering hundreds of enemies. Natasha and Clint sat at the table, observing the footage with serious expressions. Maria Hill and Phil Coulson stood on either side of Fury, awaiting his direction.

"So, what do you all think?" Fury began, turning off the screen. "I originally thought about recruiting them into the Avengers Initiative. But after seeing this... I'm not so sure anymore."

Natasha crossed her arms. "They're not the kind of people who can be controlled, Nick. Kaguya Hime has no loyalty to anyone but themselves. Even if we could offer them something they wanted, there's no guarantee they wouldn't turn against us the moment it benefits them."

Clint nodded in agreement. "I agree with Nat. But... they're also not the kind of threat we can just ignore. If left unchecked, they could become a global danger."

Phil Coulson, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke. "Maybe we don't need to control them. Instead, we could monitor them. If we know their movements, we can minimize any damage they cause."

Maria Hill sighed. "They're extremely dangerous. But I'm not sure confronting them is a wise move. We don't have enough information about their full capabilities."

Fury paced the room, his right hand stroking his chin. "Information. That's what we need. We need someone who can infiltrate their group. Or at least someone who can get close enough to get a sense of what they're planning."

Natasha smirked faintly. "You mean someone like me?"

Fury stared at her intently. "You know this isn't a simple mission, Romanoff. If they figure out you're spying on them, even you might not make it out alive."

Natasha shrugged. "I never expected this job to be easy."

Clint interjected. "Wait, you're seriously thinking about sending Nat to infiltrate them? These aren't your average targets, Nick. They have abilities we don't fully understand."

Fury raised a hand, signaling for calm. "We're not making any decisions yet. For now, I want detailed reports on everything we know about Kaguya Hime. Natasha, Clint, I need an analysis of their possible interactions with other parties. Hill, handle surveillance on Naori's public activities. And Coulson, make sure we have contingency plans if this situation escalates."

Everyone nodded, and the room was soon filled with the sound of footsteps as they left the briefing table. Natasha glanced at the video screen one last time before leaving, her eyes filled with thought.

In the underground lab in New Mexico, Naori smiled faintly, unaware that thousands of miles away, someone was already plotting their next move against Kaguya Hime.

…

— November, 2010 —

Nearly two years had passed, and the world seemed to forget about Kaguya Hime. The shadow organization that had once shaken major powers now operated in silence, only accepting small commissions that drew no attention. Some contractors even questioned whether the group was still as strong as their reputation suggested.

But behind this façade of tranquility, Kaguya Hime had a reason. They hadn't lost their strength—on the contrary. It was all part of a strategy.

Naori Hyuga, the mastermind behind the organization, stood before three large tubes filled with transparent blue liquid. Inside them, the naked bodies of Yugao, Shiro, and Yura floated in a static state, like statues of goddesses made of flesh and blood. The blue light from the tubes illuminated the sterile underground room, reflecting the tired yet satisfied expression on Naori's face.

She let out a long sigh, gazing at the results of her hard work over the past two years. With one hand on her hip and the other twirling a small pen, her mind continued to race even though the experiment was nearly complete.

The time originally estimated at one year was increased to two years.

"It's finally done," Naori murmured to herself, her voice hoarse from rarely speaking. "No more distractions... no more conflicting thoughts inside me."

She moved her hand to touch the holographic screen in front of her. With a single tap, the blue liquid in the tubes began to drain through small channels. The bodies slowly descended to the bottom of the tubes, and the machines above them emitted a soft glow, activating the final procedure.

Naori closed her eyes and began channeling her chakra. It felt like dancing on the edge of a blade—tense and dangerous, yet filled with beauty. Energy flowed from her body toward the three tubes, dividing her essence into these new bodies. This process was the culmination of all her research, her quest until now.

Yugao's eyes were the first to open, followed by Shiro's, and finally Yura's. Slowly, they began to move, becoming aware of their existence.

Yugao blinked, then looked at Naori with a satisfied smile. "Hah... So this is what it feels like to truly be myself. No other voices in my head, no other personalities interfering. Thank you, Naori."

Shiro touched her body, examining her flawless skin with her cold gray eyes. "Your work is impressive, as always. But I won't forgive you if there's even a tiny flaw in this body."

Yura stretched her body casually. "Finally, I can live freely without sharing space in your head, Naori. Feels like being reborn. But seriously, you left me naked? You really know how to create a dramatic moment."

Naori chuckled softly, a rare occurrence. "Don't worry. I've ensured your bodies are more perfect than ever before. You're all masterpieces of two years' worth of work."

Yugao glanced at her naked body with a lazy expression. "And you couldn't give us clothes before waking us up? Do you think this is a sci-fi movie?"

Naori smirked. "Oh, don't worry. There are clothes in the next room. Besides, you shouldn't feel embarrassed in front of your creator, should you?"

Yura scoffed as she stepped out of the tube. "Of course you'd say that. You just wanted to show off."

— Meanwhile, at SHIELD Headquarters —

In SHIELD's main office, Nick Fury sat at the head of a large table, surrounded by Maria Hill, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, and Phil Coulson. The room was tense. They had just finished debriefing Natasha's latest mission to approach Naori Hyuga and extract information.

"So, you couldn't even get close to her?" Fury asked, raising an eyebrow at Natasha.

Natasha crossed her arms, her face unreadable. "She knew from the start, Nick. Naori Hyuga isn't an idiot. Even with all the charm and infiltration skills I have, she didn't flinch. That woman is too confident."

"Confident, or arrogant?" Coulson quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

Natasha scoffed. "Both. She even implied she's prettier than me. Do you know how it feels to be rejected like that?"

Clint chuckled. "Isn't it usually you who rejects people, Nat?"

Natasha glared at him but couldn't hide a faint smile. "That's not the point, Clint."

Fury sighed heavily. "The fact that she knew from the start means we don't even have a way to approach them. This makes them far more dangerous."

Maria Hill added, "And now they've disappeared completely. No major activities for the past two years. But I doubt they've been sitting idle."

The team nodded in unison, leaving the room one by one.